JP7645512B2 - combine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a combine harvester that is configured to detect the amount of grain in a grain tank.

Conventionally known combine harvesters include a harvesting section provided in front of the traveling body for harvesting stalks in the field, a threshing device for threshing and sorting the harvested stalks harvested by the harvesting section, a grain tank for storing grains threshed by the threshing device, and a grain detection means for detecting the amount of grains stored in the grain tank. The grain detection means is provided by a grain detection device extending vertically within the grain tank, as described in Patent Document 1; Patent Document 2 uses an ultrasonic sensor as a sensor for detecting the amount of grains in the grain tank; and Patent Document 3 is provided with a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the grain tank in which grains are stored.

The combine harvester in the above-mentioned document 1 is capable of accurately detecting the height of grain piled up at a predetermined position in the grain tank, but the sensor device installed in a columnar shape in the grain tank acts as a barrier, making it easy for the grains in the grain tank to pile up unevenly. This creates a problem in that when the amount of grain harvested in the grain tank is calculated based on the detected pile height, there is a possibility that the error between the calculated amount of grain and the actual amount of grain will be large, or that the grain filling rate will be poor when the grain tank is full.

The combine harvester in Document 2 is capable of detecting the amount of grain in the grain tank by detecting the position and shape of the top surface of the grains piled up in the grain tank. However, there is a problem in that the detection accuracy of the ultrasonic sensor is easily deteriorated by vibrations and noise generated when the combine harvester is traveling while performing harvesting and threshing operations, making it difficult to maintain sufficient detection accuracy.

Furthermore, the combine harvester of Document 3 above is capable of continuously and accurately detecting the amount of grain in the grain tank, but there is a problem in that the sensor that detects the weight of the grain tank is expensive and the structure for accurately detecting the amount of grain is complicated, resulting in high costs.

JP 2018-11545 A Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-169942 JP 2020-114214 A

The present invention aims to provide a combine harvester equipped with a grain detection means for detecting the amount of grain in the grain tank, which is capable of detecting the amount of grain stored in the grain tank with high accuracy using a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises, firstly, a reaping unit provided in front of a traveling body for reaping stalks in a field, a threshing device for threshing and sorting the reaped stalks reaped by the reaping unit, a grain tank for storing grains threshed by the threshing device, grain amount detection means for detecting the amount of grains stored in the grain tank, and a control unit, the grain amount detection means having a first pile height detection sensor installed at the top of the grain tank and irradiating light in a vertical direction, and a second pile height detection sensor installed below the first pile height detection sensor and irradiating light diagonally downward, and the control unit is configured to calculate the amount of grains stored in the grain tank based on the pile height detected by the first pile height detection sensor and the pile height detected by the second pile height detection sensor.

Secondly, a bottom conveying device is provided on the bottom side of the grain tank, which conveys the grains stored in the grain tank toward a lifting device that discharges the grains outside the machine. In a side view of the grain tank perpendicular to the conveying direction of the bottom conveying device, the first pile height detection sensor and the second pile height detection sensor are installed in a position closer to the outside than the center of the grain tank, and the position of light irradiation by the second pile height detection sensor is closer to the center of the grain tank than the position of light irradiation by the first pile height detection sensor, so that the light irradiated by the first pile height detection sensor and the light irradiated by the second pile height detection sensor intersect.

Thirdly, a bottom conveying device is provided on the bottom side of the grain tank to convey the grains stored in the grain tank toward a lifting device that discharges the grains outside the machine, and in a side view of the grain tank perpendicular to the conveying direction of the bottom conveying device, the second pile height detection sensor is provided on the opposite side of the lifting device and is installed so as to irradiate light toward the lifting device.

Fourthly, the grain tank is provided with a leveling means for leveling the grains stored in the center,
The first pile height detection sensor and the second pile height detection sensor are characterized in that they are installed so that the light they emit avoids the leveling means.

By providing a first pile height detection sensor that is installed at the top of the grain tank and irradiates light in an up-down direction, and a second pile height detection sensor that is installed below the first pile height detection sensor and irradiates light diagonally downward as the grain amount detection means, the pile height of the grains piled up in a mountain shape in the grain tank can be detected at two different locations, so that the amount of grains stored in the grain tank can be accurately detected with a simple and low-cost configuration. In addition, even if the amount of grains stored in the grain tank is small (the pile height is low), which causes a lot of dust and the like to be interposed between the first optical level sensor and the grain surface layer, making it easy for the detection accuracy of the first optical level sensor to decrease, the pile height of the grains can be detected accurately by using the second optical level sensor to detect the pile height of the grains.

In addition, a bottom conveying device is provided on the bottom side of the grain tank to convey the grains stored in the grain tank toward a lifting device that discharges the grains outside the machine, and in a side view of the grain tank perpendicular to the conveying direction of the bottom conveying device, the first pile height detection sensor and the second pile height detection sensor are installed at a position closer to the outside than the center of the grain tank, and the position of light irradiation by the second pile height detection sensor is closer to the center of the grain tank than the position of light irradiation by the first pile height detection sensor, so that the detection by the first pile height detection sensor is In a configuration in which the light beam irradiated by the second pile height detection sensor intersects with the light beam irradiated by the second pile height detection sensor, the second pile height detection sensor can cover blind spots where the amount of grain cannot be detected by the first pile height detection sensor, improving the accuracy of detecting the amount of grain stored in the grain tank. In addition, by positioning the light irradiation position of the first pile height detection sensor closer to the outside than the center of the grain tank, it is possible to reduce detection errors caused by the sensor detecting grains that are fed toward the center of the grain tank.

In addition, a bottom conveying device is provided on the bottom side of the grain tank, which conveys the grains stored in the grain tank toward a lifting device that discharges the grains outside the machine. In a side view of the grain tank perpendicular to the conveying direction of the bottom conveying device, the second pile height detection sensor is provided on the opposite side of the lifting device, and when discharging the stored grains, it becomes easier to detect grains remaining near the lifting device, so that a situation in which grains are not detected by the grain quantity detection means even though grains remain in the grain tank can be efficiently prevented.

The grain tank is provided with a leveling means for leveling the grains stored in the center, and the first pile height detection sensor and the second pile height detection sensor are installed so that the light they emit avoids the leveling means. This improves the accuracy of detecting the amount of grain by leveling the grains that have piled up in a mountain shape in the grain tank, while preventing a situation in which the light emitted by the pile height detection sensor is blocked and the amount of grain cannot be detected accurately.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a general-purpose combine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a right side view of a general-purpose combine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a general-purpose combine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a right-side cross-sectional view of a main portion of the grain tank. FIG. 4 is a rear cross-sectional view of the main part of the grain tank. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of a main portion of the grain tank. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing pile height detection control.

Figures 1 to 3 are a left side view, a right side view, and a plan view of a general-purpose combine to which the present invention is applied. The general-purpose combine shown in the figures has a traveling body 2 supported by a pair of left and right crawler-type traveling devices 1, 1 that serve as a traveling part, and a reaping part 3 connected to the front of the traveling body 2 so that it can be raised and lowered.

The traveling machine body 2 is provided with a control section 4 on which an operator rides and operates the machine, located to the rear and right of the reaping section 3, a threshing device 6 that performs tasks such as threshing the stalks harvested by the reaping section 3 is installed diagonally to the rear and left of the control section 4, a grain tank (grain tank) 7 that stores the grains that have been threshed by the threshing device 6 is located behind the control section 4 and to the right of the threshing device 6, and a discharge section 8 that cuts and discharges straw chips and the like after threshing is provided behind the threshing device 6.

The control section 4 is equipped with a seat 15 for an operator to sit on, a multi-steering lever 16 for steering the traveling body 2 and raising and lowering the reaping section 3, a main shift lever 17 for operating the traveling HST, an LCD monitor 66 for displaying the state of the traveling body 2 and the state of the grains stored in the grain tank 7, and a side panel for performing various operations. The side panel is provided with a power clutch switch 61 for switching on and off the transmission of engine power to the reaping section 3 and the threshing device 6, a grain discharge switch 62 for switching on and off the transmission of power to the discharge auger 36 (described below) for discharging grains in the grain tank 7 outside the machine, and a crop selection switch 58 for selecting the type of grain to be harvested.

The harvesting section 3 includes a feeder 9 that transports harvested stalks backward toward the threshing device 6, a harvesting frame 11 that is connected to the front end of the feeder 9 and extends forward, a pair of left and right dividers 12 provided at the front end of the harvesting frame 11, a pair of left and right support arms 13 that extend forward from the upper rear end side that forms the base of the harvesting frame 11, and a raking reel 14 that is supported and rotatable between the front ends of the pair of support arms 13, 13.

According to this configuration, the reaping unit 3 divides the culms in the field into a reaping side between the pair of left and right dividers 12, 12 and a non-reaping side on the left and right outside of the reaping side by the divider 12, and while the planted culms on the reaping side are reaped by the raking reel 14 toward the reaping unit 3, the reciprocating cutting blade 10 provided behind the divider 12 can reaper the root side of the culms. The culms reaped by the reaping unit 3 are sent to the front end side of the feeder 9 by the conveying auger 18 on the reaping frame 11 side. The reaped culms conveyed backward to the rear end side of the feeder 9 are fed into the upper front end side of the threshing device 6.

The threshing device 6 is equipped with a threshing section 21 that threshes the harvested stalks transported from the feeder 9 at the upper side of the threshing device 6, and a sorting section 22 that sorts the processed material threshed by the threshing section 21 into grains and waste materials such as straw chips at the lower side of the threshing device 6, and is configured so that the waste materials after sorting can be discharged outside the machine from the discharge section 8 at the rear end of the threshing device 6.

The threshing section 21 includes a threshing chamber 23 into which all the harvested stalks are fed from the rear end of the feeder 9, a cylindrical threshing drum 24 that rotates around a rotation axis in the front-to-rear direction that runs through the entire front-to-rear direction of the threshing chamber 23, and a receiving net (not shown) that is positioned below the threshing drum 24 and is formed in an arc shape with a concave center when viewed from behind, following the shape of the threshing drum 24 (see Figure 1).

With this configuration, the harvested stalks, which are fed into the threshing chamber 23 by the feeder 9, are threshed and processed (threshed) by the rotating threshing drum 24 to produce straw, which is discharged outside the machine from the discharge section 8 at the rear of the threshing chamber 23. On the other hand, the processed material threshed by the threshing drum 24 includes grains such as rice and straw chips, and of the material received by the receiving net, the material that falls downward is introduced to the sorting section 22.

The sorting section 22 is equipped with an oscillating sorting body 27 consisting of a chaff sieve and straw rack etc. that oscillates and sorts the processed material that has fallen through the receiving net, a winnowing fan 28 that is arranged at the front lower side of the oscillating sorting body 27 and blows sorting air toward the rear upper side, a second sorting fan 29 that discharges the waste material after sorting outside the machine, a first screw 31 that collects the first grains that have been wind-screened by the winnowing fan 28 etc., and a second screw 32 that collects the second grains (see Figure 1).

With this configuration, the processed material (de-grained material) that falls from the receiving net onto the oscillating sorting body 27 is oscillated and sorted by the oscillating sorting body 27 and then drops further downward. The processed material that drops from the oscillating sorting body 27 has the grains winnowed by the sorting wind from the winnowing fan 28, and is also winnowed into second-grade material and waste material by the sorting wind from the second-grade sorting fan 29.

The first screw 31 extends left and right behind the winnowing fan 28 and transports the selected first grains to the left and right sides of the threshing device 6 (the right side in the illustrated example), and the second screw 32 extends left and right behind the second sorting fan 29 and transports the selected second grains to the right side of the threshing device 6.

Also, on the right side of the threshing device 6, there is provided a vertical grain conveying device 33 that conveys the first grain transported by the first helix 31 upward toward the grain tank 7, and a vertical return conveying device (not shown) that conveys the second grain transported by the second helix 32 back to the threshing section 21 or the sorting section 22.

The grain conveying device 33 is equipped with an upper conveying section 33A (bucket conveying type) in the vertical direction that conveys grains upward from the conveying end side of the first spiral 31, a horizontal conveying section 33B (spiral conveying type) in the left-right direction that conveys grains conveyed to the upper end side of the upper conveying section 33A into the grain tank, and a downward opening 33C formed at the conveying end side of the horizontal conveying section 33B, and is configured so that the grains conveyed by the first spiral 31 can be put into the grain tank 7 (see Figure 5, etc.).

As a result, the grains obtained by the threshing and sorting process using the threshing device 6 can be loaded into the grain tank 7 from the upper side of the grain tank 7 and stored in the grain tank 7.

At this time, the grain tank 7 is provided with a discharge auger 36 for discharging the grains stored in the grain tank 7 to the outside of the machine, a leveling device 41 for leveling the grains stored in the grain tank 7, and a grain pile height detection device (pile height detection means) 42 for detecting the pile height of the grains stored in the grain tank 7. The internal configuration of the grain tank 7 will be described later.

The discharge auger 36 is composed of a recovery screw (bottom transport device) 46 in the front-rear direction provided at the bottom end of the grain tank 7, a vertical cylinder (grain lifting device) 47 provided at the rear end of the grain tank 7 and fitted with a vertical screw for transporting upward the grains transported rearward by the recovery screw 46, a horizontal cylinder 48 connected to the upper end of the vertical cylinder 47 and fitted with a horizontal screw supported so as to be able to move up and down and rotate horizontally, and a discharge section 49 for discharging the grains transported to the end of the horizontal cylinder 48 outside the machine (see Figures 1 to 5, etc.).

The recovery screw 46 is covered with a grain guide plate 45, which is a plate-shaped portion bent with an L-shaped (mountain-shaped) cross section, directly above it, and is configured so that the grain guide plate 45 can guide the grains put into the grain tank 7 to both the left and right sides of the recovery screw 46. At this time, the grain guide plate 45 is configured to vibrate due to the power that rotates the recovery screw 46, and it is possible to prevent the bridge phenomenon, in which grains are not discharged from the gap between the grain guide plate 45 and the bottom of the grain tank 7.

The discharge section 8 is configured to discharge, from the rear end of the threshing device 6, relatively large waste straw, etc. that falls from the rear end of the receiving net of the threshing section 21 and is cut by the cutter device, and fine straw chips, etc. that are discharged from the rear end of the sorting section 22.

A general-purpose combine equipped with the above-described reaping unit 3 and thresher 6 can harvest not only rice but also other crops such as wheat and soybeans, and store the threshed grains in the grain tank 7. Incidentally, the control unit 50 is configured to automatically switch the drive speed of the reaping unit 3 and the thresher 6, as well as the calculation method for the amount of grain stored in the grain tank 7 (described later), to the most suitable ones by selecting the type of grain to be harvested in advance using the crop selection switch 56.

Next, the grain amount detection means for detecting the amount of grain stored in the grain tank will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figures 4 to 6 are a right side cross-sectional view, a back cross-sectional view, and a top cross-sectional view of the main part of the grain tank.

The grain tank 7 has a top plate 7a covering the upper surface, a front wall 7b covering the front surface, a rear wall 7c covering the rear surface, a right wall 7d covering the right side surface and with its lower end inclined toward the recovery screw 46, an upper left wall 7e covering the upper left side surface, and an inclined wall 7f inclined from the lower end of the upper left wall 7e toward the recovery screw 46. It is long in the front-to-rear direction when viewed from above, and is formed into a box shape that is long in the up-to-down direction with a funnel-shaped lower side when viewed from the front (see Figure 5, etc.). As a result, the front-to-back recovery screw 46 provided at the lower end inside the grain tank 7 is provided in a position closer to the outer (right) side of the left-to-right center of the grain tank 7 when viewed from the front (see Figures 5 and 6, etc.).

The upper side of the grain tank 7 is provided so that the horizontal conveying section 33b of the grain conveying device 33 can be inserted therethrough, and the grains threshed and sorted by the threshing device 6 are fed into the grain tank 7 from the top (see Figures 4 to 6, etc.).

In addition, the grain tank 7 is provided with the leveling device 41 for leveling the grains stored in the grain tank 7 in a mountain shape, and the pile height detection device (pile height detection means) 42 for detecting the amount of grains stored in the grain tank 7. The details are explained below.

The leveling device 41 includes a vertical drive shaft 51 that is rotatably supported within the grain tank 7, a drive unit 55 having a leveling motor 52 that drives the drive shaft 51, and a plurality of rod-shaped levelers 53 (six in the illustrated example) arranged vertically and protruding horizontally from the drive shaft 51.

The drive unit 55 is provided on the upper surface side of the grain tank 7, and has the leveling motor 52 housed in a cover body, an output gear 52a driven by the leveling motor 52, and a driven gear 54 arranged to rotate integrally with the drive shaft 51, and is configured so that the drive shaft 51 can be rotated by the leveling motor 52 (see FIG. 5, etc.). The drive of the leveling motor 52 can be controlled by the control unit 50, which will be described in detail later.

The drive shaft 51 is an axial member extending vertically from the upper end to the lower end of the grain tank 7 at approximately the center of the grain tank 7 in the front-rear and left-right directions, with its upper end journaled on the top plate 7a and its lower end journaled on the lower part of the inclined wall 7f. As a result, the lower end of the drive shaft 51 is journaled above the recovery screw 46 when viewed from the front (rear) (see Figures 4 to 6, etc.).

The leveling body 53 has a fixed cylinder 53a that is inserted and supported in a fixing hole in the left-right direction formed in the drive shaft 51, and a leveling bar 53b that is inserted and bolted into the fixed cylinder 53a, and the leveling bar 53b is attached and fixed in a removable and replaceable configuration in a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft 51.

The levellers 53 are arranged vertically along the drive shaft 51 in a number of positions (six in the illustrated example), spaced at predetermined intervals, and the leveller bars 53b are attached and fixed in a state rotated 90° in plan view relative to the leveller bar 53b adjacent to them above (below) (see Figures 4 to 6, etc.).

The leveling bar 53b is formed to a length that does not interfere with the side walls 7d, 7e of the grain tank 7 when viewed from the front. At this time, since the lower side of the grain tank 7 is formed in a funnel shape that narrows downward when viewed from the front, the leveling bar on the lower end side (lower end leveling bar 53b1) is formed shorter than the other leveling bars 53b so as not to interfere with the inclined wall 7f (see Figure 5, etc.).

According to this configuration, the leveling device 41 (leveling body 53) acts on the grains that are piled up directly below the opening 33C (near the drive shaft 51) when the grains are poured into the grain tank 7 through the opening 33C, thereby leveling the surface of the grains.

To be more specific, when grains are loaded into the grain tank 7 by the grain conveying device 33, the grains are piled up in a mountain shape on the side of the inclined wall 7f, which is the left side of the drive shaft 51 in rear view, and on the side of the recovery screw 46, which is the right side of the drive shaft 51, where the opening of the horizontal conveying section 33B is formed (in side view, the grains are piled up in a mountain shape toward the rear in the front-to-rear direction (near the vertical cylinder 47) (see Figure 4)). The leveling device 41 uses the leveling bar 53, which rotates around the drive shaft 51, to break up the surface layer of the piled up grains in a mountain shape, thereby leveling the grains piled up in the grain tank 7 (see Figure 5, etc.).

At this time, the leveling bars 53b are arranged vertically, so that as grains pile up in the grain tank 7, the leveling bar 53 arranged on the upper side can perform the task of leveling the grains. This allows the grains in the grain tank 7 to be leveled up to the position where the horizontal conveying unit 33B is installed in the grain tank 7.

When the leveling bars 53b are buried below the surface of the grains piled up in the grain tank 7, they move the grains slightly to break up the pile, but when they are buried deep inside, they no longer function as leveling bars, and if they are driven around the drive shaft 51 in this state, a large load is placed on the leveling motor 52. Therefore, each leveling bar 53b may be attached to the drive shaft 51 side via a torque limiter such as a friction type so that it stops driving around the drive shaft 51 when it receives a torque of a predetermined value or more from the buried grain side.

The pile height detection device (piling height detection means) 42 includes a first optical level sensor (first pile height detection sensor, laser level sensor) 56, which is a TOF type optical sensor that detects the pile height of the grains piled in the grain tank 7 from the upper side to the lower side of the grain tank 7, a second optical level sensor (second pile height detection sensor, laser level sensor) 57, which is a TOF type optical sensor that detects the pile height of the grains piled in the grain tank 7 that are piled on the lower side of the grain tank 7, and a control unit 50, which will be described in detail later. The control unit 50 is configured to be able to calculate the amount of grains in the grain tank 7 based on the pile height of the grains in the grain tank 7 detected based on the values detected by these sensors.

The first optical level sensor 56 is an optical sensor installed on the top plate 7a side, which is the upper part of the grain tank 7, so as to irradiate light in the vertical direction within the grain tank 7, and is configured to be able to detect the height of the grains piled up in the grain tank 7 from the upper end (upper part) to the lower end (lower part) of the grain tank 7.

Specifically, the first optical level sensor 56 is disposed at a position overlapping the recovery screw 46 (the grain guide plate 45) in a plan view and toward the front in the front-rear direction of the grain tank 7 (see FIG. 6, etc.). In addition, the first optical level sensor 56 is disposed at a position not overlapping the rotation trajectory of the leveling bar 53b in a plan view (see FIG. 6).

The first optical level sensors 56 may be arranged in a row in the front-to-back or left-to-right direction on the top plate 7a side, so that the shape (unevenness) of the grain surface layer accumulated in the grain tank 7 can be detected. In this way, the control unit 50 can be configured to execute leveling control that drives the leveling device 41 only when the first optical level sensors 56 detect that the grains in the grain tank 7 are piled up in a mountain shape with a height difference of a predetermined level or more.

The second optical level sensor 57 is an optical sensor installed on the vertical center side of the front wall 7b in the grain tank 7 or below the vertical center, and is configured to irradiate light diagonally downward and rearward from the installation position of the front wall 7b.

Specifically, the second optical level sensor 57 is installed on the front wall 7b side, which is opposite the rear wall side where the auger 36 (vertical cylinder 47) is arranged, and is therefore located further outward (forward) from the center than the first optical level sensor 56, which is installed closer to the front than the center in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the second optical level sensor 57 is configured to emit light diagonally downward and rearward toward the transport end of the recovery screw 46 (the auger 36 (vertical cylinder 47) on the rear end side of the grain tank 7).

As a result, the light emitted by the first optical level sensor 56, which emits light in the vertical direction, and the light emitted by the second optical level sensor 57, which emits light diagonally downward and rearward, are configured to intersect in a right cross-sectional view of the grain tank 7 (a side cross-sectional view perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, which is the transport direction of the recovery screw 46) (see Figure 4, etc.).

With this configuration, the second optical level sensor 57 can cover the rear side of the grain tank 7, which is a blind spot where the first optical level sensor 56 cannot detect the amount of grain, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting the amount of grain stored in the grain tank 7.

The second optical level sensor 57 also irradiates light toward the end (rear) of the conveying path of the recovery screw 46, so that it can detect the amount of grain in the grain tank 7 (piling height) even when, for example, as shown by X in FIG. 4, grains are blown toward the rear of the grain tank 7 when harvesting begins, or when the recovery screw 46 (auger) discharges sufficient grains stored in the grain tank 7 out of the machine, causing the amount of grains in the grain tank 7 to decrease from the front (see X in FIG. 4).

According to this configuration, in particular, as the grains stored in the grain tank 7 are discharged outside the machine, the grains in the grain tank 7 are piled up in a mountain shape toward the rear (see X in Figure 4), and even if the first optical level sensor 56 is unable to adequately detect the height of the grain pile, the second optical level sensor 57 can accurately detect the amount of grains in the grain tank 7 and prevent a situation in which all the grains in the grain tank 7 are mistakenly detected as having been discharged when there are still grains remaining in the grain tank 7 (see Figure 4, etc.).

In addition, when grains start to be stored in the grain tank 7 and the grains start to pile up mainly on the rear side of the grain tank 7 (see X in Figure 4), the second optical level sensor 57 is provided on the front wall 7b side, which can prevent the second optical level sensor 57 from being buried in the stored grains too early.

The second optical level sensor 57 is also configured so that the light emitted diagonally downward and rearward is at an angle that does not come into contact with the rotation trajectory of the lower end leveling bar 53b1 when viewed in cross section from the right side (so as to avoid the leveling device 41) (see Figure 4).

This configuration allows for both a configuration in which the leveling device 41 flattens the surface of the grains to improve the accuracy of grain quantity detection, and a configuration in which the irradiation direction of the second optical level sensor 57 is set diagonally backward to cover blind spots in the detection range and prevent a deterioration in detection accuracy under specified conditions.

The second optical level sensor 57 is not limited to being installed on the front wall 7b, but may also be installed on the rear wall 7c, the right wall 7d, or the upper left wall 7e, as long as it is on the side wall that constitutes the grain tank 7. In this case, it is preferable that the second optical level sensor 57 is installed so that the direction of light irradiation intersects with the light irradiated in the vertical direction by the first optical level sensor 56 when viewed from the side or from the front (rear).

According to the pile height detection device 42 described above, when the amount of grains stored in the grain tank 7 is small (the pile height is low), the first optical level sensor 56 is likely to have a lower detection accuracy due to the distance to the grain surface becoming greater and dust and other particles being present in between. However, by using the second optical level sensor 57, the pile height of grains can be detected with high accuracy when the amount of grain stored is small. Incidentally, when rice or wheat is harvested using the general-purpose combine, dust is likely to fly around inside the grain tank 7, which is more likely to affect the detection accuracy of the grain pile height by the first optical sensor 56.

At this time, the pile height detection device 42 is configured so that the detection range of the grain pile height detectable by the first optical level sensor 56 overlaps in part or in whole with the detection range of the second optical level sensor 57 on the lower side.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, the control unit 50 is configured to execute pile height detection control to calculate the pile height (grain amount) in the grain tank 7 by using the detection result by the second optical level sensor 57, which is most suitable for detecting the pile height within the range of the first pile height H1, when the pile height of the grains stored in the grain tank 7 is lower than a predetermined value (hereinafter, in the range of the first pile height H1), and by using the detection result by the first optical level sensor 56, which is most suitable for detecting the pile height within the range of the second pile height H2, when the pile height of the grains in the grain tank 7 is higher than the upper end of the pile height H1 (in the range of the second pile height H2) (see FIG. 6). Details will be described later.

As described above, the pile height detection device 42 has sensors appropriate for the pile height of the grains in the grain tank 7, and by dividing the pile height detection range among the sensors, it is possible to maintain high detection accuracy throughout the grain tank 7 with a simple configuration.

Next, the stacking height detection control will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a block diagram of the control unit. The input side of the control unit 50 is connected to the power clutch switch 61, the crop selection switch 58, the grain discharge switch 62, the overflow sensor 63, a moisture meter 64 that samples and measures the moisture content of the grains put into the grain tank 7, the first optical level sensor 56, and the second optical level sensor 57.

On the other hand, connected to the output side of the control unit 50 are the LCD monitor 66, a buzzer (alarm buzzer) 67 that generates an alarm sound for the operator, the leveling motor 52, a power clutch motor 68 that operates a harvesting clutch that controls the on/off of power to the harvesting unit 3 and a threshing clutch that controls the on/off of power to the threshing device 6, and a grain discharge clutch motor 69 that operates a grain discharge clutch that controls the on/off of power to the recovery screw 46.

The pile height detection control by the control unit 50 is configured to detect the pile height of the grains in the grain tank 7 using the pile height detection device 42, and the control unit 50 is configured to calculate the amount of stored grains based on the detected pile height of the grains in the grain tank 7. Specifically, the control unit 50 determines the amount of stored grains by the volume of the grain tank 7 that corresponds to the pile height, and the volume of the grain tank 7 is stored in advance in a table for each pile height, and the control unit 50 is configured to be able to instantly obtain the accurate amount of stored grains by referring to this table (see FIG. 7).

The control unit 50 is also configured to calculate the weight of the grains stored in the grain tank 7 using the type of crop selected by the crop selection switch 58, the moisture content of the grains detected by the moisture meter 64, the specific gravity of the grains prepared in advance, and the amount of grains stored as described above.

Since the specific gravity of the grains varies depending on the crop and variety selected by the crop selection switch 58, the control unit 50 can smoothly and easily calculate the accurate weight of the grains by pre-registering the specific gravity data of the grains for each type of crop that can be selected.

The control unit 50 can also use the weight and moisture content of the grains stored in the grain tank 7 calculated as described above to calculate the dry weight of the grains when all of the grains are dried.

Furthermore, the control unit 50 counts the actual harvesting work time excluding the time for discharging grains and resting time after the start of harvesting work, and the actual harvesting work time from when the grains in the grain tank 7 are discharged outside the machine, and can calculate the grain harvest amount per unit time from the total amount of grains stored during that time. In other words, the control unit 50 can also calculate the predicted time until the grain tank 7 becomes full from the available volume, which is obtained by subtracting the current amount of stored grains from the maximum volume that can be stored in the grain tank 7.

At this time, the control unit 50 is configured to display the various information calculated as above on the LCD monitor 66 in real time (see FIG. 7). Furthermore, the control unit 50 can store the total harvest volume and work time per field in non-volatile memory, and extract this information to use for future work management. If the control unit 50 is capable of acquiring work trajectories using a real-time kinematic global navigation satellite system (RTK-GNSS), it can also map the harvest volume in each area into which the field is further divided, and use this information for future agricultural work.

The control unit 50 may be configured to communicate over long distances with the drying facility or management center where the grains are dried, via a mobile communication terminal capable of short-distance communication, to exchange information, thereby enabling the system to check the availability of dryers in the facility and to arrange for trucks to transport the grains to the facility.

The LCD monitor 66 is configured to display a model diagram of the grain tank 7 divided vertically into multiple tables (layers) (a total of 10 levels from 0 to 9 in the illustrated example) so that the pile height (grain volume) of the grains stored in the grain tank 7 can be intuitively grasped (see FIG. 7). This allows the control unit 50 to easily visualize on the LCD monitor 66 the pile height of the grains detected by the pile height detection control described below.

Figure 8 is a flow diagram showing the pile height detection control. When the flow of the pile height detection control is started, the control unit 50 proceeds to step S1. In step S1, the control unit 50 obtains the detection values of each sensor (first optical level sensor 56, second optical level sensor 57, etc.), and proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, it is confirmed whether the grain pile height in the grain tank 7 detected by each sensor is within the range of the first pile height H1, and if it is detected that the grain in the grain tank 7 is within the range of the first pile height H1, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the control unit 50 uses the detection value detected by the second optical level sensor 57 as the grain pile height H in the grain tank 7 to calculate the grain amount, and then returns.

Also, in step S2, if the grains in the grain tank 7 detected by each sensor are not within the range of the first stacking height H1, proceed to step S4.

In step S4, it is confirmed whether the grain pile height in the grain tank 7 detected by each sensor is within the range of the second pile height H2, and if it is detected that the grain in the grain tank 7 is within the range of the second pile height H2, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the control unit 50 uses the detection value detected by the first optical level sensor 56 as the grain pile height H in the grain tank 7 to calculate the grain amount, and then returns.

Also, in step S4, if the grains in the grain tank 7 detected by each sensor are not within the range of the second stacking height H2, proceed to step S6.

In step S6, the detection value of the grain pile height in the grain tank 7 is reset, and then the process returns.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, the control unit 50 can calculate the grain pile height H (grain amount) by using the detection results of an appropriate sensor according to the grain pile height H in the grain tank 7, so that high detection accuracy can be maintained throughout the grain tank 7 with a simple configuration.

In particular, when the height of the grains piled up in the grain tank 7 becomes low, the detection results of the second optical level sensor 57, which irradiates light from the lower front end of the grain tank 7 diagonally downward toward the rear, can be used to accurately detect the pile height (grain amount) of grains that tend to pile up in a mountain shape toward the rear of the grain tank 7. In other words, the blind spot in the detection range of the pile height detection device can be efficiently reduced.

Incidentally, the pile height detection control may be configured to calculate the amount of grain in the grain tank 7, taking into account both the pile height detected by the first optical level sensor 56 and the pile height detected by the second optical level sensor 57, depending on the pile height of the grains stored in the grain tank 7.

2 Traveling machine body 3 Harvesting unit 6 Thresher 7 Grain tank (grain tank)
41 Leveling device (leveling means)
46 Recovery screw (bottom conveying device)
47 Vertical cylinder (grain frying device)
50 Control unit 56 First optical level sensor (first pile height detection sensor, grain amount detection means)
57 Second optical level sensor (second pile height detection sensor, grain amount detection means)

Claims (4)

A reaping unit is provided in front of the traveling body and performs reaping work of grain stalks in a field;
A threshing device that performs threshing and sorting of the reaped stalks reaped by the reaping unit;
A grain tank for storing grains threshed by the threshing device;
A grain amount detection means for detecting the amount of grain stored in the grain tank;
A control unit.
The grain amount detection means includes a first pile height detection sensor that is installed in an upper portion of the grain tank and irradiates light in an up-down direction, and a second pile height detection sensor that is installed below the first pile height detection sensor and irradiates light obliquely downward,
The control unit is configured to calculate the amount of grain stored in the grain tank based on the pile height detected by the first pile height detection sensor and the pile height detected by the second pile height detection sensor. A bottom conveying device is provided on the bottom side of the grain tank to convey the grains stored in the grain tank toward a lifting device that discharges the grains outside the machine,
In a side view of the grain tank perpendicular to the conveying direction of the bottom conveying device,
The first pile height detection sensor and the second pile height detection sensor are installed at a position closer to the outside than the center of the grain tank,
The combine harvester of claim 1, wherein the light irradiation position of the second pile height detection sensor is closer to the center of the grain tank than the light irradiation position of the first pile height detection sensor, so that the light beam irradiated by the first pile height detection sensor and the light beam irradiated by the second pile height detection sensor intersect. A bottom conveying device is provided on the bottom side of the grain tank to convey the grains stored in the grain tank toward a lifting device that discharges the grains outside the machine,
In a side view of the grain tank perpendicular to the conveying direction of the bottom conveying device,
The combine harvester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second pile height detection sensor is provided on the opposite side of the grain lifting device and is installed so as to irradiate light toward the grain lifting device. The grain tank is provided with a leveling means for leveling the grains stored in the center,
The combine harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first pile height detection sensor and the second pile height detection sensor are installed so that light emitted therefrom avoids the leveling means.

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