JP2023001180A - Farm field work vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a farm field work vehicle that properly recognizes that it reaches a near-ridge region where a travel machine body turns around and can perform turnaround travel properly.

SOLUTION: A farm field work vehicle includes: a travel machine body travelling in a farm field while turning around in a near-ridge region; a farm field work device for performing a work with respect to a farm field; a positioning unit for outputting positioning data indicating an own vehicle position; and a near-ridge detection module for detecting a near-ridge position on the basis of at least one of the behavior of the work device and behavior of the travel machine body.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention includes a traveling machine that travels in a field while changing direction in a furrow area, a field work device that performs work in the field, and a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle. It relates to a field work vehicle.

A rice transplanter, which is a field work vehicle that automatically travels on a target route using position information measured by a GPS device, is known from Patent Document 1. With this rice transplanter, the seedling planting work is carried out while autonomously traveling along a straight target route. When the driver operates the turning operation tool so as to change the direction, the turning traveling for the direction change is automatically performed in the ridge area. When the direction is changed, the planting work is performed while autonomously traveling again on the straight target route.

JP 2008-092818 A

When accurate positioning is required for adjacent work areas (running trajectories), such as rice transplanters, in order to automatically perform accurate positioning when turning in autonomous driving on headlands, a high altitude is required. Self-position detection technology and automatic steering control technology are required. However, when such direction-changing travel is performed by automatic steering or manual steering, it is necessary to accurately recognize the timing of starting the direction-changing travel, that is, that the rice transplanter has reached the furrow area, and to perform the direction-changing travel. Accurate alignment at the starting point for subsequent subsequent work runs is important, but can be a difficult driving maneuver for non-experts.
In view of such circumstances, there is a demand for a field work vehicle that at least properly recognizes that it has reached a headland area (headland) where the traveling machine body is to change direction, and makes an appropriate change of direction. .

A field work vehicle according to the present invention includes a traveling body that travels in a field while changing directions in a ridgeline area, a field work device that performs work on the field, and a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle. and a furrow edge detection module that detects a furrow edge based on at least one of the behavior of the work device and the behavior of the traveling machine body.
Further, the field work vehicle according to the present invention outputs a traveling body that travels in a field while changing directions in a furrow area, a field work device that performs work on the field, and positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle. At least one of a positioning unit, an automatic steering unit that automatically steers the traveling machine, and the traveling machine approaching or reaching the furrow area based on the vehicle position or the position of the agricultural field work device. and a furrow edge detection module that detects whether the furrow edge area is set based on the behavior of the agricultural field working device.
Further, the field work vehicle according to the present invention outputs a traveling body that travels in a field while changing directions in a furrow area, a field work device that performs work on the field, and positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle. A positioning unit, an artificial steering unit that steers the traveling machine based on human operation, an automatic steering unit that automatically steers the traveling machine, and the traveling machine that has reached the ridge based on the position of the vehicle. It is equipped with an edge detection module that detects that.

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

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

In the actual field work by the field work vehicle, the vehicle runs in a non-furrow area (working area: generally an area other than the headland of a farm field) where work is performed on the field, and in a furrow area where the vehicle changes direction. The behavior of the vehicle is different. The behavior of the vehicle includes the behavior of the traveling body and the behavior of the field working device. In particular, the vehicle behavior that occurs when entering from a non-ridge area to a ridge area and the vehicle behavior that occurs when entering from a ridge area to a non-ridge area are detected, and the vehicle position at the time of detection is calculated. By combining, a boundary point between the ridgeline area and the non-ridgeline area is obtained. In a general field, the interval between adjacent boundary points is approximately equal to the interval of the travel trajectory in the reciprocating work travel, that is, the working width, so the next boundary point can be estimated from the first obtained boundary point. is also possible. Accordingly, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a vehicle behavior recording unit is provided that records the behavior of the traveling machine body and/or the agricultural field work apparatus as vehicle behavior in association with the position of the traveling machine body. and the edge detection module detects that the traveling body has reached the edge area based on the vehicle behavior.

Vehicle behavior that occurs when entering from a non-ridge area to a ridge area, vehicle behavior that occurs when entering a non-ridge area from a ridge area, and vehicle behavior that occurs when entering a non-ridge area. Vehicle behavior that occurs when entering an area varies depending on the type of field work vehicle and the content of the work. Planting and sowing by a rice transplanter, plowing by a tractor, and reaping and harvesting by a combine harvester include the following common vehicle behaviors: start and stop of work of the field work device, transition to the work position and non-work position of the field work device. , and the start and stop of the direction change running of the running aircraft. Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle behavior recording unit records the start and stop of work of the field working device as the vehicle behavior. In another embodiment, the vehicle behavior recording unit records, as the vehicle behavior, a transition to a working position and a transition to a non-working position of the field working device. In still another embodiment, the vehicle behavior recording unit records the start and stop of the traveling body to change directions as the vehicle behavior.
Of course, these embodiments may be applied in any combination.

Also, the boundary point between the non-ridge area and the ridge area may be determined artificially. For this reason, in one of the embodiments of the present invention, a manual operation is performed at the time of transition between traveling in the ridge area (edge of ridge traveling mode) and traveling outside of the ridge area (non-edge of ridge traveling mode). A driving mode switching operation tool is provided, and the vehicle behavior recording unit records an operation of the driving mode switching operation tool as the vehicle behavior.

As described above, once the boundary between the non-ridge area and the ridge area is determined based on the vehicle behavior, it is possible to estimate the boundary between the non-ridge area and the ridge area thereafter. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the edge detection module estimates the next arrival timing of the traveling machine body to the edge area from the vehicle behavior on the adjacent previous work travel route. It has an estimation part. As a result, it is possible to calculate the state of approach to the furrow area while traveling in the non-furrow area, and to perform appropriate and necessary control before or after reaching the furrow area.

For example, if an approach notification command for notifying an approach to the ridge area is output before the arrival timing estimated by the ridge estimation unit, the driver can perform operations in the ridge area. Confirmation can be done with time to spare. In addition, in order to avoid inconvenience caused by an unexpected approach of the traveling machine body to the ridge area, it is implemented such that a deceleration command for decelerating the traveling machine body is output before the arrival timing estimated by the ridge estimation unit. morphology can be adopted. Furthermore, when traveling a predetermined distance from the arrival timing estimated by the ridgeline estimating unit, there is an embodiment in which a vehicle stop command for stopping the traveling aircraft is output, and the arrival timing estimated by the ridgeline estimating unit. It is also possible to adopt an embodiment in which a vehicle stop command for stopping the traveling machine body is output in response to

Steering is performed completely differently between running in a non-ridge area and running in a ridge area where the direction is changed. For this reason, whether these two different runs are performed by automatic steering or by manual steering depends on the type of field work vehicle, the type of field work, the driver's skill level, and the like. For this reason, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a steering mode for managing a manual steering mode in which manual steering is performed by the manual steering unit and an automatic steering mode in which automatic steering is performed by the automatic steering unit. A management department is provided. With this configuration, if an appropriate algorithm is incorporated in advance, automatic steering and manual steering can be appropriately assigned according to driving conditions and surrounding conditions.

For example, when automatically performing steering for turning travel is a technical burden, the steering mode management unit selects the artificial steering mode in the ridge area, and selects the automatic steering mode in areas other than the ridge area. Any configuration can be employed as desired.

In addition, when the automatic steering and the manual steering are applied flexibly, it is preferable to employ an embodiment having a steering mode switching operation tool for artificially selecting the automatic steering mode and the manual steering mode.

Positioning units that use radio waves from satellites, such as GNSS and GPS, have the problem of not being able to obtain positioning data if they become inoperable due to poor reception conditions or the like. For this reason, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a mileage calculation unit is provided for calculating the mileage based on the number of rotations of the wheels, and when the positioning unit is inoperable, the edge detection module detects the mileage Based on the travel distance calculated by the calculation unit, it is detected that the traveling machine body has reached the ridgeline area. As a result, even if the positioning unit becomes temporarily inoperable, it is detected that the traveling body has reached the edge of the ridge. At that time, if the traveling distance calculating section detects that the traveling distance has reached the edge of the ridge due to the inoperability of the positioning unit, the traveling machine body may be stopped at that point.

In particular, when traveling with automatic steering, it is difficult for the automatic steering control system to keep track of various vehicle conditions. One of the important vehicle conditions in running in a field is the attitude of the running body. The attitude of the traveling machine body is substantially determined by the inclination of the traveling machine body with respect to the ground.
In particular, a pitching angle or rolling angle greater than a predetermined value adversely affects running. For this reason, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, an attitude determination unit for determining the attitude of the traveling machine body is provided. Commands (including stop commands and deceleration commands) are output.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the basic principle of vehicle control employed in the field work vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the basic principle of vehicle control employed in the field work vehicle according to the present invention; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a side view of a rice transplanter that is one embodiment of a field work vehicle according to the present invention; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a plan view of a rice transplanter that is one embodiment of a field work vehicle according to the present invention; It is a schematic diagram which shows the steering system of a rice transplanter. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function regarding travel control of a rice transplanter. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of recorded vehicle behavior;

Before describing a specific embodiment of the field work vehicle according to the present invention, the basic principle of vehicle control employed in the field work vehicle will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, a rice transplanter, a sowing machine, a tractor, and a combine harvester are assumed as field work vehicles. As field working devices, a rice transplanter has a planting device, a sowing machine has a seeding device, a tractor has a tilling device, and a combine harvester has a reaping device. These field work devices are connected to their traveling bodies so that they can move up and down between working positions and non-working positions.

In FIG. 1, this field work vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as the vehicle) crosses the field bordered by the parallel upper and lower ridges with a 180-degree turning travel (U-turn travel). It runs while repeating round-trip linear running. An upper ridge area is set in the vicinity of the upper ridge, and a lower ridge area is set in the vicinity of the lower ridge. The vehicle performs direction-changing travel in the furrow area, and travels in a straight line in the other agricultural field area.

A vehicle is equipped with a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle. Furthermore, it is equipped not only with a human steering unit that steers the traveling machine based on human operation, but also with an automatic steering section that automatically steers the traveling machine. The position of the antenna is used as a reference for the positioning data output from the positioning unit. Correction processing is performed so that

An example of field running in this field is shown below.
First, the vehicle that has climbed over the lower ridge and entered the farm field lowers the field working device to the working position at point A1 by the driver's operation, and starts linear work travel (outward trip). This descent of the field work device is recorded together with the positioning data indicating the position of point A1 as the vehicle behavior indicating the start of work. After traveling in a straight line, when the vehicle reaches the turning area at point B1, the driver raises the field working device to the non-working position and shifts to 180-degree turning driving. This ascent of the field work device is recorded together with the positioning data indicating the position of the point B1 as the vehicle behavior indicating that the work is stopped.

When the direction change traveling in the bank area is completed, the agricultural field working device is lowered to the working position again at point A2, and linear working traveling (return trip) is started. This descent of the field work device is also recorded together with the positioning data indicating the position of point A2 as the vehicle behavior indicating the start of work.
In addition, the position of the point A2 can be estimated from the position of the point B1 in consideration of the reciprocating work traveling interval corresponding to the working width (planting width or tillage width). Therefore, when the vehicle is approaching the estimated point A2 while the vehicle is traveling in the ridge area, the driver is notified of this fact and is instructed to lower the field working device to the working position. can be encouraged to It is also possible to automatically lower the field working device to the working position when the vehicle reaches the estimated point A2. The position at which the vehicle again starts linear work travel (return trip) is set as the final point A2.

The point B2, which is the end point of this linear work travel (return trip), that is, the point where the vehicle reaches the shore area again can also be estimated from the position of the point A1. Therefore, when the vehicle approaches the point B2, it is possible to notify the driver that the field working device will be raised to the non-working position and preparations for turning will be made before reaching the ridgeline area. It is also possible to automatically raise the field working device to the non-working position when the vehicle reaches the estimated point B2. When the vehicle reaches the ridgeline area, the vehicle automatically or artificially shifts to turning and traveling within the ridgeline area. When the direction change traveling is completed, the linear work traveling (return trip) is started again from the point A3.

In this way, the work travel and the direction change travel are repeated while passing through the point B3, the point A4, the point B4, the point A5, and so on. At that time, if the point A1 is set, the point B2, the point A3, . However, when estimating the point A3, the point A3 can be estimated from the point A1. It is also possible to estimate A3. In particular, when the actual ridgeline area does not extend linearly, but rather obliquely or in steps, it is possible to estimate such a ridgeline area by estimating from points newly set along the way. Boundary points can be detected correctly.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the edge of a ridge has steps, it is necessary to extend the linear work travel beyond the point B4 where the straight work travel is estimated. When linear work travel is being performed by automatic steering, automatic steering is canceled and linear work travel is continued to a position suitable for direction change travel (newly set point B4) by manual steering. When point B4 is newly set, the next point A5 is estimated from point B4.

The points A1, A2, . Suitable examples of such specific vehicle behavior include a work start command for a field work device, detection of a position change of the field work device to the working position, detection of engagement of a power transmission clutch for the field work device, and the like. be. Furthermore, the state of the operating tool operated by the driver may be used as the specific vehicle behavior. Similarly, the points B1, B2, . Appropriate such specific vehicle behaviors are, for example, a work stop command to the field work device, detection of the shift of the field work device to the non-working position, detection of disengagement of the power transmission clutch for the field work device, and the like. . Furthermore, the state of the operating tool operated by the driver may be used as the specific vehicle behavior.

If the first work travel route defined by the point A1 and the point B1 is taken as a reference work travel route, the subsequent target work route for automatic steering can be calculated based on this reference work travel route. Since work traveling is generally straight-line traveling, steering is simpler than direction-changing travel. Convenient. If the shape of the field is a simple rectangle, setting point A1 and point B1 will determine the transition timing between subsequent work travel and direction change travel, i. The departure timing can be estimated from the point A1 and the point B1.

Even if the vehicle enters the ridge edge area from the straight work travel (return trip), if for some reason the direction change travel is not performed, the vehicle may run over the ridge. In order to avoid such an inconvenience, it is important to estimate and record the points B2, B3, B4, . Since the position of the vehicle can be calculated by the positioning unit, it is possible to always compare this position of the vehicle with the position of the end point of the work travel (return trip) (the point of entry into the ridge area). As a result, it is possible to decelerate the vehicle, issue a warning, stop the vehicle, etc. before the vehicle enters the ridge area and after the vehicle enters the ridge area.

In the above example, the point A1 and the point B1 are set in the first work travel, and the points between the work travel and the turning travel after that (the point at which the vehicle reaches the ridge area and the point at which it departs from the ridge area) ), A2, A3 . . . , B2, B3 . If the vehicle is equipped with a field map storage unit that stores field map data, map matching is performed using the vehicle position and the map data to determine whether the vehicle has reached the ridgeline area and whether the vehicle has left the ridgeline area. Since the departure can be detected, it is not necessary to set such points A1 and B1 and to estimate other points from the points A1 and B1.

Next, one specific embodiment of the field work vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a side view of a riding-type rice transplanter, which is an example of a field work vehicle, and FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof. This rice transplanter includes a traveling machine body C and a field work device that performs work on a field. The field work device here is a seedling planting device W capable of planting seedlings in a field. 4 indicates the "front" of the traveling machine body C, the arrow B indicates the "rear" of the traveling machine body C, the arrow L indicates the "left" of the traveling machine body C, and the arrow R indicates the "right" of the traveling machine body C. be.

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

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front portion of the traveling machine body C is provided with an openable bonnet 12 . An engine 13 is provided inside the bonnet 12 . The traveling body C is provided with a frame-shaped body frame 15 extending along the front-rear direction. A support strut frame 16 is erected on the front part of the body frame 15 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the seedling planting apparatus W is connected to the rear end of the traveling machine body C so as to be vertically movable via a link mechanism 21 which is vertically operated by the expansion and contraction of a lifting cylinder 20 composed of a hydraulic cylinder. ing. The seedling planting device W includes four transmission cases 22, rotation cases 23 rotatably supported on the rear left and right sides of each transmission case 22, and a pair of rotation cases 23 provided at both ends of each rotation case 23. A rotary type planting arm 24, a plurality of floats 25 for leveling the surface of a field, a seedling platform 26 for placing mat-like seedlings for planting, and the like are provided. That is, the seedling planting apparatus W is configured in an 8-row planting type.

On the left and right sides of the bonnet 12 of the traveling machine body C, there are a plurality of (for example, four) normal spare seedling stands 28 on which spare seedlings for supplying the seedling planting device W can be placed, and the seedling planting device W is supplied. A single rail-type spare seedling stand 29 is provided on which spare seedlings for seedlings can be placed. Further, on the left and right sides of the bonnet 12 of the traveling machine body C, there are a pair of left and right spare seedling frames 30 for supporting the normal spare seedling stands 28 and the rail type spare seedling stands 29, and above the left and right spare seedling frames 30 and a connecting frame 31 connected across. The connecting frame 31 has a U-shape when viewed from the front. The left and right ends of the connecting frame 31 are connected to the upper portions of the left and right spare seedling frames 30 via connecting brackets 32, respectively.

At the central portion of the traveling machine body C, a driving section 40 for performing various driving operations is provided. The driving unit 40 includes a driver's seat 41 on which the driver can sit, a control tower 42, a steering handle 43 composed of a steering wheel for manually steering the front wheels 10, a forward/rearward switching operation, and a running speed. A main shift lever 44, an operation lever 45, etc., which can be operated to change are provided. A driver's seat 41 is provided in the central portion of the traveling body C. As shown in FIG. A control tower 42 is provided with a steering handle 43 and a main transmission lever 44 so as to be operable. A boarding step 46 is provided at the foot portion of the driving unit 40 .

An operation lever 45 is provided on the lower right lateral side of the steering handle 43 . When the operation lever 45 is operated to the raised position, a planting clutch (not shown), which is a kind of working clutch, is operated to be disengaged, and the seedling planting device W is raised. When the operation lever 45 is operated to the lowered position, the planting clutch (not shown) is operated to the disengaged state, and the seedling planting device W descends. When the central float 25 touches the surface of the field, the seedling planting device W touches the surface of the field and stops.

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

The steering unit U is operable in an automatic steering mode and a manual steering mode. In the artificial steering mode, the steering operation shaft 54 is rotated by adding an assist force corresponding to the operation of the steering wheel 43 by the steering motor 58 to the operation force by which the driver operates the steering wheel 43, thereby rotating the front wheels. Change the steering angle of 10. On the other hand, in the automatic steering mode, the steering motor 58 is automatically controlled, and the driving force of the steering motor 58 rotates the steering operation shaft 54 to change the steering angle of the front wheels 10 . In this embodiment, the steering wheel 43 and the steering motor 58 function as constituent elements of an artificial steering section that manually steers the traveling body C. As shown in FIG. An automatic steering control function for automatically steering the traveling machine body C is built in a control device 8 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, and a steering motor 58 is driven based on a control command from the control device 8 . It should be noted that the displacement of the steering wheel 43 is not directly transmitted to the steering shaft 54, but the displacement of the steering wheel 43 is detected by a sensor and the steering motor 58 is driven based on the detected value. When a so-called by-wire system is adopted, the control function of manual steering is also built in the control device 8 .

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

FIG. 6 shows the control device 8 installed in this rice transplanter. Note that FIG. 6 mainly shows the functional units related to steering among the functional units constructed in the control device 8 . This control device 8 employs the basic principles of automatic steering and manual steering described with reference to FIGS. The control device 8 is connected to the positioning unit 61, the vehicle state detection sensor group 9, the contact detector 90, the driving mode switching operation tool 65, and the steering mode switching operation tool 66 via the input signal processing section 8a. The control device 8 is also connected to the notification device 7, the vehicle traveling device group 71, and the work device device group 72 via the output signal processing section 8b. Note that the driving mode switching operation tool 65 and the steering mode switching operation tool 66 are composed of switches and buttons.

The vehicle state detection sensor group 9 is composed of various sensors and switches provided for detecting the operation and attitude of the traveling body C and the operation and attitude of the seedling planting device W as a field work device. The contact detector 90 is well known per se, so it is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but has a structure for detecting contact between the rice transplanter and an obstacle. When the contact detector 90 detects contact between the rice transplanter and the obstacle, the rice transplanter is brought to an emergency stop. The steering mode switching operation tool 66 is a switch for selecting either an automatic steering mode in which the vehicle travels by automatic steering or a manual steering mode in which the vehicle travels by manual steering. For example, by operating the steering mode switching operation tool 66 while traveling with automatic steering, the vehicle can be switched to traveling with artificial steering, and by operating the steering mode switching operation tool 66 while traveling with artificial steering, automatic steering can be performed. can be switched to running.

The running mode switching operation tool 65 is a teaching switch for teaching the controller 8 the boundary between the ridge area and the non-ridge area. have The driver presses the A button when the vehicle transitions from turn travel to work travel, and presses the B button when the vehicle transitions from work travel to turn travel.

The notification device 7 includes a lamp and a buzzer, and various information to be notified to the driver, such as approaching the edge of a ridge or deviating from the target travel route during automatic steering, is transmitted from the control device 8. Output visually or audibly on command. Furthermore, if the notification device 7 includes a flat panel display or the like, it is possible to provide character information.

The vehicle traveling device group 71 includes various operating devices and control devices for traveling mounted on the traveling body C. For example, the operating devices such as the steering motor 58 constituting the steering unit U, the engine, and the like. These include control devices that adjust the number of revolutions, operating devices for transmissions such as clutches and shifters, and brake operating devices. In this embodiment, the work traveling device group includes operating devices such as a lifting cylinder 20 for lifting and lowering the seedling planting device W mounted as a field work device and a planting clutch that functions as a work clutch for the seedling planting device W. It is included.

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

The edge-of-ridge detection module 81 detects a travel route reference point set in the first work travel, that is, a point A1 at which travel in the ridgeline area transitions to work travel, and a point A1 from work travel to turn travel in the ridge area. Based on the transition point B1 and the own vehicle position obtained from the positioning data of the positioning unit 61, it is detected whether or not the traveling body C has reached the ridgeline area. As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, point A1 is detected by lowering the seedling planting device (working device) W to the lowered position (working position), and point B1 is detected by raising the seedling planting device W. It is detected by rising to the position (non-working position) and recorded in the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 as vehicle behavior. A travel route (generally a straight line) between the point A1 and the point B1 is a reference work travel route, and whether automatic steering or manual steering is used, this reference work travel route is used for reciprocating work travel. By sequentially translating by the interval, the next working travel path is obtained. That is, points B2, A3, B4, A5, ... corresponding to point A1, and points A2, B3, B4, A4, B5, ... corresponding to point B1 are estimated. This estimation algorithm is built in the edge estimation unit 810 . Since the method of estimating the point indicating the boundary of the furrow edge region differs depending on the shape of the field, it is preferable to have a configuration that allows selection of an appropriate estimation algorithm for each shape of the field. By comparing each of these points with the position of the own vehicle, the distance until the traveling machine body C traveling for work reaches the ridge area is detected. It is possible to output commands such as an approach notification when approaching, an arrival notification when reaching a ridge area, a deceleration of the traveling machine C, a stop of the traveling machine C, and the like.

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

The steering mode management unit 84 manages a manual steering mode, which is running by manual steering, and an automatic steering mode, which is running by automatic steering. For example, it can be set so that the manual steering mode is selected in the ridgeline area, and the automatic steering mode is selected in areas other than the ridgeline area (generally, linear work travel). It is also possible to forcibly select between the manual steering mode and the automatic steering mode according to a switching command from the steering mode switching operation tool 66 . Furthermore, it is possible to forcibly switch from the automatic steering mode to the manual steering mode by operating the steering wheel 43 .

The vehicle behavior recording unit 83 receives various sensor detection signals and operation signals of various operation devices input through the input signal processing unit 8a, and outputs them to the vehicle running device group 71 and the working device device group 72 through the output signal processing unit 8b. On the basis of the control signals provided, the vehicle behavior regarding the conditions occurring in the vehicle, in particular the start and end of the work run, is recorded. Each vehicle behavior is then recorded together with the vehicle position obtained when the vehicle behavior occurred.

FIG. 7 shows an example of vehicle behavior recorded in chronological order by the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 during running in the simplified field as shown in FIG. In this example, the recorded items of the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 include record number, behavior time, own vehicle position, and behavior details.
The behavior time is the time (time stamp) when the behavior time vehicle behavior is detected. The own vehicle position is the own vehicle position when the vehicle behavior is detected. The behavior content identifies the detected vehicle behavior. Here, the operation content of the driving mode switching operation tool 65 (A means operation of A button, B means operation of B button), seedling planting The positions of the device W and the float 25, the state of the planting clutch (working clutch), and the state of steering (steering from straight to turning or from turning to straight) are recorded. In FIG. 7, the position of the vehicle is the same for each vehicle behavior, but the position of the vehicle is different because the timing of raising and lowering the seedling planting device W and the steering timing of turning travel are different. The position of the vehicle to be measured is recorded after performing a correction to replace it with the reference position of a specific vehicle.

As can be understood from FIGS. 1 and 7, from the records of the vehicle behavior recording unit 83, various states of the traveling machine body C and the seedling planting device W, which is a working device, can be read, particularly the work start and work end. As the first process of the seedling planting work by this rice transplanter, the vehicle enters the ridge edge area from the ridge, and at the timing of exiting the ridge edge area, the record number "0001" is recorded. The content of the record number "0001" is the record of the point A1 in FIG. 1, and includes the time of behavior at that time, the position of the vehicle, and the content of the behavior. As behavior contents, the traveling operation mode is "A", the position of the seedling planting device is "down position", the float position is "grounded", and the clutch state is "on". In reality, the timings at which these behaviors are detected are slightly different, but here the timings are the same. In other words, at the timing when the record number "0001" is recorded, the driver presses the A button of the travel mode switching operation tool 65 and sets the vehicle to travel for work.

After that, the vehicle travels in a straight line for work, and at the timing of reaching the edge of the ridge, record number "0002" is recorded. The content of the record number "0002" is the record of the point B1 in FIG. 1, and includes the time of behavior, the position of the vehicle, and the content of the behavior at that time. As behavior contents, the traveling operation mode is "B", the position of the seedling planting device is "up position", the float position is "release", the clutch state is "disengaged", and the steering is "straight to turn". In other words, at the timing when the record number "0002" is recorded, the driver presses the B button of the driving mode switching operation tool 65 and sets the direction change driving. The positions of the point A1 and the point B1 are recorded by operating the A button and the B button of the driving mode switching operation tool 65 in this manner. A line connecting the point A1 and the point B1 can be used as a reference work travel route for estimating the travel route for the subsequent work travel. Therefore, it is not necessary to operate the driving mode switching operation tool 65 except for the points A1 and B1.

The record number "0003" is recorded at the timing of finishing the direction change traveling in the ridge area, leaving the ridge area, and performing work traveling. The content of the record number "0003" is the record of the point A2 in FIG. 1, and includes the time of behavior at that time, the position of the vehicle, and the content of the behavior. Note that the position of the point A2 is estimated from the point B1 by the furrow edge estimation unit 810 using the round-trip work travel distance if the field is the field shown in FIG. Therefore, when the position of the own vehicle obtained from the positioning unit 61 approaches or coincides with the estimated point B1, the work travel setting can be automatically performed. Alternatively, it is possible to inform the driver that the vehicle is approaching the point B1 and prompt the driver to set the work travel. Similarly, the location of point B2 is also estimated from point A1. Therefore, when the position of the vehicle obtained from the positioning unit 61 approaches or coincides with the estimated point B2, it is possible to automatically set the direction change running. Alternatively, it is possible to inform the driver that the vehicle is approaching the point B2 and prompt the driver to set the direction change.

From the above explanation, the timing of reaching the edge of the ridge and the timing of leaving the edge of the ridge can be determined from changes in the positions of the seedling planting device W and the float 25, switching operations of the work clutch, and changes in the steering angle. The traveling mode switching operation tool 65 as a teaching operation tool for recognizing the boundary of the ridge area is not essential. The boundary of the curb area can be determined by one or a combination of the vehicle behaviors described above. For example, when using the characteristics of the seedling planting device W that the seedling planting device W descends to the field surface at the start of work and rises from the field surface at the end of work, a state in which the seedling planting device W descends from the ascending posture to the descending posture. Based on the signal, the transition point from the ridge area of the vehicle to the work area (non-ridge area) is determined, and based on the state signal indicating the upward movement of the seedling planting device W from the lowered posture to the raised posture, It is possible to determine the transition point from the working area (non-furrow area) of the vehicle to the furrow area.

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

The traveling distance calculation unit 86 calculates the traveling machine body C based on a detection signal from a sensor (one of the vehicle state detection sensor group 9) that detects the rotation speed of the rear wheels 11 or the rotation speed of the transmission system to the rear wheels 11. Calculate the distance traveled. At that time, if the slip ratio estimated from the state of the field is considered, the travel distance can be calculated more accurately. In the case of the positioning unit 61 that calculates the position of the vehicle based on radio signals from satellites, if the reception sensitivity of the radio signals decreases for some reason, positioning data cannot be output. This mileage calculator 86 is utilized for the recovery. For example, when the positioning data from the positioning unit 61 is not input, the ridge detection module 81 detects that the traveling body C has reached the ridge area based on the travel distance calculated by the travel distance calculation unit. can do.

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

Specific control operations based on the determination result of the attitude determination unit 87 are listed below.
(1) When the detected tilt angle exceeds the tilt threshold value, notification, deceleration, and stop are executed.
(2) inhibiting automatic steering if the detected lean angle frequently exceeds the lean threshold;
(3) When the detected tilt angle continues to exceed the tilt threshold value for an allowable time, notification, deceleration, and stop are executed. This permissible time is determined depending on the vehicle speed and field depth. When the field depth exceeds a predetermined value, the vehicle is prohibited from stopping completely in order to avoid sinking of the vehicle body.
(4) Calculating changes in tilt acceleration, and prohibiting automatic steering even if the tilt is below the threshold value when there is a sudden tilt change.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the point A1 and the point B1, which are the boundary points between the ridge area in which the direction turning travel is performed and the non-ridge area in which the work travel is performed, are the A button and the B button of the travel mode switching operation tool. After button operation, points A2, A3, . . . and points B2, B3, . To simplify the control, the points A2, A3, . . . and the points B2, B3, . . . In the case of setting the point as an official point, the point may be determined by operating the A button or the B button of the driving mode switching operation tool again.
(2) Each functional unit in the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 6 is divided mainly for the purpose of explanation. In practice, each functional unit in FIG. 6 can be integrated with other functional units or divided into multiple functional units. Independent functional units are connected to each other by an in-vehicle LAN or the like.
(3) For the vehicle behavior recorded in the vehicle behavior recording unit 83, in the rice transplanter, the attitude of the marker may be incorporated in addition to the above. In addition, the vehicle behavior that occurs at the boundary between the ridgeline area and the non-ridgeline area is the object of the vehicle behavior to be recorded in the vehicle behavior recording unit 83 .

In addition to the riding-type rice transplanter provided with the seedling planting device as the working device, the present invention also provides, for example, a riding-type direct seeder, which is a planting-type paddy field work vehicle provided with the seeding device as the working device, and a plow as the working device. or the like, an agricultural vehicle such as a combine having a reaping unit or the like as a working device, or various working vehicles such as a construction vehicle having a bucket or the like as a working device.

7: Notification device 25: Float 26: Seedling platform 43: Steering handle 44: Main transmission lever 45: Operation lever 61: Positioning unit 65: Running mode switching operation tool 66: Steering mode switching operation tool 71: Vehicle running equipment group 72: Working equipment group 8: Control device 8a: Input signal processing unit 8b: Output signal processing unit 81: Ridge detection module 810: Ridge estimation unit 82: Automatic steering unit 83: Vehicle behavior recording unit 84: Steering mode management Part 85: Traveling route calculation part 86: Traveling distance calculation part 87: Posture determination part 9: Vehicle state detection sensor group 90: Contact detector U: Steering unit W: Seedling planting device (farm work device)

Claims (1)

A traveling machine that travels in the field while changing direction at the edge of the ridge,
a field work device that performs work on the field;
a positioning unit that outputs positioning data indicating the position of the vehicle;
A field work vehicle, comprising: a furrow edge detection module that detects a furrow edge based on at least one of the behavior of the working device and the behavior of the traveling machine body.

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