Autonomous Driving System and Autonomous Driving Method

Abstract

To reduce a work load of a user or the like, and to improve work efficiency.SOLUTION: An automatic driving system includes an automatic driving control unit. The automatic driving control unit allows a work vehicle 1 to drive automatically along each of multiple reference lines K1, K2 used as a standard for driving the work vehicle 1 automatically. The multiple reference lines K1, K2 are set in each different direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic driving system and an automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle along a target driving route.

Background Art

[0002] The above-described automatic driving system sets a reference line as a target driving route and automatically drives the work vehicle straight along the reference line (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the system described in the first patent document, for example, at the work start position, after performing an adjustment operation of adjusting the direction of the work vehicle in the straight-ahead direction, the reference line is set by operating a setting device or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the system described in Patent Document 1, in order to set the reference line, it is necessary to perform an adjustment operation of adjusting the direction of the work vehicle in the straight-ahead direction at the work start position. Therefore, in order to set different reference lines, it is necessary to perform the adjustment operation of adjusting the direction of the work vehicle in the straight-ahead direction again at the work start position, which increases the work burden on the user or the like and causes a decrease in work efficiency.

[0005] In addition, a reference route is generated based on a movement locus or the like when the user or the like actually drives the work vehicle by operating the work vehicle, and a target driving route corresponding to the reference route is also generated. In this case, for example, a target driving route including a plurality of parallel routes arranged in parallel to the reference route is generated.

[0006] However, although it can automatically drive along a parallel path parallel to the reference path, there may be cases where a user or the like wants the vehicle to automatically drive in a direction not parallel to the reference path. Therefore, when driving automatically in a direction not parallel to the reference path, the user or the like must again perform the operation of actually driving the work vehicle by operating the work vehicle, and similarly, the work burden on the user or the like increases and the work efficiency decreases.

[0007] In view of this situation, the main problem of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving system and an automatic driving method that can reduce the work load of a user or the like and improve the work efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] The automatic driving system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes an automatic driving control unit. The automatic driving control unit automatically drives the work vehicle along each of a plurality of reference orientations that serve as references when automatically driving the work vehicle. The plurality of reference orientations are set in different directions respectively.

[0009] The automatic driving method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes automatically driving the work vehicle along each of a plurality of reference orientations that serve as references when automatically driving the work vehicle. The plurality of reference orientations are set in different directions respectively.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] An embodiment of the automatic driving system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 〔First Embodiment〕 As shown in FIG. 1, this automatic driving system applies the rice transplanter 1 as a work vehicle, but it can be applied to other work vehicles such as tractors, combines, riding lawn mowers, wheel loaders, snow removal vehicles, etc., and unmanned work vehicles such as unmanned lawn mowers.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this automatic driving system includes an automatic driving unit 2 mounted on a rice transplanter 1 and a mobile communication terminal 3 that is communicatively set to communicate with the automatic driving unit 2. The mobile communication terminal 3 can adopt a tablet personal computer, a smartphone, etc. having a touch panel type display unit 71 (for example, a liquid crystal panel) that can be touch-operated.

[0013] The rice transplanter 1 includes a traveling body 11 and a planting unit 13 provided at the rear of the traveling body 11 via a lifting drive mechanism 12. The traveling body 11 has an engine 15 as a power source disposed at the upper front part of a vehicle body frame 14 extending in the front-rear direction, and is provided with a bonnet 16 that covers the engine 15.

[0014] A front axle case 17 is supported at the front part of the vehicle body frame 14, and front wheels 18 are attached to both left and right sides of the front axle case 17. A rear axle case 19 is supported at the rear part of the vehicle body frame 14, and rear wheels 20 are attached to both left and right sides of the rear axle case 19.

[0015] A gantry-shaped spare seedling mounting table frame 21 stands upright from the vehicle body frame 14 at the side part of the bonnet 16, and spare seedling mounting tables 22 are arranged on both left and right sides of the spare seedling mounting table frame 21. A positioning unit 23 is arranged at the upper left and right center of the spare seedling mounting table frame 21.

[0016] At the rear part of the bonnet 16, there are provided a steering wheel 25 that enables manual steering of the left and right front wheels 18 via a power steering mechanism 24, a driver's seat 26 for the passenger, etc. On the dashboard at the rear part of the bonnet 16, there are provided an operation panel type display unit 27 (see FIG. 2), a notification device 28 (see FIG. 2), etc.

[0017] The planting unit 13 is provided with a seedling placing table 29 on which a seedling mat is placed, and a plurality of rotary planting devices 30 for planting seedlings in a work field such as a farm field. The seedling placing table 29 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction in an inclined posture with the front side being high and the rear side being low. The number of the planting devices 30 is provided corresponding to the number of rows in the planting work. For example, in the case of six-row planting, six planting devices 30 are provided. The planting devices 30 are arranged at the rear part of a planting transmission case 31.

[0018] When power from the engine 15 is transmitted to the planting unit 13 via a planting clutch 43 (see FIG. 2), the plurality of planting devices 30 scrape a predetermined amount of seedlings from the seedling placing table 29 and plant them in a work field such as a farm field. A row stop clutch 44 (see FIG. 2) is provided for each of the plurality of planting devices 30, and the transmission of power to each planting device 30 can be intermittently controlled.

[0019] On both the left and right sides of the seedling placing table 29, markers 32 for marking a work field such as a farm field with a guide for the work of the next process are provided. The markers 32 are swingably provided between an operating position where they protrude outward to mark the work field and a non-operating position where they are retracted upward, and a marker operating mechanism 45 (see FIG. 2) capable of driving and operating the markers 32 between the operating position and the non-operating position is provided.

[0020] [[ID=II]] As shown in FIG. 2, the rice transplanter 1 is provided with an electronically controlled transmission 41 for changing the power from the engine 15, a full-hydraulic power steering mechanism 24 for steering the left and right front wheels 18, a brake operating mechanism 42 for operating a brake device, a planting clutch 43 for intermittently transmitting the power to the planting unit 13, a row stop clutch 44 for intermittently transmitting the power to each planting device 30 in the planting unit 13, an electro-hydraulic control type lifting drive mechanism 12 for driving the planting unit 13 to lift and lower, a marker operating mechanism 45 for driving and operating the markers 32 between the operating position and the non-operating position, an in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 having various control programs related to the automatic traveling of the rice transplanter 1, a vehicle state detection sensor 47 for detecting various vehicle states in the rice transplanter 1, and the like.

[0021] Incidentally, as the transmission 41, a hydro-mechanical continuously variable transmission (HMT), a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission (HST), a belt-type continuously variable transmission, or the like can be adopted. As the power steering mechanism 24, an electric power steering mechanism 24 including an electric motor or the like may be adopted. As the vehicle state detection sensor 47, for example, an engine rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the engine 15, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the rice transplanter 1, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the front wheels 18, and the like are provided.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 includes an engine control unit 46A that controls the operation of the engine 15, a shift control unit 46B that controls the operation of the transmission 41, a brake control unit 46C that controls the operation of the brake operation mechanism 42, a work device control unit 46D that controls the operation of work devices such as the planting unit 13, a steering control unit 46E that controls the operation of the power steering mechanism 24 according to the target steering angles of the left and right front wheels 18 during automatic traveling, and a non-volatile in-vehicle storage unit 46F that stores the generated target travel route P for automatic traveling (see, for example, FIG. 6), and the like.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the positioning unit 23 includes a satellite navigation device 51 that measures the current position and current orientation of the rice transplanter 1 using GPS (Global Positioning System), which is an example of a satellite navigation system (NSS: Navigation Satellite System), and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 52 that has a three-axis gyroscope and three-directional acceleration sensors or the like and measures the attitude and orientation of the rice transplanter 1. There are positioning methods using GPS such as DGPS (Differential GPS: relative positioning method) and RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic GPS: interference positioning method). In the present embodiment, RTK-GPS suitable for positioning a moving body is adopted. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a reference station 4 that enables positioning by RTK-GPS is installed at a known position around a work area such as a farm field.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, the rice transplanter 1 and the reference station 4 are each provided with a positioning antenna 53, 61 for receiving radio waves transmitted from a positioning satellite 50 (see Fig. 1), and a communication module 54, 62 etc. enabling wireless communication of various information including positioning information (correction information) between the rice transplanter 1 and the reference station 4. Thereby, the satellite navigation device 51 can measure the current position and current orientation of the rice transplanter 1 with high accuracy based on the positioning information obtained by the positioning antenna 53 on the rice transplanter side receiving radio waves from the positioning satellite 50 and the positioning information (correction information for measuring the current position of the rice transplanter 1) obtained by the positioning antenna 61 on the base station side receiving radio waves from the positioning satellite 50. Further, the positioning unit 23 can measure the current position, current orientation, and attitude angles (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) of the rice transplanter 1 with high accuracy by including the satellite navigation device 51 and the inertial measurement device 52.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, the mobile communication terminal 3 is provided with a terminal electronic control unit 72 having various control programs etc. for controlling the operation of a display unit 71 etc., and a communication module 73 etc. enabling wireless communication of various information including positioning information between the communication module 54 on the rice transplanter side. The terminal electronic control unit 72 has a travel route generation unit 74 for generating a target travel route P (for example, see Fig. 6) for automatically driving the rice transplanter 1, and a non-volatile terminal storage unit 75 etc. for storing various input information input by the user and the target travel route P generated by the travel route generation unit 74 etc.

[0026] The manner of generating the target travel route P by the travel route generation unit 74 will be described later. The target travel route P generated by the travel route generation unit 74 can be displayed on the display unit 71 and is stored in the terminal storage unit 75 as route information. The route information includes the azimuth angle of the target travel route P and set engine rotation speeds, target travel speeds etc. set according to the travel form of the rice transplanter 1 on the target travel route P.

[0027] In this way, when the travel route generation unit 74 generates the target travel route P, the terminal electronic control unit 72 transfers the route information from the mobile communication terminal 3 to the rice transplanter 1, so that the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 of the rice transplanter 1 can acquire the route information. Based on the acquired route information, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 can automatically drive the rice transplanter 1 along the target travel route P while acquiring its own current position (the current position of the rice transplanter 1) with the positioning unit 23. Regarding the current position of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23, it is transmitted from the rice transplanter 1 to the mobile communication terminal 3 in real time (for example, at a cycle of several milliseconds), and the mobile communication terminal 3 grasps the current position of the rice transplanter 1.

[0028] When performing automatic driving of the rice transplanter 1, when various automatic driving start conditions are satisfied, at the mobile communication terminal 3, the user operates the display unit 71 to instruct the start of automatic driving. Upon receiving the start instruction of automatic driving, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 performs automatic driving control to automatically drive the rice transplanter 1 along the target travel route P while acquiring its own current position (the current position of the rice transplanter 1) with the positioning unit 23. The in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 is configured as an automatic driving control unit that performs automatic driving control to automatically drive the rice transplanter 1 along the target travel route P based on the positioning information of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23 using a satellite positioning system.

[0029] The automatic driving control includes automatic engine control for automatically controlling the operation of the engine 15, automatic transmission control for automatically controlling the operation of the transmission 41, braking control for automatically controlling the operation of the brake operation mechanism 42, automatic steering control for automatically steering the left and right front wheels 18, and work automatic control for automatically controlling the operation of working devices such as the planting unit 13, etc.

[0030] In the automatic engine control, the engine control unit 46A automatically controls the operation of the engine 15 based on the detection information of the engine speed sensor in the vehicle state detection sensor 47 so that the rotation speed of the engine 15 becomes the set engine rotation speed.

[0031] In the automatic transmission control, the transmission control unit 46B automatically controls the operation of the transmission 41 based on the route information of the target travel route P, the output of the positioning unit 23, and the output of the vehicle speed sensor in the vehicle state detection sensor 47 so that the target travel speed set according to the travel mode of the rice transplanter 1 on the target travel route P can be obtained as the vehicle speed of the rice transplanter 1.

[0032] In the automatic braking control, the braking control unit 46C automatically controls the operation of the brake operation mechanism 42 based on the target travel route P and the output of the positioning unit 23 so as to appropriately brake in the braking area included in the route information of the target travel route P.

[0033] In the automatic steering control, the steering control unit 46E automatically controls the operation of the power steering mechanism 24 based on the target steering angle based on the route information of the target travel route P and the output of the steering angle sensor in the vehicle state detection sensor 47 so that the target steering angle can be obtained as the steering angles of the left and right front wheels 18.

[0034] In the automatic control for work, the work device control unit 46D automatically controls the operations of the planting clutch 43, the furrow closing clutch 44, the lifting drive mechanism 12, and the marker operation mechanism 45 based on the route information of the target travel route P and the output of the positioning unit 23 so that a predetermined operation (for example, planting operation) by the work devices such as the planting unit 13 is started as the rice transplanter 1 reaches the work start point of the target travel route P, and the predetermined operation by the work devices such as the planting unit 13 is stopped as the rice transplanter 1 reaches the work end point of the target travel route P.

[0035] In this way, in the rice transplanter 1, the automatic travel unit 2 is composed of the transmission 41, the power steering mechanism 24, the brake operation mechanism 42, the planting clutch 43, the furrow closing clutch 44, the lifting drive mechanism 12, the marker operation mechanism 45, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46, the vehicle state detection sensor 47, the positioning unit 23, and the communication module 54, etc.

[0036] Hereinafter, the method of generating the target travel route P by the travel route generation unit 74 will be described. In the work area R such as a field, the travel route generation unit 74 generates the target travel route P by a user or the like operating the driving operation to drive the rice transplanter 1 to actually perform work.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the work area R, the rice transplanter 1 is driven by manual driving of a user or the like, and the point A and the point B are respectively registered. In order to register the point A and the point B, as shown in FIG. 2, the portable communication terminal 3 is provided with a reference point setting unit 76 for setting the point A and the point B, and an artificial operation type reference point setting operation unit 77.

[0038] First, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rice transplanter 1 is driven while performing the planting work with the planting unit 13 from the point A to the point B. FIG. 3 shows the case where the rice transplanter 1 is located at the point B. At this time, the reference point setting unit 76 sets the start point of the work as the point A and the end point of the work as the point B based on the operation of the reference point setting operation unit 77. Although not shown, the reference point setting operation unit 77 is, for example, displayed on the display unit 71 of the portable communication terminal 3, and is provided with an operation unit for the point A and an operation unit for the point B. When performing automatic travel, since the portable communication terminal 3 is installed in a terminal holding unit or the like arranged near the driver's seat 26, the reference point setting operation unit 77 serves as an operating tool provided on the rice transplanter 1 (work vehicle).

[0039] The reference point setting operation unit 77 is not limited to being displayed on the display unit 71 of the portable communication terminal 3, and various operation units can be applied. For example, it can be made to be displayed on the display unit 27 of the rice transplanter 1, or can be an operation switch or an operation button arranged near the driver's seat 26 of the rice transplanter 1. Further, as will be described later, the remote controller 200 shown in FIG. 17 can also be used as the reference point setting operation unit 77, and a user or the like boarding the rice transplanter 1 can also carry the reference point setting operation unit 77 (remote controller 200).

[0040] When the rice transplanter 1 is positioned at the starting point of the operation and a user or the like operates the operation unit for point A of the reference point setting operation unit 77, the reference point setting unit 76 acquires the position information of the positioning unit 23 (the position information of the rice transplanter 1) at the time of the operation and sets point A (a point determined from latitude and longitude) in the work area R. Further, when the rice transplanter 1 reaches the end point of the operation and a user or the like operates the operation unit for point B of the reference point setting operation unit 77, the reference point setting unit 76 sets point B (a point determined from latitude and longitude) in the work area R based on the position information of the positioning unit 23 (the position information of the rice transplanter 1) at the time of the operation.

[0041] In this way, the reference point setting unit 76 acquires the position information of the rice transplanter 1 by the positioning unit 23 according to the operation timing of the reference point setting operation unit 77 and sets each of point A and point B. The reference point setting unit 76 stores the setting information of point A and point B in the terminal storage unit 75.

[0042] When point A and point B are set by the reference point setting unit 76, as shown in FIG. 5, the reference line generation unit 78 (see FIG. 2) generates a first reference line K1 and a second reference line K2 based on the position information of point A and point B. The reference line generation unit 78 generates a straight line connecting point A and point B as the first reference line K1, and generates a straight line orthogonal to the first reference line K1 as the second reference line K2. The reference line generation unit 78 stores the position information and the like of the generated first reference line K1 and second reference line K2 in the terminal storage unit 75 (corresponding to the storage unit).

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6, the travel route generation unit 74 generates a route including a first parallel route P1 and a second parallel route P2 parallel to the first reference line K1 or the second reference line K2 as the target travel route P. The first parallel route P1 and the second parallel route P2 are routes for performing a predetermined operation (planting operation) while automatically driving the rice transplanter 1.

[0044] When starting the automatic traveling of the rice transplanter 1, after a predetermined condition for starting automatic traveling is satisfied and the user operates the display unit 71 with the mobile communication terminal 3 to instruct the start of automatic traveling, the automatic traveling of the rice transplanter 1 is started. Regarding the first parallel path P1, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the reference line generation unit 78 generates the first reference line K1, the traveling path generation unit 74 generates the first parallel path P1, and the first parallel path P1 is generated in advance before the predetermined condition for starting automatic traveling is satisfied. On the other hand, regarding the second parallel path P2, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second parallel path P2 is not generated when the reference line generation unit 78 generates the first reference line K1. As shown in FIG. 6, the traveling path generation unit 74 generates the second parallel path P2 when the predetermined condition for starting automatic traveling is satisfied, and generates the second parallel path P2 after the predetermined condition for starting automatic traveling is satisfied.

[0045] Regarding the first parallel path P1, as shown in FIG. 5, the traveling path generation unit 74 sets a path having the same or substantially the same length as the first reference line K1 as the first parallel path P1, and sets the interval between the first reference line K1 and the first parallel path P1 and the interval between the first parallel paths P1 as the set interval L1, and generates a set number (for example, six in FIGS. 5 and 6) of the first parallel paths P1. The set number can be changed as appropriate. However, when work area information regarding the work area, such as the size and shape of the work area, is not acquired, for example, 500 first parallel paths P1 are generated so that the first parallel paths P1 extend outside the work area. Also, when the work area information is acquired, the set number can be set so as to fit within the work area.

[0046] When generating the set number of first parallel paths P1, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the travel path generation unit 74 can generate the first parallel path P1 symmetrically about the first reference line K1, or position the first reference line K1 at an end and generate the set number of first parallel paths P1 on the right or left side of the first reference line K1. Regarding the set interval L1, for example, the work interval based on the input information regarding the working device such as the planting unit 13 input by the user or the like is set as the set interval L1. In this embodiment, since it is a rice transplanter 1, the interval between the rows for planting seedlings can be set as the set interval L1.

[0047] Regarding the second parallel path P2, as shown in FIG. 6, the travel path generation unit 74 generates a second parallel path P2 parallel to the second reference line K2 passing through the current position of the rice transplanter 1. The travel path generation unit 74 sets the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the start position of the second parallel path P2, and sets the position of the first parallel path P1 located at the outermost end among the generated set number of first parallel paths P1 (in FIG. 6, the position of the first parallel path P1 located on the leftmost side) as the end position of the second parallel path P2, and generates the second parallel path P2.

[0048] In FIGS. 5 and 6, the connecting path Q that connects the first reference line K1 and the adjacent first parallel path P1, and the connecting path Q that connects the adjacent first parallel paths P1 are shown for reference, but in this embodiment, the travel path generation unit 74 does not generate the connecting path Q. The connecting path Q is a path for changing the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 without performing work.

[0049] When the travel route generation unit 74 generates the target travel route P, the terminal electronic control unit 72 transfers the route information from the mobile communication terminal 3 to the rice transplanter 1, and the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 of the rice transplanter 1 acquires the route information. As a result, based on the acquired route information, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 can automatically drive the rice transplanter 1 along the target travel route P while acquiring its own current position (the current position of the rice transplanter 1) with the positioning unit 23. Regarding the current position of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23, it is transmitted from the rice transplanter 1 to the mobile communication terminal 3 in real time (for example, at a cycle of several milliseconds), and the mobile communication terminal 3 grasps the current position of the rice transplanter 1. For example, during the automatic driving of the rice transplanter 1, the deviation (lateral deviation) between the current position of the rice transplanter 1 in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the target travel route P and the target travel route P is displayed on the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3 and the display unit 27 of the rice transplanter 1. Therefore, during the automatic driving of the rice transplanter 1, it is possible for the user or the like to grasp how much the position of the rice transplanter 1 deviates from the target travel route P.

[0050] The flow of operations in the case of performing automatic driving will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 7. First, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rice transplanter 1 is driven manually by the user or the like to actually perform work, and the reference point setting unit 76 registers (sets) the points A and B (step #1, step #2). The reference line generation unit 78 generates the first reference line K1 and the second reference line K2 based on the setting information of the points A and B, and the travel route generation unit 74 generates a plurality of first parallel routes P1 parallel to the first reference line K1 (step #3, step #4).

[0051] The terminal electronic control unit 72 determines whether a first predetermined condition that the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the first parallel path P1 are within a predetermined range is satisfied, or whether a second predetermined condition that the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the second reference line K2 are within a predetermined range is satisfied (step #5, step #6). Incidentally, the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 can be obtained from the measurement information of the positioning unit 23, and the azimuth of the extending direction of the reference line can be obtained from the position information of the first parallel path P1 and the second reference line K2.

[0052] When the first predetermined condition is satisfied, other predetermined conditions for starting automatic driving are satisfied, and at the mobile communication terminal 3, the user operates the display unit 71 to instruct the start of automatic driving, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 performs a first automatic driving for automatically driving the rice transplanter 1 along the first parallel path P1 based on the positioning information of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23 using the satellite positioning system as shown in the upper side of FIG. 6 (in the case of Yes in step #5, in the case of Yes in step #7, step #8). This first automatic driving is performed on the first parallel path P1 for which the first predetermined condition is satisfied among the plurality of first parallel paths P1 generated in advance.

[0053] In the first automatic driving, as shown in FIG. 6, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 starts the operation (planting operation) by the planting unit 13 at the start position P1a of the first parallel path P1 and ends the operation (planting operation) by the planting unit 13 at the end position P1b of the first parallel path P1, and automatically drives the rice transplanter 1 straight along the first parallel path P1.

[0054] When the second specified condition is satisfied, the travel route generation unit 74 generates a second parallel route P2 parallel to the second reference line K2 (in the case of Yes in step #6, step #9). When the user operates the display unit 71 at the mobile communication terminal 3 to instruct the start of autonomous driving, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 performs second autonomous driving to autonomously drive the rice transplanter 1 along the second parallel route P2 based on the positioning information of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23 using the satellite positioning system as shown on the lower side of FIG. 6 (in the case of Yes in step #10, step #11).

[0055] In this second autonomous driving, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 starts the operation by the planting unit 13 (planting operation) and ends the operation by the planting unit 13 (planting operation) at the end position P2a of the second parallel route P2, and autonomously drives the rice transplanter 1 straight along the second parallel route P2. When starting the operation by the planting unit 13, since the rice transplanter 1 is manually operated, the operation by the planting unit 13 can also be started by a manual operation by the user or the like.

[0056] In this way, when the first specified condition or the second specified condition is satisfied, the rice transplanter 1 is autonomously driven along the first parallel route P1 or the second parallel route P2 (steps #5 to #11), and these operations are repeatedly performed until the work in the work area such as the field is completed (in the case of No in step #12). The in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 determines that the work in the work area is completed when a work end condition such as the rice transplanter 1 being moved outside the work area is satisfied.

[0057] In the case shown in FIG. 6, since a plurality of first parallel paths P1 are generated, when the rice transplanter 1 is automatically run along a certain first parallel path P1, when the rice transplanter 1 is manually operated by the user and turned (for example, the connecting path Q) toward the next first parallel path P1. Then, when the first predetermined condition is satisfied and other conditions for starting automatic running are met, the start of automatic running is commanded, and the rice transplanter 1 is automatically run along the next first parallel path P1. Thus, for the plurality of first parallel paths P1, the automatic running of the first parallel path P1 → manual running (manual running of the connecting path Q) → automatic running of the next first parallel path P1 is repeatedly performed.

[0058] On the other hand, for the second parallel path P2, since the second parallel path P2 is generated when the second predetermined condition is satisfied, every time the position of the rice transplanter 1 is moved to a position where the second predetermined condition is satisfied by the manual operation of the user, the automatic running of the second parallel path P2 is performed.

[0059] When the work in the work area is completed and the setting information deletion condition is satisfied, the terminal electronic control unit 72 deletes the setting information of the points A and B stored in the terminal storage unit 75 and the information regarding the first reference line K1 and the second reference line K2. Thereby, the points A and B in the next work area can be registered, and the first reference line K1 and the second reference line K2 can be generated. The setting information deletion condition can be set with various conditions, for example, that the rice transplanter 1 has moved outside the work area, or that the set time has elapsed since the end of automatic running.

[0060] As described above, for the first parallel path P1 and the second parallel path P2, the rice transplanter 1 is automatically run, but for the connecting path Q for changing the running direction of the rice transplanter 1, the rice transplanter 1 is manually operated by the manual operation of the user without automatic running. Therefore, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 can perform the automatic running of the rice transplanter 1 in the plurality of first parallel paths P1 and second parallel paths P2, and as shown in FIG. 6, allows the manual running of the rice transplanter 1 for the movement from the first parallel path P1 to the next first parallel path P1.

[0061] When the rice transplanter 1 is manually driven from the first parallel path P1 to the next first parallel path P1 (when the rice transplanter 1 is manually operated to travel along the connection path Q), a notification control unit 46G (see FIG. 2) is provided to perform deviation notification indicating the deviation between the position of the rice transplanter 1 after the manual driving and the start position of the automatic driving on the next first parallel path P1.

[0062] As deviation notification, the notification control unit 46G, for example, superimposes and displays the current position of the rice transplanter 1 and the next first parallel path P1 on the display unit 27 of the rice transplanter 1, so that the user can recognize the deviation between the current position of the rice transplanter 1 and the start position of the automatic driving on the next first parallel path P1. Also, the terminal electronic control unit 72 can superimpose and display the current position of the rice transplanter 1 and the next first parallel path P1 on the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3 as well. Thereby, the manually operated rice transplanter 1 can be guided toward the start position P1a of the first parallel path P1.

[0063] In addition, a deviation information display unit having a plurality of display lamp units is provided on the display unit 27 of the rice transplanter 1, the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3, etc., and the notification control unit 46G and the terminal electronic control unit 72 control the lighting pattern of the plurality of display lamp units as deviation notification, so that it can be displayed in which direction and by how much the current position of the rice transplanter 1 is deviated from the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1.

[0064] For example, when the current position of the rice transplanter 1 is located within a predetermined range with respect to the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1, only the display lamp unit located in the central part among the plurality of display lamp units is lit. When the current position of the rice transplanter 1 is located to the right beyond the predetermined range with respect to the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1, only the display lamp unit located to the right of the central part among the plurality of display lamp units is lit. At this time, as the amount of deviation to the right increases, the number of display lamp units to be lit can be increased in a form of lighting the display lamp units located more to the right.

[0065] Thus, the notification control unit 46G and the terminal electronic control unit 72 can be appropriately changed as to in what display form to perform a deviation notification suggesting the deviation between the current position of the rice transplanter 1 and the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1. Further, for example, a deviation notification by voice such as "You are approaching the right side" can also be performed.

[0066] During automatic travel, in order to prevent the rice transplanter 1 from jumping out of the work area, the user or the like is notified of the approaching state in which the rice transplanter 1 approaches the end of the work area or the like. As shown in FIG. 2, based on the setting information of the point A and the point B and the position information of the first parallel path P1, a notification position specifying unit 79 that specifies a notification position for performing an end notification for notifying that it is in an approaching state with respect to the end of the work area, and when the rice transplanter 1 performs automatic travel, when the current position of the rice transplanter 1 reaches the notification position, a notification control unit 46G that performs an end notification are provided.

[0067] The notification position specifying unit 79 is provided in the mobile communication terminal 3. As shown in FIG. 6, for the first parallel path P1, the notification position specifying unit 79 specifies the end position P1b of the first parallel path P1 as the notification position based on the position information of the point A and the point B. Further, for the second parallel path P2, the notification position specifying unit 79 specifies the end position P2a of the second parallel path P2 as the notification position based on the position information of the first parallel path P1 generated on the outermost end side.

[0068] In this way, since the notification position specifying unit 79 specifies the notification position, in the automatic travel control for automatically traveling the rice transplanter 1, when the notification control unit 46G determines based on the positioning information of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23 using the satellite positioning system that the current position of the rice transplanter 1 has reached the notification position (for example, the end position P1b or the end position P2a), the notification device 28 is activated to perform end notification, and the user or the like is notified of the approaching state when approaching the end of the work area or the like. In the end notification, for example, various notifications by the notification device 28 such as voice indicating the approaching state, lighting of the warning lamp, and operation of the warning buzzer can be performed. Further, in the end notification, not only the notification device 28 of the rice transplanter 1 is activated, but also the approaching state can be notified on the mobile communication terminal 3, such as by causing the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3 to display that it is in the approaching state.

[0069] As the notification control unit 46G performs end notification, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 can also stop the rice transplanter 1 from traveling. In this way, by stopping the rice transplanter 1 from traveling, it is possible to appropriately prevent the rice transplanter 1 from jumping out of the work area.

[0070] As described above, not only the first parallel path P1 parallel to the first reference line K1 but also the second parallel path P2 parallel to the second reference line K2 can be used to automatically drive the rice transplanter 1. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, in the work area R, a predetermined operation (planting operation) can be performed while automatically driving the rice transplanter 1 across the entire work area R, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0071] In what is shown in FIG. 8, in the central area in the vertical direction of the work area R, a first parallel path P1 parallel to the first reference line K1 is generated to perform automatic travel of the rice transplanter 1, and in the both end areas in the vertical direction of the work area R, a second parallel path P2 parallel to the second reference line K2 is generated to perform automatic travel of the rice transplanter 1.

[0072] The travel route generation unit 74 generates, as the first parallel route P1, not only a route having the same route length as the first reference line K1 but also an extended first parallel route P3 having a longer route length than the first reference line K1. When generating the extended first parallel route P3, for example, during the automatic driving or manual driving of the first parallel route P1, when the user operates the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3, the travel route generation unit 74 extends the first parallel route P1 to the position of the rice transplanter 1 at the time of the operation to generate the extended first parallel route P3. Incidentally, regarding how much the extended first parallel route P3 is extended, it can be extended, for example, by a preset distance or a distance set by the user or the like.

[0073] The travel route generation unit 74 generates, as the second parallel route P2, not only a route having a route length from the current position of the rice transplanter 1 to the second parallel route P2 generated on the outermost end side but also an extended second parallel route P4 having a longer route length than that. When generating the extended second parallel route P4, for example, during the automatic driving or manual driving of the second parallel route P2, when the user operates the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3, the travel route generation unit 74 extends the second parallel route P2 to the position of the rice transplanter 1 at the time of the operation to generate the extended second parallel route P4. Incidentally, regarding how much the extended second parallel route P4 is extended, it can be extended, for example, by a preset distance or a distance set by the user or the like.

[0074] In what is shown in FIG. 8, the travel order of the route for automatically driving the rice transplanter 1 is illustrated, and thus it will be described based on that travel order. (1) When the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the first parallel route P1 in the travel order (1) are within a predetermined range and a first predetermined condition is satisfied, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 automatically drives the rice transplanter 1 along the first parallel route P1 in the travel order (1). (2) The user manually drives along the connection path Q. When the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the first parallel path P1 of the traveling sequence (2) are within a predetermined range and the first predetermined condition is satisfied, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 automatically drives the rice transplanter 1 along the first parallel path P1 of the traveling sequence (2). Regarding (3) to (5), since the same operations as in (1) and (2) are performed, the description is omitted.

[0075] (6) After reaching the terminal position P1b of the first parallel path P1 of the traveling sequence (5), the rice transplanter 1 is switched to manual driving and moved to the lower right side in the figure. When the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the second reference line K2 are within a predetermined range and the second predetermined condition is satisfied, the extended second parallel path P4 of (6) is generated. Then, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 automatically drives the rice transplanter 1 along the extended second parallel path P4 of (6).

[0076] (7) After reaching the terminal position P4a of the extended second parallel path P4 of the traveling sequence (6), the rice transplanter 1 is switched to manual driving and moved to the upper side in the figure. When the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the second reference line K2 of the traveling sequence (7) are within a predetermined range and the second predetermined condition is satisfied, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 automatically drives the rice transplanter 1 along the second parallel path P2 of the traveling sequence (7). In this automatic driving, while extending the second parallel path P2 beyond the initial terminal position P2a to generate the extended second parallel path P4, it automatically drives along the extended second parallel path P4.

[0077] (8) After reaching the terminal position P4a of the extended second parallel path P4 of the traveling sequence (7), the rice transplanter 1 is switched to manual driving and moved to the upper side in the figure. When the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the first parallel path P1 of the traveling sequence (8) are within a predetermined range and the first predetermined condition is satisfied, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 automatically drives along the first parallel path P1 of (8). In this automatic driving, while extending the first parallel path P1 beyond the initial terminal position P1b to generate the extended first parallel path P3, it automatically drives along the extended first parallel path P3.

[0078] (9) Since it performs the same operation as the automatic travel of the second parallel path P4 which is an extension of the travel order (6), the description thereof is omitted. (10) Since it performs the same operation as the automatic travel of the second parallel path P4 which is an extension of the travel order (7), the description thereof is omitted. (11) Since it performs the same operation as the automatic travel of the first parallel path P3 which is an extension of the travel order (8), the description thereof is omitted. In the extension of the travel order (11) of the first parallel path P3, the path is extended on both sides of the start position side of the first parallel path P1 and the end position side of the first parallel path P1.

[0079] In the first embodiment, another embodiment regarding the interval between the first reference line K1 and the first parallel path P1 and the interval between adjacent first parallel paths P1 is described. In this first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, points A and B are registered. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, in addition to points A and B, point C can also be registered. In this case, the travel route generation unit 74 can set the interval L2 between the first reference line K1 and the first parallel path P1 and the interval L2 between adjacent first parallel paths P1 based on the distance between point B and point C. That is, the travel route generation unit 74 can set the interval L2 between the first reference line K1 and the first parallel path P1 and the interval L2 between adjacent first parallel paths P1 to be the same as the distance between point B and point C.

[0080] In the first embodiment, another embodiment regarding the second reference line K2 is described. In this first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second reference line K2 is a straight line orthogonal to the first reference line K1. However, the second reference line K2 is not limited to a straight line orthogonal to the first reference line K1, and can also be a straight line having a predetermined intersection angle with the first reference line K1. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when registering point C in addition to points A and B, the reference line generation unit 78 can generate a straight line connecting point B and point C as the second reference line K2.

[0081] Also, as shown in FIG. 11, instead of the point C, it is also possible to register a reference point S for the entrance / exit corresponding to the entrance / exit R1 of the work area R. In this case, first, after registering the reference point S for the entrance / exit, the points A and B are registered. The reference line generation unit 78 can generate a second reference line K2 as a straight line connecting the reference point S for the entrance / exit and the point A which is the start point of the work. Thereby, the second reference line K2 can be made into a straight line corresponding to the shape of the end portion of the work area R, and an efficient work can be performed according to the shape of the work area R.

[0082] In the first embodiment, another embodiment regarding the interval between the first reference line K1 and the first parallel path P1, and the intervals between adjacent first parallel paths P1 will be described. When performing a predetermined work (planting work) with the rice transplanter 1 in a work area such as a farm field, according to the situation of the work area such as the width of the work area, the power transmission to the planting device 30 is cut off (the power transmission is stopped) by the row stop clutch 44, and in some cases, the planting work is performed only by some of the plurality of planting devices 30.

[0083] In the planting work in the state where the row stop is performed by this row stop clutch 44, the working width of the planting work becomes smaller. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the travel path generation unit 74 changes the interval between the first parallel path P1 (the second first parallel path P1 from the right in the figure) on which the planting work is performed in the state where the row stop is performed and the next first parallel path P1 (the rightmost first parallel path P1 in the figure) to an interval L3 smaller than the interval L1 between other adjacent first parallel paths P1. In this way, when performing the planting work in the state where the row stop is performed, the travel path generation unit 74 parallelly moves the next first parallel path P1 by a predetermined distance to the side approaching the currently traveling first parallel path P1. The predetermined distance can be set according to the number of the planting devices 30 for which the row stop is performed, and the more the number of the planting devices 30 for which the row stop is performed, the larger the predetermined distance is set. Incidentally, by detecting the operating state of the row stop clutch 44, it is possible to determine whether or not the planting work is being performed in the state where the row stop is performed.

[0084] Regarding the translation of the first parallel path P1, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, before performing automatic driving, by the user operating the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3, the travel path generation unit 74 can translate all of the plurality of first parallel paths P1 by a predetermined distance. In FIG. 13, the state before translating the plurality of first parallel paths P1 is shown on the left side, and the state after translating the plurality of first parallel paths P1 is shown on the right side. Regarding the first parallel path P1 shown on the right side, in order to show how it is translated, the first parallel path P1 before translation is shown by a dotted line, and the first parallel path P1 after translation is shown by a solid line.

[0085] Also, as shown in FIG. 14, during automatic driving, in a state where the position of the rice transplanter 1 is moved to a position laterally displaced from the first parallel path P1, by the user operating the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3, the travel path generation unit 74 can translate the first parallel path P1 so that the current position of the rice transplanter 1 coincides with the first parallel path P1. In FIG. 14, the first parallel path P1 before translation is shown by a dotted line, and the first parallel path P1 after translation is shown by a dashed-dotted line.

[0086] 〔Second Embodiment〕 This second embodiment shows another embodiment of the first embodiment. It will be mainly described with respect to the configurations different from those of the first embodiment, and the description of the same configurations as those of the first embodiment will be omitted by using the same reference numerals.

[0087] In this second embodiment, different from the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, information regarding the set interval L1 for generating the plurality of first parallel paths P1 is not acquired. Therefore, in this second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the travel path generation unit 74 selects either the first reference line K1 or the second reference line K2 based on the position information of the rice transplanter 1, and generates parallel paths P5 and P6 parallel to the selected reference line passing through the current position of the rice transplanter 1.

[0088] Similar to the first embodiment, when manually operating the rice transplanter 1, as shown in FIG. 15, when the reference point setting unit 76 sets the point A and the point B, the reference line generation unit 78 generates the first reference line K1 and the second reference line K2. As shown in FIG. 16, the travel route generation unit 74 determines whether or not a predetermined condition for starting automatic travel is satisfied. The predetermined condition is set to a condition that the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the reference line (the azimuth of the extending direction of the first reference line K1 or the azimuth of the extending direction of the second reference line K2) are within a predetermined range. Incidentally, the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 can be obtained from the measurement information of the positioning unit 23, and the azimuth of the extending direction of the reference line can be obtained from the position information of the first reference line K1 and the second reference line K2.

[0089] When the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the first reference line K1 are within a predetermined range and the first predetermined condition is satisfied, the travel route generation unit 74 generates a first parallel route P5 parallel to the first reference line K1 passing through the current position of the rice transplanter 1, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 16. This first parallel route P5 is a route having a route length with the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the start position and the position corresponding to the point A or the point B as the end position.

[0090] When the first parallel route P5 is generated in this way, when other predetermined conditions for starting automatic travel are satisfied and the user operates the display unit 71 at the mobile communication terminal 3 to instruct the start of automatic travel, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 16, performs the first automatic travel of automatically traveling the rice transplanter 1 along the first parallel route P5 based on the positioning information of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23 using the satellite positioning system.

[0091] When the azimuth of the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1 and the azimuth of the extending direction of the second reference line K2 are within a predetermined range and the second predetermined condition is satisfied, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 16, the traveling route generation unit 74 generates a second parallel route P6 that passes through the current position of the rice transplanter 1 and is parallel to the second reference line K2. This second parallel route P6 has the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the start position and a route length of a set distance. The set distance can be set as appropriate, for example, it can be changed and set by the user.

[0092] In this way, when the second parallel route P6 is generated, when other predetermined conditions for starting automatic driving are satisfied and the user operates the display unit 71 at the mobile communication terminal 3 to instruct the start of automatic driving, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 performs second automatic driving to automatically drive the rice transplanter 1 along the second parallel route P6 based on the positioning information of the rice transplanter 1 acquired by the positioning unit 23 using the satellite positioning system, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 16.

[0093] In the second embodiment, when the first predetermined condition or the second predetermined condition is satisfied, the first parallel route P5 or the second parallel route P6 is generated, and the rice transplanter 1 is automatically driven along the generated first parallel route P5 or second parallel route P6.

[0094] The operation flow when performing automatic driving in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the second embodiment, the timing for generating the first parallel route P5 is different from that in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, in FIG. 7, the first reference route is generated at a timing after generating the first reference line K1 and the second reference line K2 and before the first predetermined condition or the second predetermined condition is satisfied. In contrast, in the second embodiment, in FIG. 7, the first parallel route P5 is generated at a timing after the first predetermined condition is satisfied. That is, in FIG. 7, only the step #4 of "generating the first parallel route" is changed to be between the step #5 of "is the first predetermined condition satisfied?" and the step #7 of "start automatic driving?", and the other operations are the same as the operation flow shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7.

[0095] 〔Third Embodiment〕 This third embodiment shows an alternative embodiment of the first embodiment. It will be mainly described with respect to the configuration different from the first embodiment, and the description of the same configuration as the first embodiment will be omitted by using the same reference numerals.

[0096] In this third embodiment, different from the first embodiment, in addition to or instead of the mobile communication terminal 3, as shown in FIG. 17, a remote controller 200 is provided. For example, when the remote controller 200 is provided instead of the mobile communication terminal 3, as shown in FIG. 18, a travel route generation unit 74, a reference point setting unit 76, a reference line generation unit 78, a notification position specifying unit 79, etc. are provided in the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46.

[0097] In this case, information regarding the points A and B set by the reference point setting unit 76, information regarding the first reference line K1 and the second reference line K2 generated by the reference line generation unit 78, information regarding the target travel route P such as the first parallel route P1 and the second parallel route P2 generated by the travel route generation unit 74, etc. are stored in the in-vehicle storage unit 46F. Thus, the in-vehicle storage unit 46F corresponds to the storage unit.

[0098] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, a remote controller 200 that can be carried by a user or the like is provided as the reference point setting operation unit 77. The remote controller 200 is configured to be able to communicate various information with the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 of the rice transplanter 1 via communication modules 54, 205, etc. As shown in FIG. 17, the remote controller 200 is provided with an operation unit 201 for point A for registering point A, an operation unit 202 for point B for registering point B, and a circular AUTO operation unit 203 for instructing automatic travel. A ring-shaped display unit 204 having a plurality of light emitting parts such as LEDs is provided around the circular AUTO operation unit 203, and the display unit 204 is configured to be switchable to a plurality of display forms by varying the lighting states of the plurality of light emitting parts.

[0099] In the third embodiment, when the reference point setting unit 76 sets point A and point B, the operation target operated by the user is the remote controller 200. Therefore, when the operation unit 201 for point A of the remote controller 200 is operated, the reference point setting unit 76 acquires the position information of the positioning unit 23 (the position information of the rice transplanter 1) at the time of the operation, and sets point A (the point determined from the latitude and longitude). Further, when the operation unit 202 for point B of the remote controller 200 is operated, the reference point setting unit 76 acquires the position information of the positioning unit 23 (the position information of the rice transplanter 1) at the time of the operation, and sets point B (the point determined from the latitude and longitude).

[0100] Also in this third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, for the first parallel path P1 and the second parallel path P2, the rice transplanter 1 is automatically driven, but for the connecting path Q for changing the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1, the rice transplanter 1 is manually operated by the user's manual operation without automatically driving the rice transplanter 1. Therefore, when the rice transplanter 1 is manually driven from the first parallel path P1 to the next first parallel path P1 (when the rice transplanter 1 is manually operated to travel on the connecting path Q), deviation notification is performed to suggest the deviation between the position of the rice transplanter 1 after the manual travel ends and the start position of the automatic travel on the next first parallel path P1.

[0101] Regarding this deviation notification, in the first embodiment, the deviation notification is performed using the display unit 27 of the rice transplanter 1 and the display unit 71 of the mobile communication terminal 3. However, in the third embodiment, since the remote controller 200 is provided, the deviation notification using the remote controller 200 will be described.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 18, the remote controller 200 is provided with a display control unit 206 that controls the display form of the display unit 204. For example, as a deviation notification, the display control unit 206 controls the lighting state of a plurality of light emitting units in the display unit 204 to suggest the deviation between the current position of the rice transplanter 1 and the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1. For example, when the current position of the rice transplanter 1 is within a predetermined range with respect to the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1, only the light emitting unit located at the center among the plurality of light emitting units is lit as shown in gray in FIG. 18(a). When the current position of the rice transplanter 1 is located on the left side beyond a predetermined range with respect to the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1, only the light emitting units located at the center and on the right side among the plurality of light emitting units are lit as shown in gray in FIG. 18(b). At this time, as the deviation amount to the left increases, the number of lit light emitting units can be increased in such a manner that the light emitting units located more on the right side are lit.

[0103] From the display of the display unit 204 of the remote controller 200, the user can recognize in which direction and by how much the current position of the rice transplanter 1 is deviated from the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1. Moreover, when the current position of the rice transplanter 1 is located on the left side beyond a predetermined range with respect to the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1, only the light emitting units located at the center and on the right side are lit in the ring-shaped display unit 204, so that the user can easily recognize the direction in which the steering wheel 25 is operated and can be smoothly guided to the start position P1a of the next first parallel path P1.

[0104] 〔Another Embodiment〕 Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied individually, and can also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0105] (1) The configuration of the work vehicle can be variously changed. For example, the work vehicle may be configured in a hybrid specification including the engine 15 and a traveling electric motor, or may be configured in an electric specification including a traveling electric motor instead of the engine 15. For example, the work vehicle may be configured in a rear-wheel steering specification in which the left and right rear wheels 20 function as steering wheels.

[0106] (2) In the above-described first embodiment, the traveling route generation unit 74, the reference point setting unit 76, the reference line generation unit 78, the notification position specifying unit 79, etc. are provided in the mobile communication terminal 3. However, for example, the traveling route generation unit 74, the reference point setting unit 76, the reference line generation unit 78, the notification position specifying unit 79, etc. can be provided in the rice transplanter 1 or in an external management device, and the arrangement location can be changed as appropriate.

[0107] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the traveling route generation unit 74 does not generate the connection route Q and does not perform automatic traveling of the rice transplanter 1 along the connection route Q. However, by generating the connection route Q by the traveling route generation unit 74 and storing it in the terminal storage unit 75 etc., the in-vehicle electronic control unit 46 can also automatically travel the rice transplanter 1 along the connection route Q. In this case, following the automatic traveling of the first parallel route P1, the automatic traveling of the connection route Q can be performed, and then, subsequently, the automatic traveling of the next first parallel route P1 can be performed. Therefore, the rice transplanter 1 can be automatically traveled continuously with respect to a plurality of first parallel routes P1 and a plurality of connection routes Q.

[0108] <Supplementary Note of the Invention> The first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a storage unit that stores a first reference line and a second reference line, a traveling route generation unit that generates a parallel route parallel to the first reference line or the second reference line, and an automatic traveling control unit that automatically travels the work vehicle along the parallel route generated by the traveling route generation unit.

[0109] According to this configuration, the travel route generation unit can generate not only the first reference line stored in the storage unit but also a parallel route parallel to the second reference line. The automatic driving control unit can automatically drive the work vehicle not only along a parallel route parallel to the first reference line but also along a parallel route parallel to the second reference line, and can efficiently perform a predetermined operation. Thereby, in order to perform automatic driving along a parallel route parallel to the second reference line, it is not necessary for a user or the like to newly perform adjustment work or manual driving of the work vehicle. Therefore, while reducing the work burden on the user, it is possible to improve the work efficiency by automatically driving the work vehicle not only along a parallel route parallel to the first reference line but also along a parallel route parallel to the second reference line.

[0110] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the travel route generation unit selects either the first reference line or the second reference line based on the position information of the work vehicle, and generates the parallel route parallel to the selected reference line passing through the current position of the work vehicle.

[0111] According to this configuration, when a user or the like moves the work vehicle to a point where they want to start work, etc., the travel route generation unit selects either the first reference line or the second reference line based on the position information of the work vehicle at that time, and can generate a parallel route parallel to the selected reference line passing through the current position of the work vehicle. Therefore, the user can perform automatic driving along a parallel route corresponding to the work start point simply by moving the work vehicle to the work start point, etc., and can appropriately perform automatic driving while effectively reducing the work burden on the user.

[0112] A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the travel route generation unit can generate a plurality of first parallel routes parallel to the first reference line at predetermined intervals as the parallel route, and can generate a second parallel route parallel to the second reference line passing through the current position of the work vehicle.

[0113] According to this configuration, the travel route generation unit can generate a plurality of first parallel routes having a working width at a predetermined interval, and can also generate a second parallel route according to the current position of the work vehicle. For example, in the central region of the work area, a plurality of first parallel routes can be generated to perform a predetermined operation by automatic driving, while in the peripheral region around the central region, a second parallel route can be generated while corresponding to the shape of the work area, etc., and a predetermined operation can be performed by automatic driving. In this way, according to various situations such as the shape of the work area, etc., while generating the first parallel route or the second parallel route, work can be efficiently performed by automatic driving. Moreover, regarding the first parallel route, since a plurality of first parallel routes are generated, automatic driving can be performed while targeting the already generated first parallel route, and automatic driving along the first parallel route can be efficiently and appropriately performed.

[0114] The fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the automatic driving control unit can perform automatic driving of the work vehicle in a plurality of the parallel routes, and allows manual driving of the work vehicle for moving from one parallel route to the next parallel route. When the work vehicle is manually driven from one parallel route to the next parallel route, there is a notification control unit that performs a notification suggesting the deviation between the position of the work vehicle after the manual driving ends and the start position of the automatic driving in the next parallel route.

[0115] According to this configuration, when the work vehicle is manually driven from one parallel route to the next parallel route, the notification control unit performs a notification suggesting the deviation between the position of the work vehicle after the manual driving ends and the start position of the automatic driving in the next parallel route, so that it can guide the vehicle to the start position of the automatic driving in the next parallel route. As a result, the automatic driving in the next parallel route can be smoothly started, and the automatic driving along the next parallel route can be efficiently and appropriately performed.

[0116] The automatic driving system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a travel route generation unit and an automatic driving control unit. The travel route generation unit generates parallel routes in the work area that are parallel to a plurality of reference lines extending in different directions and registered separately from one side of the outer shape of the work area. The automatic driving control unit automatically drives the work vehicle along the parallel routes generated by the travel route generation unit.

[0117] The automatic driving system according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a travel route generation unit and an automatic driving control unit. The travel route generation unit generates parallel routes parallel to a plurality of reference lines extending in different directions. The automatic driving control unit automatically drives the work vehicle along the parallel routes generated by the travel route generation unit. The travel route generation unit selects any one of the plurality of reference lines based on at least a predetermined condition regarding the position information of the work vehicle, and generates the parallel route parallel to the selected reference line.

Explanation of Signs

[0118] 1 Rice transplanter (work vehicle) 46 In-vehicle electronic control unit (automatic driving control unit) 46F In-vehicle storage unit (storage unit) 46G Notification control unit 74 Travel route generation unit 75 Terminal storage unit (storage unit) 206 Display control unit K1 First reference line K2 Second reference line P1 First parallel route P2 Second parallel route P5 First parallel route P6 Second parallel route

Claims

1. An automatic driving control unit for automatically driving the work vehicle along each of a plurality of reference directions serving as references when automatically driving the work vehicle, wherein the plurality of reference directions are set in different directions respectively, and the plurality of reference directions include a first reference direction generated based on a user operation and a second reference direction generated based on the first reference direction, An automatic driving system.

2. At least one of the plurality of reference directions is set based on the position information of the work vehicle, The automatic driving system according to Claim 1.

3. Automatically driving the work vehicle along each of a plurality of reference directions serving as references when automatically driving the work vehicle, wherein the plurality of reference directions are set in different directions respectively, and the plurality of reference directions include a first reference direction generated based on a user operation and a second reference direction generated based on the first reference direction, An automatic driving method.

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