JP2023005114A - Work support system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a work support system capable of easily detecting an obstacle.SOLUTION: There is provided a work support system for a work vehicle that executes work while travelling in a farm field. The work support system includes: a position information acquisition unit 21 for acquiring position information on the work vehicle with time; an object position data acquisition unit 22 for acquiring three-dimensional position data of an object positioned in the front in an advancing direction of the work vehicle with time while the work vehicle is travelling in the farm field; a storage unit 23 for storing the three-dimensional position data in association with information on the time when the data is acquired; an obstacle detection unit 24 for detecting an obstacle positioned in front of the work vehicle by comparing a plurality of pieces of three-dimensional position data acquired at different timings on the same position in the farm field.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work support system for a work vehicle that works while traveling in a field.

For example, the system disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes an obstacle detection section (an "obstacle detection unit" in the literature) that detects an obstacle located in front of a working vehicle (an "agricultural vehicle" in the literature). .

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-006011

The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses a machine-learned neural network to detect obstacles. However, machine learning of a neural network requires a huge amount of learning time, and there is a risk that appropriate machine learning will not necessarily be performed unless weighting factors for learning are appropriately set.

An object of the present invention is to provide a work support system capable of easily detecting obstacles.

The present invention is a work support system for a work vehicle that performs work while traveling in a field, comprising: a position information acquiring unit that acquires position information of the work vehicle over time; an object position data acquisition unit for acquiring temporally three-dimensional position data of an object positioned in front of the work vehicle in the direction in which the work vehicle travels while the work vehicle is traveling in the field; and an obstacle located in front of the work vehicle by comparing a plurality of the three-dimensional position data acquired at different timings with respect to the same position in the field. and an obstacle detection unit that detects the

According to the present invention, since the object position data acquisition unit acquires the three-dimensional position data of the object in front of the work vehicle over time, it is possible to determine the topography of the field and its surroundings based on the set of three-dimensional position data. It is possible to construct a three-dimensional shape. Three-dimensional position data at the same position is acquired at different timings, and the three-dimensional position data acquired at different timings are compared, thereby extracting differences in the three-dimensional shape based on the set of three-dimensional position data. It becomes possible. This realizes a work support system that can easily detect obstacles.

In the present invention, the obstacle detection unit compares height information in the plurality of three-dimensional position data with respect to the same position in the field, and height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at a later timing. is greater than the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at the previous timing by a predetermined threshold or more, it is preferable to recognize the presence of the obstacle.

The existence of an obstacle causes a large change in height information. Therefore, with this configuration, obstacle detection becomes easier than with a configuration in which lateral information and depth information in the three-dimensional position data are compared. Then, when the height information at the later timing becomes larger than the height information at the earlier timing, by recognizing the existence of the obstacle, the obstacle that did not exist at the earlier timing can be detected. .

In the present invention, it is preferable that the obstacle detection unit recognizes the presence of the obstacle when the height information changes to become higher in an area area larger than a certain range on the plane of the farm field.

If only a portion of the 3D position data has a change in which the height information is increased in the set of 3D position data, there is a possibility of erroneous detection. With this configuration, the presence of an obstacle is recognized when the three-dimensional position data in which the height information has changed to a higher level extends over a certain area or more, so that the risk of false detection is reduced.

In the present invention, the obstacle detection unit recognizes the existence of the obstacle when there is a change in which the height information increases in an area area smaller than a certain range on the plane of the agricultural field, and the detection probability is increased. It is preferred to qualify as low. Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the obstacle detection section increases or decreases the detection probability according to the area size of the area area.

If the three-dimensional position data in which the height information has increased is an area area smaller than a certain range, it may be unclear whether an obstacle really exists or whether it is an erroneous detection. With this configuration, even if the possibility is low, it is possible to recognize the possibility that an obstacle exists according to the area size of the area area, so it is possible to alert the administrator or the like.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the working vehicle is provided with a notification section that notifies the existence of the obstacle when the obstacle detection section recognizes the obstacle.

With this configuration, it is possible to alert the administrator or the like.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a travel control unit is provided that automatically changes control parameters relating to travel of the work vehicle when the obstacle detection unit recognizes the obstacle.

According to this configuration, the control parameters are changed according to the obstacle recognition status, and the traveling state of the work vehicle is changed according to the change of the control parameters. Therefore, when the presence of an obstacle is recognized, the running state of the work vehicle changes according to circumstances, and appropriate running of the work vehicle is realized according to the presence or absence of the obstacle.

In the present invention, the obstacle detection unit determines that the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired after obstacle identification, regarding the position at which the obstacle has been identified in the agricultural field, corresponds to the height information at the time when the obstacle has been identified. It is preferable to cancel the identification of the obstacle when it becomes smaller than the height information in the original position data.

As described above, the existence of an obstacle causes a large change in height information. If the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired after obstacle identification is smaller than the height information at the time of obstacle identification, it is conceivable that the obstacle has disappeared. For this reason, with this configuration, an obstacle that has been certified once is cancelled, so it is possible to flexibly change the status of obstacle certification according to the latest information.

It is a left view of a combine. It is a top view of a combine. It is a figure which shows the go-around driving|running|working of a combine. It is a figure which shows the work traveling of a combine. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a work support system; FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process which recognizes presence of an obstacle. It is a figure which shows the process which recognizes presence of an obstacle.

A mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction of arrow F shown in FIGS. Let the direction of the arrow R be "right". The direction of arrow U shown in FIG. 1 is defined as "up", and the direction of arrow D is defined as "down".

A general-purpose combine harvester 1, which is an example of a work vehicle to which the work support system of the present invention is applied, will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the machine body 10 of the combine harvester 1 includes a machine body frame 9, a harvesting section H, a crawler type traveling device 11, an operating section 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a conveying section 16, a grain It has a particle discharger 18 , a satellite positioning module 80 and a distance sensor 81 .

The travel device 11 is provided in the lower portion of the machine body 10 of the combine harvester 1 . Further, the travel device 11 is driven by power from an engine (not shown). The combine 1 can be self-propelled by the travel device 11 .

The driving unit 12 , the threshing device 13 and the grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11 . Further, the driving section 12, the threshing device 13, and the grain tank 14 are supported by the body frame 9. As shown in FIG. An operator who operates or monitors the combine harvester 1 can board the operation section 12 . The operator may monitor the work of the combine harvester 1 from outside the combine harvester 1 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the grain discharging device 18 is provided above the grain tank 14 . Also, the satellite positioning module 80 and the distance sensor 81 are attached to the upper surface of the operation section 12 . In order to complement the satellite navigation by the satellite positioning module 80, the satellite positioning module 80 incorporates an inertial navigation unit incorporating a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor. Of course, the inertial navigation unit may be arranged in the combine 1 at a different location than the satellite positioning module 80 .

The harvesting part H is provided in the front part of the machine body 10 . The harvesting section H is configured to be vertically movable with respect to the body frame 9 via the harvesting cylinder 15A. The conveying section 16 is provided on the rear side of the harvesting section H. As shown in FIG. The harvesting section H also includes a harvesting device 15 and a reel 17 .

The reaping device 15 reaps planted grain culms in the field 5 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Further, the reel 17 rakes the planted grain culms to be harvested while being rotationally driven around the reel axis 17b along the left-right direction of the machine body. The harvested culms harvested by the harvesting device 15 are sent to the conveying unit 16 .

With this configuration, the harvesting section H harvests the crops in the field 5 . The combine 1 is capable of reaping travel in which the traveling device 11 travels while the reaping device 15 reaps planted grain stalks in the field 5 .

The reaping grain culms harvested by the harvesting unit H are conveyed to the rear of the machine body by the conveying unit 16 . As a result, the harvested grain culms are conveyed to the threshing device 13 .

In the threshing device 13, harvested grain culms are threshed. Grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in the grain tank 14 . The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged out of the machine by the grain discharging device 18 as required.

Here, the combine 1 is configured to harvest crops in the field 5 located inside the outer edge region 6, as shown in FIGS. The outer edge region 6 is provided so as to surround the farm field 5 . The outer edge region 6 includes, for example, a ridge 61, a water supply and drainage pump (not shown), a water inlet (not shown), and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the combine harvester 1 is configured to be able to perform work traveling in the outer peripheral area SA (see FIG. 4) of the field 5. As shown in FIG. The number of laps of the combine 1 in the outer peripheral area SA is two to three. Note that the number of laps may be any number of times greater than or equal to two. After traveling for work in the outer peripheral area SA, the combine harvester 1 travels for work in the target work area CA inside the outer peripheral area SA, as shown in FIG.

Note that the "work travel" in the present embodiment is specifically the reaping travel described above. Note that the "work travel" may be performed while traveling while performing work other than harvesting planted grain culms.

[Regarding the configuration of the work support system]
The configuration of the work support system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the work support system of the present invention comprises a control unit 20 and a map generation unit 30. FIG. The combine 1 is equipped with a large number of electronic control units called ECUs. The control unit 20 is one component of an electronic control unit, and is configured to enable signal communication (data communication) with various input/output devices of the combine harvester 1 through a wiring network such as an in-vehicle LAN. The map generation unit 30 is not provided in the combine harvester 1, but is incorporated in, for example, a management computer provided in a remote location, and is configured to be able to transmit and receive data to and from the control unit 20 via a communication network. . Note that the map generation unit 30 may be one component of the electronic control unit of the combine harvester 1 .

The combine 1 has a control unit 20 . The control unit 20 includes a position information acquisition section 21 , an object position data acquisition section 22 , a storage section 23 , an obstacle detection section 24 , a notification section 25 and a travel control section 26 . The combine 1 is equipped with a distance sensor 81 .

The distance sensor 81 is, for example, a two-dimensional scanning LiDAR that is a ToF (Time of Flight) measuring device, and transmits a signal propagating in the air, such as an infrared laser beam, as a detection signal. When the object to be detected is irradiated with the detection signal, the detection signal is reflected on the surface of the object to be detected. The distance sensor 81 acquires a detection signal reflected by the surface of the object to be detected as a reflected signal. The distance sensor 81 is configured to calculate the distance between the distance sensor 81 and the object to be detected based on the time from when the detection signal is transmitted until when the reflected signal is obtained. Therefore, the distance sensor 81 can detect the position and height of an object existing in the front area FA (see FIGS. 1 and 2) based on the measurement results of the ToF measurement method. The detection result of the distance sensor 81 is sent to the object position data acquisition section 22 over time. Note that the distance sensor 81 may be a three-dimensional scanning LiDAR. Moreover, the measurement method of the distance sensor 81 is not limited to the ToF measurement method, and may be a stereo matching measurement method or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the satellite positioning module 80 receives GPS signals from satellites GS used in GPS (Global Positioning System). Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the satellite positioning module 80 sends positioning data indicating the position of the combine 1 to the position information acquiring section 21 based on the received GPS signal. Note that the satellite positioning module 80 does not have to use GPS. For example, the satellite positioning module 80 may utilize GNSS (GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, etc.) other than GPS.

The position information acquisition unit 21 acquires the position information of the combine harvester 1 over time based on the positioning data output by the satellite positioning module 80 .

The object position data acquiring unit 22 is provided in the combine harvester 1 and acquires three-dimensional position data of an object located in front of the combine harvester 1 in the traveling direction while the combine harvester 1 is running in the field 5 over time. For example, the object position data acquisition unit 22 acquires three-dimensional data such as a ridge 61 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), a water supply and drainage pump (not shown), and a water inlet (not shown) in the outer edge region 6 in front of the combine 1 in the traveling direction. Get location data.

Of course, the object position data acquisition unit 22 in this embodiment is configured to be able to acquire not only the outer edge region 6 but also the three-dimensional data of the object in the field 5 . For example, the object position data acquisition unit 22 can also acquire three-dimensional data such as planted culms, lodged culms, and weeds in the field 5 .

It should be noted that the term “field running” according to the present invention means running in the field 5 . For example, running in the outermost peripheral portion of the field 5 is a specific example of "field running" according to the present invention. Further, running inside the outermost peripheral portion of the field 5 is also a specific example of "field running" according to the present invention.

The three-dimensional position data acquired by the object position data acquisition unit 22 is sent to the storage unit 23 over time. In addition, the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 calculated by the position information acquisition unit 21 are sent to the storage unit 23 over time.

The storage unit 23 has a three-dimensional position data storage unit 23A and an obstacle storage unit 23B. The three-dimensional position data storage unit 23A stores the three-dimensional position data acquired by the object position data acquisition unit 22 with time information at the acquisition timing, position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 21 at the acquisition timing, The detection results of the inertial navigation unit (for example, pitch angle, roll angle, and yaw angle) at the acquired timing are stored in association with each other. The position information at the acquired timing may be corrected based on the detection result of the inertial navigation unit. That is, the position information measured by the satellite positioning module 80 has an error corresponding to the inclination of the combine 1, but the position information having the error corresponding to this inclination can be corrected according to the detection result of the inertial navigation unit. Also, the three-dimensional position data may be corrected based on the detection result of the inertial navigation unit. A large number of three-dimensional position data are stored in the three-dimensional position data storage unit 23A.

As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the combine 1 makes two or three round trips in the outer peripheral area SA of the field 5 . The combine 1 also travels back and forth in the field 5 . The reciprocating travel is travel in which the combine harvester 1 travels straight or substantially straight in the work area CA of the field 5, performs 180-degree turn travel in the outer peripheral area SA, and travels again in the work area CA. be. Therefore, the three-dimensional position data for the same position is redundantly stored in the three-dimensional position data storage unit 23A.

The obstacle detection unit 24 detects an obstacle located in front of the combine harvester 1 based on the flowchart of FIG. The processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is performed for each divided area set in advance in the field 5 and the outer edge area 6, and is performed as a periodic process.

In step #01, the obstacle detection unit 24 compares a plurality of three-dimensional position data acquired at different timings regarding the same position in the field 5, and finds a change in the coordinate information of each of the plurality of three-dimensional position data. determine whether

FIG. 7 shows two pieces of three-dimensional position data acquired at different timings with respect to the same position in the field 5 . In FIG. 7, two three-dimensional coordinates are shown, and point-like three-dimensional position data is plotted on each three-dimensional coordinate. In FIG. 7, the three-dimensional position data indicated by the three-dimensional coordinates on the right side is acquired at a later timing than the three-dimensional position data indicated by the three-dimensional coordinates on the left side.

“Different timings” correspond to, for example, the travel timing of the first round and the travel timing of the second round when the combine harvester 1 travels around the outer peripheral area SA of the field 5 . In this case, the obstacle detection unit 24 compares a plurality of three-dimensional position data acquired at the timings of traveling in the first round and the second round with respect to the same position in the field 5 .

Further, the “different timing” corresponds to, for example, the traveling timing of the forward trip and the traveling timing of the return trip when the combine harvester 1 reciprocates in the work target area CA of the field 5 . In this case, the obstacle detection unit 24 compares a plurality of pieces of three-dimensional position data acquired at the travel timings of the forward trip and the return trip with respect to the same position in the farm field 5 .

If an obstacle appears between the different timings, the height information in the three-dimensional position data will change significantly. Therefore, in step #02, the obstacle detection unit 24 determines that the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at the later timing is higher than the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at the earlier timing. It is determined whether or not it has become larger than the specified threshold.

The determination processing of the height information in step #01 is performed on an aggregate of three-dimensional position data in a preset defined area. If the height information in a plurality of pieces of three-dimensional position data in a specific region out of the set of three-dimensional position data in the partitioned region is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, a determination of Yes is made in step #02. is done.

If, for example, only one piece of three-dimensional position data exceeds the threshold value among the set of three-dimensional position data in the partitioned area, the determination process of No is performed in step #02. can be This reduces the risk of erroneous determination in the determination process of step #01.

When the determination is Yes in step #02, the obstacle detection unit 24 detects that the height information is high over an area area of a certain range or more on the plane of the farm field among the collection of three-dimensional position data in the partitioned area. It is determined whether or not (step #03). If the height information increases over a certain area area or more (step #03: Yes), the obstacle detection unit 24 recognizes that an obstacle exists in a certain area area of the partitioned area. (step #04). In other words, the obstacle detection unit 24 recognizes the existence of an obstacle when there is a change in which the height information increases in an area area of a certain range or more on the field plane.

In this way, the obstacle detection unit 24 compares the height information in a plurality of three-dimensional position data regarding the same position in the field 5, and the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at a later timing is If the height information in the three-dimensional position data obtained at the previous timing is greater than the height information by a predetermined threshold or more, the existence of the obstacle is recognized.

Further, the information of the obstacle recognized in the process of step #04 is stored in the obstacle storage section 23B. At the same time as the process of step #04, the notification unit 25 notifies the obstacle.

If the three-dimensional position data with increased height information is an area area less than a certain range (step #03: No), errors in the coordinate information of multiple three-dimensional position data acquired at different timings may cause obstacles to appear. It is conceivable that erroneous detection is made. In such a case, the obstacle detection unit 24 recognizes that an obstacle exists in a certain area area of the partitioned area, and also recognizes that the detection probability of the obstacle is low (step #05). . In other words, the obstacle detection unit 24 recognizes the presence of an obstacle and recognizes that the detection probability is low when there is a change in which the height information increases in an area area smaller than a certain range on the plane of the field. do. Further, the obstacle detection unit 24 may be configured to increase or decrease the detection probability according to the area size of the area area.

FIG. 7 shows that, of the three-dimensional coordinate data plotted on the left and right three-dimensional coordinates, the portions where the height information changes to high are extracted as obstacles. This obstacle information is stored in the obstacle storage section 23B and notified by the notification section 25, including information on whether the detection probability of the obstacle is high or low. The notification unit 25 is provided in the combine harvester 1 and notifies the presence of an obstacle when the obstacle detection unit 24 has identified an obstacle.

The notification unit 25 may notify on a display screen, or may notify by voice guidance or buzzer. If the notification unit 25 is configured to notify on the display screen, the obstacle shown in FIG. 7 may be highlighted on the screen. In addition, the color of the obstacle displayed on the screen may change depending on whether the detection probability of the obstacle is low or not. If the obstacle detection unit 24 is configured to increase or decrease the detection probability according to the area size of the area area, it may be configured such that the shade of the color of the obstacle displayed on the screen changes according to the magnitude of the detection probability. .

Further, when the determination of No is made in step #02, the obstacle detection unit 24 determines in step #06 that the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at the later timing is the same as the three-dimensional position acquired at the earlier timing. It is determined whether or not the height information in the data is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

When a determination of Yes is made in step #06, the obstacle detection unit 24 determines in step #07 whether or not the presence of an obstacle is recognized at the position corresponding to the three-dimensional position data. If the height information in the 3D position data acquired at the later timing is lower than the height information in the 3D position data acquired at the previous timing at the position where the existence of the obstacle has been once recognized, It is possible that an obstruction at that location has been removed. Since the obstacle storage section 23B stores the identification information of the obstacle at that position, the obstacle detection section 24 cancels the identification information stored in the obstacle storage section 23B in step #08. In this way, the obstacle detection unit 24 determines that the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired after the obstacle identification is the same as the height information in the three-dimensional position data when the obstacle was identified. If the height becomes smaller than the height information, the obstacle identification is cancelled.

Information indicating that the obstacle detection unit 24 has recognized an obstacle is stored in the obstacle storage unit 23B over time, and the recognition information stored in the obstacle storage unit 23B is read out by the travel control unit 26 over time. The travel control unit 26 is configured to automatically change control parameters relating to travel of the work vehicle when the obstacle detection unit 24 identifies an obstacle. Control parameters are stored in the storage unit 23, for example. The control parameters include a parameter relating to the speed of the traveling device 11, a parameter relating to turning traveling of the traveling device 11, a parameter relating to the harvest height of the harvesting section H, and the like.

By automatically changing the control parameters by the traveling control unit 26, for example, the traveling device 11 of the combine harvester 1 stops, the combine 1 travels around the obstacle, and the harvesting unit H moves above the obstacle. rise to This avoids contact between the combine 1 and the obstacle.

Further, the method of recognizing obstacles by the obstacle detection unit 24 can also be used when generating a map indicating boundaries where the combine harvester 1 cannot cross the border in the ridge 61 . Other agricultural workers, transport trucks, seedling boxes, seed bags, and the like may be temporarily placed on the ridge 61, and these can be recognized as obstacles. It is conceivable that the boundary is unexpectedly set at the edge of the ridge due to the temporary arrangement on the ridge 61, and the travel range of the agricultural vehicle is unexpectedly restricted. Due to the configuration in which the obstacle detection unit 24 recognizes an object temporarily placed on the ridge 61 as an obstacle, the temporary obstacle is not recognized as a boundary in generating a map showing boundaries that cannot be crossed. This improves map generation accuracy.

[Another embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the configurations exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and other representative embodiments of the present invention will be exemplified below.

(1) The travel control unit 26 may be configured to enable automatic travel, or may be configured to assist manual travel.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 24 determines that the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired after obstacle identification is the same as the three-dimensional height information obtained when the obstacle is identified. If the height becomes smaller than the height information in the position data, the obstacle identification is cancelled. However, for example, regarding the same position where no obstacle has been identified, the height information in the 3D position data acquired at the later timing is smaller than the height information in the 3D position data acquired at the earlier timing. case is conceivable. In such a case, the obstacle detection unit 24 may be configured to retroactively recognize that an obstacle was included in the three-dimensional position data acquired at the previous timing. In the case of this configuration, when generating a map showing a boundary on the ridge 61 where the combine harvester 1 cannot cross the boundary, a configuration is also possible in which the boundary is widened.

(3) The obstacle detection unit 24 compares height information in a plurality of three-dimensional position data. For example, the obstacle detection unit 24 may be configured to compare information in two or more directions among three directions in a plurality of three-dimensional position data. In this case, the obstacle detection unit 24 compares information in at least two directions in the plurality of three-dimensional position data regarding the same position in the field 5, and compares the same information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at a later timing (at least information in two directions) is larger than the same information (at least information in two directions) in the three-dimensional position data acquired at the previous timing by a predetermined threshold or more, the presence of an obstacle is recognized. It may be a configuration.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 24 recognizes the presence of an obstacle when there is a change in the height information in an area area of a certain range or more on the field plane. Not limited to this embodiment, for example, the obstacle detection unit 24 is configured to recognize the existence of an obstacle if the area in which the height information has increased is an area with a certain density or more on the plane of the field. can be

(5) At least one of the position information acquisition section 21 and the object position data acquisition section 22 shown in FIG.

(6) The configuration may be such that the notification unit 25 is not provided.

(7) The location information acquisition unit 21 and the satellite positioning module 80 may be configured integrally as the location information acquisition unit of the present invention.

(8) The object position data acquisition section 22 and the distance sensor 81 may be configured integrally as the object position data acquisition section of the present invention.

(9) In the above-described embodiment, the combine 1 was exemplified as the working vehicle, but the working vehicle may be a tractor equipped with a working machine, a rice transplanter, a fertilizer spreader, a tending machine, or the like.

It should be noted that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including other embodiments; the same shall apply hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments unless there is a contradiction. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a work support system for a work vehicle that performs work while traveling in a field.

1: Combine (work vehicle)
21: Position information acquisition unit 22: Object position data acquisition unit 23: Storage unit 24: Obstacle detection unit 25: Notification unit 26: Travel control unit

Claims (8)

A work support system for a work vehicle that performs work while traveling in a field,
a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the work vehicle over time;
an object position data acquisition unit provided in the work vehicle for acquiring, over time, three-dimensional position data of an object positioned in front of the work vehicle in the traveling direction of the work vehicle while the work vehicle is traveling in the field;
a storage unit that stores the three-dimensional position data in association with time information at which the data was acquired;
an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle positioned in front of the work vehicle by comparing a plurality of the three-dimensional position data obtained at different timings with respect to the same position in the field. Work support system. The obstacle detection unit compares the height information in the plurality of three-dimensional position data with respect to the same position in the farm field, and compares the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at a later timing with the height information in the previous three-dimensional position data. 2. The work support system according to claim 1, wherein the presence of the obstacle is recognized when the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired at the timing is greater than a predetermined threshold value. 3. The work support system according to claim 2, wherein the obstacle detection unit recognizes the presence of the obstacle when the height information changes to become higher in an area area larger than a certain range on the field plane. The obstacle detection unit recognizes that the detection probability is low while recognizing the presence of the obstacle when the height information changes to become higher in an area area smaller than a certain range on the plane of the field. The work support system according to claim 3. 5. The work support system according to claim 4, wherein the obstacle detection unit increases or decreases the detection probability according to the area size of the area area. 6. The work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the work vehicle is provided with a notification unit that notifies existence of the obstacle when the obstacle detection unit recognizes the obstacle. . 7. The work according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a travel control unit that automatically changes control parameters relating to travel of the work vehicle when the obstacle detection unit recognizes the obstacle. support system. With respect to the position where the obstacle has been identified in the field, the obstacle detection unit detects that the height information in the three-dimensional position data acquired after the obstacle identification is the height information in the three-dimensional position data when the obstacle has been identified. 8. The work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the identification of the obstacle is canceled when the height becomes smaller than the height information.

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