JP2023097981A - system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a system for assisting the working vehicle to travel to increase traveling flexibility of the working vehicle.SOLUTION: A system for assisting a working vehicle to travel comprises: a data acquisition unit which, over time, acquires three-dimensional shape data showing a shape of an outer edge area 6 of a field from a sensor provided on the working vehicle when the working vehicle is traveling on the field; a removal unit which removes data corresponding to an object X not impeding traveling even when the working vehicle is brought into contact therewith from the three-dimensional shape data on the basis of a three-dimensional density; and a generation unit which, on the basis of the three-dimensional shape data processed by the removal unit, generates an outer edge map showing a boundary that the working vehicle traveling on the field cannot cross.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for assisting traveling of a work vehicle.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a combine harvester. The running of the combine is controlled using boundary line data indicating the map position of the boundary line of the field.

JP 2019-106983 A

In the combine disclosed in Patent Document 1, the boundary line data is generated based on the travel locus of the work vehicle in the field. That is, the boundary line of the field indicated by the boundary line data is two-dimensional.

The inventors obtained the three-dimensional shape of the outer edge region of a farm field, generated an outer edge map, and used the outer edge map to control the traveling of the work vehicle. In the outer edge region of the field, there are three-dimensional obstacles such as a ridge that is a mound surrounding the field and a water gate opening/closing mechanism. If the height of the obstacle is small, the combine may be able to travel to a position where a portion of the working vehicle exceeds the boundary line of the field.

Here, in the outer edge region of the farm field, there may be objects such as vegetation such as pampas grass, amaryllidaceae, and goldenrod, and flexible ropes that do not interfere with the movement of the work vehicle even if they come into contact with it. If even such objects are reflected in the outer edge map, the work vehicle will be controlled to avoid these objects. In this case, the area in which the work vehicle can travel is narrowed, which is not preferable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to increase the degree of freedom of travel of a work vehicle in a system for supporting travel of the work vehicle.

As a means for solving the above-described problems, the system of the present invention is a system for assisting the traveling of a work vehicle, wherein when the work vehicle is traveling in a field, a sensor provided on the work vehicle detects the above-mentioned A data acquisition unit that acquires three-dimensional shape data indicating the shape of the outer edge region of a field over time, and a data acquisition unit that acquires data corresponding to an object that does not hinder traveling even if the work vehicle comes into contact with it, based on three-dimensional coarseness and finesse. a removal unit that removes from the three-dimensional shape data, and a generation that generates an outer edge map indicating a boundary at which the work vehicle traveling in a field cannot cross the border, based on the three-dimensional shape data processed by the removal unit. and a part.

According to the above characteristic configuration, from the acquired three-dimensional shape data, the data corresponding to the object that does not hinder the traveling even if it comes in contact with the work vehicle is removed, and based on the processed three-dimensional shape data A perimeter map is generated. Therefore, the movement of the work vehicle is prevented from being restricted by an object that does not interfere with the movement of the work vehicle even if it comes into contact with the work vehicle, so that the freedom of movement of the work vehicle can be increased.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the data acquisition unit acquires the three-dimensional shape data as a set of points defined by two-dimensional coordinates and height.

According to the above characteristic configuration, the acquired three-dimensional shape data is a set of points defined by two-dimensional coordinates and heights, so that the processing of the removal unit based on three-dimensional density is facilitated. preferable.

In the present invention, the removal unit specifies the set of points having the height greater than the surroundings, and if the width of the specified set in the two-dimensional direction is smaller than a predetermined width threshold, removes the set as the It is preferable to consider the data corresponding to the object and remove it from the three-dimensional shape data.

An object that is taller and narrower than its surroundings is highly likely to be a flexible flower, and is highly likely to be an object that does not interfere with the movement of the work vehicle even if it comes in contact with it. According to the above-described characteristic configuration, it is possible to appropriately remove data corresponding to an object that does not hinder traveling even if the vehicle comes into contact with the vehicle, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in traveling of the vehicle.

In the present invention, the removal unit calculates the deviation value of the height for each of the points, regards the point for which the calculated deviation value is larger than a deviation value threshold value as data corresponding to the object, and determines the tertiary It is preferable to remove it from the original shape data.

An object that is significantly taller than its surroundings is likely to be a tall plant and flower, and is highly likely to be an object that will not interfere with the movement of the work vehicle even if it comes into contact with it. According to the above-described characteristic configuration, it is possible to appropriately remove data corresponding to an object that does not hinder traveling even if the vehicle comes into contact with the vehicle, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in traveling of the vehicle.

In the present invention, the removing unit calculates an average value of the heights, calculates a difference between the height and the average value for each of the points, and removes the points where the calculated difference is larger than a difference threshold. It is preferable to consider the data corresponding to the object and remove it from the three-dimensional shape data.

An object whose height is greater than the average value is highly likely to be a tall flower, and is highly likely to be an object that does not interfere with the movement of the work vehicle even if it comes into contact with it. According to the above-described characteristic configuration, it is possible to appropriately remove data corresponding to an object that does not hinder traveling even if the vehicle comes into contact with the vehicle, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in traveling of the vehicle.

In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a travel control unit that controls travel of the work vehicle so that the work vehicle does not go outside the boundary indicated by the outer edge map.

According to the above characteristic configuration, the traveling of the working vehicle is controlled so as not to go outside the boundary indicated by the outer edge map. Restrictions are suppressed, and the degree of freedom of travel of the work vehicle can be increased.

FIG. 3 shows the left side and outer edge area of the combine; FIG. 3 shows the top surface and outer edge area of the combine; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first work travel; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second work travel; 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing processing for generating an outer edge map; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of data removal by a removal unit; It is a figure which shows an example of an outer edge map. It is a figure which shows an example of an outer edge map. It is a flow chart which shows a running control flow. It is a figure which shows the left side of a combine.

Hereinafter, a travel management system A as an embodiment of the system of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Overall configuration of combine harvester]
FIG. 1 shows an ordinary combine harvester 1 as an example of a work vehicle. The forward direction of the combine 1 is defined as "forward", and the backward direction is defined as "rear". The right side and the left side of the combine 1 are defined as "right" and "left", respectively, when facing the forward direction of the combine 1. In the drawings, "front" is indicated by an arrow F, "rear" by an arrow B, "up" by an arrow U, "down" by an arrow D, "left" by an arrow L, and "right" by an arrow R. .

The machine body 10 of the combine harvester 1 includes a machine body frame 9, a harvesting section H, a crawler-type traveling device 11, an operating section 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a conveying section 16, a grain discharging device 18, and a satellite positioning module 80. I have.

The travel device 11 is provided in the lower portion of the body 10 of the combine harvester 1 . Further, the travel device 11 is driven by power from an engine (not shown). The combine 1 can be self-propelled by the travel device 11 .

The driving unit 12 , the threshing device 13 and the grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11 . Further, the driving section 12, the threshing device 13, and the grain tank 14 are supported by the body frame 9. As shown in FIG. An operator who monitors the work of the combine harvester 1 can board the operation section 12 . Incidentally, the operator may monitor the work of the combine harvester 1 from outside the combine harvester 1 .

The fuselage frame 9 is configured by connecting a plurality of elongated metal members in a grid pattern.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the grain discharging device 18 is provided above the grain tank 14 . Also, the satellite positioning module 80 is attached to the upper surface of the operating section 12 .

The harvesting part H is provided in the front part of the machine body 10 . The conveying section 16 is provided on the rear side of the harvesting section H. As shown in FIG. The harvesting section H also includes a harvesting device 15 and a reel 17 .

The reaping device 15 reaps planted grain culms in the field 5 (see FIG. 3). Further, the reel 17 rakes the planted grain culms to be harvested while being rotationally driven around the reel axis 17b along the left-right direction of the machine body. The harvested culms harvested by the harvesting device 15 are sent to the conveying unit 16 .

With this configuration, the harvesting section H harvests the crops in the field 5 . The combine 1 is capable of reaping travel in which the traveling device 11 travels while the reaping device 15 reaps planted grain stalks in the field 5 .

The reaping grain culms harvested by the harvesting unit H are conveyed to the rear of the machine body by the conveying unit 16 . As a result, the harvested grain culms are conveyed to the threshing device 13 .

In the threshing device 13, harvested grain culms are threshed. Grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in the grain tank 14 . The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged out of the machine by the grain discharging device 18 as required.

Here, the combine 1 is configured to harvest crops in the field 5 located inside the outer edge region 6, as shown in FIGS. Note that the outer edge region 6 is provided so as to surround the farm field 5 . That is, the outer edge area 6 is an area outside the field 5 .

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a ridge 61 and a faucet 62 are provided in the outer edge region 6 . The ridge 61 is an embankment surrounding the farm field 5, and includes an obliquely inclined side surface portion 61a and a flat upper surface portion 61b. The upper end of side portion 61a is shown as boundary 61c. The faucet 62 is arranged on the upper surface portion 61 b of the ridge 61 . It is also assumed that weeds 63 are growing on the upper surface portion 61 b of the ridge 61 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the combine harvester 1 is configured to be able to perform the first work travel. The first work travel is work travel performed in the outer peripheral area SA of the field 5 . Note that the outer peripheral area SA is an area located at the outer peripheral part in the field 5, as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the number of laps in the first work travel is one. However, the number of laps in the first work run may be any number of times greater than or equal to two.

After performing the first work travel, the combine harvester 1 can perform the work travel in the field 5 by performing the second work travel, as shown in FIG. 4 . The second work travel is a work travel performed in the work target area CA inside the outer peripheral area SA after the first work travel.

Incidentally, the “work travel” in the present embodiment is specifically a reaping travel in which the planted grain culms are reaped while traveling. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as the above-mentioned "work travel", while traveling, work other than harvesting planted grain culms may be performed.

In this embodiment, the first work travel shown in FIG. 3 is performed by manual travel. Further, the second work travel shown in FIG. 4 is performed by automatic travel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first work travel may be performed automatically. Also, the second work travel may be performed by manual travel.

[Driving management system]
Traveling of the combine harvester 1 is controlled by a travel management system A shown in FIG. The travel management system A has a control unit 20 and a satellite positioning module 80 .

The control unit 20 includes a memory (HDD, non-volatile RAM, etc., not shown) that stores programs corresponding to function modules, which will be described later, and a CPU (not shown) that executes the programs. The functions of each functional unit are realized by executing the program by the CPU. That is, the control unit 20 has a non-transitory recording medium storing the program.

The control unit 20 may be configured by one or more ECUs mounted on the combine 1 . A part or all of the control unit 20 may be provided in a personal digital assistant or the like mounted on the combine 1 or may be provided in a computer, a server, or the like outside the combine 1 .

The control unit 20 includes a vehicle position calculation unit 21, a work area calculation unit 22, a first route generation unit 23, and an automatic travel control unit 24 as functional modules. The automatic travel control unit 24 controls automatic travel of the combine harvester 1 . The automatic travel control unit 24 also includes a route selection unit 27 , a second route generation unit 28 , and a travel control unit 29 . Functions and operations of these functional modules will be described later.

Note that the control unit 20 includes a storage device 20a that stores data generated by the operation of each functional module.

The satellite positioning module 80 receives GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals from artificial satellites GS (FIG. 1) and generates positioning data indicating the position of the combine 1's own vehicle based on the received signals. As GNSS, GPS, QZSS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, etc. can be used.

The own vehicle position calculation unit 21 calculates the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 over time based on the positioning data output from the satellite positioning module 80 . The calculated temporal positional coordinates of the combine harvester 1 are sent to the work area calculation unit 22 and the automatic travel control unit 24 .

The work area calculation unit 22 calculates the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA as shown in FIG.

More specifically, the work area calculation unit 22 calculates the travel locus of the combine harvester 1 in the first work travel in the field 5 based on the temporal position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 received from the own vehicle position calculation unit 21. do. Based on the calculated travel locus of the combine harvester 1, the work area calculator 22 calculates the area where the combine harvester 1 performed the first work travel as the outer peripheral area SA.
Further, the work area calculation unit 22 calculates an area surrounded by the calculated outer peripheral area SA as the work target area CA.

For example, in FIG. 3, the travel route of the combine harvester 1 in the first work travel in the field 5 is indicated by an arrow. When the reaping travel along this travel route is completed, the field 5 is in the state shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the work area calculator 22 calculates the area where the combine harvester 1 performed the first work travel as an outer peripheral area SA. Further, the work area calculation unit 22 calculates an area surrounded by the calculated outer peripheral area SA as the work target area CA.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5 , the calculation result by the work area calculator 22 is sent to the first route generator 23 .

Based on the calculation results received from the work area calculator 22, the first route generator 23 generates a target route LI, which is a travel route for reaping travel in the work target area CA, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the target route LI is a plurality of mesh lines extending vertically and horizontally. Also, the plurality of mesh lines may not be straight, and may be curved.

As shown in FIG. 5 , a plurality of target routes LI generated by the first route generation section 23 are sent to the automatic travel control section 24 .

The route selection unit 27 in the automatic travel control unit 24 selects the combine harvester 1 based on the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 received from the own vehicle position calculation unit 21 and the plurality of target routes LI received from the first route generation unit 23. selects the target route LI to be traveled next. Information indicating the target route LI selected by the route selection unit 27 is sent to the travel control unit 29 .

The travel control unit 29 is configured to be able to control the travel device 11 . Then, the travel control unit 29 automatically travels the combine harvester 1 based on the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 received from the own vehicle position calculation unit 21 and the information indicating the target route LI selected by the route selection unit 27. Control. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the travel control unit 29 controls travel of the combine harvester 1 so that reaping travel is performed by automatic travel along the target route LI.

In this automatic travel, the travel control unit 29 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 so that reaping travel is performed along the target route LI selected by the route selection unit 27 next to the currently traveled target route LI. Control.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the combine 1 includes a reaping cylinder 15A. The reaping cylinder 15A is connected to the body frame 9 . The conveying section 16 and the harvesting section H are supported by the reaping cylinder 15A. That is, the conveying section 16 and the harvesting section H are supported by the body frame 9 via the reaping cylinder 15A.

Further, the rear end of the conveying section 16 is connected to the threshing device 13 . With this configuration, the conveying section 16 and the harvesting section H are supported by the body frame 9 via the threshing device 13 .

The travel control unit 29 is configured to be able to control the reaping cylinder 15A. When the travel control unit 29 controls the reaping cylinder 15A in the extending direction, the conveying unit 16 and the harvesting unit H swing integrally in the direction in which the harvesting unit H rises. As a result, the harvesting section H rises relative to the body frame 9 .

Further, when the travel control unit 29 controls the reaping cylinder 15A in the contracting direction, the conveying unit 16 and the harvesting unit H integrally swing in the direction in which the harvesting unit H descends. As a result, the harvesting section H descends with respect to the body frame 9 .

With this configuration, the travel control unit 29 can control the lifting and lowering of the harvesting unit H. As shown in FIG. Also, the harvesting section H is configured to be able to move up and down with respect to the body frame 9 .

[Configuration regarding outer edge map]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the combine 1 includes a detection device 31 (an example of a sensor). The detection device 31 detects the shape of the outer edge region 6 while the combine 1 is traveling in a field, with a portion of the outer edge region 6 located forward in the traveling direction of the machine body 10 as a detection target.

More specifically, the detection device 31 in this embodiment is a two-dimensional scanning LiDAR that is a ToF (Time of Flight) measurement type measurement device. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and the detection device 31 may be a three-dimensional scanning LiDAR. Moreover, the measurement method of the detection device 31 is not limited to the ToF measurement method, and may be a stereo matching measurement method or the like.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the position coordinates of the combine 1 calculated by the own vehicle position calculator 21 are sent to the detector 31 . Then, the detection device 31 detects the shape of an object existing in the front area FA (see FIG. 1) based on the measurement result of the ToF measurement method and the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 received from the own vehicle position calculation unit 21. Generate the three-dimensional shape data shown. Three-dimensional shape data is point cloud data indicating the position and height of an object, and is a collection of points defined by two-dimensional coordinates and height.

As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 20 has a map generator 41 . The three-dimensional shape data generated by the detection device 31 is sent to the map generator 41 .

The map generation unit 41 includes a data acquisition unit 42 , a removal unit 43 and a generation unit 44 . The operation of these functional modules will be described below with reference to FIG.

The data acquisition unit 42 acquires three-dimensional shape data indicating the shape of the outer edge region 6 of the farm field 5 from the detection device 31 over time while the combine 1 is running on the farm field 5 . The acquired three-dimensional shape data is stored in the storage device 20a.

The removing unit 43 removes from the three-dimensional shape data data corresponding to the object X, which does not interfere with running even if the combine harvester 1 comes into contact with it, based on the three-dimensional density. Objects X that do not interfere with the running of the combine 1 even if they come in contact with them are, for example, plants, weeds, flexible ropes, etc. In this embodiment, weeds 63 (FIGS. 1 and 2) correspond to this. On the other hand, the faucet 62 is a hard and sturdy object, and is an object that interferes with the running of the combine 1 when it comes into contact with it.

A specific example of processing by the removal unit 43 is shown in FIG. Assume that the shape of the outer edge region 6 shown on the left side of FIG. 7 is detected by the detection device 31 and three-dimensional shape data shown on the right side of FIG. 7 is generated. Note that in FIG. 7, the three-dimensional shape data are shown with the vertical axis as the height and the horizontal axis as the two-dimensional coordinates.

First, the removal unit 43 identifies a set of points that are taller than their surroundings. In the illustrated example, three sets S1, G2, G3 are identified. A set S1 is a set of points corresponding to the faucet 62 . Sets S2 and G3 are sets of points corresponding to weeds 63 .

When the two-dimensional width of the specified set is smaller than a predetermined width threshold, the removal unit 43 treats the set as data corresponding to the object X and removes it from the three-dimensional shape data.

In the illustrated example, the width W1 of the set S1 is greater than the width threshold, so the removing unit 43 does not remove the set S1. Since the width W2 of the set S2 and the width W3 of the set S3 are smaller than the width threshold, the removing unit 43 removes the sets S2 and S3 from the three-dimensional shape data.

Note that the width threshold is set in advance and stored in the storage device 20a of the control unit 20. FIG. The width threshold is set to a relatively small value so that the data corresponding to the object X, which does not interfere with running even if the combine 1 comes in contact with it, can be removed from the three-dimensional shape data removal. Also, the width threshold is set to a relatively small value so as not to remove data corresponding to an object (for example, the water faucet 62) that interferes with running when the combine 1 comes into contact with the three-dimensional shape data. For example, the width threshold is set to 2 cm.

Based on the three-dimensional shape data processed by the removing unit 43, the generating unit 44 generates an outer edge map G that indicates a boundary at which the combine 1 traveling in the field cannot cross the border.

The outer edge map G indicates the three-dimensional shape distribution of the outer edge region 6 . That is, the outer edge map G indicates the positions and heights of objects in the outer edge area 6 .

An example of the outer edge map G is shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, a first boundary line G1 and a second boundary line G2 as the outer edge map G are shown.

The first boundary line G<b>1 is a line connecting points in the outer edge region 6 that are positioned at the same height as the lower end of the body frame 9 . The generation unit 44 calculates the first boundary line G1 based on the three-dimensional shape data processed by the removal unit 43 and the height of the lower end of the body frame 9 stored in the storage device 20a.

Here, the lower end of the body frame 9 is positioned between the surface of the field 5 and the upper surface portion 61b of the ridge 61 (Fig. 1). A point in the outer edge region 6 located at the same height as the lower end of the body frame 9 corresponds to the side surface portion 61 a of the ridge 61 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the first boundary line G1 is positioned between the boundary line of the farm field 5 and the upper end (boundary 61c) of the side portion 61a of the ridge 61. As shown in FIG.

At the position of the first boundary line G1, at the height of the lower end of the body frame 9, there is an object in the outer edge region 6 (the side surface 61a of the ridge 61). Therefore, the body frame 9 of the combine 1 cannot cross the first boundary line G1. In this sense, the first boundary line G1 of the outer edge map G indicates a boundary at which the body frame 9 of the combine harvester 1 cannot cross the boundary.

The second boundary line G2 is a line connecting points in the outer edge region 6 that are positioned at the same height as the lower end of the harvesting portion H in the raised state. The generation unit 44 calculates the second boundary line G2 based on the three-dimensional shape data processed by the removal unit 43 and the height of the lower end of the harvesting unit H in the raised state stored in the storage device 20a. .

Here, the lower end of the raised harvesting portion H is positioned above the upper surface portion 61 b of the ridge 61 and below the upper end of the faucet 62 . A point in the outer edge region 6 located at the same height as the lower end of the harvesting part H in the raised state corresponds to the faucet 62 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the second boundary line G2 extends along the faucet 62 in the vicinity of the faucet 62 . In addition, since there is no point corresponding to the lower end of the harvested portion H in the raised state in the remaining places, the second boundary line G2 is arranged at a position far away from the field 5 .

In the vicinity of the faucet 62, an object (the faucet 62) of the outer edge region 6 exists at the height of the lower end of the harvesting section H in the raised state, at the position of the second boundary line G2. Therefore, the lower end of the harvesting section H in the raised state of the combine 1 cannot exceed the second boundary line G2. In this sense, the second boundary line G2 of the outer edge map G indicates a boundary at which the lower end of the harvesting section H in the raised state of the combine 1 cannot cross the boundary. In the example of FIG. 8, the second boundary line G2 other than the vicinity of the faucet 62 is a boundary line placed far away from the field 5 for the sake of convenience of data processing. does not indicate

[Running control using outer edge map]
As shown in FIG. 5 , the automatic travel control section 24 has a second route generation section 28 . Based on the outer edge map G, the second path generator 28 generates a target path OL ( FIG. 4 ) of the combine harvester 1 inside the outer peripheral area SA. The target route OL is a travel route that connects the target routes LI of the first work travel in the work target area CA.

The route selection unit 27 selects the target route OL generated by the second route generation unit 28 as the target route to be traveled next. The travel controller 29 controls the travel device 11 so that the combine 1 travels along the target route OL generated by the second route generator 28 and selected by the route selector 27 . In addition, it is preferable that the travel control unit 29 controls the reaping cylinder 15A to raise the harvesting unit H when traveling the target route OL.

Without using the outer edge map G, the position and shape of the object in the outer edge area 6 are unknown. Therefore, the target path OL must be generated such that the entire machine of the combine 1 passes inside the boundary of the field 5 in order to avoid contact between objects in the outer edge region 6 and the combine 1 . As a result, when the width of the outer peripheral area SA is narrow, it is necessary to repeat forward and backward movement many times in order to change direction. In addition, in order to increase the width of the outer peripheral area SA, it may be necessary to make a further circuit run (first work run).

By generating the target route OL based on the outer edge map G, it is possible to generate the target route OL such that part of the machine body 10 of the combine harvester 1 passes outside the boundary of the field 5 as shown in FIG. be.

In the example of FIG. 8, the target path OL is generated so that the body frame 9 crosses the boundary of the agricultural field 5 and does not cross the first boundary line G1. Also, the target route OL is generated so that the harvesting section H in the raised state crosses the boundary of the farm field 5 and the first boundary line G1 and does not cross the second boundary line G2.

That is, the second path generator 28 sets the target path OL so that the body frame 9 does not cross the first boundary line G1 and the harvesting section H in the raised state does not cross the second boundary line G2. Generate. The travel control unit 29 automatically travels the combine harvester 1 along the target route OL. That is, the travel control unit 29 controls travel of the combine harvester 1 so that the combine harvester 1 does not go outside the boundary indicated by the outer edge map G. FIG.

Here, consider a case where the travel management system A does not include the removal unit 43 . In this case, the data corresponding to the object X (weeds 63) that does not hinder the running of the combine 1 even if it comes in contact with it is not removed from the three-dimensional shape data acquired by the data acquisition unit 42 . Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the second boundary line G2 of the outer edge map G has a portion corresponding to the weeds 63 .

The second path generating part 28 generates the target path OL so that the harvesting part H in the raised state does not cross the second boundary line G2, so that the combine 1 can only move forward up to the weeds 63.例文帳に追加That is, the combine 1 stops before the position shown in FIG. 8, and the flexibility of running the combine 1 is restricted. In other words, due to the action of the removing unit 43, the outer edge map G generated by the generating unit 44 becomes appropriate, and the flexibility of running of the combine harvester 1 is enhanced.

[Driving control flow]
The control unit 20 of the running management system A is configured to control the running of the combine harvester 1 according to the running control flow shown in FIG. This travel control flow is executed before the start of the first work travel.

The own vehicle position calculator 21 temporally calculates the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 during the first work travel (step S01).

The work area calculator 22 calculates the outer peripheral area SA and the work target area CA based on the temporal positional coordinates of the combine harvester 1 calculated in step S01 (step S02).

The first route generation unit 23 generates a target route LI, which is a travel route for reaping travel in the work target area CA, based on the calculation result of step S02 (step S03).

The data acquisition unit 42 temporally acquires three-dimensional shape data representing the shape of the outer edge region 6 of the field 5 from the detection device 31 while the combine harvester 1 is performing the first work travel (step S04).

The removing unit 43 removes data corresponding to the object X that does not hinder the running of the combine harvester 1 from the three-dimensional shape data acquired in step S04 based on the three-dimensional density (step S05). ).

Based on the three-dimensional shape data processed in step S05, the generation unit 44 generates an outer edge map G that indicates a boundary at which the combine 1 traveling in the field cannot cross the border (step S06).

The processes of steps S04, S05 and S06 may be performed concurrently with the processes of steps S01, S02 and S03.

The second path generator 28 generates the target path OL of the combine harvester 1 inside the outer peripheral area SA based on the outer edge map G generated in step S06 (step S07).

The route selection unit 27 selects the target route to be traveled next from the target route LI generated in step S03 and the target route OL generated in step S07 (step S08).

The traveling control unit 29 causes the combine harvester 1 to automatically travel along the target route LI or the target route OL selected in step S08 (step S09).

Steps S08 and S09 are repeated until the work in the work target area CA is completed. After the reaping travel covering the work target area CA ends, the steering control flow ends.

[Other embodiments]
(1) As shown in FIG. 8, the harvesting section H in the raised state may be located in the detection area (front area FA) of the detection device 31 . The three-dimensional shape data generated in this state may include a point cloud corresponding to the harvesting portion H. However, since these point groups are irrelevant to the shape of the object in the peripheral area SA, they are preferably removed from the three-dimensional shape data.

Preferably, the detection device 31 or the data acquisition unit 42 is configured to remove points located inside the region Y (FIG. 11) from the generated three-dimensional shape data. A region Y is a region having a shape corresponding to the harvesting portion H in the raised state, and is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped region.

(2) The removal unit 43 calculates the deviation value of height for each point, and removes the point where the calculated deviation value is larger than the deviation value threshold from the three-dimensional shape data as data corresponding to the object X. It may be configured as An object that is significantly taller than its surroundings is likely to be a tall plant and flower, and is highly likely to be an object that will not interfere with the movement of the work vehicle even if it comes into contact with it. Data corresponding to such objects can be identified and removed by height deviation values. The deviation value threshold is 65, for example.

In addition, it is preferable to divide the calculation of the deviation value into minute areas (for example, areas of 2 cm square) in two-dimensional coordinates and execute the calculation in the areas. In this case, removal of data corresponding to wide objects such as faucets and structures is suppressed.

(3) The removing unit 43 calculates the average value of the heights, calculates the difference between the height and the average value for each point, and considers the points where the calculated difference is greater than the difference threshold as the data corresponding to the object X. It may be configured to be considered and removed from the three-dimensional shape data. An object whose height is greater than the average value is highly likely to be a tall flower, and is highly likely to be an object that does not interfere with the movement of the work vehicle even if it comes into contact with it. Data corresponding to such objects can be identified and removed by the difference between height and average (height minus average). A difference threshold is, for example, 15 cm.

In addition, it is preferable that the calculation of the average value and the difference is performed in a very small area (for example, a 2 cm square area) in two-dimensional coordinates. In this case, removal of data corresponding to wide objects such as faucets and structures is suppressed.

(4) The travel device 11 may be of a wheel type or a semi-crawler type.

(5) In the above embodiment, the target route LI generated by the first route generation unit 23 is a plurality of mesh lines extending in the vertical and horizontal directions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the target route LI generated by the first route generation unit 23 may not be a plurality of mesh lines extending vertically and horizontally. For example, the target route LI generated by the first route generation unit 23 may be a spiral travel route. Also, the target route LI does not have to be orthogonal to another target route LI. Also, the target route LI generated by the first route generation unit 23 may be a plurality of parallel lines parallel to each other.

(6) In the above embodiment, the work area calculator 22 calculates the area where the combine harvester 1 performed the first work travel as the outer peripheral area SA. However, the invention is not so limited. The outer peripheral area SA may be determined before the combine harvester 1 performs the first work travel.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for management of traveling of work vehicles. Work vehicles include not only ordinary combine harvesters, but also self-throwing combine harvesters, various harvesters (corn harvesters, potato harvesters, carrot harvesters, etc.), rice transplanters, field management machines, and construction machines. may

1: Combine (work vehicle)
5: Farm field 6: Outer edge area 29: Travel control unit 31: Detection device (sensor)
42: data acquisition unit 43: removal unit 44: generation unit A: travel management system (system)
G: outer edge map S1: set S2: set S3: set W1: width W2: width W3: width X: object

Claims (6)

A system for supporting traveling of a work vehicle,
a data acquisition unit that acquires, over time, three-dimensional shape data representing the shape of an outer edge region of the field from a sensor provided on the work vehicle while the work vehicle is traveling in the field;
a removal unit that removes data corresponding to an object that does not hinder the vehicle from traveling even if it comes into contact with the vehicle, based on the three-dimensional density, from the three-dimensional shape data;
and a generating unit that generates an outer edge map indicating a boundary at which the work vehicle traveling in a field cannot cross the border, based on the three-dimensional shape data processed by the removing unit. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition unit acquires the three-dimensional shape data as a collection of points defined by two-dimensional coordinates and height. The removal unit identifies a set of points having the height greater than the surroundings, and associates the set with the object when a two-dimensional width of the identified set is smaller than a predetermined width threshold. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data is considered and removed from the three-dimensional shape data. The removing unit calculates a deviation value of the height for each of the points, regards the point for which the calculated deviation value is larger than a deviation value threshold value as data corresponding to the object, and extracts the height deviation value from the three-dimensional shape data. 4. A system according to claim 2 or 3 for removing. The removing unit calculates an average value of the heights, calculates a difference between the height and the average value for each of the points, and corresponds the points where the calculated difference is larger than a difference threshold value to the object. 5. The system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the three-dimensional shape data is removed from the three-dimensional shape data by considering the data to be 6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a travel control unit that controls travel of the work vehicle so that the work vehicle does not go outside the boundary indicated by the outer edge map.

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