JP7531453B2 - Support System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a support system that supports the harvesting operation of a harvester that has a harvesting section that harvests crops in a field and a threshing device that threshes the crops harvested by the harvesting section.

Conventionally, harvesters have been used to harvest crops in fields. One such harvester is the combine described in Patent Document 1.

The combine harvester described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a threshing device that threshes harvested stalks, a first conveying device that conveys the first grain from the threshing device to a grain tank, a second conveying device that returns the second grain from the threshing device to the threshing device, and a loss sensor that detects grain loss during the threshing device's threshing process.

JP 2021-23117 A

It is useful to detect grain losses during threshing, as in the technology described in Patent Document 1. However, because the loss detected by such a loss sensor is an absolute value, the pass/fail judgment may differ depending on, for example, the amount of threshing material, even if the absolute value is the same. For this reason, there is room for improvement in determining whether losses during threshing are tolerable, i.e., whether losses during threshing are appropriate.

Therefore, there is a need for a support system that can determine whether losses during threshing are appropriate.

A characteristic configuration of the support system according to the present invention is a support system for supporting the harvesting operation of a harvester equipped with a harvesting section that harvests crops in a farm field and a threshing device that threshes the crops harvested by the harvesting section, the threshing device having a threshing section that threshes the crops, a sorting section that is provided below the threshing section and sorts the threshed products that have leaked from the threshing section, a first product recovery section that recovers the first products of the sorted products sorted by the sorting section, a second product recovery section that recovers the second products of the sorted products, and a second product return device that returns the second products recovered by the second product recovery section to the sorting section, The device comprises a first grain sensor which measures the amount of first grain recovered as the first grain recovered amount, a second grain sensor which measures the amount of second grain returned as the second grain returned amount, and a loss rate estimation unit which estimates the loss rate of the threshed material in the sorting process based on the amount of first grain recovered and the amount of second grain returned, and a setting unit which sets threshing parameters which are equipment setting values that can change the settings of the threshing device based on the estimated loss rate so as to reduce the loss rate, wherein the threshing parameters include the traveling speed of the harvester, and the setting unit sets the threshing parameters so that the traveling speed of the harvester is reduced if the loss rate is not reduced .

With this type of feature, the loss rate can be estimated based on the amount of first grain recovered and the amount of second grain returned, making it possible to quantitatively estimate the proportion of losses relative to the threshed material. This makes it possible to determine whether losses in the threshing process are appropriate.

It is also preferable that the loss rate estimation unit estimates the loss rate by dividing the amount of second-order returned by the sum of the amount of first-order recovered and the amount of second-order returned.

With this configuration, the loss rate can be estimated using the detection results of the first and second item sensors, so there is no need to install a loss sensor to detect loss, for example, and this can be achieved at low cost.

A characteristic configuration of the support system according to the present invention is a support system for supporting a harvesting operation of a harvester equipped with a harvesting section that harvests crops in a farm field and a threshing device that threshes the crops harvested by the harvesting section, the threshing device comprising a threshing section that threshes the crops, a sorting section that is provided below the threshing section and sorts the threshed material that has leaked from the threshing section, a first-piece recovery section that recovers the first-piece of the sorted material sorted by the sorting section, a second-piece recovery section that recovers the second-piece of the sorted material, and a second-piece recovery section that recovers the second-piece of the sorted material. The device has a second-numbered grain return device which returns the second-numbered grains recovered by the first-numbered grain recovery section to the sorting section, and is equipped with a first-numbered grain sensor which measures the recovery amount of the first-numbered grains as the first-numbered grain recovery amount, a second-numbered grain sensor which measures the return amount of the second-numbered grains as the second-numbered grain return amount, and a loss rate estimation section which estimates the loss rate of the threshing process product in the sorting process based on the first-numbered grain recovery amount and the second-numbered grain return amount, wherein the first-numbered grain recovery amount and the second-numbered grain return amount used by the loss rate estimation section when making estimations are measured at different times .

With this configuration, even if the time from when the threshed product is sorted by the sorting section to when it is collected by the first product collection section is different from the time from when the threshed product is sorted by the sorting section to when it is collected by the second product collection section, it is possible to accurately estimate the loss rate at the timing to be measured by using the amount of first product collected and the amount of second product returned measured at the timing corresponding to each time.

It is also preferable to have a display unit that displays the estimated loss rate.

With this configuration, it is possible to clearly show the loss rate to the worker.

With this configuration, it is possible to carry out the sorting process in a way that maximizes the amount of material recovered. This makes it possible to increase the yield.

It is also preferable that the loss rate estimation unit estimates the loss rate in real time during the harvesting operation.

With this configuration, it is possible to know the loss rate at the time of harvesting work. This makes it possible, for example, to change the threshing process settings in real time to increase the amount of material recovered and increase the yield.

FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the grain tank, the lifting device, and the threshing device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of installation of a first-item sensor. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of installation of a second-item sensor. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a support system. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the measurement timing of the first product recovery amount and the second product return amount. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the loss rate and the contamination rate of impurities.

The support system according to the present invention is configured to support the harvesting operation of a harvester that includes a harvesting section that harvests crops in a field and a threshing device that threshes the crops harvested by the harvesting section. The support system 1 of this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, a combine harvester 3 will be used as an example of the harvester.

Figure 1 is an overall right side view of the combine harvester 3 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a longitudinal left side view of the threshing device 10 equipped on the combine harvester 3 according to this embodiment. In the following, the combine harvester 3 of this embodiment will be described using as an example a so-called normal type combine harvester that feeds the entire stalk of a harvested crop into the threshing device 10. Of course, the combine harvester 3 may be a head-feeding type combine harvester. In addition, in this embodiment, a crawler type combine harvester will be described as an example, but a wheel type combine harvester may also be used.

For ease of understanding, in this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "front" (the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 1) means the front in the fore-and-aft direction (travel direction) of the aircraft, and "rear" (the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1) means the rear in the fore-and-aft direction (travel direction) of the aircraft. Furthermore, left-right or lateral direction means the transverse direction of the aircraft (aircraft width direction) perpendicular to the fore-and-aft direction of the aircraft. Furthermore, "up" (the direction of arrow U shown in FIG. 1) and "down" (the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 1) refer to the positional relationship in the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) of the aircraft, and indicate the relationship at ground height. Furthermore, "left" refers to the left side of the aircraft, and "right" refers to the right side of the aircraft.

[Overall configuration of the combine]
As shown in FIG. 1 , the combine harvester 3 includes a harvesting section H, a threshing device 10 , a crawler-type traveling device 11 , a driving section 12 , a grain tank 14 , a transport section 16 , and a grain discharge device 18 .

The traveling device 11 is provided at the bottom of the combine harvester 3. The traveling device 11 is driven by power from an engine E mounted on the combine harvester 3. The combine harvester 3 can be self-propelled by the traveling device 11.

The threshing device 10, the driving section 12, and the grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11. An operator can ride in the driving section 12. The grain discharge device 18 is provided above the grain tank 14.

The harvesting section H is provided at the front of the combine 3. The conveying section 16 is provided at the rear of the harvesting section H. The harvesting section H also includes a cutting device 15 and a reel 17.

The cutting device 15 cuts the planted culms in the field. The reel 17 rotates around the reel axis 17b that runs along the left-right direction of the machine body, raking in the planted culms to be harvested. The cut culms cut by the cutting device 15 are sent to the conveying section 16.

With this configuration, the harvesting section H harvests grains in the field. The combine 3 is capable of harvesting travel, traveling on the traveling device 11 while cutting the planted stalks in the field with the cutting device 15.

The crop (harvested stalks) harvested by the harvesting section H is transported to the rear of the machine by the transport section 16. This transports the harvested stalks to the threshing device 10.

The harvested stalks are threshed in the threshing device 10. The grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in the grain tank 14. The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged outside the machine by the grain discharge device 18 as necessary.

As shown in FIG. 1, a communication terminal 4 is disposed in the driving unit 12. The communication terminal 4 is configured to be able to display various information. In FIG. 1, the communication terminal 4 is shown fixed to the driving unit 12, but the communication terminal 4 may be configured to be detachable from the driving unit 12, or the communication terminal 4 may be located outside the combine harvester 3.

[Configuration of threshing device]
As shown in Figure 2, the threshing device 10 includes a threshing section 41 that threshes crops using a threshing drum 22, a sorting section 42 that performs a rocking sorting process on the threshed crops, a first crop recovery section 26, a second crop recovery section 27, and a second crop return device 32.

The threshing section 41 is disposed in the upper region of the threshing device 10, the receiving net 23 is provided below the threshing section 41, and the sorting section 42 is provided below the receiving net 23. The sorting section 42 sorts the threshed material that has leaked through the receiving net 23 into sorted material that contains grains to be collected and discharged material such as straw.

The threshing section 41 has a threshing chamber 21 surrounded by the left and right side walls of the threshing device 10, a top plate 53, and a receiving net 23. The threshing chamber 21 is equipped with a threshing drum 22 that threshes the crops by rotation, and multiple dust-sending valves 53a. The crops transported by the conveying section 16 are fed into the threshing chamber 21 and threshed by the threshing drum 22. The crops that are carried around by the threshing drum 22 are transported rearward by the feeding action of the dust-sending valves 53a.

The dust sending valves 53a are plate-shaped and are provided at a predetermined interval along the front-rear direction on the inner surface (lower surface) of the top plate 53. The dust sending valves 53a are provided in a tilted position with respect to the rotation axis X in a plan view. Therefore, each dust sending valve 53a exerts a force to move the harvested stalks rotating together with the threshing drum 22 in the handling chamber 21 to the rear. In addition, the inclination angle of the dust sending valve 53a with respect to the rotation axis X can be adjusted. The speed at which the crop is sent backward in the threshing drum 22 is determined by the inclination angle of the dust sending valve 53a. In addition, the threshing efficiency at which the crop is threshed is also affected by the speed at which the crop is sent through the threshing drum 22. As a result, the processing capacity at which the crop is threshed can be adjusted using various means, and one means for adjusting the processing capacity is to change the inclination angle of the dust sending valve 53a. Although not specifically shown, a dust sending valve control mechanism is provided that can change and control the tilt position of the dust sending valve 53a, making it possible to automatically change the tilt angle of the dust sending valve 53a.

The sorting section 42 includes a oscillating sorting device 24 having a sieve case 33, and a winnower 19. The winnower 19 is provided in a lower area of the front area of the sorting section 42, and generates a sorting wind from the front side of the oscillating sorting device 24 toward the rear along the transport direction of the material to be processed. The sorting wind has the effect of sending out waste straw and the like, which has a relatively light specific gravity, toward the rear side of the sieve case 33. In the oscillating sorting device 24, the sieve case 33 is oscillated by the oscillating drive mechanism 43, so that the threshed material inside the sieve case 33 is transported rearward while the oscillating sorting process is performed.
For this reason, in the following description, in the oscillating sorting device 24, the upstream side of the transport direction of the processed material is referred to as the front end or front side, and the downstream side is referred to as the rear end or rear side. The strength (wind volume, wind speed) of the sorting wind of the winnower 19 can be changed. If the sorting wind is made stronger, the threshed material is easier to send backward, and the sorting speed increases. Conversely, if the sorting wind is made weaker, the threshed material remains in the sieve case 33 for a long time, and the sorting accuracy increases. Therefore, by changing the strength of the sorting wind of the winnower 19, the sorting efficiency (sorting accuracy and sorting speed) of the oscillating sorting device 24 can be adjusted. Although not particularly shown, a winnower control mechanism capable of changing and controlling the strength of the sorting wind of the winnower 19 is provided, and the strength of the sorting wind of the winnower 19 can be automatically changed.

The first half of the sieve case 33 is equipped with a first chaff sieve 38, and the second half of the sieve case 33 is equipped with a second chaff sieve 39. This is a common configuration and will not be explained in detail, but the sieve case 33 is equipped with a grain pan and a grain sieve 40 in addition to the first chaff sieve 38. The threshed material that has leaked down the receiving net 23 falls into the first chaff sieve 38 or the second chaff sieve 39. Most of the threshed material leaks down from the receiving net 23 to the first half of the sieve case 33, including the first chaff sieve 38, and is roughly sorted and finely sorted by the first half of the sieve case 33. Some of the threshed material leaks down from the receiving net 23 to the second chaff sieve 39, or is transported to the second chaff sieve 39 without leaking down at the first chaff sieve 38, and is sorted by the second chaff sieve 39.

The above-mentioned grain sieve 40 is provided below the first chaff sieve 38. That is, the oscillating sorting device 24 is provided with a grain sieve 40 provided below the first chaff sieve 38. The grain sieve 40 is made of a porous material such as punched metal or a mesh, and receives the threshed material that has leaked down from the first chaff sieve 38 and sorts it.

A screw-type first grain recovery section 26 is provided below the front half of the sieve case 33, and a screw-type second grain recovery section 27 is provided below the rear half of the sieve case 33. The first grain that has been sorted and leaked by the front half of the sieve case 33, i.e., the first grain among the sorted products sorted by the sorting section 42, is recovered by the first grain recovery section 26 and transported toward the grain tank 14 side (the right side in the left-right direction of the machine body). The second grain that has been sorted and leaked by the rear half of the sieve case 33 (second chaff sieve 39) (which generally has low sorting accuracy and a high ratio of cut straw, etc.), i.e., the second grain among the sorted products, is recovered by the second grain recovery section 27. The second grain corresponds to the threshed product that has not been sorted as the sorted product among the threshed products. The second-class items collected by the second-class item collection section 27 are returned to the front of the sorting section 42 by the second-class item return device 32, and are re-sorted by the sieve case 33.

The first chaff sieve 38 is provided with multiple plate-shaped chaff sieves arranged in line along the transport (conveyance) direction (front-rear direction) of the threshed material. Each chaff sieve is arranged in an inclined position that slopes diagonally upward toward the rear end. The inclination angle of the chaff sieves is variable, and the steeper the inclination angle, the wider the gap between adjacent chaff sieves, making it easier for the threshed material to leak. In other words, the leakage opening can be changed by changing the position of the multiple chaff sieves. Therefore, by adjusting the inclination angle of the chaff sieves, the sorting efficiency (sorting accuracy and sorting speed) of the oscillating sorting device 24 can be adjusted. A lip control mechanism is provided that can change and control the inclination position of the chaff sieves, and the inclination angle of the chaff sieves can be automatically changed.

The second chaff sieve 39 has the same configuration as the first chaff sieve 38. It is also equipped with an angle control mechanism that can change and control the inclination attitude of the chaff flip of the second chaff sieve 39, and can automatically change the inclination angle of the chaff flip.

Figure 3 is a front view of the grain tank 14, the lifting device 29, and the threshing device 10, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal right side view of the lifting device 29. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a lifting device 29 is provided to transport the sorted material collected by the first grain recovery section 26 to the grain tank 14. The lifting device 29 is disposed between the threshing device 10 and the grain tank 14, and is erected in an up-down position. The lifting device 29 is configured as a bucket conveyor. The sorted material lifted by the lifting device 29 is handed over to the lateral conveying device 30 at the upper end of the lifting device 29. The lateral conveying device 30 is connected adjacent to the lifting device 29. The lateral conveying device 30 is configured as a screw conveyor, and is inserted into the interior of the grain tank 14 from the front left wall of the grain tank 14. The lateral conveying device 30 has a screw section 30S that rotates around the lateral axis Y1 of the machine body. A grain discharge device 30A is provided at the end of the lateral conveying device 30 on the tank interior side, and the sorted processing material (grains) is thrown into the grain tank 14 via a plate-shaped discharge rotor 30B provided in the grain discharge device 30A.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in the grain lifting device 29, multiple buckets 31 are attached at regular intervals to the outer periphery of an endless rotating chain 29C that is wound around a drive sprocket 29A and a driven sprocket 29B. The grain lifting device 29 has a feed path 29D along which the bucket 31 containing the sorted material rises, and a return path 29E along which the bucket 31 descends after discharging the sorted material into the lateral feed conveying device 30. The feed path 29D and the return path 29E are arranged side by side along the left side wall 14a of the grain tank 14, with the feed path 29D on the rear side.

A first grain sensor 60 is provided between the lifting device 29 and the transverse conveying device 30. The first grain sensor 60 is positioned at the upper end of the lifting device 29 so as to measure the amount of sorted grains transferred from the bucket 31 to the transverse conveying device 30. The first grain sensor 60 measures the amount of grains conveyed by the lifting device 29 and the transverse conveying device 30, i.e., the amount of first grains collected by the first grain collecting section 26, as the first grain recovery amount. The first grain sensor 60 is provided on a bulge 65 provided on the top plate 61 of the lifting device 29, and has an arm 63 that is swingably supported by the bulge 65. The arm 63 swings due to the grains thrown from the bucket 31, and the amount of first grains collected is measured based on the swing angle.

As described above, the second-item return device 32 returns the second-item items to the upstream side, which is the front part of the oscillating sorting device 24. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the second-item discharge port 32A of the second-item return device 32 is provided at a radially outer position of the arc-shaped receiving net 23 (a position to the side of the receiving net 23 where the second-item items do not pass through the receiving net 23), and the second-item items are discharged at this position. The second-item sensor 70 measures the amount of second-item items returned by the second-item return device 32 as the second-item return amount. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second-item sensor 70 is provided at the second-item discharge port 32A of the second-item return device 32.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second grain discharge port 32A is provided facing the receiving net 23. As shown in FIG. 5, a rotating blade 32B that rotates together with the screw that constitutes the second grain return device 32 is provided near the second grain discharge port 32A, and the second grains transported by the second grain return device 32 are discharged radially outward from the second grain discharge port 32A by the rotating blade 32B through an insertion hole formed in the side wall 50 of the threshing section 41. The discharged second grains are guided by the guide section 32C toward the swing arm section 72 of the second grain sensor 70. As a result, the second grains swing the swing arm section 72, and the amount of second grains returned is measured based on the swing angle.

Next, the estimation of the loss rate by the support system 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional units related to the estimation of the loss rate by the support system 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the support system 1 is configured with a first item sensor 60, a first item measurement result storage unit 68, a second item sensor 70, a second item measurement result storage unit 78, a loss rate estimation unit 80, a display unit 84, and a setting unit 85.

As described above, the first item sensor 60 measures the amount of first item collected by the first item collection unit 26. The measurement results of the first item sensor 60 are associated with time information indicating the time of measurement and are stored sequentially in the first item measurement result storage unit 68. The measurement results of the first item sensor 60 stored in the first item measurement result storage unit 68 may be erased after a predetermined time has elapsed, or may be configured to be erased in response to an erase instruction from the user.

As described above, the second item sensor 70 measures the amount of the second item refunded by the second item refund device 32. The measurement results of the second item sensor 70 are associated with time information indicating the time of measurement and sequentially stored in the second item measurement result storage unit 78. The measurement results of the second item sensor 70 stored in the second item measurement result storage unit 78 may be erased after a predetermined time has elapsed, or may be configured to be erased in response to a user instruction to erase.

The loss rate estimation unit 80 estimates the loss rate of the threshed product in the sorting process based on the first grain recovery amount and the second grain return amount. The first grain recovery amount is obtained from the first grain measurement result storage unit 68 described above, and the second grain return amount is obtained from the second grain measurement result storage unit 78 described above. The sorting process is a process in which the sorting unit 42 sorts the first grain from the crops threshed by the threshing unit 41.
The loss rate of the threshed grain corresponds to the proportion of grains that should have been collected by the first grain collection section 26 as the first grain, but were not collected by the first grain collection section 26, relative to a given amount of grains.

Therefore, based on the first grain recovery amount obtained from the first grain measurement result memory unit 68 and the second grain return amount obtained from the second grain measurement result memory unit 78, the loss rate estimation unit 80 estimates the proportion of grains that should have been recovered as first grains by the first grain recovery unit 26 but were not recovered by the first grain recovery unit 26, relative to a given amount of grains, during the process in which the sorting unit 42 sorts first grains from the crop threshed by the threshing unit 41.

In this embodiment, the "predetermined amount of grains" corresponds to the sum of the amount of first grain collected and the amount of second grain returned. If the amount of first grain collected is M1 and the amount of second grain returned is M2, the loss rate L is estimated based on formula (1).

したがって、ロス率推定部８０は、二番物還元量を、一番物回収量と二番物還元量との和で除してロス率を推定する。

Therefore, the loss rate estimation unit 80 estimates the loss rate by dividing the amount of second-order returned goods by the sum of the amount of first-order recovered goods and the amount of second-order returned goods.

In this embodiment, the first grain collected by the first grain collection section 26 is measured as the first grain collection amount by the first grain sensor 60, but it takes a first time (referred to as "t1") from when the harvested crop enters the threshing device 10 until it reaches a position detected by the first grain sensor 60. This first time t1 corresponds to the time required for collection by the first grain collection section 26 described above, upward transport by the bucket 31 of the lifting device 29, and handover from the bucket 31 to the lateral feed transport device 30 at the upper end of the lifting device 29 (strictly speaking, the time until the grains released from the bucket 31 hit the arm section 63).

On the other hand, the second grains collected by the second grain collection section 27 are measured as the second grain return amount by the second grain sensor 70, but it takes a second time (referred to as "t2") from when the harvested crop enters the threshing device 10 until it reaches a position detected by the second grain sensor 70. This second time t2 corresponds to the time required for collection by the second grain collection section 27 described above, transportation to the second grain discharge outlet 32A by the second grain return device 32, and release radially outward from the second grain discharge outlet 32A (strictly speaking, the time until the grains released from the second grain discharge outlet 32A hit the swing arm section 72).

As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the first time t1 corresponds to the time from the time T1 when the harvesting section H starts harvesting the crops as the combine 3 travels until the crops enter the threshing device 10, when T1 is the time from the time T1 to the time T2 when the first item sensor 60 starts measuring the amount of the first item collected, and the second time t2 corresponds to the time from the time T1 to the time T3 when the second item sensor 70 starts measuring the amount of the second item returned. Such first time t1 and second time t2 have a difference (time difference) and may differ from each other. For this reason, the first item collected amount and the second item returned amount used when estimating by the loss rate estimation section 80 may be measured at different times. As described above, the first item measurement result storage section 68 stores the measurement result of the first item sensor 60 in association with time information indicating the time measured by the first item sensor 60, and the second item measurement result storage section 78 stores the measurement result of the second item sensor 70 in association with time information indicating the time measured by the second item sensor 70. Therefore, it is preferable that the loss rate estimation unit 80 acquires the first item recovery amount from the first item measurement result storage unit 68 and the second item return amount from the second item measurement result storage unit 78, taking into account the first time t1 and the second time t2 for the timing at which the loss rate is to be calculated. This makes it possible to estimate the loss rate using the appropriate first item recovery amount and second item return amount at the timing at which the loss rate is to be calculated.

It is also preferable that the loss rate estimation unit 80 estimates the loss rate in real time during harvesting. This allows the loss rate estimation unit 80 to estimate the loss rate of the threshed material currently being threshed while the combine 3 is performing harvesting work, and the worker can easily determine whether the threshing process by the threshing device 10 is appropriate by checking this loss rate.

Returning to FIG. 6, the display unit 84 is configured to display the estimated loss rate. The display unit 84 corresponds to a display device having a display screen capable of displaying various information. In this embodiment, as described above, the communication terminal 4 is disposed in the driving unit 12, and the communication terminal 4 is configured to be capable of displaying various information. The display unit 84 can be used in conjunction with the display device of this communication terminal 4. Of course, the display unit 84 may be provided separately from the communication terminal 4.

When the loss rate estimation unit 80 estimates the loss rate in real time, the loss rate may be displayed on the display unit 84 in real time. By displaying the loss rate estimated by the loss rate estimation unit 80 on such a display unit 84, the worker can easily grasp the loss rate. Furthermore, the loss rate displayed on the display unit 84 may be an estimated loss rate displayed as a numerical value, or may be displayed as a graph that changes over time.

The setting unit 85 sets the threshing parameters based on the estimated loss rate so as to reduce the loss rate. The estimated loss rate is the loss rate of the threshing process material estimated by the loss rate estimation unit 80. The threshing parameters are device setting values that can change the settings of the threshing device 10, and specifically, parameters that can change the settings related to threshing of the threshing unit 41 provided in the threshing device 10 and parameters that can change the settings related to sorting of the sorting unit 42. The parameters that can change the settings related to threshing in the threshing unit 41 correspond to the setting values that set the rotation speed of the rotating shaft of the threshing drum 22 and the setting values that set the mounting angle of the dust sending valve 53a relative to the top plate 53. The parameters that can change the settings related to sorting in the sorting unit 42 correspond to the setting values that set the air volume of the sorting air from the winnower 19, the setting values that set the leakage opening of the chaff sieve, and the setting values that set the rocking speed and rocking amount of the rocking drive mechanism 43 that rocks the rocking sorting device 24. Furthermore, the amount of crops that the combine harvester 3 harvests can be changed by increasing or decreasing the travel speed of the combine harvester 3, and the travel speed of the combine harvester 3 is also included in the threshing parameters.

The setting unit 85 sets the threshing parameters so as to reduce the loss rate, i.e., so as to set the sorting degree (or sorting efficiency) of the oscillating sorting device 24, i.e., the ratio of the amount of first grain collected by the first grain recovery unit 26 to the amount of processed material that leaks through the receiving net 23, to be appropriate.

The threshing device 10 performs threshing processing based on the threshing parameters set by the setting unit 85. That is, the setting unit 85 controls the threshing section 41 and the sorting section 42 of the threshing device 10 based on the above-mentioned threshing parameters. Therefore, the setting unit 85 performs feedback control based on the respective measurement results of the first grain sensor 60 and the second grain sensor 70 so as to reduce the loss rate, making it possible to carry out harvesting operations appropriately.

Figure 8 shows the relationship between the estimation result by the loss rate estimation unit 80 based on the above-mentioned formula (1), the actual loss rate, and the proportion of impurities contained in the sorted product. As shown in Figure 8, the larger L is, the higher the loss rate is, but the proportion of impurities is smaller. On the other hand, the smaller L is, the lower the loss rate is, but the proportion of impurities is larger. Therefore, the setting unit 85 may set parameters that can change the settings related to threshing in the threshing unit 41 and parameters that can change the settings related to sorting in the sorting unit 42 so that the amount of second-crop recovery does not exceed a certain value. In addition, if the setting of these parameters makes it impossible to reduce the amount of second-crop recovery, the vehicle speed of the combine 3 may be slowed down.

Specifically, the larger the estimated result L (loss rate L) by the loss rate estimation unit 80, the larger the leakage opening is, and the larger the estimated result L by the loss rate estimation unit 80, the larger the wind volume of the sorting wind in the winnower 19. When the estimated result L by the loss rate estimation unit 80 is large, there is a possibility that a large amount of material is not recovered as the first item in the oscillating sorting device 24 and is not returned as the second item, but is transported backward from the oscillating sorting device 24 as the third item. Therefore, when the estimated result L by the loss rate estimation unit 80 is large, the leakage opening of the chaff sieve is set large to make it easier for the sorted material to leak to the first item recovery section 26 or the second item recovery section 27, and the wind volume of the sorting wind in the winnower 19 is increased, making it possible to transport materials other than the sorted material behind the oscillating sorting device 24. This makes it possible to reduce the third item loss, which is transported as the third item. On the other hand, if the estimated result L by the loss rate estimation unit 80 is small, the sorting accuracy may be too high, and a large amount of the sorted material may not be recovered as the first item in the oscillating sorting device 24 and may be transported to the second item recovery section 27. Therefore, if the estimated result L by the loss rate estimation unit 80 is small, the leakage opening of the chaff sieve is set large to make it easier for the sorted material to leak into the first item recovery section 26, and the volume of the sorting air in the winnower 19 is reduced to make it more difficult for the sorted material to be transported to the rear of the oscillating sorting device 24. This makes it easier to recover the first item.

In some cases, even if the leakage opening of the chaff sieve is increased and the volume of the sorting air of the winnower 19 is increased, it is expected that the estimated result L by the loss rate estimation unit 80 will not decrease. This is due to the amount of crops supplied to the threshing device 10 being too large. Therefore, when the estimated result L by the loss rate estimation unit 80 does not decrease even if the leakage opening of the chaff sieve is increased and the volume of the sorting air of the winnower 19 is increased, it is preferable to reduce the running speed of the combine 3. This reduces the amount of crops supplied to the threshing device 10, reducing the threshing and sorting amounts in the threshing device 10, making it possible to perform the sorting process appropriately.

Other embodiments
In the above embodiment, the first grain sensor 60 has been described as being provided on the bulge 65 provided on the top plate 61 of the grain lifting device 29, but it may be provided in another location. Also, the first grain sensor 60 has been described as swinging the arm 63 due to grains thrown from the bucket 31, and measuring the amount of first grain collected based on the swing angle, but it is also possible to calculate based on the load (e.g., load current) acting on an actuator that rotates a screw in the first grain collecting section 26, for example.

In the above embodiment, the second item sensor 70 is described as being provided at the second item discharge port 32A of the second item return device 32, but it can also be provided in other locations. Also, the second item sensor 70 is described as measuring the amount of return of the second item based on the swing angle when the swing arm portion 72 swings due to the second item guided by the guide portion 32C, but it is also possible to calculate based on the load (e.g., load current) acting on the actuator that rotates the screw of the second item recovery portion 27, for example.

In the above embodiment, the loss rate estimation unit 80 was described as estimating the loss rate by dividing the amount of second item returned by the sum of the amount of first item collected and the amount of second item returned. However, it is also possible to configure the unit 80 to estimate the loss rate based on the value obtained by dividing the amount of first item collected by the sum of the amount of first item collected and the amount of second item returned. It is also possible to configure the unit 80 to assign a predetermined weight to the amount of first item collected and the amount of second item returned, for example, and to calculate the loss rate based on the weighted amount of first item collected and the amount of second item returned. It is also possible to configure the loss rate estimation unit 80 to estimate the loss rate by dividing the amount of second item returned by the amount of first item collected.

In the above embodiment, the first item recovery amount and the second item return amount used by the loss rate estimation unit 80 for estimation were described as being measured at different times, but it is also possible to use the first item recovery amount and the second item return amount measured at the same time.

In the above embodiment, the support system 1 has been described as having a display unit 84 that displays the estimated loss rate, but the support system 1 can also be configured without having a display unit 84.

In the above embodiment, the setting unit 85 is described as setting the threshing parameters based on the estimated loss rate so as to reduce the loss rate, but it is also possible to configure without the setting unit 85. In such a case, for example, the estimated loss rate is presented to the worker, and the worker sets the threshing parameters based on the presented loss rate, thereby making it possible to perform the sorting process appropriately.

In the above embodiment, the loss rate estimation unit 80 is described as estimating the loss rate in real time during the harvesting operation, but the loss rate estimation unit 80 can also be configured to estimate the loss rate after the harvesting operation is completed.

In the above embodiment, the first item measurement result memory unit 68, the second item measurement result memory unit 78, the loss rate estimation unit 80, the display unit 84, and the setting unit 85 are described as being provided in the combine harvester 3, but at least some of these may be provided in a management terminal with which the combine harvester 3 can communicate.

In the above embodiment, the first item measurement result storage unit 68 stores the measurement result of the first item sensor 60 in association with time information indicating the time measured by the first item sensor 60, and the second item measurement result storage unit 78 stores the measurement result of the second item sensor 70 in association with time information indicating the time measured by the second item sensor 70. However, it is also possible to configure the measurement result of the first item sensor 60 to be stored in the first item measurement result storage unit 68 in association with position information indicating the position measured by the first item sensor 60, and the measurement result of the second item sensor 70 to be stored in the second item measurement result storage unit 78 in association with position information indicating the position measured by the second item sensor 70. In this case, it is preferable to provide a satellite positioning module 90 that functions as a position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the combine 3, for example, on the upper surface of the driving unit 12.

The present invention can be used in a support system that supports the harvesting operation of a harvester that has a harvesting unit that harvests crops in a field and a threshing device that threshes the crops harvested by the harvesting unit.

1: Support system 3: Combine (harvesting machine)
10: Threshing device 26: First grain recovery section 27: Second grain recovery section 32: Second grain return device 41: Threshing section 42: Sorting section 60: First grain sensor 70: Second grain sensor 80: Loss rate estimation section 84: Display section 85: Setting section H: Harvesting section

Claims (5)

A support system for supporting a harvesting operation of a harvester including a harvesting unit that harvests crops in a field and a threshing device that threshes the crops harvested by the harvesting unit,
The threshing device includes a threshing section for threshing the crops, a sorting section provided below the threshing section for sorting the threshed material that has dropped from the threshing section, a first product recovery section for recovering the first product from the sorted material sorted by the sorting section, a second product recovery section for recovering the second product from the sorted material, and a second product return device for returning the second product recovered by the second product recovery section to the sorting section,
A first item sensor that measures the amount of the first item collected as a first item collected amount;
A second item sensor that measures the amount of the second item returned as a second item returned amount;
A loss rate estimation unit that estimates a loss rate of the threshing process product in the sorting process based on the first grain recovery amount and the second grain return amount ,
A setting unit is provided for setting threshing parameters, which are device setting values that can change the settings of the threshing device based on the estimated loss rate so as to reduce the loss rate,
The threshing parameters include a traveling speed of the harvester;
The setting unit is an assistance system that sets the threshing parameters so that the traveling speed of the harvester is reduced if the loss rate is not reduced. The support system according to claim 1, wherein the loss rate estimation unit estimates the loss rate by dividing the amount of second-order return by the sum of the amount of first-order recovery and the amount of second-order return. A support system for supporting a harvesting operation of a harvester including a harvesting unit that harvests crops in a field and a threshing device that threshes the crops harvested by the harvesting unit,
The threshing device includes a threshing section for threshing the crops, a sorting section provided below the threshing section for sorting the threshed material that has dropped from the threshing section, a first product recovery section for recovering the first product from the sorted material sorted by the sorting section, a second product recovery section for recovering the second product from the sorted material, and a second product return device for returning the second product recovered by the second product recovery section to the sorting section,
A first item sensor that measures the amount of the first item collected as a first item collected amount;
A second item sensor that measures the amount of the second item returned as a second item returned amount;
A loss rate estimation unit that estimates a loss rate of the threshing process product in the sorting process based on the first grain recovery amount and the second grain return amount,
A support system in which the first item recovery amount and the second item return amount used by the loss rate estimation unit when making the estimation are measured at different times. The support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a display unit that displays the estimated loss rate. The support system according to claim 1 , wherein the loss rate estimation unit estimates the loss rate in real time during the harvesting work.

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