Location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- LISTENFIELD CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-30
Smart Images
Figure JP2025002390_30072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Position Information Sharing System for Agricultural Operation-Related Vehicles
[0001] The present invention relates to a position information sharing system for agricultural operation-related vehicles, and particularly to a position information sharing system for agricultural operation-related vehicles using GNSS equipment and a mobile terminal.
[0002] In the agricultural field of our country, the utilization of information and communication technology (IT: Information Technology) has been progressing as an effective means such as the improvement of production management efficiency, mainly by large-scale management entities. In particular, in recent years, with the spread of IoT (Internet of Things) and the like, which connect all things to the Internet and promote social transformation, the amount of agricultural environment data has been growing. For example, the utilization of big data has also rapidly advanced in the agricultural field, and the agricultural IT industry is rapidly expanding.
[0003] In addition, as the aging of agricultural supporters in our country progresses, various problems such as a serious shortage of labor are faced. It is important to utilize IT, artificial intelligence (AI), etc., to achieve a dramatic improvement in productivity such as labor saving, improvement of yield and quality, and cultivation of human resources.
[0004] By the way, in recent years, the aging of agricultural workers has been progressing, and the number of cases of entrusting farming to agricultural corporations and the like has been increasing. In most cases, the entrustment is carried out without changing the size and shape of the cultivated land. Since the entrusted person has a small-scale farm despite an increase in the total area, large machines cannot be introduced, and the cultivated land tends to be scattered. Therefore, even if the work items are single or multiple, simultaneous work is carried out using a plurality of types of small agricultural machines and vehicles. For example, when three employees of an agricultural corporation jointly perform a harvesting operation, two combines with different capabilities perform the harvesting operation in separate fields, and one truck is responsible for transportation to the rice mill. Agricultural corporations with a large number of personnel have more co-workers operating more machines simultaneously.
[0005] As a system for managing agricultural vehicles that perform such collaborative work, a system for managing agricultural vehicles has been disclosed that includes, for example, a tractor, a GPS receiver, and a host control unit that stores work details and location information for each field (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, an agricultural work support system that manages location information using GNSS has also been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
[0006] Furthermore, there is an application called "Shuganavi" that uses location information services to display the day's work records on a map, and clicking on a red circle displays detailed work information such as yield. "Shuganavi" supports agricultural work by sharing farmers' location information, registering fields, and digitizing the working status of agricultural machinery.
[0007] Patent No. 3823508 Patent No. 6911911
[0008] Traditionally, collaborative workers have always tried to estimate the location of other workers to improve work efficiency. However, currently, while there are systems to manage the location information of agricultural machinery, there is no system that notifies all agricultural vehicles involved in collaborative work of each other's locations. As a result, each farm worker has to interrupt their work to check on the status of other workers through phone calls or messages. In such cases, the frequency of information updates among farm workers is low, work efficiency decreases, and the person receiving the call has to interrupt their work, which is dangerous.
[0009] For example, in rice harvesting, when the combine harvester's tank is full, harvesting is temporarily suspended and the produce is transferred to a truck. If a transport truck is not available, wasted waiting time occurs, reducing work efficiency. If the transport truck driver could constantly know the current working status of the combine harvester, they could decide which field to go to and which of the multiple combines to visit first, taking distance into consideration. Therefore, there is no doubt that if all workers in agricultural vehicles engaged in collaborative work could constantly share each other's location and movements in real time, the efficiency of agricultural work could be improved.
[0010] Furthermore, in recent years, smart agricultural machinery has emerged, and the IT integration of agricultural machinery has progressed. Various systems have appeared on the market that automatically accumulate data for some operational and work records, and various systems are being provided to streamline agricultural work.
[0011] However, there are no systems for improving agricultural work efficiency that allow workers in vehicles to communicate their location in real time and visually via visible tablet devices. Furthermore, since farmers commonly use agricultural machinery for 10, 20 years, or even longer, it is desirable that the system be retrofittable to older types of machinery, and that it be easier, cheaper, and more accurate for workers to use. In other words, widespread adoption of such systems can only be achieved if they are retrofittable to agricultural vehicles that have already been purchased and used for many years, are easier and cheaper to use, and allow for accurate, real-time sharing of each other's location information.
[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles that can be retrofitted and that can share the location and movement of all agricultural vehicles working together in real time, even while operating agricultural machinery, via a tablet or the like.
[0013] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles performing collaborative work, comprising: an agricultural work vehicle equipped with location information detection equipment having a unique ID; an agricultural work vehicle tracking server that records measurement data acquired from the location information detection equipment in association with the unique ID; a map data distribution server that distributes map data; a server device that generates location information for the agricultural work vehicle using measurement data acquired from the agricultural work vehicle tracking server and map data acquired from the map data distribution server; and a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined application, transmits its current location to the server device, and obtains location information of the agricultural work vehicle performing collaborative work from the server device.
[0014] In this agricultural vehicle location information sharing system, the location information detection equipment is a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) device that can be retrofitted to the agricultural vehicle, the unique ID is the unique ID of the GNSS device, and the agricultural vehicle tracking server obtains the unique ID, date and time, latitude and longitude from the GNSS device as measurement data. Higher efficiency is also achieved by obtaining text messages that are automatically generated by speech recognition.
[0015] In this location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles, it is preferable that the agricultural work vehicles include not only agricultural machinery but also utility vehicles that support collaborative work, thereby further improving work efficiency.
[0016] In this agricultural vehicle location information sharing system, the server device preferably comprises: a communication unit that communicates with the mobile terminal, the agricultural vehicle tracking server, and the map data distribution server via a communication network; a storage unit that stores (1) vehicle information of the agricultural vehicle and a combination of the agricultural vehicle and the unique ID of the location information detection equipment; and (2) location information of the agricultural vehicle obtained from the agricultural vehicle tracking server and linked to the unique ID of the location information detection equipment; and a location information generation unit that, in response to a location information creation command received from the mobile terminal, refers to the storage unit and executes a program that provides the location information of the agricultural vehicle to the mobile terminal.
[0017] In this agricultural vehicle location information sharing system, it is preferable that the storage unit further records (3) the locations of field polygons and work-related facilities, and that the location information generation unit provides the mobile terminal with the location of the agricultural vehicle, as well as the location information of the field polygons or work-related facilities recorded in the storage unit.
[0018] In this location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles, the location information generation unit further provides information regarding the movement trajectory of the agricultural work vehicles over a predetermined period in the past.
[0019] In this agricultural vehicle location information sharing system, the mobile terminal comprises an input unit for receiving input from a user, an application execution unit for executing the application, a request generation unit for generating a location information creation command that includes at least the current location of the mobile terminal, a transmission / reception unit for transmitting the location information creation command to the server device, a calculation unit for performing calculations to display the location information of the agricultural vehicle acquired from the server device and the current location of the mobile terminal in a GUI, and a display unit for displaying the GUI.
[0020] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles performing collaborative work, and is an executable program in a server device that provides location information for agricultural work vehicles, wherein the agricultural work vehicle location information sharing system includes: agricultural work vehicles equipped with location information detection equipment having a unique ID; agricultural work vehicle tracking server that records measurement data acquired by the location information detection equipment linked to the unique ID; map data distribution server that distributes map data; the server device that generates location information for agricultural work vehicles using measurement data acquired from the agricultural work vehicle tracking server and map data acquired from the map data distribution server; and a predetermined application that transmits its current location to the server device and performs collaborative work in the front The program comprises a mobile terminal that acquires location information of agricultural work vehicles from the server device, and includes a communication step of communicating with the mobile terminal, the agricultural work vehicle tracking server, and the map data distribution server via a communication network; a storage step of storing (1) vehicle information of the agricultural work vehicle and a combination of the agricultural work vehicle and the unique ID of the location information detection equipment, and (2) location information of the agricultural work vehicle acquired from the agricultural work vehicle tracking server and linked to the unique ID of the location information detection equipment; and a location information generation step of executing a program that provides the location information of the agricultural work vehicle to the mobile terminal, while referring to the information stored in the storage step, in response to a location information creation command received from the mobile terminal.
[0021] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles performing collaborative work, and is a program executable on a mobile terminal that receives location information of agricultural work vehicles. The agricultural work vehicle location information sharing system comprises: agricultural work vehicles equipped with location information detection equipment having a unique ID; an agricultural work vehicle tracking server that records measurement data acquired by the location information detection equipment linked to the unique ID; a map data distribution server that distributes map data; a server device that generates location information of agricultural work vehicles using the measurement data acquired from the agricultural work vehicle tracking server and the map data acquired from the map data distribution server; and a predetermined application. The program comprises a mobile terminal that performs the task, transmits its current location to the server device, and obtains location information of the agricultural work-related vehicles performing the task from the server device, and is characterized by including an input step for receiving input from a user, an application execution step for executing the application, a request generation step for generating a location information creation command that includes at least the current location information of the mobile terminal, a transmission and reception step for transmitting the location information creation command to the server device, a calculation step for performing calculations to display the location information of the agricultural work-related vehicles obtained from the server device and the current location of the mobile terminal in a GUI, and a display step for displaying the GUI.
[0022] Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented not only as a location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles, but also as a method for sharing location information for agricultural vehicles, using characteristic means provided by the devices constituting such a location information sharing system as steps, or as a program that causes a computer to execute those steps. Needless to say, such a program can be distributed via recording media such as USB or transmission media such as the Internet.
[0023] The location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles according to the present invention comprises: an agricultural vehicle equipped with location information detection equipment having a unique ID; an agricultural vehicle tracking server that records measurement data acquired by the location information detection equipment linked to the unique ID; a map data distribution server that distributes map data; a server device that generates location information for agricultural vehicles using measurement data acquired from the agricultural vehicle tracking server and map data acquired from the map data distribution server; and a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined application, transmits its current location to the server device, and obtains location information of agricultural vehicles working together from the server device. This agricultural vehicle location information sharing system allows for real-time sharing of the location and movement of all agricultural vehicles working together. By sharing location information among all workers operating the shared agricultural vehicles in this way, work efficiency is improved. Naturally, since the movement of all vehicles, including utility vehicles, is recorded in real time, it is also possible to provide appropriate advice to workers from facilities such as an integrated command center. In addition to location information, text messages that are safely generated even while the vehicle is being operated by, for example, voice recognition can also be shared, further enhancing the effectiveness.
[0024] This is an overall configuration diagram of a location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of a data table stored in the server device of the same location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles. (a) to (d) These are diagrams showing examples of location information display in a dedicated application on a mobile terminal of the same location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles. This is a photograph of a simple retrofit GNSS equipment attached to an agricultural vehicle, which is part of the same location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles. These are functional block diagrams of each processing unit of the same location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles. (a) and (b) These are diagrams illustrating how to start the dedicated application on the same mobile terminal. (a) to (c) These are diagrams illustrating how to use the dedicated application on the same mobile terminal. (a) to (c) These are diagrams illustrating how to use the dedicated application on the same mobile terminal. This is a sequence diagram showing the operation procedure of the same location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles. (a) and (b) These are diagrams illustrating the cooperation between agricultural machinery and utility vehicles in the same location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles.
[0025] (Embodiment) A location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the location information sharing system) will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0026] <Overall System Diagram> As shown in Figure 1, the location information sharing system 1 for agricultural work vehicles according to this embodiment is configured by connecting a server device 10, a mobile terminal 20 held by an agricultural worker, agricultural work vehicles 30, a Tracker API (Application Programming Interface) server (agricultural work vehicle tracking server) 40, and a map data distribution API server (map data distribution server) 50 via a wide-area network such as the Internet.
[0027] An API (Application Programming Interface) is a procedure for other software to access and use the functions and data managed by one piece of software. There are various types of APIs, and they are indispensable when building IT systems, but here we are considering the data linkage required for the location information sharing system 1 for agricultural vehicles.
[0028] The server device 10 runs an application that records the location and trajectory of multiple agricultural vehicles 30 working together, field information, and the locations of related facilities such as rice centers, and provides this location information to the mobile terminal 20. As shown in the table 200 in Figure 2, the application on the server device 10 records in a database the combination of vehicle information for each agricultural vehicle 30 (name 201, type 202, vehicle type 203, photo 205, etc.) and the unique ID (Identifier) 204 of the GNSS equipment (location information detection equipment) 31 equipped on each agricultural vehicle 30. In other words, the server device 10 has pre-registered and recorded information on which agricultural vehicle 30 each GNSS equipment 31 is installed on.
[0029] The server device 10 periodically acquires and stores data related to the work trajectory of each agricultural vehicle 30, including the route it took and its current location, from the Tracker API server 40. Then, in response to requests from the mobile terminals 20 (smartphones or tablets) of the operators of the agricultural vehicles 30, the server device 10 distributes the work trajectory and current location data of the agricultural vehicles 30 working together to the applications on the mobile terminals 20. Additional information such as speed can also be distributed.
[0030] Furthermore, the server device 10 can save the locations of field polygons and work-related facilities (such as rice centers and rice mills, which are harvest processing facilities) and distribute them to the mobile terminal 20.
[0031] The mobile terminal 20 is a smartphone, tablet, etc., of a subscriber to the location information sharing system 1. A dedicated application is installed and executed, and the results are displayed on the screen. This dedicated application is a visualization application for the location information of all agricultural work-related vehicles 30 that are working together. As shown in screens 301 to 304 of Figure 3, it displays the current location of the mobile terminal 20, the current location of the agricultural work-related vehicles 30 that are working together, and the most recent movement trajectory in an easy-to-understand GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the application subscriber.
[0032] For example, the red icon 301a on screen 301 in Figure 3(a) represents the current location of the user of the mobile terminal 20, and this information is not shared with other users. The purpose of this screen 301 is to check the location information of oneself and other agricultural vehicles 30. Screen 302, shown in Figure 3(b), shows the screen displayed when an icon of an agricultural vehicle 30 is tapped, and screen 303, shown in Figure 3(c), displays a calendar, allowing the user to check the movement trajectory for a specified date. Screen 304, shown in Figure 3(d), shows the trajectory mode, which displays the past trajectory for a selected date. In this way, by tapping the icon of an agricultural vehicle 30 displayed on the map, the current information of that agricultural vehicle 30 can be obtained. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(d), the past trajectory of the agricultural vehicle 30 can also be displayed.
[0033] While GUI design is generally left to the system provider, for example, a web service called Balsamiq can be used to design the GUI for the application you want to create. Balsamiq allows for the design of various UIs regardless of the OS. It also supports button functions and allows you to design the general flow of the application.
[0034] Furthermore, the application can display the types and names of the agricultural work vehicles 30. The work performed by the agricultural work vehicles 30 can be acquired and displayed, for example, using the applicant's international patent application number PCT / JP2024 / 39190 (Title of invention: Automatic agricultural work recording system).
[0035] Furthermore, the most recent movement trajectory can be adjusted to approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. This is to prevent the most useful recent movements from becoming obscured when displaying all movement trajectories for the day. This time can be adjusted according to the size of the field and the required working time per field. For large fields, the time can be extended to see how much of the field the movement trajectory covers.
[0036] For the development environment of the dedicated application to be installed on the mobile device 20, development is likely to be carried out using React. Alternatively, a framework called Next.js can be used with React. The application will be provided to contracted clients such as agricultural business owners and agricultural corporations.
[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the agricultural work vehicle 30 is equipped with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) device 31 that can be retrofitted and has communication capabilities. The GNSS device 31 has a position accuracy of 5m and can acquire position information at a transmission interval of at least once every 1 to 10 seconds. The date and time, speed, latitude, and longitude can be acquired at once. For example, the GNSS device 31 can be powered by a lightweight and compact (approximately 15cm x 30cm) solar panel of about 10W, so it can be installed easily and inexpensively. Furthermore, the GNSS device 31 can be installed even more easily if the vehicle can draw power from the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket. (Photo included) If the cigarette lighter socket is not linked to the engine, a device that allows power to be supplied only when the engine is running can be used to prevent battery drain.
[0038] The GNSS equipment 31 transmits its own location information (measurement data), acquired through satellite positioning, etc., to the Tracker API server 40 via a wide-area network. In other words, the server device 10 acquires the location information of the agricultural vehicles 30 using the Tracker API, which is open-source software for GNSS tracking platforms. Based on the location information of each agricultural vehicle 30 obtained from the Tracker API server 40, the server device 10 provides the location of each agricultural vehicle 30 to the application running on the mobile terminal 20.
[0039] A key feature of the agricultural work-related vehicles 30 is that they include not only pure agricultural machinery such as rice transplanters, tractors, combine harvesters, and planters, but also so-called utility vehicles such as trucks that support agricultural work, harvest transport trucks, material transport pickup trucks, and personnel transport vehicles. In other words, the GNSS equipment 31 can be retrofitted not only to pure agricultural machinery but also to utility vehicles. This makes it possible to comprehensively understand the movements of all agricultural work-related vehicles 30 involved in collaborative farming through the location information sharing system 1.
[0040] The measurement data sent from the GNSS equipment 31 includes latitude and longitude, date and time, and a unique ID (unique identification number), and is transmitted from the GNSS equipment 31 to the open-source software Traccar, a GNSS tracking platform, as needed. The data recorded on the Tracker API server 40 can be easily accessed via HTTP communication (data updates and retrieval) through the Traccar API, for example, by using the JavaScript library axios. In other words, when the server device 10 receives a request for measurement data from the GNSS equipment 31 in the form of an HTTP request, the Tracker API server 40 returns the measurement data of the GNSS equipment 31 corresponding to the unique ID specified in the request to the server device 10.
[0041] The map data distribution API server 50 is, for example, the Google (registered trademark) Maps API (Google Maps Platform API), which is an API that enables various functions installed on Google Maps to be implemented in an application. By using this map data distribution API server 50, while displaying the location information of the mobile terminal 20 using the application as an icon on the map, the map can be embedded in the application executed on the mobile terminal 20.
[0042] In addition, other APIs may be used for map data distribution. For example, Open layer Map (olMap) may be used. Open Layer Map, which is free open source, is an open source JavaScript library and, like other map libraries such as Google Maps and Leaflet, can manipulate and display map data and provide interactive map functions.
[0043] <Functional block diagram> Next, the functional block diagrams of the devices of the location information sharing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5.
[0044] First, the functions of the server device 10 will be described. The server device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a location information generation unit 14. The communication unit 11 communicates with the mobile terminal 20, the Tracker API server 40, and the map data distribution API server 50 via a communication network.
[0045] The storage unit 12 is a storage medium such as an HHD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores (1) vehicle information of the agricultural work vehicle 30 as shown in Figure 2 above (ID, type, name, photograph, etc.), and combinations of the unique IDs of the agricultural work vehicle 30 and the GNSS equipment 31, and (2) location information of the agricultural work vehicle 30 obtained from the Tracker API 40 and linked to the unique ID of the GNSS equipment 31. The storage unit 12 may also store (3) the locations of field polygons and work-related facilities (such as rice centers and rice mills, which are harvest processing facilities). In this case, the location and movement trajectory of the agricultural work vehicle 30 can be displayed overlaid on the field polygons.
[0046] Furthermore, field polygons, also known as parcel polygons, are publicly available nationwide as agricultural land parcel information, and there are no obstacles to registration by utilizing them.The location information generation unit 13 of the server device 10 generates location information for agricultural work-related vehicles 30 displayed on the field polygon based on the current location received from the mobile terminal 20.
[0047] The location information generation unit 13 is an application program on the server device 10 that, in response to a location information creation command received from the mobile terminal 20, refers to the information (1) to (3) stored in the storage unit 12 and executes a program that provides the mobile terminal 20 with location information of the agricultural work-related vehicle 30. The location information generation unit 13 can also provide location information of field polygons and work-related facilities recorded in the storage unit 12.
[0048] Next, the functions of the mobile terminal 2 will be described. As described above, the mobile terminal 20 is a smartphone or the like, and includes an input unit 21 such as a touch screen that receives input from a farmer, an application execution unit 22 that executes a dedicated application for sharing the position information of the agricultural work-related vehicle 30, and a request generation unit 23 that generates a position information creation command including the current position of the mobile terminal 20 at least to the server device 10 when there is a position information acquisition request from the user via the input unit 21, a transmission / reception unit 24 that transmits the position information creation command to the server device 10, an arithmetic unit 25 that performs an operation for GUI-displaying the position information of the agricultural work-related vehicle 30 acquired from the server device 10 and the current position of the mobile terminal 20, a display unit 26 such as a liquid crystal display that displays the GUI, and a storage unit 27.
[0049] The application execution unit 22 displays the execution result by the application on the screen. The request generation unit 23 makes a processing request (Http request) to the program operating on the server device 10 via the Http protocol in response to the input from the user via the input unit 21. The data format in the case of the Http request transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 24 is, for example, XML.
[0050] The transmission / reception unit 24 receives the result at the server device 10 based on the position information creation command as a response (Http response). The arithmetic unit 25 interprets the XML and map data received from the server device 10, calculates the result of the position information, and performs a process of displaying it on the display unit 26 in a GUI that is easy for the user to understand. The storage unit 27 is a memory, and stores, for example, the subscriber ID, password, and user information for executing the application.
[0051] Here, the method for opening the dedicated application on the mobile terminal 20 will be explained with reference to Figures 6 to 8. As shown in Figure 6(a), the dedicated application is launched when the user of the mobile terminal 20 taps the URL link 601. The icon 602 circled in red in Figure 6(b) represents the user's current location. Also, by tapping the menu bar 701a circled in red on screen 701 in Figure 7(a), the user moves to the list screen 702 of agricultural work-related vehicles 30 on the map shown in Figure 7(b). As shown on screen 703 in Figure 7(c), agricultural work-related vehicles 30 that do not need to be checked can be tapped to turn them Off (703a). Furthermore, when checking the track mode, the user selects the track mode by tapping the icon 801a shown on screen 801 in Figure 8(a), and by tapping the date circled in red 802a on screen 802 in Figure 8(b), the user can check the track of the agricultural work-related vehicle 30 for one day. As shown on screen 803 in Figure 8(c), the user can also check the track of the agricultural work-related vehicle 30 for other days.
[0052] Next, the functions of the Tracker API server 40 will be explained. The Tracker API server 40 is a computer such as a server or workstation, and the transmitting / receiving unit 43 of the Tracker API server 40 transmits and receives data with the server device 10 and the GNSS equipment 31 based on the HTTP protocol. When the API processing unit 41 receives a command from the server device 10, it generates a response of location information based on the API to the server device 10. The program execution unit 42 executes the application program. Here, the application program is a program that implements the process of generating location information of the agricultural work-related vehicle 30 that corresponds to the unique ID of the GNSS equipment 31.
[0053] The map data distribution API server 50 also includes an API processing unit 51, a program execution unit 52, and a transmission / reception unit 53, similar to the Tracker API server 40.
[0054] <Overall Sequence Diagram> Next, an example of the overall sequence of the location information sharing system 1 for agricultural work-related vehicles according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 9.
[0055] As a prerequisite, the measurement data from the GNSS equipment 31 is periodically transmitted to the Tracker API server 40 to always reflect the latest location information (S101), and the Tracker API server 40 stores the acquired measurement data linked to the unique ID of each GNSS equipment 31. In addition, the server device 10 periodically issues a measurement data request command to the Tracker API server 40 to always reflect the latest location information of the GNSS equipment 31 (S102), and acquires the latest location information (information such as date and time, speed, latitude and longitude) of the corresponding GNSS equipment 31 from the Tracker API server 40 (S103), and stores it in the storage unit 12 (S104).
[0056] Then, users of the mobile terminal 20, such as agricultural workers, launch the dedicated application on their mobile terminal 20. Specifically, for example, login information is registered in advance with the server device 10, and users can log in to the system by sending the current location (latitude and longitude) of the mobile terminal 20 and the login information to the server device 10. Once logged in, the location of the mobile terminal 20 and the locations of the agricultural work-related vehicles 30 involved in the shared work are placed and displayed on the application's map.
[0057] First, when a user of the app launches the app using their mobile device 20, a location information creation command, including the current location data of the mobile device 20, is sent to the server device 10 in HTTP request format (S105). For example, the data format in this location information creation command is written in a general-purpose language such as XML.
[0058] Next, upon receiving this location information creation command, the server device 10 interprets the contents of the command and sends a map data request command to the map data distribution API server 50 in the form of an HTTP request specifying the latitude and longitude of the current location (S106). The map data distribution API server 50 then sends a map image or JSON format data corresponding to the latitude and longitude to the server device 10 as map data in response to the HTTP request (S107).
[0059] Next, the location information generation unit 13 of the server device 10 generates image data (S108) by rendering the location information of the GNSS equipment 31, which is a farm work vehicle 30 that performs collaborative work, obtained from the Tracker API server 40, onto map data obtained from the map data distribution API server 50, stores it in memory (S109), and transmits it to the mobile terminal 20 (S110).
[0060] Finally, the application on the mobile terminal 20 analyzes the location information received from the server device 10 and displays it on a map in an easy-to-understand GUI, for example, as shown in Figure 10 (S111). Figure 10 shows an example of the location information results displayed as the GUI on the mobile terminal 20. This GUI visualizes the past trajectories of the agricultural work vehicles 30 (harvester 1001a and tractor 1001b in Figure 10) that are working together, in an easy-to-understand manner on the map.
[0061] Here, with reference to Figure 10, an example of GUI display on the mobile terminal 20 will be explained. For example, as shown in screen 1001 of Figure 10(a), the screen of the mobile terminal 20 displays the current position and movement trajectory of the harvester 1001a and the tractor 1001b, which are agricultural work-related vehicles 30 performing the same work in the same field. In addition, as shown in Figure 10(b), the icon can be changed for each agricultural work-related vehicle 30.
[0062] By referring to the map displayed on the mobile terminal 20, agricultural workers can understand the location and track (adjustable to past time) of other cooperating workers' vehicles and decide on their appropriate actions. Previously, the status of other work vehicles was communicated through one-on-one phone conversations, but location information could only be obtained by field name, and making phone calls while working was dangerous. For new farmers, it was also difficult to grasp the specific location based on field name alone.
[0063] Using the agricultural vehicle location information sharing system 1 according to the present invention, (A) Harvest transport truck operators: They can determine the urgency of which harvesting field to head to from the location and trajectory of the combine harvester. They can also determine that there is no need to go to a field that another truck is heading to. (B) Material transport pickup truck operators: They can determine which paddy field to deliver materials (fertilizer and seedlings) to from the movement of the rice transplanter. (C) Combine harvester operators: They can confirm that the truck is heading to their field when the tank is almost full. If not, they can send a message using LINE or similar to request pickup. They can also see where the truck is between their location and the rice center and predict the arrival time. Furthermore, they can determine whether to join the harvesting work or head to another field from the trajectory of other combine harvesters.
[0064] In other words, subscribers of the mobile device 20 can, by starting the dedicated application, learn the location and work status of all other agricultural vehicles 30 working together in real time. Based on this information, they can then optimize their own agricultural work schedule.
[0065] In this way, by using this location information sharing system 1, it is possible to retrofit the system and share the location and movement of all agricultural work-related vehicles 30 that are used in collaborative work in real time. Specifically, by installing GNSS equipment 31 on the vehicles that support collaborative work, i.e., all agricultural work-related vehicles 30, their respective locations can be acquired, and the movements of all agricultural work-related vehicles 30 can be displayed and shared among collaborators on a mobile terminal 20 (smartphone or tablet), dramatically improving the efficiency of collaborative work.
[0066] Furthermore, the movement trajectories of all 30 agricultural vehicles can be displayed daily, allowing for an overview of the day's overall work progress and enabling flexible adjustments to the work plan based on that progress. For example, if a combine harvester or harvester experiences delays due to lodging or other issues in a high-priority field, other combine harvesters or harvesters can be moved to the appropriate location.
[0067] Furthermore, displaying the fields being worked on that day allows for even more accurate estimation of progress.
[0068] Furthermore, this location information sharing system 1 is not limited to use only by farmers riding in agricultural work vehicles 30. Since the location of agricultural work vehicles 30 can be visualized via the app, it can also be used by employees of the agricultural corporation in the office to understand the movements of all agricultural work vehicles 30 and issue instructions. By inputting the fields to be worked on for the day, it is possible to issue instructions on which field to move to next while considering the progress of the work, and it is also possible to automate these instructions using an optimization algorithm.
[0069] Furthermore, since the movements of all agricultural vehicles 30 are recorded on the server device 10, the distance traveled and operating time for each agricultural vehicle 30 can be obtained collectively, which can be used to help with the maintenance and management of the agricultural vehicles 30.
[0070] Furthermore, by overlaying it with field polygon information, it is possible to display how many hours each agricultural vehicle 30 was used on that field, and the percentage of that usage. It is also possible to calculate work efficiency, working time per unit weight of produce, and even the overall or per unit of produce carbon footprint.
[0071] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without changing the spirit of the invention. For example, it goes without saying that agricultural work-related vehicles 30 also include specialized helicopters for spraying pesticides from the air.
[0072] 1. Location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles 10. Server device 11. Communication unit 12. Storage unit 13. Location information generation unit 20. Mobile terminal 21. Input unit 22. Application execution unit 23. Request generation unit 24. Transmission / reception unit 25. Calculation unit 26. Display unit 30. Agricultural vehicles 31. GNSS equipment (location information detection equipment) 40. Tracker API server (agricultural vehicle tracking server) 50. Map data distribution API server (map data distribution server)
Claims
1. A location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles performing collaborative work, comprising: an agricultural vehicle equipped with location information detection equipment having a unique ID; an agricultural vehicle tracking server that records measurement data acquired from the location information detection equipment linked to the unique ID; a map data distribution server that distributes map data; a server device that generates location information for the agricultural vehicle using measurement data acquired from the agricultural vehicle tracking server and map data acquired from the map data distribution server; and a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined application, transmits its current location to the server device, and acquires location information of the agricultural vehicle performing collaborative work from the server device.
2. The location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the location information detection equipment is a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) equipment that can be retrofitted to the agricultural vehicle, the unique ID is the unique ID of the GNSS equipment, and the agricultural vehicle tracking server obtains the unique ID, date and time, latitude and longitude from the GNSS equipment as measurement data.
3. The location information sharing system for agricultural work-related vehicles according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the agricultural work-related vehicles include not only agricultural machinery but also utility vehicles that support collaborative work.
4. The agricultural vehicle location information sharing system according to claim 3, characterized in that the server device comprises: a communication unit that communicates with the mobile terminal, the agricultural vehicle tracking server, and the map data distribution server via a communication network; a storage unit that stores (1) vehicle information of the agricultural vehicle and a combination of the agricultural vehicle and the unique ID of the location information detection equipment; and (2) location information of the agricultural vehicle obtained from the agricultural vehicle tracking server and linked to the unique ID of the location information detection equipment; and a location information generation unit that, in response to a location information creation command received from the mobile terminal, refers to the storage unit and executes a program to provide the mobile terminal with the location information of the agricultural vehicle.
5. The location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles according to claim 4, wherein the storage unit further records (3) the locations of field polygons and work-related facilities, and the location information generation unit provides the mobile terminal with the location of the field polygons or work-related facilities recorded in the storage unit, in addition to the location of the agricultural work vehicle.
6. The location information sharing system for agricultural work vehicles according to claim 4, further characterized in that the location information generation unit provides information regarding the movement trajectory of the agricultural work vehicle over a predetermined period in the past.
7. The agricultural vehicle location information sharing system according to claim 4, characterized in that the mobile terminal comprises: an input unit for receiving input from a user; an application execution unit for executing the application; a request generation unit for generating a location information creation command that includes at least the current location of the mobile terminal; a transmission / reception unit for transmitting the location information creation command to the server device; a calculation unit for performing calculations to display the location information of the agricultural vehicle acquired from the server device and the current location of the mobile terminal in a GUI; and a display unit for displaying the GUI.
8. A program executable on a server device that provides location information of agricultural vehicles for use in a location information sharing system for agricultural vehicles performing collaborative work, wherein the agricultural vehicle location information sharing system comprises: an agricultural vehicle equipped with location information detection equipment having a unique ID; an agricultural vehicle tracking server that records measurement data acquired by the location information detection equipment in association with the unique ID; a map data distribution server that distributes map data; the server device that generates location information of the agricultural vehicle using measurement data acquired from the agricultural vehicle tracking server and map data acquired from the map data distribution server; and a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined application, transmits its current location to the server device, and acquires location information of agricultural vehicles performing collaborative work from the server device, and the program comprises a communication step of communicating with the mobile terminal, the agricultural vehicle tracking server, and the map data distribution server via a communication network, A program characterized by including: a storage step of storing (1) vehicle information of the agricultural work vehicle and a combination of the agricultural work vehicle and the unique ID of the location information detection device; and (2) location information of the agricultural work vehicle obtained from the agricultural work vehicle tracking server and linked to the unique ID of the location information detection device; and a location information generation step of executing a program that provides the location information of the agricultural work vehicle to the mobile terminal, while referring to the information stored in the storage step, in response to a location information creation command received from the mobile terminal.
9. A program executable on a mobile terminal that receives location information of agricultural vehicles performing collaborative work, wherein the agricultural vehicle location information sharing system comprises: an agricultural vehicle equipped with location information detection equipment having a unique ID; an agricultural vehicle tracking server that records measurement data acquired by the location information detection equipment linked to the unique ID; a map data distribution server that distributes map data; a server device that generates location information of the agricultural vehicle using measurement data acquired from the agricultural vehicle tracking server and map data acquired from the map data distribution server; and a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined application, transmits its current location to the server device, and obtains location information of the agricultural vehicle performing collaborative work from the server device, and the program comprises: an input step that receives input from a user; an application execution step that executes the application; a request generation step that generates a location information creation command that includes at least the current location information of the mobile terminal; and a transmission / reception step that transmits the location information creation command to the server device. A program characterized by including a calculation step of performing calculations for displaying the location information of the agricultural work vehicle acquired from the server device and the current location of the mobile terminal in a GUI, and a display step of displaying the GUI.