JP2023150931A - work vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle capable of executing adjustment of an application amount at low cost.SOLUTION: A work vehicle includes: a travelling vehicle body; an application work machine connected to the travelling vehicle body for applying a fixed amount of fertilizer; and a positioning device for measuring the position of the travelling vehicle body; and a control device for controlling the speed of the travelling vehicle body performing application work by the application work machine on the basis of the position of the travelling vehicle body measured by the positioning device and a harvesting map in a farm field. The harvesting map is a map indicating relationships between a yield harvested by other work vehicles in the farm field and a harvesting position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a work vehicle.

Conventionally, there has been known a work vehicle that controls the amount of fertilizer applied based on a harvest map created using the harvest amount harvested by another work vehicle, such as a combine harvester (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP2019-187377A

In the work vehicle of the above technology, in order to adjust the amount of fertilizer applied to each location in the field, a mechanism for making the amount of fertilizer to be applied is variable is required in the spreading machine. Therefore, the work vehicle requires an expensive spraying machine.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle that can adjust the amount of spraying at low cost.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the objectives, a work vehicle according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a traveling vehicle body, a spreading work machine that is connected to the traveling vehicle body and spreads a certain amount of fertilizer, and a traveling vehicle body. a positioning device that measures its own position; a control device that controls the speed of the traveling vehicle during the spreading work by the spraying machine based on the position of the traveling vehicle measured by the positioning device and a harvest map in the field; , is provided. The harvest map is a map showing the relationship between the harvest amount harvested by other work vehicles in the field and the harvest position.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, the work vehicle can adjust the amount of spraying at low cost.

FIG. 1 is a schematic left side view showing a work vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the work vehicle according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a tractor control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating autonomous driving processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another work vehicle in a modified example.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a work vehicle disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

<Overview of work vehicle (tractor)>
First, an overview of a work vehicle 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic left side view showing a work vehicle 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the work vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. In addition, below, a tractor will be explained as an example of the work vehicle 1. Moreover, the tractor 1, which is a working vehicle, is an agricultural tractor that can perform agricultural work in a field while autonomously traveling.

In addition, the tractor 1 has an operator (also referred to as a worker) on board and executes predetermined work while traveling in the field, and also has a control system centered on a control device 200 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later. By controlling each part, the robot autonomously moves around the field and performs predetermined tasks. Further, the tractor 1 may perform a predetermined work while traveling in a field without an operator on board.

In the following description, the front-rear direction refers to the traveling direction of the tractor 1 when moving straight, and the front side in the traveling direction is defined as "front", and the rear side is defined as "rear". The traveling direction of the tractor 1 is the direction from the driver's seat 8 to the steering wheel 9, which will be described later, when the tractor 1 is traveling straight.

Moreover, the left-right direction is a direction horizontally orthogonal to the front-back direction. In the following, left and right will be defined toward the "front" side. That is, when the operator is seated in the cockpit 8 and facing forward, the left hand side is the "left" and the right hand side is the "right". The vertical direction is the vertical direction. The front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction are orthogonal to each other in three dimensions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tractor 1 includes a traveling vehicle body 2 and a spreading work machine 6. As shown in FIG. The traveling vehicle body 2 is capable of traveling in a field, and includes front wheels 3 and rear wheels 4. The front wheels 3 are a pair of left and right steering wheels (steering wheels). The rear wheels 4 are a pair of left and right driving wheels (driving wheels). Note that the traveling vehicle body 2 may include a crawler device instead of the wheels (at least one of the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 4). In this case, the traveling crawler is the drive wheel.

Rotational power generated by an engine E, which is a drive source housed in a bonnet 5, is transmitted to a rear wheel 4, which is a driving wheel, through a transmission 121 (transmission) provided in a power transmission device (transmission case) 12. (see Fig. 3) and is transmitted after being appropriately decelerated. The rear wheels 4 are driven by rotational power transmitted from the engine E. The transmission 121 switches the rotational power transmitted from the engine E to one of a plurality of (for example, 1st to 8th) gears.

The traveling vehicle body 2 is configured to be able to transmit power generated by the engine E and decelerated by the transmission 121 to the front wheels 3 via the 4WD clutch. In this case, when the 4WD clutch transmits power, the power transmitted from the engine E drives the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 4. Furthermore, when the 4WD clutch interrupts power transmission, only the rear wheels 4 are driven by the power transmitted from the engine E. In this way, the traveling vehicle body 2 is configured to be switchable between two-wheel drive (2WD) and four-wheel drive (4WD).

A PTO device 7 is provided at the rear of the traveling vehicle body 2 to which a spreading machine 6 that performs work in the field is connected and has a PTO (Power take-off) shaft 71 that transmits power for driving the spreading machine 6. . A driver's seat 8 is provided in the center of the traveling vehicle body 2, where an operator sits when operating the tractor 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the spreading work machine 6 is a work machine that spreads fertilizer on a field. The spreading work machine 6 is a towed manual spreader. In the spreading work machine 6, for example, a conveyor provided at the bottom is moved by power transmitted from a PTO shaft 71 of a PTO device 7, and the contained fertilizer is moved rearward. Further, the spreading machine 6 spreads fertilizer onto the field using a spreading device 60 provided at the rear. Spreading device 60 is driven by power transmitted from PTO shaft 71 of PTO device 7 .

In the dispersing device 60, a rotating member 61 and a claw portion 62 provided on the rotating member 61 rotate by power transmitted from a PTO shaft 71 of the PTO device 7. Then, the claw portion 62 rolls up the fertilizer and scatters the fertilizer onto the field. The rotating member 61 and the claw portion 62 of the spreading machine 6 rotate at a constant rotational speed, and spray a constant amount of fertilizer onto the field. The fixed amount of fertilizer to be applied depends on factors such as the type of fertilizer being applied. The constant rotational speed is a preset speed.

A steering wheel 9, which is a handle for steering the front wheels 3, is provided in front of the driver's seat 8. Note that the steering wheel 9, a drive unit that drives the steering wheel 9, and the like constitute a steering device 122 (see FIG. 2). The steering wheel 9 is provided at the upper end of the handle post 10. Various operation pedals 11 (accelerator pedal, brake pedal, clutch pedal) are provided below the handle post 10 and near the feet of the operator when the operator is seated in the driver's seat 8.

Note that the working machine connected to the rear part of the traveling vehicle body 2 can be changed. For example, the working machine may be a working machine that is raised and lowered by the lifting device 13.

The tractor 1 also includes a control device 200 (see FIG. 3). The control device 200 controls the engine E and the traveling speed of the traveling vehicle body 2. Further, the control device 200 controls the spraying work machine 6. The control device 200 switches whether or not the spreading machine 6 is spreading fertilizer.

The tractor 1 also includes a positioning device 150. The positioning device 150 is provided on the upper part of the traveling vehicle body 2, measures the position of the traveling vehicle body 2 at a predetermined period, and obtains information on the self-position of the traveling vehicle body 2 (for example, latitude and longitude). The positioning device 150 is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and can receive radio waves from navigation satellites orbiting in the sky to perform positioning and time measurement.

The tractor 1 also includes a communication device 151. The communication device 151 is provided on the upper part of the traveling vehicle body 2 and is capable of wireless communication with external devices. External devices include information processing terminals, server devices, and the like. Information processing terminals include smartphones, tablet terminals, and the like.

<Tractor control system>
Next, the control system 100 for the tractor 1 according to the embodiment, that is, the control system for the tractor 1 centering on the control device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system 100 for the tractor 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 200 includes an engine ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 201, a travel system ECU 202, and a work equipment system ECU 203.

Engine ECU 201 controls the rotation speed of engine E. The traveling system ECU 202 controls the traveling speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 (see FIG. 1) by controlling the rotation of the drive wheels (rear wheels 4). The work equipment system ECU 203 controls the spraying work equipment 6.

Control device 200 is a computer. The control device 200 is capable of controlling each section by electronic control, and includes a processing section including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, as well as a hard disk and a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various programs are stored. , a storage section configured with RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, a positioning device (GNSS) 150, a communication device 151, a rotation sensor 110, a vehicle speed sensor 111, a shift sensor 112, a turning angle sensor 113, and the like are connected to the control device 200. Further, an engine E, a transmission device 121, a steering device 122, a spraying machine 6, and the like are connected to the control device 200. Furthermore, an autonomous running selector switch 140, a reference line setting switch 142, and the like are connected to the control device 200.

Rotation sensor 110 detects the rotation speed of rear wheel 4. The vehicle speed sensor 111 detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the traveling vehicle body 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The shift sensor 112 detects which gear among a plurality of gears in the transmission 121. The turning angle sensor 113 detects the turning angle of the front wheels 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), which are steered wheels. That is, the turning angle sensor 113 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel 9.

The autonomous driving changeover switch 140 is a switch that switches whether or not to perform autonomous driving, which will be described later. When the autonomous driving selector switch 140 is “ON”, autonomous driving control is enabled and autonomous driving control is executed. When the autonomous driving selector switch 140 is "OFF," autonomous driving control is disabled and autonomous driving control is not executed. That is, the autonomous driving changeover switch 140 is a switch that can enable or disable autonomous driving control. The autonomous driving selector switch 140 is operated by an operator.

Note that even if the autonomous driving selector switch 140 is turned "ON," if a predetermined condition is not satisfied, the autonomous driving control may not be effective and the autonomous driving control may not be performed.

The reference line setting switch 142 is a switch for determining a reference starting point (point A) and a reference end point (point B) for setting a reference line, which will be described later. For example, when the reference line setting switch 142 is operated and the traveling vehicle body 2 starts traveling, a reference starting point (point A) is set, and when the reference line setting switch 142 is operated again while traveling, the reference end point (point B) is set. is set.

The control device 200 receives position (self-position) information of the vehicle body 2 in a field etc. from the positioning device 150, the rotation speed of the rear wheels 4 from the rotation sensor 110, the vehicle speed of the vehicle body 2 from the vehicle speed sensor 111, and current information from the shift sensor 112. The gear position and the steering angle of the front wheels 3, that is, the steering angle of the steering wheel 9, are input from the steering angle sensor 113, respectively. Note that when the traveling vehicle body 2 is caused to travel autonomously, the control device 200 controls the turning angle sensor 113 so that the calculated orientation of the traveling vehicle body 2 becomes a predetermined orientation that has been set (an orientation in a straight traveling route to be described later). The steering wheel 9 is steered by controlling a steering cylinder connected to the steering wheel 9 (see FIG. 1) while feeding back the turning angle of the front wheels 3 using the detected value.

Further, in the control device 200, an engine ECU 201 is connected to the engine E, a travel system ECU 202 is connected to the transmission 121 and the steering device 122, and a work equipment system ECU 203 is connected to the spraying work equipment 6. Note that when a work machine that can be raised and lowered is connected to the traveling vehicle body 2, the work machine system ECU 203 raises and lowers the work machine via the lifting device 13 (see FIG. 1).

Further, the control device 200 can be wirelessly connected to an external device. The control device 200 may be able to control driving etc. based on an instruction signal received from an external device.

Further, the control device 200 can receive harvest information in a field, specifically, information regarding a harvest map from an external device. The harvest map is a map showing the relationship between the harvest amount of crops by other work vehicles in the field and the harvest position. Another work vehicle is, for example, a combine harvester. The yield of crops is detected by a weight sensor installed in the grain tank of the combine. The harvest map is created by linking the increase in weight of crops harvested by the combine with the position information of the combine in the field. That is, the harvest map is a map that shows the relationship between the growing position of crops in a field and the harvest amount at that position, and is a map that shows the growing state of crops in the field. A harvest map is created corresponding to a field.

<Autonomous driving in the field>
The traveling vehicle body 2 can autonomously travel within the field. The traveling vehicle body 2 automatically travels straight along a straight travel route under autonomous travel control by the control device 200 . The control device 200 adjusts the steering angle of the vehicle body 2 based on the self-position measured by the positioning device 150 so that the vehicle body 2 travels along a straight travel route, and executes autonomous travel control.

In autonomous driving control, for example, a reference line is set as a driving reference. The reference line is set with the start position of straight-ahead travel as a reference start point (point A) and the end position of straight-ahead travel as a reference end point (point B). The control device 200 obtains a reference starting point (point A) and a reference end point (point B) by operating the reference line setting switch 142, for example, and sets the reference line.

The reference line includes information regarding the distance and orientation of the reference line based on the self-position at the reference starting point (point A) and the self-position at the reference end point (point B).

In autonomous driving control, once a reference line is set, a straight travel route parallel to the reference line is set. The straight traveling route is a traveling route based on the starting point (point C) at which the tractor 1 starts work after turning. The direction of the straight travel route is set based on the direction of the reference line.

In autonomous driving control, when the traveling vehicle body 2 starts traveling from the starting point (point C) and the autonomous driving selector switch 140 is operated and turned "ON," the autonomous driving control becomes effective and the vehicle runs along a straight traveling route. The steering angle of the steering wheel 9 is adjusted so that the vehicle body 2 automatically moves straight.

In the autonomous running control, the control device 200 controls the speed of the traveling vehicle 2 during the spraying work by the spraying machine 6 based on the position of the traveling vehicle 2 and a harvest map of the field prepared in advance. The harvest map is stored in the storage section of the control device 200.

The control device 200 controls the speed of the traveling vehicle 2 based on the position of the traveling vehicle 2 measured by the positioning device 150 and the harvest map, and adjusts the amount of fertilizer to be spread from the spreading machine 6. . Specifically, the control device 200 adjusts the amount of fertilizer spread at a position within the field, depending on the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2. For example, in a location where the harvest amount is low in the harvest map, the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 is decreased, and the amount of fertilizer applied at the location where the harvest amount is low is increased. In addition, the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 is increased at locations where the harvest amount is large in the harvest map, and the amount of fertilizer spread at the locations where the harvest amount is large is reduced. The control device 200 makes the fertility of the field uniform by adjusting the fertilizer applied to the field.

In addition to the above-described autonomous driving control when traveling straight, the control device 200 may perform autonomous driving control to automatically turn when turning. Further, the control device 200 may control the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 based on the harvest map and the position of the traveling vehicle body 2 measured by the positioning device 150 during traveling to control only the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2. .

For example, in the harvest map, the harvest amount of crops is leveled into 10 levels. For example, when the harvest amount of crops is leveled into 10 levels in the harvest map, the control device 200 controls the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 using the point where the harvest amount corresponding to the fifth level is harvested as the reference speed. do. The reference speed may be set by the operator, or may be set based on the type of fertilizer to be spread.

<Autonomous driving processing>
Next, autonomous driving processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating autonomous driving processing according to the embodiment. Here, it is assumed that a harvest map of the field where the tractor 1 works is created and the harvest map is stored in the tractor 1.

The control device 200 measures the own position of the traveling vehicle body 2 using the positioning device 150 (S100). The control device 200 calculates the harvest amount of crops at the current position of the traveling vehicle body 2 based on the position of the traveling vehicle body 2 and the harvest map (S101). Specifically, the control device 200 reads the past harvest amount at the position of the traveling vehicle body 2 from the harvest map.

The control device 200 sets the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 based on the calculated crop yield (S102). For example, when traveling through a location on the harvest map where the harvest amount of crops is standard (for example, the fifth level of 10 levels), the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 is set to the standard speed.

In the harvest map, when traveling at a location where the harvest amount of crops is higher than the standard (for example, the sixth level or higher of 10 levels), the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 is set to a speed higher than the reference speed. Note that when increasing the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2, the control device 200 can set the speed to a plurality of speeds depending on the harvest amount of crops. The higher the harvest amount of crops in the harvest map, the faster the traveling vehicle body 2 will be.

In the harvest map, when traveling through a location where the harvest amount of crops is less than the standard (for example, below the fourth level of 10 levels), the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 is set to a speed smaller than the reference speed. Note that when reducing the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2, the control device 200 can set the speed to a plurality of speeds depending on the harvest amount of crops. The smaller the harvest amount of crops in the harvest map, the lower the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2.

The control device 200 controls the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 to reach the set speed (S103). Control device 200 controls transmission 121 so that the vehicle speed detected by vehicle speed sensor 111 becomes the set vehicle speed. The control device 200 may control the rotation speed of the engine E so that the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 111 becomes the set vehicle speed.

In this way, the control device 200 adjusts the amount of fertilizer to be spread on the field by controlling the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 based on the harvest map. The tractor 1 can make the fertility of the field uniform by controlling the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2.

The tractor 1 includes a traveling vehicle body 2, a spraying machine 6, a positioning device 150, and a control device 200. The spreading machine 6 is connected to the traveling vehicle body 2 and spreads a certain amount of fertilizer. The control device 200 controls the speed of the vehicle body 2 during the spraying operation by the spraying machine 6 based on the position of the vehicle body 2 measured by the positioning device 150 and the harvest map in the field. The harvest map is a map showing the relationship between the harvest amount of crops by other work vehicles in the field and the harvest position.

Thereby, by adjusting the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2, the tractor 1 can adjust the amount of fertilizer applied according to the growing state of crops in the field. Therefore, the tractor 1 can adjust the amount of fertilizer to be spread using the spreading machine 6 that does not have a function to adjust the amount of fertilizer. Therefore, the tractor 1 can adjust the amount of fertilizer applied to each work location in the field, suppress uneven growth of crops, and reduce costs. That is, the tractor 1 can adjust the amount of spraying at low cost. In addition, the tractor 1 does not require communication for adjusting the rotation speed of the rotating member 61, etc. in the spraying work machine 6, and costs can be reduced. Moreover, the tractor 1 can suppress unnecessary spraying of fertilizer onto the field.

In a modified example, the harvest map is based on the harvest amount of another work vehicle 300 having a work machine that stores crops while traveling and discharges the stored crops to the outside when the amount of stored crops reaches a predetermined amount. It may be created based on As shown in FIG. 5, the working machine 301 of the other working vehicle 300 is, for example, a roll baler that packs and discharges crops in a roll. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another work vehicle 300 in a modified example.

For example, when the stored grass reaches a predetermined amount, the roll baler discharges the grass packed into rolls to the field. Therefore, when the amount of grass harvested in a certain part of the field is large, the distance between the grass rolls to be discharged becomes shorter. That is, when the amount of grass harvested is large, the interval at which grass is discharged from the roll baler becomes shorter. On the other hand, when the amount of grass harvested is small, the distance between the pieces of grass in the rolled rows that are discharged becomes long. That is, when the amount of grass harvested is small, the interval at which grass is discharged from the roll baler becomes longer.

The harvest map is created based on the distance between the rolls of grass discharged from the roll baler. For example, in the other work vehicle 300, the position where the full amount sensor of the roll baler reacts is recorded, and the distance between the grasses discharged from the roll baler is calculated. Then, a harvest map is created based on the calculated distance and the position where the full sensor of the roll baler reacts.

The harvest map may be created based on the crop yield calculated from the distance between the rolls of grass discharged from the roll baler and the position information of other work vehicles 300. The harvest map may be calculated by calculating the distance between the rolls of grass discharged from the roll baler based on the distance between the parking positions of other work vehicles 300 in the field.

Note that the other work vehicle may be the tractor 1 to which the spraying work machine 6 is connected. That is, the other work vehicles include tractors 1 to which different work machines are connected.

The control device 200 controls the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 based on a harvest map created based on the distance between the grass discharged from the roll baler and its own position in the field.

Similarly to the embodiment, the tractor 1 can adjust the amount of fertilizer spread in the field using the spreading work machine 6 which does not have a function of adjusting the amount of fertilizer. Therefore, the tractor 1 can adjust the amount of fertilizer applied to each work location in the field, suppress uneven growth of crops, and reduce costs. That is, the tractor 1 can adjust the amount of spraying at low cost. In addition, the tractor 1 does not require communication for adjusting the rotation speed of the rotating member 61, etc. in the spraying work machine 6, and costs can be reduced. Moreover, the tractor 1 can suppress unnecessary spraying of fertilizer onto the field.

The tractor 1 according to the modified example does not have an automatic shift function, and when adjusting the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2, the operator may be guided by voice to shift the gear in the transmission 121. For example, the control device 200 transmits a signal for providing guidance to the information terminal device via Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the information terminal device provides voice guidance. Note that the numerical value of the vehicle speed for adjusting the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 may be notified by voice guidance.

Further, the tractor 1 does not have a dynamic speed change function, and when adjusting the speed of the traveling vehicle body 2, the gear in the transmission 121 may be displayed on the meter panel. For example, the control device 200 may display the vehicle speed on the meter panel.

Further advantages and modifications can be easily deduced by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 Work vehicle (tractor)
2 Traveling vehicle body 6 Spreading work machine 150 Positioning device 200 Control device 300 Other work vehicles 301 Roll baler

Claims (2)

A running vehicle body,
a spreading machine that is connected to the traveling vehicle body and that spreads a certain amount of fertilizer;
a positioning device that measures the own position of the traveling vehicle body;
a control device that controls the speed of the traveling vehicle during the spraying work by the spraying work machine based on the position of the traveling vehicle measured by the positioning device and a harvest map in the field;
Equipped with
The harvest map is a work vehicle that is a map showing the relationship between the harvest amount harvested by other work vehicles in the field and the harvest position. The other work vehicle stores crops while traveling, and when the amount of stored crops reaches a predetermined amount, discharges the stored crops to the outside,
The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the harvest map is created based on distances between crops discharged to the outside from the other work vehicle.

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