JP2781321B2 - Combine control unit - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a combine harvester that cuts crops by traveling on farmland, and separates and harvests grains from culms of the cut crops. More particularly, the present invention relates to a control device for controlling each functional part of a combine. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A combine harvester for harvesting a crop by traveling in a farmland is a harvester for performing a harvesting operation, a threshing apparatus for detaching a grain, and a conveyance for guiding a culm of a crop harvested by the harvester to a threshing apparatus. A plurality of devices such as a device, a sorting device that sorts grains separated from the culm, and a traveling device including an engine and a transmission are mounted. Each of these devices has a unique function. For example, in a mowing device, automatic handling depth control for raising and lowering a mowing part according to the length of a grain culm is performed. For this purpose, each device is provided with a sensor such as a tip sensor for detecting data for automatic control, and an actuator such as a lifting motor for raising and lowering the reaping unit, and the detection data from the sensor is input to the control device. In addition, the control device outputs drive data to a motor or the like. In the conventional combine, each device is controlled in a decentralized manner by an individual control device, and each control device supplies data for display to the control unit, and inputs settings of an operator on the control panel of the control unit. Setting data representing the contents is supplied to each control device. Therefore, many signal lines are connected between the control unit and each device in the combine, and these are routed in the combine as a harness integrating a plurality of signal lines in consideration of easiness of wiring. Have been.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional combine, when all of a large number of signal lines are integrated and wired, when a disconnection of a signal line, a contact failure, or the like occurs, the location of the occurrence is determined. There is a problem that the work of finding is complicated, requires a long time, and a smooth repair work cannot be performed.

An object of the present invention is to control each signal input / output in each of the functional parts of the combine by a corresponding partial control unit, and to control the plurality of partial control units by a main control unit. In addition, by separating and multiplexing a multiplex communication line connecting the partial control unit and the main control unit from other signal lines, the distance for integrating and wiring a plurality of signal lines is shortened as much as possible, and disconnection or the like occurs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a combine control device capable of easily finding a location.

[0005]

A control device for a combine according to the present invention is a control device for controlling a plurality of functional parts mounted on the combine, and controls a signal input / output in each of the plurality of functional parts. A plurality of partial control units, and a main control unit that controls the plurality of partial control units. The main control unit includes a communication control unit, and the main control unit and the partial control unit are controlled via the communication control unit. With all of the department,
The control unit is connected by a multiplex communication line separated from a signal line directly input / output to / from the control unit.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the input / output signal is controlled by the individual partial control unit in each of the functional units. A plurality of partial control units provided for each functional unit,
It is connected to the main control unit via a multiplex communication line, and is controlled by the main control unit. The multiplex communication line is provided separately from a signal line directly input / output to / from the control unit. Therefore, a large number of input / output signal lines are present only between the input / output device and the partial control section in each functional section, and generally, a relatively long distance exists between each functional section and the main control section. It is connected by multiple communication lines composed of a single line or twisted pair line, and it is easy to find a disconnection etc. in each of the multiple communication lines or signal lines without many signal lines complicating over a long distance. Can be.

[0007]

1 is a schematic plan view of a combine having a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The combine 1 can be formally separated into a control section 2, a cutting section 3 and a threshing section 4. The control unit 2 is provided with a central unit CU which is a main control unit of the present invention. The reaping unit 3 is provided with a local unit LU1, which is a partial control unit for controlling the reaping unit. The threshing unit 4 includes local units LU2 and LU3, which are partial control units that control the threshing unit. The local unit L in the reaping unit 3
The detection data of the sensors S1 to S3 is input to U1.
In the threshing unit 4, the detection data of the sensors S4 and S5 are input to the local unit LU2, and the detection data of the sensors S6 to S8 are input to the local unit LU3.

The local units LU1 to LU3
May output drive data to an actuator such as a motor or a solenoid.

The central unit CU provided in the control unit 2 outputs drive data to the actuator A1 provided in the mowing unit 3 and the actuators A2 and A3 provided in the threshing unit 4. The central unit CU is connected to the local units LU1 to LU3 via the multiplex communication line 6. The multiplex communication line 6 is constituted by two single wires or twisted pair wires. Further, the actuators A1 to A3 are connected to the central unit CU via drive signal lines 5.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device. The central unit CU is a control CPU 1
1 and a communication CPU 12. Data is input and output between the control CPU 11 and the communication CPU 12 via an internal bus.

The meter panel 21 and the local units LU1 to LU3 are connected to the communication CPU 12 via an interface such as RS485. Further, actuators A1 to A3 are connected to the control CPU 11 via a processing circuit 14. Each of the local units LU1 to LU3 includes a control CPU 31 and a communication CPU 32, like the central unit CU.
The communication CPU 32 is connected to the multiplex communication line 6 via the RS485 interface 33. Control CP
The detection data of each sensor is input to U31.

With the above configuration, the detection data of each sensor is input to the control CPU 31 of each of the local units LU1 to LU3. The control CPU 31 converts the detection data into communication data, and
To supply. The communication CPU 32 transmits communication data to the central unit CU via the multiplex communication line 6 according to a predetermined protocol. The central unit CU transmits a data request to the local units LU1 to LU3 by a predetermined protocol by the communication CPU 12. The local units LU1 to LU3 transmit detection data of each sensor in response to the data request.

In the central unit CU, the communication C
The PU 12 transmits the received transmission data to the control unit 11.
To supply. The control CPU 11 reads out the detection data from the communication data and creates drive data for each of the actuators A1 to A3. Also, display data for the meter panel 21 is created, converted into transmission data, and
Supply to PU12. The communication CPU 12 transmits data to the meter panel 21 according to a predetermined protocol. The CPU 41 provided in the meter panel 21 drives and controls each display device according to the received data.

As described above, by providing the multiplex communication line 6 for connecting the local units LU1 to LU3 in a multipoint manner, separately from the general signal line 5 used for input / output of drive data or detection data. In addition, it is possible to easily find a location where a disconnection or the like has occurred. For example,
At the time of disconnection check, a response request is transmitted from the central unit CU to each of the local units LU1 to LU3, and the response is transmitted to each of the local units LU.
The disconnection position in the multiplex communication line 6 can be easily found based on whether or not the transmission is properly performed from 1 to LU3. When an appropriate response is transmitted from each of the local units LU1 to LU3, the connection state between each local unit and the sensor can be checked by requesting the detection data of each sensor.

Further, compared with a case where a general signal line and a multiplex communication line are integrally wired, there is an advantage that only a defective portion can be partially replaced. Furthermore, only the multiplex communication line 6, which plays an important role in controlling each device, has a high reliability without incurring a remarkable increase in cost by strictly controlling harness protection such as rustproofing and waterproofing of connector pins. Can be achieved.

FIG. 3 is a side view and a front sectional view showing a wiring state of the multiplex communication line in the combine. As shown in the figure, a general signal line harness 5 in which a plurality of signal lines are integrated is fixed to a structure 51 of the combine 1 via a mounting bracket 52 and overlaps with the general signal line harness 5. In the wiring portion to be connected, the harness 6 of the multiplex communication line is wired to the harness 5 using the resin clamp 8. By doing so, the general signal line and the multiplex communication line can be easily wired in a state where they are separated from each other, and maintenance and the like can be facilitated.

[0017]

According to the present invention, a multiplex communication line connecting a plurality of control units is routed in a state separated from a general signal line in which a plurality of control units are integrally wired, so that disconnection check and the like can be performed. There is an advantage that the work of replacing the damaged portion can be easily performed, and the reliability of the communication line can be increased without significantly increasing the cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a schematic plan view of a combine equipped with a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device.

FIG. 3 is a side view and a front cross-sectional view showing a wiring state of a multiplex communication line in the combine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1-combine 5-signal line 6-multiplex communication line CU-central unit (main control unit) LU1-LU3-local unit (partial control unit)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A control device for controlling a plurality of functional units mounted on a combine, comprising: a plurality of partial control units for controlling signals input / output in each of the plurality of functional units; And a communication control unit provided in the main control unit, and the main control unit and all of the partial control units are directly input to the control unit via the communication control unit. A combine control device connected by a multiplex communication line separated from an output signal line.