JP7497669B2 - Automatic Control Combine Harvester - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatically controlled combine harvester that runs automatically.

Combine harvesters are agricultural machines that harvest grains such as rice and wheat in fields, but when moving from warehouses to fields, the combine harvester is loaded onto the back of a truck.

As described in JP 2004-314822 A, loading onto the platform is done by running over a so-called running board that is stretched from the ground to the platform and then boarding onto the platform.

JP 2004-314822 A

Loading the combine onto the bed by driving it over the runway is a very dangerous task because if the crawler drive mechanism comes off the runway, it will fall off.

For this reason, the combine harvester described in the publication is equipped with left and right tracking sensors that tilt downward on the left and right sides of the crawler when traveling on the rung, and contact the sides of the rung. These tracking sensors detect the position of the rung and automatically control the steering control device to travel in a straight line. However, the preparation work of tilting the tracking sensors is tedious because the crawler is located at the bottom of the machine body.

The objective of the present invention is to develop an automatically controlled combine that automatically performs a safe loading operation when loading the combine onto a truck.

The above problem of the present invention is solved by the following technical means.

In the present invention, in a combine harvester that travels on left and right crawler traveling devices (7), (7) provided on a traveling body (6), a tread sensor (21) that detects the tread of a running board is provided immediately before the crawler traveling devices (7), (7), and a steering control device (75) is automatically controlled so that the tread sensor (21) continues to detect the running board while traveling on the running board and the combine harvester moves straight;
This is an automatically controlled combine harvester characterized in that when the left and right ground contact sensors (21) detect the starting end of the running board, the travel control device (76) is controlled to switch to low speed travel.
The first invention related to the present invention is an automatically controlled combine harvester that travels on left and right crawler traveling devices 7, 7 attached to a traveling body 6, in which a tread sensor 21 that detects the tread surface of the running board is provided immediately before the crawler traveling devices 7, 7, and the steering control device 75 is automatically controlled so that the tread sensor 21 continues to detect the running board when traveling on the running board and moves straight.

A second invention related to the present invention is an automatically controlled combine harvester of the first invention related to the present invention, characterized in that the travel control device 76 is automatically controlled so that the combine travels a predetermined distance and stops when the tread sensors 21 on the left and right finish detecting the running boards at approximately the same time .

The third invention related to the present invention is an automatically controlled combine harvester of the first invention related to the present invention, characterized in that when the left and right ground contact sensors 21 detect the starting end of the running board, the travel control device 76 is controlled to switch to low speed travel.

In the present invention, when loading and unloading a combine harvester onto a truck, the worker can safely load the combine harvester onto the truck bed without getting on the combine harvester body. Furthermore, just before the crawler travel devices 7, 7 of the combine harvester get onto the running board, the running control device 76 starts running at a low speed, so that the combine harvester can be safely loaded onto the truck bed without stepping off the running board.
In the first invention related to the present invention , the tread sensor 21 detects the step before the left and right crawler running devices 7, 7 step out, and once they get on the step, the steering control device 75 is steered so that they do not step off, so that when the combine is unloaded onto a truck, the worker can safely load it without getting on the body of the combine.

In a second invention related to the present invention , the combine climbs up the rungs and gets on the truck bed, and the crawler running devices 7, 7 come off the rungs, move a specified distance and stop, so that the combine can be loaded as it is without hitting the bed frame.

In a third invention related to the present invention , the travel control device 76 slows down the travel speed just before the crawler travel devices 7, 7 of the combine climb onto the runway, so that the combine can be safely loaded onto the truck bed without stepping off the runway.

1 is a block diagram showing an automatic steering controller for a combine harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the overall configuration of the combine harvester. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the overall configuration of the combine harvester. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a sensor for detecting the amount of stalk clamped in the feed chain of the combine harvester. FIG. 2 is a front view of the front part of the running chassis of the combine harvester. FIG. 2 is an automatic control operation table of the combine harvester.

The combine harvester of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figures 2 and 3 show the overall configuration of the combine harvester. A pair of left and right crawler traveling devices 7, 7 that travel on the soil surface are arranged on the lower side of the traveling body 6, and a threshing device 11 is mounted on the traveling body 6, which threshes the stalks that are clamped and fed to the feed chain 9, selects and collects the threshed grains, and temporarily stores them. The threshing device 11 is equipped with a threshing auger 10 that discharges the grains stored in the tank 5 outside the machine, and a straw waste processing device 12 is mounted on the rear end of the threshing device 11.

The reaping device 17, which includes a grass dividing body 13 that divides uncut stalks from the front end position, a raising section 14 that raises the divided stalks, a cutting blade section 15 that cuts the raised stalks, and a stalk conveying section 16 that transports the cut stalks rearward and passes them on to the feed chain 9, is suspended from the front end of the traveling body 6 so that it can be raised and lowered freely relative to the soil surface by a hydraulically driven reaping lifting cylinder 17a.

On one side of the harvesting device 17, an operating device 18 that controls the operation of the combine harvester and an operating seat 19 for operating this device are provided, the grain tank 5 is located behind the operating seat 19, and an engine 20 is mounted below it, and the traveling device 8, threshing device 11, harvesting device 17, operating device 18, engine 20, etc. constitute the combine harvester body 1.

Figure 4 shows a configuration for detecting the amount of stalk clamped by the feed chain 9. Above the position where the stalk is clamped by the feed chain 9 and the clamping rod 26, a sensor arm 24 is attached to a sensor mounting arm 22 provided on the threshing device 11 along the clamping rod 26, and a potentiometer 23 is provided, and a spring 25 biases the sensor arm 24 towards the feed chain 9. Therefore, the change in thickness of the stalk clamped by the feed chain 9 and the clamping rod 26 can be detected by the potentiometer 23.

When the amount of straw held by the feed chain 9 increases, the load on the threshing device 11 becomes excessive, so the travel speed of the travel control device 76 is slowed down to reduce the amount of harvested straw and optimize the load on the threshing device 11. The amount of straw can also be changed by changing the conveying speed of the feed chain 9.

Also, if there is too much stalk, the travel control device 76 can temporarily stop travel and drive the feed chain 9 only to feed the stalk, and when the amount of stalk becomes appropriate, the travel speed can be returned to normal.

Fluctuation in the amount of stalks during harvesting can also be stored, and if there is a sudden change in the amount of stalks, the possibility of mechanical failure can be displayed on the remote control device 3 carried by the operator. Note that fluctuations in the amount of stalks at the start and end of harvesting are not used to determine mechanical failure.

As shown in FIG. 1, a controller 65 is provided that mainly uses a CPU to perform calculation control of driving operations and work operations by automatic steering, and the input side of this controller 65 is connected to a driving control switch 55, a main speed change switch 56, a speed increase switch 57, a sub-speed change switch 58, an engine rotation sensor 59, a vehicle speed sensor 60, a mowing up/down switch 61, a direction sensor 62, a mowing height sensor 63, a mowing release switch 64, a full sensor 4, etc., an image processing device 66 that processes images captured by the electronic camera 2, and a communication processing device 67 that processes communications with external devices.

The output side of the controller 65 is connected to a steering control device 75 consisting of a steering switching valve 68 for switching the steering clutch and a swing proportional pressure reducing valve 69 for operating the swing clutch 48, a traveling proportional pressure reducing valve 70 for applying the traveling brake, a main speed change relay 71 for controlling the main speed change motor, a speed increase switching valve 72 for switching between normal speed and speed increase, and a sub-speed change switching valve 73 for switching between sub-speed, and a reaping lift switching valve 74 for operating the reaping lift cylinder 17a.

The remote control device 3, which is carried by the operator and controls the machine 1 remotely by radio or other means, is configured to include a monitor device 75 that monitors the running and working conditions of the machine 1, and a controller 76 that switches the automatic control of the machine 1 on and off by signal communication with the controller 65 of the machine 1 and enables manual remote control in priority to the automatic control.

As shown in FIG. 3, the combine harvester body 1 is configured with the following operating tools required for manual operation by the operator: a main speed change lever 77 that controls the main speed change, a sub-speed change lever 78 that switches between sub-speed changes, and a power steering lever 79 that steers the machine body 1 and raises and lowers the harvesting device 17.

The driving action of the left and right crawler traveling devices 7, 7 and the operating device 18, etc., switches between forward and backward travel and changes the vehicle speed steplessly. A tread sensor 21 is provided on the bottom surface of the chassis 6, at the rear of the raising part 14, facing downward at the front end of the crawler traveling devices 7, 7. The tread sensor 21 is a waterproof proximity sensor that detects metal running boards, and as shown in Figure 5, three tread sensors S1 to S3 and three S4 to S6 are provided within the width of the left and right crawler traveling devices 7, 7, respectively, to detect the metal running boards.

The left and right tread sensors 21 (S1-S3, S4-S6) detect the running board at the position where the left and right crawler traveling devices 7, 7 will step on if they move straight ahead, and if they detect the running board and turn on, the vehicle will continue to move forward and travel on the running board. For example, if the rightmost tread sensor S1 is off, the steering control device 75 is controlled to turn right to correct the running board, and if the leftmost tread sensor S6 is off, the steering control device 75 is controlled to turn left to correct the running board, allowing the vehicle to travel on the running board.

In addition, if S1 to S6 are turned on simultaneously, it is assumed that the left and right crawler traveling devices 7, 7 have stepped onto the running board, and the traveling control device 76 is set to slow traveling and travels carefully, and if S1 to S6 are turned off simultaneously (detection is complete), it is assumed that the left and right crawler traveling devices 7, 7 have begun to come off the running board, so the traveling control device 76 is controlled to travel a predetermined distance and then stop, allowing the grass body 13 to be stopped without hitting the loading platform frame.

Figure 6 is a control table diagram showing how the steering control device 75 and the driving control device 76 are controlled by the detection signals of the tread sensors 21 (S1 to S6).

In addition, an obstacle detection sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor may be provided facing forward from the raising part 14, and the driving control device 76 may be controlled to stop before the raising part 14 hits an obstacle.

7 Roller travel device 21 Tread sensor 75 Steering control device 76 Travel control device

Claims (1)

In a combine harvester that travels on left and right crawler traveling devices (7), (7) provided on a traveling vehicle body (6), a tread sensor (21) for detecting the tread of a running board is provided immediately before the crawler traveling devices (7), (7), and a steering control device (75) is automatically controlled so that the tread sensor (21) continues to detect the running board while traveling on the running board and the combine harvester moves straight ;
An automatically controlled combine harvester characterized in that when the left and right ground contact sensors (21) detect the start end of the running board, the running control device (76) is controlled to switch to low speed running.

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