Autonomous Driving Method, Autonomous Driving System, and Autonomous Driving Program

Abstract

To provide an automatic travel method, an automatic travel system and an automatic travel program, capable of improving work efficiency of a work vehicle through enhancing determination accuracy of an obstacle.SOLUTION: An automatic travel method executes: making a work vehicle 10 automatically travel along a preset target route R in a farm field F; detecting a detection object inside the farm field F by a detection part provided in the work vehicle 10; acquiring a first coordinate position showing a position of the detection object in a sensor coordinate system with the detection part as a reference; converting the first coordinate position to a second coordinate position showing a position of the detection object in an NED coordinate system with the farm field F as a reference; and determining whether the detection object is an obstacle or not according to the second coordinate position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic driving method, an automatic driving system, and an automatic driving program for automatically driving a work vehicle along a target path in a driving area.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a work vehicle that automatically travels along a target path while spraying a chemical solution on crops planted in a work area such as a farm field or an agricultural garden (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The work vehicle performs a spraying operation of spraying a spraying material on the first crop row and second crop rows respectively in the left and right directions of the first crop row while traveling across the first crop row.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the work vehicle travels in an area where crops are arranged, for example, the work vehicle is positioned using a signal received from a satellite (for example, a GNSS signal), and travels along a crop row path set according to the positions of the crops. Here, for example, when the attitude of the work vehicle changes while the work vehicle is automatically traveling along the crop row path and the position deviation and azimuth deviation with respect to the crop row path become large, the work vehicle may determine crops on the crop row path, crops adjacent to the crop row path, etc. as obstacles by detecting them a predetermined number of times. In this case, the work vehicle executes a driving restriction process such as decelerating or stopping in order to avoid a collision with an obstacle. Thus, in the conventional technology, there arises a problem that the work efficiency of the work vehicle decreases due to misrecognition of an obstacle.

[0005] The object of the present invention relates to an automatic driving method, an automatic driving system, and an automatic driving program capable of improving the work efficiency of a work vehicle by enhancing the determination accuracy of obstacles.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The automatic driving method according to the present invention includes automatically driving a work vehicle in a driving area according to a preset target route, detecting a detection target in the driving area by a detection unit provided on the work vehicle, obtaining a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a first coordinate system with the detection unit as a reference, converting the first coordinate position into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a second coordinate system with the driving area as a reference, and determining whether the detection target is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position.

[0007] The automatic driving system according to the present invention includes a driving processing unit, a detection processing unit, an acquisition processing unit, a conversion processing unit, and a determination processing unit. The driving processing unit automatically drives a work vehicle in a driving area according to a preset target route. The detection processing unit detects a detection target in the driving area by a detection unit provided on the work vehicle. The acquisition processing unit obtains a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a first coordinate system with the detection unit as a reference. The conversion processing unit converts the first coordinate position into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a second coordinate system with the driving area as a reference. The determination processing unit determines whether the detection target is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position.

[0008] The automatic driving program according to the present invention causes one or a plurality of processors to automatically drive a work vehicle in a driving area according to a preset target route, detect a detection target in the driving area by a detection unit provided in the work vehicle, obtain a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a first coordinate system with the detection unit as a reference, convert the first coordinate position into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a second coordinate system with the driving area as a reference, and determine whether the detection target is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic driving method, an automatic driving system, and an automatic driving program capable of improving the work efficiency of a work vehicle by enhancing the determination accuracy of obstacles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The following embodiments are examples embodying the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0012] [Automatic Driving System 1] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic driving system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a work vehicle 10, an operation terminal 20, a base station 40, and a satellite 50. The work vehicle 10 and the operation terminal 20 can communicate via a communication network N1. For example, the work vehicle 10 and the operation terminal 20 can communicate via a mobile phone line network, a packet line network, or a wireless LAN.

[0013] In the present embodiment, a case where the work vehicle 10 is a vehicle that performs a spraying operation of spraying a chemical solution, water, etc. on the crop V (see FIG. 5) planted in the field F will be described as an example. The field F is an example of the traveling area of the present invention, and the field F is, for example, an orchard such as a vineyard or an apple orchard. The crop V is, for example, a grape fruit tree. The spraying operation is, for example, an operation of spraying a spray such as a chemical solution or water on the crop V. As another embodiment, the work vehicle 10 may be a vehicle that performs a weeding operation, a leaf pruning operation, or a harvesting operation.

[0014] The crops V are arranged in a plurality of rows at a predetermined interval in the field F. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of crops V are planted linearly in a predetermined direction (D1 direction), and constitute a crop row Vr including the plurality of crops V arranged linearly. FIG. 5 illustrates three crop rows Vr. Each crop row Vr is arranged at a predetermined interval W1 in the row direction (D2 direction). The area (space) of the interval W2 between adjacent crop rows Vr serves as a work passage for the work vehicle 10 to perform a spraying operation on the crop V while traveling in the D1 direction.

[0015] In addition, the work vehicle 10 can automatically travel (autonomously travel) along a preset target route R. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the work vehicle 10 automatically travels along a target route R including a work route R1 (work routes R1a to R1f) and a movement route R2 from a work start position S to a work end position G. The work route R1 is a linear route along which the work vehicle 10 performs a spraying operation on the crop V, and the movement route R2 is a route along which the work vehicle 10 moves between crop rows Vr without performing a spraying operation. The movement route R2 includes, for example, a turning route and a straight-ahead route. In the example shown in FIG. 6, in the field F, a crop V composed of crop rows Vr1 to Vr11 is arranged. In FIG. 6, the position where the crop V is planted (crop position) is represented by "Vp". Further, the work vehicle 10 traveling in the field F of FIG. 6 has a body 100 having a portal shape (see FIG. 4C), and while traveling across one crop row Vr, sprays a chemical solution on the crop V of the crop row Vr and the crop row Vr adjacent to the crop row Vr. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the work vehicle 10 travels across the crop row Vr5, the left side body (left side portion 100L) of the work vehicle 10 travels in the work passage between the crop rows Vr4 and Vr5, the right side body (right side portion 100R) of the work vehicle 10 travels in the work passage between the crop rows Vr5 and Vr6, and sprays a chemical solution on the crops V of the crop rows Vr4, Vr5, and Vr6.

[0016] In addition, the work vehicle 10 performs automatic travel in a predetermined row order. For example, the work vehicle 10 travels across the crop row Vr1, then travels across the crop row Vr3, and then travels across the crop row Vr5. In this way, the work vehicle 10 performs automatic travel according to the preset order of the crop rows Vr. Note that the work vehicle 10 may travel one row at a time in the arranged order of the crop rows Vr, or may travel every few rows.

[0017] The satellite 50 is a positioning satellite constituting a satellite positioning system such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and transmits a GNSS signal (satellite signal). The base station 40 is a reference point (reference station) constituting the satellite positioning system. The base station 40 transmits correction information for calculating the current position of the work vehicle 10 to the work vehicle 10.

[0018] The positioning device 16 mounted on the work vehicle 10 executes a positioning process for calculating the current position (latitude, longitude, altitude) and current orientation of the work vehicle 10 by using GNSS signals transmitted from the satellite 50. Specifically, the positioning device 16 positions the work vehicle 10 by using an RTK (Real Time Kinematic) method or the like that positions the work vehicle 10 based on the positioning information (such as GNSS signals) received by two receivers (antenna 164 and base station 40) and the correction information generated by the base station 40. Since the positioning method is a well-known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0019] Hereinafter, the details of each component constituting the automatic driving system 1 will be described.

[0020] [Work vehicle 10] FIG. 3 is an external view of the work vehicle 10 as seen from the left front side. FIG. 4A is an external view of the left side of the work vehicle 10 as seen from the left side, FIG. 4B is an external view of the right side of the work vehicle 10 as seen from the right side, and FIG. 4C is an external view of the back of the work vehicle 10 as seen from the back side.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the work vehicle 10 includes a vehicle control device 11, a storage unit 12, a traveling device 13, a spraying device 14, a communication unit 15, a positioning device 16, an obstacle detection device 17, and the like. The vehicle control device 11 is electrically connected to the storage unit 12, the traveling device 13, the spraying device 14, the positioning device 16, the obstacle detection device 17, and the like. Note that the vehicle control device 11 and the positioning device 16 may be capable of wireless communication.

[0022] The communication unit 15 is a communication interface for connecting the work vehicle 10 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol with an external device such as the operation terminal 20 via the communication network N1.

[0023] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various types of information. The storage unit 12 stores control programs such as an automatic driving program for causing the vehicle control device 11 to execute the automatic driving process (see FIG. 14) described later. For example, the automatic driving program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, read by a predetermined reading device (not shown), and stored in the storage unit 12. Note that the automatic driving program may be downloaded from a server (not shown) to the work vehicle 10 via the communication network N1 and stored in the storage unit 12. Further, the storage unit 12 stores route data including information on the target route R generated in the operation terminal 20. For example, the route data is transferred from the operation terminal 20 to the work vehicle 10 and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0024] Here, the work vehicle 10 includes a portal-shaped vehicle body 100 that travels across crops V (fruit trees) planted in a plurality of rows in the farm field F. As shown in FIG. 4C, the vehicle body 100 is formed in a portal shape by a left side portion 100L, a right side portion 100R, and a connecting portion 100C that connects the left side portion 100L and the right side portion 100R. A space 100S that allows the passage of the crop V is secured inside the left side portion 100L, the right side portion 100R, and the connecting portion 100C.

[0025] Tracks 101 are provided at the lower ends of the left side portion 100L and the right side portion 100R of the vehicle body 100, respectively. The left side portion 100L is provided with an engine (not shown), a battery (not shown), and the like. The right side portion 100R is provided with a storage tank 14A (see FIG. 4B) of the spraying device 14 and the like. In this way, by distributing and arranging the components on the left side portion 100L and the right side portion 100R of the vehicle body 100, the work vehicle 10 achieves a balance of left and right balance and a lower center of gravity. As a result, the work vehicle 10 can travel stably on slopes and the like in the farm field F.

[0026] The traveling device 13 is a driving unit that makes the work vehicle 10 travel. The traveling device 13 includes an engine, crawlers 101, etc.

[0027] The left and right crawlers 101 are driven by the power from the engine in a state where independent speed change by a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission is possible. Thereby, the vehicle body 100 enters a forward state in which it moves straight forward in the forward direction when the left and right crawlers 101 are driven at a constant speed in the forward direction, and enters a reverse state in which it moves straight backward in the reverse direction when the left and right crawlers 101 are driven at a constant speed in the reverse direction. Further, the vehicle body 100 enters a forward turning state in which it turns while moving forward when the left and right crawlers 101 are driven at unequal speeds in the forward direction, and enters a reverse turning state in which it turns while moving backward when the left and right crawlers 101 are driven at unequal speeds in the reverse direction. Also, the vehicle body 100 enters a pivot turning (on-site turning) state when one of the left and right crawlers 101 is stopped from being driven and the other crawler 101 is driven, and enters a spin turning (super on-site turning) state when the left and right crawlers 101 are driven at a constant speed in the forward and reverse directions. Further, the vehicle body 100 enters a traveling stop state when the left and right crawlers 101 are stopped from being driven. Incidentally, the left and right crawlers 101 may be configured to be electric type driven by an electric motor.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4C, the spraying device 14 includes a storage tank 14A for storing chemical liquid etc., a spraying pump (not shown) for pumping the chemical liquid etc., an electric spraying motor (not shown) for driving the spraying pump, two spraying pipes 14B arranged in parallel left and right in a vertical posture on the back of the vehicle body 100, a total of 12 spraying nozzles 14C provided three by three in each spraying pipe 14B, an electronically controlled valve unit (not shown) for changing the spraying amount and spraying pattern of the chemical liquid etc., and a plurality of spraying pipes (not shown) for connecting these.

[0029] Each spraying nozzle 14C is attached to the corresponding spraying pipe 14B so as to be vertically positionally adjustable. As a result, each spraying nozzle 14C can change the interval between adjacent spraying nozzles 14C and the height position relative to the spraying pipe 14B according to the object to be sprayed (crop V). Further, each spraying nozzle 14C is attached to the vehicle body 100 so as to be height-positionally and horizontally-positionally adjustable according to the object to be sprayed.

[0030] In the spraying device 14, the number of spraying nozzles 14C provided in each spraying pipe 14B can be variously changed according to the type of crop V, the length of each spraying pipe 14B, and the like.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4C, among the plurality of spraying nozzles 14C, the three spraying nozzles 14C provided in the leftmost spraying pipe 14B spray the chemical liquid leftward toward the crop Va located outside the left side of the vehicle body 100. Among the plurality of spraying nozzles 14C, the three spraying nozzles 14C provided in the left inner spraying pipe 14B adjacent to the leftmost spraying pipe 14B spray the chemical liquid rightward toward the crop Vb located in the left-right center space 100S in the vehicle body 100. Among the plurality of spraying nozzles 14C, the three spraying nozzles 14C provided in the rightmost spraying pipe 14B spray the chemical liquid rightward toward the crop Vc located outside the right side of the vehicle body 100. Among the plurality of spraying nozzles 14C, the three spraying nozzles 14C provided in the right inner spraying pipe 14B adjacent to the rightmost spraying pipe 14B spray the chemical liquid leftward toward the crop Vb located in the space 100S.

[0032] With the above configuration, in the spraying device 14, the two spraying pipes 14B and the six spraying nozzles 14C provided on the left side portion 100L of the vehicle body 100 function as the left spraying portion 14L. Also, the two spraying pipes 14B and the six spraying nozzles 14C provided on the right side portion 100R of the vehicle body 100 function as the right spraying portion 14R. And the left and right spraying portions 14L, 14R are arranged on the back of the vehicle body 100 with a left-right interval allowing the passage (space 100S) of the crop Vb therebetween in a state where spraying in the left-right direction is possible.

[0033] In the spraying device 14, the spraying patterns by the spraying units 14L and 14R include a four-direction spraying pattern in which each of the spraying units 14L and 14R sprays the chemical solution in both left and right directions, and a direction-limited spraying pattern in which the spraying direction by the spraying units 14L and 14R is limited. The direction-limited spraying pattern includes a left three-direction spraying pattern in which the spraying unit 14L sprays the chemical solution in both left and right directions and the spraying unit 14R sprays the chemical solution only in the left direction, a right three-direction spraying pattern in which the spraying unit 14L sprays the chemical solution only in the right direction and the spraying unit 14R sprays the chemical solution in both left and right directions, a two-direction spraying pattern in which the spraying unit 14L sprays the chemical solution only in the right direction and the spraying unit 14R sprays the chemical solution only in the left direction, a left one-direction spraying pattern in which the spraying unit 14L sprays only in the left direction and the spraying unit 14R does not spray the chemical solution, and a right one-direction spraying pattern in which the spraying unit 14R sprays only in the right direction and the spraying unit 14L does not spray the chemical solution.

[0034] The vehicle body 100 is equipped with an automatic driving control unit that automatically drives the vehicle body 100 along the target path R of the field F based on the positioning information obtained from the positioning device 16 and the like, an engine control unit that controls the engine, an HST (Hydro-Static Transmission) control unit that controls the hydrostatic continuously variable transmission, and a work device control unit that controls work devices such as the spraying device 14. Each control unit is constructed by an electronic control unit equipped with a microcontroller and the like, and various information and control programs stored in the non-volatile memory (for example, EEPROM such as flash memory) of the microcontroller. The various information stored in the non-volatile memory may include a previously generated target path R and the like. In this embodiment, each control unit is collectively referred to as the "vehicle control device 11" (see FIG. 2).

[0035] The positioning device 16 is a communication device including a positioning control unit 161, a storage unit 162, a communication unit 163, an antenna 164, and the like. The antenna 164 is provided in front of and behind the ceiling portion (connection portion 100C) of the vehicle body 100 (see FIG. 3). In addition, on the ceiling portion of the vehicle body 100, an indicator light 102 for displaying the traveling state of the work vehicle 10 and the like are provided (see FIG. 3). The battery is connected to the positioning device 16, and the positioning device 16 can operate even when the engine is stopped.

[0036] The communication unit 163 is a communication interface for connecting the positioning device 16 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with external devices such as the base station 40 via the communication network N1.

[0037] The antenna 164 is an antenna for receiving radio waves (GNSS signals) transmitted from satellites. Since the antenna 164 is provided in front of and behind the work vehicle 10, the current position and the current orientation of the work vehicle 10 can be measured with high accuracy.

[0038] The positioning control unit 161 is a computer system including one or a plurality of processors and a storage memory such as a non-volatile memory and a RAM. The storage unit 162 is a non-volatile memory or the like for storing a control program for causing the positioning control unit 161 to execute positioning processing and data such as positioning information and movement information. The positioning control unit 161 measures the current position and the current orientation of the work vehicle 10 by a predetermined positioning method (such as the RTK method) based on the GNSS signal received by the antenna 164 from the satellite 50.

[0039] The obstacle detection device 17 detects a detection target object in the field F by a detection unit (lidar sensor, ultrasonic sensor) provided on the work vehicle 10. The obstacle detection device 17 includes a lidar sensor 171L provided on the front left side of the vehicle body 100 and a lidar sensor 171R provided on the front right side of the vehicle body 100 (see FIG. 3). Each lidar sensor measures the distance to each measurement point in the measurement range from the lidar sensor by the TOF (Time Of Flight) method that measures the distance to the measurement point (detection target object) based on the round-trip time until the laser light irradiated by the lidar sensor reaches the measurement point (detection target object) and returns.

[0040] A predetermined range on the front left side of the vehicle body 100 is set as the measurement range for the lidar sensor 171L, and a predetermined range on the front right side of the vehicle body 100 is set as the measurement range for the lidar sensor 171R. Each lidar sensor transmits measurement information (coordinate position) such as the distance to each measured measurement point and the scanning angle for each measurement point to the vehicle control device 11. In this way, the lidar sensors 171L and 171R can detect the position (coordinate position) of the measurement point (detection target object) in the coordinate system (sensor coordinate system) with respect to itself (mounting position) as a reference.

[0041] In addition, the obstacle detection device 17 includes left and right ultrasonic sensors 172F provided on the front side of the vehicle body 100 (see FIG. 3) and left and right ultrasonic sensors 172R provided on the rear side of the vehicle body 100 (see FIGS. 4A to 4C). Each ultrasonic sensor measures the distance to the measurement point from the ultrasonic sensor by the TOF method that measures the distance to the measurement point (detection target object) based on the round-trip time until the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor reaches the measurement point (detection target object) and returns.

[0042] The ultrasonic sensor 172F on the front left side has a predetermined range on the front left side of the vehicle body 100 set as the measurement range, the ultrasonic sensor 172F on the front right side has a predetermined range on the front right side of the vehicle body 100 set as the measurement range, the ultrasonic sensor 172R on the rear left side has a predetermined range on the rear left side of the vehicle body 100 set as the measurement range, and the ultrasonic sensor 172R on the rear right side has a predetermined range on the rear right side of the vehicle body 100 set as the measurement range. Each ultrasonic sensor transmits measurement information including the distance to the measured object and the direction of the measured object to the vehicle control device 11. In this way, the ultrasonic sensor 172F can detect the distance to the ranging point (detection target) in the coordinate system (sensor coordinate system) with itself (mounting position) as the reference. The lidar sensors 171L, 171R and the ultrasonic sensor 172F are an example of the detection unit of the present invention.

[0043] Further, the obstacle detection device 17 includes left and right contact sensors 173F (see FIG. 3) provided on the front side of the vehicle body 100 and left and right contact sensors 173R (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) provided on the rear side of the vehicle body 100. The contact sensor 173F on the front side of the vehicle body 100 detects an obstacle when the obstacle contacts the contact sensor 173F. A spraying device 14 is provided in front of the contact sensor 173R on the rear side of the vehicle body 100 (on the rear side of the work vehicle 10). Each contact sensor 173R detects an obstacle when the spraying device 14 moves rearward (to the front side of the work vehicle 10) when an obstacle contacts the spraying device 14. Each contact sensor transmits a detection signal to the vehicle control device 11 when detecting an obstacle. The contact sensors 173F, 173R are an example of the contact detection unit of the present invention.

[0044] Based on the measurement information about the detection target obtained from the obstacle detection device 17, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the detection target is an obstacle. When it is determined that the detection target is an obstacle, the vehicle control device 11 executes an avoidance process (travel restriction process) to cause the work vehicle 10 to avoid the obstacle. The obstacle detection device 17 is an example of the detection processing unit of the present invention.

[0045] The vehicle control device 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as BIOS and OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various processes executed by the CPU. Then, the vehicle control device 11 controls the work vehicle 10 by executing various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 12 with the CPU.

[0046] The vehicle control device 11 controls the traveling of the work vehicle 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle control device 11 includes various processing units such as a traveling processing unit 111, an acquisition processing unit 112, a conversion processing unit 113, and a determination processing unit 114. Note that the vehicle control device 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the control program with the CPU. Also, some or all of the processing units may be configured by electronic circuits. Note that the control program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the processing units.

[0047] The traveling processing unit 111 executes a traveling process for controlling the traveling operation of the work vehicle 10. For example, the traveling processing unit 111 causes the work vehicle 10 to travel in a target route traveling mode M1 along a target route R based on the positioning information including the position and orientation of the work vehicle 10 measured by the positioning device 16. For example, when the positioning state is in a state where RTK positioning is possible in an area where no crop V is arranged (headland area, non-working area, etc.), the traveling processing unit 111 starts automatic traveling of the work vehicle 10 in the target route traveling mode M1 based on the positioning information of the work vehicle 10 measured by the positioning device 16. Thereby, the work vehicle 10 starts automatic traveling along the target route R. Note that the positioning state being in a state where RTK positioning is possible (high-precision state) is included in the condition (automatic traveling start condition) for the work vehicle 10 to start automatic traveling.

[0048] In this way, the traveling processing unit 111 automatically drives the work vehicle 10 in the target route traveling mode M1 in the area of the farm field F where the crop V is not arranged (such as the headland area). The work vehicle 10 travels along the target route R while estimating its own position using the GNSS signal.

[0049] In addition, the traveling processing unit 111 drives the work vehicle 10 in the crop row route traveling mode M2 in which the work vehicle 10 automatically travels along the crop row route R0 set according to the position of the crop V arranged in the farm field F. The crop row route traveling mode M2 is a traveling mode in which the work vehicle 10 travels along the crop row route R0 estimated based on the measurement results of, for example, the lidar sensors 171L and 171R. Specifically, the obstacle detection device 17 integrates the detection result of the obstacle on the work route R1 and the measurement results of the lidar sensors 171L and 171R to estimate the crop row route R0 of the work route R1 straddled by the work vehicle 10, specifically, the crop row (crop row Vr5 in FIG. 6). Further, the obstacle detection device 17 transmits the positions (coordinates) of the start point and the end point of the estimated crop row route R0 to the vehicle control device 11. The traveling processing unit 111 automatically drives the work vehicle 10 along the estimated crop row route R0 while estimating its own position using the GNSS signal in the crop row route traveling mode M2. In this way, the traveling processing unit 111 automatically drives the work vehicle 10 along the target route R using the positioning information in the target route traveling mode M1, while automatically driving the work vehicle 10 along the crop row route R0 using the positioning information and the detection result of the crop V in the crop row route traveling mode M2.

[0050] FIG. 7 shows an outline of the traveling method in the crop row route traveling mode M2. R0 in FIG. 7 represents the route of the estimated crop row Vra, Ev1 represents the start point of the crop row Vra, Ev2 represents the end point of the crop row Vra, Vp represents the crop included in the crop row Vra, and Pe represents the current position (center position) of the work vehicle 10. Note that the end point Ev2 may be the same as the end point (terminal point) shown in FIG. 6. Further, the start point Ev1 is, for example, the position of the crop V closest to the current position Pe among the crops V included in the crop row Vra.

[0051] The traveling processing unit 111 calculates the lateral position deviation L1 and the azimuth deviation θ1 of the work vehicle 10 with respect to the crop row Vra, and travels from the current position Pe to the end point Ev2 while controlling the attitude of the work vehicle 10 so that the position deviation L1 and the azimuth deviation θ1 become small.

[0052] Here, since the estimation result of the crop row Vra includes an error, it is preferable to perform filtering processing using a moving average filter, a low-pass filter, or the like on the calculated position deviation L1 and azimuth deviation θ1. Then, it is preferable that the traveling processing unit 111 controls the traveling of the work vehicle 10 using the result of the filtering processing.

[0053] Also, in order to improve the estimation accuracy of the crop row Vra, the estimation results of the past crop rows Vra may be used. In this case, it is necessary to increase the number of end points of the crop row Vra, calculate the relative movement amount of the work vehicle 10 in order to use past data, and perform coordinate conversion of the detection positions of the past crop rows Vra. The calculation of the relative movement amount integrates the data of the rotation speed sensor and the inertial measurement unit (IMU) attached to the crawler 101 by a known method such as a Kalman filter, and estimates the movement amount of the crop row Vra. Since the work vehicle 10 calculates the distance to the end point from the positioning information (GNSS position information) every control cycle during automatic traveling, the traveling processing unit 111 determines the arrival of the crop row Vra from the information on the distance to the end point before the positioning accuracy becomes less than the predetermined accuracy and the estimated movement amount of the work vehicle 10. Judgment processing is executed, and automatic traveling is continued until the end point is reached. Note that depending on the arrangement state of the crops V, a situation may occur where the rider sensors 171L and 171R cannot detect the crops V. In this case, the traveling processing unit 111 ends the automatic traveling in the traveling mode M2 for the crop row path when the estimation error of the crop row Vra occurs continuously for a specified number of times.

[0054] As described above, the traveling processing unit 111 automatically travels the work vehicle 10 in the target path traveling mode M1 or the crop row path traveling mode M2 according to the position of the crops V in the field F.

[0055] Here, for example, when the work vehicle 10 is automatically traveling along the crop row path R0 in the traveling mode M2 for the crop row path and the attitude of the work vehicle 10 changes, resulting in a large position deviation L1 and azimuth deviation θ1 with respect to the crop row path R0, the work vehicle 10 may determine the crops V on the crop row path R0, the crops V adjacent to the crop row path R0, etc. as obstacles by detecting them a predetermined number of times. For example, when the work vehicle 10 changes its attitude, detects the crop V on the crop row path R0 a predetermined number of times, and further detects the crop V adjacent to the crop row path R0 a predetermined number of times, and the total number of detections becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value, the work vehicle 10 executes driving restriction processing such as decelerating or stopping in order to avoid a collision with an obstacle. Thus, in the conventional technology, there is a problem that the work efficiency of the work vehicle 10 decreases due to misidentifying an obstacle. In contrast, as described below, the work vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment can improve the work efficiency by enhancing the determination accuracy (recognition accuracy) of an obstacle.

[0056] Specifically, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in the coordinate system with the obstacle detection device 17 as a reference. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the obstacle detection device 17 detects a detection target by the lidar sensors 171L and 171R, it calculates the coordinate position of the sensor coordinate system (an example of the first coordinate system of the present invention) based on the lidar sensor 171L and the coordinate position of the sensor coordinate system (an example of the first coordinate system of the present invention) based on the lidar sensor 171R and transmits them to the vehicle control device 11. The acquisition processing unit 112 acquires information on each coordinate position based on the lidar sensors 171L and 171R from the obstacle detection device 17. The lidar sensors 171L and 171R are an example of the first detection unit of the present invention.

[0057] For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the obstacle detection device 17 detects a detection target object by the left and right ultrasonic sensors 172F, the obstacle detection device 17 calculates the distance to the detection target object in the sensor coordinate system (an example of the first coordinate system of the present invention) based on the left ultrasonic sensor 172F and the distance to the detection target object in the sensor coordinate system (an example of the first coordinate system of the present invention) based on the right ultrasonic sensor 172F, and transmits the calculated distances to the vehicle control device 11. The acquisition processing unit 112 acquires information on each distance based on each of the left and right ultrasonic sensors 172F from the obstacle detection device 17. Note that the obstacle detection device 17 may calculate the coordinate position of the detection target object in the sensor coordinate system based on the detectable range (detection width) and the detection result (distance) of the ultrasonic sensor 172F, and transmit information on the coordinate position to the vehicle control device 11. The ultrasonic sensor 172F is an example of the second detection unit of the present invention.

[0058] The conversion processing unit 113 converts a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target object in the sensor coordinate system with reference to the obstacle detection device 17 into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target object in the coordinate system (an example of the second coordinate system of the present invention) with reference to the field F. The coordinate system with reference to the field F is a global coordinate system, for example, a three-dimensional coordinate system (NED coordinate system) in which three directions of North-East-Down are positive.

[0059] The conversion processing unit 113 converts the coordinate position of the detection target object acquired in each sensor coordinate system into the coordinate position in the NED coordinate system. Specifically, the conversion processing unit 113 converts the coordinate position of the detection target object from the sensor coordinate system to the coordinate position in the vehicle coordinate system (see FIG. 8C) based on the mounting position of each sensor (lidar sensors 171L, 171R, ultrasonic sensor 172F) and the coordinate position of the detection target object detected by each sensor. Then, the conversion processing unit 113 converts the coordinate position of the detection target object detected by each sensor in the vehicle coordinate system into the NED coordinate system (see FIG. 8D) using the center position Pe of the work vehicle 10 in the current NED coordinate system, the average value of the azimuth angle of the work vehicle 10 at the time of the previous coordinate conversion, and the current azimuth angle of the work vehicle 10.

[0060] Note that the conversion processing unit 113 converts the coordinate position of the detection target object into the coordinate position in the NED coordinate system by using the detection results of the past detection target objects as well. In addition, an upper limit is provided for the maximum number of points to be stored for each sensor for the NED coordinate data of the detection target object of each sensor. When the number of data points exceeds the specified number, the conversion processing unit 113 discards the data starting from the oldest one.

[0061] The determination processing unit 114 determines whether the detection target object is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target object in the coordinate system (NED coordinate system) with the farm field F as the reference. Specifically, when the second coordinate position is included in the obstacle determination area Ar set within a predetermined range from the work vehicle 10, the determination processing unit 114 determines that the detection target object is an obstacle. In addition, the determination processing unit 114 determines whether the detection target object is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position of the detection target object detected based on the detection results of the lidar sensors 171L and 171R and the second coordinate position of the detection target object detected based on the detection results of the ultrasonic sensor 172F.

[0062] Specifically, the determination processing unit 114 creates an obstacle map GM (grid map) for determining whether the detection target object is an obstacle. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the obstacle map GM. The obstacle map GM is a grid map with the center position Pe of the work vehicle 10 as the origin and an area of 3.0 m in the Y direction and ±1.3 m in the X direction divided into a grid pattern. The length of one side of one grid (square grid) is 0.1 m. The entire obstacle map GM has a size of 30 grids (H) in the Y (height) direction and 26 grids (W) in the X (width) direction. P1 shown in FIG. 9 indicates the position of the detection target object detected by the lidar sensors 171L and 171R, and P2 shown in FIG. 9 indicates the position of the detection target object detected by the ultrasonic sensor 172F.

[0063] When the determination processing unit 114 detects a detection target at a position corresponding to each grid, it calculates the score (evaluation value) of the grid. Specifically, the determination processing unit 114 updates the score with different weights for each sensor (lidar sensors 171L, 171R, and ultrasonic sensor 172F) that has detected the detection target in each grid within the obstacle map GM. Hereinafter, an example of the method for calculating the score for each sensor is shown.

[0064] When the determination processing unit 114 converts the coordinate position of the detection target detected by the lidar sensors 171L and 171R into the grid map coordinates grid[i][j], if i < H and j < W are satisfied, it updates each grid score according to the following formula. Note that since the same detection target may be detected multiple times, the score of the grid increases as the number of detections of the detection target at the same position increases. grid[i][j]=grid[i][j]+1.0

[0065] Also, when the determination processing unit 114 converts the coordinate position of the detection target detected by the ultrasonic sensor 172F into grid[i][j], if i < H and j < W are satisfied, it updates each grid score according to the following formula. grid[i][j]+=0.2 grid[i][j - 1]+=0.2 grid[i][j + 1]+=0.2

[0066] Here, in the case of the ultrasonic sensor 172F, since the position of the detection target in the lateral direction (X direction) is unknown, the detection width of the ultrasonic sensor 172F may be expanded in the lateral direction. Thereby, the determination processing unit 114 predicts that the detection target exists within the region of the expanded detection width. Further, since the ultrasonic sensor 172F may detect the ground depending on the posture of the work vehicle 10 or may detect the branches and leaves that have protruded into the region (space) at an interval W2 (see FIG. 5) from the crop row Vr, the determination processing unit 114 adjusts the score of the ultrasonic sensor 172F to be relatively lower than the scores of the lidar sensors 171L and 171R in order to improve the determination accuracy of obstacles. Specifically, the determination processing unit 114 sets the weight of the score of the ultrasonic sensor 172F (an example of the second evaluation value of the present invention) in the determination process for determining whether the detection target is an obstacle to a value smaller than the weight of the scores of the lidar sensors 171L and 171R (an example of the first evaluation value of the present invention).

[0067] When the work vehicle 10 turns and travels in the headland area, since the posture changes greatly, it is necessary to reliably detect the obstacles in the vicinity of the work vehicle 10, and the ultrasonic sensor 172F needs to detect the obstacles in the dead angle areas of the lidar sensors 171L and 171R. When the work vehicle 10 turns and travels, since the traveling speed is slower than that in straight-ahead traveling, the number of times of detecting obstacles increases. For this reason, even when the weight of the score of the ultrasonic sensor 172F is set to a value smaller than the weight of the scores of the lidar sensors 171L and 171R, there is no practical problem.

[0068] Here, the obstacle detection device 17 (lidar sensors 171L and 171R, ultrasonic sensor 172F) detects the coordinate position of the detection target, but cannot specify the shape (size) of the detection target. Therefore, the determination processing unit 114 assumes that there may be an obstacle at a position close to the observation point based on the Gaussian distribution of the following formula, and updates the scores of the surrounding grids of the obstacle.

Equation

[0069] The determination processing unit 114 updates the score of the obstacle map GM by performing a convolution process using the kernel in the vicinity of the target grid P0 shown in FIG. 10. For example, the determination processing unit 114 converts the score "1.0" of the target grid P0 to "0.275" using the kernel shown in FIG. 10. That is, the determination processing unit 114 performs an averaging process (for example, Gaussian filter processing) on the score of the obstacle map GM. Note that the determination processing unit 114 may perform other well-known averaging processes.

[0070] Further, the determination processing unit 114 sets an obstacle determination area Ar (see FIG. 11) corresponding to the work area of the work vehicle 10, and determines that the detection target object is an obstacle when the maximum score of the grids within the set obstacle determination area Ar is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value.

[0071] FIG. 11 shows a plurality of obstacle determination areas Ar1 to Ar5 set according to the traveling area of the work vehicle 10. The obstacle determination area Ar1 indicates a deceleration determination area (an example of the deceleration traveling area of the present invention) for decelerating the work vehicle 10. The obstacle determination areas Ar2 and Ar3 are areas set in the work area (work route R1), and indicate a stop determination area (an example of the stop area of the present invention) for stopping the work vehicle 10. The obstacle determination areas Ar4 and Ar5 are areas set in the non-work area (cushion area), and indicate a stop determination area (an example of the stop area of the present invention) for stopping the work vehicle 10.

[0072] For example, the obstacle determination area Ar1 is set in an area with a depth of 2.5 m and a width of 0.4 m (0.2 m on each side) with reference to the center positions of the left and right crawlers 101 (±0.5 m in the lateral direction from the center position Pe of the work vehicle 10). The obstacle determination area Ar2 is set in an area with a depth of 2.3 m and a width of 0.2 m with reference to the center positions of the left and right crawlers 101. The obstacle determination area Ar3 is set in an area with a depth of 1.6 m and a width of 0.6 m with reference to the center positions of the left and right crawlers 101. The obstacle determination area Ar4 is set in an area with a depth of 1.6 m and a width of 0.4 m with reference to the center positions of the left and right crawlers 101. The obstacle determination area Ar5 is set in an area with a depth of 1.4 m and a width of 1.0 m (tread width) with reference to the center position Pe of the work vehicle 10. Note that in the shoulder area, since the work vehicle 10 travels at a low speed, a deceleration determination area may not be set, and only the stop determination areas (obstacle determination areas Ar4 and AR5) may be set.

[0073] When a grid corresponding to the detection target object with a score equal to or higher than the threshold value is included in the obstacle determination area Ar (obstacle determination areas Ar1 to AR5), the determination processing unit 114 determines that the detection target object is an obstacle. The obstacle determination areas Ar1 to AR5 are an example of the travel restriction area of the present invention.

[0074] In this way, the determination processing unit 114 determines whether the detection target object is an obstacle based on the first score (the first evaluation value of the present invention) corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position corresponding to the detection target object detected by the lidar sensors 171L and 171R, and the second score (the second evaluation value of the present invention) corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position corresponding to the detection target object detected by the ultrasonic sensor 172F. Further, the determination processing unit 114 sets the weight of the second score in the determination process of determining whether the detection target object is an obstacle to a value smaller than the weight of the first score. Further, when the total value of the first score and the second score is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value, the determination processing unit 114 determines that the detection target object is an obstacle.

[0075] When it is determined that the detection target is an obstacle, the traveling processing unit 111 executes a traveling restriction process (such as decelerating travel, stopping, etc.) according to the obstacle determination area Ar. For example, when the grid P0 corresponding to the detection target (obstacle) detected while the work vehicle 10 is traveling on the work route R1 has a score equal to or higher than the threshold value and is within the obstacle determination area Ar1 (see FIG. 12A), the traveling processing unit 111 decelerates the work vehicle 10. Also, for example, when the grid P0 corresponding to the detection target (obstacle) detected while the work vehicle 10 is traveling on the work route R1 has a score equal to or higher than the threshold value and is within the obstacle determination area Ar2 (see FIG. 12B) or the obstacle determination area Ar3 (see FIG. 12C), the traveling processing unit 111 stops the work vehicle 10. Also, for example, when the grid P0 corresponding to the detection target (obstacle) detected while the work vehicle 10 is traveling in the headland area has a score equal to or higher than the threshold value and is within the obstacle determination area Ar4 (see FIG. 12D) or the obstacle determination area Ar5 (see FIG. 12E), the traveling processing unit 111 stops the work vehicle 10.

[0076] As described above, the traveling restriction area of the present invention includes a decelerating travel area (obstacle determination area Ar1) and a stop area (obstacle determination areas Ar2 to Ar5). And when the second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in the coordinate system (NED coordinate system) based on the farmland F is included in the decelerating travel area, the traveling processing unit 111 determines that the detection target is an obstacle and decelerates the work vehicle 10. Also, when the second coordinate position is included in the stop area, the traveling processing unit 111 determines that the detection target is an obstacle and stops the work vehicle 10.

[0077] As described above, the determination processing unit 114 converts the first coordinate position of the detection target in the sensor coordinate system based on the obstacle detection device 17 into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in the coordinate system (NED coordinate system) based on the farmland F, and determines whether the detection target is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position.

[0078] As a result, the position of the detection target can be specified as a position based on the farm field F (global coordinates), so it is possible to accurately determine whether the detection target is an obstacle or not.

[0079] As another embodiment, the determination processing unit 114 may be configured not to determine as an obstacle a detection target that is not detected by the obstacle detection device 17 in the range from the ground of the farm field F to a predetermined height and is detected by the obstacle detection device 17 in a predetermined range above the predetermined height. Further, the determination processing unit 114 may be configured to determine the detection target as an obstacle when the obstacle detection device 17 detects a detection target that continuously extends from the ground of the farm field F to a predetermined height. According to this configuration, for example, since the branches and leaves that have jumped out into the region (space) with the interval W2 (see FIG. 5) from the crop row Vr are not determined as obstacles, it is possible to prevent the work vehicle 10 from being unnecessarily decelerated or stopped.

[0080] Also, as another embodiment, when the contact sensors 173F and 173R (see FIG. 3) detect contact with a detection target, the traveling processing unit 111 may stop the work vehicle 10 regardless of whether the detection target is an obstacle or not. Thereby, damage to the work vehicle 10 can be prevented. When the contact sensors 173F and 173R detect contact with a detection target, the determination processing unit 114 may omit the determination processing.

[0081] In addition, as another embodiment, when the lidar sensors 171L and 171R and the ultrasonic sensor 172F detect an obstacle, the traveling processing unit 111 may decelerate the work vehicle 10, and when the contact sensors 173F and 173R detect an obstacle, the traveling processing unit 111 may stop the work vehicle 10. Thereby, since the work vehicle 10 is not stopped when the lidar sensors 171L and 171R and the ultrasonic sensor 172F detect an obstacle, the work efficiency can be improved.

[0082] When the travel processing unit 111 acquires a travel stop instruction from the operation terminal 20, it stops the automatic travel of the work vehicle 10. For example, when an operator presses a stop button on the operation screen of the operation terminal 20, the operation terminal 20 outputs the travel stop instruction to the work vehicle 10. When the travel processing unit 111 acquires the travel stop instruction from the operation terminal 20, it stops the automatic travel of the work vehicle 10. As a result, the work vehicle 10 stops the automatic travel and stops the spraying operation by the spraying device 14.

[0083] The configuration of the work vehicle 10 described above is an example of the configuration of the work vehicle of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. The above-described work vehicle 10 is a vehicle capable of performing a spraying operation of spraying a sprayed material on the first crop row Vr and the second crop rows Vr on the left and right sides of the first crop row Vr while traveling across the first crop row Vr. As another embodiment, the work vehicle 10 may have a normal shape in which the vehicle body 100 does not have a gantry shape and the entire vehicle body 100 travels between the crop rows Vr (working passages). In this case, the work vehicle 10 automatically travels through each working passage in order without straddling the crop row Vr. Further, the spraying device 14 includes one spraying unit and switches between a spraying pattern in which the chemical liquid is sprayed in both left and right directions, a spraying pattern in which the chemical liquid is sprayed only in the left direction, and a spraying pattern in which the chemical liquid is sprayed only in the right direction to perform the spraying operation.

[0084] [Operation terminal 20] As shown in FIG. 2, the operation terminal 20 is an information processing device including a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation display unit 23, a communication unit 24, and the like. The operation terminal 20 may be configured by a portable terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone.

[0085] The communication unit 24 is a communication interface for connecting the operation terminal 20 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with external devices such as one or more work vehicles 10 via the communication network N1.

[0086] The operation display unit 23 is a user interface including a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display for displaying various types of information, and an operation unit such as a touch panel, a mouse, or a keyboard for receiving operations. The operator can perform operations to register various types of information (such as work vehicle information, field information, work information, etc. described later) by operating the operation unit on the operation screen displayed on the display unit. In addition, the operator can perform operations such as a work start instruction and a travel stop instruction for the work vehicle 10 by operating the operation unit. Furthermore, the operator can grasp the travel state, work situation, and surrounding situation of the work vehicle 10 that automatically travels in the field F according to the target route R based on the travel trajectory and the surrounding image of the vehicle body 100 displayed on the operation terminal 20 at a location away from the work vehicle 10.

[0087] The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD or an SSD that stores various types of information. The storage unit 22 stores control programs such as an automatic driving program for causing the control unit 21 to execute the automatic driving process (see FIG. 14) described later. For example, the automatic driving program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, and is read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 22. Note that the automatic driving program may be downloaded from a server (not shown) to the operation terminal 20 via the communication network N1 and stored in the storage unit 22.

[0088] The control unit 21 includes control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are pre-stored. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various types of information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various processes executed by the CPU. Then, the control unit 21 controls the operation terminal 20 by causing the CPU to execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or the storage unit 22.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 21 includes various processing units such as a setting processing unit 211, a path generation processing unit 212, and an output processing unit 213. Note that the control unit 21 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the control program using the CPU. Also, some or all of the processing units may be configured by electronic circuits. Note that the control program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the processing units.

[0090] The setting processing unit 211 sets and registers information regarding the work vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as work vehicle information), information regarding the field F (hereinafter referred to as field information), and information regarding the work (spraying work in this case) (hereinafter referred to as work information).

[0091] In the setting process of the work vehicle information, the setting processing unit 211 sets the information by having the operator perform an operation of registering on the operation terminal 20 regarding information such as the model of the work vehicle 10, the position where the antenna 164 is attached to the work vehicle 10, the type of the work implement (spraying device 14 in this case), the size and shape of the work implement, the position of the work implement with respect to the work vehicle 10, the vehicle speed and engine speed during operation of the work vehicle 10, and the vehicle speed and engine speed during turning of the work vehicle 10. In the present embodiment, information regarding the spraying device 14 is set as the information of the work implement.

[0092] In the setting process of the field information, the setting processing unit 211 sets the information by having the operator perform an operation of registering on the operation terminal 20 regarding information such as the position and shape of the field F, the work start position S where the work starts and the work end position G where the work ends (see FIG. 6), and the work direction. Note that the work direction means the direction in which the work vehicle 10 travels while performing spraying work with the spraying device 14 in the work area, which is the area excluding non-work areas such as headlands from the field F.

[0093] Information on the position and shape of the field F can be automatically acquired, for example, by having the operator manually drive the work vehicle 10 once around along the outer periphery of the field F and recording the transition of the position information of the antenna 164 at that time. Further, the position and shape of the field F can also be acquired based on a polygon obtained by having the operator operate the operation terminal 20 to specify a plurality of points on the map while the map is being displayed on the operation terminal 20. The area specified by the acquired position and shape of the field F is an area (travel area) where the work vehicle 10 can travel.

[0094] In the setting process of the work information, the setting processing unit 211 is configured to be able to set, as work information, the number of skipped work routes (skip number) that the work vehicle 10 skips when turning on the headland, the width of the headland, and the like.

[0095] Based on the respective setting information, the route generation processing unit 212 generates a target route R, which is a route for automatically driving the work vehicle 10. The target route R is, for example, a route from the work start position S to the work end position G (see FIG. 6). The target route R shown in FIG. 6 includes a linear work route R1 for spraying a chemical solution onto the crop V in the area where the crop V is planted, and a movement route R2 for moving between the crop rows Vr without performing the spraying work.

[0096] An example of the method for generating the target path R will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B. FIG. 13A schematically shows a crop row Vr. First, the operator manually drives the work vehicle 10 along the outer periphery of the crop row Vr (see FIG. 13A). While the work vehicle 10 is running, it detects an end point E1 on one side (the lower side in FIG. 13A) and an end point E2 on the other side (the upper side in FIG. 13A) of each crop row Vr, and acquires the position information (coordinates) of each end point E1, E2. Note that the end points E1, E2 may be the positions of the already planted crops V, or may be the positions of the target objects indicating the positions of the crops V to be planted in the future. When the path generation processing unit 212 acquires the position information (coordinates) of each end point E1, E2 from the work vehicle 10, it sets a line L1 (see FIG. 13B) connecting the corresponding end points E1, E2 as the working path of the crop row Vr, and generates a target path R including a plurality of working paths and a movement path (turning path). The method for generating the target path R is not limited to the above-described method. The path generation processing unit 212 may store the generated target path R in the storage unit 22.

[0097] The output processing unit 213 outputs path data including information on the target path R generated by the path generation processing unit 212 to the work vehicle 10. Note that the output processing unit 213 may output the path data to a server (not shown). The server stores and manages the plurality of path data acquired from each of the plurality of operation terminals 20 in association with the operation terminals 20 and the work vehicle 10.

[0098] In addition to the above-described processing, the control unit 21 executes processing for causing the operation display unit 23 to display various information. For example, the control unit 21 causes the operation display unit 23 to display a registration screen for registering work vehicle information, field information, work information, etc., an operation screen for generating the target path R, an operation screen for starting the automatic driving of the work vehicle 10, a display screen for displaying the running state of the work vehicle 10, etc.

[0099] In addition, the control unit 21 receives various operations from the operator. Specifically, the control unit 21 receives a work start instruction to start work on the work vehicle 10 from the operator, a travel stop instruction to stop the travel of the work vehicle 10 during automatic travel, and the like. When the control unit 21 receives each of the above instructions, it outputs each of the instructions to the work vehicle 10.

[0100] When the vehicle control device 11 of the work vehicle 10 acquires a work start instruction from the operation terminal 20, it starts the automatic travel and spraying work of the work vehicle 10. Also, when the vehicle control device 11 acquires a travel stop instruction from the operation terminal 20, it stops the automatic travel and spraying work of the work vehicle 10.

[0101] Note that the operation terminal 20 may be able to access the website of the agricultural support service provided by the server (agricultural support site) via the communication network N1. In this case, the operation terminal 20 can function as an operation terminal of the server when the browser program is executed by the control unit 21.

[0102] [Automatic Driving Process] Hereinafter, an example of the automatic driving process executed by the vehicle control device 11 of the work vehicle 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0103] Note that the present invention can be regarded as an invention of an automatic driving method that executes one or more steps included in the automatic driving process. Also, one or more steps included in the automatic driving process described here may be omitted as appropriate. Note that the execution order of each step in the automatic driving process may be different as long as the same operational effects are produced. Furthermore, here, the case where the vehicle control device 11 executes each step in the automatic driving process is taken as an example for description, but an automatic driving method in which one or more processors execute each step in the automatic driving process in a distributed manner is also considered as another embodiment.

[0104] In step S1, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether it has acquired a work start instruction from the operation terminal 20. For example, when the operator presses the start button on the operation terminal 20, the operation terminal 20 outputs a work start instruction to the work vehicle 10. When the vehicle control device 11 acquires a work start instruction from the operation terminal 20 (S1: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2. The vehicle control device 11 waits until it acquires a work start instruction from the operation terminal 20 (S1: No).

[0105] In step S2, the vehicle control device 11 starts automatic driving. For example, when the vehicle control device 11 acquires a work start instruction from the operation terminal 20, detects the crop V, and estimates the crop row path R0, it sets the driving mode to the crop row path driving mode M2. Then, the vehicle control device 11 starts automatic driving along the crop row path R0 based on the positioning information (RTK positioning information) of the work vehicle 10. Also, the vehicle control device 11 causes the spraying device 14 to start a spraying operation of spraying a chemical solution on the crop row Vr.

[0106] Next, in step S3, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether it has detected a detection target. Specifically, when at least one of the lidar sensors 171L, 171R and the ultrasonic sensor 172F detects a detection target, the vehicle control device 11 determines that it has detected a detection target. When the vehicle control device 11 determines that it has detected a detection target (S3: Yes), the process proceeds to step S4. When the vehicle control device 11 determines that it has not detected a detection target (S3: No), the process proceeds to step S12.

[0107] Next, in step S4, the vehicle control device 11 acquires the coordinate position of the detection target. Specifically, the vehicle control device 11 acquires a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in the coordinate system with the obstacle detection device 17 as the reference.

[0108] For example, when the rider sensors 171L and 171R detect a detection target, the vehicle control device 11 acquires information on the coordinate positions in the sensor coordinate system (see FIG. 8A) based on the rider sensors 171L and 171R from the obstacle detection device 17. Also, for example, when the left and right ultrasonic sensors 172F detect a detection target, the vehicle control device 11 acquires information on the coordinate positions in the sensor coordinate system (see FIG. 8B) based on each ultrasonic sensor 172F from the obstacle detection device 17.

[0109] Next, in step S5, the vehicle control device 11 converts the first coordinate position acquired from the obstacle detection device 17 into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in the NED coordinate system with respect to the field F. Specifically, the vehicle control device 11 converts the coordinate position of the detection target from the sensor coordinate system to the coordinate position in the vehicle coordinate system (see FIG. 8C) based on the mounting positions of the respective sensors (rider sensors 171L and 171R, ultrasonic sensors 172F) and the coordinate positions of the detection target detected by the respective sensors. Also, the vehicle control device 11 converts the center position Pe of the work vehicle 10 in the current NED coordinate system, the azimuth angle of the work vehicle 10 at the previous coordinate conversion, the current azimuth angle of the work vehicle 10, and the coordinate positions of the detection target detected by the respective sensors in the vehicle coordinate system into the NED coordinate system (see FIG. 8D).

[0110] Next, in step S6, the vehicle control device 11 creates an obstacle map GM (see FIG. 9) for determining whether the detection target is an obstacle.

[0111] Next, in step S7, when a detection target exists at a position corresponding to each grid in the obstacle map GM, the vehicle control device 11 calculates the score (evaluation value) of the grid. Specifically, the vehicle control device 11 updates the score with different weights for each sensor (rider sensors 171L and 171R, ultrasonic sensors 172F) that detected the detection target in each grid within the obstacle map GM. The method for calculating the score is as described above.

[0112] Next, in step S8, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the calculated score is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. If the score is equal to or greater than the threshold value (S8: Yes), the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if the score is less than the threshold value (S8: No), the process proceeds to step S81.

[0113] In step S9, the vehicle control device 11 determines that the detection target is an obstacle, and then the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, in step S81, the vehicle control device 11 determines that the detection target is not an obstacle, and then the process proceeds to step S12.

[0114] In step S10, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the obstacle is included in the obstacle determination regions Ar1 to AR5 set according to the traveling region of the work vehicle 10. If the obstacle is included in the obstacle determination regions Ar1 to AR5 (S10: Yes), the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if the obstacle is not included in the obstacle determination regions Ar1 to AR5 (S10: No), the process proceeds to step S12.

[0115] In step S11, the vehicle control device 11 executes a travel restriction process. For example, when the obstacle detected by the work vehicle 10 while traveling on the work route R1 is within the obstacle determination region Ar1 (see FIG. 12A), the vehicle control device 11 causes the work vehicle 10 to travel at a reduced speed. Also, for example, when the obstacle detected by the work vehicle 10 while traveling on the work route R1 is within the obstacle determination region Ar2 (see FIG. 12B) or the obstacle determination region Ar3 (see FIG. 12C), the vehicle control device 11 stops the work vehicle 10. Also, for example, when the obstacle detected by the work vehicle 10 while traveling in the pillow area is within the obstacle determination region Ar4 (see FIG. 12D) or the obstacle determination region Ar5 (see FIG. 12E), the vehicle control device 11 stops the work vehicle 10.

[0116] In step S12, the vehicle control device 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 has finished the work. The vehicle control device 11 determines that the work has been completed when the position of the work vehicle 10 coincides with the work completion position G (see FIG. 6). When the work vehicle 10 has finished the work (S12: Yes), the automatic driving process ends.

[0117] The vehicle control device 11 repeats the processes of steps S3 to S11 until the work vehicle 10 finishes the work (S12: No). For example, when the vehicle control device 11 determines, as a result of detecting a detection target object, that the detection target object is not an obstacle (S81), the vehicle control device 11 continues the automatic driving without restricting the running of the work vehicle 10 (decelerating or stopping). Also, even if the vehicle control device 11 determines that the detection target object is an obstacle as a result of detecting the detection target object, when the obstacle is not included in the obstacle determination regions Ar1 to AR5 (S10: No), the vehicle control device 11 continues the automatic driving without restricting the running of the work vehicle 10 (decelerating or stopping). The vehicle control device 11 executes the processes of steps S3 to S11 every time it detects a detection target object until the work is completed.

[0118] As described above, the automatic driving system 1 according to the present embodiment automatically drives the work vehicle 10 along a preset target path R in a running area (for example, the farm field F). Also, the automatic driving system 1 detects a detection target object in the farm field F by detection units (lidar sensors 171L, 171R, ultrasonic sensor 172F) provided in the work vehicle 10, and acquires a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target object in a first coordinate system (sensor coordinate system) based on the detection units. Further, the automatic driving system 1 converts the first coordinate position into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target object in a second coordinate system (NED coordinate system) based on the farm field F, and determines whether the detection target object is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position.

[0119] In addition, the automatic driving method according to the present embodiment includes one or more processors automatically driving the work vehicle 10 in a driving area (for example, the farm field F) according to a preset target route R, detecting a detection target in the farm field F by a detection unit (lidar sensors 171L, 171R, ultrasonic sensor 172F) provided on the work vehicle 10, obtaining a first coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a first coordinate system (sensor coordinate system) based on the detection unit, converting the first coordinate position into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a second coordinate system (NED coordinate system) based on the farm field F, and determining whether the detection target is an obstacle based on the second coordinate position.

[0120] According to the above configuration, since the position of the detection target detected by each sensor can be specified as the position based on the farm field F (global coordinates), it is possible to accurately determine whether the detection target is an obstacle. Therefore, it is possible to prevent misrecognizing a plurality of different crops V as obstacles due to changes in the posture of the work vehicle 10 and the like during multiple detections. And it is possible to prevent the driving restriction of the work vehicle 10 due to misrecognition. In this way, since unnecessary driving restrictions due to misrecognition of obstacles can be prevented, the working efficiency of the work vehicle 10 can be improved. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the working efficiency of the work vehicle 10 by enhancing the determination accuracy of obstacles.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0121] 1: Automatic driving system 10: Work vehicle 11: Vehicle control device 111: Driving processing unit 112: Acquisition processing unit 113: Conversion processing unit 114: Determination processing unit 14: Spraying device 16: Positioning device 17: Obstacle detection device 171L: Lidar sensor (detection unit, first detection unit) 171R: Rider Sensor (Detection Unit, First Detection Unit) 172F: Ultrasonic Sensor (Detection Unit, Second Detection Unit) 173F: Contact Sensor (Contact Detection Unit) 173R: Contact Sensor (Contact Detection Unit) 20: Operation Terminal 211: Setting Processing Unit 212: Route Generation Processing Unit 213: Output Processing Unit 40: Base Station 50: Satellite F: Field (Traveling Area) R: Target Route R0: Crop Row Route V: Crop (Work Object) Vr: Crop Row Pe: Current Position (Center Position) M1: Traveling Mode for Target Route M2: Traveling Mode for Crop Row Route GM: Obstacle Map (Grid Map) Ar: Obstacle Judgment Area (Travel Restriction Area) Ar1: Deceleration Judgment Area (Decelerated Traveling Area) Ar2~Ar5: Stop Judgment Area (Stop Area)

Claims

1. Automatically driving a work vehicle in a traveling area according to a preset target route; Detecting the position of a detection target in the traveling area by a first detection unit provided on the work vehicle; Detecting the distance to the detection target by a second detection unit provided on the work vehicle; Obtaining respective first coordinate positions representing the position of the detection target in respective first coordinate systems based on each of the first detection unit and the second detection unit; Converting each of the first coordinate positions into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a second coordinate system based on the traveling area; Regarding the grid in the grid map corresponding to the second coordinate system where the detection target exists, when the total value of a first evaluation value corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position of the detection target detected by the first detection unit and a second evaluation value corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position of the detection target detected by the second detection unit is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, determining that the detection target is an obstacle, and when the total value is less than the threshold value, determining that the detection target is not an obstacle; Adjusting the second evaluation value corresponding to the second detection unit to be relatively lower than the first evaluation value corresponding to the first detection unit; An automatic driving method for executing the above.

2. When it is determined that the detection target is an obstacle, stopping or decelerating the work vehicle, The automatic driving method according to Claim 1.

3. When the second coordinate position is included in a traveling restriction area set within a predetermined range from the work vehicle, determining that the detection target is an obstacle, The automatic driving method according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The traveling restriction area includes a deceleration traveling area and a stop area, When the second coordinate position is included in the deceleration traveling area, determining that the detection target is an obstacle and causing the work vehicle to travel at a reduced speed, When the second coordinate position is included in the stop area, determining that the detection target is an obstacle and stopping the work vehicle, The automatic driving method according to Claim 3.

5. Automatically driving the work vehicle along a route set according to the position of the detection target detected by the first detection unit, The automatic driving method according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. In a range from the ground of the traveling area to a predetermined height, the detection target object that is not detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit and is detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit in a predetermined range above the predetermined height is not determined as an obstacle. The automatic driving method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. When contact with the work vehicle is detected by a contact detection unit provided on the work vehicle, the work vehicle is stopped regardless of whether the detection target object is an obstacle. The automatic driving method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. When the work vehicle automatically travels in a farm field which is the traveling area and detects a crop which is the detection target object by a lidar sensor which is the first detection unit and an ultrasonic sensor which is the second detection unit, if the total value is equal to or more than the threshold value, the crop is determined as an obstacle, and if the total value is less than the threshold value, the crop is determined not to be an obstacle. The automatic driving method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. In a traveling area, a traveling processing unit that automatically drives a work vehicle according to a preset target route, A detection processing unit that detects the position of a detection target object in the traveling area by a first detection unit provided on the work vehicle and detects the distance to the detection target object by a second detection unit provided on the work vehicle, An acquisition processing unit that acquires respective first coordinate positions representing the position of the detection target object in respective first coordinate systems with each of the first detection unit and the second detection unit as a reference, A conversion processing unit that converts each of the first coordinate positions into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target object in a second coordinate system with the traveling area as a reference, For a grid in which the detection target object exists in a grid map corresponding to the second coordinate system, when the total value of a first evaluation value corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position of the detection target object detected by the first detection unit and a second evaluation value corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position of the detection target object detected by the second detection unit is equal to or more than a preset threshold value, the detection target object is determined as an obstacle, and when the total value is less than the threshold value, a determination processing unit that determines that the detection target object is not an obstacle, Comprising An automatic driving system in which the determination processing unit adjusts the second evaluation value corresponding to the second detection unit to be relatively lower than the first evaluation value corresponding to the first detection unit.

10. Automatically driving a work vehicle along a preset target path in a driving area; Detecting the position of a detection target in the driving area by a first detection unit provided on the work vehicle; Detecting the distance to the detection target by a second detection unit provided on the work vehicle; Obtaining respective first coordinate positions representing the position of the detection target in respective first coordinate systems each based on the first detection unit and the second detection unit; Converting each of the first coordinate positions into a second coordinate position representing the position of the detection target in a second coordinate system based on the driving area; When the total value of a first evaluation value corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position of the detection target detected by the first detection unit and a second evaluation value corresponding to the number of detections of the second coordinate position of the detection target detected by the second detection unit for the grid in the grid map corresponding to the second coordinate system where the detection target exists is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, determining that the detection target is an obstacle, and when the total value is less than the threshold value, determining that the detection target is not an obstacle; Adjusting the second evaluation value corresponding to the second detection unit to be relatively lower than the first evaluation value corresponding to the first detection unit; An automatic driving program for causing one or more processors to execute.

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