JP7688567B2 - combine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a combine harvester in which the auger's side pipes can be folded.

A combine harvester equipped with a grain tank for storing harvested grain, an auger driven by engine power to discharge the grain in the grain tank outside the machine, and a discharge clutch provided in the power transmission path from the engine to the auger to turn the auger on and off is known in which the side pipes of the auger are collapsible (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a combine harvester, the necessary length of the side pipes during operation is ensured, while the side pipes can be folded for compact storage when not in operation (when traveling for non-work purposes, when the machine is stowed, etc.).

Patent No. 4901502

However, in the combine harvester of Patent Document 1, when the horizontal pipes are folded, the rotating shaft inside the horizontal pipes becomes exposed, and if the discharge clutch is mistakenly turned on while the pipes are folded, there is a risk that the exposed rotating shaft will rotate. In a combine harvester that uses an actuator to turn the discharge clutch on and off, it is possible to restrict the on-operation of the discharge clutch (on-drive of the actuator) even if the discharge clutch operating tool is turned on while the horizontal pipes are folded. However, in a combine harvester that mechanically turns the discharge clutch on and off without using an actuator, it is difficult to restrict the on-operation of the discharge clutch.

The present invention was created in consideration of the above-mentioned actual situation and with the aim of solving these problems. The invention of claim 1 is a combine harvester comprising: a grain tank for storing harvested grain; an auger driven by engine power and discharging grain in the grain tank outside the machine; a discharge clutch provided in a power transmission path from the engine to the auger for turning the auger on and off; and a discharge clutch operating device for mechanically operating the discharge clutch, wherein the auger is configured to comprise a vertical pipe connected to the grain tank and a foldable horizontal pipe connected to the upper end of the vertical pipe, and is provided with an engine stop control means for stopping the engine in response to the discharge clutch being turned on when there is a possibility that the horizontal pipe is in a folded state.
The invention of claim 2 is the combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the engine stop control means stops the engine in response to an on operation of the discharge clutch when the horizontal pipe is not in an extended state.
The invention of claim 3 is a combine harvester as described in claim 1, wherein the horizontal pipe is capable of rotating around the vertical pipe between a storage position and a grain discharge position, and the engine stop control means stops the engine in response to an operation of engaging the discharge clutch when the horizontal pipe is in the storage position.
The invention of claim 4 is a combine harvester as described in claim 1, further comprising a steering unit on which an operator rides, the horizontal pipes are capable of rotating around the vertical pipes between a storage position and a grain discharge position, and the engine stop control means detects the operator of the steering unit and, when the horizontal pipes are in a predetermined rotating position, stops the engine in response to an operation of engaging the discharge clutch.
The invention of claim 5 is a combine harvester described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the engine stop control means measures the duration of the on-operation of the discharge clutch before stopping the engine in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch, and stops the engine when the duration of the on-operation exceeds a predetermined time.
The invention of claim 6 is the combine harvester described in claim 2, further comprising an auxiliary transmission mechanism that switches between working travel and non-working travel, and an alarm control means that issues an alarm to encourage folding of the horizontal pipes when the horizontal pipes are in an extended state and the auxiliary transmission mechanism is in a non-working travel state.
In addition, the invention of claim 7 is a combine harvester as described in claim 2, further comprising a parking brake mechanism that keeps the body of the machine stopped when parked, and an alarm control means that issues an alarm to encourage folding of the horizontal pipes when the horizontal pipes are extended and the parking brake mechanism is engaged.

According to the invention of claim 1, when there is a possibility that the horizontal pipes are in a folded state, the engine is stopped in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch, so that even in a combine harvester in which the discharge clutch is mechanically turned on and off, the auger can be prevented from being driven for discharge when the horizontal pipes are in a folded state.
Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 2, when the horizontal pipes are not in an extended state, the engine is stopped in response to the operation of engaging the discharge clutch, so that discharge operation of the auger due to erroneous operation can be prevented not only when the horizontal pipes are in a folded state but also during the operation of folding the horizontal pipes.
Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 3, when the horizontal pipes are in the storage position, the engine is stopped in response to the operation of engaging the discharge clutch. Therefore, even in a combine harvester that is not provided with a switch for detecting the folded state of the horizontal pipes, it is possible to prevent the auger from being driven for discharge due to erroneous operation when the horizontal pipes are in the storage position where they are likely to be in a folded state.
Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 4, when the operator of the control unit is detected and the horizontal pipe is in a predetermined rotation position, the engine is stopped in response to the operation of engaging the discharge clutch. Therefore, even in a combine harvester that is not equipped with a switch for detecting the folded state of the horizontal pipe, it is possible to prevent the auger from being driven for discharge due to erroneous operation when the horizontal pipe is in a predetermined rotation position (a position approaching the operator of the control unit).
According to the invention of claim 5, before stopping the engine in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch, the duration of the on-operation of the discharge clutch is measured, and if the on-operation duration exceeds a predetermined time, the engine is stopped, so that if the erroneous operation is noticed and the discharge clutch operating tool is turned off within the predetermined time, engine stop can be avoided. As a result, unnecessary engine stops can be reduced, and the load on the battery and starter when restarting can be reduced.
Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 6, when the horizontal pipe is in an extended state and the sub-transmission mechanism is in a non-work driving state, a notification is given to encourage the folding of the horizontal pipe, thereby preventing a large load from being placed on the extended horizontal pipe due to non-work driving with the horizontal pipe remaining in an extended state.
Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 7, when the horizontal pipes are in an extended state and the parking brake mechanism is on, a warning is given to encourage the user to fold the horizontal pipes, thereby preventing a large load from being placed on the extended horizontal pipes when the horizontal pipes are transported by truck while in an extended state.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a combine harvester (with horizontal pipes extended). FIG. 1 is a plan view of the combine harvester (with horizontal pipes folded). FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the horizontal pipe in a folded state (with the rod-shaped operating device engaged); 13 is a perspective view of the horizontal pipe in the folded state (with the rod-shaped operating device engaged) as viewed from a different angle. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the horizontal pipe in a folded state (rod-shaped operating device engaged state→disengaged state). FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the horizontal pipe in an extended state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a discharge power transmission path, a discharge clutch, and a discharge operation lever. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an input/output configuration of a control device. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of engine stop control. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a notification control process. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of engine stop control according to a second embodiment; 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of notification control according to a second embodiment; 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of engine stop control according to a third embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 denotes a combine harvester, which has a machine body 2 supported by a crawler travel device (not shown). A control section 4 equipped with a driver's seat 3 where an operator sits is provided on one side of the front of the machine body 2. Also, connected to the front of the machine body 2 is a pre-processing section 6 that can be raised and lowered and that harvests the stalks while transporting them to a threshing section 5 located on the other side of the control section 4.

The grains that have been threshed and sorted in the threshing section 5 are temporarily stored in a grain tank 7 located behind the driver's seat 3, and the threshed stalks are discharged outside the machine via a post-processing section 8 located at the rear of the machine body 2. The machine body 2 also has an auger 9 that can be raised, lowered, and rotated to discharge the grains temporarily stored in the grain tank 7 into a means of transportation such as a truck or trailer.

As shown in Figures 1 to 7, the auger 9 comprises a vertical pipe 10 erected from the rear bottom side of the grain tank 7, and a horizontal pipe 11 supported on the top of the vertical pipe 10 so that it can be raised and lowered and swiveled freely. The approximate middle part of the horizontal pipe 11 can be supported by an auger receiver 12 erected from the side frame of the threshing section 5. The position supported by the auger receiver 12 is the storage position, and the horizontal pipe 11 rotates around the vertical pipe 10 between the storage position and the grain discharge position.

The horizontal pipe 11 is configured to be foldable at the connection part J. Specifically, the horizontal pipe 11 includes a driving side horizontal pipe 11a with a driving side helical shaft 13 mounted therein, and a driven side horizontal pipe 11b that can be folded approximately parallel to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and that has a driven side helical shaft 14 mounted therein to transmit power from the driving side helical shaft 13 when extended linearly as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2.

The driven helical shaft 14 is movable in its axial direction and includes a connecting helical shaft 14a that is coupled to the driving helical shaft 13 that is mounted inside the driving horizontal pipe 11a, and a grain conveying helical shaft (not shown) that fits into the connecting helical shaft 14a and transmits the rotation of the connecting helical shaft 14a.

At the tip of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a, a bearing portion 15 that rotatably holds the driving side helical shaft 13 is provided. This bearing portion 15 includes a bearing 15a for the driving side helical shaft 13 and a guide portion 15b into which the connecting helical shaft 14a of the driven side helical shaft 14 is fitted.

The tip end of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a and the base end of the driven side horizontal pipe 11b are provided with flanges 16a, 16b, respectively, which form the connecting surfaces of both pipes 11a, 11b when the driven side horizontal pipe 11b, which is in the stored position, is extended.

Furthermore, holders 18a, 18b, 19a, and 19b are fixed above and below the flange 16a of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a and the flange 16b of the driven side horizontal pipe 11b, respectively. These holders 18a, 18b, 19a, and 19b support a vertical shaft 17 that rotatably connects the driven side horizontal pipe 11b to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a.

A locking fitting 21 is provided at the tip of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a to hold the driven side horizontal pipe 11b in an extended position. The locking fitting 21 can hold the horizontal pipe 11 in an extended position by engaging a clamp arm 22 with a locking member 23 provided at the base end of the driven side horizontal pipe 11b and then rotating a lock lever 24 in a fixed direction.

The base end of a rod-shaped operating tool 25 that can swing the driven side horizontal pipe 11b from the control unit 4 side is pivoted to the lower part of the base end side of the driven side horizontal pipe 11b near the outside of the aircraft body 2. When the driven side horizontal pipe 11b is folded approximately parallel to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a, the grip part B side of the rod-shaped operating tool 25 can be held by a plastic clamp 26 provided near the control unit 4 at the lower part of the tip side of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a. At this time, the rod-shaped operating tool 25 is held by the plastic clamp 26 below the driving side horizontal pipe 11a and the driven side horizontal pipe 11b and in a state approximately perpendicular to both pipes 11a and 11b. The plastic clamp 26 is fitted to the underside of a holder 27 that is L-shaped when viewed from the front and fixed to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a near the control unit 4.

The rod-shaped operating tool 25 is made of a round bar or pipe material with the gripping part B bent downward, and a plate 25a with an attachment hole (not shown) is fixed to its base end. To pivotally support the attachment hole of this plate 25a, a holder 28 is fixed to the driven side horizontal pipe 11b near the outside of the machine body 2, and the plate 25a is attached to the holder 28 using a collar 29 and bolt 30, allowing it to swing freely and to move slightly up and down.

The horizontal pipe 11 is also configured to prevent unnecessary swinging of the driven horizontal pipe 11b in the opening direction when the driven horizontal pipe 11b is folded approximately parallel to the driving horizontal pipe 11a. More specifically, a protrusion 31 is fixed to the upper surface of the gripping portion B side of the rod-shaped operating tool 25 as a stopper to prevent the driven horizontal pipe 11b from opening. When the rod-shaped operating tool 25 is held by the plastic clamp 26, this protrusion 31 abuts against the outside of the holder 27 to which the plastic clamp 26 is fitted, and acts as an opening prevention stopper.

The reference numeral 32 in the figure denotes a discharge tube holding member that prevents the driven side horizontal pipe 11b from swinging up and down when the driven side horizontal pipe 11b is folded approximately parallel to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a, and maintains the distance between the driving side horizontal pipe 11a and the driven side horizontal pipe 11b. The discharge tube holding member 32 is attached to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a, and a cushioning material 33 is attached to the contact surface with the driven side horizontal pipe 11b.

When the grains temporarily stored in the grain tank 7 are discharged by the auger 9 onto a transport vehicle such as a truck or trailer, the driven side horizontal pipe 11b is folded approximately parallel to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a and swung around the vertical axis 17, which is the fulcrum axis of the swung side horizontal pipe, as indicated by the arrow A shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 2, so that the driven side horizontal pipe 11b is extended in a straight line from the tip of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a.

To swing the driven-side horizontal pipe 11b, first release the rod-shaped operating tool 25 held by the plastic clamp 26, swing the rod-shaped operating tool 25 in the direction of the arrow C shown in FIG. 5, and then bring the middle part of the rod-shaped operating tool 25 into contact with the lower end P of the vertical shaft 17, which is the swing fulcrum axis of the driven-side horizontal pipe 11b, i.e., the part where the lower end of the vertical shaft 17 protrudes downward from the lower holder 18b of the driving-side horizontal pipe 11a through which the vertical shaft 17 is inserted and supported, from the front side of the machine body 2.

At this time, the tip of the rod-shaped operating tool 25 in plan view, i.e., the gripping part B side, protrudes from the extension line X (see Figure 5) of the outer circumference of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a on the threshing part 5 side and faces the control part 4, so that the operator riding on the control part 4 of the combine harvester 1 is not forced to lean out from the control part 4 and assume an unstable working position when operating the rod-shaped operating tool 25.

The lower end P of the vertical shaft 17, which abuts against the middle of the rod-shaped operating tool 25, acts as a fulcrum for the rod-shaped operating tool 25, whose base end is pivoted to the base end side of the driven-side horizontal pipe 11b. Therefore, when the grip B of the rod-shaped operating tool 25 is held and rotated clockwise in a plan view, the lever action via the fulcrum (P) allows the heavy driven-side discharge tube 11 to swing smoothly with little operating force.

As described above, with the middle part of the rod-shaped operating tool 25 in contact with the lower end P of the vertical shaft 17, which serves as the fulcrum, the gripping part B of the rod-shaped operating tool 25 is pushed clockwise in a plan view while the driven side horizontal pipe 11b is swung approximately 180 degrees around the vertical shaft 17, which serves as the fulcrum axis of the swing. As shown in FIG. 6, the driven side horizontal pipe 11b is extended in a straight line from the tip of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a.

Then, the rod-shaped operating tool 25 is held by a plastic clamp 36 provided at the lower end of the tip of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a, near the steering section 4, and the clamp arm 22 of the locking fitting 21 provided at the tip of the driving side horizontal pipe 11a is engaged with the locking member 23 provided at the base end of the driven side horizontal pipe 11b, and then the lock lever 24 is rotated in the fixed direction, thereby maintaining the extended state of the horizontal pipe 11 with the driven side horizontal pipe 11b connected and fixed to the driving side horizontal pipe 11a.

Then, the horizontal pipes 11, which are connected and fixed in a straight line, are raised to their upper limit position, and then the horizontal pipes 11 are rotated to a standby position for the truck, trailer, or other means of transporting the grain, and then lowered to an appropriate height and stopped, making it possible to discharge the grains temporarily stored in the grain tank 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, a horizontal helical shaft 51 that transports grains in the grain tank 7 toward the auger 9 is arranged at the bottom of the grain tank 7 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. The front end of the horizontal helical shaft 51 is connected to an engine (not shown) via a discharge power transmission path 52, and the rear end of the horizontal helical shaft 51 is connected to the aforementioned helical shafts (drive side helical shaft 13, driven side helical shaft 14, etc.) in the horizontal pipe 11 via a vertical helical shaft (not shown) in the vertical pipe 10.

A discharge clutch 53 that turns the drive of the auger 9 on and off is provided in the discharge power transmission path 52. When engine power is transmitted to the horizontal spiral shaft 51 in the grain tank 7 in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch 53, the spiral shafts in the vertical pipe 10 and horizontal pipe 11 rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the horizontal spiral shaft 51, and the grain in the grain tank 7 is discharged outside the machine through the vertical pipe 10 and horizontal pipe 11.

The discharge clutch 53 is a belt tension type clutch mechanism equipped with a tension pulley 55 that switches the transmission belt 54 between a tensioned state in which power can be transmitted and a relaxed state in which power cannot be transmitted, and is turned on and off by a grain discharge lever 56 (discharge clutch operating device) mechanically connected to the tension pulley 55. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the grain discharge lever 56 can be swung up and down, and the discharge clutch 53 is switched to the on state in response to a downward swing operation, and the discharge clutch 53 is switched to the off state in response to an upward swing operation. In addition, a grain discharge lever detection switch 57 that detects the on operation of the grain discharge lever 56 is disposed at the base of the grain discharge lever 56. In this embodiment, a wire member 58 is used as a mechanical connection means between the discharge clutch 53 and the grain discharge lever 56, but a rod member or the like may also be used.

The aircraft 2 is equipped with a control device 60 that performs various controls. Connected to the input side of the control device 60 are the grain discharge lever detection switch 57 mentioned above, an auger operation lever 61 which can turn the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11) left, right, up, and down, an automatic auger rotation switch 62 which executes automatic rotation control of the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11), an auger rotation potentiometer 69 which detects the rotation position of the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11), an auger upper limit detection switch 63 which detects the upper limit of the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11), an auger working state detection switch 64 which detects the extension state of the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11), an operator detection switch 65 which detects the presence of an operator in the control section 4, an engine rotation sensor 66 which detects the rotation of the engine, a parking brake detection switch 67 which detects the on/off state of a parking brake (not shown) which keeps the machine 2 stopped when parked, and a traveling auxiliary speed change detection switch 68 which detects the speed change state of a traveling auxiliary speed change mechanism (not shown) which switches between working traveling and non-working traveling. The auger operation state detection switch 64, which detects the extension state of the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11), can be configured, for example, using a microswitch or a magnetic switch that detects the proximity or contact between the flanges 16a, 16b provided on both horizontal pipes 11a, 11b.

Also, connected to the output side of the control device 60 are an auger rotation motor 71 that rotates the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11), an auger lifting cylinder 72 that raises and lowers the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11), an engine stop device 73 that stops the engine, an alarm device 74 that outputs an alarm, an audio device 75 that outputs sound, and a display monitor 76 that displays various information on the control unit 4.

The control device 60 has an engine stop control means and a notification control means as functional components realized by the cooperation of hardware and software.

The engine stop control means stops the engine in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch 53 (the grain discharge lever detection switch 57 is turned ON) when there is a possibility that the horizontal pipe 11 is in a folded state. With this type of engine stop control means, even in a combine harvester 1 in which the discharge clutch 53 is mechanically turned on and off, it is possible to prevent the auger 9 from being driven for discharge when the horizontal pipe 11 is folded.

In addition, when the engine stop control means of this embodiment determines that the horizontal pipe 11 is not in an extended state based on the detection signal of the auger operation state detection switch 64, it stops the engine in response to the on operation of the discharge clutch 53 (the grain discharge lever detection switch 57 is ON). With this type of engine stop control means, it is possible to prevent the discharge drive of the auger 9 due to erroneous operation not only when the horizontal pipe 11 is in a folded state, but also during the operation of folding the horizontal pipe 11.

In addition, the engine stop control means of this embodiment measures the duration of the on operation of the discharge clutch 53 (grain discharge lever detection switch 57 ON) before stopping the engine in response to the on operation of the discharge clutch 53 (grain discharge lever detection switch 57 ON), and stops the engine when the on operation duration exceeds a predetermined time. With such an engine stop control means, if an erroneous operation is noticed and the grain discharge lever 56 is turned off within a predetermined time, engine stop can be avoided. As a result, unnecessary engine stop can be reduced, and the load on the battery and starter at the time of restart can be reduced. Note that the engine stop control means of this embodiment performs a predetermined alarm operation while measuring the on operation duration of the discharge clutch 53 (grain discharge lever detection switch 57 ON), and prompts the grain discharge lever 56 to be turned off. This makes it possible to further reduce unnecessary engine stop.

The notification control means issues a notification to encourage folding of the horizontal pipes 11 when the horizontal pipes 11 are in an extended state and the traveling auxiliary transmission mechanism is in a non-work traveling state. Such notification control means can prevent a large load from being applied to the extended horizontal pipes 11 due to non-work traveling with the horizontal pipes 11 in an extended state.

The notification control means of this embodiment also issues a notification to encourage folding of the horizontal pipes 11 when the horizontal pipes 11 are in an extended state and the parking brake mechanism is on. This notification control means can prevent a large load from being placed on the extended horizontal pipes 11 when the horizontal pipes 11 are transported by truck while in an extended state.

Next, the processing procedure of the control device 60 that realizes the above-mentioned functional configuration will be described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11. Note that each processing step in the flowcharts shown in Figs. 10 and 11 shows an overview of the processing executed by the control device 60, and may not match the contents described in the specification.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the engine stop control that realizes the engine stop control means, the control device 60 first determines whether the grain discharge lever 56 has been turned on based on the detection signal of the grain discharge lever detection switch 57 (step S11), and if the result of this determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S12, and if the result is NO, the process returns to the upper routine.

When the control device 60 proceeds to step S12, it determines whether the horizontal pipe 11 is extended or not based on the detection signal of the auger operation state detection switch 64, and if the result of this determination is YES, it returns to the upper routine, and if the result is NO, it proceeds to step S13.

When the control device 60 proceeds to step S13, it determines whether the duration of the grain discharge lever 56 being turned on has reached a predetermined time, and if the result of this determination is YES, it stops the engine (step S14), and if the result is NO, it issues a predetermined warning (step S15) and prompts the user to turn off the grain discharge lever 56.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the notification control that realizes the notification control means, the control device 60 first determines whether the horizontal pipe 11 is in an extended state based on the detection signal of the auger operation state detection switch 64 (step S22), and if the result of this determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S22, and if the result is NO, the process returns to the upper routine.

When the control device 60 proceeds to step S22, it determines whether the traveling auxiliary transmission mechanism is in a non-work traveling state based on the detection signal of the traveling auxiliary transmission detection switch 68, and if the result of this determination is YES, it executes a monitor notification (step S23) and a voice notification (step S24) to prompt the user to fold the horizontal pipe 11, and if the result is NO, it proceeds to step S25.

When the control device 60 proceeds to step S25, it determines whether the parking brake mechanism is ON or not based on the detection signal of the parking brake detection switch 67. If the result of this determination is YES, it proceeds to step S26, and if the result is NO, it proceeds to step S27.

When the control device 60 proceeds to step S26, it determines whether the engine is stopped based on the detection signal of the engine rotation sensor 66. If the result of this determination is YES, it proceeds to the above-mentioned steps S23 and S24, and executes a monitor notification and an audio notification to prompt the user to fold the horizontal pipe 11. If the result of this determination is NO, it proceeds to step S27. When the control device 60 proceeds to step S27, it stops the monitor notification and the audio notification and returns to the upper routine.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the combine harvester 1 includes a grain tank 7 for storing harvested grain, an auger 9 driven by engine power to discharge grains from the grain tank 7 to the outside of the machine, a discharge clutch 53 provided in the power transmission path from the engine to the auger 9 for turning the auger 9 on and off, and a grain discharge lever 56 for mechanically operating the discharge clutch 53. The auger 9 includes a vertical pipe 10 connected to the grain tank 7 and a foldable horizontal pipe 11 connected to the upper end of the vertical pipe 10. When the horizontal pipe 11 is in a folded state, the combine harvester 1 includes an engine stop control means for stopping the engine in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch 53. Therefore, even in the combine harvester 1 that mechanically turns the discharge clutch 53 on and off, the auger 9 can be prevented from being driven for discharge when the horizontal pipe 11 is in a folded state.

In addition, the engine stop control means stops the engine in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch 53 when the horizontal pipe 11 is not in an extended state, so that discharge operation of the auger 9 due to erroneous operation can be prevented not only when the horizontal pipe 11 is in a folded state, but also during the operation of folding the horizontal pipe 11, etc.

In addition, before stopping the engine in response to the on-operation of the discharge clutch 53, the engine stop control means measures the duration of the on-operation of the discharge clutch 53, and stops the engine if the duration of the on-operation exceeds a predetermined time. Therefore, if an erroneous operation is noticed and the grain discharge lever 56 is turned off within the predetermined time, engine stop can be avoided. As a result, unnecessary engine stops can be reduced, and the load on the battery and starter when restarting can be reduced.

The combine harvester 1 also includes a traveling sub-speed change mechanism that switches between working and non-working traveling, and a notification control means that issues a notification to encourage the folding of the horizontal pipes 11 when the horizontal pipes 11 are extended and the traveling sub-speed change mechanism is in a non-working traveling state, so that it is possible to prevent a large load from being placed on the extended horizontal pipes 11 during non-working traveling while the horizontal pipes 11 remain extended.

The combine harvester 1 also includes a parking brake mechanism that keeps the machine stopped when parked, and the notification control means prompts the horizontal pipes 11 to fold when the horizontal pipes 11 are extended and the parking brake mechanism is engaged, thereby preventing a large load from being placed on the extended horizontal pipes 11 when transported by truck while the horizontal pipes 11 are extended.

Next, the second and third embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 12 to 14. However, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment will be used for the configurations common to the first embodiment, and the description of the first embodiment will be used.

The engine stop control means of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that when the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11) is in the storage position, the engine is stopped in response to the on operation of the discharge clutch 53. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, in step S12, the extension state of the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11) is not determined, but rather, it is determined whether the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11) is in the storage position, and if the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S13. According to the engine stop control means of the second embodiment, even in a combine harvester 1 that does not have a switch for detecting the folded state of the horizontal pipe 11, it is possible to prevent the discharge drive of the auger 9 due to erroneous operation in the storage position where the horizontal pipe 11 is likely to be in the folded state. Note that, whether the horizontal pipe 11 is in the storage position can be determined based on the detection signal of the auger rotation potentiometer 69, but it may also be detected by a microswitch or a magnet switch provided in the auger receiver 12.

As shown in FIG. 13, the notification control means of the second embodiment does not determine whether the engine is stopped in step S26, but rather determines whether the auger 9 is discharging grains. If the result of this determination is NO, the process proceeds to the above-mentioned steps S23 and S24, where a monitor notification and an audio notification are issued to prompt the user to fold the horizontal pipes 11. If the result is YES, the process proceeds to step S27, which is different from the first embodiment. This notification control of the second embodiment prevents unnecessary notifications from being issued during grain discharge, which is performed with the parking brake mechanism engaged.

The engine stop control means of the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it detects the operator of the steering unit 4 and stops the engine in response to the on operation of the discharge clutch 53 when the horizontal pipe 11 is in a predetermined rotation position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, in step S12, it is determined whether the operator is present in the steering unit 4 (step S12-1) and whether the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11) is in the storage position (step S12-2), rather than determining the extension state of the auger 9 (horizontal pipe 11). If both of these determination results are YES, the process proceeds to step S13. According to the engine stop control means of the third embodiment, even in a combine harvester 1 that does not have a switch for detecting the folded state of the horizontal pipe, when the horizontal pipe 11 is in a predetermined rotation position (a position approaching the operator of the steering unit 4), it is possible to prevent the discharge drive of the auger 9 due to erroneous operation. Note that the predetermined rotation position in the third embodiment is not limited to the storage position, and can be set arbitrarily within the rotation range in which the horizontal pipe 11 approaches the operator of the steering unit 4. In addition, the operator detection switch 65 that detects the presence of an operator in the control unit 4 can be configured using, for example, a piezoelectric sensor or a capacitance sensor provided in the driver's seat 3 or floor of the control unit 4.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Combine harvester 2 Machine body 4 Control unit 5 Threshing unit 7 Grain tank 9 Auger 10 Vertical pipe 11 Horizontal pipe 52 Discharge power transmission path 53 Discharge clutch 56 Grain discharge lever 57 Grain discharge lever detection switch 60 Control device 64 Auger operation state detection switch 65 Operator detection switch 66 Engine rotation sensor 67 Parking brake detection switch 68 Travel auxiliary speed change detection switch 69 Auger rotation potentiometer 73 Engine stop device 74 Alarm device 75 Audio device 76 Display monitor

Claims (7)

A grain tank for storing harvested grain;
An auger driven by the power of the engine to discharge the grains in the grain tank outside the machine;
a discharge clutch provided in a power transmission path from the engine to the auger for turning on and off the drive of the auger;
A combine harvester comprising: a discharge clutch operating tool for mechanically operating the discharge clutch,
The auger is
A vertical pipe connected to the grain tank;
A horizontal pipe connected to an upper end of the vertical pipe and capable of folding,
The combine harvester is provided with an engine stop control means for stopping the engine in response to an on operation of the discharge clutch when there is a possibility that the horizontal pipe is in a folded state. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the engine stop control means stops the engine in response to an on-operation of the discharge clutch when the horizontal pipe is not in an extended state. The horizontal pipe is capable of rotating about the vertical pipe between a storage position and a grain discharge position,
2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the engine stop control means stops the engine in response to an on operation of the discharge clutch when the horizontal pipe is in the stored position. Further comprising a control section on which an operator rides,
The horizontal pipe is capable of rotating about the vertical pipe between a storage position and a grain discharge position,
2. The combine harvester according to claim 1, wherein the engine stop control means detects an operator of the steering section and stops the engine in response to an on-operation of the discharge clutch when the horizontal pipe is at a predetermined rotation position. The combine harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the engine stop control means measures the duration of the discharge clutch on operation before stopping the engine in response to the discharge clutch on operation, and stops the engine when the duration of the on operation exceeds a predetermined time. a traveling auxiliary transmission mechanism that switches between work traveling and non-work traveling;
The combine harvester according to claim 2 , further comprising: a notification control means for issuing a notification prompting the user to fold the horizontal pipes when the horizontal pipes are in an extended state and the traveling auxiliary transmission mechanism is in a non-work traveling state. A parking brake mechanism that keeps the aircraft stationary when parked;
The combine harvester according to claim 2 , further comprising: a notification control means for issuing a notification prompting the user to fold the horizontal pipes when the horizontal pipes are in an extended state and the parking brake mechanism is in an on state.

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