JP2016168883A - Work vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work vehicle efficiently achieving interruption and restart of automatic travel in an automatic traveling state.SOLUTION: A work vehicle is provided with: an automatic travel control part 51 executing automatic travel on the basis of an own vehicle position and a target travel path; a manual travel control part 52 executing manual travel on the basis of an operation signal from a manual travel operation unit 9 that is manually operated; a first control part 61 executing shift from manual travel to automatic travel on a condition of manual stop of the vehicle; a second control part 62 executing forced stop of the vehicle when shifting from automatic travel to manual travel; and a third control part 63 that executes forced stop of the vehicle while temporarily interrupting automatic travel in response to an interruption command from the manual travel operation unit 9 and restarts automatic travel in response to a restart comment from the manual travel operation unit 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a work vehicle including an automatic travel control unit that performs automatic travel based on a host vehicle position and a target travel route, and a manual travel control unit that performs manual travel based on a manual operation.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic travel mode that enables automatic travel along a set route, a manual travel mode that allows the aircraft to travel according to an artificial operation, an automatic travel preparation mode, and a manual travel preparation mode. A traveling vehicle including mode switching means for performing mode switching between the two is disclosed. The automatic travel preparation mode is a transition mode from the manual travel mode to the automatic travel mode, and the engine becomes an idling speed, enters a travel stop state, and waits until a travel work start command is issued. If the data necessary for automatic driving is prepared and an automatic driving start instruction is issued in the automatic driving preparation mode, the mode is shifted to the automatic driving mode. In the automatic travel preparation mode, when the automatic travel interruption condition is satisfied or the set time has elapsed after the transition, the mode shifts to the manual travel preparation mode. The manual travel preparation mode is a transition mode from the automatic travel mode to the manual travel mode, and the engine becomes idle speed and travel stops.

JP 2014-180894 A

In the traveling vehicle according to Patent Document 1, the manual travel preparation mode is interposed at the time of transition from automatic travel to manual travel, and the automatic travel preparation mode is interposed at the time of transition from manual travel to automatic travel. Unexpected movement of the vehicle can be suppressed when shifting from running to automatic running. However, during the execution of the automatic traveling, there is not a high necessity for temporarily interrupting the automatic traveling in order to confirm the surroundings of the vehicle and the working state. Then, when the confirmation is completed, automatic driving is resumed. In automatic traveling of such work, when automatic traveling or manual traveling is canceled as disclosed in Patent Document 1, if automatic traveling preparation mode or automatic traveling preparation mode is always entered, there is little interruption of automatic traveling. Under such circumstances, automatic driving becomes inconvenient.
In view of the above circumstances, there is a demand for a control that can efficiently interrupt and resume automatic driving in an automatic driving state.

  A work vehicle according to the present invention includes an own vehicle position detection module that detects an own vehicle position, a route calculation unit that calculates a target travel route, and an automatic that performs automatic travel based on the own vehicle position and the target travel route. A travel control unit, a manually operated manual travel operation unit, a manual travel control unit that executes manual travel based on an operation signal from the manual travel operation unit, and the manual travel control unit on condition that the vehicle is manually stopped A first control unit that executes a transition from manual travel by the automatic travel control unit to automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit, and a forced stop of the vehicle at the time of transition from automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit to manual travel by the manual travel control unit In response to an interruption command from the second control unit to be executed and the manual driving operation unit, the automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit is temporarily interrupted to execute a forced stop of the vehicle. As well as a third control unit that resumes automatic running by the response the automatic travel control unit to resume command from the manual driving operation unit are provided.

  According to this configuration, there is a state in which the vehicle is stopped by the operator's own operation at the time of transition from manual travel to automatic travel, and the vehicle is automatically forcibly stopped at the time of transition from automatic travel to manual travel. Therefore, unexpected movement of the vehicle is suppressed when shifting from automatic travel to manual travel or from manual travel to automatic travel. Further, during automatic traveling, the automatic traveling is temporarily interrupted by manually giving an interruption command, and the vehicle is forcibly stopped. If there is no reason to interrupt the automatic travel, the automatic travel is resumed by giving a resume command manually. As a result, during the execution of the automatic traveling, the temporary automatic suspension and resumption for confirming the surroundings of the vehicle, the confirmation of the working state, and the like are smoothly and appropriately realized.

  Usually, automatic driving means unmanned driving, and the transition from manual driving to automatic driving must be done carefully to avoid unexpected movement of the vehicle. For this purpose, it is important to prepare a plurality of conditions for shifting from manual travel to automatic travel, and to reliably estimate the operator's intention to transition from manual travel to automatic travel. Therefore, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first control unit inputs a detection signal indicating the detection of the neutral state of the forward / reverse operation tool and the detection signal indicating the detection of the OFF state of the PTO drive operation tool. A transition to automatic travel is estimated on the condition of at least one of the following: input of detection signal indicating detection of active state of signal for automatic travel, and presence of automatic travel request signal for requesting automatic travel, and The first control unit permits execution of automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit in response to an input of an automatic traveling permission signal for permitting automatic traveling while estimating the transition to the automatic traveling. .

  During manual driving, an operator gets into the vehicle and controls it.However, during automatic driving, it is common for the operator to get off the vehicle and monitor the vehicle that runs automatically outside the vehicle. is there. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the automatic travel request signal is generated by an operation on an internal operation device provided in the work vehicle, and the automatic travel permission signal is generated from outside the work vehicle. It is generated by a remote operation device (remote control) to be operated. Thereby, at the time of automatic traveling, the operator can perform or monitor other work while monitoring away from the vehicle.

  When shifting from automatic travel to manual travel, there is a high possibility that an operator is not on the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to instruct to stop automatic travel by remote control. Furthermore, in an emergency, it is necessary for an operator to get directly into the vehicle and stop the automatic traveling. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the second control unit includes a vehicle speed setting change operation, a manual control device operation, the presence of an automatic travel unnecessary signal for canceling a request for automatic travel, Forced to shift from automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit to manual driving by the manual driving control unit in response to any one of automatic driving stop commands by a remote operation device operated from outside the work vehicle Perform a stop. If it is configured to permit execution of manual travel based on a manual operation for manual travel on the vehicle after this forced stop, a more appropriate shift to manual travel is realized.

It is a schematic diagram which shows typically the basic principle of switching control between manual driving | running | working and automatic driving | running | working. It is a side view of the tractor which is one of the embodiments of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of a control system. It is a figure which shows control mode. It is a figure which shows the content of the instruction | indication according to the pressing time of the 1st switch and 2nd switch which were provided in the remote control device.

  Before describing a specific embodiment of the work vehicle according to the present invention, the basic principle relating to vehicle stop at the time of switching between manual travel and automatic travel will be described with reference to FIG. The target work vehicle here is equipped with a vehicle position detection module 8 that detects the position of the vehicle using GPS or the like, and a manual travel operation unit 9 that is manually operated. A route calculation unit 50, an automatic travel control unit 51, and a manual travel control unit 52 are provided. The route calculation unit 50 calculates a target travel route that is a work travel route in the work target site. The automatic travel control unit 51 causes the vehicle to automatically travel based on the target travel route and the own vehicle position given from the own vehicle position detection module 8 (automatic travel state of the vehicle). The manual travel control unit 52 manually travels the vehicle based on a manual operation on the manual travel operation unit 9 including a steering handle and a control lever, and a manual operation device 9 including a brake pedal.

  Further, the control system includes a first control unit 61, a second control unit 62, and a third control unit 63 that function when switching between manual travel by the manual travel control unit 52 and automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit 51. Has been built. The first control unit 61 manages the transition from manual travel by the manual travel control unit to automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit 51. At that time, the transition of the control is conditional on a manual stop of the vehicle. That is, in manual travel, the transition from manual travel to automatic travel is not possible unless the operator once stops the vehicle. This manual stop of the vehicle is described as a first stop state in FIG. The second control unit 62 automatically forcibly stops the vehicle when shifting from automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit 51 to manual traveling by the manual traveling control unit 52. This automatic stop of the vehicle is described as a second stop state in FIG. In response to the interruption command from the manual traveling operation unit 9, the third control unit 63 temporarily interrupts the automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit 51 and executes the forced stop of the vehicle. This forcible temporary stop of the vehicle is described as a third stop state in FIG. Further, the third control unit 63 resumes the automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit 51 in response to the resuming command from the manual traveling operation unit 9 for the vehicle in which the automatic traveling is suspended and stopped.

Next, the transition of the automatic travel state, the manual travel state, the first stop state, the second stop state, and the third stop state will be described with reference to FIG.
(1) An operator enters the work vehicle as a driver, and causes the work vehicle to travel by manual operation (step #A). In this manual travel state, the travel control by the manual travel control unit 52 functions based on an operation command from a manual steering device installed inside the vehicle.

  (2) When shifting from the manual travel state to the automatic travel state, the driver stops the work travel of the vehicle. Further, the first control unit 61 shows the detection of the neutral state of the forward / reverse operation tool, the detection of the OFF state of the PTO drive operation tool, the confirmation of the automatic travel enable state, and the detection of the active state of the automatic travel signal. The transition to automatic travel is estimated on the condition that the detection signal is input and the presence of an automatic travel request signal that requests automatic travel. The confirmation of the automatic driving enabled state is, for example, checking whether or not a signal (such as a GPS signal) related to the vehicle position from the vehicle position detecting module 8 is input and confirming the input of the signal It is set by a status flag or the like that one has been confirmed. Since the confirmation of the automatic driving state is performed when the automatic driving state is shifted from the manual driving state, the automatic driving state is not confirmed. Transition to driving is prohibited. An example of the automatic travel request signal is a signal generated by an operation on the manual travel operation unit 9 such as a switch or a button provided inside the work vehicle. The state in which the shift to the automatic traveling is estimated is the first stop state (step #B). As described above, since the automatic travel enabled state is confirmed in the first stop state, the transition from the first stop state to the automatic travel state is performed reliably. Note that the transition to the first stop state is notified to the driver visually, audibly, or both through a monitor, a lamp, a speaker, and a buzzer. Thus, the driver can know that preparation for shifting to the automatic driving state is completed.

  (3) In the first stop state, when an automatic travel permission signal for permitting automatic travel is finally input to the first control unit 61, the travel control of the vehicle is transferred to the automatic travel control unit 51. An example of the automatic travel permission signal is a signal that is generated by a remote operation device operated from the outside of the work vehicle and transmitted by wireless communication. Thereby, the automatic travel control unit 51 starts the automatic travel of the vehicle from the first stop state, and the vehicle enters the automatic travel state (step #C). In the first state, if the driver forcibly performs a manual travel operation, the process shifts from the first stop state to the manual travel state as an exception process. Of course, even when various signals that create the state where the transition from the manual travel state to the automatic travel is estimated, the first stop state transitions to the manual travel state.

  (4) When shifting from the automatic travel state to manual travel, it is necessary to input a signal or command to the second control unit 62 in order to establish a condition for shifting from automatic travel to manual travel. Examples of events as such conditions include vehicle speed setting change operation (a type of status detection signal) through operation of the shift lever, accelerator operation tool, and brake pedal, operation on a manual control device, and request for automatic driving using switches and buttons. The presence of an automatic travel unnecessary signal for canceling, and an automatic travel stop command by a remote operation device operated outside the work vehicle. In response to such an event, the second control unit 62 forcibly stops the vehicle in preparation for the transition from the automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit 51 to the manual travel by the manual travel control unit 52. A stop state is created (step #D).

  Furthermore, in the second stop state, when the second control unit 62 confirms that a manual operation for manual travel on the vehicle is performed through a state detection signal from the vehicle state detection unit 90, the vehicle travel control is performed. Then, it is transferred to the manual travel control unit 52. Thereby, the manual travel of the vehicle by the manual travel control unit 52 is started from the second stop state, and the vehicle returns to the manual travel state (step #A).

  (5) Next, a case will be described in which the automatic travel is interrupted and resumed immediately afterwards for the purpose of, for example, temporary standby, instead of shifting to manual travel in the automatic travel state. In an automatic driving state, when an automatic driving interruption command is input from a remote operation device that is a remote-operating manual driving operation unit, the third control unit 63 temporarily stops the automatic driving to force the vehicle. A stop is executed to create a third stop state (step #E). In the third stop state, the vehicle and the work device equipped on the vehicle are temporarily stopped, but preparation for manual travel is not performed. If there is no reason to interrupt the automatic travel, the third control unit 63 resumes the automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit 51 by giving a restart command from the remote operation device to the third control unit 63 (step #C). .

  Next, one specific embodiment of the work vehicle of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the work vehicle is a tractor equipped with a work device that performs farm work such as tillage work on a farm field that is bounded by straw. In this tractor, a steering section 30 is formed at the center of the vehicle body 3 supported by the front wheels 2a and the rear wheels 2b. The ground work device 4 is mounted on the rear portion of the vehicle body 3 via a hydraulic lifting mechanism 40. The front wheel 2a functions as a steered wheel, and the traveling direction of the tractor is changed by changing the steering angle. The steering angle of the front wheel 2 a is changed by the operation of the steering mechanism 6. The steering mechanism 6 is provided with a steering drive unit 6a for automatic steering. Control of the electric motor which comprises the steering drive part 6a is performed by the steering drive signal from the electronic control unit 7 demonstrated later. The steering angle of the front wheel 2a can also be achieved by operating the internal operation device 9A as usual, and is disposed in the tractor control section 30. The control unit 30 is also provided with a vehicle position detection module 8 for measuring the position of the vehicle necessary for automatic steering operation. The own vehicle position detection module 8 includes a satellite navigation module configured as a GNSS module and an inertial navigation module configured as a gyro module incorporating a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor. The satellite navigation module includes a satellite antenna for receiving GPS signals and GNSS signals, but is omitted in FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows a control system equipped in this work vehicle. This control system employs the basic principle described with reference to FIG. The control system shown in FIG. 3 includes an electronic control unit 7, a host vehicle position detection module 8, a manual travel operation unit 9, a vehicle state detection unit 90 including a switch / sensor group, and the like.

  The own vehicle position detection module 8 includes a satellite navigation module 81 that detects an orientation such as latitude and longitude using GPS (GNSS), and the configuration thereof is similar to that of a positioning unit used in a car navigation system or the like. It is similar. The own vehicle position detection module 8 is used for inertial navigation having a gyro acceleration sensor or the like to detect instantaneous movement (direction vector or the like) or direction of the working vehicle and to complement the satellite navigation module 81. A module 82 is provided.

  The manual travel operation unit 9 is a general term for operation tools that are operated by an operator during work travel of a tractor, and is a remote control operation tool that is used for an internal operation device 9A provided inside the tractor and an operation from outside the tractor. Remote control device 9B. This tractor employs a by-wire system, and an operation on the manual travel operation unit 9 is input to the electronic control unit 7 as an operation signal, and an output signal in response to the operation signal is obtained through necessary arithmetic processing and determination processing. Is output. The output signal is converted into a control signal by the corresponding device driver 71, and the corresponding operation device 72 is operated by this control signal. For example, the steering drive unit 6a (see FIG. 2), which is one of the motion devices 72, adjusts the steering angle of the front wheels 2a that are steered wheels based on the steering drive output signal output from the electronic control unit 7.

  The vehicle state detection unit 90 is a generic name for switches and sensors that detect the traveling state and setting state of the work vehicle, and detection signals from these are input to the electronic control unit 7 and used as input parameters for various controls. Is done. The vehicle state detection unit 90 includes various detectors that output detection signals indicating the power transmission state and the shift state of the tractor and the operation state of the ground work device 4.

  The electronic control unit 7 is substantially constructed by a computer, and includes an input signal processing unit 53, a device control unit 54, and a notification unit 55 as input / output function units. The input signal processing unit 53 processes signals from the manual travel operation unit 9 and the vehicle state detection unit 90 and transfers the signals to the functional units of the electronic control unit 7. The device control unit 54 generates an output signal for operating the operation device 72 and outputs the output signal to the corresponding device driver 71. The notification unit 55 generates information to be notified to the operator, and outputs the information to a notification device 73 such as a display or a lamp if it is visual information, or to a notification device 73 such as a speaker or buzzer if it is auditory information.

  The electronic control unit 7 further includes a route calculation unit 50, an automatic travel control unit 51, a manual travel control unit 52, a first control unit 61, and a second control unit 62 as arithmetic processing function units realized mainly by execution of a program. A third control unit 63 is included. These various functions of the arithmetic processing function unit can realize the basic principle of control described with reference to FIG.

  The route calculation unit 50 includes field information such as the map position of the field that is the work target and the position data of the ridge that defines the boundary line of the field, and device setting data (for example, work width) regarding the field work to be performed. Based on such work information, a target travel route for automatic work travel is acquired. Regarding acquisition of the target travel route, downloading from a remote management server, reading from the target travel route possessed by the work vehicle itself for each field and operation, etc. can be employed. You may calculate and obtain | require each time with the algorithm which calculates a target driving | running route. Further, the target travel route may be calculated through teaching travel.

  The automatic travel control unit 51 has a function of managing the automatic travel of the tractor, and the position deviation of the vehicle position relative to the target travel route determined based on the vehicle position data sent from the vehicle position detection module 8 The azimuth deviation is calculated, and the steering of the tractor is controlled so that the deviation falls within a predetermined range. Further, the automatic travel control unit 51 controls the speed change mechanism in order to realize the set vehicle speed, and controls the lifting mechanism 40 and the ground work device 4 in order to perform the set work.

  The manual travel control unit 52 has a function of managing the manual travel of the tractor, and controls the operation device 72 based on the operation command input by the operator through the manual travel operation unit 9 so that the tractor is operated by the operator. Run and stop as intended.

  The first control unit 61 has a function of managing the transition from manual travel to automatic travel, the second control unit 62 has the function of managing the transition from automatic travel to manual travel, and the third control unit 63 is In response to a command from the manual travel operation unit 9, it has a function of managing the suspension and resumption of automatic travel. For this reason, an automatic travel interruption unit 631 and an interruption cancellation unit 632 are constructed in the first control unit 61.

  The tractor is equipped with an obstacle detection unit 10 that detects obstacles existing around the tractor. In this embodiment, the processing function when the obstacle detection unit 10 detects an obstacle is included in the third control unit 63. The obstacle detection unit 10 is provided in the tractor and detects an obstacle existing around the tractor. The obstacle detection unit 10 can be configured using, for example, a laser sensor or a radar sensor, or can be configured using a camera.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows the transition from manual travel to automatic travel, transition from automatic travel to manual travel, and restart from interruption of automatic travel in this tractor. In this embodiment, the control operation of the electronic control unit 7 in each state of the tractor is performed in six control modes, that is, the manual operation mode M1, the automatic operation permission mode M2, the automatic operation mode M3, the automatic operation interruption mode M4, and the manual operation check. It is divided into mode M5 and emergency stop mode M6

  The manual operation mode M1 is a state in which control relating to the work travel of the tractor is entrusted to an operator (driver). In this manual operation mode M1, the tractor travels according to the operation of the driver. The automatic operation permission mode M2 is a state where the tractor can automatically travel, and is a state waiting for switching from the manual operation mode M1 to the automatic operation mode M3 described later. In this automatic driving permission mode M2, the tractor is in a stopped state (corresponding to the first stopped state in FIG. 1). The automatic operation mode M3 is a state in which the control related to the traveling of the tractor is left to the automatic traveling control unit 51. In the automatic operation mode M3, the tractor follows the instruction of the automatic traveling control unit 51.

  The automatic driving interruption mode M4 is a state in which an interruption instruction from the remote operation device 9B is received and automatic driving is temporarily interrupted. In the automatic driving interruption mode M4, the tractor is stopped (see FIG. 1). Corresponding to the third stop state). The manual operation check mode M5 is a transition state when switching from the automatic operation to the manual operation. In the manual operation check mode M5, the tractor is stopped (corresponding to the second stop state in FIG. 1). The emergency stop mode M6 is a state where the automatic operation of the tractor cannot be continued due to an abnormality of the system related to the automatic operation and the traveling is stopped. In this emergency stop mode M6, the tractor is stopped.

  When the obstacle detection unit 10 detects an obstacle, the automatic traveling interruption unit 631 of the third control unit 63 interrupts the automatic traveling of the tractor. However, it is possible to give a command for invalidating the processing based on the obstacle detection to the third control unit 63 through the manual traveling operation unit 9 for the tractor in which the automatic traveling is interrupted.

  When the tractor is in the automatic driving permission mode M2, when the automatic driving start command is given based on the operation of the remote operation device 9B, specifically, the operation on the remote operation device 9B, the control mode is the automatic driving permission mode M2. Shifts to automatic operation mode M3 and starts automatic traveling. If the obstacle detection unit 10 detects an obstacle around the tractor during automatic traveling, the automatic traveling interruption unit 631 forcibly interrupts the automatic traveling of the tractor. At this time, the tractor shifts from the automatic operation mode M3 to the automatic operation interruption mode M4.

  When the discontinuation canceling unit 632 of the third control unit 63 receives an invalidation command from the remote operation device 9B during interruption of automatic traveling based on obstacle detection during automatic traveling, it resumes automatic traveling. As a result, the tractor shifts from the automatic operation interruption mode M4 to the automatic operation mode M3.

  When the automatic traveling is interrupted by the automatic traveling interruption unit 631, the notification unit 55 notifies the tractor that automatic traveling is being interrupted. As described above, the automatic travel interruption unit 631 interrupts the automatic travel when the obstacle detection unit 10 detects an obstacle around the tractor. The notification unit 55 notifies the surroundings that automatic driving has been interrupted in this way. Thereby, the surrounding users can know the reason why the tractor stopped the automatic travel.

  Even when the automatic traveling of the tractor is interrupted by the automatic traveling interrupting unit 631, the obstacle detecting unit 10 continues to detect the obstacle even when there is an invalidation instruction. As a result, even when an obstacle that has been detected so far moves, it is possible to detect the trend of the obstacle, and it is newly included in the detection range of the obstacle detection unit 10. It is also possible to detect obstacles.

  On the other hand, the notification unit 55 continues to notify that the automatic travel is being interrupted even when there is an invalidation instruction. Accordingly, it is possible to notify the periphery of the tractor that the suspension of the automatic traveling due to the obstacle detection by the obstacle detection unit 10 has been canceled.

Below, an example of the state of a tractor and a driver | operator's operation in the control mode mentioned above, manual operation mode M1, automatic operation permission mode M2, automatic operation mode M3, and manual operation check mode M5 is shown.
(1) The manual operation mode is a state in which control related to traveling / working of the tractor is entrusted to the driver. The automatic operation permission mode is a state in which the tractor can be automatically driven and waits for a mode switching signal. The automatic operation mode is a state in which control relating to the traveling and work of the tractor is entrusted to the automatic control system. Manual operation check mode: This is a state when switching from automatic operation to manual operation.
(2) When the main key is ON, the control system for the unmanned tractor always starts from the manual operation mode M1.
(3) The manual operation mode M1 shifts to the automatic operation permission mode M2 under the following condition set;
(Xa) Shuttle neutral,
(Xb) PTO switch OFF,
(Xc) Confirmation of input of information necessary for automatic driving (GPS signal, etc.)
(Xd) Confirmation that there is no abnormality in the control system,
When all of the above Xa to Xd are satisfied (state X), the automatic driving permission mode is set when the automatic driving switching setting (switch or liquid crystal operation) mounted on the unmanned vehicle is set to “automatic”. Move to M2.
(4) When the state X is established, the user is informed that the automatic operation is ready by the lighting state of the lamp or the screen display of the liquid crystal.
(5) In the automatic operation permission mode M2, the tractor maintains a stopped state.
(6) When the state X is not established in the automatic operation permission mode M2, or when the automatic operation switching setting is set to “manual”, the process returns to the manual operation mode.
(7) When the automatic driving execution setting (manual input through a switch or touch panel) of a vehicle traveling manually is set to “automatic driving execution” with the automatic driving permission mode set, it switches to the automatic driving mode. .
(8) In the automatic operation mode M3, control related to traveling and work is performed by a control command from an operation device for instructing automatic traveling of a vehicle that is traveling unattended.
(9) When the following condition (condition Y) is satisfied during automatic operation, the mode shifts to the manual operation check mode.
Condition Y: One of the following holds:
(Ya) An abnormality occurs in the control system of a vehicle that is unmanned or manually driven,
(Yb) Changes in vehicle speed settings for unmanned vehicles (shift levers, brakes, accelerators, etc.)
(Yc) Steering operation of unmanned vehicle
(Yd) switching to “manual” of the automatic driving switching setting of the unmanned vehicle,
(Ye) Switching the automatic driving execution setting of the vehicle traveling manually to “end of automatic driving”,
(Yf) Forced mode switching instruction from a manually traveling vehicle,
(10) In the manual operation check mode M5, the tractor stops the control of the work device including the traveling and lifting mechanism and turns on the brake mechanism. The engine speed is set according to the accelerator operating tool.
(11) The manual operation check mode M5 is switched to the manual operation mode M1 when the following condition (condition Z) is satisfied.
Condition Z: One of the following holds:
(Za) Brake pedal depression,
(Zb) stepping on the clutch pedal,
At that time, it is preferable to confirm that Za or Zb continues continuously for a certain time.
(12) In the automatic operation mode M3 or manual operation mode (M1), the operation mode of the tractor differs from the normal control depending on the visual information on the lamp, monitor screen (liquid crystal screen), or the buzzer or melody hearing information. To the person in the vicinity of the person or tractor. It is preferable to change the notification pattern for each mode.

  Next, the start, suspension, and cancellation of the automatic travel through the manual travel operation unit 9 will be specifically described. In the present embodiment, the remote operation device 9B is provided with a first switch 91 and a second switch 92 in the remote operation device 9B. Both the first switch 91 and the second switch 92 are two-contact momentary switches, and are assigned different controls depending on the pressing time (time when the switch is pressed).

  The first switch 91 gives a start instruction to start automatic traveling when the pressing time is less than a preset first time while the tractor is stopped. The preset first time is set in advance on the remote operation device 9B side, and corresponds to t1 in the example of FIG. When the pressing time of the first switch 91 is less than t1, as shown in (i) of FIG. 5, the remote operation device 9B sends the third control unit 63 to the third control unit 63 via the wireless communication unit of the electronic control unit. Gives a command to execute automatic driving. At this time, when the tractor is stopped and in the automatic driving permission mode M2, the third control unit 63 causes the tractor to automatically travel. Further, when the tractor is in an automatic driving interruption mode and is in the automatic operation interruption mode M4, the third control unit 63 resumes the automatic driving of the tractor.

  Further, the first switch 91 gives an invalidation command for invalidating the obstacle detection by the obstacle detection unit 10 when the pressing time is equal to or longer than the first time while the automatic traveling is interrupted. The first time set in advance is the above-described t1. As shown in FIG. 5 (ii), when the pressing time of the first switch 91 is t1 or more, the remote control device 9B gives a command to the electronic control unit 7 to stop the obstacle detection process. At this time, when the tractor is in an automatic driving interruption mode and in the automatic operation interruption mode M4, the third control unit 63 causes the tractor to automatically run while the first switch 91 is pressed. The period when the first switch 91 is pressed may be a period from when the preset time (in this example, t1) elapses until the first switch 91 is released. And it is good also as it is from the time the said 1st switch 91 is pushed down including the preset time until the said pushing is cancelled | released.

  At this time, if the obstacle detection unit 10 detects an obstacle when the pressing of the first switch 91 is finished, the automatic traveling is interrupted again, and the obstacle detection unit 10 detects the obstacle. If not, automatic driving will continue.

  The second switch 92 interrupts the automatic travel when the pressing time is less than a preset second time during the automatic travel. The preset second time is set in advance on the remote operation device 9B side, and corresponds to t2 in the example of FIG. The second time may be set to the same time as the first time described above, or may be set to a different time. As shown in (iii) of FIG. 5, when the pressing time of the second switch 92 is less than t2, the remote operation device 9B gives a command to wirelessly interrupt the automatic traveling to the electronic control unit 7. At this time, when the tractor is running automatically and the automatic operation mode M3, the third control unit 63 interrupts the automatic running of the tractor. As a result, the tractor enters the automatic operation interruption mode M4.

  Further, the second switch 92 ends the automatic operation when the pressing time is equal to or longer than the second time during automatic traveling. The preset second time is t2 described above. As shown in (iv) of FIG. 5, when the pressing time of the second switch 92 is t2 or more, the remote operation device 9B transmits an instruction to end the automatic traveling wirelessly to the electronic control unit 7. . At this time, when the tractor is running automatically and the automatic operation mode M3 is set, the third control unit 63 ends the automatic running of the tractor. As a result, the tractor enters the manual operation check mode M5.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above embodiment, a tractor is employed as the work vehicle, but it may be an agricultural work vehicle such as a rice transplanter or a combiner, or a civil construction work vehicle such as a bulldozer.

  The functional units of the control system in FIGS. 1 and 3 are classified as an example, and the functional units can be integrated or separated, and all variations thereof fall within the scope of the present application.

  In the above-described embodiment, the notification unit 55 has been described as continuing the notification that it is interrupted even when there is an invalidation instruction. However, the notification unit 55 interrupts the notification when there is an invalidation instruction. It is also possible to configure so as to.

  In the above-described embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 10 has been described as continuously detecting an obstacle even when there is an invalidation instruction. However, the obstacle detection unit 10 does not receive an invalidation instruction. It is also possible to configure to interrupt obstacle detection.

  In the above embodiment, the first switch 91 gives a start instruction when the pressing time is less than the preset first time while the tractor is stopped, and the pressing time is the first time while the automatic travel is interrupted. In the above description, the invalidation instruction is performed. However, the start instruction and the invalidation instruction may be assigned to different switches. Of course, other configurations are possible.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a work vehicle that performs work travel while switching between automatic travel and manual travel.

5: Electronic control unit 50: Route calculation unit 51: Automatic travel control unit 52: Manual travel control unit 53: Input signal processing unit 54: Device control unit 55: Notification unit 61: First control unit 62: Second control unit 63 : Third control unit 631: Automatic travel interruption unit 632: Interruption release unit 7: Electronic control unit 71: Device driver 72: Operating device 73: Notification device 8: Own vehicle position detection module 9: Manual travel operation unit 9A: Internal operation Device 9B: Remote operation device 90: Vehicle state detection unit 91: First switch 92: Second switch

Claims (5)

A vehicle position detection module for detecting the vehicle position;
A route calculation unit for calculating a target travel route;
An automatic travel control unit that performs automatic travel based on the vehicle position and the target travel route;
A manually operated manual travel operation unit;
A manual travel control unit for performing manual travel based on an operation signal from the manual travel operation unit;
A first control unit that performs a transition from manual travel by the manual travel control unit to automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit on condition that the vehicle is manually stopped;
A second control unit for forcibly stopping the vehicle at the time of transition from automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit to manual traveling by the manual traveling control unit;
In response to an interruption command from the manual driving operation unit, the automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit is temporarily interrupted to forcibly stop the vehicle, and in response to a restart command from the manual driving operation unit. A third control unit for resuming automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit;
Work vehicle equipped with.   The first control unit is configured to input a detection signal indicating detection of a neutral state of the forward / reverse operation tool, input of a detection signal indicating detection of an OFF state of the PTO drive operation tool, and detection of an active state of the automatic traveling signal. The transition to the automatic travel is estimated on condition that at least one of the input of the detection signal and the presence of the automatic travel request signal for requesting the automatic travel, and the first control unit performs the transition to the automatic travel. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein execution of automatic traveling by the automatic traveling control unit is permitted in response to an input of an automatic traveling permission signal permitting automatic traveling during estimation.   The automatic traveling request signal is generated by an operation on an internal operation device provided in the work vehicle, and the automatic travel permission signal is generated by a remote operation device operated from outside the work vehicle. Work vehicle.   The second control unit includes a vehicle speed setting changing operation, an operation on a manual control device, an existence of an automatic travel unnecessary signal for canceling an automatic travel request, and an automatic travel stop command by a remote operation device operated from the outside of the work vehicle. In response to any one of the above, forcible stop for shifting from automatic travel by the automatic travel control unit to manual travel by the manual travel control unit is executed. Work vehicle.   The work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second control unit permits execution of manual travel based on a manual operation for manual travel on the vehicle after the forced stop.

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