JP2020162606A - Farm field work machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a simplified control method in transition between work travelling and non-work travelling in an automatically travelling farm field work machine.SOLUTION: The farm field work machine includes; a travelling machine body 1; a farm field work device 2 for executing farm work for a farm field; a GPS module 5 for outputting positioning data; a route calculation part 73 for calculating a travelling route for the travelling using the farm field work device 2; an automatic travelling control part 61 for causing the travelling machine body 1 to automatically travelling along the travelling route based on the positioning data and the travelling route; a non-work travelling discrimination part 75 for dividing the travelling route into a work travelling route and a non-work route, and determining the travelling in the non-work route; and an automatic travelling stop part 76 for stopping automatic travelling by the automatic travelling control part 61 when the travelling in the non-work route is determined by the non-work travelling discrimination part 75.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a field work machine such as a rice transplanter, a seeder, a fertilizer applicator, etc., which is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) and can automatically perform work along a target route set in the field in advance.

Patent Document 1 describes a rice transplanter in which spare seedling stands are arranged on the left and right sides of a gate-shaped mounting frame arranged above the bonnet, and a GPS antenna operation housing is firmly installed in the center of the upper part. It is disclosed. In this rice transplanter, the teaching of the traveling route is performed prior to the automatic traveling using the GPS function. At the time of teaching, a person holds the GPS antenna removed from the GPS antenna operating housing and specifies the position of a desired route. An infinite straight line is generated as a target route based on the teaching route determined through this position designation, and the rice transplanter automatically travels on this target route. If the field edge is detected by a distance sensor using infrared light or ultrasonic waves while automatically traveling on a straight target route, it is necessary to turn 180 °, so to secure a headland. , The rice transplanter automatically stops at a position separated from the field edge by a preset distance.
In rice transplanting work using a rice transplanter, when there are no more seedlings loaded, it is necessary to bring the machine to the ridges and replenish new seedlings. This rice transplanter does not make a turning run and runs straight toward the field edge autonomously if there is a seedling warning or fertilizer supply warning while the seedling planting part is located on the headland and is rising. And stop at the edge of the field.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-92818 ([paragraph number] 0028 to 0061, FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 8)

The rice transplanter shown in Patent Document 1 performs automatic work travel along a linear work travel route generated by teaching performed in advance, using position information measured by a GPS unit. When the field edge is detected by a distance sensor using infrared light or ultrasonic waves during the automatic work run, it automatically moves toward the next target route from a position separated by a preset distance from the field edge. Turns and runs automatically on the next target route. However, if there is an obstacle such as a steel tower in the field, it becomes impossible to drive along the calculated work route, and the driver manually deviates from the work route as an emergency evacuation and the obstacle occurs. You will bypass things. At that time, it is necessary to temporarily stop the field work such as the seedling planting work, which increases the burden on the driver. Further, in the case of automating only the running on the linear work running path, it is necessary to turn on / off the field work device at the transition point between the working running path and the non-working path, but it is automatic. If you are accustomed to driving, you may miss the timing. In addition, when the traveling machine suddenly shifts to the traveling that deviates from the working traveling route while automatically traveling on the working traveling route, or if the traveling on the working traveling route is completed, the automatic traveling is interrupted. It is necessary to entrust the control to the driver.
From such a situation, in a field work machine capable of automatic running, simplification of control necessary for a transition between working running and non-working running is required.

The field work machine according to the present invention includes a traveling machine, a field working device that performs agricultural work on the field, a GPS module that outputs positioning data, and a route calculation unit that calculates a traveling route for traveling using the field working device. An automatic traveling control unit that automatically travels the traveling vehicle along the traveling route based on the positioning data and the traveling route, and the traveling route is divided into a working traveling route and a non-working route. The non-working travel discriminating unit that determines the traveling of the route and the automatic traveling prohibiting unit that prohibits the automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit when the traveling of the non-working route is determined by the non-working traveling discriminating unit. I have.

According to the above-described configuration of the present invention, while obtaining the position of the own vehicle based on the obtained positioning data (latitude / longitude data) and automatically traveling along the traveling route calculated by the route calculation unit, the vehicle is not traveling. The work travel determination unit determines whether the travel route during travel is a work route or a non-work route, that is, whether the travel route is work travel or non-work travel. Then, when the non-working driving discriminating unit determines that the vehicle is traveling on a non-driving route, that is, it is a non-working driving, the automatic driving is prohibited, and as a result, the operation of the traveling aircraft is entrusted to the driver. As a result, when shifting from steady work driving to non-working driving, automatic driving control is automatically interrupted, so that the operational burden on the driver is reduced.

In general, the field work device is configured to be switchable between a work state in which farm work is performed and a non-work state in which the farm work is not performed, and in that case, the first operation for switching the field work device to the work state and the non-work state A work device operating tool for performing a second operation for switching is provided. In such a type of field work machine, whether the traveling route is a working traveling route or a non-working route, that is, whether it is a working traveling or a non-working traveling, is determined from the operating state of the working device operating tool. Can be determined. Taking advantage of this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention of the field work machine, automatic traveling is prohibited during the second operation of the work device operating tool, and the first operation of the work device operating tool is prohibited. It is configured to allow automatic driving during operation. That is, since the automatic driving control is turned ON / OFF based on the operating state of the working device operating tool, the operating burden on the driver is reduced.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work travel route is calculated based on at least map data of ridges defining the boundary line of the field, and the automatic travel control unit performs the traveling machine based on the work travel route. Is convenient because the teaching work as adopted in Patent Document 1 described above becomes unnecessary when the vehicle is automatically driven.

In addition, if there is any obstacle in the field to be worked on, it is necessary to avoid this obstacle as an emergency evacuation by maneuvering by the driver during the automatic driving. In that case, of course, the automatic driving must be interrupted. For this reason, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the automatic driving deviation detecting unit for detecting the deviation from the automatic driving during the automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit is provided, and the automatic driving deviation is provided. When the detection unit detects a deviation from the automatic driving, the automatic driving prohibition unit is configured to prohibit the automatic driving.

It must be avoided that the field work machine automatically travels outside the field, whether it is the driver's intention or, of course, due to an unexpected operation. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, when the out-of-field travel is detected based on the map data and the orientation data, the automatic traveling prohibition unit has a function of prohibiting the automatic traveling. ..

It is necessary to suppress the high cost associated with the automatic driving of the traveling aircraft. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the traveling machine body includes a drive rear wheel with a pair of left and right side clutches, and the automatic traveling is executed under the control of the side clutches. If the steering of the traveling aircraft is automated by the alternative operation of the pair of left and right side clutches that are originally equipped, the equipment cost associated with the automatic traveling can be suppressed.

Of course, the driver does not operate the steering wheel during automatic driving. Therefore, if the traveling vehicle is equipped with steering wheels having a power steering device, the power steering device is turned off during automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit. By doing so, wasteful energy consumption can be suppressed. Further, when the power steering device is composed of an electric motor, the power steering device is turned off during automatic driving, so that the electric motor is used to perform automatic driving (steering control) for steering wheel operation. As a result, the electric motor can also be used, and the equipment cost associated with automatic driving can be suppressed.

It is a schematic diagram explaining the basic structure of this invention. It is a side view of the passenger rice transplanter which is one of the specific embodiments of this invention. It is a top view of a passenger rice transplanter. It is a rear view which shows the powder or granular material supply device as a field work device mounted on a passenger rice transplanter. It is a longitudinal side view which shows the powder or granular material supply device. It is a schematic diagram which shows the power transmission system of a passenger rice transplanter. It is a schematic diagram which shows the power steering apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the control system mounted on a passenger rice transplanter. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the running and working operation of a passenger rice transplanter along the calculated running path.

Before explaining a specific embodiment of the field working machine according to the present invention, the basic configuration that characterizes the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, as a field work machine, a work machine having working conditions such as a rice transplanter, a seeder, a fertilizer applicator, etc., which repeats a straight line or a substantially straight line work run is assumed. This work machine includes a traveling machine 1 that runs on its own in the field and a field working device 2 that is attached to the traveling machine 1 so that its posture can be changed. This working machine is provided with an operation control unit 6 and an electronic control unit 7 as control systems particularly related to the present invention. Furthermore, the GPS module 5 that detects directions such as latitude and longitude using GPS (Global Positioning System) and outputs it as positioning data, signals from sensors and switches installed in this field work machine, and from the outside. An input signal processing unit 65 that processes a signal input by radio or the like, a signal from a data input device that is artificially operated, and the like and transfers the signal to a necessary functional unit is also provided. The operation control unit 6, the electronic control unit 7, and the GPS module 5 are connected to each other by an in-vehicle LAN together with other control units, and data can be exchanged with each other.

The operation control unit 6 is an operation of changing the work and posture of the automatic traveling control unit 61 that controls the operating equipment in the engine, the transmission, and the steering device, and the field work device 2 in order to perform the automatic traveling of the traveling machine 1. A device control unit 62 that controls the device is included. The electronic control unit 7 is constructed with an information storage unit 71 for storing operation programs, application programs and various data, a route calculation unit 73, a non-working travel determination unit 75, an automatic driving prohibition unit 76, and an automatic driving deviation detection unit 77. Has been done. In the information storage unit 71, as particularly related to the present invention, the field information storage unit 71a for storing at least the field information including the map data of the ridges defining the boundary line of the field, and the field work device 2 run. A work information storage unit 71b for storing work device information including a work width in a transverse direction with respect to a direction is included. Further, the electronic control unit 7 includes a driving support unit 8.

The route calculation unit 73 includes the field information read from the field information storage unit 71a, the work device information read from the work information storage unit 71b, and the travel start point and travel end point set by the work setting unit 72. Based on the above, a traveling route including a non-working traveling route accompanied by a change of direction of the traveling machine 1 and a working traveling route for performing traveling work by the field work device 2 is calculated. Specifically, the route calculation unit 73 obtains the work area to be worked from the map data included in the field information, and has the work area in the traveling crossing direction included in the work device information. Calculate the travel route that fills up. At that time, in rice planting and sowing in paddy fields, in principle, a pattern that repeats a long straight running and a direction change running (180 ° turn) at the end is adopted, and in the direction change running, agricultural work (rice planting and sowing) is adopted. Sowing etc.) is not performed. Finally, the farm work for the work area (field) is completed by working in the area (generally called a headland) used for the direction change run. The travel route is calculated so as not to break such a travel pattern as much as possible.

The non-working travel discriminating unit 75, the automatic traveling prohibition unit (automatic traveling stop unit) 76, and the automatic traveling deviation detecting unit 77 are used in the automatic traveling control mode of a substantially linear working traveling route. The non-working travel determination unit 75 determines whether the traveling route during traveling is a working traveling route or a non-working route, that is, whether it is a working traveling or a non-working traveling. For example, by collating the map data (azimuth) of the work travel area and the headland area calculated in advance with the azimuth data output from the GPS module 5, it is possible to determine which area the work position is in. It is possible to determine whether or not the user has entered another area. When it is determined by the non-working driving determination unit 75 that the vehicle is traveling on a non-working route during automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit 61, the automatic driving prohibition unit (automatic driving stop unit) 76 may use the automatic driving control unit 61. Prohibits (stops) automatic driving by. The automatic driving deviation detection unit 77 detects deviation from automatic driving during automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit 61, and even when the automatic driving deviation detection unit 77 detects deviation from automatic driving. The automatic driving prohibition unit 76 prohibits automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit 61. The automatic travel deviation detection unit 77 can detect the deviation from the work travel route from the orientation data output from the GPS module 5.

The field work machine is provided with a work device operating tool 49 for switching the field work device 2 to a work state in which farm work is performed or a non-work state in which farm work is not performed. When the driver operates the work device operating tool 49 to the first operating position, the field working device 2 is in the working state, and when the working device operating tool 49 is operated to the second operating position, the field working device 2 is not working. It becomes a state. The operating position of the working device operating tool 49 is sent to the electronic control unit 7 through the input signal processing unit 65. When the second operating position of the working device operating tool 49 is detected, automatic traveling is prohibited, and the operation of the traveling machine 1 is entrusted to the driver. When the second operation position of the work device operating tool 49 is detected, automatic traveling is permitted, and the traveling machine body 1 is automatically traveled.

An example of the traveling route calculation procedure is schematically shown in FIG. First, the outer shape of the field is set from the map data (terrain data) of the field to be worked (#a). The headland area is set based on the work width of the field work device 2 (row spacing x number of rows for seedling planting work), and the running start point and running end point (indicated by arrows in the figure) are set (indicated by arrows in the figure). # B). Since it is preferable that the rice planting work and the sowing work are carried out in a straight line, a turning reduction path algorithm is preferably adopted. Therefore, the headland is regarded as a non-working travel area for 180 ° direction change, and the headland is regarded as a work area for running work by the field work device, and a travel route (work travel route) in which a straight route as long as possible can be obtained. In other words, a travel route with few direction change routes (non-work travel routes) is calculated (#c).

The operation of the field work machine along the calculated travel route is supported by the operation support unit 8. The driving support unit 8 provides driving support so that the position of the own aircraft obtained from the positioning data output from the GPS module 5 is located on the calculated travel path. Further, the driving support unit 8 operates the field work device 2 in the area where the field work by the field work device 2 is executed in the traveling path, and operates the field work device 2 in the area where the field work by the field work device 2 is not executed. Assist driving so as not to operate. Examples of the functional unit constructed in the driving support unit 8 for this purpose include the following three.
(1) An operation information generation unit 81 that generates operation timing information including a work start operating point and a work end operating point of the field work apparatus 2 in the traveling path. The operation information generation unit 81 generates operation timing information in which the time when the work location of the field work device 2 with respect to the field reaches the above-mentioned transition point is set as the work start operation point or the work end operation point.
(2) The notification information generation unit 82 that generates notification information for notifying the driver of the operation timing based on the operation timing information. Since the notification information generation unit 82 visually or audibly notifies the driver of the end or start of working or non-working driving through a lamp or buzzer based on the operation timing information, the driver can use the field work device. 2 can be operated accurately. If the broadcast information generation unit 82 is equipped with a voice function, operation instructions in spoken language can be realized.
(3) An operation control signal generation unit 83 that generates an operation control signal for the field work apparatus 2 based on the operation timing information. When such an operation control signal generation unit 83 is mounted, ON / OFF control of field work by the field work device 2 can be automated. For example, when the field work device 2 is a seedling planting device, the raising / lowering of the seedling planting device and the stop / start of the seedling planting claws are automatically executed at the transition point, thus reducing the burden on the driver. Will be done.

The device control unit 62 of the operation control unit 6 is a direct operation signal (for example, an operation by the operation of the work operation tool 49) sent through the operation control signal generated by the operation control signal generation unit 83 or the input signal processing unit 65. The hydraulic equipment and electrical equipment of the field work device 2 are operated based on the signal). The automatic driving control unit 61 of the motion control unit 6 is an motion device (steering device, braking device, speed change device, etc.) for automatic driving in the traveling machine 1 based on the motion control signal generated by the motion control signal generation unit 83. ) Is operated. When autopiloting the traveling aircraft 1, the driving support unit 8 was obtained by collating the position of the own aircraft based on the positioning data from the GPS module 5 with the traveling route calculated and selected by the route calculation unit 73. By generating a steering operation control signal based on the traveling error and sending the signal to the automatic traveling control unit 61, the traveling aircraft 1 can be accurately and automatically driven. Regarding automatic running, only running on a work running route that is substantially straight may be automated, or running on non-working running accompanied by turning may also be automated.

Further, the function of the driving support unit 8 can be further expanded. For example, (a) the field work device 2 is an agricultural material supply device (seedling planting device, fertilizer application device, pesticide administration device) that supplies agricultural materials such as seedlings, fertilizers, and pesticides to the entire field, and such agricultural materials. In the field work machine provided with the material storage unit for accommodating the material, the supply amount of agricultural materials per unit work mileage is controlled to be as constant as possible from the work target area and the capacity of the field. At that time, the route calculation unit 73 can also adopt a route algorithm that calculates a travel route that just uses up the capacity.
(B) When a field work device 2 such as a pesticide sprayer in which the supply amount of agricultural materials and the supply direction thereof are variable is used, the operation support unit 8 uses the agricultural materials in the field of another person beyond the ridges. It outputs an operation control signal in which the supply amount and / or supply direction are controlled so as not to scatter.
(C) When the positioning data from the GPS module 5 is configured to include height (elevation) data, a field work device (for example, rice transplanter seedling planting) that supplies agricultural materials to the field at a constant reference height. Attachment 2) gives an operation control signal to the device control unit 62 so as to have a predetermined height (seedling planting height) based on the positioning data.

FIG. 1 shows the running of the field work machine that enters the straight work running path again from the straight working running path via the non-working path for changing the direction in the headland, and the control chart at that time. Since it is shown schematically, an example of running of this field work machine will be described using this. First, the travel from the point M1 to the point M2 is an automatic work travel, and the automatic work travel control is ON. When the work position of the field work device 2 based on the positioning data from the GPS module 5 enters the headland area set when the route calculation unit 73 calculates the work travel route (M2 to M3), the non-work travel determination is made. It is determined that the unit 75 has entered the non-working travel, and the non-working traveling, in this example, the headland traveling detection information indicating the detection of the headland traveling is transmitted from the non-working traveling discriminating unit 75 to the automatic traveling prohibition unit 76. The automatic driving prohibition unit 76 interrupts the automatic driving and entrusts the operation of the traveling machine body 1 to the driver. At the same time, when the work position of the field work device 2 enters the headland (M2), an operation control signal for stopping the work is generated, and the field work device 2 is switched to the non-work state. Next, when the work position of the field work device 2 enters the next work travel path from the headland again (M3), the headland travel detection information disappears, the operation start operation control signal is generated, and the field work is performed. The device 2 is switched to the working state. At the same time, the automatic traveling prohibition unit 76 permits automatic traveling, and automatic traveling along the work traveling route is restarted. Further, when the automatic traveling deviation detection unit 77 detects the deviation from the automatic traveling of the traveling machine 1 while the field work machine is automatically traveling along the linear work traveling route (M4), the automatic traveling is prohibited. The unit 76 causes the automatic traveling, and entrusts the operation of the traveling aircraft 1 to the driver. The automatic driving deviation detection unit 77 is responsible for prohibiting events such as an abnormal value of the steering wheel turning angle, a transition of the field work device 2 to a non-working state, or an abnormality of other operating equipment. Based on the detection of the occurrence, the deviation from the automatic driving is detected.

Next, one specific embodiment of the field work machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a passenger rice transplanter, which is an example of a field work machine, and FIG. 3 is a plan view. The traveling machine body 1 is provided with a pair of left and right front wheels 11a and a pair of left and right rear wheels 11b at the lower part of the vehicle body frame 10. A powder or granular material supply device 12 provided with a powder or granular material tank 12a is provided at the rear of the traveling machine body 1. Behind the traveling machine 1, a paddy field work device 2 as a field work device provided with six seedling planting mechanisms 21 arranged in the lateral direction of the vehicle body and six powder or granular material supply units 22 arranged in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. It is connected.

The paddy field work machine performs seedling planting work and fertilization work by running the traveling machine 1 in a state where the paddy field work device 2 is lowered to the lowering work state. In detail, the paddy field work machine is configured as follows. is there.

The traveling machine body 1 includes an engine 31 deployed in the front part of the vehicle body, a traveling and working transmission 32 that inputs a driving force from the engine 31 to shift gears, and transfers the driving force from the engine 31 from the transmission 32 to the front wheels 11a. The four-wheel drive vehicle is configured so as to transmit to the rear wheels 11b and drive the front wheels 11a and the rear wheels 11b to travel. The engine 31 is covered by an engine bonnet 31a and a rear cover 31b. The traveling machine body 1 includes a driving unit 33 having a driver's seat 33a arranged at the rear of the vehicle body. The driver gets on the driver unit 33 and operates. A steering wheel 33b for steering the front wheels 11a is provided in front of the driver's seat 33a, and a floor 30 having an open upper portion is formed between the steering post 33c supporting the steering handle 33b and the driver's seat 33a. A steering panel 33d is provided around the steering post 33c. A work space 34 used for the work of supplying the powder or granular material to the powder or granular material tank 13 and the work of supplying seedlings to the paddy field work device 2 is provided at the rear part of the traveling machine body 1. The work space 34 is provided with a work step 34a located on both lateral sides and the rear of the driver's seat 33a, and a handrail 35 located on both lateral sides of the driver's seat 33a. Further, a pair of left and right spare seedling stands 39 are provided on the front portion of the traveling machine body 1.

The paddy field working device 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the paddy field work device 2 is supported by a link mechanism 36 extending rearward from the vehicle body frame 10 so as to swing up and down, and the link mechanism 36 is rocked by an elevating cylinder 37. The grounding float 23 can be moved up and down in a descending work state in which the ground float 23 descends to the field scene and touches the ground, and a grounding float 23 rises high from the field scene in a non-working state.

The paddy field work device 2 includes a work unit frame 24 whose front end side is supported by the link mechanism 36. The working unit frame 24 includes a feed case 25 in which the driving force from the engine 31 is transmitted via the rotating shaft 38, and three planting drive cases 26 arranged at predetermined intervals in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. Seedling planting mechanisms 21 are mounted on both lateral sides of the rear end of each of the three planting drive cases 26. A seedling stand 28 is provided above the front portion of the working portion frame 24 in an inclined posture located rearward toward the lower end side. The lower part of the working unit frame 24 is equipped with three grounding floats 23 arranged at predetermined intervals in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The powder or granular material supply parts 22 as the six ground working parts arranged in the lateral direction of the vehicle body are distributed and supported by the three grounding floats 23 in a state where one is located near each of the six seedling planting mechanisms 21. There is.

Each seedling planting mechanism 21 includes two planting arms 21a, is driven by a driving force transmitted from the feed case 25 to the planting drive case 26, and has planting claws provided on each of the two planting arms 21a. A seedling planting motion is performed in which the tip of the seedling moves up and down while drawing a long rotation trajectory. In the seedling planting work, which is one of the field operations, each seedling planting mechanism 21 is alternately arranged by two planting arms 21a from the mat-shaped seedlings on the seedling stand 28 at the lower end of the seedling stand 28. The planted seedlings for the plants are taken out, and the taken out planted seedlings are carried down to the field and planted in the mud portion prepared by the grounding float 23.

As shown in FIG. 3, the seedling mounting table 28 is provided with six seedling placing portions 28a on which mat-shaped seedlings for supplying to the six seedling planting mechanisms 21 are placed side by side in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The seedling stand 28 is supported by a support portion and a support column 24a provided on the working portion frame 24 so as to reciprocate in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The seedling stand 28 is reciprocally transferred in the lateral direction of the vehicle body in conjunction with the seedling planting movement of the seedling planting mechanism 21 by a lateral feed mechanism provided over the seedling stand 28 and the feed case 25 to produce mat-shaped seedlings. The seedling planting mechanism 21 is reciprocally transferred in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. As a result, each seedling planting mechanism 21 takes out the planted seedlings from the lateral one end side to the other end side of the lower end portion of the mat-shaped seedlings placed on the seedling stand 28.

Each of the six seedling mounting portions 28a of the seedling mounting table 28 is equipped with a vertical feed belt 28b.
The vertical feed belt 28b of each seedling mounting portion 28a is provided with a vertical feed drive mechanism 27 (FIG. 6) provided over the seedling mounting table 28 and the feed case 25 when the seedling mounting table 28 reaches the left and right stroke ends of the lateral transfer. (See) is rotationally driven by a set stroke, and mat-shaped seedlings are vertically fed toward the seedling planting mechanism 21 by a length corresponding to the length of the seedlings taken out by the seedling planting mechanism 21 in the vertical direction.

Each of the six powder or granular material supply units 22 is provided with a groove-growing tool that protrudes downward from the ground float 23 and is connected to the powder or granular material supply pipe 14 described later, and is used for the seedling planting location by the seedling planting mechanism 21. A groove is formed in the field scene near the side, and the fertilizer supplied by the powder or granular material supply device 12 is supplied to the formed groove. After the fertilizer is supplied, the ditch is backfilled by the mud on the side of the ditch being pushed by the soil covering member supported by the grounding float 23.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a transmission structure for driving the paddy field work device 2. The driving force input from the rotating shaft 38 to the feed case 25 is transmitted to the planting output shaft 25a by a mission built in the feed case 25, and the front ends of each of the three planting drive cases 26 from the planting output shaft 25a. It is configured to be input to. In each planting drive case 26, the driving force input to the planting drive case 26 is configured to be transmitted to the pair of seedling planting mechanisms 21 by a transmission mechanism having a fractional row planting clutch 29.

Therefore, the fractional row planting clutch 29 built in the planting drive case 26 at the left end is a part of the seedling planting mechanism 21 among the six seedling planting mechanisms 21 by being turned on and off, and is at the left end. Two seedling planting mechanisms 21 (hereinafter, referred to as a seedling planting mechanism 21L for the leftmost two rows), that is, a seedling planting mechanism 21 and a seedling planting mechanism 21 adjacent to the leftmost seedling planting mechanism 21. The seedling planting mechanism 21 for the two rows on the left end side is switched between a working state in which the seedling planting movement is performed and a non-working state in which the seedling planting movement is stopped.

The fractional row planting clutch 29 built in the planting drive case 26 at the right end is a part of the seedling planting mechanism 21 among the six seedling planting mechanisms 21 by being turned on and off, and is a seedling planting mechanism at the right end. To two seedling planting mechanisms 21 (hereinafter, referred to as a seedling planting mechanism 21R for two rows on the right end side), that is, a seedling planting mechanism 21 and a seedling planting mechanism 21 adjacent to the rightmost seedling planting mechanism 21. The transmission is turned on and off, and the seedling planting mechanism 21R for the two rows on the right end side is switched between a working state in which the seedling planting movement is performed and a non-working state in which the seedling planting movement is stopped.

The fractional row planting clutch 29 built in the central planting drive case 26 is a part of the six seedling planting mechanisms 21 by being turned on and off, and is a seedling planting mechanism with two rows on the left end side. To two seedling planting mechanisms 21 (hereinafter, referred to as a central two-row seedling planting mechanism 21N) between the seedling planting mechanism 21L for the rightmost row and the seedling planting mechanism 21R for the rightmost two rows. The transmission is turned on and off, and the seedling planting mechanism 21N for the central two rows is switched between a working state in which the seedling planting movement is performed and a non-working state in which the seedling planting movement is stopped.

Therefore, in the following, the fractional row planting clutch 29 built in the leftmost planting drive case 26 is referred to as a fractional row planting clutch 29L for the leftmost two rows, and the fractional row planting clutch 29 built in the central planting drive case 26. The planting clutch 29 is called a fractional planting clutch 29N for the central two-row, and the fractional planting clutch 29 built in the planting drive case 26 at the right end is called a fractional planting clutch 29R for the right end two-row.

The vertical feed drive mechanism 27 has a vertical feed output shaft 271 extending laterally outward from the front portion of the feed case 25 and a seedling mount lateral direction supported so as to be rotatable on the back surface side of the seedling stand 28. It is provided with a vertical feed drive shaft 272. The vertical feed output shaft 271 is rotationally driven by a driving force input from the rotary shaft 38 to the feed case 25, and rotationally drives a pair of left and right transmission arms 273 supported by the vertical feed output shaft 271. A passive arm 274 is supported on the vertical feed drive shaft 272 so as to rotate integrally, and fractional vertical feed clutches 20 are provided at three locations on the vertical feed drive shaft 272.

That is, when the seedling stand 28 reaches the left and right lateral feed stroke ends, the passive arm 274 comes into contact with one of the pair of left and right transmission arms 273, and the passive arm 274 is swung by the transmission arm 273. Then, the vertical feed drive shaft 272 is driven by a predetermined rotation angle. When the vertical feed drive shaft 272 is driven, the leftmost fractional vertical feed clutch 20L of the three fractional vertical feed clutches 20 causes the leftmost seedling mounting portion 28a of the six seedling mounting portions 28a. Both vertical feed belts 28b (hereinafter, vertical feed belts 28b for the left end side 2 rows) of the vertical feed belt 28b provided and the vertical feed belt 28b provided in the seedling mounting portion 28a adjacent to the seedling mounting portion 28a at the left end. The driving force of the vertical feed drive shaft 272 is transmitted to the feed belt 28L).

When the vertical feed drive shaft 272 is driven, the rightmost fractional vertical feed clutch 20R of the three fractional vertical feed clutches 20 causes the rightmost seedling mounting portion 28a of the six seedling mounting portions 28a. Both vertical feed belts 28b (hereinafter, vertical feed belts for two rows on the right end side) of the vertical feed belt 28b provided and the vertical feed belt 28b provided on the seedling mounting portion 28a adjacent to the seedling mounting portion 28a at the right end. The driving force of the vertical feed drive shaft 272 is transmitted to the feed belt 28R). When the vertical feed drive shaft 272 is driven, the central fractional vertical feed clutch 20N of the three fractional vertical feed clutches 20 causes the two seedling mounting portions on the left end side of the six seedling mounting portions 28a. The vertical feed drive shaft is attached to the vertical feed belt 28b (referred to as the vertical feed belt 28N for the central two rows) provided in the two seedling mounting portions 28a between the 28a and the two seedling mounting portions 28a on the right end side. The driving force of 272 is transmitted.

Therefore, of the three fractional vertical feed clutches 20, the leftmost fractional vertical feed clutch 20 is turned on and off to be used for the leftmost two-row clutch corresponding to the seedling planting mechanism 21L for the left-side two-row. The transmission to the vertical feed belt 28L is turned on and off, and the vertical feed belt 28L for the left end side 2 rows is switched between a working state in which the seedling vertical feeding is performed and a non-working state in which the seedling vertical feeding is stopped.

The central fractional vertical feed clutch 20 of the three fractional vertical feed clutches 20 is turned on and off to correspond to the seedling planting mechanism 21N for the central 2 rows and the vertical feed belt 28N for the central 2 rows. The vertical feed belt 28N for the central two rows is switched between a working state in which the seedling vertical feeding is performed and a non-working state in which the seedling vertical feeding is stopped.

Of the three fractional vertical feed clutches 20, the rightmost fractional vertical feed clutch 20 is turned on and off to vertically feed the rightmost two-row clutch corresponding to the seedling planting mechanism 21R for the right-end two-row. The transmission to the belt 28R is turned on and off, and the vertical feed belt 28R for the right end side 2 rows is switched between a working state in which the seedling vertical feeding is performed and a non-working state in which the seedling vertical feeding is stopped.

The powder or granular material supply device 12, which is one of the field work devices, will be described.
FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the powder or granular material supply device 12. FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view showing the powder or granular material supply device 12. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the powder or granular material supply device 12 is arranged in a portion of the traveling machine body 1 behind the driver's seat 33a. The powder or granular material supply device 12 is supported by the supply device frame 15. The supply device frame 15 is connected to the vehicle body frame 10 via a pair of left and right front columns 15a and a pair of left and right rear columns 15b. The supply device frame 15 includes a pair of front and rear lateral support frames 15f and 15r that support the upper end of the feeding mechanism 16 described later by sandwiching it from the front and rear sides (see FIG. 5).

The powder or granular material supply device 12 includes one powder or granular material tank 13 formed in a long shape in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and four feeding mechanisms 16 connected to the lower portion of the powder or granular material tank 13 side by side in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. I have. Each feeding mechanism 16 includes one feeding case 16a whose upper end side is connected to the bottom 13a of one of the four bottoms 13a provided in the powder or granular material tank 13 in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The shape of each of the four bottoms 13a of the powder or granular material tank 13 when viewed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is formed in a funnel shape. The left and right lateral walls 13b of each of the four bottoms 13a are formed on an inclined wall that is closer to the inside of the bottom 13a toward the lower end side.

As shown in FIG. 5, each feeding mechanism 16 includes the feeding case 16a whose inside communicates with the storage space of the powder or granular material tank 13, and is provided so as to be rotationally driven inside the feeding case 16a. The feeding rotary body 16b is provided, and the powdery and granular fertilizer stored in the powder and granular material tank 13 is fed to the lower part of the feeding case by the rotating feeding rotating body 16b. More specifically, each feeding rotating body 16b is provided with feeding recesses formed side by side in the rotation direction on the peripheral surface, and the feeding interval is set by a set amount of feeding set by the volume of the feeding recess and by the spacing of the feeding recesses. Fertilizer is fed (fertilizer application work) by the intermittent feeding that is set.

A wind inlet 16c is formed in the lower part on the front side of each feeding case 16a. The wind inlet 16c of each feeding case 16a is connected to the electric blowing blower 18 via one blowing duct 17 in the lateral direction of the vehicle body located in front of each feeding mechanism 16. As shown in FIG. 1, the intake duct 18a extends from the intake port of the blower 18 to the vicinity of the engine 31, and the blower 18 sucks the air whose temperature has risen due to heat dissipation of the engine 31 and sends the conveyed air. generate.

Two powder or granular material delivery ports 16d are formed in the lower part on the rear side of each delivery case 16a. In the leftmost feeding mechanism 16L of the four feeding mechanisms 16, the two powder or granular material delivery ports 16d are the leftmost powder or granular material supply unit 22 of the six powder or granular material supply parts 22, and the leftmost powder. It is separately connected to the powder or granular material supply unit 22 adjacent to the particle material supply unit 22 by two powder or granular material supply pipes 14.

In the rightmost feeding mechanism 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16, the two powder or granular material delivery ports 16d and 16d are the rightmost powder or granular material supply unit 22 of the six powder or granular material supply parts 22 and the right end thereof. It is separately connected to the powder or granular material supply unit 22 adjacent to the powder or granular material supply unit 22 by two powder or granular material supply pipes 14 and 14.

In the left feeding mechanism 16 in the central two feeding mechanisms 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16, one of the two powder or granular material delivery ports 16d and 16d formed in the feeding case 16a is the powder or granular material delivery port 16d. Of the six powder or granular material supply units 22 of the paddy field work device 2, the two central powder or granular materials located between the two powder or granular material supply units 22 on the left end side and the two powder or granular material supply units 22 on the right end side. It is connected to the left powder or granular material supply unit 22 in the body supply unit 22 by a powder or granular material supply pipe 14. In the right-hand feeding mechanism 16 in the central two feeding mechanisms 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16, one of the two powder or granular material delivery ports 16d and 16d formed in the feeding case 16a is the powder or granular material delivery port 16d. Of the six powder or granular material supply units 22 of the paddy field work device 2, the two central powder or granular materials located between the two powder or granular material supply units 22 on the left end side and the two powder or granular material supply units 22 on the right end side. It is connected to the right powder or granular material supply unit 22 in the body supply unit 22 by a powder or granular material supply pipe 14. The two central feeding mechanisms 16 are configured to stop the function of delivering the powder or granular material from the powder or granular material delivery port 16d to which the powder or granular material supply pipe 14 is not connected.

Therefore, the leftmost feeding mechanism 16 and the rightmost feeding mechanism 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16 feed the fertilizer from the powder or granular material tank 13 by the feeding rotating body 16b in one feeding case 16a, and deliver the fertilizer. It is sent from the two powder or granular material outlets 16d to the two powder or granular material supply pipes 14 and 14 by the transport air having a temperature higher than room temperature from the blower blower 18, and is the lateral end of the six powder or granular material supply units 22. It is supplied to the powder or granular material supply unit 22 of the above and the powder or granular material supply unit 22 adjacent to the powder or granular material supply unit 22 at the lateral end.

The left feeding mechanism 16 in the two central feeding mechanisms 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16 feeds fertilizer from the powder or granular material tank 13 by the feeding rotary body 16b, and the powder or granular material fed out is delivered to room temperature from the blower blower 18. The powder or granular material on the left side of the two central powder or granular material supply units 22 of the six powder or granular material supply units 22 is sent from the powder or granular material outlet 16d to the powder or granular material supply pipe 14 by a higher temperature transport air. It supplies to the supply unit 22. The right feeding mechanism 16 in the central two feeding mechanisms 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16 feeds fertilizer from the powder or granular material tank 13 by the feeding rotary body 16b, and the powder or granular material fed out is delivered to room temperature from the blower blower 18. The powder or granular material on the right side of the two central powder or granular material supply units 22 of the six powder or granular material supply units 22 is sent from the powder or granular material outlet 16d to the powder or granular material supply pipe 14 by a higher temperature transport air. It supplies to the supply unit 22.

Although not shown, in this powder or granular material supply device 12, the leftmost feeding mechanism 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16 is the leftmost side 1 of the powder or granular material fed from the powder or granular material tank 13. A feeding mechanism 16 for two rows on the left end side is configured so as to supply the powder or granular material supply unit 22. The two central feeding mechanisms 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16 are feeding mechanisms for the central two rows so that the powder or granular material fed from the powder or granular material tank 13 is supplied to the two central powder or granular material supply units 22. It constitutes 16. The right-most feeding mechanism 16 of the four feeding mechanisms 16 feeds the powder or granular material fed from the powder or granular material tank 13 to the two powder or granular material supply units 22 on the right-most side so as to supply the powder or granular material for the two right-end side. It constitutes a mechanism 16. Further, a feeding amount adjusting mechanism (not shown) for changing the feeding amount of fertilizer by changing the driving rotation speed of the feeding rotating body 16b per unit time by the rotation operation is also provided.

Although only schematically shown in FIG. 6, a pair of left and right side clutches 11B are provided in the power transmission system for transmitting power from the transmission 32 to the pair of left and right rear wheels 11b. The steering of the traveling machine 1 can be controlled by the alternative ON / OFF operation of the pair of left and right side clutches 11B. For example, in the automatic traveling along the working traveling route, when the deviation from the working traveling route occurs, the side clutch 11B opposite to the displaced one is turned off (off operation) through the automatic traveling control unit 61. The return steering of the aircraft 1 becomes possible.

Although only schematically shown in FIG. 7, the steering handle 33b and the front wheels 11a are interlocked and connected via the electric power steering device 40. More specifically, the handle shaft 41 of the steering handle 33b is provided with a torque sensor 42 that detects the rotational torque of the steering handle 33b. An electric motor 43 for applying an assist force for rotating the steering handle 33b based on the detection result of the torque sensor 42 is interlocked and connected to the handle shaft 41 via an electromagnetic clutch 44 and a gear mechanism 45. The steering wheel shaft 41 and the front wheel 11a as steering wheels are interlocked with each other via a linking mechanism such as a pitman arm, a knuckle arm, and a tie rod (not shown). The detection signal of the torque sensor 42 is input to the automatic traveling control unit 61 of the operation control unit 6 mounted on the traveling machine body 1. The automatic traveling control unit 61 generates a control signal based on the detection result of the torque sensor 42 and the like, and transmits the electric motor 43 and the electromagnetic clutch 44 that switches the transmission of the output of the electric motor 43 via the motor control circuit 6A. Drive control. In the case of automatic driving, the electric motor 43 is controlled by the control signal from the automatic driving control unit 61, and the steering handle 33b is automatically operated regardless of the detection signal of the torque sensor 42.

Further, although only schematically shown in FIG. 7, the elevating cylinder 37 of the link mechanism 36 is driven via the solenoid control circuit 6B based on the control signal from the device control unit 62 of the operation control unit 6. Be controlled. The seedling planting work and fertilizer application work are stopped as the elevating cylinder 37 rises, and the seedling planting work and fertilizer application work are started as the elevating cylinder 37 descends. The operation of the elevating cylinder 37 is an operation to the ascending position (first operation) or an operation to the descending position (second operation) of the elevating lever 49, which is a kind of work operating tool provided around the steering handle 33b. ) To raise and lower.

The position of the own aircraft required for automatic traveling of the traveling aircraft 1 is obtained from the positioning data from the GPS module 5. As shown in FIG. 8, the GPS module 5 includes a GPS antenna 5A and a GPS processing circuit 5B. The GPS antenna 5A is attached to a location where the radio wave reception sensitivity is good, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in the upper region of the handrail 35 via a quick coupling type connection portion 5C. The GPS processing circuit 5B is arranged in the control box (in which the electronic control unit 7 is built) CB arranged below the driver's seat 33a. The GPS antenna 5A and the GPS processing circuit 5B may be packaged and attached as a single GPS module 5 at a location where the radio wave reception sensitivity is good, and the GPS processing circuit 5B and the control box CB may be connected by wire or wirelessly. .. Further, a plurality of mounting locations of the GPS antenna 5A or the GPS module 5 may be set in advance, and a configuration may be adopted in which the GPS antenna 5A or the GPS module 5 is selectively mounted at the optimum mounting location according to the region and climate. In this embodiment, the top frame of the seedling stand 28 is set as another mounting location, and the connecting portion 5C is provided here.

FIG. 8 shows the control system installed in this passenger rice transplanter. This control system uses the basic principle of the present invention described with reference to FIG. The core of the control system is housed in the control box CB as an electronic unit.

The coordinate position obtained from the positioning data from the GPS module 5 indicates the GPS reception position, that is, the position of the attachment point of the GPS antenna 5A. Therefore, in order to know the exact working position of the paddy field working device 2 with respect to the field (for example, the seedling planting position and the fertilizer application position), the amount of misalignment between the mounting location of the GPS antenna 5A and the working position of the paddy field working device 2 It is necessary to correct the coordinate position obtained from the positioning data from the GPS module 5 by using. A work position calculation unit 74 that performs this correction and calculates the field work position by the paddy field work device 2 is constructed in the electronic control unit 7.

In the work position calculation unit 74, position information indicating a positional deviation between the field work position in the field work device 2 and the position of the attachment location of the GPS module 5 is recorded for each attachment location.
As a pre-processing for calculating the orientation of the field work position in the field work device 2 in real time, that is, in the running field work device 2 based on the positioning data output from the GPS module 5, the mounting specified by the identification signal from the connection unit 5C Read out the positional deviation between the location and the field work position. The amount of misalignment between the position of the GPS module 5 and the field work position: D (x, y, z) is D (x, y, z), where MP and WP are the respective positions in the coordinate system of the traveling machine 1. ) = MP-WP.
From this amount of misalignment: D (x, y, z) and the reception position (position of GPS module 5) obtained from the positioning data sequentially sent from GPS module 5, the real-time field work position (azimuth coordinate value). ): WP (x, y, z) is calculated as follows.
WP (x, y, z) = F (R (x, y, z), D (x, y, z)) where F is a function that obtains the field work position from the amount of misalignment and the reception position. Yes, it can be practically constructed with a table. When the field work device 2 has two field work positions, each field work position can be obtained by using the respective misalignment amounts.

Further, in this embodiment, the notification processing unit 64, which is connected to the functional unit built in the electronic control unit 7 so as to exchange data, is arranged inside or outside the electronic control unit 7. The notification processing unit 64 processes the information generated by the notification information generation unit 82 in order to notify the driver or the outside, and outputs the information to the notification device. Typical examples of the notification device are a display 64a for displaying image information and a speaker 64b for emitting audio information, but a buzzer and a lamp are also included. The display 64a is equipped with a touch panel 66, and the information input through the touch panel 66 is sent to a functional unit that requires the information via the input signal processing unit 65. The input signal processing unit 65 processes signals from sensors and switches equipped in the passenger rice transplanter, signals input wirelessly from the outside, and the like, and transfers the signals to a necessary function unit. To do. For example, a signal is input to specify the engine speed, wheel speed, fuel level, seedling level, fertilizer level, shift position, posture (rising state or falling state) of the paddy field work device (field work device) 2. Will be done.

In this embodiment, in addition to the work position calculation unit 74 described above, the information storage unit 71, the route calculation unit 73, the work position calculation unit 74, the non-work travel determination unit 75, and the automatic travel are built in the electronic control unit 7. The prohibition unit 76, the automatic driving deviation detection unit 77, and the driving support unit 8 have the functions described with reference to FIG. The electronic control unit 7 further has a work setting unit 72 and a slip ratio calculation unit 78 as functional units.

The work setting unit 72 sets the travel start point and the travel end point of the field to be performed by using the paddy field work device 2 as the field work device. The running start point is also a position where the traveling machine 1 is put into the field, and the running end point is also a position where the running machine 1 is taken out of the field. Generally, the start point and the end point of the run may be the same, but if all the ridges facing the farm road can be used as the start point and the end point of the run, it is possible to set as such. .. The travel start point and travel end point are also used as a travel start point and a travel end point for calculating a travel route by the route calculation unit 73.

The slip ratio calculation unit 78 is a traveling machine 1 calculated based on the movement distance of the field work machine calculated based on the rotation of the drive wheels provided in the field work machine and the positioning data output from the GPS module 5. The slip ratio of the field work machine is calculated from the moving distance of. In a field work machine, the rotation of the drive wheels, that is, the work amount per mileage based on the vehicle speed (the planting seedling interval with respect to the field and the supply amount of agricultural materials to the field) is generally constant. Therefore, the slip of the drive wheel leads to non-uniform work load. Therefore, the slip ratio calculated by the slip ratio calculation unit 78 is used to correct the operation control for avoiding such non-uniformity of the work amount.

Regarding the non-working driving determination unit 75, the automatic driving prohibition unit 76, and the automatic driving deviation detection unit 77, the explanation using FIG. 1 is diverted, but when the field work machine is a rice transplanter, the lift lever (work) by the driver It is also possible to determine whether the driver intends to drive or not to drive by ascending and descending the paddy field work device 2 by operating the device operating tool) 49. .. Therefore, the non-working travel discriminating unit 75, the automatic traveling prohibition unit 76, and the automatic traveling deviation detecting unit 77 specifically operate the elevating lever 49 to the ascending position to raise the paddy field working device 2 to a non-working state. Since the seedling planting work and the fertilizer application work are stopped, the ascending position of the elevating lever 49 is detected, and the automatic traveling control is stopped in response to this detection. Similarly, by operating the elevating lever 49 to the descending position, the paddy field work device 2 descends to a working state, and the seedling planting work and the fertilizer application work operate, so that the descending position of the elevating lever 49 is detected and this It is configured to start automatic driving control in response to detection.

FIG. 9 schematically shows a running example in which the seedling planting work by the passenger rice transplanter configured as described above is simplified. An example of traveling will be described with reference to this schematic diagram. Here, the route calculation unit 73 sets the headland MA on the outer circumference of the trapezoidal field to be worked with a width corresponding to the work width W, and calculates a traveling route having a straight line distance as long as possible. .. For the sake of simplicity, the travel route consists of a work travel route consisting of four straight lines, a non-work travel route that connects the work routes at the headland MA (direction change route), and finally the headland. It is divided into a headland work route for working on MA. That is, the internal region IA surrounded by the headland MA runs straight. In FIG. 9, the entrance position (running start point) and the exit position (running end point) of the field are indicated by white arrows, respectively. The work travel route is indicated by a solid line, the non-work travel route is indicated by a dotted line, and the headland work route is indicated by a long-dotted chain line.

First, the rice transplanter that entered the field from the entrance position runs straight across the headland MA. When the seedling planting point by the seedling planting mechanism 21 reaches the coordinate position of the boundary between the headland MA and the internal region IA (indicated by the point P1 in FIG. 9), the elevating cylinder 37 of the link mechanism 36 operates. It is necessary to lower the paddy field work device 2 and switch the seedling planting mechanism 21 to the working state. That is, this point P1 corresponds to the work start operating point, and when the coordinate position calculated by the work position calculation unit 74 and the coordinate position of the point P1 match, the operation information generation unit 81 performs the work start operation. Operation timing information indicating that the point has been reached is generated.

When the operation of the paddy field work device 2 is in the automatic mode, in response to the generation of this operation timing information, the paddy field work device 2 is lowered by the elevating cylinder 37 and the seedling planting mechanism 21 is planted. The operation control signal of is output from the operation control signal generation unit 83 to the operation control unit 6. When the operation of the paddy field work device 2 is in the manual mode, in response to the generation of the operation timing information, the notification information generation unit 82 generates notification information to that effect, and the notification processing unit 64 Is output to. In the manual mode, the notification prompting the manual operation is actually made at a slightly earlier timing in consideration of the operation time by the driver.

When the seedling planting point reaches the coordinate position of the boundary between the internal region IA and the headland MA (indicated by the point Q1 in FIG. 9), the link mechanism 36 is used to change the direction. It is necessary to operate the elevating cylinder 37 to raise the paddy field working device 2 and switch the seedling planting mechanism 21 to the non-working state. That is, this point Q1 corresponds to the work end operating point, and when the coordinate position calculated by the work position calculation unit 74 and the coordinate position of the point Q1 match, the operation information generation unit 81 performs the work end operation. Operation timing information indicating that the point has been reached is generated.

Again, when the operation of the paddy field work device 2 is in the automatic mode, in response to the generation of this operation timing information, the paddy field work device 2 is raised and the seedling planting mechanism 21 is stopped. The operation control signal of is output from the operation control signal generation unit 83 to the operation control unit 6. When the operation of the paddy field work device 2 is in the manual mode, the notification information generation unit 82 generates notification information for notifying the direction change in response to the generation of the operation timing information, and the notification processing unit 64 Is output to. In the manual mode, the notification prompting the manual operation is actually made at a slightly earlier timing in consideration of the operation time by the driver.

The direction change run is a non-work run of the headland MA from the point Q1 where the first straight work run ends to the point P2 where the second straight work run starts, and is a 180 ° turning run with a large turning angle. Is. When the coordinate position calculated by the work position calculation unit 74 reaches the coordinate position of the point P2, the operation information generation unit 81 generates operation timing information indicating that the next work start operating point has been reached, and the operation timing information is generated in the opposite direction. Straight work running is executed.

In both the straight-ahead work run and the non-work run accompanied by the direction change described above, the running machine 1 may be automatically controlled by the automatic run control unit 61, but the non-work run (particularly the direction) including an exceptional operation. In conversion driving), the driver may steer.

In this way, when the point Q3 at which the final straight work run ends is reached, the headland work run is performed along the headland work route of the headland MA, but this is due to work running conditions such as the state of ridges. If it is complicated, it is preferable that the traveling body 1 is operated by the driver instead of the automatic traveling. Even in such a case, the burden on the driver can be reduced by notifying that the traveling aircraft 1 is approaching the corner portion where turning is required. In any case, such a run leaves a predetermined headland MA in the first work stage, but finally the headland work run is carried out automatically or manually.

In addition, it may be necessary to deviate from the work travel route as an emergency evacuation for some reason during the automatic straight work travel. In such a case, the operating amount of the steering handle 33b, the shaft torque, the front wheel turning angle, and the like become abnormal values that cannot occur during automatic control. Utilizing this fact, when such an abnormal value occurs, if a command for interrupting the automatic driving control is given to the automatic driving control unit 61, quick processing at the time of an abnormality becomes possible.

The functions created by the driving support unit 8 include not only the operation support of the traveling machine 1 and the operation support of the paddy field work device (field work device) 2, but also the supply support function of materials necessary for agricultural work. In the case of the passenger rice transplanter of this embodiment, the remaining amount detection unit (not shown) for detecting the remaining amount of seedlings and fertilizer and the inability to replenish materials such as material clogging, which are known by themselves, can be detected. A unit (not shown) is provided. When the remaining amount of material sent through the input signal processing unit 65 falls below the threshold level, the operation support unit 8 notifies the operation control unit 6 and outputs an operation control signal for stopping the automatic traveling to the operation control unit 6. Further, when the input signal processing unit 65 detects that the vehicle cannot be replenished, the driving support unit 8 generates notification information to that effect and notifies the notification through the notification processing unit 64, and operates an operation control signal for stopping automatic driving. Output to the control unit 6. Further, the route calculation unit 73 can calculate an emergency travel route for the traveling aircraft 1 to automatically travel to a nearby ridge in order to replenish necessary materials and repair a supply failure.

Examples of modifications of the above-mentioned automatic driving control are listed below.
(1) Based on the map data read from the paddy field information storage unit 71a and the orientation data from the GPS module 5, the headland width, which is the distance to the ridge, is calculated, and this headland width is mounted. The work operation of the paddy field work device 2 is controlled so that the value can be implemented with the number of rows (work width) possible by the paddy field work device 2.
(2) The paddy field work device 2 can change the work width by operating operating equipment such as the fractional row planting clutch 29 and the fractional row vertical feed clutch 20 as described above. It is a heavy burden for the driver to work in the field while considering the changes. However, it is important for farmers to fill the entire area of the field with evenly distributed seedlings. Therefore, when the multiple value of the maximum work width of the paddy field work device 2 mounted does not match the width of the field, the inter-path distance: D (see FIG. 9) of the adjacent work travel route is changed by a minute value. By doing so, the entire area of the field can be filled with seedlings that are substantially evenly distributed without changing the working width. That is, the inter-row distance is finely adjusted each time one work travel route is transferred to the next work travel route so that the integrated value of the inter-row distance of the work travel route matches the width of the field. In actual control, such a work travel route can be easily calculated by the route calculation unit 73. Therefore, after that, the traveling machine 1 is automatically traveled along the work travel route based on the positioning data from the GPS module 5. Just let me do it.
(3) The field area is calculated from the map data read from the field information storage unit 71a, and from the usable amount of agricultural materials prepared in this passenger rice transplanter, the inter-strain, seedling collection amount, number of times of lateral feeding, etc. The setting of each operating device in the paddy field work device 2 is automatically performed. In addition, during the work, the settings of each operating device are readjusted based on the remaining amount of agricultural materials and the unworked area of the field.

In the field work machine according to the present invention, it is possible to automate not only the running control of the traveling machine 1 but also the device control of various operating devices constituting the field working device 2. Therefore, useful farming information can be obtained by recording the operation history data of such control information in a database. In particular, by linking the positioning data by the GPS module 5, the map data stored in the field information storage unit 71a, or both, and the operation history data, it contributes to the farm work management in each fine section in the field. Can be done.

[Another Embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the route calculation unit 73 is built in the electronic control unit 7, but if the route calculation algorithm becomes complicated, the required computing power increases, so that the route calculation calculation is performed externally. You may adopt the cloud network method which makes the computer perform. Similarly, the information storage unit 71 may be constructed in an external computer and may be configured to be accessed from a field work machine as needed. For that purpose, it is necessary to equip the field work machine with a communication unit capable of connecting to a data communication line such as the Internet.
(2) As the conditions for route calculation performed by the route calculation unit 73, the outer shape of the field and the entrance and exit of the field were taken up, but in addition, the sunlight, ventilation, the position of the intake, and the past recorded as the past results. The traveling route of the above, for example, the traveling route and the state of the field during the pre-work such as tilling and scraping by the tractor, the traveling route and the state of the field during the harvesting work by the combine, and the like may be added.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the work width of the field work device 2 is not changed during work on one field, but when the field work device 2 whose work width can be changed is used, A traveling route for changing the work width may be calculated on the way.
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the route calculation unit 73 employs a turning reduction route algorithm that reduces non-working travel routes, but other route algorithms may be selectively provided. For example, a curved path algorithm for calculating a working traveling path of a curved road having a radius of curvature larger than a predetermined value is effective for a fan-shaped field. Further, a route algorithm that calculates a precise travel route based on a rough route image input using an input device such as a touch panel 66 is also effective for a field having a complicated shape.
(5) Since the field work machine according to the present invention is provided with a GPS function and a map data storage function, it is also possible to provide route guidance to the field to be worked by using these functions.

The present invention can be applied not only to a passenger rice transplanter but also to a field work machine such as an automatically traveling tractor equipped with a field work device.

1: Traveling machine 12: Powder and granular material supply device 13: Powder and granular material tank 2: Field work device (paddy field work device)
21: Seedling planting mechanism 22: Powder and granule supply part 27: Vertical feed drive mechanism 28: Seedling stand 28a: Seedling placement part 30: Floor 31a: Bonnet 33b: Steering handle 33c: Handle post 33d: Control panel 35: Handrail 36: Link mechanism 37: Elevating cylinder 39: Spare seedling stand 40: Electric power steering device 5: GPS module 5A: GPS antenna 5B: GPS processing circuit 6: Operation control unit 61: Automatic driving control unit 62: Work device control Unit 63: Input signal processing unit 7: Electronic control unit 71: Information storage unit 71a: Field information storage unit 71b: Work information storage unit 72: Work setting unit 73: Route calculation unit 74: Work position calculation unit 8: Operation support unit 81: Operation information generation unit 82: Notification information generation unit 83: Operation control signal generation unit

Claims (4)

With the traveling aircraft
Paddy field work equipment for planting seedlings in the field,
GPS module that outputs positioning data and
An automatic traveling control unit that automatically travels the traveling machine along the working traveling route based on the positioning data and the working traveling route.
An automatic driving stop unit for stopping automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit is provided.
The traveling path on which the traveling machine travels includes the working traveling path, a turning traveling path that connects the working traveling path and the next working traveling path, and is accompanied by a direction-changing traveling of the traveling machine.
A notification information generation unit that notifies at least one of the start of work travel on the work travel route and the end of work travel on the work travel route is provided based on the positioning data by the GPS module.
A rice transplanter in which when it is determined that the paddy field work device has reached the end of the work travel path, the automatic travel stop unit stops automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit. With the traveling aircraft
Paddy field work equipment for planting seedlings in the field,
GPS module that outputs positioning data and
An automatic traveling control unit that automatically travels the traveling machine along the working traveling route based on the positioning data and the working traveling route.
An automatic driving stop unit for stopping automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit is provided.
The traveling path on which the traveling machine travels includes the working traveling path, a turning traveling path that connects the working traveling path and the next working traveling path, and is accompanied by a direction-changing traveling of the traveling machine.
A notification information generation unit for notifying the end of work travel on the work travel route based on the positioning data by the GPS module is provided.
A rice transplanter in which when it is determined that the paddy field work device has reached the end of the work travel path, the automatic travel stop unit stops automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit. The paddy field working device can be switched to a working state in which the seedling planting work is performed or a non-working state in which the seedling planting work is not performed, and the first operation for switching the paddy field working device to the working state and the first operation for switching to the non-working state are performed. 2. The rice transplanter according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided with a work device operating tool for performing two operations, and the automatic traveling is permitted at the time of the first operation of the working device operating tool. An automatic driving deviation detection unit that detects deviations from automatic driving during automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit is provided, and when the automatic driving deviation detection unit detects deviation from automatic driving, the automatic driving The rice transplanter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stop unit stops automatic running.

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