Work vehicles

Abstract

The objective is to provide a work vehicle that improves work efficiency when the vehicle body is moved forward or backward by remote control after the automatic driving operation has been interrupted. [Solution] The work vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle body 3, a positioning device 40 for detecting the position of the vehicle body 3, a running device 7 for supporting the vehicle body 3 so that it can move, a steering device 29 for steering the running device 7, and a control device 60 for automatically driving the vehicle body 3 based on a preset planned driving route L and the vehicle body position Pos detected by the positioning device 40. When the control device 60 receives a remote signal after the automatic driving has been interrupted, it automatically steers the steering device 29 so that the vehicle body 3 moves back along a return route RR that follows the route it automatically drove from the interruption position P1, thereby performing a return drive that moves the vehicle body 3 forward and / or backward.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle that performs agricultural work on a farm field.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a work vehicle that autonomously drives a traveling vehicle body in a farm field to perform agricultural work is known. The work vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an automatic mode for automatically controlling the steering device of the traveling vehicle body and a remote operation mode for controlling based on remote operation by an operator.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] During agricultural work by autonomous driving, when an operator (user) confirms a problem with the agricultural work, the operator may interrupt the automatic driving and move the traveling vehicle body (vehicle body) to the location where the problem occurred. The work vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 shifts to the remote operation mode when the traveling vehicle body reaches the point where it starts to turn, and the operator remotely operates to perform steering to turn the traveling vehicle body, but does not mention remote operation to move the traveling vehicle body to the location where the problem occurred.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a work vehicle that can improve workability when the vehicle body is moved forward and backward by remote operation after interrupting automatic driving.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a vehicle body, a positioning device for detecting the position of the vehicle body, a running device for supporting the vehicle body so that it can move, a steering device capable of steering the running device, and a control device for automatically driving the vehicle body based on a preset planned route and the vehicle body position detected by the positioning device, wherein when the control device receives a remote signal after the automatic driving is interrupted, it automatically steers the steering device so that the vehicle body moves forward and / or backward along a return route that reverses from the interruption point along the route that was driven automatically, thereby performing a return drive. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the workability when moving the vehicle body forward or backward by remote control after interrupting automatic driving. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a side view of the work vehicle. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the work vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the lifting device. [Figure 4A] This is an example demonstrating the operation of a lifting device. [Figure 4B] This is another example demonstrating the operation of a lifting device. [Figure 4C] This is another example demonstrating the operation of a lifting device. [Figure 5A] This is a diagram showing an example of a terminal device. [Figure 5B] This figure shows another example of a terminal device. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the planned route and field map. [Figure 7] This is a sequence diagram of the automated driving process. [Figure 8A] This is a diagram illustrating the autonomous driving of work vehicles. [Figure 8B] This is a diagram illustrating the autonomous driving of work vehicles. [Figure 8C] This is a diagram illustrating the autonomous driving of work vehicles. [Figure 8D] It is a diagram for explaining the automatic driving of a work vehicle. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of a work performance route. [Figure 10A] It is a diagram for explaining the user's operation in the return travel process. [Figure 10B] It is a diagram for explaining the operation of the work vehicle in the return travel process. [Figure 10C] It is a diagram for explaining the operation of the work vehicle in the return travel process. [Figure 10D] It is a diagram for explaining the operation of the work vehicle in the return travel process. [Figure 10E] It is a diagram for explaining the operation of the work vehicle in the return travel process. [Figure 10F] It is a diagram for explaining the operation of the work vehicle in the return travel process. [Figure 11A] It is a sequence diagram of the return travel process. [Figure 11B] It is a sequence diagram of the return travel process. [Figure 11C] It is a sequence diagram of the return travel process following FIG. 11B. [Figure 12] It is a sequence diagram of the return travel process of the first modification example. [Figure 13] It is a sequence diagram of the return travel process of the second modification example. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart diagram at the time of switching the return route of the third modification example.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an overall side view of the work vehicle 1. In the example shown in Figure 1, the work vehicle 1 is a tractor to which a work device 2 is attached. Note that the work vehicle 1 is not limited to a tractor, and may be any work machine to which the work device 2 can be attached to at least the vehicle body 3, and may be other work machines. Furthermore, the work vehicle 1 is not limited to a tractor, and may be other agricultural machinery such as a rice transplanter or combine harvester, or agricultural machinery other than a tractor that performs agricultural work.

[0010] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the work vehicle 1. The work vehicle 1 is equipped with a terminal device 90. By operating the terminal device 90, the user can perform agricultural work using the work device 2 while the work vehicle 1 is driven in the field.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the work vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle body 3, a prime mover 4, a forward / reverse switching device 5, a running gear 7, and a lifting device 8. The running gear 7 supports the vehicle body 3 so that it can move. The front wheels 7F of the running gear 7 may be of the tire type or the crawler type. Similarly, the rear wheels 7R of the running gear 7 may also be of the tire type or the crawler type. The prime mover 4 is composed of a diesel engine or an electric motor, etc. In this embodiment, the prime mover 4 is composed of a diesel engine. The forward / reverse switching device 5 can switch the propulsion force of the running gear 7, and can also switch the forward and reverse movement of the running gear 7. The driving force of the prime mover 4 is transmitted to the running gear 7 by the forward / reverse switching device 5, and the vehicle body 3 moves forward and backward as the running gear 7 is driven. That is, the forward / reverse switching device 5 can switch the forward and reverse movement of the vehicle body 3. In Figure 1, the direction of arrow A1 is the front of the vehicle body 3, and the direction of arrow A2 is the rear of the vehicle body 3. Also, in Figure 1, the far side is the right side of the vehicle body 3, and the near side is the left side of the vehicle body 3. The forward / reverse selector 5 is a transmission that can change the speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle body 3 according to the gear ratio. The forward / reverse selector 5 may also be a continuously variable transmission. The forward / reverse selector 5 is also equipped with a PTO shaft 16 that rotates using the power of the prime mover 4. The PTO shaft 16 is located at the rear of the vehicle body 3.

[0012] A cabin 9 is provided in the vehicle body 3. Inside the cabin 9 is a driver's seat 10. A lifting device 8, consisting of a three-point linkage mechanism, is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 3. The lifting device 8 connects the work device 2 to the vehicle body 3 so that it can be raised and lowered. More specifically, by connecting the work device 2 to the connecting parts 8g and 8h provided on the lifting device 8, the work device 2 and the vehicle body 3 are connected, making it possible to tow the work device 2 with the work vehicle 1. In other words, the work vehicle 1 is capable of being fitted with the work device 2.

[0013] Work device 2 performs ground operations (agricultural work) on the field. In this example, work device 2 is exemplified by a transplanting device for transplanting vegetable seedlings or seed potatoes. Work device 2 also includes tilling devices (rotary tillers) for tilling the field, rough tilling devices (stubble cultivators) for rough tilling, puddling devices (drive harrows) for puddling, spraying devices for spraying fertilizers or pesticides, seeding devices for sowing seeds, and harvesting devices for harvesting.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the work vehicle 1 is equipped with a control device 60 (processing circuit) which includes one or more processors. The control device 60 is the controller of the work vehicle 1 and performs various controls related to the work vehicle 1. The control device 60 is communicably connected to multiple devices mounted on the work vehicle 1 via an in-vehicle network N1 such as CAN, ISOBUS, LIN, or FlexRay. For example, the control device 60 performs various control processes (operations) such as driving, shifting gears, braking, and steering of the work vehicle 1, and operation of the work device 2, based on signals (operation signals) input from the operating device 64, steering device 29, etc., which will be described later.

[0015] The control device 60 includes one or more memories, various analog circuits, various digital circuits, etc. One or more memories store (remember) software programs and various data to be executed by one or more processors. The control device 60 can read software programs from one or more memories using one or more processors and execute various processes based on said software programs. The control device 60 may also execute various processes based on predetermined logic circuits using one or more processors.

[0016] The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The software program may be stored in a recording medium (non-volatile memory such as an HDD, SSD, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM) that is communicably connected to the control device 60, or in an external server device connected via the network, and installed in the memory from there. The control device 60 may also be composed of multiple CPUs and be an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls each electrical component mounted on the work vehicle 1. For example, in this embodiment, the control device 60 has a first control unit 61b that mainly controls the steering of the vehicle body 3, and a second control unit 61c that mainly controls the driving of the vehicle body 3 (forward and reverse, vehicle speed, etc.). For example, the processor of the control device 60 functions as the first control unit 61b and the second control unit 61c by executing the steering control program and the driving control program stored in the storage device 62, respectively.

[0017] The work vehicle 1 is equipped with a storage device 62. The storage device 62 is a storage device such as non-volatile memory, and stores various control programs, various data, etc. The storage device 62 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0018] The work vehicle 1 is equipped with a communication device 63. The communication device 63 consists of a communication circuit that communicates wirelessly with the terminal device 90. The communication device 63 can perform wireless communication using, for example, the IEEE 802.11 series communication standards such as Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity, registered trademark), BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy), LPWA (Low Power, Wide Area), and LPWAN (Low-Power Wide-Area Network). The communication device 63 can also perform wireless communication using, for example, a mobile phone network or a data communication network.

[0019] The work vehicle 1 is equipped with a steering system 29. The steering system 29 can steer the running gear 7. The steering system 29 has a steering wheel 30, a steering shaft 31, and an auxiliary mechanism (power steering mechanism) 32. The steering wheel 30 is located inside the cabin 9 (Figure 1). The steering shaft 31 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the steering wheel 30. The auxiliary mechanism 32 assists the steering by the steering wheel 30.

[0020] The auxiliary mechanism 32 includes a control valve 34 and a steering cylinder 35. The control valve 34 is a solenoid valve that operates based on a control signal transmitted from the first control unit 61b. Specifically, the control valve 34 is composed of a three-position switching valve that can be switched by the movement of a spool or the like. The control valve 34 is supplied with hydraulic fluid discharged from the hydraulic pump 33. The first control unit 61b adjusts the hydraulic pressure supplied to the steering cylinder 35 by electrically controlling the switching position and opening degree of the control valve 34, thereby extending and retracting the steering cylinder 35. The steering cylinder 35 is connected to a knuckle arm 39 that changes the direction of the front wheel 7F.

[0021] The control valve 34 can also be switched by steering the steering shaft 31. Specifically, by operating the steering wheel 30, the steering shaft 31 rotates according to the operating state, and the switching position and opening degree of the control valve 34 are switched. The steering cylinder 35 extends or retracts to the left or right of the vehicle body 3 according to the switching position and opening degree of the control valve 34. This extension and retraction operation of the steering cylinder 35 changes the steering direction of the front wheels 7F. Note that the steering device 29 described above is just one example and is not limited to the above configuration.

[0022] The work vehicle 1 is equipped with an operating device 64. The operating device 64 is located around the driver's seat 10 and consists of switches, levers, pedals, and other keys that can be operated by the driver seated in the driver's seat 10. Specifically, the operating device 64 includes an accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and gear shift lever for operating the vehicle body 3, and a lifting lever for operating the lifting device 8.

[0023] The prime mover 4 (engine) is controlled by the second control unit 61c for driving, stopping, and rotational speed. The forward / reverse selector 5 is connected to the control valve 37. The control valve 37 is a solenoid valve that operates based on a control signal transmitted from the second control unit 61c. The control valve 37 is supplied with hydraulic fluid discharged from the hydraulic pump 33. In Figure 2, the control valve 37 is shown as a single block, but an appropriate number of control valves are provided depending on the number of hydraulic devices such as hydraulic clutches or hydraulic cylinders provided in the forward / reverse selector 5.

[0024] The braking device 6 is connected to a control valve 38. The control valve 38 is a solenoid valve that operates based on a control signal transmitted from the second control unit 61c. The control valve 38 is supplied with hydraulic fluid discharged from the hydraulic pump 33. The second control unit 61c operates the braking device 6 by electrically controlling the switching position and opening degree of the control valve 38, thereby applying the brakes to the vehicle body 3.

[0025] The second control unit 61c electrically controls the switching position (opening) of the control valve 37 to control the drive of the forward / reverse switching device 5. The forward / reverse switching device 5 transmits the driving force of the prime mover 4 to the running gear 7, which then operates and moves the vehicle body 3 forward and backward. Furthermore, for example, when the work device 2 is performing ground work, the forward / reverse switching device 5 transmits the driving force of the prime mover 4 to the work device 2 via the PTO shaft 16 (Figures 1 and 3). This increases the operating force of the work device 2.

[0026] Furthermore, the second control unit 61c communicates with the work device 2 via the in-vehicle network N1. Specifically, the work device 2 comprises a control unit 21 and a communication unit 22. The second control unit 61c transmits work commands to the work device 2 via the in-vehicle network N1. When the control unit 21 of the work device 2 receives the work command via the communication unit 22, it controls the operation of each part of the work device 2 based on the work command to perform agricultural work (ground work). The control unit 21 of the work device 2 also transmits information or data indicating the work status, etc., to the second control unit 61c via the in-vehicle network N1 using the communication unit 22. The second control unit 61c detects the work status, etc., of the work device 2 based on the information or data received from the work device 2 via the in-vehicle network N1.

[0027] Note that some work devices 2 do not have a control unit 21 and a communication unit 22. When this type of work device 2 is used, the control device 60 (second control unit 61c) does not communicate with the work device 2 via the in-vehicle network N1. However, as will be described later, the operation of the work device 2 is controlled by raising and lowering the work device 2 using the lifting device 8, thereby changing the position of the work device 2, and the working status of the work device 2 is detected.

[0028] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the lifting device 8. The lifting device 8 includes a lift arm 8a, a lower link 8b, a top link 8c, a lift rod 8d, and a lift cylinder 8e. The front end of the lift arm 8a is supported on the upper rear of the case (transmission case) housing the forward / reverse switching device 5 so as to be able to swing upward or downward. The lift arm 8a swings (rises and falls) by the drive of the lift cylinder 8e. The lift cylinder 8e is made of a hydraulic cylinder. The lift cylinder 8e is connected to a control valve 36 (Figure 2). The control valve 36 is a solenoid valve that operates based on a control signal transmitted from the second control unit 61c. The control valve 36 is supplied with hydraulic fluid discharged from the hydraulic pump 33.

[0029] The front end of the lower link 8b shown in Figure 3 is supported at the rear lower part of the forward / reverse switching device 5 (Figures 1 and 2) so as to be able to swing upward or downward. The front end of the top link 8c is supported at the rear of the forward / reverse switching device 5, above the lower link 8b, so as to be able to swing upward or downward. The lift rod 8d connects the lift arm 8a and the lower link 8b. The rear ends of the lower link 8b and the top link 8c are provided with connecting parts 8g and 8h, to which the working device 2 can be connected.

[0030] The control valve 36 shown in Figure 2 includes control valves 36a and 36b shown in Figure 3. The second control unit 61c (Figure 2) adjusts the hydraulic pressure supplied to the lift cylinder 8e by electrically controlling the switching position or opening degree of control valve 36a, thereby extending and retracting the lift cylinder 8e. As the lift cylinder 8e extends and retracts, the lift arm 8a moves up and down, and the lower link 8b, which is connected to the lift arm 8a via the lift rod 8d, also moves up and down. As a result, the work device 2 swings (moves up and down) upward or downward, with the front part of the lower link 8b (opposite the connecting parts 8g and 8h) as the pivot point.

[0031] Figures 4A to 4C show the operation of the lifting device 8. As shown in Figures 4A to 4C, when the lift cylinder 8e extends or retracts, the lift arm 8a moves up and down, and the lower link 8b, which is connected to the lift arm 8a via the lift rod 8d, also moves up and down. This allows the lifting device 8 to switch between a working state in which the work device 2 is performing work and a non-working state in which the work device 2 is not performing work. At this time, the work device 2 swings (moves up and down) upward or downward, using the front of the lower link 8b as a pivot point.

[0032] Figure 4A shows the state in which the lifting device 8 has lowered the work device 2 to its maximum extent. Figure 4C shows the state in which the lifting device 8 has raised the work device 2 to its maximum extent. In other words, the lifting device 8 lowers the work device 2, and the state transitions in the order of Figure 4A, Figure 4B, and Figure 4C. Also, the lifting device 8 raises the work device 2, and the state transitions in the order of Figure 4C, Figure 4B, and Figure 4A. ru.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the control device 60 can switch between manual steering by manually operating the steering wheel 30 and automatic steering by the control device 60 (first control unit 61b). The control device 60 (first control unit 61b) extends and retracts the steering cylinder 35 by controlling the control valve 34, and changes the steering direction of the front wheels 7F by the knuckle arm 39. In addition, the vehicle body 3 can move and stop by operating the forward / reverse switching device 5 or the braking device 6 in response to manual operation of the accelerator member or brake pedal provided on the operating device 64. Furthermore, the vehicle body 3 can move and stop automatically in response to the control of the forward / reverse switching device 5 and the braking device 6 by the control device 60 (second control unit 61c). The work vehicle 1 can be operated manually, with the driver seated in the driver's seat 10 operating the steering wheel 30 and the operating device 64 to operate the vehicle, or automatically, with the control device 60 automatically performing both driving and steering.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the operating device 64 includes a mode switch 64a. The mode switch 64a is an operating component for switching the mode of the work vehicle 1. The modes of the work vehicle 1 include automatic driving mode (automatic driving mode), manual driving mode, and remote control mode, which can be selected by the mode switch 64a. In addition, the control device 60 of the work vehicle 1 can switch modes based on instruction signals from the terminal device 90.

[0035] The automatic driving mode is a mode in which the work vehicle 1 (vehicle body 3) is driven automatically while agricultural work (ground work) is performed using the work device 2. Specifically, the vehicle body 3's speed is automatically changed based on a pre-set planned driving route L, and the vehicle body 3 is steered automatically. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the driver manually drives the work vehicle 1 (vehicle body 3) and performs agricultural work (ground work) using the work device 2. Specifically, the user sits in the driver's seat 10 and changes the vehicle body 3's speed by operating the accelerator or brake member of the control device 64, and steers the vehicle body 3 by operating the steering wheel 30. The remote control mode is a mode in which the work vehicle 1 (vehicle body 3) is operated by the terminal device 90 transmitting operation signals to the control device 60 in response to operation instructions from the user.

[0036] The work vehicle 1 can be remotely operated based on the operation of a terminal device 90 by a user (a remote operator located at a short distance outside the work vehicle 1). The terminal device 90 transmits various control signals (remote signals) to the control device 60. When the work vehicle 1 is in remote operation mode, the control device 60 controls the forward / reverse switching device 5 and the braking device 6 based on the control signals from the terminal device 90 to remotely drive and remotely stop the vehicle body 3, extend and retract the steering cylinder 35 by controlling the control valve 34, and change the steering direction of the front wheels 7F by the knuckle arm 39. In other words, the work vehicle 1 is capable of remote operation, performing remote driving and remote steering operations in response to the operation of a nearby user. Furthermore, the work vehicle 1 can switch between automatic driving mode and remote operation mode based on the operation of the terminal device 90 by the user.

[0037] Figure 5A shows an example of a terminal device 90. As shown in Figure 5A, the terminal device 90 is a small operating device that can communicate with the communication device 63 of the work vehicle 1 and can be grasped by a user at close range. For example, the terminal device 90 is a remote control (remote controller) and has a communication unit 91. The communication unit 91 is a communication device that performs short-range communication with the communication device 63 of the work vehicle 1. The terminal device 90 has, for example, 11 buttons (buttons 90a to 90f, button 90n, button 90m, buttons 90x to 90z) and 3 indicators (indicators 90g to 90i). The number of buttons and indicators may be other than those shown.

[0038] Button 90x is the power button. When the terminal device 90 is powered off, button 90x When button 90x is pressed and held, the terminal device 90 is turned ON. When the terminal device 90 is ON, pressing and holding button 90x turns the terminal device 90 OFF.

[0039] Buttons 90y and 90z are mode switching buttons. When button 90y is pressed once, the terminal device 90 transmits an automatic driving mode transition signal Sg1 to the control device 60. When the control device 60 receives the automatic driving mode transition signal Sg1 from the terminal device 90, it switches to automatic driving mode.

[0040] When button 90z is pressed once, the terminal device 90 transmits a remote control mode transition signal (remote control mode transition signal) Sg4 to the work vehicle 1. When the work vehicle 1 (control device 60) receives the remote control mode transition signal Sg4 from the terminal device 90, it switches to remote control mode.

[0041] Button 90n is used to start (or restart) the automatic driving of the work vehicle 1. When button 90n is pressed once, the terminal device 90 transmits an automatic driving start signal Sg2 to the work vehicle 1. When the work vehicle 1 is in automatic driving mode and receives the automatic driving start signal Sg2 from the terminal device 90, it starts (or restarts) automatic driving.

[0042] Button 90m is used to interrupt the automatic driving of the work vehicle 1. When button 90m is pressed once, the terminal device 90 transmits an automatic driving interruption signal Sg3 to the work vehicle 1. When the work vehicle 1 is in automatic driving mode and receives the automatic driving interruption signal Sg3 from the terminal device 90, it interrupts (pauses) automatic driving.

[0043] Button 90f is a function button. When button 90f is pressed and held down, terminal device 90 transmits a control signal corresponding to the operation of buttons 90a to 90d to the work vehicle 1.

[0044] Button 90a is a button that controls the forward movement of the work vehicle 1. When button 90f is pressed and held down, if button 90a is pressed once, the terminal device 90 transmits a remote forward signal Sg8 to the work vehicle 1. When button 90f is pressed and held down, if button 90a is pressed multiple times, the terminal device 90 transmits a vehicle speed signal Sg6 to the work vehicle 1 corresponding to the number of times button 90a has been pressed. In remote control mode, the work vehicle 1 moves forward based on the remote forward signal Sg8 and vehicle speed signal Sg6 received by the terminal device 90.

[0045] Button 90b is a button that controls the reverse movement of the work vehicle 1. When button 90f is pressed and held down, if button 90b is pressed once, the terminal device 90 transmits a remote reverse signal Sg5 to the work vehicle 1. When button 90f is pressed and held down, if button 90b is pressed multiple times, the terminal device 90 transmits a vehicle speed signal Sg6 to the work vehicle 1 corresponding to the number of times button 90b has been pressed. In remote control mode, the work vehicle 1 reverses based on the remote reverse signal Sg5 and vehicle speed signal Sg6 received by the terminal device 90.

[0046] Button 90c is a button that turns the work vehicle 1 to the left. When button 90f is pressed and held down, if button 90c is pressed, the terminal device 90 sends a left turn signal to the work vehicle 1. When the operation of pressing button 90c is released, the terminal device 90 sends a left turn completion signal to the work vehicle 1. When the work vehicle 1 is in remote control mode, it turns to the left based on the left turn signal or left turn completion signal received by the terminal device 90.

[0047] Button 90d is used to turn work vehicle 1 to the right. Button 90f is used for long-press operation. When the button 90d is pressed, the terminal device 90 transmits a right turn signal to the work vehicle 1. When the button 90d is released, the terminal device 90 transmits a right turn completion signal to the work vehicle 1. In remote control mode, the work vehicle 1 turns right based on the right turn signal or right turn completion signal received by the terminal device 90.

[0048] Button 90e is a button used to stop the work vehicle 1. When button 90e is pressed while button 90f is being held down, the terminal device 90 transmits a braking signal Sg7 to the work vehicle 1. When the work vehicle 1 receives the braking signal Sg7 from the terminal device 90 while in remote control mode, it stops moving forward and in reverse.

[0049] Indicator 90g indicates the battery level when the terminal device 90 is powered on, and changes color from green to red when the battery level is low. Indicator 90h indicates the communication status with the work vehicle 1, displaying green if communication is good and red if communication is not possible. Indicator 90i displays green if the work vehicle 1 is in remote control mode, is off if it is not in remote control mode, and displays red if there is a problem with the work vehicle 1.

[0050] The operation of buttons 90a to 90f, 90n, 90m, and 90x to 90z described above is merely an example and is not limited to this; other operation methods are also acceptable. The number of buttons may also be other than 11. Furthermore, the display content of indicators 90g to 90i is merely an example and is not limited to this; other operation methods are also acceptable. The number of indicators may also be other than 3.

[0051] Furthermore, the terminal device 90 may be a mobile terminal having a touch panel, such as a smartphone, tablet, or PDA. Figure 5B shows another example of the terminal device 90. As shown in Figure 5B, buttons 90a to 90f, 90n, 90m, 90y, 90z and indicators 90g to 90i for remote operation are arranged on the display unit 92 of the terminal device 90. The display unit 92 of the terminal device 90 may also display sensing information of the vehicle body 3 and its surroundings output by the sensing device 66a, which will be described later. By looking at the display unit 92, the user can understand the status of the vehicle body 3 and its surroundings.

[0052] As shown in Figure 2, the work vehicle 1 is equipped with a detection device 66. The detection device 66 includes sensors, cameras, and electrical circuits that process output signals from sensors or cameras, which are installed on various parts of the work vehicle 1 and the work device 2. Based on the output signals from these sensors, the detection device 66 detects the operating status (driving and stopped states, operating position, etc.) of various parts of the work vehicle 1, such as the forward / reverse switching device 5, braking device 6, running device 7, lifting device 8, steering device 29, and operating device 64. The detection device 66 also detects the operating status of the work device 2 based on the output signals from sensors.

[0053] Furthermore, the detection device 66 includes at least one sensing device 66a that senses the vehicle body 3 and its surroundings. The sensing device 66a is a device (sensor, camera, etc.) that detects the surroundings of the work vehicle 1 and the work equipment 2, and can, for example, detect objects present around the work vehicle 1 and the work equipment 2. These objects include people, animals, vehicles, objects, and installations (fences, guardrails), and may also include ground conditions (unevenness) such as fields, private roads, and public roads, as well as surrounding environmental conditions such as levees and ditches.

[0054] The sensing device 66a includes a first sensing device 66a1 and a second sensing device 66a2. The first sensing device 66a1 is, for example, a millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), or a laser scanner, and in this embodiment, a millimeter-wave radar Let's assume that the second sensing device 66a2 is, for example, a camera, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) camera, or an ultrasonic sonar, and in this embodiment, it is an AI camera. The AI ​​camera performs object detection processing (for example, human detection processing, animal detection processing, obstacle detection processing, etc.) on the captured image, and is capable of detecting objects present around the work vehicle 1 and work device 2, identifying the type of object (type of person, animal, object, etc.), and determining the distance to the object.

[0055] The first sensing device 66a1 is installed at the front and rear of the vehicle body 3, respectively. In other words, there are a total of two first sensing devices 66a1, one at the front and one at the rear of the vehicle body 3. The second sensing device 66a2 is installed at the front, rear, and left and right sides of the vehicle body 3, respectively. In other words, there are a total of four second sensing devices 66a2, one at the front, rear, and left and right sides of the vehicle body 3. The first sensing device 66a1 and the second sensing device 66a2 detect the presence or absence of objects around the work vehicle 1 and work device 2, as well as the distance to those objects.

[0056] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the work vehicle 1 is equipped with a positioning device 40 that detects the position of the vehicle body 3. The positioning device 40 has a receiving device 40a and an inertial measurement unit 40b (IMU). The receiving device 40a receives satellite signals (position of the positioning satellite, transmission time, correction information, etc.) transmitted from satellite positioning systems (positioning satellites) such as D-GPS, GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, and Michibiki. Based on the satellite signals received by the receiving device 40a, the positioning device 40 detects the current position (e.g., latitude, longitude). In other words, the positioning device 40 is a position detection unit that detects the vehicle body position Pos of the work vehicle 1 (vehicle body 3). The positioning device 40 may also be installed on the work device 2 to detect the position of the work device 2. The inertial measurement unit 40b has an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, etc. The inertial measurement device 40b detects the roll angle, pitch angle, yaw angle, etc., of the vehicle body 3. The positioning device 40 transmits the detected vehicle body position Pos of the vehicle body 3 to the control device 60 at a predetermined period or timing. The positioning device 40 may also transmit to the control device 60 information indicating the positioning accuracy at the time the vehicle body position Pos was detected, along with the vehicle body position Pos.

[0057] If terminal device 90 is a mobile terminal, communication device 63 transmits various information such as work vehicle 1 and work device 2 to terminal device 90. Various information includes location information (e.g., latitude and longitude) of at least one of work vehicle 1 and work device 2, device information of work vehicle 1 and work device 2, and various information (sensing information) detected by detection device 66 (sensing device 66a). Device information of work vehicle 1 and work device 2 includes information such as dimensions (work width) of work vehicle 1 and work device 2, and work type of work of work device 2. Information detected by detection device 66 includes information on the operating state of work vehicle 1 detected by the sensor as detection device 66, captured images of the area around work vehicle 1 and work device 2 captured by the AI ​​camera as second sensing device 66a2, and object detection information detected by the millimeter-wave radar as first sensing device 66a1. Various information is transmitted to control device 60 and terminal device 90 at predetermined intervals or predetermined timings.

[0058] As shown in Figure 2, the control device 60 has an automatic driving control unit 61a that automatically drives the vehicle body 3. For example, the processor of the control device 60 functions as the automatic driving control unit 61a by executing an automatic driving control program stored in the storage device 62. The automatic driving control unit 61a controls the prime mover 4, forward / reverse switching device 5, braking device 6, running device 7, steering device 29, and lifting device 8 to automatically drive and steer the work vehicle 1 while performing agricultural work in the field using the work device 2. More specifically, the automatic driving control unit 61a performs automatic driving, driving the work vehicle 1 automatically while performing agricultural work using the work device 2.

[0059] The control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) sets a pre-set driving route L and positioning equipment Based on the vehicle position Pos detected at position 40, the vehicle 3 is made to move automatically. The planned route L is stored in the memory device 62 in advance. <Planned route L> First, let's explain the planned route L. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the planned route L and the field map MP1. The planned route L includes multiple travel lines L1. Each travel line L1 includes a straight section L1a and a turning section L1b that connects two adjacent straight sections L1a.

[0060] The control device 60 defines the planned route L on the field map MP1 based on the field contour H1, central area C1, headland area E1, dimensional information of the work vehicle 1 and work equipment 2, working conditions, or automatic driving information. The field contour H1 is defined by the travel trajectory obtained by the positioning device 40 detecting multiple vehicle body positions Pos when the work vehicle 1 circles the field before performing work. The field map MP1 is stored in the storage device 62, associating the contour H1 with field identification information (e.g., "Field H") that identifies the field. Note that the method of defining the field map MP1 is not limited to the method described above. For example, the field map MP1 may be defined by the position information of the field's endpoints measured by a terminal capable of acquiring positioning information. In this case, the field map MP1 is stored in the storage device 62 via wireless or wired communication or a storage medium. The data format for the field map MP1 may be data expressed in terms of location (latitude, longitude) or data expressed in a coordinate system (X-axis, Y-axis). It may also be data expressed as a 3D map showing the 3D shape, or data expressed in any other form.

[0061] The central area C1 is the area where the work device 2 is lowered and in a working state, and work is performed by the work device 2. The headland area E1 is the area where the work vehicle 1 and the work device 2 are rotated in a non-working state with the work device 2 raised and no work is performed. The control device 60 creates multiple unit work sections within the central area C1 by dividing the central area C1 from one end (left end in Figure 6) parallel to the working direction (up and down direction in Figure 6) by a width obtained by subtracting the overlap allowance of the central part included in the working conditions from the working width of the work device 2. Then, a straight section L1a is created on the center line in the width direction (left and right direction in Figure 6) of each unit work section, on which the vehicle body 3 moves in a straight line. Next, the control device 60 creates a rotating section L1b in the headland area E1 that connects adjacent straight sections L1a. The rotating section L1b is the route from one of the two adjacent straight sections L1a to the other. The planned route L includes a starting point PS where work begins automatically in the field and an ending point PG where work ends automatically. The planned route L only needs to be stored in the storage device 62 before agricultural work is performed in the field, and the definition method is not limited to the method described above. For example, the planned route L may be stored in the storage device 62 via wireless or wired communication or a storage medium. The storage device 62 may also store multiple field maps MP1 and planned routes L corresponding to the field maps MP1. In this case, the user can identify field identification information by operating the operating device 64 or terminal device 90, and the control device 60 can acquire the planned route L corresponding to the field map MP1 containing the identified field identification information.

[0062] <Automated Driving Process SA> Next, the automatic driving process SA performed by the automatic driving control unit 61a will be described. As shown in Figure 2, the control device 60 has a route identification unit 61d. The route identification unit 61d searches for and identifies a driving line L1 based on the vehicle position Pos from a predetermined planned driving route L stored in the storage device 62. For example, the processor of the control device 60 functions as the route identification unit 61d by executing a route identification program stored in the storage device 62. More specifically, the route identification unit 61d outputs a driving line L1 that is near the input vehicle position Pos from the predetermined planned driving route L. The steering command values ​​are calculated to follow the identified travel line L1, and agricultural work is performed using the work device 2 while the work vehicle 1 is driven and steered.

[0063] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram of the automated driving process SA. In Figure 7, an automated driving process is initiated by a user located in close proximity to the work vehicle 1 operating the terminal device 90. Furthermore, it is assumed that the work vehicle 1 is located at the starting point PS (Figure 6) where automated driving begins on the planned route L.

[0064] As shown in Figure 7, the terminal device 90 transmits an automatic driving mode transition signal Sg1 to the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) in response to a user instruction to transition to automatic driving mode. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the automatic driving mode transition signal Sg1 from the terminal device 90, it transmits an instruction signal to the route identification unit 61d requesting the planned driving route L (SA1a). The instruction signal includes field identification information. Based on the instruction signal, the route identification unit 61d refers to the storage device 62 and obtains the planned driving route L. Then, the automatic driving control unit 61a transitions to automatic driving mode (SA1b).

[0065] The terminal device 90 transmits a start signal (automatic driving start signal) Sg2 to the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) in response to a user's instruction to start automatic driving. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the automatic driving start signal Sg2 from the terminal device 90, it transmits an instruction signal to the second control unit 61c to transition the work device 2 to the work state (SA2). When the second control unit 61c receives the instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it transmits a control signal to the control valve 36 (Figure 2) of the lifting device 8, causing the work device 2 connected to the lifting device 8 to lower and transition to the work state (SA3). Furthermore, when the automatic driving control unit 61a acquires the vehicle position Pos from the positioning device 40 (SA4), it transmits an instruction signal to the route identification unit 61d requesting the driving line L1 along with the vehicle position Pos (SA5). When the route identification unit 61d receives the vehicle position Pos and an instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it searches for a driving line L1 near the vehicle position Pos (SA6) and outputs the resulting driving line L1 to the automatic driving control unit 61a. The automatic driving control unit 61a calculates a steering instruction value based on the vehicle position Pos and the driving line L1 (SA7) and transmits a steering instruction signal including the steering instruction value to the first control unit 61b (SA8). When the first control unit 61b receives the steering instruction signal, it transmits a control signal to the control valve 34 (Figure 2) of the steering device 29 and performs control to change the steering angle of the steering device 29 so that it matches (approximately matches) the steering instruction value (SA9). The automatic driving control unit 61a also transmits a driving instruction signal to the second control unit 61c (SA10). The driving instruction signal includes an instruction to switch the vehicle 3 forward or reverse, and an instruction regarding the vehicle speed. The second control unit 61c controls the vehicle's movement based on the driving instruction signal (SA11).

[0066] Figures 8A to 8D are diagrams illustrating the automatic steering of the work vehicle 1. The automatic driving control unit 61a automatically drives the vehicle body 3 and calculates the deviation between the vehicle body position Pos detected by the positioning device 40 and the driving line L1. If the deviation is less than a threshold (for example, Figure 8A), the automatic driving control unit 61a maintains the rotation angle of the steering shaft 31 (Figure 2). If the deviation between the vehicle body position Pos and the driving line L1 is greater than or equal to the threshold, and the vehicle body position Pos is located to the left of the driving line L1 (for example, Figure 8B), the automatic driving control unit 61a rotates the steering shaft 31 so that the steering direction of the vehicle body 3 is to the right. If the deviation between the vehicle body position Pos and the driving line L1 is greater than or equal to the threshold, and the vehicle body position Pos is located to the right of the driving line L1 (for example, Figure 8C), the automatic driving control unit 61a rotates the steering shaft 31 so that the steering direction of the vehicle body 3 is to the left.

[0067] In addition, in Figures 8A to 8C above, the steering angle of the steering axis 31 was changed based on the deviation between the vehicle body position Pos and the travel line L1. However, as shown in Figure 8D, when the direction of the travel line L1 and the direction of travel (vehicle body orientation) F1 of the work vehicle 1 (vehicle body 3) are different, That is, if the angle θg of the vehicle orientation F1 with respect to the driving line L1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the automatic driving control unit 61a may define the steering angle such that the angle θg becomes zero (the vehicle orientation F1 coincides with the orientation of the driving line L1). Alternatively, the automatic driving control unit 61a may define the final steering angle in automatic steering based on the steering angle calculated from the deviation (position deviation) and the steering angle calculated from the orientation (orientation deviation). The above is just one example of an automatic steering method for the work vehicle 1, and the automatic steering method for the work vehicle 1 is not limited to the above method.

[0068] The automatic driving control unit 61a calculates the actual speed of the vehicle body 3 based on the change in the vehicle body position Pos when the vehicle body 3 is automatically driven based on the driving line L1. Then, it controls the drive of the forward / reverse switching device 5, the braking device 6, and the prime mover 4 so that the actual speed matches (or nearly matches) the speed associated with the straight-ahead section L1a or the turning section L1b.

[0069] The travel instruction signal transmitted by the automatic travel control unit 61a to the second control unit 61c includes instructions for the work device 2. For example, when the travel line L1 is a straight section L1a, the automatic travel control unit 61a transmits an instruction signal to the second control unit 61c to lower the work device 2 into a working state. Then, the automatic travel control unit 61a transmits an instruction signal to the second control unit 61c to drive the work device 2. When the travel line L1 is a turning section L1b, the automatic travel control unit 61a transmits an instruction signal to the second control unit 61c to raise the work device 2 into a non-working state. Then, it transmits an instruction signal to the second control unit 61c to stop driving the work device 2.

[0070] The automatic driving control unit 61a may store (save) the vehicle position Pos acquired by the positioning device 40 as the work performance route D10 in the storage device 62 during automatic driving (SA12 in Figure 7). The work performance route D10 shows the trajectory of multiple vehicle position Pos. Figure 9 shows an example of the work performance route D10. As shown in Figure 9, for example, the work performance route D10 is time-series data in table format, where the position information (latitude, longitude) of multiple vehicle position Pos is associated with the recorded date and time. The automatic driving control unit 61a acquires vehicle position Pos at predetermined intervals and appends (stores) it as the work performance route D10. The work performance route D10 may also include information regarding the positioning accuracy of the positioning device 40. For example, the work performance route D10 shown in Figure 9 includes, as a status, information regarding the positioning accuracy corresponding to the vehicle position Pos acquired by the positioning device 40.

[0071] The automatic driving control unit 61a repeats the process of steps SA4 to SA12 described above until the vehicle position Pos reaches the end point PG (Figure 6). As a result, the automatic driving control unit 61a can automatically change the driving speed of the vehicle 3 (work vehicle 1) and steer the vehicle 3 based on the planned driving route L (driving line L1) and the vehicle position Pos of the vehicle 3 (work vehicle 1). In addition, the automatic driving control unit 61a can automatically start and stop agricultural work (ground work) performed by the work device 2.

[0072] <Return Driving Process SB> Next, we will explain the case where remote operation is performed using the terminal device 90 after interrupting automatic driving (automatic driving process SA). If the user notices that any malfunction has occurred in the work vehicle 1 during automatic driving, the user temporarily interrupts the automatic driving, visually checks the field or uses the display unit 92 of the terminal device 90 to determine where the malfunction occurred on the driving line L1, and then performs remote operation to return the work vehicle 1 (vehicle body 3) to the point where the malfunction occurred. In the following explanation, this process will be referred to as the return driving process (return driving process SB).

[0073] When the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) receives a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) after automatic driving has been interrupted, it automatically steers the steering device 29 so that the vehicle body 3 moves back along the route it automatically traveled from the interruption point P1 to the return route RR (see, for example, Figure 10B described later), thereby performing a return drive to move the vehicle body 3 forward and / or backward. .

[0074] The control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) controls the forward / reverse switching device 5 to move the vehicle body 3 forward or backward based on a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) from the terminal device 90.

[0075] Figure 10A is a diagram illustrating the user's operation during the recovery driving process SB. Figures 10B to 10F are diagrams illustrating the operation of the work vehicle 1 during the recovery driving process SB. When the user observes that there are missing plants (poor work) while performing agricultural work (planting) by automatic driving (S1 in Figure 10A), they operate the terminal device 90 to instruct the work vehicle 1 to interrupt automatic driving and switch to remote control mode (S2, S3 in Figure 10A). At this time, the work vehicle 1 (vehicle body 3) stops at the interruption position (point) P1 and switches to remote control mode (Figure 10B).

[0076] Next, the user operates the terminal device 90 to automatically steer the vehicle 3 backward from the interruption position (point) P1 along the recovery route RR, aligning the vehicle 3 to the point before the plant loss occurred (S4 in Figure 10A, Figure 10C). Specifically, the user visually searches for the location where the plant loss occurred and confirms that it occurred at point P2. As shown in Figures 10B and 10C, the section from the interruption position (point) P1 to point P2 is the section where the plant loss occurred (the section with the work defect). The user then remotely controls the vehicle 3 to move to point P2. At this time, the work vehicle 1 (vehicle 3) switches to reverse based on the remote control instruction to reverse and automatically steers backward along the recovery route RR to move the vehicle 3 to point P2.

[0077] Once the user confirms that vehicle 3 has reached point P2 before the plant failure occurred (S5 in Figure 10A, Figure 10D), the user operates the terminal device 90 to stop vehicle 3 at point P2 before the plant failure occurred. The user then operates the terminal device 90 to instruct the work vehicle 1 to switch to automatic driving mode and to resume automatic driving (S6 in Figure 10A, S7). Work vehicle 1 resumes automatic driving along the driving line L1 (Figure 10D, Figure 10E). As shown in Figure 10E, the section from point P2 to point P1, where the work failure occurred, is now completed through automatic driving for agricultural work.

[0078] In Figures 10B and 10C, the section with the work defect is a part of the travel line L1 (particularly a part of the straight section L1a), and therefore this part of the straight section L1a is the return route RR (first return route). However, if the section with the work defect spans multiple travel lines L1, then multiple straight sections L1a and the turning sections L1b located between them could be the return route RR (first return route). In the turning section L1b, as shown in Figure 11A later, the work device 2 is raised and becomes non-working.

[0079] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 10F, if a work defect occurs in the section from point P2 to point P3, and the user confirms that the work defect has been resolved and the work is completed (work is good) in the section from point P3 to the interruption point (point) P1, the user will perform the following operations. The user will operate the terminal device 90 to move the vehicle 3 back to point P2 along the return route RR and instruct it to resume automatic driving. Then, when the user confirms that the vehicle 3 has reached point P3 where the work defect was resolved during automatic driving, the user will operate the terminal device 90 to interrupt automatic driving and instruct it to switch to remote control mode. Subsequently, the user will remotely operate the vehicle to move forward to point P1. When the user confirms that the vehicle 3 has reached point P1, the user will operate the terminal device 90 to instruct the work vehicle 1 to switch to automatic driving mode and to resume automatic driving.

[0080] Figures 11A to 11C are sequence diagrams of the return travel process SB. During automatic travel, the control device 60 (automatic travel control unit 61a) lowers the work device 2 to enter a work state, and upon receiving the remote control mode transition signal Sg4, it raises the work device 2 to enter a non-work state and transitions to remote control mode.

[0081] Figure 11A shows the sequence of steps S2 and S3 (Figure 10A). When the automatic driving control unit 61a transitions to remote control mode, it automatically transitions the work device 2 to a non-working state. As shown in Figure 11A, the terminal device 90 transmits an automatic driving interruption signal Sg3 to the automatic driving control unit 61a in response to an instruction from the user to interrupt automatic driving. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the automatic driving interruption signal Sg3 from the terminal device 90, it transmits an interruption instruction signal (SB1) to the second control unit 61c, which includes stopping the vehicle body 3 and stopping the drive of the work device 2. When the second control unit 61c receives the interruption instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it transmits a control signal to the control valve 38 (Figure 2) of the braking device 6 to stop the vehicle body 3 from moving and prohibits power transmission of the forward / reverse switching device 5 to the PTO shaft 16 to stop the drive of the work device 2 (SB2). The second control unit 61c may also stop the operation of the work device 2 by transmitting an instruction signal to the control unit 21 of the work device 2 to stop the operation of the work device 2.

[0082] The terminal device 90 transmits a remote operation mode transition signal Sg4 to the automatic driving control unit 61a in response to a user instruction to transition to remote steering mode. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the remote operation mode transition signal Sg4 from the terminal device 90, it transmits an instruction signal to the second control unit 61c to transition to a non-working state by raising the work device 2 (SB3a). When the second control unit 61c receives the instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it transmits a control signal to the control valve 36 (Figure 2) of the lifting device 8, raising the work device 2 connected to the lifting device 8 and putting it into a non-working state (SB4). Then, when the second control unit 61c transitions the work device 2 to a non-working state, it transmits work device status information indicating that the work device 2 is in a non-working state. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives work device status information from the second control unit 61c, it transitions to remote control mode (SB3b) and transmits a remote control mode transition completion signal Sg4a to the route identification unit 61d to indicate that the transition to remote control mode is complete.

[0083] The control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) selects the driving line L1 closest to the vehicle position Pos when it receives a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) from among the multiple driving lines L1 included in the planned driving route L as the return route RR, and causes the vehicle 3 to return to its original driving position.

[0084] When the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) receives a remote reverse signal Sg5, it automatically steers the steering device 29 to move the vehicle body 3 in reverse along the return route RR. When the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) receives a remote forward signal Sg8 in remote operation mode, it automatically steers the steering device 29 to move the vehicle body 3 forward along the return route RR.

[0085] Figure 11B shows the basic sequence of the recovery driving process SB. As shown in Figure 11B, the terminal device 90 transmits a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) to the automatic driving control unit 61a in response to remote operation from the user (remote reverse operation or remote forward operation). When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) from the terminal device 90, it acquires the current vehicle position Pos using the positioning device 40 (SB5). Then, the automatic driving control unit 61a transmits an instruction signal to the route identification unit 61d requesting a recovery route RR along with the vehicle position Pos (SB6). When the route identification unit 61d receives the vehicle position Pos and the instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it searches for the driving line L1 closest to the vehicle position Pos among the planned driving route L, and the resulting driving line L1 The system outputs the return route RR (first return route) to the automatic driving control unit 61a (SB7). The automatic driving control unit 61a calculates a steering instruction value based on the vehicle position Pos and the return route RR (SB8a). The automatic driving control unit 61a then transmits a steering instruction signal, including the steering instruction value, to the first control unit 61b (SB9). Similar to the automatic driving process SA, when the first control unit 61b receives the steering instruction signal, it performs control to change the steering angle of the steering device 29 based on the steering instruction value (SA9). The automatic driving control unit 61a then transmits a driving instruction signal to the second control unit 61c (SB10). The driving instruction signal includes at least an instruction to move the vehicle 3 forward or to move the vehicle 3 backward. When the second control unit 61c receives a driving instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it transmits a control signal to the control valve 37 of the forward / reverse switching device 5 based on the driving instruction signal, causing the vehicle body 3 to switch between forward and reverse movement (SB11).

[0086] When the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) receives a vehicle speed signal Sg6 during return driving, it performs speed control according to the vehicle speed signal Sg6 and automatic steering control, which automatically steers the steering device 29 so that the vehicle body 3 follows the return route RR.

[0087] Figure 11C is a sequence diagram of the recovery driving process following Figure 11B, showing the sequence of vehicle speed change and automatic driving restart. As shown in Figure 11C, the terminal device 90 transmits a vehicle speed signal Sg6 to the automatic driving control unit 61a in response to a vehicle speed change instruction from the user. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the vehicle speed signal Sg6 from the terminal device 90, it transmits a vehicle speed change instruction signal to the second control unit 61c (SB12). When the second control unit 61c receives the vehicle speed change instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it transmits a control signal to the control valve 37 (Figure 2) of the forward / reverse switching device (transmission) 5, causing the vehicle speed of the vehicle body 3 to change (SB13). The automatic driving control unit 61a also recalculates the steering instruction value based on the vehicle body position Pos, the recovery route RR, and the vehicle speed signal Sg6 (SB8b). Then, the automatic driving control unit 61a transmits a steering instruction signal including the recalculated steering instruction value to the first control unit 61b (SB9). When the first control unit 61b receives a steering instruction signal, it performs control to change the steering angle of the steering device 29 based on the steering instruction value (SA9).

[0088] The terminal device 90 transmits a braking signal (stop signal) Sg7 to the automatic driving control unit 61a in response to a stop command from the user. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the braking signal Sg7 from the terminal device 90, it transmits a braking command signal to the second control unit 61c to stop the vehicle body 3 (SB13). When the second control unit 61c receives the braking command signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it transmits a control signal to the control valve 38 (Figure 2) of the braking device 6 to stop the vehicle body 3 from moving (SB14).

[0089] When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the automatic driving mode transition signal Sg1 from the terminal device 90, it transitions to the automatic driving mode (SA1b). The terminal device 90 transmits a start signal Sg2 in response to the user's operation to start automatic driving. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the start signal Sg2, it resumes automatic driving (returns to the automatic driving process SA).

[0090] In the above explanation, in step SB7, which searches for a recovery route RR in response to remote operation by the user (remote reverse operation, remote forward operation), the vehicle position Pos at the time of receiving a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8), i.e., the current vehicle position Pos, is input, and the driving route closest to that vehicle position Pos is identified. However, it is also possible to input the interruption position (point) P1, which is the vehicle position Pos at the time automatic driving was interrupted, and identify the driving line L1 closest to point P1 as the recovery route RR.

[0091] As explained above, in the return driving process SB, when the user moves the vehicle body 3 forward or backward, the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) will move the vehicle along the return route RR. The steering device 29 is automatically steered. This eliminates the need for the user to simultaneously perform both steering and forward / backward movement of the vehicle 3, allowing them to concentrate on finding the location P2 where the work defect occurred, thus improving work efficiency. Furthermore, any work defects that occur during agricultural work performed by automated driving are located along the actual route that was driven automatically.

[0092] Therefore, the control device 60 steers the steering device 29 along the return route RR, which is a backward movement of the automatically traveled route, allowing the user to easily locate the point P2 where the work malfunction occurred. Furthermore, the control device 60 can appropriately perform return driving along the return route RR even if the vehicle speed changes. Accordingly, the user can operate the terminal device 90 to perform return driving, moving the vehicle 3 at a speed suitable for finding the point P2 where the work malfunction occurred.

[0093] <First variation> As shown in Figure 11B, the control device 60 of the above embodiment uses the travel line L1 closest to the vehicle position Pos at the time of receiving a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) from the planned travel route L used during automatic driving as the return route RR. The control device 60 of the first modified example differs from the control device 60 of the work vehicle 1 of the above embodiment in that, as shown in Figure 12, it uses the travel line L1 that was being traveled immediately before the interruption of automatic driving as the return route RR (first return route).

[0094] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram of the return-to-running process SB of the first modified example. Figure 12 shows the case when the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) receives a remote operation mode transition signal Sg4 from the terminal device 90, and the case when it receives a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8).

[0095] As shown in Figure 12, the terminal device 90 transmits a remote control mode transition signal Sg4 to the automatic driving control unit 61a in response to a user instruction to transition to remote control mode. When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives the remote control mode transition signal Sg4, it temporarily stores the driving line L1 that was being driven on immediately before the interruption of automatic driving in the memory of the automatic driving control unit 61a (SB3c) and transitions to remote control mode (SB3b). The driving line L1 temporarily stored in memory is used as the return route RR (first return route).

[0096] When the automatic driving control unit 61a receives a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) from the terminal device 90, it obtains the current vehicle position Pos from the positioning device 40 (SB5). Based on the vehicle position Pos obtained in step SB5 and the driving line L1 (first return route) temporarily stored in memory, the automatic driving control unit 61a calculates a steering instruction value (SB8c). Then, the automatic driving control unit 61a transmits a steering instruction signal (steering instruction value) to the first control unit 61b (SB9) and transmits a driving instruction signal to the second control unit 61c (SB10). Similar to the automatic driving process SA, when the first control unit 61b receives the steering instruction signal, it performs control to change the steering angle of the steering device 29 based on the steering instruction value (SA9). Similarly to the embodiment described above, when the second control unit 61c receives a driving instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it performs control to switch the forward and reverse movement of the vehicle 3 (SB11).

[0097] Note that the temporary saving of the travel line L1 by step SB1b may be performed when the automatic travel interruption signal Sg3, which interrupts automatic travel, is received.

[0098] According to the configuration of the first modified example, compared to the above embodiment, the automatic driving control unit 61a can omit the search for nearby lines for calculating the return route RR. As a result, the control device 60 can reduce the computation cost (for example, shorten the processing time).

[0099] <Second variation> In the above embodiment and the first modified control device 60, the planned driving route L (driving line L1) used during automatic driving was designated as the return route RR (first return route). The control device 60 of the second modified example differs from the control device 60 of the above embodiment and the first modified example in that it designates the work performance route D10, which shows the trajectory of multiple vehicle position Pos detected by the positioning device 40 during automatic driving, as the return route RR (second return route).

[0100] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram of the return-to-running process SB of the second modified example. Figure 13 shows the case when the control device 60 (automatic driving control unit 61a) receives a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) from the terminal device 90.

[0101] As shown in Figure 13, when the automatic driving control unit 61a receives a remote signal (remote reverse signal Sg5 or remote forward signal Sg8) from the terminal device 90, the positioning device 40 acquires the current vehicle position Pos (SB5). The automatic driving control unit 61a then transmits an instruction signal to the route identification unit 61d requesting a return route RR along with the vehicle position Pos (SB6).

[0102] When the route identification unit 61d receives the vehicle position Pos and instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a, it refers to the work record route D10 stored in the storage device 62 and calculates the return route RR based on the received vehicle position Pos and the work record route D10 (SB12). For example, the route identification unit 61d refers to the position information Px closest to the received vehicle position Pos from the work record route D10. Then, the route identification unit 61d calculates (defines) a return route RR that starts from the position information Px and traces a trajectory going back in time from the recording date and time corresponding to the position information Px. Then, the route identification unit 61d outputs the return route RR (second return route), which is the calculation result of step SB12, to the automatic driving control unit 61a.

[0103] The automatic driving control unit 61a calculates a steering instruction value based on the vehicle position Pos and the return route RR (second return route) (SB8a). Then, the automatic driving control unit 61a transmits a steering instruction signal (steering instruction value) to the first control unit 61b to change the steering angle of the steering device 29 (SA9). The automatic driving control unit 61a also transmits a driving instruction signal to the second control unit 61c to switch the forward and reverse movement of the vehicle body 3 (SB11).

[0104] According to the configuration of the second modified example, the automatic driving control unit 61a can perform automatic steering in accordance with the actual driving history of the work vehicle 1.

[0105] <Third variation> In the above embodiment and the first to second modified versions of the control device 60, there was only one return route RR. However, the control device 60 of the third modified version differs from the above embodiment and the first to second modified versions of the work vehicle 1 in that it can switch between the first return route and the second return route during return travel.

[0106] The user operates the terminal device 90 to input instructions about any malfunctions (errors) that occurred during agricultural work. Malfunctions that occur during agricultural work include, for example, positioning errors and work errors. Positioning errors include cases where a difference occurs between the planned route L and the route actually automatically traveled due to a directional deviation or meandering. Work errors include cases where the work device 2 is a seedling planting device and missing plants occur, or where the work device 2 is a spraying device and spraying is not performed normally.

[0107] The terminal device 90 transmits an error type signal to the control device 60 in response to an error input operation from the user. The control device 60 switches whether to output the first recovery route or the second recovery route in response to the user input operation. During travel, if the instruction for recovery driving is based on a positioning error, the first recovery route is determined; if the instruction for recovery driving is based on a work error, the second recovery route is determined.

[0108] Figure 14 is a flowchart of the return route switching in the third modified example. In the third modified example, the control device 60 (route identification unit 61d) has two processing steps: step SB7, which searches for nearby lines (Figure 11B) and outputs a first return route, using the planned travel route L used during automatic travel as an input parameter; and step SB12, which calculates a return route (Figure 13) and outputs a second return route, using the actual work route D10 as an input parameter. When the control device 60 (route identification unit 61d) receives an error type signal from the terminal device 90 (SB13), it performs a switching process to switch the recovery route RR based on the error type signal (SB14).

[0109] If the error type signal indicates a positioning error (case 1 of SB14), the route identification unit 61d switches to the process of calculating the first return route (SB15). Specifically, when the route identification unit 61d receives an error type signal indicating a positioning error, it stores a pointer (address) that can be called by step SB7 in the temporary memory it has.

[0110] If the error type signal indicates an operation error (case 2 of SB14), the route identification unit 61d switches to the process of calculating the second return route (SB16). Specifically, when the route identification unit 61d receives an error type signal indicating an operation error, it stores a pointer (address) that can be called by step SB12 in the temporary memory it has.

[0111] When the route identification unit 61d receives an instruction signal from the automatic driving control unit 61a requesting a return route RR, it refers to a pointer stored in temporary memory, calls step SB7 or step SB12, and outputs the calculation result to the automatic driving control unit 61a.

[0112] As explained above, if the user determines that there is a difference between the planned route L and the route actually driven automatically, the vehicle 3 can be quickly moved to the point where work can be resumed by returning along the first return route based on the planned route L (driving line L1). On the other hand, if the user wants to track down a work defect in the field, the vehicle 3 can be moved along the second return route based on the actual work route D10, allowing the user to follow the actual trajectory of the work vehicle 1 (vehicle 3) while visually checking and searching for the location where the defect (work error) occurred.

[0113] In addition, while the terminal device 90 was switched between the first and second return routes when a predetermined operation was performed, i.e., by user input, the control device 60 may automatically determine and switch between the first and second return routes based on predetermined conditions.

[0114] For example, if the positioning accuracy of the vehicle position Pos acquired during autonomous driving is low, there is a high possibility that there is an error between the vehicle position Pos output by the positioning device 40 and the actual position of the vehicle 3, and autonomous driving is not being performed along the planned route L (driving line L1). For this reason, the route identification unit 61d refers to the status (positioning accuracy of vehicle position Pos) of the work record route D10 in the storage device 62, and if the status is error (low positioning accuracy), it determines that there is a positioning error and switches to recovery driving using the first recovery route.

[0115] For example, if the work device 2 is a seedling planting device, a spraying device, or a ridging device, if the return journey deviates from the actual route (trajectory) traveled by the work vehicle 1, there is a high possibility of damaging the already worked area. Therefore, the route identification unit 61d determines whether to take the first return route or the second return route depending on the type of work device 2 connected to the lifting device 8 and switches accordingly. The storage device 62 has in advance the type of work device 2 and whether to take the first return route or the second return route. A setting table is stored that specifies one of the two options. The user then inputs the type of work device 2 by performing a predetermined operation on the terminal device 90 or the operating device 64 before starting agricultural work by automated driving. The control device 60 refers to the setting table and switches to the return route RR corresponding to the type of work device 2 that was input.

[0116] As explained above, the control device 60 automatically sets whether to take the first or second return route, allowing the user to perform the return driving operation more efficiently.

[0117] A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a work vehicle 1 as described in the following items.

[0118] (Item A1) A work vehicle 1 comprising a vehicle body 3, a positioning device 40 for detecting the position of the vehicle body 3, a running device 7 for supporting the vehicle body 3 so that it can move, a steering device 29 for steering the running device 7, and a control device 60 for automatically driving the vehicle body 3 based on a preset planned driving route L and the vehicle body position Pos detected by the positioning device 40, wherein when the control device 60 receives a remote signal after the automatic driving is interrupted, the steering device 29 is automatically steered so that the vehicle body 3 moves forward and / or backward along a return route RR which is the route that the vehicle body 3 has traveled back along from the interruption position P1, thereby performing a return drive.

[0119] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A1, when the vehicle body 3 is moved forward and / or backward by remote control after the automatic driving has been interrupted, the control device 60 performs automatic steering during forward and / or backward movement, so the user only needs to perform the forward and backward movement operation. In other words, the inconvenience of having to perform both steering and forward / backward movement of the vehicle body 3 simultaneously is eliminated, improving work efficiency.

[0120] (Item A2) The work vehicle 1 according to Item A1, comprising a terminal device 90 that transmits the remote signal to the control device 60, and a forward / reverse switching device 5 that can switch the vehicle body 3 forward and backward, wherein the control device 60 controls the forward / reverse switching device 5 to move the vehicle body 3 forward or backward based on the remote signal from the terminal device 90.

[0121] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A2, the user can move the vehicle body 3 forward and backward by operating the terminal device 90.

[0122] (Item A3) The work vehicle 1 as described in Item A2, wherein the terminal device 90 transmits a vehicle speed signal Sg6 in response to a vehicle speed change instruction from the user, and the control device 60, upon receiving the vehicle speed signal Sg6 during the return journey, performs speed control in accordance with the vehicle speed signal Sg6 and automatic steering control, which automatically steers the steering device 29 so that the vehicle body 3 follows the return route RR.

[0123] According to work vehicle 1 related to item A3, even if the user instructs a change in vehicle speed, the vehicle can appropriately perform automatic steering along the return route RR.

[0124] (Item A4) The control device 60 selects the travel line L1 closest to the vehicle position Pos at the time of receiving the remote signal from among the multiple travel lines L1 included in the planned travel route L as the return route RR, and causes the vehicle body 3 to return to the return route as described in any one of items A2 to A3.

[0125] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A4, the user can easily move the vehicle body 3 along the driving line L1 that is closest to the interruption position P1, which is the vehicle body position Pos when automatic driving is interrupted.

[0126] (Item A5) The control device 60 selects from among the multiple driving lines L1 included in the planned driving route L that the driving line L1 was on immediately before the interruption of automatic driving and returns to the return route R Let R be the work vehicle 1 described in any one of items A2 to A4 for causing the vehicle body 3 to return to its original position. According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A5, the user can easily move the vehicle body 3 along the driving line L1 that it was traveling on immediately before the automatic driving was interrupted.

[0127] (Item A6) The control device 60 uses the work performance route D10, which shows the trajectory of multiple vehicle position Pos detected by the positioning device 40 during the automatic driving, as the return route RR, and causes the vehicle body 3 to drive the work vehicle 1 as described in any one of Items A2 to A5.

[0128] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A6, the user can easily perform operations to move the vehicle body 3 in accordance with the actual travel history of the work vehicle 1.

[0129] (Item A7) The return route RR includes a first return route based on the planned travel route L, and a second return route based on the work performance route D10 which shows the trajectory of the vehicle position Pos consisting of a plurality of vehicle position Pos detected by the positioning device 40 during the automatic travel, and the control device 60 is capable of switching between the first return route and the second return route during the return travel of the work vehicle 1 as described in Item A2.

[0130] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A7, it is possible to return the work vehicle 1 via the appropriate return route RR.

[0131] (Item A8) The control device 60 determines the first return route when the instruction for return driving is based on a positioning error, and determines the second return route when the instruction for return driving is based on a work error, as described in Item A7 for the work vehicle 1.

[0132] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A8, depending on the malfunction that occurs during automated driving, it can switch between recovering from the malfunction along the planned driving route L and recovering from the malfunction based on the actual driving results.

[0133] (Item A9) A work vehicle 1 according to any one of items A2 to A8, comprising a lifting device 8 that connects the work device 2 to the vehicle body 3 so as to be able to move up and down, wherein the terminal device 90 transmits a remote control mode transition signal Sg4 to the control device 60 in response to a user instruction to transition to remote control mode, and the control device 60, in the automatic driving state, lowers the work device 2 to perform work, and upon receiving the remote control mode transition signal Sg4, interrupts the automatic driving state, raises the work device 2 to a non-work state where no work is performed, and transitions to the remote control mode.

[0134] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A9, the user does not need to perform any operations related to the raising and lowering of the work device 2, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0135] (Item A10) The control device 60 performs the return drive described in any one of items A1 to A9, which involves automatically steering the steering device 29 along the return route RR to move the vehicle body 3 in reverse when the remote signal is a remote reverse signal Sg5.

[0136] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A10, when the user remotely operates the vehicle, the inconvenience of having to simultaneously perform both steering and reversing operations on the vehicle body 3 is eliminated, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0137] (Item A11) The control device 60 includes a terminal device 90 that transmits a start signal Sg2 in response to the user's instruction to start automatic driving, and when the control device 60 receives the start signal Sg2, the automatic Work vehicle 1, as specified in one of items A1 to A10, to resume operation.

[0138] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A11, the user can easily perform the operation to resume automatic driving.

[0139] (Item A12) The work vehicle 1 described in items A2 to A9, wherein the terminal device 90 transmits a remote forward signal Sg8 in response to a remote forward operation from the user, and when the control device 60 receives the remote forward signal Sg8 in the remote operation mode, it automatically steers the steering device 29 so that the vehicle body 3 follows the return route RR and moves the vehicle body 3 forward.

[0140] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A12, when the automatic driving is interrupted and remote operation is performed, the control device 60 performs automatic steering during forward movement, so the user only needs to perform the remote forward operation. In other words, the inconvenience of having to perform both steering and forward movement of the vehicle body 3 simultaneously is eliminated, improving work efficiency.

[0141] (Item A13) A work vehicle 1 as described in Items A2 to A12, comprising a sensing device 66a for sensing the vehicle body 3 and the area surrounding the vehicle body 3, and a communication device for transmitting sensing information output by the sensing device 66a to the terminal device 90, wherein the terminal device 90 includes a display unit 92 for displaying the received sensing information.

[0142] According to the work vehicle 1 related to item A13, the user can understand the situation of the vehicle body 3 and its surroundings by looking at the terminal device 90, and can perform remote operation using the terminal appropriately.

[0143] Although the present invention has been described above, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0144] 1: Work vehicles 2: Working equipment 3: Vehicle body 5: Forward / reverse selector 7: Running gear 8: Lifting device 29: Steering gear 40: Positioning device 60: Control device 63: Communication equipment 66a: Sensing device 90: Terminal device 92:Display section D10: Work Record Route L: Planned route L1: Driving line P1: Interruption position Pos: Vehicle position RR: Return Route Sg2: Start signal Sg4: Remote control mode transition signal Sg5: Remote reverse signal (remote signal) Sg6:Vehicle speed signal Sg8: Remote forward signal (remote signal)

Claims

1. The car body and, A positioning device for detecting the position of the vehicle body, A traveling device that supports the aforementioned vehicle body so that it can move, The aforementioned running gear is steerable by a steering device, The system includes a control device that automatically drives the vehicle based on a pre-set planned route and the vehicle's position detected by the positioning device, The control device, upon receiving a remote signal after interrupting the automatic driving, automatically steers the steering device so that the vehicle body moves forward and / or backward along a return route that reverses from the interruption point along the route that was driven automatically, thereby performing a return drive for the work vehicle.

2. A terminal device that transmits the aforementioned remote signal to the control device, The vehicle body is equipped with a forward / reverse switching device that can switch between forward and reverse movement, The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the forward / reverse switching device based on the remote signal from the terminal device to move the vehicle body forward or backward.

3. The terminal device transmits a vehicle speed signal in response to a vehicle speed change instruction from the user. The work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the control device, upon receiving the vehicle speed signal during the return journey, performs speed control corresponding to the vehicle speed signal and automatic steering control to automatically steer the steering device so that the vehicle body follows the return route.

4. The control device selects the driving line closest to the vehicle's position at the time of receiving the remote signal from among a plurality of driving lines included in the planned driving route as the return route, and causes the vehicle to return to its original position, as described in claim 2.

5. The control device sets the driving line that the vehicle was traveling on immediately before the interruption of automatic driving as the return route, and causes the vehicle to return to the return route, according to claim 2.

6. The control device uses a work history route that shows the trajectory of a vehicle body position consisting of a plurality of vehicle body positions detected by the positioning device during the automatic driving as the return route, and causes the vehicle body to drive back to the return route, as described in claim 2.

7. The return route includes a first return route based on the planned travel route and a second return route based on the work performance route which shows the trajectory of the vehicle body position consisting of a plurality of vehicle body positions detected by the positioning device during the automatic driving. The work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the control device is capable of switching between the first return route and the second return route during the return journey.

8. The work vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the control device, during the recovery drive, determines the first recovery route if the instruction for recovery drive is based on a positioning error, and determines the second recovery route if the instruction for recovery drive is based on a work error.

9. The vehicle body is equipped with a lifting device that connects to the work device so that it can be raised and lowered, The terminal device transmits a remote control mode transition signal to the control device in response to a user instruction to transition to remote control mode. Claim 2, the control device, in the automatic driving state, lowers the work device to enter a working state for performing work, and upon receiving the remote control mode transition signal, interrupts the automatic driving state, raises the work device to enter a non-working state for performing work, and transitions to the remote control mode. The listed work vehicles.

10. The work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control device performs the return drive by automatically steering the steering device along the return route when the remote signal is a remote reverse signal.

11. The terminal device includes a device that transmits a start signal in response to the user's instruction to start automatic driving, The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control device resumes automatic driving upon receiving the start signal.

12. The terminal device transmits a remote forward signal in response to a remote forward command from the user. The work vehicle according to claim 9, wherein when the control device receives the remote forward signal in the remote operation mode, it automatically steers the steering device so that the vehicle body follows the return route and moves the vehicle body forward.

13. A sensing device that senses the vehicle body and the area surrounding the vehicle body, The system includes a communication device that transmits sensing information output by the sensing device to the terminal device, The work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the terminal device includes a display unit that displays the received sensing information.

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