Autonomous driving method, work vehicle, and automated driving system

Abstract

To provide an automated travelling method, a working vehicle, and an automated travelling system capable of specifying and registering an outer peripheral shape of a farm field without performing idle travelling.SOLUTION: A rice planter 1 being a working vehicle includes a control device 40 and a portable terminal 5. The portable terminal 5 includes a control device 50. The control device 50 functions as a travelling recording unit 55 which records a starting end position and a travelling trajectory of the rice planter 1 in each straight route when the rice planter 1 has made straight travelling in the plurality of straight routes in both of an inner area and an outer area contained in the farm field, and records working end positions where the rice planter 1 has ended work in the farm field, and further functions as a farm field registration unit 56 which specifies an outer peripheral shape of the farm field and registers the outer peripheral shape of the farm field in association with the farm field on the basis of working end position and start end positions of the plurality of straight routes in the outer area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic driving method, a work vehicle, and an automatic driving system for automatically driving a work vehicle in a field. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, work vehicles such as rice transplanters that work in fields are equipped with a positioning unit that uses a positioning system to acquire the position information of the work vehicle, identify the outline of the field, set a target driving route in advance based on that outline, and automatically drive along that target driving route.

[0003] For example, the work vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a traveling vehicle body with traveling gear that travels through a field, a steering member that controls the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body, a work device mounted on the rear of the traveling vehicle body and performing work in the field, multiple ridge detection members arranged in different positions on the traveling vehicle body that detect information related to the distance to the ridges in the field, and a determination device that determines whether the fore-and-aft orientation of the traveling vehicle body is parallel to the ridges, allowing for deviation within a predetermined range, based on the distance information detected by the multiple ridge detection members.The riding rice transplanter work vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 automatically travels straight through the field along a pair of ridges on the long sides, and repeats back-and-forth travel to plant eight rows of seedlings at a predetermined interval along the short side.

[0004] In addition, the area registration system disclosed in Patent Document 2 registers the entire or part of a field area by having a work vehicle drive around the perimeter of the area, and the registered area is used to create an autonomous driving route. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-082946 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-018270 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventionally, to identify and register the contours of a field, a worker must manually drive a work vehicle along the contours of the field before working in the field. In other words, the work vehicle identifies the contours of the field based on position information of the travel path measured while idle traveling, where no work is being performed. However, such idle traveling can damage the field before work begins. In particular, in fields where puddling work is performed before seedling planting, idle traveling can damage the work area after puddling, affecting the planting of seedlings.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving method, a work vehicle, and an automatic driving system that can identify and register the outline of a field without idle driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the automatic driving method of the present invention is an automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle in a field, and is characterized by having a recording process for recording the starting position of each straight path and the driving trajectory of the work vehicle when the work vehicle drives straight along multiple straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, and for recording the work end position where the work vehicle finishes work in the field, and a registration process for identifying the outline of the field based on the work end position and the starting positions of the multiple straight paths in the outer area, and registering them in association with the field.

[0009] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, the work vehicle of the present invention is a work vehicle that travels automatically in a field, and is characterized by comprising: a recording unit that records the starting position of each straight path and the travel trajectory of the work vehicle when the work vehicle travels straight along multiple straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, and records the work end position where the work vehicle finishes work in the field; and a registration unit that identifies the outline of the field based on the work end position and the starting positions of the multiple straight paths in the outer area, and registers it in association with the field.

[0010] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the automatic driving system of the present invention is an automatic driving system that automatically drives a work vehicle in a field, and is characterized by comprising: a recording unit that records the starting position of each straight path and the driving trajectory of the work vehicle when the work vehicle drives straight along multiple straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, and records the work end position where the work vehicle finishes work in the field; and a registration unit that identifies the outline of the field based on the work end position and the starting positions of the multiple straight paths in the outer area, and registers it in association with the field. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, an automatic driving method, a work vehicle, and an automatic driving system are provided that can identify and register the outline of a field without performing idle driving. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a top view of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of identifying the outer shape of a field in which a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention operates. [Figure 5]FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of creating a target travel path for a field in which a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention is to work. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of registering turning information for a field in which a rice transplanter according to another embodiment of the present invention is operating. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of registering a supply side of a field in which a rice transplanter according to another embodiment of the present invention is operating. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of registering a permission area of ​​a field in which a rice transplanter according to another embodiment of the present invention operates. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of registering an entrance / exit of a field where a rice transplanter according to another embodiment of the present invention works. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of a work screen displayed on a mobile terminal of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a first example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on a mobile terminal of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a second example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on the mobile terminal of the rice transplanter according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a third example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on a mobile terminal of the rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a fourth example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on a mobile terminal of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a fifth example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on a mobile terminal of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a sixth example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on a mobile terminal of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a seventh example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on a mobile terminal of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19]FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an eighth example of a confirmation screen for the completion of work displayed on the mobile terminal of the rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a ninth example of a work completion confirmation screen displayed on a mobile terminal of a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The work vehicle of the present invention performs work such as planting while traveling through a target field by automatic or manual operation, and in particular identifies the outline of the field based on positioning points measured during travel, and creates a target travel route for automatic travel based on the identified outline of the field. A rice transplanter 1, which is one embodiment of the work vehicle of the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rice transplanter 1 comprises a vehicle body section 2 and a planting section 3, and is configured to plant seedlings using the planting section 3 while traveling using the vehicle body section 2. The rice transplanter 1 is equipped with a control device 40 and is configured to be able to communicate with a mobile terminal 5 carried by the operator.

[0014] The rice transplanter 1 can be set to one of three driving modes: a manual driving mode, an automatic straight-line driving mode, and an automatic driving mode. When the manual driving mode is set, the rice transplanter 1 is driven manually in response to the operation of the driving tools (steering wheel 16, speed change pedal 17, main shift lever 18, etc.) by the operator. When the automatic straight-line driving mode is set, the rice transplanter 1 is driven automatically in response to the operation of the speed change pedal 17 and main shift lever 18, regardless of the steering of the steering wheel 16 by the operator. When the automatic driving mode is set, the rice transplanter 1 is controlled by the control device 40 to automatically drive the rice transplanter 1 along a target driving route Q (see FIG. 5) created by the mobile terminal 5.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body 2 includes an engine 11 mounted at the front near the center in the left-right direction, a transmission 12 mounted behind the engine 11, a pair of front wheels 13 rotatably mounted at the front at both left-right ends, and a pair of rear wheels 14 rotatably mounted at the rear at both left-right ends.

[0016] The vehicle body 2 has a driver's seat 15 near the center, and around the driver's seat 15 are provided driving controls such as a steering wheel 16, a gear change pedal 17, and a main gear change lever 18, as well as a work control unit 19 and a display device 20 (see Figure 3). The vehicle body 2 has a number of spare seedling trays 22 in the front, and is also equipped with a positioning unit 23 and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 26.

[0017] The engine 11 generates rotational power to drive each part and is covered from above by a hood 24. The transmission 12 is connected to the engine 11, and transmits the power of the engine 11 at a variable speed to a pair of front wheels 13 and a pair of rear wheels 14. The transmission 12 is also connected to a power take-off shaft (PTO shaft) 25 provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2, and transmits the power of the engine 11 to the planting unit 3 via the PTO shaft 25.

[0018] The pair of front wheels 13 and the pair of rear wheels 14 are driven to rotate in response to power transmitted from the engine 11 and the transmission 12, causing the vehicle body 2 to travel forward or backward. The pair of front wheels 13 are also steered in response to operation of a steering handle 16, thereby steering the vehicle body 2.

[0019] The steering handle 16 is an operating tool used by the operator to steer the rice transplanter 1, and is located in front of the driver's seat 15. The steering transmitted to the pair of front wheels 13 is adjusted in response to the operator's rotation of the steering handle 16. The speed change operation pedal 17 is an operating tool used by the operator to adjust the traveling speed of the rice transplanter 1, and is located in the lower front part of the driver's seat 15. The rotational power transmitted to the pair of rear wheels 14 is adjusted in response to the operator's depression of the speed change operation pedal 17.

[0020] The main speed change lever 18 is located on the left side of the steering handle 16 and transmits the operator's speed change operation to the transmission 12 to switch the rice transplanter 1 between forward travel, reverse travel, and stop, and also to switch the forward set speed or reverse set speed. For example, when the main speed change lever 18 is switched to one of the working travel stages having a "forward" position, a "reverse" position, and a "stop" position, the rice transplanter 1 switches to forward travel, reverse travel, and stop. Furthermore, when the main speed change lever 18 is switched to the transport travel stage, the main speed change lever 18 switches to transport travel. The set speed in the transport travel stage is set higher than the set speed in the working travel stage. Note that in this embodiment, an example is described in which the main speed change lever 18 has a transport travel stage, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the transport travel stage may be configured as another operating tool.

[0021] The work operation unit 19 operates the planting work by the planting unit 3 and has, for example, a row stop switch that switches the planting of each row on and off, and an edge-pulling button 19a for lateral feeding the seedling carrier 30 of the planting unit 3 to one end in the left-right direction (for example, the left end) and stopping it. The work operation unit 19 also has an IMU reset switch 19b for resetting the attitude information (roll angle, pitch angle, yaw angle) of the traveling body of the rice transplanter 1 measured and stored by the IMU 26. The display device 20 displays various information related to the traveling and work of the rice transplanter 1 and is composed of, for example, an LCD display, an organic EL display, etc.

[0022] The plurality of spare seedling trays 22 are attached at intervals in the vertical direction to spare seedling tray frames erected on both the left and right sides of the bonnet 24, and seedling mats to be replenished in the planting section 3 are placed on them.

[0023] The positioning unit 23 is configured to acquire position information (positioning point) of the rice transplanter 1 using a satellite positioning system such as GNSS, receives positioning signals from positioning satellites via a positioning antenna, and acquires the position information of the positioning unit 23, i.e., the position information of the rice transplanter 1, based on the positioning signals. The IMU 26 can measure the attitude (roll angle, pitch angle, yaw angle) of the traveling body of the rice transplanter 1, stores the measured attitude information, and can identify the operation of the rice transplanter 1 based on changes in the attitude information. The IMU 26 resets the attitude information stored in the IMU in response to operation of the IMU reset switch 19b of the work operation unit 19.

[0024] The planting section 3 is disposed at the rear of the vehicle body section 2 and is connected to the vehicle body section 2 via a lifting link mechanism 27, which allows the planting section 3 to be raised and lowered relative to the vehicle body section 2. The planting section 3 includes a planting input case section 28, multiple (e.g., three) planting units 29, a seedling carrier 30, and multiple floats 31, and is configured to perform planting work by sequentially supplying seedlings from the seedling carrier 30 to each planting unit 29. The planting input case section 28 is configured to transmit power transmitted from the transmission 12 via the PTO shaft 25 to the multiple planting units 29.

[0025] The multiple planting units 29 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction, and each planting unit 29 includes a planting transmission case 32 and a rotating case 33. The front of the planting transmission case 32 is connected to the planting input case 28, and power is transmitted via the planting input case 28. The rotating case 33 is provided on both the left and right sides of the planting transmission case 32 and is rotatably attached to the rear of the planting transmission case 32. Two planting claws 34 are attached to the outside of each rotating case 33 in the left-right direction (the side opposite the planting transmission case 32 side).

[0026] The two planting claws 34 are rotatably attached to the rotating case 33 at both ends of the rotating case 33 spaced apart from the rotation axis of the rotating case 33 relative to the planting transmission case 32. When the rotating case 33 rotates relative to the planting transmission case 32, the two planting claws 34 rotate around the rotation axis of the rotating case 33. At this time, each planting claw 34 rotates while passing through a scraping position where it scrapes seedlings from the seedling mat on the seedling carrier 30 and a planting position where it plants the seedlings in the field.

[0027] The seedling carrier 30 is positioned above and in front of the planting units 29 and is configured to accommodate seedling mats. The planting section 3 is equipped with a seedling carrier lateral feed mechanism for lateral movement of the seedling carrier 30 and a seedling vertical feed mechanism for vertically transporting the seedling mats on the seedling carrier 30. The seedling carrier lateral feed mechanism reciprocates the seedling carrier 30 left and right while the planting section 3 performs planting work. In response to the operation of the end-of-seedling button 19a on the operation control section 19, the seedling carrier 30 is moved laterally to one end (e.g., the left end) and stopped, thereby performing edge-of-seedling. The seedling carrier 30 is equipped with a seedling sensor 30a for detecting seedling mats on the seedling carrier 30. If the seedling sensor 30a detects seedling mats, it can be determined that the seedling carrier 30 is sufficiently filled with seedling mats. On the other hand, if the seedling sensor 30a does not detect seedling mats, it can be determined that the seedling carrier 30 does not have enough seedling mats and needs to be replenished.

[0028] The float 31 is provided at the bottom of the planting section 3 so as to be able to swing, and the planting posture of the planting section 3 is stabilized relative to the field surface when the bottom surface of the float 31 comes into contact with the field surface.

[0029] The planting section 3 is configured to perform planting work in multiple rows using multiple planting units 29 while traveling through a field. The operation of the multiple planting units 29 can be switched on and off individually using a row stop switch on the work operation section 19. In other words, the planting section 3 is configured to be able to perform row stop, which stops the operation of some of the multiple planting units 29 and stops planting work in some of the rows, in response to the operation of the row stop switch.

[0030] The planting unit 3 may also be equipped with a fertilizer applicator 35 that supplies agricultural materials, such as fertilizer and chemicals, to the field while planting is being performed. The work operating unit 19 has an agricultural material consumption reset switch 19c for resetting the cumulative amount of agricultural materials supplied by the fertilizer applicator 35 (i.e., the amount of agricultural materials consumed).

[0031] Next, the mobile terminal 5 will be described. The mobile terminal 5 is one of the components of the rice transplanter 1, and is a terminal that can remotely control the rice transplanter 1, and is configured, for example, as a tablet terminal with a touch panel or a notebook-type personal computer. Note that an operating device similar to the mobile terminal 5 may be provided around the driver's seat 15. In the present invention, the rice transplanter 1 and the mobile terminal 5 configure an automatic driving system.

[0032] 3, the mobile terminal 5 includes a control device 50 configured as a computer such as a CPU, and the control device 50 is connected to a storage unit 51 such as a ROM, RAM, hard disk drive, or flash memory, and a communication unit 52 that communicates with external devices. The mobile terminal 5 also includes a display unit 53 configured as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like for displaying and outputting various information to the worker, and an input unit 54 configured as a plurality of operation keys or the like for receiving input operations of various information from the worker. The display unit 53 and the input unit 54 may be configured as separate units, or may be configured as an integrated unit such as a touch panel.

[0033] The memory unit 51 stores programs and data for controlling the various components and functions of the mobile terminal 5, and the control device 50 controls the various components and functions of the mobile terminal 5 by executing calculations based on the programs and data stored in the memory unit 51.

[0034] The storage unit 51 stores field information created for the field that is the work target of the rice transplanter 1. The field information includes, for example, the size and position information (coordinates, etc.) of the specified outer shape of the field, and the size and position information (coordinates, etc.) of the inner work area and outer headland area that make up the field. Hereinafter, the inner and outer areas of the field on which travel and work are performed before the outer shape is specified will be referred to as the inner area and the outer area, respectively, while the inner and outer areas of the field whose outer shape has been specified will be referred to as the work area and the headland area, respectively.

[0035] The communication unit 52 is communicably connected to the communication unit 42 of the rice transplanter 1 via a wireless communication antenna. The control device 50 controls the communication unit 52 to perform wireless communication with the rice transplanter 1 and transmits and receives various information to and from the rice transplanter 1.

[0036] The control device 50 of the mobile terminal 5 executes the programs stored in the memory unit 51 to operate as a travel recording unit 55, a field registration unit 56, and a route creation unit 57. When the rice transplanter 1 travels and works in a field where field information such as the outline and a target travel route are not registered, the travel recording unit 55 records the travel information, the field registration unit 56 registers the field information, and the route creation unit 57 creates a target travel route. The travel recording unit 55, the field registration unit 56, and the route creation unit 57 realize the recording step, the registration step, and the route creation step of the automatic travel method according to the present invention.

[0037] The travel recording unit 55 acquires position information (positioning points) of each travel position of the rice transplanter 1 measured by the positioning unit 23 while the rice transplanter 1 is traveling in the field, and acquires travel information of the rice transplanter 1 based on the acquired positioning points.

[0038] For example, as shown in Figure 4, in a field A whose outer shape is not specified, the rice transplanter 1 travels back and forth along multiple parallel straight paths P1 to P9 in the inner area of ​​the field A in manual travel mode or automatic straight-line travel mode, performing planting work while traveling straight along each of the straight paths P1 to P9, and then travels in a circular motion along multiple straight paths P10 to P13 that form the periphery of the field A in the outer area, performing planting work while traveling straight along each of the straight paths P10 to P13. At this time, when the rice transplanter 1 lowers the planting section 3 and starts planting work, the travel recording unit 55 records the starting positions R1 to R13 of each straight path P1 to P13 and begins recording the travel trajectory of each straight path P1 to P13, and when the rice transplanter 1 raises the planting section 3 and finishes planting work, it records the ending positions F1 to F13 of each straight path P1 to P13, and further records the order in which straight travel was performed for the multiple straight paths P1 to P13 and stores this in the memory unit 51.

[0039] Furthermore, the travel recording unit 55 records the work end position Fa where the rice transplanter 1 has finished work in the field A and stores the position in the memory unit 51. For example, the travel recording unit 55 detects the end of work in the field A in response to a work end operation using the mobile terminal 5 (pressing a work end button 62 provided on the display screen of the mobile terminal 5, for example, the work screen 60 shown in FIG. 11 ), and records the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the work end position Fa. However, some operators of the mobile terminal 5 may forget to press the work end button 62. Therefore, when a predetermined work end condition is met, the rice transplanter 1 may display a work end confirmation screen 70 on the mobile terminal 5 to ask the operator to confirm the work end, and detect the work end once the confirmation of the work end is confirmed. In this case, the travel recording unit 55 records as the work end position Fa the position at which the planting unit 3 was raised latest before the work end condition was met or the end of work was detected, or the terminal position F13 of the straight path P13 that was recorded latest in the field A.

[0040] Examples of the above-mentioned work termination condition are described below. As a first example, when the work screen 60 displayed on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 is switched to another screen by an operator's operation, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work termination condition is met. Here, the other screen is a screen displayed after exiting the work screen 60, such as a top screen used in a different flow from the work using the work screen 60, and does not include a setting screen associated with the work screen 60. Note that the work screen 60 transitions to the top screen in response to operation of the map top button 61. When the work termination condition of the first example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work termination confirmation screen 70a, such as that shown in FIG. 12, on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like before another screen is displayed in place of the work screen 60. The confirmation screen 70a displays a confirmation message 71a inquiring whether work in field A has been completed, and also displays an operable end confirmation button 72a for selecting whether work in field A has been completed. When the completion confirmation operation is performed using the completion confirmation button 72a, the travel recording unit 55 confirms that the work has been completed and detects the completion of the work.

[0041] As a second example, when the rice transplanter 1 performs free running for a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined free running distance threshold or a time equal to or greater than a predetermined free running time threshold with the planting unit 3 raised, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met. Here, the predetermined free running distance threshold and the predetermined free running time threshold may be set in advance or may be changeable as desired in response to the operator's operation of the mobile terminal 5. When the work end condition of the second example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work end confirmation screen 70b as shown in FIG. 13 on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. Note that when the work end condition of the second example is met, the work end confirmation screen 70b may be displayed while the rice transplanter 1 continues traveling, or alternatively, the rice transplanter 1 may be decelerated before the work end confirmation screen 70b is displayed. In addition to displaying that travel has been performed for a predetermined free-travel distance threshold or a predetermined free-travel time threshold, the confirmation screen 70b displays a confirmation message 71b inquiring whether work in field A has been completed, and similarly to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 72b for selecting whether work in field A has been completed. Furthermore, when displaying the confirmation screen 70b, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70b, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 71b by voice guidance.

[0042] As a third example, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met when the rice transplanter 1 detects that the engine 11 of the rice transplanter 1 has stopped, or when the IMU 26 of the rice transplanter 1 detects that the pitch angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined pitch angle threshold, or when the rice transplanter 1 detects that the rice transplanter 1 has reached the entrance / exit of the field A. Alternatively, the travel recording unit 55 may detect that the rice transplanter 1 has reached the entrance / exit of the field A based on map information stored in an external server or the mobile terminal 5 and the current position of the rice transplanter 1. Note that after the rice transplanter 1 stops its engine 11, the rice transplanter 1 maintains communication with the mobile terminal 5 using the control device 40 and the communication unit 42 for a predetermined time. If the mobile terminal 5 receives a signal from the rice transplanter 1 indicating that the rice transplanter 1 has been powered off or the engine 11 has stopped, the travel recording unit 55 detects that the engine 11 has stopped. The predetermined pitch angle threshold may be preset or may be arbitrarily changeable in response to the operator's operation of the mobile terminal 5. When the work completion condition of the third example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work completion confirmation screen 70c as shown in Fig. 14 on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. In addition to detecting that the rice transplanter 1 has reached the entrance / exit of the field A, the confirmation screen 70c displays a confirmation message 71c inquiring whether work in the field is completed, and similarly to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 72c for selecting whether work in the field is completed. Furthermore, when displaying the confirmation screen 70c, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70c, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 71c by voice guidance.

[0043] As a fourth example, when detecting the seedling tray 30 being moved to the edge, such as when detecting the operation of the edge-moving button 19a on the work operation unit 19, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met. When the work end condition of the fourth example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work end confirmation screen 70d, as shown in FIG. 15, on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. In addition to notifying the user that the seedling tray 30 has been moved to the edge, the confirmation screen 70d displays a confirmation message 71d inquiring whether work in the field has been completed, and similar to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 72d for selecting whether work in the field has been completed. Furthermore, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 71d by voice guidance when displaying the confirmation screen 70d, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70d.

[0044] As a fifth example, after the seedling sensor 30a detects seedling mats on the seedling carrier 30 and the rice transplanter 1 starts planting, if the seedling sensor 30a no longer detects the seedling mats on the seedling carrier 30, or if the rice transplanter 1 travels while planting while the seedling sensor 30a does not detect seedling mats on the seedling carrier 30 for a predetermined undetected distance or a predetermined undetected time, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met. Note that the seedling carrier 30 is configured to accommodate seedling mats corresponding to each row. If the seedling sensor 30a does not detect seedling mats for all rows, the travel recording unit 55 may determine that the work end condition is met. However, if the seedling sensor 30a detects seedling mats for only some rows, the travel recording unit 55 may determine that the work end condition is not met. The predetermined undetected distance and predetermined undetected time may be preset or may be freely changeable in response to the operator's operation of the mobile terminal 5. When the work completion condition of the fifth example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work completion confirmation screen 70e as shown in FIG. 16 on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. In addition to notifying the user that seedlings cannot be detected, the confirmation screen 70e displays a confirmation message 71e inquiring whether work in the field has been completed, and similar to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 71e for selecting whether work in the field has been completed. Furthermore, when displaying the confirmation screen 70e, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70e, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 71e by voice guidance.

[0045] As a sixth example, when detecting the resetting of the cumulative agricultural material consumption amount, such as when detecting the operation of the agricultural material consumption reset switch 19c on the work operation unit 19, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met. When the work end condition of the sixth example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work end confirmation screen 70f, such as that shown in FIG. 17, on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. In addition to indicating that the cumulative agricultural material consumption amount has been reset, the confirmation screen 70f displays a confirmation message 71f inquiring whether work in the field has been completed, and similarly to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 72f for selecting whether work in the field has been completed. Furthermore, when displaying the confirmation screen 70f, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70f, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 71f by voice guidance.

[0046] As a seventh example, when the main shift lever 18 is switched to the mobile travel position, or when the rice transplanter 1 has traveled a predetermined distance or longer or a predetermined travel time since the main shift lever 18 was switched to the mobile travel position, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met. The predetermined travel distance and the predetermined travel time may be preset or may be changeable as desired by the operator through operation of the mobile terminal 5. When the work end condition of the seventh example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work end confirmation screen 70g, such as that shown in FIG. 18, on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. In addition to detecting the detection of mobile travel, the confirmation screen 70g displays a confirmation message 71g inquiring whether work in the field has been completed, and similarly to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 72g for selecting whether work in the field has been completed. Furthermore, when displaying the confirmation screen 70g, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70g, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 71g by voice guidance.

[0047] As an eighth example, when detecting a reset of the attitude information of the IMU 36, such as when detecting operation of the IMU reset switch 19b of the work operation unit 19, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met. When the work end condition of the eighth example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work end confirmation screen 70h as shown in FIG. 19 on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. In addition to indicating that the attitude information of the IMU 36 has been reset, the confirmation screen 70h displays a confirmation message 71h inquiring whether work in the field has been completed, and similar to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 72h for selecting whether work in the field has been completed. Furthermore, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 71h by voice guidance when displaying the confirmation screen 70h, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70h.

[0048] As a ninth example, when the travel recording unit 55 detects that the operator holding the mobile terminal 5 has moved away from the rice transplanter 1, for example, when it detects a communication disconnection between the communication unit 52 of the mobile terminal 5 and the communication unit 42 of the rice transplanter 1, or when it detects that the communication disconnection between the communication unit 52 of the mobile terminal 5 and the communication unit 42 of the rice transplanter 1 has lasted for a predetermined disconnection time or longer, the travel recording unit 55 determines that the work end condition is met. The predetermined disconnection time may be preset or may be changeable as desired in response to the operator's operation of the mobile terminal 5. When the work end condition of the ninth example is met, the travel recording unit 55 displays a work end confirmation screen 70i, such as that shown in FIG. 20, on the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 5 as a pop-up or the like. In addition to detecting the communication disconnection between the mobile terminal 5 and the rice transplanter 1, the confirmation screen 70i displays a confirmation message 71i inquiring whether work in the field has been completed, and similarly to the first example, displays an operable end confirmation button 72i for selecting whether work in the field has been completed. Furthermore, when displaying the confirmation screen 70i, or instead of displaying the confirmation screen 70i, the travel recording unit 55 may output the contents of the confirmation message 72i by voice guidance.

[0049] In the first to ninth examples described above, if the operator does not operate the end confirmation button 72a to 72i on the confirmation screen 70a to 70i to confirm the completion of work, the travel recording unit 55 may not detect the end of work without confirming the completion of work, or alternatively, if the operator does not operate the end confirmation button 72a to 72i for a predetermined time or more after the confirmation screen 70a to 70i is displayed, the travel recording unit 55 may automatically confirm the completion of work and detect the end of work. In this case, when displaying the confirmation screen 70a to 70i, the travel recording unit 55 may display a message indicating that the end of work will be automatically detected after the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0050] The field registration unit 56 identifies the outer shape D of the field A based on the work end position Fa recorded for the field A by the travel recording unit 55 and the starting positions R10 to R13 of multiple straight paths P10 to P13 in the outer area of ​​the field A, registers it in association with the field A, and stores it in the memory unit 51.

[0051] For example, the field registration unit 56 determines whether the straight-line distance from the work end position Fa to the start positions R10-R13 of each of the straight paths P10-P13 satisfies a predetermined specific condition, starting from the straight path P13 with the latest recorded order (i.e., in descending order), and identifies the start positions that satisfy the specific condition as the outer periphery start points that identify the outline D of the field A, while excluding the start positions that do not satisfy the specific condition from the outer periphery start points of the field. In this case, the field registration unit 56 sets the specific condition as the straight-line distance from the work end position Fa to the start positions R10-R13 of the straight paths P10-P13 being equal to or greater than a predetermined first distance threshold. Note that the first distance threshold may be set in advance, or may be arbitrarily changeable in response to an operation of the mobile terminal 5 by the operator.

[0052] Furthermore, when determining the starting positions R10-R13 of the straight paths P10-P13 in order of latest recording, the field registration unit 56 starts identifying the outer periphery starting point when it detects a starting position whose straight-line distance satisfies a specific condition, and then, when it detects a starting position whose straight-line distance is within a predetermined second distance threshold, it identifies the starting position as the outer periphery starting point and then ends identifying the outer periphery starting point. Note that the second distance threshold may be set in advance, or may be changeable as desired in response to an operator's operation of the mobile terminal 5.

[0053] The field registration unit 56 identifies the outline D of the field A based on the identified outer periphery start point. At this time, the field registration unit 56 calculates an approximate straight line (regression line) based on the travel trajectory from the work end position Fa to the initially identified outer periphery start point, and acquires this as one of the outer periphery sides of the field A. Next, the field registration unit 56 calculates an approximate straight line (regression line) based on the travel trajectory from the end position of the straight path for which the outer periphery start point was identified to the start position (i.e., the outer periphery start point), and acquires this as one of the outer periphery sides of the field. Note that when the travel recording unit 55 records the travel trajectory from the center position in the working width direction of the rice transplanter 1, a straight line shifted from the calculated straight line to the outside of the field by half the working width of the rice transplanter 1 may be used as the outer periphery side.

[0054] In this way, the field registration unit 56 acquires the outline edges for all the identified outer perimeter start points, and then connects the outline edges to identify the outline D of field A. The field registration unit 56 may also identify a headland area C that is one or two revolutions around the working width of the rice transplanter 1 on the inside along the outline D of field A, and may also identify a working area B on the inside of the headland area C and store it in the memory unit 51 in association with field A.

[0055] When creating a route in the automatic straight-line mode, the route creation unit 57 sets a reference line for automatic straight-line driving in response to an operation of the portable terminal 5. For example, the route creation unit 57 sets the current position of the rice transplanter 1 in the field as a start point in response to a start point setting operation using the portable terminal 5. Furthermore, after the start point is set in the field, if the rice transplanter 1 moves away from the start point by a predetermined distance or more, the route creation unit 57 sets the current position of the rice transplanter 1 in the field as an end point in response to an end point setting operation using the portable terminal 5. Then, the route creation unit 57 sets a straight line connecting the start point and the end point as a reference line for the automatic straight-line mode. Furthermore, the route creation unit 57 sets multiple straight-line routes parallel to the reference line as automatic straight-line routes in the automatic straight-line mode.

[0056] When creating a route in the automatic travel mode, the route creation unit 57 creates a target travel route Q based on the outline D of the field A registered by the field registration unit 56, as shown in Fig. 5, and stores the target travel route Q in the memory unit 51. Specifically, the route creation unit 57 identifies the traveling direction of each of the straight routes P1-P13 based on the traveling trajectories of the straight routes P1-P13 in the inner and outer regions of the field A recorded by the travel recording unit 55, and creates a new target travel route Q consisting of multiple straight routes Q1-Q12 based on the identified traveling direction and the work end position Fa and starting end positions R1-R13 of the straight routes P1-P13 recorded by the travel recording unit 55. The route creation unit 57 creates the target travel route Q as a route consisting of the straight routes Q1-Q12 and turning routes connected to the straight routes Q1-Q12, for working in the work area B and the headland area C in this order.

[0057] For example, the path creation unit 57 arranges new multiple straight paths Q1 to Q8 in parallel as the target travel path Q for the work area B, from among the multiple straight paths P1 to P9 in the inner area recorded by the travel recording unit 55, so as to fill in the work area B of the field A from the side of the straight path P1 that was traveled first. Furthermore, the path creation unit 57 sets the start position R of the target travel path Q to the end of the straight path Q1 that is closest to the start end position R1 of the straight path P1 that was traveled first, from among the multiple straight paths Q1 to Q8. The path creation unit 57 connects a turning path to each of Q1 to Q8 so that travel starts from the start position R and goes back and forth between the multiple paths Q1 to Q8, thereby creating a round trip path in the work area B.

[0058] Furthermore, the path creation unit 57 calculates backwards from the work end position Fa to perform peripheral travel that makes one or two laps around the inside of the outline D of field A, filling in the headland area C of field A, and creates a peripheral path in the headland area C by combining and arranging straight paths Q9 to Q12 that are parallel to the outline sides and turning paths that connect to the straight paths Q9 to Q12. The path creation unit 57 creates the target travel path Q for field A by connecting the end of the round trip path in work area B with the start of the peripheral path in headland area C.

[0059] Next, we will explain the control device 40 provided in the rice transplanter 1. As shown in Figure 3, the control device 40 is composed of a computer such as a CPU, and is connected to a storage unit 41 such as a ROM, RAM, hard disk drive, flash memory, etc., and a communication unit 42 that communicates with external devices.

[0060] The storage unit 41 stores programs and data for controlling the various components and functions of the rice transplanter 1, and the control device 40 controls the various components and functions by executing arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit 41. The control device 40 acquires position information of the rice transplanter 1 from the positioning unit 23, for example.

[0061] The communication unit 42 is capable of wireless communication with external devices such as a mobile terminal 5 held by the worker via a wireless communication antenna. The control device 40 controls the communication unit 42 to perform wireless communication with the mobile terminal 5 and transmits and receives various information to and from the mobile terminal 5.

[0062] The control device 40 also operates as a driving control unit 45 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 41. The driving control unit 45 implements the automatic driving step of the automatic driving method according to the present invention.

[0063] The travel control unit 45 controls the travel of the rice transplanter 1. For example, when the manual travel mode is set, the travel control unit 45 controls the vehicle speed and steering of the rice transplanter 1 in response to the operation of the driving operation tools such as the steering handle 16, the speed change operation pedal 17, and the main speed change lever 18.

[0064] When the automatic straight-line mode is set, the travel control unit 45 controls the vehicle speed and steering of the rice transplanter 1 so that the rice transplanter 1 automatically travels straight ahead along an automatic straight-line path that is parallel to a reference line set in the field. Furthermore, the travel control unit 45 may control the engine 11 and the transmission 12 so that the travel speed corresponds to the operating state of the speed change operation pedal 17 and the main speed change lever 18.

[0065] Furthermore, when the automatic driving mode is set, the driving control unit 45 acquires the target driving route Q set for the field from the mobile terminal 5, acquires the position information of the rice transplanter 1 from the positioning unit 23, and controls the steering of the rice transplanter 1 so that the rice transplanter 1 automatically drives along the target driving route Q based on the position information and the target driving route Q. Furthermore, the driving control unit 45 may control the engine 11 and the transmission 12 to achieve a preset automatic driving speed, or may control the engine 11 and the transmission 12 according to the operating states of the shift operation pedal 17 and the main shift lever 18.

[0066] For example, when the main speed change lever 18 is operated to the "forward" position, the travel control unit 45 controls the rice transplanter 1 to automatically travel straight ahead or automatically travel forward at a forward travel speed based on the forward speed set by the main speed change lever 18 and the depression amount of the speed change operation pedal 17. When the main speed change lever 18 is operated to the "reverse" position, the travel control unit 45 controls the rice transplanter 1 to automatically travel straight ahead or automatically travel backward at a reverse travel speed based on the reverse speed set by the main speed change lever 18 and the depression amount of the speed change operation pedal 17. When the main speed change lever 18 is operated to the "stop" position, the travel control unit 45 controls the rice transplanter 1 to stop regardless of the depression amount of the speed change operation pedal 17.

[0067] The control device 40 also controls the operation of the fertilizer applicator 35 that supplies agricultural materials to the field A, and can control the amount of agricultural materials supplied, such as the amount of fertilizer or chemical applied, and stores the cumulative value of the amount of agricultural materials supplied (i.e., the amount of agricultural material consumed) in the memory unit 41. The control device 40 resets the cumulative value of the amount of agricultural material consumed stored in the memory unit 41 in response to operation of the agricultural material consumption reset switch 19c of the work operation unit 19.

[0068] Next, an example of the operation of identifying the outline of the farm field in the rice transplanter 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0069] When performing planting work in field A where the outer shape D is not registered, the user first drives the rice transplanter 1 in manual driving mode to move to a predetermined position in the inner area of ​​field A, and then performs a start point setting operation using the mobile terminal 5, which causes the path creation unit 57 of the mobile terminal 5 to set the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the start point. The user then drives the rice transplanter 1 in manual driving mode to perform planting work while moving to a position that is at least a predetermined distance away from the start point, and then performs an end point setting operation using the mobile terminal 5, which causes the path creation unit 57 of the mobile terminal 5 to set the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the end point. As shown in FIG. 4, the route creation unit 57 sets a straight line connecting the start point and the end point as the reference line E for the automatic straight-line mode, and at this time, the driving recording unit 55 records the reference line E as the first straight-line route P1, associates it with the straight-line route P1, records the driving trajectory from the start point to the end point, records the start point as the start position R1, and records the end point as the end position F1 (step S1).

[0070] The path creation unit 57 also sets a plurality of straight paths P2 to P9 parallel to the reference line E from the start point to the end point within the field A as automatic straight paths in the automatic straight mode, and the user drives the rice transplanter 1 in the automatic straight mode to travel back and forth along the plurality of straight paths P2 to P9 within the inner area of ​​the field A, and performs planting work while performing automatic straight traveling along each of the straight paths P2 to P9. At this time, the traveling recorder 55 records the traveling trajectory of the straight traveling for each of the straight paths P2 to P9, as shown in FIG. 4, records the traveling start position as starting positions R2 to R9, records the traveling end position as ending positions F2 to F9, and records the order in which the straight traveling was performed, and stores these in the memory unit 51 (step S1).

[0071] After completing round-trip travel on the multiple straight paths P2 to P9 in the inner area of ​​field A, the user drives the rice transplanter 1 in manual travel mode or automatic straight mode to perform circular travel on the multiple straight paths P10 to P13 in the outer area of ​​field A, performing planting work while traveling around the periphery along the outline D of field A. At this time, the travel recording unit 55 records the travel trajectory of the straight travel for each of the straight paths P10 to P13, as shown in FIG. 4, records the travel start position as start positions R10 to R13, records the travel end position as end positions F10 to F13, and records the order in which the straight travel was performed, and stores these in the memory unit 51 (step S1).

[0072] Furthermore, when the rice transplanter 1 detects the end of work in field A, the travel recording unit 55 records the current position of the rice transplanter 1 where the work end operation was performed on the mobile terminal 5, or the end position F13 of the straight path P13 on which the rice transplanter 1 last traveled around the periphery, as the work end position Fa, as shown in Figure 4, and stores it in the memory unit 51 (step S2).

[0073] 4, the field registration unit 56 identifies the outline D of the field A based on the work end position Fa and the start positions R1 to R13 of the multiple straight paths P1 to P13 recorded in the field A, registers it in association with the field A, and stores it in the memory unit 51. At this time, the field registration unit 56 determines whether the start positions R13 to R1 of each of the straight paths P13 to P1, in order from the latest recorded straight path P13 (i.e., in descending order), are the outer periphery start points that identify the outline D of the field A (step S3).

[0074] For example, if the straight-line distance from the work end position Fa to the starting position R13 of the straight path P13 that includes the work end position Fa is equal to or greater than the first distance threshold (step S4: Yes), the field registration unit 56 first starts identifying the outer periphery start point and identifies the starting position R13 as the outer periphery start point (step S5). If the straight-line distance from the work end position Fa to the starting position of the straight path is less than the first distance threshold (step S4: No), the field registration unit 56 does not start identifying the outer periphery start point, does not identify the starting position as the outer periphery start point, and proceeds to determining the starting position of the next straight path. If the straight-line distance from the work end position Fa to the starting positions R12-R11 of the next straight path P12-P11 exceeds the second distance threshold (step S6: Yes), the field registration unit 56 identifies the starting positions R12-R11 as the outer periphery start points (step S7). Furthermore, if the straight-line distance from the work end position Fa to the starting position R10 of the next straight path P10 is within the second distance threshold (step S6: No), the field registration unit 56 identifies the starting position R10 as the outer periphery starting point, and then terminates the identification of the outer periphery starting point (step S8).

[0075] The field registration unit 56 then identifies the outline D of the field A based on the travel trajectory of the straight path having the periphery start point (step S9). For example, the field registration unit 56 acquires an outline side L13 of the field from a straight line based on the travel trajectory from the work end position Fa to the start position R13 of the straight path P13, which is the first identified periphery start point. The field registration unit 56 also acquires the outline sides L12 to L10 of the field from the end positions F12 to F10 of the straight paths P12 to P10, whose periphery start points have been identified next, based on the travel trajectory to the start positions R12 to R10, which are the periphery start points. The field registration unit 56 then connects all of the outline sides L13 to L10 to identify the outline D of the field A, registers it in association with the field A, and stores it in the memory unit 51. In addition, the field registration unit 56 identifies a headland area C that is one circumference of the working width of the rice transplanter 1 on the inside along the outline D of the field A, and also identifies a work area B on the inside of the headland area C.

[0076] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the path creation unit 57 creates a target travel path Q consisting of multiple straight paths Q1 to Q12, which are new paths, based on the registered outline D of the field A (step S10). For example, the path creation unit 57 determines the traveling direction of each of the multiple straight paths P1 to P13 based on the traveling trajectories of the multiple straight paths P1 to P13, which are old routes, recorded by the travel recording unit 55. The path creation unit 57 arranges the multiple straight paths Q1 to Q8 in parallel so as to fill in the work area B of the field A from the side of the first recorded straight path P1, and sets the traveling direction of each of the straight paths Q1 to Q8 to correspond to the traveling direction of each of the straight paths P1 to P9. The path creation unit 57 sets a start position R of the target travel path Q at a position that is an end of the first straight path Q1 and is close to the start position R1 of the straight path P1. The route creation unit 57 creates round trip routes in the working area B by connecting turning routes to each of the straight routes Q1 to Q8 so that the robot starts traveling from the start position R and travels round trip along the plurality of straight routes Q1 to Q8.

[0077] The path creation unit 57 also calculates backwards from the work end position Fa and arranges multiple straight paths Q9 to Q12 so as to fill in the headland area C of the field A with a perimeter travel that goes around the field A once, and sets the traveling direction of each of the straight paths Q9 to Q12 to correspond to the traveling direction of each of the straight paths P10 to P13. In other words, the path creation unit 57 sets the circumferential direction of the multiple straight paths Q9 to Q12 of the target traveling path Q so that it is the same as the circumferential direction of the perimeter travel when the multiple straight paths P10 to P13 were recorded. The path creation unit 57 connects turning paths to each of the straight paths Q9 to Q12 to create a perimeter path in the headland area C. The path creation unit 57 creates the target traveling path Q by connecting the end position of the last straight path Q8 in the working area B with the start position of the first straight path Q9 in the headland area.

[0078] As described above, according to this embodiment, the rice transplanter 1, which is a work vehicle, is equipped with the control device 40 and the mobile terminal 5. The mobile terminal 5 is equipped with the control device 50, which functions as a travel recording unit 55 that records the start position of each straight path and the travel trajectory of the rice transplanter 1 when the rice transplanter 1 travels straight along multiple straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, and records the work end position where the rice transplanter 1 finishes work in the field, and also functions as a field registration unit 56 that identifies the outline of the field based on the work end position and the start positions of the multiple straight paths in the outer area, and registers the outline of the field in association with the field.

[0079] In other words, the automatic driving method of the present invention, which allows a work vehicle such as a rice transplanter 1 to automatically drive in a field, includes a recording process for recording the starting position of each straight path and the driving trajectory of the rice transplanter 1 when the rice transplanter 1 drives straight along multiple straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, and for recording the work end position where the rice transplanter 1 finishes work in the field, and a registration process for identifying the outline of the field based on the work end position and the starting positions of the multiple straight paths in the outer area, and registering them in association with the field.

[0080] As a result, the rice transplanter 1 does not need to run around the periphery of the field at idle before planting work in order to identify the outline of the field, so the outline of the field can be identified and registered in conjunction with the planting work without disturbing the field before work or affecting the planting of seedlings.

[0081] For example, when working in a field in the first year, if the driving information in the field is recorded while driving and working in the field as described above, the outline of the field is identified, and the field information is registered, then from the second year onwards, the rice transplanter 1 can be driven automatically according to a target driving route created based on the outline of the field contained in the field information registered in the first year.

[0082] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the driving recording unit 55 records the order in which straight driving was performed for multiple straight routes, and the field registration unit 56 determines, in order from the latest recorded straight route, whether the straight-line distance from the work end position to the starting position of the straight route satisfies a predetermined specific condition, identifies the starting position that satisfies the specific condition as the outer perimeter starting point for identifying the outline of the field, and identifies the outline of the field based on the outer perimeter starting point.

[0083] This allows the corners that make up the outline of the field to be identified more accurately after work on the field has been completed, making it possible to identify the outline of the field more accurately.

[0084] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the field registration unit 56 sets a specific condition that the straight-line distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined first distance threshold, and when it detects a starting point that satisfies the specific condition, it starts identifying the outer periphery starting point, and then ends identifying the outer periphery starting point when it detects a starting point whose straight-line distance is within a predetermined second distance threshold.

[0085] This prevents erroneous detection of corners that make up the outline of the field, even when a short straight work path is recorded near the work end position, making it possible to set the work end position while adjusting travel during work.In addition, since it is possible to detect a straight path that approaches the work end position again after leaving the work end position, it is possible to detect a straight path that circles the field.

[0086] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control device 50 of the mobile terminal 5 functions as a route creation unit 57 that identifies the direction of travel for each straight route based on the travel trajectory of the multiple straight routes, and creates a target travel route consisting of a straight route and a turning route connected to the straight route based on the work end position and the starting position and travel direction of the multiple straight routes, for working in the inner work area of ​​the field and the outer headland area in that order.

[0087] This allows the target travel route to be created based on the registered outline of the field without performing idle travel, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0088] In another embodiment of the rice transplanter 1, when row stopping is performed in response to operation of the row stopping switch on the work operation unit 19 during planting work on each straight path, the travel recording unit 55 of the portable terminal 5 records row stopping information such as the row stopping start position, row stopping end position, and number of rows worked on each straight path. The path creation unit 57 sets the row stopping information for the straight path of the target travel path that corresponds to the straight path for which the row stopping information is recorded. For example, the path creation unit 57 creates the target travel path by setting automatic on / off operation of the row stopping so that the row stopping operation is automatically performed on the straight path of the target travel path at the same timing (e.g., the same position in the straight direction) as the row stopping information.

[0089] This means that by recording the row-stopping operation mode at the same time as recording the travel information used to register the field outline, the worker does not need to re-operate or re-set the row-stopping, and can perform row-stopping at the same timing, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0090] In another embodiment of the rice transplanter 1, turning information may be recorded when recording the traveling information, and a target traveling path may be created based on the turning information. The traveling recording unit 55 of the mobile terminal 5 records the traveling trajectories and the start and end positions of multiple straight paths when the rice transplanter 1 travels straight in the inner and outer areas of the field, and when the rice transplanter 1 turns from one straight path to another straight path in the inner and outer areas, records the turning start position on one straight path and the turning end position on the other straight path and stores them in the memory unit 51.

[0091] For example, when the turning angle becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined angle threshold in response to operation of the steering handle 16 while the rice transplanter 1 is traveling, the travel recording unit 55 may determine that turning has started and set the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the turning start position, and then, when the turning angle becomes less than the predetermined angle threshold, it may determine that turning has ended and set the current position of the rice transplanter 1 as the turning end position.

[0092] Incidentally, even if the outline of the field registered by the field registration unit 56 is created with straight outline edges and the work area in which the rice transplanter travels back and forth is composed of straight edges, the ridge of the field corresponding to the outline edge may not be straight and may partially protrude inward or outward from the outline edge, as shown in Figure 7. In such cases, when recording the travel information used to register the outline of the field, the operator turns the rice transplanter 1 at a position corresponding to the shape of the ridge, so the actual position at which the rice transplanter travels may not be aligned with the edge of the work area.

[0093] Therefore, the route creation unit 57 creates a target driving route based on the turning start position and the turning end position of each straight route recorded by the driving recording unit 55. For example, the route creation unit 57 acquires the straight direction positions of the turning start position and the turning end position of each straight route recorded by the driving recording unit 55, and sets the turning start position and the turning end position to the acquired positions in the straight direction for the corresponding straight route in the target driving route.

[0094] As a result, even when a target driving route is created by identifying the outline of a field where the edges of the ridges are not aligned, when the rice transplanter 1 is automatically driven along this target driving route, the rice transplanter 1 can turn without coming into contact with the edge of the field, thereby improving the safety of automatic driving.

[0095] In another embodiment, the rice transplanter 1 may acquire field information in advance based on map information stored in an external server or the mobile terminal 5, register the information in the mobile terminal 5, and update the pre-registered field information with the newly identified field contour. While the field can be roughly identified based on the map information, the field contour cannot be identified accurately enough to create a target travel path for automatic travel within the field. Therefore, when the field contour is identified based on the travel information recorded by the travel recording unit 55, the field registration unit 56 overwrites the previously registered field information with the identified field contour and registers it, thereby updating the field information.

[0096] This allows the field information identified from the map information, the outline of the field identified by the field registration unit 56, and the target travel route created by the route creation unit 57 to be registered in association with the same field. Therefore, the outline of the field identified by the field registration unit 56 can be registered in association with the field with a simple operation, improving work efficiency.

[0097] In addition, in another embodiment, the rice transplanter 1 may detect a supply operation to replenish seedlings consumed during planting work, and register the supply side of the field's outline where the supply operation is performed in association with the field.

[0098] The rice transplanter 1 is configured to place seedling mats with seedlings to be planted by a plurality of planting units 29 on a seedling carrier 30, and to place seedling mats to be replenished to the seedling carrier 30 on a plurality of spare seedling carriers 22. Therefore, if there are unworked areas in the field A where planting work has not been performed and replenishment seedling mats have not been placed on the plurality of spare seedling carriers 22, the operator must move the rice transplanter 1 to a replenishment position G along the outline D of the field A as shown in Figure 8 to replenish the seedling mats.

[0099] The rice transplanter 1 is configured to be able to detect a supplying operation in which seedling mats are replenished to a plurality of empty spare seedling trays 22, and the travel recording unit 55 records the current position of the rice transplanter 1 when the supplying operation is detected as a supplying position G and stores it in the memory unit 51 in association with the field A. For example, the rice transplanter 1 may be equipped with a supplying operation detection unit that detects the supplying operation, such as a weight sensor that detects the weight of the seedling mats placed on the plurality of spare seedling trays 22, an optical sensor or infrared sensor that detects the presence of seedling mats, or a camera that photographs the seedling mats.

[0100] Alternatively, the travel recording unit 55 may not record the supply position G, and the field registration unit 56 may identify the supply position G based on the travel trajectory recorded by the travel recording unit 55. For example, if the travel trajectory of a straight path traveled straight in the inner area reaches the outline D of the field A without turning, the field registration unit 56 may identify the end position of the straight path as the supply position G.

[0101] Based on the supply position G, the field registration unit 56 identifies a supply side H having the supply position G from among the outline sides that make up the outline D of the field A, registers the supply position G in association with the field A, and stores the supply position G in the memory unit 51. Note that if the supply position G is on an outline side, the field registration unit 56 may identify the outline side as the supply side H, or if the supply position G is not on an outline side, may identify the outline side closest to the supply position G as the supply side H. Furthermore, if multiple supply positions G are recorded across two or more outline sides, the field registration unit 56 may identify the outline side with the largest number of supply positions G as the supply side H.

[0102] This allows the supply edge to be automatically registered based on the supply position recorded during work in the field, eliminating the need for the worker to perform any setting operations for the supply edge, thereby reducing the worker's workload and improving work efficiency.

[0103] Furthermore, the farm field registration unit 56 may set an allowed area in which the rice transplanter 1 can automatically travel based on the recorded supply position, register the area in association with the farm field, and store the area in the storage unit 51.

[0104] For example, the rice transplanter 1 is normally controlled to enable automatic travel within a range inside the outline of the field, but to prohibit automatic travel outside the outline of the field. However, depending on the state of the field, as shown in Fig. 9, the rice transplanter 1 may be allowed to proceed outside the outline D of field A, and a supply position G may be set outside the outline D of field A. Therefore, when the supply position G is outside the outline D of field A, the field registration unit 56 sets the outline edge closest to the supply position G as the supply edge H, calculates an extension edge I that passes through the supply position G and is parallel to the supply edge H, and extends the permitted area J to this extension edge I.

[0105] As a result, when the rice transplanter 1 records the supply position, it determines that safety can be ensured even if the rice transplanter 1 is outside the outline of the field, and sets an allowed area in which it can travel automatically, so it can automatically travel to such a supply position and perform the supply operation smoothly.

[0106] Furthermore, in the rice transplanter 1 of another embodiment, when specifying the outline of the field, the entrance / exit K of the field may be specified and registered in association with the field.

[0107] For example, after the rice transplanter 1 has finished work in the field, the travel recording unit 55 has recorded the work completion position, and the field registration unit 56 has registered the outline of the field, the field registration unit 56 may monitor the current position of the rice transplanter 1 and, upon detecting that the rice transplanter 1 has exited outside the outline of the field, identify the current position at the time the rice transplanter 1 exited as an entrance / exit K, register the entrance / exit K in association with the field, and store the entrance / exit K in association with the field in the memory unit 51, as shown in Fig. 10. Alternatively, after the rice transplanter 1 has finished work in the field, the field registration unit 56 may monitor the current position of the rice transplanter 1 based on the map information, and, upon detecting that the rice transplanter 1 has exited outside the range of the field in the map information, identify the current position at the time the rice transplanter 1 exited as an entrance / exit K, and register the entrance / exit K in association with the field.

[0108] By registering not only the outline of the field but also the entrances and exits K of the field, automatic travel between multiple fields can be smoothly realized, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the work vehicle is configured as a rice transplanter 1, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the work vehicle of the present invention may be configured as another agricultural work machine such as a combine harvester or a tractor, or may be configured as a work vehicle other than an agricultural work machine.

[0110] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the control device 50 of the mobile terminal 5 operates as the route creation unit 57, but in another example, the route creation unit 57 may be operated by a server that can be connected to a work vehicle such as the rice transplanter 1 or the mobile terminal 5 via a network. In this case, the route information generated by the server may be configured to be transmitted to a work vehicle such as the rice transplanter 1 or the mobile terminal 5.

[0111] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and the automated driving method, work vehicle, and automated driving system that involve such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention.

[0112] [Appendix to the invention] The following is a summary of the invention extracted from the above-described embodiment. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following supplementary notes can be selected and combined as desired.

[0113] <Appendix 1> An automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle in a field, comprising: a recording step of recording the start position of each straight path and the travel trajectory of the work vehicle when the work vehicle travels straight along a plurality of straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, and recording the work end position where the work vehicle ends work in the field; a registration step of specifying an outline of the field based on the work end position and the start end positions of the plurality of straight paths in the outer region, and registering the outline of the field in association with the field; An automatic driving method comprising:

[0114] <Appendix 2> the recording step records an order in which the vehicle travels straight along the plurality of straight paths; The automatic driving method described in Appendix 1 is characterized in that the registration process determines whether the straight-line distance from the work end position to the starting point of the straight-line path satisfies a predetermined specific condition, starting from the straight-line path recorded latest, identifies the starting point that satisfies the specific condition as a perimeter starting point for identifying the outline of the field, and identifies the outline of the field based on the perimeter starting point.

[0115] <Appendix 3> The registration step is characterized in that the specific condition is that the straight-line distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined first distance threshold, and when the starting point that satisfies the specific condition is detected, the identification of the outer periphery starting point is started, and thereafter, when the starting point where the straight-line distance is within a predetermined second distance threshold is detected, the identification of the outer periphery starting point is terminated.

[0116] <Appendix 4> An automatic driving method as described in any one of appendices 1 to 3, characterized in that it includes a route creation step of identifying the direction of travel of each of the plurality of straight routes based on the travel trajectories of the plurality of straight routes, and creating a target driving route consisting of a straight route and a turning route connected to the straight route based on the work end position and the starting end positions and travel directions of the plurality of straight routes, the target driving route being for working an inner work area and an outer headland area of ​​the field in that order.

[0117] <Appendix 5> The work vehicle is configured to be able to stop planting work in some rows when performing planting work in multiple rows while traveling in the field, The recording step records stripe stop information when stripe stop is performed on the straight path, The automatic driving method according to claim 4, wherein the route creation step sets the stop information on the target driving route.

[0118] <Appendix 6> the recording step includes recording a turning start position and a turning end position when the work vehicle turns in each of the inner area and the outer area; 6. The automatic driving method according to claim 4, wherein the route creation step creates the target driving route based on the turning start position and the turning end position.

[0119] <Appendix 7> The automatic driving method described in any one of Appendices 1 to 6, characterized in that the registration process updates the field information based on the identified outline of the field if field information of the field has been registered in advance.

[0120] <Appendix 8> The automatic driving method described in any one of Appendices 1 to 7, characterized in that the registration process acquires a supply location where a supply operation to supply seedlings to be used for planting work has been performed, and based on the supply location, identifies a supply edge to which the seedlings will be supplied from the outline of the field, and registers the edge in association with the field.

[0121] <Appendix 9> The automatic driving method described in Appendix 8, wherein the registration step sets an allowed area in which the work vehicle can automatically drive based on the supply location, and registers the area in association with the field.

[0122] <Appendix 10> The automatic driving method according to any one of appendices 1 to 9, wherein the registration step identifies an entrance / exit to the field based on the travel trajectory of the work vehicle when the work vehicle leaves the field from the work end position and registers the entrance / exit in association with the field.

[0123] <Appendix 11> A work vehicle that automatically travels in a field, a recording unit that, when the work vehicle travels straight along a plurality of straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, records the start position of each of the straight paths and the travel trajectory of the work vehicle, and also records the work end position where the work vehicle ends work in the field; a registration unit that identifies an outer shape of the field based on the work end position and the start end positions of the plurality of straight paths in the outer area and registers the outer shape of the field in association with the field; A work vehicle comprising:

[0124] <Appendix 12> The recording unit records an order in which the vehicle travels straight along the plurality of straight routes, The work vehicle described in Appendix 11, wherein the registration unit determines whether the straight-line distance from the work end position to the starting point of the straight-line path satisfies a predetermined specific condition, starting from the straight-line path recorded latest, identifies the starting point that satisfies the specific condition as a perimeter starting point for identifying the outline of the field, and identifies the outline of the field based on the perimeter starting point.

[0125] <Appendix 13> The work vehicle described in Appendix 12, characterized in that the registration unit sets the specific condition as being that the straight-line distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined first distance threshold, starts identifying the outer periphery start point when it detects the start point position that satisfies the specific condition, and then ends identifying the outer periphery start point when it detects the start point position where the straight-line distance is within a predetermined second distance threshold.

[0126] <Appendix 14> 14. The work vehicle according to any one of appendices 11 to 13, further comprising a route creation unit that identifies a direction of travel for each of the plurality of straight routes based on the travel trajectories of the plurality of straight routes, and creates a target travel route consisting of a straight route and a turning route connected to the straight route based on the work end position and the start end positions and travel directions of the plurality of straight routes, the target travel route being for working an inner work area and an outer headland area of ​​the field in that order.

[0127] <Appendix 15> The work vehicle is configured to be able to stop planting work in some rows when performing planting work in multiple rows while traveling in the field, The recording unit records stripe stop information when stripe stop is performed on the straight path, The work vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the route creation unit sets the stop information on the target travel route.

[0128] <Appendix 16> the recording unit records a turning start position and a turning end position when the work vehicle turns in each of the inner area and the outer area; 16. The work vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the route creation unit creates the target travel route based on the turning start position and the turning end position.

[0129] <Appendix 17> The work vehicle described in any one of Appendices 11 to 16, characterized in that, if field information for the field has been registered in advance, the registration unit updates the field information based on the identified outline of the field.

[0130] <Appendix 18> The work vehicle described in any of Appendices 11 to 17, characterized in that the registration unit acquires a supply location where a supply operation to supply seedlings to be used for planting work was performed, and based on the supply location, identifies a supply edge to which the seedlings will be supplied from the outline of the field and registers it in association with the field.

[0131] <Appendix 19> The work vehicle described in Appendix 18, wherein the registration unit sets an allowed area in which the work vehicle can automatically travel based on the supply location and registers the area in association with the field.

[0132] <Appendix 20> A work vehicle as described in any one of Appendices 11 to 19, characterized in that when the work vehicle exits the field from the work end position, the registration unit identifies an entrance / exit to the field based on the travel trajectory of the work vehicle and registers it in association with the field.

[0133] <Appendix 21> An automatic driving system that automatically drives a work vehicle in a field, a recording unit that, when the work vehicle travels straight along a plurality of straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, records the start position of each of the straight paths and the travel trajectory of the work vehicle, and also records the work end position where the work vehicle ends work in the field; a registration unit that identifies an outer shape of the field based on the work end position and the start end positions of the plurality of straight paths in the outer area and registers the outer shape of the field in association with the field; An automatic driving system comprising:

[0134] <Appendix 22> The recording unit records an order in which the vehicle travels straight along the plurality of straight routes, The automatic driving system described in Appendix 21 is characterized in that the registration unit determines whether the straight-line distance from the work end position to the starting point of the straight-line path satisfies a predetermined specific condition, starting from the straight-line path recorded latest, identifies the starting point that satisfies the specific condition as a perimeter starting point for identifying the outline of the field, and identifies the outline of the field based on the perimeter starting point.

[0135] <Appendix 23> The automatic driving system described in Appendix 22 is characterized in that the registration unit sets the specific condition as being that the straight-line distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined first distance threshold, starts identifying the outer periphery start point when it detects the start point position that satisfies the specific condition, and then ends identifying the outer periphery start point when it detects the start point position where the straight-line distance is within a predetermined second distance threshold.

[0136] <Appendix 24> 24. The automated driving system according to any one of appendices 21 to 23, further comprising a route creation unit that identifies the direction of travel of each of the plurality of straight routes based on the travel trajectories of the plurality of straight routes, and creates a target travel route consisting of a straight route and a turning route connected to the straight route based on the work end position and the starting end positions and travel directions of the plurality of straight routes, the target travel route being for working in an inner work area and an outer headland area of ​​the field in that order.

[0137] <Appendix 25> The work vehicle is configured to be able to stop planting work in some rows when performing planting work in multiple rows while traveling in the field, The recording unit records stripe stop information when stripe stop is performed on the straight path, The automatic driving system described in Appendix 24, characterized in that the route creation unit sets the stop information on the target driving route.

[0138] <Appendix 26> the recording unit records a turning start position and a turning end position when the work vehicle turns in each of the inner area and the outer area; 26. The automatic driving system according to claim 24, wherein the route creation unit creates the target driving route based on the turning start position and the turning end position.

[0139] <Appendix 27> An automatic driving system described in any of Appendices 21 to 26, characterized in that, if field information of the field has been registered in advance, the registration unit updates the field information based on the identified outline of the field.

[0140] <Appendix 28> The automatic driving system described in any of Appendices 21 to 27, characterized in that the registration unit acquires a supply location where a supply operation to supply seedlings to be used for planting work was performed, and based on the supply location, identifies a supply edge to which the seedlings will be supplied from the outline of the field, and registers the edge in association with the field.

[0141] <Appendix 29> The automatic driving system described in Appendix 28, characterized in that the registration unit sets an allowed area in which the work vehicle can automatically drive based on the supply location and registers it in association with the field.

[0142] <Appendix 30> The automatic driving system of any one of Appendices 21 to 29, wherein the registration unit, when the work vehicle exits the field from the work end position, identifies an entrance / exit to the field based on the travel trajectory of the work vehicle and registers it in association with the field. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1 Rice transplanter (work vehicle) 5. Mobile devices 16 Steering handle 17 Gear shift pedal 18 Main gear shift lever 19 Work operation section 40 Control device 41 Storage section 45 Travel control unit 50 Control device 51 Storage section 55 Driving Recording Section 56 Field Registration Department 57 Route Creation Department P1~P13 Straight path R1~R13 starting position Fa Work end position Q Target driving route G supply position K entrance H Supply Area

Claims

1. An automatic driving method for automatically driving a work vehicle in a field, comprising: a recording step of recording the start position of each straight path and the travel trajectory of the work vehicle when the work vehicle travels straight along a plurality of straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, and recording the work end position where the work vehicle ends work in the field; a registration step of specifying an outline of the field based on the work end position and the start end positions of the plurality of straight paths in the outer region, and registering the outline of the field in association with the field; An automatic driving method comprising:

2. the recording step records an order in which the vehicle travels straight along the plurality of straight paths; The automatic driving method described in claim 1, characterized in that the registration process determines whether the straight-line distance from the work end position to the starting point of the straight-line path satisfies a predetermined specific condition, starting from the straight-line path recorded latest, identifies the starting point that satisfies the specific condition as a perimeter starting point for identifying the outline of the field, and identifies the outline of the field based on the perimeter starting point.

3. The automatic driving method described in claim 2, characterized in that the registration process sets the specific condition as being that the straight-line distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined first distance threshold, and when the starting point that satisfies the specific condition is detected, the process starts identifying the outer periphery starting point, and then when the starting point where the straight-line distance is within a predetermined second distance threshold is detected, the process ends identifying the outer periphery starting point.

4. The automatic driving method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a route creation step of identifying a direction of travel for each of the plurality of straight routes based on the travel trajectories of the plurality of straight routes, and creating a target driving route consisting of a straight route and a turning route connected to the straight route based on the work end position and the start end positions and travel directions of the plurality of straight routes, the target driving route being for working an inner work area and an outer headland area of ​​the field in that order.

5. The work vehicle is configured to be able to stop planting work in some rows when performing planting work in multiple rows while traveling in the field, The recording step records stripe stop information when stripe stop is performed on the straight path, The automatic driving method according to claim 4, wherein the route creation step sets the stop information on the target driving route.

6. the recording step includes recording a turning start position and a turning end position when the work vehicle turns in each of the inner area and the outer area; The automatic driving method according to claim 4 , wherein the route creation step creates the target driving route based on the turning start position and the turning end position.

7. The automatic driving method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, when field information of the field has been registered in advance, the registration step updates the field information based on the identified outline of the field.

8. The automatic driving method described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the registration process acquires a supply location where a supply operation to supply seedlings to be used for planting work was performed, and based on the supply location, identifies a supply edge along which the seedlings will be supplied from the outline of the field and registers it in association with the field.

9. 9. The automatic driving method according to claim 8, wherein the registration step sets an allowed area in which the work vehicle can automatically drive based on the supply location, and registers the area in association with the field.

10. The automatic driving method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the registration step, when the work vehicle exits the field from the work end position, identifies an entrance / exit to the field based on the travel trajectory of the work vehicle and registers it in association with the field.

11. A work vehicle that automatically travels in a field, a recording unit that, when the work vehicle travels straight along a plurality of straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, records the start position of each of the straight paths and the travel trajectory of the work vehicle, and also records the work end position where the work vehicle ends work in the field; a registration unit that identifies an outer shape of the field based on the work end position and the start end positions of the plurality of straight paths in the outer area and registers the outer shape of the field in association with the field; A work vehicle comprising:

12. An automatic driving system that automatically drives a work vehicle in a field, a recording unit that, when the work vehicle travels straight along a plurality of straight paths in each of the inner and outer areas included in the field, records the start position of each of the straight paths and the travel trajectory of the work vehicle, and also records the work end position where the work vehicle ends work in the field; a registration unit that identifies an outer shape of the field based on the work end position and the start end positions of the plurality of straight paths in the outer area and registers the outer shape of the field in association with the field; An automatic driving system comprising:

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