Field work management system and field work vehicle

Abstract

This technology provides notification of the amount of materials and the required working time for upcoming work runs. [Solution] The field work management system includes a required materials calculation unit 66 that calculates the required amount of agricultural materials needed for work travel on the field, a required work time calculation unit 67 that calculates the required work time needed to complete the work travel, a display control unit 60 that displays the required materials and required work time on a display unit, and a state determination unit 68 that determines the state before the start of work travel and the state after the start of work travel. The display control unit 60 displays the required materials and required work time on the display unit 6A in different display formats depending on the state before and after the start.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a field work management system for a field work vehicle that performs work running for supplying agricultural materials while running in a field.

Background Art

[0002] The rice transplanter according to Patent Document 1 includes a sensor for determining the presence or absence of mat-shaped seedlings on a seedling mounting table, a travel distance measuring means for measuring the travel distance of the machine body, a calculation result of the travel distance measuring means, and a mat-shaped seedling based on the number of mat-shaped seedlings detected by the sensor. It includes a seedling consumption rate calculation means for calculating the seedling consumption rate per set area, and a notification means for notifying the calculated seedling consumption rate. [[ID=***]]

[0003] [[ID=***]] The field work vehicle according to Patent Document 2 calculates the consumption amount of seedlings per unit travel distance from information on the seedling take-up amount, the vertical feed amount, the length of the mat-shaped seedlings, and the information on the plant spacing, and also calculates the remaining amount of seedlings from the information on the remaining amount of the mat. Based on the calculated consumption amount and remaining amount, it is determined whether the remaining amount of seedlings is insufficient during the work running until the next replenishment preparation process is performed. If it is determined that the remaining amount of seedlings is insufficient, a warning indicating that the remaining amount of seedlings is insufficient is notified.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the rice transplanter described in Patent Document 1, the seedling processing rate (number of mat-shaped seedlings consumed per distance traveled) during seedling planting operations performed so far is reported, allowing the user to understand the status of the seedling planting operations that have been carried out (past status). However, the user must estimate the status of the seedling planting operations to be performed in the future, for example, how many more seedlings will be needed and how many more hours it will take until the seedling planting operations for the entire field are completed.

[0006] In the field work machine described in Patent Document 2, the machine checks whether there is enough material in the vehicle to reach the next material replenishment point, and if there is a shortage, it notifies the user of the insufficient amount of seedlings. However, the user must estimate how many more seedlings are needed and how many more hours it will take to complete the seedling planting work for the entire field.

[0007] The objective of this invention is to provide a technology that notifies the user of the amount of materials and the time required for the work to be performed, without requiring the user to make any guesses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The field work management system for a field work vehicle that supplies agricultural materials while traveling in a field, according to the present invention, comprises: a required material quantity calculation unit that calculates the required amount of agricultural materials necessary for the work run to the field; a required work time calculation unit that calculates the required work time necessary to complete the work run to the field; a display control unit that displays the required material quantity and the required work time on a display unit; and a state determination unit that determines the state before the start of the work run and the state after the start of the work run, wherein the display control unit displays the required material quantity and the required work time on the display unit in different display formats depending on the state before the start and the state after the start.

[0009] With this configuration, the manager or driver of the field work vehicle can understand the amount of agricultural materials and working time required for working in the field before and after starting the work, allowing them to efficiently plan tasks such as replenishing agricultural materials.

[0010] Considering the time required for transporting agricultural materials from the storage area to the field and the amount of materials that can be transported in one trip, work arrangements such as preparing to replenish agricultural materials are made. Therefore, in the present invention, it is proposed that in the pre-start state, the amount of materials to be used in the entire field is displayed as the required amount of materials, and the work time required for the work to be carried out in the entire field is displayed as the required work time. In the post-start state, the amount of materials remaining required for the work to be carried out in the unworked area of ​​the field is displayed as the required amount of materials, and the work time required for the work to be carried out in the unworked area is displayed as the required work time. With this configuration, the manager or driver of the field work vehicle can carry out appropriate preparations for replenishing agricultural materials before and after the start of the work to be carried out.

[0011] During tasks such as planting seedlings, sowing seeds, fertilizing, weeding, and harvesting, field work vehicles operate by combining reciprocating movement along a set of straight internal paths within the field's interior and circular movement along a circular path outside the interior. This is essentially the same whether the vehicle is automated or manually operated. Furthermore, in fields of a certain size or larger, the distance of the internal paths becomes longer than the circular path, increasing the likelihood that the agricultural materials loaded onto the field work vehicle will be used up during operation within the field's interior. In such cases, the field work vehicle needs to travel to the edge of the field to replenish the agricultural materials, making it crucial to identify the internal paths where the agricultural materials loaded onto the field work vehicle will be depleted. For this purpose, the present invention proposes that the work travel consists of a reciprocal travel that sequentially moves back and forth along a group of linear internal paths set within the internal area of ​​the field, and a circular travel that moves around a circular path set outside the internal area, and that during the reciprocal travel, the amount of materials required per internal path is displayed as the required amount of materials. The manager or driver of the field work vehicle can easily identify the internal path where the agricultural materials loaded on the field work vehicle will run out based on the amount of materials required per internal path. It would be even more convenient if the work time required per internal path were also displayed.

[0012] The required amount of material varies depending on the working width of the field work vehicle (the amount of material applied to the field per unit of travel). Therefore, the required amount of material is calculated and displayed using a pre-set or planned working width. However, since the working width can be changed during operation, it would be convenient if the required amount of material corresponding to different working widths could also be calculated and displayed, in addition to the required amount of material for a fixed working width. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the required amount of material displayed should include a corrected required amount, which is the required amount of material plus the amount of material corresponding to the working width of the field work vehicle.

[0013] As a display unit for showing the required amount of materials and required work time, a communication terminal (such as a tablet computer) carried by the manager of the field work vehicle, or a touch panel or dedicated display panel of an in-vehicle terminal (such as a tablet computer) attached to the field work vehicle, is used. The display screen of such terminals is relatively small and has a limited display area, so it is necessary to make effective use of the allocated display area. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the remaining required amount of materials and the amount of materials per route be selectively displayed. Similarly, if it is possible to display the corrected required amount of materials, which is the amount of materials corresponding to different work widths, the present invention also proposes that the remaining required amount of materials, the amount of materials per route, and the corrected required amount be selectively displayed. This makes it possible to display only the necessary information in the allocated small display area.

[0014] If agricultural materials run low just before the completion of the work run across the entire field, reducing the unit supply rate of agricultural materials to the field allows the work run across the entire field to be completed with the prepared materials. Conversely, if there are a small amount of agricultural materials left over when the work run across the entire field is completed, increasing the unit supply rate of agricultural materials to the field allows the work run across the entire field to be completed using up the prepared materials. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the required material amount calculation unit is given the amount of materials to be supplied per unit work run or per unit area, which has been changed by the supply material amount setting device, and that the required material amount is changed when the setting is changed.

[0015] In the present invention, not only the field work management system is the object of the invention, but also a field work vehicle that uses this field work management system to manage agricultural materials loaded on the vehicle body and performs work driving while supplying agricultural materials to the field is the object of the invention. At that time, instead of mounting all of the field work management system on the field work vehicle, at least some of its functions may be configured to be built in an external computer system capable of data communication, and a configuration may be adopted to receive necessary information from the external computer system. In any case, such a field work vehicle can also have the effects of the above-described field work management system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a side view of a rice transplanter capable of automatic driving. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram explaining the traveling route of the rice transplanter in the field. [Figure 3] It is a screen diagram showing an example of a setting screen for setting a traveling route and a supply side. [Figure 4] It is a functional block diagram showing the control system of the rice transplanter. [Figure 5] It is an explanatory diagram showing the screen transition of the material quantity display. [Figure 6] It is a screen diagram showing screen (A) in the screen transition. [Figure 7] It is a screen diagram showing screen (B) in the screen transition. [Figure 8] It is a screen diagram showing screen (C) in the screen transition. [Figure 9] It is a screen diagram showing screen (D) in the screen transition. [Figure 10] It is a screen diagram showing screen (E) in the screen transition.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, "front" means the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and "rear" means the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. That is, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is the traveling direction, the forward direction is indicated by arrow F in FIG. 1, and the backward direction is indicated by arrow B in FIG. 1. Further, the left-right direction or the lateral direction means the transverse direction of the vehicle body (vehicle width direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. "Upper" or "lower" is the positional relationship in the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) of the vehicle body and indicates the relationship regarding the ground height.

[0018] Next, one specific embodiment of the field work management system and the field work vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a transplanter (hereinafter simply referred to as a rice transplanter) that automatically travels in a field, which is an example of a field work vehicle.

[0019] 〔Overall Structure〕 As shown in FIG. 1, the rice transplanter is a four-wheel drive vehicle of the passenger type. A link mechanism 13 of a parallelogram linkage type that is connected to the rear part of the vehicle body 1 so as to be able to lift and swing is provided, and a seedling planting device 3 that is connected to the rear end region of the link mechanism 13 so as to be able to roll is attached. Further, a fertilizer application device 4 installed from the rear end region of the vehicle body 1 to the seedling planting device 3, and a chemical spraying device 30 provided in the rear end region of the seedling planting device 3 and the like are provided. The seedling planting device 3, the fertilizer application device 4, and the chemical spraying device 30 are examples of working devices and supply seedlings, fertilizers, and chemicals as agricultural materials (hereinafter simply referred to as materials) to the field.

[0020] The vehicle body 1 includes wheels 12, an engine 2, and a hydraulic continuously variable transmission 9 as a main transmission device as a mechanism for traveling. The continuously variable transmission 9 is, for example, an HST (Hydro-Static Transmission), and changes the driving force (rotation speed) output from the engine 2 by adjusting the angles of a motor swash plate and a pump swash plate. The wheels 12 have left and right front wheels 12A that can be steered and left and right rear wheels 12B that cannot be steered. The engine 2 and the continuously variable transmission 9 are mounted on the front part of the vehicle body 1. The power from the engine 2 is supplied to the front wheels 12A, the rear wheels 12B, the working device, etc. via the continuously variable transmission 9 and the like.

[0021] The seedling planting device 3 is configured, for example, as an 8-row planting type. The seedling planting device 3 includes a seedling tray 21, an 8-row planting mechanism 22, etc. This seedling planting device 3 can be changed to 2-row, 4-row, 6-row planting types, etc., by clutch control.

[0022] The seedling tray 21 is a base on which eight rows of mat-shaped seedlings are placed. The seedling tray 21 moves back and forth in the left-right direction with a constant stroke corresponding to the left-right width of the mat-shaped seedlings, and the vertical feeding mechanism 23 feeds each mat-shaped seedling on the seedling tray 21 vertically at a predetermined pitch toward the lower end of the seedling tray 21 each time the seedling tray 21 reaches the left or right stroke end. The eight planting mechanisms 22 are rotary type and are arranged in the left-right direction at constant intervals corresponding to the planting rows. Each planting mechanism 22 receives power from the engine 2 when the seedling planting clutch is engaged, and cuts one seedling (also called a planted seedling) from the lower end of each mat-shaped seedling placed on the seedling tray 21 and plants it in the muddy soil after leveling.

[0023] The fertilizer application device 4 comprises a horizontally elongated hopper 25, a dispensing mechanism 26, an electric blower 27, multiple fertilizer application hoses 28, and furrowers 29 provided for each row. The hopper 25 stores granular or powdered fertilizer. The dispensing mechanism 26 dispenses a predetermined amount of fertilizer for two rows from the hopper 25.

[0024] The blower 27 generates a conveying airflow that transports the fertilizer dispensed by each dispensing mechanism 26 toward the mud surface of the field. This fertilizer application device 4 also has a clutch mechanism that switches between an operating state in which a predetermined amount of fertilizer stored in the hopper 25 is supplied to the field and a non-operating state in which the supply is stopped.

[0025] The vehicle body 1 is equipped with a driver's unit 14 in the rear area. The driver's unit 14 includes a steering wheel 10 for steering the front wheels, a main transmission lever 7A for adjusting the vehicle speed by shifting gears of the continuously variable transmission 9, a sub-transmission lever 7B for shifting gears of the sub-transmission, a work operation lever 11 for raising and lowering the seedling planting device 3 and switching its operating state, an on-board terminal 6 that displays (notifies) various information to the operator and also accepts input of various information, and a driver's seat 16 for the operator (driver / worker). Furthermore, a spare seedling storage device 15 for storing spare seedlings is supported by a spare seedling support frame 17 in front of the driver's unit 14. The on-board terminal 6 also includes a communication terminal carried by the administrator or driver.

[0026] The steering wheel 10 is connected to the front wheels 12A via a steering mechanism (not shown), and the steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted by rotating the steering wheel 10.

[0027] The reserve seedling support frame 17 has a two-tiered structure consisting of a base frame 17a and an arch-shaped upper frame 17b provided at the upper end of the base frame 17a. The upper frame 17b consists of a pair of left and right legs and a cross beam connecting the legs, and is positioned at a height diagonally above and in front of the operating section 14.

[0028] The positioning unit 8 is mounted on the crossbeam of the upper frame 17b. Below the positioning unit 8, a storage unit 18 is mounted. The satellite positioning module 8A (see Figure 4) provided in the positioning unit 8 employs the network RTK-GNSS positioning method (VRS method), so the storage unit 18 houses the virtual reference point data receiving unit used in the VRS method. As one of the notification device group 1C, a stacked light 19 that notifies the driving status, such as automatic driving or manual driving, is mounted on the upper part of the base frame 17a in the lower area of ​​the storage unit 18. Furthermore, when the rice transplanter moves towards the field ridge to replenish materials, this material replenishment signal is notified by the stacked light 19, headlights, turn signals, speaker, etc.

[0029] This rice transplanter can be operated manually or automatically. Manual operation involves the operator manually operating the steering wheel 10, main gear lever 7A, sub-gear lever 7B, work operation lever 11, and other control devices to perform the work. In manual operation, if a travel path for automatic operation (a target travel path for automatic operation) has been created or can be created, this travel path may be displayed on the display screen of the on-board terminal 6, preferably showing the positional deviation between the travel path and the vehicle body 1, in order to support manual operation. Automatic operation involves the rice transplanter performing work while automatically controlling its movement along a pre-set travel path. Automatic operation can also be performed by a manned automatic operation (manned automatic operation mode) that requires an operator to be on board, or by an unmanned automatic operation (unmanned automatic operation mode) that does not require an operator to be on board. In manned automatic operation, the operator performs some operations according to guidance provided by the rice transplanter, while the rice transplanter automatically controls other movements and operations. In unmanned autonomous driving, a driver is not required to be on board, although a driver may be present during unmanned autonomous driving.

[0030] [Route] Figure 2 shows the travel path of a rice transplanter as it travels through a field while performing seedling planting and fertilization tasks. This field is surrounded by boundary lines SH, such as levees, and these boundary lines SH are set as the edges of the field. In the example in Figure 2, the field is rectangular, and its edges consist of a basic edge SH0 (bottom edge) and three other remaining edges. The remaining edges are the left edge SH1, the top edge SH2, and the right edge SH3. Typically, the basic edge SH0 is adjacent to a farm road, and an entrance / exit for field implements is formed at its end. The basic edge SH0 also serves as the basic supply edge for replenishing seedlings and fertilizer. By having the rice transplanter travel along this travel path at a predetermined working width, the work on the entire field (in this embodiment, seedling planting, fertilization, pesticide application, etc.) is completed.

[0031] The field is divided into an outer area OA and an inner area IA located inside the outer area OA. In the example in Figure 2, two circular routes CR are set up for the rice transplanter to travel around the field. Work in the inner area IA is performed by a reciprocating travel route IR, which consists of multiple inner routes IRS parallel to the left side SH1, one of the remaining sides, and a turning route IRT connecting the two inner routes IRS. Travel on the reciprocating travel route IR starts at the starting point S and ends at the ending point G. The inner routes IRS are also called straight routes or linear routes, but they do not necessarily have to be straight or linear; for example, they may be large arcs or have bends along the way. The turning route IRT is essentially a 180° turning route and is set up in the outer area OA.

[0032] In order to actually generate the travel paths shown in Figure 2, that is, the circular travel path CR and the round-trip travel path IR, accurate field shape, i.e., the map coordinates of the boundary line SH, is necessary. Such field shape can be calculated, for example, based on the basic edge travel trajectory obtained by the basic edge travel, which is non-work travel along the basic edge SH0, and the remaining edge travel trajectory obtained by the remaining edge travel, which is work travel along the remaining edge. In the example in Figure 2, the outer peripheral area OA is set to have the outermost circular travel path OC, which consists of the basic edge travel and the remaining edge travel, and the first circular travel path C1 inside the outermost circular travel path OC. The number of circular travel paths CR is limited by the space required for the turning path IRT of the round-trip travel path IR, i.e., the space required for the rice transplanter to turn. In Figure 2, there are two circular travel paths CR, but it is also possible to set only one circular travel path CR, or three or more circular travel paths CR.

[0033] In actual field work, when the rice transplanter enters the field, the operator first manually steers the transplanter along the basic side SH0 of the outermost circular path OC without performing any work, thereby obtaining the basic side travel trajectory. Next, the operator manually steers the transplanter along the remaining sides, the left side SH1, the top side SH2, and the right side SH3, along the outermost circular path OC, either without performing any work or while performing work, thereby obtaining the remaining side travel trajectory. Based on the basic side travel trajectory (the travel trajectory during the outermost circular path) and the remaining side travel trajectory, the field shape is calculated.

[0034] In the example in Figure 2, there is one loop path CR excluding the outermost loop path OC, so two loop paths CR are set in the outer region OA. The inner region IA is set inside the outer region OA. Once the inner region IA is set, a round-trip travel path IR (internal path group) is generated for automatic round-trip work travel from the starting point S to the ending point G within this inner region IA.

[0035] In actual operations, during a round-trip operation using the round-trip travel route IR, a material replenishment run is performed to a replenishment point SP located on the replenishment edge, where materials are replenished. In the example above, the basic edge SH0 used as the replenishment edge is predetermined before the travel route is generated, but there are also cases where the replenishment edge is set after the travel route is generated.

[0036] Next, if the materials loaded onto the rice transplanter become insufficient while traveling along the internal route IRS, replenishment of materials will be required at a replenishment point. An example of a screen used to set such a replenishment point is shown in Figure 3. This screen diagram is displayed on the in-vehicle terminal 6. The screen shown in Figure 3 includes not only a setting area for replenishment points for material replenishment, but also a travel route display area that shows the travel route (travel order) of the rice transplanter on the circular route CR and the round-trip travel route IR. Here, as a replenishment point, either the basic side SH0 (see Figure 2), labeled as side B in Figure 3, or the opposing side labeled as side A in Figure 3, which is opposite to the basic side SH0, or both, can be set.

[0037] [Control System] Next, we will explain the control system of the rice transplanter using Figure 4.

[0038] The control system of the rice transplanter in this embodiment includes a control unit 5 that controls various operations of the rice transplanter, and an on-board terminal 6 that can exchange data with the control unit 5. The control unit 5 and the on-board terminal 6 substantially constitute a field work management system. The control unit 5 receives signals from a supply material quantity setter 31, which is particularly relevant to the present invention. The control unit 5 also receives signals from other sources, such as a positioning unit 8, a group of manual operation tool sensors, a group of travel sensors, and a group of work sensors. Control signals from the control unit 5 are output to the group of travel equipment 1A and the group of work equipment 1B.

[0039] The supply material quantity setting device 31 is a general term for the material supply regulators that adjust the hourly supply amount (material quantity) of each material supplied to the field by the seedling planting device 3, fertilizer application device 4, and pesticide spraying device 30. This hourly material quantity can be treated as a quantity per unit of work run or per unit area, taking into account the vehicle speed of the rice transplanter. In any case, the signal regarding the quantity of material supplied per unit of work run (per internal path, per circular path, etc.) or per unit area, which has been changed by the supply material quantity setting device 31, is provided to the control unit 5.

[0040] The positioning unit 8 includes a satellite positioning module 8A that receives radio waves from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites, and an inertial measurement module 8B that detects the tilt and acceleration of the three axes of the vehicle body 1. The control unit 5 obtains positioning data from the satellite positioning module 8A of the positioning unit 8 to calculate the position and bearing (bearing in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body), and obtains inertial measurement data related to the tilt and acceleration of the three axes of the vehicle body 1 from the inertial measurement module 8B. Here, it is assumed that the positioning data received by the positioning unit 8 also includes inertial measurement data.

[0041] The running gear group 1A includes steering gear and transmission gear. Based on control signals from the control unit 5, various devices are controlled, and the movement of the vehicle body 1 is controlled.

[0042] The work equipment group 1B includes equipment for adjusting the height of the seedling planting device 3, adjusting the amount of seedlings picked by the planting mechanism 22, adjusting the amount of fertilizer dispensed, and performing clutch control for the planting clutch and the material supply row adjustment clutch.

[0043] The notification device group 1C includes, in addition to the aforementioned stacked lights 19, headlights for signaling material replenishment, turn signals, and speakers, notification lamps and notification buzzers. The in-vehicle terminal 6 also functions as a notification device.

[0044] The group of manual control device sensors (not shown) includes sensors and switches for detecting the operating status of various manual control devices. The group of driving sensors includes various sensors for detecting conditions such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and engine speed. The group of work sensors includes various sensors for detecting conditions such as the linkage mechanism 13, seedling planting device 3, and fertilizer application device 4.

[0045] The control unit 5 includes a driving control unit 50, a work control unit 51, a vehicle body position calculation unit 52, a driving route setting unit 53, and a notification control unit 54.

[0046] The work control unit 51 automatically controls the work equipment group 1B based on a pre-provided program during automatic driving, and controls the work equipment group 1B based on the driver's operation during manual driving.

[0047] The vehicle position calculation unit 52 calculates the map coordinates (vehicle position) of the vehicle 1 based on satellite positioning data and inertial navigation data sent sequentially from the positioning unit 8. These map coordinates may be not only latitude and longitude, but also coordinates in a field coordinate system or a specific coordinate system.

[0048] The driving route setting unit 53 receives and manages the driving routes generated by the in-vehicle terminal 6, and sequentially sets target driving routes as target driving routes for automatic driving control.

[0049] The notification control unit 54 receives a notification request from the control system, generates a control signal to be output to the notification device group 1C, and performs the necessary notification through each notification device.

[0050] The travel control unit 50 includes an automatic travel control unit 50A, a manual travel control unit 50B, a control management unit 50C, and a material supply travel control unit 50D. The travel of this rice transplanter can be switched between an automatic travel mode and a manual travel mode. The control management unit 50C selects either the automatic travel mode or the manual travel mode based on the state of a travel mode switching device (not shown) and commands from other functional units of the control unit 5. When the machine is in operation, the travel control unit 50 drives the machine 1 at a predetermined constant speed from the standpoint of supplying materials to the field.

[0051] The manual driving control unit 50B, used in manual driving mode, controls the steering equipment based on the amount of operation of the steering wheel 10, and also controls the transmission equipment based on the operation of manual controls such as the main transmission lever 7A and the sub-transmission lever 7B.

[0052] The automatic driving control unit 50A used in automatic driving mode has a path-following steering function and a turning automatic steering function. The automatic driving control unit 50A performs path-following control so that the vehicle body 1 travels along the target driving path set in the driving path setting unit 53. In this path-following control, the vehicle body position calculated by the vehicle body position calculation unit 52 is used to calculate the positional deviation of the vehicle body 1 with respect to the target driving path (lateral deviation with respect to the target driving path) and the azimuth deviation of the vehicle body 1 (angle of deviation of the vehicle body orientation with respect to the orientation of the target driving path), and steering control is performed so that this positional deviation and azimuth deviation are reduced.

[0053] The material replenishment driving control unit 50D has the function of moving the vehicle body 1 to approach the replenishment edge in a material replenishment posture based on a material replenishment command sent from the onboard terminal 6 when the vehicle is traveling along the internal route IRS. Specifically, the material replenishment driving control unit 50D uses the extended route that extends from the internal route IRS toward the replenishment edge as the target driving route and moves the vehicle body 1 to approach the replenishment edge. Depending on the situation, material replenishment driving can also be performed by manual steering. The material replenishment driving control unit 50D stops the vehicle body 1 at the replenishment point SP in a material replenishment posture that matches the type of material included in the material replenishment command. For example, if the type of replenishment material is planting seedlings or planting seeds, the material receiving location is on the front side of the vehicle body, so the material replenishment posture is a front abutment posture in which the front end of the vehicle body 1 abuts against the replenishment edge. Furthermore, if the type of supply material is fertilizer or chemicals, the material receiving point is at the rear of the vehicle, so the material supply posture is a rear-butt posture where the rear end of the vehicle body 1 abuts against the supply edge. When the vehicle body 1 is stopped at the supply point SP in a front-butt posture, the material supply travel control unit 50D controls the vehicle to continue straight from the end of the internal route IRS that is currently being traveled and stop at a predetermined vehicle body stopping position. When the vehicle body 1 is stopped at the supply point SP in a rear-butt posture, the material supply travel control unit 50D controls the vehicle to turn along the turning route IRT from the end of the internal route IRS that is currently being traveled to the beginning of the next internal route IRS to be traveled, and then reverse straight toward the supply edge and stop at a predetermined vehicle body stopping position.

[0054] The in-vehicle terminal 6 is a communication terminal equipped with a touch panel 6A as a display unit, and can be detached from the vehicle body 1 and used as a remote control device for operating the vehicle body 1. The in-vehicle terminal 6 has a graphical interface and functions to display and input information via the touch panel 6A, as well as to function as a data input / output interface to the control unit 5.

[0055] In this embodiment, the in-vehicle terminal 6 includes, as functional units, a display control unit 60, a supply edge setting unit 61, a field shape calculation unit 62, a travel trajectory management unit 63, a region setting unit 64, a travel route generation unit 65, a required material quantity calculation unit 66, a required work time calculation unit 67, and a status determination unit 68. These functional units are essentially realized by the execution of computer programs (applications) installed on the in-vehicle terminal 6.

[0056] The in-vehicle terminal 6 has a data communication function and acquires and stores information about the field through data communication. This information about the field includes the location of the field, the name of the field, the location of the field's entrance (exit), and locations where seedlings and fertilizers can be supplied.

[0057] The display control unit 60 displays data generated by each function unit of the in-vehicle terminal 6, data sent from the control unit 5, data downloaded from an external source, etc., on the touch panel 6A.

[0058] The supply side setting unit 61 sets the supply side based on the information entered through the setting screen shown in Figure 3.

[0059] The trajectory management unit 63 operates in conjunction with the vehicle position calculation unit 52. Based on the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 52, the trajectory management unit 63 generates and stores the trajectory of the vehicle 1. The field shape calculation unit 62 operates in conjunction with the trajectory management unit 63. If the field shape is unknown, the field shape calculation unit 62 calculates the field shape based on the trajectory obtained through driving as described using Figure 2. The area setting unit 64 sets an outer perimeter area OA, which includes the basic edge trajectory and the remaining edge trajectory, and an inner area IA inside the outer perimeter area OA, based on the field shape.

[0060] The travel path generation unit 65 includes a circulating path generation function that generates a circulating path CR for automatically circulating work travel in the outer peripheral area OA, and a round-trip travel path generation function that generates a round-trip travel path IR for automatically back-and-forth work travel in the inner area IA.

[0061] The required materials calculation unit 66 calculates the required amount of materials (seedlings, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) needed for work travel in the field. The required work time calculation unit 67 calculates the required work time needed to complete work travel in the field. The status determination unit 68 determines the state before the start of work travel and the state after the start of work travel. The required materials amount and required work time are displayed on the touch panel 6A in an appropriate format by the display control unit 60.

[0062] The display control unit 60 can display either the required amount of materials and / or the required work time for each predetermined process unit in different display formats depending on the state before the start of work travel and the state after the start of work travel, as determined by the state determination unit 68. In principle, this process unit is defined as work travel between supply lines (supply points SP), but it can be interpreted in various ways as shown below. (1) When using the round-trip route IR for round-trip work (see Figure 3) Set the supply side to side A: One process is a round trip on one internal route IRS. Set the supply side to side B: One process is a round trip on one internal path IRS. Furthermore, if starting from the opposite side of the supply side, one step consists of either a one-way trip on the first internal route IRS of a round trip, a round trip on one internal route IRS, or a one-way trip on the last internal route IRS. (2) During the lap work run using the first lap route C1 The first step is to complete the entire circuit of the first loop route C1. (3) When performing circular work using the outermost circular route OC The first step is to drive the entire length of the outermost loop route OC.

[0063] The calculation of required material quantities (such as material quantities per internal route IRS, per circular route CR, and remaining required material quantities) by the required material quantity calculation unit 66, and the calculation of required work time by the required work time calculation unit 67, differ depending on the state before the start of work travel and the state after the start of work travel, as determined by the state determination unit 68. The calculation methods are described below. Note that the required material quantities include material quantities per route in the unworked travel area and required material quantities in the unworked travel area (remaining required material quantities). (1) Before starting work (displayed on the starting point guidance screen) • Total amount of material for the field = Total area of ​​the field (a) ÷ 10 × Set amount of material (sheets or kg / 10a) + α Here, 'a' represents the area unit 'are', 'sheets' represents the number of seedling sheets, and 'α' is the correction value. • Total working time = The sum of the linear travel time in the internal region IA + the sum of the turning (U-turn) time in the outer region OA during internal operations + the sum of the material replenishment time at the supply point SP during internal operations + the sum of the linear travel time during circular travel in the outer region OA + the sum of the turning time during circular travel in the outer region OA + the sum of the replenishment time during circular travel (2) After the start of work (displayed on the driving control screen) • Remaining material amount for the entire field = Unworked area of ​​the field (a) ÷ 10 × Set material amount (sheets or kg / 10a) + α • Amount of material per process = Working area per process (a) ÷ 10 × Set amount of material (sheets or kg / 10a) + α • Number of seedlings per row in one process = Number of seedlings per process ÷ Number of rows • Remaining work time (remaining required time) = = Working time in the inner region IA × (1 - progress rate in the inner region IA) + Working time in the outer region OA × (1 - progress rate in the outer region OA) The correction value α is used to add the number of seedlings equal to the number of rows, in addition to the seedlings themselves, in order to prevent missing plants. Since the claws cannot pick up the seedlings without seedlings to act as weights, α is added to the entire inner region IA and the outer region OA for each step.

[0064] Furthermore, the signals and set vehicle speed related to the amount of material supplied per unit work run or per unit area, which have been changed by the supply material quantity setter 31, are sent to the control unit 5. The required material quantity calculation unit 66 and the required work time calculation unit 67 then recalculate the required material quantity and required time each time and store them as data for the latest running status. In addition, if the supply material quantity setter 31 changes the settings while the required material quantity and required time are being displayed, the values ​​are updated to the recalculated values ​​as they are displayed.

[0065] Figure 5 shows an example of screen transitions related to the required amount of materials and required working time displayed on the touch panel 6A during the operation of a rice transplanter in a field. In the screen transition diagram shown in Figure 5, the screens displayed before the start of work (A) and (B), the screens displayed during the back-and-forth planting after the start of work (C) and (D), and the screen displayed during the starting point guidance (E) are selectively changed (display changed).

[0066] The screen (A) shown in Figure 6 is the planting start point guidance screen displayed during planting start point guidance, which is performed when the route formation is complete and the vehicle body 1 is guided to the planting start point. In this screen (A), a pop-up window 70 is displayed that shows the travel route, work area, required amount, and work time. By clicking the arrow icon 71, which is displayed next to the pop-up window 70 on screen (A) and serves as a display ON / OFF button, screen (B) is displayed with the pop-up window 70 hidden, as shown in Figure 7. Clicking the arrow icon 71 on screen (B) switches back to screen (A).

[0067] The screen shown in Figure 8 (C) is the screen displayed when the automatic reciprocating planting operation begins. On this screen (C), a pop-up window 70 is displayed showing the required amount (amount of materials required) and working time (required time) along with an icon of the rice transplanter located on the travel path. The required amount and time include the total required amount and time, and the required amount and time per step. Clicking the overall button 72 or the single step button 73 will display the corresponding required amount and time. On screen (C), where the total required amount and time are displayed, clicking the single step button 73 will display the required amount and time per step in the pop-up window 70 instead of the total required amount and time, as shown in screen (D) in Figure 9. Note that one step here is based on the definition described above and may vary depending on the working conditions. On screen (D), clicking the overall button 72 will return to screen (C). Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, in addition to the total required amount and time and the required amount and time per step, the corrected required amount of materials (number of seedlings) that changes by changing the number of work rows, which is the work width, may also be displayed in the same pop-up window 70 or another pop-up window. By increasing or decreasing the number of work rows in this way, the amount of materials (number of seedlings) that will be required will increase or decrease, making it possible to perform seedling planting work as desired. For example, by reducing the number of work rows, the amount of seedlings used can be reduced, and missing plants can be prevented. Also, as a structural characteristic of the seedling planting device 3, in order to properly pick up seedlings from the seedling tray 21, seedlings are needed as weights to press down on the seedlings being picked up. For this reason, it is also convenient to add these seedlings used as weights to the required amount of seedlings used.

[0068] By clicking the arrow icon 71 on screen (C) or screen (D), screen (E) will be displayed with the pop-up window 70 removed, as shown in Figure 10. Note that screen (E) is an example of the starting point guidance screen.

[0069] The signal regarding the amount of material supplied per unit of work run or per unit area, as well as the set vehicle speed, which has been changed by the supply material amount setter 31, is provided to the control unit 5. By adjusting the supply material amount setter 31 while viewing the pop-up window 70, efficient work runs can be performed. This provides the advantage that the values ​​are immediately reflected in the progress of agricultural work and changes in set values ​​(set number of seedlings, set amount of fertilizer, vehicle speed, etc.).

[0070] As is clear from the above explanation, the field work management system and field work vehicle of the present invention allow for the understanding of the total amount of materials to be used in the entire field before and during work, thereby improving work efficiency by making it easier to plan the transportation of materials from the storage area to the field. Furthermore, since the amount of materials per process and per row can be understood during work, it is possible to determine whether it is possible to reach the next supply edge by comparing it with the amount of materials loaded in the vehicle body 1, contributing to a reduction in the number of stops. Since the work time can be understood, it is easier to plan the work schedule for the day. Moreover, when the set value for the amount of materials is changed, the estimated amount is updated immediately. Therefore, it is possible to set the system to match the amount of materials prepared, and it is possible to prevent excesses or shortages of materials. For example, if there are 10 seedling sheets remaining, and the current setting requires 15 more, the setting value for the number of seedling sheets can be reduced while viewing the remaining number in the pop-up window 70, so that exactly 10 sheets are used.

[0071] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above-described embodiment, a rice transplanter capable of being equipped with a fertilizer application device 4 and a pesticide spraying device 30 was used as the field work vehicle, but it may also be a rice transplanter dedicated to planting seedlings, or a machine dedicated to sowing seeds, a machine dedicated to fertilizing seeds, or a pesticide spraying machine.

[0072] (2) The functional block diagram shown in Figure 4 shows a hypothetical group of functional blocks for explanatory purposes; in reality, each functional block may be further broken down or integrated with other functional blocks. Furthermore, at least one function of the in-vehicle terminal 6 may be incorporated into the control unit 5, and at least one function of the control unit 5 may be incorporated into the in-vehicle terminal 6. Also, at least one function of the in-vehicle terminal 6 may be implemented by a remote cloud service.

[0073] (3) In the embodiments described above, seedlings were used as agricultural materials, but fertilizers, chemicals, and even engine fuel can be handled in a similar manner.

[0074] (4) Since calculation errors (detection errors) may occur when calculating the required amount of materials or the remaining amount of materials, it is acceptable to slightly inflate the displayed amounts of materials to account for this.

[0075] Furthermore, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the object of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0076] The technology of the present invention is applicable to a field work management system that manages agricultural materials supplied to a field using a field work vehicle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0077] 5: Control Unit 6: In-vehicle terminals 6A: Touch panel (display unit) 31: Supply Material Quantity Setter 50: Driving control unit 50D: Material supply travel control unit 54: Notification Control Unit 60: Display Control Unit 61: Supply Line Setting Section 62: Field shape calculation unit 63: Track Management Department 64: Area setting section 65: Route generation unit 66: Required Material Quantity Calculation Unit 67: Required work time calculation unit 68: State determination unit SP: Supply point

Claims

1. A field work management system for a field work vehicle that performs operational driving to supply agricultural materials while traveling through a field, A required materials calculation unit calculates the required amount of agricultural materials necessary for the aforementioned work travel to the aforementioned field, A required work time calculation unit calculates the required work time needed to complete the aforementioned work drive to the aforementioned field, A display control unit that displays the required amount of materials and the required working time on the display unit, A state determination unit that determines the state before the start of the work run and the state after the start of the work run, Equipped with, The display control unit is a field work management system that displays the required amount of materials and the required work time on the display unit in different display formats depending on the pre-start state and the post-start state.

2. In the pre-start state, the amount of materials to be used in the entire field is displayed as the required material quantity, and the work time required for the work to be carried out in the entire field is displayed as the required work time. The field work management system according to claim 1, wherein in the state after the start, the amount of necessary materials is displayed as the remaining amount of necessary materials required for the work drive in the unworked area of ​​the field, and the amount of necessary work time is displayed as the work time required for the work drive in the unworked area.

3. The aforementioned work travel consists of reciprocal travel, which sequentially travels back and forth along a group of straight internal paths set within the internal area of ​​the field, and circular travel, which travels around a circular path set outside the internal area. The field work management system according to claim 2, wherein during the aforementioned round trip travel, the amount of materials required per route is displayed as the amount of materials required per route within the internal route.

4. The field work management system according to claim 3, wherein the required amount of materials is displayed as a corrected required amount, which is the sum of the required amount of materials and the amount of materials corresponding to the working width of the field work vehicle.

5. The field work management system according to claim 3, wherein the remaining required amount of materials and the amount of materials per route are selectively displayed.

6. The field work management system according to claim 4, wherein the remaining required amount of materials, the amount of materials per route, and the corrected required amount of materials are selectively displayed.

7. The field work management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the required material amount calculation unit is given the amount of material to be supplied per unit work run or per unit area, which has been changed by the supply material amount setting device, and the required material amount is changed when the setting is changed.

8. A field work vehicle that manages the agricultural materials loaded onto the vehicle body using the field work management system described in claim 1, and performs the work run while supplying the agricultural materials to the field.

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