JP7329645B2 - Work support system - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work support system used in a travel route generation device that generates a target travel route for automatic travel of a work vehicle within a travel area.

The travel route generation device described above is used in an automatic travel system that acquires the current position of a work vehicle using a satellite positioning system and automatically travels the work vehicle along a target travel route generated by the travel route generation device. (See Patent Document 1, for example).

In the system described in Patent Document 1, first, the shape of the travel area in which the work vehicle is to automatically travel is specified. A target travel route is generated within the travel area. When specifying the shape of the travel area, the work vehicle is made to travel around the boundary side of the travel area. By using the positional information of the work vehicle and the moving trajectory information acquired by this circular traveling, the position of the boundary portion of the traveling area is grasped, and the shape of the traveling area is specified.

JP 2017-161987 A

In the system described in Patent Document 1, for example, the inner edge of a step existing at the boundary between the edge of a field and a ridge and the inner edge of an obstacle such as a utility pole are assumed to be the boundary of the travel area. Identify boundaries. However, if the step or obstacle is low, the work vehicle may not come into contact with the step or obstacle even if it moves to the outside of the inner edge of the step or obstacle. Moreover, if the working height of the working device mounted on the working vehicle is high, it may not come into contact with steps or obstacles.

Therefore, depending on the height of the steps and obstacles and the working height of the work equipment, even if the work vehicle travels closer to the border of the travel area, there will be no gap between the work vehicle or work equipment and the steps or obstacles. contact can be avoided. In this case, as in the system described in Patent Document 1, if the inner edge of the step or obstacle is set as the boundary of the travel area, the range in which the target travel route can be generated becomes smaller than the actual range. This will lead to a decrease in efficiency.

In view of this situation, the main object of the present invention is to provide a work support system capable of improving work efficiency by appropriately generating a target travel route within a range in which a work vehicle can automatically travel.

A work support system according to one aspect includes a height information acquisition unit and a boundary information generation unit. The height information acquisition unit acquires height information of the boundary portion, which is higher than the inside of the travel area of the work vehicle, with respect to the inside of the travel area. The boundary information generation unit associates the position information of the boundary with the height information acquired by the height information acquisition unit, and generates boundary information including position information and height information regarding the boundary of the travel area. Generate.

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 A diagram showing the height relationship between the boundary of the traveling area and the tractor A diagram showing the height relationship between the boundary of the traveling area and the tractor A diagram showing the height relationship between the boundary of the travel area and the working device A diagram showing the height relationship between the boundary of the travel area and the working device A diagram showing a state in which the tractor is traveling around the boundary of the traveling area. A diagram showing the state in which the height detection sensor detects the height of the boundary of the travel area during lap travel. A diagram showing a loop route in the target travel route A diagram showing a loop route in the target travel route Flowchart showing operations when generating a target travel route

An embodiment of an automatic driving system using a driving route generation device according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
[First embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, this automatic driving system employs a tractor 1 as a work vehicle. And it can be applied to an unmanned work vehicle such as an unmanned lawn mower.

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 panel type display unit 51 (for example, a liquid crystal panel) or the like that can be touch-operated 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 plowing device, which is an example of a working device 12, can be connected to the rear portion of the traveling body 7 via a three-point link mechanism 11 so as to be able to move up and down and roll. Various working devices 12 such as a mower, a plow, a seeding device, and a spreading device 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.

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.

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 target steering angles of the left and right front wheels 5 during automatic travel and outputs the target steering angles to the power steering mechanism 14, and a pre-generated 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 direction of the tractor 1 using a 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 positioning antennas 24 and 61 for receiving radio waves transmitted from a positioning satellite 71 (see FIG. 1), and an antenna between the tractor 1 and the reference station 4. Communication modules 25, 62, etc. are provided to enable wireless communication of various information including positioning information in the. Thereby, the satellite navigation device 22 receives the positioning information obtained by the positioning antenna 24 on the tractor side receiving the radio wave from the positioning satellite 71, and the positioning antenna 61 on the base station side receives the radio wave from the positioning satellite 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 precision. can be done.

The positioning 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 53 or the like is provided to enable wireless communication of various information including. The terminal electronic control unit 52 includes a travel route generation unit 54 that generates a target travel route P (see, for example, FIG. 3) for automatically traveling the tractor 1, and various input information entered by the user and a travel route generation unit It has a non-volatile terminal storage unit 55 and the like for storing the target travel route P and the like generated by 54 .

The travel route generator 54 creates a target travel route P (see, for example, FIG. 3) within the travel area S, and how the target travel route P is created will be described later.

The target travel route P generated by the travel route generation unit 54 can be displayed on the display unit 51, and is stored in the terminal storage unit 55 as route information associated with vehicle body information, boundary 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 54 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 milliseconds). I understand.

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 terminal electronic control unit 52 transmits the route information only for the subsequent route part corresponding to that point to the in-vehicle electronic control unit 52. 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 traveling, so that the positioning unit 21 acquires the current position of the tractor 1 (the current position of the tractor 1). Automatic travel control is started to automatically travel the tractor 1 along the road. An in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 automatically causes the tractor 1 to travel along a target travel route P within a travel area S based on the positioning information of the tractor 1 acquired by a positioning unit 21 (corresponding to a satellite positioning system). It is configured as an automatic travel control unit that performs travel control.

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

In the automatic shift control, the shift control unit 181 controls the 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 automatically runs 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 101 and 102 that can three-dimensionally measure the distance to the measurement object using lasers, and a plurality of lidar sensors that can measure the distance to the measurement object using ultrasonic waves. Sonar units 103 and 104 having sonar, an obstacle detection section 110, and a collision avoidance control section 111 are provided.

The objects to be measured by the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104 are objects, people, and the like. The lidar sensors 101 and 102 include a front rider sensor 101 for measuring the front side of the tractor 1 and a rear rider sensor 102 for measuring the rear side of the tractor 1 . The sonar units 103 and 104 include a right sonar unit 103 for measuring the right side of the tractor 1 and a left sonar unit 104 for measuring the left side of the tractor 1 .

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, or other measurement targets within a predetermined distance as obstacles. is configured to The collision avoidance control unit 111 is configured to perform collision avoidance control to decelerate the tractor 1 or stop the tractor 1 when the obstacle detection unit 110 detects an obstacle. In the collision avoidance control, the collision avoidance control unit 111 not only decelerates the tractor 1 or stops the tractor 1, but also activates a notification device 26 such as a notification buzzer or a notification lamp to notify the presence of an obstacle. I am reporting. In the collision avoidance control, the collision avoidance control unit 111 communicates with the mobile communication terminal 3 from the tractor 1 using the communication modules 25 and 53 and causes the display unit 51 to display the presence of the obstacle. It is possible to notify that

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, and appropriately detects obstacles such as objects and people. The collision avoidance 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, lidar sensors 101 and 102, and sonar units 103 and 104 included in the common rail system via a CAN (Controller Area Network). there is

Generation of the target travel route P by the travel route generator 54 will be described below.
Since the target travel route P is generated within the travel area S, the boundary S1 of the travel area S is specified by grasping the position of the boundary S1 (periphery, see FIG. 3) of the travel area S. There is a need. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the mobile communication terminal 3 is provided with a boundary portion information generating section 56 that generates boundary portion information regarding the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S. As shown in FIG.

When the boundary information is generated, if the position information about the boundary S1 of the travel area S can be acquired, the position of the boundary S1 of the travel area S is used as a reference to determine how close the tractor 1 can approach without contact. be able to. However, the distance that the tractor 1 can approach the boundary S1 of the traveling area S without contacting it varies depending on the height of the boundary S1 of the traveling area S and the working height of the work device 12 . Therefore, the boundary information generator 56 generates boundary information including not only position information about the boundary S1 of the travel area S but also height information about the boundary S1 of the travel area S. FIG.

The distance at which the tractor 1 can approach the boundary S1 of the traveling area S without contacting it will be explained, depending on the height of the boundary S1 of the traveling area S and the working height of the working device 12 .
For example, when the traveling area S is a field or the like, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a ridge exists in the boundary S1, and the boundary S1 is one step higher than the inside of the traveling area S due to the ridge. position. Further, the boundary portion S1 is positioned higher than the travel area S even when a partition such as a wall is provided in the boundary portion S1.

The height of boundary portions S1 (ridges, partitions, etc.) of the travel area S is not constant, and there are boundary portions S1a with high heights and boundary portions S1b with low heights. At the high boundary portion S1a, as shown in FIG. 4, a predetermined distance is provided between the front surface portion of the bonnet 8 and the boundary portion S1a so that the front surface portion of the bonnet 8 does not come into contact with the boundary portion S1a. is required. On the other hand, in the boundary portion S1b having a low height, as shown in FIG. does not come into contact with Therefore, the tractor 1 can approach the boundary portion S1b until the distance between the front surface portion of the front wheel 5 and the boundary portion S1a reaches a predetermined distance.

Further, the working height of the working device 12 connected to the tractor 1 (the height of the lower end portion of the working device 12) is not constant and varies depending on the type of the working device 12 and the like. For example, the working height of the working device 12 may be higher than the ground surface of the field by a predetermined height. In this case, at the high boundary portion S1a, as shown in FIG. 6, there is a gap between the side portion of the working device 12 and the boundary portion S1a so that the side portion or the like of the working device 12 does not come into contact with the boundary portion S1a. must be spaced a predetermined distance apart. On the other hand, in the low boundary portion S1b, as shown in FIG. 7, the height of the boundary portion S1b is located at a position lower than the working height of the working device 12. The part S1b does not come into contact with the part S1b. Therefore, the tractor 1 can approach the boundary portion S1b until the distance between the side surface of the front wheel 5 or the rear wheel 6 and the boundary portion S1a reaches a predetermined distance. 6 and 7, the work device 12 is shown in a rectangular shape, and the work device 12 is schematically shown.

In order for the boundary information generation unit 56 to generate the boundary information, as shown in FIG. 21, a movement trajectory acquisition unit 57 that acquires the movement trajectory of the tractor 1 based on the position information of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21, and a height detection sensor 105 ( height detection unit) and a height information acquisition unit 58 that acquires height information of the boundary S1 of the travel area S based on the detection information of the height detection sensor 105 . The positioning unit 21 and height detection sensor 105 are provided in the tractor 1 , and the movement locus acquisition section 57 and height information acquisition section 58 are provided in the terminal electronic control unit 52 of the mobile communication terminal 3 .

In order to acquire position information and height information about the boundary S1 of the travel area S, as shown in FIG. run in circles. When the positional information of the tractor 1 is acquired in real time by the positioning unit 21 during this round trip, and the movement locus acquisition unit 57 causes the tractor 1 to make a round trip based on the positional information of the positioning unit 21. is acquired. FIG. 8 illustrates a boundary portion S1 of the travel area S and a movement locus M1 when the tractor 1 travels around.

During the circuit running, not only the movement locus M1 is acquired, but also the height of the boundary S1 is detected by the height detection sensor 105 as shown in FIG. Based on the information detected by the height detection sensor 105, the height information acquisition unit 58 acquires the height information of the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S in real time. The height detection sensor 105 includes, for example, a plurality of light projecting and receiving type sensors 105a arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. He is trying to detect the height of boundary part S1.

The boundary information generation unit 56 associates the position information of the tractor 1 acquired in real time with the height information of the boundary S1 of the travel area S, and generates the position information and the height information regarding the boundary S1 of the travel area S. Generating boundary information including: The boundary information generated by the boundary information generation unit 56 is stored in the terminal storage unit 55 . The boundary portion information is information that enables grasping of the position of the boundary portion S1 of the traveling area S and the height of the boundary portion S1. Incidentally, in a plan view, the distance between the position where the positioning unit 21 acquires the position information of the tractor 1 (position where the positioning antenna 24 is arranged) and the end of the tractor 1 in the left-right direction is a specified value, and the tractor 1 Since there is at least a predetermined distance between the side surface of the tractor 1 and the boundary S1, the boundary information generator 56 uses these distances to determine the position of the tractor 1 (the position of the movement trajectory M1). The position of the boundary portion S1 of the traveling area S is obtained on the outside.

When the travel route generating unit 54 generates the target travel route P, the user or the like inputs the type and model of the work vehicle (tractor 1) according to the input guidance for setting the target travel route displayed on the display unit 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3. and the like, and the vehicle body information including the working device information such as the type, working height, and width of the working device 12 . As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal electronic control unit 52 of the mobile communication terminal 3 is provided with a vehicle body information input section 59 (corresponding to a work device information input section). Information is stored in the terminal storage unit 55 .

Depending on the work device 12, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 2, there is a work device 12 that includes a communication module 121 (corresponding to a work device side communication unit) capable of freely communicating work device information. In this case, by connecting the working device 12 to the tractor 1, the communication between the communication module 121 of the working device 12 and the communication module 25 (corresponding to the working device information acquisition unit) of the tractor 1 enables the in-vehicle electronic control unit 18 to be controlled. is getting work device information. Through communication between the communication module 25 of the tractor 1 and the communication module 53 of the portable communication terminal 3 , the terminal electronic control unit 52 acquires working device information and stores the working device information in the terminal storage section 55 .

The travel route generator 54 generates a target travel route P within the travel area S as shown in FIG. In the one shown in FIG. 3, the travel route generator 54 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 traveling region S, and serves as a reciprocating work region in which the tractor 1 automatically travels in the reciprocating direction in advance to perform a predetermined work. 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 54 calculates, for example, the turning radius, the front-to-rear width and the left-to-right width of the tractor 1 included in the vehicle body information, and the space required for turning the tractor 1 on the edge of the field. I am looking for The travel route generator 54 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 generator 54 creates the target travel route P using vehicle body information including work device information about the work device 12, boundary information, and the like. For example, the target travel path P is 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 (corresponding to the lateral width of the work device 12). , a connection path P2 that connects the start and end of the adjacent work paths P1, and a loop path P3 (indicated by a dotted line in the drawing) that loops around 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 area 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.

When the travel route generation unit 54 generates the target travel route P, the travel route generation unit 54 generates the circuit route P3 of the target travel route P according to the work device information regarding the work device 12 included in the vehicle body information. there is The traveling route generation unit 54 generates the circuit route P3 based on the working height and width of the working device 12 and the height information of the boundary portion S1 of the traveling area S. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the working height of the work device 12 is lower than the height of the boundary portion S1a of the travel area S, the travel route generator 54 changes the height of the work device 12 as shown in FIG. and a boundary portion S1a of the travel area S, and the side portion of the work device 12 is positioned inside the boundary portion S1a of the travel area S. there is On the other hand, when the working height of the work device 12 is higher than the height of the boundary portion S1b of the travel area S as shown in FIG. 5 or rear wheels 6 and the boundary portion S1b of the travel area S, and the side portion of the working device 12 is positioned outside the boundary portion S1b of the travel area S. generating P3.

In this way, the travel route generation unit 54 considers the height information of the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S in addition to the working device information related to the working device 12 such as the working height and working width of the working device 12, Since the route P3 is generated, the circular route P3 can be generated at a position closer to the boundary S1 of the travel area S. Therefore, the tractor 1 can automatically travel to a position closer to the boundary S1 of the travel area S, and the work efficiency can be improved. As for the circuit route P3, FIG. 3 shows a route that circles the travel area S once. Therefore, for example, a route that circles the travel area S a plurality of times can be generated as the loop route P3.

As described above, the target travel route P (circling route P3) is generated so that the tractor 1 automatically travels to a position closer to the boundary S1 of the travel area S, so the actual automatic travel is performed. In this case, when the obstacle system 100 detects the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S as an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 110, the reference position on the tractor 1 side is set to the height of the boundary portion S1 or the operation of the work device 12. Adjusted according to height.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the height of the boundary portion S1a is higher than the lower end of the bonnet 8, the first reference position C1 of the lower end of the bonnet 8 is set as the reference position, and the obstacle detection unit 110 , based on detection information from the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104, the boundary portion S1a is detected as an obstacle according to the distance from the first reference position C1. As shown in FIG. 5, when the height of the boundary portion S1b is lower than the lower end of the bonnet 8, in addition to the first reference position C1 of the lower end of the bonnet 8, the second reference of the front end of the front wheel 5 is also positioned. With the position C2 as a reference position, the obstacle detection section 110 detects the boundary portion S1b as an obstacle according to the distance from the second reference position C2.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the height of the boundary portion S1a is higher than the working height of the working device 12, the third reference position C3 at the lower end of the side surface of the working device 12 is used as the reference position for obstacle detection. Based on detection information from the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104, the unit 110 detects the boundary S1a as an obstacle according to the distance from the third reference position C3. As shown in FIG. 7, when the height of the boundary portion S1b is lower than the working height of the working device 12, in addition to the third reference position C3 at the lower end of the side surface of the working device 12, the side surface of the rear wheel 6 Using the fourth reference position C4 as a reference position, the obstacle detection unit 110 detects the boundary part S1b according to the distance from the fourth reference position C4 based on the detection information of the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104. is detected as an obstacle.

Incidentally, the rider sensors 101, 102 and the sonar units 103, 104 are installed at desired positions, and the distances from the installation positions of the rider sensors 101, 102 and the sonar units 103, 104 to the first to fourth reference positions C1 to C4 are is the default value.

In this way, when the automatic traveling is actually performed, the reference position on the tractor 1 side when the obstacle detection unit 110 detects the boundary portion S1 of the traveling area S as an obstacle is set to the height of the boundary portion S1. By changing and adjusting according to the working height of the scabbard work device 12, the tractor 1 can be moved along the target travel route P (circumferential route P3) generated at a position closer to the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S. It can run automatically.

Based on the flowchart of FIG. 12, the flow of operations when the travel route generating unit 54 generates the target travel route P will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 12, the user or the like drives the tractor 1 to make the tractor 1 go around the border S1 side of the travel area S (step #1). Through this circular travel, the positioning unit 21 acquires the position information of the tractor 1, the movement trajectory acquisition unit 57 acquires the movement trajectory of the tractor 1, and the height information acquisition unit 58 acquires the boundary part S1 of the travel area S. height information is acquired (step #2).

The boundary information generation unit 56 associates the position information of the tractor 1 acquired in real time with the height information of the boundary S1 of the traveling area S by performing a circuit run, and generates information related to the boundary S1 of the traveling area S. Boundary information including position information and height information is generated, and the generated boundary information is stored in the terminal storage unit 55 (step #3).

When the user or the like inputs the vehicle body information according to the input guidance for generating the target travel route displayed on the display section 51 of the mobile communication terminal 3, the vehicle body information input section 59 receives the input of the vehicle body information and stores it in the terminal storage section 55. (step #4).

The travel route generation unit 54 generates the target travel route P within the travel area S based on the boundary information, the vehicle body information, and the like stored in the terminal storage unit 55 (step #5). At this time, as described above, for the circuit route P3, the travel route generation unit 54 generates The circuit route P3 is generated so that the tractor 1 automatically travels to a position closer to the tractor.

[Second embodiment]
This second embodiment is another embodiment of the configuration for acquiring the height information of the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S in the height information acquiring section 58, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. is. Hereinafter, the configuration for acquiring the height information of the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S in the height information acquiring section 58 will be described, and the description of other configurations will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, when the tractor 1 is caused to travel around the boundary S1 side of the travel area S, the height information acquisition unit 58 detects the boundary of the travel area S based on the detection information of the height detection sensor 105. Height information of the portion S1 is acquired. In this second embodiment, when the height information acquisition unit 58 causes the tractor 1 to travel around the boundary S1 side of the travel area S, the position information of the tractor 1 acquired by the positioning unit 21, and the tractor 1, the height information of the boundary portion S1 of the traveling area S is acquired based on the working height information of the working device 12 connected to the 1.

With the working device 12 set to the working height, the user or the like drives the tractor 1 so that the tractor 1 circulates on the border S1 side of the traveling area S. As shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the height of the boundary portion S1a of the travel area S is higher than the working height of the work device 12, the distance between the side portion of the work device 12 and the boundary portion S1a of the travel region S is increased. , the tractor 1 is driven in a circle at a predetermined distance. During this round trip, the locus acquisition unit 57 acquires the locus of movement of the tractor 1 based on the position information of the positioning unit 21, so that the height information acquisition unit 58 determines that the height of the boundary S1a is the height of the working device. The trajectory of the tractor 1 above 12 working heights can be obtained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the height of the boundary portion S1b of the travel area S is lower than the working height of the work device 12, the side portion of the work device 12 is between the boundary portion S1a of the travel region S. , the tractor 1 is driven in a circle at a predetermined distance. Since the movement trajectory acquisition unit 57 acquires the movement trajectory of the tractor 1 even during this round trip, the height information acquisition unit 58 can determine the height of the boundary part S1a when the height of the work device 12 is lower than the working height of the work device 12. A movement locus of the tractor 1 can be acquired.

In this way, the height information acquiring unit 58 does not directly acquire the height information of the boundary S1, but rather acquires the movement trajectory of the tractor 1 that changes according to the height of the boundary S1. It is acquired as height-related information related to height. By changing the working height of the working device 12 and performing the circular traveling of the tractor 1 a plurality of times, the height information acquisition unit 58 acquires a plurality of movement trajectories corresponding to the working height of the working device 12 as height-related data. It can be obtained as information.

At this time, the boundary portion information generating unit 56 generates position information about the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S and a boundary including the movement trajectory based on the position information of the tractor 1 acquired in real time when the tractor 1 travels around. generating part information. As in the first embodiment, the travel route generation unit 54 generates a route within the travel area S as shown in FIG. A target travel route P is generated. Regarding the circuit route P3 of the target travel route P, the travel route generation unit 54 calculates the movement according to the working height of the work device 12 connected to the tractor 1 from the movement locus acquired by the height information acquisition unit 58. A trajectory is selected, and the selected movement trajectory is generated as a circular route P3 (outermost circular route P3) closest to the boundary portion S1 of the travel area S.

[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-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to detect the height of the boundary portion S1 of the traveling area S using sensors already provided in the tractor 1, such as the lidar sensors 101 and 102 and the sonar units 103 and 104.

(3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the mobile communication terminal 3 includes the travel route generation unit 54, the boundary information generation unit 56, the movement locus acquisition unit 55, the height information acquisition unit 58, the vehicle body information input unit 59, etc. However, for example, the traveling route generation unit 54, the boundary information generation unit 56, the movement locus acquisition unit 57, the height information acquisition unit 58, the vehicle body information input unit 59, etc. It can also be provided in an apparatus or the like.

<Additional remarks of the invention>
A first aspect includes a work vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a work vehicle using a satellite positioning system;
a height information acquisition unit that acquires height information of the boundary of the travel area when the work vehicle is caused to travel around the boundary of the travel area;
When the work vehicle travels around the boundary side of the travel area, the position information acquired by the work vehicle position information acquisition unit and the height information acquired by the height information acquisition unit are associated with each other, and the travel is performed. a boundary information generating unit that generates boundary information including position information and height information about the boundary of the area;
A travel route generation unit is provided for generating a target travel route within the travel area based on the boundary information generated by the boundary information generation unit.

According to this configuration, when the work vehicle travels around the boundary of the travel area, the boundary information generator generates the boundary information including the position information and the height information regarding the boundary of the travel area. ing. By using the generated border information, the travel route generation unit can grasp the position and height of the border of the travel area. Therefore, the travel route generation unit can set the range in which the work vehicle can automatically travel, taking into consideration not only the position of the border of the travel area but also the height of the border of the travel area. As a result, the travel route generation unit can appropriately generate the target travel route within a range in which the work vehicle can automatically travel, and work efficiency can be improved.

In a second aspect, the height information acquisition unit includes a height detection unit that detects the height of the object to be measured in the work vehicle, and when the work vehicle travels around the boundary side of the travel area, Based on the information detected by the height detector, the height information of the boundary of the travel area is obtained.

According to this configuration, when the work vehicle is caused to travel around the boundary side of the travel area, the height detection unit detects the height of the boundary with the boundary of the travel area as the measurement object. , the height information acquisition unit can acquire accurate height information of the boundary. Therefore, the travel route generator can more appropriately set the range in which the work vehicle can automatically travel using the correct height of the boundary, and can more appropriately generate the target travel route. .

In a third aspect, the height information acquisition unit acquires the position information of the work vehicle acquired by the work vehicle position information acquisition unit and the work Based on the working height information of the working device connected to the vehicle, the height information of the border portion of the travel area is obtained.

Depending on the relative relationship between the working height of the work device and the height of the border of the travel area, the distance at which the work vehicle can approach the border of the travel area varies. Therefore, according to the present configuration, the height information acquisition unit obtains information about the travel area based on the position information of the work vehicle and the working height of the work device when the work vehicle is caused to travel around the boundary of the travel area. Boundary height information can be obtained appropriately. Therefore, the height information of the boundary portion of the travel area can be easily acquired simply by connecting the work device to the work vehicle and traveling around the boundary portion side of the travel area.

A fourth aspect is provided with a work device information input unit for inputting work device information regarding a work device connected to the work vehicle,
The travel route generator generates a target travel route according to the work device information input by the work device information input unit.

Depending on the working height of the working device, the distance at which the working vehicle can approach the border of the traveling area varies. Therefore, according to this configuration, the travel route generator generates the target travel route according to the work device information. A target travel route can be generated so as to have a distance corresponding to the distance. Therefore, it is possible to generate an appropriate target traveling route according to the working height of the working device that actually performs the work.

In a fifth aspect, a work device side communication unit provided on the work device side and capable of communicating work device information related to the work device connected to the work vehicle;
a work device information acquisition unit that can communicate with the work device side communication unit and acquires work device information;
The travel route generation unit generates a target travel route according to the work device information acquired by the work device information acquisition unit.

According to this configuration, the travel route generator generates the target travel route according to the work device information. target travel route can be generated. Furthermore, in this configuration, since the working device information acquisition unit acquires the working device information through communication with the working device side communication unit, for example, input work by the user is not required, and the work load on the user can be reduced. can be planned.

1 tractor (work vehicle)
21 positioning unit (work vehicle position information acquisition unit)
25 communication module (work device information acquisition unit)
54 Traveling route generation unit 56 Boundary information generation unit 57 Movement trajectory acquisition unit 58 Height information acquisition unit 59 Vehicle information input unit 105 Height detection sensor (height detection unit)
121 communication module (work device side communication unit)
P Target travel route P3 Circuit route S Travel area S1 Boundary of travel area

Claims (5)

a height information acquisition unit that acquires height information of the border portion, which is higher than the inside of the travel area of the work vehicle, with respect to the inside of the travel area;
a boundary information generation unit that associates the position information of the boundary with the height information acquired by the height information acquisition unit and generates boundary information including position information and height information regarding the boundary of the travel area; ,
Based on at least height information in the boundary information generated by the boundary information generation unit, a target travel route that allows a portion of the work vehicle to be located outside the boundary of the travel area, A travel route generation unit that generates in the travel area is provided,
Work support system. The travel route generator generates a target travel route based on vehicle body information of the work vehicle.
The work support system according to claim 1 . the vehicle body information includes a working height of a working device of the work vehicle;
The work support system according to claim 2 . The vehicle body information includes a working width of the work device of the work vehicle,
The work support system according to claim 2 or 3 . The boundary information generation unit associates the position information of the work vehicle when the work vehicle travels around the boundary side of the travel area with the height information acquired by the height information acquisition unit, generate boundary information,
A work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .