Electronic slip control

Claim 2

In combination with a wheeled vehicle having a driven axle and an undriven axle, a slippage-monitoring arrangement comprising, in combination, a first signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the driven axle; a second signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the undriven axle; and divider means having an input connected to the output of said first signal generator and having another input connected to the output of said second signal generator and operative for generating a ratio signal indicative of the ratio of the rotational speeds of said axles, wherein said divider means includes a multiplier and operational amplifier means, said multiplier and said operational amplifier means each including first and second inputs, the output of said multiplier being connected to the first input of said operational amplifier means and further including a feed-back connection connected from the output of said operational amplifier means to the second input of said multiplier.

Claim 3

The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the output of the first signal generator is connected to the first input of said multiplier, and the output of the second signal generator is connected to the second input of said operational amplifier means.

Claim 4

The means as defined in claim 1, further including a capacitor connected between said output of the operational amplifier means and said first input of said operational amplifier means for providing negative feed-back, low pass filtration, and integration.

Claim 5

The means as defined in claim 1, further including a positive rail and a negative rail; a voltage divider connected between the positive and negative rails, said voltage divider having a tap; a setting resistor connected between said tap and the second input of said operational amplifier means; and a first transistor having an input connected to the output of said second signal generator, and wherein said multiplier includes a second transistor, the emitter or the collector of said first transistor and the emitter or the collector of said second transistor being connected to said tap.

Claim 6

The means as defined in claim 8, wherein of said first and second transistors at least the collector of said second transistor is connected to said tap so that at least said second transistor is inversely driven so as to reduce errors caused by residual voltages of the transistor.

Claim 7

The arrangement as defined in claim 4, said vehicle being provided with a ground-penetrating implement and control means connected to said divider means and operative for varying the extent of penetration of said implement into the ground in dependence upon the value of said ratio signal, and wherein said operational amplifier means includes first and second operational amplifiers, said first operational amplifier being connected to said multiplier to receive as input the output of said multiplier, said second operational amplifier being connected to said first operational amplifier to receive as input the output oF said first operational amplifier for obtaining a signal level suitable for said control means, and wherein said feedback connection is connected from the output of said second operational amplifier to said second input of said multiplier.

Claim 8

In combination with a wheeled vehicle having a driven axle and an undriven axle, a slippage-monitoring arrangement comprising, in combination, a first signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the driven axle; a second signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the undriven axle; divider means having an input connected to the output of said first signal generator and having another input connected to the output of said second signal generator and operative for generating a ratio signal indicative of the ratio of the rotational speeds of said axles, each of said signal generators having an output and said divider means having two inputs; and further including a first pulse shaper having an input connected to the output of said first generator and having an output connected to one input of said divider means, and a second pulse shaper having an input connected to the output of said second generator and having an input connected to the other input of said divider means, and wherein each of said pulse shapers comprises a respective monostable multivibrator, said vehicle being provided with a ground-penetrating implement and electrohydraulic control means connected to said divider means and operative for varying the extent of penetration of said implement into the ground in dependence upon the value of said ratio signal.

Claim 9

In combination with a wheeled vehicle having a driven axle and an undriven axle, a slippage-monitoring arrangement comprising, in combination, a first signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the driven axle; a second signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the undriven axle; divider means having an input connected to the output of said first signal generator and having another input connected to the output of said second signal generator and operative for generating a ratio signal indicative of the ratio of the rotational speeds of said axles, each of said signal generators having an output and said divider means having two inputs; and further including a first pulse shaper having an input connected to the output of said first generator and having an output connected to one input of said divider means, and a second pulse shaper having an input connected to the output of said second generator and having an input connected to the other input of said divider means, and wherein each of said pulse shapers comprises a respective monostable multivibrator, said vehicle being provided with a ground-penetrating implement and electrohydraulic control means connected to said divider means and operative for varying the extent of penetration of said implement into the ground in dependence upon the value of said ratio signal.

Claim 10

An arrangement as defined in claim 7, wherein said monostable multivibrator of said first pulse shaper includes a variable RC-timing network.

Claim 11

In a combination with a wheeled vehicle having a driven axle, an undriven axle, a ground-penetrating implement, and lifting means for raising and lowering said implement to vary the extent of penetration of said implement into the ground, a novel control arrangement comprising a first signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the driven axle; a second signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the undriven axle; divider means having an input connected to the output of said first signal generator and having another input connected to the output of said second signal generator and operative for generating a ratio signal indicative of the ratio of the rotational speeds of said axles; and means for causing said lifting means to vary the extent of penetration of said implement into the ground in such a manner as to maintain said ratio signal within a predetermined range.

Claim 12

In a combination with a wheeled vehicle having a driven axle, an undriven axle, a ground-penetrating implement, and lifting means for raising and lowering said implement to vary the extent of penetration of said implement into the ground, a novel control arrangement comprising a first signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the driven axle; a second signal generator mounted on said vehicle and having an output, and operative for generating at its output a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the undriven axle; divider means having an input connected to the output of said first signal generator and having another input connected to the output of said second signal generator and operative for generating a ratio signal indicative of the ratio of the rotational speeds of said axles; and means for causing said lifting means to vary the extent of penetration of said implement into the ground in such a manner as to maintain said ratio signal within a predetermined range.