Management system for work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a management system of a work vehicle capable of easily managing work progress situations of a plurality of work vehicles.SOLUTION: A camera 4 for photographing the working car 100 is installed in the field H, and the car ECU303 recognizes the relative positional relationship between the corners Hv, Hw, Hx, Hy of the field H and the working car 100, and guides the working car 100 by steering so as to approach the prescribed corner Hy. Then, the working machine 100 is configured such that the machine ECU303 is determined based on the headland traveling direction so that the machine body of the working machine 100 is moved along any one of the two levee-side 15m and 15n forming the corner portion Hy, and the imaging situation by the camera 4 is displayed on the management terminals 201 and, and the display screen is configured such that any one of the two levee-side 15m and 15n forming the corner portion Hy of the field H to be approached can be selected by a touch operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system for a work vehicle such as an agricultural tractor. [Background technology]

[0002] When plowing adjacent fields, there is a work vehicle in which a tractor is driven along an autonomous work path, and the traveling body is remotely driven along a pre-set travel path from the end position of the autonomous work path to the edge of the field (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-11621 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to Patent Document 1, the vehicle travels along a pre-set route, which has the effect of reducing the burden on the operator, but if the vehicle body deviates from the route, it becomes difficult to manually adjust the alignment.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a management system for a work vehicle that allows the vehicle body to easily approach the edge of a field when traveling on a headland. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the invention described in claim 1 is configured such that a camera 4 is installed in the field H to capture images of the work vehicle 100, and the vehicle ECU 303 recognizes the relative positional relationship between the corners Hv, Hw, Hx, and Hy of the field H and the work vehicle 100 based on the image data from the camera 4, and steers and guides the work vehicle 100 to approach the specified corner Hy.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, wherein the vehicle ECU 303 is configured to determine, based on the headland driving direction up to now, whether to align the body of the work vehicle 100 with one of the two ridges 15m, 15n that form the corner Hy.

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 2, in which the image capturing status by the camera 4 is displayed on the management terminal 201, and this display screen is configured so that it is possible to select, by touch operation, which of the two ridges 15m, 15n that form the corner Hy of the field H to approach. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when the work vehicle 100 enters the field H and performs manual circumnavigation work, it can be steered by guidance using images input from the camera 4, making it easy to adjust its position relative to the ridge 15. Furthermore, according to claims 2 and 3, it is possible to rationally select which of the two ridge sides 15m, 15n that form the corner Hy of the field H to approach. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of an agricultural tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a management system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between a management terminal and a plurality of farm fields. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing how to record the perimeter path of a field. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a headland traveling route and a round-trip traveling route. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of autonomous driving on a headland driving route. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a start point automatic movement mode. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the camera installation status of the ridge-edge guidance traveling means. [Figure 9] (A)(B) is a schematic diagram showing the induction situation. [Figure 10] (A)(B) Schematic diagrams showing corner guidance results. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a guidance situation for turning. [Figure 12] FIG. 1A is a side view of a work vehicle equipped with a camera, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a display on a management terminal. [Figure 13] FIG. 1A is a side view of a work vehicle equipped with a camera, and FIGS. 1B and 1C are diagrams showing examples of displays on a management terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a work vehicle 100 of a work vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The work vehicle 100 is an agricultural vehicle capable of traveling within a reciprocating adjacent work travel range 13, and is configured to travel by transmitting the rotational power of this engine 105 covered by a hood 107 to front wheels 103 and rear wheels 104 via multiple transmissions. A control unit 106 is provided behind the engine 105, and a work implement 140 capable of tilling the reciprocating adjacent work travel range 13 is attached to the rear of the vehicle behind the control unit 106.

[0013] The control section 106 is provided with a cabin equipped with a steering wheel operated by the operator and a driver's seat. A GNSS receiver 102 is mounted on the cabin roof 108, which is the ceiling of the cabin, and is configured to receive radio waves from an artificial satellite 170 at predetermined time intervals to measure the position of the work vehicle 100.

[0014] A three-point link mechanism 145 consisting of an upper top link 145a and left and right lower links 145b on the lower side is provided at the rear of the body of the work vehicle 100, and is connected to the work implement 140. The work implement 140 is a tillage implement, and is provided with tillage tines 146 that till the soil in the field, a rotary cover 147 that covers the top of the tillage tines 146, and a rear cover 148 that is supported at the rear of the rotary cover 147 so as to be able to move up and down freely.

[0015] A work implement lifting cylinder 141 is connected to the lower link 145b of the three-point link mechanism 145 via a lift arm 142, and the lower link 145b can be raised and lowered by extending and contracting the work implement lifting cylinder 141.

[0016] Hereinafter, the traveling of the work vehicle 100 with the work implement 140 lowered while plowing the soil in the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 will be referred to as work traveling.

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a work vehicle management system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The work vehicle 100 is equipped with a position information acquisition unit 301, which is a position information acquisition means that acquires its own position information from radio waves received by the GNSS receiver 102 in Figure 1, an autonomous driving ECU 302 that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and a vehicle ECU 303 that controls the driving of the vehicle and the operation of the work equipment, the vehicle ECU 303 is equipped with a communication unit 304 that communicates with cloud C that forms a communication network, and the autonomous driving ECU 302 is equipped with a route calculation unit 306 that calculates a driving route from the position information and topographical information.

[0018] Therefore, the work vehicle 100 is configured to be able to transmit its own location information, acquired by the location information acquisition unit 301, to cloud C via the communication unit 304 at predetermined time intervals and store it there, and also to be able to acquire the information stored in cloud C.

[0019] The remote management device 200 is a portable electronic computing device and is configured with a management terminal 201 that can be operated by a management user. The management terminal 201 is equipped with a communication device 202 that can communicate with cloud C, and a terminal control unit 204 that controls the management terminal 201. Therefore, by carrying the management terminal 201, the management user can exchange information with cloud C via the communication device 202. If the management terminal 201 is also equipped with a positioning device (not shown) that measures its own position, it can acquire its own position information and transmit it via the communication device 202.

[0020] In this way, the work vehicle 100 and the remote management device 200 are configured to be able to communicate via cloud C, so that the management user can use the remote management device 200 to monitor the status of the work vehicle 100 and send commands, making it possible to manage the work vehicle 100 remotely.

[0021] Cloud C is provided with a management server 320, which stores a terrain information database 322 that stores terrain information about the field and its surroundings, and a position information database 323 that stores position information about the work vehicle 100. Therefore, the management user can access the management server 320 and refer to the terrain information database 322 and position information database 323 to understand the positional relationship between the work vehicle 100 and the field.

[0022] 3 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the management terminal 201 and multiple adjacent round-trip work travel ranges 13 in the management area 10. Multiple adjacent round-trip work travel ranges 13 (A1 to An) are provided in the management area 10, and travel vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn) are configured to travel for work in each of the adjacent round-trip work travel ranges 13. Each adjacent round-trip work travel range 13 is adjacent to a management passage 12, and is configured so that the work vehicles 100 can enter and exit through an entrance / exit 11.

[0023] The management terminal 201 is equipped with a field identification means for identifying which work vehicle 100 is working in which round-trip adjacent work driving range 13, and is configured to access the management server 320 via cloud C shown in Figure 2, and compare the location information of each round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 (A1 to An) stored in the topographical information database 322 with the location information of the work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) stored in the location information database 323, thereby identifying the work vehicle 100 located in the area where the round-trip adjacent work driving range 13 is located, and to associate the work vehicle Vx (x = 1, 2, ..., n) with the field Ax (x = 1, 2, ..., n) in which the work vehicle Vx is working.

[0024] Here, in the management terminal 201, the terminal control unit 204 can use the positioning device 203 to acquire topographical information for the managed passage 12 of the managed area 10 and the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 (A1-An) from the topographical information database 322 shown in Fig. 2 via the cloud C. Furthermore, it is configured to be able to calculate the routes (L1-Ln) that pass from the current position of the management terminal 201 through the managed passage 12 to the position of the entrance / exit 11 of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, and to calculate the travel time T (T1-Tn) to the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 (A1-An) at a predetermined speed from the distance of these routes (L1-Ln).

[0025] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the work vehicle 100 recording travel on the headland of the field H, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the work vehicle 100 traveling through the field H to carry out work.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, field H is surrounded by ridges 15 and partitioned by these ridges 15 into an outline shape Pe, and comprises a round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 and a headland travel range 14, and is configured so that traveling vehicles 100 can enter and exit the management passage 12 via entrances and exits 11. Headland travel range 14 is travellable by traveling vehicles 100, and this headland travel range 14 can be tilled by traveling for work purposes along a headland travel route 22 that circles around the outside of the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13.

[0027] The work vehicle 100 is equipped with a field shape acquisition means for acquiring topographical information indicating the shape of the field. As a prerequisite, the work vehicle 100 travels the headland traveling route 22 while measuring its current position with the position information acquisition unit 301 in Fig. 2, and the route calculation unit 306 in Fig. 2 connects the position information of the traveled route to create route information for the outer periphery headland traveling route 22. The work vehicle 100 is also equipped with a topographical information recording mode in which the work vehicle 100 calculates the area enclosed by the traveled route in the route information of the headland traveling route 22 to create topographical information of the field H (the field's position coordinates, area, and length and width), and records this information in a topographical information database 322 via the cloud C. The work vehicle 100 is configured so that, when the topographical information recording mode is executed, the field shape acquisition means can acquire the route information of the headland traveling route 22 based on the outer periphery Pe shape information recorded in the topographical information database 322, and the topographical information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 recorded in the topographical information database 322.

[0028] The route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 created by the work vehicle 100 in the terrain information recording mode are transmitted to the management server 320 via the cloud C, and the management server 320, having received the route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13, records the information in the terrain information database 322. In this way, the work vehicle 100 can obtain the route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 at any time by accessing the management server 320 via the cloud C. The work vehicle 100 obtains the route information of the headland traveling route 22 and the terrain information of the round-trip adjacent work traveling range 13 by the field shape acquisition means, for example, when the engine 105 is started.

[0029] In this way, since the work vehicle 100 is equipped with a terrain information recording mode, there is no need to survey the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 in advance to obtain terrain information, and the effort required to have the work vehicle 100 travel for work within any round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 can be reduced.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, when the work vehicle 100 travels for work within the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13, the route calculation unit 306 shown in Figure 2 calculates a round-trip travel route 20, which is the route for work travel within the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13, based on the topographical information of the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 and the work width w of the work vehicle 100. In order to travel for work so as to evenly plow the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13, it is sufficient to travel straight through the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 the number of times calculated by dividing the width of the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 by the work width w (seven times in Figure 5), so the round-trip travel route 20 is calculated to travel round trip within the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 using a straight route that travels straight through the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 and a turning route that leaves the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13, turns at the headland 14, and returns to the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13. Hereinafter, the points at which the round-trip travel route 20 intersects with the ends of the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 will be referred to as field end points 21a (P1 to P7), 21b (Q1 to Q7).

[0031] Once the round-trip travel route 20 is calculated, the work vehicle 100 is configured to travel autonomously along the round-trip travel route 20 from one end of the round-trip adjacent work travel range 13 to the other end, passing through the entire field during work travel.

[0032] Specifically, the work vehicle 100 enters the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 from field endpoint 21a (P1 (hereinafter referred to as start point P1)) located at a corner of the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13, then travels straight to the opposite field endpoint 21b (Q1), exits the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13, makes a left turn at the headland 14, and re-enters the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 from the adjacent field endpoint 21b (Q2). The work vehicle 100 then travels straight to the opposite field endpoint 21a (P2), exits the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13, makes a right turn at the headland 14, and re-enters the reciprocating adjacent work traveling range 13 from the adjacent field endpoint 21a (P3). By repeating this type of traveling until it reaches field endpoint 21a (Q7), the work vehicle 100 can till the entire field evenly.

[0033] Next, the headland travel route 22 of the headland travel range 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 . The headland travel range 14 between the ridge 15 and the reciprocating adjacent travel range 13 is set to a range that can be plowed in multiple round trips. The headland close to the ridge 15 is plowed using headland travel operation manually operated by the operator, while the innermost periphery of the headland is plowed by autonomous travel continuing from the reciprocating adjacent work autonomous travel described above. Therefore, the operator plows the headland travel range 14 of the entire field H by moving the work vehicle 100 back and forth from one end of the reciprocating adjacent work travel range 13 to the other, following the headland travel route 22 displayed on the management terminal 201, and moves toward the start point P1 of the reciprocating adjacent work travel route 20 within the field end point 21a of the reciprocating adjacent work travel range 13. Note that after passing through the entrance / exit 11, the vehicle may be configured to travel autonomously within the headland travel range 14.

[0034] Next, based on FIGS. 6 and 7, the starting point automatic movement mode M will be described. After the work vehicle 100 enters the field H and executes autonomous driving along the circumferential operation of manual operation or the headland travel route 22 created based on the outer periphery Pe shape information, it shifts to the starting point automatic movement mode M by a predetermined operation of the management terminal 201, that is, a mode switch operation. The starting point automatic movement mode M is based on the execution of the starting point automatic movement control unit 308 set in the automatic driving ECU 302 that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and calculates and designates the starting point automatic movement route 24 that reaches the starting point P1 of the reciprocating adjacent operation among the field end points 21a of the reciprocating adjacent travel range 13 for the work vehicle 100 that has moved to the headland travel route 22 in the field H. As described with reference to FIG. 7, when the work vehicle 100 is powered on, the orientation of the work vehicle is recognized by the orientation detection means 310, and it is determined whether it deviates significantly from the autonomous driving route (S101, S102). By permitting automatic movement only when the orientation is determined, the safety at the start of automatic movement can be ensured. In addition, in the orientation determination, it may be configured such that the presence or absence of orientation abnormality can be determined by comparing the autonomous driving trajectory and the headland travel route 22. Next, it is determined whether the front end F of the work vehicle 100 has deviated from the field H area (S103). Next, it is determined whether the front end F of the vehicle and the center rear end R of the work implement 140 are separated from the outer periphery Pe of the field H (inner periphery of the ridge 15) by a predetermined distance D1 or more (S104). Here, the predetermined distance D1 is, for example, a value obtained by adding a safety distance α (for example, 30 cm) to 1 / 2 of the width W of the work implement 140, and is the distance Df from the outer periphery Pe of the field to the center F of the vehicle, and similarly, when the distance Dr from the outer periphery Pe of the field to the center rear end of the work implement is set, D1≒(W / 2)+α, and Df<D1 and Dr<D1. Next, it is determined whether the distance from the innermost headland travel route 22 toward the inside of the field H is within a predetermined distance D2 (S105). Here, the predetermined distance D2 is, for example, 1 m. Therefore, it is permitted when the vehicle center F and the center rear end of the work implement R are within the permitted range D shown in FIG. 6. Hereinafter, in order, it is determined whether the vehicle is in the direction along the headland travel route 22 (S105). It is safe to move without changing the steering angle too much toward the headland travel route 22.

[0035] When the conditions of S102 to S106 are met, execution of start point automatic movement mode M is permitted (S107), a "START" switch is displayed on the screen of the management terminal 201 (S108), and by touching this switch (S109), the autonomous driving ECU 302 calculates the start point automatic movement route 24 (S110), and the vehicle travels autonomously toward the start point P1 along the start point automatic movement route 24. Note that when calculating the start point automatic movement route 24, it is made to overlap with the preset headland travel route 22, so as to prevent the vehicle from inadvertently entering the round-trip adjacent travel range 13.

[0036] As described above, the work vehicle 100 and remote management device 200 are configured to be able to communicate via cloud C, so the management user can monitor the status of the work vehicle 100 and send commands using the remote management device 200, thereby remotely managing the work vehicle 100. The management terminal 201 then acquires the work vehicle's position and work status in cloud C via the communication device 202, displays the work status, and can control the traveling vehicle with the necessary operations. The work vehicle 100 comprises position information acquisition means that acquires its own position information from radio waves received by the GNSS receiver 102.

[0037] Next, the ridge-edge guiding traveling means K for traveling along the headland will be described. Cameras 4 are installed in the field H to capture images of the work vehicle 100. In the rectangular field H in FIG. 8, four cameras 4 are installed near the four corners Hv, Hw, Hx, and Hy. These cameras 4 can capture images of the work vehicle 100 near the corners Hv, Hw, Hx, and Hy of the field H. The captured image data is sent to the vehicle ECU 303 via the cloud C, which recognizes the relative positional relationship between the corners of the field H and the work vehicle 100 and steers and guides the work vehicle 100 to approach the corners. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, when guidance request information is output from the management terminal 201, the work vehicle 100 is guided to approach the corner closest to the position where the guidance request was made (Hy in the illustrated example). An example of guidance is a display and audio guidance on the management terminal 201 of steering wheel operation when reversing, such as "Turn the steering wheel to the right" or "Back up straight." Therefore, when the work vehicle 100 enters the field H and performs manual circumnavigation work, it can be steered by guidance using the input of images from the camera 4, making it easy to adjust its position relative to the ridge 15.

[0038] Incidentally, there are two ways to guide the work vehicle 100 to a predetermined corner, for example, Hy, as shown in FIG. 10 . That is, the vehicle ECU 303 determines which of the two ridge edges 15m, 15n that form the corner Hy the vehicle should be aligned with based on the headland traveling direction up to that point. For example, by turning at the corner Hy, stopping the vehicle, and then guiding the vehicle toward the corner Hy while reversing, the ridge edge 15m, 15n that the vehicle should be aligned with is automatically determined. The image capture status captured by the camera 4 may be displayed on the management terminal 201, and the display screen may be configured to allow the user to select, by touch operation, which of the ridge edges 15m, 15n that form the corner Hy of the field H to approach. This configuration prevents deviation of the work vehicle 100 from the desired ridge edge 15m, 15n, making it easier to adjust the position of the work vehicle 100 relative to the desired ridge 15.

[0039] The system is also configured to include means for determining the direction in which the work vehicle 100 was traveling on the headland, and to determine the direction in which to guide it relative to the corner Hy. Therefore, when traveling on the headland, it is possible to determine the direction in which headland work is being performed in the field H, and based on this determination, guidance is carried out relative to the specified ridge sides 15m, 15n, making it easy to adjust the position relative to the specified ridge sides.

[0040] Next, turning guidance during headland travel will be explained with reference to Figure 11. When headland travel begins on the outer periphery and then travels along the inside, the turning status of the work vehicle 100a on the outside is captured by camera 4, and the turning start position of work vehicle 100b that has reached the inside is notified. Turning operations on the outside are performed manually, and this state is stored by camera 4. Based on this stored data, vehicle ECU 303 calculates the gap distance Lm to the ridge 15 during turning, and when guiding the next turn start position to the inside, this gap distance Lm is taken into account to predict the turning start position. Therefore, work vehicle 100b can be turned closest to ridge 15, i.e., with Lm ≒ 0.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the camera 4 is installed in the field as a fixed camera, but a drone equipped with the camera 4 may be prepared and judgment may be made based on image data taken from the sky.

[0042] A management system for the work implement 140 based on the camera 5 mounted on the work vehicle 100 will be described with reference to Figure 12. The vehicle ECU 303 is equipped with tillage implement management means 330, which determines the type of implement and its operating status based on image data captured by the camera 5 mounted on the vehicle body, and displays the identified type of implement along with its operating time on the management terminal 201. It can also display the time of the next maintenance.

[0043] The workload situation is calculated based on the image data captured by the camera 5, previously acquired soil information, and specification information for the work vehicle 100, and the next maintenance time can be corrected by weighting, for example, based on whether the work is heavy, normal, or light.

[0044] Based on Figure 13, a management system for loader work in which a loader is attached to a work vehicle 100 will be described. A loader work implement 141 is attached to the front of the work vehicle 100, a camera 51 is provided on the upper front of the work vehicle 100, and the bucket 141a of the loader work implement 141 is equipped with cameras 52L and 52R that can capture images of the inside of the bucket. The loader work implement management means 340 of the vehicle ECU 303 determines whether or not a load is being applied to the loader work implement 141 based on the image data from the cameras 52L and 52R, and accumulates the time that the load is being applied, displaying maintenance notices and the like on the management terminal 201 (Figure 13(B)). Note that at this time, the accumulation is performed when the bucket 141a is loaded with more than a certain volume and traveling, or when the vehicle is not traveling but is under load due to pushing soil. The degree of load can be determined from the image data captured by the cameras 52L and 52R. In other words, the load can be determined as heavy, normal or light based on the type of contents, its volume, etc., and the accumulated time can be corrected.

[0045] Figure 13(C) is a schematic diagram of the loader displayed on the management terminal 201, in which the boom angle and bucket angle of the loader work machine are calculated based on image data captured by a camera (not shown) installed nearby and displayed as the current posture. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 4. Camera 15 ridge 15m ridge 15n Ridge 100 Work Vehicles 201 Management terminal 303 Vehicle ECU H field Hv Corner Hw Corner Hx Corner Hy corner

Claims

1. A camera (4) is installed in a field (H) to capture images of a work vehicle (100), and a vehicle ECU (303) recognizes the relative positional relationship between the corners (Hv, Hw, Hx, Hy) of the field (H) and the work vehicle (100) based on the image data from the camera (4), and steers and guides the work vehicle (100) to approach a specified corner (Hy).

2. 2. A work vehicle management system as described in claim 1, wherein the vehicle ECU (303) is configured to determine whether the body of the work vehicle (100) should be aligned with one of the two ridges (15m, 15n) that form the corner portion (Hy) based on the headland driving direction up to that point.

3. 2. A work vehicle management system as described in claim 1, wherein the image capturing status of the camera (4) is displayed on the management terminal (201), and the display screen is configured to allow a user to select, by touch operation, which of the two ridges (15m, 15n) forming the corner (Hy) of the field (H) to approach.

Images