Automatic driving assistance system and automatic driving assistance method

Abstract

To provide an automatic driving assistance system and method for an excavator that can realize automation of earthwork.SOLUTION: An excavation data acquisition part (120) acquires excavation data indicating an excavation area and an excavation depth on a ground surface (4). A small working space generation part (130) divides an underground space up to the excavation depth in the excavation area into multiple small working spaces (B) based on the excavation data, and calculates a position of each small working space (B). An excavation small working space selection part (150) selects one or more excavation small working spaces (B1, B2) that can be excavated by the an excavator (3) from the multiple small working spaces (B) based on a working position of the excavator (3). An excavation small working space data output part (160) outputs excavation small working space data indicating the respective positions of the one or more excavation small working spaces (B1, B2) selected by the excavation small working space selection part (150).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic driving assistance system and an automatic driving assistance method that can be used to operate an excavation machine such as a backhoe. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been progress in the development of automated driving technology for excavation machinery such as backhoes. For example, there are known attempts to automate the operation of a backhoe, which takes soil and sand from a designated location into a bucket, rotates the arm, and dumps the soil onto the bed of a dump truck while monitoring the work status with various measuring devices. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Current automatic driving technology for excavating machines is insufficient for carrying out earthworks according to a pre-designed plan, such as excavating a hole of any depth in any area.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving support system and method for an excavating machine that can realize the automation of earthworks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The autonomous driving assistance system according to the present disclosure is characterized by including: excavation data acquisition means for acquiring excavation data indicating an excavation area and excavation depth on the ground surface; position acquisition means for acquiring the work position of an excavating machine; small work space generation means for dividing the underground space in the excavation area up to the excavation depth into a plurality of small work spaces based on the excavation data and calculating the position of each of the small work spaces; excavation small work space selection means for selecting one or more excavation small work spaces that can be excavated by the excavating machine from the plurality of small work spaces based on the work position of the excavating machine; and data output means for outputting excavation small work space data indicating the positions of each of the one or more excavation small work spaces selected by the excavation small work space selection means. This makes it possible to instruct the excavating machine of the positions on the ground surface that the excavating machine can excavate from a real-world position corresponding to the acquired work position.

[0006] The autonomous driving assistance method according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: an excavation data acquisition means acquiring excavation data indicating an excavation area and excavation depth on the ground surface; a position acquisition means acquiring the work position of an excavation machine; a small work space generation means dividing the underground space up to the excavation depth in the excavation area into a plurality of small work spaces based on the excavation data and calculating the position of each of the small work spaces; an excavation small work space selection means selecting one or more excavation small work spaces that can be excavated by the excavation machine from the plurality of small work spaces based on the work position of the excavation machine; and a data output means outputting excavation small work space data indicating the positions of each of the one or more selected excavation small work spaces. This makes it possible to instruct the excavation machine, using a computer, on the positions on the ground surface that the excavation machine can excavate from real-world positions corresponding to the work position acquired using a computer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a work site of an excavation machine. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an autonomous driving assistance system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions implemented in the autonomous driving assistance system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a work site image. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view of the work site image. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the working position of an excavating machine in a work site image. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view of the work site image showing a small excavation work area that can be excavated by an excavation machine. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view of the work site image showing a small excavation work area that can be excavated by an excavation machine. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing details of an excavation time estimation unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of the automatic driving and its assistance processing executed by the automatic driving assistance system. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a performance update process executed in the automatic driving assistance system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the autonomous driving assistance system and the autonomous driving assistance method proposed in this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] [1. Work site] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a work site 2 where an excavating machine 3 is used. At the outdoor work site 2 shown in FIG. 1, the excavating machine 3 is placed on a ground surface 4. The excavating machine 3 is, for example, a backhoe (a so-called excavator), and is capable of excavating the ground surface 4 using a bucket 3a. The autonomous driving assistance system 1 proposed in the present disclosure can be used to automate earthworks in which the excavating machine 3 excavates the ground surface 4 at the work site 2 shown in FIG. 1.

[0010] [2. Hardware configuration] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the autonomous driving assistance system 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the autonomous driving assistance system 1 may include a first information processing device 10 and a second information processing device 20. The first information processing device 10 may be located in a remote location from the work site 2. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the second information processing device 20 may be located within the premises of the work site 2 or in a location from which a user can view the work site 2. The first information processing device 10 may be a computer such as a desktop personal computer, a server device, or a general-purpose computer. The second information processing device 20 may be a computer such as a laptop personal computer or a mobile terminal (e.g., a tablet terminal or a smartphone). The autonomous driving assistance system 1 may include information processing devices different from the first information processing device 10 and the second information processing device 20. The autonomous driving assistance system 1 may also include an excavator 3 located at the work site 2 and a topographical measurement device 5 (see FIG. 1), which will be described later.

[0011] 2, the first information processing device 10 may include a processor 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, a display unit 14, and an operation unit 15. The second information processing device 20 may include a processor 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, a display unit 24, and an operation unit 25. The excavating machine 3 may have a processor 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit 33. The first information processing device 10 and the second information processing device 20 may include an optical disc drive that reads optical discs, or a terminal for data input / output such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port.

[0012] The processors 11, 21, 31 may be program-controlled devices such as CPUs (Central Processing Units). The storage units 12, 22, 32 may be storage elements such as ROMs (Read Only Memory) and RAMs (Random Access Memory), solid-state drives, hard disk drives, etc. The storage unit 12 of the first information processing device 10 may store data such as programs executed by the processor 11. The storage unit 22 of the second information processing device 20 may store data such as programs executed by the processor 21. Furthermore, the storage unit 32 of the excavating machine 3 may store data such as programs executed by the processor 31.

[0013] The communication units 13, 23, 33 may be communication interfaces such as network boards. The communication units 13, 23, 33 may be capable of wired or wireless communication. The communication units 13, 23 may be capable of communication via a communication network such as the Internet. The display units 14, 24 may be display devices such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. The display unit 14 of the first information processing device 10 may display various images in accordance with instructions from the processor 11. Furthermore, the display unit 24 of the second information processing device 20 may display various images in accordance with instructions from the processor 21. The operation units 15, 25 may be input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or a game pad.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, a topographic measurement device 5 may be placed at a work site 2. The topographic measurement device 5 may have sensors such as a camera or LiDAR (light detection and ranging) to detect the topography of the work site 2, construction machinery such as an excavator 3, and obstacles (trees, rocks, rubble, buildings, and other objects that may hinder earthworks). The topographic measurement device 5 may also have a communication interface similar to the communication units 13, 23, and 33. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the topographic measurement device 5 is supported on the ground surface 4 by a tripod 5a. However, the topographic measurement device 5 may be fixed to a tangible object such as a pillar placed at the work site 2, or may be attached to a vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle) or a worker at the work site 2 so as to move above the ground surface 4.

[0015] [3. Functional Blocks] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of functions implemented in the automated driving assistance system 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the automated driving assistance system 1 may have, as its functions, a work site data acquisition unit 110, an excavation data acquisition unit 120, a small work space generation unit 130, a work position acquisition unit 140, an excavation small work space selection unit 150, an excavation possible range storage unit 160, an excavation small work space data output unit 170, an excavation time estimation unit 180, an operation control data generation unit 190, and an operation control unit 210. Note that the automated driving assistance system 1 does not necessarily have to implement all of the functions shown in Fig. 3, and functions other than the functions shown in Fig. 3 may also be implemented.

[0016] The work site data acquisition unit 110, the excavation data acquisition unit 120, the small work space generation unit 130, the work position acquisition unit 140, the excavation small work space selection unit 150, and the excavation small work space data output unit 170 may be realized mainly by the processor 11 of the first information processing device 10. These functions may be realized mainly by the processor 21 of the second information processing device 20.

[0017] The excavation range storage unit 160 may be realized mainly by the storage unit 12 of the first information processing device 10. This function may also be realized mainly by the storage unit 22 of the second information processing device 20.

[0018] Furthermore, the operation control data generation unit 190 may be realized mainly by the processor 21 of the second information processing device 20. This function may be realized mainly by the processor 11 of the first information processing device 10, or may be realized mainly by the processor 31 of the excavation machine 3. The operation control unit 210 may be realized mainly by the processor 31 of the excavation machine 3.

[0019] [3-1. Work site data acquisition section] The work site data acquisition unit 110 acquires work site data that indicates the work site 2 (see FIG. 1). The work site data acquisition unit 110 acquires data that indicates the position and shape of the ground surface 4 at the work site 2. In addition to the ground surface 4, the work site data acquisition unit 110 may acquire data that indicates the excavating machine 3, or may acquire data on tangible objects such as obstacles (not shown).

[0020] The work site data acquisition unit 110 may acquire, as work site data, data generated based on detection results from sensors such as a camera or LiDAR provided in the topographic measurement device 5. The data generated based on the detection results from the topographic measurement device 5 may include a position in a local coordinate system set for the work site 2 (e.g., a position in the front-to-back direction, a position in the left-to-right direction, and a position in the height direction in the local coordinate system) as data indicating the position and shape of the ground surface 4. In this case, the work site data acquisition unit 110 may convert the position in the local coordinate system of this data into a position in a survey coordinate system (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude). The converted data may then be acquired as work site data. Alternatively, the work site data acquisition unit 110 may acquire the position of the topographic measurement device 5 in the survey coordinate system and, based on this position, generate data indicating the relationship between the position in the local coordinate system and the position in the survey coordinate system. The work site data acquisition unit 110 may then acquire this data and data generated based on the detection results from the topographic measurement device 5 as work site data.

[0021] [3-2. Excavation data acquisition unit, small working space generation unit] The excavation data acquisition unit 120 acquires excavation data indicating an excavation area and an excavation depth on the ground surface 4. The excavation data sets that the excavation machine 3 will excavate an excavation area on the ground surface 4 and form a hole with a depth of the excavation depth. The excavation data acquisition unit 120 may acquire the excavation data indicating the excavation area and the excavation depth based on a user's operation on the operation unit 15 of the first information processing device 10 (or the operation unit 25 of the second information processing device 20). The excavation data acquisition unit 120 may display a work site image virtually showing the work site 2 on the display unit 14 of the first information processing device 10 (or the display unit 24 of the second information processing device 20) based on the work site data acquired by the work site data acquisition unit 110, and acquire the excavation data based on a user's operation on this work site image.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a work site image. The work site image 50 shown in FIG. 4 represents a virtual work site 2. The work site image 50 shown in FIG. 4 includes a virtual ground surface 54 that simulates the actual ground surface 4. The excavation data acquisition unit 120 may acquire an excavation area A by receiving a designation of an area on the ground surface 54 from the user. For example, the excavation data acquisition unit 120 may receive a selection of multiple positions P1 to P8 on the ground surface 54 from the user and acquire an area surrounded by boundaries along these positions P1 to P8 (for example, an area formed by connecting the positions P1 to P8 with straight lines) as the excavation area A. The excavation data acquisition unit 120 may also acquire an excavation depth D by receiving a designation of a numerical value indicating the excavation depth D in the excavation area A from the user. The excavation data acquisition unit 120 may display, in the work site image 50, an image showing an underground space S up to the excavation depth D in the excavation area A indicated in the excavation data.

[0023] Figure 5 is a partially enlarged view of the work site image 50 shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 5, the small work space generation unit 130 divides the underground space S up to an excavation depth D in the excavation area A into multiple small work spaces B based on the excavation data acquired by the excavation data acquisition unit 120. The small work space generation unit 130 then calculates the position of each divided small work space B. The small work space generation unit 130 may calculate a position in a survey coordinate system as the position of each small work space B. The small work space generation unit 130 may also calculate a position in a local coordinate system set in the work site 2 as the position of each small work space B.

[0024] The small working space generating unit 130 may generate multiple small working spaces B based on, for example, the volume of earth and sand that can be excavated at one time by the bucket 3a of the excavating machine 3 (see FIG. 1). The small working space generating unit 130 may set a range of the volume of each small working space B based on the volume of earth and sand that can be excavated at one time by the bucket 3a. The small working space generating unit 130 may then divide (generate) multiple small working spaces B so that the volume of each small working space B falls within the set volume range. The memory unit 12 (or the memory unit 22) may store the volume of earth and sand that can be excavated at one time by the bucket 3a. The small working space generating unit 130 may generate each small working space B so that the volume is larger than the volume of earth and sand that can be excavated at one time by the bucket 3a. The small working space generating unit 130 may also delete small working spaces B with a volume smaller than a predetermined volume. In this way, excavation work in a small space that is not suitable for the excavating machine 3 can be excluded from the work of that excavating machine 3.

[0025] If an obstacle is located in the excavation area A, the small working space generation unit 130 may divide the underground space S in the area of ​​the excavation area A that avoids the obstacle into multiple small working spaces B. In this way, the excavation small working space selection unit 150, which will be described later, can select a small working space B that is located so as to avoid the obstacle.

[0026] [3-3. Working position acquisition section] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the work position of the excavation machine 3 in the work site image 50 shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 6, the work position acquisition unit 140 acquires the work position P11 of the excavation machine 3. The work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire the work position P11 of the excavation machine 3, for example, by receiving from the user a designation of a position on the ground surface 54 in the work site image 50 shown in Fig. 6.

[0027] 6, the work position acquisition unit 140 may place a model 53 simulating an excavator 3 at a work position P11 in the work site image 50. The work position acquisition unit 140 may set the orientation of the model 53 so that the model 53 placed at the work position P11 faces the underground space S. The work position acquisition unit 140 may also correct the attitude of the model 53 based on the shape of the ground surface 54 (for example, the inclination of the ground surface 54).

[0028] Furthermore, the work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire the type of excavation machine 3 to be placed at the work position by receiving a selection of the type of excavation machine 3 from the user. The storage unit 12 (or storage unit 22) may store data in which the type of excavation machine 3 is associated one-to-one with its attribute information (for example, information indicating the excavable range described below and the volume of earth and sand that can be excavated at one time with the bucket 3a). The work position acquisition unit 140 may place a model 53 having a shape corresponding to the selected type of excavation machine 3 at the work position P11 in the work site image 50.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, the work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire a plurality of work positions P11 to P81 of the excavation machines 3. The work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire the plurality of work positions P11 to P81, for example, by receiving from the user specification of a plurality of positions on the ground surface 54 in the work site image 50. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of work positions P11 to P81 are located outside the excavation area A and surround the excavation area A. This is not a limitation, and at least one of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81 may be located inside the excavation area A. Furthermore, the work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire the work positions of two or more excavation machines 3. For example, the work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire work positions P11 to P41 as the work position of a first excavation machine 3, and acquire work positions P51 to P81 as the work position of a second excavation machine 3.

[0030] [3-4. Excavation small work space selection section, excavation possible range memory section] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an excavation small work area that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 in a partially enlarged view of the work site image 50 shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 7, the excavation small work space selection unit 150 selects an excavation small work space B1, which is one or more small work spaces B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3, from among a plurality of small work spaces B, based on the work position P11 acquired by the work position acquisition unit 140. If an obstacle is located in the excavation area A, the excavation small work space selection unit 150 may select a small work space B that is located in a position that avoids the obstacle as the excavation small work space B1.

[0031] The excavation small work space selection unit 150 may select one or more excavation small work spaces B1 based on the work position of the excavation machine 3 and an excavable range stored in an excavation range storage unit 160 described below. The excavation range storage unit 160 may store the excavation range of the excavation machine 3. The "excavation range" is the range that the excavation machine 3 can excavate with the bucket 3a without moving on the ground surface 4. The excavation range storage unit 160 may store the excavation range as attribute information associated with the type of excavation machine 3. The excavation range storage unit 160 may store an excavation range that becomes smaller as the depth increases.

[0032] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the excavable range R1 is shown as a range whose boundary is a circle (or a part of a sphere centered at the work position P11) along a horizontal plane (a plane along the X-axis and Y-axis in FIG. 7) centered at the work position P11. The excavation small work space selection unit 150 selects the small work space B included in the excavable range R1 as the excavation small work space B1. Here, the small work space B included in the excavable range R1 may mean that at least a portion of the small work space B (for example, N-percent of the small work space B: N is a natural number less than 10) is included in the excavable range R1, or it may mean that the entire small work space B is included in the excavable range R1.

[0033] 7, the excavable range R1 has a predetermined depth D1 (D>D1) in the height direction (the direction along the Z axis in FIG. 7). This depth D1 may be equal to the size of the small working space B in the height direction, or may be greater than the size of the small working space B in the height direction. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may select the small working space B included in the excavable range R1 at this depth D1 as the excavation small working space B1. The excavable range R1 may tilt depending on the attitude of the model 53.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another excavation range of the excavation machine 3 in a partially enlarged view of the work site image 50 shown in FIG. 5. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the range whose boundary is a circle along a horizontal plane centered at position P12 below work position P11 (or a part of a sphere centered at work position P11) is shown as excavation range R2. Excavation range R2 is located below excavation range R1 and is smaller than excavation range R1. As shown in FIG. 8, the excavation small work space selection unit 150 may select a small work space B included in excavation range R2 as excavation small work space B2, which is one or more small work spaces B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 8, the excavable range R2 has a predetermined depth D2 (D>D2), similar to the excavable range R1. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may select a small working space B that is included in the excavable range R2 at this depth D2 as the excavation small working space B2. The excavable range R2 may also tilt depending on the attitude of the model 53. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may also select a small working space B that is located below the excavable range R2 and is included in a range smaller than the excavable range R2 (for example, a circle centered at a position below position P12) as the small working space B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may select an excavable range whose range becomes smaller as the depth increases. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may repeatedly obtain the excavable range corresponding to each depth and select the small working space B until it selects the small working space B located at the deepest part of the underground space S.

[0036] The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may also determine the excavation order for each of the plurality of excavation small working spaces B1, B2. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may determine the excavation order, for example, in the following steps (1) to (5). (1) The first small excavation work space B1 is set to be the smallest from the work position P11 and the smallest at the end in the circumferential direction centered on the work position P11. (2) The next order is set for the small excavation work space B1 adjacent to and in front of the first excavation work space B1 set based on the work position P11. Furthermore, the next order is set for the small excavation work space B1 adjacent to and in front of the excavation work space B1 for which that order has been set. This process is repeated up to the nearest small excavation work space B1. (3) The next order is set for the excavation small work space B1 that is adjacent to the excavation small work space B1 whose order has already been set in the circumferential direction centered on work position P11 and is the farthest from work position P11. Furthermore, the next order is set for the excavation small work space B1 adjacent to and in front of the excavation small work space B1 whose order has been set. This process is repeated up to the nearest excavation small work space B1. (4) The process of (3) above is repeated up to the small excavation work space B1 at the end in the circumferential direction centered on the work position P11. After that, the remaining orders are set for the small excavation work spaces B1 for which no order has been set. (5) The above processes (1) to (4) are repeated for the small excavation work space of the lower layer (for example, the small excavation work space B2).

[0037] Furthermore, the excavation small work space selection unit 150 may select one or more excavation small work spaces B1, B2 for each of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81 shown in Fig. 6. The excavation small work space selection unit 150 may select, for each of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81, the small work space B that is included in an excavable range whose range varies depending on the depth (i.e., an excavable range whose range becomes smaller as the depth increases), as the excavation small work space that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3.

[0038] Furthermore, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 may further determine the order of the multiple working positions P11 to P81. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may determine the order of the multiple working positions P11 to P81 so that the travel distance required for the excavation machine 3 to move between the multiple working positions P11 to P81 is minimized. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may determine the order of the multiple working positions P11 to P81 so that the order is clockwise or counterclockwise around the excavation area A, for example.

[0039] [3-5. Excavation work space data output section] The excavation small working space data output unit 170 outputs excavation small working space data indicating the position of each of the one or more excavation small working spaces B1, B2 selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150. The excavation small working space data output unit 170 may generate excavation small working space data based on the excavation small working spaces B1, B2, and output the excavation small working space data by transmitting the generated excavation small working space data via the communication unit 13 of the first information processing device 10 (or the communication unit 23 of the second information processing device 20). The excavation small working space data output unit 170 may transmit the generated excavation small working space data to the communication unit 23 of the second information processing device 20 (or the communication unit 33 of the excavation machine 3).

[0040] The excavation small work space data output unit 170 outputs, for example, excavation small work space data indicating the positions of the excavation small work spaces B1, B2 that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 at the work position P11. This makes it possible to instruct the excavation machine 3 on the position on the ground surface 4 that can be excavated without the excavation machine 3 moving from the real-world position corresponding to the work position P11 in Figures 7 and 8.

[0041] When the excavation small work space data indicates a position in the survey coordinate system as the position of each small work space B (when the small work space generation unit 130 calculates a position in the survey coordinate system as the position of each small work space B), the excavation small work space data output unit 170 may convert these positions into positions in the local coordinate system set at the work site 2 and output them. In this way, it becomes easier for the operation control data generation unit 190, which will be described later, to generate operation control data for the excavation machine 3 to be placed at the work site 2.

[0042] Furthermore, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 may output excavation small work space data indicating the excavation sequence determined by the excavation small work space selection unit 150. In this way, it becomes possible to instruct the excavation machine 3 on the sequence in which the excavation machine 3 will excavate the excavation area A (see FIG. 4 ) set on the ground surface 4.

[0043] Furthermore, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 may output excavation small work space data indicating the position of each of one or more excavation small work spaces B1, B2 selected for each of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81 shown in Fig. 6. In this case, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 may output excavation small work space data indicating the order of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81, along with the position of each of the one or more small work spaces B. In this way, it becomes possible to instruct the excavation machine 3 shown in Fig. 1 on the order in which the excavation area A (see Fig. 4) set on the ground surface 4 is excavated at each of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81, as well as the order of the work positions P11 to P81 at which the excavation work is to be performed.

[0044] The excavation small work space data output unit 170 may output excavation small work space data indicating the positions of the excavation small work spaces B1, B2 that are located in positions that avoid obstacles. Furthermore, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 may transmit data on obstacles that are located in the excavation area A on the ground surface 4 to the communication unit 23 of the second information processing device 20 (or the communication unit 33 of the excavation machine 3). In this way, it becomes possible to instruct the excavation machine 3 to excavate the excavation area A in a position that avoids obstacles.

[0045] [3-6. Excavation time estimation section] Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram showing details of the excavation time estimation unit 180. The excavation time estimation unit 180 estimates the excavation time by the excavation machine 3. As shown in Fig. 9, the excavation time estimation unit 180 may have, as functions, a performance data storage unit 181, an estimated excavation time calculation unit 182, an estimated excavation time display control unit 183, an excavation status detection unit 184, an excavation time acquisition unit 185, and a performance update unit 186. Note that the excavation time estimation unit 180 does not need to include all of the functions shown in Fig. 9, and may include functions other than the functions shown in Fig. 9.

[0046] The performance data storage unit 181 may be realized mainly by the storage unit 12 of the first information processing device 10. This function may also be realized mainly by the storage unit 22 of the second information processing device 20.

[0047] Furthermore, the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182, the estimated excavation time display control unit 183, the excavation status detection unit 184, the excavation time acquisition unit 185, and the performance update unit 186 may be realized mainly by the processor 11 of the first information processing device 10. These functions may be realized mainly by the processor 21 of the second information processing device 20.

[0048] [3-6-1. Performance data storage section] The performance data storage unit 181 stores performance data indicating the excavation performance of the excavation machine 3. The performance data storage unit 181 stores, for example, performance data indicating the time it takes for the excavation machine 3 to excavate one small work space B. In this case, the performance data may include information indicating the size, shape, soil quality, etc. of the small work space B. The performance data storage unit 181 may also store performance data indicating the volume of earth and sand that the excavation machine 3 can excavate in a unit time (for example, one hour). The performance data storage unit 181 may store performance data in association with the type of excavation machine 3.

[0049] [3-6-2. Estimated Excavation Time Calculation Section] The estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 calculates the estimated excavation time of one or more excavation small working spaces B1, B2 selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150 based on the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181. The estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may, for example, calculate the estimated excavation time of the small working space B selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150 for each of the plurality of working positions P11 to P81. The estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may also calculate the time it takes for the excavating machine 3 to move between the plurality of working positions P11 to P81.

[0050] The estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may search the performance data storage unit 181 for performance data associated with the type of excavating machine 3 selected by the user, and calculate the estimated excavation time based on the performance data. When the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181 indicates the time required to excavate one small working space B, the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may calculate the estimated excavation time for the one or more small working spaces B based on at least one of the size, shape, and soil type of the one or more small working spaces B selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150. For example, for each small working space B selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150, the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may search the performance data for a small working space B corresponding to the size, shape, and / or soil type, and calculate the estimated excavation time by accumulating the time associated with this small working space B. The estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may also calculate the estimated excavation time based on the number of small working spaces B selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150. The estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may calculate the estimated excavation time, for example, by multiplying the number of small work spaces B selected by the excavation small work space selection unit 150 by the time stored in the performance data.

[0051] Furthermore, when the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181 indicates the volume of earth and sand that the excavator 3 can excavate in a unit time (for example, one hour), the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may calculate the estimated excavation time for one or more small working spaces B based on the volume of the one or more small working spaces B selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150. The estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 may calculate the estimated excavation time, for example, by dividing the volume of earth and sand that can be excavated per unit time indicated in the performance data by the volume of the one or more small working spaces B selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150.

[0052] [3-6-3. Estimated excavation time display control section] The estimated excavation time display control unit 183 causes the display unit 14 of the first information processing device 10 (or the display unit 24 of the second information processing device 20) to display the estimated excavation time calculated by the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 for each of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81, or may cause the cumulative total of these estimated excavation times to be displayed. Furthermore, the estimated excavation time display control unit 183 may add the time it takes for the excavation machine 3 to move between the plurality of work positions P11 to P81 to the cumulative total of the estimated excavation time, and display this.

[0053] In addition, the estimated excavation time display control unit 183 may display a bar-shaped figure (a so-called bar chart) representing the length of the estimated excavation time calculated by the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 as a portion of the excavation time of the excavation area A or the total work time at the work site 2.

[0054] The excavation small work space data output unit 170 (see FIG. 3) may cause the display unit 14 or the display unit 24 to display an inquiry as to whether or not to carry out work in the estimated excavation time displayed by the estimated excavation time display control unit 183. Then, by receiving a selection from the user to carry out the work, the excavation small work space data may be output to the second information processing device 20 or the excavation machine 3.

[0055] [3-6-4. Excavation status detection unit] The excavation status detection unit 184 (see FIG. 9 ) detects the excavation status of the excavation machine 3. The excavation status of the excavation machine 3 indicates, for example, the status of the ground surface 4 (more specifically, the excavation area A) excavated by the excavation machine 3. The excavation status detection unit 184 may detect the current excavation status in the excavation area A set on the ground surface 4 using a sensor (such as a camera or LiDAR) of the topography measurement device 5 arranged at the work site 2.

[0056] [3-6-5. Drilling time acquisition section] The excavation time acquisition unit 185 acquires the actual excavation time, which is the time required for the excavation machine 3 to excavate each small work space B, based on the excavation status of the excavation machine 3 detected by the excavation status detection unit 184. The excavation time acquisition unit 185 may determine, for example, every predetermined time (for example, every second), based on the excavation status of the excavation machine 3 detected by the excavation status detection unit 184, whether or not the excavation of the small work space B has been completed. In this way, the excavation time acquisition unit 185 may acquire (measure) the time until the excavation of the small work space B by the excavation machine 3 is completed.

[0057] [3-6-6. Performance Update Section] The performance update unit 186 updates the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181 based on the actual excavation time acquired by the excavation time acquisition unit 185. When the performance data indicates the time required to excavate one small work space B, the performance update unit 186 updates that time to the actual excavation time required to excavate that one small work space B. In this case, the performance update unit 186 may update the time indicated in the performance data to the time between that time and the actual excavation time (for example, the average time thereof). Furthermore, when the performance data indicates the volume of earth and sand that the excavation machine 3 can excavate in a unit time (for example, one hour), the performance update unit 186 may update the volume indicated in the performance data to the volume of one or more small work spaces B excavated by the excavation machine 3 during that unit time.

[0058] [3-7. Operation control data generation section] The movement control data generation unit 190 (see FIG. 3) generates movement control data for the excavation machine 3 based on the excavation small work space data output by the excavation small work space data output unit 170. As described above, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 outputs excavation small work space data indicating the positions of the excavation small work spaces B1, B2. The movement control data generation unit 190 generates movement control data that defines, for example, the movement of excavating the excavation small work spaces B1, B2 on the actual ground surface 4. The movement control data generation unit 190 may output the movement control data for the excavation machine 3 by transmitting the generated movement control data for the excavation machine 3 to the communication unit 33 of the excavation machine 3.

[0059] When the excavation small working space data output unit 170 outputs data on obstacles located in the excavation area A on the ground surface 4, the operation control data generation unit 190 may generate operation control data for the excavation machine 3 so that the excavation machine 3 avoids the obstacles indicated in the data. Furthermore, when the work position acquisition unit 140 acquires the work positions of multiple excavation machines 3, the operation control data generation unit 190 may generate, for the multiple excavation machines 3, operation control data that specifies the operation of each of the excavation machines 3.

[0060] [3-8. Operation control section] The operation control unit 210 controls the operation of the excavation machine 3 based on the operation control data generated by the operation control data generation unit 190. The operation control unit 210 controls the operation of the excavation machine 3, for example, so that the excavation machine 3 placed at the work position P11 in the work site 2 excavates the excavation small work spaces B1 and B2.

[0061] The operation control unit 210 may control the operation of the excavation machine 3 so as to excavate one or more small work spaces B selected for each of the work positions P11 to P81 at the work site 2. In this case, the operation control unit 210, for example, moves the excavation machine 3 to work position P11 and excavates one or more small work spaces B at that work position P11. Then, moves the excavation machine 3 to work position P21 and excavates one or more small work spaces B at that work position P21. This process is repeated until excavation of one or more small work spaces B at work position P81 is completed or an interruption is instructed by the user. As described above, it becomes possible for the excavation machine 3 to perform earthwork to automatically excavate the excavation area A using the bucket 3a.

[0062] [4-1. Autonomous driving and assistance processing] 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of the autonomous driving and its assistance processing executed by the autonomous driving assistance system 1. As shown in FIG. 10, first, the work site data acquisition unit 110 acquires work site data indicating the work site 2 (step S101). In step S101, the work site data acquisition unit 110 acquires, for example, data detected and generated by a sensor (such as a camera or LiDAR) of the topography measurement device 5 arranged at the work site 2 as the work site data.

[0063] Next, the excavation data acquisition unit 120 acquires excavation data indicating an excavation area A and an excavation depth D (see FIG. 4) on the ground surface 4 (step S102). In step S102, the excavation data acquisition unit 120 acquires the excavation area A, for example, by displaying a work site image 50 (see FIG. 4) representing the virtual work site 2 on the display unit 14 (or display unit 24) and accepting from the user a selection of multiple positions P1 to P8 on the ground surface 54 included in the work site image 50. Also in step S102, the excavation data acquisition unit 120 acquires the excavation depth D, for example, by accepting from the user a designation of a numerical value indicating the excavation depth D in the excavation area A.

[0064] Next, the work position acquisition unit 140 acquires a work position P11 (see FIG. 6) of the excavation machine 3 (step S103). In step S103, the work position acquisition unit 140 acquires the work position P11 of the excavation machine 3, for example, by receiving from the user a selection of a position on the ground surface 54 in the work site image 50. The work position acquisition unit 140 may also place a model 53 that resembles the excavation machine 3 at the acquired work position P11. In step S103, the work position acquisition unit 140 may also acquire a plurality of work positions P11 to P81 (see FIG. 6) of the excavation machine 3.

[0065] Next, the small working space generation unit 130 generates a plurality of small working spaces B (see FIG. 5) by dividing the underground space S up to the excavation depth D in the excavation area A into a plurality of small working spaces B based on the excavation data acquired by the excavation data acquisition unit 120 in step S102 (step S104). In step S104, the small working space generation unit 130 generates (divides) the plurality of small working spaces B so that, for example, the small working spaces B are larger than the volume of earth and sand that can be excavated at one time by the bucket 3a of the excavating machine 3. Also in step S104, the small working space generation unit 130 calculates the position of each of the generated (divided) small working spaces B.

[0066] Next, the excavation small work space selection unit 150 acquires the excavation possible range by the excavation machine 3 (step S105). In step S105, the excavation small work space selection unit 150 acquires, for example, the excavation possible ranges R1 and R2 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) stored in the excavation possible range storage unit 160.

[0067] The order in which the processes from step S103 to step S105 are executed is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 10. For example, the autonomous driving assistance system 1 may execute the process of generating the multiple small work spaces B in step S104 before the processes of steps S103 and S105. Furthermore, the autonomous driving assistance system 1 may execute the process of acquiring the excavation ranges R1 and R2 that can be excavated by the excavating machine 3 in step S105 before the processes of steps S103 and S104.

[0068] Next, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 selects one or more small working spaces B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 based on the working position acquired in step S103 and the excavable range acquired in step S105 (step S106). In step S103, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 selects, for example, as shown in Figure 7, a small working space B included in an excavable range R1 that stops at working position P11, as an excavation small working space B1 that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3. Also in step S103, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 selects, as shown in Figure 8, a small working space B that is included in an excavable range R2 that is centered at position P12 below working position P11 and is smaller than the excavable range R1, as an excavation small working space B2 that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3.

[0069] In step S106, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 may determine the excavation order for each of the selected plurality of excavation small working spaces B1, B2. Also, in step S106, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 may further determine the order of the plurality of working positions P11 to P81 acquired by the working position acquisition unit 140 in step S103. In step S106, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 may, for example, determine the order of the plurality of working positions P11 to P81 so that the movement distance of the plurality of working positions P11 to P81 by the excavation machine 3 is minimized.

[0070] Next, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 generates excavation small work space data indicating the positions of each of the one or more excavation small work spaces B1, B2 selected by the excavation small work space selection unit 150 in step S105 (step S107). In step S107, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 generates excavation small work space data indicating, for example, the positions of the excavation small work spaces B1, B2 (see Figures 7 and 8) that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 at work position P11.

[0071] In step S107, the excavation small working space data output unit 170 may generate excavation small working space data indicating the excavation order of the small working space B determined in step S105 by the excavation small working space selection unit 150. Also, in step S107, the excavation small working space data output unit 170 may generate excavation small working space data indicating the order of the multiple working positions P11 to P81.

[0072] Next, the excavation time estimation unit 180 (more specifically, the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 and the estimated excavation time display control unit 183) calculates an estimated excavation time for the small work space B (for example, the excavation small work spaces B1, B2 shown in Figures 7 and 8) by the excavation machine 3 based on the excavation small work space data, and displays the time on the display unit 14 (or the display unit 24) (step S108). In step S108, the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 calculates the estimated excavation time for the excavation small work spaces B1, B2 selected in step S106 based on the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181.

[0073] Next, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 causes the display unit 14 (or the display unit 24) to display an inquiry as to whether or not to carry out excavation work in the estimated excavation time displayed in step S108. If the user selects to carry out excavation work (Yes in step S109), the excavation small work space data output unit 170 outputs the excavation small work space data generated in step S107 (step S110). In step S110, the excavation small work space data output unit 170 may output the excavation small work space data by transmitting the excavation small work space data to a device such as the second information processing device 20 or the excavation machine 3. If the user does not select to carry out excavation work (No in step S109), the work position acquisition unit 140 acquires a new work position of the excavation machine 3 (step S103), and the automatic driving assistance system 1 repeats the processes of steps S104 to S108.

[0074] Next, the motion control data generating unit 190 generates motion control data based on the excavation small work space data output in step S110 (step S111). In step S111, the motion control data generating unit 190 generates motion control data that defines, for example, the motion of the excavation machine 3 to excavate the excavation small work spaces B1 and B2.

[0075] The operation control unit 210 then controls the operation of the excavation machine 3 based on the operation control data generated by the operation control data generation unit 190 in step S111 (step S112). In step S112, the operation control unit 210 controls the operation of the excavation machine 3, for example, so that the excavation machine 3 placed at work position P11 in the work site 2 excavates the small excavation work spaces B1 and B2 shown in Figures 7 and 8. The operation control unit 210 may control the operation of the excavation machine 3 so that it excavates the small work space B selected in step S106 for each of the work positions P11 to P81. This enables the excavation machine 3 to automatically perform earthwork to excavate the excavation area A on the ground surface 4.

[0076] [4-2. Performance update process] 11 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of a performance update process executed by the automatic driving assistance system 1. This process may be repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals (for example, every second) while the excavation machine 3 is excavating one or more small excavation work spaces B1, B2 set in the work site 2.

[0077] 11, first, the excavation time estimation unit 180 (excavation status detection unit 184) detects the excavation status of the excavation machine 3 at the work site 2 (step S201). In step S201, the excavation status detection unit 184 detects the current excavation status of the excavation machine 3 using, for example, a sensor (camera, LiDAR, etc.) of the topography measurement device 5 arranged at the work site 2.

[0078] Next, the excavation time estimation unit 180 (excavation time acquisition unit 185) determines whether the excavation of the small work space B by the excavation machine 3 has been completed based on the excavation status detected in step S201 (step S202). If it is determined that the excavation of the small work space B has not been completed (No in step S202), the excavation time estimation unit 180 ends the processing in Fig. 11, and after a predetermined time (for example, one second) has elapsed, it again detects the excavation status by the excavation machine 3 (step S201).

[0079] In step S202, if it is determined that the excavation of the small work space B is completed (Yes in step S202), the excavation time estimation unit 180 (excavation time acquisition unit 185) acquires the actual excavation time, which is the time required to excavate the small work space B (step S203). Then, the excavation time estimation unit 180 (performance update unit 186) updates the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181 based on the actual excavation time acquired in step S203 (step S204).

[0080] In step S204, the record update unit 186 updates, for example, the excavation time included in the record data and associated one-to-one with the small work space B to the actual excavation time required to excavate that small work space B. In step S204, the record update unit 186 may update the excavation time in the record data to the time between the excavation time included in the record data and the actual excavation time (for example, the average time between these). Also, in step S204, the record update unit 186 may update the volume of earth and sand that the excavation machine 3 can excavate in a unit time (for example, one hour) shown in the record data to the volume of one or more small work spaces B that the excavation machine 3 actually excavated in that unit time.

[0081] As described above, the automatic driving assistance system 1 may update the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181 based on the actual excavation time of the small work space B actually excavated by the excavation machine 3. This can improve the accuracy of the excavation time calculated (estimated) by the excavation time estimation unit 180 (estimated excavation time calculation unit 182).

[0082] [5. Modifications] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, in the embodiments, an example has been described in which the automatic driving assistance system 1 includes the first information processing device 10 and the second information processing device 20. However, the automatic driving assistance system 1 may be a so-called standalone system configured by a single information processing device. In this case, the automatic driving assistance system 1 may generate operation control data for the excavating machine 3 based on the generated (output) excavation small working space data without transmitting the generated excavation small working space data to another device.

[0083] Furthermore, in the embodiment, an example has been described in which the work position acquisition unit 140 acquires work positions P11 to P81 specified by the user with respect to the ground surface 54 of the work site image 50 shown in Fig. 6 as the work positions of the excavation machine 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the work position acquisition unit 140 may automatically set one or more of the work positions P11 to P81 based on the excavation possible range of the excavation machine 3.

[0084] The work position acquisition unit 140 may search for an excavation range (e.g., the excavation range R1 shown in FIG. 7 ) stored in the excavation range storage unit 160 in association with the type of excavation machine 3, based on the type of excavation machine 3 received from the user. Then, one or more of the multiple work positions may be automatically set based on the searched excavation range. For example, the work position acquisition unit 140 may receive a designation of a first work position from the user and set a position that is a distance from the first work position that is the diameter of the excavation range or a distance shorter than that distance as the second work position. Then, the work position acquisition unit 140 may set a position that is a distance from the second work position that is the diameter of the excavation range or a distance shorter than that distance as the third work position, and this process may be repeated until the final work position (e.g., a position that is a distance from the first work position that is the diameter of the excavation range or a distance shorter than that distance) is set.

[0085] The work position acquisition unit 140 may set a plurality of work positions in a plurality of patterns. For example, the work position acquisition unit 140 may set a first pattern in which work positions are set clockwise from a first work position around the excavation area A, and a second pattern in which work positions are set counterclockwise from the first work position around the excavation area A. The excavation small work space data output unit 170 may generate and output excavation small work space data indicating the positions of the small work spaces B selected at the plurality of work positions for the plurality of patterns. The excavation time estimation unit 180 (estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 and estimated excavation time display control unit 183) may calculate an estimated excavation time for each of the plurality of patterns and display the estimated excavation time for each pattern on the display unit 14 (or display unit 24). The operation control data generation unit 190 may then receive a selection from the user of one of the plurality of patterns and generate operation control data for the excavating machine 3 based on the excavation small work space data generated for the pattern selected by the user. In this way, it becomes possible for the user to instruct the excavation machine 3 to perform work at a work position and for a work time desired by the user.

[0086] Furthermore, in the embodiment, an example has been described in which the excavation machine 3 forms an underground space S (i.e., a hole) up to an excavation depth D in an excavation area A on the ground surface 4. However, the autonomous driving assistance system 1 may also be used, for example, when the excavation machine 3 performs earthworks to excavate a mound of earth to form a flat ground surface 4. In this case, the excavation data acquisition unit 120 may acquire excavation data indicating the excavation area including the mound of earth. The small working space generation unit 130 may divide the space including the mound of earth in the excavation area into multiple small working spaces. The work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire a position at the base of the mound or around the mound as a working position. The excavation small working space selection unit 150 may select one or more small working spaces B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 from the acquired working positions. The excavation small working space data output unit 170 may generate excavation small working space data indicating the position of each of the one or more small working spaces B selected by the excavation small working space selection unit 150. The small working space data may be output. The operation control data generation unit 190 may generate operation control data for the excavation machine 3 based on the output small excavation work space data. Then, the operation control unit 210 may control the operation of the excavation machine 3 based on the generated operation control data. This enables the excavation machine 3 to automatically perform earthwork to excavate one or more small excavable work areas set in the mound.

[0087] [6. Summary] (1) As described above, the autonomous driving assistance system 1 may include an excavation data acquisition unit 120 that acquires excavation data indicating the excavation area A and excavation depth D on the ground surface 4, a work position acquisition unit 140 that acquires the work position P11 of the excavation machine 3, a small work space generation unit 130 that divides the underground space S up to the excavation depth D in the excavation area A into a plurality of small work spaces B based on the excavation data and calculates the position of each small work space B, an excavation small work space selection unit 150 that selects one or more small work spaces B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 from the plurality of small work spaces B based on the work position P11 of the excavation machine 3, and an excavation small work space data output unit 170 that outputs excavation small work space data indicating the positions of each of the one or more small work spaces B selected by the excavation small work space selection unit 150. This makes it possible to instruct the excavation machine 3 on the position on the ground surface 4 that the excavation machine 3 can excavate from a real-world position corresponding to the acquired work position P11.

[0088] (2) In the automatic driving assistance system 1 of (1) above, the excavation small working space selection unit 150 may determine the excavation order for each of one or more small working spaces B. Then, the excavation small working space data output unit 170 may output excavation small working space data indicating the excavation order determined by the excavation small working space selection unit 150. In this way, the excavation machine 3 can be instructed on the excavation order of the small working spaces B to be excavated by that excavation machine 3.

[0089] (3) The automatic driving assistance system 1 of (1) or (2) above may further include an excavation range storage unit 160 that stores the excavation range of the excavation machine 3. The excavation small work space selection unit 150 may select one or more small work spaces B based on the work position P11 and the excavation range of the excavation machine 3.

[0090] (4) In any of the above-described automatic driving assistance systems 1 (1) to (3), the work position acquisition unit 140 may acquire a plurality of work positions P11 to P81 of the excavation machine 3. The excavation small work space selection unit 150 may select one or more small work spaces B for each of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81. This makes it possible to instruct the excavation machine 3 on one or more small work spaces B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 at each of the plurality of work positions P11 to P81.

[0091] (5) In the automatic driving assistance system 1 of (4) above, the excavation small work space selection unit 150 may further determine the order of the multiple work positions P11 to P81. The excavation small work space data output unit 170 may output excavation small work space data indicating the order of the multiple work positions P11 to P81, along with the positions of one or more small work spaces B selected for each of the multiple work positions P11 to P81. This makes it possible to instruct the excavation machine 3 on the order in which to move through the work positions P11 to P81, along with the positions of one or more small work spaces B that the excavation machine 3 can excavate at each of the multiple work positions P11 to P81.

[0092] (6) Any of the above-described automatic driving assistance systems 1 (1) to (5) may further include a motion control data generation unit 190 that generates motion control data for the excavation machine 3 based on the excavation small work space data. This allows the excavation machine 3 to automatically excavate the excavation area A based on the motion control data.

[0093] (7) Any of the above-described automatic driving assistance systems 1 (1) to (6) may further include a performance data storage unit 181 that stores performance data indicating the excavation performance of the excavation machine 3, an estimated excavation time calculation unit 182 that calculates an estimated excavation time for one or more small work spaces B selected by the excavation small work space selection unit 150 based on the performance data, and an estimated excavation time display control unit 183 that displays the estimated excavation time on the display unit 14 or the display unit 24. This allows the user to grasp the estimated excavation time until the excavation machine 3 excavates the excavation area A.

[0094] (8) The autonomous driving assistance system 1 of (7) above may further include an excavation status detection unit 184 that detects the excavation status of the excavation machine 3, an excavation time acquisition unit 185 that acquires the actual excavation time, which is the time required for the excavation machine 3 to excavate each small work space B, based on the excavation status of the excavation machine 3 detected by the excavation status detection unit 184, and a performance update unit 186 that updates the performance data stored in the performance data storage unit 181 based on the actual excavation time acquired by the excavation time acquisition unit 185. This can improve the accuracy of the estimated excavation time of one or more small work spaces B calculated by the estimated excavation time calculation unit 182.

[0095] (9) Furthermore, the method for assisting automatic driving of an excavation machine 3 proposed in the present disclosure may include the steps of: an excavation data acquisition unit 120 acquiring excavation data indicating an excavation area A and an excavation depth D on the ground surface 4; a work position acquisition unit 140 acquiring the work position of the excavation machine 3; a small work space generation unit 130 dividing the underground space S up to the excavation depth D in the excavation area A into a plurality of small work spaces B based on the excavation data and calculating the position of each small work space B; an excavation small work space selection unit 150 selecting one or more small work spaces B that can be excavated by the excavation machine 3 from the plurality of small work spaces B based on the work position P11 of the excavation machine 3; and an excavation small work space data output unit 170 outputting excavation small work space data indicating the positions of each of the one or more selected excavation small work spaces. According to this, it is possible to instruct the excavation machine 3, using a computer, the position on the ground surface 4 that the excavation machine 3 can excavate from a real-world position corresponding to the work position P11 acquired using a computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1 Automatic driving assistance system, 2 Work site, 3 Excavation machine, 3a Bucket, 4, 54 Ground surface, 10 First information processing device, 20 Second information processing device, 11, 21, 31 Processor, 12, 22, 32 Memory unit, 13, 23, 33 Communication unit, 14, 24 Display unit, 15, 25 Operation unit, 5 Topographic measurement device, 50 Work site image, 53 Model, A Excavation area, D Excavation depth, S Underground space, B Small work space, B1, B2 Excavation small work space, R1, R2 Excavation possible range, 110 Work site data acquisition unit, 120 Excavation data acquisition unit, 130 Small work space generation unit, 140 Work position acquisition unit, 150 Excavation small work space selection unit, 160 Excavation possible range memory unit, 170 Excavation small work space data output unit, 180 Excavation time estimation unit, 181 Performance data storage unit, 182 estimated excavation time calculation unit, 183 estimated excavation time display control unit, 184 excavation status detection unit, 185 excavation time acquisition unit, 186 performance update unit, 190 operation control data generation unit, 210 operation control unit, P11, P21, P31, P41, P51, P61, P71, P81 work positions.

Claims

1. an excavation data acquisition means for acquiring excavation data indicating an excavation area and an excavation depth on the ground surface; a position acquisition means for acquiring a working position of the excavation machine; a small work space generating means for dividing an underground space in the excavation area up to the excavation depth into a plurality of small work spaces based on the excavation data and calculating the position of each of the small work spaces; an excavation small work space selection means for selecting one or more excavation small work spaces that can be excavated by the excavation machine from among the plurality of small work spaces based on the work position of the excavation machine; a data output means for outputting excavation small work space data indicating the respective positions of the one or more excavation small work spaces selected by the excavation small work space selection means; An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine, comprising:

2. 2. The automatic driving assistance system for an excavator according to claim 1, The excavation small work space selection means determines an excavation sequence for each of the one or more excavation small work spaces, The data output means outputs the excavation sub-working space data indicating the excavation sequence determined by the excavation sub-working space selection means. An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine characterized by:

3. 2. The automatic driving assistance system for an excavator according to claim 1, further comprising an excavation range storage means for storing an excavation range of the excavation machine, the excavation small work space selection means selects the one or more excavation small work spaces based on the working position of the excavation machine and the excavable range. An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine characterized by:

4. 2. The automatic driving assistance system for an excavator according to claim 1, the position acquisition means acquires a plurality of work positions of the excavation machine, The excavation small work space selection means selects the one or more excavation small work spaces for each of the plurality of work positions. An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine characterized by:

5. 5. The automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine according to claim 4, The excavation small work space selection means further determines an order of the plurality of work positions; The data output means outputs the excavation small work space data indicating the positions of the one or more excavation small work spaces selected for each of the plurality of work positions, as well as the order of the plurality of work positions. An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine characterized by:

6. 2. The automatic driving assistance system for an excavator according to claim 1, further comprising: a motion control data generating means for generating motion control data for the excavation machine based on the excavation small work space data; An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine characterized by:

7. 2. The automatic driving assistance system for an excavator according to claim 1, a performance storage means for storing performance data indicating the excavation performance of the excavation machine; an estimated excavation time calculation means for calculating an estimated excavation time for the one or more excavation small work spaces selected by the excavation small work space selection means based on the performance data; an estimated excavation time display control means for displaying the estimated excavation time on a display means; An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine, further comprising:

8. 8. The automatic driving assistance system for an excavator according to claim 7, an excavation status detection means for detecting an excavation status by the excavation machine; an excavation time acquisition means for acquiring an actual excavation time, which is the time required for the excavation machine to excavate each of the small excavation work spaces, based on the excavation status of the excavation machine detected by the excavation status detection means; and a performance update means for updating the performance data stored in the performance storage means based on the actual excavation time acquired by the excavation time acquisition means. An automatic driving assistance system for an excavating machine characterized by:

9. an excavation data acquisition means for acquiring excavation data indicating an excavation area and an excavation depth on the earth surface; a step in which a position acquisition means acquires a working position of the excavation machine; A step in which a small working space generating means divides an underground space in the excavation area up to the excavation depth into a plurality of small working spaces based on the excavation data, and calculates the position of each small working space; an excavation small work space selection means for selecting one or more excavation small work spaces that can be excavated by the excavation machine from among the plurality of small work spaces based on the work position of the excavation machine; a step in which data output means outputs excavation small working space data indicating the position of each of the one or more selected excavation small working spaces; 1. A method for assisting automatic operation of an excavating machine, comprising:

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