JPS6317287Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] This invention determines whether the direction of movement of the machine is appropriate based on the height difference between cultivated and uncultivated land, and automatically moves the tractor along adjacent cultivated land. This invention relates to an automatic steering device for agricultural tractors.

Conventionally, automatic steering devices for agricultural tractors include:
Some automatic steering devices have a signal line buried under the ground in advance and automatically control the direction of travel by sensing the magnetic field etc. emitted from this signal line. has the disadvantage of high equipment costs and is not suitable for the actual situation.

In addition, an example of a device that automatically steers cultivated land according to the height difference from uncultivated land is a detection unit that detects whether or not the aircraft maintains a predetermined interval from the side wall of uncultivated land caused by plowing work. The steering mechanism is controlled so that the machine moves parallel to the side wall of the uncultivated land based on the command from the detection unit (Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 112703/1983), or multiple The average height detection wheels are provided, and the height detection wheels are mounted on the right and left outer sides of the average height detection wheels, and the displacement difference between the two wheels is electrically detected to determine the plowing position adjacent to each other. There is a method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55-29971) that controls it so that it follows the cultivated land, but
In the former case, there is a problem with the discrimination performance of the sensor, and in the latter case, there is a drawback that the structure is complicated.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a gauge wheel that swings up and down following the ground below the belly of the aircraft, and to oscillate the gauge wheel. The moving axis and the swinging axes of at least two or more sensor wheels that swing up and down following the ground on the sides of the aircraft are arranged on the same axis line, and the swinging shafts of at least two sensor wheels that swing up and down following the ground on the sides of the aircraft are arranged on the same axis, and By installing a switch that is controlled to open and close by using a switch box that swings together with a gauge wheel, it has an extremely simple structure, but it can always stably detect the height difference between cultivated and uncultivated land, regardless of the unevenness of the uncultivated land. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic steering device for an agricultural tractor that can perform highly reliable automatic steering control.

The structure of the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a body of an agricultural tractor, and a tilling section 2 is connected to the rear of the body 1. 3 is the front wheel, and 4 is the rear wheel.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a gauge wheel disposed below the abdomen of the fuselage 1; numerals 6 and 7 indicate sensor wheels disposed on the sides of the fuselage 1;
Both are designed to follow the ground and swing up and down around the same axis. The swing arm 8 supporting the gauge wheel 5 is pivotally connected to the fuselage 1 via a switch box 9, as shown in FIG. By fixing the sensor wheels 6 and 7, the switches 10 and 11 can be opened and closed to automatically control the direction of movement of the aircraft.

FIG. 3 shows this control mechanism,
The power supply 12 and each solenoid 14, 14' of the solenoid valve 13 are connected via the switches 10, 11, and a hydraulic circuit connected to a hydraulic pump 16 driven by the engine 15 is connected in parallel with the solenoid valve 13. A relief valve 17 is provided in the
Furthermore, a pair of hydraulic cylinders 18 and 19 are provided.
The hydraulic cylinders 18 and 19 are connected to the brakes 20 and 21 of the left and right rear wheels 4 and 4',
When the brakes 20, 21 are activated, the direction of movement of the aircraft can be changed.

Further, each of the sensor wheels 6 and 7 is configured to swing up and down about a support shaft 22 coaxial with the swing support of the switch box 9, and among them, the sensor wheel 6 in contact with the uncultivated land side The swinging arm 23 is fixed to a hollow cylindrical shaft 24 that is fitted onto the support shaft 22, and when the arm 25 fixed to the hollow cylindrical shaft 24 rotates upward, that is, when the sensor wheel 6 rotates upward. On the other hand, the sensor wheel 7 in contact with the cultivated land side is fixed to the spindle 22 via the swing arm 26, and when the sensor wheel 7 is lowered, the switch 10 is turned on. Arm 27 switches switch 11
It is configured to turn on.

Next, the operation of the present invention constructed as described above will be explained. Now, when the machine 1 travels along the adjacent cultivated land, the gauge wheel 5 connected to the switch box 9 comes into contact with the uncultivated ground below the belly of the machine 1. Further, the inner sensor wheel 6 contacts the uncultivated ground on the side of the machine body, and the outer sensor wheel 7 contacts the cultivated ground. That is, since the sensor wheel 6 on the uncultivated land side detects the same low surface as the gauge wheel 5, and at the same time the other sensor wheel 7 detects the high surface in contact with the cultivated land, both switches 10,
11 are both turned off. Therefore, the control mechanism is not activated and the direction of movement of the aircraft is maintained (see Figure 5a).

Furthermore, if the machine body 1 is too close to the uncultivated ground side, both sensor wheels 6 and 7 detect the low surface as shown in FIG. Then, the switch 11 linked to the sensor wheel 7 that should be in contact with the cultivated land side is activated.
Since it is turned on, the solenoid 14 of the solenoid valve 13 is energized and attracted. Therefore, the oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 16 is transferred to the solenoid valve 13.
Since it is sent to the hydraulic cylinder 18 through the , one rear wheel 4 (on the cultivated land side) is braked by the operation of the brake 20, and the machine body 1 heads toward the cultivated land side.

On the other hand, if the machine body 1 approaches the cultivated land side too much, the sensor wheels 6 and 7 both detect a high surface as shown in FIG. Then, this time Switch 10
When the solenoid 14' is turned ON and the solenoid 14' opposite to the above is excited and attracted, the brake 21 is activated and the aircraft 1
is directed toward the uncultivated land side. In other words, although there is a natural height difference between cultivated land and uncultivated land, this difference in height is detected and the direction of movement of the aircraft is corrected and controlled in the direction in which the difference in height is always detected.
automatically progresses along the adjacent cultivated land.

Further, according to the present invention, both sensor wheels 6,
The swing height of 7 is determined based on the height detected by the gauge wheel 5, that is, the height of the uncultivated land, so even if the uncultivated land is uneven, it is linked to both sensor wheels 6 and 7. Switch 10, 11
There is no risk of malfunction, and since the amount of subsidence of the machine body 1 can also be detected via the gauge wheel 5, the automatic adjustment of the plowing depth can be corrected accurately.

In order to accurately operate both sensor wheels 6 and 7 even when there is a difference in the embankment due to a change in plowing depth and during ridge plowing, etc., as shown in FIG. 26 can be connected via an adjustment device 29 with an adjustment slot 27' and a bolt 28.

In short, the present invention provides at least two sensor wheels that swing up and down to follow the ground on the sides of the tractor body, and when both sensor wheels detect a difference in height, the sensor wheels move in the direction of the machine's movement. In addition, when both sensor wheels do not detect a difference in height, the agricultural tractor corrects and controls the moving direction of the machine in a direction that detects the difference in height. A gauge wheel that swings up and down is provided, the swing axis of the gauge wheel and the swing axes of both of the sensor wheels are arranged on the same axis, and opening/closing is controlled as the both sensor wheels swing. The sensor wheel is attached to a switch box that swings together with the gauge wheel, so the swinging height of the sensor wheel is always adjusted based on the ground height below the machine, that is, the height of the uncultivated ground. Therefore, even if the uncultivated land is uneven, there is no risk of the switch connected to the sensor wheel malfunctioning, and two switches can accurately mark the border with the cultivated land. This allows the configuration of this type of automatic steering system to be extremely simplified while improving its reliability and durability.In addition, the gauge wheel can be used as a sensor for the amount of sinking of the aircraft. Therefore, when an automatic plowing depth adjustment device is installed in the machine body, the control accuracy of this adjustment device can be significantly improved, which is an extremely useful practical effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the automatic steering system for an agricultural tractor according to the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is an overall plan view of the agricultural tractor, Fig. 2 is a side view of the gauge wheel and switch section, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the gauge wheel and switch section. The figure is a configuration diagram of the control mechanism, Figure 4 is a side view showing the relationship between the switch and the sensor wheel, Figures 5 a, b, and c are front views showing the operating state of the sensor wheel, and Figures 6 a and b are This shows a modification of the sensor wheel mounting part, a
is a side view, and b is a cross-sectional view. In the figure, 1 is the body of an agricultural tractor, 5 is a gauge wheel, 6 and 7 are sensor wheels, 9 is a switch box, 10 and 11 are switches, 13 is a solenoid valve, 16 is a hydraulic pump, 18 and 19 are hydraulic cylinders, 20 and 21 are brakes, 22 is a support shaft, and 24 is a hollow cylinder shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] At least two or more sensor wheels are provided that follow the ground on the sides of the tractor body and swing up and down, and when both sensor wheels detect a height difference, the machine maintains the traveling direction of the machine, and A gauge wheel that swings up and down to follow the ground below the machine in an agricultural tractor that corrects and controls the machine's traveling direction in a direction that will detect a height difference when both sensor wheels do not detect a height difference. A swing axis of the gauge wheel and a swing axis of both the sensor wheels are arranged on the same axis, and a switch which is controlled to open and close as the sensor wheels swing is connected to the gauge wheel. An automatic steering device for agricultural tractors that is attached to a switch box that swings with the robot.