JPH0687684B2 - Combine automatic steering device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device for automatically moving a combine along the ordinance of a grain culm such as rice.

(Prior art) The conventional automatic steering control of combine harvester automatically brakes one crawler when the grain culm tracking sensor attached to the weeding rod of the cutting unit touches the root of the grain culm. By changing the course, the steering control is performed so that the weeding rods pass between the cutting ordinances of the grain stalks without being biased leftward or rightward (for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-50102).

(Problems to be solved by the invention) As described above, conventionally, each time the grain culm tracking sensor touches the grain culm, the crawler on either side is braked and the entire machine body of the combine turns, so the machine body is complicated during traveling. Not only is it unstable to swing to the left and right and the riding comfort is poor, but there is also the drawback that if the grain culm tracking sensor touches a stub or weed of the grain culm, the entire heavy body will make unnecessary turns.

The present invention is to improve such conventional drawbacks, and to improve the riding comfort and workability of the combine by stably following the ordinance of the grain stem without rocking the machine more than necessary. To aim.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention is that the conventional drawback occurs because the whole body of the combine machine including the reaper is unconditionally shaken to the left and right every time the grain stalk tracking sensor outputs a signal. Focusing on this, the reaping unit is connected to the combine undercarriage so that it can move to the left and right, and only the reaping unit needs to be moved for minute direction corrections. Thus, the steering device is configured to have two stages.

That is, in the present invention, the seat is fixed on the undercarriage of the combine having the left and right traveling device, the reaper is connected to the undercarriage so as to be movable in the left and right directions, and the reaper is based on the grain follower sensor provided in the reaper. Is provided with a mowing unit left and right moving device that moves the left and right with respect to the chassis, and further based on a mowing unit position detection sensor that detects the relative position of the mowing unit with respect to the chassis when the mowing unit moves a certain distance with respect to the chassis. A clutch mechanism that cuts off power transmission to one side is provided.

(Operation) Since the present invention has such a configuration, when the grain stalk follower sensor touches the root of the grain culm, the reaping unit left and right moving device operates, and first, only the reaping unit moves away from the grain stalk to the right with respect to the chassis. Or move to the left.

As a result, when the grain culm tracking sensor is separated from the grain culm, the reaping unit stops at the time of separation, but even if it moves a certain distance and does not separate from the grain culm, the cutting unit position detection sensor works,
The clutch mechanism operates to cut off the transmission of power from one of the left and right traveling devices.

As a result, for the first time, the chassis turns around the traveling device with the clutch stopped as a fulcrum, and the orbit of the combine is corrected so as to follow the ordinance of the grain stem.

(Example) Next, the Example of this invention shown in drawing is described.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a combine chassis, which has a pair of crawlers 2 of traveling devices on its left and right sides. 3 is a threshing unit equipped with a handling barrel and a chassis 1
It is mounted rotatably left and right via the base shaft 4. Reference numeral 5 denotes an arc-shaped rail centered on the base shaft 4, on which a pulley 6 provided on the bottom of the threshing unit 3 rolls.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a reaping unit, which is vertically movable with a horizontal shaft 8 installed on the front portion of the threshing unit 3 as a fulcrum. Reference numeral 9 is a hydraulic cylinder for raising and lowering the mowing unit 7, which is used for raising and lowering the mowing unit.

10 is a cutting blade, 11 is a weed cover, 12 is a weeding rod, 13 is a scraping chain, 14 is a grain culm transport chain, and the grain stalks cut by the cutting blade 10 are from the scraping chain 13 to the grain stalk. It is sent to the threshing unit 3 through the transport chain 14 and threshing. 15 is a sandwiching chain for supplying grain culms to the handling barrel.

The driver seat 16 is fixed to the chassis 1.

Then, the grain culm tracking sensor S is attached to the branch rod 12 on the opposite side of the seat 16.
The crescent-shaped actuator 17 is protruded from the grass cover 11 at its left and right ends.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a hydraulic cylinder for moving the cutting unit left and right, which is a return type, which is interposed between the chassis 1 and the threshing unit 3, and corresponds to a device for moving the cutting unit left and right. The oil inlet / outlet of the hydraulic cylinder 18 for lateral movement of the mowing section is connected to the hydraulic pump 20 via the electromagnetic directional switching valve 19, and the grain-stalk following sensor S is connected to the switching valve 19. twenty one
Is a hydraulic tank and 22 is a relief valve.

Reference numeral 23 is a spring center type directional control valve installed at a fixed position of the chassis 1, and a pair of left and right position detecting pins 25 as a cutting position detecting sensor are connected to the valve steering rod 24 respectively.
A protrusion 27 hanging from the bottom of the threshing section 3 is connected to the center of the left and right position detecting pins 25, 25. 28 is a tension spring, and one is tensioned between the chassis 1 and the lower end of the connecting rod 26, and the left and right valve operating rods 24 by the same spring force.
Is urged toward the center to return the direction switching valve 23 to the neutral position.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a transmission case connected to the bottom surface of the chassis 1 and internally equipped with a clutch mechanism for transmitting power to the drive wheels 30 of the left and right crawlers individually so that the left and right wheels can be freely inserted and removed. Reference numeral 31 is an operating rod for operating the clutch mechanism, and one end of the operating rod is provided with a seat rod 16 through a lever rod 32.
The wire 34 of the left and right operating levers 33 and a pair of hydraulic cylinders 35 for operating the clutch are connected to each other to form a hydraulic cylinder.
35 and 35 are connected to the hydraulic pump 20 via the direction switching valve 23.

When one of the actuators 17 of the grain culm tracking sensor S, for example, the tip on the left side touches the root of the grain culm and swivels around its central axis as a fulcrum while traveling through the combine and threshing,
One of the two contacts built in the sensor S closes and outputs a grain culm sensing signal. As a result, the directional control valve 19 is switched, the hydraulic cylinder 18 is extended, and the threshing section 3 and the reaping section 7 rotate in the direction in which the sensor S moves away from the culm, that is, to the right with the fulcrum 4 as the fulcrum (the virtual line in FIG. 2). ).

As a result, when the actuator 17 separates from the grain culm, the contact of the sensor S opens and the signal output is turned off. This stops the expansion of the hydraulic cylinder 18 and the combine moves the threshing section 3 and the reaping section 7 to the front and rear of the chassis 1. Go straight in a state of inclination.

In this way, the minute direction correction is performed by extending or contracting the hydraulic cylinder 18 for lateral movement of the mowing section to integrally swing the threshing section 3 and the mowing section 7 with the base shaft 4 as a fulcrum.

However, even if the cutting unit 7 is turned, the actuator of the sensor S
When the protrusion 17 of the threshing part 3 hits the right or left position detection pin 25 while the grain stick sensing signal continues to be output while 17 is not touching the grain stick, the connecting rod 26 is tilted against the tension spring 28. The directional control valve (23) is switched by pulling the valve operating rod (24). As a result, the clutch operating hydraulic cylinder 35 is driven to rotate the operating rod 31 via the lever rod 32 to operate the clutch mechanism and cut off the transmission of power to the drive wheels 30.

For this reason, the combine turns in the direction around the crawler 2 on the side where the power is cut off, and as a result, when the actuator 17 separates from the grain pit, the power is connected again and the combine driven by both the left and right crawlers goes straight.

Left and right steering levers 33 to change the direction of the aircraft manually
And pull the wire 34 to operate the clutch.

In both automatic steering and manual steering, not only the power transmission to the crawler 2 is cut off, but the turning radius of the machine can be reduced by further applying a brake to the crawler on the side where the clutch is disengaged.

The threshing unit 3 may be fixed to the chassis 1 and only the mowing unit 7 may be connected to the chassis 1 so as to be movable left and right, and the way of moving may be linearly reciprocated left and right.

Further, in the embodiment, the position detection pin 25 is used as a cutting unit position detection sensor, and the relative positional relationship between the protrusion 27 on the threshing unit side and the position detection pin 25 on the chassis side is detected to detect the relative positional relationship between the two. It goes without saying that an electric position detecting means such as a potentiometer or a photoelectric element may be used as the part position detecting sensor.

(Effect of the invention) In short, in the present invention, when the grain stalk follower sensor touches the grain stalk, first the reaping unit 7 is moved to the right or left, and even if there is a possibility that the weeding rod may hit the grain stalk and step it down. , For the first time, the power transmission of one of the left and right traveling devices is cut off to turn the entire body, so when the grain culm tracking sensor touches a foreign object such as a stump, only the reaper 7 will escape and the aircraft will go straight. Not only does the vehicle not turn, but the riding comfort is improved, and the conventional zigzag progression is improved, and the operation track of the combine is smoothed, so that the fuel efficiency is also improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a combine embodying the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially omitted plan view for explaining the operation thereof, and FIG.
The figure is a mechanical view showing an enlarged main part thereof. 1 is a chassis, 3 is a threshing unit, 7 is a mowing unit, S is a grain culm tracking sensor, 4 is a base shaft, and 18 is a hydraulic cylinder for lateral movement of the mowing unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A seat is fixed on the undercarriage of a combine having a left and right traveling device, a reaper is movably connected to the undercarriage in the left-right direction, and the reaper is provided based on a grain follower sensor provided in the reaper. Is provided with a mowing unit left and right moving device that moves the mowing unit to the left and right with respect to the chassis, and further based on a mowing unit position detection sensor that detects the relative position of the mowing unit to the chassis when the mowing unit moves a certain distance with respect to the chassis. An automatic steering apparatus for a combine, comprising a clutch mechanism for cutting off power transmission to one side.