Management system for work vehicle

Abstract

To Provide a management system for a work vehicle that can easily manage the work progress of a plurality of work vehicles.SOLUTION: A management system for a work vehicle comprises a management terminal 201 that communicates with a plurality of work vehicles Vx, arranges work progress determination means Z that compares a work plan with the work status during execution and obtains a progress of each work vehicle, and displays information on each work vehicle Vx on the management terminal 201 in order of the progress delay time Dx being large. Furthermore, the work vehicle Vx and the management terminal 201 comprise a positioning device 203 and 205, respectively, display a selection switch S to select an order of work vehicles Vx to be displayed on the management terminal 201, and list display information of the work vehicles Vx in order of distance from the management terminal 201 if the distance order is selected in the selection switch S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system for a work vehicle such as an agricultural tractor. [Background technology]

[0002] A work vehicle management system is known in which a management terminal such as a tablet computer communicates with multiple work vehicles traveling for work via the Internet and displays a list of the work vehicles and the remaining fuel level for each work vehicle on the display of the management terminal (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7071700 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to Patent Document 1, a management user can check the remaining fuel amount in a work vehicle by accessing a management server and referring to a remaining fuel amount database.

[0005] However, when managing a plurality of work vehicles, the conditions of each work vehicle change from moment to moment, so it is not easy to determine which work vehicles should be monitored.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle management system that can easily manage a plurality of work vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the objective, the invention described in claim 1 is a work vehicle management system that includes a management terminal 201 that communicates with a plurality of work vehicles Vx, is provided with a work progress determination means Z that compares the work plan with the work status being carried out and acquires the progress status of each work vehicle, and displays information about each work vehicle Vx on the management terminal 201 in descending order of the delay time Dx of the progress status.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, in which the work vehicle Vx and the management terminal 201 are each equipped with positioning devices 203, 205, and a selection switch S is displayed to select the order in which the work vehicles Vx are displayed on the management terminal 201, and when distance order is selected from the selection switch S, information on the work vehicles Vx is displayed in a list in order of furthest from the management terminal 201.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1, in which the work vehicles Vx are each equipped with positioning devices 203, 205, and a selection switch S is displayed to select the order in which the work vehicles Vx are displayed on the management terminal 201, and when supply distance order is selected, information on the work vehicles Vx is displayed in a list in order of furthest from the material supply point.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the work vehicle Vx is equipped with a capacity rate sensor Ts that detects the capacity rate of the storage container T that stores the harvest, and the management terminal 201 is configured to acquire the capacity rate for each work vehicle Vx and display it in a list in order of highest capacity rate. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the invention described in claim 1, by displaying the work in order of slowest progress, it is possible to take measures such as changing the instructions for the work speed to speed up the completion of all work, thereby making management easier.

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect described in claim 1, when a response is required, it is possible to smoothly manage work by calling attention to distant work vehicles, which take time. According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect described in claim 1, when materials such as fuel and pesticides run low, it becomes necessary to take measures such as resupplying. However, since it takes time for work vehicles far from a supply point to replenish, smooth work management can be achieved by calling attention to the situation.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects described in claim 1 or claim 2, by displaying a list of work vehicles in descending order of capacity, it becomes easier to deal with vehicles that have reached 100% capacity, and multiple work vehicles can be easily managed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of an agricultural tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the management system for the agricultural tractor. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the management terminal and a plurality of farm fields. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for recording the peripheral route of the same field. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a headland travel route and a round-trip travel route in the same farm field. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart of an automatic start point movement mode in the agricultural tractor. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a work vehicle and an example of a display on a management terminal in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a work vehicle 100 of a work vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The work vehicle 100 is a vehicle for agricultural work capable of traveling in a reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13, and is configured so that an engine 105 covered by a bonnet 107 is disposed at the front of the vehicle body, and the vehicle can travel by transmitting the rotational power of the engine 105 to front wheels 103 and rear wheels 104 via multiple transmissions. In addition, a control unit 106 is provided behind the engine 105, and a work implement 140 capable of cultivating the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 is attached to the rear of the vehicle body behind the control unit 106.

[0017] The control section 106 is provided with a cabin equipped with a steering wheel operated by an operator and a driver's seat. A GNSS receiver 102 is provided on a cabin roof 108, which is the ceiling of the cabin, and is configured to receive radio waves from an artificial satellite 170 at a predetermined time interval and measure the position of the work vehicle 100.

[0018] A three-point link mechanism 145 consisting of an upper top link 145a and left and right lower links 145b on the lower side is provided at the rear of the body of the work vehicle 100, and a working machine 140 is connected to this. The working machine 140 is a tilling machine, and is provided with tilling tines 146 that till the soil in the field, a rotary cover 147 that covers the upper part of the tilling tines 146, and a rear cover 148 that is supported at the rear of the rotary cover 147 so as to be freely movable up and down.

[0019] A work machine lifting cylinder 141 is connected to the lower link 145b of the three-point link mechanism 145 via a lift arm 142, and the lower link 145b can be raised and lowered by extending and contracting the work machine lifting cylinder 141.

[0020] Hereinafter, traveling of the work vehicle 100 with the work implement 140 lowered while plowing the soil in the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 will be referred to as work traveling.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a work vehicle management system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The work vehicle 100 is equipped with a position information acquisition unit 301, which is a position information acquisition means that acquires its own position information from radio waves received by the GNSS receiver 102 in Fig. 1, an autonomous driving ECU 302 that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and a vehicle ECU 303 that controls the driving of the vehicle and the operation of the work equipment, and the vehicle ECU 303 is equipped with a communication unit 304 that communicates with a cloud C that forms a communication network, and a route calculation unit 306 that calculates a driving route from position information and topographical information.

[0022] Therefore, the work vehicle 100 is configured to transmit its own location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 301 to cloud C via the communication unit 304 at predetermined time intervals and store it there, and also to be able to acquire the information stored in cloud C.

[0023] The remote management device 200 is a portable electronic computing device, and is configured with a management terminal 201 that can be operated by a management user. The management terminal 201 is equipped with a communication device 202 that can communicate with the cloud C, and a terminal control unit 204 that controls the management terminal 201. Therefore, by carrying the management terminal 201, the management user can exchange information with the cloud C via the communication device 202. In addition, the management terminal 201 is equipped with a positioning device 205 that measures the self-position of the management terminal 201 itself, and can obtain self-position information and transmit it via the communication device 202.

[0024] In this way, since the work vehicle 100 and the remote management device 200 are configured to be able to communicate via cloud C, the management user can use the remote management device 200 to monitor the status of the work vehicle 100 and send commands, making it possible to manage the work vehicle 100 remotely.

[0025] Cloud C is provided with a management server 320, which stores a terrain information database 322 that stores terrain information on the field and its surroundings, and a position information database 323 that stores position information on the work vehicle 100. Therefore, the management user can access the management server 320 and refer to the terrain information database 322 and position information database 323 to grasp the positional relationship between the work vehicle 100 and the field.

[0026] 3 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the management terminal 201 and multiple adjacent reciprocating work driving ranges 13 in the management area 10. Multiple adjacent reciprocating work driving ranges 13 (A1-An) are provided in the management area 10, and the system is configured so that traveling vehicles 100 (V1-Vn) can travel for work in each of the adjacent reciprocating work driving ranges 13. Each adjacent reciprocating work driving range 13 is adjacent to a management passage 12, and is configured so that the work vehicles 100 can enter and exit from an entrance / exit 11.

[0027] The management terminal 201 is equipped with a field identification means for identifying which work vehicle 100 is working in which round-trip adjacent work driving range 13, and is configured to access the management server 320 via the cloud C shown in Figure 2, and compare the position information of each round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 (A1 to An) stored in the topographical information database 322 with the position information of the work vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn) stored in the position information database 323, to identify the work vehicles 100 present in the range in which the round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 is located, and to associate the work vehicle Vx (x = 1, 2, ..., n) with the field Ax (x = 1, 2, ..., n) in which the work vehicle Vx is working.

[0028] Here, in the management terminal 201, the terminal control unit 204 can acquire the respective topographical information of the management passage 12 of the management area 10 and the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 (A1-An) from the topographical information database 322 shown in Fig. 2 via the cloud C using the positioning device 203. Furthermore, it is configured to be able to calculate the routes (L1-Ln) from the current position of the management terminal 201 through the management passage 12 to the position of the entrance / exit 11 of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, and to calculate the travel time T (T1-Tn) to the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 (A1-An) at a predetermined speed from the distances of these routes (L1-Ln).

[0029] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the working vehicle 100 recording travel on the headland of the field H, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the working vehicle 100 traveling within the field H for work.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, farm field H, which is surrounded by ridges 15 and partitioned by the ridges 15 into an outer shape Pe, comprises a reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 and a headland traveling range 14, and is configured so that a traveling vehicle 100 can enter and exit the management passage 12 through an entrance / exit 11. The headland traveling range 14 is travellable by the traveling vehicle 100, and this headland traveling range 14 can be cultivated by traveling for work based on a headland traveling route 22 for circling around the outside of the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13.

[0031] The work vehicle 100 is equipped with a field shape acquisition means for acquiring topographical information showing the shape of the field. As a prerequisite, the work vehicle 100 travels on the headland travel path 22 while measuring the current position with the position information acquisition unit 301 in FIG. 2, and the route calculation unit 306 in FIG. 2 connects the position information of the traveled route to create route information as the outer periphery headland travel path 22, and also calculates the range surrounded by the traveled route in the route information of the headland travel path 22 to create topographical information of the field H (position coordinates, area, length and width of the field), and is equipped with a topographical information recording mode for recording these pieces of information in the topographical information database 322 via the cloud C. The work vehicle 100 is configured to be able to acquire the route information of the headland travel path 22 based on the outer periphery Pe shape information recorded in the topographical information database 322 by the field shape acquisition means in the execution of the topographical information recording mode, and the topographical information of the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 recorded in the topographical information database 322.

[0032] The route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 created by the work vehicle 100 in the terrain information recording mode are transmitted to the management server 320 via the cloud C, and the management server 320, which receives the route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, records the information in the terrain information database 322. As a result, the work vehicle 100 can obtain the route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 at any time by accessing the management server 320 via the cloud C. The work vehicle 100 obtains the route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 by the field shape acquisition means, for example, when the engine 105 is started.

[0033] In this way, since the work vehicle 100 is equipped with a terrain information recording mode, there is no need to survey the round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 in advance to obtain terrain information, and the effort required to have the work vehicle 100 drive for work in any round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 can be reduced.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 5, when the work vehicle 100 travels for work within the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, the route calculation unit 306 shown in Fig. 2 calculates a round-trip travel route 20, which is a route for traveling for work within the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, based on the topographical information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 and the working width w of the work vehicle 100. In order to travel for work so as to evenly cultivate the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, it is sufficient to travel straight through the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 the number of times calculated by dividing the width of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 by the working width w (7 times in Fig. 5), so the round-trip travel route 20 is calculated to travel round-trip through the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 by a straight route that travels straight on the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 and a turning route that leaves the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, turns at the pillow ground 14, and returns to the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13. Hereinafter, the points at which the reciprocating travel path 20 intersects with the ends of the reciprocating adjacent work travel range 13 will be referred to as field end points 21a (P1 to P7), 21b (Q1 to Q7).

[0035] Once the round-trip driving path 20 is calculated, the work vehicle 100 is configured to travel autonomously along the round-trip driving path 20 from one end of the round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 to the other end, passing through the entire field during work driving.

[0036] Specifically, the work vehicle 100 enters the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 from a field end point 21a (P1 (hereinafter, starting point P1)) located at a corner of the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13, travels straight to an opposing field end point 21b (Q1), exits the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13, turns left at the headland 14, and re-enters the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 from the adjacent field end point 21b (Q2). Thereafter, the work vehicle 100 travels straight to an opposing field end point 21a (P2), exits the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13, turns right at the headland 14, and re-enters the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 from the adjacent field end point 21a (P3). The work vehicle 100 repeats such travel until it reaches the field end point 21a (Q7), thereby enabling the entire field to be cultivated evenly.

[0037] Next, the headland travel route 22 of the headland travel range 14 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 5. The headland travel range 14 between the ridge 15 and the reciprocating adjacent travel range 13 is set to a range that can be cultivated by multiple round trips. The headland close to the ridge 15 is cultivated by headland travel operation manually operated by the worker, and the innermost headland circumference is configured to be autonomously traveled in continuation of the reciprocating adjacent work autonomous travel. Therefore, when the work vehicle 100 reaches the entrance / exit 11 from the management passage 12, the worker performs headland cultivation in the headland travel range 14 of the field H according to the headland travel route 22 displayed on the management terminal 201, and moves toward the start point P1 of the reciprocating adjacent work travel route 20 among the field end points 21a of the reciprocating adjacent work travel range 13. Note that after passing through the entrance / exit 11, the headland travel range 14 may be autonomously traveled thereafter.

[0038] Next, based on FIG. 6, the starting point automatic movement mode M will be described. After the work vehicle 100 enters the field H and executes autonomous driving along the circular work by manual operation or the headland travel route 22 created based on the outer periphery Pe shape information, it shifts to the starting point automatic movement mode M by a predetermined operation of the management terminal 201, that is, a mode switch operation. The starting point automatic movement mode M is based on the execution of the starting point automatic movement control unit 308 set in the automatic driving ECU 302 that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and calculates and designates the starting point automatic movement route 24 that reaches the starting point P1 of the reciprocating adjacent operation among the field end points 21a of the reciprocating adjacent travel range 13 for the work vehicle 100 that has moved to the headland travel route 22 in the field H. Explaining with reference to FIG. 6, when the work vehicle 100 is powered on, the azimuth of the work vehicle is recognized by the azimuth detection means 310, and it is determined whether it greatly deviates from the autonomous driving route (S101, S102). By permitting automatic movement only when the azimuth is determined, the safety at the start of automatic movement can be ensured. In addition, in the azimuth determination, it may be configured such that the presence or absence of azimuth abnormality can be determined by comparing the autonomous driving trajectory and the headland travel route 22. Next, it is determined whether the front end F of the work vehicle 100 has deviated from the field H area (S103). Next, it is determined whether the front end F of the vehicle and the rear end center R of the working machine 140 are separated from the outer periphery Pe of the field H (inner periphery of the ridge 15) by a predetermined distance D1 or more (S104). Here, the predetermined distance D1 is, for example, a value obtained by adding a safety distance α (for example, 30 cm) to 1 / 2 of the width W of the working machine 140, and is the distance Df from the outer periphery Pe of the field to the center F of the vehicle, and similarly, when the distance Dr from the outer periphery Pe of the field to the rear end center of the working machine is defined, D1≒(W / 2)+α, and Df<D1 and Dr<D1. Next, it is determined whether the distance from the innermost headland travel route 22 toward the inside of the field H is within a predetermined distance D2 (S105). Here, the predetermined distance D2 is, for example, 1 m. Therefore, it is permitted when the vehicle center F and the rear end center F of the working machine are within the permission range D shown in FIG. 6. Hereinafter, in order, it is determined whether the vehicle is in the direction along the headland travel route 22 (S105). It is safe to move without changing the steering angle too much toward the headland travel route 22.

[0039] When the conditions of S102 to S106 are met, execution of start point automatic movement mode M is permitted (S107), a "START" switch section is displayed on the screen of the management terminal 201 (S108), and by touching this switch (S109), the automatic driving ECU 302 calculates the start point automatic movement route 24 (S110), and the vehicle travels autonomously toward the start point P1 along the start point automatic movement route 24. Note that when calculating the start point automatic movement route 24, it is made to overlap with the preset headland travel route 22, so that the vehicle does not inadvertently enter the round-trip adjacent travel range 13.

[0040] As described above, the work vehicle 100 and the remote management device 200 are configured to be able to communicate via the cloud C, so that the management user can monitor the status of the work vehicle 100 and send commands using the remote management device 200, thereby remotely managing the work vehicle 100. The management terminal 201 then acquires the position and work status of the work vehicle in the cloud C via the communication device 202, displays the work status, and can control the traveling vehicle through necessary operations. The work vehicle 100 constitutes a position information acquisition means that acquires its own position information from the radio waves received by the GNSS receiver 102.

[0041] Next, the work progress confirmation means Y and the progress determination means Z will be described. As described above, the traveling vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn) travel for work in each of the multiple round-trip adjacent work travel ranges 13 (A1 to An) in the management area 10, and a work plan can be formulated based on the round-trip travel route 20 calculated for each round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 (A1 to An). In other words, the work process distance Lx in the field Ax where the work vehicle Vx (x = 1, 2, ..., n (same below)) is working can be calculated based on the work travel speed and turning time set in advance, and further the set required time Tx can be calculated. Then, the work start time is stored, and the work progress can be calculated by obtaining the current time and the current position information of the work vehicle Vx. For example, the work completed distance Lsx can be calculated from the current position, and the work progress can be calculated based on the ratio to the total work process distance Lx (work progress confirmation means Y). This leads to the calculation of the work end time for each work vehicle Vx, and the work end time can be recognized. Additionally, by taking into consideration in advance the amount of work per unit time of the work vehicle Vx, that is, the work plan, it is possible to determine whether the work being carried out is progressing smoothly or is running behind schedule (work progress determination means Z).

[0042] The management terminal 201 is configured to display the work progress status or work progress degree of each traveling vehicle Vx. The delay time D with respect to the work plan can be calculated based on the work progress status, and the management terminal 201 can display the work completion time and the delay times Dx of multiple work vehicles Vx. This display can be configured to display the minimum using a bar graph, for example, and can display the delay times Dx in descending order, or conversely, display the delay times Dx in ascending order when progress is smooth. In this way, by displaying the delay times Dx sequentially in order from the slowest work progress, it is possible to take measures such as changing the work speed instruction to speed up the completion of all work, making management easier. In the illustrated example, the delay time Dx is displayed digitally along with the bar graph display.

[0043] FIG. 7 shows an example of the display of the management terminal 201. The length of the bar graph Bx can be made different for each work vehicle Vx, and the bar graph length is the above-mentioned delay time Dx. If the bar graphs are set to be displayed in order of length, the work delay situation can be grasped at a glance. The selection screen of the management terminal 201 is provided with a touch-operated selection switch means S, and in addition to the above-mentioned delay time setting switch S1, a distance switch S2 is also provided, and when this distance switch is operated by touching, the distance between the management terminal 201 and each work vehicle Vx is displayed in order from longest to shortest or vice versa. The distance is then configured to be displayed as a bar graph Bx. With this configuration, when a response is required, the distant work vehicles will take longer, so a warning is given, allowing smooth work management.

[0044] Further application examples of the selection switch means S include a refueling location selection switch S3 and a storage location selection switch S4 for various materials. For example, when the selection switch S4 is operated, a bar graph is displayed for each work vehicle Vx showing the distance to the pesticide storage location for the pesticide sprayer. With this configuration, when materials such as fuel and pesticides run low, it becomes necessary to take measures such as resupplying, but since it takes time for a work vehicle far from a resupply point to be resupplied, smooth work management can be achieved by calling attention to this.

[0045] The work vehicle Vx is a harvesting machine such as a combine harvester, and is equipped with a capacity sensor Ts that detects the capacity of the storage container T that stores the harvested crop, and the management terminal 201 is configured to acquire the capacity of each work vehicle Vx and display them in a list in order of highest capacity. When the capacity reaches 100%, work must be stopped and the vehicle must be transferred to a truck or the like for transportation, but with this configuration, by displaying a list of work vehicles Vx in order of highest capacity, it becomes easier to deal with vehicles that have reached a capacity of 100%, and multiple work vehicles can be easily managed.

[0046] In addition to the above, the fuel efficiency status of the work vehicle Vx may be sorted in order of good or bad fuel efficiency, high or low engine oil temperature, high or low cooling water temperature, early or late regular maintenance, etc. It is advisable to set a selection switch S that allows the selection of these necessary items. Furthermore, in consideration of the type of work vehicle Vx, if it is an electric motor-driven work vehicle, it may be sorted in order of high or low remaining battery power. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 201 Management terminal 203 Positioning Device 205 Positioning Device Dx Delay Time S selection switch T Containment Container Ts Capacity Sensor Vx Work Vehicle Z Work progress determination means

Claims

1. A work vehicle management system that includes a management terminal (201) that communicates with a plurality of work vehicles (Vx), a work progress determination means (Z) that compares a work plan with the status of work being carried out, and acquires the progress status of each work vehicle, and displays information about each work vehicle (Vx) on the management terminal (201) in descending order of delay time (Dx) in the progress status.

2. A work vehicle management system as described in claim 1, wherein the work vehicle (Vx) and the management terminal (201) are each equipped with a positioning device (203, 205), a selection switch (S) is displayed to select the order in which the work vehicles (Vx) are to be displayed on the management terminal (201), and when distance order is selected from the selection switches (S), information on the work vehicles (Vx) is displayed in a list in order of furthest from the management terminal (201).

3. A work vehicle management system as described in claim 1, wherein the work vehicles (Vx) are each equipped with a positioning device (203, 205), a selection switch (S) is displayed on the management terminal (201) to select the order in which the work vehicles (Vx) are to be displayed, and when the order of supply distance is selected, information on the work vehicles (Vx) is displayed in a list in order of furthest from the material supply point.

4. A work vehicle management system as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the work vehicle (Vx) is equipped with a capacity sensor (Ts) that detects the capacity of a storage container (T) that stores harvested crops, and the management terminal (201) acquires the capacity of each work vehicle (Vx) and displays it in a list in order of highest capacity.

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