JP2023016880A - Automatic traveling system for work vehicle and automatic traveling method for work vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce uncultivated land remaining after a work by automatic traveling, by generating a circulating guide path while facilitating generation of a reciprocating guide path.

SOLUTION: An automatic traveling system for a work vehicle includes a target path generation unit. The target path generation unit generates a reciprocating guide path P1 for meanderingly guiding the work vehicle 1 in a reciprocating manner at a work place A; and a circulating guide path P2 for circularly guiding the work vehicle 1 at the outer peripheral side of the work place A. A final path of the circulating guide path P2 is a path toward an exit for the work vehicle 1 at the work site A.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention provides an automatic guide route for a work vehicle that includes a target route generator that generates a round-trip guide route that guides a work vehicle back and forth in a meandering manner, and a circular guide route that rounds and guides the work vehicle on the outer circumference side of a work site. The present invention relates to a traveling system and an automatic traveling method for work vehicles.

In the automatic driving system for work vehicles as described above, division data is generated for dividing the central work area from the headlands located around it from the shape of the field, and a straight round-trip route and a U-turn route are generated. After the child work vehicle automatically travels ahead of the parent work vehicle based on the target travel route, the parent work vehicle As the child work vehicle circulates around the headlands in manual operation, the headland traveling route (turning) becomes the target travel route for the child work vehicle in the headland based on the traveling trajectory of the parent work vehicle. Some have a route calculation module that calculates a guidance route (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2016-31649 A

In the automatic traveling system for work vehicles described in Patent Document 1, the central work area is an automatic work area in which work is performed by automatically traveling the work vehicle based on the reciprocating guide route, and the headland is the manual operation of the main work vehicle. The work area in the field is divided so that it becomes a semi-automatic work area where work is performed by the automatic traveling of the sub work vehicle based on the law. As a result, for example, even if uneven plowing remains on the turning side of the central work area due to work by automatic driving based on the round-trip guidance route, semi-automatic driving of the work vehicle in the headlands will The uneven residual tillage remaining on the turn side of the central working land can be tilled together with the headland uncultivated land. On the other hand, in order to generate a round-trip guidance route, etc., it is necessary to generate the above-described segmentation data in the previous stage. Based on this division data, the central working area obtained by dividing the working area in the field and the headlands located around it were calculated by considering the working width of the working vehicle. For example, since it is for dividing the working area in the field so that the area has a width dimension that is an integral multiple of the working width, complicated arithmetic processing is required for its generation. In other words, when generating a round-trip guidance route, etc., it is necessary to generate segmentation data that requires complicated arithmetic processing. In addition, since the round trip on the headland is based on the manual operation of the main work vehicle by the user, there is room for improvement in terms of reducing the burden on the user.

By the way, in generating the round-trip guidance route, the closer the first outbound route in the round-trip guidance route, which is the reference route, is generated to the edge of the field, the easier the generation of the round-trip guidance route becomes. By lengthening the guide route, it is possible to reduce the amount of uncultivated land that remains after work by automatic traveling based on the round-trip guide route. On the other hand, it becomes difficult to secure an area for generating a circuit route between the reference route and the edge of the field. It is no longer possible to plow the remaining uneven plowing in a circular motion.

In view of the above circumstances, the main object of the present invention is to reduce the unworked area remaining after work by automatic traveling while facilitating the generation of a round-trip guide route and a round-trip guide route.

An automatic traveling system for a work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention includes a target route generator. The target route generation unit generates a round-trip guidance route for meandering round-trip guidance of the work vehicle at the work site and a circular guidance route for circular guidance of the work vehicle on the outer circumference side of the work site. . A final route of the circular guide route is a route toward an exit of the work vehicle at the work site.

An automatic traveling method for a work vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a reciprocating guide route for reciprocatingly guiding a work vehicle in a meandering manner on a work site, and a reciprocating guide route for circularly guiding the work vehicle on the outer peripheral side of the work site. to generate a circular guide route. In the automatic traveling method for a work vehicle, the final route of the circular guidance route is a route toward the exit of the work vehicle at the work site.

Diagram showing schematic configuration of automatic driving system for work vehicle Block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic driving system for work vehicles A diagram showing a first exemplary route among the target routes generated by the target route generation unit. Flowchart of target route generation control A diagram showing a second exemplary route among the target routes generated by the target route generation unit A diagram showing a third exemplary route among the target routes generated by the target route generation unit

An embodiment in which an automatic traveling system for a work vehicle according to the present invention is applied to a tractor, which is an example of a work vehicle, will be described with reference to the drawings.
The automatic traveling system for work vehicles according to the present invention can be applied to riding work vehicles such as riding lawn mowers and unmanned working vehicles such as unmanned lawn mowers, other than tractors.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a tractor 1 exemplified in this embodiment is configured to automatically travel in a farm field A, which is an example of a work area, by an automatic travel system for working vehicles. An automatic traveling system for a work vehicle includes an automatic traveling unit 2 mounted on a tractor 1 and a mobile communication terminal 3 set to communicate with the automatic traveling unit 2 . The mobile communication terminal 3 employs a tablet personal computer having a touch-operable liquid crystal panel 4 and the like.
Note that a notebook personal computer, a smart phone, or the like can be adopted as the mobile communication terminal 3 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the tractor 1 has a rotary tillage device 6, which is an example of a working device, connected via a three-point link mechanism 5 to its rear portion so as to be able to move up and down and roll. As a result, the tractor 1 is configured for rotary tillage.
In place of the rotary tillage device 6, a working device such as a plow or a mowing device can be connected to the rear portion of the tractor 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the tractor 1 includes left and right drivable and steerable front wheels 7, left and right drivable rear wheels 8, a cabin 9 forming a ride-on driving section, an electronic A controlled diesel engine (hereinafter referred to as an engine) 10, an electronically controlled transmission 11 that shifts the power from the engine 10, a full hydraulic power steering mechanism 12 that steers the left and right front wheels 7, and the left and right rear wheels. Left and right side brakes (not shown) for braking the left and right side brakes 8, an electronically controlled brake operation mechanism 13 that enables hydraulic operation of the left and right side brakes, a work clutch (not shown ), an electronically controlled clutch operation mechanism 14 that enables hydraulic operation of the work clutch, an electrohydraulically controlled elevation drive mechanism 15 that drives the rotary tillage device 6 up and down, various control programs related to automatic traveling of the tractor 1, etc. , a vehicle speed sensor 17 that detects the vehicle speed of the tractor 1, a steering angle sensor 18 that detects the steering angle of the front wheels 7, and a positioning unit 19 that measures the current position and current direction of the tractor 1, etc. is provided.
The engine 10 may be an electronically controlled gasoline engine equipped with an electronic governor. A hydromechanical continuously variable transmission (HMT), a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission (HST), a belt-type continuously variable transmission, or the like can be adopted as the transmission 11 . An electric power steering mechanism having an electric motor may be used as the power steering mechanism 12 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the interior of the cabin 9 is provided with a steering wheel 20 that enables manual steering of the left and right front wheels 7 via a power steering mechanism 12, and a seat 21 for riding. In addition, although not shown, a shift lever that enables manual operation of the transmission 11, left and right brake pedals that enable manual operation of the left and right side brakes, and manual lifting operation of the rotary tillage device 6 are possible. A lifting lever, etc. are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle electronic control unit 16 includes a travel control section 16A that controls travel of the tractor 1, a work control section 16B that controls the drive and elevation of the rotary tillage device 6, and a minimum turning radius of the tractor 1. and the working width of the rotary tillage device 6, and a non-volatile vehicle-mounted storage unit 16C that stores the target route P for automatic travel, and the like. The travel control unit 16A includes gear shift control means for controlling the operation of the transmission 11, braking control means for controlling the operation of the left and right side brakes, and steering control means for controlling the operation of the power steering mechanism 12 during automatic travel. etc. are included. The work control unit 16B includes work power control means for controlling the operation of the clutch operation mechanism 14, elevation control means for controlling the operation of the elevation drive mechanism 15, and the like.

That is, in this tractor 1, a transmission 11, a power steering mechanism 12, a brake operation mechanism 13, a clutch operation mechanism 14, an elevation drive mechanism 15, an in-vehicle electronic control unit 16, a vehicle speed sensor 17, a steering angle sensor 18, a positioning unit 19 , the communication module 28, and the like constitute the automatic traveling unit 2. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the positioning unit 19 measures the current position and direction of the tractor 1 using a GPS (Global Positioning System), which is an example of a navigation satellite system (NSS). satellite navigation device 22, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU: Inertial Measurement Unit) 23 that has a triaxial gyroscope, a triaxial acceleration sensor, etc., and measures the attitude and orientation of the tractor 1, and the like. ing. Positioning methods using GPS include DGPS (Differential GPS: relative positioning method) and RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic GPS: interferometric positioning method). - GPS is adopted. Therefore, a reference station 24 that enables positioning by RTK-GPS is installed at a known position around the field.

The tractor 1 and the reference station 24 are provided with GPS antennas 26 and 27 for receiving radio waves transmitted from the GPS satellites 25, respectively, and wireless communication of various data including positioning data between the tractor 1 and the reference station 24 is possible. communication modules 28, 29, etc., are provided. As a result, the satellite navigation device 22 receives the positioning data obtained by the GPS antenna 26 on the tractor side receiving radio waves from the GPS satellites 25, and the GPS antenna 27 on the base station side receiving the radio waves from the GPS satellites 25. Based on the obtained positioning data, the current position and current azimuth of the tractor 1 can be measured with high accuracy. Further, the positioning unit 19 includes a satellite navigation device 22 and an inertial measurement device 23 to measure the current position, current azimuth, and attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) of the tractor 1 with high accuracy. can be done.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile communication terminal 3 includes a terminal electronic control unit 30 having various control programs for controlling the operation of the liquid crystal panel 4, etc. A communication module 31 that enables wireless communication of data, and the like are provided. The terminal electronic control unit 30 includes a non-volatile terminal storage unit 30A that stores various data obtained through manual input by the user, wireless communication with the tractor, etc., and a target route P based on vehicle body data, farm field data, and the like. , and the like.
Various data stored in the terminal storage unit 30A include vehicle body data and farm field data used for searching and generating the target route P, the target route P generated for each farm field A, and the like. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the target route generation unit 30B is configured to operate the tractor 1 to be used through manual input by the user based on operation guidance for target route generation displayed on the liquid crystal panel 4, wireless communication with the tractor, and the like. When the vehicle body data and the farm field data to be worked on are acquired, it is determined whether or not the target route P corresponding to the acquired vehicle body data and farm field data is stored in the terminal storage unit 30A. If the corresponding target route P is stored, the target route P is read from the terminal storage unit 30A and displayed on the liquid crystal panel 4. FIG. If the corresponding target route P is not stored, the liquid crystal panel 4 displays a positioning data acquisition run execution guidance to obtain the positioning data necessary for generating the target route P, and the user is instructed to run the positioning data acquisition run. Let Then, based on the positioning data obtained by wireless communication with the tractor while traveling, the farm field data such as the section and shape of the work target field A are obtained, and the obtained field data and vehicle body data are acquired. , target route generation control is executed to generate a target route P suitable for automatically driving the tractor 1 in the field A to be worked. Then, the generated target route P is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 4, and stored in the terminal storage unit 30A in association with the vehicle body data, the farm field data, and the like. For the target route P, the reference direction of the target route P, the work start position, the work end position, and the target engine speed and target vehicle speed set according to the running state of the tractor 1 on the target route P, etc. include.

Hereinafter, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the control operation of the target route generation unit 30B when generating the target route P suitable for the agricultural field A illustrated in FIG. 3 by the target route generation control will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the target route generator 30B first determines the total length of the tractor 1 and the size of the rotary tiller 6 included in the vehicle body data, and the shape and size of the field A included in the field data. A region dividing process (step #1 in FIG. 4) is performed to divide the farm field A into a margin region Aa adjacent to the outer periphery of the farm field A and a work region Ab in the center of the farm field based on the size and the like. The margin area Aa is provided to prevent the tractor 1 from running off the field A and the rotary tiller 6 from contacting a ridge adjacent to the field A when the tractor 1 automatically travels along the outer circumference of the field A. , is a narrow area secured between the outer periphery of the field A and the work area Ab.
Next, the minimum turning radius of the tractor 1 and the working width of the rotary tillage device 6 included in the vehicle body data, the entry and exit route R of the tractor 1 with respect to the field A included in the field data, and the work areas divided by the area division process Ab, etc., a target route generation process (steps #2 to #8 in FIG. 4) for generating a target route P is performed.
In the target path generation process, first, among the target paths P, a single reference path Pa adjacent to the first edge A1a of the field A in the first edge area A1 of the field A is used as a generation reference for the target path P. A reference route generation process (step #2 in FIG. 4) is performed. Next, a parallel path generation process (step #3 in FIG. 4) is performed to generate 10 parallel paths Pb positioned from the reference path Pa at regular intervals corresponding to the work width and arranged parallel to the reference path Pa. conduct. After that, a first turning path generation process (step #4 in FIG. 4) is performed to generate 10 first turning paths Pc connecting the reference path Pa and the 10 parallel paths Pb in series. By these generation processes, a reciprocating guide path P1 that has a single reference path Pa, ten parallel paths Pb, and ten first turning paths Pc, and guides the tractor 1 back and forth in a meandering manner. Generate. For each first turning path Pc, a U-shaped turn, which is suitable when the minimum turning radius is less than half the working width, and a switchback, which is suitable when the minimum turning radius is larger than half the working width, are used. Switchback turning, etc. can be adopted.
Next, a pair of end paths Pd extending in the arrangement direction of the first turn paths Pc are generated in the second end area A2 and the third end area A3 of the farm field A where a predetermined number of the first turn paths Pc are located. Edge route generation processing (step #5 in FIG. 4) is performed. After that, a second turning path generation process (step #6 in FIG. 4) is performed to generate two second turning paths Pe that connect the reference path Pa and the pair of end paths Pd in series. By these generation processes, a single reference path Pa, a pair of end paths Pd, and two second turning paths Pe are provided, and the tractor 1 is guided around the outer circumference of the field A. Generate path P2. Note that each second turning path Pe employs a switchback turning suitable for aligning the outer periphery of the work area Ab.
Next, connection route generation processing (step #7 in FIG. 4) is performed to generate a connection route Pf that connects the terminal end of the round-trip guidance route P1 to the start end of the round guidance route P2. As a result, a target route P having a round-trip guidance route P1 and a circular guidance route P2 is generated. The connection path Pf adopts a switchback turning suitable for aligning the outer periphery of the work area Ab.
After that, each route Pa to Pf in the round-trip guide route P1 and the round-trip guide route P2 is divided into a working route (a route indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3) where the tractor 1 works and a non-working route (a 4), the reference route Pa and the first turning routes Pc are set as non-working routes in the round-trip guidance route P1. , each parallel path Pb is set as a working path. In addition, in the circular guidance route P2, the reference route Pa and the pair of end routes Pd are set as work routes, and each second turning route Pe is set as a non-work route. Then, the connection path Pf is set as a non-working path.
In FIG. 3, in order to facilitate discrimination between the round-trip guidance route P1 and the circular guidance route P2 on the target route P and discrimination between the work route and the non-work route, the round-trip guidance route P1 of the target route P is indicated by a thick line, each working path on the round-trip guidance path P1 is indicated by a thick solid line, and each non-working path on the round-trip guidance path P1 is indicated by a thick broken line. Further, the circular guidance route P2 of the target route P is indicated by a thin line, each working route on the circular guidance route P2 is indicated by a thin solid line, and each non-working route on the circular guidance route P2 is indicated by a thin dashed line. ing. Therefore, the reference route Pa, which is included as a non-work route in the round-trip guidance route P1 and is included as a work route in the round-trip guidance route P2, is the same route, but the thick broken line and the thin solid line are displaced in parallel in FIG. and are indicated by two lines. Similarly, in order to make each of the routes Pa to Pf of the target route P easier to distinguish, their overlapping route portions are also shown shifted.

As a result, in the agricultural field A illustrated in FIG. The tractor 1 can be automatically traveled so as to travel along P2 and exit the agricultural field from the entrance/exit route R. Then, by the control operation of the work control unit 16B based on the target route P and the positioning result of the positioning unit 19, the tractor 1 moves the reference route Pa included in the round-trip guidance route P1, each first turning route Pc, and the circular guidance route. While the second turning path Pe included in the path P2 and the connecting path Pf are automatically traveling, the traveling state of the tractor 1 is changed to the state where the rotary tillage device 6 floats and the driving of the rotary tillage device 6 is stopped. It can be in a non-work running state. Further, while the tractor 1 automatically travels on each parallel route Pb included in the round-trip guide route P1 and the reference route Pa and the pair of edge routes Pd included in the circular guide route P2, the travel of the tractor 1 The state can be a working drive state with the rotary tiller 6 grounded and the rotary tiller 6 driven.

Then, by generating the target path P as described above, the reference path Pa that is generated first in generating the target path P can be generated right next to the first edge A1a in the field A, This makes it easier to set the layout and the number of subsequent parallel paths Pb in consideration of the work width for generating each subsequent parallel path Pb. As a result, it becomes easy to generate a long reciprocating guide path P1 that guides the tractor 1 in a meandering manner from the first end region A1 of the field A toward the fourth end region A4 located on the opposite side.
Further, by generating the round-trip guidance route P1 including the reference route Pa in this way, it is possible to secure an area for generating a round-trip route between the round-trip guidance route P1 and the first edge A1a. Even if there is no such route, since the reference route Pa is set as a non-working route in the round-trip guidance route P1, the reference route Pa can be included in the circular guidance route P2 as a working route. As a result, it is possible to generate the circular guide route P2 that includes the reference route Pa and the pair of end routes Pd as the work route. Each end path Pd is a work path that extends in the arrangement direction of the first turn paths Pc in the second end area A2 and the third end area A3 of the farm field A where a predetermined number of the first turn paths Pc are located. Therefore, even if the second end region A2 and the third end region A3 where the first turning path Pc is located are unevenly left tilled due to the automatic traveling of the tractor 1 on the reciprocating guide route P1, After that, the tractor 1 automatically travels on the circular guidance route P2 including each end route Pd, etc., and the uneven residual plowing remaining in the second end region A2 and the third end region A3 is determined by the reference route Pa, etc. can be cultivated along with uncultivated land.

In other words, the work area Ab divided from the margin area Aa by the area division process should not be further divided into a work area on the central side of the farm field plowed by reciprocating travel and a work area on the outer peripheral side of the farm field plowed by circular travel. However, for the agricultural field A shown in FIG. 3, the target route P shown in FIG. 3 can be generated by the target route generation unit 30B. Then, the traveling state of the tractor 1 can be properly controlled by the control operations of the travel control unit 16A and the work control unit 16B based on the target route P and the positioning result of the positioning unit 19, whereby the reference route Pa The entire work area Ab can be reliably plowed without residual plowing by the automatic traveling of the tractor 1 without incurring the inconvenience of repeated plowing work. Then, at the end of the automatic traveling, the tractor 1 can be quickly withdrawn from the agricultural field A through the entering/exiting route R of the agricultural field A illustrated in FIG. 3 .

The control operation of the target route generation unit 30B when generating the target route P suitable for the agricultural field A illustrated in FIG. 5 by the target route generation control will be described below.
The farm field A illustrated in FIG. 5 differs from the farm field A illustrated in FIG. 3 in the withdrawal position and the withdrawal direction of the tractor 1 with respect to the farm field A. Therefore, the control operation of the target route generation unit 30B when generating the target route P suitable for the farm field A illustrated in FIG. The processing contents of the first turn path generation process (step #4 in FIG. 4) and the second turn path generation process (step #6 in FIG. 4) are slightly different, but the other processes are the same.
Specifically, when generating the target route P suitable for the farm field A illustrated in FIG. Nine first turn paths Pc are generated that connect in series Pa and the nine parallel paths Pb excluding the final parallel path Pb located in the fourth end region A4. This makes it possible to generate a round-trip guidance route P1 that does not include the final parallel route Pb. In addition, in the second turning path generation process (step #6 in FIG. 4), the reference path Pa, the pair of end paths Pd, and the final parallel path Pb are arranged in series so that the parallel path Pb becomes the final path. , three second turn paths Pe are generated. As a result, the circular guide route P2 including the final parallel route Pb can be generated.

That is, for the agricultural field A illustrated in FIG. 5, the target path P illustrated in FIG. 5 can be generated by the target path generation unit 30B. The traveling state of the tractor 1 can be appropriately controlled by the control operations of the travel control section 16A and the work control section 16B based on the target route P and the positioning result of the positioning unit 19. FIG. As a result, even in the farm field A illustrated in FIG. 5, the entire work area Ab can be plowed properly and reliably by the automatic traveling of the tractor 1, and the tractor 1 can be exemplified in FIG. It is possible to quickly withdraw from the entry/exit route R of the field A to the outside of the field.

The control operation of the target route generation unit 30B when generating the target route P suitable for the agricultural field A illustrated in FIG. 6 by the target route generation control will be described below.
The farm field A illustrated in FIG. 6 is a deformed trapezoidal farm field in which the fourth edge A4a along the withdrawal direction of the tractor 1 with respect to the farm field A is inclined as compared with the rectangular farm field A illustrated in FIG. be. Therefore, the control operation of the target route generation unit 30B when generating the target route P suitable for the farm field A illustrated in FIG. Only the contents of the route generation process (step #3 in FIG. 4) are slightly different, but the other processes are the same.
Specifically, when generating the target route P suitable for the farm field A illustrated in FIG. 6, the target route generation unit 30B performs On the other hand, among the 10 parallel paths Pb arranged in parallel, the 9 parallel paths Pb on the reference path side are parallel to the reference path Pa, and the final parallel path Pb is arranged along the fourth edge A4a. Generate each parallel path Pb. As a result, in the final route of the circular guide route P2 including the final parallel route Pb, the fourth end side A4a along which the tractor 1 is inclined is arranged. It can be generated so as to automatically run parallel to A4a. Then, it is secured between the final route (final parallel route Pb) of the round guide route P2 in the margin area Aa secured between the outer periphery of the agricultural field A and the work area Ab and the fourth edge A4a. The width dimension of the area portions (side margins) can be adjusted to a constant width that is N times the working width of the tractor 1 .

That is, for the agricultural field A illustrated in FIG. 6, the target path P illustrated in FIG. 6 can be generated by the target path generation unit 30B. The traveling state of the tractor 1 can be appropriately controlled by the control operations of the travel control section 16A and the work control section 16B based on the target route P and the positioning result of the positioning unit 19. FIG. As a result, even in the farm field A illustrated in FIG. 6, the entire work area Ab can be plowed properly and reliably by the automatic traveling of the tractor 1, and the tractor 1 can be exemplified in FIG. 6 at the end of the automatic traveling. It is possible to quickly withdraw from the entry/exit route R of the field A to the outside of the field.

5 and 6, in the same way as in FIG. 3, in order to facilitate discrimination between the round-trip guide route P1 and the circular guide route P2 on the target route P and discrimination between the work route and the non-work route, the target route A round-trip guide route P1 of P is indicated by a thick line, each work route on the round-trip guide route P1 is indicated by a thick solid line, and each non-work route on the round-trip guide route P1 is indicated by a thick dashed line. Further, the circular guidance route P2 of the target route P is indicated by a thin line, each working route on the circular guidance route P2 is indicated by a thin solid line, and each non-working route on the circular guidance route P2 is indicated by a thin dashed line. ing. The reference route Pa serving as both the non-work route of the round-trip guidance route P1 and the work route of the circular guidance route P2 is the same route, but in FIGS. Indicated by book lines. Similarly, in order to make it easier to distinguish the paths Pa to Pf of the target path P, their overlapping path portions are also shown shifted.

[Another embodiment]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
It should be noted that the configuration of each embodiment described below is not limited to being applied alone, and can be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

(1) The construction of the work vehicle 1 can be modified in various ways.
For example, the work vehicle 1 may be configured as a hybrid specification including the engine 10 and an electric motor for traveling, or may be configured as an electric specification including an electric motor for traveling instead of the engine 10. good.
For example, the work vehicle 1 may have a semi-crawler specification that includes left and right crawlers instead of the left and right rear wheels 8 .
For example, the work vehicle 1 may be configured to a full crawler specification having left and right crawlers instead of the left and right front wheels 7 and the left and right rear wheels 8 .

(2) In the automatic traveling system for the work vehicle, the work vehicle 1 does not pass the reference route Pa with respect to the target route P generated by the target route generation unit 30B by the control operation of the travel control unit 16A. It may be configured such that the vehicle automatically travels along the target route P from the parallel route Pb adjacent to the route Pa.

(3) In the automatic traveling system for the work vehicle, the target route generation unit 30B determines the positioning result of the positioning unit 19 obtained by manually driving the work vehicle 1 along the first edge A1a in the first end area A1. After generating the reference route Pa based on , each subsequent routes Pb to Pf following the reference route Pa are generated based on the reference route Pa, the work place data, and the vehicle body data. After the manual operation in the end area A1, the travel control unit 16A controls travel of the work vehicle 1 so that the work vehicle 1 passes through each of the routes Pb to Pf, and the work control unit 16B controls the travel of the work vehicle 1. The traveling state of the work vehicle 1 (the working device's actuation).

(4) For example, in the farm field A illustrated in FIG. When the parallel route Pb generated in the area A4 is a route that bypasses the obstacle, the parallel route (detour route) Pb of the fourth end area A4 is included in the round-trip guidance route P1, and the fourth end area The parallel route Pb adjacent to the parallel route Pb of A4 may not be included in the round-trip guidance route P1, but may be included in the round-trip guidance route P1 so as to be the final route of the circular guidance route P2.

(5) The work area (agricultural field) A where the work vehicle automatically travels by the automatic travel system for work vehicles does not have a rectangular shape as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 or a trapezoidal shape as shown in FIG. For example, it may be a deformed land (deformed farm field) such as a recessed shape or an L-shape having an overhang portion that protrudes into the work land, or a shape in which at least one edge is curved or bent in an S-shape. .
When the work land (farm field) A is the deformed land (deformed farm field) as described above, the target route P generated by the target route generation unit 30B includes the target routes shown in FIGS. Although paths different from the paths Pa to Pf included in P are included, the present invention can be applied even in such cases.

(Supplementary note of the invention)
The first characteristic configuration of the present invention is
In the automatic driving system for work vehicles,
a reference route adjacent to a first edge of the work site in a first end region of the work site; a plurality of parallel routes arranged in parallel with the reference route; and the reference route and a predetermined number of the parallel routes. and a plurality of turning routes connecting in series, a round-trip guidance route for meandering round-trip guidance of the work vehicle is generated, connected to the round-trip guidance route, the reference route, and a predetermined number of the The work vehicle has a second end region where the turning path is located and a pair of end paths extending in the arrangement direction of the turning path in the third end region of the work site. a target route generation unit that generates a circular guidance route for circular guidance on the side;
After the work vehicle travels along the round-trip guidance route so as to pass through the reference route, or after traveling along the round-trip guidance route so as not to pass through the reference route, the work vehicle travels along the circular guidance route. a travel control unit that controls travel of the vehicle;
In the round-trip guidance route, the running state of the work vehicle on the reference route and the turning route is set to a non-work running state, the running state of the work vehicle on the parallel route is set to a work running state, and the circular guidance route is set. a work control unit that sets the running state of the work vehicle on the reference route and the end route to a work running state;
in that it has

According to this configuration, it is possible to generate the reference path that is generated first in generating each path right in front of the first edge on the work site, thereby enabling the work vehicle to generate subsequent parallel paths. It becomes easy to perform arrangement setting and number setting in consideration of working width. As a result, it is easier to create a long round-trip guidance path that meanders and guides the work vehicle from the first end region of the work site to the opposite end region.
Further, by generating a round-trip guidance route including a reference route in this way, even if it becomes impossible to secure an area for generating a round-trip route between the round-trip guidance route and the first edge, The reference route of the round-trip guidance route can be included in the circular guidance route as a route for work by the work vehicle being in a non-work traveling state on the reference route. As a result, it is possible to generate a circular guide route in which the work vehicle is in the work traveling state on the reference route and the pair of end routes. Each end route is a work route extending in the arrangement direction of the turning routes in the second end region and the third end region of the work site where a predetermined number of turning routes are located. Due to the automatic traveling of the work vehicle, even if uneven unworked areas are left in the second end area and the third end area where the turning path is located, the subsequent round guide route including each end route etc. By the automatic traveling of the work vehicle, the irregular unworked areas remaining in the second end area and the third end area can be eliminated together with the unworked areas such as the reference route.

In other words, even if the work area is not divided into a work area on the central side of the work area where work is performed by reciprocating travel and a work area on the outer side of the work area where work is performed by circular travel, the target route generation unit can generate each work area. It is possible to generate a round-trip guidance route and a round-trip guidance route suitable for automatic traveling of the work vehicle on the ground. By controlling the traveling control unit and the work control unit based on these routes, the traveling state of the work vehicle can be properly controlled, thereby preventing inconveniences such as duplication of work on the reference route. The work at the work site can be carried out satisfactorily with less work remaining due to the automatic traveling of the work vehicle.

Further, when the travel control unit controls the travel of the work vehicle so that the work vehicle does not pass through the reference route when the work vehicle automatically travels along the round-trip guidance route, the travel distance of the work vehicle can be shortened. It is possible to shorten working hours and reduce fuel consumption.

The second characteristic configuration of the present invention is
The target route generation unit is configured to exclude, from among the plurality of parallel routes, a parallel route located in a fourth end region on the opposite side of the first end region in the work site from being included in the round-trip guidance route. , is included in the circular guidance route as the final route of the circular guidance route.

According to this configuration, when the parallel route located in the fourth end region is not included in the circular guidance route, the end route becomes the final route of the circular guidance route, and when it is included in the circular guidance route, the fourth end region becomes the final route of the circular guidance route. Since the parallel route located in the region becomes the final route of the circular guidance route, the direction and end position of the final route in the circular guidance route are changed.
That is, it is possible to generate a round-trip guidance route and a round-trip guidance route that are more suitable for the work site by considering the position and orientation of the entry/exit route for the work vehicle at the work site. can be quickly exited.

The third characteristic configuration of the present invention is
The target route generation unit generates the parallel route included in the round guide route along the fourth side when the fourth side opposite to the first side is not along the reference route. It is in the point to do.

According to this configuration, even for a work site whose fourth edge does not follow the reference route, a circular guide route can be generated so that the final route extends along the fourth edge. As a result, even in a work site where the fourth edge does not follow the reference route, the work vehicle can be automatically driven along the fourth edge based on the circular guide route, and work at such a work site can be simplified. , the work can be carried out satisfactorily with little work remaining due to the automatic traveling of the work vehicle.

Further, an automatic traveling system for a work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention includes a target route generation section, a travel control section, and a work control section. The target route generation unit is configured to generate a reference route adjacent to a first edge of the work site in a first end region of the work site, and a reference route parallel to the reference route and to the first end of the work site. a plurality of parallel paths lined up over a fourth end area on the opposite side of the area, and a plurality of turning paths connecting the reference path and a predetermined number of the parallel paths in series, and the work vehicle is meandering; a second end region and a third end region of the work site where the reference route and a predetermined number of turning routes are connected to the two-way guidance route; and a pair of end paths extending in the arrangement direction of the turning paths in and to generate a circular guidance path for circularly guiding the work vehicle on the outer peripheral side of the work site. After the work vehicle travels along the round-trip guidance route such that the work vehicle passes through the reference route, or after traveling along the round-trip guidance route so as not to pass through the reference route, the travel control unit determines the circular guidance route. Control the travel of the work vehicle so that it travels. The work control unit sets the traveling state of the work vehicle on the reference route and the turning route to a non-work traveling state on the round-trip guidance route, and sets the traveling state of the work vehicle on the parallel route to a working traveling state. In the circular guide route, the running state of the work vehicle on the reference route and the end route is defined as the work running state.

1 Work vehicle 16A Travel control unit 16B Work control unit 30B Target route generation unit A Work area A1 First end area A1a First end side A2 Second end area A3 Third end area A4 Fourth end area A4a 4 side P1 Round-trip guidance route P2 Round guidance route Pa Reference route Pb Parallel route Pc First turning route Pd Edge route Pe Second turning route

Claims (5)

a target route generating unit that generates a round-trip guide route for meandering round-trip guidance of the work vehicle at the work site and a circular guide route for circular guidance of the work vehicle on the outer peripheral side of the work site;
A final route of the circular guidance route is a route toward an exit of the work vehicle at the work site,
Automated driving system for work vehicles. The final route of the circular guide route is a route extending in the same direction as the exit direction when the work vehicle leaves the work area from the exit.
The automatic traveling system for the work vehicle according to claim 1. The circular guidance route includes a route that is connected to a starting end of the circular guidance route and guides the work vehicle in a direction away from the exit.
The automatic traveling system for work vehicles according to claim 1 or 2. The reciprocating guide route is a route that meanders and reciprocates the work vehicle from the first end region without the exit toward the fourth end region where the exit is provided in the work site. ,
The automatic traveling system for work vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An automatic traveling method for a work vehicle that generates a reciprocating guide route for meanderingly reciprocating a work vehicle in a work site and a circular guide route for circularly guiding the work vehicle on the outer circumference side of the work site. and
A final route of the circular guidance route is a route toward an exit of the work vehicle at the work site,
Automated driving methods for work vehicles.

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