JP7540328B2 - Harvesting method for culms - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of harvesting culms in which an operator operates a combine harvester to harvest culms on the outer periphery of a field, and then the combine harvester travels automatically to harvest culms on the inner periphery of the field.

In a conventional method for harvesting stalks, a combine harvester is brought into a field and harvests the stalks while traveling along a harvesting route set based on signals from a positioning satellite. (See Patent Document 1)

JP 2017-162373 A

However, in conventional culm harvesting methods, an automatically traveling combine is made to make a U-turn at a headland located outside the working area to harvest culms planted within the working area, resulting in low culm harvesting efficiency and an excessively large amount of calculations in the processing unit that sets the travel path of the combine.

The present invention aims to provide a method for harvesting stalks that is highly efficient and reduces the amount of calculation required by the processing unit that sets the travel path of the combine harvester.

The present invention, which solves the above problems, is as follows:

That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a method for harvesting grain culms planted in a field using a combine harvester having a harvesting device (3) that harvests grain culms planted in a field, a thresher (4) that threshes the grain culms on the rear left side of the harvesting device (3), and an operating unit (5) on which an operator rides on the rear right side of the harvesting device (3), in which a processing unit (21) of a controller (20) of the combine harvester performs coordinate rotation based on the positions of first points (A1 to A4) at the four corners of a rectangular first area (A) previously set in the field so that any side of the first area (A) coincides with a coordinate axis of a virtual coordinate system on the controller (20), and the combine harvester automatically travels from the first points (A1 to A4) after this coordinate rotation to perform harvesting work. a second area (B) having a shape similar to that of a stalk, the second area (B) being set inside the first area (A) such that one side coincides with a reference side for coordinate rotation of the first area (A); and the processing unit (21) then sets, on the virtual coordinate system, a travel path (CL1 to CL4) along which a combine harvester automatically travels in a counterclockwise direction, based on the positions of second points (B1 to B4) at the four corners of the second area (B) and the mowing width (W) of a harvesting device (3); and when two of the sides of the first area (A) are parallel, the coordinate rotation is performed based on one of the parallel sides, and when two of the sides of the first area (A) are not parallel, the coordinate rotation is performed based on the side of the first area (A) adjacent in the counterclockwise direction to the side closest to a pre-specified starting point .

The invention described in claim 2 is a method for harvesting culms according to claim 1, in which the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the first revolution is set at a position half the mowing width (W) of the harvesting device (3) inside the outer periphery of the second area (B), and the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the second revolution and thereafter is set at a position equal to the mowing width (W) of the harvesting device (3) inside the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the previous revolution.

According to the invention described in claim 1, a processing unit (21) of a controller (20) of the combine performs coordinate rotation based on the positions of first points (A1 to A4) at the four corners of a rectangular first area (A) previously set in a farm field so that any side of the first area (A) coincides with a coordinate axis of a virtual coordinate system on the controller (20), and sets a rectangular or square second area (B) in which the combine automatically travels and performs reaping work from the first points (A1 to A4) after this coordinate rotation within the first area (A) so that one side coincides with a reference side of the coordinate rotation of the first area (A). Then, the processing unit (21) calculates the coordinates of the second points (B1 to B4) at the four corners of the second area (B) and the reaping device (3). Based on the cutting width (W) of the combine harvester, a travel path (CL1 to CL4) that the combine harvester will automatically travel along in a counterclockwise direction is set on a virtual coordinate system, and if two of the sides of the first area (A) are parallel, the coordinate rotation is performed based on one of the parallel sides, and if two of the sides of the first area (A) are not parallel, the coordinate rotation is performed based on the side of the first area (A) that is adjacent in the counterclockwise direction to the side that is closest to a pre-specified starting point.As a result, the combine harvester can be rotated in the counterclockwise direction to efficiently harvest the uncut stalks, and the processing unit (21) of the controller (20) can reduce the amount of calculation required to set the travel path for the combine harvester to automatically travel, thereby speeding up the setting work.

According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1, the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the first revolution is set at a position half the mowing width (W) of the mowing device (3) inside the outer periphery of the second area (B), and the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the second revolution and thereafter is set at the position of the mowing width (W) of the mowing device (3) inside the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the previous revolution, so that the mowing work of the uncut stalks in the second area (B) can be performed more efficiently.

FIG. FIG. FIG. 1 is a connection diagram of a positioning unit of a combine harvester. FIG. 1 is a connection diagram of a combine harvester controller. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a farm field and a first area where uncut stalks are planted. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for aligning the sides of the first region with the direction transmitted from the positioning unit. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first area and a second area in which the combine harvester automatically travels. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for setting a travel route along which the combine harvester will automatically travel. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for stopping the setting of a travel route along which the combine harvester automatically travels. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for harvesting culms using a combine harvester.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the combine harvester has a traveling device 2 consisting of a pair of left and right crawlers that travel on the soil surface on the underside of the machine frame 1, a harvesting device 3 that harvests the stalks in the field is provided on the front side of the machine frame 1, a threshing device 4 that threshes and sorts the harvested stalks is provided on the rear left side of the harvesting device 3, and a control unit 5 on which the operator sits is provided on the rear right side of the harvesting device 3.

Below the control unit 5 is an engine room 6 housing an engine E, and behind the control unit 5 is a grain tank 7 for storing threshed and sorted grains. Behind the grain tank 7 is a discharge auger 8 consisting of a vertically extending grain lifting section for discharging grains to the outside and a horizontal discharge section extending in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in Figure 3, the positioning unit 10, which uses the RTK-GPS positioning method, is composed of a positioning satellite 11, a base station 12 installed at a known position, and a mobile station 16 installed in the combine. This makes it possible to accurately obtain the position of the mobile station 16, i.e., the position of the combine, from the position information transmitted from the positioning satellite 11 to the mobile station 16 and the correction position information transmitted from the base station 12 to the mobile station 16.

The base station 12 is composed of a fixed communication device 13, a fixed GPS antenna 14 that receives position information from the positioning satellite 11, and a fixed data transmission antenna 15 that transmits corrective position information to the mobile station 16.

The mobile station 16 is composed of a mobile communication device 17, a mobile GPS antenna 18 that receives position information from the positioning satellite 11, and a mobile data transmission antenna 19 that receives correction position information from the base station 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the combine controller 20 is made up of a processing unit 21 consisting of a CPU etc., a memory unit 22 consisting of a ROM, RAM, a hard disk drive, a flash memory etc., and a communication unit 23 for data communication with the outside.

The processing unit 21 determines whether a point 1C1 on the travel route has been set from point B1 in the second region B (described later) or the occurrence of a twisting phenomenon, and switches the combine harvester's automatic travel switch 35, etc.

The memory unit 22 stores points A1 of the first area A, which are described below and are input by the pilot via the monitor 5A, and is updated periodically.

The monitor 5A, the mobile communication device 17, the mobile GPS antenna 18, and the mobile data transmission antenna 19 are connected to the input side of the controller 20 via a specified input interface circuit.

The output side of the controller 20 is connected to an automatic travel switch 35, an automatic mowing switch 36, and a release switch 37 via a predetermined interface circuit.

As shown in FIG. 5, the operator operates the combine harvester to rotate the combine harvester counterclockwise around the outer periphery of the field 30 to harvest the stalks on the edge of the field. During the final rotation, the operator inputs a point (the "first point" in the claims) A1 when the combine harvester passes the lower left part of the field, a point A2 when the combine harvester passes the lower right part of the field, a point A3 when the combine harvester passes the upper right part of the field, and a point A4 when the combine harvester passes the upper left part of the field, according to the display on the monitor 5A of the touch panel provided on the operation unit 5. The points A1 to A4 input by the operator are stored in the memory unit 22 of the controller 20. Note that these points may be set without the combine harvester running.

Uncut stalks remain on the inner circumference of the approximate trapezoid defined by the straight lines connecting points A1, A2, etc., and in this specification, this is referred to as the first area A. The straight line connecting points A1 and A2 is referred to as the first side AL1, the straight line connecting points A2 and A3 is referred to as the second side AL2, the straight line connecting points A3 and A4 is referred to as the third side AL3, and the straight line connecting points A4 and A1 is referred to as the fourth side AL4.

Figure 5 shows a first area A based on the coordinate system of the coordinate information transmitted from the positioning satellite 11 to the mobile station 16 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "positioning coordinate system"). That is, the east-west direction of the azimuth coincides with the Xa axis, and the north-south direction of the azimuth coincides with the Ya axis. However, if coordinate rotation or point setting, which will be described later, is performed based on such a positioning coordinate system, the calculation load on the processing unit 21 of the controller 20 increases.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the first area A is converted from the positioning coordinate system to a virtual coordinate system stored in the memory unit 22, and the second area B (described later) and various points are set on this virtual coordinate system. This reduces the calculation load associated with setting areas and points. Figures 6 to 10 show areas and points in the virtual coordinate system.

In addition, when the generation of the combine's driving route, which will be described later, is completed, the points obtained in the virtual coordinate system are transformed from the virtual coordinate system to the positioning coordinate system (so-called "inverse transformation"), and steering control of the autonomous driving is performed by comparing the point coordinates in the positioning coordinate system with the coordinates transmitted from the positioning unit 10 to the mobile station 16.

When converting the coordinates of the first area A into the virtual coordinate system, the coordinates are rotated based on a specific reference edge (first edge AL1 in this embodiment). In this case, the first edge is determined based on the combine's own position and the operator's intention, which reduces the calculation load and simplifies the work.

After the first area A is set, the harvesting work (autonomous work) is performed by autonomous driving. However, the autonomous work can be performed by the combine harvester that performed the harvesting work on the outer periphery of the field 30, or it can be performed by another combine harvester capable of autonomous work.

Before coordinate conversion of the first area A into the virtual coordinate system begins, if the worker designates one of points A1 to A4 as the starting point of the autonomous work, the side extending counterclockwise from that point becomes the reference side for the coordinate conversion.

If the operator does not specify the start point, the combine harvester's own position is obtained, and the point on the end point side of the edge closest to that position in the counterclockwise direction is set as the start point, and the reference edge is determined.

If the operator specifies a different combine harvester to perform autonomous operations, the reference edge is determined based on the position of that combine harvester.

The starting point can also be specified as a point other than points A1 to A4, in which case it is set in the same way as the reference edge is determined based on the combine's own position as described above.

The command to generate the travel route can be given by an operating device mounted on the combine harvester, or by a portable mobile terminal. When the command is given by a mobile terminal and the start point is not specified, if the combine harvester in charge of the autonomous operation is identified, the reference side is determined based on the position of the combine harvester itself, and if not identified, the reference side is determined based on the position of the mobile terminal. In addition, the combine harvester closest to the first area A among the combine harvesters registered in the database can be set as the combine harvester in charge of the autonomous operation, and the reference side can be set.

If there are two parallel sides among the sides that make up the first area A, one of the two sides can be set as the reference side without being based on the start point or the player's aircraft position as described above. This can reduce the calculation load.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the first side AL1 of the first area A is aligned with the X-axis. This reduces the amount of calculation required to calculate the second area B where the combine harvester automatically drives and harvests, and the travel path that the combine harvester takes within the second area B. The second side AL2 of the first area A can also be aligned with the Y-axis.

As shown in FIG. 7, the area in which the combine harvester automatically travels and harvests is referred to as the second area B in this specification. The coordinate B1X of point B1 (the "second point" in the claims) at the lower left of the second area B is set to the larger X coordinate of the coordinate A4X of point A4 in the first area A, which is made by aligning the first side AL1 on the X axis, and the coordinate A1X of point A1, and the coordinate B1Y of point B1 is set to the larger Y coordinate of the coordinate A1Y of point A1 in the first area A and the coordinate A2Y of point A2. In this embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the coordinate B1X of point B1 is set to the coordinate A1X, and the coordinate B1Y is set to the coordinate A1Y or the coordinate A2Y.

Next, the coordinate B2X of point B2 in the lower right corner of the second region B is set to the smaller X coordinate of the coordinate A2X of point A2 in the first region A and the coordinate A3X of point A3, and the coordinate B2Y of point B2 is set to the larger Y coordinate of the coordinate A1Y of point A1 in the first region A and the coordinate A2Y of point A2. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the coordinate B2X of point B2 is set to the coordinate A3X, and the coordinate B2Y is set to the coordinate A1Y or the coordinate A2Y. This allows the side BL1 that connects points B1 and B2 in a straight line to be aligned and extended on the X-axis.

Next, the coordinate B3X of point B3 in the upper right corner of the second region B is set to the smaller X coordinate of the coordinate A2X of point A2 in the first region A and the coordinate A3X of point A3, and the coordinate B3Y of point B3 is set to the smaller Y coordinate of the coordinate A3Y of point A3 in the first region A and the coordinate A4Y of point A4. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the coordinate B3X of point B3 is set to the coordinate A3X, and the coordinate B3Y is set to the coordinate A3Y. This allows the side BL2 that connects points B2 and B3 in a straight line to extend parallel to the Y axis perpendicular to the X axis.

Next, the coordinate B4X of point B4 in the upper left of the second region B is set to the larger X coordinate of the coordinate A4X of point A4 in the first region A and the coordinate A1X of point A1, and the coordinate B4Y of point B4 is set to the smaller Y coordinate of the coordinate A3Y of point A3 in the first region A and the coordinate A4Y of point A4. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the coordinate B3X of point B4 is set to the coordinate A1X, and the coordinate B4Y is set to the coordinate A3Y. This allows the side BL3 connecting points B3 and B4 in a straight line to extend parallel to the X-axis, which is the east-west direction transmitted from the positioning unit 10 to the mobile station 16, and the side BL4 connecting points B4 and B1 in a straight line to extend parallel to the Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis.

The second area B, defined by sides BL1, BL2, BL3, and BL4, is formed in a rectangular shape, allowing the combine to travel automatically and efficiently perform automatic harvesting.

In this embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9, the combine enters the second area B from the lower right and automatically travels within the second area B to perform automatic harvesting.

The coordinates 1C1X and 1C1Y of point 1C1 (the "travel point" in the claims) at the lower right of second area B of the travel path of the combine harvester's first revolution are calculated using the following formula. Note that the 1 before the C in point 1C1 indicates the first revolution for convenience, and the same applies below.

Coordinate 1C1X = coordinate B2X of point B2 - 1/2 × mowing width W of mowing device 3
Coordinate 1C1Y = coordinate B2Y of point B2
The coordinates 1C2X and 1C2Y of point 1C2 in the upper right corner of the second area B of the combine's first rotation travel path are calculated using the following formula.

Coordinate 1C2X = coordinate B3X of point B2 - 1/2 × mowing width W of mowing device 3
Coordinate 1C2Y = coordinate B3Y of point B2 - 1/2 x mowing width W of mowing device 3
As a result, the travel path 1CL1 connecting the points 1C1 and 1C2 is extended parallel to the side BL2, and the right side of the harvesting device 3 of the combine is moved on the side BL2 of the second area B, thereby suppressing the leaving of uncut stalks in the second area B. For the sake of convenience, the 1 before the C in the travel path 1CL1 indicates the first lap, and the same applies below.

The coordinates 1C3X and 1C3Y of point 1C3 at the upper left of second area B of the combine's first rotation travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 1C3X = coordinate B4X of point B2 + 1/2 × mowing width W of mowing device 3
Coordinate 1C3Y = coordinate B4Y of point B2 - 1/2 × mowing width W of mowing device 3
This allows the travel path 1CL2 connecting points 1C2 and 1C3 to extend parallel to side BL3, and the right side of the combine's harvesting device 3 to move along side BL3 of the second area B, thereby preventing uncut stalks from being left behind in the second area B.

The coordinates 1C4X and 1C4Y of point 1C4 at the lower left of second area B of the combine's first rotation travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 1C4X = coordinate B1X of point B2 + 1/2 × mowing width W of mowing device 3
Coordinate 1C4Y = coordinate B1Y of point B2 + 1/2 × mowing width W of mowing device 3
This allows the travel path 1CL3 connecting points 1C3 and 1C4 to extend parallel to side BL4, and the right side of the combine's harvesting device 3 to move along side BL4 of the second area B, thereby preventing uncut stalks from being left behind in the second area B.

The coordinates 2C1X and 2C1Y of point 2C1 at the lower right of second area B of the combine's second lap travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 2C1X = coordinate 1C1X - mowing width W of mowing device 3
Coordinate 2C1Y = coordinate 1C1Y + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
This allows the travel path 1CL4 connecting points 1C4 and 2C1 to extend parallel to side BL1, and the right side of the combine's harvesting device 3 to move along side BL1 of the second area B, thereby preventing uncut stalks from being left behind in the second area B.

The coordinates 2C2X and 2C2Y of point 2C2 in the upper right corner of second area B of the combine harvester's second rotation travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 2C2X = Coordinate 1C2X - Mowing width W of the reaping device 3
Coordinate 2C2Y = Coordinate 1C2Y - Mowing width W of the mowing device 3
As a result, the second loop travel path 2CL1 connecting points 2C1 and 2C2 is extended parallel to the first loop travel path 1CL1, and the right side of the combine's harvesting device 3 is positioned on the outer periphery of the uncut stalks in the second area B, thereby preventing any leftover stalks in the second area B.

The coordinates 2C3X and 2C3Y of point 2C3 at the upper left of second area B of the combine's second lap travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 2C3X = coordinate 1C3X + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
Coordinate 2C3Y = coordinate 1C3Y - mowing width W of mowing device 3
As a result, the second loop travel path 2CL2 connecting points 2C2 and 2C3 is extended parallel to the first loop travel path 1CL2, and the right side of the combine's harvesting device 3 is positioned on the outer periphery of the uncut stalks in the second area B, thereby preventing any leftover stalks in the second area B.

The coordinates 2C4X and 2C4Y of point 2C4 at the lower left of second area B of the combine's second lap travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 2C4X = coordinate 1C4X + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
Coordinate 2C4Y = coordinate 1C4Y + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
As a result, the second loop travel path 2CL3 connecting points 2C3 and 2C4 is extended parallel to the first loop travel path 1CL3, and the right side of the combine's harvesting device 3 is positioned on the outer periphery of the uncut stalks in the second area B, thereby preventing any leftover stalks in the second area B.

The coordinates of points 3C1-3C4 on the travel path of the combine harvester from the third lap onwards are calculated in the same way as the coordinates of points 2C2-2C4 on the travel path of the combine harvester's second lap. This allows the travel path 2CL4 for the second lap connecting points 2C4 and 3C1 to extend parallel to the travel path 1CL4 for the first lap, and the right side of the combine harvester's harvesting device 3 to be positioned on the outer periphery of the uncut stalks in the second area B, reducing the amount of leftover stalks in the second area B.

In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the coordinates 4C1X and 4C1Y of point 4C1 at the lower right of second region B of the travel path for the fourth lap are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 4C1X = coordinate 3C1X - mowing width W of the mowing device 3
Coordinate 4C1Y = coordinate 3C1Y + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
The processing unit 21 compares the coordinate 4C1X of the point 4C1 with the coordinate 3C4X of the point 3C4 stored in the memory unit 22, and if the coordinate 4C1X is greater than the coordinate 3C4X, it calculates the coordinate 4C2X and the coordinate 4C2Y of the point 4C2 in the upper right part of the second area B of the travel path of the combine harvester for the fourth round, and if the coordinate 4C1X is equal to or less than the coordinate 3C4X, it stops creating the reaping path and moves the combine harvester to the entry position, point 1C1. This allows the combine harvester to be moved to the entry position promptly after the reaping of the uncut stalks is completed, and to be moved to another field. In this embodiment shown in FIG. 10, since the coordinate 4C1X is greater than the coordinate 3C4X, the processing unit 21 continues to calculate the point 4C2. The processing unit 21 also turns on the automatic travel switch 35 and the automatic reaping switch 36 of the combine harvester to make the combine harvester automatically travel and continue automatic reaping. In this specification, the case where the coordinate 4C1X is equal to or smaller than the coordinate 3C4X, that is, the coordinate 4C1X is outside the coordinate 3C4X in the second region B, is referred to as a twist phenomenon.

The coordinates 4C2X and 4C2Y of point 4C2 in the upper right corner of second area B of the combine harvester's fourth lap travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 4C2X = Coordinate 3C2X - Mowing width W of the reaping device 3
Coordinate 4C2Y = coordinate 3C2Y - mowing width W of mowing device 3
The processing unit 21 compares the coordinate 4C2Y of the point 4C2 with the coordinate 4C1Y of the point 4C1 stored in the memory unit 22, and if the coordinate 4C2Y is greater than the coordinate 4C1Y, it calculates the coordinate 4C3X and the coordinate 4C3Y of the point 4C3 at the upper left of the second area B of the travel path of the combine harvester for the fourth round, and if the coordinate 4C2Y is equal to or less than the coordinate 4C1Y, it stops creating the reaping path and moves the combine harvester to the entry position, point 1C1. This allows the combine harvester to be moved to the entry position promptly after the reaping of the uncut stalks is completed, and to be moved to another field. In this embodiment shown in FIG. 10, since the coordinate 4C2Y is greater than the coordinate 4C1Y, the processing unit 21 continues to calculate the point 4C3. The processing unit 21 also turns on the automatic travel switch 35 and the automatic reaping switch 36 of the combine harvester to make the combine harvester automatically travel and continue automatic reaping. In this specification, the case where the coordinate 4C2Y is equal to or smaller than the coordinate 4C1Y, that is, the coordinate 4C2Y is outside the coordinate 4C1Y in the second region B, is referred to as a twist phenomenon.

The coordinates 4C3X and 4C3Y of point 4C3 at the upper left of second area B of the combine harvester's fourth lap travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 4C3X = coordinate 3C3X + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
Coordinate 4C3Y = coordinate 3C3Y - mowing width W of mowing device 3
The processing unit 21 compares the coordinate 4C3X of the point 4C3 with the coordinate 4C2X of the point 4C2 stored in the memory unit 22, and if the coordinate 4C3X is smaller than the coordinate 4C2X, it calculates the coordinate 4C4X and the coordinate 4C4Y of the point 4C4 at the lower left of the second area B of the travel path of the combine harvester for the fourth round, and if the coordinate 4C3X is equal to or larger than the coordinate 4C2X, it stops creating the reaping path and moves the combine harvester to the entry position, point 1C1. This allows the combine harvester to be moved to the entry position promptly after the reaping of the uncut stalks is completed, and to be moved to another field. In this embodiment shown in FIG. 10, since the coordinate 4C3X is larger than the coordinate 4C2X, the processing unit 21 continues to calculate the point 4C4. The processing unit 21 also turns on the automatic travel switch 35 and the automatic reaping switch 36 of the combine harvester to make the combine harvester automatically travel and continue automatic reaping. In this specification, the case where the coordinate 4C3X is equal to or larger than the coordinate 4C2X, that is, the coordinate 4C3X is outside the coordinate 4C2X in the second region B, is referred to as a twist phenomenon.

The coordinates 4C4X and 4C4Y of point 4C4 at the lower left of second area B of the combine's fourth lap travel path are calculated using the following formula:

Coordinate 4C4X = coordinate 3C3X + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
Coordinate 4C4Y = coordinate 3C3Y + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
The processing unit 21 compares the coordinate 4C4Y of the point 4C4 with the coordinate 4C3Y of the point 4C3 stored in the memory unit 22, and if the coordinate 4C4Y is smaller than the coordinate 4C3Y, it calculates the coordinate 5C1X and the coordinate 5C1Y of the point 5C1 at the lower right of the second area B of the travel path of the combine harvester for the fifth round, and if the coordinate 4C4Y is equal to or larger than the coordinate 4C3Y, it stops creating the reaping path and moves the combine harvester to the entry position, that is, the point 1C1. This allows the combine harvester to be moved to the entry position promptly after the reaping of the uncut stalks is completed, and to be moved to another field. In this embodiment shown in FIG. 10, since the coordinate 4C4Y is smaller than the coordinate 4C3Y, the processing unit 21 continues to calculate the point 5C1. The processing unit 21 also turns on the automatic travel switch 35 and the automatic reaping switch 36 of the combine harvester to make the combine harvester automatically travel and continue automatic reaping. In this specification, the case where the coordinate 4C4Y is equal to or larger than the coordinate 4C3Y, that is, the coordinate 4C4Y is located outside the coordinate 4C3Y in the second region B, is referred to as a twisting phenomenon.

The coordinates 5C1X and 5C1Y of point 5C1 at the lower right of second area B of the combine harvester's fifth rotation travel path are calculated using the following formula.

Coordinate 5C1X = Coordinate 4C1X - Mowing width W of the reaping device 3
Coordinate 5C1Y = coordinate 4C1Y + mowing width W of the mowing device 3
The processing unit 21 compares the coordinate 5C1X of the point 5C1 with the coordinate 4C4X of the point 4C4 stored in the memory unit 22, and if the coordinate 5C1X is greater than the coordinate 4C4X, it calculates the coordinate 5C2X and the coordinate 5C2Y of the point 5C2 in the upper right part of the second area B of the travel path of the combine harvester for the fifth round, and if the coordinate 5C1X is equal to or less than the coordinate 4C4X, it stops creating the reaping path and moves the combine harvester to the entry position, that is, the point 1C1. This allows the combine harvester to be moved to the entry position promptly after the reaping of the uncut stalks is completed, and to be moved to another field. In this embodiment shown in FIG. 10, since the coordinate 5C1X is greater than the coordinate 4C4X, the processing unit 21 continues to calculate the point 5C2. The processing unit 21 also turns on the automatic travel switch 35 and the automatic reaping switch 36 of the combine harvester to make the combine harvester automatically travel and continue automatic reaping.

The coordinates 5C2X and 5C2Y of point 5C2 in the upper right corner of second area B of the combine harvester's fifth rotation travel path are calculated using the following formula.

Coordinate 5C2X = Coordinate 4C2X - Mowing width W of the reaping device 3
Coordinate 5C2Y = coordinate 4C2Y - mowing width W of the mowing device 3
The processing unit 21 compares the coordinate 5C2Y of the point 5C2 with the coordinate 5C1Y of the point 5C1 stored in the memory unit 22, and if the coordinate 5C2Y is greater than the coordinate 5C4X, it calculates the coordinate 5C3X and the coordinate 5C3Y of the point 5C3 at the upper left of the second area B of the travel path of the combine harvester for the fifth revolution. If the coordinate 5C2Y is equal to or less than the coordinate 5C1Y, it stops creating the reaping path and moves the combine harvester to the entry position, point 1C1. This allows the combine harvester to be moved to the entry position promptly after the end of reaping the uncut stalks, and to be moved to another field. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the coordinate 5C2Y is equal to or less than the coordinate 5C1Y, that is, a twisting phenomenon has occurred, so the processing unit 21 stops creating the travel path. In addition, the processing unit 21 turns off the combine's automatic travel switch 35 and automatic reaping switch 36, and turns on the release switch 37 to move the combine to point 1C1 at the lower right of the second area B, which is the entry position.

<Method of harvesting culms using a combine harvester>
As shown in FIG. 11, in step S1, the operator drives the combine harvester counterclockwise around the outer periphery of the farm field 30 to harvest stalks on the ridges of the farm field, and then proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the operator inputs the positions of points A1 to A4 in the first area A into the monitor 5A as the operator passes through the lower left, lower right, upper right, and upper left parts of the field, and then proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the processing unit 21 of the controller 20 sets points B1 to B4 of a rectangular or square-shaped second area B in which the combine harvester will automatically travel and perform automatic harvesting based on points A1 to A4 in the first area A, and proceeds to step S4. This makes it possible to set the second area in which the combine harvester will automatically travel and perform automatic harvesting.

In step S4, the processing unit 21 aligns the side BL1 that linearly connects points B1 and B2 with the X-axis, and proceeds to step S5. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of calculation required to calculate points C1 to C4 of the travel route along which the combine harvester will travel automatically, and to determine whether or not the travel route is twisted. The second side AL2 of the first area A can also be aligned with the Y-axis.

In step S5, the processing unit 21 sets points 1C1-1C4 on the travel path of the combine for the first revolution based on points B1-B4 in the second area B and the 1/2 cutting width W of the harvester 3 of the combine, and proceeds to step S6. This allows the right side of the harvester 3 to move along the outer periphery of the second area B, making it possible to prevent uncut stalks from being left uncut within the second area B.

In step S6, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not a twisting phenomenon occurs. If it determines that a twisting phenomenon does not occur, the processing unit 21 proceeds to step S7. If it determines that a twisting phenomenon does occur, the processing unit 21 proceeds to step S11.

In step S7, the processing unit 21 turns off the release switch 37, which moves the combine to the entry position, and proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the processing unit 21 turns on the automatic driving switch 35, which causes the combine's driving device 2 to automatically drive, and the automatic harvesting switch 36, which causes the combine's harvesting device 3 to automatically harvest, and then proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the processing unit 21 sets points nC1 to nC4 for the original rotation of the combine (referred to as the nth rotation) based on points n-1C1 to n-1C4 for the previous rotation (referred to as the n-1th rotation) and the mowing width W of the combine harvester's harvesting device 3, and proceeds to step S10. This allows the right side of the combine harvester's harvesting device 3 to move along the outer edge of the uncut stalks in the second area B, making it possible to prevent uncut stalks in the second area B from being left uncut.

In step S10, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not a twisting phenomenon occurs. If it determines that no twisting phenomenon occurs, the processing unit 21 returns to step S8. If it determines that a twisting phenomenon occurs, the processing unit 21 proceeds to step S11.

In step S11, the processing unit 21 turns off the automatic driving switch 35, which causes the combine's driving device 2 to automatically drive, and the automatic harvesting switch 36, which causes the combine's harvesting device 3 to automatically harvest, and then proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, the processing unit 21 turns on the release switch 37 that moves the combine to the entry position, and moves the combine to the entry position. This allows the combine to be quickly moved to the entry position when the harvesting of the uncut stalks is completed, and then moved to another field.

3 Harvesting device 4 Thresher 5 Control unit 20 Controller 21 Processing unit A First area A1 Point (first point)
A2 point (first point)
A3 Point (1st Point)
A4 Point (First Point)
B Second area B1 point (second point)
B2 Point (Second Point)
B3 Point (2nd Point)
B4 Point (2nd point)
BL1 Side BL2 Side BL3 Side BL4 Side C1 Point (running point)
C2 Point (Driving Point)
C3 Point (Driving Point)
C4 Points (Driving Points)
CL1 Travel route CL2 Travel route CL3 Travel route CL4 Travel route W Mowing width

Claims (2)

A method for harvesting grain culms planted in a farm field using a combine harvester including a harvester (3) for harvesting grain culms planted in a farm field, a threshing device (4) for threshing the grain culms on the rear left side of the harvester (3), and an operating section (5) for an operator to ride on on the rear right side of the harvester (3),
A processing unit (21) of a controller (20) of the combine performs coordinate rotation based on the positions of first points (A1 to A4) at the four corners of a rectangular first area (A) previously set in a farm field so that any side of the first area (A) coincides with a coordinate axis of a virtual coordinate system on the controller (20), and sets a rectangular or square second area (B) in which the combine will automatically travel and perform a reaping operation from the first points (A1 to A4) after this coordinate rotation, inside the first area (A) so that one side coincides with a reference side of the coordinate rotation of the first area (A), and then the processing unit (21) sets a travel path (CL1 to CL4) in a counterclockwise direction on the virtual coordinate system in which the combine will automatically travel, based on the positions of second points (B1 to B4) at the four corners of the second area (B) and the mowing width (W) of a mowing device (3);
The coordinate rotation is
When two of the sides of the first region (A) are parallel, the process is performed based on one of the parallel sides;
A method for harvesting stalks, characterized in that when two of the sides of the first area (A) are not parallel, the harvesting is performed based on the side of the first area (A) adjacent in the counterclockwise direction to the side closest to a pre-specified starting point . The culm harvesting method according to claim 1, wherein the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the first revolution is set at a position half the mowing width (W) of the harvesting device (3) inside the outer periphery of the second region (B), and the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the second revolution and thereafter is set at a position equal to the mowing width (W) of the harvesting device (3) inside the travel path (CL1-CL4) for the previous revolution.