Snowplow display device, display method, and program

Abstract

To support snow removing work with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A snowplow display device 10 is arranged in a snowplow moved by a manual push type of a user. The display device includes: a display section 19; a head position acquisition section 21; an installation state acquisition section 22 which acquires an installation state of the display section 19; an object data acquisition section 23 which acquires object data from an object data storage section 13 for storing object data indicating the arrangement of the object existing in a work range by the snowplow; a specification section 25 which sets a detection range with an extension line for connecting the head position of the user and the display section 19 as a reference on the basis of a head position of the user acquired by the head position acquisition section 21, the installation state of the display section 19 acquired by the installation state acquisition section 22, and an installation position of the display section 19 and specifies an object existing in the detection range from the object data acquired by the object data acquisition section 23; and a display control section 29 which performs control to display a specification result of the object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device, a display method, and a program for a snowplow. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology is known for a small snowplow that is moved by a user's hand push, in which the driver visually determines the unevenness of the road surface based on the deformation of a grid-like laser light projected onto the road surface, thereby reducing the burden on the driver when operating the snowplow (see, for example, Patent Document 1).In addition, a technology is known for a snowplow that projects an image showing the topographical information before the snow accumulates onto the snow-covered surface of the target for snow removal (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-011634 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2019 / 186813 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 requires an irradiation device that irradiates the area around the snowplow with laser light or a projection device that projects an image, which may complicate the configuration and processing, and may increase the cost of the device. In addition, when irradiating or projecting onto the snowy surface, it may be difficult to maintain visibility during the day. Therefore, it is desirable to support snow removal work with a simple configuration in a small snowplow.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to assist snow removal work with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the snow blower display device of the present invention is a display device for a snow blower that is disposed on a snow blower that is moved by being pushed by a user, and comprises: a display unit that is disposed in a position that is visible by the user pushing the snow blower; a head position acquisition unit that acquires the head position of the user; an installation state acquisition unit that acquires the installation state of the display unit; an object data acquisition unit that acquires the object data from an object data storage unit that stores object data indicating the position of objects present within the working range of the snow blower; an identification unit that sets a detection range based on an extension line connecting the head position of the user and the display unit based on the head position of the user acquired by the head position acquisition unit, the installation state of the display unit acquired by the installation state acquisition unit, and the installation position of the display unit, and identifies objects present in the detection range from the object data acquired by the object data acquisition unit; and a display control unit that controls the display to display the results of the object identification by the identification unit.

[0007] The display method of the present invention is a display method for a display device for a snowplow that is arranged on a snowplow that is moved by being pushed by a user, and includes the following steps: a head position acquisition step of acquiring the head position of the user; an installation state acquisition step of acquiring the installation state of a display unit arranged in a position visible by the user pushing the snowplow; an object data acquisition step of acquiring object data from an object data storage unit that stores object data indicating the placement of objects present within the working range of the snowplow; an identification step of setting a detection range based on an extension line connecting the user's head and the display unit based on the user's head position acquired by the head position acquisition step, the installation state of the display unit acquired by the installation state acquisition step, and the installation position of the display unit, and identifying objects present in the detection range from the object data acquired by the object data acquisition step; and a display control step of controlling the display to display the results of the object identification by the identification step.

[0008] The program of the present invention is a program executed by a snowplow display device placed on a snowplow that is moved by being pushed by a user, and causes a computer to execute the following steps: a head position acquisition step of acquiring the user's head position; an installation state acquisition step of acquiring the installation state of a display unit placed in a position visible by the user pushing the snowplow; an object data acquisition step of acquiring the object data from an object data storage unit that stores object data indicating the placement of objects present within the work range of the snowplow; an identification step of setting a detection range based on an extension line connecting the user's head and the display unit based on the user's head position acquired by the head position acquisition step, the installation state of the display unit acquired by the installation state acquisition step, and the installation position of the display unit, and identifying objects present in the detection range from the object data acquired by the object data acquisition step; and a display control step of controlling the display to display the results of the object identification by the identification step. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantage that snow removal work can be supported with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a snow blower equipped with a snow blower display device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a snow blower equipped with the snow blower display device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the snow blower display device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the object data. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display showing the presence or absence of an object. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a snow blower display device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in the control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between snow depth and an object. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of a display device for a snowplow, a display method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0012] In the following description, the front-to-rear direction is a direction parallel to the traveling direction of the snow blower 1 when it moves straight ahead, with the side in front of the traveling direction being the "front" in the front-to-rear direction and the side opposite the front being the "rear" in the front-to-rear direction. The left-to-right direction is a direction horizontally perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. The left-hand side of the user using the snow blower 1 is the "left" and the right-hand side is the "right". The up-to-down direction is a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and the left-to-right direction. The front-to-rear direction, left-to-right direction and up-to-down direction are perpendicular to each other in three dimensions.

[0013] [First embodiment] <Snow blower display device> The snowplow display device 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a snowplow equipped with a snowplow display device according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a snowplow equipped with a snowplow display device according to a first embodiment. The snowplow display device 10 is disposed on a snowplow 1 that is moved by being pushed by a user. The pushed snowplow 1 may include a snowplow having a power source for self-propelling. The snowplow display device 10 is a device that notifies the user of objects buried in snow that are present in the vicinity of the snowplow 1.

[0014] In this embodiment, the snow blower 1 is used to remove snow in a limited working range that is set in advance, such as the area around a house. The snow blower 1 removes snow every time from a predetermined position in the working range along the same route. The same route is, for example, the passage from the front door of a house to the street. In other words, the position of the snow blower 1 in the working range at the start of snow removal and the route in the snow removal work pattern are stored as known values ​​in a storage unit (not shown).

[0015] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the snowplow display device according to the first embodiment. The snowplow display device 10 has a sensor 11, a tilt sensor 12, an object data storage unit 13, a display unit 19, and a control device 20.

[0016] The sensor 11 is a sensor that detects the head position of the user of the snow blower 1 during snow removal work. The sensor 11 is arranged so as to be able to detect the head of the user of the snow blower 1. The sensor 11 is arranged, for example, in a position slightly forward and above the center between the left and right handles of the snow blower 1, facing the user's head. The sensor 11 may be arranged integrally with the display unit 19. The sensor 11 outputs sensor data, which is the detection result, to the head position acquisition unit 21 of the control device 20. The sensor 11 is, for example, a camera that captures an image of the user's head. When the sensor 11 is a camera, the sensor 11 captures an image in a direction facing the display screen of the display unit 19. The sensor 11 is not limited to a camera as long as it can detect the user's head position, and may be, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Randing) sensor, or the like.

[0017] In this embodiment, a case will be described where sensor 11 is a camera. Sensor 11 captures an image of the head (face) of the user who is using snow blower 1 in a recognizable manner. Sensor 11 may be an infrared camera, a visible light camera, or a combination of an infrared camera and a visible light camera, or a stereo camera configuration suitable for grasping the distance to the subject to be photographed. Sensor 11 constantly captures images of the user from when snow blower 1 starts to when it stops, that is, while snow blower 1 is operating.

[0018] The tilt sensor 12 is a sensor that detects the tilt of the display unit 19 with respect to a horizontal plane, and is an example of a sensor that acquires the installation state of the display unit. The tilt sensor 12 is, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects the tilt of the display unit 19 in the up-down, left-right, and front-back directions. The tilt sensor 12 is, for example, disposed in the display unit 19. When the display unit 19 is fixed to the main body of the snow blower 1, in other words, when the relative position of the display unit 19 with respect to the main body of the snow blower 1 does not change and is known, the tilt sensor 12 may calculate the tilt of the display unit 19 with respect to the horizontal plane from any sensor data that detects the attitude of the main body of the snow blower 1. The tilt sensor 12 outputs the tilt data, which is the detection result, to the installation state acquisition unit 22 of the control device 20. The tilt sensor 12 may estimate the change in position and orientation due to the movement amount of the snow blower 1 by a method such as dead reckoning, by combining, for example, a sensor that detects angular velocity in three axial directions and geomagnetism in three axes.

[0019] In this embodiment, the position of the snow blower 1 in the working range when snow removal begins is a known value, so the position of the snow blower 1 in the working range during snow removal work can be determined using three-axis acceleration data detected by the inclination sensor 12, etc.

[0020] The object data storage unit 13 stores object data indicating the location of objects within the work area of ​​the snow remover 1.

[0021] The target object is an object that the user needs to pay attention to during snow removal work, such as to avoid contact with the snow removal machine 1. The target object is an object located around the working range of the snow removal machine 1, the topography and features of the working range, and is assumed to be difficult to see due to snow accumulation.

[0022] The object data includes, for example, information indicating the location of objects within the working range of the snow blower 1. The object data may include, for example, detailed information indicating the type of object, such as a pot, a field, a flower bed, a tree, etc. The object data is, for example, image data captured when there is no snow or when the object can be confirmed. The object data is, for example, data including information on the working range in which obstacles such as contact with the object can be avoided when there is no snow or when the object can be confirmed.

[0023] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of object data. Fig. 4 is an image of a home garden, which is the working range of snow removal machine 1, captured when there is no snow, and the image is image data including objects, such as pot A1, pot A2, field A3, flower bed A4, tree A5, tree A6, pot A7, and pot A8.

[0024] The display unit 19 is, for example, a display device specific to the snowplow display device 10. The display unit 19 may be a display device that utilizes a display unit of an electronic device such as a smartphone carried by a user. The display unit 19 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 19 is disposed in a position that is visible to a user who is pushing the snowplow 1. The display unit 19 is disposed, for example, on the main body of the snowplow 1 facing the user. The display unit 19 may be fixed integrally with the main body of the snowplow 1 and may be structured to be detachable at will, for example, when snow removal work is not being performed. The display unit 19 displays an image based on a video signal output from a display control unit 29 of the control device 20.

[0025] The display unit 19 displays the results of identifying the object within the detection range of the snow remover 1.

[0026] The display of the result of identifying the object is, for example, the display of a notification indicating the presence or absence of the object.

[0027] <Control device> The control device 20 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device (control device) configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The control device 20 loads a stored program into memory and executes instructions included in the program. The control device 20 includes an internal memory (not shown), which is used for temporary storage of data in the control device 20, and the like. The control device 20 has a head position acquisition unit 21, an installation state acquisition unit 22, an object data acquisition unit 23, an identification unit 25, and a display control unit 29.

[0028] The head position acquisition unit 21 acquires a head position indicating the relative position between the snow blower 1 and the position of the user's head from the sensor data detected by the sensor 11. More specifically, the head position acquisition unit 21 recognizes the user's head from, for example, the user's eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and facial contour in the captured image data, which is the sensor data. A known method can be used to recognize a person's head from an image, and is not limited to this method. The head position acquisition unit 21 acquires a head position indicating the position in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction as the relative position between the snow blower 1 and the position of the user's head from the sensor data based on the size and offset of the user's head in the detection range of the sensor based on the orientation of the sensor 11 and the location where the sensor 11 is placed. The head position acquisition unit 21 calculates the difference between the user's head position at the time of acquisition and the position in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction relative to a reference position, thereby determining the deviation of the user's head position.

[0029] The reference position for the head position is, for example, the head position when the user is holding the handle of the snow blower 1 and standing with good posture, facing straight ahead, in the center in the left-right direction. The reference position for the head position is defined by the positions in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions.

[0030] The head position acquisition unit 21 may further acquire a head position indicating the direction and inclination of the user's head from the sensor data. For example, the head position acquisition unit 21 recognizes the direction of a line connecting the left and right eyes or a line connecting the left and right ears and a line perpendicular to the center of the line as the center line of the face, and detects the direction and inclination of the face in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions. Also, for example, the head position acquisition unit 21 may simply acquire from the sensor data which direction the user's head is facing, front-back, left-right, or right-left, based on the deviation from a reference position.

[0031] The installation state acquisition unit 22 acquires the tilt data from the tilt sensor 12 and acquires the installation state of the display unit 19. When the display unit 19 is fixed to the snow blower 1 at a predetermined angle, the installation state acquisition unit 22 may calculate and acquire the installation state of the display unit 19 based on the tilt state of the snow blower 1 with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0032] The object data acquisition unit 23 acquires the object data from the object data storage unit 13 .

[0033] Identification unit 25 identifies an object that exists within a detection range around snow blower 1. In this embodiment, identification unit 25 sets a detection range based on an extension line connecting the user's head position and display unit 19, based on the user's head position acquired by head position acquisition unit 21, the installation state of display unit 19 acquired by installation state acquisition unit 22, and the installation position of display unit 19, and identifies an object that exists within the detection range from the object data acquired by object data acquisition unit 23.

[0034] The detection range is an area that requires attention in the direction in which the user is assumed to be looking, within the working range of the snow blower 1. Specifically, the detection range may be an area of ​​a predetermined size surrounded by an extension line connecting the left eye, which is the position of the user's head, and the display unit 19, and an extension line connecting the right eye and the display unit 19.

[0035] The detection range may be set based on the direction of the user's face.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the width of the snowplow 1 in the left-right direction is divided into three regions, with the central region being S1, the region to the left of region S1 being S2, and the region to the right of region S1 being S3. For example, when the region between the extension line connecting the left eye and the display unit 19 and the extension line connecting the right eye and the display unit 19 is included in region S1, a region of a predetermined size in region S1 is set as the detection range. For example, when the region between the extension line connecting the left eye and the display unit 19 and the extension line connecting the right eye and the display unit 19 is included in region S2, a region of a predetermined size in region S2 is set as the detection range. For example, when the region between the extension line connecting the left eye and the display unit 19 and the extension line connecting the right eye and the display unit 19 is included in region S3, a region of a predetermined size in region S3 is set as the detection range. For example, a region of a predetermined size in the region from region S1 to region S3 located in the direction of the face may be set as the detection range.

[0037] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when the area between the extension line connecting the left eye and the left end of the notification image 52 (described later in FIG. 5) on the display unit 19 and the extension line connecting the right eye and the right end of the notification image 52 on the display unit 19 is included in the area S2, for example, the detection range is an area L of 0.5 m square centered about 0.5 m forward of the snowplow 1 in the area S2. For example, if the user's head position is shifted to the right compared to FIG. 2, the detection range is shifted to the left compared to FIG. 2. For example, if the user's head position is shifted to the left compared to FIG. 2, the detection range is shifted to the right compared to FIG. 2. For example, if the user's head position is shifted forward compared to FIG. 2, the detection range is shifted backward (toward the user) compared to FIG. 2. For example, if the user's head position is shifted backward compared to FIG. 2, the detection range is shifted forward compared to FIG. 2. For example, if the user's head position is lowered by slightly crouching, the detection range is shifted forward compared to FIG. 2. The detection range may be set or adjusted in advance as a profile so that it is an appropriate position depending on the installation height of the display unit, the height of the user, etc.

[0038] Identification unit 25 identifies, from the object data, an object that is present within the detection range at a position within the working range of snow removal machine 1 during snow removal work.

[0039] In this embodiment, the identification unit 25 may set a detection range for identifying an object based on the case where the relative positional relationship between the user's head position and the display unit 19 satisfies a predetermined condition, depending on at least one of the user's head position and the installation state of the display unit 19.

[0040] Satisfying a predetermined condition means that a condition that allows the relative positional relationship between the user's head position and the display unit 19 to be calculated is satisfied. Satisfying a predetermined condition means, for example, that the user's head does not wobble much, in other words, that the fluctuation in the user's head position is equal to or less than a head fluctuation threshold. Satisfying a predetermined condition means, for example, that there is little wobbling due to mechanical vibrations of the snowplow 1, in other words, that the fluctuation in the installation state is equal to or less than a threshold. Satisfying a predetermined condition means, for example, that the snowplow 1 is stationary and the user is not operating the accelerator to move it, or that the snowplow 1 is moving at a very slow speed with the accelerator opening suppressed. Satisfying a predetermined condition means that the relative positional relationship between the user's head position and the display unit 19 is not unstable and can be accurately identified.

[0041] The display control unit 29 controls the display on the display unit 19. The display control unit 29 outputs a video signal that displays the result of identifying the object within the detection range of the snow remover 1.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display showing the presence or absence of an object. In the display unit 19 shown in FIG. 5, a notification image 51 showing the presence or absence of an object in the region S1, a notification image 52 showing the presence or absence of an object in the region S2, and a notification image 53 showing the presence or absence of an object in the region S3 are displayed side by side in the left-right direction. The notification images 51, 52, and 53 are rectangular images showing information requiring attention by changing the color of the presence or absence and the position of the object, for example. The notification images 51, 52, and 53 are displayed in red when an object exists within a detection range of 1 m or less from the snow blower 1, in yellow when an object exists within a detection range of 1 m or more away from the snow blower 1, and in green when an object does not exist within the detection range.

[0043] <Information processing in control devices> Next, the flow of information processing in the control device will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the control device according to the first embodiment. During startup of the snow blower 1, the processing shown in Fig. 6 is executed.

[0044] The control device 20 acquires the head position (step S101). More specifically, the control device 20 acquires the head position indicating the direction and inclination of the head of the user of the snow blower 1 from the sensor data detected by the sensor 11 using the head position acquisition unit 21. The control device 20 proceeds to step S102.

[0045] The control device 20 acquires the installation state (step S102). More specifically, the control device 20 acquires tilt data from the tilt sensor 12 by the installation state acquisition unit 22, and acquires the installation state of the display unit 19. The control device 20 proceeds to step S103.

[0046] The control device 20 identifies the object (step S103). More specifically, the control device 20 sets a detection range based on the extension line connecting the user's head position and display unit 19 based on the user's head position acquired by the head position acquisition unit 21, the installation state of display unit 19 acquired by the installation state acquisition unit 22, and the installation position of display unit 19, using the identification unit 25, and identifies an object that exists within the detection range at the position of the snow blower 1, within the work range, from the object data acquired by the object data acquisition unit 23. The control device 20 proceeds to step S104.

[0047] The control device 20 displays the identification result (step S104). More specifically, the control device 20 outputs a video signal that displays the identification result of the object by the display control unit 29. The control device 20 proceeds to step S105.

[0048] The control device 20 determines whether or not to end the process (step S105). For example, the control device 20 determines to end the process when the power or power of the snow blower 1 is turned off or an operation to end the object detection process is performed. If the control device 20 determines to end the process (Yes in step S105), it ends this process. If the control device 20 does not determine to end the process (No in step S105), it executes the process of step S101 again.

[0049] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, the detection range is set based on an extension line connecting the user's head position and the display unit 19, objects present in the detection range are identified, and the results of identifying the objects in the detection range are displayed on the display unit 19. According to this embodiment, the presence of objects that are buried in snow and cannot be seen by the user can be suitably notified to the user. In this embodiment, snow removal work can be supported with a simple configuration without requiring adaptive control that places a heavy burden on the user in response to unevenness of the snow surface or vibration of the device, as in the case of using an irradiation device or projection device.

[0050] In this embodiment, the detection range is set based on an extension line connecting the user's head position and the display unit 19. In this embodiment, an area within the work range that requires attention in the direction in which the user is assumed to be looking is set as the detection range, and the identification result of an object present within the detection range can be displayed. According to this embodiment, while the user is removing snow, the detection range can be narrowed down to the area in front of the snow blower 1, i.e., the periphery in the traveling direction, and the identification result of the object can be displayed, and a wide range display is not required.

[0051] In this embodiment, the detection range can be set during snow removal work without the user directly operating the operation unit, etc. According to this embodiment, the user can intuitively change and set the detection range by moving his / her head, without removing his / her hands from the handle of the snow removal machine 1.

[0052] In this embodiment, the detection range is set only when a predetermined condition is satisfied by the relative positional relationship between the user's head position and the display unit 19. According to this embodiment, the detection range can be set with high accuracy.

[0053] In this embodiment, the results of the object are displayed on the display unit 19. According to this embodiment, visibility can be easily maintained compared to the case where topographical information, etc. is illuminated or projected onto a white snow-covered surface.

[0054] [Second embodiment] The snowplow display device 10A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the snowplow display device according to the second embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing in the control device according to the second embodiment. The snowplow display device 10A has a basic configuration similar to that of the snowplow display device 10 of the first embodiment. In the following description, the same or corresponding reference symbols are used for the same components as in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. This is also true for the following embodiments. In this embodiment, the control device 20A is different from the first embodiment in that it includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiving unit 14A and a position information acquiring unit 24A, and the processing in the target object data acquiring unit 23A, the identifying unit 25A, and the display control unit 29A is different from the first embodiment.

[0055] In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the snow blower 1 is not limited to removing snow from a predetermined position in the working range along the same route each time, but may remove snow from any position along any route.

[0056] The GNSS receiving unit 14A is configured with a GNSS receiver that receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites, etc. The GNSS receiving unit 14A outputs the received position information signal to a position information acquisition unit 24A of the control device 20A.

[0057] The position information acquisition unit 24A acquires position information indicating the current position of the snow blower 1. The position information acquisition unit 24A calculates the position information of the current position of the snow blower 1 based on the GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiving unit 14A by a known method.

[0058] The object data acquisition unit 23A acquires object data including position information based on at least one of the terrain and features in the working range of the snow blower 1. The object data acquisition unit 23A acquires object data including position information of the object in the working range based on the relative positional relationship between the object and at least one of the terrain and features in the working range of the snow blower 1 in the object data. The absolute positions of the terrain and features are assumed to be known values.

[0059] When the object data is image data, the object data acquisition unit 23A acquires the relative positional relationship between the object and at least one of the terrain and the feature from the image.Then, the object data acquisition unit 23A acquires position information indicating the position of the object based on the relative positional relationship between the object and at least one of the terrain and the feature and the absolute positions of the terrain and the feature.In this way, the object data acquisition unit 23A acquires object data including the positional information of the object.

[0060] The display control unit 29A displays the result of identifying the object based on the position information of the current position of the snow blower 1 and the position information of the object.

[0061] Next, the flow of information processing in the control device will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The processes in steps S112 to S114 and step S116 shown in Fig. 8 are similar to those in steps S101 to S103 and step S105 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 6.

[0062] The control device 20A acquires the current position (step S111). More specifically, the control device 20A acquires, by the position information acquisition unit 24A, position information indicating the current position of the snow blower 1. The control device 20A proceeds to step S112.

[0063] The control device 20A performs display (step S115). More specifically, the control device 20A outputs a video signal displaying the identification result of the object based on the position information of the snow blower 1 and the position information of the object through the display control unit 29A. The control device 20 proceeds to step S116.

[0064] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, object data including position information is acquired based on at least one of the topography and features in the working range of the snow blower 1. In this embodiment, the identification result of the object is displayed based on the position information of the snow blower 1 and the position information of the object. According to this embodiment, the identification result of the object can be displayed appropriately regardless of the position of the snow blower 1 at the start of work.

[0065] [Third embodiment] The display device for a snowplow according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between snow depth and an object. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the depth of snow in the work area is stored in advance before work begins. In this embodiment, the display device for a snowplow 10 changes the depth from the snow surface of the object identified by the identification unit 25 according to the vertical position of the user's head position.

[0066] Snowplow 1 has a set depth of snow that it can remove in one go. If the snow in the working area is deeper than the depth that it can remove in one go, snowplow 1 will remove snow from the same location multiple times. In the example shown in Figure 9, pot A1 is at risk of coming into contact with snowplow 1 in the first go. Field A3 is not at risk of coming into contact with snowplow 1 in the first go, but is at risk of coming into contact with snowplow 1 in the second go.

[0067] In this embodiment, the object data includes, for example, information indicating the location of the object within the working range of the snow remover 1 and the height of the object.

[0068] The identification unit 25 identifies an object that exists at a predetermined depth in the detection range around the snow blower 1. In this embodiment, the identification unit 25 further sets the depth of the detection range from the vertical position of the user's head position, and identifies an object that exists at the predetermined depth in the detection range from the object data acquired by the object data acquisition unit 23.

[0069] For example, when the user's head position in the vertical direction is within the vertical threshold range from the reference position in the vertical direction, the identification unit 25 sets the depth of the detection range to the depth at which snow can be removed in one go from the snow-covered surface. In this case, when the pot A1 shown in Fig. 9 is present within the detection range in a planar view, the pot A1 is identified as the object. Even when the field A3 shown in Fig. 9 is present within the detection range in a planar view, the field A3 is not identified as the object.

[0070] For example, when the user's head position in the vertical direction is located below the vertical threshold range from the reference position in the vertical direction, the identification unit 25 sets the depth of the detection range to a depth that can be cleared in two passes from the snow-covered surface. In this case, when the field A3 shown in Fig. 9 is present in the detection range in a planar view, the field A3 is identified as the target object.

[0071] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, the depth from the snow surface of the object identified by the identification unit 25 can be changed according to the vertical position of the user's head position.

[0072] The snowplow display device according to the present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms other than the embodiment described above.

[0073] Each component of the illustrated snowplow display device is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of the device may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device.

[0074] The configuration of the snowplow display device is realized, for example, as software, by a program loaded into memory. In the above embodiment, the functional blocks are described as being realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. In other words, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms, by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both.

[0075] The above-mentioned components include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the above-mentioned configurations can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0076] In the above, the GNSS receiver 14A is used to obtain the current position of the snow blower 1, but the method of obtaining the current position of the snow blower 1 is not limited to this. For example, the current position of the snow blower 1 may be obtained using a Bluetooth (registered trademark) beacon installed within the working area or UWB (Ultra Wide Band) wireless communication. For example, images taken by a camera for photographing the surroundings arranged on the snow blower 1 or a surveillance camera in the surroundings may be processed to obtain information such as the current position of the snow blower 1 and the depth of snow. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1. Snowblower 10 Display device for snow blower 11 Sensors 12 Tilt Sensor 13 Object data storage unit 19 Display section 20 Control device 21 Head position acquisition section 22 Installation status acquisition unit 23 Object data acquisition section 25 Specific section 29 Display control section

Claims

1. A display device for a snowplow that is disposed on a snowplow that is moved by a user's hand push, A display unit arranged in a position visible to the user who is pushing the snow remover by hand; a head position acquisition unit for acquiring a head position of the user; an installation state acquisition unit that acquires an installation state of the display unit; an object data acquiring unit that acquires object data from an object data storage unit that stores object data indicating an arrangement of objects present within a work area of ​​the snow removal machine; an identification unit that sets a detection range based on an extension line connecting the head position of the user and the display unit, based on the head position of the user acquired by the head position acquisition unit, the installation state of the display unit acquired by the installation state acquisition unit, and the installation position of the display unit, and identifies an object that exists in the detection range from the object data acquired by the object data acquisition unit; a display control unit that controls to display a result of the object being identified by the identification unit; A display device for a snowplow.

2. a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a current location of the snowplow; the object data acquisition unit acquires object data including position information based on at least one of a topography and a feature within a working range of the snowplow, The display control unit displays a result of identifying the object based on the position information of the snowplow and the position information of the object. The snowplow display device according to claim 1 .

3. the identification unit sets the detection range when a relative positional relationship between the user's head position and the display unit satisfies a predetermined condition due to at least one of the user's head position and a tilt state of the display unit. The display device for a snowplow according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A display method for a display device for a snowplow that is disposed on a snowplow that is moved by a user's push, comprising the steps of: a head position acquiring step of acquiring a head position of the user; an installation state acquisition step of acquiring an installation state of a display unit arranged in a position visible by the user who is pushing the snow remover by hand; an object data acquisition step of acquiring object data from an object data storage unit that stores object data indicating an arrangement of objects present within a work area of ​​the snow removal machine; a specification step of setting a detection range based on an extension line connecting the user's head and the display unit based on the head position of the user acquired in the head position acquisition step, the installation state of the display unit acquired in the installation state acquisition step, and the installation position of the display unit, and specifying an object present in the detection range from the object data acquired in the object data acquisition step; a display control step of controlling to display a result of identifying the object by the identifying step; Including, how to display.

5. A program executed by a display device for a snowplow disposed on a snowplow that is moved by a user's push, a head position acquiring step of acquiring a head position of the user; an installation state acquisition step of acquiring an installation state of a display unit arranged in a position visible by the user who is pushing the snow remover by hand; an object data acquisition step of acquiring object data from an object data storage unit that stores object data indicating an arrangement of objects present within a work area of ​​the snow removal machine; a specification step of setting a detection range based on an extension line connecting the user's head and the display unit based on the user's head position acquired in the head position acquisition step, the tilt state of the display unit acquired in the installation state acquisition step, and an installation position of the display unit, and specifying an object present in the detection range from the object data acquired in the object data acquisition step; a display control step of controlling to display a result of identifying the object by the identifying step; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

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