阅读说明：本技术 联合收割机、收获量计算方法、计算系统、计算程序、及记录有计算程序的 记录介质；谷粒排出收获量计算方法、计算系统、计算程序、及记录有计算 程序的记录介质、不正常流入检测系统、检测程序、记录有检测程序的记录 介质、及检测方法；储存水平检测系统 (A combine harvester, a harvest amount calculation method, a calculation system, a calculation program, and a recording medium having the calculation program recorded thereon; a grain discharge yield c) 是由 关光宏 堀高范 林壮太郎 齐藤直 中林隆志 于 2019-05-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种联合收割机,具备被供给并储存脱粒后的谷粒的谷粒箱,其中,所述联合收割机具备：设置于谷粒箱并测定被供给的谷粒的流量的流量传感器(50)；设置在谷粒箱的下方并输出基于谷粒箱的重量的输出值的收获量传感器(10)；以及基于流量以及输出值对谷粒箱中储存的谷粒的当前收获量进行计算的控制部(22)。(A combine harvester is provided with a grain box which is supplied with threshed grains and stores the threshed grains, wherein the combine harvester is provided with: a flow sensor (50) which is arranged in the grain tank and measures the flow rate of the supplied grains; a harvest amount sensor (10) which is arranged below the grain box and outputs an output value based on the weight of the grain box; and a control unit (22) that calculates the current harvest yield of grains stored in the grain tank based on the flow rate and the output value.)

1. A combine harvester is provided with a grain box which is supplied with threshed grains and stores the threshed grains, wherein the combine harvester is provided with:

a flow rate sensor provided in the grain tank and configured to measure a flow rate of the supplied grains;

a harvest amount sensor disposed below the grain bin that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain bin; and

a control unit that calculates a current harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin based on the flow rate and the output value.

2. A combine harvester according to claim 1,

the control portion calculates the current harvest amount from the output value using a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin and a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin.

3. A combine harvester according to claim 2,

the control portion calculates the current harvest amount by proportionally allocating the harvest amount in the first map with respect to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map with respect to the output value based on the first flow rate value, the second flow rate value, and the flow rate.

4. A combine harvester according to claim 2 or 3,

the first flow value is a lowest flow value assumed to be detected by the flow sensor, and the second flow value is a highest flow value assumed to be detected by the flow sensor.

5. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

the first mapping and the second mapping are determined according to the type of crop being threshed.

6. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the flow sensor includes:

a temporary storage bin storing a portion of the grain being supplied;

a measuring part for measuring the time for which a certain amount of the grains are stored in the temporary storage box; and

a baffle part for discharging the grains when a certain amount of the grains are stored in the temporary storage box,

the flow sensor calculates the flow rate from the time and amount of storage of a quantity of the kernel.

7. A combine harvester according to claim 6,

the combine harvester is provided with a component sensor for measuring the components of the grains stored in the temporary storage box.

8. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the combine harvester is provided with a communication part which communicates with the outside and obtains the required quantity from the outside,

the combine harvester further includes a work management unit that compares the current harvesting amount with the required amount to determine an end timing of the harvesting work.

9. A harvest amount calculation method for calculating a current harvest amount of grain stored in a grain tank by using a grain tank that is supplied with and stores threshed grain, and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on the weight of the grain tank, in a combine harvester, wherein the harvest amount calculation method comprises:

a step of obtaining in advance a first map indicating a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a step of obtaining in advance a second map indicating a relationship between the output value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin when the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value;

measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank;

a step of acquiring the output value output from the harvest-amount sensor; and

a step of calculating the current harvest amount by proportionally allocating the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

10. A harvest amount calculation system that calculates a current harvest amount of grain in a grain bin of a combine harvester that supplies and stores threshed grain, the harvest amount calculation system comprising:

a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank;

a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain bin; and

a control unit that calculates a current harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin based on the flow rate and the output value.

11. In a combine harvester having a grain tank to which threshed grains are supplied and stored and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, a harvest amount calculation program for calculating a current harvest amount of the grains stored in the grain tank from the output value, wherein the harvest amount calculation program is configured to cause a computer to function as:

a function of finding in advance a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of finding in advance a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank;

a function of acquiring the output value output from the harvest-amount sensor; and

a function of proportionally assigning the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value to calculate the current harvest amount according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

12. A recording medium recorded with a harvest-amount calculation program for calculating a current harvest amount of grain stored in a grain tank by a grain tank supplied with and storing threshed grain and a harvest-amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, in a combine harvester having the grain tank and the harvest-amount sensor, wherein the harvest-amount calculation program is for causing a computer to function as:

a function of finding in advance a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of finding in advance a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank;

a function of acquiring the output value output from the harvest-amount sensor; and

a function of proportionally assigning the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value to calculate the current harvest amount according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

13. A combine harvester is provided with a grain box which is supplied with threshed grains and stores the threshed grains, wherein the combine harvester is provided with:

a flow rate sensor provided in the grain tank and configured to measure a flow rate of the supplied grains; and

a control unit that calculates a discharge yield of the grain stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank based on the flow rate.

14. A combine harvester according to claim 13,

the combine harvester is provided with a full level sensor which is arranged in the grain box and detects the grains when the grain box is full,

the discharge state is a state in which the full level sensor detects the grain.

15. A combine harvester according to claim 13 or 14,

the combine harvester is provided with:

a plurality of level sensors that detect when grain has been stored to a specified height of the grain bin; and

a communication unit that communicates with an outside and acquires a requested amount from the outside,

the discharge state is a state in which the grain is detected by a level sensor corresponding to the required amount among the plurality of level sensors.

16. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 13 to 15,

the combine harvester is provided with a harvest amount sensor which is arranged below the grain box and outputs an output value based on the weight of the grain box,

the control unit calculates a current yield based on the flow rate and the output value.

17. A combine harvester according to claim 16,

the control portion calculates the current harvest amount from the output value using a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin and a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin,

the calculation of the current harvest amount is performed by proportionally assigning the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value based on the first flow value, the second flow value, and the flow rate.

18. A combine harvester according to claim 16 or 17,

the control unit calculates a time from the current harvest yield to the discharge harvest yield based on the flow rate.

19. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 13 to 18,

the flow sensor includes:

a primary storage bin storing a portion of the grain being supplied;

a measuring part for measuring the time for storing a certain amount of the grains in the primary storage box; and

a baffle part for discharging the grains when a certain amount of the grains are stored in the primary storage box,

the flow sensor calculates the flow rate from the time and amount of storage of a quantity of the kernel.

20. A combine harvester according to claim 19,

the combine harvester is provided with a component sensor for measuring the components of the grains stored in the primary storage tank.

21. A grain discharge harvest amount calculation method for a combine harvester having a grain tank to which grains after threshing are supplied and stored, and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on the weight of the grain tank, the grain discharge harvest amount calculation method calculating a discharge harvest amount of the grains stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grains need to be discharged from the grain tank, the grain discharge harvest amount calculation method comprising:

measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank; and

a step of calculating the discharge harvest amount based on the flow rate.

22. The grain discharge harvest calculation method of claim 21, wherein,

the grain discharge yield calculation method comprises:

a step of obtaining a first yield in advance, which is in the discharge state when continuously stored at a specific first flow rate value; and

a step of obtaining in advance a second yield that is in the discharge state when continuously stored at a specific second flow rate value that is greater than the first flow rate value,

the step of calculating the discharge harvest amount calculates the discharge harvest amount by proportionally allocating the first harvest amount and the second harvest amount according to a ratio of the flow rate to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

23. A grain discharge yield calculation system for calculating a discharge yield of grains stored in a grain tank of a combine harvester that supplies and stores threshed grains, the grain discharge yield calculation system being configured to calculate the discharge yield of the grains stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grains need to be discharged from the grain tank, the grain discharge yield calculation system comprising:

a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank; and

a control unit that calculates a discharge yield of the grain stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank based on the flow rate.

24. A grain discharging harvest amount calculation program for calculating a discharging harvest amount of grain stored in a grain tank in a discharging state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank, in a combine harvester having the grain tank to be supplied with and store threshed grain and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, wherein the grain discharging harvest amount calculation program is configured to cause a computer to function as:

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank; and

a function of calculating the discharge harvest amount based on the flow rate.

25. A recording medium recorded with a grain discharging harvest amount calculation program for calculating a discharging harvest amount of grain stored in a grain tank in a discharging state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank, in a combine harvester having the grain tank to be supplied with and to store threshed grain and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, wherein the grain discharging harvest amount calculation program is configured to cause a computer to function as:

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank; and

a function of calculating the discharge harvest amount based on the flow rate.

26. A combine harvester, wherein the combine harvester is provided with:

a threshing device for threshing the harvested grain stalks;

a grain bin storing grains obtained by the threshing device;

a grain conveying device that is provided across the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys the grain obtained by the threshing device, and drops the grain into the box interior of the grain box; and

a flow rate measuring means provided inside the grain tank for measuring a flow rate of the grains fed into the grain tank,

the flow rate measuring means is configured to have a measuring vessel for receiving and storing a part of grains put into the grain tank from a receiving opening, measure the flow rate based on a time during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring vessel, and return the grains to the grain tank after the measurement of the flow rate,

the combine harvester is provided with an abnormal inflow detection part which detects abnormal inflow of the grains stored outside the measuring container in the grain tank from the receiving opening into the measuring container based on the change amount of the flow rate with the time.

27. A combine harvester according to claim 26,

when the abnormal inflow detection unit detects the abnormal inflow, the measurement by the flow rate measurement means is stopped.

28. A combine harvester according to claim 26 or 27,

and an abnormal inflow alarm is issued when the abnormal inflow detection unit detects the abnormal inflow.

29. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 26 to 28,

the combine harvester is provided with a component value sensor for measuring the component value of the grain stored in the measuring container.

30. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 26 to 29,

the abnormal inflow detection unit sets a condition that the flow rate is greater than a predetermined value as an abnormal inflow detection condition.

31. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 26 to 30,

the combine harvester is provided with a weight measuring device for measuring the weight of the grain box,

the abnormal inflow detection part sets the weight of the grain tank larger than a predetermined value as an abnormal inflow detection condition.

32. An abnormal inflow detection system for detecting an abnormal inflow into a measuring container in a combine, the combine harvester is provided with a threshing device, a grain box, a grain conveying device and the measuring container, the threshing device threshes the harvested grain stalks, the grain box stores the grains obtained by the threshing device, the grain conveying device is arranged in a state of crossing the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the box of the grain box, the measuring container receives and stores a part of the grains thrown into the grain box from the receiving opening, the combine harvester is configured to return the grains to the grain tank after measuring the flow rate of the grains in the measuring container, wherein the abnormal inflow detection system comprises:

a flow rate measuring means for measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring container; and

an abnormal inflow detection unit that detects an abnormal inflow of grains stored outside the measurement container in the grain tank from the inlet into the measurement container based on a change in the flow rate with time.

33. An abnormal inflow detection program for detecting an abnormal inflow into a measuring container in a combine harvester, the combine harvester is provided with a threshing device, a grain box, a grain conveying device and the measuring container, the threshing device threshes the harvested grain stalks, the grain box stores the grains obtained by the threshing device, the grain conveying device is arranged in a state of crossing the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the box of the grain box, the measuring container receives and stores a part of the grains thrown into the grain box from the receiving opening, the combine harvester is configured to return the grains to the grain tank after measuring the flow rate of the grains in the measuring container, wherein the abnormal inflow detection program is used for causing a computer to realize the following functions:

a flow rate measuring function of measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measurement container; and

an abnormal inflow detection function of detecting an abnormal inflow of grain stored outside the measurement container from the receiving opening into the measurement container in the grain tank based on an amount of change with time of the flow rate.

34. A recording medium on which an abnormal inflow detection program is recorded, the abnormal inflow detection program detecting an abnormal inflow into a measurement container in a combine harvester having a threshing device that threshes harvested grain stalks, a grain tank that stores grains obtained by the threshing device, a grain transport device that is provided in a state of spanning an upper portion of the threshing device and the grain tank, transports the grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the tank of the grain tank, and the measurement container that receives and stores a part of the grains dropped into the grain tank from a receiving opening, the combine harvester being configured to return the grains to the grain tank after measuring a flow rate of the grains in the measurement container, wherein the abnormal inflow detection program is configured to cause a computer to function as:

a flow rate measuring function of measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measurement container;

an abnormal inflow detection function of detecting an abnormal inflow of grain stored outside the measurement container from the receiving opening into the measurement container in the grain tank based on an amount of change with time of the flow rate.

35. An abnormal inflow detection method for detecting an abnormal inflow into a measuring container in a combine, the combine harvester is provided with a threshing device, a grain box, a grain conveying device and the measuring container, the threshing device threshes the harvested grain stalks, the grain box stores the grains obtained by the threshing device, the grain conveying device is arranged in a state of crossing the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the box of the grain box, the measuring container receives and stores a part of the grains thrown into the grain box from the receiving opening, the combine harvester is configured to return the grains to the grain tank after measuring the flow rate of the grains in the measuring container, wherein the abnormal inflow detecting method comprises:

a flow rate measuring step of measuring a flow rate of grains to be fed into the grain tank based on a time during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring container; and

an abnormal inflow detection step of detecting an abnormal inflow of the grain stored outside the measurement container from the inlet port into the measurement container in the grain tank based on a change amount with time of the flow rate.

36. A combine harvester, wherein the combine harvester is provided with:

a threshing device for threshing the harvested grain stalks;

a grain bin storing grains obtained by the threshing device;

a grain conveying device that is provided across the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys the grain obtained by the threshing device, and drops the grain into the box interior of the grain box;

a flow sensor provided in an input part of the grain conveyor and measuring a flow rate of the input grains; and

and a level sensor provided at a position lower than a lower end portion of the flow sensor, and detecting that the grain is stored in the grain tank up to the flow sensor.

37. A combine harvester according to claim 36,

the combine harvester is provided with an informing part which informs that the grains are stored in the flow sensor based on the detection of the level sensor.

38. A combine harvester according to claim 36 or 37,

the combine harvester is provided with an informing part which informs the reduction of the measurement precision of the flow sensor based on the detection of the level sensor.

39. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 36 to 38,

the combine harvester is provided with a running device,

after the detection of the level sensor, the running device is stopped when the flow sensor detects the input of grains.

40. A combine harvester according to any one of claims 36 to 39,

the combine harvester is provided with a full level sensor which is arranged in the grain box and detects the condition that the grains in the grain box are stored to the full height,

the level sensor is disposed at a position lower than the full level sensor.

41. A combine harvester according to claim 40,

the combine harvester is provided with a plurality of other level sensors at a position lower than the full level sensor in the box, the other level sensors detect that the grains are stored to a specific height in the grain box,

the level sensor is disposed at a position higher than the other level sensors located at the next higher position of the full level sensor among the plurality of other level sensors.

42. A storage level detection system that detects a storage level of a grain tank in a combine harvester having a threshing device that threshes harvested grain stalks, the grain tank that stores grains obtained by the threshing device, and a grain conveyor device that is provided in a state of spanning an upper portion of the threshing device and the grain tank, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device, and drops the grains into a tank interior of the grain tank, wherein the storage level detection system is provided with:

a flow sensor provided in an input part of the grain conveyor and measuring a flow rate of the input grains; and

and a level sensor provided at a position lower than a lower end portion of the flow sensor, and detecting that the grain is stored in the grain tank up to the flow sensor.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a combine harvester including a grain tank for storing threshed grains, and a technique for calculating a harvest amount of grains stored in the grain tank.

The present invention also relates to a combine harvester including a grain tank for storing threshed grains, and a technique for calculating a discharge yield of grains stored in the grain tank.

The present invention also relates to a technology for detecting abnormal inflow of grains into a measurement container in a combine harvester having a grain conveyor for conveying grains obtained by a threshing device for threshing harvested grain stalks and charging the grains into a grain tank, a flow rate measurement means for measuring a flow rate of grains charged into the grain tank, and a measurement container for receiving and storing a part of grains charged into the grain tank from a receiving opening.

The present invention also relates to a combine harvester including a traveling machine body, a threshing device for threshing harvested grain stalks, a grain tank for storing grains obtained by the threshing device, and a grain conveyor for conveying grains obtained by the threshing device and feeding the grains into the tank of the grain tank, and a technique for detecting a storage level of the grain tank of such a combine harvester.

Background

1-1. background art [ 1 ]

In a combine harvester, there is a combine harvester that stores threshed grains in a grain tank and measures the harvest amount of the stored grains. Since the measurement of the harvest amount causes an error depending on various conditions, the harvest amount is sometimes calculated in consideration of the error. For example, in the combine harvester described in patent document 1, the measured harvest yield (weight) is corrected based on the posture of the vehicle body with respect to the horizontal plane.

1-2. background Art [ 2 ]

In addition, some combine harvesters include a grain tank for storing grains after threshing and a grain discharge device for discharging the grains stored in the grain tank to the outside. The grain stored in the grain bin is typically discharged from the grain discharge device when the grain bin is full. Therefore, the combine harvester disclosed in patent document 2 includes a full sensor for detecting that the grain tank is full of grains.

1-3 background Art [ 3 ]

In addition, for example, in a combine harvester disclosed in patent document 3, a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing grains fed into a grain box is formed, and the internal quality of the stored grains is measured by an optical quality measuring device. When the measurement is completed, a shutter which is openably and closably formed as a bottom of the temporary storage unit is opened, and the grains are discharged into an internal space of the grain box. A discharge securing space is formed below the shutter so that the shutter can be opened even when the storage amount of the internal space of the grain tank increases.

Further, in the combine harvester disclosed in patent document 4, the following configuration is adopted: two temporary storage units as shown in patent document 3 are provided in the grain tank, the unit travel harvest yield is estimated from the storage state of grains in one temporary storage unit, and the taste value per unit travel distance is estimated from the measurement value related to the taste of grains stored in the other temporary storage unit.

1-4 background Art [ 4 ]

Further, for example, patent document 5 discloses a combine harvester including: a threshing device for threshing the harvested grain stalks; a grain tank storing grains obtained by the threshing device; and a grain conveying device (a "grain conveying mechanism" in the literature) that conveys the grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the box interior of the grain box. An inlet (a grain discharge port in the literature) for discharging grains into the grain tank is formed in an end region of the grain conveying device in the conveying direction, and a flow sensor (a load detector in the literature) for measuring the flow rate of grains passing through the grain conveying device is provided in the vicinity of the inlet. Pressure based on the amount of grain is measured by a flow sensor.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-18014

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2004-187505

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-67226

Patent document 4: international publication No. 2016/147521

Patent document 5: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-38272

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

2-1 problem [ 1 ]

The problems associated with the background art [ 1 ] are as follows.

The measurement of the harvest yield is also performed during the harvesting process while the combine is traveling. The yield of grain during travel is subject to errors due to various factors in addition to the posture of the vehicle body. One of the causes of the error is that the storage state of grains in the grain tank differs depending on the flow rate of grains supplied to the grain tank, and the yield may vary depending on the storage state.

The purpose of the present invention is to determine the yield of grains with high accuracy.

2-2 problem [ 2 ]

The problems associated with the background art [ 2 ] are as follows.

The full position sensor disclosed in patent document 2 is provided in an upper side region in the grain box, and detects a full position by detecting grains with the full position sensor. Therefore, depending on the storage state of grains in the grain bin, there are cases where: although the grain is not full, the grain stored in the grain box is biased to one side, and the full state is erroneously detected by the full state sensor. Conversely, there are also cases where: although the grain is stored above the assumed full level, the full level sensor does not detect the grain.

The purpose of the present invention is to accurately calculate the harvest yield in a state where grains need to be discharged from a grain tank regardless of the storage state of the grains.

2-3 problem [ 3 ]

The problems associated with the prior art [ 3 ] are as follows.

The above-described conventional structure is designed so that grains are stored in the grain box along with the harvesting operation, and even if the stored grains increase to a level close to the discharge port of the temporary storage unit, the movement of the baffle plate is not hindered by the increased grains by forming the discharge securing space for discharging the grains from the temporary storage unit. However, in the grain tank, the grains are not always uniformly stored over the entire area, and in a situation where the grains are collectively stored in the area where the temporary storage portion is provided, if the storage amount is close to full, the grains may flow into the temporary storage portion from the grain receiving port located at the upper end of the cylindrical measurement container in which the temporary storage portion is formed. If there is such an abnormal inflow, the measurement of the grains stored in the temporary storage unit becomes inaccurate, and in the worst case, the measurement cannot be performed.

In view of the above-described circumstances, it is desirable to detect abnormal inflow into a measurement container in a combine harvester that measures grains stored in the measurement container formed in a grain tank.

2-4 problem [ 4 ]

The problems associated with the background art [ 4 ] are as follows.

In the configuration of patent document 5, when the grain is accumulated to a level at which the flow sensor is located in the grain tank and the accumulated grain is in a state of pressing the flow sensor, the flow sensor may not be able to measure the flow rate of the grain with high accuracy. Further, if the grain is continuously fed into the grain tank in this state and the accumulated grain presses the flow sensor more strongly, an excessive load acts on the flow sensor, and the flow sensor may malfunction.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combine harvester capable of protecting a flow sensor before an unexpected load acts on the flow sensor.

Means for solving the problems

3-1. solution [ 1 ]

The solution corresponding to the problem [ 1 ] is as follows.

A combine according to an embodiment includes a grain tank to which threshed grains are supplied and stored, and includes:

a flow rate sensor provided in the grain tank and configured to measure a flow rate of the supplied grains;

a harvest amount sensor disposed below the grain bin that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain bin; and

a control unit that calculates a current harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin based on the flow rate and the output value.

With the above configuration, the actual yield (current yield) of grains stored in the grain tank can be accurately obtained in consideration of the influence of the storage state of grains that varies depending on the flow rate of grains to be supplied.

Preferably, the control unit calculates the current harvest amount from the output value using a first map representing a relationship between the output value when the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and the harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin and a second map representing a relationship between the output value when the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and the harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin.

The relationship between the output value of the harvest amount sensor corresponding to the flow rate and the harvest amount is obtained in advance as a map, and the current harvest amount is calculated using the map.

Further, it is preferable that the control unit calculates the current harvest amount by proportionally allocating the harvest amount in the first map with respect to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map with respect to the output value based on the first flow rate value, the second flow rate value, and the flow rate.

With the above configuration, the current yield can be obtained with higher accuracy from the map obtained in advance.

Preferably, the first flow rate value is a lowest flow rate value assumed to be detected by the flow rate sensor, and the second flow rate value is a highest flow rate value assumed to be detected by the flow rate sensor.

By obtaining a map of the minimum flow rate and the maximum flow rate, the measured flow rate becomes a value between the minimum flow rate and the maximum flow rate, the reliability of the map is improved, and the current yield can be obtained with higher accuracy.

The first map and the second map may be determined according to the type of crop to be threshed.

Thus, the current harvest yield can be accurately obtained even in a combine harvester for harvesting various crops.

Further, the flow rate sensor may include:

a temporary storage bin storing a portion of the grain being supplied;

a measuring part for measuring the time for which a certain amount of the grains are stored in the temporary storage box; and

a baffle part for discharging the grains when a certain amount of the grains are stored in the temporary storage box,

the flow sensor calculates the flow rate from the time and amount of storage of a quantity of the kernel.

According to the above-described configuration, an accurate flow rate can be continuously measured during the supply of grains, and the current yield can be obtained with high accuracy.

Preferably, the combine harvester further includes a component sensor for measuring a component of the grain stored in the temporary storage tank.

According to the above configuration, the flow rate and the component can be efficiently measured by one apparatus, and the weight and the volume can be appropriately selected and used as the yield.

In addition, the combine harvester may be provided with a communication unit that communicates with the outside and acquires a request amount from the outside,

the combine harvester further includes a work management unit that compares the current harvesting amount with the required amount to determine an end timing of the harvesting work.

According to the above configuration, the yield required from the outside can be used as the discharge yield, and the discharge yield can be managed with high versatility.

Further, a harvest amount calculation method according to an embodiment calculates a current harvest amount of grain stored in a grain tank by using a grain tank that supplies and stores threshed grain and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, in a combine harvester including the grain tank and the harvest amount sensor, the harvest amount calculation method including:

a step of obtaining in advance a first map indicating a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a step of obtaining in advance a second map indicating a relationship between the output value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin when the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value;

measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank;

a step of acquiring the output value output from the harvest-amount sensor; and

a step of calculating the current harvest amount by proportionally allocating the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

According to the configuration described above, the actual yield (current yield) of grains stored in the grain tank can be obtained with high accuracy by using the map indicating the relationship between the output value and the yield, taking into account the influence of the storage state of grains associated with the flow rate of supplied grains.

In addition, a harvest amount calculation system according to an embodiment calculates a current harvest amount of grain in a grain tank of a combine harvester that supplies and stores threshed grain, the harvest amount calculation system including:

a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank;

a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain bin; and

a control unit that calculates a current harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin based on the flow rate and the output value.

Even such a yield calculation system can provide the same effects as those of the above-described combine harvester.

In addition, a harvest amount calculation program of an embodiment calculates a current harvest amount of grain stored in a grain tank by an output value based on a weight of a grain tank in a combine harvester having the grain tank to which threshed grain is supplied and stored and a harvest amount sensor that outputs the output value, wherein the harvest amount calculation program causes a computer to function as:

a function of finding in advance a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of finding in advance a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank;

a function of acquiring the output value output from the harvest-amount sensor; and

a function of proportionally assigning the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value to calculate the current harvest amount according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

By implementing such a harvesting amount calculation program in a computer, the same effects as those of the above-described combine can be obtained.

In addition, in a combine harvester having a grain tank to which threshed grains are supplied and stored and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, the harvest amount calculation program calculates a current harvest amount of the grains stored in the grain tank from the output value, wherein the harvest amount calculation program causes a computer to function as:

a function of finding in advance a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of finding in advance a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin;

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank;

a function of acquiring the output value output from the harvest-amount sensor; and

a function of proportionally assigning the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value to calculate the current harvest amount according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

By installing the harvest amount calculation program recorded in such a recording medium in a computer and realizing the program in the computer, the same effects as those of the above-described combine can be obtained.

3-2. solution [ 2 ]

The solution corresponding to the problem [ 2 ] is as follows.

A combine according to an embodiment includes a grain tank to which threshed grains are supplied and stored, and includes:

a flow rate sensor provided in the grain tank and configured to measure a flow rate of the supplied grains; and

a control unit that calculates a discharge yield of the grain stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank based on the flow rate.

According to the above configuration, even when the grains are stored in the grain tank while being biased in one direction due to the influence of the flow rate of the supplied grains, the discharge yield corresponding to the discharge state can be detected in consideration of the flow rate, and the stored grains can be discharged at an appropriate timing.

In addition, the combine harvester may be provided with a full level sensor that is provided in the grain tank and detects the grains when the grain tank is full,

the discharge state is a state in which the full level sensor detects the grain.

According to the structure, the discharge harvest amount under the state that the grain is detected by the full level sensor can be accurately calculated, and the stored grain can be discharged at a proper time.

Further, the combine may include:

a plurality of level sensors that detect when grain has been stored to a specified height of the grain bin; and

a communication unit that communicates with an outside and acquires a requested amount from the outside,

the discharge state is a state in which a level sensor corresponding to the required amount among the plurality of level sensors detects the grain.

According to the above configuration, grains can be discharged at appropriate timing according to the respective discharge yields in accordance with various discharge yields required by external equipment.

Preferably, the combine harvester further includes a harvest amount sensor provided below the grain tank and outputting an output value based on a weight of the grain tank,

the control unit calculates a current yield based on the flow rate and the output value.

According to the above configuration, the grain can be discharged in a planned manner while comparing the discharge harvest yield with the current harvest yield, and the grain stored up to the discharge harvest yield can be discharged at a more appropriate timing.

Preferably, the control unit calculates the current harvest amount from the output value using a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin and a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and the harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin,

the calculation of the current harvest amount is based on the first flow value, the second flow value, and the flow rate, proportionally assigning the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value.

According to the above configuration, the current harvest yield can be calculated more accurately by the map indicating the relationship between the output value of the harvest yield sensor and the harvest yield in accordance with the flow rate, and therefore, the grains can be discharged with high accuracy and in a planned manner while comparing the discharged harvest yield with the current harvest yield, and the grains stored up to the discharged harvest yield can be discharged at a more appropriate timing.

Preferably, the control unit calculates a time from the current harvest yield to the discharge harvest yield based on the flow rate.

By calculating the time until the grain harvest amount reaches the discharge harvest amount, the timing at which the grains should be discharged can be grasped in time, and the grains stored up to the discharge harvest amount can be discharged more easily at an appropriate timing.

Further, preferably, the flow sensor includes:

a primary storage bin storing a portion of the grain being supplied;

a measuring part for measuring the time for storing a certain amount of the grains in the primary storage box; and

a baffle part for discharging the grains when a certain amount of the grains are stored in the primary storage box,

the flow sensor calculates the flow rate from the time and amount of storage of a quantity of the kernel.

According to the above configuration, the accurate flow rate can be continuously measured during the supply of grains, and the current harvest yield can be obtained with high accuracy, so that grains stored up to the discharge harvest yield can be discharged at a more appropriate timing.

Preferably, the combine harvester further includes a component sensor for measuring a component of the grain stored in the primary storage tank.

According to the above configuration, the flow rate and the component can be efficiently measured by one apparatus, and the weight and the volume can be appropriately selected and used as the yield.

A grain discharge harvest amount calculation method according to an embodiment of a combine harvester having a grain tank to which grains after threshing are supplied and stored and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, the grain discharge harvest amount calculation method calculating a discharge harvest amount of the grains stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grains need to be discharged from the grain tank, the grain discharge harvest amount calculation method including:

measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank; and

a step of calculating the discharge harvest amount based on the flow rate.

According to the above configuration, even when the grains are stored in the grain tank while being biased in one direction due to the influence of the flow rate of the supplied grains, the discharge yield corresponding to the discharge state can be detected in consideration of the flow rate, and the stored grains can be discharged at an appropriate timing.

Preferably, the grain discharge yield calculation method includes:

a step of obtaining a first yield in advance, which is in the discharge state when continuously stored at a specific first flow rate value; and

a step of obtaining in advance a second yield that is in the discharge state when continuously stored at a specific second flow rate value that is greater than the first flow rate value,

the step of calculating the discharge harvest apportions the first harvest and the second harvest according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the flow rate of the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

According to the above configuration, the more accurate discharge yield can be obtained from the flow rate using the relationship between the flow rate and the discharge flow rate obtained in advance, and therefore, the stored grains can be discharged at a more appropriate timing.

A grain discharge yield calculation system according to an embodiment calculates a discharge yield of grain stored in a grain tank of a combine harvester that supplies and stores threshed grain, the grain discharge yield calculation system being configured to calculate the discharge yield of the grain stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank, the grain tank including:

a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank; and

a control unit that calculates a discharge yield of the grain stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank based on the flow rate.

Even such a grain discharge yield calculation system can provide the same effects as those of the above-described combine harvester.

A grain discharging harvest amount calculation program according to an embodiment calculates a discharging harvest amount of grain stored in a grain tank in a discharging state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank, in a combine harvester having the grain tank to be supplied with and to store threshed grain and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, wherein the grain discharging harvest amount calculation program causes a computer to function as:

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank; and

a function of calculating the discharge harvest amount based on the flow rate.

By installing such a grain discharge yield calculation program in a computer, the same effects as those of the above-described combine can be obtained.

A recording medium having a grain discharge harvest amount calculation program recorded thereon according to an embodiment, in a combine harvester having a grain tank to which grain after threshing is supplied and stored and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, the grain discharge harvest amount calculation program calculates a discharge harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank, wherein the grain discharge harvest amount calculation program is configured to cause a computer to function as:

a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank; and

a function of calculating the discharge harvest amount based on the flow rate.

The same effect as that of the combine harvester can be obtained by installing the program for calculating the grain discharge yield recorded in the recording medium in a computer and realizing the program by the computer.

3-3. solution [ 3 ]

The solution corresponding to the problem [ 3 ] is as follows.

The combine of the present invention comprises: a threshing device for threshing the harvested grain stalks; a grain bin storing grains obtained by the threshing device; a grain conveying device that is provided across the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys the grain obtained by the threshing device, and drops the grain into the box interior of the grain box; and a flow rate measuring means provided inside the grain tank for measuring a flow rate of the grains fed into the grain tank. The flow rate measuring means includes a measuring vessel that receives and stores a part of grains thrown into the grain tank from a receiving opening, measures the flow rate based on a time during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring vessel, and returns the grains to the grain tank after the flow rate is measured, and the combine harvester includes an abnormal inflow detecting unit that detects an abnormal inflow of the grains stored outside the measuring vessel in the grain tank from the receiving opening into the measuring vessel based on an amount of change with time in the flow rate.

An abnormal inflow of the processed cereal grains means that the cereal grains stored in the cereal grain bin overflow and flow from the outside of the measuring container through the receiving opening into the measuring container. When the grain stored outside the measuring container in the grain tank is enlarged and a part of the grain passes over the measuring container and abnormally flows into the measuring container from the receiving port, the abnormal flow causes the abnormal increase of the grain flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means. According to this configuration, such abnormal increase in the grain flow rate is expressed as abnormal change in the temporal change amount of the flow rate, and therefore, abnormal inflow can be detected from the abnormal change.

In the case where the abnormal inflow is detected, the flow rate measurement by the flow rate measurement means becomes inaccurate, and therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the measurement by the flow rate measurement means is stopped when the abnormal inflow detection unit detects the abnormal inflow. In this way, since the flow rate measurement is stopped at the time when the abnormal inflow is detected, it is possible to avoid a problem due to inaccurate flow rate measurement.

Such abnormal inflow occurs when the grain tank is nearly full or when the storage state of grains in the grain tank is biased toward the periphery of the measurement container. In order to cope with this situation, it is necessary to stop the harvest operation travel, and perform emergency processing such as discharge of grains from the grain tank and elimination of uneven distribution of grains in the grain tank. In view of the above, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an abnormal inflow alarm is issued when the abnormal inflow detection unit detects the abnormal inflow.

In a combine harvester that harvests grains such as rice and wheat while traveling in a field, when component values (moisture and protein) of grains sequentially stored in a measurement container by a predetermined amount at a time are measured along with the travel of harvesting, an advantage can be obtained that the distribution of the grain components in the field can be made. In accordance with the above, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a component value sensor for measuring a component value of the grain stored in the measurement container is provided.

The abnormal increase in the grain flow rate due to the abnormal inflow of grains is detected based on the temporal change amount of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means, but one of the specific methods is a threshold evaluation of the measured flow rate. In view of the above, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the abnormal inflow detection unit sets a case where the flow rate is larger than a predetermined value as the abnormal inflow detection condition. In this case, it is preferable to use a storage time until a predetermined amount of grains defined by a sensor or the like are stored. When dividing the storage time by a certain amount, the flow rate per unit time is calculated. In this case, if the storage time is a short time (a predetermined value as a criterion) during which the grain directly fed from the grain conveyor into the measurement container cannot be stored in a constant amount in a normal harvesting operation, it can be determined that the abnormal inflow has occurred. In this case, the storage time is substantially the same as the determination reference, and the flow rate per unit time is substantially the same as the determination reference.

Combine harvesters are typically provided with a weight scale that measures the weight of the grain bin (including also stored grain). If only the weight of the grain bin is subtracted from the measured weight, the weight of the stored grain, i.e. the harvest yield, can be obtained. Therefore, the storage state of the grains in the grain tank can be estimated based on the measured weight. The abnormal inflow of grains does not occur in a state where the grains are stored lower than the receiving opening of the measuring container. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when a weight measuring device for measuring the weight of the grain tank is provided, the abnormal inflow detection unit sets a case where the weight of the grain tank is greater than a predetermined value as one of the abnormal inflow detection conditions. This can reduce false detection of abnormal inflow.

An abnormal inflow detection system of an embodiment detects an abnormal inflow into a measuring container in a combine harvester, the combine harvester is provided with a threshing device, a grain box, a grain conveying device and the measuring container, the threshing device threshes the harvested grain stalks, the grain box stores the grains obtained by the threshing device, the grain conveying device is arranged in a state of crossing the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the box of the grain box, the measuring container receives and stores a part of the grains thrown into the grain box from the receiving opening, in the combine harvester, the grain tank is configured to return the grain to the grain tank after measuring a flow rate of the grain in the measurement container, and the abnormal inflow detection system includes:

a flow rate measuring means for measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring container; and

an abnormal inflow detection unit that detects an abnormal inflow of grains stored outside the measurement container in the grain tank from the inlet into the measurement container based on a change in the flow rate with time.

Even such an abnormal inflow detection system can provide the same effect as the combine harvester.

An abnormal inflow detection program of an embodiment detects an abnormal inflow into a measuring container in a combine harvester, the combine harvester is provided with a threshing device, a grain box, a grain conveying device and the measuring container, the threshing device threshes the harvested grain stalks, the grain box stores the grains obtained by the threshing device, the grain conveying device is arranged in a state of crossing the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the box of the grain box, the measuring container receives and stores a part of the grains thrown into the grain box from the receiving opening, in the combine harvester, the grain tank is configured to return the grain to the grain tank after the flow rate of the grain in the measuring container is measured, wherein the abnormal inflow detection program causes a computer to realize the following functions:

a flow rate measuring function of measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measurement container; and

an abnormal inflow detection function of detecting an abnormal inflow of grain stored outside the measurement container from the receiving opening into the measurement container in the grain tank based on an amount of change with time of the flow rate.

By implementing such an abnormal inflow detection program in a computer, the same effects as those of the above-described combine harvester can be obtained.

In one embodiment, there is provided a recording medium on which an abnormal inflow detection program is recorded, the abnormal inflow detection program detecting an abnormal inflow of an inflow measurement container in a combine harvester having a threshing device that threshes harvested grain stalks, a grain tank that stores grains obtained by the threshing device, a grain transport device that transports the grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into a tank of the grain tank, and the measurement container that receives and stores a part of the grains dropped into the grain tank from a receiving opening, the combine harvester being configured to return the grains to the grain tank after measuring a flow rate of the grains in the measurement container, wherein the abnormal inflow detection program is configured to cause a computer to function as:

a flow rate measuring function of measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measurement container;

an abnormal inflow detection function of detecting an abnormal inflow of grain stored outside the measurement container from the receiving opening into the measurement container in the grain tank based on an amount of change with time of the flow rate.

By installing the abnormal inflow detection program recorded in the recording medium in a computer and realizing the program by the computer, the same effects as those of the combine harvester can be obtained.

An abnormal inflow detection method of an embodiment detects an abnormal inflow into a measuring container in a combine harvester, the combine harvester is provided with a threshing device, a grain box, a grain conveying device and the measuring container, the threshing device threshes the harvested grain stalks, the grain box stores the grains obtained by the threshing device, the grain conveying device is arranged in a state of crossing the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device and drops the grains into the box of the grain box, the measuring container receives and stores a part of the grains thrown into the grain box from the receiving opening, in the combine harvester, the grain is returned to the grain tank after the flow rate of the grain in the measurement container is measured, and the abnormal inflow detection method includes:

a flow rate measuring step of measuring a flow rate of grains to be fed into the grain tank based on a time during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring container; and

an abnormal inflow detection step of detecting an abnormal inflow of the grain stored outside the measurement container from the inlet port into the measurement container in the grain tank based on a change amount with time of the flow rate.

Even with such an abnormal inflow detection method, the same effect as that of the above-described combine harvester can be obtained.

3-4. solution [ 4 ]

The solution corresponding to the problem [ 4 ] is as follows.

The combine harvester of the invention is characterized in that the combine harvester is provided with: a threshing device for threshing the harvested grain stalks; a grain bin storing grains obtained by the threshing device; a grain conveying device that is provided across the threshing device and the upper part of the grain box, conveys the grain obtained by the threshing device, and drops the grain into the box interior of the grain box; a flow sensor provided in an input part of the grain conveyor and measuring a flow rate of the input grains; and a level sensor provided at a position lower than a lower end portion of the flow sensor, and detecting that the grain is stored in the grain tank to the flow sensor.

According to the present invention, the following structure is provided: the level sensor is disposed at a position lower than the flow sensor, and the level sensor detects the state that the grains are stored in the flow sensor. Therefore, the level sensor can detect the state immediately before the accumulated grains press the flow sensor. That is, the following structure can be achieved: the grains are continuously fed into the grain box, and the feeding of the grains is stopped before the accumulated grains more strongly press the flow sensor, so that the possibility that the flow sensor is broken down due to an excessive load acting on the flow sensor can be avoided. Thus, the combine harvester capable of protecting the flow sensor before an unexpected load acts on the flow sensor can be realized.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the combine harvester further includes an informing unit for informing that the grain is stored in the flow sensor based on detection by the level sensor.

With this configuration, since the passenger of the combine harvester is informed of the fact that the grains are stored in the grain tank to the flow sensor, it can be easily and quickly determined that the passenger performs the grain discharge operation, for example.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the combine harvester further includes an informing unit for informing, based on detection by the level sensor, a decrease in measurement accuracy of the flow sensor.

If the grain is accumulated in the grain tank to a height at which the flow sensor is located and the accumulated grain is in a state of pressing the flow sensor, the flow sensor may not be able to measure the flow rate of the grain with high accuracy. With this configuration, the passenger can recognize the decrease in the measurement accuracy of the flow sensor, and therefore, the passenger can easily determine the suspension of the harvesting operation of the combine harvester.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the combine harvester includes a traveling device, and the traveling device is stopped when the flow sensor detects the input of grains after the detection of the level sensor.

When the grain is further continuously fed into the grain tank in a state where the flow sensor is pressed by the accumulated grain, an excessive load acts on the flow sensor, and the flow sensor may malfunction. According to this configuration, by stopping the travel device, the harvesting travel of the combine harvester cannot be continued. That is, since the grains are not continuously fed until an excessive load acts on the flow rate sensor, the possibility of the flow rate sensor failing can be avoided. In addition, it is possible to prevent measurement data with low accuracy from being mixed in the data of the flow sensor.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the combine harvester further includes a full level sensor provided in the box to detect that the grain is stored to a full height in the grain box, and the level sensor is provided at a position lower than the full level sensor.

The full level sensor is usually provided at a relatively high position inside the box, but grains are not horizontally stacked inside the box, and depending on the input flow rate of grains, the stacking of grains inside the box may be biased. With this configuration, even when grain is detected by the full level sensor, if grain is not detected by the level sensor at a position lower than the full level sensor, more grain can be stored. That is, the flow sensor can be prevented from being damaged, and as many grains as possible can be stored in the box.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the combine harvester further includes a plurality of other level sensors provided at a position lower than the full level sensor in the box, the plurality of other level sensors detect that the grain is stored at a specific height in the grain box, and the level sensor is provided at a position higher than another level sensor positioned next to the full level sensor among the plurality of other level sensors.

With this configuration, even if the level sensor is provided at a position lower than the full level sensor, the level sensor is provided higher than the other level sensors located at the next higher position of the full level sensor. Thereby, more grains are stored inside the bin.

A storage level detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a storage level detection system for detecting a storage level of a grain tank in a combine harvester having a threshing device that threshes harvested grain stalks, the grain tank that stores grains obtained by the threshing device, and a grain conveyor device that is provided in a state of being laid across an upper portion of the threshing device and an upper portion of the grain tank, conveys grains obtained by the threshing device, and drops the grains into a tank interior of the grain tank, the storage level detection system including:

a flow sensor provided in an input part of the grain conveyor and measuring a flow rate of the input grains; and

and a level sensor provided at a position lower than a lower end portion of the flow sensor, and detecting that the grain is stored in the grain tank up to the flow sensor.

Even such a storage level detection system can provide the same effects as those of the above-described combine harvester.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall side view of a combine harvester.

Fig. 2 is a rear longitudinal sectional view of the combine harvester showing the grain transporting mechanism and the grain tank.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the quality measuring device arrangement section.

Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a storage state of grains stored in a grain box.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration for correcting the yield.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of correcting the yield.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating correction of the yield using the map.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a flow of a method for detecting a discharge state using a harvest amount.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the discharge operation of the combine harvester.

Fig. 10 is an overall side view of the combine.

Figure 11 is a rear elevation view of the grain bin in longitudinal section.

Figure 12 is a right side elevation view of the grain bin in longitudinal section.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a grain bin.

Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram showing functions for measuring a grain flow rate and a grain component, which enable abnormal inflow detection in a control system of a combine harvester.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of grain measurement control.

Fig. 16 is a right side view of the whole body of the combine harvester.

Fig. 17 is an overall plan view of the combine harvester.

Fig. 18 is a plan view showing the interior of the grain box.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view XIX-XIX in FIG. 18 showing the inside of a grain box.

Fig. 20 is a section XX-XX of fig. 18 showing the interior of the grain bin.

Fig. 21 is a plan view showing the flow sensor.

Fig. 22 is a right side view of the body showing the flow sensor.

Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing a control structure by the flow sensor.

Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing a control structure by the flow sensor.

Fig. 25 is a rear view showing another embodiment relating to the structure of the grain conveyor, the flow sensor, and the level sensor.

Detailed Description

4-1. first embodiment

Hereinafter, a combine harvester according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[ integral Structure ]

As shown in fig. 1, the combine harvester of the present invention includes: a traveling machine body 2 which travels by itself using a pair of left and right crawler traveling devices 1, and a harvesting unit 3 which harvests standing grain stalks in the front of the traveling machine body 2. A cab 5 is provided on the front right side of the travel machine body 2, and the periphery of the cab 4 is covered with the cab. A threshing device 6 that threshes the grain stalks harvested by the harvesting unit 3 and a grain tank 7 that stores grains obtained by the threshing process are provided behind the cab unit 5 in a horizontally aligned state. The grain box 7 is positioned on the right side of the machine body, and the threshing device 6 is positioned on the left side of the machine body. That is, the driver 5 is positioned in front of the grain box 7. An engine is provided below a driver seat 8 in the driver unit 5. The grain discharging device 9 is provided at the rear of the travel machine body 2 and behind the grain box 7, and discharges grains stored in the grain box 7 to the outside of the machine. The threshed grains are transported from the threshing device 6 to the inside of the grain tank 7 by the grain transporting mechanism 16. Further, a load cell 10 is provided below the grain tank 7 as an example of a harvest amount sensor for measuring a harvest amount of grains stored in the grain tank 7. The load cell 10 detects, as a voltage or the like, a pressure applied according to the weight (yield) of grains by a strain sensor. The weight (yield) of the stored grain is calculated from the voltage as an output value.

[ grain transport mechanism ]

Next, a grain conveying mechanism 16 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 2 and 3. The grain conveying mechanism 16 includes a primary processed matter recovery screw device 16A, a lifting conveying device 16B and a transverse conveying device 16C which are arranged at the bottom of the threshing device 6.

In the end region of the transverse conveyor 16C, a grain discharging device 13 is provided for discharging grains into the grain tank 7 by diffusion. The grain discharging device 13 includes a discharging rotor 32 and a discharging housing 31 covering the periphery of the discharging rotor 32. The discharge rotor 32 is a rotor blade including a rotating shaft 32b and a blade plate 32a provided on the rotating shaft 32 b. The vane plate 32a is fixed to the rotating shaft 32b so as to project radially outward from the rotating shaft 32 b. The blade plate 32a has a substantially flat pushing surface that pushes out grains in the rotational direction thereof. The payout housing 31 is cylindrical having an inner diameter slightly larger than the rotation trajectory of the blade plate 32 a. A part of the peripheral surface of the discharge housing 31 is notched. Through the notches, a grain discharge port 30 is formed through which grains are discharged to the rear side of the inside of the grain box 7 by the rotation of the paddle plate 32 a. A plurality of openings 33 are formed on the lower surface side of the discharge case 31 of the grain discharge device 13. Grains for measurement (a part of grains stored in the box) described later leak from the opening 33 and are supplied to a temporary storage unit 51 described later.

[ quality measuring device ]

A quality measuring device 50 for measuring the quality of grains is provided at an upper position inside the grain box 7. The quality measuring device 50 measures the moisture content of grains, the protein content of grains, and other components (quality) of grains. As shown in fig. 3, the quality measurement device 50 includes: a temporary storage unit 51 as a first storage unit that temporarily stores grains to be measured; and a measuring unit 52 as a quality measuring unit for measuring the quality of the grains stored in the temporary storage unit 51. As shown in fig. 3, the temporary storage unit 51 is located on the inner side of the grain tank 7, and the measurement unit 52 is located on the outer side of the grain tank 7. The measurement unit 52 is housed in a housing case 53 formed in a sealed state. The temporary storage portion 51 is formed in a substantially square tubular shape integrally connected to the inner side surface of the storage case 53, and can store grains therein.

The temporary storage unit 51 has a vertical passage 55 formed therein and penetrating in the vertical direction, and includes: a discharge port 56 formed in the middle of the vertical passage 55, a flap 57 that can be positionally changed to a closed position (see the drawing) for closing the discharge port 56 and an open position (not shown) for opening the discharge port 56, and an operation portion (not shown) for changing the posture of the flap 57 by the driving force of an electric motor (not shown).

The temporary storage unit 51 receives and stores a part of the grain fed into the grain tank 7 by the grain feed mechanism 16 and discharged from the grain discharge device 13 as grain for measurement.

The upper end of the vertical passage 55 of the temporary storage section 51 is opened to form a grain inlet 62. The grain discharged from the grain discharging device 13 is taken in from the intake port 62, and the grain is received in a state where the shutter 57 is switched to the closed state, so that the grain can be stored in the storage space 63 formed above the shutter 57. When the shutter 57 is switched to the open state, the stored grains fall downward and are discharged to return to the inside of the grain tank 7.

The temporary storage unit 51 includes a primary storage sensor 65 in the space 63. The primary storage sensor 65 is a contact sensor and can detect that a certain amount of grains are stored in the space 63. The measuring unit 52 measures the quality of the grain in a state where the grain is stored by a predetermined amount. When the primary storage sensor 65 detects that a certain amount of grains are stored in the space 63 and the measuring unit 52 measures the component (quality), the operation unit (not shown) changes the shutter 57 to the open position and discharges the grains to the measured grain storage space S described later.

The measurement unit 52 irradiates light to the grain stored in the storage space 63, and measures the internal quality of the grain by a spectral analysis method known in the art based on the light obtained from the grain. A window 64 through which light can pass is formed on a side surface of the storage space 63 on the side of the measurement unit 52, and the measurement unit 52 irradiates light to the grain through the window 64 and receives light from the grain.

As shown in fig. 3, the measured grain storage space S is an area surrounded by a wall 66, and communicates with the storage space 63 in the temporary storage part 51 via the discharge port 56, and the side part is separated from the storage space Q (inner space) of the grain box 7, and the lower part communicates with the storage space Q of the grain box 7. The measurement grain storage space S is formed to be wider in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction with respect to the temporary storage section 51 in a plan view, and is provided to extend to the lower portion of the grain box 7 in a form in which the lower portion is wider in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction than the upper portion. Since the grain storage space S is separated from the storage space Q, the grains do not flow from the storage space Q during the storage of the grains. Therefore, regardless of the storage state of the grain tank 7, only the grains discharged from the temporary storage part 51 are stored in the measured grain storage space S. As a result, the flow rate can be measured reliably the number of times corresponding to the size of the grain storage space S.

As described above, when the shutter 57 is closed, the grains are stored in the space 63, and after a certain amount of grains are stored in the space 63, the shutter 57 is opened to discharge the grains when the measurement of the components is completed. Therefore, in a state where the grain is supplied to the grain tank 7, the quality measuring device 50 can measure the flow rate of the grain supplied into the grain tank 7. That is, since the volume of grains to be stored is constant, by measuring the time from when the shutter 57 is closed until the storage sensor 65 detects grains once and stores a certain amount of grains, the volume of grains supplied per unit time, that is, the flow rate can be measured. The flow rate can be determined by dividing the volume by the measured time. In addition, when the moisture content of the grain is measured as the quality, the volume can be converted into the weight. Therefore, the weight of grains supplied per unit time can also be determined as the flow rate.

[ storage State of the grain ]

Next, the influence of the flow rate of grains in the storage state of grains in the grain tank (storage mode of grains) will be described with reference to fig. 2 and 4. Further, a relationship between the storage state of grains and the detection of the state in which grains need to be discharged (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a discharge state) will be described.

In the grain tank 7, the grain discharging device 13 is disposed on the front side of the traveling machine body 2 (see fig. 1, the same applies hereinafter), and the grains are discharged toward the rear side of the traveling machine body 2. Grain discharge is affected by the flow rate of the grain being fed. When the flow rate is large, the grains are discharged far toward the rear side of the travel machine body 2 as indicated by arrow I, and when the flow rate is small, the grains are discharged only to a position closer than when the flow rate is large as indicated by arrow II. Therefore, when the flow rate is large, grains are stored from the rear side of the grain box 7, and when the flow rate is small, grains are stored from the front side of the grain box 7. As a result, in the storage state 20 of grains with a large flow rate, there is a tendency that grains are more on the rear side of the grain box 7 and less on the front side, and in the storage state 21 of grains with a small flow rate, there is a tendency that grains are less on the rear side of the grain box 7 and more on the front side. Due to such a storage state, various sensors provided in the combine harvester may generate detection errors. Hereinafter, the error of the sensor will be described by taking the error of the grain sensor and the error of the load sensor as examples.

One or more grain sensors 11 as a level sensor for detecting the amount of grains stored are provided in the grain tank 7. The grain sensor 11 is, for example, a contact sensor, and detects that the stored grain has reached the grain sensor 11. The grain sensor 11a provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the grain tank 7 among the grain sensors 11 detects that the grains in the grain tank 7 are full and stored until the grains are discharged. For example, when the grain sensor 11a detects a grain, the operator is notified of the detection, and the operator shifts to an action for discharging the grain.

The grain sensor 11 is disposed at a position offset from the center of the travel machine body 2 in the front-rear direction, for example, at the front side of the travel machine body 2 in the grain box 7. As described above, the storage state of grains is biased in one direction according to the flow rate. Therefore, the actual grain harvest amount in the grain tank 7 when the grain sensor 11a detects that the grains have been stored to the full state in response thereto differs depending on the flow rate. As shown in fig. 4, the harvest yield when the grain reaches the grain sensor 11a is greater when the flow rate is large than when the flow rate is small. As a result, the storage state of the grain when the grain sensor 11a detects the grain also differs depending on the flow rate. When the grain sensor 11a detects grain, if the harvest amount of grain stored in the grain tank 7 is different from the harvest amount assumed to be full, the harvest amount of discharged grain may be excessive or insufficient, and thereafter, the drying operation may not be efficiently performed. In particular, when the grain amount of the grain stored in the grain tank 7 is larger than the amount of the grain that is supposed to be in the full state (for example, in the state of being stored in the storage state 20), the grain may overflow from the grain tank 7 or an access door (not shown) provided in the grain tank 7 may be opened by the pressure of the grain.

As described above, the weight (yield) of the stored grain is calculated from the output value of the load cell 10 (see fig. 1, the same applies hereinafter). Specifically, the relationship between the weight of grains stored when the grains are stored in the grain tank 7 on the load sensor 10 and the output value of the load sensor 10 with respect to the weight is examined in advance and stored as a map. The weight of the grain in the map is determined taking into account the weight of the grain bin 7. Then, the weight (harvest yield) of the stored grain is calculated from the output value of the load cell 10 and the map. The weight calculated as the yield can be converted into a volume based on the moisture content of the grain.

The yield obtained from the load cell 10 also has an error due to the flow rate. That is, the load sensors 10 are unevenly distributed with respect to the center of the grain box 7 in the front-rear direction. Normally, the load sensor 10 is disposed on the front side of the center in the front-rear direction of the grain tank 7. As described above, the grains in the grain tank 7 are stored while being biased in one direction according to the flow rate. Therefore, when the center of gravity of the stored grain is not located directly above the load cell 10, an error occurs in the yield obtained from the load cell 10.

As described above, even if it is desired to detect a specific harvest amount by the grain sensor 11, the harvest amount of grains stored at the time when the grain sensor 11 detects grains is affected by the flow rate. Therefore, it is difficult to detect grain stored with an accurate harvest amount using the grain sensor 11. Similarly, the yield obtained from the load sensor 10 may have an error. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, an accurate yield (hereinafter, also referred to as a current yield) is obtained in consideration of the storage state associated with the flow rate. Further, a state in which it is necessary to discharge grains (discharge state), for example, an accurate harvest yield when the grain sensor 11 detects grains (hereinafter, also referred to as a discharge harvest yield) is obtained.

The following describes the structure for determining the current yield and the structure for determining the discharge yield in this order.

[ calculation of the amount of harvest ]

First, a configuration for calculating the amount of harvesting (current amount of harvesting) from the output value of the load sensor 10 will be described with reference to fig. 4 to 7. Here, a configuration for calculating the current harvest yield will be described as the harvest yield calculation means 12. However, the calculation of the yield is not limited to the case of using the yield calculation device 12, and the respective components may be distributed, or the device configurations in which arbitrary components are appropriately collected may be combined. Also, the calculation of the current harvest yield may be performed by various methods such as execution of a program, regardless of the device configuration. When the program is used, the program is stored in the storage device 23 described later and executed by the control device 22 described later.

The yield calculation device 12 includes a control device (corresponding to a control unit) 22 and a storage device 23. The control device 22 is connected to the quality measuring device 50, the load cell 10, and the storage device 23 so as to be capable of data communication. The storage means 23 stores a first mapping 24 and a second mapping 25. The first map 24 is information indicating a relationship between an output value (voltage value or the like, hereinafter, described as a voltage value) output by the load sensor 10 and a yield amount corresponding to the voltage value when grains are stored in the grain tank 7 at a certain flow rate (first flow rate value). Similarly, the second map 25 is information indicating a relationship between a voltage value output from the load sensor 10 and a harvest yield corresponding to the voltage value when grains are stored in the grain tank 7 at a specific flow rate (second flow rate value) different from the first flow rate value. The quality measuring device 50 measures the flow rate of grain flowing from the grain discharging device 13 and sends the measured flow rate to the control device 22. The load sensor 10 measures a voltage value and outputs the voltage value as an output value to the control device 22. The control device 22 receives the flow rate transmitted from the quality measurement device 50, and receives the voltage value transmitted from the load cell 10. The control device 22 calculates a harvest amount corresponding to the received voltage value as a current harvest amount of grain stored in the grain bin 7 using the flow rate according to the first map 24 and the second map 25. Specifically, the current harvest amount is calculated by proportionally allocating the harvest amount in the first map with respect to the voltage value output by the load sensor 10 and the harvest amount in the second map with respect to the voltage value based on the measured flow rate, the first flow rate value, and the second flow rate value. The control device 22 may be a computer such as a CPU or an ECU.

Here, as described above, the maps such as the first map and the second map are information indicating the relationship between the voltage value output from the load cell 10 and the yield amount assumed based on the voltage value, and are determined by the flow rate of grains. The larger the voltage value output from the load sensor 10, the larger the yield, and a certain relationship is shown. The harvest yield of the grains actually stored in the grain tank 7 is determined by the storage state of the grains, which is determined by the flow rate of the grains being supplied. Therefore, the mapped relationship represents a relationship different for each flow rate, and the voltage value and the harvest amount represent a certain relationship for each flow rate. As a result, the mapping is a mapping that takes into account the storage state of the grain (see fig. 7).

Hereinafter, a specific example of the procedure for calculating the current yield will be described.

First, maps at a plurality of flow rates are experimentally obtained in advance. In the present embodiment, the first map 24 and the second map 25 are obtained. The first map 24 is a map corresponding to a flow rate (minimum flow rate) in a case where the grain is supplied at the slowest rate, which is assumed by the grain tank 7, the grain conveying mechanism 16, and the grain discharging device 13. The second map 25 is a map corresponding to the flow rate (highest flow rate) when the kernel is supplied fastest (step #1 in fig. 6). The first map 24 and the second map 25 thus obtained are stored in the storage device 23.

Next, the flow rate of the supplied grain is calculated by the quality measuring device 50. During the storage of grains, the flow rate is calculated every time a certain amount of grains are stored in the quality measuring device 50. As mentioned above, the flow rate is determined from the time the quantity of grain is stored and the quantity (weight or volume) of grain stored. When the flow rate is measured a plurality of times after the grain tank 7 starts storing grains, the average value of the flow rates measured up to that time is obtained as the flow rate at that time (step #2 in fig. 6). The quality measuring device 50 transmits the determined flow rate to the control device 22.

Next, the voltage output from the load sensor 10 is acquired (step #3 in fig. 6). The load sensor 10 transmits the detected voltage to the control device 22.

Finally, the current harvest amount is calculated based on the flow rate and the voltage using the first map 24 and the second map 25 (step #4 of fig. 6). The following description will be specifically made.

The first mapping 24 is for a flow of A m³/sec]Mapping in case of (2), secondThe mapping 25 is a flow of B m³/sec]Mapping in the case of (1). The flow rate measured by the quality measuring device 50 is X m³/sec]The voltage output from the load sensor 10 is Vv]. Current harvest WX [ m ] in this case³]As shown in formula (1), by comparing the voltage with a voltage V [ V ]]Corresponding harvest quantities WA [ m ] in the first map 24³]And a yield WB [ m ] in the second map 25 corresponding to the voltage V³]The flow rate A of the first map 24 and the flow rate B of the second map 25 are distributed in a ratio to the measured flow rate X. The calculation of the current harvest yield WX is performed by the control device 22.

WX ═ (WA-WB) · (X-B)/(A-B) + WB (formula 1)

Thereafter, the steps of step #2 to step #4 are repeated until the grain tank 7 is full and the measurement of the harvest yield is not necessary.

As described above, the current yield can be obtained based on the flow rate from the output voltage using a plurality of maps corresponding to the flow rate. Therefore, the yield of the grains stored in the grain tank can be accurately obtained in consideration of the storage state of the grains.

[ calculation and detection of discharged harvest amount ]

When the grain tank 7 is full or when it is necessary to discharge another grain (discharge state), the grain is discharged through the grain discharging device 9. The discharge yield in the discharge state is calculated with high accuracy using the flow rate.

Hereinafter, a configuration in which the discharge yield is calculated and detected will be described with reference to fig. 5 and 8.

First, the relationship between the yield (discharge yield) and the flow rate when the discharge state such as the full state is reached is experimentally obtained in advance. Specifically, the discharge yield at two different flow rates was experimentally determined. Preferably the two flows are the highest flow and the lowest flow assumed as described above. Then, the relationship between the flow rate and the discharge yield is linearly obtained from the discharge yields at the two flow rates. Specifically, from the flow rate and the harvest yield at the 2-point, a linear function indicating the relationship between the flow rate and the harvest yield is obtained (step #11 in fig. 8). The linear function thus obtained is stored in the storage device 23 as the ejection function 27.

Next, the flow rate of the supplied grain is calculated by the quality measuring device 50. During the storage of grains, the flow rate is calculated every time a certain amount of grains are stored in the quality measuring device 50. As described above, the flow rate is calculated from the time when the predetermined amount of grains are stored and the amount (weight or volume) of the stored grains. When the flow rate is measured a plurality of times after the grain tank 7 starts storing grains, the average value of the flow rates measured up to that time is obtained as the flow rate at that time (step #12 in fig. 8). The quality measuring device 50 transmits the determined flow rate to the control device 22.

Next, the discharge yield 26 at the calculated flow rate is obtained from the discharge function 27. Specifically, the discharge function 27 takes the amount of harvest obtained by introducing the calculated flow rate as the discharge amount of harvest 26 (step #13 in fig. 8). The control device 22 calculates the discharged harvest yield 26 and stores it in the storage device 23.

Next, the current harvest yield is calculated from the calculated harvest yield by using the method described with reference to fig. 6 and the like (step #14 in fig. 8). By obtaining the discharge harvest yield 26, it is possible to grasp the harvest yield in consideration of the flow rate at the time when the grain sensor 11 or the like detects grain. Therefore, it is possible to predict that the grain is stored more than an assumed amount when the grain is stored in a biased manner and the grain sensor 11 detects the grain, and it is possible to avoid a situation such as the grain overflowing from the grain tank 7 according to the recognition of the current harvest amount.

Next, it is determined whether or not the calculated harvest yield matches the discharge harvest yield 26 (step #15 in fig. 8). Specifically, the control device 22 compares the calculated current harvest yield with the discharged harvest yield 26 stored in the storage device 23.

When the current harvest yield matches the discharge harvest yield 26, it is determined that the grain stored in the grain tank 7 is in a discharge state, and the process is terminated by notifying that the grain is in a discharge state (step #16 in fig. 8). Specifically, the control device 22 causes a light or the like notification device 29 provided in the driver unit 5 (see fig. 1) to notify that the grain tank 7 is in a discharge state such as a full state. By confirming this notification, the operator can recognize that it is necessary to discharge the grains, stop harvesting of the crop, and shift to a grain discharge operation or the like.

In the case where the harvested amount does not coincide with the discharge harvested amount 26, the process may be returned to the step of calculating the flow rate (step #12 in fig. 8), but the harvested amount required until the discharge state is reached may be calculated as a vacant harvested amount (japanese: vacant amount) (step #17 in fig. 8). Specifically, the control device 22 calculates the difference between the discharged harvest amount 26 stored in the storage device 23 and the current harvest amount as the empty harvest amount.

Finally, the vacant harvest amount is displayed, and the process is returned to the step of calculating the flow rate, step #12 of fig. 8 (step #18 of fig. 8). Specifically, the control device 22 causes a display device 28 such as a liquid crystal panel provided in the driver section 5 (see fig. 1) to display the calculated vacant harvest amount. By this display, the operator can perform the work while measuring the timing at which the discharge is required.

As described above, the discharge yield corresponding to the state where grains need to be discharged is obtained based on the current average flow rate, and the current yield is calculated from the average flow rate. Since the discharge yield is obtained based on the average flow rate, the discharge yield has a value corresponding to the storage state of grains. The current yield is also an accurate value of the grain stored in the grain tank 7, which is obtained from the average flow rate. Therefore, even when the grains are stored in the grain tank 7 in a biased manner due to the influence of the flow rate of the supplied grains and the storage state cannot be appropriately checked by the grain sensor 11 or the like (see fig. 4), the state in which the grains need to be discharged can be accurately detected by the accurate current harvest amount, and the stored grains can be discharged at an appropriate timing.

In the above description, the empty harvest amount is calculated and only the empty harvest amount is displayed, but the time until the grain is discharged (also referred to as grain discharge time) and the travel distance until the grain is discharged (also referred to as grain discharge distance) may be further determined and displayed.

For example, after the empty harvest amount is displayed, first, when the grains are continuously stored at the same speed as before, the time until the discharge harvest amount is reached is calculated as the grain discharge time (step #19 in fig. 8). In particular, the elapsed time after the start of storage of the grain is measured continuously. The control means 22 then calculates the average storage speed after the start of storing the grain by dividing the current harvest by the elapsed time. Further, the controller 22 divides the empty harvest amount by the average storage speed to calculate the grain discharge time until the discharge harvest amount is reached.

Subsequently, the calculated grain discharge time is displayed. In the case where the grain discharging distance described later is not calculated, the process may be returned to step #12 in fig. 8 (step #20 in fig. 8), which is a step of calculating the flow rate, after the grain discharging time is displayed. Specifically, the controller 22 causes a display device 28 such as a liquid crystal panel provided in the driver unit 5 (see fig. 1) to display the calculated grain discharging time. The display device 28 may be the same as or different from the display device for displaying the empty harvest yield, and may display the empty harvest yield and the grain discharge time at the same time as long as they can be distinguished.

Next, the travel distance up to the discharge yield is calculated as the grain discharge distance (step #21 in fig. 8). Specifically, the travel distance after the start of storing the grain is continuously measured, and the control device 22 calculates the average travel speed from the travel distance and the elapsed time. Next, the control device 22 multiplies the average traveling speed by the grain discharging time to obtain the grain discharging distance.

Finally, the grain discharging distance is displayed, and the process returns to step #12 in fig. 8 (step #22 in fig. 8), which is a step of calculating the flow rate. Specifically, the controller 22 causes a display device 28 such as a liquid crystal panel provided in the driver unit 5 (see fig. 1) to display the calculated grain discharging distance. The display device 28 may be common to the display device for displaying the empty harvest yield and the grain discharge time, or may be different from the display device for displaying the empty harvest yield, the grain discharge time, and the grain discharge distance, as long as the empty harvest yield, the grain discharge time, and the grain discharge distance can be displayed in a distinguishable manner, or may be displayed simultaneously.

In addition, although the example in which the grain discharging distance is displayed after the grain discharging time is displayed has been described, a configuration may be adopted in which only one of the distances is displayed.

In this way, the operator can accurately confirm that the grain is discharged by calculating and displaying at least one of the empty harvest yield, the grain discharge time, and the grain discharge distance until the discharge yield is reached. As shown in fig. 4, when the grain sensor 11 detects a full grain or the like, the storage state of the grains is biased in accordance with the flow rate, and the grain sensor 11 cannot detect an accurate harvest yield (full state). Even in this case, the operator can check the timing of the discharge state using at least any one of the current accurate harvest amount, the empty harvest amount, the grain discharge time, and the grain discharge distance without depending on the grain sensor 11. Further, the work plan up to the discharge can be easily made by the empty harvest amount, the grain discharge time, and the grain discharge distance, and the work can be efficiently performed.

[ other embodiments ]

The present invention can be implemented in the above embodiments by appropriately combining other embodiments described below.

(1)

In the above embodiment, the flow rate is measured using the quality measuring device 50. Therefore, the flow rate and the component (quality) can be measured using one apparatus, and the flow rate and the component can be measured efficiently. However, a dedicated flow rate measuring device and a dedicated quality measuring device 50 may be separately provided in the grain tank 7, for example. At least a dedicated flow rate measuring device may be provided.

When the moisture content of the grain is measured by the quality measuring device 50, the flow rate and the harvest yield can be converted into the moisture content, and the moisture content can be converted from the weight to a value related to the volume. Since the harvest yield can be processed using the volume, the harvest yield of grains in the grain tank 7 can be determined more reliably. Conversely, when the flow rate measuring device is provided independently, the quality measuring device 50 may not be provided. In this case, the flow rate and the harvest yield are treated as weights.

(2)

In the above embodiment, the harvest amount is measured using the load cell 10, but other harvest amount sensors may be used to determine the harvest amount. In this case, the yield is measured by a parameter other than voltage, and the map indicates the relationship between the yield and the parameter.

(3)

In the above embodiment, the full state was described as an example of the state in which the grains need to be discharged, but the state in which the grains need to be discharged may be a predetermined harvest amount or may be an externally input harvest amount. For example, a communication unit for communicating with the outside may be further provided, and the communication unit may communicate with an external device such as an external dryer or a management server to receive the harvest amount in a state in which the grains need to be discharged from the external device.

The dryer is effective in drying grain at a harvest level. The dryer thus delivers the desired harvest of grain to the combine as a discharge harvest, which discharges the grain and brings it into the dryer at the moment when this harvest is stored in the grain tank 7. The discharge harvest amount can be detected by detecting grains from the grain sensor 11 corresponding to the discharge harvest amount among the grain sensors 11. Alternatively, the discharge yield may be detected using at least one of the empty yield, the grain discharge time, and the grain discharge distance with respect to the discharge yield.

In this way, the harvest yield of grains that can be efficiently processed by external equipment such as a dryer is transmitted to the combine as the output harvest yield, and the combine accurately determines the output harvest yield. The operator can efficiently operate the external device such as the dryer by discharging the grains at the timing when the stored grains reach the discharge yield.

Note that, there are cases where: there are a plurality of dryers corresponding to the moisture amount, and the management server manages these dryers. In this case, the management server correlates and sends the moisture amount and a harvest amount suitable for drying the grain of the moisture amount to the combine harvester. The combine harvester or the operator receives the information and determines that the harvest amount (discharge harvest amount) correlated with the moisture amount of the grain stored by the combine harvester or the operator is stored. Thus, even when a plurality of dryers corresponding to the moisture amount are operated, grains of the discharge harvest amount corresponding to the moisture amount can be accurately conveyed to the dryers.

(4)

The combine harvester can be automatically driven, and in this case, the transition from the harvesting state to the grain discharging state can be automatically controlled. For example, as shown in fig. 9, when the combine harvester automatically travels to harvest crops in a field 71, the combine harvester detects that the harvest amount is discharged, stops the harvesting operation, moves to the vicinity of a carrier 72 (grain carrier) or the like that is stopped at a ridge edge or the like around the field 71, and discharges the stored grains to the carrier 72. At the point PA, if the grain discharge distance is L, the combine stores the grains up to the discharge harvest amount and moves by the distance L, and the combine arrives at the point PB. When the positional relationship shown in fig. 9 is obtained, if the combine stops harvesting at the point PB and attempts to move to the carrier 72, the combine needs to retreat from the point PB or the like. In this case, when the combine harvester is directed from the point PA to the carrier 72 (the travel path D) without performing a new harvesting operation, the grain discharge operation can be performed efficiently. In the above embodiment, by calculating the grain discharge distance, the combine can travel on the travel locus D on which the grain discharge work can be efficiently performed during automatic travel.

In the above embodiment, the combine harvester 70 and the harvesting amount calculation method are explained. Each of the functional units in the above embodiments may be configured as a yield calculation system. In this case, the harvest amount calculation system is a harvest amount calculation system that calculates a current harvest amount of the grain in a grain tank of the combine that is supplied with the threshed grain and stores the grain, and may be configured to include: a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank; a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain bin; and a control unit that calculates a current harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin based on the flow rate and the output value.

In addition, the harvesting amount calculation program may be configured to cause a computer to realize the harvesting amount calculation program of each functional unit in the above-described embodiment. In this case, the harvest amount calculation program may be a program configured to calculate a current harvest amount of the grain stored in a grain tank by using a grain tank to which the threshed grain is supplied and stored and a harvest amount sensor that outputs an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, and the harvest amount calculation program may be configured to cause a computer to function as: a function of finding in advance a first map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific first flow value and a harvest yield of the grain stored in the grain bin; a function of finding in advance a second map representing a relationship between the output value in a case where the grain is stored in the grain bin at a specific second flow value larger than the first flow value and a harvest amount of the grain stored in the grain bin; a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank; a function of acquiring the output value output from the harvest-amount sensor; and a function of calculating the current harvest amount by proportionally allocating the harvest amount in the first map relative to the output value and the harvest amount in the second map relative to the output value according to a ratio of the flow rate relative to the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value.

Further, the harvesting amount calculation program may be recorded on a recording medium.

Further, the grain discharge yield calculation system may be configured. In this case, the grain discharge yield calculation system is a grain discharge yield calculation system that calculates a discharge yield of the grain stored in a grain tank of a combine harvester that supplies and stores threshed grain in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank, and may include: a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the grain supplied to the grain tank; and a control unit that calculates a discharge yield of the grain stored in the grain tank in a discharge state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank, based on the flow rate.

Further, the grain discharge harvest amount calculation program may be configured to cause a computer to realize each function unit in the above-described embodiments. In this case, the grain discharging harvest amount calculation program is a grain discharging harvest amount calculation program for calculating a discharging harvest amount of the grain stored in a grain tank in a discharging state in which the grain needs to be discharged from the grain tank in a combine harvester having the grain tank to be supplied and stored with the threshed grain and a harvest amount sensor to output an output value based on a weight of the grain tank, and the grain discharging harvest amount calculation program may be configured to cause a computer to function as: a function of measuring a flow rate of the grains supplied to the grain tank; and a function of calculating the discharge harvest amount based on the flow rate.

Further, the grain discharge yield calculation program may be recorded on a recording medium.

4-2. second embodiment

Hereinafter, a full-feed combine harvester will be described as an example of the combine harvester of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

In the present embodiment, the front-rear direction of the body is defined along the body travel direction in the working state, and the direction indicated by reference numeral (F) in fig. 10 is the body front side, and the direction indicated by reference numeral (B) is the body rear side. The definition of the left-right direction of the body defines the left and right in a state viewed from the advancing direction of the body.

As shown in fig. 10, in the combine harvester, a harvesting unit 203 for harvesting standing grain stalks is disposed in front of a traveling machine body 202 that travels by itself using a pair of right and left crawler traveling devices 201. An operator's part 204 whose periphery is covered with an operator's cab is disposed on the front right side of the traveling machine body 202. A threshing device 205 for threshing the grain stalks harvested by the harvesting unit 203 is disposed behind the driving unit 204. A grain tank 207 is disposed on the lateral side of the threshing device 205, and a grain conveyor 208 that conveys grains from the threshing device 205 to the grain tank 207 is disposed between the threshing device 205 and the grain tank 207. A harvesting conveyor 203A for feeding the whole straw of the harvested straw harvested by the harvesting unit 203 to the threshing device 205 is disposed on the left side of the driver 204. The grain tank 207 is located on the right side of the machine body, and the threshing device 205 is located on the left side of the machine body. Engine 200E is provided below driver unit 204. A grain discharging device 209 for discharging grains stored in the grain tank 207 to the outside of the machine is provided upright from the rear of the travel machine body 202.

As shown in fig. 11, 12, and 13, a flow rate measuring means 200GV for measuring the flow rate of grain put into the grain tank 207 is provided in the upper portion (upper portion of the front wall) of the grain tank 207. The flow rate measuring unit 200GV has a cylindrical measuring container 240. The measuring container 240 is located below the discharge portion 280 of the grain conveyor 208 that enters the interior of the grain tank 207. The grains scraped by the rotary feed blade 282 disposed in the discharge unit 280 are discharged to the grain tank 207 through the inlet 283 formed in the discharge unit 280. Further, an opening 281 covered with a porous material such as a perforated metal plate is formed in a lower surface region of the cylindrical body constituting the discharge portion 280. A part of the grain raked by the sending blade 282 falls through the opening 281. The upper edge of the measurement container 240 functions as a receiving opening 241 for receiving grains falling from the opening 281. That is, the grain that is conveyed to the discharge unit 280 by the screw conveyor of the grain conveyor 208 is scooped out by the sending blade 282 that rotates in conjunction with the screw conveyor, and is put into the grain tank 207 through the input opening 283, and a part of the grain is put into the receiving opening 241 of the measurement container 240 through the opening 281.

The measurement container 240 functions as a temporary storage unit that receives and temporarily stores a part of the grains fed from the grain conveyor 208 into the grain tank 207. The time for storing a certain amount of grains in the measurement container 240 is measured, and based on the measured time, the flow rate of grains flowing into the measurement container 240 can be calculated. From the calculated flow rate, the amount of grains harvested per unit travel distance of the combine, that is, the amount of harvested grains per unit area can be determined. The grains temporarily stored in the measurement container 240 for measurement are discharged from a discharge port 242 serving as a lower edge of the measurement container 240 after measurement, and stored in the grain tank 207.

A skirt 243 having a larger cross-sectional area than the measurement container 240 and extending downward is provided to cover a region from the lower edge to the lower side of the measurement container 240. The lower opening 244 of the skirt 243 faces the bottom of the grain bin 207. The side wall of the skirt 243 prevents grains stored in the grain tank 207 from intruding into the inside of the measurement container 240 from the discharge port 242 of the measurement container 240 as they increase. This ensures a storage space for grains discharged from the measurement container 240, and thus, the number of measurements by the flow rate measurement means 200GV can be sufficiently ensured.

As schematically shown in fig. 14, the measurement container 240 as the temporary storage section includes a vertical passage penetrating in the vertical direction in the interior thereof, and a shutter 200ST capable of changing its position between a closed position closing the passage and an open position opening the passage. The position of the flapper 200ST is changed by the driving force of the electric motor 200M 1. In a state where the flapper 200ST is switched to the closed position, the grain received from the receiving port 241 is received by the flapper 200ST, and the grain is temporarily stored above the flapper 200 ST. The temporary storage of the grain up to a certain amount is detected by the first storage sensor 291. When the grain is stored up to a certain amount, the flapper 200ST is switched to the closed position, and the temporarily stored grain is discharged through the discharge port 242 to the inside of the skirt 243. The flow rate of harvested grain (the amount harvested per unit time) is calculated by measuring the time that a certain amount of grain is stored in the measuring container 240.

In the present embodiment, the measurement container 240 is provided with a component value sensor 293 for measuring a component value of the grain temporarily stored in the measurement container 240. The component value sensor 293 is used, for example, to irradiate light toward grains temporarily stored in the measurement container 240, and to measure the moisture, protein quality, and other component values of the grains by a spectroscopic analysis method based on the light obtained from the grains.

Fig. 14 shows functional blocks showing functions for measuring grain flow and grain components, which enable abnormal inflow detection, in the control system of the combine harvester.

Various signals are input to the control unit 206 via the input signal processing unit 261. The control unit 206 transmits various control signals via the equipment control unit 262 to control various equipment mounted on the combine harvester. This device includes an electric motor 200M1 for operating the flap 200ST of the measurement container 240, and a notification device 820 for notifying a driver or a monitoring person of information. The notification device 820 notifies the driver or the monitor of various items generated in the combine harvester, and is a generic term of a lamp, a buzzer, a speaker, a display, and the like. The input signal processing unit 261 is input with signals from the travel operation element 211, the work operation element 212, and the like. The input signal processing unit 261 receives signals and data from the weight measuring device 270, the first storage sensor 291, the second storage sensor 292, the component value sensor 293, and the like. The first storage sensor 291 and the second storage sensor 292 measure the volume of grains temporarily stored in the measurement container 240. At the stage when the temporarily stored grains become the volume detected by the second storage sensor 292, the component value sensor processing unit 290 calculates and outputs component data indicating the components of the grains based on the sensor signal from the component value sensor 293.

The weight measuring device 270 is a load cell for measuring the weight of the grain tank 207. The first storage sensor 291 and the second storage sensor 292 are proximity sensors that output signals when a grain approaches or touches.

The engine control unit 263 adjusts the amount of fuel supplied to the engine 200E and the like based on a command from the control unit 206, and drives the engine 200E at a predetermined engine speed or a predetermined torque.

The control unit 206 includes a travel control unit 264, a work control unit 265, a barrier control unit 266, a grain measurement unit 267, an abnormal inflow detection unit 268, and a notification control unit 269. The travel control unit 264 generates a control command to be transmitted to the crawler travel device 201 based on a command from the travel operation element 211, and outputs the control command via the equipment control unit 262.

The work control unit 265 generates control commands to be sent to working devices such as the harvesting unit 203, the threshing device 205, the grain conveying device 208, and the grain discharging device 209 based on commands from the work operation unit 212, and outputs the control commands to the working devices via the equipment control unit 262.

The flapper control unit 266 supplies a control command to the electric motor 200M1 via the device control unit 262 to change the position of the flapper 200 ST. The flap control unit 266 changes the flap 200ST to the closed position, temporarily stores grains in the measurement container 240, and changes the flap 200ST to the open position based on a detection signal from the first storage sensor 291 that detects that the amount of grains stored reaches a certain amount, thereby discharging the temporarily stored grains from the measurement container 240.

The grain measuring unit 267 includes a grain flow rate calculating unit 267a and a grain component value calculating unit 267 b. The grain flow rate calculator 267a measures the flow rate of the grains fed into the grain tank 207 by the grain conveyor 208 based on the time during which a predetermined amount of grains are stored in the measurement container 240. The grain component value calculator 267b calculates the component values of the grains stored in the measurement container 240 based on the data from the component value sensor processing unit 290. In the present embodiment, the flow rate measuring means 200GV having a function of measuring the grain component value is composed of the measuring container 240, the baffle 200ST, the component value sensor 293, and the like.

The abnormal inflow detection unit 268 detects an abnormal inflow of grains stored outside the measurement container 240 in the grain tank 207 from the inlet 241 of the measurement container 240 into the measurement container 240 based on the change with time of the grain flow rate calculated by the grain flow rate calculation unit 267 a. That is, the abnormal inflow detection unit 268 sets the time for which a certain amount of grains is stored in the measurement container 240 to be shorter than a predetermined value (for example, a time equal to or shorter than half of a normal time) as the first abnormal inflow detection condition. The flow rate can be directly calculated from the time when a certain amount of grain is stored in the measurement container 240, or the flow rate of grain introduced into the grain tank 207 can be estimated from the flow rate. In the present embodiment, the flow rate is also calculated, and therefore, the flow rate can be used for the first abnormal inflow detection condition. The first abnormal inflow detection condition as described above is a condition in which the flow rate of grains entering the measurement container 240 per unit time is larger than a predetermined value (for example, a flow rate 2 times or more in general). The abnormal inflow detector 268 sets the weight measured by the weight measuring device 270 to be greater than a predetermined value indicating that the amount of grain stored in the grain tank 207 has increased to the extent that the grain reaches the receiving opening 241 of the measuring container 240 as a second abnormal inflow detection condition. The abnormal inflow detection unit 268 detects an abnormal inflow if the first abnormal inflow detection condition and the second abnormal inflow detection condition are satisfied.

When the abnormal inflow detection unit 268 detects an abnormal inflow, the grain measurement by the flow rate measurement means 200GV is stopped. Meanwhile, when the abnormal inflow detection unit 268 detects the abnormal inflow, it issues an alarm command to the alarm control unit 269 in order to notify the driver or the monitor of an abnormal inflow alarm.

Next, a grain measurement process including detection of abnormal inflow will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 15. When the grain is transported from the threshing device 205 by the grain transporting device 208, the grain measurement routine is started (#201 yes branch). First, the position of the flap 200ST of the measurement container 240 is changed to the closed position (#202), and the timer is started (# 203). When the second storage sensor 292 detects that the amount of grain stored in the shutter 200ST at the closed position reaches the amount suitable for component value measurement (yes branch of # 204), component value measurement of grain by the component value sensor 293 and the component value sensor processing unit 290 is performed (# 205). The moisture value and protein component value of the grain, which are the results of the component value measurement, are recorded together with map coordinates acquired by GPS or the like (# 206).

Further, it is checked whether or not the amount of grain stored on the flapper 200ST in the closed position reaches a certain amount detected by the first storage sensor 291 (# 207). When the grain amount reaches a certain amount (# yes branch of 207), the timer is stopped (#208), and the storage time for storing a certain amount of grain in the measurement container 240 is calculated (# 209). In the present embodiment, the second accumulation sensor 292 is used to measure the amount of accumulation at which component value measurement can be started, and the first accumulation sensor 291 is used to measure the amount of accumulation at which flow rate measurement is performed. The first accumulation sensor 291 is configured to measure a larger amount of accumulation than the second accumulation sensor 292. Thus, the storage of the grains in the measurement container 240 for flow rate measurement is continued also in the component value measurement. That is, since the component value is measured during the flow rate measurement, the measurement efficiency is good. As a result, the flow rate can be measured with a large storage volume, and short-term variations in flow rate are averaged, so that the accuracy of flow rate measurement is also improved.

The storage time is used to detect abnormal influx of the grain. Therefore, whether or not the first abnormal inflow detection condition is satisfied, that is, the calculated storage time is compared with a predetermined time set in advance (# 210). If the storage time is longer than the predetermined time (yes branch in #210), the first abnormal inflow detection condition is not satisfied, and it is determined that an abnormal inflow is not generated. The flow rate of grains per unit time is calculated by dividing a certain amount by the storage time. Further, the grain amount per unit travel distance (harvest amount) can be calculated from the grain flow rate. The calculated grain flow rate is also recorded together with map coordinates acquired by GPS or the like (# 211). Subsequently, the position of the flapper 200ST of the measurement container 240 is changed to the open position, and the grain temporarily stored in the measurement container 240 is discharged (# 212). If the grain transport by the grain transport device 208 is performed (no branch in # 213), the series of grain measurement processes is repeated, and if the grain transport by the grain transport device 208 is stopped (yes branch in # 213), the routine is also ended.

In the comparison in step #210, if the storage time is less than the prescribed time (no branch in #210), the first abnormal inflow detection condition is established.

If the first abnormal inflow detection condition is satisfied, the weight of the grain tank measured by the weight measuring device 270 is acquired in order to determine whether the second abnormal inflow detection condition is satisfied (#221), and the grain tank weight is compared with a predetermined weight (# 222). If the grain tank weight exceeds the predetermined weight (#222 yes branch), the second abnormal inflow detection condition is satisfied, and therefore the abnormal inflow detection unit 268 determines that an abnormal inflow occurs (# 223). If the start or stop of the abnormal inflow occurs, an abnormal inflow alarm is issued by the notification device 820 (# 224). Further, the position of the flapper 200ST of the measurement container 240 is changed to the open position (#225), and the subsequent grain measurement is stopped (# 226).

In the check of step #222, if the grain tank weight is equal to or less than the predetermined weight (# no branch of 222), the second abnormal inflow detection condition is not established, and therefore, the abnormal inflow does not occur, but it is considered that the flow rate measurement becomes abnormal due to some sudden cause, the measurement abnormality is recorded (#231), and after a measurement abnormality alarm is issued (#232), the routine proceeds to step # 212. Although not shown in the flow chart, the grain measurement may be stopped when a measurement abnormality occurs more than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time.

[ other embodiments ]

(1) In the above embodiment, the measurement container 240 is used to measure the flow rate of grains fed from the grain conveyor 208 to the grain tank 207 and to measure the component values of the grains, but measurement of the component values of the grains may be omitted.

(2) In the above embodiment, the measurement of the grain flow rate and the measurement of the grain component value are performed using the same measurement vessel 240, but may be performed using different measurement vessels 240. In this case, the abnormal flow rate detection process can be performed for each measurement container 240.

(3) In the above embodiment, the first storage sensor 291 for measuring a flow rate and the second storage sensor 292 for measuring a component value are provided. Instead of the above-described structure, a storage sensor may be used. In this case, if one storage sensor detects a predetermined storage amount, the component value measurement is started together with the flow rate measurement according to the storage time, and if the component value measurement is completed, the flapper 200ST is changed to the open position, and the grains temporarily stored in the measurement container 240 may be discharged. Further, the following structure may be adopted: only the first storage sensor 291 for flow rate measurement is provided, and the start of component value measurement is performed at a predetermined time from the change of the flapper 200ST to the closed position.

(4) In the above embodiment, the first abnormal inflow detection condition and the second abnormal inflow detection condition are used for the abnormal inflow detection, but only the first abnormal inflow detection condition may be used.

(5)

The combine may be configured as an abnormal inflow detection system. In this case, the abnormal inflow detection system is an abnormal inflow detection system for detecting an abnormal inflow of an inflow measurement container in a combine harvester having a threshing device for threshing a harvested straw, a grain tank for storing grains obtained by the threshing device, a grain transport device for transporting grains obtained by the threshing device and throwing the grains into a tank of the grain tank, and the measurement container, which is provided in a state of being laid across an upper portion of the threshing device and an upper portion of the grain tank, and which is configured to return the grains to the grain tank after measuring a flow rate of the grains in the measurement container, wherein the abnormal inflow detection system may include: a flow rate measuring means for measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring container; and an abnormal inflow detection unit that detects an abnormal inflow of grains stored outside the measurement container in the grain tank from the inlet into the measurement container based on a change in the flow rate with time.

(6)

In addition, the abnormal inflow detection program may be configured to cause a computer to realize each function unit in the above-described embodiments. In this case, the abnormal inflow detection program is an abnormal inflow detection program for detecting an abnormal inflow into an inflow measurement container in a combine harvester having a threshing device for threshing a harvested straw, a grain tank for storing grains obtained by the threshing device, a grain transport device for transporting grains obtained by the threshing device and throwing the grains into a tank of the grain tank, and the measurement container, which is provided so as to extend across an upper portion of the threshing device and an upper portion of the grain tank, and which is configured to return the grains to the grain tank after measuring a flow rate of the grains in the measurement container, wherein the abnormal inflow detection program may be configured to cause a computer to realize: a flow rate measuring function of measuring a flow rate of grains put into the grain tank based on a time period during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measurement container; and an abnormal inflow detection function that detects an abnormal inflow of grain stored outside the measurement container from the receiving opening into the measurement container in the grain tank based on an amount of change with time of the flow rate.

(7)

In addition, the abnormal inflow detection program may be recorded on a recording medium.

(8)

Further, the above-described configuration may be configured as an abnormal inflow detection method. In this case, the abnormal inflow detection method is an abnormal inflow detection method for detecting an abnormal inflow of an inflow measurement container in a combine harvester having a threshing device for threshing a harvested straw, a grain tank for storing grains obtained by the threshing device, a grain transport device provided in a state of spanning an upper portion of the threshing device and the grain tank, transporting grains obtained by the threshing device and throwing the grains into the tank of the grain tank, and the measurement container for receiving and storing a part of grains thrown into the grain tank from a receiving opening, and in the combine harvester, the grain is returned to the grain tank after measuring a flow rate of the grains in the measurement container, the abnormal inflow detection method may include: a flow rate measuring step of measuring a flow rate of grains to be fed into the grain tank based on a time during which a certain amount of grains are stored in the measuring container; and an abnormal inflow detection step of detecting abnormal inflow of grains stored outside the measurement container in the grain tank from the inlet into the measurement container based on a change amount of the flow rate with time.

4-3. third embodiment

Hereinafter, the half-feed combine harvester according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[ integral Structure ]

As shown in fig. 16 and 17, the combine harvester of the present invention includes a harvesting unit 403 for harvesting standing grain stalks in a front portion of a traveling machine body 402 that travels by itself using a pair of left and right crawler traveling devices 401 and 401 as traveling devices. A cab 405 is provided on the front right side of the traveling machine body 402 and the periphery of which is covered with a cab 404. A threshing device 406 and a grain tank 407 are provided behind the cab 405 in a state of being arranged in the horizontal direction. The threshing device 406 performs threshing processing on the harvested straw harvested by the harvesting unit 403 and recovers grains. The grain tank 407 stores grains obtained by the threshing device 406. The grain box 407 is located on the right side of the machine body, and the threshing device 406 is located on the left side of the machine body. The driver 405 is located in front of the grain tank 407. Engine 400E is provided below driver seat 408 in driver unit 405. A grain discharging device 409 is provided behind the grain box 407 at the rear of the travel machine body 402, and the grain discharging device 409 discharges grains stored in the grain box 407 to the outside of the machine.

In the present embodiment, when the front-rear direction of the machine body is defined, the machine body is defined along the machine body traveling direction in the working state, and when the left-right direction of the machine body is defined, the left-right direction is defined in a state viewed from the machine body traveling direction. That is, the direction indicated by the arrow denoted by reference numeral (F) in fig. 16 is the body front direction, and the direction indicated by the arrow denoted by reference numeral (B) in fig. 16 is the body rear direction. The front direction of the drawing of fig. 16 is the body right direction, and the back direction of the drawing of fig. 16 is the body left direction.

The harvesting section 403 includes a crop divider 410, a plurality of grain lifters 411, a clipper-type harvesting knife 412, and a vertical conveying device 413. The crop divider 410 divides and guides the roots of the standing grain stalks as the harvesting objects. The grain lifter 411 lifts the separated standing grain stalks in a longitudinal posture. The harvesting knife 412 cuts off the root of the uprighted grain stalk. The vertical conveying device 413 conveys the harvested straws backward and supplies the harvested straws to the threshing device 406 while changing the posture so that the harvested straws gradually become a lying posture from the vertical posture. A dust cover 414 is provided above the vertical transport device 413, and the vertical transport device 413 is covered with the dust cover 414.

Although not shown, the threshing device 406 performs threshing processing on the ear tip side in the threshing chamber while gripping and conveying the root side of the supplied harvested straws by the threshing supply chain, thereby performing threshing processing. The treated matter after the threshing process is sorted into grains, straw chips and the like in a sorting section below. The grain conveyor of the present invention includes a primary processed object conveyor 415 and a vertical grain conveyor 416. The grains are sent out to the outside of the right lateral side of the threshing device 406 by the primary processed object conveying device 415, and then are winnowed by the vertical grain conveying device 416 and conveyed to the inside of the grain box 407. The grain tank 407 stores grains fed from the threshing device 406. Thereafter, the grain stored in the grain tank 407 is discharged to the outside through the grain discharging device 409.

As shown in fig. 16, a bottom screw 417 is provided at the bottom of the grain tank 407. The bottom screw 417 rotates around the front-rear axial core to transport the stored grains toward the rear of the body. The grain discharging device 409 has a longitudinal conveying screw conveyor 409A and a transverse conveying screw conveyor 409C. The longitudinal conveying screw conveyor 409A receives the grain fed out from the bottom screw 417 and conveys the grain upward. The transverse conveying screw conveyor 409C conveys grain transversely from a base end connected to the upper end of the longitudinal conveying screw conveyor 409A to a discharge port 409B at the tip end.

[ grain case ]

As shown in fig. 18 to 20, the grain tank 407 is surrounded by a front wall 419 located on the front side of the machine body, a rear wall 420 located on the rear side of the machine body, a right wall 421 located on the right side of the machine body, and a left wall 422 located on the left side of the machine body. The upper side is covered with an upper side wall portion 423. Therefore, the inside of grain box 407, that is, grain storage space 400Q is surrounded by front wall 419, rear wall 420, right wall 421, left wall 422, and upper wall 423. As shown in fig. 18, a recessed portion 425 for arranging the vertical valley feeder 416 in a state of being inserted is formed in the left side wall portion 422 of the box main body portion 424.

A front-rear direction frame 426 extending in the front-rear direction of the body across the front and rear parts of the grain tank 407 is provided. The front-rear direction frame 426 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and extends over the front side wall 419 and the rear side wall 420 of the grain tank 407 in a state of being positioned at the upper-lower middle portion of the right end portion of the machine body inside the grain tank 407.

The grain tank 407 has a full-level detection sensor 430 as a full-level sensor and height detection sensors 431 and 432 as other level sensors on its side wall. The full-height detection sensor 430 and the height detection sensors 431 and 432 are configured to be vertically swingable about a swing fulcrum at an upper end portion, that is, about a lateral axis. The full-height detection sensor 430 and the height detection sensors 431 and 432 are swung downward by pressure applied to grains as the grains are stacked. The full height detection sensor 430 swings, and thus, the full height detection sensor 430 detects that the grain is stored to the full height in the grain tank 407. Further, the height detection sensors 431 and 432 respectively swing, and thereby the height detection sensors 431 and 432 respectively detect that the grain is stored to a specific height in the grain tank 407.

The full-height detection sensor 430 is disposed at an upper portion of the front side wall portion 419. The height detection sensors 431 and 432 are provided at a position lower than the full height detection sensor 430. The height detection sensor 431 is provided on a front side wall 419 of the grain box 407. The height detection sensor 432 is provided on the rear wall portion 420 of the grain box 407. The height detection sensor 431 is located at a higher position than the height detection sensor 432.

[ quality measuring device ]

A quality measuring device 440 for measuring the quality of grain is provided at an upper position inside the grain tank 407. As shown in fig. 18 and 19, the quality measurement device 440 includes: a temporary storage unit 441 that temporarily stores grains to be measured; and a measuring section 442 for measuring the quality of the grain stored in the temporary storage section 441 by a measuring operation. The temporary storage unit 441 is located on the inner side of the grain tank 407, and the measurement unit 442 is located on the outer side of the grain tank 407. The measurement section 442 is housed in a housing case 443 formed in a sealed state. The temporary storage portion 441 includes a substantially square tubular storage case 444 integrally connected to the inner side surface of the storage case 443, and can store grains therein.

The temporary storage unit 441 has a vertical passage 445 penetrating in the vertical direction in the storage case 444, and a baffle 446 is provided in the vertical passage 445. The flap 446 is configured to be capable of changing positions between a closed position (see fig. 19) for closing the middle of the vertical passage 445 and an open position (not shown) for opening the middle of the vertical passage 445. A grain inlet 445a is formed at the upper end of the vertical passage 445. A part of the grain discharged from the longitudinal grain feeder 416 is taken into the intake port 445 a. In the state where the shutter 446 is switched to the closed state, grains are stored in the temporary storage space 445S above the shutter 446 in the vertical passage 445. When the flap 446 is switched to the open state, the stored grain falls.

The measuring unit 442 irradiates light toward the grain stored in the temporary storage space 445S, and measures the internal quality of the grain by a spectral analysis method known in the art based on the light obtained from the grain. Among the side surfaces forming the temporary storage space 445S for storage, a window portion 447 through which light can pass is formed on the side surface on the side of the measurement portion 442, and the measurement portion 442 irradiates light to grain through the window portion 447 and receives light from the grain.

A measured grain storage unit 448 is provided below the temporary storage unit 441, and the measured grain storage unit 448 is formed in a substantially fan-shaped cylindrical shape. The upper portion of the measurement grain storage portion 448 communicates with the vertical passage 445, and the lower portion of the measurement grain storage portion 448 communicates with the storage space 400Q of the grain tank 407. As described above, when the flap 446 is switched from the closed state to the open state in the state where the grains are stored in the temporary storage space 445S, the stored grains fall downward and are discharged to return to the storage space 400Q of the grain tank 407.

The side of the measured grain storage 448 is spaced from the storage space 400Q of the grain bin 407. The measured grain storage portion 448 is formed to be wide in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction with respect to the temporary storage portion 441 in a plan view, and is provided to extend to the lower portion of the grain box 407 in a form in which the lower portion is wider in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction than the upper portion. A fan-shaped expanding portion 448A is formed at an upper portion of the measured grain storage portion 448, and the fan-shaped expanding portion 448A is wider toward lower sides in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the temporary storage portion 441, respectively. A wide portion 448B having a side wall in a vertical posture is formed in a state of being continuous with a lower end of the fan-shaped expanding portion 448A. The upper end of the fan-shaped expanding portion 448A is connected to the lower end of the vertical passage 445 in the storage case 444 in a state of being communicated therewith.

[ grain conveying device ]

The grains collected at the bottom of the threshing device 406 are discharged outward on the right lateral side of the threshing device 406 by the primary processed object conveyor 415 (see fig. 17), and then conveyed upward of the grain box 407 by the vertical grain feeder 416. The longitudinal grain conveying device 416 is provided with a spiral conveyor 435 which spans from top to bottom, and grains are lifted to the vicinity of the upper end of the longitudinal grain conveying device 416 through the spiral conveyor 435. An input part 436 is formed at the upper end of the vertical grain feeder 416, and the input part 436 is connected to the inside of the grain tank 407. A delivery blade 437 is connected to the upper end of the screw conveyor 435, and the delivery blade 437 is positioned within the range of the vertical height of the input section 436. The screw conveyor 435 and the delivery blade 437 rotate integrally in the clockwise direction in plan view. The grains are carried to the vicinity of the upper end of the vertical grain carrier 416 by the screw conveyor 435 and are pushed out from the input part 436 to the storage space 400Q of the grain box 407 by the carrying-out blade 437. In this way, the primary processed object transport device 415 and the vertical grain transport device 416, which are grain transport devices, are provided in a state of being laid over the threshing device 406 and the upper part of the grain tank 407, and transport grains obtained by the threshing device 406 and are put into the storage space 400Q.

As shown in fig. 18 to 22, the flow sensor 450 is supported by the left side wall 422 of the grain tank 407. The flow sensor 450 includes: flat plate-like detection plate 451, load sensor 452, support bracket 453 for supporting detection plate 451 and load sensor 452, and attachment bracket 454 for attaching flow sensor 450 to left side wall portion 422. One end of load sensor 452 is coupled to detection plate 451, and the other end of load sensor 452 is coupled to support bracket 453. That is, the load sensor 452 is supported by the arm with the connecting portion of the load sensor 452 and the support bracket 453 as the base end. According to this structure, when a load acts on detection plate 451, the deformation of load sensor 452 is promoted. The grain is pushed against the detection plate 451 by the feed blade 437 being sprung up from the input section 436, and the load sensor 452 detects the pushing force applied to the detection plate 451. The support bracket 453 has the following structure: the flow sensor 450 is configured to be swingable about the mounting bracket 454 as a swing fulcrum, and the position of the delivery blade 437 can be adjusted by adjusting the swing angle of the support bracket 453.

The grains are fed from the feeding section 436 to the storage space 400Q by the sending blade 437 and pressed against the detection plate 451. The load sensor 452 deforms by the pressing force of the grain, and generates an electric signal. The electric signal is used as a detection signal for calculating the flow rate of the grain, and is represented by, for example, a voltage value or a current value. The larger the amount of grain fed from the vertical grain feeder 416, the larger the pressing force of the grain against the detection plate 451, and the larger the detection signal of the load sensor 452. Thus, the flow rate sensor 450 provided in the input part 436 measures the flow rate of the grain to be input.

As shown by a broken line 500E in fig. 20, the grain stored in the storage space 400Q may be stored in a mountain shape having a vertex directly below the input part 436. In this case, the grains may be accumulated in the vicinity of the input part 436 before the full state of the grains is detected by the full level detection sensor 430, and the flow rate sensor 450 may be embedded in the grains. If the flow rate sensor 450 is embedded in the grain, the detection plate 451 is pressed not only by the grain fed from the feeding unit 436 but also by the accumulated grain, and therefore, the flow rate sensor 450 cannot measure the flow rate of the grain with high accuracy. In this state, if the harvesting operation of the combine harvester is continued and grain is continuously input from the input part 436 to the storage space 400Q, the load acting on the load sensor 452 may continuously increase. Further, since there is a possibility that the load sensor 452 may fail if the load exceeds the rated load of the load sensor 452, the present embodiment includes the level sensor 460 for protecting the load sensor 452 as described below.

[ in relation to level sensors ]

As shown in fig. 23, a control unit 461 is provided to which the detection of the level sensor 460 can be input. The control unit 461 is mounted as a module of a microcomputer to a control system of the combine harvester, for example. The control unit 461 outputs a signal to the notification unit 462 and the travel control unit 463 based on the detection signal of the level sensor 460. The notification unit 462 may be configured to notify a field manager or a driver of the combine through an audio output, or may be configured to notify the driver through a display output on a display (not shown) provided in the driver unit 405 of the combine. Note that the notification unit 462 may be configured to transmit notification information to a portable communication terminal of a driver or a field manager via wireless communication, for example. The travel control unit 463 is a control module for performing travel control of the crawler travel devices 401 and 401.

As described above, the grain stored in the storage space 400Q may be stored in a mountain shape having a vertex directly below the input part 436. As shown in fig. 19 and 20, a level sensor 460 is provided directly below the input part 436 and the flow sensor 450. Therefore, the level sensor 460 is configured to be able to detect the height of the grain stored in the storage space 400Q in the vicinity of the peak of the mountain shape. The level sensor 460 is disposed at a position lower than the lower end portion of the flow sensor 450. Therefore, when the grain is accumulated to the height at which the level sensor 460 is located, the level sensor 460 is configured to be able to output the detection signal to the controller 461 before the grain is accumulated to the height at which the flow sensor 450 is located.

The level sensor 460 is configured to be vertically swingable about a swing fulcrum at an upper end portion, i.e., about a lateral axis. As the grain accumulates, pressure is applied from the grain such that the level sensor 460 oscillates in a downward direction. Thus, the level sensor 460 is configured to detect that the grains in the grain tank 407 have accumulated in the flow sensor 450.

The level sensor 460 is disposed at a position lower than the full level detection sensor 430 and at a position higher than the level detection sensor 431. In this way, the level sensor 460 is configured to detect that grains have been stored in the flow sensor 450 before the full state is detected by the full level detection sensor 430.

As shown in fig. 23, the control unit 461 outputs signals to the notification unit 462 and the travel control unit 463 based on the detection signal of the level sensor 460. Specifically, as shown in the flowchart of fig. 24, when the control unit 461 detects the insertion of a grain by the level sensor 460 (yes in step # 401), the timer counter TC for measuring the duration of the detection signal is added (step # 402). When the control section 461 does not receive the detection signal of the level sensor 460 (no in step # 401), the count value of the timer counter TC is set to zero (step # 411). After the process of step #402, the control unit 461 outputs an informing signal to the informing unit 462, and the informing unit 462 informs that the grain is stored in the flow sensor 450 based on the detection of the level sensor 460 (step # 403). The notification unit 462 notifies the decrease in the measurement accuracy of the flow sensor 450 based on the detection of the level sensor 460 (step # 404).

After the processing of steps #403 and #404, it is determined whether or not the count value of the timer counter TC reaches a predetermined determination value T1 (step # 405). If the count value of the timer counter TC does not reach the determination value T1 (step # 405: no), the process returns to step # 401. When the count value of the timer counter TC reaches a determination value T1 (yes in step #405), it is determined whether or not the detection of the input of grains by the flow sensor 450 is continued (step # 406). If the throw-in of grain is not detected by the flow sensor 450 (step # 406: no), the process returns to step # 401. If the detection of the introduction of the grain by the flow sensor 450 continues (step # 406: yes), a control signal is output from the control unit 461 to the travel control unit 463. The travel control unit 463 stops driving of the pair of left and right crawler travel devices 401, 401 based on the control signal of the control unit 461 (step # 407). After the detection of the level sensor 460, when the flow sensor 450 detects the input of grains, the control unit 461 is configured to stop the crawler travel units 401 and 401 as travel units. This makes it possible to avoid the possibility of the load sensor 452 failing due to the load applied to the load sensor 452 exceeding the rated load, without continuing the harvesting operation of the combine harvester.

[ other embodiments ]

The present invention is not limited to the configurations exemplified in the above embodiments, and other representative embodiments of the present invention are exemplified below.

(1) In addition to the above embodiments, another example of the configuration of the grain conveyor, the flow sensor, and the level sensor will be described with reference to fig. 25. As shown in fig. 25, the grain transporting device includes: a primary processed object conveyor 415 provided at the bottom of the threshing device 406, a winnowing conveyor 470 disposed between the threshing device 406 and the grain tank 407, and a traverse screw 471 penetrating the front upper portion of the left side wall of the grain tank 407. The winnowing conveyor 470 can be either a screw conveyor or a bucket conveyor. After being transported by the winnowing conveyor 470 towards the upper side of the grain bin 407, the grains are transported by the lateral transport screw 471 from the outside to the inside of the grain bin 407. The transverse feed screw 471 is provided with an input portion 472 in the end region in the feed direction, and the grain conveyed to the input portion 472 is pushed out from the input portion 472 into the grain tank 407 by the feed blade 473.

A flow sensor 474 for measuring the amount of grain input is provided in a state of facing the input unit 472, and supported by the support 477. The flow sensor 474 includes a flat plate-shaped detection plate 475 and a load sensor 476. The level sensor 478 is supported by the support bracket 477, and the level sensor 478 is provided at a position lower than the lower end portion of the flow sensor 474.

(2) In the above embodiment, the full-height detection sensor 430 and the height detection sensors 431 and 432 are configured to be vertically swingable about a swing fulcrum at an upper end portion, that is, about a lateral axis, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the following structure is also possible: the swing fulcrums of the full height detection sensor 430 and the height detection sensors 431 and 432 are located at the front end portion and the rear end portion, and can swing back and forth around the longitudinal axis. Of course, the level sensor 460 may be configured to be swingable up and down about the lateral axis. The full-height detection sensor 430 and the height detection sensors 431 and 432 may be pressure-sensitive sensors, for example. Therefore, the following structure is also possible: the full height detection sensor 430 detects that the grain is stored to the full height in the grain tank 407 by detecting a pressure higher than a predetermined pressure. Further, the following structure is also possible: by detecting a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure, the height detection sensors 431 and 432 detect that the grain is stored at a specific height in the grain tank 407.

(3) In the above embodiment, the control unit 461 is mounted on the control system of the combine harvester as a module of a microcomputer, for example, but is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the control unit 461 may be a relay circuit or a mechanical control mechanism. Further, the following structure is also possible: after the detection of the level sensor 460, the control unit 461 stops or raises the harvesting unit 403 when the flow sensor 450 detects the introduction of grains. In short, the following structure is sufficient: after the detection of the level sensor 460, when the flow sensor 450 detects the introduction of grains, the control unit 461 stops the introduction of grains into the grain tank 407.

(4) The notification unit 462 according to the above embodiment may not be provided. For example, the following structure is also possible: when the level sensor 460 detects that the grain is stored in the grain tank 407 to the flow sensor 450, the combine stops the harvesting operation and automatically discharges the grain to a carrier or the like. In this case, it may not be necessary to inform that the grain has been stored to the flow sensor 450.

(5) In the above embodiment, the level sensor 460 is provided at a position lower than the full level detection sensor 430, but is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the case where the flow sensor 450 is located at a higher position than the full level detection sensor 430, the level sensor 460 may also be provided at a higher position than the full level detection sensor 430. In short, the level sensor 460 may be provided at a position lower than the lower end of the flow sensor 450.

(6) In the above embodiment, the two height detection sensors 431 and 432 are provided as the other horizontal sensors, but the other horizontal sensors are not limited to two, and three or more may be provided. That is, the number of the other level sensors can be changed as appropriate.

(7) In the flowchart shown in fig. 24 of the above embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: when the count value of the timer counter TC reaches the determination value T1 (yes in step #405), it is determined whether or not the detection of the input of grains by the flow sensor 450 is continued (step # 406). For example, the following structure is also possible: the timer counter TC is not set, and the determination of step #406 is performed so as not to pass through the determination of step # 405. Further, the process of determining the detection of the input of grains as in step #406 may be provided between the notification of the fact that grains are stored in the flow sensor 450 (step #403) and the notification of the decrease in the measurement accuracy of the flow sensor 450 (step # 404). That is, the following structure is also possible: after the notification processing in step #403, if the input of grains is detected, the notification processing in step #404 is performed.

(8)

The combine may be configured to store a level detection system. In this case, the storage level detection system is a storage level detection system that detects a storage level of a grain tank in a combine harvester having a threshing device that threshes harvested grain stalks, the grain tank storing grains obtained by the threshing device, and a grain transport device that is provided in a state of spanning an upper portion of the threshing device and the grain tank, transports the grains obtained by the threshing device, and drops the grains into a tank interior of the grain tank, and the storage level detection system may be configured to include: a flow sensor provided in an input part of the grain conveyor and measuring a flow rate of the input grains; and a level sensor provided at a position lower than a lower end portion of the flow sensor, and detecting that the grain is stored in the grain tank to the flow sensor.

Industrial applicability

The invention is suitable for various harvesting operation vehicles such as combine harvesters and the like.

The present invention is applicable to a whole-feed combine harvester that feeds whole stalks including the whole of the stems of harvested grain stalks into a threshing device, and also to a semi-feed combine harvester that feeds only ear tips into the threshing device.

In addition, the invention can be applied to not only a semi-feeding combine harvester, but also a general combine harvester which puts the whole straws for harvesting the rice straws into the threshing device.

Description of the reference numerals

[ first embodiment ]

7: grain box

10: load sensor

11: grain sensor

22: control device

24: first mapping

25: second mapping

26: discharge yield

50: quality measuring device

51: temporary storage section

52: measuring part

57: baffle plate

[ second embodiment ]

207: grain box

208: grain conveying device

209: grain discharging device

240: measuring container

241: receiving port

242: discharge port

243: skirt section

244: lower side opening

206: control unit

266: damper control unit

267: measuring part for grain

267 a: grain flow calculating part

267 b: grain component value calculating section

268: abnormal inflow detection part

269: informing control part

820: notification device

270: weight measuring device

290: component value sensor processing unit

291: first storage sensor

292: second storage sensor

293: component value sensor

200 GV: flow rate measuring member

200 ST: baffle plate

[ third embodiment ]

401: track running device (running device)

406: threshing device

407: grain box

415: primary treatment material conveying device (grain conveying device)

416: longitudinal grain conveying device (grain conveying device)

430: filling level detecting sensor (filling level sensor)

431: height detecting sensor (other level sensor)

432: height detecting sensor (other level sensor)

436: input part

450: flow sensor

460: level sensor

462: informing part

400Q: storage space (inside box)