combine

Abstract

To improve working environment of a combine-harvester for eliminating such a possibility that a cooling fan is reverse driven, and dust attached to a dust-proof body is blown to surroundings and falls onto a steering part to pose a health hazard to an operator, by reviewing a control content of a control device for switching between forward / reverse rotation of the cooling fan without using any new members, and correcting it.SOLUTION: When performing reaping travel by driving a thresher 27 and a reaper 17, a control device 62 for switching a rotation state of a cooling fan, periodically switches the cooling fan 38 between a forward rotation state and a reverse rotation state, however, when stopping a combine-harvester body during the reaping travel, immediately switches to the forward rotation state, even when the cooling fan is in the reverse rotation state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a combine harvester for harvesting grain, and more particularly to a combine harvester equipped with a control device that switches a cooling fan of an engine mounted thereon between a forward rotation state and a reverse rotation state. [Background technology]

[0002] Combine harvesters for harvesting grains are equipped with a diesel engine on the machine frame as a power source for driving the reaping and threshing equipment. The engine is mounted with a crankshaft facing the left and right direction of the machine, and a radiator equipped with a cooling fan is installed, for example, on the right side of the engine. The radiator removes heat from the engine's cooling water to cool the engine, and the cooling fan installed in the radiator forcibly generates cooling air to promote heat exchange with the air in the radiator.

[0003] Incidentally, in fields where grains are harvested, weeds grow along with the grains and they are also habitats for pests, etc., and harvesting work is carried out in poor environments where a lot of dust is generated, such as straw scraps and weed seeds that are generated during harvesting, pests flying about, and soil dust. Therefore, if this dust gets stuck in the radiator core during harvesting and ventilation to the core is cut off, the engine may overheat and break down in the worst case scenario.

[0004] As a countermeasure, a dustproof body made of mesh, punched metal, etc. is provided outside the radiator to prevent dust from getting mixed in with the cooling air supplied to the radiator by the cooling fan, and only clean outside air that has passed through this dustproof body is supplied to the radiator. However, such a dustproof body only captures dust and does not remove the dust itself, and if the small holes in the dustproof body that let air through are blocked by dust, the intake load of the cooling fan increases and the air volume decreases, so the dustproof body must be cleaned (dust removed) before the small holes become clogged with dust.

[0005] However, if cleaning of the dustproof body is left to the worker, it is a cumbersome task that increases the burden on the worker, and the harvesting work is interrupted during the cleaning, which is a factor in reducing work efficiency. Therefore, research has been conducted into automating this dust removal work, and one of the methods that has been considered is a method in which a cooling fan is periodically (periodically) reversed by a control device, and the dust attached to the dustproof body is blown outward by the dust removal wind generated by the reversal of the cooling fan, and today this method has become commonly used in relatively large combine harvesters (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0006] Meanwhile, in combine harvesters, the driver's seat (operator's seat) is often located above the engine cover (bonnet) that covers the engine and radiator, and in this case, when the cooling fan described above is driven in reverse and dust and other debris are blown out of the bonnet, the dust and other debris may flow toward the operator's seat. In order to improve the hygiene of the work environment around the operator's seat, it is known that a guide member is provided on the outer side of the bonnet's air intake section to guide air from inside the bonnet to the ground when the fan is in reverse rotation, thereby guiding dust and other debris to the ground and preventing it from flowing toward the operator's seat (see Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-259556 [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-181407 A [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-259557 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] As mentioned above, combine harvesters harvest grains (harvesting operations) in poor environments where a considerable amount of dust, such as broken straw and dirt, is generated, so an outside air intake is provided in the engine cover that covers the engine, radiator, etc., and a dustproof body is provided at this intake to supply clean outside air to the radiator and prevent the engine from overheating, etc. In addition, dust that is captured by this dustproof body and adheres to the small holes can be blown outward by dust-removing wind generated by driving the cooling fan in the reverse direction, allowing the dustproof body to be automatically cleaned.

[0009] In addition, in combine harvesters, the driver's seat is often located above the engine cover that covers the engine and radiator, and in this case, when the cooling fan described above is driven in the reverse direction and the dust is blown outward, the dust flows toward the driver's seat and falls on the operator, getting into his eyes or accumulating on the control section, which has a negative effect on the operator's health and soils the control section. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 3, it is conceivable to provide a guide member that guides the dust removal wind generated by the reverse drive of the cooling fan to the ground side, and to configure it so that the dust does not flow toward the control section.

[0010] However, if a guide member for the dust-removing airflow is provided outside the dustproof body, the guide member may become a duct that guides a large amount of dust near the ground toward the dustproof body as the cooling fan rotates forward, which may increase the adhesion of dust to the dustproof body. In addition, the guide member necessarily narrows the passage of the cooling airflow and the dust-removing airflow, placing an extra load on the cooling fan, and furthermore, the guide member increases the width of the combine harvester, making it difficult to obtain a compact machine body, or it is difficult to remove dust that has become clogged inside the guide member, which leads to problems such as an increase in costs due to the provision of the guide member.

[0011] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to improve the working environment of a combine harvester by reviewing and correcting the control content of a control device that switches the cooling fan between forward and reverse rotation without using any new parts, in order to eliminate the risk of dust adhering to the dustproof body being blown around when the cooling fan is driven in the reverse direction and falling on the control section, causing health damage to the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the combine harvester of the present invention has an engine that drives the reaping device and threshing device, a radiator that cools the engine's cooling water, and a cooling fan that can be switched between a forward rotation state in which outside air is sucked in through a dustproof body and supplied to the radiator before being blown toward the engine side, and a reverse rotation state in which air sucked in from the engine side is blown toward the dustproof body through the radiator, and the control unit with a driver's seat is provided above and toward the front of the engine room, and the control device that switches the rotation state of the cooling fan drives the threshing device and the reaping device to perform reaping travel. case The cooling fan is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation, When the mowing operation is not being performed, the cooling fan is switched to the forward rotation state only, When the machine is stopped during mowing, the cooling fan is immediately switched to normal rotation even if it is in reverse rotation.

[0013] In the combine harvester of the present invention, secondly, the control device periodically switches the cooling fan between a forward rotation state and a reverse rotation state for a predetermined forward rotation time and a predetermined reverse rotation time while driving the threshing device and the reaping device to perform reaping travel, and stops the machine during this reaping travel. In addition, if the cooling fan is in a forward rotation state when the machine is stopped, the elapsed time from when the cooling fan was last switched to a forward rotation state during mowing travel before the machine was stopped to when the machine was stopped is stored, and When you restart the mowing operation after stopping the machine, The time from when the mowing operation was resumed is added to the elapsed time, and the added time is calculated. The elapsed time The above When the specified forward rotation time is reached, the cooling fan From forward rotation It is characterized by switching to a reverse state.

[0014] Furthermore, the combine of the present invention thirdly comprises: In a combine harvester, an engine that drives a harvesting device and a threshing device, a radiator that cools the engine's cooling water, and a cooling fan that can be switched between a forward rotation state in which outside air is sucked in through a dustproof body and supplied to the radiator before being blown toward the engine side, and a reverse rotation state in which air sucked in from the engine side is blown toward the dustproof body through the radiator, are covered with an engine cover to form an engine room, and a control section with a driver's seat located above and toward the front of the engine room is covered with a cabin, The control device that switches the rotation state of the cooling fan drives the threshing machine and the reaping machine to perform reaping travel. case The cooling fan is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation, If the mowing trip is not being performed, the cabin door will remain closed. The cooling fan is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation. The cooling fan is switched to forward rotation only when the cabin door is open. . Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the combine harvester of the present invention, the control device that switches the rotation state of the cooling fan drives the threshing device and the reaping device to perform reaping travel. case The cooling fan is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation, When the mowing operation is not being performed, the cooling fan is switched to the forward rotation state only, When the machine is stopped during harvesting, the cooling fan immediately switches to normal rotation even if it is in reverse rotation. Therefore, even when the cooling fan is driven in reverse and dust attached to the dustproof body is blown away to the surroundings, dust is prevented from falling on the control section, improving the working environment at the control section.

[0016] More specifically, when a combine harvester harvests grains, it drives the threshing device and the reaping device to perform reaping travel. When the cooling fan is periodically switched to the reverse state during such reaping travel, the dust attached to the dustproof body is blown away to the surroundings. However, during reaping travel, the dust blown away to the surroundings of the dustproof body mainly flows toward the grain tank at the rear, and almost no dust falls on the control section, which is equipped with the driver's seat located forward from above the engine room, and the working environment of the operator at the control section is kept clean and not polluted by dust.

[0017] On the other hand, during this reaping drive, for example, an operator may discover a fallen culm and lift it up by hand to prevent the culm from being left unharvested, or the operator may stop the machine and temporarily suspend reaping work to talk to an assistant working in the field. If the cooling fan is switched to the reverse state during such an interruption of work, the dust attached to the dustproof body may be blown around and, depending on the wind direction, the dust may fall on the control unit.

[0018] However, when the control device stops the machine during reaping, even if the cooling fan is in reverse rotation, it immediately switches to normal rotation, so the blowing off of dust attached to the dustproof body is stopped and dust is prevented from falling on the control section. In addition, while the machine is stopped and work is suspended, grain is not being reaped, so no new cut straw is generated. Therefore, even if the cooling fan is switched to normal rotation, no new dust is found to adhere to the dustproof body, and the rise in the engine cooling water temperature is suppressed, so the engine does not overheat.

[0019] The control device periodically switches the cooling fan between forward and reverse rotation states on the condition that the threshing equipment or harvesting equipment is being driven to harvest.In other cases, such as when the threshing equipment or harvesting equipment is not being driven and the machine is moving, when the machine is stopped and grains are discharged from the grain tank into a container or the like, or when the threshing equipment is being driven to perform hand threshing, the cooling fan is basically in the forward rotation state and cooling air is supplied to the radiator to cool the engine cooling water, thereby preventing the engine from overheating.

[0020] Furthermore, when such harvesting is not being performed, just as when harvesting is temporarily suspended, no new straw or other debris is generated because no grain is being harvested, and even if the cooling fan is switched to the forward rotation state, no new dust is found to adhere to the dustproof body, the engine cooling water temperature does not rise and the engine does not overheat, and the dust or other debris captured by the dustproof body and adhering to the small holes is quickly blown outward by the dust removal wind, so there is little need to automatically clean the dustproof body.

[0021] Therefore, the above-mentioned control of periodically switching the cooling fan between forward and reverse rotation is integrated into the condition that the threshing machine or harvesting machine is being driven to perform harvesting, and the above-mentioned control of instantly switching the cooling fan to forward rotation even when it is in reverse rotation in order to prevent dust from falling on the steering section is organically incorporated, and this role is given to the control device, which is difficult to imagine from the content described in prior art documents, and is an extremely useful technology.

[0022] In addition, when the threshing machine or the reaping machine is driven to perform reaping travel, the control device periodically switches the cooling fan between a forward rotation state and a reverse rotation state for a predetermined forward rotation time and a predetermined reverse rotation time, while stopping the machine during this reaping travel. In addition, if the cooling fan is in a forward rotation state when the machine is stopped, the elapsed time from when the cooling fan was last switched to a forward rotation state during mowing travel before the machine was stopped to when the machine was stopped is stored, and When you restart the mowing operation after stopping the machine, The time from when the mowing operation was resumed is added to the elapsed time, and the added time is calculated. The elapsed time The above When the specified forward rotation time is reached, the cooling fan From forward rotation By switching to the reverse rotation state, the dust cover can be cleaned without delay.

[0023] Also, In a combine harvester, an engine that drives a harvesting device and a threshing device, a radiator that cools the engine's cooling water, and a cooling fan that can be switched between a forward rotation state in which outside air is sucked in through a dustproof body and supplied to the radiator before being blown toward the engine side, and a reverse rotation state in which air sucked in from the engine side is blown toward the dustproof body through the radiator, are covered with an engine cover to form an engine room, and a control section with a driver's seat located above and toward the front of the engine room is covered with a cabin, The control device that switches the rotation state of the cooling fan drives the threshing machine and the reaping machine to perform reaping travel. case The cooling fan is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation, If the mowing trip is not being performed, the cabin door will remain closed. The cooling fan is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation. When the cabin door is open, the cooling fan will only rotate in the forward direction. and, Open the cabin doorThis prevents dust from falling on the control panel through the cabin door. 、 If the cabin door is closed, the cooling fan Only in forward rotation Even without switching, dust will not fall on the control section, so cleaning of the dustproof body can be completed by continuing the reverse rotation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the combine harvester with the cabin door open. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a power transmission diagram of the cooling fan in normal rotation. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a power transmission diagram of a cooling fan in reverse rotation. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a cooling fan control device. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart of a cooling fan control according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a cooling fan control according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart of a cooling fan control according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a 6-row head-feeding combine harvester 1 that harvests rice or wheat to harvest grains (cereals) has left and right crawler traveling devices 4 mounted via a traveling frame 3 below a machine body frame (machine body) 2 that is framed in a substantially rectangular shape. The left and right crawler traveling devices 4 each include a drive sprocket 6 attached to a drive shaft extending from the left and right sides of a transmission case 5, an idle wheel 7 and a track roller 8 journaled on the traveling frame 3, and rubber crawlers 9 wound around these.

[0026] A roughly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped driver's frame 10 is integrally connected to the front right side of the aircraft frame 2 in the forward direction of the aircraft, and a control unit 11 is provided above the driver's frame 10 and the front of the engine room behind it. The control unit 11 has a driver's seat 13 behind a floor 12, a front console (front operation panel) 14 in front of the floor 12, and a side console (side operation panel) 15 to the left of the floor 12 and the driver's seat 13, and the control unit 11 is covered by a cabin 16.

[0027] A reaping device 17 is provided from the front left side of the machine frame 2 to the front of the steering unit 11 so that it can be raised and lowered by a hydraulic cylinder (not shown). The reaping device 17 separates the standing culms in the field into reaped culms and unreaped culms by a grass dividing body 18 and narrow guide 19 provided at the lower front end of the reaping device 17, and raises the reaped culms between the left and right grass dividing bodies 18 by a lifting device 20 equipped with a lifting claw 20a. After that, the culms are gathered together by a raking device consisting of a raking belt with projections and a star wheel 21, while the base of the culms is cut by a reciprocating blade device 22.

[0028] Furthermore, the culms cut and harvested by the cutting blade device 22 are sent rearward by the star wheel 21 of the raking device, and the culms sent rearward are lifted and transported further rearward by the stalk base transport device 23, ear tip transport device 24, threshing depth transport device 25, and auxiliary transport device, and are passed on to the threshing feed chain 26. Furthermore, a threshing device 27 equipped with the threshing feed chain 26 is provided on the left side of the machine frame 2 behind the harvesting device 17.

[0029] The threshing device 27 has a threshing chamber and a processing chamber below a cylinder cover 28 that covers the upper part of the device. The threshing chamber is equipped with a threshing feed chain 26 and its clamping rails 29 that transport the stalks transported from the harvesting device 17 along the threshing mouth, a threshing drum equipped with threshing teeth and its receiving net, etc. The processing chamber is attached to the threshing chamber from the rear end tip side of the threshing drum toward the rear of the machine body, and is equipped with a processing drum and its processing net for processing straw waste mixed with grains that could not be threshed in the threshing chamber.

[0030] Meanwhile, a sorting chamber is provided below the handling and processing chambers. This sorting chamber is equipped with a swaying flow plate, No. 1 and No. 2 spirals, a winnowing fan, a suction fan, etc., and sorts grains that have fallen through the receiving nets of the handling and processing chambers on the swaying flow plate. The sorted grains are transferred from the No. 1 spiral to a grain tank (grain tank) 31 via a grain lifting device 30, and No. 2 grains mixed with straw etc. are returned to the swaying flow plate from the No. 2 spiral via a No. 2 return device.

[0031] Also, straw chips that reach the end of the oscillating flow plate, straw chips captured by the suction fan, or straw chips discharged from the end of the processing drum are discharged outside the machine behind the threshing device 27. Furthermore, the discharged straw that is discharged from the handling chamber after completing the threshing process is transported by the discharged straw transport device toward the disc-type cutter 32, which then shreds the discharged straw transported by the discharged straw transport device and discharges it into the harvested area as chopped straw.

[0032] When the grain tank 31 is filled with grains transferred by the grain lifting device 30 of the threshing device 27, the grains are discharged by the discharge auger 33 into a container or the like outside the machine. The discharge auger 33 has a vertical spiral tube 33a that can be rotated by a hydraulic motor, and a vertical spiral tube 33b at the tip side that can be swung up and down by a hydraulic cylinder 34, so that it can be changed from a storage position on the machine body to a discharge position at the rear of the machine body.

[0033] Next, the motor unit, which is located in front of the grain tank 31 and below and behind the control unit 11, will be described. The motor unit is equipped with a cover frame 35 that is erected from the right side of the machine frame 2 toward the center, and multiple covers are attached to this cover frame 35, with the inside thereof forming an engine room. The engine room also houses an engine 36 that drives the various devices of the machine, such as the reaper 17 and threshing device 27, and the auxiliaries of this engine 36.

[0034] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the engine 36 is a vertical water-cooled four-stroke diesel engine 36, and is mounted on the machine frame 2 via vibration-isolating rubber 39 with its crankshaft facing left and right of the machine so that its output pulley 37 is located at the center of the machine frame 2 and its cooling fan 38 is on the right side of the machine frame 2.

[0035] A radiator 40 for cooling the cooling water for the engine 36 is provided in front of the cooling fan 38 of the engine 36, and this radiator 40 is attached via a grommet to a radiator bracket 41 that stands upright from the aircraft frame 2. A shroud 42 that surrounds the outer periphery of the cooling fan 38 is attached to the radiator bracket 41. Furthermore, a right engine cover 43 is provided in front of the radiator 40.

[0036] The right engine cover 43 has a front side that can be opened and closed around a fulcrum P provided near the rear right side of the cover frame 35, so that the radiator 40 and other components can be exposed for maintenance as necessary. The right engine cover 43 is integrally molded from synthetic resin and has a predetermined depth, and has two openings 43a, 43b near the center and near the top, with the opening 43a near the center facing the front surface of the radiator 40 and the opening 43b near the top facing an air cleaner provided in the engine room.

[0037] Furthermore, a dustproof body 44 that blocks these openings 43a, 43b to prevent the intrusion of dust such as straw is attached to the inside of cover 43. A punched metal plate with many small holes is used as this dustproof body 44, but wire mesh or the like may also be used. In the engine compartment, the aforementioned air cleaner that supplies clean air to the engine 36 is provided above the engine 36 and radiator 40, and a DPF (diesel particulate filter) and SCR (selective catalytic reduction) are provided above the rear of the engine 36 as exhaust gas aftertreatment devices.

[0038] The outline of the combine harvester has been explained above, but next, the forward / reverse rotation switching device for the cooling fan 38 of the engine 36 will be explained. As shown in Figures 5 to 7, a drive pulley 45 connected to the crankshaft of the engine 36, a tension pulley 46, an idle pulley 47, and a pump pulley 48 that drives the water pump are provided on the right side of the engine 36, and a pump belt 49 is wound around these pulleys. In addition, a forward rotation pulley 50a and a reverse rotation pulley 51a that abut on the inside and outside of the belt 49 are provided on this pump belt 49, and these pulleys 50a, 51b are pulleys provided on the inside of the double pulley.

[0039] A fan pulley 52, which integrally connects the cooling fan 38, is provided concentrically with and outside the pump pulley 48, and a fan belt 53 is wound around the fan pulley 52 and a forward rotation pulley 50b and a reverse rotation pulley 51b provided on the outside of the double pulley. The forward rotation pulleys 50a, 50b and reverse rotation pulleys 51a, 51b, which form the double pulley, are each rotatably supported by a triangular driven plate 54 which is provided to be swingable about the rotation axis of the fan pulley 52.

[0040] Furthermore, a motor bracket 55 is provided on the cover frame 35 above these belt transmission devices, and an electric motor (geared motor) 56 is attached and fixed to this bracket 55, and a triangular driving side plate 59 is provided rotatably about the axis of the driven gear 58 for fixing a driven gear 58 that meshes with a driving gear 57 attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 56. In addition, one end of a coil spring 60 and one end of a wire 61 are attached to this driving side plate 59 and the above-mentioned driven side plate 54, respectively.

[0041] 6, when the electric motor 56 rotates in the forward direction and the driving plate 59 rotates to the position shown in the figure, the coil spring 60 lifts the left side of the driven plate 54 upward, and the forward rotation pulley 50a abuts against the inside of the pump belt 49, so that the forward rotation pulleys 50a, 50b are rotated. This also causes the fan pulley 52 to rotate in the same direction as the driving pulley 45 via the fan belt 53, and the cooling fan 38 rotates in the forward direction.

[0042] 7, when the electric motor 56 rotates in the reverse direction, causing the driving plate 59 to rotate left and the wire 61 to lift the right side of the driven plate 54 upward, the reverse pulley 51a comes into contact with the outer side of the pump belt 49, and the reverse pulleys 51a, 51b are rotated. This also causes the fan pulley 52 to rotate in the opposite direction to the driving pulley 45 via the fan belt 53, causing the cooling fan 38 to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0043] When the engine 36 starts and the cooling fan 38 rotates in the forward direction by its power, the forward / reverse switching device for the cooling fan 38, which is configured by combining two sets of belt transmission devices, the pump belt 49 and the fan belt 53, draws in outside air from the outside of the right engine cover 43 through the dustproof body 44 and supplies the cooling air to the radiator 40. The cooling air is warmed by heat exchange with the engine coolant in the radiator 40 and is blown towards the engine 36 to air-cool the engine 36, and then diffuses downward and to the left towards the center of the engine compartment.

[0044] Furthermore, when the cooling fan 38 rotates in reverse due to the power of the engine 36, the cooling fan 38 blows air drawn in from the engine 36 side through the radiator 40 toward the dustproof body 44. Therefore, fine dust that passes through the dustproof body 44 and gets stuck in the core of the radiator 40 during normal rotation is blown out toward the dustproof body 44, and also, straw debris adhering to the dustproof body 44 is blown out toward the outside of the right engine cover 43 by this dust-removing wind, thereby automatically removing dust.

[0045] Regardless of the dust removal based on the reverse rotation of the cooling fan 38, dust that has stuck to the core of the radiator 40 and dust that remains stuck to the inside of the dustproof body 44 can be manually cleaned using a brush, compressor, etc. by opening the right engine cover 43 after the harvesting work is completed. Also, if an oil cooler or intercooler is installed on the front side of the radiator 40 and cooled by the cooling air from the cooling fan 38, these can be maintained at the same time.

[0046] The forward / reverse rotation switching device for the cooling fan 38 has been described above, but next, a control device that controls the electric motor 56 of the forward / reverse rotation switching device to switch the cooling fan 38 between a forward rotation state and a reverse rotation state will be described. This control device is performed by an electronic control unit (ECU) 62 as shown in Fig. 8. The input side of this ECU 62 is connected to a power clutch switch 63 that commands the on / off of the clutches of the threshing machine 27 and the reaping machine 17, and a potentiometer 64 that detects the operating position of a main speed change lever that changes the speed of a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission (HST) for traveling driven by the engine 36.

[0047] The ECU 62 is also connected to a rotation sensor 65 that detects the rotation speed of the transmission shaft provided in the transmission case 5, which transmits the power changed in speed by the above-mentioned HST to the crawler traveling device 4 via a gear-type sub-transmission device or the like, and a forward limit switch 66 and a reverse limit switch 67 that detect the rotational position of a drive side plate 59 provided in the forward / reverse switching device of the cooling fan 38 and command the electric motor 56 to stop rotating. Furthermore, in the case of a combine harvester 1 in which the control unit 11 is covered by a cabin 16, a door switch 69 that detects the open / closed state of a door 68 of the cabin 16 that is opened and closed when getting on and off the control unit 11 may be connected.

[0048] Furthermore, the ECU 62 has connected to its output side a motor relay 70 that switches the electric motor 56 of the cooling fan 38 between forward and reverse rotation. Note that the ECU 62 does not connect and control the electric motors for the threshing clutch and the reaping clutch, which are switched by the power clutch switch 63, but these controls are performed by separately provided electronic control units, and since these electronic control units and the electronic control unit of the engine 36 are connected to the ECU 62 by a controller area network (CAN), each ECU can share their respective control information as necessary.

[0049] Then, when the ECU 62, which has prepared the above-mentioned control system for the electric motor 56 of the cooling fan 38, is powered on and starts controlling the electric motor 56, it initially controls the cooling fan 38 to a forward rotation state so that cooling air is normally supplied to the radiator 40 when the engine 36 starts. That is, if the cooling fan 38 has been switched to a reverse rotation state, the electric motor 56 is rotated forward until the forward rotation limit switch 66 is turned on, and the cooling fan 38 is switched to the forward rotation state as shown in FIG.

[0050] After completing this initial control, the ECU 62 executes cooling fan control. In this case, in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 9, the timer is set to T1 minutes by initial setting, and then the timer counts down to 0 seconds. When this control is started, the state of the threshing clutch that is switched by the power clutch switch 63 is determined (step S1). If the threshing clutch is disengaged and reaping work is not being performed, the timer is reset and set to T1 (step S2).

[0051] On the other hand, if the threshing clutch is engaged and reaping work is being performed, the state of the timer is judged (step S3), and if the timer has counted down to 0, the timer is reset and set to T1 minutes (step S2). After completing the above processing, the state of the timer is judged (step S4), and if the timer is T2 seconds or more (T1-T2 has not elapsed), the normal rotation switching subroutine (step S5) is executed and the process returns.

[0052] However, if the timer is less than T2 seconds (if T1-T2 or more has elapsed), it is determined whether the vehicle is running (step S6), and if the vehicle is stopped and not running, the above-mentioned forward rotation switching subroutine (step S5) is executed and the process returns. On the other hand, if the vehicle is running, the reverse rotation switching subroutine (step S7) is executed and the process returns. The determination of whether the vehicle is running is made as follows: if the rotation sensor 65, which detects the number of rotations of the transmission shaft provided in the running transmission case 5, detects the rotation of the transmission shaft, it is determined that the vehicle is running, and if it does not detect any rotation, it is determined that the vehicle is stopped.

[0053] In this case, even if the rotation sensor 65 fails and does not detect rotation, if the potentiometer 64, which detects the operating position of the main speed change lever, detects forward operation of the main speed change lever, it is determined that the machine is traveling, and if the position is the neutral position or the reverse position, it is determined that the machine is not traveling to harvest. The forward rotation switching subroutine described above is a control in which the ECU 62 outputs to the motor relay 70 to rotate the electric motor 56 forward and switch the cooling fan 38 to the forward rotation state, and the reverse rotation switching subroutine is a control in which the ECU 62 outputs to the motor relay 70 to rotate the electric motor 56 in the reverse direction and switch the cooling fan 38 to the reverse rotation state.

[0054] Therefore, by performing the above cooling fan control, when the threshing device 27 and the reaping device 17 are driven to perform reaping travel, the ECU 62 periodically switches the cooling fan 38 between a forward rotation state for T1-T2 seconds and a reverse rotation state for T2 seconds. Therefore, the cooling fan 38 supplies cooling air to the radiator 40 to prevent the engine 36 from overheating, and can also generate dust removal air for an extremely short period of time to blow away and remove dust adhering to the dustproof body 44, etc.

[0055] If the cooling fan 38 is switched to the reverse rotation while the machine is traveling for reaping, dust is blown around the dustproof body 44, and since the machine is traveling, the blown dust flows mainly to the side of the grain tank 31 at the rear (or to the side of the reaping device 17 when the machine is moving backwards), and the dust hardly falls on the control unit 11. However, if an operator finds a fallen culm and lifts it up by hand to prevent the culm from being left unharvested, or if the machine is stopped to talk to an assistant working in the field, temporarily interrupting the reaping work, dust may fall on the control unit 11, causing the dust to get into the operator's eyes or dirty the control unit 11.

[0056] However, even if the cooling fan 38 is switched to the reverse rotation state to blow away dust, the ECU 62 immediately switches the cooling fan 38 to the normal rotation state when the aircraft stops, so that the dust blowing is quickly stopped and the control section 11 is kept clean without being contaminated by dust.

[0057] The first embodiment of the cooling fan control has been described above, but next, a second embodiment will be described based on the flowchart in Fig. 10. In this embodiment, timer time management (timer count) is performed by interrupt processing every 1 millisecond using an interval timer. Also, the determination of whether the vehicle is running (step S6) in the first embodiment is performed in the timer interrupt processing, and in this timer interrupt processing, a determination of whether the vehicle is running (step S6) is made, and if the vehicle is running, the timer count value is determined (step S8).

[0058] In this case, if the timer count is 0 seconds, the program returns without doing anything, but if it is not 0 seconds, the program increases the timer count by 1 millisecond. Subtraction assignment (Step S9). On the other hand, in step S6, the timer count value is judged in the same way as when the aircraft is stopped (step S10). In this case, if the timer count value is T2 seconds or more, the system returns without doing anything, but if it is less than T2 seconds, the timer count value is reset and T1 minutes is substituted for the count value (step S11).

[0059] Therefore, in this second embodiment, like the first embodiment, when the threshing device 27 and the reaping device 17 are driven to perform reaping travel, the cooling fan 38 is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation, but when the machine is stopped during this reaping travel, the cooling fan 38 is immediately switched to the forward rotation even if it is in the reverse rotation. However, the second embodiment differs slightly in the control content from the first embodiment in the following points.

[0060] That is, in the second embodiment, when the threshing device 27 and the reaping device 17 are driven to perform reaping travel, a predetermined forward rotation time (T1 minutes -T2 seconds The cooling fan 38 is periodically switched between a forward rotation state and a reverse rotation state for a forward rotation time (T2 seconds) and a reverse rotation time (T3 seconds), while the machine is stopped during this mowing run. In addition, if the cooling fan 38 is in a forward rotation state when the machine is stopped, the elapsed time (E1) from the last time the machine was switched to a forward rotation state during mowing travel before the machine was stopped to the time the machine was stopped is replaced with the timer count value and held in accordance with a flow in which, if the timer count value in the determination in step S10 is T2 seconds or more, nothing is done and the process returns to normal. Then, when the machine is stopped and mowing travel is resumed, the timer count value is subtracted and substituted by 1 millisecond at a time in step S9, whereby the time (E2) from the time mowing travel was resumed is added to the elapsed time (E1), and the added value is stored. Elapsed time (E1+E2) but The above When the specified forward rotation time (T1-T2) is reached, Since the timer count value is less than T2 seconds, based on the flow from step S4 to step S7, Cooling fan 38 From forward rotation The control of switching to the reverse rotation state is performed by time management of the timer mentioned above.

[0061] Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the mowing travel is resumed, the normal predetermined forward rotation time (T1 minutes -T2 seconds ) to stop the aircraft During the previous harvest run Finally, it was switched to forward rotation. From the time elapsed from when the aircraft was started to when it was stopped (E1) The time can be advanced and switched to the reverse state, so that cleaning of the dustproof body 44 can be performed without delay.

[0062] Next, the third embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 11. In this embodiment, a step (step S12) for determining whether the door 68 of the cabin 16 is open or closed is added between steps S6 and S10 in the timer interrupt processing in the second embodiment. The processing is changed so that in step S12, if it is detected that the door 68 is closed because the door switch 69 is on, the processing proceeds to step S8, and if it is detected that the door 68 is open because the door switch 69 is off, the processing proceeds to step S10.

[0063] Therefore, in the third embodiment, when the threshing device 27 and the harvesting device 17 are driven to perform harvesting, the cooling fan 38 is periodically switched between forward and reverse rotation, and when the machine is stopped during this harvesting, the cooling fan 38 is immediately switched to the forward rotation even if it is in the reverse rotation, unless the door 68 of the cabin 16 is closed.

[0064] Therefore, in the third embodiment 、 If the door 68 of the cabin 16 is closed, dust will not fall onto the control panel 11 through the door 68 even if the cooling fan 38 is not immediately switched to the forward rotation state, so cleaning of the dustproof body 44 can be completed by continuing the reverse rotation state.

[0065] In addition, when the control section 11 is covered by the cabin 16, the door 68 of the cabin 16 is usually closed during the harvesting work, so that dust does not enter the control section 11 inside the cabin 16, and if the air conditioner or the like is used, the harvesting work can be performed in a comfortable environment. However, when the harvesting drive is interrupted to stop the machine and the door 68 is slid backward to open for a conversation with an assistant worker, the lower part of the door 68 blocks the intake surface of the dustproof body 44 from the outside. If the cooling fan 38 happens to be switched to the reverse state at that time, there is a risk that the straw and the like adhering to the dustproof body 44 will enter the cabin 16 through the gap between the inner surface of the door 68 and the dustproof body 44 (see FIG. 2).

[0066] Therefore, it is particularly useful when the control section 11 is covered by the cabin 16 to prevent dust from falling on the control section 11 by reviewing the forward / reverse control of the cooling fan 38 and modifying the control content. When working in a field where dust is particularly high, it may be desirable to automatically remove dust not only when traveling for harvesting work, but also when discharging grains from the grain tank 31 or performing hand threshing work. In such a case, it is desirable to at least not switch the cooling fan 38 to the reverse rotation state when the door 68 of the cabin 16 is open.

[0067] In addition, as a method of detecting the harvesting movement of the aforementioned combine harvester 1, for example, the following conditions can be met: the threshing depth main sensor used when automatically adjusting the threshing depth conveying device 25 detects stalks; a sensor that detects the on / off of the harvesting clutch and threshing clutch that operate the harvesting device 17 and threshing device 27 detects that they are on; a height sensor of the harvesting device 17 detects that the harvesting device 17 has descended to a predetermined height or below; a sensor that detects the forward speed of the machine body detects a speed above a predetermined level; and the grain discharge auger 33 is not extended.

[0068] If these conditions are met, it is determined that the vehicle is in a harvesting state, and the cooling fan 38 can be switched to the reverse rotation state. However, in other anticipated states, such as when the vehicle is stopped in the field, when the vehicle is running idly in the field, when the vehicle is running idly for hand threshing, when the vehicle is hand threshing, when discharging grains or preparing to discharge them, or when the vehicle is running on the road or preparing to discharge them, the cooling fan 38 will not be switched to the reverse rotation state.

[0069] The above describes an embodiment of the present invention. However, instead of the cooling fan 38 being driven by engine power, the cooling fan 38 may be directly driven by an electric motor capable of rotating forward and backward. Also, instead of the door 68 provided in the cabin 16 sliding back and forth to open and close, the door 68 may be of a type in which the rear part serves as a fulcrum and the front part opens outward. The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1. Combine Harvester 2 Aircraft frame 11 Control Unit 13 Driver's seat 17 Reaping device 27 Threshing Equipment 36 Engine 38 Cooling fan 40 Radiator 43 Right engine cover 44 Dustproof body 62 Control device (electronic control unit: ECU)

Claims

1. In this combine harvester, an engine room is formed by covering an engine that drives the harvesting equipment and threshing equipment, a radiator that cools the engine's cooling water, and a cooling fan that can be switched between a forward rotation state in which outside air is sucked in through a dustproof body and supplied to the radiator before being blown towards the engine side, and a reverse rotation state in which air sucked in from the engine side is blown towards the dustproof body through the radiator, and the control unit with a driver's seat is provided above and forward of the engine room.The control device that switches the rotation state of the cooling fan periodically switches the cooling fan between the forward rotation state and the reverse rotation state when the threshing equipment or harvesting equipment is driven to perform harvesting, but switches the cooling fan only to the forward rotation state when harvesting is not performed, and when the machine is stopped during harvesting, the control device immediately switches the cooling fan to the forward rotation state even if it is in the reverse rotation state.

2. The control device, when driving the threshing device or the harvesting device to perform harvesting travel, periodically switches the cooling fan between a forward rotation state and a reverse rotation state over a predetermined forward rotation time and a predetermined reverse rotation time, and if the machine is stopped during this harvesting travel and the cooling fan is in the forward rotation state when the machine is stopped, retains the elapsed time from when the cooling fan was last switched to the forward rotation state during harvesting travel before the machine was stopped to when the machine was stopped, and when harvesting travel is resumed after the machine is stopped, adds the time since harvesting travel was resumed to the elapsed time, and when the added elapsed time reaches the predetermined forward rotation time, switches the cooling fan from the forward rotation state to the reverse rotation state.

3. A combine harvester in which an engine which drives the harvesting equipment and threshing equipment, a radiator which cools the engine's cooling water, and a cooling fan which can be switched between a forward rotation state in which outside air is sucked in through a dustproof body and supplied to the radiator before being blown towards the engine side, and a reverse rotation state in which air sucked in from the engine side is blown towards the dustproof body through the radiator, are covered by an engine cover to form an engine room, and a control section which has a driver's seat located above and towards the front of the engine room is covered by a cabin, wherein the control device which switches the rotation state of the cooling fan periodically switches the cooling fan between the forward rotation state and the reverse rotation state when the threshing equipment or harvesting equipment is driven and harvesting is being performed, and when harvesting is not being performed, periodically switches the cooling fan between the forward rotation state and the reverse rotation state when the cabin door is closed, and switches the cooling fan only to the forward rotation state when the cabin door is open.

Images