JP3154566B2 - Glass harvester full detection device for reapers - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grass bag fullness detecting device for a reaper, and more particularly, to a grass bag fullness detecting device for a reaper capable of accurately detecting whether grass is full or not, regardless of whether the harvested grass is dry or wet. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A mowing machine for mowing grass and weeds (hereinafter referred to as turf grass) has a cutter blade for mowing grass on a lower surface thereof. The cut grass is transferred through a duct-shaped shooter by the flow of air due to the rotation of the cutter blade, and stored in a grass collection container (hereinafter, referred to as a glass bag). In the above-mentioned reaper, a sensor provided in the glass bag detects that the glass bag is full, and informs the worker with an alarm device such as a buzzer.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing a typical example of a detection device for detecting the amount of turfgrass stored in a glass bag. In FIG. 1, a glass bag 11 includes a lid 12 and two container portions, that is, a first bag 11a and a second bag 11b. Turfgrass mowed by a cutter blade (not shown) is transported in the shooter 13 and
It is stored in the bag 11a and the second bag 11b.

In the detection device shown in FIG.
A level sensor 28 is provided below the discharge section. The level sensor 28 detects the height level of the turfgrass accumulated in the glass bag 11 and detects that the glass bag 11 is full. Such an apparatus is described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-148125.

In the detecting device shown in FIG. 8, a flow sensor 18 for detecting the flow rate of air discharged from the glass bag 11 is provided on the lid 12. The flow sensor 18
Whether the glass bag 11 is clogged or not is detected based on the air flow rate detected in the step (1), and the accumulated amount of turfgrass in the glass bag 11 is determined. Such an apparatus is described in, for example, JP-A-63-24814.

[0006]

The above prior art has the following problems. That is, the turf grass that has been cut is the first bag 11a and the second bag 1 of the glass bag 11.
1b, it is extremely difficult to accurately detect the full state of turfgrass with the sensors 18 and 28.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the turfgrass (the shaded portion in the figures) is wet or the cutting length is long and heavy, the turfgrass is first accumulated from the first bag 11a side. (FIGS. 7a and 8a).
For this reason, in the method of judging fullness based on the height level of the accumulated amount of turfgrass, the fullness of the glass bag 11 may be detected before the second bag 11b is full (FIG. 7A). Further, in the method of detecting the fullness by the air flow rate, the outlet of the shooter 13 may be blocked before the second bag 11b is full, and more specifically, it may not even be possible to detect the fullness to prevent the clogging. (FIG. 8a).

On the other hand, if the grass is dry and light,
Turfgrass tends to accumulate first from the bag 11b side (FIGS. 7b and 8b). For this reason, in the method of judging fullness based on the height level of the turfgrass, the turfgrass may be too full and may be detected after the turfgrass starts to be clogged (FIG. 7).
b). Further, in the method of detecting the fullness by the air flow rate, before the first bag 11a becomes full, the glass bag 1 is not filled.
1 may be determined to be full (see FIG. 8).
b).

As described above, if the shooter 13 is clogged or the turfgrass is too much stored in the glass bag 11,
Post-processing for cleaning the shooter 13 and removing turfgrass becomes complicated. Conversely, if the timing of the full judgment is too early, the disposal operation becomes frequent and the efficiency of the mowing operation is poor.

In order to solve such a problem, there is a problem that it is necessary to adjust the detection sensitivity and the mounting position of the sensor depending on the degree of wetness and dryness of the turfgrass, the length of the turfgrass, and working conditions.

The present applicant has already proposed the following apparatus in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-271896 so as to cope with a wide range of turfgrass conditions. In this device, an optical sensor is provided near the discharge port of the shooter, and a transient state of turfgrass accumulation such as the passing state of turfgrass passing through the discharge port of the shooter or the amount of turfgrass is detected by the optical sensor. Detection is performed based on light.

By the way, when the optical sensor is provided in the vicinity of the drain of the shooter, if the optical sensor is directly attached to the shooter, the optical axis can be easily aligned. However, the grass bag is full of grass. When the grass bag rises, the grass may rise from the glass bag, and the raised portion may be close to the optical sensor.If the grass bag is removed to discard the grass in this state, the light attached to the shooter The sensor may be contaminated by the rising portion of the grass.

[0013] In addition, it may be necessary to move the chute in maintenance for removing or cleaning turf grass in the chute. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-58243
In some cases, as in the device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-209, a divided chute is bent from its connection portion to clean the inside of the chute. In such a case, when the shooter is moved, the optical sensor also moves integrally with the shooter. Therefore, it is necessary to lengthen the distribution cable for cable processing.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to provide an optical sensor on the lid side of the glass bag. However, it is very difficult to adjust the alignment of the optical axis. Even after the adjustment, the lid is slightly distorted due to external force acting on the lid. There has been a problem that the optical axis shifts and the detection function is impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to accurately detect that a glass bag is full without being greatly affected by the condition of turfgrass and working conditions. Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass bag full detection device for a reaper which has a structure in which the optical axis of an optical sensor is easily aligned and is hard to be shifted, and which is easy to maintain.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To solve the above problems,
In order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a shooter attached to a holding member of the glass bag such that a discharge port is located above the glass bag, and covers the shooter and the glass bag, and is provided to be openable and closable. A cup-shaped lid, and a pair of optical sensors attached to the lid and fixedly positioned so that the optical axis thereof crosses the vicinity of the outlet of the chute when the lid is closed, Control means for judging the amount of turfgrass based on the light-shielded state of the optical sensor.

[0017]

According to the present invention having the above features, the optical sensor provided so that its optical axis crosses the vicinity of the discharge port of the chute can directly detect the accumulated amount of turfgrass discharged from the chute into the glass bag. Instead, the light is shielded according to the passing state of turf grass passing near the exit of the shooter or the transient state of accumulation such as the amount of turf grass floating. Whether or not the turfgrass in the glass bag has reached a predetermined amount can be detected based on whether or not the light-shielding state is a preset state.

Since the optical sensor is directly fixed to a cup-shaped lid which can be freely opened and closed, the optical sensor is located at a position away from the glass bag or the shooter when the glass bag is attached or detached or the shooter is maintained. The grass bag full of glass bags can be disposed of and the shooter can be cleaned very easily.

[0019]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a riding lawn mower will be described as an example of a mower to which the detection device is applied. FIG. 4 is a side view of the riding lawn mower. In the figure, a riding lawn mower (hereinafter simply referred to as a lawn mower) 1 includes a front wheel 3 serving as a steering wheel.
And a rear wheel 4 located at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and serving as a drive wheel. The front wheel 3 is steered by a handle 5 provided at a front portion of the vehicle body 2. A seat 6 is provided at the center of the vehicle body 2, and an engine (not shown) covered by a cover 7 is mounted below the seat 6.

A cutter housing 8 accommodating a cutter blade 8a is provided below the vehicle body 2. A support stay 9 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2.
The glass bag 11 is removably mounted on a support frame (not shown) mounted horizontally with respect to. The glass bag 11 includes a first bag 11a and a second bag 11b, and the upper portions of the first bag 11a and the second bag 11b are covered with a lid 12 that can be opened and closed.

A duct-shaped shooter 13 is provided between the cutter housing 8 and the bag 11, and the grass cut by the cutter blade 8a is transferred through the shooter 13 and stored in the glass bag 11. The shooter 13 is composed of components of an upper cylindrical body 14, an intermediate cylindrical body 15, and a lower cylindrical body 16 so that assembly and disassembly for maintenance and cleaning is easy.

A control panel 10 is provided below the front handle 5 of the seat 6. The control panel 10 includes various display devices for driving operation,
A lamp, a buzzer, and the like for notifying that the glass bag 11 is full are provided.

Further, the shooter 13 and the glass bag 11
The inside of the lid 12 covering the upper part of the
There is provided an optical sensor for detecting the full state.

The mounting state of the optical sensor will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a glass bag of a lawnmower, and FIG. 2 is a partial sectional side view of FIG. 4, the same symbols as those in FIG. 4 indicate the same or equivalent parts.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a frame 28 is cantilevered above a support stay 9 provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2. Glass bag 11 (11a, 11b)
Are supported in a state where the upper edge 11c is hooked on the frame 28. The frame 28 is open at the rear side of the vehicle body so that the glass bag 11 can be taken in and out from the rear side of the vehicle body, that is, the direction of the arrow 29.

In the frame 28, the upper cylindrical body 14 of the shooter 13
A frame plate 31 for rotatably supporting in the direction of arrow 30 is fixed. Since the upper cylindrical body 14 of the shooter 13 is rotatably supported by the frame plate 31, the upper cylindrical body 14 can be easily connected to and separated from the intermediate cylindrical body 15 (see FIG. 4) during maintenance. When the upper cylindrical body 14 is connected to the intermediate cylindrical body 15, a portion of the outlet of the upper cylindrical body facing the front side and the lower side of the glass bag is appropriate so that turfgrass is accumulated evenly in the glass bag 11. It is formed in a shape cut out at an angle.

The cover 12 for covering the upper cylindrical body 14 of the shooter 13 and the glass bag 11 is provided with the support stay 9.
Is supported by a support shaft 34 penetrating a bracket 32 fixed to the cover member 12 and a member 33 fixed to the lid body 12 by a suitable fastening means such as a bolt and a nut.

In the state where the lid 12 is closed, that is, in the state shown in the figure, the reinforcing angle member 36 attached to the opposite side of the support shaft 34, that is, to the bottom near the rear of the vehicle body, raises the upper edge 11c of the glass bag 11 upward. It will be in the state of being held down. Further, a stopper surface 37 for receiving the upper edge 11c on the rear side of the vehicle body is formed on the lid 12 to restrict the movement of the glass bag 11.

The lid 12 is provided with an optical sensor for detecting the amount of turf grass accumulated. The main body 17E of the optical sensor
In the figure, a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit are integrally incorporated.
A hole 38 is formed in a portion of the lid 12 facing the light beam entrance / exit surface of the optical sensor main body 17E, and a light beam emitted from the optical sensor main body 17E is applied to the inside of the lid 12. It is configured to cross the vicinity of the discharge port of the shooter.

On an extension (optical axis) of the light beam emitted into the inside of the lid 12, a regression reflection plate 17F that constitutes a part of the optical sensor and reflects light in the incident direction is provided. I have. The recursive reflection plate 17F is connected to the reinforcing angle member 3.
6 is fixed by bolting.

As the light emitting section of the optical sensor main body 17E, for example, a light emitting diode can be used, and as the light receiving section, a photo IC including a photodiode can be used. Optical sensor body 17E
Is positioned so that its optical axis 17c crosses the vicinity of the outlet of the shooter 13, and the light beam emitted from the light emitting unit is reflected by the regression reflector 39 and detected by the light receiving unit.

The cable 40 extending from the optical sensor main body 17E is connected to a control device (not shown). Since the cable 40 is pulled out toward the support shaft 34 of the lid 12, when the cover 12 is opened and closed around the support shaft 34, it is possible to prevent the cable 40 from being subjected to an excessive tensile force. . As a result, the processing of the cable 40 becomes easy, and it is not necessary to lengthen and loosen the cable 40 in advance.

A wire mesh 41 is provided inside the lid 12 to prevent turfgrass or the like from directly adhering to the inner surface of the entire cover 12 to make it difficult to clean. One end of the wire mesh 41 is fixed to the ceiling of the lid 12 with a pin 42, and the other end is fixed to the reinforcing angle member 36 together with the regression reflection plate 39.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lid 12 is opened, and the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 denote the same or equivalent parts. As shown in FIG. 3, when the lid 12 is opened, both the lid 12 and the optical sensor (the optical sensor main body 17E and the regression reflection plate 17F) are placed in the glass bag 11.
Since it is possible to retreat from above (11a, 11b), the turfgrass accumulated in the glass bag 11 can be easily discarded, and the shooter 13 for maintenance can be easily handled.

Since the retroreflective plate 17F can reflect light in the incident direction, a simple adjustment only required to mount the optical sensor main body 17E so that the light beam can irradiate the retroreflective plate 17F is sufficient. Assembly work becomes extremely easy. In addition, the lid 12 is made of a relatively rigid material such as reinforced plastic for weight reduction. Even if the lid 12 is slightly deformed by an external impact, the optical axis 17c of the optical sensor returns. The detection function is not impaired as long as the deformation is not so large as to come off the reflector 17F.

Next, the configuration of the control device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. In the figure, an optical sensor 17 outputs a signal obtained by pulse shaping a light receiving signal at a light receiving section of the optical sensor 17 according to a predetermined threshold value.
That is, when the light receiving level of the light receiving section is lower than the threshold value, a high (H) signal indicating that the light sensor 17 is in the light blocking state is output. Outputs a low (L) signal indicating that it is in a light receiving state.

The output signal of the optical sensor 17 is input to the control unit 20. The signal continuation detection circuit 21 of the control unit 20 detects whether or not the high (H) of the output signal of the optical sensor 17 has continued for a predetermined time. When the high (H) state of the signal continues for the scheduled time, a signal is output from the signal continuation detecting circuit 21 to the lamp energizing circuit 22, and the lamp 23 is turned on. At the same time, a signal is output to the buzzer drive circuit 25 via the timer circuit 24, and the buzzer 26 is sounded. The timer circuit 24 starts counting time with the sounding of the buzzer 26, and outputs a signal for stopping the driving of the buzzer 26 when the scheduled time has elapsed, thereby stopping the operation of the buzzer 26.

The optical sensor 17 input to the control unit 20
May be a signal after the following processing. That is, it calculates how much ratio the time during which the output level of the optical sensor is in the high (H) state within the scheduled calculation cycle. When this ratio, that is, the light-shielding ratio is equal to or more than a predetermined value, a high (H) signal is supplied to the control unit 20. The calculation of the light blocking ratio and the comparison calculation between the light blocking ratio and the threshold can be performed by a microcomputer.

FIG. 6 shows a specific circuit diagram of the control section 20. 5, the same symbols as those in FIG. 5 indicate the same or equivalent parts. Between the input terminals A and B, a pulse signal corresponding to the light-shielded state of the optical sensor 17 is applied. The noise removal circuit 20a removes noise of the input signal. Until the terminal voltage of the capacitor C1 of the signal continuation detection circuit 21 rises to a predetermined value, if the pulse signal is maintained at the high potential (H), the transistors Tr1 and Tr2 become conductive and the buzzer 26 and the lamp 23 Is energized.

In the timer circuit 24, when the time determined by the capacitance of the capacitor C2 and the value of the resistor R elapses, the transistor Tr3 is turned on, thereby turning on the transistor Tr3.
1 is shut off, and the urging of the buzzer 26 is stopped.

In the reset circuit 27, when the signal from the optical sensor 17 becomes low potential (light detection state), the transistor T
r4 conducts, the capacitor C1 is discharged and the signal duration is again timed from the beginning. Before the reset circuit 27 raises the terminal voltage of the capacitor C1 to a predetermined value, the buzzer 26 and the lamp 23 are not activated, and the input signal from the optical sensor 17 becomes (L) even once. In some cases, the signal continuation detection circuit 21 is reset, so that the fact that the glass bag 11 is full can be detected more accurately.

In this embodiment, the optical axis 17c of the optical sensor 17 is
Is set so as to traverse the vicinity of the discharge port of the shooter 13, but in setting the specific position of the optical sensor 17,
The glass bag 1 is located in the vicinity of the discharge port of the shooter 13 and from the winding state of the turfgrass once accumulated and the passing state (the degree of accumulation) of the turfgrass discharged from the shooter 13.
Select a position where the fullness of 1 can be accurately detected. More detailed positioning is desirably performed based on experimental results.

In this embodiment, the optical sensor body 17E
Is mounted on the outer surface of the lid 12, but the mounting position is not limited to this. The back surface of the optical sensor main body 17E is fixed to the inner surface of the lid 12, and the optical sensor main body 17E is housed in the lid 12. You may make it. In this case, a hole for pulling out the cable 40 is formed in the lid 12, and the cable 4 is
0 may be extracted to the outside.

Although this embodiment shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a riding lawn mower, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to, for example, a hand-operated lawnmower or an unmanned mower. It can be implemented similarly.

[0045]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) When the lid of the glass bag is opened, both the lid and the optical sensor are retracted from the shooter and the glass bag. Therefore, it becomes easy to remove and attach the glass bag to dispose of the full grass, and to handle the glass bag and the shooter when cleaning the shooter. Further, the optical sensor does not become dirty or the optical axis is not displaced at the time of the detachment mounting or cleaning. (2) By slightly increasing the size of the retroreflective plate, it is possible to replace the troublesome optical axis alignment work with a simple adjustment just to mount it so that the optical beam of the optical sensor body can irradiate the retroreflective plate. It can be. (3) Since the sensor section is composed of an optical sensor in which the light emitting section and the light receiving section are integrated and the regression reflector, even if the lid is slightly distorted by an external force, the light beam is not affected. The detection function is not impaired as long as there is a positional relationship for irradiating the retroreflector. (4) In addition to directly detecting the accumulated amount of turfgrass, the full state of the glass bag can be accurately detected by detecting the transient state of accumulation. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the shooter outlet from being clogged due to the grass grass being excessively accumulated in the glass back, and it is possible to avoid troublesome removal and cleaning of the grass in the shooter. (5) It is possible to detect the fullness of the glass bag extremely quickly and to reduce the number of times of discarding the turfgrass in the glass bag, thereby enabling efficient work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a glass bag portion of a riding lawn mower.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a glass bag portion of the riding lawn mower.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the riding lawn mower.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of a control unit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a conventional detection device.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a conventional detection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Riding lawn mower, 2 ... Car body, 8 ... Cutter housing, 9 ... Support stay, 11 ... Glass bag, 12
... lid, 13 ... shooter, 17 ... optical sensor body E,
17F: regression reflector 20: control unit, 21: signal continuation detection circuit, 24: timer circuit, 34: support shaft,

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-79711 (JP, A) JP-A-2-131521 (JP, A) Full-scale operation 64-29101 (JP, U) Real-time operation 103214 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A01D 34/00-34/90

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] A grass bag fullness detecting device of a reaper configured to transfer the cut grass to the inside of the shooter by an air flow fed into the shooter together with the grass and store the grass in the grass bag. A shooter attached to the holding member of the glass bag so that the discharge port is located above the glass bag; a cup-shaped lid that covers the shooter and the glass bag and that is openably and closably provided; And a pair of optical sensors that are positioned and fixed so that their optical axes cross the vicinity of the shooter outlet when the lid is closed, and determine the amount of turfgrass based on the light blocking state of the optical sensors. A device for detecting a glass bag full state of a reaper, comprising: a control means for determining. 2. The optical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light sensor includes a sensor main body in which a light emitter and a light receiver are integrally incorporated, and a retroreflective plate disposed on an optical axis of the sensor main body. The glass bag full detection device of the reaper according to claim 1. 3. The lid body is supported so as to be openable and closable about a support shaft provided on a holding member of the glass bag, and a lead portion for electric wiring to the optical sensor is provided on the support member. The glass bag full detection device for a reaper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device is provided in the vicinity. 4. A signal continuation detecting means for detecting that the light blocking state has continued for a predetermined time or more, and a notifying means for notifying that the glass bag is full in response to a detection signal from the signal continuation detecting means. Wherein the signal continuation detecting means is reset to its initial state when the light-shielded state is released within the scheduled time. A glass bag full detection device for the reaper according to the above description.