JP2020103104A - Work vehicle management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle management system capable of grasping in advance, possibility of out of fuel of a plurality of work vehicles, and reporting properly the fact.SOLUTION: A work vehicle management system comprises: a plurality of work vehicles 100 comprising a communication part 202 and capable of sending residual fuel information; and a remote management device 200 capable of acquiring through a communication net C, the residual fuel information sent from the plurality of work vehicles 100. The remote management device 200 determines residual fuel of each of the plurality of work vehicles 100 on the basis of acquired residual fuel information, and reporting means reports a warning to the work vehicles 100 whose residual fuel is small sequentially in an order in which the residual fuel is smaller, if there are a plurality of work vehicles 100 whose residual fuel is smaller than a prescribed threshold. According to the work vehicle management system, a management user possessing the remote management device 200 can grasp the work vehicle 100 on which out of fuel may occur earlier, by an order of receiving a warning, for each work vehicle 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a system for managing an agricultural work vehicle that autonomously travels in a field.

Since there is no passenger in the work vehicle autonomously traveling in the field, the remaining fuel amount is not confirmed, and there is a possibility that the fuel will run out during traveling. On the other hand, there is a known work vehicle management system that gives a warning to a management user when the work vehicle is likely to run out of fuel while traveling (see Patent Document 1, for example).

JP, 2016-059349, A

However, when multiple work vehicles are managed by a single administrative user, if multiple work vehicles are likely to run out of fuel at the same time or in quick succession, attention will be focused on the work vehicle that first warns of running out of fuel. By doing so, when a warning of running out of fuel is issued to another work vehicle later, there is a risk that the response to the other work vehicle may be delayed and the fuel may run out.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a work vehicle management system that grasps in advance the possibility of running out of fuel in a plurality of work vehicles and appropriately notifies that fact.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of work vehicles that are configured to include a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving information via a communication network and to be able to transmit remaining fuel amount information, and the fuel balances transmitted by the plurality of work vehicles. A remote management device configured to be capable of acquiring the amount information via a communication network, wherein the remote management device determines the remaining fuel amount of each of the plurality of work vehicles from the acquired remaining fuel amount information. When there are a plurality of work vehicles in which the remaining fuel amount is below a predetermined threshold value, the working vehicle management is provided with a notifying means for giving a warning in order from the working vehicle with the smallest remaining fuel amount. Achieved by the system.

According to the present invention, the remote management device obtains the remaining fuel amount information of each work vehicle, and notifies the running-out warning of the work vehicle for which the remaining fuel amount is determined to be below a predetermined threshold, so that the remote management is performed. The management user who possesses the device can grasp the timing when the fuel runs out for each work vehicle, and the work vehicle where the fuel runs out first can be grasped by the order of the warnings received for each work vehicle. it can.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of work vehicles that are configured to include a communication unit that can send and receive information via a communication network and to be able to send remaining fuel amount information, and the work vehicles that have sent the work vehicles. A remote management device configured to be able to acquire the remaining fuel amount information via a communication network, wherein the remote management device is capable of measuring and acquiring its own position information and a position of a plurality of fields. A recording device in which information is recorded, and a field specifying means for specifying a field in which the plurality of work vehicles are working for each work vehicle are provided. The travel time required to reach each of the plurality of fields is calculated, and further, the remaining workable time that can be worked for each work vehicle is calculated from the obtained fuel remaining amount information, and each work vehicle is calculated by the field specifying means. The field under work is specified, the difference between the remaining workable time and the moving time up to the field under work is calculated for each work vehicle, and a warning is issued when this difference falls below a predetermined threshold value. It is also achieved by a work vehicle management system characterized in that

According to another embodiment of the present invention, for work vehicles traveling in different fields, for each work vehicle, the travel time to the field in which the work vehicle is traveling is subtracted from the remaining workable time. When the time falls below a predetermined threshold, the remote management device gives a warning, and the management user heads to refuel the field in response to the warning, causing the working vehicle with the warning to run out of fuel. Since it is possible to arrive at the field before, it is possible to prevent the work vehicle from being left in a state of running out of fuel.

Further, when a plurality of work vehicles are likely to run out of fuel at the same time or in succession, the timing of substantial fuel depletion is taken into consideration in consideration of the time required to arrive at the field where those work vehicles are running. Since the warning is issued first from the work vehicle close to the work vehicle, the work vehicle to be preferentially refueled can be appropriately selected.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the work vehicle management system which grasps beforehand the possibility of the fuel exhaustion of a plurality of work vehicles, and notifies appropriately to that effect.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a work vehicle of a work vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the work vehicle management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a management terminal and a plurality of farm fields in a management area. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the management terminal in which the remaining fuel amount of the work vehicle of FIG. 3 is displayed. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of issuing a warning of running out of fuel for a work vehicle. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of notifying the remaining workable time of the work vehicle. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the work vehicle that records the outer peripheral route of the field. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a state of a work vehicle that is working-running in the field. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing a state of a work vehicle moving from the inside of the field to the entrance of the field along the remaining route. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the work vehicle moving from the inside of the field along the evacuation route to the entrance of the field. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a process in which the work vehicle evacuates to the entrance and exit of the field as the fuel decreases. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a fuel tank that supplies fuel to the engine of FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the fuel level sensor of FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of the fuel tank when the body of the work vehicle is tilted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a work vehicle 100 of a work vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a work vehicle 100 is a vehicle for agricultural work that can travel in a field 13, and an engine 105 covered with a hood 107 is disposed in the front part of the vehicle body. It is configured to be able to travel by transmitting power to the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 104 via a plurality of transmissions. A control unit 106 is provided behind the engine 105, and a working machine 140 capable of cultivating the field 13 is attached to the rear part of the vehicle body behind the control unit 106.

The control unit 106 is provided with a cabin including a steering wheel operated by an operator and a control seat. Further, a GNSS receiver 102 is provided on the cabin roof 8 which is the ceiling of the cabin so that the position of the work vehicle 1 can be measured by receiving radio waves from the artificial satellite 170 at predetermined time intervals. Has been done.

A three-point link mechanism 145 including a top link 145a on the upper side and left and right lower links 145b on the lower side is provided at the rear part of the vehicle body of the work vehicle 100, and the work machine 40 is connected thereto. The working machine 140 is provided with a tilling claw 416 for cultivating soil in a field, a rotary cover 147 that covers the upper side of the tilling claw 146, and a rear cover 148 that is supported at the rear of the rotary cover 147 so as to be vertically movable. A potentiometer-type tillage depth sensor 149 is provided on the cover 147, and the sensor 149 is configured to detect the turning angle of the rear cover 48 with respect to the rotary cover 147 as the tillage depth.

The working machine lifting cylinder 41 is connected to the lower link 45b of the three-point link mechanism 145 via the lift arm 42, and the lower link 145b can be moved up and down by expanding and contracting the working machine lifting cylinder 141. It is configured. Therefore, since the three-point link mechanism 145 can move the connected working machine 140 in the vertical direction by expanding and contracting the working machine lifting cylinder 141, the working machine 140 is lowered during the work of plowing the field 13. On the other hand, when not working, the work implement 140 is lifted so as not to come into contact with the ground when not working, thereby preventing the work implement 140 from unnecessarily contacting the ground and hindering the traveling of the work vehicle 100. it can.

Hereinafter, running the work vehicle 100 while plowing the soil in the field 13 with the working machine 140 down is referred to as work running.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the work vehicle management system 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the work vehicle 100 includes a position information acquisition unit 301, which is a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of its own from the radio waves received by the GNSS receiver 102 of FIG. An automatic driving ECU 302 for controlling the vehicle and a vehicle ECU 303 for controlling the traveling of the vehicle and the operation of the working machine are provided. The vehicle ECU 303 communicates with the cloud C forming a communication network, and a communication unit 304 and a vehicle. A fuel remaining amount sensor 305 which is a fuel remaining amount detecting means for detecting the fuel remaining amount, a route calculation unit 306 which calculates a traveling route from position information and topographical information, and an amount of fuel consumed from a set traveling route distance. And a consumed fuel calculation unit 307 for estimating

Therefore, the work vehicle 100 transfers the position information of the own device acquired by the position information acquisition unit 301 and the fuel remaining amount information acquired by the fuel remaining amount sensor 305 to the cloud C via the communication unit 304 every predetermined time. It is configured so that it can be transmitted and stored, and that the information stored in the cloud C can be acquired.

The remote management device 200 is a portable electronic computing device, and includes a management terminal 201 that can be operated by a management user. The management terminal 201 includes a communication device 202 that can communicate with the cloud C, a positioning device 203 that can acquire its own position information from the positioning information of the artificial satellite, that is, the current position information of the management terminal 201, and the management terminal 201. And a terminal control unit 204 for controlling the. Therefore, the management user can exchange information with the cloud C via the communication device 202 by possessing the management terminal 201, and grasps the current position information of himself/herself from the positioning information acquired by the positioning device 203. can do.

As described above, since the work vehicle 100 and the remote management device 200 are configured to be communicable via the cloud C, the management user can monitor the state of the work vehicle 100 or issue a command by the remote management device 200. Can be sent, and the work vehicle 100 can be managed remotely.

A management server 320 is provided in the cloud C, and the management server 320 stores a fuel remaining amount database 321 that stores the fuel remaining amount information acquired by the fuel remaining amount sensor 305 of the work vehicle 100, and the topography of the farm field and its surroundings. A terrain information database 322 that stores information and a position information database 323 that stores position information of the work vehicle 100 and the remote management device 200 are recorded. Therefore, the management user can confirm the fuel remaining amount of the work vehicle 100 by accessing the management server 320 and referring to the fuel remaining amount database 321, and refer to the terrain information database 322 and the position information database 323. As a result, the positional relationship between the work vehicle 100 and the farm field and the positional relationship between itself and the farm field can be understood.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the management terminal 201 and the plurality of fields 13 in the management area 10, and FIG. 4 is a management terminal 201 displaying the remaining fuel amount of the work vehicle 100 of FIG. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the management area 10 is provided with a plurality of farm fields 13 (A1 to An), and the traveling vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn) are configured to work in each farm field 13. There is. Each farm 13 is in contact with the management passage 12 and is configured so that the work vehicle 100 can enter and exit from the entrance 11.

The management terminal 201 includes a farm field specifying unit that specifies which work vehicle 100 is working in which farm field 13, accesses the management server 320 via the cloud C shown in FIG. By comparing and referring to the position information of each farm field 13 (A1 to An) stored in the position information of the work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) stored in the position information database 323, the farm field 13 is positioned. The work vehicle 100 existing in the range is specified, and the work vehicle Vx (x=1, 2,..., N) and the field Ax (x=1, 2,...) On which the work vehicle Vx is working. , N) can be associated with each other.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the display 205 of the management terminal 201, a work vehicle icon 210 showing the work vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn) that are working and traveling in the fields 13 (A1 to An), and the work vehicles 100. A fuel gauge 211 indicating the remaining amount of fuel is displayed. The fuel gauge 211 correlates the number of horizontally lit block-shaped gauge lamps 211a with the remaining fuel amount of the work vehicle 100 displayed on the left of the fuel gauge 211. When the fuel is full, the gauge All the lamps 211a are turned on, and when the fuel is reduced, the gauge lamps 211a are extinguished from the right side, and when the fuel is exhausted, all the gauge lamps 211a are turned off.

Here, in the management terminal 201, the terminal control unit 204 uses the built-in communication device 202 to update the latest information of the remaining fuel amount of each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) via the cloud C at predetermined time intervals. Is obtained and the current fuel remaining amount of the work vehicle 100 is displayed on the fuel gauge 211. Therefore, the management user can easily visually grasp the current remaining fuel amount of each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn).

Further, when the number of gauge lamps 211a for each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) is only one, the terminal control unit 204 issues a warning from the speaker 220 that the work vehicle 100 will run out of fuel. Is configured.

In addition, the terminal control unit 204 can acquire the current position information of the management terminal 201 by the positioning device 203, and from the topographical information database 322 shown in FIG. And the topographical information of each of the fields 13 (A1 to An) can be acquired. Further, routes (L1 to Ln) reaching the position of the entrance/exit 11 of the farm field 13 from the current position of the management terminal 201 through the management passage 12 are calculated, and a predetermined speed is calculated from the distances of these routes (L1 to Ln). The travel time T (T1 to Tn) to the farm field 13 (A1 to An) in is calculated.

Further, the terminal control unit 204 determines the fuel consumption rate, which is the fuel consumption amount per unit time during the work of the work vehicle 100, and the current fuel remaining amount of the work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) in the field 13 (A1 to An). The remaining workable time R (R1 to Rn) of each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) is calculated from the amount, and a predetermined grace time τ is taken to obtain R−T<τ (R1−T1<τ, R2− For the work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) in which T2<τ,..., Rn−Tn<τ, a warning icon 212 is displayed next to the corresponding work vehicle icon 210, and from the speaker 220 to the field. To take a moving time T (T1 to Tn), and to issue a warning that the work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) will run out of fuel after the remaining workable time R (R1 to Rn) (+ delay time τ) Has been done.

Then, the terminal control unit 204 calculates the amount of fuel consumed by the work vehicle 100 within the traveling time T to the farm field 13 from the fuel consumption rate during the work of the work vehicle 100, and on the fuel gauge 211, The warning line 213 is displayed at a position corresponding to the amount of fuel consumed within the travel time T. By displaying the warning line 213 on the fuel gauge 211, the management user who owns the management terminal 201 can visually recognize from which work vehicle which work vehicle should handle the fuel exhaustion. Therefore, the work vehicle 100 to be refueled with priority can be grasped in advance.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of issuing a warning of running out of fuel of the work vehicle 100.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, first, the terminal control unit 204 of the management terminal 201 accesses the cloud C by the communication device 202 to access the cloud C from the fuel level database 321 of the management server 320 for each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn). When the remaining fuel amount information is acquired (S101), the gauge lamps 211a corresponding to the acquired remaining fuel amount are turned on in the fuel gauges 211 corresponding to the respective work vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn) on the display 205 of the management terminal 201. (S102). At this time, when a certain work vehicle 100 is on the verge of running out of fuel and the amount is such that one gauge lamp 211a is turned on (S103), the terminal control unit 204 issues a warning that the work vehicle 100 will run out of fuel. The speaker 220 gives a notification (S104).

In this way, the terminal control unit 204 of the management terminal 201 notifies the work vehicle that the remaining fuel amount has fallen below the predetermined threshold with a warning of running out of fuel, so that the management user who owns the management terminal 201 It is possible to grasp the timing at which the fuel runs out for each of the work vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn), and the work vehicle 100 (V1 to which the fuel runs out first occurs depending on the order of the work vehicles 100 (V1 to Vn) that received the warning. ~Vn) can be grasped.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of notifying the remaining workable time of the work vehicle 100.
As shown in FIG. 6, first, the terminal control unit 204 uses the communication device 202 from the terrain information database 322 of the management server 320 via the cloud C to the management passage 12 of the management area 10 and the fields 13 (A1 to An). (S201), the position information of each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) is acquired from the position information database 323 (S202), and each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) is acquired. , The field 13 having the topographical information including the position information of a certain work vehicle 100 is extracted from the topographical information of each field 13 (A1 to An), and which work vehicle 100 is driving which field 13 is specified. (Correlate with V1→A1, V2→A2,..., Vn→An) (S203). Further, the positioning device 203 acquires the current position information of the management terminal 201 (S204).

Next, the terminal control unit 204 reaches the position of the entrance/exit 11 of the field 13 through the management passage 12 from the current position of the management terminal 201 for each field 13 (A1 to An) based on the acquired information. The route L (L1 to Ln) is calculated (S205), and the travel time T at a predetermined speed from the current position of the management terminal 201 to the field 13 (A1 to An) from the distance of the route L (L1 to Ln). (T1 to Tn) is calculated (S206).

Further, the terminal control unit 204 acquires the fuel remaining amount information of each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) from the fuel remaining amount database 321 of the management server 320 via the cloud C by the communication device 202 (S207), and performs the work. From the fuel consumption rate of the vehicle 100, the remaining workable time R (R1 to Rn) of each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn) is calculated (S208), and RT−T< for each work vehicle 100 (V1 to Vn). It is determined whether τ (R1-T1<τ, R2-T2<τ,..., Rn-Tn<τ) holds (S209).

Then, if the relationship between the moving time Tx of a certain work vehicle Vx (x=1, 2,..., N) and the remaining workable time Rx is Rx−Tx<τ, the terminal control unit 204 determines that A warning icon 212 is displayed next to the work vehicle icon 210 corresponding to the work vehicle Vx on the display 205 of the management terminal 201 (S210), and the traveling time Tx from the speaker 220 to the field Ax where the work vehicle Vx is working. Therefore, a warning that the fuel of the work vehicle 100 will run out after the remaining workable time Rx (+grace time τ) is issued (S211). On the other hand, if there is no work vehicle 100 in which R−T<τ, the process returns to S204.

As described above, according to the work vehicle management system 1, the time obtained by subtracting the moving time (T) to the farm field 13 from the remaining workable time (R) of the work vehicle 100 running in the farm field 13 is predetermined. When the grace time (τ) is less than (R−T<τ), the management terminal 201 carries the management terminal 201 by issuing a warning that the fuel consumption of the work vehicle 100 will run out after the time R. The management user who is present can arrive at the farm field before the work vehicle 100 runs out of fuel by heading for refueling the farm field 13 within a predetermined grace period (τ) after the warning, so that the work vehicle 100 is fueled. It is possible to prevent being left in a disconnected state.

In addition, when a plurality of work vehicles 100 are likely to run out of fuel at the same time or in succession, a substantial amount of fuel is depleted in consideration of the time until the work vehicles 100 arrive at the field 13 in which they are running. Since the warning is issued first from the work vehicle 100 whose timing is near, it is possible to appropriately select the work vehicle 100 to be preferentially refueled.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the work vehicle 100 that records the outer peripheral route of the farm field 13, and FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a state of the work vehicle 100 that travels and works in the farm field 13.

As shown in FIG. 7, the farm field 13 is surrounded by the ridges 15 and the headland 14, and the traveling vehicle 100 can enter and exit the management passage 12 by the entrance/exit 11. The headland 14 is a peripheral route 22 through which the traveling vehicle 100 can travel and circulates outside the field 13.

The work vehicle 100 includes a field shape acquisition unit that acquires topographical information indicating the shape of the field. As a premise, the work vehicle 100 travels on the outer peripheral route 22 while measuring the current position by the position information acquisition unit 301 of FIG. 2 in advance, and connects the position information of the route traveled by the route calculation unit 306 of FIG. Thus, the route information of the outer peripheral route 22 is created, and the range surrounded by the route traveled in the route information of the outer peripheral route 22 is calculated to obtain the topographical information of the field 13 (position coordinate of the field, area and length and width). A topographical information recording mode for creating and recording the above information in the geographical information database 322 via the cloud C is provided. Then, the work vehicle 100 is configured to be able to acquire the route information of the outer peripheral route 22 and the topographical information of the farm field 13 recorded in the topographical information database 322 in the topographical information recording mode by the farm field shape acquisition means. .. The terrain information recording mode can be selected by an operation switch (not shown) included in the work vehicle 100.

The route information of the outer peripheral route 22 and the topographical information of the farm 13 created by the work vehicle 100 in the topographical information recording mode are transmitted to the management server 320 via the cloud C, and the route information of the outer peripheral route 22 and the topographical information of the farm 13 are transmitted. The management server 320 receiving the information records the information in the topographic information database 322. Thereby, the work vehicle 100 can acquire the route information of the outer peripheral route 22 and the topographical information of the farm field 13 at any timing by accessing the management server 320 via the cloud C. The work vehicle 100 acquires the route information of the outer peripheral route 22 and the terrain information of the farm field 13 by the farm field shape acquisition means when the engine is started, for example.

As described above, since the work vehicle 100 has the terrain information recording mode, it is not necessary to measure the field 13 in advance and acquire the terrain information, and the work vehicle 100 can perform work traveling in any field 13. It is possible to reduce the time and effort required to do this.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the work vehicle 100 performs work traveling in the farm field 13, the route calculation unit 306 shown in FIG. 2 performs the work vehicle 100 on the basis of the topographic information of the farm field 13 and the working width W of the work vehicle 100. A planned traveling route 20 which is a route for working traveling 13 is calculated. In order to carry out work traveling so as to cultivate the field 13 evenly, it is sufficient to go straight through the field 13 by the number obtained by dividing the width of the field 13 by the working width W (8 times in FIG. 6). 20 is calculated to make a total of four round trips through the field 13 by a straight path that goes straight on the field 13 and a turning path that leaves the field 13 and turns at the headland 14 and returns to the field 13. Hereinafter, the points where the planned travel route 20 intersects with the ends of the field 13 are referred to as field end points 21a (P1 to P8) and 21b (Q1 to Q8).

When the planned traveling route 20 is calculated, the work vehicle 100 autonomously travels along the planned traveling route 20 from one end of the farm field 13 to the other end while passing through the entire farm field during the working traveling. It is configured.

Specifically, when the work vehicle 100 enters the farm field 13 from the farm field end point 21a (P1) at the corner of the farm field 13, the work vehicle 100 goes straight to the farm field end point 21b (Q1) at the opposite position, and temporarily moves through the farm field 13. After exiting, the vehicle makes a right turn at the headland 14, and enters the field 13 again from the adjacent field end point 21b (Q2). After that, the vehicle goes straight to the opposite field end point 21a (P2), exits the field 13, turns left at the headland 14, and enters the field 13 again from the adjacent field end point 21a (P3). The work vehicle 100 can cultivate the entire field evenly by repeating such traveling until reaching the field end point 21a (P8).

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing a state of the work vehicle 100 moving from the inside of the farm field 13 to the doorway 11 of the farm field 13 along the residual route 23, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of the work vehicle 100 from inside the farm field 13 along the evacuation route 24. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a state of the work vehicle 100 moving to the doorway 11 of 13.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the work vehicle 100 periodically calculates the remaining route 23 and the evacuation route 24 by the route calculation unit 306 shown in FIG. Is configured. Here, the residual route 23 is from the current position of the work vehicle 100 to the field end point 21a (P8) which is the end point of the planned traveling route 20 and from there to the headland 14 through the outer peripheral route 22 to the entrance/exit. The evacuation route 24 is the route from the current position of the work vehicle 100 to the nearest unpassed field end point (21a or 21b) and from the field 13 to the outer peripheral route 22. It is a route that includes the route of returning to the doorway 11. There are two routes from the field end point (21a or 21b) to the doorway 11 through the outer peripheral route 22, but a route having a shorter distance (smaller fuel consumption amount) is selected as the evacuation route 24.

The work vehicle 100 acquires the route information of the outer peripheral route 22 recorded in the terrain information database 322, and determines the traveling route from the evacuation route 24 to the entrance/exit 11 of the farm field 13 based on the acquired route information of the outer peripheral route 22. However, the vehicle is equipped with an evacuation means for switching the travel route from the residual route 23 to the evacuation route 24, and in addition to calculating the residual route, the fuel consumption calculation unit 307 shown in FIG. 2 consumes the residual route 23. When the remaining fuel amount of the work vehicle 100 obtained by calculating the fuel amount and obtained by the fuel remaining amount sensor 305 shown in FIG. 2 becomes smaller than the fuel amount consumed in the remaining route 23, the work vehicle 100 suspends the work traveling. Then, the traveling route is switched to the evacuation route 24, the traveling route is moved to the doorway 11, and the waiting state is waited there.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a process in which the work vehicle 100 retracts to the entrance/exit 11 of the farm field 13 as the fuel decreases.
As shown in FIG. 11, while the work vehicle 100 is traveling along the planned traveling route 20 along the planned field 20 by the traveling control of the automatic driving ECU 302 (S301), the automatic driving ECU 302 is left by the route calculating unit 306. The route 23 and the evacuation route 24 are calculated (S302), the vehicle ECU 303 acquires the fuel remaining amount information of the work vehicle 100 by the fuel remaining amount sensor 305 (S303), and the remaining fuel route calculating unit 307 calculates the remaining route 23. When the amount of fuel consumed is calculated (S304), the vehicle ECU 303 uses the fuel remaining amount information acquired by the fuel remaining amount sensor 305 based on the calculation result of the fuel consumption calculating unit 307 to calculate the fuel consumed in the remaining route 23. When it is determined that the amount is less than the amount (S305), the automatic driving ECU 302 issues a command to the automatic driving ECU 302 to move toward the doorway 11, and receives the command to that effect, the automatic driving ECU 302 interrupts the work traveling (S306), and the evacuation route 24. It moves to the doorway 11 through (S307).

As described above, the work vehicle 100 is provided with the means for retracting from the farm field 13 in order to reduce the fuel consumption. Therefore, when the fuel is almost exhausted during the work traveling in the farm field 13, the work traveling is interrupted and the farm field 13 is stopped. Since the vehicle can be moved to the doorway 11 and stand by at that position, it is possible to easily refuel the work vehicle 100 without running out of the fuel inside the field 13 or at the end and stopping.

Further, since it is not necessary for the management user to enter the field to refuel, once the work vehicle 100 moves to the doorway 11 of the field 13 without degrading the already cultivated land in the field for refueling, Since it goes out to the headland 14 and passes through the outer peripheral route 22, the already cultivated land in the field 13 is not damaged even when the work vehicle 100 moves.

12 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of the fuel tank 400 that supplies the fuel 410 to the engine 105 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 13 is an explanation showing the configuration of the fuel level sensor 305 of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, the fuel tank 400 is filled with fuel 410, and a float type fuel gauge 420 for detecting the remaining amount of the fuel 410 is provided. The float type fuel meter 420 includes a float 421 floating on the liquid surface of the fuel, a float arm 422 which is a shaft member having the float 421 attached to one end, and a resistor 423 rotatably supporting the other end of the float arm 422. And a stay 424 that supports the resistor 423 so as to be suspended from the upper surface of the fuel tank 400.

In the float type fuel meter 420, as the float 421 moves up and down in conjunction with the change in the height of the liquid level of the fuel 410 in the fuel tank 400, the float arm 422 rotates and the resistor 423 causes the float arm 422 to move. Since the electric resistance value corresponding to the rotational position is output, the remaining fuel amount in the fuel tank 400 can be detected by reading the electric resistance value.

In general, the float type fuel gauge 420 cannot detect the remaining fuel amount when the liquid level of the fuel 410 is lower than the detection limit line 430, and therefore, the remaining fuel amount is 0 for convenience of detection limit line 430. However, even if the liquid level of the fuel 410 is below the detection limit line 430, the work vehicle 100 often has a sufficient amount of fuel remaining for a predetermined period of time during which work traveling is possible.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, the remaining fuel amount sensor 305 of the vehicle ECU 303 includes a fuel discharge amount sensor 308 capable of measuring the integrated value of the fuel discharge amount and a float fuel gauge 420. When the detection value of the remaining fuel amount by the float type fuel gauge 420 becomes 0, the remaining fuel amount is detected by acquiring the integrated value of the fuel discharge amount measured by the fuel discharge amount sensor 308 of the vehicle ECU 303. Has been done. Therefore, the remaining fuel amount sensor 305 can detect the remaining amount of fuel even when the liquid level of the fuel 410 is below the detection limit line 430, so that a difference occurs between the apparent fuel consumption and the actual fuel consumption. As compared with the case where the remaining amount of fuel is detected only by the float type fuel gauge 420, the span of refueling can be extended and the working time of the work vehicle 100 can be improved.

Further, when the liquid level of the fuel 410 drops below the engine stall warning line 431, the work vehicle 100 may stall due to exhaustion of fuel, so the vehicle ECU 303 causes the vehicle ECU 303 to calculate an integrated value of the fuel discharge amount measured by the fuel discharge amount sensor 308. When it is determined that the remaining fuel amount calculated from is below the stalling warning line 431, the communication unit 304 notifies the management terminal 201 illustrated in FIG. 2 via the cloud C illustrated in FIG. It is configured to send a warning.

Further, the remaining fuel amount sensor 305 is configured to reset the integrated value of the fuel discharge amount measured by the fuel discharge amount sensor 308 when the detection value of the float type fuel gauge 420 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. .. That is, when the liquid level of the fuel 410 rises by refueling and the detection value of the float type fuel gauge 420 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the integrated value of the fuel discharge amount measured by the fuel discharge amount sensor 308 becomes Since the vehicle 100 is reset, even if the work vehicle 100 consumes the fuel 410 and the liquid level of the fuel 410 falls below the detection limit line 430 again, the previous fuel discharge amount is added and the detected value of the remaining fuel amount is erroneous. Does not occur.

In addition, the vehicle ECU 303 is configured to transmit information to the cloud C that the remaining fuel amount cannot be acquired when the fuel discharge amount sensor 308 is abnormal and the information on the fuel discharge amount cannot be acquired. When the management terminal 201 receives information indicating that via the cloud C, the management terminal 201 is configured to give a warning that the remaining fuel amount cannot be acquired. Therefore, the management user who owns the management terminal 201 can know that the fuel discharge amount sensor 308 cannot acquire the information of the fuel discharge amount, and the work vehicle 100 runs out of the fuel 410 and the fuel 410. It can be understood that there is a risk of engine stall without being able to detect that the liquid surface of the liquid has dropped below the engine stall warning line 431.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a state in the fuel tank 400 when the body of the work vehicle 100 is tilted.
As shown in FIG. 14, the work vehicle 100 includes a tilt sensor 309 that detects the tilt of the vehicle body. When the body of the work vehicle 100 tilts, the vehicle ECU 303 causes the vehicle ECU 303 to tilt the vehicle body detected by the tilt sensor 309 ( θ), the change (d) in the height of the liquid level of the fuel 410 due to the inclination is calculated, and the detection value by the residual quantity float type fuel gauge 420 is acquired by correcting it so that it returns to the value when there is no inclination. Is configured. Therefore, the work vehicle 100 can prevent erroneous detection of fuel shortage and issue a warning from a change in the liquid level of the fuel 410 caused by tilting of the vehicle body.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. It goes without saying that they are also included in the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work vehicle 100 is configured to evacuate to the doorway 11 of the field 13 when the fuel is almost exhausted during the autonomous traveling. The position to be set does not necessarily have to be the entrance/exit 11 of the farm field 13 if the fuel supply to the work vehicle 100 is easy, and if the fuel supply from the ridge 15 is easy, any position on the outer peripheral route 22 adjacent to the ridge 15 can be set. The position may be set as the standby position and the work vehicle 100 may be retracted to the standby position before the fuel runs out.

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle ECU 303 of the work vehicle 100, when the detection value of the remaining fuel amount by the float fuel gauge 420 becomes 0, the integrated value of the fuel discharge amount measured by the fuel discharge amount sensor 308. However, the vehicle ECU 303 is configured so as to acquire the load factor, the rotation speed, and the operating time of the engine 105, and the float fuel gauge is used. When the detected value of the remaining fuel amount by 420 becomes 0, the fuel consumption may be calculated from the load factor of the engine 105, the rotation speed, and the operating time to calculate the remaining fuel amount. In this case, the remaining fuel amount sensor 305 may be configured to reset the operating time of the engine used to calculate the remaining fuel amount when the detection value of the float fuel gauge 420 exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

1 Work Vehicle Management System 10 Management Area 11 Entrance/Exit 12 Management Passage 13 Field 14 Headland 15 Ridges 20 Expected Route 21a Field End 21b Field End 22 Perimeter Route 23 Residual Route 24 Evacuation Route 100 Work Vehicle 102 GNSS Receiver 103 Front Wheel 104 After Wheel 105 Engine 106 Control unit 107 Bonnet 108 Cabin roof 140 Working machine 141 Working machine lifting cylinder 142 Lift arm 145 Three-point link mechanism 145a Top link 145b Lower link 146 Plowing claw 147 Rotary cover 148 Rear cover 149 Rearing depth sensor 170 Satellite 200 Remote Management device 201 Management terminal 202 Communication device 203 Positioning device 204 Terminal control unit 205 Display 210 Work vehicle icon 211 Fuel gauge 211a Gauge lamp 212 Warning icon 213 Warning line 220 Speaker 301 Position information acquisition unit 302 Autonomous driving ECU
303 Vehicle ECU
304 Communication unit 305 Fuel level sensor 306 Route calculation unit 307 Fuel consumption calculation unit 308 Fuel discharge amount sensor 309 Tilt sensor 320 Management server 321 Fuel level database 322 Topographical information database 323 Position information database 400 Fuel tank 410 Fuel 420 Float type fuel Total 421 Float 422 Float arm 423 Resistor 424 Stay 430 Detection limit line 431 Enst warning line C Cloud

Claims (2)

A plurality of work vehicles configured to be capable of transmitting the remaining fuel amount information by including a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving information via a communication network,
The remaining fuel amount information transmitted by the plurality of work vehicles, a remote management device configured to be obtainable via a communication network,
The remote management device determines the remaining fuel amount of each of the plurality of work vehicles from the obtained remaining fuel amount information, and when there are a plurality of work vehicles whose remaining fuel amount is below a predetermined threshold, the remaining fuel amount is determined. A work vehicle management system, comprising: an informing unit for informing a warning in order from a work vehicle having a small amount. A plurality of work vehicles configured to be capable of transmitting the fuel remaining amount information by including a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving information via the communication network, and the fuel remaining amount information transmitted by the plurality of work vehicles are communicated over the communication network. And a remote management device configured to be acquired via
The remote management device includes a positioning device capable of measuring and acquiring its own position information, a recording device in which position information of a plurality of farm fields is recorded, and a farm field in which the plurality of work vehicles are working for each work vehicle. Equipped with a field identification means for identifying
From the position information of the self and the position information of the field, the travel time required to reach the field from the current position is calculated for each of the plurality of fields, and further, it is possible to work for each work vehicle from the acquired fuel remaining amount information While calculating the remaining workable time, by specifying the field under work for each work vehicle by the field specifying means, the difference between the remaining workable time and the moving time to the field under work is specified for each work vehicle. A work vehicle management system configured to calculate and to issue a warning when the difference falls below a predetermined threshold value.