Work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle capable of independently controlling planting material supply and assistant material supply in a row unit.SOLUTION: A work vehicle for supplying a planting material and an assistant material to a farm field includes: a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power from a power source to a transplanting apparatus PU and an assistant material supply apparatus FU; A clutch control unit 55 for controlling planting material supply number-of-rows adjusting clutches MC1 and C11-C14, and assistant material supply number-of-rows adjusting clutches MC2 and C21-C24; an operation setting unit 62 for setting the operation propriety of the transplanting apparatus PU and the assistant material supply apparatus FU independently, and outputting the operation propriety information; and a clutch adjusting unit 56 for giving a first prohibition command to prohibit the power transmission of the planting material supply number-of-rows adjusting clutches MC1 and C11-C14, and a second prohibition command to prohibit the power transmission of the assistant material supply number-of-rows adjusting clutches MC2, C21-C24 to the clutch control unit 55 independently of each other on the basis of the operation propriety information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle that supplies sowing materials and auxiliary materials to a farm field while traveling. [Background technology]

[0002] The seedling planting device that plants (supplies) seedlings, which are planting materials, into the field, and the fertilizer applicator that supplies fertilizer, which is an auxiliary material, are equipped with multiple row-based planting units and fertilizer applicator units. For example, an 8-row rice transplanter has four 2-row planting units and four fertilizer applicator units. By controlling the operation of each of these units on and off (for example, by controlling the operation of clutch on and off), it is possible to plant seedlings and apply fertilizer in the desired number of rows.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that various patterns of supplying materials to a field can be created by using the above-mentioned configuration of the rice transplanter and controlling the clutch for each row. In (a) in FIG. 61 of Patent Document 1, all of the planting mechanisms (planting claws) for eight rows are in operation (all of the clutches for each row are on), and eight planting tracks are formed. In (b), the planting mechanisms 22 for the two rows on the left side are inoperative (the clutches for each row are off), and six planting tracks are formed. In (c), the planting mechanisms 22 for the four rows on the left side are inoperative (the clutches for each row are off), and four planting tracks are formed. In (d), the planting mechanisms 22 are deactivated sequentially from the left side, and a triangular planting track is formed. In (e), the planting mechanisms are deactivated sequentially from the left side, and then activated sequentially, and a planting track with a curved side is formed. Such clutch control also makes it possible to form planting tracks with stepped, convex, or concave sides. At the same time, fertilizer marks using the fertilizer applicator and spray marks using the pesticide sprayer are also formed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-108621 A (Figure 61) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the field shape is other than rectangular or when there are obstacles to travel, clutch on / off control enables planting material supply (planting seedlings, sowing, etc.) and auxiliary material supply (fertilization, spraying chemicals, etc.) to be made along the irregular field shape or obstacle shape. Similarly, clutch on / off control is also used for supply work travel in a narrow unsupplied area adjacent to a supplied area. However, due to the structure of the planting material supply device and auxiliary material supply device, a delay occurs in the actual material supply process and auxiliary material supply process in the control from clutch off to clutch on, and a missing area occurs where planting material or auxiliary material is not supplied to the field. When a missing area of ​​seedlings or seeds occurs, the field looks unsightly and the yield is also affected. In contrast, overlapping areas where seedlings or seeds are supplied overlapping are not so much of a problem. Conversely, missing areas of fertilizer or chemicals are not so much of a problem, but the overlapping areas are problematic because they can cause growth disorders.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, there is a demand for a work vehicle that can independently control the supply of planting materials and the supply of auxiliary materials on a row-by-row basis. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The work vehicle according to the present invention, which supplies sowing materials and auxiliary materials to a field while traveling, comprises a power transmission mechanism that transmits power from a power source to a transplanting device and an auxiliary material supplying device, a planting material supply row number adjustment clutch interposed in the power transmission mechanism, an auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch interposed in the power transmission mechanism, a clutch control unit that controls the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch and the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch, an operation setting unit that independently sets the operation enable / disable of the transplanting device and the auxiliary material supplying device and outputs operation enable / disable information indicating the setting content, and a clutch adjustment unit that independently issues a first prohibition command that prohibits the power transmission of the sowing material supply row number adjustment clutch and a second prohibition command that prohibits the power transmission of the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch based on the operation enable / disable information to the clutch control unit.

[0008] According to this configuration, the seeding material supply row number adjusting clutch and the auxiliary material supply row number adjusting clutch can be controlled independently of each other. That is, the supply of seeding materials to the field is stopped by issuing a first prohibition command that prohibits the power transmission of the seeding material supply row number adjusting clutch, and the supply of auxiliary materials to the field is stopped by issuing a second prohibition command that prohibits the power transmission of the auxiliary material supply row number adjusting clutch. By changing the combination of the first prohibition command and the second prohibition command, various material supply patterns to the field can be realized.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the material supply travel in the overlapping travel path portion where the following material supply travel path overlaps the preceding material supply travel path, the power transmission of the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch is maintained and the power transmission of the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch is prohibited. In this embodiment, it is possible to meet the requirements of an agricultural manager who, for example, can tolerate the occurrence of overlapping areas of seedlings or seeds but cannot tolerate the occurrence of missing areas of seedlings or seeds, and can tolerate the occurrence of missing areas of fertilizer or chemicals but cannot tolerate the occurrence of overlapping areas of fertilizer or chemicals.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the operation setting unit manually sets whether or not the operation is allowed, and this configuration makes it possible to independently perform a combination of permission and prohibition of the supply of sowing materials and auxiliary materials to a farm field based on the farm field conditions, the agricultural manager's preferences, etc.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automatic driving control unit controls automatic driving along a target driving route, and a route status determination unit determines the route status of the target driving route, and the operation setting unit automatically sets the operation possibility based on the result of the situation determination by the route status determination unit. In this configuration, the operation possibility of the transplantation device and the auxiliary material supply device is automatically set by estimating overlapping areas and missing areas based on the route status of the target driving route, for example, the route status for supply work driving in a narrow unsupplied area adjacent to a supplied area, so that it is convenient because it does not require much effort to set.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transplanting device has a plurality of transplanting units corresponding to the rows formed in the field, the sowing material supply row number adjustment clutch is composed of a plurality of sowing material supply row number adjustment clutch units corresponding to the transplanting units, and the operation setting unit can individually set the operation of the plurality of transplanting units in order to adjust the number of material supply rows. According to this configuration, the operation of each unit is individually set, so that the material supply pattern shown in Figure 61 of Patent Document 1 can be realized by the sowing material alone.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary material supply device has a plurality of auxiliary material units corresponding to the rows formed in the field, the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch is composed of a plurality of auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches corresponding to the auxiliary material units in order to adjust the number of material supply rows, and the operation setting unit can individually set the operation of the plurality of auxiliary material units. According to this configuration, the operation of each unit is individually set, so that the material supply pattern shown in FIG. 61 of Patent Document 1 can be realized by the auxiliary material alone. Furthermore, by combining this configuration with the above-mentioned transplanting unit configuration, a composite combination in which the material supply pattern shown in FIG. 61 of Patent Document 1 is applied to both the planting material supply and the auxiliary material can be realized.

[0014] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the transplanting device is either a seedling planting device or a sowing device, and the auxiliary material supplying device is either a fertilizing device or a chemical spraying device, or both. In this embodiment, the need to avoid the occurrence of a seedling or seed-depleted area and the occurrence of a fertilizer or chemical overlapping area can be easily solved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of an automatically-traveling rice transplanter. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the travel path of a rice transplanter in a farm field. [Diagram 3] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a power transmission system that transmits power from a power source to a seedling planting device and a fertilizer application device. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a control system of the rice transplanter. [Diagram 5] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of information in the operation enable / disable control of the seedling planting device and the fertilizer application device. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a screen diagram showing a screen for setting the operation of the sowing material supply row number adjustment clutch and the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, "front" means forward in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle body, and "rear" means rearward in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle body. In other words, the fore-aft direction of the vehicle body is the traveling direction, with the forward direction indicated by arrow F in FIG. 1 and the reverse direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 1. In addition, the left-right direction or lateral direction means the transverse direction of the vehicle body (vehicle body width direction) perpendicular to the fore-aft direction of the vehicle body. "Up" or "down" refers to the positional relationship in the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) of the vehicle body, and indicates the relationship regarding the height above the ground.

[0017] Next, one specific embodiment of the work vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a side view of a transplanter (hereinafter simply referred to as a rice transplanter) that automatically travels in a field, which is an example of the work vehicle.

[0018] [Overall structure] As shown in Fig. 1, the rice transplanter is a riding type four-wheel drive vehicle. A link mechanism 13 of a parallel four-link type connected so as to be able to rise and fall and swing is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 1, and a seedling planting device 3 is attached to the rear end region of the link mechanism 13 so as to be able to roll. In addition, a fertilizer 4 is installed from the rear end region of the vehicle body 1 to the seedling planting device 3, and a chemical sprayer 30 is installed at the rear end region of the seedling planting device 3. The seedling planting device 3 is an example of a sowing material supplying device, and the fertilizer 4 and the chemical sprayer 30 are examples of auxiliary material supplying devices.

[0019] The vehicle body 1 includes an engine 2 as a power source, wheels 12 as a mechanism for traveling, and a hydraulic continuously variable transmission 9 as a main transmission. The continuously variable transmission 9 is, for example, an HST (Hydro-Static Transmission), and changes the driving force (rotation speed) output from the engine 2 by adjusting the angles of a motor swash plate and a pump swash plate. The wheels 12 include left and right front wheels 12A that can be steered, and left and right rear wheels 12B that cannot be steered. The engine 2 and the continuously variable transmission 9 are mounted on the front of the vehicle body 1. Power from the engine 2 is supplied to the front wheels 12A, rear wheels 12B, working equipment, etc. via the continuously variable transmission 9 and the like.

[0020] As an example, the seedling planting device 3 is configured for 8-row planting. The seedling planting device 3 includes a seedling placement table 21, a planting mechanism 22 for 8 rows, etc. This seedling planting device 3 can be changed to a 2-row, 4-row, 6-row, etc. planting format by clutch control.

[0021] The seedling placement table 21 is a base on which eight rows of mat-shaped seedlings are placed. The seedling placement table 21 moves back and forth in the left-right direction with a constant stroke corresponding to the left-right width of the mat-shaped seedlings, and the vertical feed mechanism 23 vertically feeds each mat-shaped seedling on the seedling placement table 21 toward the lower end of the seedling placement table 21 at a predetermined pitch each time the seedling placement table 21 reaches the left-right stroke end. The eight planting mechanisms 22 are rotary type and are arranged in the left-right direction at a constant interval corresponding to the spacing between the planting rows. Each planting mechanism 22 receives driving force from the engine 2 when the seedling planting clutch is in a transmission state, and cuts one seedling (also called a planted seedling) from the lower end of each mat-shaped seedling placed on the seedling placement table 21 and plants it in the muddy soil after leveling.

[0022] The fertilizer application device 4 includes a horizontally long hopper 25, a delivery mechanism 26, an electric blower 27, multiple fertilizer application hoses 28, and a furrow former 29 for each row. The hopper 25 stores granular or powdered fertilizer. The delivery mechanism 26 delivers a predetermined amount of fertilizer from the hopper 25 for two rows at a time.

[0023] The blower 27 generates a conveying wind that conveys the fertilizer delivered by each delivery mechanism 26 toward the muddy surface of the field. The fertilizer applicator 4 also includes a clutch mechanism, which will be described in detail later, that switches between an operable state in which the fertilizer stored in the hopper 25 is delivered to the field in predetermined amounts at a time, and an inoperable state in which the delivery is stopped.

[0024] The vehicle body 1 is provided with a driving section 14 in its rear side area. The driving section 14 is provided with a steering wheel 10 for steering the front wheels, a main speed change lever 7A for adjusting the vehicle speed by changing the speed of the continuously variable transmission 9, an auxiliary speed change lever 7B for enabling the auxiliary speed change operation, an operation operation lever 11 for enabling the raising and lowering operation of the seedling planting device 3 and switching of the operating state, an on-board terminal 6 for displaying (informing) various information and informing (outputting) the operator and for receiving input of various information, and a driver's seat 16 for the operation manager (driver / operator). Furthermore, in front of the driving section 14, a spare seedling storage device 15 for storing spare seedlings is supported on a spare seedling support frame 17.

[0025] The steering wheel 10 is connected to the front wheels 12A via a steering mechanism (not shown), and the steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted by rotating the steering wheel 10.

[0026] The spare seedling support frame 17 has a two-tiered structure consisting of a base frame 17a and an arch-shaped upper frame 17b attached to the upper end of the base frame 17a. The upper frame 17b is made up of a pair of left and right legs and a cross beam connecting the legs. It is located at a height diagonally above and in front of the driving unit 14.

[0027] The positioning unit 8 is attached to the cross beam of the upper frame 17b. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a remote control receiver 9A (see FIG. 4) is attached to the cross beam of the upper frame 17b side by side with the positioning unit 8. A storage container 18 is attached below the positioning unit 8. In order to use the positioning unit 8 as a satellite positioning unit, a satellite positioning module 8A (see FIG. 4) provided in the positioning unit 8 adopts a network type RTK-GNSS positioning method (VRS method), so that a virtual reference point data receiving unit used in the VRS method is stored in the storage container 18. A stacked light 19 is attached to the top of the base frame 17a in the lower area of ​​the storage container 18.

[0028] This rice transplanter can perform manual or automatic driving. In manual driving, the driver manually operates the steering wheel 10, the main shift lever 7A, the sub-shift lever 7B, the work operation lever 11, and other operating tools to drive the rice transplanter for work. In automatic driving, the rice transplanter performs work while driving under automatic control along a preset driving route. In addition, automatic driving can be performed in manned automatic driving (manned automatic driving mode) that requires a driver to be on board, and in unmanned automatic driving (unmanned automatic driving mode) that does not require a driver to be on board. In manned automatic driving, the driver performs some operations according to guidance provided by the rice transplanter, while the rice transplanter automatically controls other operations associated with driving and work. In unmanned automatic driving, a driver does not need to be on board, but a driver may be on board during unmanned automatic driving.

[0029] [Route] FIG. 2 shows a travel path when the rice transplanter travels through a field while performing seedling planting and fertilizing operations. This field is surrounded by a boundary line SH of a boundary object such as a bank, and the boundary line SH is set as the side of the field. In the example of FIG. 2, the field is rectangular, and the sides of the field are a basic side SH0 (lower side) and the other three remaining sides. The remaining sides are a left side SH1, an upper side SH2, and a right side SH3. The basic side SH0 is in contact with a farm road, and an entrance and exit for the field work machine is formed in the end area. The basic side SH0 also serves as a supply side for supplying seedlings and fertilizer. The rice transplanter travels substantially along this travel path with a predetermined work width, thereby completing the work of the entire field (seedling planting, fertilizing, spraying chemicals, etc.).

[0030] The field is divided into an outer peripheral area OA and an inner area IA located inside the outer peripheral area OA. In the example of FIG. 2, two circular travel routes CR are set for the rice transplanter to travel around the outer peripheral area OA. Work in the inner area IA is performed by a round-trip travel route IR consisting of multiple inner routes IRS parallel to the left side SH1, which is one of the remaining sides, and a turning route IRT connecting the two inner routes IRS. The round-trip travel route IR starts at a starting point S and ends at an end point G. The inner route IRS is also called a straight route, but it does not necessarily have to be a straight line, and may be, for example, a large arc-shaped line or may have a bend along the way. The turning route IRT is essentially a 180° direction change route and is located in the outer peripheral area OA.

[0031] In order to actually generate the travel routes shown in FIG. 2, that is, the circular travel route CR and the round trip travel route IR, it is necessary to calculate accurate field shape and map coordinates of the boundary line SH. For example, the field shape is calculated based on the basic side travel trajectory acquired by the basic side travel, which is a non-work travel along the basic side SH0, and the remaining side travel trajectory acquired by the remaining side travel, which is a work travel along the remaining side. In the example of FIG. 2, the outermost circumferential travel route OC consisting of the basic side travel and the remaining side travel, and the first circular travel route C1 inside the outermost circumferential travel route OC are set in the outer periphery area OA. The number of circular travel routes CR is determined by the required space for the turning route IRT of the round trip travel route IR, that is, the space required for the turning travel of the rice transplanter. In Figure 2, the number of circular driving routes CR is two, but if the number of circular driving routes CR is set to three, the outermost circular driving route OC, a first circular driving route C1 inside the outermost circular driving route OC, and a second circular driving route inside the first circular driving route C1 are set in the outer circumferential area OA.

[0032] In actual field work, when the rice transplanter enters the field, the driver first manually steers the rice transplanter along the basic side SH0 of the outermost circular travel path OC without working, thereby obtaining a basic side travel trajectory. Next, the driver manually steers the rice transplanter along the remaining sides SH1, SH2, and SH3 of the outermost circular travel path OC while working, thereby obtaining a remaining side travel trajectory. The field shape is calculated based on the basic side travel trajectory and the remaining side travel trajectory, which are the travel trajectories during the outermost circular travel.

[0033] When the field shape is calculated, the number of circular travel routes CR is determined based on the space required for turning travel on the round trip travel route IR or based on the intention of the work manager. In the example of FIG. 2, the number of circular travel routes CR excluding the outermost circular travel route OC is one, and in the example of FIG. 3, it is two. Therefore, in FIG. 2, the outer periphery area OA is an area in which two circular travel routes CR are set. In either case, the inner area IA is set inside the outer periphery area OA. When the inner area IA is set, a round trip travel route IR is generated for automatically traveling round trip through this inner area IA from the start point S to the end point G.

[0034] When turning (here, a 90° turn) on the circular travel route CR or turning (here, a U-turn) on the turning route IRT of the round trip travel route IR, the seedling planting device 3 is changed to an elevated position, and the seedling planting work (planting material supply work) and fertilization work (auxiliary material supply work) are stopped. The seedling planting work and fertilization work can be switched between an operating state and a non-operating state by a clutch mechanism described below.

[0035] [Working power transmission system] As shown in FIG. 3, this rice transplanter includes a power transmission mechanism PTM that transmits power from an engine 2, which is an example of a power source, to a seedling planting device 3, which is an example of a transplanting material supplying device, and a fertilizer applicator 4, which is an example of an auxiliary material supplying device. The transplanting material supplying device includes a sowing device in addition to the seedling planting device 3, and the auxiliary material supplying device includes a chemical spraying device 30 in addition to the fertilizer applicator 4. The power transmission mechanism PTM is provided with a planting material supply row number adjustment clutch MC1, C11-C14 that blocks the operation of the seedling planting device 3, and an auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch MC2, C21-C24 that blocks the operation of the fertilizer applicator 4. The upstream planting material supply row number adjustment clutch, which is the main clutch, is given the symbol C1, and the four downstream planting material supply row number adjustment clutches are given the symbols C11-C14. The upstream auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch, which is the main clutch, is given the reference symbol C2, and the four downstream auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches are given the reference symbols C21 to C24. The upstream planting material supply row number adjustment clutch and the upstream auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch can be omitted. If an electric motor or the like is used as a power source for an auxiliary material supply device such as the fertilizer applicator 4, the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches MC2 and C21-C24 can be replaced with an ON / OFF controller for such an electric motor or an electromagnetic clutch provided on the power supply shaft from the electric motor.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the seedling planting device 3 has a plurality of (four in FIG. 3) transplanting units PU corresponding to the rows formed in the field, and the downstream side planting material supply row number adjustment clutch is composed of a plurality of (four in FIG. 3) planting material supply row number adjustment clutch units (given reference numbers C21-C24) corresponding to the transplanting units PU. This transplanting unit PU plants two rows of seedlings. Similarly, the fertilizing device 4 has a plurality of (four in FIG. 3) auxiliary material units FU corresponding to the rows formed in the field, and the downstream side auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch is composed of a plurality of (four in FIG. 3) auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch units (given reference numbers C21-C24) corresponding to the auxiliary material units FU. This auxiliary material unit FU fertilizes two rows.

[0037] With this configuration, seedling planting by the seedling planting device 3 and fertilization by the fertilizer applicator 4 can be selected independently for every two rows. This makes it possible to select an operation mode in which seedling planting by the seedling planting device 3 and fertilization by the fertilizer applicator 4 are performed simultaneously, an operation mode in which only seedling planting by the seedling planting device 3 is performed, and an operation mode in which only fertilization by the fertilizer applicator 4 is performed. Note that seedling planting by the seedling planting device 3 and fertilization by the fertilizer applicator 4 may be configured to be selectable independently for every row, or every row or three or more rows. In other words, the transplanting unit PU and the auxiliary material unit FU can be unitized to plant seedlings and apply fertilizer to rows other than two, one, or three or more rows.

[0038] [Control system] Next, the control system of the rice transplanter will be explained using Figure 4.

[0039] The control system of the rice transplanter includes a control unit 5 that controls various operations of the rice transplanter, and an on-board terminal 6 that can exchange data with the control unit 5. A driving control system is constructed by the control unit 5 and the on-board terminal 6. Signals from a positioning unit 8, a manual operation tool sensor group 31, a driving sensor group 32, a work sensor group 33, etc. are input to the control unit 5. Control signals are output from the control unit 5 to the driving equipment group 1A and the work equipment group 1B.

[0040] The positioning unit 8 includes a satellite positioning module 8A that receives radio waves from satellites of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and an inertial measurement module 8B that detects the inclination and acceleration of the three axes of the vehicle body 1. The control unit 5 obtains positioning data for calculating the position and orientation (forward / rearward orientation of the vehicle body) of the vehicle body 1 from the satellite positioning module 8A of the positioning unit 8, and obtains inertial measurement data relating to the inclination and acceleration of the three axes of the vehicle body 1 from the inertial measurement module 8B. Here, it is assumed that the positioning data received by the positioning unit 8 also includes the inertial measurement data.

[0041] The group of traveling devices 1A includes a steering device and a transmission device. Based on control signals from the control unit 5, various devices are controlled, and the traveling of the vehicle body 1 is controlled.

[0042] The work equipment group 1B includes equipment for adjusting the lifting and lowering of the seedling planting device 3, adjusting the amount of seedlings picked up by the planting mechanism 22, adjusting the amount of fertilizer delivered, switching control of the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch MC1, C11-C14, and switching control of the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch MC2, C21-C24 which cuts off the operation of the fertilizer application device 4.

[0043] The manual operation tool sensor group 31 includes sensors and switches that detect the operation state of various manual operation tools. The travel sensor group 32 includes various sensors that detect the state of the steering angle, vehicle speed, engine RPM, etc. The work sensor group 33 includes various sensors that detect the state of the link mechanism 13, the seedling planting device 3, the fertilizer applicator 4, etc.

[0044] The control unit 5 includes a driving control unit 50, an operation control unit 51, a vehicle body position calculation unit 52, a driving route setting unit 53, a route condition determination unit 54, a clutch control unit 55, and a clutch adjustment unit 56.

[0045] In automatic driving, the work control unit 51 automatically controls the work equipment group 1B based on a program provided in advance, and in manual driving, it controls the work equipment group 1B based on the operation of the driver.

[0046] The vehicle body position calculation unit 52 calculates the map coordinates (vehicle body position) of the vehicle body 1 based on the satellite positioning data and inertial navigation data successively sent from the positioning unit 8. The map coordinates may be coordinates in a field coordinate system or a specific coordinate system, as well as latitude and longitude. Based on the vehicle body position calculated by the vehicle body position calculation unit 52, a travel trajectory of the vehicle body 1 is generated and stored. The travel trajectory of the vehicle body 1 is transferred to the in-vehicle terminal 6.

[0047] The driving route setting unit 53 receives and manages the driving routes generated by the in-vehicle terminal 6, and sequentially sets the driving routes that are targets for automatic driving control as target driving routes.

[0048] The route status determination unit 54 determines the route status of the target travel route set by the travel route setting unit 53. The determination of the route status here means a determination of whether the work traces on two different travel routes at least partially overlap, and a determination of whether the travel route requires travel with a reduced number of work rows. The former determination can be made by comparing the work traces (seedling planting traces and fertilizer application traces) from the work travel along the travel route with the estimated work traces from the next work travel, and the latter determination can be made by comparing the distance from the travel route to an obstacle or boundary line and the work width. The status determination result is used to determine whether or not the above-mentioned seedling planting device 3 (transplanting device) and fertilizer application device 4 (auxiliary material supply device) can be operated in a specified travel route section.

[0049] The clutch control unit 55 uses the generated control signal to control the seeding material supply row number adjustment clutches MC1, C11-C14 and the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches MC2, C21-C24. In this embodiment, the clutch adjustment unit 56 generates a first prohibition command for prohibiting the power transmission of the seeding material supply row number adjustment clutches MC1, C11-C14 and a second prohibition command for prohibiting the power transmission of the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches MC2, C21-C24 independently of each other based on the operation possibility information output from the operation setting unit 62 provided in the vehicle-mounted terminal 6, and gives them to the clutch control unit 55. As a result, in a special area where work traces from different travel routes overlap, or in an area where it would be necessary to travel with a reduced number of work rows in the past, it is possible to intentionally create an overlapping area where auxiliary materials are overlapped and a missing area where seeding materials are missing. Therefore, the travel route can be used as a work travel route (material supply travel route) for travelling while supplying materials, and a non-work travel route for not supplying materials. For example, in this embodiment, by cooperation between the clutch control unit 55 and the clutch adjustment unit 56, during material supply travel in an overlapping travel route portion where the following material supply travel route overlaps the preceding material supply travel route, the power transmission of the planting material supply row number adjustment clutches MC1, C11-C14 is maintained, and the power transmission of the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches MC2, C21-C24 is prohibited.

[0050] The travel control unit 50 includes an automatic travel control unit 50A, a manual travel control unit 50B, and a control management unit 50C. The travel of this rice transplanter can be switched between an automatic travel mode for automatic travel and a manual travel mode for manual travel. The control management unit 50C selects either the automatic travel mode or the manual travel mode based on the state of a travel mode switching operation tool (not shown) or commands from other functional units of the control unit 5.

[0051] The manual driving control unit 50B used in the manual driving mode controls the steering equipment based on the amount of operation of the steering wheel 10, and also controls the transmission equipment based on the operation of manual operating tools such as the main shift lever 7A and the sub shift lever 7B.

[0052] The automatic driving control unit 50A used in the automatic driving mode has a route tracking steering function and a turning automatic steering function. The automatic driving control unit 50A performs route tracking control so that the vehicle body 1 travels along the target driving route set in the driving route setting unit 53. In this route tracking control, the vehicle body position calculated by the vehicle body position calculation unit 52 is used to calculate the position deviation (lateral deviation from the target driving route) and the orientation deviation (deviation angle of the vehicle body orientation from the orientation of the target driving route) of the vehicle body 1 with respect to the target driving route, and steering control is performed so that the position deviation and orientation deviation are reduced.

[0053] The in-vehicle terminal 6 is a communication terminal equipped with a touch panel 6A, and can be removed from the vehicle body 1 and used as a remote control device for operating the vehicle body 1. The in-vehicle terminal 6 has a graphic interface, and has a function of displaying and inputting information through the touch panel 6A, and a function as an input / output interface for data to the control unit 5.

[0054] In this embodiment, the in-vehicle terminal 6 is provided with a driving route creation unit 61, an operation setting unit 62, and an operation screen management unit 63, which are essentially applications installed in the in-vehicle terminal 6.

[0055] The travel path creation unit 61 sets the outer periphery area OA and the inner area IA based on the field shape included in the acquired field information or the field shape calculated by teaching travel. The field information includes the location of the field, the name of the field, the entrance (exit) position of the field, and the place that can be used for supplying seedlings and fertilizer. Furthermore, the travel path creation unit 61 has a circular travel path generation function for generating a circular travel path CR for automatically traveling around the outer periphery area OA for work, and a function for generating a round trip travel path IR for automatically traveling round trip in the inner area IA for work. At that time, if the field has a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 2, the travel path creation unit 61 automatically or manually sets the basic side SH0 as the material supply side, and sets the sides SH other than the basic side SH0 as the remaining sides SH1, SH2, and SH1.

[0056] As described above, the operation setting unit 62 sets whether or not the seedling planting device 3 (transplanting device) and the fertilizer application device 4 (auxiliary material supplying device) are operable independently, and provides operation information indicating the setting contents to the clutch control unit 55. Specifically, the operation setting unit 62 can individually set whether or not the four transplanting units PU and the four auxiliary material units FU are operable. Furthermore, the operation setting unit 62 can also set the operation whether or not through manual operation. The operation setting unit 62 can also automatically set whether or not the operation is operable based on the result of the situation determination by the route situation determination unit 54.

[0057] The operation screen management unit 63 generates and manages the operation screen used when displaying and inputting information via the touch panel 6A.

[0058] Next, the flow of information in the control of the sowing material supply row number adjustment clutch MC1, C11-C14 and the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch MC2, C21-C24 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. When the result of the determination by the path condition determination unit 54 is given to the operation setting unit 62, the operation setting unit 62 generates operation availability information indicating whether the seedling planting device 3 (transplanting device) and the fertilizer application device 4 (auxiliary material supply device) can be operated.

[0059] The operation setting unit 62 can also generate operation availability information based on an operation setting command set manually using an operation screen such as that shown in Fig. 6, without using the determination result from the route status determination unit 54. The following selections are possible through this operation screen. (1) “Seedlings / fertilizer” This mode adjusts (sets) both the number of rows of the sowing material supply adjustment clutch MC1, C11-C14 and the number of rows of the auxiliary material supply adjustment clutch MC2, C21-C24. The individual operation settings for the multiple transplanting units PU and auxiliary material units FU, that is, the operation settings for each row, are performed through an individual unit setting screen not shown here. (2) "Fertilizer only" In this mode, the planting material supply row number adjustment clutches MC1 and C11-C14 are not adjusted (i.e., power is not cut off), and only the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches MC2 and C21-C24 are adjusted. In this case, individual operation settings for the auxiliary material units FU, that is, the operation settings for each row, are made through the individual unit setting screen. On the individual unit setting screen, only the auxiliary material units FU set to power transmission supply auxiliary materials (fertilizer). If the power of all auxiliary material units FU is cut off, auxiliary materials are not supplied, and as a result, overlapping areas of seedlings and areas lacking fertilizer are created. (3) "OFF" This mode does not adjust the number of seeding material supply rows adjusting clutch MC1, C11-C14 and the number of auxiliary material supply rows adjusting clutch MC2, C21-C24. In other words, this is the normal mode in which both seeding material (seedlings) and auxiliary material (fertilizer) are supplied to the field.

[0060] Since the operation settings for the individual units (operation settings for each row) described above are not performed frequently, it is convenient to set them as defaults in advance and allow the settings to be changed only in the maintenance mode or the like.

[0061] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, the field shape is rectangular, but it may be a parallelogram or a trapezoid.

[0062] (2) In the above-described embodiment, among the control function units related to the supply of sowing materials and auxiliary materials, the operation setting unit 62 is provided in the vehicle-mounted terminal 6, and the route status determination unit 54, clutch control unit 55, and clutch adjustment unit 56 are provided in the control unit 5. Alternatively, all of the control function units related to the supply of sowing materials and auxiliary materials may be provided in the control unit 5, or the route status determination unit 54 may be provided in the vehicle-mounted terminal 6. Furthermore, it is also possible to incorporate the functions of the vehicle-mounted terminal 6 in the control unit 5.

[0063] (3) The other control function parts constructed in the control unit 5 shown in Fig. 4 can also be divided into any desired function blocks, or conversely, can be integrated into one control block. In addition, any desired control function part may be made into an ECU, and they may be interconnected via an in-vehicle LAN.

[0064] (4) In the above embodiment, a rice transplanter has been described as an example, but the present invention can be applied to rice transplanters, direct seeding machines, cultivators (which spray chemicals, fertilizers, etc.), and the like.

[0065] In addition, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0066] The present invention can be used in transplanters such as rice transplanters. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 2: Engine (power source) 3: Seedling planting device (transplanting device) 4: Fertilizer application device (auxiliary material supply device) 5: Control unit 6: Vehicle-mounted terminal 6A: Touch panel 30: Chemical spraying device (auxiliary material supply device) 53: Travel route setting unit 54: Route status determination unit 55: Clutch control unit 56: Clutch adjustment part 62: Operation setting section 63: Operation screen management section PU: Transplanting unit (transplanting device, seedling planting device) FU: Auxiliary material unit (auxiliary material supply device, fertilizer application device, chemical spraying device) MC1: Sowing material supply row number adjustment clutch MC2: Auxiliary material supply thread number adjustment clutch PTM: Power transmission mechanism

Claims

1. A work vehicle that supplies planting materials and auxiliary materials to a field while traveling, a power transmission mechanism that transmits power from a power source to the transplantation device and the auxiliary material supply device; A seeding material supply row number adjustment clutch interposed in the power transmission mechanism; an auxiliary material supply thread number adjustment clutch interposed in the power transmission mechanism; A clutch control unit for controlling the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch and the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch; an operation setting unit that sets whether or not the transplantation device and the auxiliary material supply device are operable independently of each other and outputs operation information indicating the setting contents; a clutch adjustment unit that issues a first prohibition command for prohibiting the power transmission of the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch and a second prohibition command for prohibiting the power transmission of the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch to the clutch control unit independently of each other based on the operation possible / prohibited information; A work vehicle equipped with

2. A work vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein during material supply travel in an overlapping travel path portion where a subsequent material supply travel path overlaps with a preceding material supply travel path, power transmission of the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch is maintained and power transmission of the auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutch is prohibited.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the operation setting unit sets whether or not the operation is possible through manual operation.

4. 2. A work vehicle as described in claim 1, comprising an automatic driving control unit that controls automatic driving along a target driving route, and a route status determination unit that determines the route status of the target driving route, wherein the operation setting unit automatically sets whether or not the operation is possible based on the result of the status determination by the route status determination unit.

5. The transplanting device has a plurality of transplanting units corresponding to rows formed in the field, and the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch is composed of a plurality of planting material supply row number adjustment clutch units corresponding to the transplanting units; 2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operation setting unit is capable of individually setting the operation enable / disable of the plurality of transplanting units in order to adjust the number of material supply rows.

6. The auxiliary material supply device has a plurality of auxiliary material units corresponding to the rows formed in the field, and the planting material supply row number adjustment clutch is composed of a plurality of auxiliary material supply row number adjustment clutches corresponding to the auxiliary material units in order to adjust the number of material supply rows; The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the operation setting section is capable of individually setting whether or not each of the plurality of auxiliary material units is operable.

7. 6. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the transplanting device is either a seedling planting device or a sowing device, and the auxiliary material supplying device is either a fertilizing device or a chemical spraying device, or both.

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