combine

Abstract

To enable a progress status of harvesting work to be grasped easily.SOLUTION: A combine includes: harvesting travelling route specification means for specifying a harvesting travelling route of a machine body on the basis of machine body position information and a result of determination by travelling state discrimination means; grid map generation means for generating a grid map GM indicating a farm field with a grid G; grid filling means for filling the grid G on the harvesting travelling route; farm field contour information acquisition means for acquiring contour information on the farm field; and long side determination means for determining a long side of the contour of the farm field. The grid map generation means generates the grid map GM in which an arrangement direction of the grid G is parallel to or at a right angle to the direction of the long side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a combine harvester that allows easy understanding of the progress of harvesting work. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a combine harvester that includes a yield acquisition unit that acquires the yield rate, which is the yield per unit area in a field, an area acquisition unit that acquires the area of ​​unworked land, and a total yield estimation unit that estimates the total yield of grain predicted to be harvested in the unworked land from the yield rate and area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-22428 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, while the system described in Patent Document 1 is thought to be capable of carrying out efficient harvesting work while taking into account the predicted total grain yield, there is room for improvement as it is difficult to grasp the progress of the harvesting work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention has been created in view of the above-described circumstances and with the aim of solving these problems, and the invention of claim 1 comprises a position information acquisition means for acquiring machine position information, a traveling state determination means for distinguishing between harvesting traveling and non-harvesting traveling, a harvesting traveling path identification means for identifying the harvesting traveling path of the machine based on the machine position information and the determination result of the traveling state determination means, a grid map generation means for generating a grid map showing the field with a grid, a grid filling means for filling in the grid on the harvesting traveling path, a field outer shape information acquisition means for acquiring outer shape information of the field, and a long side determination means for determining the long side of the outer shape of the field.and a display unit that displays the grid map, wherein the field outer shape information acquisition means calculates a field outer shape map based on the harvesting travel route, the long side determination means determines the long side of the outer shape of the field based on the field outer shape map, and the grid map generation means generates a grid map in which grids are arranged in the east-west direction and the north-south direction based on the orientation before calculating the field outer shape map, and after calculating the field outer shape map, regenerates a grid map in which the arrangement direction of the grids is parallel to or perpendicular to the direction of the long side. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, in a grid map showing the field as a grid, the grids on the harvesting route are filled in, making it easy to grasp the progress of harvesting work. Also, in the grid map, the grids are arranged parallel or perpendicular to the direction of the long side of the outline of the field, which not only improves the visibility of the grid map but also improves the calculation accuracy of progress information calculated based on the grid map. Also, claims 1 According to the invention, a field outline map is calculated based on the harvesting travel route, and the long side of the field outline is determined based on the field outline map, so that an appropriate grid map can be generated based on the actual harvesting travel route. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a combine harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] This is a left side view showing the inside of the threshing section. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the inside of the threshing section. [Figure 5] This is a right side view showing the inside of the grain lifting device. [Figure 6] This is a front cross-sectional view of the threshing section showing the grain return path after quality measurement. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the quality measurement unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the inside of the grain tank. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the inside of the grain tank. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inside of the grain tank. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the combine harvester. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a grid map filling process. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the display screen of the display unit (in the initial state where field divisions are displayed using a grid map). [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the display screen of the display unit (in a state waiting for a confirmation operation of a field section). [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the display screen of the display unit (field divisions displayed using a regenerated grid map). [Figure 16] (A) to (E) show the procedure for creating a contour map of a rectangular field. [Figure 17] (A) to (E) show the procedure for creating an outline map of a farm field on a farm road. [Figure 18] (A) to (C) show the procedure for creating an outline map of a defective field. [Figure 19] 1A is an explanatory diagram of straight line estimation using the least squares method, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of curve junction division and interval linear interpolation. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of field division estimation control. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for grid generation control. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for yield calculation. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of predictive control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a combine harvester 1 is a general-purpose combine harvester having a body 3 supported by a pair of crawler-type travel devices 2. A reaping unit 5 for reaping stalks in a field is provided at the front of the body 3 and can be raised and lowered. A driving and operating unit 6 for an operator to sit and operate the combine harvester 1 is provided at one front side of the body 3. A threshing unit 7 for threshing and sorting the stalks reaped and transported by the reaping unit 5 is provided at the other side of the body 3. A grain tank 10 for storing grain threshed and sorted by the threshing unit 7 is provided behind the driving and operating unit 6, and a discharge auger 11 for discharging the grain stored in the grain tank 10 outside the combine harvester is provided behind the grain tank 10.

[0009] The reaping unit 5 comprises a divider 12 that divides the stalks in the field, a reciprocating cutting blade 13 that cuts the stalks divided by the divider 12, a bucket-shaped platform 14 arranged behind the cutting blade 13, and a reel 15 arranged above the divider 12 and the cutting blade 13 that rakes the stalks rearward, and is configured so that the cutting blade 13 cuts the stalks rake into the platform 14 by the reel 15. The stalks cut by the cutting blade 13 are transported laterally by a platform auger 16 inside the platform 14, and the harvested grain is fed into a handling chamber 19 of the threshing unit 7 by a feeder 17.

[0010] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the threshing unit 7 has a threshing chamber 19 into which the stalks cut by the reaping unit 5 are fed, and a sorting chamber 9 located below the threshing chamber 19. The threshing process of the stalks is carried out in the threshing chamber 19, and the threshed material is sorted in the sorting chamber 9. A threshing drum 20 having a spiral guide plate 20a attached to its outer periphery is rotatably housed within the threshing chamber 19, and the guide plate 20a is provided with a plurality of protruding threshing teeth 20b that hook the stalks and rotate them together with the threshing drum 20. In addition, the lower side of the threshing chamber 19 (the lower part of the threshing drum 20) is formed by a semi-cylindrical receiving net 21 that follows the outer periphery of the threshing drum 20, and the straw fed into the threshing chamber 19 is rotated together with the threshing drum 20 by the threshing teeth 20b, and is threshed by being rubbed against the receiving net 21 while being transported to the rear side of the machine by the guide plate 20a.

[0011] The sorting chamber 9 has a oscillating sorting body 22 disposed below the receiving net 21, and a winnowing fan 23 and a blower fan 24 that blow sorting air from the lower front side to the upper rear side of the oscillating sorting body 22. The oscillating sorting body 22 has a two-tiered structure, with an upper tier consisting of a feed pan 25, a chaff sieve 26, and a straw rack 27, and a lower tier consisting of a grain sieve 29, a chaff sieve 30, and a straw rack 31, which are arranged consecutively on the upper and lower tiers and are oscillated back and forth to separate the material to be treated by gravity.

[0012] The feed pan 25 is a corrugated transfer plate that receives the processed material that has leaked through the receiving net 21 and the second grain, which will be described later, and transfers it rearward. The chaff sieves 26, 30 are made up of a number of fins arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the front-to-rear direction, and the processed material transferred rearward is air-sorted and sieved by the sorting air from the winnowing fan 23 and the blower fan 24. The grains that pass through the grain sieve 29, which is made of a wire mesh member with a predetermined mesh size, fall into the first spiral 32 as the first grain.

[0013] On the other hand, the processed material transported to the end of the oscillating sorting body 22 falls into the second spiral 33 via the straw rack 27, chaff sieve 30 and straw rack 31. Furthermore, the long straw, which is prevented from falling by the straw rack 31, is transported to the end and discharged outside the machine. The handling chamber 19 and sorting chamber 9 can be accessed by the operator by opening upward the side cover 36, which is supported on the machine body 3 so as to be freely openable and closable.

[0014] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, a lifting device 37 for lifting the first grain into the grain tank 10 is interlocked with the first helix 32, and a reduction device 40 for lifting and returning the second grain to a reduction chamber 39 located on one side of the handling chamber 19 is interlocked with the second helix 33. A horizontal reduction helix 41 is mounted within the reduction chamber 39, parallel to the threshing drum 20, and the second grains reduced from the reduction device 40 to the rear end of the reduction chamber 39 are transported by the horizontal reduction helix 41 in the opposite direction to the transport direction of the threshing drum 20, i.e., from rear to front.

[0015] The return chamber 39 has a return port 42 at its front end facing the threshing start end of the threshing chamber 19, and the second grain transported to the front end of the return chamber 39 by the return horizontal screw 41 is ejected by a spring plate 43 fixed to the front end of the return horizontal screw 41 and returned to the return chamber 19 through the return port 42.

[0016] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, a horizontal storage screw 45 and a quality measuring unit 50 are arranged in front of the upper end of the grain lifting device 37. The horizontal storage screw 45 is arranged in the left-right direction and receives grains that are ejected forward from the upper end of the grain lifting device 37, transports them to the right, and drops them into the grain tank 10. The quality measuring unit 50 is arranged in front of the horizontal storage screw 45 and selectively receives grains that are ejected forward from the upper end of the grain lifting device 37 and measures their quality. In other words, the quality measuring unit 50 measures the quality of grains in the grain flow path upstream of the grain tank 10. This allows the timing of quality measurement to be earlier than in the conventional method in which quality measurement is performed inside the grain tank 10.

[0017] As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the quality measuring unit 50 includes a storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 that stores the sorted grains in a storage unit 61 and performs quality measurement on the large number of stored grains, and a moisture sensor 70 (moisture measuring means) that is a single grain measurement type grain measuring device that performs quality measurement on one or several sorted grains.

[0018] The storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 comprises a grain inlet 62 that receives grains that are ejected forward from the upper end of the grain lifting device 37, an inlet shutter 63 that opens and closes the grain inlet 62, a storage section 61 that receives the grains received from the grain inlet 62, a grain outlet 64 formed at the bottom of the storage section 61 and that returns the grains in the storage section 61 onto the oscillating sorting body 22, a bottom shutter 65 that opens and closes the grain outlet 64, an imaging chamber 67 provided on one side of the storage section 61 and that allows the grains in the storage section 61 to be viewed through a transparent member 66, a light-emitting element 68 such as an LED that is arranged in the imaging chamber 67 and illuminates the grains in the storage section 61 through the transparent member 66, and a camera 69 that is arranged in the imaging chamber 67 and captures images of the grains in the storage section 61 illuminated by the light-emitting element 68.

[0019] When quality measurement is performed using the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60, the entrance shutter 63 is opened with the bottom shutter 65 closed, grains are received through the grain entrance 62, and the received grains are stored in the storage section 61. When the grains in the storage section 61 reach a predetermined amount, the grains in the storage section 61 are illuminated by a light-emitting element 68 through a transparent member 66, and an image of the grains in the storage section 61 illuminated by the light-emitting element 68 is taken by a camera 69. After the image is taken, the bottom shutter 65 is opened to return the grains in the storage section 61 onto the oscillating sorting body 22, and the entrance shutter 63 is closed. The grain image taken by the camera 69 is displayed, for example, on a liquid crystal monitor 101 (a liquid crystal panel with a touch panel) provided in the operation unit 6.

[0020] The moisture sensor 70 is provided on the other side of the storage section 61. The grain intake section 71 of the moisture sensor 70 is arranged in the grain storage path from the grain inlet 62 to the storage section 61, and some of the grains passing through the grain storage path are branched off and taken into the measuring section 72 of the moisture sensor 70, where the moisture percentage of the taken-in grains is measured. After measurement, the grains are discharged from the discharge outlet 73 and returned onto the oscillating sorting body 22.

[0021] Specifically, the moisture sensor 70 of this embodiment includes a grain intake unit 71 composed of a pair of sampling screws 74, and a measurement unit 72 incorporating a moisture meter (not shown). The grain intake unit 71 feeds the grains placed on the pair of sampling screws 74 into the measurement unit 72 one by one as the pair of sampling screws 74 rotate in a predetermined direction. The measurement unit 72 includes a crushing unit (not shown) that crushes the fed grains, and a moisture meter that measures the moisture content of the grains between a pair of electrodes (not shown) arranged to sandwich the crushed grains. The moisture meter measures the moisture content of the grains based on changes in electrical resistance or capacitance between the pair of electrodes. The measurement results of the moisture meter are displayed on, for example, an LCD monitor 101.

[0022] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, inside the grain tank 10, there are provided a horizontal discharge screw 46 that is positioned at the bottom of the grain tank 10 and discharges the grain in the grain tank 10 to the discharge auger 11, first to third pile height detection sensors 81 to 83 (piling height detection means) that detect the grain pile height in the grain tank 10, and a leveling device 90 that stirs the grain in the grain tank 10 and levels the grain pile surface.

[0023] The first and second pile height detection sensors 81, 82 are laser distance measuring sensors that irradiate a laser beam onto the pile surface of the grains and detect the pile height of the grains based on the return time of the reflected light. The third pile height detection sensor 83 is a contact sensor (e.g., a capacitance sensor) that has multiple detection units 83a arranged in the vertical direction and detects contact or proximity of grains with the detection units 83a.

[0024] The first pile height detection sensor 81 is installed on the ceiling of the grain tank 10 and detects the grain pile height based on the reflected light of laser light emitted downward. However, when the grain pile height is low and dust is floating inside the grain tank 10, the laser light may be attenuated, reducing the detection accuracy. Also, when the grain pile height is close to full capacity, the distance to the pile surface may become too close, reducing the detection accuracy.

[0025] The second pile height detection sensor 82 is provided at an intermediate height (about 1 / 3 of the tank height) of the front wall of the grain tank 10, and detects the grain pile height based on the reflected light of a laser beam emitted diagonally downward. Such a second pile height detection sensor 82 can accurately detect the grain pile height even in low pile conditions where the detection accuracy of the first pile height detection sensor 81 decreases.

[0026] The third pile height detection sensor 83 is suspended from the ceiling of the grain tank 10 and detects the grain pile height using a plurality of detection units 83a arranged vertically. This third pile height detection sensor 83 can accurately detect the grain pile height even when the tank is nearly full, in which case the detection accuracy of the first pile height detection sensor 81 decreases.

[0027] The leveling device 90 includes a rotating shaft 91 rotatably installed between the bottom and ceiling of the grain tank 10, a plurality of (e.g., six) stirring rods 92 projecting horizontally from the rotating shaft 91, and a leveling drive motor 93 installed on the ceiling of the grain tank 10 to rotate the rotating shaft 91. The stirring rods 92 are installed at predetermined distances in the height direction and at predetermined angles in the rotation direction. With this leveling device 90, when the rotating shaft 91 and the stirring rods 92 rotate in response to the drive of the leveling drive motor 93, the stirring rods 92 stir the grain in the grain tank 10, and the pile surface is leveled.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 9, the combine harvester 1 is equipped with a GNSS unit 102 as a position information acquisition means for acquiring the position information of the vehicle 3. The GNSS unit 102 employs, for example, an RTK-GNSS positioning system capable of highly accurate positioning with an error of a few centimeters. The RTK-GNSS positioning system performs GNSS positioning such as GPS at a fixed base station and a moving mobile station (combine harvester 1), and corrects the positioning data in real time using a correction signal transmitted from the base station to the mobile station, thereby achieving highly accurate positioning with an error of a few centimeters. Furthermore, by installing two GNSS antennas at a predetermined distance on the mobile station, it becomes possible to accurately detect not only the absolute position of the mobile station but also the direction of travel (azimuth) of the mobile station based on the two positioning results.

[0029] 11, the combine harvester 1 is provided with a control unit 100 that performs various controls. In addition to the moisture sensor 70, the touch panel of the LCD monitor 101, the pile height detection sensors 81-83, and the GNSS unit 102, the input side of the control unit 100 is connected to a measurement switch 103 that turns on / off the execution of a yield calculation (described later), a measurement interruption switch 104 that interrupts the yield calculation, a crop setting switch 105 that sets the crop to be harvested, a forced moisture measurement switch 106 that forcibly executes moisture measurement by the moisture sensor 70, a power clutch switch 107 that turns on / off the reaping clutch and the threshing clutch, a grain discharge switch 108 that turns on / off grain discharge by the discharge auger 11, a vehicle speed sensor 109 that detects the vehicle speed, a fuel level detection sensor 116 that detects the amount of fuel remaining in a fuel tank (not shown), and a grid adjustment button 110 that adjusts the grid size (described later).

[0030] In addition to the LCD monitor 101 and the leveling drive motor 93, the output side of the control unit 100 is also provided with a reaping clutch drive motor 111 that turns the reaping clutch on and off, a threshing clutch drive motor 112 that turns the threshing clutch on and off, The control unit 100 is connected to a discharge clutch drive motor 113 that turns the discharge clutch on and off. The control unit 100 can also communicate with an external communication device 114 such as a smartphone, and can store various data in a cloud 115 via the external communication device 114.

[0031] The control unit 100 has functional components realized by the cooperation of hardware and software, including a travel condition determination means, a harvest travel path identification means, a grid map generation means, a grid filling means, a field outline acquisition means, a long side determination means, a grid size change means, a harvest volume calculation means, and a harvest weight calculation means. Specific functional components realizing the field outline acquisition means include a closed figure determination means, a yes / no selection means, a virtual line segment generation means, and a field outline map calculation means.

[0032] The traveling state determination means distinguishes between harvesting traveling and non-harvesting traveling. For example, when the power clutch switch 107 is operated to turn on the reaping clutch and the threshing clutch, and the vehicle speed sensor 109 detects a vehicle speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it determines that the vehicle is in the harvesting traveling state.

[0033] The harvesting travel path identification means identifies the harvesting travel path of the vehicle 3 based on the vehicle position information acquired by the GNSS unit 102 and the determination result of the travel state determination means. For example, as shown in Figure 12, all travel paths including harvesting travel and non-harvesting travel are stored as directional coordinate groups in a state in which harvesting travel paths and non-harvesting travel paths can be distinguished.

[0034] The grid map generating means generates a grid map GM that shows the field with grids G. The initial grid map GM is, for example, based on the direction and is composed of grids G aligned in the east-west and north-south directions. The initial grid G ​​is, for example, a square grid of 0.3 m x 0.3 m, which corresponds to the spacing between rows of harvested crops.

[0035] The grid filling means fills in grids D on the harvesting travel route. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a grid map GM is displayed on the LCD monitor 101, and grids G on the harvesting travel route are filled in in real time. At this time, taking into account the harvesting width of the combine harvester 1, grids G that overlap with the harvesting width are filled in, as shown in FIG. 12. During harvesting by the combine harvester 1, harvesting travel is usually performed counterclockwise from the outer periphery of the field, so based on the filled-in display of grids G, not only can the outline of the field be recognized, but the progress of the harvesting work can also be easily grasped.

[0036] The field outline acquisition means acquires field outline information (hereinafter sometimes referred to as field section information). For example, it acquires a field outline map calculated by the field outline map calculation means. The calculation of the field outline map by the field outline map calculation means will be described later.

[0037] The long side determination means determines the long side of the outline of the field. After the determination by the long side determination means is completed, the grid map generation means regenerates the grid map GM in which the arrangement direction of the grids G is parallel to or perpendicular to the direction of the long side, and displays it on the LCD monitor 101. For example, as shown in FIG. 15 , if the LCD monitor 101 is a horizontally oriented monitor in which the width is longer than the height, the grids G are displayed so that they are arranged vertically and horizontally, and after the grid map GM is regenerated, the arrangement direction of the displayed grids G is not changed, and the field outline map is displayed so that the long side is aligned horizontally. This allows the field outline map to be displayed efficiently in accordance with the horizontally oriented LCD monitor 101.

[0038] The grid size changing means changes the size of the grid G ​​in response to the operation of the grid adjustment button 110. For example, if the field is large, the grid G ​​can be made coarse to reduce the processing load, and if the field is small, the grid G ​​can be made finer to display a highly accurate grid map.

[0039] The closed figure determination means determines whether the harvesting travel route is a closed figure or whether the travel route including the harvesting travel route and the non-harvesting travel route is a closed figure. At this time, the closed figure determination means determines whether the figure is a closed figure based on the shape of the filled grid G.

[0040] The acceptability selection means allows the operator to select whether the harvesting travel route that is the basis for the field outline map is acceptable. For example, after it is determined that the harvesting travel route is a closed figure, a section confirmation button (including an OK button B1 and a Cancel button B2) pops up on the screen of the LCD monitor 101, asking whether it is acceptable, as shown in Figure 14. Note that if the forced confirmation button (not shown) is operated, the field outline map is calculated based on the harvesting travel route that is not a closed figure.

[0041] If the harvesting travel route that forms the basis of the field outline map is not a closed figure, the virtual line segment generating means generates virtual line segments between the ends of the harvesting travel route, forcing the harvesting travel route to form a closed figure. For example, if a portion of the harvesting travel route is interrupted due to poor GNSS communication or the like, as shown in FIG. 16(A), the virtual line segment generating means performs a process of filling in the grid G ​​of the interrupted portion (the broken portion) so as to form a closed figure, as shown in FIG. 16(B). Furthermore, if harvesting is performed by turning on a farm road, as shown in FIG. 17(A), the harvesting travel route does not form a closed figure, so the virtual line segment generating means performs a process of filling in the grid G ​​so as to connect one end of each of the two straight lines that represent the harvesting travel route with the shortest line, as shown in FIG. 17(B).

[0042] The field outline map calculation means calculates a field outline map based on the harvest travel route. For example, the field outline map calculation means of this embodiment includes a process of determining the outer frame area of ​​a closed figure in the grid map GM (FIGS. 16(C) and 17(C)), a process of extracting a group of direction coordinates included in the outer frame area (FIGS. 16(D) and 17(D)), a process of connecting interrupted portions of the extracted group of direction coordinates with an additional group of direction coordinates (FIGS. 16(E) and 17(E)), and a process of generating a contour line of the field partition based on the connected group of direction coordinates (FIGS. 19(A) and 19(B)).

[0043] The process of generating the contour line of a field section is based on, for example, estimating a straight line using the least squares method from a group of directional coordinates corresponding to the contour line of the field (Fig. 19(A)). In the case of a curved line, the curve is divided at the junction points and the divided sections are interpolated with straight lines (Fig. 19(B)). Then, the intersection points of adjacent lines are calculated and a polygon is generated by connecting the intersection points with straight lines, which is used as the contour line of the field section (field outline map).

[0044] The field outline map calculation means of this embodiment can also calculate a field outline map for a defective field as shown in Figure 18. In such a defective field, as shown in Figure 18(A), after entering the field, it is possible that the protruding portion of the field is harvested in a clockwise direction and then circular mowing is performed in a counterclockwise direction. If the direction coordinate groups of such a harvesting travel path are connected, the resulting outline will be partially intersecting, as shown in Figure 18(B). The field outline map calculation means of this embodiment performs an alignment process to unify the orientation of the direction coordinate groups included in the outer frame area of ​​the closed figure to the mowing travel direction (counterclockwise), as shown in Figure 18(C). This makes it possible to calculate an accurate field outline map even for a defective field.

[0045] The harvested volume calculation means calculates (including by referring to a table) the harvested volume of the crop in the grain tank 10, regardless of the type of crop, based on the detection results of the first to third pile height detection sensors 81 to 83. For example, if the height detected by the second pile height detection sensor 82 is equal to or less than a first threshold, the harvested volume of the crop is calculated based on the height detected by the second pile height detection sensor 82; if the height detected by the second pile height detection sensor 82 exceeds the first threshold and the height detected by the first pile height detection sensor 81 is equal to or less than a second threshold (second threshold > first threshold), the harvested volume of the crop is calculated based on the height detected by the first pile height detection sensor 81; and if the height detected by the first pile height detection sensor 82 exceeds the second threshold, the harvested volume of the crop is calculated based on the height detected by the third pile height detection sensor 83.

[0046] The harvest weight calculation means calculates the harvest weight of the crop in the grain tank 10 based on the harvest volume calculated by the harvest volume calculation means, the detection results of the moisture sensor 70, and the bulk density of the crop set by the crop setting switch 105. Bulk density is data indicating weight per unit volume, and the control unit 100 pre-stores bulk densities for each crop that can be set by the crop setting switch 105. Furthermore, because bulk density changes depending on the moisture content (moisture percentage), the control unit 100 increases or decreases the harvest weight based on the detection results of the moisture sensor 70. When the type of crop is changed by the crop setting switch 105, the control unit 100 not only changes the bulk density used to calculate the harvest weight, but also changes the calibration curve used to calculate the moisture content of the crop from the detection results of the moisture sensor 70 depending on the type of crop.

[0047] Next, the processing procedure of the control unit 100 that realizes the above-described functional configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

[0048] As shown in Figure 20, in the field division estimation control, the control unit 100 first generates a temporary grid map GM in which grids G are arranged in the east-west and north-south directions (S101), then acquires aircraft position information from the GNSS unit 102 (S102), generates a group of direction coordinates indicating the harvesting travel route, and fills in the grids G on the harvesting travel route (S103).

[0049] Next, the control unit 100 determines whether the forced confirmation button has been operated (S104), and if the determination result is yes, skips steps S105 to S107 and jumps to step S108, and if the determination result is no, determines whether the filled area is a closed figure (S105). If the determination result is no, the control unit 100 returns to step S102, and if the determination result is yes, displays the partition confirmation button (S106) and determines whether the partition confirmation button has been operated (S107). If the control unit 100 determines that the OK button B1 of the partition confirmation buttons has been operated, it proceeds to step S108, and if it determines that the cancel button B2 of the partition confirmation buttons has been operated, it returns to step S102.

[0050] When the control unit 100 proceeds to step S108, it sequentially executes a plurality of processes (S108 to S114) related to the calculation of the farm field outline map described above. These processes include a process of completing the broken parts of the grid lines indicating the harvesting travel route to form a closed figure (S108: a process corresponding to (B) of Figure 16 and (B) of Figure 17), a process of extracting the outer frame area of ​​the closed figure (S109: a process corresponding to (C) of Figure 16 and (C) of Figure 17), a process of extracting the outer frame line segments (direction coordinate groups) contained in the outer frame area (S110: a process corresponding to (D) of Figure 16 and (D) of Figure 17), a process of unifying the harvesting travel direction of the outer frame line segments (S111: a process corresponding to (C) of Figure 18), a process of connecting adjacent line segments of the outer frame line segments (S112: a process corresponding to (E) of Figure 16), a process of connecting diverging line segments of the outer frame line segments (S113: a process corresponding to (E) of Figure 17), and a process of generating the contour line of the field plot (S114: a process corresponding to (E) of Figure 19).

[0051] As shown in Fig. 21, in grid generation control, the control unit 100 acquires field division information (field outline map) (S201), then determines the longest side of the field division (S202), and regenerates a grid map GM in which grids G are arranged based on the longest side (S203). This makes it possible to efficiently display the field division to fit the landscape-oriented LCD monitor 101, as shown in Fig. 15.

[0052] 22, in yield calculation, the control unit 100 determines whether to start measurement based on the ON operation of the measurement switch 103 (S301). If the result of this determination is YES, the control unit 100 reads the setting of the crop setting switch 105 (S302) and determines the set crop (S303). If the set crop is soybean, the control unit 100 sets a calibration curve for soybean as the calibration curve for the moisture sensor 70 and reads the coefficient for soybean as the bulk density (S304). If the set crop is rice, the control unit 100 sets a calibration curve for rice as the calibration curve for the moisture sensor 70 and reads the coefficient for rice as the bulk density (S305). If the set crop is wheat, the control unit 100 sets a calibration curve for wheat as the calibration curve for the moisture sensor 70 and reads the coefficient for wheat as the bulk density (S306). Note that in this embodiment, soybean, rice, and wheat are used as examples of crops that can be set using the crop setting switch 105; however, there are no limitations on the type of crop that can be set, and other crops such as corn can also be set.

[0053] Next, the control unit 100 reads the detection values ​​of the first to third pile height detection sensors 81 to 83 and the moisture sensor 70 (S307), and then calculates the harvest yield (volume) in the grain tank 10, the cumulative harvest yield (volume) to date, and the expected harvest yield (volume) of the field (S308). Here, the expected harvest yield (volume) of the field is found by calculating the harvest yield (volume) per unit area based on the cumulative harvest yield (volume) to date and the cumulative harvest area to date (calculated from the grid map GM), and multiplying the harvest yield (volume) per unit area by the total area of ​​the field (calculated from the field outline map).

[0054] Next, the control unit 100 calculates the average grain moisture content, then converts the weight per unit volume based on the average grain moisture content and bulk density, and calculates the harvest volume (weight) in the grain tank 10, the cumulative harvest volume (weight) to date, and the expected harvest volume (weight) for the field based on this converted weight and the harvest volume (volume) (S309). The control unit 100 stores these calculated values ​​(S310), and then returns to the upper routine.

[0055] 23, in predictive control, the control unit 100 acquires the aircraft position information from the GNSS unit 102, harvest information from the first through third pile height detection sensors 81 through 83, calculated field division information, etc. (S401). Then, the control unit 100 calculates the cumulative harvest area from the filled-in area of ​​the harvesting travel path (S402), and calculates the harvest yield, work time, and fuel consumption per unit area (S403). The control unit 100 then calculates the estimated harvest yield, estimated fuel consumption, estimated total work time, estimated end time, harvest progress, estimated number of discharges, etc. for the entire field based on the total area of ​​the field, the harvest yield per unit area, work time, and fuel consumption (S404). These calculation results can be displayed on the LCD monitor 101 or transmitted to an external device.

[0056] According to this embodiment configured as described above, the system includes a GNSS unit 102 that acquires vehicle position information, a driving state discrimination means that distinguishes between harvesting and non-harvesting driving, a harvesting driving path identification means that identifies the vehicle's harvesting driving path based on the vehicle position information and the discrimination result of the driving state discrimination means, a grid map generation means that generates a grid map GM that shows the field with grids G, and a grid filling means that fills in the grids G on the harvesting driving path, making it easy to grasp the progress of harvesting work from the filled grids G. The system also includes a field outer shape information acquisition means that acquires field outer shape information, and a long side determination means that determines the long side of the field outer shape, and the grid map generation means generates a grid map GM in which the arrangement direction of the grids G is parallel to or perpendicular to the direction of the long side, thereby improving not only the visibility of the grid map GM but also the calculation accuracy of progress information calculated based on the grid map GM.

[0057] In addition, the field outline information acquisition means calculates a field outline map based on the harvesting travel route, and the long side determination means determines the long side of the field outline based on the field outline map, so that an appropriate grid map GM can be generated based on the actual harvesting travel route.

[0058] In addition, the grid map generation means generates a grid map GM in which the arrangement direction of the grid G ​​is the initial arrangement direction before calculating the field outline map, and after calculating the field outline map, regenerates a grid map GM in which the arrangement direction of the grid G ​​is parallel to or perpendicular to the direction of the long side, so that the progress of work can be confirmed on the grid display even in the early stages of work.

[0059] Furthermore, the LCD monitor 101 that displays the grid map GM is a horizontally long monitor that is longer horizontally than vertically, and the grids G are displayed aligned vertically and horizontally. After the grid map GM is regenerated, the alignment direction of the grids G to be displayed is not changed, and the field outline map is displayed with the long sides aligned horizontally, so that the field outline map can be displayed efficiently to fit the horizontal monitor.

[0060] In addition, the combine harvester 1 further includes a grid size changing means for changing the size of the grid G, so that when the field is large, the grid G ​​can be made coarse to reduce the processing load. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1. Combine 3 aircraft 5 Reaping section 7. Threshing Department 10 Grain Tank 70 Moisture Sensor 81 First pile height detection sensor 82 Second pile height detection sensor 83 Third pile height detection sensor 90 Leveling device 100 control section 101 LCD monitor (Display) 102 GNSS unit 105 Crop setting switch 110 Grid adjustment button 114 External communication device 115 Cloud G Grid GM Grid Map

Claims

[Claim 1] a position information acquisition means for acquiring aircraft position information; a travel state discrimination means for discriminating between harvesting travel and non-harvesting travel; a harvesting travel path specifying means for specifying a harvesting travel path of the machine based on the machine position information and the determination result of the travel state determining means; a grid map generating means for generating a grid map showing the field in a grid; a grid filling means for filling in grids on the harvesting travel route; a field contour information acquisition means for acquiring contour information of the field; a long side determination means for determining the long side of the outline of the field; a display unit that displays the grid map, the farm field outer shape information acquisition means calculates a farm field outer shape map based on the harvesting travel route; the long side determination means determines the long side of the outline of the field based on the field outline map; The grid map generating means generates a grid map in which grids are arranged in the east-west and north-south directions based on the orientation before calculating the field outline map, and after calculating the field outline map, regenerates a grid map in which the grids are arranged parallel to or perpendicular to the direction of the long side.

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