Method for identifying driving route

Abstract

To flexibly determine a starting route for starting autonomous traveling. [Solution] The driving path identification method includes generating planned driving paths K1, K2 including multiple work paths K1 along which the work vehicle will drive autonomously, causing the work vehicle 1 to drive autonomously along each planned driving path K1, K2, and being able to change the starting path from which the work vehicle 1 will begin autonomous driving among the multiple work paths K1 before autonomous driving is initiated by the work vehicle 1.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving route specification method for specifying a planned driving route from which autonomous driving will commence when a work vehicle is caused to drive autonomously. [Background technology]

[0002] The above-mentioned driving path specification system is used in an autonomous driving system that drives a work vehicle autonomously (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the system described in Patent Document 1, a planned driving path including multiple work paths is generated in a work area, and the work vehicle is driven autonomously along the planned driving path. When autonomous driving is to be started, a start path from among the multiple work paths for starting autonomous driving is set in advance, and the work vehicle is moved to the starting position of the start path and driven autonomously along the start path, thereby starting autonomous driving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2015 / 119265 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the system described in Patent Document 1 above, a start route from which autonomous driving begins is preset among multiple work routes. Therefore, even if the current position of the work vehicle is away from the start route, for example, the work vehicle must be moved to the starting position of the start route, which may take a long time before autonomous driving begins.

[0005] Furthermore, in the system described in Patent Document 1 above, it is not possible to start autonomous driving from a work route other than the pre-set starting route, so there is no flexibility in terms of the starting route from which autonomous driving begins, and it is not possible to meet the demand to start autonomous driving from another work route.

[0006] In view of this situation, a main object of the present invention is to provide a driving route specification method that can flexibly determine a start route for starting autonomous driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A driving path identification method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes generating a planned driving path including a plurality of work paths along which a work vehicle drives autonomously, driving the work vehicle autonomously along each of the planned driving paths, and being able to change a start path from which the work vehicle begins autonomous driving among the plurality of work paths before autonomous driving is initiated by the work vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the schematic configuration of an autonomous driving system. [Diagram 2] Block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an autonomous driving system [Diagram 3] A diagram showing an example of an autonomous driving route (planned driving route) [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state when identifying candidate autonomous driving routes; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state when identifying candidate autonomous driving routes; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state when identifying candidate autonomous driving routes; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of an autonomous driving system using a driving route specification system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1, this autonomous driving system is equipped with a tractor 1 as a work vehicle that autonomously drives along an autonomous driving route (corresponding to a planned driving route), and a wireless communication terminal 2 that can instruct various information to the tractor 1. In this embodiment, a reference station 4 for acquiring position information of the tractor 1 is also provided.

[0010] In FIG. 1, a tractor 1 is shown as an example of a work vehicle, but in addition to tractors, rice transplanters, combine harvesters, civil engineering and construction work equipment, snowplows, and other ride-on work vehicles as well as walk-behind work vehicles are also applicable.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, the tractor 1 is provided with a vehicle-side wireless communication unit 14, the wireless communication terminal 2 is provided with a terminal-side wireless communication unit 21, and the reference station 4 is provided with a reference station-side wireless communication unit 41. Various information can be transmitted and received between the tractor 1 and the wireless communication terminal 2 by wireless communication between the vehicle-side wireless communication unit 14 and the terminal-side wireless communication unit 21, and various information can be transmitted and received between the tractor 1 and the reference station 4 by wireless communication between the vehicle-side wireless communication unit 14 and the reference station-side wireless communication unit 41. The wireless communication terminal 2 and the reference station 4 are configured to be able to transmit and receive various information via the tractor 1. In addition, the wireless communication terminal 2 and the reference station 4 can be configured to be able to transmit and receive various information directly without going through the tractor 1 by wireless communication between the terminal-side wireless communication unit 21 and the reference station-side wireless communication unit 41. The frequency bands used for wireless communication between the wireless communication units may be a common frequency band or may be different from each other.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the tractor 1 is equipped with a positioning antenna 11, a vehicle-side control unit 12 (corresponding to a control unit), an information acquisition unit 13, a vehicle-side wireless communication unit 14, an inertial measurement unit 15 (for example, a device having a three-axis gyro and a three-direction accelerometer), and the like. The information acquisition unit 13 is configured to be able to acquire current position information of the tractor 1 based on positioning information received by the positioning antenna 11, and to acquire attitude information and heading information of the tractor 1 based on measurement information measured by the inertial measurement unit 15. The vehicle-side control unit 12 is configured to be able to control various devices provided in the tractor 1, such as a governor device, a transmission device, and a steering device (not shown), while acquiring its own current position information (current position of the tractor 1) by the information acquisition unit 13, to enable the tractor 1 to travel autonomously. The tractor 1 is also equipped with a memory unit (not shown), and various information is stored in this memory unit.

[0013] 1, the positioning antenna 11 is configured to receive signals from, for example, a positioning satellite 3 that constitutes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The positioning antenna 11 is disposed, for example, on the upper surface of the roof of the cabin of the tractor 1.

[0014] As a positioning method using a satellite positioning system, as shown in Fig. 1, a positioning method can be applied in which a reference station 4 installed at a predetermined reference point is provided, and the satellite positioning information of the tractor 1 (mobile station) is corrected using positioning correction information from the reference station 4 to determine the current position of the tractor 1. For example, various positioning methods such as DGPS (differential GPS positioning) and RTK positioning (real-time kinematic positioning) can be applied. Incidentally, as for the positioning method, standalone positioning can also be used without providing the reference station 4.

[0015] In this embodiment, for example, since RTK positioning is applied, the tractor 1 acting as the mobile station is provided with a positioning antenna 11 and a reference station 4 as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The position information of the reference point where the reference station 4 is to be installed is set and known in advance. The reference station 4 is disposed at a position (reference point) that does not interfere with the travel of the tractor 1, such as around a farm field. The reference station 4 is provided with a reference station wireless communication unit 41 and a reference station positioning antenna 42.

[0016] In RTK positioning, the carrier wave phase (satellite positioning information) from the positioning satellite 3 is measured by both the reference station 4 installed at the reference point and the positioning antenna 11 of the tractor 1, which is the mobile station side of the target for which position information is sought. The reference station 4 generates positioning correction information including the measured satellite positioning information and the position information of the reference point, etc., every time it measures satellite positioning information from the positioning satellite 3 or every time a set period elapses, and transmits the positioning correction information from the reference station side wireless communication unit 41 to the vehicle side wireless communication unit 14 of the tractor 1. The information acquisition unit 13 of the tractor 1 corrects the satellite positioning information measured by the positioning antenna 11 using the positioning correction information transmitted from the reference station 4 to obtain current position information of the tractor 1. The information acquisition unit 13 obtains, for example, latitude information and longitude information as the current position information of the tractor 1.

[0017] The wireless communication terminal 2 is composed of, for example, a tablet-type personal computer having a touch panel, and various information can be displayed on the touch panel, and various information can be input by operating the touch panel. The wireless communication terminal 2 can be carried and used by the user outside the tractor 1, and can also be attached to the side of the driver's seat of the tractor 1 and used.

[0018] 2, the wireless communication terminal 2 includes a terminal-side wireless communication unit 21, a route generating unit 22, a specifying unit 23, a specific area setting unit 24, etc. The route generating unit 22 is configured to generate an autonomous driving route along which the tractor 1 autonomously drives. The wireless communication terminal 2 also includes a storage unit (not shown), which stores various types of information, such as information registered by a user.

[0019] When the tractor 1 is driven autonomously, the user operates the touch panel of the wireless communication terminal 2 to input various information, and the route generating unit 22 of the wireless communication terminal 2 generates an autonomous driving route along which the tractor 1 drives autonomously based on the various input information. The route generating unit 22 generates an autonomous driving route by identifying various information related to the driving route, such as the start position, the end position, the driving direction, and the shape of the route. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the route generating unit 22 generates, as the autonomous driving route, a work route K1 along which the tractor 1 performs work such as plowing while driving autonomously, and a turning route K2 along which the tractor 1 turns from the work route K1 to the next work route K1. The autonomous driving routes K1 and K2 generated by the route generating unit 22 are configured to be displayable on the touch panel of the wireless communication terminal 2 as shown in FIG. 3. The autonomous driving route shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the type of autonomous driving route generated by the route generating unit 22 can be changed as appropriate.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, when the path generating unit 22 generates the autonomous travel paths K1 and K2, first, the specific area setting unit 24 sets a specific area H (for example, a farm field) in which the tractor 1 will travel autonomously. The specific area H has a first area R1 in which the autonomous travel paths K1 and K2 are generated, and a second area R2 in which the autonomous travel paths K1 and K2 are not generated, and the first area R1 has a working area R1a in which work is performed and a non-working area R1b in which work is not performed. The path generating unit 22 generates a working path K1 for the working area R1a of the first area R1, and generates a turning path K2 for the non-working area R1b of the first area R1. The working path K1 is a straight path that allows the tractor 1 to travel autonomously from one end side to the other end side within the first area R1, and a plurality of straight paths are generated so as to be adjacent to each other in the width direction of the specific area H (farm field) throughout the entire first area R1. The turning path K2 is generated as a path for turning the tractor 1 by connecting the ends of two work paths K1 that are aligned in the width direction of the specific area H (field) at both ends within the first area R1.

[0021] As described above, since the path generating unit 22 generates the autonomous traveling paths K1 and K2, the autonomous traveling can be started by setting any one of the multiple work paths K1 as the starting path. Regarding the starting path, which of the multiple work paths K1 is the starting path is not set in advance, and the autonomous traveling is started by determining one of the multiple work paths K1 as the starting path. Incidentally, the autonomous traveling path that can be determined as the starting path is only the working path K1 of the autonomous traveling paths K1 and K2.

[0022] When determining the start route, before the tractor 1 starts autonomous driving, the identification unit 23 first identifies, among the multiple work routes K1, an autonomous driving candidate route along which the tractor 1 can start autonomous driving. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the identification unit 23 sets a candidate identification area P based on the position information and orientation information of the tractor 1, and identifies, among the multiple work routes K1, a work route K1 that has the same driving direction as the advancing direction of the tractor 1 and is included in the candidate identification area P, as an autonomous driving candidate route K3.

[0023] The setting of the candidate identification area P will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, a right straight line T2 and a left straight line T3 are set by rotating a travel line T1 extending in the travel direction of the tractor 1 by a rotation angle θ to the left and right around the current position of the tractor 1. Then, an area between the right straight line T2 and the left straight line T3 and within a range of a set distance L from the current position of the tractor 1 is set as the candidate identification area P. In this way, a rectangular candidate identification area P is set that spreads toward the travel direction of the tractor 1 with the current position of the tractor 1 as a reference. The candidate identification area P is not limited to the above-mentioned rectangular area, and various shapes such as a triangular shape and a circular arc shape can be applied, and the candidate identification area P can be set so as not to include an area opposite to the travel direction of the tractor 1 according to various conditions. The candidate identification area P can be set to a fixed area, but can also be changed according to the situation of the tractor 1, such as the current position of the tractor 1.

[0024] The identification unit 23 identifies a work route K1 that is in the same traveling direction as the traveling direction of the tractor 1 and is included in the candidate identification area P as an autonomous driving candidate route K3. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, when a work route K1 is in the same traveling direction as the traveling direction of the tractor 1 and a plurality of (for example, two) work routes K1 are included in the candidate identification area P, the identification unit 23 identifies the plurality of work routes K1 as the autonomous driving candidate route K3. The autonomous driving candidate route K3 identified by the identification unit 23 is configured to be displayable on the touch panel of the wireless communication terminal 2 in a state in which it is possible to identify which of the plurality of work routes K1 is identified as the autonomous driving candidate route K3, as shown by the thick line in Fig. 4.

[0025] Here, the identification unit 23 does not necessarily identify a work route K1 that has the same travel direction as the traveling direction of the tractor 1 and is included in the candidate identification area P as an autonomous driving candidate route K3. As shown in FIG. 5, even if the work route K1 has the same travel direction as the traveling direction of the tractor 1 and is included in the candidate identification area P, the identification unit 23 does not identify the work route K1 that meets the exclusion conditions as an autonomous driving candidate route K3. The exclusion conditions are (1) to (4) below. Incidentally, FIG. 5 shows a case where the exclusion condition defined in (1) below is met.

[0026] (1) As shown in FIG. 5, the work path K1 in which the outside field area W1 exists between the current position of the tractor 1 and the starting position of the work path K1 meets the exclusion condition. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when the work path K1 having an intersection with the right straight line T2 and the left straight line T3 in the candidate identification area P exists, if there is an obstacle W2 between the current position of the tractor 1 and the intersection of the right straight line T2 or the left straight line T3 with the work path K1, the work path K1 meets the exclusion condition. Incidentally, in FIG. 5, the third work path K1 from the left is included in the candidate identification area P, but the outside field area W1 exists between the starting position of the work path K1 and the current position of the tractor 1. Also, in FIG. 5, there is an intersection between the fifth work path K1 from the left and the right straight line T2, but an obstacle W2 exists between the current position of the tractor 1 and the intersection. (2) A work route K1 with a low priority determined based on the distance from the current position of the tractor 1 to the starting point position or the intersection point with the right straight line T2 and the left straight line T3 meets the exclusion condition. Note that the priority is set in ascending order from the work route K1 with the closest distance from the current position of the tractor 1 to the starting point position or the intersection point with the right straight line T2 and the left straight line T3 up to the upper limit number, while a low priority is set for a work route K1 that exceeds the upper limit number. (3) A work route K1 in which the distance from the current position of the tractor 1 to the intersection with the right-side straight line T2 or the left-side straight line T3 is greater than the maximum set distance meets the exclusion condition. It is also possible to determine that a work route K1 in which the distance from the current position of the tractor 1 to the starting point position is greater than the maximum set distance meets the exclusion condition. (4) A work route K1 that has already been autonomously driven and has been completed satisfies the exclusion condition. Incidentally, as shown in the gray area in Fig. 6, the wireless communication terminal 2 knows which of the multiple work routes K1 have been completed, and is configured to be able to display the completed work routes K1 on the touch panel in an identifiable state by filling them in, for example, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0027] The exclusion condition can be set appropriately, and for example, one or more of the above conditions (1) to (4) can be selected. In addition, as a condition other than the above conditions (1) to (4), for example, as shown in Fig. 3, the work path K1 can be determined to meet the exclusion condition when the angle α between the right straight line T2 or the left straight line T3 and the straight line V2 (corresponding to the second straight line) along the work path K1 exceeds a predetermined angle. Here, the predetermined angle can be set to, for example, an angle smaller than the rotation angle θ that is the reference when setting the right straight line T2 and the left straight line T3.

[0028] When there is no work path K1 among the multiple work paths K1 that has the same travel direction as the advancing direction of the tractor 1 and is included in the candidate identification area P, the identification unit 23 identifies an autonomous driving candidate path K3 based on an angle β formed by a first straight line V1 identified from the position information of the tractor 1 (position information of the tractor 1 located on the left side in FIG. 6) and the starting point position information of each work path K1 and a second straight line V2 along the work path K1, as shown in FIG. 6. If there is a work path K1 in which the angle β formed by the first straight line V1 and the second straight line V2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle (for example, 90 degrees), the identification unit 23 identifies the work path K1 as an autonomous driving candidate path K3.

[0029] As described above, when the tractor 1 is located in the first region R1 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 4), the identification unit 23 continues the normal identification process for a predetermined time to identify the autonomous driving candidate route K3 based on the candidate identification region P. In the normal identification process, if there is a work route K1 that is in the same traveling direction as the tractor 1's traveling direction, is included in the candidate identification region P, and does not meet the exclusion condition, the identification unit 23 identifies the work route K1 as the autonomous driving candidate route K3. Then, if there is no work route K1 included in the candidate identification region P among the work routes K1 in the same traveling direction as the tractor 1's traveling direction even after the normal identification process is continued for a predetermined time, the identification unit 23 performs a start point identification process to identify the autonomous driving candidate route K3 based on the angle β formed by the first straight line V1 and the second straight line V2, as shown in FIG. 6. In the starting point identification process, if there is a work route K1 in which the angle β formed by the first straight line V1 and the second straight line V2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle (for example, 90 degrees), the identification unit 23 identifies the work route K1 as an autonomous driving route candidate K3.

[0030] Here, when the identification unit 23 performs the start point identification process, it is not limited to the case where there is no work path K1 included in the candidate identification area P among the work paths K1 traveling in the same direction as the advancing direction of the tractor 1 even if the normal identification process is performed, but the identification unit 23 can also perform the start point identification process when, for example, the tractor 1 is located in the non-working area R1b where multiple turning paths K2 are generated. In this way, the identification unit 23 can also perform the start point identification process depending on which area of ​​the field H the current position of the tractor 1 is located.

[0031] 6, when the tractor 1 is located in the second region R2, the identification unit 23 does not identify the autonomous driving candidate route K3 based on the angle β formed by the first straight line V1 and the second straight line V2, but continues the autonomous driving candidate route K3 based on the candidate identification region P. As a result, when the tractor 1 is located in the second region R2, the identification unit 23 performs only the normal identification process, and the normal identification process is continued until there is a work route K1 that is in the same driving direction as the traveling direction of the tractor 1, is included in the candidate identification region P, and does not match the exclusion condition.

[0032] In this way, when the identifying unit 23 identifies the autonomous driving candidate route K3, the wireless communication terminal 2 transmits candidate route information related to the autonomous driving candidate route K3 identified by the identifying unit 23 to the tractor 1. When the vehicle-side control unit 12 of the tractor 1 acquires the candidate route information by transmission from the wireless communication terminal 2, it checks whether the autonomous driving start condition is satisfied. When the vehicle-side control unit 12 satisfies four conditions (1), (2), (3) or (4), (5) among the following (1) to (5), it determines that the autonomous driving start condition is satisfied and determines a start route for starting autonomous driving from the autonomous driving candidate route K3. Incidentally, the conditions (1), (2), and (5) are conditions for identifying a start route from the autonomous driving candidate route K3, and even if there are multiple autonomous driving candidate routes K3, one autonomous driving candidate route K3 is determined as the start route.

[0033] (1) The lateral deviation between the current position of the tractor 1 and the autonomous driving candidate route K3 is within a predetermined distance (for example, ±100 cm). (2) The deviation in direction between the heading of the tractor 1 and the heading of the candidate autonomous driving route K3 is within a predetermined angle (for example, ±15 deg). (3) When the current position of the tractor 1 is in the work area R1a (see FIG. 3), the distance from the current position of the tractor 1 to the non-work area R1b (see FIG. 3) is a predetermined distance (for example, 10 m) or more. (4) When the current position of the tractor 1 is in the non-work area R1b (see FIG. 3), the distance from the current position of the tractor 1 to the work area R1a (see FIG. 3) is within a predetermined distance (for example, 5 m). (5) A state in which the autonomous driving candidate route K3 that satisfies the above (1) and (2) is the same continues for a predetermined time (for example, 1 second).

[0034] When the autonomous driving start condition is satisfied, the vehicle-side control unit 12 transmits autonomous driving permission information indicating which specific route is the start route for starting autonomous driving to the wireless communication terminal 2. As a result, the wireless communication terminal 2 displays on the touch panel which specific route is the start route among the autonomous driving candidate routes K3 in an identifiable manner, and is ready to instruct the start of autonomous driving.

[0035] When a user operates the touch panel of the wireless communication terminal 2 to instruct the start of autonomous driving, the wireless communication terminal 2 transmits the instruction to start autonomous driving to the tractor 1. As a result, in the tractor 1, the vehicle-side control unit 12 receives the instruction to start autonomous driving and causes the tractor 1 to autonomously drive along the start route while acquiring its own current position information (the current position of the tractor 1) at the information acquisition unit 13, thereby starting autonomous driving.

[0036] Here, in order to start autonomous traveling, it is necessary for the vehicle-side control unit 12 to acquire start route information regarding the start route, so acquisition of this start route information will be described.

[0037] Before checking whether the autonomous driving start conditions are satisfied, the vehicle-side control unit 12 acquires the candidate route information by transmission from the wireless communication terminal 2. Since the start route for starting autonomous driving is determined from among the autonomous driving candidate routes K3, the candidate route information includes start route information regarding the start route for starting autonomous driving. Therefore, the vehicle-side control unit 12 acquires the start route information by acquiring the candidate route information. This allows the vehicle-side control unit 12 of the tractor 1 to acquire the start route information without transmitting the start route information from the wireless communication terminal 2 to the tractor 1.

[0038] Furthermore, regarding acquisition of the start route information by the vehicle-side control unit 12, the wireless communication terminal 2 can also acquire the start route information by transmitting the start route information from the wireless communication terminal 2 to the tractor 1. In this case, the wireless communication terminal 2 can identify which autonomous driving candidate route K3 is the start route from which autonomous driving begins based on the autonomous driving permission information, so the wireless communication terminal 2 can transmit the start route information to the tractor 1, and the vehicle-side control unit 12 can acquire the start route information by transmitting this start route information.

[0039] In this way, after the autonomous driving has started, the wireless communication terminal 2 transmits route information regarding the autonomous driving route to the tractor 1 in response to a request from the tractor 1. This allows the vehicle-side control unit 12 to acquire route information regarding the autonomous driving route along which the tractor 1 will autonomously drive, and based on that route information, the information acquisition unit 13 acquires its own current position information (current position of the tractor 1) while causing the tractor 1 to autonomously drive along the autonomous driving route.

[0040] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, when the tractor 1 is located in the first region R1, if there is no work path K1 among the multiple work paths K1 that is included in the candidate identification region P, the identification unit 23 identifies the autonomous driving candidate path K3 based on the angle β formed by the first straight line V1 and the second straight line V2. However, as with the case when the tractor 1 is located in the second region R2, it is also possible to continue identifying the autonomous driving candidate path K3 based on the candidate identification region P without identifying the autonomous driving candidate path K3 based on the angle β formed by the first straight line V1 and the second straight line V2.

[0041] (2) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the route generating unit 22, the identifying unit 23, and the specific area setting unit 24 were provided in the wireless communication terminal 2, but for example, the route generating unit 22, the identifying unit 23, and the specific area setting unit 24 may also be provided in the vehicle-side control unit 12 of the tractor 1, or may also be provided in an external management device, etc. Therefore, the type of device in which the route generating unit 22, the identifying unit 23, and the specific area setting unit 24 are provided may be changed as appropriate.

[0042] <Notes on the invention> A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a route generation unit that generates a planned travel route including a plurality of work routes for autonomously traveling a work vehicle; A control unit capable of causing the work vehicle to autonomously travel along each planned travel route; An information acquisition unit that acquires position information and orientation information of the work vehicle; A specification unit that specifies a candidate autonomous driving route on which the work vehicle can autonomously travel, The identification unit is characterized in that it sets a candidate identification area based on position information and orientation information of the work vehicle, and is capable of identifying a work route among the multiple work routes that is included in the candidate identification area as the candidate autonomous driving route.

[0043] According to this configuration, the identification unit sets the candidate identification area based on the position information and orientation information of the work vehicle, so that an area including a suitable work route for starting autonomous driving, such as an area close to the work vehicle in the travel direction of the work vehicle, can be set as the candidate identification area. The identification unit can identify the work route included in the candidate identification area among the multiple work routes as the autonomous driving candidate route, so that the autonomous driving candidate route can be identified in a state including the work route suitable for starting autonomous driving. As a result, the start route for starting autonomous driving can be determined from the autonomous driving candidate route, so that, for example, the work route close to the work vehicle in the travel direction of the work vehicle can be set as the start route to start autonomous driving. In this way, the start route for starting autonomous driving can be suitably determined based on the position information and orientation information of the work vehicle, so that the start route can be flexibly determined and autonomous driving can be started on the determined start route.

[0044] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the identification unit is characterized in that it does not identify a work route that meets an exclusion condition as the autonomous driving candidate route, even if the work route is included in the candidate identification area.

[0045] According to this configuration, the identification unit does not identify all of the work routes included in the candidate identification area as autonomous driving candidate routes, but does not identify work routes that meet the exclusion condition as autonomous driving candidate routes even if they are included in the candidate identification area. As a result, even if a work route that is not preferable as a work route for starting autonomous driving due to the presence of an obstacle between the work vehicle and the starting point of the work route is included in the candidate identification area, the identification unit can exclude the work route and identify the autonomous driving candidate route, and can appropriately identify a work route that is preferable for starting autonomous driving as an autonomous driving candidate route.

[0046] A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that, when there is no work route among the multiple work routes that is included in the candidate identification area, the identification unit identifies the candidate autonomous driving route based on the angle formed between a first straight line identified from the position information of the work vehicle and the starting position information of each work route, and a second straight line along the work route.

[0047] According to this configuration, the identification unit can identify candidate autonomous driving routes based on the angle formed by the first straight line and the second straight line while using the position information of the work vehicle, so that the identification unit can appropriately identify candidate autonomous driving routes even if there is no work route included in the candidate identification area.

[0048] The present invention includes a specific area setting unit that sets a specific area in which the work vehicle is to travel autonomously, The specific area includes a first area in which the planned travel route is generated and a second area in which the planned travel route is not generated, It is preferable that, when the work vehicle is located in the second area, the identification unit does not identify the candidate autonomous driving route based on the angle between the first straight line and the second straight line, but continues to identify the candidate autonomous driving route based on the candidate identification area.

[0049] According to this configuration, since a planned driving route is not generated in the second area, when the work vehicle is located in the second area, if the identification unit identifies an autonomous driving candidate route based on the angle formed by the first straight line and the second straight line, there is a possibility that a work route that is not suitable for starting autonomous driving will be identified as an autonomous driving candidate route. Therefore, when the work vehicle is located in the second area, the identification unit does not identify an autonomous driving candidate route based on the angle formed by the first straight line and the second straight line, and continues to identify a work route based on the candidate identification area until the work route is included in the candidate identification area. As a result, when the work route is included in the candidate identification area, the identification unit can identify the work route as an autonomous driving candidate route, and even when the work vehicle is located in the second area, it can appropriately identify a work route that is suitable for starting autonomous driving as an autonomous driving candidate route.

[0050] A driving path identification method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes generating a planned driving path including a plurality of work paths along which a work vehicle drives autonomously, driving the work vehicle autonomously along each of the planned driving paths, acquiring position information of the work vehicle, setting a candidate identification area based on the position information of the work vehicle, and being able to identify, among the plurality of work paths, a work path included in the candidate identification area as a candidate autonomous driving path along which the work vehicle can drive autonomously. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Tractor (work vehicle) 12 Vehicle side control unit (control unit) 13 Information acquisition department 14 Vehicle side wireless communication unit 22 Route Generation Unit 23 Specific section 24 Specific area setting section H Specific area (field) K1 Work route (planned driving route) K2 Turning route (planned driving route) K3 Autonomous driving candidate route R1 1st area R2 2nd area P candidate identification area V1 1st straight line V2 2nd straight line β The angle between the first and second lines

Claims

1. generating a planned travel route including a plurality of work routes for autonomously traveling a work vehicle; causing the work vehicle to autonomously travel along each planned travel route; Before the work vehicle starts autonomous traveling, a start route at which the work vehicle starts autonomous traveling can be changed among the plurality of work routes; The start route is changeable among two or more of the plurality of work routes, at least one of which has a different travel direction. A method for determining a driving route.

2. The method further includes displaying the plurality of work paths on a display unit in a manner that enables identification of which path among the plurality of work paths is the start path. The method for determining a travel route according to claim 1 .

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