Autonomous driving system

Abstract

To provide a technology for an automatic traveling system for making a plurality of types of work vehicles travel automatically in a farm field in which ridges are to be formed, the technology making it possible to generate target traveling paths for the respective work vehicles as ones suitable for ridge formation positions in the same work region.SOLUTION: An automatic traveling system acquires in-work width ridge position information showing a position of a ridge U to be a work target in a work width for each of a plurality of types of work vehicles V1, V2; identifies a formation position for the ridge U in a work region from a target traveling path P1 and in-work width ridge position information generated for the first work vehicle V1 for performing first work including ridge formation; and, in generating a target traveling path P2 for the second work vehicle V2 for performing second work differing from the first work, refers to the identified formation position for the ridge U and the acquired in-work width ridge position information for the second work vehicle V2 to adjust a position of the ridge U to be a work target in the second work vehicle V2's work width to the formation position for the ridge U in the work region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic driving system including a travel route generation unit that generates a target travel route of a work vehicle within a work area set in a field, and an automatic driving control unit that automatically drives the work vehicle along the target travel route.

Background Art

[0002] An automatic driving system that automatically drives a work vehicle along a target travel route within a work area set in a field is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The conventional automatic driving system described in Patent Document 1 is configured to generate an appropriate target travel route in consideration of only individual operations, even when generating the target travel routes of a plurality of types of work vehicles that perform different operations in the same field, in the same manner as when generating the target travel route of a single work vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, if the target travel routes of a plurality of types of work vehicles are generated without any relevance by considering only individual operations as in the above-described conventional automatic driving system, for example, there may be a need to modify the target travel route of a following work vehicle due to the convenience of the work by a preceding work vehicle. In particular, when generating the target travel route of a work vehicle traveling in a field with ridges by considering only individual operations, the work vehicle traveling along the target travel route may not be able to perform work suitable for the position of the ridges formed in the field, and problems such as collapsing the ridges or being unable to perform appropriate work on the crops on the ridges may occur. In view of this situation, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables an automated driving system for which multiple types of work vehicles are automatically driven in a field where ridges are formed, and which can generate target driving paths for each work vehicle that are appropriate to the position of ridge formation within the same work area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a travel path generation unit that generates a target travel path for a work vehicle within a work area set up in a field, An automatic driving system comprising an automatic driving control unit that causes a work vehicle to automatically drive along a target driving path, A work information acquisition unit acquires work width furrow position information indicating the position of the furrow to be worked on within the work width for each of several types of work vehicles, The system includes a ridge formation position identification unit that identifies the position of ridges within the work area based on a target travel path generated by the travel path generation unit and ridge position information within the work width acquired by the work information acquisition unit, for a first work vehicle that performs a first work including ridge formation, The key feature of the aforementioned travel path generation unit is that, in generating a target travel path for a second work vehicle performing a second work different from the first work, it refers to the ridge formation position identified by the ridge formation position identification unit and the ridge position information within the work width of the second work vehicle acquired by the work information acquisition unit, and aligns the position of the ridges to be worked on within the work width of the second work vehicle with the ridge formation position within the work area.

[0006] According to this configuration, the travel path generation unit can generate a target travel path for a preceding first work vehicle that performs a first operation including ridging within the same work area, and a target travel path for a subsequent second work vehicle that performs a second operation different from the first operation, which is performed after the first operation. Once the travel path generation unit generates the target travel path for the first work vehicle, the rib formation position identification unit identifies the position of the ribs formed within the work area by the automatic movement of the first work vehicle as the rib formation position, based on the target travel path of the first work vehicle and the rib position information within the work width of the first work vehicle acquired by the work information acquisition unit. Therefore, the travel path generation unit can generate a target travel path for the second work vehicle in a manner that matches the position of the ribs to be worked on within the work width of the second work vehicle to the rib formation position within the work area, by referring to the identified rib formation position and the rib position information within the work width of the second work vehicle acquired by the work information acquisition unit. Therefore, the present invention provides a technology that enables an automated driving system for automatically driving multiple types of work vehicles in a field where ridges are formed, in which the target driving path for each work vehicle can be generated as an appropriate one that matches the position of ridge formation within the same work area.

[0007] A second characteristic feature of the present invention is that the furrow position information within the working width includes the working width of the work vehicle and the number of furrows set at a predetermined pitch within the working width.

[0008] According to this configuration, the work information acquisition unit acquires the work width position information of the work vehicle, which includes the work width and the number of ridges that can identify the position of the ridges to be worked on within the work width of the work vehicle. Therefore, the ridge formation position identification unit can use these to identify the position of ridges formed within the work area, and the travel path generation unit can generate a target travel path for the second work vehicle.

[0009] A third characteristic feature of the present invention is that the first operation is a sowing operation in which seeds are sown on the ridges formed by the ridge formation while ridging the ridges. The key difference is that the second operation is a management or harvesting operation performed after the sowing operation.

[0010] According to this configuration, by making the sowing operation, which involves sowing seeds on the ridges formed by the ridge-making operation, the first operation can be performed simultaneously by the automatic operation of the first work vehicle performing the first operation. Furthermore, by designating management or harvesting operations performed after sowing as the second operation, the target travel path of the second work vehicle can be suitably generated in such a way that the position of the furrows to be worked on within the working width of the second work vehicle performing the second operation aligns with the position of the furrows formed within the work area created by the sowing operation.

[0011] A fourth characteristic feature of the present invention is that, when the travel path generation unit selects multiple types of work vehicles that perform different tasks as a selected group of work vehicles and generates a target travel path for each of the selected group of work vehicles, it identifies a common work area that is common to all of the individual work areas set for each of the selected group of work vehicles, and is configured to generate a target travel path for each of the selected group of work vehicles within that common work area.

[0012] According to this configuration, when multiple types of work vehicles performing different tasks are selected as a group of selected work vehicles, the travel path generation unit identifies a common work area that is common to all of the individual work areas set for each of the selected work vehicles as a work area that all work vehicles constituting the group of selected work vehicles can work on, and generates target travel paths for each of the work vehicles within the identified common work area.

[0013] A fifth feature of the present invention is that it includes a work changeover timing guidance unit that records the timing of work performed by the automatic driving control unit in association with the work performed by the work vehicle, and guides the user to the timing of work content changes based on the recorded work timing.

[0014] According to this configuration, the work switching timing guide unit can record, in association with the work content of the work vehicle estimated from the work mode such as the state of its automatic driving and the in-row ridge position information within the work width, the work timing when the work vehicle is automatically driven by the automatic driving control unit. Then, by accumulating the past work timing information in this way, it is possible to guide the user to the switching timing of the work content by referring to the past work timing information. Therefore, the user can determine the preparation timing and traveling timing of the work vehicle at an appropriate time by referring to the guidance information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] Figure showing the schematic configuration of the automatic driving system [Figure 2] Block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the automatic driving system [Figure 3] Figure showing an example of generating a target traveling route within a work area [Figure 4] Figure showing an example of specifying a common work area [Figure 5] Figure showing the state (a) of the target traveling route of the seeding work tractor and the state (b) of the target traveling route of the control work tractor

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] An embodiment of the automatic driving system according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, in the automatic driving system of this embodiment, the work vehicle is composed of a tractor V equipped with a work device W. In addition, as the work vehicle, other than the tractor V, manned work vehicles such as a riding rice transplanter, a combine, a riding lawn mower, a wheel loader, a snow removal vehicle, etc., and unmanned work vehicles such as an unmanned lawn mower can be applied.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this automatic driving system includes an automatic driving unit 2 mounted on a tractor V and a portable communication terminal 3 communicatively set to communicate with the automatic driving unit 2. The portable communication terminal 3 can adopt a tablet-type personal computer or a smartphone having a touch panel type display unit 51 (for example, a liquid crystal panel) that can be touch-operated.

[0018] The tractor V is provided with a traveling body 7 having left and right front wheels 5 that function as drivable steering wheels and left and right rear wheels 6 that are drivable. A bonnet 8 is arranged on the front side of the traveling body 7, and an electronically controlled diesel engine (hereinafter referred to as an engine) 9 equipped with a common rail system is provided in the bonnet 8. A cabin 10 forming a riding type driving part is provided on the rear side of the bonnet 8 of the traveling body 7.

[0019] At the rear part of the traveling body 7, a rotary tiller, which is an example of a working device W, can be connected via a three-point link mechanism 11 so as to be able to be lifted and lowered and rolled. Instead of the rotary tiller, working devices W such as a mower, a plow, a harrow, a vertical harrow, a stubble cultivator, a seeding device, a spraying device, and a harvesting device can be connected to the rear part of the tractor V.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the tractor V is equipped with an electronically controlled transmission 13 that changes the power from the engine 9, a fully hydraulic power steering mechanism 14 that steers the left and right front wheels 5, left and right side brakes (not shown) that brake the left and right rear wheels 6, an electronically controlled brake operating mechanism 15 that enables hydraulic operation of the left and right side brakes, a work clutch (not shown) that intermittently transmits power to work devices W such as a rotary tiller, an electronically controlled clutch operating mechanism 16 that enables hydraulic operation of the work clutch, an electronically hydraulic lifting drive mechanism 17 that drives the work devices W such as a rotary tiller up and down, an on-board electronic control unit 18 that has various control programs related to the automatic driving of the tractor V, a vehicle speed sensor 19 that detects the vehicle speed of the tractor V, a steering angle sensor 20 that detects the steering angle of the front wheels 5, and a positioning unit 21 that measures the current position and current direction of the tractor V.

[0021] Furthermore, the engine 9 may be an electronically controlled gasoline engine equipped with an electronic governor. The transmission 13 may be a hydraulically mechanical continuously variable transmission (HMT), a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission (HST), or a belt-type continuously variable transmission, etc. The power steering mechanism 14 may be an electric power steering mechanism 14 equipped with an electric motor, etc.

[0022] Inside the cabin 10, as shown in Figure 1, there is a steering wheel 38 that allows manual steering of the left and right front wheels 5 via a power steering mechanism 14 (see Figure 2), a driver's seat 39 for the passenger, a touch panel display, and various control devices.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the on-board electronic control unit 18 includes a gear shift control unit 181 that controls the operation of the transmission 13, a braking control unit 182 that controls the operation of the left and right side brakes, a work device control unit 183 that controls the operation of work devices W such as a rotary tiller, a steering angle setting unit 184 that sets target steering angles for the left and right front wheels 5 during automatic driving and outputs them to the power steering mechanism 14, and a non-volatile on-board storage unit 185 that stores a pre-set target driving route P for automatic driving (see, for example, Figure 3).

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the positioning unit 21 is equipped with a satellite navigation device 22 that measures the current position and bearing of the tractor V using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), an example of a Navigation Satellite System (NSS), and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 23 that measures the attitude and bearing of the tractor V using a 3-axis gyroscope and 3-directional acceleration sensors. Positioning methods using GNSS include DGNSS (Differential GNSS) and RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic GNSS). In this embodiment, RTK-GNSS, which is suitable for positioning moving objects, is employed. Therefore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, reference stations 4 that enable positioning by RTK-GNSS are installed at known locations around the field.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, both the tractor V and the base station 4 are equipped with positioning antennas 24 and 61 that receive radio waves transmitted from positioning satellite 71 (see Figure 1), and communication modules 25 and 62 that enable wireless communication of various information, including positioning information, between the tractor V and the base station 4. As a result, the satellite navigation system 22 can measure the current position and bearing of the tractor V with high accuracy based on the positioning information obtained by the positioning antenna 24 on the tractor receiving radio waves from positioning satellite 71 and the positioning information obtained by the positioning antenna 61 on the base station receiving radio waves from positioning satellite 71. In addition, the positioning unit 21, equipped with the satellite navigation system 22 and the inertial measuring device 23, can measure the current position, bearing, and attitude angles (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) of the tractor V with high accuracy.

[0026] The positioning antenna 24, communication module 25, and inertial measurement device 23, which are installed on the tractor V, are housed in an antenna unit 80, as shown in Figure 1. The antenna unit 80 is located at the upper front position of the cabin 10.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the mobile communication terminal 3 is equipped with a terminal electronic control unit 52 having various control programs for controlling the operation of the display unit 51 and the like, and a communication module 58 that enables wireless communication of various information, including positioning information, between the terminal electronic control unit 52 and the communication module 25 on the tractor side. The terminal electronic control unit 52 has a driving path generation unit 53 that generates a target driving path P (see, for example, Figure 3) for driving guidance to automatically drive the tractor V, and a non-volatile terminal storage unit 54 that stores various input information entered by the user and the target driving path P generated by the driving path generation unit 53.

[0028] The method by which the travel path generation unit 53 generates the target travel path P will be described later, but as shown in Figure 3, the target travel path P is a path for the tractor V to automatically travel across the entire travel area S. The target travel path P includes a plurality of parallel, straight work paths Pa and connecting paths Pb that connect the work paths Pa. The work paths Pa are paths for the tractor V to perform work while traveling, and the connecting paths Pb are paths for the tractor V to change direction while performing work or without performing work.

[0029] The target travel route P generated by the travel route generation unit 53 can be displayed on the display unit 51 and is stored in the terminal storage unit 54 as route information associated with work information, field information, etc. The route information includes the azimuth angle of the target travel route P, and the set engine speed and target travel speed set according to the driving style of the tractor V on the target travel route P.

[0030] When the driving path generation unit 53 generates the target driving path P, the terminal electronic control unit 52 transfers the path information from the mobile communication terminal 3 to the tractor V, allowing the on-board electronic control unit 18 of the tractor V to acquire the path information. Based on the acquired path information, the on-board electronic control unit 18 can automatically drive the tractor V along the target driving path P while acquiring its own current position (the current position of the tractor V) with the positioning unit 21. The current position of the tractor V acquired by the positioning unit 21 is transmitted from the tractor V to the mobile communication terminal 3 in real time (for example, every few seconds), and the mobile communication terminal 3 is aware of the current position of the tractor V.

[0031] Regarding the transfer of route information, the entire route information can be transferred all at once from the terminal electronic control unit 52 to the on-board electronic control unit 18 before the tractor V starts automatic driving. Alternatively, for example, route information including the target driving route P can be divided into multiple route portions at predetermined distance intervals with less information. In this case, before the tractor V starts automatic driving, only the initial route portion of the route information is transferred from the terminal electronic control unit 52 to the on-board electronic control unit 18. After automatic driving begins, each time the tractor V reaches a route acquisition point set according to the amount of information, the route information for only the subsequent route portion corresponding to that point may be transferred from the terminal electronic control unit 52 to the on-board electronic control unit 18.

[0032] To initiate automatic driving of the tractor V, for example, a user moves the tractor V to the starting point, and once various conditions for initiating automatic driving are met, the user operates the display unit 51 on the mobile communication terminal 3 to instruct the start of automatic driving. The mobile communication terminal 3 then transmits an instruction to start automatic driving to the tractor V. Upon receiving this instruction, the on-board electronic control unit 18 in the tractor V acquires its current position (the current position of the tractor V) using the positioning unit 21 and begins automatic driving control to drive the tractor V along the target driving path P. The on-board electronic control unit 18 is configured as an automatic driving control unit that performs automatic driving control to drive the tractor V along the target driving path P based on the positioning information of the tractor V acquired by the positioning unit 21 using a satellite positioning system.

[0033] The automatic driving control includes automatic transmission control that automatically controls the operation of the transmission 13, automatic braking control that automatically controls the operation of the brake operating mechanism 15, automatic steering control that automatically steers the left and right front wheels 5, and automatic work control that automatically controls the operation of work equipment W such as a rotary tiller.

[0034] In automatic transmission control, the transmission control unit 181 automatically controls the operation of the transmission 13 based on route information of the target driving route P, including the target driving speed, the output of the positioning unit 21, and the output of the vehicle speed sensor 19, so that the target driving speed set according to the driving pattern of the tractor V on the target driving route P is obtained as the vehicle speed of the tractor V.

[0035] In automatic braking control, the braking control unit 182 automatically controls the operation of the brake operation mechanism 15 so that the left and right side brakes properly brake the left and right rear wheels 6 in the braking area included in the route information of the target driving path P, based on the target driving path P and the output of the positioning unit 21.

[0036] In automatic steering control, the steering angle setting unit 184 determines and sets target steering angles for the left and right front wheels 5 based on the route information of the target route P and the output of the positioning unit 21, so that the tractor V automatically travels along the target travel path P, and outputs the set target steering angles to the power steering mechanism 14. The power steering mechanism 14 automatically steers the left and right front wheels 5 based on the target steering angles and the output of the steering angle sensor 20 so that the target steering angles are obtained as the steering angles of the left and right front wheels 5.

[0037] In the automatic control of the work, the work device control unit 183 automatically controls the operation of the clutch operating mechanism 16 and the lifting drive mechanism 17 based on the route information of the target travel path P and the output of the positioning unit 21, so that a predetermined operation (e.g., tilling) by the work device W is started when the tractor V reaches a work start point such as the beginning of the work path Pa (e.g., see Figure 3), and the predetermined operation by the work device W is stopped when the tractor V reaches a work end point such as the end of the work path Pa (e.g., see Figure 3).

[0038] In this way, the automatic driving unit 2 in tractor V is composed of a transmission 13, a power steering mechanism 14, a brake operating mechanism 15, a clutch operating mechanism 16, a lifting drive mechanism 17, an on-board electronic control unit 18, a vehicle speed sensor 19, a steering angle sensor 20, a positioning unit 21, and a communication module 25, etc.

[0039] In this embodiment, it is possible to automatically drive the tractor V not only without a user or other person riding in the cabin 10, but also with a user or other person riding in the cabin 10. Therefore, not only can the tractor V be automatically driven along the target driving path P by the automatic driving control of the onboard electronic control unit 18 without a user or other person riding in the cabin 10, but even when a user or other person is riding in the cabin 10, the tractor V can be automatically driven along the target driving path P by the automatic driving control of the onboard electronic control unit 18.

[0040] When a user or other person is in the cabin 10, the on-board electronic control unit 18 can switch between an automatic driving state in which the tractor V is driven automatically and a manual driving state in which the tractor V is driven based on the user's driving. Therefore, it is possible to switch from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state while the tractor V is automatically driving along the target driving path P in the automatic driving state, and conversely, to switch from the manual driving state to the automatic driving state while driving in the manual driving state. For example, a switching operation unit for switching between the automatic driving state and the manual driving state can be provided near the driver's seat 39, and this switching operation unit can also be displayed on the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3. In addition, when the on-board electronic control unit 18 is controlling the automatic driving state, the user can operate the steering wheel 38 to switch from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state.

[0041] The following describes the generation of the target travel path P by the travel path generation unit 53. When the driving route generation unit 53 generates the target driving route P, various work information, including the model of the tractor V and the type and width of the work equipment W installed on it, is input by the user, such as the driver or administrator, according to the input guidance for setting the target driving route displayed on the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3, and this input information is stored in the terminal storage unit 54.

[0042] The driving area S (see Figure 3) for which the target driving path P is generated is defined as a field, and the terminal electronic control unit 52 of the mobile communication terminal 3 acquires field information, including the shape and location of the field, and stores it in the terminal storage unit 54. The terminal electronic control unit 52 can acquire field information from map information stored in a database, etc., and from position information of the tractor V acquired by the positioning unit 21 when the user actually drives the tractor V. Figure 3 shows an example in which a rectangular driving area S has been identified. Once field information, including the shape and location of the identified field, is stored in the terminal storage unit 54, the travel route generation unit 53 generates a target travel route P using the field information and work information stored in the terminal storage unit 54.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3, the travel path generation unit 53 divides the travel area S into a central work area Ra and an outer peripheral area Rb located around it. The work area Ra is set in the center of the travel area S and is the area where the tractor V is automatically driven in a reciprocating direction to perform predetermined work (for example, tilling). The outer peripheral area Rb is set around the work area Ra and is the area where the tractor V is automatically driven in a circumferential direction following the work area Ra to perform predetermined work. The travel path generation unit 53 determines the space required for turning the tractor V to turn at the edge of the field, for example, from the turning radius, the front-to-back length and left-to-right width of the tractor V and work device W included in the work information. The travel path generation unit 53 divides the travel area S into the work area Ra and the outer peripheral area Rb in order to secure the space determined around the outer perimeter of the work area Ra.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, the travel path generation unit 53 generates a target travel path P using work information, field information, etc. For example, the target travel path P has multiple work paths Pa arranged in parallel within the work area Ra, having the same straight-line distance and spaced at a fixed distance corresponding to the work width and the number of furrows included within that work width; a connecting path Pb that connects the start and end of adjacent work paths Pa; and a circular path Pc (shown as a dotted line in the figure) that circles within the outer perimeter area Rb. The multiple work paths Pa are paths for performing predetermined tasks while the tractor V travels in a straight line. The connecting path Pb is a U-turn path for changing the direction of travel of the tractor V by 180 degrees without performing predetermined tasks, and connects the end of a work path Pa to the start of the next adjacent work path Pa. The circular path Pc is a path for performing predetermined tasks while the tractor V travels in a circular motion within the outer perimeter area Rb. The circular route Pc is designed to change the direction of travel of the tractor V by 90 degrees at positions corresponding to the four corners of the travel area S, by switching the tractor V between forward and reverse travel. Incidentally, the target travel route P shown in Figure 3 is merely an example, and the target travel route P can be changed as appropriate.

[0045] The automated driving system according to this embodiment automatically drives multiple types of tractors V in a field (driving area S) where ridges are formed, and is configured to generate a target driving path P for each tractor V that is appropriate to the position of ridge formation within the same work area Ra. The following provides a detailed explanation of its configuration.

[0046] As shown in Figure 2, the terminal electronic control unit 52 is equipped with a travel path generation unit 53 and a terminal storage unit 54, as well as a work information acquisition unit 55, a ridge formation position identification unit 56, and a work switching timing guidance unit 57.

[0047] The work information acquisition unit 55 of the terminal electronic control unit 52 acquires information such as the type of work and work width of the work device W, as well as work width furrow position information indicating the position of the furrows to be worked on within the work width for each of the multiple types of work vehicles, by having the user input this information and storing it in the terminal storage unit 54. In other words, the work device W has parts that perform work on furrows that are contained within its work width. The work width furrow position information includes the work width of the work device W when it is traveling and the number of furrows set at a predetermined pitch within that work width. Note that the number of furrows within this work width may be configured to be automatically calculated from the furrow pitch determined by the tractor V's tread width and tire size, and the work width.

[0048] The travel path generation unit 53 of the terminal electronic control unit 52 is configured to select a group of work vehicles, such as a tractor V, equipped with multiple types of work devices W that perform different tasks, and to generate a target travel path P for each of the selected work vehicles. Furthermore, when generating a target travel path P for each of the selected work vehicles, as shown in Figure 4, the travel path generation unit 53 can identify a common work area Ra that is common to all of the individual work areas Ra1, Ra2, and Ra3 set for each of the selected work vehicles, and generate a target travel path P for each of the selected work vehicles within this common work area Ra.

[0049] For example, the work vehicles included in the above-mentioned group of selected work vehicles include a work vehicle equipped with a sowing device that performs sowing work by creating ridges and sowing seeds on the ridges formed by the ridges; a work vehicle equipped with a management device that performs management work, which is carried out at a later stage than the sowing work, for managing the crops grown on the ridges; and a work vehicle equipped with a harvesting device that performs harvest work, which is carried out at a later stage than the management work, for harvesting the crops from the ridges. The above-mentioned management work includes pest control work and top dressing work, which involves spraying pesticides and fertilizers on the crops grown on the ridges. For the sake of simplicity, in the following explanation, the above-mentioned group of selected work vehicles will be assumed to include a seeding tractor V1 (an example of a first work vehicle) equipped with a seeding device W1 for performing seeding work (an example of a first work), and a pest control tractor V2 (an example of a second work vehicle) equipped with a pest control device W2 for performing pest control work (an example of a second work) which is performed at a later stage than the seeding work and involves spraying pesticides on crops placed on the ridges U.

[0050] First, as shown in Figure 5(a), the travel path generation unit 53 generates a target travel path P1 for the seeding tractor V1. Then, the ridge formation position identification unit 56 identifies the formation position of the ridges U within the common work area Ra (see Figure 4) based on the target travel path P1 of the seeding tractor V1 and the ridge position information within the work width, such as the work width of the seeding tractor V1 and the number of ridges U to be worked on within that work width (for example, 4 rows), which is acquired by the work information acquisition unit 55, and records the formation position of the ridges U in the terminal storage unit 54.

[0051] Next, as shown in Figure 5(b), the travel path generation unit 53 generates a target travel path P2 for the pest control tractor V2. At this time, the travel path generation unit 53 refers to the formation positions of the ridges U identified by the ridge formation position identification unit 56 and the ridge position information within the work width, such as the work width of the pest control tractor V2 and the number of ridges U to be worked on within that work width (for example, 6 rows), acquired by the work information acquisition unit 55, and generates a target travel path P2 for the pest control tractor V2 so as to match the position of the ridges U within the work width of the pest control tractor V2 to the formation positions of the ridges U in the common work area Ra (see Figure 4). Therefore, by automatically driving the pest control tractor V2 along the target travel path P2 generated in this way, pest control work can be performed appropriately in accordance with the position where the ridges U are formed by the seeding tractor V1.

[0052] Furthermore, it is also possible to identify the travel area S from the common work area Ra. That is, by first setting the common work area Ra, and then arbitrarily setting the value of the outer peripheral area Rb located around it, the travel area S can be identified.

[0053] Furthermore, if, within the common work area Ra, there are any ridges U formed by the automatic movement of the sowing tractor V1 that cannot be targeted by the automatic movement of the pest control tractor V2, the range of the common work area Ra and the target travel paths P1 and P2 of the sowing tractor V1 and pest control tractor V2, respectively, generated based on it, can be corrected so that no such ridges U exist. In other words, if such correction is made, the number of rows of ridges U within the common work area Ra will be a common multiple of the number of ridges U within the working width of the sowing tractor V1 and the number of ridges U within the working width of the pest control tractor V2.

[0054] The travel path generation unit 53 generates target travel paths P for each of the tractors V1 and V2 included in the selected work vehicle group. When the electronic control unit 18 automatically drives each of the tractors V1 and V2 along the target travel path P in a timely manner, the work changeover timing guidance unit 57 of the terminal electronic control unit 52 acquires the date and other timing information of when each of the tractors V1 and V2 were automatically driven as work timing information associated with the work content of each of the tractors V1 and V2, and records it in the terminal storage unit 54 or a cloud server for managing the work.

[0055] Furthermore, while the work details of each of the tractors V1 and V2 can be obtained by having the user input them, they can also be estimated from the automatic driving status of each tractor V1 and V2, such as the timing of automatic driving, vehicle speed, turning radius, and the timing of raising and lowering the work device W, as well as from the work type, such as the position of the furrows within the working width of each work device W. For example, in spring, the first operation performed that year can be presumed to be plowing, and the operation following that plowing can be presumed to be sowing. Also, in summer, operations where the interval between multiple parallel work paths P exceeds, for example, 10m can be presumed to be pest control operations involving the application of chemicals, and other operations can be presumed to be top dressing or weeding. Furthermore, in autumn, operations where the interval between multiple work paths P is, for example, 1m or less can be presumed to be harvesting.

[0056] The work changeover timing guidance unit 57 then informs the user, for example, in the following year, by displaying the timing of the work changeover on the display unit 51 based on past work timings recorded in the terminal storage unit 54. This allows the user to refer to the guidance information and change the work equipment W equipped on the tractor V at the appropriate time and drive the tractor V to perform the work.

[0057] As a specific method for informing users about the timing of changes in work content, for example, when replacing work device W, if the user inputs the work content of the replaced work device W into the mobile communication terminal 3, the terminal storage unit 54 can estimate the work content that is most likely to be switched to at that time from past work times recorded, and the estimated work content can be displayed on the display unit 51 in a state where it can be selected and input. Furthermore, regarding the method for inputting the work content of the work device W after replacement, a method can be adopted in which the work content is displayed in order of the highest probability, and the user is allowed to select from the displayed options.

[0058] [Another embodiment] Other embodiments of the present invention will now be described. Note that the configurations of each embodiment described below are not limited to being applied individually, but can also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0059] (1) A typical alternative configuration of the work vehicle is as follows: For example, the work vehicle may be configured as an electric vehicle equipped with an electric motor instead of an engine 9. For example, the work vehicle may be configured as a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine 9 and an electric motor.

[0060] (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the work vehicles included in the selection work vehicle group were the seeding work tractor V1 and the control work tractor V2, and their target travel routes P1 and P2 were generated. However, the work vehicles included in the selection work vehicle group can be appropriately changed. For example, a harvesting work tractor equipped with a harvesting work device that performs a harvesting operation of harvesting crops from ridges, which is an operation performed at a later time than the control operation, may be included.

[0061] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the ridge position information within the work width acquired by the work information acquisition unit 55 includes the work width during the travel of the work vehicle and the number of ridges set at a predetermined pitch within the work width. However, the ridge position information within the work width may be configured to acquire information different from the work width and the number of ridges indicating the ridge position to be worked within the work width of the work vehicle.

Explanation of Signs

[0062] 18 Vehicle-mounted electronic control unit (automatic travel control unit) 53 Travel route generation unit 55 Work information acquisition unit 56 Ridge formation position specifying unit 57 Work switching timing guidance unit P Target travel route P1 Target travel route P2 Target travel route Ra Work area (common work area) Ra1 Work area Ra2 Work area Ra3 Work area S Travel area (field) U Ridge V Tractor (work vehicle) V1 Seeding work tractor (first work vehicle) V2 Control work tractor (second work vehicle)

Claims

1. A travel path generation unit generates a target travel path for a work vehicle within a work area set up in the field, An automatic driving system comprising an automatic driving control unit that causes a work vehicle to automatically drive along a target driving path, A work information acquisition unit acquires work width furrow position information indicating the position of the furrow to be worked on within the work width for each of several types of work vehicles, The system includes a ridge formation position identification unit that identifies the position of ridges within the work area based on a target travel path generated by the travel path generation unit and ridge position information within the work width acquired by the work information acquisition unit, for a first work vehicle that performs a first work including ridge formation, An automated driving system in which, when the driving path generation unit generates a target driving path for a second work vehicle that performs a second work different from the first work, the unit refers to the ridge formation position identified by the ridge formation position identification unit and the ridge position information within the working width of the second work vehicle acquired by the work information acquisition unit, and adjusts the position of the ridge to be worked on within the working width of the second work vehicle to the ridge formation position within the work area.

2. The automated driving system according to claim 1, wherein the furrow position information within the working width includes the working width of the work vehicle and the number of furrows set at a predetermined pitch within the working width.

3. The first operation is a sowing operation in which seeds are sown on the ridges formed by the ridges while making ridges. The automated driving system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second operation is a management operation or harvesting operation performed after the sowing operation.

4. The automatic driving system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving path generation unit is configured to select a group of work vehicles that perform different tasks from each other and to generate a target driving path for each of the selected work vehicles, by identifying a common work area that is common to all of the individual work areas set for each of the selected work vehicles, and to generate a target driving path for each of the selected work vehicles within that common work area.

5. The automatic driving system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: an automatic driving control unit that records the timing of work performed when a work vehicle is automatically driven, in association with the work performed by the work vehicle; and a work changeover timing guidance unit that informs the user of the timing of work content changes based on the recorded work timing.

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