Agricultural material spreading controller and agricultural machine equipped with agricultural material spreading controller

Abstract

To eliminate any surplus agricultural materials at the end of spreading work.SOLUTION: An agricultural material spreading controller comprises an input part and an arithmetic part. The input part automatically or manually receives a moving route of an agricultural machine in a field and a planned total spreading amount. The arithmetic part receives positioning data from positioning means, monitors an arrival position on the moving route in light of the positioning data, and acquires a total spreading amount of the spread agricultural materials at the arrival position. The arithmetic part, in light of the arrival position and the total spreading amount, calculates a corrected spreading amount such that the input planned total spreading amount is exactly spread at the endpoint of the moving route, and outputs a spreading signal to a spreader.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a controller used for spraying agricultural materials such as fertilizers and chemicals, and also to an agricultural machine equipped with the controller. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, fertilizers have been used in various forms and with various ingredients, such as chemical fertilizers, compost, liquid fertilizers, and granular fertilizers. Chemicals include fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, and other chemicals with various ingredients, and are used in various types, such as liquid, powder, and granular.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a fertilizer application device equipped with a mechanism for applying fertilizer so that the amount of fertilizer applied per unit area is uniform. Patent Document 2 discloses a spreading work machine in which a spreading device for spreading soil conditioning materials such as fertilizer or chemicals over a field is mounted on a traveling vehicle, and the spreading work machine is characterized by being provided with a spreading amount adjustment means for automatically adjusting the spreading amount of the spreading device based on detection of the vehicle speed of the traveling vehicle. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, an operator judges the condition of a farm field and inputs a fixed amount of agricultural materials per unit area.

[0004] In recent years, remote sensing technology has developed, and technology has been put to practical use for applying fertilizer and controlling pests at required locations in farm fields based on information obtained from remote sensing. For example, Patent Document 3 describes that fertilization is performed by a tractor equipped with an automatic variable fertilizer applicator equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning device such as GPS. Cited Document 3 discloses a technology for precisely applying fertilizer to multiple areas based on the amount of fertilizer required, rather than on a field-by-field basis.

[0005] In any case, conventional agricultural material (fertilizer, chemicals, etc.) spraying devices would determine the appropriate amount of fertilizer for a field by the operator or using remote sensing, and then spray that amount. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-229887 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-329067 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2022-127178 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] A worker who uses a conventional agricultural material spraying device starts work by calculating and preparing the required amount of agricultural materials (fertilizer, chemicals, etc.). Workers who use the spraying devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 often prepare more agricultural materials than would be calculated based on the amount to be sprayed per unit area before heading to the field, fearing that they will run out of agricultural materials. When an operator operates an agricultural material spraying device to spray agricultural materials, it is impossible for the operator to operate the device accurately and follow an ideal course, and it is not possible to spray the materials evenly over the entire field.

[0008] In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses an automatic variable fertilizer applicator equipped with a GNSS positioning device that can calculate a precise amount of fertilizer to be applied. An operator using the technology of Patent Document 3 follows the guidance and drives the course indicated by the automatic variable fertilizer applicator. However, since the operator drives the applicator, driving errors are inevitable. Even if the spraying device in Reference 3 can operate unmanned or fully autonomously using the on-board GNSS positioning device, errors will inevitably occur, which may result in shortages or surpluses of agricultural materials.

[0009] Many agricultural supplies are not designed to be stored for long periods once opened. For example, many herbicides and insecticides that are sprayed as liquid formulations are diluted before use, making it difficult to store any leftovers. Granular fertilizer absorbs moisture and deteriorates once the bag is opened, so it is recommended to use it within a short period of time. The compost is used as base fertilizer, and it is not expected that any excess compost will be stored until the following year. Until now, surplus agricultural materials had to be disposed of.

[0010] In recent years, the prices of agricultural materials such as fertilizer have skyrocketed, and while farmers want to reduce costs as much as possible, the disposal of surplus agricultural materials has become an issue. An object of the present invention is to completely eliminate or extremely reduce surplus agricultural materials at the end of agricultural work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The first aspect of the present invention solves the above problem by providing an agricultural material spraying controller which includes an input unit and a calculation unit, the input unit automatically or manually receiving the movement route of the agricultural machine within a field and the total planned amount to be sprayed, the calculation unit receives positioning data from a positioning means and monitors the arrival position on the movement route in accordance with the positioning data, and obtains the total amount of agricultural material already sprayed at the arrival position, and the calculation unit determines a corrected spraying amount in accordance with the arrival position and the total amount to be sprayed so that the input total planned amount is sprayed exactly at the end point of the movement route, and outputs a spraying signal to a spraying device.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention solves the above problem by providing an agricultural work machine equipped with the agricultural material application layer controller of the first aspect. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The present invention can completely eliminate or greatly reduce surplus agricultural materials at the end of agricultural work. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external view of an agricultural material spray controller according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the internal processing of the agricultural material spray controller of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the movement route data (movement route). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an actual travel route. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the travel route displayed on the display unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the actual fertilization situation using a fertilization map (planned spraying map) on which travel route data is superimposed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the movement route prediction unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of the stored patterns. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the travel route generating unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts having the same function, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0016] [Example 1] (Exterior of agricultural material spray controller) 1 is an external view of an agricultural material spray controller C of Example 1. The agricultural material spray controller C of Example 1 is equipped with a display unit D and is configured to provide various information to an operator. A numeric keypad 11 is a device for manually inputting a planned total amount 13 of agricultural materials to be sprayed in a field. The agricultural material spraying controller C of the first embodiment includes an input terminal 12 as an input unit 1, and can input various information and signals. A movement route file 76 in which movement route data 79 (movement route 7) and the like are recorded is input to the agricultural material spraying controller C via the input terminal 12.

[0017] (Input section) The input unit 1 of the agricultural material spraying controller C in the first embodiment was the numeric keypad 11 and the input terminal 12. The input unit 1 may be anything that can input information and signals, and is not limited to the illustrated numeric keypad 11 and input terminal 12. For example, the input terminal 12 can be replaced with a means for inputting information by wireless communication. In addition, the agricultural material spray controller C of the first embodiment is provided with a numeric keypad 11 which is hardware as the input unit 1, but soft keys may be displayed on the display unit D to enable input. The manual means for the planned total spray amount 13 provided in the input unit 1 is appropriate and may be input in any manner. The input unit 1 may be provided with a keyboard instead of the numeric keypad 11. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the numeric keypad 11 is operated manually to manually install the travel route data 79 (travel route 7), but the travel route data 79 may be input automatically instead of manually.

[0018] Although FIG. 1 illustrates the input unit 1 as if it were an actual object such as a terminal, the input unit 1 does not have to exist as an actual object. For example, when the calculation unit 2 of the agricultural material spray controller C exists on the web and operates via a network, the input unit 1 may not exist as an actual object. The input unit 1 in the present invention includes all aspects that enable data to be input to the agricultural material spray controller C.

[0019] (calculation section) The calculation unit 2 in the present invention does not need to exist as an entity inside the agricultural material spray controller C. The calculation unit 2 may be a program module on a network, and includes all manners in which the calculation unit 2 functions on the agricultural material spray controller C.

[0020] (Travel route) In the present invention, the "movement route 7" refers to the route along which the agricultural machine M moves within the farm field for spraying work. The movement route 7 may refer to a planned movement route or may refer to the actual trajectory of the agricultural machine M. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two, appropriate expressions such as the planned movement route 7, the traveled movement route 7, and the actual movement route 7 may be used. Furthermore, the travel route data 79 is a concept that focuses on the aspect of it being data processed by the calculation unit 2, and includes position data of the 180° turning unit 73 and the direction changing unit 74, which are included in the travel route 7. Furthermore, depending on the embodiment, it may also include spray amount data 42 that changes along the travel route 7. There is no prohibition on the travel route data 79 including data other than the travel route 7.

[0021] (Spraying device) The agricultural material spraying controller C of the first embodiment is used in connection with a spraying device 4. The spraying device 4 in the present invention is a device for spraying agricultural materials, and includes a fertilizer spraying device, a chemical spraying device, a seed spraying device, etc., and may be sprayed on any object, and the agricultural materials may be in any shape, such as liquid or granular. The spraying device 4 is equipped with a spray amount measuring device (not shown) and transmits spray amount data 42 to the agricultural material spray controller C at any time.

[0022] The agricultural materials sprayed by the spraying device 4 can be of various types. For example, the physical properties of the agricultural material may be liquid, powder, granular or viscous. The type of agricultural material may be compost, granular fertilizer, powdered fertilizer, liquid fertilizer, granular medicine, powdered medicine or liquid medicine.

[0023] (Positioning means) The agricultural material spray controller C of the first embodiment is connected to a positioning means 6. The positioning means 6 transmits measured positioning data 61 to the agricultural material spray controller C at any time. The positioning means 6 of the first embodiment is a GNSS receiving device equipped with a GNSS antenna as shown in the figure. A typical GNSS receiver is GPS, but the GNSS receiver may be one that can receive QZSS (nicknamed "Michibiki") in addition to GPS. The positioning means 6 is not limited to a GNSS receiver, but may be an inertial guidance device incorporating a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor. Furthermore, the positioning means 6 may be a hybrid type positioning means 6 combining an inertial guidance device and a GNSS receiver. Furthermore, the positioning means 6 in the first embodiment measures the movement route 7 of the agricultural machine that moves for work in the field. Therefore, it is sufficient for the positioning means 6 to measure the position of the agricultural machine M in the field, and it may be a means that measures the position of the agricultural machine M in the field from an image taken by a drone.

[0024] (Internal processing of agricultural material spraying controller) FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the internal processing of the agricultural material spraying controller C of the first embodiment. Before the start of spraying work, the movement route data 79 and the planned total spray amount 13 are input to the calculation unit 2. When the worker starts spraying work, the positioning means 6 transmits the positioning data 61.

[0025] (Travel route data) The travel route 7 is converted into digital data, sent to the calculation unit 2 as travel route data 79, and stored in a memory (not shown). Here, the applicant will explain an example of the travel route data 79 with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the travel route data 79 (travel route 7). The illustrated travel route 7 is the planned travel route 7 of the agricultural machine M. The travel route 7 includes at least a route starting from a spraying start point 71 to an end point 72. The travel route data 79 may include data such as field contour data 78 indicated by dashed dotted lines, road shoulders 95, and an entry position 613 into the field, as necessary, but this is not essential. The travel route data 79 includes position data of the 180° turning section 73 and position data of the direction changing section 74 .

[0026] Furthermore, when there is a non-spraying area 94 on the travel route 7 where spraying is not performed, the travel route data 79 may also include position data of the non-spraying area 94.

[0027] (Ideal travel route) Ideally, agricultural materials should be sprayed over the entire field while eliminating or minimizing non-sprayed areas 94 as much as possible. For this reason, the ideal travel route 7 is often determined so as to avoid non-sprayed areas 94 and to minimize the travel distance. The field shown in Figure 3 has a field distortion part 96, which is a non-sprayed area 94. For simplicity of explanation, the travel route 7 in the first embodiment will be described as having no non-spraying areas 94 where spraying is intentionally not performed, and agricultural materials are sprayed evenly over the entire farm field. Examples of movement routes 7 that intentionally create non-spray areas 94 or spray different amounts (unevenly) in different areas will be described later.

[0028] (Total amount of spraying) The calculation unit 2 receives, in some form, the total spray amount 33 of the agricultural materials already sprayed from the spraying device 4. When the spraying device 4 detects the total spray amount 33 from the start of spraying to the present, the spraying device 4 sends the total spray amount 33 to the calculation unit 2 in real time as spray amount data 42. When the spraying device 4 measures the spray amount per hour, the spray amount per hour is sent in real time from the start of spraying to the calculation unit 2 as spray amount data 42. The calculation unit 2 accumulates the acquired spray amount data 42 to acquire the total spray amount 33.

[0029] (Arrival position on the travel route) The agricultural machine M equipped with an agricultural material spraying controller C moves along a planned movement route 7. The agricultural material spraying controller C of the first embodiment monitors the arrival position 34 based on the movement route 7, for example, to what percentage of the planned movement route 7 the arrival position 34 has reached. When 800 m of the total distance of 1000 m of the travel route 7 has been traveled, the calculation unit 2 may monitor the reached position 34 when it is 80% of the total travel distance, or when it is 800 m, or when there are 200 m remaining of the 1000 m. The arrival position 34 monitored by the calculation unit 2 may take any form as long as the arrival position 34 on the movement route 7 can be determined when the movement route 7 is taken as a whole.

[0030] (Control error) FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an actual travel route 7. Since the agricultural machine M of the first embodiment is operated by manual steering, even if the operator thinks that the machine is traveling straight along the travel route 7, the machine may actually be meandering slightly. Note that the error in FIG. 4 is exaggerated. Also, the worker may fail to turn at the 180° turning portion 73 and end up making a wide turn.

[0031] Furthermore, even in the case of agricultural machinery M that is fully automatically operated (unmanned) using the positioning means 6, errors can occur, and the total length of the travel route 7 may be 1000 m, but the machinery may travel only 1010 m.

[0032] Because of such steering errors, even if the planned total amount of spraying 13 is determined in advance and entered into the calculation unit 2 using the numeric keypad 11, it is possible that more or less than the planned total amount of spraying 13 will be sprayed. Conventionally, fearing that agricultural materials would run out, workers would load more than enough agricultural materials onto the agricultural machine M in advance. The more agricultural materials prepared, the more likely it is that the agricultural materials will be left over when the work is finished.

[0033] (Calculation in the calculation section) When the calculation unit 2 receives the positioning data 61, it compares it with the travel route data 79 and monitors the arrival position 34 on the travel route 7. Prior to work, the calculation unit 2 receives the planned total amount of spraying 13 input from the numeric keypad 11, which is the input unit 1. The calculation unit 2 calculates the planned spray amount 31 that must be sprayed to the arrival position 34 from the arrival position 34 and the planned total spray amount 13. On the other hand, the calculation unit 2 monitors the spray amount data 42 sent from the spraying device 4, and calculates the total spray amount 33 from the starting point 71, which is the work start point on the movement route 7, to the currently reached position 34. In principle, the planned amount to be sprayed 31 and the total amount to be sprayed 33 should match when the destination position 34 is reached.

[0034] The calculation unit 2 compares the planned amount of spraying 31 that must be sprayed by the arrival position 34 with the total amount of spraying 33 that has been sprayed by the arrival position 34 to determine the amount of deviation 32. This amount of deviation 32 is caused by the steering error and the like described above. The deviation amount 32 may be positive or negative, but in either case, if left unattended, the input planned total amount 13 to be sprayed will not be completely sprayed.

[0035] The calculation unit 2 obtains the movement route data 79 and the remaining movement distance 35 from the arrival position 34 to the end point 72 on the movement route 7 where spraying ends. The calculation unit 2 calculates a corrected spray amount 38 by evenly allocating the deviation amount 32 to the remaining travel distance 35 so that the deviation amount 32 disappears during the remaining travel distance 35 and the input planned total spray amount 13 can be sprayed exactly, and sends a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4.

[0036] The calculation of the corrected spray rate 38 in the calculation unit 2 is performed in real time, and the corrected spray rate 38 is constantly changing.

[0037] (Monitoring arrival position) The arrival position 34 is monitored along the planned movement route 7. As shown in Fig. 4, since the agricultural machine M is moving in a zigzag manner, it has traveled 105 m until it reaches the arrival position 34, whereas if it had traveled along the planned movement route 7, it would have traveled 100 m. The reached position 34 on the moving route 7 indicates how far the planned moving route 7 has been reached. When the total distance of the planned moving route 7 is 2000 m, in the example of Fig. 4, it is monitored that the planned moving route 7 has progressed up to 100 m out of the total distance of 2000 m of the planned moving route 7. In the present invention, the actual moving distance is not monitored.

[0038] (Modification when there is a non-scattering area) The first embodiment is an example of an agricultural machine M equipped with a spraying device 4 that, in principle, drives the spraying device 4 from a start point 71 to an end point 72 and continuously sprays the same amount of spray per unit area. However, the travel route 7 may intentionally include non-spraying areas 94 in which the spraying device 4 does not spray during travel. The non-spraying areas 94 may be areas where there are standing trees in the field, for example. When a non-spraying area 94 is scheduled, the movement route data 79 includes position data of the non-spraying area 94. When the agricultural machine M reaches the non-spraying area 94, it manually or automatically suspends spraying until it leaves the non-spraying area 94. In the process of calculating remaining travel distance 35, when there is a non-spraying area 94 on the remaining travel route 7, calculation unit 2 calculates remaining travel distance 35 excluding the distance required to travel through non-spraying area 94. Calculation unit 2 performs a calculation to distribute deviation amount 32 evenly across this remaining travel distance 35. In this manner, when a non-spray area 94 exists, the travel route data 79 is stored to include the position data of the non-spray area 94 .

[0039] When a non-dispersion area 94 is present in a position unrelated to the travel route 7, in principle, the position data of the non-dispersion area 94 does not need to be included in the travel route data 79. This is because such non-dispersion areas 94 are not taken into account in the calculations performed by the calculation unit 2, which will be described later. However, this principle does not prevent position data of non-spraying areas 94 that are not used by calculation unit 2 from being included in movement route data 79. It is convenient to have that position data when there is a field distortion area 96 that cannot be sprayed by agricultural machine M and there is a non-spraying area 94 that the worker plans to spray by hand. Even when there is other data that will not be used by calculation unit 2, the other data can be included in movement route data 79.

[0040] (Modification of remaining travel distance consideration) In the first embodiment, the deviation amount was taken into consideration by equally allocating the deviation amount 32 to the remaining movement distance 35 and correcting it to obtain a corrected spray amount 38. The arrival position 34 and remaining travel distance 35 do not have to be calculated as distances by the calculation unit 2. For example, they may be ratios such as percentages. The calculation unit 2 receives positioning data 61 from the positioning means 6, and monitors the arrival position 34 on the travel route 7 (planned travel route 7) received by the input unit 1 in reference to the positioning data 61. At that time, the calculation unit 2 may monitor that the arrival position 34 has reached 3 / 4 of the planned travel route 7, and may monitor that the remaining travel distance 35 has remained 1 / 4 of the travel route 7.

[0041] When the arrival position 34 has reached 3 / 4 of the entire planned movement route 7, the total amount 33 of agricultural materials sprayed should be 3 / 4 of the total planned amount 13 input from the input section 1. However, in reality, due to control errors, etc., the total amount of agricultural materials sprayed 33 may not reach 3 / 4, or may exceed 3 / 4. The calculation unit 2 calculates a corrected spray amount 38 in accordance with the arrival position 34 and the total spray amount 33 so that the planned total spray amount 13 is exactly sprayed at the end point 72 of the movement route 7, and outputs a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4.

[0042] The calculation unit 2 of Example 1 calculates the planned amount of spraying 31 that must be sprayed by the arrival position 34 from the planned total amount of spraying 13, and calculates the deviation amount 32 between the planned amount of spraying 31 and the total amount of spraying 33 of agricultural materials that have actually been measured. If the calculation unit 2 determines, based on the arrival position 34 and the total amount sprayed 33, that the total amount sprayed 33 of the agricultural materials already sprayed is 10% excessive, it may calculate a corrected spray amount 38 which reduces the amount of agricultural materials to be sprayed on the remaining movement route 7 by a uniform, predetermined percentage. In this case, the calculation unit 2 performs feedback control to calculate a corrected spray amount 38 and output a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4 so as to spray an amount that is several percent less than the amount that would normally be sprayed.

[0043] As another example, if it is determined that the total amount 33 of agricultural materials already sprayed is 10% excessive, a corrected amount 38 of agricultural materials to be sprayed on the remaining travel route 7 may be calculated by reducing the amount by a certain amount. In this case, a corrected spray amount 38 is calculated by reducing the weight of the agricultural materials to be sprayed on the remaining movement route 7 by a certain amount, and feedback control is performed by outputting a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4.

[0044] The correction of the spray rate (corrected spray rate 38) may be a predetermined percentage increase or decrease or a predetermined amount increase or decrease with respect to the planned spray rate.

[0045] (actual feedback control) In the above example, for the purpose of explanation, the deviation is 10% over the limit. However, monitoring by the calculation unit 2 is performed in real time. If there is even a slight deviation between the arrival position 34 on the movement route 7 and the total amount 33 of the agricultural materials already sprayed, the calculation unit 2 immediately performs feedback control to calculate a corrected amount 38 and output a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4. Feedback control is performed in real time, so situations like the above example, where the limit is exceeded by 10%, do not usually occur. The above example is an extreme example to make the explanation easier to understand.

[0046] (Display) 5 is an explanatory diagram of a movement route 7 displayed on a display unit D. The movement route 7 from a starting point 71 to an end point 72 is displayed on the display unit D. The travel route data 79 sent to the calculation unit 2 via the input unit 1 is processed within the calculation unit 2 and used to display the travel route 7 on the display unit D. The worker can perform spraying work efficiently by operating the agricultural machine following the guidance of the movement route 7 displayed on the display unit D. It is preferable that the travel route 7 displayed on the display unit D displays the current position based on the positioning data 61.

[0047] Display unit D can display planned total spray amount 13. This enables the worker to check whether planned total spray amount 13 is correct before starting work. The guidance of the display unit D can take various forms. For example, it is possible to assist the operator in driving by not displaying the moving route 7 but instead displaying an arrow indicating direct examination, displaying an arrow in the direction of return when the operator deviates from the moving route 7, or displaying a 180° turn indication when the 180° turning unit 73 is approaching. Furthermore, in addition to the travel route 7, the display unit D is capable of displaying various data such as positioning data 61, arrival position 34, total amount of agricultural materials already sprayed 33, revised amount of spraying 38, and the like.

[0048] The first modified example is an example of spreading fertilizer as an agricultural material. In recent years, fertilization maps 75 (planned distribution maps) have come to be used more frequently. Fertilization maps 75 (planned distribution maps) are created by analyzing the growth conditions from images taken by helicopters and satellites, and using tools that utilize a GIS (Geographic Information System). Fertilization maps 75 (planned distribution maps) are maps that divide areas according to the growth conditions, and allow for the distribution of fertilizer in amounts that match the growth conditions. A fertilization map 75 (planned application map) may be created that is linked to the coordinates where fertilization is required.

[0049] The fertilization map 75 (planned spreading map) includes data on various areas with different fertilizer application amounts. When the agricultural machine M moves along the travel route 7 and enters an area with a different fertilizer application amount designated in the fertilization map 75 (planned spreading map), the spreading device 4 automatically changes the amount of fertilizer to be applied and spreads the fertilizer at the amount designated in the fertilization map 75 (planned spreading map). The modified example is an example in which movement route data 79 on which a fertilization map 75 (planned application map) is superimposed is used. The worker drives the agricultural machine M according to the travel route 7 displayed on the display unit D. The coordinates obtained by the positioning data 61 are compared with the coordinates of the fertilization map 75 (planned spraying map), and the fertilizer is sprayed at the specified coordinates in the amount of fertilization set in the fertilization map 75 (planned spraying map).

[0050] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an actual fertilization situation using a fertilization map 75 (planned spraying map) with travel route data 79 superimposed thereon. FIG. 6 shows the travel route 7 driven by the worker following the guidance of the travel route 7 in FIG. 5 displayed on the display unit D. Darker areas are areas with a smaller planned spraying amount, and lighter colors are areas with a larger planned spraying amount. The fertilization map 75 (planned spraying map) was created by analyzing satellite photos of the farm field, and depending on the growth of the crops, a larger planned spraying amount is allocated to areas with poor crop growth and a smaller planned spraying amount to areas with vigorous growth. A travel trajectory 8 recorded using positioning data 61 shows that the worker's driving is not in line with the ideal travel route 7 shown in Figure 5, but deviates to the left or right. (Note that the deviation is shown in an exaggerated manner for the sake of explanation, and in reality the deviation is not so great.)

[0051] (Non-sprayed area 94 and missed-sprayed area 91) 6, the non-spraying area 94 is set at the location of the direction change unit 74 that turns around a corner of the field. The non-spraying area 94 is an area where the spraying device 4 cannot physically spray. On the other hand, if the driving trajectory 8 is not accurately driven, unexpected missed spray areas 91 where no spraying occurs or unexpected overlapping areas 93 where spraying occurs may occur in places. In FIG. 6, missed spray areas 91 caused by inaccurate operation and non-spray areas 94 where spraying was not planned from the start are both shown as areas filled in black with a spray amount of zero. The scattering area 92 is an area shown in a lighter gray than black. The color intensity indicates the degree of scattering amount. As described above, areas with a large amount of scattering are shown in light gray, and areas with a small amount of scattering are shown in a gray close to black. The overlap area 93 is shown in a very light gray because the amount of scattering is necessarily large.

[0052] Because the actual driving route deviates from the planned driving route, the travel distance and travel time are slightly longer than the originally planned travel route 7, and as a result, more agricultural materials are sprayed than the planned spray amount 31. The calculation unit 2 calculates the corrected spray amount 38 in real time and sends the corrected spray amount 38 to the spraying device 4 to correct the amount of agricultural materials to be sprayed on the remaining travel route 7. Even in an example using a fertilization map 75 (planned spraying map) on which movement route data 79 is superimposed, the calculation unit 2 compares the planned amount of spraying 31 that must be sprayed by the arrival position 34 with the total amount of spraying 33 that has been sprayed by the arrival position 34 to determine the deviation amount 32. Then, taking into account the deviation amount 32, the calculation unit 2 calculates the corrected spray amount 38 in real time so that the planned total spray amount 13 is sprayed at the end point 72, and sends a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4. When the agricultural machine M, which has placed the planned total amount 13 of agricultural materials in its storage tank, reaches the end point 72, the agricultural materials in the storage tank have been sprayed and nothing remains.

[0053] (Upper limit setting / Lower limit setting) The calculation unit 2 in the first embodiment calculates the corrected spray amount 38 by decreasing or increasing the amount of agricultural materials to be sprayed on the remaining movement route 7 by a certain amount, or decreasing the amount by a certain percentage. When spraying based on the fertilization map 75 (planned spray map) as shown in Figure 6, it may happen that more or less fertilizer is sprayed than expected. For example, in an area where the spray amount is initially set to be high, if a corrected spray amount 38 is set that increases the spray amount by a certain percentage, it may happen that the spray amount increases to an inappropriate amount. Conversely, in an area where the spray amount is initially set to be low, if the specified percentage and spray amount are reduced, inconveniences such as an extremely low spray amount may occur.

[0054] The agricultural material spray controller C of the first modified example has a function that allows the upper and lower limits of the spray amount to be set. If the corrected spray amount 38 exceeds the upper limit setting, the calculation unit 2 reduces the corrected spray amount 38 and sends a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4 to spray at the upper limit spray amount. The calculation unit 2 allocates the reduced spray amount to other areas and increases the corrected spray amount 38 for the other areas to re-correct it. If the corrected spray amount 38 does not reach the lower limit setting, the calculation unit 2 increases the corrected spray amount 38 and sends a spray signal 36 to the spraying device 4 to spray at the spray amount that is the set lower limit. The calculation unit 2 allocates the spray amount that is increased from the lower limit to other areas and performs a re-correction to reduce the corrected spray amount 38 for the other areas.

[0055] There is a high degree of freedom in the calculation of the corrected application rate 38 by the calculation unit 2. For example, if an operator cultivates the same field every year and knows the condition of the field well, he or she may know from experience areas where more or less application is required. Even if the operator increases or decreases the amount of spraying in the area during operation, the agricultural material spraying controller C of variant 1 can also handle sudden increases or decreases in the amount of spraying. The calculation unit 2 automatically calculates and determines the corrected amount of spraying 38 after the arrival position 34 that has left the area where the amount of spraying has been increased or decreased. When the agricultural machine M equipped with the agricultural material spraying controller C reaches the end point 72, the planned total amount of spraying 13 has been sprayed exactly, and nothing remains in the storage tank.

[0056] [Example 2] (Travel route prediction section) In the first embodiment, a movement route file 76 including movement route data 79 exists, and the movement route data 79 is input to the agricultural material spray controller C automatically or manually. In the second embodiment, the movement route data 79 cannot be prepared in advance or is not prepared in advance. In the second embodiment, the movement route prediction unit 15 predicts the movement route 7 from the movement of the agricultural machine M at the time of starting work after the agricultural machine M arrives at the field, and the predicted movement route data 79 is automatically input to the calculation unit 2.

[0057] In recent years, agricultural work contracting businesses are increasingly contracted to spray agricultural materials. When a worker is informed of the location of a field by a client, the worker starts the work by obtaining the shape of the field and the field's position coordinates from map data. The position coordinates are associated with the positioning data 61. Since the condition of the field is not known until the worker arrives at the field, the movement route 7 cannot be determined in advance. For example, the location where the worker gets off the road shoulder 95 into the field is not shown on the map, and the starting point 71 may not be determined until the worker arrives at the field.

[0058] The agricultural material spraying controller C includes a movement route prediction unit 15 inside the controller C or on the network. The movement route prediction unit 15 is a member having a storage unit 151 and a comparison unit 155 . The memory unit 151 stores a large number of patterns 77 of the movement route 7. The patterns 77 of the movement route 7 are classified by field contour data 78, and a plurality of patterns 77 are stored for each field contour data 78. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of the stored pattern 77. Each pattern 77 is data including the entry position 613 for entering the farm field, the starting point 71, the 180° turning portion 73, the direction change portion 74, the end point 72, and the like.

[0059] From the notified position of the field, the worker uses map data or the like to input field contour data 78 to the movement route prediction unit 15. In addition, the worker inputs the spraying width 41 of the spraying device 4 provided on the agricultural machine M to the movement route prediction unit 15. From the many patterns 77 stored in the memory unit 151, the comparison unit 155 extracts a plurality of patterns 77 that are similar to the input field contour data 78.

[0060] When work is started at the site, first, an entry position 613 at which the farmer enters the field is sent to the movement route prediction unit 15 as the positioning data 61. The comparison unit 155 further extracts a pattern 77 to which the entry position 613 is similar. Next, the position of the starting point 71 of the spraying operation is sent to the comparison unit 155 as positioning data 61. Next, the positioning data 61 of the position of the 180° rotation unit 73 and the positioning data 61 of the position of the direction change unit 74 are sent to the comparison unit 155 one after another, and the comparison unit 155 narrows down the many stored patterns 77 in which the agricultural machine M is performing the spraying operation. When the positioning data 61 of the positions of the multiple 180° rotation units 73 and the positioning data 61 of the direction change units 74 are sent to the comparison unit 155 , one pattern 77 is eventually determined and sent to the calculation unit 2 . The movement route prediction unit 15 may transmit a plurality of patterns 77 to the calculation unit 2 when the patterns 77 are narrowed down to a small number.

[0061] Even if a plurality of patterns 77 are sent to the calculation unit 2, the calculation performed by the calculation unit 2 is not hindered in any way. The plurality of sent patterns 77 are similar or identical in the entry position 613, the position of the starting point 71, the position of the direction change section 74, the position of the 180° turning section 73, and the like, which are included in the movement route 7 to the arrival position 34, so no interference occurs in monitoring the arrival position 34 on the movement route 7. The pattern 77 includes a travel route 7 that is a single stroke along which agricultural materials are sprayed so as to minimize non-sprayed areas 94, and there are not an infinite number of patterns 77 of travel routes 7 traveled by workers. Therefore, the number of patterns 77 stored in the memory unit 151 remains reasonable.

[0062] (Actual travel route) At the early stage of spraying, the movement direction, and positioning data 61 of the 180° turning unit 73 and direction changing unit 74 are obtained several times from the movement route 7 driven by the operator. The actual movement route 7 at the early stage of spraying is input as this positioning data 61 to the movement route prediction unit 15, and the multiple patterns 77 are gradually narrowed down to one. As described above, only characteristic points of the actual movement route 7, such as the positioning data 61 of the 180° turning unit 73 and the positioning data 61 of the direction changing unit 74, may be input to the movement route prediction unit 15, or the entire actual movement route 7 may be input.

[0063] In this way, the movement route prediction unit 15 predicts the movement route 7 to be driven by the worker by selecting at least one pattern 77 similar to the actual movement route 7 from the multiple patterns 77 stored in the memory unit 151 via the comparison unit 155.

[0064] Since the size of the field where the farm work is to be performed is known from the map data, the selected pattern 77 is enlarged or reduced according to the size of the field. The movement route prediction unit 15 adjusts the spraying width 41, the number of 180° turning units, the number of direction changing units 74, etc., and the movement route 7 for that field is determined, including the distance.

[0065] The movement route data 79 of the confirmed movement route 7 is sent from the movement route prediction unit 15 to the calculation unit 2 via the input unit 1.

[0066] [Example 3] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the travel route generating unit 16. Example 3 is an aspect related to a movement route generating unit 16 that automatically generates a movement route 7. Fields come in a variety of shapes, and when an agricultural work contractor works in a field that it has contracted for the first time, it is necessary to determine a movement route 7. In particular, when the shape of the field is not rectangular or when there are obstacles such as standing trees in the field, a non-spraying area 94 that cannot be sprayed may be created, or the travel distance may become long in order to eliminate the non-spraying area 94.

[0067] The movement route generation unit 16 receives data input such as the position of obstacles, the entry position 613, the field contour data 78, and the spraying width 41. The movement route generation unit 16 is also capable of inputting conditions such as reducing non-spraying areas 94 where spraying is impossible, shortening the travel distance, and reducing overlapping areas of the movement route 7, and generates a recommended movement route 7 that meets the input conditions. The movement route 7 generated by the movement route generation unit 16 is automatically generated from mathematical calculations that trace the field in one stroke.

[0068] The input unit 1 receives the travel route 7 generated by the travel route generation unit 16 . The display unit D displays the input travel route 7 and assists in driving the agricultural machine M. The agricultural material spray controller C of the third embodiment enables the worker to work efficiently even in a field that the worker has never experienced before. At the same time, the agricultural material spray controller C of the third embodiment works to spray the input planned spray amount 13 exactly at the end point 72 of the movement route 7.

[0069] [Example 4] (Trained model applied to the travel route prediction section) In the second embodiment, the movement route prediction unit 15 predicts the movement route 7 by using a large number of patterns 77 of the movement route 7 stored in the storage unit 151 . The movement route prediction unit 15 of the fourth embodiment is provided with a trained model that has been trained on a number of patterns 77 of movement routes 7 . The trained model is created by learning various patterns 77 of movement routes 7 corresponding to the field contour data 78 and the position of the starting point 71, etc., as training data. The movement route 7 of the agricultural machine M at the beginning of spraying, derived from the positioning data 61 detected by the positioning means 6, is input into a learned model, which is a component of the movement route prediction unit 15, and a predicted movement route 7 is output. Then, the input unit 1 receives the predicted movement route 7.

[0070] [Example 5] The third embodiment relates to a travel route generating unit 16 that automatically generates a travel route 7. The trained model created by the travel route predicting unit 15 described above can also be used as the travel route generating unit 16. The movement route generation unit 16 is composed of a trained model, and when the field contour data 78, the spraying width 41, and the position of the starting point 71 are input into the movement route generation unit 16, it will suggest several recommended movement route 7 candidates. When the worker selects one movement route 7 from among the movement routes 7 recommended by the movement route generation unit 16 (trained model), the selected movement route 7 is input to the agricultural material spraying controller C via the input unit 1.

[0071] (Summary of Effects of the Examples and Modifications) The agricultural material spraying controller C can be used to spray exactly the input planned total amount 13 of agricultural materials at the end point 72 of the movement route 7. Therefore, the worker does not need to prepare extra agricultural materials out of fear of running out. Also, since there is no unnecessary surplus agricultural materials at the end of the spraying work, the worker using the agricultural material spraying controller C does not need to dispose of the surplus agricultural materials and does not need to purchase unnecessary agricultural materials. Furthermore, the agricultural material spraying controller C can be added with a movement route prediction unit 15 and a movement route generation unit 16. The movement route prediction unit 15 and the movement route generation unit 16 contribute to reducing the labor of inputting the movement route 7 by the worker. The movement route generation unit 16 can propose an efficient movement route 7 to the worker.

[0072] (Contribution to SDGs) Conventionally, agricultural materials remaining at the end of work had to be disposed of, but the present invention makes it possible to completely eliminate or greatly reduce the amount of agricultural materials remaining at the end of work. The present invention can contribute to Goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Responsible Consumption and Production." Furthermore, the present invention is extremely environmentally friendly as it prevents surplus agricultural materials from being disposed of in the environment, which means that the present invention can contribute to Goal 15, "Conserve and sustainably use land."

[0073] The above describes an embodiment and examples that can be modified in various places, but as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose, configuration, etc., they can be combined by utilizing each other's technology. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] C Agricultural material spray controller D Display section M Agricultural machinery 1 Input section 11 Numeric keypad 12 Input terminals 13 Total planned amount of spraying 15 Travel route prediction section 151 Storage section 155 Comparison Section 16 Travel route generation section 2 Arithmetic section 31 Planned amount of spraying 32 Displacement 33 Total amount of spraying 34 Arrived position 35 remaining distance traveled 36 Spreading signal 38 Modified application rate 4 Spraying equipment 41 Spreading width 42 Application rate data 6 Positioning methods 61 Positioning Data 613 Intrusion position 7. Travel Route 71 Starting point 72 End Point 73 180° rotating section 74 Direction change section 75 Fertilization Map 76 Travel Route File 77 Patterns 78 Field contour data 79 Travel route data 8. Driving trajectory 91 Spray Missing Area 92 Spread area 93 Overlap Area 94 Non-dispersion area 95 Shoulder 96 Field distortion section

Claims

1. An agricultural material spraying controller, Equipped with an input section and a calculation section, The input unit automatically or manually receives the route of movement of the agricultural machine in the field and the planned total amount of spraying, The calculation unit receives positioning data from the positioning means, monitors an arrival position on the movement route in accordance with the positioning data, and obtains a total amount of sprayed agricultural materials at the arrival position; The agricultural material spraying controller is characterized in that the calculation unit calculates a corrected spraying amount in accordance with the arrival position and the total spraying amount so that the inputted total planned spraying amount is exactly sprayed at the end point of the movement route, and outputs a spraying signal to a spraying device.

2. The calculation unit is Calculate the planned amount of spray that must be sprayed to the arrival position, A deviation amount between the planned amount of spraying and the total amount of spraying is calculated, The agricultural material spraying controller described in claim 1, characterized in that it calculates the corrected spraying amount taking into account the deviation amount so that the input total planned spraying amount is exactly sprayed at the end point of the movement route, and outputs the spraying signal to the spraying device.

3. Further, a movement route prediction unit is provided for predicting the movement route, 2. The agricultural material spray controller according to claim 1, wherein the input unit receives the movement route predicted by the movement route prediction unit.

4. The movement route prediction unit, A storage unit is provided for storing a plurality of patterns of the movement route, The agricultural material spraying controller as described in claim 3, characterized in that the prediction is made by comparing the actual movement route of the agricultural machinery at the beginning of spraying derived from the positioning data detected by the positioning means with the pattern and selecting at least one similar pattern.

5. Further, a travel route generating unit is provided, The movement route generation unit is automatically generated from a mathematical calculation in which the agricultural machine traces a line through the field based on at least the spraying width and the field contour data, 2. The agricultural material spraying controller according to claim 1, wherein the input unit receives the movement route generated by the movement route generating unit.

6. the movement route prediction unit is provided with a trained model of the agricultural machine moving within the field, and the trained model outputs a predicted movement route by inputting an actual movement route of the agricultural machine at the initial stage of spraying derived from the positioning data detected by the positioning means, 4. The agricultural material spraying controller according to claim 3, wherein the input unit receives the predicted movement route.

7. The movement route generation unit is provided with a trained model for the agricultural machine moving within a farm field, The trained model recommends a movement route by inputting data including at least field contour data, a spraying width, and a starting point position data, 6. The agricultural material spraying controller according to claim 5, wherein the input unit receives the movement route generated by the movement route generation unit.

8. 2. The agricultural material spraying controller according to claim 1, wherein the input unit receives an input of a spray schedule map that specifies different spray amounts along the movement route.

9. 3. The agricultural material spray controller according to claim 2, wherein the corrected spray rate is set to increase or decrease the spray rate by a predetermined percentage or a predetermined amount in accordance with the deviation.

10. 2. The agricultural material application controller according to claim 1, wherein the corrected application rate has an upper limit or a lower limit.

11. 2. The agricultural material spray controller according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying the planned total spray amount.

12. 6. The agricultural material spraying controller according to claim 5, further comprising a display unit for displaying the movement route predicted by the movement route generation unit.

13. 2. The agricultural material spray controller according to claim 1, wherein the agricultural material is a liquid, a powder, a granular material, or a viscous material.

14. 2. The agricultural material spray controller according to claim 1, wherein the agricultural material is compost, granular fertilizer, powdered fertilizer, liquid fertilizer, granular medicine, powdered medicine or liquid medicine.

15. An agricultural work machine equipped with the agricultural material spraying controller according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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