JP2009090828A - Control of agricultural working machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To establish a more appropriate control structure than conventional one, in a control device of an agriculture work machine in which LAN or CAN communication environment is adopted for a plurality of controllers. <P>SOLUTION: A control means 150 of this invention is provided with an input specialized controller 151a specialized for an input control from respective input system devices, an output specialized controller 151b specialized for an output control to respective output system devices, a control specialized controller 151c specialized for a program process and a CAN communication bus 152 for connecting between the respective controllers. Input information from the respective input system devices is transferred to the control specialized controller 151c via the input specialized controller 151a and output information obtained by the control specialized controller 151c based on the input information is transferred from the control specialized controller 151c to the respective output system devices via the output specialized controller 151b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for an agricultural machine such as a combine, a rice transplanter, or a tractor.

  Conventionally, in an agricultural machine, an input system device (for example, a sensor or a setting device) for transmitting a control amount signal as a control target to a control means or detecting an operation amount of a control target, and an input system device Output system equipment (for example, various actuators) for driving the controlled object according to the signal from These input / output devices are usually controlled by a controller such as a microcomputer.

  If a single controller is used when there are many types and numbers of input / output devices, there is a limit to the ability to process at one time. In this regard, if priority is set for the control processing, there is a disadvantage that parallel processing cannot be performed. However, when the control is performed independently and in parallel by a plurality of controllers, there is a disadvantage that control cannot be linked between the input / output devices to be related.

  In recent years, in order to solve the above-described disadvantages, a LAN communication protocol has been adopted, and such a LAN communication environment is applied to a group of controllers for agricultural machines. As a new development of the LAN communication environment, data communication using a CAN (controller area network) communication protocol has also been proposed. This is a serial communication protocol that realizes distributed real-time control and multiplexing using a differential two-wire CAN communication bus.

Agricultural machines that apply a LAN or CAN communication environment to a plurality of controllers control each output system by transferring control information between the controllers via a LAN or CAN communication bus connecting the controllers. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-101109 A

  By the way, in the combine of the above-mentioned patent document 1, there are many types and numbers of input / output devices, and the number of harnesses connecting these to each controller inevitably increases. Whether to connect to the controller is determined only by the distance to the controller so that the length of the harness is as short as possible.

  For example, even if a certain controller plays a role of mainly controlling the operation of the discharge auger, the controller has an input / output system device that is not closely related to the discharge auger (a mowing machine). Many lifting levers and automatic handle depth control switch lamps are connected. In other words, I / O devices that are not closely related to control are often connected to each controller. For this reason, it is difficult to grasp which input / output system device should be connected to which controller, and there has been a problem that workability is not so good when producing a combine.

  In addition, all the above-mentioned controllers are standardized and shared, and all the controllers are equipped with a CPU having advanced arithmetic processing functions and application control programs and input / outputs for controlling the operation of each output system device. An input / output control program for exchanging control information between system devices and a communication control program necessary for LAN or CAN communication are provided. Such standardization / sharing of the controller may cause each controller to have an unnecessary function depending on the case, so that there are not a few problems of cost increase due to provision of overlapping functions in all the controllers.

  Then, this invention makes it a technical subject to provide the control apparatus of the agricultural machine which solved the above problem and constructed | assembled the more suitable control structure.

  In order to achieve this technical problem, the invention of claim 1 includes a plurality of input system devices and output system devices mounted on a traveling machine body, and each output system device based on input information from each input system device. A control device for controlling agricultural machinery, wherein the control means includes an input-only controller specialized for input control from each input system device, and an output to each output system device. An output-dedicated controller specialized for control, a control-dedicated controller specialized for program processing, and a communication bus connecting the controllers, and input information from the input system devices includes the input The output information transmitted to the control dedicated controller via the dedicated controller and obtained by the control dedicated controller based on the input information is output from the control dedicated controller. Via said dedicated controller is that is configured to be transmitted to each output system equipment.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the agricultural machine control device according to the first aspect, the communication protocol between the controllers is a CAN communication protocol.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the control apparatus of the combine as an agricultural working machine described in Claim 1 or 2, In the said traveling body, the grain tank for storing a grain, and the grain in the said grain tank A discharge auger for discharging to the outside of the machine is mounted, and the discharge auger can be turned up and down at the upper end of the vertical cylinder, and the vertical cylinder installed on the traveling machine body so as to be able to turn around a vertical axis. A turning angle detecting means for detecting a turning angle of the vertical cylinder, a vertical inclination angle detecting means for detecting a vertical inclination angle of the horizontal cylinder, and operating the discharge auger. An auger operating means connected to the input-only controller as the input system device, and a turning drive control unit for a turning actuator for turning the vertical cylinder, and for raising and lowering to swing the horizontal cylinder Ak And a relief drive control unit for Yueta, is that connected to the output dedicated controller as the output system equipment.

  According to the present invention, the control means includes an input dedicated controller specialized for input control from each input system device, an output dedicated controller specialized for output control to each output system device, and a control specialized for program processing. Since the dedicated controller and the communication bus for connecting the controllers are provided, there is no need to connect various input / output devices to the controllers. That is, the input system devices may be collectively connected to the input dedicated controller, and the output system devices may be collectively connected to the output dedicated controller. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp which input / output system device should be connected to which controller, and there is an effect that it is possible to improve the efficiency of the connection work when manufacturing the agricultural working machine.

  Also, input information from each input system device is transmitted to the control-dedicated controller via the input-dedicated controller, and output information obtained by the control-dedicated controller based on the input information is the control-dedicated controller. Are transmitted to the output system devices via the output-dedicated controller, the input-dedicated and output-dedicated controllers do not need to execute a control program that requires a sophisticated arithmetic function. For this reason, it can be manufactured at a lower cost than the control-dedicated controller. Also, the controller dedicated to control does not require a configuration (input / output interface) for connecting input / output devices, and therefore can be manufactured at a lower cost than conventional CAN controllers. Therefore, the effect that it can contribute to suppression of manufacturing cost is also produced.

  Further, since input information from each input system device and output information from each output system device are always transmitted via the communication bus, failure diagnosis (trouble shooting) and status confirmation (monitoring) of the input / output system devices can be performed. There is also an advantage of being easy to do.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, since the communication protocol between the controllers is a CAN communication protocol, each control is executed more than in the case of executing all the control by one controller or the data communication by the LAN communication protocol. The exchange of control data between the controllers is smooth, and there is an effect that communication error detection and error processing between them are excellent.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 9). 1 is a side view of a combine, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the combine, FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram of a power transmission system, FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of a discharge auger, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the entire control apparatus, FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the input-only controller, and FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the output-only controller.

(1). First, the schematic structure of the combine will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The combine for 6-saw cutting in the embodiment includes a traveling machine body 1 supported by a pair of left and right traveling crawlers 2 as traveling devices. At the front part of the traveling machine body 1, a six-row mowing device 3 that takes in while harvesting cereal is mounted by a single-acting lifting hydraulic cylinder 4 so as to be movable up and down around the mowing pivot fulcrum shaft 4a. ing.

  In addition, a threshing device 5 having a feed chain 6 and a grain tank 7 for storing the grain after threshing are mounted side by side on the traveling machine body 1. In the embodiment, the threshing device 5 is disposed on the left side in the traveling direction of the traveling machine body 1, and the grain tank 7 is disposed on the right side in the traveling direction of the traveling machine body 1. A discharge auger 8 is provided at the rear portion of the traveling machine body 1 so as to be able to turn in the horizontal direction, and the grains inside the glen tank 7 are discharged from the throat throw port 9 of the discharge auger 8 to a truck bed or a container. It is comprised so that.

  A driving cabin 10 is provided on the right side of the reaping device 3 and on the front side of the Glen tank 7, and a steering handle 11 and a driving seat 12 are arranged in the driving cabin 10. As shown in FIG. 2, a wired remote control transmitter 13 is disposed on the right side of the steering handle 11 in the driving cabin 10 as an example of an auger operating means for operating the discharge auger 8. (Details will be described later). An engine 14 as a power source is disposed below the driver seat 12. Although not described in detail, the driving cabin 10 is provided with a step on which an operator gets on and a handle column that supports the steering handle. A main speed change lever, a sub speed change lever, a threshing clutch lever, and a mowing clutch lever are disposed on the lever column on the left side of the driver seat 12.

  As shown in FIG. 1, left and right track frames 21 are arranged on the lower surface side of the traveling machine body 1. The track frame 21 includes a drive sprocket 22 that transmits the power of the engine 14 to the traveling crawler 2, a tension roller 23 that maintains the tension of the traveling crawler 2, and a plurality of tracks that hold the grounding side of the traveling crawler 2 in a grounded state. A roller 24 and an intermediate roller 25 that holds the non-grounded side of the traveling crawler 2 are provided. The driving sprocket 22 supports the front side of the traveling crawler 2, the tension roller 23 supports the rear side of the traveling crawler 2, the track roller 24 supports the grounding side of the traveling crawler 2, and the intermediate roller 25 supports the non-traveling crawler 2. The ground side will be supported.

  A clipper-type cutting blade device 222 that cuts the stock of uncut grain culm in the field is provided below the cutting frame 221 connected to the cutting rotation fulcrum shaft 4a of the cutting device 3. In front of the mowing frame 221, a stalk raising apparatus 223 for 6 stalks that raises uncut cereals in the field is arranged. Between the culm pulling device 223 and the front end (feed start side) of the feed chain 6, a culm conveying device 224 that conveys the chopped culm harvested by the cutting blade device 222 is arranged. In addition, in front of the lower part of the grain culling pulling device 223, a weeding body 225 for six strips for weeding the uncut grain culm in the field is projected. While the traveling crawler 2 is driven by the engine 14 and moved in the field, the reaping device 3 continuously cuts uncut cereal grains in the field.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the threshing device 5 includes a handling cylinder 226 for threshing threshing, a rocking sorter 227 that sorts the shed matter falling below the handling cylinder 226, and a tang fan 228. The processing cylinder 229 for reprocessing the threshing waste taken out from the rear part of the handling cylinder 226 and the dust exhaust fan 230 for discharging the dust at the rear part of the swing sorter 227 are provided. The rotation axis of the handling cylinder 226 extends along the conveying direction of the cereal by the feed chain 6 (in other words, the traveling direction of the traveling machine body 1). The stock source side of the corn straw conveyed from the reaping device 3 by the corn straw conveying device 224 is inherited by the feed chain 6 and is nipped and conveyed. Then, the tip side of the cereal cocoon is carried into the handling chamber of the threshing device 5 and threshed by the handling drum 226.

  On the lower side of the swing sorter 227, a first conveyor 231 that takes out the grain (first thing) sorted by the swing sorter 227 and a second thing such as a grain with a branch stem are taken out. A number conveyor 232 is provided. The two conveyors 231 and 232 of the embodiment are installed on the upper surface side of the traveling machine body 1 above the rear part of the traveling crawler 2 in a side view in order of the first conveyor 231 and the second conveyor 232 from the front side in the traveling direction of the traveling machine body 1. Has been.

  Further, the rocking sorter 227 is configured such that the cereals that have leaked from the receiving net 237 stretched below the handling cylinder 226 are subjected to peristaltic sorting (specific gravity sorting) by the feed pan 238 and the chaff sheave 239. ing. The grains falling from the rocking sorter 227 are removed by the sorting air from the red pepper fan 228, and fall first on the conveyor 231. A threshing conveyor 233 extending in the vertical direction is connected to a terminal portion of the first conveyor 231 that protrudes outward from one side wall (right side wall in the embodiment) of the threshing device 5 that is close to the grain tank 7. The grain taken out first from the conveyor 231 is carried into the Glen tank 7 via the cereal conveyor 233 and collected in the Glen tank 7. In addition, along the inclination of the rear surface of the Glen tank 7, the threshing conveyor 233 is erected on the rear side of the Glen tank 7 in a backward inclined posture in which the upper end side of the whipping conveyor 233 is inclined backward.

  Further, the swing sorter 227 is configured to drop a second thing such as a grain with a branch infarction from the chaff sheave 239 onto the second conveyor 232 by peristaltic sorting (specific gravity sorting). A sorting fan 241 for wind-selecting the second thing falling below the chaff sheave 239 is provided. As for the second thing that has fallen from the chaff sheave 239, dust and swarf in the grain are removed by the sorting air from the sorting fan 241 and dropped onto the second conveyor 232. A terminal portion of the second conveyor 232 that protrudes outward from one side wall of the threshing device 5 near the grain tank 7 crosses the cereal conveyor 233 and extends in the front-rear direction to the feed pan 238. It is connected to the upper surface side, and the second item is returned to the upper surface side of the feed pan 238 and re-sorted.

  On the other hand, a waste chain 234 is disposed on the rear end side (feed end side) of the feed chain 6. The slag passed from the rear end side of the feed chain 6 to the sewage chain 234 (the slag from which the grain has been threshed) is discharged to the rear of the traveling machine body 1 in a long state, or the rear side of the threshing device 5 After being cut to a suitable length by the waste cutter 235 provided on the rear, the machine is discharged to the lower rear side of the traveling machine body 1.

(2). Next, the power transmission system of the combine (driving structure of the reaping device 3, the threshing device 5, the feed chain 6, etc.) will be described with reference to FIG.

  After the input shaft of the transmission case 71 is connected to the output shaft 70 on the front side of the engine 14 via a universal joint, and the rotational driving force of the engine 14 is transmitted from the front output shaft 70 to the transmission case 71 and shifted. The left and right traveling crawlers 2 are transmitted to the left and right traveling crawlers 2 via the left and right axles 72, and the left and right traveling crawlers 2 are driven by the rotational driving force from the engine 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a radiator cooling fan 73 for cooling the engine 14 is provided. Further, a discharge auger drive shaft 76 is connected to the output shaft 70 on the rear side of the engine 14, and the discharge auger 8 is driven via the discharge auger drive shaft 76 by the rotational drive force from the engine 14, and the grain in the Glen tank 7 is It is configured so that the grains are discharged into a container or the like. A belt 76b that connects the discharge auger drive shaft 76 and the output shaft 70 is provided with a discharge clutch 76c for ON / OFF operation of power transmission from the output shaft 70 to the discharge auger drive shaft 76. .

  More specifically, the power from the engine 14 toward the discharge auger 8 is transmitted through the discharge clutch 76 c and the discharge auger drive shaft 76 to the bottom conveyor 130 in the glen tank 7 and the vertical conveyor in the vertical cylinder 31 in the discharge auger 8. Power is transmitted to 131, and then power is transmitted to the discharge conveyor 133 in the horizontal cylinder 33 in the discharge auger 8 via the connection screw 132.

  Further, a threshing drive shaft 77 that transmits the rotational driving force from the engine 14 to the handling cylinder 226 and the processing cylinder 230 is arranged in a counter gear case 89 described later. A threshing drive shaft 77 is connected to the output shaft 70 on the rear side of the engine 14 via a tension roller type threshing clutch 78 and a threshing drive belt 79. The threshing drive shaft 77 is connected to a handling cylinder shaft 80 that supports the handling cylinder 226 and a processing cylinder shaft 81 that supports the processing cylinder 230. The handling cylinder 226 and the processing cylinder 230 are configured to be driven at a substantially constant speed by a rotational driving force (a constant rotational force) from the engine 14. A sorting input shaft 82 is connected to the threshing drive shaft 77. Due to the rotational driving force (a constant rotational force) from the engine 14, the swinging sorter 227, the Kara fan 228, the first conveyor 231, the second conveyor 232, the sorting fan 241 and the dust exhaust fan 230 are passed through the sorting input shaft 82. However, it is configured to be driven at a substantially constant speed.

  On the other hand, one end side of a continuously variable transmission output shaft 87 for driving the left and right traveling crawlers 2 protrudes outward from the left side surface of the mission case 71. On the projecting end side of the continuously variable transmission output shaft 87, a cutting drive pulley 88 that transmits a rotational force to the cutting device 3 is disposed.

  Further, a counter gear case 89 is installed on the upper surface side of the traveling machine body 1 on the front side of the threshing device 5 on the left side of the engine 14. In the counter gear case 89, a threshing drive shaft 77, a sorting input shaft 84, and a constant speed rotating shaft 98 are arranged. The threshing drive shaft 77 is made to penetrate the counter gear case 89 in the front-rear direction, the input pulley 92 is provided on the rear end side of the threshing drive shaft 77 protruding to the rear side of the counter gear case 89, and the threshing drive protrudes to the front side of the counter gear case 89. A threshing pulley 94 is provided on the front end side of the shaft 77. A threshing pulley 94 is connected via a V-belt 93 to a handling cylinder shaft 80 that supports a handling cylinder 226 and a processing cylinder shaft 81 that supports a processing cylinder 230, and a rotational driving force (constant rotation) from the engine 14. Force), the treatment cylinder 226 and the treatment cylinder 230 are driven at a substantially constant speed.

  A sorting input shaft 84 is connected to the above-described threshing drive shaft 77 via a bevel gear mechanism 83, and a constant speed rotating shaft 98 is connected to the sorting input shaft 84 via a flat gear mechanism 85. A sorting pulley 96 is provided on the other end side of the sorting input shaft 84 protruding from the outer surface of the counter gear case 89. A sorting input shaft 82 is connected via a V-belt 95 to a sorting drive shaft 91 of a threshing sorting mechanism 90 such as a swing sorter 227 and a tang fan 228. Due to the rotational driving force (constant rotational force) from the engine 14, the swinging sorter 227, the tang fan 228, the first conveyor 231, the second conveyor 232, the sorting fan 241, and the dust exhaust fan 230 are passed through the sorting drive shaft 91. However, it is driven at a substantially constant speed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the counter gear case 89 is provided with a tuning input shaft 97, a constant speed rotation shaft 98, a cutting drive shaft 99, and a transport drive shaft 118. A vehicle speed tuning pulley 100 is disposed on a tuning input shaft 97 protruding from the right outer surface of the counter gear case 89. A vehicle speed tuning pulley 100 is connected to the cutting drive pulley 88 described above via a V belt 101. The vehicle speed tuning driving force is input from the continuously variable transmission output shaft 87 of the transmission case 22 to the tuning input shaft 97 of the counter gear case 89.

  In addition, a transmission rotary shaft 98 is connected to the tuning input shaft 97 via a one-way clutch 102 and a cutting transmission mechanism 103. The cutting gear mechanism 103 drives the cutting device 3 by the vehicle speed synchronized driving force from the continuously variable transmission output shaft 87 of the transmission case 22 by switching the cutting gear shift to a low speed, neutral or high speed. That is, the moving speed (vehicle speed) of the combine and the driving speed of the harvesting device 3 are synchronized. For example, by increasing the moving speed of the combine, the driving speed of the harvesting device 3 is also increased. By reducing the speed, the driving speed of the reaping device 3 is also reduced. The rotational force from the tuning input shaft 97 is transmitted to the transmission rotation shaft 98 via the one-way clutch 102 and the cutting transmission mechanism 103. The rotational force from the speed change rotary shaft 98 is not transmitted to the tuning input shaft 97.

  On the other hand, a transport drive shaft 118 is connected to the constant speed rotating shaft 98 via a continuously variable transmission mechanism 124, and the feed chain 6 is driven by the transport drive shaft 118. As shown in FIG. 3, a cutting drive shaft 99 is connected to the above-described constant speed rotating shaft 98 via a torque limiter 109 for transmitting a rotational force equal to or less than a set torque. A cutting pulley 110 is disposed on a cutting drive shaft 99 protruding from the left outer surface of the counter gear case 89. The cutting driving force of the cutting drive shaft 99 is transmitted from the cutting pulley 110 to each part of the cutting device 3 via the V belt 111.

(3). Next, the detailed structure of the discharge auger 8 will be described with reference to FIG.

  A discharge auger 8 for discharging grains in the Glen tank 7 to the outside of the machine is connected to a vertical cylinder 31 erected on the rear part of the traveling machine body 1 so as to be able to turn around a vertical axis Y, and to an upper end of the vertical cylinder 31. The connecting case 32 is provided, and a horizontal cylinder 33 is connected to a joint portion of the connecting case 32 so as to be able to swing up and down. The vertical cylinder 31 includes a vertical conveyor 131, and the horizontal cylinder 33 includes a discharge conveyor 133. In the transfer case 32, a transfer screw 132 for transferring the grains from the vertical conveyor 131 to the discharge conveyor 133 is provided (see FIG. 3).

  The vertical cylinder 31 is swung (horizontal swiveling) around the vertical axis Y by a vertical cylinder gear mechanism 34 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the longitudinal middle portion and an auger turning electric motor 35 as a turning actuator. It is configured. In this case, the transfer case 32 and the horizontal cylinder 33 positioned at the upper end of the vertical cylinder 31 also rotate horizontally together with the vertical cylinder 31. The vertical cylinder gear mechanism 34 of the embodiment includes a drive gear 36 attached to the rotating shaft of the auger turning electric motor 35 and a driven gear 37 fixed to the outer periphery of the vertical cylinder 31. The power of the auger turning electric motor 35 is transmitted to the vertical cylinder 31 by meshing with the driven gear 37.

  The auger turning electric motor 35 includes a reduction gear box 38 and a turning angle sensor 39 (see FIGS. 4 and 9) as a turning angle detecting means. The turning angle sensor 39 is for detecting the turning angle of the vertical cylinder 31 and thus the turning position of the horizontal cylinder 33, and is provided in association with the rotating shaft of the auger turning electric motor 35. The reduction gear box 38 has an electromagnetic brake (not shown) for stopping the turning of the vertical cylinder 31.

  The horizontal cylinder 33 is configured to swing up and down around the transfer case 32 and change the vertical inclination angle by an auger lifting hydraulic cylinder 40 as a lifting actuator mounted between the horizontal cylinder 31 and the vertical cylinder 31. . The auger elevating hydraulic cylinder 40 is provided with an up / down inclination angle sensor 41 (see FIG. 9) as an up / down inclination angle detecting means. The vertical inclination angle sensor 41 detects the vertical inclination angle of the horizontal cylinder 33 and thus the height position of the rod throwing hole 9 at the tip of the horizontal cylinder 33.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an upper open front auger rest 42 is provided at the front upper portion of the threshing device 5, and in the state where the discharge auger 8 is not used, the longitudinal middle portion of the horizontal cylinder 33 is formed. It is placed (stored) on the augerest 42. A rest detector 43 (see FIG. 9) for detecting the presence or absence of the horizontal cylinder 62 is attached to the auger rest 42. Hereinafter, the position of the horizontal cylinder 33 (discharge auger 8) when placed on the auger rest 42 is referred to as a storage position (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 6).

(4). Configuration of Remote Operation Transmitter Next, the configuration of the remote operation transmitter 13 as an auger operation means will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The remote control transmitter 13 disposed in the operation cabin 10 controls the movement of the discharge auger 8 to a predetermined turning position and storage position, and drives the conveyors 130 to 133 related to the glen tank 7 and the discharge auger 8. On the front surface thereof, switches 45 to 52 for operation related to the discharge auger 8 as input system equipment are arranged.

  The switches of the embodiment include a return switch 45 that forcibly moves the discharge auger 8 to a preset storage position (see the solid line state in FIG. 6), and a right set position (FIG. 6) that sets the discharge auger 8 in advance. The right set switch 46 forcibly moving the discharge auger 8 to the preset post-setting position (see the one-dot chain line state in FIG. 6), The discharge clutch switch 48 for turning on and off the clutch 76c, the raising and lowering switches 49 and 50 for swinging and swinging the horizontal cylinder 33 according to the operation amount (operation time), and the operation of the vertical cylinder 31 There are left turn and right turn switches 51 and 52 for performing a horizontal turning operation according to the amount (operation time).

  A pair of harnesses 160a (see FIGS. 7 and 8) is built in the cable 53 extending from the lower portion of the remote control transmitter 13. One end of each harness 160a is connected to an input-only controller 151a (details will be described later) in the remote control transmitter 13, and the other end is connected to a CAN communication bus 152 described later.

(5). Configuration of Control Unit According to the Present Invention Next, the configuration of the control unit 150 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The control means 150 of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 controls the overall operation of the combine such as the vehicle speed, posture and vehicle height of the traveling machine body 1 and the discharge position of the discharge auger 8, and is used for input control from each input system device. A specialized input dedicated controller 151a, an output dedicated controller 151b specialized for output control to each output system described later, a control dedicated controller 151c specialized for program processing, and the controllers 151a to 151c are mutually connected. And a pair of CAN communication buses 152 to be connected. In the following description, “151” without the alphabet may be used as a reference when expressing the controllers 151a to 151c as a group or when expressing an arbitrary controller.

  A CAN communication environment is applied to the control means 150 of the present invention. Data communication based on the CAN communication protocol is an extension of the LAN communication environment. The CAN communication protocol is a differential two-wire having a common return (an instruction to return a program that has moved to a subroutine or interrupt routine to the main routine). A serial communication protocol that maintains distributed real-time control and multiplexing using a bus line. Resistors (not shown) as termination resistors that suppress reflection of control information (data) are arranged at both ends of the CAN communication bus 152.

  The input dedicated controller 151a, the output dedicated controller 151b, and the control dedicated controller 151c according to the embodiment are present in a plurality corresponding to the combine control target unit (for example, the mowing device 3, the threshing device 5, the discharge auger 8, etc.). However, here, a combination of a group of controllers 151 mainly responsible for controlling the operation of the discharge auger 8 will be described below as a representative example.

  As described above, the input-only controller 151a is arranged in the remote operation transmitter 13. Although not shown in detail, the output dedicated controller 151 b is installed in the vicinity of the auger turning electric motor 35 provided in association with the vertical cylinder 31 of the discharge auger 8, and the control dedicated controller 151 c is on the left side of the driver seat 12. It is installed in the lever column.

  Each of the controllers 151a to 151c includes a CPU 153 that executes various arithmetic processes and controls, a ROM 154 that stores each control program described later, a RAM 155 that temporarily stores various data, a clock 156 as a timer function, a CAN controller unit 157, A CAN driver 158 and the like are provided. The input-only and output-only controllers 151a and 151b are also provided with an input / output interface (not shown) that is connected to each input / output device and transmits data. However, no input / output interface is provided in the control-dedicated controller 151c.

  Here, the CAN controller unit 157 is a part for controlling communication based on the CAN communication protocol. A transmission completion flag, a reception completion flag, a transmission flag, and a reception flag are provided in the status register in the CAN controller unit 157. The CAN driver 158 transmits and receives control information (data) with an ID code, which will be described later, to and from another controller 151 via the CAN communication bus 152. One end of a pair of harnesses 160 is connected to the CAN driver 158 of each controller 151. The other ends of these harnesses 160 are connected to the CAN communication bus 152, respectively.

  In FIGS. 5 and 7, the symbol a is attached to the harness 160 connected to the input dedicated controller 151a, the symbol b is attached to the harness 160 connected to the output dedicated controller 151b, and the symbol c is attached to the harness 160 connected to the control dedicated controller 151c. Yes.

  The RAM 155 includes a reception slot 159a and a transmission slot 159b. The transmission slot 159b has an ID code (also referred to as an identifier number or an identifier code) for its own controller 151. An ID code is written in advance in control information to be transmitted to another controller 151, and control with an ID code is performed. It is stored as information. On the other hand, the reception slot 159 a stores control information with an ID code returned via the CAN communication bus 152.

  Accordingly, when control information with an ID code is transmitted from a certain controller 151 via the CAN communication bus 152, the control information with an ID code is stored in the reception slot 159a of another controller 151. Then, the transmitted controller 151 itself receives the control information with ID code transmitted by itself and stores it in the reception slot 159a. During CAN communication, the control information (data packet) to be transmitted is assigned a code for identifying the type and individual of the controller 151 to be transmitted. In particular, control information for transmitting an output request to the output-only controller 151b is also given a code for identifying the type and individual of the controller 151 to be received.

  An application control program P for controlling the operation of the auger turning electric motor 35 and the auger lifting hydraulic cylinder 40 in the discharge auger 8 is stored (stored) in the ROM 154 of the controller 151c exclusively for control. In addition, a communication control program (not shown) necessary for CAN communication is stored in advance in the ROM 154 of the control-dedicated controller 151c. The application control program P is not stored in the ROM 154 of the input-only and output-only controllers 151a and 151b, and control information (data) is transmitted between the communication control program necessary for CAN communication and the input / output devices. Are stored in advance.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the input-only controller 151a includes a return switch 45, a right set switch 46, a rear set switch 47, a discharge clutch switch 48, up and down switches 49 and 50, left turn and right as input devices. The turning switches 51 and 52, the turning angle sensor 39, the up / down inclination angle sensor 41, the rest detector 43, and the like are electrically connected to each other. Note that the input-only controller 151a outputs the input state of the connected input system device, analog value, pulse value, and the like by CAN communication, but the setting is not related to the input information from which input device. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the output dedicated controller 151 b includes, as output system devices, a swing drive control unit 161 such as a relay unit for the auger swing electric motor 35, and a undulation drive control unit such as a valve switching unit for the auger lifting hydraulic cylinder 40. 162 and a control circuit unit 164 such as a relay unit for the discharge clutch motor 163 for turning on and off the discharge clutch 76c are connected to each other. The output dedicated controller 151b outputs the output status of the connected output system device, analog value, pulse value, and the like by CAN communication, but the setting is not related to which output system device the output information is. ing.

  Although the input / output system device is not connected to the control dedicated controller 151c, the input information (data) from each input system device is set to be transmitted to the control dedicated controller 151c via the input dedicated controller 151a. . The control-dedicated controller 151c executes the application control program P based on the above-described input information to perform arithmetic processing. The obtained output information is set to be transmitted from the control-dedicated controller 151c to each output system device via the output-dedicated controller 151b. The control-dedicated controller 151c is set to determine from which input system device the input information is based on the individual identification code of the input-dedicated controller 151a in the received control information and the bit position on the control information. It has become.

  The input information transmitted to the control-dedicated controller 151c of the embodiment includes control data (pulse signal) indicating depression of the switches 45 to 52, the turning angle of the vertical cylinder 31 from the turning angle sensor 39 (the horizontal cylinder 33). Control data relating to the turning position), control data relating to the vertical inclination angle of the horizontal cylinder 33 from the vertical inclination angle sensor 41, control data relating to the presence or absence of the horizontal cylinder 33 from the rest detector 43, and the like.

  The output information transmitted from the dedicated controller 151c includes control data for operating the auger turning electric motor 35, control data for operating the auger lifting hydraulic cylinder 40, control data for operating the discharge clutch 76c, and the like. There is.

  In the above configuration, for example, when the right set switch 46 is pressed once when the discharge auger 8 is in the storage position, input information indicating this fact is transmitted to the input dedicated controller 151c, and the input dedicated controller 151c transmits the CAN communication bus 152. Is transmitted to the control-dedicated controller 151c.

  The CPU 153 of the control-dedicated controller 151 c that has received the input information executes the application control program P stored in the ROM 154. Output information for moving the discharge auger 8 to the right set position is transmitted to the output dedicated controller 151b via the CAN communication bus 152, and the turning drive control unit 161 of the auger turning electric motor 35 is transmitted from the output dedicated controller 151b. And the undulation drive control unit 162 of the auger elevating hydraulic cylinder 40.

  As a result, the discharge auger 8 once pivots the horizontal cylinder 33 upward to a position where it does not hit the auger rest 42 and the driving cabin 10 when turning, and then turns clockwise in the plan view of FIG. 6 to the right set position. It stops after reaching.

  Further, for example, when the return switch 45 is pressed once when the discharge auger 8 is in a turning position other than the storage position, input information indicating this fact is transmitted to the input dedicated controller 151a, and the CAN communication is performed from the input dedicated controller 151a. The data is transmitted to the control dedicated controller 151c via the bus 152.

  The CPU 153 of the control dedicated controller 151c executes the application control program P stored in the ROM 154, and output information for moving the discharge auger 8 to the storage position is transmitted to the output dedicated controller 151b via the CAN communication bus 152. The Then, the output dedicated controller 151 b outputs the turning drive control unit 161 of the auger turning electric motor 35 and the undulation drive control unit 162 of the auger lifting hydraulic cylinder 40.

  As a result, the discharge auger 8 once pivots the horizontal cylinder 33 upward to a position where it does not hit the auger rest 42 and the driving cabin 10 during turning, and then turns counterclockwise in the plan view of FIG. Then, the horizontal cylinder 33 is rotated downward and stopped at the storage position placed on the auger rest 42.

  Further, for example, when the left turning switch 51 is pressed when the discharge auger 8 is in a turning position other than the storage position, input information indicating this fact and the pressing time is transmitted to the input dedicated controller 151a, and the input dedicated controller 151a The data is transmitted to the control dedicated controller 151 c via the CAN communication bus 152.

  The CPU 153 of the control-dedicated controller 151c executes the application control program P stored in the ROM 154, and calculates the turning position corresponding to the pressing time of the discharge auger 8. Then, output information for moving the discharge auger 8 to the turning position is transmitted to the output dedicated controller 151b via the CAN communication bus 152, and the turning drive control unit 161 of the auger turning electric motor 35 is transmitted from the output dedicated controller 151b. And the undulation drive control unit 162 of the auger elevating hydraulic cylinder 40.

  As a result, the discharge auger 8 turns clockwise and stops in the plan view of FIG. 6 by an amount corresponding to the pressing time of the left turn switch 51.

  As is clear from the above, the control means 150 of the embodiment includes an input dedicated controller 151a specialized for input control from each input system device, and an output dedicated controller specialized for output control to each output system device. 151b, a dedicated controller 151c dedicated to program processing, and a CAN communication bus 152 that connects the controllers 151 to each other. Therefore, it is necessary to connect various input / output devices to each controller 151. There is no. That is, the input system devices 39, 41, 43, and 45 to 52 may be collectively connected to the input dedicated controller 151a, and the output system devices 161, 162, and 164 may be collectively connected to the output dedicated controller 151b. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp which input / output system device should be connected to which controller 151, and the efficiency of connection work can be improved.

  Also, input information from each of the input system devices 39, 41, 43, 45 to 52 is transmitted to the control dedicated controller 151c via the input dedicated controller 151a, and obtained by the control dedicated controller 151c based on the input information. Since the output information is transmitted from the control dedicated controller 151c to each output system device 161, 162, 164 via the output dedicated controller 151b, the input dedicated and output dedicated controllers 151a, 151b It is not necessary to execute the application control program P that requires a complicated calculation function. For this reason, it can be manufactured at a lower cost than the dedicated controller 151c. Also, the control-dedicated controller 151c can be manufactured at a lower cost than the conventional CAN controller because an input / output interface for connecting input / output devices is not required. Therefore, it can contribute to the suppression of the manufacturing cost.

  Further, since the input information from each input system device 39, 41, 43, 45 to 52 and the output information to each output system device 161, 162, 164 are always transmitted via the CAN communication bus 152, the input / output system Equipment failure diagnosis (troubleshooting) and status confirmation (monitoring) can be performed easily.

  In addition, in the embodiment, the communication protocol between the controllers 151 is a CAN communication protocol. Therefore, when all controls are executed by a single controller or when data communication is performed using a LAN communication protocol, the communication between the controllers 151 is reduced. There is also an advantage that the control data can be exchanged smoothly and that communication error detection and error processing can be performed smoothly.

  When the configuration of the embodiment is adopted, there are the following advantages in addition to the above. That is, since the control-dedicated controller 151c inputs and outputs control information only through communication, for example, a new control-dedicated controller 151c can be developed and tested simply by connecting a communication simulator to the control-dedicated controller 151c. For this reason, development time and development cost can be reduced.

  In addition, when upgrading functions by adding specifications or minor changes, adding functions on a trial basis, or when creating special specification machines according to customers, the functions can be improved simply by replacing the controller 151c. Therefore, in the above-described case, it is possible to cope with it at a low cost.

  Further, the input-only (output-only) controller 151a (151b) does not know which input system device (output system device) is the information, and the control-only controller 151c is the input-only controller in the received control information. Since it is a setting for judging from which input system equipment the input information is from the individual identification code of 151a and the bit position on the control information, it is a unified software / Hardware can be used. For this reason, parts can be shared, manufacturing costs can be reduced, and control reliability can be improved.

(6). Others The configurations of the above-described embodiments are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the communication protocol between the controllers 151 is not limited to the CAN communication protocol, and may be a LAN communication protocol. Further, each controller 151 may have a plurality of types according to the connection scale and computing capacity.

It is a side view of a combine. It is a top view of a combine. It is a skeleton figure of a power transmission system. It is a principal part side view of a discharge auger. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of a remote control transmitter. It is turning explanatory drawing of a discharge auger. It is a functional block diagram of the whole control apparatus. It is a functional block diagram of an input-only controller. It is a functional block diagram of a controller only for output.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traveling machine body 8 Discharge auger 13 Remote operation transmitter 31 as auger operation means Vertical cylinder 33 Horizontal cylinder 35 Auger turning electric motor 39 as turning actuator 39 Turning angle sensor 40 as turning angle detection means Auger ascending / descending actuator Hydraulic cylinder 41 Vertical tilt angle sensor 45 as vertical tilt angle detection means Return switch 46 Right set switch 47 Rear set switch 48 Discharge clutch switch 49 Lift switch 50 Down switch 51 Left turn switch 52 Right turn switch 76c Discharge clutch 150 Control means 151a Controller dedicated to input 151b Controller dedicated to output 151c Controller dedicated to control 152 CAN communication bus 153 CPU
161 Swing Drive Control Unit 162 Undulating Drive Control Unit 163 Discharge Clutch Motor 164 Control Circuit Unit

Claims (3)

A control device for a farm work machine comprising a plurality of input system devices and output system devices mounted on a traveling machine body, and control means for controlling each output system device based on input information from each input system device. There,
The control means includes an input dedicated controller specialized for input control from each input system device, an output dedicated controller specialized for output control to each output system device, and a control dedicated controller specialized for program processing And a communication bus connecting the controllers.
Input information from each input system device is transmitted to the control dedicated controller via the input dedicated controller, and output information obtained by the control dedicated controller based on the input information is transmitted from the control dedicated controller to the control dedicated controller. It is configured to be transmitted to each output system device via an output dedicated controller.
A control device for agricultural machines. The communication protocol between the controllers is a CAN communication protocol.
The control device for an agricultural machine according to claim 1. The traveling machine body is equipped with a grain tank for storing the grain and a discharge auger for discharging the grain in the grain tank to the outside of the machine, and the discharge auger is attached to the traveling machine body. A vertical cylinder that is erected so as to be pivotable around the vertical axis, and a horizontal cylinder that is provided at the upper end of the vertical cylinder so as to be able to swing up and down;
A turning angle detecting means for detecting a turning angle of the vertical cylinder, a vertical inclination angle detecting means for detecting a vertical inclination angle of the horizontal cylinder, and an auger operating means for operating the discharge auger Connected to the input-only controller as a device,
A turning drive control unit for a turning actuator for turning the vertical cylinder and a hoisting drive control unit for a hoisting actuator for raising and lowering the horizontal cylinder are connected to the output dedicated controller as the output system device,
A combine control apparatus as an agricultural working machine according to claim 1 or 2.

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