JP7274015B2 - Map information generation system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a map information generation system.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique for generating a field unevenness data map (map information) based on latitude/longitude information and altitude information detected for each hour by a GPS device provided at the center of a work vehicle in the vehicle width direction. disclosed.

JP 2004-008187 A

In Patent Document 1, the height of the center of the work vehicle in the vehicle width direction is acquired by the GPS device, but it is not detected in which direction the work vehicle is tilted when viewed from the traveling direction. Therefore, it is not possible to generate a detailed unevenness data map of the point where the latitude and longitude information is detected in the field.
A farm field may be composed of the surface of a surface layer and a plowing bed located below the surface layer. The depth of the plowing bed, which is the distance between the surface of the surface layer and the surface of the plowing bed, is important in field work because it affects the growth of crops, work efficiency, and the like. However, in Patent Document 1, although unevenness data can be obtained, information about the depth of the plowing plate cannot be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a map information generation system capable of generating map information that improves the quality of work support.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, position information of a work vehicle is acquired, plowing-bed depth information is specified based on the posture of a working device provided behind the work vehicle, and the position information and the plowing-bed depth information are combined. To provide a map information generation system for generating map information corresponding to

According to this configuration, it is possible to generate map information having plowing depth information. As a result, the quality of work support can be improved.

In the above configuration, the work vehicle is a tractor, and the plowing bed depth information is specified from attitude control information of the main tractor and attitude control information of a rotary that can be raised and lowered behind the main tractor. good.

In the above configuration, the work vehicle is a rice transplanter, and the plowing board depth information includes attitude control information of the main rice transplanter and attitude control information of the planting section that can be raised and lowered behind the main rice transplanter. and may be identified from

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a work support system and a map information generation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of a combine as a first working vehicle used in the map information generating system. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the combine. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the combine. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the combine running in a field when viewed from the traveling direction. FIG. 6 shows an example of map information generated by the map information generation system. FIG. 7 is a side view of a tractor as the first work vehicle. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the tractor. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the tractor. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the tractor traveling in a field when viewed from the traveling direction. FIG. 11 is a side view of a rice transplanter as the first work vehicle. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the rice transplanter. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the rice transplanter. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the notification target position and the notification position specified in the map information. FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing an example of notification processing by the work support system. FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an example of lifting range limiting processing by the work support system. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route generated by the work support system. FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram for explaining elevation control in the standard control position of the second work unit provided in the second work vehicle. FIG. 18B is a schematic diagram for explaining elevation control at the insensitive control position of the second working unit. FIG. 18C is a schematic diagram for explaining elevation control at the insensitive control position of the second working unit. FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing an example of lifting control processing by the work support system.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing configurations of a map information generation system 1 and a work support system 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The map information generation system 1 is a system that creates map information based on information acquired by the first work vehicle 3 having an information acquisition function. The work support system 2 is a system that supports various works of the second work vehicle 4 in the field based on the map information generated by the map information generation system 1 .

Work vehicles 3 and 4 can communicate with management server 6 via information communication network 5 . Moreover, the work vehicles 3 and 4 and the management server 6 can wirelessly communicate with a wireless communication terminal 7 on which various types of information for supporting work are displayed.
As the work vehicles 3 and 4, for example, agricultural work vehicles such as combine harvesters, tractors, and rice transplanters are used. The work vehicles 3 and 4 may be common work vehicles (for example, both are tractors) or may be mutually different work vehicles (for example, one is a combine harvester and the other is a tractor).

A map information generation system 1 and a work support system 2 that generate map information based on information acquired by the first work vehicle 3 and utilize the map information for various work support will be described below. Here, a case where the first working vehicle 3 is a combine harvester will be described as an example.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the combine 8 as the first work vehicle 3. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the combine 8. FIG.

The combine 8 includes a machine base 11 , an engine 12 , a threshing device 13 , a grain tank 14 , a boarding section 15 , a discharge auger 16 , a reaping section 17 and a pair of running sections 18 . The engine 12 supplies power to each part of the combine 8 . The reaping unit 17 reaps the culms grown in the field F. The threshing device 13 threshes the culms harvested by the harvesting unit 17 . The grain tank 14 stores threshed grains. The discharge auger 16 conveys the threshed grain in order to discharge the threshed grain in the grain tank 14 to the outside of the combine harvester 8 .

The boarding operation section 15 includes a driver's seat 15A for the user to board, a steering handle 15B for steering the combine harvester 8, and various operation sections 34 (see FIG. 4) for operating the combine harvester 8. are provided. The machine base 11 is a frame that supports the engine 12 , the reaping section 17 , the discharge auger 16 , the threshing device 13 , the grain tank 14 and the riding section 15 .

An elevating cylinder 43 (see FIG. 4) for raising and lowering the reaping unit 17 is connected to the reaping unit 17 . The reaping part 17 is located near the front end of the machine base 11 . The reaping unit 17 includes a reaping blade 17A that reaps the grain culms grown in the field F, and a conveying path (not shown) that conveys the grain culms reaped by the reaping blade 17A to the threshing device 13 . The reaping part 17 is moved up and down around a predetermined center of rotation by a lifting cylinder 43 .

The pair of running portions 18 are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other in the vehicle width direction WD of the combine harvester 8 . A pair of running sections 18 support the machine base 11 , the engine 12 , the reaping section 17 , the discharge auger 16 , the thresher 13 , the grain tank 14 and the boarding section 15 . The machine base 11 , the engine 12 , the discharge auger 16 , the threshing device 13 , the grain tank 14 and the boarding operation section 15 are collectively referred to as a body section 19 . The reaping part 17 is an example of a first working part supported by the body part 19 (first body part). The vehicle width direction WD is also the width direction of the body portion 19 .

Although only one of the pair of running portions 18 is shown in FIG. 2, each running portion 18 has a crawler frame 20 extending in the longitudinal direction of the combine harvester 8 and a crawler arm (not shown). It includes a plurality of rollers 21 supported by a frame 20 , a driving sprocket 22 to which driving force from the engine 12 is transmitted, and a crawler 23 wound around the plurality of rollers 21 and the driving sprocket 22 .

Each traveling portion 18 is provided with a vehicle height cylinder 41 (see FIG. 4). Each vehicle height cylinder 41 raises and lowers the corresponding crawler frame 20 with respect to the machine base 11 to extend and contract the corresponding crawler 23 in the height direction HD of the body portion 19 (direction orthogonal to the vehicle width direction WD). Let
The pair of vehicle height cylinders 41 adjusts the height and inclination of the body section 19 by separately raising and lowering the pair of crawler frames 20 . For example, even if the heights of the ground contacting surfaces of the crawlers 23 in the field F are different from each other, the height cylinders 41 can be moved up and down separately so that the machine body 19 is horizontal when viewed from the traveling direction of the combine harvester 8. The inclination of the body section 19 can be controlled so that

When the combine 8 travels in the field, the lower end of the crawler 23 sinks to the height of the plowing bed positioned below the upper surface (field surface) of the surface layer of the field. A tillage is a layer formed by soil that is harder than the surface layer.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the combine 8. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4 , combine 8 includes control section 30 for controlling the operation of each section provided in combine 8 .

A position information acquisition unit 31 is electrically connected to the control unit 30 . The positioning signal received by the satellite signal reception antenna 32 is input to the position information acquisition unit 31 . The satellite signal receiving antenna 32 receives signals from positioning satellites that constitute a global navigation satellite system (GNSS).
The position information acquisition unit 31 calculates the position information of the combine harvester 8 (strictly speaking, the satellite signal receiving antenna 32) as latitude/longitude/altitude information, for example. The satellite signal receiving antenna 32 is positioned substantially at the center in the vehicle width direction WD. The position information acquisition unit 31 acquires the position information of the combine harvester 8, for example, every second.

A communication unit 33 is electrically connected to the control unit 30 . As an example, the communication unit 33 may be configured by a wireless LAN router (Wi-Fi router). An operation unit 34 is electrically connected to the control unit 30 .
A plurality of controllers for controlling each part of the combine 8 are electrically connected to the control part 30 . The plurality of controllers includes engine controller 35 , crawler drive mechanism controller 36 , vehicle height controller 37 and elevation controller 38 .

The engine controller 35 is electrically connected to a common rail device 39 as a fuel injection device provided in the engine 12 . The common rail device 39 injects fuel into each cylinder of the engine 12 . The engine controller 35 controls the rotation speed of the engine 12 by controlling the common rail device 39 . The engine controller 35 can also stop the supply of fuel to the engine 12 and stop the driving of the engine 12 by controlling the common rail device 39 .

A crawler drive mechanism 40 that transmits driving force from the engine 12 to the pair of drive sprockets 22 is electrically connected to the crawler drive mechanism controller 36 . The crawler drive mechanism 40 can drive the pair of crawlers 23 separately. The combine 8 can turn by driving the pair of crawlers 23 separately.
A pair of vehicle height cylinders 41 are electrically connected to the vehicle height controller 37 . In relation to the vehicle height cylinder 41, the control unit 30 includes a vehicle height sensor 42 for detecting the vertical distance between the lower end of the corresponding crawler 23 and a reference position provided on the body portion 19. properly connected. Vehicle height sensor 42 is, for example, a potentiometer that detects the position of the cylinder rod of vehicle height cylinder 41 .

A lift cylinder 43 is electrically connected to the lift controller 38 . In relation to the lifting cylinder 43, the control unit 30 is electrically connected to a cutting height sensor 44 for detecting the vertical distance between a reference position provided on the body portion 19 and the cutting blade 17A. there is The reaping height sensor 44 is, for example, a potentiometer or the like that detects the position of the cylinder rod of the lifting cylinder 43 .

The elevation controller 38 controls the elevation cylinder 43 based on the detection result of the reaping height sensor 44 . Specifically, the elevating controller 38 controls the elevating cylinder 43 so that the cutting blade 17A of the reaping unit 17 is positioned above the paddy surface FS of the field F by a predetermined distance.
An inertial measurement device 45 is electrically connected to the controller 30 . The inertial measurement device 45 is a sensor unit capable of identifying the attitude of the combine harvester 8 (orientation of the machine base 11), acceleration, and the like. Specifically, the inertial measurement device 45 includes a sensor group in which an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor are attached to each of a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis that are orthogonal to each other.

Specifically, the inertial measurement device 45 includes a first acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the first axis direction, a second acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the second axis direction, and a second acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the third axis direction. 3 acceleration sensors, a first angular velocity sensor that detects angular velocity about the first axis, a second angular velocity sensor that detects angular velocity about the second axis, and a third angular velocity sensor that detects angular velocity about the third axis and a sensor.

Motion about the first, second, and third axes are referred to as pitching, yaw, and rolling, respectively.
Control unit 30 includes a microcomputer having a CPU and memory (ROM, RAM, etc.). A microcomputer functions as a plurality of functional processing units by executing a predetermined program stored in a memory (ROM). The functional processing units include a plowing-bed distance acquisition unit 50 , a surface distance acquisition unit 51 , a plowing-bed depth identification unit 52 , and a map information generation unit 53 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the combine harvester 8 running in the farm field F when viewed from the traveling direction. When the combine 8 travels in the farm field F, the lower end of the crawler 23 sinks to the height of the plowing board TL located below the upper surface (field surface) of the surface layer SL of the farm field F. The plowing plate TL is a layer formed of soil that is harder than the surface layer SL. As shown in FIG. 5, the height of the plowing board TL may differ between one side and the other side in the vehicle width direction WD. Even in such a case, the posture of the body portion 19 is maintained in a horizontal posture by extending and contracting the pair of crawlers 23 .

The plowing distance acquisition unit 50 acquires the plowing distances H<b>1 and H<b>2 based on the detection results of the vehicle height sensors 42 . A plowing plate distance H1 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD is defined by a horizontal plane HS passing through a predetermined reference position S set on the body portion 19 and a contact point between the crawler 23 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD and the plowing plate TL. It is the vertical distance from the point C1 (ground plane). The plowing plate distance H2 on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD is the vertical distance between the horizontal surface HS and the ground contact point C2 (grounding surface) where the crawler 23 on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD contacts the plowing plate TL. is.

The surface layer distance acquisition unit 51 acquires the surface layer distance h based on the detection result of the reaping height sensor 44 . Specifically, the surface layer distance h is the distance A1 between the cutting blade 17A and the paddy surface FS detected by the cutting height sensor 44, and the distance A2 between the cutting blade 17A and the reference position S set by the user. corresponds to the sum (h=A1+A2).
The plowing depth specifying unit 52 determines a plowing depth D1 (one side plowing depth) of the plowing bed of the field F on one side in the vehicle width direction WD based on the plowing depths H1 and H2 and the surface layer distance h. The depth D2 of the plowing bed of the field F on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD (the other side plowing bed depth) is specified. The plowing depth D1 on one side corresponds to the difference between the plowing depth H1 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD and the surface layer distance h (D1=H1−h). The other side plowing depth D2 corresponds to the difference between the plowing depth H2 on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD and the surface layer distance h (D2=H2−h).

When the combine harvester 8 finishes traveling the entire area of the farm field F, the position information at each specific point in the farm field F is acquired by the position information acquisition unit 31, and a plurality of plowing bed depth information (plowing depth information) at each specific point in the farm field F is obtained. The depths D1 and D2 of the plowing board are specified by the plowing board depth specifying unit 52 .
The sampling interval of the plowing-bed depth information acquired by the plowing-bed-depth specifying unit 52 may be different from the sampling interval of the positional information acquired by the positional-information acquiring unit 31 (for example, every 1 second). . A specific point is a point from which both plowing depth information and position information are acquired.

In this way, the plowing board depth specifying unit 52 obtains the posture control information (detection result of the vehicle height sensor 42 and the detection result of the inertial measurement device 45) of the body unit 19 at a specific point, and the elevation of the reaping unit 17 at the specific point The plowing depths D1 and D2 are specified based on the control information (results detected by the reaping height sensor 44).
The map information generation unit 53 generates latitude and longitude information at each specific point in the farm field F acquired by the position information acquisition unit 31 and the plowing information at each specific point in the farming field F specified by the plowing depth specifying unit 52. Generate map information associated with depth.

FIG. 6 shows an example of map information generated by the map information generator 53. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, for convenience of explanation, the traveling direction of the combine 8 traveling in the farm field F is indicated by a chain double-dashed arrow, but this arrow is not included in the map information. In the map information, the farm field F is divided into each predetermined area R including each specific point P whose position information is acquired in the farm field F. It is a map in which identification information (color or numerical value) is attached to the region R. The map information shown in FIG. 6 shows an example in which color shades are used as identification information.

Each area R is divided into two parts in the vehicle width direction WD centering on the point P when the center of the combine 8 passes through the specific point P, corresponding to the respective installation positions of the pair of traveling parts 18 . A portion R1 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD of each region R is provided with identification information corresponding to the one side plowing depth D1, and a portion R2 on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD of each region R is attached to the other side. Identification information corresponding to the plowing depth D2 is attached. In this way, the map information displays a plurality of pieces of plowing depth information at the specific point P so as to be identifiable from each other. In the map information shown in FIG. 6, the deeper the color of the portions R1 and R2, the deeper the plowing depth.

Referring to FIG. 4 , storage unit 55 is connected to control unit 30 . The storage unit 55 is composed of a storage device such as a hard disk or nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 55 stores a position information storage unit 56 that stores position information of the combine harvester 8, and plow bed depths D1 and D2 at each specific point P in the field F specified by the plow bed depth specifying unit 52. It includes a tillage depth storage unit 57 and a map information storage unit 58 that stores the map information generated by the map information generation unit 53 .

When the first working vehicle 3 is a combine harvester 8, based on the posture control information of the body part 19 and the elevation control information of the reaping part 17 at the specific point P, a plurality of plowing depth information (plowing depth D1, D2 ) is identified. In other words, detailed plowing depth can be obtained.
Therefore, by associating the latitude and longitude information of the combine harvester 8 at the specific point P with a plurality of pieces of plowing depth information, map information having detailed plowing depths D1 and D2 at the specific point P can be generated. . As a result, the quality of work support can be improved.

Further, the plurality of plowing-bed depth information includes plowing-bed depth information at locations (grounding points C1 and C2) where a pair of traveling parts 18 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction WD touch the ground. . That is, the plowing depth information is obtained at two locations in the vehicle width direction WD. Therefore, map information having detailed plowing depth information at the specific point P can be generated.
Also, the pair of traveling parts 18 of the combine 8 can extend and contract in the vertical direction so that the body part 19 maintains a horizontal posture. Therefore, regardless of the unevenness of the surface of the field F on which the combine harvester 8 travels, the plowing depths D1 and D2 can be accurately specified.

In addition to the latitude and longitude information and the plowing depths D1 and D2, the map information may display identifiably altitude information at each specific point P in the field F acquired by the position information acquisition unit 31. . In this case, identification information (color or numerical value) is attached to each region R in the map information according to the altitude information and the plowing depths D1 and D2 obtained at each specific point P. FIG. For example, the altitude information may be indicated numerically, and the plowing depths D1 and D2 may be indicated by colors. Thereby, it is possible to compare the altitude of the plowing plate TL at each specific point P from which the position information is acquired.

Further, the altitude of the plow TL of the field F can be used to adjust the height of the paddy surface FS between the fields F when combining a plurality of fields F having different altitudes.
Next, a case where the first working vehicle 3 is a tractor will be described as an example. FIG. 7 is a side view of the tractor 9 as the first work vehicle 3. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the tractor 9. FIG.
The tractor 9 includes a traveling machine body 60 that travels in the field F, and a cultivator 61 as a work machine attached to the traveling machine body 60 . As the work machine, other than the cultivator 61, for example, a plow, a fertilizer applicator, a lawn mower, a sowing machine, and the like can be used.

The traveling body 60 of the tractor 9 includes a body section 62 (first body section) and a pair of running sections that support the body section 62 and are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction WD (the width direction of the body section 62). 63. Each running portion 63 includes a front wheel 63A and a rear wheel 63B. The traveling machine body 60 can travel by the driving force of the engine 64 . A working machine such as the cultivator 61 is an example of the first working section supported by the first body section.

A body section 62 of the traveling body 60 includes a driver's seat 62A for the user to board and a steering handle 62B for steering the traveling body 60 . An operation unit 78 (see FIG. 9) for the user to perform various operations is provided near the steering handle 62B.
A chassis 65 of the tractor 9 is provided below the body section 62 . The chassis 65 includes a body frame 65A, a transmission 65B, a front axle 65C, a rear axle 65D, and the like.

The body frame 65A is a support member at the front of the tractor 9 and supports the engine 64 either directly or via a vibration isolating member or the like. Transmission 65B changes the power from engine 64 and transmits it to front axle 65C and rear axle 65D. The front axle 65C transmits power input from the transmission 65B to each front wheel 63A. The rear axle 65D transmits power input from the transmission 65B to each rear wheel 63B.

The cultivator 61 is connected to the rear of the body section 62 via an elevating link mechanism 66 . A PTO shaft 67 for outputting the driving force of the engine 64 to the cultivator 61 and a pair of elevating cylinders 88 (see FIG. 9) for driving the cultivator 61 up and down are arranged at the rear of the body section 62 . ing. The driving force of the engine 64 is transmitted to the PTO shaft 67 via the transmission 65B.

The cultivator 61 includes a rotary 69, a rotary cover 70 covering the rotary 69 from above, and a rear cover 71 covering the rotary 69 from behind. The rotary 69 rotates when the driving force of the PTO shaft 67 is transmitted. The rear cover 71 is connected to the rotary cover 70 via hinges. The rear cover 71 is located above the surface of the field F (field surface) in FIG. flatten.

The elevating link mechanism 66 has a three-point link structure including a pair of left and right top links 66A and a pair of left and right lower links 66B. The pair of top links 66A are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction WD. Similarly, the pair of lower links 66B are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction WD.
An elevating cylinder 88 (see FIG. 9) is connected to the three-point link mechanism. By extending and contracting the elevating cylinder 88, the entire cultivator 61 can be elevated.

Each lower link 66B is also provided with a horizontal control cylinder 88A (see FIG. 9). Horizontal control cylinder 88A is, for example, a hydraulic cylinder. By extending and retracting each horizontal control cylinder 88A separately, the cultivator 61 can be tilted with respect to the body section 62 when viewed from the direction of travel. While the tractor 9 is running, the rear cover 71 rotates around the hinge according to the elevation of the rotary cover 70 and the rotary 69 to maintain contact with the paddy field.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the tractor 9. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 9 , tractor 9 includes control section 75 for controlling the operation of each section provided in tractor 9 .
A position information acquisition unit 76 , a communication unit 77 , an operation unit 78 and an inertial measurement device 79 are electrically connected to the control unit 75 . The positioning signal received by the satellite signal receiving antenna 80 positioned substantially at the center in the vehicle width direction is input to the position information acquisition unit 76 . The position information acquisition unit 76, the satellite signal reception antenna 80, the communication unit 77, and the inertial measurement device 79 are the position information acquisition unit 31, the satellite signal reception antenna 32, the communication unit 33, and the inertial measurement device provided in the combine harvester 8, respectively. Since the configuration is the same as that of the device 45, description thereof will be omitted.

A plurality of controllers for controlling each part of the tractor 9 are electrically connected to the control part 75 . The plurality of controllers includes an engine controller 81, a vehicle speed controller 82, a steering controller 83, an elevation controller 84, an attitude controller 84A and a PTO controller 85. Since the engine controller 81 has the same configuration as the engine controller 35 of the combine harvester 8, the description thereof will be omitted. The engine controller 81 is electrically connected to a common rail device 81A having the same configuration as the common rail device 39 of the combine harvester 8 .

The vehicle speed controller 82 controls the vehicle speed of the traveling body 60 (also the vehicle speed of the tractor 9) by controlling the transmission 65B (see FIG. 7). The transmission 65B is provided with a transmission 86 that is, for example, a movable swash plate type hydraulic continuously variable transmission.
The steering controller 83 controls the steering angle of the front wheels 63A during automatic travel. Specifically, a steering actuator 87 is provided in the middle of the rotating shaft (steering shaft) of the steering handle 62B. The steering controller 83 controls the steering actuator 87 so that the rotation angle of the steering handle 62B becomes the target steering angle. Thereby, the steering angle of the pair of front wheels 63A of the traveling body 60 is controlled.

A lift cylinder 88 is electrically connected to the lift controller 84 . A lift sensor 89 and a rear cover sensor 90 are electrically connected to the controller 75 in relation to the lift controller 84 . A horizontal control cylinder 88A is electrically connected to the attitude controller 84A.
The elevation sensor 89 is a sensor for detecting the vertical distance between a reference position provided on the body section 62 and a predetermined portion of the rotary cover 70 (for example, the portion where the rear cover sensor 90 is attached). . The elevation sensor 89 is, for example, a potentiometer or the like for detecting the position of the elevation cylinder 88 .

The rear cover sensor 90 is a sensor for detecting the vertical distance between the predetermined portion of the rotary cover 70 and the field FS. The rear cover sensor 90 is, for example, a potentiometer or the like that detects the rotation angle of the rear cover 71 with respect to the rotary cover 70 that moves up and down integrally with the rotary 69 .
While the tractor 9 is traveling, the rear cover 71 rotates around the hinge in accordance with the vertical movement of the rotary cover 70 and the rotary 69 while maintaining contact with the paddy field FS. As a result, the rotation angle detected by the rear cover sensor 90 changes. Therefore, by moving the rotary 69 and the rotary cover 70 up and down while detecting the rotation angle of the rear cover 71 with the rear cover sensor 90, the distance between the field FS (the portion of the rear cover 71 that contacts the field FS) and the lower end of the rotary 69 is adjusted. can be adjusted to a desired distance (a distance set by the user) in the vertical direction.

The lift controller 84 controls the lift cylinder 88 based on the detection results of the lift sensor 89 and the rear cover sensor 90 . Specifically, the elevation controller 84 controls the elevation cylinder 88 so that the predetermined portion of the rotary cover 70 (for example, the portion where the rear cover sensor 90 is attached) is positioned above the field surface FS by a predetermined distance. .
The posture controller 84A separately controls the pair of horizontal control cylinders 88A to operate the tiller 61 on one side and the other side in the vehicle width direction WD even when the traveling machine body 60 is tilted when viewed from the traveling direction. The attitude of the cultivator 61 is maintained in a horizontal attitude by changing the degree of elevation of the . The attitude controller 84A determines the attitude of the traveling body 60 based on the detection result of the inertial measurement device 79 .

The PTO controller 85 controls rotation of the PTO shaft 67 . Specifically, the tractor 9 is provided with a PTO clutch 91 for switching between transmission/interruption of power to the PTO shaft 67 . The PTO controller 85 can switch the PTO clutch 91 based on the control signal input from the control unit 75 to rotate the cultivator 61 via the PTO shaft 67 or stop this rotation.

The control unit 75 includes a microcomputer having a CPU and memory (ROM, RAM, etc.). A microcomputer functions as a plurality of functional processing units by executing a predetermined program stored in a memory (ROM). The functional processing units include a plowing-bed distance acquisition unit 96, a surface layer distance acquisition unit 97, a plowing-bed depth identification unit 98, and a map information generation unit 99. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the tractor 9 running in the farm field F when viewed from the traveling direction. As shown in FIG. 10, when the height of the plowing board TL differs between one side and the other side in the vehicle width direction WD, the entire tractor 9 is tilted when viewed from the traveling direction. Here, it is assumed that the tractor 9 is tilted so that the running portion 63 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD is positioned below the running portion 63 on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD.

The plowing distance acquisition unit 96 acquires the plowing distances H3 and H4 based on the detection result of the inertial measuring device 79 . The plowing distance H3 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD is defined by the horizontal plane HS passing through a predetermined reference position S set on the body portion 62 and the traveling portion 63 (for example, the rear wheels 63B) on one side in the vehicle width direction WD. This is the vertical distance from the grounding point C3 that touches the plowing board TL. The plowing bed distance H4 on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD is the vertical distance between the horizontal surface HS and the ground contact point C4 where the traveling portion 63 (for example, the rear wheel 63B) on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD touches the plowing plate TL. directional distance.

Specifically, the plowing board distance acquisition unit 96 acquires the inclination angle θ of the body part 62 with respect to the horizontal direction when viewed from the traveling direction of the tractor 9 based on the detection result of the inertial measurement device 79 . Then, the plowing distance acquiring unit 96 calculates the plowing distances H3 and H4 based on the inclination angle θ and the preset reference height T and reference width W.
The reference height T is the distance between the grounding points C3 and C4 and the inclined surface IS in the height direction HD of the tractor 9 . The inclined surface IS passes through the reference position S and is inclined by an inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal surface HS when viewed from the traveling direction of the tractor 9 . The reference width W is the distance between each traveling portion 63 and the reference position S in the vehicle width direction WD of the tractor 9 .

In this case, the plowing board distance H3 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD is a distance obtained by multiplying the sum of the reference height T and the distance obtained by multiplying the reference width W by tan θ by cos θ (H3=(T+W·tan θ ) cos θ). The plowing bed distance H4 on the other side of the vehicle width direction WD is a distance obtained by multiplying the difference between the reference height T and the distance obtained by multiplying the reference width W by tan θ by cos θ (H4=(TW·tan θ) cos θ).

The surface distance acquisition unit 97 acquires the surface distance j based on the detection results of the elevation sensor 89 and the rear cover sensor 90 . Specifically, the surface layer distance j is the vertical distance B1 between the field surface FS and a predetermined portion of the rotary cover 70 (for example, the portion where the rear cover sensor 90 is attached), and the distance between the predetermined portion and the reference position S. It is the sum with the vertical distance B2 (j=B1+B2).

As described above, the vertical distance between the field FS and the lower end of the rotary 69 is set by the user. Therefore, the surface distance acquisition unit 97 obtains the surface distance from the difference between the vertical distance between the reference position S and the lower end of the rotary 69 and the vertical distance between the field FS and the lower end of the rotary 69. j can also be calculated.
The plowing-bed depth specifying unit 98 determines the depth information of the plowing-bed TL of the field F on one side in the vehicle width direction WD (one-side plowing-bed depth D3) based on the plowing-bed distances H3 and H4 and the surface layer distance j. and depth information of the plow bed TL of the field F on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD (the other side plow bed depth D4). The one side plowing depth D3 is the difference between the plowing depth H3 on one side in the vehicle width direction WD and the surface layer distance j (D3=H3−j). The other side plowing depth D4 is the difference between the plowing depth H4 on the other side in the vehicle width direction WD and the surface layer distance j (D4=H4−j).

When the tractor 9 finishes traveling the entire area of the farm field F, the position information at each point in the farm field F is acquired by the position information acquisition unit 76, and the plowing depths D3 and D4 at each specific point P in the farm field F are obtained. It is specified by the board depth specifying unit 98 .
In this way, the plowing board depth specifying unit 98 obtains the attitude control information of the machine body 62 at the specific point P (detection result of the inertial measurement device 79) and the attitude control information of the power tiller 61 at the specific point P (elevating sensor 89 and the detection result of the rear cover sensor 90), the plowing depths D3 and D4 are specified.

The map information generation unit 99 generates position information at each specific point P in the field F acquired by the position information acquisition unit 76 and plowing at each specific point P in the field F specified by the plowing bed depth specifying unit 98. Map information is generated in which the board depths D3 and D4 are associated with each other. Since the generated map information is the same as when the combine harvester 8 is used as the first working vehicle 3, detailed description thereof is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 9 , storage unit 92 is connected to control unit 75 . The storage unit 92 is composed of a storage device such as a hard disk or nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 92 stores a position information storage unit 93 that stores position information of the tractor 9, and plowing depths D3 and D4 at each specific point P in the field F specified by the plowing depth specifying unit 98. A plowing depth storage unit 94 and a map information storage unit 95 for storing map information generated by the map information generation unit 99 are included.

When the first work vehicle 3 is the tractor 9, the same effects as when the first work vehicle 3 is the combine harvester 8 are obtained.
However, the pair of running parts 63 of the tractor 9 are not extendable. Instead, in the tractor 9, the plowing distance acquisition unit 96 determines the inclination angle θ of the machine body 62 when viewed from the traveling direction of the information acquisition vehicle, and the preset reference height T and reference width W and the plowing distances H3 and H4 are specified. Therefore, even when a vehicle such as the tractor 9 configured such that the body portion 62 is configured to tilt when traveling at points with different plowing depths in the vehicle width direction WD, as the first work vehicle 3, the plowing machine can be used. The board depths D3 and D4 can be specified accurately.

Next, the case where the first working vehicle 3 shown in FIG. 1 is the rice transplanter 10 will be described as an example. FIG. 11 is a side view of the rice transplanter 10 as the first work vehicle 3. FIG. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the rice transplanter 10. FIG.
11 and 12, the rice transplanter 10 performs the planting operation of planting seedlings on the ground of the field F while traveling in the field F. As shown in FIG. The rice transplanter 10 includes a running body 100 and a planting section 101 arranged behind the running body 100 .

The traveling machine body 100 includes a machine body section 102 (first machine body section) and a pair of running sections 103 that support the machine body section 102 and are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction WD (the width direction of the machine body section 102). I have. Each running portion 103 includes front wheels 103A and rear wheels 103B. The traveling machine body 100 can travel by the driving force of the engine 104 . The planting part 101 is an example of a first working part supported by the first body part.

The body section 102 of the traveling body 100 includes a driver's seat 102A for the user to board and a steering handle 102B for steering the traveling body 100 . An operation unit 123 (see FIG. 13) for the user to perform various operations is provided near the steering handle 102B.
Airframe section 102 includes transmission 105B, front axle 105C and rear axle 105D. Transmission 105B changes the power from engine 104 and transmits it to front axle 105C and rear axle 105D. The front axle 105C transmits power input from the transmission 27 to each front wheel 103A. Rear axle 105D transmits the power input from transmission 105B to each rear wheel 103B.

The planting section 101 is connected to the rear of the body section 102 via an elevating link mechanism 106 . A PTO shaft 107 for outputting the driving force of the engine 104 to the planting part 101 and an elevating cylinder 108 for driving the planting part 101 up and down are arranged at the rear part of the body part 102 . The driving force of the engine 104 is transmitted to the PTO shaft 107 via the transmission 105B.

The elevating link mechanism 106 has a parallel link structure including a pair of left and right top links 106A and a pair of left and right lower links 106B. Although only one of the pair of top links 106A is shown in FIG. 11, the pair of top links 106A are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction WD. Similarly, although only one of the pair of lower links 106B is shown in FIG. 11, the pair of lower links 106B are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction WD.

A lifting cylinder 108 is connected to the parallel link mechanism. The whole planting part 101 can be raised and lowered by extending and contracting the raising and lowering cylinder 108 .
The planting section 101 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) planting units 110 for planting seedlings on the ground, a planting input case 111 for driving the planting units 110, and a seedling mat (not shown). It mainly comprises a seedling platform 112 to be placed and a plurality of floats 113 rotatable around a predetermined rotation center (float support shaft).

A pair of lifting link mechanisms 106 are connected to the planting input case 111, and a plurality of planting units 110 are attached.
Each planting unit 110 is a rotary planting device having a planting transmission case 115 , a rotating case 116 and a planting arm 117 . Two rotating cases 116 are attached to the planting transmission case 115 of each planting unit 110 , and two planting arms 117 are attached to each rotating case 116 .

The planting input case 111 drives the planting unit 110 by receiving driving force from the PTO shaft 107 . Power is transmitted from the planting input case 111 to the planting transmission case 115 . The rotating case 116 is rotationally driven by power from the planted transmission case 115 . As a result, the tip portion of the planting arm 117 operates while drawing a loop-shaped rotational trajectory. The tip of the planting arm 117 is provided with a planting nail 117A. When the tip of the planting arm 117 moves downward, the planting claw 117A scrapes the seedlings from a seedling mat (not shown) placed on the seedling platform 112 and spreads the seedlings onto the field surface. Implant.

The float 113 is provided below the planting portion 101 . By contacting the float 113 with the paddy surface, the paddy surface is leveled before seedlings are planted. Although the float 113 is located above the surface (field surface) of the field F in FIG. 11, the contact between the lower surface of the float 113 and the field surface FS is maintained while the rice transplanter 10 is running.
A cylinder rod (not shown) of the rolling cylinder 108A (see FIG. 13) is connected to a support frame (not shown) that supports the seedling platform 112. As shown in FIG. The rolling cylinder 108A rotates the support frame around a predetermined rotation center by expanding and contracting the cylinder rod. As a result, the entire planting portion 101 can be tilted with respect to the body portion 102 when viewed from the traveling direction.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the rice transplanter 10. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 13 , rice transplanter 10 includes control section 120 for controlling the operation of each section provided in rice transplanter 10 .
A position information acquisition unit 121 , a communication unit 122 , an operation unit 123 , an inertial measurement device 124 , and a plurality of controllers are electrically connected to the control unit 120 . The positioning signal received by the satellite signal receiving antenna 135 positioned substantially at the center in the vehicle width direction WD is input to the position information acquisition unit 121 .

The position information acquisition unit 121, the satellite signal reception antenna 135, the communication unit 122, and the inertial measurement device 124 are provided in the combine harvester 8, respectively. Since the configuration is the same as that of the device 45, description thereof will be omitted.
A plurality of controllers are for controlling each part of the rice transplanter 10 . The plurality of controllers includes engine controller 125 , vehicle speed controller 126 , steering controller 127 , elevation controller 128 , attitude controller 128A and PTO controller 129 . A common rail device 130, a transmission 131, a steering actuator 132 and a PTO clutch 129A are electrically connected to the engine controller 125, vehicle speed controller 126, steering controller 127 and PTO controller 129, respectively.

An engine controller 125, a vehicle speed controller 126, a steering controller 127, a PTO controller 129, a common rail device 130, a transmission 131, a steering actuator 132 and a PTO clutch 129A are provided in the tractor 9, respectively. , the steering controller 83, the PTO controller 85, the common rail device 81A, the transmission 86, the steering actuator 87, and the PTO clutch 91, the description thereof will be omitted.

The lift cylinder 108 is electrically connected to the lift controller 128 . A lift sensor 133 and a float angle detection sensor 134 are electrically connected to the controller 120 in relation to the lift controller 128 . The rolling cylinder 108A is electrically connected to the attitude controller 128A.
The elevation sensor 133 is a sensor for detecting the vertical distance between the reference position provided on the body section 102 and the center of rotation of the float 113 . The lift sensor 133 is, for example, a potentiometer or the like that detects the position of the lift cylinder 108 .

The float angle detection sensor 134 is a sensor for detecting the vertical distance between the rotation center of the float 113 and the field surface FS. Float angle detection sensor 134 is, for example, a potentiometer or the like that detects the rotation angle of float 113 .
The center of rotation of the float 113 moves up and down as the planting part 101 moves up and down. While the rice transplanter 10 is running, the vertical distance between the rice field surface FS and the center of rotation of the float 113 changes. Therefore, while the rice transplanter 10 is running, the float 113 rotates around the center of rotation as the planting section 101 moves up and down in order to maintain contact between the float 113 and the rice field surface FS. As a result, the rotation angle detected by the float angle detection sensor 134 changes.

Therefore, by moving up and down the planting portion 101 while detecting the rotation angle of the float 113 with the float angle detection sensor 134, the rotational trajectory of the paddy field FS (the portion of the float 113 that contacts the paddy field FS) and the planting claw 117A. The vertical distance from the lower end (planting position) can be adjusted to the desired distance (the distance set by the user). The vertical distance between the field surface FS and the lower end of the rotation locus of the planting claw 117A is referred to as the planting depth.

The lift controller 128 controls the lift cylinder 108 based on the detection results of the lift sensor 133 and the float angle detection sensor 134 . Specifically, the elevation controller 128 controls the elevation cylinder 108 so that the height of the planting claw 117A with respect to the float 113 is positioned at a predetermined position.
The attitude controller 128A maintains the attitude of the planting part 101 in a horizontal attitude by rotating the rolling cylinder 108A even when the traveling machine body 100 is tilted when viewed from the traveling direction. The attitude controller 128A determines the attitude of the traveling body 100 based on the detection result of the inertial measurement device 124 .

Control unit 120 includes a microcomputer having a CPU and memory (ROM, RAM, etc.). A microcomputer functions as a plurality of functional processing units by executing a predetermined program stored in a memory (ROM). The functional processing units include a plowing distance acquisition unit 136, a surface layer distance acquisition unit 137, a plowing depth identification unit 138, and a map information generation unit 139. FIG.

The plowing distance acquiring unit 136, the surface distance acquiring unit 137, the plowing depth specifying unit 138, and the map information generating unit 139 are the plowing distance acquiring unit 96 and the surface distance acquiring unit 96 provided in the control unit 75 of the tractor 9, respectively. It has the same functions as the section 97 , the plowing depth specifying section 98 and the map information generating section 99 .
However, the surface distance acquisition unit 137 specifies the surface distance j based on the elevation sensor 133 and the float angle detection sensor 134 . The surface layer distance j is the sum of the distance between the field surface FS and the center of rotation of the float 113 and the distance between the center of rotation of the float 113 and the reference position S.

As described above, in the rice transplanter 10, the planting depth (vertical distance between the rice paddy surface FS and the lower end of the rotation locus of the planting claw 117A) is set by the user. Therefore, the surface distance acquisition unit 137 may acquire the surface distance j from the difference between the vertical distance between the reference position S and the planting claw 117A and the planting depth.
When the first working vehicle 3 is the rice transplanter 10, the plowing board depth specifying unit 138 acquires the posture control information (detection result of the inertial measurement device 124) of the body unit 102 at the specific point P and the planting information at the specific point P. The plowing depths D3 and D4 are specified based on the attitude control information of the unit 101 (detection result of the elevation sensor 132 and detection result of the float angle detection sensor 134).

A storage unit 140 is connected to the control unit 120 . The storage unit 140 is composed of a storage device such as a hard disk or nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 140 includes a position information storage unit 141 that stores position information of the rice transplanter 10, and a plowing depth that stores the plowing depth at each point in the field F specified by the plowing depth specifying unit 138. It includes a storage unit 142 and a map information storage unit 143 that stores the map information generated by the map information generation unit 139 .

When the first work vehicle 3 is the rice transplanter 10, the same effects as when the first work vehicle 3 is the tractor 9 are obtained.
In the map information generating system 1, when the first work vehicle 3 is the tractor 9, the elevation controller 84 controls the attitude of the tiller 61 horizontally based on the detection result of the inertia measurement device 79. The attitude of the cultivator 61 may be horizontally controlled by an angular velocity sensor (horizontal control device) provided on the cultivator 61 without using the detection result of the cultivator 79 . Similarly, when the first working vehicle 3 is the rice transplanter 10, the attitude of the planting section 101 may be horizontally controlled by an angular velocity sensor (horizontal control device) provided in the planting section 101.

The map information generated by the map information generation system 1 is used, for example, for field improvement work and fertilization management support performed before the next farm work in the field where the map information was acquired. An example of the field improvement work is the work of applying soil improvement materials such as gravel to a part of the field where the depth of the plowing bed is large. The fertilization management support includes the work of reducing fertilization in a portion of a field with a large plowing depth. Lodging can be suppressed by reducing fertilization in areas where the plowing depth is large.

Further, the map information generated by the map information generation system 1 is used for work support by the work support system 2 as described below. As the second work vehicle 4 of the work support system 2, a combine harvester, a tractor, a rice transplanter, or the like can be used.
The configurations of the combine harvester, the tractor, and the rice transplanter used as the second work vehicle 4 are substantially the same as those of the combine harvester 8, the tractor 9, and the rice transplanter 10 used as the first work vehicle 3, respectively. The combine 8, the tractor 9, and the rice transplanter 10 are composed of a second body section (body sections 19, 62, 102) and a second working section (which is supported so as to be able to move up and down relative to the second body section and work in the field F). It has a harvesting section 17, a cultivator 61, and a planting section 101).

For example, the work support system 2 issues a predetermined notification before the second work vehicle 4 reaches the notification target position based on the notification target position specified based on the map information and the position information of the second work vehicle 4. The notification process to be performed can be executed. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the notification target position NT and the notification position NP specified in the map information.
When the second work vehicle 4 is the tractor 9, the notification target position NT is, for example, a position where the plowing depth changes abruptly. Whether or not the second work vehicle 4 has approached the notification target position NT is determined by whether or not the second work vehicle 4 has reached the notification position NP which is a predetermined distance before the notification target position NT in the traveling direction of the second work vehicle 4 . determined based on The predetermined notification is, for example, a warning display displayed on the monitor mounted on the second work vehicle 4 or the wireless communication terminal 7 (see FIG. 1), or a warning issued from the second work vehicle 4 or the wireless communication terminal 7. voice and the like.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of such notification processing. First, the second work vehicle 4 acquires the current position of the second work vehicle 4 (step S1). Then, the second work vehicle 4 determines whether or not the current position of the second work vehicle 4 is the notification position NP (step S2). When the current position of the second work vehicle 4 is the notification position NP (step S2: YES), the second work vehicle 4 starts notification to the user (step S3). When the notification to the user is started, the second work vehicle 4 returns to step S1.

If the current position of the second work vehicle 4 is not the reported position NP (step S2: NO), the second work vehicle 4 determines whether or not it is currently reporting (step S4). If the notification is not currently being performed (step S4: NO), the second work vehicle 4 returns to step S1.
If the notification is currently being performed (step S4: YES), the second work vehicle 4 determines whether or not it has passed through the notification target position NT (step S5). If the second work vehicle 4 has not passed the notification target position NT (step S5: NO), the second work vehicle 4 returns to step S1. When the second work vehicle 4 has passed the notification target position NT (step S5: YES), the second work vehicle 4 ends the notification to the user (step S6) and returns to step S1.

By notifying the user that the notification target position NT has been approached, the user can prepare for work suitable for the notification target position NT before the second work vehicle 4 reaches the notification target position NT. . For example, when the second working vehicle 4 is the tractor 9, the height position of the cultivator 61 can be changed to avoid contact between the cultivator TL and the cultivator 61. FIG. As a result, the quality of work support can be improved.

The notification target position NT may be a specific range (area between two coordinates) instead of a specific (single) coordinate. In this case, if the specific range is passed in step S5 (step S5: YES), the second work vehicle 4 proceeds to step S6.
When the notification target position NT is within a specific range, the notification content from the second work vehicle 4 passing the notification position NP to the notification target position NT, and the notification target position NT of the second work vehicle 4 The content of the notification may be different from that when the vehicle is running.

Specifically, the warning sound emitted from the second work vehicle 4 or the wireless communication terminal 7 during the period from when the second work vehicle 4 passes the notification position NP to when it reaches the notification target position NT, and the second work vehicle The warning voice emitted from the second work vehicle 4 or the wireless communication terminal 7 when the work vehicle 4 is traveling at the notification target position NT may be different from each other.
As a result, the user can prepare for work suitable for the notification target position NT before the second work vehicle 4 reaches the notification target position NT. You can know what has happened by reporting.

Also, the notification to the user may be ended by operating the notification end button displayed on the wireless communication terminal 7 . In this case, the notification to the user ends when the notification end button is operated or the notification target position NT is passed.
In addition, the work support system 2 adjusts the height position of the second working unit (reaping unit 17, cultivator 61, planting unit 101) so that the height position of the second working unit (reaping unit 17, cultivator 61, planting unit 101) is higher than the plowing depth specified based on the map information. The lifting range of the working unit can be limited. Therefore, contact of the second working part with the plowing board TL can be suppressed. In addition, if the position of the culvert is registered in advance, it is possible to avoid the second working unit (especially the cultivator 61) from coming into contact with the culvert.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of such lifting range limiting processing. First, the second work vehicle 4 acquires the current position of the second work vehicle 4 (step S11). Then, the second work vehicle 4 acquires the plowing depth at the current position from the map information (step S12).
Then, the second work vehicle 4 determines whether or not the current position is the restriction required position (step S13). The restricted position is, for example, a position overlapping the culvert in plan view. If the current position of the second work vehicle 4 is the limit-required position (step S13: YES), the elevation range of the second working unit is limited (step S14). When the elevation range of the second working unit is restricted, the second work vehicle 4 returns to step S11.

If the current position of the second work vehicle 4 is not the control-required position (step S13: NO), the second work vehicle 4 determines whether or not the elevation range of the second work unit is currently limited (step S15).
If the elevation range of the work unit is currently limited (step S15: YES), the second work vehicle 4 releases the limitation of the elevation range of the work unit (step S16). When the lifting range of the work unit is restricted, the second work vehicle 4 returns to step S11. In step S15, if the elevation range of the second work unit is currently not restricted (step S15: NO), the second work vehicle 4 returns to step S11.

Further, the work support system 2 can generate a travel route along which the second work vehicle 4 travels. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the travel route RT generated by the work support system 2. As shown in FIG. The work support system 2 identifies a travel-restricted area PA where travel of the second work vehicle 4 is prohibited, and generates a travel route RT so as not to pass through the travel-restricted area PA.
The travel route RT shown in FIG. 17 has a substantially spiral shape extending from the periphery of the field F toward the center. In FIG. 17, the travel-prohibited area PA is indicated by a chain double-dashed line. The travel-prohibited area PA is an area in the farm field F that is obstructed by an obstacle, or an area in which the plowing plate is so depressed that the second working vehicle 4 can get stuck therein.

The travel route RT is generated by a terminal capable of creating a travel route, such as the wireless communication terminal 7 (see FIG. 1), and is transmitted from the wireless communication terminal 7 to the second work vehicle 4 . By forming the travel route RT so as not to pass through the travel-restricted area PA, the travel-restricted area PA can be avoided. This allows the second work vehicle 4 to run smoothly. As a result, the quality of work support can be improved.

In addition to the travel prohibited area PA, a travel caution area can be provided on the travel route RT. The travel caution area is an area in which the second work vehicle 4 gets stuck when the vehicle speed is high or when the second work vehicle 4 changes its traveling direction (turns), for example. When traveling in such a travel caution area, the second work vehicle 4 reduces the vehicle speed, turns on the differential lock, or adjusts the positions of the steering handles 15B, 62B, 102B in order to prevent getting stuck. fix it.

Further, when the second work vehicle 4 is a combine harvester 8, the work support system 2 can avoid contact between the field surface FS and the cutting blade 17A using map information. More specifically, when the combine 8 travels through the field F, the reaper 17 is lifted and lowered toward the target position in order to maintain a constant distance between the cutting blade 17A and the field surface FS.
For example, as shown in FIG. 18A, when the depth of the plowing bed D increases toward the downstream side in the direction of travel of the combine harvester 8, the reaping portion 17 (second 2 working part), the working part is maintained at the target position.

As shown in FIG. 18B, when the plowing bed depth D becomes smaller toward the downstream side in the traveling direction of the combine harvester 8, the machine body 19 is cut immediately after the machine body 19 reaches the slope and inclines. By lowering the portion 17, the cutting blade 17A may come into contact with the surface layer SL.
Therefore, based on the map information, the work support system 2 is insensitive to the position 152 where the reaping unit 17 starts to descend in the area where the plowing bed depth D rapidly decreases toward the downstream side in the traveling direction of the combine harvester 8. Identifies as a control position.

Further, as shown in FIG. 18C , when the plowing depth D increases toward the downstream side in the traveling direction of the combine harvester 8 immediately after the plowing depth D decreases, the machine body portion 19 It is necessary to raise the reaping part 17 with respect to the body part 19 immediately after lowering the reaping part 17 with the Therefore, if the reaping part 17 has a high followability to the target position, there is a possibility that the reaping part 17 is lowered too much with respect to the body part 19 when the plowing board depth D starts to increase. Even in such a case, the cutting blade 17A may come into contact with the surface layer SL.

Even in this case, the work support system 2, based on the map information, increases the depth D of the tillage immediately after the depth D of the tillage D decreases toward the downstream side in the traveling direction of the combine harvester 8. A position 150 and a position 151 where the reaping part 17 starts to descend and rise in the region are identified as insensitive control positions.
Based on the map information, the work support system 2 identifies a position (position 153 shown in FIG. 18A) at which the reaping unit 17 starts to move up and down, other than the insensitive control position, as a standard control position.

Then, the work support system 2 determines the followability of the reaping unit 17 with respect to the target position when the combine 8 reaches the insensitive control position, and the followability of the reaping unit 17 with respect to the target position when the combine 8 reaches the standard control position. be lower than
Thereby, the amount of change in the height position of the reaping part 17 with respect to the body part 19 at the insensitive control position can be suppressed. Thereby, contact of the cutting blade 17A with the surface layer SL can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 18C, whether the work support system 2 sets the current position of the combine harvester 8 to the insensitive control position when the plowing depth D decreases or when the plowing depth D increases immediately after decreasing. The determination of whether or not is made by determining whether or not the amount of change in the tilt angle of the combine harvester 8 per unit time is greater than the reference amount. The reference amount is set lower as the vehicle speed of the combine harvester 8 is higher, and is set lower as the distance of the inclined portion of the plowing board TL is longer.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of such elevation control processing. First, the second work vehicle 4 acquires the current position of the combine harvester 8 (step S21). Then, it is determined whether or not the combine 8 is positioned at either the standard control position or the insensitive control position (step S22).
If the current position of the combine harvester 8 is neither the standard control position nor the insensitive control position (step S22: NO), the combine harvester 8 returns to step S21. If the current position of the combine 8 is either the standard control position or the insensitive control position (step S22: YES), the combine 8 determines whether the current position of the combine 8 is the standard control position or the insensitive control position. is determined (step S23).

If the current position of the combine harvester 8 is the standard control position (step S23: YES), the combine harvester 8 raises or lowers the reaping unit 17 with standard elevation sensitivity (with followability as standard) (step S24). After step S24, the second work vehicle 4 returns to step S21. If the current position of the combine harvester 8 is the insensitive control position (step S23: NO), the combine harvester 8 desensitizes the lift sensitivity (desensitizes the followability) to raise or lower the reaping unit 17 (step S25). After step S25, the combine 8 returns to step S21.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be embodied in other forms.
For example, in the above-described embodiments, the plowing distance acquisition units 50, 96, 136; , 139 are function processing units included in the control units 30 , 75 , 120 of the first work vehicle 3 . However, unlike the embodiment described above, a control device provided in the management server 6 may function as these function processing units.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the plowing depth information includes the attitude control information of the first body section (body sections 19, 62, 102) and the first working section (reaping section 17, cultivator 61, planting section 101) of attitude control information. However, the plowing depth information may be specified based only on the attitude control information of the first machine body section, or may be specified based only on the attitude control information of the first working section.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, among the detection results of the inertial measurement devices 45, 79, and 124, only the detection result of the third angular velocity sensor is used for the attitude control information of the first body section. However, unlike the above embodiment, the detection result of the first angular velocity sensor and the detection result of the second angular velocity sensor may be used for the attitude control information of the first body section. For example, by using the detection result of the first angular velocity sensor, it is possible to obtain the plowing depth at a point spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the traveling direction of the first working vehicle 3 . Also, the detection results of each angular velocity sensor may be combined.

In addition, various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

[Appendix]
One embodiment of the present invention acquires position information at a specific point in a field of a first work vehicle having a first body section and a first work section supported by the first body section, Based on the attitude control information of the first machine body part and/or the attitude control information of the first work part at the point, a plurality of plowing depth information are specified, and the position of the first work vehicle at the specific point Provided is a map information generation system that generates map information in which information and the plurality of plowing depth information are associated.

According to this configuration, a plurality of pieces of plowing-bed depth information are identified at the specific point. Therefore, by associating the position information of the first work vehicle at a specific point with a plurality of pieces of plowing depth information, it is possible to generate map information having detailed plowing depth information at the specific point. As a result, the quality of work support can be improved.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of plowing-bed depth information includes the first machine body section and the first work section supported at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the first machine body section. The plowing depth information is included at the point where a pair of running parts touches the ground.

That is, the plowing depth information is acquired at two locations in the width direction of the first body portion. Therefore, it is possible to generate map information having detailed plowing depth information at a specific point.
In one embodiment of the invention, the position information of the first work vehicle includes altitude information. Then, in the map information, the plurality of plowing ground depth information at the specific point are displayed so as to be mutually identifiable, and altitude information of the specific point and altitude information of other points different from the specific point are displayed. is identifiably displayed. Therefore, by referring to the map information, it is possible to compare the altitude of the plow bed at a specific point with the altitude of the plow bed at another point.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a second body portion that travels in the field and a second working portion that is attached to the second body portion so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the second body portion and performs work in the field. based on the map information generated by the map information generation system. Then, the work support system performs a predetermined operation before the second work vehicle reaches the notification target position based on the notification target position specified based on the map information and the position information of the second work vehicle. Notify.

According to this configuration, the user can prepare for work suitable for the notification target position before the second work vehicle reaches the notification target position. As a result, the quality of work support can be improved.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the work support system adjusts the height position of the second working unit based on the map information so that the height position of the second working unit is higher than the plowing depth specified based on the map information. Limit the lifting range of the second working unit. Therefore, contact of the second working unit with the plowing board can be suppressed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the work support system identifies a travel-prohibited area where travel of the second work vehicle is prohibited based on the map information, and determines a travel route along which the second work vehicle travels. , so as not to pass through the prohibited area. As a result, the travel prohibited area can be avoided, so that the second work vehicle can be smoothly traveled. As a result, the quality of work support can be improved.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the second working unit is provided at a front portion of the second body unit, and is controlled to move up and down toward a target position at which the height with respect to the surface of the agricultural field is constant. is configured to Then, the work support system identifies a standard control position and a desensitized control position based on the map information, and controls the second work unit relative to the target position when the second work vehicle reaches the desensitized control position. is made lower than the followability of the second work unit with respect to the target position when the second work vehicle reaches the standard control position.

When the plowing depth changes along the traveling direction of the second working vehicle, the second working unit is moved up and down toward the target position where the height with respect to the surface of the field is constant. If the followability of the second working unit with respect to the target position at the insensitive control position is set as standard, the amount of change in the height position of the second working unit with respect to the second body unit becomes too large, and the second working unit is in the field. may come into contact with the surface of Therefore, the followability of the second work unit to the target position when the second work vehicle reaches the insensitive control position is defined as the followability of the second work unit to the target position when the second work vehicle reaches the standard control position. By making it lower than , it is possible to suppress the amount of change in the height position of the second working part with respect to the second body part in the insensitive control position. Thereby, the contact of the second working unit with the surface of the field can be suppressed.

1: Map information generation system 2: Work support system 3: First work vehicle 4: Second work vehicle 8: Combine harvester 9: Tractor 10: Rice transplanter 17: Reaping unit (first work unit, second work unit)
18, 63, 103: Running parts 19, 62, 102: Body part (first body part, second body part)
61: Cultivator (1st work unit, 2nd work unit)
101: Planting part (first working part, second working part)
150: Insensitivity control position 151: Insensitivity control position 152: Insensitivity control position 153: Standard control position NT: Notification target position PA: Travel prohibited area RT: Traveling route WD: Vehicle width direction (width direction of the first body section)

Claims (3)

Acquire the location information of the work vehicle,
specifying plowing depth information based on the posture of a working device provided behind the working vehicle;
A map information generating system for generating map information corresponding to the position information and the plowing depth information. The work vehicle is a tractor,
2. The map information generating system according to claim 1, wherein said plowing ground depth information is specified from attitude control information of a main tractor and attitude control information of a rotary that can be raised and lowered behind said main tractor. The work vehicle is a rice transplanter,
2. The map information according to claim 1, wherein the plowing board depth information is specified from attitude control information of the main rice transplanter and attitude control information of the planting section that can be raised and lowered behind the main rice transplanter. generation system.

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