Work vehicles

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle which enables various kinds of antenna devices which are effective for automatic travelling etc. of the work vehicle to be mounted thereon efficiently.SOLUTION: A work vehicle includes: a cabin; a support frame 100 which is disposed along a lateral width direction at an upper part position of an exterior part of the cabin; and a pair of left and right mirror attachment parts 150 supporting a pair of left and right (back) mirrors 110. The cain has a pair of left and right front columns 201. The pair of left and right front columns 201 directly or indirectly supports the support frame 100 and the pair of left and right mirror attachment parts 150.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle suitable for automatically traveling along a target travel route while acquiring the position information of the work vehicle using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

Background Art

[0002] As a work vehicle adopting the above-described automatic driving system, for example, in the tractor shown in Patent Document 1, a GPS antenna (GNSS antenna) for acquiring satellite positioning information from a positioning satellite is provided on the upper surface portion of the cab roof. Specifically, on the upper surface portion of the cab roof, at a portion where a longitudinal direction line at a substantially central position of the tread width of the vehicle body intersects a lateral direction line at a substantially central position of the wheelbase, a mounting stay having a mounting seat in a substantially horizontal plane shape at a position higher than the upper surface of the cab roof is formed, and the GPS antenna is mounted on the mounting seat of this mounting stay. Further, when a GPS antenna having a gyro sensor is used as the GPS antenna, the inclination angle of the cab roof can also be detected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described prior art, there is disclosed a technique for improving the detection accuracy of the GPS antenna or the detection accuracy of the GPS antenna and the gyro sensor by devising the mounting position of the GPS antenna on the upper surface portion of the cab roof. However, the aforementioned automated driving system is equipped with various external devices separate from the work vehicle, such as wireless communication terminals for issuing various instructions to the work vehicle and base stations for acquiring location information of the work vehicle. Therefore, in order to actually implement automated driving of work vehicles, it is necessary to efficiently mount not only GPS antennas but also various antenna devices for communication between the work vehicle and external devices on the work vehicle, and in this respect, there is room for improvement in the conventional technology described above.

[0005] In light of these circumstances, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle that can efficiently mount various antenna devices effective for autonomous driving and other applications of work vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A work vehicle according to one embodiment is a work vehicle equipped with a cabin, comprising a support frame positioned along the left-right width direction at an upper position outside the cabin, and a pair of left and right mirror mounting parts that support a pair of left and right mirrors. The cabin has a pair of left and right front support columns. The pair of left and right front support columns directly or indirectly support the support frame and the pair of left and right mirror mounting parts. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Overall side view of a tractor equipped with the antenna unit of the present invention [Figure 2] Control block diagram of tractor, base station, and wireless communication terminal [Figure 3] Front view of the antenna unit mounting area on the tractor. [Figure 4] Side view of the antenna unit mounting area on the tractor. [Figure 5] Perspective view of the antenna unit mounting area on the tractor. [Figure 6] Front view of the antenna unit, vertical cross-sectional view. [Figure 7] Longitudinal section of the antenna unit, viewed from the rear. [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view of the antenna unit from the right side. [Figure 9] Perspective view of the antenna unit with the cover separated. [Figure 10] Perspective view of the antenna unit with the cover removed when other units are installed. [Figure 11] Plan view of the antenna unit with the cover removed when other units are installed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The automated driving system shown in Figures 1 and 2 utilizes the work vehicle antenna unit 50 according to the present invention and is configured to generate a target driving path and enable the tractor 1, as a work vehicle, to automatically drive along the generated target driving path. In addition to the automatically driving tractor 1, this automated driving system is equipped with a wireless communication terminal 30 for giving various instructions to the tractor 1 and a reference station 40 for acquiring the position information of the tractor 1.

[0009] First, let's describe tractor 1 based on Figure 1. This tractor 1 has a body section 2 on the rear side to which a ground work implement (not shown) can be attached. The front of the body section 2 is supported by a pair of front wheels 3, and the rear of the body section 2 is supported by a pair of rear wheels 4. A bonnet 5 is located at the front of the body section 2, and an engine 6, which serves as the power source, is housed inside the bonnet 5. Behind the bonnet 5 is a cabin 7 for the driver, and inside the cabin 7 are a steering wheel 8 for the driver to steer, a driver's seat 9, etc.

[0010] Engine 6 can be, for example, a diesel engine, but is not limited to that; it may also be, for example, a gasoline engine. In addition to engine 6, or instead of engine 6, an electric motor may be used as a power source.

[0011] In addition, in this embodiment, the tractor 1 is taken as an example of the work vehicle. However, as the work vehicle, in addition to the tractor, riding-type work vehicles such as rice transplanters, combines, civil engineering and construction work devices, snow removal vehicles, etc. are included.

[0012] On the rear side of the body portion 2, a three-point link mechanism including a pair of left and right lower links 10 and an upper link 11 is provided, and a ground working machine can be attached to the three-point link mechanism. On the rear side of the body portion 2, although not shown in the figure, a lifting device having a hydraulic device such as a lifting cylinder is provided, and this lifting device lifts the ground working machine by lifting the three-point link mechanism. Examples of the ground working machine include a tilling device, a plow, a fertilizer applicator, etc.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the tractor 1 is provided with an engine device 21 capable of adjusting the rotational speed of the engine 6, a transmission device 22 that changes the rotational driving force from the engine 6 and transmits it to the drive wheels, a control unit 23 capable of controlling the engine device 21 and the transmission device 22, etc. The transmission device 22 is configured by combining, for example, a main transmission device composed of a hydraulic continuously variable transmission device and a sub-transmission device composed of a gear-type multi-stage transmission device.

[0014] This tractor 1 is configured to be able to not only run when the driver boards in the cab 7, but also run automatically based on instructions from the wireless communication terminal 30 etc. even when the driver does not board in the cab 7.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the tractor 1 is configured to be capable of autonomous driving while acquiring its own current position information (position information of the machine body part 2). The tractor 1 includes a steering device 24, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 25 for obtaining information on changes in the attitude of the machine body, a GNSS antenna 26 that receives radio signals transmitted from positioning satellites (navigation satellites) 45 constituting a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a wireless communication unit 27 that transmits and receives various signals via a wireless communication network constructed between the wireless communication unit 27 and a wireless communication terminal 30, etc., and a base station antenna 29 that receives a wireless signal (for example, a wireless signal with a frequency band of 920 MHz) from a reference station wireless communication device 41 of a reference station 40.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the inertial measurement unit 25, the GNSS antenna 26, the wireless communication unit 27, and the base station antenna 29 are housed in an antenna unit 50 provided with a unit cover 51. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, this antenna unit 50 is attached to a support frame 100 along the left - right width direction fixed to a cabin frame 200 of the cabin 7 at an upper position on the front side outside the cabin 7. The specific internal arrangement structure and attachment structure of the antenna unit 50 will be described in detail after the description of the autonomous driving system.

[0017] For example, the steering device 24 is provided in the middle of the rotation axis of the steering wheel 8 and is configured to be able to adjust the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel 8. By the control unit 23 controlling the steering device 24, not only straight - ahead driving but also turning driving at a desired turning radius can be performed by adjusting the rotation angle of the steering wheel 8 to a desired rotation angle.

[0018] The inertial measurement unit 25 obtains three - dimensional angular velocity and acceleration by a three - axis gyro and a three - direction accelerometer. The detection values of the inertial measurement unit 25 are input to the control unit 23, and the control unit 23 calculates using attitude and azimuth calculation means to obtain the attitude information of the tractor 1 (the azimuth angle (yaw angle) of the machine body, the left - right tilt angle (roll angle) of the machine body, and the front - rear tilt angle (pitch angle) in the traveling direction of the machine body).

[0019] In a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), in addition to GPS (United States), other satellite positioning systems such as Quasi-Zenith Satellites (Japan) and GLONASS satellites (Russia) can be used as positioning satellites.

[0020] In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 27 is composed of a Wi-Fi unit with a frequency band of 2.4 GHz, but the wireless communication unit 27 can be other than Wi-Fi, such as Bluetooth®. The signal received by the wireless communication antenna 28 of this wireless communication unit 27 can be input to the control unit 23, as shown in Figure 2, and the signal from the control unit 23 can be transmitted to the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30 via the wireless communication antenna 28.

[0021] Here, as a positioning method using a satellite positioning system, a reference station 40 is provided at a predetermined reference point, and a positioning method is applied that uses correction information from the reference station 40 and satellite positioning information from the tractor 1 (mobile station) to determine the current position of the tractor 1. For example, various positioning methods such as DGPS (Differential GPS positioning) and RTK positioning (Real-time Kinematic positioning) can be applied.

[0022] In this embodiment, for example, RTK positioning is applied, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in addition to the tractor 1, which is the mobile station, being equipped with a GNSS antenna 26, a base station 40 equipped with a base station positioning antenna 42 is also provided. The base station 40 is positioned (reference point) in a location that does not interfere with the movement of the tractor 1, such as around the field. The position information of the reference point where the base station 40 is installed is known in advance. The base station 40 is equipped with a base station wireless communication device 41 that can send and receive various signals with the base station antenna 29 of the tractor 1, and is configured to send and receive various information between the base station 40 and the tractor 1.

[0023] In RTK positioning, the carrier phase (satellite positioning information) from the positioning satellite 45 is measured by both the base station positioning antenna 42 of the base station 40 installed at the reference point and the GNSS antenna 26 of the tractor 1, which is the mobile station for which position information is to be sought. At the base station 40, each time satellite positioning information is measured from the positioning satellite 45, or each time a set period has elapsed, correction information including the measured satellite positioning information and the position information of the reference point is generated and transmitted from the base station radio communication device 41 to the base station antenna 29 of the tractor 1. The control unit 23 of the tractor 1 uses the satellite positioning information measured by the GNSS antenna 26 and the correction information transmitted from the base station 40 to determine the current position information of the tractor 1. As the current position information of the tractor 1, the control unit 23 obtains, for example, latitude and longitude information.

[0024] In the automated driving system, in addition to the tractor 1 and the reference station 40, the control unit 23 of the tractor 1 is equipped with a wireless communication terminal 30 that can instruct the tractor 1 to drive automatically. The wireless communication terminal 30 is composed of, for example, a tablet-type personal computer with a touch panel, and can display various information on the touch panel, and can also input various information by operating the touch panel. The wireless communication terminal 30 is equipped with a wireless communication device 31 and a route generation unit 32 that generates a target driving route, and the route generation unit 32 generates a target driving route for the tractor 1 to drive automatically based on various information input via the touch panel.

[0025] The control unit 23 installed in the tractor 1 is configured to send and receive various information with the wireless communication terminal 30 via a wireless communication network using a wireless communication device 31, etc. The wireless communication terminal 30 is configured to instruct the tractor 1 to drive automatically by transmitting various information for driving the tractor 1 automatically, such as a target driving path, to the control unit 23 of the tractor 1. The control unit 23 of the tractor 1 is configured to obtain the current position information of the tractor 1 from the received signal of the GNSS antenna 26, obtain displacement information and orientation information of the machine body from the inertial measuring device 25, and control the transmission 22, steering device 24, etc., based on this current position information, displacement information, and orientation information, so that the tractor 1 drives automatically along the target driving path generated by the path generation unit 32.

[0026] Next, we will describe the internal layout structure of the antenna unit 50. Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the antenna unit 50 as seen from the front, Figure 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the antenna unit 50 as seen from the rear, Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the antenna unit 50 as seen from the right side, and Figure 9 is a perspective view of the unit cover 51 with the upper cover body 53 separated. The unit cover 51 of the antenna unit 50 is mounted on the tractor 1 in a position where the left-right width direction of the machine body 2 is the longitudinal direction relative to the forward direction. As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the unit cover 51 has a lower resin cover body 52 which is roughly rectangular in plan view and opens upward, and an upper resin cover body 53 which is roughly rectangular in plan view and opens downward. The opening joint of the upper cover body 53 is detachably and watertightly fitted and joined to the opening joint of the lower cover body 52. ​​As shown in Figure 9, the opening joint of the upper cover body 53 and the opening joint of the lower cover body 52 are fixedly connected by screws 54 at one location on each of the left and right side walls and at two locations in the left-right direction on the rear wall.

[0027] As shown in Figures 6 to 9, a metal base plate 55, which is an example of a unit base that can be attached to the tractor 1, is attached to the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52. ​​This base plate 55 is made of sheet metal and is roughly rectangular in plan view, and is attached to the lower cover body 52 in a position where the left-right width direction of the machine body 2 is the longitudinal direction relative to the forward direction. A gap of a set interval is formed between the lower surface of the base plate 55 and the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52. ​​As shown in Figures 5 to 7, this gap is restricted to a set interval by forming mounting recesses 52a at multiple locations (four locations in this embodiment) on the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52, which protrude inward to a position where they can contact the lower surface of the base plate 55, and by placing the lower surface of the base plate 55 on the upper surface of each mounting recess 52a. Each mounting recess 52a of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52 and the base plate 55 are fixedly connected by a first bolt 56 and a first nut 57.

[0028] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, cylindrical first threaded members 90 for attachment to the support frame 100 on the tractor 1 side are fixed to two locations on the lower surface of the base plate 55, at the front and rear of the portion that is offset to the longitudinal outward sides with respect to the central mounting area of ​​the inertial measuring device 25 and GNSS antenna 26, which will be described later. The lower end of each first threaded member 90 protrudes slightly downward through the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52. ​​At the lower ends of the front and rear pair of first threaded members 90 located at one longitudinal end of the base plate 55, and at the lower ends of the front and rear pair of first threaded members 90 located at the other longitudinal end, horizontal connecting plate portions 91a of a pair of left and right connecting members 91, which are bent into an approximately inverted "L" shape when viewed from the front of the machine, are arranged. The horizontal connecting plate portions 91a of both connecting members 91 are fixedly connected by second bolts 92 that pass through the horizontal connecting plate portions 91a and are screwed into each first threaded member 90 from below. In this fixed connection state, a gap is provided between the lower surface of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52 and the upper surface of the horizontal connecting plate portion 91a of the connecting member 91, so that the load from the base plate 55 side does not apply to the lower cover body 52.

[0029] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, cylindrical second threaded members 93 for attaching a camera 78 (see Figures 3 and 9) for photographing the front of the machine are fixed to two locations on the left and right sides of the front end portion of the longitudinal center of the lower surface of the base plate 55 (the front end portion of the base plate 55 that is on the front side of the machine body 2 when attached to the tractor 1). The lower end of each second threaded member 93 protrudes slightly downward through the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52. ​​The mounting bracket (not shown) for the camera 78 (see Figures 3 and 9), which is positioned at the lower end of the second threaded member 93, is fixedly connected to the second threaded member 93 by a bolt (not shown) that is screwed into the second threaded member 93 from below. In this fixed connection state, a gap is provided between the lower surface of the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52 and the upper surface of the mounting bracket for the camera 78, so that the load from the camera 78 does not apply to the lower cover body 52.

[0030] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, an inertial measuring device 25 and a GNSS antenna 26 are mounted in a state where they overlap vertically, both positioned at the center or approximately center of the left-right width direction of the aircraft body 2, in the longitudinal center of the base plate 55. Of these, the GNSS antenna 26 is positioned above the inertial measuring device 25. More specifically, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the housing 25A of the inertial measuring device 25 is fixedly connected to the base plate 55 by a third bolt 58, with its left-right center position located at the longitudinal center position of the base plate 55. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 6, 7, and 9, the housing 26A of the GNSS antenna 26 is attached to the base plate 55 via a metal hat-shaped first bracket 60, with its left-right center position located at the longitudinal center position of the base plate 55. The first bracket 60 is formed in a hat shape that bypasses the housing 25A of the inertial measuring device 25 along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 55. Both legs 60a of this hat-shaped first bracket 60 are fixedly connected to the base plate 55 by fourth bolts 61. The width of the hat-shaped first bracket 60 in the front-rear direction (which is also the front-rear direction of the aircraft) is set to be slightly larger than the front-rear width of the housing 25A of the inertial measuring device 25, and a front side plate 60b that covers the front side of the inertial measuring device 25 is bent and formed at the front edge of the first bracket 60, as shown in Figure 6. With this configuration, the first bracket 60 is configured as a shielding wall that shields it from the wireless communication unit 27, which will be described later. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the first predetermined distance L1 between the GNSS antenna 26 attached to the first bracket 60 and the inner surface 53a of the longitudinal center of the upper cover body 53 of the unit cover 51 is set to 30 mm or more.

[0031] As described above, the arrangement of the inertial measuring device 25 and the GNSS antenna 26 means that when mounted on the tractor 1, as shown in Figures 3, 6, and 7, both the inertial measuring device 25 and the GNSS antenna 26 are positioned vertically at the center or approximate center of the left-right width direction of the machine body 2. This improves the detection accuracy of the current position information of the tractor 1 obtained from the received signal of the GNSS antenna 26, and the detection accuracy of the displacement information and orientation information of the machine body obtained from the inertial measuring device 25. Moreover, the width of the unit cover 51 in the front-rear direction is reduced, making the antenna unit 50 more compact. Furthermore, with the above-described arrangement, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, only the resin upper cover 53 is located above the GNSS antenna 26, and there are no radio wave shielding objects. Therefore, unlike when the inertial measuring device 25 is placed above the GNSS antenna 26, the inertial measuring device 25 does not become an obstacle to reception by the GNSS antenna 26, and carrier wave phases (satellite positioning information) from a predetermined number of positioning satellites 45 can be reliably received. Furthermore, as described above, since the first predetermined distance L1 between the GNSS antenna 26 and the inner surface 53a of the upper cover body 53 of the unit cover 51 is set to 30 mm or more, radio wave interference caused by the proximity of the GNSS antenna 26 and the inner surface 53a of the unit cover 51 can be suppressed, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the current position information of the tractor 1 obtained from the received signal of the GNSS antenna 26.

[0032] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, a housing 27A of a wireless communication unit 27 equipped with two wireless communication antennas 28 in the left-right direction is fixedly connected to one longitudinal end of the base plate 55 (the right end in the left-right direction of the machine body 2 relative to the forward direction) by a fifth bolt 62. The two wireless communication antennas 28 of this wireless communication unit 27 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 55 on the front side of the base plate 55. This arrangement ensures that the two wireless communication antennas 28 are at a sufficient distance in front of the cabin frame 200 (see Figure 4), which is a metal part of the tractor 1.

[0033] Furthermore, the two wireless communication antennas 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 enable high-speed communication between the wireless communication terminal 30 and the wireless communication device 31. Moreover, since the two wireless communication antennas 28 are located on the front side of the base plate 55 and are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 55, both wireless communication antennas 28 are less susceptible to radio wave shielding by the cabin frame 200, which is a metal part of the tractor 1, and the communication state of the wireless communication unit 27 can be maintained in good condition. Furthermore, since much of the outer circumference of the inertial measuring device 25 is shielded by a metal housing 25A, excluding connectors and the like, and the metal hat-shaped first bracket 60 located between the wireless communication unit 27 and the inertial measuring device 25 functions as a shielding wall, radio wave interference between the wireless communication unit 27 and the inertial measuring device 25 can be suppressed.

[0034] As shown in Figures 6, 7, and 9, a base station antenna 29 for receiving information from the reference station 40 is positioned at the other longitudinal end of the base plate 55 (the left end in the left-right direction of the aircraft body 2 relative to the forward direction). As a result, the base plate 55 is arranged in the left-right direction of the aircraft body 2, from right to left relative to the forward direction, in the order of wireless communication unit 27, GNSS antenna 26 (inertial measuring device 25), and base station antenna 29. As shown in Figures 6, 7, and 9, the base station antenna 29 consists of a base 29A equipped with a magnet 65 and a round bar-shaped antenna bar 29B extending upward from the base 29A.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6, 7, and 9, a riser portion 95 is provided between the base station antenna 29 and the antenna mounting portion of the base plate 55 to position the base station antenna 29 higher than the antenna mounting portion. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, this riser portion 95 is composed of a riser bracket 96 made by bending a metal plate twice at a right angle. The riser bracket 96 is provided with a horizontal mounting base plate portion 96a fixedly connected to the other longitudinal end of the base plate 55 by a sixth bolt 97 and a sixth nut 98, a riser plate portion 96b extending vertically upward from one end of the mounting base plate portion 96a, and an antenna mounting plate portion 96c extending horizontally from the upper end of the riser plate portion 96b.

[0036] The above-described arrangement of the base station antenna 29 increases the distance between the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 located at the other end in the longitudinal direction and the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 located at one end in the longitudinal direction, thereby suppressing radio wave interference between the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 and the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27. Moreover, the base station antenna 29 can be easily attached to the metal raising bracket 96 by the magnetic force of the magnet 65 provided on the base 29A. Furthermore, the upper end of the base station antenna 29 can be positioned higher by the amount raised by the raising bracket 96, and compared to the case in which a long base station antenna 29 is used, it is possible to improve the reception performance of the reference station 40 to the reference station radio communication device 41 while suppressing breakage of the base station antenna 29 due to shaking caused by the driving vibrations of the tractor 1, etc.

[0037] Next, we will describe the unit cover 51 of the antenna unit 50. As shown in Figures 6 to 9, a bulge 53A is formed on the front half of the upper cover body 53 of the unit cover 51, on one longitudinal end (the right end in the left-right direction of the machine body 2 relative to the forward direction), which protrudes above the upper surface position of the longitudinal center of the upper cover body 53 and above the upper end positions of both wireless communication antennas 28 of the wireless communication unit 27. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, the second predetermined distance L2 between the inner surface 53b of the bulge 53A and the upper end of the wireless communication antenna 28 is set to 30 mm or more. The second predetermined distance L2 formed between the upper end of the wireless communication antenna 28 and the inner surface 53b of the bulging portion 53A of the upper cover body 53 suppresses radio wave interference caused by the proximity of the wireless communication antenna 28 and the inner surface 53b of the bulging portion 53A of the unit cover 51, thereby improving the communication accuracy between the wireless communication unit 27 and the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, a through-hole 70 is formed at the other end of the upper cover body 53 in the longitudinal direction, through which the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 passes and protrudes upward to the outside. As shown in Figures 6, 7, and 9, a vibration-damping elastic body 71, such as a cylindrical rubber, is attached to the periphery of the opening of this through-hole 70, and contacts the outer surface of the portion through which the antenna bar 29B of the base station antenna 29 passes. As the vibration-damping elastic body 71, a grommet is used that contacts the entire circumference of the antenna bar 29B and also provides watertightness.

[0039] Furthermore, if the vibration-damping elastic body 71 is not present, an annular gap will be generated between the opening periphery of the through-hole 70 in the upper cover body 53 and the outer surface of the through-hole portion of the antenna bar 29B. When vibrations from the tractor 1's movement act on the base station antenna 29, the antenna bar 29B will sway within the range of the annular gap, potentially causing it to break at its base. However, in this embodiment, as described above, the vibration-damping elastic body 71 provided on the opening periphery of the through-hole 70 in the upper cover body 53 supports the upper and lower middle portions of the antenna bar 29B, and the support structure of the base station antenna 29 becomes a two-point support structure overall, thereby suppressing breakage of the antenna bar 29B caused by vibrations from movement, etc.

[0040] In this embodiment, the vibration-damping elastic body 71 is attached to the periphery of the opening of the through hole 70 in the upper cover body 53, but this vibration-damping elastic body 71 may also be attached to the upper surface or inner surface 53a of the upper cover body 53.

[0041] As shown in Figures 6, 10, and 11, a mounting space 73 for other units 72 is formed at the other end of the base plate 55 in the longitudinal direction, and between the inertial measuring device 25 and the GNSS antenna 26 and the base station antenna 29. Here, Figures 6, 7, and 9 show the state in which no other units 72 are mounted in the mounting space 73, and the mounting space 73 is an empty space, while Figures 10 and 11 show the state in which other units 72 are mounted in the mounting space 73.

[0042] Other units 72 include, for example, a controller for an aftermarket LCD monitor that controls part of the automatic driving control. In the automatic driving specification tractor 1 of this embodiment, an LCD monitor is provided in the cabin 7, and this LCD monitor is equipped with a controller that controls part of the automatic driving control. However, when other work vehicles such as a standard rice transplanter are converted to automatic driving specifications, a controller that controls the automatic driving control is required for the aftermarket LCD monitor. In this case, the controller can be easily mounted using the mounting space 73 provided on the base plate 55.

[0043] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, a camera 78 (see Figures 3 and 9) for photographing the area in front of the machine is positioned at the lower ends of both second threaded members 93 that protrude from the bottom plate portion 52A of the lower cover body 52. ​​The mounting bracket (not shown) for this camera 78 is fixedly connected to the second threaded member 93 by a bolt (not shown) that is screwed in from below. The image captured by the camera 78 is configured to be displayed on the touch panel of the wireless communication terminal 30 via wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 27 of the tractor 1 and the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30.

[0044] In Figures 6 to 11, the wires connected to the inertial measuring device 25, GNSS antenna 26, wireless communication unit 27, and base station antenna 29, which are assembled on the base plate 55, are omitted. Figures 3 and 4 show a portion of a single harness 80 formed by bundling these wires together inside the unit cover 51. As shown in Figure 4, this harness 80 is led out to the outside through a harness outlet hole 81 (see Figure 9) formed on the longitudinal center side of the rear wall of the lower cover body 52. ​​A grommet (not shown) is fitted into this harness outlet hole 81.

[0045] Next, the mounting structure of the antenna unit 50 will be described. As shown in Figures 1, 3 to 5, both ends of the support frame 100 of the antenna unit 50 are fixedly connected to the mirror mounting portions 150 provided on the left and right front support columns 201 that constitute the cabin frame 200. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, each of the left and right mirror mounting sections 150 has a mounting base material 151, which is roughly U-shaped in plan view, fixed to the upper part of the front support column 201 by welding or the like, and a mirror mounting member 152, which has a hinge portion that rotatably supports the support arm 111 of the rearview mirror 110, is fixedly connected to this mounting base material 151 by bolts (not shown). Between each of the left and right mounting base materials 151 and the left and right mirror mounting members 152, a second bracket 112 extending directly upward in a side view of the aircraft body is bolted and fixed. Each second bracket 112 includes a vertical support plate portion 112a extending upward from between the mounting base material 151 and the mirror mounting member 152, a mounting plate portion 112b bent along the horizontal plane from the upper end of the vertical support plate portion 112a, and a reinforcing plate portion 112c fixed to the bent corner formed by these two portions.

[0046] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the support frame 100 includes a pipe-shaped support member 101 with a circular cross-section, which is bent into a roughly flattened gate shape with both ends in the left-right width direction bent downward when viewed from the front of the aircraft. Mounting plates 102, which are roughly "L" shaped when viewed from the front of the aircraft and have mounting lower surfaces that are aligned with the horizontal plane, are fixed to both ends of the pipe-shaped support member 101. Reinforcing plates 103 are fixed across both ends of the pipe-shaped support member 101 and both mounting plates 102. The mounting plates 102 of the support frame 100 are placed on the upper surfaces of the mounting plate portions 112b of the left and right second brackets 112, which are fastened together between the mounting base material 151 and the mirror mounting member 152. The mounting plates 102 of the mounted support frame 100 and the mounting plate portions 112b of the two second brackets 112 are fixedly connected by seventh bolts 104 and seventh nuts 105, respectively.

[0047] As described above, the left and right mirror mounting sections 150 are attached to the top of the front support columns 201 of the robust cabin frame 200 and are positioned at a height close to the roof 190 of the cabin 7. Therefore, by utilizing the sturdy and high-ground-level mirror mounting sections 150 and adding a simple support structure consisting only of extending the second bracket 112 directly upward from the mirror mounting sections 150, the support frame 100 of the antenna unit 50 can be firmly attached at an appropriate height. Furthermore, since the mounting upper surface of the mounting plate portion 112b of the left and right second brackets 112, which are fastened together between the mounting base material 151 and the mirror mounting member 152, and the mounting lower surface of both mounting plates 102 of the support frame 100 are both formed as horizontal surfaces, it becomes easy to position the middle portion of the pipe-shaped support member 101 horizontally along the left-right direction, and mounting errors of the antenna unit 50 attached to the horizontal middle portion of the pipe-shaped support member 101 can be suppressed.

[0048] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, when the support frame 100 is installed across the left and right second brackets 112, the horizontal intermediate portion of the pipe-shaped support member 101 of the support frame 100 is positioned horizontally along the left-right width direction of the aircraft, near the upper part of the front end of the roof 190 of the cabin frame 200. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, a pair of left and right third brackets 120, which are roughly "L" shaped in a side view of the aircraft, are fixed to the horizontal middle portion of the pipe-shaped support member 101 to support the left and right connecting members 91 of the antenna unit 50. The vertical connecting plate portions 91b of the two connecting members 91 on the antenna unit 50 side and the two third brackets 120 on the support frame 100 side, which face each other in close proximity in the left-right width direction of the aircraft body 2, are fixedly connected by two horizontal eighth bolts 121 and eighth nuts 122 that run along the left-right width direction of the aircraft body 2. When the vertical connecting plate portions 91b of the connecting members 91 on the antenna unit 50 side are fixedly connected to both third brackets 120 on the support frame 100 side with two sets of two eighth bolts 121 and eighth nuts 122, the antenna unit 50 is in a working position (working posture) in which the base station antenna 29 mounted thereon is facing vertically.

[0049] Two circular first bolt insertion holes (not shown) are formed at the front and rear of the vertical connecting plate portion 91b of both connecting members 91. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, both third brackets 120 on the support frame 100 side have horizontal second bolt insertion slots 123 that run along the front-rear direction and have a length corresponding to the pitch of the first bolt insertion holes. One circular second bolt insertion hole 124 is formed in both third brackets 120 on the support frame 100 side, directly below the front end position of the second bolt insertion slot 123 and at a vertical distance corresponding to the pitch of the two first bolt insertion holes. Then, with the antenna unit 50 in the working position, the front eighth bolt 121 is removed and the rear eighth bolt 121 is loosened. In this state, the rear eighth bolt 121 is moved forward along the second bolt insertion slots 123 of both third brackets 120 to the front end position together with the antenna unit 50, and the antenna unit 50 is rotated downward around the axis of the eighth bolt 121. In this forward-lowered position, the antenna unit 50 hangs down with the eighth bolt 121 as its pivot axis, and the first bolt insertion holes (not shown) at the front end of both connecting members 91 on the antenna unit 50 side align with the second bolt insertion holes 124 of both third brackets 120 on the support frame 100 side. The removed eighth bolt 121 is inserted through the matching first bolt insertion hole and second bolt insertion hole 124, and each eighth bolt 121 is screwed in the tightening direction to fix the two connecting members 91 on the antenna unit 50 side and the two third brackets 120 on the support frame 100 side. In this fixed connection state, the antenna unit 50 is in a forward-low non-working position (non-working posture) with the base station antenna 29 mounted thereon facing horizontally forward.

[0050] With the above configuration, the antenna unit 50 is mounted on the support frame 100 so as to be displaceable from the working position to a non-working position on the front lower side. Furthermore, the second bolt insertion slots 123 of both third brackets 120, the first bolt insertion holes at the rear ends of both connecting members 91 on the antenna unit 50 side, and the eighth bolt 121 form a guide portion 125 that guides the antenna unit 50 to move in the front-rear direction between the working position and the non-working position on the front lower side. In this embodiment, the non-working position of the antenna unit 50 is a position where it has moved as far forward as possible within the bolt's movable range of the second bolt insertion slot 123 from the working position, and has been rotated 90 degrees downward around the eighth bolt 121 which is in contact with the front end of the second bolt insertion slot 123. In this non-working position, as described above, the base station antenna 29 is in a position where it protrudes forward in the horizontal direction.

[0051] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, when the antenna unit 50 is in the working position, the base station antenna 29 and a portion of the unit cover 51 of the antenna unit 50 protrude above the highest point of the roof 190 of the cabin 7. However, when the base station antenna 29 protruding above the roof 190 of the cabin 7 becomes an obstruction during transport of the tractor 1, the antenna unit 50 can be changed from the working position to a non-working position at a lower, forward position. In this non-working position, the base station antenna 29 protrudes horizontally forward, and the antenna unit 50, including the unit cover 51, can be positioned at approximately the same height as or lower than the highest point of the upper surface of the roof 190 of the cabin 7.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the position change operation of the antenna unit 50 between the working position and the non-working position is performed manually, but this position change operation of the antenna unit 50 may also be performed by a drive unit such as an actuator.

[0053] [Other Embodiments] (1) In the above embodiment, the wireless communication antenna 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 is housed inside the unit cover 51 of the antenna unit 50, but if necessary, the wireless communication antenna 28 may be made to protrude upward to the outside through a through hole formed in the upper cover body 53.

[0054] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the first predetermined distance L1 between the GNSS antenna 26 and the inner surface 53a of the upper cover body 53 of the unit cover 51 was set to 30 mm or more. However, this first predetermined distance L1 can be arbitrarily set according to the reception status of carrier phase (satellite positioning information) from a predetermined number of positioning satellites 45.

[0055] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the second predetermined distance L2 between the inner surface 53b of the bulge 53A of the unit cover 51 and the upper end of the wireless communication antenna 28 was set to 30 mm or more. However, this second predetermined distance L2 can be arbitrarily set depending on the communication status between the wireless communication unit 27 and the wireless communication device 31 of the wireless communication terminal 30.

[0056] (4) In the above embodiment, a pair of left and right connecting members 91 were attached to the lower surface of the unit cover 51, but the mounting structure is not limited to this, and any mounting structure can be adopted depending on the mounting conditions of the work vehicle.

[0057] (5) In the above-described embodiment, two wireless communication antennas 28 of the wireless communication unit 27 are arranged in parallel, but the wireless communication antenna 28 may be implemented with one, or three or more wireless communication antennas 28 may be arranged in parallel.

[0058] (6) In the above-described embodiment, the raising section 95 was made from a raising bracket 96 made by bending a metal plate twice at a right angle, but the configuration is not limited to this. The structure of the raising section 95 is sufficient as long as it allows the base station antenna 29 to be placed at a higher position than the antenna mounting area.

[0059] <Notes on the invention> A tractor according to the first embodiment is a tractor equipped with a cabin, comprising a support frame positioned along the left-right width direction at an upper position outside the cabin, and a GNSS antenna supported by the support frame at a central position in the left-right width direction of the tractor's body. The tractor according to the second embodiment further comprises a camera located below the GNSS antenna in the first embodiment. In the third embodiment of the tractor, the camera is supported directly or indirectly by the support frame, as in the second embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the tractor, as in the second or third embodiment, has a gap between the lower surface of the antenna unit including the GNSS antenna and the upper surface of the camera mounting bracket. Furthermore, a first characteristic configuration of the present invention is that a GNSS antenna and an inertial measuring device are arranged in the longitudinal center of a unit base that can be attached to a work vehicle, a wireless communication unit is arranged at one longitudinal end of the unit base, the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit is arranged in the front part of the unit base which is on the front side of the machine when attached to the work vehicle, and the GNSS antenna is arranged on top of the inertial measuring device.

[0060] Since the GNSS antenna and inertial measurement device are positioned at the longitudinal center of the unit base that can be attached to the work vehicle, for example, when the unit base is mounted to the work vehicle in a balanced manner from left to right, the longitudinal center of the unit base will be positioned at the left-right center of the work vehicle. This allows the GNSS antenna and inertial measurement device to be positioned at the left-right center of the work vehicle, thereby improving both the detection accuracy of the current position information of the work vehicle obtained from the GNSS antenna's received signal and the detection accuracy of the vehicle's attitude change information obtained from the inertial measurement device. Furthermore, a wireless communication unit positioned at one end of the unit base in the longitudinal direction enables wireless communication of various signals with external devices, such as wireless communication terminals. Furthermore, since the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit is positioned at one end of the unit base in the longitudinal direction, away from the inertial measuring device, sufficient distance can be secured from the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit to the center of the inertial measuring device. In addition, since the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit is positioned at the front part of the unit base, which is on the front side of the machine when mounted on the work vehicle, sufficient distance can be secured in the front-rear direction from metal parts such as the cabin frame of the work vehicle to the wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit when mounted on the work vehicle. As a result, radio wave interference between the wireless communication unit and the inertial measuring device is suppressed, and the effects of radio wave shielding by metal parts of the work vehicle are reduced, thereby reducing the factors causing communication problems between the wireless communication unit and wireless communication terminals, etc.

[0061] Therefore, by rationally devising the placement and orientation of the GNSS antenna, inertial measuring device, and wireless communication antenna of the wireless communication unit relative to the unit base as described above, it is possible to make the antenna unit itself more compact, improve the detection accuracy of both the inertial measuring device and the GNSS antenna, and efficiently mount the wireless communication unit on the work vehicle while maintaining good communication status.

[0062] A second characteristic feature of the present invention is that the wireless communication antennas are arranged in parallel in multiples in the longitudinal direction of the unit base, on the front side of the unit base.

[0063] With the above configuration, the communication speed with external devices such as wireless communication terminals can be increased by using multiple wireless communication antennas in the wireless communication unit. Moreover, since the multiple wireless communication antennas are located on the front side of the unit base and are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the unit base, all wireless communication antennas are less susceptible to radio wave shielding by metal parts such as the cabin frame of the work vehicle, and the communication status of the wireless communication unit can be maintained in good condition.

[0064] A third characteristic feature of the present invention is that the distance between the GNSS antenna and the inner surface of the unit cover that covers the unit base is set to 30 mm or more.

[0065] According to the above configuration, radio wave interference caused by the close proximity of the GNSS antenna and the inner surface of the unit cover can be suppressed, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the current position information of the work vehicle obtained from the received signal of the GNSS antenna.

[0066] A fourth characteristic feature of the present invention is that a base station antenna for receiving information from a reference station is arranged on the other longitudinal end of the unit base, and a raised section is provided between the base station antenna and the antenna mounting section of the unit base, which positions the base station antenna at a higher position than the antenna mounting section.

[0067] According to the above configuration, the upper end of the base station antenna can be positioned higher by the amount raised by the riser, and compared to using a long base station antenna, it is possible to improve the reception performance to the reference station while suppressing breakage due to shaking of the base station antenna caused by vibrations from the movement of work vehicles, etc.

[0068] A fifth characteristic feature of the present invention is that a mounting space for other units is formed on the other longitudinal end of the unit base.

[0069] With the above configuration, for example, other units such as an add-on controller that controls part of the automatic driving system can be easily attached using the mounting space provided on the other end of the unit base in the longitudinal direction. Moreover, such add-on units can also be efficiently and compactly housed within the antenna unit.

[0070] A tractor according to one embodiment is a tractor equipped with a cabin, comprising a pair of brackets supporting a GNSS antenna at an upper position outside the cabin, and a camera positioned between the pair of brackets in the direction in which the pair of brackets are aligned.

[0071] A work vehicle according to one embodiment is a work vehicle equipped with a cabin, and is equipped with a bracket for supporting an antenna unit for receiving positioning information at an upper position outside the cabin, wherein the bracket supports the antenna unit such that the front end of the antenna unit is located in front of the front end of the cabin's roof. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0072] 1. Work vehicle (tractor) 25 Inertial measuring device 26 GNSS antennas 27 Wireless Communication Unit 28. Antennas for wireless communication 29 Base station antennas 40 Reference station 51 Unit Cover 55 Unit Base (Base Plate) 72 Other Units 73 Installation space 95 Raised section L1 distance (first predetermined distance)

Claims

1. A work vehicle equipped with a cabin, A support frame is positioned at the upper external location of the cabin, along the width direction, It comprises a pair of left and right mirror mounting parts that support a pair of left and right mirrors, The cabin has a pair of front support columns on the left and right, The pair of left and right front support columns directly support the support frame and the pair of left and right mirror mounting sections. The aforementioned pair of left and right mirror mounting portions are further equipped with a pair of left and right brackets that are mounted horizontally to the sides and extend upward, The support frame is installed between the pair of left and right brackets. Work vehicle.

2. The upper parts of the pair of left and right brackets have a horizontal surface, The support frame is supported on the aforementioned horizontal plane. The work vehicle according to claim 1.

3. The support frame further comprises an object to be supported, A work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The front end of the object to be supported is located in front of the front end of the cabin roof. The work vehicle according to claim 3.

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