JP2020127405A - Work vehicle automatic travel system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle automatic travel system which properly functions even when a plurality of work vehicles are put into a wide work site.SOLUTION: A work vehicle automatic travel system comprises: a region setting part for setting a work site to a peripheral region SA, and a work object region CA; a path management part for managing so as to be read, many travel path elements for forming a travel path for covering the work object region CA and a circling path element for forming a circling path circling an external region and an intermediate division region; and a path element selection part for selecting a next travel path element or a next circling path element on which the work vehicles should travel next, so that the work vehicles 1m, 1s travel on the work object region CA.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 25

Description

The present invention relates to a work vehicle automatic traveling system for a plurality of work vehicles that cooperatively travel in a work site while exchanging data.

The field work machine according to Patent Document 1 includes a route calculation unit and a driving support unit in order to perform field work by automatic traveling. The route calculation unit obtains the outer shape of the field from the topographical data, and based on the outer shape and the working width of the field working machine, calculates the traveling route that starts from the set traveling start point and ends at the traveling end point. The driving support unit compares the own vehicle position obtained based on the positioning data (latitude/longitude data) obtained from the GPS module with the traveling route calculated by the route calculation unit, and the traveling machine body follows the traveling route. The steering mechanism is controlled so as to drive.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system for automatically controlling the traveling of one work vehicle, while Patent Document 2 discloses a system for performing work while traveling two work vehicles in parallel.
In this system, after the field is specified, when the positional relationship between the second work vehicle and the first work vehicle is set, the travel route for performing the work of the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle is determined. When the travel route is determined, the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle perform work while positioning the position of the own vehicle and traveling along the travel route.

JP, 2015-112071, A JP, 2016-093125, A

Not only when one work vehicle travels through the work site, but also when a plurality of work vehicles travel through the work site, as shown in Patent Document 2, a plurality of work vehicles If the vehicles perform work traveling along a traveling route that is set in advance so that contact between the work vehicles does not occur, contact between the work vehicles is avoided. However, in actual work, while traveling on the work site, mechanical factors such as refueling and discharge of harvested products, environmental factors such as weather fluctuations and work site conditions, etc. Due to changes in the work environment, it is necessary for the work vehicle to suddenly change its travel route or temporarily leave the work site. For this reason, even in automatic traveling, a flexible automatic traveling system capable of changing or departing the traveling route during work traveling is required. However, such a flexible automatic driving system complicates exceptional processing associated with changing or leaving the traveling route during work in the case where multiple work vehicles are put into a vast work site. Therefore, there arises a problem that the system cost is increased.

In view of such circumstances, there is a demand for a work vehicle automatic traveling system that appropriately functions even when a plurality of work vehicles are thrown into a vast work site.

An automatic work vehicle traveling system for a plurality of work vehicles that collaboratively work in a work area while exchanging data sets the work area in an outer peripheral region and a work target region inside the outer peripheral region. A region setting unit, a vehicle position calculation unit that calculates a vehicle position, a traveling route element group that is a group of a large number of traveling route elements that constitute a traveling route that covers the work target region, and the outer peripheral region. A route management unit that readably manages a circular route element group, which is a group of circular route elements that form a circular route, and a next traveling such that the work target area is used for work traveling by the work vehicle. And a route element selection unit that selects a next traveling route element or a next traveling route element to be selected from the traveling route element group or the traveling route element group.

According to this configuration, the work target area is divided by the middle-divided area and divided into a plurality of sections. The outer peripheral area and the middle-divided area located on the outer periphery of the work target area are areas created by traveling by the work vehicle at the start of work. The shape dimensions of the outer peripheral area, the work target area, the middle-divided area, and the partition are obtained from the continuous vehicle position indicating the trajectory of the work vehicle. Based on these geometrical dimensions, it is possible to calculate and manage the traveling route elements that cover each section and the revolving route elements that circulate between the outer peripheral region and the split region. The division of the work target area by the middle-divided area is performed so that the section obtained by the division has an appropriate size for work traveling of at least one work vehicle. Further, since data can be exchanged between the work vehicles, the work traveling state of another vehicle can be read from the data indicating the work traveling state of the work vehicle included in the exchanged data. Thus, the work vehicle in charge of each section can select the travel route element and the loop route element to be traveled next while considering the position of the own vehicle and the work traveling state of the other vehicle, and thus the degree of freedom can be increased. High work travel can be performed.

In one of preferred embodiments of the present invention, the working traveling state of the other vehicle includes another vehicle positional relationship indicating a positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle, and the other vehicle calculating the other vehicle positional relationship. A positional relationship calculation unit is provided. In this configuration, the work vehicle selects the travel route element to be traveled next based on the other vehicle positional relationship indicating the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle. Therefore, it becomes possible for the work vehicle to travel while maintaining the distance from the other vehicle to a certain range or more, or to avoid the temporarily stopped other vehicle.

When a plurality of work vehicles perform automatic travel, the work vehicles may perform inappropriate work travel for some reason. Therefore, an observer boards one work vehicle, and this observer monitors trends in other unmanned work vehicles to find inappropriate work traveling at an early opportunity and interrupt the work traveling. Can be performed. For this reason, the information included in the positional relationship between other vehicles is not only information for avoiding contact between the work vehicles, but also that the work vehicle is out of the range visible to the supervisor on board the work vehicle. It also needs to include information to prevent it. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the other vehicle positional relationship includes a first positional relationship that maintains a working vehicle interval of a first distance or more that can avoid contact between the working vehicles, And a second positional relationship for maintaining a working vehicle interval equal to or less than a second distance at which a working traveling state of another vehicle can be visually recognized from the own vehicle.

Although the work traveling for creating the middle-divided area is performed first, if another work vehicle is on standby while the specific work vehicle is forming the middle-divided area, the work efficiency deteriorates by the waiting time. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the route element selection unit is configured so that the work running for creating the middle-divided area and the work running for the section created by the middle-divided area are performed simultaneously. , Is configured to select the next travel route element. When a travel route element for work traveling that creates a middle-divided region is selected, the shape and size of the partition divided by the middle-divided region can be estimated to some extent. From this, at the same time that a specific work vehicle starts work traveling to create a mid-divided area, another work vehicle can start work traveling in a section divided by the mid-divided area.

When the work running for creating the middle-divided area and the work running for the partition divided by the middle-divided area are performed at the same time, it is necessary to prevent the work vehicles performing the work running from contacting each other. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the route element selection unit is configured to cause the route element selection unit to perform the next traveling route element for the partition created by the middle-divided area during a work traveling for creating the middle-divided area. Is selected by excluding the travel route elements adjacent to the divided area.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the work traveling of the work vehicle in a work target area typically. It is an explanatory view showing a basic flow of automatic travel control using a travel route determination device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the driving pattern which repeats U-turn and straight ahead. It is explanatory drawing which shows the traveling pattern along a mesh-shaped path. It is a side view of the harvester which is one of the embodiments of a work vehicle. It is a control function block diagram in a work vehicle automatic running system. It is explanatory drawing explaining the calculation method of the mesh line which is an example of a driving route element group. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the traveling path element group calculated by the strip partial element calculation part. It is explanatory drawing which shows a normal U turn and a switch back turn. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of selection of the driving|running route element in the driving|running route element group by FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the spiral traveling pattern in the traveling route element group calculated by the mesh route element calculation part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the reciprocating traveling pattern in the traveling route element group calculated by the mesh route element calculation part. It is explanatory drawing explaining the basic generation principle of a U-turn travel route. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the U-turn drive route produced|generated based on the production|generation principle of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the U-turn drive route produced|generated based on the production|generation principle of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the U-turn drive route produced|generated based on the production|generation principle of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the alpha turn traveling route in a mesh-shaped traveling route element group. It is explanatory drawing which shows the case where the work run restarted after leaving|separating from a work target area is not performed from the continuation of the work run before leaving. It is an explanatory view showing work run by a plurality of harvesters controlled cooperatively. It is explanatory drawing which shows the basic traveling pattern of cooperative control traveling using the traveling route element group calculated by the mesh route element calculation part. It is an explanatory view showing leaving run and return run in cooperative control run. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of cooperative control driving|running|working using the driving|running route element group calculated by the strip partial element calculation part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of cooperative control driving|running|working using the driving|running route element group calculated by the strip partial element calculation part. It is explanatory drawing which shows a dividing process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the coordinated control run in the farm field divided in the middle. It is an explanatory view showing an example of cooperative control running in a field divided into a grid. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure which can adjust the parameter of a slave harvester from a master harvester. It is an explanatory view explaining automatic running for creating a U-turn running space around a parking position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of route selection by two harvesters with different working widths. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of route selection by two harvesters with different working widths.

[Outline of automated driving]
FIG. 1 schematically shows the work traveling of the work vehicle in the work vehicle automatic traveling system. In this embodiment, the work vehicle is a harvester 1 that performs a harvesting operation (harvesting operation) for harvesting agricultural products while traveling as work traveling, and is a model generally called a normal combine harvester. The work area where the harvester 1 works is called a field. In the harvesting work in the field, a region in which the harvester 1 travels around while performing work along the boundary line of the field called a ridge is set as the outer peripheral region SA. The inside of the outer peripheral area SA is set as a work target area CA. The outer peripheral area SA is used as a moving space, a direction changing space, and the like for the harvester 1 to discharge and refuel the harvested products. In order to secure the outer peripheral area SA, the harvesting machine 1 makes three to four round trips along the border line of the field as the first work run. In the round traveling, the field is worked by the working width of the harvester 1 for each round, so the outer peripheral area SA has a width of about 3 to 4 times the working width of the harvester 1. From this fact, unless otherwise noted, the outer peripheral area SA is treated as a cut ground (worked ground), and the work target area CA is treated as an uncut land (unworked ground). In this embodiment, the working width is treated as a value obtained by subtracting the overlap amount from the cutting width. However, the concept of working width differs depending on the type of work vehicle. The working width in the present invention is defined by the type of work vehicle and the type of work.

The word "working" used in this application has a broad meaning including not only running while actually working, but also running without working to change direction during working. Is used to mean.
Further, in the present specification, the phrase “work environment of a work vehicle” may include a state of the work vehicle, a state of the work place, a command by a person (monitor, driver, manager, etc.). Status information is required by evaluating the environment. This state information includes mechanical factors such as refueling and discharge of crops, environmental factors such as weather fluctuations and work site conditions, and human demands such as an unexpected work interruption command. Also, when a plurality of work vehicles work in cooperation, the state information of other vehicles is treated as the work traveling state of the other vehicles, and the other vehicle positional relationship indicating the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicles. Etc. are also included in the working traveling states of other vehicles. The supervisor and the manager may be on the work vehicle, may be near the work vehicle, or may be far away from the work vehicle.

The harvester 1 includes a satellite positioning module 80 that outputs positioning data based on a GPS signal from an artificial satellite GS used in GPS (Global Positioning System). The harvester 1 harvests the positioning data from the positioning data. It has a function of calculating the own vehicle position, which is the position coordinate of the specific location of the machine 1. The harvester 1 has an automatic traveling function that automates traveling harvesting work by manipulating the calculated vehicle position so as to match the target traveling route. In order to discharge the harvested product while traveling, the harvesting machine 1 needs to approach the vicinity of the transport vehicle CV parked on the ridge and park it. When the parking position of the transport vehicle CV is determined in advance, such approach traveling, that is, temporary departure from the work traveling in the work target area CA and return to the work traveling may be performed automatically. It is possible. The travel route for leaving the work target area CA and returning to the work target area CA is generated at the time when the outer peripheral area SA is set. A refueling vehicle and other work support vehicles can be parked instead of the transport vehicle CV.

[Basic flow of work vehicle automatic running system]
In order for the harvesting machine 1 incorporated in the work vehicle automatic traveling system of the present invention to automatically perform the harvesting work, a traveling route management device that generates a traveling route as a traveling target and manages the traveling route is provided. Will be required. The basic configuration of this travel route management device and the basic flow of automatic travel control using this travel route management device will be described with reference to FIG.

The harvesting machine 1, which has arrived at the field, harvests while circling along the inside of the boundary line of the field. This work is called cutting around and is a well-known work in harvesting. At that time, in the corner area, traveling is performed by repeating forward movement and backward movement so that uncut grain culms do not remain. In the present embodiment, at least one round of the outermost circumference is performed by manual running so that there is no uncut area and no bumps are hit. The remaining several laps on the inner peripheral side may be automatically traveled by an automatic traveling program dedicated to the peripheral cutting, or may be manually driven subsequent to the outermost peripheral cutting. As the shape of the work target area CA left inside the traveling locus of such a circular traveling, a polygon as simple as possible, preferably a quadrangle, is adopted so as to be convenient for the automatic traveling traveling. On the basis of the position data of the traveling locus obtained by the inner peripheral cutting, a circular route element for circulating the outer peripheral area SA is created.

Further, the traveling locus of the round traveling can be obtained based on the own vehicle position calculated from the positioning data of the satellite positioning module 80 by the own vehicle position calculation unit 53. Further, the outer shape data of the field, particularly the outer shape data of the work target area CA which is the uncut land located on the inner side of the traveling locus of the circular traveling is generated from the traveling locus by the outer shape data generation unit 43. The farm field is managed by the area setting unit 44 by being divided into an outer peripheral area SA and a work target area CA.

The work traveling to the work target area CA is performed by automatic traveling. Therefore, the route management unit 60 manages a group of travel route elements, which are travel routes for traveling over the work target area CA (travel that fills up with the work width). This traveling route element group is an aggregate of a large number of traveling route elements. The route management unit 60 calculates the traveling route element group based on the outer shape data of the work target area CA and stores it in a readable manner in the memory.

In this work vehicle automatic traveling system, the entire travel route is not determined in advance before the work traveling in the work target area CA, but the travel route is determined according to the working environment of the work vehicle during traveling. Can be changed. Therefore, there is provided a work state evaluation unit 55 that outputs the state information obtained by evaluating the state of the harvester 1, the state of the work site, the instructions of the observer, and the like. The minimum unit (link) between points (nodes) where the travel route can be changed is the travel route element. When the automatic traveling is started from the designated place, the next traveling route element to be traveled next is sequentially selected by the route element selecting unit 63 from the traveling route element group.
The automatic traveling control unit 511 generates automatic traveling data based on the selected traveling route element and the vehicle position so that the vehicle body follows the traveling route element, and executes the automatic traveling.

In FIG. 2, the outer shape data generation unit 43, the area setting unit 44, and the route management unit 60 constitute a traveling route generation device that generates a traveling route for the harvester 1. The own vehicle position calculation unit 53, the area setting unit 44, the route management unit 60, and the route element selection unit 63 constitute a traveling route determination device that determines a traveling route for the harvester 1. Such a travel route generation device and a travel route determination device can be incorporated into the control system of the conventional harvester 1 capable of automatic travel. Alternatively, it is also possible to build a travel route generation device or a travel route determination device in a computer terminal and connect the computer terminal and the control system of the harvester 1 so that data can be exchanged to realize automatic travel.

When a plurality of harvesters 1 that travel in a coordinated manner are incorporated in the work vehicle automatic traveling system, another vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56 that calculates the positional relationship between the harvesters 1 is provided. The other-vehicle positional relationship calculating unit 56 determines the position of one of the harvesters 1 (position of the own vehicle), the position of the other harvester 1 (position of the other vehicle), the traveling direction of the one harvester 1, and the other harvester 1. The other vehicle positional relationship including the traveling direction is calculated. This other vehicle positional relationship is one of the data representing the working traveling state of the harvester 1. The work traveling state is the state information output from the work state evaluation unit 55 by evaluating the state of the harvester 1, the state of the work place, the instruction of the supervisor, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the other vehicle positional relationship calculated by the other vehicle positional relationship calculating section 56 is sent to the work state evaluating section 55. When a plurality of harvesters work cooperatively while traveling, the work state evaluation unit 55 sends the work traveling states of other vehicles to the route element selection unit 63.

[Overview of travel route element group]
As an example of the traveling route element group, FIG. 3 shows a traveling route element group having a large number of parallel division lines that divide the work target area CA into strips as traveling route elements. This travel route element group is formed by arranging linear travel route elements in which two nodes (both end points, which are referred to as route changeable points at which the route is changeable) are connected by one link are arranged in parallel. Is. The travel route elements are set to be arranged at equal intervals by adjusting the overlap amount of the working width. A U-turn traveling (for example, 180° turning traveling) is performed for transition from the end point of the traveling route element indicated by one line to the end point of the traveling route element indicated by another line. Hereinafter, automatic traveling while connecting such parallel traveling route elements by U-turn traveling is referred to as “reciprocating traveling”. This U-turn traveling includes normal U-turn traveling and switchback-turn traveling. The normal U-turn travel is performed only by the forward movement of the harvester 1, and the travel locus becomes a U-shape. The switchback turn traveling is performed by using the forward and backward movements of the harvester 1, and the traveling locus does not have a U shape, but as a result, the harvester 1 has the same direction-changing traveling as the normal U-turn traveling. Is obtained. In order to perform the normal U-turn traveling, a distance between two or more traveling route elements is required between the route changeable point before the direction change traveling and the route changeable point after the direction change traveling. For shorter distances, switchback turn travel is used. That is, since the switchback turn traveling is performed in the reverse direction unlike the normal U-turn traveling, there is no influence of the turning radius of the harvester 1 and there are many options of traveling route elements to be transferred. However, in the switchback turn traveling, switching between forward and reverse is performed, and therefore the switchback turn traveling basically takes longer time than the normal U-turn traveling.

As another example of the travel route element group, FIG. 4 shows a travel route element group formed by a large number of mesh lines extending in the vertical and horizontal directions, which divides the work target area CA into meshes. It is possible to change the route at the intersections of the mesh lines (route changeable points) and both ends of the mesh lines (route changeable points). In other words, this travel route element group constructs a route network in which the intersections and end points of the mesh lines serve as nodes, and the sides of each mesh partitioned by the mesh lines function as links, enabling traveling with a high degree of freedom. In addition to the above-described reciprocal traveling, for example, "swirling traveling" or "zigzag traveling" from the outside to the inside as shown in FIG. 4 is possible, and further, during the work, the spiral traveling is changed to the reciprocating traveling. It is also possible.

[Thoughts when selecting travel route elements]
The selection rules when the route element selection unit 63 sequentially selects the next traveling route element which is the traveling route element to be traveled next are the static rule set in advance before the work traveling and the It can be divided into dynamic rules used in real time. The static rules include selecting a travel route element based on a predetermined basic travel pattern, for example, a travel route element so as to realize a round trip while performing a U-turn travel as shown in FIG. And a rule for selecting a travel route element so as to realize counterclockwise spiral traveling from the outside to the inside as shown in FIG. In principle, dynamic rules are used in preference to static rules. The dynamic rule includes the contents of state information such as the state of the harvester 1 in real time, the state of the work site, and the instructions of the supervisor (including the driver and the manager) in real time, which changes from moment to moment. The work state evaluation unit 55 takes in various kinds of primary information (work environment) as input parameters, the state of the harvester 1, the state of the work site, instructions of a supervisor, and outputs the state information. It should be noted that this primary information includes not only signals from various sensors and switches provided in the harvester 1, but also weather information, time information, external facility information such as a drying facility, and the like. Furthermore, in the case of performing cooperative work with a plurality of harvesters 1, the state information output from the work state evaluation unit 55 also includes the other vehicle positional relationship calculated by the other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56. Then, this state information is used as the working traveling state of the other vehicle.

[Overview of harvester]
FIG. 5 is a side view of the harvester 1 as a work vehicle adopted in the description of this embodiment. The harvester 1 includes a crawler-type traveling machine body 11. A driving unit 12 is provided at the front of the traveling machine body 11. Behind the operating unit 12, a threshing device 13 and a harvested product tank 14 for storing harvested products are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Further, a harvesting section 15 is provided in front of the traveling machine body 11 so that its height can be adjusted. Above the harvesting section 15, a reel 17 for raising a grain culm is provided so that its height can be adjusted. Between the harvesting section 15 and the threshing device 13, there are provided a transporting device 16 for transporting the cut culms and a discharging device 18 for discharging the harvested product from the harvested product tank 14. A load sensor for detecting the weight of the harvest (a storage state of the harvest) is provided at the bottom of the harvest tank 14, and a yield meter and a taste meter (registered trademark) are provided inside and around the harvest tank 14. There is. The taste meter (registered trademark) outputs the measurement data of the moisture value and the protein value of the harvest as quality data. The harvester 1 is provided with a satellite positioning module 80 configured as a GNSS module, a GPS module, or the like. As a component of the satellite positioning module 80, a satellite antenna for receiving GPS signals and GNSS signals is attached to the upper part of the traveling body 11. The satellite positioning module 80 can include an inertial navigation module incorporating a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic bearing sensor in order to complement the satellite navigation.

In FIG. 5, an observer (including a driver and an administrator) who monitors the movement of the harvester 1 boarded the harvester 1, and a communication terminal 4 operated by the observer was brought into the harvester 1. There is. However, the communication terminal 4 may be attached to the harvester 1. Furthermore, the observer and the communication terminal 4 may exist outside the harvester 1.

The harvester 1 is capable of automatic traveling by automatic steering and manual traveling by manual steering. Further, as the automatic traveling, it is possible to perform automatic traveling in which the entire traveling route is determined in advance as in the prior art and automatic traveling in which the next traveling route is determined in real time based on the state information. In the present application, the former, in which the entire travel route is determined in advance, is referred to as conventional travel, and the latter, in which the next travel route is determined in real time, is referred to as automatic travel, and both are treated as different things. The customary travel route is configured, for example, so that some patterns are registered in advance, or the supervisor can arbitrarily set the communication terminal 4 or the like.

[Function control block for automatic driving]
FIG. 6 shows a control system built in the harvester 1 and a control system of the communication terminal 4. In this embodiment, the travel route management device that manages the travel route for the harvester 1 is the first travel route management module CM1 built in the communication terminal 4 and the first travel route management module CM1 built in the control unit 5 of the harvester 1. It is composed of two travel route management modules CM2.

The communication terminal 4 includes a communication control unit 40, a touch panel 41, and the like, and has a function of a computer system and a function as a user interface for inputting conditions required for automatic traveling realized by the control unit 5. By using the communication control unit 40, the communication terminal 4 can exchange data with the management computer 100 via a wireless line or the Internet, and the control unit 5 of the harvester 1 by a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, or another communication method. Data can be exchanged with. The management computer 100 is a computer system installed in a remote management center KS and functions as a cloud computer. The management computer 100 can store information sent from each farmer, an agricultural association, or an agricultural enterprise, and send it out in response to a request. In FIG. 6, a work site information storage unit 101 and a work plan management unit 102 are shown as those that realize such a server function. In the communication terminal 4, the external data acquired from the management computer 100 or the control unit 5 of the harvester 1 through the communication control unit 40 and the input data such as the user instruction (conditions required for automatic traveling) input through the touch panel 41. Based on the data processing, the processing result is displayed on the display panel of the touch panel 41 and can be transmitted to the management computer 100 and the control unit 5 of the harvester 1 through the communication control unit 40.

The work site information storage unit 101 stores field information including a topographic map around the field and attribute information (field entrance, field direction, etc.) of the field. The work plan management unit 102 of the management computer 100 manages a work plan describing the work content in the designated field. The field information and the work plan can be downloaded to the communication terminal 4 or the control unit 5 of the harvester 1 through the operation of the supervisor or the program automatically executed. The work plan includes various kinds of information (work conditions) on the work in the target field. Examples of this information (working conditions) include the following.
(A) Travel pattern (reciprocating travel, spiral travel, zigzag travel, etc.)
(B) Parking position of the support vehicle of the carrier vehicle CV and parking position of the harvester for discharging the harvested material (c) Work form (work with one harvester 1, work with multiple harvesters 1)
(D) So-called middle split line (e) Vehicle speed and rotation speed of the threshing device 13 according to the crop species (rice (Japonica rice, Indica rice), wheat, soybean, rapeseed, buckwheat, etc.) to be harvested.
Especially, since the setting of the traveling equipment parameter and the setting of the harvesting equipment parameter according to the crop type are automatically executed from the information of (e), a setting error can be avoided.

The position at which the harvester 1 is parked to discharge the harvest to the transport vehicle CV is the harvest discharge parking position, and the position at which the harvester 1 is parked to refuel from the refueling vehicle is refueling. It is a parking position for vehicles, and is set to substantially the same position in this embodiment.

The above information (a)-(e) may be input by the monitor through the communication terminal 4 as a user interface. The communication terminal 4 has an input function of instructing start or stop of automatic traveling, an input function of whether to perform automatic traveling or conventional traveling as described above, and vehicle traveling equipment such as a traveling transmission. An input function and the like for finely adjusting the values of the parameters for the working device group 72 (see FIG. 6) such as the group 71 and the harvesting unit 15 are also built. Among the parameters of the working apparatus device group 72, the height of the reel 17 and the height of the harvesting section 15 are listed as those whose values can be finely adjusted.

The communication terminal 4 can switch to an animation display state of the automatic travel route or the customary travel route, the parameter display/fine adjustment state, or the like by an artificial switching operation. It should be noted that this animation display is an animation of the traveling locus of the harvester 1 traveling along the automatic traveling route or the conventional traveling route, which is the traveling route in the conventional traveling in which the entire traveling route is determined in advance, and is displayed on the touch panel 41. It is to display on the display panel section. With such an animation display, the driver can intuitively confirm the traveling route to be traveled before traveling.

The work site data input unit 42 inputs the field information downloaded from the management computer 100, the work plan, and the information acquired from the communication terminal 4. A schematic diagram of the field, the position of the field entrance and exit, and the parking position for receiving assistance from the work support vehicle, which are included in the field information, are displayed on the touch panel 41, and are supported by the driver who makes a round trip to form the outer peripheral area SA. To be done. When the field information does not include data such as the field entrance and parking position, the user can input the data through the touch panel 41. The outer shape data generation unit 43 uses the traveling locus data (time-series data of the vehicle position) of the harvesting machine 1 when traveling around the harvester 1 received from the control unit 5, based on the accurate outer shape and outer dimension of the field and the work target area CA. Calculate the outer shape and outer dimensions of.
The area setting unit 44 sets the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA from the traveling locus data of the circular traveling of the harvester 1. The set position coordinates of the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA, that is, the outer shape data of the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA are used to generate a travel route for automatic travel. In this embodiment, since the traveling route is generated by the second traveling route management module CM2 built in the control unit 5 of the harvester 1, the position coordinates of the set outer peripheral area SA and work target area CA are: It is sent to the second travel route management module CM2.

When the field is large, a work called middle-splitting is performed to create a middle-split region that divides the field into a plurality of sections along a traveling route that breaks through the center. This mid-divided position designation can also be performed by touching the outline drawing of the work site displayed on the screen of the touch panel 41. Of course, the position setting of middle division also affects the generation of the traveling route element group for automatic traveling, and therefore may be automatically performed when the traveling route element group is generated. At that time, when the parking position of the harvester 1 for receiving the support of the work support vehicle such as the carrier CV is arranged on the extension line of the middle-divided area, the discharge of the harvested products from all the sections is efficiently performed. Be seen.

The second travel route management module CM2 includes a route management unit 60, a route element selection unit 63, and a route setting unit 64. The route management unit 60 calculates the traveling route element group and the circular route element group and stores them in a readable manner. The traveling route element group is an aggregate of a large number of traveling route elements that constitute a traveling route covering the work target area CA. The circuit route element group is an aggregate of circuit route elements that form a circuit route that circulates in the outer peripheral area SA. As a functional unit that calculates the traveling route element group, the route management unit 60 includes a mesh route element calculation unit 601, a strip route element calculation unit 602, and a U-turn route calculation unit 603. The route element selection unit 63 sequentially selects the next traveling route element to be traveled next from the traveling route element group based on various selection rules described in detail later. The route setting unit 64 sets the selected next traveling route element as a target traveling route for automatic traveling.

The mesh route element calculation unit 601 calculates, as the traveling route element, a traveling route element group that is a mesh line group including mesh lines that divide the work target area CA into meshes, and also calculates the position coordinates of intersections and end points of the mesh lines. It can be calculated. Since this traveling route element becomes the target traveling route when the harvesting machine 1 is automatically traveling, the harvesting machine 1 can change the route from one traveling route element to the other traveling route element at the intersections and end points of the mesh lines. It is possible. That is, the intersections and end points of the mesh lines function as route changeable points that allow the route change of the harvester 1.

FIG. 7 shows an outline of the arrangement of the mesh line group, which is an example of the traveling route element group, in the work target area CA. The mesh route element calculation unit 601 calculates a traveling route element group so that the work target area CA is filled with mesh lines with the work width of the harvester 1 as a mesh interval. As described above, since the work target area CA is an area inside the outer peripheral area SA formed by the round traveling of the working width from the boundary of the field toward the inside by 3 to 4 laps, the work is basically performed. The outer shape of the target area CA will be similar to the outer shape of the field. However, in order to facilitate calculation of the mesh line, the outer peripheral area SA may be created so that the work target area CA is substantially polygonal, preferably substantially rectangular. In FIG. 7, the shape of the work target area CA is a deformed quadrangle including the first side S1, the second side S2, the third side S3, and the fourth side S4.

As shown in FIG. 7, the mesh route element calculation unit 601 is parallel to the first side S1 from the position at which a distance of half the working width of the harvester 1 is separated from the first side S1 of the work target area CA. In addition, the first line group arranged on the work target area CA is calculated at intervals of the work width of the harvester 1. Similarly, the work target area CA is parallel to the second side S2 from a position spaced from the second side S2 by a half of the working width of the harvester 1 and at an interval corresponding to the working width of the harvester 1. From the position of the second line group arranged on the above, a distance of half the working width of the harvester 1 from the third side S3, the distance parallel to the third side S3 and the working width of the harvester 1 is set. The third line group, which is opened and arranged on the work target area CA, is parallel to the fourth side S4 from the position where a distance of half the working width of the harvester 1 is opened from the fourth side S4 and the harvester 1 A fourth line group arranged on the work target area CA at intervals of the work width is calculated. In this way, the first side S1 to the fourth side S4 are reference lines that generate a line group as a travel route element group. If there are position coordinates of two points on a straight line, that straight line can be defined. Therefore, each line that is a travel route element, in particular each straight line, is converted into data as a straight line defined by the position coordinates of the two points of each straight line. , Are stored in the memory in a predetermined data format. In this data format, in addition to the route number as a route identifier for identifying each traveling route element, as the attribute value of each traveling route element, the route type, the side of the outer quadrangle serving as a reference, the untraveled/already traveled Etc. are included.

Of course, the above-described calculation of the line group can be applied to the polygonal work target area CA other than the quadrangle. That is, assuming that the work target area CA has an N-angled shape when N is an integer of 3 or more, the travel route element group includes N line groups from the first line group to the N-th line group. Each line group includes lines arranged in parallel with any of the sides of the N-sided polygon at a predetermined interval (working width).

The route management unit 60 also sets a traveling route element group in the outer peripheral region SA, and the traveling route elements set in the outer peripheral region SA are used when the harvester 1 travels in the outer peripheral region SA. Attribute values such as a leaving route, a returning route, and a U-turn traveling intermediate straight traveling route are given to the traveling route elements set in the outer peripheral area SA. The leaving route means a traveling route element group used for the harvester 1 to leave the work target area CA and enter the outer peripheral area SA. The return route means a traveling route element group used for the harvester 1 to return from the outer peripheral area SA to the work traveling in the work target area CA. The intermediate straight traveling route for U-turn traveling (hereinafter simply referred to as intermediate straight traveling route) is a linear route that constitutes a part of the U-turn traveling route used for U-turn traveling in the outer peripheral area SA. That is, the intermediate straight traveling route is a linear traveling route element group that constitutes a line portion that connects the turning route on the starting side of the U-turn traveling and the turning route on the ending side of the U-turn traveling, and in the outer peripheral area SA. It is a path provided in parallel to each side of the work target area CA. In addition, when performing swirl traveling at this place and switching to reciprocating traveling on the way to perform work traveling, the swirl traveling causes the uncut land to be smaller than the work target area CA on all sides, so that work traveling is performed efficiently. In particular, the U-turn traveling in the work target area CA is efficient because there is no need to travel to the outer peripheral area SA, and thus there is no wasteful traveling. Therefore, when the U-turn traveling is executed in the work target area CA, the intermediate straight traveling route is translated inward toward the inner peripheral side according to the position of the outer peripheral line of the uncut land.

In FIG. 7, since the shape of the work target area CA is a deformed quadrangle, there are four sides that are the reference for generating the mesh path element group, but if the work target area CA has a rectangular or square shape, Since there are two sides that are the reference for generating the mesh route element group, the structure of the mesh route element group becomes simpler.

In this embodiment, the route management unit 60 is provided with a strip route element calculation unit 602 as an optional travel route element calculation unit. As shown in FIG. 3, the travel route element group calculated by the strip route element calculation unit 602 is parallel to a reference side selected from the sides forming the outer shape of the work target area CA, for example, the longest side. It is a parallel line group that extends and covers the work target area CA with the work width (fills with the work width). The travel route element group calculated by the strip route element calculation unit 602 divides the work target area CA into strips. Furthermore, the traveling route element group is an assembly of parallel lines that are sequentially connected by the U-turn traveling route for the harvester 1 to travel in the U-turn. That is, when the traveling of one traveling route element that is a parallel line is completed, the U-turn traveling route for transition to the next selected traveling route element is determined by the U-turn route calculating unit 603.

The U-turn route calculating unit 603 calculates a U-turn traveling route for connecting two traveling route elements selected from the traveling route element group calculated by the strip route element calculating unit 602 by U-turn traveling. When the outer peripheral area SA and the like are set, the U-turn path calculation unit 603, based on the outer shape and outer dimension of the outer peripheral area SA, the outer shape and outer diameter dimension of the work target area CA, the turning radius of the harvester 1, and the like, In the outer peripheral area SA, one intermediate straight path that is parallel to the outer edge of the work target area CA is calculated for each area corresponding to each side (outer edge) of the outer circumference of the work target area CA, and a normal U-turn is made. When traveling and switchback turn traveling are performed, the turning path on the start side connecting the currently traveling traveling route element and the corresponding intermediate straight traveling route and the end connecting the corresponding intermediate straight traveling route and the traveling traveling route element And the turning path on the side. The principle of generating the U-turn travel route will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the control unit 5 of the harvester 1 that constructs the second traveling route management module CM2, various functions are constructed in order to perform work traveling. The control unit 5 is configured as a computer system, and includes an output processing unit 7, an input processing unit 8, and a communication processing unit 70 as input/output interfaces. The output processing unit 7 is connected to the vehicle traveling device group 71, the working device device group 72, the notification device 73, and the like that are installed in the harvester 1. The vehicle traveling device group 71 includes steering devices that adjust the speed of the left and right crawlers of the traveling machine body 11 to perform steering, and devices (not shown) such as a speed change mechanism and an engine unit that are controlled for vehicle traveling. include. The working device device group 72 includes devices that configure the harvesting unit 15, the threshing device 13, the discharging device 18, and the like. The notification device 73 includes a display, a lamp, and a speaker. In particular, on the display, various notification information such as the travel route (travel locus) that has been traveled and the travel route to be traveled, is displayed along with the outer shape of the field. The lamps and speakers are used to notify passengers (drivers and supervisors) of caution information and warning information such as traveling precautions and deviation from the target traveling route in automatic steering traveling.

The communication processing unit 70 has a function of receiving the data processed by the communication terminal 4 and transmitting the data processed by the control unit 5. Thereby, the communication terminal 4 can function as a user interface of the control unit 5. The communication processing unit 70 is also used to exchange data with the management computer 100, and thus has a function of handling various communication formats.

The input processing unit 8 is connected to the satellite positioning module 80, the traveling system detection sensor group 81, the work system detection sensor group 82, the automatic/manual switching operation tool 83, and the like. The traveling system detection sensor group 81 includes sensors for detecting traveling states such as engine speed and gear shift state. The work system detection sensor group 82 includes a sensor that detects the height position of the harvesting section 15, a sensor that detects the storage amount of the harvest tank 14, and the like. The automatic/manual switching operation tool 83 is a switch for selecting either an automatic traveling mode in which the vehicle travels by automatic steering or a manual traveling mode in which the vehicle travels by manual steering. In addition, a switch for switching between automatic traveling and conventional traveling is provided in the driving unit 12 or built in the communication terminal 4.

Further, the control unit 5 is provided with a traveling control unit 51, a work control unit 52, a vehicle position calculation unit 53, an informing unit 54, a work state evaluation unit 55, and another vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56. The vehicle position calculation unit 53 calculates the vehicle position based on the positioning data output from the satellite positioning module 80. Since the harvesting machine 1 is configured to be capable of traveling by both automatic traveling (automatic steering) and manual traveling (manual steering), the traveling controller 51 that controls the vehicle traveling device group 71 includes the automatic traveling controller 511. And a manual traveling control unit 512 are included. The manual traveling control unit 512 controls the vehicle traveling device group 71 based on the operation by the driver. The automatic traveling control unit 511 calculates the azimuth deviation and the positional deviation between the traveling route set by the route setting unit 64 and the own vehicle position, generates an automatic steering instruction, and outputs the steering device via the output processing unit 7. Output to. The work control unit 52 gives a control signal to the work device equipment group 72 in order to control the movement of the operating devices provided in the harvesting unit 15, the threshing device 13, the discharging device 18, and the like that configure the harvester 1. The notification unit 54 generates a notification signal (display data or audio data) for notifying a driver or a monitor of necessary information through a notification device 73 such as a display. The work status evaluation unit 55 includes the status of the harvester 1, the status of the work site, and the status including a command from a person (monitor, driver, manager, etc.) from the detection results of various sensors and the operation results of various operating tools. Output information. The other-vehicle positional relationship calculating unit 56 calculates the other-vehicle positional relationship indicating the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle when the cooperative work is performed by the plurality of harvesters 1. The position of the own vehicle, the traveling route element selected by the own vehicle, and the position of the other vehicle or the traveling route element selected by the other vehicle are used for the calculation of the other vehicle positional relationship. Further, the other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56 also has a function of calculating the estimated contact position between the work vehicles.

The automatic traveling control unit 511 can perform not only steering control but also vehicle speed control. As described above, the vehicle speed is set by the passenger through the communication terminal 4 before starting the work, as described above.
The vehicle speeds that can be set include the vehicle speed during harvesting, the vehicle speed during non-working turns (U-turn traveling, etc.), and the case where the vehicle travels in the outer peripheral area SA while leaving the work target area CA when discharging harvested material or refueling. Vehicle speed, etc. are included. The automatic travel control unit 511 calculates the actual vehicle speed based on the positioning data obtained by the satellite positioning module 80. The output processing unit 7 sends a shift operation command for traveling to the vehicle traveling device group 71 so that the actual vehicle speed matches the set vehicle speed.

[About automatic driving route]
An example of automatic traveling in the work vehicle automatic traveling system will be described separately for an example of performing reciprocating traveling and an example of performing spiral traveling.

First, an example of traveling back and forth using the travel route element group calculated by the strip route element calculation unit 602 will be described. FIG. 8 schematically shows a travel route element group consisting of 21 travel route elements represented by a strip having a reduced line length, and a route number is given to the upper side of each travel route element. ing. The harvester 1 at the start of the work traveling is located at the 14th traveling route element. The degree of separation between the travel route element on which the harvester 1 is located and the other travel route elements is a signed integer and is attached to the lower side of each route. In FIG. 8, the priority for the harvester 1 located on the 14th travel route element to move to the next travel route element is indicated by an integer value below the travel route element. The smaller the value, the higher the priority, and the priority is selected. This harvester 1 is a normal U-turn that shifts to the next traveling route element with at least two traveling route elements sandwiched between the traveling route element that has completed traveling and the next traveling route element, as shown in FIG. It is possible to travel and switchback turn travel that can shift to adjacent travel path elements with two or less travel path elements sandwiched therebetween. In the normal U-turn traveling, when entering the outer peripheral area SA from the end point of the travel source route element, the direction is changed by about 180° and enters the end point of the destination travel route element. If the distance between the travel route element of the transition source and the travel route element of the transition destination is large, an appropriate straight line is entered during the turning of about 90°. That is, the normal U-turn traveling is executed only by the forward traveling. On the other hand, in the switchback turn traveling, when the outer peripheral area SA is entered from the end point of the traveling source traveling route element, the vehicle once turns about 90° and then smoothly enters the traveling destination traveling route element at about 90° turning. After traveling backward to the position, the vehicle travels toward the end point of the destination travel route element. This complicates the steering control, but it is also possible to shift to a travel route element having a short distance from each other.

The selection of the travel route element to be traveled next is performed by the route element selection unit 63, but in this embodiment, the basic priority of the selection is that the travel route element is a predetermined distance away from the original travel route element. The properly separated travel route element is set to have the highest priority, and the priority is set to be lower as the distance from the travel route element that is the order origin is higher than that of the properly separated travel route element. For example, regarding the transition to the next travel route element, the normal U-turn travel with a short travel distance requires a short travel time and is efficient. Therefore, the priority of the two left and right adjacent travel route elements is set to be the highest (priority=“1”). The farther from the harvester 1, the longer the normal U-turn travel time is, so the priority becomes lower (priority=“2”, “3”,... ). That is, the numerical value of the priority indicates the priority. However, the traveling time of the normal U-turn traveling becomes longer, and the efficiency of the normal U-turn traveling becomes worse than that of the switchback-turn traveling. In the switchback turn traveling, the priority of shifting to the traveling route element separated by one is higher than the priority of shifting to the adjacent traveling route element. This is because the switchback turn travel to the adjacent travel route element requires a sharp turn, which is likely to damage the field. It should be noted that the transition to the next travel route element can be in either the left or right direction, but in accordance with the convention of conventional work, the transition to the left travel route element has priority over the transition to the right travel route element. The rule is adopted. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 8, the harvester 1 located at the route number: 14 selects the traveling route element with the route number: 17 as the traveling route element to travel next. Such priority setting is performed every time the harvester 1 enters a new travel route element.

In principle, the selected travel route element, that is, the travel route element for which the work has been completed, is prohibited. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, if the route number: 11 or the route number: 17 whose priority is “1” is the already-worked land (cut-off land), the harvester located at the route number: 14 1 selects the traveling route element of the route number: 18 having the priority “2” as the traveling route element to be traveled next.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which the traveling route element calculated by the mesh route element calculation unit 601 is used for spiral traveling. The outer peripheral area SA of the field and the work target area CA shown in FIG. 11 are the same as those in FIG. 7, and the travel route element groups set in the work target area CA are also the same. Here, for the sake of explanation, the traveling route elements having the first side S1 as the reference line are indicated by L11, L12,..., and the traveling route elements having the second side S2 as the reference line are indicated as L21, L22. , L3, L32... Denote the traveling route elements having the third side S3 as the reference line, and L41, L42... Denote the traveling route elements having the fourth side S4 as the reference line.

The thick line in FIG. 11 indicates a traveling path that spirally travels from the outside to the inside of the harvester 1. The travel route element L11 outside the work target area CA is selected as the first travel route. The route is changed by approximately 90° at the intersection of the traveling route element L11 and the traveling route element L21, and the harvester 1 travels along the traveling route element L21. Furthermore, the route is changed by approximately 110° at the intersection of the traveling route element L21 and the traveling route element L31, and the harvester 1 travels along the traveling route element L31. The route is changed by approximately 70° at the intersection of the traveling route element L31 and the traveling route element L41, and the harvester 1 travels along the traveling route element L41. Next, the harvester 1 shifts to the travel route element L12 at the intersection of the travel route element L12 inside the travel route element L11 and the travel route element L41. By repeating such selection of the travel route elements, the harvester 1 travels in the work target area CA of the field in a spiral manner from the outside to the inside. in this way. When the spiral traveling pattern is set, the route is changed at the intersection of the traveling route elements having the untraveled attribute and located on the outermost circumference of the work target area CA, and the harvester 1 changes direction.

FIG. 12 shows a U-turn traveling example using the same traveling route element group shown in FIG. 11. First, the travel route element L11 outside the work target area CA is selected as the first travel route. The harvester 1 goes beyond the end (end point) of the travel route element L11, enters the outer peripheral area SA, makes a 90° turn along the second side S2, and further travels in parallel with the travel route element L11. The 90° turn is again performed so as to enter the starting end (end point) of the element L14. As a result, after the normal U-turn travel of 180°, the travel route element L11 is shifted to the travel route element L14 by opening two travel route elements. Further, when the vehicle travels on the traveling route element L14 and enters the outer peripheral area SA, the vehicle makes a normal U-turn traveling of 180°, and then shifts to a traveling route element L17 extending in parallel with the traveling route element L14. In this way, the harvester 1 shifts from the traveling route element L17 to the traveling route element L110, further from the traveling route element L110 to the traveling route element L16, and finally, the working traveling of the entire work target area CA of the field. To complete. As is clear from the above description, the example of the reciprocating traveling using the traveling route element group by the strip route element calculating unit 602 described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 is the mesh route element calculation. It is also applicable to reciprocating travel using the travel route element calculated by the unit 601.

In this way, the reciprocal traveling can be realized by either the traveling route element group that divides the work target area CA into strips or the traveling route element group that divides the work target area CA into a mesh shape. In other words, as long as it is a traveling route element group that divides the work target area CA into a mesh shape, it can be used for both reciprocating traveling, swirling traveling, and zigzag traveling, and the traveling pattern is reciprocated from the spiral traveling during the work. It is also possible to change to running.

[U-turn travel route generation principle]
The basic principle of the U-turn route calculation unit 603 generating the U-turn travel route will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 shows the U-turn travel route that shifts from the travel route element of the turning source indicated by LS0 to the travel route element of the turn destination indicated by LS1. In normal traveling, if LS0 is a traveling route element in the work target area CA, LS1 becomes a traveling route element (=intermediate straight travel route) in the outer peripheral area SA, and conversely, LS1 is a traveling route element in the work target area CA. In this case, LS0 is generally a travel route element (=intermediate straight route) in the outer peripheral area SA. For example, the linear expressions (or two points on the straight line) of the travel route elements LS0 and LS1 are recorded in the memory, and the intersections (shown by PX in FIG. 13) and the intersection angles (FIG. 13) are recorded from these linear expressions. Is indicated by θ). Next, a tangent circle that is in contact with the traveling route element LS0 and the traveling route element LS1 and has a radius equal to the minimum turning radius of the harvester 1 (indicated by r in FIG. 13) is calculated. An arc (a part of the tangent circle) connecting the contact points (indicated by PS0 and PS1 in FIG. 13) between the tangent circle and the travel route elements LS0 and LS1 becomes the turning route. Therefore, the distance Y to the contact point with the circle and the intersection PX of the travel route elements LS0 and LS1 is Y=r/(tan(θ/2))
Ask in. Since the minimum turning radius is substantially determined by the specifications of the harvester 1, r is a specified value. It should be noted that r does not have to be the same value as the minimum turning radius, and it is only necessary that a reasonable turning radius be set in advance by the communication terminal 4 or the like, and a turning operation that achieves the turning radius be programmed. In terms of traveling control, the harvester 1 starts the traveling traveling when it reaches the position coordinate (PS0) where the distance to the intersection is Y while traveling the traveling route element LS0 of the traveling origin, and then traveling traveling. If the difference between the azimuth of the harvester 1 and the azimuth of the traveling route element LS1 at the turning destination falls within an allowable value, the turning traveling is ended. At that time, the turning radius of the harvester 1 may not exactly match the radius r. By performing steering control based on the distance and heading difference from the turning destination traveling route element LS1, the harvester 1 can shift to the turning destination traveling route element LS1.

14, 15 and 16 show three concrete U-turn runs. In FIG. 14, the turning route traveling route element LS0 and the turning destination traveling route element LS1 extend in an inclined state from the outer edge of the work target area CA, but the same applies even if they extend vertically. Here, the U-turn travel route in the outer peripheral area SA is an extension line of the travel route element LS0 and the travel route element LS1 to the outer peripheral area SA, and an intermediate straight travel route that is a part (line segment) of the travel route element in the outer peripheral area SA. And two arcuate turning paths. This U-turn travel route can also be generated according to the basic principle described with reference to FIG. An intersection angle θ1 and an intersection point PX1 between the intermediate straight traveling route and the traveling route element LS0 at the turning source, and an intersection angle θ2 and an intersection point PX2 between the intermediate straight traveling route and the traveling route element LS1 at the turning destination are calculated. Furthermore, the position coordinates of the contact points PS10 and PS11 of the tangent circle of the radius r (=the turning radius of the harvester 1) which is in contact with the traveling route element LS0 of the turning source and the intermediate straight traveling route, and the traveling of the intermediate straight traveling route and the turning destination. The position coordinates of the contact points PS20, PS21 of the tangent circle having a radius r and contacting with the route element LS1 are calculated. The harvester 1 starts turning at these contact points PS10 and PS20. Similarly, for the work target area CA having the triangular protrusions shown in FIG. 15, a U-turn travel route that bypasses the triangular protrusions can be similarly generated. The intersections of the traveling route elements LS0 and LS1 and the two intermediate straight traveling routes that are part (line segments) of the traveling route elements of the outer peripheral area SA are obtained. The basic principle described with reference to FIG. 13 is applied to the calculation of each intersection.

FIG. 16 shows the turning traveling by the switchback turn traveling, and the traveling route element LS0 of the turning source transits to the traveling route element LS1 of the turning destination. In this switchback turn traveling, a tangent circle having a radius r which is in contact with the intermediate straight traveling route parallel to the outer side of the work target area CA which is a part (line segment) of the traveling route element of the outer peripheral area SA and the traveling route element LS0. And a tangent circle having a radius r that is in contact with the intermediate straight travel route and the travel route element LS1. According to the basic principle described with reference to FIG. 13, the position coordinates of the contact points between the two tangent circles and the intermediate straight path, the position coordinates of the contact points between the turning source travel route element LS0 and the tangent circle, and the turning destination The position coordinates of the contact point between the travel route element LS1 and the tangent circle are calculated. As a result, the U-turn travel route in the switchback turn travel is generated. In the switch back turn traveling, the intermediate straight traveling route is traveled backward by the harvester 1.

[Regarding direction change travel in spiral travel]
FIG. 17 shows an example of the direction change traveling used for changing the route at the intersection, which is the route changeable point of the traveling route element, in the above-described spiral traveling. Hereinafter, this direction change traveling is referred to as α-turn traveling. The traveling route in this α-turn traveling (α-turn traveling route) is a kind of so-called cutback traveling route, and includes a traveling route element (indicated by LS0 in FIG. 17) and a traveling destination traveling element (see FIG. 17). (Indicated by LS1 in FIG. 17), passes through the turning path for forward movement, and then contacts the traveling path element of the turning destination in the turning path for backward movement. Since the α-turn traveling route is standardized, the α-turn traveling route generated according to the intersection angle between the traveling source traveling route element and the turning destination traveling route element is registered in advance. Therefore, the route management unit 60 reads an appropriate α-turn travel route based on the calculated intersection angle, and gives it to the route setting unit 64. Instead of this configuration, an automatic control program for each intersection angle is registered in the automatic travel control unit 511, and based on the intersection angle calculated by the route management unit 60, the automatic travel control unit 511 selects an appropriate automatic control program. A configuration for reading may be adopted.

[Rules for route selection]
The route element selection unit 63 receives a work plan received from the management center KS and a travel pattern (for example, a reciprocating travel pattern or a spiral travel pattern) manually input from the communication terminal 4, the own vehicle position, and a work state evaluation. The travel route elements are sequentially selected based on the state information output from the unit 55. That is, unlike the case where the entire travel route is formed only on the basis of the set travel pattern, a suitable travel route corresponding to a situation that cannot be predicted before the work is formed. In addition to the basic rules described above, the following route selection rules A1 to A11 can be registered in advance in the route element selection unit 63, and a suitable route selection can be performed according to the traveling pattern and the state information. The rules apply.

(A1) When a shift from automatic travel to manual travel is requested by an operation by a supervisor (passenger), the selection of travel route elements by the route element selection unit 63 is stopped after preparation for manual travel is completed. .. Such an operation includes an operation of the automatic/manual switching operation tool 83, an operation of a braking operation tool (especially a sudden stop operation), an operation of a steering operation tool (steering lever or the like) over a predetermined steering angle, and the like. Further, the traveling system detection sensor group 81 includes a sensor for detecting the absence of an observer who is required to board during automatic traveling, for example, a seating detection sensor provided in a seat or a seat belt wearing detection sensor. If so, the automatic travel control can be stopped based on the signal from the sensor. That is, when the absence of the supervisor is detected, the automatic traveling control is stopped, or the traveling of the harvester 1 itself is stopped. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which the operation of a small steering angle smaller than a predetermined steering angle by the steering operation tool only finely adjusts the traveling direction without stopping the automatic traveling control.

(A2) The automatic traveling control unit 511 monitors the relationship (distance) between the contour line position in the field and the position of the vehicle based on the positioning data, and avoids contact between the ridge and the body during turning in the outer peripheral area SA. Control the automatic driving so that Specifically, stop the automatic traveling and stop the harvester 1, change the form of turn traveling (change from normal U-turn traveling to switchback-turn traveling or α-turn traveling), or do not pass through the area. Set the travel route.
Also, "The turning area is narrow. Please be careful. ] Or the like may be configured to be notified.

(A3) When the storage amount of the harvested product in the harvested product tank 14 becomes full or nearly full and discharge of the harvested product is required, the work state evaluation unit 55 sends the state information to the route element selection unit 63 as one of the state information. A discharge request (a type of request for leaving the work running in the work target area CA) is issued. In this case, based on the parking position for discharging work to the transport vehicle CV at the edge of the vehicle and the position of the own vehicle, the vehicle departs from the work traveling in the work target area CA and travels in the outer peripheral area SA to the parking position. A proper traveling route element (for example, a traveling route element which is the shortest route) that is directed to the one where the attribute value of the leaving route is given among the traveling route element groups set in the outer peripheral area SA, and the work target area CA And the traveling route element group set to.

(A4) When the impending fuel shortage is evaluated based on the remaining amount value of the fuel tank calculated by the signal from the remaining fuel amount sensor or the like, a fuel replenishment request (a type of withdrawal request) is issued. In this case as well, similar to (A3), an appropriate travel route element to the fuel supply position (for example, travel that is the shortest route) based on the parking position and the vehicle position that are preset fuel supply positions. (Route element) is selected.

(A5) When leaving the work traveling in the work target area CA and entering the outer peripheral area SA, it is necessary to return to the work target area CA again. The travel route element closest to the departure point or the travel route element closest to the current position in the outer peripheral area SA is set in the outer peripheral area SA as the travel route element serving as the starting point of the return to the work target area CA. The travel route element group is selected from the travel route element group to which the attribute value of the return route is given and the travel route element group set in the work target area CA.

(A6) When determining a travel route that returns from the work traveling in the work target area CA to return to the work target area CA due to harvest discharge or refueling, the work already performed in the work target area CA (previous travel). Thus, the travel route element to which the travel-prohibited attribute is added is restored as a travelable travel route element. When it is possible to reduce the time more than the predetermined time by selecting the already-worked travel route element, the travel route element is selected. Furthermore, it is also possible to use reverse travel for traveling in the work target area CA when leaving the work target area CA.

(A7) The timing for leaving work traveling in the work target area CA for discharging the harvested product and refueling is determined from each margin and the traveling time or traveling distance to the parking position. Here, the margin is a travel time or a travel distance predicted from the current storage amount in the harvest tank 14 until it becomes full if the harvest is discharged. In the case of refueling, it is the traveling time or traveling distance predicted from the current remaining amount in the fuel tank until the fuel is completely exhausted. For example, when passing near the parking position for discharging during automatic driving, pass through the parking position based on the allowance and the time required for discharging work, and then leave the parking position to return to the parking position. It is determined whether the vehicle is finally traveling efficiently (when the total work time is short or the total traveling distance is short) depending on whether the vehicle is discharged near the parking position. If the discharge work is performed when the amount is too small, the number of discharges increases as a whole, and it is not efficient, and if it is almost full, it is more efficient to discharge it next.

(A8) FIG. 18 shows a case where the travel route element selected in the work traveling restarted after leaving the work target area CA is not a continuation of the work traveling before the departure. In this case, the reciprocating traveling patterns as shown in FIGS. 3 and 12 are set in advance. In FIG. 18, the parking position is indicated by reference numeral PP, and as a comparative example, the travel route when the work travel is smoothly completed in the reciprocal travel accompanied by the U-turn travel of 180° in the work target area CA is indicated by a dotted line. It is shown. The actual running locus is shown by a thick solid line. As the work traveling progresses, a linear traveling route element and a U-turn traveling route are sequentially selected (step #01).

When a departure request is generated during work travel (step #02), a travel route from the work target area CA to the outer peripheral area SA is calculated. At this point, the vehicle travels straight along the traveling route element currently traveling and goes out to the outer peripheral area SA, and turns 90° from the traveling route element currently traveling, and has already cut land (=has an attribute of already traveling). It can be considered as a route that passes through the traveling route element collection portion) and exits to the outer peripheral area SA where the parking position exists. Here, the latter route having a shorter traveling distance is selected (step #03). In this latter departure traveling, as the departure traveling route element in the work target area CA after turning by 90°, the traveling route element set in the outer peripheral area SA is translated to the departure point. However, if the departure request is made with sufficient time, the former route is selected. In the former departure traveling, since the harvesting work is continued during the departure traveling in the work target area CA, there is an advantage in work efficiency.

When the harvester 1 departs from the work traveling in the work target area CA and departs from the work target area CA and the outer peripheral area SA and arrives at the parking position, the harvester 1 receives assistance from the work support vehicle. In this example, the harvested product stored in the harvested product tank 14 is discharged to the transport vehicle CV.

When the discharge of the harvested products is completed, it is necessary to return to the point where the withdrawal request is made in order to return to the work traveling. In the example of FIG. 18, since the unworked portion remains in the travel route element that was traveling when the departure request was generated, the process returns to the travel route element. Therefore, the harvester 1 selects a travel route element in the outer peripheral area SA from the parking position, travels counterclockwise, and when it reaches the end point of the target travel route element, turns 90° and turns the travel route. Enter the element and start working. After passing the point where the departure request is issued, the harvester 1 travels non-working and travels along the U-turn travel path to work on the next travel path element (step #04). After that, the harvesting machine 1 continues the reciprocating traveling, and completes the traveling traveling in the work target area CA (step #05).

(A9) If the input work site data includes the position of a traveling obstacle in the field, or if the harvester 1 is equipped with an obstacle position detection device, the position of the obstacle and the vehicle A travel route element for obstacle avoidance travel is selected based on the position. As the selection rule for the purpose of avoiding obstacles, there is a rule of selecting a traveling route element that takes a detour route that is as close as possible to the obstacle, and when there is no obstacle when the vehicle once exits the outer peripheral area SA and then enters the work target area CA. There is a rule to select a travel route element that can take a route.

(A10) When the spiral traveling pattern as shown in FIGS. 4 and 11 is set and the length of the traveling route element to be selected becomes short, the spiral traveling pattern is automatically switched to the reciprocating traveling pattern. To be This is because when the area is reduced, the spiral traveling including the α-turn traveling that moves forward and backward tends to be inefficient.

(A11) If the number of unworked (untraveled) travel route elements in the travel route element group in the unworked site, that is, the work target area CA is equal to or less than a predetermined value in the case of traveling in the customary traveling, It can be automatically switched from driving to automatic driving. In addition, when the harvester 1 is working in the work target area CA covered by the mesh line group in a spiral running from the outside to the inside, the area of the unworked land left is reduced, and the unworked running route When the number of elements falls below a predetermined value, the spiral traveling is switched to the reciprocating traveling. In this case, as described above, in order to avoid unnecessary traveling, the travel route element having the attribute of the intermediate straight traveling route is translated from the outer peripheral area SA to the vicinity of the unworked area of the work target area CA.

(A12) In fields such as rice cultivation and wheat cultivation, the efficiency of the harvesting work is improved by running the harvesting machine 1 parallel to the row (ridge) that is the row for planting seedlings. Therefore, in the selection of the travel route elements by the route element selection unit 63, the travel route elements that are parallel to the line are more easily selected. However, at the start of work traveling, if the attitude of the aircraft is not in a posture or position parallel to the strip direction, even if traveling along a direction intersecting the strip direction, Configure to do the work. As a result, wasteful traveling (non-working traveling) can be reduced and work can be completed quickly.

[Cooperative driving control]
Next, work traveling by the work vehicle automatic traveling system in which a plurality of work vehicles are input will be described. Here, for ease of understanding, work traveling (automatic traveling) by the two harvesters 1 will be described. FIG. 19 shows a state in which the first work vehicle that functions as the master harvester 1 m and the second work vehicle that functions as the slave harvester 1 s cooperate with each other to perform work traveling in one field. In order to distinguish the two harvesters 1, the names of the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s are given to each, but when it is not necessary to distinguish between them, simply call the harvester 1 and the harvester 1. To call. Note that a monitor is on board the master harvester 1m, and the monitor operates the communication terminal 4 brought into the master harvester 1m. For convenience, the terms master and slave are used, but do not indicate a strict master-slave relationship. Data communication is possible between the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s via the respective communication processing units 70, and the state information corresponding to the working traveling state is exchanged. The communication terminal 4 not only provides the master harvester 1m with a supervisor's command and data regarding the travel route, but also sends a slave harvester's command to the slave harvester 1s via the communication terminal 4 and the master harvester 1m. Data about the travel route can be given. For example, the state information output from the work state evaluation unit 55 of the slave harvester 1s is also transferred to the master harvester 1m, and the state information output from the work state evaluation unit 55 of the master harvester 1m is transferred to the slave harvester 1s. Is also transferred. Therefore, both route element selection units 63 have a function of selecting the next traveling route element in consideration of both state information and both vehicle positions. In addition, when the route management unit 60 and the route element selection unit 63 are built in the communication terminal 4, both harvesters 1 give the state information to the communication terminal 4 and the next traveling route element selected there. Will receive.

Similar to FIG. 7, FIG. 20 shows a work target area CA covered by a mesh line group made up of mesh lines divided into meshes by the work width. Here, the master harvester 1m enters the travel route element L11 from near the lower right apex of the modified quadrangle indicating the work target area CA, and turns left at the intersection of the travel route element L11 and the travel route element L21. Enter L21. Further, the vehicle turns left at the intersection of the traveling route element L21 and the traveling route element L32 and enters the traveling route element L32. In this way, the master harvester 1m makes a left-handed spiral traveling. On the other hand, the slave harvester 1s enters the traveling route element L31 from near the upper left apex of the work target area CA, and turns left at the intersection of the traveling route element L31 and the traveling route element L41 to enter the traveling route element L41. .. Further, the vehicle turns left at the intersection of the traveling route element L41 and the traveling route element L12 and enters the traveling route element L12. In this way, the slave harvester 1s makes a left-handed spiral run. As is apparent from FIG. 20, since the cooperative control is performed such that the traveling locus of the slave harvester 1s is included in the traveling locus of the master harvester 1m, the master harvester 1m has a self-working width and a slave harvester. It becomes a spiral run with an interval corresponding to the working width of 1s, and the slave harvester 1s becomes a spiral run with an interval corresponding to the combined width of its own working width and the working width of the master harvester 1m. .. The traveling locus of the master harvester 1m and the traveling locus of the slave harvester 1s create a double spiral.

Since the work target area CA is defined by the outer peripheral area SA formed by the outer peripheral traveling, the first peripheral traveling for forming the outer peripheral area SA is performed between the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s. Must be done by either. This orbital traveling can also be performed by cooperative control of the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s.

The traveling locus shown in FIG. 20 is theoretical. Actually, the traveling locus of the master harvester 1m and the traveling route of the slave harvester 1s are corrected according to the state information (including the other vehicle positional relationship and the contact estimated position) output from the work state evaluation unit 55. , The running trajectory does not become a complete double spiral. An example of such a correction run is described below with reference to FIG. In FIG. 21, on the outside (ridge) of the field, a transport vehicle CV that conveys the harvested product by the harvester 1 is parked at a position corresponding to the center outside of the first side S1. A parking position where the harvester 1 is parked for discharging the harvested product to the transport vehicle CV is set at a position adjacent to the transport vehicle CV in the outer peripheral area SA. In FIG. 21, the slave harvester 1s departs from the traveling route element in the work target area CA in the middle of the work traveling, travels around the outer peripheral area SA, discharges the harvested product to the transport vehicle CV, and again travels to the outer circumference. It shows a state of traveling around the area SA and returning to the travel route element in the work target area CA.

First, when a leaving request (harvest discharge) is generated, the route element selecting unit 63 of the slave harvester 1s attributes the leaving route in the outer peripheral area SA based on the reserve of the storage amount, the traveling distance to the parking position, and the like. A travel route element having a ground and a travel route element that is a departure source of the departure route attribute from the travel route element are selected. In the present embodiment, the travel route element set in the area where the parking position is set in the outer peripheral area SA and the travel route element L41 that is currently traveling are selected, and the travel route element L41 and the travel route element are selected. The intersection with L12 is the departure point. The slave harvester 1s that has proceeded to the outer peripheral area SA travels to the parking position along the travel route element (separation path) of the outer peripheral area SA, and discharges the harvested product to the transport vehicle CV at the parking position.

The master harvester 1m continues the work traveling in the work target area CA while the slave harvester 1s leaves the work travel in the work target area CA to discharge the harvested product. However, the slave harvester 1s originally planned to select the traveling route element L13 at the intersection of the traveling route element L42 and the traveling route element L13 while the traveling route element L42 was traveling. However, since the traveling of the traveling route element L12 is canceled due to the departure of the slave harvester 1s, the traveling route element L12 is an uncut land (not traveling). Therefore, the route element selection unit 63 of the master harvester 1m selects the traveling route element L12 instead of the traveling route element L13. That is, the master harvester 1m travels to the intersection of the travel route element L42 and the travel route element L12, turns left there, and travels along the travel route element L12.

When the slave harvester 1s finishes discharging the harvested product, the route element selection unit 63 of the slave harvester 1s detects the current position and the automatic traveling speed of the slave harvester 1s and the attributes of the traveling route element in the work target area CA (untraveled). /Existing travel), the current position of the master harvester 1m, the automatic travel speed, and the like, and the travel route element to be restored is selected. In this embodiment, the travel route element L43 which is the outermost unworked travel route element is selected. The slave harvester 1s travels counterclockwise from the parking position in the outer peripheral area SA along the travel route element having the attribute of the return route, and enters the travel route element L43 from the left end of the travel route element L43. When the route element selection unit 63 of the slave harvester 1s selects the travel route element L43, the information is transmitted to the master harvester 1m as state information. If the travel route element up to the travel route element L33 is selected, the route element selection unit 63 of the master harvester 1m selects the travel route element L44 inside the travel route element L43 as the next travel route element. At that time, the other vehicle positional relationship calculating unit 56 determines that the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s are traveling (selected) in the vicinity of the intersection of the travel route element L33 and the travel route element L44. It is estimated that the slave harvester 1s contacts with the slave harvester 1s. As a result, the other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56 calculates the vicinity of the intersection as the contact estimated position. Therefore, the other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56 calculates a passing time difference near the intersection between the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s at the intersection, and the passage time difference is equal to or less than a predetermined value (the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s). If the contact with the machine 1s is estimated), the automatic traveling control unit 511 is instructed to temporarily stop the harvester 1 (here, the master harvester 1m) whose passage time is slower to avoid a collision. After the slave harvester 1s has passed the intersection, the master harvester 1m starts the automatic traveling again. In this way, the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s exchange information such as the vehicle position and the selected travel route element with each other, so that the collision avoidance action and the delay avoidance action can be executed.

Such a collision avoidance action and a delay avoidance action are also executed in the reciprocating traveling as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. 22 and 23, a parallel line group made up of parallel lines is indicated by L01, L02,... L10, L01-L04 are already-worked travel route elements, and L05-L10. Is an unworked travel route element. In FIG. 22, the master harvester 1m is traveling in the outer peripheral area SA in order to reach the parking position indicated by the chain double-dashed line. In order to avoid contact with the master harvester 1m, the slave harvester 1s temporarily stops at the lower end of the work target area CA, specifically, at the lower end of the travel route element L04, as a collision avoidance action.
In FIG. 23, the master harvester 1m that has crossed in front of the slave harvester 1s is stopped at the parking position. Therefore, when the slave harvester 1s enters the outer peripheral area SA in order to shift from the travel route element L04 to the travel route element L07 in U-turn travel, the slave harvester 1s collides with the master harvester 1m. When the master harvester 1m is parked at the parking position, it is impossible to enter or leave the work target area CA using the travel route elements L05, L06, L07, and thus the travel route element L05, L06 and L07 are temporarily prohibited from traveling (selection prohibited). When the master harvester 1m finishes the discharging work and moves from the parking position, the route element selection unit 63 of the slave harvester 1s takes the traveling route of the master harvester 1m into consideration, and then from the traveling route elements L05-L10. The travel route element to be transferred is selected, and the slave harvester 1s resumes automatic travel.

Further, the slave harvester 1s can also continue the work while the master harvester 1m is performing the discharging work or the like at the parking position. An example thereof is shown in FIG. In this case, the route element selection unit 63 of the slave harvester 1s normally selects the traveling route element L07 of three lanes ahead having the traveling route element priority of “1” as the traveling destination route element. However, the travel route element L07 is prohibited from traveling as in the example of FIG. Therefore, the travel route element L08 having the second highest priority is selected. As a moving route from the traveling route element L04 to the traveling route element L08, a route that goes backward of the already traveling current traveling route element L04 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 23) or a lower end of the traveling route element L04. A plurality of routes, such as a route (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 23) that moves forward in a clockwise direction from and goes out to the outer peripheral area SA is calculated, and the most efficient route, for example, the shortest route (in this form, a solid line Route) is selected.

As described above, even when a plurality of harvesters 1 cooperate with each other to carry out work traveling in one field, each route element selection unit 63 uses the work plan received from the management center KS or the communication terminal 4 to manually operate. Based on the driving patterns (for example, the reciprocating traveling pattern and the spiral traveling pattern) that have been input in a static manner, the vehicle position, the state information output from each work state evaluating unit 55, and the pre-registered selection rule. Then, the travel route elements are sequentially selected. Listed below are the rules other than the above-mentioned (A1) to (A12), which are peculiar selection rules (B1) to (B10) when a plurality of harvesters 1 work cooperatively.

(B1) The plurality of harvesters 1 that travel in cooperation with each other automatically travel in the same travel pattern.
For example, when the reciprocating traveling pattern is set for one harvesting machine 1, the reciprocating traveling pattern is set for the other harvesting machine 1.

(B2) When one of the harvesters 1 leaves the work traveling in the work target area CA and enters the outer peripheral area SA when the spiral traveling pattern is set, the other harvester 1 travels to the outer side. Select a route element. As a result, the planned travel route of the detached harvester 1 is not left, but the travel route element scheduled to travel by the detached harvester 1 is preempted.

(B3) In the case where the spiral traveling pattern is set, when the detached harvester 1 returns to the work traveling in the work target area CA again, the harvester 1 is far from the working traveling harvester 1 and is unworked. Select a travel route element that has attributes.

(B4) When the spiral traveling pattern is set and the length of the travel route element to be selected becomes short, the work traveling is executed by only one harvester 1, and the remaining harvesters 1 perform the work traveling. Leave from.

(B5) When the spiral traveling pattern is set, in order to avoid the risk of collision, the plurality of harvesters 1 travel routes from a traveling route element group parallel to the sides of a polygon showing the outer shape of the work target area CA. Prohibits selecting elements at the same time.

(B6) When the reciprocating traveling pattern is set, when one of the harvesters 1 is traveling in the U-turn, the other harvesting machines 1 are in the outer peripheral area SA in which the U-turn traveling is executed. The vehicle is automatically controlled so that it will not enter.

(B7) When the reciprocating traveling pattern is set, as the next traveling route element, at least two or more traveling route elements which are to be traveled next by the other harvester 1 or which are currently traveling are selected. The travel route element at the position where the travel route element is skipped is selected.

(B8) Not only the margin and the travel time up to the parking position are used for determining the timing of leaving the work traveling in the work target area CA and selecting the travel route element for harvest discharge and refueling. This is performed on the condition that a plurality of harvesters 1 are not separated at the same time.

(B9) When the normal traveling is set in the master harvester 1m, the slave harvester 1s performs automatic traveling following the master harvester 1m.

(B10) When the capacity of the harvest tank 14 of the master harvester 1m and the capacity of the harvest tank 14 of the slave harvester 1s are different, if the discharge requests are issued at the same time or almost at the same time, the harvester 1 with a small capacity is The discharge work is performed first. The discharge waiting time (non-working time) of the harvester 1 that cannot discharge the waste is shortened, and the harvesting work in the field can be completed as soon as possible.

Furthermore, in this work vehicle automatic traveling system, when the work target area CA is large, the work target area CA is divided into a plurality of sections, and control based on the rule that at least one harvester 1 performs work travel in each section. Done. A work in which the work target area CA is divided into a plurality of sections to perform work traveling is called a middle-division work, and a divided area having a predetermined width and divided into a plurality of divisions is called a middle-division area. In the division work in this system, the area setting unit 44 sets the work target area CA as a plurality of partitions obtained by dividing the work area CA into a plurality of divided areas. The route management unit 60 divides, for each section divided by the middle-divided area, a traveling-route element group, which is a group of a large number of traveling-route elements that constitute a traveling route that covers this section, the outer peripheral area SA, and the middle-divided area. A revolving route element group, which is a group of revolving route elements that form a revolving revolving route, is readably managed. Therefore, the route element selection unit 63 should travel next based on the position of the own vehicle and the work traveling states of other vehicles so that each of the sections is traveled by one or a plurality of harvesters 1. The next traveling route element or the next circuit route element is selected from the traveling route element group or the circuit route element group. Further, the other vehicle positional relationship calculated by the other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56 includes a first positional relationship that maintains a working vehicle interval of a first distance or more that can avoid contact between the harvesters 1, and another vehicle to another vehicle. And a second positional relationship for maintaining a work vehicle interval equal to or less than a second distance at which the work traveling state can be visually recognized. This makes it possible not only to avoid contact between the harvesters 1 but also to prevent other harvesters 1 from coming out of the range that can be visually recognized by the observer who is aboard the harvesters 1.

Hereinafter, the working mode of the harvester 1 in the middle splitting work will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. FIG. 24 is an explanatory view showing the middle of the dividing process for forming the strip-shaped divided region CC in the center of the work target region CA and dividing the work target region CA into two sections CA1 and CA2. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a state after the end of the dividing process. In this embodiment, the master harvester 1m forms the middle-divided region CC. While the master harvester 1m is performing the middle division, the slave harvester 1s performs work traveling in the section CA2, for example, in a reciprocating traveling pattern. Prior to this work traveling, a traveling route element group for the section CA2 is generated. At that time, the travel route element corresponding to one work width on the side of the division area CC of the section CA2 is prohibited from being selected until the division step is completed, and the contact between the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s is prevented. To avoid.

When the splitting process is completed, the master harvester 1m is travel-controlled as if it were an independent operation using the travel route element group calculated for the section CA1, and the slave harvester 1s is calculated for the section CA2. By using the traveling route element group, traveling control is performed as in the case of independent work traveling. When one of the harvesters 1 completes the work first, it enters the section where the work remains and the cooperative control of the harvester 1 and the other harvester 1 is started. The harvester 1 that has completed the work in the section in charge automatically travels toward the section in charge of the other harvester 1 in order to support the work of the other harvester 1.

When the scale of the field is larger, the field is divided into grids as shown in FIG. This middle division can be performed by the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s. The work by the master harvester 1m and the work by the slave harvester 1s are distributed to the divisions formed by the grid-like division, and the work traveling by the single harvester 1 is performed in each division. However, the travel route element is selected under the condition that the distance between the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s does not exceed a predetermined value. This is because if the slave harvester 1s is too far away from the master harvester 1m, it will be difficult for an observer who is on board the master harvester 1m to monitor the work traveling of the slave harvester 1s and to exchange status information with each other. This is because. In the case of the form as shown in FIG. 26, the harvester 1 that has completed the work in the section in charge is directed to the section in charge of the other harvester 1 in order to support the work of the other harvester 1. The vehicle may be automatically driven or may be automatically driven toward the next section in charge of the own vehicle.

Since the parking position of the transport vehicle CV and the parking position of the refueling vehicle are outside the outer peripheral area SA, the traveling route for discharging the harvest and refueling becomes long depending on the section in which the work traveling is performed. Travel time is wasted. Therefore, when the vehicle travels to the parking position and returns from the parking position, a travel route element and a circuit route element are selected so as to carry out the work traveling of the section that serves as a passage.

[Fine adjustment of parameters of work equipment, etc. during cooperative automatic driving]
When the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s work in cooperation, the master harvester 1m normally has a supervisor on board, so the master harvester 1m may be connected to a communication terminal as necessary. 4, the parameter values for the vehicle traveling equipment group 71 and the working device equipment group 72 in the automatic traveling control can be finely adjusted. In order to realize the parameter values for the vehicle traveling equipment group 71 and the working device equipment group 72 of the master harvester 1m also in the slave harvester 1s, as shown in FIG. 27, the parameters of the master harvester 1m to the slave harvester 1s are set. Can be adjusted. However, there is no problem if the communication terminal 4 is also provided in the slave harvester 1s. This is because the slave harvester 1s may also be used as the master harvester 1m, or may be used as the independent harvester.

In the communication terminal 4 shown in FIG. 27, a parameter acquisition unit 45 and a parameter adjustment command generation unit 46 are built. The parameter acquisition unit 45 acquires the device parameters set for the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s. Thereby, the set values of the device parameters of the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s can be displayed on the display panel unit of the touch panel 41 of the communication terminal 4. The monitor who is on board the master harvester 1m inputs the device parameter adjustment amount for adjusting the device parameters of the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s through the touch panel 41. The parameter adjustment command generation unit 46 generates a parameter adjustment command for adjusting the corresponding device parameter based on the input device parameter adjustment amount, and transmits the parameter adjustment command to the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s. As a communication interface for such communication, the control unit 5 of the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s is provided with a communication processing unit 70, and the communication terminal 4 is provided with a communication control unit 40. .. The adjustment of the device parameter of the master harvester 1m may be directly performed by the monitor using various operating tools provided in the master harvester 1m. The equipment parameter is divided into a travel equipment parameter and a work equipment parameter, the travel equipment parameter includes a vehicle speed and an engine speed, and the work equipment parameter includes a height of the harvesting section 15 and a height of the reel 17. Has been.

As described above, the other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56 has a function of calculating the current position and the actual vehicle speed of the harvester 1 based on the positioning data obtained by the satellite positioning module 80. In cooperative automatic driving, using this function, the actual vehicle speed based on the positioning data of the preceding harvester 1 in the same direction is compared with the actual vehicle speed based on the positioning data of the subsequent harvester 1, and if there is a vehicle speed difference, The vehicle speed is adjusted so that the vehicle speed of the subsequent harvester 1 becomes the vehicle speed of the preceding harvester 1. As a result, abnormal approach or contact due to the difference in vehicle speed between the preceding harvester 1 and the subsequent harvester 1 is avoided.

The communication processing unit 70 of the harvester 1 and the communication control unit 40 of the communication terminal 4 can be provided with a communication call function for sending a call or mail to a mobile communication terminal such as a registered mobile phone. When such a communication call function is provided, when the storage amount of the harvest exceeds a predetermined amount, the driver of the carrier CV, which is the discharge destination of the harvest, calls to discharge the harvest (artificial call). Voice) or email is sent. Similarly, when the amount of remaining fuel is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, a call (artificial voice) or an email requesting refueling is sent to the driver of the refueling vehicle.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the automatic traveling is described on the assumption that a sufficient amount of space is secured for the U-turn traveling in the reciprocating traveling and the α-turn traveling in the spiral traveling by the preliminary traveling in advance. Did. However, in general, the space required for U-turn traveling is larger than the space required for α-turn traveling, and it is possible that there is not enough space for U-turn traveling in advance in orbital traveling. For example, as shown in FIG. 28, when performing a U-turn while performing work with one harvester 1, a divider or the like may come into contact with the ridges and destroy the ridges. Therefore, when the reciprocating traveling pattern is set as the traveling pattern, when the work traveling is started, first, at least one outermost circumference of the work target area CA is automatically subjected to the work traveling, and the outer circumference area SA is expanded to the inner circumference side. .. As a result, even if the width of the outer peripheral area SA formed by the previous round traveling is insufficient for the U-turn, the U-turn can be performed without any problems thereafter. Further, when the harvesting machine 1 is parked at a prescribed parking position for discharging a harvested product to a work support vehicle parked around the field, the harvesting machine 1 is parked at a parking position for efficient work. It is necessary to stop the vehicle with a certain degree of accuracy and a posture (orientation) suitable for support work. This is the same whether it is automatic driving or manual driving. If the peripheral area PP including the parking position faces the U-turn route group as shown in FIG. 28, the outer peripheral line of the work target area CA on the side where the U-turn is performed is reciprocated. If the outer peripheral area SA is narrow, the harvester 1 may rush into the work target area CA, which is an unworked area, to damage crops, or to contact the ridges and destroy the ridges. There is a nature. For this reason, it is preferable to perform additional round trip (additional round trip) before starting the running work of the work target area CA by the reciprocating run. Such additional round traveling may be performed according to an instruction from a monitor or may be performed automatically. In addition, as described above, the advance traveling for creating the outer peripheral area SA is usually performed in a spiral shape for a plurality of revolutions. Since the outermost orbiting traveling route has a complicated traveling route and is different for each field, artificial steering is adopted. Subsequent round trips are performed by automatic steering or manual steering.

Since the travel route for the additional round travel can be calculated based on the travel locus of the harvester 1 in the previous round travel, the outer shape data of the work target area CA, and the like, automatic steering is possible. Hereinafter, an example of the flow of additional round traveling in automatic traveling will be described with reference to FIG. 28.
<Step #01>
By the round trip in advance, the field is divided into an outer peripheral area SA where the harvesting work is finished and a work target area CA where the harvesting work is to be performed. After the previous round traveling, as shown in step #01 of FIG. 28, the peripheral region PP and the U-turn route group UL are located at the same portion in the outer peripheral region SA. Then, the width of the portion where the U-turn route group UL is set in the outer peripheral area SA is not expanded only by the reciprocating traveling. Therefore, in order to expand the width of this portion, the additional lap traveling shown in step #02 of FIG. 28 is executed automatically or based on the instruction of the observer.
<Step #02>
In this additional orbital traveling, a plurality of orbital traveling route elements forming a circularly traveling route for a rectangle having opposite sides of the leftmost traveling route element Ls and the rightmost traveling route element Le, which are linear traveling route elements for reciprocating traveling. (Thick line in FIG. 28) is calculated. Here, the traveling route elements are the traveling route element Ls, the traveling route element Le, the traveling route element connecting the traveling route element Ls and the upper ends of the traveling route element Le, the traveling route element Ls, and the traveling route element. And a travel route element connecting the lower ends of Le. When the automatic traveling is started, the circular traveling route element that matches the additional circular traveling route is selected by the route element selection unit 63, and the automatic traveling (work traveling in the circular traveling) is executed.
<Step #03>
As shown in step #03 of FIG. 28, this additional orbital traveling causes the outer peripheral area SA to be enlarged, and a space for one or more work widths to be newly created in the peripheral area of the parking position. Next, since the work target area CA is reduced by the work width of the number of laps in the additional round traveling, the work target area CA is reduced for the leftmost travel route element Ls and the right end travel route element Le. It moves inward by the amount. Then, with respect to the new work target area CA that is a rectangle having the moved travel path element Ls and the travel path element Le as opposite sides, the work travel path according to the U-turn travel pattern is determined, and the new work target area CA of the new work target area CA is determined. Automatic work running is started.

In addition, in step #01 of FIG. 28, the parking position may be located not facing the U-turn travel route, for example, the parking position may be located facing the leftmost travel route element Ls. In this case, since the reciprocating traveling in which the traveling route element Ls is first selected is performed and the peripheral region of the parking position is expanded, the above-described additional lap traveling is no longer executed. Alternatively, only one additional round of traveling may be performed.

In addition, even when the plurality of harvesters 1 cooperatively travel for work, the above-described additional round travel may be automatically performed. In the case of collaborative work, when the reciprocating traveling is set as the traveling pattern and the parking position is set at a position facing the U-turn traveling route, immediately after the start of the working traveling, a plurality of laps (about 3 to 4 laps) are provided. Additional laps will be performed automatically. As a result, the work target area CA is reduced, and a large space is secured on the inner peripheral side of the parking position. Therefore, even if one harvester 1 is parked at the parking position, the other harvesters 1 can make a U-turn on the inner circumference side of the parking position or move the inner circumference side of the parking position with a margin. Can pass through.

(2) In the above embodiment, when the reciprocating traveling pattern is set, the parking position for work on the support vehicle such as the carrier vehicle CV is set in the area where the U-turn traveling is performed in the outer peripheral area SA. Then, the harvesting machine 1 different from the harvesting machine 1 stopped for discharging work is stopped and waits until the end of discharging work etc., or a travel route element bypassing the parking position is selected. It was configured to be done. However, in such a case, when automatic traveling (work traveling) is started in order to secure a sufficient space for performing a U-turn traveling on the inner peripheral side of the parking position, one or a plurality of vehicles are operated. The harvesting machine 1 may be configured to automatically travel around the outer peripheral portion of the work target area CA several times.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, regarding the setting and selection of the travel route element, it is considered that the working widths of the master harvester 1m that is the first work vehicle and the slave harvester 1s that is the second work vehicle are the same. explained. Here, how to set and select the travel route element when the working width of the master harvester 1m and the working width of the slave harvester 1s are different will be described with two examples. The working width of the master harvester 1m will be referred to as a first working width, and the working width of the slave harvester 1s will be referred to as a second working width. For easy understanding, the first working width is set to "6" and the second working width is set to "4".

(3-1) FIG. 29 shows an example in which a reciprocating traveling pattern is set. In this case, the route management unit 60 is a set of a large number of travel route elements covering the work target area CA with the reference width that is the greatest common divisor or the approximate greatest common divisor of the first work width and the second work width. Calculate a certain travel route element group. Since the first working width is "6" and the second working width is "4", the reference width is "2". In FIG. 29, in order to identify the travel route elements, the numbers 01 to 20 are assigned to the respective travel route elements as the route numbers.

It is assumed that the master harvester 1m departs from the traveling route element of route number 17, and the slave harvester 1s departs from the traveling route element of route number 12. As shown in FIG. 6, the route element selecting unit 63 has a first route element selecting unit 631 having a function of selecting the traveling route element of the master harvester 1m and a function of selecting the traveling route element of the slave harvester 1s. It is divided into a second route element selection unit 632. When the route element selection unit 63 is built in the control unit 5 of the master harvester 1m, the next traveling route element selected by the second route element selection unit 632 is the communication processing unit 70 of the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester. It is given to the route setting unit 64 of the slave harvester 1s via the communication processing unit 70 of the harvester 1s. Note that the center of the working width or the center of the harvester 1 and the travel route element do not necessarily have to match, and if there is a deviation, automatic travel control is performed in consideration of the deviation.

As shown in FIG. 29, the first route element selection unit 631 has an area that is an integral multiple of the first work width or the second work width (whether untraveled or already traveled) or the first work width The next travel route element is selected from the travel route element group that has not traveled so that a total area of integer multiples and integer multiples of the second work width (whether untraveled or already traveled) is left. The selected next travel route element is given to the route setting unit 64 of the master harvester 1m. Similarly, the second route element selection unit 632 determines whether the first working width or an integral multiple of the second working width (whether untraveled or already run), or an integral multiple of the first working width and the second working width. The next traveling route element is selected from the traveling route element group that has not been traveling so that a total area (an untraveled vehicle or an already traveling vehicle) that is an integral multiple of (1) is left.

That is, after the master harvester 1m or the slave harvester 1s automatically travels along the next travel route element given by the first route element selection unit 631 or the second route element selection unit 632, the work target area CA is , The unworked area having a width that is an integer multiple of the first working width or the second working width is left. However, although an unworked area having a narrow width smaller than the second working width may remain in the end, the last remaining unworked area is the master harvester 1m or the slave harvester 1s. Work is run on either side.

(3-2) FIG. 30 shows an example in which the spiral traveling pattern is set.
In this case, the travel route element group is set in the work target area CA by the vertical line group and the horizontal line group whose vertical and horizontal intervals are the first work width. The travel route elements belonging to the horizontal line group are given the symbols X1 to X9 as their route numbers, and the travel route elements belonging to the vertical line group are given the symbols Y1 to Y9 as their route numbers. ing.

In FIG. 30, the spiral traveling pattern is set such that the master harvester 1 m and the slave harvester 1 s draw a counterclockwise double spiral line from the outside to the inside. It is assumed that the master harvester 1m starts from the traveling route element with the route number Y1 and the slave harvester 1s starts from the traveling route element with the route number X1. In this case, the route element selection unit 63 is also divided into the first route element selection unit 631 and the second route element selection unit 632.

As shown in FIG. 30, the master harvester 1m first travels on the travel route element of the route number Y1 initially selected by the first route element selection unit 631. However, since the traveling route element group shown in FIG. 30 is initially calculated with the first working width as the interval, the second route is calculated for the slave harvester 1s having the second working width narrower than the first working width. The position coordinate of the travel route element of the route number X1 initially selected by the route element selection unit 632 is corrected to fill the difference between the first work width and the second work width. That is, the travel route element of the route number X1 is corrected outward by 0.5 times the difference between the first work width and the second work width (hereinafter, this difference is referred to as the width difference) (FIG. 30). , #01). Similarly, the route numbers Y2, X8, and Y8 which are the next traveling route elements selected along with the traveling of the slave harvester 1s are also corrected (FIG. 30, #02, #03, and #04). The master harvester 1m travels the traveling route elements of the route numbers Y1 to X9 and Y9 as they were originally (FIG. 30, #03 and #04), but the traveling route element of the route number X2 selected next. , The slave harvester 1s is running on the outside thereof, so the position is corrected by the width difference (FIG. 30, #04). When the travel route element of the route number X3 is selected for the slave harvester 1s, the slave harvester 1s has already traveled the travel route element of the route number X1 located outside the route number X3. The position is corrected by 1.5 times the width difference (FIG. 30, #05). In this way, the difference between the first working width and the second working width is sequentially calculated according to the number of the traveling route elements on which the slave harvester 1s has traveled outside the selected traveling route element. The position of the selected travel route element is corrected to kill it (FIG. 30, #06). The position correction of the travel route element is performed here by the route management unit 60, but can be performed by the first route element selection unit 631 and the second route element selection unit 632.

In the traveling example using FIG. 29 and FIG. 30, it is assumed that the first route element selection unit 631 and the second route element selection unit 632 are built in the control unit 5 of the master harvester 1 m. However, it is also possible that the second route element selection unit 632 is built in the slave harvester 1s. In that case, the slave harvester 1s receives the data indicating the traveling route element group, and the first route element selecting unit 631 and the second route element selecting unit 632 exchange the traveling route elements selected by themselves, It is advisable to select the next travel route element and to make necessary position coordinate corrections. Further, the route management unit 60, the first route element selection unit 631, and the second route element selection unit 632 are all built in the communication terminal 4, and the selected traveling route element is sent from the communication terminal 4 to the route setting unit 64. A configuration is also possible.

(4) The control function block described in the above embodiment with reference to FIG. 6 is merely an example, and each function unit may be further divided or a plurality of function units may be integrated. Further, the functional units are assigned to the control unit 5 as the upper control device, the communication terminal 4, and the management computer 100, but this functional unit is also an example, and each functional unit is assigned to an arbitrary upper control device. It is also possible to sort. If data can be exchanged between the upper control devices, it is possible to distribute the data to another upper control device. For example, all the functions of the communication terminal 4 can be built in the master harvester 1m. Further, in the control function block diagram shown in FIG. 6, the other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 56 is built in the control unit of the harvester 1, but may be built in the communication terminal 4. In this case, information such as the current position of each harvester 1 and the travel route element that is currently traveling (selected) is sent from each harvester 1 to the communication terminal 4. On the contrary, the other vehicle positional relationship calculated by the other vehicle positional relationship calculating section 56 is sent to the work state evaluating section 55 of each work vehicle 1. Further, in the control function block diagram shown in FIG. 6, the work site data input unit 42, the outer shape data generation unit 43, and the area setting unit 44 are built in the communication terminal 4 as the first travel route management module CM1. .. Furthermore, the route management unit 60, the route element selection unit 63, and the route setting unit 64 are built in the control unit 5 of the harvester 1 as the second traveling route management module CM2. Alternatively, the route management unit 60 may be included in the first travel route management module CM1. Further, the outer shape data generation unit 43 and the area setting unit 44 may be included in the second travel route management module CM2. All of the first travel route management module CM1 may be built in the control unit 5, or all of the second travel route management module CM2 may be built in the communication terminal 4. It is convenient to construct the communication terminal 4 in which as many control function units as possible regarding travel route management can be taken out because the degree of freedom in maintenance and the like is increased. The distribution of the functional units is limited by the processing capabilities of the communication terminal 4 and the control unit 5 and the communication speed between the communication terminal 4 and the control unit 5.

(5) The travel route calculated and set in the present invention is used as a target travel route for automatic travel, but it can also be used as a target travel route for manual travel. That is, the present invention can be applied not only to automatic traveling but also to manual traveling, and, of course, operation in which automatic traveling and manual traveling are mixed is also possible.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the field information sent from the management center KS includes the topographic map around the field in the first place, and the outer shape and external dimensions of the field are obtained by traveling around the field boundary. An example of improving the accuracy of is shown. However, the field information does not include the topographical map around the field, or at least the topographical map of the field, and the outer shape and external dimensions of the field may be calculated only after traveling around. Further, the contents of the field information and the work plan sent from the management center KS, and the items input through the communication terminal 4 are not limited to the above-described forms, and can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Is.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a strip path element calculation unit 602 is provided separately from the mesh path element calculation unit 601, and the strip path element calculation unit 602 causes the work target area. The example in which the traveling route element group, which is a group of parallel lines covering the CA, is calculated is shown. However, the reciprocating traveling may be realized by using the traveling route element that is the mesh-shaped line group calculated by the mesh route element calculating unit 601 without providing the strip route element calculating unit 602.

(8) In the above-described embodiment, the parameters of the vehicle traveling device group 71 and the working device device group 72 of the slave harvester 1s are changed based on the visual observation result of the observer when the cooperative traveling control is performed. An example was given. However, it is configured so that the images (moving images and still images taken at regular intervals) shot by the cameras mounted on the master harvester 1m and the slave harvester 1s are displayed on the monitor etc. mounted on the master harvester 1m. However, the observer may judge the work status of the slave harvester 1s by looking at this video and change the parameters of the vehicle traveling device group 71 and the working device group 72. Alternatively, the parameter of the slave harvester 1s may be changed in association with the change of the parameter of the master harvester 1m.

(9) In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the plurality of harvesters 1 that perform work traveling in cooperation with each other are configured to automatically travel in the same traveling pattern, but they are configured to automatically travel in different traveling patterns. It is also possible.

(10) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the cooperative automatic traveling is performed by the two harvesters 1 is shown, but the cooperative automatic traveling by the three or more harvesters 1 is also the same work vehicle automatic traveling system and traveling route management. It can be realized by a device.

The work vehicle automatic traveling system of the present invention is not limited to the harvester 1 which is a normal type combine harvester as a work vehicle, but is a self-removing combine harvester or corn harvester as long as it is a work vehicle capable of traveling while automatically working in a work site It is also applicable to other harvesting machines 1 such as machines, tractors equipped with working devices such as tillers, paddy working machines, and the like.

1: Harvester (work vehicle)
1m: Master harvester 1s: Slave harvester 4: Communication terminal 5: Control unit 41: Touch panel 42: Work site data input unit 43: Outer shape data generation unit 44: Area setting unit 50: Communication processing unit 51: Travel control unit 511 : Automatic traveling control unit 512: Manual traveling control unit 52: Work control unit 53: Own vehicle position calculation unit 55: Work state evaluation unit 56: Other vehicle positional relationship calculation unit 60: Route management unit 63: Route element selection unit 64: Route setting unit 70: Communication processing unit 80: Satellite positioning module SA: Outer peripheral area CA: Work target area CC: Middle division area

Claims (3)

A work vehicle automatic traveling system for a plurality of work vehicles that collaboratively perform work traveling on a work site while exchanging data,
An area setting unit that sets the work area to an outer peripheral area and a work target area that is inside the outer peripheral area;
A vehicle position calculation unit that calculates the vehicle position;
A traveling route element group that is a group of a large number of traveling route elements that configure a traveling route that covers the work target area, and a revolving route element that is a group of revolving route elements that configure a revolving route that revolves around the outer peripheral region. A route management unit that manages the group and the readable;
A route element selection unit that selects the next traveling route element or the next circuit route element to be traveled next from the traveling route element group or the circuit route element group so that the work target area is traveled by the work vehicle. And an automatic driving system for work vehicles. The work vehicle automatic traveling system according to claim 1, further comprising: an other vehicle positional relationship calculating unit that calculates another vehicle positional relationship indicating a positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle. The other vehicle positional relationship includes a first positional relationship that maintains a working vehicle distance equal to or greater than a first distance capable of avoiding contact between the working vehicles, and a second distance capable of visually recognizing a working traveling state between the own vehicle and another vehicle. The automatic work vehicle traveling system according to claim 2, further comprising a second positional relationship for maintaining the following work vehicle intervals.

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