Information processor, implement and program

Abstract

To generate automatic travel route data to make a mower automatically travel by using existing data.SOLUTION: An information processor generates automatic travel route data to make a mower automatically travel based on levee data including levee shoulder position data showing the positions of levee shoulders. The automatic travel route data may be data which show a line segment in a position offset from a line segment specified by the levee shoulder position data by a predetermined distance, or may be data which show a line segment corresponding to a center line between a line segment specified by the first levee shoulder position data and a line segment specified by the second levee shoulder position data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device that generates automatic travel route data for automatically traveling a work machine on a ridge. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to remove weeds and the like that grow on the ridges of rice fields, mowing work on the ridges has been performed periodically using a grass cutter. Conventional grass cutters have been mainstream, which are directly operated by the operator using a handle or the like, but this is extremely hard work, as the operator must constantly support the heavy machine body while being subjected to vibrations and to flying stones. For this reason, in recent years, there has been progress in the development of improved grass cutters that can be remotely controlled by the operator via wireless communication (for example, Patent Document 1). Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a grass cutter that uses past travel trajectory information stored in a storage device to automatically perform grass cutting work without the operator's operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-142900 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional grass mower described above, the travel trajectory information is the driving operation information and travel information stored as a history when an operator actually remotely controls the grass mower to travel. In other words, the conventional grass mower still requires an operator to perform grass mowing work by remote control at least once.

[0005] An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to generate automatic driving route data for automatically driving a work machine on a ridge by utilizing existing data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device in one embodiment of the present invention generates automatic driving route data for automatically driving a work machine on a ridge based on ridge data including ridge shoulder position data indicating the position of the ridge shoulder.

[0007] The automated travel route data may be data indicating a line segment located at a position offset a predetermined distance from a line segment identified by the ridge-shoulder position data.

[0008] The ridge-shoulder position data may include first ridge-shoulder position data and second ridge-shoulder position data indicating a line segment parallel to the line segment specified by the first ridge-shoulder position data. In this case, the automatic travel route data may be data indicating a line segment corresponding to a center line between the line segment specified by the first ridge-shoulder position data and the line segment specified by the second ridge-shoulder position data.

[0009] The ridge data may further include field width data indicating a field width. In this case, the information processing device may generate the automatic travel route data for a range in which the field width is equal to or greater than the predetermined value based on a comparison result between the field width data and a predetermined value.

[0010] The information processing device may further acquire obstacle data including information regarding an obstacle present on a planned travel path of a traveling part of the work machine, and correct the automatic travel route data based on the obstacle data.

[0011] The correction of the automated driving route data may include replacing a predetermined range of the automated driving route data with detour route data generated based on the obstacle data.

[0012] The obstacle data may be acquired based on map information or satellite photo information, imaging information from a distance sensor or camera equipped in the work machine, or imaging information from a distance sensor or camera equipped in another device.

[0013] The ridge data may further include field width data indicating a field width. In this case, the automatic travel route data may be generated based on the field width data and a field mowing width of the grass cutter.

[0014] The information processing device may further acquire manual driving route data from the work machine, which indicates a movement trajectory of the work machine when the grass work machine is manually driven, and complement the automatic driving route data using the manual driving route data.

[0015] The automated driving route data may include first automated driving route data and second automated driving route data having a start point within a predetermined range from an end point of the first automated driving route data. In this case, the manual driving route data may be interpolated between the end point of the first automated driving route data and the start point of the second automated driving route data. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to generate automatic driving route data for automatically driving a work machine on a ridge by utilizing existing data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an automatic driving system in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a grass mower in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining parameters relating to the grass mower in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the relationship between the top width TW of the ridge and the running width CW of the mower. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining parameters relating to a grass mower in a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for generating automated driving route data in a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different ways, and is not limited to the description of the examples shown below. In the drawings referred to in this embodiment, the same parts or parts having similar functions are given the same reference numerals or the same reference numerals followed by alphabets, and repeated description may be omitted. In addition, when the grass cutter, which is an example of a working machine, is moving toward the direction in which the top field cutting part 230 is located relative to the machine body 210 described later, and the same or similar members are provided on the left and right sides of the traveling direction, L (left side member) or R (right side member) is added after the reference numeral of the member. When there is no particular distinction between the left and right members, L and R may be omitted in the description.

[0019] In the specification and claims of this application, "up" refers to the direction moving vertically away from the ridge when the mower, an example of a working machine, is moving forward while mowing the ridge, and "down" refers to the opposite direction to "up". For ease of explanation, "front" refers to the direction in which the top field cutting unit 230 is located relative to the body 210 of the mower, an example of a working machine, which will be described later, and "rear" refers to the opposite direction to "front". Furthermore, "left" and "right" refer to the "left" and "right" when the mower is moving forward.

[0020] In the specification and claims of this application, the left-right length of each component of a mower, which is an example of a working machine, is referred to as "width." In addition, when the center line of the mower, which is an example of a working machine, in a plan view (a line parallel to the direction of travel and passing through the center of the mower) is used as a reference, the side closer to the center line is referred to as the "inner side," and the side farther from the center line is referred to as the "outer side."

[0021] In the specification and claims of this application, an "information processing device" refers to a device capable of executing a program and performing a predetermined arithmetic processing (information processing). Specifically, the "information processing device" includes a server, a mobile terminal (e.g., a smartphone or a tablet terminal), a work guidance display device installed on a tractor, and a control device for a work machine.

[0022] First Embodiment [Configuration of the Autonomous Driving System] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an automatic driving system 1000 in a first embodiment of the present invention. The automatic driving system 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes a server 100 and a mower 200, which is an example of a working machine. The mower 200 is a ridge mower that performs work to mow the ridges, and automatically travels on a ridge 400 that defines the outline of a field 300. Specifically, the mower 200 performs work to mow weeds that have grown on the top surface 410 and a slope 420 while automatically traveling on the top surface 410 of the ridge 400. The server 100 is placed in a remote location away from the field 300, and performs two-way communication with the mower 200 via a network.

[0023] The server 100 has a function of generating automatic travel route data for controlling the automatic travel of the mower 200. The automatic travel route data is data for determining an automatic travel route 500 when the mower 200 automatically travels on the ridge 400. In this embodiment, the automatic travel route data generated in advance by the server 100 is downloaded to the mower 200. The mower 200 automatically travels on the top of the field 410 based on the downloaded automatic travel route data. The automatic travel route data may be downloaded each time the mower 200 performs mowing work. The automatic travel route data downloaded to the mower 200 may be stored in a memory unit or the like for the next mowing work. In this case, the automatic travel route data stored in the memory unit is used to automatically travel the mower 200 during the next mowing work and thereafter.

[0024] [Server configuration] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 100 in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, the server 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a communication unit 130. However, Fig. 2 shows only an example, and the server 100 may include other elements.

[0025] The control unit 110 includes an arithmetic processing unit and a cache memory, and performs various arithmetic processing using information stored in the storage unit 120. For example, the control unit 110 functions as a data generation unit 111 that generates route data 124 by executing a data generation program 121b stored in the storage unit 120.

[0026] The storage unit 120 stores a program 121, ridge data 122, equipment data 123, and route data 124. The program 121 includes a control program 121a for controlling the overall processing executed by the server 100, and a data generation program 121b for causing the control unit 110 to function as the data generation unit 111. The data generation program 121b is read from the storage unit 120 and executed by the control unit 110 to generate the route data 124.

[0027] The ridge data 122 is data related to ridges that define the outline of a field to be used as a paddy field, etc. The ridge data 122 includes, for example, ridge shoulder position data 122a indicating the position of the ridge shoulder, top field width data 122b indicating the top field width of the ridge, and obstacle data 122c indicating the position of ridge defects or obstacles that impede the mower 200 from traveling on the ridge.

[0028] Among the ridge data 122, the ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b are stored prior to the mowing operation. The ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b may be data directly acquired from a ridge coating machine that forms the ridge, or data calculated based on data acquired from the ridge coating machine, or data acquired by manual measurement after the ridge is formed. The ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b may be data acquired from publicly available map information or satellite photo information. In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of work efficiency, the ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b are assumed to be acquired in advance from a ridge coating machine that forms the ridge, but are not limited to this configuration, and may be data acquired by other methods as described above.

[0029] When calculating based on each data acquired from the ridge coating machine, the ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b can be calculated based on the relative relationship between the position of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antenna installed on the ridge coating machine and the position of the ridge preparation body that forms the ridge. For example, since the boundary between the slope preparation part and the top field preparation part that constitutes the ridge preparation body corresponds to the position of the ridge shoulder, it is possible to calculate the ridge shoulder position data 122a if the relative relationship between the position information acquired from the GNSS antenna and the position of the GNSS antenna and the position of the aforementioned boundary part is known.

[0030] In this embodiment, when the ridge shoulder position data 122a is acquired and stored, it is stored so that the start point and end point of the ridge painting work can be distinguished. For example, data indicating the start point is added to the first ridge shoulder position data 122a when the ridge painting work starts and stored, and data indicating the end point is added to the last ridge shoulder position data 122a when the ridge painting work ends and stored. This makes it possible to associate the traveling direction of the ridge body of the ridge painting machine during the ridge painting work with a series of ridge shoulder position data 122a from the start point to the end point (hereinafter referred to as the "ridge shoulder position data group") and store it.

[0031] Among the ridge data 122, the ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b are stored prior to the mowing operation. The ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b may be data directly acquired from a ridge coating machine that forms the ridge, or data calculated based on data acquired from the ridge coating machine, or data acquired by manual measurement after the ridge is formed. The ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b may be data acquired from publicly available map information or satellite photo information. In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of work efficiency, the ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b are assumed to be acquired in advance from a ridge coating machine that forms the ridge, but are not limited to this configuration, and may be data acquired by other methods as described above.

[0032] When calculating based on each data acquired from the ridge coating machine, the ridge shoulder position data 122a and the top field width data 122b can be calculated based on the relative relationship between the position of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antenna installed on the ridge coating machine and the position of the ridge preparation body that forms the ridge. For example, since the boundary between the slope preparation part and the top field preparation part that constitutes the ridge preparation body corresponds to the position of the ridge shoulder, it is possible to calculate the ridge shoulder position data 122a if the relative relationship between the position information acquired from the GNSS antenna and the position of the GNSS antenna and the position of the aforementioned boundary part is known.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the ridge shoulder position data 122a is acquired and stored, it is stored so that the start point and end point of the ridge painting work can be distinguished. For example, data indicating the start point is added to the first ridge shoulder position data 122a when the ridge painting work starts and stored, and data indicating the end point is added to the last ridge shoulder position data 122a when the ridge painting work ends and stored. This makes it possible to associate the traveling direction of the ridge body of the ridge painting machine during the ridge painting work with a series of ridge shoulder position data 122a from the start point to the end point (hereinafter referred to as the "ridge shoulder position data group") and store it.

[0034] If the ridge shoulder position data group and the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine when it was acquired are known, it is possible to determine the position (direction) of the top field of the ridge from which the ridge shoulder position data group was acquired (hereinafter referred to as the "ridge from which data is acquired"). Normally, the top field ridge preparation section of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine is located to the right of the slope ridge preparation section in the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body, so the top field of the ridge from which data is acquired can be considered to be located to the right of the ridge shoulder position data group in the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine. In other words, the ridge shoulder position data group corresponds to the collection of ridge shoulder position data on the left side of the ridge from which data is acquired in the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine. For this reason, when another ridge shoulder position data group exists within a specified distance (within a specified range) to the right of the acquired ridge shoulder position data group, the other ridge shoulder position data group can be said to correspond to a set of ridge shoulder position data on the opposite side of the top of the same ridge (i.e., ridge shoulder position data on the right side) in the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine. In this embodiment, when two ridge shoulder position data groups for one ridge can be recognized in this way, they can be associated and stored (managed) as a set.

[0035] In addition, when a ridge is formed using a ridge coating machine equipped with a ridge preparation body in which the top field ridge preparation section is positioned to the left of the slope ridge preparation section in the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body, the acquired ridge shoulder position data group corresponds to a collection of ridge shoulder position data on the right side of the ridge for which data is acquired in the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine, and if there is another ridge shoulder position data group within a specified distance (within a specified range) to the left of the acquired ridge shoulder position data group, the other ridge shoulder position data group corresponds to a collection of ridge shoulder position data on the opposite side of the top field of the same ridge (i.e., left side ridge shoulder position data) in the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine.

[0036] In order to determine whether the acquired ridge shoulder position data group is ridge shoulder position data for the left side or right side of the ridge for which data is being acquired, data indicating which side of the ridge the top is located may be added to the ridge shoulder position data sent from the ridge coating machine to the server 100, data that can identify the type of ridge coating machine may be added, or data that can identify whether the top is located on the left side or the right side may be added.

[0037] Even if other ridge shoulder position data exists within the specified distance, if there is an obstacle such as a waterway that prevents the mower 200, which is an example of a working machine, from traveling between the acquired ridge shoulder position data group and the other ridge shoulder position data within the specified distance, or if there is an obstacle such as a waterway that prevents the mower 200 from traveling within a distance shorter than the aforementioned specified distance of the acquired ridge shoulder position data, the two ridge shoulder position data groups may be associated and not stored (managed) as a set, or the acquired ridge shoulder position data may be discarded since the mower 200 cannot travel. Note that data on obstacles such as waterways that prevent the mower 200 from traveling may be acquired from information from other devices, such as the above-mentioned map information, satellite photo information, or photo information captured using a distance sensor or camera provided in a drone or other device.

[0038] The above-mentioned method of managing ridge shoulder position data groups is a method of storing two ridge shoulder position data groups for one ridge as a set, but only one of the ridge shoulder position data groups (i.e., only a set of ridge shoulder position data on the left (or right) side of the ridge for which data is to be acquired with respect to the traveling direction of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine) may be stored as the ridge data 122, and the other ridge shoulder position data group may be searched for when generating the automatic travel route data 124a. In this case, it is possible to easily search for the paired ridge shoulder position data group when generating the automatic travel route data 124a. For example, prior to generating the automatic driving route data 124a, it is determined whether the direction of travel of the ridge preparation body of the ridge coating machine when the ridge shoulder position data group read out from the memory unit 120 is obtained is the same as the direction of travel of the grass cutter 200. If they are the same, a search is made to see whether there is another ridge shoulder position data group within a specified distance to the right (or left) of the ridge shoulder position data group read out from the memory unit 120. If they are different, a search is made to see whether there is another ridge shoulder position data group within a specified distance to the left (or right) of the ridge shoulder position data group read out from the memory unit 120. If there is another ridge shoulder position data group, the other ridge shoulder position data group is used as the ridge shoulder position data group on the opposite side across the top of the same ridge to generate the automatic driving route data 124a. Even in this case, if there is an obstacle such as a waterway that prevents the grass mower 200 from traveling between the acquired ridge shoulder position data group and other ridge shoulder position data within a predetermined distance, or if there is an obstacle such as a waterway that prevents the grass mower 200 from traveling within a distance shorter than the aforementioned predetermined distance of the acquired ridge shoulder position data, the two ridge shoulder position data groups may be associated and not stored (managed) as a set, or the grass mower 200 may not be able to travel. The acquired ridge shoulder position data may be discarded. Data on obstacles such as waterways that prevent the grass mower 200 from traveling may be acquired based on information from other devices, such as the above-mentioned map information, satellite photo information, or photo information captured using a distance sensor or camera provided in a drone or other device.

[0039] As described above, when acquiring ridge shoulder position data 122a during ridge painting work, by storing the ridge shoulder position data 122a so that the start point and end point of the ridge painting work can be distinguished, it is possible to associate the acquired ridge shoulder position data group with the traveling direction of the ridge body of the ridge painting machine. This makes it possible to easily distinguish the positional relationship between the acquired ridge shoulder position data group and the ridge from which data is acquired, so that it is possible to store a set of ridge shoulder position data groups that are paired with one ridge, and when generating automatic travel route data 124a, it is possible to easily acquire a ridge shoulder position data group (a ridge shoulder position data group on the opposite side of the top field) that is paired with the read-out ridge shoulder position data group.

[0040] The top field width data 122b may be the distance between two parallel ridge shoulder position data 122a, or if the ridge has only one ridge shoulder, it may be the length of the top field ridge adjustment part in the longitudinal direction, or it may be input manually. The top field width data 122b may be obtained by image processing of the map information or satellite photo information described above, or it may be calculated by mounting a camera on the ridge coating machine, acquiring images taken by the camera or images taken by a drone or other device, and processing the images. In addition, when it is the length of the top field ridge adjustment part in the longitudinal direction, the mounting pattern of the top field ridge adjustment part (top field roller) may be acquired from the ridge coating machine, or the length data of the top field ridge adjustment part may be acquired. The mounting patterns include, for example, a pattern in which no top field roller is attached, a pattern in which only one top field roller is attached, and a pattern in which two top field rollers are connected and attached in the longitudinal direction. In addition, when calculating from images captured by a camera equipped on the ridger or other device, the top field width may be calculated by a control device with a calculation function equipped on the ridger or other device, and transmitted to the server 100.

[0041] The top field width data 122b can also be calculated using the ridge data 122 (specifically, the ridge shoulder position data 122a) of an adjacent field. For example, when fields A and B are adjacent to each other across a ridge C, the top field width data 122b of the ridge C may be calculated using the ridge shoulder position data 122a of the ridge C on the field A side and the ridge shoulder position data 122a of the ridge C on the field B side. In this case, the ridge shoulder position data 122a of the field A and the ridge shoulder position data 122a of the field B may be automatically selected based on the position information of the ridge C for which the top field width data 122b is to be calculated, or the user of the mower 200 may select them using a predetermined instruction input means (for example, a remote control, a smartphone, a tablet, etc.).

[0042] Also, when only one side of the ridge shoulder position data 122a exists for the ridge C, and there is a road immediately next to the field, the distance from the position of the ridge shoulder on one side to the road may be obtained based on the above-mentioned map information, satellite photo information, etc., and used as the top field width data 122b. Also, when only one side of the ridge shoulder position data 122a exists for the ridge C, and there is simply flat land adjacent to the field, the distance from the position of the ridge shoulder on one side to the part where the soil is exposed may be obtained based on the above-mentioned map information, satellite photo information, etc., and used as the top field width data 122b. Furthermore, when a waterway or the like exists between a pair of ridge shoulder position data 122a for the ridge C, the distance from the position of either ridge shoulder to the waterway may be obtained based on the above-mentioned map information, satellite photo information, etc., and used as the top field width data 122b.

[0043] Each data acquired from the ridge coating machine can be acquired at any timing. For example, when a specific operation button on the remote control of the ridge coating machine is operated, each data acquired by the ridge coating machine while moving may be transmitted to the server 100 at predetermined intervals. Also, each data may be constantly stored while the ridge coating machine is moving, and when a specific operation button on the remote control is operated, each newly stored data may be transmitted to the server 100. Note that the data acquired from the ridge coating machine may include the length and mounting pattern (none, 1 piece, 2 pieces, etc.) of the top ridge preparation section, the size of the slope ridge preparation section, the angle of the slope formed by the ridge preparation section, the performance of the ridge, etc., and may be used to generate an automatic driving route.

[0044] The ridge data 122 may include a plurality of pieces of data previously acquired for the same field. In this case, any of the past data may be selected and used to generate the path data 124 described later.

[0045] The obstacle data 122c includes data indicating the position of a ridge defect that occurred after the ridge was formed, or data indicating the position of an obstacle placed on the ridge afterwards. The data indicating the position of the ridge defect may include data of a position where a ridge is not intentionally formed. The position where a ridge is not intentionally formed includes the vicinity of the water inlet or outlet of the ridge, the vicinity of a tree growing on the ridge, a position where other obstacles are placed on the ridge, and a position where ridge painting work is not performed by offset operation of the ridge painting machine or position operation of the tractor. The data indicating the position of the ridge defect may be calculated based on information acquired from a camera or distance sensor (including, for example, an optical sensor, a radio wave sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc.) mounted on the mower 200 during mowing work. For example, it is possible to identify the size and position of the ridge defect based on the position information of the mower 200 and analysis information of an image taken by the camera. The data indicating the position of the ridge defect may be calculated based on information acquired from a camera or distance sensor mounted on the ridge coating machine. In this case, it is also possible to specify the size and position of the ridge defect based on, for example, the position information of the ridge coating machine and analysis information of the image captured by the camera. The position information of the mower 200 can be easily acquired using GNSS data. The obstacle data 122c may be configured to be registered by the user. For example, when the user recognizes an obstacle during or before mowing work, the user may store data indicating the position and size of the obstacle in the server 100 via a specified interface (an input means such as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a remote control, or the server 100).

[0046] The device data 123 is data related to the structure of the mower 200, and includes, for example, top field mowing width data 123a and running width data 123b. The top field mowing width Wr and running width CW correspond to the left-right widths of the top field mowing section 230 and running section 220 of the mower 200, which will be described later, respectively. The top field mowing width data 123a and running width data 123b are both stored in advance in the storage unit 120 as values ​​specific to the mower 200 to be controlled. Although not shown in the figures, the device data 123 may include maximum mowing width data corresponding to the maximum mowing width WT and one-side extended mowing width data corresponding to the one-side extended mowing width WS, which will be described later.

[0047] The route data 124 is data for controlling the automatic travel of the mower 200, and is generated by the data generating unit 111. In this embodiment, the route data 124 includes the automatic travel route data 124a, the detour route data 124b, and the manual travel route data 124c, but is not limited to this example. The generation of the automatic travel route data 124a and the detour route data 124b will be described later. The manual travel route data 124c is data indicating a travel route when the user drives the mower 200 by remote control. The manual travel route data 124c may be used as supplementary data for a portion that could not be generated by the automatic travel route data 124a, or the generated automatic travel route data 124a may be rewritten and used with the manual travel route data 124c.

[0048] The communication unit 130 communicates with the grass mower 200 via a network. Specifically, the communication unit 130 performs two-way communication via the network with a control device 251 mounted on the grass mower 200. There are no particular limitations on the communication method, and wireless communication using a known protocol can be used.

[0049] [Grass cutter configuration] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the grass mower 200 in the first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, Fig. 3(A) and Fig. 3(B) are plan views of the grass mower 200, and Fig. 3(C) is a side view of the grass mower 200. As shown in Fig. 3(A) to Fig. 3(C), the grass mower 200 includes a machine body 210, a traveling unit 220, a top surface cutting unit 230, a slope cutting unit 240, and a drive unit 250. However, the configuration of the grass mower 200 is not limited to this example, and other elements may be added, or some elements may be omitted.

[0050] The machine body 210 is a frame portion that forms the skeleton of the grass mower 200. A running unit 220 that generates the propulsive force of the grass mower 200 is provided below the machine body 210. In this embodiment, the running unit 220 is a crawler (crawler), and is made up of a running unit 220L and a running unit 220R.

[0051] A top field reaping section 230 is provided in front of the machine body 210. The top field reaping section 230 is a section that performs grass cutting work on the top field 410 of the ridge 400 shown in FIG. 1, and has one or more blade rotors (not shown). The blade rotor is a working rotor that performs grass cutting work by rotating a shaft to which multiple blades are attached. The top field reaping section 230 of this embodiment has a structure in which two blade rotors are arranged in the left and right direction.

[0052] A slope reaping unit 240 is provided behind the machine body 210. In this embodiment, the slope reaping unit 240 is composed of a left slope reaping unit 240L and a right slope reaping unit 240R. The slope reaping unit 240 is a part that performs grass cutting work on the slope 420 of the ridge 400 shown in FIG. 1 and grass cutting work on the top 410 and slope 420 of the ridge 400 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, and the slope reaping unit 240L and the slope reaping unit 240R each have one or more cutting blade rotors (not shown).

[0053] The slope cutting unit 240L and the slope cutting unit 240R can be tilted according to the inclination of the left and right slopes 420. As a result, the cutting surface of each blade rotor (the surface including the path of the blade rotor cutting the grass) faces each slope 420, and the grass on the slope 420 can be cut. Note that Fig. 3(A) and Fig. 3(C) show a state in which each cutting surface of the slope cutting unit 240L and the slope cutting unit 240R is set to face the top plate 410. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3(B), the slope cutting unit 240L and the slope cutting unit 240R can be stored so that the cutting surface faces inward. In other words, the slope cutting unit 240L and the slope cutting unit 240R can be stored inside the grass mower 200 by standing one or both of them so that the cutting surface faces inward.

[0054] A driving unit 250 is provided above the airframe 210. In this embodiment, the driving unit 250 includes a control device 251, a position information acquisition unit 252, an engine 253, an alternator 254, and a battery 255. However, the configuration of the driving unit 250 is not limited to this example, and other elements may be added, or some elements may be omitted.

[0055] The control device 251 is a part that is responsible for the overall control of the grass mower 200, and includes a control unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit, although not shown in the figure. In the control device 251, the control unit executes various programs read from the storage unit, thereby controlling the operation of each part, such as work control of the top field reaping unit 230 and drive control of the traveling unit 220. For example, the control device 251 controls the automatic traveling of the grass mower 200 based on the automatic traveling route data 124a received from the server 100.

[0056] The position information acquisition unit 252 includes a GNSS antenna, and receives GNSS signals to acquire position information of the grass mower 200. The position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 252 is used for automatic travel control by the control device 251. In addition, the position information of the grass mower 200 may be transmitted from a communication unit of the control device 251 to the server 100.

[0057] The engine 253 is used as a drive source of power to rotate each blade rotor of the top field cutting part 230. The power of the engine 253 is also used as a drive source of the alternator 254. The alternator 254 has a power generation control circuit (not shown) and generates power using the power of the engine 253. The power generated by the alternator 254 is stored in the battery 255 under the control of the power generation control circuit. The power stored in the battery 255 is used as a drive source of power to rotate each blade rotor of the traveling part 220 and the slope cutting part 240.

[0058] [Generation of automated driving route data] The generation of the automatic driving route data 124a by the control unit 110 (specifically, the data generation unit 111) of the server 100 will be described below. The generation of the automatic driving route data 124a can be executed, for example, when a user's instruction is triggered. Specifically, the data generation unit 111 may be configured to start generating the automatic driving route data 124a when the user sends an instruction to generate the automatic driving route data 124a to the server 100 using a predetermined interface (a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, or a remote control). As another method, the data generation unit 111 may be configured to start generating the automatic driving route data 124a when the user selects a field to be the subject of the mowing work via a predetermined interface. Note that the above-mentioned user instruction or user selection can also be used as a trigger when downloading the automatic driving route data 124a generated in advance to the mower 200.

[0059] Next, prior to describing the generation of the automated driving route data 124a, parameters used in the generation of the automated driving route data 124a will be described.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining parameters related to the mower 200 in the first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 4(A) is a plan view of the mower 200, and FIG. 4(B) and FIG. 4(C) are rear views of the mower 200. Here, FIG. 4(A) shows a state in which the mowing surfaces of both the slope mowing section 240L and the slope mowing section 240R are set to face the top plateau 410, FIG. 4(B) shows a state in which the mowing surfaces of both the slope mowing section 240L and the slope mowing section 240R are set to face the slope 420, and FIG. 4(C) shows a state in which the mowing surface of the slope mowing section 240L is set to face the slope 420, and the mowing surface of the slope mowing section 240R is set to face the top plateau 410. Also, in Figures 4(B) and 4(C), for the sake of convenience of explanation, elements other than the top surface reaping unit 230 and the slope reaping unit 240 are omitted from the illustration.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 4(A), the maximum mowing width WT of the ridge grass mower 200 means the width in which the top field 410 can be mowed using both the top field mowing section 230 and the slope cutting section 240. As shown in FIG. 4(A) and FIG. 4(C), the one-side extension mowing width WS means the width in which the top field 410 can be mowed using only one of the slope cutting section 240L and the slope cutting section 240R in addition to the top field mowing section 230. Note that the example shown in FIG. 4(A) and FIG. 4(C) shows the width in which the top field 410 can be mowed using the slope cutting section 240R in addition to the top field mowing section 230. As shown in FIG. 4(A) and FIG. 4(B), the top field mowing width Wr means the width in which the top field 410 can be mowed using only the top field mowing section 230. The travel width CW means the maximum width through which the traveling section 220 passes. In this embodiment, it corresponds to the distance between the left end of the traveling section 220L and the right end of the traveling section 220R. In this embodiment, the maximum mowing width data corresponding to the above-mentioned maximum mowing width WT, the one-side extension mowing width data corresponding to the one-side extension mowing width WS, the top field mowing width data 123a (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the top field mowing width Wr, and the travel width data 123b (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the traveling width CW are stored in advance in the storage unit 120 as the device data 123. At this time. The maximum mowing width data may include information on the angle of the slope mowing section 240 (information on the angle with respect to the top field).

[0062] The width of the slope cutting unit 240 (width in the left-right direction when viewed from above) may also be included as the device data 123. By using information about the angle and height of the ridge and information about the width of the slope cutting unit 240, it is possible to determine whether or not mowing work on the slope of the ridge is possible using the slope cutting unit 240, and it is also possible to control the device so that mowing work is not performed if it is determined that it is not possible.

[0063] A method for generating the automated driving route data 124a will be described based on each of the parameters of the grass mower 200 described above.

[0064] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for generating the automatic driving route data 124a in the first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, Fig. 5(A) shows an example in which the positions of the ridge shoulders on both sides of the ridge where mowing work is performed are known, and Fig. 5(B) shows an example in which the position of the ridge shoulder on the left side of the ridge where mowing work is performed with respect to the traveling direction of the mower 200 is known. The method for generating the automatic driving route data 124a shown in Fig. 5 is realized by the control unit 110 of the server 100 executing the data generation program 121b read from the storage unit 120 (i.e., by making the control unit 110 operate as the data generation unit 111).

[0065] In the example shown in FIG. 5(A), first, the data generating unit 111 reads out the ridge shoulder position data 122a stored in the memory unit 120, and calculates a first line segment 610 indicating the position of the left ridge shoulder with respect to the traveling direction of the mower 200 of the ridge where mowing work is performed, and a second line segment 620 indicating the position of the right ridge shoulder. The ridge shoulder position data 122a is a set of coordinate data indicating the position of the ridge shoulder. For example, in FIG. 5(A), a plurality of dots 610a each represent a position corresponding to the coordinate data indicating the position of the left ridge shoulder with respect to the traveling direction of the mower 200 of the ridge where mowing work is performed, and the first line segment 610 corresponds to the line segment connecting each of the dots 610a. Similarly, the second line segment 620 is calculated as a line segment connecting a plurality of dots 620a corresponding to coordinate data indicating the position of the right-hand ridge shoulder relative to the traveling direction of the mower 200 on the ridge where mowing work is being performed.

[0066] Next, the data generating unit 111 calculates a line segment corresponding to the center line between the first line segment 610 and the second line segment 620 as the automatic driving route 500. In other words, when the distance between the first line segment 610 and the second line segment 620 is the ceiling width TW, the line segment passing through a position separated by TW / 2 from the first line segment 610 and the second line segment 620 corresponds to the automatic driving route 500. After that, the control unit 110 stores data indicating the calculated automatic driving route 500 as the automatic driving route data 124a in the storage unit 120. The control unit 110 also stores ceiling width data indicating the ceiling width TW in the storage unit 120.

[0067] In Fig. 5(A), the top field cutting section 230 of the mower 200 is shown by a dotted line. When the mower 200 is automatically driven, the center line of the top field cutting section 230 in the left-right direction coincides with the automatic driving route 500. In the example shown in Fig. 5(A), since the top field cutting width Wr is larger than the top field width TW, the mower 200 performs mowing work with both the left and right ends of the top field cutting section 230 protruding outward from the ridge shoulder. In this case, the weeds in the top field 410 can be cut by the top field cutting section 230 alone.

[0068] In the example shown in Fig. 5(B), the data generating unit 111 reads out the ridge shoulder position data 122a stored in the memory unit 120, and calculates a first line segment 610 indicating the position of the left ridge shoulder in the traveling direction of the mower 200 on the ridge where mowing work is being performed. In the example shown in Fig. 5(B), since there is no ridge shoulder position data indicating the position of the right ridge shoulder in the traveling direction of the mower 200 on the ridge where mowing work is being performed, only the first line segment 610 is calculated. The method of calculating the first line segment 610 is similar to the example shown in Fig. 5(A), and therefore a detailed description will be omitted.

[0069] Next, the data generating unit 111 reads the top field reaping width data 123a from the storage unit 120 and sets a predetermined value C1. Here, the predetermined value C1 corresponds to the minimum width by which the end of the top field reaping unit 230 is allowed to protrude from the ridge shoulder. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 5(B), the predetermined value C1 corresponds to the distance between the left end of the top field reaping unit 230 and the first line segment 610. Note that the predetermined value C1 may be a fixed value set in advance, such as the distance from the left or right end of the top field reaping unit 230 to the rotation trajectory of the cutting blade, or may be a value arbitrarily set by the user within a predetermined range. After that, the data generating unit 111 calculates, as the automatic travel route 500, a line segment that coincides with the center line in the left and right direction of the top field reaping unit 230 when the left end of the top field reaping unit 230 protrudes (protrudes) from the ridge shoulder by the predetermined value C1. At this time, the distance between the automated driving route 500 and the first line segment 610 is expressed as Wr / 2-C1. The control unit 110 stores data indicating the calculated automated driving route 500 in the storage unit 120 as automated driving route data 124a.

[0070] It is sufficient that the position of the ridge shoulder is known on either the left or right side in the traveling direction of the mower 200, and even if only the position of the right ridge shoulder is known, the automatic travel route data 124a can be generated similarly to the example shown in Fig. 5(B). Even if the positions of both the left and right ridge shoulders in the traveling direction of the mower 200 are known, the user may be able to select whether the automatic travel route data 124a is generated by the method of Fig. 5(A) or Fig. 5(B).

[0071] Furthermore, when the existence of an obstacle that prevents the mower 200 from traveling, such as a water supply or drainage outlet or a waterway, is known on the ridge, the data generating unit 111 may be configured to not generate the automatic driving route data 124a, to generate automatic driving route data 124a up to the obstacle, or to generate automatic driving route data 124a for a round trip up to the obstacle. Furthermore, when only the left or right ridge shoulder position data 122a is known, the data generating unit 111 may determine the environment and condition of the ridge, such as the flatness of the top surface, the magnitude of the unevenness of the top surface, the existence of a water supply or drainage outlet, and the existence of a waterway, based on the map information or satellite photo information described above. In this case, if the data generation unit 111 determines that the grass mower 200 cannot travel on the ridge, the data generation unit 111 may be configured to not generate automatic driving route data 124a, to generate automatic driving route data 124a up to the obstacle, or to generate automatic driving route data 124a for a round trip up to the obstacle.

[0072] As described above, the server 100 of this embodiment generates automatic driving route data 124a for automatically driving the mower 200 based on the ridge data 122 including ridge shoulder position data 122a indicating the position of the ridge shoulder. Specifically, in the example shown in Fig. 5(A), data indicating the automatic driving route 500 corresponding to the center line between the first line segment 610 specified by the ridge shoulder position data 122a corresponding to the left ridge shoulder with respect to the traveling direction of the mower 200 of the ridge where the mowing work is performed, and the second line segment 620 specified by the ridge shoulder position data 122a corresponding to the right ridge shoulder with respect to the traveling direction of the mower 200 of the ridge where the mowing work is performed is calculated as the automatic driving route data 124a. In the example shown in Figure 5 (B), data indicating an automatic driving route 500 located at a position offset a predetermined distance (Wr / 2-C1) from a first line segment 610 identified by the ridge shoulder position data 122a corresponding to the left ridge shoulder in the direction of travel of the mower 200 on the ridge where mowing work is being performed is calculated as automatic driving route data 124a.

[0073] 5(A) and 5(B) are described by taking as an example the case where the ridge shoulder is formed in a straight line, but there may be a case where one or both of the ridge shoulders are formed in a curved line (including a meandering line) rather than in a straight line, or where both of the ridge shoulders are formed in a straight line but not parallel to each other. In this case, instead of calculating the first line segment 610 and the second line segment 620 indicating the position of the ridge shoulder, the automatic travel route data 124a may be calculated as a set of data indicating the midpoint between a pair of ridge shoulder position data. Here, the "pair of ridge shoulder position data" may be, for example, a pair consisting of a certain ridge shoulder position data and a ridge shoulder position data located at the closest position and separated from the ridge shoulder position data by a predetermined distance (the distance between adjacent ridge shoulder position data on the same ridge shoulder).

[0074] So far, a method for generating the automatic travel route data 124a based on the ridge shoulder position data 122a has been described, but in this embodiment, the size of the ridge 400 is taken into consideration when generating the automatic travel route data 124a. Specifically, the ridge data 122 (e.g., top field width data 122b) can be used when generating the automatic travel route data 124a. A method for generating the automatic travel route data 124a that takes the size of the ridge 400 into consideration will be described below.

[0075] FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining a method for generating the automatic travel route data 124a in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, when the data generation process starts, the data generation unit 111 of the server 100 acquires the top field width data 122b indicating the top field width TW from the ridge data 122 stored in the storage unit 120 (step S11). Next, the data generation unit 111 judges whether the top field width TW is equal to or greater than a predetermined value C2 (step S12). The predetermined value C2 is, for example, the travel width CW of the mower 200. That is, in step S12 of FIG. 6, it is judged whether the mower 200 cannot travel safely on the top field 410, such as there is a risk of the mower 200 falling off the top field 410.

[0076] If the result of the determination in step S12 is that the top field width TW is equal to or greater than the predetermined value C2, the data generation unit 111 generates automatic driving route data 124a that passes through the center of the top field 410 according to the process described with reference to FIG. 5(A), for example (step S13). After that, the generated automatic driving route data 124a is stored in the storage unit 120, and the process ends. However, this is not the only example, and the generated automatic driving route data 124a may be sent directly to the grass mower 200. In addition, after the generated automatic driving route data 124a is stored in the storage unit 120, the user may be notified that data generation has been completed, and the user may use a predetermined instruction input means to control the automatic driving route data 124a stored in the storage unit 120 to be sent to the grass mower 200.

[0077] If the result of the determination in step S12 is that the top surface width TW is less than the predetermined value C2, the data generation unit 111 ends the process without generating the automatic driving route data 124a. If the data generation unit 111 cannot generate the automatic driving route data 124a, the control unit 110 may notify the user's mobile terminal (smartphone, etc.) that the automatic driving route data 124a could not be generated. At this time, it may also be notified that the top surface width TW required for the work is insufficient, or that the mower 200 cannot travel safely on the top surface 410, such as there is a risk of falling off the top surface 410 if the work is performed. In addition, it may also be notified of the position where it is not safe to travel.

[0078] However, the top field width TW is not always constant. Therefore, the storage unit 120 may store top field width data 122b corresponding to the top field width TW at a plurality of points. In this case, when determining whether or not the automatic travel route data 124a can be generated using the method shown in FIG. 6, the average value of the top field width data 122b of the target ridge 400 may be used, or the top field width may be calculated for each predetermined distance. In addition, for the target ridge 400, whether or not the automatic travel route data 124a can be generated may be determined for each predetermined distance using the method shown in FIG. 6. In this case, if it is determined in all judgments that the grass mower 200 can travel safely on the platform 410, for example, because there is no risk of falling off the platform 410 (YES in step S12), the automatic driving route data 124a is generated, and if it is determined that the grass mower 200 cannot travel safely on the platform 410 in even one place, for example, because there is a risk of falling off the platform 410 (NO in step S12), the automatic driving route data 124a is not generated, or it is also possible to generate the automatic driving route data 124a only for parts of the platform 410 where it is determined that the grass mower 200 can travel safely on the platform 410, for example, because there is no risk of falling off the platform 410. If it is determined that the grass cutter 200 cannot travel safely on the platform 410 at even one location (NO in step S12) due to a risk of falling off the platform 410, the user may be allowed to select whether to stop generating the automatic travel route data 124a or to generate only a portion of the data. Also, the user may be allowed to manually input or correct data for a location where it is determined that the grass cutter 200 cannot travel safely on the platform 410 due to a risk of falling off the platform 410.

[0079] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the top field width TW of the ridge 400 and the travel width CW of the grass mower 200. Specifically, Fig. 7(A) shows an example in which the travel width CW of the grass mower 200 is smaller than the top field width TW, and Fig. 7(B) shows an example in which the travel width CW of the grass mower 200 is larger than the top field width TW.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 7(A), when the top width TW is equal to or larger than the travel width CW of the mower 200, if the automatic travel route data 124a is generated so as to pass through the center of the top width 410, the entire travel unit 220 will be on the top width 410. Therefore, it can be said that the mower 200 can safely travel on the top width 410 without the risk of falling off the top width 410. In this case, the automatic travel route data 124a is generated by the data generating unit 111. Conversely, when the top width TW is smaller than the travel width CW of the mower 200, even if the automatic travel route data 124a is generated so as to pass through the center of the top width 410, a part of the travel unit 220 will protrude from the top width 410. Therefore, it can be said that the mower 200 cannot safely travel on the top width 410, such as there is a risk of falling off the top width 410. In this case, the automatic driving route data 124a may not be generated by the data generation unit 111, or the automatic driving route data 124a may be generated and stored so that the user can verify or modify it later, but the automatic driving route data 124a may not be transmitted to the grass cutter 200.

[0081] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7(B), even if the top field width TW is less than the travel width CW of the mower 200, the automatic travel route data 124a may be generated by satisfying a predetermined condition. It is also possible to consider that the mower 200 can travel safely on the top field 410 as long as most of the travel unit 220 is on the top field 410. In this case, the predetermined value C2 compared in step S12 of FIG. 6 may be set to, for example, C2=CW-2a. Here, the predetermined value a is the allowable width when the end of the travel unit 220 protrudes from the ridge shoulder, and may be appropriately determined in consideration of the weight balance of the mower 200, etc.

[0082] As described above, in this embodiment, the automatic travel route data 124a of the mower 200 can be generated using the ridge shoulder position data 122a indicating the position of the ridge shoulder. Therefore, unlike the conventional system, the user does not need to actually perform the mowing work, and the burden on the user can be significantly reduced. In addition, in this embodiment, whether or not to generate the automatic travel route data 124a can be determined taking into account the size of the ridge 400 (for example, the top field width TW), so that the risk of the mower 200 being unable to travel safely on the ridge 400 (top field 410), such as falling off the ridge 400 (top field 410), during automatic travel can be reduced.

[0083] In addition, when executing the processing described using Figures 6 and 7 above, the predetermined value C2 may be changed depending on the state of the slope cutting unit 240 (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state), and the state of the slope cutting unit 240 (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state) may be taken into consideration in addition to the predetermined value C2 when determining whether or not the lawnmower 200 cannot travel safely on the platform 410, for example because there is a risk of it falling off the platform 410.

[0084] In this embodiment, for the portion where the automatic driving route data 124a was not generated, the conditions may be changed and an attempt may be made to generate the automatic driving route data 124a again. For example, if the automatic driving route data 124a cannot be generated by the method shown in FIG. 5(A), the conditions may be relaxed and recalculated by the method shown in FIG. 5(B). Of course, if the automatic driving route data 124a cannot be generated, the user may remotely operate the grass mower 200 for that portion.

[0085] The ridge data 122 used in this embodiment can be selected in various ways. For example, the ridge data 122 may be selected by the user from the ridge data 122 stored in the server 100 using a predetermined interface (such as a mobile terminal, a remote control, an input means of the server 100, or an input means provided in the mower 200), or may be selected from the ridge data 122 stored in the server 100 based on position information of the mower 200 or the user. In the latter case, for example, the ridge shoulder position data 122a corresponding to the position closest to the position of the mower 200 may be automatically selected as the ridge data 122.

[0086] Furthermore, the device data 123 used in this embodiment can be selected in various ways. For example, the device data 123 may be selected by the user from the device data 123 stored in the server 100 using a predetermined interface (such as a mobile terminal, a remote control, an input means of the server 100, or an input means provided in the mower 200), or may be selected from the device data 123 stored in the server 100 according to the type of the mower 200. In the latter case, the user can select the type of the mower 200 to be used (for example, information that can identify the type of the mower 200, such as model information) using a predetermined interface. When the type of the mower 200 is selected, the device data 123 corresponding to the mower 200 is automatically selected. Note that, when parts related to the above parameters, such as the top field cutting unit 230, are replaceable, it is also possible to select part information that can identify the type of replaceable part, rather than the type of the mower 200.

[0087] Furthermore, when the travel width CW is larger than the top field mowing width WT of the mower 200, the data generation unit 111 may generate the automatic travel route data 124a based only on the travel width CW without considering the top field mowing width WT. That is, in such a case, the data generation unit 111 may generate the automatic travel route data 124a according to the data processing described using Figures 6 and 7 without performing the data processing shown in Figure 5.

[0088] In this embodiment, a grass cutter is exemplified as a working machine that automatically travels on ridges, but the present invention is not limited to this example and can be applied to other working machines that travel on ridges. For example, the present invention can be applied to a transport machine that travels on ridges to transport agricultural goods or fertilizer, or a spreader that travels on ridges to spread fertilizer.

[0089] <Second embodiment> In this embodiment, an example of generating automatic driving route data in a method different from that of the first embodiment will be described. Specifically, in this embodiment, an example of correcting the automatic driving route data while automatically driving based on an obstacle (specifically, a missing ridge) existing on the driving route when generating the automatic driving route data will be described. Note that in this embodiment, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are represented by the same reference numerals, and detailed description may be omitted.

[0090] Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a method for generating the automated driving route data 124a in the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for generating the automated driving route data 124a in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] In this embodiment, the data generation process shown in Fig. 8 is started when an obstacle such as a missing ridge is detected on the ridge 400 during mowing work by the mower 200. An obstacle such as a missing ridge that exists on the ridge 400 can be recognized, for example, by analyzing an image of the ridge 400 ahead in the traveling direction of the mower 200. When the data generation process is started upon detection of an obstacle, the data generation unit 111 acquires obstacle data 122c as data indicating the presence of an obstacle in the mower 200 (step S21). In this embodiment, the obstacle data 122c is, for example, data indicating that a part of the ridge 400 is missing, and includes position information and size information of the missing part.

[0092] As shown in Fig. 9, the mower 200 of this embodiment has an imaging unit 256. The imaging unit 256 is, for example, a camera, which captures an image of the area ahead in the direction of travel to acquire an image of the ridge 400. The control device 251 of the mower 200 analyzes the acquired image and determines whether or not an obstacle 430 exists on the ridge 400. If it is determined that an obstacle 430 exists on the ridge 400, the control device 251 transmits the position and size of the obstacle to the server 100 as obstacle data. The server 100 stores the acquired obstacle data 122c in the memory unit 120 as ridge data 122.

[0093] In the present embodiment, the control device 251 of the mower 200 performs the image analysis, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The control device 251 may successively transmit the acquired images to the server 100. The position information and size information of the obstacle may be calculated based on information acquired from a sensor unit such as an ultrasonic sensor instead of analyzing the captured image. In this case, the mower 200 may be provided with a sensor unit in addition to or instead of the imaging unit. Furthermore, the position information and size information of the obstacle may be calculated based on image data acquired in advance from another device, such as the above-mentioned map information or satellite photo information, or photo information captured using a distance sensor or camera provided in a drone or other device.

[0094] In this embodiment, as shown in the left diagram of Fig. 9, in this embodiment, it is assumed that an obstacle 430 exists on the left side of the ridge 400 ahead in the traveling direction of the mower 200. Also, it is assumed that the obstacle 430 existing on the ridge 400 causes the original top field width TW1 to become a top field width TW2 narrower than the top field width TW1. In this case, if the mower 200 advances along the original automatic travel route 500, there is a risk that the traveling unit 220L will derail due to the obstacle 430, which is the ridge defect, and the entire mower 200 will not be able to travel safely over the ridge 400 (top field 410).

[0095] Therefore, in this embodiment, the data generator 111 generates the detour route data 124b for the section that may be affected by the failure 430 (the correction section).

[0096] First, after acquiring the obstacle data 122c in step S21 in Fig. 8, the data generating unit 111 calculates the ceiling width (TW2) of the ceiling 410 narrowed by the obstacle 430 based on the obstacle data 122c (step S22). Specifically, in step S22 in Fig. 8, the data generating unit 111 calculates the ceiling width (TW2) narrowest by the obstacle 430 using the ceiling width data 122b read from the storage unit 120 and the acquired obstacle data 122c.

[0097] Next, the data generating unit 111 judges whether the platform width TW2 narrowed by the obstacle 430 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value C2 (step S23). The predetermined value C2 is, for example, the travel width CW of the grass mower 200. That is, in step S23 of FIG. 8, when the grass mower 200 avoids the obstacle 430, it is judged whether the grass mower 200 cannot travel safely on the platform 410, for example, because there is a risk of the grass mower 200 falling off the platform 410.

[0098] If the result of the determination in step S23 is that the top surface width TW2 is less than the predetermined value C2, the data generating unit 111 ends the process without generating the detour route data 124b. If the data generating unit 111 cannot generate the detour route data 124b, the control unit 110 may notify the user's mobile terminal (smartphone, etc.) that the detour route data 124b could not be generated. At this time, the control unit 110 may also notify the user that the top surface width TW2 required for the work is insufficient, or that the grass cutter 200 cannot travel safely on the top surface 410 due to a risk of falling or contact with an obstacle when performing the work. If the result of the determination in step S23 is that the top surface width TW2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value C2, the data generating unit 111 generates the detour route data 124b for the correction section (step S24).

[0099] 9, the detour route 510b includes a straight line portion passing through the center of the ceiling 410 narrowed by the obstacle 430, and a connection portion connecting the straight line portion with the automated driving route 510a (a portion of the automated driving route 510 other than the corrected section, i.e., the same portion as the original automated driving route 500 other than the part (corrected section) described later). Data indicating the detour route 510b is stored in the storage unit 120 as detour route data 124b.

[0100] When the detour route data 124b is generated, the data generating unit 111 replaces the automatic driving route data 124a of the corrected section with the detour route data 124b (step S25). That is, the data generating unit 111 corrects the automatic driving route 500 shown in the left diagram in FIG. 9 to the automatic driving route 510 shown in the right diagram. The corrected automatic driving route 510 corresponds to a route in which a part (corrected section) of the original automatic driving route 500 is replaced with the detour route 510b. Thereafter, the automatic driving route data 124a corresponding to the corrected automatic driving route 510 is stored in the storage unit 120, and the process is terminated. Note that the automatic driving route data 124a corrected in this embodiment is stored in the storage unit 120 and is also transmitted to the control device 251 of the mower 200.

[0101] As described above, in this embodiment, the obstacle data 122c is acquired from the mower 200 traveling on the automatic travel route 500, and the automatic travel route data 124a is corrected based on the acquired obstacle data 122c. In this way, when an event that hinders the progress of work, such as the obstacle 430 existing on the ridge 400, occurs after the fact, the automatic travel route data 124a can be dynamically corrected, and it is possible to prevent the mower 200 from falling off the ridge 400 during automatic travel. The corrected automatic travel route data 124a can be used for the next and subsequent mowing operations. In other words, the automatic travel route data 124a including the detour route can be used to automatically drive the mower 200 on the ridge 400 during the next and subsequent mowing operations. However, this is not limiting, and the acquired obstacle data 122c may be stored in the server 100 or the mower 200, and the stored obstacle data 122c may be used to newly generate automatic driving route data 124a including a detour route during subsequent mowing operations.

[0102] In addition, when executing the processing described using Figures 8 and 9 above, the predetermined value C2 may be changed depending on the state of the slope cutting unit 240 (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state), and the state of the slope cutting unit 240 (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state) may be taken into consideration in addition to the predetermined value C2 when determining whether or not the lawnmower 200 cannot travel safely on the platform 410, for example because there is a risk of it falling off the platform 410.

[0103] In addition, the obstacle data 122c acquired by this embodiment can be used in the next ridge painting work. For example, if position information of a missing ridge is acquired as the obstacle 430, it is possible to control the ridge painting machine to efficiently fill in the missing ridge at the position specified by the obstacle data 122c in the next ridge painting work, for example by increasing the amount of soil piled up by the ridge painting machine.

[0104] In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the processing shown in FIG. 8 is executed by the data generation unit 111 in the control unit 110 of the server 100, but this is not limiting, and the control device 251 of the grass mower 200 may execute the processing shown in FIG. 8.

[0105] (Modification of the second embodiment) 8 and 9, a method for correcting the automated driving route data 124a has been described using a missing ridge as an example of the obstacle 430 present on the ridge 400, but an example will be described in which an obstacle (such as a stone) exists on the ridge 400 as the obstacle 430. Note that since the relationship between the obstacle and the automated driving route in this modified example is the same as in FIG. 9, the following description will be given assuming that the obstacle 430 shown in FIG. 9 is an obstacle.

[0106] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a method for generating automatic driving route data 124a in a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. When the data generation process starts, the data generation unit 111 acquires obstacle data 122c that hinders the automatic driving of the mower 200 (step S31). In this modified example, the obstacle data 122c is data indicating the presence of an obstacle on the ridge 400, and includes position information and size information of the obstacle. In this modified example as well, an obstacle present on the ridge 400 can be recognized by analyzing an image captured by the imaging unit 256 provided in the mower 200 or a signal acquired by an ultrasonic sensor.

[0107] Next, when the obstacle data 122c is acquired, the data generating unit 111 calculates the ceiling width (TW2) of the ceiling 410 narrowed by the obstacle based on the obstacle data 122c (step S32). The specific calculation method is the same as the flow shown in FIG.

[0108] Next, the data generating unit 111 judges whether the top field width TW2 narrowed by the obstacle is equal to or larger than a predetermined value C2 (step S33). The predetermined value C2 is, for example, the travel width CW of the mower 200. That is, in step S33 of FIG. 10, when the mower 200 avoids the obstacle, it is judged whether the mower 200 cannot travel safely on the top field 410. The predetermined value C2 may be changed according to the state (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state) of the slope cutting unit 240, or the state (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state) of the slope cutting unit 240 may be taken into consideration in addition to the predetermined value C2 when judging whether the mower 200 cannot travel safely on the top field 410, such as when there is a risk of the mower 200 falling off the top field 410.

[0109] If the result of the judgment in step S33 is that the top surface width TW2 is less than the predetermined value C2, the data generation unit 111 ends the process without generating the detour route data 124b. If the data generation unit 111 cannot generate the detour route data 124b, the control unit 110 may notify the user's mobile terminal (smartphone, etc.) that the detour route data 124b could not be generated. At this time, the control unit 110 may also notify that the top surface width TW2 required for the work is insufficient, or that the mower 200 cannot travel safely on the top surface 410, such as the risk of falling or contact with an obstacle when performing the work. If the result of the judgment in step S33 is that the top surface width TW2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value C2, the data generation unit 111 generates the detour route data 124b for the correction section (step S34).

[0110] Next, the data generating unit 111 judges whether or not a portion of the mower 200 other than the slope cutting unit 240 will come into contact with an obstacle (step S35). Specifically, in step S35, when the mower 200 advances along the detour route 510b, it is judged whether or not a portion other than the slope cutting unit 240 (for example, the top field cutting unit 230, etc.) will come into contact with an obstacle. For example, the data generating unit 111 can judge whether or not an obstacle will come into contact with the top field cutting unit 230 by reading the top field cutting width data 123a from the storage unit 120 and judging whether or not a line segment separated from the detour route 510b by a distance of 1 / 2 the top field cutting width Wr overlaps with the obstacle 430.

[0111] If the result of the judgment in step S35 is that a part other than the slope reaping unit 240 will come into contact with an obstacle, no matter how the automatic driving route data 124a is generated, contact with the obstacle will be unavoidable, so the processing is terminated without generating the automatic driving route data 124a.

[0112] If the result of the determination in step S35 is that the portion other than the slope cutting part 240 does not come into contact with the obstacle, the data generating unit 111 then determines whether or not the obstacle can be avoided by storing the slope cutting part 240 of the grass mower 200 (step S36). Even if the portion other than the slope cutting part 240 does not come into contact with the obstacle in step S35, there remains a possibility that the slope cutting part 240, which is the part that protrudes most outward, will come into contact with the obstacle. Therefore, in this embodiment, in step S36, it is determined whether or not the contact between the slope cutting part 240 and the obstacle can be avoided by storing both or either one of the slope cutting part 240L and the slope cutting part 240R. Specifically, the length from the center line of the mower 200 to the outer end of the slope cutting unit 240L (or slope cutting unit 240R) when the slope cutting unit 240L (or slope cutting unit 240R) is stored in advance as device data 123, and by determining whether a line segment separated from the detour route 510b by the aforementioned protrusion amount overlaps with the obstacle 430, it is possible to determine whether the obstacle will come into contact with the stored slope cutting unit 240.

[0113] If the result of the determination in step S36 is that the slope reaping unit 240 will still come into contact with an obstacle even after retracting, the process ends without generating the automatic driving route data 124a. If the result of the determination in step S36 is that retracting the slope reaping unit 240 can avoid contact with an obstacle, the data generating unit 111 replaces the automatic driving route data 124a of the correction section with the detour route data 124b (step S37). Thereafter, the automatic driving route data 124a corresponding to the corrected automatic driving route 510 is stored in the storage unit 120, and the process ends. In this modified example as well, the corrected automatic driving route data 124a is stored in the storage unit 120 and is transmitted to the control device 251 of the mower 200.

[0114] The data generating unit 111 may be configured to transmit information for controlling the angle (horizontal deployment state, deployment state, storage state) of the slope reaping unit 240 to the mower 200. In this case, if the result of the determination in step S36 above is that contact with an obstacle can be avoided by storing the slope reaping unit 240, the data generating unit 111 may transmit control information for storing the slope reaping unit 240 together with the corrected automatic travel route data 124a to the control device 251 of the mower 200. In this way, the user does not need to manually adjust the angle of the slope reaping unit 240 when it is necessary to store the slope reaping unit 240, and therefore work efficiency is greatly improved. Furthermore, even if the data generation unit 111 does not have the function of transmitting control information for adjusting the angle of the slope mowing unit 240 as described above, when contact with an obstacle can be avoided by storing the slope mowing unit 240, the data generation unit 111 may notify the user (specifically, an information terminal carried by the user) of this, and may transmit control information for stopping travel in front of an obstacle together with the corrected automatic driving route data 124a to the control device 251 of the grass mower 200.

[0115] In the above steps S35 and S36, if the data generation unit 111 cannot generate the automatic driving route data 124a, the control unit 110 may notify the user's mobile terminal (smartphone, etc.) that the automatic driving route data 124a could not be generated. At this time, it may also be notified that it is impossible to avoid parts or obstacles that may come into contact.

[0116] As described above, even if an event occurs that prevents the mower 200 from proceeding with the work, such as when an obstacle such as a stone is placed on the ridge 400, the automatic driving route data 124a can be dynamically corrected, and it is possible to prevent the mower 200 from falling off the ridge 400 during automatic driving. In this modified example, as in the second embodiment, the corrected automatic driving route data 124a can be used for the next or subsequent mowing work. The acquired obstacle data 122c may be stored in the server 100 or the mower 200, and the stored obstacle data 122c may be used to newly generate automatic driving route data 124a including a detour route for the next or subsequent mowing work.

[0117] In this modified example, an example has been shown in which the processing shown in FIG. 10 is executed by the data generation unit 111 in the control unit 110 of the server 100, but this is not limiting, and the control device 251 of the grass mower 200 may execute the processing shown in FIG. 10.

[0118] <Third embodiment> In this embodiment, an example of generating automatic driving route data in a method different from that of the first embodiment will be described. Specifically, in this embodiment, a method of generating automatic driving route data in a case where the field 410 cannot be completely mowed in one automatic driving will be described. In this embodiment, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description may be omitted.

[0119] Figures 11 and 12 are flow charts for explaining a method for generating the automatic driving route data 124a in the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining parameters related to the grass mower 200 in the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for generating the automatic driving route data 124a in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] In Fig. 11, when the data generation process starts, the data generation unit 111 acquires the top field width data 122b indicating the top field width TW from the ridge data 122 stored in the memory unit 120 (step S41). Next, the data generation unit 111 judges whether the top field width TW is equal to or greater than a predetermined value C2 (step S42). The predetermined value C2 is, for example, the travel width CW of the grass mower 200. As in the first embodiment, in step S42 of Fig. 11, it is judged whether the grass mower 200 cannot travel safely on the top field 410, for example, because there is a risk of the grass mower 200 falling off the top field 410.

[0121] If the result of the judgment in step S42 is that the top field width TW is less than the predetermined value C2, the data generation unit 111 ends the process without generating the automatic travel route data 124a. If the data generation unit 111 cannot generate the automatic travel route data 124a, the control unit 110 may notify the user's mobile terminal (smartphone, etc.) that the automatic travel route data 124a could not be generated. At this time, the control unit 110 may also notify that the top field width TW required for the work is insufficient, or that the grass cutter 200 cannot travel safely on the top field 410, for example, because there is a risk of falling when the work is performed. If the top field width TW is equal to or greater than the predetermined value C2, the data generation unit 111 judges whether one travel route is insufficient (step S43). Specifically, it is judged whether TW>Wr-2C1 is satisfied when the top field width TW, the top field reaping width Wr (see FIG. 4(B)), and the minimum width that allows the end of the top field reaping unit 230 to protrude outside the ridge shoulder are set as the minimum width C1.

[0122] Here, the condition TW>Wr-2C1 is a condition for determining whether the grass cutting work on the top field 410 can be completed in one grass cutting operation by the top field cutting unit 230. In other words, when this condition is met (i.e., when the top field width TW is larger than "Wr-2C1"), it means that it is not enough to generate only one piece of automatic driving route data 124a. The relationship between the parameters of the top field width TW, top field cutting width Wr, and minimum width C1 is as shown in FIG. 13(A).

[0123] When it is determined in step S43 that one travel route is sufficient (i.e., when it is determined that TW≦Wr-2C1), one automatic travel route data 124a is generated by considering only the top field reaping unit 230 (step S51 in FIG. 12). The automatic travel route data 124a can be generated by, for example, the method described with reference to FIG. 5(A).

[0124] When it is determined in step S43 that one travel route is not enough (i.e., when it is determined that TW>Wr-2C1), the data generating unit 111 determines whether or not two travel routes are not enough (step S44). Specifically, when the top field width TW, the one-side extension mowing width WS (see FIG. 4(C)), the minimum width that allows the end of the top field mowing unit 230 to extend outward from the ridge shoulder is C1, and the minimum overlap width of the top field mowing unit 230 between adjacent travel routes is the minimum overlap width C3, it is determined whether or not TW>2WS-2C1-C3 is satisfied.

[0125] Here, the condition TW>2WS-2C1-C3 is a condition for determining whether the grass cutting work on the top field 410 can be completed by two grass cutting operations using the top field cutting unit 230 and one side slope cutting unit 240 (slope cutting unit 240L or slope cutting unit 240R). In other words, when this condition is met (i.e., when the top field width TW is larger than "2WS-2C1-C3"), it means that it is not enough to generate only two pieces of automatic driving route data 124a. The relationship between the parameters of the top field width TW, one side extension cutting width WS, minimum width C1, and minimum wrap width C3 is as shown in FIG. 13(B).

[0126] As shown in Fig. 13(B), the slope reaping unit 240R during the first automatic travel and the slope reaping unit 240R during the second automatic travel overlap at least the minimum overlap width C3 described above. Note that in Fig. 13(B), the first automatic travel and the second automatic travel are in opposite directions, so the slope reaping units 240R overlap each other.

[0127] When it is determined in step S44 that two travel routes are sufficient (i.e., when it is determined that TW≦2WS-2C1-C3), the data generation unit 111 generates two automatic travel route data 124a in consideration of the top field reaping unit 230 and the one-side slope reaping unit 240 (step S52 in FIG. 12). The automatic travel route data 124a can be generated using, for example, the method shown in FIG. 14(A) or FIG. 14(B).

[0128] The method shown in FIG. 14(A) is similar to the method described in the first embodiment using FIG. 5(A). Specifically, in the method shown in FIG. 14(A), first, the data generating unit 111 reads the ridge shoulder position data 122a stored in the memory unit 120, and calculates a first line segment 710 indicating the position of the ridge shoulder on the left side with respect to the traveling direction of the mower 200 of the ridge where the mowing work is performed. Next, if there is another ridge shoulder position data group stored in the memory unit 120 in association with the ridge shoulder position data group corresponding to the first line segment 710, the data generating unit 111 reads the ridge shoulder position data 122a and calculates a second line segment 720 indicating the position of the ridge shoulder on the opposite side across the top field. In addition, if there are no other ridge-shoulder position data groups stored in a set as described above, a search is made to see whether there are other ridge-shoulder position data groups within a specified distance from the ridge-shoulder position data group corresponding to the first line segment 710, and if there are other ridge-shoulder position data groups, the other ridge-shoulder position data groups can be used as the ridge-shoulder position data group on the opposite side of the top of the same ridge.

[0129] Next, the data generation unit 111 calculates a third line segment 730 corresponding to the center line between the first line segment 710 and the second line segment 720. Furthermore, the data generation unit 111 calculates a line segment corresponding to the center line between the first line segment 710 and the third line segment 730 as the automatic driving route 500a, and calculates a line segment corresponding to the center line between the second line segment 720 and the third line segment 730 as the automatic driving route 500b.

[0130] At this time, when the distance between the first line segment 710 and the second line segment 720 is the ceiling width TW, the line segment passing through a position TW / 2 away from the first line segment 710 and the second line segment 720 corresponds to the third line segment 730. In addition, the line segment passing through a position TW / 4 away from the first line segment 710 and the third line segment 730 corresponds to the automatic driving route 500a, and the line segment passing through a position TW / 4 away from the second line segment 720 and the third line segment 730 corresponds to the automatic driving route 500b. After that, the control unit 110 stores data indicating the calculated automatic driving routes 500a and 500b in the storage unit 120 as automatic driving route data 124a.

[0131] In the method shown in FIG. 14(B), first, the data generating unit 111 reads the ridge shoulder position data 122a stored in the memory unit 120, and calculates the first line segment 710 that indicates the position of the left ridge shoulder with respect to the traveling direction of the mower 200 of the ridge where the mowing work is performed. Next, the data generating unit 111 reads the top field cutting width data 123a from the memory unit 120, and sets a predetermined value C1. The predetermined value C1 corresponds to the minimum width that allows the end of the top field cutting unit 230 to protrude outside the ridge shoulder. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 14(B), the predetermined value C1 corresponds to the distance between the left end of the top field cutting unit 230 and the first line segment 710. Then, the data generation unit 111 calculates, as the automatic driving route 500a, a line segment that coincides with the center line of the top field reaping unit 230 in the left-right direction when the left end of the top field reaping unit 230 protrudes (protrudes) outward from the first line segment 710 by a predetermined value C1.

[0132] Next, if there is another ridge-shoulder position data group stored in the storage unit 120 as a set in association with the ridge-shoulder position data group corresponding to the first line segment 710, the data generating unit 111 reads out the ridge-shoulder position data 122a and calculates the second line segment 720 indicating the position of the ridge-shoulder on the opposite side across the top field. If there is no other ridge-shoulder position data group stored in a set as described above, a search is made to see whether there is another ridge-shoulder position data group within a predetermined distance from the ridge-shoulder position data group corresponding to the first line segment 710, and if there is another ridge-shoulder position data group, the other ridge-shoulder position data group may be used as the ridge-shoulder position data group on the opposite side across the top field of the same ridge.

[0133] Furthermore, using the above-mentioned top field reaping width data 123a and the predetermined value C1, the data generation unit 111 calculates, as the automatic travel route 500b, a line segment that coincides with the center line in the left-right direction of the top field reaping unit 230 in a state in which the left end of the top field reaping unit 230 protrudes (protrudes) by the predetermined value C1 outward from the second line segment 720. After that, the control unit 110 stores data indicating the calculated automatic travel routes 500a and 500b in the storage unit 120 as automatic travel route data 124a.

[0134] As described above, in step S52 of Fig. 12, two automatic travel route data 124a are generated in consideration of the top surface reaping unit 230 and the one-side slope reaping unit 240. Note that, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the travel direction of the grass mower 200 is opposite between the first automatic travel route 500a and the second automatic travel route 500b, but this is not limited to this example, and the travel direction may be the same for both routes.

[0135] It should be noted that the method of generating the automated driving route data 124a, either that shown in FIG. 14(A) or that shown in FIG. 14(B), may be set by user selection.

[0136] Returning to FIG. 11, when it is determined in step S44 that two travel routes are not enough (i.e., when it is determined that TW>2WS-2C1-C3), the data generation unit 111 generates n+2 automatic travel route data 124a by considering the top field reaping unit 230 and both left and right slope reaping units 240 (step S45). Specifically, first, two automatic travel routes close to the ridges on both sides are calculated, and then n automatic travel routes required between the two automatic travel routes are calculated. In this way, n+2 automatic travel route data 124a are generated.

[0137] The two automatic travel routes close to the ridges on both sides can be calculated, for example, by the method described with reference to Fig. 14(B). Weeds on the top field 410 that are left uncut by the two automatic travel routes are cut by n-times of grass cutting work using the top field cutting unit 230 and the left and right slope cutting units 240. At this time, the n automatic travel routes are calculated so as to divide the distance between the two automatic travel routes into equal intervals.

[0138] Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining a method for generating the automatic travel route data 124a in the third embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, Fig. 15(A) is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the automatic travel routes 500a-500c when the ridge is viewed from above, and Fig. 15(B) is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the grass cutter 200 corresponding to each of the automatic travel routes 500a-500c when the ridge is viewed in cross section. Note that Fig. 15 illustrates the case where n=1 (i.e., the number of automatic travel routes is three).

[0139] In Fig. 15(A), the two automatic travel routes 500a and 500b can be calculated, for example, by the method described with reference to Fig. 14(B). In addition, the automatic travel route 500c for performing grass cutting work near the center of the platform 410 substantially coincides with the center line of the space between the automatic travel routes 500a and 500b. That is, in Fig. 15(A), the automatic travel route 500c is calculated so as to divide the space between the two automatic travel routes 500a and 500b into substantially equal intervals.

[0140] As shown in Fig. 15(B), in order to complete the mowing work on the entire surface of the top plateau 410 in three automatic runs, it is desirable to overlap the slope cutting unit 240R during the first automatic run with the slope cutting unit 240L during the third automatic run by the minimum overlap width C3 or more, and to overlap the slope cutting unit 240R during the second automatic run with the slope cutting unit 240R during the third automatic run by the minimum overlap width C3 or more. Note that in Fig. 15(B), the second automatic run and the third automatic run are in opposite directions, so the slope cutting units 240R are configured to overlap each other.

[0141] In Fig. 15(A) and Fig. 15(B), the case of n=1 has been described, but if the top surface 410 is wider, the number of automatic travel routes from the third time onward may be increased according to the width of the top surface 410. When n is expressed using the parameters shown in Fig. 15(B), n=(TW-(2WS-2C1-C3) / (WT-C3)). In this embodiment, the data generation unit 111 calculates two automatic travel routes 500a and 500b that are close to the ridges on both sides, and then calculates the n automatic travel routes required between the two automatic travel routes 500a and 500b according to the above formula.

[0142] Furthermore, after calculating the n value, the data generating unit 111 calculates n automatic travel routes so as to equally divide the interval between the two automatic travel routes 500a and 500b that are close to the ridges on both sides. In this way, n+2 automatic travel routes are calculated. After that, the data generating unit 111 stores data indicating the n+2 automatic travel routes as automatic travel route data 124a in the storage unit 120, and ends the process.

[0143] As described above, in this embodiment, an appropriate number of automatic travel route data 124a can be generated according to the top field width TW of the top field 410. At that time, the grass cutting work of the top field 410 can be efficiently performed by using not only the top field cutting unit 230 but also the slope cutting unit 240 in combination. Note that, in this embodiment, an example of performing grass cutting work by using the slope cutting unit 240 in combination has been described, but it is also possible to set to generate a work pattern that travels back and forth on the ridge using only the top field cutting unit 230 without using the slope cutting unit 240.

[0144] In addition, when executing the processing described using Figure 11 above, the predetermined value C2 may be changed depending on the state of the slope cutting unit 240 (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state), and the state of the slope cutting unit 240 (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state) may be taken into consideration in addition to the predetermined value C2 when determining whether or not the lawnmower 200 cannot travel safely on the platform 410, for example because there is a risk of it falling off the platform 410.

[0145] <Fourth embodiment> In this embodiment, a method for handling a case where automatic driving route data cannot be generated will be described. Specifically, in this embodiment, a method for complementing a manually driven movement trajectory as route data for a section where automatic driving route data cannot be generated will be described. Note that in this embodiment, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are represented by the same reference numerals, and detailed description may be omitted.

[0146] The mower 200, which is an example of a working machine of this embodiment, has a first manual driving mode in which position data can be acquired, and a second manual driving mode in which position data is not acquired, as manual driving modes. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the first manual driving mode is used to generate a supplementary route for a portion where an automatic driving route does not exist. The second manual driving mode can be used when not actually mowing the grass, for example, when driving on the shoulder of the road or loading the mower 200 onto a truck.

[0147] In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, ridge shoulder position data 122a is acquired from a ridge coating machine, and the ridge shoulder position data 122a is used to generate automatic travel route data 124a. When acquiring the ridge shoulder position data 122a from a ridge coating machine, for example, there are cases where the ridge shoulder position data 122a cannot be acquired at corners of the ridge 400. In this embodiment, an example is shown that corresponds to a case where the automatic travel route data 124a cannot be generated in some sections, such as corners of the ridge 400.

[0148] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for generating the automated driving route data 124a in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, Fig. 16(A) to Fig. 16(E) respectively show a process for complementing the automated driving routes 500d and 500e. As shown in Fig. 16(A), it is assumed that the server 100 already has the automated driving route data 124a corresponding to the automated driving routes 500d and 500e.

[0149] FIG. 16(A) shows a state where the mower 200 automatically travels along the automatic travel route 500d on the top plateau 410 and the mower 200 reaches the vicinity of the end point 500de of the automatic travel route 500d by automatic travel. In other words, since there is no automatic travel route for the route ahead, the mower 200 cannot be automatically traveled. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the state of FIG. 16(A) is reached, the control device 251 of the mower 200 switches the mower 200 to a first manual travel mode that allows remote operation. Note that the automatic travel mode may be automatically switched to the first manual travel mode based on the position data of the mower 200, or the user may switch. When the user switches the mode, the user may be notified that automatic travel is not possible at the timing when the mower 200 moves to a position where automatic travel is not possible.

[0150] FIG. 16(B) shows a state in which the user manually drives the mower 200 by remote control from the state shown in FIG. 16(A) and stops the mower 200 before the slope cutting unit 240 comes into contact with (reaches) the slope 420 ahead. The dotted line extending from the end point 500de of the automatic driving route 500d shows the movement trajectory 520 of the mower 200 when it is driven manually. At this time, the movement trajectory 520 of the mower 200 driven manually (i.e., a set of position information of the mower 200 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 252) is stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 as manual driving route data 124c. When the mower 200 reaches the position shown in FIG. 16(B), the user first stops the mower 200 from driving and stops the slope cutting unit 240 from driving. Next, the user remotely rotates the slope reaping unit 240 upward to the horizontally deployed state or the stored state so that the slope reaping unit 240 does not come into contact with the slope 420. In this way, the position where the user has put the slope reaping unit 240 into the both-side horizontally deployed state or the stored state is stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. However, this is not limited to the example, and the slope reaping unit 240 may be operated to put into the both-side horizontally deployed state or the stored state at a stage even earlier than before the slope reaping unit 240 comes into contact with the slope 420 in front.

[0151] When the state shown in FIG. 16(B) is obtained, the user again remotely controls the mower 200 to move to the position shown in FIG. 16(C) and stops the mower 200. Specifically, the mower 200 is turned left at the top of the slope 410 and moved in the direction toward the automatic travel route 500e. The position shown in FIG. 16(C) is a position where the mowing work can be resumed without the slope cutting unit 240 coming into contact with the slope 420. Then, the user remotely controls the slope cutting unit 240 to be in the deployed state so that the mowing work on the slope 420 can be performed again. The position where the user stops the mower 200 and the slope cutting unit 240 is in the deployed state and the state of the slope cutting unit 240 are also stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. However, this is not limited to the example, and the slope cutting section 240 may be controlled to be in the deployed state when the mower 200 has moved further forward than the position shown in Figure 16(C) (for example, when the mower 200 is away from the corner, as in Figure 16(D)).

[0152] FIG. 16(D) shows a state in which the mower 200 is further advanced by remote control from the state shown in FIG. 16(C). Specifically, the position information acquisition unit 252 (not shown) of the mower 200 has reached the vicinity of the start point 500es of the automatic travel route 500e, and automatic travel is possible. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 16(E), the mower 200 resumes automatic travel according to the automatic travel route data 124a indicating the automatic travel route 500e. In this way, even in a section where the automatic travel route data 124a does not exist, the user can continue mowing work by manually traveling the mower 200 by remote control.

[0153] The manual driving mode may be switched to the automatic driving mode automatically based on the position data of the grass mower 200, or the user may switch the mode. When the user switches the mode, the user may be notified that automatic driving is possible at the timing when the grass mower 200 moves to a position where automatic driving is possible.

[0154] In this embodiment, the section connecting the end point 500de of the automatic driving route 500d to the start point 500es of the automatic driving route 500e (i.e., the section where the automatic driving route data 124a does not exist) can be supplemented with the movement trajectory 520 of the manually driven grass mower 200. In other words, by supplementing the section between the end point of the automatic driving route data 124a indicating the automatic driving route 500c and the start point of the automatic driving route data 124a indicating the automatic driving route 500e with the manual driving route data 124c, when performing grass cutting work on the same route again, it is possible to continuously automatically travel the route from the automatic driving route 500d to the automatic driving route 500e. In addition, in this embodiment, the position where the slope mowing unit 240 is in the horizontally deployed state on both sides or in the stored state during manual travel in order to prevent the slope mowing unit 240 from contacting the slope 420, the state of the slope mowing unit 240 at that time, and the position where the mowing work is resumed are stored, so that when the same route is traveled automatically again, the rotation control of the slope mowing unit 240 is performed based on these, and the user does not need to perform the rotation operation of the slope mowing unit 240 during automatic travel. In this way, by storing information indicating the state (horizontally deployed state, deployed state, stored state) of the slope mowing unit 240 of the mower 200 in the server 100 or the mower 200 in association with the generated manual travel route data 124c, the user's convenience can be improved.

[0155] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of automatic driving route data 124a can be corrected to one continuous automatic driving route data 124a by complementing the section where the automatic driving route data 124a does not exist with the manual driving route data 124c. However, this is not limited to the example, and for example, when the automatic driving route 500d and the automatic driving route 500e are each extended and the two intersect, the extended part may be regarded as a complementary route. In this case, the complementary route data corresponding to the complementary route can be stored in the storage unit 120 as the route data 124. Such generation of complementary route data may be executed by the server 100 or may be executed by the control device 251 of the mower 200.

[0156] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the manual driving route data 124c is used as the supplementary route data, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the user may display the automatic driving route on the screen of an information terminal such as a tablet and generate the supplementary route data by performing an operation of connecting the parts on the tablet where the automatic driving route does not exist. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 16, the position of the ridge (which may be only the top plateau 410) and the automatic driving routes 500d and 500e may be displayed on the screen of a tablet or the like, and the user may trace the area between the end point 500de of the automatic driving route 500d and the start point 500es of the automatic driving route 500e with his / her finger to connect the areas, thereby instructing the data generating unit 111 to generate the supplementary route data.

[0157] <Fifth embodiment> In the first to fourth embodiments, an example in which the automatic driving route data 124a is generated in advance prior to the mowing work has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and it is also possible to generate the automatic driving route data 124a while performing the mowing work. Note that the trigger for generating the automatic driving route data 124a and the selection of the device data 123 used to generate the automatic driving route data 124a are the same as those in the first and second embodiments (including the modified examples).

[0158] In this embodiment, the mower 200 has an imaging unit 256, as in the second embodiment (see FIG. 9 in particular). The imaging unit 256 captures an image of the area ahead in the direction of travel of the mower 200 to acquire an image of the ridge 400. The acquired image of the ridge 400 is analyzed by image processing in the control device 251 of the mower 200, and the ridge data 122 of the ridge 400 can be acquired from the results. For example, the contour of the ridge 400 can be identified by performing contour enhancement processing on the image of the ridge 400, and the position of the ridge shoulder and the width of the top of the ridge can be acquired from the identified contour. However, this is not a limitation, and other image processing may be used to acquire the ridge data 122.

[0159] Once the ridge data 122 has been acquired, the control device 251 of the mower 200 calculates the automatic travel route data 124a using the ridge data 122. The method of calculating the automatic travel route data 124a is the same as in the first embodiment. However, the calculated automatic travel route data 124a only needs to be data based on the ridge data 122 acquired within the imaging range, and does not have to indicate the automatic travel route for the entire ridge 400. The acquired ridge data 122 may also be stored in the server 100 or the mower 200 and used to generate the automatic travel route data 124a for the next or subsequent mowing operations.

[0160] In this embodiment, the mower 200 continuously captures images of the ridge 400 while performing mowing work (i.e., while automatically traveling on the ridge 400), and acquires ridge data 122 by image analysis of the captured images of the ridge 400. The mower 200 then uses the acquired ridge data 122 to calculate automatic travel route data 124a corresponding to the ridge 400 ahead in the traveling direction in real time, and automatically travels along the automatic travel route data 124a. In this way, the mower 200 of this embodiment can perform automatic travel using the automatic travel route data 124a while calculating the automatic travel route data 124a. This allows the mower 200 to perform mowing work even on new ridges for which ridge data 122 has not been acquired.

[0161] In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the automatic driving route data 124a is generated by the control device 251 of the grass mower 200, but this is not limiting, and the acquired image data may be temporarily sent to the server 100, and the image analysis and generation of the automatic driving route data 124a may be performed by the control unit 110 of the server 100. The automatic driving route data 124a generated by the control unit 110 may then be downloaded to the grass mower 200 and used for the automatic driving of the grass mower 200.

[0162] (Modification of the fifth embodiment) In the fifth embodiment, the selection of the device data 123 used to generate the automatic driving route data 124a is the same as in the first and second embodiments (including the modified examples), but is not limited to this example. For example, when generating the automatic driving route data 124a, it is also possible to generate appropriate automatic driving route data 124a according to the working state of the mower 200.

[0163] Here, the working state of the mower 200 includes, for example, a state in which the cutting surfaces of both the slope cutting unit 240L and the slope cutting unit 240R are set to face the top surface 410, i.e., a state in which both cutting surfaces are spread out (approximately) horizontally, as shown in FIG. 4(A) (hereinafter referred to as the two-sided horizontally spread state), a state in which the cutting surfaces of both the slope cutting unit 240L and the slope cutting unit 240R are set to face the slope 420, as shown in FIG. 4(B) (hereinafter referred to as the two-sided spread state), i.e., a state in which mowing work can be performed on both slopes of the ridge, as shown in FIG. 4(C) (hereinafter referred to as the one-sided horizontally spread-one-sided spread state).

[0164] As is clear from FIG. 4(A) to FIG. 4(C), the range in which the mower 200 can perform mowing work on the top surface 410 in one automatic travel is different in the both-side horizontal deployment state, both-side deployment state, and one-side horizontal deployment-one-side deployment state. In other words, the appropriate automatic travel route may differ depending on which of the above three states the working state of the mower 200 is in. Therefore, in this modified example, the recommended working state of the mower 200 is determined according to the shape of the ridge (width of the top surface, etc.), and the automatic travel route data 124a is generated. Specifically, in this modified example, the recommended working state of the mower 200 is determined according to the shape of the ridge (width of the top surface, etc.), and the automatic travel route data 124a is generated according to the determined recommended working state. For example, when the working state of the mower 200 is the both-side horizontal deployment state, the automatic travel route data 124a may be generated using the maximum mowing width WT instead of the top surface mowing width Wr in the method described using FIG. 5(A). In this case, even if the width of the platform 410 is larger than the platform mowing width Wr, it is possible to complete the mowing work on the platform 410 in one automatic run.

[0165] In addition to the above three states, the working state of the mower 200 includes a state in which both the slope cutting unit 240L and the slope cutting unit 240R are stored (hereinafter referred to as a double-sided stored state), a state in which the cutting surface of either the slope cutting unit 240L or the slope cutting unit 240R faces the top plateau 410 and the other is stored (hereinafter referred to as a single-sided horizontal deployment-single-sided stored state), and a state in which the cutting surface of either the slope cutting unit 240L or the slope cutting unit 240R faces the slope 420 and the other is stored (hereinafter referred to as a single-sided deployment-single-sided stored state). Therefore, the working state of the mower 200 may be selected from a total of six states. However, the range in which the lawnmower 200 can perform grass cutting work on the platform 410 in one automatic drive is equal for the both-side stored state and the one-side deployed-one-side stored state and the above-mentioned both-side deployed state, and is equal for the one-side horizontally deployed-one-side stored state and the above-mentioned one-side horizontally deployed-one-side deployed state, so the appropriate automatic driving route may be the same even if the working state is different.

[0166] In addition, in this modified example, an example has been described in which the recommended working state of the mower 200 is determined according to the shape of the ridge (such as the width of the top surface), and the method of generating the automatic travel route data 124a is selected according to the determined working state, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the user may be allowed to select the method of generating the automatic travel route data 124a according to the working state of the mower 200. Also, the user may be allowed to select a working pattern (a pattern in which mowing work is performed only on the top surface, a pattern in which mowing work is performed only on the slope, or a pattern in which mowing work is performed on both the top surface and the slope), or the user may be allowed to select a working state according to the working pattern, or the recommended working state may be determined according to the working pattern. Furthermore, for example, the top field mowing unit 230 may not be operated and only the slope mowing unit 240 (specifically, at least one of the slope mowing units 240L and R) may perform grass mowing work on the top field, the top field mowing unit 230 may not be operated and only the slope mowing unit 240 may perform grass mowing work on the top field and the slope, or the top field mowing unit 230 may not be operated and only the slope mowing unit may perform grass mowing work on the top field and the slope. In carrying out this modified example, it is desirable that parameters such as the mowing width in each working state, that is, the top field mowing width Wr, the maximum mowing width WT, and the one-side mowing width WS, are stored in advance in the storage unit 120 as device data 123.

[0167] Sixth embodiment In the first to fourth embodiments, an example has been shown in which the control unit 110 of the server 100 generates the route data 124, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the control unit 251 of the mower 200 may execute the generation of the route data 124. In this case, the mower 200 may store the data generation program 121b (see FIG. 2) in advance in the storage unit of the control unit 251, or the data generation program 121b may be downloaded from the server 100 and stored in the storage unit.

[0168] A part of the process of generating the route data 124 executed by the control unit 110 of the server 100 may be executed by the control device 251 of the grass mower 200. For example, the process of generating the automatic driving route data 124a may be executed by the control unit 110 of the server 100, and the process of generating the detour route data 124b and the manual driving route data 124c may be executed by the control device 251 of the grass mower 200.

[0169] Furthermore, the process of generating the route data 124 may be executed by a control unit of a mobile terminal (e.g., a smartphone) owned by the user. In this case, the user may store the data generation program 121b downloaded from the server 100 in a storage unit of the mobile terminal and execute the process of generating the route data. The generated route data 124 may be transmitted directly from the mobile terminal to a work machine such as the grass mower 200, or may be transmitted indirectly to the work machine via the server 100.

[0170] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the process of generating route data 124 is executed on the grass mower 200 or the user's mobile terminal, but various data required for the process of generating route data 124 (e.g., ridge data 122, equipment data 123, etc.) may be stored in either the server 100 or the grass mower 200.

[0171] The present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, a person skilled in the art can add, delete, or modify components as appropriate based on each embodiment (including modifications), and the scope of the present invention is included as long as the gist of the present invention is met. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined as appropriate as long as there is no mutual contradiction, and technical matters common to each embodiment are included in each embodiment even if not explicitly stated.

[0172] Even if there are other effects and advantages different from those brought about by the aspects of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, those which are clear from the description in this specification or which can be easily predicted by a person skilled in the art are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0173] 100...server, 110...control unit, 111...data generation unit, 120...storage unit, 121...program, 121a...control program, 121b...data generation program, 122...ridge data, 122a...ridge shoulder position data, 122b...top field width data, 122c...obstacle data, 123...equipment data, 123a...top field mowing width data, 123b...travel width data, 124...route data, 124a...automatic travel route data, 124b...detour route data, 124c...manual travel route data, 130...communication unit, 200...grass mower, 210...machine body, 220, 220L, 220R...travel unit, 230...top field mowing unit, 240 , 240L, 240R...slope harvesting unit, 250...driving unit, 251...control device, 252...position information acquisition unit, 253...engine, 254...alternator, 255...battery, 256...imaging unit, 300...field, 400...ridge, 410...top field, 420...slope, 430...obstacle, 500, 500a to 500e...automatic driving route, 500de...end point, 500es...start point, 510, 510a...automatic driving route, 510b...detour route, 520...movement trajectory, 600...line segment, 610...first line segment, 610a...dot, 620...second line segment, 710...first line segment, 720...second line segment, 730...third line segment, 1000...work system

Claims

1. An information processing device that generates automatic driving route data for automatically driving a work machine on a ridge based on ridge data including ridge shoulder position data indicating the position of the ridge shoulder.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the automated driving route data indicates a line segment located at a position offset a predetermined distance from the line segment specified by the ridge-shoulder position data.

3. The ridge-shoulder position data includes first ridge-shoulder position data and second ridge-shoulder position data indicating a line segment parallel to the line segment identified by the first ridge-shoulder position data, The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic driving route data is data indicating a line segment corresponding to a center line between a line segment specified by the first ridge-shoulder position data and a line segment specified by the second ridge-shoulder position data.

4. The ridge data further includes top field width data indicating a width of the top field, The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising: generating the automatic driving route data for a range in which the width of the ceiling is equal to or greater than the predetermined value based on a comparison result between the ceiling width data and a predetermined value.

5. Furthermore, obstacle data including information on obstacles present on a planned travel path of the traveling part of the work machine is acquired, The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the automated driving route data is corrected based on the obstacle data.

6. The information processing device according to claim 5 , wherein the correction of the automated driving route data includes replacing a predetermined range of the automated driving route data with detour route data generated based on the obstacle data.

7. The information processing device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the obstacle data is obtained based on map information or satellite photo information, imaging information from a distance sensor or camera equipped in the work machine, or imaging information from a distance sensor or camera equipped in an apparatus other than the work machine.

8. The ridge data further includes top field width data indicating a width of the top field, The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic travel route data is generated based on the top field width data and a top field mowing width of the grass mower.

9. Furthermore, manual travel route data indicating a movement trajectory of the work machine when the work machine is manually traveled is acquired from the work machine, The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic driving route data is supplemented with the manual driving route data.

10. the automated driving route data includes first automated driving route data and second automated driving route data having a start point within a predetermined range from an end point of the first automated driving route data, The information processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the manual driving route data complements a portion between an end point of the first automated driving route data and a start point of the second automated driving route data.

11. A work machine equipped with a control device that generates automatic driving route data for automatic driving on ridges based on ridge data including ridge shoulder position data indicating the position of the ridge shoulder.

12. In the information processing device, A program that executes a process of generating automatic driving route data for automatically driving a work machine on a ridge based on ridge data including ridge shoulder position data indicating the position of the ridge shoulder.

Images