Combine

Abstract

To provide a combine which can safely perform a harvesting work by preventing a contact with an obstacle during the harvesting work.SOLUTION: A combine includes: a drive device (2) for driving a field below a vehicle frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted; a harvesting device (3) for harvesting grain culm on a front side of the vehicle frame (1); a threshing device (4) for threshing the harvested grain culm on a rear left side of the harvesting device (3); an operation part (5) on which an operator is onboard on a rear right side of the harvesting device (3); and a grain tank (7) for storing the grain on a rear side of the operation part (5). When a grain culm object and an obstacle object ae detected from a second image (70) of the image of a front side of a lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), a processing part (51) of a controller (50) of the combine stops a drive of the drive device (2).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a combine harvester for harvesting cereal stalks in a field. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technology for automatically running a combine harvester along a preset route (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-7314 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 had a problem in that if an obstacle was found among the unharvested stalks during harvesting, the combine would come into contact with the obstacle and the harvesting operation could not be carried out safely.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a combine harvester that can prevent contact with obstacles during reaping work and perform reaping work safely. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention, which has solved the above problems, is as follows.

[0007] That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a combine harvester having a traveling device (2) that travels in a field on the underside of a body frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted, a harvesting device (3) that harvests stalks on the front side of the body frame (1), a thresher (4) that threshes the harvested stalks on the rear left side of the harvesting device (3), a control unit (5) on which an operator rides on on the rear right side of the harvesting device (3), and a grain tank (7) that stores grain behind the control unit (5), characterized in that when a processing unit (51) of the controller (50) of the combine harvester detects a stalk object and an obstacle object from a second captured image (70) taken in front of the lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), the processing unit (51) stops the traveling of the traveling device (2).

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is a combine harvester having a traveling device (2) that travels in a field on the underside of a body frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted, a harvesting device (3) that harvests stalks on the front side of the body frame (1), a threshing device (4) that threshes the harvested stalks on the rear left side of the harvesting device (3), a control unit (5) on which an operator rides on on the rear right side of the harvesting device (3), and a grain tank (7) that stores grain behind the control unit (5), characterized in that when a processing unit (51) of the controller (50) of the combine harvester detects an obstacle object based on a stalk object from a second captured image (70) taken in front of the lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), the processing unit (51) stops the traveling of the traveling device (2).

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the combine harvester described in claim 1 or 2, in which, when the processing unit (51) of the controller (50) does not detect an obstacle object from the second photographed image (70) capturing an image of the area in front of the raising device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), if the lodging rate of the stalks calculated from the second photographed image (70) is equal to or lower than a preset lodging rate, the processing unit (51) reduces the traveling speed of the traveling device (2) and increases the conveying speed of the raising device (3A), and if the lodging rate exceeds the preset lodging rate, the processing unit (51) of the controller (50) reduces the traveling speed of the traveling device (2) and increases the conveying speed of the raising device (3A).

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is a combine described in claim 1 or 2, which is provided with a discharge auger (8) that discharges grain from the grain tank (7) to the outside, and a camera (11) that captures the second captured image (70) is provided on the right wall of the discharge device (8A) in front of the discharge auger (8).

[0011] The invention of claim 5 is the combine harvester of claim 1 or 2, wherein a camera (11B) for capturing the second captured image (70) is provided at the front of the lower surface of the upper wall of the cabin (9). [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 1, when the processing unit (51) of the combine controller (50) detects a stalk object and an obstacle object from the second captured image (70) captured in front of the lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), it stops the traveling device (2), thereby preventing contact with obstacles during harvesting work and allowing the harvesting work to be performed safely.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 2, when the processing unit (51) of the combine controller (50) detects an obstacle object based on a stalk object from the second captured image (70) captured in front of the lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), the processing unit (51) stops the traveling of the traveling device (2), thereby preventing contact with the obstacle during harvesting work and allowing the harvesting work to be performed safely.

[0014] According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 1 or 2, when the processing unit (51) of the controller (50) does not detect an obstacle object from the second photographed image (70) capturing an image of the area in front of the raising device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), if the lodging rate of the stalks calculated from the second photographed image (70) is equal to or lower than a preset lodging rate, the traveling speed of the traveling device (2) is reduced and the transport speed of the raising device (3A) is increased, and if the lodging rate exceeds the preset lodging rate, the traveling speed of the traveling device (2) is stopped, so that the raising device (3A) can raise the stalks more efficiently and transport them to the threshing device (4).

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, a discharge auger (8) is provided to discharge grain from the grain tank (7) to the outside, and a camera (11) for capturing the second captured image (70) is provided on the right wall of the discharge device (8A) in front of the discharge auger (8), so that a wider area in front of the harvesting device (3) can be captured.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, a camera (11B) for capturing the second captured image (70) is provided at the front of the lower surface of the upper wall of the cabin (9), so that a wider area in front of the reaping device (3) can be captured. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a transmission diagram of the engine output rotation. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a connection diagram of a positioning unit. [Figure 5] This is a connection diagram of the combine controller. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a reference route and a set route along which a combine harvester automatically travels. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of automatic travel of a combine harvester. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram showing one camera installed in front of the discharge auger. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing one camera installed at the front of the cabin. [Figure 10] 9 is an explanatory diagram of a photographed part of an image photographed by the camera in FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is an explanatory diagram of a photographed part of an image photographed by the camera in FIG. 9. FIG. [Figure 12] This is an explanatory diagram showing two cameras installed in front of the discharge auger. [Figure 13] This is an explanatory diagram showing two cameras installed at the front of the cabin. [Figure 14] This is a connection diagram between the combine controller and the server controller. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a method for comparing stalk information and tangle information when a combine is automatically traveling on a set route. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the lodging rate of culm information. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a entanglement rate of entanglement information. [Figure 18] This is an explanatory diagram of how to compare stalk information and tangle information when the combine is automatically traveling on the right side of the set route. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a method for comparing stalk information and tangle information when the combine is automatically traveling on the left side of the set route. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an automatic travel method for a combine harvester. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a combine harvester has a traveling device 2 consisting of a pair of left and right crawlers that travels on the field, mounted on the underside of a body frame 1, a reaping device 3 that harvests the stalks in the field, mounted on the front side of the body frame 1, a threshing device 4 that threshers and sorts the harvested stalks, mounted on the rear left side of the reaping device 3, and a control unit 5 on which an operator rides, mounted on the rear right side of the reaping device 3.

[0019] An engine room 6, which houses the engine E, is provided below the control unit 5, and a grain tank 7, which stores threshed and sorted grain, is provided behind the control unit 5. Behind the grain tank 7, a discharge auger 8 is provided, which consists of a grain lifting section extending vertically to discharge the grain to the outside, and a horizontal discharge section extending longitudinally.

[0020] The harvesting device 3 is composed of a raising device 3A that raises the culms in the field, a cutting device 3B that cuts the base of the raised culms, a transporting device 3C that transports the culms whose bases have been cut to the threshing device 4, and a dividing plant body 3D that guides the culms in the field to the raising device 3A.

[0021] A camera 11 is provided on the left side of a cover 10 that covers the top of the lifting device 3A, for photographing culms planted in a field located ahead of the combine in the direction of travel.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the output rotation of the engine E is transmitted to a hydraulic continuously variable transmission 20 for traveling and is increased or decreased within the continuously variable transmission 20. The output rotation increased or decreased by the continuously variable transmission 20 is transmitted to a transmission 21 and is then increased or decreased within the transmission 21 before being transmitted to the traveling device 2.

[0023] The output rotation of engine E is transmitted to hydraulic continuously variable reaping transmission 23 via reaping clutch 22, where it is increased or decreased in reaping continuously variable transmission 23 before being transmitted to reaping device 3. In addition, the output rotation of engine E is transmitted to threshing device 4 via threshing clutch 24.

[0024] 1 and 2, a touch panel monitor 30 that displays the traveling speed and other information of the traveling device 2 is provided in the center of the front panel in front of the seat of the operating unit 5, and an operating lever 31 that controls the left-right rotation of the traveling device 2 and the up-down movement of the reaping device 3 is provided on the right side of the monitor 30. The operating position of the operating lever 31 is detected by an angle sensor such as a potentiometer attached to the base of the operating lever 31.

[0025] Between the monitor 30 and the operating lever 31, a straight line assist switch 32 is provided for automatically causing the traveling device 2 to travel along a straight line reference path 61, which will be described later.

[0026] A main speed change lever 35 for operating the travel continuously variable transmission 20 is provided at the front of the side panel on the left side of the seat of the operator's unit 5, an auxiliary speed change lever 36 for operating the transmission 21 is provided behind the main speed change lever 35 on the left side, and a reaper / thresh lever 27 for operating the reaping clutch 22 and the threshing clutch 24 is provided behind the auxiliary speed change lever 36 on the right side. A speed change switch 38 for operating the reaping continuously variable transmission 23 is also provided on the side of the main speed change lever 35. The operating position of the main speed change lever 35 is detected by an angle sensor such as a potentiometer attached to the base of the main speed change lever 35, the operating position of the auxiliary speed change lever 36 is detected by an angle sensor such as a potentiometer attached to the base of the auxiliary speed change lever 36, and the operating position of the reaper / thresh lever 37 is detected by an angle sensor such as a potentiometer attached to the base of the reaper / thresh lever 37.

[0027] When the output rotation of the engine E is equal to or lower than a specified rotation speed, speed increase in the traveling continuously variable transmission 20 is restricted regardless of the operation of the main speed change lever 35. This prevents the engine E from being stopped suddenly due to overload. In this case, it is preferable to activate a buzzer 5A or the like on the control unit 5 to let the operator know that speed increase is being restricted. Furthermore, when a switch (not shown) that automatically adjusts the output rotation of the engine E according to the situation of the harvesting work is pressed, speed increase in the traveling continuously variable transmission 20 is not restricted.

[0028] A parking brake 39A is provided on the front left side of the floor of the operating unit 5, which activates the brake of the transmission 21 to stop the running device 2 from moving, and a raking pedal 39B is provided on the front right side, which drives the reaping device 3 at the edge of the ridges during pillow cutting.

[0029] A fullness sensor 7A is attached to the top of the grain tank 7 to detect when the stored grains are full.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, a positioning unit 40 using an RTK-GPS positioning system or a differential positioning system is made up of multiple positioning satellites 41A-41D, a base station 42 installed at a known location, and a mobile station 46 installed on the combine harvester. As a result, positioning signals transmitted from the multiple positioning satellites 41A-41D are received and positioned by GNSS receivers installed in the base station 42 and the mobile station 46, and the mobile station 46 performs high-precision positioning using correction signals from the base station 42, thereby accurately determining the running position of the combine harvester.

[0031] The base station 42 is made up of a fixed communication device 43, a fixed GPS antenna 44 that receives position information from the positioning satellite 41, and a fixed data transmission antenna 45 that transmits corrective position information to the mobile station 46. The base station 42 also has a server 42A installed therein.

[0032] The mobile station 46 is made up of a mobile communication device 47, a mobile GPS antenna 48 that receives position information from the positioning satellite 41, and a mobile data transmission antenna 49 that receives corrective position information from the base station 42.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the combine controller 50 is composed of a processing unit 51 consisting of a CPU, etc., a memory unit 52 consisting of a ROM, RAM, hard disk drive, flash memory, etc., an input / output unit 53 having an input / output interface circuit, and a communication unit 54 that sends and receives information to and from the communication unit 84 of the server 42A via the cloud.

[0034] The input side of the input / output unit 53 is provided with a fullness sensor 7A that detects when the grain tank 7 is full of grains stored therein, a camera 11 that photographs information on the grain culms and information on the entanglement of the grain culms in the lifting device 3A, a grain culm sensor (the "second grain culm sensor" in the claims) 13 that detects the grain culms being lifted by the lifting device 3A, a grain culm sensor 15 that detects the grain culms stuck in the conveying device 3C, a camera 17 that photographs the grass bodies 3D and the ridges, and a camera 18 that photographs the combine along a reference path 61 and a set path 65, which will be described later. A straight-line assist switch 32 that causes the vehicle to travel automatically, a first reference point setting switch 33A that sets the first reference point 62, a second reference point setting switch 33B that sets the second reference point 63, a third reference point setting switch 33C that sets the third reference point 64, a GPS antenna 48 that receives positioning signals transmitted from multiple positioning satellites 41A to 41D, and a data transmission antenna 49 that receives correction signals from a base station 42 are connected via a predetermined input interface circuit.

[0035] The output side of the input / output unit 53 is connected via a predetermined output interface circuit to a brake 2A that brakes the pair of left and right crawlers of the traveling device 2, a buzzer 5A that issues an alarm to the operator, a motor 20A that increases or decreases the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20, a motor 21A that increases or decreases the output rotation of the transmission 21, a motor 23A that increases or decreases the output rotation of the cutting continuously variable transmission 23, and an automatic steering switch 55 that automatically drives the combine along the reference route 61 or the set route 65.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 6, a reference path 61 extending in the vertical direction and set on the left side of the field 60 is set as a straight line extending in the vertical direction that passes through a first reference point 62 provided below the carry-in location 60A and a second reference point 63 located below the first reference point 62 in the traveling direction. When the combine arrives at the carry-in location 60A, the controller 50 receives position information from the positioning satellites 41A to 41D.

[0037] When the worker presses the first reference point setting switch 33A displayed on the monitor 30, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 calculates the position of the first reference point 62 based on the positioning satellites 41A to 41D transmitted at the time of the press and the combine position information transmitted from the base station 42, and then stores the calculated position in the memory unit 52.

[0038] When the worker operates the second reference point setting switch 33B displayed on the monitor 30, the processing unit 51 calculates the position of the second reference point 63 based on the positioning satellites 41A to 41D transmitted at the time of the input operation and the combine position information transmitted from the base station 42, and then stores the calculated position in the memory unit 52.

[0039] When the worker operates the third reference point setting switch 33C displayed on the monitor 30, the processing unit 51 calculates the position of the third reference point 64 based on the positioning satellites 41A to 41D transmitted at the time of the input operation and the combine position information transmitted from the base station 42, and then stores the calculated position in the memory unit 52.

[0040] The reference path 61 is a portion located between the first reference point 62 and the third reference point 64 on a straight line that passes through the first reference point 62 and the second reference point 63 and extends in the vertical direction.

[0041] The set path 65 is set by shifting the reference path 61 to the right by the cutting width of the cutting device 3 in the left-right direction. On the path between the first reference point 62 and the second reference point 63 on the reference path 61, the operator manually steers the combine to make it travel manually. On the path between the second reference point 63 and the third reference point 64 on the reference path 61, the operator presses the straight line assist switch 32, and then the processing unit 51 automatically steers the combine to make it travel automatically along the reference path 61. This suppresses the meandering travel of the combine, and prevents the combine from trampling down stalks planted in adjacent rows due to the meandering travel of the combine.

[0042] When the combine reaches the third reference point 64, the operator operates the operating lever 31 to rotate the combine in a substantially semicircular arc from the lower left to the upper right, causing the combine to move away from the third reference point 64 of the reference path 61, and then moves the combine to the lower end of the set path 65 set on the right side of the reference path 61. This releases the input from the linear assist switch 32, and the automatic steering of the processing unit 51 is switched to manual steering by the operator.

[0043] After the operator moves the combine to the lower end of the set path 65, he or she presses the straight line assist switch 32, and the processing unit 51 automatically steers the combine to automatically travel along the set path 65. This suppresses the combine from meandering, and prevents the combine from trampling down stalks planted in adjacent rows due to meandering.

[0044] When a fullness sensor 7A attached to the grain tank 7 indicates that the tank is full of grains, the automatic travel is stopped and the operator manually steers the combine to manually travel to a discharge location 66 provided in the field 60.

[0045] Grain stalk sensors 13 that detect the stalks being raised by the raising device 3A are provided on the left and right sides of the raising device 3A of the harvesting device 3. If the stalk sensor 13 does not detect a grain stalk while the combine is automatically traveling and the input signal from the grain stalk sensor 13 turns OFF, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 activates the buzzer 5A of the operating unit 5. This makes the operator aware that the combine is approaching a ridge around the field, and prevents the combine from colliding with the ridge.

[0046] The processing unit 51 stops the operation of the buzzer 5A when the operator operates the main speed change lever 35 to stop the traveling device 2 via the traveling continuously variable transmission 20 or the like, and continues to operate the buzzer 5A if the operator does not stop the traveling device 2. Furthermore, if the linear assist switch 32 is pressed after the traveling device 2 has been stopped even though the input signal from the stalk sensor 13 is OFF, the processing unit 51 again activates the buzzer 5A of the control unit 5. This makes the operator aware that the combine is approaching a ridge around the field, making it possible to better prevent the combine from colliding with the ridge.

[0047] As shown in Figure 7, for ease of understanding, we will explain the case where the combine automatically travels on the reference route 61 and the first, second, and fourth set routes 65 counting from the reference route 61 (hereinafter referred to as case 1), automatically travels on the right side of the third set route 65 counting from the reference route 61 (hereinafter referred to as case 2), and automatically travels on the left side of the fifth set route 65 counting from the reference route 61 (hereinafter referred to as case 3).

[0048] (Comparing culm information and entanglement information in Case 1) While the combine is automatically traveling, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 transmits the combine's position information and the captured image (the "second captured image" in the claims) 70 and the captured image (the "first captured image" in the claims) 75 taken by the camera 11 to the server 42A via the cloud.

[0049] It is preferable that the camera 11 captures a wider area in front of the harvesting device 3, and the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 divides the image captured by the camera 11 into a captured image 70 in front of the harvesting device 3 and a captured image 75 between the captured image 70 and the harvesting device 3, and grasps the transport status of the stalks of the lifting device 3A from the captured image 75.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the camera 11 can be disposed on the right wall of the discharge device 8A of the discharge auger 8 or on the lower surface of the upper wall of the cabin 9 covering the operator's section 5, in the middle of the front left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the photographed image 70 is an image of the pn portion in front of the reaping device 3, and the photographed image 75 is an image of the hn portion between the front end of the lifting device 3A and the front end of the cutting device 3B.

[0051] Also, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, a camera (the "second camera" in the claims) 11A that captures the captured image 70 and a camera (the "first camera" in the claims) 11B that captures the captured image 75 can be provided, and these cameras 11A and 11B can be provided in the middle of the front left-right direction on the right wall of the discharge device 8A or on the underside of the upper wall of the cabin 9.

[0052] Captured image 70 is an image of the front of reaping device 3, and captured image 75 is an image of the front side of reaping device 3, i.e., an image between captured image 70 and reaping device 3. The horizontal length of captured image 70 is set to three times the length of the mowing width of reaping device 3, and the horizontal length of captured image 75 is set to the horizontal length of lifting device 3A.

[0053] 14, the controller 80 of the server 42A is made up of a processing unit 81 including a high-speed processing chip such as a GPU, FPGA, or ASIC, a storage unit 82 including a ROM, RAM, hard disk drive, flash memory, etc., an input / output unit 83 having an input / output interface circuit, and a communication unit 84 that transmits and receives information to and from the communication unit 54 of the combine harvester via the cloud. In addition, the camera 11 takes pictures at predetermined intervals t (every 50 cm of travel distance).

[0054] As shown in Figure 15, the processing unit 81 of the controller 80 divides the captured image 70 into three captured images 70A to 70C, then compares the captured image 70B with the captured image 70B stored in the memory unit 82, calculates the lodging rate of the culm information of the captured image 70B, and then transmits the calculated lodging rate of the culm information of the captured image 70B to the combine controller 50 via the cloud. Note that photographed image 70A is an image of the front left side of reaper 3, photographed image 70B is an image of the front side of reaper 3, and photographed image 70C is an image of the front right side of reaper 3.

[0055] As shown in Figure 16, the lodging rate is classified into five levels, ranging from posture P1 where the culms are standing upright (0% lodging rate) to posture P5 where the culms are completely lodged (100% lodging rate). For example, if 50% of the culms in photographed image 70B are in posture P1 (0% lodging rate) and 50% are in posture P3 (50% lodging rate), the lodging rate will be apportioned to 25%.

[0056] The processing unit 51 of the controller 50 rotates the motor 20A and the motor 21A based on the lodging rate of the received stalk information to increase or decrease the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20 and the transmission 21. This allows the traveling speed of the traveling device 2 to be increased or decreased depending on the lodging rate of the stalk information, thereby efficiently harvesting the stalks. When the lodging rate of the received stalk information increases, it is preferable to reduce the output rotation of the transmission 21 and increase the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20, thereby reducing the traveling speed of the traveling device 2 and increasing the conveying speed of the lifting device 3A.

[0057] When the lodging rate is 0 to 25% (posture P1, 2), the tip of the culm is located above the cutting height of the base of the culm, so the combine can run automatically to harvest the culm. However, when the lodging rate exceeds 25% (positions P3 to P5), the tips of the culms are located below the cutting height of the culm base, making it impossible to perform forward cutting. In such cases, it is preferable for the operator to stop the automatic travel of the combine harvester and manually drive it to a position where the culms can be further cut. This prevents the culms from becoming entangled in the harvesting device 3 and suppresses grain shedding.

[0058] The processing unit 51 rotates the motor 20A based on the entanglement rate of the received entanglement information to increase or decrease the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20. This allows the conveying speed of the lifting device 3A to be increased or decreased depending on the entanglement rate, thereby enabling efficient lifting of the straw. Note that when the entanglement rate of the received entanglement information increases, it is preferable to reduce the output rotation of the transmission 21 and the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20, thereby reducing the traveling speed of the traveling device 2 and also reducing the conveying speed of the lifting device 3A.

[0059] When the stumps are not entangled in the raising device 3A, no undulation occurs between the stumps in the center and on both sides of the photographed image 75. On the other hand, when the stumps are entangled in the raising device 3A, undulation occurs between the stumps in the center and on both sides of the photographed image 75, and the undulation between the stumps in the center and on both sides of the photographed image 75 becomes larger as the amount of stumps entangled in the raising device 3A increases.

[0060] As shown in Figure 17, the tangle rate of the tangle information is classified into five levels, ranging from posture K1 (0% tangle rate) in which the tips of the culms in the photographed image 75 are parallel to the conveying direction to posture K5 (100% tangle rate) in which the tips of the culms are perpendicular to the conveying direction. For example, if 50% of the tips of the culms in the photographed image 70B are in posture K1 (0% tangle rate) and 50% are in posture K3 (50% tangle rate), these are apportioned to a tangle rate of 25%.

[0061] When the entanglement rate is 0-25% (positions K1 and K2), few culm tips are entangled in the lifting device 3A, so the transport speed of the lifting device 3A can be slowed down to prevent entanglement of the culm tips. However, when the entanglement rate exceeds 25% (positions K3-5), many culm tips are entangled in the lifting device 3A, and many grains will be shed. Therefore, it is preferable for the operator to press the linear assist switch 32 to stop the combine's automatic travel and manually move the combine to a position where the culms can be reaped. This prevents the culms from becoming entangled in the harvesting device 3 and causing many grains to be shed.

[0062] (Comparing culm information and entanglement information in Case 2) While the combine is traveling automatically, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 transmits the position information of the combine, the captured image 70 taken by the camera 11, and the captured image 75 taken by the camera 12 to the server 42A via the cloud.

[0063] 18, processing unit 81 of controller 80 divides photographed image 70 into three photographed images 70A to 70C. The length in the left-right direction of each of photographed images 70A to 70C is set to the mowing width of reaping device 3.

[0064] Next, the processing unit 81 calculates the lodging rate of the culm information of the corrected photographed image 71 corresponding to the photographed image 70B stored in the storage unit 82. The lodging rate of the culm information of the corrected photographed image 71 is calculated by proportionally dividing the lodging rates of the photographed images 70B and 70C stored in the storage unit 82 corresponding to the photographed image 70B. This makes it possible to accurately calculate the lodging rate of the culm information of the photographed image 70B.

[0065] For example, in the form shown in Figure 18, the left half of photographed image 70B is located in photographed image 70B stored in memory unit 82, and the right half of photographed image 70B is located in photographed image 70C stored in memory unit 82, so the lodging rate of corrected photographed image 71 is the average value of the lodging rate of photographed image 70B stored in memory unit 82 and the lodging rate of photographed image 70C.

[0066] Next, the processing unit 81 compares the captured image 70B with the corrected captured image 71 stored in the memory unit 82, calculates the lodging rate of the culm information of the captured image 70B, and then transmits the calculated lodging rate of the culm information of the captured image 70B to the combine controller 50 via the cloud.

[0067] In addition, the processing unit 81 compares the captured image 75 with the captured image 75 stored in the memory unit 82, calculates the entanglement rate of the entanglement information of the captured image 75, and then transmits the calculated entanglement rate of the entanglement information of the captured image 75 to the combine controller 50 via the cloud.

[0068] The processing unit 51 of the controller 50 rotates the motor 20A and the motor 21A based on the lodging rate of the received stalk information, thereby increasing or decreasing the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20 and the transmission 21.

[0069] Furthermore, the processing unit 51 rotates the motor 20A based on the entanglement rate of the received entanglement information, thereby increasing or decreasing the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20.

[0070] (Comparing culm information and entanglement information in Case 3) While the combine is traveling automatically, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 transmits the position information of the combine, the captured image 70 taken by the camera 11, and the captured image 75 taken by the camera 12 to the server 42A via the cloud.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 19, the processing unit 81 of the controller 80 divides the photographed image 70 into three photographed images 70A to 70C.

[0072] Next, the processing unit 81 calculates the lodging rate of the culm information of the corrected photographed image 72 corresponding to the photographed image 70B stored in the memory unit 82. The lodging rate of the culm information of the corrected photographed image 72 is calculated by proportionally dividing the lodging rates of the photographed images 70A and 70B stored in the memory unit 82 corresponding to the photographed image 70B. This makes it possible to accurately calculate the lodging rate of the culm information of the photographed image 70B.

[0073] For example, in the form shown in Figure 19, the left half of the photographed image 70B is located in the photographed image 70A stored in the memory unit 82, and the right half of the photographed image 70B is located in the photographed image 70B stored in the memory unit 82, so the lodging rate of the corrected photographed image 71 is the average value of the lodging rate of the photographed image 70A stored in the memory unit 82 and the lodging rate of the photographed image 70B.

[0074] Next, the processing unit 81 compares the captured image 70B with the corrected captured image 72 stored in the memory unit 82, calculates the lodging rate of the culm information of the captured image 70B, and then transmits the calculated lodging rate of the culm information of the captured image 70B to the combine controller 50 via the cloud.

[0075] In addition, the processing unit 81 compares the captured image 75 with the captured image 75 stored in the memory unit 82, calculates the entanglement rate of the entanglement information of the captured image 75, and then transmits the calculated entanglement rate of the entanglement information of the captured image 75 to the combine controller 50 via the cloud.

[0076] Furthermore, the processing unit 51 rotates the motor 20A based on the entanglement rate of the received entanglement information, thereby increasing or decreasing the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20.

[0077] <Automatic driving method for combine harvesters> As shown in Figure 20, in step S1, the processing unit 51 of the combine controller 50 determines whether or not an obstacle such as a worker or work equipment is present in the captured image 70B captured by the camera 11. If it is determined that there is no obstacle in the captured image 70B, the process proceeds to step S2, and if it is determined that there is an obstacle in the captured image 70B, the process proceeds to step S5. Note that, for example, when an obstacle extends above or to the left of the stalk, clustering is performed using the K-means method or a Gaussian mixture distribution, and if there is another center of gravity above or below or to the left or right of the center of gravity of the stalk, it is determined that there is an obstacle, and if there is no other center of gravity, it is determined that there is no obstacle.

[0078] In step S2, the processing unit 51 determines the lodging rate of the culm information of the photographed image 70B transmitted from the controller 80 of the server 42A. If the lodging rate is equal to or lower than a predetermined lodging rate, for example, 25%, the process proceeds to step S3, and if the lodging rate exceeds the predetermined lodging rate, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0079] In step S3, the processing unit 51 determines the entanglement rate of the entanglement information of the captured image 75 transmitted from the controller 80. If the entanglement rate is equal to or less than a predetermined entanglement rate, for example, 25%, the process proceeds to step S4, and if the entanglement rate exceeds the predetermined entanglement rate, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0080] In step S4, the processing unit 51 operates the motor 20A, which increases or decreases the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20, and the motor 21A, which increases or decreases the output rotation of the transmission 21, thereby increasing or decreasing the traveling speed of the traveling device 2 and the conveying speed of the reaping device 3, and the process returns to step S1. This allows the stalks to be efficiently harvested and efficiently conveyed to the threshing device 4 for threshing and sorting. Furthermore, the processing unit 51 preferably sounds an alarm when the traveling speed of the traveling device 2 or the conveying speed of the reaping device 3 increases or decreases, or displays a message on the monitor 30 indicating that the speed is increasing, to alert the operator. Furthermore, the operator can set the maximum traveling speed of the traveling device 2 and the maximum conveying speed of the reaping device 3 in advance. This restricts the maximum traveling speed of the traveling device 2 and the maximum conveying speed of the reaping device 3, thereby maintaining a certain level of operational safety.

[0081] In step S5, the processing unit 51 operates the motor 20A, which increases or decreases the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20, to stop the driving of the traveling device 2 and the reaping device 3, and then proceeds to step S6. This makes it possible to prevent the combine from colliding with an obstacle or the culms from getting tangled in the lifting device 3A of the reaping device 3, which would otherwise cause grain shedding.

[0082] In step S6, the processing unit 51 drives the brakes 2A that brake the pair of left and right crawlers of the traveling device 2, and then the process proceeds to step S7.

[0083] In step S7, the operator presses the linear assist switch 32 to stop the automatic travel of the combine and return to step S1. After releasing the brake 2A, the operator manually drives the combine to a position where the additional cutting of the stalks is possible. Next, the operator presses the first reference point setting switch 33A, etc. to set the reference path 61 and the set path 65, and then presses the linear assist switch 32 to resume the automatic travel of the combine. Furthermore, if the direction in which the stalks fall intersects with the direction of travel of the combine, it is preferable to start the automatic travel from the stalk base side.

[0084] <Method for removing stalks stuck in harvesting equipment> The conveying device 3C of the reaping device 3 is provided with a stulp sensor 15 (referred to as the "first stulp sensor" in the claims), such as a rotation sensor, that detects stulp clogging. When the stulp sensor 15 detects stulp clogging and the input signal from the stulp sensor 15 turns ON, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 operates the motor 23A, which increases or decreases the output rotation speed and switches the output rotation direction of the reaping continuously variable transmission 23, to switch the output rotation direction of the reaping continuously variable transmission 23 from forward rotation to reverse rotation, thereby moving the stulp a predetermined distance from the threshing device 4 toward the reaping device 3. This makes it possible to loosen the tangle of stulp entangled around the conveying device 3C, etc. In addition, when the output rotation direction is forward, the conveying device 3C conveys the stalks from the reaping device 3 to the threshing device 4, and when the output rotation direction is reverse, the conveying device 3C conveys the stalks from the threshing device 4 to the reaping device 3.

[0085] Next, the processing unit 51 operates the motor 23A to stop the output rotation of the continuously variable reaping transmission 23 and stop the engine E. This allows the worker to safely remove the stalks entangled in the conveying device 3C, etc.

[0086] The processing unit 51 preferably operates the motor 20A to prevent the output rotation of the traveling continuously variable transmission 20, thereby stopping the engine E. This makes it possible to prevent the traveling device 2 from suddenly traveling against the operator's will when the engine E is started again.

[0087] Furthermore, it is preferable that the processing unit 51 is configured to operate the motor 23A to switch the output rotation direction of the continuously variable reaping transmission 23 from forward to reverse when the operator depresses the parking brake 39A or the raking pedal 39B. This makes it possible to prevent an excessive amount of straw from becoming entangled in the conveying device 3C, etc.

[0088] <Simple method for running the running device> As shown in Figure 2, a camera 17 is provided on the right side of the cover 10 of the harvesting device 3 to photograph the grass body 3D provided on the right side of the lifting device 3A and the ridge extending along the direction of travel of the combine on the right side of the combine.

[0089] The processing unit 51 of the controller 50 operates the brakes 2A of the traveling device 2 so that the imaginary line extending in the front-to-rear direction of the divided grass body 3D and the ridge extending along the direction of travel of the combine are parallel to each other. This allows the combine to travel along the ridge in the field without using the positioning unit 40.

[0090] In addition, a camera is provided on the left side of the cover 10 of the harvesting device 3 to photograph the divided grass body 3D located on the left side of the lifting device 3A and the uncut stalks planted on the left side of the combine, and the processing unit 51 can operate the brake 2A of the traveling device 2 so that the imaginary line extending in the forward and backward directions of the divided grass body 3D is parallel to the uncut stalks planted along the direction of travel of the combine. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1 Aircraft frame 2 Running gear 2A Brake 3 Reaping device 3A lifting device 3C transport equipment 3D splitting plant 4. Threshing equipment 5 Control Unit 5A Buzzer 7. Glentank 8 Discharge Auger 8A discharge device 10 Cover 11A Camera (2nd camera) 11B Camera (1st Camera) 13 Grain culm sensor (second grain culm sensor) 15 Grain culm sensor (first grain culm sensor) 23 Continuously variable transmission for harvesting 50 Controllers 55 Autopilot switch 70 Photographed image (second photographed image) 75 Photographed image (first photographed image) E-Engine

Claims

1. A combine harvester having a traveling device (2) for traveling in a field provided below a machine frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted, a reaping device (3) for reaping stalks provided in front of the machine frame (1), a threshing device (4) for threshing the reaped stalks provided on the rear left side of the reaping device (3), a control section (5) for an operator to ride on provided on the rear right side of the reaping device (3), and a grain tank (7) for storing grain provided behind the control section (5), A combine harvester characterized in that when a processing unit (51) of a controller (50) of the combine harvester detects a stalk object and an obstacle object from a second captured image (70) of an area in front of the raising device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), the processing unit (51) stops the traveling of the traveling device (2).

2. A combine harvester having a traveling device (2) for traveling in a field provided below a machine frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted, a reaping device (3) for reaping stalks provided in front of the machine frame (1), a threshing device (4) for threshing the reaped stalks provided on the rear left side of the reaping device (3), a control section (5) for an operator to ride on provided on the rear right side of the reaping device (3), and a grain tank (7) for storing grain provided behind the control section (5), A combine harvester characterized in that when a processing unit (51) of a controller (50) of the combine harvester detects an obstacle object based on a stalk object from a second captured image (70) of an area in front of the raising device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), the processing unit (51) stops the traveling of the traveling device (2).

3. A combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the processing unit (51) of the controller (50) does not detect an obstacle object from a second captured image (70) taken of the area in front of the raising device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), if the lodging rate of the stalk calculated from the second captured image (70) is equal to or lower than a predetermined lodging rate, the processing unit (51) of the controller (50) reduces the traveling speed of the traveling device (2) and increases the conveying speed of the raising device (3A), and if the lodging rate exceeds the predetermined lodging rate, the processing unit (51) of the controller (50)

4. A combine harvester as described in claim 1 or 2, which is provided with a discharge auger (8) that discharges grain from the grain tank (7) to the outside, and a camera (11) that captures the second captured image (70) is provided on the right wall of the discharge device (8A) in front of the discharge auger (8).

5. 3. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein a camera (11B) for capturing the second captured image (70) is provided at the front of the lower surface of the upper wall of the cabin (9).

Images