Harvesting support device and harvesting support system

Abstract

To provide a harvest support apparatus and a harvest support system configured to estimate the time at which a crop can be harvested.SOLUTION: A harvest support system 10 is configured by connecting a harvest support apparatus 11 and a sensor group 12 over a network 13. The harvest support apparatus 11 includes: a wet state estimation unit which estimates a wet degree of a crop on the basis of meteorological elements in a community of the crop and meteorological elements outside the community; a time estimation unit which estimates the time at which the crop can be harvested on the basis of the estimated wet degree; and a type acquisition unit which acquires the type of combine harvester for harvesting the crop. The wet state estimation unit estimates a wet degree of an ear of the crop as a wet state. The time estimation unit estimates the time at which the wet degree indicates non-wet state, as harvesting time, when a head-feeding combine harvester is used, or estimates the time predetermined hours after the time at which the wet degree indicates non-wet state, as harvesting time, when a general-purpose combine harvester is used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a harvesting support device and a harvesting support system. [Background technology]

[0002] In paddy field farming, if the rice is wet due to night dew or precipitation at harvest time, the threshing section of the combine will become clogged. Therefore, on the day of harvest, farm workers must go from the office to the field to check whether the rice is wet, and once they have confirmed that it is not wet, they must return to the office, take the combine out, and then go to the field again with the combine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-216695 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-106261 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-029545 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-185786 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-142218 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-018299 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Sugano et al., "Method for Estimating Rice Leaf Wetness Duration Using Relative Humidity," 13th Yamase Research Meeting Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, making such repeated trips between the field and the office is a heavy burden for the workers, and furthermore, the time required for the trip prevents them from performing harvesting work, making it impossible to harvest rice efficiently.

[0006] In particular, in recent years, as the agricultural workforce has decreased, the area of ​​land managed per farmer has rapidly expanded, resulting in a trend toward an even greater increase in the time and effort required to patrol fields.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to make it possible to estimate the time when a crop can be harvested. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The harvesting support device of the present invention comprises: Measured Crop community The relative humidity inside the canopy is estimated based on the relative humidity and wind speed outside the canopy, and the estimated relative humidity inside the canopy is compared with the measured wind speed and solar radiation outside the canopy. and a time estimation unit that estimates the harvestable time of the crop based on the estimated wetness.

[0009] Furthermore, the harvest support system of the present invention is capable of detecting the presence of a plant outside the crop community. Relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation and a harvesting support device, the harvesting support device being configured to measure the amount of the outside of the community measured by the sensor. The relative humidity inside the canopy based on the relative humidity and wind speed and an intra-community estimation unit for estimating the The relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation measured outside the canopy, and a time estimation unit that estimates the harvestable time of the crop based on the estimated wetness. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The harvest support device and harvest support system of the present invention have the effect of being able to estimate the time when crops can be harvested. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the surroundings of a field where crops are grown. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the harvest support system according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side view of rice plants in a field. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a graph obtained by investigating how the wetness of the outside and inside of the community changes over time. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a graph obtained by investigating how the amount of solar radiation, wind speed, and relative humidity change over time. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a functional configuration diagram of the harvesting support device according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of history information according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the harvesting support method according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram of the harvesting support device according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram of a harvest support system according to a modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of history information according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the area around a field where crops are grown. In the example of Figure 1, it is assumed that an office 2 is located away from field 1. Office 2 is the farmer's home or workshop, and it is assumed that a combine harvester used for harvesting in field 1 is also parked on the premises of office 2. There is no particular limitation on the crop in field 1, but the following explanation will be given for the case where the crop is paddy rice.

[0013] When harvesting rice in field 1, if the rice is wet, the threshing section of the combine will become clogged, making harvesting impossible. To prevent this, it is conceivable for the worker to travel from office 2 to field 1 along route 3 and check the wetness of the rice himself, but this would place a heavy burden on the worker. Therefore, in this embodiment, the burden on the worker is reduced as follows.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the harvest support system according to this embodiment.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the harvest support system 10 includes a harvest support device 11 and a sensor group 12.

[0016] Of these, the harvest support device 11 is a computer such as a personal computer (PC), a server, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal placed in the office 2.

[0017] On the other hand, sensor group 12 is an IoT (Internet of Things) sensor for measuring meteorological information (weather elements) for field 1, and is installed in an appropriate location near field 1. In this example, sensor group 12 has a relative humidity sensor 12a, a wind speed sensor 12b, and a solar radiation sensor 12c, and is connected to harvest support device 11 via network 13. Network 13 is not particularly limited, and the Internet or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) can be used as network 13. Furthermore, measurement data from each of sensors 12a to 12c may be wirelessly transmitted to harvest support device 11 without using network 13. The standard of wireless transmission is also not particularly limited, and each of sensors 12a to 12c may transmit measurement data to harvest support device 11 using a public telephone network or the like.

[0018] Furthermore, the weather information measured by the sensor group 12 may be obtained from the server 14. The server 14 is, for example, a computer managed by the Japan Meteorological Agency, and is a server that provides current weather information such as AMeDAS. When the server 14 is used in this way, the sensor group 12 is not necessary.

[0019] Fig. 3 is a side view of rice plants in a field 1. As shown in Fig. 3, a cluster 8 of densely packed rice plants 7 is formed in the field 1, and sensors 12a to 12c are provided outside 8a of the cluster 8.

[0020] Of these, the relative humidity sensor 12a is a sensor that measures the relative humidity outside 8a of the community 8. The wind speed sensor 12b is a sensor that measures the wind speed outside 8a of the community 8. The solar radiation sensor 12c is a sensor that measures the amount of solar radiation that falls on the community 8.

[0021] In this embodiment, weather elements inside 8b of canopy 8 are estimated based on measurements from sensors measuring weather elements outside 8a of canopy 8, and the degree of wetness of rice plants 7 is estimated based on the weather elements inside 8b. Specifically, the relative humidity inside 8b of canopy 8 is estimated based on measurements from relative humidity sensor 12a and wind speed sensor 12b, and the degree of wetness of rice plants 7 is estimated based on the relative humidity. Rice plants 7 have ears and stems and leaves, and the wetness that causes clogging of the threshing section of a combine harvester is mainly wetness of leaves. Leaves are classified into lower leaves 7a and leaves 7b near the ears based on their position. It is generally known that, of the lower leaves 7a and leaves 7b near the ears, the upper leaves 7b near the ears dry first. In this embodiment, the degree of wetness of the lower leaves 7a and leaves 7b near the ears is estimated.

[0022] Figure 4 is a graph obtained by investigating how the wetness of the outside 8a and inside 8b of the community 8 changes over time. In this investigation, a dew condensation sensor was installed at a height of 0.6 m from the ground surface to measure the wetness of the inside 8b of the community 8. In addition, a dew condensation sensor was installed at a height of 1 m from the ground surface to measure the wetness of the outside 8a of the community 8.

[0023] The vertical axis of the graph shows the output voltage (mV) of the dew sensor, with the higher the value, the greater the degree of wetness. The horizontal axis of the graph shows the elapsed time from 9:00 PM the night before harvest to 8:40 AM the morning of harvest.

[0024] At harvest time, rice plants 7 have lower leaves 7a and leaves 7b near the ears that are densely packed together, resulting in poor ventilation in the interior 8b of the canopy 8. As a result, the interior 8b remains wet for a longer period of time than the exterior 8a, and the relative humidity is also higher. As a result, this survey revealed that the exterior 8a of the canopy 8 lost its wetness by 5:50, while the interior 8b did not lose its wetness until 7:25, which was later.

[0025] From these results, it became clear that in order to accurately estimate the wetness of the interior 8b, it is necessary to estimate the wetness using the relative humidity of the interior 8b. Note that, although the relative humidity of the interior 8b is estimated based on the measurements of the relative humidity sensor 12a and the wind speed sensor 12b in the example of Fig. 3, the relative humidity sensor 12a may be installed in the interior 8b and the relative humidity of the interior 8b may be measured directly by the relative humidity sensor 12a if it does not interfere with harvesting.

[0026] Figure 5 is a graph obtained by investigating how the amount of solar radiation, wind speed, and relative humidity change over time. Note that the amount of solar radiation is the amount of sunlight shining on the canopy 8. The wind speed is the wind speed at the outside 8a of the canopy 8. The relative humidity is the relative humidity at both the inside 8b and the outside 8a of the canopy 8. The horizontal axis of each graph represents the elapsed time over the same period as Figure 4.

[0027] As shown in Figure 5, as wind speed and solar radiation increase, the relative humidity inside 8b of canopy 8 decreases. The same is true for the relative humidity outside 8a of canopy 8. These results demonstrate that there is a strong correlation between wind speed, solar radiation, and relative humidity, and that solar radiation and wind speed can be used to estimate the relative humidity inside 8b.

[0028] 6 is a functional configuration diagram of harvest support device 11. As shown in FIG. 6, harvest support device 11 has a communication unit 20, an input unit 21, a display unit 22, a storage unit 23, and a control unit 24.

[0029] Of these, communication unit 20 is an interface that connects harvest support device 11 to network 13 (see FIG. 2). Input unit 21 is a device such as a keyboard or touch panel that allows the operator to input various information to harvest support device 11. Display unit 22 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays the time when harvesting is possible, etc. Memory unit 23 stores history information 27, which will be described later.

[0030] On the other hand, the control unit 24 is a processing unit that controls each unit of the harvest support device 11. As an example, the control unit 24 has a weather information acquisition unit 32, a type acquisition unit 33, an in-canopy estimation unit 34, a wetness estimation unit 35, a time estimation unit 36, and an output unit 37.

[0031] Among these, the weather information acquiring unit 32 is a processing unit that acquires the measured values ​​of the sensors 12a to 12c as weather information in real time. Note that the weather information acquiring unit 32 may acquire weather information provided by the server 14 (see FIG. 2) instead of the measured values ​​of the sensors 12a to 12c.

[0032] The type acquisition unit 33 is a processing unit that acquires the type of combine harvester. For example, a farmer inputs the type of combine harvester he or she uses into the input unit 21, and the type acquisition unit 33 acquires the input type.

[0033] There are two types of combine harvesters: head-threshing combine harvesters and general-purpose combine harvesters. Of these, head-threshing combine harvesters are those that only take in the leaves 7b near the ears of rice 7 into the threshing section. Therefore, even if the lower leaves 7a are slightly wet, as long as the leaves 7b near the ears are dry, there is little risk of the threshing section of the head-threshing combine harvester becoming clogged, and the rice can be harvested using the head-threshing combine harvester.

[0034] On the other hand, a general-purpose combine harvester is a combine harvester that takes in both the lower leaves 7a of the rice plant 7 and the leaves 7b near the ears of rice 7 into its threshing section. Therefore, with a general-purpose combine harvester, if not only the leaves 7b near the ears of rice but also the lower leaves 7a are not dry, the threshing section may become clogged, and empirically, it takes about 30 minutes to an hour for the rice to be ready for harvesting with a head-feeding combine harvester before it can be harvested.

[0035] The intra-canopy estimation unit 34 is a processing unit that estimates the relative humidity inside the canopy 8b from the measured values ​​of the relative humidity sensor 12a and the wind speed sensor 12b. As an example, the intra-canopy estimation unit 34 determines whether the relative humidity (RH) measured by the relative humidity sensor 12a and the wind speed (WS) measured by the wind speed sensor 12b satisfy the following (Condition 1).

[0036] (Condition 1) Relative humidity (RH) ≥ 90% and wind speed (WS) ≤ 2.0 m / s If (Condition 1) is satisfied, the intra-community estimation unit 34 determines that the relative humidity in the interior 8b of the community 8 is 100%. On the other hand, if (Condition 1) is not satisfied, the intra-community estimation unit 34 estimates that the relative humidity in the interior 8b of the community 8 is less than 100%.

[0037] The wetness estimation unit 35 is a processing unit that estimates the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ears of rice 7 based on the relative humidity estimated by the intra-canopy estimation unit 34, the wind speed measured by the wind speed sensor 12b, and the amount of solar radiation measured by the solar radiation sensor 12c. The wetness estimation unit 35 also creates the history information 27 in FIG. 7 and stores it in the memory unit 23.

[0038] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the history information 27. As shown in Fig. 7, the history information 27 is a database that associates the time when the degree of wetness was estimated with the weather information at that time and the degree of wetness. Of these, the weather information is the amount of solar radiation, wind speed, and relative humidity measured by each of the sensors 12a to 12c.

[0039] In order to increase the accuracy of estimating the degree of wetness, the wetness estimation unit 35 may estimate the wetness of the leaves 7b near the ears by using other meteorological information such as the amount of precipitation, temperature, and wind direction in addition to the measured values ​​of the sensors 12a to 12c. In this case, the wetness estimation unit 35 also stores this meteorological information in association with the time.

[0040] As the harvest date for the rice 7 approaches, the water in field 1 is drained before harvest, but depending on the type of soil, the drainage may be poor and the water may not be able to drain sufficiently. If this causes the soil moisture content to increase, the relative humidity within the canopy 8 will rise, which will also affect the loss of wetness. To capture this effect and estimate the degree of wetness, it is preferable to add the soil moisture content of field 1 to the meteorological information described above.

[0041] Furthermore, as more data is accumulated in the history information 27, the meteorological information that affects the degree of wetness is narrowed down, and it may be possible to estimate the degree of wetness without using all three of the sensors 12a to 12c. In this case, it is not necessary to use sensors among the sensors 12a to 12c that do not affect the degree of wetness.

[0042] Furthermore, the wetness estimation unit 35 may store the history information 27 in a storage device connected to the network 13 (see FIG. 1), so that devices connected to the network 13 can refer to the history information 27.

[0043] Furthermore, the degree of wetness of the lower leaves 7a and the leaves 7b near the ears may differ depending on the rice planting method and the variety of rice 7. In that case, a dew condensation sensor may be installed inside 8b of the canopy 8, and the wetness estimation unit 35 may estimate the wetness of the lower leaves 7a and the leaves 7b near the ears using not only the measurement values ​​of sensors 12a to 12c but also the measurement values ​​of the dew condensation sensor.

[0044] Referring again to FIG. The time estimation unit 36 ​​is a processing unit that estimates the harvestable time of the rice 7 based on the degree of wetness estimated by the wetness estimation unit 35.

[0045] The output unit 37 is a processing unit that outputs an instruction to display the harvestable time estimated by the time estimation unit 36 ​​to the display unit 22. The output unit 37 also outputs an instruction to display the degree of wetness estimated by the wetness estimation unit 35 to the display unit 22.

[0046] Next, the harvesting support method according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the harvesting support method according to this embodiment. First, weather information acquisition unit 32 starts acquiring weather information (step S11). The weather information is the measurement values ​​of each of sensors 12a to 12c. Note that step S11 is performed, for example, when a harvest assistance program for executing the harvest assistance method is started.

[0047] Next, the intra-canopy estimation unit 34 starts measuring the relative humidity of the interior 8b of the canopy 8 based on the above-mentioned (Condition 1) (Step S12). Note that in the following, it is assumed that Steps S11 and S12 have already been performed several days before the harvest date.

[0048] Next, the type acquisition unit 33 acquires the type of combine (step S13). Here, it is assumed that the operator inputs the type of combine into the input unit 21 before the harvest date, and the type acquisition unit 33 acquires the input type.

[0049] Next, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ear at sunrise (step S14). Here, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates three degrees of wetness: "highly wet," "slightly wet," and "not wet."

[0050] For example, when the following (Condition 2) is satisfied, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates that the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ear is "highly wet."

[0051] (Condition 2) The relative humidity of the interior 8b estimated by the community estimation unit 34 has been at 100% for four or more consecutive hours, including the present, and the relative humidity of the interior 8b estimated by the community estimation unit 34 was 100% at sunrise.

[0052] Furthermore, when the following (Condition 3) is satisfied, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates that the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ear is "slightly wet."

[0053] (Condition 3) The relative humidity of the interior 8b estimated by the community estimation unit 34 has been at 100% for two to four consecutive hours, including the present, and the relative humidity of the interior 8b estimated by the community estimation unit 34 was 100% at sunrise.

[0054] If neither (Condition 2) nor (Condition 3) is met, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates that the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ear is "not wet."

[0055] "Not wet" means that the leaves 7b near the ear are dry. "Slightly wet" and "very wet" indicate increasing degrees of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ear.

[0056] Next, the wetness estimation unit 35 determines whether the degree of wetness at the time of sunrise estimated in step S14 is "highly wet" (step S15).

[0057] If it is determined that the degree of wetness is not "heavily wet" (step S15: No), the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the wetness estimation unit 35 determines whether the degree of wetness at the sunrise time estimated in step S14 is "slightly wet."

[0058] If the degree of wetness is not determined to be "slightly wet" (step S16: No), the degree of wetness at sunrise estimated in step S14 is determined to be "not wet." In this case, the process proceeds to step S17, where the type acquisition unit 33 determines whether the type of combine acquired in step S12 is a general-purpose combine.

[0059] Here, if it is determined that the type of combine is a head-feeding combine and not a general-purpose combine (step S17: No), the process proceeds to step S18. A head-feeding combine can harvest only the leaves 7b near the ears, so as described above, the rice 7 can be harvested if the leaves 7b near the ears are dry. Also, at this stage, the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ears at sunrise is estimated to be "not wet." Therefore, in step S18, the time estimation unit 36 ​​estimates the sunrise time as the harvestable time.

[0060] Thereafter, the output unit 37 outputs an instruction to display the harvestable time to the display unit 22, whereby the display unit 22 displays the harvestable time (step S20), and the process ends.

[0061] On the other hand, if the type of combine is determined to be a general-purpose combine (step S17: Yes), the process proceeds to step S19. As described above, general-purpose combines harvest not only the leaves 7b near the ears but also the lower leaves 7a, so even if the leaves 7b near the ears are dry, if the lower leaves 7a are wet, the threshing section will become clogged.

[0062] Therefore, in step S19, the time required for the lower leaves 7a to dry if they are wet is estimated, and the time estimation unit 36 ​​estimates the harvestable time as a predetermined time after sunrise. The predetermined time is not particularly limited, but empirically, one hour is used as the predetermined time.

[0063] Thereafter, the output unit 37 outputs an instruction to display the harvestable time to the display unit 22, whereby the display unit 22 displays the harvestable time (step S20), and the process ends.

[0064] On the other hand, if the degree of wetness is estimated to be "highly wet" in the above-mentioned step S15 (step S15: Yes), the process proceeds to step S21.

[0065] In step S21, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates whether the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ear at the current time has changed from "heavily wet" to "slightly wet." In this embodiment, focusing on the fact that the amount of solar radiation required to reduce wetness differs depending on the wind speed, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates that the degree of wetness has changed from "heavily wet" to "slightly wet" when either (Condition 4) or (Condition 5) below is satisfied.

[0066] (Condition 4) The maximum wind speed from sunrise to the current time is 2.0 m / s or less, and the cumulative amount of solar radiation from sunrise to the current time is 2.0 MJ or more.

[0067] (Condition 5) The maximum wind speed from sunrise to the current time exceeds 2.0 m / s, and the cumulative amount of solar radiation from sunrise to the current time is 1.5 MJ or more.

[0068] Furthermore, the wetness estimation unit 35 stores the estimated degree of wetness, the current time, and the weather information at the current time in the history information 27 in association with each other.

[0069] Next, the wetness estimation unit 35 determines whether the degree of wetness estimated in step S21 is "slightly wet" (step S22). If it is determined that the degree is not "slightly wet" (step S21: No), it means that the state of "heavily wet" determined in step S15 is still continuing. Therefore, in this case, steps S21 and S22 are repeated at regular time intervals. The repeat time interval is, for example, about 10 minutes.

[0070] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that the wetness is "slight" (step S21: Yes), the process proceeds to step S23.

[0071] In step S23, the output unit 37 outputs an instruction to the display unit 22 to display the degree of wetness estimated by the wetness estimation unit 35, and the display unit 22, upon receiving the instruction, displays the degree of wetness.

[0072] Here, since the degree of wetness is estimated to be "slightly wet" in step S21, the display unit 22 displays "slightly wet." Similarly, if it is determined to be "slightly wet" in the above-mentioned step S16 (step S16: Yes), the display unit 22 also displays "slightly wet" in step S21. This enables the farm worker to predict that the leaves 7b near the ears will soon dry, and allows the farm worker to begin preparations for harvesting work, etc.

[0073] Next, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates whether the degree of wetness of the leaves 7b near the ear at the current time has changed from "slightly wet" to "not wet" (step S24).

[0074] For example, the wetness inferring unit 35 infers that the state has changed from "slightly wet" to "not wet" when either the following (Condition 6) or (Condition 7) is satisfied.

[0075] (Condition 6) The maximum wind speed is 2.0 m / s or less, and the integrated solar radiation from sunrise to the current time is 2.0 MJ or more. However, if step S24 is executed after a determination of "heavy wetness" in step S15, the maximum wind speed is the maximum value from the time when "light wetness" was determined in step S22 to the current time. Also, if step S24 is executed after a determination of "light wetness" in step S16, the maximum wind speed is the maximum value from sunrise to the current time.

[0076] (Condition 7) The maximum wind speed exceeds 2.0 m / s, and the accumulated solar radiation from sunrise to the current time is 1.0 MJ or more. The definition of the maximum wind speed is the same as (Condition 6).

[0077] Furthermore, the wetness estimation unit 35 stores the estimated degree of wetness, the current time, and the weather information at the current time in the history information 27 in association with each other.

[0078] Next, the wetness estimation unit 35 determines whether the degree of wetness estimated in step S24 is "not wet" (step S25). If it is determined that the degree is not "not wet" (step S25: No), the "slightly wet" state determined in step S22 is still continuing. Therefore, in this case, steps S24 to S25 are repeated at regular time intervals. The repeating time interval is set to, for example, about 10 minutes.

[0079] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S25 that the rice is not wet (step S25: Yes), the leaves 7b near the ears are dry, and the rice 7 can be harvested by a head-feeding combine harvester. However, as mentioned above, a general-purpose combine harvester cannot harvest the rice 7 until about an hour has passed since the leaves 7b near the ears have dried.

[0080] Therefore, the time estimation unit 36 ​​determines whether the type of combine harvester acquired in step S12 is a general-purpose combine harvester (step S26).

[0081] Here, if it is determined that the type of combine is a head-feeding combine and not a general-purpose combine (step S26: No), the process proceeds to step S27, and the time estimation unit 36 ​​estimates the time at which it is estimated that the rice is "not wet" as the harvestable time.

[0082] Thereafter, the output unit 37 outputs an instruction to display the harvestable time to the display unit 22, whereby the display unit 22 displays the harvestable time (step S20), and the process ends.

[0083] On the other hand, if it is determined that the type of combine is a general-purpose combine (step S26: Yes), the process proceeds to step S28.

[0084] In step S28, the time required for the lower leaves 7a to dry is estimated, and the time estimation unit 36 ​​estimates the harvestable time to be a predetermined time after the time when it is estimated that the plant is "not wet." The predetermined time is not particularly limited, but is set to one hour, as in step S19.

[0085] Thereafter, the output unit 37 outputs an instruction to display the harvestable time to the display unit 22, whereby the display unit 22 displays the harvestable time (step S20), and the process ends.

[0086] In the above description, the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates the degree of wetness as one of three levels ("highly wet," "slightly wet," and "not wet"), but this is not limiting. For example, the wetness estimation unit 35 may estimate the degree of wetness as one of two levels ("wet" and "not wet"). Furthermore, the wetness estimation unit 35 may estimate the degree of wetness as one of four or more levels (for example, in the case of four levels, "highly wet," "moderately wet," "slightly wet," and "not wet").

[0087] This completes the basic processing of the harvest support method according to this embodiment. According to this embodiment, harvest support device 11 estimates the harvestable time for rice 7 in field 1 (see FIG. 1) based on the measurements of sensors 12a to 12c. This allows a worker in office 2 to know the harvestable time without having to go to field 1 to check the wetness of rice 7, significantly reducing the burden on the worker.

[0088] Moreover, because workers do not need to go to the fields, they can devote more time to harvesting rice7 and the area harvested per day also increases. As a result, this will contribute to labor-saving and efficiency improvements in future smart agriculture. In particular, in Japan, the area planted to rice is larger than any other crop, and there are a large number of rice farmers, so the economic impact on production sites is extremely high.

[0089] Although the above example uses paddy rice 7, the crops to which this embodiment can be applied are not limited to this. For example, this embodiment can also be applied to wheat, barley, soybeans, and buckwheat, which are harvested by a combine harvester.

[0090] This embodiment can also be applied to work that requires waiting for the moisture to disappear, such as spraying pesticides, in addition to harvesting work.

[0091] (Hardware configuration) Fig. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram of harvest support device 11. As shown in Fig. 9, harvest support device 11 has storage device 11a, memory 11b, processor 11c, communication interface 11d, input device 11f, display device 11g, and media reader 11h. These components are connected to each other by bus 11j.

[0092] Of these, the storage device 11a is a non-volatile storage such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores the harvest support program 100 according to this embodiment.

[0093] The harvest support program 100 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium 11i, and the processor 11c may read the harvest support program 100 via a medium reading device 11h.

[0094] Such recording media 11i include physically portable recording media such as CD-ROMs (Compact Disc - Read Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and USB (Universal Serial Bus) memories. Semiconductor memories such as flash memories and hard disk drives may also be used as the recording media 11i. These recording media 11i are not temporary media such as carrier waves that do not have a physical form.

[0095] Furthermore, the harvest support program 100 may be stored in a device connected to a public line, the Internet, a LAN, etc. In this case, the processor 11c may read and execute the harvest support program 100.

[0096] On the other hand, the memory 11b is hardware that temporarily stores data, such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0097] The processor 11c is hardware such as a CPU or a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) that controls each part of the harvest support device 11. The processor 11c also executes the harvest support program 100 in cooperation with the memory 11b.

[0098] In this way, the memory 11b and the processor 11c cooperate to execute the harvest support program 100, thereby realizing the control unit 24 of the harvest support device 11.

[0099] The storage unit 23 (see FIG. 6) is realized by the storage device 11a and the memory 11b.

[0100] Furthermore, communication interface 11d is hardware such as a network interface card (NIC) for connecting harvest support device 11 to network 13 (see FIG. 1). Communication interface 11d implements communication unit 20 (see FIG. 6).

[0101] The input device 11f is an input device such as a touch panel or a keyboard that allows the operator to input the type of combine into the harvest support device 11. The input device 11f implements an input unit 21 (see FIG. 6).

[0102] The display device 11g is hardware for realizing the display unit 22, and is a display device such as a liquid crystal display for displaying the harvestable time.

[0103] The medium reader 11h is hardware such as a CD drive, a DVD drive, or a USB interface for reading the recording medium 11i.

[0104] (Variation) In the above embodiment, the sensors for measuring weather elements outside the canopy were described as using the relative humidity sensor 12a, wind speed sensor 12b, and solar radiation sensor 12c. However, this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, an air temperature sensor 12d may be used in addition to the relative humidity sensor 12a, wind speed sensor 12b, and solar radiation sensor 12c as sensors for measuring weather elements outside the canopy. In this case, the relative humidity inside the canopy can be estimated from the relative humidity and wind speed outside the canopy, as in the above embodiment. Furthermore, the air temperature and leaf temperature inside the canopy can be estimated from the air temperature outside the canopy. Furthermore, the wetness estimation unit 35 can estimate the degree of wetness using at least one of the estimated air temperature and leaf temperature inside the canopy in addition to the estimated relative humidity inside the canopy. In this case, the history information (FIG. 7 in the above embodiment) may have a data structure as shown in FIG. 11. The history information in FIG. 11 is a database that associates the time when the degree of wetness was estimated with the weather information at that time and the degree of wetness. Of these, the meteorological information includes the weather, the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and amount of solar radiation outside the canopy measured by the sensors 12a to 12c, and the temperature, leaf temperature, and relative humidity inside the canopy estimated by the wetness estimation unit 35.

[0105] As a result of the inventor's research, it was found that, for example, when the air temperature or leaf temperature inside the canopy is low, wetness tends to occur easily. Therefore, if the conditions of the above embodiment are adjusted so that the degree of wetness increases when the air temperature or leaf temperature is low, and the wetness estimation unit 35 estimates the degree of wetness of the crop based on those conditions, the degree of wetness can be estimated more accurately than when the degree of wetness of the crop is estimated using only the relative humidity inside the canopy.

[0106] The user can select as appropriate what type of sensors to install in the field, which of the installed sensors to use, which weather elements inside the canopy to estimate from weather elements outside the canopy, and which weather elements to use when estimating the degree of wetness. That is, the wetness estimation unit 35 accepts the user's selection and, based on the accepted selection, appropriately changes the method (conditions, etc.) for estimating the degree of wetness described in the above embodiment and executes the process. Furthermore, the wetness estimation unit 35 may estimate the degree of wetness by taking into account the weather included in the history information of FIG. 11 in accordance with the user's selection.

[0107] As described above, if a relative humidity sensor can be installed inside 8b of canopy 8, the relative humidity inside 8b may be measured directly. For example, when harvesting support system 10 is operated in a new field, the degree of wetness may be estimated in the initial stage using the actual measurement value of the relative humidity sensor installed inside 8b of canopy 8. In this case, when the error between the relative humidity inside 8b estimated using the measurement value of at least one of relative humidity sensor 12a, wind speed sensor 12b, and solar radiation sensor 12c installed outside 8a of canopy 8 and the actual measurement value of the relative humidity sensor inside 8b becomes small (when the estimation accuracy can be maintained at a certain level or higher), the degree of wetness may be estimated using the estimated value of relative humidity inside 8b. Furthermore, the relative humidity may be measured using the relative humidity sensor installed inside 8b at a predetermined timing to check whether the estimation accuracy of the relative humidity (estimated value) estimated using the measurement value of at least one of relative humidity sensor 12a, wind speed sensor 12b, and solar radiation sensor 12c is maintained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1...field, 2...office, 3...route, 7...rice, 7a...lower leaves, 7b...leaves near the ear, 8...canopy, 8a...exterior, 8b...interior, 10...harvesting support system, 12...sensor group, 12a...relative humidity sensor, 12b...wind speed sensor, 12c...solar radiation sensor, 12d...temperature sensor, 13...network, 14...server, 20...communication unit, 21...input unit, 22...display unit, 23...memory unit, 24...control unit, 32...weather information acquisition unit, 33...type acquisition unit, 34...canopy estimation unit, 35...wetness estimation unit, 36...time estimation unit, 37...output unit.

Claims

1. A wetness estimation unit that estimates the relative humidity inside a crop canopy based on the measured relative humidity and wind speed outside the canopy, and estimates the degree of wetness of the crop based on the estimated relative humidity inside the canopy and the measured wind speed and solar radiation outside the canopy; a time estimation unit that estimates a harvestable time for the crop based on the estimated degree of wetness; A harvesting support device comprising:

2. Further, a type acquisition unit is provided to acquire the type of combine that harvests the crop, the wetness estimation unit estimates the degree of wetness of the head of the crop as the wetness, When the type is a head-feeding combine, the time estimation unit estimates the time when the degree of wetness indicates that there is no wetness as the harvestable time, The harvesting support device described in claim 1, characterized in that if the type is a general-purpose combine, the time estimation unit estimates the harvestable time to be a time that is a predetermined time after the time when the degree of wetness indicates that there is no wetness.

3. The harvesting support device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a display unit that displays the estimated degree of wetness.

4. The harvesting support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the crop is paddy rice.

5. the wetness estimation unit estimates the degree of wetness at sunrise, and if wet at sunrise, estimates the time when the wetness will disappear based on a wind speed and an amount of solar radiation outside the community; The time estimation unit If there is no wetness at the sunrise time, estimating a harvestable time for the crop based on the sunrise time; A harvesting support device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that if there is wetness at the sunrise time, the harvestable time of the crop is estimated based on the time when the wetness disappears.

6. sensors for measuring relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation outside the crop canopy; A harvesting support device, The harvesting support device is an intra-canopy estimation unit that estimates the relative humidity inside the canopy based on the relative humidity and wind speed outside the canopy measured by the sensor; a wetness estimation unit that estimates the degree of wetness of the crop based on the estimated relative humidity inside the canopy and the measured wind speed and solar radiation outside the canopy; A harvesting support system comprising: a time estimation unit that estimates the time when the crop can be harvested based on the estimated degree of wetness.

7. A wetness estimation unit that estimates the relative humidity inside the crop canopy based on the measured relative humidity and wind speed outside the canopy, estimates at least one of the air temperature and leaf temperature inside the canopy based on the measured air temperature outside the canopy, and estimates the degree of wetness of the crop based on the estimated relative humidity inside the canopy, the estimated air temperature and / or leaf temperature inside the canopy, and the measured wind speed and solar radiation outside the canopy; a time estimation unit that estimates a harvestable time for the crop based on the estimated degree of wetness; A harvesting support device comprising:

8. sensors for measuring relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation and temperature outside the crop canopy; A harvesting support device, The harvesting support device is an intra-canopy estimation unit that estimates the relative humidity inside the canopy based on the relative humidity and wind speed outside the canopy measured by the sensor, and estimates at least one of the air temperature and leaf temperature inside the canopy based on the air temperature outside the canopy measured by the sensor; a wetness estimation unit that estimates the degree of wetness of the crop based on the estimated relative humidity inside the canopy, the estimated air temperature and / or leaf temperature inside the canopy, and the measured wind speed and solar radiation outside the canopy; A harvesting support system comprising: a time estimation unit that estimates the time when the crop can be harvested based on the estimated degree of wetness.

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