Automatic travel control system and field work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technology for assuming that a field work vehicle is stopped at a supply side which is set on a field for material supply, and automatically temporarily stopping an engine.SOLUTION: The automatic travel control system for a field work vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a power control unit 55 that travels along a circular travel path which is set in an outer peripheral region of a field and a reciprocating travel path comprising a turning path and an internal path which is set in an internal region, and controls driving of a power unit of the field work vehicle; a supply side setting unit 61 that sets at least one side of boundary sides as a supply side for supplying materials necessary for work travel; a stop detection unit 56 that detects a stop of the field work vehicle for a set time or more in a special region adjacent to the supply side as a special stop; and a temporary power stop control unit 57 that issues, to the power control unit 55, a temporary power stop command for temporarily stopping driving of the power unit when temporary power stop conditions one of which is the special stop, are satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a field work vehicle that automatically travels along a travel route set in a field, and an automatic travel control system for such a field work vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a riding-type rice transplanter as a field work vehicle capable of temporarily stopping the engine when an engine stop condition is satisfied. The conditional elements of the engine stop condition include that the shift lever is held in the neutral position, the brake is actuated, the engine is idling, the remaining amount of seedlings on the seedling mounting table is below a predetermined level, the driver is not seated in the driver's seat, and the like. If at least one or a combination of such elements of the engine stop condition holds for a period exceeding a predetermined time, an engine stop process is executed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the field work vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, as conditional events for the engine stop condition, only events where the field work vehicle needs normal parking are listed. With such an engine stop condition, engine stop in special events is not effectively performed.

[0005] In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for automatically stopping the engine by estimating that the field work vehicle has stopped for material replenishment at a supply side set in the field.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An automatic travel control system for a farm work vehicle according to the present invention, which travels along a circular travel route set in an outer peripheral region along a boundary side of a farm field, and a reciprocating travel route including an internal route and a turning route set in an internal region inside the outer peripheral region, includes a power control unit that controls the drive of a power unit of the farm work vehicle, a supply side setting unit that sets at least one side of the boundary side as a supply side for replenishing materials necessary for work travel, a stop detection unit that detects a stop for a set time or more of the farm work vehicle in a special region adjacent to the supply side as a special stop, and a temporary power stop control unit that issues a temporary power stop command to the power control unit to temporarily stop the drive of the power unit when the temporary power stop condition including the special stop is satisfied.

[0007] According to this configuration, when the stop detection unit detects a stop for a set time or more of the farm work vehicle in a special region adjacent to the supply side as a special stop, this special stop is regarded as a stop for replenishing materials at the supply side. That is, it is considered that the farm work vehicle has stopped for a considerable time necessary for loading materials onto the farm work vehicle, and temporary power stop is executed. Thereby, uneconomy associated with the operation of an unnecessary power unit (engine or electric motor) is avoided.

[0008] In order to accurately estimate that the stop of the farm work vehicle is a stop for replenishing materials at the supply side, it is important to appropriately determine a special region that is a stop region considered as a special stop. For material replenishment, it is necessary to deviate from the work travel route set at a distance from the boundary side of the farm field and approach the supply side. Therefore, there is a region through which the farm work vehicle deviating from the work travel route and heading toward the boundary side passes, and the special region is included in the region. From this, in the present invention, it is proposed that the special region is a region between a travel permission line provided along the boundary side and permitted for automatic travel of the farm work vehicle and the boundary side, and a region where the farm work vehicle does not contact a boundary object forming the boundary side. By limiting the special region in this way, it is possible to more reliably estimate the material replenishment stop at the supply side.

[0009] Since the travel permission line is a line set for the field working vehicle to travel without contacting the boundary object forming the boundary edge, it is appropriate to be adjusted according to the size of the field working vehicle, and preferably, the change is automatically adjusted. Therefore, in the present invention, the travel permission line is variable and is automatically adjusted according to the size of the field working vehicle.

[0010] In a field working vehicle such as a rice transplanter, a spare seedling placing table is installed at the front part of the machine body. When replenishing seedlings, the front end of the machine body is brought close to a field boundary object such as a ridge, and seedling replenishment is performed from the front end of the machine body. In a rice transplanter, seedling replenishment is an important material replenishment operation that is frequently performed, and it is preferable to temporarily stop the power unit at that time. Therefore, in the present invention, the temporary power stop condition includes that the field working vehicle is in a forward posture facing the replenishment side.

[0011] When the power unit is re-driven (re-operated) to start traveling after replenishing materials, the possibility of replenishing materials again is low. That is, even if the power unit is re-driven after a temporary power stop and then stops in a special area, it is highly likely that it is not a stop for replenishing materials. Therefore, in the present invention, it is proposed that when the power unit temporarily stopped by the temporary power stop command is re-driven, the temporary power stop control unit does not issue the temporary power stop command unless the field working vehicle exits the special area once.

[0012] Therefore, automatic temporary power-off may, in some cases, be unnecessary or troublesome. In particular, whether in autonomous driving or manual driving, when the driver is on board the vehicle, it may be appropriate to leave the decision of temporary power-off to the driver. However, for a field work vehicle that is driving autonomously or remotely without a driver, the temporary power-off must be performed automatically. For this reason, in the present invention, it is also possible to configure the vehicle to have an unmanned automatic driving mode in which the field work vehicle is driven automatically without a driver, a manned automatic driving mode in which the field work vehicle is driven automatically by a driver, and a remote driving mode in which the field work vehicle is driven remotely, and to configure the temporary power-off control unit to function only when the unmanned automatic driving mode or the remote driving mode is set. Note that remote driving includes not only remote driving in which the driving of the work vehicle is remotely controlled while confirming the driving of the work vehicle from a remote operation room at a remote location using a monitor or the like, but also remote control driving in which a remote control operator remotely controls the work vehicle while visually recognizing the driving of the work vehicle. Furthermore, remote driving includes, for example, not only fine-grained real-time remote operations, but also configurations that can be monitored on a cloud platform, where it is notified that the field work vehicle has approached a ridge, and based on this, a remote operation is performed only by instructing an approach permission command to the ridge and an automatic supply command of materials from the edge of the ridge.

[0013] This application targets not only an automatic driving control system but also a field work vehicle equipped with this automatic driving control system. Such a field work vehicle can also have various embodiments and their operational effects in the above-described automatic driving control system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0015] In addition, in this specification, unless otherwise specified, "front" means the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and "rear" means the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. That is, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is the traveling direction, the forward direction is indicated by arrow F in FIG. 1, and the reverse direction is indicated by arrow B in FIG. 1. Also, the left-right direction or the lateral direction means the transverse direction of the vehicle body (vehicle width direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. "Up" or "down" is the positional relationship in the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) of the vehicle body, showing the relationship regarding the ground height.

[0016] Next, with reference to the drawings, one specific embodiment of the work vehicle according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view of a transplanter (hereinafter simply referred to as a rice transplanter) that automatically travels in a field, which is an example of a field work vehicle.

[0017] 〔Overall Structure〕 As shown in FIG. 1, the rice transplanter is a four-wheel drive vehicle of the riding type. At the rear part of the vehicle body 1, a link mechanism 13 in the form of a parallelogram link that can be connected so as to be able to lift and swing is provided, and a seedling planting device 3 that is connected so as to be able to roll is attached to the rear end region of the link mechanism 13. Further, a fertilizer application device 4 installed from the rear end region of the vehicle body 1 to the seedling planting device 3, and a chemical spraying device 30 provided in the rear end region of the seedling planting device 3, etc. are provided. The seedling planting device 3, the fertilizer application device 4, and the chemical spraying device 30 are examples of working devices.

[0018] The vehicle body 1 is equipped with wheels 12 as a mechanism for traveling, an engine 2 as a power unit, and a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission 9 which is a main transmission device. The continuously variable transmission 9 is, for example, an HST (Hydro-Static Transmission), and by adjusting the angles of the motor swash plate and the pump swash plate, it changes the driving force (rotation speed) output from the engine 2. The wheels 12 include steerable left and right front wheels 12A and non-steerable left and right rear wheels 12B. The engine 2 and the continuously variable transmission 9 are mounted on the front part of the vehicle body 1. The power from the engine 2 is supplied to the front wheels 12A, the rear wheels 12B, a working device, etc. via the continuously variable transmission 9 and the like.

[0019] The seedling planting device 3 is configured in an 8-row planting format as an example. The seedling planting device 3 includes a seedling placing table 21, planting mechanisms 22 for 8 rows, etc. Note that this seedling planting device 3 can be changed to formats such as 2-row planting, 4-row planting, 6-row planting, etc. by clutch control.

[0020] The seedling placing table 21 is a pedestal for placing mat-shaped seedlings for 8 rows. The seedling placing table 21 reciprocates in the left-right direction with a certain stroke corresponding to the left-right width of the mat-shaped seedlings, and the vertical feeding mechanism 23 vertically feeds each mat-shaped seedling on the seedling placing table 21 at a predetermined pitch toward the lower end of the seedling placing table 21 every time the seedling placing table 21 reaches the left and right stroke ends. The 8 planting mechanisms 22 are of the rotary type and are arranged in the left-right direction at a certain interval corresponding to the row spacing for planting. And each planting mechanism 22 has the driving force transmitted from the engine 2 when the seedling planting clutch is in the transmission state, cuts out a seedling for one plant (also referred to as a planted seedling) from the lower end of each mat-shaped seedling placed on the seedling placing table 21, and plants it in the soil part after soil preparation.

[0021] The fertilizer application device 4 includes a horizontally long hopper 25, a feeding mechanism 26, an electric blower 27, a plurality of fertilizer hoses 28, and furrow openers 29 provided for each row. The hopper 25 stores granular or powdered fertilizer. The feeding mechanism 26 feeds out a predetermined amount of fertilizer for 2 rows from the hopper 25 each time.

[0022] The blower 27 generates a conveying air flow that conveys the fertilizer fed out by each feeding mechanism 26 toward the muddy surface of the field. This fertilizer application device 4 also includes a clutch mechanism that switches between an operating state in which the fertilizer stored in the hopper 25 is supplied to the field in predetermined amounts and a non-operating state in which the supply is stopped.

[0023] The vehicle body 1 is provided with an operation unit 14 in the rear side region thereof. The operation unit 14 includes a steering wheel 10 for front wheel steering, a main shift lever 7A for adjusting the vehicle speed by performing a shift operation of the continuously variable transmission 9, a sub-shift lever 7B enabling a shift operation of the sub-transmission, a work operation lever 11 enabling lifting operations and switching of the operating state of the seedling planting device 3, an in-vehicle terminal 6 having a function of displaying (notifying) various information to notify (output) to the operator and receiving input of various information, and a driver's seat 16 for the operator (driver / worker), etc. Further, in front of the operation unit 14, a spare seedling storage device 15 for storing spare seedlings is supported by a spare seedling support frame 17.

[0024] The steering wheel 10 is connected to the front wheels 12A via a steering mechanism (not shown), and the steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted through the rotation operation of the steering wheel 10.

[0025] The spare seedling support frame 17 has an upper and lower two-stage structure including a base frame 17a and an arch-shaped upper frame 17b provided at the upper end of the base frame 17a. The upper frame 17b includes a pair of left and right legs and a cross beam connecting the legs, and is arranged at a height located obliquely above the front of the operation unit 14.

[0026] The positioning unit 8 is attached to the cross beam of the upper frame 17b. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a remote control receiver 9A (see FIG. 4), which is an example of remote driving, used when performing remote control driving is attached to the cross beam of the upper frame 17b side by side with the positioning unit 8. A storage device 18 is attached below the positioning unit 8. In order to use the positioning unit 8 as a satellite positioning unit, since the satellite positioning module 8A (see FIG. 4) provided in the positioning unit 8 adopts a network type RTK-GNSS positioning method (VRS method), a virtual reference point data receiving unit used in the VRS method is stored in the storage device 18. As one of the notification device groups 1C, a stacked lamp 19 for notifying the running state such as automatic running and manual running is attached to the upper part of the base frame 17a in the lower region of the storage device 18.

[0027] This rice transplanter can perform manual driving, remote control driving (an example of remote driving), and automatic driving. Manual driving is when the driver manually operates operating tools such as the steering wheel 10, main transmission lever 7A, sub-transmission lever 7B, and work operation lever 11 to perform work driving. Automatic driving is when the rice transplanter automatically controls its travel while working along a pre-set travel route. Also, automatic driving can be either manned automatic driving that requires the driver to be on board or unmanned automatic driving that does not require the driver to be on board. Manned automatic driving is when the rice transplanter automatically controls other driving and work-related operations while the driver performs some operations along the guidance provided by the rice transplanter. In unmanned automatic driving, the driver does not need to be on board, but the driver can be on board during unmanned automatic driving.

[0028] 〔Travel Route〕 Figure 2 shows the travel route when the rice transplanter travels in the field while performing the seedling planting operation and the fertilizing operation. This field is surrounded by the boundary line SH of boundary objects such as ridges, and the boundary line SH is set as the side of the field. In the example of Figure 2, the field is rectangular, and the sides of the field consist of the basic side SH0 (lower side) and the other three remaining sides. The remaining sides are the left side SH1, the upper side SH2, and the right side SH3. The basic side SH0 is in contact with the farm road, and an entrance / exit for the field working machine is formed in its end region. Therefore, since the basic side SH0 is used as a supply side for replenishing seedlings and fertilizers, hereinafter, the basic side SH0 is also referred to as the supply side, and the same reference numeral SH0 is given to the supply side. By the rice transplanter traveling along this travel route substantially at a predetermined working width, the work for the entire field (seedling planting work, fertilizing work, chemical spraying work, etc.) is completed.

[0029] The field is divided into an outer peripheral region OA and an inner region IA located inside the outer peripheral region OA. In the example of Figure 2, two circular travel routes CR for the rice transplanter to perform circular work travel are set. The work for the inner region IA is performed by a reciprocating travel route IR consisting of a plurality of inner routes IRS parallel to one of the remaining sides, which is the left side SH1, and a turning route IRT connecting the two inner routes IRS. The travel of the reciprocating travel route IR starts at the starting point S and ends at the ending point G. The inner route IRS is also referred to as a straight travel route, but it does not necessarily have to be a straight line. For example, it may be a large arc-shaped line or may have a bent portion in the middle. The turning route IRT is substantially a 180° direction-changing route and is arranged in the outer peripheral region OA.

[0030] In order to actually generate the travel route shown in Fig. 2, that is, the circular travel route CR and the reciprocating travel route IR, it is necessary to calculate the accurate field shape and the map coordinates of the boundary line SH. For example, the field shape is calculated based on the basic side travel trajectory obtained by non-working travel along the basic side SH0, that is, the basic side travel, and the remaining side travel trajectory obtained by working travel along the remaining sides. In the example of Fig. 2, the outer peripheral region OA is the region where the outermost peripheral circular travel route OC composed of the basic side travel and the remaining side travel, and the first circular travel route C1 inside the outermost peripheral circular travel route OC are set. The number of circular travel routes CR is determined by the required space for the turning route IRT of the reciprocating travel route IR, that is, the space required for the turning travel of the rice transplanter. In Fig. 2, the number of circular travel routes CR is two. However, when the number of circular travel routes CR is set to three, in the outer peripheral region OA, in addition to the outermost peripheral circular travel route OC and the first circular travel route C1 inside this outermost peripheral circular travel route OC, a second circular travel route is set inside the first circular travel route C1.

[0031] In actual field work, when the rice transplanter enters the field, first, along the basic side SH0 of the outermost peripheral circular travel route OC, the driver manually steers and drives the rice transplanter without performing work, thereby obtaining the basic side travel trajectory. Next, along the left side SH1, the upper side SH2, and the right side SH3, which are the remaining sides, the outermost peripheral circular travel route OC is driven by the driver manually steering while performing work, thereby obtaining the remaining side travel trajectory. Based on the basic side travel trajectory and the remaining side travel trajectory, which are the travel trajectories in the outermost peripheral circular travel, the field shape is calculated.

[0032] When the field shape is calculated, the number of the circular travel routes CR is determined by the space required for turning travel in the reciprocating travel route IR or based on the intention of the work manager. In the example of FIG. 2, the number of the circular travel routes CR excluding the outermost circular travel route OC is one. Therefore, in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral area OA is an area where two circular travel routes CR are set. The inner area IA is set inside the outer peripheral area OA. When the inner area IA is set, a reciprocating travel route IR for automatically reciprocatingly traveling the inner area IA from the start point S to the end point G is generated.

[0033] In actual work, during the reciprocating work travel using the reciprocating travel route IR, it advances to the supply stop position SP which is a supply point set on the supply side SH0 by the material supply travel, stops, and the material supply is performed. In FIG. 2, the supply stop position SP is indicated by a black circle. As shown in FIG. 2, at the time of seedling supply, it goes straight from the end of the internal route IRS during travel and stops at the supply stop position SP in the forward butting posture. When the supply is completed, it advances toward the start of the internal route IRS which is the next travel target through the reverse travel using reverse movement.

[0034] The supply stop position SP is a position where the front part of the vehicle body 1 approaches as close as possible to the supply side SH0 defined by boundary objects such as ridges. Such approaching to the supply side SH0 may be difficult in automatic travel, and in such a case, remote control travel using the remote controller 90 (see FIG. 3) is used. As safety guidance during the approaching travel, it is advisable to notify the remote control operator that a virtual point set several centimeters to a dozen or so centimeters ahead from the front end of the vehicle body 1 has virtually approached the approaching limit line AL. Note that the approaching limit line AL is set as a line indicating a position where the vehicle body 1 still does not collide with boundary objects such as ridges even when the virtual point reaches the approaching limit line AL.

[0035] 〔Control system〕 Next, the control system of the rice transplanter will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0036] The control system of the rice transplanter includes a control unit 5 that controls various operations of the rice transplanter, and an in-vehicle terminal 6 capable of exchanging data with the control unit 5. The control unit 5 and the in-vehicle terminal 6 construct a travel control system. Signals from a positioning unit 8, a manual operation tool sensor group 31, a travel sensor group 32, a work sensor group 33, etc. are input to the control unit 5. Control signals are output from the control unit 5 to the travel equipment group 1A and the work equipment group 1B.

[0037] The positioning unit 8 includes a satellite positioning module 8A that receives radio waves from satellites of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and an inertial measurement module 8B that detects the inclination and acceleration of the three axes of the vehicle body 1. The control unit 5 acquires positioning data for calculating the position and orientation (orientation in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body) of the vehicle body 1 from the satellite positioning module 8A of the positioning unit 8, and acquires inertial measurement data regarding the inclination and acceleration of the three axes of the vehicle body 1 from the inertial measurement module 8B. Here, it is assumed that the positioning data received by the positioning unit 8 also includes inertial measurement data.

[0038] The travel equipment group 1A includes a steering device and a transmission device. Based on the control signal from the control unit 5, various devices are controlled, and the travel of the vehicle body 1 is controlled.

[0039] The work equipment group 1B includes devices that perform operations such as raising and lowering adjustment of the seedling planting device 3, adjustment of the seedling taking amount of the planting mechanism 22, adjustment of the fertilizer feeding amount, clutch control for the planting clutch and the material supply number adjustment clutch, etc.

[0040] The notification device group 1C includes a notification lamp, a notification buzzer, in addition to the above-mentioned stacked lamp 19, a headlight for notifying a material supply reservation, a direction indicator, and a speaker. Note that the in-vehicle terminal 6 and the remote control 90 also function as notification devices.

[0041] The manual operation tool sensor group 31 includes sensors and switches that detect the operation states of various manual operation tools. The traveling sensor group 32 includes various sensors that detect states such as the steering angle, vehicle speed, and engine speed. The work sensor group 33 includes various sensors that detect the states of the link mechanism 13, the seedling planting device 3, the fertilizer application device 4, and the like.

[0042] The control unit 5 is provided with a traveling control unit 50, a work control unit 51, a vehicle body position calculation unit 52, a traveling route setting unit 53, a notification control unit 54, a power control unit 55, a stop detection unit 56, and a temporary power stop control unit 57.

[0043] In automatic traveling, the work control unit 51 automatically controls the work equipment group 1B based on a previously given program, and in manual traveling, it controls the work equipment group 1B based on the driver's operation.

[0044] The vehicle body position calculation unit 52 calculates the map coordinates (vehicle body position) of the vehicle body 1 based on the satellite positioning data and inertial navigation data sequentially sent from the positioning unit 8. These map coordinates may be coordinates not only in latitude and longitude but also in a field coordinate system or a specific coordinate system.

[0045] The traveling route setting unit 53 receives and manages the traveling route generated by the in-vehicle terminal 6, and sequentially sets the target traveling route for automatic traveling control as the target traveling route.

[0046] The notification control unit 54 receives a notification request from the control system, generates a control signal to be output to the notification device group 1C, and performs necessary notifications through each notification device.

[0047] The power control unit 55 controls the driving of the engine 2 as the power unit of the rice transplanter and the engine peripheral devices.

[0048] The parking detection unit 56 detects a stop for a time longer than the set time of the rice transplanter in a special area adjacent to the supply side SH0 as a special stop. The special area is a virtual area set near the approach limit line AL described with reference to FIG. 2. When the tip of the vehicle body 1 enters the virtual area, it can be considered that the rice transplanter performs material supply (seedling supply). Therefore, a stop in the special area can be regarded as a stop for material supply. In other words, the special area is an area between the travel permission line, where the automatic travel of the rice transplanter is permitted, and the boundary side, which is the boundary side defined by boundary objects such as ridges and provided along the supply side SH0, and as long as the rice transplanter stays in the special area, it is an area where the rice transplanter does not come into contact with the boundary objects. The parking detection unit 56 can detect a stop for material supply with high accuracy when the stop in the special area continues for a set time or longer. The set time can be arbitrarily set and is determined by the experience of the administrator or the like. The travel permission line is preferably automatically adjusted according to the specifications of the field work vehicle, such as the vehicle body size and travel performance. In particular, the wheelbase as the vehicle body size, the vehicle body width, and the lateral width of the working device (such as the seedling planting device 3) are important parameters used when adjusting the travel permission line. The control unit 5 can automatically set the travel permission line based on at least one of these parameters.

[0049] The temporary power stop control unit 57 uses the special stop detected by the parking detection unit 56 as one of the temporary power stop conditions, and when the temporary power stop condition is satisfied, issues a temporary power stop command to the power control unit 55 to temporarily stop the engine 2 (which may include engine peripheral devices in some cases). The power control unit 55 that has received the temporary power stop command temporarily stops the engine 2. This temporary stop of the engine 2 is an event that is practically called an idling stop, but more actively, it may also include the temporary stop of other devices (such as the lighting system).

[0050] At the time of seedling supply, since the rice transplanter faces the supply side SH0 in the forward posture, it is convenient to include the forward posture in which the rice transplanter faces the supply side SH0 as a temporary power stop condition other than the special stop.

[0051] In this embodiment, in order to avoid unnecessary temporary stops, when the engine 2 that has been temporarily stopped by a temporary power stop command is driven again, the temporary power stop control unit 57 is set not to issue a temporary power stop command unless the vehicle body 1 exits the special area once.

[0052] The travel control unit 50 is provided with an automatic travel control unit 50A, a remote control travel control unit 50B, and a manual travel control unit 50C. The travel of this rice transplanter can be switched between an automatic travel mode for performing automatic travel, a remote control travel mode (an example of a remote travel mode) for performing remote control travel, and a manual travel mode for performing manual travel. Based on the state of a travel mode switching operation tool (not shown) and commands from other functional units of the control unit 5, any one of the automatic travel mode (unmanned automatic travel mode, manned automatic travel mode), the remote control travel mode, and the manual travel mode is selected.

[0053] The manual travel control unit 50C used in the manual travel mode controls the steering device based on the operation amount of the steering wheel 10, and controls the transmission device based on the operations of manual operation tools such as the main transmission lever 7A and the sub-transmission lever 7B.

[0054] The remote control travel control unit 50B used in the remote control travel mode controls the steering device and the transmission device based on the operation commands from the remote control 90 received by the remote control reception unit 9A, and performs supply travel and the like. In this embodiment, the remote control travel is treated as travel similar to unmanned automatic travel, that is, as unmanned travel.

[0055] The automatic driving control unit 50A used in the automatic driving mode has a path following steering function and a turning automatic steering function. The automatic driving control unit 50A performs path following control so that the vehicle body 1 travels along the target driving path set in the driving path setting unit 53. In this path following control, using the vehicle body position calculated by the vehicle body position calculation unit 52, the position deviation of the vehicle body 1 with respect to the target driving path (lateral deviation with respect to the target driving path) and the azimuth deviation of the vehicle body 1 (the deviation angle of the vehicle body azimuth with respect to the azimuth of the target driving path) are calculated, and steering control is performed so that this position deviation and azimuth deviation become small.

[0056] Furthermore, this automatic driving control unit 50A has a supply running function for approaching the supply side SH0 with the vehicle body 1 in the supply material posture. When receiving a supply running command from the remote controller 90 or the in-vehicle terminal 6, the automatic driving control unit 50A performs supply material running between the end point of running on the internal path IRS during running and the start point of running on the next internal path IRS to be run. When the type of supply material is a planted seedling or a planted seed, since the receiving location of the material is the front side of the vehicle body, the supply material posture is a front butting posture in which the front end of the vehicle body 1 is butted against the supply side SH0. Also, when the type of supply material is fertilizer or a chemical agent, since the receiving location of the material is the rear side of the vehicle body, the supply material posture is a rear butting posture in which the rear end of the vehicle body 1 is butted against the supply side SH0. When stopping the aircraft in the front butting posture, it travels straight from the end of the internal path IRS during running and stops at a predetermined aircraft stop position. When stopping the aircraft in the rear butting posture, it turns along the turning path IRT from the end of the internal path IRS during running to the start of the internal path IRS scheduled to be run next, and from there, it reverses and goes straight toward the supply side SH0 and stops at a predetermined aircraft stop position.

[0057] The in-vehicle terminal 6 is a communication terminal equipped with a touch panel 6A, and can also be used as a remote control operating device for operating the vehicle body 1 by being removed from the vehicle body 1. The in-vehicle terminal 6 has a graphical interface and functions for displaying and inputting information through the touch panel 6A and a function as a data input / output interface for the control unit 5.

[0058] In this embodiment, the in-vehicle terminal 6 is provided with a replenishment side setting unit 61, a field shape calculation unit 62, a travel locus management unit 63, a region setting unit 64, and a travel route generation unit 65.

[0059] The in-vehicle terminal 6 has a data communication function, and acquires and stores information about the field through data communication. The information about the field includes the location of the field, the name of the field, the position of the entrance (exit) of the field, and the locations where seedlings and fertilizers can be replenished.

[0060] The replenishment side setting unit 61 functions as a basic side setting unit, and automatically or through manual operation, sets a replenishment side SH0 which is a basic side. The replenishment side SH0 is a side used for replenishment, and usually, vehicle entrances and exits are formed at both ends or one end of the side.

[0061] In this embodiment, the replenishment side setting unit 61 can be preset to stop the rice transplanter at a predetermined timing and at a predetermined replenishment side SH0 for material replenishment.

[0062] The travel locus management unit 63 operates in conjunction with the vehicle body position calculation unit 52. The travel locus management unit 63 generates and stores the travel locus of the vehicle body 1 based on the vehicle body position calculated by the vehicle body position calculation unit 52. The field shape calculation unit 62 operates in conjunction with the travel locus management unit 63. When the field shape is unknown, the field shape calculation unit 62 calculates the field shape by the method described with reference to FIG. 2. The region setting unit 64 sets an outer peripheral region OA including a basic side travel locus and a remaining side travel locus, and an inner region IA inside the outer peripheral region OA based on the field shape. The region setting unit 64 can also set an approach limit line AL and a special region.

[0063] The travel route generation unit 65 is provided with a circular travel route generation function for generating a circular travel route CR for automatically traveling around the outer peripheral region OA, and a reciprocating travel route generation function for generating a reciprocating travel route IR for automatically traveling back and forth in the inner region IA.

[0064] The control unit 5 and the in-vehicle terminal 6 are substantially configured by a computer system. Each functional unit constructed by these computer systems can be realized by the cooperation of the hardware associated with each computer system and the program installed in each computer system. Of course, in a specific functional unit, its function may be realized only by hardware, only by a program, or by cooperation with an external application server.

[0065] Next, an example of the temporary power-off process will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. This temporary power-off process starts when the supply running state is confirmed from a supply material command from the in-vehicle terminal 6 or the remote controller 90, or detection of supply material running by the control unit 5. Also, when the end of the supply running is confirmed, the temporary power-off process stops.

[0066] When the temporary power-off process starts, the vehicle body position is acquired from the vehicle body position calculation unit 52 (#10). It is checked whether the vehicle body 1 has entered the special area from the acquired vehicle body position (#11). The special area here is an area where it is estimated that the vehicle body 1 will stop in supply of materials (seedling supply) set based on the approach limit line AL. The vehicle body 1 entering this special area is one of the temporary power-off conditions in this embodiment.

[0067] If the vehicle body 1 has entered the special area (#11 Yes branch), further, as another temporary power-off condition in this embodiment, it is checked whether the vehicle body 1 is in a forward posture (also referred to as a forward approach posture) facing the supply side SH0 (#12). For example, when the vehicle body 1 is parked sideways on the supply side SH0, it is considered that it is not for supply of materials, and it is determined that the temporary power-off condition is not satisfied.

[0068] If the vehicle body 1 is in the forward approach posture (#12 Yes branch), further, as another temporary power-off condition in this embodiment, it is checked whether the vehicle body 1 is in a complete stop state rather than an instantaneous stop (#13).

[0069] If the vehicle body 1 is in a complete stop state (#13 Yes branch), it can be presumed that the vehicle body 1 is in a special area, in a forward-leaning posture, and is stopped, that is, it is a material supply stop. Next, it is determined whether this presumed material supply stop has continued for a set time or more. For this purpose, first, it is checked whether the control flag is ON (#14). The control flag is set to OFF in the initial process performed at the start of this temporary power stop process. Therefore, at the time when the material supply stop is first presumed, the control flag is OFF. Thus, branching to No at #14, the control flag is set to ON (#17), and the timer is started (#18). Next, it is checked whether the material supply stop has elapsed for a set time or more (#18). If the material supply stop time is less than the set time (#15 No branch), the process returns to #10, and the steps from #10 to #14 are repeated.

[0070] #10 to #14 steps in the rice transplanter movement is schematically shown in FIG. 5. In this schematically shown rice transplanter movement, the rice transplanter, for material supply, even after passing the end point of the internal path IRS of the reciprocating travel path IR, without changing direction, directly crosses the outer peripheral area OA and heads towards the boundary side SH which is the supply side SH0. At this time, when the vehicle body 1 approaches the boundary side SH, since precise position control is difficult in automatic driving, it switches to remote control driving, and the remote control operator enters the rice transplanter into the special area while visually confirming and approaches it to the boundary side SH. The approach stop target position of this rice transplanter is the position where a virtual point set several centimeters to a dozen or so centimeters in front of the front end of the vehicle body 1 reaches the approach limit line AL.

[0071] Note that, in the steps of #10, #12, and #13, when branching to No, the temporary power stop condition is not satisfied, so the control flag is set to OFF, the timer is reset (#16), and the process from #10 is performed again.

[0072] When the material supply stop time has elapsed for more than the set time (#15 Yes branch), the timer is reset (#20), and the temporary power stop control unit 57 issues a temporary power stop command to the power control unit 55 (#21). As a result, the rice transplanter enters the temporary power stop state (#22).

[0073] This temporary power stop state is maintained until some temporary power stop release operation (operation of a manual operation tool such as the main key) is performed (#30). When the temporary power stop release operation is performed (#30 Yes branch), the temporary power stop control unit 57 issues a temporary power stop release command to the power control unit 55, and the temporary power stop is released (#31). In this embodiment, the temporary power stop state is maintained until the vehicle body 1 exits the special area (#32). When the vehicle body 1 exits the special area (#32 Yes branch), this temporary power stop process will be performed from the beginning. That is, as long as the vehicle body 1 is within the special area, the vehicle body 1 will not be temporarily powered off again. This is a measure to avoid unnecessary temporary power stops. In this case, instead of the step of maintaining the temporary power stop state until the vehicle body 1 exits the special area, it may be set that the temporary power stop state is maintained until the vehicle body 1 exits other areas, for example, the outer peripheral area OA.

[0074] 〔Alternative Embodiment〕 (1) In the flowchart of FIG. 4, as the temporary power stop conditions, it is taken into account that the vehicle body 1 is in the special area, the vehicle body 1 is in the forward-leaning posture, the vehicle body 1 is completely stopped, and the stop time exceeds the set time. These temporary power stop conditions can be changed to be stricter or looser. For example, the temporary power stop condition may be only that a stop (special stop) of the vehicle body 1 for more than the set time in the special area adjacent to the supply side SH0 is detected. Also, the set time is variable, and setting the set time to zero is also included in this set time. Alternatively, instead of the condition that the vehicle body 1 is in the special area, a condition that the vehicle body 1 is in an area larger than the special area, for example, the outer peripheral area OA, may be used.

[0075] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the field shape was rectangular, but similar travel routes can be generated even for a parallelogram or a trapezoid. Furthermore, the field shape may be a polygon other than a quadrilateral.

[0076] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the estimated stop during material supply (seedlings and fertilizers) was the target of temporary power stop, but instead, the estimated stop during chemical supply may be the target of temporary power stop. In that case, the posture of the vehicle body 1 is reversed by 180°, resulting in a so-called backward-leaning posture.

[0077] (4) The functional blocks constructed in the control unit 5 and the in-vehicle terminal 6 shown in FIG. 3 can be subdivided into arbitrary functional blocks, or conversely, integrated into one functional block. Also, a configuration may be adopted in which arbitrary functional blocks are made into ECUs and they are interconnected by an in-vehicle LAN.

[0078] (5) In the above embodiment, the rice transplanter was taken as an example, but the present invention can be applied to direct seeding machines, fertilizer applicators, chemical sprayers, harvesters, tractors, etc.

[0079] Note that the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other alternative embodiments, the same hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. Also, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these, and can be appropriately modified within the scope not departing from the object of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0080] The present invention is applicable to an automatic driving control system for a field work vehicle that performs material supply during automatic driving, or a field work vehicle using such an automatic driving control system.

Explanation of Signs

[0081] 1: Vehicle body 2: Engine (power unit) 3: Seedling planting device 4: Fertilizer applicator 5: Control Unit 6: On-vehicle Terminal 8: Positioning Unit 10: Steering Wheel 30: Chemical Spraying Device 50: Travel Control Unit 50A: Automatic Driving Control Unit 50B: Remote Control Driving Control Unit 52: Vehicle Body Position Calculation Unit 55: Power Control Unit 56: Parking Detection Unit 57: Temporary Power Stop Control Unit 61: Supply Side Setting Unit 90: Remote Control AL: Approach Limit Line IA: Internal Area IR: Reciprocating Travel Route IRS: Internal Route OA: Outer Periphery Area SH: Boundary Line SH0: Basic Side (Supply Side) SP: Supply Stop Position

Claims

1. An automatic driving control system for a field work vehicle that travels along a reciprocating driving route consisting of a circumferential driving route set in an outer peripheral area along the boundary of a field, an internal route set in an internal area inside the outer peripheral area, and a turning route, comprising: a power control unit that controls the driving of the power unit of the field work vehicle; a supply side setting unit that sets at least one side of the boundary as a supply side for replenishing materials required for work travel; a stop detection unit that detects a stop for a set time or longer of the field work vehicle in a special area adjacent to the supply side as a special stop; a temporary power stop control unit that issues a temporary power stop command to the power control unit to temporarily stop the driving of the power unit when the temporary power stop condition including the special stop is satisfied; An automatic driving control system comprising:

2. The automatic driving control system according to claim 1, wherein the special area is an area between a driving permission line provided along the boundary side and the boundary side, where automatic driving of the field work vehicle is permitted, and an area where the field work vehicle does not contact a boundary object forming the boundary side.

3. The automatic driving control system according to claim 2, wherein the driving permission line is variable and is automatically adjusted according to the size of the field work vehicle.

4. The automatic driving control system according to claim 1, wherein the temporary power stop condition includes that the field work vehicle is in a forward posture facing the supply side.

5. The automatic driving control system according to claim 1, wherein when the power unit temporarily stopped by the temporary power stop command is driven again, the temporary power stop control unit does not issue the temporary power stop command unless the field work vehicle exits the special area once.

6. The automatic driving control system according to claim 1, having an unmanned automatic driving mode for automatically driving the field work vehicle unmanned, a manned automatic driving mode for automatically driving the field work vehicle manned, and a remote driving mode for remotely driving the field work vehicle, and the temporary power stop control unit functions only when the unmanned automatic driving mode or the remote driving mode is set.

7. A field work vehicle equipped with the automatic driving control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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