Work vehicle
The innovative antenna unit placement in work vehicles, with central GNSS and inertial measurement units and offset wireless communication, addresses mounting inefficiencies and interference, improving detection accuracy and communication reliability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025132111
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-15
- Estimated Expiration
- 2037-02-08
AI Technical Summary
Existing work vehicles equipped with GPS antennas for autonomous driving systems face inefficiencies in mounting and alignment, leading to potential interference and reduced detection accuracy of positioning and communication signals.
The design includes a support frame fixed to the cabin frame, with a GNSS antenna and inertial measurement unit positioned centrally, a wireless communication unit offset to one side, and a base station antenna at the other end, all housed in a compact unit cover, minimizing interference and ensuring accurate signal reception and communication.
This configuration enhances detection accuracy of position and orientation while suppressing radio wave interference, allowing efficient mounting and maintaining reliable communication, even under vibration conditions.
Smart Images

Figure 2025157616000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle equipped with an antenna unit used in an autonomous driving system that uses a global positioning satellite system (GNSS) to acquire position information for a work vehicle such as a tractor, while autonomously driving the work vehicle along a target driving route. [Background technology]
[0002] As an example of a work vehicle that employs the above-mentioned autonomous driving system, the tractor shown in Patent Document 1 has a GPS antenna (GNSS antenna) that acquires satellite positioning information from positioning satellites and is mounted on the upper side of the cabin roof. Specifically, on the upper side of the cabin roof, at the point where a longitudinal line at approximately the center of the vehicle body's tread width intersects with a lateral line at approximately the center of the wheel base, a mounting stay is formed which has a mounting seat with an approximately horizontal surface and is positioned higher than the upper surface of the cabin roof, and a GPS antenna is attached to the mounting seat of this mounting stay. Furthermore, when a GPS antenna having a gyro sensor is used as the GPS antenna, the tilt angle of the cabin roof can also be detected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-2874 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle equipped with an antenna unit that can be mounted efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] A work vehicle according to one aspect includes a support portion, a wireless communication antenna, and a positioning antenna. The support portion is fixed to a body portion. The wireless communication antenna is supported by the support portion while being spaced apart from the body portion. The positioning antenna is supported by the support portion while being spaced apart from the body portion. The positioning antenna is located in the center of the support portion in the longitudinal direction. The wireless communication antenna is located at a position offset to one side of the support portion in the longitudinal direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0006] [Figure 1] Overall side view of the tractor [Figure 2] Control block diagram of the tractor, reference station, and wireless communication terminal [Figure 3] Front view of the tractor antenna unit mounting area [Figure 4] Side view of the tractor's antenna unit mounting area [Figure 5] Vertical cross section of the antenna unit [Figure 6] Cross section of the antenna unit [Figure 7] Exploded perspective view of the antenna unit [Figure 8] Plan view of the antenna unit base plate [Figure 9] Enlarged cross-sectional view of the base station antenna side of the antenna unit [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an antenna unit according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The autonomous driving system shown in Figures 1 and 2 uses a work vehicle antenna unit 50 according to the present invention, and is configured to generate a target driving route and enable a tractor 1 serving as a work vehicle to autonomously drive along the generated target driving route. In addition to the autonomously driven tractor 1, this autonomous driving system is equipped with a wireless communication terminal 30 that issues various instructions to the tractor 1, and a reference station 40 for acquiring position information of the tractor 1.
[0008] First, a tractor 1 will be described with reference to FIG. This tractor 1 has a body 2 to which a ground work implement (not shown) can be attached at the rear, with the front of the body 2 supported by a pair of left and right front wheels 3 and the rear of the body 2 supported by a pair of left and right rear wheels 4. A bonnet 5 is disposed at the front of the body 2, and an engine 6 serving as a drive source is housed within the bonnet 5. A cabin 7 for the driver is provided behind the bonnet 5, and within the cabin 7 are a steering wheel 8 for the driver to steer, a driver's seat 9 for the driver, etc.
[0009] The engine 6 may be, for example, a diesel engine, but is not limited to this and may be, for example, a gasoline engine. In addition to or instead of the engine 6, an electric motor may be used as a drive source.
[0010] In addition, in this embodiment, a tractor 1 will be used as an example of a work vehicle, but work vehicles include, in addition to tractors, rice transplanters, combine harvesters, civil engineering and construction work equipment, snowplows, and other riding work vehicles.
[0011] A three-point link mechanism consisting of a pair of left and right lower links 10 and upper links 11 is provided on the rear side of the machine body 2, and a ground work implement can be attached to the three-point link mechanism. Although not shown, a lifting device having a hydraulic device such as a lifting cylinder is provided on the rear side of the machine body 2, and this lifting device raises and lowers the three-point link mechanism, thereby raising and lowering the ground work implement. Ground working machines include tillage implements, plows, fertilizer application implements, and the like.
[0012] 2, the tractor 1 is equipped with a governor device 21 that can adjust the rotational speed of the engine 6, a transmission device 22 that changes the speed of the rotational driving force from the engine 6 and transmits it to the drive wheels, and a control unit 23 that can control the governor device 21 and the transmission device 22. The transmission device 22 is configured by combining, for example, a main transmission device made up of a hydraulic continuously variable transmission and an auxiliary transmission device made up of a gear-type multi-stage transmission.
[0013] This tractor 1 can be driven with a driver inside the cabin 7, but is also configured to be able to drive autonomously based on instructions from a wireless communication terminal 30, even without a driver inside the cabin 7.
[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the tractor 1 is equipped with a steering device 24, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 25 for obtaining information on changes in the attitude of the vehicle, a GNSS antenna 26 for receiving radio signals transmitted from positioning satellites (navigation satellites) 45 that constitute a global positioning system (GNSS), a wireless communication unit 27 for transmitting and receiving various signals via a wireless communication network established with a wireless communication terminal 30, etc., and a base station antenna 29 for receiving wireless signals (for example, wireless signals with a frequency band of 920 MHz) from a reference station wireless communication device 41 of a reference station 40, and is configured to be able to travel autonomously while obtaining its own current position information (position information of the vehicle unit 2).
[0015] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the inertial measurement unit 25, the GNSS antenna 26, the wireless communication unit 27, and the base station antenna 29 are housed in an antenna unit 50 equipped with a unit cover 51. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, this antenna unit 50 is attached to a support frame 100 that is fixed to a cabin frame 200 of the cabin 7 and extends along the left-right width direction, at an upper position on the front side outside the cabin 7. The specific internal arrangement and mounting structure of the antenna unit 50 will be described in detail after the description of the autonomous driving system.
[0016] The steering device 24 is provided, for example, midway along the rotation axis of the steering handle 8, and is configured to be able to adjust the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering handle 8. By the control unit 23 controlling the steering device 24, it is possible to not only drive straight ahead, but also to adjust the rotation angle of the steering handle 8 to a desired rotation angle and turn with a desired turning radius.
[0017] The inertial measurement unit 25 determines three-dimensional angular velocity and acceleration using a three-axis gyro and a three-directional accelerometer. The detection values of the inertial measurement unit 25 are input to the control unit 23, which performs calculations using an attitude / orientation calculation means to determine attitude information of the tractor 1 (the azimuth angle (yaw angle) of the machine, the left / right tilt angle (roll angle) of the machine, and the front / rear tilt angle (pitch angle) of the machine in the traveling direction).
[0018] In the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), in addition to GPS (USA), satellite positioning systems such as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (Japan) and the GLONASS satellite (Russia) can be used as positioning satellites.
[0019] In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 27 is configured as a Wi-Fi unit with a frequency band of 2.4 GHz, but the wireless communication unit 27 can be configured as a unit other than Wi-Fi, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). A signal received by a wireless communication antenna 28 of this wireless communication unit 27 can be input to the control unit 23, as shown in Fig. 2, and a signal from the control unit 23 can be transmitted by the wireless communication antenna 28 to the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30, etc.
[0020] Here, as a positioning method using a satellite positioning system, a positioning method can be applied in which a reference station 40 is installed at a predetermined reference point, and the satellite positioning information of the tractor 1 (mobile station) is corrected using correction information from the reference station 40 to determine the current position of the tractor 1. For example, various positioning methods such as DGPS (differential GPS positioning) and RTK positioning (real-time kinematic positioning) can be applied.
[0021] In this embodiment, for example, RTK positioning is applied, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in addition to being equipped with a GNSS antenna 26 on the tractor 1, which acts as a mobile station, a reference station 40 equipped with a reference station positioning antenna 42 is also provided. The reference station 40 is placed in a position (reference point) that does not interfere with the travel of the tractor 1, such as around a farm field. Position information of the reference point where the reference station 40 is to be installed is known in advance. The reference station 40 is equipped with a reference station wireless communication device 41 that can transmit and receive various signals to and from the base station antenna 29 of the tractor 1, and is configured to allow transmission and reception of various information between the reference station 40 and the tractor 1 and between the reference station 40 and the wireless communication terminal 30.
[0022] In RTK positioning, the carrier wave phase (satellite positioning information) from a positioning satellite 45 is measured by both a reference station positioning antenna 42 of a reference station 40 installed at a reference point and a GNSS antenna 26 of the tractor 1, which is the mobile station for which position information is sought. The reference station 40 generates correction information including the measured satellite positioning information and reference point position information, etc., every time it measures satellite positioning information from the positioning satellite 45 or every time a set period elapses, and transmits the correction information from the reference station wireless communication device 41 to the base station antenna 29 of the tractor 1. The control unit 23 of the tractor 1 corrects the satellite positioning information measured by the GNSS antenna 26 using the correction information transmitted from the reference station 40 to obtain current position information of the tractor 1. The control unit 23 obtains, for example, latitude information and longitude information as the current position information of the tractor 1.
[0023] In the autonomous driving system, in addition to the tractor 1 and the reference station 40, the control unit 23 of the tractor 1 is equipped with a wireless communication terminal 30 that can instruct the tractor 1 to drive autonomously. The wireless communication terminal 30 is composed of, for example, a tablet-type personal computer with a touch panel, and can display various information on the touch panel, and various information can be input by operating the touch panel. The wireless communication terminal 30 is equipped with a wireless communication device 31 and a route generation unit 32 that generates a target driving route, and the route generation unit 32 generates the target driving route for the tractor 1 to drive autonomously based on various information input via the touch panel.
[0024] The control unit 23 provided in the tractor 1 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various types of information to and from the wireless communication terminal 30 via a wireless communication network using the wireless communication device 31 or the like. The wireless communication terminal 30 is configured to be able to instruct the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 by transmitting various types of information for causing the tractor 1 to autonomously drive, such as a target driving route, to the control unit 23 of the tractor 1. The control unit 23 of the tractor 1 is configured to obtain current position information of the tractor 1 from signals received by the GNSS antenna 26, obtain displacement information and orientation information of the vehicle from the inertial measurement unit 25, and control the transmission 22, steering device 24, etc. based on the current position information, displacement information, and orientation information so that the tractor 1 autonomously drives along the target driving route generated by the route generation unit 32.
[0025] Next, the internal arrangement structure of the antenna unit 50 will be described. As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the unit cover 51 of the antenna unit 50 has a lower cover body 52 made of resin and having a generally rectangular shape in plan view that opens upward, and an upper cover body 53 made of resin and having a generally rectangular shape in plan view that opens downward. Here, Figure 5 shows a longitudinal cross section of the antenna unit 50 as seen from the rear side, and the left-right direction of the fuselage 2 is opposite to that of Figures 3 and 7. The opening joint of the upper cover body 53 is externally joined to the opening joint of the lower cover body 52 in a watertight manner so as to be detachable and detachable. The opening joint of the upper cover body 53 and the opening joint of the lower cover body 52 are fixedly connected by screws 54 at multiple positions in the left-right direction on the front and rear sides.
[0026] 5 to 7, a metal base plate 55, which is an example of a unit base that can be attached to the tractor 1, is attached to the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) cylindrical first bosses 56 that maintain a set distance between the base plate 55 and the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52 are arranged between the base plate 55 and the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52, as shown in FIG. 5, and the base plate 55 and the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52 are fixedly connected together by first bolts 57 inserted through the respective first bosses 56.
[0027] 5 to 8, the inertial measurement unit 25 and the GNSS antenna 26, both of which are arranged at the center or approximately the center in the left-right width direction of the aircraft, are provided in a vertically overlapping state in the longitudinal center of the base plate 55. Of these, the GNSS antenna 26 is arranged above the inertial measurement unit 25. More specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 8, the housing 25A of the inertial measurement unit 25 is fixedly connected to the base plate 55 by a second bolt 58 with its left-right center position positioned at the longitudinal center position of the base plate 55. 5 to 7, the housing 26A of the GNSS antenna 26 is attached to the base plate 55 via a metal hat-shaped bracket 60, with its left-right center positioned at the longitudinal center of the base plate 55. The bracket 60 is hat-shaped and runs around the top of the housing 25A of the inertial measurement unit 25 along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 55. Both legs 60a of the hat-shaped bracket 60 are fixedly connected to the base plate 55 with third bolts 61, and the width of the hat-shaped bracket 60 in the fore-and-aft direction (which is also the fore-and-aft direction of the airframe) is configured to be slightly smaller than the width of the housing 25A of the inertial measurement unit 25 in the fore-and-aft direction, with a portion of the bracket 60 configured as a shielding wall that provides shielding from the wireless communication unit 27, which will be described later.
[0028] 3, when mounted on the tractor 1, the inertial measurement unit 25 and the GNSS antenna 26 are both positioned one above the other at the center or approximately the center in the width direction of the vehicle, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the current position information of the tractor 1 obtained from the signal received by the GNSS antenna 26 and the detection accuracy of the displacement information and orientation information of the vehicle obtained from the inertial measurement unit 25. Furthermore, the width of the unit cover 51 in the front-to-rear direction is reduced, allowing the antenna unit 50 to be made more compact. Furthermore, with the above-described arrangement, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, only the upper cover body 53 made of resin is present above the GNSS antenna 26, so that the inertial measurement unit 25 does not become an obstacle to reception of the GNSS antenna 26, as would be the case, for example, if the inertial measurement unit 25 were placed above the GNSS antenna 26, and carrier phases (satellite positioning information) from a predetermined number of positioning satellites 45 can be reliably received.
[0029] 5, 7, and 8, a housing 27A of a wireless communication unit 27 equipped with a pair of wireless communication antennas 28 in the front-to-rear direction is fixedly connected to one longitudinal end of the base plate 55 (the right end in the left-to-right direction of the fuselage section 2 relative to the forward movement direction, the right end in FIG. 5, and the left end in FIG. 8) with a fourth bolt 62. The wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 is disposed on the opposite side of the inertial measurement unit 25 and the GNSS antenna 26, and at one longitudinal end of the base plate 55. As shown in FIG. 5, a first predetermined distance L1 between the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 and the center of the inertial measurement device 25 is set to 250 mm or more.
[0030] Furthermore, by devising the above-described arrangement position and orientation of wireless communication unit 27, it is possible to make antenna unit 50 compact in the longitudinal direction, while also ensuring a sufficient first predetermined distance L1 from wireless communication antenna 28 of wireless communication unit 27 to the center of inertial measurement unit 25. This makes it possible to suppress radio wave interference between wireless communication unit 27 and inertial measurement unit 25, and to suppress communication failure between wireless communication unit 27 and wireless communication device 31 of wireless communication terminal 30. In particular, as described above, when the first predetermined distance L1 between the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 and the center of the inertial measurement device 25 is set to 250 mm or more, radio wave interference between the wireless communication unit 27 and the inertial measurement device 25 can be more effectively suppressed. Furthermore, most of the outer periphery of the inertial measurement unit 25, excluding connectors, etc., is shielded by a metal housing 25A, and a portion of the metal hat-shaped bracket 60 located between the wireless communication unit 27 and the inertial measurement unit 25 functions as a shielding wall, thereby further suppressing radio wave interference between the wireless communication unit 27 and the inertial measurement unit 25.
[0031] As shown in FIGS. 5, 7, and 8, a base station antenna 29 that receives information from the reference station 40 is disposed at the other longitudinal end of the base plate 55 (the left end in the left-right direction of the aircraft body 2 relative to the forward direction, the left end in FIG. 5, and the right end in FIG. 8). Thus, the wireless communication unit 27, the GNSS antenna 26 (inertial measurement unit 25), and the base station antenna 29 are disposed on the base plate 55, aligned in this order in the left-right direction of the aircraft body 2 from the right side in the left-right direction relative to the forward direction. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the base station antenna 29 is composed of a base 29A equipped with a magnet 65 and a round antenna bar 29B extending upward from the base 29A. Furthermore, the base 29A is composed of a cylindrical lower base 29a incorporating the magnet 65 and a truncated conical upper base 29b integrally formed at the center of the upper surface of the lower base 29a. Therefore, the base station antenna 29 is attached to the metal base plate 55 by the magnetic force of the magnet 65 .
[0032] 5, 7, and 9, a movement restricting member 66 made of sheet metal that restricts movement of base 29A of base station antenna 29 is fixedly connected to base plate 55 with a fifth bolt 67, abutting against or adjacent to the upper and lower middle position of the conical outer circumferential surface of upper base 29b of base 29A of base station antenna 29 from above. An upper restricting plate piece 66a formed by bending this movement restricting member 66 has a circular movement restricting hole 66b that fits onto the upper base 29b of base 29A and a detachable notch 66c that is formed to communicate with each other and has a width that allows passage of antenna bar 29B.
[0033] The above-mentioned arrangement configuration of the base station antenna 29 increases the distance between the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 and the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27, thereby suppressing radio wave interference between the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 and the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27. Moreover, the base station antenna 29 can be easily attached to the metal base plate 55 by the magnetic force of the magnet 65 provided on the base portion 29A. At the same time, displacement of the base station antenna 29 due to vibrations or the like can be reliably prevented by a movement restricting member 66 of a simple shape that is bolted to the base plate 55. This simplification and miniaturization of the attachment structure of the base station antenna 29 allows the antenna unit 50 to be made more compact.
[0034] Next, the unit cover 51 of the antenna unit 50 will be described. 5 to 7, a first bulge 53A is formed on one longitudinal end side (on the right side of the left-right direction of the machine body 2 relative to the forward movement direction) of the upper cover body 53 of the unit cover 51, protruding above the upper surface position of the longitudinal center part of the upper cover body 53 and the upper end position of the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27. Then, as shown in Fig. 5, a second predetermined distance L2 between the inner surface 53a of the first bulge 53A and the upper end of the wireless communication antenna 28 is set to 30 mm or more. The second predetermined distance L2 formed between the upper end of the wireless communication antenna 28 and the inner surface 53a of the first bulge portion 53A of the upper cover body 53 improves the communication accuracy between the wireless communication unit 27 and the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30. The relationship between the first predetermined distance L1 and the second predetermined distance L2 is as follows: The first predetermined distance L1 is set to be greater than the second predetermined distance L2.
[0035] 5 and 7, a second bulge 53B having the same shape as the first bulge 53A formed at one end in the longitudinal direction (the right side in the left-right direction of the machine body 2 in the forward direction) is formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the upper cover body 53 of the unit cover 51 (the left side in the left-right direction of the machine body 2 in the forward direction), and the unit cover 51 is configured to be symmetrical on the left and right. This is done in consideration of the design when the antenna unit 50 is attached at the upper position on the front side of the cabin 7 of the tractor 1, and the formation of this second bulge 53B creates new technical value. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7, and 9, the second bulge 53B of the upper cover body 53 is formed in a position corresponding to the base station antenna 29, and the overall height of the base station antenna 29 is sufficiently greater than the height from the upper surface of the base plate 55 to the upper surface of the second bulge 53B. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, a through-hole 70 is formed in the upper surface of the second bulge 53B, through which the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 passes and protrudes upward to the outside. A vibration-damping elastic body 71 such as tubular rubber is attached to the opening periphery of this through-hole 70, which contacts the outer peripheral surface of the portion where the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 passes. A grommet is used as the vibration-damping elastic body 71, which contacts the entire circumference of the antenna bar 29B and also provides watertightness.
[0036] If the vibration-damping elastic body 71 were not present, an annular gap would be generated between the periphery of the opening of the through-hole 70 in the second bulge portion 53B and the outer periphery of the penetration portion of the antenna bar 29B. When vibrations from the tractor 1, etc., act on the base station antenna 29, the antenna bar 29B would swing within the range of the annular gap, and there is a possibility that the antenna bar 29B would break at its base. However, in this embodiment, as described above, the vibration-damping elastic body 71 provided on the periphery of the opening of the through-hole 70 in the second bulge portion 53B supports the upper and lower middle portions of the antenna bar 29B, and the support structure for the base station antenna 29 is a two-point support structure overall, which makes it possible to prevent breakage of the antenna bar 29B due to vibrations from traveling, etc. In particular, the presence of the second bulge portion 53B increases the height from the top surface of the base plate 55 to the top surface of the second bulge portion 53B, thereby increasing the support position of the antenna bar 29B supported by the vibration-damping elastic body 71, thereby further preventing breakage of the antenna bar 29B.
[0037] In this embodiment, the vibration-damping elastic body 71 is attached to the opening periphery of the through hole 70 of the second bulge portion 53B, but this vibration-damping elastic body 71 may also be attached to the upper surface or inner surface 53a of the second bulge portion 53B, or may further be attached to a bracket or the like provided on the base plate 55.
[0038] 7, 8, and 10, an installation space 73 for another unit 72 is formed at the other longitudinal end of the base plate 55, and between the inertial measurement unit 25 and the GNSS antenna 26 and the base station antenna 29. Here, Figs. 7 and 8 show a state in which the other unit 72 is not installed in the installation space 73, and the installation space 73 is a hollow space, and Fig. 10 shows a state in which the other unit 72 is installed in the installation space 73.
[0039] An example of the other unit 72 is a controller for a retrofitted LCD monitor that controls part of the autonomous driving control. In the autonomous driving specification tractor 1 of this embodiment, an LCD monitor is provided inside the cabin 7, and this LCD monitor is equipped with a controller that controls part of the autonomous driving control. However, when converting other work vehicles, such as a standard specification rice transplanter, to an autonomous driving specification, a controller that controls the autonomous driving control for the retrofitted LCD monitor is required. In this case, the controller can be easily installed using the installation space 73 reserved in the base plate 55.
[0040] 5 and 6, stays 75 are disposed on both longitudinal sides of the underside of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52. The stays 75 are bent into an inverted "L" shape when viewed from the front of the vehicle (see FIG. 5) and are formed into a substantially semicircular arc shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle (see FIG. 6). Each of the pair of left and right stays 75 is fixedly connected to the base plate 55 by a sixth bolt 77 via a second boss 76 that penetrates the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52.
[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, a camera 78 for photographing the area in front of the vehicle is attached to the longitudinal center position on the underside of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52, and the image captured by the camera 78 can be displayed on the touch panel of the wireless communication terminal 30 via wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 27 of the tractor 1 and the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30.
[0042] 5 to 10 omit the electric wires connected to the inertial measurement unit 25, the GNSS antenna 26, the wireless communication unit 27, and the base station antenna 29, which are mounted on the base plate 55, and FIG. 7 shows a portion of a single harness 80 formed by gathering these electric wires together inside the unit cover 51. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 , this harness 80 is led out to the outside from a harness lead-out hole (not shown) formed at one longitudinal end of the lower cover body 52. A grommet 81 is attached to the harness lead-out hole.
[0043] Next, the mounting structure of the antenna unit 50 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, both ends of the support frame 100 of the antenna unit 50 are fixedly connected across mirror mounting portions 150 provided on the left and right front support pillars 201 that constitute the cabin frame 200. 3 and 4, each of the left and right mirror mounting portions 150 has a mounting base 151 that is roughly U-shaped in plan view and fixed to the upper side of the front support pillar 201 by welding or the like, and a plate-shaped mirror mounting member 153 that has a hinge portion 152 that rotatably supports the support arm 111 of the rearview mirror 110 is fixedly connected to this mounting base 151 by bolts or the like. A mounting piece 153A having an upper mounting surface that follows the horizontal plane is bent and formed at the upper end of each of the left and right mirror mounting members 153.
[0044] 3 and 4, the support frame 100 includes pipe-shaped support members 101 with a circular cross section that are bent downward in a generally gate-like shape at both ends in the left and right width direction when viewed from the front of the aircraft, and mounting plates 102 having lower mounting surfaces that run along the horizontal plane are fixed to both ends of the pipe-shaped support members 101. Both mounting plates 102 of the support frame 100 are fixedly connected to the upper mounting surfaces of mounting pieces 153A of the left and right mirror mounting members 153 with bolts 103 or the like.
[0045] As described above, the left and right mirror mounting parts 150 are attached to the upper part of the front support pillars 201 of the sturdy cabin frame 200, and are disposed at a height position close to the roof 190 of the cabin 7. Therefore, by utilizing both mirror mounting parts 150, which are sturdy and have a sufficient ground clearance, the support frame 100 of the antenna unit 50 can be firmly attached at an appropriate height position. Furthermore, since the upper mounting surfaces of the mounting pieces 153A on the left and right mirror mounting members 153 and the lower mounting surfaces of both mounting plates 102 of the support frame 100 are both formed on horizontal surfaces, it becomes easy to position the middle part of the pipe-shaped support material 101 along the horizontal direction, and installation errors of the antenna unit 50 attached to the horizontal middle part of the pipe-shaped support material 101 can be suppressed.
[0046] Also, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the support frame 100 is installed across the left and right mirror mounting portions 150, the horizontal middle portion of the pipe-shaped support material 101 of the support frame 100 is positioned horizontally along the left and right width direction of the aircraft near the front end of the roof 190 of the cabin frame 200. 3, 4, and 6, a pair of left and right brackets 120 that support a pair of left and right stays 75 of the antenna unit 50 are fixed to the horizontal middle part of the pipe-shaped support member 101. The two pairs of stays 75 on the antenna unit 50 side and the brackets 120 on the support frame 100 side, which are closely spaced and face each other in the left and right width direction of the airframe, are pivotally connected by seventh bolts 121 that serve as horizontal rotation pivot axes along the left and right width direction of the airframe. Therefore, the antenna unit 50 is configured to be able to change its position between a normal use position (normal use posture) in which the base station antenna 29 protrudes vertically upward, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and a non-use position (non-use posture) on the front, lower side, although not shown, by rotating around the pivot axis of the seventh bolt 121 relative to the support frame 100. In this embodiment, the non-use position of the antenna unit 50 is a position rotated 90 degrees forward from the normal use position, and in this non-use position, the base station antenna 29 is in a position where it protrudes horizontally forward.
[0047] In addition, the two sets of stays 75 on the antenna unit 50 side and the bracket 120 on the support frame 100 side are configured so that the antenna unit 50 can be fixed selectively between a normal use position and a non-use position by replacing the eighth bolt 122, which is provided at a position offset in the rotation radius direction from the seventh bolt 121, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. In detail, as shown in FIG. 6, the bracket 120 on the support frame 100 side has one bolt insertion hole 123 through which the eighth bolt 122 is inserted, and the stay 75 on the antenna unit 50 side has bolt insertion holes 124 formed in two locations that align with the bolt insertion hole 123 on the bracket 120 side when in the normal use position and the non-use position.
[0048] As shown in Fig. 4, when the antenna unit 50 is in the normal use position, the base station antenna 29 is oriented vertically upward, and the upper end of the base station antenna 29 protrudes above the roof 190 of the cabin 7, as shown in Fig. 1. However, if the base station antenna 29 protruding above the roof 190 of the cabin 7 becomes an obstacle, such as when transporting the tractor 1, the antenna unit 50 is changed from the normal use position to the non-use position. In the non-use position, the base station antenna 29 protrudes forward in the horizontal direction, and the height of the antenna unit 50, including the unit cover 51, protruding upward can be made lower than the highest point of the roof 190 of the cabin 7.
[0049] Other Embodiments (1) In the above-described embodiment, the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 is housed within the unit cover 51 of the antenna unit 50. However, if necessary, the wireless communication antenna 28 may be protruded upward from a through hole formed in the upper cover body 53.
[0050] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the first predetermined distance L1 between the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 and the center of the inertial measurement device 25 is set to 250 mm or more. However, this first predetermined distance L1 can be set arbitrarily depending on the radio wave interference conditions between the wireless communication unit 27 and the inertial measurement device 25.
[0051] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the second predetermined distance L2 between the inner surface 53a of the first bulge portion 53A and the upper end of the wireless communication antenna 28 is set to 30 mm or more, but this second predetermined distance L2 can be set arbitrarily depending on the communication state between the wireless communication unit 27 and the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30.
[0052] (4) In the above-described embodiment, a pair of left and right stays 75 are attached to the underside of the unit cover 51. However, this is not limited to this attachment structure, and any attachment structure can be adopted depending on the attachment conditions of the work vehicle.
[0053] [Appendix to the invention] The present invention is preferably a work vehicle equipped with a cabin, in which a GNSS antenna and an inertial measurement unit are arranged in the longitudinal center of a unit base within an antenna unit attached to a support frame located above and outside the cabin, a wireless communication unit is arranged at one longitudinal end of the unit base, and a wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit is arranged at one longitudinal end of the unit base, and the antenna unit is preferably attached so that its position can be changed from a normal use position protruding above the roof of the cabin to a non-use position on the lower side lower than the highest part of the roof relative to the support frame.
[0054] According to the above configuration, the GNSS antenna and inertial measurement unit are arranged in the longitudinal center of the unit base that can be attached to the work vehicle.Therefore, for example, by placing the unit base at the center of the fore-and-aft or lateral direction of the work vehicle, the GNSS antenna and inertial measurement unit can be arranged in the longitudinal or lateral center of the work vehicle, thereby improving both the detection accuracy of the current position information of the work vehicle obtained from the received signal of the GNSS antenna and the detection accuracy of the attitude change information of the aircraft obtained from the inertial measurement unit. Furthermore, the wireless communication unit disposed on one longitudinal end of the unit base enables wireless communication of various signals with an external device such as a wireless communication terminal. Furthermore, since the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit is located on the opposite side of the inertial measurement unit and at one longitudinal end of the unit base, a sufficient distance can be secured between the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit and the center of the inertial measurement unit, thereby suppressing radio wave interference between the wireless communication unit and the inertial measurement unit and preventing communication failures between the wireless communication unit and a wireless communication terminal, etc.
[0055] Therefore, by rationally devising the placement position and orientation of the GNSS antenna, inertial measurement unit, and wireless communication unit relative to the unit base as described above, it is possible to make the antenna unit itself more compact while improving the detection accuracy of both the inertial measurement unit and the GNSS antenna, and to efficiently mount it on a work vehicle while maintaining good communication conditions for the wireless communication unit.
[0056] The GNSS antenna is located on top of the inertial measurement unit.
[0057] With the above configuration, the inertial measurement unit does not obstruct reception of the GNSS antenna, as occurs when the inertial measurement unit is placed above the GNSS antenna, and satellite positioning information from positioning satellites can be reliably received. Moreover, the vertical placement of the inertial measurement unit and the GNSS antenna facilitates compactness in the width direction of the antenna unit. In the present invention, it is preferable that the support frame is fixed to the cabin frame in a state where it is arranged along the left-right width direction at an upper position on the front side of the cabin.
[0058] In the present invention, it is preferable that the predetermined distance between the center of the inertial measurement device and the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit is set to 250 mm or more.
[0059] According to the above configuration, radio wave interference between the wireless communication unit and the inertial measurement unit can be further suppressed, and communication failures between the wireless communication unit and an external device such as a wireless communication terminal can be more effectively suppressed.
[0060] In the present invention, it is preferable that a base station antenna for receiving information from a reference station is disposed on the other longitudinal end side of the unit base.
[0061] According to the above configuration, the distance between the base station antenna and the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit is increased, which makes it possible to suppress radio wave interference between the base station antenna and the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit. Moreover, even if a reference station antenna is provided in addition to the GNSS antenna, inertial measurement unit, and wireless communication unit, they can be efficiently and compactly stored in the antenna unit.
[0062] In the present invention, it is preferable that the base station antenna protrudes to the outside from a through-hole in a unit cover that covers the unit base, and that the unit cover is provided with a vibration-isolating elastic body that comes into contact with the base station antenna.
[0063] According to the above configuration, if the vibration-damping elastic body is not present, an annular gap will be formed between the periphery of the opening of the through-hole in the unit cover and the outer periphery of the penetration portion of the base station antenna. When vibrations caused by the work vehicle traveling act on the base station antenna, the base station antenna will sway within the range of the annular gap, which could result in breakage of the base station antenna at its base. However, in the present invention, as described above, the upper and lower middle portions of the base station antenna are supported by the vibration-damping elastic body provided in the unit cover, so the support structure for the base station antenna becomes a two-point support structure overall, which can prevent breakage of the base station antenna due to traveling vibrations, etc.
[0064] In the present invention, it is preferable that the base station antenna is attached to the unit base by magnetic force, and that a movement restricting member for restricting movement of the base of the base station antenna is attached to the unit base.
[0065] With the above configuration, the base station antenna can be easily attached to the unit base using magnetic force. At the same time, misalignment of the base station antenna due to vibration or other factors can be reliably prevented by a simple movement restriction member attached to the base plate. This simplification and miniaturization of the base station antenna attachment structure facilitates the compactness of the antenna unit.
[0066] In the present invention, it is preferable that a mounting space for another unit is formed on the other longitudinal end side of the unit base.
[0067] With the above configuration, other units, such as a controller that controls part of the autonomous driving control, can be easily attached using the attachment space provided at the other longitudinal end of the unit base. Moreover, such other units can be efficiently and compactly stored in the antenna unit. A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a work vehicle equipped with a cabin, A support frame is disposed at an upper position on the front side of the exterior of the cabin along the left-right width direction, The support frame is fixed to the cabin frame, an antenna unit is provided on the support frame; The antenna unit is characterized in that it is disposed so as to protrude above the roof of the cabin. A second characteristic feature of the present invention is that the antenna unit is provided at a position lower than the highest point of the roof so that its position can be changed. A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that both ends of the support frame are connected to mirror mounting portions provided on the left and right front pillars that constitute the cabin frame.
[0068] Furthermore, a work vehicle according to one aspect is a work vehicle equipped with a cabin, and includes a support part and an antenna unit. The support part is fixed to the cabin and is located at an upper part outside the cabin. The antenna unit is supported by the support part. The antenna unit is attached to the support part so as to be repositionable from a normal use position that protrudes above the roof of the cabin to a non-use position that is lower than the highest point of the roof.
[0069] Furthermore, a work vehicle according to another aspect is a work vehicle equipped with a cabin, and includes a support part and a wireless communication antenna. The support part is fixed to the cabin and is located above and outside the cabin. The wireless communication antenna is supported by the support part. The wireless communication antenna is attached to the support part so as to be rotatable about a rotation pivot axis.
[0070] A work vehicle according to one aspect is a work vehicle equipped with a cabin, and includes a support part, a wireless communication antenna, and a positioning antenna. The support part is fixed to the cabin and located at an upper part outside the cabin. The wireless communication antenna is supported by the support part. The positioning antenna is supported by the support part. The positioning antenna is located in the center of the support part in the longitudinal direction. The wireless communication antenna is located in a position offset to one side of the support part in the longitudinal direction. [Explanation of symbols]
[0071] 1 Tractor (work vehicle) 7 Cabin 50 Antenna Unit 100 Support Frame 150 Mirror mounting part 190 Roof 200 Cabin Frame 201 Front post
Claims
1. a support part fixed to the fuselage part; a wireless communication antenna supported by the support portion in a state spaced apart from the fuselage portion; a positioning antenna supported by the support portion in a state spaced apart from the fuselage portion, the positioning antenna is disposed at a center portion in a longitudinal direction of the support portion, The wireless communication antenna is disposed at a position offset to one side in the longitudinal direction of the support part. Work vehicle.
2. an upper end of the wireless communication antenna is located higher than an upper end of the positioning antenna; The work vehicle according to claim 1 .
3. A pair of left and right rearview mirrors are attached to the aircraft body, the wireless communication antenna is located between the pair of left and right rearview mirrors in the left-right direction of the fuselage section, The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.
Citation Information
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