combine

Abstract

To provide a combine harvester that can suppress grain stalks from becoming entangled in the harvesting device. [Solution] In a combine harvester, a traveling device (2) for traveling in a field is provided on the underside of a machine frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted, a harvesting device (3) for cutting grain stalks is provided on the front side of the machine frame (1), a threshing device (4) for threshing the harvested grain stalks is provided on the rear left side of the harvesting device (3), a control unit (5) for the operator is provided on the rear right side of the harvesting device (3), and a grain tank (7) for storing grain is provided behind the control unit (5) along with a camera (11). The camera (11) takes an image of the front of the combine harvester, and the controller (50) of the combine harvester estimates the posture of the grain stalk heads from the image taken by the camera (11) and calculates the entanglement rate of the grain stalks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a combine for harvesting cereal straw in a field.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for automatically driving a combine along a preset set path is known (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, when a large amount of cereal straw gets entangled in the cutting device for cutting the cereal straw of the combine, there is a problem that it takes a long time to stop the automatic driving of the combine and remove the entangled cereal straw.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a combine capable of suppressing cereal straw from getting entangled in the cutting device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention that solves the above problems is as follows.

[0007] In other words, the invention described in claim 1 is a combine harvester having a machine frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted, a traveling device (2) for traveling in a field located below it, a harvesting device (3) for cutting grain stalks located in front of the machine frame (1), a threshing device (4) for threshing the harvested grain stalks located to the rear left of the harvesting device (3), a control unit (5) for the operator to sit in located to the rear right of the harvesting device (3), and a grain tank (7) for storing grain and at least one camera (11) located behind the control unit (5), The combine harvester is characterized in that the camera (11) captures an image of the area in front of the combine harvester, and the controller (50) of the combine harvester estimates the posture of the grain stalks from the image captured by the camera (11) and calculates the entanglement rate of the grain stalks.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is a combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller (50) notifies the operator of any of the following based on the entanglement rate: reduce the travel speed of the traveling device (2), reduce the transport speed of the lifting device (3A), or stop the travel of the traveling device (2).

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is a combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the captured image includes a first captured image (75) of the front side of the lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3).

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is a combine harvester according to claim 3, wherein the controller (50) reduces the travel speed of the traveling device (2) and increases the transport speed of the lifting device (3A) if the lodging rate of the grain stalks calculated from the second image (70) which is located in front of the first image (75) in the direction of travel is less than or equal to a preset lodging rate, and stops the travel of the traveling device (2) if it exceeds a preset lodging rate.

[0011] The invention described in claim 5 is a combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller (50) stops the movement of the traveling device (2) when an obstacle is captured in the captured image.

[0012] The invention described in claim 6 is provided with a continuously variable transmission (23) for harvesting that increases or decreases the output rotational speed of the engine (E) and switches the output rotational direction between the transmission path of the engine (E) and the harvesting device (3), A first grain stalk sensor (15) for detecting the accumulation of grain stalks is provided in the conveying device (3C) of the harvesting device (3). The controller (50) is configured such that, when the first grain stalk sensor (15) detects a blockage of grain stalks, it switches the drive direction of the harvesting device (3) to the reverse direction via the continuously variable speed harvesting device (23), and then stops driving the harvesting device (3).

[0013] The invention described in claim 7 is a combine harvester characterized in that the controller (50) stops the travel of the travel device (2) when the first grain stalk sensor (15) detects a blockage of grain stalks.

[0014] The invention described in claim 8 is a combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lifting device (3A) is provided with a second grain stalk sensor (13) for detecting grain stalks, and the controller (50) notifies the operator of a warning or stops the travel device (2) from moving if the second grain stalk sensor (13) does not detect grain stalks.

[0015] The invention described in claim 9 is a combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the camera (11) is positioned to photograph the ridges on the side of the combine harvester, and the controller (50) extracts ridge objects from the image captured by the camera (11), calculates the longitudinal direction of the ridge objects, and operates the brake 2A of the travel device 2 to automatically steer the travel device (2) based on the relationship between a virtual line extending in the front-rear direction of the grass divider 3D and the longitudinal direction of the ridge objects. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 1, the combine harvester's controller (50) estimates the posture of the grain stalks from the images captured by the camera (11) and calculates the entanglement rate of the grain stalks. This allows for the prediction of grain stalks that will become entangled in the lifting device (3A), preventing the grain stalks from becoming entangled in the harvesting device (3A) and suppressing threshing.

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1, the controller (50) notifies the operator of one of the following warnings based on the entanglement rate: to reduce the travel speed of the traveling device (2), to reduce the transport speed of the lifting device (3A), or to stop the travel of the traveling device (2). As a result, the operator can operate the combine harvester to prevent the grain stalks from becoming entangled in the harvesting device (3A).

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the captured image includes a first captured image (75) of the front side of the lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3), so the posture of the grain stalk can be extracted more accurately, and the entanglement rate can be calculated accurately.

[0019] According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 3, the controller (50) reduces the travel speed of the traveling device (2) and increases the transport speed of the lifting device (3A) if the lodging rate of the grain stalks calculated from the second image (70), which is located in front of the first image (75) in the direction of travel, is less than or equal to a preset lodging rate. If it exceeds the preset lodging rate, the controller (50) stops the travel of the traveling device (2). This eliminates the burden on the operator to perform lodging harvesting, and if the lodging rate is high, the operator can easily and safely remove the grain stalks accumulated on the transport device (3C).

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the controller (50) stops the movement of the traveling device (2) when an obstacle is captured in the captured image (70), thereby preventing contact with the obstacle and enabling the harvesting work to be carried out safely.

[0021] According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, a stepless transmission device for mowing (23) that increases or decreases the output rotational speed and switches the output rotational direction of the engine (E) is provided between the transmission path of the engine (E) and the mowing device (3). A first straw sensor (15) for detecting the retention of straw is provided on the conveying device (3C) of the mowing device (3). When the first straw sensor (15) detects the retention of straw, the controller (50) switches the driving direction of the mowing device (3) to the reverse direction via the stepless transmission device for mowing (23), and then stops the driving of the mowing device (3). Therefore, the straw retained on the conveying device (3C) can be easily and safely removed.

[0022] According to the invention described in claim 7, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 6, when the first straw sensor (15) detects the clogging of straw, the controller (50) stops the running of the traveling device (2). Therefore, the straw retained on the conveying device (3C) can be easily and safely removed.

[0023] According to the invention described in claim 8, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, a second straw sensor (13) for detecting straw is provided on the causing device (3A). When the second straw sensor (13) does not detect straw, the controller (50) notifies the operator of a warning or stops the running of the traveling device (2). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the combine from colliding with the ridges in the field.

[0024] According to the invention described in claim 9, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the camera (11) is arranged to photograph the ridges on the side of the combine. The controller (50) extracts the ridge object from the image captured by the camera (11), calculates the longitudinal direction of the ridge object, and automatically steers the traveling device (2) based on the relationship between the virtual line extending in the front-rear direction of the weed separating body 3D and the longitudinal direction of the ridge object by operating the brake 2A of the traveling device 2. Therefore, the combine can be easily run along the ridges in the field.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] It is a left side view of the combine. [Figure 2] It is a plan view of the combine. [Figure 3] It is a transmission diagram of the engine output rotation. [Figure 4] It is a connection diagram of the positioning unit. [Figure 5] It is a connection diagram of the combine controller. [Figure 6] It is an explanatory diagram of the reference path and the set path for the combine to automatically travel. [Figure 7] It is an explanatory diagram of the automatic travel of the combine. [Figure 8] It is an explanatory diagram with one camera installed at the front of the discharge auger. [Figure 9] It is an explanatory diagram with one camera installed at the front of the cabin. [Figure 10] It is an explanatory diagram of the shooting part of the captured image of the camera in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] It is an explanatory diagram of the shooting part of the captured image of the camera in FIG. 9. [Figure 12] It is an explanatory diagram with two cameras installed at the front of the discharge auger. [Figure 13] It is an explanatory diagram with two cameras installed at the front of the cabin. [Figure 14] It is a connection diagram between the combine controller and the server controller. [Figure 15] It is an explanatory diagram of the method for comparing the grain and straw information and the entanglement information when the combine is automatically traveling on the set path. [Figure 16] It is an explanatory diagram of the lodging rate of the grain and straw information. [Figure 17] It is an explanatory diagram of the entanglement rate of the entanglement information. [Figure 18] It is an explanatory diagram of the method for comparing the grain and straw information and the entanglement information when the combine is automatically traveling on the right side of the set path. [Figure 19] It is an explanatory diagram of the method for comparing the grain and straw information and the entanglement information when the combine is automatically traveling on the left side of the set path. [Figure 20]This is a diagram illustrating the automatic operation method of a combine harvester. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the combine harvester has a running device 2 consisting of a pair of left and right crawlers that travel on the field, located on the underside of the machine frame 1; a harvesting device 3 for cutting grain stalks in the field, located on the front of the machine frame 1; a threshing device 4 for threshing and sorting the harvested grain stalks, located on the rear left side of the harvesting device 3; and a control unit 5 for the operator, located on the rear right side of the harvesting device 3.

[0027] Below the control unit 5 is an engine room 6 where the engine E is mounted, and behind the control unit 5 is a grain tank 7 for storing threshed and sorted grain, and behind the grain tank 7 is a discharge auger 8 consisting of a vertically extending grain lifting section and a horizontally extending front-to-back discharge section for discharging grain to the outside.

[0028] The harvesting device 3 consists of a lifting device 3A for lifting the grain stalks in the field, a cutting device 3B for cutting the base of the lifted grain stalks, a conveying device 3C for transporting the grain stalks with their bases cut to the threshing device 4, and a grass divider 3D for guiding the grain stalks in the field to the lifting device 3A.

[0029] A camera 11 is provided on the left side of the cover 10 that covers the top of the lifting device 3A, to photograph the grain stalks planted in the field located in front of the combine harvester's direction of travel.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the output rotation of engine E is transmitted to a hydraulic continuously variable transmission 20, where it is increased or decreased. The output rotation, increased or decreased in the continuously variable transmission 20, is then transmitted to a transmission 21, where it is increased or decreased again before being transmitted to the running gear 2.

[0031] The output rotation of engine E is transmitted via the harvesting clutch 22 to the hydraulic continuously variable transmission 23 for harvesting, where it is accelerated or decelerated before being transmitted to the harvesting device 3. The output rotation of engine E is also transmitted to the threshing device 4 via the threshing clutch 24.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a touch-panel monitor 30 displaying the travel speed of the travel device 2 is provided in the center of the front panel in front of the seat of the control unit 5. To the right of the monitor 30 is an operating lever 31 for controlling the left-right turning of the travel device 2 and the up-down raising and lowering of the harvesting device 3. 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.

[0033] Between the monitor 30 and the operating lever 31, there is a straight assist switch 32 that automatically drives the travel device 2 along a straight reference path 61, which will be described later.

[0034] A main shift lever 35 for operating the continuously variable transmission 20 for driving is provided at the front of the left side panel of the seat of the control unit 5. A sub-shift lever 36 for operating the transmission 21 is provided to the left rear of the main shift lever 35. A harvesting lever 27 for operating the harvesting clutch 22 and threshing clutch 24 is provided to the right rear of the sub-shift lever 36. A shift switch 38 for operating the continuously variable transmission 23 for harvesting is provided on the side of the main shift lever 35. The operating position of the main shift lever 35 is detected by an angle sensor such as a potentiometer attached to the base of the main shift lever 35, the operating position of the sub-shift lever 36 is detected by an angle sensor such as a potentiometer attached to the base of the sub-shift lever 36, and the operating position of the harvesting lever 37 is detected by an angle sensor such as a potentiometer attached to the base of the harvesting lever 37.

[0035] When the output rotation of engine E is below a specified rotational speed, acceleration within the continuously variable transmission 20 is restricted regardless of the operation of the main transmission lever 35. This prevents engine E from making an emergency stop due to overload. In this case, it is preferable to activate the buzzer 5A on the control unit 5 to let the operator know that acceleration is being restricted. Furthermore, if the switch (not shown) that automatically adjusts the output rotation of engine E according to the harvesting work scene is pressed, acceleration within the continuously variable transmission 20 is not restricted.

[0036] A parking brake 39A is provided on the front left side of the floor of the control unit 5 to activate the brake of the transmission 21 and stop the movement of the travel device 2, and a raking pedal 39B is provided on the front right side to drive the harvesting device 3 at the edge of the ridge for headwood harvesting.

[0037] A full sensor 7A is installed on the top of the grain tank 7 to detect when it is full of stored grain.

[0038] As shown in Figure 4, the positioning unit 40, which uses an RTK-GPS positioning system or a differential positioning system, is formed from multiple positioning satellites 41A to 41D, a base station 42 located 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 to 41D are received and positioned by GNSS receivers installed on the base station 42 and the mobile station 46. The mobile station 46 then performs high-precision positioning using correction signals from the base station 42, thereby accurately obtaining the combine harvester's position.

[0039] The base station 42 consists of a fixed communication device 43, a fixed GPS antenna 44 that receives position information from positioning satellites 41, and a fixed data transmission antenna 45 that transmits correction position information to the mobile station 46. A server 42A is also located at the base station 42.

[0040] The mobile station 46 is comprised of a mobile communication device 47, a mobile GPS antenna 48 that receives position information from positioning satellites 41, and a mobile data transmission antenna 49 that receives correction position information from base station 42.

[0041] As shown in Figure 5, the combine harvester's controller 50 is composed of a processing unit 51 consisting of a CPU and the like, a storage unit 52 consisting of ROM, RAM, a hard disk drive, flash memory and the like, an input / output unit 53 having an input / output interface circuit, and a communication unit 54 that sends and receives information with the communication unit 84 of the server 42A via the cloud.

[0042] On the input side of the input / output unit 53 are a full sensor 7A that detects when the grain tank 7 is full of stored grain, a camera 11 that captures information about grain stalks and information about entanglement of grain stalks in the lifting device 3A, a grain stalk sensor (the "second grain stalk sensor" in the claim) 13 that detects grain stalks being lifted by the lifting device 3A, a grain stalk sensor 15 that detects grain stalks stuck in the conveying device 3C, a camera 17 that captures images of the weed divider 3D and the ridges, and a combine harvester that follows the reference path 61 and the set path 65 described later. A straight-line assist switch 32 for automatic driving, a first reference point setting switch 33A for setting the first reference point 62, a second reference point setting switch 33B for setting the second reference point 63, a third reference point setting switch 33C for setting the third reference point 64, a GPS antenna 48 for receiving positioning signals transmitted from multiple positioning satellites 41A to 41D, and a data transmission antenna 49 for receiving correction signals from a base station 42 are all connected via a predetermined input interface circuit.

[0043] The output side of the input / output unit 53 is connected via a predetermined output interface circuit to a brake 2A that brakes the left and right pair of crawlers of the travel device 2, a buzzer 5A that warns the operator, a motor 20A that increases and decreases the output rotation of the travel continuously variable transmission 20, a motor 21A that increases and decreases the output rotation of the transmission 21, a motor 23A that increases and decreases the output rotation of the harvesting continuously variable transmission 23, and a setting path 65 that causes the combine to automatically travel along a reference path 61 or a set path 65.

[0044] As shown in Figure 6, the vertically extending reference path 61 set on the left side of the field 60 is set by extending a straight line vertically through a first reference point 62 located below the loading area 60A and a second reference point 63 located below the first reference point 62 in the direction of travel. When the combine harvester reaches the loading area 60A, the controller 50 receives position information from positioning satellites 41A to 41D. When the straight assist switch 32 is ON, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 inputs the autopilot switch 55. When the autopilot switch 55 is input, the travel device 2 starts to travel automatically along the reference path 61 or a set path 65, etc., which is set by moving the reference path 61 to the right by the amount of the cutting width in the left-right direction of the harvesting device 3, at a preset travel speed.

[0045] The left and right sides of the lifting device 3A of the harvesting device 3 are equipped with grain stalk sensors 13 for detecting grain stalks being lifted by the lifting device 3A. If the grain stalk sensors 13 do not detect grain stalks during the automatic operation of the combine harvester and the input signal from the grain stalk sensors 13 is turned OFF, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 activates the buzzer 5A of the control unit 5, lights up or flashes a warning lamp (not shown), displays a warning message on the monitor 30, and provides an audible warning to the operator. This allows the operator to recognize that the combine harvester is approaching the ridges around the field and prevents the combine harvester from colliding with the ridges.

[0046] The processing unit 51 stops the buzzer 5A when the operator stops the travel device 2 via the continuously variable transmission 20 by operating the main speed lever 35. If the travel device 2 is not stopped, the buzzer 5A continues to operate, and warnings such as warning lamps, monitor 30 displays, and audible alerts continue. Furthermore, if the linear assist switch 32 is pressed after the travel device 2 has been stopped, even though the input signal from the grain stalk sensor 13 is OFF, the buzzer 5A of the control unit 5 is activated again. This allows the operator to recognize that the combine is approaching the ridges around the field, further preventing the combine from colliding with the ridges.

[0047] As shown in Figure 7, to facilitate understanding, we will explain the case where the combine automatically travels along the standard path 61 and the 1st, 2nd, and 4th set paths 65 counting from the standard path 61 (hereinafter referred to as Case 1), automatically travels to the right of the 3rd set path 65 counting from the standard path 61 (hereinafter referred to as Case 2), and automatically travels to the left of the 5th set path 65 counting from the standard path 61 (hereinafter referred to as Case 3).

[0048] (Method for comparing grain stalk information and entanglement information in Case 1) While the combine harvester is automatically moving, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 transmits the combine harvester's position information, as well as the captured image (the "second captured image" in the claim) 70 and the captured image (the "first captured image" in the claim) 75 taken by the camera 11, to the server 42A via the cloud.

[0049] Preferably, 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 an image 70 of the area in front of the harvesting device 3 and an image 75 of the area between image 70 and the harvesting device 3, and then determines the state of the grain stalks being transported by the lifting device 3A from the image 75.

[0050] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the camera 11 can also be positioned 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 control unit 5, in the middle of the left-right direction at the front. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, image 70 is an image of the pn section in front of the harvesting device 3, and image 75 is an image of the hn section between the front end of the lifting device 3A and the front end of the cutting device 3B.

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

[0052] Image 70 is an image of the front of the harvesting device 3, and image 75 is an image of the front side of the harvesting device 3, that is, an image between image 70 and the harvesting device 3. The length of image 70 in the left-right direction is set to three times the cutting width of the harvesting device 3, and the length of image 75 in the left-right direction is set to the length of the lifting device 3A in the left-right direction.

[0053] As shown in Figure 14, the controller 80 of server 42A consists of a processing unit 81 comprising a high-speed processing chip such as a GPU, FPGA, or ASIC; a storage unit 82 comprising 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 with the combine's communication unit 54 via the cloud. In addition, the camera 11 takes pictures at predetermined intervals t (travel distance of 50 cm).

[0054] As shown in Figure 15, the processing unit 81 of the controller 80 divides the captured image 70 into three images 70A to 70C, then compares the captured image 70B with the captured image 70B stored in the storage unit 82, calculates the lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the captured image 70B, and then transmits the calculated lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the captured image 70B to the combine harvester's controller 50 via the cloud. Image 70A shows the front left side of the harvesting device 3, image 70B shows the front of the harvesting device 3, and image 70C shows the front right side of the harvesting device 3.

[0055] As shown in Figure 16, the lodging rate is stratified into five stages, from posture P1 (lodging rate 0%) where the grain stalks are standing upright to posture P5 (lodging rate 100%) where the grain stalks are completely lodged. For example, if 50% of the grain stalks in captured image 70B are in posture P1 (lodging rate 0%) and 50% are in posture P3 (lodging rate 50%), then the lodging rate is calculated proportionally as 25%.

[0056] The processing unit 51 of the controller 50 rotates motors 20A and 21A based on the lodging rate of the received grain stalk information to increase or decrease the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 and the transmission 21. This allows for efficient harvesting of grain stalks by increasing or decreasing the travel speed of the travel device 2 according to the lodging rate of the grain stalk information. When the lodging rate of the received grain stalk information increases, it is preferable to decrease the output rotation of the transmission 21, increase the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 to decrease the travel speed of the travel device 2, and increase the transport speed of the lifting device 3A.

[0057] When the lodging rate is 0-25% (position P1,2), the tip of the grain stalk is located above the cutting height at the base of the stalk, so the combine harvester can automatically drive and harvest the grain stalks. However, if the lodging rate exceeds 25% (position P3-5), the tip of the grain stalk is located below the cutting height at the base of the stalk, making it impossible to cut in the opposite direction. In such cases, it is preferable for the operator to stop the combine's automatic movement and manually move the combine to a position where the grain stalks can be cut in the opposite direction. This prevents the grain stalks from becoming entangled in the harvesting device 3 and suppresses threshing.

[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 continuously variable transmission 20 for travel. This allows for efficient lifting of the grain stalks by increasing or decreasing the transport speed of the lifting device 3A according to the entanglement rate. When the entanglement rate of the received entanglement information increases, it is preferable to decrease the output rotation of the transmission 21, decrease the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 for travel, decrease the travel speed of the travel device 2, and also decrease the transport speed of the lifting device 3A.

[0059] If no grain stalks are entangled in the lifting device 3A, no undulation occurs between the grain stalks in the center and on both sides of the captured image 75. On the other hand, if grain stalks are entangled in the lifting device 3A, undulation occurs between the grain stalks in the center and on both sides of the captured image 75, and the undulation between the grain stalks in the center and on both sides of the captured image 75 increases as the number of grain stalks entangled in the lifting device 3A increases.

[0060] The entanglement rate of the entanglement information can be determined, for example, by performing grayscale processing on the captured image 75 to extract the centroid of the ear tip object as a feature point, and then estimating the posture of the ear tip of the grain stalk from the line connecting the pre-set position coordinates of the base of the plant in the captured image 75 and the centroid of the ear tip object to determine the entanglement rate. The controller 50 may identify the base of the plant object from the image captured by the camera 11 just before the harvesting work begins, calculate the harvesting start distance from the centroid position coordinates of the base of the plant object to the lifting device of the combine, capture an image with the camera 11 when the combine has traveled the harvesting start distance, and thereafter control the camera 11 to capture an image every time the combine travels a predetermined distance (a multiple of the plant spacing or a multiple of the plant spacing). Alternatively, the controller 50 may pre-determine the position coordinates of the base of the stalk in the image captured by the camera 11 when the input signal from the stalk sensor 13 is detected as ON, and control the camera 11 to capture an image each time the combine travels a predetermined distance so that the base of the stalk is captured in a pre-set coordinate area of ​​the imaging area by the camera 11. As shown in Figure 17, the entanglement rate of the entanglement information is stratified into five stages, from posture K1 (entanglement rate 0%) where the stalk head is parallel to the conveying direction of the stalk head in the captured image 75, to posture K5 (entanglement rate 100%) where the stalk head is perpendicular to the conveying direction. For example, if 50% of the stalk heads in the captured image 75 are in posture K1 (entanglement rate 0%) and 50% are in posture K3 (entanglement rate 50%), these are apportioned to an entanglement rate of 25%. While the center of gravity of the stalk object was used as an example of how to estimate the posture of the stalk tip, the entanglement rate can also be determined from the density distribution of the stalk objects. In this case, if there is a bias in the density distribution, the probability of the stalks being entangled is high, so the system may be configured to set the entanglement rate higher.

[0061] For example, if the entanglement rate is 25% or less, the processing unit 51 automatically drives the vehicle by setting the travel speed of the vehicle 2 to the position of the main gear lever 35. If the entanglement rate is greater than 25% but 50% or less, there are few grain stalks entangled in the lifting device 3A, so the processing unit 51 reduces the travel speed of the vehicle 2 to a speed lower than the speed corresponding to the position of the main gear lever 35, thereby reducing the transport speed of the lifting device 3A and suppressing entanglement of the grain stalks. However, if the entanglement rate exceeds 50%, there are many grain stalks entangled in the lifting device 3A, and many grains are threshed, so the processing unit 51 stops automatic driving. At this time, it is preferable for the operator to manually drive the combine to a position where the grain stalks can be harvested. This prevents the grain stalks from becoming entangled in the harvesting device 3 and causing many grains to be threshed. The processing unit 51 may also be configured to display the entanglement rate on the monitor 30. In this case, when the entanglement rate is within a predetermined range (for example, greater than 25% and 50% or less), it is preferable to alert the operator by displaying a message on the monitor 30 or by making an audible notification prompting them to reduce the travel speed of the travel device 2 and the transport speed of the lifting device 3A. Furthermore, when the entanglement rate is above a predetermined value (for example, greater than 50%), it is preferable to alert the operator by displaying a message on the monitor 30 or by making an audible notification prompting them to stop traveling and manually move the combine to a position where the grain stalks can be harvested.

[0062] (Method for comparing grain stalk information and entanglement information in Case 2) While the combine harvester is operating automatically, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 transmits the combine harvester's location information, the image 70 captured by camera 11, and the image 75 captured by camera 12 to the server 42A via the cloud.

[0063] As shown in Figure 18, the processing unit 81 of the controller 80 divides the captured image 70 into three images, 70A to 70C. The length of each of the captured images 70A to 70C in the left-right direction is set to the cutting width of the harvesting device 3.

[0064] Next, the processing unit 81 calculates the lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the corrected image 71, which corresponds to the captured image 70B stored in the memory unit 82. The lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the corrected image 71 is calculated by apportioning the lodging rates of the captured images 70B and 70C, which are stored in the memory unit 82 and correspond to the captured image 70B. This allows for the accurate calculation of the lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the captured image 70B.

[0065] For example, in the configuration shown in Figure 18, the left half of the captured image 70B is located in the captured image 70B stored in the memory unit 82, and the right half of the captured image 70B is located in the captured image 70C stored in the memory unit 82. Therefore, the tilt rate of the corrected captured image 71 is the average of the tilt rates of the captured image 70B and the captured image 70C stored in the memory unit 82.

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

[0067] Furthermore, 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 harvester's controller 50 via the cloud.

[0068] The processing unit 51 of the controller 50 rotates the motors 20A and 21A based on the lodging rate of the received grain stalk information to increase or decrease the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 and the transmission 21 for driving.

[0069] Furthermore, 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 continuously variable transmission 20 for driving.

[0070] (Method for comparing grain stalk information and entanglement information in Case 3) While the combine harvester is operating automatically, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 transmits the combine harvester's location information, the image 70 captured by camera 11, and the image 75 captured by camera 12 to the server 42A via the cloud.

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

[0072] Next, the processing unit 81 calculates the lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the corrected image 72, which corresponds to the captured image 70B stored in the memory unit 82. The lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the corrected image 72 is calculated by apportioning the lodging rates of the captured images 70A and 70B, which are stored in the memory unit 82 and correspond to the captured image 70B. This allows for the accurate calculation of the lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the captured image 70B.

[0073] For example, in the configuration shown in Figure 19, the left half of the captured image 70B is located in the captured image 70A stored in the memory unit 82, and the right half of the captured image 70B is located in the captured image 70B stored in the memory unit 82. Therefore, the tilt rate of the corrected captured image 71 is the average of the tilt rates of the captured image 70A and the captured image 70B stored in the memory unit 82.

[0074] Next, the processing unit 81 compares the captured image 70B with the modified captured image 72 stored in the storage unit 82, calculates the lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the captured image 70B, and then transmits the calculated lodging rate of the grain stalk information in the captured image 70B to the combine harvester's controller 50 via the cloud.

[0075] Furthermore, 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 harvester's 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 to increase or decrease the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 for driving.

[0077] <Method for automatic operation of a combine harvester> As shown in Figure 20, in step S1, the processing unit 51 of the combine harvester's controller 50 determines whether or not there are obstacles such as workers or work tools in the captured image 70B taken by the camera 11. If it is determined that there are no obstacles in the captured image 70B, the process proceeds to step S2; if it is determined that there are obstacles in the captured image 70B, the process proceeds to step S5. In addition, to determine whether there are obstacles, for example, if the obstacle extends above or to the left of the grain stalk, clustering can be performed using the K-means method or a mixture of Gaussian distributions, and if there are other centers of gravity above or below or to the left or right of the center of gravity of the grain stalk, it can be determined that there are obstacles; if there are no other centers of gravity, it can be determined that there are no obstacles.

[0078] In step S2, the processing unit 51 determines the lodging rate of the grain stalks in the captured image 70B transmitted from the controller 80 of the server 42A. If the lodging rate is less than or equal to a predetermined lodging rate, for example 25%, the process proceeds to step S3; 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 less than or equal to a predetermined entanglement rate, for example 25%, the process proceeds to step S4; 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 that increases or decreases the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 for travel and the motor 21A that increases or decreases the output rotation of the transmission 21 to increase or decrease the travel speed of the travel device 2 and the transport speed of the harvesting device 3, and returns to step S1. This allows for efficient harvesting of grain stalks and efficient transport of the grain stalks to the threshing device 4 for threshing and sorting. Furthermore, it is preferable for the processing unit 51 to sound an alarm or display an indication on the monitor 30 that the speed is being increased when increasing or decreasing the travel speed of the travel device 2 and the transport speed of the harvesting device 3 to alert the operator. In addition, the operator can set the maximum travel speed of the travel device 2 and the maximum transport speed of the harvesting device 3 in advance. This regulates the maximum travel speed of the travel device 2 and the maximum transport speed of the harvesting device 3, thereby maintaining a certain level of safety during operation.

[0081] In step S5, the processing unit 51 operates the motor 20A, which increases or decreases the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 for travel, to stop the drive of the travel device 2 and the harvesting device 3, and proceed to step S6. This prevents collisions between the combine harvester and obstacles, and prevents grain stalks from becoming entangled in the lifting device 3A of the harvesting device 3, thus suppressing threshing of grain.

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

[0083] In step S7, the operator presses the straight assist switch 32 to stop the combine's automatic movement and return to step S1. After releasing the brake 2A, the operator manually moves the combine to a position where the harvesting of the grain stalks can be performed. 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 straight assist switch 32 to restart the combine's automatic movement. If the direction of lodging of the grain stalks intersects with the direction of travel of the combine, it is preferable to start automatic movement from the side where the grain stalks are growing.

[0084] <Method for removing grain stalks that have become clogged in the harvesting device> The conveying device 3C of the harvesting device 3 is equipped with a grain stalk sensor (the "first grain stalk sensor" in the claim) 15, such as a rotation sensor, which detects grain stalk jamming. When the grain stalk sensor 15 detects grain stalk jamming and the input signal from the grain stalk sensor 15 turns ON, the processing unit 51 of the controller 50 operates the motor 23A, which increases or decreases the output rotation of the harvesting continuously variable transmission 23 and switches the output rotation direction, to switch the output rotation direction of the harvesting continuously variable transmission 23 from the forward rotation direction to the reverse rotation direction, thereby moving the grain stalks a predetermined distance from the threshing device 4 towards the harvesting device 3. This reduces the entanglement of grain stalks that have become entangled in the conveying device 3C, etc. When the output rotation direction is forward, the conveying device 3C conveys the grain stalks from the harvesting device 3 to the threshing device 4, and when the output rotation direction is reverse, the conveying device 3C conveys the grain stalks from the threshing device 4 to the harvesting device 3.

[0085] Next, the processing unit 51 operates the motor 23A to stop the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 23 for harvesting, thereby stopping the engine E. This allows the operator to safely remove the grain stalks that have become entangled in the conveying device 3C, etc.

[0086] The processing unit 51 preferably operates the motor 20A to stop the engine E by reducing the output rotation of the continuously variable transmission 20 for travel. This prevents the travel device 2 from suddenly moving against the operator's will when the engine E is restarted.

[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 transmission 23 for harvesting from the forward direction to the reverse direction when the operator presses the parking brake 39A or the raking pedal 39B. This makes it possible to suppress the accumulation of an excessive amount of grain stalks entangled in the conveying device 3C, etc.

[0088] As shown in Figure 2, the right side of the cover 10 of the harvesting device 3 is equipped with a grass divider 3D located to the right of the lifting device 3A, and a camera 17 that photographs the ridge extending along the direction of travel of the combine harvester on the right side of the combine harvester.

[0089] The processing unit 51 of the controller 50 extracts boundary objects of the ridges from the image captured by the camera 17 through grayscale processing such as binarization, calculates the longitudinal direction of the boundary objects, and controls the brake 2A of the travel device 2 based on the relationship between the virtual line extending in the front-rear direction of the grass divider 3D and the longitudinal direction of the ridge objects (for example, so that the intersection angle is within a predetermined range). This makes it possible to travel along the ridges of the field without using the positioning unit 40.

[0090] Furthermore, the left side of the cover 10 of the harvesting device 3 is equipped with a grass divider 3D located to the left of the lifting device 3A, and a camera for photographing the unharvested grain stalks planted to the left of the combine harvester. The processing unit 51 can also operate the brake 2A of the traveling device 2 so that the imaginary line extending in the front-rear direction of the grass divider 3D and the unharvested grain stalks planted along the direction of travel of the combine harvester are parallel. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0091] 1. Aircraft frame 2. Traveling device 2A Brake 3 Reaping device 3A lifting device 3C Conveyor System 3D splitting plant 4. Threshing machine 5. Control Unit 5A Buzzer 7 Glen Tank 8. Discharge Auger 8A discharge device 10 Covers 11A Camera (Second Camera) 11B Camera (First Camera) 13. Grain Strand Sensor (Second Grain Strand Sensor) 15. Grain Strand Sensor (First Grain Strand Sensor) 23 Continuously Variable Speed ​​Control for Harvesting 50 Controllers 55 Autopilot switch 70. Captured image (second captured image) 75. Captured image (First captured image) E-engine

Claims

1. In a combine harvester, the following features are provided: a machine frame (1) on which an engine (E) is mounted; a traveling device (2) for traveling in a field is provided on the underside of the machine frame (1); a harvesting device (3) for cutting grain stalks is provided on the front side of the machine frame (1); a threshing device (4) for threshing the harvested grain stalks is provided on the rear left side of the harvesting device (3); a control unit (5) for the operator is provided on the rear right side of the harvesting device (3); and a grain tank (7) for storing grain and at least one camera (11) are provided behind the control unit (5), The camera (11) captures an image of the area in front of the combine harvester. The combine harvester's controller (50) is characterized by estimating the posture of the grain stalks from the images captured by the camera (11) and calculating the entanglement rate of the grain stalks.

2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller (50) notifies the operator of one of the following based on the entanglement rate: to reduce the travel speed of the traveling device (2), to reduce the transport speed of the lifting device (3A), or to stop the travel of the traveling device (2).

3. The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the captured image includes a first captured image (75) of the front side of the lifting device (3A) of the harvesting device (3).

4. The combine harvester according to claim 3, wherein the controller (50) reduces the travel speed of the traveling device (2) and increases the transport speed of the lifting device (3A) if the lodging rate of the grain stalks calculated from the second image (70) which is located in front of the first image (75) in the direction of travel is less than or equal to a preset lodging rate, and stops the travel of the traveling device (2) if it exceeds a preset lodging rate.

5. The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller (50) stops the movement of the traveling device (2) when an obstacle is captured in the captured image.

6. Between the transmission path of the engine (E) and the harvesting device (3), a continuously variable transmission (23) for harvesting is provided, which increases or decreases the output rotational speed of the engine (E) and switches the output rotational direction. A first grain stalk sensor (15) for detecting the accumulation of grain stalks is provided in the conveying device (3C) of the harvesting device (3). The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the first grain stalk sensor (15) detects a blockage of grain stalks, the controller (50) switches the drive direction of the harvesting device (3) to the reverse direction via the continuously variable speed transmission for harvesting (23), and then stops the drive of the harvesting device (3).

7. The combine harvester according to claim 6, wherein the controller (50) stops the movement of the traveling device (2) when the first grain stalk sensor (15) detects a blockage of grain stalks.

8. The lifting device (3A) is equipped with a second grain stalk sensor (13) for detecting grain stalks. The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller (50) alerts the operator or stops the travel device (2) if the second grain stalk sensor (13) does not detect a grain stalk.

9. The camera (11) is positioned to photograph the ridge on the side of the combine harvester. The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller (50) extracts ridge objects from images captured by the camera (11), calculates the longitudinal direction of the ridge objects, and operates the brake 2A of the traveling device 2 to automatically steer the traveling device (2) based on the relationship between a virtual line extending in the front-rear direction of the grass divider 3D and the longitudinal direction of the ridge objects.

Images