Agricultural work support system

Abstract

This agricultural work support system simplifies the structure of the sub-unit (inter-row work robot), enabling further miniaturization and weight reduction, and also reduces implementation costs. [Solution] An agricultural work support system comprising: a sub-unit A having a work unit for performing predetermined tasks and capable of autonomously traveling in the first direction X between ridges 10 extending along the first direction X; a master unit B having a housing unit 20 capable of housing the sub-unit A and capable of traveling in a second direction Y intersecting the first direction X; and a control unit for controlling the sub-unit A, wherein the control unit controls the sub-unit A, located in the first ridge, to be moved and housed in the housing unit 20 of the master unit B, which is waiting at a first position corresponding to the first ridge, and after the master unit B, which has housed the sub-unit A, moves from the first position to a second position corresponding to the second ridge, the control unit controls the sub-unit A to be moved from the housing unit 20 to the second ridge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural work support system comprising a slave machine and a master machine.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, part of agricultural work has been carried out by robots instead, and the applicant has proposed an unmanned mobile body that can be used as an agricultural robot for performing operations such as mowing grass in the furrows of a field, as described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The unmanned mobile body according to Patent Document 1 is switchable between a first mode of moving along the extension direction of the furrows and a second mode of moving along the parallel arrangement direction of the furrows. After performing work in the furrows in the first mode, it exits the furrows, switches to the second mode, moves to the next furrow, and then switches back to the first mode, enabling sequential work in the furrows.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention realizes an agricultural work support system that can perform sequential work in the furrows without the form switching mechanism of Patent Document 1. By using a slave machine for furrow work and a master machine for moving to the next furrow, the structure of the slave machine (furrow work robot) can be simplified, further miniaturized and lightened, and the introduction cost can also be reduced. The purpose is to provide an unprecedented agricultural work support system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The gist of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0007] A sub-unit A has a work unit that performs a predetermined task and is capable of autonomously traveling in the first direction X between ridges 10 that extend along the first direction X, A master unit B has a housing section 20 capable of accommodating the slave unit A, and is capable of traveling in a second direction Y that intersects the first direction X, The system comprises a control unit for controlling the aforementioned slave unit A, The control unit controls the sub-unit A, located in the first furrow, to move and house it in the housing section 20 of the master unit B, which is waiting in a first position corresponding to the first furrow. After the master unit B, which has housed the sub-unit A, moves from the first position to a second position corresponding to the second furrow, the control unit controls the sub-unit A to move from the housing section 20 to the second furrow. This relates to an agricultural work support system.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention relates to an agricultural work support system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a position-finding mechanism for determining the position of the sub-unit A.

[0009] Furthermore, the agricultural work support system according to claim 2 is characterized in that the sub-unit A has a configuration in which wheel sections 2 are provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body 1, and is capable of traveling only in the forward and backward directions.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention relates to an agricultural work support system according to claim 3, characterized in that the work unit is a grass cutting unit 3, and the sub-unit A is configured to cut grass on the furrows 10 while moving between the furrows.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention relates to an agricultural work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the master unit B is capable of autonomous movement, the control unit controls the slave unit A and the master unit B, and the control unit controls the master unit B to move from the first position to the second position after housing the slave unit A. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As the present invention is configured as described above, the structure of the sub-unit (inter-row work robot) can be simplified, further miniaturized and lightened, and introduction costs can be reduced, resulting in an unprecedented agricultural work support system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic perspective view of the slave unit in this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic front view illustrating the grass cutting operation performed by the sub-unit of this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view of another example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to the drawings, illustrating the operation of the present invention.

[0015] For example, when mowing grass between rows in a field, as shown in Figures 1(a) to (c), a sub-unit A, which has a mowing unit 3 as a working unit, is driven in the first row to perform the mowing work. After the work in the first row is completed, it is stored in the storage unit 20 of the main unit B, which is waiting at the first position. After moving the main unit B to the second position, it is moved from the storage unit 20 to the second row to perform the mowing work in the second row, thereby enabling sequential mowing work in each row.

[0016] Therefore, the movement of the sub-unit A from furrow to furrow can be performed by the master unit B, and the sub-unit A does not need to be equipped with a form-changing mechanism or a swivel mechanism as described in Patent Document 1. This simplifies the structure, making it possible to further miniaturize, lighten, and reduce costs.

[0017] Also, for example, a PC or the like for controlling the movement of the slave machine A can be mounted on the master machine B, and the configuration can be simplified by minimizing the tasks of the slave machine A. That is, since the slave machine A needs to be miniaturized so that it can travel in the furrow, it is not suitable to mount a large computing resource or a large-capacity battery. For example, these are mounted on the master machine B, and the slave machine A is made to reciprocate in the first direction X, perform furrow operations such as mowing, and acquire its own position. By adopting a configuration in which the master machine B controls the movement of the slave machine A (movement control based on the position information acquired by the slave machine A), it is possible to minimize the tasks of the slave machine A.

Embodiment

[0018] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0019] This embodiment is an agricultural work support system for supporting work in a field, and includes a slave machine A capable of autonomously traveling in the first direction X in a furrow sandwiched between furrows 10 extending along the first direction X and having a work unit for performing a predetermined work, a master machine B having a housing unit 20 capable of housing the slave machine A and traveling in a second direction Y intersecting the first direction X, and a control unit for controlling the slave machine A.

[0020] The control unit controls the slave machine A located in the first furrow to be moved and housed in the housing unit 20 of the master machine B waiting at the first position corresponding to the first furrow, and after the master machine B housing the slave machine A moves from the first position to the second position corresponding to the second furrow, the slave machine A is moved from the housing unit 20 to the second furrow.

[0021] That is, in this embodiment, in a field where a plurality of row-shaped furrows 10 and furrows are arranged side by side, the slave machine A that performs work in the furrow and the master machine B that is responsible for moving the slave machine A from furrow to furrow are made to travel to support agricultural work, and at least the slave machine A is configured to be capable of autonomous travel.

[0022] Each part will be specifically described.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sub-unit A is a so-called motorcycle-type self-propelled robot (unmanned mobile device) with wheel units 2 provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body 1, and is capable of moving only in the forward and backward directions. In other words, the sub-unit A is configured to move in the first direction X, aligned with the forward and backward direction of the furrow 10. The vehicle body 1 is box-shaped, and houses the wheel units 2 and batteries for driving the work unit.

[0024] In this embodiment, sub-unit A is a grass-cutting robot equipped with a grass-cutting unit 3 as a work unit. Specifically, arm-shaped support units 4, each with a grass-cutting unit 3 at its tip and extending downward, are detachably provided on the left and right sides of the bottom surface of the vehicle body 1. In this embodiment, the grass-cutting unit 3 is configured to cut weeds W on the top surface 10a of the ridge 10, but it may also be configured to cut weeds on the slopes of the ridge 10 or weeds between the ridges (valley bottoms). Note that the attachment points of the support units 4 to the vehicle body 1 are not limited to the bottom surface; they may also be provided on the sides, or on both the sides and the bottom surface.

[0025] Furthermore, the work unit is not limited to the grass-cutting unit 3. For example, it is possible to attach a spraying unit for spraying pesticides and fertilizers to make it a spraying robot, or a harvesting unit for harvesting crops to make it a harvesting robot, or a basket unit for storing harvested crops to make it a transport robot, and thus it can be used for various agricultural tasks.

[0026] The grass cutting unit 3 includes a motor, a grass cutting blade 3a that rotates around the motor's axis of rotation, and a holder that rotatably holds the grass cutting blade 3a. The grass cutting blade 3a is a metal disc cutter. However, other rotary grass cutting blades 3a, such as a nylon cutter (nylon cord), may also be used.

[0027] The grass cutting blade 3a is supported by the support part 4 so that its axis of rotation intersects (orthogonal in this embodiment) with the top surface 10a. Therefore, the weeds W on the top surface 10a can be cut effectively and nearly horizontally, and the anti-falling effect of the grass cutting part 3 is effectively exerted. In this embodiment, the grass cutting blade 3a is in contact with the top surface 10a, but if a nylon cutter is used, for example, the holding part will be in contact with the top surface 10a, and the anti-falling effect will be exerted.

[0028] The front and rear wheel sections 2 of the vehicle body 1 are each composed of a pair of left and right wheels 2a and 2b. Each wheel 2a and 2b is directly driven by an in-wheel motor, which consists of a stator member including a stator and a rotor member including a rotor. Furthermore, each wheel 2a and 2b is supported by supports 11a and 11b respectively, with their orientation fixed relative to the supports 11a and 11b (they are configured to move only forward and backward and cannot rotate).

[0029] In this embodiment, the wheel section 2 is composed of a pair of wheels on the left and right sides (a total of 4 wheels), but it may also be composed of a single wheel on each side (a total of 2 wheels).

[0030] Furthermore, this embodiment includes an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the distance between the grass-cutting unit 3 and the top surface 10a by adjusting the vertical height of the vehicle body 1 relative to the wheel unit 2.

[0031] Furthermore, by preparing multiple types of grass-cutting units consisting of a support section 4 and a grass-cutting section 3 (with different lengths of support section 4, i.e., the length of the protrusion from the vehicle body 1 to the top surface 10a), the height of the grass-cutting section 3 (the distance from the top surface 10a of the furrow 10) can be adjusted by appropriately swapping these units according to the height position of the top surface 10a.

[0032] Therefore, the sub-unit A can easily adjust the height of the mowing unit 3 according to the height of the top surface 10a, allowing it to travel between rows with the mowing unit 3 as close as possible to the top surface 10a, thereby cutting weeds W from the roots, and also easily prevent the vehicle body 1 from tipping over by making contact with the mowing unit 3 when the vehicle body tilts to the left or right.

[0033] Furthermore, the sub-unit A has a wheel section 2 that has a width that fits between the top surfaces 10a of the left and right furrows 10, and the lower end of the vehicle body 1 is positioned higher than the top surfaces 10a of the left and right furrows 10, so that the overall device is longer in front-to-back length than in left-to-right width. Therefore, while it is long and narrow and can travel well between furrows, it is prone to tipping over to the left or right, but as described above, tipping over is prevented when the grass-cutting section 3 contacts the top surface 10a.

[0034] Specifically, the left-right width (maximum width) of the wheel section 2 of sub-unit A should preferably be 80 cm or less, more specifically 60 cm or less, and even more specifically 30 cm or less. The width between rows in a field (pathway width) varies, but is usually around several tens of centimeters, so the narrower the left-right width, the more versatile the unit will be.

[0035] Furthermore, the mowing unit 3 is not limited to a configuration that mows the top surface 10a, but may also be configured to mow the grass between the ridges (the valley bottom surface on which the vehicle travels) or on the slopes of the ridges 10. Another example shown in Figure 4 is an example of mowing the valley bottom surface, in which the mowing unit 3 (mowing blade 3a) is located directly below the vehicle body 1 (the rest of the configuration is the same as in Figure 2). In this case, an anti-tipping member that protrudes from the vehicle body 1 toward the ridge 10 can also be separately attached to prevent the ridge from tipping over by contacting the slope of the ridge 10, etc.

[0036] The master unit B is a trolley-type unmanned mobile unit and has a storage section 20 (deck 20) ​​on its upper surface capable of accommodating the slave unit A. In this embodiment, a ramp 21 for boarding and alighting is positioned on the extension of the furrow when launching and returning the slave unit A, a flat deck 20 connected to the ramp 21 and capable of accommodating the slave unit A is adopted, wheels 22 are provided at the four corners, and a drive mechanism such as a motor and a driving battery is adopted.

[0037] Furthermore, the deck 20 is equipped with a detection mechanism (load cell) that detects when the slave unit A is installed and housed there.

[0038] Furthermore, the master unit B is configured to be driven by wireless remote manual operation (remote control operation). In this embodiment, the slope 21 is positioned on the extension of the furrows and the system is configured to be able to travel in the second direction Y (method of arranging furrows). The master unit B may also be configured to be able to turn so that it can travel freely in the field. Alternatively, it may be configured to be driven by wired remote control operation.

[0039] The control unit controls the back-and-forth movement of slave unit A between rows by driving and controlling the slave unit A's in-wheel motor. Both master unit B and slave unit A are equipped with control units (small computers), and these control units are wirelessly connected to each other. A wired connection is also possible. Slave unit A (or its control unit) may be configured to receive direct instructions from the operator via a remote control, receive instructions via master unit B (or its control unit), or be controlled by the slave unit itself.

[0040] Furthermore, this embodiment has a position-finding mechanism that determines the position of the sub-unit A, and is configured to be able to travel back and forth without deviating from each furrow.

[0041] As a positioning mechanism, for example, a configuration can be adopted in which the position of the slave unit A is determined using coordinates acquired by GPS (GNSS), and the slave unit A travels within a range specified in advance by those coordinates. Specifically, a configuration can be adopted in which the slave unit A transmits the coordinates acquired by GPS to the master unit B, and the master unit B controls the movement range of the slave unit A. In this case, by providing the master unit B, which is large in size and has small movement, with a configuration (a PC for movement control and a large-capacity battery) for controlling the movement range of the slave unit A within the furrows based on the coordinates acquired by the slave unit A, the configuration of the slave unit A can be simplified compared to a configuration in which movement control is performed based on coordinates acquired by the slave unit A itself.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit of slave unit A performs driving speed control and acquisition of its own coordinates, while the control unit of master unit B performs movement control based on the coordinates acquired by slave unit A, departure commands, and master unit approach / boarding notifications (notification that the load cell has detected the slave unit), but this is not limited to this configuration, and can be configured as appropriate.

[0043] Furthermore, control is not limited to coordinate systems. For example, markers may be placed at both ends of each furrow 10 in the front-to-back direction, and a sensor mechanism (such as a camera or laser rangefinder) installed on the sub-unit A may be used to determine the position of the sub-unit relative to the markers. This prevents the sub-unit from straying too far from the furrows, for example, by stopping and turning back when it passes between the markers at the left and right ends of the furrows (switching between forward and reverse). Also, when the sub-unit A returns to the master unit B (to store the sub-unit A after it has finished working between the furrows), it will not stop even when passing between the markers at the left and right ends of the furrows in front of the sub-unit A, but will continue to travel to the loading position determined by a marker installed on the master unit B (for example, if it detects that the master unit B is close, it will not stop even when passing between the markers, and when it detects that it has been stored, the movement control will end).

[0044] Furthermore, the master unit B may also be configured to be capable of autonomous movement (the drive of the wheels 22 may be controlled by the control unit). In this case, the master unit B is also provided with a position-finding mechanism, and the control unit is configured to use the position-finding mechanism to control the master unit B to move from the first position to the second position after accommodating the slave unit A after it has finished its work in the first furrow. The movement control of the master unit B can also be performed using methods such as GPS (GNSS) or markers, similar to the movement control of the slave unit A described above. In this case, the control unit of the master unit B controls its own movement (speed and movement range) and acquires its coordinates.

[0045] The following describes how to perform weed cutting work between rows in a field using the slave unit A and master unit B configured as described above.

[0046] The operator moves the master unit B, which is equipped with the slave unit A, to the first position corresponding to the first furrow (near the end of the furrow and on the extension of the first furrow), and issues a command to start work to the slave unit A (when the operator presses the start button on the remote control that operates the master unit B, a dispatch command is sent from the master unit B to the slave unit A).

[0047] In accordance with the launch command, as shown in Figure 1(a), the slave unit A launches from the master unit B and travels back and forth in the first direction X between the first rows to mow the grass on the top surface 10a of the row 10 (Figure 3(a)→(b)). At this time, the slave unit A is controlled by the control unit of the master unit B based on the position acquired by the position-finding mechanism, turns around at an appropriate point, and returns to the master unit B which is waiting at the first position. At this time, when the slave unit A approaches the master unit B, the master unit B sends an approach notification to the slave unit A, and upon receiving the approach notification, the slave unit A stops the rotation of the rotating blade 3a, slows down, and is controlled to travel slowly before returning to the master unit B.

[0048] The worker confirms that the master unit B has detected the slave unit A in the returning storage unit 20 using the detection mechanism (for example, by checking the detection result displayed on the remote control of the master unit B), and moves the master unit B in the second direction Y, as shown in Figure 1(b), to the second position corresponding to the next furrow (second furrow), from the first position.

[0049] When the master unit B is stopped at the second position and an instruction is given to the slave unit A to start work, as shown in Figure 1(c), the slave unit A starts from the master unit B and travels back and forth in the first direction X along the second furrow to mow the grass on the top surface 10a of the furrow 10.

[0050] Similarly to the above, after the worker confirms that sub-unit A is safely in place, the master unit B is moved to the position corresponding to the next furrow.

[0051] By repeating the above steps, it becomes possible to mow the grass on the top surface 10a of the furrows 10 in a field where numerous furrows 10 and spaces between them are arranged side by side.

[0052] Furthermore, if the master unit B is configured to be autonomous, when the master unit B, which is located anywhere other than the first position and is equipped with a slave unit A, is instructed to start work in a predetermined range (a predetermined number of furrows) using, for example, a wireless remote control (a terminal such as a smartphone), the master unit will move to the first position using a position-finding mechanism such as GPS, and once at the first position, the master unit B will issue a start command to the slave unit A, causing the slave unit A to perform work in the first furrow. After the work is completed, the master unit B will detect the slave unit in the storage unit 20 that has returned and move to the second position, and similarly cause the slave unit A to perform work in the second furrow, and so on, repeating the process to perform work in a predetermined number of furrows.

[0053] The completion of the work can be recognized, for example, by detecting the return of the slave unit A after the master unit B has moved to a predetermined location (the position corresponding to the last furrow). At this time, the master unit B, which has recognized the completion of the work, can be moved, for example, to a predetermined master unit storage location.

[0054] Therefore, if the master unit B is capable of autonomous movement, it will be possible to automatically perform work within a predetermined range of furrows with just one instruction to start work. Furthermore, it will be possible to have it move autonomously not only within a single field, but also from one field to another, or from a house to a field, for example.

[0055] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes the case where there is one sub-unit A, there may be multiple sub-unit A units. In other words, even when there are multiple sub-unit A units, the same configuration as described above can be used, making it possible to perform furrow work effectively even in extremely large fields.

[0056] As this embodiment is configured as described above, the sub-unit A, which has the grass-cutting unit 3, is driven in the first row to perform grass-cutting work. After the work in the first row is completed, it is stored in the storage unit 20 of the master unit B, which is waiting at the first position. After the master unit B is moved to the second position, it is moved from the storage unit 20 to the second row to perform grass-cutting work in the second row. This makes it possible to sequentially perform grass-cutting work in each row.

[0057] Therefore, the movement of the sub-unit A from furrow to furrow can be performed by the master unit B, and the sub-unit A does not need to be equipped with a form-changing mechanism or a swivel mechanism as described in Patent Document 1. This simplifies the structure, making it possible to further miniaturize, lighten, and reduce costs.

[0058] Furthermore, the PC and other components used for controlling the movement of slave unit A can be mounted on master unit B, minimizing the tasks of slave unit A and simplifying the configuration. In other words, slave unit A needs to be miniaturized so that it can travel between rows, and it is unsuitable for mounting large computing resources or a large-capacity battery. By mounting these on master unit B, slave unit A is made to perform round-trip movement in the first direction X, row work such as mowing, and acquire its own position, while master unit B controls the movement of slave unit A (movement control based on the position information acquired by slave unit A). This configuration makes it possible to minimize the tasks of slave unit A.

[0059] Therefore, this embodiment simplifies the structure of the sub-unit (inter-row work robot), enabling further miniaturization and weight reduction, and also reduces the introduction cost, resulting in an unprecedented agricultural work support system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0060] 1. Vehicle body 2 Wheel section 3 Grass cutting department 10 ridges 20 Storage Units A Handset B Main unit X first direction Y Second direction

Claims

1. A sub-unit having a work unit that performs a predetermined task, and capable of autonomously traveling in the first direction between ridges that extend along the first direction, A master unit having a housing section capable of accommodating the aforementioned slave unit, and capable of traveling in a second direction intersecting the first direction, The system comprises a control unit for controlling the aforementioned slave unit, The agricultural work support system is characterized in that the control unit moves the slave unit located in the first furrow to the housing of the master unit, which is waiting at a first position corresponding to the first furrow, and after the master unit, which has housed the slave unit, moves from the first position to a second position corresponding to the second furrow, the control unit controls the movement of the slave unit from the housing to the second furrow.

2. An agricultural work support system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a position-finding mechanism for determining the position of the sub-unit.

3. The agricultural work support system according to claim 2, wherein the sub-unit is configured to have wheels provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body, and is capable of traveling only in the front and rear directions.

4. The agricultural work support system according to claim 3, characterized in that the work unit is a grass cutting unit, and the sub-unit is configured to cut grass on the ridges while moving between the ridges.

5. An agricultural work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the master unit is capable of autonomous movement, the control unit controls the slave unit and the master unit, and the control unit controls the master unit to move from the first position to the second position after housing the slave unit.

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