JP2005315768A - Measuring system using gps signal as trigger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for integrating simply information of analog signals and pulse signals obtained from a GPS output as serial data, and from a sensor mounted on a vehicle or the like to measure easily a yield, a slip ratio or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This measuring system using a GPS signal as a trigger is provided with a measuring auxiliary device wherein the serial data transmitted with a fixed interval from a GPS receiver is received by a small-sized microcomputer board to be pulse counted or AC-converted using reception timing of the GPS signal as a reference, using the same microcomputer board, as to the analog signals and pulse signals measured at the same time, and wherein those are integrated into one serial data to be output. The system is applied to a combined harvester and thresher 7 and a tractor 11, the yield is measured in the combined harvester and thresher 7, and the slip ratio of traveling wheels is measured in the tractor 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a measurement technique (system) that easily integrates information collected by a work vehicle such as a combine or a tractor, or vehicle information and information obtained from GPS.

  From the viewpoint of the user of the GPS receiver, information from the GPS is generally handled as serial data. Therefore, in order to collect analog signals and pulse signals at the same time and integrate the position and speed information obtained from GPS corresponding to the information, it is necessary to develop a dedicated controller and software according to the application. (See FIG. 8).

  With the spread of GPS, position information of work vehicles such as combines and tractors can be easily acquired. So far, apart from location information, information collected by special vehicles such as combine and tractor (eg soil conditions, growth, yield, etc.) or vehicle information (eg engine rotation, vehicle rotation, fuel consumption) Etc.) of new data analysis technology (for example, GIS and geostatistics) and farming technology (for example, local management technology, precision farming method, etc.) Research and development are progressing (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3).

JP 11-235124 A JP 2002-187455 A JP 2003-47 A

  From the standpoint of the user of the GPS receiver, information from the GPS is generally handled as serial data, but the signal obtained from a sensor mounted on a vehicle or the like is often an analog signal or a pulse signal. Therefore, in order to collect such information and integrate it with the position and speed information obtained from the corresponding GPS, as shown in FIG. 8, a dedicated controller or software suitable for the purpose of data collection or analysis is used. Need to develop.

  The present invention makes it possible to perform general processing on a microcomputer board by processing dedicated controllers and software that have been developed according to individual applications, and to trigger data collection on GPS reception timing. Therefore, the microcomputer board proposes a method of operating without depending on other control devices. In the present invention, information collected by an operator such as a combine and a tractor (for example, soil conditions, growth, yield, etc.) or vehicle information (for example, engine rotation, wheel rotation, fuel consumption, etc.) and information from the GPS can be easily obtained. It is obtained from GPS output as serial data and from sensors mounted on vehicles, etc. for the purpose of contributing to the development of measurement methods integrated into the system and lowering the price of dedicated controllers and software developed so far. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that easily integrates information on analog signals and pulse signals to be obtained, and a system that easily measures yield, slip rate, and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by having the following technique (system).
A. Timing of receiving GPS data using the same microcomputer board for the serial signal transmitted from the GPS receiver with a small microcomputer board and receiving the pulse signal and analog signal measured at the same time. Are used as a reference, pulse count and AD conversion are performed, and these are integrated into one serial data and output.

B. The combine is equipped with a yield monitor that outputs GPS and analog signals, and the GPS signal is given AD-converted yield information based on the timing of receiving the GPS signal, and the position information and yield are processed by a small microcomputer board. Integrate information to measure yield.
C. The number of rotations of the wheels of the combine, tractor, etc. is detected by a tachometer, and the number of pulses detected by the tachometer is given to the GPS signal mounted on the combine, tractor, etc. with reference to the timing of receiving the GPS signal. Then, the slip rate is measured by integrating the vehicle speed information and the vehicle rotation information by processing of a small microcomputer board.

The present invention provides the above-described A. (Claim 1) to C.I. By having the system of (Claim 3), the following effects can be obtained.
A. A. above. With this system, a microcomputer board is used for various calculations, so that it is possible to construct a measurement system that is smaller and less expensive than conventional techniques. Also, GPS data reception, AD conversion, pulse count, AD conversion and pulse count results are converted into physical quantities per unit time, and these results are output in serial data format under the control of the microcomputer board CPU only. It can be performed. Furthermore, the timing of processing for converting the result of AD conversion or pulse count into a physical quantity per unit time can be the reception timing of a GPS signal. As described above, there is no need for an apparatus for managing measurement other than the measurement auxiliary apparatus of the present invention.

B. B. above. In the yield measurement system, the measurement auxiliary device is used in the yield measurement system, the combiner is equipped with a yield monitor that outputs GPS and analog signals, and the AD signal is added to the GPS signal, yielding a small microcomputer board By this process, the position information and the yield information can be integrated and the yield can be measured.
C. C. above. In the slip ratio measurement system, the rotational speed of the wheel of the combine, tractor, etc. is detected by a tachometer using the measurement auxiliary device, and the GPS signal mounted on the combine, tractor, etc. is detected by the tachometer. The slip rate can be measured by adding the number of detected pulses and integrating the vehicle speed information and the wheel rotation information by processing of a small microcomputer board.

D. As described above, by using the present invention, the GPS information and the information of various sensors (analog, pulse signal) can be easily integrated on the microcomputer board, and the information collecting system such as the yield measuring system and the slip rate measuring system can be simplified. Can contribute to the construction. The present invention is also expected to have a ripple effect on the development of new data analysis techniques (such as GIS and geostatistics) and farming techniques (such as local management techniques and precision farming methods).

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a system diagram for simultaneously collecting GPS information, pulse signals, and analog signals according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of data processing according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a timing chart of data reception and processing according to the present invention. 4 is a side view of a combine to which the yield measurement system according to the present invention is applied, FIG. 5 is a yield map created using the yield measurement system according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram of the slip ratio measurement system according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of slip ratio measurement using the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a system diagram for simultaneously collecting GPS information, pulse signals, and analog signals according to the prior art.

  In the system that collects GPS information, pulse signals, and analog signals at the same time as shown in FIG. 8, it is necessary to develop dedicated hardware and software and control measurement with dedicated software. was there.

  Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to perform general-purpose processing on a microcomputer board by developing a dedicated controller and software that has been developed for each individual application, and receiving a GPS data trigger. By adopting the timing, the microcomputer board has developed a system (method) that operates without depending on other control devices.

  The measurement auxiliary device that uses a GPS signal as a trigger of the present invention is a device that uses a microcomputer board for simultaneously collecting GPS information, pulse signals, and analog signals, and uses a data collection trigger as a GPS reception timing. In the prior art, in order to perform the above processing, it is necessary to develop dedicated hardware and software, and to control measurement management with the dedicated software. In the present invention, the microcomputer board is characterized in that it operates without depending on other control devices, and can be used for general purposes in combination with commercially available terminal software (see FIG. 1).

  The system that collects GPS information, pulse signals, and analog signals at the same time in FIG. 1 is a device that uses the microcomputer board 1 and uses a data collection trigger as the GPS reception timing. Therefore, the microcomputer board 1 operates without depending on other control devices, and can be used for general purposes in combination with commercially available terminal software. It is also possible to exchange integrated data wirelessly and receive and process them remotely.

  In implementation, like the specification of the measurement auxiliary device (microcomputer board) 1 shown in Table 1, the measurement auxiliary device 1 of the present invention is provided with sensors (0 to 4) having analog outputs and pulse outputs. A sensor (0 to 1) that is provided and a GPS receiver that outputs serial data via RS232C are connected to collect information on the measurement results.

  For the operation of the measurement auxiliary device 1 (see FIG. 1 and Table 1) of the present invention, a microcomputer board is used, and at the same time the GPS data obtained via the serial port (Port1, RS232C) is received. For the analog signal and pulse signal in the center, processing such as integration and averaging is performed, and the result is integrated with the received GPS information and output from another serial port (Port2, RS232C). When GPS data is not received, analog signals are subjected to AD conversion at 100 Hz, and the results are integrated. Also, the GPS data and data from other sensors are integrated and output as serial data.

  For pulse signals, the number of pulses is counted and the results are integrated. Each time GPS data is received, the average value of the analog signal and the number of pulses per unit time are calculated by dividing the AD conversion result and the counted number of pulses by the accumulated time (see FIGS. 2 and 3). . In the data processing flow (flowchart) of FIG. 2 according to the present invention, processing such as integration and averaging is performed on the analog signal and pulse signal being measured at the same time in accordance with the timing at which GPS data is received. It is integrated with the received GPS information and output from another serial port RS232C.

  In the timing chart of data reception / processing according to the present invention in FIG. 3, when GPS data is not received, analog signals are AD-converted and the results are integrated. For pulse signals, the number of pulses is counted and the results are integrated. Each time GPS data is received, the result of AD conversion and the counted number of pulses are divided by the accumulated time to calculate the average value of the analog signal and the number of pulses per unit time. Since the timing of receiving GPS data is used as a trigger for calculation and output, there is no need to separately prepare processing related to measurement management.

  The yield measurement system and the slip ratio measurement system according to the present invention are taken as examples (1 and 2).

  The yield measurement system of Example 1 is a system for measuring yield while performing harvesting work with the combine 7. The configuration of a yield measurement system using the present invention is shown in FIG. The yield measurement system includes the yield measurement auxiliary device of the present invention, a plurality of yield sensors that output analog signals, a GPS receiver, an antenna, a personal computer for data collection, or a PDA. In FIG. 4, a self-contained combine 7 equipped with a crawler type traveling device is provided with a measurement auxiliary device (microcomputer board) 1 according to the present invention, a GPS receiver 2, and a PDA 4 for data collection in the vicinity of the cockpit. Built in one panel. A GPS antenna 3 is provided on the upper part of the aircraft. An optical grain flow meter 5 serving as a yield sensor a is provided on the upper part of the drawer that conveys the threshed grain to the grain tank. Moreover, the load type yield sensor 6 as the yield sensor b is provided in the bottom part of the grain tank.

  The yield measurement system is mounted on the combine 7 and performs processing such as integration and averaging of yield information from various sensors 5 and 6 at the timing of GPS data reception during normal harvesting work, and the result is used as GPS information. Record them with a personal computer or PDA. Both the personal computer and the PDA are for recording serial data output from the measurement auxiliary device 1, and do not manage the measurement at all. From the recorded information, a yield map that visualizes the amount of yield corresponding to the position can be created (see FIG. 5). FIG. 5 is an example of a yield map created by using the yield measurement system according to the present invention. In the figure, a thick line frame indicates the shape of a field, a dark portion indicates a high yield location, and a light portion indicates a light portion. It shows a place with low yield.

  The slip ratio measuring system according to the second embodiment is a system for measuring a slip (wheel slip ratio) of a work vehicle caused by traveling conditions. The configuration of a slip ratio measuring system using the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is located in the vicinity of the cockpit of a tractor 11 equipped with a half-track traveling device and incorporates the measurement auxiliary device 1 according to the present invention, the GPS receiver 2, the PDA 4 for data collection, and the like on one panel. It is out. A GPS antenna 3 is provided at the top of the machine body, and an axle tachometer 10 for outputting a pulse signal is provided on the axle of the half track. Further, a personal computer or PDA for data collection is mounted, and the slip ratio measuring system 12 shown in FIG. 7 is configured.

  This slip ratio measuring system 12 is mounted on a tractor 11 or a management vehicle, and integrates and averages the rotation speed of the axle at the timing of receiving GPS data during normal operations such as tillage, plowing, pest control, management and harvesting. Processing is performed, and the result is integrated with GPS information and recorded by a personal computer or PDA. Both the personal computer and the PDA are for recording the serial data output from the measurement auxiliary device 1, and do not manage the measurement at all. From the recorded information, the speed due to the change in the rotation speed and position of the vehicle is obtained, and the slip ratio corresponding to the position can be calculated (see FIG. 7). In FIG. 7, the slip ratio is continuously measured from the speed at no load calculated from the axle rotation and the speed calculated by GPS. Since all information is integrated in the data to be analyzed, the correspondence between the speed with and without load and the actual speed is easy. In addition, a slip map that visualizes the degree of travel inhibition can be created.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the said Example 1 (yield measurement system) and Example 2 (slip rate measurement system), For example, soil conditions, crop growth amount, the operating condition of a machine, a spraying history, an operator work burden, etc. A wide range of measurement systems can be constructed.

  The measurement system using the GPS signal as a trigger of the present invention easily integrates the analog signal and pulse signal information obtained from the GPS output as serial data and from the sensors mounted on the towing vehicle, work machine, etc. The work status, yield, etc. can be easily measured, and integrated data can be exchanged wirelessly and received at a remote location for control, recording, etc.

1 is a system diagram for simultaneously collecting GPS information, pulse signals, and analog signals according to the present invention. 4 is a flowchart of data processing according to the present invention. 3 is a timing chart of data reception / processing according to the present invention. It is a side view of the combine which applied the yield measuring system by this invention. It is the yield map created using the yield measurement system by this invention. It is a slip ratio measurement system figure by this invention. It is a flowchart of slip ratio measurement using the present invention. It is a system diagram which simultaneously collects GPS information, a pulse signal, and an analog signal according to a conventional technique.

Explanation of symbols

1 Measurement auxiliary device (microcomputer board) according to the present invention
2 GPS receiver 3 GPS antenna 4 PDA for data collection
5 Yield sensor a (for example, optical grain flow meter)
6 Yield sensor b (for example, load-type yield sensor)
7 Self explanatory combine 8 Shape of harvested field (frame)
9 Results of painting according to yield at each position (inside frame)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Axle tachometer 11 Tractor 12 Slip ratio measuring system using this invention

Claims (3)

  Timing of receiving GPS data using the same microcomputer board for the serial signal transmitted from the GPS receiver with a small microcomputer board and receiving the pulse signal and analog signal measured at the same time. A measurement system using a GPS signal as a trigger, which performs pulse count and AD conversion with reference to, and integrates them into a single serial data for output.   The combine is equipped with a yield monitor that outputs GPS and analog signals, and the GPS signal is given AD-converted yield information based on the timing of receiving the GPS signal, and the position information and yield are processed by a small microcomputer board. A measurement system using a GPS signal as a trigger, characterized by measuring the yield by integrating information.   The number of rotations of the wheels of the combine, tractor, etc. is detected by a tachometer, and the number of pulses detected by the tachometer is given to the GPS signal mounted on the combine, tractor, etc. with reference to the timing of receiving the GPS signal. A measurement system using a GPS signal as a trigger, which measures slip ratio by integrating information on vehicle speed and information on vehicle rotation by processing of a small microcomputer board.

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