JP2021083404A - Harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide means for preventing a posture of a grass-dividing rod from being made to be inadequate by operation being forgotten and implementing labor saving in automatic travel of a harvester.SOLUTION: A harvester capable of performing automatic travel comprises: a grass-dividing rod 20 that is provided at a lateral side part of a machine body and is configured to be capable of posture change to a work posture protruding to the outer side in a machine body lateral direction and a storage posture positioned on the inner side in the machine body lateral direction of the work posture; and a grass-dividing rod control unit 85 for automatically controlling the posture change of the grass-dividing rod 20 during the automatic travel. At the time of starting automatic harvesting travel of harvesting planted grain culms while automatically traveling on a travel route, the grass-dividing rod control unit 85 makes the grass-dividing rod 20 be in the work posture.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a harvester.

Patent Document 1 describes a combine with a weeding rod. The weeding rod is configured so that the posture can be changed between the weeding work posture and the storage posture by manual operation via a lever provided in the operation unit. When the weeding rod is in the weeding working posture, it projects from the side of the pretreatment section to weed the uncut grain culms and suppresses the contact of the uncut grain culms with the machine body.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-160691

In the combine of Patent Document 1, since the posture of the harvester rod is changed manually, if the operator forgets to operate the combine harvester, the harvester may be harvested while the harvester rod is in the retracted posture. There is. Further, in recent years, a technique of automatically running a combine harvester to harvest crops in a field has begun to spread, and it is preferable to save labor by eliminating the need for manual operation by an operator in such automatic work.

An object of the present invention is to prevent the posture of the weeding rod from becoming inappropriate due to forgetting to operate, and to provide a means for realizing labor saving in the automatic running of the harvester.

The characteristic configuration of the harvester for achieving the above objectives is a harvester capable of automatically traveling, which is provided on the lateral side of the machine and has a working posture protruding outward in the lateral direction of the machine and a work posture lateral to the machine. It is equipped with a weed stile that can change its posture to a storage posture located inside the direction, and a weed stalk control unit that automatically controls the posture change of the weed stalk during automatic running. The grass rod control unit is at a point where the grass rod is put into the working posture at the start of the automatic harvesting operation in which the planted grain stalk is harvested while automatically traveling on the traveling path.

According to the above feature configuration, the weeding rod control unit puts the weeding rod in the working posture at the start of the automatic harvesting run. Therefore, the weeding rod should be in the proper working posture to execute the automatic harvesting running. Can be done. In addition, since the posture of the weeding rod is automatically changed by the weeding rod control unit, it is possible to realize labor saving in the automatic running of the harvester by eliminating the need for manual operation by the operator.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod in the stored posture at the end of the automatic harvesting run.

According to the above-mentioned feature configuration, the weeding rod control unit puts the weeding rod in the stowed posture at the end of the automatic harvesting run, so that the weeding rod is in the stowed posture and outside the vehicle body in the running after the automatic harvesting run. It can be done with the size reduced. As a result, contact with obstacles in the field (for example, a structure of a water outlet) can be suppressed. The posture of the weeding rod can be changed without the need for manual operation by the operator, and the automatic running of the harvester can be saved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod in the stowed posture at the start of the turn run performed between the automatic harvesting run and the automatic harvesting run.

According to the above-mentioned feature configuration, the branching rod control unit puts the branching rod in the retracted posture at the start of the turn running, so that the turning running is performed in a state where the branching rod is in the retracted posture and the outer dimensions of the vehicle body are reduced. It is possible to suppress contact with obstacles in the field. The posture of the weeding rod can be changed without the need for manual operation by the operator, and the automatic running of the harvester can be saved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod in the working posture at the end of the turn run.

According to the above-mentioned feature configuration, the shunting rod control unit puts the shunting rod into the working posture at the end of the turn running. Harvesting can be carried out. The posture of the weeding rod can be changed without the need for manual operation by the operator, and the automatic running of the harvester can be saved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod in the storage posture at the start of the discharge running that automatically travels to the discharge stop position when discharging the grains.

According to the above-mentioned feature configuration, the branching rod control unit puts the branching rod in the retracted posture at the start of the discharge running, so that the discharging running is performed in a state where the branching rod is in the retracted posture and the outer dimensions of the vehicle body are reduced. It is possible to suppress contact with obstacles in the field. The posture of the weeding rod can be changed without the need for manual operation by the operator, and the automatic running of the harvester can be saved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod in the working posture at the end of the return running that automatically travels from the discharge stop position to the harvest restart position where the harvesting of the planted culm is resumed. Is.

According to the above characteristic configuration, the weeding rod control unit puts the weeding rod in the working posture at the end of the return run, so that the weeding rod is put in the proper working posture and the harvesting of the planted culm is restarted. can do. The posture of the weeding rod can be changed without the need for manual operation by the operator, and the automatic running of the harvester can be saved.

It is a left side view of the combine. It is a top view of the combine. It is a figure which shows the initial orbit running in a field. It is a figure which shows the automatic running by the α-turn lap running pattern. It is a figure which shows the automatic running by the U-turn lap running pattern. It is a figure which shows the discharge run and the return run. It is a block diagram which shows the structure about the control part.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of the arrow F is the "front side of the aircraft", the direction of the arrow B is the "rear side of the aircraft", the direction of the arrow L is the "left side of the aircraft", and the direction of the arrow R is the "right side of the aircraft". Let the direction of the arrow U be "up" and the direction of the arrow D be "down".

[Overall composition of combine harvester]
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a head-feeding combine that is an example of a harvester. The combine 1 is provided with an airframe 10 and a crawler-type traveling device 11. At the front of the machine body 10, a harvesting section 12 for cutting and harvesting planted culms in the field is provided.

A driving unit 13 is provided behind the harvesting unit 12 in the machine body 10. The driving unit 13 is located on the right side in the front portion of the aircraft 10. On the left side of the operation unit 13, a transport unit 14 for transporting the harvested product harvested by the harvest unit 12 is provided.

A threshing device 15 for threshing the harvested product transported by the transport unit 14 is provided behind the transport unit 14. A straw processing device 16 for cutting the straw is provided at the rear of the threshing device 15.

A grain tank 17 for storing the grains obtained by the threshing device 15 is provided behind the driving unit 13 and to the right of the threshing device 15. The grain tank 17 is provided with a storage amount sensor 17a (see FIG. 7) that detects the amount of grains stored in the grain tank 17.

Behind the grain tank 17, a discharge device 18 for discharging the grains stored in the grain tank 17 to the outside is provided. The discharge device 18 can swivel around a swivel axis extending in the vertical direction.

A satellite positioning module 19 is provided on the left side portion in the front portion of the driving unit 13. The satellite positioning module 19 receives a signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite and generates positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle of the combine 1 based on the signal.

A weeding rod 20 is provided on the lateral side of the machine body 10. The weed 杆 20 has a working posture (dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2) protruding outward in the lateral direction of the machine body (left side of the machine body in the present embodiment) and an inside side in the lateral direction of the machine body (right side of the machine body in the present embodiment). The posture can be changed to the storage posture (solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2) located at. In this embodiment, the weed rod 20 is supported on the left side portion of the harvesting portion 12. The harvesting section 12 is provided with a weeding rod motor 20a (see FIG. 7) for changing the posture of the weeding rod 20.

The combine 1 is provided with a notification mechanism 21 (see FIG. 7) that notifies surrounding workers and operators that the discharge traveling (described later) is to be executed. The notification mechanism 21 is, for example, a work light, a siren, or a speaker provided in the driving unit 13, and the notification is executed by blinking the work light, operating the siren, voice guidance from the speaker, or the like. The management terminal 22 (described later) may also serve as the notification mechanism 21.

A management terminal 22 (see FIG. 7) is arranged in the operation unit 13. The management terminal 22 is configured to be able to display various information. The management terminal 22 may be configured to be able to accept input operations of various settings related to the automatic traveling of the combine 1 (setting of discharge stop position PP described later, setting of priority traveling pattern, etc.).

The combine 1 is configured to be self-propelled by the traveling device 11, and is configured to be capable of harvesting traveling by the traveling device 11 while cutting the planted culms in the field by the harvesting unit 12.

[Harvesting work by combine harvester]
The harvesting operation in the field by the head-feeding combine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3-6. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an example in which the outer shape of the field is rectangular will be described. A carrier CV for transporting grains discharged from the combine 1 is parked outside the field, and a discharge stop position PP (see FIGS. 4 to 6) is set near the carrier CV in the field. To.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, the harvesting run is performed so as to orbit along the boundary line of the field in the outer peripheral region of the field (initial orbital running). The area that has become an existing work area due to this initial lap running is set as an outer peripheral area SA (see FIG. 3), and the unworked area inside the outer peripheral area SA is set as a work target area CA (see FIG. 3).

The outer peripheral region SA is used as a space for the combine 1 to change direction (turn traveling, which will be described later) when harvesting the planted culms in the work target region CA by automatic traveling. The outer peripheral region SA is also used as a space for moving to the discharge stop position PP and moving to the refueling place.

The initial lap running is performed about 2 to 4 laps in order to secure a certain width of the outer peripheral region SA. The initial lap running may be performed by manual running or automatic running. The initial lap running is performed so that one side (preferably two opposing sides) of the work target area CA is parallel to the strip direction. In the present embodiment, the case where the work target area CA is rectangular and the two opposing short sides of the work target area CA are parallel to the strip direction will be described.

Following the initial lap run, the planted culms in the work area CA are harvested by automatic running. In this automatic running, an automatic harvesting run in which the planted culms are harvested while automatically running on the harvesting running route LI (an example of the running route) set in the work target area CA, one automatic harvesting run, and the next The turn run that is performed between the automatic harvest run and the turn run is repeated. The turn run is an automatic run on the turn run path TN connecting the two harvest run paths LI.

The above-mentioned automatic harvesting run and turn run are performed according to a predetermined running pattern. Examples of the traveling pattern include the α-turn orbiting traveling pattern shown in FIG. 4 and the U-turn orbiting traveling pattern shown in FIG.

The α-turn circuit traveling pattern (FIG. 4) is a traveling pattern in which the harvest traveling path LI parallel to the four sides of the rectangular work target area CA is sequentially traveled, and the turn traveling is performed by the α-turn traveling. The α-turn running is executed by advancing along the extending direction of the previous harvesting running path LI, moving backward including turning running, and moving forward along the extending direction of the next harvesting running path LI. As shown in FIG. 4, the automatic running according to the α-turn lap running pattern is a spiral running.

The U-turn lap running pattern (FIG. 5) is a running pattern in which the harvesting running path LI parallel to the two opposite sides of the rectangular work target area CA is alternately run from the outside in order, and the turn running is performed by the U-turn running. is there. The U-turn run is executed only by forward run including turning run. As shown in FIG. 5, the automatic running according to the U-turn lap running pattern is a spiral running similar to the α-turn lap running pattern. In the present embodiment, the harvesting travel path LI traveling in the U-turn circuit traveling pattern is defined as a route parallel to two sides parallel to the strip direction of the work target area CA.

The automatic running according to the α-turn lap running pattern is performed prior to the U-turn lap running pattern when the width of the outer peripheral region SA is narrow and it is difficult to execute the automatic running according to the U-turn lap running pattern. When the width of the outer peripheral region SA is sufficiently large and automatic traveling according to the U-turn orbiting pattern is possible, automatic traveling according to the α-turn orbiting pattern may not be executed.

When the amount of grains stored in the grain tank 17 becomes large, a discharge run that automatically travels from the harvest interruption position IP (FIG. 6) to the discharge stop position PP when discharging the grains is executed, and at the discharge stop position PP. Grains are discharged by the discharge device 18. If there is still unworked land in the work area CA after the grain discharge is completed, the return run automatically runs from the discharge stop position PP to the harvest restart position RP (Fig. 6) where the harvesting of the planted culm is resumed. Is executed. If there is no unworked land left in the work target area CA, the harvesting work is completed.

The discharge run may be performed after the automatic run on one harvest run path LI is completed, as shown in FIG. In this case, the harvest resumption position RP becomes the starting point of the next harvest traveling route LI. The discharge run may be executed by interrupting the automatic run on the harvest run path LI. In this case, the harvest restart position RP is the position where the automatic travel on the harvest travel route LI is interrupted.

[Configuration related to control]
As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 80 of the combine 1 includes the vehicle position calculation unit 81, the area calculation unit 82, the route calculation unit 83, the travel control unit 84, the weed rod control unit 85, and the discharge control unit 86. And the notification control unit 87 is provided.

The own vehicle position calculation unit 81 calculates the position coordinates of the combine 1 over time based on the positioning data generated by the satellite positioning module 19.

The area calculation unit 82 calculates the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA based on the time-dependent position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81. Specifically, the area calculation unit 82 travels the combine 1 in the orbital travel (initial orbital travel) on the outer peripheral side of the field based on the temporal position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81. Calculate the trajectory. Then, the area calculation unit 82 calculates the area on the outer peripheral side of the field in which the combine 1 travels while harvesting the planted culms as the outer peripheral area SA, based on the calculated traveling locus of the combine 1. Further, the area calculation unit 82 calculates the area inside the field from the calculated outer peripheral area SA as the work target area CA.

For example, in FIG. 3, the route on which the combine 1 traveled in the orbital travel (initial orbital travel) on the outer peripheral side of the field is indicated by an arrow. In the illustrated example, the combine 1 makes three laps. Then, when this initial orbital running is completed, the field is in the state shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the region calculation unit 82 calculates the region on the outer peripheral side of the field in which the combine 1 travels while harvesting the planted culms as the outer peripheral region SA, and the field is larger than the calculated outer peripheral region SA. The inner area is calculated as the work target area CA.

The route calculation unit 83 calculates the harvesting travel route LI for the automatic harvesting traveling inside the work target area CA based on the calculation result of the area calculation unit 82. In the present embodiment, the harvesting travel path LI is a plurality of mesh lines extending parallel to the four sides of the work target area CA. Further, the route calculation unit 83 calculates the turn travel route TN connecting the two harvest travel routes LI for the turn travel (α-turn travel, U-turn travel). Further, the route calculation unit 83 sets the discharge travel route UL for the discharge travel and the return travel route RL for the return travel based on the harvest interruption position IP and the harvest restart position RP set by the discharge control unit 86. calculate. The discharge travel route UL is a route connecting the harvest interruption position IP and the discharge stop position PP. The return travel route RL is a route connecting the discharge stop position PP and the harvest restart position RP.

The travel control unit 84 is configured to be able to control the travel device 11 and the harvesting unit 12. The travel control unit 84 sets the next travel route from the travel routes (harvest travel route LI, turn travel route TN, discharge travel route UL, return travel route RL, etc.) calculated by the route calculation unit 83. The travel control unit 84 executes the setting of the travel route based on the above-mentioned travel pattern (α-turn lap travel pattern, U-turn lap travel pattern) and the discharge timing (described later) set by the discharge control unit 86. Then, the travel control unit 84 controls the automatic travel of the combine 1 based on the position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81 and the set travel route. Specifically, the travel control unit 84 controls the travel device 11 of the combine 1 so that the combine 1 travels along the set travel route. Then, the traveling control unit 84 operates the harvesting unit 12 when the combine 1 travels on the harvesting traveling route LI.

The weeding rod control unit 85 is configured to be able to control the weeding rod motor 20a that changes the posture of the weeding rod 20. That is, the weeding rod control unit 85 automatically controls the posture change of the weeding rod 20 between the working posture and the storage posture. For details, the weeding rod control unit 85 puts the weeding rod 20 into a working posture at the start of the automatic harvesting run to harvest the planted grain culms while automatically running on the harvesting run path LI, and weeds at the end of the automatic harvesting run. Put the rod 20 in the storage position. The weeding rod control unit 85 puts the weeding rod 20 in the retracted posture at the start of the turn running, and puts the weeding rod 20 in the working posture at the end of the turn running. The weeding rod control unit 85 puts the weeding rod 20 in the retracted posture at the start of the discharge running, and puts the weeding rod 20 in the working posture at the end of the returning running.

The shunting rod control unit 85 performs the automatic posture change of the shunting rod 20 described above with the position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81, the traveling route set by the traveling control unit 84, and the traveling route. Execute based on. Specifically, depending on whether the position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81 coincide with the start point or end point of the travel route set by the travel control unit 84, the weeding rod 20 is set to the working posture or the working posture. Put it in the storage position. For example, when the position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81 coincide with the start point of the harvesting travel path LI set by the travel control unit 84, the weed stalk 20 is set to the working posture and the vehicle travels. The combine harvester 20 is placed in the stowed position according to the coincidence with the end point of the harvesting travel path LI set by the control unit 84.

The discharge control unit 86 controls the discharge of the grains stored in the grain tank 17. Specifically, the discharge control unit 86 sets the discharge timing of the grains based on the amount of grains stored in the grain tank 17 detected by the storage amount sensor 17a. Then, the harvest interruption position IP and the harvest restart position RP are set based on the set discharge timing. When the combine 1 is in the discharge stop position PP, the discharge control unit 86 controls the discharge device 18 to discharge the grains stored in the grain tank 17.

For example, the discharge control unit 86 sets the discharge timing to "after the end of the automatic harvesting run currently being executed" in response to the amount of grains stored in the grain tank 17 exceeding a predetermined threshold value. Set. In this case, the discharge control unit 86 sets the end point of the currently traveling harvesting travel path LI as the harvest interruption position IP, and sets the start point of the next traveling harvesting travel path LI as the harvesting restart position RP.

Even if the discharge control unit 86 sets the discharge timing based on the position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81, the travel route set by the travel control unit 84, the set discharge stop position PP, and the like. Good. For example, the discharge control unit 86 may set the discharge timing to "after the end of the next automatic harvesting run" when the end point of the harvesting running path LI currently running is far from the discharging stop position PP. .. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the discharge control unit 86 sets the end point of the next harvesting travel path LI10 as the harvest interruption position IP, and restarts harvesting at the start point of the next harvesting travel path LI11. Set as position RP.

For example, when the distance between the current combine 1 position and the discharge stop position PP is smaller than the distance between the end point of the harvesting travel path LI currently traveling and the discharge stop position PP, the discharge control unit 86 May set the discharge timing to "current". In this case, the discharge control unit 86 sets the harvest interruption position IP and the harvest restart position RP to the current combine 1 position.

The operator may be notified through the management terminal 22 that the discharge control unit 86 has set the discharge timing. The route calculation unit 83, the travel control unit 84, and the discharge control unit 86 execute the discharge travel in response to a manual operation from the operator through an operation button (not shown) arranged in the operation unit 13 or the management terminal 22. It may be configured.

The notification control unit 87 is configured to be able to control the notification mechanism 21. The notification control unit 87 operates the notification mechanism 21 before the combine 1 starts the discharge traveling. Specifically, the notification control unit 87 operates the notification mechanism 21 in response to the discharge control unit 86 setting the discharge timing. For example, the notification control unit 87 operates the notification mechanism 21 while executing the automatic harvesting operation before the discharging operation or when starting the automatic harvesting operation. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the notification control unit 87 operates the notification mechanism 21 when the automatic harvesting travel of the harvesting travel path LI10 is started. The notification control unit 87 may continuously operate the notification mechanism 21 during the automatic harvesting run before the discharge running, may operate it intermittently, or may operate the notification mechanism 21 intermittently, or may be operated in the latter half of the automatic harvesting run. The notification mechanism 21 may be operated during the period. The notification control unit 87 may operate the notification mechanism 21 before a predetermined time at the time when the discharge traveling is started.

[Flow of harvesting work by combine harvester]
In the following, the flow of the harvesting work performed by the combine 1 in the field shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

First, the operator manually operates the combine 1 and performs a harvesting run so as to orbit along the boundary line of the field in the outer peripheral portion in the field as shown in FIG. 3 (initial orbit running). In the illustrated example, the combine 1 makes three laps. When this initial orbital run is completed, the field is in the state shown in FIG.

The area calculation unit 82 calculates the traveling locus of the combine 1 during the initial orbital traveling of FIG. 3 based on the temporal position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 81. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the area calculation unit 82 sets the outer peripheral region SA of the region on the outer peripheral side of the field in which the combine 1 orbits while harvesting the planted culms, based on the calculated traveling locus of the combine 1. Calculate as. Further, the area calculation unit 82 calculates the area inside the field from the calculated outer peripheral area SA as the work target area CA.

Next, the route calculation unit 83 calculates the harvesting travel route LI in the work target area CA based on the calculation result of the area calculation unit 82, as shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, a plurality of harvesting travel paths LI parallel to the short side of the work target area CA and a plurality of harvesting travel routes LI parallel to the long side are calculated. The harvesting travel path LI parallel to the short side of the work target area CA is parallel to the strip direction.

Then, when the operator presses the automatic running start button (not shown), the automatic running along the harvesting running path LI is started. In this example, first, automatic traveling (FIG. 4) is performed according to the α-turn lap traveling pattern. The travel control unit 84 sets the harvest travel routes LI1, LI2, LI3, and LI4 as travel routes. The route calculation unit 83 calculates the turn travel routes TN1, TN2, and TN3 for α-turn travel. The travel control unit 84 controls the travel device 11 to take the harvest travel route LI1, the turn travel route TN1, the harvest travel route LI2, the turn travel route TN2, the harvest travel route LI3, the turn travel route TN3, and the harvest travel route LI4. Combine 1 is automatically run in order.

The weeding rod control unit 85 controls the weeding rod motor 20a to put the weeding rod 20 into a working posture at the start of the automatic harvesting operation of the harvesting travel path LI1. When the combine 1 reaches the end point of the harvesting travel path LI1 (= the starting point of the turn traveling route TN1), that is, at the end of the automatic harvesting traveling of the harvesting traveling route LI1 and the turn of the turn traveling route TN1 At the start of traveling, the combine harvester motor 20a is controlled to put the combine harvester 20 in the stowed position. When the combine 1 reaches the end point of the turn travel path TN1 (= the start point of the harvest travel route LI2), that is, at the end of the turn travel of the turn travel route TN1 and the automatic harvesting of the harvest travel route LI2 At the start of traveling, the combine harvester motor 20a is controlled to put the combine harvester 20 into a working posture. Similarly, when the start point and the end point of each travel path are reached, that is, at the start and end of the automatic harvesting travel and the turn travel, the weed rod control unit 85 changes the posture of the weed rod 20.

When the mowed land on the outer peripheral side of the field is expanded by the orbital automatic traveling of the combine 1 and the automatic traveling (FIG. 5) by the U-turn orbiting pattern becomes possible, the traveling control unit 84 makes a U-turn of the traveling pattern. Switch to the lap running pattern. The travel control unit 84 sets the harvest travel routes LI5, LI6, LI7, and LI8 as travel routes. The route calculation unit 83 calculates turn travel routes TN4, TN5, and TN6 for U-turn travel. The travel control unit 84 controls the travel device 11 in the order of harvest travel route LI5, turn travel route TN4, harvest travel route LI6, turn travel route TN5, harvest travel route LI7, turn travel route TN6, and harvest travel route LI8. The combine 1 is automatically driven.

The weeding rod control unit 85 controls the weeding rod motor 20a to put the weeding rod 20 into a working posture at the start of the automatic harvesting operation of the harvesting travel path LI5. When the combine 1 reaches the end point of the harvesting travel path LI5 (= the starting point of the turn traveling route TN4), that is, at the end of the automatic harvesting traveling of the harvesting traveling route LI5 and the turn of the turn traveling route TN4 At the start of traveling, the combine harvester motor 20a is controlled to put the combine harvester 20 in the stowed position. When the combine 1 reaches the end point of the turn travel path TN4 (= the start point of the harvest travel route LI6), that is, at the end of the turn travel of the turn travel route TN4 and the automatic harvesting of the harvest travel route LI6 At the start of traveling, the combine harvester motor 20a is controlled to put the combine harvester 20 into a working posture. Similarly, when the start point and the end point of each travel path are reached, that is, at the start and end of the automatic harvesting travel and the turn travel, the weed rod control unit 85 changes the posture of the weed rod 20.

As shown in FIG. 6, while the combine 1 is traveling on the harvesting travel path LI9, the discharge control unit 86 responds that the amount of grains stored in the grain tank 17 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Set the discharge timing to "after the end of the next automatic harvesting run". This is because the end point of the harvesting travel path LI10 to be traveled next is closer to the discharge stop position PP than the end point of the harvesting travel route LI9 currently traveling, and the mileage is when the discharge travel is started from the end point of the harvesting travel route LI10. Because it can be shortened. The discharge control unit 86 sets the end point of the harvesting travel path LI10, which is the harvesting traveling route LI to be traveled next, as the harvest interruption position IP, and harvests the start point of the harvesting traveling route LI11, which is the harvesting traveling route LI to be traveled next. Set as the restart position RP. The route calculation unit 83 includes a turn travel path TN7 for U-turn travel, an discharge travel route UL that connects the harvest interruption position IP and the discharge stop position PP, and a return travel route that connects the discharge stop position PP and the harvest restart position RP. RL, is calculated. The travel control unit 84 controls the travel device 11 to automatically travel the combine 1 in the order of the harvest travel route LI9, the turn travel route TN7, the harvest travel route LI10, and the discharge travel route UL, and the combine 1 is set to the discharge stop position PP. Stop the car. The notification control unit 87 operates the notification mechanism 21 during execution of automatic harvesting along the harvesting travel path LI10. The discharge control unit 86 controls the discharge device 18 to discharge the grains stored in the grain tank 17 to the transport vehicle CV while the combine 1 is stopped at the discharge stop position PP. When the discharge of the grains is completed, the travel control unit 84 controls the travel device 11 to automatically travel the combine 1 in the order of the return travel route RL and the harvest travel route LI11.

[Other Embodiments]
[1] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the weeding rod 20 is placed in the working posture each time the automatic harvesting run is started, and the weeding rod 20 is put in the storage posture each time the automatic harvesting run is completed. .. By modifying this, when the operator presses the automatic running start button, the weed culm 20 is put into the working posture when the automatic running along the harvesting running path LI starts, and the automatic running along the last harvesting running path LI is performed. The weed culm 20 may be placed in the stowed position when it is finished and the harvesting of the planted culms in the field is completed. Further, the shunting rod 20 may be put into the working posture when the automatic running according to the α-turn lap running pattern (or the automatic running according to the U-turn lap running pattern) is started, and may be put into the retracted posture when the automatic running is finished. .. In other words, the posture change of the weed rod 20 at the start and end of the turn run, the discharge run, and the return run may not be performed, and a part (for example, at the start and end of the turn run) may be changed. (Change of posture of the weeding rod 20) may be performed.

[2] In the above embodiment, an example in which the weeding rod 20 can change its posture between two postures, a working posture and a storage posture, has been described. The weed rod 20 may be configured so that the posture can be changed between three or more postures. That is, the working posture of the weeding rod 20 may be two or more, or the storage posture of the weeding rod 20 may be two or more.

[3] In the above embodiment, an example in which the discharge control unit 86 sets the discharge timing and the discharge run is executed has been described. The discharge running may be performed in response to an operation input from the operator. For example, when the stored amount of the grain tank 17 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the discharge control unit 86 lights a button switch (not shown) provided in the operation unit 13, and the operator switches the button switch. The control unit 80 may be configured so that the discharge traveling is executed in response to the pressing.

[4] In the above embodiment, an example in which the outer shape of the field and the work target area CA are rectangular has been described. The outer shape of the field is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a polygon such as a triangle or a pentagon, or a part or all of the outer peripheral shape thereof may be a curved line. The work target area CA is preferably a rectangle from the viewpoint of work efficiency, but may be a polygon such as a triangle or a pentagon, or a part or all of the outer peripheral shape thereof may be a curved line.

[5] In the above embodiment, an example in which the harvesting travel path LI is a straight line has been described, but a part or all of the harvesting travel path LI may be a curved line.

The present invention can be used not only for self-removing combine harvesters but also for various harvesters such as ordinary combine harvesters.

10: Aircraft 20: Weeding rod 85: Weeding rod control unit LI1-11: Harvesting travel route (traveling route)
PP: Discharge stop position RP: Harvest restart position

Claims (6)

It is a harvester that can run automatically
A weed basin that is provided on the lateral side of the machine and can be changed to a working posture that projects outward in the lateral direction of the machine and a storage posture that is located inside the horizontal direction of the machine from the working posture.
It is equipped with a weed rod control unit that automatically controls the posture change of the weed rod during automatic driving.
The weeding rod control unit is a harvesting machine that puts the weeding rod into the working posture at the start of an automatic harvesting operation in which a planted grain culm is harvested while automatically traveling on a traveling path. The harvester according to claim 1, wherein the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod in the storage posture at the end of the automatic harvesting run. The harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod in the stowed posture at the start of a turn run performed between the automatic harvesting run and the automatic harvesting run. The harvester according to claim 3, wherein the weed rod control unit puts the weed rod into the working posture at the end of the turn run. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the weed rod control unit automatically travels to a discharge stop position when ejecting grains, and puts the weed rod in the storage posture at the start of discharge traveling. Harvester. The fifth aspect of claim 5, wherein the weed culm control unit automatically travels from the discharge stop position to the harvest resumption position where the harvesting of the planted culm is resumed, and puts the weed culm into the working posture at the end of the return run. Harvester.

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