Work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a working vehicle in which work can be accurately performed by a working device by using automatic steering control of a traveling machine body.SOLUTION: A working vehicle comprises a steering unit capable of steering a traveling device, and a receiving device 63 for acquiring position information by using a satellite positioning system. The working vehicle comprises a supporting frame 31 supporting the receiving device 63 on a traveling machine body C. The receiving device 63 comprises a connector part 67 to which a harness 66 is connected. When the receiving device 63 is supported by the supporting frame 31, the connector part 67 is provided in a portion other than a front surface part in the receiving device 63.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle capable of automatically controlling the steering of a traveling body.

Background Art

[0002] A conventional work vehicle is described in, for example, Patent Document 1 below. This work vehicle includes a traveling body having a traveling device (referred to as "front wheels" and "rear wheels" in Patent Document 1), a working device for performing work on a farm field (referred to as "seedling planting work device" in Patent Document 1), and a steering unit capable of steering the traveling device (referred to as "power steering valve", "power steering cylinder", "automatic control valve", etc. in Patent Document 1). Further, this work vehicle includes a receiving device for acquiring position information by a satellite positioning system (referred to as "GPS receiver" in Patent Document 1), and a control unit for controlling the steering unit so that the traveling body travels straight ahead based on the acquired position information (referred to as "controller" in Patent Document 1). This work vehicle controls the steering unit based only on the position information acquired by the receiving device and performs automatic steering control of the traveling body.

[0003] In addition, Patent Document 2 below describes a measurement unit in which a receiving device for acquiring position information by a satellite positioning system and an inertial measurement device for measuring inertial information are integrated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the position information obtained from the receiving device by the satellite positioning system may have a large deviation from the actual position. In such a case, in the work vehicle described in Patent Document 1, it has been difficult to accurately perform the work by the working device using the automatic steering control of the traveling body.

[0006] Also, in a situation where radio wave interference or the like is likely to occur, the amount of information of the position information obtained by the receiving device becomes insufficient, and it has been difficult to perform the automatic steering control of the traveling body itself.

[0007] For this reason, it has been considered to mount on the work vehicle described in Patent Document 1 a measurement unit in which a receiving device that obtains position information by a satellite positioning system and an inertial measurement device that measures inertial information are integrated as described in Patent Document 2, and based on the position information obtained by the receiving device and the inertial information measured by the inertial measurement device, perform automatic steering control of the traveling body to further improve the accuracy of the work by the working device.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle capable of accurately performing work by a working device using automatic steering control of a traveling body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The work vehicle of the present invention includes a traveling body having a traveling device, a steering unit capable of steering the traveling device, a receiving device that obtains position information by a satellite positioning system, and a support frame that supports the receiving device on the traveling body. The receiving device has a connector portion to which a harness is connected, and in a state where the receiving device is supported by the support frame, the connector portion is provided at a portion other than the front surface portion of the receiving device. and the support frame has left and right vertical portions extending upward respectively, and a horizontal portion extending along the left-right direction of the traveling body at the upper end of the support frame, a plate-like member is connected to the upper end of the support frame, the receiving device is supported by the plate-like member, and the front end of the plate-like member is located in front of the front end of the receiving device is provided. In the above configuration, it is preferable that both left and right ends of the plate-like member are connected to the upper end of the support frame. In the above configuration, it is preferable that the connector portion is provided on the rear surface portion of the receiving device. In the above configuration, it is preferable that the harness extends along the support frame. In the above configuration, it is preferable to provide a guard portion that guards the connector portion. In the above configuration, it is preferable that the traveling device has front wheels and rear wheels, and a front end portion of the receiving device is located in front of a front end portion of the front wheels. In the above configuration, it is preferable that a front end portion of the receiving device is located behind a front end portion of the traveling body. The work vehicle according to the present invention includes a traveling body having a traveling device, a steering unit capable of steering the traveling device, a receiving device that acquires position information by a satellite positioning system, an inertial measurement device, and a control unit that controls the steering unit based on information from the receiving device and information from the inertial measurement device. A bonnet provided at a front portion of the traveling body is provided, a frame extending above the bonnet is provided, and the receiving device and the inertial measurement device are supported by the frame at the same location in the traveling body. Further, the work vehicle according to the present invention includes a traveling body having a traveling device, a working device that performs work on a farm field, a steering unit capable of steering the traveling device, a receiving device that acquires position information by a satellite positioning system, a sub-inertial measurement device that detects an inclination of the traveling body, and a control unit that controls the steering unit based on the position information. The receiving device and the sub-inertial measurement device are arranged at the same location in the traveling body. Further, the work vehicle according to the present invention includes a traveling body having a traveling device, a working device that performs work on a farm field, a steering unit capable of steering the traveling device, a receiving device that acquires position information by a satellite positioning system, an inertial measurement device that measures inertial information, a generation unit that generates a target line for traveling the traveling body, and a control unit that controls the steering unit so that the traveling body travels along the target line based on the position information and the inertial information. The receiving device and the inertial measurement device are arranged at different locations in the traveling body.

[0010] According to the present invention, a receiving device that acquires position information by a satellite positioning system and an inertial measurement device that measures inertial information are arranged at different locations in a traveling body. Therefore, for example, by arranging the receiving device at a location where the shaking is relatively large, it is possible to improve the acquisition accuracy of the position information of the receiving device, and by arranging the inertial measurement device at a location where the shaking is relatively small, it is possible to reduce the error of the inertial information measured by the inertial measurement device. That is, both the accuracy of the position information acquired by the receiving device and the accuracy of the inertial information measured by the inertial measurement device are improved, and it becomes possible to make use of the characteristics of both the receiving device and the inertial measurement device. As a result, it becomes possible to perform steering control of the steering unit using high-precision position information and inertial information, and it becomes possible to accurately automatically steer and control the traveling body so that the traveling body and the working device travel along the target line. Therefore, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to accurately perform the work by the working device using the automatic steering control of the traveling body.

[0011] In the above configuration, It is preferable that the inertial measurement device is arranged at a location near the center in the front-rear direction among the entire lengths in the front-rear direction of the traveling body and the working device.

[0012] According to this configuration, a location near the center in the front-rear direction among the entire lengths in the front-rear direction of the traveling body and the working device is, for example, a location near the yaw axis that becomes the turning center of the entire traveling body and the working device. By arranging the inertial measurement device at such a location, the error of the inertial information measured by the inertial measurement device becomes small, and it becomes easier to accurately measure the inertial information.

[0013] In the above configuration, It is preferable that the inertial measurement device is attached to an attachment member located near the rear axle of the traveling device.

[0014] According to this configuration, the attachment member located near the rear axle of the traveling device is less likely to shake during the traveling of the traveling body. By attaching the inertial measurement device to such an attachment member, the error of the inertial information measured by the inertial measurement device becomes small, and it becomes easier to accurately measure the inertial information.

[0015] In the above configuration, the working device is a seedling planting device capable of planting seedlings in a field, a plurality of spare seedling tables on which spare seedlings for replenishing the seedling planting device can be placed, a pair of left and right spare seedling frames that support the spare seedling tables, a connecting frame that is connected across the upper parts of the left and right spare seedling frames, are provided, it is preferable that the receiving device is attached to the connecting frame.

[0016] According to this configuration, since the receiving device is attached to the connecting frame that connects the left and right spare seedling frames and is installed at a relatively high position, the receiving device can be arranged in a place with few shielding objects that block radio waves. As a result, it is less likely that the position information acquired by the receiving device will be interrupted. Also, since the spare seedling frames and the connecting frame are relatively likely to sway during traveling, for example, the detection accuracy of the azimuth in the direction in which the traveling aircraft proceeds based on the position information acquired by the receiving device can be improved.

[0017] In the above configuration, it is preferable that the connecting frame can be changed between a use state in which the receiving device is located above the upper end of the spare seedling frame and a storage state in which the connecting frame is turned upside down with respect to the use state and the receiving device is located below the upper end of the spare seedling frame.

[0018] According to this configuration, by setting the connecting frame to the use state, the receiving device can be positioned at a location higher than the upper end of the spare seedling frame, so the radio wave reception sensitivity during use of the receiving device can be improved. On the other hand, by setting the connecting frame to the storage state, the receiving device can be positioned at a location lower than the upper end of the spare seedling frame. Therefore, for example, when storing the traveling aircraft in a shed or the like, the receiving device does not get in the way, and inconveniences such as hitting the receiving device against the upper part of the shed entrance can be avoided.

[0019] In the above configuration, it is preferable that the connecting frame is supported by the left and right spare seedling frames so as to be rotatable around a left - right axis along the left - right direction and fixable in position in the use state and the storage state.

[0020] According to this configuration, since the connecting frame is rotatable around the left - right axis, it is easy to change the state of the connecting frame between the use state in which the receiving device is used and the storage state in which the receiving device is stored.

[0021] In the above configuration, it is preferable that the connecting frame is detachable from the left and right spare seedling frames.

[0022] According to this configuration, since the connecting frame is detachable, when the receiving device is not used, the connecting frame in the use state can be removed from the spare seedling frame, put into the storage state, and attached to the spare seedling frame.

[0023] In the above configuration, the receiving device is provided with a connector portion for connecting a harness, and it is preferable that the connector portion extends outward in the left - right direction from the receiving device.

[0024] According to this configuration, since the connector portion for connecting the harness in the receiving device extends outward in the left - right direction from the receiving device, for example, compared with the case where the connector portion extends forward from the receiving device, it is less likely that the connector portion of the receiving device will be hit by obstacles such as tree branches approaching from the front during traveling.

[0025] In the above configuration, the receiving device is provided with a connector portion for connecting a harness, and it is preferable that a guard member for protecting the connector portion is provided.

[0026] According to this configuration, during travel, it is preferably protected by a guard member so that obstacles such as tree branches do not collide with the connector portion.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a riding type rice transplanter (an example of a "work vehicle"), which is a planting type paddy field work vehicle among agricultural work vehicles, is provided with a traveling body C having a traveling device A and a work device for performing work on a field. The work device of the rice transplanter is a seedling planting device W capable of planting seedlings on a field. Note that the arrow F shown in FIG. 2 indicates the "front" of the traveling body C, the arrow B indicates the "rear" of the traveling body C, the arrow L indicates the "left" of the traveling body C, and the arrow R indicates the "right" of the traveling body C.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, as the traveling device A, a pair of left and right front wheels 10 (corresponding to front wheels) and a pair of left and right rear wheels 11 (corresponding to rear wheels) are provided. The traveling body C is provided with a steering unit U capable of steering the left and right front wheels 10 in the traveling device A.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a front part of the traveling body C is provided with an openable and closable bonnet 12. An engine 13 is provided inside the bonnet 12. At a tip position of the bonnet 12, a rod-shaped center mascot 14 for checking an index line LN (see FIG. 6) is provided. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the traveling body C is provided with a frame-shaped body frame 15 extending along the front-rear direction. A support strut frame 16 is erected at a front part of the body frame 15.

[0031] 〔Regarding the seedling planting device〕 As shown in FIG. 1, the seedling planting device W is vertically movably connected to a rear end of the traveling body C via a link mechanism 21 that vertically moves by the telescopic operation of a lifting cylinder 20 configured by a hydraulic cylinder.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seedling planting device W includes four transmission cases 22, rotary cases 23 rotatably supported on left and right side parts at rear parts of the respective transmission cases 22, a pair of rotary type planting arms 24 provided at both ends of each rotary case 23, a plurality of leveling floats 25 for leveling the field surface of the farmland, a seedling placing table 26 on which a mat-shaped seedling for planting is placed, and the like. That is, the seedling planting device W is configured in an eight-row planting type.

[0033] The seedling planting device W configured in this way rotates each rotary case 23 by the power transmitted from the transmission case 22 while reciprocatingly driving the seedling placing table 26 horizontally to the left and right, and alternately takes out seedlings from a lower part of the seedling placing table 26 by the respective planting arms 24 and plants them on the field surface of the farmland.

[0034] 〔Regarding the spare seedling table〕 As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, on the left and right sides of the bonnet 12 in the traveling body C, a plurality (for example, four) of normal spare seedling tables 28 on which spare seedlings for supplying the seedling planting device W can be placed, and one rail-type spare seedling table 29 on which spare seedlings for supplying the seedling planting device W can be placed are provided. Further, on the left and right sides of the bonnet 12 in the traveling body C, a pair of left and right spare seedling frames 30 that support each of the normal spare seedling tables 28 and the rail-type spare seedling table 29, and a connecting frame 31 that is connected across the upper parts of the left and right spare seedling frames 30 are provided. The connecting frame 31 has a U-shaped shape when viewed from the front. The left and right end portions of the connecting frame 31 are respectively connected to the upper parts of the left and right spare seedling frames 30 via connecting brackets 32.

[0035] 〔Regarding the marker device〕 As shown in FIG. 1, on the left and right sides of the seedling planting device W, marker devices 33 for forming index lines LN (see FIGS. 6 and 7) on the field ground surface are provided respectively. The left and right marker devices 33 are each configured to be operable between an operating posture in which they are in contact with the field ground surface and form the index line LN on the field ground surface as the traveling body C travels, and a storage posture in which they are separated upward from the field ground surface.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, each of the left and right marker devices 33 includes a marker arm 34 swingable up and down and supported by the seedling planting device W, and a rotating body 35 having a plurality of convex portions in the circumferential direction and freely rotatably supported at the tip of the marker arm 34. Further, a marker electric motor (not shown) for operating the left and right marker devices 33 between the operating posture and the storage posture is provided. Each marker device 33, when in the operating posture, causes the rotating body 35 to roll on the ground as the traveling body C steers, and forms a dotted-line index line LN (see FIG. 6) when viewed from above.

[0037] 〔Regarding the operation part〕 As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a driving unit 40 where various driving operations are performed is provided at the central part of the traveling body C. The driving unit 40 is provided with a driver's seat 41 where a driver can sit, a control tower 42, a steering handle 43 constituted by a manual steering wheel for steering the front wheels 10, a main transmission lever 44 capable of switching forward and reverse and changing the traveling speed, an operation lever 45, and the like. The driver's seat 41 is provided at the central part of the traveling body C. The control tower 42 is operably provided with the steering handle 43, the main transmission lever 44, the operation lever 45, and the like. A boarding step 46 is provided at the foot part of the driving unit 40. Auxiliary steps 47 are provided at the outer positions on the left and right of the boarding step 46. On both the left and right sides of the bonnet 12, boarding and alighting steps 48 as boarding and alighting passages that are continuous with the boarding step 46 without a step are provided. On the outer side of the boarding and alighting step 48, the left and right spare seedling frames 30 are respectively arranged.

[0038] [Regarding the operation lever] The operation lever 45 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is provided on the lower right side of the steering handle 43. Although not shown in detail, the operation lever 45 is configured to be operable in the cross directions of a neutral position, an upper rising position, a lower descending position, a rear right marker position, and a front left marker position, and is biased to the neutral position.

[0039] When the operation lever 45 is operated to the rising position, the planting clutch (not shown) is operated to the disengaged state, the seedling planting device W rises, and the left and right marker devices 33 (see FIG. 1) are operated to the stored posture. When the operation lever 45 is operated to the descending position, the planting clutch (not shown) is operated to the disengaged state, the left and right marker devices 33 are operated to the stored posture, and the seedling planting device W descends. When the central leveling float 25 contacts the field surface, the seedling planting device W contacts the field surface and stops.

[0040] When the operation lever 45 is operated to the right marker position, the right marker device 33 changes from the stored posture to the operating posture. When the operation lever 45 is operated to the left marker position, the left marker device 33 changes from the stored posture to the operating posture.

[0041] The control tower 42 of the operation unit 40 is provided with a push-operated automatic steering switch 50 (see Fig. 5). The automatic steering switch 50 is configured to be able to perform a switching operation for turning on and off the automatic steering of the steering unit U. Further, the main transmission lever 44 is provided with a registration switch 52 (see Fig. 5) for registering the teaching direction TA (see Fig. 6) used for the automatic steering control of the steering unit U. The registration switch 52 is provided with a push-operated first registration button 52A and a push-operated second registration button 52B.

[0042] 〔Regarding the steering unit〕 As shown in Fig. 4, the steering unit U includes the above-described steering handle 43, a steering operation shaft 54 interlockingly connected to the steering handle 43, a pitman arm 55 that swings as the steering operation shaft 54 rotates, left and right connection mechanisms 56 interlockingly connected to the pitman arm 55, a steering motor 58, a gear mechanism 57 that interlockingly connects the steering motor 58 to the steering operation shaft 54, and the like.

[0043] The steering operation shaft 54 is interlockingly connected to the left and right front wheels 10 via the pitman arm 55 and the left and right connection mechanisms 56, respectively. The rotation amount of the steering operation shaft 54 is detected by a steering angle sensor 60 (see Fig. 5) composed of a rotary encoder provided at the lower end of the steering operation shaft 54.

[0044] When performing manual steering of the steering unit U, an auxiliary force corresponding to the operation of the steering handle 43 by the steering motor 58 is applied to the operating force of the driver operating the steering handle 43 to rotate the steering operation shaft 54 and change the steering angle of the front wheels 10. On the other hand, when performing automatic steering of the steering unit U, the steering motor 58 is driven, and the driving force of the steering motor 58 is used to rotate the steering operation shaft 54 and change the steering angle of the front wheels 10.

[0045] [Regarding the measurement unit having a receiving device and the inertial measurement device] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 5, the traveling aircraft C is provided with a measurement unit 61 having a receiving device 63 for acquiring position information by a satellite positioning system and a sub-inertial measurement device 64 capable of detecting mainly the inclination (pitch angle, roll angle) of the traveling aircraft C, and a main inertial measurement device 62 for measuring inertial information.

[0046] The main inertial measurement device 62 and the sub-inertial measurement device 64 are each constituted by an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).

[0047] The measurement unit 61 having the receiving device 63 and the sub-inertial measurement device 64 and the main inertial measurement device 62 are arranged at different positions on the traveling aircraft C. Further, the measurement unit 61 having the receiving device 63 and the sub-inertial measurement device 64 and the main inertial measurement device 62 are arranged on the left-right center line CL on the traveling aircraft C.

[0048] As a typical example of the above satellite positioning system (GNSS: Global Navigation Satelite System), GPS (Global Positioning System) can be mentioned. GPS measures the position of the receiving device 63 using a plurality of GPS satellites orbiting the earth's atmosphere, a control station for tracking and controlling the GPS satellites, and the receiving device 63 provided in the object (traveling aircraft C) to be positioned. The receiving device 63 is used to acquire the position information of the traveling aircraft C by the satellite positioning system.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the measurement unit 61 having the receiving device 63 is attached to the connecting frame 31 (corresponding to the support frame) via a plate-like support plate 65 (corresponding to a plate-like member). The measurement unit 61 having the receiving device 63 is disposed at the front position of the traveling body C (particularly, on the front side of the front wheels 10). For this reason, when the traveling direction of the traveling body C is changed, the displacement amount in the left-right direction of the front position of the traveling body C is larger than that of the rear end position of the traveling body C, and the change in the own position NM of the traveling body C acquired by the receiving device 63 can be detected with high sensitivity.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the connecting frame 31 can be changed between a use state S1 in which the measurement unit 61 having the receiving device 63 is located above the upper end of the seedling preparation frame 30, and a storage state S2 in which the connecting frame 31 is turned upside down with respect to the use state S1 and the receiving device 63 is located below the upper end of the seedling preparation frame 30. To add an explanation, the connecting frame 31 is supported by the left and right seedling preparation frames 30 so as to be rotatable around a left-right axis X along the left-right direction and to be position-fixed in each of the use state S1 and the storage state S2 by the connecting brackets 32.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and the like, by setting the connecting frame 31 to the use state S1, the receiving device 63 is supported at a high position by the connecting frame 31 and the seedling preparation frame 30. Therefore, as the traveling body C travels, the receiving device 63 is likely to sway due to the deflection of the seedling preparation frame 30 and the connecting frame 31, and the own position NM and own azimuth NA of the traveling body C based on the position information acquired by the receiving device 63 can be accurately detected. Further, by setting the connecting frame 31 to the use state S1, the receiving device 63 is located at the highest position in the traveling body C, so that the radio wave reception sensitivity of the receiving device 63 can be increased, and it is less likely that a radio wave failure will occur in the receiving device 63.

[0052] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the receiving device 63 of the measurement unit 61 is provided with a connector portion 67 to which a harness 66 is connected. The connector portion 67 extends outward in the left - right direction from the receiving device 63 of the measurement unit 61. The harness 66 is routed along the connecting frame 31 and the preliminary seedling frame 30. Further, a guard member 68 (corresponding to the guard portion) for protecting the connector portion 67 is provided. The guard member 68 is attached to the support plate 65. The guard member 68 is configured to protect the front side of the connector portion 67.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 1, the main inertial measurement device 62 is disposed at a location near the center in the front - rear direction among the entire lengths in the front - rear direction of the traveling body C and the seedling planting device W. To add an explanation, the main inertial measurement device 62 is disposed near the turning center in the traveling direction of the traveling body C (the axis of the yaw axis of the traveling body C).

[0054] Specifically, at the rear of the traveling body C, a rear axle frame 73 is provided that rotatably supports a rear axle 72 that transmits driving force to the rear wheels 11. The rear axle frame 73 is a rigid member located near the rear axle 72 of the traveling device A. The main inertial measurement device 62 is attached to this rear axle frame 73.

[0055] To add an explanation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main inertial measurement device 62 is located near the seedling planting device W. Also, the main inertial measurement device 62 is located below the rear side of the driver's seat 41.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5, the main inertial measurement device 62 is mainly provided with a gyro sensor 70 capable of detecting the angular velocity of the yaw angle (turning angle of the traveling body C) of the traveling body C, and an acceleration sensor 71 capable of detecting accelerations in three mutually orthogonal axial directions. That is, the inertial information measured by the main inertial measurement device 62 includes the azimuth change information detected by the gyro sensor 70 and the position change information detected by the acceleration sensor 71. As described above, since the main inertial measurement device 62 is arranged near the turning center in the traveling direction of the traveling body C, it is possible to greatly suppress the integration error of the azimuth change information generated in the gyro sensor 70, and the detection accuracy of the position change information by the acceleration sensor 71 becomes high.

[0057] 〔Regarding the control configuration〕 As shown in FIG. 5, the traveling body C is provided with a control device 75 that controls the automatic steering of the steering unit U. The control device 75 includes an information storage unit 76, a teaching storage unit 77, a turning detection unit 78, a start determination unit 79, an information correction unit 80, a generation unit 81 that generates a target line LM for traveling the traveling body C, a state detection unit 82, and a control unit 83 that controls the steering unit U so that the traveling body C travels along the target line LM based on the position information and the inertial information.

[0058] Information such as the receiving device 63, the sub-inertial measurement device 64, the gyro sensor 70, the acceleration sensor 71, the steering angle sensor 60, the automatic steering switch 50, and the registration switch 52 in the main inertial measurement device 62 is input to the control device 75.

[0059] The information storage unit 76 is configured to store the position information acquired from the receiving device 63 at each time.

[0060] The teaching storage unit 77 is configured to calculate a teaching direction TA using the position information of two points among the position information stored in the information storage unit 76 based on the operation of the registration switch 52.

[0061] The turning detection unit 78 is configured to detect the start of turning of the traveling body C and the end of turning of the traveling body C based on the steering angle information of the steering operation shaft 54 of the steering unit U input from the steering angle sensor 60.

[0062] The start determination unit 79 is configured to determine whether to start the automatic steering control of the traveling body C.

[0063] The information correction unit 80 is configured to perform correction processing based on the integrated error of the information detected by the gyro sensor 70 among the inertial information measured by the main inertial measurement device 62, the position information acquired by the receiving device 63, and the information measured by the sub-inertial measurement device 64 each time the automatic steering control of the traveling body C starts.

[0064] The generation unit 81 is configured to generate a target line LM based on the teaching direction TA, the own vehicle position NM at the start of the automatic steering control of the traveling body C, and the own vehicle azimuth NA.

[0065] The state detection unit 82 is configured to detect the distance deviation (deviation distance) between the own vehicle position NM of the traveling body C and the target line LM and the angle deviation (deviation angle) between the own vehicle azimuth NA of the traveling body C and the teaching direction TA during the automatic steering control of the traveling body C.

[0066] The control unit 83 is configured to control the drive of the steering motor 58 of the steering unit U based on the information input from the state detection unit 82.

[0067] 〔Regarding automatic steering control〕 As an example, the case of performing a seedling planting operation in a rectangular paddy field in a top view will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, first, the traveling machine body C is positioned at a certain first position Q1 on the edge of the ridge in the field, and the first registration button 52A (see FIG. 5) of the registration switch 52 is operated. Then, with the seedling planting device W raised and the leveling float 25 grounded, the traveling machine body C is driven straight along the linear shape on the side edge of the ridge from the first position Q1, and after moving to the second position Q2 near the opposite ridge edge, the second registration button 52B (see FIG. 5) of the registration switch 52 is operated. Thereby, a teaching direction TA, which is the direction connecting the first position Q1 and the second position Q2, is generated from the position information acquired by the receiving device 63 at the first position Q1 and the position information acquired by the receiving device 63 at the second position Q2.

[0068] Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the traveling machine body C is manually turned by operating the steering handle 43. When the start of turning of the traveling machine body C is detected by the steering angle sensor 60, the seedling planting device W, the leveling float 25, and the marker device 33 are automatically raised from the field surface. When the turning of the traveling machine body C is completed, the turning end position Q3 of the traveling machine body C is detected based on the detection result of the steering angle sensor 60.

[0069] A dead zone is set where the operation input of the automatic steering switch 50 is not accepted until a certain time elapses after the turning end position Q3 of the traveling machine body C is detected and until the deviation angle between the own machine azimuth NA and the teaching direction TA is within a predetermined range. That is, while the state of the traveling machine body C is in the dead zone, even if the automatic steering switch 50 is operated, the automatic steering control is not started. While the state of the traveling machine body C is in the dead zone, the driver can manually steer the steering unit U so that the index line LN coincides with the line of sight looking at the tip of the center mascot 14, and align the position of the traveling machine body C.

[0070] When the state of the traveling body C exits the dead zone, the operation input of the automatic steering switch 50 is received. When the automatic steering switch 50 is operated, the own position NM and the own azimuth NA of the traveling body C based on the position information in the receiving device 63 at the control start position Q4 are stored. Then, from a location a predetermined distance away in the direction of the own azimuth NA of the traveling body C from the location where the receiving device 63 is installed, a linear target line LM parallel to the teaching direction TA is generated. At the same time, the information measured by the main inertial measurement unit 62 is corrected based on the position information of the own position NM acquired by the receiving device 63, and the own azimuth NA calculated based on the position information of the own position NM acquired by the receiving device 63 and the position information of the immediately previous position.

[0071] In addition, in FIG. 6, for the convenience of illustration, the index line LN formed by the marker device 33 and the target line LM are slightly offset. However, in reality, manual alignment is performed so that the driver's line of sight coincides with the tip of the center mascot 14 and the index line LN. Therefore, the target line LM is generated so as to substantially coincide with the index line LN.

[0072] At the same time, the automatic steering control of the traveling body C mainly based on the main inertial measurement unit 62 is started. That is, in the automatic steering control, the main inertial measurement unit 62 is mainly used, and the receiving device 63 is used for correcting the main inertial measurement unit 62. Specifically, based on the own position NM and the own azimuth NA based on the position information acquired by the receiving device 63 at the control start position Q4, the azimuth change information obtained by integrating the angular velocity measured by the gyro sensor 70 of the main inertial measurement unit 62, and the position change information obtained by integrating the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 71 of the main inertial measurement unit 62, the current own position NM and own azimuth NA are obtained. Then, the automatic steering of the steering unit U is performed so that the current own position NM and own azimuth NA match the target line LM and the teaching direction TA, and the automatic steering control of the traveling body C is performed.

[0073] During the automatic steering control of the traveling body C, when there is no angular deviation (misalignment angle) between the own-vehicle azimuth NA and the teaching direction TA, and no distance deviation (misalignment distance) between the own-vehicle position NM and the target line LM, the steering unit U is not under steering control. Also, during the automatic steering control of the traveling body C, when there is an angular deviation (misalignment angle) between the own-vehicle azimuth NA and the teaching direction TA and no distance deviation (misalignment distance) between the own-vehicle position NM and the target line LM, the steering unit U is steered and controlled in a direction to eliminate the angular deviation (misalignment angle) between the own-vehicle azimuth NA and the teaching direction TA. Also, during the automatic steering control of the traveling body C, when there is an angular deviation (misalignment angle) between the own-vehicle azimuth NA and the teaching direction TA and there is a distance deviation (misalignment distance) between the own-vehicle position NM and the target line LM, the steering unit U is steered and controlled in a direction to eliminate the angular deviation (misalignment angle) between the own-vehicle azimuth NA and the teaching direction TA. Also, during the automatic steering control of the traveling body C, when there is no angular deviation (misalignment angle) between the own-vehicle azimuth NA and the teaching direction TA and there is a distance deviation (misalignment distance) between the own-vehicle position NM and the target line LM, the steering unit U is steered and controlled in a direction to eliminate the distance deviation (misalignment distance) between the own-vehicle position NM and the target line LM. As a result, the traveling body C will travel accurately along the target line LM.

[0074] In this way, during the automatic steering control of the traveling body C, the position information acquired by the receiving device 63 is not essential. Therefore, even if a radio wave failure or the like occurs in the receiving device 63 during the automatic steering control of the traveling body C, the automatic steering control of the traveling body C can be continued based on the inertial information measured by the main inertial measurement device 62, and the seedlings can be accurately planted by the seedling planting device W along the target line LM.

[0075] When the traveling body C approaches the edge of the ridge, the driver operates the automatic steering switch 50, stopping the automatic steering control of the traveling body C and switching to manual steering. Then, a turning operation is similarly performed at the edge of the ridge, and the same operation is repeated to plant seedlings in the field. As a result, the driver does not need to manually operate the steering wheel 43 during the seedling planting in the field by the seedling planting device W, and the seedling planting work can be performed more accurately and easily.

[0076] 〔Regarding the setting of the own machine position〕 As shown in FIG. 7, although the receiving device 63 is arranged at the front of the traveling body C, the own machine position NM serving as the reference for data processing is set not at the actual installation position of the receiving device 63 but at a position near the main inertial measurement device 62. The setting of the own machine position NM serving as the reference for data processing is determined based on the distance between the receiving device 63 and the position where the own machine position NM is set, and the own machine azimuth NA calculated based on the receiving device 63 and the main inertial measurement device 62. Since it is desired to travel accurately along the target line LM by the seedling planting device W, by setting the own machine position NM in the vicinity of the seedling planting device W in this way, the automatic steering control of the traveling body C can be performed so that the seedling planting device W travels accurately along the target line LM.

[0077] 〔Regarding the relationship between the spare seedling frame, the normal spare seedling table, and the rail - type spare seedling table〕 As shown in FIG. 3, each of the left and right spare seedling frames 30 is provided with a fixing portion 85 fixed to the support strut frame 16, an inclined portion 86 extending upward from the fixing portion 85 and inclined toward the left and right inner sides, and a vertical portion 87 extending upward from the inclined portion 86. That is, the vertical portion 87 of the spare seedling frame 30 is offset by a predetermined distance D toward the left and right inner sides with respect to the support strut frame 16 and the fixing portion 85 of the spare seedling frame 30.

[0078] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the plurality of normal spare seedling tables 28 is supported by the spare seedling frame 30 so as to be swingable about a longitudinal axis Y that is inclined inward in the left - right direction as it goes forward along the longitudinal portion 87 of the spare seedling frame 30. The normal spare seedling table 28 is configured to be able to change its posture between a horizontal posture E1 and a vertical posture E2.

[0079] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, when the normal spare seedling table 28 is in the horizontal posture E1, the placement surface of the normal spare seedling table 28 becomes substantially horizontal. On the other hand, when changing the normal spare seedling table 28 from the horizontal posture E1 to the vertical posture E2, each normal spare seedling table 28 is swung about the longitudinal axis Y to be vertical. As a result, each normal spare seedling table 28 in the vertical posture E2 becomes a compact state in the left - right direction closer to the longitudinal portion 87 side of the spare seedling frame 30.

[0080] The rail - type spare seedling table 29 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is provided with a front placement table 88, a central placement table 89, and a rear placement table 90. The central placement table 89 is fixed to the support column frame 16 via a pair of support brackets 91. The front placement table 88 is connected to the front end portion of the central placement table 89 so as to be swingable about a front - horizontal axis P1 along the left - right direction. The rear placement table 90 is connected to the rear end portion of the central placement table 89 so as to be swingable about a rear - horizontal axis P2 along the left - right direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the rail - type spare seedling table 29 is configured to be able to change its state between a deployed state F1 and a folded state F2. When the rail - type spare seedling table 29 is in the deployed state F1, with the central placement table 89 as the center, the front placement table 88 is deployed on the front side of the central placement table 89, and the rear placement table 90 is deployed on the rear side of the central placement table 89. That is, when the rail - type spare seedling table 29 is in the deployed state F1, the front placement table 88, the central placement table 89, and the rear placement table 90 are arranged in order from front to back.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 1, when changing the rail - type spare seedling table 29 from the deployed state F1 to the folded state F2, the front placement table 88 is swung around the front horizontal axis P1 located at the front end of the central placement table 89, and the front placement table 88 is folded and positioned above the central placement table 89. The rear placement table 90 is swung around the rear horizontal axis P2 located at the rear end of the central placement table 89, and the rear placement table 90 is positioned above the central placement table 89. Thereby, the rail - type spare seedling table 29 can be made into a compact folded state F2 in the front - rear direction.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of normal spare seedling tables 28 are arranged in a vertical row, and the rail - type spare seedling table 29 is arranged below the lowermost normal spare seedling table 28.

[0083] That is, as understood from FIGS. 1 to 3, in addition to offsetting the vertical portion 87 of the spare seedling frame 30 by a predetermined distance D to the left and right inside with respect to the support strut frame 16 and the fixing portion 85 of the spare seedling frame 30, a plurality of normal spare seedling tables 28 are changed to a vertical posture E2 in a compact state in the left - right direction closer to the vertical portion 87 side of the spare seedling frame 30 so as to be offsettable to the left and right inside. Thus, the rail - type spare seedling table 29 can be changed from the deployed state F1 to the folded state F2 without interference with the spare seedling frame 30 and the normal spare seedling tables 28. Also, by making a plurality of normal spare seedling tables 28 offsettable to the left and right inside, for example, the overall left - right width of the traveling machine body C can be made smaller than when offsetting the rail - type spare seedling table 29 to the left and right outside.

[0084] 〔Alternative Embodiment〕 Hereinafter, an alternative embodiment of the present invention will be described. Each of the following alternative embodiments may be applied to the above - described embodiment in combination as long as there is no contradiction. Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents of these embodiments.

[0085] (1) In the above-described embodiment, mainly, automatic steering control of the traveling aircraft C is performed based on inertial information measured by the main inertial measurement device 62, and correction is made based on position information acquired by the receiving device 63 from the inertial information measured by the main inertial measurement device 62. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, mainly, automatic steering control of the traveling aircraft C may be performed based on position information acquired by the receiving device 63, and the position information acquired by the receiving device 63 may be corrected based on inertial information measured by the main inertial measurement device 62.

[0086] (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the connecting frame 31 is supported by the left and right spare seedling frames 30 so as to be rotatable around the left and right axis X along the left and right direction and fixable in position in the use state S1 and the storage state S2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be detachable from the left and right spare seedling frames 30. In this case, the connecting frame 31 in the use state S1 is removed from the spare seedling frame 30, turned upside down, and then attached to the spare seedling frame 30 again, so that the connecting frame 31 is in the storage state S2.

[0087] (3) In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the receiving device 63 is fixed at a certain position. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the receiving device 63 may be disposed on a rail member 100 attached and fixed to the spare seedling frame 30 and extending along the front-rear direction of the traveling aircraft C so as to be movable along the front-rear direction. Thereby, by moving the receiving device 63 between two points on the rail member 100, it is possible to obtain based on the own azimuth NA of the traveling aircraft C and the position information of the two points acquired by the receiving device 63 while the traveling aircraft C remains stopped.

[0088] (4) In the above-described embodiment, an example is given in which only one receiving device 63 is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, two or more receiving devices 63 may be provided. By doing so, even when the traveling body C is stopped, it is possible to obtain the own-vehicle azimuth NA of the traveling body C based on the position information acquired by one receiving device 63 and the position information acquired by another receiving device 63.

[0089] (5) In the above-described embodiment, an example is given in which the connector portion 67 extends laterally outward from the side surface portion of the receiving device 63, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the connector portion 67 may extend upward from the upper surface portion of the receiving device 63, downward from the lower surface portion of the receiving device 63, forward from the front surface portion of the receiving device 63, or rearward from the rear surface portion of the receiving device 63. In this case, it is preferable that the guard member 68 for protecting the connector portion 67 is also provided at the location of the connector portion 67.

[0090] (6) In the above-described embodiment, an example is given in which the guard member 68 is attached to the support plate 65, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the guard member 68 may be attached to the receiving device 63 itself.

[0091] (7) In the above-described embodiment, an example is given in which the planting device W is provided as the working device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as the working device, in addition to the planting device W, a fertilizer application device, a chemical spraying device, or the like may be provided.

Industrial Applicability

[0092] The present invention can be used in various working vehicles such as a riding-type direct seeder which is a riding-type paddy field working vehicle equipped with a seeding device as a working device, a tractor equipped with a plow or the like as a working device, a combine equipped with a harvesting unit or the like as a working device, or a construction working vehicle equipped with a bucket or the like as a working device, in addition to the above-described riding-type rice transplanter equipped with a planting device as a working device.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0093] 10: Front wheel 11: Rear wheel 31: Connecting frame (support frame) 63: Receiver 65: Plate-like member 66: Harness 67: Connector part 68: Guard member (guard part) A: Travel device C: Traveling body U: Steering unit

Claims

1. A traveling machine body having a traveling device, A steering unit capable of steering the traveling device, A receiving device that acquires position information by means of a satellite positioning system, A support frame that supports the receiving device on the traveling machine body, and The receiving device has a connector portion to which a harness is connected, In a state where the receiving device is supported by the support frame, the connector portion is provided at a portion other than the front surface portion of the receiving device, The support frame has left and right vertical portions extending upward respectively, and a horizontal portion extending along the left - right direction of the traveling machine body at the upper end portion of the support frame, A plate - shaped member is connected to the upper end portion of the support frame, and the receiving device is supported by the plate - shaped member, A work vehicle in which the front end of the plate - shaped member is located in front of the front end of the receiving device.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein both left and right end portions of the plate - shaped member are connected to the upper end portion of the support frame.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector portion is provided at the rear surface portion of the receiving device.

4. The work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the harness extends along the support frame.

5. The work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a guard portion for guarding the connector portion.

6. The traveling device has front wheels and rear wheels, The work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the front end portion of the receiving device is located in front of the front end portion of the front wheels.

7. The work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the front end portion of the receiving device is located behind the front end portion of the traveling machine body.

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