JP7531378B2 - Paddy field farming machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paddy field working machine that is configured to obtain position information of a traveling vehicle body by receiving radio signals from a positioning satellite.

Patent Document 1, which describes a paddy field working machine configured as described above, shows technology for autonomous travel based on position information measured by a GPS device.

In Patent Document 1, a reference line is set by teaching while receiving radio signals from GPS satellites (positioning satellites) with a GPS antenna attached to the traveling vehicle body, and a target route that is parallel to this reference line is set. After this setting, the system is configured so that rice planting work can be performed in a form in which the vehicle travels autonomously on the target route while receiving radio signals from GPS satellites (positioning satellites).

Patent document 2 shows a technology that includes a GPS receiver for identifying the position of a traveling vehicle and a monitor consisting of a touch panel type liquid crystal display on the right side of the front of the driver's cabin of the traveling vehicle.

In this patent document 2, the position of the vehicle is recognized by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites with a GPS receiver, and navigation information and buttons are displayed on the monitor.

JP 2008-92818 A JP 2002-186309 A

Paddy field farming machines obtain the vehicle's position information by receiving radio waves from positioning satellites, so it is necessary to check the vehicle's position on a monitor while working, as well as the information required for the work, on the monitor.

In a vehicle configuration in which a bonnet is placed in front of the driver's section and boarding and alighting steps are formed on both sides of the bonnet to serve as boarding and alighting passages, as shown in Patent Document 2, if a monitor is placed in a position off-center of the vehicle, there is room for improvement as the monitor etc. may get in the way of the worker moving along the boarding and alighting steps.

The object of the present invention is to obtain a paddy field working machine that is configured to receive signals from positioning satellites and display the position information of the traveling vehicle body.

The paddy field working machine of the present invention comprises a positioning system which receives radio signals from positioning satellites and acquires position information, a traveling body capable of automatic driving by automatic steering based on the position information, a driver's seat provided on the traveling body, and a display device provided in front of the driver's seat and which displays information related to the automatic driving, a meter panel is provided below a steering wheel provided in front of the driver's seat and in a position overlapping with the steering wheel in a plan view , and the display device is provided separately from the meter panel, and the display device displays, as information related to the automatic driving, an indication that the vehicle is in an automatic steering state and an indication that the traveling direction of the traveling body is shifted, and the information related to the automatic driving is displayed only on the display device of the display device and the meter panel.
It is also preferable that the positioning system support frame supports the positioning system, the positioning system support frame having left and right vertical frame portions and a connecting frame portion connecting the upper ends of the left and right vertical frame portions, and that when viewed in the fore-and-aft direction of the running body, the support frame supporting the display device and the display device are located inside the space enclosed by the left and right vertical frame portions and the connecting frame portion.
It is also preferable that the upper end of the display device is located higher than the upper end of the meter panel.
It is also preferable that the display device be located forward of the meter panel.
In addition, the paddy field working machine of the present invention has a running body in which a bonnet is located in front of the driver's section, with boarding and alighting steps formed on both sides of the bonnet to serve as boarding and alighting passages, a steering wheel is located at the rear of the bonnet, forward of the driver's seat, and a positioning system is provided which receives radio signals from a positioning satellite and obtains position information of the running body and displays it on a monitor unit of the console, and the console is arranged so that the monitor unit is positioned at a higher position than the steering wheel, within the width of the bonnet when viewed in the forward and backward directions.

With this configuration, the console is positioned in the direction of the operator's line of sight when seated in the driver's seat, so the operator does not need to move his or her eyes significantly when viewing the display content on the console monitor. Also, even when the operator moves between the boarding and alighting steps, such as when getting on and off between the traveling vehicle body and the ridge, the operator's clothing does not come into contact with the console, making it easy to get on and off.
Therefore, a paddy field working machine has been obtained that has a configuration in which signals from positioning satellites are received and position information of the traveling vehicle body is displayed, and this configuration does not impede movement on the boarding and disembarking steps.

The present invention may also be such that the monitor section is formed on the surface of the console facing the driver's seat, and a visor section is provided above the upper end of the monitor section, extending toward the driver's seat.

As a result, the eaves can block sunlight, making it possible to accurately grasp the information displayed on the console monitor even when working in an environment where sunlight shines directly into the work area.

The present invention may also be such that an operation panel section is formed on the surface of the console on which the monitor section is formed, and an operation switch or a notification lamp is formed on the operation panel section.

This allows the operator to input information more reliably by operating the operation switches on the console's operation panel compared to using a touch panel, and also makes it possible to obtain information necessary for work by turning on the notification lamp.

FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front part of the traveling body of the rice transplanter. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a steering operation system. FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram of the positioning and automatic steering driving system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a monitor section and an operation panel section of the console. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a console according to another embodiment (a).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Overall configuration of the rice transplanter]
As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a riding rice transplanter as a paddy field working machine is configured by having a driver's seat 3 in the center of a running body A having a pair of left and right front wheels 1 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 2, and a seedling planting device B (an example of a paddy field working device) that can be freely raised and lowered via a link mechanism L that is raised and lowered by the expansion and contraction operation of a hydraulic cylinder 4 at the rear end of the running body A.

This rice transplanter has an engine 6 housed in a bonnet 5 at the front of the traveling body A, and a traveling transmission system in the center of the traveling body A that changes the speed of the driving force from the engine 6 in a transmission case 7 and transmits it to the left and right front wheels 1 and the left and right rear wheels 2. The traveling body A also has a working transmission system that transmits the driving force from the transmission case 7 to the seedling planting device B via a transmission shaft 8. The transmission case 7 is fitted with a planting clutch C that interrupts the driving force transmitted to the transmission shaft 8.

A lift lever 10 is located on the right side of the driver's seat 3, which raises and lowers the seedling planting device B and engages and disengages the planting clutch C, and a steering wheel 11 is located behind the bonnet 5 and in front of the driver's seat 3, which steers the front wheels 1. A main speed change lever 12 that sets the driving speed is provided on the left side of the steering wheel 11, and a forced lift lever 13 is provided on the right side of the steering wheel 11, which forcibly raises and lowers the seedling planting device B and engages and disengages the planting clutch C in conjunction with the raising and lowering.

The seedling planting device B is an example of a paddy field working device, and is configured for eight rows, and includes a transmission case 21 connected to the rear end of the link mechanism L and transmitting the driving force of the transmission shaft 8, a number of ground leveling floats 22, a seedling carrier 23 on which mat-like seedlings are placed, and a rotary planting arm 24 operated by the driving force from the transmission case 21.

A pillar-shaped center mascot 14 is provided at the tip of the bonnet 5. Marker devices are provided on both the left and right sides of the seedling planting device B, and can be freely switched between an operating position and a storage position. The marker devices are composed of a marker arm 26 supported so as to be freely swingable around a swing axis facing forward and backward with respect to the seedling planting device B, and a marker ring 27 supported so as to be freely rotatable at the swing end of the marker arm 26, and having multiple protrusions formed on its outer periphery.

When the marker arm 26 is set in the operating position shown in Figure 1, the outer circumference of the marker ring 27 comes into contact with the field surface, and as the traveling vehicle A travels, a concave mark that will be the center of the next travel is continuously formed on the field surface. As a result, by forming a concave mark on the field surface with the marker ring 27, when the traveling vehicle A is turned to continue seedling planting work, the center mascot 14 can be steered in a manner that visually aims at the mark on the field surface, making it possible to plant seedlings in the optimal position based on the rows of seedlings already planted.

The marker arm 26, which is in the working position, is switched to the storage position in conjunction with the rise of the seedling planting device B and is locked in this storage position. Then, by operating the lift lever 10 in the left or right direction while it is in the lowered position, the marker arm 26 on the corresponding side is unlocked and switched to the working position.

When planting seedlings with this rice transplanter, the lift lever 10 is operated to lower the seedling planting device B to a level where the ground leveling float 22 touches the ground, and the planting clutch C is engaged to allow the traveling vehicle body A to travel. As a result, while the ground leveling float 22 is leveling the muddy surface at the seedling planting location, the seedling carrier 23 is reciprocated left and right by the driving force transmitted from the traveling vehicle body A, and during this reciprocating movement, the planting claws of the multiple planting arms 24 cut out a specified amount of seedlings from the bottom ends of the mat-like seedlings placed on the seedling carrier 23 and plant them in the field. Then, if necessary, a concave mark is formed on the field surface by the marker device.

In particular, the rice transplanter of the present invention can acquire and store the travel route during seedling planting work using a positioning system configured as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), and set it as a target travel route parallel to the stored route. After the target travel route is set in this way, it is also possible to automatically steer the traveling vehicle body A along the target travel route.

In addition, this rice transplanter is also configured so that even when a target driving route has been set, the operator can manually steer the steering wheel 11 to perform seedling planting work without automatic steering. For this reason, a marker device is provided.

[Vehicle configuration]
In this rice transplanter, a driver's section having a driver's seat 3 is formed in the center of the traveling body A, a driver's section step 15 is formed at the foot area of the driver's section, and auxiliary steps 15A are formed on the left and right outside positions of this. On both the left and right sides of the bonnet 5 at the front of the traveling body A, boarding and alighting steps 16 are formed as boarding and alighting passages that are connected without steps to the driver's section step 15. The boarding and alighting steps 16 bring the front end of the traveling body A closer to the ridge, making it easier for the worker to move between the ridge and the traveling body A.

A work step 17 is formed in a position that covers the upper parts of the left and right rear wheels 2. This work step 17 also functions as a rear fender, and the driver's seat 3 is located in the center front part of this work step 17, allowing an operator to work while standing on the work step 17 in the area extending in the left-right direction behind the driver's seat 3.

The work step 17 facilitates the supply of mat-like seedlings to the seedling carrier 23 of the seedling planting device B, and an auxiliary frame 18 is formed along the work step 17, with handrail-like horizontal frame bodies 18B connected to the rear ends of the left and right support frame bodies 18A to support the worker who stands on the work step 17. This auxiliary frame 18 is configured so that the worker can not only hold it, but also have part of the worker's body come into contact with it to stabilize the worker's posture.

At the front of the vehicle body A, a vertical frame 31 is positioned vertically outside the left and right boarding and alighting steps 16, a connecting frame 32 is connected to the upper end of the vertical frame 31, and an auxiliary vertical frame 33, the upper end of which is connected to the middle part of the vertical frame 31 and is positioned parallel to the left and right vertical frames 31, forms a gate-shaped support frame section.

The vertical frames 31 are made of pipe material, and by bending the vertical frames 31, the connecting frames 32 are integrally formed in a form that extends from the upper ends of the vertical frames 31 toward the inside of the vehicle body. The extending ends of each connecting frame 32 are connected to each other with brackets 42, so that the left and right connecting frames 32 are integrated. Note that the left and right vertical frames 31 and the connecting frames 32 that connect them may be constructed from a single member by bending long pipe material.

This support frame portion is formed in a gate shape when viewed from the front, and is supported on the vehicle body frame by a front support frame 31A that supports the lower ends of the left and right vertical frames 31, and a rear frame 33A that supports the lower ends of the auxiliary vertical frames 33.

In this rice transplanter, multiple spare seedling carriers 34 are supported by a vertical frame 31 and an auxiliary vertical frame 33 connected to it.

With this configuration, the multiple spare seedling carriers 34 arranged on the left and right, the left and right vertical frames 31, and the auxiliary vertical frames 33 are positioned outside the boarding and disembarking steps 16, so that there is no hindrance to the movement of workers on the boarding and disembarking steps 16.

[Meter panels]
As shown in Figure 4, a meter panel 36 is disposed at the rear end of the bonnet 5, in front of the steering wheel 11. The meter panel 36 is configured to display work information by including a backlit liquid crystal display and multiple indicator lamps. The liquid crystal display displays an hour meter, the status of the automatic planting clutch, the amount of fuel remaining, the temperature of the cooling water, etc. Additionally, multiple indicator lamps are provided, such as an oil shortage lamp, a charge lamp, a seedling shortage lamp, a planting indicator lamp, a fringe clutch lamp, and a marker lamp.

The meter panel 36 may be configured to have only a liquid crystal display device and display all work information on the liquid crystal display device. It may also be configured to have an indicator with a pointer rather than just a lamp.

An inverted U-shaped console support frame 37 is provided on both the left and right sides of the rear of the bonnet 5, with its lower end penetrating and connecting to the vehicle body A, and supports the console D. The console support frame 37 is made up of left and right side frame bodies 37A and an upper frame body 37B formed to connect to the upper ends of these, and is provided in an inclined position that is displaced forward as it approaches the upper end.

A connecting plate 40 is provided to connect to the left and right side frame bodies 37A of this console support frame 37, and the upper end of this connecting plate 40 is bent so as to protrude in the direction of the driver's seat 3, forming an eaves portion 41 integrally. The console D is formed in a box shape and is supported by the connecting plate 40. Due to this support form, the eaves portion 41 protrudes from above the console D in the direction of the driver's seat 3. Incidentally, the left and right sides of the console D are not provided with anything that functions as a sunshade, but the left and right sides of the console D may be provided with eaves portions 41. This makes it possible to block sunlight that shines on the monitor unit 38 from the side.

When viewed from the front-rear direction, the console D is positioned within the width of the bonnet 5 and the width of the steering wheel 11, and the bottom end of the monitor section 38 is positioned above the top end of the steering wheel 11. In addition, because the console support frame 37 is formed in the inclined position described above, the monitor section 38 of the console D can be easily viewed and information can be reliably grasped by lowering one's line of sight slightly from the front during work, and the console D does not obstruct the view of the center mascot 14.

As shown in FIG. 7, the surface of the console D facing the driver's seat 3 is provided with a liquid crystal monitor section 38 having a touch panel 38A formed on the display surface, and an operation panel section 39. The operation panel section 39 is provided with a number of operation switches 39A for turning the power button on and off and for enabling various operations. In addition to the operation switches 39A, the operation panel section 39 may also be provided with an alarm lamp and a speaker that outputs information by voice.

As shown in the figure, the monitor unit 38 of the console D is formed with a mode display unit 102 that receives radio waves from a positioning satellite and indicates that automatic steering driving is in progress, a target driving route line 103 that corresponds to the target driving route, an icon 104 that reflects the operation of the steering wheel 11, and a speed display unit 108. A plurality of operation switches 39A of the operation panel unit 39 are configured to enable the input of information necessary for automatic steering driving. The display form of the monitor unit 38 will be described later.

[Modifications of console layout]
In this embodiment, the console D is fixed to the console support frame 37, but instead, the console D may be supported so as to be pivotable about an axis of the horizontal position and a clamp mechanism or the like for maintaining the pivoting position may be provided to support the console D so as to adjust the angle. By supporting the console D so as to be pivotable in this manner, the angle of the console D can be set in accordance with the physique of the operator seated in the driver's seat 3, and the visibility of the display on the monitor unit 38 formed on the console D can be improved.

As a modified example, the upper end position of the console D is positioned lower than the upper end of the seedling carrier 23 of the seedling planting device B. By positioning it in this way, when supplying the mat-shaped seedlings placed on the spare seedling carrier 34 to the seedling carrier 23, the inconvenience of the mat-shaped seedlings touching the console D is reduced, allowing for smooth seedling supply.

[Positioning and automatic steering driving system]
3 and 4, at the center in the left-right direction of the connecting frame 32 (one example of a receiving unit support part) of the support frame part, a support plate 43 made of a non-magnetic material such as resin or aluminum is connected and fixed to the upper surface of the bracket 42. A support member 44 made of flexible synthetic rubber as a non-magnetic material is provided on the upper surface of this support plate 43, and a receiving unit 45 is supported by being placed on this.

As shown in FIG. 6, the receiving unit 45 incorporates an antenna 45A that receives radio signals from multiple positioning satellites, a magnetic compass 45B (an example of a direction sensor) that detects the direction from the earth's magnetic field, and a gyro sensor 45C that captures changes in posture of the traveling vehicle body A by inertia.
In this configuration, the receiving unit 45 is positioned at the front position of the traveling vehicle body A, so when the traveling vehicle body A changes its direction of travel, the amount of lateral displacement is larger than that at the rear end side of the traveling vehicle body A, and changes in position information can be detected with high sensitivity.

The steel material that constitutes the rice transplanter may become partially magnetized during manufacturing or processing. For example, if the connecting frame 32 becomes magnetized, magnetism may act from the connecting frame 32 to the magnetic compass 45B, reducing the accuracy of detecting the earth's magnetic field. For this reason, a non-magnetic material with a specified thickness is used as the support member 44, which increases the distance between the connecting frame 32 and the magnetic compass 45B and suppresses the effects of magnetism. In addition to synthetic rubber, it is also possible to use vibration-proof materials such as urethane foam as the support member.

The console D is equipped with a receiving circuit 46 that acquires position information by receiving radio signals from positioning satellites, and a control unit 47. The receiving circuit acquires latitude, longitude, and altitude on Earth based on radio signals from three or more positioning satellites using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems). The receiving unit 45 and the console D constitute a positioning system.

The control unit 47 includes a teaching processing unit 47A, which is configured by software, a driving route determination unit 47B, and a driving control unit 47C. This control unit 47 outputs information to the monitor unit 38 and acquires information from the touch panel 38A. This control unit 47 also outputs control information to the steering control unit 48.

In this embodiment, the receiving circuit 46 is provided inside the console D, but the receiving circuit 46 may also be provided inside the receiving unit 45. In addition, at least one of the teaching processing unit 47A, the driving route determination unit 47B, and the driving control unit 47C may be configured with logic IC hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

As shown in FIG. 5, a power steering unit 52 that transmits the operating force from a steering shaft 51 connected to the steering wheel 11 to the left and right front wheels is supported on the upper surface of the transmission case 7. A pitman arm 53 that is actuated by the driving force of the power steering unit 52 is formed on the lower surface of the transmission case 7.

A drive gear 54 is fixed near the lower end of the steering shaft 51, and a steering control motor 56 is provided to drive a pinion gear 55 that meshes with the drive gear 54. In addition, a rotary encoder 57 that measures the amount of rotation is provided at the lower end of the steering shaft 51.

In addition, this steering operation system is configured to make effective use of the inside of the bonnet 5 by providing a steering control motor 56 at the front and side of the steering shaft 51, and to avoid creating a space that protrudes below the driver's seat 3.

This rice transplanter is configured so that the operator manually steers the rice transplanter between one ridge of the field and the other ridge, and the travel route during this travel is acquired by the teaching processing unit 47A of the control unit 47, and a target travel route is generated and stored from this travel route.

The driving route is recognized as a straight line by the control unit 47, and multiple target driving routes are set at intervals corresponding to the planting width of eight seedlings so that the target driving routes are parallel to the driving route. After multiple target driving routes are set in this way, automatic steering driving is selected, and the driving route determination unit 47B determines the error from the target driving route based on information from the positioning system, and the driving control unit 47C controls the steering control motor 56 to realize control to automatically steer the traveling vehicle body A along the target driving route.

In addition, when the traveling vehicle body A is automatically steered along the target traveling route, the operator can operate the steering wheel 11 to correct the traveling route.
In addition, the control form of the driving route determination unit 47B is set so that first, the driving vehicle body A is caused to travel along a target driving route adjacent to the driving route (the route first traveled by manual steering driving), and then the driving vehicle body A is caused to travel along the target driving route adjacent to this.

[Positioning and automatic steering driving system: Console display format]
During automatic steering driving, as shown in Fig. 7, an automatic steering driving screen is displayed on the monitor unit 38 of the console D, and a plurality of setting buttons 101 and a mode display unit 102 are displayed on this screen. The setting buttons 101 are operated by touching the screen with a finger or the like via a touch panel, and realize various settings. The mode display unit 102 displays text information indicating that the vehicle is in automatic steering mode.

In this automatic steering driving screen, a target driving route line 103 is displayed in the center of the screen in the left-right direction, and an icon 104 representing the driving vehicle body A is displayed in the center of the screen. A declination line 105 indicating the deviation angle (deviation angle) of the driving direction of the driving vehicle body based on this icon 104 and an indicator section 106 indicating the amount of deviation in degrees are also displayed.

The upper part of the monitor unit 38 is provided with a deviation display unit 107 that displays the deviation (deviation) of the traveling vehicle body A from the target traveling route, and a speed display unit 108. The deviation display unit 107 displays a numerical value indicating the deviation amount, and a bar graph that visually displays the deviation amount. The speed display unit 108 displays the traveling speed of the traveling vehicle body A as a numerical value. In addition, the display form is set so that the relative angle between the target traveling route line 103 and the icon 104 changes when a steering operation is performed.

When automatic steering is performed, the system is started by operating the operation switch 39A on the console D, and the system is switched to a teaching-enabled state by operating the operation switch 39A or the setting button 101. Manual steering is then performed, and the teaching processing unit 47A acquires the driving route and sets the target driving route. After this, the system switches to automatic steering mode, and the screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the monitor unit 38, enabling automatic steering along the target driving route.

It is also possible to switch to maintenance mode by operating the setting button 101 displayed on the monitor unit 38 of the console D or by operating the operation switch 39A on the operation panel unit 39. In this maintenance mode, it is possible to check and calibrate the magnetic compass 45B, gyro sensor 45C, etc.

[Actions and Effects of the Embodiments]
In this way, in the rice transplanter, by selecting automatic steering travel with the target travel route set, radio signals from positioning satellites are received, the error between the target travel route and the current position of the traveling body A is determined, and automatic steering travel is performed to control in a direction to reduce this error, which results in the operator not needing to operate the steering wheel 11. This allows the driver to replenish seedlings without stopping the traveling body A, improving work efficiency compared to a work mode in which seedlings are replenished by stopping the traveling body A.

In particular, when planting seedlings, the operator operates the steering wheel 11 to drive the traveling vehicle A, and it is possible to select automatic steering travel only when supplying mat-shaped seedlings from the spare seedling carrier 34 to the seedling carrier 23 of the seedling planting device B. Even in such a case, there is no need to stop the traveling vehicle A, improving work efficiency.

When viewed from the front to rear, the console D fits within the width of the bonnet 5 and also fits within the width of the steering wheel 11, so that even when an operator moves across the boarding and alighting step 16, the operator's clothing and other items do not come into contact with the console D or steering wheel 11, making boarding and alighting easy.

In addition, because the console D is positioned in the direction of the line of sight of the operator seated in the driver's seat 3, there is no need to move the line of sight significantly when viewing the contents displayed on the monitor unit 38 of the console D. In particular, even when working in an environment where sunlight shines directly into the operator, the eaves 41 blocks the sunlight, allowing the operator to accurately grasp the information displayed on the monitor unit 38 of the console D.

In this console D, the operation panel section 39 is provided with operation switches 39A, which allows for more reliable input of information than a touch panel. The operation panel section 39 can also be equipped with an alarm lamp. For example, if a high-brightness LED is used as the alarm lamp, it can be lit at a higher brightness than the monitor section 38, ensuring that information requiring attention, such as an alarm, is obtained.

In addition, the connecting frame 32 that connects the upper ends of the vertical frames 31 that support the spare seedling platform 34 supports the receiving unit 45 via the support member 44 as a receiving unit support part, so the receiving unit 45 can be placed at a high position and radio signals from the positioning satellite can be received well without having to provide a dedicated frame on the traveling vehicle body A. Furthermore, by using the support member 44, the distance between the magnetic compass 45B and the connecting frame 32 is increased, and the influence of magnetism acting from the connecting frame 32, etc. is suppressed, and the direction of the traveling vehicle body can be detected with high accuracy based on the geomagnetism using the magnetic compass 45B as a direction sensor.

[Another embodiment]
The present invention may be configured as follows in addition to the above-described embodiment.

8, a console D is provided with a monitor unit 38 and an operation panel unit 39, as well as a meter panel 36. The monitor unit 38 is a liquid crystal type having a touch panel 38A formed on its display surface, and the operation panel unit 39 is provided with a plurality of operation switches 39A.
The meter panel 36 is the same as that formed at the rear end of the bonnet 5 in the embodiment, and is formed with a liquid crystal display and indicator lamps as in the description of the embodiment. The liquid crystal display displays an hour meter, the status of the automatic planting clutch, the amount of fuel remaining, the temperature of the cooling water, etc. In addition, a number of indicator lamps are provided, such as an oil shortage lamp, a charge lamp, a seedling shortage lamp, a planting indicator lamp, a few-row clutch lamp, and a marker lamp.

By configuring it as in this alternative embodiment (a), all driving information during automatic steering driving and all work information required for work can be displayed together on the console D, making it possible to obtain the necessary information by simply moving the line of sight significantly. In addition, there is no need to provide a meter panel at the rear end of the bonnet 5.

As a modification of this alternative embodiment (a), the functions of the meter panel 36 are distributed by providing an LCD display and lamps on the rear end of the bonnet 5 and on the console D. In this modification, relatively important information from among the work information is output to the console D, making it possible to reliably convey information to the worker.

(b) The console D is supported on the lower end of the frame extending downward from the connecting frame 32 of the support frame section. By supporting it in this manner, it is possible to position the console D within the width of the bonnet 5 and to position the console D at a higher position than the bonnet 5. It is also possible to ensure a space between the console D and the spare seedling loading platform 34 so that an operator can pass through.

(c) As a paddy field working machine, the configuration of the present invention may be applied to a seeding machine equipped with a seeding device at the rear end of the traveling body A instead of the seedling planting device B of the embodiment. In addition, whether a rice transplanter or a seeding machine is configured as the paddy field working machine, it may be equipped with a fertilizer application device.

(d) In the embodiment, the engine 6 is built into the bonnet 5, but instead, the present invention may be applied to a paddy field working machine configured so that the engine 6 is positioned below the driver's seat 3.

(e) In the above-described embodiment, the target driving path was generated based on teaching, but instead of teaching, for example, a control form may be set such that an overhead image of the field scene is displayed on the monitor unit 38, etc., and the operator manually sets the target driving path in the field scene thus displayed.
In addition, instead of teaching, for example, when a tractor is plowing a field, radio waves can be received from a positioning satellite, and data on the route traveled by the vehicle body can be stored in a semiconductor storage medium or the like. The route data stored in the semiconductor storage medium or the like can then be loaded into the automatic steering and traveling system of the rice transplanter, and the control form can be set to generate a target traveling route in this automatic steering and traveling system.

The present invention can be used in a paddy field working machine that has boarding and alighting passages formed on both sides of the bonnet at the front of the traveling body, a steering wheel at the rear of the bonnet, a driver's seat located behind this, and is configured to receive radio signals from positioning satellites and output position information.

5 Bonnet 11 Steering wheel 16 Getting on and off step 38 Monitor unit 39 Operation panel unit 39A Operation switch 41 Eaves unit A Traveling vehicle body D Console

Claims (2)

A positioning system that receives radio signals from positioning satellites and acquires location information;
A traveling machine capable of automatic traveling by automatic steering based on the position information;
A bonnet provided at the front of the traveling body;
A driver's seat provided on the traveling machine body;
A display device is provided in front of the driver's seat and displays information about the automatic driving;
an inverted U-shaped support frame for supporting the display device;
a meter panel is provided below a steering wheel provided in front of the driver's seat and at a position overlapping with the steering wheel in a plan view, and the display device is provided separately from the meter panel;
On the display device, as information regarding the automatic traveling, a display indicating that the vehicle is in an automatic steering state and a display indicating a deviation in the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle are displayed,
the support frame extends upward from the bonnet;
The upper end of the display device is located above the upper end of the meter panel,
The display device is located forward of the meter panel,
The information relating to the automatic driving is displayed only on the display device out of the display device and the meter panel. a positioning system support frame for supporting the positioning system;
the positioning system support frame has left and right vertical frame portions and a connecting frame portion connecting upper ends of the left and right vertical frame portions to each other,
2. The paddy field working machine according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed from the front-rear direction of the traveling body, the support frame and the display device are positioned inside a space surrounded by left and right vertical frame portions and a connecting frame portion.

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