JP7192061B2 - Work vehicle travel control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a travel control system for a work vehicle that controls travel of the work vehicle.

The travel control system for a work vehicle as described above is applied, for example, to an automatic travel system that automatically travels a work vehicle. Automatic travel control is performed to automatically travel the work vehicle along the road (see Patent Document 1, for example).

In the system described in Patent Document 1, not only within a travel area such as a field where predetermined work is performed by a work vehicle, but also a previous travel route from the entrance of the travel area to the work start point within the travel area is set. The work vehicle is made to automatically travel along the front traveling route.

JP 2017-221164 A

In the system described in Patent Document 1, when setting the preceding travel route, the travel surface inclination information at the entrance of the travel area such as a field is acquired from the map information recorded in advance, and the travel surface inclination information is taken into consideration. to set the previous travel route. However, the inclination angle of the running surface at the entrance of the running area changes according to changes in various circumstances, and the inclination angle of the running surface may have changed since the time when the running surface inclination information was acquired. . In such a case, if the work vehicle is caused to automatically travel along a previously set front travel route, the work vehicle will enter the travel area at a steep angle of inclination, causing the work vehicle to overturn. there is a possibility.

In view of this situation, the main object of the present invention is to provide a travel control system for a work vehicle that can travel the work vehicle at the entrance of the travel area while preventing the work vehicle from entering the travel area at a steep angle of inclination. It is about providing.

A travel control system for a work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention includes a distance sensor that is provided in the work vehicle and measures a distance to an object to be measured; and an inclination angle calculation unit for calculating the inclination angle of the traveling surface of the work vehicle, and when the inclination angle calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit is out of the possible range, the work vehicle moves to the entrance of the travel area. or a restraining unit that restrains the work vehicle from entering or exiting the travel area by traveling through the exit, and when it is determined that the work vehicle has reached the entrance or the exit of the travel area, the inclination angle calculation. calculates the inclination angle of the running surface at the entrance or exit of the running area.

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 the measurement ranges of the front lidar sensor, rear lidar sensor, and sonar unit in plan view A diagram showing a 3D image generated from the measurement information of the front lidar sensor FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement information of the rear lidar sensor with the working device positioned at the lowered position; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional image generated from the measurement information of the rear lidar sensor with the working device positioned at the raised position; A plan view showing a state in which the work vehicle enters the travel area at the entrance of the travel area. Diagram showing the travel surface of the work vehicle at the entrance of the travel area Flowchart showing operation in automatic approach control A plan view showing the traveling state of the work vehicle between the traveling areas and at the entrance/exit of the traveling area.

An embodiment in which a work vehicle equipped with a travel control system for a work vehicle according to the present invention is applied to an automatic travel 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 mounted on a tractor 1 and a mobile communication terminal 3 set to communicate with the automatic traveling unit 2 . 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 to enable wireless communication of various information including positioning information in the. As a result, the satellite navigation device 22 receives the positioning information 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 information, 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 accuracy. 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 information between the communication module 25 on the tractor side and A communication module 55 and the like are provided to enable wireless communication of various information 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 information 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 information such as the type and model of the working device 12 is input, and the input vehicle information is 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.

When the user or the like drives the tractor 1 to actually run, the terminal electronic control unit 52 acquires 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 information 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 identified.

When the field information including the shape and position of the specified field is stored in the terminal storage unit 54, the travel route generation unit 53 uses the field information and the vehicle body information stored in the terminal storage unit 54 to generate the target 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 ridge of the field, based on the turning radius, the front-rear width and the left-right width of the tractor 1 included in the vehicle body information. 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 the target travel route P using vehicle information, field information, 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 information associated with vehicle information, field information, and the like. The route information 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 information 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 information. 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 information. 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 information, the entire route information 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 information including the target travel route P can be divided into a plurality of route portions each having a small amount of information and having predetermined distances. In this case, only the initial route portion of the route information is transferred from the terminal electronic control unit 52 to the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 before the tractor 1 starts automatically traveling. After the start of automatic driving, each time the tractor 1 reaches a route acquisition point set according to the amount of information, etc., the route information 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. Automatic travel control in which the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 automatically travels the tractor 1 along the target travel route P within the travel area S based on the positioning information of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21 using the satellite positioning system. It is configured as an automatic travel control unit that performs

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 movement of the tractor 1 on the target travel route P based on the route information 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 information 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 information 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 information 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 elevation 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 includes a plurality of lidar sensors (corresponding to distance sensors) 101 and 102 that can three-dimensionally measure the distance to a measurement object using lasers, and ultrasonic waves to measure the distance to the measurement object. Sonar units 103 and 104 having a plurality of sonar capable of measuring distances, an obstacle detection section 110, and a collision avoidance control section 111 are provided. Here, the object to be measured by the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 to 106 is assumed to be an object, a person, or the like.

Based on the measurement information from the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104, the obstacle detection unit 110 performs obstacle detection processing to detect objects, people, and other measurement targets within a predetermined distance as obstacles. is configured to The collision avoidance control section 111 is configured to perform collision avoidance control when the obstacle detection section 110 detects an obstacle. The obstacle detection unit 110 repeatedly performs obstacle detection processing based on measurement information from 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 avoids collisions. The control unit 111 performs collision avoidance control for avoiding collisions with obstacles detected in real time.

The obstacle detection section 110 and the collision avoidance control section 111 are 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 information and output it to the outside. A three-dimensional image generated from the measurement information 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 to the antenna unit 80. The unit 80 is firmly supported.

As for the mounting structure of the antenna unit 80 to the antenna unit support stay 81, as shown in FIGS. 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 the antenna unit 80 is attached 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 the antenna unit 80 is attached 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. 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 left-right 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 process 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 information 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. 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 detection unit 110 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101, so that it is included in the left-right measurement range C1 (see FIG. 12) in the left-right direction, and In the range included in the vertical measurement range C2 (see FIG. 11) in the direction, the presence or absence of the obstacle is detected in the range excluding the masking range L. FIG.

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 in the range up to the 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 .

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 detection unit 110 performs the obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, the work is performed. A part of the 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 information 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 the three-dimensional image generated from the measurement information of the rider sensor 102, the operating tool for the lowered position is used. A masking range L1 is set. By operating a lifting operation tool in the cabin 10, the work device 12 is positioned at the raised position, and then the three-dimensional image generated from the measurement information of the rider sensor 102 is used to move 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 way, the obstacle detection unit 110 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, so that it 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 direction, the presence or absence of the obstacle is detected in the range excluding the masking ranges L1 and L2. The obstacle detection unit 110 performs obstacle detection processing using the masking range L1 for the lowered position when the work device 12 is at the lowered position, and when the work device 12 is at the raised position Obstacle detection processing is performed using the masking range L2 for .

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 to 106 are configured to detect the measurement object as an obstacle and measure the distance to the obstacle when any 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 detection unit 110 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 measurement range N on the left and right.

Obstacle detection processing by the obstacle detection unit 110 and collision avoidance control by the collision avoidance control unit 111 will be described below. The collision avoidance control when an obstacle is detected will be described, and then the collision avoidance control when an obstacle is detected in the obstacle detection process based on the measurement information of the sonar units 103 and 104 will be described.

As rider sensors, two rider sensors, a front rider sensor 101 and a rear rider sensor 102, are provided. Alternatively, the obstacle detection state is switched based on 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, the front rider sensor 101 performs measurement, the obstacle detection unit 110 switches to the 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 backward. When traveling, the rear rider sensor 102 performs measurement, and the obstacle detection unit 110 switches to the 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 motion detection state, the obstacle detection unit 110 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the front rider sensor 101, and is included in the left-right measurement range C1 (see FIG. 12) The presence or absence of an obstacle is detected in the range included in the vertical measurement range C2 (see FIG. 11), 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 detection section 110 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, and the left and right measurement range D1 (Fig. 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). doing. In the backward motion detection state, when the work device 12 is positioned at the raised position, the obstacle detection unit 110 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rear rider sensor 102, and the left and right measurement range D1 (Fig. 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). doing.

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 collision avoidance control unit 111 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 the tractor 1 is traveling forward and an obstacle is detected within the first detection range J1 in the obstacle detection process as shown in FIG. , and controls the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and a notification lamp to perform first notification control to notify that an obstacle exists within the first detection range J1. In the first notification control, for example, the collision avoidance control unit 111 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 controls the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and a notification lamp as collision avoidance control to While performing the 2nd alerting|reporting control which alert|reports that an obstacle exists in the detection range J2, the 1st deceleration control which decelerates the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 is performed. In the second notification control, for example, the collision avoidance control unit 111 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 first deceleration control, for example, the collision avoidance control unit 111 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 operates the engine 9, the transmission 13, the brake operation mechanism 15, etc. so as to decelerate the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 while maintaining the determined collision prediction time at the set time (for example, 3 seconds). controlling.

When an obstacle is detected within the third detection range J3 in the obstacle detection process, the collision avoidance control unit 111 controls the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and a notification lamp as collision avoidance control to While performing the 3rd alerting|reporting control which alert|reports that an obstacle exists in the detection range J3, stop control which stops the tractor 1 is performed. In the third notification control, for example, the collision avoidance control unit 111 controls the notification device 26 so that the notification buzzer continuously operates and the notification lamp lights in a predetermined color. In stop control, for example, the collision avoidance control unit 111 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 indicates that an obstacle exists in any of the first to third detection ranges J1 to J3 in addition to controlling the notification device 26 of the tractor 1. It is also possible to control the terminal electronic control unit 52 so that the display 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 performs the first notification control to notify the user or the like of the presence of the obstacle within the first detection range J1. can be notified to 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 performs the first deceleration control in addition to the second notification control. , the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 can be reduced in order to avoid 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 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 collision avoidance control section 111 terminates the first notification control. When the obstacle moves out of the second detection range J2, the collision avoidance control unit 111 terminates the second notification control, and controls the engine 9 and the transmission to increase the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 to the set vehicle speed. 13, etc., to perform vehicle speed recovery control. When the obstacle moves out of the third detection range J3, the collision avoidance control section 111 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 detection section 110 detects all of 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 controls the notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer and 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 collision avoidance control unit 111 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 second deceleration control, for example, the collision avoidance control section 111 controls the engine 9, transmission 13, brake operation mechanism 15, etc. so that the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 is reduced 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. In the obstacle detection system 100, when the obstacle detection unit 110 detects the presence of an obstacle, the collision avoidance control unit 111 performs collision avoidance control to notify the user or the like of the existence of the obstacle. In addition, even if there is a possibility that the tractor 1 and the obstacle will collide, the tractor 1 is decelerated or stopped to prevent the tractor 1 from colliding with the obstacle. Collisions can be properly avoided.

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.

Regarding the automatic traveling of the tractor 1, not only is the tractor 1 automatically traveling within the traveling area S, but also the tractor 1 is caused to automatically travel at the entrance S1 of the traveling area S and enter the traveling area S as shown in FIG. I am trying to let them in. When a farm field or the like is used as the traveling area S, as shown in FIG. It is located one step higher. Therefore, the entrance S1 of the travel area S is inclined such that the inside of the travel area S is lower than the outside.

The automatic travel of the tractor 1 at the entrance S1 of the travel area S will be described below.
The travel route generation unit 53 acquires, for example, the position information at the entrance S1 of the travel area S and the entrance information regarding the entrance S1 such as the travel surface inclination information from the map information. The travel route generator 53 creates a target travel route P (see FIG. 3) within the travel area S, and automatically causes the tractor 1 to travel to the entrance S1 based on the acquired entrance information, as shown in FIG. An approach path P4 is generated. The approach path P4 is, for example, a linear path from the starting point P4a to the terminal point P4b. In generating the target travel route P in the travel area S and the approach route P4 of the entrance S1, the travel route generator 53 sets the end P4b of the approach route P4 and the start of the target travel route P to the same position, and generates the approach route P4. to the target travel route P, the target travel route P and the approach route P4 can be generated.

In this way, the travel route generator 53 generates the approach route P4, so that the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 (corresponding to the automatic travel control unit) causes the tractor to follow the approach route P4 at the entrance S1 of the travel area S. 1 automatically travels into the travel area S. The entry automatic travel control is the same control as the above-described automatic travel control, except that the approach route P4 is the route on which the tractor 1 automatically travels.

As indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. 16, the user or the like moves the tractor 1 to the starting end P4a of the approach path P4. When various automatic driving start conditions are satisfied, the user operates the display unit 51 on the mobile communication terminal 3 to instruct the start of automatic driving, so that the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs entry automatic driving control, Automatic running of the tractor 1 is started at the entrance S1. In the case shown in FIG. 16, the approach route P4 is connected to the target travel route P, so when the tractor 1 reaches the terminal P4b of the approach route P4, the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit 18 automatically performs the approach automatic travel control. Travel control is performed, and subsequently the tractor 1 is automatically traveled along the target travel route P.

The inclination angle of the traveling surface at the entrance S1 of the traveling area S changes according to changes in various circumstances. may have. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, the inclination angle α5 of the running surface S1a of the tractor 1 at the entrance S1 of the travel area S is determined based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102, and the determined inclination angle α5 allows entry. If it is outside the range, the tractor 1 runs through the entrance S1 of the travel area S and enters the travel area S as a restraint. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 is provided with an inclination angle calculation section 112, a determination section 113, and an approach restraint section 114. As shown in FIG.

The tilt angle calculator 112 calculates the tilt angle α5 of the running surface S1a of the tractor 1 at the entrance S1 of the running area S based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102 . As shown in FIG. 17, for example, the tilt angle calculator 112 calculates three-dimensional distances K1, Since K2 has been obtained, the height difference K3 between the first point H1 and the second point H2 can be obtained. The tilt angle calculator 112 acquires the scanning angle α6 between the time when the distance to the first point H1 is measured and the time when the distance to the second point H2 is measured. For example, when the scanning angle α6 is the same, if the height difference K3 between the first point H1 and the second point H2 increases, the inclination angle α5 of the running surface S1a also increases. Therefore, for example, a relational expression or the like representing the relationship between the scanning angle α6, the height difference K3, and the inclination angle α5 is set in advance. The inclination angle calculator 112 can obtain the inclination angle α5 of the running surface S1a using the height difference K3 obtained from the distances K1 and K2 and a preset relational expression. The first point H1 is set forward from the tractor 1 by a first predetermined distance, and the second point H2 is set forward from the tractor 1 by a second predetermined distance larger than the first predetermined distance. The sizes of the first predetermined distance and the second predetermined distance can be changed as appropriate.

Incidentally, FIG. 17 shows the case of traveling through the entrance S1 in forward traveling. Based on the information, it is possible to calculate the inclination angle α5 in the running surface S1a of the entrance S1.

The determination unit 113 uses the inclination angle α5 of the running surface S1a calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit 112 to determine whether or not the inclination angle α5 is outside the accessible range. The accessible range can be set, for example, as a range from zero degrees to a predetermined angle, and the predetermined angle can be changed as appropriate.

When the determination unit 113 determines that the inclination angle α5 is within the accessible range, the entry checking unit 114 permits the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 to execute automatic entry travel control. When the determination unit 113 determines that the inclination angle α5 is outside the accessible range, the entry checking unit 114 prohibits the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 from executing automatic entry travel control.

Based on the flow chart shown in FIG. 18, the operation of automatically driving the tractor 1 along the entry route P4 will be described.
When the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 determines that the tractor 1 has reached the starting end P4a of the approach path P4 at the entrance S1 based on the position information of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21, the inclination angle calculation unit 112 Based on the information measured by the rider sensors 101 and 102, the actual inclination angle α5 of the running surface S1a of the tractor 1 at the entrance S1 of the running area S is calculated (if Yes in step #1, step #2).

The determination unit 113 determines whether or not the inclination angle α5 of the running surface S1a calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit 112 is within the accessible range (step #3). When the determination unit 113 determines that the inclination angle α5 is outside the accessible range, the entry checking unit 114 prohibits the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 from executing automatic entry travel control (No in step #3). , step #4). At this time, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 can notify on the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3 that the entry automatic travel control is prohibited, and the notification device 26 of the tractor 1 can also perform the same notification. It can be carried out.

When the determining unit 113 determines that the inclination angle α5 is within the accessible range, the entry checking unit 114 allows the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 to execute automatic entry travel control, so that the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 Execute automatic approach control (if Yes in step #3, step #5).

When the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 executes the automatic approach travel control, it is determined based on the position information of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21 that the tractor 1 has reached the terminal P4b of the approach path P4 at the entrance S1. Until then, the calculation of the inclination angle α5 of the running surface S1a by the inclination angle calculation unit 112 and the determination of whether the inclination angle α5 is within the accessible range by the determination unit 113 are repeatedly performed (No in step #6 case).

In this manner, when the determination unit 113 determines that the inclination angle α5 is outside the accessible range, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 is prohibited from executing automatic entry travel control. The tractor 1 can be automatically traveled along the approach path P4 of the entrance S1 while preventing entry into the travel area S. Until the tractor 1 reaches the terminal P4b of the approach path P4 at the entrance S1, the calculation of the inclination angle α5 of the traveling surface S1a by the inclination angle calculation unit 112 and the inclination angle α5 by the determination unit 113 are within the approachable range. Since the determination of whether or not is repeatedly performed, even when the inclination angle changes in the middle of the traveling surface S1a, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from entering the traveling area S at a sudden inclination angle.

As shown in FIG. 16, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 not only causes the tractor 1 to automatically travel into the entrance S1 of the travel area S, but also as shown in FIG. Exit automatic travel control to drive the tractor 1 outside the travel area S by traveling through the entrance S2 of S, and between travel areas to automatically travel the tractor 1 from the entrance S2 of the travel area S to the entrance S2 of another travel area S It is configured to be able to execute automatic travel control. The exit automatic travel control and the inter-travel area automatic travel control are the same control as the above-described automatic travel control, except for the route on which the tractor 1 automatically travels.

19, in each of a plurality of travel areas S, an entrance/exit S2 serving as both an entrance and an exit of the travel area S is set. The travel route generation unit 53 generates a linear exit route P5 in addition to the entrance route P4 for the entrance/exit S2. The travel route generation unit 53 acquires road information related to the road 400, such as position information and shape of the road 400 such as a public road, a farm road, and a private road, from map information and the like. Based on the acquired road information, the travel area S An inter-travel area route P6 connecting the entrances S2 is generated on the road 400. FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 19, the travel route generation unit 53 sets the exit route P5 and the inter-travel-region route S6 so that the end of the exit route P5 at the entrance/exit S2 of the travel region S and the beginning of the inter-travel-region route S6 are at the same position. are connected as a series of routes, and the end of the inter-traveling area route S6 and the beginning of the approach route P4 of the entrance/exit S2 of the traveling region S are set at the same position, and the inter-traveling region route S6 and the approach route P4 are connected as a series of routes connected as As a result, the exit route P5, the inter-travel-area route S6, and the entry route P4 are generated as a series of routes.

The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 can automatically drive the tractor 1 along the exit path P5 at the entrance/exit S2 of the travel area S by performing exit automatic travel control, as shown in FIG. The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs the inter-travel-area automatic travel control subsequent to the exit automatic travel control, so that the tractor 1 can be automatically traveled along the inter-travel-area route P6 of the road 400 . The in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 determines whether or not the tractor 1 has reached the starting end P4a of the approach route P4 (the end of the inter-traveling region route P6) based on the positional information of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21. be able to. When the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 determines that the tractor 1 has reached the starting end P4a of the approach path P4, the inclination angle calculation section 112 calculates the inclination angle of the travel surface of the entrance S2 based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102. α5 (see FIG. 17) is obtained, and the determining unit 113 can automatically determine whether or not the obtained inclination angle α5 is within the accessible range. As a result, when the tractor 1 reaches the entrance/exit S2 of the travel area S, if the actual inclination angle α5 of the travel surface is out of the entry-allowable range, the entry checking section 114 automatically controls entry automatic travel by the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18. By prohibiting the execution of the control, it is possible to appropriately prevent the tractor 1 from automatically traveling at a steep angle of inclination and entering the traveling area S.

As described above, when the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs the entry automatic travel control, the inclination angle calculation unit 112 calculates the inclination angle α5 and the judgment unit 113 makes a judgment. Based on the result of the determination, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 is prohibited from executing the entry automatic travel control. Similarly, when the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs exit automatic running control, the tilt angle calculation unit 112 calculates the tilt angle α5 and the determination unit 113 performs determination, and based on the determination result of the determination unit 113, It is possible to prohibit the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 from executing exit automatic travel control. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 is provided with an exit check section 115 .

As shown in FIG. 19, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 can determine whether the tractor 1 has reached the starting point P5a of the exit route P5 based on the position information of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21. can. When the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 determines that the tractor 1 has reached the starting point P5a of the exit path P5, the inclination angle calculator 112 calculates the inclination angle of the travel surface of the entrance S2 based on the information measured by the rider sensors 101 and 102. α5 (see FIG. 17) is sought. The determination unit 113 determines whether or not the tilt angle α5 obtained by the tilt angle calculation unit 112 is within the possible exit range. The possible exit range may be the same range as the accessible range, or may be a different range. As a result, when the tractor 1 reaches the entrance/exit S2 of the travel area S, if the actual inclination angle α5 of the travel surface is outside the allowable exit range, the exit restraint unit 115 causes the on-vehicle electronic control unit 18 to automatically run the exit. By prohibiting the execution of the control, it is possible to appropriately prevent the tractor 1 from automatically traveling at a steep angle of inclination and leaving the travel area S.

As described above, when the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 executes the exit automatic driving control, the determination unit 113 determines whether the inclination angle α5 is within the possible exit range. , the inclination angle α5 obtained by the inclination angle calculation unit 112 based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102 can also be used when performing the entry automatic travel control. Since the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 performs the entry automatic travel control before performing the exit automatic travel control, the determination unit 113 uses the inclination angle acquired when performing the entry automatic travel control to newly Without obtaining the inclination angle α5, it is possible to determine whether or not the already acquired inclination angle α5 is within the possible exit range.

16 to 18, the case where the tractor 1 is automatically driven along the entry route P4 has been described. Similarly, the inclination angle calculation unit 112 can calculate the inclination angle α5 and the determination unit 113 can make a determination when the vehicle is allowed to enter the vehicle. In this case, when the determining unit 113 determines that the inclination angle α5 is out of the accessible range, the entry checking unit 114 notifies the informing device 26 that the inclination angle α5 is out of the accessible range. By stopping the engine 9 or the like, the tractor 1 is stopped to check the tractor 1 from traveling through the entrance S1 of the travel area S and entering the travel area S. Incidentally, the approach checking section 114 does not stop the traveling of the tractor 1, but only informs the user that the inclination angle α5 is out of the approachable range by means of the notification device 26. is recognized, and the tractor 1 traveling through the entrance S1 of the travel area S and entering the travel area S can be restrained.

As shown in FIG. 19 , even when the tractor 1 is manually driven by the user or the like to travel through the entrance/exit S2 of the travel area S and exits outside the travel area S, the inclination angle calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit 112 is similarly calculated. Calculation of α5 and determination by the determination unit 113 can be performed.

[Another embodiment]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
It should be noted that the configuration of each embodiment described below is not limited to being applied alone, and can also be applied in combination with the configuration of other embodiments.

(1) The configuration of the work 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 unit.
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.

(2) 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. can be placed in the department. The arrangement positions of the front rider sensor 101 and the rear rider sensor 102 may be above the boarding/alighting step 41 serving as the boarding/alighting section, and the arrangement positions can be changed as appropriate.

The arrangement position of the front rider sensor 101 and the arrangement position of the rear rider sensor 102 can be set to different heights in the vertical direction. 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 .

(3) In the above embodiment, the front rider sensor 101 is attached to the bottom of the antenna unit 80. However, for example, the front rider sensor 101 can be attached to the roof 35 via a support stay. The type of member to be attached can be changed as appropriate.

(4) In the above embodiment, two rider sensors, the front rider sensor 101 and the rear rider sensor 102, are provided. can do.

(5) In the above embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 110 performs obstacle detection processing based on the measurement information of the rider sensors 101 and 102. , 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.

(6) In the above embodiment, an example in which the tractor 1 is provided with the obstacle detection unit 110, the collision avoidance control unit 111, the tilt angle calculation unit 112, and the determination unit 113 is shown. It can also be provided in a device other than 1.

<Additional remarks of the invention>
A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a distance sensor that is provided in a work vehicle and measures a distance to an object to be measured in three dimensions;
an inclination angle calculation unit that calculates an inclination angle of the travel surface of the work vehicle at the entrance of the travel area based on the measurement information of the distance sensor;
and an entry checking section for checking the work vehicle from traveling through the entrance of the traveling area and entering the traveling area when the inclination angle calculated by the inclination angle calculating section is out of the allowable entry range. is provided.

According to this configuration, since the distance sensor measures the distance to the object to be measured in three dimensions, the inclination angle calculation section calculates the actual running surface at the entrance of the running area based on the measurement information of the distance sensor. Tilt angle can be calculated. Even if the inclination angle of the travel surface at the entrance of the travel area changes according to changes in various circumstances, the inclination angle calculation unit calculates the actual inclination of the travel surface when the work vehicle is positioned at the entrance of the travel area. You can get the angle. If the actual inclination angle of the traveling surface is out of the entry-permissible range, the entry restraining section restrains the work vehicle from entering the traveling area by traveling through the entrance of the traveling area, so the steep inclination angle It is possible to prevent the work vehicle from entering the travel area at

A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is configured such that, when the work vehicle is caused to automatically travel within the travel area, the distance sensor can measure a distance to an obstacle existing around the work vehicle. at the point.

According to this configuration, the distance sensor is used not only to acquire the inclination angle of the travel surface at the entrance of the travel area, but also when the work vehicle automatically travels within the travel area, the obstacles existing around the work vehicle are detected. It can also be used to measure the distance to an object, and simplification of the configuration can be achieved.

A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is provided with an automatic travel control unit that performs entry automatic travel control to automatically travel the work vehicle at the entrance of the travel area and enter the travel area,
When the inclination angle calculated by the inclination angle calculating section is out of the accessible range, the entry checking section prohibits the automatic entry control section from executing the automatic entry traveling control.

According to this configuration, the automatic travel control unit performs the entry automatic travel control, so that the work vehicle can automatically travel into the travel area through the entrance of the travel area. When the automatic driving control unit performs the entry automatic driving control, if the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculating unit is outside the accessible range, the entry checking unit controls the entry automatic driving control by the automatic driving control unit. Since the execution is prohibited, it is possible to appropriately prevent the work vehicle from automatically traveling at a steep angle of inclination.

A fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is an automatic travel control unit that performs inter-travel-area automatic travel control for automatically traveling the work vehicle from the exit of one travel area to the entrance of another travel area;
When the work vehicle reaches the entrance of the travel area, the inclination angle of the travel surface calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit is used to determine whether or not the inclination angle is outside the accessible range. It is characterized in that a determination unit is provided.

According to this configuration, the automatic travel control unit performs inter-travel-area automatic travel control, so that the work vehicle can automatically travel from the exit of one travel area to the entrance of another travel area. When the work vehicle reaches the entrance of the travel area by the automatic travel control between travel areas by the automatic travel control unit, the determination unit uses the inclination angle of the travel surface calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit to determine the inclination of the travel surface. Since it is determined whether or not the angle is out of the accessible range, it is possible to automatically calculate the inclination angle of the running surface and determine whether the inclination angle is out of the accessible range. When the work vehicle reaches the entrance of the travel area, if the actual inclination angle of the travel surface is out of the entry possible range, the entry checking section prevents the work vehicle from traveling through the entrance of the travel area and entering the travel area. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately prevent the work vehicle from automatically traveling at a steep angle of inclination.

1 tractor (work vehicle)
18 In-vehicle electronic control unit (automatic driving control unit)
101 front rider sensor (distance sensor)
102 rear rider sensor (distance sensor)
112 inclination angle calculation unit 113 determination unit 114 entry checking unit

Claims (4)

a distance sensor that is provided in the work vehicle and measures the distance to the object to be measured;
an inclination angle calculation unit that calculates an inclination angle of the traveling surface of the work vehicle at a specific location in the traveling area where the inclination angle of the traveling surface may change , based on the measurement information of the distance sensor;
a restraining unit that restrains the work vehicle from traveling in the specific part of the travel area when the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculating unit is out of the possible range;
When it is determined that the work vehicle has reached the specific location in the travel area, the inclination angle calculation unit calculates the inclination angle of the travel surface at the specific location in the travel area.
Work vehicle travel control system. The specific location is an entrance or exit of the travel area,
It is determined whether or not the inclination angle of the entrance of the travel area is outside the allowable range of entry, and whether or not the inclination angle of the exit of the travel area is outside the allowable range of exit is determined. Further comprising a determination unit to
A travel control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1. The specific location is an entrance or exit of the travel area,
Entry automatic travel control that causes the work vehicle to automatically travel at the entrance of the travel area and enter the travel area, and exit from the travel area that causes the work vehicle to automatically travel and exit the travel area at the exit of the travel area. Equipped with an automatic driving control unit that performs automatic driving control,
When the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculation unit is out of the possible range, the checking unit prohibits the automatic driving control unit from executing the entry automatic driving control or the exit automatic driving control.
A travel control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2. When the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculation unit is out of the possible range, the checking unit performs notification,
A travel control system for a work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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