Farm information management method, farm information management system, and program

Abstract

To efficiently provide information related to maintenance work. [Solution] The farming information management method includes: determining the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on a target work device based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device; generating maintenance information regarding the next maintenance time to be performed on the target work device based on the determined estimated time and performance information indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device or other work devices; and outputting the generated maintenance information.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , ,

[0005] , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a farming information management method, a farming information management system, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, as the informatization of agriculture progresses, systems for managing information for safely operating work devices have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that determines the operating time of each part of an agricultural machine provided in a work device using sensors provided in each part of the agricultural machine, and presents information indicating the maintenance timing according to the operating time of each part to the user.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, in order to safely operate a work device, it is necessary to perform a plurality of types of maintenance work, such as replenishment work of a power source (e.g., gasoline or electricity) for driving a power unit (e.g., an engine or a motor), and maintenance work of movable parts (e.g., oil change or part replacement), at appropriate intervals. However, in order to appropriately perform the maintenance work, it is necessary to grasp information such as the type and timing of the maintenance work performed on each work device in the past, and the operating state of the work device, etc., which has been a burden for the user.

[0005] To address this, in order to generate information regarding the timing of maintenance work using the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to acquire information indicating the measurement results of sensors installed in each part of the work equipment. Furthermore, when applying the technology described in Patent Document 1 to generate information regarding the timing of power source replenishment, it is necessary to provide a communication device that has the function of measuring the remaining amount of the power source and transmitting information about that remaining amount. Thus, providing information regarding maintenance work using conventional technology can result in high costs and inefficiencies.

[0006] In light of the above circumstances, one of the purposes of this disclosure is to efficiently provide information regarding maintenance work. Other purposes can be understood from the following description and the description of the embodiments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The means for solving the problem are described below using the numbers and symbols used in the embodiments for carrying out the invention. These numbers and symbols are added in parentheses for reference to show an example of the correspondence between the claims and the embodiments for carrying out the invention. Therefore, the claims should not be interpreted restrictively because of the parenthetical statements.

[0008] The farming information management method according to this embodiment includes: determining the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device (30) based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device (30) working in a field (F) and the location of maintenance equipment (40) having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device; generating maintenance information (D6) regarding the next maintenance time when maintenance work should be performed on the target work device (30) based on the determined estimated time and actual information (D3, D4) indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device (30) or other work devices (30); and outputting the generated maintenance information (D6).

[0009] Another embodiment of the farming information management method includes: determining the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device (30) based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device (30) working in a field (F) and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device (30); determining the cumulative operating time of the target work device (30) based on the positioning information of the target work device (30); generating maintenance information (D6a) regarding the next maintenance time when maintenance work should be performed on the target work device (30) based on the determined estimated time, the determined cumulative operating time, and work period information (D4a) indicating the time when maintenance work should be performed on the target work device (30); and outputting the generated maintenance information.

[0010] The farming information management system (1) according to this embodiment includes: an estimation determination unit (120) that determines the estimated time when maintenance work is performed on the target work device (30) based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device (30) working in a field (F) and the location of maintenance equipment (40) having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device; a maintenance generation unit (160, 162) that generates maintenance information (D6) regarding the next maintenance time when maintenance work should be performed on the target work device (30) based on the estimated time determined by the estimation determination unit (120) and actual information (D3, D4) indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device (30) or other work devices (30); and outputting the maintenance information (D6) generated by the maintenance generation unit (160, 162).

[0011] The program (P1, P2, P3, P4) according to the embodiment causes the computer (14, 24, 34, 44) to determine the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device (30) based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device (30) working in the field (F) and the location of maintenance equipment (40) having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device; to generate maintenance information (D6) regarding the next maintenance time when maintenance work should be performed on the target work device (30) based on the determined estimated time and actual information (D3, D4) indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device (30) or other work devices (30); and to output the generated maintenance information (D6). [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above configuration, information regarding maintenance work can be provided efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a farming information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a farming information management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a work apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a maintenance vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a farming information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of field information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of workload information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of device history information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10]It is a diagram showing an example of history statistical information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the farming information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the farming information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13A] It is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the farming information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13B] It is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the farming information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of maintenance information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the farming information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the farming information management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an example of device history information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18A] It is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the farming information management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18B] It is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the farming information management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 19] It is a diagram showing an example of maintenance information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 20] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the farming information management system according to the second embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] (First Embodiment) The farming information management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the farming information management system 1 comprises a farming information management device 10, a terminal device 20, one or more work devices 30, and one or more maintenance vehicles 40. The farming information management device 10 is connected to the one or more terminal devices 20 and the work devices 30 so as to be able to communicate via a network NT. Examples of the network NT include the internet and an intranet.

[0015] The working device 30 may be, for example, an agricultural machine capable of working in one or more fields F, such as a tractor equipped with agricultural implements such as a pesticide sprayer, a transplanter, or a harvester. In order for the working device 30 to operate safely and continuously in field F, it is necessary to perform one or more types of maintenance work at appropriate intervals, such as refueling with gasoline, charging, or maintenance work such as oil changes or parts replacement. In this embodiment, all of the working devices 30 are of the same model, and their specifications, such as fuel efficiency and the content of necessary maintenance, are assumed to be the same.

[0016] Each of the one or more maintenance vehicles 40 has functions necessary for maintenance work on the work device 30, as described later, and these functions may enable maintenance work on the work device 30. When performing maintenance work on the work device 30, the maintenance vehicles 40 may self-propel to a position in field F suitable for maintenance work on the work device 30. In addition, the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicles 40 may determine their current position and time based on positioning signals transmitted by the positioning satellite GP. The position of the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicles 40 as measured by them may be called the positioned position, and the current time may be called the positioned time.

[0017] The farm information management system 1 may make it difficult for users making decisions regarding maintenance work on one or more work devices 30 to grasp information about what type of maintenance work each work device 30 requires and when. For example, when a maintenance vehicle 40 moves to the location of multiple work devices 30 working in a wide-ranging field F to perform maintenance work, it becomes even more difficult to grasp all the information necessary to decide when and where to dispatch the maintenance work. Therefore, the farm information management system 1 provides information to support decisions on which type of maintenance work to perform on which work device 30 and when.

[0018] For example, using conventional technology, providing information about when refueling or charging is needed may require information about the remaining amount of gasoline or electricity in the work device 30. Also, providing information about the maintenance timing of each work device 30 may require information about the operating time of each part of the work device 30, or the operating time of the work device 30 as a whole. However, equipping all work devices 30 with a device to transmit the measurement results of fuel gauges and hour meters to a server device (e.g., farm information management device 10) may increase the required costs. Therefore, the farm information management system 1 determines the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the work device 30 based on the positioning of the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicle 40. Furthermore, the farm information management system 1 generates maintenance information regarding the necessity of maintenance work on each of the work devices 30 based on the operating time of the work device 30 from the estimated time determined to the current time for one or more work devices 30. The farm information management system 1 displays the generated maintenance information in a manner that is visible to the user. Thus, since the farming information management system 1 generates maintenance information based on the positioning locations of the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicle 40, it can provide maintenance information to the user at a low cost.

[0019] The configuration of the farm information management system 1 will now be described. The farm information management device 10 included in the farm information management system 1 comprises an input / output device 12, an arithmetic unit 14, a communication device 16, and a storage device 18, as shown in Figure 2. The farm information management device 10 is, for example, a computer with server functionality. The functions of the farm information management device 10 may be provided via the cloud through the NT network.

[0020] The input / output device 12 receives information for the arithmetic unit 14 to perform processing. The input / output device 12 also outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 14. The input / output device 12 includes various input and output devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, display, speaker, and touch panel.

[0021] The communication device 16 is connected to the network NT in a communicative manner and communicates with external devices of the farming information management device 10 (e.g., terminal device 20, work device 30, and maintenance vehicle 40) via the network NT. The communication device 16 transfers information acquired from external devices to the computing device 14. It also transfers information generated by the computing device 14 to external devices. The communication device 16 includes various interface devices with data communication functions, such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) and a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0022] The storage device 18 stores a program P1 containing various instructions for the farm information management device 10 of this embodiment to perform the processing described later. The storage device 18 is used as a non-transitory tangible storage medium for storing the program P1. The program P1 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M1. The storage medium M1 may be a portable physical medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Alternatively, the storage medium M1 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P1. In this case, the program P1 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server.

[0023] The arithmetic unit 14 reads a program P1 from the storage device 18, which includes instructions for executing at least a part of the processing described later, and executes it. The arithmetic unit 14 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU).

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 20 included in the farming information management system 1 comprises an input / output device 22, an arithmetic unit 24, a communication device 26, and a storage device 28. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a mobile device such as a tablet or a smartphone. However, the terminal device 20 may also be a stationary personal computer or a notebook computer.

[0025] The input / output device 22 receives information for the arithmetic unit 24 to perform processing. The input / output device 22 also outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 24. The input / output device 22 includes various input and output devices. Furthermore, the input / output device 22 includes a touch panel or display that functions as a screen S displaying maintenance information. If the terminal device 20 is a personal computer, the input / output device 22 may include a keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc.

[0026] The communication device 26 is connected to the network NT in a communicative manner and communicates with external devices of the terminal device 20 (e.g., the farming information management device 10, the work device 30, and the maintenance vehicle 40) via the network NT. The communication device 26 transfers information acquired from the external devices to the computing device 24. It also transfers information generated by the computing device 24 to the external devices. The communication device 26 includes various interface devices with communication functions, such as transceivers used in wireless communication such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and cellular networks.

[0027] The storage device 28 stores a program P2 containing various instructions for the farm information management system 1 of this embodiment to perform the processing described later. The storage device 28 is used as a non-temporary storage medium for storing the program P2. The program P2 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M2. The storage medium M2 may be a portable physical medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB memory. Alternatively, the storage medium M2 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P2. In this case, the program P2 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server.

[0028] The arithmetic unit 24 reads a program P2 from the storage device 28, which includes instructions for executing at least a part of the processing described later, and executes it. For example, the arithmetic unit 24 includes a central processing unit (CPU), etc.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the work device 30 includes an operating device 31, an input / output device 32, a calculation device 34, a communication device 36, a power unit 37, a storage device 38, and a positioning device 39.

[0030] The operating device 31 includes, for example, machinery and equipment for performing tasks to be carried out in field F, such as a ridging machine, a planting machine, and a fertilizer spreader. The operating device 31 may include, for example, movable parts that require maintenance work such as parts replacement every predetermined operating time (e.g., 100 hours).

[0031] The input / output device 32 receives information for the arithmetic unit 34 to perform processing. The input / output device 32 also outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 34. The input / output device 32 may also include various input and output devices such as speakers, touch panels, keyboards, mice, microphones, and displays.

[0032] The communication device 36 is connected to the network NT in a communicative manner and communicates with external devices (e.g., the farming information management device 10) of the work device 30 via the network NT. The communication device 36 transfers information acquired from the farming information management device 10 to the computing device 34. It also transfers information generated by the computing device 34 to the farming information management device 10. The communication device 36 includes various interface devices with wireless communication capabilities, such as transceivers for cellular networks and wireless LANs.

[0033] The power unit 37 supplies power to the work device 30 for movement and operation, such as an engine or an electric motor. The power unit 37 may require maintenance, such as changing lubricating oil (e.g., engine oil) at appropriate intervals. The power unit 37 also includes a storage device T for storing a power source (e.g., gasoline or electricity) to generate power. If the power source is gasoline, the storage device T may be a fuel tank capable of storing gasoline. If the power source is electricity, the storage device T may be a battery capable of storing electricity through charging.

[0034] The storage device 38 stores a program P3 containing various instructions for the farm information management system 1 of this embodiment to perform the processing described later. The storage device 38 is used as a non-temporary storage medium for storing the program P3. The program P3 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M3. The storage medium M3 may be a portable physical medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB memory. Alternatively, the storage medium M3 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P3. In this case, the program P3 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server.

[0035] The positioning device 39 continuously measures the position of the work device 30 and the current time. The positioning device 39 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and receives positioning signals from positioning satellites (GP) to continuously measure the position and position time of the work device 30. Alternatively, the positioning device 39 may measure the position of the work device 30 by self-position estimation using a quantum compass.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the maintenance vehicle 40 includes an input / output device 42, a calculation device 44, a communication device 46, a maintenance device 47, a storage device 48, and a positioning device 49.

[0037] The input / output device 42 receives information for the arithmetic unit 44 to perform processing. The input / output device 42 also outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 44. The input / output device 42 may also include various input and output devices such as speakers, touch panels, keyboards, mice, microphones, and displays.

[0038] The communication device 46 is connected to the network NT in a communicative manner and communicates with external devices of the maintenance vehicle 40 (e.g., the farming information management device 10 and the work device 30) via the network NT. The communication device 46 transfers information acquired from the farming information management device 10 to the computing device 44. It also transfers information generated by the computing device 44 to the farming information management device 10. The communication device 46 includes various interface devices with wireless communication capabilities, such as cellular network and wireless LAN transceivers.

[0039] The maintenance device 47 includes, for example, equipment for the maintenance vehicle 40 to perform maintenance work on the work device 30. For example, if the maintenance vehicle 40 is a supply vehicle that supplies a power source to the work device 30, the maintenance device 47 may include a storage container FT for storing a power source to supply the work device 30. If the power source is gasoline, the storage container FT includes a gasoline tank. If the power source is electricity, the storage container FT includes a battery capable of storing electricity for charging. If the maintenance vehicle 40 is a maintenance vehicle that provides the functions necessary for maintenance work on the work device 30, the maintenance device 47 may include mounting space for mounting maintenance equipment. For example, if the maintenance work is an oil change or parts replacement, the maintenance device 47 may include a storage box for storing replacement oil and replacement parts. The maintenance device 47 may also include, for example, inspection sensor equipment and maintenance equipment (e.g., a compressor for inflating tires and an electric jack).

[0040] The storage device 48 stores a program P4 containing various instructions for the farm information management system 1 of this embodiment to perform the processing described later. The storage device 48 is used as a non-temporary storage medium for storing the program P4. The program P4 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M4. The storage medium M4 may be a portable physical medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB memory. Alternatively, the storage medium M4 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P4. In this case, the program P4 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server.

[0041] The positioning device 49 continuously measures the position of the maintenance vehicle 40 and the current time. The positioning device 49 includes, for example, a GNSS receiver and receives positioning signals from a positioning satellite GP to continuously measure the position and position time of the maintenance vehicle 40. Alternatively, the positioning device 49 may measure the position of the maintenance vehicle 40 by self-position estimation using a quantum compass.

[0042] Next, the functions of the farm information management system 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 6. The work device 30 realizes the functions of the sampling unit 310 and output unit 320 in Figure 6 when the calculation unit 34 in Figure 4 executes program P3.

[0043] As will be described later, the sampling unit 310 of the work device 30 continuously measures the position and time of the work device 30 using the positioning device 39 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 1 second) while the power unit 37 of the work device 30 is running.

[0044] The output unit 320 of the work device 30 transmits positioning information, indicating the positioning location and positioning time measured by the sampling unit 310, to the farming information management device 10 using the communication device 36. The positioning information output by the output unit 320 may include information that identifies the work device 30 (for example, an identifier).

[0045] The maintenance vehicle 40 realizes the functions of the sampling unit 410 and output unit 420 shown in Figure 6 when the calculation unit 44 shown in Figure 5 executes program P4.

[0046] As described later, the sampling unit 410 of the maintenance vehicle 40 continuously measures the position and time of the maintenance vehicle 40 using the positioning device 49 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 1 second) while the power source (for example, the engine) of the work device 30 is running.

[0047] The output unit 420 of the maintenance vehicle 40 transmits positioning information, indicating the positioning location and positioning time measured by the sampling unit 410, to the farming information management device 10 using the communication device 46. The positioning information output by the output unit 420 may include information that identifies the maintenance vehicle 40 (e.g., an identifier). The positioning information output by the output unit 420 may also include information that identifies the type of maintenance vehicle 40 (e.g., whether it is a supply vehicle or a maintenance vehicle).

[0048] The farm information management device 10 of the farm information management system 1 realizes the functions of the information acquisition unit 110, estimation and determination unit 120, history information management unit 130, operation determination unit 140, load determination unit 150, maintenance generation unit 160, information output unit 170, and information storage unit 180 by the calculation unit 14 in Figure 2 executing program P1.

[0049] The information storage unit 180 stores information acquired or generated by the information acquisition unit 110, estimation and decision unit 120, history information management unit 130, operation decision unit 140, load decision unit 150, and maintenance generation unit 160. The information storage unit 180 may also provide the stored information to the estimation and decision unit 120, history information management unit 130, operation decision unit 140, load decision unit 150, maintenance generation unit 160, and information output unit 170. For example, the information storage unit 180 may store field information D1, workload information D2, equipment history information D3, history statistics information D4, and maintenance vehicle information D5 before executing the processing described later.

[0050] As shown in Figure 7, field information D1 stores information indicating the geographical extent of one or more fields F that are processed by the farming information management system 1. Field information D1 may also include information indicating the load on the work equipment 30 when it performs work in that field F, and information indicating the work period and type of work performed (or scheduled to be performed) in field F. In the example in Figure 7, field information D1 stores, in association with an identifier that identifies each field F ("field ID"), information indicating the geographical extent of field F ("geographic range"), information indicating the load on the work equipment 30 performing work in that field F ("field load coefficient"), and information indicating the type and duration of work performed in that field F ("work").

[0051] For example, the "field load coefficient" in field information D1 of Figure 7 stores a coefficient that corresponds to the magnitude of the physical load on each part of the work device 30 when the work device 30 performs work in that field F. In this embodiment, the larger the coefficient indicated by the "field load coefficient," the greater the amount of power source consumed per unit time when the work device 30 is working. In addition to power source consumption, or alternatively, the larger the coefficient indicated by the "field load coefficient," the more likely the work device 30 that has worked in that field F will require maintenance work sooner.

[0052] For example, the field load coefficient may be a value set according to factors that affect the physical load on the work device 30 during operation, such as the soil type of field F and the slope of the ground surface of field F. The field load coefficient is set to be 1 for field F with a standard load, a value greater than 1 for field F with a high load, and a value less than 1 for field F with a low load. As an example, the "field load coefficient" in field information D1 may be set to be a value greater than 1 for field F with clayey soil, and a value less than 1 for field F with sandy soil. Also, the "field load coefficient" in field information D1 may be set to be a value greater than 1 for field F with a high slope of the ground surface, and a value less than 1 for field F with a low slope.

[0053] Furthermore, the "tasks" in field information D1 in Figure 7 indicate one or more types of tasks that have been performed or are scheduled to be performed in each field F, and the period during which each type of task was performed or is scheduled to be performed in that field F.

[0054] The workload information D2 stores information indicating the magnitude of the load on the work device 30 when it performs a particular type of work, for example, as shown in Figure 8. In the example in Figure 8, the workload information D2 stores the name of each type of work ("work type") and information indicating the magnitude of the load on the work device 30 when that type of work is performed in a standard field F ("work workload coefficient"). The "work workload coefficient" may store a coefficient corresponding to the magnitude of the physical load on each part of the work device 30 when the work device 30 performs that type of work in field F. In this embodiment, the larger the coefficient indicated by the "work workload coefficient", the greater the amount of power source consumed per unit time by the work device 30 performing that type of work. In addition to power source consumption, or alternatively, the larger the coefficient indicated by the "work workload coefficient", the sooner the work device 30 performing that type of work in field F may require maintenance work.

[0055] The device history information D3 stores information indicating maintenance work performed on one or more work devices 30, as shown in Figure 9, for example. In the example in Figure 9, the device history information D3 stores information indicating the target work device 30 ("device ID"), information indicating the type of maintenance work performed ("maintenance work type"), and information indicating the time the work was performed ("execution time") for one or more maintenance work performed to date. In addition, the device history information D3 may also store information indicating the time the work device 30 was in operation (also called inter-operation operation time) between the execution of that maintenance work and the next execution of the same type of maintenance work ("operation time"). In the example in Figure 9, the fact that the "operation time" in the first line is 10 hours indicates that work device 30 #XXX1 was in operation for 10 hours between the refueling work performed on 2024 / 1 / 20 and the refueling work performed on 2024 / 2 / 15. For example, if the maintenance work in question is the last maintenance work of the same type performed on the work device 30, the "Operating Time" column in that row may contain the operating time of the work device 30 from the estimated time of the last maintenance work of that type (also called the final estimated time) to the current time (also called the operating time after the work). In the example in Figure 9, the fact that the "Operating Time" in the third row is 2 hours indicates that the work device 30 of #XXX1 operated for 2 hours between the refueling work performed on 2024 / 2 / 17 and the current time. Note that for a certain type of maintenance work, the period from when the previous work is performed until the next time the same type of work is performed is sometimes called the maintenance interval period.

[0056] The historical statistics information D4 stores information that shows the statistical values ​​of the time intervals in which one or more types of maintenance work have been performed on one or more work devices 30, as shown in Figure 10, for example. In the example in Figure 10, the historical statistics information D4 stores information that indicates the type of maintenance work that can be performed on the work device 30 ("maintenance work type") and information that shows the statistical values ​​of the time the work device 30 has been operating between the last time that type of maintenance work was performed on the work device 30 and the next time it is performed (e.g., the average or median operating time) ("standard implementation interval"). For example, in Figure 10, the "standard implementation interval" of maintenance work type "refueling" is 10 hours, which indicates that, in the history so far, the work device 30 has been refueled once, operated for an average (or median) 10 hours, and then refueled again. Note that the device history information D3 and the historical statistics information D4 together may be called performance information that shows the maintenance work performance for the work device 30 that is the target of the processing described later, or for other work devices 30.

[0057] The maintenance vehicle information D5 in Figure 6 stores, for example, information that identifies each maintenance vehicle 40 (e.g., a vehicle ID) and information indicating the types of maintenance work that each maintenance vehicle 40 can provide to the work device 30, for one or more maintenance vehicles 40.

[0058] As will be described later, the information acquisition unit 110 of the farming information management device 10 in Figure 6 acquires at least a portion of the information necessary for processing performed by the farming information management device 10 from the information storage unit 180 or external devices (for example, the work device 30 or the maintenance vehicle 40).

[0059] As will be described later, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the work device 30 based on the positioning position and positioning time of the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicle 40.

[0060] As described later, the history information management unit 130 generates or updates device history information D3, which shows the history of maintenance work performed on the work device 30, and history statistics information D4, which shows statistical values ​​of the time intervals between maintenance work performed on the work device 30, based on the estimated time determined by the estimation decision unit 120.

[0061] As will be described later, the operation determination unit 140 determines the operating time of the work device 30 based on the positioning information of the work device 30.

[0062] As will be described later, the load determination unit 150 determines a load coefficient that indicates the magnitude of the load of the work currently being performed by the work device 30 that is the target of processing.

[0063] As will be described later, the maintenance generation unit 160 generates maintenance information regarding the next maintenance timing for the work device 30 based on the estimated time determined by the estimation decision unit 120, the device history information D3 and history statistics information D4, and the load coefficient determined by the load decision unit 150.

[0064] As described later, the information output unit 170 outputs output information including the maintenance information generated by the maintenance generation unit 160 to an external device (for example, a terminal device 20). Alternatively, the information output unit 170 outputs the maintenance information generated by the maintenance generation unit 160, for example, by displaying it using the input / output device 12.

[0065] The arithmetic unit 24 of the terminal device 20 may implement the functions of the display unit 210 by executing program P2.

[0066] As will be described later, the display unit 210 uses the input / output device 22 to display the maintenance information included in the output information output by the information output unit of the farming information management device 10.

[0067] (Operation of Farm Management Information System 1) The farm information management system 1 executes the processes shown in Figures 11, 12, 13A, and 13B based on the functional configuration described above. For example, the farm information management system 1 acquires positioning information indicating the location of one or more maintenance vehicles 40 through the process shown in Figure 11. For example, the farm information management system 1 starts the process shown in Figure 11 when the power unit (e.g., engine) of one or more of the maintenance vehicles 40 is started.

[0068] In the process shown in Figure 11, first, in step S1002, the sampling unit 410 of the maintenance vehicle 40 positions the maintenance vehicle 40. For example, the sampling unit 410 uses a positioning device 49 to measure the position and current time of the maintenance vehicle 40 at a predetermined sampling period (for example, a 1-second period) and generates positioning information indicating the position and time.

[0069] Next, in step S1004, the output unit 420 of the maintenance vehicle 40 outputs positioning information of the maintenance vehicle 40. For example, the output unit 420 uses the communication device 46 to output the positioning information generated by the sampling unit 410 in step S1002 to the farming information management device 10. The output unit 420 may also output positioning information that includes an identifier to identify the maintenance vehicle 40.

[0070] Next, in step S1006, the information acquisition unit 110 of the farming information management device 10 acquires the positioning information of the maintenance vehicle 40 output in step S1004. The information acquisition unit 110 stores the acquired positioning information of the maintenance vehicle 40 in the information storage unit 180, associating it with information that identifies the maintenance vehicle 40.

[0071] When step S1006 is completed, the process returns to step S1002, and steps S1002 to S1006 are repeated for the next sampling time. If the power unit of the maintenance vehicle 40 stops and positioning information cannot be acquired in step S1006, the information acquisition unit 110 terminates the process shown in Figure 11.

[0072] The farming information management system 1 may perform the process shown in Figure 11 for each of the one or more maintenance vehicles 40, acquire information about the location of each maintenance vehicle 40, and store it in the information storage unit 180 of the farming information management device 10.

[0073] Furthermore, the farming information management system 1 acquires positioning information indicating the location of one or more work devices 30 through the process shown in Figure 12. For example, the farming information management system 1 starts the process shown in Figure 12 when one of the power units 37 of one or more work devices 30 is activated.

[0074] In the process shown in Figure 12, first, in step S1102, the sampling unit 310 of the work device 30 positions the work device 30. For example, the sampling unit 310 uses the positioning device 39 to measure the position and current time of the work device 30 at a predetermined sampling period (for example, a 1-second period) and generates positioning information indicating the position and time.

[0075] Next, in step S1104, the output unit 320 of the work device 30 outputs positioning information of the work device 30. For example, the output unit 320 uses the communication device 36 to output the positioning information generated by the sampling unit 310 in step S1102 to the farming information management device 10. The output unit 320 may also output positioning information that includes an identifier to identify the work device 30.

[0076] Next, in step S1106, the information acquisition unit 110 of the farming information management device 10 acquires the positioning information of the work device 30 output in step S1104. The information acquisition unit 110 stores the acquired positioning information of the work device 30 in the information storage unit 180, associating it with information that identifies the work device 30.

[0077] When step S1106 is completed, the process returns to step S1102, and steps S1102 to S1106 are repeated for the next sampling time. If the power unit 37 of the work device 30 stops and positioning information cannot be acquired in step S1106, the information acquisition unit 110 terminates the process shown in Figure 12.

[0078] The farm information management system 1 may perform the process shown in Figure 12 for each of the one or more work devices 30, acquire information about the location of each work device 30, and store it in the information storage unit 180 of the farm information management system 10.

[0079] Furthermore, the farming information management system 1 performs the processes shown in Figures 13A and 13B to provide the user with maintenance information regarding the timing of maintenance work to be performed on the target work device 30. For example, the farming information management system 1 starts the processes shown in Figures 13A and 13B when the farming information management device 10 is started up.

[0080] In the process shown in Figure 13A, first, in step S2002, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires positioning information for the maintenance vehicle 40. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires positioning information for one or more maintenance vehicles 40 that was stored in the information storage unit 180 in the process shown in Figure 11.

[0081] Next, in step S2004, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires positioning information for the work device 30. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires positioning information for one or more work devices 30 that has been stored in the information storage unit 180 in the process shown in Figure 12.

[0082] Next, in step S2006, the load determination unit 150 determines a load coefficient for each of the one or more working devices 30, corresponding to the magnitude of the load in the work currently being performed. For example, the load determination unit 150 may determine the load coefficient for the work currently being performed based on the field load coefficient for the field F where each working device 30 is currently working and the work load coefficient for the type of work that each working device 30 is currently performing. For example, the load determination unit 150 determines a field F from among the one or more field F registered in the field information D1 in Figure 7 that includes the positioning location indicated by the positioning information acquired in step S2006 within its geographical range. Then, the load determination unit 150 extracts the value indicated by the "field load coefficient" in the field information D1 for the determined field F as the field load coefficient for the field F currently being worked on. Furthermore, the load determination unit 150 extracts, from the field information D1 in Figure 7, the types of work that include the current time in their work period, out of the one or more types of work that can be performed on field F where work is currently being performed, as the types of work currently being executed by the work device 30. Then, in the work load information D2 in Figure 8, the load determination unit 150 extracts the value indicated by the "work load coefficient" of the extracted type of work as the work load coefficient for the work currently being executed. The load determination unit 150 may then determine the load coefficient for the work currently being executed by each work device 30 by multiplying the extracted field load coefficient and work load coefficient. Alternatively, the load determination unit 150 may determine the work load coefficient using any other function that takes the field load coefficient and work load coefficient as variables, such as the sum of the field load coefficient and the work load coefficient, and whose value increases as the field load coefficient or work load coefficient increases.

[0083] Next, in step S2008, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines whether there is a pair of work device 30 and maintenance vehicle 40 whose positional relationship satisfies the maintenance conditions. For example, based on the positioning information of the maintenance vehicle 40 acquired in step S2002 and the positioning information of the work device 30 acquired in step S2004, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines whether there is a pair of work device 30 and maintenance vehicle 40 whose positional relationship satisfies the maintenance conditions that enable maintenance work to be performed.

[0084] As an example, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines whether there are any pairs of work devices 30 and maintenance vehicles 40 that are closer than a predetermined threshold distance, based on the positioning information of the maintenance vehicle 40 acquired in step S2002 and the positioning information of the work device 30 acquired in step S2004. If, among one or more maintenance vehicles 40, there is a vehicle for which position information corresponding to the sampling period of the maintenance vehicle 40 cannot be acquired in step S2002, the estimation and determination unit 120 executes the determination process in step S2008 assuming that the maintenance vehicle 40 is remaining at the position indicated by the last acquired positioning information. Also, if, among one or more work devices 30, there is a work device 30 for which position information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 cannot be acquired in step S2004, the estimation and determination unit 120 executes the determination process in step S2008 assuming that the work device 30 is remaining at the position indicated by the last acquired positioning information.

[0085] As an example, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines the current position of each of the one or more work devices 30 by using the position indicated by the latest positioning information of the work device 30 stored in the information storage unit 180. Similarly, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines the current position of each of the one or more maintenance vehicles 40 by using the position indicated by the latest positioning information of the maintenance vehicle 40 stored in the information storage unit 180. If, among the possible pairs of work devices 30 and maintenance vehicles 40, there exists a pair whose current position is closer than a predetermined distance threshold (for example, within 2 meters), the unit determines that the positional relationship between the work device 30 and maintenance vehicle 40 pair satisfies the maintenance conditions. Hereinafter, a pair of work devices 30 and maintenance vehicles 40 that satisfies these maintenance conditions may be referred to as a maintenance pair. The estimation and determination unit 120 determines that there is a maintenance pair that satisfies the maintenance conditions if there is at least one maintenance pair among the possible pairs of one or more work devices 30 and one or more maintenance vehicles 40 (Step S2008; YES). In this case, the process in Step S2010 is executed next. On the other hand, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines that there is no maintenance pair that satisfies the maintenance conditions if the current position of all combinations of work devices 30 and maintenance vehicles 40 is farther than a predetermined distance threshold (Step S2008; NO). In this case, the process in Step S2018 in Figure 13B is executed next.

[0086] In step S2008, the estimation and determination unit 120 may determine that there is a maintenance pair that satisfies the maintenance conditions if there is one or more pairs in which the period during which the current position of the work device 30 and the current position of the maintenance vehicle 40 are closer than a predetermined threshold distance is longer than a predetermined threshold time (for example, 5 minutes). At this time, the estimation and determination unit 120 may, while repeating the loop from step S2002 in Figure 13A to step S2024 in Figure 13B described later, determine whether there is a pair in which the period during which the positioning position of the work device 30 and the positioning position of the maintenance vehicle 40 are closer than a predetermined threshold distance is longer than a predetermined time, based on the current positions of the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicle 40 determined in step S2008 executed in the current loop and the current positions of the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicle 40 determined in step S2008 executed in previous loops.

[0087] In step S2010, the estimation decision unit 120 determines the estimated time at which the maintenance work is estimated to have been performed. As an example, for a work device 30 belonging to a maintenance pair, the estimation decision unit 120 determines the positioning time indicated by the latest positioning information of the work device 30 acquired in step S2004 as the estimated time. If the estimation decision unit 120 cannot acquire position information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 in step S2004 for a work device 30 belonging to a maintenance pair, it may determine the current time as the estimated time. Furthermore, if there are multiple maintenance pairs, the estimation decision unit 120 determines the estimated time at which the maintenance vehicle 40 performed maintenance work on the work device 30 for each maintenance pair.

[0088] Furthermore, if multiple maintenance vehicles 40 can perform multiple types of maintenance work on the work device 30, the estimation and determination unit 120 may determine, as the type of maintenance work that could have been performed, among the maintenance work that one or more maintenance vehicles 40 indicated by the maintenance vehicle information D5 can each perform, and which maintenance work can be performed by the maintenance vehicle 40 corresponding to the identifier included in the positioning information to be compared as described above. The estimation and determination unit 120 may then determine the positioning time indicated by the latest positioning information of the work device 30 as the estimated time when the determined type of maintenance work was performed on the target work device 30.

[0089] Next, in step S2012, the operation determination unit 140 determines the operating time of the work device 30 during the maintenance interval period. For example, the operation determination unit 140 determines, in the device history information D3, the period from the time when the type of maintenance work newly determined in step S2010 was last performed on the target work device 30 (also called the previous maintenance time) to the positioning time indicated by the latest positioning information (also called the current maintenance time) as the maintenance interval period for the maintenance work that is estimated to have been performed on the work device 30 this time. Then, based on the positioning information of the target work device 30 sampled during the maintenance interval period, the operation determination unit 140 determines the operating time during which the work device 30 was operating during the maintenance interval period. If there are multiple maintenance pairs, the operation determination unit 140 determines the operating time of the work device 30 during the maintenance interval period for each maintenance pair.

[0090] For example, in step S2012, the operation decision unit 140 determines whether positioning information corresponding to the sampling period of each work device 30 included in one or more maintenance pairs was acquired in the processing of step S2004 during the period from the time when step S2018 in Figure 13B was executed last time to the present time. Then, the operation decision unit 140 may determine the operating time of the work device 30 during the maintenance interval period based on the positioning information for the work device 30 among the maintenance pairs for which positioning information corresponding to the sampling period was acquired. As an example, let x be the value indicated by the "operating time" of the last maintenance operation (also called the most recent maintenance operation) registered in the device history information D3 for the type of maintenance operation determined in the immediately preceding step S2010, and let y be the value of the elapsed time from the time when step S2018 in Figure 13B was executed last time to the present time. In this case, the operation decision unit may determine the value x+y, which is the sum of x and y, as the operating time of the work device 30 during the maintenance interval period. In this case, the operation determination unit 140 may determine the operating time corrected according to the magnitude of the load of the work currently being performed by the work device 30 by adding the value y*t, which is obtained by multiplying the load coefficient t determined in step 2007 by the elapsed time y, to x (x+y*t). However, for work devices 30 for which positioning information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 could not be obtained in the processing of step S2004, it can be presumed that the work device was not in operation, so the operation determination unit 140 determines the initial "operating time" value x as the operating time.

[0091] Next, in step S2014, the history information management unit 130 updates the device history information D3. For example, the history information management unit 130 adds information indicating the type of maintenance work determined in step S2010 for the target work device 30 belonging to the maintenance pair to the device history information D3 shown in Figure 9. For example, the history information management unit 130 stores in a new row of the device history information D3 the identifier of the target work device 30 indicated by the positioning information acquired in step S2004 as "Device ID", the type of maintenance work determined in step S2010 as "Maintenance Work Type", and the estimated time determined in step S2010 as "Execution Time". Furthermore, the history information management unit 130 may store the operating time determined in step S2012 in the "Operating Time" field of the row corresponding to the immediately preceding maintenance work. If there are multiple maintenance pairs, the history information management unit 130 performs the process of updating the device history information D3 for each maintenance pair.

[0092] Furthermore, if the device history information D3 already contains a pre-maintenance operation whose "execution time" is temporally closer to the estimated time determined in step S2010 than a predetermined threshold time (for example, 1 second), the history information management unit 130 may update the "execution time" of the pre-maintenance operation to the estimated time determined in step S2010 of the current loop, instead of registering the "device ID," "maintenance operation type," and "execution time" in a new row in the device history information D3. In this case, the history information management unit may store the operating time determined in step S2012 in the "operating time" of the pre-maintenance operation in the device history information D3.

[0093] Next, in step S2016, the history information management unit 130 updates the history statistics information D4. For example, based on the operating time determined in step S2014, the history information management unit 130 updates the statistics for the type of maintenance work determined in step S2012, among the information indicating the statistical values ​​of the time intervals in which one or more types of maintenance work were performed, which are stored in the history statistics information D4. As an example, for each type of maintenance work registered in the device history information D3 updated in step S2014, the history information management unit 130 determines the statistical value (e.g., mean or median) of the operating time (operating time between operations) of the target work device 30 during the maintenance interval period indicated by "operating time". Then, the history information management unit 130 stores the statistical value determined for each type of maintenance information in the "standard implementation interval" of the history statistics information D4 in Figure 10. In this way, the history information management unit 130 determines the value of the "standard implementation interval" in the history statistics information D4 based on the value of the operating time between operations in the device history information D3. Furthermore, among the "operating time" values ​​stored in the device history information D3, the post-operating time, which indicates the operating time of the work device 30 from the last estimated time to the current time, is not used to determine the value of the standard implementation interval.

[0094] Once step S2016 is completed, or if it is determined in step S2008 that no maintenance pairs exist (step S2008; NO), then step S2018 in Figure 13B is executed.

[0095] In step S2018 of Figure 13B, the operation decision unit 140 determines, for each of the one or more work devices 30, the post-operation time from the final estimated time of the last immediately preceding maintenance operation of each type of maintenance operation to the present time. The operation decision unit 140 determines, for each of the one or more work devices 30, whether or not positioning information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 was acquired in the processing of step S2004 during the period from the time when step S2018 of Figure 13B was previously executed to the present time. Then, for the work devices 30 for which positioning information corresponding to the sampling period was acquired, the operation decision unit 140 may determine, based on the positioning information, the operating time during which each work device 30 was operating from the final estimated time to the present time. As an example, let w be the value indicated by the "operating time" of each type of immediately preceding maintenance operation stored in the device history information D3, and z be the elapsed time from the time when step S2018 was executed in the previous loop to the present time. In this case, the operation determination unit 140 may determine the value w+z, which is the sum of w and z, as the operating time during which each work device 30 was operating from the final estimated time to the current time. In this case, the operation determination unit 140 may determine the value (w+z*t), which is the sum of the load coefficient t determined in step 2006 multiplied by the elapsed time z, as the post-work operating time corrected according to the magnitude of the load of the work currently being performed by the work device 30. In this case, the operation determination unit 140 determines the corrected operating time so that it is shorter than the operating time for standard load (load coefficient of 1) when the load of work is small (load coefficient is less than 1), and longer than the operating time for standard load when the load of work is large (load coefficient is greater than 1). Furthermore, if positioning information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 could not be obtained in the processing of step S2004, it can be presumed that the work device 30 was not in operation, and therefore the operation determination unit 140 determines the initial "operating time" value w as the operating time.

[0096] Next, in step S2020, the maintenance generation unit 160 generates maintenance information. For example, as shown in Figure 14, the maintenance generation unit 160 generates maintenance information D6 which includes information indicating one or more work devices 30 ("device ID"), information indicating the current location of the work device 30 ("current location"), information indicating one or more types of maintenance work ("target maintenance work"), and information regarding the next maintenance time when maintenance work should be performed for each work device 30 ("remaining amount" and "next maintenance deadline"). As an example, if the value of the standard implementation interval shown in the historical statistics information D4 for replenishment work is A, and the value of the operating time of the work device 30 from the last estimated time to the current time is B, the maintenance generation unit 160 may store the time obtained by adding the value shown in (AB) to the current time in "next maintenance deadline". The maintenance generation unit 160 may also determine the maintenance timing as (AB) / t, where t is the load factor of the work currently being performed by each work device 30, as determined in step S2006 of Figure 13A. In this case, the maintenance timing determined by the maintenance generation unit 160 will be longer from the current time to the maintenance timing compared to standard load work when the work load is small (load factor is less than 1). On the other hand, the maintenance timing determined by the maintenance generation unit 160 will be shorter from the current time to the maintenance timing compared to standard load work when the work load is large (load factor is greater than 1).

[0097] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, the maintenance information D6 includes, for power source replenishment (e.g., refueling or charging) operations, information ("remaining amount") indicating the remaining amount of power source estimated from the standard implementation interval and the operating time of the work device 30 from the last estimated time to the current time, and information ("next maintenance deadline") indicating the time when the next replenishment operation should be performed. As an example, the maintenance information generation unit 160 may store the value shown by (1-B / A)*100 in "remaining amount".

[0098] Next, in step S2022, the information output unit 170 outputs output information including the maintenance information D6. For example, the information output unit 170 may use the communication device 16 to output the output information including the maintenance information D6 generated in step S2020 to the terminal device 20. The information output unit 170 may also output output information that further includes a map image of field F included in the field information D1.

[0099] Next, in step S2024, the display unit 210 of the terminal device 20 displays output information including maintenance information D6. For example, as shown in Figure 15, the display unit 210 displays information on the screen S of the input / output device 22 indicating the next maintenance time for each work device 30 to perform maintenance work.

[0100] In this embodiment, the display unit 210 displays a map image of the field F in the display area A1 on the screen S, and displays a symbol FM representing each work device 30 at the position corresponding to the current position of each work device 30 within the map image. The display unit 210 may also display a symbol indicating information regarding the maintenance timing of a specific type of maintenance work by attaching it to the symbol FM. In the example in Figure 15, as a symbol indicating information regarding the maintenance timing, the display unit 210 displays the words "Fuel level 80%" which indicates the remaining fuel amount shown in the maintenance information D6, corresponding to the fact that the power source of the work device 30 is fuel such as gasoline and the specific type of maintenance work is refueling.

[0101] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 15, the display unit 210 displays a string indicating the maintenance period for each maintenance task registered in the maintenance information D6 in display areas A2 to A4 on the screen S.

[0102] When step S2024 in Figure 13B is completed, the process returns to step S2002 in Figure 13A, and the processes from step S2002 in Figure 13A to step S2024 in Figure 13B are repeated for the next clock cycle (for example, the sampling cycle of the work device 30 or maintenance vehicle 40) in which the farming information management device 10 performs the processes in Figures 13A and 13B.

[0103] As described above, the farming information management system 1 of this embodiment can generate information indicating the next maintenance timing for each of the one or more work devices 30 based on positioning information from the work devices 30 and the maintenance vehicle 40, and provide this information to the user. Therefore, the farming information management system 1 can provide the user with information indicating the maintenance timing without requiring the work devices 30 to install equipment that measures the remaining power source or the operating time of the work devices 30 and transmits the measurement results to the farming information management device 10.

[0104] (Second Embodiment) The farming information management system 2 of this embodiment differs from the farming information management system 1 of Embodiment 1 in that it determines the period during which maintenance work should be carried out based on the cumulative operating time of the work equipment 30. Furthermore, the farming information management system 2 determines whether the periodic maintenance work that should be performed for each work equipment 30 at predetermined cumulative operating time intervals has been performed at the appropriate time, and provides the user with maintenance information including the determination result. Note that some functions of the farming information management system 2 that are the same as those of the farming information management system 1 may be omitted from the explanation.

[0105] As shown in Figure 16, the farm information management system 2 includes a farm information management device 10a, a terminal device 20, one or more work devices 30, and one or more maintenance vehicles 40.

[0106] The farming information management device 10a of this embodiment has the same configuration as the farming information management device 10 shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, the terminal device 20, the work device 30, and the maintenance vehicle 40 of this embodiment have the same configuration as the devices of the same name shown in Figures 3 to 5. The work device 30 of this embodiment may require periodic maintenance work at multiple cumulative operating time intervals, such as 50 hours, 100 hours, 200 hours, and so on, to ensure safe operation. The cumulative operating time at which periodic maintenance work should be performed is sometimes referred to as the periodic maintenance time. The maintenance vehicle 40 of this embodiment has the function of performing this periodic maintenance work. Note that the periodic maintenance work may include one or more different types of maintenance work for each cumulative operating time interval.

[0107] As shown in Figure 16, the farming information management device 10a includes an information acquisition unit 110, an estimation and determination unit 120, a history information management unit 132, an operation determination unit 142, a load determination unit 150, a maintenance generation unit 162, an information output unit 170, and an information storage unit 180. Of these, the information acquisition unit 110, estimation and determination unit 120, load determination unit 150, information output unit 170, and information storage unit 180 have the same functions as the parts of the same name in Embodiment 1.

[0108] The information storage unit 180 may store field information D1, workload information D2, equipment history information D3a, and work period information D4a before starting the processing described later. In this embodiment, since each maintenance vehicle 40 can perform periodic maintenance as one type of maintenance work, the information storage unit 180 may not store maintenance vehicle information D5.

[0109] Field information D1 and workload information D2 contain the same content as the information of the same name in the first embodiment.

[0110] As shown in Figure 17, the device history information D3a stores information that identifies each of the one or more work devices 30 ("device ID"), information indicating the time when maintenance work was performed on each work device 30 ("execution time"), and information indicating the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 at the time the maintenance work was performed ("cumulative operating time"). In addition, the device history information D3a may also store information indicating the cumulative operating time of each work device 30 and information indicating the cumulative non-operating time during which the work device 30 was not in operation.

[0111] The work period information D4a stores information indicating the periodic maintenance times at which maintenance work should be performed on the work device 30. For example, for multiple periodic maintenance operations, the work period information D4a stores information indicating one or more periodic maintenance times, such as at 50 hours, 100 hours, 200 hours, 300 hours of cumulative operating time, and so on, at 100-hour intervals.

[0112] The information acquisition unit 110, estimation and determination unit 120, load determination unit 150, and information output unit 170 in Figure 16 have the same functions as the parts of the same name in Embodiment 1.

[0113] As will be described later, the operation determination unit 142 determines the cumulative operating time for each of the one or more work devices 30 based on the positioning information of the work device 30.

[0114] As described later, the history information management unit 132 stores information indicating the cumulative operating time of one or more work devices 30 in the device history information D3a. The history information management unit 132 also stores in the device history information D3a the time when the maintenance work (maintenance work in this embodiment) determined by the estimation decision unit 120 was performed, and information indicating the cumulative operating time of the target work device 30 at the time the maintenance work was performed.

[0115] As described later, the maintenance generation unit 162 generates maintenance information (for example, maintenance information D6a in Figure 19) that includes information indicating whether or not periodic maintenance work has been performed on each work device 30, and information indicating when the next maintenance work should be performed on the work device 30.

[0116] The terminal device 20, work device 30, and maintenance vehicle 40 in Figure 16 have the same functional blocks as the device of the same name in Figure 6.

[0117] (Operation of the farm information management system 2) The farming information management system 2 performs the same processing as in Figure 11 for one or more maintenance vehicles 40 to acquire information about the location of each maintenance vehicle 40 and stores it in the information storage unit 180. In addition, the farming information management system 2 performs the same processing as in Figure 12 for one or more work devices 30 to acquire information about the location of each work device 30 and stores it in the information storage unit 180.

[0118] The farming information management system 2 performs the processes shown in Figures 18A and 18B to provide the user with maintenance information regarding the timing of maintenance work (e.g., periodic maintenance work) to be performed on the target work device 30. For example, the farming information management system 2 starts the processes shown in Figures 18A and 18B when the farming information management device 10a is started up.

[0119] In the process shown in Figure 18A, first, in steps S3002 and S3004, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires positioning information of the maintenance vehicle 40 and the work device 30, similar to steps S2002 and S2004 in Figure 13A.

[0120] Next, in step S3006 of Figure 18A, the load determination unit 150 determines a load coefficient for each of the one or more work devices 30, corresponding to the magnitude of the load in the work currently being performed, similar to step S2006 of Figure 13A.

[0121] Next, in step S3007 of Figure 18A, the operation determination unit 142 determines the cumulative operating time of each work device 30 based on the positioning information of the work device 30 acquired in step S3004. For example, for each of the one or more work devices 30, the operation determination unit 142 determines whether or not positioning information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 was acquired in the processing of step S3004 during the period from the time when step S3007 was executed in the previous loop to the current time. Then, for the work devices 30 for which positioning information corresponding to the sampling period was acquired, the operation determination unit 142 determines the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 based on that positioning information. For example, let a be the current cumulative operating time value of the target work device 30 indicated by the device history information D3a, and b be the elapsed time from the time when step S3007 was executed in the previous loop to the current time. In this case, the operation determination unit 142 may determine the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 as the sum of a and b, a+b. Alternatively, the operation determination unit 142 may determine the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 as the sum of a+b*t, which is obtained by multiplying the elapsed time b by the load coefficient t determined in step 3006, and adding this value b*t to a. Through this process, the operation determination unit 140 may correct the cumulative operating time so that the greater the load of the work currently being performed by each work device 30, by multiplying the elapsed time b by the load coefficient t determined in step 3006. For work devices 30 for which positioning information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 could not be obtained in the process of step S3004, it can be presumed that they were not in operation, and therefore the operation determination unit 142 determines the initial "operating time" value a as the cumulative operating time.

[0122] Next, in step S3008 of Figure 18A, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines, similar to step S2008 of Figure 13A, whether there is a pair of work device 30 and maintenance vehicle 40 whose positional relationship satisfies the maintenance conditions. The estimation and determination unit 120 determines that there is a pair that satisfies the maintenance conditions if, among the possible pairs of one or more work devices 30 and maintenance vehicles 40, there is one or more maintenance pairs (step S3008; YES). In this case, the process in step S3010 is executed next. On the other hand, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines that there is no pair that satisfies the maintenance conditions if, for all combinations of work device 30 and maintenance vehicle 40, the current position is farther than the distance threshold (step S3008; NO). In this case, the process in step S3014 of Figure 18A is executed next.

[0123] In step S3010, the estimation determination unit 120 determines the estimated time at which the maintenance work is estimated to have been performed, similar to step S2010 in Figure 13A.

[0124] Next, in step S3014 in Figure 18A, the history information management unit 132 updates the device history information D3a. For example, the history information management unit 132 updates the information showing the cumulative operating time of each work device 30 to the cumulative operating time (a+b, or a+b*t) determined in step S3007. Also, if step S3010 was executed in this loop, the history information management unit 132 adds information to the device history information D3a, similar to step S2014 in Figure 13A, indicating that maintenance work was performed on the target work device 30 belonging to the maintenance pair at the estimated time determined in step S3010. For example, the history information management unit 132 stores the identifier of the work device 30 included in the maintenance pair determined in step S3008 in the "Device ID" of the new row in the device history information D3a in Figure 17. Furthermore, the history information management unit 132 stores the estimated time determined in step S3010 in the "Implementation Time" field of the new row in the device history information D3a. In addition, the history information management unit 132 stores the cumulative operating time determined in step S3007 of the current loop for the work device 30 in the "Cumulative Operating Time" field of the new row in the device history information D3a.

[0125] Furthermore, in the processing of step S3004, if there are any work devices 30 for which positioning information corresponding to the sampling period of the work device 30 could not be obtained during the period between the first time when step S3014 in Figure 18A was executed in the previous loop and the second time when step S3014 of the current loop was executed, the history information management unit 132 may add the value of the time difference between the first time and the second time to the cumulative non-operating time of each work device 30 indicated by the device history information D3a.

[0126] Next, in step S3020 of Figure 18B, the maintenance generation unit 162 generates maintenance information D6a. For example, as shown in Figure 19, the maintenance generation unit 162 generates maintenance information D6a which includes information indicating one or more work devices 30 ("device ID"), information indicating the location of the work device 30 ("location"), information indicating the time when maintenance work was performed on each work device 30 ("maintenance time"), information indicating the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 when the maintenance work was performed ("cumulative operating time"), and information regarding the next maintenance time when maintenance work should be performed ("next maintenance time"). In addition, the maintenance information D6a may store information indicating the periodic maintenance work corresponding to the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 when the maintenance work was performed ("corresponding work time"). The fact that the "Time for Action" is a specific time (for example, 50 hours) indicates that the maintenance work for that row is a scheduled maintenance task that should be performed when the cumulative operating time reaches that time (for example, a scheduled maintenance task that should be performed when the cumulative operating time reaches 50 hours).

[0127] As an example, the maintenance generation unit 162 generates a new row of maintenance information D6a for a certain work device 30, corresponding to each maintenance operation registered in the device history information D3a in the previous loop. The maintenance generation unit 162 then stores in the "Position" field of the new row the positioning position of the positioning information of the target work device 30 acquired in step S3004 of Figure 18A, the positioning time of which is closest to the estimated time of the maintenance operation. The maintenance generation unit 162 also stores in the "Maintenance Time" field of the new row the time indicated by the "Implementation Time" of the corresponding row in the device history information D3a. Furthermore, the history information management unit 132 stores the estimated time determined in step S3010 of Figure 18A. Finally, the maintenance generation unit 162 stores in the "Cumulative Operating Time" field of the new row the cumulative operating time indicated by the "Cumulative Operating Time" of the corresponding row in the device history information D3a. Furthermore, the maintenance generation unit 160 may store NULL in the "Next Maintenance Time" field for each row corresponding to a maintenance operation.

[0128] Furthermore, the maintenance generation unit 160 may determine a corresponding periodic maintenance task for each maintenance task whose estimated time has been determined in step S3010 of Figure 18A. For example, for each maintenance task registered in the maintenance information D6a, the maintenance generation unit 160 determines the periodic maintenance time for the corresponding periodic maintenance task from among multiple periodic maintenance times for which periodic maintenance should be performed as indicated by the work period information D4a, and selects the one that is closest in time to the time indicated by the "cumulative operating time" in the maintenance information D6a. The maintenance generation unit 160 then stores the information indicating the determined periodic maintenance time in "Corresponding Work Time". The maintenance generation unit 160 may also determine that there is no corresponding periodic maintenance task for maintenance tasks where the cumulative operating time at the time of execution and the periodic maintenance time closest to that cumulative operating time are separated by more than a predetermined threshold.

[0129] Furthermore, the maintenance generation unit 160 stores current information for each work device 30, indicating the operating status of the work device 30 since the last maintenance work performed. This information is stored in the "Position" field, which shows the current position, and in the "Cumulative Operating Time" field, which shows the current cumulative operating time determined in step S3007 of the current loop (see Figure 18A). The maintenance generation unit 160 then determines the next maintenance timing for the work device 30 based on the current cumulative operating time and the period during which periodic maintenance should be performed, as indicated by the work period information D4a. In the maintenance information D6a in Figure 19, the current information is the row where NULL ("-") is stored in both "Maintenance Timing" and "Corresponding Work Timing".

[0130] For example, the maintenance generation unit 162 extracts from the periodic maintenance tasks indicated by the work period information D4a that have a periodic maintenance time shorter than the current cumulative operating time, as periodic maintenance tasks that should have already been performed. Then, the maintenance generation unit 162 determines that the periodic maintenance task with the longest periodic maintenance time among the extracted periodic maintenance tasks should have been performed most recently. If the maintenance generation unit 160 finds that no maintenance task corresponding to the periodic maintenance task that should have been performed most recently is registered in the maintenance information D6a, it determines that the periodic maintenance task has not been performed and should be performed immediately. In this case, the maintenance generation unit 162 enters "Immediately" in the "Next Maintenance Time" field of the current information.

[0131] Furthermore, if the maintenance generation unit 162 has registered a maintenance task in the maintenance information D6a that corresponds to the immediately preceding periodic maintenance task, or if the cumulative operating time is shorter than the shortest periodic maintenance time, it calculates the next maintenance time for the work device 30 based on the current cumulative operating time and the period for which periodic maintenance should be performed as indicated by the work period information D4a. For example, the maintenance generation unit 162 determines the task with the shortest periodic maintenance time among the periodic maintenance times indicated by the work period information D4a that have a periodic maintenance time longer than the current cumulative operating time as the next periodic maintenance task. The maintenance generation unit 162 may then store the maintenance time corresponding to the grace period until the next periodic maintenance task is performed, added to the current time T, in "Next Maintenance Time". For example, if the periodic maintenance time of the next periodic maintenance task to be performed is X and the current cumulative operating time is Y, the maintenance generation unit 162 may determine the value indicated by (XY) as the grace period. Furthermore, if the load coefficient of the work currently being performed by each work device 30, as determined in step S3006 of Figure 18A, is t, the maintenance generation unit 162 may determine the value of (XY) / t as the grace period. In this case, the maintenance timing value will be T+(XY) or T+(XY) / t. Furthermore, even if the periodic maintenance work that should have been performed immediately before has not been performed, the maintenance generation unit 162 may similarly determine the maintenance timing by adding the grace period to the current time T.

[0132] Furthermore, the maintenance generation unit 162 may determine the maintenance timing for each work device 30 based on the cumulative operating time and cumulative non-operating time of each work device 30 as indicated by the device history information D3a, and corrected according to the operating rate of the work device 30 up to now. For example, if the cumulative operating time of each work device 30 as indicated by the device history information D3a is T1 and the cumulative non-operating time is T2, the maintenance generation unit 162 may determine a grace period corresponding to the value of (XY)*(T1+T2) / T1. Alternatively, when correcting with the load coefficient t, the maintenance generation unit 162 may determine a grace period corresponding to the time of (XY) / t*(T1+T2) / T1. In this case, the value of the maintenance timing will be T+(XY)*(T1+T2) / T1, or T+(XY) / t*(T1+T2) / T1.

[0133] Next, in step S3022 of Figure 18B, the information output unit 170 outputs output information including maintenance information D6a, similar to step S2022 of Figure 13B.

[0134] Next, in step S3024 of Figure 18B, the display unit 210 of the terminal device 20 displays output information including maintenance information D6a based on the output information output in step S3022. For example, as shown in Figure 20, the display unit 210 displays information on the screen S of the input / output device 22 indicating the next maintenance time at which maintenance work should be performed for each work device 30.

[0135] In the example shown in Figure 20, the display unit 210 displays a table containing information indicating each work device 30 ("Device ID"), information indicating the current location of the work device 30 ("Location"), information indicating the current cumulative operating time of each work device 30 ("Cumulative Operating Time"), information indicating whether or not periodic maintenance work has been performed on each work device 30 ("Periodic Maintenance"), and information indicating the next maintenance date when periodic maintenance work should be performed ("Next Maintenance Date"). Under "Periodic Maintenance," the display unit 210 displays information indicating whether or not periodic maintenance work was performed on the work device 30 during the periodic maintenance time for multiple periodic maintenance tasks stored in the work period information D4a. For example, the display unit 210 displays a symbol ("○") indicating that the periodic maintenance work corresponding to the scheduled maintenance time for each work device 30 has been performed if the maintenance information D6a contains the maintenance work corresponding to that scheduled maintenance time in the "corresponding work time" field. If the corresponding maintenance work is not contained, the display unit 210 displays a symbol ("×") indicating that the periodic maintenance work has not been performed for the work device 30. In addition, the display unit 210 may display information (for example, a string) in the "next maintenance time" field for each work device 30 indicating that the periodic maintenance work should be performed by the maintenance time indicated in the "next maintenance time" field of the maintenance information.

[0136] When step S3024 in Figure 18B is completed, the process returns to step S3002 in Figure 18A, and the processes from step S3002 in Figure 18A to step S3024 in Figure 18B are repeated for the next clock cycle (for example, the sampling cycle of the work device 30 or maintenance vehicle 40) in which the farming information management device 10 should perform the processes in Figures 18A and 18B.

[0137] As described above, the farming information management system 2 of this embodiment can determine the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 based on the positioning information of the work device 30, and based on the cumulative operating time, generate information indicating the maintenance timing at which the next periodic maintenance work should be performed on the work device 30, and provide this information to the user. For this reason, the farming information management system 2 can provide the user with information indicating the maintenance timing without requiring the work device 30 to install equipment to measure the operating time of the work device 30 and transmit the measurement results to the farming information management device 10.

[0138] (modified version) The configuration described in the embodiment is just one example, and the configuration can be changed as long as it does not impair the functionality.

[0139] For example, one or more of the information acquisition unit 110, estimation and determination unit 120, history information management unit 130, operation determination unit 140, load determination unit 150, maintenance generation unit 160, information output unit 170, and information storage unit 180 of the farming information management device 10 may be implemented in a distributed manner by two or more computers. Alternatively, for example, one or more of the functions of the farming information management device 10 may be provided by the terminal device 20.

[0140] Furthermore, if positioning information for the work device 30 or maintenance vehicle 40 can be obtained from an external device (for example, an external server device that collects positioning information), the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the positioning information from this external device instead of the work device 30 or maintenance vehicle 40. In this case, the farming information management system 1 or the farming information management system 2 does not need to include the work device 30 or maintenance vehicle 40.

[0141] Furthermore, the farming information management device 10 or farming information management device 10a may include a functional unit corresponding to the display unit 210 of the terminal device 20. In this case, the functional unit corresponding to the display unit 210 may display an image as shown in Figure 15 or Figure 20 on the screen of the display device of the input / output device 12 of the farming information management device 10 in step S2024 of Figure 13B or step S3024 of Figure 18B. In this case, the farming information management system 1 or farming information management system 2 does not need to include the terminal device 20.

[0142] Furthermore, one or more maintenance vehicles 40 may be replaced by maintenance facilities that do not move. In this case, if the information storage unit 180 stores information indicating the location of the maintenance facility, the processing shown in Figure 11 may be omitted for that facility.

[0143] Furthermore, the farm information management system 1 or the farm information management system 2 may perform processing that is partially different from that shown in Figures 11, 12, 13A and 13B, or Figures 18A and 18B. For example, field information D1 may store two or more field load coefficients. For example, field information D1 may store a coefficient related to the amount of power source consumed (field consumption coefficient) and an additional coefficient related to maintenance work (field maintenance coefficient) for work performed at field F. Also, workload information D2 may store two or more workload coefficients. For example, workload information D2 may store a coefficient related to the amount of power source consumed (work consumption coefficient) and an additional coefficient related to maintenance work (work maintenance coefficient) for the case where that type of work is performed at field F. In this case, in step S2006 of Figure 13A or step S3006 of Figure 18A, the load determination unit 150 may determine the load coefficient for each maintenance operation using the corresponding field load coefficient and work load coefficient.

[0144] Furthermore, the farming information management system 1 or farming information management system 2 may use only one of the field load coefficient or the work load coefficient as the work load coefficient. Alternatively, the farming information management system 1 or farming information management system 2 may not adjust the operating time and maintenance timing based on the work load coefficient. In this case, the field information D1 may not include information about the field load coefficient. Also, the information storage unit 180 may not store the work load information D2. Furthermore, steps S2006 in Figure 13A and S3006 in Figure 18A may be omitted. In this modified example, the maintenance information D6 or maintenance information D6a will have the same content as fixing the work load coefficient at 1.

[0145] Furthermore, the field load factor or workload factor is not limited to those described in the embodiments above. For example, the field load factor may be set to a value greater than 1 for field F where crops are grown in a cropping system that yields a large amount per unit area, and to a value less than 1 for field F where crops are grown in a cropping system that yields a small amount per unit area. Also, the field load factor may be set to a value greater than 1 for field F where crop varieties that place a large load on the work device 30 are grown, and to a value less than 1 for field F where crop varieties that place a small load on the work device 30 are grown. Moreover, the workload factor may be set based on any factor that affects the load on the work device 30 during work, such as weather and temperature during work.

[0146] Furthermore, in step S2008 of Figure 13A or step S3008 of Figure 18A, the estimation and determination unit 120 may perform the determination process of step S2008 or step S3008 using different threshold distances or threshold times depending on the type of maintenance work that can be performed by the maintenance vehicle 40. In this case, the estimation and determination unit 120 determines, as the type of maintenance work that could have been performed, the maintenance work that can be performed by the maintenance vehicle 40 corresponding to the identifier included in the positioning information to be compared above, from among the maintenance work that can be performed by one or more maintenance vehicles 40 indicated by the maintenance vehicle information D5. The estimation and determination unit 120 may then perform the determination process of step S2008 or step S3008 using the threshold distance or threshold time determined by the settings for that type of maintenance work.

[0147] Furthermore, the farming information management system 1 or farming information management system 2 may generate maintenance information for work devices 30 belonging to groups with different types of maintenance work and standard maintenance work frequencies, such as work devices 30 of different models. In this case, the farming information management system 1 will separately execute the processes shown in Figures 13A and 13B, or Figures 18A and 18B, for each type of work device 30. Also, in step S2016 of Figure 13A, the history information management unit 130 generates and updates history statistics information D4 for each group to which the work device 30 belongs. Also, in step S2020 of Figure 13B, the maintenance generation unit 160 may generate maintenance information D6 using the history statistics information D4 corresponding to the group to which the target work device 30 belongs. Alternatively, in step S3016 of Figure 18A, the history information management unit 132 generates and updates work period information D4a for each group to which the work device 30 belongs. Furthermore, in step S3020 of Figure 18B, the maintenance generation unit 162 may generate maintenance information D6a using work period information D4a corresponding to the group to which the target work device 30 belongs.

[0148] Furthermore, if it is anticipated that the work device 30 or the maintenance vehicle 40 will perform maintenance work with the power unit stopped, the farming information management system 1 may, within a predetermined time threshold, if it is temporarily unable to obtain positioning information, assume that the work device 30 and the maintenance vehicle 40 remain at the positioning location of the last obtained positioning information, and execute the processes shown in Figures 11, 12, 13A, and 13B, or Figures 18A and 18B.

[0149] Furthermore, if the work device 30 is equipped with an hour meter for measuring the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 and a device for transmitting the measurement results of the hour meter to the farming information management device 10, the operation determination unit 140 of the farming information management device 10 may determine the operating time based on the measurement results of the hour meter in step S2012 of Figure 13A and step S2018 of Figure 13B. Alternatively, the operation determination unit 142 of the farming information management device 10a may determine the cumulative operating time of the work device 30 based on the measurement results of the hour meter in step S3007 of Figure 18A.

[0150] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the maintenance generation unit 160 generates historical statistical information D4 based on the maintenance work performed on the work device 30 to date, and determines the maintenance timing based on the historical statistical information D4. However, if standard operating information regarding the standard operating time (for example, the manufacturer's recommended value) for one or more types of maintenance work is available, the maintenance generation unit 160 may use the standard operating information as performance information instead of the historical statistical information D4 to determine the maintenance timing for those types of maintenance work.

[0151] (Note) The farming information management method, farming information management system, and program described in each embodiment can be described as follows.

[0152] The farming information management method relating to the first aspect is: Based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field, and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device is determined. Based on the determined estimated time and performance information indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device or other work devices, maintenance information is generated regarding the next maintenance time at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device. Outputting the generated maintenance information, Includes.

[0153] The farming information management method relating to the second aspect is the farming information management method relating to the first aspect, The process further includes determining the operating time of the target work device during the elapsed period from the estimated time determined to the present time, based on the operating information of the target work device. Determining the maintenance information includes generating the maintenance information such that the longer the determined operating time, the shorter the period until the maintenance is due.

[0154] The farming information management method relating to the third aspect is the farming information management method relating to the second aspect, The aforementioned performance information represents statistical values ​​of the time interval between maintenance work performed on the target work device or the other work device and the subsequent maintenance work performed. Generating the maintenance information includes generating the maintenance information based on the statistical values ​​of the work intervals indicated by the performance information and the work intervals.

[0155] The farming information management method relating to the fourth aspect is a farming information management method relating to any of the first to third aspects, The system further includes generating the performance information based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device or the other work device, and the location of the maintenance equipment.

[0156] The farming information management method relating to the fifth aspect is a farming information management method relating to the fourth aspect, The maintenance work includes supplying a power source for driving the power unit of the target work device, The maintenance equipment includes a mobile supply vehicle that has the function of supplying the power source to the target work device, Generating the maintenance information includes generating the remaining amount of the power source or the time limit for when the power source should be replenished next.

[0157] The farming information management method relating to the sixth aspect is a farming information management method relating to the fifth aspect, Determining the estimated time includes determining the time at which the positional relationship between the supply vehicle and the target work device satisfies the supply conditions that enable the supply vehicle to perform the power source replenishment work on the target work device, based on the positioning information of the supply vehicle indicating the position of the supply vehicle and the positioning information of the target work device, as the estimated time.

[0158] The farming information management method relating to the seventh aspect is a farming information management method relating to the fifth or sixth aspect, Generating the aforementioned maintenance information includes correcting the maintenance timing of the power source or the remaining amount of the power source for multiple fields, based on one or more of the following: the magnitude of the load during work in each field, the type of work performed in the field, and the model of the target work device.

[0159] The farming information management method relating to the eighth aspect is a farming information management method relating to any of the fourth to seventh aspects, The maintenance work includes maintenance work on the parts of the target work device, The maintenance equipment includes a mobile maintenance vehicle having functions related to the maintenance work on the target work device, Generating the maintenance information includes generating maintenance information that indicates the time limit for when the maintenance work should be performed next.

[0160] The farming information management method relating to the ninth aspect is the farming information management method relating to the eighth aspect, Generating the aforementioned maintenance information includes correcting the maintenance timing for the maintenance work for multiple fields based on one or more of the following: the magnitude of the workload during work in each field, the type of work performed in the field, and the model of the target work equipment.

[0161] The farming information management method relating to the tenth aspect is: Based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field, and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device is determined. Based on the positioning information of the target work device, the cumulative operating time of the target work device is determined. Based on the determined estimated time, the determined cumulative operating time, and the work period information indicating the timing at which maintenance work should be performed on the target work device, maintenance information regarding the next maintenance timing at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device is generated. Outputting the generated maintenance information, Includes.

[0162] The farming information management system relating to the 11th aspect is: An estimation determination unit that determines the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device, based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, A maintenance generation unit generates maintenance information regarding the next maintenance timing at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device, based on the estimated time determined by the estimation determination unit and the actual maintenance information indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device or other work devices. The information output unit outputs the maintenance information generated by the maintenance generation unit, It is equipped with.

[0163] The farming information management system according to the 12th embodiment is a farming information management system according to the 11th embodiment, The system further includes a display unit that displays information regarding the maintenance timing of the target work device based on the maintenance information output by the information output unit.

[0164] The farming information management system according to the 13th embodiment is a farming information management system according to the 12th embodiment, The information output unit further outputs the positioning information indicating the position of the target work device, Based on the positioning information, the display unit displays the location of the target work device in a manner that allows recognition, in addition to the information regarding the maintenance timing.

[0165] The program relating to the 14th aspect is: On the computer, Based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field, and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device is determined. Based on the determined estimated time and performance information indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device or other work devices, maintenance information is generated regarding the next maintenance time at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device. Outputting the generated maintenance information, Make it run. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] 1, 2... Farm Management Information System 10, 12... Farm management information device 12…Input device 14...Arithmetic device 16…Communication equipment 18...Storage device 110...Information acquisition department 120... Estimation determining section 130, 132… History Information Management Department 140, 142... Operation Decision Unit 150...Load determination section 160, 162...Maintenance generation department 170... Information output unit 180...Information storage unit 20…Terminal device 22...Input device 24...Arithmetic device 26…Communication equipment 28…Storage device 210...Display section 30…Working equipment 31…Operating device 32…Input device 34...Arithmetic device 36…Communication equipment 37…Power Unit 38…Storage device 39… Positioning device 310...Sampling section 320...Output section 40… Maintenance vehicles 41…Operating device 42…Input device 44...Arithmetic device 46…Communication equipment 47…Maintenance device 48...Storage device 49… Positioning device 410...Sampling section 420...Output section NT... Network F...field T, FT... Stockpiling equipment P1, P2, P3, P4… Program M1, M2, M3, M4...Storage medium D1…Field Information D2…Workload information D3, D3a... Device history information D4...Historical statistics D4a...Work period information D5... Maintenance Vehicle Information D6…Maintenance information S...Screen A1~A4…display area

Claims

1. Based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field, and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device is determined. Based on the determined estimated time and performance information indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device or other work devices, maintenance information is generated regarding the next maintenance time at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device. Outputting the generated maintenance information, including, Methods for managing farming information.

2. The process further includes determining the operating time of the target work device during the elapsed period from the estimated time determined to the present time, based on the operating information of the target work device. Determining the maintenance information includes generating the maintenance information such that the longer the determined operating time, the shorter the period until the maintenance is due. The farming information management method according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned performance information represents statistical values ​​of the time interval between maintenance work performed on the target work device or the other work device and the subsequent maintenance work performed. The generation of the maintenance information includes generating the maintenance information based on the statistical value of the work interval indicated by the performance information and the work interval, The farming information management method according to claim 2.

4. The process further includes generating the performance information based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device or the other work device, and the location of the maintenance equipment. The farming information management method according to claim 1.

5. The maintenance work includes supplying a power source for driving the power unit of the target work device, The maintenance equipment includes a mobile supply vehicle that has the function of supplying the power source to the target work device, The generation of the maintenance information includes generating the maintenance information indicating the remaining amount of the power source or the time limit for when the power source should be replenished next time. The farming information management method according to claim 4.

6. Determining the estimated time includes determining the time at which the positional relationship between the supply vehicle and the target work device satisfies the supply conditions that enable the supply vehicle to perform the power source replenishment work on the target work device, based on the positioning information of the supply vehicle indicating the position of the supply vehicle and the positioning information of the target work device, as the estimated time. The farming information management method according to claim 5.

7. The generation of the aforementioned maintenance information includes correcting the maintenance timing of the power source or the remaining amount of the power source for multiple fields, based on one or more of the following: the magnitude of the load during work in each field, the type of work performed in the field, and the model of the target work device. The farming information management method according to claim 5.

8. The maintenance work includes maintenance work on the parts of the target work device, The maintenance equipment includes a mobile maintenance vehicle having functions related to the maintenance work on the target work device, The generation of the maintenance information includes generating maintenance information indicating the time limit for when the maintenance work should be performed next. The farming information management method according to claim 4.

9. Generating the aforementioned maintenance information includes correcting the maintenance timing for the maintenance work for multiple fields based on one or more of the following: the magnitude of the workload during work in each field, the type of work performed in the field, and the model of the target work equipment. The farming information management method according to claim 8.

10. Based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field, and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device is determined. Based on the positioning information of the target work device, the cumulative operating time of the target work device is determined. Based on the determined estimated time, the determined cumulative operating time, and the work period information indicating the timing at which maintenance work should be performed on the target work device, maintenance information regarding the next maintenance timing at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device is generated. Outputting the generated maintenance information, including, Methods for managing farming information.

11. An estimation determination unit that determines the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device, based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, A maintenance generation unit generates maintenance information regarding the next maintenance timing at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device, based on the estimated time determined by the estimation determination unit and the actual maintenance information indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device or other work devices. The information output unit outputs the maintenance information generated by the maintenance generation unit, including, Agricultural information management system.

12. The system further includes a display unit that displays information regarding the maintenance timing of the target work device based on the maintenance information output by the information output unit. The farming information management system according to claim 11.

13. The information output unit further outputs the positioning information indicating the position of the target work device, The display unit, based on the positioning information, displays the location of the target work device in a manner that allows recognition, in addition to the information regarding the maintenance timing. The farming information management system according to claim 12.

14. On the computer, Based on positioning information indicating the location of the target work device working in the field, and the location of maintenance equipment having a function related to maintenance work on the target work device, the estimated time when maintenance work was performed on the target work device is determined. Based on the determined estimated time and performance information indicating the actual maintenance work performed on the target work device or other work devices, maintenance information is generated regarding the next maintenance time at which the maintenance work should be performed on the target work device. Outputting the generated maintenance information, A program to execute.

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