Method for providing maintenance service of facility, method for executing processing required for maintenance of facility and computer system

Abstract

To allow even an operator who has less knowledge and experience or an unmanned work vehicle to perform maintenance of a facility such as a golf course.SOLUTION: A computer system Cs executes processing required for maintenance of a facility such as a golf course. A vehicle V capable of moving on at least one region on which plants grow, mounts thereon a sensor for detecting data related to growth of plants. The computer system Cs acquires data related to growth of the plants detected by a sensor on at one point on the at least one region where plants grow, when the vehicle moves on the at least one region where plants grow, generates information available for maintenance of the facility based on data related to growth of the plants, and outputs the information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for providing a facility maintenance management service, a method for executing processes necessary for facility maintenance management, and a computer system, and particularly relates to a method and a system for providing information (for example, work information indicating work necessary for facility maintenance management) that can be used for facility maintenance management to a facility.

Background Art

[0002] As of 2013, there are 2,258 golf courses nationwide in the "golf course", which is one of the leisure industries. However, due to the economic situation, the number of golfers has decreased, and there is no stopping the decline in sales at golf courses, such as price cuts for play fees (usage fees) due to intensified customer attraction competition and decreased sales at cafeteria stores. The profit situation at golf courses remains severe. In order to improve the profit situation, each golf course has introduced its own cost-saving measures (outsourcing of the restaurant department, energy conservation of electricity, heat, and water, review of facility maintenance management costs, etc.), but the effects are limited.

[0003] On the other hand, since the method of maintaining and managing golf course courses follows the conventional method, labor saving and efficiency improvement of work have not progressed. Therefore, the maintenance management costs of the courses, which are regarded as a sacred area at golf courses (mowing grass, spraying fertilizers and disinfectants, renewal work, etc.), have hardly been reduced, which has become a major management issue.

[0004] The current maintenance management of the course is positioned as a business that constantly requires manpower, and the majority of the expenses are occupied by labor costs, the purchase cost of equipment such as lawn mowers, and the maintenance cost of the purchased equipment.

[0005] In fact, workers operating lawn mowers or the like must interrupt their work when players take tee shots so as not to interfere with play. The time interval until the next party arrives is generally several minutes, during which they can only work, and since the work is constantly interrupted, work efficiency is extremely poor. Assuming an 8-hour actual working day, it is estimated that the substantial working ability is only about 4 hours, which is half of that.

[0006] Moreover, despite the work content being divided into various types such as lawn mowing, fertilizer, disinfectant, topdressing, irrigation spraying, thatch (mowing debris) removal, weeding, and cleaning, the working hours are limited to daytime (while the sun is out). Also, since the condition of the grass varies depending on the location on the course such as the green, rough, fairway, and tee ground, it is necessary to adjust the work content at each location. Furthermore, on a golf course, since the area where the grass grows has a hilly rather than a flat shape, maintaining the grass is not easy. Currently, the maintenance of the grass on golf courses is carried out by a large number of workers, but it is not easy to secure workers with experience and knowledge. Thus, despite the fact that the maintenance work of the golf course is not simple, the working hours per day are limited, so the actual situation is that sufficient maintenance work is not being done.

[0007] In particular, at each golf course, since it has become difficult to maintain the membership system after the bubble burst, the current situation is that they are trying to maintain their operations by attracting a large number of non-members. For this reason, self-play has become the mainstream, and due to factors such as a decrease in the average customer price, an extension of operating hours, and the normalization of 24 / 7 operations, it has become increasingly difficult to carry out the maintenance work of the course. As a result, there was a problem that it was very difficult to reduce the maintenance cost of the course with the conventional methods.

[0008] It is also known to use machines for the maintenance and management work of a golf course. For example, an automatic lawn mower that mows grass while automatically moving on a golf course or the like is known (Patent Document 1). However, since it is ultimately a human who operates such a machine, simply introducing such a machine still leaves the above-described problems unsolved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] As described above, in a conventional golf course, there has been a problem that it is very difficult to reduce the maintenance and management costs of the course.

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and by providing information that can be used for the maintenance and management of facilities such as golf courses, even an operator with little knowledge or experience or an unmanned work vehicle can perform the work necessary for the maintenance and management of the facilities based on the provided information, thereby making it possible to reduce the maintenance and management costs of the facilities. The purpose is to provide a method and a system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] The method of the present invention is a method for providing a maintenance service for a facility including at least one area where plants grow, the method comprising providing the facility with at least one vehicle movable on the at least one area, wherein the at least one vehicle is equipped with at least one sensor for detecting data related to the growth of the plants, and generating information that can be used for the maintenance of the facility based on the data related to the growth of the plants detected by the at least one sensor at at least one point in the at least one area while the at least one vehicle is moving on the at least one area, and providing the information to the facility, whereby the above object is achieved.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the information may include work information indicating work necessary for the maintenance of the facility.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the information may be shown on a map of the facility.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the facility is a golf course, the plant is turf, the data related to the growth of the turf includes at least one of environmental data indicating the environment in which the turf grows and growth state data indicating the growth state of the turf, the environmental data includes at least one of data indicating temperature, data indicating humidity, data indicating wind direction, data indicating soil moisture content, and data indicating soil pH value, and the growth state data may include data indicating the concentration of chlorophyll.

[0016] The method of the present invention is a method for performing processes necessary for the maintenance and management of a facility including at least one area where plants grow. The method is executed in a computer system, and at least one vehicle capable of moving on the at least one area is equipped with at least one sensor for detecting data related to the growth of the plants. The method includes the computer system acquiring data related to the growth of the plants detected by the at least one sensor at at least one point in the at least one area while the at least one vehicle is moving on the at least one area, the computer system generating information that can be used for the maintenance and management of the facility based on the acquired data related to the growth of the plants, and the computer system outputting the information, whereby the above object is achieved.

[0017] The system of the present invention is a computer system for performing processes necessary for the maintenance and management of a facility including at least one area where plants grow. At least one vehicle capable of moving on the at least one area is equipped with at least one sensor for detecting data related to the growth of the plants. The computer system is configured to acquire data related to the growth of the plants detected by the at least one sensor at at least one point in the at least one area while the at least one vehicle is moving on the at least one area, generate information that can be used for the maintenance and management of the facility based on the acquired data related to the growth of the plants, and output the information, whereby the above object is achieved.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, it may further include providing at least one work vehicle capable of moving on the at least one area to the facility, and the at least one work vehicle is equipped with at least one working device for performing work necessary for the maintenance and management of the facility based on the information.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the information is available in at least one work vehicle movable on the at least one area, and the at least one work vehicle may be equipped with at least one work device for performing work necessary for maintenance management of the facility based on the information.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the information is available in at least one work vehicle movable on the at least one area, and the at least one work vehicle may be equipped with at least one work device for performing work necessary for maintenance management of the facility based on the information.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the information is available in the at least one vehicle, and the at least one vehicle may be further equipped with at least one work device for performing work necessary for maintenance management of the facility based on the information.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the information is available in the at least one vehicle, and the at least one vehicle may be further equipped with at least one work device for performing work necessary for maintenance management of the facility based on the information.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the information is available in the at least one vehicle, and the at least one vehicle may be further equipped with at least one work device for performing work necessary for maintenance management of the facility based on the information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, by providing information that can be used for maintenance management of facilities such as golf courses, it is possible to clarify and standardize work standards. As a result, even workers with little knowledge and experience or unmanned work vehicles can perform the work necessary for facility maintenance management based on the provided information, and thus the necessary costs for facility maintenance management can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0027] (Embodiment 1) The present invention relates to a method and a system for providing a maintenance management service for a facility including at least one area where plants grow.

[0028] First, taking a golf course as an example of a facility, one form of providing a maintenance management service for the golf course will be described.

[0029] (Form of providing golf course maintenance and management services) Figure 1A shows the positional relationship between a business office 1000 that provides golf course maintenance and management services and a plurality of golf courses G1 to G8 located within the service area Rs of the business office 1000.

[0030] The service area Rs of the business office 1000 is preferably a circle with a radius of 10 kilometers centered on the business office 1000, but is not limited to this. The business office 1000 provides golf course maintenance and management services for each of the plurality of golf courses G1 to G8 located within the service area Rs of the business office 1000. Thereby, each golf course can perform the maintenance and management of the golf course in accordance with the golf course maintenance and management services provided by the business office 1000 even if it does not have machines and know-how for maintaining and managing the golf course.

[0031] Figure 1B shows a state in which a plurality of golf courses G1 to G8 within the service area Rs of the business office 1000 are classified into two groups.

[0032] In the example shown in Figure 1B, golf courses G1 to G4 are classified into one group (unit U1), and golf courses G5 to G8 are classified into another group (unit U2). Golf courses belonging to the same group are preferably golf courses that are close to each other, but are not limited to this. In the example shown in Figure 1B, only the layout of the holes H of the golf course G1 is shown. The layouts of the holes of the golf courses G2 to G8 other than the golf course G1 are omitted from the illustration.

[0033] The business office 1000 provides golf course maintenance and management services in units of each of these groups (i.e., units). For example, the business office 1000 provides one or more vehicles owned by the business office 1000 (or the company to which the business office 1000 belongs) to the golf course G1. For example, one or more vehicles may be transported into the golf course G1 by the staff of the business office 1000 driving and moving one or more vehicles. Alternatively, one or more vehicles may be transported into the golf course G1 by the staff of the business office 1000 loading one or more vehicles onto a truck. The one or more vehicles are vehicles (e.g., lawn mowers) used for maintaining and managing the golf course G1.

[0034] It is preferable but not limited to that the one or more vehicles are shared among several golf courses (e.g., golf courses G1 to G4 belonging to the unit U1). For example, one or more vehicles may be shared among the golf courses G1 to G4 belonging to the unit U1, and one or more other vehicles may be shared among the golf courses G5 to G8 belonging to the unit U2. However, the form of sharing one or more vehicles for maintaining and managing facilities such as golf courses is not limited to such a form. For example, after one or more vehicles are circulated and used in the golf courses G1 to G4 belonging to the unit U1, the same one or more vehicles may be circulated and used in the golf courses G5 to G8 belonging to the unit U2.

[0035] While the one or more vehicles transported into the golf course G1 are being used for maintaining and managing the golf course G1, the one or more vehicles collect various data (e.g., data related to the growth of plants) that can be used for maintaining and managing the golf course G1. The data collected by the one or more vehicles is stored in the maintenance management system 100 installed within the business office 1000. This maintenance management system 100 generates information that can be used for maintaining and managing the golf course G1 by processing the stored data. This information is provided to the golf course G1 (e.g., the administrator of the golf course G1).

[0036] One or more vehicles carried into golf course G1 will move to golf course G2 the next day, then to golf course G3 the day after that, and then to golf course G4 the day after that. In this way, one or more vehicles provided by business office 1000 can be shared cyclically among golf courses G1 - G4 with unit U1 as one unit. The task of moving one or more vehicles between golf courses is preferably carried out by the staff of business office 1000, but is not limited to this. The shift for cycling one or more vehicles does not have to be daily and can of course be carried out at regular intervals. Also, at the same time as one set of one or more vehicles is carried into golf course G1, another set of one or more vehicles can be carried into golf course G3, and by sharing these two sets of one or more vehicles cyclically, it is also possible to narrow the working intervals.

[0037] In this way, since one or more vehicles carried into each golf course are regularly provided by business office 1000, each golf course does not need to own one or more vehicles by itself. Therefore, each golf course does not need to bear the purchase cost and maintenance cost of one or more vehicles. Furthermore, since each golf course is provided with information that can be used for the maintenance and management of each golf course from business office 1000, each golf course does not need to have its own computer equipment either. As a result, each golf course can reduce the costs required for the maintenance and management of the golf course.

[0038] Note that in the example shown in Figure 1A, the service area Rs served by one business office 1000 includes 8 golf courses, but the number of golf courses included in the service area Rs of one business office 1000 is not limited to 8. The service area Rs served by one business office 1000 can include any number of golf courses. Also, in the example shown in Figure 1B, one unit includes 4 golf courses, but the number of golf courses included in one unit is not limited to 4. One unit can include any number of golf courses.

[0039] Furthermore, in the examples shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a plurality of golf courses within the service area Rs served by one office are grouped and maintained to provide maintenance management services, but this is not limiting. For example, maintenance management services may be provided to each golf course without grouping a plurality of golf courses within the service area Rs served by one office.

[0040] (Maintenance Management System 100) FIG. 2A shows an example of the configuration of the maintenance management system 100 installed within the office 1000 shown in FIG. 1B.

[0041] The maintenance management system 100 executes processes necessary to provide maintenance management services. The maintenance management system 100 includes a computer system Cs and one or more vehicles V that can move over at least one area where turf grows within a golf course. At least one sensor for detecting data related to the growth of the turf is mounted on the one or more vehicles V.

[0042] FIG. 2B shows an example of the configuration of the computer system Cs included in the maintenance management system 100 shown in FIG. 2A.

[0043] The computer system Cs includes a database Db1 that stores reference data indicating criteria for determining, from data related to the growth of the turf, the work necessary for facility maintenance, similar to a knowledgeable and experienced worker, and a data processing unit Dp that creates work information indicating the work necessary for facility maintenance by referring to the reference data based on the detected data related to the growth of the turf.

[0044] FIG. 2C shows an example of a golf course that is the target of maintenance management services. In the example shown in FIG. 2C, the golf course G1 includes a clubhouse C and a plurality of holes H1 to H9. The reference data is information for determining the watering amount in a specific area (the green of hole H1) of the golf course G1, for example, based on the knowledge and experience of the operator, from at least one of six parameters: temperature, humidity, wind direction, soil moisture content, soil pH value, and chlorophyll concentration in this specific area. The reference data is stored in the database Db1 in a table format, for example. However, the reference data is not limited to information for determining the watering amount in a specific area from the six parameters of temperature, humidity, wind direction, soil moisture content, soil pH value, and chlorophyll concentration in the specific area. The reference data may be any data that can determine, in the same way as an operator with knowledge and experience, the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course from various parameters.

[0045] Note that the computer system Cs shown in FIG. 2B may have, in addition to the database Db1, a database Db2 that stores map data showing a map of the golf course G1. In this case, the work information generated by the data processing unit Dp can be map - format information showing the work necessary for maintenance management on the map of the golf course G1. For example, in this map - format information, the areas that require watering are color - coded in a specific color, and the areas with a larger required watering amount are shown in a darker color than the areas with a smaller required watering amount.

[0046] Also, the computer system Cs shown in FIG. 2B may have, in addition to the databases Db1 and Db2, a database Db3 that stores data related to the growth of turf. In this case, it becomes possible to accumulate data related to the growth of turf on each course of the golf course and standardize the work for the management and maintenance of the golf course.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows an example of the processing executed by the computer system Cs shown in FIG. 2B.

[0048] Step Pa: While one or more vehicles V are moving on at least one area where turf is growing (for example, a predetermined hole of the golf course G1), the computer system Cs acquires data related to the growth of the turf detected by at least one sensor mounted on one or more vehicles at at least one point in at least one area. The data related to the growth of the turf includes at least one of environmental data indicating the environment in which the turf is growing and growth state data indicating the growth state of the turf. The environmental data includes, for example, data indicating temperature, data indicating humidity, data indicating wind direction, data indicating soil moisture content, and data indicating soil pH value. The growth state data includes, for example, data indicating chlorophyll concentration. Here, the growth state data may further include data indicating the height of the turf. The data detected by the sensor mounted on one or more vehicles is wirelessly transmitted from one or more vehicles and received by the computer system Cs via a wireless network, so that it may be acquired by the computer system Cs. Alternatively, when the data related to the growth of the turf detected by the sensor mounted on one or more vehicles is stored in the medium memory in one or more vehicles, it may be acquired by the computer system Cs by inserting the medium memory into the slot of the computer system Cs. The manner in which the computer system Cs acquires the data related to the growth of the turf detected by at least one sensor mounted on one or more vehicles can be any manner.

[0049] Step Pb: The computer system Cs generates information that can be used for the maintenance and management of the golf course G1 based on the data related to the growth of the turf acquired in Step Pa. Here, the information that can be used for the maintenance and management of the golf course G1 may be the data related to the growth of the turf itself. Alternatively, the information that can be used for the maintenance and management of the golf course G1 may be work information indicating the work required for the maintenance and management of the golf course G1. A specific example of how the computer system Cs generates work information indicating the work required for the maintenance and management of the golf course G1 based on the data related to the growth of the turf will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

[0050] Step Pc: The computer system Cs outputs the information generated in step Pb (i.e., the information that can be used for the maintenance management of the golf course G1). Here, the format of the information output from the computer system Cs can be any format. For example, the information output from the computer system Cs may be printed on a paper medium or recorded on a recording medium. In this case, the information that can be used for the maintenance management of the golf course G1 can be provided to the golf course G1 (e.g., the administrator of the golf course G1) in the form of a paper medium or a recording medium. Alternatively, the information output from the computer system Cs may be provided to the golf course G1 (e.g., the administrator of the golf course G1) in a form that is transmitted from the computer system Cs to the terminal device of the administrator of the golf course G1 via a wireless or wired network.

[0051] FIG. 4 generalizes the method for providing the above-described golf course maintenance management service to a method for providing a service for maintaining and managing a facility, and shows the steps required for the method. Here, the facility is assumed to include at least one area where plants (e.g., turf) grow. A golf course is an example of a facility.

[0052] Step S1: Provide at least one vehicle equipped with at least one sensor for detecting data related to the growth of plants to the facility.

[0053] Step S2: While at least one vehicle is moving on at least one area of the facility, generate information that can be used for the maintenance management of the facility based on the data related to the growth of plants detected by at least one sensor at at least one point in at least one area.

[0054] Step S3: Provide the information generated in step S2 to the facility.

[0055] (Vehicle) FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle V in this maintenance management system 100.

[0056] The vehicle V includes a drive unit 20 for moving the vehicle, a drive control unit 30 for controlling the drive unit 20, a sensor unit 40 for detecting data related to the growth of turfgrass, and a data processing unit 10 for processing the data detected by the sensor unit 40. The environmental data included in the data related to the growth of turfgrass is at least one of data indicating temperature, data indicating humidity, data indicating wind direction, data indicating soil moisture content, and data indicating soil pH value. The growth state data included in the data related to the growth of turfgrass is data indicating the growth state of turfgrass, for example, data indicating the chlorophyll concentration of turfgrass. This data indicating the chlorophyll concentration of turfgrass can be obtained, for example, by measuring the concentration of chlorophyll (chlorophyll) contained in turfgrass using a chlorophyll sensor.

[0057] In FIG. 5, the sensor unit 40 includes a temperature sensor 41, a humidity sensor 42, a wind direction sensor 43, a soil moisture content sensor 44, a soil pH sensor 45, and a chlorophyll sensor 46. However, the sensor unit 40 only needs to include at least one of these sensors 41 to 46.

[0058] Here, the data processing unit 10 is configured to store the data detected by each sensor of the sensor unit 40 in the internal memory 11 in association with position data indicating at which point of the golf course the data was measured. The method for obtaining the position data indicating the position of the measurement point is not particularly limited, and examples include a method of calculating based on the distance and direction moved from a reference position, and a method of calculating using a satellite positioning system. The data related to the growth of turfgrass stored in this memory 11 is provided to the maintenance management system 100 of the business office 1000 by wireless communication, wired communication, or via a portable recording medium.

[0059] The drive unit 20 includes a power source such as an engine or a motor, a steering mechanism, and one of wheels, caterpillars, legs, etc. that contact the ground surface L, and is configured to enable the vehicle V to steer left and right and switch between forward, stop, and reverse.

[0060] The drive control unit 30 controls the drive unit 20 so that the vehicle V moves along a determined course. For example, the drive control unit 30 controls the drive unit so that the vehicle moves along a guiding line installed on a golf course, or controls the drive unit to move along a course set on the map data of the golf course using a satellite positioning system. However, the configuration of the drive control unit 30 is not limited to these configurations.

[0061] Next, at the first hole H1 of the golf course G1, a process of creating information used for the maintenance and management of this hole by the vehicle V will be described.

[0062] First, the configuration of the first hole H1 will be briefly described.

[0063] (First hole H1 of golf course G1) FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the first hole H1 of the golf course G1.

[0064] The first hole H1 is divided into a plurality of areas including a tee ground 2, fairways 3, 4, rough 5, bunker 6, and green 7. The grass growing on the fairways 3, 4 needs to be managed to be shorter than the grass growing on the rough 5. The grass growing on the green 7 needs to be managed to be shorter and more neatly arranged than the grass growing on the fairways 3, 4. Furthermore, the rough 5 needs to be managed so that the grass grows thickly. Thus, the grass management state is different for each area included in the first hole H1.

[0065] Next, the procedure for creating information used for the maintenance and management of the first hole H1 will be described.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 1B, this golf course G1 is located within the service area Rs of the business office 1000 and is grouped as a unit that provides one maintenance service together with the neighboring golf courses G2 to G4 as a unit U1.

[0067] When maintenance services are provided for the golf courses G1 to G4 of the unit U1, one or more vehicles V are dispatched from the business office 1000 to the golf course G1. Here, three vehicles V are dispatched to the first hole H1. One vehicle V is arranged at the detection start point Sp3 of the fairway 3, and two vehicles are arranged at the detection start point Sp5 of the rough 5.

[0068] The vehicle V arranged on the fairway 3 moves along the path P1, and at a plurality of positions along this path, the respective sensors 41 to 46 detect temperature data, humidity data, wind direction data, soil moisture content data, soil pH data, and chlorophyll concentration. The detected data is associated with the position data indicating the detection position by the data processing unit 10 and stored in the internal memory 11. The two vehicles V starting from the detection start point Sp5 of the rough 5 move along the paths P2 and P3 respectively, and the respective sensors 41 to 46 detect temperature data, humidity data, wind direction data, soil moisture content data, soil pH data, and chlorophyll concentration. The detected data is associated with the position data indicating the detection position by the data processing unit 10 and stored in the internal memory 11. Here, the position data may be data indicating the position relative to the reference position of the golf course G1, or may be position data indicated by the latitude and longitude information by the satellite positioning system. Further, it may be position data indicating the position shown on the map of the golf course G1 based on the latitude and longitude information by the satellite positioning system.

[0069] When data related to the turf growth of the first hole rough 5 and fairway 3 is detected by three vehicles V in this way, data related to the turf growth in the remaining areas, namely the tee ground 2, fairway 4, bunker 6, and green 7, is similarly detected. The detected data is associated with the position data by the data processing unit 10 of the vehicle V and stored in the internal memory 11. Similarly, data related to the turf growth is detected for the other holes H2 to H9 and stored in the memory 11 of the data processing unit 10.

[0070] The detection process of data related to the turf growth of such a golf course is performed in parallel at the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1. After the process is completed, the vehicles V are returned to the business office 1000 from the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1 almost simultaneously.

[0071] The data related to the turf growth stored in the memory 11 of the data processing unit 10 of the plurality of vehicles V recovered at the business office 1000 is passed to the data processing unit Dp (FIG. 2B) of the computer system Cs of the maintenance management system 100 shown in FIG. 2A. Note that the transfer of data from the data processing unit 10 of the vehicle to the data processing unit Dp of the computer system Cs may be performed via a recording medium or via a network such as a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. Furthermore, the maintenance management system 100 provided at the business office 1000 may be configured to include a wireless communication unit, and the vehicle V may be configured to be equipped with a wireless communication device. The data related to the turf growth associated with the position data by the data processing unit 10 of the vehicle V may be received by the maintenance management system 100 provided at the business office 1000 by the wireless communication device and output to the computer system Cs.

[0072] When data related to the growth of turf is provided to the data processing unit Dp of the computer system Cs, the data processing unit Dp creates work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance and management of each of the golf courses G1 to G4 of the unit U1 based on the data related to the growth of turf with reference to the reference data in the database Db1. This work information is provided from the business office 1000 to each of the golf courses G1 to G4 of the unit U1.

[0073] This work information is, for example, work information indicating how much watering should be done on which part of the rough 5 of the first hole of the golf course G1, and work information necessary for the maintenance and management of the golf course G1 is provided to the golf course G1.

[0074] Furthermore, the work information is not limited to that which instructs watering. The work information can be such that, depending on what data other than the data related to the growth of turf is detected by the vehicle V as data representing the maintenance state of the facility, it can instruct mowing, aeration, topdressing, fertilizing, sweeping (surface cleaning), removing dead leaves, and bunker leveling, etc. Furthermore, the work information can also instruct work for collecting dead leaves or work for painting the divots on the tee ground or the divots on the fairway where tee shots concentrate in an approximate color according to the season and the color of the turf. The collected dead leaves can also be made into fertilizer for livestock such as cows by silage. For painting, a method can be used in which the growth state of the turf is determined based on the data indicating the growth state of the turf, and based on the judgment result, a powder obtained by pulverizing abalone shells and colored is sprayed.

[0075] Here, the data indicating the growth state of the turf can be obtained, for example, by measuring the concentration of chlorophyll (green pigment) contained in the turf using a chlorophyll sensor. This is because chlorophyll plays an important role in the photosynthesis reaction of plants, etc., and the growth situation can be judged based on its concentration.

[0076] In addition, the instruction for the operation of coloring the divots in approximate colors according to the season and the color of the turf is basically based on the visual judgment of the operator.

[0077] However, the divots are the defective parts of the turf and can be determined from the detection results by the chlorophyll sensor. The season information can be obtained from the clock function of the computer system Cs, and the color of the turf can be determined by an image sensor or the like. Therefore, it is possible to create information for instructing the operation of coloring the divots in approximate colors according to the season and the color of the turf based on the output of the sensor, and this information may be created based on the sensor output.

[0078] After that, according to the schedule information at the business office 1000, when a plurality of vehicles collected by the contractor from each of the golf courses G1 to G4 of the unit U1 are put into each of the golf courses G5 to G8 of the unit U2, data related to the growth of the turf is detected by the vehicle V at each of the golf courses G5 to G8 of the unit U2 as in the case of each of the golf courses G1 to G4 of the unit U1. Then, the vehicle V is recovered to the business office 1000. When the data related to the growth of the turf stored in the memory 11 of the data processing unit 10 of the vehicle V recovered to the business office 1000 is provided to the computer system Cs of the maintenance management system 100 installed in the business office 1000, the data processing unit Dp of the computer system Cs creates work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of each of the golf courses G5 to G8 of the unit U2.

[0079] This work information is provided from the business office 1000 to each of the golf courses G5 to G8.

[0080] Thus, in the first embodiment, the vehicle V equipped with sensors for detecting data related to the growth of turf within the facility (e.g., environmental data and / or growth state data) is provided to the golf courses G1 to G8. Based on the data detected using this vehicle V, work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance and management of each golf course G1 to G8 is created, and the created work information is provided to each golf course G1 to G8. Therefore, in each golf course G1 to G8, the work standards can be clarified and unified. For this reason, even an operator with little knowledge and experience or an unmanned work vehicle can perform the work necessary for the maintenance and management of the facility based on the work information. As a result, the necessary expenses for the maintenance and management of the facility can be reduced.

[0081] In particular, based on the detected environmental data and / or growth state data, the computer system Cs determines the work necessary for the maintenance and management of the facility by referring to the reference data indicating the judgment criteria of an operator with experience and knowledge. Therefore, the shortage of operators with experience and knowledge can be eliminated.

[0082] Also, by performing the work necessary for maintenance management at the golf course by an unmanned work vehicle at around 15:00 when there are no customers, the management of the course during the day can be reduced. Furthermore, since the environmental data within the course can be accumulated, it is also possible to standardize the work necessary for the maintenance and management of the golf course.

[0083] Furthermore, since the system for creating the work information is provided by the business office 1000 that provides the facility maintenance and management service, there is no need to purchase the equipment necessary for creating the work information at the golf course. As a result, equipment maintenance and its fuel costs can be reduced, and personnel reduction due to unmanned operation can be achieved.

[0084] In the first embodiment, the vehicle V equipped with a sensor for detecting data related to the growth of turf within the facility was provided to the golf courses G1 to G8, and the business office 1000 provided the golf courses G1 to G8 with work information indicating the work required for the maintenance of each golf course G1 to G8, obtained from the data detected using this vehicle V. However, the business office 1000 may also provide the golf courses with a service of performing the work required for the maintenance of the golf courses indicated by the work information.

[0085] In this case, since the golf courses are also provided with driverless vehicles or the like that work based on the work information from the business office 1000, there is no need for the golf courses to purchase the latest general-purpose machinery for maintenance work. Furthermore, in the work by driverless vehicles, the influence of the weather is reduced.

[0086] Hereinafter, as an example of the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the maintenance management service from the business office not only provides work information indicating the work required for the maintenance of the facility, but also provides the facility with a service of performing the work required for the maintenance of the golf course based on this work information.

[0087] (Second Embodiment) With reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C, a method for providing the maintenance management service according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7A shows the positional relationship between the business office and the golf courses within the service area, FIG. 7B shows a state in which a plurality of golf courses within the service area are grouped, and FIG. 7C shows the maintenance management system of the business office. Note that in FIG. 7, only the layout of the hole H of the golf course G1 is shown, and the layouts of the holes of the golf courses G2 to G8 other than the golf course G1 are omitted.

[0088] Also in this second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the maintenance management service for the golf courses is carried out in a grouped manner for each group by grouping the plurality of golf courses G1 to G8 located within the service area Rs, which is the service area in charge of one business office 2000, into two units U1 and U2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0089] This Embodiment 2 is different from Embodiment 1 in that the maintenance management service provided from the business office 2000 to the golf course includes not only the service of providing work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance of the golf course to the golf course, but also the service of performing the work necessary for the maintenance of the golf course based on this work information.

[0090] Therefore, in Embodiment 2, as shown in FIG. 7C, the maintenance management system 200 provided in the business office 2000 includes a plurality of vehicles V included in the maintenance management system 100 of Embodiment 1. Specifically, in addition to the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as the detection vehicle) V equipped with at least one sensor for detecting data related to the growth of the turf, it includes at least one vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as the work vehicle) Va equipped with a work device for performing the work necessary for maintenance management within the golf course. Further, the computer system Csa of the maintenance management system 200 is configured to be able to provide the work vehicle Va with work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance of the facility, created from the detected data, in addition to the functions of the computer system Cs of Embodiment 1. Other configurations in the maintenance management system 200 of Embodiment 2 are the same as those of Embodiment 1.

[0091] (Work vehicle Va) FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the work vehicle Va used in the maintenance management system 200 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0092] The work vehicle Va does not have the sensor unit 40 like the detection vehicle V shown in FIG. 5. In addition to the drive unit 20 and the drive control unit 30, it has a work device 50 for performing operations such as watering, mowing the turf, and fertilizer application, and a work control unit 10a that replaces the data processing unit 10 of the detection vehicle V. Here, the work control unit 10a has a memory 11a and is configured to control the work device 50 based on the work information stored in this memory 11a. Further, the work control unit 10a is configured to control the drive control unit 30 in accordance with the work procedure to control the position of the work vehicle Va.

[0093] Next, taking the golf course G1 as an example, the maintenance service provided by the maintenance management system 200 of this Embodiment 2 will be specifically described.

[0094] First, similar to Embodiment 1, when the detection vehicle V of the maintenance management system 200 is put into the golf course G1 from the business office 2000, data related to the growth of turf is detected by the detection vehicle V in the same manner as in Embodiment 1. The detected data (hereinafter also referred to as detection data) is taken back to the business office 2000 by the detection vehicle V and provided to the computer system Csa of the maintenance management system 200 in the business office 2000. Note that the detection data may be transmitted to the maintenance management system 200 in the business office 2000 in real time by wireless communication or the like.

[0095] When the computer system Csa of the maintenance management system 200 acquires the detection data, the computer system Csa stores the detection data in a database (not shown), creates work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course from the detection data, and provides the work information to the work vehicle Va to be put into the golf course G1. Thereafter, a maintenance service for executing the work is provided for the golf courses G1 to G4 of the unit U1. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of work vehicles Va are put into the golf course G1 from the business office 2000.

[0096] Here, three work vehicles Va are put into the first hole H1. One work vehicle Va is arranged at the work start point (for example, the same as the detection start point) Sp3 of the fairway 3, and two work vehicles Va are arranged at the work start point (for example, the same as the detection start point) Sp5 of the rough 5.

[0097] The work vehicle Va arranged on the fairway 3 moves along the specified route P1 and executes the necessary work based on the work information at a plurality of positions along this route. The two work vehicles Va arranged on the rough 5 move along the specified routes P2 and P3 respectively and execute the necessary work based on the work information at a plurality of positions along each route.

[0098] When the work required for the rough 5 and the fairway 3 of the first hole is thus executed by the three work vehicles Va, the work required for the remaining areas, namely the tee ground 2, the fairway 4, the bunker 6, and the green 7, is similarly executed. Further, the work required for the other holes H2 to H9 is similarly executed.

[0099] The detection process of data related to the turf growth of the golf course and the execution of management work are performed in parallel at the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1. After completion, the work vehicles Va are returned to the business office 2000 from the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1 almost simultaneously. In order to collect the work vehicles Va provided to each golf course in this way at the same time, for example, the number of work vehicles Va provided to each golf course within one unit U1 needs to be set according to the size of the turf area of the golf course so that the time required for all work at each golf course is approximately the same.

[0100] After that, maintenance management services are similarly provided to the golf courses G5 to G8 of the other unit U2 according to the schedule management.

[0101] Thus, in the second embodiment, the detection vehicle V equipped with a sensor for detecting data related to the turf growth in the facility and the work vehicle Va are provided to the golf courses G1 to G8. Based on the data detected by the detection vehicle V, work information indicating the work required for the maintenance management of each golf course G1 to G8 is created. Based on the created work information, the work vehicle Va executes the work required for the maintenance management of each golf course. Therefore, at each golf course G1 to G8, it is possible to perform the work required for the maintenance management of the facility based on the work information by the unmanned work vehicle. As a result, the necessary expenses for the maintenance management of the facility can be reduced.

[0102] Note that, as shown in Fig. 16A, the work vehicle Va shown in Embodiment 2 may be configured such that a towing vehicle A equipped with a work device 50 and a work control unit 10d for controlling the same is connected to a towing vehicle V0 by a coupler 80. Here, the work control unit 10d has a memory 11d and is configured to control the work device 50 based on work information stored in the memory 11d. Further, the work control unit 10d is configured to control the drive control unit 30 of the towing vehicle V0 in accordance with the work procedure to control the position of the towed vehicle A.

[0103] Also, in the above Embodiment 2, as the maintenance management system 200, one including at least one detection vehicle V equipped with a sensor and at least one work vehicle Va equipped with a work device is shown. However, the maintenance management system 200 of Embodiment 2 may include at least one detection work vehicle equipped with both a sensor and a work device instead of these detection vehicle V and work vehicle Va. A method of providing a maintenance management service for a golf course using such a detection work vehicle will be described as Embodiment 3 below.

[0104] (Embodiment 3) With reference to Figs. 10A to 10C, a method of providing a maintenance management service according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described.

[0105] Fig. 10A shows the positional relationship between the business office and the golf course within the service area, Fig. 10B shows a state in which a plurality of golf courses within the service area are grouped, and Fig. 10C shows the maintenance management system of the business office. Note that, in Fig. 10B, only the layout of the holes H of the golf course G1 is shown, and the layouts of the holes of the golf courses G2 to G8 other than the golf course G1 are omitted.

[0106] Also in this Embodiment 3, as shown in Figs. 10A and 10B, the maintenance management service for the golf course is performed by grouping a plurality of golf courses G1 to G8 located within the service area Rs under the charge of one business office 3000 into two units U1 and U2 and collecting them for each group, in the same manner as in Embodiments 1 and 2.

[0107] In Embodiment 3, as shown in FIG. 10C, the maintenance management system 300 provided in the business office 3000 includes, instead of the plurality of vehicles V included in the maintenance management system 100 of Embodiment 1, a detection work vehicle Vb capable of detecting data related to the growth of turf and capable of executing work for facility management based on work information obtained from the detected data. Here, similar to the computer system Csa of Embodiment 2, the computer system Csb of the maintenance management system 300 acquires the data detected by each detection work vehicle Vb, creates work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course from the acquired data, and is configured to provide the work information to each detection work vehicle Vb. Further, the computer system Csb is configured to acquire and store the data detected by the detection work vehicle Vb.

[0108] (Detection work vehicle Vb) As shown in FIG. 11, the detection work vehicle Vb includes, in addition to the configuration of the work vehicle Va of Embodiment 2, a sensor unit 40 having a plurality of sensors 41 to 46, and further includes a work control unit 10b different from the work control unit 10a of Embodiment 2. This work control unit 10b controls the drive control unit 30 in the same manner as the work control unit 10a of Embodiment 2, stores the work information provided from the computer system Csb in the memory 11b, and is configured to instruct the work device 50 to perform the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course based on the work information. The data detected by the plurality of sensors 41 to 46 is also recorded in the memory 11b of the work control unit 10b. When the detection work vehicle Vb returns to the business office 3000, at least one of the environmental data and the growth state data stored in the memory 11b is provided to and accumulated in the computer system Csb of the maintenance management system 300.

[0109] Next, the maintenance management service provided by the maintenance management system 300 of this Embodiment 3 will be specifically described by taking the golf course G1 as an example.

[0110] First, similar to Embodiment 2, when the detection work vehicle Vb of the maintenance management system 300 is deployed from the business office 3000 to the golf course G1, data related to the growth of turf is detected by the detection work vehicle Vb in the same manner as in Embodiment 1. The detected data (hereinafter also referred to as detection data) is taken back to the business office 3000 by the detection work vehicle Vb and provided to the computer system Csb of the maintenance management system 300 in the business office 3000. Note that the detection data may be transmitted to the maintenance management system 300 in the business office 3000 in real time by wireless communication or the like.

[0111] When the computer system Csb of the maintenance management system 300 acquires the detection data, the computer system Csb stores the detection data in a database (not shown), and similar to the computer system Csa of Embodiment 2, creates work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course from the detection data, and provides the work information to the detection work vehicle Vb deployed to the golf course G1. Thereafter, a maintenance management service for executing the work is provided to the golf courses G1 to G4 of the unit U1. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of detection work vehicles Vb are deployed from the business office 3000 to the golf course G1.

[0112] Here, three detection work vehicles Vb are deployed on the 1st hole H1. One detection work vehicle Vb is arranged at the work start point (for example, the same as the detection start point) Sp3 of the fairway 3, and two detection work vehicles Vb are arranged at the work start point (for example, the same as the detection start point) Sp5 of the rough 5.

[0113] The detection work vehicle Vb arranged on the fairway 3 moves along the specified route P1 and executes the necessary work based on the work information at a plurality of positions along this route. The detection work vehicle Vb arranged on the rough 5 moves along the specified route P2 and executes the necessary work based on the work information at a plurality of positions along this route.

[0114] When the necessary operations in the rough 5 and fairway 3 of hole 1 are thus carried out by the three detection work vehicles Vb, the necessary operations are similarly carried out in the remaining areas, namely the tee ground 2, fairway 4, bunker 6, and green 7. Further, the necessary operations are similarly carried out for the other holes H2 to H9.

[0115] The detection process of data related to the turf growth of such a golf course and the execution of maintenance management work are carried out in parallel in the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1. After its completion, the detection work vehicles Vb are returned to the business office 3000 from the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1 almost simultaneously. Note that in order to collect the detection work vehicles Vb provided to each golf course simultaneously in this way, for example, the number of detection work vehicles Vb provided to each golf course within one unit U1 needs to be set according to the size of the turf area of the golf course and the like so that the time required for the work at each golf course is approximately the same.

[0116] After that, maintenance management services are similarly provided to the golf courses G5 to G8 of the other unit U2 according to the schedule management.

[0117] Thus, in the third embodiment, instead of the detection vehicle V and the work vehicle Va of the second embodiment, a detection work vehicle Vb equipped with a sensor unit for detecting data related to the turf growth and a work device for performing the necessary operations for the facility maintenance management is used. Therefore, the detection work vehicle Vb can be used for both the detection of data related to the turf growth in the golf course and the work for the maintenance management of the golf course, and the utilization efficiency of the vehicle at the business office can be improved.

[0118] In addition, in the third embodiment, the maintenance management system 300 is shown as including only the detection work vehicle Vb. However, the maintenance management system 300 may include, in addition to the detection work vehicle Vb, the detection vehicle V and the work vehicle Va of the second embodiment. In this case, the vehicle to be provided to the golf course can be selected according to the service requested by the golf course. For example, when a service that provides only work information indicating the work required for the maintenance management of the golf course is requested, the detection vehicle V or the detection work vehicle Vb is provided to the golf course. Alternatively, when a service that provides such work information and also provides work for the actual maintenance management of the golf course is requested, both the detection vehicle V and the work vehicle Va, or the detection work vehicle Vb, are provided to the golf course. Further, when urgent work is required for the maintenance management of the golf course, the detection work vehicle Vb is provided to the golf course.

[0119] Also, in the above-described third embodiment, regarding the example where the detection work vehicle Vb equipped with both the sensor unit 40 and the work device 50 is used as the vehicle that runs on the golf course for the maintenance management of the golf course, and the work information required during the work by the detection work vehicle Vb is created by the computer system of the maintenance management system based on the data acquired from the detection work vehicle Vb, the work information may be created inside the detection work vehicle Vb based on the data detected by the sensor unit of the detection work vehicle Vb.

[0120] Hereinafter, an example in which such work information is created inside the detection work vehicle and used for the work by the detection work vehicle will be described as the fourth embodiment.

[0121] (Fourth Embodiment) With reference to FIGS. 13A to 13C, a method for providing a maintenance management service according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0122] FIG. 13A shows the positional relationship between the office and the golf courses within the service area, FIG. 13B shows the state in which a plurality of golf courses within the service area are grouped, and FIG. 13C shows the maintenance management system of the office. In FIG. 13B, only the layout of the holes H of the golf course G1 is shown, and the layouts of the holes of the golf courses G2 to G8 other than the golf course G1 are omitted.

[0123] Also in this Embodiment 4, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the maintenance management service for the golf courses is, in the same manner as in Embodiments 1 to 3, a plurality of golf courses G1 to G8 located within the service area Rs that one office 4000 is in charge of are grouped into two units U1 and U2 and carried out collectively for each group.

[0124] In this Embodiment 4, the maintenance management system 400 provided in the office 4000, as shown in FIG. 13C, instead of the plurality of vehicles V included in the maintenance management system 100 of Embodiment 1, can detect data related to the growth of turf, create work information from the detected data, and includes a detection work vehicle Vc capable of executing work for facility management based on the work information. Here, the computer system Csc of the maintenance management system 400 is configured to acquire and store the data detected by the detection work vehicle Vc.

[0125] (Detection work vehicle Vc) As shown in FIG. 14, the detection work vehicle Vc includes a work control unit 10c that replaces the work control unit 10b of the detection work vehicle Vb in Embodiment 3. Based on the data detected by the sensor unit of the detection work vehicle Vc, the work control unit 10c is configured to create work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course. Reference data is stored in the memory 11c of the work control unit 10c. The process of creating work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course based on the data from the sensor by the work control unit 10c is the same as that of the data processing unit Dp of the computer system Cs in Embodiment 1. Based on the data from the sensor, the reference data stored in the memory 11c is referred to. The work information indicating the work determined to be necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course is stored in the memory 11c of the work control unit 10c.

[0126] In addition, the data detected by the plurality of sensors 41 to 46 is also recorded in the memory 11c of the work control unit 10c. When the detection work vehicle Vc returns to the business office 4000, the data detected by the sensors stored in the memory 11c and the work information are provided to and accumulated in the computer system Csc of the maintenance management system 400. Therefore, the computer system Csc of this Embodiment 4 does not need a function of generating work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course by referring to the reference data based on the data from the sensors. However, the computer system Csc may have a function of generating work information indicating the work necessary for the maintenance management of the golf course by referring to the reference data based on the data detected by the sensor unit of the detection work vehicle Vc that is acquired and accumulated from the detection work vehicle Vc.

[0127] Note that the drive unit 20, drive control unit 30, sensor unit 40, and work device 50 in this detection work vehicle Vc are the same as those of the detection work vehicle Vb in Embodiment 3.

[0128] Next, the maintenance management service provided by the maintenance management system 400 of this Embodiment 4 will be specifically described by taking the golf course G1 as an example.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 15, the detection work vehicle Vc of the maintenance management system 400 is put into the golf course G1 from the business office 4000. Three detection work vehicles Vc are put into the first hole H1 of the golf course G1. One detection work vehicle Vc is arranged at the work start point Sp3 of the fairway 3, and two detection work vehicles Vc are arranged at the work start point Sp5 of the rough 5.

[0130] The detection work vehicles Vc arranged in the fairway 3 and the rough 5 move along the specified routes P1, P2, P3, and at a plurality of positions along these routes, detect data related to the growth of turf, and perform work based on the detected data.

[0131] Specifically, while the detection work vehicle Vc is moving on the fairway 3, for example, the sensor unit 40 detects data related to the growth of turf at at least one point on the fairway 3, and the work control unit 10c refers to the reference data based on the detected data, generates work information indicating the work required for the maintenance management of the golf course, and provides the work information to the work device 50. The work device 50 performs the work (such as watering and fertilizer application) required for the maintenance management of the golf course based on the provided work information. Similarly, in the rough 5, the detection work vehicle Vc detects data related to the growth of turf, creates work information, and performs the work required for the maintenance management of the golf course.

[0132] In this way, when the detection of data related to the growth of turf, the creation of work information based on the detected data, and the work indicated by the work information are executed by the three detection work vehicles Vc in the fairway 3 and the rough 5 of the first hole H1, similarly, in the remaining areas, namely the tee ground 2, fairway 4, bunker 6, and green 7, the detection of data related to the growth of turf, the creation of work information, and the work based on the work information are also executed. For the other holes H2 to H9, similarly, the detection of data related to the growth of turf, the creation of work information, and the work based on the work information are executed.

[0133] The operations necessary for the maintenance and management of such a golf course are carried out in parallel by a plurality of detection work vehicles Vc in the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1. After completion, all the detection work vehicles Vc are returned to the business office 3000 almost simultaneously from the four golf courses G1 to G4 within the unit U1.

[0134] After that, according to the schedule management, the maintenance and management service of the golf courses G5 to G8 of the other unit U2 will be provided in the same manner.

[0135] Thus, in the fourth embodiment, the detection work vehicle Vc equipped with the sensor unit 40 and the working device 50 for detecting data related to the growth of turf within the facility is provided to the golf courses G1 to G8. By this detection work vehicle Vb, the detection of data related to the growth of turf, the creation of work information based on the detected data, and the maintenance and management work based on the work information are carried out. Therefore, the work for the maintenance and management of the golf course can be carried out without relying on workers.

[0136] In the fourth embodiment, the maintenance management system 400 is shown as including only the detection work vehicle Vc. However, the maintenance management system 400 may include, in addition to the detection work vehicle Vc, the detection vehicle V and the work vehicle Va of the second embodiment, and further the detection work vehicle Vb of the third embodiment.

[0137] Also, the detection work vehicle Vb shown in the third embodiment or the detection work vehicle Vc shown in the fourth embodiment may be configured such that, as shown in FIG. 16B, a towing vehicle A equipped with the working device 50 and the work control unit 10e for controlling the same is connected to the vehicle V equipped with the sensor unit 40 shown in the first embodiment by a coupler 80. Here, the work control unit 10e has a memory 11e and is configured to control the working device 50 based on the work information stored in this memory 11e. Further, the work control unit 10e is configured to control the drive control unit 30 of the vehicle V in accordance with the work procedure to control the position of the towing vehicle A.

[0138] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the work for maintaining the turf growing in the golf course was described. However, the maintenance of the golf course is not limited to the care of the turf. For example, the grooming condition of the bunkers, the visibility of the yard lines L1 to L3 serving as a guide for the remaining yards drawn on the golf course as shown in FIG. 17, the color of the green, the accumulation state of dead leaves, the occurrence of pests, etc. are also targets for maintenance management at the golf course. Therefore, by using a sensor mounted on the vehicle, such as an image sensor, which can detect these maintenance management targets, it becomes possible to maintain and manage things other than the turf at the golf course. In particular, the damage to the turf caused by pests can be effectively suppressed by predicting and dealing with its massive occurrence. In the future, it will also be possible to almost eliminate the damage to the turf caused by pests by realizing a sensor capable of detecting signs of such massive occurrence. Also, by mounting a satellite positioning system on the work vehicle Va shown in FIG. 8, the detection work vehicle Vb shown in FIG. 11, or the detection work vehicle Vc shown in FIG. 14, it becomes possible to accurately draw a new yard line at a predetermined position on the golf course.

[0139] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of a method and a system for providing a maintenance management service for a facility including at least one area where a plant grows, a method and a system for providing a maintenance management service for a golf course were described. Therefore, it is clear that the present invention is not limited to a method and a system for providing a maintenance management service for a golf course, and it is also clear that the present invention is applicable to a method and a system for providing a maintenance management service for any facility (for example, a baseball field, a soccer field, an athletics stadium, a circuit, a park, an airport, etc.) including at least one area where a plant such as turf other than a golf course grows. The turf may include, but is not limited to, wild turf, Korean lawn, dwarf Korean lawn, etc. Also, the plant growing in at least one area included in the facility is not limited to turf. The plant growing in at least one area included in the facility can be any plant other than turf.

[0140] In particular, an airport includes facilities such as a landing strip, a taxiway, and an apron, which play important roles in the safe and smooth operation of aircraft around the runway. The landing strip spreads around the runway as a vast area where plants such as grass and herbs grow. It is also clear that the present invention is applicable to a method and a system for providing a maintenance service for the landing strip of airport facilities.

[0141] As described above, the present invention has been illustrated using preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to these embodiments. It is understood that the scope of the present invention should be construed only by the claims. Those skilled in the art will understand that they can implement an equivalent scope based on the description of the present invention and common technical knowledge from the description of the specific preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0142] The present invention provides information that can be used for the maintenance of facilities such as golf courses, enabling even workers with little knowledge and experience or unmanned work vehicles to perform the work necessary for facility maintenance based on the provided information. As a result, it is useful for providing a method, a system, etc. that can reduce the necessary costs for facility maintenance.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0143] 2 Tee Ground 3, 4 Fairway 5 Rough 6 Bunker 7 Green 10, Dp Data Processing Unit 10a~10d Work Control Unit 11, 11a~11d Memory 20 Driving Unit 30 Drive Control Unit 40 Sensor Unit 41 Temperature Sensor 42 Humidity Sensor 43 Wind Direction Sensor 44 Soil Moisture Sensor 45 Soil pH Sensor 50 Working Device 80 Coupling Machine 100, 200, 300, 400 Maintenance Management System 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 Offices A Towed Vehicle C Clubhouse Cs, Csa, Csb Computer System Db1~Db3 Database G1~G8 Golf Courses H Hole H1~H9 Hole 1 to Hole 9 L Ground Contact Surface P1~P3 Routes Sp3, Sp5 Detection Start Point (Work Start Point) U1 First Unit U2 Second Unit V Vehicle (Detection Vehicle) V0 Tractor Va Working Vehicle Vb Detection Working Vehicle

Claims

【Claim 1】 An apparatus, system, or method.

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