JPH0522014Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a ridge following traveling device for a tractor.

(Conventional technology) When performing management work such as cultivating and pest control, conventionally, a cultivating machine, a pest control machine, and other working machines are attached to a tractor, and the operator manipulates the tractor's steering handle to damage crops in the ridges. I drove the tractor along the ridge to make sure there was no damage.

(Problem that the invention aims to solve) Therefore, in the past, the operator's eyes checked to see if the tractor was traveling along a ridge, and if the operator determined that the ridge was curving, he operated the steering wheel. Although the direction is corrected, it is difficult for the operator to concentrate on handling continuously, and the response of the tossa is poor and it is difficult to respond.
Furthermore, because human judgment is not always accurate, tractors often drive off the ridges, damaging crops in the ridges.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been developed to allow the tractor to follow the crop rows and perform stable work during management work such as culticulture and pest control, regardless of the meandering of ridges or the horizontal flow of the tractor on sloped land. The purpose is to

(Means for Solving the Problem) The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem is to provide a front and a rear part of the tractor body 1 with a ridge 22 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ridge 22. A front position sensor 21 and a rear position sensor 24 are provided to detect the relative position of the front position sensor 21 and the rear position sensor 24.
The steering device 26 is controlled so that the detection position of the rear position sensor 24 is constant, and the steering device 26 is controlled so that the detection position of the rear position sensor 24 is constant.
The point is that a control device 29 is provided to control the.

(Function) When performing management work such as cultivating and pest control, the front position sensor 21 and the rear position sensor 24 detect the relative positions of the tractor body 1 in the orthogonal direction to the front and rear ridges 22, and perform these detections. The steering device 26 is controlled so that the position remains constant, so that the tractor reliably and automatically travels along the ridge 22 without any steering operation by the operator.

(Example) The present invention will be described below according to an illustrated example. In FIG. 1, 1 is a tractor body, 2 is a front wheel, 3 is a rear wheel, and 4 is a hydraulic steering device having a steering handle. .

Reference numeral 5 denotes a weight mounting base, which is protruded forward from the front end of the tractor body 1. Reference numeral 6 denotes a towing hit, which is provided to protrude rearward from the rear end of the tractor body 1. Reference numeral 7 denotes a cultivating work machine attached to the tractor body 1, which is connected to the tractor body 1 via the towing hitch 6.
It is removably attached to the rear of the

Reference numeral 11 denotes a front stay provided at the front end of the tractor body 1, which is formed in a U-shape with a pair of left and right side plates 12 and 13, and is fastened to the weight mounting base 5 with bolts 14 or the like. Reference numeral 15 denotes a rear stay provided at the rear end of the tractor body 1, which is formed in a U-shape with a pair of left and right side plates 16 and 17, and is fastened to the towing hitch 6 with bolts 18 or the like. This rear stay 15 is located at a rear position corresponding to the front stay 11, and has side plate portions 12, 13 of the front stay 11 and side plate portions 16, 1 of the rear stay 15.
7, the left and right positions on the tractor body 1 are the same, respectively.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a front position sensor provided at the front of the tractor body 1, and is attached to the inner surface of the side plate portion 12 of the front stay 11. This front position sensor 21 has a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and as shown in FIG. The position sensor 21 receives the reflected light that is reflected off the crops and returns, and the position sensor 21 detects the reflected light depending on the angle of incidence of the reflected light on the light receiving part.
The sensor is configured to sense the distance from to the crop, and as a result, detect the relative position of the front part of the tractor body 1 with respect to the ridge 22 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ridge 22, and output this detected position as a voltage signal. .

Reference numeral 24 denotes a rear position sensor provided at the rear of the tractor body 1, and is attached to the inner surface of the side plate portion 16 of the rear stay 15. This rear position sensor 24 has a light emitting part and a light receiving part similarly to the front position sensor 21, and detects the relative position of the rear part of the tractor body 1 with respect to the ridge 22 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the ridge 22,
It is configured to output this detected position as a voltage signal.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the control system, in which 26 is a hydraulic steering device in the tractor body 1, the steering handle 4 and the hydraulic circuit 27.
and an electromagnetic valve 28, and the rod of the cylinder of the hydraulic circuit 27 moves forward and backward by the operation of the electromagnetic valve 28, and the front wheel 2 is rotated in the left and right direction in accordance with the movement of the rod. ing. 2
Reference numeral 9 denotes a control device which inputs the output signals of the position sensors 21 and 24 and controls the steering device 26 so that the detected position of the front position sensor 21 is constant, and the detected position of the rear position sensor 24 is constant. The steering device 26 is controlled so that the That is, as shown in FIG.
The electromagnetic valve 28 is operated so that the width l ₁ in the left-right direction between the rear stay 15 and the side plate 1 is 1/2 (L=2l ₁ ) of the width L between the side plates 12 and 13.
If the width of the separation in the left-right direction between the crop 23 located between 6 and 17 and one side plate portion 16 is l ₂ , this separation width l ₂
The electromagnetic valve 28 is operated so that the separation width l ₁ and the separation width l 1 become equal (l ₁ =l ₂ ). However, if both conditions are not satisfied, priority is given to the condition L=2l ₁ and then the electromagnetic valve 28 is operated so that l ₁ =l ₂ .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the cultivating machine 7 is attached to the tractor body 1, but instead of this, a pest control machine or a working machine for harvesting potatoes, beans, etc. may be attached. Further, in the embodiment, the position sensors 21 and 24 detect the ridge 22 from the reflected light from the crops.
Although the position of the tractor body 1 is detected relative to the ridge 22, instead of this, light may be emitted to the top of the ridge 22 and the position of the tractor body 1 may be detected from the reflected light. Further, in the above embodiment, photo sensors that detect the position using light are used as the position sensors 21 and 24, but it is also possible to use a sensor that detects the position using sound waves or the like.

(Effects of the invention) According to the invention, even in management work such as cultivating and pest control, and harvesting work of potatoes, beans, etc., it is possible to automatically eliminate sideways slippage of the tractor body 1 due to meandering or inclination of the ridges during planting. The tractor can run along the ridges, thereby preventing damage to the crops 23 in the ridges 22, and the work can be carried out with peace of mind. In addition, the yield is ensured by not damaging the plant, and its practical effects are significant.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a front sectional view of the same ridge, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control system. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Tractor body, 21... Front position sensor, 22... Ridge, 24... Rear position sensor, 29
……Control device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] At the front and rear parts of the tractor body 1, the tractor body 1 is attached to the ridge 22 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the ridge 22.
A front position sensor 21 and a rear position sensor 24 are provided to detect the relative position of the steering device 2 so that the detected position of the front position sensor 21 is constant.
6, and a control device 29 for controlling a steering device 26 so that the detection position of a rear position sensor 24 is constant.