Work vehicle
The work vehicle provides clear information on unexecuted driving commands through a vehicle driving management system, addressing the lack of clarity in remote control operations and improving operator understanding.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022197169
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-12-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-16
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-12-09
AI Technical Summary
Existing work vehicles remotely controlled by a remote controller do not provide clear information to the operator about unexpected movements or stops, making it difficult for the operator to understand the relationship between remote control inputs and vehicle behavior.
The work vehicle is equipped with a vehicle driving management unit that generates driving control commands based on operation signals, a determination unit to assess driving feasibility, a driving control unit to execute commands, and a display device to show the reason for any driving impossibility, allowing the operator to understand why certain commands are not executed.
Enables the remote operator to identify and understand the reasons for unexecuted driving commands through displayed information, enhancing operational clarity and safety during remote operation.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle that can be remotely driven by a human remote control device. [Background technology]
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a manned work vehicle capable of autonomous driving. In this work vehicle, when an obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle around the tractor, an autonomous driving interruption unit interrupts autonomous driving, and an alarm unit notifies those around the tractor that autonomous driving has been interrupted. This allows people around the tractor to know the reason why the tractor has stopped autonomous driving.
[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a work vehicle that can be operated autonomously via wireless communication from a location remote from the vehicle. In this work vehicle, if an obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle around the work vehicle, the autonomous driving is interrupted and the reason for the work vehicle's suspension of autonomous driving is announced via a buzzer and warning light.
[0004] Patent Document 3 discloses a rice transplanter that is capable of both remote-controlled and automatic driving, and in special areas where automatic driving is difficult, the operator remotely controls the machine to drive the machine. Just before the rice transplanter enters a special area during automatic driving, the machine is forcibly stopped and a notification is issued to switch to manual driving using the remote control. Furthermore, if an obstacle, border crossing, tilt, or other error is detected, the rice transplanter will suddenly stop. Furthermore, if a material jam, slippage, satellite signal reception error, or position deviation error is detected, the rice transplanter will gradually stop. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-168883 A (paragraph number 0037 etc.) [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-170523 A (paragraph number 0035 etc.) [Patent Document 3] JP 2022-085684 A (paragraphs 0206, 0317, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] When a work vehicle is remotely controlled using a remote controller, if the work vehicle does not travel as desired or if the work vehicle suddenly stops, a monitor such as a remote operator needs to understand the relationship between the remote control and the unexpected movement of the work vehicle. However, the above patent document does not disclose a technology for displaying information regarding such unexpected movement of the work vehicle due to remote control for the remote operator or monitor.
[0007] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a work vehicle that can display information regarding unexpected problems that may occur in the work vehicle during remote operation for an observer such as a remote operator. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] The work vehicle according to the present invention is capable of remote driving by a manual remote control device, and includes a vehicle driving management unit that generates driving control commands based on operation signals from the manual remote control device, a determination unit that determines whether driving can be carried out according to the driving control commands, a driving control unit that executes driving according to the driving control commands based on the determination result by the determination unit, a determination result reason information generation unit that generates determination result reason information when the determination result by the determination unit indicates that driving cannot be carried out, and a display device that displays the determination result reason information. In addition to the automatic driving mode, the vehicle driving management unit Front-to-front driving mode Alternatively, the vehicle may have a rearward approaching driving mode or both driving modes, and the detection signal different for each driving mode is used to determine the possibility of driving. do.
[0009] In this configuration, in remote driving, in which a vehicle drives according to a driving control command generated based on an operation signal from a manual remote control device, it is determined whether driving according to the driving control command is feasible. If driving according to the driving control command is feasible, the driving control unit executes the driving. If driving according to the driving control command is not feasible, the driving control unit does not execute the driving. At the same time, judgment result reason information indicating the reason for this driving impossibility is generated and displayed on the display device. The remote driving operator or observer using the manual remote control device can identify the driving control command (command from the remote operator) that was not executed and understand the reason for it from the displayed judgment result reason information.
[0010] Regarding the timing of displaying the judgment result reason information, in one embodiment of the present invention, the judgment result reason information is displayed on the display device in response to a manual operation. In this configuration, the timing at which the judgment result reason information is displayed on the display device is determined arbitrarily by the person who wishes to view the judgment result reason information, so that the person can view the judgment result reason information at a desired time. In other words, in this configuration, the judgment result reason information is held until a manual operation is performed, and the judgment result reason information is displayed at the time of the manual operation.
[0011] Regarding the timing of displaying the information on the reason for the determination result, in another embodiment of the present invention, the information on the reason for the determination result is automatically displayed on the display device. With this configuration, the information on the reason for the determination result is automatically displayed on the display device when a cruise control command is not executed. This allows the remote cruise operator or other observers to understand the reason why the cruise control command was not executed without missing it.
[0012] In such a work vehicle, the main reason why a driving control command is not executed is because a command refusal command, which has a higher command priority than the driving control command, is issued. For example, if the driving control command is a forward driving command, a refusal command is issued to refuse the forward driving command if the vehicle's surrounding conditions do not allow forward driving. The vehicle's surrounding conditions are detected by a vehicle condition detection device group. For example, if an obstacle detection device detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle, a command refusal command is issued. A command refusal command is also issued if a problem is detected in the vehicle's power system. For this reason, the present invention is provided with a vehicle condition detection device group that detects the vehicle condition, and the determination unit determines the driving feasibility based on detection signals from the vehicle condition detection device group.
[0013] When a driving control command based on a driving operation by the remote driving operator is not executed based on a detection signal from a group of vehicle condition detection devices, it is important for the remote driving operator to know from which vehicle condition detection device the detection signal from which the driving control command was not executed. Therefore, in the present invention, the determination result reason information includes information identifying the vehicle condition detection device from the group of vehicle condition detection devices that caused the determination result to be unable to drive, and the detection result of that vehicle condition detection device.
[0014] When a work vehicle is capable of traveling in various travel modes, for example, an automatic travel mode, a front-mounted travel mode (automatic or remote travel), and a rear-mounted travel mode (automatic or remote travel), the vehicle conditions that cause the determination result to be infeasible for traveling differ depending on the travel mode. For this reason, in order to determine whether traveling is feasible, it is important to consider the travel mode that is currently being applied. For this reason, in the present invention, the vehicle travel management unit is equipped with an automatic travel mode, a front-mounted travel mode, and a rear-mounted travel mode, and different detection signals are used for each travel mode to determine whether traveling is feasible.
[0015] In particular, in the autonomous driving mode, since a supervisor is not constantly monitoring the autonomous driving of the worker, it is preferable to halt driving if the detection result of even one of the vehicle condition detection devices is negative. At least all of the detection results of the preset vehicle condition detection devices important for autonomous driving are required to be positive. For this reason, in the present invention, in the autonomous driving mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that driving is possible, all of the detection results related to autonomous driving from the vehicle condition detection devices are required to be positive.
[0016] Furthermore, in close-to-front driving, in which the vehicle approaches a specific area from the front, electronic monitoring by the vehicle situation detection devices is important. In particular, in close-to-front driving, it is necessary to pay close attention to the surrounding environment during forward driving, such as obstacle detection and the distance to the specific area. For this reason, in the present invention, in the close-to-front driving mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that driving is feasible, the detection result of the detection devices related to forward driving among the vehicle situation detection devices must be positive.
[0017] Similarly, in the present invention, in the rearward driving mode, in order for the judgment unit to determine that driving is possible, the detection result of the detection device related to reverse driving among the vehicle condition detection device group is required to be positive.
[0018] The information on the reason for the judgment result caused by a deterioration in the vehicle condition, such as the detection of an obstacle, changes from moment to moment, and various levels of multi-layered information, such as the type of obstacle, the distance to the obstacle, and the difference from the allowable threshold, are mixed over time. In order to display such information in an easy-to-understand manner, a chronological or hierarchical display of the information is suitable. For this reason, in the present invention, the information on the reason for the judgment result can be displayed on the display device in a chronological or hierarchical manner, or both. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of automatic traveling of a combine harvester. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a travel route for automatic travel of a combine harvester. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control system of the combine harvester. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control flow in a vehicle stop information display control process. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a display screen on which an example of determination result reason information is displayed. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a display screen on which an example of determination result reason information is displayed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction of arrow F shown in Figures 1 and 2 will be referred to as "front" and the direction of arrow B as "rear." Furthermore, the direction of arrow U shown in Figure 1 will be referred to as "up," the direction of arrow D as "down," the direction of arrow L shown in Figure 2 as "left," and the direction of arrow R as "right."
[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a normal combine harvester (corresponding to the "vehicle" according to the present invention), which is one form of the work vehicle according to the present invention, is equipped with a crawler-type traveling device 11, a driving section 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a harvesting section 15, a conveying device 16, a grain discharge device 18, and a satellite positioning module 80. The combine harvester body 10 refers to an assembly of the main components of the combine harvester, but in some cases may refer to individual components such as the traveling device 11 and the harvesting section 15.
[0022] The traveling device 11 is driven by power from an engine (not shown). The driving section 12, threshing device 13, and grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11. An operator can ride in the driving section 12 to monitor the operation of the combine. The operator may also monitor the operation of the combine from outside the combine.
[0023] The satellite positioning module 80 constituting the vehicle position detection module 8 (see FIG. 5 ) is attached to the upper surface of the ceiling of the cabin constituting the driver's section 12. The satellite positioning module 80 receives GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals (such as GPS signals) from positioning satellites GS to acquire the vehicle's position. Note that to complement the satellite navigation performed by the satellite positioning module 80, an inertial navigation unit incorporating a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor is incorporated into the satellite positioning module 80. Of course, the inertial navigation unit may be located in a different location from the satellite positioning module 80.
[0024] The harvesting section 15 is provided at the front of the combine harvester, and the transport device 16 is provided across the rear end of the harvesting section 15 and the front end of the threshing device 13. The harvesting section 15 and the transport device 16 are configured to be able to swing up and down around a lateral axis of the machine body by the extension and contraction of a hydraulic cylinder (not shown).
[0025] The harvesting unit 15 rakes in the planted culms to be harvested and also cuts the planted culms in the field. In this way, the harvesting unit 15 harvests the planted culms in the field. The combine travels on the traveling device 11 while the harvesting unit 15 cuts the planted culms in the field.
[0026] The harvested stalks harvested by the harvesting section 15 are transported to the threshing device 13 by the transport device 16. In the threshing device 13, the harvested stalks are threshed. The grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in the grain tank 14. The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged outside the machine by the grain discharge device 18 as needed.
[0027] 1 and 2, as an example of an obstacle detector 20, a millimeter wave radar 21 is attached to the front end of a cabin constituting the driving section 12 and the rear end of the threshing machine 13. The millimeter wave radar 21 is a device that performs sensing by irradiating a detection target area with millimeter waves.
[0028] Furthermore, two or more cameras 22 that output captured images are attached to the right side of the cabin constituting the driver's unit 12 and the left side of the threshing device 13. Cameras 22 are also attached to the front end of the cabin and the rear end of the threshing device 13. In this embodiment, the capture ranges of the four cameras 22 are the front, left and right sides, and rear of the combine harvester. The cameras 22 are equipped with wide-angle lenses, and their capture angles are approximately 180 degrees, so these cameras 22 essentially cover the entire vehicle body 10 in all directions. The mounting positions of the cameras 22 are adjustable, but are fixed after adjustment. This determines the capture range. The images captured by the cameras 22 are used as input images for a deep learning obstacle detection algorithm. In other words, the cameras 22 are components of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) obstacle recognition device.
[0029] The procedure for harvesting in a field using a combine is as follows.
[0030] First, the driver / supervisor manually operates the combine harvester and drives it around the periphery of the field, following the boundary line of the field, as shown in Figure 3 (hereinafter also referred to as periphery mowing). As a result, the area that has been mowed (worked area) is set as the outer periphery area SA. The area inside the outer periphery area SA that remains unmowed (unworked area) is set as the work area CA. Figure 2 shows an example of the outer periphery area SA and the work area CA. Note that periphery mowing is performed by manual driving, with the driver riding on the combine harvester and operating it, but remote driving, in which the combine harvester is driven by remote control by a supervisor or the like, or automatic driving based on programming may also be used.
[0031] When cutting around the perimeter, the operator runs the combine two to three times around the field to ensure a relatively wide outer perimeter area SA. Each time the combine completes one rotation, the width of the outer perimeter area SA increases by the combined harvester's working width. After the first two to three rotations, the width of the outer perimeter area SA will be about two to three times the combined harvester's working width.
[0032] The outer periphery area SA is used as a space for the combine to change direction when it automatically travels to harvest in the work area CA. The outer periphery area SA is also used as a space for moving when it finishes harvesting and moves to a grain discharge location or a fuel supply location.
[0033] The transporter CV shown in Figure 3 has the role of collecting the grain discharged from the combine harvester and transporting it to a drying facility, etc. When a sufficient amount of grain has accumulated in the grain tank 14, the combine harvester moves close to the transporter CV and discharges the grain into the transporter CV using a grain discharge device 18.
[0034] Once the outer periphery area SA and the work target area CA are set, a travel path in the work target area CA is generated as shown in FIG. 4. The generated travel path is sequentially read based on the work travel pattern and becomes the target path for the combine to automatically travel. In addition to the U-turn pattern shown in FIG. 4, which changes direction along a U-shaped turning travel path, other turning patterns for turning travel include the α-turn pattern and the switchback turning pattern. The α-turn pattern is a turning pattern in which the combine changes direction while repeatedly moving forward and backward. The switchback turning pattern is a turning pattern in which the combine changes direction similar to the U-turn pattern but in a narrower area than the U-turn pattern, but with reverse travel. Such turning travel including reverse travel is also used when the combine, which has left the travel path in the work target area CA because the grain tank 14 is full, needs to align itself with the transporter CV.
[0035] Figure 5 shows a functional block diagram of the electronic control system of a combine harvester. The electronic control system of this embodiment is composed of a number of electronic control units (ECUs) (one of the functional blocks), various operating devices, sensors, and switches. Data transmission between these devices is performed using an on-board local area network (LAN) or a regular wire harness.
[0036] The electronic control system includes a detection signal processing unit 40, an equipment control unit 52, a display information generation unit 53, a communication control unit 54, a driving route management unit 50, a work device management unit 51, a driving control unit 6, a vehicle driving management unit 7, a judgment unit 75, and a time series / hierarchical information management unit 76.
[0037] In the block diagram shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle position detection module 8, the obstacle detector 20, and the detection device group 9 are components of the vehicle status detection device group 2 that detects the vehicle status, including the status around the vehicle. The detection device group 9 includes detection devices that detect forward driving, reverse driving, reversing approaching a specific location (such as a grain discharge location where the transport vehicle CV is parked) (called "leading"), forward approaching approaching (called "leading"), and road driving. For example, the detection device group 9 detects the scanning status of the forward / reverse switching device and the auxiliary transmission device, and the operating status of the actuators of various power clutches. Furthermore, the detection device group 9 includes detection devices that detect driving status such as the engine speed adjustment device, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal, as well as detection devices that detect the device status of the harvester 15, the conveyor 16, the threshing device 13, and the grain discharge device 18, and the accumulation status of the stalks and grain.
[0038] The detection signal processing unit 40 includes a vehicle position calculation unit 41, an obstacle detection unit 42, and a vehicle state detection unit 43. The vehicle position calculation unit 41 calculates the position of the vehicle body 10 (the vehicle position in map coordinates or field coordinates) based on a positioning signal from a satellite positioning module 80 that constitutes the vehicle position detection module 8.
[0039] The obstacle detection unit 42 generates obstacle information, such as the position of the obstacle, the distance to the obstacle, the type of obstacle, and the detected direction of the obstacle, based on the obstacle detection signal from the obstacle detector 20. In this embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 42 includes multiple signal processing units (not shown) that process the detection signal according to the type of obstacle detector 20. Among these signal processing units, the radar signal processing unit for the millimeter-wave radar 21 outputs position information (distance, angle) and speed information from the detection signal. The AI signal processing unit for the camera 22, which is an input device of the AI obstacle recognition device, is a deep-learning learning-type obstacle detection unit that outputs the type, size, and position of obstacles (objects that obstruct travel), such as people, animals, and steel towers, in the captured image acquired by the camera 22. Combining the radar signal processing unit and the learning-type obstacle detection unit enables more accurate and detailed obstacle detection.
[0040] The vehicle state detection unit 43 detects the driving state and working state based on detection signals from the detection device group 9. The detection device group 9 includes a driving state detection sensor group that detects the state of the manual operation devices 90, such as the engine speed adjuster, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and main shift lever, and a working state detection sensor group that detects the device states of the harvester 15, the conveying device 16, the threshing device 13, and the grain discharge device 18, as well as the state of the stalks and grains.
[0041] The equipment control unit 52 provides control signals to each equipment driver 91 to operate operating equipment 92 incorporated in the work equipment such as the harvesting unit 15, the threshing device 13, the conveying device 16, and the grain discharge device 18.
[0042] The display device 56 is a specific example of an alarm device. It is arranged inside the driving unit 12 to notify the driver or supervisor of obstacle detection results and warnings of problem events that occur during work travel. A display, which is a specific example of the display device 56, can display various types of information, such as text information and graphic information, and the display is controlled by the display control unit 55. The display information generation unit 53 generates display information to be displayed on the display through the display control unit 55. A specific example of the display device 56 is not limited to a display, but includes a group of light-emitting elements such as a group of 7-segment LEDs. The combine harvester is also equipped with alarm devices other than the display device 56, such as warning lamps, speakers, and buzzers, which can notify the driver or supervisor of various information as necessary.
[0043] The communication control unit 54 is used for the combine's electronic control system to exchange data with the manual remote control device 3 or with a management computer (cloud service) installed in a remote location. The manual remote control device 3 may be, for example, a tablet computer or remote control operated by an observer standing in the field or a driver / monitor riding in the combine, or it may be a computer installed in a home or management office.
[0044] The travel path management unit 50 performs the above-mentioned setting of the outer periphery area SA and the work target area CA, generation of travel paths, reading of target travel paths, etc. The work device management unit 51 manages the operation of work devices such as the harvester 15, the threshing device 13, the conveying device 16, and the grain discharge device 18.
[0045] The driving control unit 6 has engine control functions, steering control functions, vehicle speed control functions, etc., and provides driving control commands related to vehicle driving to the equipment control unit 52. The driving control unit 6 includes an automatic driving control unit 61, a manual driving control unit 63, and a remote driving control unit 62. The automatic driving control unit 61 automatically drives the combine harvester (vehicle) based on a target driving route provided by the driving route management unit 50 and the vehicle position provided by the vehicle position calculation unit 41. The manual driving control unit 63 manually drives the combine harvester (vehicle) based on manual operation using operating tools such as a turning lever and a gear lever. The remote driving control unit 62 drives the combine harvester (vehicle) based on operation commands (operation signals) from the manual remote control device 3. In other words, the driving control unit 6 controls the combine harvester (vehicle) in accordance with remote operation performed at a location away from the vehicle.
[0046] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the vehicle driving management unit 7, which cooperates with the driving control unit 6, includes an automatic driving management unit 71, a remote driving management unit 72, and a manual driving management unit 73. The automatic driving management unit 71 refers to vehicle status information, which is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, through an automatic driving program, and, if driving is possible, provides a driving control command to the automatic driving control unit 61 for executing automatic driving. The remote driving management unit 72 refers to an operation signal from the manual remote control device 3 and vehicle status information, which is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, through a remote driving program, and, if a driving control command based on the operation signal is permitted, provides the driving control command to the remote driving control unit 62. The manual driving management unit 73 also includes a manual driving mode, which, in manual driving, considers vehicle status information, which is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, and, if a remote operation command permits a manual control command, provides a manual control command (driving control command) for executing manual driving to the manual driving control unit 63.
[0047] Furthermore, the automatic driving management unit 71 and the remote driving management unit 72 are additionally provided with a frontward travel mode and a rearward travel mode. In the frontward travel mode, if the detection result of the detection device related to forward travel, which is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, is positive (for example, the obstacle detector 20 has not detected an obstacle ahead), a travel control command to perform frontward travel is given to the remote driving control unit 62. In the rearward travel mode, if the detection result of the detection device related to reverse travel, which is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, is positive (for example, the obstacle detector 20 has not detected an obstacle behind), a travel control command to perform rearward travel is given to the remote driving control unit 62.
[0048] In addition, in the automatic driving mode, if all vehicle condition detection devices related to automatic driving in the vehicle condition detection device group 2 are not positive, the driving control command cannot be executed.
[0049] The determination unit 75 determines whether the driving control command generated by the vehicle driving management unit 7 is capable of driving or not capable of driving, that is, whether driving is feasible, based on the detection signals from the vehicle situation detection device group 2. If the determination result by the determination unit 75 is that driving is not possible, the determination result reason information generation unit 53a included in the display information generation unit 53 generates determination result reason information (information identifying the vehicle situation detection device that caused the driving to be not possible) to be displayed on the display device 56.
[0050] The determination result reason information includes information identifying a vehicle situation detection device associated with the vehicle situation information indicating the determination result of "traveling impracticable" from the vehicle situation detection device group 2, and the detection result of the vehicle situation detection device identified by the information. The vehicle situation detection device group 2 includes the satellite positioning module 80, the millimeter-wave radar 21, the camera 22, and the detection device group 9. If the reliability of the positioning data due to a decrease in reception sensitivity to the positioning satellite GS is below a threshold, the satellite positioning module 80 becomes the vehicle situation detection device associated with the vehicle situation information indicating the determination result of "traveling impracticable." Similarly, the obstacle detector 20 (comprised of the millimeter-wave radar 21, the camera 22, and the sonar) that detected an obstacle becomes the vehicle situation detection device associated with the vehicle situation information indicating the determination result of "traveling impracticable." The detection result of the obstacle detector 20 includes the size, type, and distance from the vehicle of the obstacle. Furthermore, the group of detection devices 9 that may cause driving to become impossible includes detection devices that detect the operation states (operation positions) of various manual operation devices 90, and the detection result that the operation position of the manual operation device 90, which is a prerequisite for allowing automatic driving, remote driving, manual driving, front-to-back driving, or rear-to-back driving, is not satisfied, becomes the information on the reason for the judgment result. For example, the fact that the stop position of the main shift lever, which is a prerequisite for automatic driving or remote driving, has not been detected is a detection result included in the information on the reason for the judgment result.
[0051] The vehicle status information, which is the processing result of the detection signal processing unit 40, and the judgment result reason information generated by the judgment result reason information generation unit 53a are stored in the information storage unit 78 under the management of the chronological / hierarchical information management unit 76. The chronological / hierarchical information management unit 76 has a function of chronologically managing the judgment result reason information generated sequentially and providing it to the display control unit 55, and a function of hierarchically managing the judgment result reason information composed of hierarchical data and providing it to the display control unit 55. This enables the judgment result reason information to be displayed hierarchically and chronologically on the display device 56. The display of the vehicle status information and the judgment result reason information on the display device 56 may be automatic, or may be performed by operating a hardware switch or software switch attached to the display device 56. The display can also be erased automatically or by operating a switch.
[0052] In the electronic control system shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the determination unit 75 determines whether a driving command issued using the manual remote control device 3 or the manual operation tool 90 should be permitted. This determination by the determination unit 75 is made based on the conditions set for each driving mode managed by the vehicle driving management unit 7 and vehicle status information. If it is determined that the driving command is executable, it is executed via the driving control unit 6. If it is determined that the driving command is not executable, determination result reason information indicating the reason is generated. This determination result reason information is displayed on the display device 56.
[0053] In this embodiment, the display device 56 is a liquid crystal display installed in the driving unit 12, and displays the stop information generated by the display information generating unit 53 under display control by the display control unit 55. FIG. 7 shows a window screen displaying determination result reason information regarding the inability to start automatic driving during preparation for automatic driving, as an example of determination result reason information generated by the determination result reason information generating unit 53a. The upper part of the window screen displays the window title "AUTO OFF, Preparing for automatic driving" and the determination result reason information displays the message "Automatic driving cannot be started. Please check the start conditions with the [Condition Check] button." This allows the monitor (operator of the manual remote control device 3) to understand that there is a reason why automatic driving has not started despite performing an operation to start automatic driving. To further understand the reason, the monitor operates the [Condition Check] button located on the right edge of the window screen. This operation displays the condition confirmation window screen shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, "Main shift lever [Non-Stop]" is displayed as the current status, and "Please set the main shift lever to [Stop]" is displayed as the confirmation / operation content. From this, the observer knows that the reason autonomous driving has not started is that the main shift lever has been set to a position other than the stop position. Furthermore, the observer also knows that in order to transition to autonomous driving, the main shift lever must first be set to "Stop." In this way, the observer can understand from the contents displayed on the display device 56 that autonomous driving has not started despite the operation to transition the vehicle to autonomous driving having been performed, and what measures should be taken to address this issue.
[0054] If a configuration is adopted in which the judgment result reason information generated by the judgment result reason information generation unit 53a is sent via wireless data communication to a manual remote control device 3 on which a display is provided, it is also possible to display the judgment result reason information on the display of the manual remote control device 3.
[0055] Although a diagram of the screen is not shown, if the vehicle does not drive as instructed, even when driving forward or backward using the manual remote control device 3, information on the reason for the judgment result, such as the example shown below, will be displayed on the display device 56. (1) An indication that an obstacle has been detected within the allowable limit distance in the direction of travel. (2) When driving close to the field or close to the field, a message is displayed indicating that the distance between the vehicle 10 and the ridge is outside the allowable range. This message is displayed when the vehicle does not move even if the forward (close to the field) button is operated during close to the field, or when the vehicle does not move even if the reverse (close to the field) button is operated during close to the field. (3) A display indicating that the vehicle is being driven forward or backward from an inappropriate location (for example, in the middle of a field, or the vehicle body 10 is in an inappropriate position relative to the ridge, etc.).
[0056] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the display device 56 is installed inside the driving section 12, but it may also be installed outside the driving section 12. Also, a wireless display device that displays information wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle body 10 may be used at a location away from the vehicle body 10.
[0057] (2) The functional block diagrams shown in Figures 5 and 6 are schematic for explanatory purposes. The illustrated functional blocks may be integrated with other functional blocks, or one functional block may be divided. Furthermore, some of them may be incorporated into the human remote control device 3.
[0058] (3) Among the obstacle detectors 20, the millimeter-wave radar 21 can be replaced by a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or a sonar. Also, the millimeter-wave radar 21 and the camera 22 can be replaced by a stereo camera system. Of course, it is also possible to mix such obstacle detectors 20.
[0059] (4) The arrangement of the multiple obstacle detectors 20 in the above-described embodiment is an example, and other arrangements are also possible, such as arranging multiple detectors for short distances and long distances, or arranging multiple detectors according to the height of the field.
[0060] The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]
[0061] The work control system according to the present invention can be mounted not only on combine harvesters, but also on various other work vehicles such as tractors, rice transplanters, cultivators, and harvesters. [Explanation of symbols]
[0062] 2: Vehicle status detection equipment group 3: Artificial remote control device 6: Driving control unit 7: Vehicle Driving Management Department 9: Detection equipment group 10: Body 20: Obstacle detector 21: Millimeter wave radar 22: Camera 40: Detection signal processing section 41: Vehicle position calculation unit 42: Obstacle detection unit 43: Vehicle state detection unit 50: Route management unit 51: Work equipment management unit 52: Equipment control section 53:Display information generation section 53a: Judgment result reason information generation unit 55: Display control unit 56: Display device 61: Automatic driving control unit 62: Remote driving control unit 63: Manual driving control unit 71: Autonomous Driving Management Department 72: Remote Operation Management Department 73: Manual Operation Management Department 75: Judgment section 76: Hierarchy information management department 78: Information storage section 80: Satellite positioning module 90:Artificial operation tool
Claims
1. A work vehicle that can be remotely driven by a remotely operated device, a vehicle driving management unit that generates a driving control command based on an operation signal from the manual remote control device; a determination unit that determines whether or not driving is feasible based on the driving control command; a travel control unit that executes travel according to the travel control command based on the determination result by the determination unit; a determination result reason information generating unit that generates determination result reason information when the determination result by the determining unit is that driving is not possible; a display device that displays the determination result reason information, The vehicle driving management unit is a work vehicle that has, in addition to an automatic driving mode, a front-pushing driving mode, a rear-pushing driving mode, or both driving modes, and a different detection signal is used for each driving mode to determine the feasibility of driving.
2. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the information on the reason for the determination result is displayed on the display device in response to a human operation.
3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the information on the reason for the determination result is automatically displayed on the display device.
4. 2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a group of vehicle condition detection devices that detect vehicle conditions, and the determination unit determines the feasibility of traveling based on detection signals from the group of vehicle condition detection devices.
5. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the information on the reason for the judgment result includes information identifying the vehicle condition detection device among the group of vehicle condition detection devices that caused the judgment result to be infeasible for driving, and the detection result of the vehicle condition detection device.
6. 5. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein in the automatic driving mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that driving is possible, all detection results related to automatic driving among the vehicle condition detection devices are required to be positive.
7. 5. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein in the front approach travel mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that travel is feasible, a positive detection result from a detection device related to forward travel among the group of vehicle condition detection devices is required.
8. 5. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein in the rearward travel mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that travel is feasible, a positive detection result from a detection device related to reverse travel among the group of vehicle condition detection devices is required.
9. 9. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information on the reason for the determination result can be displayed on the display device in a chronological order, a hierarchical order, or both.
Citation Information
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