Autonomous driving system, autonomous driving method, and autonomous driving program

Abstract

To provide an autonomous travel system, an autonomous travel method and an autonomous travel program capable of preventing the occurrence of an unworked area in the case of restarting work after a work vehicle temporarily stops the work and stops.SOLUTION: A position acquisition processing unit acquires position information of a work vehicle 10. A stop acquisition processing unit acquires a stop instruction of work by the work vehicle 10. A stop processing unit stops the work and travel by the work vehicle 10 when the stop acquisition processing unit acquires the stop instruction. A calculation processing unit calculates a restart position Pb1 for restarting the work on the basis of a stop instruction position Pa1 showing a position at which the stop instruction is acquired and a stop position Pa2 showing a position at which the work vehicle 10 stops. A restart processing unit moves the work vehicle 10 to the restart position Pb1 calculated by the calculation processing unit to restart the work.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5C

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous driving system, an autonomous driving method, and an autonomous driving program for causing a work vehicle to drive autonomously. [Background technology]

[0002] A work vehicle may stop working while autonomously traveling along a predetermined travel route in a farm field. Conventionally, there is known a technique for causing a work vehicle to resume work from the interruption position when the work vehicle has stopped working (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-116613 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When stopping a work vehicle to suspend its work, for example, an operator uses an operation terminal to issue a stop instruction to the work vehicle. When the work vehicle receives the stop instruction, it stops working and stops traveling. In this case, since it takes some time for the work vehicle to stop after receiving the stop instruction, it travels a predetermined distance from when it stops working until it stops. In this case, when the work vehicle resumes work from the stopped position, the area corresponding to the predetermined distance becomes an unworked area.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous driving system, an autonomous driving method, and an autonomous driving program that can prevent the occurrence of unworked areas when a work vehicle temporarily stops work, stops, and then resumes work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The autonomous driving system according to the present invention comprises a position acquisition processing unit, a stop acquisition processing unit, a stop processing unit, and a resume processing unit. The position acquisition processing unit acquires position information of a work vehicle. The stop acquisition processing unit acquires an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle. The stop processing unit stops work and travel by the work vehicle when the stop acquisition processing unit acquires the stop instruction. The resume processing unit moves the work vehicle to a resume position where the work vehicle resumes work, which is specified based on a stop instruction position indicating the position where the stop instruction was acquired and a stop position indicating the position where the work vehicle is stopped, and resumes the work.

[0007] The autonomous driving method of the present invention is a method in which one or more processors acquire position information of a work vehicle, acquire an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle, stop work and travel by the work vehicle when the stop instruction is acquired, and resume work by moving the work vehicle to a resume position where the work vehicle will resume work, which is identified based on a stop instruction position indicating the position where the stop instruction was acquired and a stop position indicating the position where the work vehicle is stopped.

[0008] The autonomous driving program of the present invention is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the following steps: acquire position information of a work vehicle; acquire an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle; stop work and driving by the work vehicle when the stop instruction is acquired; and resume work by moving the work vehicle to a resume position where the work vehicle will resume work, which is identified based on a stop instruction position indicating the position where the stop instruction was acquired and a stop position indicating the position where the work vehicle is stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an autonomous driving system, an autonomous driving method, and an autonomous driving program that can prevent the occurrence of unworked areas when a work vehicle temporarily stops work, stops, and then resumes work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a travel route of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the position information of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a stop instruction position for a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a stopping position of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is a diagram showing a reverse path of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5D] FIG. 5D is a diagram showing a restart position of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a stopping position of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a restart position of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a stopping position of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a restart position of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of an autonomous driving process executed by the autonomous driving system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a travel route of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The following embodiment is an example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0012] 1, an autonomous driving system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a work vehicle 10 and an operation terminal 20. The work vehicle 10 and the operation terminal 20 can communicate with each other via a communication network N1. For example, the work vehicle 10 and the operation terminal 20 can communicate with each other via a mobile phone network, a packet network, or a wireless LAN.

[0013] In this embodiment, the work vehicle 10 will be described as a tractor. In other embodiments, the work vehicle 10 may be a rice transplanter, a combine harvester, construction machinery, a snowplow, or the like. The work vehicle 10 is a so-called robot tractor that is configured to be able to travel autonomously (automatically) within a field F (see FIG. 3 ) along a predetermined travel route Ra. For example, the work vehicle 10 can travel autonomously along a travel route Ra that has been created in advance for the field F, based on position information of the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 calculated by the positioning device 16.

[0014] For example, in the work area of the field F shown in Fig. 3, the work vehicle 10 travels in a spiral pattern from a work start position S located on the outside to a work end position G located on the inside, and travels back and forth in parallel on the inside. The route shown by the inner dotted line indicates a route on which the work implement 14 travels with its work equipment 14 raised (idle running route). The travel route Ra is not limited to the route shown in Fig. 3.

[0015] [Work vehicle 10] 1 and 2, the work vehicle 10 includes a vehicle control unit 11, a memory unit 12, a traveling device 13, a work implement 14, a communication unit 15, and a positioning device 16. The vehicle control unit 11 is electrically connected to the traveling device 13, the work implement 14, and the positioning device 16. The vehicle control unit 11 and the positioning device 16 may be capable of wireless communication.

[0016] The memory unit 12 is a non-volatile memory unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various types of information. The memory unit 12 stores control programs such as an autonomous driving program that causes the vehicle control unit 11 to execute the autonomous driving process (see FIG. 8 ), which will be described later. For example, the autonomous driving program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) and stored in the memory unit 12. The autonomous driving program may be downloaded from a server (not shown) to the work vehicle 10 via the communication network N1 and stored in the memory unit 12. The memory unit 12 also stores data on the travel route Ra generated by the operation terminal 20, position information D1 (see FIG. 4 ) of the work vehicle 10 measured by the positioning device 16, and the like. The memory unit 12 may also store work information (such as the harvest volume and the harvest yield).

[0017] The traveling device 13 is a drive unit that causes the work vehicle 10 to travel. As shown in Fig. 2, the traveling device 13 is equipped with an engine 131, front wheels 132, rear wheels 133, a transmission 134, a front axle 135, a rear axle 136, a handlebar 137, etc. The front wheels 132 and rear wheels 133 are provided on the left and right sides of the work vehicle 10, respectively. The traveling device 13 is not limited to a wheel type equipped with front wheels 132 and rear wheels 133, but may also be a crawler type equipped with crawlers provided on the left and right sides of the work vehicle 10.

[0018] The engine 131 is a drive source such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine that is driven by fuel supplied to a fuel tank (not shown). The traveling device 13 may be equipped with an electric motor as a drive source in addition to or instead of the engine 131. A generator (not shown) is connected to the engine 131, and power is supplied from the generator to electrical components such as the vehicle control unit 11 and the battery provided on the work vehicle 10. The battery is charged with power supplied from the generator. The vehicle control unit 11, positioning device 16, and other electrical components provided on the work vehicle 10 can be driven by power supplied from the battery even after the engine 131 is stopped.

[0019] The driving force of the engine 131 is transmitted to the front wheels 132 via the transmission 134 and the front axle 135, and to the rear wheels 133 via the transmission 134 and the rear axle 136. The driving force of the engine 131 is also transmitted to the work implement 14 via a PTO shaft (not shown). When the work vehicle 10 travels autonomously, the traveling device 13 performs traveling operations in accordance with commands from the vehicle control unit 11.

[0020] The work implement 14 is, for example, a brush cutter, cultivator, plow, fertilizer applicator, or seed sowing machine, and is detachable from the work vehicle 10. This allows the work vehicle 10 to perform various tasks using each of the work implements 14. In this embodiment, the work implement 14 will be described as a brush cutter.

[0021] The work implement 14 may be supported in the work vehicle 10 by a lifting mechanism (not shown) so that it can be raised and lowered. The vehicle control unit 11 is able to raise and lower the work implement 14 by controlling the lifting mechanism. For example, the vehicle control unit 11 lowers the work implement 14 when the work vehicle 10 moves forward in the work target area of the field F, and raises the work implement 14 when the work vehicle 10 moves backward. Furthermore, when the vehicle control unit 11 acquires an instruction to stop work, it outputs a work stop command to the work implement 14. For example, the vehicle control unit 11 acquires the stop instruction from the operation terminal 20 when the operator performs a stop instruction operation on the operation terminal 20. When the vehicle control unit 11 acquires the work stop instruction, it stops driving the PTO shaft to stop the work of the work implement 14. Details of the vehicle control unit 11 will be described later.

[0022] The handle 137 is an operating unit that is operated by the user (operator) or the vehicle control unit 11. For example, in the traveling device 13, in response to operation of the handle 137 by the vehicle control unit 11, the angle of the front wheels 132 is changed by a hydraulic power steering mechanism (not shown) or the like, and the traveling direction of the work vehicle 10 is changed.

[0023] In addition to the handlebars 137, the traveling device 13 is also equipped with a shift lever, accelerator, brake, etc. (not shown) that are operated by the vehicle control unit 11. In the traveling device 13, the gear of the transmission 134 is switched to a forward gear, a reverse gear, etc. in response to operation of the shift lever by the vehicle control unit 11, and the traveling mode of the work vehicle 10 is switched to forward, reverse, etc. The vehicle control unit 11 also operates the accelerator to control the rotation speed of the engine 131. The vehicle control unit 11 also operates the brake to brake the rotation of the front wheels 132 and rear wheels 133 using an electromagnetic brake.

[0024] The positioning device 16 is a communication device including a positioning control unit 161, a memory unit 162, a communication unit 163, a positioning antenna 164, and the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the positioning device 16 is provided above the cabin 18 in which the operator sits. The installation location of the positioning device 16 is not limited to the cabin 18. The positioning control unit 161, the memory unit 162, the communication unit 163, and the positioning antenna 164 of the positioning device 16 may be disposed in different locations in the work vehicle 10. As described above, the battery is connected to the positioning device 16, and the positioning device 16 can operate even when the engine 131 is stopped. The positioning device 16 may be substituted with, for example, a mobile phone terminal, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0025] The positioning control unit 161 is a computer system including one or more processors and storage memories such as nonvolatile memory and RAM. The storage unit 162 is a nonvolatile memory that stores a program for causing the positioning control unit 161 to execute the positioning process, and data such as positioning information and movement information. For example, the program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 162. Note that the program may be downloaded to the positioning device 16 from a server (not shown) via a communication network N1 and stored in the storage unit 162.

[0026] The communication unit 163 is a communication interface that connects the positioning device 16 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performs data communication in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol with an external device such as a base station server via the communication network N1.

[0027] The positioning antenna 164 is an antenna that receives radio waves (GNSS signals) transmitted from satellites.

[0028] The positioning control unit 161 calculates the position (current position P1) of the work vehicle 10 based on the GNSS signals received from satellites by the positioning antenna 164. For example, when the work vehicle 10 is autonomously traveling within a field F, the positioning antenna 164 receives radio waves (transmission time, orbit information, etc.) transmitted from each of a plurality of satellites, and the positioning control unit 161 calculates the distance between the positioning antenna 164 and each satellite, and calculates the current position P1 (latitude and longitude) of the work vehicle 10 based on the calculated distance. The positioning control unit 161 may also perform positioning using a real-time kinematic method (RTK-GPS positioning method, hereinafter referred to as the "RTK method"), which calculates the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 using correction information corresponding to a base station (reference station) close to the work vehicle 10. In this way, the work vehicle 10 performs autonomous traveling using positioning information obtained by the RTK method.

[0029] The vehicle control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS that cause the CPU to execute various types of arithmetic processing are pre-stored. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various types of information and is used as temporary storage memory (work area) for various types of processing executed by the CPU. The vehicle control unit 11 controls the work vehicle 10 by having the CPU execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or the storage unit 12. The vehicle control unit 11 controls the operation of the work vehicle 10 in response to various user operations on the work vehicle 10. The vehicle control unit 11 also executes autonomous driving processing for the work vehicle 10 based on the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 calculated by the positioning device 16 and a pre-generated driving route Ra.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a position acquisition processing unit 111, a stop acquisition processing unit 112, a stop processing unit 113, a calculation processing unit 114, and a restart processing unit 115. The vehicle control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes in accordance with the autonomous driving program using the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The autonomous driving program may be a program for causing multiple processors to function as the processing units.

[0031] The position acquisition processing unit 111 acquires position information of the work vehicle 10. Specifically, the position acquisition processing unit 111 acquires the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 based on positioning information measured by the positioning device 16. When the position acquisition processing unit 111 acquires the current position P1, it registers it in position information D1 in the memory unit 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the position information D1 includes data such as time information, position information, stop instruction position information, and stop position information. The time information is time information corresponding to a predetermined sampling interval at which the positioning device 16 measures the position. The position information is position information indicating the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 corresponding to the time information. The position acquisition processing unit 111 is an example of a position acquisition processing unit of the present invention.

[0032] The stop acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle 10 (for example, mowing work by the work implement 14). Specifically, the stop acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the stop instruction from the operation terminal 20 when an operator performs a stop instruction operation on the operation terminal 20. Furthermore, the stop acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the stop instruction from an obstacle detection sensor (not shown) mounted on the work vehicle 10 when the obstacle detection sensor detects an obstacle. Furthermore, the stop acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the stop instruction when the work vehicle 10 deviates from the travel route Ra. Furthermore, the stop acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the stop instruction when communication with the work vehicle 10 is interrupted. The stop acquisition processing unit 112 is an example of a stop acquisition processing unit of the present invention.

[0033] When the stop acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the stop command, the stop processing unit 113 executes stop processing to stop work and travel by the work vehicle 10. Specifically, when the stop acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the stop command, the stop processing unit 113 stops driving the PTO shaft to stop work by the work implement 14. The stop processing unit 113 also operates the brakes to brake the rotation of the front wheels 132 and rear wheels 133 using the electromagnetic brakes, thereby stopping the work vehicle 10. The stop processing unit 113 is an example of a stop processing unit of the present invention.

[0034] Here, when the work vehicle 10 receives the stop command, it executes a stop process to stop working and stop traveling; however, since it takes some time from receiving the stop command until the vehicle stops, it will travel a predetermined distance after stopping work until it stops. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the work vehicle 10 receives the stop command at position Pa1 and executes the stop process, the work implement 14 stops working at position Pa1. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 5B, the work vehicle 10 travels (coasting) a predetermined distance L2 (several meters) and stops at position Pa2. In this case, for example, if the work vehicle 10 resumes working and traveling from position Pa2, a problem occurs in which the area corresponding to the predetermined distance L2 becomes an unworked area.

[0035] As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, in reality, the work vehicle 10 may travel at a position that is laterally shifted by a predetermined distance L1 (several cm) from the target travel route Ra due to factors such as the state of the field F.

[0036] The vehicle control unit 11 executes the following process to prevent the occurrence of the unworked area.

[0037] The position acquisition processing unit 111 acquires a stop instruction position Pa1 indicating the position of the work vehicle 10 at the time the stop instruction was acquired, and registers this in the position information D1 (see FIG. 4). The position acquisition processing unit 111 also acquires a stop position Pa2 indicating the position where the work vehicle 10 has stopped, and registers this in the position information D1 (see FIG. 4). In the example shown in FIG. 4, "X8, Y8" indicates the stop instruction position Pa1, and "X13, Y13" indicates the stop position Pa2. The distance from "X8, Y8" to "X13, Y13" corresponds to the predetermined distance L2 (see FIG. 5B).

[0038] The calculation processing unit 114 calculates a resume position where the work vehicle 10 is to resume work, based on the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2. The resume processing unit 115 moves the work vehicle 10 to the resume position where the work vehicle 10 is to resume the work, which is specified based on the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2, and resumes the work. Specifically, the resume processing unit 115 moves the work vehicle 10 to the resume position calculated by the calculation processing unit 114 and resumes the work. Note that the resume processing unit 115 may execute resume processing to resume the work when it receives an instruction (resume instruction) to resume work of the work vehicle 10. For example, when the operator operates the operation terminal 20 to issue the resume instruction, the resume processing unit 115 acquires the resume instruction from the operation terminal 20 and executes the resume processing. The calculation processing unit 114 is an example of a calculation processing unit of the present invention. The resume processing unit 115 is an example of a resume processing unit of the present invention.

[0039] 5C, the calculation processing unit 114 calculates, as the resumption position, an intersection Pb1 between an orthogonal line La2 that passes through the stop command position Pa1 and is perpendicular to a line La1 that passes through the stop command position Pa1 and the stopping position Pa2, and a line that indicates the travel route Ra. Note that the calculation processing unit 114 may calculate, as the resumption position, a position on the travel route Ra that is closest to the stop command position Pa1.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 5C, the resume processing unit 115 moves the work vehicle 10 backward along a route Rb (reverse route) from the stopping position Pa2 to the restart position Pb1. Note that the route Rb may include a straight route (forward and reverse) and a turning route. When the work vehicle 10 arrives at the restart position Pb1, as shown in FIG. 5D, the resume processing unit 115 moves the work vehicle 10 forward along the travel route Ra and causes the work implement 14 to resume work. In this way, the resume processing unit 115 uses the travel route Ra when moving the work vehicle 10 backward from the stopping position Pa2 to the restart position Pb1. In other words, the restart position Pb1 is set on the travel route Ra. Furthermore, the resume processing unit 115 uses well-known technology to cause the work vehicle 10 to travel, for example, the shortest route from the stopping position Pa2 to the restart position Pb1. Therefore, when moving the work vehicle 10 from the stopping position Pa2 to the restart position Pb1, it is not necessary to generate a new route from the stopping position Pa2 to the restart position Pb1. Therefore, the processing load on the vehicle control unit 11 can be reduced.

[0041] Here, an overlap width of approximately 10 cm is set between the working width of the work vehicle 10's current work route and the working width of the next work route. Therefore, even if the resumption position is set on the travel route Ra and the work vehicle 10 is moved backward onto the travel route Ra, no unworked area will be left. Furthermore, by returning the work vehicle 10 to the travel route Ra, any lateral positional deviation can be eliminated.

[0042] If there is no positional deviation (predetermined distance L1) from the travel route Ra or if the deviation can be ignored, the calculation processing unit 114 may calculate the stop instruction position Pa1 as the resume position. In this case, the resume processing unit 115 moves (backwards) the work vehicle 10 to the stop instruction position Pa1 (restart position) and resumes the work from the stop instruction position Pa1.

[0043] Incidentally, when a field F includes a non-work area where work is not required and the work vehicle 10 coasts across the non-work area, it is desirable for the calculation processing unit 114 to set the resume position in the work area. For example, the field F shown in FIG. 6A includes a work area F2 and a non-work area F1 (e.g., a headland area) surrounding the work area F2. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the position acquisition processing unit 111 acquires a stop instruction position Pa1 within the work area F2 and a stopping position Pa2 within the non-work area F1, the calculation processing unit 114 calculates a position Pb1 on the travel route Ra within the work area F2 as the resume position. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the resume processing unit 115 moves the work vehicle 10 backward along the route Pb from the stopping position Pa2 to the resume position Pb1 from the stopping position Pa2 to the resume position Pb1. When the work vehicle 10 arrives at the resume position Pb1, the resume processing unit 115 causes the work vehicle 10 to travel forward along the travel route Ra and causes the work implement 14 to resume work.

[0044] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the position acquisition processing unit 111 acquires a stop command position Pa1 within the non-working area F1 and a stop position Pa2 within the working area F2, the calculation processing unit 114 calculates an end Pb3 on the travel route Ra within the working area F2 as the resume position. In other words, the calculation processing unit 114 does not set position Pb1 (or stop command position Pa1) on the travel route Ra within the non-working area F1 as the resume position. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the resume processing unit 115 moves the work vehicle 10 backward along the route Pb from the stop position Pa2 to the resume position Pb3. When the work vehicle 10 arrives at the resume position Pb3, the resume processing unit 115 causes the work vehicle 10 to travel forward along the travel route Ra and causes the work implement 14 to resume work. With this configuration, there is no need to return the work vehicle 10 to the non-working area F1, and therefore a decrease in work efficiency can be prevented.

[0045] Furthermore, when both the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 are located in the non-work area F1, the work vehicle 10 does not perform work, and therefore, when the work vehicle 10 is to resume traveling, the restart processing unit 115 causes it to resume traveling from the stop position Pa2.

[0046] In this way, when at least one of the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 is located in the working area F2, the restart processing unit 115 moves (reverses) the work vehicle 10 to the restart position to restart work. In addition, the calculation processing unit 114 sets the restart position within the working area F2.

[0047] The travel route Ra along which the work vehicle 10 travels is generated, for example, by the operation terminal 20. The work vehicle 10 acquires the travel route Ra from the operation terminal 20 and performs work using the work implement 14 while autonomously traveling within the field F according to the travel route Ra.

[0048] [Operation terminal 20] 1, the operation terminal 20 is an information processing device including an operation control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation display unit 23, and a communication unit 24. The operation terminal 20 may be configured as a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone.

[0049] The communication unit 24 is a communication interface that connects the operation terminal 20 to the communication network N1 via a wired or wireless connection and performs data communication in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol with external devices such as one or more work vehicles 10 via the communication network N1.

[0050] The operation display unit 23 is a user interface equipped with a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a touch panel, mouse, or keyboard that accepts operations. The operator can operate the operation unit on the operation screen displayed on the display unit to register various information (such as work vehicle information, field information, and work information, which will be described later). The operator can also operate the operation unit to give autonomous driving instructions to the work vehicle 10. Furthermore, from a location away from the work vehicle 10, the operator can grasp the driving status of the work vehicle 10 as it autonomously drives along the driving route Ra within the field F by looking at the driving trajectory displayed on the operation terminal 20.

[0051] The memory unit 22 is a non-volatile memory unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various types of information. The memory unit 22 stores a control program for causing the operation control unit 21 to execute predetermined control processing. For example, the control program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a predetermined reading device (not shown) provided in the operation terminal 20 and stored in the memory unit 22. The control program may be downloaded to the operation terminal 20 from a server (not shown) via the communication network N1 and stored in the memory unit 22. The memory unit 22 may also store work information (such as the reaping volume and harvest volume) transmitted from the work vehicle 10.

[0052] Furthermore, a dedicated application for autonomously driving the work vehicle 10 is installed in the memory unit 22. The operation control unit 21 starts up the dedicated application to perform processing for setting various information related to the work vehicle 10, processing for generating a driving route for the work vehicle 10, and issuing autonomous driving instructions to the work vehicle 10.

[0053] The operation control unit 21 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS that cause the CPU to execute various types of arithmetic processing are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various types of information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various types of processing executed by the CPU. The operation control unit 21 controls the operation terminal 20 by having the CPU execute various control programs that are stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 22.

[0054] As shown in Fig. 1, the operation control unit 21 includes various processing units such as a vehicle setting processing unit 211, a field setting processing unit 212, a work setting processing unit 213, a path generation processing unit 214, an output processing unit 215, and a reception processing unit 216. The operation control unit 21 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes in accordance with the control program using the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The control program may be a program for causing multiple processors to function as the processing units.

[0055] The vehicle setting processing unit 211 sets information relating to the work vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as work vehicle information). The vehicle setting processing unit 211 sets information such as the model of the work vehicle 10, the position where the positioning antenna 164 is attached on the work vehicle 10, the type of work implement 14, the size and shape of the work implement 14, the position of the work implement 14 relative to the work vehicle 10, the vehicle speed and engine rotation speed of the work vehicle 10 while working, and the vehicle speed and engine rotation speed of the work vehicle 10 while turning, by having the operator perform an operation to register this information on the operation terminal 20.

[0056] The field setting processing unit 212 sets information (hereinafter referred to as field information) about the field F. The field setting processing unit 212 sets information such as the position and shape of the field F, the work start position S where work begins and the work end position G where work ends, and the work direction by performing a registration operation on the operation terminal 20.

[0057] The working direction refers to the direction in which the work vehicle 10 travels while working with the work implement 14 in the working area, which is the area of the field F excluding non-working areas such as headland and non-cultivated land.

[0058] Information on the position and shape of the field F can be automatically obtained, for example, by having an operator get into the work vehicle 10 and drive it around the perimeter of the field F, recording the changes in position information of the positioning antenna 164 at that time. The position and shape of the field F can also be obtained based on a polygon obtained by the operator operating the operation terminal 20 to specify multiple points on a map while a map is displayed on the operation terminal 20. The area specified by the obtained position and shape of the field F is the area in which the work vehicle 10 can be driven (travel area).

[0059] The work setting processing unit 213 sets information relating to how work will be carried out specifically (hereinafter referred to as work information). The work setting processing unit 213 is configured to be able to set, as work information, whether or not cooperative work will occur between the work vehicle 10 (unmanned tractor) and the manned work vehicle 10, the number of skips which is the number of work routes that the work vehicle 10 will skip when turning on the headland, the width of the headland, the width of the non-cultivated land, etc.

[0060] Based on the setting information, the route generation processing unit 214 generates a travel route Ra, which is a route along which the work vehicle 10 will travel autonomously. The travel route Ra is, for example, a work route from a work start position S to a work end position G (see FIG. 3). The travel route Ra shown in FIG. 3 is a route along which the work vehicle 10 travels in a spiral pattern from the outside to the inside of the work area of the field F, and travels back and forth in parallel on the inside. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the work vehicle 10 will perform grass cutting work in the entire area of the field F, so the entire route from the outer periphery to the inner periphery is the work route. The route generation processing unit 214 can generate and store the travel route Ra for the work vehicle 10 based on the setting information set in the vehicle setting processing unit 211, the field setting processing unit 212, and the work setting processing unit 213.

[0061] Specifically, the path generation processing unit 214 generates a travel path Ra (see FIG. 3) based on the work start position S and work end position G registered in the field settings. In the travel path Ra shown in FIG. 3, the path indicated by the dotted line included in the inner travel path Ra indicates a path along which the work implement 14 is raised and traveled (a free-running path). The travel path Ra is not limited to the path shown in FIG. 3.

[0062] The work vehicle 10 is configured so that data of the travel route Ra generated in the operation terminal 20 is transferred to the work vehicle 10 and stored in the memory unit 12, and the work vehicle 10 is able to travel autonomously along the travel route Ra while detecting the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 using the positioning antenna 164. Note that the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 normally coincides with the position of the positioning antenna 164.

[0063] The work vehicle 10 according to this embodiment travels in a substantially rectangular field F as shown in Fig. 3. The work vehicle 10 is configured to be able to travel autonomously when the current position P1 is located within the field F, and is configured not to be able to travel autonomously when the current position P1 is located outside the field F (such as on a public road). Furthermore, the work vehicle 10 is configured to be able to travel autonomously when, for example, the current position P1 coincides with the work start position S.

[0064] When the current position P1 of the work vehicle 10 coincides with the work start position S, and the operator presses the work start button on the operation screen to give the instruction to "start work," the vehicle control unit 11 starts work using the work implement 14 (see FIG. 2). In other words, the operation control unit 21 permits the work vehicle 10 to travel autonomously on the condition that the current position P1 coincides with the work start position S. Note that the conditions for permitting the work vehicle 10 to travel autonomously are not limited to the above conditions.

[0065] The output processing unit 215 outputs information about the travel route Ra generated by the route generation processing unit 214 to the work vehicle 10. The output processing unit 215 can also instruct the work vehicle 10 to start and stop autonomous travel, etc., by sending control signals to the work vehicle 10 via the communication unit 24. This enables the work vehicle 10 to travel autonomously.

[0066] For example, the vehicle control unit 11 causes the work vehicle 10 to travel autonomously from the work start position S to the work end position G based on the travel route Ra acquired from the operation terminal 20. Furthermore, when the work vehicle 10 finishes work, the vehicle control unit 11 may cause the work vehicle 10 to travel autonomously from the work end position G to the entrance of the field F. When the work vehicle 10 is traveling autonomously, the operation control unit 21 can receive the status of the work vehicle 10 (position, travel speed, etc.) from the work vehicle 10 and display it on the operation display unit 23.

[0067] The reception processing unit 216 receives from the operator an operation (stop instruction operation) to stop the work of the autonomously traveling work vehicle 10. For example, when the operator performs the stop instruction operation on the operation display unit 23, the reception processing unit 216 receives the stop instruction operation. When the reception processing unit 216 receives the stop instruction operation, the output processing unit 215 outputs the stop instruction to the work vehicle 10. As a result, the vehicle control unit 11 (stop acquisition processing unit 112) of the work vehicle 10 acquires the stop instruction from the operation terminal 20. When the vehicle control unit 11 acquires the stop instruction, it stops the work and traveling of the work vehicle 10.

[0068] The reception processing unit 216 also accepts an operation (resume instruction operation) to resume the travel of the work vehicle 10. For example, when the operator performs the resume instruction operation on the operation display unit 23, the reception processing unit 216 accepts the resume instruction operation. When the reception processing unit 216 accepts the resume instruction operation, the output processing unit 215 outputs the resume instruction to the work vehicle 10. As a result, the vehicle control unit 11 (resume processing unit 115) of the work vehicle 10 acquires the resume instruction from the operation terminal 20. When the vehicle control unit 11 acquires the resume instruction, it causes the work vehicle 10 to resume work and travel.

[0069] The reception processing unit 216 may also be configured to allow the operator to set (select) in advance whether or not to execute processing to return the work vehicle 10 to the restart position when resuming work with the work vehicle 10. For example, the reception processing unit 216 displays, on the setting screen, a first selection button that executes processing to return the work vehicle 10 to the restart position when resuming work with the work vehicle 10, and a second selection button that does not execute processing to return the work vehicle 10 to the restart position when resuming work with the work vehicle 10, and accepts a selection operation from the operator. When the operator selects the first selection button on the setting screen, the vehicle control unit 11 of the work vehicle 10 executes processing to return the work vehicle 10 to the restart position. On the other hand, when the operator selects the second selection button on the setting screen, the vehicle control unit 11 of the work vehicle 10 executes processing to resume work with the work vehicle 10 from park position Pa2.

[0070] The operation terminal 20 may be able to access a website (agricultural support site) for an agricultural support service provided by a server (not shown) via the communication network N1. In this case, the operation terminal 20 can function as an operation terminal for the server by executing a browser program by the operation control unit 21. The server is provided with the above-mentioned processing units and executes each process.

[0071] In another embodiment, the functions of the vehicle control unit 11 described above may be included in the operation control unit 21 of the operation terminal 20.

[0072] [Autonomous driving processing] An example of the autonomous driving process executed by the vehicle control unit 11 will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. For example, the autonomous driving process is started by the vehicle control unit 11 when the work vehicle 10 starts autonomous driving.

[0073] The present invention may be understood as an invention of an autonomous driving method in which the vehicle control unit 11 executes part or all of the autonomous driving processing, or as an invention of an autonomous driving program for causing the vehicle control unit 11 to execute part or all of the autonomous driving method. The autonomous driving processing may also be executed by one or more processors.

[0074] When the work vehicle 10 starts autonomous traveling along the travel route Ra, the vehicle control unit 11 acquires the position information of the work vehicle 10 (current position P1).

[0075] In step S1, the vehicle control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received an instruction to stop work. For example, the vehicle control unit 11 receives the stop instruction when the operator issues a stop instruction operation, when an obstacle detection sensor detects an obstacle, when the work vehicle 10 deviates from the travel route Ra, or when communication with the work vehicle 10 is interrupted. When the vehicle control unit 11 receives the stop instruction, it obtains the position of the work vehicle 10 at the time the stop instruction was received (stop instruction position Pa1). Then, the vehicle control unit 11 registers the stop instruction position Pa1 in the position information D1 (see FIG. 4). If the vehicle control unit 11 receives the stop instruction (S1: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2. If the vehicle control unit 11 does not receive the stop instruction (S1: No), the process proceeds to step S10.

[0076] In step S2, the vehicle control unit 11 executes a stop process to stop work and travel by the work vehicle 10. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 11 stops the drive of the PTO shaft to stop work by the work implement 14, and operates the brake to brake the rotation of the front wheels 132 and rear wheels 133 using the electromagnetic brake, thereby stopping the work vehicle 10.

[0077] Next, in step S3, the vehicle control unit 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 has stopped. For example, the vehicle control unit 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 has stopped based on changes in the position information of the work vehicle 10, the rotation status of the front wheels 132 and rear wheels 133, etc. If the work vehicle 10 has stopped (S3: Yes), the process proceeds to step S4. The vehicle control unit 11 waits until the work vehicle 10 has stopped (S3: No). If the vehicle control unit 11 determines that the work vehicle 10 has stopped, it acquires the position of the work vehicle 10 at that time (stopped position Pa2). Then, the vehicle control unit 11 registers the stopped position Pa2 in the position information D1 (see FIG. 4). The work vehicle 10 travels, with work stopped, a predetermined distance L2 from the stop instruction position Pa1 to the stopped position Pa2 (see FIG. 5B).

[0078] In step S4, the vehicle control unit 11 determines whether or not a restart instruction to resume work and travel of the work vehicle 10 has been acquired. For example, when the operator operates the operation terminal 20 to issue the restart instruction, the vehicle control unit 11 acquires the restart instruction from the operation terminal 20. If the vehicle control unit 11 acquires the restart instruction (S4: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. The vehicle control unit 11 waits until the stop instruction is acquired (S4: No).

[0079] In step S5, the vehicle control unit 11 determines whether or not there is an unworked area on the travel route between the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 11 determines that there is an unworked area when at least one of the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 is located in a work area.

[0080] For example, if the stop command position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 are located in a work area, the work vehicle 10 will be traveling between the stop command position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 (predetermined distance L2) without performing any work, and the vehicle control unit 11 will determine that there is an unworked area. For example, if the stop command position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 are located on a route that requires work within the travel route Ra, an unworked portion will be created on that route, and the vehicle control unit 11 will determine that there is an unworked area. Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, if the stop command position Pa1 is located in the work area F2 and the stop position Pa2 is located in the non-working area F1, or as shown in FIG. 7, if the stop command position Pa1 is located in the non-working area F1 and the stop position Pa2 is located in the work area F2, the work vehicle 10 will be traveling between the stop command position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 (predetermined distance L2) without performing any work, and the vehicle control unit 11 will determine that there is an unworked area. In contrast, when both the stop command position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 are located in the non-work area F1, the vehicle control unit 11 determines that there is no unworked area because no work is required by the work vehicle 10. For example, when the stop command position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 are located on a route of the travel route Ra that does not require work, the vehicle control unit 11 determines that there is no unworked area.

[0081] If the vehicle control unit 11 determines that there is an unworked area (S5: Yes), the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if the vehicle control unit 11 determines that there is no unworked area (S5: No), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0082] In step S6, the vehicle control unit 11 calculates a restart position where the work vehicle 10 is to restart work based on the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2 (see FIG. 4). For example, as shown in FIG. 5C, the vehicle control unit 11 calculates, as the restart position, the intersection Pb1 of an orthogonal line La2 that passes through the stop instruction position Pa1 and is perpendicular to the line La1 that passes through the stop instruction position Pa1 and the stop position Pa2.

[0083] In step S7, the vehicle control unit 11 moves the work vehicle 10 to the restart position. For example, as shown in Fig. 5C, the vehicle control unit 11 moves the work vehicle 10 backward along the route Rb (reverse route) from the stopping position Pa2 to the restart position Pb1.

[0084] In step S8, the vehicle control unit 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 has arrived at the restart position. If the work vehicle 10 has arrived at the restart position (S8: Yes), the process proceeds to step S9. The vehicle control unit 11 continues the movement process (reverse traveling) until the work vehicle 10 arrives at the restart position (S8: No).

[0085] In step S9, the vehicle control unit 11 causes the work vehicle 10 to resume working and traveling. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 11 causes the work vehicle 10 to travel forward along the travel route Ra of the work vehicle 10 and causes the work implement 14 to resume working (see FIG. 5D). Note that, if the vehicle control unit 11 determines in step S5 that there is no unworked area, the vehicle control unit 11 causes the work vehicle 10 to resume working and traveling from the stopping position Pa2.

[0086] In step S10, the vehicle control unit 11 determines whether the work vehicle 10 has finished work. The vehicle control unit 11 determines that work has finished when the work vehicle 10 has reached the work end position G. The vehicle control unit 11 repeatedly executes the processing of steps S1 to S9 until the work vehicle 10 has finished work (S10: No).

[0087] As described above, the autonomous driving system 1 according to this embodiment acquires position information for the work vehicle 10, and when an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle 10 is acquired, causes the work vehicle 10 to stop working and traveling. Furthermore, the autonomous driving system 1 calculates a restart position for resuming the work based on a stop instruction position Pa1 indicating the position where the stop instruction was acquired and a stop position Pa2 indicating the position where the work vehicle 10 has stopped, and moves the work vehicle 10 to the restart position to resume the work. As a result, even if the work vehicle 10 has traveled a predetermined distance (predetermined distance L2 shown in FIG. 5B ) between stopping work and stopping, the work vehicle 10 will return to the position where it stopped work (restart position) before stop position Pa2 and resume traveling and work, thereby preventing the creation of an unworked area equivalent to the predetermined distance L2.

[0088] In the above-described embodiment, the work vehicle 10 stops at stop position Pa2 when it receives the stop instruction, and travels backward from stop position Pa2 to the resume position when it receives the resume instruction at stop position Pa2 (see FIG. 5C, etc.). In another embodiment, the work vehicle 10 may move outside the field F after receiving the stop instruction and stopping at stop position Pa2, as shown in FIG. 9. Furthermore, the work vehicle 10 may move to the outside of the field F without stopping when it receives the stop instruction. For example, if the work vehicle 10 runs out of fertilizer during work, it will interrupt the work and move outside the field F along route Rb1 to replenish the fertilizer. When the work vehicle 10 resumes work, it travels forward from outside the field F along route Rb2 to the resume position (stop instruction position Pa1). The work vehicle 10 then resumes work and travel along travel route Ra from the resume instruction (stop instruction position Pa1). [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1: Autonomous driving system 10: Work vehicle 14: Work equipment 20: Operation terminal 111: Position acquisition processing unit 112: Stop acquisition processing unit 113: Stop processing unit 114: Calculation processing unit 115: Restart processing unit 161: Positioning control unit 211: Vehicle setting processing unit 212: Field setting processing unit 213: Work setting processing section 214: Route generation processing unit 215: Output processing section 216: Reception processing unit F: Field F1: Non-work area F2 :Work area L1: Predetermined distance L2: predetermined distance La2: Orthogonal line P1:Current position Pa1: Stop instruction position Pa2: Parking position Pb1: Restart position Ra: Travel route

Claims

1. a position acquisition processing unit that acquires position information of a work vehicle that travels autonomously according to a travel route that has been generated in advance; a stop acquisition processing unit that acquires an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle; a stop processing unit that stops work and travel by the work vehicle when the stop acquisition processing unit acquires the stop instruction; a restart processing unit that sets a stop instruction position indicating the position where the stop instruction was acquired, or a position on the travel route within the work area that is closest to the stop instruction position, as a restart position where the work vehicle will restart the work, based on the distance between the travel route and a stop position indicating the position where the work vehicle stopped in response to the stop instruction, and moves the work vehicle to the restart position to restart the work; An autonomous driving system equipped with

2. The restart processing unit determines the stop instruction position as the restart position when the distance is less than a threshold, and determines a position on the travel route as the restart position when the distance is equal to or greater than the threshold. The autonomous driving system according to claim 1 .

3. the restart processing unit moves the work vehicle backward from the stop position to the stop instruction position, and moves the work vehicle backward from the stop position to a position on the travel route. The autonomous driving system according to claim 2 .

4. The route for moving the work vehicle backward from the stopping position to a position on the travel route includes a turning route. The autonomous driving system according to claim 3 .

5. When the stop instruction position is located in the working area, the position on the travel route is an intersection of an orthogonal line that is perpendicular to a line passing through the stop instruction position and the stopping position and passes through the stop instruction position, and a line that indicates the travel route. The autonomous driving system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. one or more processors, Acquiring position information of a work vehicle that is autonomously traveling along a pre-generated travel route; Obtaining an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle; When the stop instruction is received, stopping the work and traveling of the work vehicle; based on the distance between the travel route and a stop position indicating the position where the work vehicle stopped in response to the stop command, set a stop command position indicating the position where the stop command was acquired, or a position on the travel route that is closest to the stop command position within the work area, as a resume position where the work vehicle will resume the work, and move the work vehicle to the resume position to resume the work; An autonomous driving method for performing the above.

7. Acquiring position information of a work vehicle that is autonomously traveling along a pre-generated travel route; Obtaining an instruction to stop work by the work vehicle; When the stop instruction is received, stopping the work and traveling of the work vehicle; based on the distance between the travel route and a stop position indicating the position where the work vehicle stopped in response to the stop command, set a stop command position indicating the position where the stop command was acquired, or a position on the travel route that is closest to the stop command position within the work area, as a resume position where the work vehicle will resume the work, and move the work vehicle to the resume position to resume the work; An autonomous driving program for causing one or more processors to execute the above.

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