JP7122845B2 - Automatic traveling device for work vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic traveling device for automatically traveling a work vehicle.

As the automatic traveling device, for example, an automatic traveling system is known that automatically travels the working vehicle along a target traveling route set in a field while acquiring the current position of the working vehicle using a satellite positioning system. (See Patent Document 1, for example).
The automatic driving system described in Patent Document 1 eliminates the need for a worker to operate a working vehicle by automatically running the working vehicle while performing a predetermined work in a field, thereby improving the efficiency of work such as agricultural work. be able to. However, a work vehicle cannot be automatically driven on roads such as public roads and agricultural roads from a place (parking lot) for the work vehicle to a field where there are many people and other vehicles. Therefore, even when the work vehicle is automatically driven in the field, the user must ride in the work vehicle and drive the work vehicle from the place where the work vehicle is placed (parking lot) to the field. Therefore, further improvement is desired.

In this respect, although it is not a work vehicle, Patent Document 2 discloses that a marker provided on the rear surface of the preceding vehicle is photographed by a sensor such as a CCD camera provided on the following vehicle, and the distance between the two vehicles is calculated from the obtained image. However, a technique has been disclosed that controls the running speed of the trailing vehicles so that this distance is maintained constant, thereby enabling them to run in a row. Note that this technique also calculates the relative posture angle (relative yaw angle) between the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle, which changes when the preceding vehicle is in a turning posture.

JP 2017-217945 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-202497

Since the technology described in Patent Document 2 detects the distance between the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle, the following vehicle can be controlled while maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance on the same travel line as the preceding vehicle and following the preceding vehicle. It is conceivable that it can be run.
However, work vehicles that work within a travel area such as a field have various vehicle widths, and the width of the vehicle may change depending on the work equipment installed. For example, it may be desirable to accompany the vehicle along a travel line that is shifted toward the center of the road instead of following along the line.

In view of this situation, the main object of the present invention is to provide an automatic traveling apparatus for a work vehicle that can cause the work vehicle to travel along a travel line different from that of the companion vehicle while following the companion vehicle. be.

A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a sensor that is provided on a work vehicle and measures a distance to a subject and a direction in which the subject exists within a measurement range having a predetermined angular spread in plan view;
a marker registration unit that registers a marker provided on an accompanying target vehicle as a monitoring target marker;
Based on the measurement information of the sensor, the work vehicle measures the distance and direction to the monitoring target marker provided on the accompanying target vehicle, and maintains the measured distance and measured direction at the set distance and set direction. An automatic traveling control unit that performs accompanying traveling control that controls the traveling speed and steering angle of
and an entrainment mode setting unit capable of setting at least the set direction to a direction different from the traveling direction of the work vehicle in plan view within the measurement range of the sensor.

According to this configuration, by including the sensor, the marker registration unit, and the automatic travel control unit, the marker provided on the accompanying target vehicle is registered as the monitoring target marker, and the distance and direction to the monitoring target marker are registered in the accompanying travel control. The traveling speed and steering angle of the work vehicle can be controlled so that the target vehicle is maintained at the set distance and direction, and the work vehicle can travel while following the follow target vehicle provided with the monitoring target marker.

By providing the accompanying mode setting unit, the set direction used for accompanying traveling control (the direction in which the monitoring target marker to be maintained exists) is different from the traveling direction of the work vehicle within the measurement range of the sensor (for example, can be set to a direction that is angularly deviated to the left or right from the traveling direction of the work vehicle). Therefore, in the accompanying travel control, the work vehicle is caused to travel while maintaining the direction to the monitoring target marker provided on the accompanying target vehicle in a direction different from the travel direction of the work vehicle (for example, left front or right front). can be done.
Therefore, the work vehicle can travel along a travel line different from that of the accompanying target vehicle while following the accompanying target vehicle.

According to a second characteristic configuration of the present invention, in the accompanying travel control, the set distance is set so that the work vehicle follows the accompanying vehicle provided with the monitoring target marker from an oblique rear in a plan view. and that the setting direction can be set.

According to this configuration, the work vehicle can be caused to travel in a state in which the accompanying target vehicle is accompanied obliquely from the rear in plan view in the accompanying traveling control. When traveling on the side of the road, the work vehicle can travel along the central side of the road where there is little danger of deviating from the road.

A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is provided with an obstacle control unit that performs an obstacle detection process for detecting an obstacle based on the measurement information of the sensor,
The automatic travel control unit cancels the accompaniment travel control and stops the work vehicle when an obstacle is detected within a predetermined distance in the obstacle detection process.

According to this configuration, in the obstacle detection process, the obstacle control section can efficiently detect the obstacle using the measurement information of the sensor for monitoring the monitoring target marker. Then, when an obstacle is detected within a predetermined distance in the obstacle detection process, the accompanying travel control is canceled to stop the work vehicle, thereby avoiding collision between the work vehicle and the obstacle.

A fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the marker is detachable from the accompanying vehicle.

According to this configuration, the marker registered in the marker registration section can be removed and attached to another vehicle, so that the vehicle to be accompanied can be easily changed using the information registered by the marker registration section as it is. .

Diagram showing schematic configuration of automated driving system Block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the automated driving system Diagram showing the target travel route The figure which shows the upper side part of the tractor in the front view The figure which shows the upper side part of the tractor in the back view Diagram showing the antenna unit and front lidar sensor at the use position in side view FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a support structure for an antenna unit and a front lidar sensor; Diagram showing the antenna unit and front lidar sensor at the non-use position in side view Diagram showing roof, antenna unit, front lidar sensor, and rear lidar sensor in side view in use position and non-use position Perspective view showing the support structure for the rear rider sensor Diagram showing the measurement ranges of the front lidar sensor and the rear lidar sensor in side view Diagram showing measurement ranges of front lidar sensor, rear lidar sensor, and sonar in plan view A diagram showing a 3D image generated from the measurement results of the front lidar sensor FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement result of the rear lidar sensor with the working device positioned at the lowered position; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement result of the rear lidar sensor with the working device positioned at the raised position; Diagram showing an example of tractor accompanying travel Diagram showing an example of tractor accompanying travel FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement result of the front lidar sensor in a state in which the vehicle to be accompanied is provided with a marker; Flowchart showing the operation flow of marker registration processing Flowchart showing the flow of the operation of accompanying travel control

An embodiment in which a work vehicle equipped with an automatic traveling device according to the present invention is applied to an automatic traveling system will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this automatic driving system, as shown in FIG. 1, a tractor 1 is applied as a working vehicle according to the present invention. and unmanned working vehicles such as unmanned lawn mowers.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this automatic traveling system includes an automatic traveling unit 2 (corresponding to an automatic traveling device) mounted on a tractor 1, and a mobile device set to communicate with the automatic traveling unit 2. A communication terminal 3 is provided. As the mobile communication terminal 3, a tablet-type personal computer, a smartphone, or the like having a touch-operable display unit 51 (for example, a liquid crystal panel) or the like can be adopted.

The tractor 1 includes a traveling body 7 having left and right front wheels 5 functioning as drivable steering wheels and left and right drivable rear wheels 6 . A bonnet 8 is arranged on the front side of the traveling machine body 7 , and an electronically controlled diesel engine (hereinafter referred to as an engine) 9 having a common rail system is provided in the bonnet 8 . A cabin 10 forming a boarding-type operating section is provided on the rear side of the bonnet 8 of the traveling body 7 .

A rotary tillage device, which is an example of a working device 12, is connected to the rear portion of the traveling machine body 7 via a three-point link mechanism 11 so as to be able to move up and down and roll, thereby configuring the tractor 1 for rotary tillage. can. A working device 12 such as a plow, a sowing device, a spreading device, or the like can be connected to the rear portion of the tractor 1 instead of the rotary tillage device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tractor 1 includes an electronically controlled transmission 13 for shifting the power from the engine 9, a fully hydraulic power steering mechanism 14 for steering the left and right front wheels 5, and the left and right rear wheels 6. Left and right side brakes (not shown) for braking, an electronically controlled brake operation mechanism 15 that enables hydraulic operation of the left and right side brakes, and a work clutch (see FIG. (not shown), an electronically controlled clutch operating mechanism 16 that enables hydraulic operation of a work clutch, an electrohydraulically controlled lifting drive mechanism 17 that drives the work device 12 such as a rotary tillage device to move up and down, automatic traveling of the tractor 1, and the like. vehicle speed sensor 19 for detecting the vehicle speed of the tractor 1, steering angle sensor 20 for detecting the steering angle of the front wheels 5, and the current position and current direction of the tractor 1 A positioning unit 21 and the like are provided.

The engine 9 may be an electronically controlled gasoline engine with an electronic governor. A hydromechanical continuously variable transmission (HMT), a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission (HST), a belt-type continuously variable transmission, or the like can be adopted as the transmission 13 . As the power steering mechanism 14, an electric power steering mechanism 14 or the like having an electric motor may be employed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cabin 10 includes a cabin frame 31 that forms the framework of the cabin 10, a windshield 32 that covers the front side, a rear glass 33 that covers the rear side, and a vertical axis. It is configured in a box shape having a pair of left and right doors 34 (see FIG. 1) that can be opened and closed by swinging and a roof 35 on the ceiling side. The cabin frame 31 includes a pair of left and right front support columns 36 arranged at the front end, and a pair of left and right rear support columns 37 arranged at the rear end. In plan view, the front support columns 36 are arranged at the left and right corners on the front side, and the rear support columns 37 are arranged at the left and right corners on the rear side. The cabin frame 31 is supported on the traveling body 7 via a vibration-isolating member such as an elastic body, and anti-vibration measures are taken to prevent vibrations from the traveling body 7 and the like from being transmitted to the cabin 10. A cabin 10 is provided in this state.

Inside the cabin 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a steering wheel 38 that enables manual steering of the left and right front wheels 5 via a power steering mechanism 14 (see FIG. 2), a driver's seat 39 for passengers, and a touch panel. A formula display and various operating tools are provided. On both lateral sides of the front part of the cabin 10, there are stepped steps 41 for getting on and off the cabin 10 (driver's seat 39).

As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 includes a shift control unit 181 that controls the operation of the transmission 13, a braking control unit 182 that controls the operation of left and right side brakes, and a working device 12 such as a rotary tillage device. A work device control unit 183 that controls the operation, a steering angle setting unit 184 that sets the target steering angle of the left and right front wheels 5 during automatic travel and outputs the target steering angle to the power steering mechanism 14, and a preset target travel for automatic travel. It has a non-volatile in-vehicle storage unit 185 or the like that stores the route P (see FIG. 3, for example).

As shown in FIG. 2, the positioning unit 21 includes satellites for measuring the current position and current azimuth of the tractor 1 using GPS (Global Positioning System), which is an example of a satellite positioning system (NSS: Navigation Satellite System). A navigation system 22, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 23, which has a triaxial gyroscope, a tridirectional acceleration sensor, and the like, and measures the attitude, orientation, and the like of the tractor 1, and the like are provided. Positioning methods using GPS include DGPS (Differential GPS: relative positioning method), RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic GPS: interferometric positioning method), and the like. In this embodiment, RTK-GPS suitable for positioning of mobile units is adopted. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, reference stations 4 that enable positioning by RTK-GPS are installed at known positions around the field.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tractor 1 and the reference station 4 are provided with GPS antennas 24 and 61 for receiving radio waves transmitted from a GPS satellite 71 (see FIG. 1), and an antenna between the tractor 1 and the reference station 4, as shown in FIG. Communication modules 25, 62, etc. are provided that enable wireless communication of various data including positioning data in the. As a result, the satellite navigation device 22 receives the positioning data obtained by the GPS antenna 24 on the tractor side receiving radio waves from the GPS satellites 71, and the GPS antenna 61 on the base station side receiving the radio waves from the GPS satellites 71. Based on the obtained positioning data, the current position and current azimuth of the tractor 1 can be measured with high accuracy. Further, the positioning unit 21 includes a satellite navigation device 22 and an inertial measurement device 23 to measure the current position, current azimuth, and attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) of the tractor 1 with high precision. can be done.

The GPS antenna 24, the communication module 25, and the inertial measurement device 23 provided in the tractor 1 are accommodated in the antenna unit 80, as shown in FIG. The antenna unit 80 is arranged at an upper position on the front side of the cabin 10 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile communication terminal 3 includes a terminal electronic control unit 52 having various control programs for controlling the operation of the display unit 51, etc., and positioning data between the communication module 25 on the tractor side and and a communication module 55 that enables wireless communication of various data including The terminal electronic control unit 52 includes a travel route generation unit 53 that generates a target travel route P (for example, see FIG. 3) for travel guidance for automatically traveling the tractor 1, and various input data entered by the user, It has a non-volatile terminal storage unit 54 for storing the target travel route P generated by the travel route generation unit 53 and the like.

When the travel route generating unit 53 generates the target travel route P, a user such as a driver or manager follows the input guidance for setting the target travel route displayed on the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3, and the user such as the work vehicle or the work vehicle. Vehicle body data such as the type and model of the working device 12 are input, and the input vehicle body data are stored in the terminal storage unit 54 . The travel area S (see FIG. 3) for which the target travel route P is to be generated is a farm field. 54 is stored.

Acquisition of farm field data will be explained. When the user or the like drives the tractor 1 to actually run, the terminal electronic control unit 52 determines the shape and position of the farm field from the current position of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21 and the like. It is possible to acquire location information for specifying such as. The terminal electronic control unit 52 specifies the shape and position of the farm field from the acquired position information, and acquires the farm field data including the travel area S specified from the specified shape and position of the farm field. FIG. 3 shows an example in which a rectangular traveling area S is specified.

When the field data including the shape, position, and the like of the specified field are stored in the terminal storage unit 54, the travel route generation unit 53 uses the field data and the vehicle body data stored in the terminal storage unit 54 to generate the target data. A travel route P is generated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the travel route generator 53 divides and sets the inside of the travel region S into a central region R1 and an outer peripheral region R2. The central region R1 is set in the central portion of the travel region S, and serves as a reciprocating work region in which the tractor 1 automatically travels in advance in the reciprocating direction to perform a predetermined work (for example, work such as plowing). . The outer peripheral region R2 is set around the central region R1, and is a revolving work region in which the tractor 1 automatically travels in the revolving direction following the central region R1 to perform predetermined work. The traveling route generation unit 53 determines, for example, the turning radius required for turning the tractor 1 along the edge of the field, based on the turning radius, the front-to-rear width and the left-to-right width of the tractor 1 included in the vehicle body data. I am looking for The travel route generator 53 divides the travel region S into a central region R1 and an outer peripheral region R2 so as to secure the required space around the outer periphery of the central region R1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the travel route generating unit 53 generates a target travel route P using vehicle body data, farm field data, and the like. For example, the target travel path P includes a plurality of work paths P1 that have the same straight distance in the central region R1 and are arranged and set in parallel with a certain distance corresponding to the work width, and the start end of the adjacent work path P1. It has a connection path P2 that connects the terminal end and a circuit path P3 (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) that circles in the outer peripheral region R2. The plurality of work paths P1 are paths for performing predetermined work while the tractor 1 is traveling straight. The connection path P2 is a U-turn path for changing the traveling direction of the tractor 1 by 180 degrees without performing a predetermined work, and connects the end of the work path P1 and the beginning of the next adjacent work path P1. ing. The circuit path P3 is a path for performing a predetermined work while the tractor 1 is traveling in a circuit in the outer peripheral region R2. On the circuit path P3, the tractor 1 is switched between forward travel and reverse travel at positions corresponding to the four corners of the travel area S, thereby changing the travel direction of the tractor 1 by 90 degrees. Incidentally, the target travel route P shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the type of target travel route to be set can be changed as appropriate.

The target travel route P generated by the travel route generation unit 53 can be displayed on the display unit 51, and is stored in the terminal storage unit 54 as route data associated with vehicle data, field data, and the like. The route data includes the azimuth angle of the target travel route P, the set engine rotation speed and the target travel speed set according to the travel mode of the tractor 1 on the target travel route P, and the like.

In this way, when the travel route generation unit 53 generates the target travel route P, the terminal electronic control unit 52 transfers the route data from the mobile communication terminal 3 to the tractor 1, so that the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 of the tractor 1 can get route data. The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 automatically travels the tractor 1 along the target travel route P while acquiring its own current position (current position of the tractor 1) with the positioning unit 21 based on the acquired route data. can be done. The current position of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21 is transmitted from the tractor 1 to the mobile communication terminal 3 in real time (for example, at intervals of several seconds), and the mobile communication terminal 3 grasps the current position of the tractor 1. ing.

Regarding the transfer of the route data, the entire route data can be transferred from the terminal electronic control unit 52 to the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 at once before the tractor 1 starts automatic traveling. Further, for example, the route data including the target travel route P can be divided into a plurality of route portions each having a small amount of data and having predetermined distances. In this case, only the initial route portion of the route data is transferred from the terminal electronic control unit 52 to the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 before the tractor 1 starts automatic traveling. After the start of automatic driving, each time the tractor 1 reaches a route acquisition point set according to the amount of data, etc., the route data only for the subsequent route portion corresponding to that point is sent from the terminal electronic control unit 52 to the in-vehicle electronic control unit. It may be transferred to unit 18 .

When the automatic traveling of the tractor 1 is started, for example, when the user or the like moves the tractor 1 to the start point and various automatic traveling start conditions are satisfied, the user displays the display unit 51 on the mobile communication terminal 3. is operated to instruct the start of automatic traveling, the mobile communication terminal 3 transmits the automatic traveling start instruction to the tractor 1 . As a result, in the tractor 1, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 receives the instruction to start automatic travel, so that the positioning unit 21 acquires the current position of the tractor 1 (the current position of the tractor 1), and moves to the target travel route P. Automatic travel control is started to automatically travel the tractor 1 along the road. An in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 automatically causes the tractor 1 to travel along a target travel route P within a travel area S based on the positioning information of the tractor 1 acquired by a positioning unit 21 (corresponding to a satellite positioning system). It is configured as an automatic travel control unit that performs travel control.

The automatic travel control includes automatic transmission control for automatically controlling the operation of the transmission 13, automatic braking control for automatically controlling the operation of the brake operation mechanism 15, automatic steering control for automatically steering the left and right front wheels 5, and a rotary tillage device. automatic control for work, which automatically controls the operation of the work device 12, and the like.

In the automatic shift control, the shift control unit 181 controls the speed of the tractor 1 on the target travel route P based on the route data of the target travel route P including the target travel speed, the output of the positioning unit 21, and the output of the vehicle speed sensor 19. The operation of the transmission 13 is automatically controlled so that the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 can be obtained as the target traveling speed set according to the traveling mode or the like.

In the automatic braking control, the braking control unit 182 controls the left and right side brakes in the braking region included in the route data of the target travel route P based on the target travel route P and the output of the positioning unit 21. The operation of the brake operating mechanism 15 is automatically controlled so that the wheels 6 are properly braked.

In the automatic steering control, the steering angle setting unit 184 controls the target positions of the left and right front wheels 5 based on the route data of the target travel route P and the output of the positioning unit 21 so that the tractor 1 automatically travels along the target travel route P. A steering angle is obtained and set, and the set target steering angle is output to the power steering mechanism 14 . Based on the target steering angle and the output of the steering angle sensor 20, the power steering mechanism 14 automatically steers the left and right front wheels 5 so that the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 5 is obtained as the target steering angle.

In the automatic work control, the work device control unit 183 controls the tractor 1 to perform work such as the starting end of the work route P1 (see, for example, FIG. 3) based on the route data of the target travel route P and the output of the positioning unit 21. When the work device 12 reaches the start point, a predetermined work (for example, plowing work) is started, and when the tractor 1 reaches the work end point such as the end of the work path P1 (see, for example, FIG. 3). Accordingly, the operations of the clutch operating mechanism 16 and the lifting drive mechanism 17 are automatically controlled so that the predetermined work by the working device 12 is stopped.

Thus, in the tractor 1, the transmission 13, the power steering mechanism 14, the brake operation mechanism 15, the clutch operation mechanism 16, the lifting drive mechanism 17, the vehicle electronic control unit 18, the vehicle speed sensor 19, the steering angle sensor 20, the positioning The automatic traveling unit 2 is composed of the unit 21, the communication module 25, and the like.

In this embodiment, not only can the tractor 1 automatically travel without a user or the like in the cabin 10, but it is also possible to automatically travel the tractor 1 with a user or the like in the cabin 10. Therefore, not only can the tractor 1 automatically travel along the target travel route P by the automatic travel control by the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 without the user or the like boarding the cabin 10, but also the user or the like can board the cabin 10. Even in this case, the tractor 1 can be automatically traveled along the target travel route P by the automatic travel control by the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 .

When a user or the like is in the cabin 10, the vehicle electronic control unit 18 switches between an automatic running state in which the tractor 1 runs automatically and a manual running state in which the tractor 1 runs based on the operation of the user. be able to. Therefore, the automatic travel state can be switched to the manual travel state while the target travel route P is being automatically traveled in the automatic travel state. state can be switched to automatic driving state. For switching between the manual driving state and the automatic driving state, for example, a switching operation unit for switching between the automatic driving state and the manual driving state can be provided near the driver's seat 39, and the switching operation unit can be carried. It can also be displayed on the display unit 51 of the communication terminal 3 . Further, when the user operates the steering wheel 38 during automatic driving control by the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18, the automatic driving state can be switched to the manual driving state.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tractor 1 is equipped with an obstacle detection system 100 for detecting obstacles around the tractor 1 (running body 7) and avoiding collisions with the obstacles. ing. The obstacle detection system 100 uses a plurality of lidar sensors (corresponding to sensors and obstacle sensors) 101 and 102 that can three-dimensionally measure the distance to a measurement object using lasers, and ultrasonic waves. Sonar units 103 and 104 having a plurality of sonars capable of measuring the distance to the object to be measured, and an obstacle control section 107 are provided. Here, objects to be measured by the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104 are objects, people, and the like.

The obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing for detecting objects, people, or other measurement targets within a predetermined distance as obstacles based on measurement information from the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104. , in the obstacle detection process, when an obstacle is detected, collision avoidance control is performed. The obstacle control unit 107 repeatedly performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104 in real time, appropriately detects obstacles such as objects and people, and detects the obstacles. Collision avoidance control is performed to avoid collisions with objects.

The obstacle control section 107 is provided in the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 . The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 is communicably connected to the engine electronic control unit, the lidar sensors 101 and 102, the sonar units 103 and 104, etc. included in the common rail system via a CAN (Controller Area Network). ing.

The lidar sensors 101 and 102 measure the distance to the measurement object from the round trip time until the laser light (for example, pulsed near-infrared laser light) hits the measurement object and bounces back (Time Of Flight). . The lidar sensors 101 and 102 scan the laser light in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction at high speed, and sequentially measure the distance to the measurement object at each scanning angle, thereby measuring the distance to the measurement object in three dimensions. are measuring. The lidar sensors 101 and 102 repeatedly measure the distance to the measurement object within the measurement range in real time. The lidar sensors 101 and 102 are configured to generate a three-dimensional image from the measurement results and output it to the outside. A three-dimensional image generated from the measurement results of the lidar sensors 101 and 102 is displayed on a display device such as the display unit of the tractor 1 or the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3, so that the user or the like can visually recognize the presence or absence of obstacles. be able to. Incidentally, in a three-dimensional image, for example, colors can be used to indicate the distance in the perspective direction.

As the lidar sensors 101 and 102, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the front side of the tractor 1 (running body 7) is defined as a measurement range C, and the front rider sensors 101 and 102 are used to detect obstacles on the front side of the tractor 1. A sensor 101 and a rear lidar sensor 102 used for detecting an obstacle on the rear side of the tractor 1 with the rear side of the tractor 1 (running body 7) as the measurement range D are provided.

The front rider sensor 101 and the rear rider sensor 102 will be described below. I will explain in order.

A support structure for the front rider sensor 101 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the front lidar sensor 101 is attached to the bottom of the antenna unit 80 arranged in the upper part of the front side of the cabin 10. First, the support structure of the antenna unit 80 will be described. Next, a structure for attaching the front lidar sensor 101 to the bottom of the antenna unit 80 will be described.

The antenna unit 80 is attached to a pipe-shaped antenna unit support stay 81 extending over the entire length of the cabin 10 in the lateral direction of the traveling body 7, as shown in FIGS. The antenna unit 80 is arranged at a position corresponding to the central portion of the cabin 10 in the left-right direction of the traveling body 7 . The antenna unit support stay 81 is fixedly connected across the left and right mirror mounting portions 45 located on the left and right oblique front sides of the cabin 10 . The mirror mounting portion 45 includes a mirror mounting base 46 fixed to the front support 36 , a mirror mounting bracket 47 fixed to the mirror mounting base 46 , and a hinge portion 49 provided on the mirror mounting bracket 47 . A rotatable mirror mounting arm 48 is provided. As shown in FIG. 7, the antenna unit support stay 81 is formed in a bridge shape with both left and right ends curved downward. Both left and right ends of the antenna unit support stay 81 are fixedly connected to upper end portions of the mirror mounting bracket 47 via the first mounting plate 201 . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper end portion of the mirror mounting bracket 47 is formed with a horizontal mounting surface, and the lower end portion of the first mounting plate 201 is also formed with a horizontal mounting surface. It is The antenna unit support stay 81 is fixedly connected so as to extend in the horizontal direction by connecting the two mounting surfaces vertically with a connecting tool 50 such as a bolt and nut. Since the antenna unit 80 is supported by the front pillar 36 constituting the cabin frame 31 via the antenna unit support stay 81 and the mirror mounting portion 45, the antenna unit 80 is prevented from transmitting vibrations and the like. The unit 80 is firmly supported.

6 and 7, the mounting structure of the antenna unit 80 to the antenna unit support stay 81 includes a second mounting plate 202 fixed to the antenna unit 80 side and a second mounting plate 202 fixed to the antenna unit support stay 81 side. The antenna unit 80 is attached to the antenna unit support stay 81 by fastening the 3 attachment plate 203 with a connector 50 such as a bolt nut.

As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of left and right second mounting plates 202 are provided at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction of the traveling body 7 . The second mounting plate 202 is formed of a plate-like body bent in an L-shape having a stay-side mounting portion 202b extending downward from the outer end of a unit-side mounting portion 202a extending in the left-right direction. The second mounting plate 202 is mounted such that the unit side mounting portion 202a is fixedly connected to the bottom portion of the antenna unit 80 by the connecting member 50 or the like, and the stay side mounting portion 202b extends downward. Although not shown, a pair of front and rear circular holes for connection by a connecting tool or the like is formed in the stay-side mounting portion 202b of the second mounting plate 202 .

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the third mounting plate 203 is an L-shaped plate whose front portion extends downward from its rear portion. As with the second mounting plate 202 , the third mounting plate 203 is provided as a left and right pair at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction of the traveling body 7 . The third mounting plate 203 is attached in such a posture that the lower edge of the rear side portion is fixedly connected to the upper portion of the antenna unit support stay 81 by welding or the like, and the front side portion is positioned on the front side of the antenna unit support stay 81 . . The third mounting plate 203 is formed with an elongated long hole 203a extending along the front-rear direction of the traveling body 7 from the front side portion to the rear side portion. 203b is formed.

When attaching the antenna unit 80 to the antenna unit support stay 81, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the antenna unit 80 is arranged above the antenna unit support stay 81 so that the antenna of the communication module 25 is positioned above. placed in the use position extending to the side. The second mounting plate 202 is placed on the third mounting plate 202 so that the front and rear round holes in the stay-side mounting portion 202b of the second mounting plate 202 are aligned with the front and rear ends of the long hole 203a of the third mounting plate 203. The second mounting plate 202 and the third mounting plate 203 are superimposed on each other while being positioned on the inner side of the mounting plate 203 . By inserting the coupler 50 through the front and rear round holes of the second mounting plate 202 and the long hole 203a of the third mounting plate 203 and fastening, the antenna unit 80 is attached to the antenna unit support stay 81 at the use position. can be installed. At this time, locations corresponding to the front end and the rear end of the elongated hole 203a are set as connection locations by the connector 50. A total of four locations, ie, the front side portion and the rear side portion, are connected by the connecting tool 50 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the antenna unit 80 is positioned not only at the use position, but also at the front side of the antenna unit support stay 81 as shown in FIG. The antenna unit support stay 81 can be attached to the antenna unit support stay 81 even at the non-use position extending inward.

When attaching the antenna unit 80 to the antenna unit support stay 81 at the non-use position, as shown in FIG. The second mounting plate 202 is positioned more inward than the third mounting plate 203 so that the front and rear round holes are aligned with the front side ends of the round holes 203b and long holes 203a of the third mounting plate 203. The second mounting plate 202 and the third mounting plate 203 are overlapped. The coupler 50 is inserted through the front circular hole in the stay-side mounting portion 202b of the second mounting plate 202 and the round hole 203b of the third mounting plate 203, and the rear side of the stay-side mounting portion 202b of the second mounting plate 202 is inserted. The antenna unit 80 can be attached to the antenna unit support stay 81 at the non-use position by inserting the connector 50 through the round hole on the side and the front end of the elongated hole 203a and fastening.

For example, when changing the antenna unit 80 from the use position (see FIG. 6) to the non-use position (see FIG. 8), as shown in FIG. The connector 50 positioned at 1 is removed, the connector 50 positioned at the rear end of the long hole 203a of the third mounting plate 203 is loosened, and the state in which the connector 50 is inserted through the long hole 203a is maintained. The connector 50 is moved forward along the long hole 203a from the rear end to the front end, and the antenna unit 80 is suspended forward and downward with the connector 50 as a pivot shaft. As shown at 8, the antenna unit 80 is repositioned to the non-use position. Therefore, the coupler 50 is inserted through the round hole on the front side of the second mounting plate 202 and the round hole 203b of the third mounting plate 203, and the round hole on the rear side of the second mounting plate 202 and the front side of the long hole 203a. The connector 50 can be inserted and fastened across the side ends, and the position of the antenna unit 80 can be changed from the use position to the non-use position.

When the antenna unit 80 is installed at the use position, part of the antenna unit 80 protrudes upward from the highest line Z passing through the highest portion 35a of the roof 35, as shown in FIG. 9(a). , the antenna of the communication module 25 can be arranged on the upper side, and the wireless communication of the communication module 25 can be appropriately performed. On the other hand, when the antenna unit 80 is attached at the non-use position, the upper end of the antenna unit 80 is positioned at the same height as the highest level line Z or above the highest level line Z, as shown in FIG. 9(b). is also placed in a lower position. As a result, when the tractor 1 is transported or when the tractor 1 is stored in a storage location such as a barn, the antenna unit 80 does not protrude above the highest level line Z, and the antenna unit 80 does not become an obstacle. , it is possible to prevent the antenna unit 80 from being damaged due to contact with an obstacle or the like.

The mounting structure of the front rider sensor 101 to the antenna unit 80 is, as shown in FIG. A sensor 101 is attached to the bottom of the antenna unit 80 . The fourth mounting plate 204 has a mounting surface portion 204a extending in the left-right direction, and both ends of the mounting surface portion 204a are formed in a bridge shape extending downward. The fifth mounting plate 205 has a pair of left and right mounting surface portions 205a facing each other in the left-right direction, and is formed in a bridge shape in which upper end portions of the mounting surface portions 205a are connected to each other. A mounting surface portion 204 a of the fourth mounting plate 204 is fixedly connected to the bottom portion of the antenna unit 80 by a connecting member 50 . A front portion of the fourth mounting plate 204 and a rear portion of the fifth mounting plate 205 are fixedly connected by a connector 50 . A pair of left and right mounting surface portions 205 a of the fifth mounting plate 205 are fixedly connected to both lateral sides of the front rider sensor 101 by connecting tools 50 . The front rider sensor 101 is attached so as to be sandwiched between the left and right attachment surface portions 205a of the fifth attachment plate 205 in the left-right direction.

The front lidar sensor 101 is detachably attached to the antenna unit 80 via a fourth mounting plate 204 and a fifth mounting plate 205, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to retrofit the front rider sensor 101, and it is also possible to remove the front rider sensor 101 alone. The antenna unit 80 is also detachably attached to the mirror mounting portion 45 via the antenna unit support stay 81, so that the front rider sensor 101 can be attached/detached to/from the traveling body 7 by itself. It can also be attached to and detached from the traveling body 7 together with the antenna unit 80 . The front rider sensor 101 uses the antenna unit support stay 81 and the like for supporting the antenna unit 80 as a common support stay. Strongly supported.

Since the front rider sensor 101 is integrally provided with the antenna unit 80, by changing the position of the antenna unit 80 between the use position and the non-use position, the front rider sensor 101 can be adjusted as shown in FIG. Also, the use position facing the front side of the traveling body 7 and used for detecting obstacles on the front side of the traveling body 7 and the non-use position facing downward and not used for obstacle detection as shown in FIG. It is configured so that the position can be freely changed.

When the front rider sensor 101 is positioned at the use position, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9(a), the front rider sensor 101 is positioned in the vertical direction as a boarding/alighting step that serves as a boarding/alighting section for the cabin 10 (driver's seat 39). 41 (see FIG. 1) and is located at a position corresponding to the roof 35 . The front rider sensor 101 is mounted in a front-down posture in which the front side portion is positioned downward. The front lidar sensor 101 is provided so as to measure the front side of the traveling body 7 while looking down obliquely from above. The antenna unit support stay 81 is arranged at a position overlapping the front end portion 35b of the roof 35 in the longitudinal direction of the traveling body 7 and near the front end portion 35b of the roof 35 in the vertical direction. 101 is arranged in the vicinity of the front diagonally upper side of the front end portion 35 b of the roof 35 using the space below the antenna unit 80 . As a result, at least part of the front rider sensor 101 overlaps the front end portion 35b of the roof 35 from the line of sight of the passenger T sitting on the driver's seat 39, as shown in FIG. The arrangement position of the front rider sensor 101 is such that at least part of the front rider sensor 101 is hidden by the front end portion 35 b of the roof 35 . A part of the front rider sensor 101 is located outside the visible range B1 on the front side of the passenger T sitting on the driver's seat 39, and the front rider sensor 101 has a field of view of the passenger T sitting on the driver's seat 39. can be suppressed.

When the front rider sensor 101 is positioned at the non-use position, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9(b), the upper end of the front rider sensor 101 is aligned with the highest level line Z (see FIG. 9(b)), similarly to the antenna unit 80. ) is positioned lower than the reference). This prevents not only the antenna unit 80 but also the front rider sensor 101 from protruding above the highest line Z when the tractor 1 is transported or stored in a storage location such as a barn. is doing.

Regarding the arrangement position of the front rider sensor 101 , it is arranged in the center of the antenna unit 80 in the left-right direction of the traveling body 7 . Since the antenna unit 80 is arranged at a position corresponding to the central portion of the cabin 10 in the lateral direction of the traveling body 7, the front rider sensor 101 is also positioned at a position corresponding to the central portion of the cabin 10 in the lateral direction of the traveling body 7. are placed in

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , in addition to the front lidar sensor 101 , a front camera 108 whose imaging range is the front side of the traveling body 7 is attached to the fifth mounting plate 205 by a connector or the like. The front camera 108 is arranged above the front lidar sensor 101 . As with the front lidar sensor 101, the front camera 108 is attached in a front-down posture in which the front side portion is positioned downward. The front camera 108 is provided so as to capture an image of the front side of the traveling body 7 while looking down from an obliquely upper side. The captured image captured by the front camera 108 can be output to the outside. The image captured by the front camera 108 can be displayed on a display device such as the display unit of the tractor 1 or the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3 so that the user or the like can visually recognize the surroundings of the tractor 1 .

Next, a support structure for the rear lidar sensor 102 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, the rear rider sensor 102 is attached to a pipe-shaped sensor support stay 301 extending over the entire length of the cabin 10 in the lateral direction of the traveling body 7 . The rear rider sensor 102 is arranged at a position corresponding to the central portion of the cabin 10 in the lateral direction of the traveling body 7 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 10 , the sensor support stay 301 is fixedly connected across the left and right rear struts 37 located at the left and right ends of the cabin 10 . The sensor support stay 301 is formed in a bridge shape in a plan view in which both right and left end portions thereof are curved obliquely forward. Both left and right ends of the sensor support stay 301 are fixedly connected to mounting members provided at upper end portions of the left and right rear struts 37 via a sixth mounting plate 206 . Sixth mounting plates 206 are fixedly connected to the left and right ends of the sensor support stay 301 by welding or the like. By fastening the sixth mounting plate 206 and a mounting member provided at the upper end side portion of the rear support column 37 with a connecting tool 50, the sensor support stay 301 is fixedly connected in a horizontally extending posture.

The mounting structure of the rear rider sensor 102 on the sensor support stay 301 is such that the rear rider sensor 102 is mounted on the sensor support stay 301 via a seventh mounting plate 207 and an eighth mounting plate 208, as shown in FIG. . The seventh mounting plate 207 has a pair of left and right side wall surface portions 207a facing each other in the left-right direction, and is formed in a bridge shape in which upper end portions of the side wall surface portions 207a are connected to each other. The eighth mounting plate 208 has a pair of left and right mounting surface portions 208a facing each other in the left-right direction, and is formed in a bridge shape in which upper end portions of the mounting surface portions 208a are connected to each other. A lower edge of the side wall surface portion 207a of the seventh mounting plate 207 is fixedly connected to the sensor support stay 301 by welding or the like. A rear portion of the seventh mounting plate 207 and a front portion of the eighth mounting plate 208 are fixedly connected by a connector 50 . A pair of left and right mounting surface portions 208 a of the eighth mounting plate 208 are fixedly connected to both lateral side portions of the rear rider sensor 102 by connecting members 50 . The rear rider sensor 102 is mounted in a state of being sandwiched between the left and right mounting surface portions 208a of the eighth mounting plate 208 in the left-right direction. A reinforcing plate 302 is fixedly connected to a front portion of the seventh mounting plate 207 by a connecting tool or the like. A front portion of the reinforcing plate 302 is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the roof 35 by a connecting member 50 . The reinforcing plate 302 extends in the front-rear direction in a U-shape having standing walls bent upward at both lateral ends, and extends over the roof 35, the seventh mounting plate 207, and the sensor support stay 301. are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 9B and 10, the rear rider sensor 102 is arranged at a position corresponding to the roof 35 at a position higher than the step 41 (see FIG. 1) in the vertical direction. The rear rider sensor 102 is attached to the sensor support stay 301 in a rearwardly lowered posture in which the rearward portion is positioned downward. The rear lidar sensor 102 is provided so as to measure the rear side of the traveling body 7 while looking down obliquely from above. The sensor support stay 301 is arranged in the vicinity of the rear end portion 35c of the roof 35 in the front-rear direction of the traveling body 7 and in a position overlapping the rear end portion 35c of the roof 35 in the vertical direction. The sensor 102 is arranged at substantially the same height as the rear end portion 35c of the roof 35 or at a position in the vicinity of the rearward oblique upper side thereof. As a result, at least a portion of the rear rider sensor 102 overlaps the rear end portion 35c of the roof 35 from the line of sight of the passenger T sitting on the driver's seat 39, as shown in FIG. The arrangement position of the rear rider sensor 102 is such that at least part of the rear rider sensor 102 is hidden by the rear end portion 35 c of the roof 35 . For the passenger T seated in the driver's seat 39, a part of the rear rider sensor 102 is located outside the visible range B2 on the rear side, and the field of view of the passenger T seated in the driver's seat 39 is the rear rider sensor. Blocking at 102 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the rear rider sensor 102 is detachably attached to the rear pillar 37 via the sensor support stay 301, the seventh mounting plate 207 and the eighth mounting plate 208. As shown in FIG. The rear rider sensor 102 can be retrofitted, and the rear rider sensor 102 can be removed. The rear rider sensor 102 is supported via the sensor support stay 301 by the rear support pillar 37 constituting the cabin frame 31, so that it is firmly supported while preventing the transmission of vibrations to the rear rider sensor 102. there is

As shown in FIG. 10 , in addition to the rear lidar sensor 102 , a rear camera 109 whose image pickup range is the rear side of the traveling body 7 is attached to the eighth mounting plate 208 by a connector or the like. The rear camera 109 is arranged above the rear lidar sensor 102 . Similarly to the rear lidar sensor 102, the rear camera 109 is attached in a rearwardly lowered posture in which the rearward portion is positioned downward. The rear camera 109 is provided so as to capture an image of the rear side of the traveling body 7 while looking down from an obliquely upper side. The captured image captured by the rear camera 109 can be output to the outside. The image captured by the rear camera 109 can be displayed on a display device such as the display unit of the tractor 1 or the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3 so that the user or the like can visually recognize the surroundings of the tractor 1 .

A measurement range C of the front lidar sensor 101 will be described.
The front lidar sensor 101 has a left-right measurement range C1 in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 12, and has a vertical measurement range C2 in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. As a result, the front lidar sensor 101 detects the vertical, horizontal, and front-to-rear quadrangular pyramids included in the left-right measurement range C1 and the vertical measurement range C2 within the range up to the position away from itself by the first set distance X1 (see FIG. 12). A shape measurement range C is set.

As shown in FIG. 12, the left-right measurement range C1 of the front rider sensor 101 is a symmetrical range with the left-right center line of the traveling body 7 as the axis of symmetry in the left-right direction of the traveling body 7 . The left and right measurement range C1 is set within a range of a first set angle α1 between a first boundary line E1 and a second boundary line E2 extending from the front lidar sensor 101 . The left and right measurement range C1 is set to a range larger than the width of the tractor 1 and the width of the working device 12 in the width direction of the traveling body 7 . The size of the left and right measurement range C1 can be changed as appropriate.

The vertical measurement range C2 of the front rider sensor 101, as shown in FIG. there is The third boundary line E3 is set to a horizontal line that extends forward from the front rider sensor 101 along the horizontal direction, and the fourth boundary line E4 is set from the first tangent line G1 from the front rider sensor 101 to the front upper portion of the front wheel 5. is set to a straight line located on the lower side. The vertical measurement range C2 is set so that the first center line F1 between the third boundary line E3 and the fourth boundary line E4 is positioned above the bonnet 8. A sufficiently large measurement range is secured. By setting the fourth boundary line E4 on the lower side than the first tangent line G1, measurement objects such as objects and people can be positioned near the front end of the traveling body 7 (the front end of the bonnet 8). is present, the object can be measured.

As shown in FIG. 11, a portion of the hood 8 and a portion of the front wheel 5 are included in the vertical measurement range C2 of the front rider sensor 101. If the obstacle detection processing is performed based on the measurement information, there is a possibility that part of the bonnet 8 or part of the front wheel 5 will be erroneously detected as obstacles. Therefore, a first masking process is performed to prevent the erroneous detection. In the first masking process, within the measurement range C of the front rider sensor 101, a masking range L (see FIG. 13) is used in which a portion of the bonnet 8 and a portion of the front wheel 5 are not detected as obstacles. is preset as

For example, in the first masking process, as preprocessing using the front lidar sensor 101, measurement is actually performed by the front lidar sensor 101, and a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement result at that time is displayed on the display unit of the tractor 1 or on a portable device. It is displayed on a display device such as the display unit 51 of the communication terminal 3 . A user or the like operates the display device while confirming a three-dimensional image on the display device, thereby setting a masking range L in which detection as an obstacle is not performed. As shown in FIG. 13, when a part of the hood 8 and a part of the front wheel 5 exist on the three-dimensional image, the range La in which the part of the bonnet 8 exists and the range La of the front wheel 5 The masking range L is set based on the reference range including the range Lb in which a part exists. As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 13, the front wheels 5 are steered left and right by operating the steering wheel 38, the power steering mechanism 14, etc. Therefore, the masking range is set so as to include the steering range in which the front wheels 5 are steered left and right. It is preferable to set L.

In FIG. 13, a masking range L is set as a mountain-shaped range that is larger than a reference range including a range La in which a portion of the bonnet 8 exists and a range Lb in which a portion of the front wheel 5 exists. is doing. Incidentally, the masking range L is set to a three-dimensional range in the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction. The masking range L is set to a shape corresponding to the shape of the hood 8 and the front wheels 5 so as to include only the range La in which a part of the hood 8 exists and the range Lb in which a part of the front wheels 5 exist. The range and shape of the masking range L can be changed as appropriate.

In this way, the obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101, so that the obstacle is included in the left-right measurement range C1 (see FIG. 12) in the left-right direction, and The presence or absence of an obstacle is detected in a range excluding the masking range L in the range included in the vertical measurement range C2 (see FIG. 11) in the vertical direction.

A measurement range D of the rear lidar sensor 102 will be described.
Similarly to the front rider sensor 101, the rear rider sensor 102 has a horizontal measurement range D1 in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 12, and a vertical measurement range D2 in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. have. As a result, the rear lidar sensor 102 can detect the vertical, horizontal, and front-to-rear quadrangular pyramids included in the left-right measurement range D1 and the vertical measurement range D2 within a range up to a position away from itself by the third set distance X3 (see FIG. 12). A shape measurement range D is set. Incidentally, X1 and X3 can be set to the same distance or different distances.

The left and right measurement range D1 of the rear rider sensor 102 is, as shown in FIG. It is set within the range of angle α3. As with the front lidar sensor 101 , the left and right measurement range D<b>1 is set to a range larger than the width of the tractor 1 and the width of the working device 12 in the width direction of the traveling machine body 7 . The size of the left and right measurement range D1 can be changed as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 11, the vertical measurement range D2 of the rear rider sensor 102 is set within a range of a fourth set angle α4 between a seventh boundary line E7 and an eighth boundary line E8 extending from the rear rider sensor 102. there is Since the working device 12 can be moved up and down between the raised position and the lowered position, in FIG. 12 is indicated by a dotted line. A seventh boundary line E7 is set to a horizontal line extending horizontally rearward from the rear rider sensor 102, and an eighth boundary line E8 is set to an upper rear portion of the working device 12 positioned at the lowered position from the rear rider sensor 102. It is set to a straight line positioned below the second tangent line G2. In the vertical measurement range D2, the second center line F2 between the seventh boundary line E7 and the eighth boundary line E8 is located above the working device 12 (indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 11) in the raised position. , and a sufficiently large measurement range is secured above the working device 12 in the raised position. By setting the eighth boundary line E8 below the second tangent line G2, even if an object, a person, or other object to be measured exists in the vicinity of the rear end of the work device 12 in the lowered position. , the object to be measured can be measured.

Since part of the working device 12 is in the vertical measurement range D2 of the rear rider sensor 102, when the obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, A part of the work device 12 may be erroneously detected as an obstacle. Therefore, a second masking process is performed to prevent the erroneous detection. In the second masking process, within the measurement range D of the rear rider sensor 102, a range in which a part of the working device 12 exists is set in advance as a masking range L (see FIGS. 14 and 15) in which detection as an obstacle is not performed. have set.

For example, in the second masking process, as in the first masking process, as preprocessing using the rear lidar sensor 102, the rear lidar sensor 102 is actually used for measurement, and a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement results at that time is generated. , the display unit of the tractor 1, the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3, or the like. A user or the like operates the display device while confirming a three-dimensional image on the display device, thereby setting a masking range L in which an obstacle is not detected.

As shown in FIG. 12, the working device 12 is moved up and down between a lowered position and an raised position (the position indicated by the dotted line in the figure). The tractor 1 lowers the work device 12 to the lowered position and travels while performing a predetermined work, and raises the work device 12 to the raised position and only travels without performing the predetermined work. Therefore, in the second masking process, as the masking range L, a masking range L1 for the lowered position as shown in FIG. 14 and a masking range L2 for the raised position as shown in FIG. 15 are set. 14 and 15, the portion of the work device 12 that exists within the measurement range D of the rear rider sensor 102 is indicated by a solid line, and the portion that exists outside the measurement range D of the rear rider sensor 102 is indicated by a dotted line. showing. By operating a lifting operation tool in the cabin 10, the work device 12 is positioned at the lowered position, and then using a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement result of the rider sensor 102 at that time, the operating tool for the lowered position is used. A masking range L1 is set. By operating the operation tool for lifting in the cabin 10, the working device 12 is positioned at the raised position, and then the three-dimensional image generated from the measurement result of the rider sensor 102 is used for the raised position. A masking range L2 is set.

14 and 15, rectangular ranges larger than the reference range including the range Lc where the work device 12 exists are set as the masking ranges L1 and L2. Incidentally, the masking range L is set to a three-dimensional range in the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction. The masking range L can also be set to a shape corresponding to the shape of the working device 12 so as to include only the range Lc in which the working device 12 exists, for example. It can be changed as appropriate.

In this manner, the obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, so that the obstacle is included in the left-right measurement range D1 (see FIG. 12) in the left-right direction, and In the range included in the vertical measurement range D2 (see FIG. 11) in the vertical direction, the presence or absence of an obstacle is detected in the range excluding the masking ranges L1 and L2. The obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing using the masking range L1 for the lowered position when the work device 12 is at the lowered position. Obstacle detection processing is performed using the masking range L2 for position.

The sonar units 103 and 104 are described below.
The sonar units 103 and 104 are configured to measure the distance to the object to be measured from the round-trip time until the projected ultrasonic waves hit and bounce off the object to be measured. The sonar units 103 and 104 are configured to detect the measurement object as an obstacle and measure the distance to the obstacle when some object exists as the measurement object within the measurement range.

As the sonar units 103 and 104, as shown in FIG. 12, the right sonar unit 103 whose measurement range is the right side of the tractor 1 (running body 7), and as shown in FIG. A left sonar unit 104 having a measurement range on the left side is provided.

As shown in FIG. 12, the measurement range N of the right sonar unit 103 and the measurement range N of the left sonar unit 104 differ only in that the direction extending from the traveling body 7 is opposite to the left and right. , the measurement range N is bilaterally symmetrical on the right side and the left side.

The sonar units 103 and 104 are intended to measure the outside of the traveling body 7 . The sonar units 103 and 104 are attached to the traveling body 7 so as to project ultrasonic waves downward by a predetermined angle from the horizontal direction, and extend downward from the sonar units 103 and 104 by a predetermined angle. A measuring range N is set to . The measurement range N of the sonar units 103 and 104 is a range whose radius is a distance from the sonar units 103 and 104 toward the outer side of the traveling body 7 to a predetermined distance. It is set between the left and right measurement range C1 of the sensor 101 and the left and right measurement range D1 of the rear lidar sensor 102 .

In this manner, the obstacle control section 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the sonar units 103 and 104, thereby detecting the presence or absence of obstacles in the left and right measurement ranges N. FIG.

The collision avoidance control by the obstacle control unit 107 will be described below. First, the collision avoidance control when an obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection process based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102 will be described. , collision avoidance control when an obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the sonar units 103 and 104 will be described.

Two rider sensors, a front rider sensor 101 and a rear rider sensor 102, are provided as rider sensors. The obstacle detection state is switched based on switching, or switching between forward and backward travel by a reverser lever for switching forward and backward travel provided inside the cabin 10 . When the tractor 1 travels forward, measurement is performed by the front rider sensor 101, and the obstacle control unit 107 switches to a forward detection state in which obstacle detection processing is performed based on the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101, and the tractor 1 moves forward. When traveling backward, measurement is performed by the rear rider sensor 102 , and the obstacle control unit 107 switches to a backward detection state in which obstacle detection processing is performed based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102 . In this way, by switching which rider sensor, the front rider sensor 101 or the rear rider sensor 102, is used to detect an obstacle depending on whether the tractor 1 is traveling forward or backward, the processing load is reduced. While trying to reduce the noise, obstacles are detected.

In the forward movement detection state, the obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101, and the obstacle detection processing is included in the left-right measurement range C1 (see FIG. 12) in the left-right direction and in the up-down direction. In the range included in the vertical measurement range C2 (see FIG. 11), the presence or absence of an obstacle is detected in a range excluding the masking range L (see FIG. 13). In the backward motion detection state, when the work device 12 is positioned at the lowered position, the obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, and the left and right measurement range D1 ( 12) and included in the vertical measurement range D2 (see FIG. 11) in the vertical direction, the presence or absence of an obstacle is detected in a range excluding the masking range L1 for the lowered position (see FIG. 14). I am detecting. In the backward movement detection state, when the work device 12 is positioned at the raised position, the obstacle control unit 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, and the left and right measurement range D1 ( 12) and included in the vertical measurement range D2 (see FIG. 11) in the vertical direction, the presence or absence of an obstacle is detected in a range excluding the masking range L2 for the raised position (see FIG. 15). I am detecting.

When an obstacle is detected using the front rider sensor 101 or the rear rider sensor 102, as shown in FIG. The content of collision avoidance control by the obstacle control unit 107 is set differently depending on whether an object is detected. The measurement ranges C and D (detection ranges) are divided into three ranges, a first detection range J1, a second detection range J2, and a third detection range J3, depending on the distance from the front rider sensor 101 or the rear rider sensor 102. is set. The first detection range J1 is set so that the distance from the front rider sensor 101 or the rear rider sensor 102 ranges from the fourth set distance X4 to the first set distance X1 or from the fourth set distance X4 to the third set distance X3. It is The second detection range J2 is set within a range from the fifth set distance X5 to the fourth set distance X4 from the front rider sensor 101 or the rear rider sensor 102 . The third detection range J3 is set within a range from the front rider sensor 101 or the rear rider sensor 102 to the fifth set distance X5. Therefore, the first detection range J1, the second detection range J2, and the third detection range J3 are set to be closer to the tractor 1 including the front rider sensor 101, the rear rider sensor 102, and the working device 12 in that order. It is

The contents of the collision avoidance control when an obstacle is detected using the front rider sensor 101 or the rear rider sensor 102 are the same whether the tractor 1 is traveling forward or backward. , the case where the tractor 1 is traveling forward.

When an obstacle is detected within the first detection range J1 in the obstacle detection process as shown in FIG. 12 while the tractor 1 is traveling forward, the obstacle controller 107 performs collision avoidance control. As such, the first notification control is performed to notify that an obstacle exists within the first detection range J1 by controlling the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and a notification lamp. In the first notification control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 such that the notification buzzer is intermittently operated at a predetermined frequency and the notification lamp is lit in a predetermined color.

When an obstacle is detected within the second detection range J2 in the obstacle detection process, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and a notification lamp as collision avoidance control. 2. A second notification control is performed to notify that an obstacle exists within the detection range J2, and a first deceleration control is performed to decelerate the vehicle speed of the tractor 1. In the second notification control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 such that the notification buzzer is intermittently operated at a predetermined frequency and the notification lamp is lit in a predetermined color. In the first deceleration control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 obtains the predicted collision time until the tractor 1 collides with the obstacle based on the current vehicle speed of the tractor 1, the distance to the obstacle, and the like. . The obstacle control unit 107 controls the engine 9, the transmission 13, the brake operation mechanism 15, etc. so as to reduce the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 while maintaining the determined collision prediction time at the set time (for example, 3 seconds). is controlling

When an obstacle is detected within the third detection range J3 in the obstacle detection process, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and a notification lamp as collision avoidance control. 3. A third notification control is performed to notify that an obstacle exists within the detection range J3, and a stop control to stop the tractor 1 is performed. In the third notification control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 so that the notification buzzer is continuously activated and the notification lamp is lit in a predetermined color. In the stop control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the brake operation mechanism 15 and the like so as to stop the tractor 1 .

Incidentally, the predetermined frequency for intermitting the notification buzzer in the first notification control and the second notification control may be the same frequency or different frequencies. Further, the predetermined colors for lighting the notification lamps in the first to third notification controls may be the same color or different colors. In the first to third notification controls, the obstacle control unit 107 not only controls the notification device 26 of the tractor 1, but also detects the presence of an obstacle in any of the first to third detection ranges J1 to J3. It is also possible to control the terminal electronic control unit 52 so that the displayed content is displayed on the display section 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3 .

For example, when an obstacle is detected within the first detection range J1, the obstacle control unit 107 performs the first notification control to inform the user that an obstacle exists within the first detection range J1. etc. can be notified. When the tractor 1 continues to travel and the obstacle detection range approaches the second detection range J2 from the first detection range J1, the obstacle control unit 107 performs the first deceleration in addition to the second notification control. By performing control, the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 can be reduced in order to avoid a collision between the tractor 1 and an obstacle. Even if the tractor 1 is decelerated, when the obstacle detection range approaches the third detection range J3 from the second detection range J2, the obstacle control unit 107 performs stop control in addition to the third notification control. , the tractor 1 can be stopped, and the collision between the tractor 1 and the obstacle can be appropriately avoided.

When the lidar sensors 101 and 102 are used, moving measuring objects such as people are also detected as obstacles. Therefore, even if an obstacle is detected within the detection range J, the obstacle itself may move out of the detection range J. Therefore, when the obstacle moves out of the first detection range J1, the obstacle control section 107 terminates the first notification control. When the obstacle moves out of the second detection range J2, the obstacle control unit 107 terminates the second notification control and controls the engine 9 and the speed change so as to increase the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 to the set vehicle speed. Vehicle speed recovery control is performed to control the device 13 and the like. When the obstacle moves out of the third detection range J3, the obstacle control section 107 ends the third notification control while maintaining the tractor 1 in the stopped state. In this case, the automatic traveling of the tractor 1 can be restarted when the user or the like issues a command to restart the automatic traveling of the tractor 1 .

Next, collision avoidance control when an obstacle is detected by obstacle detection processing based on measurement information of the sonar units 103 and 104 will be described.
Although the sonar units 103 and 104 are provided on the left and right sides, the obstacle control section 107 controls all the sonar units 103 and 104 on both the left and right sides regardless of whether the tractor 1 travels forward or backward. Obstacle detection processing is performed based on the measurement information.

When an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the sonar units 103 and 104, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and a notification lamp as collision avoidance control. Then, fourth notification control is performed to notify that an obstacle exists within the measurement range N of either sonar unit 103 or 104, and second deceleration control is performed to reduce the vehicle speed of the tractor 1. FIG. In the fourth notification control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 so that the notification buzzer is intermittently operated at a predetermined frequency and the notification lamp is lit in a predetermined color. In the second deceleration control, for example, the obstacle control section 107 controls the engine 9, the transmission 13, the brake operating mechanism 15, etc. so that the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 is decelerated to the set vehicle speed.

In this way, the obstacle detection system 100 uses the front rider sensor 101 and the rear rider sensor 102 to detect the presence or absence of obstacles on the front side and the rear side of the traveling body 7, and uses the sonar units 103 and 104 to detect the presence or absence of obstacles. , the presence or absence of obstacles on the left and right sides of the traveling body 7 can be detected. When the obstacle detection system 100 detects the presence of an obstacle, the obstacle control unit 107 performs collision avoidance control to notify the user or the like of the presence of the obstacle. and even if there is a possibility of collision between the tractor 1 and the obstacle, the tractor 1 is decelerated or stopped to appropriately avoid the collision between the tractor 1 and the obstacle. be able to.

In the automatic traveling state, since automatic traveling control is performed by the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18, the obstacle detection system 100 decelerates or stops the tractor 1 to automatically travel the tractor 1 while avoiding collision with obstacles. can be made The obstacle detection system 100 notifies the user of the tractor 1 of the presence of an obstacle and supports driving to avoid a collision between the tractor 1 and the obstacle, even in the manual driving state. can be done.

In this automatic traveling system, as shown in FIG. 16, the tractor 1 can be caused to travel in a state of being accompanied by a companion vehicle 401 provided with a marker M (monitoring target marker Mk). Such accompanying traveling can be suitably used, for example, when the tractor 1 is moved by passing through a road other than the traveling area S such as a road from a parking lot of the tractor 1 to the traveling area S such as a field. can. FIG. 16 exemplifies an accompanying traveling example in which the tractor 1 travels while accompanying an accompanying target vehicle 401, such as a truck, which travels forward in advance from the oblique rear. , and the traveling line SL1 of the tractor 1 are displaced in parallel.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, the marker M can be composed of, for example, a plate-like body or the like having an appropriate shape such as a triangle when viewed from the front. The marker M is configured to be detachable from the companion vehicle 401, and is attached to the rear surface of the companion vehicle 401 with an adhesive tape or the like, or placed on the cargo bed of the companion vehicle 401 or the like. , can be attached to the accompanying target vehicle 401 .

As shown in FIG. 16, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs marker detection processing for measuring the measured distance Dd and the measured direction Ad to the target marker Mk based on the measurement information of the front lidar sensor 101, and the measured distance Dd Also, accompanying traveling control can be executed to control the travel speed and steering angle of the tractor 1 so that the measurement direction Ad is maintained at the set distance Ds and the set direction As.

In order to execute such accompanying travel control, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 registers the marker M as a monitoring target marker Mk when it is within the measurement range C of the front lidar sensor 101 provided in the accompanying target vehicle 401. A marker registration unit 110 is provided for performing marker registration processing.
In this marker registration process, the contour shape of the monitoring target marker Mk existing within the measurement range C of the front lidar sensor 101 is registered. For example, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 19, the flow of operations in this marker registration process is such that, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. , is displayed on a display device such as the display unit of the tractor 1 or the display unit 51 of the portable communication terminal 3 (step #1). Then, while confirming the three-dimensional image G on the display device, the user or the like operates the display device to enclose the periphery of the marker M as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. Designate M (step #2). Then, the marker registering section 110 registers the specified marker M as a monitoring target marker Mk (step #3).

The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 identifies, as the monitoring target marker Mk, a subject having the same shape as the contour shape registered as the monitoring target marker Mk within the measurement range C of the front lidar sensor 101 . Then, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 measures the distance to the identified target marker Mk, obtains the distance from the front end position of the tractor 1 to the target marker Mk, and sets it as the measured distance Dd. In addition, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 can grasp the position of the monitoring target marker Mk in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction within the measurement range C of the front lidar sensor 101 . Since the mounting position of the front rider sensor 101 on the tractor 1 and the measurement range C of the front rider sensor 101 from the mounting position are specified values, the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 instructs the tractor 1 to monitor the marker Mk It is possible to specify what position is in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 can measure not only the measured distance Dd from the tractor 1 to the monitored marker Mk, but also the measured direction Ad from the tractor 1 to the monitored marker Mk.

In this manner, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs marker detection processing for detecting the measured distance Dd and the measured direction Ad to the monitoring target marker Mk based on the measurement information of the front lidar sensor 101 in the accompanying travel control. . Then, the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 repeats this marker detection processing in the companion traveling control, and the traveling speed and the traveling speed of the tractor 1 are maintained so that the measured distance Dd and the measured direction Ad are maintained at the set distance Ds and the set direction As. The steering angle is controlled, and the tractor 1 is caused to travel while following the vehicle 401 to be accompanied.

As described above, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs the marker detection process for detecting the measured distance Dd and the measured direction Ad to the monitoring target marker Mk based on the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101 in the accompanying travel control. In the embodiment, even during the execution of the accompanying travel control, the obstacle control unit 107 concurrently executes the obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101. Therefore, during the execution of the accompanying travel control In addition, there may be a case where the companion target vehicle 401 is detected as an obstacle.
Therefore, when the accompanying travel control is being executed, the obstacle control unit 107 sets the subject identified as the accompanying target vehicle 401 from the height or the like as a subject not to be detected as an obstacle, or sets the object to be monitored. A predetermined range that includes the target marker Mk and is associated with the positional relationship with the monitoring target marker Mk is set as an accompanying target vehicle range in which detection as an obstacle is not performed. The target vehicle 401 is not detected as an obstacle.

For example, since the front lidar sensor 101 can measure the distance to the subject in three dimensions, the obstacle control unit 107 measures the distance to the upper end and the lower end of the subject, and measures the height of the subject. can also be measured. Therefore, the obstacle control unit 107 sets a subject corresponding to the preset height of the companion target vehicle 401 as a subject that is not detected as an obstacle when the companion running control is being executed. can be done.
Further, for example, during the marker registration process, the user or the like can surround the accompanying target vehicle 401 by operating a display device on which a three-dimensional image including the accompanying target vehicle 401 and the monitoring target marker Mk is displayed. , a region associated with the positional relationship with the monitoring target marker Mk. Therefore, the obstacle control unit 107 can set the designated area as the accompanying target vehicle range in which the detection as an obstacle is not performed when the accompanying running control is being executed.

The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 is provided with an accompanying mode setting section 111 (see FIG. 2) capable of setting the set distance Ds and the set direction As used in the accompanying travel control. By setting the set distance Ds and the set direction As in the accompanying mode setting unit 111, the relative positional relationship between the accompanying vehicle 401 and the tractor 1 during execution of the accompanying traveling control is determined. For example, the accompanying mode setting unit 111 allows the user or the like to operate a setting screen or the like displayed on a display device such as the display unit of the tractor 1 or the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3 to set the traveling direction A1 (FIG. 16) of the tractor 1. ), the inter-vehicle distance and the amount of offset (positional deviation amount in the vehicle width direction from the travel line of the accompanying target vehicle 401), etc. are arbitrarily input, and the distance and direction associated with the inter-vehicle distance and the offset amount are converted. It is possible to read out from a table or the like, and set the read distance and direction as the set distance Ds and the set direction As.

The accompanying pattern setting unit 111 can also set the set direction As to a direction different from the traveling direction A1 of the tractor 1 within the measurement range of the rider sensors 101 and 102 . In the accompanying traveling example shown in FIG. 16, the set direction As is set to a direction rotated to the left by a predetermined angle β1 from the traveling direction A1 of the tractor 1 in plan view. In this case, the positional relationship between the companion vehicle 401 and the tractor 1 maintained by the companion cruise control is such that the tractor 1 is positioned obliquely behind the companion vehicle 401 in plan view. Therefore, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 can cause the tractor 1 to travel in a state of accompanying the companion vehicle 401 while maintaining the positional relationship of being positioned obliquely behind the companion vehicle 401 in the companion running control.

When the tractor 1 starts to travel, for example, the tractor 1 is moved so that the target vehicle 401 provided with the monitoring target marker Mk is within the measurement range of the rider sensors 101 and 102, and various types of tracking are performed. When the traveling start condition is satisfied, the user operates the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3 to instruct the start of the accompanying traveling, and the mobile communication terminal 3 transmits the accompanying traveling start instruction to the tractor 1. do. As a result, in the tractor 1 , the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 receives the instruction to start the accompanying traveling, thereby starting the accompanying traveling control in which the tractor 1 travels while accompanying the accompanying target vehicle 401 .
When the accompanying traveling of the tractor 1 is to be ended, for example, the user of the mobile communication terminal 3 operates the display unit 51 to instruct the end of the accompanying traveling, and the mobile communication terminal 3 starts the accompanying traveling. Send instructions to tractor 1. In the tractor 1, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 ends the accompanying traveling control by receiving the automatic traveling end instruction.

Next, based on the flowchart of FIG. 20, the flow of the operation of the accompaniment running control executed by the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 will be described.

When the on-vehicle electronic control unit 18 detects the target marker Mk within the measurement range of the lidar sensors 101 and 102 based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102 in the accompanying travel control, the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 determines the measured distance Dd to the target marker Mk. And the measurement direction Ad is measured (if Yes in step #11, step #12).

When the measurement distance Dd and the measurement direction Ad to the target marker Mk are measured, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 checks whether there is a discrepancy between the measured distance Dd and the measurement direction Ad and the set distance Ds and the set direction As. It is determined whether or not (step #13).
The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 is provided with an accompanying state determination section 112 (see FIG. 2) that determines whether there is a deviation between the measured distance Dd and the measured direction Ad and the set distance Ds and the set direction As. The accompanying state determination unit 112 determines that there is no deviation when the measured distance Dd and the set distance Ds match and the measurement direction Ad and the set direction As match, and otherwise determines that there is a deviation. judge.

When the accompanying state determination unit 112 determines that there is a deviation, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 compares the measured distance Dd and the set distance Ds, and determines whether the measured distance Dd is larger or smaller than the set distance Ds. In addition to determining whether the measurement direction Ad is on the left side or the right side with respect to the setting direction As, the deviation between the measurement distance Dd and the measurement direction Ad and the setting distance Ds and the setting direction As is eliminated. (If Yes in step #13, step #14).

In this embodiment, when the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 determines that the measured distance Dd is greater than the set distance Ds, the transmission control section 181 controls the operation of the transmission 13 to increase the travel speed of the tractor 1. However, when it is determined that the measured distance Dd is smaller than the set distance Ds, the speed control section 181 controls the operation of the transmission 13, and the brake control section 182 controls the operation of the brake operating mechanism 15. to decelerate the traveling speed of the tractor 1.
Further, when the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 determines that the measurement direction Ad is to the left with respect to the set direction As, the steering angle setting section 184 changes the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 5 of the tractor 1 to the left, When it is determined that the measurement direction Ad is right with respect to the set direction As, the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 5 of the tractor 1 is changed to the right.
FIG. 17 exemplifies a state in which the measured distance Dd is longer than the set distance Ds and the measured direction Ad is to the left of the set direction As by an angle β2 while the accompanying travel control is being executed. . In such a case, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 increases the running speed of the tractor 1 to reduce the distance to the companion vehicle 401, and changes the steering angle of the tractor 1 to the left. By moving the tractor 1 to the left, the proper state (see FIG. 16) is approached.

When the target marker Mk is not detected within the measurement range C of the front rider sensor 101, the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 stops traveling of the tractor 1 (if No in step #11, step #15). .

In this manner, in the accompanying travel control, the above-described processes are repeatedly performed at predetermined intervals (in units of several seconds) or in real time, and the tractor 1 is operated so that the measured distance Dd and the measured direction Ad are maintained at the set distance Ds and set direction As. By adjusting the travel speed and the steering angle at predetermined intervals or in real time, the tractor 1 can travel while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship with the companion vehicle 401 .

The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 executes obstacle detection processing even during execution of accompanying travel control, and performs collision avoidance control when an obstacle is detected. ), and when an obstacle is detected in the third detection range J3 (see FIG. 12), the collision avoidance control is interrupted to cancel the accompanying travel control and the tractor 1 is operated. Accompaniment cancellation processing for stopping is performed.
In this accompaniment canceling process, the informing device 26 such as an informing buzzer and an informing lamp is controlled to perform notification control to inform that an obstacle exists within a predetermined distance and to cancel the accompaniment traveling control. Stop control for stopping the tractor 1 is performed. In this notification control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the notification device 26 so that the notification buzzer is continuously activated and the notification lamp is lit in a predetermined color. In stop control, for example, the obstacle control unit 107 controls the brake operation mechanism 15 and the like so as to stop the tractor 1 .

[Another embodiment]
Other Embodiments of the Present Invention It should be noted that the configuration of each embodiment described below is not limited to being applied alone, and can be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, as the accompanying target vehicle 401, a transport vehicle driven by a user or the like is shown as an example. Alternatively, it may be a work vehicle such as an automatically traveling tractor.

(2) The automatic traveling apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the work vehicle having the function of automatically traveling along the target traveling route P set within the traveling area S as described in the above embodiment, but also the target It can also be suitably applied to work vehicles that do not have a function to automatically travel along the travel route P.

(3) In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 measures the distance and direction to the monitoring target marker Mk provided on the accompanying target vehicle 401 based on the measurement information of the front lidar sensor 101, and measures the accompanying traveling as described above. Although the case where the control is performed is shown as an example, for example, the distance and direction to the monitoring target marker Mk provided on the accompanying target vehicle 401 are measured based on the measurement information of the front camera 108, and the aforementioned accompanying traveling control is performed. You may do so.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. Based on the set direction As and the measurement information of the front lidar sensor 101, the tractor 1 executes accompanying traveling control, and follows the accompanying vehicle 401, such as a truck, which is traveling in advance from the oblique rear. Although the case of running is shown, it is not limited to such a form.
For example, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 executes accompanying travel control based on the set distance Ds and the set direction As set by the accompanying mode setting unit 111 and the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101, The tractor 1 may be caused to travel in a state of following directly behind the accompanying vehicle 401 such as a truck that travels forward.
Further, for example, instead of the sonar units 103 and 104 whose measurement range is the lateral side (left or right side) of the tractor 1, a lidar sensor whose measurement range is the lateral side of the tractor 1 is provided, and the following object vehicle 401 is provided. A marker to be monitored Mk is provided on the lateral side of the rider, and the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 sets the set distance Ds and set direction As set by the accompanying configuration setting unit 111, and the lateral side of the tractor 1 as a measurement range. Accompanied travel control may be executed based on the measurement information of the sensor, and the tractor 1 may be caused to travel in a state in which the companion target vehicle 401 traveling forward on the lateral side is accompanied in a horizontal positional relationship.

(5) The construction of the working vehicle can be modified in various ways.
For example, the work vehicle may be configured as a hybrid specification including the engine 9 and an electric motor for traveling, or may be configured as an electric specification including an electric motor for traveling instead of the engine 9. .
For example, the work vehicle may be configured as a semi-crawler specification that includes left and right crawlers instead of the left and right rear wheels 6 as the traveling portion.
For example, the work vehicle may be configured with a rear wheel steering specification in which the left and right rear wheels 6 function as steering wheels.

(6) In the above embodiment, the front rider sensor 101 and the rear rider sensor 102 are arranged at positions corresponding to the roof 35 in the vertical direction, but the arrangement positions can be changed as appropriate. For example, the front rider sensor 101 can be placed at the front end of the bonnet 8 and the rear rider sensor 102 can be placed at a position corresponding to the roof 35 .

(7) In the above embodiment, two rider sensors, the front rider sensor 101 and the rear rider sensor 102, are provided. However, the number of rider sensors can be changed as appropriate. can do.

(8) In the above embodiment, how the measurement ranges C and D of the front rider sensor 101 and the rear rider sensor 102 are set can be changed as appropriate.

(9) In the above embodiment, the obstacle control section 107 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102. Then, the controller can also perform obstacle detection processing. In this way, it is possible to appropriately change whether the obstacle detection processing is performed on the sensor side or on the work vehicle side.

(10) In the above embodiment, the obstacle control unit 107 is provided in the tractor 1, but it can be provided in a device other than the tractor 1, such as the mobile communication terminal 3, for example.

(11) In the above embodiment, a three-dimensional radar sensor was used as an example of an obstacle sensor, but a two-dimensional radar sensor may be used to detect obstacles in front, rear, or lateral sides of the tractor 1. A variety of sensors capable of detection can be used.

1 tractor (work vehicle)
101 front rider sensor (sensor)
102 rear rider sensor (sensor)
C, D Measurement range 18 Automatic traveling unit (automatic traveling device)
110 Accompanying form setting unit A1 Running direction Ds Setting distance As Setting direction

Claims (4)

a sensor that is provided on a work vehicle and measures a distance to a subject and a direction in which the subject exists within a measurement range having a predetermined angular spread in plan view;
a marker registration unit that registers a marker provided on an accompanying target vehicle as a monitoring target marker;
Based on the measurement information of the sensor, the work vehicle measures the distance and direction to the monitoring target marker provided on the accompanying target vehicle, and maintains the measured distance and measured direction at the set distance and set direction. An automatic traveling control unit that performs accompanying traveling control that controls the traveling speed and steering angle of
an entrainment mode setting unit capable of setting at least the setting direction in response to an arbitrary user input in a state in which the setting direction can be set to a direction different from the traveling direction of the work vehicle in plan view within the measurement range of the sensor; An automatic traveling device for a work vehicle, characterized by comprising: In the accompaniment travel control, the accompaniment mode setting unit sets the set distance and the 2. The automatic traveling device for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the set direction can be set. an obstacle control unit that performs an obstacle detection process for detecting an obstacle based on the measurement information of the sensor;
2. When an obstacle is detected within a predetermined distance in the obstacle detection process, the automatic travel control unit cancels the accompaniment travel control and stops the work vehicle. 3. The automatic traveling device for the work vehicle according to 2. The automatic traveling device for a work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the marker is detachable with respect to the vehicle to be accompanied.

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