Work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle capable of supplying fuel and materials efficiently by checking a consumption amount, a remaining amount, etc. beforehand, and taking appropriate measures for replenishment.SOLUTION: In a work vehicle 100 in which travelling routes 20 and 22 are established, and which can be operated in an unmanned manner along the established travelling routes, a fuel replenishment point F1 and a material replenishment point F2 are set in the travelling routes 20 and 22, or in the neighborhood thereof, a fuel consumption amount and a material consumption amount per unit area are calculated and managed, and a remaining amount of fuel and a remaining amount of materials at present, and a consumed amount of fuel and a consumed amount of materials in an area where work has not been finished yet are calculated. In the case where shortage of fuel and shortage of materials are determined by the time the work is finished, the work vehicle is configured to stop at the fuel replenishment point F1 and the material replenishment point F2 incorporated into the travelling routes 20 and 22 even before each demand instruction signal is output.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle such as an agricultural tractor, and more particularly to an automatic driving route generation system. [Background technology]

[0002] A known configuration for a work vehicle is one in which an area setting unit sets a work area and a driving route that covers the work area is readably stored, and the driving route to be traveled is selected based on a request to unload harvested crops or a request to refuel while the work vehicle is traveling (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-68284 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to Patent Document 1, while the work vehicle is traveling, the travel route to be traveled is selected based on a request to unload the harvested crop or a request to refuel, making it possible to change the travel route during work.

[0005] However, when a request is made to unload harvested crops or refuel, a route is set to a preset unloading or refueling location, but this may result in a wasteful travel route such as a return trip. In particular, when replenishing materials, the vehicle may travel along a route other than the scheduled route, or may not be able to travel the same route multiple times.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a work vehicle that can overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks by checking fuel consumption and remaining fuel amount in advance and taking appropriate measures to replenish the fuel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the invention described in claim 1 is configured such that a work vehicle 100 that can be driven unmanned along a travel route 20, 22 sets a refueling point F1 on or near the travel route 20, 22, calculates and manages the fuel consumption per unit area, calculates the current remaining fuel amount and the fuel consumption in the unworked area, and if it is determined that there is a fuel shortage by the time the work is completed, the vehicle will stop at the refueling point F1 incorporated into the travel route 20, 22 even before a fuel request instruction signal is output.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is configured in such a way that a travel route 20, 22 is set and a work vehicle 100 capable of unmanned operation along this route is set up with a material supply point F2 on or near the travel route 20, 22, the amount of material consumed per unit area is calculated, the current remaining amount of material and the amount of material consumed in the unworked area are calculated, and if it is determined that there will be a shortage of materials by the time the work is completed, the work vehicle 100 is configured to stop at the material supply point F2 incorporated into the travel route 20, 22 even before a material request instruction signal is output from the work vehicle 100.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1 or claim 2, and is equipped with a GNSS position information acquisition means 102 and an image data processing means 305, acquires a field H area using GNSS position information, generates a theoretical route A within this field H area according to the type of work and the work machine, generates avoidance routes C1, C2... based on image data of obstacles etc. 11, 16, 17 and synthesizes them with the theoretical route A, connects the routes, and generates a detailed route B as an automatic driving route. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the invention described in claims 1 and 2, the device is equipped with a means for calculating the current remaining fuel or materials and the unworked area, and calculates the area of ​​the unworked area to determine whether the current remaining fuel or materials can cover it.If it is determined that there is a shortage of fuel or materials, a stop signal is output at the fuel supply point F1 or the material supply point F2 to replenish fuel or materials even before the fuel or materials request signal is output.Therefore, by calculating the consumption per unit area of ​​the field, determining whether it is possible to complete the planned work route without replenishing fuel or materials, and replenishing fuel or materials in advance, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary driving such as turning back.

[0011] According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effects described in claim 1 or claim 2, in the past, route generation was based on an outer peripheral shape including obstacles, which required calculation processing for a complex outer peripheral shape, and this required advanced calculation capabilities and memory, etc., resulting in high costs. However, according to the present invention, the only calculation required is for obstacle avoidance in field H, so the volume of calculations, etc. can be made small, and the calculation capabilities, etc. in the control unit can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 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 a management system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between a management terminal and a plurality of farm fields. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing how to record the perimeter path of a farm field. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a headland traveling route and a round-trip traveling route. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing an example of an obstacle situation and a driving route. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart relating to object analysis by the imaging device. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing generation of a travel path based on crop row line information. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart relating to setting of a work route. [Figure 10] 2 is a flowchart relating to refueling. [Figure 11] (A), (B), and (C) are schematic diagrams showing an example of a work route for refueling and material supply. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart relating to material replenishment. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart relating to abnormality detection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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 for acquiring its own position information from radio waves received by the GNSS receiver 102 in Fig. 1, an autonomous driving ECU 302 for controlling the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and a vehicle ECU 303 for controlling the driving of the vehicle and the operation of the work equipment, and the vehicle ECU 303 is equipped with a communication unit 304 for mutual communication with a cloud C forming a communication network, an image data processing means 305, and a route calculation unit 306 for calculating a driving route from position information and topographical information.

[0020] 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.

[0021] Furthermore, the image data processing means 305 recognizes obstacles and the like ahead of the work vehicle 100 based on the detection results of imaging means such as an omnidirectional camera 311 and a 3D LIDAR 312 .

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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).

[0028] 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.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5, a field H is surrounded by a waterway 15 and ridges, and is partitioned by the waterway 15 and ridges into a perimeter Pe shape, which is set into a round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 and a headland traveling range 14. The inter-field movement passage 12 for the work vehicle 100 is configured to allow the traveling vehicle 100 to enter and exit 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 round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13.

[0030] The calculation of the automatic driving route is performed as follows: That is, based on the topographical information database of the management server 320, the field area is called as position information based on the outer periphery Pe of the field created based on the GNSS position information.

[0031] The work vehicle 100 is configured to be able to acquire route information for the headland driving route 22 based on the outer periphery Pe shape information recorded in the terrain information database 322, and terrain information for the round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 recorded in the terrain 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 (8 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 using 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 P8), 21b (Q1 to Q8).

[0035] Meanwhile, 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 along the headland travel route 22 while measuring its current position with the position information acquisition unit 301 in Fig. 2 in advance, and the route calculation unit 306 (Fig. 2) can create information on the perimeter of the field by linking the position information of the traveled route. In other words, the work vehicle 100 is equipped with a topographical information recording mode for calculating the area surrounded by the traveled route in the route information of the headland travel route 22, creating an avoidance route Cm (m = 1, 2 ...), and recording this information in the topographical information database 322 via the cloud C.

[0036] Then, in the route information of the headland traveling route 22 created based on the outer perimeter Pe, the outer perimeter Pe is replaced with the outer perimeter Pr based on the avoidance-requiring route Cm to generate an automatic driving route.

[0037] The generation of the above-mentioned automatic driving route will be described in detail. The route for unmanned driving in the field is first generated based on the field area based on the GNSS position information, that is, the position information data based on the outermost periphery Pe of the field H, and a detailed route B is generated based on this. That is, the outermost periphery Pe of the field H is compared with the field area data based on the 3D map. This field area data is data incorporating the presence of obstacles by analyzing the image data input by the image data processing means 305, and avoidance routes C1, C2, etc. are generated for places where there is a risk of the work vehicle 100 coming into contact with obstacles, etc. on the above-mentioned theoretical route A, and these are synthesized with the theoretical route A, and a detailed route B is generated as an automatic driving route by route connection. Conventionally, routes were generated based on outer perimeter shapes including obstacles, which required the creation of rules for complex outer perimeter shapes, which resulted in high computing power and memory, and high costs. However, with the above configuration, only calculations are required for obstacle avoidance in field H, so the volume of calculations, etc. can be made small, and the computing power within the ECU can be reduced.

[0038] Next, the route for unmanned operation for moving between fields will be described. Near the tilling end point, map matching is performed based on 3D map data and GNSS position information up to the next field H2 based on the work plan of the work vehicle, to generate a driving route D between fields, and the steering ECU of the work vehicle 100 acquires data only for a two-dimensional driving route based on the GNSS position information, and moves between fields in an unmanned manner. Route generation including obstacle avoidance based on 3D map data is possible for generating the driving route D between fields, and in the case of automatic steering by the steering ECU, driving is performed using route information with a small amount of data, so that the driving calculation of the automatic steering can be simplified, the calculation processing time can be reduced, and there is no risk of stopping due to incomplete calculation.

[0039] In generating the inter-field driving route D, a comparison is made with driving road data as obstacle presence data based on a 3D map, and avoidance routes E1, E2... are generated for locations on the theoretical route Dm where there is a risk of the work vehicle 100 coming into contact with obstacles, etc., and these are synthesized with the theoretical inter-field driving route Dm, and route connection is performed to generate the inter-field driving route D as an automatic driving route. With this configuration, only calculations for obstacle avoidance on the driving route are required, so the volume of calculations, etc. can be made small and the computing power, etc. within the ECU can be reduced.

[0040] In the driving system of the unmanned running work vehicle based on the detailed route B in the field H, the 3D map data based on the detailed route B acquired beforehand when traveling this time is compared with the 3D LIDAR data acquired this time, and if a difference is recognized in the data that is determined to be a stationary obstacle, the 3D map data of the detailed route B is updated. In other words, since the plants and other obstacles on the traveling route grow and change in shape every day, the range that needs to be avoided when traveling may differ, and such changes can be observed each time traveling and compared with the acquired data, and the 3D map can be updated and managed to be in an appropriate state by updating the 3D map to the latest state. The 3D LIDAR 312 can detect laser images in front of the work vehicle 100 and measure the distance to the detected object, detect the object in front of the work vehicle 100 and the distance to it, and send a detection signal to the driving control unit C.

[0041] It is convenient to configure the updated 3D map data to be sent to a managed cloud C and shared with other work vehicles.

[0042] On the other hand, for stationary obstacles on the travel route that are at ground level, obstacle contact avoidance processing such as stopping is performed based on the obstacle (Fig. 6 (A)), but it is configured not to use it as update data for the 3D map itself. This is because if there is an obstacle on the travel route, it can be determined that it is a vehicle that is temporarily stopped (Fig. 6 (B)). In this case, proper updating can be achieved by not updating the 3D map for this part. In addition, the 3D map is configured to be updated when a change in the shape of an object located outside a virtual line drawn at an appropriate height above the edge of the road is recognized. This makes it possible to make proper judgments about trees and other objects that are outside the travel route and whose shape may change daily by comparing them with the updated map. Furthermore, it is configured to store the 3D map information of the determined stationary obstacle information and the camera information at the same time, and later, if the administrator can check the data and change the map data, the administrator can determine whether or not the map change process is appropriate and then carry out the map change process.

[0043] As described above, the 3D map data is constantly updated when changes occur due to comparison between the 3D LIDAR 312 and map data within the field, and necessary updates are determined while driving along roads such as farm roads. In farm fields, the environment is constantly changing due to cultivated crops, etc., and when driving along crop rows, etc. based on a map, the latest image data from past drives can be used as a reference, and by constantly updating it, it can be effectively used during the next process work.

[0044] As described above, by mounting a 3D LIDAR 312 capable of three-dimensional recognition on a vehicle, a 3D map can be created based on the surrounding images detected on the inter-field driving route and the field where work is performed, and can be used for unmanned driving. In other words, the inter-field driving route 3D map is configured to be generated from 3D data acquired by traveling the route in advance, and the field 3D map is configured to be created based on the surrounding images detected in advance by the 3D LIDAR when placed in a predetermined field.

[0045] The 3D map is configured to be managed using position information linked to GNSS position information equivalent to the road surface position (tire contact surface position) when the work vehicle 100 is traveling, etc. In this case, the 3D map may be configured so that the positions of objects that are work-impeding factors, such as stationary obstacles, can be added by manual input, etc. The created 3D map data may be managed in a storage device on the work vehicle 100 side and / or in the cloud, and the control unit that controls the steering of the work vehicle 100 may be configured to obtain and use the necessary data each time.

[0046] Furthermore, the timing for obtaining the necessary data for the work vehicle 100 should be timings when the work changes, such as before the start of movement between fields and when movement between fields ends. The data obtained by the steering ECU before the start of movement between fields is used to obtain the driving route to the next field, and the data obtained by the steering ECU 307 at the end of movement between fields is used to obtain data for the next field.

[0047] FIG. 7 shows the object analysis flow when an obstacle is detected from image data. First, it is determined whether the object is moving or not, and then based on criteria such as whether it is larger than a certain dimension, it can be determined whether it is a utility pole, a work tool, a car, a human, etc.

[0048] Next, a method for generating the perimeter shape Pe of the field H by linking position data to acquired image data will be described. In the example of Fig. 5, the area information of the field H, i.e., the perimeter shape Pe, includes all crop rows, and stores position information of the vertices of an area that is approximately polygonal outside the outermost crop perimeter, and sets the inside of the line connecting these vertices as crop area information, and generates field H area information outside this crop area information. Therefore, this field H area information forms an outline line approximately equivalent to the actual field area using position information of a large number of points, and the inside of the line connecting the large number of points can be set as field area information.

[0049] On the other hand, crop row line information can be generated and used to generate an automated driving route. That is, in Fig. 8, crop row line P information is generated based on image data of growing crops within a field H area based on map data, and map data with position information is collected by overlaying position information of points near the center of the aerial image of each crop, and line information is generated by connecting each point cloud data. Specifically, a line passing near the center of the aerial image of each crop is drawn, and the crop line P information is generated using map data with position information overlaid on the drawing information, thereby generating crop row line P information based on image data of growing crops.

[0050] In addition, an automatic driving route for work (an automatic driving line in the longitudinal direction that is usually close to a straight line) is generated based on the information on the attached work machine and utilizing the information on the crop row line S. Then, by incorporating the work machine conditions (work machine width) and the vehicle conditions (tread, etc.), a turning automatic driving route that connects the work automatic driving routes is formed, and this becomes the automatic driving route for the work vehicle 100 to perform work.

[0051] Therefore, the above-mentioned work automatic driving route can be formed within the crop area Q, and the turning automatic driving route can be formed within the field H area including the crop area Q. In addition, it is also possible to configure that the fuel supply point F1 and the material supply point F2 described later can be registered within the field H area. In this case, material supply confirmation points K1, K2, etc. for judging the supply of materials and fuel are set, and when it is judged that the material supply is necessary, a supply automatic driving route from the predetermined point K to the fuel supply point F1 or the material supply point F2 registered as the location is generated. Note that the material supply confirmation points K1, K2, etc. are preferably provided for each round trip of the work automatic driving route, and the vicinity of the end of the trip where one trip ends is preferably set as the confirmation point K. Here, the necessity of the supply of materials and fuel is preferably determined by checking the change in the remaining amount of the target materials and fuel during automatic driving for each trip of the work automatic driving route, and the possibility of continuing the work of the next process is determined based on the remaining amount at the end of the trip, the distance of one trip, and the amount of change.

[0052] The automatic supply route is configured to be generated based on a combination of lateral movement within the width direction of the turning zone Z in relation to the longitudinal position of the field and vertical movement toward the material supply point, and after material supply, the machine returns to the material supply confirmation point along the same route so that work can be resumed in automatic operation.

[0053] In addition, when the round-trip driving route 20 is calculated in the round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 of Figure 5, the work vehicle 100 is configured to travel autonomously along the round-trip driving route 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.

[0054] 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 (Q8), thereby enabling the entire field to be cultivated evenly.

[0055] 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 waterway 15 or the ridge 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 waterway 15 or the ridge 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] When setting the travel route, a refueling point F1 and a material supply point F2 are set along the route, and further, an emergency evacuation site is set in case of an emergency (FIG. 9).

[0058] Next, a refueling point F1 equipped with a certain amount of fuel and a means for refueling, and a material supply point F2 where materials such as fertilizer and seedlings are waiting are set on the way of the round-trip adjacent work travel route 20, and the automatic driving route is controlled according to the detection of the remaining amount of fuel and materials in the work vehicle 100. Regarding the refueling control, for example, when the remaining amount of fuel falls below a preset amount, a fuel request instruction signal is transmitted, and the work vehicle 100 is controlled to stop working and travel toward the refueling point F1. In this case, it is assumed that the fuel will reach a predetermined value or less regardless of the location of the refueling point F1. Therefore, the greater the distance to the refueling point F1, the greater the decrease in work efficiency. Therefore, the following configuration is made.

[0059] That is, the system is equipped with a fuel consumption calculation means for calculating the amount of fuel consumed per unit area during work in the automatically driven field H, a remaining amount detection means for detecting the current amount of remaining fuel, and a current remaining fuel amount and unworked area calculation means, and as shown in the flowchart of Figure 10, the area of ​​the unworked area is calculated to determine whether the current remaining amount of fuel can cover it (S102), and if there is a fuel shortage, a stop signal is output at the refueling point F1 to refuel even before the fuel request instruction signal is output (S103, S104). With this configuration, although the fuel consumption of the work vehicle differs depending on the workload state, it is possible to calculate the amount of fuel consumed per unit area of ​​the field, determine whether it is possible to complete the planned work route without refueling, and refuel in advance, thereby eliminating wasteful driving such as turning back. Here, the above-mentioned refueling situation will be explained with reference to Figure 10. If, before reaching point T where the fuel request instruction signal is sent, the area of ​​the unworked area is calculated and it is determined that the current remaining fuel amount is insufficient (S102 above), the vehicle will stop at refueling point F1 and refuel (Figure 11(C)).

[0060] In Fig. 11(A), even though the workable range is exceeded from point T where the fuel request signal is sent, the refueling point F1 is passed by without any work remaining. In Fig. 11(B), the work is completed without leaving any work remaining after point T where the fuel request signal is sent.

[0061] The same is true for fertilizer application vehicles, transplanting vehicles, etc., and Fig. 12 is a flow chart when a material supply point F2 is set. The system is equipped with a material consumption calculation means for calculating the consumption amount per unit area of ​​materials, a remaining amount detection means for detecting the current remaining amount of materials, and a current remaining amount of materials and unworked area calculation means, and calculates the area of ​​the unworked area to determine whether the current remaining amount of materials can cover it. If there is a shortage of materials, a stop signal is output at the material supply point F2 where materials such as fertilizer and seedlings are waiting, and materials are replenished, even before a material request instruction signal is output when the amount of materials falls below a preset amount, and this is used to supply materials. This is expected to have the same effect as refueling.

[0062] The fuel supply point F1 and the material supply point F2 are set along the travel routes 20 and 22, but they may be set near the round-trip travel route 20 or the headland travel route 22. In Fig. 5 and Fig. 8, the fuel supply point F1 and the material supply point F2 are set at the same location, but they may be set separately.

[0063] Next, an explanation will be given of emergency responses based on abnormality detection of the work vehicle 100. For example, the vehicle may be provided with an abnormality detection means for detecting abnormalities in engine cooling water temperature, abnormalities in engine oil pressure, etc., a determination means for estimating the distance to an emergency evacuation site and determining whether or not travel is possible, and an abnormality travel means for controlling travel while the vehicle speed is reduced, and when an abnormality is detected, the determination means determines whether or not travel is possible, and when it is determined that travel is possible, the engine speed is switched to low, and the work vehicle 100 is switched to a low speed and put into an automatic travel state toward the target emergency evacuation site.

[0064] The emergency evacuation site can be set at a location shared with the fuel supply point F1 and material supply point F2. This location is placed at a location where the field and the road surface meet, and is often located near where agricultural machinery such as tractors enter and exit, and materials can also be brought in by trucks, etc. It is used for refueling, but this space can also be used for repairs in the field. Since it is ideal to be able to move to this space when an abnormality occurs, setting this area as a driving route in advance allows for safe work and makes it easy to move on to the next process. In this way, if the abnormality continues, the vehicle will stop at the emergency evacuation site, but will resume operation once the abnormality is resolved (Figure 13).

[0065] If it is determined that the work vehicle 100 cannot travel due to an abnormality, the work vehicle 100 makes an emergency stop and contacts the emergency response. Abnormalities that may cause the work vehicle to be unable to travel include abnormalities that may hinder the continuation of work, such as fertilizer blockage during fertilizing work, continuous missing stalks during transplanting work, and abnormal fuel levels.

[0066] Another countermeasure is to set several emergency stop positions at predetermined distances along the travel route in advance. When passing through these emergency stop positions, the work status of each part and the condition of the work vehicle are checked, and if any abnormal signs are detected, the vehicle immediately stops. There is also an automatic driving operation that does not allow work to continue unless the user responds and gives permission to drive. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 11 Entrances and exits (obstacles, etc.) 16 Utility poles (obstacles, etc.) 17 Drainage channel (obstacles, etc.) 20 Round trip route (route) 22 Headland driving route (driving route) 100 Work vehicles 102 GNSS receiver (GNSS position information acquisition means) 305 Image data processing means A. Theoretical Route B Detailed route C1, C2... Routes that need to be avoided F1 refueling point F2 Material Supply Point

Claims

1. A work vehicle (100) capable of setting a travel route (20, 22) and operating unmanned along this route sets a refueling point (F1) on or near the travel route (20, 22), calculates and manages fuel consumption per unit area, calculates the current remaining fuel amount and the fuel consumption in an unworked area, and is configured to stop at the refueling point (F1) incorporated into the travel route (20, 22) if it is determined that there will be a fuel shortage by the time the work is completed, even before a fuel request instruction signal is output.

2. A work vehicle (100) capable of setting a travel route (20, 22) and operating unmanned along this route sets a material supply point (F2) on or near the travel route (20, 22), calculates and manages the amount of material consumed per unit area, calculates the current remaining amount of material and the amount of material consumed in the unworked area, and, if it is determined that there will be a shortage of materials by the time the work is completed, is configured to stop at the material supply point (F2) incorporated into the travel route (20, 22) even before a material request instruction signal is output.

3. 3. A work vehicle as described in claim 1 or 2, comprising a GNSS position information acquisition means (102) and an image data processing means (305), which acquires a field (H) area using GNSS position information, generates a theoretical route (A) within this field (H) area according to the type of work and the work machine, generates avoidance routes (C1, C2, ...) based on image data of obstacles, etc. (11, 16, 17) and synthesizes them with the theoretical route (A), connects the routes, and generates a detailed route (B) as an automatic driving route.

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