JP7062610B2 - Work control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work control system.

In Patent Document 1, remote sensing of a field is performed by a helicopter, soil is sampled at a plurality of points in the field and soil analysis is performed, and fertilization for each mesh of the entire field is performed based on the remote sensing result and the soil analysis result. It is disclosed to create a fertilization map consisting of quantities.
Further, in Patent Document 1, a fertilization map consisting of the amount of fertilizer applied to each mesh of the entire field is stored in the memory of the variable fertilizer application PC of the tractor type fertilizer application machine, and the variable fertilizer application PC corresponds to the current position of the tractor type fertilizer application machine. It is disclosed that the fertilizer application amount data to be applied is extracted and the extracted fertilizer application amount data is converted into control data by a variable fertilizer application PC. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses that a fertilizer application amount control microcomputer drives a fertilizer application machine based on control data converted by a variable fertilizer application PC to perform fertilization.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-254711

In the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to store in the tractor type fertilizer application machine a fertilizer application map consisting of the fertilizer application amount for each mesh of the entire field.
An object of the present invention is a work control that enables appropriate work control using the work setting information without storing the work setting information for each mesh included in the entire field and the control information corresponding thereto in the work vehicle. To provide a system.

One embodiment of the present invention is a server that can communicate with a work vehicle and a work map composed of mesh-based work setting information included in at least a part of an area in a work target field. The work vehicle transmits positioning information indicating the position of the work vehicle to the server, receives work control information transmitted from the server in accordance with the positioning information, and uses the received work control information as the received work control information. The server is configured to control the work machine based on the above, and when the server receives the positioning information from the work vehicle, the server acquires the work setting information corresponding to the received positioning information from the work map. Provided is a work control system configured to transmit work control information including acquired work setting information or control information created from the work setting information to the work vehicle.

In this configuration, it becomes possible to perform appropriate work control using the work setting information without storing the work setting information for each mesh included in the entire field and the control information corresponding to the work setting information in the work vehicle.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the work vehicle is equipped with a basic information detection unit that detects basic information for calculating work setting information for each mesh from the work target field, and the work vehicle is equipped with the basic information detection unit. Is to send the basic information detected from a predetermined position in the work target field by the basic information detection unit and the detection position information indicating the position where the basic information is detected to the server in real time during the work. The server is configured to transmit, and when the server receives the basic information and the detection position information from the work vehicle, the server sets the work setting information for each mesh based on the received information. It is configured to be calculated and stored as part of the work map.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the work map is a fertilization map composed of a target fertilizer application amount in a plurality of mesh units included in at least a part of the work target area.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the work map is a fertilization map composed of a target fertilizer application amount in a plurality of mesh units included in at least a part of the work target area, and the basic information is the growth of crops. It consists of growth status calculation information used to calculate status information, and when the server receives the growth status calculation information and the detection position information from the work vehicle, the server is based on the received information. Therefore, the growth status information of the mesh unit is calculated, and the target fertilizer application amount of the mesh unit is calculated based on the obtained growth status information of the mesh unit.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a work control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a traveling machine, a working machine, and a management server. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a map attribute table. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the work control system when a specific user applies fertilizer. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a pre-work notification information input screen. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example, and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a work vehicle (traveling machine) performs fertilization work in a field. FIG. 7 is an enlarged schematic view schematically showing the side surface of the traveling machine shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a work control system 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The work control system 101 is a system for controlling the work performed by the work vehicle 1.
The work control system 1 includes a work vehicle 1, a user terminal 4, and a management server 5. The work vehicle 1 can communicate with the management server 5 via the network 6.

In this specification, the work vehicle 1 includes a work vehicle including a traveling machine and a working machine towed by the traveling machine, and a working vehicle in which the traveling machine and the working machine are integrated.
In this embodiment, the work vehicle 1 includes a traveling machine 2 and a working machine 3 towed by the traveling machine 2. In this embodiment, the traveling machine 2 is a tractor. The types of the working machine 3 include, for example, a fertilizer spreader, a pesticide spreader, a roll baler, a cultivator, a plow, a leveler, a mowing machine, a sowing machine, a harvesting machine and the like. Examples of the work vehicle in which the traveling machine and the working machine are integrated include a rice transplanter, a combine harvester, and the like.

The work vehicle 1 works on a field owned by a specific user. The user terminal 4 is a computer used by a specific user. In this embodiment, as the user terminal 4, a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet PC is used.
The management server 5 is provided in the management center 7. The management server 5 stores a work map used for one or more operations performed on each field owned by a plurality of users. However, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the management server 5 stores only the work map used for one or more operations performed on each field owned by the specific user. The work map consists of work setting information for each mesh contained in at least a part of the area in the field.

Examples of the work setting information include a target fertilizer application amount (hereinafter, may be referred to as a “target fertilizer application amount”), a target pesticide application amount, and the like. The mesh means individual small areas when the field is divided into a plurality of rectangular (square in this embodiment) small areas.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the traveling machine 2, the working machine 3, and the management server 5.

The traveling machine 2 includes a control unit (hereinafter, referred to as “traveling machine control unit 10”). The traveling machine control unit 10 includes a microcomputer provided with a CPU and a memory (volatile memory, non-volatile memory, etc.). The traveling machine control unit 10 controls the operation of the traveling machine 2 (movements such as forward movement, reverse movement, stop, turning, etc.). A plurality of controllers (controller group 11) for controlling each part of the traveling machine 2 are electrically connected to the traveling machine control unit 10. The plurality of controllers control the engine controller that controls the rotation speed of the engine, the vehicle speed controller that controls the vehicle speed of the traveling machine 2, the steering controller that controls the steering angle of the front wheels of the traveling machine 2, and the rotation of the PTO axis. Includes PTO axis controller and the like.

Further, a position information calculation unit 12, a communication unit 13, and the like are connected to the traveling machine control unit 10.
A satellite signal receiving antenna 14 is electrically connected to the position information calculation unit 12. The satellite signal receiving antenna 14 receives signals from the positioning satellite 8 (see FIG. 1) constituting the satellite positioning system. The satellite positioning system is, for example, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The position information calculation unit 12 calculates the position of the traveling machine 2 (strictly speaking, the satellite signal receiving antenna 14) based on the positioning signal received by the satellite signal receiving antenna 14. Specifically, the position information calculation unit 12 generates positioning information including time information and position information. The position information includes, for example, latitude information and longitude information.

The communication unit 13 is a communication interface for the traveling machine control unit 10 to communicate with the management server 5 via the network 6.
The working machine 3 includes a control unit (hereinafter, referred to as “working machine control unit 20”) that controls the operation of the working machine 3. The work equipment control unit 20 includes a microcomputer provided with a CPU and a memory (volatile memory, non-volatile memory, etc.). The working machine control unit 20 is connected to the traveling machine control unit 10 via a CAN (Controller Area Network).

A work actuator 21 or the like is connected to the work machine control unit 20. When the work machine 3 is a fertilizer spreader, the work actuator 21 is, for example, an actuator for driving an electronic shutter provided at the bottom of a fertilizer storage tank. When the working machine 3 is a pesticide sprayer, the working actuator 21 is, for example, an actuator for driving a pump for supplying a pesticide from a pesticide storage drug tank to a discharge nozzle. When the working machine 3 is a sowing machine, the working actuator 21 is, for example, an actuator for driving a feeding device for feeding seeds from a seed storage tank.

The management server 5 includes a control unit (hereinafter, referred to as “server control unit 30”) that controls the management server 5. The control unit 30 includes a microcomputer equipped with a CPU and a memory (volatile memory, non-volatile memory, etc.) 30A. The communication unit 31, the operation display unit 32, the operation unit 33, and the storage unit 34 are electrically connected to the server control unit 30.
The communication unit 31 is a communication interface for the server control unit 30 to communicate with the traveling machine control unit 10 and the user terminal 4 via the network 6. The operation display unit 32 is, for example, a touch panel type display. The operation unit 33 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

The storage unit 34 is composed of a storage device such as a hard disk and a non-volatile memory. A plurality of work map files (work map file group) 34A, map attribute table 34B, and the like are stored in the storage unit 34.
For convenience of explanation, the work map file group 34A is assumed to include only a work map file (hereinafter, simply referred to as “work map”) used for work performed in a field owned by a specific user. In this embodiment, the work map for a field includes position information for identifying the position of each mesh in the field and work setting information for each mesh. The position information for specifying the position of the mesh consists of, for example, the position information of the four vertices of the mesh or the position information of a pair of vertices out of the four vertices. The position information for specifying the position of the mesh may include the position information of the center of the mesh.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the map attribute table 34B, the attribute information of each work map included in the work map file group 34A is stored for each work map. The attribute information includes a field number, work identification information (work ID), a work name, and a file name.
The field number for a work map is the number of the field in which the work map should be used. The work identification information (work ID) for a certain work map is information for identifying the work for which the work map should be used. The work name for a work map is the name of the work for which the work map should be used. The file name for a certain work map is the file name of the work map (work map file).

In the example of FIG. 3, the fields owned by the specific user include a field having a field number of "001" and a field having a field number of "002". In addition, the work performed using the work map includes sowing work, fertilizer spraying work (hereinafter, may be referred to as “fertilizer application work”), and pesticide spraying work.
In this embodiment, the work setting information (work setting information for each mesh) for the sowing work is the target sowing amount per predetermined area. The work setting information for the fertilizer application work is the target fertilizer application amount per predetermined area. The work setting information for the pesticide spraying work is the target pesticide spraying amount per predetermined area.

Hereinafter, the operation of the work control system will be described by taking as an example a case where a specific user performs fertilization work.
FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the work control system when a specific user performs fertilization work.
When performing fertilization work, the specific user first operates the user terminal 4, the field number of the field (work target field) where the fertilization work is to be performed, and the work identification information (work ID) indicating the fertilizer application work. And the pre-work notification information including the vehicle identification information for identifying the work vehicle 1 used for the work is transmitted to the management server 5 (step S1).

Specifically, the specific user operates the user terminal 4 to input the field number of the work target field, the work identification information, and the vehicle identification information from the management server 5, a web page for inputting pre-work notification information. Get (web page dedicated to a specific user). As a result, the pre-work notification information input screen 41 as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the user terminal 4.
The pre-work notification information input screen 41 includes a field / work selection screen 42, a vehicle information input screen 43, and a confirmation button 44. In this embodiment, the vehicle identification information consists of the model and machine number of the traveling machine 2.

On the field / work selection screen 42, a check box, a field number, and a work name are displayed for each file name stored in the map attribute table 34B described above. The vehicle information input screen 43 includes a model input box 43A and a machine number input box 43B.
The specific user selects a combination suitable for the work to be performed from among the plurality of combinations of the field number and the work name displayed on the field / work selection screen 42. Further, the specific user inputs the model and the machine number of the work vehicle 1 (traveling machine 2 in this example) to be used for the work to be performed in the model input box 43A and the machine number input box 43B, respectively.

In this example, it is assumed that the combination of the field "001" and the fertilizer spraying work (fertilizer application work) is selected on the field / work selection screen 42. Further, it is assumed that the model and the machine number of the traveling machine 2 are input to the model input box 43A and the machine number input box 43B. Then, the specific user presses the confirm button 44. As a result, pre-work notification information including the field number, work identification information, and vehicle identification information is transmitted to the management server 5.

Upon receiving the pre-work notification information, the management server 5 stores the pre-work notification information in the memory (working memory) 30A (step S2).
After that, when the fertilization work using the work vehicle 1 is started, the traveling machine control unit 10 receives the positioning information generated by the position information calculation unit 12 and the vehicle identification information of the working vehicle 1 (in this example, traveling). The model and machine number of the machine 2) are transmitted to the management server 5 (step S3). Positioning information and vehicle identification information are transmitted, for example, at 1-second intervals.

When the server control unit 30 receives the positioning information and the vehicle identification information, the server control unit 30 acquires a work map corresponding to the vehicle identification information received from the work map file group) 34A and stores it in the memory 30A (step S4).
Specifically, when the positioning information and the vehicle identification information are received, the server control unit 30 first starts with the pre-work notification information corresponding to the received vehicle identification information among the pre-work notification information stored in the memory 30A. , Field number and work identification information. Next, the server control unit 30 acquires the file name corresponding to the combination of the acquired field number and the work identification information from the map attribute table 34B. Then, the server control unit 30 acquires the work map corresponding to the acquired file name from the work map file group 34A and stores it in the memory 30A.

In this example, a work map (a fertilizer application map whose file name is F02.task) corresponding to the combination of the field No. "001" and the fertilizer spraying operation (fertilizer application operation) is acquired from the map attribute table 34B and is stored in the memory 30A. Is temporarily stored in.
Next, the server control unit 30 acquires work setting information for each mesh according to the position information in the received positioning information from the work map stored in the memory 30A (step S5). Next, the server control unit 30 creates control information for controlling the work machine 3 (more specifically, the work actuator 21) from the work setting information acquired in step S5 (step S6). Then, the server control unit 30 transmits the created information as work control information to the traveling machine control unit 10 (step S7).

The traveling machine control unit 10 gives the received work control information to the work machine control unit 20 (step S8). The work machine control unit 20 controls the work actuator 21 using the work control information given by the work vehicle control unit 10 (step S9). In this example, this controls the amount of fertilizer applied per unit area to the mesh to be worked so as to be the target amount of fertilizer applied to the mesh in the work map.

Hereinafter, every time the traveling unit 10 transmits the positioning information and the vehicle identification information to the management server 5, the same processing as the processing from step S4 to step S9 is repeatedly executed.
In the above-described embodiment, it is possible to perform appropriate work control using the work setting information without storing the work setting information for each mesh included in the entire field and the control information corresponding to the work setting information in the work vehicle 1.

In the above-described embodiment, the server control unit 30 creates control information for controlling the work vehicle 1 (working machine 3) from the work setting information acquired in step S5 of FIG. 4, and the created information is used for work control. Information is transmitted to the traveling vehicle control unit 10 (see step S6). However, the server control unit 30 may transmit the work setting information acquired in step S5 of FIG. 4 to the traveling machine control unit 10 as it is. In this case, the traveling machine control unit 10 or the working machine control unit 20 generates control information from the work setting information, and the work actuator 21 is controlled based on the generated control information.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the server control unit 30 transmits the work control information to the traveling machine control unit 10 (see step S7). However, the work machine control unit 20 is provided with a communication unit for communicating with the server control unit 30 via the network 6, and the server control unit 30 transmits work control information or work setting information to the work machine control unit 20. You may try to do it.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the work setting information for each mesh included in the entire field is created and stored in the management server 5 before the work is performed on the field has been described. However, while performing work by the work vehicle 1 in a certain field, work setting information of an area in which the work by the work vehicle 1 has not yet been performed is created in the field, and the work setting created in this way is created. The information may be used to continue the work. In this way, an embodiment in which the work setting information is created and the work by the work vehicle 1 is performed at the same time is referred to as a modification.

Hereinafter, a modified example will be described by taking the case of performing fertilization work as an example. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a state in which the work vehicle 1 (traveling machine 2) performs fertilization work in the field F. In FIG. 6, the working machine 3 is omitted for convenience of explanation. The traveling machine 2 may be driven by manual driving or may be driven by automatic driving. In the field F, a plurality of elongated rectangular crop growing regions L for growing crops are formed in stripes. Of both ends of the crop growing area L, the lower end of FIG. 6 is referred to as the front end, and the upper end of FIG. 6 is referred to as the back end.

The traveling machine 2 performs fertilization work while moving along the crop growing area L in such a posture that the left and right wheels on the front side and the left and right wheels on the rear side each sandwich the crop growing area L. The traveling machine 2 travels from the front end to the back end with respect to the leftmost crop growing area L, for example. Then, when the vehicle reaches the inner end of the crop growing area L, the traveling machine 2 turns to the right toward the traveling direction and moves to the inner end of the crop growing area L adjacent to the right.

Next, the traveling machine 2 travels through the crop growing area L from the back end to the front end. Then, when the vehicle reaches the front end of the crop growing area L, the traveling machine 2 turns to the left in the traveling direction and moves to the front end of the crop growing area L adjacent to the right. Such a traveling operation is repeatedly performed. Therefore, the movement path of the traveling machine 2 is generally a zigzag shape as shown by a broken line in FIG.

The traveling machine 2 is equipped with multispectral cameras 51, 52, 53 for photographing crops in the front, left and right regions, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. Has been done. More specifically, the multispectral cameras 51, 52, and 53 are attached to the tips of the support arms 54, 55, 56 whose base ends are fixed to the traveling machine 2, respectively, in a downward or diagonally downward posture. There is.

The multispectral cameras 51, 52, and 53 are, for example, cameras capable of capturing images of visible red light and near-infrared light. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the imaging region can be calculated based on the images captured by the multispectral cameras 51, 52, 53. The NDVI represents the leaf color of the crop and can be used as the growth status information indicating the growth status of the crop. Therefore, the target fertilizer application amount (work setting information) for each mesh can be calculated based on the NDVI for each mesh. In this case, the target fertilizer application amount is calculated so that the higher the NDVI, the smaller the amount. NDVI is an example of "basic information" used to calculate work setting information.

Further, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2, the traveling machine 2 is provided with an orientation sensor (attitude sensor) 57 for detecting the orientation (posture) of the traveling machine 2. As the azimuth sensor 57, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), or the like can be used.
The position information of the traveling machine 2 calculated by the position information calculation unit 12, the direction (traveling direction) of the traveling machine 2 detected by the direction sensor 57, and the multispectral cameras 51, 52, 53 with respect to the reference position of the traveling machine 2. Based on the position and orientation of, the work vehicle control unit 10 can specify the position of the imaging region taken by the multispectral cameras 51, 52, 53.

In this modification, the fertilizer application map for a certain field, which is stored in advance in the storage unit 34, includes position information for specifying the position of each mesh in the field and an initial value of the target fertilizer application amount for each mesh. .. The initial value of the target fertilizer application amount is set to zero or a predetermined value.
In this modification, the work vehicle control unit 10 and the server control unit 30 perform the following operations in addition to the same operations as those in the above-described embodiment when the work vehicle 1 is performing fertilization work. ..

That is, the traveling machine control unit 10 transmits the captured images taken by the multi-spectral cameras 51, 52, 53 to the management server 5 together with the imaging position information indicating the position of the imaging region at predetermined time intervals. Each time the server control unit 30 receives the captured images of the cameras 51, 52, 53, the server control unit 30 calculates the NDVI corresponding to each captured image based on the captured images of the received cameras 51, 52, 53. Then, the server control unit 30 calculates the target fertilizer application amount (work setting information) of the mesh corresponding to the image pickup position information based on the NDVI and the image pickup position information corresponding to the NDVI for each calculated NDVI. .. Then, the server control unit 30 updates the target fertilizer application amount corresponding to the mesh in the work map stored in the memory 20A in step S4 by using the calculated target fertilizer application amount of the mesh.

Therefore, in this modification, when the work vehicle 1 is working, the target fertilizer application amount (work setting information) for the mesh to be worked on is created in real time, and the fertilizer application map in the memory 20A is updated. .. Then, the working machine 3 is controlled based on the contents of the fertilizer application map updated during the work.
In the example of FIG. 6, when the work vehicle 2 is traveling in the crop growing area L from the front end to the back end, the image captured by the front multispectral camera 51 and the right multi Based on the image captured by the spectrum camera 53, the target fertilizer application amount for the mesh to be worked on is created. On the other hand, when the work vehicle 2 is traveling in the crop growing area L from the back end to the front end, the image captured by the front multispectral camera 51 and the image captured by the left multispectral camera 52 are captured. Based on the image, the target fertilizer application amount for the mesh to be worked on is created.

When the work carried out in the modified example is the pesticide spraying work, the crop is imaged by the multispectral cameras 51, 52, 53 or other types of cameras during the pesticide spraying work, and the captured image obtained is obtained. The amount of pests adhering to the crop can be calculated from, and the target amount of pesticide sprayed can be calculated based on the calculated amount of pests. In this case, the target pesticide spraying amount is calculated so that the mesh with a larger amount of pests has a larger amount.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

1 Work vehicle 2 Traveling machine 3 Working machine 4 User terminal 5 Management server 6 Network 7 Management center 8 Positioning satellite (GNSS satellite)
10 Work vehicle control unit 11 Controller group 12 Position information calculation unit 13 Communication unit 14 Satellite signal reception antenna 20 Work equipment control unit 21 Work actuator 30 Control unit 30A Memory 31 Communication unit 32 Operation display unit 33 Operation unit 34 Storage unit 34A Work map file group 34B Map attribute table 41 Pre-work notification information input screen 51, 52, 53 Multispectral camera 57 Direction sensor 101 Work control system

Claims (4)

Agricultural work machines that can move around in the field to be worked on and perform one of multiple types of work .
It is possible to communicate with the farm work machine , and it is a work map corresponding to each of a plurality of combinations of the work target field and the work type, and each mesh included in at least a part of the work target field. Equipped with a server that stores a work map consisting of work setting information of
The farm work machine transmits positioning information indicating the position of the farm work machine to the server, receives work control information transmitted from the server in response to the positioning information, and receives the work control information based on the received work control information. It is configured to control the work of the machine and
When the server receives the positioning information from the agricultural work machine , the server selects a work map corresponding to the combination of the work target field and the work type specified from the outside from the work map, and the selected work. The work setting information corresponding to the positioning information received from the map is acquired, and the work control information consisting of the acquired work setting information or the control information created from the work setting information is transmitted to the agricultural work machine . It is a work control system. The farm work machine is equipped with a basic information detection unit that detects basic information for calculating work setting information for each mesh from the work target field.
The farm work machine uses the server to obtain the basic information detected from a predetermined position in the work target field by the basic information detection unit and the detection position information indicating the position where the basic information is detected during the work. Is configured to send in real time to
When the server receives the basic information and the detected position information from the agricultural work machine , the server calculates the work setting information for each mesh based on the received information, and is one of the work maps. The work control system according to claim 1, which is configured to be stored as a unit. The work control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the work map is a fertilization map including a target fertilization amount for each of a plurality of meshes included in at least a part of the work target area. The work map is a fertilization map composed of a target fertilizer application amount for each of a plurality of meshes contained in at least a part of the work target area.
The basic information consists of information for calculating the growth status used for calculating the growth status information of the crop.
When the server receives the growth status calculation information and the detection position information from the agricultural work machine , the server calculates the growth status information for each mesh based on the received information, and the obtained said. The work control system according to claim 2, wherein the target fertilizer application amount for each mesh is calculated based on the growth status information for each mesh.

Images