Travel control method, travel control program, and travel control system

Abstract

Provided are a travel control method, a travel control program, and a travel control system with which it is possible to ensure safety when a work vehicle automatically travels in a non-work area. The automatic travel system (1) causes the work vehicle (10) to travel automatically when the work vehicle (10) satisfies a travel start condition in a work area, and causes the work vehicle (10) to travel automatically when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation operation performed by a worker has been performed in a non-work area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for controlling the travel of a work vehicle capable of autonomous travel. Background Art

[0002] In the past, it is known that a working vehicle is automatically driven according to a preset target path in a working area. In addition, it is also known that a working vehicle is automatically driven according to a target path outside a working area (non-working area) (e.g., with reference to Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-015341

[0004] However, in the non-operating area, the risk of contact with obstacles is higher than that of automatic driving inside the operating area, so it is not appropriate to unconditionally allow automatic driving. On the other hand, if the automatic driving in the non-operating area is prohibited and only manual driving by the operator is allowed, the problem of reduced operating efficiency occurs. Summary of the invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a travel control method, a travel control program, and a travel control system that can ensure the safety of a work vehicle when it automatically travels in a non-work area.

[0006] The driving control method involved in the present invention controls the driving of a work vehicle capable of automatic driving, wherein the driving control method performs: in a work area, the work vehicle is automatically driven when the work vehicle meets the driving start conditions; and in a non-work area, the work vehicle is automatically driven when a prescribed confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by an operator has been performed.

[0007] The driving control program involved in the present invention controls the driving of a work vehicle capable of automatic driving, wherein the driving control program is used to enable one or more processors to execute: in a working area, the working vehicle is automatically driven when the working vehicle meets the driving start conditions; and in a non-working area, the working vehicle is automatically driven when a prescribed confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by an operator has been performed.

[0008] The driving control system involved in the present invention is a system for controlling the driving of a work vehicle capable of automatic driving. The driving control system causes the work vehicle to automatically drive in a work area when the work vehicle satisfies a driving start condition, and causes the work vehicle to automatically drive in a non-work area when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action by an operator has been performed.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a travel control method, a travel control program, and a travel control system that can ensure safety when a work vehicle automatically travels in a non-work area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an automatic driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2 This is an external view showing an example of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a field route of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a target path of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen displayed on the operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Fig. 6A This is a diagram showing an example of a teaching operation screen displayed on the operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 6B This is a diagram showing an example of a teaching operation screen displayed on the operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example of a driving screen displayed on the operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a method of traveling a work vehicle in a field according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Fig. 9 It is a diagram showing an example of a driving screen displayed on the operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 10A It is a diagram showing an example of a driving screen displayed on the operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Fig. 10B It is a diagram showing an example of a driving screen displayed on the operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Fig.11It is a diagram showing an example of a method of traveling a work vehicle on a road according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Fig.12 This is a flowchart showing an example of an automatic driving process procedure executed by the automatic driving system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Fig.13 It is a diagram showing an example of an automatic driving permission area according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Description of Reference Numerals

[0026] 1…automatic driving system; 10…working vehicle; 11…vehicle control device; 20…operation terminal; 21…operation control unit; 53…camera; 54…obstacle sensor; 111…driving processing unit; 112…acquisition processing unit; 211…setting processing unit; 212…receiving processing unit; 213…acquisition processing unit; 214…generation processing unit; 215…output processing unit; A1…working space; AR1…automatic driving permission area; D1…menu screen; D2…teaching operation screen; D3…driving screen; F…field; Fa…working area; Fb…non-working area; P0…sign; R…target path; R0…road; R12…field path (non-working path); Ra…moving path (non-working path); Rb…avoidance path (non-working path). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following embodiments are examples for implementing the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the automatic driving system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a work vehicle 10 and an operation terminal 20. The work vehicle 10 and the operation terminal 20 can communicate via a communication network N1. For example, the work vehicle 10 and the operation terminal 20 can communicate via a mobile phone line network, a packet line network, or a wireless LAN.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the case where the working vehicle 10 is a tractor is cited as an example for explanation. In addition, as other embodiments, the working vehicle 10 may also be a combine harvester, a rice transplanter, a construction machine, or a snowplow. The working vehicle 10 has a structure that can automatically drive (autonomously drive) in the working area of ​​the field according to a pre-set target path. In addition, the working vehicle 10 can perform specified operations while driving automatically in the working area. In addition, the working vehicle 10 has a structure that can automatically drive on a road (connecting road) connecting multiple fields according to a pre-set path between fields. The working vehicle 10 can automatically drive in the field and outside the field (road) according to a pre-set target path and path between fields based on the position information of the current position of the working vehicle 10 calculated by the positioning unit 17. In addition, the working vehicle 10 can also drive automatically with an operator on board.

[0030] Figure 3 FIG. 2 shows an example of a working vehicle 10 traveling on a road R0 between fields. Figure 4 An example of the operation of the work vehicle 10 traveling in the field F is shown. Figure 4 Field F indicates Figure 3 An example of a field shown in FIG. In the field F, there are set: a work area Fa in which the work vehicle 10 is allowed to drive automatically, and a non-work area Fb in which the work vehicle 10 is restricted from driving automatically or a non-work area Fb in which the target path (including a straight path and a turning path) for performing the work is restricted. For example, in order to prevent the work vehicle 10 from protruding out of the field when driving automatically in the field, a marginal area of ​​several meters from the end (border) of the field is ensured, and the marginal area is set as the non-work area Fb. The work area Fa is set in the area of ​​the field F except for the work area Fb. If the target path R is set for the work area Fa, the work vehicle 10 can drive automatically along the target path R in the work area Fa. The work vehicle 10 drives automatically along the target path R from the driving start position S to the driving end position G in the work area Fa while performing the prescribed work. In the non-work area Fb, automatic driving is restricted, and the operator rides on the work vehicle 10 and drives the work vehicle 10 manually by manual steering.

[0031] In addition, a work space A1 for performing a predetermined operation (specific operation) is set in the field F. For example, the work space A1 performs a fuel supply operation, a work object (harvested material, harvested material, etc.) discharge operation, etc. If the work vehicle 10 needs to perform the above-mentioned specific operation during automatic driving, the work in the work area Fa is interrupted and moves to the work space A1. If the work vehicle 10 completes the above-mentioned specific operation in the work space A1, it returns to the work area Fa and starts the operation again.

[0032] When the work vehicle 10 finishes work on one field F, it can move to another field F and work there. Figure 3 As shown, when the work vehicle 10 finishes the work in the field F1, it automatically travels along the inter-field path R12 (teaching path) preset on the road R0 and moves to the field F2. For example, the work vehicle 10 automatically travels along the inter-field path R12 connecting the entrance H1 of the field F1 and the entrance H2 of the field F2. When the work vehicle 10 arrives at the field F2, it automatically travels along the preset target path R in the work area Fa of the field F2 while performing the prescribed work.

[0033] The target path R in the field F is appropriately set according to the content of the work. In addition, the inter-field path R12 of the road R0 is pre-set according to the operation (teaching operation) performed by the operator (operator). In the present embodiment, the inter-field path R12 on the road R0 where the work vehicle 10 moves from the field F1 to the field F2 is cited as an example, but the inter-field path R12 may also be a path on the road R0 where the work vehicle 10 moves from the field F2 to the field F1. In addition, when the work vehicle 10 moves sequentially in three or more fields, the inter-field path may also be set between each field. In addition, the path set on the road R0 may not be a path for moving from field to field (inter-field path) but only a path for moving from a first location on the road R0 to a second location (inter-location path). In addition, the above-mentioned first location and the above-mentioned second location may also be locations specified by the operator on the map.

[0034] The paths between fields may be roads dedicated to work vehicles, such as farm roads, forest roads, public roads, private roads, and car roads, or roads accessible to general vehicles (such as passenger cars).

[0035] However, when the working vehicle 10 is traveling in a non-working area (non-working area Fb, road R0, etc.) outside the working area Fa, if automatic driving is unconditionally permitted, the risk of contact with obstacles increases. Therefore, it cannot be said to be appropriate to unconditionally permit automatic driving in the non-working area. On the other hand, if the automatic driving in the non-working area is prohibited and only manual driving by the operator is permitted, the problem of reduced working efficiency arises. In view of this, the automatic driving system 1 involved in the present embodiment has a structure that can ensure the safety of the working vehicle 10 when it is automatically driving in the non-working area as shown below.

[0036] [Work vehicle 10]

[0037] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the work vehicle 10 includes a vehicle control device 11, a storage unit 12, a travel device 13, a work machine 14, an obstacle detection device 15, a communication unit 16, a positioning unit 17, etc. The vehicle control device 11 is electrically connected to the storage unit 12, the travel device 13, the work machine 14, the obstacle detection device 15, and the positioning unit 17. In addition, the vehicle control device 11 and the obstacle detection device 15 may also be capable of wireless communication, and the vehicle control device 11 and the positioning unit 17 may also be capable of wireless communication.

[0038] The communication unit 16 is a communication interface for connecting the work vehicle 10 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication with external devices (such as the operation terminal 20 ) in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol via the communication network N1 .

[0039] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various information. The storage unit 12 stores information for causing the vehicle control device 11 to execute the automatic driving process described later (see Fig.12 ) and other control programs. For example, the automatic driving program is recorded non-temporarily on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 12. In addition, the automatic driving program can also be downloaded from a server (not shown) to the work vehicle 10 via the communication network N1 and stored in the storage unit 12. In addition, the storage unit 12 stores data on the target path R generated by the operation terminal 20, etc.

[0040] The travel device 13 is a driving unit that drives the work vehicle 10. Figure 2 As shown, the travel device 13 includes an engine 131, front wheels 132, rear wheels 133, a transmission 134, a front axle 135, a rear axle 136, a steering wheel 137, etc. Among them, the front wheels 132 and the rear wheels 133 are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the work vehicle 10. In addition, the travel device 13 is not limited to a wheel type including the front wheels 132 and the rear wheels 133, and may also be a crawler type including crawlers provided on the left and right sides of the work vehicle 10.

[0041] The engine 131 is a driving source such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine that is driven by fuel supplied from a fuel tank not shown. The travel device 13 may also be equipped with an electric motor as a driving source on the basis of the engine 131 or in place of the engine 131. The engine 131 is connected to a generator not shown, and the generator supplies power to electrical components such as the vehicle control device 11, the obstacle detection device 15, and the positioning unit 17, and batteries, etc. provided on the work vehicle 10. The above-mentioned battery is charged by the power supplied from the above-mentioned generator. Therefore, the electrical components such as the vehicle control device 11, the obstacle detection device 15, and the positioning unit 17 provided on the work vehicle 10 can be driven by the power supplied from the above-mentioned battery even after the engine 131 stops.

[0042] The driving force of the engine 131 is transmitted to the front wheel 132 via the transmission 134 and the front axle 135, and is transmitted to the rear wheel 133 via the transmission 134 and the rear axle 136. In addition, the driving force of the engine 131 is also transmitted to the work machine 14 via the PTO shaft (not shown). When the work vehicle 10 is automatically driven, the travel device 13 performs the driving action according to the command of the vehicle control device 11. In addition, the travel device 13 decelerates or stops the work vehicle 10 according to the command of the vehicle control device 11.

[0043] The work machine 14 is, for example, a tiller, a lawn mower, a fertilizer spreader, a sprayer (agent spreader), a harrow, or a seed drill, and can be loaded and unloaded from the work vehicle 10. Thus, the work vehicle 10 can use each work machine 14 to perform various operations. Figure 2 2 shows a case where the working machine 14 is a tiller. For example, the working machine 14 is mounted on the rear of the working vehicle 10. The working vehicle 10 performs tillage work by mounting the working machine 14 on the rear and traveling in the field F.

[0044] The steering wheel 137 is an operation unit operated by the operator or the vehicle control device 11. For example, in the travel device 13, the angle of the front wheels 132 is changed by a hydraulic power steering mechanism (not shown) according to the operation of the steering wheel 137 by the vehicle control device 11, and the travel direction of the work vehicle 10 is changed.

[0045] In addition to the steering wheel 137, the travel device 13 includes a shift lever, an accelerator pedal, a brake, etc. (not shown) which are operated by the vehicle control device 11. Then, in the travel device 13, according to the operation of the shift lever by the vehicle control device 11, the gear of the transmission device 134 is switched to a forward gear or a reverse gear, etc., and the travel mode of the work vehicle 10 is switched to forward or reverse, etc. In addition, the vehicle control device 11 operates the accelerator pedal to control the rotation speed of the engine 131. In addition, the vehicle control device 11 operates the brake to brake the rotation of the front wheel 132 and the rear wheel 133 using an electromagnetic brake.

[0046] The positioning unit 17 is a communication device including a positioning control unit 171, a storage unit 172, a communication unit 173, and a positioning antenna 174. Figure 2 As shown, the positioning unit 17 is installed in the upper part of the cab 138 for the operator to ride. In addition, the installation place of the positioning unit 17 is not limited to the cab 138. In addition, the positioning control unit 171, the storage unit 172, the communication unit 173 and the positioning antenna 174 of the positioning unit 17 can also be dispersed and arranged at different positions in the work vehicle 10. In addition, as described above, the positioning unit 17 is connected to the above-mentioned battery, and the positioning unit 17 can be operated even when the engine 131 is stopped. In addition, as the positioning unit 17, for example, a mobile phone terminal, a smart phone, a tablet terminal or a compass can also be used instead.

[0047] The positioning control unit 171 is a computer system having one or more processors, and non-volatile memory and storage memory such as RAM. The storage unit 172 is a non-volatile memory that stores data such as a program for the positioning control unit 171 to perform positioning processing, positioning information, and movement information. For example, the above program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 172. In addition, the above program can also be downloaded from a server (not shown) to the positioning unit 17 via the communication network N1 and stored in the storage unit 172.

[0048] The communication unit 173 is a communication interface for connecting the positioning unit 17 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol with an external device such as a base station server via the communication network N1.

[0049] The positioning antenna 174 is an antenna that receives radio waves (GNSS signals) transmitted from satellites.

[0050] The positioning control unit 171 calculates the current position of the work vehicle 10 based on the GNSS signal received from the satellite by the positioning antenna 174. For example, when the work vehicle 10 is automatically traveling in the field F, if the positioning antenna 174 receives the radio waves (transmission time, orbit information, etc.) transmitted from each of the plurality of satellites, the positioning control unit 171 calculates the distance between the positioning antenna 174 and each satellite, and calculates the current position (latitude and longitude) of the work vehicle 10 based on the calculated distance. In addition, the positioning control unit 171 may also perform positioning based on a real-time kinematic method (RTK-GNSS positioning method (RTK method)), wherein the real-time kinematic method is a method of calculating the current position of the work vehicle 10 using correction information corresponding to a base station (reference station) close to the work vehicle 10. In this way, the work vehicle 10 automatically travels using the positioning information based on the RTK method. Among them, the current position of the work vehicle 10 may be the same position as the positioning position (for example, the position of the positioning antenna 174), or may be a position offset from the positioning position.

[0051] When the work vehicle 10 detects a detection object during automatic driving, the obstacle detection device 15 outputs detection information (measurement information) to the vehicle control device 11. Specifically, the obstacle detection device 15 includes a detection control unit 51, a storage unit 52, a camera 53, an obstacle sensor 54, a communication unit 55, etc. The obstacle detection device 15 may be composed of a single unit and mounted on the work vehicle 10, or a plurality of components may be dispersedly arranged on the work vehicle 10.

[0052] The communication unit 55 is a communication interface for connecting the obstacle detection device 15 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication with external equipment (such as the operation terminal 20 ) in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol via the communication network N1 .

[0053] The storage unit 52 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a HDD or SSD that stores various information. The storage unit 52 stores a control program such as an obstacle detection program for causing the obstacle detection device 15 to perform obstacle detection processing. For example, the obstacle detection program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 52. The obstacle detection program can also be downloaded from a server (not shown) to the obstacle detection device 15 via the communication network N1 and stored in the storage unit 52.

[0054] The camera 53 is a digital camera that captures an image of a subject within a predetermined capturing range and outputs the image as digital image data. The camera 53 continuously captures the subject at a predetermined frame rate, generates frame images (captured images) of a predetermined resolution, and sequentially transmits the images to the detection control unit 51. The camera 53 transmits the image data of the captured images to the operation terminal 20 via the communication unit 55. The operation terminal 20 can display the captured images on the operation screen of the operation display unit 23 (see FIG. Figure 7 wait).

[0055] The camera 53 includes a front camera 53f capable of capturing a front capturing range when viewed from the work vehicle 10, and a rear camera 53r capable of capturing a rear capturing range when viewed from the work vehicle 10. Figure 2 As shown, the front camera 53f is arranged on the upper front side of the cab 138, and the rear camera 53r is arranged on the upper rear side of the cab 138. In addition, the camera 53 may include left and right side cameras that can respectively take pictures of the left and right sides when viewed from the work vehicle 10. That is, the camera 53 may also be configured to be able to take pictures of all directions around the work vehicle 10.

[0056] The obstacle sensor 54 is a sensor that uses infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, etc. to detect a detection object within a specified detection range. For example, the obstacle sensor 54 may be a radar sensor (distance sensor) that can use laser to three-dimensionally measure the distance to the detection object, or may be a sonar sensor having multiple sonars that can use ultrasonic waves to measure the distance to the detection object. The obstacle sensor 54 is disposed at the central front portion, central rear portion, right portion, left portion, etc. of the body of the work vehicle 10 to monitor the surroundings of the work vehicle 10 and detect obstacles. In the present embodiment, an example is given in which the obstacle sensor 54 includes a front obstacle sensor 54f that can detect a detection object in the detection range in front of the work vehicle 10, and a rear obstacle sensor 54r that can detect a detection object in the detection range behind the work vehicle 10. As Figure 2 As shown, the front obstacle sensor 54f is arranged on the upper front side of the cab 138, and the rear obstacle sensor 54r is arranged on the upper rear side of the cab 138. The front camera 53f and the front obstacle sensor 54f may be formed as one unit, and the rear camera 53r and the rear obstacle sensor 54r may be formed as one unit.

[0057] The obstacle sensor 54 measures the distance to each distance measurement point (measurement object) within the measurement range using, for example, a laser (near infrared laser, etc.), and generates a distance image based on the measurement information. The obstacle sensor 54 includes a processing unit constructed by an electronic control unit such as a microcontroller, various control programs, etc., and is connected to the detection control unit 51, the vehicle control device 11, etc. via CAN so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0058] like Figure 2 As shown, for the front obstacle sensor 54f, a first measurement range Rm1 from the cab 138 to the front is set as the measurement range, and for the rear obstacle sensor 54r, a second measurement range Rm2 from the cab 138 to the rear is set as the measurement range.

[0059] The front obstacle sensor 54f and the rear obstacle sensor 54r are arranged on the left-right center line of the work vehicle 10 in the same manner as the front camera 53f and the rear camera 53r. The front obstacle sensor 54f is arranged at the left-right center part of the upper part of the front end side of the cab 138 in a front low posture when looking down at the front side of the work vehicle 10 from the oblique upper side. Thus, for the front obstacle sensor 54f, a predetermined range on the front side of the vehicle body with the left-right center line of the work vehicle 10 as the axis of symmetry is set as the first measurement range Rm1. The rear obstacle sensor 54r is arranged at the left-right center part of the upper part of the rear end side of the cab 138 in a rear low posture when looking down at the rear side of the work vehicle 10 from the oblique upper side. Thus, for the rear obstacle sensor 54r, a predetermined range on the rear side of the vehicle body with the left-right center line of the work vehicle 10 as the axis of symmetry is set as the second measurement range Rm2.

[0060] The obstacle sensor 54 measures the distance from the obstacle sensor 54 to the ranging point of the measurement range using the TOF (Time Of Flight) method, wherein the TOF method is a method of measuring the distance to the ranging point based on the round-trip time from the irradiated laser to the ranging point and back. The obstacle sensor 54 scans the laser at high speed and vertically and horizontally over the entire measurement range, and sequentially measures the distance to the ranging point at each scanning angle (coordinate), thereby performing three-dimensional measurement within the measurement range. The obstacle sensor 54 sequentially measures the intensity (reflection intensity) of the reflected light from each ranging point obtained when the laser is scanned vertically and horizontally over the entire measurement range at high speed. The obstacle sensor 54 repeatedly measures the distance to each ranging point of the measurement range, each reflection intensity, etc. in real time.

[0061] The obstacle sensor 54 generates a distance image and extracts a group of ranging points inferred to be obstacles based on measurement information such as the measured distance to each ranging point and the scanning angle (coordinates) relative to each ranging point, and sends the measurement information related to the extracted ranging point group to the detection control unit 51 as measurement information related to the obstacle.

[0062] In addition, a control range corresponding to the distance from the work vehicle 10 is set in the measurement range (detection range) of the obstacle sensor 54. For example, in the measurement range, the range of distance L1 from the work vehicle 10 is set as the stop control range, the range from distance L1 to distance L2 is set as the deceleration control range, and the range from distance L2 to distance L3 is set as the notification control range (where L1 < L2 < L3). Each control range can be set according to the type, model, operation content, vehicle speed, etc. of the work vehicle 10.

[0063] The detection control unit 51 outputs the measurement information obtained from the obstacle sensor 54 to the vehicle control device 11. During the automatic driving of the work vehicle 10, the detection control unit 51 sequentially outputs the measurement information to the vehicle control device 11 each time the measurement information is obtained from the obstacle sensor 54. As another embodiment, the detection control unit 51 may determine the type (person, vehicle, or other) of the detection object (measurement object) based on the captured image obtained from the camera 53 and the measurement information obtained from the obstacle sensor 54, and output the determination result to the vehicle control device 11.

[0064] The vehicle control device 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various calculations. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit that pre-stores control programs such as BIOS and OS for the CPU to perform various calculations. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory for various processes performed by the CPU. Thus, the vehicle control device 11 controls the work vehicle 10 by executing various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or storage unit 12 using the CPU.

[0065] Specifically, if Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle control device 11 includes various processing units such as a driving processing unit 111 and an acquisition processing unit 112. Among them, the vehicle control device 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processings in accordance with the automatic driving program using the CPU. In addition, a part or all of the processing units may also be composed of electronic circuits. In addition, the automatic driving program may also be a program for making a plurality of processors function as the processing units. In addition, the automatic driving program includes the driving control program of the present invention.

[0066] The driving processing unit 111 controls the driving of the work vehicle 10. For example, when the driving mode of the work vehicle 10 is automatic driving (automatic driving mode), the driving processing unit 111 causes the work vehicle 10 to drive automatically based on the position information (positioning information) indicating the current position of the work vehicle 10 located by the positioning unit 17. For example, if the work vehicle 10 meets the start conditions for automatic driving and obtains a driving start instruction from the operator, the driving processing unit 111 causes the work vehicle 10 to start automatic driving based on the above positioning information. For example, the driving processing unit 111 generates and sets the target path R (refer to Figure 4 ), so that the work vehicle 10 automatically travels from the travel start position S to the travel end position G.

[0067] In addition, when the driving mode of the work vehicle 10 is manual driving (manual driving mode), the work vehicle 10 can be driven manually based on the operator's operation (manual steering operation). For example, the driving processing unit 111 obtains operation information corresponding to driving operations such as steering wheel operation, gear shift operation, driving direction switching operation, brake operation, etc. performed by the operator, and causes the driving device 13 to perform a driving action based on the operation information.

[0068] In addition, when the work vehicle 10 detects an obstacle during automatic driving, the driving processing unit 111 causes the work vehicle 10 to perform a prescribed response process. Specifically, the driving processing unit 111 causes the work vehicle 10 to report a warning sound when an obstacle is detected in the reporting control range. In addition, when the driving processing unit 111 detects an obstacle in the deceleration control range, the working vehicle 10 in automatic driving decelerates from a preset vehicle speed. In addition, when the driving processing unit 111 detects an obstacle in the stop control range, the working vehicle 10 in automatic driving temporarily stops. In addition, the driving processing unit 111 may also cause the work vehicle 10 to perform a response process corresponding to the type of detection object detected by the obstacle detection device 15.

[0069] Here, when the working vehicle 10 is outside the working area Fa, that is, in the non-working area (non-working area Fb (refer to Figure 4 ), field path R12 (refer to Figure 3) etc.), the driving processing unit 111 permits automatic driving if specified conditions are met. The above-mentioned specified conditions refer, for example, to a state where the operator is able to confirm (or monitor) that the work vehicle 10 is driving in a non-operating area. Specifically, the driving processing unit 111 permits the work vehicle 10 to automatically drive in a non-operating area on the condition that a specified confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator has been performed. The driving processing unit 111 prohibits the work vehicle 10 from automatically driving in a non-operating area if a specified confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator has not been performed. If the driving processing unit 111 permits the work vehicle 10 to automatically drive based on a specified confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator, the work vehicle 10 is automatically driven without relying on the steering operation of the operator.

[0070] The acquisition processing unit 112 acquires information on a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator. Figure 7 ), when the operator presses the operation button (forced driving button) in the operation terminal 20, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires operation information indicating that the operation button has been pressed from the operation terminal 20. If the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the above operation information, the driving processing unit 111 permits the work vehicle 10 to automatically drive in the non-operating area. The above confirmation operation may also be a user operation on an operating device different from the operation terminal 20 (e.g., a remote controller).

[0071] In addition, for example, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires a captured image from a camera (not shown) mounted on the operation terminal 20, and determines whether the line of sight of the operator reflected in the captured image is directed toward the camera image (the image around the work vehicle 10) displayed on the operation terminal 20 (see Figure 7 ). When the acquisition processing unit 112 determines that the worker's line of sight is directed toward the camera image, the travel processing unit 111 permits the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel in the non-work area.

[0072] In this way, the driving processing unit 111 permits the work vehicle 10 to automatically drive in the non-operating area when it is determined that the operator is in a state capable of monitoring the work vehicle 10 based on the information such as the operator's operation, action, and posture acquired by the acquisition processing unit 112. A specific driving example of automatic driving in the non-operating area will be described later.

[0073] [Operation terminal 20]

[0074] like Figure 1 As shown, the operation terminal 20 is an information processing device including an operation control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation display unit 23, a communication unit 24, etc. The operation terminal 20 may be constituted by a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone.

[0075] The communication unit 24 is a communication interface for connecting the operation terminal 20 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol with external devices such as one or more work vehicles 10 via the communication network N1.

[0076] The operation display unit 23 is a user interface having a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a touch panel, a mouse, or a keyboard that receives operations. The operator can operate the above-mentioned operation unit in the operation screen displayed on the above-mentioned display unit to perform operations to register various information (the work vehicle information, field information, work information, etc. described later). In addition, the operator can operate the above-mentioned operation unit to issue a work start instruction, a travel stop instruction, etc. to the work vehicle 10. In addition, the operator can grasp the driving state of the work vehicle 10 traveling in the field F and the road R0 at a place far away from the work vehicle 10 through the driving track displayed on the operation terminal 20 and the image captured by the camera 53 (refer to Figure 7 In addition, the operator can understand the obstacle detection result, the execution status of the corresponding processing, etc. displayed on the operation terminal 20.

[0077] Furthermore, the operator can perform an operation (teaching operation) of setting the inter-field route R12 for automatically driving the work vehicle 10 on the road R0 (connecting road) connecting the field F1 and the field F2 using the operation unit.

[0078] The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a HDD or SSD that stores various information. The storage unit 22 stores a control program for causing the operation control unit 21 to perform various control processes. For example, the control program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 22. The control program can also be downloaded from a server (not shown) to the operation terminal 20 via the communication network N1 and stored in the storage unit 22.

[0079] In addition, the storage unit 22 stores data such as information related to the work vehicle 10, namely, work vehicle information, and information related to the target path, namely, target path information. The above-mentioned work vehicle information includes information such as the vehicle number and model of each work vehicle 10. The above-mentioned vehicle number is identification information of the work vehicle 10. The above-mentioned model is the model of the work vehicle 10. In addition, the storage unit 22 can store the above-mentioned work vehicle information related to one work vehicle 10, and can also store the above-mentioned work vehicle information related to multiple work vehicles 10. For example, in the case where a specific operator owns multiple work vehicles 10, the above-mentioned work vehicle information related to each work vehicle 10 is stored in the storage unit 22.

[0080] The target path information includes information such as the path name, field name, address, field area, and operation time of each target path. The path name is the path name of the target path generated in the operation terminal 20. The field name is the name of the field to which the target path is set. The address is the address of the field, and the field area is the area of ​​the field. The operation time is the time required for the work vehicle 10 to perform the work in the field.

[0081] When the target route is a route (field route) corresponding to the road R0, the target route information includes information such as the route name, address, travel distance, and travel time. The route name is the name of the road R0, and the address is the address of the road R0. The travel distance is the distance traveled by the work vehicle 10 on the road R0, for example, the distance from the field F1 to the field F2. The travel time is the time the work vehicle 10 travels on the road R0, for example, the time required to move from the field F1 to the field F2.

[0082] In addition, the storage unit 22 may store the target path information related to one target path or the target path information related to multiple target paths. For example, when a specific operator generates multiple target paths for one or more fields owned by the operator, the target path information related to each target path is stored in the storage unit 22. In addition, for one field, one target path or multiple target paths may be set. In addition, for a group of fields, one inter-field path or multiple inter-field paths may be set. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 22 stores target path R (refer to Figure 4 ) and the target route information corresponding to the target route R (refer to Figure 4 ) and the target route information corresponding to the field route R12 (refer to Figure 3 ) corresponding to the target path information.

[0083] As another embodiment, part or all of the above-mentioned work vehicle information, target path information and other information may also be stored in a server accessible from the operation terminal 20. The operator may also perform an operation to register the above-mentioned work vehicle information and the above-mentioned target path information in the above-mentioned server (e.g., a personal computer, a cloud server, etc.). In this case, the operation control unit 21 may also obtain the above-mentioned information from the above-mentioned server and perform various processes such as the automatic driving process described later.

[0084] The operation control unit 21 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various calculations. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit that pre-stores control programs such as BIOS and OS for the CPU to perform various calculations. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (operating area) for various processes performed by the CPU. Thus, the operation control unit 21 controls the operation terminal 20 by executing various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or storage unit 22 by the CPU.

[0085] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the operation control unit 21 includes various processing units such as a setting processing unit 211, a receiving processing unit 212, an acquisition processing unit 213, a generation processing unit 214, and an output processing unit 215. In addition, the operation control unit 21 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes in accordance with the control program by the CPU. In addition, a part or all of the processing units may also be composed of electronic circuits. In addition, the control program may also be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the processing units.

[0086] The setting processing unit 211 sets information related to the work vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as work vehicle information), information related to the field (hereinafter referred to as field information), and information related to how to perform the work (hereinafter referred to as work information). The setting processing unit 211 sets information related to the work vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as work vehicle information), information related to the field (hereinafter referred to as field information), and information related to how to perform the work. Figure 5 In the menu screen D1 shown, setting operations by an operator are received and various setting information is registered.

[0087] Specifically, the setting processing unit 211 sets information such as the model of the work vehicle 10, the position where the positioning antenna 174 is installed in the work vehicle 10, the type of the work machine 14, the size and shape of the work machine 14, the position of the work machine 14 relative to the work vehicle 10, the vehicle speed and engine speed of the work vehicle 10 during operation, and the vehicle speed and engine speed of the work vehicle 10 during turning, through the operator registering the information on the operation terminal 20.

[0088] The setting processing unit 211 also sets information such as the position and shape of the field, the work start position (travel start position) and the work end position (travel end position), and the work direction by performing a registration operation on the operation terminal 20.

[0089] The information on the position and shape of the field can be automatically obtained, for example, by an operator riding on the work vehicle 10 and driving around the periphery of the field and recording the change in the position information of the positioning antenna 174 at this time. In addition, the position and shape of the field can also be obtained based on a polygon obtained by the operator operating the operation terminal 20 to specify multiple points on the map while the operation terminal 20 is displaying the map. In addition, the operator can set a specified edge area from the end in the field. The set edge area is set as the non-operating area Fb, and the area other than the edge area is set as the operating area Fa (see Figure 4 ). In addition, the operation control unit 21 may automatically secure the marginal area and set the operation area Fa and the non-operation area Fb based on the field information, the operation vehicle information, the operation information, etc., without relying on the setting operation of the operator.

[0090] In addition, the setting processing unit 211 is configured to be able to set, as work information, whether or not there is collaborative work between the work vehicle 10 (unmanned tractor) and the manned work vehicle 10, the number of work paths jumped by the work vehicle 10 when turning at the edge of the field, that is, the number of jumps, the width of the edge of the field, and the width of the non-arable land, etc.

[0091] In addition, the setting processing unit 211 generates a target path R for the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel in the field based on the above-mentioned setting information. Specifically, the setting processing unit 211 generates a target path R in the field F based on the travel start position S and the travel end position G registered in the field setting. Figure 4 As shown, the setting processing unit 211 generates a target route R including a travel start position S, a travel end position G, a straight route, and a curve route based on the setting operation of the operator. The setting processing unit 211 associates the generated target route R with the field F and registers them.

[0092] Here, the operation control unit 21 generates an inter-field route of the road R0 connecting a plurality of fields based on an operation (teaching operation) performed by an operator as described below.

[0093] Specifically, the receiving processing unit 212 receives the driving operation of the operator. For example, the receiving processing unit 212 receives the driving operation (manual steering) of the work vehicle 10 to manually drive from the field F1 to the field F2. The acquisition processing unit 213 acquires the position information of the work vehicle 10 traveling on the road R0 connecting the field F1 and the field F2 from the positioning unit 17 based on the driving operation performed by the operator. The generation processing unit 214 generates the inter-field path R12 for the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel between the field F1 and the field F2 based on the position information obtained based on the driving operation performed by the operator.

[0094] For example, the receiving processing unit 212 displays the teaching operation screen D2 and receives an operation of selecting a field from the operator (see Fig. 6A and Figure 6B ). The teaching operation screen D2 displays a list of field information of a plurality of fields registered by the setting processing unit 211. The operator selects a plurality of fields to be the target of the inter-field route on the teaching operation screen D2.

[0095] When the receiving processing unit 212 receives a selection operation of a plurality of fields to be the inter-field path from the operator, it receives a start operation of teaching travel. The operator, for example, brings the operating terminal 20 into the work vehicle 10, and while checking the guidance path displayed on the operating terminal 20, travels on the road R0 (refer to Figure 3 ) manually travels from field F1 to field F2. While the operator is teaching the work vehicle 10 to travel on road R0, the acquisition processing unit 213 acquires the position information and travel speed information of the work vehicle 10. In addition, the acquisition processing unit 213 may also acquire information related to the road R0 during teaching travel (e.g., obstacles, road surface conditions, road width, temporary stop lines, speed limits, traffic lights, etc.).

[0096] When the operator drives the work vehicle 10 to the field F2 and the work vehicle 10 reaches the field F2, the operator presses the end button in the teaching operation screen D2. If the operator presses the end button, the receiving processing unit 212 accepts the end operation of the teaching operation. If the receiving processing unit 212 accepts the end operation, the generating processing unit 214 generates an inter-field path R12 for the work vehicle 10 to automatically drive between the field F1 and the field F2 based on the position information of the work vehicle 10 obtained by the obtaining processing unit 213. Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the generation processing unit 214 generates an inter-field route R12 that connects the entrance H1 of the field F1 and the entrance H2 of the field F2 and passes through the road R0.

[0097] When the operator confirms the inter-field path R12 on the teaching operation screen D2 and presses the registration button, the generation processing unit 214 registers the inter-field path R12 in association with the field F1 and the field F2 .

[0098] When the operator starts the automatic driving of the work vehicle 10, the operator selects a plurality of fields and selects an inter-field path for automatic driving between the fields. For example, when the operator selects the field F1 and the field F2, selects the target path R in the field F1 and the target path R in the field F2, selects the inter-field path R12 for moving between the field F1 and the field F2, and presses the start button, the output processing unit 215 outputs the path data of the target path and the inter-field path to the work vehicle 10.

[0099] Here, the output processing unit 215 outputs route data including the target route R as the working route in the field F1 , the target route R as the working route in the field F2 , and the inter-field route R12 as the inter-field route connecting the field F1 and the field F2 to the work vehicle 10 .

[0100] When the path data generated in the operation terminal 20 is transmitted to the work vehicle 10, the work vehicle 10 stores the path data in the storage unit 12. The work vehicle 10 performs automatic driving processing based on the path data while detecting the current position of the work vehicle 10 through the positioning antenna 174. In addition, the current position of the work vehicle 10 usually coincides with the position of the positioning antenna 174.

[0101] In addition, the work vehicle 10 is configured to move between the current position and the travel start position S (see Figure 4 ) are consistent, it can automatically drive in the working area Fa.

[0102] For example, when the current position of the work vehicle 10 coincides with the driving start position S of the field F1 (when the conditions for starting automatic driving are met), if the operator presses the start button in the operation screen (not shown) to give a driving start instruction, the automatic driving of the target path R will start through the driving processing unit 111 of the work vehicle 10.

[0103] Here, after the work vehicle 10 starts to travel automatically, it may be necessary to perform a specific operation during the automatic travel. For example, if the fuel of the work vehicle 10 becomes lower than a predetermined amount during the automatic travel in the work area Fa, a fuel replenishment operation is required. If a fuel replenishment operation is required, the work vehicle 10 stops traveling automatically at that time. In this case, in the present embodiment, the operator can move the work vehicle 10 to the work space A1 (refer to FIG. 1 ) of the field F for the above-mentioned replenishment operation. Figure 4 ), or when the operation is about to end, retain the above-mentioned supply operation and continue the operation to the travel end position G.

[0104] For example, if the fuel level of the work vehicle 10 falls below a predetermined level while the work vehicle 10 is automatically traveling in the work area Fa, the operation control unit 21 displays a warning message on the travel screen D3 (see Figure 7 ). If the operator recognizes the warning message and confirms the safety around the work vehicle 10 through the camera image, he / she presses the forced travel button. If the operator presses the forced travel button, the output processing unit 215 outputs the operation information including the forced travel instruction to the work vehicle 10. If the vehicle control device 11 of the work vehicle 10 obtains the above operation information, Figure 8As shown, the work vehicle 10 is forced to automatically drive from the position where the work is interrupted (the work interruption position) to the work space A1. In addition, when the generation processing unit 214 generates a moving path Ra (an example of a non-working path of the present invention) from the work interruption position to the work space A1, the vehicle control device 11 can also automatically drive the work vehicle 10 according to the moving path Ra when the forced driving button is pressed by the operator. In addition, the vehicle control device 11 can also automatically drive the work vehicle 10 to the non-working area Fb on the extension line of the target path R instead of the moving path Ra.

[0105] In addition, the vehicle control device 11 can also be configured to enable the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel from the work interruption position to the end of the work area Fa without relying on the operator's forced driving instruction, and to use the operator's forced driving instruction as a permission condition for automatic driving when traveling from the end of the work area Fa to the non-working area Fb of the work space A1.

[0106] As another embodiment, when the operator presses the forced travel button, the vehicle control device 11 causes the work vehicle 10 to continue to automatically travel along the target path R from the position where the work is interrupted (the work interruption position) toward the travel end position G. For example, the operator can also select in the travel screen D3 whether to automatically drive the work vehicle 10 to the work space A1 or to the travel end position G. In addition, the operation control unit 21 can also display the option of automatically traveling to the travel end position G, for example, based on the fact that the work vehicle 10 has fuel that can travel from the work interruption position to the travel end position G.

[0107] In addition, as another embodiment, in order to ensure that the operator confirms the safety around the work vehicle 10, the work vehicle 10 is allowed to automatically travel in the non-operating area Fb only while the operator presses the forced travel button. For example, the vehicle control device 11 allows the automatic travel of the work vehicle 10 while the operator presses the forced travel button, and stops the automatic travel of the work vehicle 10 if the operator releases the forced travel button. In addition, as another embodiment, when the operator presses the forced travel button for a specified time continuously, the work vehicle 10 is allowed to automatically travel in the non-operating area Fb. In this case, when the forced travel button is pressed for less than the specified time, the vehicle control device 11 does not start automatic travel but maintains the stopped state.

[0108] In addition, as another embodiment, when the warning message is displayed on the driving screen D3 (see Figure 7), when the operator directs his / her sight toward the camera image of the driving screen D3, the output processing unit 215 outputs the action information including the forced driving instruction to the working vehicle 10. If the vehicle control device 11 of the working vehicle 10 obtains the above-mentioned action information, the working vehicle 10 is forced to automatically drive from the position where the work is interrupted (the work interruption position) to the working space A1.

[0109] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the operator can confirm the safety around the work vehicle 10, the work vehicle 10 may be allowed to travel automatically in the non-work area Fb only while the operator is observing the camera image. For example, the vehicle control device 11 allows the work vehicle 10 to travel automatically while the operator is directing his or her gaze toward the camera image of the driving screen D3, and stops the automatic travel of the work vehicle 10 if the operator moves his or her gaze away from the camera image. As another embodiment, the work vehicle 10 may be allowed to travel automatically in the non-work area Fb when the operator continuously observes the camera image for a specified time. In this case, the vehicle control device 11 does not start automatic travel but maintains the stopped state when the time for observing the camera image is less than the specified time.

[0110] When the operator presses the “No” button on the driving screen D3 , the vehicle control device 11 does not permit automatic driving, but accepts manual steering control by the operator to cause the work vehicle 10 to drive manually.

[0111] The specific operations required by the work vehicle 10 during automatic driving are not limited to the operations in the work space A1 (e.g., replenishment operations, discharge operations, etc.). For example, during the automatic driving of the work vehicle 10 in the work area Fa, there may be a situation where a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) regeneration operation or a urea water replenishment operation is required. If these specific operations are required, the work vehicle 10 temporarily stops automatic driving at that time. In such specific operations, the operator can also press the forced driving button (see Figure 7 ), or by directing the gaze toward the camera image to give a forced driving instruction, thereby allowing automatic driving to move the work vehicle 10 to the end of the field F (non-working area Fb), or when the work is about to end, retaining the above-mentioned specific work and continuing the work to the driving end position G.

[0112] In addition, when the work vehicle 10 is traveling on a road outside a field (an example of a non-work area), the vehicle control device 11 permits the automatic travel of the work vehicle 10 based on the fact that a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action has been performed. For example, when the work vehicle 10 finishes the work in the field F1 and starts to move toward the field F2, the operation control unit 21 allows the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel. Fig. 9The driving screen D3 shown is displayed. If the operator presses the forced driving button in the driving screen D3 of the operation terminal 20, the output processing unit 215 outputs operation information including the forced driving instruction to the work vehicle 10. If the vehicle control device 11 of the work vehicle 10 obtains the above operation information, it allows the work vehicle 10 to travel on the road R0 (the field path R12) (refer to Figure 3 ) Automatic driving. In addition, the vehicle control device 11 may permit the work vehicle 10 to automatically drive on the field path R12 only while the operator is pressing the forced driving button. The field path R12 is an example of a non-operation path of the present invention.

[0113] Alternatively, the vehicle control device 11 may permit the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel on the field path R12 only when the worker directs his or her line of sight toward the camera image on the travel screen D3 or while the worker directs his or her line of sight toward the camera image on the travel screen D3.

[0114] Here, if the work vehicle 10 detects the obstacle X1 (see Fig.11 ), the vehicle control device 11 stops the work vehicle 10. Fig. 10A The message indicating that the obstacle X1 has been detected is displayed. In addition, in the case of a configuration in which the automatic travel of the field path R12 is permitted only while the operator continues to press the forced travel button, when the work vehicle 10 detects the obstacle X1, the vehicle control device 11 invalidates the pressing operation of the forced travel button and stops the automatic travel. In this case, a message reminding the operator to release the forced travel button is displayed on the travel screen D3 (see Fig. 10A ).

[0115] If the work vehicle 10 detects the obstacle X1 and stops temporarily, and the operator releases the forced travel button, Fig. 10B As shown, the operation control unit 21 displays a query message on the driving screen D3 asking whether the work vehicle 10 should be forced to drive along the avoidance path to avoid the obstacle X1. Fig. 10B If the forced driving button is pressed on the driving screen D3 shown in the figure, the vehicle control device 11 permits automatic driving so that the work vehicle 10 drives along the avoidance path. Fig.11 As shown, the vehicle control device 11 temporarily backs up the work vehicle 10 from the temporary stop position, automatically drives along the avoidance path Rb passing the obstacle X1, and returns to the original field path R12. The vehicle control device 11 may permit automatic driving along the avoidance path Rb only while the operator is pressing the forced driving button.

[0116] In addition, the vehicle control device 11 may temporarily stop the work vehicle 10 when the work vehicle 10 returns to the field path R12 from the avoidance path Rb. Here, the vehicle control device 11 also invalidates the pressing operation of the forced travel button to stop the automatic travel, and displays a message reminding the operator to release the forced travel button on the travel screen D3. If the operator confirms through the camera image that the work vehicle 10 has passed the obstacle X1 and returned to the field path R12, he presses the forced travel button again. As a result, the vehicle control device 11 permits the automatic travel on the field path R12 and causes the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel toward the field F2.

[0117] As another embodiment, the vehicle control device 11 may permit automatic driving along the field path R12 and automatic driving along the avoidance path Rb when the obstacle X1 is detected when the operator directs his / her sight toward the camera image (see Fig.11 ).

[0118] In addition, as another embodiment, the vehicle control device 11 may always permit automatic travel of the field path R12 and automatic travel of the avoidance path Rb when an obstacle is detected while the operator is pressing the forced travel button or directing his / her sight toward the camera image. According to this configuration, the operator does not need to temporarily release the forced travel button and press it again, or the operator does not need to temporarily move his / her sight away from the camera image and direct it again, so the operability is improved.

[0119] In the above-mentioned embodiment, when a specific operation is required in the work vehicle 10 and the work vehicle 10 is traveling on a path between fields (outside the work area), automatic driving is permitted on the condition that a prescribed confirmation operation or confirmation action by the operator has been performed. However, as another embodiment, when the work vehicle 10 becomes in a state where it is difficult to continue automatic driving during automatic driving, automatic driving is permitted on the condition that a prescribed confirmation operation or confirmation action by the operator has been performed.

[0120] For example, when the work vehicle 10 deviates from the target path R or is likely to protrude outside the field while the work vehicle 10 is automatically traveling along the target path R, the vehicle control device 11 stops the automatic traveling of the work vehicle 10. In this case, the vehicle control device 11 may permit the automatic traveling on the condition that a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action has been performed by the operator.

[0121] As described above, the vehicle control device 11 automatically drives the work vehicle 10 in the work area Fa when the work vehicle 10 satisfies the travel start condition, and automatically drives the work vehicle 10 in the non-work area (non-work area Fb, road R0, etc.) when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action by the operator is performed. In addition, the vehicle control device 11 may automatically drive the work vehicle 10 in the work area Fa only while the confirmation operation or confirmation action by the operator is being performed.

[0122] In addition, when the work vehicle 10 moves from the work area Fa to the non-work area (non-work area Fb, road R0, etc.), when a specific work is required, or when it becomes difficult to continue the automatic driving, the operation control unit 21 displays a receiving screen (driving screen D3) for receiving a confirmation operation (forced driving instruction) from the operator on the operation terminal 20 (see Figure 7 ).

[0123] In addition, when the work vehicle 10 that is automatically traveling in the non-work area enters a predetermined state, the work vehicle 10 is automatically traveling only during the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator. The predetermined state is, for example, when a field path R12 (see FIG. 1 ) based on the road R0 that is pre-set in the non-work area is detected. Fig.11 ) and a state in which an obstacle becomes an obstacle to automatic driving, or a state in which a specific operation is required in the work vehicle 10.

[0124] In addition, the vehicle control device 11 may temporarily stop the work vehicle 10 when the work vehicle 10 detects an obstacle during automatic driving, and then restart the automatic driving based on the field path R12 when the obstacle becomes undetectable before a confirmation operation or confirmation action is performed by the operator.

[0125] Thus, in this embodiment, even in an environment that satisfies the stop conditions for automatic driving, movement based on automatic driving is temporarily permitted by the safety confirmation and confirmation operation of the operator (supervisor). When it is confirmed that the operator has performed safety confirmation and has clearly indicated the intention of automatic driving, even in an area where unmanned automatic driving is restricted, the operator's instructions are given priority and automatic driving outside the working area (non-working area Fb, field path R12, etc.) is permitted.

[0126] In addition, the operation terminal 20 can also access the agricultural support service website (agricultural support station) provided by the server (not shown) via the communication network N1. In this case, the operation terminal 20 can function as an operation terminal of the above-mentioned server by executing the browser program through the operation control unit 21. In addition, the above-mentioned server has the above-mentioned processing units and executes each process.

[0127] [Automatic driving processing]

[0128] Below, refer to Fig.12 , an example of the automatic driving process executed by the automatic driving system 1 is described.

[0129] In addition, the present invention can be regarded as the invention of an automatic driving method (an example of the driving control method of the present invention) that executes one or more steps included in the above-mentioned automatic driving process. In addition, one or more steps included in the above-mentioned automatic driving process described here can also be appropriately omitted. In addition, the steps in the above-mentioned automatic driving process can also be executed in different orders within the scope of producing the same effect. Moreover, the case where the vehicle control device 11 executes the steps in the above-mentioned automatic driving process is cited here as an example for explanation, but the automatic driving method in which one or more processors dispersedly execute the steps in the automatic driving process is also considered to be another embodiment.

[0130] In step S1, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 is in a state where it can travel automatically. If the work vehicle 10 satisfies the start conditions for automatic travel (S1: Yes), the vehicle control device 11 moves the process to step S2. The vehicle control device 11 waits until the work vehicle 10 satisfies the start conditions for automatic travel (S1: No).

[0131] In step S2, the vehicle control device 11 starts the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel. For example, if the operator issues a travel start instruction on the operation screen of the operation terminal 20, the operation control unit 21 outputs the travel start instruction to the work vehicle 10. If the vehicle control device 11 receives the travel start instruction from the operation terminal 20, it starts the work vehicle 10 to automatically travel. As a result, the work vehicle 10 moves along the target path R (see FIG. 1 ) in the work area Fa of the field F. Figure 4 ) starts automatic driving and starts work based on the work machine 14.

[0132] Next, in step S3, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 is in a predetermined state. Here, the predetermined state includes various states that make it difficult to continue the automatic driving, such as the case where the work vehicle 10 detects an obstacle during the automatic driving, the case where a specific operation (fuel supply operation, operation object (harvest, harvested material, etc.) discharge operation, DPF regeneration operation, urea water supply operation, etc.) is required, the case where the work vehicle 10 is driving in the non-operating area Fb, the case where the work vehicle is driving outside the field (road R0), the case where the work vehicle 10 is deviated from the target path R, and the case where the work vehicle 10 may protrude outside the field.

[0133] If the vehicle control device 11 determines that the work vehicle 10 is in the predetermined state (S3: Yes), the process proceeds to step S4. If the vehicle control device 11 determines that the work vehicle 10 is not in the predetermined state (S3: No), the process proceeds to step S8.

[0134] In step S4, the vehicle control device 11 temporarily stops the automatically traveling work vehicle 10. Specifically, the vehicle control device 11 temporarily stops the automatically traveling work vehicle 10 at a position at a time point when the work vehicle 10 is in a predetermined state.

[0135] Next, in step S5, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether a forced driving instruction from the operator is obtained from the operation terminal 20. For example, when the work vehicle 10 is in a specified state, the operation control unit 21 of the operation terminal 20 displays a specified message on the driving screen D3 and displays an operation button (forced driving button) for receiving the forced driving instruction (see Figure 7 , Fig. 9 When the operator presses the forced travel button on the travel screen D3 , the vehicle control device 11 obtains a forced travel instruction from the operation terminal 20 .

[0136] In addition, as another embodiment, if the operator directs his / her sight toward the driving screen D3 (see Fig. 9 ) displays the camera image, the vehicle control device 11 obtains a forced driving instruction from the operation terminal 20.

[0137] If the vehicle control device 11 obtains the forced travel instruction (S5: Yes), the process proceeds to step S6. If the vehicle control device 11 does not obtain the forced travel instruction (S5: No), the process proceeds to step S8.

[0138] In step S6, the vehicle control device 11 permits automatic driving and restarts the automatic driving of the work vehicle 10. For example, when the work vehicle 10 needs to be refueled during automatic driving (S3: Yes), if the vehicle control device 11 obtains a forced driving instruction (S5: Yes), the automatic driving of the work vehicle 10 is restarted, and the moving path Ra (refer to Figure 8 ) automatically drives to the working space A1.

[0139] For example, when the work vehicle 10 moves from the field F1 to the field F2 (S3: Yes), if the vehicle control device 11 obtains a forced travel instruction (S5: Yes), the automatic travel of the work vehicle 10 is restarted and the work vehicle 10 moves along the inter-field path R12 (see Figure 3 )Automatically drive.

[0140] Next, in step S7, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the forced driving instruction has been released. Fig. 9 ), the vehicle control device 11 determines that the forced driving instruction has been cancelled. While the operator continues to press the forced driving button in the driving screen D3, the vehicle control device 11 determines that the forced driving instruction has not been cancelled. In addition, for example, if the operator moves his / her eyes away from the camera image in the driving screen D3, the vehicle control device 11 determines that the forced driving instruction has been cancelled. While the operator continues to observe the camera image in the driving screen D3, the vehicle control device 11 determines that the forced driving instruction has not been cancelled.

[0141] If the vehicle control device 11 determines that the forced driving instruction has been cancelled (S7: Yes), the process moves to step S4. That is, the vehicle control device 11 permits automatic driving (S6) while the forced driving instruction is obtained (for example, while the forced driving button is pressed (turned on)), and stops automatic driving (S4) every time the forced driving instruction is cancelled (the forced driving button is turned off). If the vehicle control device 11 determines that the forced driving instruction has not been cancelled (S7: No), the process moves to step S8.

[0142] In step S8, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 has ended the automatic travel. For example, when the work vehicle 10 reaches the travel end position G (see Figure 3 ), it is determined that the work vehicle 10 has ended the automatic driving (S8: Yes), and the above-mentioned automatic driving process is ended. The vehicle control device 11 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S3 to S7 until the work vehicle 10 reaches the driving end position G (S8: No). In the above manner, the vehicle control device 11 executes the above-mentioned automatic driving process.

[0143] As described above, the automatic driving system 1 according to the present embodiment controls the driving of the work vehicle 10 that can drive automatically. In addition, the automatic driving system 1 automatically drives the work vehicle 10 in the work area Fa when the work vehicle 10 satisfies the driving start condition, and automatically drives the work vehicle 10 in the non-work area (non-work area Fb, outside the field, etc.) other than the work area Fa when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action by the operator is performed. That is, the automatic driving system 1 permits the work vehicle 10 to drive automatically in the non-work area under the condition of safety confirmation (monitoring) performed by the operator.

[0144] According to the above configuration, the safety of the work vehicle 10 when it is automatically traveling in the non-work area can be ensured. In addition, the operator can remotely check the situation around the work vehicle 10 through the camera image mounted on the work vehicle 10, for example, and give an instruction for automatic traveling.

[0145] In addition, the automatic driving system 1 can also be configured to, for example, permit automatic driving of the work vehicle 10 only during the period when the operator continues to perform safety confirmation (for example, during the period when the forced driving button is pressed or the line of sight is directed toward the camera image). According to this configuration, the automatic driving is stopped when the operator neglects safety confirmation, so that the safety of the work vehicle 10 when driving in the non-operating area can be further improved.

[0146] In addition, the above-mentioned confirmation operation and the above-mentioned confirmation action are not limited to the input operation (button pressing operation) of the operator in the operation terminal 20 and the action of observing the camera image displayed on the operation terminal 20, and may be, for example, the action of the operator inputting (speaking) the start instruction of automatic driving by voice. For example, when the voice of the start instruction is obtained by the operator speaking, the vehicle control device 11 permits automatic driving. In addition, the vehicle control device 11 may permit automatic driving only during the period of inputting the above-mentioned voice.

[0147] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the following embodiments are also possible.

[0148] As another embodiment, the automatic driving system 1 may set an automatic driving permission area in the non-operating area to permit the automatic driving of the working vehicle 10. Fig.13 As shown, the worker blocks the road R0 for entering the fields F1 to F12 so as to close the area surrounding the fields F1 to F12 and prevent third parties from entering. Specifically, the worker sets a sign P0 at each entry position of the entire area on the road R0 surrounding the entire area of ​​the fields F1 to F12. Fig.13 In the example shown, the operator places signs P0 at eight locations on the road R0. By placing the signs P0, it is possible to call the attention of a third party.

[0149] The operation control unit 21 sets the range determined based on the position information of each of the plurality of signs P0 installed on the road R0 as the automatic driving permission area AR1. The sign P0 is a sign having a transmission unit that can transmit position information (latitude and longitude information) and a display unit that displays a message prohibiting entry into the automatic driving permission area AR1 ("No Passage").

[0150] When the operation control unit 21 obtains position information from each of the eight marks P0 set on the road R0, the range of the road R0 surrounding the positions connecting the marks P0 is set as the automatic driving permission area AR1. When the operation control unit 21 sets the automatic driving permission area AR1, the frame image of the automatic driving permission area AR1 may be displayed on the map displayed by the operation terminal 20. In addition, the setting processing unit 211 may also display the position information of one or more working vehicles 10 that can communicate with the operation terminal 20. In addition, the automatic driving permission area AR1 may be set by the operator registering a blockade point on the map instead of the mark P0.

[0151] When the automatic driving permission area AR1 is set, the vehicle control device 11 permits automatic driving for the first work vehicle 10 entering the automatic driving permission area AR1 regardless of whether or not a confirmation operation or confirmation action is performed by the operator, and permits automatic driving for the second and subsequent work vehicles 10 entering the automatic driving permission area AR1 only during the period of confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator. For example, when the first work vehicle 10 automatically drives on the road R0 within the automatic driving permission area AR1, safety can be ensured because there are no other vehicles. In this case, the vehicle control device 11 permits automatic driving of the work vehicle 10 regardless of the forced driving instruction issued by the operator.

[0152] On the other hand, if another work vehicle 10 enters the road R0 and performs automatic driving when a work vehicle 10 that is automatically driving already exists on the road R0, there is a risk of contact with the automatically driving work vehicle 10. In this case, the vehicle control device 11 permits the automatic driving of the work vehicle 10 for the second and subsequent work vehicles 10, using the forced driving instruction issued by the operator as a condition. Thus, a plurality of work vehicles 10 can safely perform automatic driving in the automatic driving permission area AR1.

[0153] In addition, in the above example, for the second and subsequent work vehicles 10, automatic driving is permitted on the condition of the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator, but as another embodiment, for the Nth (N is 3 or more) and subsequent work vehicles 10, automatic driving may be permitted on the condition of the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator. In addition, as another embodiment, the operator may be able to set the value of the above "N". In addition, as another embodiment, the operator may be able to set or switch the work vehicle 10 that requires the confirmation operation or confirmation action. For example, for one or more specific work vehicles 10 selected by the operator among multiple work vehicles 10, the vehicle control device 11 permits automatic driving on the condition of the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator. In addition, as another embodiment, the vehicle control device 11 may also automatically switch the work vehicle 10 to permit automatic driving on the condition of the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator or without the condition. For example, the vehicle control device 11 may also switch whether the above condition is required based on the work content, current position, target path, vehicle speed and other information of the work vehicle 10. In addition, as another embodiment, the vehicle control device 11 may permit automatic driving of all the work vehicles 10 in the automatic driving permission area AR1 on the condition that the operator performs a confirmation operation or a confirmation action.

[0154] In addition, when measures are taken to prohibit vehicles not related to the operation from entering the automatic driving permission area AR1, the vehicle control device 11 may also permit automatic driving of the working vehicle 10 in the automatic driving permission area AR1 regardless of whether a confirmation operation or confirmation action is performed by the operator. In addition, when the above-mentioned measures are not taken for the automatic driving permission area AR1, the vehicle control device 11 may permit automatic driving of the working vehicle 10 in the automatic driving permission area AR1 only during the period of confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator. Vehicles not related to the operation include general vehicles not related to the operation, such as working vehicles working in the fields, transport vehicles transporting discharges, and supply vehicles supplying supplies. Measures for prohibiting vehicle entry are, for example, measures for setting a flag P0.

[0155] Since the safety in the automatic driving permission area AR1 can be ensured when vehicles not related to the operation are prohibited from entering, the vehicle control device 11 may permit the automatic driving regardless of the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator. On the other hand, since the safety in the automatic driving permission area AR1 is insufficient when vehicles not related to the operation are not prohibited from entering, the vehicle control device 11 permits the automatic driving with the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator as a condition.

[0156] As another embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle control device 11 may also temporarily stop the work vehicle 10 when the work vehicle 10 detects an obstacle during automatic driving, and then make the work vehicle 10 avoid the obstacle through remote operation of the operator. For example, when the work vehicle 10 detects an obstacle, the operator operates the steering control device to remotely perform manual steering while confirming the camera image on the operation terminal 20. The vehicle control device 11 drives the work vehicle 10 according to the manual steering operation. In addition, when the work vehicle 10 passes the obstacle and returns to the target path to become a state where it can restart automatic driving, the vehicle control device 11 receives an instruction to start automatic driving from the operator. If the vehicle control device 11 receives the start instruction, it causes the work vehicle 10 to restart automatic driving.

[0157] As described above, in the above embodiment, the vehicle control device 11 corresponds to the travel control system involved in the present invention, but the travel control system involved in the present invention may be composed of the operation terminal 20 alone or may be composed of the work vehicle 10 and the operation terminal 20.

[0158] [Notes on the invention]

[0159] The following is a summary of the invention extracted from the embodiments. In addition, each structure and each processing function described in the following notes can be selected and combined arbitrarily.

[0160] <Note 1>

[0161] A driving control method for controlling the driving of a working vehicle capable of automatic driving, wherein the driving control method executes:

[0162] In a work area, if the work vehicle meets a driving start condition, the work vehicle is automatically driven; and

[0163] In the non-working area, the working vehicle is automatically driven when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action is performed by the worker.

[0164] <Note 2>

[0165] A driving control method according to Note 1, wherein:

[0166] In the non-working area, the working vehicle is automatically driven only while the confirmation operation or the confirmation action is being performed by the operator.

[0167] <Note 3>

[0168] A driving control method according to note 1 or 2, wherein:

[0169] When the work vehicle moves from the work area to the non-work area, an acceptance screen for accepting the confirmation operation from the operator is displayed on the operation terminal.

[0170] <Note 4>

[0171] A driving control method according to note 2 or 3, wherein:

[0172] When the work vehicle that is automatically traveling in the non-work area is in a predetermined state, the work vehicle is automatically traveling only while the confirmation operation or the confirmation action by the operator is in progress.

[0173] <Note 5>

[0174] A driving control method according to note 4, wherein:

[0175] The predetermined state is a state in which an obstacle that becomes an obstacle to automatic driving based on a non-working path preset in the non-working area is detected, or a state in which a specific work is required for the working vehicle.

[0176] <Note 6>

[0177] A driving control method according to note 5, wherein:

[0178] When the working vehicle detects the obstacle during automatic driving, the working vehicle is temporarily stopped, and then when the obstacle cannot be detected before the confirmation operation or confirmation action performed by the operator, the automatic driving based on the non-working path is restarted.

[0179] <Note 7>

[0180] A driving control method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein:

[0181] An automatic driving permission area is set in the non-operating area to allow the automatic driving of the operating vehicle.

[0182] The first working vehicle to enter the automatic driving permission area is permitted to drive automatically regardless of whether the operator performs the confirmation operation or the confirmation action.

[0183] For the second and subsequent working vehicles that enter the automatic driving permission area, automatic driving is permitted only while the confirmation operation or the confirmation action is being performed by the operator.

[0184] <Note 8>

[0185] A driving control method according to any one of Notes 2 to 7, wherein:

[0186] An automatic driving permission area is set in the non-operating area to allow the automatic driving of the operating vehicle.

[0187] In the case where a measure is taken to prohibit vehicles not related to the operation from entering the automatic driving permission area, the automatic driving of the operation vehicle in the automatic driving permission area is permitted regardless of whether the confirmation operation or the confirmation action is performed by the operator.

[0188] When the above-mentioned measures are not taken for the above-mentioned automatic driving permission area, the automatic driving of the above-mentioned working vehicle in the above-mentioned automatic driving permission area is permitted only while the above-mentioned confirmation operation or the above-mentioned confirmation action is being performed by the operator.

Claims

1. A driving control method for controlling the driving of a working vehicle capable of automatic driving, It is characterized in that The driving control method performs: In a work area, automatically driving the work vehicle when the work vehicle satisfies a driving start condition; and In a non-working area, the working vehicle is automatically driven when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action is performed by an operator.

2. The driving control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the non-working area, the working vehicle is automatically driven only while the confirmation operation or the confirmation action by the worker is being performed.

3. The driving control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the work vehicle moves from the work area to the non-work area, an acceptance screen for accepting the confirmation operation from the worker is displayed on the operation terminal.

4. The driving control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the work vehicle that is automatically traveling in the non-work area enters a predetermined state, the work vehicle is automatically traveled only while the confirmation operation or the confirmation action by the operator is being performed.

5. The driving control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The predetermined state is a state in which an obstacle that becomes an obstacle to automatic driving based on a non-working path preset in the non-working area is detected, or a state in which the working vehicle needs a specific work.

6. The driving control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the work vehicle detects the obstacle during automatic driving, the work vehicle is temporarily stopped, and then when the obstacle becomes undetectable before the confirmation operation or confirmation action is performed by the operator, the automatic driving based on the non-working path is restarted.

7. The driving control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: An automatic driving permission area for permitting the automatic driving of the working vehicle is set in the non-working area. For the first working vehicle that enters the automatic driving permission area, automatic driving is permitted regardless of whether the confirmation operation or the confirmation action is performed by the operator. For the second and subsequent work vehicles that enter the automatic driving permission area, automatic driving is permitted only while the confirmation operation or the confirmation action by the operator is being performed.

8. The driving control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: An automatic driving permission area for permitting the automatic driving of the working vehicle is set in the non-working area. When a measure is taken to prohibit vehicles not related to the operation from entering the automatic driving permission area, the automatic driving of the operation vehicle in the automatic driving permission area is permitted regardless of whether the confirmation operation or the confirmation action is performed by the operator. When the measure is not taken for the automatic driving permission area, automatic driving is permitted for the work vehicle in the automatic driving permission area only while the confirmation operation or the confirmation action by the operator is being performed.

9. A driving control program for controlling the driving of a working vehicle capable of automatic driving, characterized in that: The driving control program is used to enable one or more processors to execute: In a work area, the work vehicle is automatically driven when the work vehicle meets a driving start condition; and In a non-working area, the working vehicle is automatically driven when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action is performed by an operator.

10. A travel control system for controlling the travel of a working vehicle capable of automatic travel, characterized in that: In a work area, the work vehicle is automatically driven when the work vehicle satisfies a driving start condition, and in a non-work area, the work vehicle is automatically driven when a predetermined confirmation operation or confirmation action by an operator is performed.

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