Remote operation system and remote operation method of work vehicles

Abstract

To provide a remote operation system capable of safely stopping a work vehicle even when a remote operation is disabled.SOLUTION: A remote operation system includes a remote control (communication device 71 for first remote operation) which can communicate with an autonomously traveling work vehicle 1. The remote control includes an operation unit for giving an instruction on the autonomous travel of a work vehicle 1. A condition for starting the autonomous travel of the work vehicle 1 includes the establishment of communication between the work vehicle 1 and the remote control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote operation system for autonomously driving a work vehicle and a method for remotely operating a work vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in order to efficiently and conveniently perform agricultural work in a field, an autonomous driving system has been developed that autonomously drives a driverless work vehicle (see Patent Document 1). The autonomous driving system of Patent Document 1 is remotely operated by a server device installed in a residence or the like away from the work vehicle, and it is impossible to visually observe the working state of the tractor, making it difficult to respond in an emergency. Therefore, in order to operate the autonomous driving of a work vehicle at a work site such as a field, an autonomous driving system using an operation terminal by a wireless communication terminal device has been developed (see Patent Documents 2 and 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when performing agricultural work with a work vehicle controlled by an autonomous driving system, when a danger such as an intrusion of another person into the field occurs, it is necessary to remotely stop the work vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and it is a technical problem to provide a remote operation system and a method for remotely operating a work vehicle that can safely stop the work vehicle even when remote operation becomes impossible.

[0006] A remote operation system according to one aspect is a remote operation system having a remote controller capable of communicating with an autonomously traveling work vehicle. The remote controller includes an operation unit for giving an instruction regarding the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle. The start condition for the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle includes that communication between the work vehicle and the remote controller is established.

[0007] A remote operation system according to another aspect is a remote operation system having a remote controller capable of communicating with an autonomously traveling work vehicle. The remote controller includes an operation unit for giving an instruction regarding the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle. The stop condition for the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle includes that communication between the work vehicle and the remote controller is interrupted.

[0008] A method for remotely operating a work vehicle according to one aspect is a method for remotely operating the work vehicle using a remote controller capable of communicating with an autonomously traveling work vehicle. The remote controller includes an operation unit for giving an instruction regarding the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle. The start condition for the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle includes that communication between the work vehicle and the remote controller is established.

[0009] A method for remotely operating a work vehicle according to another aspect is a method for remotely operating the work vehicle using a remote controller capable of communicating with an autonomously traveling work vehicle. The remote controller includes an operation unit for giving an instruction regarding the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle. The start condition for the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle includes that communication between the work vehicle and the remote controller is interrupted.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] <Autonomous Driving System> Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a robot tractor 1 (hereinafter, the "robot tractor" may be simply referred to as a "tractor" or sometimes as an "unmanned tractor"), which is an example of a work vehicle according to the present invention, will be described. The tractor 1 includes a body 2 that autonomously travels in a field. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a work implement 3 is detachably provided on the body 2. The work implement 3 is used for agricultural work. Examples of the work implement 3 include various work implements such as a tiller, a plow, a fertilizer applicator, a lawn mower, and a seeder, and a desired work implement 3 can be selected from these and attached to the body 2 as needed. The body 2 is configured to be able to change the height and posture of the attached work implement 3.

[0012] In this specification, autonomous driving means that, as shown in FIG. 3, the components provided for the tractor 1 to travel are controlled by an autonomous driving control device 51 etc. provided in the tractor 1, and the tractor 1 travels along a predetermined path. Also, in this specification, autonomous work means that the components provided for the tractor 1 to perform work are controlled by an autonomous driving control device 51 etc., and the tractor 1 performs work along a predetermined path.

[0013] <Tractor> The configuration of the tractor 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the body 2 of the tractor 1 has its front part supported by a pair of left and right front wheels 7, 7, and its rear part supported by a pair of left and right rear wheels 8, 8. The front wheels 7, 7 and the rear wheels 8, 8 constitute the running part.

[0014] A bonnet 9 is arranged at the front part of the body 2. Inside this bonnet 9, an engine 10 and the like, which are the drive sources of the tractor 1, are accommodated. This engine 10 can be constituted by, for example, a diesel engine, but is not limited thereto, and may be constituted by, for example, a gasoline engine. Also, as the drive source, in addition to the engine, or instead of this, an electric motor may be used.

[0015] Behind the bonnet 9, a cabin 11 for the operator to board is arranged. Inside this cabin 11, a steering wheel 12 for the operator to perform a steering operation, a seat 13 on which the operator can sit, and various operating devices for performing various operations are mainly provided. However, the agricultural work vehicle is not limited to the one with the cabin 11, and it may not be equipped with the cabin 11.

[0016] Although not shown in the figure, examples of the above operating devices include a monitor device, a throttle lever, a main transmission lever, a lift lever, a PTO switch, a PTO transmission lever, and a plurality of hydraulic transmission levers. These operating devices are arranged near the seat 13 or near the steering wheel 12.

[0017] The monitor device is configured to be able to display various information of the tractor 1. The throttle lever is for setting the rotational speed of the engine 10. The main transmission lever is for changing the gear ratio of the transmission case 22. The lift lever is for raising and lowering the height of the working machine 3 mounted on the machine body 2 within a predetermined range. The PTO switch is for connecting and disconnecting the power transmission to the PTO shaft (power take-off shaft) that protrudes outward from the rear end side of the transmission case 22. That is, when the PTO switch is in the ON state, power is transmitted to the PTO shaft and the PTO shaft rotates, and the working machine 3 is driven. On the other hand, when the PTO switch is in the OFF state, the power to the PTO shaft is cut off, the PTO shaft does not rotate, and the working machine 3 stops. The PTO speed change lever is for changing the power input to the working machine 3, specifically, for changing the rotational speed of the PTO shaft. The hydraulic transmission lever is for switching the hydraulic external extraction valve.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, a chassis 20 that constitutes the framework is provided at the lower part of the machine body 2. The chassis 20 is composed of a machine body frame 21, a transmission case 22, a front axle 23, a rear axle 24, and the like.

[0019] The machine body frame 21 is a support member at the front part of the tractor 1 and supports the engine 10 directly or via a vibration isolator or the like. The transmission case 22 changes the power from the engine 10 and transmits it to the front axle 23 and the rear axle 24. The front axle 23 is configured to transmit the power input from the transmission case 22 to the front wheels 7. The rear axle 24 is configured to transmit the power input from the transmission case 22 to the rear wheels 8.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the tractor 1 includes an engine control device 15, a transmission control device 16, and a work implement control device 17 that can communicate with each other via a vehicle bus line 18 as control units for controlling the operations of the vehicle body 2 (such as forward movement, backward movement, stop, and turning) and the work implement 3 (such as raising and lowering, driving, and stopping). The engine control device 15 is electrically connected to a common rail device 41 as a fuel injection device provided in the engine 10, and the transmission control device 16 is electrically connected to a transmission 42 including a hydraulic transmission device that changes the power from the engine 10. Further, the work implement control device 17 is electrically connected to a work implement lift actuator 44. Furthermore, the tractor 1 is configured to be electrically connectable to a service tool 19 such as a computer operated by a serviceman to the vehicle bus line 18.

[0021] The common rail device 41 injects fuel into each cylinder of the engine 10. In this case, by controlling the opening and closing of the fuel injection valves of the injectors for each cylinder of the engine 10 by the engine control device 15, the high-pressure fuel pumped from the fuel tank to the common rail device 41 by the fuel supply pump is injected from each injector into each cylinder of the engine 10, and the injection pressure, injection timing, and injection period (injection amount) of the fuel supplied from each injector are controlled with high precision.

[0022] Specifically, the transmission 42 is, for example, a movable swash plate type hydraulic continuously variable transmission and is provided in the transmission case 22. By controlling the transmission 42 by the transmission control device 16 to appropriately adjust the angle of the swash plate, the transmission ratio of the transmission case 22 can be set to a desired transmission ratio.

[0023] The lifting actuator 44 raises and lowers the working machine 3 to either a retracted position (a position where no agricultural work is performed) or a working position (a position where agricultural work is performed), for example, by operating a three-point link mechanism that connects the working machine 3 to the vehicle body 2. By controlling the lifting actuator 44 with the working machine control device 17 to appropriately raise and lower the working machine 3, agricultural work can be performed by the working machine 3 at a desired height in the field area, for example.

[0024] In addition, detection values of sensors such as a rotational speed sensor 31 that detects the rotational speed of the engine 10, a vehicle speed sensor 32 that detects the rotational speed of the rear wheels 8, and a steering angle sensor 33 that detects the rotational angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel 12 are converted into detection signals and transmitted to the engine control device 15.

[0025] The tractor 1 equipped with the control devices 15 to 17 as described above is configured to be able to execute agricultural work while traveling in the field by the control devices 15 to 17 communicating with each other via the vehicle bus line 18 based on various operations of the operator boarding in the cabin 11 to control each part of the tractor 1 (the vehicle body 2, the working machine 3, etc.). In addition, the tractor 1 of the embodiment can perform autonomous driving based on a predetermined control signal output by the remote control device 70, for example, even when the operator is not boarding.

[0026] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, various configurations such as an autonomous driving control device 51 for enabling autonomous driving are added to this tractor 1. Furthermore, the tractor 1 is equipped with various configurations such as a positioning antenna 6 necessary for acquiring its own (the vehicle body's) position information based on a positioning system. With such a configuration, the tractor 1 can acquire its own position information based on the positioning system and perform autonomous driving on the field.

[0027] Next, the configuration of the tractor 1 for autonomous driving will be described in detail. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the tractor 1 includes an autonomous driving control device 51, a steering control device 52, a positioning and surveying device 53, a wireless communication router (low-power data communication device) 54, a remote control receiver (specific low-power wireless device) 55, a steering actuator 43, a positioning antenna 6, a wireless communication antenna unit 48, and the like.

[0028] The autonomous driving control device 51 and the steering control device 52 are configured to be able to communicate with the engine control device 15, the transmission control device 16, and the work implement control device 17 respectively via the vehicle bus line 18. Further, the autonomous driving control device 51 can communicate with the positioning and surveying device 53, the wireless communication router 54, and the remote control receiver 55 respectively via the autonomous driving bus line 56 in an autonomous driving communication system that is a different system from the steering communication system using the vehicle bus line 18.

[0029] The steering actuator 43 is provided, for example, in the middle of the rotation axis (steering axis) of the steering wheel 12 and adjusts the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel 12. When the tractor 1 travels along a predetermined route (as an unmanned tractor), the steering control device 52 calculates an appropriate rotation angle of the steering wheel 12 so that the tractor 1 travels along the route, and controls the steering actuator 43 so that the steering wheel 12 rotates at the calculated rotation angle. Further, the steering control device 52 can execute steering according to the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 by communicating with the engine control device 15, the transmission control device 16, and the work implement control device 17 respectively via the vehicle bus line 18. Note that the steering actuator 43 may adjust the steering angle of the front wheels 7 of the tractor 1 instead of adjusting the rotation angle of the steering wheel 12. In that case, the steering wheel 12 does not rotate even when the tractor 1 makes a turning operation.

[0030] The positioning antenna 6 receives signals from positioning satellites that constitute a positioning system such as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning antenna 6 is disposed on the upper surface of the roof 14 in the cabin 11. The signals received by the positioning antenna 6 are input to the positioning surveying device 53 shown in FIG. 3, and the position information of the tractor 1 (strictly speaking, the positioning antenna 6) is calculated by the positioning surveying device 53 as, for example, latitude and longitude information. The position information calculated by the positioning surveying device 53 is acquired by the autonomous driving control device 51 and used for the control of the tractor 1.

[0031] The positioning surveying device 53 is electrically connected to the first wireless communication antenna 48a in the wireless communication antenna unit 48, and communicates with a reference station (portable reference station) 60 described later through a first wireless communication network using specific low power radio (for example, a wireless communication network in the 920 MHz band). As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication antenna unit 48 is disposed on the upper surface of the roof 14 in the cabin 11. The positioning surveying device 53 corrects the satellite positioning information of the tractor 1 (mobile station) by receiving correction information (positioning correction information) from the reference station 60 installed at a position close to the field via the first wireless communication antenna 48a, and obtains the current position of the tractor 1. For example, various positioning methods such as DGPS (Differential GPS positioning) and RTK positioning (Real Time Kinematic positioning) can be applied.

[0032] In the present embodiment, for example, RTK positioning is applied. In addition to the tractor 1 on the mobile station side being provided with the positioning antenna 6, a reference station 60 provided with a reference station positioning antenna 61 is provided. The reference station 60 is disposed at a position (reference point) that does not obstruct the travel of the tractor 1, such as around the field. The position information of the reference point that is the installation position of the reference station 60 is preset. The reference station 60 is provided with a reference station communication device 62 that can communicate via a first wireless communication network constructed between the positioning surveying device 53 of the tractor 1 and a communication device using the first wireless communication antenna 48a.

[0033] In RTK positioning, the carrier phase (satellite positioning information) from the positioning satellites 63 is measured by both the reference station 60 installed at the reference point and the positioning antenna 6 of the tractor 1 on the mobile station side for which position information is to be obtained. At the reference station 60, every time satellite positioning information is measured from the positioning satellites 63 or every time a set period elapses, correction information including the measured satellite positioning information and the position information of the reference point, etc. is generated, and the correction information is transmitted from the reference station communication device 62 to the first wireless communication antenna 48a of the tractor 1. The positioning survey device 53 of the tractor 1 (corresponding to the mobile station) corrects the satellite positioning information measured by the positioning antenna 6 using the correction information transmitted from the reference station 60, and obtains the current position information (for example, latitude information and longitude information) of the tractor 1.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, a high-precision satellite positioning system using the GNSS-RTK method is used, but it is not limited to this, and other positioning systems may be used as long as high-precision position coordinates can be obtained. GNSS-RTK is a positioning method that improves accuracy by correction based on the information of a reference station with known position, and there are multiple methods depending on the method of distributing information from the reference station. Since the present invention does not depend on the GNSS-RTK method, the details are omitted in this embodiment.

[0035] Also, the positioning survey device 53 can measure not only the position information of the tractor 1 (airframe 2) by satellite positioning but also the tilt angle information of the front, rear, left, and right by inertial measurement. The tilt angle information measured by the positioning survey device 53 is acquired in a state associated with the position information (latitude and longitude information) by the autonomous driving control device 51 and used for the control of the tractor 1. In addition, the positioning survey device 53 can also measure the height position of the positioning antenna 6 with respect to the field surface, and thus the vehicle height of the tractor 1 (airframe 2).

[0036] The wireless communication antenna unit 48 is disposed on the upper surface of the roof 14 of the cabin 11 of the tractor 1, and includes first to third wireless communication antennas 48a to 48c for communicating and connecting with first to third wireless communication networks having different frequency bands. The first wireless communication network is constructed, for example, with specific low-power radio in the 920 MHz band with a high data transmission rate to communicate positioning correction information by the reference station 60. The second wireless communication network is constructed, for example, with a low-power data communication system in the 2.4 GHz band to communicate high-capacity data such as image data at high speed. The third wireless communication network is constructed, for example, with specific low-power radio in the 400 MHz band because the data transmission amount is smaller than that of the second wireless communication network. Note that a part of the antennas 48a to 48c may be disposed inside the cabin 11.

[0037] The first wireless communication antenna 48a is electrically connected to the positioning measurement device 53, the second wireless communication antenna 48b is electrically connected to the wireless communication router 54, and the third wireless communication antenna 48c is electrically connected to the remote control receiver 55. The wireless communication router 54 connected to the second wireless communication antenna 48b communicates with a remotely operable image display device 70 operated by an operator outside the tractor 1 through the second wireless communication network. The wireless communication router 54 receives a control signal from the remote control device 70 and transmits it to the autonomous driving control device 51 via the autonomous driving bus line 56. The remote control receiver 55 connected to the third wireless communication antenna 48c communicates with an emergency stop remote control 71 operated by an operator outside the tractor 1 through the third wireless communication network. The remote control receiver 55 receives a control signal from the emergency stop remote control 71 and transmits it to the autonomous driving control device 51 via the autonomous driving bus line 56.

[0038] The remote control device 70 is specifically configured as a tablet-type personal computer equipped with a touch panel. The operator can refer to and check the information displayed on the touch panel of the remote control device 70 (for example, the information of the farmland required for autonomous driving, etc.). In addition, the operator operates the remote control device 70 to transmit a control signal for controlling the tractor 1 to the autonomous driving control device 51 of the tractor 1. Note that the remote control device 70 of the embodiment is not limited to a tablet-type personal computer, and instead, for example, it can also be configured as a notebook-type personal computer. Alternatively, a monitor device mounted on another tractor different from the tractor 1 can also be used as the remote control device.

[0039] The autonomous driving control device 51 compares the travel route generated by the remote control device 70 with the position information of the tractor 1, and in order to make the tractor 1 autonomously drive at a predetermined travel speed while performing a predetermined operation along the travel route, it calculates the steering angle, the target engine speed, the gear ratio, etc. of the tractor 1, and communicates with each control device 15 - 17, 52 through the vehicle bus line 18. As a result, the tractor 1 can perform agricultural work by the work implement 3 while autonomously driving along the travel route. In this way, the route within the farmland area (travel area) where the tractor 1 autonomously drives may be referred to as the "travel route" in the following description. Also, the area (work area) in the farmland area (travel area) that is the target of the agricultural work by the work implement 3 of the tractor 1 is defined as the area obtained by removing the headland and the allowance from the entire farmland area, and is set based on these registration points and the working width of the tractor 1 when an operator or the like executes the registration work of the registration points described later.

[0040] The emergency stop remote controller 71 is a remote control switch for emergency stopping the tractor 1. It is owned by an operator who operates the remote control device 70, and when the operator operates the switch, it transmits an emergency stop control signal. The emergency stop remote controller 71 transmits an emergency stop control signal when the operator presses the emergency stop button 72. Further, the emergency stop remote controller 71 is configured to be detachable from the remote control device 70, and a strap (string-like member) can be attached so as to be in close contact with the body, such as hanging around the operator's neck.

[0041] Based on the operator's operation on the emergency stop button 72 of the emergency stop remote controller 71, the autonomous driving control device 51 stops the fuel injection in the common rail device 41 by communicating with the engine control device 15, and after setting the transmission device 42 to the neutral state by communicating with the transmission control device 16, causes the braking operation by the brake device 26 described later to act. At this time, the autonomous driving control device 51 may control the steering actuator 43 so that the steering wheel 12 is in the neutral position by communicating with the steering control device 52, and direct the directions of the left and right front wheels 7, 7 in the straight-ahead direction.

[0042] The autonomous driving control device 51 confirms the communication states (communication states in the first communication network) with the reference station 60 in the positioning and surveying device 53, the communication states (communication states in the second communication network) with the remote control device 70 in the wireless communication router 54, and the communication states (communication states in the third communication network) with the emergency stop remote controller 71 by the remote control receiver 55, respectively, via the autonomous driving bus line 56. When the autonomous driving control device 51 confirms that the communication state in any of the first to third communication networks has been interrupted, it emergency stops the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 by communicating with the engine control device 15, the transmission control device 16, etc. Note that the autonomous driving control device 51 determines that the communication with the communication partner has been interrupted when the positioning and surveying device 53, the wireless communication router 54, and the remote control receiver 55 do not receive a signal from the communication partner for a predetermined period or longer.

[0043] Furthermore, the tractor 1 is provided with a pair of left and right brake devices 26, 26 for braking the left and right rear wheels 8, 8 by two systems: the operation and automatic control of the brake pedal and the parking brake lever. That is, both the left and right brake devices 26, 26 are configured to apply brakes to both the left and right rear wheels 8, 8 by operating the brake pedal (or parking brake lever) in the braking direction. Also, when the turning angle of the steering wheel 12 becomes a predetermined angle or more, the brake device 26 for the rear wheel 8 on the inside of the turn automatically performs a braking operation according to the command of the transmission control device 16 (so-called auto brake).

[0044] The portable reference station 60 includes a reference station wireless communication antenna 64 that distributes correction information, a reference station positioning antenna 61 that receives signals from the positioning satellite 63, and a reference station communication device 62 electrically connected to each of the wireless communication antenna 64 and the positioning antenna 61. The portable reference station 60 is installed at a reference point in specifying the position of the tractor (work vehicle) 1 that serves as a mobile station. The portable reference station 60 is configured to be decomposable into a plurality of members, and each decomposed member is configured to be of a size that can be accommodated in a predetermined case and transported.

[0045] After assembling the disassembled members, the portable reference station 60 installed at the reference point sends the signal from the positioning satellite 63 received by the reference station positioning antenna 61 to the reference station communication device 62. In the reference station communication device 62, correction information including the measured satellite positioning information and the position information of the reference point, etc. is generated. Then, the portable reference station 60 distributes the correction information generated by the reference station communication device 62 via the first wireless communication network.

[0046] <Wireless communication terminal device (remote operation device and emergency stop remote control)> Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8, an embodiment of the wireless communication terminal device 88 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, as a wireless communication terminal device 88 for operating the autonomous driving work vehicle, the unmanned tractor 1, it includes a remote control device (terminal device main body) 70 that executes wireless communication with the tractor 1 and an emergency stop remote control 71. The remote control device 70 and the emergency stop remote control 71 each execute communication with the tractor 1 via wireless communication networks with different communication methods. The remote control device 70 includes a touch panel operable display 74, and the emergency stop remote control 71 is configured to be detachable from the outer frame of the remote control device 70. The emergency stop remote control 71 includes an emergency stop button 72 for stopping the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 and a start button (start button) 73 for restarting the autonomous driving of the tractor 1. The emergency stop button 72 and the start button 73 are each composed of a momentary switch that conducts contacts when pressed, and the emergency stop button 72 also functions as a power-on switch. Note that "restarting the autonomous driving of the tractor 1" means starting the autonomous driving again after the autonomous driving has been temporarily stopped after being started by the remote control device 70. The temporary stop of the autonomous driving may be performed by the remote control device 70 or by the emergency stop remote control 71. The temporary stop of the autonomous driving by the emergency stop remote control 71 may be performed, for example, by operating the start button 73, or another temporary stop remote control different from the emergency stop remote control 71 may be used.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the remote control device 70 includes a display 74 on the front surface 70a, a camera 75 on the back surface 70b, a terminal cover 76 for a power connection terminal on the right side surface 70c, and a terminal cover 77 for an external connection terminal to which a USB or the like can be connected on the left side surface 70d. Further, on the outer peripheral portion of the upper right part of the remote control device 70, a remote control attachment portion 79 is detachably attached across the front surface 70a, the upper surface 70e, and the back surface 70b. The remote control attachment portion 79 has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape, and on its upper surface, it is provided with a tapered ridge portion 80 that is narrower toward the base end side.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6, the emergency stop remote controller 71 has a vertically long substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and on the front surface 71a, there are provided an emergency stop button 72, a start button 73, and a lamp 81. The lamp 81 is composed of an LED, and notifies the state of the tractor 1, for example, by turning off, lighting, flashing, or changing color. Further, the emergency stop remote controller 71 incorporates a buzzer 155 (see FIG. 9) that notifies the state of the tractor 1 by sound. When the operator is carrying the emergency stop remote controller 71 alone, even in a situation where the operator is slightly away from the autonomously traveling tractor 1, the operator can recognize the state of the tractor 1 by the notification operations of the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155, improving safety.

[0049] On one end surface 71b of the emergency stop remote controller 71, there is provided a hanging member attachment portion 83 to which a hanging member 82 such as a strap can be attached. On one side surface 71c of the emergency stop remote controller 71, there is provided an attachment groove 84 that engages with a rib portion 80 of the remote controller attachment portion 79. The attachment groove 84 is formed from the middle portion to one end surface 71b of one side surface 71c, has a tapered shape that becomes narrower toward the one side surface 71c side, and the end portion on the one side surface 71c side is open. In the present embodiment, the hanging member attachment portion 83 is provided on the one end surface 71b where the emergency stop button 72 is arranged in the emergency stop remote controller 71, but it may be provided on the other end surface (that is, the side where the start button 73 is provided in the emergency stop remote controller 71).

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the emergency stop remote controller 71 is detachably attached to the remote operation device 70 by engaging the attachment groove 84 with the rib portion 80 of the remote controller attachment portion 79 attached to the remote operation device 70. The emergency stop remote controller 71 is attached to the remote controller attachment portion 79 such that the front surface 71a faces the same direction as the front surface 70a of the remote operation device 70.

[0051] In addition, an emergency stop button image 86 for stopping the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 is displayed at the upper right part of the display 74 of the remote control device 70, and a start or stop button image 87 for starting or stopping the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 is displayed at the upper left part of the display 74. In this way, on the display 74, since the emergency stop button image 86 is displayed near the attachment position of the emergency stop remote controller 71, the emergency stop button 72 and the emergency stop button image 86 can be arranged together, and when the operator wants to emergency-stop the tractor 1, it becomes easier to recognize the positions of the emergency stop button 72 and the emergency stop button image 86, so that the delay and misoperation of the emergency stop operation can be suppressed.

[0052] In addition, since the start of wireless communication with the tractor 1 is not an urgent matter, even when the emergency stop remote controller 71 is attached to the remote control device 70 and the start button 73 and the start or stop button image 87 are arranged at positions separated from each other, the risk of misoperation is low and there is no particular problem.

[0053] In addition, since the operation of the emergency stop button image 86 is to press (touch) the touch panel type display 74, the operator does not have the feeling of pressing, but the emergency stop button 72 has a structure that can be firmly pressed, so the operator can obtain the feeling of pressing. Note that the operator may use either the emergency stop button 72 or the emergency stop button image 86 when emergency-stopping the tractor 1.

[0054] By the way, the emergency stop remote controller 71 that can communicate with the tractor 1 is not limited to one, and can communicate with a plurality of emergency stop remote controllers 71. And other operators other than the operator operating the remote control device 70 (including workers working in the same field) can carry the emergency stop remote controller 71, so that they can recognize the state of the tractor 1 by the notification of the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155, and in an emergency, they can operate the emergency stop button 72 of the emergency stop remote controller 71. Therefore, the monitoring system of the autonomously driving tractor 1 can be improved and the safety of the workers in the field can be improved.

[0055] <Emergency stop remote control> Next, the internal configuration and each operation of the emergency stop remote control 71 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. As shown in FIG. 9, the emergency stop remote control 71 includes a wireless communication antenna 151 and a communication interface 152 that are communicatively connected to a third wireless communication network so as to be communicable with the remote control receiver 55 in the tractor 1. Further, the emergency stop remote control 71 includes a control unit 153 that controls each part within the emergency stop remote control 71, and a memory 154 that stores the receiver ID of the remote control receiver 55 that is the communication partner, etc. Furthermore, the emergency stop remote control 71 includes an emergency stop button 72 and a start button 73 that are operated by an operator, and a lamp 81 and a buzzer 155 that perform a notification operation to the operator.

[0056] When a switching signal is generated by the contact connection and disconnection based on the operation of the emergency stop button 72 and input to the control unit 153, the control unit 153 determines power-on or emergency stop based on the state of the switching signal. Also, when a switching signal is generated by the contact connection and disconnection based on the operation of the start button 73 and input to the control unit 153, the control unit 153 executes mutual authentication processing (pairing processing) with the remote control receiver 55. The control unit 153 executes communication with the remote control receiver 55 by controlling the communication interface 152. Then, the control unit 153 operates the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 according to the state of the tractor 1 based on the signal from the remote control receiver 55 and the remaining battery level in the emergency stop remote control 71.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 10, when the emergency stop remote controller 71 has its power turned on by the operator operating the emergency stop button 72, the communication operation by the communication interface 152 starts. That is, after the contacts of the switch forming the emergency stop button 72 are connected and then separated by the operator, when a switching signal with rising and falling based on the connection and disconnection of the emergency stop button 72 is input to the control unit 153, the control unit 153 determines that power-on has been instructed, executes power-on to the control unit 153, and starts the communication operation by the communication interface 152.

[0058] After the power of the emergency stop remote controller 71 is turned on to the control unit 153, when the emergency stop button 72 is operated by the operator, the control unit 153 determines that an emergency stop of the tractor 1 has been instructed. Then, the emergency stop remote controller 71 transmits an emergency stop signal from the communication interface 152 to the remote controller receiver 55 of the tractor 1. That is, when the contacts of the switch forming the emergency stop button 72 are connected by the operator and a switching signal with a rising edge based on the connection of the emergency stop button 72 is input to the control unit 153, the control unit 153 immediately determines that an emergency stop of the tractor 1 has been instructed and transmits an emergency stop signal from the communication interface 152 to the remote controller receiver 55.

[0059] The emergency stop remote controller 71 is composed of a switch that conducts contacts when pressed and also functions as a power-on switch. And when the contacts of the emergency stop button 72 are connected and then separated, the control unit 153 executes power-on. After power-on, when the contacts of the emergency stop button 72 are connected, a stop signal is transmitted to the tractor 1 through the communication interface 152 to stop the autonomous driving of the tractor 1. Thereby, two functions can be provided to the emergency stop button 72, the number of switches provided in the emergency stop remote controller 71 can be reduced, and the emergency stop remote controller 71 can be miniaturized.

[0060] Also, if an oxide film is formed on the contacts of the emergency stop button 72 and it does not conduct even when the emergency stop button 72 is pressed, it becomes impossible to turn on the power by operating the emergency stop button 72. Therefore, without operating the emergency stop remote controller 71, it is possible to check for defects in the emergency stop button 72 before turning on the power of the emergency stop remote controller 71. Thus, before starting the autonomous driving of the tractor 1, the operator can be made aware that it is impossible to perform an emergency stop by operating the emergency stop remote controller 71.

[0061] In addition, if the emergency stop button 72 malfunctions and remains in a pressed state and cannot be released, when the emergency stop button 72 is operated to turn on the power, the state where the contacts of the emergency stop button 72 are connected continues. At this time, after the control unit 153 confirms the connection of the contacts of the emergency stop button 72 (rise of the switching signal), if it does not confirm the disconnection of the contacts of the emergency stop button 72 (fall of the switching signal) even after a predetermined time has elapsed, it may be assumed that the power-on is not executed. As a result, it is possible to check for defects in the emergency stop button 72 before turning on the power of the emergency stop remote controller 71. Thus, before starting the autonomous driving of the tractor 1, the operator can be made aware that it is impossible to perform an emergency stop by operating the emergency stop remote controller 71.

[0062] As described above, the emergency stop remote controller 71 includes a communication interface 152 that communicates with the self-driving work vehicle, an emergency stop button 72 that stops the self-driving of the tractor 1, and a control unit 153 that controls the communication operation by the communication interface 152. The emergency stop button 72 is composed of a switch whose contacts make and break, and also functions as a power-on switch. Since the emergency stop button 72 also serves as a power-on switch, the operator can check for malfunctions or power shortages when the power is turned on by checking whether the power can be turned on based on the operation of the emergency stop button 72. Therefore, before starting the self-driving of the tractor 1, it is possible to prevent accidents based on the failure of the emergency stop remote controller 71 with defects, such as by prohibiting the use of the defective emergency stop remote controller 71. In addition, by making the emergency stop button 72 also serve as a power-on switch, not only can the operation time for emergency stop be shortened, but the emergency stop remote controller 71 can be configured to be compact so that it is easy for the operator to carry.

[0063] When the operation on the emergency stop button 72 satisfies the first criterion before the power is turned on, the control unit 153 turns on the power. On the other hand, when the operation on the emergency stop button 72 satisfies the second criterion after the power is turned on, the control unit 153 causes the communication interface 152 to transmit a stop signal for stopping the self-driving of the tractor 1. And the time until the operation of the emergency stop button 72 satisfies the first criterion is longer than the time until the operation of the emergency stop button 72 satisfies the second criterion. By making the operation time of the emergency stop button 72 for transmitting the stop signal shorter than the operation time of the emergency stop button 72 for turning on the power, the operation of transmitting the highly urgent stop signal can immediately respond to the operation on the emergency stop button 72. Therefore, when operating the emergency stop button 72 during the self-driving of the tractor 1, the time to stop the tractor 1 can be shortened, so the safety during the self-driving of the tractor 1 can be ensured. On the other hand, by making the operation time of the emergency stop button 72 for turning on the power longer, the operator can be made aware of the state of the emergency stop remote controller 71.

[0064] The control unit 153 determines that the first criterion is met when both the contact connection and disconnection of the emergency stop button 72 are detected, while it determines that the second criterion is met when either the contact connection or disconnection (contact connection in this embodiment) of the emergency stop button 72 is detected. When the emergency stop button 72 is physically stuck or there is accidental contact, it can prevent the power of the emergency stop remote controller 71 from being turned on. After the power is turned on, it can reliably instruct the emergency stop of the tractor 1 and ensure safety.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 11, when the power supply to the control unit 153 is executed, the emergency stop remote controller 71 notifies the power-on and then supplies power to the control unit 153 for an operation time (wake-up time) Tx1 (Tx1 < Tx, for example, 0.3 seconds) every predetermined time Tx (for example, 1 second), and sets it to a state (wake-up state) in which the communication interface 152 can perform a reception operation. During the sleep time Tx2 (= Tx - Tx1) other than the operation time Tx1 within the predetermined time Tx, the emergency stop remote controller 71 sets the control unit 153 to a state (sleep state) in which the communication interface 152 does not perform a reception operation, thereby reducing the power consumption after the power is turned on. At this time, by setting the operation time Tx1 to be shorter than the sleep time Tx2, the power consumption of the emergency stop remote controller 71 after the power is turned on can be significantly reduced, and at the same time, the communication establishment confirmation signal (heartbeat signal) transmitted from the remote controller receiver 55 every predetermined time Tx can be reliably received.

[0066] Next, the status notification operation of the emergency stop remote controller 71 will be described below according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13. The emergency stop remote controller 71 includes a lamp 81 and a buzzer 155 as notification units that can notify the operating state of the tractor 1 and the communication state with the remote controller receiver (wireless communication device) 55, respectively. By providing the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 as notification units, the communication state with the remote controller receiver 55 is notified, so that the operator can easily recognize that remote operation by the emergency stop remote controller 71 is possible. In addition, since the operating state of the tractor 1 is also notified, even when the tractor 1 is at a position away from the operator, the running state of the tractor 1 can be grasped.

[0067] The lamp 81 is composed of LEDs (light emitting units) that emit light in a plurality of light emitting modes, and the buzzer 155 is configured as a voice output unit that outputs a plurality of voices. The emergency stop remote controller 71 notifies the normal operation of the tractor 1, the stop of the tractor 1, the communication abnormality with the remote controller receiver 55, and the decrease in the remaining battery level by combining the light emitting mode of the lamp 81 and the voice of the buzzer 155. By changing the operations of the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155, it is configured to be able to notify the normal operation, the communication abnormality, and the stop of the tractor 1, respectively. Therefore, the emergency stop remote controller 71 is configured to be compact and portable, while enabling the operator to effectively grasp the communication state and the running state.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 12, when the operation to the emergency stop button 72 satisfies the first criterion in the power-off state (i.e., when the power-on operation is performed) (Yes in STEP1), the control unit 153 turns on the power, and the state becomes such that communication is possible by the wireless communication antenna 151 and the communication interface 152 (STEP2). The control unit 153 lights the lamp 81 and outputs sound from the buzzer 155 in order to notify that the power has been turned on (STEP3). At this time, for example, after the lamp 81 lights in the first color (green) for a predetermined time Ty1 (2 seconds) and then turns off for a predetermined time Ty2 (1 second), the buzzer 155 gives an alarm for a predetermined time Tz1 (0.1 second). When executing the power-on notification operation, the control unit 153 maintains the wake-up state and prohibits transition to the sleep state.

[0069] The emergency stop remote controller 71 enters the wake-up state, and if it receives, via the communication interface 152, the heartbeat signal transmitted from the remote controller receiver 55 of the tractor 1 before a predetermined time T (for example, 1 second) elapses, it notifies that communication with the remote controller receiver 55 has been established (STEP4 to STEP6). That is, the control unit 153 confirms that the communication with the remote controller receiver 55 is normal by receiving the heartbeat signal from the remote controller receiver 55 of the tractor 1, and lights the lamp 81 and outputs sound from the buzzer 155 in order to notify that the communication has been established.

[0070] In STEP6, for example, while the operation time Tx1 during which the emergency stop remote controller 71 is in the wake-up state, the lamp 81 lights in the first color (green), and the buzzer 155 intermittently repeats the alarm for a predetermined time Tz2 (0.1 second). That is, when the communication between the emergency stop remote controller 71 and the remote controller receiver 55 is established, the lamp 81 starts flashing in the first color (green) every time Tx, and the buzzer 155 repeatedly gives an alarm in the wake-up state immediately after the communication is established.

[0071] After the communication with the remote control receiver 55 is established, the emergency stop remote control 71 checks the reception of the heartbeat signal from the remote control receiver 55 every time interval Tx. If the heartbeat signal is received before the elapse of the predetermined time Tx, the operating state of the tractor 1 is checked (STEP7 to STEP9). At this time, if the tractor 1 is operating normally (No in STEP9), the emergency stop remote control 71 notifies that the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 is normal (normal operation) (STEP10) and proceeds to STEP7. In STEP10, for example, during the operating time Tx1 when the emergency stop remote control 71 is in the wake-up state, the lamp 81 lights up in the first color (green). That is, when the communication between the emergency stop remote control 71 and the remote control receiver 55 is established, the lamp 81 blinks in the first color (green) every time interval Tx.

[0072] Also, if the tractor 1 is stopped (Yes in STEP9), the emergency stop remote control 71 notifies that the tractor 1 is stopped (the stop of the tractor 1) (STEP11). In STEP11, for example, the lamp 81 blinks in the second color (red) every predetermined time Ty2, and the buzzer 155 sounds for a predetermined time Tz2 (Tz2 > Tz1). At this time, the blinking period Ty2 of the lamp 81 in the second color may be set to the same time as the predetermined time Tx, the lighting time for each blinking period may be set to the same time as the operating time Tx1, the transition to the sleep state may be prohibited for N cycles (for example, 3 cycles), and the sounding time Tz2 of the buzzer 155 may be set to N×Tx + Tx1. As a result, immediately after recognizing the stop of the tractor 1, for N cycles, the lamp 81 blinks in the second color and the buzzer 155 sounds. After that, the wake-up state and the sleep state are repeated, and only the lamp 81 is lit in the second color in the wake-up state to notify the stop of the tractor 1.

[0073] When the emergency stop remote controller 71 cannot receive the heartbeat signal from the remote controller receiver 55 (No in STEP5 or No in STEP7), it notifies that the communication with the remote controller receiver 55 of the tractor 1 has been interrupted (communication abnormality) (STEP12). In STEP12, for example, the lamp 81 blinks in the third color (yellow) every predetermined time Ty3, and the buzzer 155 gives an alarm for a predetermined time Tz3 (Tz3 > Tz1). At this time, similar to the case of notifying the stop of the tractor 1, the blinking period Ty3 of the lamp 81 in the third color is set to the same time as the predetermined time Tx, the lighting time for each blinking period is set to the same time as the operating time Tx1, the transition to the sleep state is prohibited for N periods (for example, 3 periods), and the alarm time Tz3 of the buzzer 155 may be set to N × Tx + Tx1.

[0074] The emergency stop remote controller 71 is equipped with a battery (not shown) as a power source. The control unit 153 detects the remaining battery level, and when the remaining battery level becomes low, it causes the notification unit including the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 to notify the decrease in the battery capacity. As shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 153 detects the power supply voltage and the power supply current during energization after the power is turned on, and calculates the remaining battery level from the change amounts of the power supply voltage and the power supply current (STEP21).

[0075] The emergency stop remote controller 71 notifies the remaining battery level calculated by the control unit 153 to the remote controller receiver 55 of the tractor 1 through the wireless communication antenna 151 and the communication interface 152 (STEP22). The tractor 1 receives the remaining battery level notification signal with the third wireless communication antenna 48c and the remote controller receiver 55, and when it confirms the remaining battery level of the emergency stop remote controller 71, it transmits the remaining battery level notification signal to the remote operation device 70 through the second wireless communication antenna 48b and the wireless communication router 54. The remote operation device 70 recognizes the remaining battery level of the emergency stop remote controller 71 based on the received remaining battery level notification signal, and displays the remaining battery level of the emergency stop remote controller 71 on the display 74.

[0076] When the emergency stop remote controller 71 determines in the control unit 153 that the calculated remaining battery level is equal to or less than a predetermined amount X% (for example, 5%), it notifies the decrease in the remaining battery level (STEP23 - STEP24). In STEP24, for example, while the emergency stop remote controller 71 is in the wake-up state for an operation time Tx1, the lamp 81 lights up in the second color (red), and the buzzer 155 intermittently repeats the alarm for a predetermined time Tz4 (0.1 second). That is, when the emergency stop remote controller 71 confirms a decrease in the remaining battery level, the lamp 81 starts flashing in the second color (red) every time Tx, and the buzzer 155 gives an alarm a plurality of times (for example, 2 times) when in the wake-up state immediately after communication establishment.

[0077] As described above, the emergency stop remote controller 71 is powered by a battery. When the remaining battery level becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the notification unit including the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 gives a predetermined notification suggesting a decrease in the remaining battery level. Therefore, since the decrease in the remaining battery level can be confirmed by the notification unit of the emergency stop remote controller 71, a separate device (remote operation device 70) for confirming the remaining battery level of the emergency stop remote controller 71 is not required. Before operating the tractor 1 in the field, the remaining battery level of the emergency stop remote controller 71 can be recognized, and battery replacement can be performed, etc., preventing battery depletion during operation.

[0078] When either communication abnormality or the stop of the tractor 1 occurs and the remaining battery level becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value (decrease in the remaining battery level), the emergency stop remote controller 71 performs the following control. One of the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 is made to execute a notification suggesting communication abnormality or the stop of the tractor 1, and the other of the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 is made to give a notification suggesting a decrease in the remaining battery level. By notifying different events (communication abnormality or tractor 1 stop and remaining battery level) with the sound from the buzzer 155 and the light emission from the lamp 81, the operator can recognize that a plurality of problems have occurred.

[0079] In the emergency stop remote controller 71 in this embodiment, when the control unit 153 recognizes the stop of the tractor 1 and the decrease in the remaining battery level at the same time, first, in order to notify the stop of the tractor 1, the lamp 81 blinks in the second color (red) every predetermined time Ty2 (the same time as the operation time Tx1), and at the same time, the buzzer 155 gives an alarm for a predetermined time Tz2. After that, during the operation time Tx1 when the emergency stop remote controller 71 is in the wake-up state, the lamp 81 lights up in the second color (red), and the buzzer 155 intermittently repeats the alarm for a predetermined time Tz4 (0.1 second) to notify the decrease in the remaining battery level. Thereby, after notifying the stop of the tractor with high priority, it is possible to continue notifying the decrease in the remaining battery level, and the operator can immediately respond to the stop of the tractor 1 and recognize the battery replacement of the emergency stop remote controller 71.

[0080] Also, when the control unit 153 recognizes the communication abnormality with the remote controller receiver 55 and the decrease in the remaining battery level at the same time, first, in order to notify the communication abnormality, the lamp 81 blinks in the second color (red) every predetermined time Ty3 (the same time as the operation time Tx1), and at the same time, the buzzer 155 gives an alarm for a predetermined time Tz3. After that, during the operation time Tx1 when the emergency stop remote controller 71 is in the wake-up state, the lamp 81 lights up in the second color (red) to notify the communication abnormality, and the buzzer 155 intermittently repeats the alarm for a predetermined time Tz4 (0.1 second) to notify the decrease in the remaining battery level. Thereby, after notifying the communication abnormality with high priority, it is possible to continue notifying the decrease in the remaining battery level, and the operator can immediately respond to the stop of the tractor 1 and recognize the battery replacement of the emergency stop remote controller 71.

[0081] In the autonomous driving system in this embodiment, a plurality of emergency stop remote controllers 71 can be used for one tractor 1. That is, when three emergency stop remote controllers 71 that can be used in the autonomous driving system are provided, three operators operate the emergency stop of the tractor 1 with the emergency stop remote controllers 71, and one of the three operators operates the remote control device 70 and the emergency stop remote controller 71.

[0082] At this time, the tractor 1 stops when it becomes unable to communicate with any one of one remote control device 70 and three emergency stop remote controls 71. After the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 is started, when one of the three emergency stop remote controls 71 becomes unable to communicate with the tractor 1, the emergency stop remote control 71 that has become unable to communicate notifies a communication abnormality with the lamp 81 set to the third color (yellow), while the remaining two emergency stop remote controls 71 notify the stop of the tractor 1 with the lamp 81 set to the second color (red). In other words, among the plurality of emergency stop remote controls 71, the emergency stop remote control 71 that has become unable to communicate with the tractor 1 sets the lamp 81 to the third color, and the emergency stop remote control 71 that has established communication with the tractor 1 sets the lamp to the second color.

[0083] Also, by transmitting the remote control number of the emergency stop remote control 71 that has become unable to communicate from the tractor 1 to the remote control device 70, the emergency stop remote control 71 that has become unable to communicate can be displayed on the display of the remote control device 70. As a result, not only the operator who operates the emergency stop remote control 71 with which a communication abnormality has occurred but also the operator who operates the remote control device 70 can recognize which emergency stop remote control 71 has become unable to communicate, and can safely respond to the stop of the tractor 1.

[0084] Furthermore, by transmitting the remaining battery levels of each of the plurality (three) of emergency stop remote controls 71 together with the remote control numbers from the tractor 1 to the remote control device 70, the remote control device 70 can recognize the remaining battery levels for each remote control number and display the remaining battery levels of each of the plurality of emergency stop remote controls 71 on the display 74. Therefore, the operator who operates the remote control device 70 can confirm the emergency stop remote control 71 that requires battery replacement before the emergency stop remote control 71 notifies a decrease in the remaining battery level by recognizing the remaining battery levels of each of the plurality of emergency stop remote controls 71, prevent the battery of the emergency stop remote control 71 from running out, and stably continue the autonomous driving of the tractor 1.

[0085] <Pairing (authentication process)> Next, the pairing operation between the remote control receiver 55 and the emergency stop remote control 71 in the tractor 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when a pairing with an emergency stop remote control (first remote operation communication device) 71 is requested from an external device such as a service tool 19 or a remote operation device 70 to the remote control receiver (first vehicle side communication device) 55 in the tractor 1, the remote control receiver 55 shifts to a pairing mode for authenticating the emergency stop remote control 71. Then, when the remote control receiver 55 that has shifted to the pairing mode receives a signal from the emergency stop remote control 71, it stores the remote control ID (identification information) of the emergency stop remote control 71, and then transmits the stored remote control ID to the emergency stop remote control 71, thereby establishing the pairing.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 14, a service tool 19 capable of setting various functions in the tractor 1 is wired-connected to the vehicle bus line 18 of the tractor 1, and when the service tool 19 is operated by a service technician, an authentication process (pairing) of the emergency stop remote control 71 by the remote control receiver 55 is executed. The remote control receiver 55 in the tractor 1 can authenticate a plurality (three in this embodiment) of emergency stop remote controls 71, and stores the remote control ID of each emergency stop remote control 71 corresponding to a corresponding remote control number (storage area).

[0087] When an operation on the service tool 19 selects a remote control number to be authenticated and instructs pairing registration, the remote control number to be paired is notified to the remote control receiver 55 via the autonomous driving control device 51. When the remote control receiver 55 receives an instruction for pairing registration, it recognizes the remote control number to be paired and shifts to a pairing mode in which it can receive a signal from the emergency stop remote control 71.

[0088] When the emergency stop remote controller 71 receives an operation on the emergency stop button 72 or the start button 73, it reads out the remote controller ID, which is the identification information assigned to each emergency stop remote controller 71, from the memory 154, and transmits it to the remote controller receiver 55 via the wireless communication antenna 151 and the communication interface 152. In the following description, it is assumed that the remote controller ID is transmitted to the remote controller receiver 55 based on an operation on the start button 73. When the remote controller receiver 55 receives the remote controller ID of the emergency stop remote controller 71, it stores the received remote controller ID in association with the remote controller number. Also, the remote controller receiver 55 stores the receiver ID, which is the identification information assigned to each remote controller receiver 55 for each tractor 1. The remote controller receiver 55 generates a response signal by combining the received remote controller ID with the receiver ID, and transmits the response signal to the emergency stop remote controller 71 via the third wireless communication antenna 48c.

[0089] When the emergency stop remote controller 71 receives the response signal from the remote controller receiver 55, it recognizes that the pairing is established by confirming that the remote controller ID confirmed from the response signal matches the remote controller ID of its own device. Then, the emergency stop remote controller 71 extracts the receiver ID from the response signal and stores the receiver ID in the memory 154 to identify the remote controller receiver 55 and the tractor 1 for which the pairing is established. Also, when the emergency stop remote controller 71 receives an operation on the start button 73, it lights the lamp 81 in the third color (yellow) to notify that it is in the pairing mode. After that, when the pairing with the remote controller receiver 55 is established, the emergency stop remote controller 71 gives an alarm from the buzzer 155 to notify the establishment of the pairing.

[0090] In this embodiment, based on an operation on the emergency stop remote controller 71, it is notified that the device is in the pairing mode. However, it may be configured such that the response signal from the remote controller receiver 55 includes information (pairing mode flag) indicating that the device is in the pairing mode. At this time, the emergency stop remote controller 71 lights the lamp 81 in the third color (yellow) based on the information (pairing mode flag) to notify that the device is in the pairing mode.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 15, a remote operation device (second remote operation communication device) 70 that performs wireless communication using a communication method different from that of the emergency stop remote controller (first remote operation communication device) 71 communicates with a wireless communication router (second vehicle-side communication device) 54 in the tractor 1, thereby requesting the remote controller receiver (first vehicle-side communication device) 55 to pair with the emergency stop remote controller 71. When an operation on the remote operation device 70 selects a remote controller number to be authenticated and instructs pairing registration, the wireless communication router 54 of the tractor 1 receives an instruction signal from the remote operation device 70.

[0092] In the remote operation device 70, a remote controller number to be paired is selected and transmitted with the remote controller number attached to an instruction signal to the wireless communication router 54. By receiving the instruction signal from the remote operation device 70, the wireless communication router 54 confirms the pairing registration instruction and notifies the remote controller receiver 55 of the remote controller number to be paired. When receiving the pairing registration instruction from the wireless communication router 54, the remote controller receiver 55 shifts to the pairing mode. When receiving the remote controller ID from the emergency stop remote controller 71, the remote controller receiver 55 stores the remote controller ID in association with the remote controller number. Thereafter, the remote controller receiver 55 transmits a response signal combining the remote controller ID and the receiver ID to the emergency stop remote controller 71, notifying the emergency stop remote controller 71 of the remote controller receiver 55 and the tractor 1 with which the pairing has been established.

[0093] The tractor 1 can be set through the service tool 19 whether to accept a pairing request of the emergency stop remote controller 71 by the remote operation device 70. That is, when a request to invalidate the pairing process by the remote operation device 70 is made by the service tool 19, even if the wireless communication router 54 receives a signal prompting the pairing process from the remote operation device 70, the remote controller receiver 55 does not execute the transition to the pairing mode. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the registration of the remote controller by an operation other than the operator permitted to remotely operate the tractor 1, and prevent theft by forgery. Also, by setting to perform the pairing process only with the service tool 19 operated by the serviceman, not only can the pairing process be surely performed, but also the serviceman can grasp the relationship between the tractor 1 and the emergency stop remote controller 71, and it is easy to perform after-sales service.

[0094] The remote controller receiver 55 of the tractor 1 deletes the remote controller ID of the stored emergency stop remote controller 71 based on a deletion request from the service tool 19 or the remote operation device 70. The remote controller receiver 55 associates and stores the remote controller ID of the emergency stop remote controller 71 registered in the pairing process with the remote controller number. Then, when a remote controller number to be the deletion target of the remote controller ID is selected among the remote controller numbers in which the remote controller ID is registered in the service tool 19 or the remote operation device 70, the remote controller receiver 55 deletes the storage of the remote controller ID corresponding to the remote controller number notified from the service tool 19 or the remote operation device 70.

[0095] Since the registration and deletion of the remote controller ID of the emergency stop remote controller 71 that can operate the tractor 1 can be executed, the assignment of the operator of the tractor 1 can be executed with the emergency stop remote controller 71 possessed by the operator. Therefore, it is possible to easily assign the operator who can operate the tractor 1 according to the work schedule and work process, and prevent theft by forgery.

[0096] Next, the details of the pairing setting operation in the tractor 1 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 16, in the tractor 1, when the remote control receiver 55 detects the reception of a pairing setting request signal (Yes in STEP 31), if it is a request signal from the remote control device 70 at the wireless communication router 54 (Yes in STEP 32) and the request from the remote control device 70 is not restricted (No in STEP 33), the remote control receiver 55 checks the remote control number included in the request signal (STEP 34). Also, even when a request signal from the service tool 19 is received via the autonomous driving control device 51 (No in STEP 32), the remote control receiver 55 checks the remote control number included in the request signal (STEP 34).

[0097] When the remote control receiver 55 recognizes, based on the request signal, that registration of the remote control ID for the confirmed remote control number is required ( "Registration" in STEP 35), it shifts to the pairing mode and enters a standby state until it receives the remote control ID from the emergency stop remote control 71 for a predetermined time T1 (for example, 1 minute) (STEP 36 to STEP 38). When the remote control receiver 55 receives the remote control ID from the emergency stop remote control 71 (Yes in STEP 37), after storing the received remote control ID, it generates a response signal with its own receiver ID added to the remote control ID and transmits it to the emergency stop remote control 71 (STEP 39 to STEP 41). Also, if no remote control ID is received during the predetermined time T1 (Yes in STEP 38), the pairing mode is terminated (STEP 42).

[0098] When the wireless communication router 54 receives a pairing request signal from the remote operation device 70, if the pairing request from the remote operation device 70 is prohibited (restricted) (Yes in SETP33), the wireless communication router 54 notifies the remote operation device 70 that the pairing request is restricted (STEP43). At this time, the remote control receiver 55 does not execute the transition to the pairing mode. Also, when the remote control receiver 55 confirms that the deletion of the remote control ID is requested from the received pairing request ( "Deletion" in STEP35), it deletes the storage of the remote control ID corresponding to the remote control number confirmed from the pairing request signal in STEP34 (STEP44). In this embodiment, the storage of the remote control ID is deleted based on the pairing request signal, but the deletion of the remote control ID may be performed by a pairing deletion request signal.

[0099] Next, the details of the pairing registration operation by the emergency stop remote control 71 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 17. As described above, when the registration of the emergency stop remote control 71 is requested from the service tool 19 or the remote operation device 70 and the remote control receiver 55 of the tractor 1 shifts to the pairing mode, the emergency stop remote control 71 is operated by the operator or the service technician, and the remote control ID is registered in the remote control receiver 55.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 17, when the start button 73 of the emergency stop remote control 71 is operated (Yes in STEP51), the emergency stop remote control 71 notifies that it has started the pairing process (authentication process) with the remote control receiver 55 (STEP52). At this time, the control unit 153 controls the lighting / blinking operation of the lamp 81 and the sounding operation of the buzzer 155 to notify that the pairing process is in progress. For example, by continuously lighting the lamp 81 in the third color, it is notified that the pairing process is in progress.

[0101] The control unit 153 reads out the remote control ID stored in the memory 154 and transmits the read remote control ID to the remote control receiver 55 via the wireless communication antenna 151 and the communication interface 152 (STEP53). Also, the control unit 153 repeats the transmission of the remote control ID for a predetermined time T2 until a response signal is received from the remote control receiver 55 (STEP53 - STEP55). When the control unit 153 receives a response signal from the remote control receiver 55 via the communication interface 152 (Yes in STEP54), it checks whether the remote control ID included in the response signal is the same as the remote control ID of the own device (STEP56 - STEP57).

[0102] When the remote control ID included in the response signal matches the remote control ID of the own device (Yes in STEP57), the control unit 153 acquires the receiver ID of the remote control receiver 55 included in the response signal and stores it in the memory 154b, and then notifies that the pairing has been established by the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 (STEP58 - STEP60). Also, when the control unit 153 does not receive a response signal including the remote control ID of the own device before the elapse of the time T2 (No in STEP55), it notifies that the pairing has failed by the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 (STEP61). Note that it is not necessary to notify that the pairing has failed.

[0103] <Autonomous driving control> Next, the details of the autonomous driving determination operation in the tractor 1 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 18. As shown in FIG. 18, in the tractor 1, when the emergency stop remote controller 71 that has received a signal in the remote controller receiver 55 is paired and registered (authentication registered) (Yes in STEP72), and when communication with the emergency stop remote controller 71 that has been paired and registered is confirmed (Yes in STEP73) and a travel request signal for requesting autonomous driving from the remote operation device (second remote operation communication device) 70 is received by the wireless communication router 54 (Yes in SETP74), the autonomous driving control device 51 determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the tractor 1 based on the presence or absence of error signals from the engine control device 15, the transmission control device 16, and the work implement control device 17 (STEP75). Then, when the autonomous driving control device 51 determines that the tractor 1 can normally perform work and travel (Yes in STEP75), it starts autonomous driving according to the travel route received from the remote operation device 70 (STEP76).

[0104] As described above, autonomous driving of the tractor 1 is permitted when communication with both the remote operation device 70 and the emergency stop remote controller 71 is established. That is, autonomous driving of the work vehicle is permitted only when communication between the remote operation device 70 and the wireless communication router 54 in the tractor 1 is established and at the same time communication between the emergency stop remote controller 71 and the remote controller receiver 55 in the tractor 1 is established. Therefore, the remote operation of the tractor 1 is not inadvertently executed, and autonomous driving can be safely performed. Note that when a plurality of emergency stop remote controllers 71 are paired and registered and communication with the emergency stop remote controller 71 is enabled, when communication with at least one emergency stop remote controller 71 is confirmed, the tractor 1 starts autonomous driving.

[0105] When the tractor 1 starts autonomous driving (STEP 76), when the wireless communication router 54 confirms that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the remote control device 70 (Yes in STEP 77), or when the remote control receiver 55 confirms the emergency stop remote control 71 with which communication has become abnormal (Yes in STEP 79), or when there is a request for emergency stop from the remote control device 70 or the emergency stop remote control 71 (Yes in STEP 80), or when the work of the tractor 1 is completed (Yes in STEP 81), the autonomous driving control device 51 stops the tractor 1 (STEP 82).

[0106] As described above, when the communication between the tractor 1 and at least one of the remote control device 70 and the emergency stop remote control 71 is interrupted during the autonomous driving of the tractor 1, the tractor 1 is stopped. That is, after the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 is started, when the communication with at least one of the remote control device 70 and the emergency stop remote control 71 is interrupted, the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 is stopped, so that the safety during the autonomous driving by the tractor 1 can be ensured.

[0107] In addition, by configuring the remote control receiver 55 to be able to communicate with a plurality of emergency stop remote controls 71, the tractor 1 can be remotely controlled by the emergency stop remote control 71, and the tractor 1 can be operated from multiple directions by a plurality of operators. Therefore, for example, even when one operator cannot confirm the state of the tractor 1, the remaining operators can confirm the state of the tractor 1 and perform operations in an emergency.

[0108] <Heartbeat (Communication Confirmation Process)> Next, the communication confirmation process (heartbeat) between the remote control receiver 55 of the tractor 1 and the emergency stop remote control 71 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22. FIGS. 19 and 20 show an example in which two emergency stop remote controls 71 can communicate with the remote control receiver 55 of the tractor 1.

[0109] As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, when the remote control receiver 55 of the tractor 1 is powered on, the remote control receiver 55 transmits a heartbeat signal every predetermined time T3 (for example, 0.1 second) to confirm the presence of the communicable emergency stop remote control 71. At this time, when two emergency stop remote controls 71A and 71B are in a communicable state in sequence, first, after the first communicable emergency stop remote control 71A receives the heartbeat signal from the remote control receiver 55, the emergency stop remote control 71A transmits a response signal to the remote control receiver 55, thereby establishing communication with the emergency stop remote control 71A. Then, after the next communicable emergency stop remote control 71B receives the heartbeat signal from the remote control receiver 55, the remote control receiver 55 receives the response signal from the emergency stop remote control 71B, thereby establishing communication with the emergency stop remote control 71B.

[0110] The emergency stop remote controls 71A and 71B are in a wake-up state for a wake-up time Tx1 (for example, 0.3 second), and the transmission and reception of heartbeat signals and response signals are performed between the remote control receiver 55. As shown in FIG. 20, when the emergency stop remote control 71B becomes communicable, when the transmission and reception of heartbeat signals and response signals are being performed between the emergency stop remote control 71A and the remote control receiver 55, the emergency stop remote control 71B is in a reception standby state.

[0111] Then, after the remote control receiver 55 receives the response signal from the emergency stop remote control 71A and transmits a heartbeat signal, after the emergency stop remote control 71B in the reception standby state receives the heartbeat signal, it transmits a response signal to the remote control receiver 55. At this time, the emergency stop remote control 71B is in a wake-up state for a period longer than the wake-up time Tx1. After that, the emergency stop remote control 71B is in a sleep state for a sleep time Tx2 (for example, 0.7 second), and then becomes in a wake-up state. Thus, the emergency stop remote controls 71A and 71B each enter a wake-up state for the time Tx1 at different timings every predetermined time Tx (for example, 1 second), and perform the transmission and reception of heartbeat signals and response signals with the remote control receiver 55.

[0112] Next, the processing operation during the communication confirmation process (heartbeat) in the remote control receiver 55 of the tractor 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. 21. As shown in FIG. 21, when the remote control receiver 55 confirms the elapse of a predetermined time T3, it receives the operating state (such as running or stopping) of the tractor 1 from the autonomous driving control device 51, and adds the receiver ID of the remote control receiver 55 to the information indicating the operating state to generate a heartbeat signal, which is then transmitted to the emergency stop remote control 71 (STEP200 to STEP203).

[0113] When the remote control receiver 55 receives a response signal from the emergency stop remote control 71 for the heartbeat signal (Yes in STEP204), and confirms that the remote control ID of the emergency stop remote control 71 to be confirmed from the response signal has already been paired and registered (Yes in STEP205), it checks whether the response signal contains information (stop request information) that is a stop request for the tractor 1 (STEP206). When the remote control receiver 55 receives a stop request from the emergency stop remote control 71, the autonomous driving control device 51 receives the stop request via the autonomous driving bus line 56 and causes the tractor 1 to make an emergency stop. On the other hand, even when a stop request is received from the remote operation device 70 via the wireless communication router 54, the autonomous driving control device 51 receives the stop request via the autonomous driving bus line 56 and causes the tractor 1 to make an emergency stop.

[0114] When the remote control receiver 55 has not received a stop request for the tractor 1 from the paired emergency stop remote control 71 (No in STEP206), it checks whether the emergency stop remote control 71 has already established communication (STEP207). At this time, if communication with the emergency stop remote control 71 that sent the response signal has not been established (No in STEP207), the remote control receiver 55 identifies the remote control ID from the response signal and registers the establishment of communication (STEP208). On the other hand, if communication with the emergency stop remote control 71 that sent the response signal has been established (Yes in STEP208), the remote control receiver 55 determines that communication with the emergency stop remote control 71 that sent the response signal is normal (STEP209).

[0115] Also, when the remote control receiver 55 does not receive a response signal to the heartbeat signal from the emergency stop remote control 71, it checks for the presence of an emergency stop remote control 71 with communication abnormality (STEP210). At this time, the remote control receiver 55 checks whether a predetermined time T4 (for example, time Tx1) or more has elapsed from the previously received response signal for the emergency stop remote control 71 for which communication establishment has been registered, and determines that communication abnormality has occurred for the emergency stop remote control 71 for which no response signal has been received for a predetermined time T4 or more.

[0116] When the remote control receiver 55 confirms that it has received a stop request for the tractor 1 from the remote control device 70 or the emergency stop remote control 71 (Yes in STEP204), or when the stop request information is included in the response signal to the heartbeat signal (Yes in STEP206), or when it confirms the presence of the emergency stop remote control 71 that has caused a communication abnormality (Yes in STEP210), it determines that the communication with the emergency stop remote control 71 or the state of the tractor 1 is abnormal, and requests the autonomous driving control device 51 to stop the tractor 1 (STEP211). As a result, the remote control receiver 55 and the emergency stop remote control 71 can mutually transmit and receive the heartbeat signal and the response signal to confirm the communication state at regular intervals. Therefore, the remote control receiver 55 can detect a communication abnormality with the emergency stop remote control 71 in real time and stop the tractor 1 urgently, enabling the operation of a safe autonomous driving system for the tractor 1.

[0117] Next, the processing operation during the communication confirmation process (heartbeat) in the emergency stop remote control 71 will be described below with reference to FIG. 22. As shown in FIG. 22, after the emergency stop remote control 71 shifts to the wake-up state (STEP251), when it receives a heartbeat signal from the remote control receiver 55 (Yes in SETP252), it confirms the driving state of the tractor 1 from the information included in the heartbeat signal (STEP253). Thereafter, the emergency stop remote control 71 generates a response signal including its own remote control ID, transmits the response signal to the remote control receiver 55, and then shifts to the sleep state when the wake-up time has elapsed for a time Tx1 or more (STEP254 to STEP257). Note that the emergency stop remote control 71 in the sleep state shifts to the wake-up state (STEP251) when the sleep time has elapsed for a time Tx2 or more (Yes in STEP258). Note that the remote control receiver 55 does not necessarily need to confirm the driving state of the tractor 1 based on the heartbeat signal. When the heartbeat signal includes a signal for instructing a notification mode by the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155, the lamp 81 emits light in a predetermined mode and the buzzer 155 makes a sound in a predetermined mode based on the signal.

[0118] When the emergency stop remote controller 71 does not receive the heartbeat signal from the remote controller receiver 55 (Yes in STEP252), it counts the number of communication failures, which is the number of times the heartbeat signal is not received (STEP259). When the number of communication failures is less than N times (for example, 5 times) (No in STEP260), it checks for the reception of the heartbeat signal (STEP252). On the other hand, when the emergency stop remote controller 71 confirms that the number of communication failures has reached N times or more (Yes in STEP260), it notifies that there is a communication abnormality by the lamp 81 and the buzzer 155 (STEP261) and shifts to the sleep state (STEP257).

[0119] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be embodied in various forms. The configuration of each part is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the autonomous driving determination operation of the tractor 1, as shown in FIG. 23, it may be possible to specify to disable communication with the emergency stop remote controller 71. In this case, before the start of autonomous driving, when communication with the emergency stop remote controller 71 is enabled (No in STEP71), it determines the presence or absence of the paired emergency stop remote controller 71 (STEP72). On the other hand, after the start of autonomous driving, when communication with the emergency stop remote controller 71 is enabled (No in STEP78), it checks the presence or absence of the emergency stop remote controller 71 in which a communication abnormality has occurred (STEP79).

[0120] That is, when the tractor 1 receives a notification from the remote operation device 70 to disable communication with the emergency stop remote controller 71, remote operation of the tractor 1 is executed regardless of the communication state with the disabled emergency stop remote controller 71. By requesting the remote operation device 70 to disable communication with the emergency stop remote controller 71, for example, when it is necessary to replace the battery of the emergency stop remote controller 71 and the power of the emergency stop remote controller 71 is turned off, unnecessary emergency stops of the tractor 1 can be avoided and the work by the tractor 1 can be continued.

[0121] Also, when the remote control receiver 55 has established communication with a plurality of emergency stop remote controls 71 while the tractor 1 is in autonomous driving, the remote control device 70 may be configured to designate an emergency stop remote control 71 for disabling the communication. At this time, in the tractor 1 during autonomous driving, when the wireless communication router 54 receives a notification from the remote control device 70 designating the emergency stop remote control 71 to be disabled, the remote control receiver 55 disables the communication with the designated emergency stop remote control 71, and even if the communication with the designated emergency stop remote control 71 is interrupted, the tractor 1 continues autonomous driving.

[0122] <Supplementary Note of the Invention> The present invention relates to a remote control capable of communicating with a work vehicle that autonomously travels, comprising a plurality of operation units capable of controlling the travel of the work vehicle, and at least one of an emergency stop of the work vehicle and a temporary stop of the work vehicle is executed according to the operation mode of the plurality of operation units.

[0123] In the above remote control, further, the resumption of travel of the work vehicle from the temporary stop may be executed according to another operation mode of the plurality of operation units.

[0124] In the above remote control, further, power-on may be executed according to another operation mode of the plurality of operation units.

[0125] In the above remote control, the plurality of operation units may be an emergency stop button for stopping the autonomous driving of the work vehicle and a start button for resuming the autonomous driving of the work vehicle.

[0126] In the above remote control, the temporary stop of the work vehicle may be executed by the start button.

[0127] In the above remote control, it may be provided with a notification unit for executing at least one of the communication state with the work vehicle, the operation state of the work vehicle, and the remaining battery level.

[0128] In the above remote controller, the notification unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light in a plurality of light emitting modes. When notifying either one of the communication state with the work vehicle and the operation state of the work vehicle and the remaining battery level, the notification may be executed by distinguishing according to the light emitting mode by the light emitting unit.

[0129] According to the present invention, at least one of the emergency stop of the work vehicle and the temporary stop of the work vehicle can be executed by operating the remote controller, so that the vehicle can run autonomously safely.

[0130] A remote operation system according to one aspect is a remote operation system having a remote controller capable of communicating with a work vehicle that runs autonomously. The remote controller includes an operation unit. The work vehicle is stopped in a state where restarting by the remote controller is impossible by a first operation mode of the operation unit.

Explanation of Signs

[0131] 1 Robot tractor (work vehicle) 48 Wireless communication antenna unit 48a First antenna 48b Second antenna 48c Third antenna 51 Autonomous driving control device 52 Steering control device 53 Position measurement device 54 Wireless communication router 55 Remote controller receiver 56 Autonomous driving bus line 70 Remote operation device (device main body) 71 Emergency stop remote controller 72 Emergency stop button 73 Start button (starting button) 74 Display 81 Lamp (notification unit) 151 Wireless communication antenna 152 Communication interface 153 Control unit 154 Memory 155 Buzzer

Claims

1. A remote control system having a remote control capable of communicating with an autonomously traveling work vehicle, The remote control includes an operation unit for giving instructions regarding the autonomous driving of the work vehicle, The condition for starting the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle includes that communication between the work vehicle and the remote control is established. Remote control system.

2. A remote control system having a remote control capable of communicating with an autonomously traveling work vehicle, The remote control includes an operation unit for giving instructions regarding the autonomous driving of the work vehicle, The condition for stopping the autonomous driving of the work vehicle includes interruption of communication between the work vehicle and the remote control. Remote control system.

3. In addition to the first communication device as the remote control, a second communication device is provided that is equipped with a display unit that displays information related to the autonomous driving of the work vehicle and is capable of communicating with the work vehicle. The remote control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The first communication device and the second communication device are capable of communicating with the work vehicle using different communication methods. The remote control system according to claim 3.

5. A method for remotely controlling an autonomously traveling work vehicle using a remote control capable of communicating with the work vehicle, comprising: The remote control includes an operation unit for giving instructions regarding the autonomous driving of the work vehicle, The condition for starting the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle includes that communication between the work vehicle and the remote control is established. A method for remotely controlling a work vehicle.

6. A method for remotely controlling an autonomously traveling work vehicle using a remote control capable of communicating with the work vehicle, comprising: The remote control includes an operation unit for giving instructions regarding the autonomous driving of the work vehicle, The condition for starting the autonomous traveling of the work vehicle includes a condition in which communication between the work vehicle and the remote control is interrupted. A method for remotely controlling a work vehicle.

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