WO2019124225A1

WO2019124225A1 - Agricultural vehicle, work vehicle collision warning system, and work vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2019124225A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/045946
Authority: WO
Inventors: 阪口和央; 佐野友彦; 吉田脩; 中林隆志; 川畑翔太郎
Original assignee: 株式会社クボタ
Priority date: 2017-12-18
Filing date: 2018-12-13
Publication date: 2019-06-27

Abstract

Provided is an agricultural vehicle having travel control that enables the agricultural vehicle to approach a farm field demarcation, such as an earthen ridge, while avoiding contact with the demarcation. The agricultural vehicle comprises: a demarcation data management unit 54 that manages demarcation data indicating the map location of a demarcation of a farm field; a vehicle location calculation unit 50 that calculates the location of the host vehicle on the basis of positioning data from a vehicle location detection module; a travel direction calculation unit 57 that calculates, from the host vehicle location, the travel direction of the vehicle body; a clearance calculation unit 55 that calculates, on the basis of the travel direction and the vehicle body exterior shape, the vertical clearance from the demarcation to the vehicle body while oriented in the travel direction as the clearance; and a vehicle speed management unit 513 that manages the vehicle speed in accordance with the clearance.

Description

Farm work vehicle, work vehicle collision warning system and work vehicle

The present invention relates to an agricultural work vehicle, a work vehicle collision warning system, and a work vehicle.

(1) Conventionally, there is an agricultural work vehicle that travels while carrying out farming work in a field.

The farmland is bounded by the weirs and the like to the outer area, and inside the border line various agricultural operations are carried out by agricultural vehicles. At that time, not only manual traveling but also automatic traveling has been adopted in recent years. In agricultural work by agricultural work vehicles, direction change, refueling, discharge of agricultural products, delivery of materials for agricultural work, etc. are performed at the very front. Since the boat is located higher than the boat scene, agricultural vehicles may come into contact with the boat, and special care must be taken when traveling. Care must be taken that the agricultural vehicle does not come into contact with the demarcation members, even if the field is not a fence and is bounded by demarcation members such as fences and plants.

The work vehicle according to Patent Document 1 is a positioning vehicle unit that outputs positioning data indicating a vehicle position, a traveling vehicle body that travels the inside of a field while changing direction in a farthest area, a field work device that performs work on the field, and And have. The work vehicle travels between the start point and the end point of the work travel route set leaving the front region, makes a U-turn in the front region, and carries out the next work travel with an interval equal to the work width. Work travel between the start point and the end point of the route. Field work is carried out by repeating such traveling. At that time, the position of the vehicle calculated by the positioning unit and the position of the end point of the work travel route (the approach point to the frontage area) are compared, so before the work vehicle enters the frontage area, or Immediately after entering the immediate area, it is possible to decelerate or stop.

(2) Conventionally, there are work vehicle collision warning systems when a plurality of work vehicles travel on the same work site, and work vehicles adopting the work vehicle collision warning system.

The automatic traveling work vehicle according to Patent Document 2 includes position calculating means for measuring the position of the vehicle body using a satellite positioning system, a control device for controlling automatic operation traveling along the set traveling route, and an obstacle around the vehicle. An obstacle detection means is provided to detect the presence or absence. Since the obstacle detection means is composed of an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, the detection capability fluctuates according to the environmental conditions. For this reason, an optical sensor, an outside air temperature sensor, and a rain detection sensor are provided as environment recognition means, and the sensitivity of the obstacle sensor is adjusted according to the signals from those sensors. When an obstacle detection means detects an obstacle in front of, side or back of the vehicle body, an alarm is issued to lower the traveling speed of the vehicle body or stop the vehicle body.

JP, 2017-123829, A JP, 2015-191592, A

(1) Background Art The problems corresponding to (1) are as follows.

The work vehicle according to Patent Document 1 needs to switch from automatic travel to manual travel and perform a U-turn before and after the work vehicle enters the immediate area before and after the approach, which is necessary for the driver. At that time, deceleration, warning notification, stopping, etc. are performed. However, since the distance from the work vehicle to the weir is not calculated, the avoidance control for preventing the work vehicle from coming in contact with the weir is not performed. In order to perform efficient agricultural work, it is also necessary to bring the work vehicle as close to the weir as possible, but contact between the work vehicle and the weir should be avoided.

From such a situation, there is a demand for an agricultural vehicle having travel control that can approach the boundary while avoiding contact with the boundary such as a weir.

(2) Background Art The problems corresponding to (2) are as follows.

When a plurality of work vehicles work in cooperation, a collision between the work vehicles can be avoided by detecting the work vehicles as obstacles. However, since the work vehicle becomes a large reflector compared to an obstacle such as a person, there is a possibility that problems such as excessive sensitivity or insufficient sensitivity may occur when detecting both with the same sensitivity. As a result, when a plurality of work vehicles carry out work travel, erroneous detection may occur. For this reason, it is necessary to accurately detect the presence of each other's work vehicles and to avoid a collision between the work vehicles.

(1) The solution means corresponding to the problem (1) is as follows.

The agricultural working vehicle according to the present invention includes a boundary data management unit that manages boundary data indicating a map position of a field boundary, a vehicle position detection module that acquires positioning data using satellite navigation, and the positioning data. Based on the own vehicle position calculation unit that calculates the own vehicle position, a traveling direction calculation unit that calculates the traveling direction of the vehicle body from the own vehicle position, and in the traveling direction based on the traveling direction and the outer shape of the vehicle body A separation distance calculation unit that calculates a vertical separation distance from the vehicle body to the boundary as a separation distance, and a vehicle speed management unit that manages the vehicle speed according to the separation distance.

According to this configuration, using the traveling direction calculated from the positioning data obtained based on satellite navigation and the vehicle position, the distance between the field border and the vehicle body managed by the border line data managing unit The separation distance of the At that time, satellite radio waves are more advantageous than laser radars and ultrasonic sensors because they are hardly affected by agricultural crops, utility poles, etc. existing between the work vehicle and the boundary line (such as a weir). Since the vehicle speed management unit manages the vehicle speed according to the calculated separation distance, a warning for decelerating or stopping before the work vehicle reaches the boundary line, or the vehicle is forcibly decelerated or stopped It can be performed. In this way, the agricultural vehicle can travel while avoiding contact with or forming a boundary line, or crossing the boundary line.

In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the boundary line data management unit generates the boundary line data based on the traveling locus obtained from the vehicle position calculating unit during round trip along the boundary line. Do. In this configuration, the boundary line data used for calculating the separation distance is generated based on the travel locus obtained during the round trip along the boundary line actually performed by the agricultural vehicle. That is, the vehicle position used to calculate the travel locus and the vehicle position used also when calculating the separation distance are calculated by the same vehicle position detection module and the same vehicle position calculation unit. At that time, when the device related to the vehicle position calculation has an inherent characteristic such as a habit, the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit deviates from the absolute map coordinate position There is. However, in this configuration, since the coordinate position and the coordinate position of the own vehicle position while traveling are calculated by using the same device because of boundary data, such an error can be ignored, and as a result, Accurate separation distance is obtained.

In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the traveling travel is work travel, and a travel route for working the work target area left inside the existing work area by the work travel is automatically generated. A travel route generation unit is provided. In this configuration, the work is also performed in the round trip to generate the boundary line data, and therefore, the work efficiency is higher than the case where the round trip is performed by the free running. In addition, since the shape of the remaining work target area is also calculated based on the vehicle position by the vehicle position calculation unit at the end of the round trip while working, the travel route appropriate for the shape is generated. Created by the department. In this way, wasteful field work is realized.

In the case of agricultural work such as harvest work, rice planting work and fertilization work, the area in which the work is performed (existing work area) and the area in which the work is not performed (unworked area) are clearly distinguished. In the existing work area, for the purpose of stopping the work temporarily for refueling and discharge of the harvest, leaving travel for heading to the temporary stopping position set at the time of the end, and return traveling starting again from the temporary stopping position. Used for In traveling of the work vehicle in the already-worked area, it is necessary to avoid that the vehicle body interferes with the heel and enters the unworked area. In particular, it is preferable to limit the vehicle speed when traveling near a boat or an unworked area at a high speed. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the boundary data management unit manages work boundary data indicating a position of a work boundary between the unworked area and the already-worked area in the field. The separation distance calculation unit is a lateral separation distance from the vehicle body to at least one of the boundary line and the work boundary line in a vehicle body transverse direction orthogonal to the traveling direction based on the traveling direction and the outer shape of the vehicle body. Is calculated as the separation distance.

Boundary line data can be generated from map data indicating the field outline or field outline data used in the previous work. In the first round trips conducted by agricultural vehicles, the separation distance is calculated using boundary line data (referred to as reference boundary line data here) provided in advance, so that contact with a field boundary line such as straw etc. It can be avoided. When the round trip is finished, the separation distance can be calculated using boundary line data generated by itself (herein referred to as actual boundary line data). Furthermore, it is also possible to generate actual boundary line data between the work area and the non-work area from the position coordinates of the inner periphery of the work area formed by the circular traveling. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments according to the present invention, the boundary line data management unit manages, as reference boundary line data, data indicating the boundary line of the field, which is given in advance. The boundary line data calculated through traveling is managed as actual boundary line data, and the separation distance is calculated based on the reference boundary line data during the lap traveling, and the separation distance is calculated based on the actual boundary line data during the automatic traveling. The distance is calculated.

In order to reliably avoid contact with the border while approaching the border of a field such as straw, the speed of an agricultural vehicle approaching the border becomes important. In the case of high speed, the braking distance may be long, braking may not be in time, and contact between the work vehicle and the rod may not be avoided. However, the above problem can be solved by applying the relationship between the speed at which the vehicle can reliably stop and the distance to the calculated separation distance to limit the vehicle speed including the emergency stop. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the vehicle speed management unit outputs a vehicle speed limitation command for limiting the vehicle speed according to the separation distance.

Specific vehicle speed limit commands are deceleration of the vehicle body and stop of the vehicle body. Therefore, in one of the specific embodiments of the agricultural working vehicle, the vehicle speed management unit decelerates the vehicle body when the separation distance enters a preset deceleration start distance range. In another one of the specific embodiments, the vehicle speed management unit stops the vehicle body when the separation distance enters a preset stop distance range. The behavior of the vehicle due to deceleration and braking differs depending on the vehicle speed at that time. From this, it is preferable that the deceleration start distance range and the stop distance range be changed according to the current vehicle speed.

If this agricultural vehicle has an automatic travel control unit and automatic travel is possible, it is preferable to forcibly stop automatic travel in an emergency where a vehicle speed limit command is output. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, an automatic travel control unit is provided, and during automatic travel, the vehicle speed management is performed when the separated distance falls within a preset automatic travel prohibited distance range. Department prohibits automatic running.

When the vehicle body approaches the boundary, it first decelerates and then brakes and stops. Furthermore, manual travel is suitable for recovery from the situation where a forced stop has been reached. From this, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the automatic travel prohibited distance range is set shorter than the stop distance range, and the stop distance range is set shorter than the deceleration start distance range.

In the case of agricultural vehicles, it is common to use reverse in direction changes and the like. For this reason, it is preferable that the vehicle speed management according to the separation distance and the suspension of the automatic traveling described above be applied also during reverse travel. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the separation distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the front end of the vehicle body and the boundary line during forward traveling as the separation distance, and the rear of the vehicle body during reverse traveling. The distance between the end and the boundary is calculated as the separation distance.

In the case of an agricultural work vehicle, the recommended vehicle speed is different between work travel and non-work travel. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the vehicle speed is controlled by the vehicle speed management unit according to the separation distance at least at the separation distance within a predetermined range, the vehicle body performs work It is different at the time of work traveling running while doing, and at the time of non-work traveling running non-work

(2) The solution means corresponding to the problem (2) is as follows.

A work vehicle collision warning system for a plurality of work vehicles traveling on the same work site according to the present invention includes a first position calculation unit that calculates a first position, which is a coordinate position of the first work vehicle, by satellite positioning; A second position calculation unit that calculates a second position, which is a coordinate position of a second work vehicle, by the satellite positioning, and the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle based on the first position and the second position And an emergency stop signal for stopping the first work vehicle and / or the second work vehicle when the separation distance falls within the collision warning distance range. And a collision warning unit that outputs the The first work vehicle and the second work vehicle represent a plurality of work vehicles, and the present invention is not limited to two work vehicles, and the same applies to three or more work vehicles. The present invention applies to

In this configuration, based on the vehicle position of each work vehicle calculated using the satellite positioning function provided in each work vehicle, control for avoiding collisions between the work vehicles is performed. That is, based on the vehicle position of each work vehicle, the mutual separation distance is calculated, and when the separation distance falls within the collision warning distance range, an emergency stop of the work vehicle necessary for avoiding a collision is commanded Be done. For this reason, it becomes possible to detect the existence of each other's work vehicle correctly, and to avoid the collision of work vehicles.

In addition, when the field where crops are planted is a work site, if the obstacle detection device is an infrared sensor, ultrasonic sensor, laser radar, etc., then the crops are detected as obstacles (collision objects) It is difficult to avoid false positive detection. However, since satellite positioning is used in the present invention, such a problem can be avoided. For this reason, regardless of the state of the work site, it becomes possible to accurately detect the presence of each other's work vehicles and to avoid a collision between the work vehicles.

If a satellite positioning device is provided as a component of a car navigation system or as a component for detecting a vehicle position for automatic traveling, a device for satellite positioning is prepared. Because it is not necessary, the equipment cost for implementing the present invention is reduced.

In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the collision occurs when the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle travel in the same direction and the second work vehicle precedes the first work vehicle. The alert distance range changes according to the vehicle speed of the first work vehicle, and the collision alert distance range is configured to be longer as the vehicle speed is higher. If the vehicle speed of the work vehicle behind is high, not only the possibility that the work vehicle behind will catch up with the work vehicle in a short time will be high, but also the braking performance will deteriorate, so the collision warning distance range should be extended. Is preferred. In the case where the work vehicle behind is traveling at a high speed, the reliability of collision avoidance between work vehicles is improved by extending the collision warning distance range. On the contrary, when the work vehicle behind is traveling at a low speed, by shortening the collision warning distance range, excessive emergency stop of the work vehicle behind can be avoided and work travel can be smoothly performed. .

In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the collision occurs when the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle travel in the same direction and the second work vehicle precedes the first work vehicle. The warning distance range is configured such that the collision warning distance range becomes longer as the vehicle speed of the first work vehicle is higher than the vehicle speed of the second work vehicle. When the vehicle speed of the preceding work vehicle is lower than the vehicle speed of the following work vehicle, the distance between the two vehicles decreases, so the possibility of a collision is reduced by increasing the collision warning distance range.

In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a vehicle shape management unit for managing vehicle shape data indicating the shapes of the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle is provided, and the separation distance calculation unit A separation distance between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle is calculated based on one position, the second position, and the vehicle shape data. In this configuration, based on the vehicle position of each work vehicle and the vehicle shape data of each work vehicle, control for avoiding a collision between the work vehicles is performed. That is, since the separation distance is calculated based on the vehicle position of each work vehicle and the vehicle shape data of each work vehicle, the separation relationship between the work vehicles with each other is accurate regardless of the vehicle shape. Can be detected to avoid collisions between work vehicles.

The own vehicle position calculated based on the satellite positioning is basically the position of the satellite antenna, and the shortest distance between the working vehicles can be obtained by calculating from the antenna position using the vehicle shape data. However, the vehicle shape data is not always updated, and there is also a possibility that work tools and the like may be attached to the vehicle body in a state of protruding outside the vehicle body. In order to cope with such a situation, it is preferable to slightly inflate the shape defined by the vehicle shape data. For this reason, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the separation distance calculation unit is based on the virtual shape set larger at least on the traveling direction side than the shape defined by the vehicle shape data. Calculate the separation distance.

In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the separated distance calculation unit and the collision alert unit are capable of exchanging data with the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle via a wireless data communication network. The collision alert unit is configured to transmit the emergency stop signal to a travel control unit of the corresponding work vehicle. Such a configuration is a system in which all work vehicles traveling in the same field are centrally managed by a management computer. As a result, there is no need for each work vehicle to have the function of acquiring the position of another work vehicle and calculating the separation distance using the vehicle shape data of the work vehicle and the vehicle shape data of the own vehicle. If the management computer records the vehicle shape data of all the work vehicles being managed, each work vehicle always transmits the position of its own vehicle to the management computer. Since the emergency stop signal is given from the management computer when the distance between the car and the separated vehicle enters the collision warning distance range, it is possible to prevent a collision with another vehicle. In such a centralized management system, each work vehicle has a function of acquiring the position of another work vehicle and calculating the separation distance using the vehicle shape data of the work vehicle and the vehicle shape data of the own vehicle. Since it is not necessary, in a system in which several or more working vehicles are coordinated to perform work, it is advantageous in cost. The car shape data may be recorded in advance by the management computer, or each work vehicle may be transmitted to the management computer.

A work vehicle incorporating the work vehicle collision warning system described above is also an object of the present invention. The work vehicle that automatically travels the same work place with other vehicles according to the present invention includes a traveling control unit that controls traveling and a vehicle position calculation unit that calculates the vehicle position, which is the coordinate position of the vehicle, by satellite positioning. And the other vehicle position acquiring unit for acquiring the other vehicle position acquiring unit which is the coordinate position of the other vehicle calculated by the satellite positioning, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position based on the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position Collision that outputs an emergency stop signal to stop the vehicle or the other vehicle or both when the separation distance is within the collision warning distance range and the separation distance calculation unit that calculates the separation distance between It is equipped with a warning unit. When a plurality of work vehicles configured in this way travel on the same work site, the distance between each work vehicle can be calculated by each work vehicle obtaining the position of the other vehicle, as described above. Control can be performed to avoid a collision with another vehicle.

The work vehicle according to the present invention can, of course, adopt the various embodiments of the work vehicle collision warning system described above, and the same effects can be obtained. For example, in one of the preferred embodiments, when the vehicle and the other vehicle travel in the same direction and the other vehicle precedes the vehicle, the collision alert distance range is It fluctuates according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the collision alert distance range is controlled to be longer as the vehicle speed is higher. In a further preferable mode, when the other vehicle precedes the own vehicle, the collision alert distance range becomes longer as the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is higher than the vehicle speed of the other vehicle. To be controlled. Thereby, the collision of the working vehicles is prevented with high reliability. In a further preferred embodiment, a vehicle shape management unit is provided to manage vehicle shape data indicating the shapes of the vehicle and the other vehicle, and the separation distance calculation unit is configured to determine the vehicle position and the other vehicle. A separation distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated based on the position and the vehicle shape data. Therefore, regardless of the vehicle body shape, the separation distance between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is accurately calculated, and it is possible to avoid the collision between the working vehicles.

It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment (following, it is the same to FIG. 8), and is a side view of the combine as an example of a farm work vehicle. It is a figure showing an outline of automatic travel of a combine. It is a figure showing the run course in automatic run. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of a combine. It is a control-information flowchart which shows the flow of the control information in the vehicle speed management based on the separation distance between heels and driving mode management. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between separation distance (vertical separation distance), a vehicle speed limit command, and an automatic travel prohibition command. It is a schematic diagram which shows another embodiment of the relationship between separation distance (vertical separation distance), a vehicle speed restriction command, and an automatic travel prohibition command. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between separation distance (horizontal separation distance), a vehicle speed restriction command, and an automatic travel prohibition command. It is a figure which shows 2nd Embodiment (following, it is the same to FIG. 15), and is a side view of the combine of an ordinary type as an example of a work vehicle. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mesh route which is a travel route of a combine. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation | work driving | running | working by several combine combine. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation travel by several combine. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between a leading combine and a trailing combine. It is a functional block diagram showing a control system of a combine. It is a functional block diagram showing a work car collision warning system in a centralized management system.

First Embodiment
Next, as a harvester which is an example of the agricultural work vehicle according to the present invention, a conventional combine will be described. In the present specification, “front” (direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 1) means front in the vehicle longitudinal direction (traveling direction) unless otherwise noted, “rear” (arrow B shown in FIG. 1) Direction) means the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (traveling direction). Further, the lateral direction or the lateral direction means a transverse direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. “Up” (direction of arrow U shown in FIG. 1) and “down” (direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 1) are positional relationships in the vertical direction (vertical direction) of the vehicle body, Show.

As shown in FIG. 1, the combine has a car body 10, a traveling device 11 of a crawler type, an operation unit 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a harvesting part H, a conveying device 16, a grain discharging device 18, and an own vehicle. A position detection module 80 is provided.

The traveling device 11 is provided at the lower part of the vehicle body 10. The combine is configured to be self-propelled by the traveling device 11. The driving unit 12, the threshing device 13, and the grain tank 14 are provided on the upper side of the traveling device 11 and constitute an upper portion of the vehicle body 10. A driver who operates the combine and a supervisor who monitors the combine operation can ride on the driving unit 12. Usually, the driver and the supervisor are combined. When the driver and the monitor are different persons, the monitor may monitor the combine operation from the outside of the combine.

The grain discharging device 18 is connected to the rear lower portion of the grain tank 14. In addition, the vehicle position detection module 80 is attached to the front upper portion of the driving unit 12.

The harvester H is provided at the front of the combine. Then, the transport device 16 is connected to the rear side of the harvesting unit H. The harvester H also has a cutting mechanism 15 and a reel 17. The cutting mechanism 15 reaps the crop of the field in the field. In addition, the reel 17 scrapes the cropped cereals to be harvested while being rotationally driven. According to this configuration, the harvesting unit H harvests cereal grains (a kind of crop) in the field. And a combine traveling can carry out work traveling which travels with run device 11 while harvesting the grain of a field by harvesting part H.

The cropped rice straw which has been cut by the cutting mechanism 15 is transported by the transport device 16 to the threshing device 13. In the threshing device 13, the reaping grain is threshed. The grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in a grain tank 14. The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged to the outside by the grain discharging device 18.

In addition, the communication terminal 4 is disposed in the operation unit 12. In the present embodiment, the communication terminal 4 is fixed to the operation unit 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication terminal 4 may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from the driving unit 12, or may be located outside the vehicle of the combine.

As shown in FIG. 2, this combine travels automatically along the travel route set in the field. For this purpose, the vehicle position is required. The vehicle position detection module 80 includes a satellite positioning module 81 and an inertial measurement module 82. The satellite positioning module 81 receives GNSS (global navigation satellite system) signals (including GPS signals) transmitted from the artificial satellite GS, and outputs positioning data for calculating the position of the vehicle. There are various methods for the satellite positioning module 81. However, when the real-time kinematic method is adopted, a base station not shown is installed around the farmland. The inertial measurement module 82 incorporates a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor, and outputs a position vector indicating an instantaneous traveling direction. The inertia measurement module 82 is also used to supplement the vehicle position calculation by the satellite positioning module 81. The inertial measurement module 82 can be omitted. That is, the vehicle position detection module 80 acquires positioning data using at least satellite navigation. In addition, because combine is an agricultural work vehicle that harvests crops in the field, using laser radar or ultrasonic sensors to detect the position of the vehicle causes the crop to be in the way and the detection accuracy of field boundaries such as straw etc. It may fall. However, when the vehicle position detection module 80 is used to detect the vehicle position, it is hardly affected by agricultural products, utility poles, and the like. In addition, if the map position of a boundary such as a field boundary or the like is calculated in advance, it is possible to calculate the distance between the boundary and the boundary with high accuracy.

The procedure in the case of performing harvest work in the field by this combine is as described below.

First, the driver / supervisor manually operates the combine, and as shown in FIG. 2, in the outer peripheral portion in the field, the traveling traveling is performed so as to go around along the boundary line of the field. The combine carries out harvest work at the same time as traveling around. The area | region which became an existing area (existing area | region) by this is set as outer periphery area | region SA. Then, the area left as the uncut area (unworked area) inside the outer peripheral area SA is set as the work target area CA. In this round trip, the harvester H is brought close to the edge, so from the locus of the harvester H corresponding to the traveling locus at that time, boundary line data indicating the map position of the boundary between the inside of the field and the straw is generated be able to. In addition, work boundary line data indicating a work boundary (a work area and a non-work area) between the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA can also be generated.

In order to secure the width of the outer peripheral area SA to a certain extent, the driver travels the combine 2-3 turns. In this traveling, the width of the outer peripheral area SA is expanded by the work width of the combine each time the combine makes one revolution. After the first 2 to 3 rounds of traveling, the width of the outer peripheral area SA becomes about 2 to 3 times the working width of the combine.

The outer peripheral area SA is used as a space for the combine to turn when the harvest traveling is performed in the work target area CA. Further, the outer peripheral area SA is also used as a space for movement, such as when moving to a discharge place of grain or after moving to a fuel supply place after the harvest traveling is once finished.

In addition, the transport vehicle CV shown in FIG. 2 can collect and transport the grain discharged | emitted from the combine. At the time of grain discharge, the combine moves to the vicinity of the transport vehicle CV and then discharges the grains to the transport vehicle CV by the grain discharge device 18.

When the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA are set, as shown in FIG. 3, a travel route in the work target area CA is calculated. The calculated traveling route is sequentially set based on the work traveling pattern, and the combine is automatically controlled to travel along the set traveling route. At this time, as described below, control is performed to avoid contact with the weir (field border). In addition, control to avoid entering the work target area CA during non-operation travel, such as grain discharge, is also performed.

The control system of the combine is shown in FIG. The control system of the combine comprises a control unit 5 consisting of electronic control units called multiple ECUs, and various input / output devices that perform signal communication (data communication) with the control unit 5 through a wiring network such as an in-vehicle LAN. It is done.

The notification device 62 is a device for notifying a driver or the like of a work traveling state and various warnings, and is a buzzer, a lamp, a speaker, a display or the like. The communication unit 66 is used to exchange data between the control computer of the combine and the management computer and the external communication terminal installed at a remote place. This external communication terminal may be a tablet computer operated by an observer standing in a field or an observer (including a driver) who is riding in a combine, a computer installed at home or at a management office, or even outside a car Includes the communication terminal 4 brought out. The control unit 5 is a core element of this control system, and is shown as a collection of a plurality of ECUs. A signal from the own vehicle position detection module 80 is input to the control unit 5 through the in-vehicle LAN.

The control unit 5 includes an output processing unit 503 and an input processing unit 502 as an input / output interface. The output processing unit 503 is connected to various operation devices 70 via the device driver 65. The operating devices 70 include a traveling device group 71 which is a driving-related device and a working device group 72 which is a working-related device. The traveling device group 71 includes, for example, an engine control device, a transmission control device, a braking control device, a steering control device, and the like. The working device group 72 includes a power control device and the like in the harvesting unit H, the threshing device 13, the transport device 16, and the grain discharging device 18.

A traveling state sensor group 63, a working state sensor group 64, a traveling operation unit 90, and the like are connected to the input processing unit 502. The traveling state sensor group 63 includes a vehicle speed sensor, an engine rotational speed sensor, an overheat detection sensor, a brake pedal position detection sensor, a parking brake detection sensor, a shift position detection sensor, a steering position detection sensor, and the like. The working state sensor group 64 includes a sensor for detecting the driving state of the harvesting work device (harvesting unit H, threshing device 13, transport device 16, grain discharging device 18, see FIG. 1), and the state of grain grazes and grains A sensor is included to detect

The travel operation unit 90 is a general term for an operation tool which is manually operated by the driver and whose operation signal is input to the control unit 5. The travel operation unit 90 includes a main shift operation tool, a steering operation tool, a mode operation tool, an automatic start operation tool, and the like. The mode operation tool has a function of transmitting a command for switching between the automatic operation and the manual operation to the control unit 5. The automatic start operating tool has a function of sending a final automatic start command for starting automatic traveling to the control unit 5.

The control unit 5 includes an own vehicle position calculation unit 50, a travel control unit 51, a work control unit 52, a travel mode management unit 53, a boundary line data management unit 54, a separation distance calculation unit 55, a travel locus calculation unit 56, and a travel direction. A calculation unit 57, a work area determination unit 58, and a travel route generation unit 59 are provided. The vehicle position calculation unit 50 calculates the vehicle position in the form of map coordinates (or field coordinates) based on the positioning data sequentially sent from the vehicle position detection module 80. At that time, the position of a specific part of the vehicle body 10 (for example, the center of the vehicle body, the end of the harvesting section H, or the like, see FIG. 1) can be set as the vehicle position. The notification unit 501 generates notification data based on an instruction or the like from each functional unit of the control unit 5 and gives the notification data to the notification device 62.

The traveling control unit 51 has an engine control function, a steering control function, a vehicle speed control function, and the like, and supplies a traveling control signal to the traveling device group 71. The work control unit 52 sends a work control signal to the work equipment group 72 in order to control the movement of the harvesting work apparatus (the harvester H, the threshing apparatus 13, the transport apparatus 16, the grain discharging apparatus 18, etc. See FIG. 1). give.

The combine can travel in both automatic operation in which harvesting operation is performed automatically and manual operation in which harvesting operation is performed manually. Therefore, the traveling control unit 51 includes a manual traveling control unit 511, an automatic traveling control unit 512, a vehicle speed management unit 513, and a traveling route setting unit 514. In addition, in order to perform an automatic driving | running | working, automatic traveling modes are set, and in order to perform a manual driving, manual traveling modes are set. Such a travel mode is managed by the travel mode management unit 53.

When the automatic travel mode is set, the automatic travel control unit 512 controls the traveling device group 71 by generating a control signal for changing the vehicle speed including automatic steering and stop. In the control signal related to automatic steering, the azimuth deviation and positional deviation between the target travel route set by the travel route setting unit 514 and the own vehicle position calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 50 are eliminated Generated on The control signal related to the vehicle speed change is generated based on the preset vehicle speed value. The travel route set by the travel route setting unit 514 is generated by a route calculation algorithm registered in the travel route generation unit 59.

When the manual travel mode is selected, the manual travel control unit 511 generates a control signal based on the operation by the driver and controls the traveling device group 71 to realize the manual driving. The travel route calculated by the travel route generation unit 59 can be used for guidance for the combine to travel along the travel route, even in the case of manual driving.

The work area determination unit 58 determines an already-cut area (peripheral area SA), an uncut area (work target area CA), and the like from the harvesting work performed with a predetermined work width.

The boundary line data management unit 54, the separation distance calculation unit 55, the travel locus calculation unit 56, the traveling direction calculation unit 57, and the vehicle speed management unit 513 function to perform control to avoid contact with the straw which is the boundary line of the field. Do.

The travel locus calculation unit 56 calculates a travel locus by plotting the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 50 over time. The traveling direction calculation unit 57 calculates the traveling direction of the vehicle body 10 from the traveling locus (instant traveling locus) in a minute time in the traveling locus calculation unit 56. The traveling direction calculation unit 57 can also calculate the traveling direction based on the direction data included in the output data from the inertia measurement module 82.

The boundary line data management unit 54 is a member on the ridge side of the vehicle body 10 (outer end of the harvest area H) obtained when the combine travels along the boundary line between the ridge scene and the ridge (the boundary line of the field). The boundary line data indicating the map position of the field boundary line is generated and managed based on the traveling locus of The boundary line data management unit 54 sets the work boundary line between the already cut area (the outer circumference area SA; the already work area) and the uncut area (the work target area CA; the unworked area) from the traveling locus of the vehicle body 10 on which the work travels. Also generates work boundary data as shown. Thus, boundary line data generated through the actual round trip of the combine is referred to as real boundary line data. The boundary line data management unit 54 can also download and manage the boundary line data of the field included in the field information from the management computer and the external communication terminal. The boundary line data thus given in advance is referred to as reference boundary line data.

The separation distance calculation unit 55 calculates the separation distance to the border line of the field or the work boundary line from the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 50 and the traveling direction calculated by the traveling direction calculation unit 57. . This separation distance is used to prevent the combine from touching the weir and to inadvertently enter the uncut area (unworked area). It is necessary to calculate the distance to a specific part. That is, the separation distance calculation unit 55 records the outer shape of the vehicle body 10 (including the devices and devices attached to the vehicle body 10), and in consideration of the outer shape, the boundary or work boundary and the vehicle 10 and The distance between is calculated as the separation distance.

The separation distance calculation unit 55 uses actual boundary line data as reference line data in preference to reference boundary line data. Until the actual boundary line data is generated, that is, during the rounding, the separation distance is calculated using the reference boundary line data, and when the actual boundary line data is generated by the rounding, the actual boundary line data is used. Calculate the separation distance.

The vehicle speed management unit 513 manages the vehicle speed in accordance with the separation distance calculated by the separation distance calculation unit 55. The vehicle speed management unit 513 has a look-up table for deriving the vehicle speed limit from the separation distance. As the separation distance becomes shorter, the derived vehicle speed limit becomes lower. When the current vehicle speed calculated based on the detection signal from the traveling state sensor group 63 exceeds the limited vehicle speed, the vehicle speed manager 513 outputs a deceleration command so that the current vehicle speed becomes the limited vehicle speed. Furthermore, when the separation distance falls below the preset limit distance, the vehicle speed limit becomes zero, and the vehicle speed management unit 513 outputs a vehicle stop command. In other words, the vehicle speed management unit 513 determines the limit vehicle speed when traveling approaching the boundary line.

Next, the control information flow shown in FIG. 5 will be used to explain the flow of control for avoiding contact with straw and accidental entry into an unworked area (contact with agricultural products).

As shown in FIG. 5, the combine carries out a traveling round of the field by manual operation. In this round trip, the vehicle position calculation unit 50 calculates the vehicle position based on the positioning data output from the vehicle position detection module 80. The traveling locus calculation unit 56 calculates a traveling locus and an instantaneous traveling locus from the vehicle position. The traveling direction calculation unit 57 calculates a traveling direction based on the instantaneous traveling locus from the traveling locus calculation unit 56. The boundary line data management unit 54 calculates boundary line data from the traveling locus when the roundabout traveling on the outermost circumference is completed. The boundary line data management unit 54 also calculates work boundary line data.

The work area determination unit 58 determines the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA based on the traveling locus in the lap traveling received from the traveling locus calculation unit 56 when the lap traveling is completed. The outermost line of the outer peripheral area SA is the outline of the bird's-eye view, that is, the boundary line of the field, and the inner area defined by the innermost line of the outer peripheral area SA is the work target area CA where work travel is performed automatically. The travel route generation unit 59 generates a travel route for performing automatic travel as shown in FIG. 3 based on the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA determined by the work area determination unit 58. The generated travel route is managed by the travel route setting unit 514. Furthermore, the boundary line data management unit 54 updates the operation boundary line data each time the work travel is performed.

The distance between the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 50, the traveling direction calculated by the traveling direction calculation unit 57, the boundary line data and the work boundary line data managed by the boundary line data management unit 54 are calculated. It is sent to the part 55. The separation distance calculation unit 55 sets the vertical separation distance from the vehicle body 10 to the boundary line of the field in the traveling direction as the separation distance based on the vehicle position, the traveling direction, the boundary line data, and the outer shape of the vehicle body 10. calculate. More specifically, the separation distance calculation unit 55 calculates the distance between the front end of the vehicle body 10 and the boundary when traveling forward as the separation distance (vertical separation distance), and the distance between the rear end of the vehicle 10 and the boundary during reverse travel. Is calculated as the separation distance (vertical separation distance). Furthermore, the separated distance calculation unit 55 determines from the vehicle body 10 in the vehicle body transverse direction orthogonal to the traveling direction based on the vehicle position, the traveling direction, the boundary line data, the work boundary line data, and the outer shape of the vehicle body 10. Calculate the lateral separation distance to the boundary or work boundary as the separation distance. The separation distance calculated by the separation distance calculation unit 55 is sent to the vehicle speed management unit 513. The separation distance may be notified to the driver or the supervisor through the notification unit 501 and the notification device 62.

Based on the received separation distance and the current vehicle speed, the vehicle speed management unit 513 determines that the separation distance falls within the deceleration start distance range, the stop distance range, and the automatic travel prohibition distance range, according to the range that is suitable. It outputs a vehicle speed limit command including a deceleration command or a stop command, and further an automatic travel prohibition command. When the vehicle body 10 gets too close to the boat, the traveling control unit 51 decelerates or stops the vehicle body 10, and further, forcibly prohibits automatic traveling, whereby contact with the boat, that is, the vehicle body 10 comes into a field Avoid crossing the boundaries of

The relationship between the separation distance, the vehicle speed limit command, and the automatic travel prohibition command in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Here, the separation distance is the vertical separation distance. In the example of FIG. 6, a first alerting distance L1 defining the stopping distance range and a second alerting distance L2 defining the deceleration start distance range are set in the forward direction of travel direction of the combine. Further, a special warning distance L0 is set which defines an automatic travel prohibited distance range for prohibiting automatic travel. The separation distance is indicated by D. Between the first alerting distance L1 and the second alerting distance L2, a vehicle speed that decreases as the distance decreases is set as the limited vehicle speed. As an example, if the calculated separation distance is the second caution distance L2, a deceleration command for limiting the vehicle speed to 1.0 m / s is output.
If the calculated separation distance is the first alert distance L1, a deceleration command for limiting the vehicle speed to 0.5 m / s (limit vehicle speed) is output. If the calculated separation distance is smaller than the second warning distance L2 and larger than the first warning distance L1, according to the decreasing function that decreases from 1.0 m / s to 0.5 m / s (speed limit) as the distance decreases. The deceleration command for limiting the vehicle speed to the above value is output. Furthermore, when the separation distance reaches less than the first warning distance L1, a stop command is output as a vehicle speed limit command. When the separation distance is larger than the second caution distance L2, the vehicle speed restriction command is not output. If the separation distance is shorter than the special caution distance L0, the automatic travel prohibition command is output, and if the travel mode is the automatic travel mode, the automatic travel mode is canceled and the automatic travel is forcibly prohibited. Therefore, if the separation distance is shorter than the special warning distance L0, the combine is operated manually. Here, although a description is given in the form of traveling forward, it is possible to set the same relationship between the separation distance and the vehicle speed restriction command and the automatic traveling prohibition command even in reverse traveling.

The above-mentioned special alerting distance L0, the first alerting distance L1, and the second alerting distance L2 may be fixed values or variable values. For example, an example in the case where the special alert distance L0, the first alert distance L1, and the second alert distance L2 are configured to be changed according to the vehicle speed will be shown below.

(1) When traveling at a vehicle speed of 2.0 m / s, the special alert distance L0 is 1.0 m, the first alert distance L1 is 2.0 m, and the second alert distance L2 is 4.0 m. 2) When traveling at a vehicle speed of 1.5 m / s, the special alert distance L0 is 0.7 m, the first alert distance L1 is 1.5 m, and the second alert distance L2 is 2.5 m.

That is, the special alert distance L0, the first alert distance L1, and the second alert distance L2 increase as the vehicle speed increases, and the special alert distance L0, the first alert distance L1, and the second alert distance L2 decrease as the vehicle speed decreases. Become. Note that at least one of the special alert distance L0, the first alert distance L1, and the second alert distance L2 may be configured to be changed according to the vehicle speed. Further, the change of the special alert distance L0, the first alert distance L1, and the second alert distance L2 depending on the vehicle speed may be changed stepwise according to the vehicle speed or may be changed steplessly.

Furthermore, with respect to the separation distance between the first warning distance L1 and the second warning distance L2, the separation distance is set so that the restriction (deceleration) of the vehicle speed gradually (steplessly) increases as the separation distance becomes smaller. It may be configured to perform deceleration by

In the case where deceleration of the vehicle or stop of the vehicle is performed by the vehicle speed restriction command, or automatic travel prohibition is performed by the automatic travel prohibition command, the driver or the supervisor is notified via the notification unit 501 and the notification device 62 to that effect. Note that this avoidance control can be executed not only in automatic travel but also in manual travel.

Another form of the relationship between the separation distance and the vehicle speed limit command and the automatic travel prohibition command shown in FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. In this alternative embodiment, a special alerting distance L0, a first alerting distance L1, a second alerting distance L2, and a third alerting distance L3 are set in the forward direction of advance of the combine. The separation distance is indicated by D. When the separation distance is larger than the third caution distance L3, the vehicle speed limit command is not output. As an example, when the separation distance is equal to or less than the third warning distance L3 and larger than the second warning distance L2 (this area is referred to as a first deceleration start distance range), the vehicle speed is limited to 1 m / s as a vehicle speed limit command. A deceleration command is output. When the separation distance is equal to or less than the second warning distance L2 and greater than the first warning distance L1 (this area is referred to as a second deceleration distance range), a deceleration command for limiting the vehicle speed to 0.5 m / s as a vehicle speed limitation command. Is output. Furthermore, when the separation distance reaches the first warning distance L1 or less, a stop command is output as a vehicle speed limit command. If the separation distance is shorter than the special caution distance L0, an automatic travel prohibition command is output. That is, in this alternative embodiment, a vehicle speed of 0.5 m / s as a fixed value is allocated to the distance range between the first alert distance L1 and the second alert distance L2, and the second alert distance L2 is The third embodiment is different from the embodiment of FIG. 6 in that the vehicle speed as a fixed value is assigned 1 m / s to the distance range between the third warning distance L3 and the third warning distance L3. In this alternative embodiment, the third alert distance L3 corresponds to the second alert distance L2 in the embodiment of FIG. 6, and the second alert distance L2 is the second alert in the embodiment of FIG. It is an intermediate distance between the distance L2 and the first warning distance L1. The first warning distance L1 and the special warning distance L0 are the same as those in the embodiment of FIG. Also in this embodiment, at least one or all of the special alert distance L0, the first alert distance L1, the second alert distance L2, and the third alert distance L3 described above may be a constant value, or may be changed according to the vehicle speed May be a variable value.

Next, the relationship between the lateral separation distance, which is the separation distance from the side of the vehicle body 10 to the lateral direction, and the vehicle speed limit command and the automatic travel prohibition command will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Here, a lateral separation distance, which is a distance from the vehicle body 10 to the boundary line or the work boundary line in the transverse direction of the vehicle body, is indicated by E here. As shown in FIG. 8, a first horizontal warning distance M1, a second horizontal warning distance M2, and a special horizontal warning distance M0 are set in a region in the vehicle transverse direction from the vehicle body 10. In practice, warning distances are set on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 10, but only the warning distance on the left side is shown in FIG. Here too, a vehicle speed that decreases as the distance decreases is set as the limited vehicle speed between the first horizontal warning distance M1 and the second horizontal warning distance M2. As an example, if the calculated separation distance is the second horizontal alert distance M2, a deceleration command is output in which the vehicle speed is limited to a speed limit of about 1.0 m / s to 2.0 m / s. If the calculated separation distance is the first horizontal caution distance M1, a deceleration command for limiting the vehicle speed to a limited vehicle speed of about 0.5 m / s to 0.9 m / s is output. Then, if the calculated separation distance is between the second horizontal warning distance M2 and the first horizontal warning distance M1, as the distance becomes smaller, the first horizontal warning from the limited vehicle speed at the second horizontal warning distance M2 A deceleration command for limiting the vehicle speed to the limited vehicle speed according to the decreasing function which reduces to the limited vehicle speed at the distance M1 is output.

Furthermore, when the separation distance reaches less than the first horizontal warning distance M1, a stop command is output as a vehicle speed limit command. If the separation distance is larger than the second horizontal warning distance M2, the vehicle speed limit command is not output. If the separation distance is shorter than the special horizontal warning distance M0, the automatic travel prohibition command is output, and the automatic travel mode is forcibly canceled. Therefore, if the separation distance is shorter than the special horizontal warning distance M0, the combine will be operated manually. Here, although a description is given in the form of forward traveling, the same relationship between the separation distance, the vehicle speed restriction command, and the automatic travel prohibition instruction is set even in reverse travel. Also in this embodiment, at least one or all of the special horizontal alerting distance M0, the first horizontal alerting distance M1, and the second horizontal alerting distance M2 described above may be constant values, or variable values that are changed according to the vehicle speed. It may be

Furthermore, the limitation control using the lateral separation distance and the vehicle speed described above can be divided into control in the work traveling state and control in the non-work traveling state. In the work traveling state, a state in which the vehicle body 10 travels while harvesting a grain gutter in an unworked region, and an already-worked in order to shift from the unworked region where the vehicle body 10 performed mowing travel to the next unworked region It includes the state of U-turn traveling in the area. The non-operation traveling state includes the state in which the above-described separation traveling and return traveling are performed. In non-work travel, the vehicle body 10 usually travels at a higher speed than work travel. Therefore, during non-operation travel, the special alert distance L0, the first alert distance L1, the second alert distance L2, the third alert distance L3, and the special horizontal alert distance M0, the first horizontal alert distance, as compared to the operation during operation. At least one or all of M1 and the second horizontal warning distance M2 may be configured to be large.

Another Embodiment of the First Embodiment
(1) Each functional unit shown in FIG. 4 is divided mainly for the purpose of explanation. In practice, each functional unit may be integrated with other functional units or may be divided into a plurality of functional units. Further, among the functional units constructed in the control unit 5, the vehicle speed management unit 513, the traveling mode management unit 53, the boundary line data management unit 54, the separated distance calculation unit 55, the traveling locus calculation unit 56, and the traveling direction calculation unit 57 One of the work area determination unit 58 and the travel route generation unit 59 is built in the portable communication terminal 4 (such as a tablet computer) that can be carried and brought into a combine, and a control unit via wireless or in-vehicle LAN A configuration that exchanges data with 5 may be adopted.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the supervisor manually operates the combine and, as shown in FIG. 2, harvests and travels along the border of the field at the outer peripheral portion in the field, Thereafter, the travel route is calculated and switched to automatic driving. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be an operation method in which the combine is automatically operated from the beginning and switched to the manual operation when a special situation occurs. Further, the straight or substantially straight traveling route may be operated automatically, and the traveling route accompanied by a sharp turn such as turning may be a manually operated driving method.

(3) The present invention can be used not only for ordinary type combine but also for self-eliminating type combine. Moreover, it can utilize also for various harvest machines, such as a corn harvester, a potato harvester, a carrot harvester, and a sugarcane harvester.

Second Embodiment
Next, a general-purpose combine will be described as a harvester which is an example of a work vehicle adopting the work vehicle collision warning system of the present invention. In the present specification, “front” (direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 9) means front in the vehicle longitudinal direction (traveling direction) unless otherwise noted, “rear” (arrow B shown in FIG. 9) Direction) means the rear in the longitudinal direction (traveling direction) of the vehicle. Further, the lateral direction or the lateral direction means a transverse direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. “Up” (direction of arrow U shown in FIG. 9) and “down” (direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 9) are positional relationships in the vertical direction (vertical direction) of the vehicle body, Show.

As shown in FIG. 9, the combine has a car body 210, a traveling device 211 of a crawler type, an operation unit 212, a threshing device 213, a grain tank 214, a harvesting unit H, a conveying device 216, a grain discharging device 218, and an own vehicle. A position detection module 280 is provided.

The traveling device 211 is provided at the lower part of the vehicle body 210. The combine is configured to be self-propelled by the traveling device 211. The driving unit 212, the threshing device 213, and the grain tank 214 are provided on the upper side of the traveling device 211 and constitute an upper portion of the vehicle body 210. The driving unit 212 can be used by a driver driving a combine and a supervisor monitoring a combine operation. Usually, the driver and the supervisor are combined. When the driver and the monitor are different persons, the monitor can monitor the combine operation from the outside of the combine.

The grain discharging device 218 is connected to the rear lower portion of the grain tank 214. In addition, the vehicle position detection module 280 is attached to the front upper portion of the driver 212.

The harvester H is provided at the front of the combine. Then, the transport device 216 is connected to the rear side of the harvesting unit H. The harvester H also has a cutting mechanism 215 and a reel 217. The cutting mechanism 215 reaps the field crop of the field. In addition, the reel 217 scrapes the cropping object of harvest while being rotationally driven. According to this configuration, the harvesting unit H harvests cereal grains (a kind of crop) in the field. And a combine traveling can carry out work traveling which travels by traveling device 211, while harvesting the grain of a field by harvesting part H.

The cropped rice straw which has been cut by the cutting mechanism 215 is transported by the transport device 216 to the threshing device 213. In the threshing device 213, the reaping grain is threshed. The grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in a grain tank 214. The grains stored in the grain tank 214 are discharged to the outside by the grain discharging device 218.

In addition, in the operation unit 212, the communication terminal 202 is disposed. In the present embodiment, the communication terminal 202 is fixed to the driver 212. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication terminal 202 may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from the operation unit 212, or may be located outside the combine machine.

The combine has a function of automatically traveling along the set travel route, and includes a vehicle position detection module 280 to calculate the vehicle position on the map. The host vehicle position detection module 280 includes a satellite navigation module 281 and an inertial navigation module 282 (see FIG. 14). The satellite navigation module 281 receives a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal (including a GPS signal) transmitted from the artificial satellite GS, and outputs positioning data for calculating the vehicle position. The inertial navigation module 282 incorporates a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor, and outputs a position vector indicating an instantaneous traveling direction. The inertial navigation module 282 is used to supplement the vehicle position calculation by the satellite navigation module 281. The inertial navigation module 282 can also be omitted. That is, the vehicle position detection module 280 acquires positioning data at least using satellite navigation. In addition, because combine is an agricultural work vehicle that harvests crops in the field, using laser radar or ultrasonic sensors to detect the position of the vehicle causes the crop to be in the way and the detection accuracy of field boundaries such as straw etc. It may fall. However, according to the present invention, the vehicle position detection module 280 acquires positioning data using satellite navigation, since it is hardly affected by agricultural products, utility poles, etc. existing between the work vehicle and the boundary (such as a fence). Since it is a thing, it can detect the vehicle position certainly.

In the harvest operation by the combine, the driver / watcher first operates the combine manually, and performs harvest traveling on the perimeter of the field so as to go around along the border of the field.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the area which has become the existing area (existing area) is set as the outer peripheral area SA. Then, the area left as the uncut ground (unworked place) inside the outer peripheral area SA is set as the work target area CA. FIG. 10 shows an example of the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA.

The outer peripheral area SA is used as a space for the combine to turn when the harvest traveling is performed in the work target area CA. Further, the outer peripheral area SA is also used as a space for movement, such as when moving to a discharge place of grain or after moving to a fuel supply place after the harvest traveling is once finished. Therefore, in order to secure the width of the outer peripheral area SA to a certain extent, the driver travels the combine three to four turns. This circular traveling may also be performed by automatic traveling.

When the harvesting work is performed at least partially by the automatic traveling, the traveling route is set in the work target area CA. FIG. 10 shows a mesh line group which is an example of such a travel route. The mesh line group is generated such that the work target area CA is completely filled with mesh lines (mesh travel path), with the work width of the combine as the mesh interval.

Although not shown, a travel route is also set in the outer peripheral area SA, and the combine is used when traveling in the outer peripheral area SA. The travel route set in the outer peripheral area SA includes a departure route, a return route, a direction change route, and the like. The leaving path is used for the combine to leave the work area CA and enter the outer circumference area SA. The return path is used for the combine to return from the outer peripheral area SA to work travel in the work target area CA. The direction change path is used when the mesh travel path in the work target area CA leaves the outer circumferential area SA and enters the next mesh travel path. Since the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA change with the progress of the harvesting work, the turning path is also moved accordingly. The shape of the work target area CA may be a polygon other than a quadrangle. The mesh line is generated, for example, as a line parallel to the peripheral line of the field. The mesh lines are not limited to straight lines, and may be curved or bent or meandered.

FIG. 11 shows how a plurality of combines are automatically working on a field as the same work site. Here, for ease of understanding, two combine harvesters are taken up and referred to as a first work vehicle and a second work vehicle, respectively. Each work vehicle has a function of calculating the vehicle position (absolute coordinate value in map coordinates or relative coordinate value in field coordinates) based on satellite positioning by the vehicle position detection module 280. Furthermore, the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle also have a function of exchanging the vehicle position through wireless communication.

The transport vehicle CV shown in FIG. 11 collects grains discharged from the combine and transports the grains to a drying facility or the like. At the time of grain discharge, the combine moves to the vicinity of the transport vehicle CV and then discharges the grains to the transport vehicle CV by the grain discharge device 218.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a traveling pattern in which the first working vehicle and the second working vehicle automatically travel in cooperation with the work target area CA in which the mesh line group shown in FIG. 10 is set. . There are various modes in which a plurality of work vehicles travel in coordination. For example, a mode of traveling while freely selecting a preset traveling route, a working vehicle which selects and travels a predetermined traveling route in a predetermined order, and a traveling route freely There is a form etc. where a work vehicle is combined. Even if the vehicle travels along a preset travel path, a form in which a manually traveling work vehicle and an automatically traveling work vehicle are combined or a form in which all the work vehicles travel manually is also possible. A mode is also possible in which all the work vehicles travel manually without the travel route being set in advance. In all these forms, the work vehicle collision warning system according to the invention is applicable. The work vehicle collision alert system according to the invention is useful, as all work vehicles have a possibility of work vehicle collisions, unless they travel in a predetermined order and time in a predetermined travel path.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the first work vehicle enters the mesh path L11 from near the lower right apex of the deformed rectangle indicating the work object area CA, and turns left at the intersection of the mesh path L11 and the mesh path L21. The mesh route L21 is entered. Furthermore, it turns to the left at the intersection of the mesh path L21 and the mesh path L32 and enters the mesh path L32. In this way, the first work vehicle performs a swirling traveling in a left turn. On the other hand, the second work vehicle enters the mesh path L31 from near the top left corner of the work target area CA, turns left at the intersection of the mesh path L31 and the mesh path L41, and enters the mesh path L41. Furthermore, it turns to the left at the intersection of the mesh path L41 and the mesh path L12 and enters the mesh path L12. In this way, the second working vehicle performs a swirling traveling in a left turn. As is clear from FIG. 12, since the coordinated control is performed such that the traveling track of the second working vehicle gets in between the traveling tracks of the first working vehicle, the first working vehicle has its own working width and the second work. The second traveling vehicle has a spiral traveling with a width equal to the combined working width of the first working vehicle and the working width of the first working vehicle. . The travel trajectory of the first work vehicle and the travel trajectory of the second work vehicle create a double spiral.

In FIG. 12, the second working vehicle leaves the mesh route in the work target area CA in the middle of the work travel, travels around the outer circumference area SA, discharges the harvested material to the transport vehicle CV, and again performs the outer circumference The state of traveling around the area SA and returning to the mesh route in the work target area CA is also shown. At that time, the second work vehicle leaves at the intersection of the mesh path L41 and the mesh path L12, and the second work vehicle having advanced to the outer peripheral area SA travels to the parking position along the release path of the outer peripheral area SA, The harvest is discharged to the transport vehicle CV at the parking position.

The first work vehicle continues the work travel in the work target area CA while the second work vehicle leaves the work travel in the work target area CA and discharges the harvest. However, while the first working vehicle is traveling on the mesh route L42, the mesh route L12 is ungrounded (not traveling) due to the detachment of the second working vehicle. For this reason, the first work vehicle stops traveling on the mesh path L13, travels to the intersection of the mesh path L42 and the mesh path L12, turns left there, and travels on the mesh path L12. When the second work vehicle finishes discharging the harvested material, the second work vehicle travels leftward along the return route from the parking position along the return route, and enters the mesh route L43 from the left end of the mesh route L43 . At this time, the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle approach each other near the intersection of the mesh route L33 and the mesh route L44 on which the first work vehicle is traveling. In order to avoid the collision of the work vehicles due to the approach between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle, one of the work vehicles is forcibly stopped. This forced stop is performed by the work vehicle collision warning system according to the invention.

FIG. 13 shows a first work vehicle traveling on the mesh route La and a second work vehicle traveling on the mesh route Lb. Here, the mesh route La and the mesh route Lb extend at a crossing angle, but this is only an example of a traveling route on which the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle travel. The travel paths traveled by the respective work vehicles may be the same or may not cross each other. In FIG. 13, the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle travel in the same direction, and the second work vehicle precedes the first work vehicle. In this case, when the second work vehicle is at a stop, or when the vehicle speed of the first work vehicle is higher than the vehicle speed of the second work vehicle, the possibility of a collision comes out, so the first work vehicle and the second work If the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle becomes short, the first working vehicle can be forcibly stopped. This forced stop is also performed by the work vehicle collision warning system.

The control system of the first work vehicle is shown in FIG. The control system of the second work vehicle is basically the same. The control system of a work vehicle such as a combine is variously in charge of signal communication (data communication) with a control unit 205 consisting of electronic control units called multiple ECUs and a wiring network such as an in-vehicle LAN with this control unit 205 It consists of input and output devices.

The notification device 262 is a device for notifying a driver or the like of a work traveling state and various warnings, and is a buzzer, a lamp, a speaker, a display or the like. The communication unit 266 is used to exchange data with other work vehicles (other vehicles). The communication unit 266 is also used to exchange data between a management computer and an external communication terminal installed at a remote location. This external communication terminal may be a tablet computer operated by an observer standing in a field or an observer (including a driver) who is riding in a combine, a computer installed at home or at a management office, or even outside a car And the communication terminal 202 brought out. The control unit 205 is a core element of this control system, and is shown as a collection of a plurality of ECUs. A signal from the vehicle position detection module 280 is input to the control unit 205 through the in-vehicle LAN.

The control unit 205 includes an output processing unit 2503 and an input processing unit 2502 as an input / output interface. The output processing unit 2503 is connected to various operation devices 270 via the device driver 265. The operating devices 270 include a traveling device group 271 which is a traveling-related device and a working device group 272 which is a working-related device. The traveling device group 271 includes, for example, an engine control device, a transmission control device, a braking control device, a steering control device, and the like. The working device group 272 includes a power control device and the like in the harvesting unit H, the threshing device 213, the transport device 216, and the grain discharging device 218.

A traveling state sensor group 263, a working state sensor group 264, a traveling operation unit 290, and the like are connected to the input processing unit 2502. The traveling state sensor group 263 includes a vehicle speed sensor, an engine rotational speed sensor, an overheat detection sensor, a brake pedal position detection sensor, a parking brake detection sensor, a shift position detection sensor, a steering position detection sensor, and the like. The work state sensor group 264 includes a sensor that detects the driving state of the harvest work device (the harvester H, the threshing device 213, the transport device 216, and the grain discharging device 218), and a sensor that detects the state of the grain crucible or grain. It is included.

The travel operation unit 290 is a general term for an operation tool which is manually operated by the driver and whose operation signal is input to the control unit 205. The travel operation unit 290 includes a main shift operation tool, a steering operation tool, a mode operation tool, an automatic start operation tool, and the like. The mode operation tool has a function of sending a command for switching between the automatic operation and the manual operation to the control unit 205. The automatic start operating tool has a function of sending a final automatic start command for starting automatic traveling to the control unit 205.

The control unit 205 includes a vehicle position calculation unit 250, a travel control unit 251, a work control unit 252, a travel mode management unit 253, a travel route generation unit 254, a travel locus calculation unit 255, a work area determination unit 256, and a collision alert module. 204 is provided. The vehicle position calculation unit 250 calculates the vehicle position in the form of map coordinates (or field coordinates) based on the positioning data sequentially sent from the vehicle position detection module 280. At this time, the position of a specific part of the vehicle body 210 (for example, a vehicle reference point such as the center of the vehicle body) can be set as the vehicle position. The notification unit 2501 generates notification data based on an instruction or the like from each functional unit of the control unit 205, and gives the notification data to the notification device 262.

The traveling control unit 251 has an engine control function, a steering control function, a vehicle speed control function, and the like, and supplies a traveling control signal to the traveling device group 271. The work control unit 252 provides a work control signal to the work equipment group 272 in order to control the movement of the harvesting work apparatus (the harvesting unit H, the threshing apparatus 213, the transport apparatus 216, the grain discharging apparatus 218, etc.).

The combine can travel in both automatic operation in which harvesting operation is performed automatically and manual operation in which harvesting operation is performed manually. For this reason, the travel control unit 251 includes a manual travel control unit 2511, an automatic travel control unit 2512, and a travel route setting unit 2513. In addition, in order to perform an automatic driving | running | working, automatic traveling modes are set, and in order to perform a manual driving, manual traveling modes are set. Such a travel mode is managed by the travel mode management unit 253.

When the automatic travel mode is set, the automatic travel control unit 2512 generates a control signal of vehicle speed change including automatic steering and stop, and controls the traveling device group 271. The control signal related to the automatic steering is such that the azimuth deviation and positional deviation between the target traveling route set by the traveling route setting unit 2513 and the own vehicle position calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 250 are eliminated. It is generated. The control signal related to the vehicle speed change is generated based on the preset vehicle speed value. The travel route set by the travel route setting unit 2513 is read out from the travel route group (for example, mesh route group) stored in the travel route generation unit 254. The travel route generation unit 254 can generate travel route groups by itself using a route calculation algorithm, but can also download and use those generated by the management computer and the external communication terminal.

When the manual travel mode is selected, the manual travel control unit 2511 generates a control signal based on the operation by the driver and controls the traveling device group 271 to realize the manual driving. The travel route calculated by the travel route generation unit 254 can be used for guidance for the combine to travel along the travel route, even in the case of manual driving.

The traveling locus calculation unit 255 calculates a traveling locus by plotting the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 250 over time. The work area determination unit 256 determines an already-cut area (outer peripheral area SA), an uncut area (work target area CA), and the like from the harvest operation performed with a predetermined work width.

The collision alert module 204 is a component that plays a central role in the work vehicle collision alert system according to the present invention. The collision alert module 204 includes another vehicle position acquisition unit 241, a travel direction determination unit 242, a vehicle shape management unit 243, a separation distance calculation unit 244, and a collision alert unit 245.

The other vehicle position acquisition unit 241 receives the other vehicle position which is the own vehicle position calculated by the own vehicle position calculation unit 250 of the other vehicle sent from the second work vehicle (other vehicle) via the communication unit 266. get. The traveling direction determination unit 242 has a function of determining the traveling direction of the vehicle and a function of acquiring the traveling directions of other vehicles. The traveling direction of the own vehicle determines the traveling direction of the vehicle body 210 from the traveling locus (instant traveling locus) in a minute time calculated by the traveling locus calculation unit 255. In addition, the traveling direction determination unit 242 can also determine the traveling direction based on the direction data included in the output data from the inertial navigation module 282. The traveling direction determination unit 242 receives the traveling direction determined by the traveling direction determination unit 242 of the other vehicle by wireless communication, and manages it as the traveling direction of the other vehicle.

The vehicle shape management unit 243 manages vehicle shape data indicating the shapes of the own vehicle and other vehicles. The vehicle shape data is digitized so that the positional relationship with the specific location of the vehicle body 210 calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 250 can be understood. Therefore, by combining with the traveling direction, it becomes possible to calculate the outlines of the own vehicle and the other vehicle based on the traveling direction. That is, it is possible to calculate the location where the own vehicle collides with another vehicle. Furthermore, as an additional function for improving the reliability of collision avoidance between work vehicles, the vehicle shape management unit 243 corrects the virtual shape inflated at least on the traveling direction side more than the shape defined by the vehicle shape data. It also has the function of generating it as selected vehicle shape data.

In this embodiment, the separation distance calculation unit 244 includes the position of the host vehicle (corresponding to the first position that is the coordinate position of the first work vehicle) and the position of the other vehicle (the second position that is the coordinate position of the second work vehicle). The separation distance is calculated based on the traveling direction of the own vehicle, the traveling direction of the other vehicle, the vehicle shape data of the own vehicle, and the vehicle shape data of the other vehicle. Here, since the traveling direction and the vehicle shape data are taken into consideration, when the traveling is continued, the separation distance between the accurate portions where the vehicle and the other vehicle first contact with each other is calculated.

The collision warning unit 245 outputs an emergency stop signal to stop the vehicle body 210 when the separation distance calculated by the separation distance calculation unit 244 falls within the collision warning distance range. Furthermore, the collision warning unit 245 also has an adjustment function of changing the collision warning distance range according to the traveling state of the work vehicle having a collision possibility, in particular, the vehicle speed. For example, when the own vehicle and the other vehicle travel in the same direction, and the other vehicle precedes the own vehicle, the collision alert distance range is adjusted to be longer as the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is higher.

In addition, when the own vehicle and the other vehicle travel in the same direction, and the other vehicle precedes the own vehicle, the collision alert distance range becomes longer as the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is higher than the vehicle speed of the other vehicle. It is also possible to adjust. The vehicle speed of the other vehicle can be easily calculated from the position of the other vehicle over time.

When the emergency stop signal is output from the collision alert unit 245, the traveling control unit 251 stops the vehicle body 210. At the same time as the emergency stop signal is output, the notification unit 2501 notifies the inside of the vehicle and the outside of the vehicle of the emergency stop through the notification device 262. The collision alert unit 245 may decelerate the vehicle body 210 by outputting an emergency deceleration signal instead of the emergency stop signal if there is still a margin until the collision between the work vehicles. Furthermore, a first emergency stop signal and a second emergency stop signal are prepared as emergency stop signals, the vehicle body 210 is decelerated by the first emergency stop signal to be output first, and then the second emergency stop signal is output. Control to stop the vehicle 210 may be employed.

In the embodiment described above, the collision warning module 204 is provided for each work vehicle (combine). Instead of this, a management computer 2100 capable of exchanging data with each work vehicle (first work vehicle, second work vehicle,...) Through the wireless data communication network has the same function as the collision alert module 204, A method of centrally managing each work vehicle may be adopted. In this centralized management method, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, the management computer 2100 includes a work vehicle position acquisition unit 2410, a traveling direction determination unit 242, a separation distance calculation unit 244, and a collision alert unit 245. The work vehicle position acquisition unit 2410 receives from the vehicle position calculation units 250 (first position calculation unit, second position calculation unit,...) Of all work vehicles traveling on the same work site through the wireless data communication network. Receive your vehicle position. Further, the management computer 2100 is provided with a work vehicle management unit 2101 as a database, and the work vehicle information on all work vehicles adopting this work vehicle collision warning system is managed. The work vehicle information also includes vehicle shape data, so the work vehicle management unit 2101 also functions as a vehicle shape management unit 243. Therefore, on the work vehicle side, the collision warning module 204 shown in FIG. 14 is omitted.

When work is started, each work vehicle sends its own vehicle position including the work vehicle ID to the management computer 2100. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the first position, which is the coordinate position of the first work vehicle, is sent from the first work vehicle together with the work vehicle ID of the first work vehicle, and the second work vehicle is transmitted from the second work vehicle The second position, which is the coordinate position of, is sent together with the work vehicle ID of the second work vehicle.

The separation distance calculation unit 244 uses the vehicle position sequentially sent from each work vehicle, the traveling direction calculated from the vehicle position, and the vehicle shape data read from the work vehicle management unit 2101 using the work vehicle ID. And the separation distance of all the work vehicles is calculated. The collision alert unit 245 compares each separation distance with the collision warning distance range, and identifies a combination of work vehicles whose separation distance falls within the collision warning distance range. In this specified combination, an emergency stop signal for stopping the vehicle body 210 is transmitted to the work vehicle traveling in the collision direction. The traveling control unit 251 of the work vehicle that has received the emergency stop signal from the management computer 2100 immediately stops the vehicle body 210. The notification unit 2501 notifies the inside of the vehicle and the outside of the vehicle of the emergency stop via the notification device 262 at the same time when the emergency stop signal is output. Note that this work vehicle collision warning control can be performed not only in automatic travel but also in manual travel.

Another Embodiment of the Second Embodiment
(1) In the embodiment described above, the vehicle body 210 is stopped for the work vehicle (following work vehicle) traveling in the collision direction among the combinations of work vehicles whose separation distance falls within the collision warning distance range Emergency stop signal was sent. Alternatively, the emergency stop signal may be sent to both work vehicle combinations where the separation distance falls within the collision alert range. In addition, when the possibility of collision decreases or disappears by stopping one of the work vehicles, the emergency stop signal may be transmitted only to the work vehicle.

(2) Each functional unit shown in FIG. 14 is divided mainly for the purpose of explanation. In practice, each functional unit may be integrated with other functional units or may be divided into a plurality of functional units.

(3) In the embodiment of the centralized management system shown in FIG. 15, all functions of the collision warning module 204 in FIG. 14 are constructed in the management computer 2100. Instead of this, the traveling direction determination unit 242 may be left on the work vehicle side, and may transmit the traveling direction whose traveling direction is determined on the work vehicle side to the management computer 2100 together with the own vehicle position. Also, the vehicle shape management unit 243 may be left on the work vehicle side, and the vehicle shape data may be transmitted to the management computer 2100 from the work vehicle side. This form is particularly effective in the case of a work vehicle whose external profile changes during work travel.

(4) Even in the case of adopting the centralized management method, a portable communication terminal 202 carried by a supervisor who monitors around the work site, instead of constructing the collision alert module 204 in the management computer 2100 such as the WEB server. A configuration may be adopted that is built in a tablet computer or the like and that exchanges data with each control unit 205 using wireless communication.

(5) In the above embodiment, the travel control unit 251 automatically stops the vehicle body 210 when the collision alert unit 245 outputs an emergency stop signal. The work vehicle collision warning system according to the present invention automatically stops the possibility of a collision even if at least one work vehicle is traveling manually or all the work vehicles are traveling manually. It is useful because However, when respecting the driver's intention in manual traveling, only notification of emergency stop may be performed, and the actual stop may be performed by the driver. In addition, even in the case of automatic driving, if the supervisor is seated at the driver's seat and is in a steerable state, the automatic stop mode is forcibly switched to the manual travel mode by the output of the emergency stop signal to notify emergency stop The actual stopping may be performed by the driver.

(6) The present invention is applicable not only to ordinary-type combine but also to self-release-type combine. In addition, it can be applied to various harvesters such as corn harvester, potato harvester, carrot harvester and sugarcane harvester, and field work vehicles such as rice transplanter and tractor. Furthermore, it can be applied to lawn mowers and construction machines.

Note that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiment (including the other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in the other embodiments as long as no contradiction arises. The embodiment disclosed in the present specification is an exemplification, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the object of the present invention.

5: control unit 50: vehicle position calculation unit 51: traveling control unit 511: manual traveling control unit 512: automatic traveling control unit 513: vehicle speed management unit 514: traveling route setting unit 52: work control unit 53: traveling mode management unit 54: boundary line data management unit 55: separation distance calculation unit 56: travel locus calculation unit 57: travel direction calculation unit 58: work area determination unit 59: travel route generation unit 501: notification unit 62: notification device 80: vehicle position Detection module 81: Satellite positioning module 82: Inertial measurement module CA: Work area SA: Outer peripheral area 210: Vehicle body 204: Collision warning module 241: Other vehicle position acquisition unit 242: Traveling direction determination unit 243: Vehicle shape management unit 244: Distance calculation unit 245: collision warning unit 205: control unit 250: own vehicle position Position calculation unit (first position calculation unit, second position calculation unit)
2501: notification unit 2502: input processing unit 2503: output processing unit 251: traveling control unit 2511: manual traveling control unit 2512: automatic traveling control unit 2513: traveling route setting unit 252: work control unit 253: traveling mode management unit 254: Travel route generation unit 255: Travel locus calculation unit 256: Work area determination unit 280: Vehicle position detection module 281: Satellite navigation module 282: Inertial navigation module 290: Travel operation unit 2100: Management computer 2101: Work vehicle management unit 2410: Work vehicle position acquisition unit

Claims

A boundary data management unit that manages boundary line data indicating a map position of a field boundary line;
A vehicle position detection module that acquires positioning data using satellite navigation;
A vehicle position calculation unit that calculates a vehicle position based on the positioning data;
A travel direction calculation unit that calculates a travel direction of the vehicle body from the vehicle position;
A separation distance calculation unit that calculates a vertical separation distance from the vehicle body to the boundary in the traveling direction as the separation distance based on the traveling direction and the outer shape of the vehicle body;
An agricultural work vehicle comprising: a vehicle speed management unit configured to manage a vehicle speed according to the separation distance.
The agricultural working vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the boundary line data management unit generates the boundary line data based on a traveling locus obtained from the vehicle position calculation unit when traveling round the boundary line.
The traveling route generation unit is provided which generates a traveling route for working the work target area left inside the existing work area by the work traveling by the automatic traveling. Agricultural work vehicles described in.
The boundary data management unit manages work boundary data indicating a position of a work boundary between the unworked area and the already-worked area in the field;
The separation distance calculation unit is configured to calculate a lateral separation distance from the vehicle body to at least one of the boundary line and the work boundary line in a vehicle body transverse direction orthogonal to the traveling direction based on the traveling direction and the outer shape of the vehicle body. The agricultural work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is calculated as the separation distance.
The boundary line data management unit manages data indicating the boundary line of the field given in advance as reference boundary line data, and manages the boundary line data calculated through the round trip as actual boundary line data And
4. The agricultural working vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the separation distance is calculated based on the reference boundary line data at the time of the circumferential traveling, and the separation distance is calculated based on the actual boundary line data at the time of automatic traveling.
The agricultural vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vehicle speed management unit outputs a vehicle speed restriction command for restricting the vehicle speed according to the separation distance.
The agricultural working vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle speed management unit decelerates the vehicle body when the separated distance enters a preset deceleration start distance range.
The agricultural work vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the deceleration start distance range is changed according to the current vehicle speed.
The agricultural work vehicle according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the vehicle speed management unit stops the vehicle body when the separation distance is in a predetermined stop distance range.
The agricultural working vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the stopping distance range is changed according to the current vehicle speed.
An automatic cruise control unit is provided.
The agricultural work vehicle according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein, during automatic traveling, the vehicle speed management unit prohibits automatic traveling when the separated distance enters a preset automatic traveling prohibited distance range.
The agricultural work vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the automatic travel prohibited distance range is changed according to a current vehicle speed.
The vehicle speed management unit stops the vehicle body when the separation distance enters a predetermined stop distance range.
The agricultural work vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the automatic travel prohibited distance range is shorter than the stopping distance range.
The vehicle speed management unit decelerates the vehicle body when the separation distance enters a preset deceleration start distance range,
The agricultural work vehicle according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein a stopping distance range in which the separation distance is preset is shorter than the deceleration start distance range.
The separation distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the front end of the vehicle body and the boundary when traveling forward as the separation distance, and calculates the distance between the rear end of the vehicle and the boundary when traveling reversely. The agricultural work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
The vehicle speed managed by the vehicle speed management unit according to the separation distance is at least when the separation distance is within a predetermined range, the vehicle travels while the vehicle is performing work, and does not travel during work travel The agricultural work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which is different from the non-working travel time.
A work vehicle collision warning system for a plurality of work vehicles working on the same work site, comprising:
A first position calculator configured to calculate a first position, which is a coordinate position of the first work vehicle, by satellite positioning;
A second position calculation unit that calculates a second position, which is a coordinate position of a second work vehicle, by the satellite positioning;
A separation distance calculation unit that calculates a separation distance between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle based on the first position and the second position;
A work vehicle collision warning comprising: a collision warning unit for outputting an emergency stop signal for stopping the first work vehicle or the second work vehicle or both when the separation distance is in a collision warning distance range system.
When the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle travel in the same direction and the second work vehicle precedes the first work vehicle, the collision alert distance range is the vehicle speed of the first work vehicle The work vehicle collision warning system according to claim 17, wherein the collision warning distance range becomes longer as the vehicle speed increases.
When the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle travel in the same direction and the second work vehicle precedes the first work vehicle, the collision alert distance range is the vehicle speed of the first work vehicle The work vehicle collision warning system according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the collision warning distance range becomes longer as the vehicle speed of the second work vehicle is higher.
A car shape management unit configured to manage car shape data indicating shapes of the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle;
The separation distance calculation unit calculates the separation distance between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle based on the first position, the second position, and the vehicle shape data. The work vehicle collision warning system according to any one of the preceding claims.
The work vehicle collision alert according to claim 20, wherein the separation distance calculation unit calculates the separation distance based on a virtual shape set larger at least on the traveling direction side than the shape defined by the vehicle shape data. system.
The separated distance calculation unit and the collision warning unit are constructed in a management computer that can exchange data with the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle via a wireless data communication network,
The work vehicle collision warning system according to any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the collision warning unit transmits the emergency stop signal to a traveling control unit of the corresponding work vehicle.
A working vehicle that travels the same work place with other vehicles
A traveling control unit that controls traveling;
A vehicle position calculation unit that calculates the vehicle position, which is the coordinate position of the vehicle, by satellite positioning;
Another vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires another vehicle position that is the coordinate position of the other vehicle calculated by the satellite positioning;
A separation distance calculation unit that calculates a separation distance between the own vehicle and the other vehicle based on the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position;
A work vehicle comprising: a collision warning unit that outputs an emergency stop signal to stop the vehicle and / or the other vehicle when the separation distance enters a collision warning distance range.
When the own vehicle and the other vehicle travel in the same direction and the other vehicle precedes the own vehicle, the collision alert distance range fluctuates according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, and the vehicle speed is high. The work vehicle according to claim 23, wherein the collision alert distance range becomes longer as the collision warning distance increases.
When the own vehicle and the other vehicle travel in the same direction, and the other vehicle precedes the own vehicle, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is higher than the vehicle speed of the other vehicle in the collision alert distance range. The work vehicle according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the collision alert distance range becomes longer as the collision warning distance increases.
A vehicle shape management unit for managing vehicle shape data indicating the shapes of the vehicle and the other vehicle;
26. The separation distance calculation unit according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the separation distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated based on the vehicle position, the other vehicle position, and the vehicle shape data. The work vehicle collision warning system described in the paragraph.