KR20230074717A - harvest - Google Patents

Abstract

The harvester includes a harvesting unit 15 for harvesting planted crops in the field, a crop height detection unit 21 for detecting the actual height of planted crops planted before harvesting planted in the forward direction of the body, and a standard for planted crops in the field. A reference height acquisition unit 32 that acquires a height, and a control unit 3 that adjusts a control parameter for determining the operating state of the machine based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height.

Description

harvest

The present invention relates to a harvester equipped with a harvesting unit for harvesting planted crops in the field.

The height of planted crops from the pavement surface at harvest time varies depending on the variety of the crop, the degree of growth, and the like. In particular, in planted crops such as rice and barley, when they fall down due to excessive fruiting or wind, the height is significantly lower than the standard height.

For example, the combine according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-155340, in order to perform different control with respect to planted grain stems in an upright state with respect to planted grain stems in a collapsed state in harvesting work, mowing ( It is provided with a television camera and an image processing device that take pictures of the grain culm in front of the left and right portions. An image processing device compares an image from a television camera with images indicating the state of planting of various grain stems stored in advance to detect the planting condition of the grain stem. When it is detected that a part of the grain culm in front of the reaping part has collapsed, the raking reel swings downward. Thereby, the reaping performance of the fallen grain stem improves.

In the combine according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-304734, the degree of collapse of the planted grain stem is determined before harvesting from the power spectrum distribution obtained on the basis of the photographed image obtained during the harvesting operation. Adjustment of the threshing load is performed by controlling the vehicle speed or the like in a timely manner according to the degree of collapse determined through image processing. Thereby, even if it is a fallen grain stem, a smooth threshing operation becomes possible.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-155340 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-304734

In the combine according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-155340 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-304734, an image processing technique detects a fallen grain culm, and based on the detection result, the operating state of the combine is adjusted. . However, the height of planted crops such as rice and barley fluctuates in various ways due to varieties, growth rates, excessive fruiting, strong winds, and the like. Therefore, in order to achieve a better harvesting operation, it is necessary to adjust the operating conditions of the harvester in consideration of the difference from the standard height of planted crops to be harvested.

In view of this situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a harvester in which the working condition of the harvester is adjusted in consideration of the difference from the standard height of planted crops.

The harvester according to the present invention includes a harvesting unit for harvesting planted crops in the field, a crop height detection unit for detecting the actual height of the planted crops before harvesting planted in the forward direction of the body, and a reference height of the planted crops in the field. A reference height acquisition unit for acquiring and a control unit for adjusting a control parameter for determining a working state of the machine based on a ratio of the actual height to the reference height.

According to the present invention, the actual height of planted crops before harvesting is detected by the crop height detection unit. In addition, the ratio of this actual height to the reference height is calculated, and based on the ratio, the working condition of the aircraft is appropriately adjusted. The standard height is managed by the standard height setting unit according to crop varieties, crop growth characteristics, pavement characteristics, statistical values of actual heights in the same pavement, and the like.

The above technical features of the harvester are also applicable to the control system. For this reason, the present invention can also make the control system a subject of rights. The control system in this case is a control system for a harvester having a harvesting unit that harvests planted crops in the field, and includes a crop height detection unit for detecting the actual height of the planted crops before harvesting planted in the front of the moving direction of the body; A reference height acquisition unit for obtaining the reference height of planted crops, and a control unit for adjusting control parameters for determining the operating state of the machine based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height. do.

The technical features of the harvester described above are also applicable to the control method. For this reason, the present invention can also make the control method a subject of rights. The control method in this case is a control method for a harvester having a harvesting unit that harvests planted crops in the field, and includes a crop height detection step for detecting the actual height of the planted crops planted ahead of the moving direction of the body before harvesting; It is characterized in that it comprises a reference height acquisition step for acquiring the reference height of planted crops, and an adjustment step for adjusting a control parameter for determining the operating state of the machine based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height. .

The technical features of the harvester described above are also applicable to the control program. Therefore, in the present invention, control programs can also be subject to rights. In addition, recording media such as optical disks, magnetic disks, and semiconductor memories on which control programs having these technical characteristics are recorded can also be subject to rights. The control program in this case is a control program for a harvester having a harvesting unit that harvests planted crops in the field, and includes a crop height detection function for detecting the actual height of planted crops planted ahead of the body in the traveling direction of the machine, and a field planted crop. Characterized in that the computer executes a reference height acquisition function for obtaining a reference height of planted crops and an adjustment function for adjusting a control parameter for determining a working state of the machine based on a ratio of the actual height to the reference height. to be

In order to simplify the control processing based on the ratio, it is preferable to classify the calculated ratio into classes and perform control processing in units of classes. From this, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ratio is classified into a plurality of ratio ranges, and the control parameter is derived based on the ratio ranges.

Although the actual height of planted crops is detected by the crop height detection unit, it is difficult to detect characteristic data other than the height, for example, the attitude or color of the planted crops. Characteristic data of such a planted crop is obtained by image processing a photographed image of the planted crop. From this, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a camera unit that acquires a photographed image by photographing an area forward in the traveling direction of the body including at least a detection target range of the crop height detection unit during the field, and the photographing A feature data generation unit for generating feature data of the planted crop from an image is provided, and the control parameter is derived based on the ratio and the feature data.

In the harvesting operation in the field where the fallen planted crops exist, the direction of the fallen planted crops becomes important feature data. Even if they fall to the same degree and their actual heights are to the same extent, it is preferable to change the working state of the body according to the direction of the fall. From this, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the falling direction of planted crops is included in the feature data.

In the present invention, based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height, the control parameter for determining the operating state of the aircraft is adjusted. As a device that affects the working state of the machine, a device for adjusting the height or front-rear position of the raking reel that rakes planted crops, a device for adjusting the harvesting height, and the like are provided in the harvesting unit. In addition, vehicle speed affects the working condition of the aircraft. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, as the control parameters, a reel height parameter for adjusting the height of the raking reel, a front and rear position parameter for adjusting the front and rear position of the raking reel, a harvest height parameter for adjusting the harvest height, and vehicle speed control It includes vehicle speed parameters that The control unit changes each control parameter based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height, so that a good harvesting operation result is obtained. The relationship between the ratio of the actual height to the standard height and the degree of change of the control parameter is determined experimentally and empirically. Suitable examples thereof are enumerated below.

(1) When the ratio is low, the reel height parameter is adjusted so that the scraping reel descends. Conversely, as the rate increases, the reel height parameter is adjusted so that the scraping reel rises.

(2) When the ratio is low, the fore-aft position parameter of the reel is adjusted so that the scrape-up reel moves forward. Conversely, when the ratio is high, the fore-aft position parameter of the reel is adjusted so that the raking reel moves backward.

(3) When the ratio is low, the harvest height parameter is adjusted so that the harvest height of the harvest part is lowered. Conversely, when the ratio is high, the harvest height parameter is adjusted so that the harvest of the harvest part rises.

(4) When the ratio is low, the vehicle speed parameter is adjusted so that the vehicle speed is lowered. Conversely, when the ratio increases, the vehicle speed parameter is adjusted so that the vehicle speed increases.

As the crop height detection unit, an ultrasonic measurement method, a stereo matching measurement method, and a time of flight (ToF) measurement method may be used. The ultrasonic measurement method has low measurement accuracy, but is inexpensive. In the stereo matching measurement method and the ToF measurement method, the height (spatial position) of the planted grain stem is obtained by processing the point cloud data obtained by the measurement. LiDAR, which is a type of object position measuring instrument that adopts the ToF measurement method, is used for preventing collisions in automobiles and is widely distributed. From this, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the crop height detection unit comprises: an object position measuring instrument for measuring the spatial position of an object; and a crop actual height for calculating the actual height from point cloud data from the object position measuring instrument. has an arithmetic unit. In addition, by combining color information obtained from a photographed image with point cloud data from an object position measuring instrument, it becomes possible to more accurately obtain the height of planted crops.

1 is an overall side view of a harvester.
2 is an overall plan view of the harvester.
3 is a functional block diagram showing a control system of a harvester.
4 is a schematic diagram showing a process of deriving a control parameter from an actual height and a reference height.
5 is a side view of the main part showing the working state of the harvesting part.
6 is a side view of the main part showing the working state of the harvesting part.
7 is a schematic diagram illustrating zigzag cutting.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Embodiment of the combine as an example of the harvester concerning this invention is described below based on drawing. In this embodiment, when defining the front-rear direction of the body 1, it is defined along the moving direction of the body in a working state. The directions indicated by symbols (F) in FIGS. 1 and 2 are the forward side of the aircraft, and the directions indicated by symbols (B) in FIGS. 1 and 2 are the rear side of the aircraft. The direction indicated by the symbol (U) in FIG. 1 is the upper side of the body, and the direction indicated by the symbol (D) in FIG. 1 is the lower side of the body. The direction indicated by the symbol (L) in FIG. 2 is the left side of the body, and the direction indicated by the symbol (R) in FIG. 2 is the right side of the body. When defining the left and right directions of the body 1, the left and right are defined in a state viewed from the moving direction of the body.

[Basic configuration of harvester]

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a body 1 and a pair of left and right crawler type traveling devices 11 are provided in a normal type combine, which is one form of a harvester. The body 1 is provided with a boarding unit 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a harvesting unit 15, a conveying device 16, and a grain discharging device 18 there is.

The traveling device 11 is provided in the lower part of the combine. The travel device 11 has a pair of left and right crawler travel mechanisms, and the combine can travel on the field by the travel device 11 . The boarding unit 12, the threshing device 13, and the grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11, and these are configured as the upper part of the body 1. An occupant of the combine or a supervisor who monitors the operation of the combine can board the boarding unit 12 . An engine (not shown) for driving is provided below the boarding unit 12 . Grain discharge device 18 is connected to the lower rear of the grain tank 14.

The harvesting unit 15 harvests planted crops in the field. Planted crops are, for example, planted grain stems such as rice and barley, but may also be soybeans or corn. Then, the combine is capable of working travel in which it travels by the traveling device 11 while harvesting planted crops in the field by the harvesting unit 15 . The conveying device 16 is provided adjacent to the rear side of the harvesting part 15 . The harvesting unit 15 and the conveying device 16 are supported on the front portion of the body 1 so as to be able to move up and down. The harvester 15 and the conveying device 16 are moved up and down by the header actuator 15H capable of extending and retracting, so that they swing up and down integrally.

The harvesting unit 15 is provided with a harvesting header 15A, a scraping reel 15B, a traversing auger 15C, and a cutting blade 15D shaped like a barricade. The harvest header 15A separates planted crops in front into harvest objects and non-harvest objects, and accepts harvest objects among planted crops in front.

The raking reel 15B is positioned above the harvesting header 15A. A reel support arm 15K is swingably supported on the reaping header 15A, and the reel support arm 15K is swing-operated by a first reel actuator 15J capable of a telescopic operation. The axial center portion of the scraping reel 15B is supported by the free end region of the reel support arm 15K. From this, the scraping-up reel 15B is constituted so as to be able to swing up and down by the expansion and contraction operation of the first reel actuator 15J.

The scraping reel 15B is configured to be rotatable around the axial center in the transverse direction of the body in a state supported by the reel support arm 15K. Further, the rotation axis of the scraping reel 15B is configured to be slidable along the front-rear direction by the second reel actuator 15L in the free end area of the reel support arm 15K. That is, while the scraping reel 15B is configured to be able to move up and down with respect to the harvest header 15A, it is configured to be able to change the front and rear position with respect to the harvest header 15A.

A plurality of tines 15T are provided on the scraping reel 15B, and the tines 15T work to scrape the planted crop. When harvesting planted crops from the field, the raking reel 15B rakes the planted crops toward the rear with tines 15T at a location near the front end of the planted crops.

The cutting blade 15D cuts the root side of the planted crops scraped rearward by the raking reel 15B. The transverse transfer auger 15C is driven to rotate along the axis of the body in the transverse direction, and the harvested crops after cutting by the cutting blade 15D are transversely transferred to the middle side in the left-right direction, scraped up, and sent toward the conveying device 16 at the rear.

In order to reduce the threshing load on the threshing device 13, the site height CH (harvest height: see Figs. 5 and 6) of the harvest header 15A is set high, and planted crops are often harvested only at the tip side. there is. At this time, in order to prevent the leftover grain stem after cutting from being left on the field in a tall state, it is cut by a barricane-type residual processing unit 19 provided behind the harvesting unit 15.

Crops harvested by the harvester 15 (for example, harvested grain) are conveyed to the threshing device 13 by the conveying device 16. Harvested crops are threshed by the threshing device 13. The threshing device 13 has a threshing part 13A, a sorting processing part 13B, and tuyere 13C. In addition, although threshing part 13A is shown as a barrel in FIG. 1, the supply chamber which accommodates this barrel, the rosin valve arrange|positioned in the upper part of the supply chamber, and the lower side of the barrel A net located on the periphery of the region is also included in the threshing portion 13A. The feed valve guides the treated crops sent to the feeding chamber to the rear. 13 A of threshing parts threshing-process the processed crops which are the process target of the crops sent to the class room by the conveying apparatus 16, ie, the threshing apparatus 13. While being installed below the threshing part 13A, the sorting processing part 13B accepts the processed crops threshed by the threshing part 13A and sieves the processed crops into harvested and non-harvested crops while swinging and conveying them backward. .

Since it is a known technique, although not shown, a chaff sieve is provided in the sorting processing unit 13B, and the chaff sieve has a plurality of chaff ribs. Each of the chaff lips extends transversely to the airframe. A plurality of chaff ribs are arranged along a conveyance direction (front-rear direction) in which treated crops are conveyed, and each of the plurality of chaff ribs is arranged in an inclined attitude toward the rear end side at an angle upward. It is comprised so that each sagging opening degree of a chaff lip is changeable. Being able to change the lower opening degree means that the inclination posture is changed. Specifically, the closer the chaff lip is to parallel with respect to the front-back direction, the smaller the crosswise opening, and the closer the chaff lip is to parallel with respect to the vertical direction, the larger the crosswise opening. The treated crops are swing-conveyed backward on the chaff ribs, and the grains as harvested products drop downward from the gaps between the plurality of chaff ribs. The tuyere 13C supplies the sorting air to the sorting processing unit 13B.

The grain obtained by the threshing process is stored in the grain tank 14. The grain stored in the grain tank 14 is discharged to the outside of the machine by the grain discharge device 18 as needed. The grain discharge device 18 is comprised so that rocking is possible around the longitudinal center of the body rear part. That is, the discharge state in which the free end of the grain discharge device 18 extends outward beyond the body 1 and allows crops to be discharged, and the free end of the grain discharge device 18 of the body 1 Grain discharge device 18 is configured so that switching to the housing state located within the range of the body width is possible. When the grain discharge device 18 is in a storage state, the free end of the grain discharge device 18 is located above the harvesting unit 15 while being located on the front side of the boarding unit 12.

At the front upper portion of the boarding unit 12, a first object detector 21A constituting the crop height detection unit 21 is provided. The crop height detection unit 21 detects the actual height of planted crops before harvesting which are planted in the forward direction of the base body 1 . The first object detector 21A is an object position measuring instrument that measures the spatial position of an object. As the measurement method of the crop height detection unit 21, an ultrasonic measurement method, a stereo matching measurement method, a time of flight (ToF) measurement method, and the like are used. This first object detector 21A is a two-dimensional scan LiDAR that is a ToF measurement method. In addition, for the first object detector 21A, a 3D scan LiDAR may be used instead of a 2D scan LiDAR. By calculating the point cloud data from the first object detector 21A, the height (spatial position) of the planting grain stem at the back of the body is obtained. In this embodiment, the 2nd object detector 21B similar to 21 A of 1st object detectors is provided in the area|region used as the upper part of the base body 1 between the threshing apparatus 13 and the grain tank 14. The 2nd object detector 21B detects the cut mark of the planted grain culm behind the advancing direction of the base body 1, and the actual height of the surrounding planted crops. The second object detector 21B is also an object position measuring instrument that measures spatial position, and constitutes the crop height detection unit 21. Of course, the second object detector 21B can be omitted.

In addition, a first camera 22A is provided on the front upper portion of the boarding unit 12 . The first camera 22A constitutes the camera unit 22 . The first camera 22A captures a captured image including color information by capturing an image of an area ahead of the traveling direction of the body 1 during packaging. The shooting area of the first camera 22A includes at least the detection target range of the first object detector 21A. Characteristic data of planted crops is generated from a photographed image acquired by the first camera 22A. Since color information is included in the photographed image, it is possible to generate feature data including color information and posture of the planted crop by using image recognition technology for recognizing the planted crop. In this embodiment, the 2nd camera 22B similar to 22 A of 1st cameras is provided in the area|region used as the upper part of the body 1 between the threshing apparatus 13 and the grain tank 14. The second camera 22B constitutes the camera unit 22 . The second camera 22B captures a photographed image including color information by photographing an area behind the moving direction of the body 1 during packaging. The imaging area of the second camera 22B includes at least the detection target range of the second object detector 21B. Of course, the second camera 22B can also be omitted.

Examples of planted crops detected by the crop height detection unit 21 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . In this example, a standard planting crop group having a standard height is indicated by the symbol Z0, a short crop group having a height lower than the standard planting crop group is indicated by the symbol Z1, and a fallen planting crop group is indicated by the symbol Z2.

A satellite positioning module 80 is provided on the ceiling of the boarding unit 12 . The satellite positioning module 80 receives GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals (including GPS signals) from the satellite GS, and acquires the position of the host vehicle. In addition, in order to supplement the satellite navigation by the satellite positioning module 80, an inertial navigation unit including a gyroacceleration sensor or magnetic orientation sensor is built into the satellite positioning module 80. Of course, the inertial navigation unit may be disposed at a location different from the satellite positioning module 80 in the combine.

[Configuration of control unit]

The control unit 3 shown in FIG. 3 is a core element of the control system of a combine, and is shown as an assembly of a plurality of ECUs. As functional units related to height detection of planted crops, the control unit 3 includes a characteristic data generation unit 30, a crop actual height calculation unit 31, a reference height acquisition unit 32, and a ratio calculation unit 33. has been As functional units related to the driving or work of the combine, the control unit 3 includes a control parameter adjusting unit 34, a traveling control unit 35, an operation control unit 36, and a vehicle position calculation unit 37. .

Image data output from the first camera 22A and the second camera 22B, point cloud data output from the first object detector 21A and second object detector 21B, positioning output from the satellite positioning module 80 Data is input to the control unit 3 . Harvest height data output from the harvest height detection unit 23, reel height data output from the reel height detection unit 24a, front and rear position data of the reel output from the reel height detection unit 24b, and auger height detection unit 25 The outputted auger height data is also input to the control unit 3 .

As described above, the harvesting unit 15 and the transporting device 16 (see FIG. 1 and the like) are configured to be vertically rockable, and the harvesting height detection unit 23 is provided at a center of the rocking axis of the transporting device 16. The harvesting height detection unit 23 is configured to be able to detect the land height CH (see FIGS. 5 and 6 ) at the lower end of the harvesting unit 15 by detecting the rocking angle of the conveying device 16 . The reel height detection unit 24a detects the rocking angle of the reel support arm 15K relative to the reaping header 15A, thereby determining the height position RH of the scraping reel 15B relative to the reaping header 15A (Figs. 5 and 6). reference) is configured to be detectable. The front-rear position detection unit 24b of the reel detects the sliding position of the scraping reel 15B relative to the reel support arm 15K in the forward-rearward direction, so that the front-rear position RL of the scraping reel 15B (see Figs. 5 and 6) is configured to be detectable. The auger height detection unit 25 detects the height position OH (see Figs. 5 and 6) of the traversing auger 15C by detecting the vertical position of an actuator (not shown) that moves the traversing auger 15C up and down. made possible.

The feature data generation unit 30 uses a technique such as image recognition including a neural network from image data including color information sent from the camera unit 22 to plant unharvested planted crops or harvested planted crops in the field. Characteristic data such as the division of crop areas and the direction of fall of planted crops that have fallen are created.

In this embodiment, the crop height detection unit 21 is equipped with the first object detector 21A and the actual crop height calculation unit 31 . The actual height of planted crops before harvesting to be planted in the forward direction of the body 1 can be obtained using the point cloud data from the first object detector 21A. When the crop height detection unit 21 includes the second object detector 21B, the planted crops before harvest are planted in the rearward direction of the base body 1 using the point cloud data from the second object detector 21B. The actual height of can be obtained. In addition, the actual height of planted crops before harvest at the rear of the body 1 obtained based on the point cloud data from the second object detector 21B is determined using the first object detector 21A. It is also possible to use it as reference data or substitute data of height. In addition, when the actual height using the first object detector 21A and the actual height using the second object detector 21B have been obtained, the average value (including the weighted average value, etc.) of these values is determined as the final actual height. It is also possible to make it high. Also, the actual crop height calculator 31 may use feature data generated by the feature data generator 30, for example, color information. By analyzing point data to which color information has been assigned, the height of the tip (tip of an ear, etc.) of planted crops can be more accurately obtained.

Further, although detailed description is omitted, the point cloud data from the first object detector 21A and the second object detector 21B can be used also for obstacle detection.

The standard height acquisition unit 32 acquires the standard height of planted crops to be harvested in the field. A predetermined value can be set by default as the standard height, but an arbitrary value can be set by the supervisor. Alternatively, a standard height suitable for the variety of field and planted crops may be downloaded from the remote server 2 via the communication unit 38 and set in the standard height acquisition unit 32 . Furthermore, a statistical value such as an average value or a median value of the actual height calculated over time by the actual crop height calculator 31 during harvesting may be employed as the reference height. The ratio calculation unit 33 calculates and outputs a ratio of the actual height output by the crop actual height calculation unit 31 to the reference height read from the reference height acquisition unit 32 .

The control parameter adjusting unit 34 adjusts the control parameter for determining the operating state of the aircraft 1 based on the ratio output from the ratio calculating unit 33 . The control parameters are used to determine the operating state of devices such as the traveling device 11 and the harvesting unit 15 . In this embodiment, the control parameter adjustment unit 34 includes a class classification unit 34a and a class/parameter table 34b. The class classification unit 34a classifies the input ratio into a plurality of ratio ranges. The class/parameter table 34b includes a table relating the classes (ratio ranges) classified by the class classification unit 34a to control parameters. That is, the class/parameter table 34b has a function equivalent to a lookup table for outputting control parameters based on the input class.

When the falling direction of the fallen planting crop is output as characteristic data from the characteristic data generation unit 30, the control parameter adjusting unit 34 can adjust the control parameter with reference to this characteristic data as well. That is, the class/parameter table 34b has a plurality of modes determined according to the falling direction.

In FIG. 4, the flow of data in the process in which the control parameter is derived based on the detected actual height and feature data is schematically illustrated. In this example, first, the ratio of the actual height to the reference height is obtained from the actual height and the reference height. The proportions are then classified as either Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 or Class 4. In addition, if the cause of the drop in actual height is the fall of planted crops, class 1 is "upright", class 2 is "slightly fallen", class 3 is "fallen", and class 4 is "total fallen (the tip of the ear is on the pavement surface). collapsed so that it touches)”.

The class/parameter table 34b is a control parameter for each of the four classes, a reel height parameter (abbreviated as reel height in FIG. 4), a front and rear position parameter of the reel (abbreviated as front and rear of the reel in FIG. 4) , the harvest height parameter (abbreviated as harvest height in FIG. 4 ), and the vehicle speed parameter (abbreviated as vehicle speed in FIG. 4 ) are related. In addition, the control parameter groups for each of these four classes are set for each of the three modes (mode A, mode B, and mode C), for example. In this embodiment, one of the three modes is selected according to the falling direction.

In FIG. 4, the control parameter value is not specified, but the relationship with the ratio (class) is as follows.

(1) When the ratio is low, it becomes the control parameter value (reel height parameter value) at which the scraping reel 15B descends. Conversely, as the ratio increases, the scraping reel 15B becomes a control parameter value that rises.

(2) When the ratio is low, it becomes the control parameter value (forward and backward position parameter value) that the scrape-up reel 15B moves forward. Conversely, when the ratio is high, the scraping reel 15B becomes a control parameter value that moves backward.

(3) When the ratio is low, the harvest height of the harvester 15 becomes a control parameter value (harvest height parameter) that decreases. Conversely, when the ratio increases, the harvesting height of the harvesting unit 15 becomes a control parameter value that increases.

(4) When the ratio is low, the control parameter value at which the vehicle speed is lowered (vehicle speed parameter value) is adjusted. Conversely, when the ratio increases, the vehicle speed becomes a control parameter value that increases.

In FIG. 4, as control parameters derived when mode A is selected and class 1 is input, as indicated by P[h1, d1, c1, v1], all of the above (1) to (4) are output. It is becoming. Of course, any of the above (1) to (4) may be output, and additionally control parameter values for adjusting other devices may be added.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the travel control unit 35 includes a vehicle speed control unit 35A and a vehicle height control unit 35B. Based on the control parameter output from the control parameter adjusting unit 34, the control parameter of the driving control unit 35 in the current situation is adjusted. If the control parameter output from the control parameter adjusting unit 34 is a vehicle speed parameter, the vehicle speed controller 35A adjusts the vehicle speed.

The travel controller 35 has an engine control function, a steering control function, a vehicle speed control function, a vehicle height control function, and the like, and gives a travel control signal to the travel device 11 based on control parameters. In the case of manual steering, the travel controller 35 generates a control signal and controls the travel device 11 based on an operation by a passenger.

This combine is also capable of automatic steering. The own vehicle position calculation unit 37 calculates the own vehicle position based on positioning data from the satellite positioning module 80 . In the case of automatic steering, based on the target travel path given by the automatic travel control module (not shown) of the control unit 3 and the host vehicle position calculated by the host vehicle position calculator 37, the travel control unit 35 ) performs control related to steering and vehicle speed with respect to the traveling device 11 .

The operation control unit 36 includes a header control unit 36A, a reel control unit 36B, and an auger control unit 36C. Based on the control parameters output from the control parameter adjusting section 34, the control parameters of the operation control section 36 in the current situation are adjusted.

The control unit 3 can communicate with the remote server 2 through the communication unit 38 . For example, height information, fall information, work state information, etc. of crops in microdivisions of the field are transmitted to the field server 2 via a wireless communication network, and a map of the field managed by the server 2 information is recorded. Thereby, the manager of the field can utilize crop height information, collapse information, work state information, etc. for the next year's agricultural plan.

[Work status changed according to the ratio]

An example of a change form of the working state according to the ratio of the actual height of the planted crops to be harvested in front of the body 1 to the reference height will be described below using FIGS. 5 and 6 .

The working state of the harvesting unit 15 mainly depends on the land height CH of the harvesting header 15A, the height position RH of the raking reel 15B, and the front-rear position RL of the raking reel 15B, which become the harvesting height. . Land height CH of harvest header 15A is adjustable by a harvest height parameter. The height position RH of the scraping reel 15B can be adjusted by a reel height parameter. The front and rear position RL of the scraping reel 15B can be adjusted by the front and rear position parameters of the reel.

If the height position RH of the raking reel 15B is too high, the raking action of the raking reel 15B on the crop becomes difficult. Also, if the height position RH of the raking reel 15B is too low, crops tend to get entangled in the raking reel 15B. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, when crops in the field are harvested by the harvesting unit 15, the tines 15T of the raking reel 15B scrape the ends of the ears from the front upward to the rear, It is preferable that the rotational trajectory of (15T) overlaps the ear tip area of the crop.

In this embodiment, based on the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation unit 33, using each parameter adjusted by the control parameter adjusting unit 34, the work control unit 36 sets the target site height CH and height position RH , generates a control signal for realizing the forward and backward position RL.

In addition, the working condition in harvesting can also be changed depending on the vehicle speed. Therefore, using the vehicle speed parameter, the travel control unit 35 generates a control signal for realizing the target vehicle speed.

In addition to the site height CH, the height position RH, and the front and rear position RL, as factors affecting the working state of the harvesting unit 15, the rotational speed of the scraping reel 15B, the rotational trajectory of the tines 15T, and the transverse transfer auger ( 15C) height (indicated by OH in FIGS. 5 and 6) and the like. A configuration in which at least one of these factors is adjusted according to the ratio of the actual height to the standard height may be employed.

Moreover, the working state of the threshing device 13 may be changed according to the ratio with respect to the reference height of the actual height of planted crops. The working state of the threshing device 13 can be changed by adjusting the rotational speed of the tuyere 13C and the drooping opening of the chaff sieve in the sorting processing unit 13B. In that case, the control parameter includes a tuyere speed parameter and a leakage opening parameter.

When the actual height of planted crops is extremely low by falling to the vicinity of the pavement surface, and the fall direction is toward the harvesting unit 15, the harvesting operation is called head-to-head cutting, and the harvesting operation is difficult in normal straight-line driving. it gets done In such a harvesting operation, a zigzag cutting method in which the body 1 is driven in a zigzag manner is effective. The zigzag driving is performed for a predetermined distance or a predetermined time set based on the opposite cutting area. An example of zigzag cutting is shown in FIG. 7 . 7, the target travel line serving as the travel target of the aircraft 1 is indicated by the symbol BL, and the harvesting width (cutting width) by the harvesting unit 15 is indicated by the symbol W, and is set at both ends of the harvesting width. The overlap value is indicated by the symbol L. If the distance between adjacent target travel lines is D, D=W-2L is established. In zigzag cutting, the base body 1 performs a zigzag run. In zigzag travel, steering is performed alternately left and right at short intervals, and the travel trajectory is indicated by a thick line with reference sign Z in FIG. 7 . In the zigzag travel, the body 1 travels while shifting so as to oscillate left and right in the lateral direction from the target travel line. In Fig. 7, the maximum amount of left shift of this lateral shift is indicated by dL, and the maximum amount of right shift is indicated by dR. In order to avoid harvesting residuals (cutting residuals) in the harvesting operation in zigzag travel, the maximum amount of deviation is set so that the steering amount does not exceed the overlap value. By including this steering amount in the control parameters, automatic zigzag travel based on the ratio and feature data is possible. By advancing while accompanying the left and right lateral displacement in this way, the body 1 (resulting in the harvesting section 15) rushes in an oblique posture with respect to the planting grain stem, and the harvesting performance in head-to-head cutting is improved. The maximum left displacement amount dL and the right maximum displacement amount dR may be the same or may be different depending on the state of the fall.

[Other Embodiments]

The present invention is not limited to the configurations exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and other representative embodiments of the present invention are exemplified below.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the actual crop height calculator 31 uses not only point cloud data but also color information as feature data from the feature data generator 30 to calculate the crop height, but only point cloud data. You can also calculate crop height.

(2) Each functional unit in the functional block diagram of FIG. 3 is divided mainly for explanatory purposes, and in practice, any functional unit can be integrated or separated freely. For example, you may configure the crop actual height calculating part 31 and the characteristic data generating part 30 as an external unit of the control unit 3. Alternatively, the characteristic data generation unit 30, the crop actual height calculation unit 31, and the ratio calculation unit 33 may be configured as one integrated unit.

(3) In the embodiment described above, the traveling device 11 is configured as a crawler type, but the traveling device 11 may be configured as a wheel type.

(4) In the embodiment described above, the class/parameter table 34b has a plurality of modes determined according to the falling direction, but other modes may be prepared according to the variety or field of the planted crop. At that time, the mode to be used is determined by the intention of the supervisor and the like. Further, the class/parameter table 34b may be configured to derive control parameters only from ratios, or may be configured to derive control parameters directly from ratios without classifying ratios.

(5) In the embodiment described above, although the crop height detection unit 21, the standard height acquisition unit 32, the control unit 3, and the like are provided in the harvester, it is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the crop height detection unit 21 may be configured to be provided in a working machine other than the harvester or an aircraft, and the reference height acquisition unit 32 and the control unit 3 are not mounted on the harvester (one or more terminals). In the terminal of , it may be either stationary or portable). In this case, each of the terminal and the harvester may be equipped with a separate control unit 3, and each control unit 3 may have a configuration in which data communication (for example, wired/wireless Internet communication) is possible with each other. Specifically, in the control unit 3 on the terminal side, a feature data generation unit 30, an actual crop height calculation unit 31, a reference height acquisition unit 32, a ratio calculation unit 33, a control parameter adjusting unit 34 ) is provided, and the control unit 3 on the harvester side may have a configuration in which a traveling control unit 35, an operation control unit 36, and a vehicle position calculation unit 37 are provided. In this way, each of the crop height detection unit 21, the reference height acquisition unit 32, the control unit 3 on the terminal side, and the control unit 3 on the harvester side communicates data with each other (for example, wired / wireless Internet communication) may be configured.

In addition, a configuration disclosed in the above-described embodiment (including other embodiments, the same below) can be applied in combination with a configuration disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs. In addition, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to appropriately modify it within a range not departing from the purpose of the present invention.

The present invention is applicable not only to ordinary combiners, but also to overall harvesters (for example, corn harvesters and carrot harvesters) for harvesting crops, such as cutting-off combines. In addition, the technical features of the harvester of the present invention are also applicable to control systems Therefore, the above-described embodiment can be configured as a control system.In addition, the technical features of the harvester of the present invention can also be applied to a control method.For this reason, the above-described embodiment can be configured as a control method. In addition, the technical features of the harvester of the present invention are also applicable to control programs.Therefore, the above-described embodiment can be configured as a control program.In addition, the control program having these technical features is recorded on a recording medium. are also included in the present invention.

1: gas
3: control unit
30: feature data generation unit
31: crop actual height calculation unit
32: reference height acquisition unit
33: ratio calculation unit
34: control parameter adjusting unit
34a: class classification unit
34b: class/parameter table
11: travel device
15: Harvest Department
15A: harvest header
15B: scrape reel
21: crop height detection unit
21A: first object detector (object position measuring instrument)
21B: Second object detector (object position measuring instrument)
22: camera unit
22A: first camera
22B: second camera
23: harvest height detection unit
24a: reel height detection unit
24b: Front and rear position detection unit of the reel
25: auger height detection unit

Claims (13)

A harvesting unit that harvests planted crops in the field;
A crop height detection unit for detecting the actual height of planted crops before harvesting, which are planted in the forward direction of the aircraft;
A standard height acquisition unit for acquiring a standard height of planted crops in the field;
Equipped with a control unit that adjusts a control parameter for determining a working state of the gas based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height. According to claim 1,
wherein the ratio is classified into a plurality of ratio ranges, and the control parameter is derived based on the ratio ranges. According to claim 1 or 2,
a camera unit that acquires a photographed image by photographing an area forward in the moving direction of the base body that includes at least a detection target range of the crop height detection unit during packaging;
A feature data generation unit for generating feature data of the planted crop from the photographed image is provided;
wherein the control parameter is derived based on the ratio and the feature data. According to claim 3,
A harvester in which the feature data includes the falling direction of planted crops. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The harvesting unit is provided with a raking reel for raking planted crops,
The control parameters include a reel height parameter for adjusting the height of the scraping reel;
wherein the control unit adjusts the reel height parameter such that the raking reel descends when the ratio is low. According to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The harvesting unit is provided with a raking reel for raking planted crops,
The control parameter includes a reel front and rear position parameter for adjusting the front and rear position of the scraping reel,
wherein the control unit adjusts the fore-aft position parameter of the reel so that the raking reel moves forward when the ratio is low. According to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The control parameter includes a harvesting height parameter for adjusting the harvesting height of the harvesting unit,
wherein the control unit adjusts the harvest height parameter such that the harvest height is lowered when the ratio is low. According to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The control parameters include a vehicle speed parameter for adjusting a vehicle speed;
wherein the control unit adjusts the vehicle speed parameter such that the vehicle speed is lowered when the ratio is low. According to any one of claims 1 to 8,
wherein the crop height detection unit has an object position measuring unit for measuring a spatial position of an object and a crop actual height calculation unit for calculating the actual height from point cloud data from the object position measuring instrument. A control system of a harvester having a harvesting unit for harvesting planted crops in the field,
A crop height detection unit for detecting the actual height of planted crops before harvesting, which are planted in the forward direction of the aircraft;
A standard height acquisition unit for acquiring a standard height of planted crops in the field;
and a control unit that adjusts a control parameter for determining a working state of the aircraft based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height. A control method of a harvester having a harvesting unit for harvesting planted crops in the field,
A crop height detection step for detecting the actual height of planted crops before harvesting, which are planted in the forward direction of the aircraft;
A standard height acquisition step for acquiring the standard height of planted crops in the field;
and an adjustment step of adjusting a control parameter for determining a working state of the aircraft based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height. It is a control program of a harvester having a harvesting unit that harvests planted crops in the field,
A crop height detection function for detecting the actual height of planted crops before harvesting, which are planted in the forward direction of the aircraft;
A standard height acquisition function for acquiring the standard height of planted crops in the field;
A control program for causing a computer to execute an adjustment function for adjusting a control parameter for determining a working state of the aircraft based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height. A recording medium on which a control program of a harvester having a harvesting unit for harvesting planted crops in the field is recorded,
A crop height detection function for detecting the actual height of planted crops before harvesting, which are planted in the forward direction of the aircraft;
A standard height acquisition function for acquiring the standard height of planted crops in the field;
A control program for causing a computer to execute an adjustment function for adjusting a control parameter for determining a working state of the aircraft based on the ratio of the actual height to the reference height is recorded thereon.

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