JP6989886B2 - Work platform - Google Patents

Description

In the present invention, for example, there are a plurality of position-fixed objects (fruit trees) in a state where they are lined up at intervals along the first direction and the second direction orthogonal to the first direction, such as an orchard. The present invention relates to a work vehicle that performs work in an area other than the place where an object exists in the work section for work.

Conventionally, as an example of a work platform, in an orchard where fruit trees are planted in a state of being lined up at intervals along the first direction and the second direction, a plurality of fruit trees located between a plurality of fruit tree rows. Some of the work vehicles that perform mowing work while traveling in the intermediate region are configured as follows.

That is, it is provided with an object detection unit capable of transmitting a detection signal such as a laser beam to the side of the vehicle body and receiving a reflection signal from the object to detect an object existing around the vehicle body. It is configured to detect the position of an object based on the detection information of the object detection unit and automatically drive the vehicle body. For example, run along the first direction so as to run between multiple fruit tree rows, and switch back at the end of the fruit tree row to shift the position laterally and go straight along the first direction next time. The vehicle body is automatically driven in a state where the traveling mode of traveling on the set route is repeatedly executed. When the traveling route is set to a position where the fruit trees overlap with each other, when traveling between the fruit trees, when the traveling route is approached to the fruit trees while traveling straight on the planned traveling route, the lateral side from the traveling route. A configuration in which a break-out run that exits the position, a measuring pass run that travels to the side of the fruit tree, an approach run that enters between the fruit trees, and then a zigzag run that returns to the straight-ahead run on the travel route. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-71438

In the above-mentioned conventional configuration, in a work section (orchard) where trees (fruit trees) are planted in a state of being lined up at intervals along the first direction and the second direction, the vehicle body of the work vehicle is set in the first direction. Work in the work area while repeatedly reciprocating only in. In such a work mode in which the vehicle travels only in the first direction, the area between the trees separated in the first direction cannot be obstructed by the trees and the work cannot be performed. I try to work in the area between the trees.

In the above-mentioned conventional configuration, in the region of the lateral portion along the second direction of the tree, it is possible to move the vehicle body as close as possible to the tree and perform the work while traveling along the first direction. However, in the case of zigzag running as described above, it is difficult to bring the work vehicle close to the tree in the area between the trees separated in the first direction, and the unprocessed part of the work is on the outer periphery of the tree. There was a risk that it would occur. For example, in the case of a work vehicle that performs grass cutting work, a portion of grass left uncut will be generated.

Therefore, it is possible to work as close as possible to the trees not only in the area between the trees separated in the second direction but also in the area between the trees separated in the first direction. It was desired.

The characteristic configuration of the work platform according to the present invention is an object that transmits a detection signal toward a preset range, acquires a reflection signal for the detection signal, and detects an object existing in the preset range. With the detector
Based on the detection result of the object detection unit, trees are arranged in a working section in which a plurality of trees are arranged at intervals along the first direction and the second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Equipped with a running control unit that automatically runs the car body in the direction along the line,
The travel control unit is based on information about a preset number of trees and a separation distance in a region other than the tree in the work section and detection information of the object detection unit. The vehicle body is configured to automatically travel along the first direction and automatically travel along the second direction.
A body to be detected that can be detected by the object detection unit at positions corresponding to the four corners of the outer peripheral portion of the work section and at locations located on the front side in the traveling direction by a predetermined distance with respect to the positions corresponding to the four corners . Is provided,
When the object detection unit detects the object to be detected twice while the vehicle body is automatically driven, the travel control unit determines that the vehicle has reached the outer end portion of the work section. It is in the point that it is configured in.

According to the present invention, as the vehicle body travels, the object detection unit detects an object existing in a preset range. The object detection unit can acquire relative position information between the vehicle body and the object by the reflected signal from the object. Based on the detection information of the object detection unit, the travel control unit obtains the number of trees lined up along the first direction and the distance from the tree row to the vehicle body as the work vehicle travels along the first direction. be able to. Since the information on the number of trees lined up along the first direction and the second direction in the work section is preset, for example, from the tree row to the vehicle body until the number of trees reaches the set number. The vehicle body can be automatically driven along the first direction so as to maintain the distance at the set value.

When the vehicle body travels along the second direction, the travel control unit is lined up along the second direction based on the detection information of the object detection unit, as in the case of traveling along the first direction. The number of trees and the distance from the row of trees to the vehicle body can be obtained, and the vehicle body can be automatically driven along the second direction.

Therefore, in both the case where the vehicle body is automatically traveled along the first direction and the case where the vehicle body is automatically traveled along the second direction, it is possible to travel at a position as close as possible to the tree. Not only in the area between trees separated in the second direction, but also in the area between trees separated in the first direction, it is possible to work as close as possible to the trees. became.
Further, since the travel control unit knows the number of trees lined up along the travel direction when executing automatic travel, when the number reaches a preset number, the end of the travel route is reached. Can be detected. However, if there is an error in counting the number of pieces, it is not possible to reach the end of the traveling path. Therefore, by providing a body to be detected on the outer peripheral portion of the work section on the ground side, it is possible to reliably determine that the work vehicle has reached the outer end of the work section, and it is possible to perform automatic driving. Driving safety is improved.

In the present invention, the traveling control unit is
A target object setting process for setting at least two objects as targets based on the positions of at least two objects among the objects detected by the object detection unit.
A reference line setting process for setting a reference line as a reference when traveling through at least two targets set by the target object setting process.
Distance calculation processing for calculating the distance from the reference line to the vehicle body, and
It is preferable to execute a traveling control process for reciprocating along the reference line while maintaining the distance from the reference line to the vehicle body at the set distance in each of the first direction and the second direction.

According to this configuration, the traveling control unit sets at least two objects (trees) among the detected objects (trees) as targets based on the detection information of the object detection unit, and sets the set target objects. Set the reference line to pass. That is, a reference line is set along the arrangement direction of the tree rows close to the traveling vehicle body. Further, the distance from the reference line to the vehicle body can be calculated based on the detection information of the object detection unit. As a result, the travel control unit can automatically drive the vehicle body along the reference line while maintaining the distance from the reference line to the vehicle body at the set distance.

Since the travel control unit can automatically drive the vehicle body along the first direction and automatically travel along the second direction, from the reference line to the vehicle body in each of the first direction and the second direction. It is possible to make a round trip along the reference line while maintaining the distance of.

Therefore, in each of the automatic driving along the first direction and the automatic driving along the second direction, it is possible to drive while accurately controlling the distance from the tree row to the vehicle body, and to the position where the vehicle body is as close as possible to the tree. You can work together.

It is a figure which shows the area where a work vehicle travels. It is a figure which shows the traveling path of a work vehicle. It is a side view. It is a control block diagram. It is a figure which shows the detection range of the object detection part. It is a schematic diagram which shows the processing of a work vehicle. It is a schematic diagram which concerns on the estimation of the outer diameter of an object. It is a schematic diagram which shows the obstacle avoidance processing. It is a top view of a small turn turning state. It is a plan view of a straight running state. It is a float chart which shows the control operation. It is a float chart which shows the control operation. It is a float chart which shows the control operation. It is a float chart which shows the control operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the work platform according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The work vehicle according to the present invention cuts grass growing between a plurality of fruit trees (an example of a tree) K inside an orchard P as a preset work section as shown in FIG. Do the work. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the orchard P is a region partitioned in a rectangular shape, and has intervals L1 and L2 along the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 orthogonal to the first direction D1. It is an area where there are multiple fruit trees as fixed-position objects in a lined-up state.

〔overall structure〕
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the work vehicle 1 is provided with a pair of left and right first wheels 3A on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the traveling vehicle body 2, and a pair of left and right second wheels 3B on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. ing. The traveling vehicle body 2 is provided with an engine 4 as a power source, and a grass cutting device 5 is provided between the first wheel 3A and the second wheel 3B at the lower portion of the traveling vehicle body 2. Although not shown, the traveling vehicle body 2 is provided with a transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the engine 4 to the first wheel 3A and the second wheel 3B and also transmitting the power to the mowing device 5. The transmission mechanism is configured to be able to interrupt the power transmission to each of the wheels 3A and 3B and the mowing device 5. By transmitting the power of the engine 4 to the wheels 3A and 3B and the mowing device 5, the mowing work can be performed while the machine is running.

The forward / backward switching device 6 (see FIG. 4) provided in the transmission mechanism can switch the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body 2 back and forth. The first wheel 3A and the second wheel 3B are each provided so that the steering operation can be freely performed by swinging around the vertical axis core by the driving force of an electric motor described later. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first wheel 3A and the second wheel 3B can be turned and operated in the straight-ahead posture, the right-facing swing posture, and the left-facing swing posture, respectively.

The work vehicle 1 travels along the fruit tree row in the orchard P while detecting the manual control operation state in which the work vehicle 1 is operated by remote control by radio control and the information on the positions of a plurality of fruit trees with respect to the traveling vehicle body 2. It is configured to be switchable to an automatic running operation state in which 2 is automatically run.

As shown in FIG. 4, the traveling vehicle body 2 is switched between an accelerator 7 that adjusts the amount of fuel supplied to the engine 4, an accelerator motor 9 that operates a brake 8 that brakes the wheels 3A and 3B, and a forward / backward switching device 6. A forward / backward motor 10 for steering, a first steering motor 11 which is an electric motor for steering the first wheel 3A, and a second steering motor 12 which is an electric motor for steering the second wheel 3B. Is provided. Although not described in detail, the brake 8 is spring-urged toward the braking state, and when the accelerator 7 is in the idling state due to the operation of the accelerator motor 9, the brake 8 is in the braking state and the accelerator opening is increased. It is configured to operate in conjunction so that the braking state is released.

As shown in FIG. 4, the traveling vehicle body 2 controls the operations of the accelerator motor 9, the forward / backward motor 10, the first steering motor 11, and the second steering motor 12, and the overall operating state of the work vehicle 1 is controlled. A control device 13 for controlling the above is provided. A transmitter 14 that can be operated while being carried by an operator is provided, and the traveling vehicle body 2 is provided with a receiver 15 that can receive an operation signal wirelessly transmitted by the transmitter 14. The reception information of the receiver 15 is input to the control device 13.

The traveling vehicle body 2 is provided with an operation stop switch 16, an automatic on / off switch 17, an object detection unit 18, and an obstacle sensor 19, and these information are input to the control device 13. The operation stop switch 16 can forcibly stop the traveling operation of the traveling vehicle body 2 and the driving operation of the mowing device 5. The automatic on / off switch 17 can switch the control state of the control device 13 between the control state for manual control and the control state for automatic driving. Although the detailed configuration will be described later, the object detection unit 18 can detect an object outside the traveling vehicle body 2. The obstacle sensor 19 is a contact-type sensor attached to the bumper 20 of the traveling vehicle body 2 and capable of detecting the presence of an obstacle such as a tree stump at a low position that cannot be detected by the object detection unit 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the object detection unit 18 is provided on the upper part of the traveling vehicle body 2. The object detection unit 18 is configured to transmit a detection signal toward a preset detection range, acquire a reflection signal for the detection signal, and exist in the detection range. Specifically, the object detection unit 18 is composed of a laser scanner sensor. The preset range is a range that can be detected by the object detection unit 18, and in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a range R of about 270 degrees centered on the vertical axis in the traveling vehicle body 2. Is. The detection signal is laser light and is a signal propagating in the air. The detection signal is projected in the horizontal direction at a position at a predetermined height from the vehicle body ground plane. When this detection signal is projected onto an object, it is reflected on the surface of the object. The object detection unit 18 transmits the detection signal to a preset range and acquires the reflection signal. The object detection unit 18 is based on the information indicating the direction in which the object exists with respect to the object detection unit 18 based on the transmission direction of the detection signal, and the time from the transmission of the detection signal to the acquisition of the reflected signal. Information indicating the calculated distance from the object detection unit 18 to the object is acquired. In the present embodiment, the object detection unit 18 transmits a detection signal in the horizontal direction and for each minute unit angle with respect to the above-mentioned range R.

As shown in FIG. 5, the object detection unit 18 transmits a detection signal toward the outside on one side with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle body to detect an object existing on one side of the traveling vehicle body 2. Instead of this configuration, it is also possible to detect objects existing on both sides of the traveling vehicle body 2. Further, it is also possible to rotate the entire object detection unit 18 as necessary so that the range R is reversed left and right with respect to the planned travel path S of the traveling vehicle body 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 13 is obtained by the teaching processing unit 100 and the teaching processing unit 100 as the teaching processing means for obtaining various information in the teaching traveling based on the manual control performed prior to the automatic traveling. Based on the holding unit 101 as a holding means for holding information and the information obtained by the teaching processing unit 100 and held in the holding unit 101, the vehicle body is automatically driven along the fruit tree row in the orchard P. It is provided with a travel control unit 102. In this embodiment, the control device 13 is configured to include a microcomputer, and the teaching processing unit 100 and the traveling control unit 102 are configured by a control program type. The holding unit 101 is composed of a non-volatile memory or the like capable of storing and holding various data.

[Teaching processing unit]
The teaching processing unit 100 determines the number of fruit trees (objects) arranged in a grid pattern in the orchard P, the distance between the fruit trees, based on the detection information of the object detection unit 18 when the vehicle travels on the teaching travel path TL. And, the distance from the nearest fruit tree row to the teaching travel route TL is obtained. The teaching run is performed based on manual control by the driver operating the transmitter 14. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the orchard P travels in each of the first direction and the second direction along the outer peripheral portion.

In addition, the teaching processing unit 100 counts the number of objects based on the detection information of the object detection unit 18 when the vehicle travels on the teaching travel path TL, and the traveling vehicle body 2 is the end of the orchard P. The number of objects counted up to the time when it is detected that the part has been reached is set as the number of fruit trees in the fruit tree row.

Further, among the fruit trees K detected by the object detection unit 18 when the traveling vehicle body 2 travels on the teaching travel path TL, the at least two fruit trees K are based on the positions of at least two fruit trees K (objects). Is executed as the target object setting process for setting as the target object O. As a result, the distance between the two fruit trees K can be obtained by using the triangulation method based on the information of the positions of the two target objects O (fruit tree K) and the position of the traveling vehicle body 2. The distance between these two fruit trees K can be determined not only as the distance between the first directions but also as the distance between the two fruit trees K in the second direction.

The teaching processing unit 100 passes through at least two fruit trees K (objects) set by the target object setting process, and sets a reference line SL as a reference during traveling, and a traveling vehicle body from the reference line SL. The distance calculation process for calculating the distance to 2 is executed. Further, the outer shape estimation process for estimating the outer diameter of the fruit tree K is also executed based on the detection result of the object detection unit 18.

The reference line setting process will be described.
A reference line SL passing through at least two target objects O set by the target object setting process is set. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, in the coordinate system used in the control device 13, the reference line SL is set by connecting the first target object O1 and the second target object O2 with a straight line. The reference line SL is connected by a straight line so as to pass through the central portion of each of the detection results detected as one object by the object detection unit 18. At this time, information on the outer diameter of the fruit tree, which will be described later, is also taken into consideration.

The distance calculation process will be described.
In the coordinate system as described above, the distance from the reference line SL to the traveling vehicle body 2 is calculated. This distance is the shortest distance connecting the reference line SL and the traveling vehicle body 2 in the above coordinate system, in other words, from the nearest fruit tree row located on the reference line SL to the teaching traveling route TL where the traveling vehicle body 2 is located. Corresponds to the distance.

The outer diameter estimation process will be described.
As described above, the object detection unit 18 transmits a detection signal in the horizontal direction at each predetermined minute unit angle (pitch). For example, assuming that the calculation of the outer diameter of the object is performed for each step, the width of the object related to one step can be approximately calculated by "L3 × tan θ" as shown in FIG. 7 (L3). : Distance to the object, θ: Detection angle in 1 step). The outer diameter of the object can be estimated by multiplying the width of the object for one step by the number of steps in which the reflected signal from the object is received. The above calculation may be performed for each of a plurality of pitches, or may be performed for each pitch.

The teaching processing unit 100 executes the processing as described above, and based on the detection information of the object detection unit 18, the number of fruit trees K arranged in a grid pattern in the orchard P and the distance between the fruit trees K (first direction). The distance m from the nearest fruit tree row to the teaching travel path TL is obtained (including the distance L1 in D1 and the distance L2 in the second direction D2), and the information is held in the holding unit 101. To add an explanation, the area other than the place where the fruit tree K exists in the orchard P (the area to be mowed), that is, the outer peripheral area of the orchard P and the outer area up to the outermost fruit tree row. It is possible to acquire information on the working width such as an intermediate region between fruit tree rows.

In the reference line setting process, the teaching processing unit 100 is adjacent to the fruit tree row corresponding to the reference line based on the positions of two objects in the adjacent fruit tree row when the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveling along the fruit tree row. It is possible to obtain the position information about the fruit tree row to be held and hold it in the holding unit 101.

[Driving control unit]
The traveling control unit 102 moves the vehicle body in the first direction and the second direction, respectively, based on the information obtained by the teaching processing unit 100 and held in the holding unit 101 and the detection information of the object detection unit 18. The vehicle body is automatically driven along the fruit tree line in the orchard P in the form of automatically traveling along the fruit tree.

In addition, the traveling control unit 102 executes the same processing as the target target setting processing and the reference line setting processing in the teaching processing unit 100 based on the detection information of the object detection unit 18. That is, a reference line is set along the arrangement direction of the fruit tree rows. Further, the traveling control unit 102 executes the same processing as the distance calculation processing in the teaching processing unit 100, and obtains the distance between the traveling vehicle body 2 and the reference line SL. Then, for each of the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, traveling along the reference line SL while maintaining the distance m from the reference line SL to the traveling vehicle body 2 at the set distance corresponding to the target traveling route. Execute control processing.

The target travel route is set as a travel route suitable for performing grass cutting work in the orchard P using the work vehicle 1 based on the information acquired by the teaching processing unit 100 and held in the holding unit 101. Will be done. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of target traveling routes along the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are set. That is, in consideration of the width of the area to be mowed and the width of the mowing work by the work vehicle, the target travel route is set in a state where the work areas slightly overlap each other so as not to leave uncut parts.

When the number of detected fruit trees reaches the number held in the holding unit 101 while traveling on one target traveling route, the traveling control unit 102 determines that the route terminal portion has been reached, and determines that the traveling route has been reached. After finishing the driving in, move toward the next target driving route. When moving to an adjacent target travel path within one work area, move by switchback. The switchback is a traveling mode in which when the traveling vehicle body 2 reaches the end of the orchard P, the traveling vehicle body 2 repeatedly moves forward and backward so as to shift the position of the traveling vehicle body 2 to the side from the position of the end portion. .. After moving by the switchback, the detection direction by the object detection unit 18 remains the same, so that automatic traveling is performed for the same fruit tree row.

In the travel control process, the travel control unit 102 is attached to the end portion of the fruit tree row on the vehicle body traveling direction side when the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveling on one side of the second direction D2 in the fruit tree row along the first direction D1. When passing by the side of the fruit tree on the end side where it is located, the first turning process is executed in which the fruit tree moves to the other side of the second direction D2 in the fruit tree row and turns so as to run along the first direction D1.

The first turning process will be described for the fruit tree rows arranged in the vertical direction on the rightmost page in FIG. 2. However, as the orientation of the paper surface, it is assumed that the first direction is set as the vertical direction of the paper surface.
Second direction D2 in the fruit tree row In the right side region of the fruit tree row as one side, the traveling vehicle body 2 travels upward on the paper on the traveling route closest to the fruit tree row, and when the traveling vehicle body 2 passes by the side of the fruit tree on the end side, the first Two-way D2 Turn to move to the left side region of the fruit tree row as the other side portion. At this time, the vehicle turns while traveling forward on a substantially U-shaped route. After that, the traveling vehicle body 2 travels downward on the paper surface in the left side region of the fruit tree row. At this time, when traveling upward on the paper surface before turning, the object detection unit 18 detects and operates the fruit tree row located on the left side (left side in the direction of travel) as a detection target, and when traveling downward on the paper surface after turning. The object detection unit 18 detects and operates the fruit tree row located on the right side (left side in the direction of travel) as a detection target.

The travel control unit 102 is located at the end side of the fruit tree row on the vehicle body traveling direction side when traveling along the first direction D1 in the middle portion of the pair of fruit tree rows separated from the second direction D2. When passing by the side of the fruit tree, a second turning process is executed in which the direction of the vehicle body is changed to the opposite direction.

The second turning process will be described for the intermediate region between the fruit tree rows arranged in the vertical direction on the rightmost paper surface in FIG. 2 and the fruit tree rows on the left side thereof.
When the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveling with the intermediate region toward the upper side of the paper surface, if the next target traveling route exceeds the center position in the width direction of the intermediate portion, the traveling vehicle body 2 moves to the side of the fruit tree on the end side. After passing, it turns 90 degrees to the right so that it is in a left-right posture, then moves backward by a predetermined distance in a straight-ahead state, and then turns 90 degrees to the right so that it is in a vertical posture on the paper. Change the direction so that the direction is opposite. By turning in this way, the detection target by the object detection unit 18 becomes the fruit tree row on the left side, and the fruit tree row can be detected and the reference line SL for the next run can be set.

The travel control unit 102 is lateral to the end-side fruit tree K located at the end of the fruit tree row in the vehicle body traveling direction when traveling on the last travel route among the plurality of travel paths along the first direction D1. A third turning process is executed in which the traveling vehicle body 2 is turned so as to be oriented along the second direction D2 as it passes through.

The third turning process will be described for the traveling path along the vertical direction of the paper surface on the leftmost side in FIG. 2.
When the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveling along the traveling path along the leftmost vertical direction of the paper surface (corresponding to a part of the teaching traveling path TL) toward the lower side of the paper surface, when passing by the side of the fruit tree K on the end side. , The traveling vehicle body 2 is turned in a substantially L-shape so as to be oriented along the left-right direction of the paper surface. At this time, a target traveling route located on the outermost side of the traveling routes along the left-right direction of the paper, that is, the second direction D2 (corresponding to a part of the teaching traveling route TL in this execution) is set.

When the third turning process is completed and the automatic traveling along the second direction D2 is started, the same processing as the automatic traveling along the first direction D1 is executed thereafter.
That is, after the traveling vehicle body 2 has changed its direction by the third turning process, when the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveling along the second direction D2 on one side of the first direction D1 in the fruit tree row, the vehicle body of the fruit tree row As it passes by the side of the end side fruit tree located at the end side in the traveling direction, it moves to the other side of the first direction D1 in the fruit tree row and runs along the second direction D2. The fourth turning process of turning in a shape, and the end portion of the fruit tree row on the vehicle body traveling direction side when traveling along the second direction D2 in the middle portion of the pair of fruit tree rows separated from the first direction D1. A fifth turning process is performed to change the direction of the car body so that the direction of the car body is reversed as it passes by the side of the fruit tree on the end side located at.

The fourth turning process and the fifth turning process are the same as the first turning process and the second turning process except that the vehicle body traveling direction is different between the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of supports 21 are installed in a fixed state along the outer edge of the orchard P. The support 21 may be configured to also serve as a support such as a fence or a fence, for example. Among the plurality of supports 21, the supports 21 located at the four corners of the orchard P are provided with a reflector 22 as a object to be detected that reflects the laser beam. When the irradiation light is incident, the reflector 22 is configured to reflect the light in the same direction as the incident direction of the irradiation light. Therefore, no matter what angle the laser beam is received, the laser beam is reflected toward the object detection unit.

The object detection unit 18 is configured to detect that the traveling vehicle body 2 has reached the end of the orchard P by detecting the reflector 22 at any of the four corners. The reflector 22 is also provided on the support 21 located on the front side in the traveling direction by a predetermined distance with respect to the support 21 located at the four corners. By detecting the reflector twice when traveling straight, it is possible to reliably detect that the end of the orchard P has been reached. With this configuration, it is possible to accurately detect that the object has approached the outer end of the orchard P by using the detection information of the object detection unit 18. The reflector 22 is provided not only on the support 21 but also on the fruit tree K corresponding to the work start position described later.

When the obstacle sensor 19 detects and activates the traveling vehicle body 2 while the traveling control unit 102 executes the traveling control process to automatically drive the traveling vehicle body 2, the traveling vehicle body 2 travels so as to avoid the obstacle G. Execute avoidance processing.

The obstacle avoidance process will be described with reference to FIG.
When the obstacle sensor 19 detects and operates while traveling along the target traveling route on the right side of the predetermined fruit tree row, the traveling vehicle body 2 is temporarily stopped at that point. Then, based on the information on the positions of the two fruit trees K detected by the object detection unit 18 and the detection result of the object detection unit 18, the positions of the obstacles are determined by the triangular survey method and the positions are held. It is stored in the unit 101. After that, after moving the traveling vehicle body 2 backward by a predetermined distance, the traveling vehicle body 2 travels toward the opposite side of the fruit tree row while avoiding obstacles and returns to the target traveling route.

[Control details]
Hereinafter, specific control contents by the control device 13 will be described with reference to the flowchart.

When performing teaching driving, the traveling vehicle body 2 is placed on the outer peripheral portion of the orchard P based on the manual control of the transmitter 14 with the traveling vehicle body 2 positioned at the preset work start position in the orchard P. It runs on the teaching running path TL along the above. The control device 13 executes the teaching process shown in FIG. 11 while the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveling along the teaching traveling path TL. This teaching process is performed based on a command operation of a command switch (not shown) provided in the transmitter 14.

The teaching process will be described.
The object detection unit 18 starts detecting an object within a predetermined range (step # 1). After that, the object detection unit 18 continuously detects the object until the teaching process is completed. When at least two objects are detected around the traveling vehicle body 2 (step # 2), the two objects are set as the target object O (step # 3). When the traveling vehicle body 2 is located at the work start position ST, the object detection unit 18 detects the reflector 22 provided on the fruit tree K corresponding to the work start position ST to indicate that the vehicle is at the start position. Can be recognized.

Here, the control device 13 is based on the information acquired by the object detection unit 18 indicating the direction in which the object exists with respect to the object detection unit 18 and the information indicating the distance from the object detection unit 18 to the object. , The coordinates of the target object O1 and the target object O2 are calculated in the coordinate system with respect to the traveling vehicle body 2. In this case, as shown in # 101 and # 102 of FIG. 6, when the coordinates of the traveling vehicle body 2 are set as (0,0), the coordinates of the target object O1 are (X1, Y1) and the coordinates of the target object O2. Is calculated as (X2, Y2). However, in order to facilitate the subsequent processing, coordinate conversion is performed from the coordinate system with respect to the traveling vehicle body 2 to the coordinate system with the reference line SL as the y-axis. As a result, as shown in # 103 of FIG. 6, the coordinates (X1, Y1) of the target object O1 and the coordinates (X2) of the target object O2 are coordinate-converted, and the coordinates (0, y1) of the target object O1 and It becomes the coordinates (0, y2) of the target object O2.

Next, the reference line SL is set with reference to the two target objects O1 and the target object O2 (step # 4). This reference line SL is set by a line connecting the center positions of the target object O1 and the target object O2 detected by the object detection unit 18. At this time, the information on the outer diameter of the target object estimated by the outer diameter estimation process is also taken into consideration.

The separation distance from the reference line SL to the traveling vehicle body 2 is calculated (step # 5). Further, the distance L1 (or L2) between the fruit trees K along the arrangement direction of the fruit tree rows is obtained by calculation based on the triangulation method (step # 6). Further, the number of fruit trees K detected by the object detection unit 18 is counted and calculated (step # 7).

When it is detected that the object detection unit 18 has reached the end of the traveling path by detecting the reflector 22, the separation distance, the distance between the fruit trees K L1, L2, and the fruit tree K obtained as described above are obtained. Data about the number of the above is stored in the holding unit 101 and held (steps # 8 and # 9). The processes from step # 1 to step # 9 are repeatedly executed until the transmitter 14 commands the end (step # 10).

Next, the automatic traveling control for automatically traveling the traveling vehicle body 2 along the fruit tree row will be described.
In the case of automatic traveling, the traveling vehicle body 2 is moved to the work start position by radio control, the mowing device 5 is operated, and the traveling vehicle body 2 is set in a state where it can travel toward the first direction D1. Then, when the automatic on / off switch 17 is switched to the automatic mode, the automatic traveling control is executed.

The automatic driving control will be described.
As shown in FIG. 12, the object detection unit 18 detects an object (step # 11), discriminates between two object detections (step # 12), and sets a target (step # 13), as in the case of the teaching process. Is executed, the reference line SL is set based on the positions of the two target objects O (step # 14), and the distance from the set reference line SL to the traveling vehicle body 2 is calculated (step # 15). ), Further, the number of fruit trees K in the traveling route currently being traveled is counted (step # 16). Next, the travel control process along the first direction D1 (step # 17) and the travel control process along the second direction (step # 18) are executed. The travel control process along the first direction D1 and the travel control process along the second direction will be described later.

The traveling control process along the first direction D1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 13, the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveled along the first direction D1, and the distance from the reference line SL obtained in step # 14 (see FIG. 12) to the traveling vehicle body 2 falls within the target range. The automatic steering process is executed as described in (steps # 21, # 22). The target range is a set distance m set in a state corresponding to the target travel route with a predetermined allowable range (m ± α). Therefore, the work vehicle 1 executes the mowing work while moving and traveling along the target travel route. In this automatic steering process, when the direction of the traveling vehicle body 2 is changed, only the wheel located on the front side in the traveling direction of the first wheel 3A and the second wheel 3B is swung to change the direction. When the obstacle sensor 19 detects and operates while the traveling vehicle body 2 is traveling along the target steering path, the obstacle avoidance process as described above is executed.

When the number of fruit trees K being counted reaches the number set by the teaching process, or by detecting the reflector 22 located at the end of the orchard P, the end of the traveling route is reached. When is determined, the number of travel routes that have been completed is counted, and the number of fruit trees counted during the route travel is reset (steps # 23, # 24, # 25, # 26).

The travel route that has been completed is not the final route among the plurality of travel routes in the first direction D1, and the next target travel route does not exceed the central position in the intermediate region between the fruit tree rows, and moreover. If it is not the closest travel route to the fruit tree row, switch back to move to the adjacent target travel route (steps # 27, # 28, # 29, # 30).

When traveling on a travel route close to the fruit tree row, object detection is performed not only on the fruit tree row that is the detection target but also on the fruit tree row adjacent to the fruit tree row, and information on the adjacent fruit tree row is also detected. It is good to keep it. Based on the detection result, the reference line SL for the adjacent fruit tree row can be set.

When it is determined that the vehicle has traveled along the target travel route and reached the end of the route by executing steps # 11 to # 23, the travel route where the travel is completed is the travel route closest to the fruit tree line. At one time, the first turning process as described above is executed (steps # 29, # 31). That is, the traveling vehicle body 2 is turned forward while traveling on a substantially U-shaped route so as to move to the region opposite to the corresponding fruit tree row.

In this first turning process, when turning, both the first wheel 3A on the one end side and the second wheel 3B on the other end side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body are steered in the opposite directions. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, among the first wheel 3A and the second wheel 3B, the one located on the front side in the traveling direction swings toward the turning direction side, and the one located on the rear side in the traveling direction turns. Swing toward the opposite side of the direction. By operating in this way, the turning radius can be made as small as possible, and the uncut portion around the fruit tree K at the end can be reduced.

When it is determined that the vehicle has reached the end of the route by executing steps # 11 to # 23 while executing automatic steering processing along the target travel route, the travel route of the travel route has been completed. When the next target travel route exceeds the central position in the intermediate region between the fruit tree rows, the second turning process as described above is executed (steps # 28 and # 32). That is, the vehicle body is turned 90 degrees to the right, goes straight and backwards by a predetermined distance, and is turned 90 degrees to the right again, and the direction is changed so that the direction of the vehicle body is opposite. By operating in this way, the direction of detection by the object detection unit 18 is opposite, and the object is detected with the adjacent fruit tree row as the detection target.

When it is determined that the vehicle has reached the end of the route by executing steps # 11 to # 23 and traveling while executing the automatic steering process along the target travel route, the travel route at which the travel is completed is determined. When it is the final route among the plurality of traveling routes in the first direction D1, the third turning process as described above is executed (steps # 27 and # 33). That is, the direction of the vehicle body is switched from the traveling state along the first direction D1 to the traveling state along the second direction D2.

Then, after the third turning process is completed, the traveling control process along the second direction D2 is executed as shown in FIG. 14 (steps # 41 to # 52). The travel control process along the second direction D2 is substantially the same as the travel control process along the first direction D1 except that the travel direction of the vehicle body is different. Although the fourth turning process and the fifth turning process have different traveling directions, they are the same as the first turning process and the second turning process, respectively, and thus the description thereof will be omitted here. In the travel control process along the second direction D2, when the final route among the plurality of travel routes in the second direction D2 is terminated, the automatic travel control ends.

[Another Embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, in the target setting process, two target objects O are set from two fruit trees K, but instead of this configuration, three or more fruit trees have three or more target objects. It is also possible to set O.

(2) In the above embodiment, the coordinate system is converted from the coordinate system based on the traveling vehicle body 2 to the coordinate system based on the target object O, and the arithmetic processing related to the automatic driving is performed. It is also possible to perform arithmetic processing related to automatic driving without performing it.

(3) In the above embodiment, in the automatic traveling control, the first turning process or the fourth turning process of turning the work vehicle while traveling in a substantially U-shape at the end of the traveling path at a predetermined position, the direction of the vehicle body. The second turn process or the fifth turn process is executed so that the direction is changed in the opposite direction. However, instead of this configuration, for example, at the end of the travel path, the position is changed only by switchback travel. The form may be adopted.

(4) In the above embodiment, the case where the work section to be worked by the work vehicle 1 is the orchard P in the rectangular section is shown, but instead of such a configuration, for example, for example. It may have a shape other than a rectangle, such as a region having a trapezoidal outer shape or a region having a substantially L-shaped outer shape.

(5) In the above embodiment, the work vehicle 1 is configured to automatically travel while cutting grass, but the work vehicle can be used as, for example, a transport vehicle, or can be used for other purposes. be.

The present invention can be applied to, for example, a work vehicle for mowing used in an orchard or the like.

2 Vehicle body 18 Object detection unit 102 Travel control unit D1 1st direction D2 2nd direction P Work section SL reference line

Claims (2)

An object detection unit that transmits a detection signal toward a preset range, acquires a reflection signal for the detection signal, and detects an object existing in the preset range.
Based on the detection result of the object detection unit, trees are arranged in a working section in which a plurality of trees are arranged at intervals along the first direction and the second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Equipped with a running control unit that automatically runs the car body in the direction along the line,
The travel control unit is based on information about a preset number of trees and a separation distance in a region other than the tree in the work section and detection information of the object detection unit. The vehicle body is configured to automatically travel along the first direction and automatically travel along the second direction.
A body to be detected that can be detected by the object detection unit at positions corresponding to the four corners of the outer peripheral portion of the work section and at locations located on the front side in the traveling direction by a predetermined distance with respect to the positions corresponding to the four corners . Is provided,
When the object detection unit detects the object to be detected twice while the vehicle body is automatically driven, the travel control unit determines that the vehicle has reached the outer end portion of the work section. The work vehicle that is configured in. The traveling control unit is
A target object setting process for setting at least two objects as targets based on the positions of at least two objects among the objects detected by the object detection unit.
A reference line setting process for setting a reference line as a reference when traveling through at least two targets set by the target object setting process.
Distance calculation processing for calculating the distance from the reference line to the vehicle body, and
The first aspect of the present invention is a travel control process for reciprocating along the reference line while maintaining the distance from the reference line to the vehicle body at a set distance in each of the first direction and the second direction. The work vehicle described.

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