JPH09207808A - Steering device for autonomous vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] Left and right induction sensors 21 are provided with an induction cable 19
In a crawler-type traveling vehicle that automatically detects and detects the situation, even if the side clutch wire that pulls the side clutch arm stretches, it is automatically corrected to enable smooth turning. SOLUTION: A pair of sides is provided between a drive arm 33 driven by left and right drive motors 31 provided in an automatic steering device D and a left and right side clutch arms 25 for respectively operating left and right side clutches and side brakes. The clutch wires 26 are connected, and the rotation angles of the left and right drive arms are detected by the left and right first angle sensors 41,
The rotation angles of the left and right side clutch arms are detected by the left and right second angle sensors 47, and the side clutch “disengaged” position and the side brake operation start position are detected by the second angle sensor. The strong operating position is configured to be detected by the first angle sensor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic adjusting device for operating arms of a side clutch and a side brake at the time of turning in a vehicle capable of automatic traveling while performing work such as spraying chemicals in a field.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique has been known in which an automatic traveling device is used to travel along an induction cable so as to allow unmanned spraying work. For example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-5-119833 and JP-A-7-87874. Traveling vehicles in these technologies have induction sensors arranged on both sides of the front of the fuselage, and an induction cable is laid in advance on the route of the orchard, and an alternating current is passed through the induction cable. The inductive sensor detects the magnetic field strength of the, the inductive sensor is connected to the control circuit, the deviation from the inductive cable is calculated from the output values from the left and right inductive sensors, The steering circuit was controlled by the control circuit so that the vehicle could travel above the guide cable.
The conventional automatic vehicle is a wheel type, and the front and rear wheels are rotated in the left and right directions using steering cylinders, and the front and rear steering cylinders are hydraulic cylinders and the like. Is switched to feed the pressure oil to rotate the front wheels and the rear wheels in the direction in which the user wants to turn.

[0003]

However, since the orchards are often provided on the slopes along the mountains and have many irregularities, the wheel-type traveling device does not have sufficient crossing power, and the wheels can stack or skid. There was an occasion. Therefore, if it is configured to travel by a crawler type traveling device, it becomes possible to operate by operating the side clutch and the side brake, and one driving wheel is stopped and the other is driven so that the vehicle turns. However, if the arm that operates the side clutch in the mission case is connected to the actuator via a wire during automatic driving, the wire stretches and the stroke changes, and the side clutch is accurately disengaged or the side brake is operated. There were things I couldn't do. Also, if you loosen the wire in the middle or install a spring to urge the side brake, this spring will also expand over time, and you cannot operate the side clutch or side brake accurately. There were cases.

[0004]

The present invention uses the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, it is a crawler type traveling vehicle in which the left and right inductive sensors provided in the airframe detect the inductive cable, and the automatic steering device operates so as to follow the inductive cable. The drive arm driven by the actuator of (1) and the left and right side clutch arms that actuate the left and right side clutches and side brakes are connected by a pair of side clutch wires, and the rotation angle of the left and right drive arms is controlled. The left and right first angle sensors detect the left and right side clutch arm rotation angles by the left and right second angle sensors, and the side clutch "disengaged" position and the braking start position are detected by the second angle sensor. However, the operating position of the side brake strength is configured to be detected by the first angle sensor.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment in which a steering device of the present invention is arranged will be described with respect to an automatic vehicle equipped with a rocking sprayer. 1 is an overall side view of an automated vehicle equipped with a rocking sprayer, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a steering device, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a stroke adjusting mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a control block diagram.

First, an automatic vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A crawler traveling device A formed by winding crawlers 10L and 10R is disposed on the left and right below the chassis 9. A driver's seat B is formed on the front part of the chassis 9, a driver's seat 11 is arranged in the left-right center of the rear part of the driver's seat B, and an automatic steering device D, which will be described later, is arranged below it. A chemical liquid tank 13 is mounted on the chassis 9 at the rear of the driver's seat 11, and an engine E for driving and driving the power sprayer, a mission case M, and a power sprayer 2 are mounted on the rear of the chassis 9, and these are covered. 1
It is covered with 4. On the rearmost part of the chassis 9, a plurality of nozzles 1, 1 ,.
.. is arranged in an oscillating spraying device 17 that is arranged in an arc shape,
The swing spraying device 17 is configured to swing back and forth and left and right simultaneously.

As shown in FIG. 5, the oscillating spraying device 17 comprises a combination of several nozzles 1.1.1 and 1 in the left, middle,
Switching valves 27, 28, and 29 are connected to the right and left sets, respectively, and the switching valves 27, 28, and 29 are provided with switching drive motors 27a, 28a, and 29a. 28a and 29a are connected to the control circuit C, and depending on the presence or absence of a crop in the traveling direction of the aircraft,
The changeover valves 27, 28 and 29 are selected and changed over so that the spray direction can be changed. Further, the switching drive motors 27a, 28a, 29a can be opened and closed by operating the spraying switches 24L, 24M, 24R described later.

The changeover valves 27, 28, 29 are connected to an original cock 23 provided on the side of the driver's seat 11 of the operating section B, which will be described later, and between the changeover valves 27, 28, 29 and the original cock 23. Is equipped with a pressure sensor 44 and detects whether or not a chemical solution is being sent (chemical solution is exhausted).
Is equipped with a position sensor 43 that detects the open / closed position,
The position sensor 23 and the pressure sensor 44 are control circuits C
Is connected to Further, the pressure regulating valve 56 is arranged on the main cock 23 and is connected to the discharge side of the power sprayer 2 and the return pipe 48. When the main cock 23 is closed, the medicine discharged from the power sprayer 2 is returned to the medicine tank 13. There is. The power sprayer 2 is driven by the engine E, and an electromagnetic clutch 45 is arranged between the output shaft of the engine E and the input shaft of the power sprayer 2.
Reference numeral 5 is connected to a control circuit C so that power transmission to the power sprayer 2 can be remotely controlled or turned on / off at a set position.

When the chemical liquid runs out during the spraying work, the spray pressure decreases and the pressure sensor 44 is turned off. An alarm device 59 connected to the control circuit C issues an alarm to activate the electromagnetic clutch 45. Then, the power transmission is stopped and the power sprayer 2 is stopped. Alternatively, the engine E is stopped. In addition, when the original cock 23 is closed to interrupt the work while the power sprayer 2 is being driven, the state becomes the same as the state in which the chemical liquid is cut off, and the power sprayer 2 is stopped or the engine E is stopped. Because it will be
The drug solution in the drug tank 13 is not agitated and may solidify depending on the type of drug. Therefore, when the original cock 23 is closed in the presence of the chemical liquid, the output from the position sensor 43 is input to the control circuit C so that the power sprayer 2 does not stop or the engine E does not stop, and the original cock 23 opens. The pressure sensor 44 detects the presence / absence of the chemical liquid only when the pressure sensor is on.

A roof 20 covers the upper part of the operating part B, and an operating column 12 is provided upright on the front part of the operating part B, and the side clutch levers 3L and 3R and the parking brake are mounted on the operating column 12. The lever 4 is arranged. A side column 15 is provided on the left side of the driver's seat 11, and a main shift lever 5 and an auxiliary shift lever 6 are provided on the side column 15.
And a dynamic injection clutch lever 7 that operates the power sprayer 2.
The pressure gauge 22, the source cock 23 for opening and closing the rocking spray device 17, and the spray switches 24L, 24M, 24R are arranged, and the spray switches 24L, 24M, 24R are connected to the control circuit C.

Induction sensors 21L and 21R are arranged on both sides of the rear portion of the driver's seat 11. The inductive sensors 21L and 21R are composed of Hall elements, Hall ICs, magnetic resistance elements, magnetic sensors such as magnetic transistors, or pickup coils. The inductive sensor 21L
The attachment position of 21R is forward of the turning center position and rearward of the front end of the crawler 10 in a side view. Further, they are arranged at positions substantially equidistant in the left-right direction from the center line of the machine body in a plan view, and are arranged substantially in the center of the entire height of the machine body in the vertical direction. In this way, the induction sensors 21L and 21R
By arranging and controlling so that the distance from the guidance cable 19 laid on the traveling route to the guidance sensors 21L and 21R is substantially equal, the guidance cable 19 can be attached to the guidance cable 19 without the aircraft greatly separating from the guidance cable 19. You can drive along.

As shown in FIG. 4 (right side only), arms 8L and 8L are provided at the bases of the side clutch levers 3L and 3R.
R is fixed, one end of the side clutch wires 26L and 26R is connected to the arms 8L and 8R, and the other end of the side clutch wires 26L and 26R is connected to the side clutch arms 25L and 25R provided in the mission case M. The springs 67L and 67R are provided in the middle of the side clutch wires 26L and 26R. The rotation shafts of the side clutch arms 25L and 25R are linked to the side clutch and the side brake, and the rotation amount of the side clutch arms 25L and 25R is detected by the second angle sensors 47L and 47R, and the second angle sensor 47L. 47R is composed of a potentiometer, a rotary encoder, etc., and is connected to the control circuit C.

The side clutch is arranged in the transmission case M while transmitting power from the engine E after shifting to the left and right axles 46L and 46R to rotate the side clutch levers 3L and 3R. Thus, the side clutch is disengaged by one rotation, and the side brake provided between the axle and the transmission case is operated by the second rotation after further rotation. Therefore, if the side clutch lever 3L or 3R is manually rotated by one step, the transmission of power on the rotated side in the transmission case M is interrupted to allow a gentle turn, and the side clutch lever 3L or 3R is further rotated. At the stage, the axle is braked so that a sharp turn can be made.

The side clutch wire 26
An automatic steering device D is provided below the driver's seat 11 in the middle of the L / 26R.
Is arranged. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the configuration of the automatic steering device D is such that the mounting plate 30 is mounted on the chassis 9
And the steering driving bodies on the left and right sides are arranged symmetrically in the vertical direction of the mounting plate 30.
In this embodiment, the right side link mechanism, the side clutch wire 26R, the drive motor 31L as an actuator on the left side, and the first angle sensor 41L are arranged on the upper side, and the left side link mechanism and the side clutch on the lower side. The wire 26L, the drive motor 31R on the right side, and the first angle sensor 41R are arranged. The drive motors 31L and 31R and the first angle sensors 41L and 41R are connected to the control circuit C. However, the actuator is not limited to the drive motor, and may be configured by an electric cylinder, a solenoid, or the like.

Since the left and right steering driving bodies and the link mechanism have the same structure, the right side will be described.
A drive motor 31R is fixedly installed on the lower surface on the left side of the mounting plate 30, the power from the drive shaft of the drive motor 31R is reduced by a reduction gear box, and the output shaft 32R penetrates through the mounting plate 30 and is projected upward. A drive arm 33R is fixedly mounted on the output shaft 32R. The drive arm 3
One end of the connecting link 34R is pivotally connected to the tip of the 3R by a pivot shaft 60, and the other end of the connecting link 34R is extended rearward and is pivotally connected by a pivot shaft 61 provided at the tip of the swing link 35R. . The other end of the swing link 35R extends rightward and is pivotally supported by a fulcrum shaft 36R provided on the mounting plate 30.

The receiving body 3 is provided on the middle of the swing link 35R.
7R and arm 39R are fixedly provided, the receiving body 37R is provided with a notch 37Ra downward from the upper center thereof, the side clutch wire 26R is inserted into the notch 37Ra, and a retainer is detachably provided above the notch 37Ra. The side clutch wire 26R does not come off. The arm 39R has one end fixed to the middle of the swing link 35R and the other end projecting forward to abut on the lower surface of the tip end of the contact pin 39R.
a is projected downward. The side clutch wire 26R is stretched in the front-rear direction on the left and right center of the mounting plate 30, and the wire receiver 6R is mounted on the rear center of the mounting plate 30.
It is slidably supported by 3.

On the other hand, the first angle sensor 41R is fixed to the lower surface of the mounting plate 30 in front of the fulcrum shaft 36R, the sensor shaft 41Ra of the first angle sensor 41R is projected above the mounting plate 30, and the sensor shaft 41Ra.
A sensor arm 40R is fixedly mounted on the sensor arm 40R, and the contact pin 39Ra is in contact with the sensor arm 40R.
The first angle sensors 41L and 41R are composed of potentiometers, rotary encoders, etc.
The sensor arm 40R is rotated by the rotation of 9R,
The drive motor 31 detects the rotation angle.
It is fed back to the drive of R. Further, on the side clutch wire 26R, a stopper 42 is fixedly provided on the side clutch lever 3R side with respect to the receiving body 37R.

In the manual mode with such a configuration,
The operator can sit on the driver's seat 11 and operate the side clutch levers 3L and 3R to turn. For example, when it is desired to turn to the right, the side clutch lever 3R is pulled and turned (FIG. 4), and when the side clutch is turned to loosely turn, the side clutch is turned to a turning angle α1,
The side clutch wire 26R is pulled forward,
The side clutch arm 25R is rotated by an angle α3 at which the clutch is “disengaged”, the power transmission of the right axle 46R is cut off, and the axle 46R is not driven, so that the vehicle can make a gentle right turn. Further, when the pulling side clutch lever 3R is rotated by the angle β1, the side clutch arm 25R is rotated by the angle β3 at which the side brake is operated, and a slightly sharp turn is possible. At this time, the axle 46R on the side brake
If the side brake lever 3R is pulled weak enough to slip with the load from the side clutch and the side brake is weakened, when the side clutch lever 3R is further rotated to the angle γ1,
The spring 67 extends to increase the urging force, and the side clutch arm 25R is hardly rotated. However, as side brake strength, the axle 46R is locked and the rotation is completely stopped.
A sharp turn is possible. The stopper 42 can move regardless of the steering device D.

Next, when the automatic mode is set and the vehicle automatically travels, if the aircraft deviates to the left of the set range from the guide cable 19, the control circuit C calculates the detection values from the guide sensors 21L and 21R and The time for driving the drive motor 31R to turn right and the amount of rotation are calculated according to the amount of deviation. And this drive motor 3
When 1R is rotated, drive arm 33R and connection link 3
4R, the swing link 35R is rotated to move the receiver 37R forward, the receiver 37R abuts the stopper 42, and pulls the side clutch wire 26R forward.
The side clutch arm 25R pivotally connected to the rear end of the side clutch wire 26R is rotated via the spring 67.

Specifically, when the amount of deviation from the guide cable 19 is small, the output of the first angle sensor 41R that disengages the drive motor 31R from the clutch is the angle α.
Driven to the 2 (corresponding to α1) position, the side clutch arm 25R is also rotated by the corresponding angle α3,
The side clutch is disengaged and the power transmission of the right axle 46R is cut off, the axle 46R is not driven and the vehicle can turn to the right slowly. If the amount of deviation from the induction cable 19 is large,
Further, the driving motor 31R is driven to rotate the side clutch wire 26R to the position where the output of the first angle sensor 41R becomes the angle β2 so that the side brake is weakly operated. A slightly sharp turn is possible. Then, in the case of further deviation, the drive motor 31R is driven to change the angle γ1.
The side brake can be strongly operated by rotating the side brake to an angle γ2 corresponding to. The turning to the left side is performed in the same manner.

In the case of the automatic running described above, the side clutch wire 26, the spring 67, etc. are not stretched due to secular change, and the control is performed when the backlash is small. However, as the years of use increase, the side clutch wire 2
6, the spring 67, etc. are stretched, and the play is somewhat increased, so that just by pulling the side clutch wire 26 as in the case of purchasing the machine, it may not be possible to turn with sufficient performance. In other words, in the case of manual steering, the operator rotates the side clutch levers 3L and 3R, so that if the amount of rotation is insufficient, it is easy to make a further rotation to make a correction. However, in the case of automatic control, since the rotation angle is set and the rotation is performed, only the angle is rotated, and the rotation amount may not be sufficient, which prevents normal rotation. It will be.

For example, in FIG. 4, even if the drive motor 31R is driven so that the vehicle body shifts and makes a slow turn, and the output of the first angle sensor 41R is rotated to the angle α2, secular change, etc. As a result of the side clutch wire 26R or the spring 67 extending, the side clutch arm 25R rotates only by α3 ′ (α3> α3 ′), and the side clutch does not disengage and goes straight. Therefore, according to the present invention, the side clutch "disengaged" is detected in the automatic mode by detecting the rotation angles of the side clutch arms 25L and 25R by the second angle sensors 47L and 47R, respectively. The angle .alpha.3 "and the angle .beta.3 that is the side brake braking start position are fed back and corrected, and the drive motors 31L and 31R are driven.

Therefore, when the side clutch arm 25R is rotated by only α3 'when the turning angle of the side clutch arm 25R is detected by the second angle sensor 47R when controlling to make a gentle turn, the side clutch arm 25R is rotated. The drive motor 31R is controlled to be further driven until the rotation angle of 25R becomes α3. First angle sensor 41R at this time
Output becomes α2 ″. The same applies in the case of a sharp turn, and when the rotation angle of the side clutch arm 25R is detected only by β3 ′ when detected by the second angle sensor 47R, braking is performed. Side clutch arm 2 at the starting angle
The drive motor 31R is driven so that the rotation angle of 5R becomes β3, and the output of the first angle sensor 41R at this time becomes β ″, and the side brake becomes weak. Since the rotation angle of 25R is almost the same as the rotation angle of the side brake weak,
When activating the side brake strength, the detection value of the second angle sensor 47R is not adopted, the drive motor 31R is driven, and the rotation angle is corrected by the first angle sensor 41R by the correction amount of the angles α2 and β2. The drive motor 31R is driven and rotated so as to be γ2 + δ in proportion to.

The control circuit C includes a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown) and a writable memory (RA).
M), read-only memory (ROM), interface, etc., and the control circuit C includes, as shown in FIG. 5, inductive sensors 21L and 21R, drive motors 31L and 31R, and a first angle sensor for steering. 41L ・ 41
R, switching drive motors 27a, 28a, 29a for controlling the spraying direction of the spraying device 17, and a vehicle speed sensor 50
, Automatic / manual mode selector switch 51, engine E
The start / stop device 52, the operation panel 51 for displaying the setting switches for the traveling pattern, the spray pattern, etc., the setting values thereof, and the engine speed, and the receiver 54 are connected. A signal is received from a remote controller 55 operated by an operator, and the drive motors 31L and 31R are operated based on the command signal to start or stop traveling.

In this way, when the automatic / manual mode selector switch 51 is switched to the manual mode, the operator can sit in the driver's seat 11 and operate the steering and spraying operations. And automatic / manual mode switch 5
When 1 is switched to automatic mode, the vehicle speed sensor 5
While detecting the traveling speed by 0, the traveling speed is changed according to the traveling pattern preset and stored in the memory, and the switching drive motor 27a.
The spray of the nozzle 1 is selected by operating 28a and 29a and is controlled to spray both sides or only one side, and when an abnormality occurs, an alarm is issued and a message is displayed on the display panel to display the engine E. To stop the spraying. Then, when the vehicle is traveling, the induction sensors 21L and 21R detect the magnetic field from the induction cable 19, and as described above, the drive motor 3 is allowed while allowing a deviation within a certain width.
The 1L / 31R is operated to control the vehicle so that it travels along the guide cable 19.

[0026]

As described above, the present invention has the following advantages. That is, in the automatic control, pull the side clutch wire by the automatic steering device,
When operating the side clutch / side brake,
The side clutch "disengaged" position due to the rotation of the left and right side clutch arms and the braking start position of the side brake are detected by the second angle sensor, and the weak and strong side brake positions are detected by the first angle sensor. Therefore, even if the side clutch wire stretches or the backlash becomes large, the turning angle is corrected and the side clutch arm is securely turned to the position where the side clutch is turned off, the side brake is weak, and the side brake is strong. It can be operated by moving it, and the rotation of the axle can be controlled in multiple stages to reliably and smoothly turn.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of an automatic vehicle equipped with a swing sprayer.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a steering device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a stroke adjusting mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a control block diagram.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Crawler type traveling device B Operation part C Control circuit 3L / 3R Side clutch lever 10L / 10R Crawler 19 Induction cable 21L ・ 21R Inductive sensor 25L ・ 25R Side clutch arm 26L ・ 26R Side clutch wire 31L ・ 31R Drive motor 33L ・ 33R Drive Arm 41L / 41R First angle angle sensor 47L / 47R Second angle angle sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A crawler-type traveling vehicle in which left and right induction sensors provided on a body detect an induction cable, and the automatic steering device operates to steer the guide cable along the induction cable. A pair of side clutch wires is used to connect the drive arm driven by the provided left and right actuators and the left and right side clutch arms that operate the left and right side clutches and side brakes, respectively. The angle of motion is detected by the left and right first angle sensors, and the angle of rotation of the left and right side clutch arms is detected by the left and right second angle sensors, and the side clutch "disengaged" position and the braking start position are the second angle. In an autonomous vehicle, which is detected by a sensor, and the operating position of the side brake strength is detected by a first angle sensor. Steering device.