JP7440376B2 - work vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work vehicle such as a tractor.

2. Description of the Related Art A work vehicle is known that is equipped with an obstacle sensor at the front end of a traveling body and is capable of detecting obstacles in front of the body (for example, see Patent Document 1). For example, a work vehicle that uses a GPS positioning system to drive autonomously is controlled to automatically steer to avoid obstacles or automatically stop driving in response to detection signals from obstacle sensors. .

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-171253

In the work vehicle of Patent Document 1, the obstacle sensor is attached using the weight bracket provided at the front end of the machine body (specifically, the upper surface of the weight member attached to the weight bracket), which is advantageous in terms of cost. However, there is a problem in that the mounting height of the obstacle sensor is restricted. For example, when the obstacle sensor is a laser range finder, it is necessary to set the mounting height so as not to detect ridges, etc., but in the work vehicle of Patent Document 1, the mounting height may be insufficient.

The present invention was created for the purpose of solving these problems in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. a bonnet that opens and closes the room; a weight bracket provided in a forward-protruding manner at the front end of the traveling aircraft to support a weight member; and an obstacle provided at the front end of the traveling aircraft to detect obstacles in front of the aircraft. The work vehicle further includes a sensor bracket fixed to the weight bracket and extending upward, the sensor bracket extending in front of the hood at a predetermined distance in side view. and the obstacle sensor is attached to the upper part of the sensor bracket , and includes an intake part that is provided at the front end of the traveling aircraft and introduces cooling air into the engine room, and a front end of the traveling aircraft. The sensor bracket further includes: a headlight that is installed in the weight bracket and illuminates the front of the aircraft; the sensor bracket has left and right vertical frame portions that are fixed to the weight bracket and extend upward; It has a square shape when viewed from the front, and includes a horizontal frame portion that connects the left and right vertical frame portions and an opening portion surrounded by the left and right vertical frame portions and the horizontal frame portion, and the opening portion is located in front of the intake portion. ,
The work vehicle is characterized in that the horizontal frame portion is located below the headlight when viewed from the front, and the obstacle sensor is attached to the horizontal frame portion so as to be adjustable in angle .
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that a side part of the sensor bracket is provided with a mounting part for a side obstacle sensor for detecting an obstacle on the side of the aircraft body. It is a vehicle.

According to the invention of claim 1, the sensor bracket is fixed to the weight bracket and extends upward, and the obstacle sensor is attached to the upper part of the sensor bracket. Even though the sensor is installed at a certain height, the installation height of the obstacle sensor can be secured. Further, since the sensor bracket is located in front of the bonnet at a predetermined distance when viewed from the side, it is possible to prevent the sensor bracket from interfering with the opening and closing of the bonnet.
Furthermore , since the sensor bracket includes the opening located in front of the intake section, the influence on the intake air can be suppressed. Further, since the horizontal frame portion of the sensor bracket is located below the headlights when viewed from the front, the irradiation area of the headlights can also be secured. Further, since the obstacle sensor is attached to the horizontal frame part so that its angle can be adjusted, the detection height and detection range of the obstacle sensor can be adjusted as desired.
According to the invention of claim 2 , since the side part of the sensor bracket is provided with a mounting part for the side obstacle sensor that detects obstacles on the side of the aircraft body, the bracket for the side obstacle sensor is provided. It is possible to reduce costs by eliminating the need for

1 is a side view of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front part of the fuselage. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front part of the fuselage, showing a state in which front and side ultrasonic sensors are attached. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front part of the fuselage. It is a perspective view of a sensor bracket. FIG. 3 is a three-sided view of the sensor bracket, in which (a) is a plan view of the sensor bracket, (b) is a front view of the sensor bracket, and (c) is a side view of the sensor bracket. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a sensor detection range. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a sensor detection range. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the tractor.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a tractor that is a work vehicle, and the tractor 1 includes a traveling body 5 supported by front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3. Various working machines such as a rotary tiller can be connected to the rear of the traveling body 5 in a manner that allows the traveling body 5 to travel forward. At the same time, various tasks such as plowing are performed using working machines. Note that, for example, a large working machine such as a potato harvester may be attached to the traveling body 5 so that it cannot be raised or lowered.

The traveling body 5 includes a metal chassis 6 extending in the front-rear direction, a bonnet 7 attached to the front of the chassis 6 and covering an engine room (not shown), and a cabin disposed behind the bonnet 7. It has 9 and. In the present embodiment, the front side facing the worker seated in the cabin 9 is defined as the front direction, and the front, rear, left, and right directions are defined based on the front direction.

The bonnet 7 consists of a bonnet hood 10 that covers the upper side of the engine room, left and right side covers 11, and a front grill 12 that covers the front.The bonnet 7 can be opened and closed using its rear side as a fulcrum. And it can be fixed freely in the closed state. The front grill 12 also includes upper and lower intake sections 41 and 42 that introduce cooling air into the engine compartment, and left and right headlights 43 that are provided between the upper and lower intake sections 41 and 42 and illuminate the front of the aircraft. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a weight bracket 13 is fixed to the front end 6a of the vehicle chassis 6. As shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, the weight bracket 13 includes a fixed plate 13c fixed to the front end of the fuselage, a pair of left and right arms 13a extending forward from both left and right ends of the fixed plate 13c, and fixed to the tips of the arms 13a. The bar 13b extends in a substantially horizontal direction. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) front weights 15 (weight members) are selectively attached to the bar 13b. Note that the weight bracket 13 of this embodiment has a plurality of attachment holes 13d in the bar 13b, and if these attachment holes 13d are used, a front work machine such as a spreader can be attached instead of the front weight 15. Can be installed.

The front weight 15 has a locking pawl (not shown) that can be locked to the bar 13b, and by engaging the locking pawl to the bar 13b from above, the load on the front portion of the tractor 1 is increased. Each front weight 15 weighs, for example, 20 kg, and an appropriate weight and number of front weights can be locked to the bar 13b.

The front-to-back balance of the tractor 1 varies greatly depending on whether or not a working machine is connected to the rear of the tractor.If a heavy working machine is attached to the rear of the tractor 1, the front of the tractor 1 will tend to float. There is a risk that driving performance and work performance may deteriorate. Therefore, when a working machine is normally connected to the rear of the tractor 1, by attaching an appropriate weight and number of front weights 15 to the bar 13b of the tractor 1, it is possible to improve the front and rear load balance. .

On the other hand, if the front weight 15 is left attached when no work equipment is connected to the rear of the tractor 1, the load on the front of the tractor 1 will be excessive compared to the rear, reducing turning performance and fuel efficiency. Put it away. Therefore, the front weight 15 needs to be attached and detached as appropriate when the work machine is attached and detached.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, an obstacle sensor 50 is attached to the weight bracket 13 via a sensor bracket 60, which will be described later. The obstacle sensor 50 of this embodiment includes three types of obstacle sensors, and the first obstacle sensor is a laser range finder 51 (obstacle sensor), the second obstacle sensor is a forward ultrasonic sensor 52 that detects obstacles in front of the aircraft based on reflected ultrasonic waves, and the third obstacle sensor is a forward sensor 52 that detects obstacles in front of the aircraft based on reflected waves of ultrasound. This is a side ultrasonic sensor 53 (side obstacle sensor) that detects obstacles based on reflected waves of ultrasonic waves.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cabin 9 includes a windshield 16, a door 17, a rear glass 19, and a top plate 20 that covers the upper part of the space covered by the windshield 16, door 17, and rear glass 19. are doing. A remote control receiver 21 having an antenna (not shown) and a GPS 22 (see FIG. 9) are attached to the top plate 20. Note that a horn 25L and an indicator light 26 (see FIG. 9) are attached to the outside of the cabin 9. The indicator light 26 can display different states depending on a plurality of colors (three colors in this embodiment) and a display method (for example, constant lighting or blinking).

As shown in FIG. 9, the tractor 1 includes a control section 27. The input side of the control unit 27 includes a remote control receiving unit 21, a GPS 22, a laser range finder 51, a forward ultrasonic sensor 52, a side ultrasonic sensor 53, a vehicle speed sensor 29, and an automatic operation on/off switch. A switch 30 is connected. The remote control receiving unit 21 receives a remote control signal from a remote control 31 that can remotely control the tractor 1. Vehicle speed sensor 29 detects the vehicle speed of tractor 1 . The automatic operation on/off switch 30 is provided in the cabin 9, and is operated by a worker in the cabin 9 to selectively select an automatic driving mode or a manual driving mode of the tractor 1.

A clutch valve 32, a PTO clutch valve 33, a horn 25L, an indicator light 26, a shift hydraulic valve 35, an injection pump 36, and an engine stop relay 37 are connected to the output side of the control unit 27. There is. The clutch valve 32 drives a master clutch that connects and disconnects drive from the engine to the front wheels 2, rear wheels 3, and the like. The PTO clutch valve 33 drives a PTO clutch that connects and disconnects drive from a drive shaft (not shown) to the PTO shaft.

The shift hydraulic valve 35 switches the main shift path within the mission case to shift the speed of the traveling aircraft 5. The injection pump 36 adjusts the engine speed by changing the amount of fuel injected into the piston of the engine. For example, in this embodiment, the engine speed can be changed in two patterns based on a signal from the remote controller 31. The engine stop relay 37 can stop the engine by driving a stop solenoid that cuts off the supply of fuel to the injection pump 36.

In the tractor 1, the control unit 27 controls the clutch valve 32, the PTO clutch valve 33, the variable speed hydraulic valve 35, and the injection pump 36 based on the signal from the GPS satellite received by the GPS 22 and the field information inputted in advance. It can run automatically.

The control unit 27 is configured to detect whether one of the laser range finder 51, the forward ultrasonic sensor 52, and the side ultrasonic sensor 53 detects an obstacle when the automatic operation on/off switch 30 is turned on and the vehicle is automatically traveling. When detected, the horn 25L emits a warning sound, and the indicator light 26 notifies the operator that an obstacle has been detected. Then, when the distance between the tractor 1 and the obstacle becomes within a predetermined distance, the control unit 27 stops the engine using the engine stop relay 37 to avoid a collision between the obstacle and the tractor 1.

7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams showing the detection ranges of the laser range finder 51, the front ultrasonic sensor 52, and the side ultrasonic sensor 53. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the laser range finder 51 irradiates the front of the aircraft with laser light in a planar manner and detects the distance to an obstacle based on the reflected light reflected from the obstacle. It is a measuring device, and the longitudinal length of its detection range E1 is set based on the distance (for example, 6000 mm) in which the traveling body 5 can safely stop at a working speed during automatic operation, and the horizontal width of the detection range E1 is It is set based on the width of the installed work equipment (for example, 3200 mm) rather than the vehicle width. The laser range finder 51 is installed at a certain height in order to detect obstacles in front of the machine without detecting field ridges, etc., and is set at a low front so that the irradiation height is lower the further away. It must be installed in a tilted position with the rear raised.

Since the laser range finder 51 cannot detect the nearest (for example, within 50 mm) obstacles, obstacles below the detection range E1, and obstacles on the side of the aircraft, the forward ultrasonic sensor 52 and the side An ultrasonic sensor 53 is provided. The detection range E2 of the front ultrasonic sensor 52 is set to include the nearest obstacle and an obstacle below the detection range E1, and the detection range E3 of the side ultrasonic sensor 53 is set to include the nearest obstacle and an obstacle below the detection range E1. It is set to include objects and obstacles on the sides of the aircraft.

Next, the sensor bracket 60, which is the main part of the present invention, will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

The sensor bracket 60 is fixed to the weight bracket 13 and extends upward from the weight bracket 13, and is located in front of the bonnet hood 10 at a predetermined distance in side view, as shown in FIG. Further, the laser range finder 51 is attached to a first sensor attachment part 61 provided at the upper part of the sensor bracket 60.

According to such a sensor bracket 60, since the laser range finder 51 is attached to the upper part of the sensor bracket 60, although the laser range finder 51 is attached using the weight bracket 13, the attachment of the laser range finder 51 is easy. The height can be secured. Furthermore, by ensuring the mounting height of the laser range finder 51, it becomes possible to detect obstacles in front of the machine body through the front weight 15 attached to the weight bracket 13 and above the front working machine. In addition, since the sensor bracket 60 is located in front of the bonnet hood 10 with a predetermined spacing in side view, it is possible to prevent the sensor bracket 60 from interfering with opening and closing of the bonnet hood 10.

Specifically, the sensor bracket 60 of this embodiment includes left and right vertical frame portions 62 that are fixed to the left and right arms 13a of the weight bracket 13 and extend upward, and upper end portions of the left and right vertical frame portions 62. It has a 2-character shape when viewed from the front, including a horizontal frame portion 63 that connects the two, and an opening portion 64 surrounded by the left and right vertical frame portions 62 and horizontal frame portions 63.

The opening part 64 is located in front of the lower intake part 42, the horizontal frame part 63 is located below the headlight 43 when viewed from the front, and the first sensor mounting part 61 connects the laser range finder 51 to the horizontal frame part 63. It is attached to the section 63 so that the vertical angle can be adjusted. For example, the first sensor mounting part 61 includes a fixing bracket 61a that is fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal frame part 63 and has a square shape when viewed from the front, and a fixing bracket 61a that is rotatably connected back and forth to the fixing bracket 61a via a bolt 61b. The laser range finder 51 is provided on the lower surface of the pivot bracket 61c.

According to such a sensor bracket 60, since the opening 64 is located in front of the lower intake part 42, the influence on intake can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the horizontal frame portion 63 of the sensor bracket 60 is located below the headlight 43 when viewed from the front, the irradiation area of the headlight 43 can also be secured. Further, since the laser range finder 51 is attached to the horizontal frame portion 63 so as to be able to adjust the vertical angle, the detection height and detection range of the laser range finder 51 can be adjusted as desired. Note that the opening 64 is located above the front weight 15 and also functions as a space to avoid interference between the front weight 15 and the sensor bracket 60 when the front weight 15 is attached or detached.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the vertical frame portion 62 of the sensor bracket 60 includes a front surface portion 62a facing toward the front of the body and a side surface portion 62b facing toward the outside of the body. A plurality of mounting holes 62c are formed in the front part 62a at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, to which the front ultrasonic sensor 52 can be attached, and the side part 62b has a plurality of attachment holes 62c to which the side ultrasonic sensor 53 can be attached. A plurality of attachment holes 62d (attachment portions) are formed at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction. For example, in the tractor 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the forward ultrasonic sensor 52 is attached to the attachment hole 62c at the top position, and the side ultrasonic sensor 53 is attached to the attachment hole 62d at the frontmost position. There is.

According to such a sensor bracket 60, since the vertical frame portion 62 is provided with mounting holes 62c and 62d for the front ultrasonic sensor 52 and the side ultrasonic sensor 53, the front ultrasonic sensor 52 and the side ultrasonic sensor A dedicated bracket for the side ultrasonic sensor 53 is not required, and costs can be reduced.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the traveling body 5, the bonnet 7 provided at the front part of the traveling body 5 to open and close the engine room, and the bonnet 7 provided at the front end of the traveling body 5 in a forward-protruding shape. , a tractor 1 comprising a weight bracket 13 supporting a front weight 15, and a laser range finder 51 provided at the front end of a traveling body 5 to detect obstacles in front of the body, the tractor 1 being fixed to the weight bracket 13. , and further includes a sensor bracket 60 extending upward, the sensor bracket 60 being located in front of the bonnet 7 at a predetermined distance in side view, and the laser range finder 51 being attached to the upper part of the sensor bracket 60. Therefore, even though the laser range finder 51 is mounted using the weight bracket 13, the mounting height of the laser range finder 51 can be secured. Moreover, since the sensor bracket 60 is located in front of the bonnet 7 with a predetermined distance therebetween when viewed from the side, it is possible to prevent the sensor bracket 60 from interfering with the opening and closing of the bonnet 7.

The tractor 1 also includes a lower intake part 42 provided at the front end of the traveling body 5 to introduce cooling air into the engine room, and a headlight 43 provided at the front end of the traveling body 5 to illuminate the front of the body. The sensor bracket 60 further includes: left and right vertical frame portions 62 fixed to the weight bracket 13 and extending upward; a horizontal frame portion 63 connecting the upper ends of the left and right vertical frame portions 62; It has an opening 64 surrounded by left and right vertical frame parts 62 and a horizontal frame part 63.The opening part 64 is located in front of the lower intake part 42, and the horizontal frame part 63 is The laser range finder 51 is located below the headlights 43 when viewed from the front, and is attached to the horizontal frame portion 63 so that its angle can be adjusted. The irradiation area can also be secured. Moreover, the laser range finder 51 is attached to the horizontal frame part 63 so that its angle can be adjusted, so that its detection height and detection range can be arbitrarily adjusted.

Furthermore, since a mounting hole 62d for the side ultrasonic sensor 53 that detects obstacles on the side of the aircraft is provided on the side of the sensor bracket 60, a dedicated bracket for the side ultrasonic sensor 53 is not required. can reduce costs.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims. For example, the detection method of the obstacle sensor is not limited to a laser range finder or an ultrasonic sensor, and obstacle sensors using other detection methods can also be applied.

1 Tractor 5 Traveling body 7 Bonnet 15 Front weight 42 Lower intake part 43 Headlight 50 Obstacle sensor 51 Laser range finder 52 Forward ultrasonic sensor 53 Side ultrasonic sensor 60 Sensor bracket 61 First sensor mounting part 62 Vertical Frame 62d Mounting hole 63 Horizontal frame 64 Opening

Claims (2)

A traveling aircraft,
a bonnet that is provided at the front of the traveling aircraft and opens and closes the engine room;
a weight bracket that is provided in a forward-protruding manner at the front end of the traveling body and supports a weight member;
A work vehicle comprising: an obstacle sensor provided at the front end of the traveling body to detect an obstacle in front of the body;
further comprising a sensor bracket fixed to the weight bracket and extending upward;
The sensor bracket is located in front of the bonnet at a predetermined distance in side view,
The obstacle sensor is attached to the upper part of the sensor bracket, and
an intake section provided at the front end of the traveling aircraft and introducing cooling air into the engine room;
further comprising a headlight provided at the front end of the traveling aircraft and illuminating the front of the aircraft,
The sensor bracket is
left and right vertical frame portions fixed to the weight bracket and extending upward;
a horizontal frame portion that connects the upper ends of the left and right vertical frame portions;
an opening surrounded by the left and right vertical frame portions and the horizontal frame portion;
The opening is located in front of the intake part,
The horizontal frame portion is located below the headlight when viewed from the front,
The work vehicle is characterized in that the obstacle sensor is attached to the horizontal frame so that its angle can be adjusted . 2. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a side portion of the sensor bracket is provided with a mounting portion for a side obstacle sensor for detecting an obstacle on the side of the vehicle body.

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