combine

Abstract

This combine harvester improves turning accuracy and reduces the operator's burden by automatically adjusting the target rotation ratio of the crawler tracks according to the working conditions. [Solution] In a combine harvester equipped with a chassis (2) on which left and right crawler tracks (3) are stretched and which are left and right running devices (4L, 4R), a threshing device (6) and a harvesting device (15) are mounted at the front, a control device (20) controls the rotation ratio of the left and right crawler tracks (3) to a predetermined value in left steering and right steering, respectively, according to the working state of the combine harvester.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a combine equipped with a grain tank for storing grain threshed by a threshing device.

Background Art

[0002] There is a combine that determines a decrease in the turning accuracy of the combine based on the number of retry times of the turning path and the stored weight of grain in the grain tank, and operates the grain discharge of the grain tank when it is determined that the turning accuracy has decreased (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in conventional combines, since the target rotation ratio of the crawler is set according to the operation angle of the steering lever, the turning accuracy is poor depending on the working conditions, and the operation burden on the operator is large.

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above viewpoints, the present invention provides a combine that improves the turning accuracy and reduces the operation burden on the operator by automatically adjusting the target rotation ratio of the crawler.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a combine harvester equipped with a chassis (2) on which a left and right running device (4L, 4R) is fitted with a pair of left and right crawlers (3), and a threshing device (6) and a harvesting device (15) are mounted at the front, characterized in that a control device (20) controls the rotation ratio of the left and right crawlers (3) to a predetermined value in left steering and right steering, respectively, according to the working state of the combine harvester.

[0007] According to the invention described in claim 1, the control device (20) automatically sets the rotation ratio of the left and right crawlers (3) appropriately for left steering and right steering, respectively, according to the working state of the combine harvester. This improves turning accuracy, reduces the burden on the operator, and assists in steering that is easy to use even for operators unfamiliar with driving, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that the working state of the combine harvester is a harvesting state and a state other than harvesting.

[0009] According to the invention described in claim 2, the control device (20) automatically and appropriately changes the rotation ratio of the left and right crawlers (3) according to the harvesting work state and the state other than harvesting work, thereby preventing sharp turns during harvesting and achieving advanced steering assistance to prevent accidental large changes in course during harvesting.

[0010] The invention described in claim 3 is a combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device (20) controls the right crawler (3) to rotate at a rate greater than the left crawler (3) when steering to the left in a state other than harvesting.

[0011] According to the invention described in claim 3, the control device 20 controls the machine so that the rotation speed of the right crawler (3) is greater than the rotation speed of the left crawler (3) when steering to the left in a state other than harvesting, so that sharp left turns and large changes in course can be made without any burden on the operator when not harvesting.

[0012] The invention described in claim 4 is a combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device (20) controls the left crawler (3) to rotate at a rate greater than the right crawler (3) when steering to the right in a state other than harvesting.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 4, when the control device (20) is steered to the right in a state other than harvesting, it can make a sharp right turn or a large change of course without burdening the operator in a state other than harvesting.

[0014] The invention described in claim 5 is a combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device (20) controls the rotation speed of the crawler (3) corresponding to the direction in which steering is detected to be less than the rotation speed of the other crawler (3).

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 5, the control device (20) automatically controls the rotation speed of the crawler (3) corresponding to the direction of steering detected to be less than the rotation speed of the other crawler (3), thereby improving turning accuracy, reducing the burden on the operator, and assisting in steering that is easy to use even for operators unfamiliar with driving, thus improving work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a combine harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of a combine harvester. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the control device. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the harvesting work route in the field. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] Hereinafter, a combine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding, for the convenience of explanation, the front side is referred to as the front side, the rear side as the rear side, the right hand side as the right side, and the left hand side as the left side when viewed from the operator, but the configuration is not limited by these.

[0018] <Overall configuration of the combine> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combine 1 is provided with left and right traveling devices 4L and 4R having a pair of left and right crawlers 3 that run on the soil surface on the lower side of the vehicle body 2, and on the left and right on the vehicle body 2, a threshing device 6 that threshes and separates the grain straws that are conveyed and supplied while being sandwiched by the feed chain, a grain tank 7 as a storage device that temporarily stores the grains, and a discharge auger 8 that discharges the grains stored in the grain tank 7 outside the machine. The discharge auger 8 undulates by operating the auger lifting cylinder when discharging the grains.

[0019] And in front of the threshing device 6, a weeding body 11 that weeds the uncut grain straws from the front end side, a raising part 12 that raises the weeded grain straws, a cutting blade part 13 that cuts the raised grain straws, and a supply adjustment conveyance part that scrapes up the cut grain straws and adjusts the handling depth during conveyance and transfers them to the feed chain, etc. The cutting device 15 is configured to be suspended and disposed at the front end of the vehicle body 2 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the soil surface by a cutting lifting cylinder 24.

[0020] An operating device 16 such as a steering lever 16a that steers left and right traveling actuators 23L and 23R that drive the left and right crawlers 3 of the combine 1 is provided at the upper rear side of the cutting device 15, and an operator's seat 17 on which the operator sits is provided. An engine is mounted below the operator's seat 17, and the grain tank 7 is arranged at the rear side. A cabin 18 that covers the operating device and the operator's seat 17 is provided, and these left and right traveling devices 4L, 4R, threshing device 6, cutting device 15, engine, cabin 18, etc. are mounted on the vehicle body 2 of the combine.

[0021] In front of the operator's seat 17 in the cabin 18, a monitor 21 as a display device for receiving input information from the operating device 16 and each sensor and displaying various information is provided, and below the operating device 16, a control device 20 for receiving input information from the operating device 16 and each sensor and controlling the operation of each part is provided.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the operating device 16 includes a main shift lever 16b that operates a transmission actuator 22 for operating the trunion shaft of a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission (hereinafter referred to as HST) by the forward and backward operations of the operator sitting on the operator's seat 17 to switch between forward and backward and stop and increase or decrease the speed, a left travel actuator 23L that operates the left side clutch and left side brake of the left travel device 4L by tilting operation to the left, a right travel actuator 23R that operates the right side clutch and right side brake of the right travel device 4R by tilting operation to the right to perform left and right steering and left and right turning during straight travel, a steering lever 16a that operates the cutting elevation cylinder 24 by the forward and backward operation to raise and lower the cutting device 15, a threshing clutch actuator 25 that operates the threshing lever 16c to turn on and off the drive of the cutting device 15 and the threshing device 6, an auger operation lever 16d that moves the discharge auger 8 vertically by the operation of the auger elevation cylinder 26a and horizontally by the operation of the left and right turning actuator 26b, and an auger drive switching lever 16e that operates an auger drive electromagnetic clutch 27 for turning on and off the drive of the discharge auger 8 to discharge the grain in the grain tank 7 to the outside of the machine, and other various operating tools.

[0023] Furthermore, the input side of the control device 20 includes a potentiometer for detecting the operation of the steering lever 16a, a potentiometer for detecting the forward and backward operating position of the main gear shift lever 16b, a potentiometer for detecting the operating position of the harvesting lever 16c, a potentiometer for detecting the operating position of the auger operating lever 16d, a potentiometer for detecting the operating position of the auger drive switching lever 16e, and a weight detection unit 30 which serves as a yield sensor composed of a load cell that detects the amount of grain stored in the grain tank 7 by weight. A left rotation sensor 31L detects the rotation direction and rotation speed of the drive shaft of the left travel device 4L, a right rotation sensor 31R detects the rotation direction and rotation speed of the drive shaft of the right travel device 4R, a brake force adjustment dial 32 adjusts the braking force of the left and right side brakes by adjusting the amount of operation of the left and right travel actuators 23L and 23R, a harvesting height sensor 40 detects the harvesting height which is the relative height of the harvesting device 15 with respect to the machine body, and a grain stalk sensor 41 detects the presence or absence of grain stalks that are lifted by the lifting unit 12, etc., are connected via a predetermined input interface circuit.

[0024] On the output side of the control device 20 are left and right travel actuators 23L and 23R that operate the left and right side clutches and left and right side brakes of the left and right travel devices 4L and 4R based on input values ​​from a potentiometer that detects the tilting operation of the steering lever 16a to the left and right, a harvesting lifting cylinder 24 that raises and lowers the harvesting device 15 based on input values ​​from a potentiometer that detects the forward and backward movement, a transmission actuator 22 that operates the trunnion shaft of the HST based on input values ​​from a potentiometer that detects the forward and backward movement position of the main transmission lever 16b, and a potentiometer that detects the operation of the harvesting lever 16c A harvesting clutch actuator 25 that switches the drive of the harvesting device 15 and the threshing device 6 on and off based on input values ​​from a potentiometer, an auger lifting cylinder 26a that moves the grain discharge auger 8 up and down and a left and right swivel actuator 26b that moves it left and right based on input values ​​from a potentiometer that detects the operation of the auger operation lever 16d, an auger drive electromagnetic clutch 27 that switches the drive of the grain discharge auger 8 on and off based on input values ​​from a potentiometer that detects the operation of the auger drive switching lever 16e, and a monitor 21, etc. are connected via a predetermined output interface circuit.

[0025] <Brake control of left and right travel devices 4L and 4R during turns> When performing harvesting work in field H, the machine is turned by the operator seated in the operator's seat 17 tilting the steering lever 16a to the left (or right) to activate the left travel actuator 23L (or right travel actuator 23R), disengaging the left side clutch (or right side clutch) of the left travel device 4L (or right travel device 4R) and applying the left side brake (or right side brake).

[0026] Previously, the operator maintained turning accuracy by manually adjusting the braking force of the handbrake using the brake force adjustment dial 32. However, if the operator made a steering error during harvesting, the machine would change course drastically, increasing the operator's burden and reducing work efficiency when returning to the original path.

[0027] Therefore, in this embodiment, depending on the working state of the combine harvester, the rotation ratio of the left and right crawlers 3, which is the ratio of the rotation speed detected by the left rotation sensor 31L and the rotation speed detected by the right rotation sensor 31R, is controlled to a predetermined value for both left and right steering, thereby improving turning accuracy, reducing the operator's workload, and improving work efficiency.

[0028] Next, the processing procedure of the control device 20 implementing the present invention will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 4.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, in step 1 (S1), the control device 20 determines whether the operating position of the cutting lever 16 is in the cutting position. If the cutting lever 16 is in the cutting position, the control device 20 determines that the harvesting operation is in progress and proceeds to step 2 (S2).

[0030] Next, in step 2 (S2), the control device 20 determines whether the harvesting height is at the harvesting work position. Specifically, it determines whether the value detected by the harvesting height sensor 40 is within a predetermined range. If it is within the predetermined range, it proceeds to step 4 (S4); otherwise, it proceeds to step 3 (S3). Here, the predetermined range refers to the value within which the harvesting device 15 can perform harvesting work.

[0031] Next, in step 3 (S3), the control device 20 determines whether the input state of the grain stalk sensor 41 is ON or OFF. If the input state of the grain stalk sensor 41 is ON, the harvesting operation has started and the process proceeds to step 4 (S4). If the input state of the grain stalk sensor 41 is OFF, the combine harvester is not in harvesting operation mode and the process returns to step 1 (S1).

[0032] Next, in step 4 (S4), the control device 20 controls the operating amount of the left and right travel actuators 23L and 23R so that the rotational speeds of the left and right crawlers 3 are in a predetermined rotational ratio. When the combine harvester is in the harvesting operation state, the control device 20 automatically changes the rotational ratio of the left and right crawlers 3 to an appropriate value, thereby reducing the burden of steering operations on the operator.

[0033] <Examples> The control device 20 detects when the steering lever 16a is steered and controls the rotation speed of the crawler corresponding to the steered direction to be less than the rotation speed of the other crawler 3. For example, when the combine harvester is in harvesting operation, if the steering lever 16a is steered to the left, it is preferable to set the rotation ratio of the left and right crawlers 3 to 8:10, and if the steering lever 16a is steered to the right, it is preferable to set the rotation ratio of the left and right crawlers 3 to 8:10.

[0034] Furthermore, it is desirable to increase the difference in rotational speed between the left and right crawlers when not in harvesting operation mode compared to when in harvesting operation mode. For example, when the steering lever 16a is steered to the left when not in harvesting operation mode, it is preferable to set the rotational ratio of the left and right crawlers 3 to 3:10, and when the steering lever 16a is steered to the right, it is preferable to set the rotational ratio of the left and right crawlers 3 to 10:3.

[0035] Furthermore, the control device 20 may output a hydraulic valve to reduce the braking force (hydraulic pressure) on the turning side at regular intervals if the rotation ratio of the left and right crawlers 3 is greater than the measured rotation ratio (large rotation difference) for a predetermined time or longer from the start of the turning operation, or it may output a hydraulic valve to reduce the braking force (hydraulic pressure) on the turning side at regular intervals and intermittently if the rotation ratio is greater than the measured rotation ratio (large rotation difference) for a predetermined time or longer from the start of the turning operation.

[0036] When the harvesting rotation sensor (not shown) detects a rotation value above a predetermined value, the target rotation ratio value with respect to the amount of steering lever 16a operated can be set to be smaller than when the rotation speed is low. Alternatively, the target rotation ratio value with respect to the amount of steering lever 16a operated can be set to be smaller only when the harvesting rotation speed is above a predetermined value, the harvesting device 15 is below a predetermined height, and all grain stalk sensors 41 are ON.

[0037] Furthermore, when the harvesting device 15 is above a predetermined height and the grain stalk sensor 41 is in the OFF state, and the engine speed falls below the set rotation speed, the target rotation ratio is reduced to a predetermined value. When the harvesting device 15 is above a predetermined height and the grain stalk sensor 41 is in the OFF state, and the engine speed falls below the set rotation speed, the target rotation ratio can also be reduced in stages at regular intervals or within a regular interval to reduce the turning load.

[0038] Furthermore, when the engine speed falls below the set speed and the target rotation ratio is reduced, the system may be configured to gradually return the target rotation ratio to its original target value at regular time intervals when the engine speed returns to within a predetermined range of the set speed. This can prevent sharp turns.

[0039] As described above, the present invention automatically adjusts the amount of operation of the operator's steering lever 16a according to the working conditions, thereby suppressing operational errors and improving work efficiency by applying appropriate braking force during turns.

[0040] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the operator manually operates the steering lever 16a to turn. However, it goes without saying that this can also be applied to a combine harvester equipped with a GNSS that receives signals from positioning satellites, which autonomously drives along a harvesting route registered in the memory while the control device 20 calculates its own position and performs harvesting work. In such a case, the braking force of the left and right side brakes can be automatically adjusted according to the amount of grain (weight of unhulled rice) stored in the grain tank 7 to automatically adjust the turning force. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 2 chassis 3 Crawler 4L left running device 4R Right-hand drive system 6. Threshing device 7 Glen Tank 15 Reaping device 16a Steering lever 16b Main gear shift lever 20 Control device 22. Transmission Actuator 23L Left-hand drive actuator 23R Right-hand drive actuator 31L Left Rotation Sensor 31R Right Rotation Sensor

Claims

1. A combine harvester equipped with a chassis (2) on which left and right crawler tracks (3) are stretched, and a threshing device (6) and a harvesting device (15) at the front, characterized in that a control device (20) controls the rotation ratio of the left and right crawler tracks (3) to a predetermined value in left steering and right steering, respectively, according to the working state of the combine harvester.

2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that the working state of the combine harvester is either a harvesting state or a state other than harvesting.

3. The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device (20) controls the rotation speed of the right crawler (3) to be greater than the rotation speed of the left crawler (3) when steering to the left in a state other than harvesting work.

4. The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device (20) controls the left crawler (3) to rotate at a higher rate than the right crawler (3) when steering to the right in a state other than harvesting.

5. The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device (20) controls the rotation speed of the crawler (3) corresponding to the direction in which steering is detected to be less than the rotation speed of the other crawler (3).

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