Flying work machine, ground work machine, and work management system

Abstract

This work management system for a flying work machine (FW) and a ground work machine (GW) in a work site comprises: a work flight information management unit (32) that manages work flight information including work flight characteristics of a flying work machine (FW) that performs ground work on a work site; a work travel information management unit (33) that manages work travel information including work travel characteristics of a ground work machine (GW) in the work site; and a work management unit that manages work flight behavior of the flying work machine (FW) and work travel behavior of the ground work machine (GW) on the basis of the work flight information and the work travel information.

Description

Aircraft and ground work vehicles and work management systems

[0001] The present invention relates to a work management system for an aerial work vehicle and a ground work vehicle at a work site.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses an agricultural management system that manages ground work performed by implements in work areas such as farm fields. This agricultural system uses aerial implements (drones) and ground implements (tractors, rice transplanters, fertilizer / pesticide applicators, harvesters, etc.) as field implements. This agricultural system includes an agricultural work event management unit that manages the event results for each micro-plot of various agricultural work events carried out on a farm field divided into multiple micro-plots, an agricultural work event planning unit that calculates recommended event content for each micro-plot of agricultural work events carried out on the farm field, and an event content modification unit that modifies the recommended event content displayed on a monitor for each micro-plot based on user input.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-128741

[0004] In the farming system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the work results of aerial work vehicles (drones) and ground-based work vehicles (rice transplanters, harvesters, etc.) are managed chronologically as the results of agricultural work events. However, the work flight behavior that takes into account the work flight characteristics of the aerial work vehicles and the work travel behavior that takes into account the work travel characteristics of the ground-based work vehicles are not managed. In other words, while the results of agricultural work events are managed in detail, information on how the agricultural work events were planned and implemented is not adequately managed.

[0005] In light of the above situation, there is a demand for a work management system that can manage the behavior of aerial work aircraft and ground work aircraft during work on a work site using these aircraft, as well as aerial work aircraft and ground work aircraft that are managed by such a work management system.

[0006] The work management system for flying work aircraft and ground work aircraft at a work site according to the present invention comprises a work flight information management unit that manages work flight information including work flight characteristics of the flying work aircraft that performs ground work on the work site, a work driving information management unit that manages work driving information including work driving characteristics of the ground work aircraft at the work site, and a work management unit that manages the work flight behavior of the flying work aircraft and the work driving behavior of the ground work aircraft based on the work flight information and the work driving information.

[0007] With this configuration, the work flight behavior of the aerial work vehicle is managed based on work flight information including the work flight characteristics of the aerial work vehicle performing ground work on the work site, and the work travel behavior of the ground work vehicle is managed based on work travel information including the work travel characteristics of the ground work vehicle performing ground work on the work site. For example, the aerial work vehicle performs work flight with a work flight behavior that is appropriate, preferably optimal, for the ground work. Also, the ground work vehicle performs work travel with a work travel behavior that is appropriate, preferably optimal, for the ground work. This allows actual ground work on the work site to be performed efficiently.

[0008] In the case of ground-based work vehicles, a safety zone is set between the boundary line and the work site to prevent it from crossing the boundary line (possible collision with boundary objects). In contrast, airborne vehicles fly above the boundary line, so problems such as collision with boundary objects that normally create the work site boundary line do not occur, eliminating the need to set a safety zone, which is essential for mobile work vehicles. This makes it possible for airborne work vehicles to perform ground work in ground work areas that are difficult for ground work vehicles to perform. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the work travel information management unit manages difficult-to-travel sections in the work site where work travel by the ground work vehicle is difficult, and that the work management unit generate a flight route for the airborne work vehicle to work in the difficult-to-travel sections.

[0009] In ground work such as spraying pesticides using an aerial work aircraft, high flight altitudes can lead to the problem of the pesticide spreading widely, and flying too close to the ground of the work site can result in contact with the ground. Furthermore, if a highway or residential area is located adjacent to the work site, restrictions imposed by the Aviation Act mean that the aircraft cannot approach the boundary line of the work site. In this way, in order to clarify areas where ground work by an aerial work aircraft is restricted and to perform ground work efficiently, the present invention proposes that the work flight information management unit manages difficult-to-operate areas in the work site where work flight by the aerial work aircraft is difficult, and the work management unit generates a driving route for the ground work aircraft to perform work in the difficult-to-operate areas. As a result, ground work that is difficult for an aerial work aircraft to perform can be performed by the ground work aircraft.

[0010] In agricultural work performed on a field, such as rice farming, multiple agricultural work processes (planting seedlings or sowing, fertilizing, weeding, and harvesting) are performed chronologically. When such different agricultural work processes are assigned to a ground work vehicle and an aerial work vehicle, efficient farming can be achieved by determining the respective work behaviors based on the characteristics of the ground work vehicle's work behavior for a specific agricultural work process and the characteristics of the ground work vehicle's work behavior for a different specific agricultural work process. For example, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work traveling behavior includes ground planting behavior in seedling planting work or ground sowing behavior in sowing work performed by the ground work vehicle, and the work management unit determines flight-based fertilization behavior in fertilization work or flight-based pesticide spraying behavior in pesticide spraying work performed by the aerial work vehicle based on the ground planting behavior or the ground sowing behavior.

[0011] In a more specific embodiment of the present invention, the ground planting behavior includes a planting amount per unit plot during planned planting travel along rows, the ground sowing behavior includes a seeding amount per unit plot during planned sowing travel along rows, the aerial fertilization behavior includes a fertilizer amount per unit plot during fertilization flight along rows, and the aerial pesticide spraying behavior includes a spraying amount per unit plot during pesticide spraying flight along rows, and the work management unit determines the aerial fertilization behavior or the aerial pesticide spraying behavior based on the ground planting behavior or the ground sowing behavior. With this configuration, the fertilizer amount per unit plot during fertilization flight is appropriately calculated according to the planting amount per unit plot during planting travel or the seeding amount per unit plot during sowing travel, and the aerial fertilization behavior is set to achieve this fertilizer amount, thereby enabling efficient agricultural work.

[0012] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work flight behavior includes a flight-based planting behavior during seedling planting or a flight-based sowing behavior during sowing performed by the aerial work vehicle, and the work management unit determines a ground harvesting behavior during harvesting performed by the ground work vehicle based on the flight-based planting or flight-based sowing behavior. In this configuration, the ground harvesting behavior for harvesting performed by the ground work vehicle is determined based on the flight-based planting behavior during seedling planting or the flight-based sowing behavior during sowing performed by the aerial work vehicle, enabling harvest control based on the expected harvest yield. In other words, by reflecting the work behavior of the ground work vehicle during a specific agricultural work process (planting seedlings or sowing) in the work behavior performed by the ground work vehicle during a specific agricultural work process (harvesting), efficient farming is possible.

[0013] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the aerial planting behavior includes a planting amount per unit plot in a planting flight along planned rows, and the aerial sowing behavior includes a seeding amount per unit plot in a sowing flight along the planned rows, and the work management unit determines adjustment parameters for the harvesting equipment per unit plot in a harvesting run along the rows based on the aerial planting behavior or the aerial sowing behavior. In this configuration, adjustment parameters for the harvesting equipment per unit plot (such as harvest width and harvest speed) are determined based on the crop yield distribution estimated by the planting amount per unit plot in a planting flight or the sowing amount per unit plot in a sowing flight, enabling efficient agricultural work.

[0014] In each step (e.g., planting seedlings or sowing, fertilizing, weeding, harvesting, etc.) that constitutes an agricultural work process, the preceding step affects the subsequent step. Therefore, in one embodiment for achieving efficient agricultural work, it is proposed that the work management unit determine the working travel behavior of the ground-based work vehicle that performs the preceding step in the agricultural work process for a specific crop in order to optimize the working flight behavior of the aerial work vehicle that performs the subsequent step in the agricultural work process for the specific crop. Similarly, in another embodiment for achieving efficient agricultural work, it is proposed that the work management unit determine the working flight behavior of the aerial work vehicle that performs the preceding step in the agricultural work process for the specific crop in order to optimize the working travel behavior of the ground-based work vehicle that performs the subsequent step in the agricultural work process for the specific crop. One way to optimize behavior here is to optimize it under given conditions (selecting the optimal solution). However, if the advantages and disadvantages of the behavior are given probabilistically, a suboptimal behavior with minimal disadvantages may be adopted instead of the behavior considered to be the optimal solution. For example, a behavior may be selected in which an area that cannot be sprayed in the subsequent pesticide spraying area is excluded from the previous sowing area.

[0015] The present invention covers not only the above-described work management system, but also an aerial work vehicle that uses the above-described work management system. In one form of such a aerial work vehicle, the aerial work vehicle acquires the work flight behavior from the work management system and performs a work flight based on the work flight behavior. Furthermore, in another form of such aerial work vehicle, the aerial work vehicle is equipped with the above-described aircraft management system.

[0016] The present invention covers not only the above-mentioned work management system, but also a ground work vehicle that uses the above-mentioned work management system. In one form of such a ground work vehicle, the ground work vehicle acquires the work driving behavior from the work management system and performs work driving based on the work driving behavior. Furthermore, in another form of such a ground work vehicle, the ground work vehicle is equipped with the above-mentioned air vehicle management system.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing field work by an aerial work vehicle and a mobile work vehicle managed by a work management system. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the basic flow of field work management by an aerial work vehicle and a mobile work vehicle. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functional units of a flight / travel management computer, aerial work vehicle, and a mobile work vehicle. FIG. 4 is an information flow diagram showing the flow of information in the flight / travel management computer. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of field work management by an aerial work vehicle and a mobile work vehicle. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of field work plan creation by an aerial work vehicle and a mobile work vehicle.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a flying work vehicle FW and a ground work vehicle GW that perform ground work on a farm field as a work site. Here, the flying work vehicle FW is a pesticide sprayer equipped with a pesticide spraying device on its fuselage. The flying work vehicle FW can perform various work flights by equipping the fuselage with various work devices 4A. For example, if a grass-cutting device (weeding device) is equipped, the flying work vehicle FW functions as a flying grass cutter. Of course, a dedicated flying work vehicle FW may be used for the specific work. Furthermore, the fuselage of the flying work vehicle FW and the work device 4A do not need to be rigidly connected, but may be connected by a rope, chain, or link. In this case, the work device 4A is self-propelled, and the flying work vehicle FW can pull up the work device 4A as needed, enabling it to change direction and avoid obstacles. Ground work performed by the flying work vehicle FW that flies over a farm field includes spraying pesticides (including fertilizer), planting seedlings, sowing seeds, weeding (including weeding), harvesting, and the like.

[0019] 1 shows a rice transplanter and a combine harvester as ground work machines GW equipped with a work device 5A, but other machines such as tractors are also included in the ground work machines GW. The flight work machine FW and the ground work machine GW can simultaneously perform ground work on the same field, but are generally used during different crop growing seasons.

[0020] The flying work vehicle FW and the ground work vehicle GW are capable of calculating their own positions based on signals from the positioning satellite SA, and of automatic flight (automatic travel) along a target route (target path).

[0021] 1, the field as the work area is bounded by boundary lines BD such as ridges, and obstacles OB exist within and around the field. In this embodiment, the work management system that manages ground work in the field by the flight work vehicles FW and ground work vehicles GW is built in a remote service computer SC, but it may also be built in a computer owned by the field manager.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows an example of a flight / travel field work management routine performed by the work management system. This flight / travel field work management routine manages flight work by the flight work vehicle FW and travel work by the ground work vehicle GW. As a preliminary step, this work management system creates a farm work plan by having the farmer input the necessary data according to work plan guidance provided to the farmer who accesses the work management system. Furthermore, work information is created based on the created farm work plan. Of course, the farm work plan or work information may be created by an external cloud service or by the farmer and uploaded to the service computer SC. The work information includes details of ground work performed on the field to be worked on. When the flight / travel field work management routine starts, such work information is acquired (#10). First, the acquired work information is checked to see whether the type of work to be performed is work flight (ground work by the flight work vehicle FW) or work travel (ground work by the ground work vehicle GW) (#11).

[0023] If the work mode is a work flight, the work flight information is acquired from the work information (#21). Next, if work history information related to the acquired work flight information is stored in the database 6 of the service computer SC (see Figures 5 and 6), the history information is extracted (#22). Here, the extracted history information is, for example, work history information including not only work flights performed in the past in the same field, but also work runs performed in the past. In addition, planned information for the next field work to be performed in the same field can also be treated as future history information. Of course, history information is not necessarily required, so if appropriate history information is not available, processing #22 is omitted.

[0024] A work flight behavior is determined based on the work flight information and history information (#23). An actual work flight is performed based on the determined work flight behavior (#24). After the actual work flight is completed or as the work flight progresses, work flight results are generated (#25). The generated work flight results are analyzed and recorded (#26).

[0025] If the work mode is work travel, the work travel information is acquired from the work information (#31). If work history information related to the acquired work travel information is stored in the database 6 of the service computer SC or the like, the history information is extracted (#32). Here, the extracted history information is, for example, work history information including not only work travel performed in the past in the same field, but also work flights performed in the past. In addition, planned information for the next field work to be performed in the same field can also be treated as future history information. Here again, history information is not necessarily required, so if appropriate history information is not available, processing of #32 is omitted.

[0026] A work driving behavior is determined based on the work driving information and history information (#33). An actual work driving is performed based on the determined work driving behavior (#34). After the actual work driving is completed or as the work driving progresses, a work driving result is generated (#35). The generated work flight result is analyzed and recorded (#36).

[0027] The work mode may include work flight and work driving performed simultaneously. In other words, ground work on a field is performed through cooperative work between the flight work vehicle FW and the ground work vehicle GW. In this cooperative work, the processing related to the work flight in #21 to #26 and the processing related to the work driving in #31 to #36 are executed in parallel. However, the processing of the work flight behavior in #23 and the processing of the work driving behavior in #33 are executed in cooperation, and the cooperative behavior of the flight work vehicle FW and the ground work vehicle GW is determined.

[0028] Figure 3 shows a functional block diagram showing the functional parts of the flight / driving management unit 3 provided in the service computer SC that constructs the work management system, the functional parts of the work flight control unit 4 of the flight work vehicle FW, and the functional parts of the work driving control unit 5 of the ground work vehicle GW.

[0029] The flight and travel management unit 3 includes a work information acquisition unit 31, a work flight information management unit 32, a work travel information management unit 33, and a work management unit 30. The work information acquisition unit 31 acquires the work information described above. The work information may be generated, for example, by a server computer capable of exchanging data with the flight and travel management unit 3 or by a farmer's personal computer and transferred to the flight and travel management unit 3. Of course, the work information may also be created in another computer system in the service computer SC. The work flight information management unit 32 manages work flight information including the work flight characteristics of the flying work vehicle FW performing ground work on the work site. The work flight characteristics include the work width, the work speed, the relationship between the location of the work site where ground work is being performed and the flight position of the flying work vehicle FW at that time, the possible flight altitude and flight speed during non-work flight such as turning and obstacle avoidance, etc. The work travel information management unit 33 manages work travel information including the work travel characteristics of the ground work vehicle GW on the work site. The work driving characteristics include the work width, the work speed, possible driving routes when not working, such as turning and obstacle avoidance, etc. The work management unit 30 determines and manages the work flight behavior of the flight work vehicle FW and the work driving behavior of the ground work vehicle GW based on the work flight information and the work driving information.

[0030] The work management unit 30 has a work flight behavior determination unit 34 , a work driving behavior determination unit 36 ​​, a flight route generation unit 35 , a driving route generation unit 37 , and a work equipment adjustment parameter calculation unit 38 .

[0031] The work travel information management unit 33 manages difficult-to-travel sections in the work area where work travel by the ground work vehicle GW is difficult. The flight route generation unit 35 of the work management unit 30 not only generates a flight route for the work flight of the flight work vehicle FW, but also generates a flight route for the flight work vehicle FW to perform work flight on behalf of the ground work vehicle GW to perform ground work in the difficult-to-travel sections.

[0032] The work flight information management unit 32 manages difficult-to-work-flight sections in the work area where work flight by the flying work vehicle FW is difficult. The travel route generation unit 37 of the work management unit 30 not only generates travel routes for the ground work vehicle GW to travel for work, but also generates travel routes for the ground work vehicle GW to travel for work on behalf of the flying work vehicle FW to perform ground work in the difficult-to-work-flight sections.

[0033] The work traveling behavior determined by the work traveling behavior determination unit 36 ​​includes ground planting behavior in seedling planting work performed by the ground work vehicle GW or ground sowing behavior in sowing work. The work flight behavior determination unit 34 can determine flight fertilization behavior in fertilization work performed by the flight work vehicle FW or flight pesticide spraying behavior in pesticide spraying work performed by the flight work vehicle FW, reflecting the ground planting behavior or ground sowing behavior performed by the ground work vehicle GW.

[0034] Specific examples are as follows: ground planting behavior includes the planting amount per unit plot in a planned planting run along rows, and ground sowing behavior includes the seeding amount per unit plot in a planned sowing run along rows. aerial fertilization behavior includes the fertilizer amount per unit plot in a fertilization flight along rows, and aerial pesticide spraying behavior includes the spray amount per unit plot in a pesticide spraying flight along rows. In such cases, the work flight behavior determination unit 34 can determine aerial fertilization behavior or aerial pesticide spraying behavior by reflecting the ground planting behavior or ground sowing behavior.

[0035] Furthermore, the work flight behavior determined by the work flight behavior determination unit 34 includes aerial planting behavior in seedling planting work or aerial sowing behavior in sowing work performed by the flight work vehicle FW. The work travel behavior determination unit 36 ​​can determine ground harvesting behavior in harvesting work performed by the ground work vehicle GW by reflecting the aerial planting behavior or aerial sowing behavior performed by the flight work vehicle FW.

[0036] Specific examples are as follows: Aerial planting behavior includes the planting amount per unit plot in a planned planting flight along rows, and aerial sowing behavior includes the seeding amount per unit plot in a planned sowing flight along rows. Ground fertilization behavior includes the fertilizer amount per unit plot in a fertilization flight along rows, and ground pesticide spraying behavior includes the spray amount per unit plot in a pesticide spraying flight along rows. In such cases, the work travel behavior determination unit 36 ​​can also determine the ground fertilization behavior or ground pesticide spraying behavior by reflecting the aerial planting behavior or aerial sowing behavior.

[0037] The work equipment adjustment parameter calculation unit 38 calculates adjustment parameters for the control equipment of the work equipment 4A equipped on the flight work machine FW based on the determined work flight behavior, and calculates adjustment parameters for the control equipment of the work equipment 5A equipped on the ground work machine GW based on the determined work travel behavior. For example, the work equipment adjustment parameter calculation unit 38 determines adjustment parameters for the harvesting equipment per unit plot when the ground work machine GW harvests along rows based on the flight planting behavior or flight sowing behavior.

[0038] The above processing performed by the work management unit 30 can be summarized as follows: (1) The work management unit 30 determines the working travel behavior of the ground work machine GW that performs the front-end of the agricultural work process in order to appropriately, and preferably optimize, the working flight behavior of the aerial work machine FW that performs the back-end of the agricultural work process for the specific crop that is the target of treatment. (2) The work management unit 30 determines the working flight behavior of the aerial work machine FW that performs the front-end of the agricultural work process in order to appropriately, and preferably optimize, the working travel behavior of the ground work machine GW that performs the back-end of the agricultural work process for the specific crop that is the target of treatment.

[0039] In order to perform the work flight behavior described above, the flying work vehicle FW equipped with the work device 4A is equipped with a work flight control unit 4, which has a work flight management section 41, an airplane body position calculation section 42, a flight control section 43, and a work control section 44. The ground work vehicle GW equipped with the work device 5A is equipped with a work traveling control unit 5, which has a work traveling management section 51, a traveling vehicle body position calculation section 52, a traveling control section 53, and a work control section 54.

[0040] The work flight management unit 41 interprets the work flight behavior received from the flight and driving management unit 3 and generates work flight behavior data. The aircraft body position calculation unit 42 calculates its own aircraft position based on satellite navigation and inertial navigation and provides this to the flight control unit 43 and the work control unit 44. The flight control unit 43 performs flight control based on the calculated own aircraft position and work flight behavior data such as the flight route. The work control unit 44 provides a work control signal to the work device 4A based on the calculated own aircraft position and work flight behavior data such as the amount of work assigned to the flight position.

[0041] The work driving management unit 51 interprets the work driving behavior received from the flight / driving management unit 3 and generates work driving behavior data. The driving body position calculation unit 52 calculates its own position based on satellite navigation and inertial navigation and provides this to the driving control unit 53 and the work control unit 54. The driving control unit 53 performs driving control based on the calculated own position and work driving behavior data such as the driving route. The work control unit 54 provides a work control signal to the work device 5A based on the calculated own position and work driving behavior data such as the amount of work assigned to the driving position.

[0042] The flight and running management unit 3, the work flight control unit 4 of the flight work vehicle FW, and the work running control unit 5 of the ground work vehicle GW can exchange data with each other using communication lines. The flight and running management unit 3 may be built in either the flight work vehicle FW or the ground work vehicle GW. The flight and running management unit 3, the work flight control unit 4 of the flight work vehicle FW, and the work running control unit 5 of the ground work vehicle GW are essentially configured as computer systems. Each functional unit built in these computer systems can be realized by linking hardware associated with each computer system with a program installed in each computer system. Of course, the function of a specific functional unit may be realized solely by hardware or a program, or may be realized in cooperation with an external application server.

[0043] Next, the process of generating the operational flight behavior and operational driving behavior in the flight / driving management unit 3 will be explained using FIG.

[0044] First, the work information acquired by the work information acquisition unit 31 is given to the work flight information management unit 32 and the work driving information management unit 33. The work information consists of a field file (data group) related to the field where work is scheduled to be performed (work target area) and a work file (data group) related to the work content. The field file includes the field ID, the position of the field on the map, the field shape, information on the ridges, entrances and exits and obstacles around the field, crop information for adjacent fields, etc. The work file includes the work ID, work content, work width, work speed, etc.

[0045] The work flight information management unit 32 selects a ground work vehicle FW suitable for work flight based on the work information, generates work flight information that is a prerequisite for work flight, and provides this to the work flight behavior determination unit 34. The work flight information includes work flight characteristics, difficult work flight areas, etc. Similarly, the work travel information management unit 33 selects a ground work vehicle GW suitable for work travel based on the work information, generates work travel information that is a prerequisite for work travel, and provides this to the work travel behavior determination unit 36. The work travel information includes work travel characteristics, difficult work travel areas, etc.

[0046] The work flight behavior determination unit 34 determines the work flight behavior based on the work flight information. At this time, the flight route generation unit 35 generates a flight route based on the work flight behavior and adds it to the work flight behavior, and the work equipment adjustment parameter calculation unit 38 calculates adjustment parameters for the work implement 4A of the flying work machine FW based on the work flight behavior and adds it to the work flight behavior.

[0047] Ultimately, the work flight behavior transmitted to the flying work vehicle FW includes flight route, flight fertilization behavior (e.g., amount of fertilizer applied per unit distance (unit area)), flight pesticide spraying behavior (e.g., amount sprayed per unit distance (unit area)), flight sowing behavior (e.g., amount of seeds sown per unit distance (unit area)), adjustment parameters for the work device 4A, etc., which are determined according to the work content. This work flight behavior is transmitted to the work flight management unit 41 of the flying work vehicle FW.

[0048] The work traveling behavior determination unit 36 ​​determines the work traveling behavior based on the work traveling information. At this time, the traveling route generation unit 37 generates a traveling route based on the work traveling behavior and adds it to the work traveling behavior, and the work equipment adjustment parameter calculation unit 38 calculates adjustment parameters for the work implement 5A of the ground work machine GW based on the work traveling behavior and adds it to the work traveling behavior.

[0049] The work traveling behavior transmitted to the ground work machine GW includes the traveling route, ground planting behavior (e.g., planting amount per unit distance (unit area)), ground sowing behavior (e.g., sowing amount per unit distance (unit area)), ground harvesting behavior (e.g., traveling speed), adjustment parameters for the work device 5A (e.g., reaping width and reaping height in the case of a harvesting device), etc., which are determined according to the work content. This work traveling behavior is transmitted to the work flight management unit 41 of the ground work machine GW.

[0050] 5 is a schematic diagram showing a system for managing field work performed over time in multiple fields by aerial work vehicles FW and ground work vehicles GW. The work flight behavior performed by the aerial work vehicles FW and the work traveling behavior performed by the ground work vehicles GW are processed as work results for each field and each work period. These work results are analyzed, and the analysis results, together with the work results, are stored in a database 6 constructed in the service computer SC as a field work history file including the aerial work vehicle history and the traveling work vehicle history.

[0051] The field work history files stored in the database 6 are files for each field and each work period, and each piece of history data is recorded for each field section. Types of history data include the amount of seedlings planted, the amount of fertilizer applied, the state of crop growth over time, the harvest amount, and work equipment parameter values ​​(adjustment parameter values) for the work implement 4A of the flight work vehicle FW and the work implement 5A of the ground work vehicle GW.

[0052] The field work history file stored in the database 6 is used by the work plan calculation unit 7, which creates a farm work plan for the next farm work. The farm work plan for each field created by the work plan calculation unit 7 is sent to the flight / driving management unit 3, and managed by the work flight information management unit 32 and the work driving information management unit 33.

[0053] FIG. 6 shows an overview of the work plan creation process using the work plan calculation unit 7. The history of flying work machines and mobile work machines is read from the field work history file of the field to be worked on (which may include similar fields) extracted from the database 6, and is provided to the work plan calculation unit 7 as input data. Furthermore, farming goal items are also provided as input data to the work plan calculation unit 7. Examples of farming goal items include yield, taste, and cost. The work plan calculation unit 7 outputs the next farm work plan based on the input data. The output farm work plan includes a work flight plan, a work mobile plan, and the expected work results when these plans are implemented.

[0054] The work plan calculation unit 7 as described above can be constructed based on the principles of rule-based AI or machine learning AI. When the work flight plan and work driving plan are approved, work information is generated based on the approved work flight plan and work driving plan and is provided to the flight and driving management unit 3.

[0055] [Other Embodiments] (1) In the above-described embodiment, ground work is performed on a single field (work site) using a single aerial work vehicle FW, a single ground work vehicle GW, or both. However, the work management system of the present invention may also be configured to perform ground work using multiple aerial work vehicles FW, multiple ground work vehicles GW, or both, that fly over a single field (work site). In this case, each aerial work vehicle FW and each ground work vehicle GW may perform the same work, or they may perform different work (for example, planting seedlings, sowing seeds, fertilizing, spraying pesticides).

[0056] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the flight work vehicle FW and the ground work vehicle GW perform work flight or work travel based on the work flight behavior or work travel behavior sent from the flight and travel management unit 3, which is a core element of the work management system. Alternatively, either the flight work vehicle FW or the ground work vehicle GW may be equipped with the flight and travel management unit 3, or at least one functional unit of the flight and travel management unit 3 may be equipped in the flight work vehicle FW or the ground work vehicle GW.

[0057] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the flying work vehicle FW and the ground work vehicle GW are basically unmanned, but they may be remotely controlled or manually controlled at least in part by a pilot on board the aircraft. In this case, the remote control pilot controls the aircraft based on the operational flight behavior or operational driving behavior received from the flight and driving management unit 3. It would be advantageous if emergency aircraft control, such as obstacle avoidance flight, could also be performed by remote control.

[0058] (4) The ground work used in this invention includes not only work that directly affects the work land, but also work that affects objects installed on the work land. For example, if the work land is farmland, it includes not only tilling, planting seedlings, and spraying pesticides that affect the farmland itself, but also harvesting crops grown on the farmland (harvesting rice, wheat, vegetables, fruit, etc.) and monitoring the crops grown on the farmland.

[0059] In addition, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention.

[0060] The present invention can be applied to a technique for managing a flying work vehicle FW that flies over a work site such as a farm field and a ground work vehicle GW that travels over the work site.

[0061] 3: Flight and travel management unit 4: Work flight control unit 5: Work travel control unit 7: Work plan calculation unit 30: Work management section 31: Work information acquisition section 32: Work flight information management section 33: Work travel information management section 34: Work flight behavior determination section 35: Flight route generation section 36: Work travel behavior determination section 37: Travel route generation section 38: Work equipment adjustment parameter calculation section 41: Work flight management section 42: Aircraft position calculation section 43: Flight control section 44: Work control section 51: Work travel management section 52: Travel aircraft position calculation section 53: Travel control section 54: Work control section FW: Flight work aircraft GW: Ground work aircraft SC: Service computer

Claims

1. A work management system for an aircraft and a ground working machine at a work site, comprising: A work flight information management unit that manages work flight information including the work flight characteristics of the aircraft performing ground work on the work site; A work travel information management unit that manages work travel information including the work travel characteristics of the ground working machine at the work site; A work management unit that manages the work flight behavior of the aircraft and the work travel behavior of the ground working machine based on the work flight information and the work travel information. A work management system equipped with the above components.

2. The work travel information management unit manages work travel difficult sections where work travel by the ground working machine at the work site becomes difficult, and the work management unit generates a flight route for the aircraft to work in the work travel difficult sections. The work management system according to claim 1.

3. The work flight information management unit manages work flight difficult sections where work flight by the aircraft at the work site becomes difficult, and the work management unit generates a travel route for the ground working machine to work in the work flight difficult sections. The work management system according to claim 1.

4. The work travel behavior includes the ground planting behavior in the seedling planting work or the ground seeding behavior in the seeding work performed by the ground working machine. The work management unit determines the flight fertilization behavior in the fertilization work or the flight chemical spraying behavior in the chemical spraying work performed by the aircraft based on the ground planting behavior or the ground seeding behavior. The work management system according to claim 1.

5. The ground planting behavior includes the planting amount per unit section in the planting travel along the planned rows, and the ground seeding behavior includes the seeding amount per unit section in the seeding travel along the planned rows. The flight fertilization behavior includes the fertilization amount per unit section in the fertilization flight along the rows, and the flight chemical spraying behavior includes the spraying amount per unit section in the chemical spraying flight along the rows. The work management unit determines the flight fertilization behavior or the flight chemical spraying behavior based on the ground planting behavior or the ground seeding behavior. The work management system according to claim 4.

6. The operation flight behavior includes the flight planting behavior in the seedling planting operation or the flight seeding behavior in the seeding operation performed by the flight working machine, and the operation management unit determines the ground harvesting behavior in the harvesting operation performed by the ground working machine based on the flight planting behavior or the flight seeding behavior. The operation management system according to claim 1.

7. The flight planting behavior includes the planting amount per unit plot in the planting flight along the planned row, and the flight seeding behavior includes the seeding amount per unit plot in the seeding flight along the planned row. The operation management unit determines the adjustment parameter for the harvesting equipment per unit plot in the harvesting travel along the row based on the flight planting behavior or the flight seeding behavior. The operation management system according to claim 6.

8. The operation management unit determines the operation travel behavior of the ground working machine that performs the previous process in the agricultural operation process in order to optimize the operation flight behavior of the flight working machine that performs the subsequent process in the agricultural operation process of a specific crop. The operation management system according to claim 1.

9. The operation management unit determines the operation flight behavior of the flight working machine that performs the previous process in the agricultural operation process in order to optimize the operation travel behavior of the ground working machine that performs the subsequent process in the agricultural operation process of a specific crop. The operation management system according to claim 1.

10. An aircraft that obtains the operation flight behavior from the operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and performs an operation flight based on the operation flight behavior.

11. A ground working machine that obtains the operation travel behavior from the operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and performs an operation travel based on the operation travel behavior.

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