Work vehicles

Abstract

To reduce the workload on operators and improve work efficiency. [Solution] The work vehicle is a work vehicle that has a work section in which an operator performs work and is capable of automatic driving, and comprises a power extraction unit that extracts power from the power source of the work vehicle, an operation switching unit that switches between connecting and disconnecting the power extraction unit and the power source, and a control unit that controls stopping during the automatic driving, wherein the control unit controls the operation switching unit to connect the power extraction unit and the power source, provided that the work vehicle has stopped at a preset designated stopping position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a work vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as one of the special vehicles equipped with a work unit where an operator performs work, a garbage truck (dust collection vehicle) equipped with a garbage inlet as a work unit is known. In the garbage truck, an operator performs an operation of throwing garbage into the garbage inlet. On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, by arranging a foot switch that supports the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing door of the garbage inlet below the garbage inlet in a control device, even when the hands of the worker (operator) are blocked, it is proposed that the opening and closing door of the garbage inlet can be opened and closed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, driving a vehicle having a work unit as described above without an operator by autonomous driving has been studied and tested. If such autonomous driving is realized, since it is not necessary for an operator to repeatedly board and alight for driving the vehicle and working on the work unit, it is expected that work efficiency will be improved.

[0005] Such a driverless vehicle may automatically stop at a preset stop position, or in the case of a garbage truck, it may be considered to recognize garbage with a camera or a sensor and automatically stop at a garbage accumulation location.

[0006] Furthermore, in vehicles with working parts, such as garbage trucks and dump trucks, the working parts (bodywork) are driven via a PTO (Power Take-Off). The PTO is operated by switching the PTO operation switch ON / OFF, but in the case of garbage trucks, the distance between each garbage collection point may be short, which can lead to a high frequency of PTO operation switch operation and a greater burden on the operator.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to address the above-mentioned challenges and to reduce the workload on operators and improve work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This disclosure is made to solve at least some of the aforementioned problems and can be implemented in the following embodiments or applications.

[0009] (1) The work vehicle according to this application example is a work vehicle having a work section in which an operator performs work and capable of automatic driving, comprising: a power extraction unit that extracts power from the power source of the work vehicle; an operation switching unit that switches between connecting and disconnecting the power extraction unit and the power source; and a control unit that controls stopping during automatic driving, wherein the control unit controls the operation switching unit to connect the power extraction unit and the power source, provided that the work vehicle has stopped at a preset designated stopping position.

[0010] In this application example, the control unit connects the power take-off unit and the power source via the operation switching unit when the work vehicle stops at the designated stopping position. In other words, the operation switching unit can automatically switch between connecting or disconnecting the power take-off unit and the power source depending on whether the conditions are met, eliminating the need for the operator to get on and off the vehicle each time to perform the switching operation. This reduces the workload on the operator and improves work efficiency.

[0011] (2) In the work vehicle relating to the application example of (1) above, the vehicle further has a forward situation recognition unit capable of recognizing the situation in front of the vehicle, and the control unit sets the stop candidate location recognized by the forward situation recognition unit from among a plurality of preset stop candidate locations as the designated stop location. As a result, multiple stop candidate locations are stored, and by setting the stop candidate location recognized by the vehicle's forward situation recognition unit as the designated stop location, the stop location can be easily identified, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0012] (3) In the work vehicle according to the application example of (1) above, the control unit controls the operation switching unit to connect the power take-off unit and the power source, provided that the emergency flashing indicator light is flashing. In other words, by including the flashing of the emergency flashing indicator light as a connection condition for the operation switching unit, safety during work can be ensured. This improves the safety of the work vehicle while increasing the work efficiency of the operator.

[0013] (4) In the work vehicle according to the application example of (1) above, the control unit controls the operation switching unit to connect the power take-off unit and the power source, and then controls the operation switching unit to disconnect the power take-off unit and the power source when the above condition is no longer met. This reduces the workload on the operator and improves work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the work vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the control configuration of a work vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the designated stopping position. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the control procedures performed by the work vehicle of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the work vehicle according to this embodiment, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the work vehicle according to this embodiment. The configuration of the work vehicle according to this embodiment will be described below based on these figures.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the work vehicle in this embodiment is an electric work vehicle (hereinafter referred to as Vehicle 1). Vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle having a body 10, a mounting body 20 mounted on the body 10, a PTO unit (power take-off unit) 30 that drives the mounting body 20, an automatic driving device 40 for automatic driving, a VCU 50, and a vehicle memory unit 60, and is a work vehicle that performs specific tasks. In this embodiment, Vehicle 1 is a refuse collection vehicle (a so-called garbage truck) that collects garbage. Note that the vehicle control system according to this embodiment is not limited to refuse collection vehicles, but can also be applied to other work vehicles such as refrigerated trucks, dump trucks, mixer trucks, fire trucks, or crane trucks.

[0017] The vehicle body 10 includes a main frame 11, a battery 12, a drive unit 13, wheels 14, and a cab 15.

[0018] The main frame 11 is the frame that supports the cab 15, the bodywork 20, and other heavy objects mounted on the vehicle body 10. The battery 12 is a power source that supplies the power necessary for driving the vehicle body 10 and for driving the electric auxiliary equipment mounted on the vehicle 1. The drive unit 13 is a mechanism that converts the power supplied from the battery 12 into driving power using a drive motor and transmits it to the wheels 14. The wheels 14 are suspended from the main frame 11 and include the front wheels 14F located below the cab 15 in the vehicle height direction (Z direction in the figure), and the rear wheels 14R driven by the drive unit 13. The cab 15 is a structure including the driver's seat, etc., and is located in the front part of the main frame 11 in the vehicle longitudinal direction (X direction in the figure).

[0019] The cab 15 has flashing indicator lights 15a on both sides in the vehicle width direction and on the lower side in the vehicle height direction. The flashing indicator lights 15a have the function as direction indicator lights (front winkers) that flash on the corresponding side during a left turn or a right turn, and as hazard warning lights (hazard lamps) that flash on both sides during parking or the like.

[0020] The mounting body 20 is a refuse working unit where one or more operators A perform refuse collection work from outside the vehicle, and has a hopper section 21 and a loading section 22.

[0021] The hopper section 21 is a part for storing the loaded refuse. The hopper section 21 also has a mechanism for discharging the stored refuse. For example, in the case of a so-called extrusion-type refuse truck, a discharge plate is provided in the hopper section 21 that moves from the front of the vehicle (the back side inside the hopper) toward the rear of the vehicle to discharge the refuse. Also, for example, in the case of a so-called dump-type refuse truck, a tilt mechanism is provided that lifts the front part of the hopper section 21 upward with respect to the main frame.

[0022] The loading section 22 has a loading opening into which refuse is loaded, and has a mechanism inside for collectively transferring the refuse into the hopper section 21. For example, in the case of a so-called press-type transfer refuse truck, a compression plate is provided inside the loading section 22, and the loaded refuse is transferred into the hopper section 21 while being compressed by the compression plate. Also, for example, in the case of a so-called entrainment-type transfer refuse truck, a rotating plate is provided inside the loading section 22, and the loaded refuse is collectively transferred into the hopper section 21 while being gathered by the rotating plate.

[0023] The PTO unit 30 converts the electric power supplied from the battery 12 into rotational power to drive each mechanism of the mounting body 20 and the like. Specifically, the PTO unit 30 has a mounting motor 31 that is rotationally driven by the electric power of the battery 12, and a hydraulic pump 33 that is driven by the rotational power of the mounting motor 31 transmitted via a belt 32.

[0024] The autonomous driving equipment 40 includes multiple cameras 42 for recognizing the situation around the vehicle, and an autonomous driving control unit 43 for controlling autonomous driving.

[0025] Cameras 42 are installed on the left and right sides of the front and the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle 1. Each camera 42 captures images (including still images and moving images) of the area around the vehicle 1. In addition, the cameras 42 may be capable of measuring the distance from the camera 42 to objects in the image, that is, the distance from the vehicle 1, and outputting it as distance image data.

[0026] Specifically, camera 42FR (not shown) located on the front right side of the vehicle captures images of the front and right side of vehicle 1, camera 42FL located on the front left side of vehicle captures images of the front and left side of vehicle 1, and camera 42RR (not shown) located on the rear right side of vehicle and camera 42RL located on the rear left side of vehicle capture images of the rear of vehicle 1. Cameras 42FR and 42FL located on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle are also pointed towards the cab 15, so it is possible to capture people (operator A, etc.) getting in and out of the cab 15. Cameras 42RR and 42RL located on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle are also pointed towards the input side of the input section 22, so it is possible to capture the process of garbage being deposited. Hereafter, these four cameras 42FR, 42FL, 42RR, and 42RL may be collectively referred to as cameras 42.

[0027] The automatic driving control unit 43 is a control unit that controls the automatic driving of vehicle 1. More specifically, the automatic driving control unit 43 is a computer equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), main memory (ROM, RAM, etc.) used for storing control programs and control maps, input / output devices, timer counters, etc. The automatic driving control unit 43 is connected to various devices such as each camera 42, VCU 50, vehicle memory unit 60, PTO unit 30, etc., via the vehicle's internal communication network, CAN (Control Area Network), enabling communication.

[0028] The automatic driving control unit 43 can execute an automatic driving program that controls the driving drive unit 13 and other components to drive the unmanned vehicle 1 without human intervention in steering, acceleration, or braking. For example, the automatic driving control unit 43 of this embodiment has functions such as making the vehicle 1 follow an operator A walking in front of the vehicle 1, making the vehicle drive along a pre-registered route that visits garbage collection points, and making the vehicle take evasive action when it detects a person or obstacle in front of it.

[0029] Furthermore, the automatic driving control unit 43 includes a surrounding situation recognition unit 43a (forward situation recognition unit) that recognizes the situation around the vehicle 1, a stop position setting unit 43b for automatically stopping the vehicle 1, and an operation switching unit 43c.

[0030] The surrounding environment recognition unit 43a has the function of recognizing objects around the vehicle from images captured by each of the cameras 42 described above. Specifically, the surrounding environment recognition unit 43a has a trained model (so-called AI: Artificial Intelligence) that has been trained to recognize objects such as people (including operator A), roads, other vehicles, buildings, garbage collection points, etc. from images. In this embodiment, the surrounding environment recognition unit 43a recognizes a person getting in and out of the cab 15 as operator A using the cameras 42FR and 42FL in front of the vehicle, and can measure the distance from vehicle 1 to operator A continuously or periodically.

[0031] The stopping position setting unit 43b has an automatic stopping function that automatically stops (brings to a stop) the vehicle 1 at a pre-set designated stopping position. More specifically, the stopping position setting unit 43b acquires stopping candidate location information corresponding to garbage collection points stored in the vehicle memory unit 60 (described later) and sets stopping candidate locations. From these multiple stopping candidate locations, the vehicle 1 stops at the stopping candidate location recognized in front of the vehicle by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a as the designated stopping position. More specifically, if there are multiple stopping candidate locations recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a from among the multiple stopping candidate locations, the stopping position setting unit 43b designates the stopping candidate location closest to the vehicle 1 as the designated stopping position.

[0032] Here, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram that specifically describes the designated stopping position for vehicle 1.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, Vehicle 1 travels to the nearest stop candidate location D1 corresponding to the garbage collection point C1 in front of Vehicle 1 and stops. Specifically, the stop position setting unit 43b sets the stop candidate location D1, which is the closest to Vehicle 1 among the stop candidate locations D1 and D2 corresponding to the garbage collection points C1 and C2 in front of Vehicle 1 recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a, as the designated stop position and stops the vehicle.

[0034] The operation switching unit 43c has the function of switching between connecting and disconnecting the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12, which is the power source for the vehicle 1. Specifically, the operation switching unit 43c connects the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 when the connection conditions are met. The connection conditions include, for example, (1) the vehicle 1 is stopped (vehicle speed = 0 km / h), (2) the hazard indicator light is flashing, and (3) the vehicle is stopped at a designated stopping position. Furthermore, when the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 are connected, the operation switching unit 43c disconnects the connection between the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 if at least one of the connection conditions is no longer met.

[0035] Vehicle 1 is also equipped with a Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) 50 for controlling all aspects of the vehicle except for autonomous driving. The VCU 50 is a computer that includes a central processing unit (CPU), main memory (ROM, RAM, etc.) for storing control programs and control maps, input / output devices, timer counters, etc. The VCU 50 is connected to various devices and other control units mounted on Vehicle 1 via a Control Area Network (CAN), which is an in-vehicle communication network.

[0036] For example, the VCU 50 in this embodiment is connected to various sensors and switches, such as a hazard lamp switch 51 for flashing an emergency flashing indicator light, a vehicle speed sensor 52 for detecting the speed of the vehicle 1, and an automation switch 53 for activating the operation switching unit 43c.

[0037] The hazard lamp switch 51 is located approximately in the center of the vehicle width direction on the instrument panel (not shown) inside the cab 15. The hazard lamp switch 51 has the function of making the flashing indicator light 15a flash as an emergency flashing indicator light. When the hazard lamp switch 51 is ON, the emergency flashing indicator light flashes, and when it is OFF, it turns off.

[0038] The automation switch 53 has the function of switching whether or not to perform automatic PTO control, which involves connecting and disconnecting the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 using the operation switching unit 43c. Specifically, when the automation switch 53 is on (ON state), the connection and disconnection are performed automatically by the operation switching unit 43c, and when the automation switch 53 is off (OFF state), the connection and disconnection are operated manually, for example, by operator A.

[0039] The vehicle storage unit 60 is a device capable of storing various types of information, such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), optical disc, or USB memory. In this embodiment, the vehicle storage unit 60 stores map information including the garbage collection route that the vehicle 1, which is a garbage truck, travels. The garbage collection route includes location information of garbage collection points, information on candidate stopping points corresponding to the garbage collection points, and image information of the garbage collection points to recognize them.

[0040] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the details of the PTO automatic control implemented in the work vehicle of this embodiment.

[0041] First, in step S1, the automatic driving control unit 43 determines whether the automation switch 53 is in the ON state or not.

[0042] If the result of step S1 is false (No), that is, if the automation switch 53 is in the OFF state, this flowchart is returned. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is true (Yes), that is, if the automation switch 53 is in the ON state, the automatic driving control unit 43 proceeds to the next step S2 in order to perform PTO automatic control.

[0043] In step S2, the automatic driving control unit 43 determines whether or not vehicle 1 is stopped. If the result of this determination is true (Yes), that is, if it is determined that vehicle 1 is stopped (vehicle speed = 0 km / h) based on the vehicle speed sensor 52, the automatic driving control unit 43 proceeds to the next step S3.

[0044] In step S3, the automatic driving control unit 43 determines whether the hazard lamp switch 51 is in the ON state or not. If the determination result is true (Yes), that is, if the hazard lamp switch 51 is in the ON state and the emergency flashing indicator light is flashing, the automatic driving control unit 43 proceeds to the next step S4.

[0045] In step S4, the stop position setting unit 43b of the automatic driving control unit 43 determines whether the vehicle 1 has stopped at the designated stop position due to the automatic stopping function. If the result of this determination is true (Yes), that is, if the vehicle has stopped at the designated stop position, the automatic driving control unit 43 proceeds to the next step S5.

[0046] In step S5, the operation switching unit 43c of the automatic driving control unit 43 executes control to automatically connect the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12, and returns the flowchart.

[0047] On the other hand, if any of the judgment results from steps S2 to S4 above are false (No), the automatic driving control unit 43 proceeds to step S6. In other words, if it is determined in step S2 that the vehicle 1 is not stopped (vehicle speed > 0 km / h) based on the vehicle speed sensor 52, if the hazard lamp switch 51 is in the OFF state and the emergency flashing indicator light is not flashing in step S3, or if the vehicle 1 is not stopped at the designated stopping position in step S4, the automatic driving control unit 43 proceeds to step S6.

[0048] In step S6, the operation switching unit 43c of the automatic driving control unit 43 executes control to either not connect the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12, or, if the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 are connected at this point, to disconnect the connection, and returns to the flowchart.

[0049] In this embodiment of the work vehicle, the automatic driving control unit 43 connects the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 via the operation switching unit 43c when connection conditions are met, such as when the vehicle 1 stops at a designated stopping position. In other words, the operation switching unit 43c can automatically switch between connecting or disconnecting the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 depending on whether the conditions are met, eliminating the need for operator A to get on and off the vehicle 1 each time to perform the switching operation. This reduces the workload on the operator and improves work efficiency.

[0050] Furthermore, the work vehicle of this embodiment also has a surrounding situation recognition unit 43a capable of recognizing the situation in front of the vehicle, and the automatic driving control unit 43 sets the stop candidate location recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a from among a plurality of preset stop candidate locations as the designated stop location. As a result, multiple stop candidate locations are stored, and by setting the stop candidate location recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a of the vehicle 1 as the designated stop location, the stop location can be easily identified, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0051] Furthermore, in the work vehicle of this embodiment, the operation switching unit 43c of the automatic driving control unit 43 controls the connection between the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12, provided that the flashing indicator light 15a is flashing as an emergency flashing indicator light. In other words, by including the flashing of the emergency flashing indicator light in the switching conditions of the operation switching unit 43c, safety during operation can be ensured. This improves the safety of the work vehicle while increasing the work efficiency of the operator.

[0052] Furthermore, in the work vehicle of this embodiment, the operation switching unit 43c of the automatic driving control unit 43 controls the connection between the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12, and then controls the disconnection of the PTO unit 30 and the battery 12 when the aforementioned conditions are no longer met. This reduces the workload on the operator and improves work efficiency.

[0053] This concludes the description of embodiments of the present invention. However, the specific configurations shown in these embodiments are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those shown in these embodiments.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the stopping position setting unit 43b sets multiple candidate stopping locations based on map information of the garbage collection route which includes candidate stopping location information corresponding to garbage collection points in advance. However, the map information of the garbage collection route does not necessarily have to include candidate stopping location information corresponding to garbage collection points. For example, when the surrounding situation recognition unit recognizes a garbage collection point from an image captured by the camera, the stopping position setting unit may set the vicinity of the recognized garbage collection point as a candidate stopping location and designate the candidate stopping location closest to the vehicle as the specified stopping position.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle 1 from images captured by each camera 42, but the equipment for recognizing the surrounding situation is not limited to cameras. For example, a sensor using laser light such as LiDAR or a sensor using millimeter waves such as millimeter-wave radar may be used as equipment for recognizing the surrounding situation.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the automatic driving control unit 43 and the VCU 50 are mounted separately on the vehicle 1, but the VCU may also function as the automatic driving control unit.

[0057] Furthermore, although the PTO unit 30 in the above embodiment has a mounting motor 31, a belt 32, and a hydraulic pump 33, the configuration of the PTO unit is not limited to this. For example, gears may be used instead of a belt, or a compressor may be used instead of a hydraulic pump. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 vehicle 10 car bodies 11 Mainframe 12 batteries 13. Drive unit for traction 14(14F, 14R) wheels 15 Cab 15a Flashing indicator light 20 Bodywork 21 Packing box section 22 Insertion section 30 PTO units 31. Motor for mounting 32 belts 33 Hydraulic pump 40 Autonomous driving equipment 42 (42FL, 42FR, 42RL, 42RR) Camera 43 Automatic Driving Control Unit 43a Surrounding Situation Recognition Unit 43b Stop position setting section 43c Operating Switching Section 50 VCU 51 Hazard light switch 52 Vehicle speed sensor 53 Automation Switch 60 Vehicle memory unit Operator A C1, C2 Garbage Collection Point D1, D2 Candidate stop locations

Claims

1. A work vehicle having a work section where an operator performs tasks, and capable of autonomous driving, A power extraction unit that extracts power from the power source of the aforementioned work vehicle, An operating switching unit that switches between connecting and disconnecting the power extraction unit and the power source, The system includes a control unit that controls stopping during the aforementioned automatic driving, The control unit controls the operation switching unit to connect the power extraction unit and the power source, provided that the work vehicle has stopped at a predetermined designated stop position.

2. Furthermore, it has a forward situation recognition unit that can recognize the situation in front of the vehicle, The work vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the stop candidate location recognized by the forward situation recognition unit as the designated stop position from among a plurality of pre-set stop candidate locations.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls the operation switching unit to connect the power take-off unit and the power source, provided that the emergency flashing indicator light is flashing.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the operation switching unit to connect the power extraction unit and the power source, and then controls the operation switching unit to disconnect the power extraction unit and the power source when the condition is no longer met.

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