JPS6078504A - Self-propelling working vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a self-help traveling work vehicle, more specifically, a self-driving work vehicle, in particular, a predetermined range of work areas using a tracing sensor (AJ, (A)) that detects the boundary between a treated work area and an untreated work area. Based on the boundary detection result, the system automatically detects the boundary and based on the travel order sequence for a plurality of predetermined travel strokes and the direction change sequence for moving to the next travel stroke after completing one travel stroke. The present invention relates to an automatically traveling work vehicle configured to run.

Conventionally, this type of self-driving work vehicle, for example, a ground work vehicle such as a lawn mowing work vehicle, has been designed to dynamically carry out ground work within a predetermined range of the work area that has been treated with gold metal. The work area is divided in advance into a plurality of traveling strokes corresponding to the working width, and control is performed to automatically travel while sequentially moving between the plurality of traveling strokes.

Then, as the order sequence for running each of the above-mentioned travel strokes, each travel stroke is set in parallel, and the next stroke has 710
In the reciprocating mode where the direction is changed by 0 degrees, the travel path is set in the direction of rotating the work area sequentially from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the work area, and the beam changes direction by 0 degrees in the next step. There is a circular driving style, etc., but in any driving style, in each traveling stroke, tracing steering control is performed based on the results of detection of the driving location, that is, the boundary of each stroke by the tracing sensor, so that the driving direction cannot be changed. Although the deviation in direction is relatively small, since the direction change at the end of each stroke is generally performed by fixed pattern control based on a preset sequence, the direction of the vehicle body may deviate during this direction change. However, there are cases in which the workpiece meanderes significantly before following the boundary of the next stroke, resulting in the inconvenience that the work traces near the end of the stroke become irregular.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to automatically change the orientation of the vehicle body and its position relative to the boundary after the direction change, when repeatedly performing ground work while automatically changing direction. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic traveling work vehicle equipped with a means for controlling the vehicle so that it follows the boundary of the next stroke end.

In order to achieve the above object, an automatic driving work vehicle according to the present invention is configured such that both the front wheels and the rear wheels can be steered, and is equipped with a direction sensor that detects the direction of the vehicle body, and is equipped with a direction sensor that detects the direction of the vehicle body. When changing direction, after the start of the change, the orientation sensor (6)
The steering wheel is automatically operated to correct the direction of the vehicle +11 when the detected direction (F) matches the preset reference direction (F), and the steering is automatically operated for a predetermined distance (1
6) The copying sensor (N) is activated while driving.

Based on the L boundary (L) detection result in (5), the front wheels +21, t2+ and the rear wheels (1), +31 are steered in the same direction in order to correct the position of the vehicle body in the tll left and right direction for the next stroke. A means is provided to provide a certain feature.

Due to the above greed, the following excellent effects have been achieved.

That is, by changing direction at the end of each stroke and correcting the direction of the vehicle while reaching the end of the next stroke, and then moving the vehicle in parallel while traveling a predetermined distance, the vehicle can quickly move to the next stroke. The horizontal position of the car body for the next stroke is corrected so that it follows the boundary of the next stroke. : At the start, the direction and position of the car body coincided with the boundary of the next stroke, and therefore the work trace could be made to run very straight from the end of each stroke.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Fig. 1, there is a lawn mowing device (4) with a disk-shaped cutting blade installed in the middle part of the vehicle body il+, which is configured to be able to steer both the front wheels +2), +2) and the rear wheels +31, +31. In addition to suspending the robot so that it can move up and down, it is also equipped with scanning sensors (A) and (A), which will be described later to detect the boundary (odor) of the running area. It consists of a lawn mowing vehicle that serves as an autonomous driving vehicle.

Furthermore, the vehicle body il+ has a moving path i of the vehicle body il.
In order to continuously detect The vehicle is equipped with an orientation sensor (6) such as a geomagnetic sensor configured to detect the orientation of the vehicle body (+1).

The copying sensor (Alt-in configuration, vehicle body t1) Two optical sensors (S+) arranged adjacent to each other in the left and right direction
. There is.

As shown in the second factor, the optical sensors (Sl), (Sl) are mounted on a sensor mounting frame (8) provided on the lawn mower (4) at the U-shaped sensor 7 frame (71, +71).
), and a light-emitting element (P2) and a light-receiving element (PH) are provided as a pair on the inner facing surface of the sensor frame (7).
) by detecting the presence or absence of grass that is introduced as the vehicle body (1) travels between the unmoved area (B) and the mown area (
The structure is such that the boundary (L) with C) is separated by Y and J. In addition, the sensor (Al) is a light sensor (Sl), (S
Contact type, not limited to those using t).

It may be constructed from any type of sensor, except for non-contact types.

Then, as shown in Figure 8, the trap is placed in advance to move around the mowed area (Q), and to divide the lawn area between the unmowed area (B) and the mowed area (Q). In addition to carrying out
It automatically changes direction at the end of each process and travels back and forth repeatedly.

A control system for automatically changing direction at each stroke end will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control system includes a main MS built into a microcomputer, a ratio control device (9), the copying sensors (A), (A), and the distance sensor (5).
) and direction sensor (6) are input, and each of these sensors (A) l (A), 15~
Boundary (L) according to (6), travel route II! (1), Direction (
Based on the detection results of F), hydraulic cylinders tlO) and till as actuators for steering the front wheels [21, +2+ and rear wheels +31, +31]
It is configured to calculate and output a control signal for driving the electromagnetic pulse generator 4゜0 to operate and a control signal for driving the motor α5) as an actuator for operating the shift position of the continuously variable transmission. .

Then, as shown in FIG.
Based on the boundary (L) detection result by

(AJ detects the mowed land (q) and uses the distance sensor (
When the cumulative travel distance (1) according to 6) reaches a preset distance (L), the vehicle automatically moves to the next stroke direction by repeating two 20 degree turns with forward and backward movement based on a predetermined sequence. It is a change of direction.

To perform the aforementioned direction change, the first 2θ degree turn (turn 1
), the front wheels +21
, (After holding both 21 and rear wheels +31, +31 in the neutral state, this front M (21, +21 and rear wheels +3) P +3) ffi is steered in the opposite direction at a predetermined steering angle to unmow. Earth (B)
This is done by traveling a predetermined distance Ct, ) while turning 20 degrees in the direction.

, Next, after switching the transmission U< to the reverse side, the front wheels 1+1k(2), +21 and the rear wheels (3), +3+ are operated at a predetermined steering angle in the opposite direction to the turn 1 to drive a predetermined distance. (l,) Make a second 2θ degree turn (turn 2) while moving backward.

Then, after switching the transmission II→ to the forward side, the run-up section Cps)-t until the end of the next stroke, the scanning sensor (
A), (A) completes the direction change by driving straight until it detects an unmowed field (B) or a boundary (q), but during this run-up section (I!5) t - the vehicle body fil In addition to correcting the direction of the mowing device, the next step will be performed while traveling on the predetermined path II (/6), that is, the distance corresponding to the installation interval between the copying sensor (Al and the lawn mowing device (4)) until the actual lawn mowing work starts. The lateral position of the vehicle body (fl) relative to the stroke is corrected, and control is performed so that the next stroke of mowing work can be started with the vehicle body (fl) aligned along the boundary (L).

That is, while traveling in the run-up section (15), the detected orientation (F) by the orientation sensor (6) is compared with a preset reference orientation (Fo), and the detected orientation (n is the reference orientation (Fo)) is compared.
), so that the direction of the front wheels (2+, (21 and rear m131), (steering II in the opposite direction at the same predetermined steering angle and the vehicle body +1) matches the direction of the next stroke. Auto-correct.

After that, when any of the copying sensors (AJ, (, %) detects the uncut land CB+, while traveling the predetermined distance (16), the front wheels +21, +21 and the rear wheels +31
, +31 is operated in the same direction at the same predetermined steering angle to move the vehicle body 11+ in parallel without changing its direction, correct the left and right position of the vehicle body fi+ by 16, and move it to the next stroke boundary (along the peak). It is to make it.

In addition, in Fig. 4, CRs) and (R1) are approximately +21 front wheels.
, +21 and after! A potentiometer detects the actual steering angle of +31 and +3+ and feeds it back to the control device (9), and (R3) is a potentiometer that similarly detects the shift position of the transmission α.

Further, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device (9) described above.

By the way, in the Kisho example explained above, /j? Although only the direction change in the case of reciprocating while traveling in the 0-degree running direction has been described, for example, by omitting turn l in the embodiment, the sixth
As shown in the figure, when changing direction in so-called circular mowing work (circular traveling type), in which the vehicle sequentially travels each stroke from the outer side to the inner circumferential direction of the work area while changing the direction by θ degree, It is possible to make corrections.

Furthermore, in order to change direction in the case of reciprocating travel, the vehicle body (1) is turned continuously, instead of performing two θ turns and changing direction by 110 degrees as shown in FIG. 8. The direction may be changed, and in this case, the traveling direction can be automatically corrected in the same manner.

Furthermore, when correcting the direction t of the vehicle body (1), the front wheel t2
i , +2) and rear wheels +3+ , +3) 'rRather than steering in the opposite direction, the front wheels +2+
, +21 or the rear wheels +3], +31.

Furthermore, when correcting the direction of the vehicle body fil, the vehicle body fil at the time of direction change is not performed when going straight, but when the vehicle body i
This may be done before the l+ completes its turn; in this case, since the direction changes continuously during the turn, it is effective to perform this immediately before the end of the turn.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show all the embodiments of the automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of the lawn mowing vehicle, FIG. 2 is a front view of the main parts of the copying sensor, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of direction change. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control system, FIG. 5 is a 70-chart showing the operation of the control device, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of direction change in another embodiment. fil...Vehicle body, (2)...Front wheels, (
3)...Rear wheel, (6)...Direction sensor, (Al...Tracking sensor, (L)...
... Boundary, (F) ... Detection direction, (FO) ...
...Reference direction, (T'S) ...Predetermined distance.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A tracing sensor (^, (Based on the boundary detection result of Al, a predetermined plurality of runs while detecting the boundary) detects the boundary between the treated work area and the untreated work area in a predetermined range of the work area. An automatic driving work vehicle configured to automatically travel based on the travel order sequence for the strokes and the direction change sequence for moving to the next stroke after completing one travel stroke, and the front wheels +21, +21 and Both of the rear wheels +31 and +31 are constructed so that they can be operated by steering, and a direction sensor (6) is installed to detect the entire direction of the vehicle body +11. After the start, the vehicle body ( 1) Correct the direction (automatically operate the steering wheel and
After that, while traveling a predetermined distance (l,), based on the detection results of the copying sensor (A), the boundary (L,) between K:J: The front wheels +21, +2) and the rear wheels +31
, +31 in the same direction.