JP2021108595A - Farm work machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a farm work vehicle capable of shifting to automatic travelling using a reference line easily even in the middle of automatic steering travelling along a preset target route.SOLUTION: A farm work vehicle includes: a first automatic steering unit 61 for executing automatic steering on the basis of a machine body position calculated by a machine body position calculation unit 52 and a travelling route managed by a travelling route management unit 53; a second automatic steering unit 62 for executing automatic steering so as to maintain an azimuth of a reference line stipulated by at least two points; and a reference line management unit 57 for storing the travelling route managed by the travelling route management unit 53 in a reference line storage unit 56 as a reference line, and reading and setting the reference line from the reference line storage unit 56 when shifting from the automatic steering by the first automatic steering unit 61 to the automatic steering by the second automatic steering unit 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an agricultural work vehicle that carries out agricultural work while automatically traveling at least a part of a farm.

The agricultural work vehicle according to Patent Document 1 is a non-working route accompanied by a change of direction of the traveling machine and traveling using the field working apparatus based on the topographical data of the field, the entrance position of the field, the exit position of the field, and the working width. It is provided with a route calculation unit that calculates a travel route including a work travel route for performing work, and an automatic travel control unit that performs automatic travel based on the calculated travel route and satellite positioning data. At that time, the field is divided into an outer peripheral region and a central region located inside the outer peripheral region, work on the outer peripheral region is performed by lap running, and work on the central region is performed by straight running and U-turn running (turning running). It is done by repeating. When automatic running is difficult, or when the operator desires special running, automatic running is stopped and manual running is performed.

In the agricultural work vehicle according to Patent Document 2, a teaching run, which is a manual work run in a straight line, is performed from the first position where the driver switches the switch to the second position where the switch is operated again. The direction of the reference line connecting the first position and the second position is calculated as the reference direction, and by pressing the automatic steering switch after the U-turn running, the straight-ahead work running by the automatic steering is performed in order to maintain the reference direction. That is, after the reference direction is calculated in the first teaching run, this farm work vehicle performs field work by U-turn running by manual steering and straight running by automatic steering to maintain the reference direction. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-112071 JP-A-2017-112962

Even for an agricultural work vehicle that travels by automatic steering along a target route set in advance in the field as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to rely on manual steering in a region where the field condition is poor. In such manual steering, semi-automatic driving as disclosed in Patent Document 2, that is, direction change by U-turn and positioning for the next straight running are performed manually, and the maneuvering is relatively easy. It is convenient that the straight running is performed by automatic steering using the reference line. However, in automatic steering using the reference line, teaching running from the first position to the second position accompanied by a switch operation is required in order to acquire the reference line (reference direction). Such teaching running during the work becomes a troublesome work.

In view of such a situation, there is a demand for an agricultural work vehicle that can easily shift to automatic running using a reference line even during automatic steering running along a set target route.

The first agricultural work vehicle according to the present invention includes an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates an aircraft position based on satellite positioning, a travel route management unit that manages a travel route for automatically traveling on a farm, and the aircraft position and the travel. It includes a first automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft based on the route, and a second automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft based on the set teaching path.

According to this configuration, when the steering control by the first automatic steering unit capable of automatically steering all the traveling paths is interrupted, the automatic steering is performed based on the traveling information obtained in the teaching traveling which is the previous traveling. It is possible to shift to steering control by a second automatic steering unit that is possible. Therefore, in order to start the steering control in the conventional second automatic steering unit, a teaching run for acquiring a reference line is performed at the time of transition of the steering control from the first automatic steering unit to the second automatic steering unit. No need. As a result, the transition from the steering control by the first automatic steering unit to the steering control by the first automatic steering unit can be easily performed. Such a feature is convenient when suddenly shifting from steering control by the first automatic steering unit to steering control by the second automatic steering unit in order to cope with work running in a locally deteriorated farm condition or the like. be.

The second agricultural work vehicle according to the present invention includes an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates an aircraft position based on satellite positioning, a travel route management unit that manages a travel route for automatically traveling on the farm, the aircraft position, and the above. The first automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft based on the travel route, the second steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft so as to maintain the orientation of the reference line defined by at least two points, and the travel route management. The traveling path managed by the unit is stored as the reference line, and the traveling locus in traveling by the first automatic steering unit is stored. From the automatic steering by the first automatic steering unit to the second automatic steering unit. A reference line management unit that reads out the reference line from the reference line management unit and sets the reference line at the time of transition to automatic steering is provided.

According to this configuration, when the steering control by the first automatic steering unit capable of automatic steering including turning running is interrupted and the steering control is shifted to the steering control by the second automatic steering unit that maintains the direction in straight running. As the reference line required for steering control by the second automatic steering unit, the traveling path used during automatic straight running by the first automatic steering unit is diverted. Therefore, the teaching running for acquiring the reference line required for the steering control in the conventional second automatic steering unit becomes unnecessary. As a result, the transition from the steering control by the first automatic steering unit to the steering control by the first automatic steering unit can be easily performed. This configuration is also convenient when suddenly shifting from steering control by the first automatic steering unit to steering control by the second automatic steering unit in order to cope with work running in a locally deteriorated farm condition or the like.

The third agricultural work vehicle according to the present invention includes an aircraft position calculation unit that calculates an aircraft position based on satellite positioning, a travel route management unit that manages a travel route for automatically traveling on a farm, and the aircraft position and the travel. A first automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft based on the route, a second automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft so as to maintain the orientation of the reference line defined by at least two points, and the first automatic steering unit. A part of the traveling locus in traveling by the steering unit is stored in the reference line storage unit as the reference line, and the reference is made when the automatic steering by the first automatic steering unit shifts to the automatic steering by the second automatic steering unit. A reference line management unit for reading and setting a line from the reference line storage unit is provided.

In this configuration, when the steering control by the first automatic steering unit capable of automatic steering including turning running is interrupted and the steering control is shifted to the steering control by the second automatic steering unit that maintains the direction in straight running, the second As the reference line required for steering control by the automatic steering unit, the traveling locus during automatic straight running by the first automatic steering unit is diverted. Therefore, the teaching running for acquiring the reference line required for the steering control in the conventional second automatic steering unit becomes unnecessary. Even in this configuration, the transition from the steering control by the first automatic steering unit to the steering control by the first automatic steering unit, which is performed in order to deal with the work running in the locally deteriorated farm condition or the like, is easily performed.

The term "straight running" used in the present invention does not mean only straight running, but also includes curved running that curves with a large radius of curvature.

In many farm operations on farms with farm vehicles, the farm surface to be worked on is divided into an outer peripheral area and a central area located inside this outer peripheral area, and the work in the central area is for straight running and turning. It is performed while repeating turning running (mainly U-turn running). At that time, the turning run is performed in the outer peripheral region. Work on the outer peripheral area is carried out by orbiting along boundaries such as shores and farm roads. In an agricultural work vehicle that performs harvesting work such as a combine harvester, a work run in the outer peripheral region is performed first, and then a work run in the central region is performed. For rice transplanters, fertilizers, chemical sprayers, etc., work runs in the central area are performed first, and then work runs in the outer peripheral area. In such a work run, even in the work run by the first automatic steering unit, many relatively long straight routes are set, so that a linear running locus used for the reference line can be easily obtained. From this, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention in the first agricultural work vehicle, the farm is divided into an outer peripheral region and a central region located inside the outer peripheral region, and the work on the outer peripheral region travels around. The work on the central region is performed by repeating the straight running in the central region and the turning running in the outer peripheral region, and the reference line management unit is for the straight running in the central region. The traveling route of the above is stored in the reference line storage unit as the reference line. Similarly, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention in the second agricultural work vehicle, the farm is divided into an outer peripheral region and a central region located inside the outer peripheral region, and work on the outer peripheral region is performed by orbiting. The work on the central region is performed by repeating the straight running in the central region and the turning running in the outer peripheral region, and the reference line management unit performs the running of the straight running in the central region. The locus is stored in the reference line storage unit as the reference line.

A farm with a convex region or a concave region is divided into an region where automatic steering in the same pattern is easy and an region where the distance to be traveled straight differs depending on the travel route and the timing of turning is difficult. In such a farm, control by the first automatic steering unit is used in the former region, but control by the second automatic steering unit is more convenient in the latter region. In such steering control by the second automatic steering unit, the aircraft orientation is maintained during straight-ahead travel, and it is often left to the timing of turning, turning traveling, and the driver. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the first automatic steering unit can be automatically steered in both the straight running in the central region and the turning running in the outer peripheral region. The second automatic steering unit maintains the aircraft orientation in the straight running in the central region, and the transition timing from the straight running to the turning running in the outer peripheral region and from the turning running to the straight running. The transition timing of is determined manually.

In the present invention, there is a function of storing at least a part of the traveling locus in traveling by the first automatic steering unit. In particular, since the traveling locus in straight-ahead traveling is used as a reference line (reference direction) for automatic steering by the second automatic steering unit, it is necessary to store the traveling locus. However, when the agricultural work vehicle moves to the next farm, the traveling locus on the next farm is also different, so that the stored traveling locus becomes unnecessary. From this, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the reference line stored in the reference line storage unit is erased at the timing of leaving the farm.

It is a side view of a rice transplanter which is an example of an agricultural work vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the area division of the field where the traveling route is set. It is explanatory drawing explaining the orbiting travel path set in the outer peripheral region and the traveling of a rice transplanter. It is explanatory drawing explaining the round-trip travel path set in the central region and the travel of a rice transplanter. It is a functional block diagram which shows the control system of a rice transplanter. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of data at the time of transitioning from a 1st steering mode to a 2nd steering mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows another Example of the flow of data at the time of transitioning from a 1st steering mode to a 2nd steering mode.

As an embodiment of the agricultural work vehicle according to the present invention, a passenger-type rice transplanter will be taken up and described below. While running, this rice transplanter administers seedlings (planting work) and fertilizer (fertilizer application work) as agricultural materials to a field, which is an example of a farm. In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, "front" means the front in the front-rear direction (traveling direction) of the aircraft, and "rear" means the rear in the front-rear direction (traveling direction) of the aircraft. Further, the left-right direction or the lateral direction means the aircraft crossing direction (airframe width direction) orthogonal to the aircraft front-rear direction. "Upper" or "lower" is the positional relationship of the aircraft in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and indicates the relationship at the height above the ground.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the rice transplanter. The rice transplanter is equipped with a passenger-type, four-wheel drive type traveling machine (hereinafter referred to as machine 1). The machine body 1 is attached to a parallel quadruple link type link mechanism 11 connected to the rear part of the machine body 1 so as to be able to move up and down, a hydraulic lifting cylinder 11a for swinging the link mechanism 11, and a rear end portion of the link mechanism 11. It includes a seedling planting device 3 (an example of an agricultural material administration device) that is rotatably connected, and a fertilizer application device 4 that is erected from the rear end of the machine body 1 to the seedling planting device 3.

The airframe 1 includes wheels 12, an engine 13, and a hydraulic continuously variable transmission 14 as a mechanism for traveling. The wheels 12 have left and right front wheels 12A that can be steered and left and right rear wheels 12B that cannot be steered. The engine 13 and the continuously variable transmission 14 are mounted on the front portion of the machine body 1. The power from the engine 13 is supplied to the front wheels 12A, the rear wheels 12B, and the like via the continuously variable transmission 14 and the like.

The seedling planting device 3 is configured as an eight-row planting type as an example. The seedling planting device 3 includes a seedling stand 31, a planting mechanism 32 for eight rows, and the like. The seedling planting device 3 can be changed to a form such as 2-row planting, 4-row planting, 6-row planting, etc. by controlling each row clutch (not shown). Alternatively, it is possible to change to a specific row planting format by turning the clutch on and off one row at a time.

The seedling pedestal 31 is a pedestal on which eight mat-shaped seedlings are placed. The seedling stand 31 reciprocates in the left-right direction with a constant stroke corresponding to the left-right width of the mat-shaped seedling, and the vertical feed mechanism 33 is placed on the seedling stand 31 each time the seedling stand 31 reaches the left and right stroke ends. Each mat-shaped seedling is vertically fed at a predetermined pitch toward the lower end of the seedling stand 31. The eight planting mechanisms 32 are rotary type and are arranged in the left-right direction at regular intervals corresponding to the planting rows. Then, each planting mechanism 32 cuts out one seedling from the lower end of each mat-shaped seedling placed on the seedling stand 31 by the power from the machine body 1 and plants it in the mud portion after leveling.

The seedling planting device 3 is provided with a seedling harvesting amount adjusting function for adjusting the seedling harvesting amount by the planting mechanism 32. The planting mechanism 32 takes out and plants a seedling for one plant through a seedling take-out port formed on a guide rail that slides and guides the lower end of the seedling loading table 31. The amount of seedlings taken is adjusted by changing the positions of the guide rails that slide and guide the lower ends of the seedling loading table 31 and the seedling loading table 31 up and down.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fertilizer application device 4 includes a horizontally long hopper 41, a feeding mechanism 42, an electric blower 43, a plurality of fertilizer hoses 44, and a groove grooving device 45 provided for each row. .. The hopper 41 stores granular or powdery fertilizer. The feeding mechanism 42 is operated by the power transmitted from the engine 13 and feeds out two rows of fertilizer from the hopper 41 in predetermined amounts. The fertilizer application device 4 has a feeding amount adjusting function for changing the feeding amount of fertilizer by the feeding mechanism 42.

The blower 43 is operated by electric power from a battery (not shown) mounted on the machine body 1, and generates a transport wind for transporting the fertilizer delivered by each feeding mechanism 42 toward the mud surface of the field. The fertilizer application device 4 can switch between an operating state in which a predetermined amount of fertilizer stored in the hopper 41 is supplied to the field and a non-operating state in which the supply is stopped by an intermittent operation of the blower 43 or the like.

Each fertilizer application hose 44 guides the fertilizer conveyed by the transport wind to each groove-growing device 45. Each groover 45 is provided on each leveling float 15. Then, each groover 45 moves up and down together with each leveling float 15 to form a fertilizer groove in the mud portion of the paddy field and guide the fertilizer into the fertilizer groove during the work traveling in which each leveling float 15 touches the ground.

The aircraft 1 is provided with a driving unit 20 on the rear side. The driver unit 20 enables the steering wheel 21 for steering the front wheels, the main transmission (lever, pedal, etc.) 22 for adjusting the vehicle speed by shifting the speed of the continuously variable transmission 14, and the auxiliary transmission for shifting. A sub-transmission lever 23, a work operation lever 25 that enables the raising and lowering operation of the seedling planting device 3 and switching of the operating state, and a touch panel that displays various information to notify the operator and accepts input of various information. It is provided with a general-purpose terminal 9 to have, a driver's seat 16 for an operator, and the like. Further, a spare seedling frame 17 for accommodating spare seedlings is provided in front of the driving unit 20.

The steering wheel 21 is connected to the front wheels 12A via a steering mechanism (not shown), and the steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted by rotating the steering wheel 21. A steering motor M1 is also connected to the steering mechanism, and the steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted by operating the steering motor M1 based on the steering signal during automatic driving. Further, a shift operation motor M2 for automatically operating the main transmission 22 is also provided, and during automatic traveling, the shift operation motor M2 operates based on the shift signal to shift the continuously variable transmission 14. The position is adjusted.

The traveling route used in the seedling planting work (an example of field work) by this rice transplanter will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the field is divided into an outer peripheral region where a circular traveling route is set and a central region where a round-trip traveling route is set. The rice transplanter first performs seedling planting work on the central region along the reciprocating travel route, and then performs seedling planting operation on the outer peripheral region along the circular travel route.

FIG. 3 shows a circuit traveling route. The orbital traveling route consists of an orbiting straight line extending parallel to the field boundary (shore) and a turning route incorporating forward and reverse directions to connect the orbiting straight lines. In FIG. 3, a code R1 is assigned to the circular straight path, and a code R2 is assigned to the direction change path. FIG. 4 shows a round-trip travel route. The reciprocating travel path consists of a large number of straight paths that are substantially parallel to each other and a turning path (U-turn path) that connects the straight paths. In each straight route, planting of seedlings is started from the planting start position US, and planting of seedlings is completed at the planting end position UF. In FIG. 4, R3 is assigned to the straight path, and the symbol R5 is assigned to the turning path. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the reference numeral R4 is assigned to the transition route for transitioning from the reciprocating travel route to the orbital travel route. In the example here, the transition path is similar to the turning path. Further, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the working width of the rice transplanter is indicated by reference numeral W, and the entrance / exit GA of the rice transplanter to the field is drawn with diagonal lines. FIG. 4 shows a start guide route (with reference numeral R6) from the entrance / exit GA to the travel start position S of the round-trip travel route. In the turning route, the turning route, the start guidance route, and the transition route, the rice transplanter travels without any work until the work on the round-trip traveling route is completed, so these routes are indicated by dotted lines. In the circuit straight route and the straight route, the rice transplanter travels while working, so these routes are shown by solid lines.

FIG. 5 shows a control block diagram of the control system of this rice transplanter. The control system of the rice transplanter includes a control device 100 that controls various operations of the rice transplanter and a general-purpose terminal 9 that can exchange data with the control device 100. Signals from the positioning unit 8, the mode switching manual operation tool group 27, the traveling sensor group 28, and the work sensor group 29 are input to the control device 100. The control signal from the control device 100 is output to the traveling equipment group 1A and the working equipment group 1B.

The positioning unit 8 outputs positioning data for calculating the position and orientation (airframe orientation) of the aircraft 1. The positioning unit 8 includes a satellite positioning module 8A that receives radio waves from satellites of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and an inertial measurement unit 8B that detects the tilt and acceleration of the three axes of the aircraft 1.

The traveling equipment group 1A includes, for example, a steering motor M1 and a speed change operation motor M2, and the steering angle is adjusted by controlling the steering motor M1 based on a control signal from the control device 100. The vehicle speed is adjusted by controlling the speed change operation motor M2.

In the work equipment group 1B, for example, the elevating cylinder 11a for elevating and adjusting the seedling planting device 3, the seedling amount adjusting device for adjusting the seedling amount with the planting mechanism 32, and the fertilizer feeding amount with the feeding mechanism 42 are changed. It includes a feeding amount adjusting device and an on / off control device for each clutch.

This rice transplanter has a first automatic steering mode and a second automatic steering mode. In the first automatic steering mode, the aircraft 1 is automatically steered based on the aircraft position obtained by satellite positioning and the traveling path set in the field. In the second automatic steering mode, the aircraft 1 is automatically steered so that the orientation of the reference line defined by at least two points and the orientation of the aircraft 1 match. Of course, the aircraft 1 can be steered manually (manual steering mode). Such switching of the steering mode may be automatically performed by the control device 100, but is usually performed by the manual operation of the mode switching manual operation tool group 27. The mode switching manual operation tool group 27 includes a plurality of levers and switches. For example, with respect to traveling in the central region, in the first automatic steering mode, all of the straight traveling and the turning traveling for changing the direction are automatically steered with the set straight traveling path and the turning path as targets. On the other hand, in the second automatic steering mode, the straight running is performed by automatic steering with the direction of the reference line as the target of the aircraft direction. The turning run in the second automatic steering mode is manually steered including its start timing and end timing. At that time, the transition timing from straight running to turning running (start timing of turning running) and the transition timing from turning running to straight running (end timing of turning running) are manually set by using the mode switching manual operation tool group 27. It is determined. When the vehicle shifts from turning to straight running, automatic steering with the direction of the reference line as the target of the aircraft direction is restarted from that position.

The travel sensor group 28 includes various sensors that detect states such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and engine speed, and set values for them. The work sensor group 29 includes various sensors that detect the state of the link mechanism 11, the seedling planting device 3, and the fertilizer application device 4.

The control device 100 includes a travel control unit 6, a work control unit 51, an airframe position calculation unit 52, a travel route management unit 53, a travel locus generation unit 54, a reference line management unit 55, and a reference line storage unit 56. ..

The travel control unit 6 includes an automatic travel control unit 6A, a manual travel control unit 6B, and a control management unit 6C. The automatic traveling control unit 6A includes a first automatic steering unit 61 that executes automatic steering in the first automatic steering mode, and a second automatic steering unit 62 that executes automatic steering in the second automatic steering mode. In the first automatic steering mode, based on the lateral deviation and the directional deviation calculated by comparing the target traveling route set by the traveling route management unit 53 with the aircraft position calculated by the aircraft position calculation unit 52. The steering control amount is calculated so that the lateral deviation and the directional deviation are reduced. In the second automatic steering mode, the steering control amount is calculated so as to maintain the direction of the reference line defined by at least two points. The second automatic steering unit 62 acquires a reference line by a transition command output from a predetermined operation tool in the mode switching manual operation tool group 27, and starts the second automatic steering mode. That is, the driver operates the operating tool when the aircraft 1 has passed the direction-changing travel and is in a position suitable for the next round-trip straight-line travel (alignment). After that, the aircraft 1 is automatically steered so as to maintain the direction of the reference line. In the manual travel mode, the manual travel control unit 6B controls the steering motor M1 based on the amount of operation of the steering wheel 21.

The control management unit 6C selects one of the first automatic steering mode, the second automatic steering mode, and the manual traveling mode based on the signal from the mode switching manual operation tool group 27 and the like.

In automatic driving, the work control unit 51 automatically controls the work equipment group 1B based on a program given in advance, and in manual driving, controls the work equipment group 1B based on the operation of the driver.

The aircraft position calculation unit 52 calculates the map coordinates (airframe position) of the aircraft 1 based on the satellite positioning data sequentially sent from the positioning unit 8.

In this embodiment, the general-purpose terminal 9 is provided with a field information storage unit 91, a travel route map generation unit 92, and a travel route generation unit 93. The field information storage unit 91 stores information about the field such as planted seeds, the entrance (exit) position of the field, and the position where seedlings can be replenished. The travel route map generation unit 92 is a travel locus (teaching route) obtained by traveling the aircraft 1 (teaching travel) along the outermost peripheral portion of the outer peripheral region (see FIG. 2) of the field, that is, the boundary line with the shore. Based on, the external dimensions of the field are calculated. The travel route generation unit 93 divides the field into an outer peripheral region and a central region based on the external dimensions of the field, and divides the field into a circular traveling route for traveling in the outer peripheral region and a reciprocating traveling route for traveling in the central region. Generate.

The travel route management unit 53 receives and manages the travel route generated by the travel route generation unit 93 from the general-purpose terminal 9, and sequentially sets a target travel route for automatically traveling the field in the first steering mode.

The traveling locus generation unit 54 generates at least a partial traveling locus of the aircraft 1 based on the aircraft position calculated by the aircraft position calculation unit 52. In particular, in this embodiment, the traveling locus generation unit 54 sequentially generates traveling loci in traveling along a straight path (indicated by R3 in FIG. 4) set in the central region, and secondly steers. It is stored in the reference line storage unit 56 as a reference line used in the mode.

At the time of transition from the first automatic steering mode to the second automatic steering mode, the reference line management unit 55 reads out the reference line required for steering in the second automatic steering mode from the reference line storage unit 56, and performs the second automatic steering. Give to part 62.

Next, the flow of data when shifting from the first steering mode to the second steering mode will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the rice transplanter is performing the seedling planting work by reciprocating in the central area of the field.

First, for automatic traveling in the first steering mode, the traveling route management unit 53 gives a traveling route as a traveling target route to the first automatic steering unit 61 (# a1), and the aircraft position calculation unit 52 determines the aircraft position. It is given to the first automatic steering unit 61 (# a2). The first automatic steering unit 61 calculates the position deviation and the directional deviation based on the given traveling path and the aircraft position (# a3), and generates a first steering signal for reducing these deviations. , Output to the traveling equipment group 1A (# a4).

The aircraft position is also given to the traveling locus generation unit 54 (# b1). The traveling locus generation unit 54 generates a traveling locus based on the positions of the aircraft that are sequentially received (# b2). At that time, the traveling locus obtained in traveling on the straight path in the central region is stored in the reference line storage unit 56 as the reference line used in the second automatic steering mode (# b3).

The control management unit 6C that manages the travel control acquires a travel status signal from the travel sensor group 28, acquires a work status signal from the work sensor group 29, and acquires an operation signal from the mode switching manual operation tool group 27 (#). c1). Based on these data, the control management unit 6C has a first automatic ON signal requesting the start of steering in the first automatic steering mode and a first automatic OFF signal requesting the stop of steering in the first automatic steering mode. Is given to the first automatic steering unit 61 (# c2), the second automatic ON signal requesting the start of steering in the second automatic steering mode, and the second automatic OFF requesting the stop of steering in the second automatic steering mode. A signal is given to the second automatic steering unit 62 (# c3). Further, the control management unit 6C gives a shift command to the reference line management unit 55 at the time of transition from the first automatic steering mode to the second automatic steering mode (# c4).

The output of the shift command and the output of the second automatic ON signal by the control management unit 6C are performed at the same timing, whereby the second automatic steering unit 62 executes automatic steering in the second automatic steering mode. First, when the reference line management unit 55 receives the shift command, it reads out the reference line from the reference line storage unit 56 and gives it to the second automatic steering unit 62 (# d1). The second automatic steering unit 62 receives the airframe position from the airframe position calculation unit 52 (# d2). A reference line is set at the aircraft position at the timing when the transition command is received. The second automatic steering unit 62 calculates the position deviation and the azimuth deviation based on the reference line and the aircraft position (# d3), generates a second steering signal for reducing these deviations, and generates a traveling device. Output to group 1A (# d4).

At the time of manual traveling, a manual operation signal output from the traveling sensor group 28 or the like is given to the manual traveling control unit 6B (# e1). The manual travel control unit 6B generates a manual steering signal based on the manual operation signal and outputs it to the travel equipment group 1A (# e2).

The reference line stored in the reference line storage unit 56 is erased when the rice transplanter leaves the field.

FIG. 7 illustrates a data flow that is different from the data flow described with reference to FIG. The difference from FIG. 6 is that the reference line used in the second automatic steering mode is not from the travel locus generated by the travel locus generation unit 54, but is a travel route (linear) managed by the travel route management unit 53. The traveling route) is diverted. The travel route management unit 53 stores the travel route for straight-line travel set by the aircraft 1 for reciprocating travel in the central region in the reference line storage unit 56 as a reference line (# z1).

Here, the second automatic steering mode by the second automatic steering unit 62 will be described in more detail. Two points having a distance of a predetermined distance or more in the field are set as a start point and an end point, and a line defined by the start point and the end point is set as a teaching line. This teaching line is used as the reference line described above. In the actual running in the second automatic steering mode, the descending position of the seedling planting device 3 which is the working device connected to the machine 1 to the field and the ascending / descending position from the field are set to the ridge area (distance from the ridge). Is a short area), and when the aircraft 1 approaches the ridge area by running in the second automatic steering mode, the second automatic steering unit 62 switches to manual operation from a predetermined distance to the ridge area or a predetermined time before. Notify the driver. During this notification, in order to continue the automatic straight running in the second automatic steering mode, the driver needs to continuously press and hold the corresponding switch of the mode switching manual operation tool group 27. At that time, when switching the automatic straight-ahead in the second automatic steering mode to manual during this notification, the driver may press the corresponding switch in the mode switching manual operation group. The switch for continuing automatic straight movement and switching to manual operation may be the same. If no operation is performed during this notification, the aircraft 1 will be forcibly stopped after a predetermined distance or a predetermined time. The switch for switching is provided around the handle post, above the forward / backward operation tool such as the main transmission 22, and the operation panel around the handle post. In this rice transplanter, the operating tool for switching from one state to another (for example, from automatic to manual or manual to automatic in the second automatic steering mode) is preferably a swing type, a rotary type, or a pressing type.

Further, when the automatic traveling by the first automatic steering unit 61 is completely completed, the aircraft 1 is completely stopped, and the control system enters a check state in which no operation is accepted. In this check-and-balance state, manual running or running in the second automatic steering unit becomes possible by operating the check-and-balance state release operating tool for releasing the check-and-balance state.

[Another Embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, when the transition command is output, the reference line management unit 56 reads out the reference line from the reference line storage unit 56 and gives it to the second automatic steering unit 62. Instead of this, a plurality of reference lines are stored in the reference line storage unit 56, and when a transition command is output, the acquired information (the travel route or travel that is the source of the reference line) is displayed on the touch panel of the general-purpose terminal 9. A reference line is displayed together with the position of the locus, etc.), and a configuration may be adopted in which the reference line used by the operator is selected.
(2) In the above embodiment, the travel route map generation unit 92 and the travel route generation unit 93 are constructed in the general-purpose terminal 9, but may be constructed in the control device 100. Further, it may be built on an external management computer capable of exchanging data with the control device 100.
(3) The automatic steering of the turning path by the first automatic steering unit 61 may be performed by controlling along the generated turning path, or a steering angle predetermined so as to be a predetermined turning path. It may be performed by the control using.
(4) In the above embodiment, the rice transplanter is adopted as the work vehicle, but it may be an agricultural work vehicle such as a combine harvester, a tractor, a direct seeding machine, or a spray (spraying) management machine.
(5) The term steering in the present application is used in a broad sense, and automatic steering includes automatic steering. For example, the direction is changed not only by a work vehicle that changes direction by wheels but also by a crawler. The present invention is also applicable to such a work vehicle.
(6) The present invention can also be applied to running work in which the work direction is limited to one direction, for example, in a field ridged with a combine or the like.

The configuration disclosed in the above embodiment (including another embodiment, the same shall apply hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configuration disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. The embodiments disclosed in the present specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the object of the present invention.

The present invention is applicable to an agricultural work vehicle capable of automatically traveling.

1: Aircraft 6: Travel control unit 6A: Automatic travel control unit 6B: Manual travel control unit 6C: Control management unit 8: Positioning unit 9: General-purpose terminal 27: Mode switching manual operation tool group 52: Aircraft position calculation unit 53: Travel Route management unit 54: Travel locus generation unit 55: Reference line management unit 56: Reference line storage unit 61: First automatic steering unit 62: Second automatic steering unit 91: Field information storage unit 92: Travel route map generation unit 93: Travel path generator 100: Control device

Claims (7)

An aircraft position calculation unit that calculates the aircraft position based on satellite positioning,
The driving route management department that manages the driving route for automatic driving on the farm,
A first automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft based on the aircraft position and the traveling path,
The second automatic steering unit that automatically steers based on the set teaching path,
Agricultural work vehicle equipped with. An aircraft position calculation unit that calculates the aircraft position based on satellite positioning,
The driving route management department that manages the driving route for automatic driving on the farm,
A first automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft based on the aircraft position and the traveling path,
A second automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft so as to maintain the orientation of the reference line defined by at least two points.
When the traveling route managed by the traveling route management unit is stored in the reference line storage unit as the reference line and the automatic steering by the first automatic steering unit is changed to the automatic steering by the second automatic steering unit. A reference line management unit that reads out the reference line from the reference line storage unit and sets the reference line,
Agricultural work vehicle equipped with. An aircraft position calculation unit that calculates the aircraft position based on satellite positioning,
The driving route management department that manages the driving route for automatic driving on the farm,
A first automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft based on the aircraft position and the traveling path,
A second automatic steering unit that automatically steers the aircraft so as to maintain the orientation of the reference line defined by at least two points.
A part of the traveling locus in the traveling by the first automatic steering unit is stored in the reference line storage unit as the reference line, and the automatic steering by the first automatic steering unit is changed to the automatic steering by the second automatic steering unit. A reference line management unit that reads and sets the reference line from the reference line storage unit at the time of transition, and a reference line management unit.
Agricultural work vehicle equipped with. The farm is divided into an outer peripheral area and a central area located inside the outer peripheral area.
The work on the outer peripheral region is performed by orbiting, and the work on the central region is performed by repeating straight running in the central region and turning running in the outer peripheral region.
The agricultural work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the reference line management unit stores the traveling route for the straight running in the central region as the reference line in the reference line storage unit. The farm is divided into an outer peripheral area and a central area located inside the outer peripheral area.
The work on the outer peripheral region is performed by orbiting, and the work on the central region is performed by repeating straight running in the central region and turning running in the outer peripheral region.
The agricultural work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the reference line management unit stores the traveling locus of the straight running in the central region as the reference line in the reference line storage unit. The first automatic steering unit can be automatically steered in both the straight running in the central region and the turning running in the outer peripheral region, and the second automatic steering unit is the straight running in the central region. 4. Agricultural work vehicle. The agricultural work vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reference line stored in the reference line storage unit is erased at the timing of leaving the farm.

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