JP3158029B2 - Work condition control device for work vehicle - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work state control device for a work vehicle that moves within a predetermined range of work place and has a work part that can be switched between a work state and a non-work state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a work state control device for a work vehicle, a work vehicle provided with a medicine spraying device (corresponding to a work section) for spraying a medicine as a fertilizer, for example, is operated by manual operation or the like. Meanwhile, in order to perform the medicine spraying operation over the entire field as a work area in a predetermined range, the spraying device is operated by operating a manual switch or the like at the start of the work traveling from the spraying stop state (non-working state) to the spraying state ( Working state),
At the end of the work travel, the operation is returned to the spraying stopped state by manual operation.

[0003]

However, the working portion of the medicine spraying device or the like has a length in the lateral direction of the vehicle body smaller than the vehicle body width in order to minimize the running distance and increase the working efficiency. In the case where work is performed adjacent to a work place where the work (drug spraying) has been performed, the end portion of the working unit may be located in the work place where the work has been performed. In the technique, there is a disadvantage that the working unit located in the working place where the work has been completed continues the work (the medicine is sprayed from the spraying device) and performs a useless work. For example, in the case of the medicine spraying device, the medicine is wastefully consumed, and the unnecessarily large amount of the medicine is sprayed at the same field position. When the work vehicle is manually operated, it is possible to operate the work unit so that the work unit is not located at the work place where the work has been completed, but the burden on the driver increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, such as the above-mentioned medicine spraying device or the like, which is located in a work place where work has been completed. An object of the present invention is to prevent a work unit from performing useless work on a work place where the work has been completed.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work vehicle provided with a work section which can be switched between a work state and a non-work state by a work state switching means. When moving in the ground, the work unit position detection means detects the position of the work unit in the work ground, and the work state detection means detects whether or not the work unit is in the work state. The position of the work place where the work has been completed is stored from the detection information and the work state detection information, and based on the work end position storage information and the work unit position detection information, the work place is located at the work place where the work has been completed. At the same time as switching the working part from the working state to the non-working state,
The work state switching means is operated so as to switch from the non-work state to the work state when it is no longer located at the work place where the work has been completed.

Accordingly, if the work unit is located on the side of the work place where the work has been completed while the work vehicle is moving in the work place, the end portion of the work unit located in the work place where the work has been completed is automatically brought out of the work state. The work state is switched to the work state, so that the work unit located on the work place where the work has been completed continues to perform work, so that there is no need to perform useless work on the work place where the work has been completed. A work condition control device for a work vehicle with excellent performance can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the operation of the working section including a plurality of working portions having a set width along the vehicle body width direction is completed. When the work part is located at the work place, of the plurality of work parts, the work part located at the work place where the work has been completed is switched from the work state to the non-work state.

Therefore, for example, when the working portion is formed of one continuous working portion along the width of the vehicle body, only the portion located on the working ground side where the work has been completed is set to the non-working state. A simple operation of selecting a predetermined work part from a plurality of work parts, compared to the necessity of a complicated mechanism etc. for switching, and only the part located on the work place side where work has been completed is not operated It is possible to switch to the state accurately, and the preferable means of the configuration of claim 1 is obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the GP installed at a reference position on the ground side is provided.
At the S reference station, a carrier signal from a GPS satellite is received, and carrier phase information at the reference station is transmitted to the work vehicle, while at the work vehicle, a carrier signal from the GPS satellite is received at the GPS mobile station. And the transmission information from the reference station is received, and based on the double phase difference information obtained from the two carrier phase information at the mobile station and the reference station, the position of the working unit with respect to the reference position is time-series at a predetermined time interval. The position change amount of the working unit is obtained as time-series inertial navigation position data at predetermined time intervals. Then, the work unit position detecting means obtains the position of the work unit at the current time in the work site from the GPS position data set time before the current time and the inertial navigation position data at the current time.

Accordingly, an inertial navigation system in which a short-term position change can be detected with good responsiveness but accumulates errors in a long-time detection, and a carrier wave from a GPS satellite capable of detecting an accurate position with a detection delay. Based on the work unit position information obtained by combining with the GPS position detection system based on the signal double phase difference information, the position of the work place where the work has been completed is detected and stored, and the work unit has completed the work. Is detected in the work area, for example, the light beam projected so as to be a mark along the boundary between the worked work area and the unworked land is received by the light receiving sensor on the work section side and the work section is detected. Is located on the side of the work site where the work has been completed.
2. The terrestrial-side facility is a simple facility for receiving satellite signals, compared to the case where a beam-light projecting device which requires a large-scale facility and has troublesome movement of a beam position is required on the terrestrial side. Alternatively, a suitable means having the configuration (2) is obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, or third aspect, when the manually operated steering means provided on the work vehicle is operated to move the work vehicle in the work place. The position of the work place where the work has been completed is stored, and when the work unit is located at the work place where the work has been completed, the work unit located at the work place where the work has been completed is switched to the non-work state.

Therefore, when the driver in the work vehicle drives the work vehicle manually and travels in the work place, for example, along the ridge so as not to step on the crop planted in the work place which is a farmland. The driver who is traveling does not need to operate so that the work unit is not located at the work place where the work has been completed, so that the burden on the driver is reduced. Therefore, the configuration according to claim 1, 2 or 3 is preferable. Means are obtained.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in which a work vehicle V for spraying a medicine spreads a medicine, which is a fertilizer, on a field while traveling in the field as a work area within a predetermined range. The case of performing the operation will be described.

For example, in a local horizontal coordinate system E (east direction), N (north direction), H (height direction from the center of the earth) in which the horizontal direction with respect to the gravity direction of the point is expressed by east-west and north-south directions. It is installed at the ground-side reference position where the position (coordinate values in the E, N, H coordinate system) is known with high accuracy, and FIG.
As shown in (1), an antenna 19a for a GPS reference station R (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the reference station R) for receiving a spread spectrum modulated radio wave (carrier signal) from at least four GPS satellites 2, and reception of the antenna 19a A GPS receiver 19 that processes signals and obtains carrier phase information, and a ground-side communication unit including a transmission antenna 20a for transmitting carrier phase information from the GPS receiver 19 toward the work vehicle V side Transceiver 20 is provided.

The construction of the work vehicle V will be described with reference to FIGS. At the rear of the vehicle body 5 having a pair of left and right front wheels 3 and rear wheels 4, a medicine spraying device 6 as a working unit is provided, and a supply tank 21 for supplying a medicine to the medicine spraying device 6 under pressure is installed. ing. The medicine spraying device 6
Is provided with a plurality of injection nozzles 6a as a working portion having a set width along the vehicle body width direction, and the plurality of injection nozzles 6a can be individually turned on and off, that is, each injection nozzle 6a It is configured to be switchable between a state and an injection stop state. Here, each injection nozzle 6a
Corresponds to the injection width in the vehicle body width direction set so that the injection ranges from the adjacent nozzles 6a on the field scene do not overlap as much as possible and no space is generated therebetween.

The front and rear wheels 3, 4 are configured as a pair of left and right wheels so as to be steerable independently, and hydraulic cylinders 7, 8 for steering are provided.
And electromagnetically operated control valves 9 and 10, and a handle 15 for manual operation. In other words, depending on the state of the manually operated steering changeover switch 13, the front wheels 3
Or, a two-wheel steering system in which only one of the rear wheels 4 is steered, a four-wheel steering system in which the front and rear wheels 3, 4 are steered in opposite phases and at the same angle, and the front and rear wheels 3, 4 are in phase and at the same angle. You can select one of the three types of steering, the parallel steering type, and the front and rear wheels 3,
Reference numeral 4 denotes a manually-operated steering device operated by a handle 15 for manual operation.

The work vehicle V includes an engine E, a hydraulic stepless transmission 11 for shifting the output from the engine E and simultaneously driving each of the front and rear wheels 3 and 4, an accelerator pedal 12 for the shift operation, There is provided a nozzle driving unit 14 including a plurality of solenoid valves for turning on and off the driving of the plurality of injection nozzles 6a separately. In other words, the nozzle driving unit 14 switches the plurality of injection nozzles 6a of the medicine spraying device 6 to the spraying state (working state) and the injection stop state (non-working state) separately, so that the vehicle Work state switching means for switching the laterally outer end portion between the injection state (work state) and the injection stop state (non-work state).

Reference numeral 16 denotes a control device using a microcomputer for controlling the traveling of the work vehicle V, the operation of the medicine spraying device 6, and the like. 10 and the nozzle drive unit 14 and the like are controlled. The sensors provided in the work vehicle V will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a handle operation angle detection sensor R0 using a potentiometer for detecting the operation angle of the handle 15 for manual operation, front and rear wheels 3, 4 A steering angle detection sensor R1, R2 using a potentiometer for detecting the respective steering angle; a vehicle speed sensor R3 using a potentiometer for indirectly detecting the forward / reverse state and the vehicle speed based on the speed change state of the transmission 11; An encoder S3 for counting the number of revolutions of the output shaft of the device 11 and detecting the traveling distance is provided.

An operation state detecting means 101 for detecting whether or not the medicine spraying device 6 (each injection nozzle 6a) is in an operation state using the control device 16 is provided. That is, since the control device 16 outputs the drive signal to the nozzle drive unit 14, the work state of the medicine spraying device 6 (each ejection nozzle 6a) is detected depending on whether the drive signal is output. become.

The work vehicle V includes a geomagnetic direction sensor S4 for detecting the body direction of the vehicle, a gyro device S5 for detecting the angular velocity of each of the three directions of the body 5 around the three-dimensional (vehicle longitudinal, lateral and vertical) axes. An acceleration sensor S for detecting acceleration of the vehicle body 5 in each of three-dimensional directions (vehicle front-back, lateral width, and vertical direction)
6 are provided. Then, using the gyro device S5, the acceleration sensor S6, and the control device 16, the amount of change in the position of the vehicle body of the work vehicle V, that is, the medicine spraying device 6, is determined as time-series inertial navigation position data at predetermined time intervals. The navigation system INS is configured. The inertial navigation position data is, specifically, data having a position change amount within a predetermined measurement time interval (for example, 0.1 second) that is labeled data of measurement time at a predetermined time interval (for example, 0.1 second). Is required.

On the work vehicle V side, an antenna 17a for a GPS mobile station I (hereinafter also simply referred to as mobile station I) for receiving radio waves (carrier signals) from the GPS satellites 2 and an antenna 17a A GPS receiver 17 for processing a received signal to obtain carrier phase information;
A transmitter / receiver 18 as a work vehicle-side communication means including an antenna 18a for receiving transmission information from 0 is provided.

The GPS receivers 19 and 17 of the reference station R and the mobile station I have substantially the same configuration as shown in FIG. 4, and the radio signals received by the respective antennas 19a and 17a are First, they are input to the high frequency signal processing units 30 and 40 and are converted into low frequencies. The C / A code analyzing sections 31 and 41 decode the low frequency converted signals, and the carrier number measuring sections 33 and 43 decode the satellite numbers and the like.
In, the carrier is reproduced in correlation with the C / A code created in accordance with the satellite number, and the phases of the carrier are measured at set time intervals by the built-in clocks and. At the same time, based on the information from the C / A code analysis units 31 and 41, the navigation message decoding units 32 and 42 determine the satellite position information and the like. Then, information from each of the above sections is input to the respective control computers 35 and 45, and carrier phase information at each reference station R and mobile station I is obtained.

Further, the carrier phase information at the reference station R output from the reference station R side computer 35 is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 20a through the transceiver 20 on the ground side, received by the antenna 18a on the working vehicle side, and transmitted and received. Machine 18
Is input to the mobile station I side computer 45, and the mobile station I side computer 45 obtains double phase difference information based on both carrier phase information at the reference station and the mobile station. Then, using the GPS receiver 17, based on the carrier phase information at the mobile station I and the double phase difference information obtained from the carrier phase information at the reference station R received by the transceiver 18, the reference position is determined. That is, the position G of the mobile station I, that is, the position of the work vehicle V (drug spraying device 6) with respect to the reference station R is obtained as time-series GPS position data at predetermined time intervals.
The PS position data calculation means 102 is configured. Then, the GPS position data obtained by the GPS receiver 17 is input to the control device 16.

The outline of the double phase difference information will now be described. Each carrier signal from two different satellites 2 is
Received by each of the two receiving stations (the reference station R and the mobile station I),
The two phase differences corresponding to each satellite 2 are obtained, and the difference between these two phase differences is called a double phase difference. As a result, the influence of the phase disturbance of the transmission signal in each satellite 2 is removed, and the influence of the synchronization shift of the clock for measuring the phase of each receiving station is removed. Accurate phase difference information with less influence of errors can be obtained. In order to obtain a position vector r described later, actually, three independent double phase differences are obtained based on carrier signals from four different satellites 2.

The detection of the position of the vehicle body 5 (drug spraying device 6) based on the three pieces of double phase difference information by the GPS position data calculating means 102 will be specifically described. First, the work vehicle V is positioned at a position whose position coordinate value is known with high precision in the local horizontal coordinate system E, N, H, and the GPS receivers 17, 19 on the mobile station side and the reference station side are used. The three double phase differences are calculated from the received information, and since the relative position between the reference station R and the work vehicle V is known, the uncertainty (integer value) of an integral multiple of the carrier wavelength included in the double phase difference information is determined. Bias). Next, as shown in FIG. 5, from the reference station R to the vehicle body 5, ie, GP, based on three pieces of double phase difference information when the work vehicle V is moved to an arbitrary point in the field F.
The position vector r of the S mobile station I to the antenna 17a is obtained, and the position of the GPS antenna 17a of the vehicle body 5 is determined from the reference position of the reference station R and the obtained position vector r. Then, the fixed positional relationship of the medicine spraying device 6 with respect to the GPS antenna 17a (represented by a position vector r0 of the medicine spraying device 6 toward the center in the vehicle body width direction as shown in FIG. 5) and the body direction by the geomagnetic direction sensor S4 The position of the medicine spraying device 6 in the field F is determined from the information of the above.

The controller 16 stores information on the field F. Specifically, the information of the field F is prepared as coordinate data in the E, N, H coordinate system on the ground side. For example, the field F shown in FIG. In order to give the coordinate values of the four corners of the field assuming that the coordinates are along the (E-axis), data in which two E coordinate values are paired with one N coordinate value is prepared.

However, in the position detection based on the GPS reception information, it takes time (for example, about 2 seconds) for each station to measure the carrier wave phase, to communicate the phase information, and to calculate the double phase difference. The position at the time cannot be detected in real time. Then, the vehicle body 5 (drug spraying device 6)
Time series GP at predetermined time intervals (1 second intervals)
Obtained as S position data. Therefore, the time-series GPS position data at the one-second interval is data corresponding to the vehicle body position of the work vehicle V two seconds before.

In order to detect the position of the medicine spraying device 6 in real time, the control device 16 is used.
Calculated by the GPS position data calculation means 102,
Working unit position detecting means for determining the position of the drug spraying device 6 at the current time based on the GPS position data before the set time from the current time and the inertial navigation position data at the current time obtained by the inertial navigation system INS. 103 is configured. That is, the position of the medicine spraying device 6 in the field F is obtained in real time by interpolating the inertial navigation position data with respect to the GPS position data having a detection delay.

The work vehicle V is operated by the driver operating the steering wheel 15 or the like, and as shown in FIG. 5, a straight line extends from the start point St on the end side of the field F along the field longitudinal direction. The vehicle travels to the terminal end so as to draw the traveling locus L, and when reaching the terminal end, performs a 180 ° turning operation from the terminal point, and then repeats reciprocating traveling running in the opposite direction along the field longitudinal direction. Then, the work vehicle V is driven so as to travel in the entire range of the field F. At this time, the travel is performed with the intervals of the travel trajectories L adjusted such that the non-spray area does not occur in the spray area by the medicine spray apparatus 6 and the overlap is minimized.

An operation of storing the position of the field F where the operation (drug spraying) has been completed based on the information of the operation unit position detecting means 103 and the operation state detecting means 101 using the control device 16. The end position storage means 104 is configured. To be more specific, referring to FIG. 6, for example, in a state in which the vehicle is running linearly so as to draw the linear running trajectory L while spraying the medicine by spraying all the injection nozzles 6a, the injection in the vehicle width direction is performed. The area portion F1 (hatched portion in the figure) through which the spraying device 6 having the width h has passed is stored as the position of the field F where the medicine spraying operation has been completed. When all the ejection nozzles 6a are not in the ejection state, the work end position is stored corresponding to the ejection width of the nozzle 6a in the ejection state.

Further, using the control device 16, based on the information of the work end position storage means 104 and the work part position detection means 103, the position in the field F1 where the work (drug spraying) has been completed is determined. The nozzle driving unit 1 is set so that the end side portion of the medicine spraying device 6 is in a non-working state.
The control means 100 for operating the control unit 4 is configured. Specifically, referring to FIG. 6, for example, the spray width h of the spraying device 6 is sandwiched between the region F1 where the medicine has been sprayed and the ridge Fa.
When traveling in the field portion F2 having a narrower width, if the ridge side end of the spraying device 6 is run along the ridge Fa, the other end portion of the spraying device 6 becomes the region portion F where the medicine has been sprayed.
It is located at 1. Here, the position of the medicine spraying device 6 (the center position in the vehicle width direction indicated by the vector r0) is detected, and the distance h / 2 from the center position to the left and right ends is determined. Spread area part F1
And its width can also be determined. Therefore,
Of the plurality of spray nozzles 6a, the spray nozzles 6a located in the region portion F1 where the medicine has been sprayed are set to the spraying stop state.

Next, the control operation of the control device 16 will be described. In a main flow (not shown), the information of the steering wheel operation angle detection sensor R0 is changed while switching the three steering modes based on the input information from the steering changeover switch 13. Steering control and the like for controlling the steering angles of the front and rear wheels 3 and 4 are performed based on the GPS data and the INS position data in time series. The current position of the working unit (drug spraying device 6) at the current time is calculated, and it is determined whether the working unit is located in the field F1 where the spraying operation has been completed. Here, if it is located in the worked field F1, the injection of the injection nozzle 6a located in the worked area is stopped, and if it is not located in the worked field F1, the injection nozzle 6a in the injection stopped state is stopped. Is operated. Next, the storage process of the field portion where the spraying operation by the nozzle 6a in the spraying state is completed and the medicine spraying operation is completed is performed.

[Alternative Embodiment] In the above-described embodiment, the work vehicle V provided with the medicine spraying device 6 for spraying the medicine to the field, which is the work place, as a work unit has been described. The present invention can be applied to various types of work vehicles other than those for agricultural work, and the specific configuration and work place of each part such as the work unit 6 and the work state switching means 14 at that time are determined by the purpose and work conditions of the work vehicle. It is appropriately changed according to the above.

In the above embodiment, the working unit position detecting means 10
3 is configured by combining position detection based on a radio wave (carrier) signal from a GPS satellite and position detection by an inertial navigation system, but is not limited thereto.
Means for detecting a position by receiving an electromagnetic signal from an AC signal line buried in the ground may be used.

In the above embodiment, the work state detecting means 101
Has been configured using the control device 16 that controls the operation of the working unit 6 (that is, by determining whether or not operation information to the working unit 6 has been output). For example, a means such as a sensor for directly detecting the work state of the vehicle.

In the above embodiment, the working unit 6 is constituted by a plurality of working parts 6a, and the working state switching means 14 switches the plurality of working parts 6a individually between the working state and the non-working state. However, depending on the function of the working unit and the like, the working unit does not necessarily need to be constituted by a plurality of working parts whose working states can be individually switched.

In the above embodiment, the manually operated steering means on the work vehicle side is constituted by the wheels 3 and 4 steered by the steering wheel, but the invention is not limited to the wheels. The working vehicle V is
The vehicle may travel automatically along the set route.

In the claims, reference numerals are provided for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the attached drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control configuration of a work vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a work vehicle and a reference station.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a working vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a GPS receiving system.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a work place and a traveling locus of a work vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a work state switching operation.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of work state switching control.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 6 work unit V work vehicle 103 body position detection means 101 work state detection means 104 work end position storage means 14 work state switching means 100 control means 6a work part R GPS reference station 20 ground side communication means I GPS mobile station 18 work vehicle side Communication means 102 GPS position data calculation means INS Inertial navigation system 3, 4 Steering means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-175722 (JP, A) JP-A-6-30604 (JP, A) JP-A-5-44256 (JP, U) (58) Survey Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A01B 69/00 303 G01C 15/00 G01S 5/14

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A work state control device for a work vehicle, which includes a work part (6) that can be switched between a work state and a non-work state, and moves within a predetermined range of work place, wherein the work vehicle (V) A working part position detecting means (103) for detecting a position of the working part (6) in the work place; and a working state detecting means (Detecting whether or not the working part (6) is in the working state). 101); a work end position storage means (104) for storing a position of the work place where work is completed based on information of the work unit position detection means (103) and the work state detection means (101). Work state switching means (14) for switching an end portion of the work section (6) on the laterally outer side of the vehicle body between a work state and a non-work state;
An end-side portion of the work unit (6) located at a work place where the work has been completed, based on information of the work end position storage means (104) and the work part position detection means (103). And a control means (100) for activating the work state switching means (14) so as to bring the vehicle into a non-work state. 2. The work part (6) is constituted by a plurality of work parts (6a) having a set width along a vehicle body width direction, and the work state switching means (14) is provided by the work state switching means (14). The work state control device for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the work part (6a) is separately switched between a work state and a non-work state. 3. A GPS installed at a reference position on the ground side
GPS reference station (R) that receives carrier signals from satellites
And ground-side communication means (20) for transmitting the carrier phase information at the GPS reference station (R) to the work vehicle (V). A carrier signal from a GPS satellite is provided to the work vehicle (V). A mobile station (I) for receiving transmission information, a work vehicle-side communication means (18) for receiving transmission information of the ground-side communication means (20), a carrier phase information at the mobile station (I) and the work vehicle The position of the working unit (6) with respect to the reference position is determined at a predetermined time interval based on the double phase difference information obtained from the carrier phase information at the GPS reference station (R) received by the side communication means (18). G to be obtained as GPS position data of the series
PS position data calculating means (102); and an inertial navigation system (INS) for obtaining a position change amount of the working unit (6) as time-series inertial navigation position data at predetermined time intervals. The means (103) includes: GPS position data obtained by the GPS position data calculation means (102), which is a predetermined time before the current time, and inertia at the current time obtained by the inertial navigation system (INS). The working unit (6) at the current time according to the navigation position data
The work state control device for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the position of the work vehicle is determined. 4. The work vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the work vehicle (V) is provided with manually operated steering means (3, 4).