Work vehicles

Abstract

When working in muddy conditions, work vehicles experience increased stress on the vehicle body, requiring them to operate at a reduced speed. Some combine harvesters also adjust turning information based on field conditions and headland terrain. However, this relies on the operator's judgment regarding field conditions, resulting in a significant operational burden. Therefore, this invention aims to provide a work vehicle that automatically reduces speed based on surface conditions, thereby reducing operator effort and workload. [Solution] In a work vehicle equipped with running surface condition sensors 1A and 1B for measuring the running surface condition and a position information acquisition device 20 for acquiring vehicle body position information, the controller 25 determines the running surface condition based on the measurements of the running surface condition sensors 1A and 1B, stores the running surface condition and the first position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 in the running surface condition position information table of the storage unit, and reduces the vehicle speed based on the running surface condition corresponding to the first position information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle such as a combine harvester.

Background Art

[0002] When a work vehicle operates on muddy ground while traveling, a load is applied to the vehicle body, so the vehicle speed was operated at a low speed. Also, there is a combine harvester that sets turning information in consideration of the field surface condition (degree of mud, etc.) and the terrain of the headland (slope, etc.) (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the field surface condition is determined by the operator's judgment, and the operation burden on the operator is large.

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above viewpoints, the present invention provides a work vehicle that can determine the traveling surface condition and automatically decelerate the traveling speed, reducing the operator's operation time and reducing the work burden.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In the work vehicle according to claim 1, which includes traveling surface condition sensors 1A and 1B for measuring the traveling surface condition and a position information acquisition device 20 for acquiring the position information of the vehicle body, a controller 25 determines the traveling surface condition based on the measurements of the traveling surface condition sensors 1A and 1B, stores the traveling surface condition and the first position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 in the traveling surface condition position information table A in the storage unit, and reduces the vehicle speed based on the traveling surface condition corresponding to the first position information Furthermore, the condition of the driving surface is the degree of muddiness of the driving surface. It is a work vehicle.

[0007] According to the invention described in claim 1, the controller 25 measures the running surface condition based on the measurements of the running surface condition sensors 1A and 1B. Is that the degree of muddiness on the driving surface? The system determines the running surface condition and stores the first position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 in the running surface condition position information table A of the storage unit. Based on the running surface condition corresponding to the first position information, the vehicle speed is reduced, thereby reducing the operator's operational effort and workload.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller 25 stores the running surface state and second position information obtained by moving a predetermined distance in the left-right direction of the machine from the first position information in the running surface state prediction position information table B of the storage unit, and when the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 approaches the second position information stored in the running surface state prediction position information table B, the vehicle speed is reduced based on the running surface state corresponding to the first position information.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is a work vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the running surface condition sensor is a front-rear tilt sensor 1B that measures the inclination angle in the front-rear direction of the machine body.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is a work vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the running surface condition sensor is a left-right tilt sensor 1A that measures the left-right tilt angle of the machine body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a combine harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of a combine harvester. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart for determining if a vehicle is moving forward through muddy conditions. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart for determining if a vehicle is moving in reverse and is in muddy conditions. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram for determining muddy areas. [Figure 6] This table shows vehicle speed control in relation to mud levels. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart for controlling the vehicle speed on muddy ground.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, a combine, which is an embodiment of the work vehicle of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] For ease of understanding, for the operator's view, the front side is referred to as the front, the rear side as the rear, the right hand side as the right side, and the left hand side as the left side for convenience of explanation, but the present invention is not limited thereby.

[0015] <Overall Configuration> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combine is provided with a traveling device 2 composed of a pair of left and right crawlers that travel on the soil surface below the body frame 1, a cutting device 3 for cutting the cereal straw in the field is provided on the front side of the body frame 1, a threshing device 4 for threshing and sorting the cut cereal straw is provided on the left rear side of the cutting device 3, and an operating unit 5 for an operator to board is provided on the right rear side of the cutting device 3.

[0016] A grain tank 7 is provided on the side of the threshing device 4, and an operating unit 5 is provided in front of the grain tank 7.

[0017] A left and right inclination sensor 1A as a traveling surface state sensor for measuring the inclination angle of the combine in the left and right directions is provided at the central position of the body of the body frame 1, and front and rear inclination sensors 1B, 1B as traveling surface state sensors for measuring the inclination angle of the combine in the front and rear directions are provided on the left and right parts of the front part in the front and rear directions of the body frame 1.

[0018] An engine room 6 for mounting an engine is provided below the operating unit 5, a grain tank 7 for storing the threshed and sorted grain is provided on the rear side of the operating unit 5, and a discharge auger 8 composed of a grain elevating part extending in the vertical direction for discharging the grain to the outside and a horizontal discharge extending in the front and rear directions is provided on the rear side of the grain tank 7.

[0019] At the center of the front panel on the front side of the driver's seat in the control unit 5, a touch panel monitor 11 for displaying the traveling speed of the traveling device 2 and the like is provided. On the right side of the monitor 11, an operation lever 12 for operating the turning of the traveling device 2 and the raising and lowering of the mowing device 3 is provided.

[0020] Between the monitor 11 and the operation lever 12, a straight-ahead assist switch 13 for automatically traveling the combine along the reference line is provided. By pressing the straight-ahead assist switch 13, the straight-ahead assist becomes effective, and when the operator operates the operation lever 12 largely in the left-right direction, the straight-line assist is released. The straight-ahead assist function is a function for automatically traveling straight without the operator operating the steering wheel based on the position information received by the position information acquisition device of the combine. Note that the posture of the operation lever 12 is detected by a potentiometer attached to the base of the operation lever 12.

[0021] At the front of the side panel on the left side of the driver's seat in the control unit 5, a main transmission lever 16 for increasing and decreasing the traveling speed of the traveling device 2 is provided. Note that the operation position of the main transmission lever 16 is detected by a potentiometer attached to the base of the main transmission lever 16.

[0022] The power of the engine is transmitted to the working units such as the left and right traveling devices 2, the mowing device 3, and the threshing device 4 via a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission and a transmission case.

[0023] By operating the trunion shaft of the hydrostatic continuously variable transmission by operating the main transmission lever 16 forward and backward, when the main transmission lever 16 is operated to the neutral position at the center of the forward and backward operation range, the machine body stops. The forward speed increases as the main transmission lever 16 is operated forward from the neutral position, and the backward speed increases as the main transmission lever 16 is operated backward from the neutral position.

[0024] Also, as will be described later, the trunion shaft of the hydrostatic continuously variable transmission operates according to a command from the controller 25 to decelerate or stop the traveling speed of the machine body.

[0025] Near the main gear shift lever 16, a harvesting / threshing lever 18 is provided for operating the harvesting clutch and threshing clutch to engage and disengage them. The operating position of the harvesting / threshing lever 18 is detected by an angle sensor, such as a potentiometer, attached to the base of the harvesting / threshing lever 18.

[0026] The GNSS20, a position information acquisition device located at the top of the aircraft's central position, receives signals from positioning satellite S and calculates the current position information using the satellite positioning system of the controller 25.

[0027] Furthermore, the controller 25 calculates the travel distance of the machine from the input value from the travel distance sensor, which consists of a rotation sensor that detects the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the travel device 2.

[0028] The threshing device 4 receives and transports the stalks harvested by the harvesting device 3 via a stalk supply device, and the threshed stalks (straw) are transferred from the stalk supply device to a straw transport device for rearward transport. At the rear of the threshing device 4, there is a straw transport device that transports the stalks (hereinafter referred to as straw) that have been threshed in the threshing drum to the rear.

[0029] <Controller 25> The controller 25 is comprised of a processing unit consisting of a CPU and the like, a storage unit consisting of ROM, RAM, a hard disk drive, flash memory and the like, and a communication unit for data communication with the outside.

[0030] The processing unit performs various control processes, such as calculating position information and determining whether the road surface is muddy (mud detection), which will be described later.

[0031] The memory unit stores various data, such as the combine harvester's location information and muddy conditions.

[0032] On the input side of the controller 25, a potentiometer for detecting the operation of the operating lever 12, a potentiometer for detecting the forward and backward operating position of the main shift lever 16, a left / right tilt sensor 1A, front / rear tilt sensors 1B, 1B, a GNSS 20 for receiving signals from positioning satellite S, and a mileage sensor are connected via a predetermined input interface circuit.

[0033] On the output side of the controller 25, via a predetermined output interface circuit, are connected the following: a brake that brakes the left and right crawlers of the left and right travel device 2 based on the input value from a potentiometer that detects the amount of operation of the operating lever 12; an electromagnetic switching valve for the hydraulic system that raises and lowers the harvesting device 3; and an electric motor that operates the trunnion shaft of the hydrostatic continuously variable transmission based on the input value from a potentiometer that detects the forward and backward operating position of the main transmission lever 16 and a command from the processing unit.

[0034] <Muddy Vehicle Speed ​​Control> As the combine harvester moves through the field and performs harvesting, the controller 25 measures the tilt of the machine in the left-right direction from the left-right tilt sensor 1A located in the center of the machine, measures the tilt of the machine in the front-rear direction from the front-rear tilt sensors 1B, 1B located on the left and right sides of the front of the machine, and determines the muddy condition of the field based on the difference between the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor and the travel distance X based on the position information of the GNSS 20.

[0035] Specifically, Figure 3 is a flowchart for determining mud conditions when the combine harvester is moving forward. The controller 25 determines that if the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is longer than the travel distance X based on the position information of the GNSS 20 by a predetermined distance (for example, 0.5 m), the left and right travel devices 2 are slipping by a predetermined value or more, and the mud level is 4.

[0036] If the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is not longer than the travel distance X based on the position information of GNSS20 by a predetermined distance, and the left / right tilt sensor 1A detects a rightward tilt of the aircraft, and the forward tilt angle a of the aircraft detected by the front / rear tilt sensor 1B is greater than a specified value A (for example, 5 degrees), then the mud level is determined to be 1.

[0037] If the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is not longer than the travel distance X based on the position information of GNSS20 by a predetermined distance, and the left / right tilt sensor 1A does not detect rightward or leftward tilt of the aircraft, and the forward tilt angle a of the aircraft detected by the front / rear tilt sensor 1B is greater than a specified value A (for example, 5 degrees), then the mud level is determined to be 3.

[0038] Furthermore, if the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is not longer than the travel distance X based on the GNSS20 position information by a predetermined distance, and the left-right tilt sensor 1A detects a leftward tilt of the aircraft, and the forward tilt angle a of the aircraft detected by the front-rear tilt sensor 1B is greater than a specified value A (for example, 5 degrees), then the mud level is determined to be 2.

[0039] Figure 4 is a flowchart for determining mud conditions when the combine harvester is moving in reverse. The controller 25 determines that the left and right travel devices 2 are slipping by a predetermined value or more, and that the mud level is 4, if the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is longer than the travel distance X based on the position information of the GNSS 20 by a predetermined distance (for example, 0.5 m).

[0040] If the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is not longer than the travel distance X based on the position information of GNSS20 by a predetermined distance, and the left / right tilt sensor 1A detects a rightward tilt of the aircraft, and the rearward tilt angle b of the aircraft detected by the front / rear tilt sensor 1B is greater than a predetermined value B (for example, 5 degrees), then the mud level is determined to be 1.

[0041] If the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is not longer than the travel distance X based on the position information of GNSS20 by a predetermined distance, and the left / right tilt sensor 1A does not detect rightward or leftward tilt of the aircraft, and the rearward tilt angle b of the aircraft detected by the front / rear tilt sensor 1B is greater than a specified value B (for example, 5 degrees), then the mud level is determined to be 3.

[0042] Furthermore, if the travel distance Y based on the travel distance sensor is not longer than the travel distance X based on the GNSS20 position information by a predetermined distance, and the left-right tilt sensor 1A detects a leftward tilt of the aircraft, and the rearward tilt angle b of the aircraft detected by the front-rear tilt sensor 1B is greater than a specified value B (for example, 5 degrees), then the mud level is determined to be 2.

[0043] Then, the muddy areas with mud levels 1 to 4, determined by the forward and reverse driving described above, are registered as muddy data in the muddy data table A, which is the driving surface state position information table in the memory unit, along with the muddy position information as the first position information acquired by GNSS20.

[0044] Furthermore, Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram for determining the muddy area prediction region. Using the muddy area location information and muddy levels 1 to 4, the position information obtained by moving a predetermined distance in the left-right direction of the machine (for example, the position information of the next process after moving the machine width) is registered as muddy prediction location information as the second position information of the muddy area prediction region, and is registered as muddy prediction data in the muddy prediction data table B, which is the running surface state prediction position information table of the memory unit.

[0045] For example, in the case of muddy level 2 with a steep slope on the left, the position information of the next process, which is moved a predetermined distance (machine width) to the left of the muddy position information, is defined as the muddy prediction area.

[0046] Furthermore, in the case of muddy conditions level 3 with a significant lateral slope, the position information obtained by moving a predetermined distance (aircraft width) in the lateral direction is used as the muddy prediction area.

[0047] Figure 6 shows the means by which the controller 25 controls the vehicle speed in accordance with mud levels 1 to 4.

[0048] In other words, when the mud level is 1, the right side of the vehicle is muddy, and the vehicle speed is reduced by 70%.

[0049] When the mud level is 2, the left side of the vehicle is muddy, and the vehicle speed is reduced by 50%.

[0050] When the mud level is 3, both the left and right sides of the vehicle are covered in mud, and the vehicle speed is reduced by 70%.

[0051] When the mud level is 4, both sides of the vehicle are muddy and in a slippery area, so the vehicle speed should be reduced by 80%.

[0052] Figure 7 is a flowchart for controlling vehicle speed in muddy areas. During harvesting work in the field, the current position information is acquired by GNSS 20 at predetermined intervals of time or distance traveled. When approaching a muddy area or a predicted muddy area, vehicle speed control is performed to decelerate (reduce) the vehicle speed according to the mud level as described above, and the monitor 11 of the control unit 5 displays "Approaching a muddy area" or "Approaching a predicted muddy area".

[0053] If the aircraft is not approaching a muddy area or a predicted muddy area, the left / right tilt sensor 1A and the front / rear tilt sensor 1B detect the aircraft's front / rear tilt a, b and left / right tilt, and calculate the travel distance X based on the position information from GNSS 20.

[0054] Then, the mud level is determined according to the procedure shown in the mud level determination flowchart. If the mud level is determined to be 1 to 4, the mud data is registered in the mud data table A of the storage unit, and the mud prediction data is registered in the mud prediction data table B of the storage unit.

[0055] Then, the vehicle speed control is performed to reduce the vehicle speed according to the mud level, and the monitor 11 of the control unit 5 displays "Muddy area detected" and / or "Muddy area predicted" as detected.

[0056] Alternatively, a mud-slip measurement switch may be provided on the control unit 5, and the above-mentioned mud-slip vehicle speed control may be executed when the mud-slip measurement switch is ON.

[0057] In short, the controller 25 determines muddy conditions based on measurements from the left / right tilt sensor 1A and the front / rear tilt sensor 1B, stores muddy areas of mud levels 1 to 4 as muddy data in the muddy data table A of the storage unit along with muddy location information acquired by GNSS 20, and reduces the vehicle speed based on the muddy levels 1 to 4 corresponding to the muddy location information, thereby reducing the operator's operational effort and workload.

[0058] The controller 25 then stores the mud prediction data and mud prediction position information, which are obtained by moving a predetermined distance (body width) in the left and right directions of the vehicle from the mud position information, in the mud prediction data table B of the storage unit. When the position information acquired by GNSS 20 approaches the mud prediction position information stored in the mud prediction data table B, the controller 25 reduces the vehicle speed based on the mud level 1 to 4 corresponding to the mud position information.

[0059] Furthermore, when the controller 25 creates a field mud map based on the mud data in mud data table A and the mud prediction data in mud prediction data table B and records it in the memory unit, it can be used in various subsequent operations. For example, mud data table A can be used for field management, such as analyzing crop growth conditions, by comparing it with the mud map and yield map.

[0060] On the other hand, when the grain tank 7 becomes full of rice during harvesting, multiple discharge stop positions are set for the combine harvester to discharge the rice from the grain tank 7 to the collection tank of a rice collection vehicle (truck) waiting on the road adjacent to the field using the discharge auger 8. When the combine harvester goes to a discharge stop position to discharge the rice, if the left / right tilt sensor 1A and the front / rear tilt sensor 1B detect a tilt of the machine greater than a predetermined value at the discharge stop position, or if the detection method determines that it is in a slip area, the combine harvester will not use that position for the next rice discharge operation, but will go to a different discharge stop position to discharge the rice from the machine.

[0061] <Other Embodiments>

[0062] (1) The above example shows the use of a left / right tilt sensor 1A and a front / rear tilt sensor 1B as the aircraft tilt sensor, but a capacitive liquid level sensor that detects liquid level changes due to tilt as capacitance changes, a weight type, or a gyro sensor that performs left / right tilt and front / rear tilt with a single sensor may also be used.

[0063] (2) In the above example, the trunnion shaft of a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission was shown as a vehicle speed control, but the gear ratio of the transmission in the transmission case or the engine speed may also be changed, and vehicle speed control also includes control to reduce the vehicle speed to zero so that the combine harvester stops.

[0064] (3) The above shows an example of a method for detecting mud on a combine harvester, but the following methods may be used for other models.

[0065] 1) Tractor Tractor attitude detection data during various operations such as tilling and puddling (tilt sensor that detects the tilt angle in the front, back, left, and right directions relative to the horizontal plane) 2) Rice transplanter Data on the posture detection of the rice transplanter during rice planting operations and data on changes in the depth of the plow pan (the deeper the plow pan depth beyond a specified level, the greater the muddy level). 3) Weeding machine Equipped with soil sensors, it collects depth data for the soft soil layer (soil sensors that detect soil moisture content; the deeper the soft soil layer, the greater the muddy level) and moisture layer detection sensors (laser sensors that detect the thickness of the water layer on the ground surface according to the reflection of laser light) to collect depth data for the moisture layer (the deeper the moisture layer, the greater the muddy level). 4) Top dressing machine Data on the posture detection of the fertilizer applicator and the tilt data of the fertilizer applicator's nozzle. 5) Pest control machine Pest control machine attitude detection data and boom tilt data 6) Work vehicles Monitoring of the vertical distance to the ground using ultrasonic sensors during operation (if the vertical distance to the ground falls below a predetermined value, it is determined that the wheels have sunk; the lower the vertical distance, the greater the muddy level). [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1A Driving surface condition sensor (left / right tilt sensor) 1B Driving surface condition sensor (front and rear tilt sensor) 20 Location information acquisition device (GNSS) 25 Controllers A. Driving surface condition position information table (mud data table) B. Predicted Driving Surface Conditions and Location Information Table (Muddy Area Prediction Data Table)

Claims

1. A work vehicle equipped with a running surface condition sensor (1A, 1B) for measuring the running surface condition and a position information acquisition device (20) for acquiring the position information of the vehicle body, wherein a controller (25) determines the running surface condition based on the measurement by the running surface condition sensor (1A, 1B), stores the running surface condition and the first position information acquired by the position information acquisition device (20) in a running surface condition position information table (A) of the storage unit, reduces the vehicle speed based on the running surface condition corresponding to the first position information, and the running surface condition is the degree of muddyness of the running surface.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller (25) stores the running surface state and second position information obtained when the machine has moved a predetermined distance in the left and right directions from the first position information in the running surface state prediction position information table (B) of the storage unit, and when the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device (20) approaches the second position information stored in the running surface state prediction position information table (B), the vehicle speed is reduced based on the running surface state corresponding to the first position information.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the running surface condition sensor is a front-rear tilt sensor (1B) that measures the tilt angle in the front-rear direction of the machine.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the running surface condition sensor is a left-right tilt sensor (1A) that measures the tilt angle in the left-right direction of the machine body.