JP7499717B2 - Cruise control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a driving control system that controls the driving of a work vehicle.

A work vehicle that performs work while traveling is already known, for example, as described in Patent Document 1. This work vehicle (referred to as a "rice transplanter" in Patent Document 1) is equipped with a steering device for steering (referred to as a "steering handle" in Patent Document 1).

This work vehicle is configured to calculate a target driving route (referred to as a "target line" in Patent Document 1) based on the determined reference direction (referred to as a "teaching direction" in Patent Document 1). Then, the vehicle travels along this target driving route using automatic steering control.

JP 2017-136015 A

Patent document 1 does not mention changing the reference heading or changing the driving position while driving using automatic steering control.

The object of the present invention is to provide a driving control system that allows the operator to change the reference heading and the driving position while driving using automatic steering control at will.

A feature of the present invention is a driving control system for controlling the driving of a work vehicle, comprising a steering device for steering, and a driving control unit for controlling the driving of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering device, wherein the control mode of the driving control unit is switchable between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode, and when the control mode of the driving control unit is the manual steering mode, the driving control unit controls the driving of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering device, and when the control mode of the driving control unit is the automatic steering mode, the driving control unit is capable of executing automatic steering control of the work vehicle based on a target driving route calculated based on a reference orientation determined by an orientation determination unit, and comprises an orientation change unit capable of changing the reference orientation determined by the orientation determination unit in response to manual operation input, and a translation unit capable of translating the target driving route in response to manual operation input , and the orientation change unit is configured to be able to manually input a value indicating an orientation via operation of number keys from 0 to 9, and is able to change the reference orientation based on the input value .

With this invention, the reference direction can be changed by manual operation input. This allows the operator to change the reference direction at will.

Furthermore, with the present invention, the target driving path can be translated by manual operation input. Here, when the target driving path is translated while driving under automatic steering control, the driving position of the work vehicle changes to the left or right. Therefore, with the present invention, the operator can change the driving position while driving under automatic steering control by manual operation input. This allows the operator to freely change the driving position while driving under automatic steering control.

Therefore, the present invention can realize a driving control system that allows an operator to arbitrarily change the reference heading and the driving position while driving under automatic steering control.
In addition, according to this configuration, for example, a configuration can be realized in which the reference orientation is changed so as to match the orientation indicated by the input value. This makes it easy to change the reference orientation as desired by the operator. Therefore, it is easy to change the reference orientation to an appropriate orientation.
In this way, with the above configuration, a cruise control system can be realized that can easily change the reference heading to an appropriate heading.

Another feature of the present invention is a driving control system for controlling the driving of a work vehicle, comprising a steering device for steering, and a driving control unit for controlling the driving of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering device, wherein the control mode of the driving control unit is switchable between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode, and when the control mode of the driving control unit is the manual steering mode, the driving control unit controls the driving of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering device, and when the control mode of the driving control unit is the automatic steering mode, the driving control unit is capable of executing automatic steering control of the work vehicle based on a target driving route calculated based on a reference orientation determined by an orientation determination unit, and comprises an orientation change unit capable of changing the reference orientation determined by the orientation determination unit in response to a human operation input, and a parallel translation unit capable of parallel translation of the target driving route in response to a human operation input, and when the control mode of the driving control unit is the automatic steering mode, the parallel translation unit translates the target driving route in response to operation of the steering device.

With this configuration, there is no need to provide a dedicated operating member for translating the target travel path. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in manufacturing costs due to providing a dedicated operating member.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the orientation change unit is capable of displaying an orientation display screen that shows the reference orientation and the attitude orientation of the work vehicle.

With this configuration, the operator can compare the reference orientation with the attitude orientation of the work vehicle by looking at the orientation display screen. This makes it easy for the operator to check whether the reference orientation is appropriate.

Another feature of the present invention is a driving control system for controlling driving of a work vehicle, comprising a steering operation device for steering, and a driving control unit for controlling driving of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation device, the control mode of the driving control unit being switchable between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode, and when the control mode of the driving control unit is the manual steering mode, the driving control unit controls the driving of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation device, and when the control mode of the driving control unit is the automatic steering mode, the driving control unit controls the driving of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation device based on a direction determined by a direction determination unit. The system is capable of executing automatic steering control of the work vehicle based on a target driving route calculated based on a secondary direction, and is equipped with a direction change unit that can change the reference direction determined by the direction determination unit in response to a manual operation input, and a parallel movement unit that can translate the target driving route in response to a manual operation input, wherein the direction change unit has an input receiving unit that receives manual operation input, and is configured, when the input receiving unit is operated, to change the reference direction so that it matches the attitude direction of the work vehicle at the time the input receiving unit is operated.

According to this configuration , it is possible to realize a configuration in which the reference orientation is changed to coincide with the attitude orientation of the work vehicle at the time the input receiving unit is operated. As a result, if the operator adjusts the attitude orientation of the work vehicle in accordance with the actual state of the work place, such as a farm field, and then operates the input receiving unit, the reference orientation can be changed to an appropriate orientation in accordance with the actual state of the work place, such as a farm field.

In this way, the above configuration makes it possible to realize a driving control system that can easily change the reference direction to an appropriate direction according to the actual conditions of the work location, such as a farm field.

FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a steering operation tool. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration relating to a control unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display screen of the display when the control mode of the cruise control unit is switched to an automatic steering mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the display screen of the display at the time when the first registered location and the second registered location are stored in the azimuth determination unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example in which automatic steering control is performed in an automatic steering mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example in which automatic steering control is performed in an automatic steering mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state before a translation process is executed. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a translation process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state after a translation process is executed. 4 is a flowchart of a determination routine. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a direction display screen. FIG.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 1 is the "front", the direction of the arrow B is the "rear", the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 2 is the "left", and the direction of the arrow R is the "right". In addition, the direction of the arrow U in FIG. 1 is the "up" and the direction of the arrow D is the "down".

In addition, in the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the direction of the arrow N shown in Figures 6 to 10 is "north", the direction of the arrow S is "south", the direction of the arrow E is "east", and the direction of the arrow W is "west".

[Overall configuration of the combine]
As shown in Figure 1, a standard combine harvester 1 (corresponding to the "work vehicle" of the present invention) is equipped with a harvesting section H, a crawler-type running device 11, a driving section 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a conveying section 16, a grain discharge device 18, and a satellite positioning module 80.

The traveling device 11 is provided at the bottom of the combine harvester 1. The traveling device 11 is driven by power from an engine (not shown) mounted on the combine harvester 1. The combine harvester 1 can be self-propelled by the traveling device 11.

The driving section 12, threshing device 13, and grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11. An operator can ride in the driving section 12.

The grain discharge device 18 is provided on the upper side of the grain tank 14. The satellite positioning module 80 is attached to the upper surface of the driving unit 12.

The harvesting section H is provided at the front of the combine 1. The transport section 16 is provided at the rear of the harvesting section H. The harvesting section H also includes a cutting blade 15 and a reel 17.

The cutting blade 15 cuts the planted culms in the field. The reel 17 rotates around the reel axis 17b that runs along the left-right direction of the machine body, raking in the planted culms to be harvested. The cut culms cut by the cutting blade 15 are sent to the conveying section 16.

With this configuration, the harvesting section H harvests grains in the field. The combine 1 is capable of traveling while using the traveling device 11 to cut the planted stalks in the field with the cutting blade 15.

The harvested stalks harvested by the harvesting section H are transported to the rear of the machine by the transport section 16. This transports the harvested stalks to the threshing device 13.

The harvested stalks are threshed in the threshing device 13. The grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in the grain tank 14. The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged outside the machine by the grain discharge device 18 as necessary.

As shown in FIG. 1, a communication terminal 4 (corresponding to the "orientation change unit" according to the present invention) is disposed in the driving unit 12. The communication terminal 4 is configured to be able to display various information. In this embodiment, the communication terminal 4 is fixed to the driving unit 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication terminal 4 may be configured to be detachable from the driving unit 12, or the communication terminal 4 may be located outside the combine harvester 1.

The combine harvester 1 is configured to be capable of traveling under automatic steering control. Automatic steering control is control that automatically performs forward traveling. In particular, in this embodiment, automatic steering control is control that automatically performs forward traveling without large changes of direction such as α turns or U turns.

The combine harvester 1 is also configured to perform manual steering when automatic steering control is not being performed. Manual steering means that the combine harvester is driven by manual steering by the operator.

The driving section 12 is also provided with a main speed change lever (not shown). When the combine harvester 1 is traveling, the speed of the combine harvester 1 changes when the operator operates the main speed change lever. In other words, when the combine harvester 1 is traveling, the operator can change the speed of the combine harvester 1 by operating the main speed change lever.

The driving section 12 is also provided with a steering operation device 41 as shown in FIG. 2. When the combine harvester 1 is traveling with manual steering, a speed difference is generated between the left and right crawlers of the traveling device 11 when the operator operates the steering operation device 41. This causes the combine harvester 1 to turn. In other words, when the combine harvester 1 is traveling with manual steering, the operator can steer the combine harvester 1 by operating the steering operation device 41.

The combine harvester 1 is configured so that the operating force applied to the steering operation device 41 is not transmitted to the traveling device 11. In other words, the steering operation device 41 is not mechanically linked to the traveling device 11. When the operator operates the steering operation device 41, the movement of the steering operation device 41 is electrically detected, and the left and right crawlers of the traveling device 11 are controlled based on this detection. As a result, when a speed difference occurs between the left and right crawlers, the combine harvester 1 turns. When there is no speed difference between the left and right crawlers, the combine harvester 1 moves straight.

[Configuration of steering operation device]
2, the steering operation tool 41 is configured to be pivotable in the left-right direction between a right third operation position R3 and a left third operation position L3. A central operation position CP is located in the center of the movable range of the steering operation tool 41.

The right first operating position R1 and the right second operating position R2 are located between the central operating position CP and the right third operating position R3. The right second operating position R2 is located to the right of the right first operating position R1.

The left first operating position L1 and the left second operating position L2 are located between the central operating position CP and the left third operating position L3. The left second operating position L2 is located to the left of the left first operating position L1.

In this embodiment, the amount of operation of the steering operation tool 41 is the swing angle from the central operation position CP.

The amount of operation from the central operating position CP to the first right operating position R1 is the first operating amount A1. Also, the amount of operation from the central operating position CP to the second right operating position R2 is the second operating amount A2. And, as described above, the steering operation tool 41 can be operated to the right up to the third right operating position R3. That is, the steering operation tool 41 can be operated to the right by a greater amount than the second operating amount A2.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the same is true for the left side. That is, the operation amount from the central operation position CP to the first left operation position L1 is the first operation amount A1. Also, the operation amount from the central operation position CP to the second left operation position L2 is the second operation amount A2. And, as described above, the steering operation tool 41 can be operated to the left up to the third left operation position L3. That is, the steering operation tool 41 can be operated to the left by a greater amount than the second operation amount A2.

In this way, the movable range of the steering operation tool 41 is set so that the steering operation tool 41 can be operated greater than the second operation amount A2, which is greater than the first operation amount A1.

[Configuration of the driving control system]
In this embodiment, the traveling of the combine harvester 1 is controlled by a traveling control system A (see FIG. 3). That is, the traveling control system A controls the traveling of the combine harvester 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the combine harvester 1 includes a control unit 20. The communication terminal 4, the steering operation tool 41, and the control unit 20 are included in the traveling control system A.

That is, the driving control system A is equipped with a steering operation device 41 for steering.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 20 has a travel control unit 24. The travel control unit 24 is configured to be able to control the travel device 11. The travel control unit 24 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 by controlling the travel device 11.

The control unit 20 and each element included in the control unit 20, such as the driving control unit 24, may be a physical device such as a microcomputer, or may be a functional unit in software.

Here, the control mode of the driving control unit 24 can be switched between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode.

Although details will be described later, when the control mode of the driving control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode, the driving control unit 24 can execute automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1.

In this embodiment, the communication terminal 4 is configured to accept manual operation input. The control mode of the driving control unit 24 is switched by the operation input to the communication terminal 4. That is, the operator can switch the control mode of the driving control unit 24 between the manual steering mode and the automatic steering mode by the operation input to the communication terminal 4.

The following describes each control mode of the driving control unit 24 in detail.

[About manual steering mode]
When the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is the manual steering mode, as shown in Fig. 3, a signal corresponding to the operation of the steering operation device 41 is input from the steering operation device 41 to the travel control unit 24. Then, the travel control unit 24 controls the travel device 11 in response to this signal, thereby controlling the travel of the combine harvester 1.

That is, when the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is the manual steering mode, the travel control unit 24 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 in response to the operation of the steering operation device 41. In addition, the travel control system A is equipped with a travel control unit 24 that controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 in response to the operation of the steering operation device 41.

With this configuration, the combine harvester 1 performs manual steering travel when the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is in manual steering mode.

The travel control unit 24 is not particularly limited, but may be configured, for example, to move the combine harvester 1 straight when the operation amount of the steering operation device 41 is smaller than the first operation amount A1, and to turn the combine harvester 1 in the operation direction of the steering operation device 41 when the operation amount of the steering operation device 41 is equal to or larger than the first operation amount A1. Furthermore, the travel control unit 24 may be configured to control the travel of the combine harvester 1 so that the turning radius of the combine harvester 1 becomes smaller as the operation amount of the steering operation device 41 becomes larger when the operation amount of the steering operation device 41 is equal to or larger than the first operation amount A1.

[About automatic steering mode]
The automatic steering mode will be described below. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 20 has a vehicle position calculation unit 21 and an automatic steering control unit 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, the satellite positioning module 80 receives GPS signals from the artificial satellites GS used in the GPS (Global Positioning System). Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the satellite positioning module 80 sends positioning data indicating the vehicle position of the combine harvester 1 to the vehicle position calculation unit 21 based on the received GPS signals.

However, the present invention is not limited to this. The satellite positioning module 80 does not have to use GPS. For example, the satellite positioning module 80 may use a GNSS other than GPS (GLONASS, Galileo, Michibiki, BeiDou, etc.).

The vehicle position calculation unit 21 calculates the position coordinates of the combine 1 over time based on the positioning data output by the satellite positioning module 80.

In this way, the driving control system A is equipped with a vehicle position calculation unit 21 that calculates the vehicle position of the combine harvester 1 using satellite positioning. The position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 calculated by the vehicle position calculation unit 21 are sent to the driving control unit 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the combine harvester 1 is equipped with an inertial measurement device 81. The control unit 20 also has a vehicle orientation calculation unit 25.

The inertial measurement unit 81 detects the angular velocity of the yaw angle of the combine harvester 1 and the acceleration in three mutually orthogonal axial directions over time. The detection results by the inertial measurement unit 81 are sent to the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25.

The vehicle orientation calculation unit 25 receives the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 from the vehicle position calculation unit 21. The vehicle orientation calculation unit 25 then calculates the attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1 based on the detection results from the inertial measurement device 81 and the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1.

More specifically, first, while the combine harvester 1 is traveling, the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25 calculates the initial attitude orientation based on the current position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 and the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 at the point where it was traveling immediately before. Next, when the combine harvester 1 travels for a certain period of time after the initial attitude orientation is calculated, the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25 calculates the amount of change in the attitude orientation by integrating the angular velocity detected by the inertial measurement device 81 during the certain period of travel.

Then, the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25 updates the calculated attitude orientation by adding the amount of change in attitude orientation calculated in this way to the initial attitude orientation. After that, the amount of change in attitude orientation is similarly calculated at regular time intervals, and the calculated attitude orientation is updated sequentially.

With the above configuration, the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25 calculates the attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1. The attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1 calculated by the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25 is sent to the driving control unit 24.

When the control mode of the driving control unit 24 is switched from the manual steering mode to the automatic steering mode, the screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display 4b of the communication terminal 4. On the screen shown in FIG. 4, a first registration button 51, a second registration button 52, and an end button 63 are displayed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the communication terminal 4 receives the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 from the vehicle position calculation unit 21. This enables the communication terminal 4 to display the current position of the combine harvester 1 on the display 4b of the communication terminal 4.

The display 4b is also configured to be touch operable. The operator can perform operation input to the communication terminal 4 by performing a touch operation on the display 4b.

When the first registration button 51 shown in FIG. 4 is touched, a predetermined first signal is sent from the communication terminal 4 to the automatic steering control unit 30. In response to this first signal, the automatic steering control unit 30 acquires the position coordinates of the combine 1 from the vehicle position calculation unit 21. The automatic steering control unit 30 determines these position coordinates as the first registration point Q1 (see FIG. 5). The first registration point Q1 is stored in the direction determination unit 31 (see FIG. 3) in the automatic steering control unit 30.

In addition, when the combine harvester 1 is located at a location some distance away from the first registered point Q1 and the second registration button 52 is touched, a predetermined second signal is sent from the communication terminal 4 to the automatic steering control unit 30. In response to this second signal, the automatic steering control unit 30 acquires the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 from the vehicle position calculation unit 21. The automatic steering control unit 30 determines these position coordinates as the second registered point Q2 (see FIG. 5). The second registered point Q2 is stored in the orientation determination unit 31 (see FIG. 3).

On the screen shown in FIG. 4, after the operator touches the first registration button 51, the combine harvester 1 travels a certain distance using manual steering, and when the operator touches the second registration button 52, the first registration point Q1 and the second registration point Q2 are stored in the direction determination unit 31. Then, the display on the display 4b becomes the screen shown in FIG. 5.

The screen shown in FIG. 5 displays a first registration button 51, a second registration button 52, and an end button 63. This screen also displays a first registration point Q1, a second registration point Q2, and an already-harvested area BA. The already-harvested area BA is an area where planted stalks have been harvested by the combine harvester 1.

Then, the direction determination unit 31 determines a reference direction TA (see FIG. 6) for automatic steering control based on the first registered point Q1 and the second registered point Q2. More specifically, the direction determination unit 31 calculates the direction of a straight line connecting the first registered point Q1 and the second registered point Q2, and determines this direction as the reference direction TA.

That is, the direction determination unit 31 determines the direction of the straight line connecting the first registered point Q1 and the second registered point Q2 as the reference direction TA.

The format of the reference direction TA is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a format based on north, south, east, and west (e.g., "north" or "north 27 degrees east"), or may be a unit vector in a coordinate system.

The reference direction TA does not have to have a direction from one side to the other. For example, the reference direction TA may indicate the inclination of a line in a coordinate system (e.g., the inclination of a line passing through the first registered point Q1 and the second registered point Q2), may indicate the line itself in a coordinate system (e.g., the line itself passing through the first registered point Q1 and the second registered point Q2), or may indicate a direction based on north-south-east-west (e.g., the "north-south direction" or "east-west direction").

As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic steering control unit 30 has a path calculation unit 32. When the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode, after the orientation determination unit 31 determines the reference orientation TA, the path calculation unit 32 constantly calculates a travel line that passes through the center of the cutting width of the harvesting section H and is in the direction along the reference orientation TA. In other words, this travel line is calculated based on the reference orientation TA. Then, when the operator operates the automatic steering start/end button (not shown), the travel control unit 24 starts automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1.

However, the present invention is not limited to this. The travel control unit 24 may be configured to start automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 when the combine harvester 1 travels straight for a predetermined travel distance.

The location of the automatic steering start/end button is not particularly limited, but may be provided in the driving unit 12, or may be provided outside the combine harvester 1 of the driving control system A. When the driving control unit 24 is performing automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1, if the operator operates the automatic steering start/end button, the driving control unit 24 ends the automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1.

When the driving control unit 24 starts automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1, the path calculation unit 32 fixes the driving line calculated at that time. The fixed driving line becomes the automatic steering target line GL (corresponding to the "target driving path" of the present invention) (see FIG. 7). That is, when the automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 starts, the path calculation unit 32 determines the driving line calculated at that time as the automatic steering target line GL. Then, information indicating the automatic steering target line GL is sent from the automatic steering control unit 30 to the driving control unit 24.

During execution of the automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1, the travel control unit 24 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 based on the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 received from the vehicle position calculation unit 21, the attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1 received from the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25, and information indicating the automatic steering target line GL received from the automatic steering control unit 30. More specifically, the travel control unit 24 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 so that the harvesting travel is performed along the automatic steering target line GL. At this time, the travel control unit 24 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 so that, for example, the center of the cutting width of the harvesting section H is located on the automatic steering target line GL.

In other words, when the control mode of the driving control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode, the driving control unit 24 can execute automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 based on the automatic steering target line GL calculated based on the reference direction TA determined by the direction determination unit 31.

When automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 is being performed, the driving control unit 24 may control the driving of the combine harvester 1 based on the reference direction TA instead of the automatic steering target line GL. In this case, the driving control unit 24 may control the vehicle direction so that the attitude direction of the combine harvester 1 matches the reference direction TA or is parallel to the reference direction TA.

In addition, when the operator touches the end button 63 while the screen shown in FIG. 4 or the screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display 4b, the control mode of the driving control unit 24 switches from the automatic steering mode to the manual steering mode, and the screen on the display 4b switches to a screen for the manual steering mode (not shown).

Here, an example will be given to explain automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 in the automatic steering mode. In the example shown in Figures 6 and 7, the combine harvester 1 travels on the outer periphery of the field along the field boundary OB.

In FIG. 6, the control mode of the driving control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode. At this time, it is assumed that the reference direction TA has not yet been determined. The combine harvester 1 is traveling westward at the northern end of the field. After passing the first point P1, the combine harvester 1 passes the second point P2.

In this example, when the combine harvester 1 is located at the first point P1, the operator touches the first registration button 51. When the combine harvester 1 is located at the second point P2, the operator touches the second registration button 52.

As a result, the position coordinates of the first point P1 are stored in the direction determination unit 31 as the first registered point Q1. The position coordinates of the second point P2 are stored in the direction determination unit 31 as the second registered point Q2. The direction determination unit 31 then calculates the direction of a straight line from the first registered point Q1 to the second registered point Q2, and determines this direction as the reference direction TA. In this example, the reference direction TA coincides with the west direction.

Then, the path calculation unit 32 constantly calculates a driving line that passes through the center of the cutting width of the harvesting section H and is aligned with the reference direction TA. In this example, the path calculation unit 32 calculates a driving line that extends in the east-west direction.

Next, when the combine harvester 1 travels eastward at the southern end of the field, the operator operates the automatic steering start/end button. This causes the travel control unit 24 to start automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the travel line is fixed and becomes the automatic steering target line GL. This automatic steering target line GL extends in the east-west direction at the southern end of the field.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the combine harvester 1 travels eastward at the southern end of the field under automatic steering control.

[About parallel translation processing]
As shown in Fig. 3, the automatic steering control unit 30 has a parallel movement unit 35. The parallel movement unit 35 is configured to be able to execute a parallel movement process. The parallel movement process is a process of moving the automatic steering target line GL in parallel in response to the operation of the steering operation tool 41 by the operator when the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode and the automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 is being executed. Note that the operation of the steering operation tool 41 by the operator is a specific example of the "artificial operation input" according to the present invention.

That is, the driving control system A includes a parallel movement unit 35 that can translate the automatic steering target line GL in response to a human operation input. Furthermore, when the control mode of the driving control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode, the parallel movement unit 35 translates the automatic steering target line GL in response to the operation of the steering operation tool 41.

The following describes an example of how the parallel translation unit 35 performs parallel translation processing.

In the example shown in Figures 8 to 10, the combine harvester 1 is traveling north at the eastern end of the field. The boundary OB at the eastern end of the field bends at the third point P3 and the fourth point P4 shown in Figure 8. The fourth point P4 is located northeast of the third point P3. The part of the field boundary OB south of the third point P3 and the part of the field boundary OB north of the fourth point P4 extend in the north-south direction. The part of the field boundary OB connecting the third point P3 and the fourth point P4 extends in the northeast direction from the third point P3.

In FIG. 8, the combine harvester 1 is performing harvesting travel under automatic steering control along a first target line GL1 extending in the north-south direction. The first target line GL1 is the automatic steering target line GL. At this time, the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode. Also, the reference direction TA at this time is assumed to be northward.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the combine harvester 1 reaches the third point P3, the operator operates the steering operation device 41 to a position between the right first operation position R1 and the right second operation position R2. As a result, the steering operation device 41 is operated to the right by an amount equal to or greater than the first operation amount A1 and equal to or less than the second operation amount A2.

The parallel movement unit 35 is configured to execute a parallel movement process when the steering operation device 41 is operated so that the operation amount of the steering operation device 41 is equal to or greater than the first operation amount A1 and equal to or less than the second operation amount A2 while automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 is being executed in the automatic steering mode.

Therefore, in response to the operation of the steering operation tool 41 shown in FIG. 9, the parallel movement unit 35 executes a parallel movement process. In the parallel movement process in this embodiment, the automatic steering target line GL is moved parallel to the operation direction of the steering operation tool 41. In this example, since the steering operation tool 41 is operated to the right, the automatic steering target line GL is moved parallel to the right by a predetermined movement distance.

This allows the calculation of the second target line GL2, which is the new automatic steering target line GL. Note that in the parallel movement process, the new automatic steering target line GL may be calculated by the parallel movement unit 35, or may be calculated by the path calculation unit 32 that receives an instruction signal from the parallel movement unit 35.

If the steering operation tool 41 is operated to the left by an amount equal to or greater than the first operation amount A1 and equal to or less than the second operation amount A2, the automatic steering target line GL moves in parallel to the left by a predetermined distance.

The distance traveled at this time can be set arbitrarily. For example, the distance traveled is 10 cm (centimeters).

In addition, if the operation amount of the steering operation tool 41 is less than the first operation amount A1, the parallel movement unit 35 does not execute the parallel movement process.

In this example, the second target line GL2, which is the new automatic steering target line GL, is calculated, and at the same time, the first target line GL1, which is the old automatic steering target line GL, is discarded. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the new automatic steering target line GL is calculated, the old automatic steering target line GL is not discarded, and may remain stored.

As shown in FIG. 10, after the parallel movement process is executed, the combine harvester 1 performs harvesting driving under automatic steering control along the second target line GL2. That is, immediately after the parallel movement process is executed, the combine harvester 1 drives so as to approach the second target line GL2. Thereafter, the combine harvester 1 drives so that the body position of the combine harvester 1 is located on the second target line GL2.

[About the judgment routine]
The automatic steering control unit 30 (see FIG. 3) determines whether or not to execute a parallel movement process according to a determination routine shown in FIG. 11 when the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode and automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 is being executed. This determination routine is stored in the automatic steering control unit 30. The automatic steering control unit 30 repeatedly executes this determination routine at regular time intervals when the control mode of the travel control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode and automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 is being executed.

The following describes the determination routine with reference to Figure 11.

When the judgment routine is started, first, the processing of step S11 is executed. In step S11, it is judged whether or not the steering operation device 41 has been operated based on a signal indicating the operation state of the steering operation device 41 sent from the steering operation device 41 to the automatic steering control unit 30. If the steering operation device 41 has not been operated, the judgment in step S11 is No, and the processing is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, if the steering operation device 41 has been operated, the judgment in step S11 is Yes, and the processing proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, it is determined whether the operation amount of the steering operation tool 41 is smaller than the first operation amount A1. If the operation amount of the steering operation tool 41 is smaller than the first operation amount A1, the result of step S12 is Yes, and the process ends for the time being. If the operation amount of the steering operation tool 41 is equal to or larger than the first operation amount A1, the result of step S12 is No, and the process proceeds to step S13.

The present invention is not limited to this, and the steering operation tool 41 may be configured so that when the operation amount is smaller than the first operation amount A1, the signal by the operation of the steering operation tool 41 is not sent to the travel control unit 24 and the automatic steering control unit 30. In other words, the combine harvester 1 may be configured so that when the operation amount of the steering operation tool 41 is smaller than the first operation amount A1, the combine harvester 1 is in the same state as when the steering operation tool 41 is not operated. In this case, step S12 may not be provided, and in step S11, if the operation amount of the steering operation tool 41 is smaller than the first operation amount A1, it may be determined as No, and if the operation amount of the steering operation tool 41 is equal to or larger than the first operation amount A1, it may be determined as Yes.

In step S13, it is determined whether the amount of operation of the steering operation tool 41 is equal to or less than the second amount of operation A2. If the amount of operation of the steering operation tool 41 is greater than the second amount of operation A2, step S13 is determined as No, and the process proceeds to step S14. If the amount of operation of the steering operation tool 41 is equal to or less than the second amount of operation A2, step S13 is determined as Yes, and the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S14, the automatic steering control by the driving control unit 24 is terminated. Then, the processing ends for the time being. After this, the combine 1 travels by manual steering while the control mode of the driving control unit 24 remains in the automatic steering mode.

In step S15, the above-mentioned parallel movement process is executed. After that, the process ends.

[Regarding changes to the reference direction]
When the control mode of the driving control unit 24 is the automatic steering mode, the communication terminal 4 is configured to be able to display a direction display screen on the display 4b. The direction display screen is displayed on the display 4b of the communication terminal 4 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, the orientation display screen displays an attitude orientation display section 71, a reference orientation display section 72, a plus button 73, a minus button 74, and a current orientation button 75 (corresponding to the "input receiving section" of the present invention).

As shown in FIG. 3, the communication terminal 4 acquires the current attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1 from the vehicle orientation calculation unit 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the communication terminal 4 displays the current attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1 on the attitude orientation display unit 71.

In this embodiment, the attitude direction displayed on the attitude direction display unit 71 is a value when north is set to 0°. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the attitude direction displayed on the attitude direction display unit 71 does not have to be a value. For example, an icon indicating the attitude direction may be displayed on the attitude direction display unit 71.

As shown in FIG. 12, the communication terminal 4 acquires information indicating the reference direction TA from the direction determination unit 31. Then, the communication terminal 4 displays the reference direction TA on the reference direction display unit 72.

In this embodiment, the reference orientation TA displayed on the reference orientation display unit 72 is a value when north is set to 0°. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the reference orientation TA displayed on the reference orientation display unit 72 does not have to be a value. For example, an icon indicating the reference orientation TA may be displayed on the reference orientation display unit 72.

In this way, the communication terminal 4 can display a direction display screen that shows the reference direction TA and the attitude direction of the combine harvester 1.

The plus button 73 and the minus button 74 are touch-operable buttons. Each time the operator touches the plus button 73, a specific signal is sent to the azimuth determination unit 31. This signal indicates that the plus button 73 has been touched.

Here, the orientation determination unit 31 stores the reference orientation TA determined by the orientation determination unit 31. Then, when the orientation determination unit 31 receives a signal indicating that the plus button 73 has been touched, it increases the value of the reference orientation TA by a predetermined angle. Then, the orientation determination unit 31 stores the reference orientation TA after the value has been increased.

With this configuration, each time the operator touches the plus button 73, the value of the reference orientation TA increases in increments of a specified angle. Note that in this embodiment, an increase in the value of the reference orientation TA is equivalent to the reference orientation TA changing in the clockwise direction in a planar view. For example, an increase of 10° in the value of the reference orientation TA is equivalent to the reference orientation TA changing in the clockwise direction by 10° in a planar view.

In addition, each time the operator touches the minus button 74, a specific signal is sent to the azimuth determination unit 31. This signal indicates that the minus button 74 has been touched.

When the direction determination unit 31 receives a signal indicating that the minus button 74 has been touched, it decreases the value of the reference direction TA by a predetermined angle. Then, the direction determination unit 31 stores the reference direction TA after the value has been decreased.

With this configuration, each time the operator touches the minus button 74, the value of the reference orientation TA decreases in increments of a specified angle. In this embodiment, a decrease in the value of the reference orientation TA is equivalent to the reference orientation TA changing in the counterclockwise direction in a planar view. For example, a decrease in the value of the reference orientation TA by 10° is equivalent to the reference orientation TA changing in the counterclockwise direction by 10° in a planar view.

With the configuration described above, the communication terminal 4 is configured to be able to change the reference orientation TA in increments of a specified angle by manual operation input. In this embodiment, this specified angle is 0.1°. In other words, the communication terminal 4 is configured to be able to change the reference orientation TA in increments of 0.1° by manual operation input. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and this specified angle may be any angle other than 0.1°.

The current orientation button 75 is a touch-operable button. When the operator touches the current orientation button 75, a specified signal is sent to the orientation determination unit 31. When the orientation determination unit 31 receives this signal, it changes the reference orientation TA based on the attitude and orientation of the combine 1 at the time the current orientation button 75 is touched. More specifically, the orientation determination unit 31 changes the reference orientation TA so that it matches the attitude and orientation of the combine 1 at the time the current orientation button 75 is touched.

In this way, the communication terminal 4 has a current orientation button 75 that accepts manual operation input, and can change the reference orientation TA based on the attitude and orientation of the combine 1 at the time the current orientation button 75 is operated.

For example, in the state shown in FIG. 12, the attitude orientation of the combine 1 is 353.8°. Also, the reference orientation TA is 330.2°. At this time, when the current orientation button 75 is touched, the reference orientation TA is changed from 330.2° to 353.8°.

When the reference direction display section 72 is touched, a value input section 76 is displayed on the display 4b, as shown in FIG. 13. A value indicating the direction can be manually input into the value input section 76.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the value input unit 76 includes numeric keys from "0" to "9." The operator can input a value indicating the direction by touching each numeric key. After inputting, by touching the "OK" button in the value input unit 76, the input value is sent to the direction determination unit 31. The direction determination unit 31 changes the reference direction TA based on the received value. More specifically, the direction determination unit 31 changes the reference direction TA so that it matches the received value.

In this way, the communication terminal 4 is configured to allow a value indicating a direction to be manually input, and the reference direction TA can be changed based on the input value.

With the configuration described above, the communication terminal 4 changes the reference direction TA via the direction determination unit 31 in response to manual operation input.

That is, the driving control system A is equipped with a communication terminal 4 that can change the reference direction TA determined by the direction determination unit 31 in response to manual operational input.

When the reference direction TA is changed by operating the communication terminal 4, the changed reference direction TA is displayed on the reference direction display unit 72.

With the configuration described above, the reference direction TA can be changed by manual operation input. This allows the operator to change the reference direction TA at will.

Furthermore, with the configuration described above, the automatic steering target line GL can be translated by manual operation input. Here, when the automatic steering target line GL translates while traveling under automatic steering control, the traveling position of the combine 1 changes to the left or right. Therefore, with the configuration described above, the operator can change the traveling position while traveling under automatic steering control by manual operation input. This allows the operator to freely change the traveling position while traveling under automatic steering control.

Therefore, with the configuration described above, it is possible to realize a driving control system A that allows the operator to arbitrarily change the reference heading TA and the driving position while driving using automatic steering control.

Other embodiments
(1) The traveling device 11 may be of a wheel type or a semi-crawler type.

(2) The steering operation device 41 may be constituted by a steering wheel.

(3) Some or all of the vehicle position calculation unit 21, the driving control unit 24, the vehicle direction calculation unit 25, the automatic steering control unit 30, the direction determination unit 31, the path calculation unit 32, and the parallel movement unit 35 may be provided outside the combine harvester 1, for example, in a management facility or a management server provided outside the combine harvester 1.

(4) The parallel movement unit 35 may be configured to execute parallel movement processing when the steering operation device 41 is operated while automatic steering control of the combine harvester 1 is being executed in the automatic steering mode, regardless of the amount of operation of the steering operation device 41.

(5) The reference azimuth TA may be changed in response to manual operation of the steering operation tool 41. In this case, the steering operation tool 41 corresponds to the "azimuth change unit" according to the present invention. In addition, a member other than the communication terminal 4 and the steering operation tool 41 may be provided as a member corresponding to the "azimuth change unit" according to the present invention.

(6) The automatic steering target line GL may be configured to move in parallel in response to manual operation of the communication terminal 4.

(7) The azimuth determination unit 31 may be configured to receive a value input to the value input unit 76, correct the value based on various information, and match the reference azimuth TA to the corrected value. In this case, the reference azimuth TA is changed based on the value input to the value input unit 76.

(8) The orientation determination unit 31 may be configured to receive the attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1 at the time the current orientation button 75 is touched, correct the attitude orientation based on various information, and match the reference orientation TA with the corrected attitude orientation. In this case, the reference orientation TA is changed based on the attitude orientation of the combine harvester 1 at the time the current orientation button 75 is touched.

The configurations disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, so long as no contradiction occurs. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the purpose of the present invention.

The present invention can be used not only for normal combine harvesters, but also for a variety of work vehicles, including head-feeding combine harvesters, tractors, rice transplanters, corn harvesters, potato harvesters, carrot harvesters, and construction machines.

1 Combine (work vehicle)
4. Communication terminal (direction change unit)
24 Travel control unit 31 Direction determination unit 35 Parallel movement unit 41 Steering operation tool 75 Current direction button (input reception unit)
A Driving control system GL Automatic steering target line (target driving route)
TA Reference Orientation

Claims (4)

A travel control system for controlling travel of a work vehicle,
A steering operation tool for steering;
a travel control unit that controls travel of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation device,
The control mode of the driving control unit is switchable between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode,
When the control mode of the travel control unit is the manual steering mode, the travel control unit controls the travel of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation tool,
When the control mode of the travel control unit is the automatic steering mode, the travel control unit is capable of executing automatic steering control of the work vehicle based on a target travel route calculated based on a reference orientation determined by an orientation determination unit,
an orientation change unit capable of changing the reference orientation determined by the orientation determination unit in response to an artificial operation input;
a translation unit capable of translating the target travel route in response to an artificial operation input ,
The direction change unit is configured to allow a value indicating a direction to be manually input via operation of numeric keys from 0 to 9, and the driving control system is capable of changing the reference direction based on the input value . A travel control system for controlling travel of a work vehicle,
A steering operation tool for steering;
a travel control unit that controls travel of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation device,
The control mode of the driving control unit is switchable between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode,
When the control mode of the travel control unit is the manual steering mode, the travel control unit controls the travel of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation tool,
When the control mode of the travel control unit is the automatic steering mode, the travel control unit is capable of executing automatic steering control of the work vehicle based on a target travel route calculated based on a reference orientation determined by an orientation determination unit,
an orientation change unit capable of changing the reference orientation determined by the orientation determination unit in response to an artificial operation input;
a translation unit capable of translating the target travel route in response to an artificial operation input,
The orientation change unit has an input receiving unit that receives manual operational input, and when the input receiving unit is operated, the travel control system is configured to change the reference orientation so that it matches the attitude and orientation of the work vehicle at the time the input receiving unit is operated. A travel control system for controlling travel of a work vehicle,
A steering operation tool for steering;
a travel control unit that controls travel of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation device,
The control mode of the driving control unit is switchable between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode,
When the control mode of the travel control unit is the manual steering mode, the travel control unit controls the travel of the work vehicle in response to operation of the steering operation tool,
When the control mode of the travel control unit is the automatic steering mode, the travel control unit is capable of executing automatic steering control of the work vehicle based on a target travel route calculated based on a reference orientation determined by an orientation determination unit,
an orientation change unit capable of changing the reference orientation determined by the orientation determination unit in response to an artificial operation input;
a translation unit capable of translating the target travel route in response to an artificial operation input,
The parallel movement unit is a driving control system that causes the target driving path to be translated in response to operation of the steering operation device when the control mode of the driving control unit is the automatic steering mode. The driving control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the orientation change unit is capable of displaying an orientation display screen that shows the reference orientation and the attitude orientation of the work vehicle.

Images