JPS6245541Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The invention uses a height above the ground detection sensor that detects the height above the ground by receiving the reflected wave of a signal emitted toward the ground from an oscillator.
The present invention also relates to a reaping harvester including a reaping section that is automatically controlled to ascend and descend based on an average value every predetermined number of samplings of height detection results from the ground that are sampled at predetermined intervals.

Conventionally, in this type of reaping harvester such as a combine, the height above the ground is measured by a height detection sensor installed in the reaping section, and the measurement results are sampled a predetermined number of times and the measured values are averaged. Based on this, a means for automatically raising and lowering the reaping section to maintain a constant cutting height has been adopted.

However, when the ground condition of the field is soft, such as in wet fields, there are traces of crawler travel, footprints, etc. left in the area where the machine runs, such as in areas that have already been cut. Since the detection sensor detects the height above the ground higher than the actual height, the averaged height above the ground will also be higher than the normal value, and as a result, the cutting section will be lowered unnecessarily, and the height above the ground will be lower than the normal value at the beginning of mowing. This method has disadvantages in that it is not possible to control the cutting height, and in some cases, the cutting section may be pushed into the ground.

The present invention has been developed in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to eliminate the need for large depressions such as crawler tracks or footprints even if there are relatively large depressions such as crawler tracks or footprints in the area where the aircraft runs around the planted grain culms. It is possible to detect the average height above the ground as normally as possible without unnecessarily detecting such parts, and in addition, it is possible to perform normal cutting height control from the beginning of mowing, and it is possible to The objective is to control the cutting height as accurately and safely as possible.

In order to achieve this purpose, the reaping harvester according to the present invention coarsely sets the sampling interval of the ground height detection result by the ground height detection sensor at the time of starting mowing or until a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the time of starting mowing. , and during subsequent reaping, the settings are finer than that, and the reaping section is set based on the average value of the remaining sampling values after sequentially excluding several sampling values from the highest detected value within the predetermined number of samplings. It is characterized by being equipped with a control device for controlling the elevation.

According to the above characteristic configuration, until the reaping unit starts reaping work, the height above the ground is roughly sampled, abnormal values corresponding to concave areas of the ground such as crawler tracks are excluded, and then the sampled values are averaged. Since the true average height above the ground can be detected, and the mowing section is automatically controlled to raise and lower based on the detection results, it is possible to perform normal cutting height control from the beginning of mowing, and to prevent errors. Accidents such as having to lower the reaping section and causing the reaping section to plunge into the ground can now be prevented reliably. Moreover, after the reaping work has started, abnormal values corresponding to relatively small depressions in the culm planting area are removed from the finely sampled measurement values, and the measured values are averaged to calculate the height above the ground. Based on this, it is possible to more precisely control the height above the ground, so even if there is a small recess,
The actual cutting height will not be uneven, and the accuracy is not affected by such depressions, and
This made it possible to control the cutting height on the safe side. In particular, the sampling interval is set coarsely at the start of mowing or until a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of mowing, and is set more finely during subsequent mowing. The number of detected abnormal values can be made equal as much as possible in mowed areas and uncut areas without large irregularities, and the same control device can be used to properly heighten both uncut areas and already cut areas with different ground conditions. We have now been able to detect this. For example, if the entire area is sampled coarsely without distinguishing between uncut and mown areas, the overall detection accuracy will decrease.For example, if the entire area is sampled finely, the number of abnormal values detected in the area that has been mown will decrease. This has the disadvantage that a large number of sampling values must be excluded due to an extreme increase in the number of sampling values, and the precious sampling values are wasted more than necessary. It has now become possible to detect height.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a reaping section 1 consisting of a lifting device 2, a cutting blade 3, and a conveying device 4 is mounted on the front part of a traveling vehicle body equipped with a crawler traveling device 5, and is swung by the expansion and contraction of a hydraulic cylinder 6. It is installed so that it can be raised and lowered to form a combine harvester.

A weeding tool 7 is provided in front of the pulling device 2, and each of the weeding tools 7 is fixed to the support frame 8 of the reaping section 1 at the back thereof. An ultrasonic sensor 9 is attached to the support frame 8 to measure the height above the ground.

The ultrasonic sensor 9 consists of an oscillator 10 that emits ultrasonic waves towards the ground and a receiver 1 that receives the reflected waves. , is configured to detect the height of the reaping section 1 above the ground.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a sampling state of the measured value of the height above the ground by the ultrasonic sensor 9 from before the start of mowing the field to immediately after the start of mowing.

The ultrasonic sensor 9 uses the height from its installation position to the ground as the time interval of the above-mentioned oscillation and reception, and at the beginning, that is, at the start of mowing, or until a predetermined period of time has elapsed thereafter, the ultrasonic sensor 9 operates at roughly set sampling intervals as shown in the figure. , the heights above the ground 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , . . . , 1 ₇ are sequentially measured. During this measurement, in the crawler travel trace part A left on the ground during the previous stroke or when the vehicle turned around, the actual average height above the ground is 1 as shown in the figure.
The measured heights above ground 1 ₃ and 1 ₄ are abnormally higher than ₁ , 1 ₂ , 1 ₅ , 1 ₆ , and 1 ₇ , but these abnormal values 1 ₃ and 1 ₄ are averaged by the following configuration. It is designed to be removed when

Hereinafter, the ground height detection mechanism and cutting height control mechanism using the ultrasonic sensor 9 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

Control calculation device 1 consisting of a microcomputer
The oscillator 10 of the ultrasonic sensor 9 intermittently emits ultrasonic waves toward the ground in response to a timing signal P1 output from the CPU 16 through the I/O port ₁₇ at predetermined periodic intervals set by a timer 15 provided in the ultrasonic sensor 9. A sound wave is emitted and at the same time the counter 18 is activated.

When the reflected wave is received by the receiver 11, the received signal _P2 from the receiver 11 is input to the CPU 16 via the I/O port 17, and the counter 18 is stopped.

Next, based on the count value of the counter 18 which is started when the ultrasonic wave is transmitted and stopped when the ultrasonic wave is received, the CPU 16 stores the height above the ground 1i in the memory 19.
The measured value is stored in a predetermined address, and if the number of sampling times is less than the predetermined number N, the ultrasonic wave is emitted again.
The reception is repeated to measure the height above the ground, and the measured values are sequentially stored in the memory 19.

By the way, during this series of operations for measuring the height above the ground, the timer 15 monitors the elapsed time from the first measurement, and the reaping operation is continued until a predetermined time elapses, that is, as described above, at least the reaping section 1 performs the reaping operation. The period of the timing signal _P1 is set slower than usual until the sampling interval of the height above the ground becomes coarse, and after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, it is set faster. .

Note that the slow timing period is such that even if there is a dent in the ground such as a crawler track, the number of measurements at the height above the ground (see 1 ₃ and 1 ₄ in Figure 2) is lower than the predetermined number of sampling times N. The value is set so that it does not become too large.

Thereafter, when a predetermined number _of measurements N, for example ₆ measurements as shown in _{FIG .} In order to remove n values, in order from the highest measured value, at least two measured values 1 ₃ , 1 ₄ in this example.
The remaining measured values 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , 1 ₅ to 1 ₆ excluding
The average value 1' is calculated by the CPU 16. Based on the comparison between this average value 1' and the set height above ground ₁₀ , the I/O
The electromagnetic valve 21 of the hydraulic cylinder 6 is driven from the port 17 via the buffer circuit 20.

After that, when continuing the automatic elevation control of the reaping section 1, the measurement values stored in the predetermined number of times N are moved one by one to the previous address, and N measurements are made for each sampling of the ground height measurement. The control is repeated based on the average value of the data after removing abnormal values from the data, and the height above the ground is precisely measured at regular sampling intervals during the cutting operation to adjust the height above the ground of the cutting section to the unevenness of the ground. However, the influence of abnormal values is removed.

By the way, in the embodiment, the transmission interval of the ultrasonic sensor and the sampling interval of the height measurement above the ground are explained as being the same, but while the transmission interval of this sensor is always at a constant cycle, it is also set at a predetermined number of intervals in synchronization with this cycle. Measurement values may be sampled as appropriate every time. In addition, in FIG. 2, 12 is a stubble, 13 is an uncut culm, in FIG. 3, 22 is a hydraulic pump, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer 14.

Further, in the above embodiment, the timing of switching the sampling interval from coarse to fine is determined by setting an appropriate time in the timer 15 itself. (not shown) may be used to detect the start of mowing, and the switching may be performed at the start of mowing or after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of mowing.

Note that although reference numerals are written in the claims section of the utility model registration for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure of the attached drawings by such entry.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the reaping and harvesting machine according to the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a front side view of the combine, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of sampling of ground height, Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the control mechanism, and , FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation. 1... Reaping section, 5... Crawler traveling device, 6...
...Hydraulic cylinder, 7... Grass splitting tool, 9... Ground height detection sensor, 14... Control device, 21... Solenoid valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Height above the ground is measured by a height above the ground detection sensor 9 which detects the height above the ground by receiving a reflected wave of a signal emitted toward the ground from the oscillator 10, and is sampled at predetermined time intervals. The reaping/harvesting machine is equipped with a reaping section 1 that is automatically controlled to raise and lower based on the average value for each predetermined number of sampling times of the results, and the sampling interval of the height above ground detection result by the height above the ground detection sensor 9 is set at the start of mowing. The setting is coarse until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of cutting or the start of cutting, and finer settings are made during subsequent cutting, and several sampling values are excluded in order from the highest detected value within the predetermined number of samples. A control device 1 that controls the raising and lowering of the reaping section 1 based on the average value of the remaining sampled values.
A reaping harvester characterized by comprising 4.