Autonomous driving system and method

Abstract

To change a posture of a working vehicle when transitioning from a turning route to a working route to a posture suitable for working travel in the working route from an initial stage of the working vehicle transitioning from the turning route to the working route.SOLUTION: An automatic travel system includes an automatic travel control unit 40 for controlling a working vehicle V to automatically travel in accordance with a target route P. The target route P includes a turning route Pt and a second working route Pw to travel subsequent to the turning route Pt. The automatic travel control unit 40 controls the working vehicle V automatically travelling in accordance with the turning route Pt to automatically travel in accordance with the second working route Pw from a position prior to a second connection point Pb between the turning route Pt and a second working route Pw.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic driving system and an automatic driving method that enable automatic driving of a work vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] As an automatic driving system for a work vehicle as described above, there is one that is configured to control the driving of the work vehicle based on a driving route generated in advance (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Incidentally, the driving route on which the work vehicle automatically travels includes, for example, a plurality of work routes arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of turning routes that connect the plurality of work routes in the travel order of the work vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6170185 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventionally, in an automatic driving system for a work vehicle such as that described above, it has been proposed to set a control target position on the driving route and adjust the direction of travel of the work vehicle according to the difference (deviation) between the control target position and the driving route, thereby allowing the work vehicle to automatically drive along the driving route.

[0006] In such an automated driving system, when setting a control target position, when the work vehicle is located on a work path, the control target position is set on the work path or on an extension of the work path, and when the work vehicle is located on a turning path, the control target position is set on the turning path or on an extension of the turning path.

[0007] However, when the control target position is set in this manner, the work vehicle maintains a turning travel state until it reaches the end of the turning path, so the posture of the work vehicle when it transitions from the turning path to the work path may not be appropriate for the work path. In such a case, if the work site is, for example, an orchard or a farm field with rows of fruit trees or crops adjacent to the work path, in order to prevent a work vehicle that is not in an appropriate posture for the work path from colliding with the rows of fruit trees or crops adjacent to the work path, it is necessary to set a connection point between the work path and the turning path at a position far away from the end of the rows of fruit trees or crops. This results in a longer non-work path, such as a turning path, included in the travel path for automatic driving, and leaves room for improvement in terms of shortening work time and reducing fuel consumption.

[0008] That is, in order to enable automatic driving of a work vehicle, it is extremely important that the posture of the work vehicle at the end of a turn is suitable for work driving on a work route.

[0009] In view of this situation, the main objective of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving system and an automatic driving method that can change the posture of a work vehicle when transitioning from a turning path to a work path to a posture suitable for work driving on the work path from the initial stage when the work vehicle transitions from the turning path to the work path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The automatic driving system according to the present invention has an automatic driving control unit that automatically drives a work vehicle along a target route. The target route includes a turning route and a next driving route to be driven after the turning route. The automatic driving control unit automatically drives the work vehicle, which automatically drives along the turning route, along the next driving route from a position before the boundary between the turning route and the next driving route.

[0011] The automatic driving method of the present invention is an automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle along a target route, which includes a turning route and a next driving route to be driven after the turning route, and the work vehicle, which automatically drives along the turning route, is automatically driven along the next driving route from a position just before the boundary between the turning route and the next driving route.

[0012] The automatic driving system according to the present invention has an automatic driving control unit that automatically drives a work vehicle along a target route. The target route includes a turning route and a next driving route to be driven after the turning route. The automatic driving control unit automatically drives the work vehicle, which automatically drives along the turning route, along the next driving route from a position before a connection point between the turning route and the next driving route.

[0013] The automatic driving method of the present invention is an automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle along a target route, which includes a turning route and a next driving route to be driven after the turning route, and the work vehicle, which automatically drives along the turning route, is automatically driven along the next driving route from a position before the connection point between the turning route and the next driving route. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic driving system for a work vehicle. [Diagram 2] A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an automatic driving system for a work vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a work vehicle for an orchard; [Figure 4] A front view showing the configuration of a work vehicle for an orchard [Diagram 5] Rear view of the configuration of a work vehicle for orchards [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a right side view showing the configuration of a work vehicle for orchards with the left cover body removed. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a left side view showing the configuration of a work vehicle for orchards with the right cover body removed; [Figure 8] Plan view showing the configuration of a work vehicle for orchards [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a target path for an orchard. [Figure 10] Flowchart of azimuth calculation control [Figure 11] An explanatory diagram of the tilt calculation process [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a tilt offset amount calculation process; [Figure 13] An explanatory diagram of the direction calculation process [Figure 14] A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an obstacle detection system, etc. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part showing the use position and the storage position of the antenna unit. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting state of a control target position when a work vehicle is not located near a boundary between a work path and a turning path; [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting state of a control target position when a work vehicle is located on a work path near a boundary with a turning path; [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting state of a control target position when a work vehicle is located at a boundary between a work path and a turning path; [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting state of the control target position when the work vehicle is not located near the boundary between the turning path and the work path; [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting state of a control target position when a work vehicle is located on a turning path near a boundary with a work path; [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparative example of the setting state of the control target position when the work vehicle is off the turning path and is located near the boundary with the work path; [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting state of a control target position when a work vehicle is off a turning path and is located near a boundary with a work path; [Diagram 23] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a change in the center of gravity position due to an increase or decrease in the amount of sprayed liquid in a work vehicle turning on an inclined surface. [Figure 24] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing changes in the turning center position and turning travel path associated with changes in the center of gravity position of a work vehicle turning on an inclined surface; [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a control target position is set by trajectory tracking control at different turning center positions. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting state of a control target position that is made to coincide with the control target position in trajectory tracking control at different turning center positions; [Figure 27] Flowchart of control target position correction process [Figure 28] An explanatory diagram showing the measurement ranges of the left and right front lidar sensors [Figure 29] Flowchart of route correction process [Diagram 30] An explanatory diagram showing an example of a collision avoidance path generated by the potential method. [Diagram 31] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a path correction based on a collision avoidance path generated by a potential method; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] As an example of a form for implementing the present invention, an embodiment in which the automatic driving system for a work vehicle according to the present invention is applied to an orchard work vehicle that works on fruit trees such as grapes or apples planted in multiple rows in an orchard such as a vineyard or apple orchard, and the soil between the rows of fruit trees, will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] Furthermore, the automatic driving system for work vehicles of the present invention can be applied to work vehicles for tea plantations other than orchards, for example work vehicles for working on tea trees planted in multiple rows in tea plantations and the soil between the tea tree rows, work vehicles for working on crops planted in multiple rows in farm fields and the soil between the crop rows, and automatically-driving riding work vehicles such as tractors, riding lawn mowers, riding rice transplanters, combines, snowplows, wheel loaders, and transport vehicles, as well as unmanned work vehicles such as unmanned tillers and unmanned lawn mowers.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the orchard work vehicle V exemplified in this embodiment is capable of automatic travel in an orchard, which is an example of a work site, by using an automatic travel system for work vehicles. The automatic travel system for work vehicles includes an automatic travel unit 2 mounted on a body 1 of the work vehicle V, and a mobile communication terminal 3, which is an example of a wireless communication device set to be able to wirelessly communicate with the automatic travel unit 2. The mobile communication terminal 3 is equipped with a multi-touch display device (e.g., a liquid crystal panel) 3A that allows various information displays and input operations related to automatic travel.

[0018] 1 to 8, the work vehicle V is equipped with a gate-shaped vehicle body 1 that travels across fruit trees such as grapes or apples planted in multiple rows in an orchard, a spraying device 4 that sprays a spray liquid such as a chemical solution or water onto the fruit trees, a positioning unit (an example of a position information acquisition unit) 5 that measures the current position and current orientation of the vehicle body 1 using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which is an example of a satellite positioning system, an obstacle detection system (an example of an obstacle detection unit) 6 that monitors the periphery of the vehicle body 1 and detects obstacles present therein, and a camera unit 7 that photographs the front and rear sides of the vehicle body 1. The obstacle detection system 6 detects fruit trees and the like planted in the orchard as obstacles.

[0019] Incidentally, instead of or in addition to the spraying device 4, the work vehicle V may be equipped with other work devices, such as a clipper-type pinching device (not shown) for plucking branches and leaves from fruit trees, and a cultivator (not shown) for weeding and crushing the soil between fruit trees. An HMI tablet or a smartphone may be used as the mobile communication terminal 3. For wireless communication, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 8, the vehicle body 1 has a vehicle body frame 10 formed in a gate shape when viewed in the front-rear direction, and left and right crawlers 11 connected to left and right lower ends of the vehicle body frame 10. An engine 12, a battery 13, etc. are mounted on the left side of the vehicle body 1. An oil tank 14 made of a steel plate formed in a horizontal L-shape and a storage tank (an example of a storage section) 4A of the spraying device 4 are provided on the right side of the vehicle body 1. A front antenna unit 15 arranged on the front side of the ceiling, a rear antenna unit 16 arranged on the rear side of the ceiling, and a stacked indicator lamp 17 that displays the traveling state of the vehicle body 1 are provided on the ceiling of the vehicle body 1. The engine 12, the battery 13, etc. are covered by a left cover body 18 that forms the outer surface of the left side of the vehicle body 1. The oil tank 14, the storage tank 4A, etc. are covered by a right cover body 19 that forms the outer surface of the right side of the vehicle body 1.

[0021] 3 to 8, the body frame 10 has left and right side frames 20 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction, a front cross member 21 spanned between the upper ends of the front ends of the left and right side frames 20, and a rear cross member 22 spanned between the upper ends of the rear ends of the left and right side frames 20. As a result, the body frame 10 is formed in a gate shape that ensures a space between the left and right side frames 20 to allow fruit trees to pass through. An inner wall body 23 that forms the left and right inner surfaces of the body 1 is attached to each of the left and right side frames 20.

[0022] 4 to 7, each side frame 20 has a base member 20A extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 1, a front support member 20B extending upward from the front end of the base member 20A, a rear support member 20C extending upward from the rear end of the base member 20A, and an upper member 20D installed between the upper ends of the front support member 20B and the rear support member 20C. As a result, the left and right side frames 20 are formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in the left-right direction.

[0023] 3 to 6, of the left and right side frames 20, the left side frame 20 supports a mounting base 24 on which the engine 12, the battery 13, etc. are placed. The mounting base 24 protrudes leftward from the lower portion of the left side frame 20 and is disposed directly above and in close proximity to the left crawler 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting base 24 is provided with a first support portion 24A that supports a muffler 25 and a fuel tank 26.

[0024] 4 to 5 and 7, the oil tank 14 is connected to the right side frame 20 in a state where it protrudes to the right from the lower part of the right side frame 20. As a result, the oil tank 14 is disposed directly above the right crawler 11 in a state where it is close to the crawler 11.

[0025] That is, in this work vehicle V, the heavy engine 12, battery 13, and oil tank 14, which becomes heavy as it stores oil, are arranged on the left and right sides under the vehicle body 1. This allows the work vehicle V to have a low center of gravity with a balanced left-right balance. As a result, the work vehicle V can stably travel along contour lines on the slopes of an orchard.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6-7, the left and right crawlers 11 share the base member 20A of the side frame 20 as their track frames. In each of the left and right crawlers 11, a driving sprocket 11A and a first roller 11B are rotatably supported at the front end of the track frame (base member) 20A. A tension idler wheel 11C is supported at the rear end of the track frame 20A so as to be displaceable in the front-rear direction. At the front-rear intermediate portion of the track frame 20A, front and rear equalizer arms 11E are provided which swing up and down on front and rear support shafts 11D extending laterally outward from the track frame 20A. At the front and rear free ends of each equalizer arm 11E, a second roller 11F is rotatably supported. That is, four second rollers 11F are supported at the front-rear intermediate portion of the track frame 20A so as to be swingably displaceable in the front-rear direction. A crawler belt 11G is fitted around the drive sprocket 11A, the rollers 11B and 11F, and the idler wheel 11C. A tension mechanism (not shown) is provided at the rear of the track frame 20A to maintain the crawler belt 11G in a tensioned state by biasing the idler wheel 11C rearward.

[0027] As shown in Figures 3 to 6, in the left crawler 11, the front and rear support shafts 11D have their left end portions connected to the left end portion of the mounting table 24 via the left support plate 27. As shown in Figures 4 to 5 and 7, in the right crawler 11, the front and rear support shafts 11D have their right end portions connected to the right end portion of the oil tank 14 via the right support plate 27. That is, in this work vehicle V, the vehicle body frame 10 and the left and right crawlers 11 are configured as an integral structure.

[0028] As shown in Figures 4, 6 and 7, power from the engine 12 is transmitted to the drive sprocket 11A of each crawler 11 via a pair of hydrostatic stepless transmissions (hereinafter referred to as HST) 30 and left and right chain-type transmission devices 31. Each HST 30 employs a separate HST having a variable displacement, axial plunger-type hydraulic pump 30A, a fixed displacement, axial plunger-type hydraulic motor 30B, and a plurality of hydraulic pipes 30C connecting the hydraulic pump 30A and the hydraulic motor 30B.

[0029] With the above configuration, the left and right crawlers 11 are driven by the power from the engine 12 in a state where independent speed change is possible by the corresponding HST 30. As a result, the vehicle body 1 is in a forward state moving straight forward in the forward direction when the left and right crawlers 11 are driven at a constant speed in the forward direction, and in a reverse state moving straight backward in the reverse direction when the left and right crawlers 11 are driven at a constant speed in the reverse direction. The vehicle body 1 is in a forward turning state where it turns slowly while moving forward when the left and right crawlers 11 are driven at a non-uniform speed in the forward direction, and in a reverse turning state where it turns slowly while moving backward when the left and right crawlers 11 are driven at a non-uniform speed in the reverse direction. The vehicle body 1 is in a pivot turning state when one of the left and right crawlers 11 is driven while the other crawler 11 is stopped, and in a spin turning state when the left and right crawlers 11 are driven at a constant speed in the forward direction and the reverse direction. The vehicle body 1 is in a running stop state when the left and right crawlers 11 are stopped.

[0030] The left and right crawlers 11 may be electrically driven in such a manner that their drive sprockets 11A are driven by left and right electric motors.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 6, in each HST 30, the hydraulic pumps 30A are of a dual type driven by a single pump shaft (not shown) directly connected to the output shaft 12A of the engine 12. The dual hydraulic pumps 30A are mounted on the mounting base 24 in an arrangement located directly below the fuel tank 26. As shown in FIGS. 3-4 and 6-7, the left and right hydraulic motors 30B are attached to the upper part of a transmission case 29 connected to the lower front end of each side frame 20. Each hydraulic pipe 30C is laid along the vehicle body frame 10. The left and right chain-type transmission devices 31 transmit power from the output shafts (not shown) of the hydraulic motors 30B to a drive shaft (not shown) that rotates integrally with the drive sprocket 11A of the crawler 11 inside the corresponding transmission case 29.

[0032] As shown in Figures 3 and 5 to 8, the spraying device 4 includes a storage tank 4A for storing chemical liquid etc., a spraying pump 4B for pumping the chemical liquid etc., an electric spraying motor 4C for driving the spraying pump 4B, a belt-type transmission device 4D for transmitting power from the spraying motor 4C to the spraying pump 4B, spraying pipes 4E arranged in parallel in a vertical position on the back of the vehicle body 1, two on each side of the spraying pipes 4E, a total of 12 spraying nozzles 4F, three on each of the spraying pipes 4E, an electronically controlled valve unit 4G for changing the amount and pattern of spraying of the chemical liquid etc., and a plurality of spraying pipes (not shown) connecting these together.

[0033] The storage tank 4A is supported on the oil tank 14 via front and rear support frames 32, 33 provided on the upper surface of the oil tank 14. The spray pump 4B is mounted on the rear of the mounting base 24. The spray motor 4C is supported by a second support portion 24B provided on the rear of the mounting base 24. The spray motor 4C is disposed directly above the spray pump 4B. The two left spray pipes 4E are attached to the support member 20E, which is L-shaped in plan view and provided on the left side frame 20, via a piping holder 34 extending vertically and a bracket 35 connected to the vertical middle portion of the piping holder 34. The two right spray pipes 4E are attached to the support member 20E, which is L-shaped in plan view and provided on the right side frame 20, via a piping holder 34 extending vertically and a bracket 35 connected to the vertical middle portion of the piping holder 34.

[0034] Each spray nozzle 4F is attached to the corresponding spray pipe 4E so that its position can be changed in the vertical direction. This allows each spray nozzle 4F to change its vertical interval and its height position relative to the spray pipe 4E depending on the spray target. Each pipe holder 34 is pin-connected to the corresponding bracket 35 so that its position can be changed in the vertical direction. This allows each spray nozzle 4F to change its height position relative to the vehicle body 1 for each pipe holder 34 depending on the spray target. Each bracket 35 is pin-connected to the corresponding support member 20E so that its position can be changed in the horizontal direction. This allows each spray nozzle 4F to change its left-right position relative to the vehicle body 1 for each bracket 35 depending on the spray target.

[0035] In the spraying device 4, the number of spray nozzles 4F provided on each spray pipe 4E can be changed in various ways depending on the type of fruit tree, the length of each spray pipe 4E, and the like.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 to FIG. 9, the three spray nozzles 4F provided on the leftmost spray pipe 4E among the spray nozzles 4F spray the chemical solution, etc., to the left toward the fruit tree Z located on the left outer side of the vehicle body 1. The three spray nozzles 4F provided on the left center spray pipe 4E adjacent to the leftmost spray pipe 4E among the spray nozzles 4F spray the chemical solution, etc., to the right toward the fruit tree Z located in the left-right central space of the vehicle body 1. The three spray nozzles 4F provided on the rightmost spray pipe 4E among the spray nozzles 4F spray the chemical solution, etc., to the right toward the fruit tree Z located on the right outer side of the vehicle body 1. The three spray nozzles 4F provided on the right center spray pipe 4E adjacent to the rightmost spray pipe 4E among the spray nozzles 4F spray the chemical solution, etc., to the left toward the fruit tree Z located in the left-right central space of the vehicle body 1.

[0037] With the above configuration, in this spraying device 4, the two spray pipes 4E and six spray nozzles 4F provided on the left rear part of the vehicle body 1 function as the left liquid spraying section 4L (an example of a working section). Also, the two spray pipes 4E and six spray nozzles 4F provided on the right rear part of the vehicle body 1 function as the right liquid spraying section (an example of a working section) 4R. The left and right liquid spraying sections 4L, 4R are arranged at the rear part of the vehicle body 1 with a left-right interval between them that allows the fruit trees Z to pass through, while allowing spraying in the left and right directions.

[0038] In the spraying device 4, the spraying patterns by the left and right liquid spraying parts 4L, 4R include a four-way spraying pattern in which the left and right liquid spraying parts 4L, 4R spray in both the left and right directions, and a direction-limited spraying pattern in which the spraying direction by the left and right liquid spraying parts 4L, 4R is limited. The direction-limited spraying patterns include a left three-way spraying pattern in which the left liquid spraying part 4L sprays in both the left and right directions and the right liquid spraying part 4R sprays only in the left direction, a right three-way spraying pattern in which the left liquid spraying part 4L sprays only in the right direction and the right liquid spraying part 4R sprays in both the left and right directions, and a two-way spraying pattern in which the left liquid spraying part 4L sprays only in the right direction and the right liquid spraying part 4R sprays only in the left direction.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 7, the left end of the oil tank 14 is supported by the base member 20A of the right side frame 20. A support plate 36 is connected to the right end of the oil tank 14. The upper end of the support plate 36 is connected to the upper member 20D of the right side frame 20 via front and rear support members 37. As a result, the right end of the oil tank 14 is supported by the upper member 20D of the right side frame 20 via the support plate 36 and the front and rear support members 37.

[0040] In other words, the oil tank 14 has a high supporting strength that allows it to be used as a stand for placing the storage tank 4A thereon, since both the left and right ends of the oil tank 14 are supported by the right side frame 20. The shape of the oil tank 14 in a plan view is symmetrical to the shape of the stand 24 in a plan view.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle body 1 is equipped with an automatic driving control unit 40 that automatically drives the vehicle body 1 along a target route P (see Fig. 9) in the orchard based on positioning information from the positioning unit 5, an engine control unit 41 that controls the engine 12, an HST control unit 42 that controls each HST 30, and a work device control unit 43 that controls work devices such as the spraying device 4. Each of the control units 40 to 43 is constructed by an electronic control unit equipped with a microcontroller or the like, and various information and control programs stored in a non-volatile memory (for example, an EEPROM such as a flash memory) of the microcontroller. The various information stored in the non-volatile memory includes the target route P that has been generated in advance according to the orchard to be worked on.

[0042] The control units 40 to 43 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a Controller Area Network (CAN), which is an example of an in-vehicle network. For the in-vehicle network, for example, an in-vehicle Ethernet or a CAN with Flexible Data rate (CAN-FD) may be adopted.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 9, the target route P includes multiple work routes Pw arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and multiple turning routes Pt that connect the multiple work routes Pw in the travel order of the work vehicle V. Each work route Pw is a route along which the work vehicle V travels while performing work on fruit trees Z planted in multiple rows. Each turning route Pt is a route along which the work vehicle V travels in a turning motion without performing work. The target route P includes various information related to automatic travel, such as the travel direction, set vehicle speed, travel state, and work state of the vehicle body 1 on each route Pw, Pt.

[0044] Incidentally, the vehicle speed is set to a relatively high speed (working speed) on each work path Pw because each work path Pw is a straight path or a nearly straight path similar to the straight path corresponding to the fruit trees Z planted in multiple rows. Also, on each turning path Pt, the vehicle speed is set to a speed (turning speed) lower than the vehicle speed on the work path Pw in order to prevent the work vehicle V from deviating from the turning path Pt.

[0045] Note that the target route P shown in FIG. 9 is merely an example, and the target route P can be modified in various ways depending on vehicle information such as the type of work equipment equipped on the vehicle body 1 and the work form, and work site information such as the arrangement and number of rows of fruit trees Z, which differ from orchard to orchard.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile communication terminal 3 is provided with a terminal control unit 3B that controls the display device 3A and the like. The terminal control unit 3B is constructed by an electronic control unit equipped with a microcontroller and the like, and various information and control programs stored in a non-volatile memory (for example, an EEPROM such as a flash memory) of the microcontroller. The terminal control unit 3B includes a display control unit 3Ba that controls display and notification on the display device 3A and the like, and a target route generation unit 3Bb that generates a target route P (see FIG. 9) that enables the work vehicle V to automatically travel in an orchard where fruit trees Z are lined up in multiple rows. The display control unit 3Ba and the target route generation unit 3Bb are constructed by various control programs stored in the non-volatile memory of the terminal control unit 3B. The various information stored in the non-volatile memory includes work site information, the target route P (see FIG. 9), and the like. This allows the work site information, the target route P, and the like to be displayed on the display device 3A of the mobile communication terminal 3.

[0047] The vehicle body 1 and the mobile communication terminal 3 are provided with communication modules 28, 3C that enable wireless communication between the automatic driving control unit 40 and the terminal control unit 3B. When Wi-Fi is adopted for wireless communication with the mobile communication terminal 3, the communication module 28 of the vehicle body 1 functions as a converter that converts communication information bidirectionally between CAN and Wi-Fi. The terminal control unit 3B can acquire various information related to the vehicle body 1, including the current position and current orientation of the vehicle body 1, through wireless communication with the automatic driving control unit 40. This allows various information, including the current position and current orientation of the vehicle body 1 relative to the target route P, to be displayed on the display device 3A of the mobile communication terminal 3.

[0048] As shown in Figures 2 and 8, the positioning unit 5 includes two GNSS antennas 5A, 5B that receive radio waves transmitted from multiple positioning satellites 8 (see Figure 1), two GNSS receivers 5C, 5D that measure the position of each GNSS antenna 5A, 5B (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the antenna position) using the radio waves received by each GNSS antenna 5A, 5B, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 5E that measures the attitude, orientation, etc. of the vehicle body 1, and a positioning module 5F that calculates the current position and current orientation, etc. of the vehicle body 1 based on position information from each GNSS receiver 5C, 5D and measurement information from the inertial measurement unit 5E.

[0049] The GNSS receivers 5C, 5D and the inertial measurement unit 5E are connected to the automatic driving control unit 40 via a CAN so as to be able to communicate with each other. The inertial measurement unit 5E has a three-axis gyroscope and a three-directional acceleration sensor. The positioning module 5F is constructed by a control program for positioning stored in a non-volatile memory of the automatic driving control unit 40.

[0050] Positioning methods using GNSS include DGNSS (Differential GNSS: relative positioning method) and RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic GNSS: interferometric positioning method). In this embodiment, RTK-GNSS, which is highly accurate and suitable for positioning of moving objects, is adopted. For this reason, base stations 9 that enable positioning by RTK-GNSS are installed at known positions around the orchard.

[0051] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the base station 9 is provided with a GNSS antenna 9A that receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites 8, and a GNSS receiver 9B that measures the position of the GNSS antenna 9A (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as the antenna position) using the radio waves received by the GNSS antenna 9A. The GNSS receiver 9B acquires position correction information based on the measured antenna position and the installation position of the base station 9. The positioning unit 5 and the base station 9 are provided with communication modules 5G, 5H, and 9C that enable wireless communication between the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D of the positioning unit 5 and the GNSS receiver 9B of the base station 9. This allows the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D of the positioning unit 5 to receive position correction information from the GNSS receiver 9B of the base station 9.

[0052] Each of the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D of the positioning unit 5 corrects the antenna positions measured by them based on the position correction information from the GNSS receiver 9B of the base station 9. This allows each of the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D to measure the positions (latitude, longitude, and altitude in the global coordinate system) of each of the GNSS antennas 5A and 5B with high accuracy. The positioning unit 5 includes the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D and the inertial measurement unit 5E, and thus can compensate for the decrease in positioning accuracy of the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D caused by deterioration of the surrounding environment, etc., with the inertial measurement unit 5E. The positioning unit 5 can correct the measurement errors accumulated in the inertial measurement unit 5E based on the antenna positions measured by the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D. Even if the GNSS antennas 5A, 5B are arranged at the top of the vehicle body 1 to increase the reception sensitivity of each of the GNSS antennas 5A, 5B, the positioning unit 5 can correct the positional deviation in the left-right direction of the vehicle body of each antenna position relative to the target route P caused by the rolling of the vehicle body 1 based on the installation height of each of the GNSS antennas 5A, 5B and the roll angle of the vehicle body 1 measured by the inertial measurement unit 5E. This allows the positioning unit 5 to measure the current position, current orientation, and attitude angles (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) of the vehicle body 1 with high accuracy.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 8, the GNSS antennas 5A and 5B of the positioning unit 5 are installed at two positions, front and rear, at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body on the ceiling of the vehicle body 1. The front and rear GNSS antennas 5A and 5B are set at the same height. Of the front and rear GNSS antennas 5A and 5B, the front GNSS antenna 5A is included in the front antenna unit 15 together with a communication module 5G connected to a GNSS receiver 5C corresponding to the front GNSS antenna 5A. The rear GNSS antenna 5B is included in the rear antenna unit 16 together with a communication module 5H connected to a GNSS receiver 5D corresponding to the rear GNSS antenna 5B, an inertial measurement device 5E, and a communication module 28 for the mobile communication terminal 3. The positional relationship between the antennas and the installation heights of the front and rear GNSS antennas 5A and 5B are stored in a non-volatile memory of the automatic driving control unit 40.

[0054] The positioning module 5F basically calculates the current position of the vehicle body 1 based on the rear antenna position measured by the rear GNSS receiver 5D among the front and rear antenna positions measured by the front and rear GNSS receivers 5C, 5D. When only the positioning accuracy of the rear GNSS receiver 5D has decreased, the positioning module 5F calculates the current position of the vehicle body 1 based on the front antenna position measured by the front GNSS receiver 5C. This allows the positioning module 5F to calculate the current position of the vehicle body 1 with high accuracy. In addition, the automatic driving control unit 40 can automatically drive the work vehicle V along the target route P based on the highly accurate current position of the vehicle body 1 calculated by the positioning module 5F.

[0055] Furthermore, the current position of the vehicle body 1 calculated by the positioning module 5F can be set in various ways, for example, to the front end position on the left-right center at the top end of the vehicle body 1, the rear end position on the left-right center at the top end of the vehicle body 1, a midpoint between the front and rear on the left-right center at the top end of the vehicle body 1, the center position of the vehicle body 1, the center of gravity position of the vehicle body 1, or the center position of turning when in a spin turning state.

[0056] The positioning module 5F executes azimuth calculation control to calculate the current azimuth of the vehicle body 1 based on the front and rear antenna positions measured by the front and rear GNSS receivers 5C, 5D.

[0057] The control operation of the positioning module 5F in the azimuth calculation control will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 10 and Figs. 11 to 13. First, the positioning module 5F performs a coordinate conversion process (step #1) to convert the front and rear antenna positions p1 and p2 measured by each of the GNSS receivers 5C and 5D into the NED coordinate system with either the front or rear antenna position (here, the rear antenna position p2) as the origin. Next, the positioning module 5F performs a gradient calculation process (step #2, see Fig. 11) to calculate the gradient θL of the straight line L connecting the antennas with the X-axis (north: N) at 0 degrees from the difference Δx in the X direction and the difference Δy in the Y direction of the front antenna position p1 with respect to the rear antenna position p2 in the NED coordinate system. The positioning module 5F also performs a tilt offset amount calculation process (step #3, see FIG. 12) to calculate a tilt offset amount Δθ between the antennas when the vehicle body 1 is directed toward true north (N) from the positional relationship between the front and rear GNSS antennas 5A, 5B stored in the non-volatile memory of the automatic driving control unit 40. Then, the positioning module 5F performs an orientation calculation process (step #4, see FIG. 13) to calculate an orientation θv of the vehicle body 1 from the difference between the tilt θL of the straight line L obtained in the tilt calculation process and the tilt offset amount Δθ between the antennas obtained in the tilt offset amount calculation process.

[0058] That is, in this work vehicle V, the positioning module 5F calculates the current orientation of the vehicle body 1 based on the front and rear antenna positions, and therefore there is no need to calculate the movement vector of the vehicle body 1 in the process, as is the case when the current orientation of the vehicle body 1 is calculated from a single antenna position. Therefore, even when the vehicle body 1 is turning with a small turning radius, when it is difficult to calculate the movement vector of the vehicle body 1, or when the vehicle body 1 is stopped, when it is not possible to calculate the movement vector of the vehicle body 1, the current orientation of the vehicle body 1 can be calculated with high accuracy.

[0059] When the start of automatic driving is commanded by a user's touch operation on the display device 3A of the mobile communication terminal 3, the automatic driving control unit 40 executes automatic driving control to cause the vehicle body 1 (work vehicle V) to automatically drive along the target route P based on the target route P for spraying work stored in the non-volatile memory and the positioning information from the positioning module 5F, etc.

[0060] The automatic driving control includes engine command processing that sends control commands regarding the engine 12 to the engine control unit 41, HST command processing that sends control commands regarding the HST 30 to the HST control unit 42, and work command processing that sends control commands regarding the spraying device 4 to the work device control unit 43.

[0061] In the engine command processing, the automatic driving control unit 40 transmits to the engine control unit 46A an engine speed change command that instructs a change in the engine speed based on the set engine speed included in the target route P. The engine control unit 46A executes engine speed control that changes the engine speed in response to the engine speed change command transmitted from the automatic driving control unit 46F.

[0062] In the HST command processing, the automatic driving control unit 40 transmits to the HST control unit 42 a driving state switching command that instructs switching of the driving state based on the driving state of the vehicle body 1 included in the target route P, a vehicle speed change command that instructs a change in the vehicle speed based on a set vehicle speed included in the target route P, and the like. The HST control unit 42 executes driving state switching control that controls the operation of each HST 30 in response to the driving state switching command transmitted from the automatic driving control unit 40, and vehicle speed control that controls the operation of each HST 30 in response to the vehicle speed change command transmitted from the automatic driving control unit 40, and the like.

[0063] In the work command processing, the automatic travel control unit 40 transmits to the work device control unit 43 a spray pattern switching command that instructs the left and right liquid spray units 4L, 4R to switch the spray pattern based on the spray pattern included in each work path Pw of the target path P, a spray start command that instructs the left and right liquid spray units 4L, 4R to start spraying a chemical solution or the like based on a work start point included in the target path P, and a spray stop command that instructs the left and right liquid spray units 4L, 4R to stop spraying a chemical solution or the like based on a work stop point included in the target path P. The work device control unit 43 executes spray control that controls the operation of the valve unit 4G to control the spray state of the chemical solution or the like by the left and right liquid spray units 4L, 4R in response to the spray pattern switching command, spray start command, and spray stop command transmitted from the automatic travel control unit 40.

[0064] Although not shown in the figure, the vehicle body 1 is equipped with various detection devices, such as a first rotation sensor that detects the output rotation speed of the engine 12, left and right second rotation sensors that detect the output rotation speed of the hydraulic motor 30B in each HST 30, and a fuel remaining sensor that detects the amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank 26.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 14, the obstacle detection system 6 includes left and right front lidar sensors 6A and a single rear lidar sensor 6B. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 and 6, of the left and right front lidar sensors 6A, the left front lidar sensor 6A is disposed at the left front end of the ceiling of the vehicle body 1 in a forward-downward posture looking down on the left front side of the vehicle body 1 from an obliquely upward direction. As a result, the left front lidar sensor 6A has a measurement range set to a predetermined range on the left front side of the vehicle body. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 and 7, the right front lidar sensor 6A is disposed at the right front end of the ceiling of the vehicle body 1 in a forward-downward posture looking down on the right front side of the vehicle body 1 from an obliquely upward direction. As a result, the right front lidar sensor 6A has a measurement range set to a predetermined range on the right front side of the vehicle body. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the rear lidar sensor 6B is disposed at the rear end of the ceiling of the vehicle body 1 in the center of the left and right, looking down on the rear side of the vehicle body 1 from an obliquely upward direction. As a result, a predetermined range on the rear side of the vehicle body is set as the measurement range of the rear lidar sensor 6B.

[0066] Each of the lidar sensors 6A, 6B measures the distance from each of the lidar sensors 6A, 6B to each of the measurement points (measurement objects) in the measurement range by using a time-of-flight (TOF) method that measures the distance to the measurement point based on the round-trip time it takes for the irradiated laser light to reach the measurement point and return. Each of the lidar sensors 6A, 6B scans the laser light vertically and horizontally at high speed over the entire measurement range, and sequentially measures the distance to the measurement point for each scan angle (coordinate). Each of the lidar sensors 6A, 6B generates a distance image from measurement information such as the measured distance to each measurement point and the scan angle (coordinate) for each measurement point, and extracts a group of measurement points estimated to be obstacles, and transmits the measurement information on the extracted group of measurement points to the automatic driving control unit 40 as measurement information on the obstacle.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 14, the obstacle detection system 6 includes left and right front ultrasonic sensors 6C, front and rear left ultrasonic sensors 6D, front and rear right ultrasonic sensors 6E, and a single obstacle detection unit 6F. As shown in FIGS. 3-4 and 6-7, the left and right front ultrasonic sensors 6C are arranged in a forward-facing position at the left and right front end portions of the vehicle body 1. As a result, the left and right front ultrasonic sensors 6C have a measurement range set to a predetermined left and right range on the front side of the vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 3, the front and rear left ultrasonic sensors 6D are arranged in a left-facing position at the front and rear left end portions of the vehicle body 1. As a result, the front and rear left ultrasonic sensors 6D have a measurement range set to a predetermined front and rear range on the left outer side of the vehicle body 1. The front and rear right ultrasonic sensors 6E are arranged in a right-facing position at the front and rear right end portions of the vehicle body 1. As a result, the front and rear right ultrasonic sensors 6E have a measurement range set to a predetermined front and rear range on the right outer side of the vehicle body 1.

[0068] The obstacle detection unit 6F determines whether or not a measurement object is present within the measurement range of each of the ultrasonic sensors 6C-6E based on the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by each of the ultrasonic sensors 6C-6E. The obstacle detection unit 6F measures the distance from each of the ultrasonic sensors 6C-6E to the measurement object using a Time Of Flight (TOF) method that measures the distance to a distance measurement point based on the round-trip time it takes for an emitted ultrasonic wave to reach the distance measurement point and return. The obstacle detection unit 6F transmits the measured distance to the measurement object and the direction of the measurement object to the automatic driving control unit 40 as measurement information related to the obstacle.

[0069] Each of the lidar sensors 6A, 6B and the obstacle detection unit 6F includes an electronic control unit equipped with a microcontroller or the like, and various control programs stored in a non-volatile memory (for example, an EEPROM such as a flash memory) of the microcontroller. Each of the lidar sensors 6A, 6B and the obstacle detection unit 6F are connected to the automatic driving control unit 40 via a CAN so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0070] 2 and 14, the automatic driving control unit 40 includes a collision avoidance module 40A that avoids the risk of the work vehicle V colliding with an obstacle based on measurement information about the obstacle from the LIDAR sensors 6A, 6B and the obstacle detection unit 6F. The collision avoidance module 40A is constructed by a control program for collision avoidance stored in the non-volatile memory of the automatic driving control unit 40.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 14, the camera unit 7 includes left and right front cameras 7A for photographing the front side of the vehicle body 1, a single rear camera 7B for photographing the rear side of the vehicle body 1, and an image processing device 7C for processing images from the cameras 7A and 7B. As shown in FIGS. 3-4, 6, and 8, the left front camera 7A of the left and right front cameras 7A is disposed at the left front end of the ceiling of the vehicle body 1 in a forward-downward posture looking down on the left front side of the vehicle body 1 from an obliquely upward direction. As a result, the left front camera 7A has a predetermined range set as an imaging range on the left front side of the vehicle body. As shown in FIGS. 3-4 and 7-8, the right front camera 7A is disposed at the right front end of the ceiling of the vehicle body 1 in a forward-downward posture looking down on the right front side of the vehicle body 1 from an obliquely upward direction. As a result, the right front camera 7A has a predetermined range set as an imaging range on the right front side of the vehicle body. 5 to 8, the rear camera 7B is disposed in a rearwardly downward position at the rear end of the ceiling of the vehicle body 1 in the left-right center so as to look down obliquely from above onto the rear side of the vehicle body 1. As a result, the imaging range of the rear camera 7B is set to a predetermined range on the rear side of the vehicle body.

[0072] The image processing device 7C includes an electronic control unit equipped with a microcontroller and various control programs stored in a non-volatile memory (for example, an EEPROM such as a flash memory) of the microcontroller. The image processing device 7C is subjected to a learning process for recognizing fruit trees in an orchard. The image processing device 7C is connected to the automatic driving control unit 40 via a CAN so as to be able to communicate with each other. The image processing device 7C processes information from each of the cameras 7A and 7B, generates a left front image of the vehicle body, a right front image of the vehicle body, and a rear image of the vehicle body, and transmits them to the automatic driving control unit 40. The automatic driving control unit 40 transfers each transmitted image to the terminal control unit 3B of the mobile communication terminal 3. This allows the left front image of the vehicle body, the right front image of the vehicle body, and the rear image of the vehicle body to be displayed on the display device 3A of the mobile communication terminal 3. The user can easily grasp the situation on the front side of the vehicle body and the situation on the rear side of the vehicle body by visually checking each image displayed on the display device 3A.

[0073] The camera unit 7 may be included in the obstacle detection system 6. In this case, obstacles can be detected with higher accuracy based on information about the obstacles from the LIDAR sensors 6A, 6B and the ultrasonic sensors 6C-6E, which have high distance measurement accuracy, and information about the obstacles from the camera unit 7, which has high object discrimination accuracy.

[0074] That is, the aforementioned automatic driving unit 2 includes a positioning unit 5, an obstacle detection system 6, a camera unit 7, an automatic driving control unit 40, an engine control unit 41, an HST control unit 42, and a work device control unit 43. By properly operating these components, the work vehicle V can be automatically driven with high accuracy along the target route P, and the spraying device 4 can properly spray a chemical solution or the like.

[0075] As shown in Figs. 3-4, 8, and 15, a support member 50 having a U-shape in plan view and supporting the front antenna unit 15 is attached to the front cross member 21 of the body frame 10. As shown in Figs. 4 and 15, the support member 50 includes left and right support plates 51 each having a downward L-shape in a side view. As shown in Fig. 15, each support plate 51 has an elongated hole 51A formed at its upper end portion and extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. Left and right brackets 52 provided at the bottom of the front antenna unit 15 are connected to each support plate 51 via a pair of front and rear bolts 53 or the like, using the elongated holes 51A.

[0076] With this configuration, the front antenna unit 15 can be repositioned from the usage position above the vehicle body shown by solid lines in Figure 15 to a storage position in front of the vehicle body shown by dashed lines in Figure 15 by first releasing the connection between the front antenna unit 15 and each support plate 51 using the front bolts 53 or the like, and then loosening the connection between the front antenna unit 15 and each support plate 51 using the rear bolts 53 or the like.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 3 and Figs. 5 to 8, a support member 54 that is U-shaped in plan view and supports the rear antenna unit 16 is attached to the rear cross member 22 of the body frame 10. As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the support member 54 includes left and right support plates 55 that are formed into a downward L-shape in a side view. Each support plate 55 has an elongated hole 55A formed in its upper end portion and extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. Left and right brackets (not shown) provided at the bottom of the rear antenna unit 16 are connected to each support plate 55 via a pair of front and rear bolts 56 or the like, using the elongated holes 55A.

[0078] With this configuration, the rear antenna unit 16 can be repositioned from its usage position above the vehicle body to its storage position at the rear of the vehicle body by releasing the connection between the rear antenna unit 16 and each support plate 55 via the rear bolts 56 or the like, and then loosening the connection between the rear antenna unit 16 and each support plate 55 via the rear bolts 56 or the like.

[0079] As shown in Figures 3-4, 8 and 15, left and right headlights 58 are attached to the front lower parts of the left and right support plates 51 via left and right support brackets 57. The left and right support brackets 57 are bolted to the left and right support plates 51 in a state in which the angle can be adjusted in the up and down direction. The left and right headlights 58 are bolted to the left and right support brackets 57 in a state in which they can be pivotally displaced in the left and right direction.

[0080] With this configuration, the lighting directions of the left and right headlights 58 can be adjusted in the vertical and horizontal directions. Also, as shown in Fig. 15, when the front antenna unit 15 is moved from the use position shown by the solid line in Fig. 15 to the storage position shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 15, by moving the left and right headlights 58 from their forward facing use positions to retracted positions facing outward to the side, interference between the front antenna unit 15 and the left and right headlights 58 can be avoided.

[0081] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, 8 and 15, a bracket 59 is connected to the left side of the support member 50, to which the above-mentioned indicator lamp 17 is detachably attached.

[0082] With the above-mentioned configuration, in this work vehicle V, by changing the position of each antenna unit 15, 16 from the usage position to the storage position and removing the indicator light 17 from the bracket 59, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconveniences such as each antenna unit 15, 16 and the indicator light 17 coming into contact with other objects and being damaged when the work vehicle V is stored in a barn, etc., or transported by a transport vehicle, etc.

[0083] 3 and 5 to 8, left and right combination lamps 60 each having a stop lamp and a back lamp are attached to the left and right support plates 55. The left and right combination lamps 60 are disposed at positions that do not interfere with changing the position of the rear antenna unit 16 described above.

[0084] As shown in Figs. 3-4, 6 and 8, on the left side of the vehicle body 1, a power switch 61 for turning on and off the power supply from the battery 13 to each of the electrical components such as the control units 40-43 is attached to a bracket 59 supporting the indicator lamp 17. A step 62 for enabling a user to stand on the vehicle is attached to the left support plate 27. The left cover body 18 is provided with an upper cover 18A (see Fig. 3) located in the middle between the front and rear of the left cover body 18 so that it can be opened and closed in the vertical direction. A cross-swing type steering lever 63 (see Fig. 6) that can be manually operated when the upper cover 18A is held in the open position is provided inside the left side of the vehicle body 1. The steering lever 63 is connected to the automatic driving control unit 40 via a sensor unit (not shown) that detects the direction and amount of operation of the steering lever 63. The automatic driving control unit 40 transmits a command to switch the driving state of the vehicle body 1 to the HST control unit 42 according to the direction and amount of operation of the steering lever 63 transmitted from the sensor unit. The HST control unit 42 controls the operation of each HST 30 in response to the switching of the driving state transmitted from the automatic driving control unit 40.

[0085] That is, in this work vehicle V, the user can easily operate the power switch 61 by standing on the step 62. Also, by standing on the step 62 while holding the upper cover 18A in the open position, the user can manually move and travel using the control lever 63.

[0086] 16 to 20, the automatic driving control by the automatic driving control unit 40 includes a trajectory following control in which a control target position pv of the work vehicle V (vehicle body 1) is set at a position on a target route P that is a predetermined distance (e.g., 1 m) L1 from the current position p0 of the work vehicle V (vehicle body 1) in the traveling direction, and the work vehicle V is automatically driven to follow this control target position pv. This enables the automatic driving control unit 40 to automatically drive the work vehicle V along the target route P.

[0087] To explain the trajectory tracking control in detail, as shown in FIG. 16, the automatic driving control unit 40 sets a control target position pv on the work path Pw until the work vehicle V is located near the boundary with the next turning path Pt on the work path Pw, in other words, while the current position p0 of the work vehicle V is located on the work path Pw at a distance of a predetermined distance L1 or more from the first connection point Pa (boundary) between the end of the work path Pw and the start of the turning path Pt, and automatically drives the work vehicle V to follow this control target position pv. As a result, the automatic driving control unit 40 can automatically drive the work vehicle V according to the work path Pw until the work vehicle V moves to the vicinity of the boundary with the next turning path Pt on the work path Pw. As a result, it is possible to avoid the risk of the work vehicle V deviating from the work path Pw and colliding with the fruit trees Z located in the space of the work vehicle V or on the left or right thereof.

[0088] As shown in Fig. 17, when the work vehicle V is located on the work path Pw near the boundary with the next turning path Pt, in other words, while the current position p0 of the work vehicle V is located on the work path Pw within a predetermined distance L1 from the first connection point Pa described above, the automatic driving control unit 40 sets a control target position pv on the extension line Lw of the work path Pw and automatically drives the work vehicle V to follow this control target position pv. This allows the work vehicle V to automatically drive along the work path Pw while maintaining its posture along the work path Pw until the work vehicle V is about to transition from the work path Pw to the next turning path Pt. As a result, it is possible to avoid the risk of the work vehicle V starting to turn near the boundary between the work path Pw and the turning path Pt before completely exiting from on or between the fruit tree rows Zr and taking a path that will collide with the fruit trees Z.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 18, when the work vehicle V reaches the boundary between the work path Pw and the next turning path Pt, in other words, when the current position p0 of the work vehicle V is located on the first connection point Pa described above, the automatic driving control unit 40 switches the control target position pv from the extension line Lw of the work path Pw to the turning path Pt. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, until the work vehicle V is located near the boundary with the work path Pw on the turning path Pt, in other words, while the current position p0 of the work vehicle V is located on the turning path Pt away from the second connection point Pb (boundary) between the end of the turning path Pt and the start of the work path Pw by a predetermined distance L1 or more, the automatic driving control unit 40 sets the control target position pv on the turning path Pt and automatically drives the work vehicle V to follow this control target position pv. As a result, the work vehicle V can be automatically driven according to the turning path Pt until the work vehicle V is located near the boundary with the next work path Pw on the turning path Pt.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 20, when the work vehicle V is located on the turning path Pt near the boundary with the next work path Pw, in other words, when the current position p0 of the work vehicle V is located on the turning path Pt within a predetermined distance L1 from the second connection point Pb described above, the automatic driving control unit 40 sets a control target position pv on the work path Pw and automatically drives the work vehicle V to follow this control target position pv. As a result, when the work vehicle V is located on the turning path Pt near the boundary with the next work path Pw, the work vehicle V is automatically driven according to the turning path Pt, and as the work vehicle V approaches the work path Pw, the posture of the work vehicle V can be made closer to a posture suitable for driving on the work path Pw. As a result, when the work vehicle V finishes turning on the turning path Pt, the position and posture of the work vehicle V can be made suitable for the work vehicle V to move on the next fruit tree row Zr and between the fruit tree rows Zr.

[0091] The automatic driving control unit 40 sets a control target position pv on the work path Pw until the work vehicle V passes the boundary between the turning path Pt and the next work path Pw and is located near the boundary with the next turning path Pt on the next work path Pw, in other words, while the current position p0 of the work vehicle V passes the aforementioned second connection point Pb and is located on a path that is more than a predetermined distance L1 away from the aforementioned first connection point Pa on the next work path Pw (see Figure 16).

[0092] In this way, by having the automatic driving control unit 40 set a control target position pv and automatically driving the work vehicle V to follow this control target position pv, it is possible to avoid the work vehicle V taking an inappropriate posture or path and colliding with the fruit trees Z not only when the work vehicle V is driving on or between the fruit tree rows Zr, but also when the work vehicle V exits from on or between the fruit tree rows Zr, and when the work vehicle V moves onto or between the next fruit tree row Zr and between the fruit tree rows Zr.

[0093] Furthermore, in order to enable such collision avoidance, there is no need to make the length of the work path Pw relative to the fruit tree row Zr too long, so non-work paths such as the turning path Pt included in the target path P can be made as short as possible, thereby enabling the reduction of work time and fuel consumption, etc.

[0094] Furthermore, the automatic driving control unit 40 does not set the control target position pv on the extension line Lt of the turning path Pt while the work vehicle V is located on the turning path Pt, thereby avoiding the risk of the work vehicle V deviating from the turning path Pt due to the control target position pv being set on the extension line Lt of the turning path Pt.

[0095] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, even if the work vehicle V deviates from the turning path Pt while turning along the turning path Pt, the automatic driving control unit 40 does not set the control target position pv on the extension line Lt of the turning path Pt as shown in Figure 21, but sets the control target position pv on the work path Pw as shown in Figure 22.Therefore, even if the work vehicle V deviates from the turning path Pt, when the work vehicle V moves onto the next fruit tree row Zr and between the fruit tree rows Zr, the position and posture of the work vehicle V can be made suitable for moving onto the next fruit tree row Zr and between the fruit tree rows Zr.

[0096] Due to the nature of sunlight, grapes for wine and the like are grown on sloping land with rows of fruit trees aligned along contour lines at a predetermined interval in the direction of the slope. In a target route P generated for such an orchard, each work route Pw is generated along the contour lines, and each turning route Pt is generated across the upper and lower work routes Pw. Therefore, when a work vehicle V is automatically driven according to such a target route P, the work vehicle V will turn in the direction of the slope according to the turning route Pt.

[0097] On the other hand, since the work vehicle V illustrated in this embodiment is designed for spraying work, if the remaining amount of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A decreases as the work vehicle travels, this decrease in the remaining amount will affect the turning performance when the work vehicle V turns in an inclined direction according to the turning path Pt on the work site.

[0098] Specifically, for example, as shown in Figures 23 to 25, when the work vehicle V turns upward in the inclination direction, the center of gravity position pc of the vehicle body 1 changes to the rear side of the vehicle body 1 when there is less spray liquid in the storage tank 4A (see Figure 23 (b)) than when there is a lot of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A (see Figure 23 (a)), and the position where this center of gravity position pc is projected onto the ground also changes. As a result, as shown in Figure 24, a difference occurs between the turning center position pt1 of the left and right crawlers 11 when there is a lot of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A and the turning center position pt2 of the left and right crawlers 11 when there is a little spray liquid in the storage tank 4A, and when the left and right crawlers 11 are driven with a constant speed difference, the turning travel trajectory t2 of the work vehicle V when there is less spray liquid is displaced toward the turning center side compared to the turning travel trajectory t1 of the work vehicle V when there is a lot of spray liquid. Therefore, the less the spray liquid in the storage tank 4A becomes, the more easily the work vehicle A after turning becomes displaced in the inclined direction relative to the work path Pw.

[0099] Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of the above-mentioned inconveniences, it is conceivable to match the control target position pv1 when the work vehicle A turns along the turning path Pt with a small amount of spray liquid, as shown in Figure 26, with the control target position pv2 when the work vehicle A turns along the turning path Pt with a large amount of spray liquid.However, conventionally, as shown in Figure 25, the control target positions pv1 and pv2 set by the automatic driving control unit 40 are specified at positions on the target path P that are a certain distance L1 away from the work vehicle A in the traveling direction, so that such a solution cannot be taken and there is room for improvement.

[0100] Therefore, in this automatic driving system for a work vehicle, when the work vehicle A is located on the turning path Pt, the automatic driving control unit 40 makes it possible to correct the control target position pv based on the slope information of the work site and the remaining amount of spray liquid. Specifically, in the above-mentioned trajectory tracking control, when the work vehicle V is located on the turning path Pt, the automatic driving control unit 40 performs a control target position correction process to correct the control target position pv set on the turning path Pt based on the position shift of the turning center position of the work vehicle V due to the influence of the amount of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A, which differs each time the work vehicle V turns on the turning path Pt (the position shift of the turning center positions pt1, pt2 shown in Figs. 24-25).

[0101] Hereinafter, the control operation of the automatic driving control unit 40 in the control target position correction process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0102] The automatic driving control unit 40 performs an information acquisition process (step #1) to acquire detection information from a remaining amount sensor (an example of a remaining amount detection unit) 45 (see Figure 2) that detects the remaining amount of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A and measurement information from the inertial measurement unit 5E each time the work vehicle V turns on the turning path Pt.

[0103] The automatic driving control unit 40 performs an inclination information acquisition process to acquire inclination information of the work site based on the attitude information of the vehicle body 1 included in the measurement information from the inertial measurement unit 5E (step #2). In addition, the automatic driving control unit 40 performs a turning center position calculation process to calculate turning center positions pt1, pt2 of the work vehicle V for each turning path Pt based on the acquired inclination information of the work site and the remaining amount of sprayed liquid (step #3).

[0104] The automatic driving control unit 40 performs a change amount calculation process to calculate the change amount Δpt between the turning center position pt2 of the work vehicle V calculated on the current turning path Pt and the turning center position pt1 of the work vehicle V calculated on the previous turning path Pt (step #4), and performs a separation distance change process to change the separation distance (predetermined distance) L1 from the current position p0 of the work vehicle V on the current turning path Pt to the control target position pv, using this change amount Δpt as the correction amount Δpv of the current control target position pv2 relative to the previous control target position pv1 (step #5).

[0105] As a result, when the automatic driving control unit 40 sets the control target position pv on the turning path Pt to make the work vehicle V turn toward the inclination direction of the slope, the automatic driving control unit 40 can set (correct) the control target position pv (control target position pv2 in FIG. 26) set on the current turning path Pt to the same position as the control target position pv (control target position pv1 in FIG. 26) set on the previous turning path Pt, regardless of the change in the turning center position of the work vehicle V caused by the amount of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A that differs for each turning path Pt. Then, the work vehicle V turns along the turning path Pt in a state following the corrected appropriate control target position pv (pv2).

[0106] In other words, even if a change occurs in the turning center position of the work vehicle V due to the amount of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A that differs for each turning path Pt, the work vehicle V can be turned according to the turning path Pt while taking into consideration the change. As a result, regardless of the amount of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A that differs for each turning path Pt, the turning performance of the work vehicle A on each turning path Pt can be made substantially the same, and it is possible to prevent the work vehicle A after turning from being displaced in the inclined direction relative to the work path Pw.

[0107] As a result, regardless of the reduction in the amount of spray liquid in the storage tank 4A due to work driving, the work vehicle V can be automatically driven along the target route P with high accuracy, even when the work vehicle V is turned in the direction of the slope of a slope.

[0108] In addition, in this work vehicle V, the inertial measurement unit 5E and the automatic driving control unit 40 function as an inclination information acquisition unit that acquires inclination information of the work site from which the target route P is generated.

[0109] Furthermore, the automatic driving control unit 40 may store a correction amount Δpv of the control target position pv for each turning path Pt, which is set in advance for each turning path Pt, or a common correction amount Δpv of the control target position pv. Alternatively, the turning path Pt of the target path P may be provided with a correction amount Δpv of the control target position pv.

[0110] Incidentally, when the work vehicle V turns in an inclined direction, it is conceivable that the work vehicle A during turning will slip downward in the inclination direction due to the inclination of the work site and the remaining amount of spray liquid, and thus be displaced downward in the inclination direction relative to the turning path Pt. In such a case, if the automatic driving control unit 40 can calculate a correction amount corresponding to the amount of slip based on the inclination information of the work site and the remaining amount of spray liquid, and correct the control target position pv by this correction amount, the control target position pv for the turning path Pt can be set outside the turning path Pt taking into account the amount of slip. This makes it possible to prevent the work vehicle A during turning from being displaced downward in the inclination direction relative to the turning path Pt.

[0111] 28, the left and right front LIDAR sensors 6A, 6B are masked on their measurement ranges Aa, Ab of the left and right centers of the measurement ranges Aa, Ab to the inside of the vehicle body so that the left and right front LIDAR sensors 6A, 6B do not detect fruit trees Z passing through the space of the work vehicle V as an obstacle when the work vehicle V is automatically traveling along the work path Pw. As a result, the left and right front LIDAR sensors 6A, 6B detect fruit trees Z and the like present on the left and right of the work vehicle V as obstacles when the work vehicle V is automatically traveling along the work path Pw.

[0112] The collision avoidance module 40A defines a potential function for the driving target position pd of the work vehicle V set by the automatic driving control unit 40 and the position of an obstacle such as a fruit tree Z, and uses a potential method to generate a collision avoidance path Pe (see Figure 30) by determining the direction of travel according to the gradient of this function, thereby performing path correction control to correct the path from the current position p0 of the work vehicle V on the target path P to a predetermined driving target position pd.

[0113] Hereinafter, the control operation of the collision avoidance module 40A in the path correction control will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 29 and the explanatory diagrams in FIGS.

[0114] The collision avoidance module 40A performs an information acquisition process to acquire the travel target position pd of the work vehicle V and measurement information relating to obstacles from the left and right front lidar sensors 6A, 6B (step #11).

[0115] The collision avoidance module 40A performs a first determination process to determine whether or not an obstacle has been detected by at least one of the left and right front lidar sensors 6A, 6B (step #12), and if an obstacle has been detected, performs a potential field generation process to generate a potential field in which an attractive potential is generated at the driving target position coordinates and a repulsive potential is generated at the obstacle coordinates (step #13).

[0116] If no obstacle is detected by the left and right front LIDAR sensors 6A, 6B in the first determination process, the collision avoidance module 40A waits until an obstacle is detected.

[0117] The collision avoidance module 40A performs a route generation process to generate a collision avoidance route Pe from the current position p0 of the work vehicle V to the driving target position pd based on the gradient of the generated potential field (step #14), and performs a second determination process to determine whether or not an inflection point pe exists on the collision avoidance route Pe where an angle change of more than a predetermined value occurs (step #15).

[0118] If the inflection point pe exists in the second determination process, the collision avoidance module 40A performs a target position setting process to set the inflection point pe as the driving target position pd (step #16), and performs a reference line generation process to generate a driving reference line Ls that passes from the current position p0 of the work vehicle V and the inflection point pe (step #17).Then, the collision avoidance module 40A performs a control target position change process to change the setting of the control target position pv from the work path Pw to onto the driving reference line Ls (step #18).

[0119] If the second determination process finds that the inflection point pe does not exist, the collision avoidance module 40A returns to step #11 and maintains the state in which the control target position pv is set on the work path Pw.

[0120] After performing the control target position change process, the collision avoidance module 40A performs a third determination process to determine whether or not the current position p0 of the work vehicle V has reached the inflection point pe (driving target position pd) (step #19), and if the inflection point pe has been reached, returns to step #11 and generates a collision avoidance route Pe from the inflection point pe (current position p0 of the work vehicle V) to the next driving target position pd. If the inflection point pe has not been reached, the module waits until the current position p0 of the work vehicle V reaches the inflection point pe.

[0121] In other words, when the work vehicle V is located on the work path Pw and a fruit tree Z in a fruit tree row Zr adjacent to the work path Pw is detected as an obstacle by the left and right front lidar sensors 6A, 6B, the collision avoidance module 40A can re-set the control target position pv to be on a collision avoidance driving reference line Ls off the work path Pw based on the detection of the left and right front lidar sensors 6A, 6B.

[0122] As a result, in trajectory tracking control, which causes the work vehicle V to follow the control target position pv, the work vehicle V can be automatically driven in a state that roughly follows the work path Pw while avoiding the risk of the work vehicle V colliding with fruit trees Z in the fruit tree row Zr adjacent to the work path Pw.

[0123] Furthermore, such collision avoidance can be easily and accurately performed by generating a collision avoidance path Pe using the potential method, even in an orchard where there are many obstacles such as fruit trees Z around the target path P. [Another embodiment] Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0124] The configurations of the different embodiments described below are not limited to being applied alone, but may also be applied in combination with the configurations of other different embodiments.

[0125] (1) The work vehicle V may be configured as an electrically powered vehicle having, for example, left and right electric motors that independently drive the left and right crawlers 11, instead of the engine 12 and the pair of HSTs 30.

[0126] (2) In the work vehicle V, one or both of the left and right crawlers 11 may be connected to the vehicle body frame 10 via a lift drive unit so as to be able to rise and fall.

[0127] (3) The work vehicle V may be configured so that the lateral width of the vehicle body 1 as well as the lateral distance between the left and right crawlers 11 can be changed.

[0128] (4) The work vehicle V may be configured as a wheeled vehicle having left and right front wheels and left and right rear wheels, or as a semi-crawler vehicle having left and right crawlers instead of the left and right rear wheels.

[0129] [Notes on the invention] A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is an automatic driving system for a work vehicle, A location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a work vehicle, and an automatic driving control unit that automatically drives the work vehicle according to a target route that is generated in advance, the target route includes a plurality of work routes arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval and a plurality of turning routes that connect the plurality of work routes to a travel sequence of the work vehicle; the automatic travel control unit enables automatic travel of the work vehicle along the target route by setting a control target position; the automatic travel control unit, when the work vehicle is located on the work path near a boundary between the work path and the turning path, sets the control target position on an extension line of the work path; The automatic driving control unit sets the control target position on the work path when the work vehicle is located on the turning path near the boundary between the turning path and the work path.

[0130] According to this configuration, while the work vehicle is located near the boundary between the work path and the turning path, the work vehicle travels along the work path while following a control target position set on an extension of the work path by the automatic travel control unit. As a result, the work vehicle travels along the work path while maintaining a posture along the work path until it is about to transition from the work path to the turning path.

[0131] Also, while the work vehicle is located near the boundary between the turning path and the work path, the work vehicle travels along the turning path while following the control target position set on the next work path by the automatic travel control unit. As a result, the work vehicle travels along the turning path while approaching the work path and approaching a posture along the work path suitable for travel on the work path as it approaches the work path until it transitions from the turning path to the work path.

[0132] In other words, when the work vehicle transitions from the work path to the turning path, the posture of the work vehicle can be maintained in a posture suitable for traveling on the work path until the work vehicle transitions to the turning path. Also, when the work vehicle transitions from the turning path to the work path, the posture of the work vehicle can be made suitable for traveling on the work path from the initial stage of the transition of the work vehicle from the turning path to the work path.

[0133] As a result, even if the work site is, for example, an orchard or farm field with rows of fruit trees or crops adjacent to the work path, the connection point between the work path and the turning path does not have to be set at a position far away from the end of the row of fruit trees or crops, and it is possible to avoid the risk of the work vehicle colliding with the row of fruit trees or crops when transitioning from the work path to the turning path or from the turning path to the work path.

[0134] As a result, it is possible to provide an automatic driving system for a work vehicle that can shorten non-work routes such as turning routes included in the target route for automatic driving as much as possible, thereby shortening work time and reducing fuel consumption, while avoiding the risk of the work vehicle colliding with fruit tree rows, crop rows, etc. when transitioning between the work route and the turning route.

[0135] The second characteristic configuration of the present invention is as follows: The automatic driving control unit is configured not to set the control target position on an extension line of the turning path when the work vehicle is located on the turning path.

[0136] According to this configuration, when the work vehicle is located on a turning path, the automatic driving control unit sets the control target position on an extension of the turning path, thereby avoiding the risk of the work vehicle deviating from the turning path.

[0137] In addition, even if the work vehicle deviates from the turning path while turning on the turning path, the automatic driving control unit does not set the control target position on an extension of the turning path, but sets the control target position on the work path or on the turning path. Therefore, even if the work vehicle deviates from the turning path, when the work vehicle moves to the next work path, the position and attitude of the work vehicle can be made suitable for traveling on the work path.

[0138] The third characteristic configuration of the present invention is as follows: A slope information acquisition unit that acquires slope information of a work site from which the target route is generated, The work vehicle is provided with a spray unit that sprays a spray liquid, a storage unit that stores the spray liquid, and a remaining amount detection unit that detects the remaining amount of the spray liquid in the storage unit, The automatic driving control unit is characterized in that, when the work vehicle is located on the turning path, it enables correction of the control target position based on the tilt information and the remaining amount of spray liquid.

[0139] For example, if the work vehicle is used for spraying work, the remaining amount of spray liquid in the storage tank changes (decreases) every time the work vehicle moves from the work path to the turning path. If the turning path is set to make the work vehicle turn toward the upper side of the slope, when the work vehicle turns toward the upper side of the slope according to the turning path, the center of gravity of the work vehicle will move toward the rear of the work vehicle when there is less spray liquid in the storage tank than when there is more spray liquid in the storage tank, and the position of the center of gravity projected onto the ground will also change.

[0140] As a result, a difference occurs between the turning center position when the work vehicle turns along the turning path with a large amount of spray liquid in the storage tank and the turning center position when the work vehicle turns along the turning path with a small amount of spray liquid in the storage tank, and when the work vehicle turns at a constant turning angle, the turning travel trajectory when the work vehicle turns with a small amount of spray liquid is displaced toward the turning center side compared to the turning travel trajectory when the work vehicle turns with a large amount of spray liquid. Therefore, the work vehicle after turning is easily displaced in the inclined direction with respect to the work path.

[0141] Taking this into consideration, in this configuration, when the work vehicle is located on a turning path, the automatic driving control unit makes it possible to correct the control target position based on the slope information of the work area and the remaining amount of spray liquid.

[0142] Specifically, when the work vehicle turns in the direction of the slope of the slope, and the turning center position of the work vehicle is displaced downward on the slope according to the slope of the work area and the remaining amount of spray liquid at that time, the automatic driving control unit corrects the control target position based on the slope information of the work area and the remaining amount of spray liquid at that time. This correction prevents the work vehicle from deviating from the turning path due to the turning center position of the work vehicle being displaced downward on the slope.

[0143] This allows the work vehicle to automatically travel along the target route with high precision, even when the work vehicle is made to travel in the direction of the slope of a slope, regardless of the amount of spray liquid in the storage tank, which differs each time the work vehicle travels along the turning route.

[0144] The fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is as follows: An obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle, The automatic driving control unit is characterized in that when the work vehicle is located on the work path and the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle present in the direction of travel of the work vehicle, the automatic driving control unit sets the control target position outside the work path based on the detection by the obstacle detection unit.

[0145] According to this configuration, when a work vehicle is positioned on a work path and the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle in the direction of travel of the work vehicle, the automatic driving control unit sets a control target position at a position away from the obstacle and off the work path based on the detection by the obstacle detection unit, and drives the work vehicle in a state following this control target position.

[0146] In other words, by changing the control target position, which is normally set on the work path, to a position off the work path, it is possible to avoid the risk of the work vehicle colliding with an obstacle that exists in the direction of travel of the work vehicle.

[0147] An autonomous driving system for a work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention includes an automatic driving control unit that automatically drives the work vehicle along a target route. The target route includes a first work route, a turning route that is connected to the first work route and causes the work vehicle to travel after the first work route, and a second work route that is connected to the turning route and causes the work vehicle to travel after the turning route. The automatic driving control unit automatically drives the work vehicle, which is traveling along the turning route, along the second work route from a position before the boundary between the turning route and the second work route.

[0148] An automatic driving method according to one embodiment of the present invention is an automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle along a target route, the target route including a first work route, a turning route connected to the first work route and on which the work vehicle runs after the first work route, and a second work route connected to the turning route and on which the work vehicle runs after the turning route, and the work vehicle traveling along the turning route is automatically driven along the second work route from a position before the boundary between the turning route and the second work route. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 4A Storage section 4L Spreading section 4R Spreading section 5 Location information acquisition section 5E,40 Slope information acquisition section 6 Obstacle detection section 40 Automatic driving control unit 45 Remaining amount detection unit Lt Extension of turning path Lw Extension of the work path P Target Route Pt Turning Path Pw Work path pv control target position V Work vehicle

Claims

1. An automatic driving control unit that automatically drives a work vehicle along a target route, The target route includes a turning route and a next travel route to be traveled after the turning route, The automatic driving control unit of the automatic driving system causes the work vehicle, which automatically drives according to the turning path, to automatically drive according to the next driving path from a position before the boundary between the turning path and the next driving path.

2. The automatic driving system according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic driving control unit automatically drives the work vehicle from the position along the next driving route even if the work vehicle deviates from the turning route.

3. The automated driving system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position is a position near the boundary and within a predetermined distance from the boundary.

4. An automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle along a target route, comprising: The target route includes a turning route and a next travel route to be traveled after the turning route, The automatic driving method includes causing the work vehicle, which automatically travels along the turning path, to automatically travel along the next travel path from a position before a boundary between the turning path and the next travel path.

5. An automatic driving control unit that automatically drives a work vehicle along a target route, The target route includes a turning route and a next travel route to be traveled after the turning route, The automatic driving control unit of the automatic driving system causes the work vehicle, which automatically drives according to the turning path, to automatically drive according to the next driving path from a position before the connection point between the turning path and the next driving path.

6. An automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle along a target route, comprising: The target route includes a turning route and a next travel route to be traveled after the turning route, An automatic driving method, comprising: causing the work vehicle, which automatically travels along the turning path, to automatically travel along the next travel path from a position before a connection point between the turning path and the next travel path.

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