Work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle which makes a camera less affected by a cover even when the cover is attached to the work vehicle equipped with the camera.SOLUTION: A work vehicle includes: a cabin 26 on which an operator gets; a roof 27 located at an upper part of the cabin 26; and a rear camera 103 and a communication antenna 156 located at a rear end of the roof 27 and protruding to the upper side farther than a rear end part of the roof 27. A rear camera stay 141 for attaching the rear camera 103 and the communication antenna 156 is configured to be replaceable by rotating around an axis in a front-back direction. A number plate stay 131 for attaching a number plate is provided rearward of the rear camera 103.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle such as an agricultural tractor. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a work vehicle in which a camera for capturing an image of the area behind the traveling vehicle body is provided above or behind a roof that constitutes a cabin (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6384545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since agricultural tractors and other work vehicles are specialized for their work, they may travel slower than other vehicles on public roads, so when transporting them to remote locations, they are often loaded onto truck beds. In addition, since their use is limited, they may be stored for long periods of time. When transporting or storing them, the entire vehicle can be protected from dirt by covering it, but force may be applied to the camera protruding from the roof, causing the camera angle to change. In this case, it becomes necessary to readjust the camera angle every time the cover is removed, which is a cumbersome task.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle equipped with a camera, in which the camera is less likely to be affected even when a cover is placed on it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0007] The first invention comprises a cabin in which a driver sits, a roof on top of the cabin, and a rear camera and a communication antenna at the rear end of the roof which protrude above the rear end of the roof, and a rear camera stay for mounting the rear camera and the communication antenna is configured to be replaceable by rotating around a fore-and-aft axis. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cover is placed over the entire vehicle from above, the rear camera stay is rotated, thereby making it possible to suppress the effect of the cover on the mounting angle of the rear camera. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the tractor according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] 4 is a simplified diagram of a side view of a tractor illustrating a detection range of a sensor according to an embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a simplified diagram of a tractor plane illustrating a detection range of a sensor according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system for the tractor according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1A is a rear view of the vicinity of the roof of the work vehicle according to the embodiment when the rear camera stay is in a usage position, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the vicinity of the roof of the work vehicle according to the embodiment when the rear camera stay is in a storage position. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the roof of the tractor according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the area around a step on the left side of the tractor according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the area around a step on the right side of the tractor according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the periphery of an obstacle sensor stay of the tractor according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inside of a cabin of the tractor according to the embodiment, seen from the left side. [Figure 11]1 is a perspective view of the interior of a cabin of a tractor according to an embodiment, seen from above the front. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An embodiment of a work vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1 is an overall side view of a tractor 1 according to an embodiment in which a working implement 200 is mounted on a traveling body 2 shown as an example of a work vehicle, and the power of an engine E mounted inside a bonnet 18 at the front of the tractor 1 is appropriately changed in a transmission case 3 and transmitted to a front axle 4 and a rear axle 5 to drive both front wheels 6 and rear wheels 7 or only the rear wheels 7, and the vehicle travels while steering the front wheels 6 to control the direction of travel. A working implement 200 such as a rotary tiller is attached to a lower link 9 protruding rearward from the body, and the working implement 200 is driven via a PTO shaft protruding rearward from the transmission case 3.

[0012] A positioning device (GNSS antenna unit) 174 is provided on the upper surface of the cabin roof 27, and this positioning device 174 can measure its own position by receiving positioning signals transmitted from multiple GNSS satellites. The positioning device 174 is attached to the cabin roof 27 by a positioning device stay 173 consisting of a girder 173a provided across the left and right sides of the cabin roof 27 and an antenna fixing part 173b extending forward from the rear end of the cabin roof 27 to the upper surface along the roof shape. In addition, a stacked light stay 181 is provided on the girder 173a, and the stacked light 180 is attached at a position where it can be seen from anywhere. Furthermore, a side camera 182 is attached to the lower surface of the stacked light stay 181.

[0013] The front camera 102 is attached to the front center of the cabin roof 27 and captures images of the front of the tractor 1. It captures images of the rear of the tractor 1 from the rear center of the cabin roof 27. A rear obstacle sensor 107 is attached to the rear of the antenna fixing part 173b, which emits infrared rays rearward and receives the reflected light, and if an obstacle is present behind the tractor 1, detects the distance to the obstacle and its shape. The rear camera 103 is attached to the rear of the roof and captures images of the rear. Further rearward of the rear camera 103, a license plate stay 131 for attaching a license plate is provided.

[0014] A body frame 12 for mounting the front wheel axle 4 is provided below the bonnet 18, and a weight bracket 13 for mounting a weight 14 for maintaining the weight balance of the vehicle is attached to the front end of the body frame 12. An obstacle sensor stay 108 is attached upward and forward from the weight bracket 13, and a front obstacle sensor 105 is attached forward of the rear end of the weight 14 and above the weight 14. This makes it possible to set the detection range of the front obstacle sensor 105 to a wide range both vertically while avoiding the weight 14.

[0015] The forward obstacle sensor 105 includes a first forward obstacle sensor 105a that irradiates infrared rays forward, receives the reflection, and detects the distance and shape of an obstacle if there is one in front of the tractor 1, and a second forward obstacle sensor 105b that emits sound waves, receives the reflection, and detects the distance to the obstacle if there is one in front of the tractor 1. The first forward obstacle sensor 105a is attached to the center of the lower part of the sensor mounting part 108a of the obstacle sensor stay 108, and the second forward obstacle sensor 105b is attached to the left and right sides of the sensor mounting part 108a, which is shaped to rise upward toward the side, outside and above the first forward obstacle sensor 105a, in a pair on the left and right. The forward obstacle sensor 105 may be a millimeter wave radar that detects the reflection of radio waves.

[0016] The obstacle sensor stay 108 is detachably fixed to the outer surface of the weight bracket 13 by a support frame 108b. The support frame 108b extends in the left-right direction at the lower part and in the up-down direction at the center of the vehicle, and is shaped so as not to overlap with the headlights provided at the bottom of the bonnet 18 in a front view. In addition, the obstacle sensor stay 108 is fixed at a position where it does not overlap with the work lights 16 provided at the top of the bonnet 18 in a front view or a side view.

[0017] A side obstacle sensor 109 is provided on the side of the tractor 1. A side stay 110 to which the front side obstacle sensor 109a is attached is detachably attached to the underside of the fuel tank 21 and the lower step 22, and the side stay 110 extends forward at the bottom and is bent upward to provide the sensor with a position in front of and above the fuel tank 21, between the front wheels 6 and the rear wheels 7, and below the upper end of the front wheels 6 and the floor surface 28 that constitutes the floor of the cabin 26 in which people board. This allows the front side obstacle sensor 109a to detect obstacles near the step 22 while being configured not to obstruct the view of the front lower part as seen from inside the cabin 26. The front side obstacle sensor 109a is also provided at a position that does not interfere with the lower step 22, the step part 21a of the fuel tank 21, or the fuel filler port 21b in a side view. This allows smooth boarding, disembarking, refueling, etc., from the side.

[0018] A urea water tank 24 is disposed in front of the fuel tank 21. The urea water tank 24 contains urea water that is injected into the exhaust pipe in order to reduce nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust gas of the engine E. The front side obstacle sensor 109a is disposed adjacent to the urea water tank 24 and positioned to the side of the urea water tank 24.

[0019] The first rear side obstacle sensor 109b and the second rear side obstacle sensor 109c are attached in different directions by approximately 90° to a front convex portion 111a and a rear convex portion 111b of a rear stay 111 fixed to a rear wheel fender 17 that covers the front and upper part of the rear wheel 7. An intermediate concave portion 111c is provided between the front convex portion 111a and the rear convex portion 111b to facilitate maintenance such as attachment and detachment of the rear wheel 7. The first rear side obstacle sensor 109b and the second rear side obstacle sensor 109c are attached in front and behind the rear wheel fender 17 with the rear wheel axle 5 in between in a side view, and the second rear side obstacle sensor 109c is attached rearward and above the first rear side obstacle sensor 109b.

[0020] The upper part of the rear stay 111 has a curved shape that roughly follows the shape of the rear wheel fender 17, and both ends of the mounting part 111d are fixed to the underside of the rear wheel fender 17, but the mounting part 111d is bent upward on the side of the rear wheel fender 17, so that the upper part of the rear side stay 111 is positioned higher than the opposing part of the outer end face of the rear wheel fender 17. This makes it possible to position the first rear side obstacle sensor 109b and the second rear side obstacle sensor 109c above the rear wheel 7, avoiding the rear wheel 7.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a side view showing the detection range of the obstacle sensor according to the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the detection range of the obstacle sensor according to the embodiment. The obstacle detection range 115b of the front second obstacle sensor 105b, the obstacle detection range 119a of the front lateral obstacle sensor 109a, the obstacle detection range 119b of the rear lateral first obstacle sensor 109b, and the obstacle detection range 119c of the rear lateral second obstacle sensor 109c each have a flattened volume shape, and the major axis of the obstacle detection range 115b of the front second obstacle sensor 105b, the obstacle detection range 119a of the front lateral obstacle sensor 109a, and the obstacle detection range 119b of the rear lateral first obstacle sensor 109b are set to be almost horizontal, while the major axis of the obstacle detection range 119c of the rear lateral second obstacle sensor 109c is changed so that the mounting direction with respect to other sensors is almost vertical. This suppresses the detection range from jumping out to the rear, and prevents the work implement 200 attached to the rear of the tractor 1 from being mistakenly detected as an obstacle.

[0022] The front side obstacle sensor 109a is provided outside the inner end when the front wheels 6 are in a straight-ahead position in a plan view. This makes it possible to detect obstacles over a wide range while avoiding erroneous detection of the steered front wheels 6 as an obstacle. In addition, by providing a lateral distance from the engine E inside the bonnet 18, the effect of hot air from the engine E can be suppressed.

[0023] In this embodiment, the side stays 110 are attached to the underside of the fuel tank 21 having the step portion 21a, but they may be attached to a normal step for getting on and off. The front obstacle sensor 105 and the side obstacle sensor 109 are configured so that they can be detached together with the obstacle sensor stay 108, the side stay 110, and the rear stay 111, and can be retrofitted to an existing work vehicle.

[0024] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the control system 100 for the work vehicle according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 150 includes an engine ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 151, a travel system ECU 152, a work implement lifting system ECU 153, an automatic driving ECU 154, and a communication unit 155.

[0025] The engine ECU 151 controls the rotation speed of the engine E. The traveling system ECU 152 controls the rotation of the drive wheels (rear wheels 4) to control the traveling speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 (see FIG. 1). The work machine lifting system ECU 153 controls the lifting device 13 to lift and lower the work machine 200. In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving ECU 154 compares its own position with the planned driving route R1, and communicates with the engine ECU 151, the traveling system ECU 152, and the work machine lifting system ECU 153 to control each device.

[0026] The control unit 150 is capable of controlling each part through electronic control, and includes a processing unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, as well as a memory unit consisting of, for example, a hard disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., in which necessary data such as various programs and the planned travel route R1 of the traveling vehicle body 2 that is set in advance for each field is stored.

[0027] 4, the control unit 150 is connected to a positioning device 174, an azimuth angle sensor 170, an engine rotation sensor 110, a vehicle speed sensor 111, a gear shift sensor 112, a turning angle sensor 113, etc. Also connected to the control unit 150 are an engine E, a gear shift device 121, a steering device 122, an elevator device 13, etc.

[0028] The engine revolution sensor 110 detects the revolution speed of the engine E. The vehicle speed sensor 111 detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the traveling vehicle body 2 (see FIG. 1). The gear shift sensor 112 detects which of a plurality of gear shift stages the transmission 121 is in. The turning angle sensor 113 detects the turning angle of the front wheels 6 (see FIG. 1), which are steered wheels.

[0029] The control unit 150 receives inputs of position (self-position) information of the traveling vehicle body 2 in a field or the like from the positioning device 174, the rotation speed of the engine E from the engine rotation sensor 110, the vehicle speed of the traveling vehicle body 2 from the vehicle speed sensor 111, the current gear position from the gear shift sensor 112, and the turning angle of the front wheels 6 from the turning angle sensor 113. When the control unit 150 causes the traveling vehicle body 2 to travel autonomously, as described above, the control unit 150 uses the detection value of the turning angle sensor 113 to feed back the turning angle of the front wheels 6, thereby controlling the steering cylinder connected to the steering wheel 8 (see FIG. 1), thereby steer- ing the steering wheel 8.

[0030] In the control unit 150, an engine ECU 151 is connected to the engine E, a traveling system ECU 152 is connected to the transmission 121 and the steering system 122, and a work machine lifting system ECU 153 is connected to the lifting device 13. The work machine lifting system ECU 153 lifts and lowers the work machine via the lifting device 13.

[0031] Furthermore, in the control unit 150, when the traveling body 2 is made to travel autonomously, a planned travel route R1 (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the work content by the work implement 6 is determined in advance for each field, digitized, and stored in the storage unit. Based on the measurement results of the positioning device 174, the control unit 150 controls the engine E, the transmission 121, the steering device 122, the lifting device 13, and the like so that the tractor 1 performs work while traveling along the planned travel route R1 stored in the storage unit. The planned travel route R1 is set according to the shape and size of the field, the width, length, and number of ridges formed in the field, and the type of crop. Furthermore, the control unit 150 sets in advance the turning radius of the tractor 1 (traveling body 2) when moving in the field.

[0032] As described above, the control unit 150 is wirelessly connected to, for example, a portable terminal device 160 that can be carried by the operator, via the communication unit 155, and the remote control 161 and communication antenna 156. The control unit 150 controls each part of the tractor 1 based on an instruction signal from the portable terminal device 160 operated by the operator. The control unit 150 may have a machine information database of the tractor 1, and may be configured to be able to transmit and receive information such as the model from the portable terminal device 160, etc.

[0033] 5A is a rear view of the vicinity of the roof of the tractor according to the embodiment when the rear camera stay is in the use position. (B) is a rear view of the vicinity of the roof of the work vehicle according to the embodiment when the rear camera stay is in the storage position. The rear camera 103 and the communication antenna 156 are attached to the rear end of the roof 27 via the rear camera stay 141, and the rear camera stay 141 is configured to be switchable between the use position and the storage position by being detached with a bolt 141a.

[0034] When the rear camera stay 141 is attached in the usage position, the lens portion 103a of the rear camera 103 is positioned above the upper end of the license plate stay 131, enabling it to capture an image behind the traveling vehicle body 2. In addition, in the usage position, the communication antenna 156 is positioned at a position higher than the height of the top surface of the roof 27, enabling it to receive radio waves from the remote control 161 satisfactorily.

[0035] On the other hand, when the camera is installed in the stored position, a part of the lens portion 103a of the rear camera 103 overlaps with the license plate stay 131 in the rear view, and the communication antenna 156 is located below the upper end of the roof 27. Therefore, when the entire vehicle is covered, the load of the cover is applied to the upper end of the roof 27, the license plate stay 131, and the rear camera stay 141, and the rear camera 103 and the communication antenna 156 are hardly loaded. This protects the communication antenna 156 even when the entire vehicle is covered, and also prevents the mounting angle of the rear camera 103 from being shifted. This prevents the occurrence of troublesome work such as readjusting the angle of the camera 103 every time the cover is removed.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the roof of the tractor according to the embodiment. A stacked light 180 is attached to the side of the roof 27, and a reflector 183 is provided on the inner side thereof. This prevents the stacked light 180 from blending into the background and impairing visibility. As shown in FIG. 6, the positioning device stay 173 may be disposed at the front upper part of the roof 27, and the positioning device 174 and the camera controller 157 may be arranged in front and behind. The camera controller 157 has a function of processing signals of images captured by the front camera 102, the rear camera 103, etc., and converting them into data that can be transmitted to the mobile terminal device 160. The front camera 102 may be attached to the front end part of the roof 27, or may be attached to the front part of the positioning device stay 173.

[0037] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the step and its surroundings on the left side of the tractor according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 shows another embodiment with a different configuration from the tractor shown in FIG. 1. A urea water tank 24 (see FIG. 1), not shown, is disposed in front of a fuel tank 21 (see FIG. 1), not shown, and a urea water tank cover 25 is provided to cover the urea water tank 24. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, if a direction perpendicularly intersecting on a horizontal plane with the forward and backward travel direction of the tractor 1 is taken as the left-right direction, a left side sensor stay 119 is attached to the left side of the urea water tank cover 25. A front side obstacle sensor 109a is attached to the left side sensor stay 119, and the front side obstacle sensor 109a is located below the floor 28 and in front of the fuel tank 21 and the step portion 21a of the fuel tank 21. This allows accurate detection of obstacles between the front wheels 6 and the rear wheels 7, people trying to get on and off, etc.

[0038] 8 is a perspective view of the area around the step on the right side of the tractor according to the embodiment. The urea water tank 24 and the urea water tank cover 25 were disposed on the left side of the tractor 1, but not on the right side. The right front side obstacle sensor 109a is attached below the floor 28 via a right side sensor stay 120 attached to the front part of the top step of the right step 23. This makes it possible to accurately detect obstacles between the front wheels 6 and rear wheels 7, people trying to get on and off, etc., even on the right side of the tractor 1.

[0039] 9 is a perspective view of the obstacle sensor stay and its surroundings of the tractor according to the embodiment. The support frame 108b of the obstacle sensor stay 108 is composed of a lower part extending diagonally forward from the weight bracket and an upper part extending vertically, and two of them are paired on the left and right. An L-shaped sensor attachment part 125 is welded and fixed to the rear side of the upper part of the left and right support frames 108b, and a U-shaped front sensor stay 126 is fixed to the inside of the left and right sensor attachment parts 125 with bolts. The first front obstacle sensor 105a is attached to the front sensor stay 126, and the hole through which the bolt of the sensor attachment part 125 is passed is an elongated hole, so that the mounting angle of the front sensor stay 126 can be adjusted.

[0040] 9, the first front obstacle sensor 105a is a millimeter wave radar and is attached behind the front end of the support frame 108b, so that it is protected from contact with obstacles in front. The second front obstacle sensor 105b, which is an ultrasonic sensor, is located forward of the first front obstacle sensor 105a, so that it can have a wider detection range.

[0041] 10 is a perspective view of the inside of the cabin of the tractor according to the embodiment, seen from the left side. A mobile terminal device 160 and an automatic driving operation unit 162 that can perform operations related to automatic driving from inside the vehicle are attached to a mounting plate 263 that is attached across a rear support 261 and an intermediate support 262 of the cabin 26.

[0042] 11 is a perspective view of the inside of the cabin of the tractor according to the embodiment, seen from the upper front. Various control devices that process information from sensors mounted on the tractor 1 are arranged on the rear wall 264 behind the cabin 26. A radar signal processor 165 that processes signals from the first front obstacle sensor 105a is attached to the left side of the rear wall 264, and above that, an ultrasonic signal processor 168 that processes signals from the second front obstacle sensor 105b, a fuse box 170, and a relay 169 are arranged side by side. An automatic driving ECU 154 that performs processing related to automatic driving is attached to the lower part on the right side of the rear wall 264, and above that, a router 171 that can be connected to an Internet line and a communication unit 155 that communicates with the remote control 161 are arranged side by side.

[0043] In the embodiment of Figure 11, a positioning device stay 173 is attached to the upper front part of the roof 27, a forward camera 102 is attached to the front of the positioning device stay 173, and a positioning device 174 is attached to the upper surface, and a camera controller 157 is provided behind the positioning device 174 for processing the camera signals and communicating wirelessly. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Tractor (work vehicle) 26 Cabin 27 Roof 103 Rear Camera 103a Lens section 131 Number plate stay 156 Communication Antenna

Claims

1. A cabin in which the driver sits; A roof on the upper part of the cabin; A rear camera and a communication antenna are provided at the rear end of the roof, the rear camera and the communication antenna protruding above the rear end of the roof, The rear camera stay for mounting the rear camera and the communication antenna is configured to be replaceable by rotating it around a front-rear axis. Work vehicle.

2. A license plate stay is provided behind the rear camera for attaching a license plate thereto, The rear camera stay is configured to be rotatable between a use position and a storage position, In the use position, the lens portion of the rear camera protrudes upward from the upper end of the license plate stay, In the stored position, at least a part of the lens of the rear camera overlaps with the license plate stay in a rear view, and the communication antenna is located below the upper end of the roof. A work vehicle according to claim 1.

Images