JP7558041B2 - combine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a combine that measures the quality of harvested grain.

Combine harvesters equipped with a quality measuring unit that measures the quality of harvested grains are known. For example, the combine harvesters described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are equipped with a moisture content measuring device in the grain tank and are configured to be able to measure the moisture content of harvested grains.

JP 2016-67217 A JP 2019-10075 A

However, in conventional combine harvesters equipped with a quality measurement unit, quality measurements are performed frequently, which shortens the lifespan of the quality measurement unit and leaves room for improvement.

The present invention was created in consideration of the above-mentioned actual situation and with the aim of solving these problems.The invention of claim 1 is a combine harvester comprising a harvesting section that harvests stalks, a threshing section that threshes and sorts grains from the harvested stalks, a grain tank that stores the sorted grains, a quality measuring section that measures the quality of the sorted grains, and a control section that controls the quality measuring section, wherein the combine is further provided with a grain harvest amount sensor that detects the amount of harvested grain, the quality measuring section being arranged in the grain flow path upstream of the grain tank, and the control section is configured to perform a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring section each time the grain amount detected by the grain harvest amount sensor increases by a predetermined amount .
The invention of claim 2 is a combine harvester as described in claim 1, characterized in that the grain harvest sensor is a tank level sensor arranged in multiple locations in the vertical direction to detect grains at a predetermined interval, and the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measurement unit each time the number of tank level sensors that detect grains increases .
The invention of claim 3 is a combine as described in claim 1, characterized in that the grain harvest sensor is a weight sensor that detects the weight of the grain tank, and the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit each time the weight of the grain tank increases by a predetermined amount .
The invention of claim 4 is a combine harvester as described in claim 1, characterized in that the grain harvest sensor is a pile height detection sensor that detects the pile height of grains piled in the grain tank, and the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit each time the grain pile height in the grain tank increases to a predetermined height .
The invention of claim 5 is a combine harvester as described in claim 1, characterized in that the grain harvest sensor is a grain flow rate sensor that detects the grain flow rate in the grain flow path leading to the grain tank, and the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit each time the cumulative grain amount measured by the grain flow rate sensor increases by a predetermined amount.

According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to prevent excessive quality measurement and extend the life of the quality measurement unit. The predetermined timing for performing quality measurement is set based on the grain harvest amount, which is the work amount of the combine harvester, so that it is possible to prevent bias in the measurement position in the field and to evenly measure the quality of harvested grains throughout the field.
According to the invention of claim 2, the predetermined timing is set each time the detection of the tank level sensors arranged at a predetermined interval in the height direction increases , so that the quality measurement can be performed at an appropriate timing while suppressing excessive quality measurement. Also, the number of required quality measurements can be set based on the time when the grain tank is full.
According to the invention of claim 3, the specified timing is set each time the weight detection by the weight sensor that detects the weight of the grain tank increases by a specified amount , so that quality measurement can be performed at an appropriate timing while suppressing excessive quality measurement.
According to the invention of claim 4, the specified timing is set each time the grain pile height detection sensor that detects the grain pile height accumulated in the grain tank increases to a specified height , so that excessive quality measurement can be suppressed while quality measurement can be performed at an appropriate timing.
According to the invention of claim 5, the specified timing is set each time the cumulative grain amount detected by the grain flow sensor, which detects the grain flow rate in the grain flow path leading to the grain tank, increases by a specified amount, so that quality measurement can be performed at an appropriate timing while suppressing excessive quality measurement.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left side view of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a left side view showing the inside of the threshing section of a combine in one embodiment of the present invention. This is a plan view showing the inside of the threshing section of a combine in one embodiment of the present invention. A right side view showing the inside of the grain lifting device of a combine harvester in one embodiment of the present invention. This is a front cross-sectional view of the threshing section of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the grain return path after quality measurement. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the quality measuring section of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the monitor screen of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a diagram of a normal screen, and (b) is a diagram of a measurement screen. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[combine]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a combine harvester 1 is a general-purpose combine harvester, and has a machine body 3 supported by a pair of crawler-type traveling devices 2 on the left and right. A reaping unit 5 for reaping stalks in a field is provided in front of the machine body 3 so as to be able to move up and down, and a driving operation unit 6 for an operator to sit and operate the combine harvester 1 is provided on one front side of the machine body 3. A threshing unit 7 for threshing and sorting the stalks reaped and transported by the reaping unit 5 is provided on the other side of the machine body 3. A grain tank 10 for storing grains threshed and sorted by the threshing unit 7 is provided behind the driving operation unit 6, and a discharge auger 11 for discharging the grains stored in the grain tank 10 to the outside of the machine is provided behind the grain tank 10.

The reaping section 5 is equipped with a divider 12 that divides the culms in the field, a reciprocating blade 13 that cuts the culms divided by the divider 12, a bucket-shaped platform 14 arranged behind the blade 13, and a reel 15 arranged above the divider 12 and the blade 13 that rakes the culms rearward. The blade 13 is configured to cut the culms rake into the platform 14 by the reel 15. The culms cut by the blade 13 are fed laterally by a platform auger 16 inside the platform 14, and the harvested grain is fed into the handling chamber 19 of the threshing section 7 by a feeder 17.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the threshing section 7 has a handling chamber 19 into which the stalks harvested by the harvesting section 5 are fed, and a sorting chamber 9 located below the handling chamber 19. The stalks are threshed in the handling chamber 19, and the threshed material is sorted in the sorting chamber 9. A threshing drum 20 having a spiral guide plate 20a attached to its outer periphery is housed in the handling chamber 19 so as to be freely rotatable. The guide plate 20a is provided with a number of protruding threshing teeth 20b that hook the stalks and rotate them together with the threshing drum 20. In addition, the lower side of the threshing chamber 19 (the lower part of the threshing drum 20) is formed by a semi-cylindrical receiving net 21 that follows the outer circumference of the threshing drum 20, and the stalks fed into the threshing chamber 19 are rotated together with the threshing drum 20 by the threshing teeth 20b, and are threshed by being rubbed against the receiving net 21 while being transported to the rear side of the machine by the guide plate 20a.

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

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

Meanwhile, the processed material transported to the end of the oscillating sorting body 22 falls into the second helix 33 via the straw rack 27, chaff sieve 30, and straw rack 31. Long straw, which is prevented from falling by the straw rack 31, is transported to the end and discharged outside the machine. The handling chamber 19 and sorting chamber 9 can be accessed by the operator by opening upward the side cover 36, which is supported on the machine body 3 so that it can be opened and closed freely.

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

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

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, a horizontal storage screw 45 and a quality measuring unit 50 are arranged in front of the upper end of the grain lifting device 37. The horizontal storage screw 45 is arranged along the left-right direction, and receives grains that are thrown forward from the upper end of the grain lifting device 37, transports them to the right, and drops them into the grain tank 10. The quality measuring unit 50 is also arranged in front of the horizontal storage screw 45, and selectively receives grains that are thrown forward from the upper end of the grain lifting device 37 and measures their quality. In other words, the quality measuring unit 50 measures the quality of the grains in the grain flow path upstream of the grain tank 10. This makes it possible to advance the timing of quality measurement compared to the conventional method in which quality measurement is performed inside the grain tank 10. The quality measuring unit 50 will be described below with reference to Figures 4 to 8.

[Quality Measurement Department]
The quality measuring section 50 includes a storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 (imaging device) that stores the sorted grains in a storage section 61 and performs quality measurement on the stored large number of grains, and a single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70 (moisture content measuring device) that performs quality measurement on one or several sorted grains. In the combine harvester 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to perform grain quality measurement by the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 and quality measurement by the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70 in parallel, and quality measurements can be performed on grains under the same conditions using different measurement methods.

[Storage measurement type grain measuring device]
The storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 comprises a grain inlet 62 that receives grains that are ejected forward from the upper end of the grain lifting device 37, an inlet shutter 63 that opens and closes the grain inlet 62, a storage section 61 that stores the grains received from the grain inlet 62, a grain outlet 64 formed at the bottom of the storage section 61 and returning the grains in the storage section 61 onto the oscillating sorting body 22, a bottom shutter 65 that opens and closes the grain outlet 64, an imaging chamber 67 provided on one side of the storage section 61 and allowing the grains in the storage section 61 to be viewed through a transparent member 66, a light-emitting element 68 such as an LED that is arranged in the imaging chamber 67 and illuminates the grains in the storage section 61 through the transparent member 66, and a camera 69 that is arranged in the imaging chamber 67 and images the grains in the storage section 61 illuminated by the light-emitting element 68. It should be noted that the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 of this embodiment is configured using a camera 69 (including image analysis), however, as long as it performs quality measurement on the stored grains, it is not limited to the camera 69 and may also be a capacitance sensor, a near-infrared sensor, etc.

When performing quality measurement using the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60, the entrance shutter 63 is opened with the bottom shutter 65 closed, grains are received through the grain entrance 62, and the received grains are stored in the storage section 61. When the grains in the storage section 61 reach a predetermined amount, the grains in the storage section 61 are illuminated by the light emitting element 68 through the transparent member 66, and an image of the grains in the storage section 61 illuminated by the light emitting element 68 is taken by the camera 69. After the image is taken, the bottom shutter 65 is opened to return the grains in the storage section 61 onto the oscillating sorting body 22, and the entrance shutter 63 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 8, the grain image captured by the camera 69 is displayed on a liquid crystal monitor 81 (a liquid crystal panel with a touch panel) provided on the driving operation unit 6. The liquid crystal monitor 81 can display at least a normal screen 81a (see FIG. 8(a)) that displays the engine speed, driving speed, remaining fuel, amount of grain in the grain tank 10, etc., and a measurement screen 81b (see FIG. 8(b)) that displays the measurement results of the quality measurement unit 50. When a measurement button 81c displayed on the left end of the normal screen 81a is tapped, the screen is switched to the measurement screen 81b.

The measurement screen 81b displays quality measurement results 81d performed at multiple locations in the field. In this embodiment, quality measurement results 81d at four locations can be displayed on one screen, and quality measurement results 81d measured at other locations can be displayed in sequence by tapping the next page button 81e.

Each quality measurement result 81d displayed on the measurement screen 81b includes a grain image captured by the camera 69, analysis data of the grain image (e.g., average grain size, size uniformity, degree of dirt, etc.), grain moisture content measured by the single-grain measurement type grain measuring device 70, measurement location information (measurement location information in the field (GNSS information)), and measurement date and time information. Each quality measurement result 81d can be deleted by tapping the corresponding delete button 81f. In addition, the average moisture content of all measurement points is displayed in the lower right position of the measurement screen 81b.

[Single grain measurement type grain measuring device]
The single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70 is provided on the other side of the storage section 61. The grain intake section 71 of the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70 is disposed in a grain storage path from the grain inlet 62 to the storage section 61, and some of the grains passing through the grain storage path are branched and taken into the measurement section 72 of the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70, and the moisture content of the taken-in grains is measured. In addition, the grains after measurement are discharged from the discharge outlet 73 and returned onto the oscillating sorting body 22. According to this configuration, some of the grains passing through the grain storage path of the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 are branched and taken into the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70, so that it is possible to arrange the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70 and the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 while suppressing an increase in size of the quality measurement section 50.

Specifically, the single-grain measuring type grain measuring device 70 of this embodiment includes a grain intake section 71 composed of a pair of sampling screws 74, and a measuring section 72 incorporating a moisture meter 75 (see FIG. 9). The grain intake section 71 feeds the grains on the pair of sampling screws 74 into the measuring section 72 one by one based on the rotational drive of the pair of sampling screws 74 in a predetermined direction. The measuring section 72 includes a crushing section (not shown) that crushes the fed grains, and a moisture meter 75 that measures the moisture of the grains between a pair of electrodes (not shown) arranged to sandwich the crushed grains. The moisture meter 75 measures the moisture content of the grains based on the change in electrical resistance or capacitance between the pair of electrodes. The measurement results of the moisture meter 75 are displayed on the measurement screen 81b of the liquid crystal monitor 81.

[Control unit]
As shown in Fig. 9, the combine harvester 1 is provided with a control unit 100 that controls the quality measurement of grains by the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 and the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70. In addition to the camera 69 and the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70, the input side of the control unit 100 is provided with a measurement execution switch 101 that switches ON/OFF the quality measurement by the quality measuring unit 50, travel detection means 102 (vehicle speed sensor, main shift lever position sensor, etc.) that detects the travel state of the combine harvester 1, reaping/threshing drive detection means 103 (power clutch switch, clutch on/off detection sensor, etc.), conveyed stalk detection means 104 that detects conveyed stalks, and processed material detection means 105 that detects processed material in the sorting chamber 9. Connected to the combine 1 are multiple tank level sensors 106 that detect the amount of grain in the grain tank 10, a shutter opening area adjustment means 107 that adjusts the open position of the entrance shutter 63, an entrance shutter position detection means 108 that detects the open/closed position of the entrance shutter 63, a bottom shutter position detection means 109 that detects the open/closed position of the bottom shutter 65, a sampling grain amount detection means 110 that detects the amount of grain in the storage section 61, and a machine position detection means 111 (such as GNSS) that detects the position of the combine 1.

In addition to the camera 69, single-grain measuring type grain measuring device 70, and liquid crystal monitor 81, the output side of the control unit 100 is connected to an entrance shutter driving means 112 for opening and closing the entrance shutter 63, a bottom shutter driving means 113 for opening and closing the bottom shutter 65, and a buzzer 114 for outputting an alarm sound. The control unit 100 also includes a data storage unit 115 for storing the measurement data of the quality measuring unit 50, map information 116 for storing the position information of the field, and a communication unit 118 for communicating with an external server 117. The measurement data of the quality measuring unit 50 is not only displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 81 and stored in the data storage unit 114, but is also transmitted to the external server 117.

[Functional configuration]
The control unit 100, as a functional configuration realized by cooperation between hardware and software, includes a measurement control means for controlling the quality measuring unit 50. The measurement control means of this embodiment causes grain quality measurement by the storage measurement type grain measuring device 60 and quality measurement by the single grain measurement type grain measuring device 70 to be performed in parallel. The measurement control means also includes a continuous measurement mode for continuously measuring grain quality by the quality measuring unit 50, and an intermittent measurement mode for intermittently measuring grain quality by the quality measuring unit 50.

In the continuous measurement mode, the quality measurement unit 50 continuously measures the quality of grains based on the establishment of a predetermined continuous measurement condition. The continuous measurement condition includes detection of the start of cutting in the field or a predetermined operator operation at the start of cutting. For example, if a start of cutting switch is provided and the operator operates the start of cutting switch at the start of cutting, the continuous measurement mode is established and the quality measurement unit 50 continuously measures the quality of grains. In addition, when transitioning to the continuous measurement mode based on detection of the start of cutting, the start of cutting can be detected using a method of detecting the start of cutting position based on the detection position of the machine position detection means 111 and the map information 116, a method of detecting the start of cutting based on the first operation of a work clutch such as a cutting clutch being engaged after the engine has started, or a method of detecting the start of cutting based on the first detection of transported stalks or processed materials after the engine has started.

By executing the continuous measurement mode at the start of mowing in this way, multiple measurement results can be obtained in a short period of time at the start of mowing, allowing a quick decision to be made as to whether or not the crop in the field should be harvested. In addition, after the continuous measurement mode ends, the control unit 100 switches to the intermittent measurement mode. This makes it possible to prevent excessive quality measurements and extend the life of the quality measurement unit 50.

In the intermittent measurement mode, the quality measurement unit 50 performs a single grain quality measurement at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing is set based on the amount of work or working time of the combine harvester 1. In this way, excessive quality measurement can be suppressed and the life of the quality measurement unit 50 can be extended. In addition, since the predetermined timing for performing quality measurement is set based on the amount of work or working time of the combine harvester 1, bias in the measurement position in the field can be suppressed and the quality of harvested grains can be measured evenly throughout the field.

The amount of work includes the grain harvest amount of the combine harvester 1, the reaping travel distance, the cumulative number of reaping power revolutions, the cumulative number of threshing drum revolutions, etc., and the work time includes the reaping travel time of the combine harvester 1, the cumulative time of reaping operation, the cumulative time of threshing drum rotation, etc.

As shown in FIG. 6, the grain harvest amount can be detected in stages by multiple tank level sensors 106 arranged at a predetermined interval in the height direction inside the grain tank 10. Each time an additional tank level sensor 106 is turned ON, a grain quality measurement is performed by the quality measurement unit 50.

The grain harvest amount can also be detected by a weight sensor (such as a strain sensor) that detects the weight of the grain tank 10. In this case, the quality measurement unit 50 can perform a single grain quality measurement each time the weight of the grain tank 10 increases by a predetermined amount.

The grain harvest amount can also be detected by a grain pile height sensor (such as an ultrasonic distance sensor) that detects the grain pile height in the grain tank 10. In this case, the grain quality measurement unit 50 can be made to perform a single grain quality measurement each time the grain pile height in the grain tank 10 increases by a predetermined height.

The grain harvest amount can also be detected by a grain flow sensor (such as an impact sensor) that detects the grain flow rate in the grain flow path leading to the grain tank 10. In this case, the quality measurement unit 50 can perform a single grain quality measurement each time the cumulative grain flow rate measured by the grain flow sensor increases by a predetermined amount.

The reaping travel distance can be detected by accumulating the travel distance during reaping operation based on detection signals from the travel detection means 102, the reaping/threshing drive detection means 103, the transported stalk detection means 104, etc., to determine whether the reaping operation is in progress, and then by having the quality measurement unit 50 perform a single grain quality measurement each time the reaping travel distance increases by a specified distance. The travel distance can be calculated based on the positioning data from the machine position detection means 111 and the number of rotations of the transmission rotation sensor.

The harvesting operation time can be detected by judging whether or not the harvesting operation is in progress based on detection signals from the travel detection means 102, the harvesting/threshing drive detection means 103, the transported stalk detection means 104, etc., and by measuring the elapsed time during the harvesting operation. Each time the harvesting operation time increases by a predetermined amount of time, the quality measurement unit 50 simply performs a single grain quality measurement.

[Control Procedure]
Next, the control procedure of the control unit 100 for realizing the above-mentioned functional configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 10. The above-mentioned continuous measurement mode is realized by steps S108 to S119, and the above-mentioned intermittent measurement mode is realized by steps S123 to S135.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 100 first determines whether the measurement execution switch 101 is ON/OFF (S101). If the result of this determination is OFF, the control unit 100 executes the opening drive process for the bottom shutter 65 (S102) and the closing drive process for the entrance shutter 63 (S103), and returns to the upper routine with the continuous measurement flag set to "0" (S104).

On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that the measurement execution switch 101 is ON, it determines whether the combine harvester 1 is in harvesting or not (S105). For example, it can determine whether harvesting is in progress based on the detection results of the travel detection means 102, the reaping/threshing drive detection means 103, and the transported stalk detection means 104. When the control unit 100 determines that harvesting is not in progress, it executes steps S102 to S104 and returns to the upper routine, whereas when it determines that harvesting is in progress, it determines whether harvesting has started (S106), and if so, sets the continuous measurement flag to "1" (S107).

Next, the control unit 100 determines whether the continuous measurement flag is "1" or "0" (S108), and if the result of this determination is "1", it determines whether the bottom shutter 65 is closed (S109), and if the result of this determination is NO, it drives the bottom shutter 65 to close (S110), and also determines whether the entrance shutter 63 is open (S111), and if the result of this determination is NO, it drives the entrance shutter 63 to open (S112).

Next, the control unit 100 starts moisture measurement by the single-grain measuring type grain measuring device 70 (S113), and then judges whether the amount of sampled grains in the storage unit 61 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (S114), and judges whether moisture measurement of a predetermined number of grains has been completed (S115). If the judgment results of steps S114 and S115 are both YES, the control unit 100 executes photography of the stored grains by the camera 69, calculates the average moisture content of a predetermined number of grains, and stores it as the latest data, and further links the still image data of the camera 69 to the moisture content data and stores it (S116). In addition, the control unit 100 averages the latest accumulated data to calculate the average moisture content of grains for the entire field and stores it (S117). Note that the data storage destination includes not only the memory unit on the machine but also the memory unit of the external server 117. In addition, the data that is linked and stored can include not only still image data and moisture content data from the camera 69, but also measurement position information (GNSS information) within the field.

Then, the control unit 100 opens and drives the bottom shutter 65 to return the grains in the storage unit 61 onto the oscillating sorting body 22 (S118), outputs the measurement result to the liquid crystal monitor 81, and notifies the completion of one measurement by the buzzer 114 (S119). The control unit 100 also determines whether the continuous measurement end condition is met (S120), and if the result of this determination is YES, sets the continuous measurement flag to "0" (S121), closes the entrance shutter 63 (S122), and then returns to the upper routine. The continuous measurement end condition is, for example, the completion of a predetermined number of continuous measurements (e.g., five times), a predetermined operator operation (e.g., operation of a manual switch that can start and end continuous measurements), a predetermined travel distance, detection of the end of reaping, etc., and the quality measurement in steps S108 to S119 is repeated until this condition is met.

On the other hand, if the control unit 100 determines in step S108 that the continuous measurement flag is "0", it determines whether it is time to have the quality measurement unit 50 perform a single grain quality measurement (S123). If the result of this determination is NO, it executes the opening drive process for the bottom shutter 65 (S102) and the closing drive process for the entrance shutter 63 (S103), and returns to the upper routine with the continuous measurement flag set to "0" (S104). However, if the result of the determination in step S123 is YES, it executes a single quality measurement in steps S124 to S135.

That is, the control unit 100 judges whether the bottom shutter 65 is closed (S124), and if the judgment result is NO, drives the bottom shutter 65 to close (S125), and judges whether the entrance shutter 63 is open (S126), and if the judgment result is NO, drives the entrance shutter 63 to open (S127). Next, the control unit 100 starts moisture measurement by the single-grain measurement type grain measuring device 70 (S128), and then judges whether the amount of sampled grains in the storage unit 61 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (S129), and judges whether the moisture measurement of a predetermined number of grains has been completed (S130). If the judgment results of steps S129 and S130 are both YES, the control unit 100 executes the photographing of the stored grains by the camera 69, calculates the average moisture content of a predetermined number of grains, and stores it as the latest data, and further associates the still image data of the camera 69 with the moisture content data and stores them (S131). The control unit 100 also averages the latest accumulated data to calculate and store the average grain moisture content for the entire field (S132).

Then, the control unit 100 drives the bottom shutter 65 to open and return the grains in the storage section 61 onto the oscillating sorting body 22 (S133), outputs the measurement result to the LCD monitor 81, and notifies the completion of one measurement with the buzzer 114 (S134), and then drives the entrance shutter 63 to close (S135), before returning to the upper routine.

[Effects of the embodiment]
According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the combine harvester 1 includes a harvesting unit 5 for harvesting culms, a threshing unit 7 for threshing and sorting grains from the harvested culms, a grain tank 10 for storing the sorted grains, a quality measuring unit 50 for measuring the quality of the sorted grains, and a control unit 100 for controlling the quality measuring unit 50. The control unit 100 causes the quality measuring unit 50 to measure the quality of the grains at a predetermined timing, thereby suppressing excessive quality measurement and extending the life of the quality measuring unit 50. In addition, the predetermined timing for performing the quality measurement is set based on the amount of work or working time of the combine harvester 1, thereby suppressing bias in the measurement position in the field and enabling the quality of the grains harvested throughout the field to be measured evenly.

The specified timing is set based on the grain harvest volume, which is the amount of work, so that excessive quality measurements can be suppressed and quality measurements can be performed at an appropriate timing. The number of required quality measurements can also be set based on when the grain tank 10 is full.

The specified timing may also be set based on the harvesting distance, which is the amount of work. Even in this case, excessive quality measurements can be suppressed and quality measurements can be performed at the appropriate timing.

The specified timing may also be set based on the elapsed harvesting time, which is the working time. Even in this case, it is possible to perform quality measurement at an appropriate timing while preventing excessive quality measurement.

The above-described embodiment can be modified, improved, etc., as appropriate. For example, a single measurement is a short-time measurement that is performed in a shorter time than a continuous measurement, and is not limited to a single measurement.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Combine 5 Harvesting section 7 Threshing section 10 Grain tank 22 Swinging sorting body 50 Quality measurement section 60 Storage measurement type grain measurement device 61 Storage section 62 Grain inlet 63 Inlet shutter 64 Grain outlet 65 Bottom shutter 66 Transparent member 67 Imaging chamber 68 Light emitting element 69 Camera 70 Single grain measurement type grain measurement device 71 Grain intake section 72 Measurement section 73 Discharge outlet 74 Sampling screw 75 Moisture meter 81 Liquid crystal monitor 100 Control section 106 Tank level sensor

Claims (5)

A reaping unit that harvests culms;
a threshing section for threshing and sorting grains from the harvested stalks;
a grain tank for storing the sorted grain;
a quality measuring unit that measures the quality of the sorted grains;
A combine harvester comprising: a control unit that controls the quality measuring unit,
The combine is further provided with a grain yield sensor for detecting the harvested grain yield,
The quality measuring unit is disposed in the grain flow path upstream of the grain tank,
The combine harvester is characterized in that the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit every time the grain amount detected by the grain harvest amount sensor increases by a predetermined amount . The grain harvest sensor is a tank level sensor arranged at a predetermined interval in the height direction to detect grains,
2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit every time an additional tank level sensor detects grains . The grain yield sensor is a weight sensor that detects the weight of the grain tank,
2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit every time the weight of the grain tank increases by a predetermined amount. The grain harvest sensor is a pile height detection sensor that detects the pile height of grains piled in the grain tank,
2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit every time the grain pile height in the grain tank increases by a predetermined height. the grain yield sensor is a grain flow rate sensor that detects a grain flow rate in a grain flow path leading to a grain tank;
2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a single grain quality measurement by the quality measuring unit every time a cumulative grain amount measured by the grain flow rate sensor increases by a predetermined amount.

Images