JP7517654B2 - Agricultural Support System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an agricultural support system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a technology for renting out a work machine.
The work machine rental system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a first management server having a communication unit capable of outputting first information related to the work machine when a rental reservation for the work machine is made, and a second management server having a storage unit for storing second information related to the manufactured or sold work machines. The second management server has an issuing unit for issuing command information including permission or denial of rental of the work machine by referring to the first information and the second information stored in the storage unit.

Furthermore, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is known as a technique for supporting agriculture.
The agricultural support system disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a data collection device that is provided on an agricultural machine that performs agricultural work in a field and that collects agricultural work data when the agricultural machine performs agricultural work, a server that stores the agricultural data, and a mobile terminal that can communicate with the server. The mobile terminal has a creation means that can create work details that include at least the field and the agricultural machine, and a communication unit that transmits the work details created by the creation means to the server.

JP 2017-68453 A JP 2017-37681 A

In order to grow crops in a specific area, agricultural machinery is often lent out (shared) to perform farm work. However, when a farmer wishes to perform farm work using agricultural machinery, there may be cases where the farm work cannot be performed using the agricultural machinery because there is no agricultural machinery available for rental, which may delay the execution of the farm work and adversely affect the growth of the crops.
The technology of Patent Document 1 can permit or deny rental of a working machine based on information on the manufacture or sale of the working machine, but cannot manage the lending and borrowing of agricultural machines because it does not take into account the usage status of the machine.Furthermore, the technology of Patent Document 2, which manages data on farm work performed by agricultural machines, cannot manage the lending and borrowing of agricultural machines.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to smoothly carry out agricultural work that is optimal for crop growth without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem is characterized by the following points.
An agricultural support system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a data storage unit that stores data related to agriculture in a field in which crops can be cultivated, a growth prediction unit that predicts a growth condition of the crop based on the data stored in the data storage unit, a plan creation unit that creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating the crop based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit, a machine storage unit that stores a plurality of agricultural machines to be used in the agricultural work, a machine request unit that selects a machine to be used that is an agricultural machine to be used in the agricultural work from among the plurality of agricultural machines stored in the machine storage unit and a machine request unit that requests borrowing time for the machine to be used, and and an adjustment unit that adjusts the borrowing time of the machine to be used if it is determined that the machine to be used requested by the requesting unit cannot be rented out for the borrowing time , wherein the growth prediction unit predicts the growth condition of the crop when the agricultural work is performed with different work periods, and the plan creation unit sets the optimal work period for the agricultural work based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit and notifies a plan for the agricultural work including the work period, and when the adjustment unit determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out for the borrowing time, it changes the borrowing time within the work period and notifies the changed borrowing time .

In one aspect of the present invention , the plan creation unit notifies an external terminal of the farm work plan, and the adjustment unit notifies the external terminal of a change to the borrowing time.

An agricultural support system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a data storage unit that stores data related to agriculture in a field in which crops can be cultivated, a growth prediction unit that predicts the growth condition of the crop based on the data stored in the data storage unit, a plan creation unit that creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating the crop based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit, a machine storage unit that stores a plurality of agricultural machines to be used in the agricultural work, a machine request unit that selects a machine to be used for the agricultural work from the plurality of agricultural machines stored in the machine storage unit and a machine request unit that requests borrowing time for the machine to be used, and lends out the machine to be used requested by the machine request unit for the borrowing time. and an adjustment unit that adjusts the borrowing time of the machine to be used if it determines that it is not possible to lend out the machine to the use during the borrowing time, wherein the growth prediction unit predicts the growth condition of the crop when the agricultural work is performed by changing the work period, and the plan creation unit sets the optimal work period for the agricultural work based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit and notifies the user of a plan for the agricultural work including the work period, and when it determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing time, the adjustment unit changes the borrowing time within the work period to a rest period when the agricultural work is not performed and changes the rest period other than the borrowing time to a work period when the agricultural work is performed, thereby adjusting the plan for the agricultural work and notifying the user of the changes.

In one aspect of the present invention , the plan creation unit notifies an external terminal of the farm work plan, and the adjustment unit notifies the external terminal of changes to the farm work plan.

In one aspect of the present invention , the data storage unit stores as the data at least any of the following: weather information for the field, fertilization information when fertilizer is sprayed on the field, soil information for the field, harvest information for the crop, and growth information for the crop, and the growth prediction unit predicts the growth condition of the crop based on any of the weather information, fertilization information, soil information, harvest information, and growth information.

In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, the plan creation unit creates a plan for the agricultural work in accordance with the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit.
In one aspect of the present invention, the machine memory unit is provided in a management device to which an external terminal can be connected, and the machine request unit is provided in the external terminal and makes a request of the machine to be used and the borrowed time to the management device.
In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, if the number of the machines in use during the borrowing time is greater than the number of the agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit, the adjustment unit determines that the machines in use cannot be rented out during the borrowing time.

In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, when the adjustment unit determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing time, it changes the machine to be used to another agricultural machine of a different model that can be rented out.
In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, the adjustment unit notifies of a change in the machine being used.
Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention, the machine memory unit is provided in a management device to which an external terminal can be connected, and the management device accepts information regarding the agricultural machinery that can be rented out from the external terminal and stores it in the machine memory unit.

According to the present invention, agricultural work that is optimal for crop growth can be carried out smoothly without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an agricultural support system. This is an image diagram of sharing various agricultural data and agricultural machinery. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth conditions (grass height) and tillage. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth conditions (grass height) and plowing. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (grass height) and basal fertilizer. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth conditions (grass height) and rice planting. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (grass height) and pesticide spraying. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (amount of white rice) and harvest cloth. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an agricultural work plan. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a registration screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of registration information. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen for confirming the sharing status of the agricultural machine. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen for confirming the sharing status after the rental time of the agricultural machine has been changed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The agricultural support system 100 of this embodiment is a system that supports agriculture for growing crops in a specified area. As shown in FIG. 1, the agricultural support system 100 includes a management device 10 and an external terminal 20. The management device 10 is a server or the like for managing agriculture. The external terminal 20 is a terminal device such as a computer, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal that can be operated by a farm worker who performs agricultural work or a manager who supervises agricultural work. In the example shown in FIG. 1, three external terminals 20 are provided, but at least one or more external terminals 20 are provided depending on the number of farm workers, etc. The external terminal 20 communicates with the management device 10, for example, via a wide area communication network such as the Internet.

<Outline of field data>
The management device 10 has a data storage unit 11. The data storage unit 11 is composed of a non-volatile memory or the like, and stores various data related to agriculture. For example, the data storage unit 11 stores data related to farm fields where crops can be cultivated.
The data memory unit 11 stores at least one of the following items shown in Figure 2: weather information F1 for field H1, fertilization information F2 when fertilization was performed in field H1, soil information F3 for field H1, harvest information F4 of crops cultivated in field H1, and current growth information F5 of crops in field H1.

The weather information F1 includes information such as wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, weather (sunny, cloudy, rain, thunder, snow), rainfall amount, snowfall amount, precipitation probability, air pressure, or air pressure configuration in or around the field, as well as information that changes depending on the date and time of observation. By connecting to a server installed in the Japan Meteorological Agency that manages weather information or a weather information provider, the management device 10 can obtain weather information stored in the server and store the weather information in the data storage unit 11. The weather information includes the actual wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, weather (sunny, cloudy, rain, thunder, snow), rainfall amount, snowfall amount, precipitation probability, air pressure, or air pressure configuration in or around the field.

In addition, the management device 10 may obtain predicted weather information for the short term, such as a few minutes, tens of minutes, or a few hours from the present time, or predicted weather information for the medium to long term, such as a few days, weeks, or months from now, from the server and store it in the data storage unit 11.
The fertilization information F2 includes the amount of fertilizer applied at a predetermined position when the spray agent is sprayed on the field by a sprayer, etc. The management device 10 is connected to a sprayer or a computer that manages spraying, and is thereby able to acquire fertilization information from the computer and store the fertilization information in the data storage unit 11.

The soil information F3 includes information indicating the components (chemical components) of the soil of the field H1 and the soil hardness, etc. The soil information may be information obtained by collecting soil with a soil sampler and performing chemical analysis of the collected soil, or may be information obtained by sensing the field H1 with an artificial satellite, an unmanned aerial vehicle, etc. and analyzing the spectral data obtained during sensing. The management device 10 is capable of acquiring soil information from a server that provides data obtained by chemically analyzing the soil of the field H1 or a server that provides sensing data of the field H1 by connecting to the server, and storing the soil information in the data storage unit 11.

The harvest information F4 includes the harvest yield at a specified position and the harvest date and time when the crop is harvested by a harvesting machine such as a combine. By connecting to the harvesting machine or a computer that manages the harvest, the management device 10 can acquire harvest information from the harvesting period or computer and store the harvest information in the data storage unit 11. Note that before the crop is harvested, sensing of the field H1 may be performed by an artificial satellite or an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the harvest yield may be estimated by analyzing the spectral data obtained during the sensing, and the results may be included in the harvest information F4.

The growth information F5 includes information indicating the growth status of the crop obtained by sensing the field H1 by an artificial satellite or an unmanned aerial vehicle after the crop is planted and analyzing the spectral data obtained during the sensing. The growth information F5 also includes information obtained by analyzing an image of the crop captured from above the field using vegetation indices such as DVI, RVI, NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, TSAVI, CAI, MTCI, REP, PRI, or RSI.

<Growth forecast>
As shown in Fig. 1, the management device 10 includes a growth prediction unit 12. The growth prediction unit 12 is composed of an electric/electronic circuit or a program provided in the management device 10. The growth prediction unit 12 predicts the growth (growth condition) of the crop based on the data stored in the data storage unit 11. The growth (growth condition) of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit 12 includes, for example, the height of the crop, the size of the stem, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the color of the stem, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the disease condition of the crop, the deterioration condition of the crop due to pests, the degree of lodging of the crop, and the like.

The growth prediction unit 12 has various growth models according to the growth condition of the crop to be predicted. For example, by applying the current growth information F5 and meteorological information F1 to a predetermined growth model, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts the change in the height of the crop, the color of the stem, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the disease condition of the crop, the deterioration condition of the crop due to pests, and the like as the growth (growth condition) of the crop. Alternatively, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts the size of the stem, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the degree of lodging, and the like as the growth (growth condition) of the crop by applying the fertilization information F2, which is the past record of fertilization, and the harvest information F4 to the growth model.

In addition, taking into account the uncertainty of weather fluctuations, the weather information F1 may include a number of weather scenarios generated based on probabilistic seasonal forecasts, and the growth prediction unit 12 may predict crop growth by applying the weather information F1 to a growth model. Also, the weather information F1 may be updated daily based on actual weather observation results, and the crop growth prediction by the growth prediction unit 12 may also be updated daily based on the weather information F1.

The crop growth prediction by the growth prediction unit 12 is a probabilistic prediction. For this reason, the growth prediction unit 12 may probabilistically predict growth events such as the dates of flowering and ripening of crops, and may also probabilistically calculate the reliability of the prediction and notify farmers or the like of the reliability.
The prediction by the above-mentioned growth prediction unit 12 is an example and is not limiting. For example, the weather information F1, the fertilization information F2, the soil information F3, the harvest information F4, or the growth information F5 may be input to a computer that predicts the growth of crops, and the computer may perform deep learning to build a trained model using artificial intelligence, and the trained model may be used to predict the growth (growth status) of the crops.

<Planning Department>
As shown in FIG. 1, the management device 10 includes a plan creation unit 13. The plan creation unit 13 is composed of an electric/electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the management device 10. The plan creation unit 13 creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating crops based on the growth (growth state) of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. The plan creation unit 13 creates work content for agricultural work when cultivating crops in accordance with the growth predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. The work content includes bed soil preparation, ridge painting, plowing, sowing, rice planting, plowing, ditch cutting, weeding (spraying pesticides, mowing), top dressing, harvesting, and the like.

3A to 3F show examples of growth (growth conditions) predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. As the growth conditions, Fig. 3A to Fig. 3E show the plant height (vegetation index) of the crop as an example, and Fig. 3F shows the amount of white rice contained in the harvested rice as an example, but the growth conditions are not limited to these.
3A, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a grass height transition W1 when plowing is performed from 4/10 to 4/19, a grass height transition W2 when plowing is performed from 3/29 to 4/9 , and a grass height transition W3 when plowing is performed after 4/20. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects, for example, the transition W1 where the grass height is the longest as the best grass height transition (pattern), and sets plowing to be performed in the period from 4/10 to 4/19 corresponding to the transition W1.

3B, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a grass height transition W4 when plowing is performed in the period from 4/20 to 4/30 , and a grass height transition W5 when plowing is not performed. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects transition W4 as the best grass height transition, and sets plowing to be performed in the period from 4/20 to 4/30 corresponding to transition W4.
3C, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a change in plant height W6 when basal fertilizer (fertilizer application) is performed in the period from April 25 to May 5, and a change in plant height W7 when basal fertilizer (fertilizer application) is not performed. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects the change W6 as the best change in plant height, and sets the application of basal fertilizer (fertilizer application) in the period from April 25 to May 5 corresponding to the change W6.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts the grass height transition W8 when rice planting is performed from 5/1 to 5/9, the grass height transition W9 when tilling is performed from 5/10 to 5/19, and the grass height transition W10 when tilling is performed after 5/20. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects the transition W8 as the best grass height transition, and sets rice planting to be performed in the period from 5/1 to 5/9 that corresponds to the transition W8.

As shown in FIG. 3E, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts the grass height transition W11 when pesticides are sprayed from 6/15 to 6/30, the grass height transition W12 when plowing is performed from 7/1 to 7/9, and the grass height transition W13 when plowing is performed after 7/10. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects the transition W11 as the best grass height transition, and sets pesticide spraying to be performed in the period from 6/15 to 6/30 corresponding to the transition W11.

In the above example, the plan creation unit 13 selects the transition in which the grass height is the longest as the best grass height transition, but is not limited to this. For example, the plan creation unit 13 may select another transition state of grass height, such as a transition in which the grass height is the least long, or a transition in which the grass height is increased by a predetermined length, as the best grass height transition.
As shown in Fig. 3F, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a transition W14 of the amount of sirata rice when harvesting is performed from 9/1 to 9/15, a transition W15 of the amount of sirata rice when harvesting is performed from 9/16 to 10/10, and a transition W16 of the amount of sirata rice when harvesting is performed after 10/11. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects the transition W15, which shows the smallest amount of sirata rice, as the best pattern, and sets harvesting to be performed in the period from 9/16 to 10/10, which corresponds to the transition W15.

Figure 4 shows an example of an agricultural work plan created by the plan creation unit 13. The plan creation unit 13 selects the optimal time to perform the agricultural work based on the crop growth conditions predicted by the growth prediction unit 12, and creates an agricultural work plan to carry out the agricultural work as shown in Figure 4. Plan information indicating the agricultural work plan created by the plan creation unit 13 is stored in the data storage unit 11 or other storage unit provided in the management device 10. In addition, when the farm worker or manager performs a specified operation on the external terminal 20, the external terminal 20 obtains the plan information from the management device 10 and displays the agricultural work plan on the display unit 21 based on the plan information.

<Sharing>
<Registration of agricultural machinery, etc.>
The agricultural support system 100 supports the sharing of agricultural machinery such as a tractor 31, a rice transplanter 32, and a combine harvester 33 (see FIG. 2) used in agricultural work. The management device 10 receives information on agricultural machinery available for rent, registers a plurality of agricultural machinery available for rent, and supports the sharing of agricultural machinery required for agricultural work among agricultural workers in a specified area.

For example, the management device 10 includes a registration unit 14 and a machine storage unit 15. The registration unit 14 is composed of an electric/electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the management device 10. The registration unit 14 registers information on agricultural machines, etc. used in agricultural work, in the management device 10. The machine storage unit 15 is composed of a non-volatile memory and stores a plurality of agricultural machines.
When an external terminal 20 such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or personal computer is connected to the management device 10 and a predetermined operation is performed on the terminal device 20, the registration unit 14 displays a screen (registration screen) M1 for registering the agricultural machinery and its owner on the external terminal 20, as shown in Fig. 5. On the registration screen M1, it is possible to input information about the owner of the agricultural machinery (e.g., name, address, email address, telephone number, etc.) and agricultural machinery information about the agricultural machinery (e.g., type of agricultural machinery (tractor, combine, rice transplanter, spreader, mower, etc.), manufacturer, model number, and exterior photo of the agricultural machinery, etc.).

The farm worker performs a predetermined operation on the terminal device 20 to input owner information and agricultural machinery information in predetermined input fields on the registration screen M1, and then confirms the input contents (selects the "OK" key on the registration screen M1). The registration unit 14 then associates the owner information and machinery information input on the registration screen M1, and stores (registers) them in the machine storage unit 15. By repeatedly executing this information registration procedure, registration information including multiple pieces of agricultural machinery information and owner information associated with each piece of agricultural machinery information, as shown in Figure 6, is stored as a database in the machine storage unit 15.
In the registration screen M1 of Figure 5, a specific area where agriculture is carried out (city, town, village, association, etc.) may be treated as a single community, and only farmers belonging to that community may be allowed to register agricultural machinery information and owner information, or any farmer may be allowed to register agricultural machinery information and owner information regardless of the community.

<Demands for agricultural machinery>
The external terminal 20 (FIG. 1) includes a display unit 21 and a machine request unit 22. The display unit 21 is capable of displaying various information and is configured from a liquid crystal panel, an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, or the like. As shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 21 can display the agricultural work plan (agricultural work plan) created by the plan creation unit 13. The farm worker refers to the agricultural work plan and decides the agricultural machinery to be used in the field H1 and the date and time when the agricultural machinery will be used. Then, when the number of agricultural machines required for the agricultural work is insufficient or when the farm worker does not own the agricultural machinery required for the agricultural work, the farm worker operates the external terminal 20 to make a borrowing request (borrowing request) for the agricultural machinery to the management device 10.
The machine request unit 22 is composed of an electric/electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the external terminal 20. The machine request unit 22 requests a machine to be used, which is an agricultural machine to be used when performing agricultural work, from among a plurality of agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit 15 of the management device 10, and a borrowing time (desired borrowing date) of the machine to be used.

For example, when a farm worker or the like who wishes to rent an agricultural machine performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20, the machine request unit 22 displays the input screen M2 shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit 21. The input screen M2 is a screen on which the farm worker or the like inputs rental information for renting a machine to be used, which is an agricultural machine that the farm worker or the like wishes to use in farm work. The rental information includes personal information Q1 and desired information Q2. The personal information Q1 includes the name, address, email address, and telephone number of the farm worker or the like. The desired information Q2 includes the type of machine to be used, the number of machines, and the rental time. Input fields for inputting these pieces of information are provided on the input screen M2. Among these, the time, time period, date, or period for which the farm machine is to be rented can be input into the input field for the rental time. Note that the debit information is not limited to the above information.

The farm worker performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20 to input personal information Q1 and desired information Q2 on the input screen M2, and then confirms the input contents (selects the "OK" key on the input screen M2). The machine request unit 22 then transmits the personal information Q1 and desired information Q2 input on the input screen M2 to the management device 10.
It is preferable that the above-mentioned request to borrow the machine via the external terminal 20 can only be made a predetermined time or more (e.g., one week) before the time when the machine is to be borrowed. In addition, a deadline for making a request to borrow the machine may be set for each agricultural work indicated in the agricultural work plan created by the plan creation unit 13 of the management device 10, thereby restricting borrowing requests via the external terminal 20.

<Adjustment section>
The management device 10 includes an adjustment unit 18. The adjustment unit 18 is configured with an electric/electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the management device 10. When the management device 10 receives a borrowing request for a machine to be used transmitted from the machine request unit 22 of the external terminal 20, the adjustment unit 18 stores the borrowing request in the machine memory unit 15, and organizes the sharing status of the agricultural machinery based on the borrowing request. In addition, the adjustment unit 18 stores sharing information indicating the organized sharing status of the agricultural machinery in the data memory unit 11 or another memory unit provided in the management device 10.

Thereafter, when a farm worker or the like performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20, the external terminal 20 acquires (receives) from the management device 10 sharing information indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machinery organized by the adjustment unit 18. Then, based on the sharing information, the external terminal 20 causes the display unit 21 to display a confirmation screen M3 indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machinery as shown in Fig. 8.

The confirmation screen M3 displays the types and numbers of agricultural machinery stored (registered) in the machine memory unit 15 of the management device 10, i.e., agricultural machinery owned by the community. The confirmation screen M3 also displays the borrowing request status (a list showing the number of tractors to be borrowed by date and by applicant) of the agricultural machinery to be used for which borrowing requests have been made during a specified period. In more detail, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the number of tractors to be used during the tilling period (4/10-4/19) is displayed as a list by date and by farmer A-G in the farm work plan created by the plan creation unit 13 of the management device 10.

When a user performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20 to select one of the numbers on the confirmation screen M3 indicating the desired number of machines to be borrowed, the debit information (personal information Q1 and desired information Q2 in FIG. 7 ) corresponding to the number is displayed on the display unit 21. At this time, a screen showing only the debit information column of the input screen M2 as shown in FIG. 7 may be displayed on the display unit 21. This makes it possible to visually confirm on the display unit 21 the personal information Q1 of the user wishing to borrow the machine to be used corresponding to the selected number and the desired borrowing information Q2 including the borrowing time.

When the machine requested to be borrowed cannot be lent out during the borrowing time, the adjustment unit 18 adjusts at least one of the machine to be used, the borrowing time, and the farm work plan.
In the example shown in Fig. 8, the number of tractors owned by the community is 10, but the total number of tractors desired to be borrowed exceeds the number of tractors owned during the periods when tilling work is to be performed, on 4/12, 4/14, and 4/16. In such a case, the adjustment unit 18 determines that some of the machines to be used cannot be lent out during the borrowing times (desired borrowing dates) of 4/12, 4/14, and 4/16, because the number of machines desired to be borrowed exceeds the number of machines owned that can be lent out.

As described above, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that some of the machines to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing times of 4/12, 4/14, and 4/16, it changes the borrowing times of some of the machines to be used within the tillage work period (4/10 to 4/19) indicated in the farm work plan. In detail, the adjustment unit 18 first focuses on the total number of machines to be used that are desired to be borrowed for each day of the tillage work period. The adjustment unit 18 then changes the borrowing times of some of the machines to be used by transferring the number of machines to be borrowed for some of the machines to be used that have borrowing times on days when the total number of machines to be borrowed is greater than the number of machines owned, to days when the total number of machines to be borrowed is less than the number of machines owned.

Specifically, for example, the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing times of three tractors that farm worker A wishes to borrow on 4/16 as shown in FIG. 8 by rescheduling them to 4/15 as shown in FIG. 9. The adjustment unit 18 also changes the borrowing time of one tractor that farm worker B wishes to borrow on 4/12 as shown in FIG. 8 by rescheduling them to 4/13 as shown in FIG. 9. The adjustment unit 18 also changes the borrowing time of two tractors that farm worker E wishes to borrow on 4/14 as shown in FIG. 8 by rescheduling them to 4/15 as shown in FIG. 9.

When the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing time of the agricultural machinery in use as described above, it stores sharing information indicating the sharing status reflecting the change in the data storage unit 11 of the management device 10 or in another storage unit. After that, when a farm worker or the like performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20, the external terminal 20 acquires the sharing information from the management device 10 and displays on the display unit 21 a confirmation screen M3 indicating the sharing status after the change in the borrowing time of the agricultural machinery as shown in FIG. 9 based on the sharing information.

Furthermore, when the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing time of the machine in use as described above, it notifies the borrower of the machine in use (such as a farm worker) of the change. In detail, for example, the adjustment unit 18 notifies (sends) borrowing change information indicating the change in the borrowing time of the machine in use to the external terminal 20 owned by the borrower, the external terminal 20 operated by the borrower of the machine in use whose borrowing time has been changed when making the borrowing request (the external terminal 20 from which the borrowing request was sent), or the email address of the borrower (see FIG. 5).

8 and 9, the adjustment unit 18 notifies the external terminal 20 owned by farmer A of borrowing change information indicating that the desired borrowing date for three machines in use on 4/16 has been changed to 4/15. The adjustment unit 18 also notifies the external terminal 20 owned by farmer B of borrowing change information indicating that the desired borrowing date for one machine in use on 4/12 has been changed to 4/13. The adjustment unit 18 also notifies the external terminal 20 owned by farmer E of borrowing change information indicating that the desired borrowing date for two machines in use on 4/14 has been changed to 4/15. The borrowing change information may include information indicating the reason for changing the borrowing time.

When the external terminal 20 or the like receives the borrowing change information from the management device 10, it displays the contents of the borrowing change information on the display unit 21. As a result, the borrower is notified of the changes to the borrowing time of the machine to be used.
Furthermore, together with the above-mentioned borrowing change information, sharing information indicating the sharing status after the borrowing time of the agricultural machine has been changed may be transmitted from the management device 10 to an external terminal 20 or the like owned by the borrower. Then, the external terminal 20 or the like that has received the sharing information may display on the display unit 21 a confirmation screen M3 indicating the sharing status after the borrowing time of the agricultural machine has been changed, as shown in Fig. 9, based on the sharing information.

In the above-described embodiment, when the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine in use cannot be rented out at the borrowing time, it changes the borrowing time of the machine in use (desired borrowing date). However, instead of this, the adjustment unit 18 may change the working time (working day or working time) when the agricultural work is performed or the non - working time (non-working day or gathering time) when the agricultural work is not performed within the working period of the agricultural work indicated in the agricultural work plan (Figure 4) created by the plan creation unit 13.

For example, in a sharing situation as shown in FIG. 8, the adjustment unit 18 adjusts the agricultural work plan so that 4/12, 4/14, and 4/16, which are the borrowing times of the machinery used, are set as non-working times (non-working days) when agricultural work is not performed, and the other days are changed to working times (working days) when agricultural work is performed, and stores the changes in the data storage unit 11 or other storage unit provided in the management device 10. The adjustment unit 18 then notifies the agricultural worker, etc. of the changes to the agricultural work plan via the external terminal 20, etc. By providing such a notification, it is possible to encourage the agricultural worker to change the times when agricultural work is performed and the borrowing times of the machinery used.

In addition, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine to be used cannot be lent out during the borrowed time, the machine to be used that has been requested to be borrowed may be changed to another agricultural machine of a different model that can be lent out. For example, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine to be used that has been requested to be borrowed is a large tractor in the organized sharing situation and that the large tractor cannot be lent out during the borrowed time, the adjustment unit 18 adjusts the machine to be used so that the machine to be used is changed to a medium-sized tractor that can be lent out during the borrowed time. The adjustment unit 18 then stores the changes to the machine to be used in the data storage unit 11 or other storage unit provided in the management device 10, and notifies the agricultural worker, etc. of the changes to the machine to be used via the external terminal 20, etc. By making such a notification, it is possible to prevent the agricultural machine from being unable to be used for agricultural work during the borrowed time.

8 and the like, the farm workers A to G or the manager may be able to change the machine in use or the borrowing time by performing a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20. In this case, when the management device 10 acquires, from the external terminal 20, borrowing change information indicating the content of the change in the machine in use or the borrowing time performed on the external terminal 20, the adjustment unit 18 updates the sharing information indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machinery based on the borrowing change information, and stores the updated sharing information in the data storage unit 11 or another storage unit provided in the management device 10.

<Summary>
The agriculture support system 100 of the present embodiment described above has the following configuration and provides the following effects.
The agricultural support system 100 of this embodiment includes a data memory unit 11 that stores data related to agriculture in a field where crops can be cultivated, a growth prediction unit 12 that predicts crop growth based on the data stored in the data memory unit 11, a plan creation unit 13 that creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating crops based on the crop growth predicted by the growth prediction unit 12, a machine memory unit 15 that stores a plurality of agricultural machines used in agricultural work, a machine request unit 22 that selects a machine to be used for agricultural work from the multiple agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit 15 and requests the borrowing time of the machine to be used, and an adjustment unit 18 that adjusts the borrowing time of the machine to be used if the machine to be used requested by the machine request unit 22 cannot be rented out at the borrowing time.

According to the above configuration, the growth of crops can be predicted by the growth prediction unit 12, and a farm work plan according to the predicted crop growth can be constructed by the plan creation unit 13. Furthermore, according to the created farm work plan, agricultural workers and the like can borrow agricultural machinery (machine to be used) and perform farm work. Furthermore, if there are many agricultural machines (machines to be used) that wish to be borrowed compared to the number of agricultural machines available for rental, and the agricultural machinery (machine to be used) cannot be borrowed at the desired borrowing time, the borrowing time can be adjusted so that the agricultural work can be performed smoothly without delay using the agricultural machinery (machine to be used) at the adjusted borrowing time. In other words, agricultural work that is optimal for crop growth can be performed smoothly without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

In this embodiment, the data storage unit 11 stores at least one of the following data: meteorological information for the field, fertilization information when fertilizer is applied to the field, soil information for the field, crop harvest information, and crop growth information. The growth prediction unit 12 predicts the growth of the crop based on the meteorological information, fertilization information, soil information, harvest information, or growth information. This makes it easy to predict the growth of the crop. In addition, the growth of the crop can be predicted based on the meteorological information in accordance with seasonal forecasts that change from year to year and actual weather fluctuations. Then, based on the crop growth prediction, it is possible to appropriately create plans for agricultural work and efficiently request the borrowing of agricultural machinery. In particular, it is possible to improve the accuracy of agricultural work plans and the efficiency of borrowing agricultural machinery compared to the case where the plan is based on a fixed crop growth calendar or a crop growth prediction based on a fixed and average weather scenario.

In addition, in this embodiment, the plan creation unit 13 creates a plan of farm work during crop cultivation in accordance with the crop growth predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. This makes it possible to easily create farm work that is optimal for the growth.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the machine memory unit 15 is provided in the management device 10 to which an external terminal 20 can be connected, and the machine request unit 22 is provided in the external terminal 20 and requests the machine to be used and the borrowed time from the management device 10. In this manner, a request for the machine to be used and the borrowed time can be made using the external terminal 20 carried by a farm worker, a manager, or the like.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the number of machines in use during the borrowing time is greater than the number of agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit 15, the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machines in use cannot be lent out during the borrowing time. For example, in a case where a community is established to carry out agricultural work in a specific area, if the number of machines in use exceeds the number of agricultural machines owned by the community (agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit 15), the machines cannot be lent out, and the operation of the community can be smooth.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine cannot be rented out for the borrowing time, the adjustment unit 18 changes the requested borrowing time within the agricultural work period indicated in the agricultural work plan. This allows the agricultural work to be carried out smoothly using the machine within the agricultural work period that is optimal for growth.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the adjustment unit 18 notifies the external terminal 20 of the change in the borrowing time. This allows the farm worker to easily know that he or she can use the agricultural machine for a different borrowing time.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the used machine cannot be rented out during the borrowed time, it adjusts the agricultural work plan within the agricultural work period indicated in the agricultural work plan to change the borrowed time to a rest time during which agricultural work is not performed, and to change another rest time indicated in the agricultural work plan to a working time during which agricultural work is performed. This allows agricultural work to be performed smoothly and without interruption using the agricultural machinery (used machine) during the changed working time. In other words, agricultural work that is optimal for crop growth can be performed smoothly, as much as possible, without being restricted by the number of agricultural machines.

In addition, in this embodiment, the plan creation unit 13 notifies the external terminal 20 of the farm work plan, and the adjustment unit 18 notifies the external terminal 20 of changes to the farm work plan. This allows the farm worker to easily and optimally cultivate crops based on the farm work plan created by the plan creation unit 13. In addition, the farm worker can easily understand that he or she can perform farm work using the machinery he or she is using during the changed work hours.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine in use cannot be rented out during the borrowing time, it changes the machine in use to another agricultural machine of a different model that can be rented out. This allows agricultural work to be carried out smoothly using the changed agricultural machine in use. In other words, agricultural work that is optimal for crop growth can be carried out smoothly, with as little restriction as possible due to the number of agricultural machines.

In this embodiment, the adjustment unit 18 notifies the farm worker of the change in the machine to be used, thereby enabling the farm worker to easily understand that the farm work can be performed using the changed machine to be used.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the machine memory unit 15 is provided in the management device 10 to which the external terminal 20 can be connected, and the management device 10 receives information on agricultural machinery available for lending from the external terminal 20 and stores the information in the machine memory unit 15. In this way, farmers who own agricultural machinery can easily store agricultural machinery that can be lent out in the machine memory unit 15 of the management device 10 using the external terminal 20.

The present invention has been described above, but the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

10: Management device 11: Data storage unit 12: Growth prediction unit 13: Plan creation unit 14: Registration unit 15: Machine storage unit 18: Adjustment unit 20: External terminal 21: Display unit 22: Machine request unit 31: Tractor (agricultural machine)
32: Rice transplanter (agricultural machinery)
33: Combine (agricultural machinery)
F1: Weather information F2: Fertilization information F3: Soil information F4: Harvest information F5: Growth information H1: Field

Claims (11)

a data storage unit that stores data related to agriculture in a field where crops can be cultivated;
A growth prediction unit that predicts a growth state of the crop based on the data stored in the data storage unit;
A plan creation unit that creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating the crop based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit;
A machine memory unit that stores a plurality of agricultural machines used in the agricultural work;
a machine request unit that requests a machine to be used for the agricultural work from among the plurality of agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit and a borrowing time for the machine to be used;
an adjustment unit that adjusts the borrowing time of the machine to be used when it is determined that the machine to be used requested by the machine request unit cannot be lent for the borrowing time;
Equipped with
The growth prediction unit predicts the growth status of the crop when the agricultural work is performed with different work periods,
The plan creation unit sets an optimal work period for the agricultural work based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit, and notifies the agricultural work plan including the optimal work period;
An agricultural support system in which, if the adjustment unit determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out for the borrowing time, it changes the borrowing time within the work period and notifies the user of the changed borrowing time . The plan creation unit notifies an external terminal of the farm work plan,
The agricultural support system according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit notifies the external terminal of the change in the borrowing time. a data storage unit that stores data related to agriculture in a field where crops can be cultivated;
A growth prediction unit that predicts a growth state of the crop based on the data stored in the data storage unit;
A plan creation unit that creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating the crop based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit;
A machine memory unit that stores a plurality of agricultural machines used in the agricultural work;
a machine request unit that requests a machine to be used for the agricultural work from among the plurality of agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit and a borrowing time for the machine to be used;
an adjustment unit that adjusts the borrowing time of the machine to be used when it is determined that the machine to be used requested by the machine request unit cannot be lent for the borrowing time;
Equipped with
The growth prediction unit predicts the growth status of the crop when the agricultural work is performed with different work periods,
The plan creation unit sets an optimal work period for the agricultural work based on the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit, and notifies the agricultural work plan including the optimal work period;
When the adjustment unit determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowed time, it changes the borrowed time during the work period to holiday time when the agricultural work is not performed and changes holiday time other than the borrowed time to work time when the agricultural work is performed , thereby adjusting the agricultural work plan and notifying the user of the changes . The plan creation unit notifies an external terminal of the farm work plan,
The agricultural support system according to claim 3 , wherein the adjustment unit notifies the external terminal of a change in the agricultural work plan. the data storage unit stores, as the data, at least any one of meteorological information for the field, fertilization information when fertilizer is applied to the field, soil information for the field, harvest information for the crop, and growth information for the crop;
The agricultural support system according to claim 1 , wherein the growth prediction unit predicts the growth status of the crop based on any one of the meteorological information, the fertilization information, the soil information, the harvest information, and the growth information. The agricultural support system according to claim 1 , wherein the plan creation unit creates a plan for the agricultural work in accordance with the growth condition of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit. The machine storage unit is provided in a management device to which an external terminal can be connected,
The agricultural support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the machine request unit is provided in the external terminal and requests the machine to be used and the borrowed time from the management device. The agricultural support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the adjustment unit determines that the agricultural machines to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing time if the number of the agricultural machines to be used during the borrowing time is greater than the number of the agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit. The agricultural support system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the adjustment unit, when determining that the machine to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing time, changes the machine to be used to another agricultural machine of a different model that can be rented out. The agricultural support system according to claim 9 , wherein the adjustment unit notifies of a change in the machine in use. The machine storage unit is provided in a management device to which an external terminal can be connected,
The agricultural support system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the management device receives information on the agricultural machinery available for rental from the external terminal and stores the information in the machine memory unit.

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