JP2022011846A - Harvester and automatic travel method of harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a harvester performing harvesting work while acquiring a reference azimuth by teaching travel.SOLUTION: A harvester comprises: a machine body calculation part 40 for calculating a machine body position using a satellite positioning; a first machine body position acquiring part 41 for setting the acquired machine body position in response to a first signal generated by a manual operation in harvesting work, to a first machine body position; a second machine body position acquiring part 42 for setting the acquired machine body position in response to a second signal generated by the manual operation at a place separated from the first machine body position in the harvesting work, to a second machine body position; a reference azimuth calculating part 43 for calculating an azimuth of a straight line coupling the first machine body position and the second machine body position, as a reference azimuth; and a travel control part 50 for controlling automatic travel of the machine body, on the basis of the reference azimuth or the travel path calculated on the basis of the reference azimuth.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a harvester capable of automatic traveling and an automatic traveling method of the harvester.

The rice transplanter, which is one of the agricultural work vehicles, divides the field into an outer peripheral area and a central area located inside the field, and performs seedling planting work. For example, in the rice transplanter capable of automatic traveling according to Patent Document 1, a linear teaching traveling by manual steering is performed along the shore in the outer peripheral region before the seedling planting work is performed. The direction along the teaching path obtained by the teaching run is set as the target direction (reference direction). In automatic steering, a target direction and a target travel path are used. The seedling planting work is performed by automatic steering from the central area. Seedling planting work is carried out while going straight along the first target driving route by automatic steering, and the direction of the aircraft is changed by turning driving by manual steering performed near the shore, and the target direction and the next target driving are performed again. Seedling planting work is carried out by automatic steering using a route. By repeating such straight running and turning running, when the seedling planting work in the central area is completed, the seedling planting work is performed in the outer peripheral area, and after the seedling planting work in the outer peripheral area is completed, the rice transplanter is used in the field. I go outside.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-123804

Teaching running is indispensable for the harvester to perform automatic running by automatic steering using the reference direction calculated through teaching running as disclosed in Patent Document 1. However, when the harvester, which is one of the field work platforms, enters the field and does not perform the harvesting work immediately, the harvested product is pushed down. Therefore, a conceivable method is to first perform the teaching run in the already-worked area formed by the harvester entering the field by manual steering and performing a certain harvesting operation. Such a method has a drawback that the running time of the harvester without the harvesting work is increased and the efficiency of the harvesting work is deteriorated.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a harvester capable of obtaining a reference direction by teaching running while performing harvesting work.

The harvester according to the present invention is the aircraft having a traveling device, an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates the aircraft position using satellite positioning, and the above-mentioned acquired in response to a first signal generated by manual operation during harvesting work. The first aircraft position acquisition unit whose first aircraft position is the aircraft position, and the aircraft acquired in response to a second signal generated by a manual operation at a location away from the first aircraft position during the harvesting operation. The second aircraft position acquisition unit whose position is the second aircraft position, the reference orientation calculation unit which calculates the orientation of the straight line connecting the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position as the reference orientation, and the reference orientation, or the reference orientation, or A travel control unit that controls automatic travel of the aircraft based on a travel route calculated based on the reference orientation.

In this configuration, the harvester enters the field and manually harvests. At that time, the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position calculated by satellite positioning are acquired in response to the driver's operation. The direction of the straight line connecting the first machine position and the second machine position acquired at intervals is calculated as the reference direction. Automatic driving is started based on the calculated reference direction or the traveling route calculated based on this reference direction. That is, if the harvesting work is performed manually only while the first machine body position and the second machine body position are acquired, the harvesting work by automatic running becomes possible after that. The phrase "harvesting work" here includes a state in which the aircraft is performing harvesting work while traveling and a state in which the aircraft is stopped and performing harvesting work.

Automatic steering using the reference direction can be realized in a plurality of control modes. One of them is that the reference direction is set as the target direction for automatic driving, and steering is performed so as to maintain the target direction from the time when the start command for automatic driving is issued. The other is that a travel path extending in the reference direction from the aircraft position at the time when the automatic travel start command is issued is set as a target route for automatic steering, and steering is performed along this target route. Is. In the former control mode, if a position shift occurs due to slipping or the like in the middle, there is a problem that the position shift cannot be corrected, but there is an advantage that the steering control algorithm becomes simple. In the latter control mode, the steering method is steered so as to eliminate the misalignment (lateral shift) of the aircraft with respect to the traveling path calculated by using the position of the aircraft by satellite positioning, and the steering is performed by combining the misalignment and the misorientation. There is a method, but whichever method is used, the problem of the former control mode is solved. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the traveling route is set based on the reference direction at the start of automatic traveling, and the traveling control unit automatically travels the aircraft so as to follow the traveling route. To control.

It is preferable that the teaching run for acquiring the first machine position and the second machine position is a stable run even if the harvesting work is performed at the same time. Further, in order to obtain a desired reference direction, it is necessary to acquire the second aircraft position at an appropriate aircraft position with respect to the first aircraft position. Therefore, accurate manual steering is required for manual driving when reaching the position of the second aircraft from the position of the first aircraft. In order to solve this problem, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a display information generation unit that generates a traveling locus of the aircraft from the first aircraft position to the second aircraft position and the traveling locus are generated. It is equipped with a display device to display. In this configuration, the driver can confirm the state of driving on the traveling track displayed on the display device, and accurate driving is facilitated.

When the display device displays driving support information, the display device is constantly checked by the driver during driving, and is therefore effective as an operation input device for the driver to give a command regarding driving to the harvester. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the display device is a touch panel, and the manual operation for generating the first signal is a touch operation for the first button displayed on the touch panel. The manual operation for generating the second signal is a touch operation for the second button displayed on the touch panel.

When calculating the reference direction with the straight line connecting the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position calculated by satellite positioning, the distance between the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position is calculated in consideration of the satellite positioning error. The larger the value, the higher the accuracy of orientation calculation. From the desired reference direction calculation accuracy and the error of satellite positioning, the minimum required distance between the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position can be estimated. For this reason, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, traveling for a predetermined distance or more or traveling for a predetermined time or more from the position of the first aircraft is set as a condition for generating the second signal. The predetermined distance is determined from the desired reference direction calculation accuracy and the error of satellite positioning. Further, since the vehicle speed suitable for the harvesting work is almost fixed, the time for traveling a predetermined distance can be obtained in the same manner.

In one of the preferred embodiments according to the present invention, the second button is displayed on the touch panel when traveling for a predetermined distance or more or traveling for a predetermined time or more from the position of the first aircraft when the above conditions are satisfied. With this configuration, after the first aircraft position is set, when the conditions (mileage and travel time) that guarantee the calculation accuracy of the reference direction are satisfied, the second button for setting the second aircraft position is the touch panel. Since it is displayed in, the driver's mistake such as setting the position of the second aircraft before the condition is satisfied is avoided.

When the driver confirms the running state of the harvester while looking at the running locus displayed on the display device in order to set the position of the second aircraft at the correct position, it is convenient if a guide sign is also displayed on the display device. Is. In particular, the harvester runs with the boundary line of the harvesting work area (field) and the line indicating the planting line of the harvested crop as a guide, so it is appropriate if the line embodying such a guideline is displayed on the display device. It is a good support for calculating the reference orientation. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the display information generation unit generates a marker line parallel to the boundary line of the harvesting work area or the planting line of the harvested crop, and the boundary line or the marker. The line is displayed on the display device together with the travel locus.

If the operation for acquiring the position of the first aircraft is performed at the start of the harvesting work or immediately after the start of the harvesting work, the operation for acquiring the position of the second aircraft can also be performed at an early stage from the start of the harvesting work. As a result, the start of automatic driving can be accelerated. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the manual operation for generating the first signal is an operation for the harvesting start operation tool for starting the harvesting operation by the harvesting device. With this configuration, the operation for acquiring the position of the first machine body becomes easy even at the same time as the start of the harvesting work.

The present invention covers not only the harvester but also an automatic traveling method for the harvester. According to the present invention, the automatic traveling method of the harvester provided with the aircraft having the traveling device is generated by the aircraft position calculation step of calculating the aircraft position using satellite positioning and the manual operation during the harvesting work by manual steering. The first machine position acquisition step in which the machine position acquired in response to one signal is set as the first machine position, and the second generated by manual operation at a place away from the first machine position during the harvesting operation. A reference orientation calculated using the orientation of a straight line connecting the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position as a reference orientation and a second aircraft position acquisition step in which the aircraft position acquired in response to a signal is set as the second aircraft position. It includes a calculation step and a travel control step for controlling the automatic travel of the aircraft based on the reference orientation or the travel route calculated based on the reference orientation. Also in the automatic traveling method according to the present invention, the above-mentioned action and effect in the harvester and the embodiment can be applied.

It is a side view of a combine. It is a functional block diagram of the control system about automatic driving. It is a schematic diagram which shows the running pattern in a harvesting work. It is a schematic diagram which shows other running patterns in a harvesting work. It is a schematic diagram which shows the teaching running. It is a schematic diagram which shows the transition from the manual steering running to the automatic steering running. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the basics of automatic operation control. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a harvesting work run.

An embodiment of a conventional combine as an example of a harvester according to the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings.

[Basic configuration of harvester]
As shown in FIG. 1, this combine includes an airframe 1, a pair of steerable left and right crawler-type traveling devices 11, a boarding section 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, and a harvesting device 15. And a transport device 16 and a grain discharge device 18.

The traveling device 11 is provided in the lower part of the combine. The traveling device 11 has a pair of left and right crawler traveling mechanisms, and the combine can travel in the field as a harvesting work site by the traveling device 11. The boarding unit 12, the threshing device 13, and the grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11, and these are configured as the upper part of the machine body 1. The combine driver boarded the boarding section 12. A drive engine (not shown) is provided below the boarding section 12. The grain discharge device 18 is connected to the rear lower portion of the grain tank 14.

The combine is traveled by the traveling device 11 while harvesting the crops in the field by the harvesting device 15. The transport device 16 is provided adjacent to the rear side of the harvest device 15. The harvesting device 15 and the transporting device 16 are supported on the front portion of the machine body 1 so as to be able to move up and down.

The crops harvested by the harvesting device 15 are transported to the threshing device 13 by the transport device 16 and threshed by the threshing device 13. The grain as a harvest obtained by the threshing process is stored in the grain tank 14. The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged to the outside of the machine by the grain discharging device 18 as needed. The grain discharging device 18 is configured to be swingable around the vertical axis core at the rear of the machine body. That is, the free end portion of the grain discharge device 18 protrudes to the lateral outside of the machine body 1 so that the crop can be discharged, and the free end portion of the grain discharge device 18 is within the range of the machine width of the machine body 1. The grain discharging device 18 is configured so as to be switchable between the stored storage state and the positioned storage state.

A satellite positioning module 80 is provided on the ceiling of the boarding unit 12. The satellite positioning module 80 receives a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal from the artificial satellite GS and outputs satellite positioning data indicating the position of the combine body. Signals of GNSS include GPS, QZSS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, and the like.

It is possible to calculate the direction (direction) of the aircraft 1 from the aircraft position between two points calculated based on satellite positioning data, but it is difficult to accurately calculate the instantaneous orientation of the aircraft 1 over a short distance. be. Therefore, in order to detect the orientation of the airframe 1, an inertial measurement module 81 called an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) is also provided in the airframe 1. The inertial measurement module 81 has a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The inertial measurement module 81 can detect the angular velocity of the turning angle of the airframe 1, and can calculate the directional change angle of the airframe 1 by integrating the angular velocity. For this reason, the measurement data measured by the inertial measurement module 81 includes data that can indicate the direction (direction) of the airframe 1. Although not described in detail, the inertial measurement module 81 can measure the angular velocity of the turning angle of the machine body 1, the left-right tilt angle of the machine body 1, the angular velocity of the front-back tilt angle of the machine body 1, and the like.

[Control unit configuration]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a travel control system showing a function related to automatic travel control of the combine. This travel control system includes a general-purpose terminal VT, which is a tablet computer capable of data communication, and a control unit 4. The control unit 4 is a core element of the travel control system, and is an aggregate of a plurality of ECUs connected by an in-vehicle LAN or the like. The control unit 4 has an automatic driving mode in which automatic driving control is executed, and a manual driving mode in which driving control is performed by manual operation.

The general-purpose terminal VT includes a touch panel 3 as a display device and a graphic user interface that manages input / output of information through the touch panel 3. The screen area of the touch panel 3 includes a support image display area 3a on which a running support image is displayed and an operation image display area 3b on which software buttons, lamps, and the like are displayed. In this embodiment, the first button 31 and the second button 32, which will be described in detail later, are arranged as software buttons in the operation image display area 3b. Further, various applications for processing information regarding the harvesting work by this combine are installed in the general-purpose terminal VT. One of the applications is a display information generation unit 30 that generates information to be displayed in the support image display area 3a.

The control unit 4 includes an aircraft position calculation unit 40, a first aircraft position acquisition unit 41, a second aircraft position acquisition unit 42, a reference direction calculation unit 43, a travel route creation unit 44, and a travel locus creation unit 45. The aircraft orientation calculation unit 46 and the travel control unit 50 are provided. Signals from the satellite positioning module 80, the inertial measurement module 81, and the general-purpose terminal VT are input to the control unit 4. Although not shown, signals such as a vehicle speed sensor, an engine torque sensor, and an obstacle detection sensor are also input to the control unit 4.

The aircraft position calculation unit 40 calculates the aircraft position, which is the map position coordinates of the aircraft 1, at a predetermined repetition frequency based on the satellite positioning data output from the satellite positioning module 80.

The travel locus creation unit 45 creates a travel locus of the aircraft 1 based on the aircraft position acquired from the aircraft position calculation unit 40 over time. The created travel locus is sent to the display information generation unit 30 and image-processed so that the support image display area 3a of the touch panel 3 has a width corresponding to a linear line or a harvest width together with the combine icon. It is displayed as a band-shaped line BL.

The aircraft orientation calculation unit 46 calculates the orientation of the aircraft 1 based on the measurement data output by the inertial measurement module 81. When the inertial measurement module 81 is not mounted, the aircraft orientation calculation unit 46 can be configured to calculate the orientation of the aircraft 1 based on, for example, an electronic compass.

This combine performs teaching driving for automatic driving while performing harvesting work. For example, when the combine enters the field, the teaching run can be performed immediately or after the required posture change. The first machine position acquisition unit 41 receives the first signal generated by the driver clicking (touching) the first button 31 from the general-purpose terminal VT during the harvesting operation. The click operation of the first button 31 means the start of the teaching run. The first airframe position acquisition unit 41 acquires the airframe position at the timing of receiving the first signal from the airframe position calculation unit 40, and stores the airframe position as the first airframe position.

The second machine position acquisition unit 42 continues the teaching run, and when the machine 1 makes a work run to a place away from the first machine position, the driver clicks (touches) the second button 32. The second signal generated by this is received. The second machine position acquisition unit 42 acquires the machine position at the timing when the second signal is received from the general-purpose terminal VT from the machine position calculation unit 40, and stores the machine position as the second machine position. The click operation of the second button 32 means the end of the teaching run. It should be noted that this combine can also perform teaching running in an already-worked area where the harvesting work has already been completed or in a mixed area including the already-worked area and the unworked area.

The reference direction calculation unit 43 uses the direction of a straight line connecting the first machine position read from the first machine position acquisition unit 41 and the second machine position read from the second machine position acquisition unit 42 as the reference direction. Calculated as. This reference orientation is stored and used in automatic steering control.

The traveling route creating unit 44 has a function of calculating a straight line extending in the reference direction through the vehicle body position (position of the vehicle body reference point such as the cutting center of the harvesting device 15) as a target line. As will be described in detail later, this target line is determined and fixed as a target path in the automatic steering control when the automatic steering start command is output based on the operation of the automatic steering starter 71. As a modification, the travel route creation unit 44 calculates a straight line extending in the reference direction through the vehicle body position as a target line when the automatic steering start command is output, determines this target line as the target route, and fixes the target line. It may be configured to do so.

The travel control unit 50 includes an automatic steering module 51, a manual steering module 52, and a vehicle speed control module 53. The automatic steering module 51 controls the automatic traveling of the machine body 1 at the time of automatic traveling by a method described later. The manual steering module 52 controls the traveling of the aircraft 1 based on the operation of the driver during the manual traveling. The vehicle speed control module 53 controls the vehicle speed when the aircraft 1 is moving forward and backward, and the vehicle speed when the aircraft 1 is stopped. The traveling device 11 of this combine is composed of a crawler type left traveling mechanism 11a and a right traveling mechanism 11b. Therefore, the traveling control unit 50 gives a shifting control signal to the left shifting mechanism 10a to adjust the speed of the left traveling mechanism 11a, and also gives a shifting control signal to the right shifting mechanism 10b to speed the right traveling mechanism 11b. To adjust. By driving the left traveling mechanism 11a and the right shifting mechanism 10b at different speeds, the machine body 1 is steered.

[About the harvesting work route]
This combine travels across the field to harvest planted grain rods such as wheat and rice. At that time, the frequently used harvesting running patterns are schematically shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the pattern shown in FIG. 3, the combine that has entered the field travels while performing harvesting work along a boundary line (one side of the field) such as the shore that borders the field. When the running on one side is completed, the aircraft 1 makes a turn (turns 90 degrees in FIG. 3) so as to follow the next side. Although this change of direction is simplified in the figure, it is actually a turning run with reverse movement called an alpha turn (switchback turn). In this way, the traveling around the field is performed by combining the linear traveling and the turning traveling. When the aircraft 1 reaches the starting point, the next lap is run on the route that has entered the inside by the amount of the harvest width. In this way, by repeating the circular running inward in a spiral shape, the harvesting work running of the entire field is completed.

The pattern shown in FIG. 4 is a linear path for the combine that has entered the field to make a lap of about 2 to 3 laps and the inner unworked area (inner area) left by this lap. It consists of a reciprocating run that repeats the direction change at the U-turn (180 ° U-turn turn in FIG. 4). The 180 ° U-turn turn is performed on the existing work area (outer peripheral area). In the 180 ° U-turn turn using only forward movement, the distance from the straight path after running to the next straight path becomes large, but in the 180 ° U-turn turn using the switchback turn, that is the case. The distance is short, and it is possible to have a running pattern in which a straight path that has finished running and the next straight path are adjacent to each other.

In the above two harvesting running patterns, there are long linear paths other than the turning path for turning. The automatic traveling control of the present invention is a control for traveling on this linear path by automatic steering as much as possible. The linear path here includes not only a strict straight path but also a linear path consisting of a polygonal line and a path drawing a large curve.

[About automatic steering control]
As shown in FIG. 5, the first aircraft position (indicated by point A in FIG. 5) and the second aircraft position (indicated by point A in FIG. 5) and the second aircraft position (indicated by point A in FIG. 5) through the teaching run performed by the combine that entered the field during the harvesting work run. Then, (indicated by point B) and is acquired. Further, a reference azimuth, which is the azimuth of a straight line connecting the position of the first aircraft and the position of the second aircraft, is calculated. The automatic traveling of the present invention is performed based on this reference direction or a traveling route as a target route calculated based on this reference direction. The position of the first machine and the position of the second machine can be acquired when the machine 1 is traveling and the harvesting work is being performed, or when the machine 1 is stopped and the harvesting work is being performed. You can also do it. Considering that the calculation accuracy of the aircraft position based on the satellite positioning data deteriorates when the aircraft 1 is stationary, the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position are harvested while the aircraft 1 is traveling. It is preferable to get it when.

FIG. 6 shows a method of determining a traveling route that is a target route for automatic steering. Alignment that finally reaches the desired route (a virtual route before the travel route is determined) for the driver to manually steer and try to drive the aircraft 1 in a straight line next. Drive while assuming the route. When the aircraft 1 reaches a position suitable for starting automatic driving, the driver operates the automatic steering starter 71. In this embodiment, a target line in the direction of the reference direction passing through the cutting center of the harvesting device 15 (one of the reference points of the aircraft 1 set in advance) is constantly calculated, and when automatic steering is started (1). (When the automatic steering starter 71 is operated), the target line is determined and fixed as a traveling path. Therefore, the traveling route is determined and fixed in response to the operation of the automatic steering starter 71 by the driver. This makes it possible to start automatic driving. For example, in the harvesting running pattern as shown in FIG. 4, running toward the next linear path through a 180 ° U-turn turn in the surrounding region is alignment running. In the 180 ° U-turn turn, the non-harvesting work run with the harvesting device 15 raised is performed, and when the next straight path is entered, the harvesting work running with the harvesting device 15 lowered is started, and the harvesting work run is automatically started at this timing. It is convenient if steering is also started. Since the start of the harvesting work accompanied by the descent of the harvesting device 15 is performed by the harvesting work operating tool, when the harvesting work operating tool is used as the automatic steering starting tool 71, the start of the harvesting work and the automatic steering is one operating tool. It is possible and convenient by the operation of. It should be noted that the target line is always calculated, and when the automatic steering is started, the target line is determined as a traveling path and is not fixed, but a reference that passes through the reference point at that time when the automatic steering is started. A configuration may be adopted in which a target line in the direction of orientation is created and fixed as a traveling route.

The automatic steering control for automatic driving can be performed in the following three steering modes, and at least one of them is incorporated in the automatic steering module 51. When multiple modes are incorporated, they are selected and used.

(1st steering mode)
In this mode, as shown in FIG. 7, the travel route is determined and fixed by the travel route creation unit 44, and the aircraft orientation calculated by the aircraft orientation calculation unit 46 and calculated by the aircraft position calculation unit 40. Aircraft position is used. The angle formed by the traveling route (target route) extending in the reference direction and the aircraft azimuth line (line indicating the direction of the aircraft 1 passing through the reference point of the aircraft 1) is the orientation deviation: θ, and the aircraft 1 with respect to the traveling route. The deviation (distance from the reference point of the aircraft 1 to the traveling path) is the positional deviation: d. In steering control, directional deviation and misalignment are used as control inputs, and a steering control signal is output so that the misalignment falls within the permissible range of orientation. If the misalignment exceeds the permissible position, priority is given. The steering control signal is output so that the misalignment falls within the allowable position range. In addition, instead of handling the misalignment and misalignment individually, by using the sensor fijun technology, control is adopted in which the steering control signal is directly output by inputting both the misalignment and the misalignment. You may. In this mode, a traveling route is set at the start of automatic driving.

(Second steering mode)
In this mode, the directional shift is not used as the steering control input, only the misalignment is used as the steering control input. That is, a steering control signal is output so as to eliminate the misalignment, and the reference point of the aircraft 1 is steered so as to be on the traveling path. In this mode, a traveling route is set at the start of automatic driving.

(Third steering mode)
In this mode, the misalignment is not used as the input value for steering control, and only the directional deviation, which is the deviation of the aircraft orientation with respect to the reference orientation, is used as the input for steering control. Therefore, it is not necessary to create a traveling route at the start of automatic traveling. From the start of automatic steering, a steering control signal is output so that the aircraft orientation becomes the reference orientation. If a position shift occurs due to slippage or accumulation of measurement errors during automatic steering control, the correction is not performed, so this mode is mainly used for fields with little slippage and running with a short straight line distance.

[Flow of harvesting work]
Next, an example of the harvesting work run will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this harvesting work run, a part of the run on the first side of the lap work run is regarded as a teaching run, and the first machine position (point A) and the second machine position (point B) are acquired to calculate the reference direction. (See Fig. 5). Subsequent linear paths are automatically driven by automatic steering in the first steering mode described above. The traveling pattern shown in FIG. 4 is adopted, and when traveling on two sides orthogonal to one side, an orientation obtained by rotating the reference orientation by 90 degrees is used as the reference orientation.

When the combine enters the field through the doorway (# 01), the combine starts the harvesting run by manual steering (# 02). Next, a teaching run is performed to obtain a reference direction required for automatic steering. In order to start the teaching run, the driver clicks the first button 31 (see FIG. 2) displayed in the operation image display area 3b of the touch panel 3 (# 11). In response to this click operation, the first aircraft position, which is the aircraft position at that time, is acquired (# 12). At the same time, the point A indicating the position of the first machine is displayed in the support image display area 3a of the touch panel 3 (# 13). Along with the harvesting work run, as shown in FIG. 2, in the support image display area 3a, a band-shaped line BL showing the run trajectory of the combine from the point A is displayed together with the combine icon at the harvest width ( # 14). Further, in the support image display area 3a, a sign line GL indicating a line parallel to the shore or the ridge of the field is displayed in order to perform accurate teaching running. If the orientation of the planting strips of the harvested crop is known, a line parallel to the planting strips may be displayed as a marker line GL.

The end condition of the teaching run is whether the combine has traveled a predetermined distance (for example, 5 m) or more from the position of the first aircraft, or whether a predetermined time required for traveling a predetermined distance has elapsed. Here, it is determined whether or not sufficient teaching running has been performed on condition that the running distance is equal to or longer than a predetermined distance (# 15).

When the condition indicating sufficient teaching running is satisfied (# 15Yes branch), the second button 32 is displayed in the operation image display area 3b of the touch panel 3 (# 16). When the driver clicks the second button 32 (# 17Yes branch), in response to this click operation, the second aircraft position, which is the aircraft position at that time, is acquired (# 18), and the support image display area 3a Point B indicating the position of the second aircraft is displayed on the traveling locus displayed in (# 19). The driver can confirm the teaching run by the points A and B displayed in the support image display area 3a and the running locus between them. Further, the direction of the straight line connecting the position of the first machine and the position of the second machine is calculated and stored as the reference direction (# 20).

When the teaching run, which is the harvesting work run by manual steering, is completed, the combine can shift from manual steering to automatic steering. The automatic steering starter 71 is used for the operation for starting the automatic running in the automatic steering. It is checked whether or not the automatic steering starter 71 has been operated (# 30). When the driver determines that the aircraft 1 is in the position where the automatic steering should be started and the automatic steering starter 71 is operated (# 30Yes branch), the aircraft at that time is as explained with reference to FIG. The travel route is determined and fixed based on the position and the reference direction (# 31). Then, in this example, automatic steering in the first steering mode is started (# 32).

When the automatic steering is started, it is checked whether or not the automatic steering is stopped due to a change of direction or the like (# 33). There are various conditions for shifting from automatic steering to manual steering, and one of them is the operation of the steering lever (not shown) for turning. When the automatic steering is stopped (# 33Yes branch), the combine is in the manual steering state (# 34). The driver manually turns the aircraft 1 and adjusts the position for the harvesting work in the next section. Then, in order to shift from manual steering to automatic steering again, it is checked whether or not the start of automatic steering by the operation of the automatic steering starter 71 is required (# 35).

When the start of automatic steering is requested by the operation of the automatic steering starter 71 (# 35Yes branch), the vehicle jumps to step # 31, and the traveling route is determined based on the aircraft position and the reference direction at that time. It is fixed and automatic steering is started. When the reference direction of a different direction is stored as the reference direction, the reference direction having a direction close to the direction of the aircraft 1 at the time when the start of automatic steering is requested is used for determining the traveling route. Used. Of course, a configuration may be adopted in which the driver selects the reference direction used for determining the traveling route.

The resumption of the automatic steering is usually performed from the harvesting work running in which the harvesting device 15 is lowered following the direction change running (non-harvesting work running) by the manual steering in which the harvesting device 15 is raised. For this reason, a harvesting start operating tool that starts a harvesting operation by a harvesting device such as a harvesting device 15 may be used in combination with the automatic steering starter 71 or instead of the automatic steering starter 71.

[Another Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the configuration exemplified in the above-described embodiment, and the following will exemplify another typical embodiment of the present invention.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the aircraft orientation calculation unit 46 for calculating the orientation of the aircraft 1 based on the measurement data of the inertial measurement module 81 is provided, but it is calculated over time by the aircraft position calculation unit 40. A configuration may be adopted in which the direction of the aircraft 1 is calculated from the aircraft position.

(2) Each functional unit shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2 may be combined with another functional unit, or one functional unit may be separated into a plurality of functional units.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position are the aircraft positions at the operation timings of the first button 31 and the second button 32, respectively, but instead of this, the first button It may be a representative value (average value, etc.) of a plurality of aircraft positions before and after the operation timing of the 31 and the second button 32.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the traveling device 11 is composed of a crawler type left traveling mechanism 11a and a right traveling mechanism 11b, and the aircraft 1 is due to a speed difference between the left traveling mechanism 11a and the right traveling mechanism 11b. However, a traveling device 11 in which the aircraft 1 is steered by changing the steering angle of the steering wheel may be adopted.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the teaching run is performed while performing the harvesting work, but it is also possible to perform the teaching running without performing the harvesting work and calculate the reference direction.

The configuration disclosed in the above embodiment (including another embodiment, the same shall apply hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configuration disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. Moreover, the embodiment disclosed in the present specification is an example, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the object of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied not only to ordinary combine harvesters but also to other harvesters such as self-removing combine harvesters and corn harvesters.

1: Aircraft 3: Touch panel 3a: Support image display area 3b: Operation image display area 4: Control unit 15: Harvesting device 30: Display information generation unit 31: First button 32: Second button 40: Aircraft position calculation unit 41: 1st aircraft position acquisition unit 42: 2nd aircraft position acquisition unit 43: Reference orientation calculation unit 44: Travel route creation unit 45: Travel locus creation unit 46: Aircraft orientation calculation unit 50: Travel control unit 51: Automatic steering module 52: Manual steering module 53: Vehicle speed control module 71: Automatic steering starter 80: Satellite positioning module 81: Inertial measurement module BL: Belt-shaped line (running locus)
GL: Sign line GS: Artificial satellite VT: General-purpose terminal

Claims (9)

An aircraft with a traveling device and
The aircraft position calculation unit that calculates the aircraft position using satellite positioning, and
A first machine position acquisition unit whose first machine position is the machine position acquired in response to the first signal generated by manual operation during the harvesting operation.
A second machine position acquisition unit whose second machine position is the machine position acquired in response to a second signal generated by a manual operation at a place away from the first machine position during the harvesting operation.
A reference azimuth calculation unit that calculates the directional direction of a straight line connecting the first aircraft position and the second aircraft position as a reference azimuth.
A travel control unit that controls the automatic travel of the aircraft based on the reference direction or the travel route calculated based on the reference orientation.
Harvester equipped with. The harvester according to claim 1, wherein the traveling route is set based on the reference direction at the start of automatic traveling, and the traveling control unit controls the automatic traveling of the aircraft so as to follow the traveling route. The harvester according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a display information generation unit that generates a traveling locus of the aircraft from the first aircraft position to the second aircraft position, and a display device that displays the traveling locus. .. The display device is a touch panel, the manual operation for generating the first signal is a touch operation for the first button displayed on the touch panel, and the manual operation for generating the second signal is on the touch panel. The harvester according to claim 3, which is a touch operation for the displayed second button. The harvester according to claim 4, wherein traveling for a predetermined distance or longer or traveling for a predetermined time or longer is set as a condition for generating the second signal. The harvester according to claim 5, wherein the second button is displayed on the touch panel when the conditions are satisfied. The display information generation unit generates a marker line parallel to the boundary line of the harvesting work area or the planting line of the harvested crop, and the boundary line or the marker line is displayed on the display device together with the traveling locus. The harvester according to any one of 6 to 6. The harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the manual operation for generating the first signal is an operation for a harvesting start operation tool for starting a harvesting operation by a harvesting device. It is an automatic running method of a harvester equipped with a running device.
The aircraft position calculation step to calculate the aircraft position using satellite positioning, and
The first aircraft position acquisition step with the aircraft position acquired in response to the first signal generated by the manual operation during the harvesting operation by manual steering as the first aircraft position, and
A second machine position acquisition step in which the machine position acquired in response to a second signal generated by a manual operation at a place away from the first machine position during the harvesting operation is set as the second machine position.
A reference direction calculation step for calculating the direction of a straight line connecting the first machine position and the second machine position as a reference direction, and
A travel control step that controls the automatic travel of the aircraft based on the reference direction or the travel route calculated based on the reference orientation.
How to drive the harvester automatically.

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