Work equipment

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle (implement) having high convenience in automatic work travel.SOLUTION: An implement for traveling on a work place marked off by a boundary object, comprises: a machine body position calculation part 311 for calculating a machine body position using satellite positioning; a transborder determination part 64 for determining whether the machine body gets over a boundary line, on the basis of the set boundary line for avoiding contact to the boundary object and a machine body position; a transborder prevention control part 65 for inhibiting travel of the machine body when it is determined so that the machine body gets over the boundary line; a transborder permission part 66 for stopping determination by the transborder determination part 64 by a transborder permission command, for permitting a state in which the machine body gets over the boundary line; and a re-start instruction part 67 for, when permission is output by the transborder permission part 66, when a preset portion on the machine body enters a center side of the work place relative to the boundary line, restarting determination by the transborder determination part 64 and stopping permission of the transborder permission part 66.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work machine that performs work while automatically traveling on a work site such as a farm field. [Background technology]

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a work vehicle (work machine) performs work such as planting while traveling in a field (work area). The work vehicle (work machine) also performs work traveling by autonomous driving. The work vehicle (work machine) calculates a traveling route and automatically travels along the traveling route based on its own position calculated using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-154394 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such work vehicles (work machines), there is a demand for further improvements in convenience in automated work driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The characteristic configuration of the work machine according to the present invention is as follows: A boundary line is set between the ridge and the field to avoid contact with the ridge. Bounded The above-mentioned field of Self-driving A work machine, an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates an aircraft position using satellite positioning; The aforementioned a border crossing determination unit that determines whether the aircraft is crossing the boundary line based on the boundary line and the aircraft position; and automatica border crossing prevention control unit that prohibits travel, and a border crossing permission command that suspends the determination by the border crossing determination unit and determines whether the aircraft has crossed the border; Manual driving in and a border crossing permission unit that grants permission to cross the border, and the border crossing permission command is issued by a user operation. Further, the characteristic configuration of the working machine according to the present invention is as follows: A boundary line is set between the ridge and the field to avoid contact with the ridge. Bounded The above-mentioned field of Self-driving A work machine, an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates an aircraft position using satellite positioning; The aforementioned a border crossing determination unit that determines whether the aircraft is crossing the boundary line based on the boundary line and the aircraft position; and automatic a border crossing prevention control unit that prohibits travel, and a border crossing permission command that suspends the determination by the border crossing determination unit and determines whether the aircraft has crossed the border; Manual driving in and a border crossing permission unit that permits the crossing of a border, and the border crossing permission range set by the border crossing permission unit is changeable.

[0006] With this characteristic configuration, it is possible to restrict travel near the boundary, and also to allow travel near the boundary depending on the user's operation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the work machine from colliding with or coming into contact with the boundary to ensure the safety of the user, while allowing travel near the boundary as needed, thereby improving convenience.

[0007] Furthermore, even if permission has been granted by the border crossing permission unit, it is preferable to provide a temporary stop instruction unit that temporarily stops the vehicle's movement when the vehicle exceeds the boundary line by a predetermined amount.

[0008] With this configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent contact with or collision with the boundary.

[0009] It is also preferable that the set location can be changed depending on the level of skill in the work to be performed at the work site.

[0010] With this configuration, the distance that a user can approach the boundary can be set according to their level of proficiency, so that, for example, a user with a high level of proficiency can get closer to the boundary, while a user with a low level of proficiency cannot get closer to the boundary, thereby preventing contact or collision.

[0011] It is also preferable that the setting portion be located forward of the longitudinal center of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving forward, and be located rearward of the longitudinal center of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving backward.

[0012] With this configuration, the set location is changed depending on the running state of the machine, so it is possible to set the distance that can approach the boundary depending on the work situation.

[0013] Furthermore, it is preferable that the machine body is configured to perform seedling planting work in the work area, and that the set portion is at least one of the tip of a spare seedling tray on which spare seedlings to be used in the planting work are placed, the tip of a bonnet provided on the front side of the machine body, both widthwise ends of the machine body in the planting section where the seedlings are planted, the mounting section for a GPS antenna used for satellite positioning, and the center of gravity of the machine body.

[0014] With this configuration, when the work machine is a rice transplanter, it is possible to easily set the setting position.

[0015] Furthermore, it is preferable that the set portion be set closer to the inside of the machine body when traveling closer to the center of the work area than the outer periphery of the work area, rather than when traveling on the outer periphery of the work area.

[0016] With this configuration, when traveling on the outer periphery, the set portion is set on the outside of the machine body compared to when traveling on the central side, so that the machine body can be prevented from coming into contact with or colliding with the boundary portion while traveling on the outer periphery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of an automatically traveling rice transplanter. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatically traveling rice transplanter. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front view of an automatically traveling rice transplanter. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation travel of the rice transplanter. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the control system of the rice transplanter. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the information terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functional units related to a map selection process and a field shape acquisition process. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functional units related to route creation. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a transition turn. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a transition turn. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing functional units related to a stop instruction invalidation process. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a traveling mode when a stop instruction is invalidated. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functional units related to border crossing determination processing. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a boundary line. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of border crossing determination. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram relating to route search and complementary route setting. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a travel route in a route search. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing line feeding on a touch panel. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a turning vehicle that does not require a supplementary path. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which reverse travel is used during cornering. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining turning travel supplemented by a supplementary route. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a special area set near an entrance / exit. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a control system for performing work traveling in a special area using a remote control. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing power distribution to the planting mechanism and control of each row clutch. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a travel route from a non-work travel route with a long straight forward travel to a work travel route. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a travel route from a non-work travel route that includes a long straight reverse travel route to a work travel route. [Figure 28] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of an amplification function for long-distance forward travel. [Figure 29] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of an amplification function for long-distance driving when reversing; [Figure 30] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a functional unit for implementing a long-distance running amplification function. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration for implementing an amplification function during long-distance travel in a deformed field. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a turning function dedicated to a high-load field. [Figure 33] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a functional unit for implementing a manual operation restriction function. [Figure 34] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a manual operation restriction function along a time chart. [Figure 35] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a functional unit for implementing an automatic driving and stopping function. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Below, we will explain the rice transplanter that travels through a field.

[0019] For ease of understanding, in this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "front" (the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 1) means the front in the longitudinal direction (traveling direction) of the machine body, and "rear" (the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1) means the rear in the longitudinal direction (traveling direction) of the machine body. Furthermore, the left-right direction or lateral direction refers to the transverse direction of the machine body (machine body width direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the machine body, that is, "left" (the direction of arrow L shown in FIG. 2) and "right" (the direction of arrow R shown in FIG. 2) mean the leftward and rightward directions of the machine body, respectively.

[0020] [Overall structure] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the rice transplanter includes a riding four-wheel drive vehicle body 1. The vehicle body 1 includes a parallel quadruple link mechanism 13 connected to the rear of the vehicle body 1 so that it can be raised and lowered and swung, a hydraulic lifting link 13a that drives the link mechanism 13 to swing, a seedling planting device 3 connected to the rear end region of the link mechanism 13 so that it can roll, a fertilizer applicator 4 installed from the rear end region of the vehicle body 1 to the seedling planting device 3, and a chemical sprayer 18 provided in the rear end region of the seedling planting device 3. The seedling planting device 3, fertilizer applicator 4, and chemical sprayer 18 are examples of working devices.

[0021] The machine body 1 is equipped with wheels 12 as a traveling mechanism, an engine 2 (corresponding to a "power source"), and a hydraulic continuously variable transmission 9 as a main transmission. The continuously variable transmission 9 is, for example, an HST (Hydro-Static Transmission), and changes the driving force (rotation speed) output from the engine 2 by adjusting the angles of a motor swash plate and a pump swash plate. The wheels 12 include left and right front wheels 12A that can be steered, and left and right rear wheels 12B that cannot be steered. The engine 2 and the continuously variable transmission 9 are mounted at the front of the machine body 1. Power from the engine 2 is supplied to the front wheels 12A, rear wheels 12B, working equipment, etc. via the continuously variable transmission 9 and the like.

[0022] The seedling planting device 3 is configured to plant eight rows, for example. The seedling planting device 3 is equipped with a seedling table 21, a planting mechanism 22 for eight rows, etc. The seedling planting device 3 is also equipped with various other devices not shown. By controlling the row clutch, the planting format can be changed to 2-row, 4-row, 6-row, etc.

[0023] The seedling tray 21 is a platform on which eight rows of mat-shaped seedlings can be placed. The seedling tray 21 moves back and forth horizontally at a constant stroke corresponding to the width of the mat-shaped seedlings. The vertical feed mechanism 23 vertically feeds each mat-shaped seedling on the seedling tray 21 toward the bottom of the seedling tray 21 at a predetermined pitch each time the seedling tray 21 reaches the end of its stroke. The eight planting mechanisms 22 are rotary-type and are arranged horizontally at constant intervals corresponding to the spacing between the planting rows. Each planting mechanism 22 receives driving force from the engine 2 when a planting clutch (not shown) is shifted to a transmission state. The planting mechanism 22 cuts a single seedling (also referred to as a planted seedling) from the bottom of each mat-shaped seedling placed on the seedling tray 21 and plants it in the muddy soil after the land has been leveled. Thus, when the seedling planting device 3 is in operation, the seedlings can be removed from the mat-shaped seedlings placed on the seedling tray 21 and planted in the muddy soil of the paddy field.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the fertilizer applicator 4 (supply device) has a hopper 25 (storage unit) that stores granular or powdered fertilizer (chemicals and other agricultural materials), a delivery mechanism 26 that delivers the fertilizer from the hopper 25, and a fertilizer application hose 28 (hose) that transports the fertilizer delivered by the delivery mechanism 26 and discharges the fertilizer into the field. The fertilizer stored in the hopper 25 is delivered in predetermined amounts by the delivery mechanism 26 and sent to the fertilizer application hose 28, and is transported through the fertilizer application hose 28 by the delivery air of the blower 27 and discharged into the field from a furrow former 29. In this way, the fertilizer applicator 4 supplies the fertilizer to the field. The hopper 25 and the delivery mechanism 26 are mounted and supported on the machine frame 1E, and the furrow former 29 is provided at the lower end of the seedling planting device 3. The fertilizer application hose 28 extends between the payout mechanism 26 and the furrow former 29, and when the fertilizer is supplied from the hopper 25 to the field, the fertilizer passes through the fertilizer application hose 28.

[0025] The blower 27 is powered by power from a battery 73 mounted on the machine body 1, and generates a transport wind that carries the fertilizer dispensed by each dispensing mechanism 26 toward the muddy surface of the field. By intermittently operating the blower 27, etc., the fertilizer applicator 4 can be switched between an operating state in which a predetermined amount of fertilizer stored in the hopper 25 is supplied to the field at a time, and a non-operating state in which supply is stopped.

[0026] Each fertilizer hose 28 guides the fertilizer carried by the carrying wind to each furrow former 29. Each furrow former 29 is attached to each ground leveling float 15. Each furrow former 29 rises and falls together with each ground leveling float 15, and when each ground leveling float 15 is traveling and touching the ground, it forms a fertilizer furrow in the muddy part of the rice paddy and guides the fertilizer into the furrow.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the vehicle body 1 includes a driver's unit 14 in its rearward area. The driver's unit 14 includes a steering wheel 10 for steering the front wheels, a main speed change lever 7A for adjusting the vehicle speed by operating the continuously variable transmission 9, a sub-speed change lever 7B for operating the sub-speed change lever, a work operation lever 11 for raising and lowering the seedling planting device 3 and switching its operating state, an information terminal 5 with a touch panel that displays (notifies) various information to the operator and receives input of various information, and a driver's seat 16 for the operator (driver / worker). The sub-speed change lever 7B is used to switch the vehicle speed between a work speed during work and a travel speed during travel. For example, travel between fields is performed at the travel speed, and planting work is performed at the work speed. Furthermore, a spare seedling storage device 17A for storing spare seedlings is supported on a spare seedling support frame 17 in front of the driver's unit 14.

[0028] An accelerator lever 7F may also be provided as an operating tool for controlling the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed is controlled mainly according to the operating position of the main speed change lever 7A, in accordance with a map that is scheduled by the angle of the swash plate of the continuously variable transmission 9 and the engine speed. Depending on the state of the field and the working situation, there may be cases where it is desired to increase only the engine speed while maintaining the vehicle speed, or to decrease the engine speed in consideration of fuel economy, etc. In such cases, the accelerator lever 7F is The engine speed is increased or decreased by changing the operating position of the accelerator lever 7F. Specifically, by changing the operating position of the accelerator lever 7F, the angle of the swash plate of the continuously variable transmission 9 is maintained while only the engine speed can be increased or decreased from the current engine speed. Furthermore, a potentiometer (not shown) may be provided to detect the operating position of the accelerator lever 7F.

[0029] As described above, the engine speed is basically determined according to the operating position of the main shift lever 7A. However, regardless of the engine speed thus determined, the engine speed increases or decreases according to the detected value of the potentiometer of the accelerator lever 7F. For example, when the vehicle is traveling at the engine speed determined according to the operating position of the main shift lever 7A, if the accelerator lever 7F is operated in a direction that increases the engine speed, the engine speed increases, and this engine speed becomes the minimum required engine speed indicated by the accelerator lever 7F.

[0030] The steering wheel 10 is connected to the front wheels 12A via a steering mechanism (not shown), and the steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted by rotating the steering wheel 10.

[0031] [Autonomous driving] The operation of the rice transplanter automatically traveling to perform rice planting work in a farm field will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and with reference to FIG. 4.

[0032] The rice transplanter in this embodiment can selectively perform manual driving and automatic driving. Manual driving and automatic driving are selected by switching the automatic / manual selector switch 7C. In manual driving, the driver manually operates operating tools such as the steering wheel 10, main shift lever 7A, sub-shift lever 7B, and work operation lever 11 to drive the rice transplanter for work. In automatic driving, the rice transplanter drives and works under automatic control along a preset driving route. Automatic driving can also be performed in manned automatic driving (manned automatic driving mode), which requires a driver on board, and unmanned automatic driving (unmanned automatic driving mode), which does not require a driver on board. In manned automatic driving, the driver performs some operations according to guidance provided by the rice transplanter, while the rice transplanter automatically controls other operations associated with driving and work. In unmanned automatic driving, a driver is not required on board, but a driver may be on board during unmanned automatic driving. In addition, unmanned automatic driving is a mode in which work driving is started under automatic control when the driver performs an operation to start automatic driving, for example, a start operation using a remote control 90 (see FIG. 6) described later, and a preset work driving is performed under automatic control. The manned automatic mode in which manned automatic driving is performed and the unmanned automatic mode in which unmanned automatic driving is performed are set using the information terminal 5.

[0033] When a rice transplanter performs planting work, the operator first manually drives the rice transplanter along the perimeter of the field without performing any work. This driving around the perimeter generates the perimeter shape of the field (field map), and the field is divided into an outer area OA and an inner area IA. At this time, an entrance / exit E for the rice transplanter to enter the field is set, and one or several specified sides of the perimeter of the field are set as seedling supply sides SL for supplying mat-shaped seedlings, fertilizer, chemicals, fuel, etc. to the rice transplanter.

[0034] When a field map is generated, a travel route along which the rice transplanter will travel for work is set. In the internal area IA, an internal round trip route IPL is generated, which connects multiple routes that are approximately parallel to one side of the field with a turning route. The internal round trip route IPL is a travel route that travels throughout the entire internal area IA from the start point S to the end point G. When the internal round trip route IPL is generated, a guidance start possible area GA is generated near the entrance / exit E. By stopping the rice transplanter within this guidance start possible area GA, the rice transplanter can move by automatic travel to the start point S of the internal round trip route IPL. Note that the start point guidance that is performed from the guidance start possible area GA is A dedicated travel route is set, but multiple travel routes may be set. Depending on the shape of the field, it may be difficult to guide the vehicle to the start point from the stopping position. Setting multiple travel routes increases the likelihood of appropriate guidance to the start point regardless of the stopping position, which is preferable.

[0035] In the outer peripheral area OA, two travel routes, an inner circular route IRL and an outer circular route ORL, are generated that travel around the outer peripheral area OA along the periphery of the field. Work travel in the entire outer peripheral area OA is performed by traveling along the inner circular route IRL and the outer circular route ORL. After work travel on the inner round-trip route IPL (round-trip work travel) is completed, movement to the start position of work travel on the inner circular route IRL is performed by traveling along a separately set travel route. If the outline of the field is complex, it may be necessary to separate the end point of the inner round-trip route IPL from the start point of the inner circular route IRL. In such cases, a travel route that includes a path parallel to any side of the field may be set as the travel route from the end point of the inner round-trip route IPL to the start point of the inner circular route IRL.

[0036] When performing automatic driving, with the driving route generated in this way, the rice transplanter first enters the field from the entrance / exit E, moves to the guidance start area GA, and stops there. When automatic driving begins in the guidance start area GA, the rice transplanter first moves backward and then moves to the start point S (start point guidance), and then automatically drives along the internal round trip route IPL in the internal area IA until it reaches the end point G. The driving speed during unmanned automatic driving is controlled according to a preset maximum driving speed. Furthermore, the driving speed during automatic driving during start point guidance may be a driving speed according to the set driving speed, but because the rice transplanter often travels in the outer peripheral area OA of the field, automatic driving during start point guidance may be performed at a slower predetermined driving speed.

[0037] Fertilization work by the fertilizer applicator 4 is performed in conjunction with planting work. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, an internal shuttle path IPL is set in the internal area IA, and a turning path is set in the external area OA. The internal shuttle paths IPL are multiple parallel paths, and the turning path is a path connecting adjacent internal shuttle paths IPL. Planting work by the seedling planting device 3 is performed along the internal shuttle path IPL, and fertilization work by the fertilizer applicator 4 is also performed along the internal shuttle path IPL. On the other hand, planting work is not performed on the turning path in the external area OA, and fertilization work by the fertilizer applicator 4 is not performed on the turning path in the external area OA.

[0038] As the rice transplanter travels along the internal reciprocating path IPL while performing planting work in the internal area IA, it reaches the boundary area between the internal area IA and the external area OA. This boundary area in the internal area IA is the "end position," at which the planting mechanism 22 stops and the seedling planting device 3 rises. Generally, when the planting mechanism 22 stops or the seedling planting device 3 rises, the feeding mechanism 26 stops and the fertilizing work by the fertilizing device 4 stops. This completes the planting and fertilizing work along one internal reciprocating path IPL in the internal area IA. The rice transplanter then moves to the external area OA and turns around in the external area OA to move to the adjacent internal reciprocating path IPL.

[0039] When the rice transplanter completes its turning in the outer peripheral area OA, it moves back to the inner area IA and starts planting and fertilizing along the adjacent inner reciprocating path IPL. The boundary area between the inner area IA and the outer peripheral area OA within the inner area IA is the "start position," and at this start position the seedling planting device 3 descends and the planting mechanism 22 operates again. Generally, at the same time as the seedling planting device 3 descends or the planting mechanism 22 starts operating, the feeding mechanism 26 begins to operate and the fertilizing operation by the fertilizer applicator 4 begins.

[0040] When the work run in the inner area IA is completed, the work run in the outer area OA is carried out. First, the rice transplanter is manually moved to the start point of the inner circular route IRL, and then the work run on the inner circular route IRL is carried out by unmanned automatic driving. Next, the rice transplanter is moved to the start point of the outer circular route ORL. The vehicle is then manually moved to the outer circular route ORL, and then performs work travel along the outer circular route ORL using manned automatic travel (circular work travel). In manned automatic travel, the vehicle automatically travels along the travel route at a manually controlled travel speed, and the work equipment is manually operated in accordance with guidance (driving assistance). When turning, the vehicle 1 automatically pauses at a predetermined position, and once the necessary work equipment is manually operated in accordance with the guidance, the vehicle performs the turn in automatic travel. With the above work travel, planting work for the entire field is completed.

[0041] The inner round-trip route IPL and the inner circuit route IRL are not limited to unmanned automatic driving, but may be driven automatically or manually for work purposes. The outer circuit route ORL is not limited to manned automatic driving, but may be driven manually for work purposes, or may be driven automatically or automatically for work purposes. Furthermore, movement from the end point G of the inner round-trip route IPL to the inner circuit route IRL is not limited to manual driving, but may be driven automatically or manually. Similarly, movement from the end point of the inner circuit route IRL to the outer circuit route ORL is not limited to manual driving, but may be driven automatically or manually.

[0042] Furthermore, the conditions for starting manned automatic traveling are that at least a driver is on board and that the main shift lever 7A is in the neutral position. When the starting conditions are met, automatic traveling begins when the main shift lever 7A is moved in the direction of travel. Regarding the travel route in the farm field described above, manned automatic traveling is performed during work traveling on the outer circular route ORL, but may also be performed on other travel routes. Furthermore, during manned automatic traveling, the raising and lowering of the seedling planting device 3 is performed automatically. For example, during work traveling during manned automatic traveling on the inner reciprocating route IPL or the inner circular route IRL, the raising and lowering of the seedling planting device 3 is performed automatically. However, during work traveling on the outer circular route ORL, the lowering of the seedling planting device 3 is performed manually. Specifically, when the machine body 1 reaches the turning position on the outer circular route ORL, the seedling planting device 3 is raised automatically. When the rotation is completed in this state, the machine 1 stops and the seedling planting device 3 is lowered manually, allowing the machine to continue its automatic travel. The outer circular route ORL is more likely to have obstacles around it than other travel routes. To ensure smooth travel, when traveling on the outer circular route ORL, the seedling planting device 3 is lowered manually after it has been confirmed that there are no obstacles.

[0043] In addition, the unmanned automatic traveling is started by operating the remote controller 90, and the work traveling is performed by automatic control along a preset traveling route. In the traveling route of the farm field, the unmanned automatic traveling can be performed when working traveling on the inner round trip route IPL and the inner circular route IRL. Even in the unmanned automatic traveling, the raising and lowering of the seedling planting device 3 is performed by automatic control.

[0044] [Control system] Next, the control system of the rice transplanter will be described using FIG. 5 while referring to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0045] The control unit 30, which is the core of the control system of the rice transplanter, controls the travel of the rice transplanter and the operation of the various work devices 1C. When the rice transplanter is traveling manually, the control unit 30 controls the rice transplanter in accordance with the operation of the various operating devices 1B performed by the driver, and when the rice transplanter is traveling automatically, the control unit 30 acquires the vehicle's position and controls the rice transplanter in accordance with the vehicle's position.

[0046] For this reason, the control unit 30 including the microcomputer 6 for automatic driving and the like is connected to a positioning unit 8 for calculating the vehicle position, an information terminal 5 for performing various settings and operations and displaying various information, a sensor group 1A for detecting various states of the rice transplanter, various operating tools 1B, various working devices 1C, and traveling equipment 1D including a front wheel 12A for steering and a continuously variable transmission 9. Note that a mode changeover switch 7E, which is one of the operating tools 1B, is used to select one of a manual traveling mode for manual traveling, a manned automatic traveling mode for automatic traveling with a person in attendance, and an unmanned automatic traveling mode for automatic traveling without a person in attendance. This is the switch for

[0047] The sensor group 1A corresponds to a sonar sensor 60, which is an example of an obstacle detection device that detects obstacles around the aircraft 1. The sonar sensor 60 is composed of, for example, four front sonars 61 that detect obstacles in the area ahead of the aircraft 1, two rear sonars 62 that detect obstacles in the area behind the aircraft 1, and two lateral sonars 63 that detect obstacles in the area to the sides of the aircraft 1. The obstacle detection device is not limited to the sonar sensor 60, and any device that can detect obstacles can be used. For example, a laser sensor or a contact sensor can be used as the obstacle detection device. The obstacle detection device may also be configured to capture images of the area around the aircraft 1 using an imaging device and detect obstacles through image analysis. The image analysis can be performed using a trained model generated by machine learning, or any means using artificial intelligence.

[0048] The various operating tools 1B correspond, for example, to the above-mentioned main speed change lever 7A, sub speed change lever 7B, accelerator lever 7F, steering wheel 10, remote control 90, etc. The various work devices 1C correspond, for example, to the work operation lever 11. A receiver 72 that receives wireless command signals from the remote control 90 (remote control device), converts the received wireless command signals into electrical signals, and transmits them to the control unit 30 is provided on the right side of both sides of the self-propelled vehicle.

[0049] The seedling planting device 3 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is a specific example of the working device 1C. The seedling planting device 3 works in paddy fields. More specifically, the seedling planting device 3 plants seedlings along a predetermined row direction.

[0050] However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a specific example of the working apparatus 1C may be a seeding apparatus that performs seeding work along a predetermined row direction. That is, the working apparatus 1C may be a planting-type working apparatus that performs seedling planting work or seeding work along a predetermined row direction.

[0051] The positioning unit 8 outputs positioning data for calculating the position and orientation of the aircraft 1. The positioning unit 8 includes a satellite positioning module 8A (corresponding to a "satellite positioning section") that receives radio waves from satellites of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and an inertial measurement module 8B (corresponding to a "vehicle orientation measurement section") that detects the tilt and acceleration of the three axes of the aircraft 1. The inertial measurement module 8B may be built into the positioning unit 8, or may be provided separately. The satellite positioning module 8A and the inertial measurement module 8B may also be provided separately and functionally constitute the positioning unit 8 together.

[0052] In the manual traveling mode, the control unit 30 controls the traveling equipment 1D in accordance with the operation of the operating tool 1B and the setting state of the information terminal 5, and controls traveling by controlling the vehicle speed and steering amount. The control unit 30 also controls the operation of the working device 1C in accordance with the operation of the operating tool 1B and the setting state of the information terminal 5.

[0053] In the manned autonomous driving mode or the unmanned autonomous driving mode, the control unit 30 calculates the map coordinates (vehicle position) of the machine body 1 based on the satellite positioning data successively sent from the positioning unit 8. The control unit 30 also acquires a field map and sets a driving route according to the field map and the settings and operation of the information terminal 5. At the same time, the control unit 30 determines the operation of the working device 1C according to its position on the driving route. The control unit 30 then calculates the driving position on the driving route based on the vehicle position, and controls the traveling equipment 1D and the working device 1C according to the driving position on the driving route and the settings of the information terminal 5. In this way, the control unit 30 controls work driving in the autonomous driving mode.

[0054] Furthermore, the control unit 30 controls the vehicle to accelerate and decelerate more slowly in the manned automatic driving mode than in the unmanned automatic driving mode, thereby enabling efficient work driving in the unmanned automatic driving mode and ensuring that the riding comfort of the driver is not impaired in the manned automatic driving mode.

[0055] The engine speed is controlled by an engine speed control microcomputer (corresponding to or built into the control unit 30, etc.) in accordance with the operating position of the main shift lever 7A during manual driving, and in accordance with the control of the automatic driving ECU (automatic driving microcomputer 6) during automatic driving.

[0056] The control unit 30 may have any configuration as long as it can realize the above-mentioned functions, and may be composed of multiple functional blocks. Also, some or all of the functions of the control unit 30 may be composed of software. A program related to the software is stored in any storage unit and executed by a processor such as an ECU or CPU included in the control unit 30, or by a separately provided processor.

[0057] [Remote control] This rice transplanter is equipped with a remote control 90 shown in Figure 6, and the rice transplanter can be remotely controlled using this remote control 90. This remote control 90 has seven buttons and two indicators. In this specification, the term "button" should be interpreted in a broad sense, and includes various operating bodies such as switches and keys, as well as software buttons and hardware buttons. The first button 90a is a power ON / OFF button. The second button The button 90b, when pressed once, will temporarily halt the machine 1 while maintaining the automatic travel mode. Furthermore, the second button 90b, when pressed simultaneously with the function button 90g, will stop the machine 1 and end the automatic travel mode. At this time, the engine will not be stopped. The third button 90c, when pressed once, will accelerate the machine 1, and when pressed simultaneously with the function button 90g, will cause the machine 1 to move forward at a slow speed. The fourth button 90d, when pressed once, will decelerate the machine 1, and when pressed simultaneously with the function button 90g, will cause the machine 1 to move backward at a slow speed. The fifth button 90e, when pressed simultaneously with the function button 90g, will start automatic travel. The sixth button 90f, when pressed simultaneously with the function button 90g, will start planting work. The first indicator 90x shows the remaining battery power, and when the remaining battery power is low, the display color will change from green to red. The second indicator 90y turns communication ON / OFF. That is, the second indicator 90y indicates that the remote control 90 has been operated. The second indicator 90y can also display information indicating that an operation by the remote control 90 has been accepted by the control system of the rice transplanter.

[0058] The functions of each button that are realized by simultaneously pressing the function button 90g may also be realized by long pressing or double pressing of each button. The first button 90a, which is a power button, may also be configured to stop the vehicle 1. To temporarily stop the vehicle 1 while it remains in the autonomous driving mode, the second button 90b is pressed once. The vehicle 1 may be stopped and the autonomous driving mode may be ended by long pressing or double pressing of the second button 90b. When the engine is stopped for idling stop, the engine may be restarted by operating a button on the remote control 90. The functions realized by simultaneously pressing the function button 90g and each button, the functions of each button, and the functions of each button realized by single pressing of each button may be interchanged. In this embodiment, the remote control 90 has seven buttons and two indicators, but the number of each may be changed as desired.

[0059] When a cradle for the remote control 90 or a connector capable of data communication with the remote control 90 is installed in the driving section 14, the remote control 90 can exchange data with the information terminal 5 and the control unit 30. If the battery of the remote control 90 is rechargeable, it can be charged via the cradle. In this case, if the cradle is equipped with a cover that is waterproof whether the remote control 90 is attached or not, the rice transplanter will not be damaged by water when washed. By exchanging data between the remote control 90 and the information terminal 5, operation guides and operation results of the remote control 90 can be displayed on the touch panel 50. At least one of the information terminal 5, the control unit 30, and the remote control 90 may be provided with a function that manages the distance between the remote control 90 and the machine body 1 and issues a warning if the distance exceeds a predetermined value. Similarly, at least one of the information terminal 5, the control unit 30, and the remote control 90 may be provided with a function that issues a warning if a communication failure occurs between the information terminal 5 or the control unit 30 and the remote control 90. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the rice transplanter autonomously performs a preset sequential operation by performing a specific operation on the remote control 90 (such as a demonstration mode operation).

[0060] The remote control 90 can be configured in various forms. For example, a mobile phone or a tablet computer can be used as the remote control 90 by installing an appropriate program on it.

[0061] [Information terminal] The information terminal 5 is provided in the driver's section 14 so that an operator (including the driver, supervisor, etc.) seated in the driver's seat 16 can manually operate, visually confirm, and audibly confirm the information. The information terminal 5 has a network computer function. As shown in FIG. 7 , a touch panel 50 and a hardware button group 5a consisting of multiple operation keys are incorporated into the housing 5A. Furthermore, substantially the same operation keys are displayed on the touch panel 50 as a software button group 50a. When the display content of the touch panel 50, for example, a map screen or a route screen, is enlarged by operating the enlarge key, the software button group 50a is erased, but the operation of the software button group 50a can be replaced by the hardware button group 5a. Therefore, the positions of the operation keys in the software button group 50a and the hardware button group 5a correspond to each other. When a key operation by the operator is required, the corresponding operation key in the software button group 50a is flashed or lit to alert the operator. At that time, if an operation key of the hardware button group 5a is also valid, the corresponding operation key of the hardware button group 5a will flash or light up.Since the rice transplanter is basically used outdoors, the characters displayed on the touch panel 50 are displayed in black on a white background whenever possible.

[0062] [Graphic interface for information terminals] This rice transplanter can automatically travel to plant seedlings in a field. The information required for this is displayed on the touch panel 50 of the information terminal 5. This information terminal 5 is equipped with a graphic interface for displaying information to the worker and for the worker to input operations via the touch panel 50. At this time, an icon replicating the rice transplanter is displayed on the touch panel 50 to indicate the traveling status of the rice transplanter. This rice transplanter can travel automatically with or without a human, so the shape or color, or both, of the rice transplanter icon changes in each case. The worker inputs various commands while being guided by the information displayed on the screen of the touch panel 50. During automatic traveling, the following processes are carried out: (1) Sensor and remote control check processing, (2) Preparatory processing, (3) Map creation process, (4) Route creation process, (5) Work travel setting processing, (6) Driving assistance processing, The above steps are carried out, and the information required for each process is displayed on the information terminal 5.

[0063] [Operation of operating devices for control during automated driving] The operation of the operating tool in the control during automatic driving will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0064] In unmanned automatic traveling, once traveling has started, basically no operator intervention is required, the main speed change lever 7A remains in the neutral position, and traveling and operation are controlled by the control unit 30.

[0065] In manned automatic driving, the driver operates the main shift lever 7A to start driving, and certain manual operations may be required when turning or performing work. In this case, the driver receives guidance provided by the control of the control unit 30 and performs operations in accordance with the guidance to start driving, turn, or perform work. For example, guidance is provided to operate the main shift lever 7A in the direction of travel relative to the direction of travel of the route. Guidance is provided by voice guidance or display on the information terminal 5, and includes guidance to prompt operation of the main shift lever 7A or the work device 1C. Furthermore, in manned automatic driving, notifications are provided at the start of driving, while reversing, and while turning.

[0066] In manned automatic traveling, the operation of shifting the main speed change lever 7A to the neutral position is necessary to start automatic traveling, and operations related to the operation of the work equipment 1C, such as lowering the seedling planting device 3, are necessary to continue automatic traveling. For example, the work equipment 1C that was put into a non-working state during a turn needs to be shifted to a working state after the turn. Therefore, guidance such as audio prompting these operations continues unless these operations are performed. For example, in outermost periphery planting work using manned automatic traveling, automatic traveling will not continue unless the seedling planting device 3 is manually lowered. Therefore, guidance prompting the main speed change lever 7A to the neutral position continues to be announced until the seedling planting device 3 is lowered.

[0067] It is preferable that guidance to return the main speed change lever 7A to the operating position when the main speed change lever 7A is operated to the neutral position during turning or reversing in manned automatic traveling, guidance to return the main speed change lever 7A to the neutral position when the main speed change lever is operated in the forward or reverse direction during unmanned automatic control, guidance to lower the seedling planting device 3 raised by the operator during automatic traveling, and guidance to raise and lower the seedling planting device 3 at the start of each edge during outermost planting work continue to be announced until an operation in accordance with the guidance is performed. Note that guidance to return the main speed change lever 7A to the operating position when the main speed change lever 7A is operated to the neutral position during turning or reversing in manned automatic traveling, guidance to return the main speed change lever 7A to the neutral position when the main speed change lever is operated in the forward or reverse direction during unmanned automatic control, and guidance to lower the seedling planting device 3 raised by the operator during automatic traveling are operations that contradict the preset automatic traveling, and if such operations are performed, guidance (warning) is provided to ensure that appropriate operations are performed to perform the set automatic traveling.

[0068] At this time, the voice guidance may be announced a predetermined number of times for a predetermined period of time, and only the guidance displayed on the information terminal 5 may continue until the above operation is performed.

[0069] Manned automatic driving is started when manned automatic driving is selected by the mode selector switch 7E etc., and when predetermined conditions are met, the automatic driving start / stop switch 7D is pressed, and driving begins when the main shift lever 7A is operated in the forward direction. Also, unmanned automatic driving begins when predetermined conditions are met, and driving begins when the remote control 90 is operated, and driving does not begin with any operation other than the remote control 90.

[0070] In the manned automatic traveling mode, automatic traveling is started by operating the main speed change lever 7A. In addition, in the manned automatic traveling mode, the seedling planting device 3 is lowered by manual operation after the turning is completed. In addition, the manned automatic traveling mode is switched to by operating the automatic traveling start / stop switch 7D. .

[0071] However, the raising and lowering of the seedling planting device 3 when turning for planting on the outermost periphery is operated according to the guidance. Even in this case, if it can be confirmed by image analysis using an imaging device that there is no problem in raising and lowering the seedling planting device 3, the raising and lowering of the seedling planting device 3 may also be controlled automatically.

[0072] The above guidance may be provided by various means such as audio guidance provided by a voice alarm or the like, or by display on the information terminal 5, or by using a stacked light 71 provided on the top of the machine body 1 or a remote control 90. Such guidance is controlled by a notification control unit or the like, and the notification control unit may be the control unit 30, may be built into the control unit 30, or may be provided separately from the control unit 30.

[0073] [Detection by sonar sensor] 1 to 3 and 5, a configuration for detecting obstacles using a sonar sensor and travel control in accordance with the detected content will be described.

[0074] The sonar sensor 60 detects obstacles around the vehicle 1, and during automatic traveling, the control unit 30 controls the automatic traveling in accordance with the detected obstacles. Specifically, such control can be performed by a functional block such as an automatic traveling control unit or an obstacle response unit built into the control unit 30, which includes the automatic traveling microcomputer 6, etc., and further, these functional blocks may be provided separately from the control unit 30.

[0075] If an obstacle is detected when the vehicle 1 starts moving by unmanned automatic traveling (when unmanned automatic traveling starts), the start is suppressed and traveling does not start (transmission suppression mode). For example, when starting unmanned automatic traveling in forward direction, the detection results of the front sonar 61 and the side sonar 63 of the sonar sensors 60 are used, and if the front sonar 61 and the side sonar 63 detect an obstacle, the start is suppressed and traveling does not start. Also, when starting unmanned automatic traveling in reverse, the detection results of the rear sonar 62 and the side sonar 63 of the sonar sensors 60 are used, and if the rear sonar 62 and the side sonar 63 detect an obstacle, the start is suppressed and traveling does not start. At this time, the side sonar 63 detects the area around the boarding step (step 14A), which is the boarding area through which the driver passes when boarding, and in particular, detects people who are getting on or off the driver's unit 14.

[0076] During unmanned automatic driving, obstacles are detected, and when an obstacle is detected, control such as stopping the automatic driving is performed (obstacle detection mode). Specifically, when the sonar sensor 60 detects an obstacle during unmanned automatic driving, driving is stopped or the driving speed is reduced. For example, when the unmanned automatic driving vehicle 1 is driving straight ahead, the detection results of the front sonar 61 are used, and when the unmanned automatic driving vehicle 1 is driving backward, the detection results of the rear sonar 62 are used. When turning during unmanned automatic driving, the detection results of the lateral sonar 63 may be used in addition to the above, or only the detection results of the lateral sonar 63 in the turning direction may be used. When driving is stopped, the driving speed may be gradually reduced until the vehicle 1 is finally stopped. Obstacle detection may be performed during round-trip work driving along the internal round-trip path IPL, and obstacle detection may also be performed during outermost planting (outermost periphery work driving). Furthermore, control of travel using the detection results of the sonar sensor 60 is not limited to unmanned automatic travel, but may also be performed during manned automatic travel or manual travel. In particular, the outer loop path ORL (see FIG. 4) is used for work travel by manned automatic travel or manual travel. There are many obstacles, such as water inlets, on the outermost periphery of the field. Therefore, obstacle detection using the sonar sensor 60 may also be performed during manned automatic travel or manual travel for work on the outermost periphery.

[0077] [Seedling supply] The seedling supply and chemical supply will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0078] When the rice transplanter runs out of seedlings, it replenishes them. When replenishing the seedlings, the machine 1 moves forward and approaches the seedling supply position at the edge of the seedling supply side SL. When seedling supply is complete, the machine 1 moves backward and returns to the travel route.

[0079] The automatic driving mode can be set to either a seedling supply mode or a seedling supply non-supply mode. In the seedling supply mode, the vehicle 1 temporarily stops and automatic driving is temporarily suspended at the end position (end point) of the internal shuttle path IPL before the turning path or at a terminal area nearby to select whether or not to supply seedlings. If seedling supply is not required, automatic driving is resumed by manually operating the remote control 90 during the temporary stop, and the vehicle 1 turns toward the next internal shuttle path IPL. The vehicle 1 waits in a stopped state until the remote control 90 is operated again. If seedling supply is required, manual operation is performed to indicate that seedling supply is required, and the vehicle 1 first automatically travels straight toward the ridge at a predetermined speed for a predetermined distance and then stops. Then, another manual operation using the remote control 90 can be used to move the vehicle 1 to the edge of the seedling supply side SL. At this time, the vehicle 1 travels at a predetermined speed only while a predetermined button on the remote control 90 is pressed, for example. In another embodiment, the seedling supply location (supply position) may be a specific seedling supply point (supply position) on the periphery of the field, rather than a seedling supply edge. Also, in the seedling supply mode, a route may be generated toward the seedling supply edge or seedling supply point, and the vehicle may automatically travel along the route.

[0080] The function of supplying seedlings in the seedling supply mode as described above may be referred to as the slight gathering function or simply as slight gathering, and the travel associated with the slight gathering function may be referred to as slight gathering travel.

[0081] Furthermore, operations related to seedling supply may be performed using the remote control 90, but may also be performed using another operating device 1B. For example, when seedling supply is not required, automatic travel may be resumed and turning travel may be performed by operating a predetermined operating device 1B, such as a switch for starting automatic travel (automatic start operating device (not shown)), and then operating the main speed change lever 7A in the direction of travel. Furthermore, when seedling supply is required, the main speed change lever 7A may be operated in the direction of travel, and the machine body 1 may be moved to the edge of the seedling supply side SL in accordance with the operation. Note that during unmanned automatic travel, there may be a case where a passenger is not on board the driver's unit 14, so it is preferable that operations be performed using the remote control 90.

[0082] Furthermore, the above explanation has been given in connection with the case of supplying seedlings, but the slight adjustment function may also be used when supplying other materials at the supply position of materials on the seedling supply side SL, not limited to seedlings.

[0083] Furthermore, even in the no-seedling-supply mode, the machine 1 temporarily stops at the boundary between the turning path and the internal shuttle path IPL to switch control. Even in the no-seedling-supply mode, it may be necessary to move the machine 1 to the edge of the seedling supply side SL due to an unexpected need for seedling supply or other circumstances. In this case, while the machine 1 is temporarily stopped, the machine 1 can be moved to the edge of the seedling supply side SL by manual operation using the remote control 90, etc. Alternatively, the machine 1 is gradually decelerated before being temporarily stopped, and during that time the machine 1 can be moved to the edge of the seedling supply side SL by manual operation using the remote control 90, etc.

[0084] After the vehicle 1 has stopped temporarily, it may automatically resume traveling after a predetermined time has elapsed, or it may require manual operation to resume traveling.

[0085] During manned automatic travel, guidance is given to the operation of the main speed change lever 7A, and travel is carried out based on the operation accordingly. However, in the outermost periphery planting work, In connecting turning travel (changing direction), forward and backward travel is switched without the need for driver operation. Therefore, even in manned automatic driving, it is preferable not to provide guidance even when the driving mode is switched during driving that does not require such operation. However, even in turning travel that connects each side of the outer circular path ORL, a configuration may be adopted in which manual operation is required for the operation of the working device 1C, and in this case, guidance is provided to inform the driver of the operation related to the operation of the working device 1C.

[0086] [Control when seedlings or fertilizer run out] 1 to 5, the control when seedlings or fertilizer run out will be described.

[0087] Devices that supply various materials, such as the seedling planting device 3, fertilizer applicator 4, chemical sprayer 18, and sowing machine, may be provided with a sensor (one of sensor group 1A) that detects the remaining amount of each material. Below, we will explain an example of a seedling out sensor that detects the remaining amount of seedlings, but the sensor can also be applied to various materials, such as fertilizer, chemicals, and rice seeds.

[0088] When the seedling shortage sensor detects that the remaining amount of seedlings is below a predetermined amount, the control unit 30 may cause the information terminal 5, the voice alarm generating device 100, or the like to notify the fact.

[0089] Furthermore, when the seedling shortage sensor detects that the remaining number of seedlings is below a predetermined level at the start of work travel or when work travel resumes after a stop, the control unit 30 may control the vehicle not to travel. If planting work is performed when the remaining number of seedlings is insufficient, there is a possibility that missing plants will occur midway through the field. Therefore, by configuring the vehicle not to travel when there is such a possibility, the occurrence of missing plants can be suppressed.

[0090] If the remaining seedlings are detected to be below a predetermined amount along the travel path, the machine 1 may be stopped, or the machine may be allowed to travel to the seedling supply side SL with the seedling planting device 3 raised. Alternatively, the remaining seedlings required for work travel to the next seedling supply side SL may be calculated based on the seedling shortage sensor. If a predetermined amount is detected within the range required to return to the seedling supply side SL, the machine may continue work travel and travel to the seedling supply side SL. If the number of seedlings is insufficient, the machine may not enter the next work path, and an alarm device such as the information terminal 5 or remote control 90 may notify the operator of this. Depending on the location detected by the seedling shortage sensor, the machine may travel to other sides where seedlings can be supplied, not just the seedling supply side SL. When traveling to the seedling supply side SL or other sides during automatic travel, a travel route may be generated from that location, and the machine may automatically travel along that travel route.

[0091] The seedling-out sensor that detects seedling out may be configured to perform image analysis using an imaging device to determine seedling out when the number of seedlings drops below a threshold, or may input captured images into a machine-learned model to detect seedling out.The seedling-out sensor that detects seedling out may also be a seedling-out sensor (one of sensor group 1A) that is provided at the end of the seedling feeding section of seedling-mounting table 21 and detects the presence or absence of seedlings.

[0092] The movement to the seedling supply side SL can be performed using the slight movement function, but when the seedling planting device 3 is raised (empty operation), the speed limit for slight movement is lifted and the traveling speed can be faster than when slight movement is performed before and after the turning area. This allows the device to move quickly to the seedling supply side SL even if a decrease in the remaining seedlings is detected at a position far from the seedling supply side SL.

[0093] Similarly, the rice transplanter replenishes the onboard chemicals when they run out. When replenishing the chemicals, the machine 1 moves backward and moves to the edge of the seedling supply side SL. When chemical replenishment is complete, the machine 1 moves forward and returns to the travel route.

[0094] When supplying chemicals, in the manned automatic driving mode, the vehicle remains in an automatic state, but turns under human operation and moves backward to bring the vehicle 1 close to the edge of the seedling supply side SL.

[0095] In unmanned automatic driving, the machine body 1 is temporarily stopped when moving from the turning path to the internal shuttle path IPL, and during that time, manual operation is performed to cause the machine body 1 to move backward at a predetermined speed (slightly move closer) and move closer to the edge of the seedling supply side SL. This manual operation can be performed using the remote control 90, etc. Note that such manual operation can be accepted while traveling in the middle of a turn, and after the turn is completed, the machine body 1 moves backward at a predetermined speed.

[0096] [Map selection process] The map selection process in the rice transplanter will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 and Fig. 8. The functional block diagram in Fig. 8 includes functional units related to the map selection process. In the map selection process in this embodiment, information and data are transmitted and received between the control unit 30 and the information terminal 5. In this embodiment, the control unit 30 is provided with a machine position calculation unit 311, and the information terminal 5 is provided with a display device 551 (touch panel 50), a map information storage unit 552, and a map information display unit 553. Each functional unit is constructed of hardware or software, or both, with a CPU as a core component, in order to perform processes related to map selection.

[0097] The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the aircraft position using satellite positioning. The positioning unit 8 is used for satellite positioning, and GPS information consisting of, for example, latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information is transmitted from the positioning unit 8 to the aircraft position calculation unit 311. In this embodiment, the altitude information corresponds to the height of the aircraft 1 (the height of the positioning unit 8) which is the sum of the geoid height and the altitude. The aircraft position is the position of the aircraft 1 in real space, and is indicated by latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information. The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the position of the aircraft 1 in real space based on such GPS information.

[0098] The map information storage unit 552 stores map information indicating the shape of the work site based on location information indicating the location of the work site and time information indicating the time when the map information was created. The shape of the work site is the shape of the field where the rice transplanter performs planting work, and corresponds to the outer shape of the field. In this embodiment, information indicating the outer shape of the field is treated as map information. The location of the work site is the location of the field, and may be a location on the periphery of the field or the location of the entrance / exit E through which the rice transplanter enters and exits the field. It may also be a location in the center of the field. Furthermore, the time information indicating the time when the map information was created may be a timestamp indicating the time when the above-mentioned location information was acquired, or may be a timestamp indicating the time when the map information was stored in the map information storage unit 552. The map information includes location information that specifies the location of the above-mentioned field using latitude information, longitude information, altitude information, etc., as well as time information that specifies the time when the map information was created. It should be noted that the location information in the map information can be generated based on coordinate positions based on work site coordinates, X and Y coordinates from a specific reference point, etc., instead of longitude and latitude information for positioning.

[0099] The display device 551 has a display screen. In this embodiment, the display device 551 corresponds to the touch panel 50 of the information terminal 5. In this embodiment, the touch panel 50 also serves as the display screen. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the display screen will be described as the touch panel 50.

[0100] The map information display unit 553 displays, on the touch panel 50, map information extracted from the map information stored in the map information storage unit 552 based on the machine position, location information, and time information. As described above, the map information storage unit 552 stores map information, and the map information includes location information and time information. The machine position is the position of the machine 1 in real space calculated by the machine position calculation unit 311, and specifically, the current position of the rice transplanter. The map information display unit 553 extracts map information that indicates the outline shape of the field including the current position of the rice transplanter and has the latest time stamp based on the time information from the map information stored in the map information storage unit 552, and displays the extracted map information on the touch panel 50. As a result, when the rice transplanter is in the field, it becomes possible to automatically display the latest map information that indicates the shape of the field on the touch panel 50.

[0101] [Field shape acquisition process] The field shape acquisition process in the rice transplanter will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 and Fig. 8. The functional block diagram in Fig. 8 includes functional units related to the field shape acquisition process. In the field shape acquisition process in this embodiment, information and data are transmitted and received between the control unit 30 and the information terminal 5. In this embodiment, the control unit 30 is provided with a machine position calculation unit 311, and the information terminal 5 is provided with a display device 551 (touch panel 50), a position information calculation unit 571, a map information creation unit 572, and a travel path generation unit 573. Each functional unit is constructed of hardware or software, or both, with a CPU as its core component, in order to perform processes related to field shape acquisition.

[0102] The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the aircraft position using satellite positioning. The positioning unit 8 is used for satellite positioning, and GPS information consisting of, for example, latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information is transmitted from the positioning unit 8 to the aircraft position calculation unit 311. In this embodiment, the altitude information corresponds to the height of the aircraft 1 (the height of the positioning unit 8) which is the sum of the geoid height and the altitude. The aircraft position is the position of the aircraft 1 in real space, and is indicated by latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information. The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the position of the aircraft 1 in real space based on such GPS information.

[0103] When traveling through each of the multiple areas separated along the perimeter of the work area, the position information calculation unit 571 calculates position information based on the vehicle position and the position of the rear end of the vehicle 1 on the outer perimeter when starting to travel through one area. The perimeter of the work area is the outer perimeter of the field where the rice transplanter performs planting work, and corresponds to the inner perimeter of the ridges that divide the field. For example, if the outer shape of the field is polygonal, the multiple areas separated along the perimeter of the work area correspond to each side of the polygon. Furthermore, if the outer shape of the field has at least an arc-shaped portion, the field may be divided into multiple areas, with the arc-shaped portion considered as one area. Of course, even if the outer shape is polygonal, it may also be divided into multiple areas by dividing one side.

[0104] The rice transplanter is provided with a work unit that can be raised and lowered relative to the machine body 1 and performs ground work. The work unit that performs ground work is the seedling planting device 3. In this case, the position information calculation unit 571 preferably determines the start of travel as the time when the seedling planting device 3, which is in the raised position, is lowered, and the end of travel as the time when the seedling planting device 3, which is in the lowered position, is returned to the raised position. The time when the seedling planting device 3, which is in the raised position, is lowered is the time when the planting mechanism 22 of the seedling planting device 3 is brought close to the planting surface (field scene) of the field so that seedlings can be planted thereon, and the soil leveling float 15 touches the ground. The descent of the seedling planting device 3 can be detected by a sensor (one of the sensor group 1A) provided on the soil leveling float 15, or by detecting the position of the operation lever 11 that controls the raising and lowering of the seedling planting device 3.

[0105] The point at which the seedling planting device 3, which is in the lowered state, is returned to the raised position is the point at which the planting mechanism 22 of the seedling planting device 3 is moved away from the planting surface of the field and the ground leveling float 15 is separated from the planting surface. This raising of the seedling planting device 3 can also be detected by providing a sensor (one of the sensor group 1A) on the ground leveling float 15, or by detecting the position of the operation control lever 11 that raises and lowers the seedling planting device 3.

[0106] In this way, the position information calculation unit 571 calculates the position of the seedling planting mechanism 22 of the seedling planting device 3 on the planting surface of the field. The device is moved closer to the planting surface so that the seedlings can be planted, and the point at which the leveling float 15 touches the ground is regarded as the start of travel, and the planting mechanism 22 of the seedling planting device 3 is moved away from the planting surface of the field, and the point at which the leveling float 15 separates from the planting surface is regarded as the end of travel, making it possible to properly calculate position information.

[0107] Returning to FIG. 8 , the map information creation unit 572 creates map information showing the shape of the work site based on the location information. The location information is calculated by the location information calculation unit 571 described above and transmitted to the map information creation unit 572. The map information showing the shape of the work site corresponds to a map showing the shape of the field by continuously connecting coordinates consisting of latitude and longitude information indicated by the location information acquired by the rice transplanter traveling around the perimeter of the field. Therefore, the map information creation unit 572 creates a map showing the shape of the field by continuously connecting coordinates consisting of latitude and longitude information indicated by the location information calculated by the location information calculation unit 571. Such map information can be created using a known method, so a description thereof will be omitted. Note that, here, map information in the process of being created will also be simply referred to as map information.

[0108] [Route creation process] The route creation process in the rice transplanter will be described using FIGS. 9 to 11 with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0109] The travel route (route) that serves as the target for automatic travel consists of an internal round-trip route IPL for planting seedlings in the inner area IA of the field, a circular route for planting seedlings in the outer area OA of the field, and a start point guidance route for moving from a guidance start area GA set near the entrance / exit E to the start point (work start point) S of the internal round-trip route IPL. The outer area OA of the field is the area where seedling planting work is carried out by traveling along the circular route, and the internal area IA is the area that remains inside the outer area OA. The route creation process here includes a round-trip route creation process, a seedling supply route creation process, a circular route creation process, and a start point guidance route creation process.

[0110] As shown in Fig. 9, functional units required for various processes related to route creation are built in an information terminal 5. This information terminal 5 is connected to a control unit 30, which builds functional units such as a vehicle position calculation unit 311, a travel control unit 312, and an operation control unit 313, via a communication line such as an in-vehicle LAN. The control unit 30 is also connected to the traveling equipment 1D and the work device 1C. The functional units built in the information terminal 5 are a reference edge setting unit 521, a round-trip path creation unit 522, a travel direction determination unit 523, a supply edge setting unit 531, a supply control management unit 532, a circular path creation unit 524, a driving mode management unit 525, a start point setting unit 541, and a start point guide path creation unit 542.

[0111] The reference edge setting unit 521 sets one side of the outline of the farm (field, etc.) where the rice transplanter will work as the reference edge. The round-trip path creation unit 522 creates an internal round-trip path IPL that includes multiple straight paths extending in a predetermined direction relative to the reference edge. The travel direction determination unit 523 sets the travel direction of the internal round-trip path IPL. The supply edge setting unit 531 sets a specific side of the farm's outline as the material supply edge for materials consumed by the rice transplanter. The supply control management unit 532 manages supply travel control in cooperation with the travel control unit 312 to move the rice transplanter toward the material supply edge from the end area of ​​the straight path of the internal round-trip path IPL traveling toward the material supply edge, or from the start area of ​​the next straight path, or both. The circular path creation unit 524 creates at least one circular path around the periphery of the farm based on the travel trajectory of the outline calculation travel that travels along the field boundary to calculate the outline of the farm. The operation mode management unit 525 allows the selection of manned automatic driving, unmanned automatic driving, and manual driving as the driving mode of the circular route. The start point setting unit 541 sets the start point S of the work driving using the internal round trip route IPL. The start point guidance route creation unit 542 starts the rice transplanter that satisfies the guidance conditions. A starting point guidance route SGL is created to automatically guide to point S.

[0112] As described above, the program that realizes the functional units related to route creation is installed in the information terminal 5. Various processes proceed according to the content displayed on the screen of the touch panel 50 of the information terminal 5 and operations on the touch panel 50.

[0113] When creating a route in the internal area IA, the planting reference edge and planting direction are selected. Numerical values ​​are assigned to edges that are candidates for the planting reference edge. The worker selects the desired edge as the reference edge and then selects whether the planting direction is parallel or perpendicular to the reference edge. This planting direction becomes the direction of the straight path for round-trip travel in the internal area IA. A route that combines a straight path and a turning path is used for round-trip travel, but this straight path is not limited to a straight line and may be highly curved or serpentine.

[0114] Regarding the selection of the planting direction, when the reference side is selected, the system may be configured to automatically select the planting direction that minimizes the number of round trips during the round trip. Also, when the first selection is made in the same field or a similar field, the planting direction that is parallel to the longest side of the field may be set as the default, and when the planting direction is selected thereafter, the previous selection result may be set as the default.

[0115] The field shape is not limited to a rectangle, but may be a quadrilateral such as a trapezoid or a rhombus, or may be a triangle or a polygon with pentagons or more sides. Therefore, the reference side is not limited to the four sides of a rectangle, and a side where opposing sides are non-parallel may be selected. Furthermore, if a curved side is selected as the reference side, a travel route may be set along that side, or a route that gradually becomes linear may be set. However, in such cases, the error may be large, so it may be prohibited from being selected as the reference side.

[0116] When working in the internal area IA, seedling replenishment is required during the work, including round-trip travel. Note that seedling replenishment in this case can be interpreted as the replenishment of other materials (chemicals, fertilizer, fuel, etc.). To replenish seedlings, the rice transplanter must interrupt its round-trip travel and approach the ridge, but it can automatically stop at a position where it can approach the ridge for seedling replenishment. This screen allows the user to select whether or not to automatically stop the rice transplanter to approach the ridge (automatic stop at the seedling replenishment edge). Furthermore, the edge where seedlings are replenished is the edge of the field that intersects with the straight path traveled during round-trip travel, and this edge can also be selected on this screen. Either one edge or two edges can be selected. Furthermore, in a deformed field, two adjacent edges may be candidates for the replenishment edge.

[0117] When a field is special, it is necessary to make it possible to select candidates for material supply edges from among all field edges. Therefore, when such special fields are considered, the system is configured so that material supply edges can be selected from among all field edges.

[0118] Even when traveling along a circular route in the outer periphery (surrounding planting), seedling replenishment may be required. In this case, the machine 1 is automatically stopped at the edge of the field. If the machine 1 is further than a predetermined distance from the edge of the field, the machine 1 is pulled over to the side of the field and then automatically stopped. When the machine stops automatically, a notification is issued urging the user to replenish the seedlings.

[0119] Regarding the selection of the seedling supply edge, the seedling supply edge for peripheral planting travel may be preferably determined automatically by selecting the reference edge, or the seedling supply edge may be selected and then the reference edge may be preferably determined automatically.

[0120] In seedling supply, the front of the machine body 1 generally needs to approach the ridge (supply edge), so it is necessary to turn Before entering the ridge or while turning, the machine moves forward toward the ridge. After supplying, it enters the next straight path by reversing and turning. When controlling the turning to enter the next straight path, it is advantageous to control the turning radius to be fixed. In this case, the machine 1 moves backward to return to the position where normal turning travel would be made on the original straight path, and then enters the next straight path by normal turning travel from there. When supplying chemicals, etc., the rear of the machine 1 needs to approach the ridge, so a turning and backward ridge approaching travel is used, in which the machine turns and then moves backward. After supplying, it enters the next straight path by moving forward. This series of seedling supply travel can also be remotely controlled using a remote control 90, etc.

[0121] If seedling supply is performed near a deformed ridge, there is a possibility that the machine 1 may approach the ridge when turning to return to the next straight route after supplying seedlings. In such a turning operation, the turning start position is set farther from the ridge than in a normal turning operation, and the turning radius is changed.

[0122] If automatic stopping for seedling supply is selected, the machine will automatically travel straight into the outer peripheral area (also called the headland) OA on the supply side. For this automatic travel, an extended route created by extending the straight route of the internal shuttle route IPL is used. While traveling on this extended route, no work such as planting, sowing, or fertilizing is performed, and the machine 1 will automatically stop at the processing position approaching the ridge.

[0123] If replenishment is performed without selecting automatic stop, approaching the ridges can be achieved by manual operation or interrupt control using the remote control 90 while the seedling planting device 3 is raised before or during a turn. In this case, automatic operation cannot be resumed unless the machine 1 is manually driven to the next starting point after replenishment. Of course, if replenishment is not required, there is no need to select automatic stop. Examples of when replenishment is not required include when dense seedlings or long (roll) mat seedlings are used, or when a direct seeding device is installed instead of the seedling planting device 3. Regardless of replenishment, the machine 1 may be set to stop before or during a turn by operation using the remote control 90.

[0124] When remote control is used, such as with the remote controller 90, the remaining amount of supply material is checked not by visual inspection by the worker but by a remaining amount sensor, and the detection result or a material shortage may be transmitted to the remote controller 90, or an audio alert may be sent to those in the vicinity. If a material shortage (material shortage) is detected by the remaining amount sensor, the robot may be automatically stopped. Such automatic stopping and material shortage (material shortage) alerts may be performed not only when working in the inner area IA, but also when working in the outer area OA. In this case, a material supply route to the material supply position may be created.

[0125] The remaining quantity sensor can be configured with a machine learning model that inputs images captured by a camera and outputs the remaining quantity of materials such as seedlings. In addition, if the remaining quantity of materials can be estimated, the location where the machine will automatically stop to replenish the materials can also be estimated. Based on this estimated location, an automatic stop for material replenishment can be scheduled. This reservation can be made automatically or manually, and the reservation can be canceled manually.

[0126] If the remaining amount of materials can be estimated, a determination is made as to whether the estimated remaining amount is sufficient to travel to the next replenishment location. Based on the result of this determination, the machine 1 stops to reinforce the materials, and an announcement is made of the predicted location from which to start the material replenishment journey.

[0127] In this embodiment, work travel (surrounding planting travel) in the outer peripheral area OA is performed along an inner circular route IRL located inside the outer peripheral area (headland) OA and an outer circular route ORL located outside the outer peripheral area OA. Travel along the inner circular route IRL is called inner circular travel or inner circular travel, and travel along the outer circular route ORL is called outer circular travel or outer circular travel. In creating a map, the travel path traveled by the machine body 1 is used. The inner loop route IRL is a route between the inner round trip route IPL and the outer loop route ORL. The inner loop and outer loop travel can be automated with or without a driver, or can be performed manually.

[0128] In this embodiment, the outer circuit route ORL is specified as an automated route with manned operation. However, since the outer circuit route ORL is based on the travel trajectory of the teaching travel used in map creation, and travel occurs with the seedling planting device 3 lowered, there is little possibility of problems occurring with unmanned automated travel. For this reason, unmanned automated travel may also be selected for the outer circuit route ORL. Furthermore, since the inner circuit route IRL and the outer circuit route ORL are set as separate routes, the algorithm tends to become complicated. However, a connecting route between the two routes may be provided from the beginning. Alternatively, a route may be provided that guides the vehicle from the end point of the inner circuit route IRL to the start point of the outer circuit route ORL.

[0129] In this embodiment, the circular path formed in the outer peripheral area OA is a two-loop circular path to ensure sufficient space for turning during round-trip travel. However, depending on the model and the number of work rows, a single circular path may be sufficient. Therefore, a configuration may be adopted in which the circular path can be selected to be a single circular path. However, if a single circular path is formed, it is preferable to use a turning path using reverse travel or a connecting turning path that connects two angled turning paths with a connecting straight path that exceeds the work width. In this case, when traveling on a connecting straight path, travel control is performed to follow the circular path, but special measures are adopted, such as expanding the tolerance range for crossing the border, which specifies the distance from the ridge. Furthermore, a turning retry function is also adopted, which gradually turns by turning multiple times using reverse travel, etc., when there is a risk of interference with a ridge during turning.

[0130] In the route creation process, a normal turn (180-degree turn) or a U-shaped turn (driving straight to approach the ridge, then reversing, making the normal turn, and finally moving forward to enter the next work start point) is usually adopted based on a predetermined trajectory, but for specific purposes such as dry planting or when the work width is narrow compared to the space available for turning along the ridge, a turning method such as that shown in Figures 10 and 11 may also be adopted.

[0131] 10 and 11 show examples of the special turning (turning path) described above. FIG. 10 shows an example of a transitional turn. This transitional turn is a transitional turn from one straight path to the next straight path, not to an adjacent straight path. This transitional turn consists of a first turning path (denoted by Q1 in FIG. 10) that makes a nearly 90-degree turn, a straight path (denoted by Q3 in FIG. 10), and a second turning path (denoted by Q2 in FIG. 10). The length of the straight path is calculated according to the position of the straight path to which the vehicle is to transition. FIG. 11 shows an example of a back-swing turn using reverse travel. A back-swing turn is used when there is little space for the turn (distance to the ridge: width of the outer peripheral area OA) when turning from the straight path currently being traveled to an adjacent path. The backswing turn shown in Fig. 11 consists of a first turning path (designated R1 in Fig. 11), a reverse turning path (designated R2 in Fig. 11), and a second turning path (designated R3 in Fig. 11). The first turning path and the reverse turning path realize a driving operation called a backswing, and by increasing the number of backswings, the space required for turning can be reduced.

[0132] [Suspending / ending automatic driving, advancing the driving line, resuming automatic driving after suspension] If a situation occurs during automated driving that makes it difficult for the vehicle to continue, the automated driving will be suspended or terminated, and driving control will be transferred to manual control. If automated driving is terminated, the vehicle will resume operation under automated driving. However, if automatic driving is interrupted, it is possible to resume work using automatic driving. During automatic driving, the history of the automatic driving performed (such as the driving route traveled) is recorded. When automatic driving is resumed at the same vehicle position or after manual driving after being interrupted, the vehicle position where automatic driving was interrupted and the ID of the driving route at that vehicle position are read from memory, etc. If the interruption position and the restart position are different and the interruption position and the restart position are on the same line, a restart command can be given using the touch panel while the vehicle is overlapping on the line. If the interruption position and the restart position are on different lines, the driving route displayed on the touch panel 50 is used to advance the set driving route (called line forwarding) and match the driving route to the current position of the vehicle 1.

[0133] The following items will be added regarding the screen display of the driving route on the touch panel 50. (1) The route where autonomous driving was interrupted is drawn in a distinctive color such as red. In this case, the route section whose color is changed is preferably a straight route unit, but it may also be a partial section of the straight route that includes the interruption point. (2) If there are multiple routes near the interruption point of the automatic driving, the operator selects the driving route to be processed. (3) The color of the travel route is changed according to the work attributes of the travel route. For example, routes along which seedling planting work has been completed, routes where seedling planting work is currently being carried out, routes where seedling planting work will be carried out in the future, and routes traveled without seedling planting work, called "idle routes," are each colored in a distinctive way. In addition, the area around a route where seedling planting work has been completed may be colored according to the work width (each row unit). (4) Even when the vehicle is driven manually, the driving trajectory is matched with the driving route map, and the traces of work done manually are also displayed as previously worked areas. (5) In order to facilitate advancing the driving route when automatic driving is interrupted, manual driving along multiple driving routes is performed, and then automatic driving is resumed, a driving route fast-forward and fast-rewind function is provided. (6) When resuming autonomous driving, it is necessary to select the driving line to resume on. To make this selection easier, when resuming autonomous driving, the route where the vehicle was interrupted, the route following the interrupted route, or the route immediately before the interrupted route is set as the default resumption route.

[0134] [Cancel instruction invalidation processing] The following describes the process for invalidating a stop instruction in a rice transplanter. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional units involved in the process for invalidating a stop instruction. As shown in FIG. 12, in the process for invalidating a stop instruction in this embodiment, information and data are transmitted and received between the control unit 30 and the information terminal 5. In this embodiment, the control unit 30 is provided with a machine position calculation unit 311 and a travel control unit 312, and the information terminal 5 is provided with a display device 551 (touch panel 50), a map information acquisition unit 51, a stop-travel instruction unit 52, an invalidation instruction unit 53, a cancellation unit 54, a material supply position setting unit 55, a supply instruction receiving unit 56, and a notification unit 57. Each functional unit is constructed of hardware, software, or both, with a CPU as its core component, in order to perform processing related to field shape acquisition.

[0135] The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the aircraft position using satellite positioning. The positioning unit 8 is used for satellite positioning, and GPS information consisting of, for example, latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information is transmitted from the positioning unit 8 to the aircraft position calculation unit 311. In this embodiment, the altitude information corresponds to the height of the aircraft 1 (the height of the positioning unit 8) which is the sum of the geoid height and the altitude. The aircraft position is the position of the aircraft 1 in real space, and is indicated by latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information. The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the position of the aircraft 1 in real space based on such GPS information.

[0136] The map information acquisition unit 51 acquires map information indicating the shape of the work site. As described above, the map shape indicating the shape of the work site is stored in the map information storage unit 552. Therefore, in this embodiment, the map information acquisition unit 51 acquires map information from the map information storage unit 552.

[0137] The travel control unit 312 automatically travels the rice transplanter while working in the work area based on the acquired map information and the machine's position. In this embodiment, as described above, a travel route that serves as the target for automatic travel is set based on the map information in the route creation process. Therefore, the travel control unit 312 automatically travels the rice transplanter while planting seedlings in the field so that the machine's position follows the travel route. Control of automatically traveling the rice transplanter along such a travel route is well known, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0138] The travel stop instruction unit 52 instructs the travel control unit 312 to stop work travel when a preset travel stop condition is met. The preset travel stop condition is a condition for stopping automatic travel. Such a travel stop condition can be, for example, when the remaining amount of work materials used for work falls below a predetermined amount. The work materials used for work include seedlings used for planting, fertilizers and pesticides used to fertilize the field, etc. Of course, the work materials may be at least one of seedlings, fertilizers, and pesticides. Therefore, the travel stop instruction unit 52 instructs the travel control unit 312 to stop work travel when the remaining amount of seedlings used for planting or fertilizers or pesticides used to fertilize the field falls below a predetermined amount. The remaining amount of seedlings, fertilizer, or pesticide may be directly detected by a sensor or may be theoretically calculated by subtracting the amount used from the amount originally loaded.

[0139] The travel control unit 312 stops the automatic travel control when it receives such a stop instruction from the travel stop instruction unit 52. Therefore, the rice transplanter stops automatic travel when the remaining amount of seedlings to be used for planting work or fertilizer or chemicals to be applied to the field falls below a predetermined amount.

[0140] When the travel stop instructing unit 52 is configured to issue a stop instruction when the remaining amount of work materials falls below a predetermined amount, the notification unit 57 may be configured to notify the user that the remaining amount of work materials is low when the remaining amount of work materials falls below the predetermined amount. The notification may be made by the information terminal 5 or by the machine 1. Furthermore, the notification may be made to a mobile terminal (e.g., a smartphone) carried by the user. The notification may be made when the remaining amount of work materials falls below the predetermined amount, or when the machine approaches a predetermined point (e.g., a ridge) after the remaining amount of work materials falls below the predetermined amount. This not only enables the user to know that the remaining amount of work materials is below the predetermined amount, but also enables the user to know that the travel stop instructing unit 52 has issued a stop instruction.

[0141] Here, the rice transplanter is configured to exceptionally continue automatic travel in response to a user instruction even when a stop instruction is received. Therefore, the invalid instruction unit 53 is configured to invalidate the stop instruction from the travel stop instruction unit 52 in response to a user instruction and issue an invalid instruction that enables automatic travel by the travel control unit 312, even when a stop instruction is given. A stop instruction is issued when the remaining amount of seedlings to be used for planting work or fertilizer or chemicals to be applied to the field falls below a predetermined amount, and the travel stop instruction unit 52 issues a stop instruction. The user instruction corresponds to, for example, a predetermined operation on the information terminal 5 (pressing a predetermined operation button) or a predetermined operation on the remote control 90 (pressing a predetermined operation button). Therefore, even if the remaining amount of seedlings to be used for planting work or fertilizer or chemicals to be applied to the field falls below a predetermined amount and the travel stop instruction unit 52 issues a stop instruction, the invalid instruction unit 53 can continue to operate the information terminal 5 by a predetermined operation by the user (for example, by displaying an invalid display on the touch panel 50 and recognizing that an operation has been performed when the user touches the display) or by a predetermined operation by the remote control 90. When an operation is detected, the stop instruction by the travel stop instruction unit 52 is invalidated, and an invalid instruction to enable automatic travel is sent to the travel control unit 312. As a result, the rice transplanter resumes automatic travel.

[0142] Furthermore, although the rice transplanter has been described as including work materials that are at least one of seedlings, fertilizer, and chemicals, other work materials may also be used. Furthermore, although the work materials have been described as including at least one of seedlings, fertilizer, and chemicals, other work materials may also be used. Disabling the travel stop instruction unit 52 may involve disabling the stop instruction issued by the travel stop instruction unit 52, or disabling the function of the travel stop instruction unit 52 itself. In either case, by configuring the rice transplanter as described above, when the stop instruction is disabled by the disable instruction unit 53, the rice transplanter can automatically travel while the rice transplanter travels a predetermined distance or until a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0143] In this embodiment, the travel control unit 312 automatically travels along a travel route set in the work area as a target for automatic travel. In particular, in the internal area IA of the farm field, automatic travel is performed along an internal round-trip route IPL as shown in FIG. 13. Such internal round-trip routes IPL are set as multiple round-trip travel routes that travel back and forth within the internal area IA. Therefore, the travel control unit 312 travels along the multiple round-trip travel routes in the work area. In this case, when the travel control unit 312 receives the above-mentioned invalid instruction, i.e., when the cancel instruction is invalidated by the invalid instruction unit 53, it is preferable that the travel control unit 312 travels to the end position or the next start position of the round-trip travel route.

[0144] The end position of the round-trip travel route corresponds to the end position G1 of the internal round-trip route IPL1 when the round-trip travel route is a single one-way travel route (for example, the internal round-trip route IPL1). In this case, if the disable instruction unit 53 invalidates the stop instruction while the vehicle is traveling on the internal round-trip route IPL1, the travel control unit 312 may travel to the end position G1 of the internal round-trip route IPL1. Furthermore, if the round-trip travel route is configured as an outbound travel route and a return travel route (for example, if the round-trip travel route is composed of the internal round-trip route IPL1 and the internal round-trip route IPL2), the end position corresponds to the end position G2 of the internal round-trip route IPL2. In this case, if the disable instruction unit 53 invalidates the stop instruction while the vehicle is traveling on the internal round-trip route IPL1 or the internal round-trip route IPL2, the travel control unit 312 may travel to the end position G2 of the internal round-trip route IPL2.

[0145] When the round-trip travel route is a one-way travel route (for example, when the round-trip travel route is an internal round-trip route IPL1), the next start position on the round-trip travel route corresponds to the start position S2 of the internal round-trip route IPL2, which is the next round-trip travel route. In this case, if the disable instruction unit 53 disables the stop instruction while the vehicle is traveling on the internal round-trip route IPL1, the travel control unit 312 may cause the vehicle to travel to the start position S2 of the internal round-trip route IPL2. Also, when the round-trip travel route is configured as an outbound travel route and a return travel route (for example, when the round-trip travel route is composed of the internal round-trip route IPL1 and the internal round-trip route IPL2), the next start position on the round-trip travel route corresponds to the start position S3 of the internal round-trip route IPL3, which is the next round-trip travel route. In this case, if the disable instruction unit 53 disables the stop instruction while the vehicle is traveling on the internal round-trip route IPL1 or the internal round-trip route IPL2, the travel control unit 312 may cause the vehicle to travel to the start position S3 of the internal round-trip route IPL3. This prevents the rice transplanter from stopping in the center of the field, and makes it possible to drive and stop the rice transplanter to a position in the field where it is easy to replenish seedlings and fertilizer, for example.

[0146] In this embodiment, the cancellation unit 54 is also configured to be able to cancel the invalid instruction issued by the invalid instruction unit 53. As a result, for example, the state in which automatic driving is possible due to the invalid instruction issued by the invalid instruction unit 53 in response to an instruction from the user can be further restored in response to the user's intention to cancel. The cancellation by the cancellation unit 54 may be performed in response to the user's intention to cancel, or may be performed automatically in response to an instruction from the information terminal 5 or a higher-level system.

[0147] As described above, the rice transplanter is configured to replenish work materials such as seedlings and fertilizer when the work materials loaded on the rice transplanter run low during seedling planting work. The rice transplanter is provided with a material replenishment position setting unit 55 that sets a replenishment position for replenishing such work materials on the round-trip travel route.

[0148] When such a supply position is set, the travel control unit 312 may travel to the next supply position when the cancel instruction is invalidated by the invalidation instruction unit 53. This allows the rice transplanter to automatically travel to the next supply position, making it possible to replenish work materials.

[0149] For example, it is preferable to know in advance whether the above-mentioned replenishment position has been set. Therefore, it is preferable to configure the replenishment instruction receiving unit 56 to receive an instruction as to whether to replenish work materials when the remaining amount of work materials falls below a predetermined amount while traveling along the round-trip travel route. This enables the travel control unit 312 to automatically travel to the above-mentioned next replenishment position.

[0150] On the other hand, if an instruction to replenish work materials has not been received, the travel control unit 312 may stop the robot when it reaches a preset point on the round-trip travel route. The preset point may be, for example, the end point of the outbound travel route and the end point of the return travel route on the round-trip travel route, or it may be the end point of the round-trip travel route. It may also be a point different from the start point or end point of the round-trip travel route. By stopping the robot when it reaches such a point, it becomes possible to ask for instructions from the user each time.

[0151] In the above embodiment, it has been described that the travel stop instruction unit 52 issues a stop instruction when the remaining amount of seedlings or fertilizer used for planting seedlings falls below a predetermined amount, but the travel stop instruction unit 52 can also issue a stop instruction when an object sensor (for example, sonar sensor 60) detects an object present around the machine body 1. Of course, it is also possible to configure the unit 52 to issue a stop instruction both when the remaining amount of seedlings or fertilizer falls below a predetermined amount and when the object sensor detects an object.

[0152] As described above, when an object is detected around the vehicle 1 by the sonar sensor 60, the vehicle 1 temporarily stops automatically in response to a stop command. However, if it is determined that the detected object does not interfere with the automatic driving (specifically, if it is determined that the object does not interfere with the automatic driving based on the size of the detected object, such as when a sensor other than the sonar sensor 60 obtains a detection result indicating that the size of the object is equal to or smaller than a predetermined size, or when a person (e.g., an operator) visually determines that the object is an obstacle of negligible size), the automatic driving can be continued by the above-described stop command invalidation process. In addition, in this case, the vehicle 1 may be configured to pass by the detected object by setting its traveling speed to a predetermined traveling speed slower than the normal traveling speed (the traveling speed when no object is detected) near the detected object. These operations may be performed by the remote control 90, the information terminal 5, or the like, or may be performed automatically by an automatic control program.

[0153] In the above embodiment, the travel control unit 312 causes the robot to travel along a plurality of round-trip travel routes in the work area, and when the cancel instruction is invalidated by the invalidation instruction unit 53, the travel control unit 312 determines the end position of the round-trip travel route. In the above description, the robot is driven to a location other than the end position or the next starting position, but the driving control unit 312 can also be configured to drive the robot along multiple round-trip driving routes in the work area, and when the cancel instruction is invalidated by the invalidation instruction unit 53, to drive the robot to a location other than the end position on the round-trip driving route or the next starting position.

[0154] In the above embodiment, it has been described that the canceling unit 54 that cancels the invalidation instruction by the invalidation instruction unit 53 is further provided, but it is also possible to configure the system without providing the canceling unit 54 .

[0155] In the above embodiment, the driving stop instruction unit 52 is described as issuing a stop instruction when the remaining amount of work materials used for the work falls below a predetermined amount, but the driving stop instruction unit 52 can also be configured not to issue a stop instruction even when the remaining amount of work materials falls below a predetermined amount.

[0156] In the above embodiment, the material supply position setting unit 55 is provided to set a supply position for supplying work materials on the round-trip travel route, and the travel control unit 312 is described as traveling to the next supply position when the cancel instruction is invalidated by the invalidation instruction unit 53. However, it is also possible to configure the system without the material supply position setting unit 55, and the travel control unit 312 can also be configured to not travel to the next supply position even when the cancel instruction is invalidated.

[0157] In the above embodiment, the supply instruction receiving unit 56 is provided to receive an instruction as to whether or not to replenish work materials when the remaining amount of work materials falls below a predetermined amount while traveling along the round-trip travel route, and the travel control unit 312 is described as stopping the robot when it reaches a predetermined point on the round-trip travel route if it has not received an instruction to replenish work materials.However, it is also possible to configure the robot without the supply instruction receiving unit 56, and the travel control unit 312 can be configured not to stop the robot when it reaches a predetermined point on the round-trip travel route if it has not received an instruction to replenish work materials.

[0158] In the above embodiment, it has been described that the device is provided with an alarm unit 57 that notifies the user that the remaining amount of work materials is low when the remaining amount of work materials is below a predetermined amount, but it is also possible to configure the device without the alarm unit 57.

[0159] In the above embodiment, the rice transplanter is described as performing the work of planting seedlings, but the rice transplanter may perform other work. Also, the work materials are described as at least one of seedlings, fertilizer, and chemicals, but they may be work materials other than these.

[0160] [Border crossing determination process] The border crossing determination process in the rice transplanter will be described. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the functional units in the border crossing determination process. As shown in FIG. 14, in the border crossing determination process in this embodiment, information and data are sent and received between the control unit 30 and the information terminal 5. In this embodiment, the control unit 30 is provided with a machine position calculation unit 311, a border crossing determination unit 64, a border crossing prevention control unit 65, a border crossing permission unit 66, a resume instruction unit 67, and a temporary suspension instruction unit 68. Each functional unit is constructed of hardware or software, or both, with a CPU as the core component, in order to perform processing related to border crossing determination.

[0161] The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the aircraft position using satellite positioning. The positioning unit 8 is used for satellite positioning, and GPS information consisting of, for example, latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information is transmitted from the positioning unit 8 to the aircraft position calculation unit 311. In this embodiment, the altitude information corresponds to the height of the aircraft 1 (height of the positioning unit 8) which is the sum of the geoid height and the altitude. The aircraft position is the position of the aircraft 1 in real space, and is calculated using the latitude information, longitude information, and altitude information. The aircraft position calculation unit 311 calculates the position of the aircraft 1 in real space based on such GPS information.

[0162] The rice transplanter travels through a boundary-marked work field. Therefore, the boundary crossing determination unit 64 determines whether the machine body 1 is crossing a boundary line based on the machine body position and a boundary line set to avoid contact with the boundary line. The boundary line corresponds to, for example, a ridge or road (hereinafter referred to as "ridge, etc.") adjacent to the field that is established to divide the field, as shown in FIG. 15 . To prevent the rice transplanter from contacting such boundary lines, the boundary line is set along the outer edge of the field (field contour line), as shown in FIG. 15 . For the rice transplanter, it is preferable to set such boundary lines in a map used for work travel. Such a map is stored in the map information storage unit 552 described above as map information indicating the shape of the work field, and the map information is acquired from the map information storage unit 552 by the map information acquisition unit 51. The boundary lines may be predefined in such map information, or may be calculated and set when the machine travels around the field and acquires field shape information indicating the field shape. The machine body position is transmitted from the machine body position calculation unit 311. Therefore, in order to prevent the rice transplanter from coming into contact with a ridge or the like, the border crossing determination unit 64 determines whether the machine body 1 has crossed a boundary line based on a virtual boundary line set on a map used by the rice transplanter for work travel and the machine body position transmitted from the machine body position calculation unit 311.

[0163] The crossing prevention control unit 65 prohibits the travel of the rice transplanter 1 when it is determined that the rice transplanter 1 has crossed the boundary line. "When it is determined that the rice transplanter 1 has crossed the boundary line" refers to when the above-mentioned crossing determination unit 64 determines that the rice transplanter 1 has crossed the boundary line. Therefore, it is preferable to configure the crossing determination unit 64 so that the determination result is transmitted to the crossing prevention control unit 65. Here, the rice transplanter is automatically traveled while working in the work area based on the map information and the rice transplanter's position by the travel control unit 312. Therefore, when the crossing determination unit 64 determines that the rice transplanter 1 has crossed the boundary line, the crossing prevention control unit 65 instructs the travel control unit 312 to prohibit automatic travel and further prohibits not only automatic travel but also manual travel. As a result, the rice transplanter stops at a position in the field corresponding to the position of the boundary line set in the map information.

[0164] The border crossing permission unit 66 suspends the determination by the border crossing determination unit 64 in response to the border crossing permission command and permits the vehicle 1 to cross the boundary line. The border crossing determination unit 64 continues to determine whether the vehicle 1 has crossed the boundary line. The border crossing permission command is a command that permits the vehicle 1 to cross the boundary line. Such a border crossing permission command corresponds to, for example, an instruction by a user to travel across the boundary line via remote control. When such an instruction is received, the border crossing permission unit 66 determines that a border crossing permission command has been issued by the user to permit the vehicle 1 to cross the boundary line, and suspends the determination by the border crossing determination unit 64. This allows the rice transplanter to cross the boundary line and travel to the outer edge of the field via remote control, for example, making it possible to replenish seedlings, fertilizer, and chemicals used for planting work.

[0165] When permission has been given by the border crossing permission unit 66 and a preset set portion of the machine 1 enters closer to the center of the work site than the boundary line, the restart instruction unit 67 restarts the determination by the border crossing determination unit 64 and suspends permission by the border crossing permission unit 66. "When permission has been given by the border crossing permission unit 66" refers to when the border crossing permission unit 66, upon receiving a border crossing permission command, has permitted the machine 1 to cross the boundary line. The preset set portion of the machine 1 may be, for example, the center of the machine 1, or it may be, for example, a predetermined portion between the front end and center of the machine 1 when traveling forward, or it may be, for example, a predetermined portion between the rear end and center of the machine 1 when traveling backward.

[0166] The restart instruction unit 67 is instructed to restart the aircraft 1 after the border crossing permission unit 66 receives the border crossing permission command. When the state is permitted, if the set portion set as a predetermined portion of the aircraft 1 enters the center side of the boundary line, the border crossing determination unit 64 is caused to resume the suspended determination, and the border crossing permission unit 66 is caused to stop permitting the aircraft 1 to cross the boundary line. This causes the border crossing determination unit 64 to resume border crossing determination.

[0167] Furthermore, it is preferable that the above-mentioned set position can be changed depending on the user's level of proficiency in the work to be performed in the work area. The level of proficiency in the work to be performed in the work area refers to the user's level of proficiency in the seedling planting work that the rice transplanter performs in the field. Specifically, it refers to the degree of familiarity with the seedling planting work. For example, for a user who is not familiar with seedling planting work (a beginner operator), the set position should be set closer to the front end between the front end and center of the machine body 1 when traveling forward than for a user who is familiar with seedling planting work (a veteran operator), and closer to the rear end between the rear end and center of the machine body 1 when traveling backward. This allows the user to get closer to the ridges, etc., and the user who is less familiar with the work to avoid approaching the ridges, etc.

[0168] Furthermore, it is more preferable to set the set location closer to the inside of the machine body 1 when traveling closer to the center of the work area than when traveling on the outer periphery of the work area. This allows the judgment conditions to be relaxed when traveling on the center of the work area compared to when traveling on the outer periphery, making it possible to proceed with work smoothly.

[0169] Furthermore, it is preferable that the set portion be located forward of the center of the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body 1 when the vehicle body 1 is moving forward, and that the set portion be located rearward of the center of the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body 1 when the vehicle body 1 is moving backward. By setting the set portion in this way, the set portion can be set according to the driving state, which improves convenience.

[0170] For example, the set location can be set to at least one of the tip of the spare seedling tray on which spare seedlings used for planting are placed, the tip of the hood attached to the front of the machine body 1, both ends of the width of the machine body 1 in the planting section where seedlings are planted, the mounting section for the GPS antenna used for satellite positioning, and the center of gravity of the machine body 1. This makes it possible to easily set the set location.

[0171] The temporary stop instruction unit 68 temporarily stops the travel of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 exceeds the boundary line by a preset amount, even if permission has been given by the border crossing permission unit 66. This makes it possible to prevent the rice transplanter from coming into contact with ridges, etc.

[0172] Next, we will explain using Figure 16. As shown in Figure 16(a), the rice transplanter travels for work along the internal round-trip path IPL set in the internal area IA, and when it reaches the boundary between the internal area IA and the outer peripheral area OA, automatic operation is temporarily stopped. In this state, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the rice transplanter turns in the outer peripheral area OA and travels for work along the next internal round-trip path IPL.

[0173] If the rice transplanter 1 is manually moved forward within a predetermined time after reaching the boundary between the inner area IA and the outer peripheral area OA, and the crossing determination unit 64 determines that the machine 1 will cross the boundary line, that is, if it determines that the position of the set area indicated by the black circle in Figure 16(b) will cross the boundary line, the crossing prevention control unit 65 will prohibit the machine 1 from traveling. As a result, the rice transplanter will temporarily stop as shown in Figure 16(b).

[0174] In this state, if a border crossing permission command is issued, the border crossing permission unit 66 will allow the machine 1 to cross the boundary line. In this case, the permitted state will continue until the machine 1 exceeds the boundary line by a preset amount. Therefore, during this time, the rice transplanter can move forward and backward. The positions where the changed setting parts are set are indicated by white circles in FIG. 16(c).

[0175] When the aircraft 1 is permitted to cross the boundary line, if the preset set areas on the aircraft 1 (all set areas located at the positions indicated by the white circles) enter the internal area IA as shown in (d) of Figure 16, the restart instruction unit 67 causes the border crossing determination unit 64 to resume the border crossing determination.

[0176] When the border crossing determination unit 64 resumes border crossing determination, as shown in (e) of Figure 16, the part used to determine whether the aircraft 1 is crossing the boundary line is returned to the original part (the part indicated by the black circle) from the preset part in the aircraft 1 shown in (d) of Figure 16.

[0177] In the above embodiment, it was described that the vehicle 1 is provided with a temporary stop instruction unit 68 that temporarily stops the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 exceeds the boundary line by a predetermined amount, even if permission has been granted by the border crossing permission unit 66, but it is also possible to configure the vehicle 1 without providing the temporary stop instruction unit 68.

[0178] In the above embodiment, the set area is described as being changeable depending on the level of proficiency in the work being performed at the work site, but it is also possible to configure the set area so that it cannot be changed depending on the level of proficiency in the work.

[0179] In the above embodiment, the set portion is described as being located forward of the center of the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 moves forward, and is located rearward of the center of the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 moves backward, but it is also possible to configure the set portion so that it does not change when the vehicle 1 moves forward or backward. It is also possible to configure the set portion rearward of the center of the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 moves forward, and forward of the center of the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 moves backward.

[0180] In the above embodiment, the set location is described as at least one of the tip of the spare seedling tray on which spare seedlings to be used for planting are placed, the tip of the bonnet provided on the front side of the body 1, both widthwise ends of the body 1 in the planting section where seedlings are planted, the mounting section for the GPS antenna used for satellite positioning, and the center of gravity of the body 1, but it is also possible to set the set location in a location other than these.

[0181] In the above embodiment, it has been explained that the set location is set further inside the vehicle 1 when traveling closer to the center of the outer periphery of the work area than when traveling on the outer periphery of the work area (outer periphery area OA). However, it is also possible to set the set location at the same position when traveling on the outer periphery of the work area and when traveling closer to the center of the outer periphery of the work area, and it is also possible to set the set location further outside the vehicle 1 when traveling closer to the center of the outer periphery of the work area than when traveling on the outer periphery of the work area.

[0182] Next, an embodiment relating to the interruption and resumption of automatic traveling will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. In the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 17, the information terminal 5 is newly equipped with a traveling route storage unit 526, a traveling route setting unit 527, and a traveling route searching unit 528. The traveling route shown in FIG. 18 is composed of an internal round trip route IPL, an inner circuit route IRL, and an outer circuit route ORL. In this modification, the internal round trip route IPL is composed of a plurality of parallel straight routes (travel route elements), and the inner circuit route IRL and the outer circuit route ORL are composed of straight routes (travel route elements) parallel to the top and left and right sides of the field, and a curved route along the bottom side of the field. Note that in the route generation process, these curved routes are managed as a plurality of straight line segments LE connected by nodes LN. Therefore, in this modification, one curved route can also be treated as one traveling route element, and Each of the multiple straight line segments LE that make up a single curved path can also be treated as a travel path element. In other words, the travel path elements other than the curved path are travel sections that are set at the timing of raising and lowering the seedling planting device 3, but each of the straight line segments LE (travel path elements) that make up a single curved path as described above is considered to be a travel section divided by the path generation algorithm. Therefore, the curved path as a whole is treated as a single travel path element, but in some cases it can also be treated as a collection of multiple consecutive travel path elements.

[0183] The travel route storage unit 526 stores a group of travel route elements, which are travel routes generated by the round trip route creation unit 522 and the circular route creation unit 524, according to the shape of the work site. The travel route setting unit 527 sets the travel route elements sequentially read out from the travel route storage unit 526 as a target travel route, which is the target of automatic travel. The set target travel route is provided to the travel control unit 312. The travel control unit 312 has an automatic travel mode in which the vehicle 1 is steered based on the vehicle position and target travel route (travel route elements) calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 311, and a manual travel mode in which the vehicle 1 is steered based on manual operation by the driver. When the automatic travel mode is resumed to start automatic travel again after the automatic travel mode has been stopped, the travel route search unit 528 searches for travel route elements to be used in the target travel route required to start automatic travel, and provides the searched travel route elements to the travel route setting unit 527. Stopping the autonomous driving mode includes a "pause," in which the autonomous driving mode is temporarily switched off and resumed after a predetermined time has elapsed or after driving in a predetermined manual driving mode, and a "complete stop," in which a start procedure including initial processing is required to resume the autonomous driving mode. A "complete stop" occurs when an event occurs that essentially shuts down the control system, such as stopping the engine or turning off the main key. Whether it is a "pause" or a "complete stop," when the autonomous driving mode is resumed, an appropriate target driving route must be set by the driving route setting unit.

[0184] A transition from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode while traveling is usually performed by an operator switching the driving mode. However, if the control system of the work vehicle determines that the necessary conditions for automatic driving mode are not met, the automatic driving mode is automatically stopped and the vehicle is stopped, and then a transition to manual driving mode occurs. If an automatic cancellation event occurs while traveling in automatic driving mode, the automatic driving mode is stopped and the vehicle is then transitioned to manual driving mode. Thereafter, in response to the occurrence of an automatic restart event (an operation to start automatic driving) for resuming the automatic driving mode, the driving route search unit 528 searches for a target driving route required when resuming the automatic driving mode. The search for the target driving route by the driving route search unit 528 can be performed manually by the operator or automatically.

[0185] The automatic cancellation events include an emergency stop or temporary suspension of the engine 2, which are accompanied by the suspension of the automatic driving mode. The automatic restart events include the vehicle main switch being turned on, the engine returning from temporary suspension, the automatic driving start button being turned on, etc. The process of searching for a target driving route by the driving route search unit 528 can also be started by clicking a search start button displayed on the touch panel 50.

[0186] Each driving route element constituting the driving route element group is stored in the driving route storage unit 526 with location information, which is the position of each driving route element expressed in map coordinates or field coordinates, as used in road information for car navigation systems and the like, as an attribute value. This allows the driving route search unit 528 to search for a target driving route based on the desired automatic driving mode restart position and the location information. If the desired automatic driving mode restart position is the current vehicle position, the driving route element that is close to the current vehicle position can be extracted and the extracted driving route element can be output as the target driving route, making it possible to restart the automatic driving mode from the current vehicle position. When the automatic driving mode is to be restarted at the position where it was stopped (the position where an automatic cancellation event occurred), it is advisable to drive the vehicle 1 to the position where the automatic cancellation event occurred and cause an automatic restart event to occur. Also, it is possible to restart the automatic driving mode at a desired position far away from the position where the automatic driving mode was stopped. To resume, the machine 1 may be driven to a desired location and an automatic resume event may be generated.

[0187] In addition, if the current vehicle 1 is far away from the position where the automatic driving mode was stopped, an algorithm is used to set a guide driving route from the current vehicle position to the driving route element that was set at the position where the automatic driving mode was stopped.

[0188] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each travel route element used in a work trip is stored in the travel route storage unit 526 with "work trip present" or "work trip absent" as an attribute value. This allows the travel route search unit 528 to search for only travel route elements that have not yet been used in a work trip as candidates for the target travel route.

[0189] When the travel route searching unit 528 searches for a target travel route manually by an operator, a display unit that displays display elements corresponding to a group of travel route elements is used. In this embodiment, the touch panel 50 of the information terminal 5 is used as the display unit. The travel route searching unit 528 displays a group of display elements that schematically represent the group of travel route elements, as illustrated in FIG. 18 , superimposed on a field map on the touch panel 50. The operator selects a desired display element from the displayed group of display elements. The travel route searching unit 528 reads out a travel route element corresponding to the selected display element from the travel route storage unit 526 and provides it to the travel route setting unit 527. The travel route setting unit 527 sets the provided travel route element as the target travel route.

[0190] When there are many display elements and it is difficult to click and select a desired display element on the small screen of the touch panel 50, a line feed function, as shown in FIG. 19, can be used. In this line feed, the target display element is displayed so that it can be distinguished from other display elements by changing its brightness or color (shown by a thick line in FIG. 19). When "Line Search" is selected from the menu of the information terminal 5, a display element group corresponding to the travel path element group is displayed on the touch panel 50, and a forward button (+ button) and a backward button (- button) are displayed in the software button group 50a of the information terminal 5. Clicking the forward button (+ button) or backward button (- button) sequentially advances or retreats the target display element. When the desired display element becomes the target display element, the operator presses the enter button. This causes the travel path search unit 528 to read the travel path element corresponding to the display element from the travel path storage unit 526 and provide it to the travel path setting unit 527. In other words, the line feed function is possible using the travel section set based on the timing of raising and lowering the seedling planting device 3 as a unit. In the normal line advance function, the curved path in Figure 18 is treated as a single line, consisting of a collection of multiple consecutive travel path elements. Therefore, when the display element corresponding to the curved path becomes the focus display element, pressing the advance button causes the focus display element to advance to the display element corresponding to the next travel path element on the curved path.

[0191] However, when a display element corresponding to a curved route becomes the focus display element, a separately set button can be operated to sequentially advance through a plurality of consecutive travel route elements (straight line segments LE) that make up the curved route, thereby enabling the selection of a display element that corresponds to any straight line segment LE on the curved route. This configuration also makes it possible to select a straight line segment LE at a desired position on a curved route, as shown in Figure 18. Furthermore, in the case of a long curved route, the number of straight line segments LE increases, making their handling cumbersome. Therefore, it is possible to treat some of the many straight line segments LE that make up the curved route as a line collection and treat them as a unit of line advancement.

[0192] Next, a modified example of turning to transition from a currently traveling straight path to a straight path will be described with reference to Figs. 17, 20, 21, and 22. For this special turning, a complementary route setting unit 529 is configured in the information terminal 5, as shown in Fig. 17. The functional units that directly exchange data with the navigation system 29 are a travel route storage unit 526 and a travel route setting unit 527.

[0193] Here, the travel route storage unit 526 stores at least one or more circular routes created for traveling in the outer peripheral area OA, and a plurality of internal round trip routes IPL created for traveling in the inner area IA located inside the outer peripheral area. When the route is limited to the above, it is called a straight route. The route can be either a one-way route or a two-way route, and the two-way route consists of an inner route IRL and an outer route ORL. The one-way route is the outer route ORL.

[0194] The travel path setting unit 527 sets the circular path and straight path read from the travel path storage unit 526 as target travel paths that serve as targets for automatic travel. In this modified example, the travel control unit 312 has a turning travel mode in which the machine travels in a non-working state based on a turning path that connects the straight paths of the internal round trip path IPL that extend parallel to each other. The supplementary path setting unit 529 sets a supplementary path that supplements the turning path, as described below.

[0195] As shown in Figure 20, when the field is rectangular, the end point of the current straight path of the internal shuttle path IPL and the start point of the next straight path to be traveled are nearly aligned horizontally, so the turning path connecting them is traveled along a semicircular or semi-elliptical turning path TP. Note that in Figures 20, 21, and 22, the end point of the straight path is marked with an "e" and the start point of the straight path is marked with an "s." The turning path TP used when the distance between the end point of this straight path and the start point of the straight path is short is a path that involves a simple 180-degree turn. The turning path TP used when the distance between the end point of the straight path and the start point of the straight path is long is a path that involves two 90-degree turns and a straight path in between.

[0196] However, as shown in Figure 21, when the field shape is not rectangular, the end point of the current straight path (internal shuttle path IPL) that is close to the circular path and the start point of the next straight path (internal shuttle path IPL) may be significantly separated at an angle. In such cases, the turning path will not be a simple semicircular or semi-elliptical turning path. For this reason, as shown in Figure 21, a simple 180-degree turn is immediately performed from the end point of the current straight path, transitioning to the next straight path, and from that position, moving backward without working to the start point of the next straight path. From the start point of the straight path reached by moving backward, normal forward working driving is performed. This driving mode is effective when the end point of the current straight path and the start point of the next straight path are not too far apart. If the end point of the current straight path and the start point of the next straight path are significantly separated, the reverse distance becomes large. Such reverse travel can damage unworked areas and have a negative impact on the subsequent seedling planting work. An example of a travel mode that avoids this problem is shown in Figure 22. The basic feature of this travel mode is that the end point of a straight path that cannot be connected by a simple semicircular or semi-elliptical turning path is connected to the start point of the straight path by a simple turning path supplemented with a complementary path CL. This complementary path CL is set by the complementary path setting unit 529.

[0197] In FIG. 22, the complementary path CL is used in turning from the end point of the straight path (current path) indicated by L1 to the start point of the straight path (next path) indicated by L2. Hereinafter, the straight path indicated by L1 will be referred to as the first straight path, and the straight path indicated by L2 will be referred to as the second straight path. An extension of the first straight path intersects with the inner circuit path IRL at the intersection CLS. Furthermore, the second straight path on the inner circuit path IRL that intersects with the first straight path at the intersection CLS is The complementary route setting unit 529 sets the extension line section of the first straight route and the section between the intersection point CLS of the inner circular route IRL and the neighboring point CLE as the complementary route CL. As a result, the distance from the end point of the first straight route to the start point of the second straight route is set as the complementary route CL. The route CL can be connected by a turning route from the nearby point CLE to the starting point of the second straight route. The supplementary route CL uses the internal round trip route IPL that has been generated in advance, so there is no need to generate a new route. Note that, since the distance between the nearby point CLE and the second straight route is short, the turning route from the nearby point CLE to the starting point of the second straight route uses a turning route using reverse movement as shown in FIG. 11.

[0198] In order to avoid a turning path with a back-and-forth movement as shown in Fig. 22, a straight line portion of the outermost outer circuit path ORL can be used as the complementary path CL. In this case, since the distance between the neighboring point CLE set on the outer circuit path ORL and the starting point of the second straight path becomes long, a 180-degree turning path as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 10 is used as the driving path connecting the two points, rather than a turning path with a back-and-forth movement. If the distance is even longer, a turning path (a type of semi-elliptical turning path) using two 90-degree turning paths with straight driving between them as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 10 is used.

[0199] 22, the complementary route setting unit 529 uses, as the complementary route CL, a circular route that has already been generated and stored in the travel route storage unit 526. Alternatively, the complementary route setting unit 529 may set, as the complementary route CL, a route that is parallel to the circular route that has already been generated. Parallel movement of a route has the advantage of requiring a lower computational load than generating a new complementary route CL.

[0200] As yet another travel mode, the complementary path setting unit 529 can set a path parallel to the internal round-trip path IPL as the complementary path CL. For example, in the example of Fig. 22, the second straight path can be translated to a position where it overlaps with the first straight path and used as the complementary path CL. Alternatively, the first straight path can be extended as is to a position closest to the starting point of the second straight path, and the extension can be used as the complementary path CL.

[0201] The complementary route setting unit 529 can register the following conditions regarding the setting of the complementary route CL. (1) When traveling on the internal round-trip route IPL in the automatic traveling mode, the end point of the internal round-trip route IPL currently traveling and the start point of the internal round-trip route IPL to be traveled next are connected by traveling in the turning traveling mode. At this time, the complementary route setting unit 529 sets the complementary route CL when the condition that the distance from the end point of the internal round-trip route IPL currently traveling to the start point of the internal round-trip route IPL to be traveled next is satisfied is met.

[0202] (2) When a plurality of settable complementary routes CL are calculated, the complementary route setting unit 529 selects the turning travel route including the complementary route CL that has the shortest length.

[0203] (3) The complementary route setting unit 529 preferentially sets a complementary route CL that does not enter the internal area IA or a complementary route CL that has a short travel distance within the internal area IA.

[0204] (4) The supplementary route setting unit 529 preferentially sets, as the supplementary route CL, a travel route having a travel direction that matches the travel direction when the machine 1 travels on the supplementary route CL. For this reason, the circular route and the internal round trip route IPL are stored in the travel route storage unit 526 with the travel direction as one of the attribute values.

[0205] In the above-described embodiment, the remote controller 90 is used for starting and stopping automatic driving, and for making small adjustments when replenishing materials, but it is also suitable for manual operation in areas where steering is difficult and automatic driving is difficult. In particular, in areas where the vehicle 1 is exposed to danger, such as slopes, remote operation using the remote controller 90 is advantageous because the driver does not need to get into the vehicle 1.

[0206] FIG. 23 shows an area near the entrance / exit E as a special area SA where steering is difficult. FIG. 24 shows a functional block diagram of a control system that functions when work driving in the special area SA is manually controlled by the remote control 90. In this functional block diagram, the information terminal 5 is newly equipped with a work management unit 530. The work management unit 530 divides the farm into an outer circumferential area OA, an inner area IA located inside the outer circumferential area OA, and the special area SA where steering is difficult. The travel path setting unit 527 sets a circuit path consisting of an inner circuit path IRL and an outer circuit path ORL for traveling in the outer circumferential area OA, and an inner round trip path IPL for traveling in the inner area IA, as target travel paths that are the target of automatic driving. The driving control unit 312 has an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle is steered based on the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 311 and the target driving route, a manual driving mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven based on manual operation by an operator on board the vehicle 1, and a remote control driving mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven based on remote operation by an operator outside the vehicle using a remote control 90.

[0207] It is possible to assign the remote control driving mode as the driving mode in the special area SA by default, in which case the driving mode is switched to the remote control driving mode just before the machine 1 enters the special area SA. As a result, in special areas where automatic driving is difficult, the operator performs work driving by remote control using the remote control 90. Because automatic driving in special areas is prohibited, the machine 1 is forcibly stopped just before the rice transplanter enters the special area, and a notification is issued that manual driving using the remote control 90 is required.

[0208] The seedling planting work near the entrance / exit E, designated as the special area SA, is the final stage of work in the entire field, and the shape of the work area is complex (a deformed polygonal shape), with a mixture of narrow and wide working widths. Furthermore, the seedling planting work requires accurate positioning of the work vehicle, and it is necessary to avoid planting seedlings in an area where seedling planting has already been completed. For this reason, the working width must be changed frequently during partial work processes. Changing the working width during seedling planting work is possible by changing the number of seedling rows planted on the seedling planting device 3. This change must be performed remotely using the remote control 90.

[0209] For this reason, for remote control in the special area SA, not only the functions of the remote control 90 described above but also an expanded remote control 90 with additional special functions is used. As shown in FIG. 24, this remote control 90 is equipped with a traveling equipment operation unit 91 and a work equipment operation unit 92. The traveling equipment operation unit 91 is provided to remotely control the start and stop of travel of the machine body 1, the vehicle speed, and the direction (steering) of the machine body 1, and wirelessly transmits traveling control signals in response to operation by the operator to the traveling control unit 312. The work equipment operation unit 92 is provided to remotely control the operation of work equipment such as the seedling planting device 3, and wirelessly transmits work control signals in response to operation by the operator to the work control unit 313.

[0210] The work equipment operating unit 92 can issue commands to raise and lower the seedling planting device 3 and turn the planting mechanism 22 on and off. The work equipment operating unit 92 also includes an effective row designation unit 921. The effective row designation unit 921 can designate the working width of the seedling planting device 3, i.e., the number of seedling rows to be planted. As shown in FIG. 25 , power from the engine 2 is distributed to each planting mechanism 22 via the individual row clutches EC. The individual row clutches EC are configured to allow the seedling planting device 3 to start and stop work for a predetermined number of rows. In this example, the individual row clutches EC are configured to allow the seedling planting device 3 to start and stop work for every two rows, but the individual row clutches EC may also be configured to allow selection for every row, or every three or more rows. The operator operates the effective row designation unit 921 on the remote control 90 to designate the desired number of seedling rows to be planted and transmit the designation to the work control unit 313. The work control unit 313 controls the ON / OFF of each row clutch EC based on the specified number of seedling planting rows, thereby creating the desired number of seedling planting rows, that is, the desired work width.

[0211] When boundary lines such as farm ridges are not straight but have irregular shapes, or when boundary lines have sharp angles, If they intersect, steering during work travel near that area becomes complicated, similar to the area near the entrance / exit E, and is not suitable for automatic travel, so manual operation using the remote control 90 is effective. Such areas differ from field to field, so in order to designate them as special areas SA, they must be set for each field. For this reason, the work management unit 530 built into the information terminal 5 allows the worker to designate any area of ​​the field as a special area SA using a map of the field displayed on the touch panel 50, which is an example of a display unit.

[0212] The remote control driving mode of the present invention can be implemented under various control conditions as described below. (1) Ground work such as planting seedlings in the special area SA is only possible in remote control traveling mode. Traveling in the special area SA without ground work is also possible in modes other than remote control traveling mode. (2) Pre-set sequential operations, such as starting travel, turning on and off each row clutch EC, planting seedlings for a specified distance, and stopping travel, are programmed as one unit of work travel operation, and this one unit of operation is executed by one unit of remote control operation. One unit of remote control operation is performed by operating a combination of specific buttons on the remote controller 90 or by operating a specially provided program button. (3) When aircraft 1 is in the special area SA, remote control driving mode will be maintained unless special operations are performed. (4) When an operator is on board the vehicle 1 and is operating the vehicle manually, even if the vehicle 1 reaches the special area SA, it does not switch to the remote control driving mode, but continues in the on-board manual driving mode, which is manual driving by the operator. When the vehicle 1 reaches the special area SA, it may stop temporarily and execute control that allows the operator to select either the remote control driving mode or the on-board manual driving mode.

[0213] Next, the steering control used for turning will be described. The steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted by the operation of the steering mechanism. Conventionally, in the turning of rice transplanters, in the turning (90-degree turn + straight + 90-degree turn) shown by the solid line in FIG. 11 and the turning (90-degree turn) shown by the dotted line in FIG. 11, the steering angle is turned to the maximum angle at the start of the turn and then returned to neutral, thereby performing a 90-degree turn. Turning at the maximum angle improves turning performance, but has problems of damaging the field and reducing turning accuracy. For this reason, in this embodiment, the maximum turning angle is not used at the start of the turn, and a turning start angle smaller than the maximum turning angle is used, which corresponds to the turning degree of the turning (90 degrees in FIG. 11). The turning start angle may be calculated using the turning degree as a parameter, but it is even better if the vehicle speed is also used as a parameter. Alternatively, a target turning path may be set in advance, and the amount of deviation from the target turning path may be calculated based on the aircraft position calculated by the aircraft position calculation unit 311, and the steering angle may be fine-tuned based on this amount of deviation.

[0214] The steering angle is calculated using the maximum left and right turning angles and the median value of the steering angle of the steering mechanism installed as reference values. However, because the steering mechanisms installed in each rice transplanter have different characteristics, the maximum left and right turning angles and the median value of the turning angles may differ for each rice transplanter. Therefore, if steering control is performed using a common target steering angle, an appropriate steering angle may not be obtained. For this reason, in this embodiment, the maximum left and right turning angles and the median value of the turning angle of the steering mechanism are measured in advance and stored. During actual steering control, a steering angle control signal is generated by referring to the stored maximum left and right turning angles and the median value of the turning angle.

[0215] [Long-distance driving amplification function] Next, the amplification function during long-distance driving during non-work driving by automatic driving will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and 26 to 31. FIG.

[0216] In the automatic driving mode, the vehicle 1 travels along a work driving path WL, which is a driving path for work driving where work such as planting seedlings is performed while driving, and a non-work driving path NWL, which is a driving path for non-work driving where no work is performed. On the work driving path WL, the vehicle travels at a preset vehicle speed V0. The vehicle speed V0 is kept to a relatively low speed in order to perform work appropriately. On the non-work driving path NWL, the vehicle travels at a preset vehicle speed V1 that is even slower than the vehicle speed V0.

[0217] When work travel follows non-work travel, the travel distance of the non-work travel may be long. For example, as shown in Figure 26, if forward travel on the non-work travel route NWL is performed to the planting start point WSP, which is the start position of work travel on the work travel route WL, and work travel to plant seedlings from the planting start point WSP on the work travel route WL, the travel distance of straight travel on the non-work travel route NWL may be long. Also, as shown in Figure 27, if non-work travel is performed in reverse on the non-work travel route NWL to the planting start point WSP on the work travel route WL, and then forward travel from the planting start point WSP on the work travel route WL to plant seedlings, the travel distance of straight travel in reverse may be long.

[0218] In such a case, in automatic driving, non-work driving is performed at a relatively slow vehicle speed V1, and the time spent in non-work driving is long. Therefore, as shown in Figures 28 and 29, when non-work driving by forward or reverse is performed, if the distance traveled in a straight line is equal to or longer than a predetermined distance TS1 (corresponding to the "first distance"), or if the time spent in a straight line is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, processing may be performed to increase the driving vehicle speed to a vehicle speed V2 (corresponding to the "second vehicle speed") that is faster than the previous vehicle speed (corresponding to the "first vehicle speed"), such as the set vehicle speed V1.

[0219] During non-work driving, no work is being performed, and there is no need to suppress vehicle speed in order to perform work appropriately. Furthermore, if the distance or time spent on non-work driving at low speed is long, work efficiency decreases. By implementing the long-distance driving amplification function, the vehicle speed can be increased (vehicle speed V2) in situations where the distance or time spent on non-work driving at low speed (vehicle speed V1) is long, thereby optimizing the vehicle speed during non-work driving and improving work efficiency.

[0220] Traveling related to the long-distance travel amplification function is controlled by a control unit 30, as shown in FIG. 30. The control unit 30 includes a travel control unit 312 and an automatic travel control unit 75. The travel control unit 312 controls the travel equipment 1D (corresponding to the "travel device") in accordance with control of the automatic travel control unit 75 or operation of an operating device 1B such as a main shift lever 7A, to cause the machine body 1 to travel. During automatic travel, the automatic travel control unit 75 controls the travel control unit 312 to travel along a predetermined travel route in accordance with the vehicle's own position determined based on positioning data output by a satellite positioning module 8A (corresponding to the "satellite positioning unit"), while also controlling the work equipment 1C, such as the seedling planting device 3.

[0221] When the distance traveled straight during non-work driving reaches or exceeds a predetermined distance TS1, the driving control unit 312 increases the vehicle speed during automatic driving to a vehicle speed V2, which is faster than a preset vehicle speed V1. The distance traveled straight during non-work driving is measured using the driving equipment 1D, the positioning unit 8, etc. When measuring the distance traveled straight using the driving equipment 1D, a rotation speed sensor 12C is provided that measures the rotation speed of the axle of the wheel 12 or the drive shaft that transmits driving force from the engine 2 to the wheel 12, and the driving distance is calculated from the rotation speed of the axle or drive shaft. When measuring the distance traveled straight using the positioning unit 8, the driving control unit 312 measures the change in the vehicle's orientation during non-work driving using the inertial measurement module 8B (corresponding to the "vehicle orientation measurement unit") of the positioning unit 8, and determines that the vehicle 1 is traveling straight if the amount of change in the vehicle's orientation during driving for a predetermined time or distance is within a predetermined range. At the same time, the driving control unit 312 calculates the driving distance from the amount of change in the vehicle position output by the satellite positioning module 8A of the positioning unit 8. Then, the driving control unit 312 determines whether the distance traveled straight while not performing work is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance TS1.

[0222] In this way, by determining whether the vehicle is traveling straight using the traveling equipment 1D and the positioning unit 8, it is possible to easily determine whether the vehicle is traveling straight while not performing work, and the amplification function for long-distance traveling can be easily implemented.

[0223] Furthermore, if the distance traveled straight from the vehicle's position to the planting start point WSP is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance TS2 (corresponding to the "second distance"), the travel control unit 312 may increase the vehicle speed during automatic travel to a vehicle speed V2 that is faster than the preset vehicle speed V1, regardless of the distance traveled straight. Automatic travel follows a predetermined travel route. The position (coordinates) of the planting start point WSP on the field map is known in advance, and the vehicle's position (coordinates) on the field map is also known by the positioning unit 8. Therefore, the travel control unit 312 can calculate the distance from the vehicle's position to the planting start point WSP and determine whether it is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance TS2.

[0224] In this way, not only does the vehicle speed increase after non-work driving has been performed for a predetermined distance or time, but because the driving route is predetermined during automatic driving, it is known in advance whether the distance from the vehicle's position to the planting start point WSP is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance TS2, and when it is determined that the distance from the vehicle's position to the planting start point WSP is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance TS2, the vehicle speed is increased. As a result, it is possible to increase the vehicle speed from the start of non-work driving, allowing for more efficient driving.

[0225] Furthermore, when the vehicle is traveling non-working and has increased its speed to V2, the travel control unit 312 may reduce the vehicle speed to V1 when the distance from the vehicle position to the planting start point WSP becomes less than a predetermined distance TS3 (corresponding to the "third distance").

[0226] In this way, when the vehicle is in an accelerated speed state during non-work travel and the planting start point WSP is approached, the vehicle speed is reduced to a vehicle speed V1 suitable for work travel, and deceleration begins toward the planting start point WSP, and by the time the vehicle reaches the planting start point WSP, the vehicle speed has been reduced to a vehicle speed suitable for work, allowing work travel to be carried out at an appropriate vehicle speed.

[0227] The long-distance travel amplification function may be implemented on a non-work travel route NWL that includes a turning route connected to the work travel route WL. For example, on a non-work travel route NWL that includes straight-line travel during a turn due to non-work travel, the long-distance travel amplification function may be implemented when the distance or time of straight-line travel is long. Furthermore, on a non-work travel route NWL that includes straight-line travel before or after a turn during non-work travel, the long-distance travel amplification function may be implemented when the distance or time of straight-line travel is long. Furthermore, the long-distance travel amplification function may be implemented not only for straight-line travel but also for long turning distances or times. Turning is preferably performed at a slower speed than straight-line travel, but there are cases where traveling at a vehicle speed faster than the vehicle speed V1 in automated driving is acceptable. In such cases, if the distance or time of non-work travel, including turning, is long, the vehicle speed may be increased to a vehicle speed V2 that is faster than the vehicle speed V1 and does not interfere with turning.

[0228] In this way, the vehicle speed can be increased in the straight-line area of ​​the non-work traveling route NWL, which includes a turning route, or on a turning route, so that the vehicle can travel more efficiently.

[0229] The following cases are examples of non-work travel routes NWL that connect to the work travel route WL.

[0230] As shown in Figure 31, in the case of a deformed field, when turning between two straight routes IPSL, the straight route for non-work travel may become long. If the machine travels, then turns around the periphery of the sloped field, and then performs work travel on work travel route WL2, the length of straight travel for non-work travel will be long. In this case, the turning travel is mainly performed on the following types of turning travel route.

[0231] In the first turning run, the machine 1 performs work travel to the end position of the work travel path WL1, then proceeds to the outer peripheral area OA for non-work travel and turns on the non-work travel path NWL1. Then, because the outer periphery is inclined, the machine 1 proceeds to an area halfway along the work travel path WL2, and it becomes necessary to reverse on the non-work travel path NWL2 to the start position of the work travel path WL2. Then, the long-distance travel amplification function may be implemented on the non-work travel path NWL2, and the long-distance travel amplification function may be implemented on the non-work travel path NWL1. Note that in the figure, the non-work travel path NWL2 is drawn alongside the work travel path WL2, but in reality, the non-work travel path NWL2 is set on the work travel path WL2.

[0232] In the second turning run, the vehicle travels to the end of the work travel route WL1, then travels to the outer periphery area OA on the non-work travel route NWL3, turns twice with a straight line in between, and travels forward to the start of the work travel route NW2. The long-distance travel amplification function is then implemented on the non-work travel route NWL3.

[0233] Furthermore, an example of a non-work travel route NWL connected to another work travel route WL may be a route for small pull-up travel when replenishing materials such as seedlings.

[0234] During the short-distance driving, the machine 1 stops at the terminal area of ​​the internal shuttle path IPL, then travels forward or backward in a straight line in non-work driving mode to a supply location such as a seedling supply location. After supplying materials, the machine 1 travels backward or forward in a straight line in non-work driving mode to return to the terminal area. While the short-distance driving is typically performed at a predetermined vehicle speed slower than vehicle speed V1, a long-distance driving amplification function may be implemented during the non-work driving between the terminal area and the supply location, increasing the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed during the previous drive if the non-work driving distance or duration is long. This allows non-work driving performed simply for material supply to be performed at a relatively high vehicle speed, enabling efficient short-distance driving. The increased vehicle speed can be set by considering a balance between driving efficiency and appropriate short-distance driving. However, because the vehicle speed during short-distance driving may be slower than vehicle speed V1, the increased vehicle speed may also be slower than vehicle speed V1.

[0235] Furthermore, if a predetermined sensor or the like detects that seedlings or other materials have run out or are running low while traveling along the internal shuttle path IPL, the automatic traveling control unit 75 may stop the machine 1. In such a case, the machine 1 is manually driven to a supply position and the materials are replenished. A slight adjustment function may be applied when moving from an arbitrary position in the field to a material replenishment position. When the machine 1 stops midway through the field, a predetermined operation causes the automatic traveling control unit 75 to transition to a state in which the slight adjustment function is performed. Then, the machine 1 is manually driven to travel forward or backward toward the replenishment position, and after the materials are replenished, the machine 1 is manually driven to travel forward or backward toward the position where it stopped, for non-work purposes.

[0236] In this way, the short-distance travel can be applied to non-work travel between any position in the field and the supply position, and during the short-distance travel, the long-distance travel amplification function can be implemented so that the vehicle speed can be increased compared to the vehicle speed during the previous travel if the non-work travel distance or time is long. This allows for efficient non-work travel to supply materials even if it becomes necessary to replenish materials midway through the field.

[0237] The vehicle speed may be increased or decreased suddenly in the long-distance driving amplification function, but may also be increased or decreased gradually. This makes it easier to respond appropriately to changes in the surrounding conditions, and also makes it possible to prevent passengers from feeling uncomfortable due to sudden changes in vehicle speed.

[0238] Furthermore, the vehicle speed after acceleration, such as vehicle speed V2, and vehicle speed V1 may be predetermined, or may be configured to be arbitrarily set at the start of automatic driving or during automatic driving, or may be configured to be arbitrarily changed during automatic driving. Furthermore, distances TS1, TS2, and TS3 may be predetermined, or may be configured to be arbitrarily set at the start of automatic driving or during automatic driving, or may be configured to be arbitrarily changed during automatic driving. This allows for the optimal long-distance driving amplification function to be implemented depending on the field conditions, work conditions, driver skill, etc.

[0239] These settings and changes can be made using the information terminal 5 or the like. The long-distance traveling amplification function may be controlled by the control unit 30 mounted on the vehicle 1, or may be remotely controlled by a control system provided outside the vehicle, such as a management server.

[0240] [Special turning function for high-load fields] Next, the turning function dedicated to high-load fields when turning by automatic traveling will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, 5, 30, and 32. FIG.

[0241] The conditions of a farm field may differ from other fields, such as wet rice fields, and conditions within the field are not always constant. Furthermore, automatic driving is controlled to travel at a predetermined vehicle speed, and the engine speed is also maintained at a speed corresponding to the vehicle speed. In fields with high loads, such as wet rice fields, the wheels 12 may get stuck in the ground during turning at the predetermined vehicle speed and engine speed during automatic driving, causing the vehicle speed to drop or the vehicle 1 to stop, preventing proper turning and efficient driving.

[0242] To avoid such a situation, in this embodiment, when turning in a high-load field, a turning function dedicated to high-load fields is implemented, which switches from the normal mode in which normal automatic driving is performed to a wet field mode in which the vehicle speed is increased, the engine rotation speed is increased, and the engine power (torque) is improved.

[0243] Traveling related to the dedicated turning function for high-load fields is controlled by a control unit 30, as shown in Fig. 30. The control unit 30 includes a travel control unit 312 and an automatic travel control unit 75. Switching from normal mode to wet paddy field mode may be performed based on settings made on the information terminal 5 or operation using a predetermined operating tool 1B, or may be performed by automatically determining the field conditions.

[0244] To switch to wet paddy field mode when turning by operation / setting, the driver checks the field conditions and, if he / she determines that the load is high, sets wet paddy field mode by setting on the information terminal 5 or by operating the specified operating device 1B. By setting wet paddy field mode, the driving control unit 312 performs control corresponding to wet paddy field mode when turning. Setting on the information terminal 5 may be performed simultaneously with various settings at the start of automatic driving, or may be configured to be performed during automatic driving.

[0245] When automatically determining to switch to wet paddy field mode when turning, the automatic travel control unit 75 sets the mode to wet paddy field mode if it determines that the load is high based on the field conditions or slippage of the machine body 1.

[0246] When the wet field mode is set, the driving control unit 312 performs a combination of at least one of increasing the vehicle speed, increasing the engine rotation speed, and increasing the engine power (torque) during cornering. When increasing the vehicle speed, the driving control unit 312 performs a combination of at least one of increasing the vehicle speed, increasing the engine rotation speed, and increasing the engine power (torque) during cornering. After traveling on the forward path IPSL at the automatic traveling vehicle speed V1, when turning on the turning path IPRL, ​​the vehicle speed is controlled to increase to a vehicle speed V3 that is faster than the vehicle speed V1. Then, when traveling on the straight path IPSL after turning, the vehicle speed is returned to the vehicle speed V1. When increasing the engine speed, the traveling control unit 312 controls the straight path IPSL to a speed corresponding to the automatic traveling vehicle speed V1 by automatic traveling, and then controls the engine speed to increase to a predetermined speed that is higher than the speed corresponding to the vehicle speed V1 when turning on the turning path IPRL. Then, when traveling on the straight path IPSL after turning, the engine speed is returned to the speed corresponding to the vehicle speed V1. When increasing engine power (torque), the traveling control unit 312 controls the continuously variable transmission 9 during turning to increase the engine power (torque).

[0247] In this way, when automatically driving in a high-load field, by setting the mode to wet paddy field mode and combining at least one of increasing vehicle speed, increasing engine speed, and improving engine power (torque) when turning, it is possible to prevent a decrease in turning vehicle speed and the stopping of the vehicle 1, and to perform turning efficiently.

[0248] When determining that the load is high due to slippage of the vehicle body 1, the vehicle speed calculated from the change in distance per unit time of the vehicle's position output by the positioning unit 8 is compared with the vehicle speed calculated from the rotation speed of the axle or drive shaft measured by the rotation speed sensor 12C. If the vehicle speed calculated using the rotation speed sensor 12C is slower than the vehicle speed calculated using the positioning unit 8 by a predetermined vehicle speed or by a predetermined percentage or more, it can be determined that the vehicle body 1 is slipping and the load on the field is high. In this case, the automatic driving control unit 75 may determine as needed whether the load in each area of ​​the field is higher than a predetermined level while traveling within the field, and switch between the wet paddy field mode and the normal mode each time. Alternatively, the automatic driving control unit 75 may first determine whether the load on the field is higher than a predetermined level during the first perimeter travel in the field, and if it is determined that the load on the field is higher than the predetermined level, set the automatic driving control unit 75 to the wet paddy field mode at the start of automatic traveling.

[0249] In addition, a management server (not shown) may store a field map that records the load conditions when the vehicle has traveled in the past, and the automatic driving control unit 75 may acquire the past field map from the management server (not shown), and if the load of the field recorded in the field map is higher than a predetermined load, set the vehicle to wet field mode.

[0250] Furthermore, the determination of whether the load due to slippage of the vehicle 1 is high may be made by comparing the set vehicle speed for automatic driving with the actual vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 while traveling. For example, as described above, the positioning unit 8 may be used to calculate the actual vehicle speed, and if this vehicle speed is slower than the set vehicle speed by a predetermined speed or percentage or more, the automatic driving control unit 75 may set the vehicle to wet paddy field mode. In this case, switching to wet paddy field mode may be performed at any time while the vehicle is traveling.

[0251] As described above, the automatic driving control unit 75 determines the load on the field and sets the mode to wet field mode or normal mode, so it can more accurately determine that the field is highly loaded and appropriately set the mode to wet field mode.

[0252] [Speed-up function for high-load fields] Next, the speed-up function for high-load fields, which adjusts the vehicle speed during automatic traveling in high-load fields, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 and 5. FIG.

[0253] In high-load fields such as wet rice fields as described above, the wheels 12 may get stuck in the ground during automatic driving, causing the vehicle speed to decrease or the vehicle 1 to stop, making it impossible to drive automatically at an appropriate speed and resulting in inefficient driving.

[0254] To avoid such a situation, in this embodiment, in a high-load field, the traveling vehicle speed is set to a constant value. If the speed drops below a certain level, the instructed vehicle speed is increased to increase the traveling vehicle speed, thereby implementing the speed increase function for high-load fields.

[0255] Traveling related to the speed-up function in a high-load field is controlled by a control unit 30, as shown in FIG.

[0256] During automatic driving, the driving control unit 312 controls the vehicle 1 to drive at a predetermined instructed vehicle speed instructed by the automatic driving control unit 75. During automatic driving, the automatic driving control unit 75 acquires the traveling vehicle speed (actual vehicle speed) of the vehicle 1 and compares it with the instructed vehicle speed. The actual vehicle speed is calculated from the change in distance per unit time of the vehicle position output by the positioning unit 8.

[0257] The automatic driving control unit 75 compares the actual vehicle speed with the commanded vehicle speed and determines whether the commanded vehicle speed is faster than the actual vehicle speed by a predetermined vehicle speed or more. If the commanded vehicle speed remains faster than the actual vehicle speed by the predetermined vehicle speed or more for a predetermined period of time or more, the automatic driving control unit 75 increases the commanded vehicle speed and controls the driving control unit 312 to drive at the increased commanded vehicle speed. The commanded vehicle speed may be increased by a predetermined vehicle speed, or may be increased by a vehicle speed corresponding to the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the commanded vehicle speed, or may be increased by the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the commanded vehicle speed or a vehicle speed obtained by adding a predetermined margin to the difference.

[0258] Furthermore, even after increasing the instructed vehicle speed, the automatic driving control unit 75 continues to compare the actual vehicle speed with the instructed vehicle speed. If the instructed vehicle speed continues to be faster than the actual vehicle speed by a predetermined vehicle speed or more for a predetermined period of time or more, the automatic driving control unit 75 further increases the instructed vehicle speed. Conversely, if the difference between the instructed vehicle speed and the actual vehicle speed becomes smaller than the predetermined vehicle speed, the automatic driving control unit 75 maintains the instructed vehicle speed.

[0259] Furthermore, if the actual vehicle speed becomes faster than the instructed vehicle speed, or if the instructed vehicle speed is changed, the automatic driving control unit 75 may return the instructed vehicle speed to the original instructed vehicle speed or the changed instructed vehicle speed, or may slow down the instructed vehicle speed by a predetermined vehicle speed.

[0260] In this way, by comparing the actual vehicle speed with the indicated vehicle speed and increasing the indicated vehicle speed according to the difference, even if the actual vehicle speed is not sufficient due to the machine body 1 slipping due to the load on the field, the actual vehicle speed can be controlled to increase, and the actual vehicle speed can be brought closer to the indicated vehicle speed, allowing the machine to travel at an appropriate driving speed and achieve efficient driving.

[0261] [Manual operation restriction function] Next, the manual operation restriction function during automatic driving will be described.

[0262] When a predetermined condition is met during automatic driving, the automatic driving is temporarily stopped and the vehicle stops. When automatic driving is temporarily stopped, automatic driving will resume or the vehicle will transition to another state related to automatic driving or manual driving, depending on the type of operation or whether or not an operation was performed, by performing a predetermined operation or not performing an operation for a predetermined period of time.

[0263] For example, in the seedling supply mode, when the machine body 1 reaches a predetermined terminal area of ​​the internal shuttle path IPL, the machine body 1 stops and automatic travel is temporarily stopped. When automatic travel is temporarily stopped, if a predetermined operation is performed, such as operating the automatic start operating device (not shown) and then operating the main speed change lever 7A in the forward direction, or if a predetermined time has passed without any operation, automatic travel resumes and the machine body 1 transitions to turning travel. Furthermore, when automatic travel is temporarily stopped, if a predetermined operation is performed, such as operating the main speed change lever 7A in the forward direction, the machine body transitions to a state in which slight adjustment is performed, and the machine body travels forward a predetermined distance, or travel to replenish seedlings is initiated in response to the operation of the main speed change lever 7A, etc.

[0264] Furthermore, when autonomous driving is temporarily stopped, guidance and warnings are provided by means of a display on the information terminal 5, a voice alarm, etc. The guidance and warnings include a warning that autonomous driving has been temporarily stopped, various warnings informing the user of the status of the vehicle 1, and guidance on the next operation that can be performed. The various warnings informing the user of the status of the vehicle 1 include a warning that the positioning unit 8 is not properly receiving satellite signals, a warning that autonomous driving has stopped (ended) due to poor satellite signal reception, etc. The guidance includes procedures for operations to resume autonomous driving, procedures for operations to make a slight pullover, etc.

[0265] When automated driving is temporarily stopped in this way, even though guidance and warnings are given, the worker / driver (operator) may make an incorrect operation, causing the vehicle to drive contrary to the operator's intentions.

[0266] For example, when the machine body 1 stops in the terminal area of ​​the internal shuttle path IPL during automatic travel in the seedling supply mode and automatic travel is temporarily stopped, the operator may operate the machine body 1 with the intention of restarting automatic travel and starting a turning movement, but may mistakenly operate the machine body 1 and cause it to travel forward in manual travel. Specifically, if an operator performs an incorrect operation to resume automatic travel while automatic travel is temporarily stopped, automatic travel will not resume and travel corresponding to the incorrect operation will begin. Also, when automatic travel is temporarily stopped, after operating the automatic start operating device (not shown) but before operating the main shift lever 7A in the forward direction, automatic travel may stop due to poor satellite signal reception, etc., and then operating the main shift lever 7A in the forward direction will start forward travel in manual travel.

[0267] In this way, in order to prevent the operator from performing operations contrary to his or her intentions when automatic traveling is temporarily stopped, a manual operation restriction function is implemented in this embodiment.

[0268] The manual operation restriction function is a function that does not accept operation of the operating device 1B, such as the automatic start operating device (not shown) or the main shift lever 7A, until a predetermined time has elapsed when automatic driving is temporarily stopped.

[0269] By implementing the manual operation restriction function that disables the operator's manual operation, the operator is encouraged to pay attention to the guidance and warnings, and the likelihood that the operator will perform appropriate operations in accordance with the guidance and warnings is increased. As a result, the operator can drive the machine 1 in accordance with the operator's intentions.

[0270] The manual operation restriction function will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, 33 and 34. FIG.

[0271] The manual operation restriction function is controlled by a control unit 30, as shown in FIG. 33. The control unit 30 includes a driving control unit 312, an automatic driving control unit 75, and an alarm control unit 77. The control unit 30 is also connected to the operating tool 1B, the traveling equipment 1D, the information terminal 5, the voice alarm generating device 100, and the like. The driving control unit 312 controls the traveling equipment 1D (corresponding to the "traveling device") in accordance with the control of the automatic driving control unit 75 or the operation of the operating tool 1B, such as the main shift lever 7A, to cause the vehicle 1 to travel. During automatic traveling, the automatic traveling control unit 75 controls the driving control unit 312 to travel along a predetermined traveling route in accordance with the vehicle's own position determined based on the positioning data output by the positioning unit 8. The alarm control unit 77 causes the alarm units, such as the information terminal 5 and the voice alarm generating device 100, to provide guidance and warnings in accordance with the control of the automatic traveling control unit 75, etc.

[0272] As shown in FIG. 34, the automatic driving control unit 75 performs a certain Alternatively, the operation by the operating tool 1B is not accepted until a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle 1 came to a halt.

[0273] An example of state transition in the manual operation restriction function will be described with reference to the time chart shown in FIG.

[0274] Assume that during automatic driving, automatic driving is temporarily stopped at a certain time t0 and the vehicle 1 stops. Until this time t0, the automatic driving control unit 75 effectively accepts operations by the operating device 1B, and controls the notification control unit 77 to cause notification units such as the information terminal 5 and the voice alarm generating device 100 to provide guidance and warnings according to the situation during automatic driving.

[0275] When the automatic traveling is temporarily stopped and the vehicle 1 comes to a halt, the automatic traveling control unit 75 does not accept any operation by the operating device 1B, etc. for a predetermined time tw1 (corresponding to the "first time"), and invalidates any operation even if it is performed. Furthermore, when the automatic traveling is temporarily stopped, the automatic traveling control unit 75 issues a warning that the automatic traveling is temporarily stopped, and guidance regarding operations necessary to transition to a transitionable state and operations necessary to resume the automatic traveling, via the notification control unit 77. The operator can then pay attention to the warning and guidance during the period when operations by the operating device 1B, etc. are not accepted.

[0276] Specifically, the operator can confirm guidance regarding operations necessary to resume automatic driving and perform appropriate operations to resume automatic driving. Even if automatic driving stops (ends) due to poor satellite signal reception or other reasons after operating the automatic start operating device (not shown) but before operating the main shift lever 7A in the forward direction, the operator's attention is focused on warnings and guidance, improving the likelihood that the operator will receive a notification that automatic driving has stopped (ended) and confirm guidance regarding operations to resume automatic driving in this state, allowing the operator to perform appropriate operations and resume automatic driving. When automatic driving stops (ends), to resume automatic driving, it is necessary to return the main shift lever 7A to the neutral position, operate the automatic start operating device (not shown), and then operate the main shift lever 7A in the forward direction. Therefore, when automatic driving stops (ends), it is preferable that guidance be provided to return the main shift lever 7A to the neutral position. Even when transitioning to a different state, the operator can confirm guidance regarding operations necessary to transition to a transitionable state and perform appropriate operations, improving the likelihood that the intended transition is properly achieved. In this way, the operator is given time to pay attention to the warnings and guidance, which can serve as an opportunity for the operator to take the warnings and guidance into consideration before performing the next operation. Therefore, by implementing the manual operation restriction function while automatic driving is temporarily stopped, the likelihood of appropriate operation being performed in accordance with the operator's intentions can be increased.

[0277] While such guidance and warnings are being issued, when time t1 arrives, the automatic driving control unit 75 accepts operations using the operating device 1B, etc., after time t1, validates the operations, and performs control according to the operations.

[0278] Thereafter, at time t2, if an operation is performed using the operating device 1B or the like, the automatic driving control unit 75 performs control in accordance with the operation. For example, if an operation to resume automatic driving is performed, the automatic driving control unit 75 resumes automatic driving. Also, if an operation to transition to a different state is performed, for example, an operation to start a slight pull-up, the automatic driving control unit 75 performs control to transition the state and perform slight pull-up driving in accordance with the operation of the main shift lever 7A. At the same time, the automatic driving control unit 75 controls the notification control unit 77 so that guidance and warnings are provided during driving in accordance with the operation.

[0279] Note that the time elapsed from the time t0 when the automatic driving was temporarily stopped is t If no operation is performed until time t3, which corresponds to w2 ("the second time"), that is, if a predetermined time tw2 has elapsed since automatic driving was temporarily stopped without any operation being performed, the automatic driving control unit 75 may automatically resume automatic driving.

[0280] Furthermore, the operating device 1B for performing an operation to resume automatic driving or an operation to transition to a different state may include any of the remote control 90, a button switch provided on the vehicle 1, a screen switch displayed on the information terminal 5, etc. For example, a button or the like different from the main shift lever 7A for performing slight pull-up driving may be provided separately on the vehicle 1. By providing a button or the like for performing slight pull-up driving separately from the main shift lever 7A, it is possible to easily prevent unintentional slight pull-up driving from being performed by mistakenly operating the main shift lever 7A.

[0281] The guidance and warnings given while autonomous driving is paused may be given for a predetermined period of time or may end after a predetermined number of times. In this case, the start point of the time tw1 until the operation is made valid may be the time t0 when autonomous driving is paused, or the time when the guidance or warning ends. By making operations invalid for the predetermined time tw1 after the guidance or warning ends, the operator has an opportunity to receive all guidance and warnings, making it easier to perform appropriate operations accordingly.

[0282] Furthermore, if the automatic driving stops (ends) during operation after guidance or a warning has been given, it is preferable that the automatic driving control unit 75 give the corresponding guidance or warning. In this way, even if the automatic driving is being operated, if a separate guidance or warning is given, it is preferable that the automatic driving control unit 75 invalidates the operation of the operating device 1B again when the automatic driving ends. In this case, it is preferable that the automatic driving control unit 75 is configured not to accept operation by the operating device 1B for a predetermined time tw1 from the time when the automatic driving ends or the time when the guidance or warning associated with the end of automatic driving ends.

[0283] With this configuration, even if automatic driving ends in the middle of an operation, the operator is prevented from operating the vehicle without realizing that automatic driving has ended in the middle of the operation, and appropriate operations are performed, allowing the vehicle to travel in accordance with the operator's intentions.

[0284] The above-mentioned guidance and warning may be provided by various methods and devices, such as displaying text or illustrations on the information terminal 5, or issuing a voice guidance or warning from the voice alarm generating device 100. For example, text or the like may be displayed on the remote control 90, a predetermined vibration may be applied to the remote control 90, or text or the like may be displayed or a voice may be generated on another mobile terminal carried by the operator. Furthermore, any combination of one or more of these may be used.

[0285] Specific examples of the above-described guidance and warnings are as follows: When autonomous driving is temporarily stopped, the information terminal 5 displays a message saying "Autonomous driving has been temporarily stopped" and the voice alarm generating device 100 generates a voice message. When poor satellite signal reception occurs, the information terminal 5 displays a message saying "GPS has been degraded" and the voice alarm generating device 100 generates a voice message. When autonomous driving is stopped (ended) due to poor satellite signal reception or other reasons, the information terminal 5 displays a message saying "Autonomous driving has ended" and the voice alarm generating device 100 generates a voice message. In this case, the information terminal 5 displays a message saying "Please return the lever to the neutral position to resume autonomous driving" or "Please press the GS button and then operate the lever" and the voice alarm generating device 100 generates a voice message. When the vehicle transitions to a slight pull-up driving mode, the information terminal 5 displays a message saying "Slight pull-up driving in progress" and the voice alarm generating device 100 generates a voice message.

[0286] [Alarm sound reduction function] Next, the manual operation restriction function during automatic driving will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0287] As described above, during autonomous driving, various guidance and warnings are issued to operators such as drivers and workers to prompt them to perform necessary operations and to call their attention. These notifications allow the operator to understand the operations required to continue work or driving, and to understand the status of work or driving, the situation around the vehicle 1, etc. Therefore, even for inexperienced operators who are not proficient in work or driving, it becomes easier for them to understand the situation and the operations that need to be performed, and they can continue to work or drive appropriately while reducing the burden on the operator.

[0288] Such notifications are repeated until the situation changes or until the necessary operation is performed. Alternatively, a predetermined notification is repeated for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times. For example, when resuming work travel after turning while working on the outer circular path ORL, the seedling planting device 3 is lowered manually, and notifications urging the seedling planting device 3 to be lowered are continued from the time when a situation requires the seedling planting device 3 to be lowered until the seedling planting device 3 is actually lowered.

[0289] However, for an operator skilled in the work, lowering the seedling planting device 3 on the outer circular path ORL can be easily performed without checking the guidance, etc. Conversely, if unnecessary notifications continue, the operator skilled in the work may find it annoying and burdensome.

[0290] In order to prevent such a situation, in this embodiment, an alarm sound reduction function that can reduce the number of alarms can be implemented.

[0291] Specifically, the notification sound reduction function can be switched between a normal mode in which notifications are not reduced and a reduction mode in which notifications are reduced, and when the reduction mode is set, notifications are reduced. The mode switching in the notification sound reduction function can be performed by the information terminal 5 or the like when automatic driving starts, and the setting can also be changed during automatic driving. The notification sound reduction function is implemented by control of a predetermined functional block such as the automatic driving control unit 75 (see FIG. 33, etc.) of the control unit 30.

[0292] In the reduction mode, the number of times the same notification is repeated or the time for which the same notification is repeated is reduced. For example, if the notification "Please lower the planting device" to urge the seedling planting device 3 to lower on the outer circular path ORL is repeated until the seedling planting device 3 is lowered in the normal mode, this notification is made only once in the reduction mode.

[0293] In addition, the reduction in notifications in reduction mode is not limited to a reduction in the number of notifications or the duration, but the interval at which the same notification is made may be longer than the interval in normal mode, or some or all notifications may not be made in reduction mode.

[0294] In addition, in the reduction mode, the setting of whether to reduce the number of times or the time, increase the interval, or not to issue a notification may be selectively configured. Furthermore, when setting not to issue a notification, the setting may be configured to allow selection of which notifications not to be issued. Furthermore, the above settings may be configured to be configured to be able to be made for each notification content.

[0295] Furthermore, the notification of guidance, warnings, etc. can be made in various ways, such as by displaying on the information terminal 5, by generating a sound from the voice alarm generating device 100, or the like.

[0296] [Automatic driving and stopping function] Next, the automatic driving and stopping function during automatic driving will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and 35. FIG.

[0297] During autonomous driving, the vehicle 1 may be automatically stopped if various conditions are met. For example, if the sonar sensor 60 detects an obstacle during autonomous driving, the vehicle 1 is stopped as soon as the obstacle is detected, or if it is detected that the distance to the obstacle is shorter than a predetermined distance. In addition, during border crossing determination, the vehicle 1 is controlled to stop if it is detected that the vehicle 1 has crossed a border or is about to cross a border, if it is detected that fertilizer or other materials are jammed, if poor satellite signal reception occurs, or if an inclination sensor 81 is provided on the vehicle 1 and it is detected that the vehicle 1 is tilted by more than a predetermined angle, if it is detected that the vehicle 1 is slipping, or if it is detected that the vehicle 1 has deviated from the driving route.

[0298] When various conditions are met to stop the machine 1, the machine 1 is controlled to immediately make an emergency stop as soon as the conditions are met. However, depending on the conditions for stopping the machine 1, an emergency stop may be necessary, but on the other hand, if the machine 1 suddenly stops, it may place an excessive burden on the operator, or may reduce work efficiency or damage the field, making it inappropriate.

[0299] For example, if an obstacle is detected, the risk of the machine 1 colliding with the obstacle may increase if the machine 1 is not stopped immediately. Also, if the machine 1 crosses a border, the machine 1 may protrude from the field or collide with a ridge if the machine 1 is not stopped immediately. Furthermore, if the machine 1 tilts more than a predetermined angle, the machine 1 may tip over if the machine 1 is not stopped immediately.

[0300] Conversely, even if the vehicle travels a short distance while jammed with materials, it can simply clear the jam and then travel the same route it traveled without supplying materials again after supplying the materials. Also, in cases where the satellite signal reception environment has deteriorated, the vehicle 1 has slipped, or the vehicle has deviated from its travel route, depending on the severity, it is often sufficient to continue traveling or gradually stop the vehicle 1, and sudden stops are rarely required.

[0301] Furthermore, regardless of the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1, there are cases in which it is better to make an emergency stop of the vehicle 1 and cases in which it is not better to do so depending on the location in the field where the need to stop the vehicle 1 arises. In particular, the outer circular route ORL may travel in areas close to ridges, making it particularly necessary to stop the vehicle 1. For example, there are many obstacles such as water inlets along the ridges, and colliding with the ridges by the vehicle 1 could result in damage to the vehicle 1 and should be avoided. Therefore, if an obstacle is detected while traveling on the outer circular route ORL, it is appropriate to make the vehicle 1 come to an emergency stop. Also, if the satellite signal reception environment deteriorates or the vehicle 1 deviates from the travel route and becomes displaced while traveling on the outer circular route ORL, the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with an obstacle such as a ridge increases, making it appropriate to make the vehicle 1 come to an emergency stop.

[0302] As described above, depending on the conditions for stopping the machine 1 and the location in the field where the conditions for stopping the machine 1 are met, it may be necessary to stop the machine 1 suddenly, or there may be cases where a sudden stop is not necessary and it may be more appropriate to gradually stop the machine 1.

[0303] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1 are met, an automatic driving and stopping function is implemented that varies the negative acceleration (deceleration) when stopping the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 stops suddenly or gradually depending on the content of the condition or the location in the field where the condition is met.

[0304] The autonomous driving and stopping function is controlled by a control unit 30, as shown in Fig. 35. The control unit 30 includes a driving control unit 312, an autonomous driving control unit 75, an abnormality detection unit 78, and a border crossing determination unit 64 (corresponding to a "border crossing sensor"). The control unit 30 is also connected to a traveling device 1D, a sensor group 1A, an information terminal 5, a positioning unit 8, and the like.

[0305] The border crossing determination unit 64 detects that the vehicle 1 is crossing the border from the field based on the vehicle position and the field map output by the positioning unit 8. Border crossing is detected by detecting the distance between the vehicle position and the periphery of the field, and detecting that the distance between the vehicle position and the periphery of the field is equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

[0306] As described below, the abnormality detection unit 78 receives the detection results of the border crossing determination unit 64 and various information acquired by the sensor group 1A, and detects any abnormalities that have occurred in the aircraft 1 or around the aircraft 1 from the received information.

[0307] The traveling control unit 312 controls the automatic traveling control unit 75 or controls the traveling equipment 1D (corresponding to the "traveling device") in response to the operation of the operating tool 1B, thereby causing the machine body 1 to travel.

[0308] During automatic driving, the automatic driving control unit 75 controls the driving control unit 312 to drive along a predetermined driving route in accordance with the vehicle's own position determined based on the positioning data output by the positioning unit 8. The automatic driving control unit 75 also includes a stopping control unit 79. The stopping control unit 79 controls the driving control unit 312 to stop the vehicle 1 based on an abnormality detected by the abnormality detection unit 78.

[0309] The sensor group 1A includes any of the following: a sonar sensor 60, which is one of the obstacle sensors; an inclination sensor 81, which detects the inclination of the vehicle body 1; a rotation speed sensor 12C, which measures the rotation speed of the axle of the wheels 12 or the drive shaft that transmits driving force from the engine 2 to the wheels 12; and a material jam sensor 83, which detects that materials have become jammed. Note that the inclination sensor 81 only needs to be able to detect the direction and extent to which the vehicle body 1 is tilted, and the inertial measurement module 8B of the positioning unit 8 may also be used.

[0310] The abnormality detection unit 78 detects various abnormalities, determines whether the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1 are met based on the detected abnormalities, and passes the determination result to a stopping control unit 79 of the automatic driving control unit 75. The abnormality detection unit 78 works in cooperation with the sensor group 1A, the positioning unit 8, the border crossing determination unit 64, etc. to detect the vehicle state, the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1, etc., and functions as a sensor that detects abnormalities corresponding to the detected state.

[0311] For example, in the case of obstacle detection, which is one of the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1, the abnormality detection unit 78 receives an obstacle detection signal indicating that an obstacle has been detected from the sonar sensor 60, and transmits the obstacle detection signal to the stop control unit 79 of the automatic driving control unit 75. Upon receiving the obstacle detection signal, the stop control unit 79 controls the driving control unit 312 so that the vehicle 1 stops in response to the obstacle detection signal.

[0312] Furthermore, in the case of border crossing detection, which is one of the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1, the abnormality detection unit 78 receives a border crossing signal indicating that border crossing has been detected from the border crossing determination unit 64, and transmits the border crossing signal to the stop control unit 79 of the automatic driving control unit 75. Having received the border crossing signal, the stop control unit 79 controls the driving control unit 312 so that the vehicle 1 stops in response to the border crossing signal.

[0313] Furthermore, in the case of detecting tilt of the vehicle 1, which is one of the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1, the abnormality detection unit 78 receives a tilt signal indicating that tilt of the vehicle 1 has been detected from the tilt sensor 81, and transmits the tilt signal to the stopping control unit 79 of the automatic traveling control unit 75. The stopping control unit that has received the tilt signal 79 controls the travel control unit 312 so that the vehicle 1 stops in response to the tilt signal.

[0314] Furthermore, when a material jam, such as a blockage of seedlings or fertilizer, is detected as a condition for stopping the machine 1, the abnormality detection unit 78 receives a material jam signal indicating that a material jam has been detected from the material jam sensor 83, and transmits the material jam signal to the stop control unit 79 of the automatic driving control unit 75. Upon receiving the material jam signal, the stop control unit 79 controls the driving control unit 312 so that the machine 1 stops in response to the material jam signal.

[0315] Furthermore, in the case of slip detection, in which the vehicle 1 has slipped, one of the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1, the abnormality detection unit 78 first calculates the vehicle speed corresponding to the number of rotations of the wheels 12 from the detection value of the rotation speed sensor 12C. Separately, the abnormality detection unit 78 calculates the vehicle speed from the amount of change per unit time in the vehicle position output from the positioning unit 8. The abnormality detection unit 78 then compares the two calculated vehicle speeds, and if the vehicle speed corresponding to the number of rotations of the wheels 12 is faster than the vehicle speed calculated from the amount of change in the vehicle position by a predetermined speed or more, the abnormality detection unit 78 determines that the vehicle 1 is slipping and transmits a slip signal to the stop control unit 79 of the automatic driving control unit 75. Upon receiving the slip signal, the stop control unit 79 controls the driving control unit 312 so that the vehicle 1 stops in accordance with the slip signal.

[0316] In addition, the abnormality detection unit 78 detects a satellite signal reception abnormality in which the positioning unit 8 has reduced satellite signal reception sensitivity, or a position deviation abnormality in which a deviation of more than a predetermined distance has occurred between the vehicle's position and the driving route, and when such an abnormality is detected, the abnormality detection unit 78 controls the driving control unit 312 to stop the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the abnormality detection unit 78 can also be configured to detect, as an abnormality, when it detects that the driver has left the driver's seat 16 during manned automatic driving, or when materials such as seedlings or fertilizer have run out, and control the driving control unit 312 to stop the vehicle 1.

[0317] When such an abnormality is detected, the abnormality detection unit 78 determines that the conditions for stopping the vehicle 1 are met, and stops the vehicle 1. The stop control unit 79 of the automatic driving control unit 75 then varies the deceleration when stopping the vehicle 1 depending on the content of the abnormality corresponding to the content of the condition. In other words, various abnormalities that can be detected by the abnormality detection unit 78 are classified into abnormalities corresponding to conditions for suddenly stopping the vehicle 1 and abnormalities corresponding to conditions for gradually stopping the vehicle 1. The abnormality detection unit 78 of the automatic driving control unit 75 then controls the driving control unit 312 to suddenly stop the vehicle 1 when it detects an abnormality corresponding to conditions for suddenly stopping the vehicle 1, and controls the driving control unit 312 to gradually stop the vehicle 1 when it detects an abnormality corresponding to conditions for gradually stopping the vehicle 1. When stopping the vehicle 1 in this way, the deceleration when stopping suddenly is greater than the deceleration when stopping gradually.

[0318] For example, abnormalities that correspond to conditions that cause the vehicle 1 to suddenly stop include obstacle detection, border crossing detection, and tilt detection, while abnormalities that correspond to conditions that cause the vehicle 1 to gradually stop include other conditions such as material jam detection, slip detection, satellite signal reception abnormality, position deviation abnormality, etc.

[0319] In this way, abnormalities corresponding to the conditions for stopping the machine 1 are classified into abnormalities corresponding to the conditions for suddenly stopping the machine 1 and abnormalities corresponding to the conditions for gradually stopping the machine 1. If an abnormality corresponding to the conditions for suddenly stopping the machine 1 is detected, the machine 1 is suddenly stopped, and if an abnormality corresponding to the conditions for gradually stopping the machine 1 is detected, the machine 1 is gradually stopped. This allows for appropriate response to serious abnormalities, while minimizing, to the extent possible, the excessive burden on the operator, the deterioration of work efficiency, and the damage to the field, and also allows the machine 1 to be suddenly stopped when a sudden stop is necessary despite the burden on the operator, the work efficiency, and the damage to the field. Therefore, the machine 1 can be stopped in an appropriate manner depending on the nature of the abnormality, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0320] The abnormality is classified into two types: an abnormality that causes the aircraft 1 to suddenly stop and an abnormality that causes the aircraft 1 to gradually stop. The abnormality detection unit 78 controls the traveling control unit 312 so that the vehicle 1 stops at a different deceleration depending on the type of abnormality detected.

[0321] This allows the vehicle 1 to stop in a more appropriate manner depending on the detected abnormality.

[0322] Furthermore, when an abnormality is detected, the abnormality detection unit 78 may not only stop the vehicle 1, but also control the travel control unit 312 to decelerate the vehicle 1 and move slowly.

[0323] Depending on the nature of the abnormality, it may not be necessary to stop the machine 1. When an abnormality is detected, in addition to modes in which the deceleration rate for stopping the machine 1 is different, a mode in which the machine 1 is caused to move slowly is provided, and the abnormality is assigned as a condition for controlling the machine 1 in each mode. This makes it possible to appropriately control the running state of the machine 1 depending on the nature of the abnormality.

[0324] Furthermore, depending on the nature of the abnormality, the same abnormality may be detected each time the vehicle travels through the same location in the field. For example, water inlets and standing trees installed in the field are always in the same place, and are detected as obstacles each time the vehicle travels near them. Furthermore, the condition of the field tends to be the same every year, and there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will slip again in the same location where it previously slipped.

[0325] For this reason, field information (field information) including the details of the abnormality and the location where the abnormality occurred may be stored, and when traveling, the field information may be referenced, and at the location stored as the location where the abnormality occurred, the machine 1 may be made to stop suddenly, stop gradually, or slow down depending on the details of the abnormality. For example, the details of the abnormality and the location where the abnormality occurred may be stored in a field map (field information) and saved in the management server 85 or the information terminal 5, and when traveling thereafter, the abnormality detection unit 78 may acquire the field map via the communication unit 86, and by referencing the acquired field map, may control the traveling control unit 312 to make the machine 1 stop suddenly, stop gradually, or slow down depending on the abnormality detected in the past at the location where the abnormality was detected in the past.

[0326] This allows the driving state to be controlled appropriately based on past performance even when abnormalities cannot be detected appropriately.

[0327] Furthermore, the obstacle sensor can be an imaging device 82 capable of capturing images of the surroundings of the aircraft 1, instead of or together with the sonar sensor 60. The abnormality detection unit 78 analyzes the images captured by the imaging device 82 and detects the presence of an obstacle. The image analysis can also be performed using a trained model generated by machine learning using AI. By detecting obstacles using the imaging device 82, obstacles can be easily detected.

[0328] It should be noted that when detecting an obstacle using the imaging device 82, the size of the obstacle can be easily determined. If the obstacle is large, it is often necessary to bring the machine 1 to a sudden stop, but if the obstacle is small, it may be possible to easily avoid the obstacle, and so on, and it may not be necessary to bring the machine 1 to a sudden stop.

[0329] Therefore, if the size of the obstacle can be determined, the stopping control unit 79 of the automatic driving control unit 75 may reduce the deceleration compared to the deceleration when the detected obstacle is equal to or larger than a predetermined size.

[0330] This allows the deceleration rate when stopping the machine 1 to be optimized according to the size of the obstacle, thereby further improving work efficiency.

[0331] The sonar sensor 60 can also determine the distance to an obstacle from the time it takes for the reflected wave to return. When an obstacle is detected using the imaging device 82, the distance to the obstacle can also be determined by image analysis. If the obstacle is close, it is necessary to bring the vehicle 1 to an abrupt halt, but if the obstacle is far away, the vehicle may be able to avoid the obstacle or the obstacle may no longer be an obstacle to travel, so it may not be necessary to bring the vehicle 1 to an abrupt halt.

[0332] Therefore, when the distance to the detected obstacle is equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance, the stopping control unit 79 may reduce the deceleration compared to the deceleration when the distance is longer than the predetermined distance.

[0333] This allows the deceleration rate when stopping the machine 1 to be optimized according to the distance to the obstacle, thereby further improving work efficiency.

[0334] The need to suddenly stop the machine 1 varies depending not only on the nature of the abnormality but also on the location in the field where the abnormality is detected. Therefore, the location in the field where the abnormality is detected may be taken into consideration instead of or in addition to the nature of the abnormality as a condition for determining the deceleration rate when stopping the machine 1. In other words, the stopping control unit 79 may vary the deceleration rate when stopping the machine 1 depending on the location in the field where the abnormality is detected.

[0335] For example, the peripheral travel path that circles the inside of the field along the outer periphery of the field travels near the peripheral area of ​​the field, such as ridges. The peripheral area of ​​the field often has obstacles such as water inlets, and if an abnormality is detected while traveling on the peripheral travel path, it becomes increasingly necessary to bring the vehicle 1 to an emergency stop. Furthermore, if an abnormality is detected while traveling on the peripheral travel path, a slight deviation from the travel path increases the possibility that the vehicle 1 will collide with a ridge or cross a border. Therefore, it is preferable that the stop control unit 79 bring the vehicle 1 to an emergency stop when an abnormality is detected while traveling on the peripheral travel path.

[0336] In this way, by varying the deceleration rate when stopping the machine 1 depending on the position in the field where the abnormality is detected, the machine 1 can be stopped appropriately depending on its position in the field, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0337] The deceleration rate for bringing the vehicle to a sudden stop and the deceleration rate for bringing the vehicle to a gradual stop may each be predetermined, or may be variable by setting. The abnormality that constitutes the condition for bringing the vehicle to a sudden stop and the abnormality that constitutes the condition for bringing the vehicle to a gradual stop may each be predetermined, or may be variable by setting. The deceleration rate according to the type of abnormality or the position in the field may each be predetermined, or may be variable by setting. A configuration may be possible in which an individual deceleration rate can be set for each type of abnormality or each position in the field. Furthermore, the above settings can be set by the information terminal 5 or the like at the start of automatic driving, or the settings can be changed by the information terminal 5 or the like during automatic driving.

[0338] By arbitrarily setting the above, it is possible to more optimally control the stopping of the machine 1 according to the state of the field and the work situation, thereby further improving work efficiency.

[0339] [Aircraft slip detection function] Next, the automatic driving and stopping function during automatic driving will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and 35. FIG.

[0340] In the automatic driving, the automatic driving control unit 75 controls the vehicle speed in accordance with the instructed vehicle speed. 75 controls the traveling equipment 1D, engine 2, etc. to drive the machine 1. During automatic driving, the supply of seedlings to be planted and the supply of fertilizer to be spread are adjusted according to the speed of the machine 1, and appropriate planting and fertilizer spreading are performed throughout the field. When the field is muddy, even if the machine 1 is driven according to the instructed speed, the machine 1 may slip, and the actual speed of the machine 1 may be significantly lower than the instructed speed. If the actual speed of the machine 1 deviates from the instructed speed, appropriate planting and fertilizer spreading will not be performed.

[0341] Therefore, when the actual vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 is slower than the instructed vehicle speed or the vehicle speed controlled in accordance with the instructed vehicle speed by a predetermined speed or a predetermined percentage or more, the vehicle slip detection function is implemented. The vehicle slip detection function is a function that determines that the vehicle 1 is slipping when the actual vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 is faster than the instructed vehicle speed or the vehicle speed controlled in accordance with the instructed vehicle speed by a predetermined speed or a predetermined percentage or more, and temporarily suspends automatic driving under the control of the automatic driving control unit 75.

[0342] In this way, by temporarily suspending automatic driving when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is slipping, work driving is stopped, and it is possible to prevent planting or fertilizer spreading from being carried out as planned due to driving at an inappropriate vehicle speed, thereby enabling appropriate work driving.

[0343] Here, the actual vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 is calculated from the amount of change per unit time of the vehicle position output by the positioning unit 8. The vehicle speed controlled according to the commanded vehicle speed is calculated from the rotation speed of the axle or drive shaft detected by a rotation speed sensor 12C that measures the rotation speed of the axle of the wheels 12 or the drive shaft that transmits driving force from the engine 2 to the wheels 12.

[0344] If the vehicle speed calculated from the change in the vehicle position is slower than the indicated vehicle speed, that is, if the vehicle speed calculated from the change in the vehicle position is compared with the vehicle speed calculated using the rotation speed sensor 12C, and the vehicle speed calculated from the change in the vehicle position is slower by a predetermined speed or a predetermined percentage or more, the automatic driving control unit 75 determines that the vehicle 1 is slipping and temporarily suspends automatic driving.

[0345] If the automatic driving control unit 75 determines that the vehicle 1 is slipping, it may immediately suspend automatic driving, but since the slip may be temporary, it may also suspend automatic driving after the slipping state has continued for a predetermined period of time.

[0346] For example, the automatic travel control unit 75 may temporarily suspend automatic travel after determining that the machine body 1 has been slipping for five or more consecutive seconds. Furthermore, if the automatic travel control unit 75 determines that the machine body 1 has been slipping for three or more consecutive seconds, it may stop the work devices by raising the seedling planting device 3 or stopping the delivery mechanism 26 of the fertilizer application device 4, and then temporarily suspend automatic travel after determining that the machine body 1 has been slipping for a total of five or more consecutive seconds.

[0347] This means that automatic driving is temporarily stopped only if the slippage continues to the extent that it affects work driving, so work driving is stopped only if the slippage continues, allowing for appropriate work driving and improving work efficiency.

[0348] [Another embodiment] (1) The travel route is set by performing non-work travel along the perimeter of the field. The travel route can be generated by the information terminal 5 or the control unit 30. In this case, the information terminal 5 or the control unit 30 can be configured to have a route setting unit as an independent functional block. Alternatively, the route setting unit can be provided in both the information terminal 5 and the control unit 30, and it can be selectively determined whether the information terminal 5 or the control unit 30 will set the route. It is also possible to configure the system so that the data is stored in an external server or the like. Alternatively, the travel route may be generated by an external server or the like, and the generated travel route may be received by the information terminal 5 or the control unit 30. Various data obtained during the work travel of the rice transplanter (data generated by map shape acquisition processing, route creation processing, etc., obstacle data regarding obstacles detected during travel, travel status data obtained during travel, work status data, field status data, etc.) may be uploaded to an externally installed central computer or a cloud service computer. Furthermore, such registered data may be downloaded before work begins.

[0349] (2) The control unit 30 can be subdivided into any number of functional blocks. For example, the following may be provided individually as functional blocks of the control unit 30: an automatic driving control unit that controls driving during automatic driving, a manual driving control unit that controls driving during manual driving, an implement control unit that controls various implements, a communication unit that transmits and receives information to the information terminal 5 and other devices, an obstacle detection unit that controls the sonar sensor 60 and detects obstacles, an obstacle control unit that issues commands to the automatic driving control unit and the manual driving control unit based on the results of obstacle detection, a stack light control unit that controls the stack light 71, a transmission operation unit that controls the main shift lever 7A, etc. Furthermore, while only specific components of the information terminal 5 and the control unit 30 are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 for the sake of explanation, the information terminal 5 and the control unit 30 may be equipped with all of the components shown in each figure, or may be equipped with any combination of components as needed.

[0350] (3) In each of the above embodiments, the notification device for the rice transplanter is not limited to the information terminal 5 or the voice alarm generating device 100, and various other notification devices can be used. For example, the remote control 90 may be provided with an LED to notify various information through its lighting pattern, or the remote control 90 may be provided with a monitor to display various information. Notifications can also be made through the lighting patterns of the stacked lamps 71, the center mascot 20, lights, and other light-emitting elements, displays or vibrations on a smartphone, mobile terminal, personal computer, etc. carried by the operator, or vibrations of the remote control 90, etc. Furthermore, the various notifications made by the notification device are controlled by the control unit 30, a notification control unit built into the control unit 30, or a notification control unit provided external to the control unit 30, depending on the traveling state, working state, detection states of various sensors, etc.

[0351] (4) When the location where fuel runs out, the battery runs out, or the location where a shortage of materials such as seedlings, fertilizer, or chemicals (material shortage) has occurred, or the location where such an occurrence is predicted, is calculated, the notification may be configured to display the location of the shortage of materials (material shortage) on the touch panel 50, preferably on the travel route.

[0352] (5) In each of the above embodiments, a rice transplanter has been used as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to various agricultural machines, including rice transplanters, direct seeding machines, cultivators (which spray chemicals, fertilizers, etc.), tractors, harvesters, and the like, as well as various other machines that travel through work areas. [Industrial Applicability]

[0353] The present invention can be applied to agricultural machines such as rice transplanters and other work machines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0354] 1: Aircraft 1A: Sensor group 1B: Operating tool 1C: Working equipment 1D: Running equipment (running device) 1E: Aircraft frame 2: Engine 3: Seedling planting device 4: Fertilizer application device 5: Information terminal 5A: Housing 5a: Hardware buttons 6: Microcomputer for autonomous driving 7A: Main gear shift lever 7B: Sub-gear lever 7C: Manual switch 7D: Stop switch 7E: Mode switch 7F: Accelerator lever 8: Positioning unit 8A: Satellite positioning module (satellite positioning section) 8B: Inertial measurement module (vehicle orientation measurement unit) 9: Continuously variable transmission 10: Steering wheel 11: Operation lever 12: Wheels 12A: Front wheel 12B: Rear wheel 12C: Rotational speed sensor 13: Link mechanism 13a: Lifting link 14: Driving section 14A: Step 15: Leveling float 16: Driver's seat 17: Spare seedling support frame 17A: Spare seedling storage device 18: Chemical spraying device 20: Center mascot 21: Seedling tray 22: Planting mechanism 23: Vertical feed mechanism 25: Hopper 26: Feeding mechanism 27: Blower 28: Fertilizer hose 29: Groove machine 30: Control unit 50: Touch panel 50a: Software buttons 51: Map information acquisition unit 52: Stop driving instruction unit 53: Invalid instruction section 54: Cancellation section 55: Material supply position setting section 56: Supply Order Reception Department 57: Information Department 60: Sonar sensor (obstacle sensor, object sensor) 61: Front sonar 62: Rear Sonar 63: Horizontal sonar 64: Border Crossing Judgment Department 65: Border Crossing Prevention Control Department 66: Border Crossing Permit Department 67:Resume instruction section 68: Pause instruction section 71:Laminated light 72: Receiving device 73: Battery 75: Automatic driving control unit 77: Notification control section 78: Abnormality detection unit (sensor) 79: Stop control unit 81: Tilt sensor 82: Imaging device 83: Material jam sensor 85: Management Server 86: Communications Department 90: Remote control 90a: First button 90b: Second button 90c: Third button 90d: 4th button 90e: 5th button 90f: 6th button 90g: Function button 90x: First indicator 90y: Second indicator 91: Traveling equipment operation unit 92: Work equipment operation section 921: Validity section 100: Voice alarm generator 311: Aircraft position calculation unit 312: Driving control unit 313: Work Control Unit 521: Reference side setting section 522: Round-trip route creation unit 523: Travel direction determination unit 524: Circulation route creation unit 525: Operational Management Department 527: Travel route setting unit 528: Route search unit 529: Complementary route setting unit 530: Work management department 531: Supply edge setting section 532: Supply Control Management Department 541:Starting point setting section 542: Starting point guidance route creation unit 551:Display device 552: Map information storage unit 553: Map information display section 571: Location Information Calculation Unit 572: Map Information Creation Department 573: Travel route generation unit B: Arrow CL: Complementary pathway CLS: intersection CLE: Nearby points E: Entrance / exit EC: Individual clutch F: Arrow G: End point GA: Guidance start area IA: Internal area IPL: Internal round trip path IPRL: Turning path IPSL: Straight route IRL: Inner Loop Route L: Arrow NWL: Non-work driving route NWL1: Non-work driving route NWL2: Non-working route NWL3: Non-working route OA: outer peripheral area, outer peripheral part ORL: Outer loop route R: Arrow S :Starting point SGL: Starting point guided pathway SL: Seedling supply area t0: Time t1 :Time t2 :Time t3 :Time TS1: Distance (first distance) TS2: Distance (second distance) TS3: Distance (third distance) tw1: Time (first time) tw2: Time (second time) V0:Vehicle speed V1:Vehicle speed (1st vehicle speed) V2:Vehicle speed (2nd vehicle speed) V3:Vehicle speed WL: Work route WL1: Work route WL2: Work route WSP: Planting starting point

Claims

1. A work machine that can automatically travel in a field that is set to avoid contact with a ridge and is bounded by a boundary line set between the ridge and the field, an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates an aircraft position using satellite positioning; a border crossing determination unit that determines whether the aircraft is crossing the boundary line based on the boundary line and the aircraft position; a border crossing prevention control unit that prohibits the automatic traveling of the aircraft when it is determined that the aircraft has crossed the border line; a border crossing permission unit that interrupts the determination by the border crossing determination unit in response to a border crossing permission command and permits manual driving of the aircraft after it has crossed the border line; The border crossing permission command is issued by a user through operation of the work machine.

2. A work machine that can automatically travel in a field that is set to avoid contact with a ridge and is bounded by a boundary line set between the ridge and the field, an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates an aircraft position using satellite positioning; a border crossing determination unit that determines whether the aircraft is crossing the boundary line based on the boundary line and the aircraft position; a border crossing prevention control unit that prohibits the automatic traveling of the aircraft when it is determined that the aircraft has crossed the border line; a border crossing permission unit that interrupts the determination by the border crossing determination unit in response to a border crossing permission command and permits manual driving of the aircraft after it has crossed the border line; The border crossing permission range set by the border crossing permission unit is changeable.

3. The work machine according to claim 2 , wherein the border crossing permission range set by the border crossing permission unit is changeable depending on the level of skill of the worker in the work to be performed at the work site or the type of the work.

4. The work machine according to claim 1 , wherein the operation by the user is a remote control operation.

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