JP2011207407A - Drive device for automatically steering running vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic steering drive device of high versatility adapted to different traveling vehicles, and to provide an automatic steering drive device capable of executing manual steering wheel operation at an emergency.SOLUTION: An automatic steering control means for performing the drive control of a steering shaft in an automatic steering mode by performing the operational control of a forward/reverse motor for driving an intermediate shaft by turning on/off an electromagnetic clutch. The automatic steering control means secures traveling safety by performing the control of prohibiting an automatic steering mode by the forward/reverse motor when executing any behavior operation of the traveling vehicle such as the turn-on of a clutch pedal, the turn-on of a left or right brake pedal, or the movement of a forward/reverse lever to a forward side or a reverse side.

Description

  The present invention relates to a traveling vehicle automatic steering drive device mounted on a steering handle portion of an agricultural traveling vehicle or the like.

  A traveling vehicle equipped with an automatic steering drive device that transmits power from a stepping motor to a steering shaft by a belt or chain based on an output of a remote steering signal from the outside to steer a steering handle is known (Patent Document) 1).

US Pat. No. 7,349,795

  In the configuration in which the steering drive device is provided for automatic steering described in Patent Document 1, the steering handle may be manually operated by the operator even while the automatic steering drive device is operating. The automatic steering drive device has no consideration for manually operating the steering handle, and it is necessary to manually operate the steering handle against the power of the power transmission system by the belt or chain.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a highly versatile automatic steering drive device corresponding to different traveling vehicles, and to provide an automatic steering drive device that enables manual steering operation in an emergency.

The present invention has the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering handle (9) for steering the traveling vehicle, a steering shaft (15) for forward and reverse rotation in conjunction with the steering handle (9), and a steering direction of the traveling vehicle. A steering direction detecting means (49) for detecting, a forward / reverse motor (20) for transmitting the rotational driving force to the steering shaft (15), and the rotational driving force of the forward / reverse motor (20) for the steering shaft (15). An interlocking mechanism having an electromagnetic clutch (22) for transmission to an automatic switch (24), an automatic switch (24) for controlling the operation / non-operation of the electromagnetic clutch (22),
During the automatic mode in which the electromagnetic clutch (22) is operated by operation of the automatic switch (24) and the behavior detection means (K) for detecting the behavior of the traveling vehicle, the detection result of the steering direction detection means (49) Based on the output in the forward / reverse direction of the forward / reverse rotation motor (20), automatic steering control of the steering shaft (15) is performed, and the electromagnetic clutch (22) is turned off based on the detection result of the behavior detection means (K). It is a traveling vehicle automatic steering apparatus provided with the automatic steering control means (100) to operate | move.

  The invention according to claim 2 is provided with detection means (49, 50, 52) for detecting the turning operation or turning start point of the traveling vehicle, and the automatic steering control means (100) checks whether the traveling vehicle is turning operation or turning start. 2. The traveling vehicle automatic steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein power to the steering shaft (15) by the electromagnetic clutch (22) is not transmitted based on a detection result of the output means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided steering grip detection means (54, 55) for detecting that an operator grips the steering handle (9), and the automatic steering control means (100) is provided with the steering grip detection means ( 54. The traveling vehicle automatic steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein power to the steering shaft (15) by the electromagnetic clutch (22) is not transmitted based on the detection results of 54, 55).

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, vehicle speed detecting means (57) for detecting the vehicle speed of the traveling vehicle is provided, and the automatic steering control means (100) is based on a detection result of the vehicle speed detecting means (57), or the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a specified vehicle speed. 2. The traveling vehicle automatic steering device according to claim 1, wherein when the vehicle stop state is detected, power to the steering shaft (15) by the electromagnetic clutch (22) is not transmitted.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 is in the automatic steering mode in which the steering shaft 15 is driven and controlled by the automatic steering control means 100 by transmission or non-transmission of the electromagnetic clutch 22, the behavior detection means K is For example, when the behavior of the traveling vehicle is performed, such as when the clutch pedal is turned on, the left or right brake pedal is turned on, or the forward / reverse lever is moved forward or backward, the transmission or non-transmission of the electromagnetic clutch 22 is performed. It is possible to control to prohibit the automatic steering mode by the transmission forward / reverse rotation motor 20, and to switch to manual operation of the steering handle 9 in an emergency, it is possible to secure the traveling safety of the vehicle.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the detecting means (steering angle sensor 49, lift arm inclination angle sensor 50, A camera controller 52) is provided, and based on the detection result of the turning operation or the turning start point detected by the detecting means (49, 50, 52), the electromagnetic clutch 22 is controlled to return to manual steering operation automatically without transmission. The steering control can be easily performed without the driver performing an operation such as canceling the automatic steering mode.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, if there is a grip detection of the steering wheel 9 by the steering grip detection means (the steering distortion sensor 54, the capacitance type detection sensor 55), the steering wheel is detected. Since the handle 9 can be switched to manual, automatic release when the steering handle 9 is touched can be prevented.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to release the automatic steering mode in which the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the specified vehicle speed or in the travel stop state, thereby improving safety. it can.

It is a right view of the agricultural tractor as an example of an agricultural work traveling vehicle. It is a front part side view of the agricultural tractor of FIG. It is a schematic structure of the drive device for automatic steering of the steering handle of the tractor of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic view from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3. It is a control block diagram of the drive device for automatic steering of the tractor of FIG. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the automatic steering drive device for the tractor of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for mode change for shifting to an automatic mode, a manual mode, a neutral return mode, and a normal mode of the automatic steering drive device of FIG. 6. Explanatory drawing of deviation angle from target X and straight direction of traveling vehicle from camera mounted on tractor of FIG. It is a flowchart including the automatic steering mode of FIG. 7 is a flowchart including the automatic steering mode of FIG. 6. 7 is a flowchart including the automatic steering mode of FIG. 6. It is a flowchart (FIG. 12 (a), (b)) including the automatic steering mode of FIG. It is a flowchart (FIG. 13 (a), (b)) including the automatic steering mode of FIG. It is a flowchart including the automatic steering mode of FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart including the automatic steering mode in FIG. 6 (FIG. 13A) and an explanatory diagram when the traveling vehicle is traveling (FIG. 15B). FIG. 7 is a control block diagram for performing travel control by recognizing a far target in the automatic steering mode of FIG. 6. FIG. 17 is a control flowchart (FIG. 17A) based on the control block diagram of FIG. 16 and an explanatory diagram (FIG. 17B) during traveling of the traveling vehicle.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 show a right side view and a front side view of an agricultural tractor as an example of an agricultural work traveling vehicle. A front wheel 2 and a rear wheel 3 are provided at the front and rear portions of the traveling vehicle 1, and the rotational power of the engine 5 mounted in the bonnet 4 is appropriately decelerated by a transmission in the transmission case 6, and the reduced rotational power is transmitted to the front wheel 2. , To be transmitted to the rear wheel 3.

  A handle post 8 is provided in front of the driver's seat 7 in the center of the fuselage so that the steering handle 9 can be turned. The turning operation of the steering handle 9 is configured such that the left and right front wheels 2 and 2 are steered and linked via a steering mechanism. An accelerator lever 10 is disposed near the steering handle 9, and left and right independent brake pedals 11, 11 are disposed on the lower side of the handle post 8, and the vehicle travels between the driver's seat 7 and the handle post 8. A transmission lever (not shown) is provided.

  A tilling work machine 12 is attached to the rear part of the machine body 1, and the tilling work machine 12 is attached so as to be movable up and down through a three-point link mechanism including a lift arm 13 and lower links 14 and 14. . A hydraulic cylinder mechanism (not shown) expands and contracts by rotating a position lever (not shown) to vertically move the lift arm 13, thereby moving the lower links 14 and 14 up and down via the lift rod 13 a. Thus, the working machine 12 is configured to move up and down.

  The rotational power output from the engine 5 is transmitted through the main clutch and forward / reverse switching mechanism (not shown) to the rear wheel differential mechanism after being appropriately shifted by the main transmission mechanism and the auxiliary transmission mechanism. Further, the rotational power from the auxiliary transmission mechanism can be transmitted to the front wheel drive shaft 32.

  The front wheel drive shaft 32 is linked to the front wheel differential mechanism 33. The front wheel differential mechanism 33 is supported on the axle bracket 35 so as to be able to swing left and right about the front and rear axis. A transmission shaft 37 interlocked with the steering handle 9 is connected to a steering mechanism (power steering unit) 39 (FIG. 5) of the front wheels 2 and 2 via a universal joint 36.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a drive device for automatic steering of the steering handle 9, and FIG. 4 shows an arrow view from the direction of arrow A in FIG.
A driven sprocket 16 is provided integrally with the shaft 15 around the axis of the shaft 15 of the steering handle 9. Further, a cover member 8a is formed so as to detachably attach to the driver's seat side with respect to the handle post 8 that supports the steering shaft 15, and is disposed in the cover member 8a in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the steering shaft 15. An intermediate shaft 17 is arranged.

  Since the timing belt 27 is hung between the driving sprocket 21 and the driven sprocket 16 integrated with the intermediate shaft 17, when the driving sprocket 21 is driven by the forward / reverse motor 20, the driving force passes through the driven sprocket 16. As a result, the shaft 15 of the steering handle 9 rotates.

  An electromagnetic clutch 22 having an electromagnetic coil 22a is attached below the drive sprocket 21, and a forward / reverse motor 20 and a first gear 19 integrated with the motor interlocking shaft 20a of the motor 20 are disposed in the vicinity of the electromagnetic clutch 22. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an armature 29 and a rotor ring 28 are attached to the intermediate shaft 17 in a loosely fitted state, a second gear 18 is formed on the rotor ring 28 side, and the first gear 19 and the second gear 18 are formed. Always mesh. The armature 29 is integrally provided with the drive sprocket 21 via a transmission member such as a longitudinal bolt.

  With the above configuration, when the electromagnetic clutch 22 is on (actuated), that is, when the electromagnetic coil 22a is energized, the armature 29 is attracted and attached to the rotor ring. Further, when the forward / reverse motor 20 is driven, the first gear 19 interlocked with the interlocking shaft 20 a is driven, the second gear 18 meshing with the first gear 19 is driven, and the second gear 18 is driven. When the rotating rotor ring 28 is not driven, the attracted armature 29 is driven, and the drive sprocket 21 integrated with the armature 29 rotates. The drive sprocket 21 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 17 that loosely supports the armature 29 and the rotor ring 28.

  When the electromagnetic clutch 22 is off, the electromagnetic coil 22a is de-energized, so that the rotor ring 28 is separated from the armature 29. Even when the forward / reverse motor 20 is being driven, only the rotational driving force is transmitted from the first gear 19 to the rotor ring 28 via the second gear 18.

  Note that the cover member 8a is detachably fixed to the steering post 8 via a side-view reverse L-type motor mounting base plate 59 that is detachably mounted by appropriate means. A base plate bracket 34 extending from the steering post 8 side is attached to the steering post 8 so as to support the base plate 62 for receiving the lower surface of the electromagnetic clutch 22.

  The flange 56 of the motor 20 is provided with gear transmission portions 31a and 31b that house a bevel gear group that converts the main shaft (not shown) of the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 disposed in the horizontal direction into the first gear 19. .

  Although not shown in the control section with the driver's seat 7 of the present embodiment, the automatic switch 24 (see FIG. 6) for controlling on / off of the electromagnetic clutch 22, the brake mode switch 25, and the forward / reverse motor 20 are manually operated. Motor manual dial 26 for operating a predetermined amount, brake pressure adjustment dial 44, left brake pedal switch 42, right brake pedal switch 43, clutch pedal switch 45, forward / reverse lever neutral position switch 46, monitor (automatic monitor 47a, reception monitor) 47b) etc. are arranged. The automatic monitor 47a is a means for notifying that the automatic steering mode by the motor 20 has been entered, and the reception monitor 47b is a means for notifying when the received signal from the camera 53 is normally in a state of controlling automatic steering.

  In this embodiment, the electromagnetic clutch 22 for transmitting or not transmitting power between the intermediate shaft 17 and the forward / reverse motor 20, the drive sprocket 21, and the power transmission member 27 can be externally attached to the existing steering handle portion. A highly automatic steering device can be obtained.

FIG. 5 shows a control configuration diagram of the automatic steering drive device.
The steering control device (controller) 100 outputs to the forward / reverse motor 20 via the driver unit 23, and passes through the drive sprocket 21, the driven sprocket 16, the steering shaft 15, the power steering unit 39, and the front wheel steering unit 48. The front wheel 2 is steered according to the steering angle of the handle 9. The front wheel steering angle is detected by the steering angle sensor 41 and fed back to the steering controller 100.
Further, a camera controller 52 for supporting the vehicle going straight is provided separately from the steering controller 100, and the steering controller 100 steers the vehicle based on an imaging signal from the camera 53 or based on information from the navigation controller 30. It can also be done.

  The steering controller 100 includes an automatic switch 24 for starting control of the automatic steering drive device disposed on the operation panel 38, and the handle operation amount is variable in order to link the handle operation amount by the operator to the steering shaft 15. A trim switch that can output the resistance value of the resistor and adjust the neutral position of the steering wheel 9 even during the automatic steering, a neutral return switch for returning the steering wheel 9 to the neutral position, and can be tilted to the left or right The motor manual dial 26 and the like provided in the vehicle are connected, and further, communication with an operation panel 38 for transmitting operation commands for various operations of the work vehicle, control commands for the traveling speed, and the like is possible.

  As shown in the control block diagram of FIG. 6, a steering angle sensor (direction steering detection means) 49, a lift arm inclination angle sensor 50, and a vehicle inclination angle for detecting the inclination angle of the vehicle when traveling on an inclined ground are provided at appropriate positions of the traveling vehicle. Detects that the driver holds the steering handle 9, the sensor 51, the tilt angle detection sensor 51 of the top link that raises and lowers the tillage work machine 12, the camera controller 52 including the distance sensor that can measure the distance to the target point by the camera 53. A steering handle distortion sensor 54 or a capacitive detection sensor 55 provided on the outer periphery of the steering handle 9, a vehicle speed sensor 57 for detecting the vehicle speed of the traveling vehicle, and an angular velocity sensor 58 for maintaining the straight traveling performance of the vehicle as will be described later. , Engine rotation by detecting the presence or absence of rotation of the engine rotation shaft An engine rotation stop sensor 60 for detecting the stop (the vehicle speed sensor 57 is separately) is provided with inclined time correction dial 61 for correcting the traveling direction at the time of slope running.

FIG. 7 shows a control flowchart of the automatic steering drive device of this embodiment.
First, read the operating states of various sensors and switches. Then, if the automatic switch 24 is turned off in step (Sa), the forward / reverse motor 20 is turned to the left and right by the motor manual dial 26, and the turning direction is determined accordingly. it can. If the operation position of the manual dial 26 of the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 is the neutral position, this control flow is terminated, and the manual dial 26 of the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 operates to a position corresponding to the steering angle (θm) other than the neutral position. Then, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is turned on, and the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 is also operated at the same time. Thereafter, when the steering handle turning angle sensor 49 detects the turning angle θm, the output of the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 is turned off and the stirling is performed at the turning angle θm. The shaft 9 is manually turned.

  If the automatic switch 24 is turned on in step (Sa), the electromagnetic clutch 22 and the automatic monitor 47a are turned on, and the received data of the camera 53 is read. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the deviation X (Δθ) from the target X made of a plurality of LED light emitters and the straight traveling direction of the traveling vehicle is calculated from the camera 53 mounted on the traveling vehicle.

  Further, in step (Sb), the vehicle inclination angle sensor 51 detects the inclination angle of the vehicle whether or not the traveling vehicle is traveling on an inclined ground. If it is known that the vehicle is traveling on a sloping ground, if the traveling vehicle is moved forward as it is, it will travel in the direction of falling off the sloping ground. It is necessary to drive the traveling vehicle straight toward the vehicle.

  Therefore, the traveling vehicle determines the driving amount of the forward / reverse motor 20 in order to move forward with the steering angle corresponding to the sum (Δθ + θ ′) of the deviation angle (Δθ) and the predetermined angle (θ ′), and corresponds to the driving amount. The motor 20 is rotated in the forward and reverse rotation directions so that the handle turning angle is obtained. Note that when the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 is rotated in an appropriate forward / reverse rotation direction, only one of the left and right brakes may be operated to adjust the forward direction of the traveling vehicle.

After that, in step (Sc), the Stirling handle turning angle (θn) is read, and when the relationship of the following equation is established,
| Θn− (Δθ + θ ′) | <δ
In step (Sd), the output of the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 is turned off, and the traveling vehicle is made to travel straight toward the target X at the stalling handle turning angle (θn). Next, if the automatic switch 24 is off, the electromagnetic clutch 22 and the automatic monitor 47a are turned off and the control of the automatic steering drive device is terminated.

  Note that the angular velocity sensor 58 is provided in the camera 53 mounted on the traveling vehicle, and the motor 20 is driven only when the detected value of the angular velocity sensor 58 exceeds a predetermined range when calculating the deviation angle (Δθ). When the vehicle travels straight ahead, the dead zone of the detected value of the angular velocity sensor is created, so that the straight traveling performance at the time of over the heel is improved as compared with the prior art.

  Here, each step from step (Sb) to immediately before step (Sd) in FIG. 7 corresponds to the automatic steering mode by the forward / reverse rotation motor 20, but here the traveling vehicle is traveling in the automatic steering mode as it is. When some operation is performed (this is referred to as the behavior of the traveling vehicle), the operating electromagnetic clutch 22 is turned off in accordance with the operation, as shown in step e (Se) shown in the flowchart of FIG. A configuration in which the handle is manually operated may be adopted.

  For example, when a clutch pedal (not shown) is turned on, when the left or right brake pedal switches 42 and 43 are turned on, or when the forward / reverse lever is moved forward or backward, the clutch pedal (not shown) is turned on. In some cases, driving safety can be ensured by controlling the automatic steering mode by the forward / reverse motor 20 not to operate.

In this way, the steering handle can be manually operated in an emergency by switching the electromagnetic clutch 22 on and off.
Further, the control device of the present embodiment is provided with detection means for detecting the turning operation or turning start point of the traveling vehicle, and the electromagnetic clutch 22 is turned on based on the detection result of the turning action or turning start point detected by the detection means. Control to turn off can also be performed.

  For example, when the tilt angle sensor 50 of the lift arm 13 detects that the tilt angle of the lift arm 13 becomes a predetermined upward tilt angle, or the steering handle turning angle sensor 49 detects the turning motion detection means. This is a time when it is detected that the handle 9 is turning at a turning angle greater than or equal to a predetermined turning angle, and the turning start point reaches, for example, the target X at which the camera controller 52 is measured by the camera 53 when the camera controller 52 is measured. This is a case where it is detected that the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value (a prescribed distance before the far target).

  The control flowchart in this case corresponds to the automatic steering mode by the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 in each step from step (Sb) to step (Sd) in FIG. 7. If the turning operation or the turning start point is detected while traveling in the mode, the electromagnetic clutch 22 in operation is turned off in accordance with the operation as shown in the step (Sf) of the automatic steering mode shown in the flowchart of FIG. Thus, the automatic steering mode may be terminated and the steering wheel may be manually operated.

  By the above control, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is automatically turned off when the tilling work machine 12 is lifted up, for example, when the traveling vehicle reaches the edge (farm field end), so that an operation such as releasing the automatic steering mode is performed. There is an advantage that it is possible to enter a turning operation manually by the traveling vehicle without the driver.

  Further, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, it corresponds to the automatic steering mode by the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 in each step from step (Sb) to step (Sd) in FIG. When the operator grips 9, the electromagnetic clutch 22 may be turned off based on the detection result of the steering wheel grip operation.

  For the detection of the steering grip, for example, a distortion sensor 54 is provided on the steering shaft of the steering handle base, and the operator's pushing operation of the steering handle 9 is detected by detecting the distortion of the sensor 54. Further, it is possible to detect the grip of the operator's handle by providing a capacitance type detection sensor 55 on the outer periphery of the steering handle 9.

  The steering handle 9 may be switched to manual operation after a predetermined time has elapsed after detecting that the operator has grasped the steering handle 9 with the above control configuration.

  In this way, automatic steering can be canceled without operating the switch, and the operability is improved compared to the prior art, and automatic steering is canceled after a certain period of time, so that automatic cancellation when the steering handle 9 is touched by mistake is performed. Can be prevented.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12A, after the automatic switch 24 is turned on and the vehicle is traveling at a vehicle speed that is lower than the specified vehicle speed, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is operated for the first time and the traveling control is started in the above-described automatic steering mode. . However, when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the specified vehicle speed, it is possible to perform control for stopping the traveling in the automatic steering mode by disabling the electromagnetic clutch 22.

  Also, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12B, when the automatic switch 24 is turned on and the automatic steering is immediately performed in the automatic steering mode, the engine 5 is energized while the vehicle is traveling at the specified vehicle speed or higher. A key stop solenoid (not shown) for operating the fuel cut mechanism and stopping the engine by operating the fuel cut-off and stopping the energization is operated to stop the traveling of the traveling vehicle.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13A, after the automatic switch 24 is turned on, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is operated to control the traveling in the automatic steering mode as described above. When it is detected by the rotation sensor 60 that the engine is not operating, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is not operated without entering the automatic steering mode. In this way, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary load from being applied to the steering mechanism such as the forward / reverse motor 20.

  Further, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13 (b), the automatic switch 24 of the steering handle 9 is turned on when the travel is stopped before the travel is started, and then the electromagnetic clutch 22 is operated to automatically steer the operation of the steering handle 9 before the travel. When the vehicle starts traveling, automatic steering by the forward / reverse motor 20 of the steering handle 9 is started. However, when the vehicle speed is “0”, a control configuration in which automatic steering processing is not performed may be adopted. The significance of this control configuration is that it is unlikely that the steering wheel 9 will be operated while the vehicle is stopped. This is to eliminate the possibility that the motor 20 is activated and causes an unnecessary load.

  Thus, since the steering handle 9 is not driven when the travel is stopped before the travel is started, the load on the forward / reverse rotation motor 20 can be reduced.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14, after the automatic switch 24 is turned on, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is operated to control the traveling in the automatic steering mode. When the received data from the controller 52 of the camera 53 used in the system that detects X1 with the camera 53 and goes straight ahead cannot be input or when the received signal from the camera 53 is interrupted, the buzzer 63 is sounded and the automatic steering mode is entered. Without switching the operation of the steering handle 9 to manual.

  A control configuration in which the buzzer 63 is sounded when the data received from the camera controller 52 cannot be input to the control device 100 or when the signal received from the camera 53 is interrupted, and the operation of the steering handle 9 is switched to manual operation without entering the automatic steering mode. To.

  Thus, when the data from the camera 53 cannot be received due to an abnormality in the automatic steering system, the steering handle 9 can be reliably manually operated.

  Also, if the received signal from the camera 53 is interrupted within a certain time, the output control of the motor 20 is interrupted, and the buzzer 63 is turned on when the communication data waits to be received and a certain time elapses. With this configuration, even if the present system becomes abnormal, when it returns in a short time, automatic steering can be continued, and the operability of the steering handle 9 is improved as compared with the conventional system.

  Further, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 15A and the explanatory diagram at the time of traveling of the traveling vehicle of FIG. 15B, after the automatic switch 24 is turned on, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is operated and the automatic operation is performed as described above. Data is received from the controller 52 of the camera 53 in an automatic steering system in which traveling control is performed in the steering mode, but when the automatic steering mode is entered, a far target (ramp) X1 installed in front is detected by the camera 53 and travels straight ahead. When the operation of the steering wheel 9 is switched to manual operation without entering the automatic steering mode when the signal cannot be input to the control device 100 or when the received signal from the camera 53 is interrupted, the far purpose lamp X1 for the travel stroke is turned off.

  Thus, the far target can be lit only when necessary, the battery capacity required for lighting can be saved, and energy saving operation is possible.

  Further, as shown in the control block diagram of FIG. 16, the flowchart of FIG. 17A and the explanatory view of the traveling vehicle of FIG. 17B, the electromagnetic clutch 22 is operated after the automatic switch 24 is turned on. As described above, the traveling control is performed in the automatic steering mode. When the automatic steering mode is entered, the far target (lamp) X1 installed in the front is detected by the camera 53 and the vehicle travels straight. Then, when the received signal from the camera 53 is interrupted due to turning of the traveling vehicle or the like, the operation of the steering handle 9 may be switched to manual, and then the far-distance X2 lamp for the next traveling stroke may be turned on.

  As shown in the control block diagram of FIG. 16, the lighting outputs of the far targets X1 and X2 are modulated by the transmission circuit and output to the receiving circuit of the far target X1 or the far target X2 by radio waves.

  Thus, the far target X1 or the far target X2 can be lit only when necessary, and the battery capacity required for lighting can be saved, resulting in a great energy saving effect. In addition, the operability is improved by automatically lighting the far target X2 in the next stroke after the vehicle turns.

  The present invention is highly applicable as a general-purpose automatic steering drive device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traveling vehicle 2 Front wheel 3 Rear wheel 4 Bonnet 5 Engine 6 Mission case 7 Driver's seat 8 Handle post 8a Cover member 9 Steering handle 10 Accelerator lever 11 Brake pedal 12 Tillage working machine 13 Top link 13a Lift rod 14 Lower link 15 Steering shaft 16 driven sprocket 17 intermediate shaft 18 second gear 19 first gear 20 forward / reverse motor 20a motor drive shaft 21 drive sprocket 22 electromagnetic clutch 23 driver unit 24 automatic switch 25 brake mode switch 26 motor manual dial 27 timing belt 27a base plate 28 rotor ring 29 Armature 30 Navigation controllers 31a, 31b Gear transmission section 32 Front wheel drive shaft 33 Front wheel differential mechanism 34 Base plate Bracket 35 axle bracket 36 universal joint 37 transmission shaft 38 operation panel 39 power steering unit 40 central reference value correction dial 41 steering angle sensor 42 left brake pedal switch 43 right brake pedal switch 44 brake pressure adjustment dial 45 clutch pedal switch 46 forward / reverse lever neutral Position switch 47a Automatic monitor 47b Reception monitor 48 Front wheel steering section 49 Steering angle sensor (direction steering detection means)
50 Lift arm tilt angle sensor 51 Vehicle tilt angle sensor
52 Distance sensor (camera controller)
53 Camera 54 Steering handle distortion sensor 55 Capacitance type detection sensor 56 Flange 57 Vehicle speed sensor 58 Angular speed sensor 59 Motor mounting base plate 60 Engine rotation sensor 61 Tilt correction dial 62 Base plate 100 Steering controller

Claims (4)

A steering handle (9) for steering the traveling vehicle;
A steering shaft (15) that rotates forward and backward in conjunction with the steering handle (9);
Steering direction detection means (49) for detecting the steering direction of the traveling vehicle;
A forward / reverse motor (20) for transmitting a rotational driving force to the steering shaft (15);
An interlocking mechanism having an electromagnetic clutch for transmitting the rotational driving force of the forward / reverse motor (20) to the steering shaft (15);
An automatic switch (24) for controlling the operation / non-operation of the electromagnetic clutch (22);
Behavior detecting means (K) for detecting the behavior of the traveling vehicle;
During the automatic mode in which the electromagnetic clutch (22) is operated by the operation of the automatic switch (24), the forward / reverse rotation direction output of the forward / reverse rotation motor (20) is based on the detection result of the steering direction detection means (49). And an automatic steering control means (100) for performing automatic steering control of the steering shaft (15) and deactivating the electromagnetic clutch (22) based on the detection result of the behavior detection means (K). Traveling vehicle automatic steering device.   Detection means (49, 50, 52) for detecting the turning operation or turning start point of the traveling vehicle is provided, and the automatic steering control means (100) is based on the detection result of the turning operation or turning start point detection means by the traveling vehicle. The traveling vehicle automatic steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein power to the steering shaft (15) by the electromagnetic clutch (22) is not transmitted.   Steering grip detection means (54, 55) for detecting that the operator grips the steering handle (9) is provided, and the automatic steering control means (100) detects the detection result of the steering grip detection means (54, 55). 2. The traveling vehicle automatic steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein power to the steering shaft (15) by the electromagnetic clutch (22) is not transmitted based on the electromagnetic clutch (22).   Vehicle speed detection means (57) for detecting the vehicle speed of the traveling vehicle is provided, and the automatic steering control means (100) detects the electromagnetic wave when the vehicle speed is higher than a specified vehicle speed or the vehicle is stopped based on the detection result of the vehicle speed detection means (57). 2. The traveling vehicle automatic steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein power to the steering shaft (15) by the clutch (22) is not transmitted.

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