Follow-the-lead control system and autonomous vehicle

Abstract

This technology provides reliable tracking control that minimizes user burden, enabling the machine to follow the preceding agricultural implement. [Solution] The follow control system for a follow vehicle that follows a preceding agricultural machine comprises: an object detection unit 30 that detects objects; a vehicle identification unit 41 that identifies whether the detected object is the agricultural machine to be followed based on the output of the object detection unit 30; a driving position calculation unit 43 that calculates the driving position of the agricultural machine to be followed, identified by the vehicle identification unit 41, based on the output of the object detection unit 30; and a follow control unit 60b that performs follow control using the driving position as a driving target.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a following control system for a following traveling body that follows a preceding agricultural work machine, and an autonomous traveling body equipped with this following control system.

Background Art

[0002] As a following control system for following a preceding vehicle, Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous driving system in which a following vehicle follows a preceding vehicle based on detection information of a marker attached to the preceding vehicle, first position information indicating the position of the following vehicle, and second position information indicating the position of the preceding vehicle.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a robot that detects the distance and direction to a specified moving object in order to follow the moving object. In the following control here, based on the corresponding point position of the moving object calculated by optical flow, images of the moving object are acquired in time series, corresponding points that match the movement of the moving object are calculated from the movement amounts of the corresponding points between the plurality of images, a moving object region is extracted from the calculated corresponding point group, the moving object is specified as a following target, and the distance and direction to the moving object are detected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the follow-up control system described in Patent Document 1, it is essential that a marker identifying the preceding vehicle is installed on the rear of the preceding vehicle. Therefore, markers must be installed on all vehicles that could potentially be the preceding vehicle. Such marker installation work is a significant burden. Furthermore, it is practically impossible to use a vehicle that does not have a marker installed as the preceding vehicle in a sudden situation.

[0006] The optical flow tracking control used in Patent Document 2 has the potential to detect all moving objects as the preceding vehicle. Therefore, to identify the target to be tracked, methods such as designating a moving object that comes into contact with the tracking robot as the target, or having the user press a switch installed on the robot when a specific object is detected, have been proposed. However, such methods for identifying the preceding vehicle are not only burdensome for the user, but also have reliability issues.

[0007] In view of the circumstances described above, the object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable tracking control technology that minimizes the burden on the user in order to follow a preceding agricultural machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The following control system according to the present invention for a following vehicle that follows a preceding agricultural machine comprises: an object detection unit for detecting objects; a vehicle identification unit that identifies whether the object detected by the object detection unit is a target agricultural machine to be followed, based on the output of the object detection unit; a driving position calculation unit that calculates the driving position of the target agricultural machine identified by the vehicle identification unit, based on the output of the object detection unit; and a following control unit that performs following control using the driving position as a driving target.

[0009] With this configuration, since the target object to be followed is limited to agricultural machinery, the vehicle identification unit can easily identify whether the object detected by the object detection unit is the target agricultural machinery to be followed. Therefore, the follow control system can reliably follow the preceding agricultural machinery without burdening the user.

[0010] Features for identifying the agricultural machine to be followed in this invention include its shape, size, and movement. By using these features of the agricultural machine as identification conditions, the vehicle identification unit can easily and reliably identify the agricultural machine to be followed from the detected object detected by the object detection unit. Therefore, in this invention, it is proposed that the vehicle identification unit uses at least one of the shape, size, and motion characteristics of the detected object as an identification condition to identify the detected object as the agricultural machine to be followed.

[0011] Suitable and specific identification conditions used in the vehicle identification unit include the rear view of the preceding agricultural implement and the motion characteristics of the agricultural implement while it is moving. By adopting such identification conditions, the target agricultural implement can be identified with high reliability. Therefore, in this invention, it is proposed that the shape used as an identification condition is the rear shape of the agricultural implement, and the motion characteristics used as an identification condition are the speed, acceleration, or both of the agricultural implement.

[0012] When multiple agricultural machines are operating in a work area such as a field, or when another agricultural machine is operating in an adjacent field, the object detection unit may detect multiple objects, and all of them may be identified as agricultural machines to be followed. In that case, considering the situation in which the following vehicle is following a preceding agricultural machine, the preceding agricultural machine to be identified is considered to have a similar direction of travel to the following vehicle that is following the preceding agricultural machine. Therefore, in this invention, when multiple agricultural machines to be followed are identified, the agricultural machine to be followed whose direction of travel is most similar to the direction of the straight line connecting the following vehicle and the agricultural machine to be followed is identified as the one to be followed.

[0013] For the tracking of the following vehicle to be accurate, it is desirable that a suitable target travel path for tracking is generated. For example, the travel position of the preceding agricultural machine can be calculated over time, and the line connecting the obtained travel positions can be used as a suitable target travel path. Therefore, in this invention, it is proposed that a waypoint storage unit is provided that stores the travel position calculated over time by the travel position calculation unit as the waypoint positions of the agricultural machine to be tracked, and that the tracking control is performed using a path connecting a plurality of the waypoint positions of the agricultural machine to be tracked read from the waypoint storage unit as the target travel path.

[0014] When the passing point locations of the target agricultural machine stored in the passing point memory unit are used to create a target travel path, it is advantageous in terms of reducing memory capacity and simplifying control calculations if the passing point locations of the target agricultural machine that have been passed by the following vehicle are deleted from the passing point memory unit. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the passing point locations of the target agricultural machine that have been passed by the following vehicle are deleted from the passing point memory unit.

[0015] The passage of the target agricultural machine by the follow vehicle is also suitable as a timing for updating the target travel path. For this reason, the present invention proposes that a new target travel path is generated each time the follow vehicle passes the target agricultural machine's passing point.

[0016] Furthermore, if the passing points of the target agricultural machine are calculated and stored at short intervals, the timing for updating the target travel path is more preferably when the following vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance or a predetermined amount of time, rather than when the following vehicle has passed the passing points of the target agricultural machine. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the target travel path is newly generated every time the following vehicle travels a predetermined distance or every time it travels a predetermined amount of time.

[0017] Object detection units can include object detectors using camera images, ultrasonic rangefinders, and LiDAR. In particular, LiDAR is widely available and cost-effective, and is also used for obstacle detection mounted on vehicles, thus offering a dual-purpose advantage. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the object detection unit is a LiDAR, and that the system is equipped with an obstacle avoidance control unit that performs obstacle avoidance control based on the detection results of the object detection unit.

[0018] In this invention, the subject of invention is not only the follow-up control system described above, but also an automated vehicle that uses this follow-up control system to follow a preceding agricultural machine. Such an automated vehicle may be equipped with the follow-up control system described above, or it may be configured to perform automatic follow-up driving by linking with a follow-up control system built on a cloud server or the like via a data communication line. Such an automated vehicle may be an agricultural machine (tractor, combine harvester, lawnmower, etc.) that can perform agricultural work independently, with or without a person, or it may be a fully unmanned, multi-functional work robot. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of follow-me driving control in a follow-me control system. [Figure 2] This is a side view of a work vehicle designed as an autonomous vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a front view of a work vehicle designed as an autonomous vehicle. [Figure 4] It is a functional block diagram of a traveling control system of a work vehicle.

Embodiment for Carrying out the Invention

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the following description, the direction of the arrow “FR” shown in the figure is “front”, the direction of the arrow “BK” is “rear”, the direction of the arrow “RT” is “right”, the direction of the arrow “LT” is “left”, the direction of the arrow “UP” is “up”, and the direction of the arrow “DW” is “down”.

[0021] First, using FIG. 1, an example of follow-up control for a follow-up traveling body that follows a preceding agricultural work machine will be schematically described. The follow-up traveling body is a self-propelled traveling body (autonomous traveling body) that chases after a preceding agricultural work machine at a predetermined distance interval behind it, and its form is arbitrary. For example, it may be a general work vehicle or an agricultural work machine (such as a tractor, combine, lawn mower, etc.), or it may be a multi-functional vehicle or a robot-type traveling machine. In FIG. 1, the icon indicating the preceding agricultural work machine is assigned the symbol AW, and the icon indicating the autonomous traveling body that follows the preceding agricultural work machine is assigned the symbol FW. Further, the passing point indicating the position of the passing point where the preceding agricultural work machine has passed is indicated by a black circle, and the symbol P (numerical value) with the numerical value indicating the passing order entered in parentheses is assigned. The passing point position is defined as the position where a predetermined position of the agricultural work machine set in advance, for example, the center position of the working device equipped at the rear of the agricultural work machine, the center of the machine body of the agricultural work machine, the center of gravity of the machine body, the center position of the rear end of the machine body, etc. has passed.

[0022] (a) of FIG. 1 shows the follow-up preparation state. The autonomous vehicle FW that functions as a follow-up vehicle is located behind the agricultural work machine AW at a distance. In (a) of FIG. 1, the autonomous vehicle FW is located directly behind the agricultural work machine AW. However, in the follow-up preparation state, the autonomous vehicle FW does not necessarily have to be located directly behind the agricultural work machine AW. It may be located anywhere as long as the rear posture of the agricultural work machine AW can be detected by some object detection unit mounted on the autonomous vehicle FW. When the detected object detected by the object detection unit is identified as the agricultural work machine AW that is the follow-up target, the position of the part defined as the passing point of this agricultural work machine AW is calculated as the passing point position of the agricultural work machine AW as the follow-up target, that is, the initial passing point position of the follow-up target agricultural work machine, and is stored as the passing point P(0). The follow-up target agricultural work machine here is the agricultural work machine AW as the follow-up target by the autonomous vehicle FW using the follow-up driving control as described below.

[0023] In addition, the traveling position of the agricultural work machine AW can be calculated based on the output of the object detection unit mounted on the autonomous vehicle FW. The object detection unit has a function of detecting the posture of an object (for example, a vague contour) as a detected object and outputting object detection data (point cloud data) that can calculate the distance between the detected object and the autonomous vehicle FW. As such an object detection unit, LiDAR or a stereo camera is suitable, but a unit combining a camera device for detecting an object and a distance measuring device for measuring the distance to the object may also be used.

[0024] FIG. 1(b) shows the state where the agricultural work machine AW has moved forward by a predetermined time or a predetermined distance from the follow-up preparation state. The traveling position of the agricultural work machine AW in this state is calculated as the passing point position of the follow-up target agricultural work machine, and this passing point position of the follow-up target agricultural work machine (hereinafter simply referred to as the passing point position) is stored as the passing point P(1).

[0025] Figures 1(c) and 1(d) show the state after the agricultural implement AW has moved further forward for a predetermined time or distance. The travel position of the agricultural implement AW in each state is sequentially calculated as a waypoint position and stored as waypoint P(2) and waypoint P(3).

[0026] When a preceding agricultural machine AW is detected, the automated vehicle FW begins preparing to follow it. For example, Figure 1(d) shows the automated vehicle FW preparing to follow the agricultural machine AW, and a path connecting waypoints P(0), P(1), P(2), and P(3) is generated as a target path for the automated vehicle FW to automatically follow the agricultural machine AW. As a result, for example in Figure 1(d), the automated vehicle FW starts following the agricultural machine AW using the generated target path.

[0027] Figure 1(e) shows the state in which the agricultural machine AW moves further forward for a predetermined time or distance, while the automated vehicle FW follows along the target travel path, and the automated vehicle FW is approaching just before the waypoint P(0).

[0028] Furthermore, as the agricultural machine AW continues to move and the automated vehicle FW follows, the automated vehicle FW passes through waypoint P(0). Figure 1(f) shows this state. At this state, the position of the agricultural machine AW is calculated and stored as waypoint P(5). When the automated vehicle FW passes through waypoint P(0), waypoint P(0) is erased from memory. Therefore, the next target travel path is updated to a path connecting waypoints P(1), P(2), P(3), (4), and P(5).

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1(g), when the agricultural implement AW and the automated vehicle FW move forward for a predetermined time or distance, the position of the agricultural implement AW is stored as a waypoint P(6), and when the automated vehicle FW passes waypoint P(1), waypoint P(1) is erased from memory. As a result, the next target travel path is updated to a path connecting waypoints P(2), P(3), P(4), P(5), and P(6). Thereafter, the states in Figure 1(f) and (g) are repeated, and the agricultural implement AW continues to travel and the automated vehicle FW continues to follow. The speed of the automated vehicle FW is controlled to follow the speed of the preceding agricultural implement AW, and when the agricultural implement AW stops, the automated vehicle FW also stops.

[0030] In the example of follow-up driving control described above, the target driving path for follow-up driving was calculated as a path connecting the passing point P(value) positions located between the minimum and maximum values ​​at passing point P(value). However, it may also be calculated as a path connecting the passing point positions of any passing point P(value) selected between the minimum and maximum values ​​at passing point P(value). In another driving control example, it may also be calculated as a path connecting the passing point positions of two passing points P(value) having the minimum and maximum values. In this case, the path may be a straight line, or it may be a path with curvature calculated considering each driving direction. Furthermore, follow-up control performed using the driving position of the latest agricultural machine AW as the target position, without using a target driving path created based on passing point positions, is also included in the follow-up control of the present invention.

[0031] Figures 2 and 3 show an example of an automated vehicle that acts as a follow-me vehicle, utilizing the follow-me control system of the present invention to follow an agricultural work vehicle. This vehicle (follow-me vehicle) can automatically travel over uneven terrain such as fields and orchards, following a preceding agricultural work machine. Here, uneven terrain refers to ground with bumps or slopes, but of course, this vehicle (follow-me vehicle) can also travel on leveled ground such as farm roads.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the work vehicle (following vehicle) comprises a main body 1, a posture changing mechanism 23 that supports the main body 1 and can change the posture of the main body 1, a running device 2 that supports the posture changing mechanism 23 and travels on the ground, a hydraulic motor 22 that drives the running device 2, and a flat loading section 8 on which cargo can be loaded. The running device 2 has a plurality of wheels 21 and a plurality of auxiliary wheels 3. Specifically, four wheels 21 are provided on the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear of the main body 1, and four auxiliary wheels 3 are provided corresponding to each of the wheels 21.

[0033] The attitude change mechanism 23 allows the distance from the ground to the machine body 1 (such as the ground clearance of the bottom of the machine body or the ground clearance of the top surface of the loading section 8) to be changed. In this embodiment, the work vehicle (following vehicle) is equipped with four attitude change mechanisms 23 on the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear of the machine body 1. Each of the four attitude change mechanisms 23 is supported by one of the four wheels 21.

[0034] The attitude change mechanism 23 is configured as a bending link mechanism and has an extendable first hydraulic cylinder 23a and an extendable second hydraulic cylinder 23b. In this embodiment, the first hydraulic cylinder 23a and the second hydraulic cylinder 23b are actuators that can change the ground height of the aircraft body 1. The first hydraulic cylinder 23a and the second hydraulic cylinder 23b individually change the attitude of each attitude change mechanism 23.

[0035] The running gear 2 has left and right front wheels 21a that support the front of the machine body 1 as wheels 21, and left and right rear wheels 21b that support the rear of the machine body 1 as wheels 21. In other words, the running gear 2 is located at the front and rear on both the left and right sides of the machine body 1. The running gear 2 can be switched between a two-wheel steering state and a four-wheel steering state.

[0036] The hydraulic motor 22 is driven by the supply and discharge of hydraulic fluid. Each of the four wheels 21 is driven independently by four hydraulic motors 22, one for each wheel 21.

[0037] The loading section 8 has a rectangular shape in plan view and constitutes the upper surface of the machine body 1. The loading section 8 extends from the front end 1a to the rear end 1b of the machine body 1, and also extends from the right end to the left end of the machine body 1. The loading section 8 can carry various objects and devices. Objects and devices that can be placed on the loading section 8 include, for example, agricultural materials such as fertilizers and chemicals, harvested crops and harvesting baskets for storing harvested crops, farm equipment, spraying devices, fertilizing devices, and grass cutting devices.

[0038] This work vehicle (following vehicle) can not only automatically follow a preceding agricultural machine, but also be driven manually and remotely. In manual operation, the operating controls (not shown) are manually operated by an operator. In remote operation, the work vehicle (following vehicle) is remotely controlled by a wireless remote control (not shown). As a remote control device, for example, a proportional wireless transmitter, a smartphone, or a tablet computer can be used.

[0039] Next, the functional blocks of the driving control system for this work vehicle (following vehicle) will be explained using Figure 4.

[0040] The driving control system of this embodiment consists of an object detection unit 30, a first control unit 4 and a second control unit 6 called ECUs, various operating devices, a group of sensors and switches, and a wiring network such as an in-vehicle LAN for data transmission between them. Furthermore, this work vehicle (following vehicle) is also equipped with a satellite positioning unit 31 and an inertial positioning unit 32 in order to drive autonomously on its own.

[0041] In this embodiment, the object detection unit 30 is composed of a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) that measures the distance of objects present in at least a portion of the surroundings of the aircraft 1. In this embodiment, the satellite positioning unit 31 uses RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning and calculates positioning data by analyzing the signals acquired and transmitted from a base station, which is a known point, and the signals received by the satellite positioning unit 31, which is an unknown point and is equipped as a mobile station on the aircraft 1. The inertial positioning unit 32 is equipped with a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor, mainly to complement satellite navigation by the satellite positioning unit 31.

[0042] The first control unit 4 includes a vehicle identification unit 41, an identification condition management unit 42, a driving position calculation unit 43, a waypoint management unit 44, a waypoint storage unit 45, a vehicle position calculation unit 46, and a target driving path generation unit 47.

[0043] As described in detail below, the vehicle identification unit 41 has the function of identifying a detected object as the target farm implement to be followed, using at least one of the shape, size, and motion characteristics of the detected object detected by the object detection unit 30 as an identification condition. In this embodiment, the vehicle identification unit 41 identifies whether the detected object, which is detected and determined based on the point cloud data (object detection data) which is the detection result from the object detection unit 30, is the target farm implement to be followed. The identification conditions (identification information) used in this identification process are managed by the identification condition management unit 42.

[0044] The information managed by the identification condition management unit 42 and set as identification conditions by the vehicle identification unit 41 includes the rear shape of the target agricultural implement, the rear size of the target agricultural implement as its rear shape, and the motion characteristics of the target agricultural implement such as its speed and acceleration. The vehicle identification unit 41 calculates the shape and motion characteristics as features of the detected object from the point data acquired over time, and considers the detected object whose features match the set identification conditions to be a target agricultural implement. For example, the shape of the agricultural implement as an identification condition may include an angular shape with many bumps and ridges compared to a passenger car, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, or a vehicle shape with a high ground clearance, while the motion characteristics of the agricultural implement may include a travel speed of several kilometers per hour and an acceleration of several tenths of a G.

[0045] Furthermore, if one or more target agricultural implements are to be identified, the vehicle identification unit 41 can also identify the target agricultural implement as the one to be followed if the direction of the straight line connecting the work vehicle (following vehicle) and the target agricultural implement is most similar to the direction of travel of the work vehicle (following vehicle).

[0046] The travel position calculation unit 43 calculates the travel position, which is the position of a predetermined part (e.g., the center of gravity) of the target agricultural implement to be followed (a coordinate position with the predetermined position of the machine body 1 as the origin), based on the identified object detection data from the vehicle identification unit 41. In other words, the travel position calculation unit 43 calculates the travel position of the target agricultural implement to be followed, identified by the vehicle identification unit 41 based on the object detection data, from the object detection data which is the output of the object detection unit 30. This travel position serves as the travel target for the work vehicle (following vehicle) that follows the preceding agricultural implement.

[0047] The waypoint management unit 44 determines the travel position of the target agricultural machine after traveling a predetermined distance or after traveling for a predetermined time from a predetermined travel position as a waypoint. The waypoints determined over time by the waypoint management unit 44 are stored in the waypoint storage unit 45 and managed by the waypoint management unit 44. In other words, the waypoint storage unit 45 stores the travel position calculated over time by the travel position calculation unit 43 as the waypoint position of the target agricultural machine. The waypoint management unit 44 generates a target travel path by connecting the multiple waypoint positions of the target agricultural machine read from the waypoint storage unit, and this target travel path is used as the target travel path (target line) for tracking control.

[0048] The aircraft position calculation unit 46 calculates the map coordinates of a predetermined part of the work vehicle (following vehicle) based on positioning data from the satellite positioning unit 31 and the inertial positioning unit 32.

[0049] The target travel path generation unit 47 generates a target travel path by connecting the locations of the agricultural implements to be followed between the work vehicle (following vehicle) and the work vehicle (following vehicle), based on the waypoint data indicating the current time-series waypoints of the agricultural implements to be followed, provided by the waypoint management unit 44, and the machine position of the work vehicle (following vehicle) provided by the machine position calculation unit 46.

[0050] Furthermore, when a target travel path is generated based on the locations of passing points between the target agricultural implement and the work vehicle (following vehicle), the passing point management unit 44 deletes the passing points that the work vehicle (following vehicle) has passed from the passing point storage unit 45. In addition, the target travel path generation unit 47 generates and updates the target travel path each time a passing point that the work vehicle (following vehicle) has passed has been deleted from the passing point storage unit 45. This update of the target travel path may be performed after the work vehicle (following vehicle) has traveled a predetermined distance or after a predetermined amount of time.

[0051] The second control unit 6's main function is to control the drive of the hydraulic motor 22 of the travel device 2. The second control unit 6 includes an automatic travel control unit 60, an obstacle avoidance control unit 61, a manual travel control unit 62, a remote travel control unit 63, and a posture change control unit 64.

[0052] The automatic driving control unit 60 is a control unit that automatically drives the work vehicle (following vehicle), and has a driving path setting unit 60a and a follow control unit 60b as functional units particularly relevant to the present invention. The driving path setting unit 60a sets the target driving path generated by the target driving path generation unit 47 as the target line for automatic driving. In this embodiment, the follow control unit 60b drives and controls the hydraulic motor 22 to correct the deviation (lateral deviation, azimuth deviation) of the work vehicle (following vehicle) from the set target line (target driving path). The follow control unit 60b may be configured to perform follow control using the driving position of the target agricultural work machine calculated by the driving position calculation unit 43 as the driving target.

[0053] This work vehicle (following vehicle) is equipped with an obstacle detection unit 5 that detects obstacles based on object detection data obtained from the object detection unit 30. The obstacle avoidance control unit 61 performs control to avoid interference with detected obstacles. If the obstacle is a stationary or nearly stationary object, detour control is performed to bypass the obstacle. If the obstacle is moving at a speed greater than walking speed, the vehicle temporarily stops and waits for the obstacle to disappear. Of course, the obstacle avoidance control unit 61 may also simply decelerate or stop the vehicle 1 if an obstacle is detected in the direction of the vehicle's movement. The obstacle detection unit 5 ignores an obstacle if the detected obstacle matches the agricultural work machine being followed.

[0054] The manual driving control unit 62 drives and controls the driving equipment, such as the hydraulic motor 22, based on driving operation signals output through driving operations using a driving operation device (not shown).

[0055] The remote driving control unit 63 drives and controls the driving equipment, such as the hydraulic motor 22, based on wireless signals from a remote control device (not shown).

[0056] The attitude change control unit 64 controls the operation of the first hydraulic cylinder 23a and the second hydraulic cylinder 23b based on a manual control signal or an automatic control signal, and individually changes the attitude of the attitude change mechanism 23. This attitude change may be used to avoid obstacles.

[0057] The driving control system of the work vehicle (following vehicle) is equipped with an input / output signal processing unit 50 as an input / output interface. A group of driving state detection sensors 51 and a group of vehicle driving equipment 52 are connected to the input / output signal processing unit 50.

[0058] [Another embodiment] (1) The division of each functional unit in the functional block diagram shown in Figure 4 is an example for the purpose of making the explanation easier to understand, and it is possible to integrate various functional units or divide a single functional unit into multiple units. Furthermore, the first control unit 4 and the second control unit 6 may be partially or completely integrated. Moreover, some or all of these functional units may be built into a personal computer or tablet computer that is detachable from the follow vehicle and can be connected to the on-board LAN wirelessly or via a wired connection, or into the control system of the agricultural machine being followed.

[0059] (2) In the embodiments described above, the automatic follower was a multi-purpose vehicle as shown in Figures 2 and 3, but it may be replaced with a work vehicle such as a tractor, combine harvester, pesticide sprayer, or lawnmower, or the agricultural work machine to be followed and the automatic follower may be of the same type.

[0060] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the wheel 21 was driven by a hydraulic motor 22, but it may also be configured to be driven by an electric motor instead of a hydraulic motor 22, or by an engine or the like via a drive mechanism.

[0061] Furthermore, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the object of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0062] The present invention is applicable to follow control that follows a preceding agricultural machine and to a follow-up vehicle that performs such follow control. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1: Aircraft 2: Running gear 4: First control unit 5: Obstacle detection unit 6: Second control unit 30: Object detection unit 41: Vehicle identification unit 42: Identification Condition Management Department 43: Driving position calculation unit 44: Passage point management department 45: Passing point storage section 46: Aircraft position calculation unit 47: Target Driving Path Generation Unit 60a: Route setting unit 60b: Tracking control unit 61: Obstacle Avoidance Control Unit AW: Agricultural implements (Agricultural implements targeted for tracking) FW: Autonomous vehicle (work vehicle) P(): Passing point

Claims

1. A follow-up control system for a follow-up vehicle that follows a preceding agricultural machine, An object detection unit that detects objects, A vehicle identification unit identifies whether the object detected by the object detection unit is a target agricultural machine to be tracked, based on the output of the object detection unit, A driving position calculation unit calculates the driving position of the target agricultural machine identified by the driving object identification unit based on the output of the object detection unit, A tracking control unit that performs tracking control using the aforementioned driving position as a driving target, A follow-up control system equipped with this feature.

2. The tracking control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle identification unit identifies the detected object as the target agricultural machine to be tracked, using at least one of the shape, size, and motion characteristics of the detected object as an identification condition.

3. The tracking control system according to claim 2, wherein the shape used as the identification condition is the rear shape of the agricultural machine, and the motion characteristics used as the identification condition are the speed or acceleration of the agricultural machine or both.

4. The tracking control system according to claim 1, wherein when multiple target agricultural implements are identified, the target agricultural implement whose direction of travel is most similar to the direction of the straight line connecting the tracking vehicle and the target agricultural implement is identified as the target to be tracked.

5. The system is equipped with a waypoint storage unit that stores the travel position calculated over time by the travel position calculation unit as the waypoint position of the target agricultural machine. The tracking control system according to claim 1, wherein tracking control is performed using a path connecting a plurality of tracking target agricultural machine passing point positions read from the passing point storage unit as the target driving path.

6. The tracking control system according to claim 5, wherein the passing point positions of the target agricultural machine that have been passed by the tracking vehicle are deleted from the passing point storage unit.

7. The follow-up control system according to claim 5, wherein a new target travel path is generated each time the follow-up vehicle passes the designated point of the agricultural implement to be followed.

8. The follow-up control system according to claim 5, wherein a new target travel path is generated for each predetermined distance traveled by the follow-up vehicle or for each predetermined time traveled.

9. The tracking control system according to claim 1, wherein the object detection unit is a LiDAR, and an obstacle avoidance control unit is provided that performs obstacle avoidance control based on the detection result of the object detection unit.

10. An autonomous vehicle equipped with the follow-up control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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