GB2124796A

GB2124796A - A means for controlling the operations of mobile, agricultural working machines

Info

Publication number: GB2124796A
Application number: GB08315271A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lubkemann Rolf Fischer
Original assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Current assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Priority date: 1982-06-04
Filing date: 1983-06-03
Publication date: 1984-02-22
Also published as: GB8315271D0; DE3221162C1; DK159240B; GB2124796B; FR2527896B1; DK159240C; FR2527896A1; DK250283A; ATA198783A; DK250283D0

Abstract

A means for controlling the operations of mobile, agricultural working machines, more especially seed drills attached to tractors (3), such a means including a signaling mechanism (19) which produces signals in dependence on the changes in travel direction of the working machine, such signals triggering a switching device (18 or 20, respectively) which actuates the processing tools of the machine; for automatic and reliable control, the signalling mechanism (19) is provided with a direction sensing or receiving means which serves to sense or pick-up a directional physical variable and produces the signals when the change in travel direction is approximately 180 DEG (reversal of travel direction). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A means for controlling the operations of mobile, agricultural working machines The present invention relates to a means for controlling the operations of mobile, agricultural working machines, more especially sowing machines such as seed drills attached to tractors, such a means including a signalling mechanism which produces signals in dependence on the changes in travel direction of the working machine, such signals triggering a switching device which actuates the operating tools of the machine.

German Auslegeschrift No. 3 017 41 5 has already disclosed a control system for controlling drills of the above-described type. In such a case, at least the seed pipes of the drill disposed above a track of the tractor have each to be shut-off after a pre-determined number of parallel beds have been sown in order to achieve seed-free tracks in such manner. These tracks serve as lanes or tramlines in which the tractor may travel for subsequent plant-care operations to be carried out without simultaneously destroying plants. This socalled tramlining (trace drilling) technique is used, for example, to permit fertilizers to be dispersed over already germinated plants, since this operation requires there to be a constant lateral spacing between the seed-free tracks.

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of the travel route F of such an agricultural working machine, illustrating that there is a reversal of travel direction at each of the two edges of the field. In the example illustrated, lanes or tramlines comprising the two tracks S are to be kept free of seeds after every third reversal of travel direction, because the width D of the fertilizer spreader corresponds to three times the spacing between two tracks.

In order to permit automatic distribution of the seed-free tramlines, the known control system of the above-described type provides blind slide members to shut-off the seed pipes, such blind slide members being switched by control signals produced in dependence on a pre-determined travel distance in a bed and on a locking angle of the guide wheels of the tractor, such a locking angle being greater than approximately half the full locking angle.

This known control system does not always operate reliably and may accidentally release a control signal, thereby resulting in faulty control and a "hotch-potch of tramlines". If, however, the tramlines are too far apart, a strip of the field remains unfertilized therebetween; on the other hand, if they are too close together, one strip becomes overfertilized because the fertilizing overlaps.

Faulty control also occurs if the field contains obstacles such as high-voltage pylons, for example, which need to be avoided. Problems also arise when scanning the locking angle of the guide wheels of the tractor, because the scanning members are accommodated in an area which has a great tendency to become soiled and dirty, and consequently malfunctions often occur.

A further disadvantage of the known control system is that a portion of the system has to be attached to the tractor towing the seed drill, and appropriate connection-pieces have to be provided for each type of tractor in order to scan the locking angle. In such a case, it is also disadvantageous that a plurality of leads extend from the tractor to the seed drill. With rough agricultural conditions, when the farmer uncouples the drill he often forgets to also detach the leads from the tractor. When the tractor moves forwardly, therefore, the leads are ripped out of the plug and the farmer is not readily in a position to reconnect the leads correctly.

The present invention seeks to provide a means for controlling operations of the abovedescribed type so that, without any assistance from the operator, the working machine is reliably connected and there is not possibility of errors occurring because of a pre-set operating programme.

According to the present invention there is provided a control means for controlling the operations of mobile, agricultural working machines, including a signalling mechanism which produces signals in dependence on the changes in direction of travel of the working machine, such signals triggering a switching device which actuates the processing tools of the machine, characterised in that the signalling mechanism is provided with a direction sensing or a receiving means which serves to sense or receive a directional physical variable or parameter and produces said signals when the change in travel direction is approximately 180 (reversal of travel direction).

These two features ensure that the operations are positively controlled in a very simple manner, because, by excluding extraneous influences, only the desired signals trigger a counting process. All of the parts of the control means may be attached to the working machine itself, so that it is impossiboe for damage to occur during the uncoupling operation from a tractor. In addition, the driver of the tractor towing the working machine is able to avoid obstacles without running the risk of a signal being triggered; a signal is only triggered during the turning operation at the end of the field when the working machine reverses its direction of travel.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a counter is provided between the signalling mechanism and the subsequent switching device, and such a counter is presettable to a desired, intended value for the number of reversals of the travel direction.

According to requirements, therefore, large or small intervals can be selected for controlling the operations of the working machine; for example, tramlines can be selected to be wide apart or close together where seed drills are concerned.

The pre-settable counter may be replaced, of course, by a pre-settable desired value transmitter having a comparator connected to the output end thereof, the other input of such a comparator receiving the output counting signal of a conventional counter.

It is especially advantageous when a sensor is provided, such a sensor producing control signals during operation of the machine and supplying such signals to an input of an AND gate, the other input of the AND gate receiving the signals of the signalling mechanism, and the output of the AND gate being connected to the input of the counter.

By combining two different signals, it is ensured that the operations are only controlled when the working machine is actually in operation. Thus, for example, errors are eliminated which might have occurred during the refilling operation of a seed drill when the machine has to travel to a distant refilling station and several reversals of travel direction are sometimes unavoidable.

A particularly simple arrangement ensues when the direction sensing means of the signalling mechanism is a compass needle.

The compass needle may, in such case, be provided with a projection member in order to interrupt a light barrier comprising light source and photoelectric cell, such a cell being part of the signalling mechanism.

It is, however, also possible for the receiving means of the signalling mechanism to be antennas for receiving directional beams from a radio transmitter or for receiving signals from a satellite.

The above-mentioned sensor for producing the control signals may be operatively connected to the sowing coulters of a seed drill, so that it produces control signals only when the sowing coulters are in their lowered positions. In addition, it is also possible for the sensor to be operatively connected to a running wheel which has been lowered to the ground during operation of the machine, and such a sensor produces control signals only when the running wheel rotates.

As already mentioned, the control means according to the invention may be used in a particularly advantageous manner with sowing machines such as seed drills. In such a case, the first switching device is connected to the output of the counter and serves to actuate a shut-off mechanism for cutting the supply of seeds to pre-determined sowing counters.

In addition, however, it is also possible to connect an additional switching device to the output of the AND gate for the alternating actuation of track markers pivotally mounted on either side of the working machine.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the travel route of a mobile, agricultural working machine, illustrating tramlines (traces) which have been thereby formed; Figure 2 is a'front elevational view of a sowing machine in the form of a seed drill provided with control means according to the invention; Figure 3 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the seed drill of Fig. 2 connected to a tractor; Figure 4 is a schematic, side elevational view of a signalling mechanism according to the invention; Figure 5 is a plan view of the signalling mechanism; and Figure 6 is a circuit diagram of the means for controlling operations constructed in accordance with the invention.

A seed drill is coupled to a power lift 2 of a tractor 3 by means of coupling members 1 and, during operation, is supported on the ground 5 by running wheels 4. The lower portion of a storage container or hopper 6 of the seed drill is provided with outlet apertures, through which the seeds are conveyed from the hopper 6 to sowing coulters 10 of the seed drill via a metering device 8 and pipes 9 which are connected to such a metering device 8; a regulating means 7 being adapted to regulate the metering device 8.

The sowing coulters 10 introduce the seeds into the ground 5 and are pivotally mounted on frame 1 2 of the seed drill via support members 11.

Track markers 1 4 are secured to the two lateral walls 1 3 of the seed drill by means of pivot joints 1 5. The track markers 14 are connected by means of cables 1 7 guided by rollers 1 6 to a known switching device 18, which is therefore not illustrated and described more fully. This switching device 1 8 causes the track markers 14 to be alternately raised and lowered, and the signals which trigger the switching device 18 come from a signalling mechanism 1 9 which will be described further hereinafter.

In addition, a switching device 20 is secured to the hopper 6 of the seed drill for the formation of tramlines (trace drilling). The signalling mechanism 1 9 also produces the signals for triggering this switching device 20.

The switching device 20 is connected to a shut-off mechanism 22 via a tension cable 21, and such shut-off mechanism 22 serves to cut the supply of seeds so that tramlines can be formed in this manner.

As illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the signalling mechanism 1 9 in the embodiment is provided with a compass needle 24 which serves as the direction sensing means for sensing a directional physical parameter i.e. a directional physical datum, namely the magnetic field of the earth in this embodiment.

The compass needle 24 is provided with a projection member 25 outwardly of its axis of rotation and serves to interrupt a light barrier between a photoelectric cell 26 and a light source 26'. Both the photoelectric cell 26 and the light source 26' are connected to a pulse generator 28 via leads 27.

In the event of a 180 change in travel direction (reversal of travel direction), the compass needle 24 also rotates through 180 relative to the light barrier, so that the projection member 25 passes through the region of the light barrier and thereby produces a signal which is supplied to the pulse generator 28.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, a pre-settable counter 30 is connected in series behind the signalling mechanism 1 9 with the output of such counter 30 being connected to the input of the switching device 20 in order to actuate the shut-off mechanism 22 for cutting the supply of seeds. If, in accordance with the example illustrated in Fig. 1, a tramline is to be formed after every third reversal of travel direction, the counter 20 is set to 3, so that the switching device 20 is actuated by the counter 30 after the third pulse of the signalling mechanism 19, such switching device 20 triggering the shut-off mechanism 22 for cutting the supply of seeds. The supply of seeds to the sowing coulters 10 is thereby interrupted, such coulters 10 corresponding to the tramlines to be formed.After the counter 30 has issued the above-described output signal to the switching device 20, the counter 30 is re-set to 0.

As further illustrated in Fig. 6, an AND gate 31 is provided between the signalling mechanism 1 9 and the counter 30. The first input of the AND gate 31 is connected to the output of the signalling mechanism 19, whilst the second input of the AND gate 31 is connected to a sensor 29. The sensor 29 produces a continuous signal whilst it detects the working operation of the seed drill, i.e. whilst the running wheels 4 are travelling along the ground 5 or whilst, in accordance with an alternative arrangement, the sowing coulters 10 are lowered to the ground 5. This ensures that pulses are only supplied to the counter 30 when the working machine is in its operating position, whilst no counting is effected during travel externally of the field i.e. when the sowing coulters 10 and the running wheels 4 are in their raised positions.

Finally, it is apparent from Fig. 6 that the second switching device 1 8 for actuating the track markers 1 4 is directly connected to the output of the AND gate 31, so that the sowing coulters 1 4 are alternately actuated after every reversal of travel direction when the machine is in its working position, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In order to prevent the signalling mechanism 1 9 from constantly producing signals when the light barrier extends in a north-south direction (north-south alignment of the field), the signalling mechanism 1 9 is rotatably and securably disposed on the seed drill.

Claims

1. A control means for controlling the operations of mobile, agricultural working machines, including a signalling mechanism which produces signals in dependence on the changes in direction of travel of the working machine, such signals triggering a switching device which actuates the processing tools of the machine, characterised in that the signalling mechanism (19) is provided with a direction sensing or a receiving means (24) which serves to sense or receive a directional physical variable or parameter and produces said signals when the change in travel direction is approximately 180 (reversal of travel direction).

2. Control means as claimed in claim 1, in which a counter (30) is provided between the signalling mechanism (19) and the subsequent switching device (20), and said counter (30) is pre-settable to a desired, intended value for the number of reversals of the travel direction.

3. Control means as claimed in claim 2, in which a sensor (29) is provided for producing control signals during operation of the machine and supplying such signals to an input of an AND gate (31), the other input of the AND gate (31) receiving the signals of the signalling mechanism (19), and the output of the AND gate (31) being connected to the input of the counter (30).

4. Control means as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the direction sensing means or member of the signalling mechanism (19) is a compass needle (24).

5. Control means as claimed in claim 4, in which the compass needle (24) is provided with a projection member (25) outwardly of its axis of rotation which serves to interrupt a light barrier comprising light source (26') and photoelectric cell (26); said cell (26) being part of the signalling mechanism.

6. Control means as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, in which the direction sensing or the receiving means of the signalling mechanism are antennas for receiving directional beams of a radio transmitter or for receiving signals from a satellite.

7. Control means as claimed in claim 6, in which two radio receiving antennas are inter connected and produce the signals in the event of a change in the incoming power.

8. Control means as claimed in claim 6, in which a medium wave antenna is provided which produces the signals in the event of a change in the incoming power.

9. Control means as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which an additional switching device (18) is directly connected to the output of the AND gate (31) for the alternate actuation of track markers (14) pivotally mounted on either side of the working machine.

10. Control means as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the first switching device (20) is connected to the output of the counter (30) and serves to actuate a shut-off mechanism (22) for cutting the supply of seeds to pre-determined sowing coulters (10) of a seed drill.

11. Control means as claimed in claims 3 and 10, in which the sensor (29) is operatively connected to the sowing coulters (10) of the seed drill and produces control signals only when the sowing coulters (10) are in their lowered positions.

1 2. Control means as claimed in one of claims 3 to 10, in which the sensor (29) is operatively connected to a running wheel which has been lowered to the ground in the working position of the machine, and such a sensor (29) produces control signals only when the running wheel (4) rotates.

1 3. Control means as claimed in one of claims 3 to 10, in which the sensor (29) is operatively connected to a drive shaft of metering wheels and produces control signals only when the metering wheels rotate.

14. Control means substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.