Work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle capable of properly performing required vehicle speed restriction control.SOLUTION: A work vehicle has an automatic driving function including setting means capable of setting vehicle speed restriction control for restricting an upper limit of vehicle speed. Further, the work vehicle includes a vehicle body position measurement mechanism for measuring the position of a vehicle body, and performs vehicle speed restriction control upon determining that the vehicle body is positioned out of a field based on a result of measurement by the vehicle body position measurement mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle such as an agricultural tractor.

Background Art

[0002] In a work vehicle equipped with a reflector on a traveling vehicle body, a work vehicle that ensures safety even when a work implement is in an elevated state and is suitable for road travel is known (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, the above-described conventional work vehicle cannot appropriately perform the required vehicle speed regulation control.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle that can appropriately perform the required vehicle speed regulation control in consideration of the above-described conventional problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first aspect of the present invention is Vehicle speed regulation control that prohibits setting a main shift setting value that exceeds the main shift setting upper limit value determined according to the sub-shift setting value comprising Equipped with a work implement mounting detection mechanism that detects the mounting of a work implement on the vehicle body, Comprising a control unit that determines whether vehicle speed regulation control is required according to the mounted work implement characterized by

[0007] A vehicle speed that is too high due to insufficient recognition by the operator is less likely to occur.

[0008]

[0009] Also, vehicle speed regulation control according to the work machine can be performed.

[0010] Second The present invention of the present invention includes a vehicle body position measuring mechanism for measuring the position of the vehicle body, and when it is determined based on the measurement result by the vehicle body position measuring mechanism that the vehicle body is located outside the field, vehicle speed regulation control is performed. Claim 1 It is the work vehicle described in.

[0011] As a result, safe driving on the road can be performed. [Effect of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, a work vehicle capable of appropriately performing the required vehicle speed regulation control can be provided. [Brief Explanation of Drawings]

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The agricultural tractor of the present embodiment is an example of the work vehicle in the present invention.

[0016] The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) mechanism 70 is an example of the vehicle body position measurement mechanism in the present invention, the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) BUS 80 is an example of the work implement mounting detection mechanism in the present invention, and the lifting sensor 92 is an example of the work implement lifting state detection mechanism in the present invention.

[0017] The control unit 100 is an example of the controller in the present invention, and the regulated work implement list 101 is an example of the list in the present invention.

[0018] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration and operation of the agricultural tractor according to the present embodiment will be specifically described.

[0019] Here, FIG. 1 is a left side view of the agricultural tractor according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the agricultural tractor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] While explaining the operation of the agricultural tractor according to the present embodiment, the vehicle speed regulation control method of the invention related to the present invention will also be explained.

[0021] First, the basic configuration and operation of the agricultural tractor according to the present embodiment will be described. Therefore, the configuration and operation related to the control unit 100 and the like will be described in detail later.

[0022] An engine 30 is provided inside the bonnet at the front of the vehicle body 10.

[0023] The rotational power of the engine 30 is transmitted through various clutches inside the transmission case provided below the floor 21 of the driving unit 20. More specifically, the rotational power shifted by a transmission 31 such as a main transmission and a sub-transmission is transmitted to a pair of left and right front wheels 40 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 50.

[0024] Behind the engine 30, a dashboard cover, a meter panel 27, and a steering wheel 23 are provided together with a forward and reverse lever 26.

[0025] Behind the steering wheel 23, a driver's seat 22 is provided.

[0026] On the left floor 21, a brake pedal disconnection pedal and a clutch pedal 25 are arranged. On the right floor 21, a pair of left and right brake pedals and an accelerator pedal 24 are arranged.

[0027] At the rear of the vehicle body 10, a working machine 200 is mounted using, for example, a three-point link mechanism.

[0028] The working machine lifting mechanism 60 includes a main cylinder, lift arms 63, a top link 61, a pair of left and right lower links 62, and a rotating cover and a side cover.

[0029] The front ends of the top link 61 and the lower links 62 are connected to the side of the vehicle body 10, and the rear ends of the top link 61 and the lower links 62 are connected to the side of the working machine 200. And the rear end of the lift arm 63 rotated by the main cylinder is connected to the lower link 62.

[0030] The rotation angle of the rotating cover is detected by a tillage depth sensor, and the rotation angle of the lift arm 63 is detected by a lift sensor 92.

[0031] Information on the working machine 200 is acquired using an ISOBUS 80 connected to the working machine 200, or an information terminal mounted on the operation unit 20, etc., and notified to the control unit 100.

[0032] Next, with reference mainly to FIG. 2, the configuration and operation of the agricultural tractor of the present embodiment will be described more specifically.

[0033] The control unit 100 on the vehicle body 10 side is connected to the implement control unit 210 on the implement 200 side via the ISOBUS 80. The control unit 100 stores a regulated implement list 101, and the implement control unit 210 stores implement information 211.

[0034] The vehicle speed sensor 91 is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed, and the shift sensor 93 is a sensor that detects the shift.

[0035] When the control unit 100 determines that the vehicle body 10 is located outside the farm field based on the measurement result by the GNSS mechanism 70 that measures the position of the vehicle body 10, and determines that the implement 200 is attached to the vehicle body 10 based on the detection result by the ISOBUS 80 that detects the attachment of the implement 200 to the vehicle body 10, vehicle speed regulation control is performed.

[0036] The GNSS mechanism 70 that measures the position of the vehicle body 10 functions as a tractor self-position estimation mechanism, and the farm field division information regarding the farm field position, etc. is arbitrarily set and recorded by the operator, for example. The ISOBUS 80 is a mechanism for recognizing the attachment of the implement 200, which is connected to the implement 200.

[0037] When it is determined based on the measurement result by the GNSS mechanism 70 that the vehicle body 10 is located outside the farm field, vehicle speed regulation control is performed, so the safety during road driving is improved.

[0038] The vehicle speed regulation control is a control that prohibits setting a main shift setting value that exceeds the main shift setting upper limit value determined according to the sub-shift setting value.

[0039] For example, the low main shift setting upper limit value is determined according to the high sub-shift setting value, the medium main shift setting upper limit value is determined according to the medium sub-shift setting value, and the high main shift setting upper limit value is determined according to the low sub-shift setting value. Therefore, since the low main shift setting upper limit value is not determined according to the medium sub-shift setting value or the low sub-shift setting value, unnecessary vehicle speed regulation control caused by uniformly prohibiting setting the main shift setting value is unlikely to occur.

[0040] Since the shift sensor 93 has a so-called sub-shift switch, the control unit 100 can grasp the lever position of the sub-shift lever. The main shift lever is a lever for adjusting the hydraulic clutch, but the shift sensor 93 can electrically grasp the lever position or lever angle of the main shift lever, and an electrically controllable main shift structure is realized. Therefore, even if the lever position itself does not change, control can be performed to prohibit setting a main shift setting value that exceeds the main shift setting upper limit value determined according to the sub-shift setting value by the electrical control of the shift sensor 93.

[0041] For example, if the attachment of the work implement 200 to the vehicle body 10 is detected and the traveling is performed using the operator's operation, and the vehicle body 10 is located outside the set farm plot, the highest setting position of the main shift lever is restricted by the mechanical restriction of the lever position or the electrical control of the shift sensor 93.

[0042] When a robotic agricultural tractor having an automatic driving function travels outside the farm field and the work implement 200 is attached to the vehicle body 10, the main shift regulation is automatically performed, so the vehicle speed is regulated not to exceed, for example, 15 kilometers per hour. Therefore, a vehicle speed that is too high due to the operator's lack of awareness is less likely to occur.

[0043] The vehicle speed setting value such as 15 kilometers per hour may be determined based on the theoretically maximum vehicle speed in consideration of the tire diameters of the front wheels 40 or rear wheels 50 set in advance.

[0044] The main shift setting upper limit value is determined according to the sub-shift setting value, and the main shift setting value does not become excessively small, so the vehicle speed does not become too small. And since the engine speed regulation control for vehicle speed regulation control is not required, horsepower shortage on an uphill is less likely to occur.

[0045] When the operator performs a setting operation of a main shift setting value that exceeds the main shift setting upper limit value, information regarding vehicle speed regulation control is output to the operator.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 3 which is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of the meter panel 27 of the agricultural tractor according to the embodiment of the present invention, a warning message 28 for warning that the vehicle speed set value by "road running vehicle speed regulation" is "15 km / h" and that the "maximum main transmission" as the upper limit value of the main transmission setting is "5 speeds" is displayed on the meter panel 27. Therefore, the operator can recognize that the vehicle speed is regulated so as not to increase, and thus accidents are less likely to occur.

[0047] For example, after a warning message for warning that the vehicle speed set value by "road running vehicle speed regulation" is "15 km / h" is displayed, a warning message for warning that the "maximum main transmission" is "5 speeds" may be displayed. Even if the lever position of the main transmission lever is at the lever position of "7 speeds", the operator can easily recognize that the "maximum main transmission" is "5 speeds" corresponding to the vehicle speed set value of "15 km / h".

[0048] In this way, when the operator performs a setting operation of a main transmission set value exceeding the upper limit value of the main transmission setting, the main transmission set value is forcibly set to the upper limit value of the main transmission setting. For example, when the "maximum main transmission" is "5 speeds", even if the lever position of the main transmission lever is changed by the operator to the lever position of "7 speeds", the actual main transmission set value is forcibly set to the value corresponding to the lever position of "5 speeds" by electrical control of the above-described transmission sensor 93. At this time, the lever position of the main transmission lever may be changed corresponding to the lever position of "5 speeds", or may not be changed to the lever position of "5 speeds".

[0049] Of course, when the operator performs a setting operation of a main transmission set value that does not exceed the upper limit value of the main transmission setting, the main transmission set value is set as it is. For example, when the "maximum main transmission" is "8 speeds", if the lever position of the main transmission lever is changed by the operator to the lever position of "7 speeds", the main transmission set value is set as it is to the value corresponding to the lever position of "7 speeds".

[0050] As described above, the main shift setting upper limit value is determined according to the sub-shift setting value. Therefore, for example, when the "maximum main shift" corresponding to the high sub-shift setting value is "5th gear" and the "maximum main shift" corresponding to the low sub-shift setting value is "8th gear", after the lever position of the sub-shift lever is changed by the operator from the lever position of the low sub-shift setting value to the lever position of the high sub-shift setting value, even if the lever position of the main shift lever is changed by the operator to the lever position of "7th gear", the actual main shift setting value is forcibly set to the value corresponding to the lever position of "5th gear" by electrical control of the above-described shift sensor 93. Of course, if the lever position of the sub-shift lever is regressively changed by the operator from the lever position of the high sub-shift setting value to the lever position of the low sub-shift setting value, the main shift setting value is directly set to the value corresponding to the lever position of "7th gear".

[0051] Even if the control unit 100 determines based on the measurement result by the GNSS mechanism 70 that measures the position of the vehicle body 10 that the vehicle body 10 is located inside the farm field, the vehicle speed regulation control is continuously performed until the above-described farm field section information is set and recorded by the operator. With the start of the setting and recording of the farm field section information, it is substantially determined that the vehicle body 10 is located inside the farm field, so a smooth transition from road driving to farm work is realized at a practical vehicle speed regulation release timing.

[0052] In contrast, in order to realize a smooth transition from farm work to road driving, the driving is performed using the operation of the operator. When the distance between the vehicle body 10 and the outer periphery of the farm field section is equal to or less than a predetermined value and a setting operation of a main shift setting value exceeding the main shift setting upper limit value is being performed, the warning message as described above is displayed on the meter panel 27. Therefore, while the vehicle body 10 is located inside the farm field, the operator is prompted to perform a setting operation of the main shift setting value, etc., so an accident caused by a sudden vehicle body deceleration of the vehicle body 10 at the start of the vehicle speed regulation control is unlikely to occur.

[0053] Furthermore, if the traveling is performed using the operator's operation and a setting operation of a main transmission setting value exceeding the main transmission setting upper limit value is being carried out when the distance between the vehicle body 10 and the outer periphery of the field section is equal to or less than a predetermined value, not only such a warning message is displayed on the meter panel 27, but also, in consideration of safety, an alarm sound may be externally reported and the vehicle body may be forcibly stopped or the vehicle body decelerated.

[0054] For example, by turning off the main clutch or the forward and reverse clutch, it is desirable that such vehicle body stop is continuously carried out until the setting of the main transmission setting value exceeding the main transmission setting upper limit value determined according to the sub-transmission setting value is canceled. For example, when the "maximum main transmission" is "5 speeds", if the lever position of the main transmission lever cannot be changed by the operator from the lever position of "7 speeds" to the lever position of "3 speeds", vehicle body start is not permitted. Therefore, since the vehicle speed regulation control is not started even if the vehicle body 10 goes outside the field, safety is improved. Of course, in the field work mode, traveling such as high-speed traveling in the road traveling mode is not carried out due to work load and the like, so there is no danger associated with high-speed traveling.

[0055] The setting operation of the main transmission setting value exceeding the main transmission setting upper limit value is invalidated, so safety in road traveling is improved. And since information regarding the vehicle speed regulation control is output, the operator who can recognize that the vehicle speed is regulated so as not to increase does not feel discomfort.

[0056] The working machine 200 determined to be mounted on the vehicle body 10 is determined based on the regulation working machine list 101 of the working machine 200 that requires vehicle speed regulation control.

[0057] The working machine 200 determined to be mounted on the vehicle body 10 is determined based on the detection result by the lifting sensor 92 that detects the lifting state of the working machine 200 mounted on the vehicle body 10.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 4, which is an explanatory diagram of the regulated implement list 101 of the agricultural tractor in the embodiment of the present invention, "Implement A" is a "speed regulation target" and the "regulated lift sensor value" is "0", "Implement B" is not a "speed regulation target" and the "regulated lift sensor value" does not apply, and "Implement C" is a "speed regulation target" and the "regulated lift sensor value" is "40".

[0059] The control unit 100 stores the regulated implement list 101 in advance as a speed regulation target implement database. Therefore, even if the implement 200 mounted on the vehicle body 10 is changed, the implement information 211 of the implement 200 is acquired using communication via ISOBUS80, and it can be determined by comparing the regulated implement list 101 with the acquired implement information 211 whether vehicle speed regulation control is required.

[0060] In order to regulate the vehicle speed of the implement 200 that requires vehicle speed regulation control in the on-road driving mode, considering safety, the "regulated lift sensor value", which is the comparison reference for the detection result by the lift sensor 92, is described in the regulated implement list 101.

[0061] The rotation angle of the lift arm 63 rotated according to the rotation lines λL, λM, λH, etc. is detected by the lift sensor 92, and the height of the implement 200 is monitored. Therefore, considering the tipping angle, which is the threshold at which the implement 200 tips over, vehicle speed regulation control of the implement 200 with too high a height can be performed.

[0062] As described above, the vehicle speed regulation is performed as so-called main shift regulation by electronic control. For example, when the "maximum main shift" is "4th speed", even if the operator changes the lever position of the main shift lever to a lever position of "5th speed" or higher, the actual main shift set value is forcibly set to the value corresponding to the lever position of "4th speed", and a warning message for vehicle speed regulation is displayed on the meter panel 27.

[0063] The work machine 200 is, for example, a chemical sprayer with a high center of gravity and a small tipping angle of less than 30 degrees. The vehicle speed regulation control is only performed when it is necessary, so unnecessary vehicle speed regulation control can be suppressed. And the work machine 200 is, for example, raised to a position where tipping is likely to occur, and the vehicle speed regulation control is only performed when it is actually necessary, so unnecessary vehicle speed regulation control can be further suppressed. Therefore, since unnecessary vehicle speed regulation control is less likely to be performed, not only is safety improved, but convenience is also improved.

[0064] Note that the program of the invention related to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the operations of all or part of the steps (or processes, operations, and actions, etc.) of the vehicle speed regulation control method of the invention related to the present invention described above, and is a program that operates in cooperation with the computer.

[0065] Also, the recording medium of the invention related to the present invention is a recording medium that records a program for causing a computer to execute all or part of the operations of all or part of the steps (or processes, operations, and actions, etc.) of the vehicle speed regulation control method of the invention related to the present invention described above, and is a computer-readable recording medium in which the read program is used in cooperation with the computer.

[0066] Note that the above-mentioned "part of the steps (or processes, operations, and actions, etc.)" means one or several of those multiple steps.

[0067] Also, the above-mentioned "operation of the steps (or processes, operations, and actions, etc.)" means all or part of the operations of the above-mentioned steps.

[0068] Also, one usage form of the program of the invention related to the present invention may be in a form that is transmitted through a transmission medium such as the Internet, light, radio waves, or sound waves, read by a computer, and operates in cooperation with the computer.

[0069] In addition, as the recording medium, ROM (Read Only Memory) and the like are included.

[0070] Moreover, the computer is not limited to pure hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and may include firmware, an OS (Operating System), and further peripheral devices.

[0071] Note that, as described above, the configuration of the present invention may be realized either software-wise or hardware-wise.

Industrial Applicability

[0072] The work vehicle according to the present invention can appropriately perform the required vehicle speed regulation control, and is useful for the purpose of being used in work vehicles such as agricultural tractors.

Explanation of Signs

[0073] 10 Vehicle body 20 Driving unit 21 Floor 22 Driver's seat 23 Steering wheel 24 Accelerator pedal 25 Clutch pedal 26 Forward and reverse lever 27 Meter panel 28 Warning message 30 Engine 31 Transmission 40 Front wheels 50 Rear wheels 60 Work implement lifting mechanism 61 Top link 62 Lower link 63 Lift arm 70 GNSS mechanism 80 ISOBUS 91 Vehicle speed sensor 92 Lifting sensor 93 Transmission sensor 100 Control Unit 101 Regulation Work Machine List 200 Work Machine 210 Work Machine Control Unit 211 Work Machine Information

Claims

1. A work vehicle comprising a vehicle speed regulation control for prohibiting setting of a main shift setting value exceeding a main shift setting upper limit value determined according to a sub-shift setting value. The work vehicle further comprises a work implement mounting detection mechanism for detecting mounting of a work implement on a vehicle body. The work vehicle is characterized by comprising a control unit for determining whether vehicle speed regulation control is required according to the mounted work implement.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle body position measurement mechanism for measuring a position of the vehicle body, and performing vehicle speed regulation control when it is determined based on a measurement result of the vehicle body position measurement mechanism that the vehicle body is located outside a farm field.

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