JP7062602B2 - Route generation system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a route generation system.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a combine that generates a traveling path in a field and performs harvesting work while automatically traveling along the generated traveling path. By the way, when harvesting with a combine, if the field width (number of rows in the field) is not divisible by the harvest width (number of cutting rows), the number of rows in the final process is smaller than the harvest width. At that time, if the number of remaining rows is extremely small with respect to the harvest width, leftovers (leftovers) of grain culms may occur, unharvested stocks may be taken in, or straw discharged to the field after harvesting threshing. There is a risk of taking in (cut straw).

JP-A-2015-170223

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a route generation system capable of generating a traveling route capable of appropriately performing harvesting work until the end.

The route generation system according to the present invention is a route generation system including a route generation unit for generating a travel route for automatically traveling a combine having a working machine capable of harvesting crops.
The route generation unit can generate, as the travel path, a first travel path whose harvest target width is equal to the work width of the work machine, and a second travel path whose harvest target width is narrower than the work width.
The route generation unit does not generate a travel route in which the harvest target width is less than a predetermined ratio with respect to the work width as the second travel route.

According to this configuration, since a traveling route having an extremely narrow harvest target width (less than a predetermined ratio) is not generated, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of uncut residue and the uptake of straw, and it is possible to appropriately perform the harvesting work until the end. It is possible to generate a travel route.

Left side view showing the overall configuration of the combine Block diagram showing the control configuration of the combine Block diagram showing the route generation system Diagram showing the traveling route of the combine The figure which shows the traveling route which concerns on the prior art The figure which shows the traveling route which concerns on this embodiment The figure which shows the traveling route which concerns on other embodiment

FIG. 1 is a left side view showing the overall configuration of the combine 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the combine 1. The combine 1 is a combine (autonomous combine) capable of autonomously traveling and working.

The combine 1 is a head-feeding combine. The combine 1 includes a traveling unit 2, a harvesting unit 3, a threshing unit 4, a sorting unit 5, a storage unit 6, a straw disposal unit 7, a power unit 8, and a control unit 9.

While traveling by the traveling unit 2, the combine 1 threshes the grain culms cut by the cutting unit 3 (corresponding to a working machine) in the threshing unit 4, sorts the grains in the sorting unit 5, and selects the grains in the storage unit 6. Save to 11. The grains stored in the grain tank 11 are discharged by the discharge auger 12. Further, the straw discharged after threshing is processed by the straw waste processing unit 7. Power is supplied from the engine 13 of the power unit 8 to the traveling unit 2, the cutting unit 3, the threshing unit 4, the sorting unit 5, the storage unit 6, and the straw waste processing unit 7. The control unit 9 includes a cabin 16 in which driving operating tools such as a driver's seat 14 and a steering handle 15 are housed.

The combine 1 includes a positioning unit 20 that receives a signal from a positioning satellite and performs positioning. The positioning unit 20 includes a mobile positioning antenna 22 and a data receiving antenna 23. The mobile positioning antenna 22 and the data receiving antenna 23 are arranged in the cabin 16. On the other hand, the fixed positioning antenna 32 and the data communication antenna 33 are arranged at predetermined positions. The combine 1 acquires the position information by using the RTK-positioning method.

The control device 40 of the combine 1 has a processing unit 41 composed of a computer such as a CPU and a storage unit 42 such as a ROM, RAM, a hard disk, and a flash memory. The processing unit 41 can read a program or the like stored in the ROM onto the RAM and then execute the program. The storage unit 42 stores information on each specification of the combine 1, such as the capacity of the grain tank 11 and the width of the cutting unit 3.

The control device 40 controls the operation of various configuration requirements by executing the control program by the processing unit 41. Specifically, it performs transmission / reception of information during communication, various input / output controls, and control of arithmetic processing. Further, the control device 40 has a communication unit 43 for data communication with the outside. The control device 40 can communicate with other work vehicles (combines, trucks for transporting harvested products, etc.), external configurations such as mobile terminals, etc. through the communication unit 43.

The combine 1 has a positioning unit 20, an engine rotation sensor 51 that detects the rotation speed of the engine 13, a traveling speed sensor 52 that detects the traveling speed of the combine 1, and the combine 1 as a configuration on the input side of the control device 40. It is stored in a gyro sensor 53 that detects acceleration in three directions as displacement information of the machine body, an orientation sensor 54 that detects the traveling direction of the combine 1, a steering sensor 55 that detects the rotation angle of the steering handle 15, and a grain tank 11. It has a grain sensor 56 for detecting the amount of grains.

The output side configuration of the control device 40 consists of a traveling unit 2, a cutting unit 3, a threshing unit 4, a sorting unit 5, a storage unit 6, a straw disposal unit 7, a power unit 8, and a control unit 9. And. The control device 40 is based on the input position information from the positioning unit 20 and the operating conditions detected by various sensors (for example, the operating state of the engine 13, the attitude orientation of the aircraft, the amount of grains in the grain tank 11 and the like). As appropriate, the traveling unit 2, the cutting unit 3, the threshing unit 4, the sorting unit 5, the storage unit 6, the straw waste processing unit 7, the power unit 8, and the control unit 9 are controlled. In this way, the combine 1 is controlled to autonomously travel and perform work along a predetermined route.

Hereinafter, the route generation system will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. The route generation system 100 includes a route generation unit 101 and a communication unit 102. In the present embodiment, the route generation system 100 is included in the tablet 103 provided outside the combine 1.

The route generation unit 101 generates a travel route for automatically traveling the combine 1. The route generation unit 101 stores a route generation program for generating a travel route. The communication unit 102 can communicate with the communication unit 43 of the combine 1.

The tablet 103 is a mobile terminal provided outside the combine 1, and application software for controlling the combine 1 is installed. The tablet 103 can acquire and display the position information and the operating status of the combine 1 by communicating with the communication unit 43 of the combine 1. Further, the tablet 103 can operate the combine 1 by transmitting a control signal to the control device 40.

Pk (k = 1, 2, ..., N-1, n) in FIG. 4 indicates a traveling route. The combine 1 travels in the order of travel paths P1, P2, ..., Pn-1, Pn.

The procedure for route generation will be described. The route generation unit 101 registers the shape of the field F as the harvest target area. For example, by manually operating the combine 1 and making one round of the outer circumference of the field F while using the positioning unit 20, the route generation unit 101 generates traveling paths P1 to P4 and acquires the shape of the field F. do. When generating the traveling paths P1 to P4, the discharge position (truck position), the entrance / exit position of the field F, and the like are taken into consideration. The traveling route when the combine 1 moves from the end point of the traveling route Pk to the starting point of the next traveling route Pk + 1 is not particularly limited.

Next, the route generation unit 101 generates travel paths P5 to Pn in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side toward the center inside the travel paths P1 to P4. In the present embodiment, n = 19, and the combine 1 travels straight on the traveling paths P1 to P19 until the cutting work of the entire field F is completed.

The route generation unit 101 has a first traveling path in which the harvesting target width W1 is equal to the cutting width W2 (corresponding to the working width) of the cutting unit 3 and the harvesting target width W1 is narrower than the cutting width W2. It is possible to generate two traveling routes. The harvest target width W1 and the cutting width W2 can be determined by the number of rows. For example, in the case of combine 1 of 6-row cutting, the cutting width W2 is 6 rows, the harvest target width W1 is 6 rows in the first traveling route, and the harvesting target width W1 is 5 rows in the second traveling route. Less than a minute.

Normally, the route generation unit 101 generates travel paths P1 to Pn-1 as the first travel route, and generates travel routes Pn (P19 in this embodiment) as the second travel route. However, among the traveling paths P1 to P19, if there is one grain culm C (uncut grain culm) to be cut in the final traveling path P19 as shown in FIG. 5, that is, if the harvest target width W1 is one row, 6 When trying to mow one row of grain C with the row cutting combine 1, the posture of the grain C is not stable, leftovers are likely to occur, and two and three rows of straw are discharged on the left and right. It will be taken in.

Therefore, the route generation unit 101 is configured as a second travel route so as not to generate a travel route in which the harvest target width W1 is less than a predetermined ratio with respect to the cutting width W2. For example, in the case of combine 1 of 6-row cutting, a traveling route having a harvest target width W1 of less than 3 rows is not generated as the second traveling route. That is, in the case of the combine 1 of 6-row cutting, the harvest target width W1 is 3 to 5 rows in the second traveling route.

Preferably, in the case of the combine 1 having four or less cuts, a travel route having a harvest target width W1 of less than two rows is not generated as the second travel route. Further, preferably, in the case of the combine 1 having five or more rows of cutting, a traveling route having a harvest target width W1 of less than three rows is not generated as the second traveling route.

In the present embodiment, the route generation unit 101 generates the adjacent travel route P17 as the second travel route in addition to the travel route P19. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the route generation unit 101 has a harvest target width W1 of 3 rows on the final travel route P19 and a harvest target width W1 of 4 rows on the adjacent travel route P17. The travel path P19 and the travel route P17 are generated in.

By increasing the number of strips to be cut, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of leftovers and the uptake of straw. The reason why the uptake of straw can be suppressed is that the straw spreads over the entire width of the combine 1, but tends to be more in the center of the machine than at both ends of the machine, and the ends of the cutting width W2 of the adjacent traveling paths Pk are connected to each other. This is because the intake of straw is small in the overlapping part.

As described above, the route generation system of the present embodiment is the route generation system 100 including the route generation unit 101 that generates the travel route Pk for automatically traveling the combine 1 having the harvesting unit 3 capable of harvesting crops.
The route generation unit 101 can generate a first travel route in which the harvest target width W1 is equal to the cutting width W2 of the cutting unit 3 and a second travel route in which the harvest target width W1 is narrower than the cutting width W2 as the travel path Pk. can be,
The route generation unit 101 does not generate a travel path Pk in which the harvest target width W1 is less than a predetermined ratio with respect to the cutting width W2 as the second travel route.

According to this configuration, since the harvest target width W1 does not generate an extremely narrow (less than a predetermined ratio) traveling route, it is possible to suppress the generation of uncut parts and the uptake of straw, and it is possible to properly perform the harvesting work until the end. It is possible to generate various traveling routes.

The route generation unit 101 may generate the travel route Pk based on the shape information of the field F, the cutting width W2, and the inter-strip setting information of the transplanting machine. The space between the rows of the transplanting machine is, for example, 30 cm or 33 cm. The route generation unit 101 generates a travel path Pk based on the shape information of the field F, the cutting width W2, and the inter-row setting information of the transplanter (rice transplanter), so that the harvest target width W1 is extremely narrow. A travel route that does not include a second travel route (less than a predetermined ratio) can be appropriately generated.

For example, if the field F has a rectangular shape having a width of 24 m and a depth of 24 m and the spacing between the rows of the transplanting machine is 30 cm, the number of rows in the width direction is 80. When the field F is harvested with the combine 1 of 6-row cutting, 80/6 = 13 or so 2, so the first traveling route of 6-row cutting is generated as the traveling route for 12 lines, and the remaining 2 lines. As the traveling route of the above, a second traveling route of 3-row cutting and 5-row cutting is generated. In addition, as the remaining two traveling routes, a second traveling route of 4-row cutting and 4-row cutting may be generated, respectively.

Further, the control device 40 may incline the posture of the cutting unit 3 in the left-right direction when the combine 1 automatically travels on the second traveling path. For example, in FIG. 6, when the combine 1 automatically travels on the traveling path P17, the harvesting portion 3 is tilted so that the left side is low and the right side is high, so that the intake of straw on the right side can be effectively suppressed. .. When the combine 1 turns to the left to perform the cutting work, the left side of the cutting section 3 is lowered, and when the combine 1 turns to the right to perform the cutting work, the right side of the cutting section 3 is lowered.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the route generation unit 101 generates travel paths P1 to P4, acquires the shape of the field F, and then spirals inside the travel paths P1 to P4 from the outer peripheral side toward the center. An example of generating travel paths P5 to Pn has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 7, the route generation unit 101 may generate travel paths P5'to Pn so as to reciprocate inside the travel paths P1 to P4 after generating travel paths P1 to P4.

In the above-described embodiment, the tablet 103 is provided with the function of the route generation system 100, but the control device 40 of the combine 1 may be provided with the function of the route generation system 200. Further, the route generation system 100 may be mounted on an external server or the like.

In the present embodiment, an example of a head-feeding combine is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be a normal combine. In that case, the cutting width W2 of the cutting unit 3 corresponds to the distance between the left and right weeding tools, and what is not generated as the second traveling path is, for example, a traveling path in which the harvest target width W1 is less than 1/3 of the cutting width W2. ..

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 combine 3 harvesting unit Pk traveling route W1 harvest target width W2 harvesting width 40 control device 100 route generation system 101 route generation unit

Claims (3)

It is a route generation system including a route generation unit that generates a travel route for automatically traveling a combine having a working machine capable of harvesting crops.
The route generation unit can generate, as the travel path, a first travel path whose harvest target width is equal to the work width of the work machine, and a second travel path whose harvest target width is narrower than the work width.
The route generation unit is a route generation system that does not generate a travel route in which the harvest target width is less than a predetermined ratio with respect to the work width as the second travel route. The route generation system according to claim 1, wherein the route generation unit generates the travel route based on the shape information of the harvest target area, the work width, and the inter-strip setting information of the transplanting machine. It is equipped with a control unit that can control the posture of the work equipment.
In the control unit, the route generation unit generates a travel path of a predetermined ratio or more as the second travel path, and when the combine automatically travels on the second travel path, the posture of the working machine in the left-right direction. The route generation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the route generation system is inclined.

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