JP2024071960A - combine - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve assemblability and maintainability of a remote monitoring terminal and an antenna by arranging the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna concentratedly in a predetermined position of a grain tank of a combine.SOLUTION: A combine includes: a grain tank storing grains; a remote monitoring terminal that acquires position information and operation information of a combine; and an antenna that transmits the position information and the operation information of the combine to a management server. The remote monitoring terminal and the antenna are provided on the same plane on the outside of the grain tank.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a combine harvester.

Conventionally, a combine harvester is known that is equipped with a remote monitoring terminal that acquires the position information and operation information of the combine harvester, and an antenna that transmits the position information and operation information acquired by the remote monitoring terminal to a management server.

Patent Document 1 discloses a combine harvester equipped with a threshing section and a grain tank, in which a remote monitoring terminal is attached to the threshing section and an antenna is attached to the grain tank, making it difficult for obstacles to collide with the antenna while the combine is traveling.

However, with the above combine harvester, the antenna and the remote monitoring terminal are attached to separate components, which makes the installation process complicated and reduces assembly efficiency. In addition, the antenna and the remote monitoring terminal are located far away from each other, which makes it difficult to maintain them.

JP 2017-060450 A

The present invention aims to provide a combine harvester in which the remote monitoring terminal and antenna are centrally located in a predetermined position on the combine harvester, improving the ease of assembly and maintenance of the remote monitoring terminal and antenna.

The combine harvester of the present invention comprises a grain tank for storing grains, a remote monitoring terminal for acquiring position information and operation information of the combine harvester, and an antenna for transmitting the position information and operation information of the combine harvester acquired by the remote monitoring terminal to a management server, and the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna are provided on the same plane outside the grain tank.

In another aspect of the combine harvester of the present invention, the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna are attached to the grain tank via a support member.

In another aspect of the combine harvester of the present invention, the remote monitoring terminal is attached to the lower part of the support member and the antenna is attached to the upper part of the support member.

A combine harvester according to another aspect of the present invention has a vertical feed auger provided behind the grain tank and a discharge auger that rotates around the vertical feed auger, the grain tank has a recess, and the support member is disposed in the recess.

In another aspect of the combine of the present invention, the recess is formed behind the grain tank.

In another aspect of the combine harvester of the present invention, the support member is located in front of the vertical feed auger.

According to the present invention, the remote monitoring terminal and antenna are centrally arranged in a predetermined position in the grain tank of the combine harvester, improving the ease of assembly and maintenance of the remote monitoring terminal and antenna.

FIG. 1 is a left side view showing a configuration of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the configuration of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left rear perspective view showing the configuration of the grain tank, the vertical feed auger, and the discharge auger according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the configuration of the grain tank, the vertical feed auger, and the discharge auger according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the left rear exterior showing the configuration of the grain tank according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged right side view of the rear portion of the grain tank according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the rear of the grain tank according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left front external perspective view showing the configuration of a connecting portion between a vertical feed auger and a discharge auger according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the lifting and lowering operation of the discharge auger according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote monitoring terminal in a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management server according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view of an upper external view showing a support configuration for a remote monitoring terminal and an antenna by a support member according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a support structure for a remote monitoring terminal and an antenna by a support section according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view showing a support structure for a remote monitoring terminal and an antenna by a support member according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a support configuration for a remote monitoring terminal and an antenna by a support member according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a layout configuration of a support member in a combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the layout configuration of the support members in the combine harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a layout configuration for a combine harvester of remote monitoring terminals and antennas that transmit the combine harvester's position information and operation information to a management server. The remote monitoring terminals and antennas, which were previously placed separately, are supported by a common support member to form a unit, and the installation work can be simplified by simply attaching the support member to a specified location (one location) on the combine harvester, thereby improving the maintainability of the installed remote monitoring terminals and antennas. Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[1. Overall configuration of the combine]
First, the overall configuration of a combine harvester 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In the following description, the left side (left side in Figure 3) and the right side (right side in Figure 3) facing the front of the combine harvester 1 will be referred to as the left side and the right side of the combine harvester 1, respectively.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the combine harvester 1 according to this embodiment is a normal type combine harvester that rakes in the harvested crops from a field into the machine body, threshes, sorts, stores the grains, and can be transported outside the machine as needed. The combine harvester 1 is equipped with a running section 2 configured as a crawler-type running device having a pair of left and right crawler sections 20, 20, and a running body 3 supported by the running section 2.

On the traveling body 3, various harvesting equipment components are arranged in a row, such as a cabin 12 in which the worker who harvests the grain sits, a driving section 11 where the worker operates the combine, a reaping section 4 that performs the operations required for grain harvesting, a threshing section 5, a sorting section 6, a grain tank 7, a vertical feed auger 8, and a discharge auger 9.

Each crawler unit 20 constituting the traveling unit 2 has a track frame 20a extending in the front-rear direction below the traveling body 3, various rotating bodies (not shown) supported by the track frame 20a, and a track 20b wound around these rotating bodies. A machine frame 30 constituting the traveling body 3 is installed between the left and right crawler units 20, 20. The crawler unit 20 includes a driving sprocket 20c supported at the front end of the track frame 20a as a rotating body supported by the track frame 20a, and is driven to travel by power transmitted from an engine 10 mounted on the traveling body 3.

On the left side of the machine frame 30, there is a threshing section 5 that threshes the stalks harvested and supplied by the harvesting section 4, and a sorting section 6 that sorts the grains threshed by the threshing section 5. The threshing section 5 and sorting section 6 are arranged with the threshing section 5 on the upper level and the sorting section 6 on the lower level.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the cutting unit 4 is provided at the front of the traveling body 3 across almost the entire width of the combine harvester 1 so as to cut and collect the stalks in the field. The cutting unit 4 has a feeder 40, a grain header 41, a cutting blade device 42, a pair of left and right grass division bodies 43, 43, and a raking reel 44.

The feeder 40 transports the stalks harvested by the harvesting section 4 and supplies them to the threshing section 5. The feeder 40 has a feeder house 45 as a housing and a conveyor (not shown) for transporting the stalks installed within the feeder house 45. The feeder 40 is located to the left of the cabin 12, and is installed with the rear end opening of the feeder house 45 connected to the front handling port 5a of the threshing section 5.

The grain header 41 is configured in a horizontally elongated bucket shape and is connected to the front side of the feeder 40 so as to communicate with the front end opening of the feeder house 45. A raking auger 46 is provided inside the grain header 41. The raking auger 46 is mounted on a shaft that can rotate with the left-right direction as the rotation axis direction.

The cutting blade device 42 is provided at the front lower edge of the grain header 41 and is configured like a clipper. A pair of left and right grass division bodies 43, 43 are provided so as to protrude forward from the front left and right sides of the grain header 41. The raking reel 44 is provided at a position above the raking auger 46. The raking reel 44 is supported rotatably with the left and right direction as the rotation axis between the tips of a pair of left and right reel support arms 44a, 44a whose base ends are pivotally supported on the grain header 41. The raking reel 44 acts continuously on the pod-bearing part of the stalk while rotating, and raking the pod-bearing part of the stalk into the raking auger 46. The power of the engine 10 transmitted via various transmission mechanisms is used to operate each part of the reaping unit 4.

The conveyor in the feeder house 45 has a reaping input shaft 47, which is installed in front of the threshing section 5 and has an axial direction in the left-right direction, as a drive shaft that supports the feeding end side. The rear end of the feeder 40 is supported so that it can rotate relative to the traveling machine body 3 side, with the reaping input shaft 47 as the rotation axis. In addition, a hydraulic cylinder 48 for raising and lowering is interposed between the underside of the feeder house 45 and the machine body frame 30 of the traveling machine body 3.

The reaping unit 4 is arranged to be raised and lowered by the rotation of the feeder 40 relative to the traveling body 3 accompanying the extension and contraction of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 48. The height of the reaping unit 4 is adjusted by the lifting and lowering movement of the reaping unit 4. The lifting and lowering movement of the reaping unit 4 is operated by a specified operating unit provided in the driving unit 11.

A front rotor 5b is provided behind the feeder 40, which sends the stalks transported by the conveyor to the threshing mouth 5a. The front rotor 5b is provided between the end of the conveyor and the threshing mouth 5a. The front rotor 5b is provided in a front rotor chamber (not shown) formed above the left front part of the traveling body 3. The stalks transported by the feeder 40 are fed from the end of the conveyor to the threshing mouth 5a and into the threshing chamber 5c of the threshing section 5 by the front rotor 5b.

The threshing section 5 has a threshing drum 50 installed in a threshing chamber 5c with a threshing port 5a opening to the front, and a receiving net 51 arranged below the threshing drum 50. The threshing chamber 5c is formed by a machine frame installed on the machine frame 30. The threshing drum 50 is rotatably supported by a threshing drum shaft (not shown) whose axial direction is the front-to-rear direction. The threshing drum 50 has a cylindrical main body with the threshing drum shaft aligned with the central axis, and the outer peripheral surface of the main body is provided with spiral blades. The receiving net 51 allows the grains to drop and is installed along the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the threshing drum 50.

The sorting section 6 has a oscillating sorting plate 60 arranged below the receiving net 51, a rocking mechanism (not shown) that rocks the oscillating sorting plate 60, a first conveyor 61, a second conveyor 62, and a winnower 63. A pre-fan (not shown) is provided in front of the winnower 63, and a second fan (not shown) is provided behind the winnower 63.

The oscillating sorting plate 60 has a configuration for gravity sorting, including a feed pan, a chaff sieve located behind the feed pan to adjust the amount of grain leakage, and a grain sieve located below the chaff sieve. The first conveyor 61 is located in the first trough extending in the width direction of the machine so as to collect the first grains. The second conveyor 62 is located behind the first conveyor 61 in the second trough extending in the width direction of the machine so as to collect the second grains. The winnower 63 blows sorting air from the front lower to the rear upper to the oscillating sorting plate 60.

A return conveyor (not shown) is provided on the right side of the machine body where the threshing section 5 and sorting section 6 are located. The return conveyor is connected to the second conveyor 62 with its lower end located near the second conveyor 62, and its upper end is located near the front end of the handling drum 50, extending in an upward sloping manner. A grain lifting conveyor 64 is provided on the right side of the return conveyor, extending in the vertical direction. The grain lifting conveyor 64 transports the first grain sent by the first conveyor 61 into the grain tank 7.

In addition, on the machine frame 30, to the right of the threshing section 5 and the sorting section 6, a grain tank 7 is provided for temporarily storing the grains (clean grains) sorted in the sorting section 6. A discharge conveyor 72 is provided in the grain tank 7 for transporting the stored grains toward the discharge outlet of the grain tank 7 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical vertical feed auger 8 and discharge auger 9 are provided at the right rear end of the machine frame 30, i.e., behind the grain tank 7, to discharge grains from the grain tank 7 to the outside. The discharge auger 9 is provided on one side of the upper part of the vertical feed auger 8 and communicates with the vertical feed auger 8. The discharge auger 9 includes a turning mechanism and is configured to be able to turn left and right above the grain tank 7 around the vertical feed auger 8 provided on the right rear side of the traveling machine body 3. The discharge auger 9 also includes a lifting mechanism and a lever mechanism, and is configured to be able to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction around a base that corresponds to the connection part with the vertical feed auger 8.

The discharge auger 9 is in a stored state when it extends horizontally from the vertical feed auger 8 on the right rear side of the traveling body 3 to the left front. In the stored state, the discharge auger 9 is positioned with its tip on the left side of the reaping unit 4 in a plan view, and extends along the diagonal of the machine body (see Figure 3). The discharge auger 9 is in a stored state when it is placed and supported on an auger rest 95, which serves as an auger receiving part.

The auger rest 95 is provided on the left rear of the cabin 12 and is supported by a specified support member. The auger rest 95 has a concave shape with an open upper side so that the discharge auger 9 can be stored and supported in a positioned state, and supports a specified portion of the discharge auger 9 in the middle of its extension direction from below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical feed auger 8 and the discharge auger 9 each have a cylindrical vertical auger pipe 80 and a horizontal auger pipe 90 that form the grain discharge path, and a screw conveyor (not shown) that is installed inside the vertical auger pipe 80 and the horizontal auger pipe 90, respectively. The screw conveyor has a rotating shaft (not shown) that extends along the cylindrical axis of the vertical auger pipe 80 and the horizontal auger pipe 90, and a helical blade that is arranged around the rotating shaft and rotates integrally with the rotating shaft.

The screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8 is rotatably supported at both ends of the rotating shaft by the lower support part 74 (described later) and the upper cover body 80a that closes the opening at the upper end of the vertical auger pipe 80 as bearings. The screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8 extends with the rotating shaft arranged coaxially with the cylindrical shaft within the vertical auger pipe 80 and rotates around the cylindrical shaft of the vertical auger pipe 80, transporting grains with the cylindrical axis direction of the vertical auger pipe 80 as the transport direction.

The screw conveyor of the discharge auger 9 is rotatably supported at both ends of the rotating shaft by a base end cover 90b that closes the opening at the base end of the horizontal auger pipe 90 and a bearing body (not shown) at the tip end of the horizontal auger pipe 90. The screw conveyor of the discharge auger 9 extends with the rotating shaft arranged coaxially with the cylindrical shaft within the horizontal auger pipe 90 and rotates around the cylindrical shaft of the horizontal auger pipe 90, transporting grains with the cylindrical axis direction of the horizontal auger pipe 90 as the transport direction.

The internal space of the grain tank 7 is connected to the discharge path of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8. The discharge path of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8 is connected to the discharge path of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9. In other words, the grains stored in the grain tank 7 are transported from the internal space of the grain tank 7 to the vertical feed auger 8 and the discharge auger 9 in sequence, and are discharged from the rice dumping opening 9a of the discharge chute 90a provided at the tip of the discharge auger 9. The rice dumping opening 9a is formed as an opening of the discharge chute 90a facing downward from the tip of the horizontal auger pipe 90. The grains discharged from the rice dumping opening 9a are dumped into the bed of a truck, a container, etc.

As shown in Figure 3, the grain tank 7 is configured to be rotatable horizontally together with the discharge auger 9 around the vertical feed auger 8 on the traveling body 3. In other words, the grain tank 7 is pivoted at its rear end with the rear vertical feed auger 8 as the rotation axis, and rotates horizontally. This allows the position of the grain tank 7 to be displaced outward in the left-right direction from above the traveling body 3 (the rotated state is shown by the dashed line in Figure 3), opening up the installation surface of the grain tank 7 on the traveling body 3 to perform maintenance such as removing accumulated straw waste.

The combine harvester 1 also includes a driving section 11 on which an operator sits. The driving section 11 is provided on the machine frame 30 in a position forward of the grain tank 7, that is, in a position on the front right side of the machine frame 30. Therefore, the driving section 11 is provided on one side (right side) of the machine in the left-right direction relative to the threshing section 5.

The driver's section 11 is covered by a cabin 12. The driver's section 11 is provided with a driver's seat 13, a steering wheel 14 located in front of the driver's seat 13, and various operating sections such as a main shift lever 15, a sub-shift lever, and a work clutch lever (see FIG. 2). The work clutch lever is a work operating tool for switching on and off the threshing clutch (not shown) and the reaping clutch (not shown).

The cabin 12 is generally box-shaped as shown in Figures 1 to 3, and is located at the front of the traveling body 3. The cabin 12 has transparent windows in the front wall and the upper halves of the left and right side walls, and has a door 16 for boarding and disembarking on the right wall.

An engine 10 is provided as a drive source below the driving section 11 on the machine frame 30. The engine 10 is installed in the space below the driving section 11, in the space on the right side of the front part of the machine frame 30. The engine 10 is, for example, a diesel engine. The engine 10 transmits its power to various devices such as the traveling section 2, the reaping section 4, the threshing section 5, the sorting section 6, the vertical feed auger 8, and the discharge auger 9 via a transmission or the like.

In addition, an intercooler (not shown) and a radiator (not shown) for cooling the engine 10 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction on the traveling body 3 on one side of the engine 10. The intercooler and the radiator each have a cooling fan (not shown) for taking in outside air, and are covered on the outside by an outside air intake cover 17.

The outside air introduction cover 17 is a roughly right-angled trapezoid, and is flush with the right side wall 704 of the grain tank 7 on the right side of the combine harvester 1, between the cabin 12 and the grain tank 7. The outside air introduction cover 17 is provided with an intake port 170 for ventilating and introducing outside air to the upper intercooler, and a dustproof net 171 for ventilating and introducing outside air to the lower radiator.

The combine harvester 1 configured as described above raises the cutting section 4 to the desired height above the ground (the cutting height of the culms, which are the harvested crop) in the field by raising and lowering the feeder 40 with the cutting input shaft 47 at the center (support shaft), changes from a non-working state to a working state, and travels in this state using the traveling body 3. As a result, the combine harvester 1 divides the harvested crop into cutting targets and non-cut targets using the left and right dividing bodies 43, 43, and cuts the pod-bearing parts of the culms with the cutting blade device 42 while raking in the pod-bearing parts on the tip side of the culms to be cut with the raking reel 44.

The pod-bearing part of the stalk that has been cut at the desired cutting position is scraped into the grain header 41 by the rotating scraping auger 46 and collected near the entrance of the feeder house 45 at the center of the left and right of the grain header 41. The pod-bearing part is then transported by a conveyor inside the feeder house 45 through the feeder house 45, where it is fed into the threshing opening 5a by the front rotor 5b and supplied to the threshing section 5.

The pods of the stalks supplied to the threshing section 5 are threshed by the threshing section 5. Specifically, the stalks supplied to the threshing section 5 are transported backward by the rotating threshing drum 50 and threshed mainly between the threshing drum 50 and the receiving net 51. Grains and other threshed grains that are smaller than the mesh size of the receiving net 51 leak through the receiving net 51. Straw chips and other debris that do not leak through the receiving net 51 are discharged into the field from a dust outlet provided at the rear of the sorting section 6 by the transport action of the threshing drum 50.

Meanwhile, the grains that have been threshed in the threshing section 5 and that have fallen through the receiving net 51 are sorted by the sorting section 6. Specifically, the threshed grains that have been threshed in the threshing drum 50 and that have fallen through the receiving net 51 are sorted by the gravity sorting action of the oscillating sorting plate 60 and the wind sorting action of the winnowing machine 63 into refined grains and other grains (first grain), a mixture of grains and straw, such as grains with stalks (second grain), and straw chips, etc., and are removed.

The first grains that fall from the oscillating sorting plate 60 after sorting in the sorting section 6 are transported to the grain tank 7 by the first conveyor 61 and the connected grain lifting conveyor 64. The second grains are returned to the threshing start end of the threshing drum 50 by the second conveyor 62 and the connected return conveyor, and are threshed again. Straw chips and the like are discharged into the field from a dust outlet provided at the rear of the sorting section 6.

[2. Specific configurations of grain tank, vertical feed auger, and discharge auger]
Next, the configurations of the grain tank 7, the vertical feed auger 8, and the discharge auger 9 will be described in more detail. The grain tank 7, provided at the right rear of the traveling body 3, is formed in a hollow rectangular box shape with its longitudinal direction aligned with the front-to-rear direction of the traveling body 3, as shown in Figures 2 to 5. The grain tank 7 has a storage section 70 for storing grains transported from the sorting section 6, and a gutter section 71 for collecting the grains and transporting them to the discharge auger 9.

The storage section 70 is a space for storing grains equivalent to most of the grain tank 7. The storage section 70 has a front wall 701, a rear wall 702, a left side wall 703, a right side wall 704, and an upper wall 705 that form the outer walls of the grain tank 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the front wall 701, the rear wall 702, the left side wall 703, the right side wall 704, and the upper wall 705 are attached to the skeletal frame 73 via fastening members such as bolts while covering the entire skeletal frame 73 from the outside, forming a rectangular outer shape of the grain tank 7 and a certain storage space inside.

The skeleton frame 73 has an overall roughly rectangular shape assembled from multiple vertical frames and multiple horizontal frames. A pair of left rear vertical frames 730 and right rear vertical frames 731 that make up the rear of the skeleton frame 73 are arranged at a fixed distance in the left-right direction in the widthwise center of the grain tank 7 as shown in FIG. 6 , support the rear side wall 702 and upper side wall 705, and form the rear end portion of the grain tank 7.

The left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731 are each composed of a steel beam bent into an L-shape. The left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731 each have a left horizontal section 730a and a right horizontal section 731a that correspond to the short side of the L-shape and support the upper wall 705, and a left vertical section 730b and a right vertical section 731b that correspond to the long side of the L-shape and support the rear wall 702.

The left horizontal section 730a and the right horizontal section 731a form horizontal support surfaces that abut against the underside of the upper wall 705 with their upper surfaces, supporting the upper wall 705 from below. The left vertical section 730b and the right vertical section 731b form vertical support surfaces that abut against the front surface of the rear wall 702 with their rear surfaces, supporting the rear wall 702 from the front.

As shown in Figures 6 and 20, the left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731 are arranged symmetrically at a fixed distance from each other about an imaginary center line C that extends vertically at the widthwise center of the grain tank 7 (the widthwise center of the rear side wall 702). As shown in Figure 20, the distance d2 between the left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731 is set to be equal to or greater than the outer diameter d1 of the vertical feed auger 8 that is positioned rearward of the rear side wall 702 and in the widthwise center of the rear side wall 702. In other words, the vertical feed auger 8 is erected with its cylindrical axis positioned in phase with the imaginary center line C of the grain tank 7 in the width direction of the traveling body 3.

The gutter section 71 is formed in the lower part of the storage section 70 and forms the inner bottom of the grain tank 7. The gutter section 71 is connected at its upper end to the inside of the left side wall 703 and right side wall 704 of the storage section 70 in the width direction of the storage section 70, and is formed in a V-shape in cross section by a left inclined side wall 710 and a right inclined side wall 711 that are inclined downward with their lower ends close to each other.

The left inclined side wall 710 and the right inclined side wall 711 each have a tapered surface that slopes downward at the top, and extend along the longitudinal direction of the storage section 70. In other words, the trough section 71 is formed so that the grains stored in the storage section 70 slide down into the V-shaped valley along the tapered surface formed by the inner wall surfaces of the left inclined side wall 710 and the right inclined side wall 711, and are collected.

In the gutter section 71, a discharge conveyor 72 is provided in the V-shaped valley portion formed by the left inclined side wall 710 and the right inclined side wall 711 along the longitudinal direction of the left inclined side wall 710 and the right inclined side wall 711.

The discharge conveyor 72 is disposed at the bottom of the grain tank 7. The discharge conveyor 72 is connected to the engine 10 via a transmission mechanism 720 and operates. The discharge conveyor 72 transports and discharges grains stored in the storage section 70 of the grain tank 7 and collected by the trough section 71 to the discharge auger 9 provided at the rear of the grain tank 7 (to the rear side). The discharge conveyor 72 is composed of, for example, a rotating shaft (not shown) that runs along the longitudinal direction of the trough section 71, and a screw conveyor (not shown) that is disposed around the rotating shaft and has a spiral blade that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft.

The transmission mechanism 720 is connected to the front end of the discharge conveyor 72. The transmission mechanism 720 is provided at the lower front of the grain tank 7, and transmits the driving force of the engine 10 to the discharge conveyor 72. An auger clutch mechanism such as a belt tensioner is provided in the power transmission path between the transmission mechanism 720 and the engine 10. The auger clutch mechanism is configured so that the driving force from the engine 10 is transmitted to or interrupted from the discharge conveyor 72 by the connection/disconnection operation of the auger operating unit (not shown) provided in the driving unit 11.

A lower support section 74 is provided at the rear of the discharge conveyor 72, which supports the discharge conveyor 72 along the trough section 71 together with the transmission mechanism 720. The lower support section 74 is provided at the bottom of the rear wall 702 of the storage section 70, and connects the storage section 70 to the vertical feed auger 8.

The lower support section 74 supports the vertical feed auger 8 and the discharge conveyor 72, and functions as a connection between the grain tank 7 and the vertical feed auger 8. The lower support section 74 is made of a cylindrical member bent into a roughly L-shape in side view, with a horizontal section 740 corresponding to the horizontal side of the L-shape penetrating the lower part of the rear wall 702 and protruding forward, and a vertical section 741 corresponding to the vertical side of the L-shape protruding in a roughly vertical direction.

The discharge conveyor 72 is disposed on the horizontal portion 740 of the lower support portion 74. The base of the vertical feed auger 8 is rotatably fitted into the vertical portion 741 of the lower support portion 74. In other words, the vertical feed auger 8 is disposed with the base (lower portion) of the vertical auger pipe 80 coaxial with the vertical portion 741 of the lower support portion 74, and is disposed rearward of the rear wall 702 of the grain tank 7, and is supported from below so as to be rotatable about the vertical portion 741 of the lower support portion 74.

The lower support portion 74 has a pair of bevel gears (not shown) supported by bearings on the inside of the L-shaped corners. One bevel gear is provided at the rear end of the rotation shaft of the screw conveyor serving as the discharge conveyor 72, and the other bevel gear is provided at the lower end of the rotation shaft of the screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8, and they mesh with each other. In other words, the rotational power of the screw conveyor of the discharge conveyor 72 is transmitted as the rotational power of the screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8 via the pair of bevel gears, and the screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8 is rotated in accordance with the rotational drive of the screw conveyor of the discharge conveyor 72.

As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the vertical feed auger 8 is supported at its midpoint by an upper support portion 75 provided on the upper portion of the rear wall 702 of the grain tank 7. The upper support portion 75, together with the lower support portion 74, is a portion that rotatably supports the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8 on the inside. The upper support portion 75 is formed in a roughly Ω-shape in plan view, and is fixed at both ends to the rear wall 702 and protrudes rearward from the rear wall 702.

In detail, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the upper support portion 75 has an auger bracket 750 that is connected and fixed to the rear side wall 702, and an auger holder 751 that is connected to the auger bracket 750 and supports the middle portion of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8 from the outer periphery side together with the auger bracket 750.

The auger bracket 750 is composed of a metal strip member formed into a roughly M-shape in plan view. As shown in FIG. 6, the auger bracket 750 has a front auger holder portion 750a that is curved in an arc shape at the center of the M-shape to correspond to the front outer periphery of the vertical feed auger 8, and fixing portions 750b, 750b that are fixed to the rear side wall 702 at both ends of the M-shape. The fixing portions 750b, 750b of the auger bracket 750 are fixed to the left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731 that form the skeleton frame 73 by fastening fastening members such as bolts, causing the front auger holder portion 750a to protrude rearward from the rear side wall 702.

The auger holder 751 is composed of a metal strip member formed into a roughly U-shape in plan view. The auger holder 751 includes a rear auger holder portion 751a that corresponds to the rear outer periphery of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8, and fixing portions 751b, 751b that connect the left and right sides of the auger bracket 750 at both ends of the U-shape.

The fixing parts 751b, 751b of the auger holder 751 are fixed to the auger bracket 750 by fastening fastening members such as bolts while abutting against the left and right outer sides of the auger bracket 750. The rear auger holder part 751a of the auger bracket 750, together with the front auger holder part 750a of the auger bracket 750, form a vertical feed auger insertion hole that is approximately circular in plan view and into which the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8 is inserted and rotatably supported. In this way, the vertical feed auger 8 is supported in an upright position by the lower support part 74 and the upper support part 75 at the rear of the grain tank 7.

The upper support section 75 also includes a drive section 76 that rotates the vertical feed auger 8. The drive section 76 is composed of an electric motor 760 connected to a motor base 761 that is fixed to the rear end of the auger holder 751. The electric motor 760 has a drive shaft 760a that protrudes downward and is connected to and held by the motor base 761 in the upper support section 75.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, a driving pinion gear 760b is provided on the protruding portion of the drive shaft 760a. On the other hand, a driven pinion gear 82 that meshes with the driving pinion gear 760b is provided on the outer periphery of the middle part of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8. The pinion gear 82 is a gear ring formed with multiple gears, and is fitted and fixed to the middle part of the vertical auger pipe 80.

The pinion mechanism, which is composed of the drive unit 76 arranged on the upper support unit 75, the pinion gear 760b of the electric motor 760, and the pinion gear 82 of the vertical feed auger 8, causes the discharge auger 9 to rotate as follows, with the vertical feed auger 8 as the central axis of rotation.

When the pinion gear 760b rotates integrally with the drive shaft 760a of the electric motor 760, the vertical auger pipe 80, which is integral with the driven pinion gear 82, rotates around the vertical part 741 of the lower support part 74. In other words, the vertical feed auger 8 maintains an upright position on the traveling body 3 and meshes with the pinion gear 760b of the electric motor 760 via the pinion gear 82, and rotates relatively in the left-right direction around the cylinder axis by the drive of the electric motor 760. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the discharge auger 9 connected to the upper part of the vertical feed auger 8 rotates in the left-right direction around the vertical feed auger 8. In this way, the left-right position of the discharge auger 9 is adjusted by displacing the overall position of the discharge auger 9 in the left-right direction around the base.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the discharge auger 9 has a lifting mechanism and a lever mechanism, and its base is pivoted to a pivot shaft 81 that protrudes from one side of the upper part of the vertical feed auger 8, so that it can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction above the vertical feed auger 8.

A grain communication port (not shown) that communicates with the discharge auger 9 is formed on the outer periphery of the upper part of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8. A short cylindrical communication pipe 91 protrudes from the outer periphery of the base of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9, perpendicular to the cylindrical axis of the horizontal auger pipe 90.

The discharge auger 9 has a connecting pipe 91 loosely fitted into the communication port of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8, and is rotatably connected via a pivot shaft 81 that is coaxially arranged between the center of the communication port and the cylindrical axis of the connecting pipe 91. The pivot shaft 81 protrudes from the upper part of the vertical auger pipe 80 to one side opposite the communication port.

A pair of bevel gears (not shown) supported by bearings on the inside are provided on the connecting pipe 91, which connects the top of the vertical feed auger 8 and the base of the discharge auger 9. One bevel gear is provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft of the screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8, and the other bevel gear is provided at the base end of the rotating shaft of the screw of the discharge auger 9, and they mesh with each other.

In other words, the rotational power of the screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8 is transmitted by the bevel gear as the rotational power of the screw conveyor of the discharge auger 9, and the screw conveyor of the discharge auger 9 is rotated in conjunction with the rotational drive of the screw conveyor of the vertical feed auger 8.

In addition, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, a lifting mechanism and a lever mechanism are interposed between the top of the vertical feed auger 8 and the base of the discharge auger 9, which rotate the discharge auger 9 up and down around the pivot shaft 81 at the top of the vertical feed auger 8.

The lifting mechanism is made up of a lifting cylinder 92 that is provided on the top of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8 and that expands and contracts. The elevator mechanism is made up of an elevator frame 93 that is connected to the lifting cylinder 92 and to the base end of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9, and that rotates up and down around the pivot shaft 81.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the lifting cylinder 92 as a lifting mechanism includes a cylinder tube 920 and a piston rod 921 that expands and contracts within the cylinder tube 920. The lifting cylinder 92 is pivotally supported by a first pivot shaft 920a at the middle of the cylinder tube 920 to a first bracket 83 fixed to the outer periphery of the upper part of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8 so as to be vertically rotatable.

The first bracket 83 is a fixed member that is fixed to the top of the vertical auger pipe 80 and has a U-shape in cross section that protrudes to one side. The first bracket 83 has a ring-shaped mounting part 830 that is fitted and fixed to the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8 at its base end, a connecting part 831 that protrudes horizontally outward in the tangential direction from the mounting part 830, and a U-shaped support part 832 that supports the lifting cylinder 92 at the tip of the connecting part 831.

The first bracket 83 is attached to the upper outer periphery of the vertical auger pipe 80 by the mounting part 830 at the base end of the connecting part 831, with the open U-shaped part of the support part 832 at the tip of the connecting part 831 facing both horizontally and vertically. The first bracket 83 positions the center part of the cylinder tube 920 of the lifting cylinder 92 between the upper and lower horizontal sides of the U-shaped support part 832 that face each other in a vertical plane, and pivots the lifting cylinder 92 so that it can rotate up and down on the first rotating shaft 920a.

The lever frame 93 has a belt-shaped lever plate 930 that is attached so that both ends can move up and down by rotating around the pivot shaft 81, a first connecting arm 931 that is provided at one end of the lever plate 930 and connects to the lifting cylinder 92 via a second bracket 94, and a second connecting arm 932 that is provided at the other end of the lever plate 930 and connects to the end of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9 (base end cover body 90b). The base end cover body 90b has a fixing protrusion 900b that protrudes to fix the end of the second connecting arm 932.

The lever plate 930 has a bearing portion at approximately the center of the longitudinal direction of the plate surface, and is pivotally supported by the bearing portion on the pivot shaft 81.

The first connecting arm 931 has one end connected and fixed to the lever plate 930 and protrudes from the surface of the lever plate 930, and has the second bracket 94 fixed to the other end.

The second connection arm 932 extends from the upper rear of the vertical feed auger 8 between the lever plate 930 and the base end cover 90b on the base end side of the horizontal auger pipe 90, and is connected and fixed at both ends to the lever plate 930 and the discharge auger 9.

The second bracket 94 is a fixed member having a pair of side walls 940, 940 arranged parallel to one another at a fixed distance. The second bracket 94 is fixed to one end of each of the side walls 940, 940 by passing through the first connecting arm 931. The second bracket 94 is arranged at the other end between the side walls 940, 940, and supports the second pivot shaft 921a that pivots the piston rod 921 of the lifting cylinder 92.

In other words, the piston rod 921 is pivotally supported by the second bracket 94 so as to be vertically rotatable about the second pivot shaft 921a. In other words, at the connection between the vertical feed auger 8 and the discharge auger 9, the base end side cylinder tube 920 is pivotally supported so as to be vertically rotatable about the first pivot shaft 920a, and the tip end side piston rod 921 is pivotally supported so as to be vertically rotatable about the second pivot shaft 921a.

In this way, the lifting cylinder 92 as a lifting mechanism and the elevator frame 93 as an elevator mechanism interposed between the top of the vertical feed auger 8 and the base of the discharge auger 9 rotate together with the vertical feed auger 8, following the discharge auger 9, and tilt the discharge auger 9 as follows.

When the discharge auger 9 is to be lowered above the vertical feed auger 8, the lifting cylinder 92 is contracted as shown in FIG. 10(a). That is, when the lifting cylinder 92 is contracted, the distance between the first bracket 83 on the fixed side and the second bracket 94 on the operating side becomes shorter, so that the first connecting arm 931 is pushed down by the second bracket 94 at one end of the lever plate 930 around the pivot shaft 81, and the second connecting arm 932 is raised at the other end of the lever plate 930.

In other words, as the first connecting arm 931 descends, the lever plate 930 pivots around the pivot shaft 81, lifting the second connecting arm 932. As the second connecting arm 932 rises, the base end (base end cover 90b) of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9 rises around the pivot shaft 81, and the tip of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9 descends. As a result, the overall posture of the discharge auger 9 pivots to a lying down posture. At this time, the lifting cylinder 92 tilts around the lower first pivot shaft 920a and the upper second pivot shaft 921a to an upright posture.

When the discharge auger 9 is raised above the vertical feed auger 8, the lifting cylinder 92 is extended as shown in FIG. 10(b). In the extended form of the lifting cylinder 92, the distance between the first bracket 83 and the second bracket 94 increases, so that the first connecting arm 931 is pushed up by the second bracket 94 at one end of the lever plate 930 around the pivot shaft 81, and the second connecting arm 932 is lowered at the other end of the lever plate 930.

In other words, as the first connecting arm 931 rises, the lever plate 930 pivots around the pivot shaft 81, lowering the second connecting arm 932. As the second connecting arm 932 descends, the base end (base end cover 90b) of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9 descends around the pivot shaft 81, and the tip of the horizontal auger pipe 90 of the discharge auger 9 rises. As a result, the attitude of the discharge auger 9 is pivoted and displaced to an inclined attitude as a whole. At this time, the lifting cylinder 92 tilts around the lower first pivot shaft 920a and the upper second pivot shaft 921a to assume an inclined attitude.

In this way, the discharge auger 9 performs the lifting and lowering operations in conjunction with the above-mentioned swiveling operations to be stored in the auger rest 95 or to be used with the rice dumping opening 9a positioned on the bed of a truck outside the traveling body 3. That is, the discharge auger 9 includes a lifting cylinder 92 as a lifting mechanism and a lever plate 930, a first connecting arm 931, a second connecting arm 932, etc. as a lever mechanism, and rotates together with the lifting mechanism and the lever mechanism around the vertical feed auger.

In order to prevent the discharge auger 9, lifting cylinder 92, and elevator frame 93 from colliding with the grain tank 7 as the discharge auger 9 rotates, a recess 77 is formed in the grain tank 7. The recess 77 in the grain tank 7 is formed in the upper rear end of the grain tank 7. In other words, the recess 77 is a clearance portion formed in the grain tank 7 along the rotation path of the discharge auger 9 centered on the vertical feed auger 8 and the rotation path (rotation path) of the lifting cylinder 92 and elevator frame 93.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the recess 77 in this embodiment is formed by cutting out the upper rear corner of the grain tank 7, which is formed by the rear side wall 702, left side wall 703, right side wall 704, and upper side wall 705, in a rectangular shape when viewed from the side of the grain tank 7 and across the entire width, giving the grain tank 7 an outer shape with a convex front and a concave rear, and forming a flat rear step 770 at the upper rear end of the grain tank 7.

The upper wall 705 has a first flat portion 705a that is mostly flat on the front side, a first inclined wall portion 705b that is gently inclined rearward and downward from the first flat portion 705a, a second inclined wall portion 705c that is steeply inclined rearward and downward from the first inclined wall portion 705b, and a second flat portion 705d that is flat rearward and horizontally from the second inclined wall portion 705c, and has a front convex shape and a rear concave shape in side view.

The left side wall 703 and the right side wall 704 each have an upper edge that connects to both side edges of the upper wall 705 and has a front convex shape and a rear concave shape that follows the shape of both side edges of the upper wall 705 in a side view. The second flat surface 705d is supported by the left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731, and forms a horizontal flat surface of the rear step 770 as the recess 77.

The left side wall 703, right side wall 704, and upper wall 705 are fixed to the skeleton frame 73 as described above. In particular, the left rear vertical frame 730 and right rear vertical frame 731, which support the upper wall 705 and rear wall 702, support the second flat portion 705d of the upper wall 705 from below to form the rear step portion 770, as shown in FIG. 6. This allows the discharge auger 9, lifting cylinder 92, and lever frame 93 to rotate smoothly without the grain tank 7 acting as an obstacle.

[3. Outline of the remote monitoring system]
Next, the electrical configuration of the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 provided in the combine harvester 1 of this embodiment will be described. The remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are components of a remote monitoring system A. As shown in Fig. 11, the remote monitoring system A includes the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 respectively assigned to and mounted on one or more combine harvesters 1, a management server A4 connected to the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 via a communication network A3, and one or more user terminals A6 connected to the management server A4 via a network A5.

The remote monitoring terminal 100 acquires the location information and operation information of the combine harvester. The operation information acquired by the remote monitoring terminal 100 includes information related to engine operation such as the start and stop times of the engine 10, vehicle speed, and engine RPM, as well as the start and stop times of each part linked to the engine (the traveling part 2, the harvesting part 4, the threshing part 5, the sorting part 6, the grain tank 7, the vertical feed auger 8, and the discharge auger 9, etc.).

The antenna 200 incorporates a GNSS antenna A20 that receives radio waves (GNSS signals) from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites, and a communication network antenna A21 that transmits and receives signals to and from the communication network A3.

The communication network A3 may be, for example, a wireless network, such as a public line network used by a telecommunications carrier, or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) that uses radio waves.

The management server A4 is installed in an information management facility such as a center that performs remote monitoring, and receives operation information and location information from the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200, and processes and stores the information. The management server A4 is connected to the user terminal A6 via a network A5 such as a LAN or the Internet.

The user terminal A6 is installed, for example, in an information management facility where the management server A4 is installed or in other locations. The user terminal A6 is configured as a personal computer, tablet computer, mobile terminal, or the like that can be operated by a manager who keeps track of the operating status and location of the combine harvester 1.

The information stored in the management server A4 is read and used by the remote monitoring terminal 100, antenna 200, and user terminal A6, which are communicatively connected to the central management server A4, either or both.

Next, the electrical configuration of the remote monitoring terminal 100 mounted on the combine harvester 1 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 12, the remote monitoring terminal 100 includes a communication unit A10, a position detection unit A11, a position information storage unit A12, and a control unit A13. The remote monitoring terminal 100 may further include a display unit A14 such as a liquid crystal panel and an operation unit A15 such as a touch panel that are externally connected to the control unit A13.

The remote monitoring terminal 100 is connected to a control device A16 that controls the combine harvester. The control device A16 controls the electrical system of the combine harvester 1, including the engine 10. The control device A16 is connected to the control unit A13 of the remote monitoring terminal 100, and inputs and outputs the operating status of the engine 10 and other components to the remote monitoring terminal 100 as operating information.

The communication unit A10 is capable of communicating with the communication unit A40 of the management server A4 using the same communication protocol as the communication unit A40 of the management server A4 via the communication network antenna A21 of the antenna 200. The communication unit A10 transmits the location information and operation information acquired by the control unit A13 to the management server A4 via the communication network antenna A21 of the antenna 200, and receives information related to work from the management server A4.

The position detection unit A11 detects the current location, vehicle speed, and direction information of the combine harvester 1 based on the GNSS signal from the GNSS satellites received by the GNSS antenna A20 of the antenna 200. In other words, the position information detected by the position detection unit A11 includes the longitude and latitude of the combine harvester 1, as well as information on the vehicle speed and traveling direction.

The location information storage unit A12 is made up of a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and temporarily stores the location information detected by the location detection unit A11 via the control unit A13. The information in the location information storage unit A12 is transmitted as location information from the antenna 200 to the management server A4.

The control unit A13 has a processing unit A130 consisting of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit A131 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, or a flash memory. The control unit A13 controls the operation of various components by having the processing unit A130 read and execute a control program prestored in the ROM of the storage unit A131 onto the RAM of the storage unit A131. Specifically, the control unit A13 transmits and receives information during communication, controls various input/output operations, and controls arithmetic processing. The storage unit A131 also stores map information.

The control unit A13 controls input to accept input (instructions) from the operation unit A15. The control unit A13 controls output to display information received from the management server A4 on the display unit A14. This allows the operator to check the information managed by the management server A4 on the combine 1.

Next, the electrical configuration of the management server A4 will be described in more detail. The management server A4 is, for example, a desktop personal computer, and as shown in FIG. 13, includes a communication unit A40 and a control unit A41. A display unit A42 such as a liquid crystal panel and an operation unit A43 such as a keyboard are externally connected to the control unit A41 of the management server A4.

The communication unit A40 has a first communication unit A400 and a second communication unit A401. The first communication unit A400 is capable of communicating with the communication unit A10 of the remote monitoring terminal 100 using the same communication protocol. The first communication unit A400 receives position information and operation information of the combine harvester 1 from the remote monitoring terminal 100, and transmits information related to work and update information related to the control of the combine harvester 1 to the remote monitoring terminal 100.

The second communication unit A401 is capable of communicating with the communication unit A60 of the user terminal A6 using the same communication protocol. The second communication unit A401 transmits the position information and operation information of the combine harvester 1, as well as other information such as daily reports, to the user terminal A6.

The control unit A41 has a processing unit A410 consisting of a microcomputer such as a CPU, and a storage unit A411 such as a ROM, RAM, a hard disk drive, or a flash memory. The control unit A41 transmits and receives information during communication, controls various input/output operations, and controls arithmetic processing by having the processing unit A410 read out and execute a control program prestored in the ROM of the storage unit A411 onto the RAM of the storage unit A411. The storage unit A411 also stores map information, location information, and operation information.

The processing unit A410 generates a daily work report based on the position information and operation information of the combine harvester 1 received from the remote monitoring terminal 100, and stores it in the memory unit A411. The output control of the control unit A41 causes the daily work report stored in the memory unit A411 to be sent to the user terminal A6, and also causes information regarding the work to be sent to the remote monitoring terminal 100. The input control of the control unit A41 also causes input from the operation unit A43 to be accepted. This allows the operator at the remote monitoring center to propose an optimal maintenance plan while understanding the condition of the combine harvester 1.

Next, the electrical configuration of the user terminal A6 will be described in more detail. The user terminal A6 is, for example, a desktop personal computer, and as shown in FIG. 14, includes a communication unit A60 and a control unit A61. A display unit A62 such as a liquid crystal panel and an operation unit A63 such as a keyboard are connected to the control unit A61 of the user terminal A6. Note that the display unit A62 and the operation unit A63 may be included in the user terminal A6 (for example, a notebook personal computer).

The communication unit A60 can communicate with the second communication unit A401 of the management server A4 using the same communication protocol. The communication unit A60 receives daily work reports and maintenance plans from the management server A4.

The control unit A61 has a processing unit A610 consisting of a microcomputer such as a CPU, and a storage unit A611 such as a ROM, RAM, hard disk drive, flash memory, etc. The control unit A61 transmits and receives information during communication, controls various input/output operations, and controls arithmetic processing by having the processing unit A610 read out and execute a control program prestored in the ROM of the storage unit A611 onto the RAM of the storage unit A611.

The control unit A61 controls the output so that the daily work report and maintenance plan received from the management server A4 are displayed on the display unit A62. The control unit A61 also controls the input so that input is accepted from the operation unit A63. This allows the user (the manager of the combine harvester 1) to access the management server A4 and edit, for example, the daily work report.

[4. Configuration of remote monitoring terminal, antenna, and support member]
Next, a detailed description will be given of the configurations of the remote monitoring terminal 100, the antenna 200, and the support member 300 that supports them. The remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are arranged in close proximity to each other on various members that configure the combine harvester 1, such as the cabin 12 and the grain tank 7.

In particular, the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 of this embodiment are configured to be attached to the combine harvester 1 via a support member 300, as shown in Figures 15 to 18. In other words, the remote monitoring terminal 100, the antenna 200, and the support member 300 that supports them constitute an antenna unit 400.

The remote monitoring terminal 100 is attached to the lower part of the support member 300. As shown in Figs. 16 to 18(b), the remote monitoring terminal 100 has a hollow, flat housing 110, an electronic board (not shown) that is housed inside the housing 110 and acquires position information and operation information of the combine harvester 1, and a connection part 120 that is formed on one end surface of the housing 110 and connects to the antenna 200 and the control device A16 via a harness.

As shown in Figures 18(a) and 18(b), the housing 110 has rectangular upper and lower portions 111 and 112, strip-shaped left and right portions 113 and 114 that extend longitudinally between the left and right sides of the upper and lower portions 111 and 112, respectively, and strip-shaped front and rear portions 115 and 116 that extend transversely between the front and rear sides of the upper and lower portions 111 and 112, respectively.

The upper and lower sections 111, 112, the left and right sections 113, 114, and the front and rear sections 115, 116 are each made of, for example, waterproof resin plate material, and are connected to each other at their edges in a watertight manner to form the housing 110.

The rear side portion 116 can be attached to and detached from an opening (not shown) formed by the upper side portion 111, the lower side portion 112, the left side portion 113, and the right side portion 114, allowing the electronic board to be inserted and removed from inside the housing 110. The rear side portion 116 also forms a connection portion 120 that has multiple openings formed on its plate surface to allow access from the outside to the electronic board stored inside the housing 110. In other words, the rear side portion 116 forms the cut surface of the housing 110 and also forms a connector surface that has the connection portion 120 with the antenna 200 and the control device A16.

As shown in Figures 18(a) and 18(b), the connection section 120 is made up of two antenna connection ports 121 into which an antenna connection plug 202 provided at one end of a harness 201 that connects to an antenna 200 at the other end is inserted, and a control device connection port 122 into which a control device connection plug 102 provided at the other end of a harness 101 that connects to a control device A16 at one end is inserted.

In other words, the antenna harness 201 that connects the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 is a component of the antenna unit 400, extends a short distance between the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200, and is supported below the roof section 310 by the support member 300 together with the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200.

The antenna connection port 121 and the control device connection port 122 are arranged side by side at a fixed interval in the longitudinal direction in the vertical center of the rear side portion 116. In the rear side portion 116, the control device connection port 122 is formed as one opening in the center of the plate surface, and the antenna connection ports 121 are formed as two openings on the left and right sides of the plate surface, each of which is formed as an opening that communicates with the interior.

The remote monitoring terminal 100 also has a connection lamp 130 for visually checking the operating status of the remote monitoring terminal 100. In this embodiment, three connection lamps 130 are provided on the rear wall 702 of the housing 110, located near the lower side of the connection section 120. This makes it possible to check the connection status between the internal electronic board and the antenna 200 and the control device A16, and whether the operating status of the remote monitoring terminal 100 is normal or abnormal.

As shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the housing 110 has a number of fixing parts 117 that protrude outward from the lower part 112 beyond the left part 113 and the right part 114. The fixing parts 117 are protruding pieces that extend outward from the lower part 112 of the housing 110 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 110. In a plan view of the housing 110, there are two fixing parts 117 at a regular interval at the front and rear of the housing 110, for a total of four fixing parts 117 that are symmetrical on the left and right sides.

The fixing portion 117 of the housing 110 has an insertion hole 117a through which a fastening member 117b such as a bolt is inserted. In other words, the remote monitoring terminal 100 can be attached to a predetermined position of the grain tank 7 or the support member 300 by the fastening member 117b inserted into the insertion hole 117a of the fixing portion 117.

The antenna 200 is attached to the upper part of the support member 300. As shown in Figs. 15 to 18(b), the antenna 200 is configured with a small antenna terminal covered by a waterproof antenna cover 210. The antenna cover 210 is hollow and has a roughly truncated cone shape, and houses an antenna element (not shown) inside as a small antenna terminal that transmits and receives position information and operation information to and from the management server A4. The antenna 200 has a harness 201 that extends downward from the bottom of the antenna cover 210 and is connected to the internal antenna element.

In detail, the antenna 200 has a cylindrical fixing part 220 that is vertically attached to the center of the bottom of the approximately truncated cone shape of the antenna cover 210. The fixing part 220 has a cylindrical hole that communicates with the antenna cover 210 from below, and serves as an insertion hole through which the harness 201 is inserted.

The fixing part 220 is composed of a cylindrical bolt part (not shown) that is inserted into the insertion hole 311 of the support member 300 for fixing, a washer 220a that fits loosely into the insertion part, and a fixing nut 220b that screws onto the bolt part. The insertion hole 311 is formed by cutting out a roughly oval shape from the front edge of the roof part 310 to the rear side at the front left corner of the roof part 310 in a plan view.

The antenna 200 is attached to the support member 300 by loosely fitting the washer 220a into the bolt portion inserted into the insertion hole 311, and then screwing and tightening the fixing nut 220b, sandwiching the roof portion 310 between the bottom of the antenna cover 210 and the fixing nut 220b from above and below. This allows the antenna 200 to be installed in the front and left part of the roof portion 310 of the support member 300.

The support member 300 is a member that unitizes the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 and supports the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 in a centralized and integrated manner at a predetermined position on the combine harvester 1.

As shown in Figures 18(a) and 18(b), the support member 300 is a stay steel material that is hat-shaped in cross section with the front, rear and bottom open, and has a roof section 310 to which the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 are attached, a left support section 320 and a right support section 330 that support the roof section 310 from below at both ends, and a left fixing section 340 and a right fixing section 350 that are connected to the lower ends of the left support section 320 and the right support section 330 and fix them to a predetermined position on the combine harvester 1.

In other words, when the support member 300 is attached to the combine harvester 1 using the left fixing portion 340 and the right fixing portion 350 as mounting portions, the roof portion 310, the left supporting portion 320, and the right supporting portion 330 form a certain space inside together with the mounting surface of the combine harvester 1, and form a front opening 300a and a rear opening 300b on the front and rear sides. The inner space when the support member 300 is attached to the combine harvester 1 functions as a terminal arrangement space in which the remote monitoring terminal 100 is arranged. In addition, the mounting surface of the combine harvester 1 that forms the terminal arrangement space together with the support member 300 is the upper surface of the second flat portion 705d that forms the lower surface of the recess 77.

The left fixing part 340 and the right fixing part 350 correspond to the flanges of the hat-shaped stay steel, and are horizontal band-shaped parts that extend outward from the lower ends of the left support part 320 and the right support part 330 in a generally horizontal manner, with the longitudinal direction being the front-to-rear direction. The distance between the left fixing part 340 and the right fixing part 350 (the distance between the left support part 320 and the right support part 330, which face each other in parallel to the left and right) is set to be equal to the distance d2 between the left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731 of the skeleton frame 73 of the grain tank 7 described above, as shown in FIG. 20.

As shown in FIG. 16, the left fixing part 340 and the right fixing part 350 each have a plurality of (three in this embodiment) through-holes 340a, 350a formed therethrough. Fastening members 340b, 350b such as bolts are inserted into the through-holes 340a, 350a, respectively, and the support member 300 is fixed to a predetermined position on the combine 1 by tightening the fastening members 340b, 350b.

The left support part 320 and the right support part 330 correspond to the web parts of the hat-shaped stay steel, and are vertical strip-shaped parts that extend downward at right angles from the left and right edges of the roof part 310 and have the longitudinal direction in the front-to-rear direction. The left support part 320 and the right support part 330 form both side walls of the support member 300 that face each other.

The roof section 310 is a flat plate portion having a rectangular shape in a plan view, which corresponds to the web portion of the hat-shaped stay steel material, and the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are attached near the front opening 300a. In other words, the support member 300 has the remote monitoring terminal 100 attached to the lower surface 310a of the roof section 310, and the antenna 200 attached to the upper surface 310b of the roof section 310. In this way, the support member 300 has the roof section 310 spaced above the second flat surface section 705d as a support surface portion for the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200, and the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are attached to the lower and upper sides of the roof section 310, respectively.

As shown in Figures 15 to 17, the antenna 200 is attached to the front and left part of the roof part 310 by fixing the fixing part 220, and stands up on the upper surface 310b of the roof part 310. The mounting position of the antenna 200 on the support member 300 is not particularly limited as long as it is a position where the antenna 200 stands up on the upper surface 310b of the support member 300.

The remote monitoring terminal 100 is attached to the front and center of the roof portion 310 by the fixing portion 117, and is vertically installed on the underside 310a of the roof portion 310. The attachment position of the remote monitoring terminal 100 to the support member 300 is not particularly limited as long as it is within the surface range of the underside 310a of the roof portion 310.

The remote monitoring terminal 100 of this embodiment is arranged on the support member 300 in such a way that the left-right symmetrical axis C1 extending in the front-rear direction at the center of the width of the remote monitoring terminal 100 overlaps at the same position as the left-right symmetrical line extending in the center of the width of the support member 300 (roof portion 310) in the width direction, as shown in FIG. 18(a). Also, the remote monitoring terminal 100 is arranged on the support member 300 in such a way that the front end overlaps the front end of the support member 300 in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 18(a).

In detail, the remote monitoring terminal 100 is positioned such that the front side portion 115 is close to the front drainage portion 360 in the fore-and-aft direction, the rear side portion 116 faces rearward and is positioned approximately in the center of the fore-and-aft direction of the support member 300, and the connection portion 120 is positioned in the center of the space inside the support member 300. In other words, the remote monitoring terminal 100 is positioned such that the rear side portion 116, which is the cut surface, overlaps with the fore-and-aft symmetrical axis C2 extending in the fore-and-aft center of the roof portion 310 in a plan view, thereby positioning the connection portion 120 at the rear side of the support member 300.

At such an attachment position of the remote monitoring terminal 100 to the support member 300, the remote monitoring terminal 100 is vertically mounted on the underside 310a of the roof portion 310 via multiple (four in this embodiment) terminal support parts 312 vertically mounted at positions corresponding to each fixed part 117 of the remote monitoring terminal 100.

As shown in FIG. 16, the terminal support part 312 is a cylindrical member of approximately the same length as the thickness of the remote monitoring terminal 100, and is composed of, for example, a high nut or boss that faces downward in the cylindrical axis direction from the lower surface 310a. The upper end of the terminal support part 312 is fixed to the lower surface 310a of the roof part 310 by welding or the like. The lower end of the terminal support part 312 abuts against the fixing part 117, and a fastening member 117b such as a bolt is inserted into the cylindrical hole 312a from below and tightened, thereby supporting the remote monitoring terminal 100 hanging down from the lower surface 310a.

The remote monitoring terminal 100 is supported by hanging down from the underside 310a of the roof portion 310 of the support member 300 via the terminal support portion 312, forming a certain clearance space S between the mounting surface of the combine harvester 1 (see FIG. 18(b)).

Specifically, the clearance space S is the gap between the lower part 112 of the housing 110 of the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the second flat surface part 705d of the recess 77. In other words, the thickness of the support member 300 (the height of the left support part 320 and the right support part 330) is formed to be thicker (higher) than the thickness of the remote monitoring terminal 100 when attached to the combine harvester 1. This makes it possible to prevent the remote monitoring terminal 100 from becoming flooded even if rainwater or the like accumulates on the second flat surface part 705d.

The support member 300 also has a front drain 360 and a rear drain 370 to allow rainwater and agricultural water to drain away and prevent water from entering the remote monitoring terminal 100 attached to the underside 310a.

The front drain 360 and the rear drain 370 are strip-shaped flanges that protrude downward from the front and rear edges of the roof 310 and extend in the left-right direction. The front drain 360 and the rear drain 370 protrude into the front opening 300a and the rear opening 300b, respectively, when the support member 300 is attached to the combine 1, and cover approximately the upper half of the front opening 300a and the rear opening 300b.

The front water drain 360 is formed on the front edge of the roof 310, excluding the portion (left front edge) where the insertion hole 311 in which the antenna 200 is arranged is formed. The rear water drain 370 is formed on the rear edge of the roof 310, excluding the outlet 380 of the harness 101 of the remote monitoring terminal 100, which will be described later. This drains water that accumulates on the upper surface 310b of the roof 310 of the support member 300 and attempts to enter the inside of the lower surface 310a along the front and rear edges, preventing the connection portion 120 of the remote monitoring terminal 100 from getting wet.

The front drain section 360 and the rear drain section 370 can also be bent from the front and rear edges of the roof section 310 toward the inside of the support member 300 at a predetermined angle, so that the surfaces that connect to the upper surface 310b of the roof section 310 can be formed into tapered surfaces.

The outlet 380 of the harness 101 is an opening formed in the rear corner of the support member 300. The outlet 380 is formed by cutting out the rear end of the left support part 320.

As shown in Figs. 16 to 18(a), the remote monitoring terminal 100 has a first harness section 101a that is supported by the support member 300 together with the remote monitoring terminal 100. In other words, the harness 101 that connects the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the control device A16 has at least a first harness section 101a that connects to the remote monitoring terminal 100 side and a second harness section 101b that connects to the control device A16 side. The first harness section 101a and the second harness section 101b are connected via a terminal side coupler 103 and a control side coupler 104 that are provided at each end and engage with each other.

As shown in FIG. 16, the support member 300 has a coupler fixing portion 390 at a predetermined position on the underside 310a that fixes the terminal side coupler 103 provided in the middle of the harness 101. The coupler fixing portion 390 is formed in the rear and left part (rear left corner) of the underside 310a of the roof portion 310, near the exit portion 380 of the harness 101.

The coupler fixing section 390 is an adhesive fixing section that positions the terminal side coupler 103 on the underside 310a of the roof section 310, inside the rear drainage section 370, with the connection surface of the terminal side coupler 103 facing the left exit section 380, and is attached to the upper surface of the terminal side coupler 103 with an adhesive means such as adhesive or double-sided tape. The connection surface of the terminal side coupler 103 with the control side coupler 104 is positioned inside the exit section 380.

This prevents the connection parts, such as the first harness part 101a and the terminal side coupler 103, which are connected to the remote monitoring terminal 100 installed on the combine harvester 1 via the support member 300, from getting wet without being exposed to the outside. In addition, the control side coupler 104 of the second harness part 101b can be easily connected to the connection surface of the terminal side coupler 103, which is located inside the outlet part 380 of the harness 101.

In this way, the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are mounted integrally on the common support member 300 and unitized to form the antenna unit 400. This allows maintenance work for the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 to be completed in one place, improving maintainability as well as simplifying the handling of the harness. In particular, the antenna harness 201 that connects the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 is supported by the support member 300 together with the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 to form a unit, eliminating the need to handle the antenna harness 201.

In other words, there is no need to perform layout work for individual components, such as the work of positioning and fixing the remote monitoring terminal 100 on the combine harvester 1, the work of positioning and fixing the antenna 200, and the work of routing and arranging the harnesses 101 and 201 of the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200, and the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 can be positioned close to each other and arranged together simply by placing and fixing the support member 300 at a predetermined position on the combine harvester 1, thereby improving work efficiency.

[5. Layout configuration of remote monitoring terminal and antenna for combine harvester]
Next, the layout configuration of the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna on the combine will be described in detail. As described above, the layout configuration of the antenna unit 400 is not limited as long as the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200, which are unitized by the support member 300, are located nearby and arranged on various members that constitute the combine 1. In this embodiment, the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are located nearby each other on the same plane outside the grain tank 7. In this embodiment, the combine 1 on which the antenna unit 400 is mounted may be a so-called self-detaching type.

The support member 300 of the antenna unit 400 is located in a rear step 770 serving as a recess 77 formed in the upper rear end of the grain tank 7, and is integrally connected and fixed to the skeleton frame 73 of the grain tank 7.

In this embodiment, the same plane on the outside of the grain tank 7 on which the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are provided is the second flat surface 705d. In detail, the support member 300 is arranged in the widthwise center of the second flat surface 705d, which forms the upper surface of the rear step 770, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8. In addition, the support member 300 is arranged in the front-rear direction, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, with the front opening 300a and the rear opening 300b facing in the front-rear direction, so that the opening surface of the rear opening 300b is approximately flush with the rear wall 702 of the grain tank 7. The position of the support member 300 on the rear step 770 may be such that the support member 300 is generally within the plane of the recess 77 (within the front-rear width and left-right width of the second flat surface 705d) in a plan view. As a result, the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 supported by the support member 300 are positioned in the recess 77.

At the position of the recess 77 of the grain tank 7, the left fixing portion 340 and the right fixing portion 350 of the support member 300 are abutted against the left rear vertical frame 730 and the right rear vertical frame 731, respectively, and fixed by fastening members 340b and 350b. In other words, the support member 300 is integrally mounted across the left horizontal portion 730a of the left rear vertical frame 730 and the right horizontal portion 731a of the right rear vertical frame 731 by the left fixing portion 340 and the right fixing portion 350 of the left and right flange portions, respectively, and the roof portion 310 in the center, the left support portion 320, the right support portion 330, and the mounting surface (the upper surface of the second flat portion 705d) form a dome-shaped space in which the remote monitoring terminal 100 is vertically installed.

In this way, the support member 300 is firmly fixed to the mounting surface of the skeletal frame, so that the remote monitoring terminal 100 can be prevented from accidentally shifting out of position or becoming detached due to the vibrations of various devices such as the engine 10 that operates the combine harvester 1, the threshing section 5, and the sorting section 6.

In particular, the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 are fixed to the roof portion 310 supported between the left support portion 320 and the right support portion 330 of the support member 300 so that they are raised above the mounting surfaces of various devices such as the upper wall 705 of the grain tank 7. Therefore, even if the various devices vibrate, the vibrations will not be directly transmitted to the remote monitoring terminal 100 or antenna 200.

The support member 300 flexes and deforms each part in the process of transmitting vibrations of various devices from the left fixing part 340 and the right fixing part 350 to the left supporting part 320 and the right supporting part 330, and from the left supporting part 320 and the right supporting part 330 to the roof part 310, ultimately attenuating the vibrations transmitted to the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200.

In other words, the support member 300 directly receives and attenuates the vibrations of various devices, preventing malfunctions in the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200. Furthermore, even if a malfunction occurs in the remote monitoring terminal 100 or the antenna 200, the layout is such that the terminal is located at the upper rear end of the grain tank 7 via the support member 300, making it easy for maintenance workers to access them, further improving maintainability.

The support member 300 also has a rear side 116 on which the connection part 120 and connection lamp 130 of the remote monitoring terminal 100 supported on the underside 310a are provided, which is provided at a predetermined position on the grain tank 7 that is visible from the rear of the combine harvester 1, as shown in Figures 19(a) and 19(b). In this embodiment, the support member 300 is disposed on the grain tank 7 with the rear side 116 facing rearward in the fore-and-aft direction of the traveling body 3.

This allows the worker to easily install the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 on the combine harvester 1, as well as perform maintenance work such as checking whether the installed remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 are operating normally.

The support member 300 is further provided in the grain tank 7, positioned in front of the vertical feed auger 8. Specifically, the support member 300 is disposed in the recess 77 of the grain tank 7 with the opening surface of the rear opening 300b facing the vertical auger pipe 80.

More specifically, the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 supported by the support member 300 are positioned in the recess 77 of the grain tank 7 below the rotation trajectory and lifting trajectory (rotating lifting path) of the lifting cylinder 92 as a lifting mechanism and the elevator frame 93 as an elevator mechanism, which raise and lower the discharge auger 9 at the upper end of the vertical feed auger 8 and rotate integrally with the discharge auger 9 around the vertical feed auger 8.

In other words, the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are positioned with a clearance space above between the upper wall 705 of the grain tank 7 and the rotation path formed by the lifting cylinder 92 and the lever frame 93 that rotate together with the discharge auger 9. The vertical distance between the lower end of the rotating lifting cylinder 92 and the upper wall 705 of the grain tank 7 is longer than the height formed by the support member 300 and the antenna 200. The antenna 200 erected on the upper surface 310b of the support member 300 is positioned outside the rotation path of the vertical feed auger 8 and in front of the recess 77.

In other words, the antenna 200, which is supported upright on the upper surface 310b of the support member 300, is positioned in the recess 77 of the grain tank 7 with ample space, below the rotation path of the lift cylinder 92, which assumes an upright or tilted position as it is lifted and lowered, in the vertical direction, and outside the rotation path of the lift cylinder 92 in the front-rear direction, as shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b).

Therefore, above the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 placed in the recess 77 of the grain tank 7 via the support member 300, the discharge auger 9 that rotates around the vertical feed auger 8, and the lifting cylinder 92 and elevator frame 93 that rotate together with the discharge auger 9, can be smoothly rotated without interfering with the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200.

In this way, by arranging the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 in the grain tank 7 via the support member 300, the lifting cylinder 92 as a lifting mechanism that rotates integrally with the discharge auger 9 around the vertical feed auger 8 and the elevator frame 93 as an elevator mechanism can be prevented from colliding with the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200 supported by the support member 300, thereby preventing malfunctions in the remote monitoring terminal 100 and antenna 200.

The antenna unit 400, which is an integrated unit configuration in which the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are supported by the support member 300, is positioned, in the left-right direction, mostly within the range of the outer diameter d1 of the vertical auger pipe 80, as shown in FIG. 20.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 20, the antenna unit 400 is arranged so that the left and right edges of the roof portion 310 of the support member 300, the left support portion 320 and the right support portion 330, and the left fixing portion 340 and the right fixing portion 350 are exposed on both the left and right sides from the vertical auger pipe 80 in rear view. Therefore, the remote monitoring terminal 100 attached to the left and right center of the roof portion 310 is positioned entirely within the range of the outer diameter d1 of the vertical auger pipe 80 in the left-right direction. In other words, the remote monitoring terminal 100 is arranged so that the entire housing 110 overlaps the vertical auger pipe 80 in rear view.

In this way, by locating the antenna unit in front of the vertical auger pipe 80 of the vertical feed auger 8, the antenna unit can be located closer to the vertical auger pipe 80, which makes it easier to route the harness 101 and prevents the harness 101 from slackening or pulling in a configuration in which the grain tank 7 rotates outwardly to the left and right (right side) around the axis of the vertical auger pipe 80. In addition, the harness 101 can be taken out from the antenna unit 400 to the rear side of the grain tank 7, that is, to the rotation fulcrum side of the discharge auger 9, which makes it easier to route and install the harness 101 behind the combine 1.

The remote monitoring terminal 100, antenna 200, and support member 300 that constitute the antenna unit may be arranged so that at least a portion of each is positioned within the range of the outer diameter d1 of the vertical auger pipe 80 in the left-right direction. In other words, each of the components of the remote monitoring terminal 100, antenna 200, and support member 300 may be arranged so that at least a portion of each overlaps with the vertical auger pipe 80 when viewed from the rear.

In addition, because the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 are unitized by the support member 300, the work of individually arranging and attaching the remote monitoring terminal 100 and the antenna 200 is eliminated, and the work of installing the harnesses 101 and 201 that connect to them is also eliminated, dramatically improving work efficiency.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the remote monitoring terminal and antenna can be centrally arranged in a predetermined position in the grain tank of the combine harvester, improving the ease of assembly and maintenance of the remote monitoring terminal and antenna.

In other words, with regard to the layout configuration of the remote monitoring terminals and antennas on the combine harvester that transmit the location information and operation information of the combine harvester to the management server, the remote monitoring terminals and antennas, which were previously placed separately, are now centrally supported by a common support member to form a unit, and the remote monitoring terminals and antennas can be placed together simply by attaching the support member to a specified location (one location) on the combine harvester, which has the effect of simplifying the installation work and improving maintainability.

The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Therefore, even if it is an embodiment other than the above-described embodiment, various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical idea of the present invention. Furthermore, the effects described in this disclosure are merely examples and are not limited, and other effects may also be present.

The present technology can have the following configurations (1) to (6).
(1) a grain tank for storing grains;
A remote monitoring terminal that acquires location information and operation information of the combine harvester;
An antenna that transmits the position information and operation information of the combine acquired by the remote monitoring terminal to a management server,
A combine harvester, characterized in that the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna are provided adjacent to each other on the same plane outside the grain tank.
(2) The combine harvester according to (1) above, characterized in that the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna are attached to the grain tank via a support member.
(3) The combine harvester according to (2), characterized in that the remote monitoring terminal is attached to a lower part of the support member and the antenna is attached to an upper part of the support member.
(4) A vertical feed auger is provided behind the grain tank, and a discharge auger is provided that rotates around the vertical feed auger.
The grain tank has a recess,
The combine harvester according to any one of (1) to (3), characterized in that the support member is arranged in the recess.
(5) The combine harvester according to (4), characterized in that the recess is formed behind the grain tank.
(6) The combine harvester according to any one of (2) to (5), characterized in that the support member is located in front of the vertical feed auger.

1 Combine 7 Grain tank 77 Recess 705 Upper wall 705d Second flat portion 8 Vertical feed auger 9 Discharge auger 100 Remote monitoring terminal 200 Antenna 300 Support member 310a Lower portion (lower surface) of support member
310b Upper part (upper surface) of support member
A4 Management Server

Claims (6)

A grain tank for storing grains;
A remote monitoring terminal that acquires location information and operation information of the combine harvester;
An antenna that transmits the position information and operation information of the combine acquired by the remote monitoring terminal to a management server,
A combine harvester, characterized in that the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna are provided on the same plane outside the grain tank. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the remote monitoring terminal and the antenna are attached to the grain tank via a support member. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , wherein the remote monitoring terminal is attached to a lower part of the support member and the antenna is attached to an upper part of the support member. A vertical feed auger is provided behind the grain tank, and a discharge auger is provided that rotates around the vertical feed auger.
The grain tank has a recess,
The combine harvester according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support member is disposed in the recess. The combine harvester according to claim 4, wherein the recess is formed behind the grain tank. The combine harvester according to claim 5 , wherein the support member is located in front of the vertical feed auger.

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