JPH0574321B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is configured to operate a steering operation mechanism via an electric actuator, and also controls the operation of the electric actuator to perform steering control of a vehicle body. The present invention relates to an automatic steering control device equipped with a control means for controlling the vehicle.

[Conventional technology]

In general, an automatic steering control device configured as described above has a steering operation mechanism configured in, for example, a hydraulic operation structure or an electric operation structure, and in the hydraulic operation structure, a control valve or the like is operated by an electric actuator.
In addition, in the electric operation structure, steering control is performed by operating a changeover switch etc. with an electric actuator, and the electric actuator is controlled to operate according to a feedback signal or a predetermined setting (for example, 56-104307).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the above-mentioned conventional structure, for example, if we consider a case where a vehicle under automatic control is stopped in the middle of driving and the automatic steering control state is canceled, the vehicle will stop while automatic control is being performed. The electric actuator may stop during operation.

This means that valves and the like are held at specific operating positions in hydraulically operated structures, and changeover switches and the like are held in specific operating positions in electrically operated structures.

Therefore, when a stopped vehicle is started again, the operating state of the electric actuator is maintained as it was at the time the automatic control was interrupted, and there is a risk that the vehicle will make a sharp turn, so there is room for improvement.

An object of the present invention is to configure a steering control system through reasonable modification so that the vehicle always moves straight when restarting the vehicle after automatic steering control has been interrupted.

[Means to solve the problem]

A feature of the present invention is that in the automatic steering control device having the above configuration, the control means is configured to control the vehicle to reach a predetermined target running state based on the detection result of the running state detection means for detecting the running state of the vehicle body. The electric actuator is configured to be switchable between an automatic steering control state in which the electric actuator is automatically controlled and a state in which the automatic steering control state is canceled, and for switching the control means from the automatic steering control state to the canceling state. When the signal is applied, the control means is configured to drive the electric actuator so that the vehicle body travels in a straight-ahead state, and then switch to the release state, and the operation thereof is as follows:
And the effects are as follows.

[Effect]

While the vehicle is running in the automatic steering control state, when the control means is given a signal for switching from the automatic control state to the control release state due to the vehicle stopping, etc., the control means always controls the vehicle body. Since the electric actuator is driven so that the traveling direction is in a straight-line state, even if the automatic steering control operation is stopped midway and the vehicle body is in the middle of a turn, the vehicle body will continue to travel straight when restarting. I will do it.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Therefore, after automatic steering control operation is interrupted,
When restarting the vehicle, the vehicle is always restored to its straight-line state, which eliminates the problems caused by sharp turns when the vehicle starts, improving driving safety.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 5, a threshing device 3 is mounted on a vehicle body 2 provided with a pair of left and right crawler traveling devices 1, 1, and a reaping pretreatment section 4 is connected to the front end of the vehicle body 2 to constitute a combine harvester.

As shown in the figure, a driver's seat 5 is provided at the front right side of the vehicle body 2, and a steering handle 6 is provided in front of the driver's seat 5. Manual steering control that changes the steering direction by dynamic operation, and
The automatic steering control is configured to allow harvesting work to be carried out in a state in which the harvesting machine draws a substantially rectangular travel trajectory, a so-called circular cutting state.

The crawler traveling device 1 is composed of a drive sprocket 1a, a large number of idle wheels 1b..., and a crawler belt 1c wound around these, and power is applied to the left and right drive sprockets 1a, 1a through a transmission case 7. Reportedly.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission case 7 includes a gear transmission mechanism (not shown), clutches C, C, which connect and disconnect power transmitted from the transmission gear mechanism to left and right drive sprockets 1a, 1a, and left and right drive sprockets 1a, 1a. Brakes B, B for stopping the operation of the drive sprockets 1a, 1a are installed internally, and these clutches C, C and brakes B, B are operated by a pair of left and right steering arms 8, 8 provided on the front surface of the transmission case 7. Be manipulated.

In addition, the left and right steering arms 8, 8 are each operated to the position (C _OFF ), thereby disengaging the clutch C.
Further, the brake B is controlled by being operated to the position (B _ON ), and the left and right steering arms 8, 8 are operated by the operation of hydraulic pistons 9, and the hydraulic pistons 9, 9 are controlled by a control valve 10.

As shown in the figure, the control valve 10 has a swing-operated type that controls the hydraulic pressure supplied to the hydraulic pistons 9, 9 in order to operate the steering arms 8, 8 to predetermined positions, respectively. An operating arm 11 is provided, and a linkage mechanism L is provided between the operating arm 11 and the steering handle 6. Note that the control valve 10 is referred to as a steering operation mechanism.

The link linkage mechanism L includes two rods 12,1
3, a bell crank 14, and a swing arm 15 provided at the base end of a steering handle 6, and is configured so that manual steering control can be performed using the steering handle 6.

As shown in the figure, an electric motor 1 is installed near the swing arm 15 as an example of an electric actuator.
At the same time, a balance arm 17 is provided on the output shaft 16a of the electric motor 16, and two springs 18, 18 are provided in a balanced state between the scale arm 17 and the swing arm 15. It is being

The electric motor 16 is provided for automatic steering control, and is operated by a signal from a control device 19 that includes a microprocessor (not shown) as an example of a control means.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the automatic steering control system includes a first sensor S ₁ for detecting planted grain culm rows, a second sensor S ₂ for detecting the turning angle of the vehicle body 2, and a reaping preprocessing section 4.
A stock sensor S ₃ detects whether grain culm is being supplied by contacting the stock base of the grain culm to be supplied to the plant, and the electric motor 16 is in the neutral position, the left or right clutch C is in the disengaged position, or the left or right clutch C is in the disengaged position. a steering position sensor S ₄ that detects which of the five operating positions of the brake B is set, the control device 19 to which signals from these sensors are input, and signals from the control device 19; is input, and a motor drive circuit 20 that rotates the electric motor 16 in forward and reverse directions;
It is composed of the electric motor 16.

Furthermore, the automatic steering system is supplied with power supply current via the main switch SwM, and can be operated by turning on the first switch Sw1 to start automatic steering, and can also be operated between automatic steering and manual steering. It is activated by turning on the second switch Sw2 to switch between the two directions.

Therefore, the control device 19 controls each of the switches.
In either SwM, Sw1, Sw2
The OFF operation stops the automatic steering operation and the control is released.

The first sensor S ₁ is provided at the rear of one of the many weeding tools 4a provided in the pre-reaping treatment section 4, and the first sensor S ₁ is caused to move backward by coming into contact with the grain culm K. It consists of a pair of moving left and right rods Sa and Sa. Further, the second sensor S ₂ is configured to detect the geomagnetic field so as to detect the direction of the vehicle body 2 when changing the running direction by approximately 90 degrees, and the steering position sensor S ₄ is configured to detect the direction of the vehicle body 2 by approximately 90 degrees. Contact 2 directly connected to
1. Contact pieces Swl ₁ , Swr ₁ that detect when the electric motor 16 is activated to the left and right clutch disengaged positions, respectively;
Contact pieces Swl ₂ , Swr ₂ that detect when the electric motor 16 is activated to the left and right brake operating positions, respectively;
A contact piece that is in a non-conducting state with the contact 21 only when the electric motor 16 is in the neutral position (vehicle body straight ahead position)
Consists of SwR and SwL, each contact piece is contact 21
By touching, the high potential state Hi to the low potential state Lo
The switch is set to .

The first sensor S ₁ , the second sensor S ₂ and the stock sensor S ₃ constitute a driving state detecting means for detecting the driving state of the vehicle body 2, respectively.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the steering handle 6 is configured so that it can be engaged with and detached from the swing arm 15 using a pin 6a and a through hole 15a, and automatic steering control is performed only in the disengaged state. The second switch Sw2 is provided to detect the engagement and disengagement.

The automatic steering control is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, and if the harvesting operation is interrupted during this control, the running direction of the vehicle body 2 will be directed straight ahead. There is.

In other words, main switch SwM, first switch
When both Sw1 are turned on, the relay switch 22, which is provided in parallel with the main switch SwM, is turned on, as shown in Fig. 1, and the second switch SwM is turned on.
When switch Sw2 is turned on, automatic steering control is started (#1 step).

Next, based on the signal from the first sensor _S1 , a steering direction correction control is performed to make the vehicle body 2 follow the planted grain culm, and this correction control is performed by disengaging only the left and right clutches C, C. The signal from the steering position sensor _S4 is fed back (#2
step).

Next, when both the first sensor S ₁ and the stock sensor S ₂ do not detect the grain culm and the vehicle body 2 reaches a predetermined turning position, turning control is performed, and this turning control is performed by the left and right brakes B, B. The signal from the steering position sensor _S4 is fed back (step #3).

Here, the automatic steering control includes both correction control (#2 step) for following the planted grain culm rows and turning control (#3 step).

Then, when the first switch Sw1 is turned off while the control is being performed as described above, the two contact pieces SwR and SwL of the steering position sensor _S4
After the electric motor 16 is controlled to a position where each potential becomes a low potential state (neutral position), the operation of the control device 19 is stopped, and the main switch SwM
When the electric motor 16 is turned off, the electric motor 16 is controlled to the neutral position in the same way as described above, and then the relay switch 22 is turned off and the control is stopped (steps #4 and #5).

[Another example]

In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention includes, for example, FIG.
Rod 12 linked to the steering operation system as shown in B
is connected to an arm 26 extending from the support shaft 25, and the support shaft 25 and the steering handle 6 are connected via a shaft 27 perpendicular to the axis of the support shaft 25, and integrated with the steering handle 6. The plate 28, which is formed in the same manner as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to form a slit 28s that engages with the pin 16p on the electric motor 16 side, so that the automatic steering system and the steering handle 6 can be switched between a linked state and a non-linked state.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the automatic steering control device according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the steering handle, and FIG. 3 is a steering wheel. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a structure for engaging and disengaging the facing handle; FIG. 4 is a view showing a structure for detecting the operating position of the electric motor; FIG. 5 is a side view of the front part of the combine;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are a front view and a side view showing another embodiment of the steering handle. 2...Vehicle body, 10...Steering operation mechanism, 16...
Electric actuator, 19... control means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. The steering operation mechanism 10 is configured to be operated via the electric actuator 16, and the vehicle body 2
The electric actuator 1
The automatic steering control device is equipped with a control means 19 for controlling the operation of the vehicle body 2, and the control means 19 is configured to perform a predetermined operation based on a detection result of a running state detection means for detecting the running state of the vehicle body 2. the electric actuator 16 is configured to be able to switch freely between an automatic steering control state in which the electric actuator 16 is automatically controlled to achieve a target driving state, and a state in which the automatic steering control state is canceled; When a signal for switching from the control state to the release state is given, the control means 19 controls the electric actuator 1 so that the traveling direction of the vehicle body 2 is in the straight-ahead state.
6, the automatic steering control device is configured to switch to the release state after driving the vehicle.