JP2020058384A - Farm field work vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a farm field work vehicle that appropriately recognizes arrival at a furrow side region at which a turnaround of a traveling machine body is to be performed and performs a proper turnaround.SOLUTION: A farm field work vehicle comprises: a traveling machine body that travels in a farm field while performing turnarounds at furrow side regions; a farm field work device for performing work on the farm field; a position measurement unit for outputting position measurement data representing a position of the work vehicle; an automatic steering section for automatically steering the traveling machine body; and a furrow side detection module that on the basis of the position of the work vehicle or a position of the farm field work device, detects at least either the traveling machine body accessing or arriving at a furrow side region. The furrow side regions are set on the basis of the traveling machine body's behavior.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention is provided with a traveling body that travels in a field while turning in a ridge area, a field work device that performs work on the field, and a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle. Field work vehicle.

  A rice transplanter, which is a field work vehicle that automatically travels on a target route by using position information measured by a GPS device, is known from Patent Document 1. In this rice transplanter, seedling planting work is performed while autonomously traveling on a linear target route, and if the driver confirms that he has reached the ridge area also called headland, the machine direction in the desired direction When the driver operates the turning operation tool to perform the turning, the turning traveling for the turning is automatically performed in the edge area. When the direction is changed, the planting work is performed while autonomously traveling on the linear target route again.

JP, 2008-092818, A

When accuracy is required for the alignment of adjacent work areas (travel loci), such as rice transplanters, in order to perform accurate alignment automatically when turning autonomously on a headland, It is required to have various self-position detection technology and automatic steering control technology. However, when such a turning drive is performed by automatic steering or man-made steering, it is necessary to accurately recognize that the timing for starting the turning drive, that is, that the rice transplanter has reached the edge area, and Accurate alignment at the starting point for subsequent work runs is important, but it is a difficult maneuver for unskilled persons.
In view of such circumstances, at least a field work vehicle that appropriately recognizes that the vehicle has reached a ridge area (headland) where the direction of the traveling body is changed and that performs an appropriate direction change is desired. .

A field work vehicle according to the present invention includes a traveling machine body that travels in a field while turning in a ridge area, a field work device that performs work on the field, and a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating a vehicle position. And an automatic steering unit that automatically steers the traveling machine body, and based on the position of the own vehicle or the field work device, at least one of that the traveling machine body has approached and reached the edge area. A ridge detection module for detecting, and based on the behavior of the traveling machine body, the field work vehicle according to the present invention, a traveling machine body that travels in the field field while turning in the ridge area, and with respect to the field field. A field work device that performs work, a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle, an artificial steering unit that steers the traveling machine body based on manual operation, and an automatic operation that automatically steers the traveling machine body. A rudder section and a ridgeline detection module for detecting that the traveling machine body has reached the ridgeline area based on the position of the own vehicle.

  According to this configuration, the positioning data indicating the vehicle position can be obtained from the positioning unit using the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or the GPS (Global Positioning System), so that even the position of the ridge area can be set in advance. For example, the edge detection module can detect that the traveling machine body has reached the edge area, and this can be transmitted to the driver and the automatic steering control system. As a result, it is possible to stably and accurately detect the arrival of the traveling machine body at the edge area, which was visually confirmed by the driver, and to reduce the burden on the driver.

  One of the methods for presetting the position of the ridge area is to equip the map data of the field including the ridge area and set the ridge area in the map data. By matching the field map based on this map data with the vehicle position obtained from the positioning unit, the position of the traveling field work vehicle in the field is calculated in real time. Therefore, it becomes possible to inform the control system of automatic steering and the driver of the time when the traveling body reaches the edge area. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a field map storage unit for storing map data of the field is provided, and the edge detection module uses the vehicle position and the map data. By performing map matching by means of map matching, it is detected that the traveling machine body has reached the edge area.

  In the actual field work by the field work vehicle, traveling in a non-ridge area (work area: generally, an area other than the headland of the field) for performing work on the field and traveling in a ridge area for changing direction Then, the behavior of the vehicle is different. The behavior of the vehicle includes the behavior of the traveling machine body and the behavior of the field work device. In particular, the vehicle behavior that occurs when entering the non-edge area from the non-edge area and the vehicle behavior that occurs when entering the non-edge area from the edge area are detected, and the vehicle position at the time of detection is detected. By combining them, the boundary points between the ridge area and the non-ridge area can be obtained. In a general field, the interval between adjacent boundary points is almost equal to the interval of the trajectories during reciprocating work, that is, the working width, so the next boundary point should be estimated from the boundary point obtained first. Is also possible. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a vehicle behavior recording unit that records the behavior of the traveling machine body or the field work device or both of them as the vehicle behavior in association with the position of the traveling machine body is provided. The edge detection module detects that the traveling machine body has reached the edge area based on the vehicle behavior.

Vehicle behavior that occurs when entering the non-edge area from the edge area, vehicle behavior that occurs when entering the edge area to the non-edge area, vehicle behavior that occurs when entering the edge area, and non-edge area The vehicle behavior that occurs when entering the area differs depending on the type and work content of the field work vehicle. The common vehicle behaviors for planting work, sowing work with a rice transplanter, tilling work with a tractor, and mowing and harvesting work with a combine are the start and stop of work of the field work device, the transition to the work position of the field work device, and the non-working position And the start and stop of the direction change traveling of the traveling aircraft. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the vehicle behavior recording unit records the work start and the work stop of the field work apparatus as the vehicle behavior. In another embodiment, the vehicle behavior recording unit records, as the vehicle behavior, a shift of the field work device to a working position and a shift to a non-working position. In still another embodiment, the vehicle behavior recording unit records, as the vehicle behavior, the start and the stop of the direction change traveling of the traveling machine body.
Of course, these embodiments may be applied in any combination.

  Further, the boundary point between the non-ridgeline area and the borderline area may be artificially determined. Therefore, in one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is manually operated at the time of transition between traveling in the edge area (edge traveling mode) and traveling outside the edge area (non-edge traveling mode). A travel mode switching operation tool is provided, and the vehicle behavior recording unit records an operation of the travel mode switching operation tool as the vehicle behavior.

  As described above, once, if the boundary between the non-edge area and the edge area is determined based on the vehicle behavior, it is possible to estimate the boundary between the non-edge area and the edge area thereafter. In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the edge detection module estimates the timing of arrival at the next edge area of the traveling machine body from the vehicle behavior in the adjacent previous work travel route. It has an estimator. Thereby, the approach state to the edge area can be calculated during traveling in the non-edge area, and appropriate and necessary control can be performed before or after reaching the edge area.

  For example, if an approach notification command for notifying the approach to the edge area is output before the arrival timing estimated by the edge estimation unit, the driver must perform an operation that must be performed in the edge area. The confirmation can be done with sufficient time. Further, in order to avoid the inconvenience associated with the unexpected approach of the traveling body to the edge area, a deceleration command for decelerating the traveling body is output before the arrival timing estimated by the edge estimation unit. A form can be adopted. Furthermore, when traveling a predetermined distance from the arrival timing estimated by the memory edge estimation unit, an embodiment in which a vehicle stop command for stopping the traveling vehicle body or the arrival timing estimated by the edge margin estimation unit is output. It is also possible to adopt an embodiment in which a vehicle stop command for stopping the traveling machine body is output in response to the above.

  A completely different steering is performed in the non-edge area and in the edge area where the direction is changed. Therefore, whether the two different travelings are performed by automatic steering or manual steering depends on the type of field work vehicle, the type of field work, the skill of the driver, and the like. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a steering mode that manages an artificial steering mode in which the artificial steering section executes the manual steering and an automatic steering mode in which the automatic steering section executes the automatic steering. And a management unit. In this configuration, if an appropriate algorithm is incorporated in advance, automatic steering and manual steering can be appropriately assigned according to the traveling situation and the surrounding situation.

  For example, when it is technically burdensome to automatically perform steering for turning, the steering mode management unit selects the manual steering mode in the ridge area, and sets the automatic steering mode in the areas other than the ridge area. A configuration to be selected can be adopted.

  Further, in a case where the automatic steering and the manual steering are flexibly applied, it is preferable to adopt an embodiment including a steering mode switching operation tool for artificially selecting the automatic steering mode and the manual steering mode.

  In a positioning unit such as GNSS and GPS that uses radio waves from satellites, if the reception state deteriorates and operation becomes impossible, positioning data cannot be obtained. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a mileage calculation unit that calculates a mileage based on the number of rotations of wheels is provided, and when the positioning unit is inoperable, the edge detection module is configured to detect the mileage. It is detected that the traveling machine body has reached the edge area based on the traveling distance calculated by the calculation unit. As a result, even if the positioning unit is temporarily inoperable, it is detected that the traveling aircraft has reached the edge area. At that time, when the traveling distance calculation unit detects that the vehicle has reached the border area due to the inoperability of the positioning unit, the traveling machine body may be stopped at that time.

Particularly when traveling by automatic steering, it is difficult for the control system for automatic steering to travel while grasping various conditions of the vehicle. One of the important vehicle situations in traveling in the field is the attitude of the traveling machine body. The attitude of the traveling body is substantially determined by the inclination of the traveling body with respect to the ground.
Particularly, a pitching angle and a rolling angle that are equal to or larger than a predetermined value adversely affect running. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a posture determination unit that determines the posture of the traveling machine body is provided, and when the posture deviates from a predetermined condition, braking for decelerating or stopping the traveling machine body is performed. Commands (including stop commands and deceleration commands) are output.

It is a schematic diagram explaining the basic principle of vehicle control employ | adopted by the field work vehicle by this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the basic principle of vehicle control employ | adopted by the field work vehicle by this invention. It is a side view of a rice transplanter which is one of the embodiments of a field work vehicle by the present invention. It is a top view of a rice transplanter which is one of the embodiments of a field work vehicle by the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the steering system of a rice transplanter. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function regarding the traveling control of a rice transplanter. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the recorded vehicle behavior.

Before describing a specific embodiment of the field work vehicle according to the present invention, the basic principle of vehicle control adopted in the field work vehicle will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, a rice transplanter, a seeder, a tractor, and a combine are assumed as the field work vehicle. As the field working device, the rice transplanter has a planting device, the seeder has a seeding device, the tractor has a tiller, and the combine has a cutting device. These farm work devices are connected to their respective traveling bodies so as to be able to move up and down between a working position and a non-working position.

  This field work vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a vehicle) has a 180-degree turning (U-turn) running across a field bounded by parallel upper and lower ridges in FIG. It runs while repeating straight-line running. An upper ridge area is set near the upper ridge, and a lower ridge area is set near the lower ridge. The vehicle performs a direction-changing traveling in the edge area and a linear work traveling in the other field area.

  The vehicle is equipped with a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle. Furthermore, not only the artificial steering unit that steers the traveling machine body based on the human operation, but also the automatic steering unit that automatically steers the traveling machine body is equipped. Note that the positioning data output from the positioning unit is based on the position of the antenna, but here, the vehicle position is not the position of the antenna, but an appropriate position of the vehicle, for example, the ground action point of the field work device. The correction process is performed so that

An example of running in the field in this field is shown below.
First, the vehicle that has crossed over the lower ridge and entered the field, at the point A1, lowers the field work device to the work position by the operation of the driver, and starts linear work traveling (outward path). This descent of the field work device is recorded as vehicle behavior indicating the start of work together with the positioning data indicating the position of the point A1. When the vehicle reaches the direction change area at the point B1 through the linear work running, the driver operates the field work device to raise it to the non-working position and shifts to the 180 degree direction running. This rise of the field work device is recorded as vehicle behavior indicating work stoppage together with positioning data indicating the position of the point B1.

When the direction change travel in the shore area is completed, the field work device is again lowered to the work position at the point A2, and the linear work travel (return path) is started. This descent of the field work device is also recorded as the vehicle behavior indicating the start of work together with the positioning data indicating the position of the point A2.
The position of the point A2 can be estimated from the position of the point B1 in consideration of the reciprocating work traveling interval corresponding to the working width (planting width or tilling width). Therefore, while the vehicle is approaching the estimated point A2 while the vehicle is turning in the edge area, the driver is informed of the fact that the vehicle is approaching the estimated point A2, and the driver is instructed to lower the field work device to the work position. Can be urged. Further, when the vehicle reaches the estimated point A2, it is possible to automatically lower the field work device to the work position. The final position A2 is the position at which the vehicle has started the linear work travel (return path) again.

  The point B2, which is the end point of this linear work traveling (return path), that is, the point at which the vehicle reaches the shore area again can be estimated from the position of the point A1. Therefore, if the vehicle approaches the point B2, it is possible to inform the driver that the field work device is raised to the non-working position and the preparation for the direction change travel is made before the vehicle reaches the edge area. Further, when the vehicle reaches the estimated point B2, it is possible to automatically raise the field work device to the non-work position. When the vehicle reaches the edge area, the vehicle automatically or artificially shifts to the turning direction in the edge area. When the direction change travel is completed, the linear work travel (return path) is started again from the point A3.

  In this way, the work traveling and the direction changing traveling are repeated while passing through the points B3, A4, B4, A5 ... At that time, if the point A1 is set, the point B2, the point A3, ... Can be estimated from the point A1 in consideration of the reciprocating work traveling interval. However, when estimating the point A3, it can be estimated from the point A1, but since the point B2, which is the position at which the actual traveling is changed to the direction changing traveling, is detected, the point A2 can be estimated. It is also possible to estimate A3. In particular, if the actual edge area does not extend linearly, but extends diagonally or stepwise, by estimating from a newly set point on the way, such an edge area Boundary points can be detected correctly.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the ridge area has a step, it is necessary to extend the linear work traveling further from the point B4 where the linear work traveling is estimated. When the linear work traveling is performed by the automatic steering, the automatic steering is released and the linear work traveling is continued by the manual steering to a position suitable for the direction change traveling (a newly set point B4). When the point B4 is newly set, the next point A5 is estimated from the point B4.

  The points A1, A2, ... That are the starting points of work traveling can be automatically set based on a specific vehicle behavior. Suitable as such a specific vehicle behavior is, for example, a work start command to the field work device, detection of a position change to the work position of the field work device, detection of engagement of a power transmission clutch for the field work device, and the like. is there. Furthermore, the state of the operating tool operated by the driver may be used as a specific vehicle behavior. Similarly, the points B1, B2, ... Which are the end points of the work travel (start points of the direction change travel) can be automatically set based on the specific vehicle behavior. Suitable as such a specific vehicle behavior is, for example, a work stop command for the field work device, detection of shifting of the field work device to a non-working position, disengagement detection of a power transmission clutch for the field work device, and the like. . Furthermore, the state of the operating tool operated by the driver may be used as a specific vehicle behavior.

  If the first work travel route defined by the points A1 and B1 is the reference work travel route, the target work route for the subsequent automatic steering can be calculated based on this reference work travel route. Since the work traveling is generally a straight traveling, the steering is easier than the direction changing traveling.Therefore, it is not possible to control the work traveling by the automatic steering and the direction changing by the artificial steering. It is convenient. When the field shape is a simple rectangle, if the points A1 and B1 are set, the transition timing between the subsequent work traveling and the direction change traveling, that is, the arrival timing to the edge area and the area from the edge area are set. The departure timing can be estimated from the points A1 and B1.

  Even if the vehicle enters the ridge area from the straight work traveling (return road), if the direction change traveling is not performed for some reason, the vehicle may run on the ridge. In order to avoid such an inconvenience, it is important to estimate and record the points B2, B3, B4 ... Which are the end points of the linear work traveling (return path). Since the own vehicle position can be calculated by the positioning unit, this own vehicle position can be constantly compared with the position of the end point of the work traveling (return path) (the entry point to the edge area). This makes it possible to decelerate the vehicle before the vehicle enters the edge area and after the vehicle enters the edge area, issue a warning, stop the vehicle, and the like.

  In the above-mentioned example, the point A1 and the point B1 are set in the first work traveling, and the points between the subsequent work traveling and the turning traveling (the arrival point to the edge area of the vehicle and the departure point from the edge area). , A2, A3 ..., B2, B3 ... Are estimated from the points A1 and B1. When the vehicle is equipped with the farm field map storage unit that stores the field map data, map matching is performed using the vehicle position and the map data to determine whether the vehicle has reached the ridge area or the ridge area. Since the departure can be detected, it is not necessary to set such points A1 and B1 and to estimate from other points A1 and B1.

  Next, one of the concrete embodiments of the field work vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a side view of a riding type rice transplanter which is an example of a field work vehicle, and FIG. 4 is a plan view. This rice transplanter includes a traveling machine body C and a field work device for performing work on a field. The field work device here is a seedling planting device W capable of planting seedlings in the field. It should be noted that arrow F shown in FIG. 4 is “front” of traveling machine C, arrow B is “rear” of traveling machine C, arrow L is “left” of traveling machine C, and arrow R is “right” of traveling machine C. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the traveling device includes a pair of left and right front wheels 10 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 11. The traveling machine body C is provided with a steering unit U capable of steering the left and right front wheels 10 of the traveling device.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an opening / closing hood 12 is provided at the front of the traveling machine body C. An engine 13 is provided inside the bonnet 12. The traveling machine body C is provided with a frame-shaped machine body frame 15 extending in the front-rear direction. A support column frame 16 is provided upright on the front of the machine body frame 15.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the seedling planting device W is movably connected to the rear end of the traveling machine body C via a link mechanism 21 that is moved up and down by expansion and contraction of a lift cylinder 20 composed of a hydraulic cylinder. ing. The seedling planting device W includes four transmission cases 22, a rotation case 23 rotatably supported on the left side and right side of the rear portion of each transmission case 22, and a pair provided at both ends of each rotation case 23. The rotary type planting arm 24, a plurality of floats 25 for arranging the rice field in the field, a seedling stand 26 on which a mat-like seedling for planting is placed, and the like are provided. That is, the seedling planting device W is configured in an eight-row planting type.

  On the left and right sides of the hood 12 of the traveling body C, a plurality (for example, four) of normal spare seedling stands 28 capable of mounting spare seedlings for supplying the seedling planting device W, and the seedling planting device W are supplied. There is provided one rail-type spare seedling stand 29 on which a spare seedling for planting can be placed. In addition, on the left and right side portions of the hood 12 of the traveling body C, a pair of left and right spare seedling frames 30 that support the respective normal spare seedling stands 28 and a rail-type spare seedling stand 29, and an upper portion of the left and right spare seedling frames 30 are provided. And a connection frame 31 that is connected across the connection frame 31. The connection frame 31 has a U-shape when viewed from the front. The left and right ends of the connecting frame 31 are connected to the upper portions of the left and right preliminary seedling frames 30 via connecting brackets 32, respectively.

  At the center of the traveling machine body C, a driving unit 40 for performing various driving operations is provided. The driver 40 includes a driver's seat 41 on which a driver can sit, a control tower 42, a steering wheel 43 configured by a steering wheel for manually steering the front wheels 10, a forward / backward switching operation, and a traveling speed. A main speed change lever 44, an operation lever 45 and the like, which can be changed, are provided. The driver's seat 41 is provided at the center of the traveling body C. A steering handle 43 and a main shift lever 44 are operably provided on the control tower 42. A boarding step 46 is provided at the foot portion of the driving unit 40.

  An operating lever 45 is provided on the lower right side of the steering handle 43. When the operating lever 45 is operated to the raised position, a planting clutch (not shown), which is a kind of working clutch, is operated in a disengaged state, and the seedling planting device W is raised. When the operating lever 45 is operated to the lowered position, the planting clutch (not shown) is operated in the disengaged state, and the seedling planting device W descends. When the center float 25 comes in contact with the rice field in the field, the seedling planting device W comes into contact with the rice field in the field and stops.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the steering unit U includes a steering handle 43, a steering operation shaft 54 linked to the steering handle 43, and a pitman arm that swings as the steering operation shaft 54 rotates. 55, a left and right connecting mechanism 56 interlockingly connected to the pitman arm 55, a steering motor 58, a gear mechanism 57 interlockingly connecting the steering motor 58 to the steering operation shaft 54, and the like.

  The steering unit U can operate in the automatic steering mode and the manual steering mode. In the manual steering mode, the driver applies an assisting force corresponding to the operation of the steering handle 43 by the steering motor 58 to the operating force for operating the steering handle 43, and the steering operation shaft 54 is rotated to operate the front wheels. Change the steering angle of 10. On the other hand, in the automatic steering mode, the steering motor 58 is automatically controlled, the steering operation shaft 54 is rotated by the driving force of the steering motor 58, and the steering angle of the front wheels 10 is changed. In this embodiment, the steering handle 43 and the steering motor 58 function as components of an artificial steering unit that manually steers the traveling machine body C. A control function of automatic steering for automatically steering the traveling machine body C is built in the control device 8 (see FIG. 6) described later, and the steering motor 58 is driven based on a control command from the control device 8. When the operation displacement of the steering handle 43 is not directly transmitted to the steering operation shaft 54 but the operation displacement of the steering handle 43 is detected by a sensor and the steering motor 58 is driven based on the detected value. When the so-called by-wire method is adopted, the control function of the manual steering is also built in the control device 8.

  The traveling machine body C is provided with a positioning unit 61, and the position of the traveling machine body C itself is obtained from the positioning data from the positioning unit 61. The positioning unit 61 includes a satellite navigation module configured as a GNSS module and an inertial navigation module configured as a module incorporating a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic bearing sensor. A satellite antenna for receiving GPS signals and GNSS signals is connected to the satellite navigation module. At least this satellite antenna is attached to a portion where the radio wave reception sensitivity is good, that is, the connection frame 31 in this embodiment. The satellite navigation module and the inertial navigation module may be provided in different places.

  FIG. 6 shows the control device 8 equipped in this rice transplanter. In addition, in FIG. 6, among the functional units built in the control device 8, a functional unit mainly relating to steering is shown. The control device 8 employs the basic principles of automatic steering and manual steering described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The control device 8 is connected to the positioning unit 61, the vehicle state detection sensor group 9, the contact detector 90, the traveling mode switching operation tool 65, and the steering mode switching operation tool 66 via the input signal processing unit 8a. Further, the control device 8 is connected to the notification device 7, the vehicle traveling device group 71, and the working device device group 72 via the output signal processing unit 8b. The traveling mode switching operation tool 65 and the steering mode switching operation tool 66 are composed of switches and buttons.

  The vehicle state detection sensor group 9 is composed of various sensors and switches provided for detecting the operation and posture of the traveling machine body C and the operation and posture of the seedling planting device W as the field work device. The contact detector 90 is well known in itself, and therefore, although not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, has a structure for detecting the contact between the rice transplanter and the obstacle. When the contact detector 90 detects contact between the rice transplanter and the obstacle, the rice transplanter makes an emergency stop. The steering mode switching operation tool 66 is a switch for selecting one of an automatic steering mode in which the vehicle travels by automatic steering and an artificial steering mode in which the vehicle travels by manual steering. For example, by operating the steering mode switching operation tool 66 while traveling by automatic steering, it is possible to switch to traveling by manual steering, and by operating the steering mode switching operation tool 66 while traveling by artificial steering, automatic steering is performed. Can be switched to driving.

  The travel mode switching operation tool 65 is a teaching switch for teaching the control device 8 the boundary between the ridge area and the non-ridge area. In this embodiment, the travel mode switching operation tool 65 includes an A button and a B button. Have. The driver presses the A button when the vehicle shifts from the turning traveling to the working traveling, and presses the B button when the vehicle shifts from the working traveling to the turning traveling.

  The notification device 7 includes a lamp and a buzzer, and various information from the control device 8 to be notified to the driver, such as approach to the edge area and deviation from the target travel route in automatic steering travel, is provided. Output visually or audibly based on the command. Further, if the notification device 7 includes a flat panel display or the like, it is possible to provide text information.

  The vehicle traveling device group 71 includes various operating devices and control devices mounted on the traveling vehicle body C for traveling. For example, operating devices such as a steering motor 58 configuring the steering unit U and an engine. These include control devices that adjust the number of rotations, transmission operating devices such as clutches and shifters, and brake operating devices. In the present embodiment, in the working traveling equipment group, operation devices such as an elevating cylinder 20 that elevates and lowers a seedling planting device W mounted as a field working device and a planting clutch that functions as a work clutch of the seedling planting device W. It is included.

  The control device 8 substantially includes an edge detection module 81, an automatic steering unit 82, a vehicle behavior recording unit 83, a steering mode management unit 84, a travel route calculation unit 85, a travel distance calculation unit 86, an attitude determination unit 87, and the like. Is built with computer programs.

  The edge detection module 81 is a travel route reference point set in the first work traveling, that is, a point A1 at which the traveling in the edge area shifts to the work traveling, and a direction change traveling in the edge area from the work traveling. Based on the transition point B1 and the vehicle position obtained from the positioning data of the positioning unit 61, it is detected whether the traveling vehicle C has reached the edge area. As described using FIGS. 1 and 2, the point A1 is detected by lowering the seedling planting device (working device) W to the lowered position (working position), and the point B1 is raised by the seedling planting device W. The vehicle behavior is recorded by the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 as the vehicle behaviors detected by the ascent to the position (non-working position). The travel route (generally a straight line) between the points A1 and B1 is the reference work travel route, and the reciprocal work travel is performed on the reference work travel route regardless of automatic steering or manual steering. The next work traveling route can be obtained by sequentially performing parallel movement by the intervals. That is, points B2, A3, B4, A5 ... Corresponding to the point A1, and points A2, B3, B4, A4, B5 ... Corresponding to the point B1 are estimated. This estimation algorithm is built in the edge estimation unit 810. Since the method of estimating the point indicating the boundary of the edge area varies depending on the shape of the field, it is preferable that an appropriate estimation algorithm can be selected for each shape of the field. By comparing each of the points and the vehicle position, the distance until the traveling machine body C that is performing work travel reaches the edge area is detected, and the control device 8 controls the distance to the edge area by a predetermined distance, for example. It is possible to output a command such as approach notification when approaching, arrival notification when reaching the edge area, deceleration of the traveling body C, stop of the traveling body C, and the like.

  The travel route calculation unit 85 calculates the travel route data necessary for performing the subsequent work traveling by automatic steering from the above-described reference work traveling route. The automatic steering unit 82 calculates the deviation between the travel route data calculated by the travel route calculation unit 85 and the own vehicle position, generates an automatic steering command, and outputs it to the steering unit U.

  The steering mode management unit 84 manages a manual steering mode in which the vehicle is driven by manual steering and an automatic steering mode in which the vehicle is driven by automatic steering. For example, the artificial steering mode may be selected in the ridge area, and the automatic steering mode may be selected in areas other than the ridge area (generally, straight work traveling). Further, it is possible to forcibly select the manual steering mode or the automatic steering mode by a switching command from the steering mode switching operation tool 66. Further, by operating the steering handle 43, it is possible to forcibly switch the automatic steering mode to the manual steering mode.

  The vehicle behavior recording unit 83 is output to the vehicle traveling device group 71 and the working device group 72 through various sensor detection signals and various operating device operation signals input through the input signal processing unit 8a and the output signal processing unit 8b. Based on the control signal, the state of the vehicle, particularly the vehicle behavior regarding the start and end of work traveling, is recorded. At that time, each vehicle behavior is recorded together with the own vehicle position acquired when the vehicle behavior occurred.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the vehicle behavior recorded by the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 in time series during traveling in the simplified field as shown in FIG. In this example, the record items of the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 include record NO, behavior time, own vehicle position, and behavior content.
The behavior time is a time (time stamp) when the behavior time vehicle behavior is detected. The own vehicle position is the own vehicle position when the vehicle behavior is detected. The behavior content is for identifying the detected vehicle behavior, and here, the operation content of the traveling mode switching operation tool 65 (A means operation of the A button, B means operation of the B button), seedling attachment The positions of the device W and the float 25, the state of the planting clutch (working clutch), and the state of steering (steering from straight ahead to turning or steering from turning to straight ahead) are recorded. In addition, in FIG. 7, the own vehicle position of each vehicle behavior is the same, but the own vehicle position is different because the raising / lowering timing of the seedling planting device W, the steering timing of turning traveling, etc. are different. The own vehicle position is recorded after being corrected to be replaced with the reference position of the specific vehicle.

  As can be understood from FIGS. 1 and 7, it is possible to read various states of the traveling machine body C and the seedling planting device W, which is a working device, in particular, the start and end of the work from the record of the vehicle behavior recording unit 83. As the first process of the seedling planting work by the rice transplanter, the record NO "0001" is recorded at the timing when the vehicle enters the ridge area from the ridge and leaves the ridge area. The content of the record NO “0001” is a record of the point A1 in FIG. 1, and includes the behavior time, the vehicle position, and the behavior content at that time. As behavior contents, the traveling operation mode is "A", the seedling planting device position is "down position", the float position is "grounding", and the clutch state is "on". Actually, the timings at which these behavior contents are detected are slightly different, but here, the timings are the same. That is, at the timing when the record No. “0001” is recorded, the driver presses the A button of the traveling mode switching operation tool 65 and the setting for working traveling is performed.

  After that, the work is performed in a straight line, and the record No. “0002” is recorded at the timing of reaching the edge area. The content of the record NO “0002” is a record of the point B1 in FIG. 1, and includes the behavior time, the vehicle position, and the behavior content at that time. As behavior contents, the traveling operation mode is “B”, the seedling planting device position is “elevated position”, the float position is “disengaged”, the clutch state is “disengaged”, and the steering is “straight ahead to turn”. That is, at the timing when the record No. “0002” is recorded, the driver presses the B button of the traveling mode switching operation tool 65, and the setting for the direction change traveling is made. The positions of the points A1 and B1 are recorded by the operation of the A button and the B button of the traveling mode switching operation tool 65. The line connecting the point A1 and the point B1 can be used as a reference work travel route for estimating the travel route of the subsequent work travel. Therefore, the operation of the traveling mode switching operation tool 65 becomes unnecessary except for the points A1 and B1.

  The record No. “0003” is recorded at the timing of finishing the turning travel in the edge area and exiting the edge area to perform the work traveling. The content of the record NO “0003” is a record of the point A2 in FIG. 1, and includes the behavior time, the vehicle position, and the behavior content at that time. The position of the point A2 is estimated from the point B1 by the ridge estimation unit 810 using the reciprocating work traveling interval when the field is the field as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the position of the vehicle acquired from the positioning unit 61 approaches or coincides with the estimated point B1, work traveling can be automatically set. Alternatively, it is possible to notify the driver that the vehicle is approaching the point B1 and urge the driver to set work traveling. Similarly, the position of the point B2 is also estimated from the point A1. Therefore, when the estimated vehicle position B2 approaches the estimated position B2 or the vehicle position acquired from the positioning unit 61 matches, the direction change traveling can be automatically set. Alternatively, it is possible to notify the driver that the vehicle is approaching the point B2 and prompt the driver to set the direction change travel.

  From the above description, the timing of reaching the edge area and the timing of exiting the edge area can be determined from the position change of the seedling planting device W or the float 25, the switching operation of the work clutch, and the steering angle change. The traveling mode switching operation tool 65 as a teaching operation tool for recognizing the boundary of the edge area is not essential. The border of the edge area can be determined by one or a combination of the vehicle behaviors described above. For example, when using the characteristic of the seedling planting apparatus W that descends to the surface of the field at the start of work and rises from the surface of the field at the end of work, a state in which the descending operation from the ascending posture to the descending posture of the seedling planting apparatus W is shown. Based on the signal, determine the transition point from the vehicle edge area to the work area (non-edge area), and based on the state signal indicating the ascending operation from the descending posture to the ascending posture of the seedling planting device W, It is possible to determine the transition point from the work area (non-edge area) of the vehicle to the edge area.

The control device 8 can be equipped with an algorithm that outputs various commands for executing various operations based on the determination result of the edge detection module 81 regarding the arrival of the vehicle in the edge area. Some of them are listed below.
(1) If the vehicle behavior is not executed even after reaching the point where the recorded vehicle behavior is scheduled to be executed, deceleration of the vehicle, engine stop, etc. are performed.
(2) When traveling in the field, the position and time at which each vehicle behavior to be recorded occurs can be limited to a specific range. Therefore, the recording accuracy is improved by excluding the vehicle behavior outside the specific range from the recording target.
(3) When it is detected that the vehicle has entered the edge area, automatic steering is prohibited.
(4) When the steering behavior such as the steering angle and the turning radius in the edge area of the vehicle is different from that in the direction change traveling, the recording in the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 is stopped. For example, when the turning radius is large, it is considered that the traveling is not the normal traveling, such as the traveling away from the field, not the turning traveling.
(5) When a vehicle speed inappropriate for the vehicle behavior is detected when a specific vehicle behavior occurs, the vehicle is forcibly stopped.

  The traveling distance calculation unit 86 detects the rotational speed of the rear wheel 11 or the rotational speed of the transmission system to the rear wheel 11 (one of the vehicle state detection sensor groups 9) based on a detection signal from the traveling vehicle body C. Calculate mileage. At that time, the traveling distance can be calculated more accurately if the slip ratio estimated from the state of the field is taken into consideration. In the case of the positioning unit 61 that calculates the vehicle position based on the radio signal from the satellite, if the reception sensitivity of the radio signal decreases for some reason, the positioning data cannot be output. This mileage calculation unit 86 is used as the recovery. For example, when the positioning data from the positioning unit 61 is not input, the edge detection module 81 detects that the traveling aircraft body C has reached the edge area based on the traveling distance calculated by the traveling distance calculation unit. can do.

  The attitude determination unit 87 determines the attitude of the traveling machine body based on a detection signal from an inclination sensor (one of the vehicle state detection sensor group 9) that detects the inclination angle (rolling angle and pitching angle) of the traveling machine body C. Compare with slope threshold. In this embodiment, when the posture of the traveling machine body deviates from a predetermined condition, the posture determination unit 87 issues a braking command for decelerating or stopping the traveling machine body to the braking device, which is one of the vehicle traveling device group 71. give.

Specific control operations based on the determination result of the posture determination unit 87 will be listed below.
(1) When the detected tilt angle exceeds the tilt threshold, notification, deceleration, and stop are executed.
(2) When the detected tilt angle frequently exceeds the tilt threshold, the automatic steering is prohibited.
(3) If the detected inclination angle exceeds the inclination threshold for a permissible period of time, notification, deceleration, and stop are executed. This allowable time is determined depending on the vehicle speed and the field depth. If the field depth exceeds a predetermined value, complete stoppage is prohibited in order to prevent the car body from sinking.
(4) The change in the acceleration of the inclination is calculated, and when the inclination changes abruptly, the automatic steering is prohibited even if it is less than the inclination threshold.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the points A1 and B1 which are the boundary points between the edge area where the direction turning traveling is performed and the non-edge area where the work traveling is performed are the A button and the B button of the traveling mode switching operation tool. The operation of the button and the subsequent points A2, A3 ... And points B2, B3 ... Are estimated from the points A1 and B1 and are determined based on the vehicle behavior. In order to simplify the control, the vehicle behavior is not used, and the points A2, A3 ... And the points B2, B3 ... Are estimated from the points A1 and B1 and different positions from the estimated positions are set. When it is set as a formal point, the point may be determined by operating the A button or the B button of the traveling mode switching operation tool again.
(2) Each functional unit in the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 6 is divided mainly for the purpose of explanation. In practice, each functional unit in FIG. 6 can be integrated with another functional unit or divided into a plurality of functional units. The independent functional units are connected to each other by an in-vehicle LAN or the like.
(3) In the rice transplanter, the vehicle behavior recorded in the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 may include the posture of the marker or the like other than the above. In addition, the vehicle behavior performed at the boundary between the border area and the non-ridge area is the target of the vehicle behavior to be recorded in the vehicle behavior recording unit 83.

  The present invention is, in addition to the above-mentioned riding type rice transplanter equipped with a seedling planting device as a working device, for example, a riding type direct seeding device that is a planting and seeding paddy work vehicle equipped with a seeding device as a working device, and a plow as a working device. The present invention can be applied to various work vehicles such as a tractor provided with the above, or a farm work vehicle such as a combine provided with a mowing unit as a work device, or a construction work vehicle provided with a bucket or the like as a work device.

7: Notification device 25: Float 26: Seedling stand 43: Steering handle 44: Main shift lever 45: Operation lever 61: Positioning unit 65: Driving mode switching operation tool 66: Steering mode switching operation tool 71: Vehicle traveling device group 72: Working device group 8: Control device 8a: Input signal processing unit 8b: Output signal processing unit 81: Edge detection module 810: Edge estimation unit 82: Automatic steering unit 83: Vehicle behavior recording unit 84: Steering mode management Part 85: Travel route calculation unit 86: Travel distance calculation unit 87: Posture determination unit 9: Vehicle state detection sensor group 90: Contact detector U: Steering unit W: Seedling planting device (field working device)

Claims (8)

A traveling aircraft that travels in the field while turning in the edge area,
A field work device for performing work on the field,
A positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle,
An automatic steering unit for automatically steering the traveling body,
Based on the position of the own vehicle position or the field work device, a ridge detection module for detecting at least one of the fact that the traveling machine body has approached and has reached the ridge area, and
A field work vehicle in which the shore area is set based on the behavior of the traveling machine body.   The field work vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification unit that notifies at least one of the fact that the traveling machine body has approached and reached the edge area at a predetermined distance or a predetermined time from the shore. A vehicle behavior recording unit is provided which records the behavior of the traveling machine body or the field work device or both as a vehicle behavior in association with the position of the traveling machine body,
The field work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the edge detection module detects at least one of the traveling body approaching and reaching the edge area based on the vehicle behavior.   The field work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle behavior recording unit records work start and work stop of the field work device as the vehicle behavior.   The field work vehicle according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the vehicle behavior recording unit records, as the vehicle behavior, a transition to a work position and a transition to a non-work position of the field work device.   The field work vehicle according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the vehicle behavior recording unit records, as the vehicle behavior, a start and a stop of the direction change traveling of the traveling machine body. A traveling mode switching operation tool that is manually operated at the time of transition between traveling in the ridge area and traveling other than the ridge area is provided,
The field work vehicle according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the vehicle behavior recording unit records an operation of the traveling mode switching operation tool as the vehicle behavior.   8. The edge detection module includes an edge estimation unit that estimates the next arrival timing of the traveling body to reach the edge area from the vehicle behavior in an adjacent previous work travel route. The field work vehicle described in the item 1.

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