KR20170053332A

KR20170053332A - Robot for farm work and method of controlling the same

Info

Publication number: KR20170053332A
Application number: KR1020150155698A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김상철; 홍영기; 김국환; 이재수; 김성기
Original assignee: 대한민국(농촌진흥청장)
Priority date: 2015-11-06
Filing date: 2015-11-06
Publication date: 2017-05-16
Also published as: KR101816557B1

Abstract

There is provided an agricultural robot and a driving method thereof for autonomously controlling the operation speed and direction so that automatic operation can be realized by recognizing the planted heat, The agricultural robot includes a main body portion, a navigation sensor portion, and a control portion. The main body includes a steering device and can move while controlling the direction under the control of the steering device. The navigation sensor unit is attached to the main body unit, and detects the position of the main body unit, the curvature of the ground surface, and crops. When the operation signal is received, the control unit moves the navigation unit to the initial position of the stored global route using the position signal of the main body detected by the navigation sensor unit, The control unit controls the steering apparatus to change the running direction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a robot for agricultural use,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an agricultural robot and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an agricultural robot and its control method for moving the robot while moving on its own.

Agriculture is a very important industrial sector responsible for our food. After sowing, agriculture requires a lot of labor, including weeding and harvesting. In the past, it was done by hand and required a lot of labor, but it was mechanized gradually, and labor was saved a lot. Nevertheless, in order to manage the crops in the cultivated area after sowing, the crops must be able to move within the ground without damaging the crops. Therefore, it is difficult and laborious to work with very skilled farming machine experience and concentration.

Accordingly, a variety of techniques are being developed that can be operated by oneself, not by manual manipulation of agricultural machinery.

Among them, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0005809 entitled " Method and apparatus for controlling travel of a robot " includes a process of acquiring environment information of a weed area and constructing map information, Generating a three-dimensional spatial path for moving a robot equipped with a weeding machine in a weeding area; moving the robot along the three-dimensional space path when the execution of the weeding mode is instructed; Extracting three-dimensional space information when the robot travels along the three-dimensional spatial path, extracting a ground area and an obstacle for traveling the robot through the extraction of the three-dimensional spatial information, The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: when the weeding mode is completed, Through constant, there is disclosed a method of controlling a robot going to drive yourself forward weeding.

That is, as described in paragraph [0025], the map information of the orchard object to be weeded is acquired, and a three-dimensional space path through which the robot can pass between the fruit numbers is obtained, We are carrying out weeding work while transferring. As described in paragraph [0027], in order to secure a three-dimensional spatial path, a three-dimensional spatial path is obtained by detecting a tree body of fruit water using a three-dimensional rider, a two-dimensional or a three- .

However, the securing of the three-dimensional space path can be applied to large trees such as the fruit number of the orchard, it is not easy to apply to rice fields or fields for growing cereals or vegetables, Even if a three-dimensional space is secured, an agricultural machinery can not pass through the space.

Moreover, expensive equipment is required to secure such a three-dimensional space path, and it seems that it is not easy to practical use in reality.

Therefore, it is required to develop agricultural robots that autonomously control the speed and direction of the work so that the robot can recognize the planted rows of the crops, the gutters,

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0005809

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an agricultural robot that autonomously controls a work speed and direction so that the robot can recognize the planted row of the crop, the gutters,

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method of controlling such an agricultural robot.

To solve these problems, an agricultural robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a main body, a navigation sensor unit, and a control unit. The main body includes a steering device and can move while controlling the direction under the control of the steering device. The navigation sensor unit is attached to the main body unit, and detects the position of the main body unit, the curvature of the ground surface, and crops. When the operation signal is received, the control unit moves the navigation unit to the initial position of the stored global route using the position signal of the main body detected by the navigation sensor unit, The control unit controls the steering apparatus to change the running direction.

Preferably, the control unit moves the vehicle to an initial position of the work on the global route, and then identifies the position of the crop or the ridge received from the navigation sensor unit, and when there is a crop at the wheel position in the planned traveling direction, The initial position of the work can be readjusted.

The control unit may further include a memory for storing the global path, and the global path may be set by a GPS signal at a boundary obtained by traveling outside the field or field where the work is to be performed, or may be set by a digital map have.

If it is determined that the main body reaches the boundary of the global path from the signal received from the navigation sensor unit, the control unit judges whether or not the vehicle has reached the work end position again. If the work end position is not reached , The control unit controls to move the main body unit to the working position of the next row, and to stop the operation of the main body unit when the work ending position is reached.

For example, the navigation sensor unit may include a GPS sensor that receives a GPS signal, a surface sensor that senses the curvature of the ground surface, and a contact sensor that detects the presence of the crop in contact with the crop.

In addition, the agricultural robot may further include a work base attached to the main body for performing the agricultural work.

At this time, the working base may be detachably attached to the main body.

A method for controlling an agricultural robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of generating a global route to be processed, transferring the robot to an initial position of the work on the global route, A step of judging whether or not the robot is in contact with a crop or a ridge, a step of adjusting the traveling direction of the robot when it is determined that the robot is in contact with the robot, Determining whether the work end position has been reached when the boundary of the global path has been reached, and proceeding to advance the work while transferring the robot if the work end position is not reached , And stopping the operation of the robot when the work end position is reached.

Preferably, the agricultural robot control method further includes a step of identifying the position of the crop or the ridge after the step of transferring the robot to the initial position of the work on the global route, and if the crop exists in the position of the wheel in the expected travel direction, The method may further include the step of re-initializing the initial position.

On the other hand, the global path may be set by a GPS signal of a boundary obtained by running the outside of a field or a field to be processed, or may be set by a digital map.

According to the agricultural robot and the control method therefor according to the present invention, it is possible to carry out agricultural work on rice paddies or fields where small plants such as rice paddies and fields are grown, thereby reducing the labor force and increasing the productivity have.

These effects will be described in more detail on the basis of the detailed description to be given later, and will be easily understood thereby.

1 is a perspective view of a work robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of the robot for work shown in Fig.
3 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling an agricultural robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention for controlling the agricultural robot shown in Fig.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, It will be possible. The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprising" or "having ", and the like, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a work robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the work robot shown in FIG. 1,

1 and 2, an agricultural robot 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 110, a navigation sensor unit 120, and a controller 130. The agricultural robot 100 may further include a work base 140 attached to the main body 110 to perform agriculture work.

The main body 110 includes a steering device and can move while controlling the direction under the control of the steering device. The main body 110 can be moved by a wheel, or can be moved by an endless track, as shown in the figure. The main body 110 may be implemented using a conventional tractor, for example. The main body 110 may be occupied by a passenger and may be manually operated. That is, when the operation of the control unit 130 is stopped due to a failure, the operation can be performed through manual operation.

The navigation sensor unit 120 is attached to the main body 110, and detects the position of the main body 110, the curvature of the ground surface, and crops.

For example, the navigation sensor unit 120 may include a GPS sensor 121 for receiving a GPS signal, a surface sensor 122 for sensing a curved shape of the ground surface, and a sensor for detecting the presence of a crop And a contact sensor 123.

The GPS sensor 121 may be attached to an arbitrary position of the main body 110. The GPS sensor 121 receives the GPS signal and can detect the current position of the main body 110.

The surface detection sensor 122 is attached to the front portion of the main body 110 to grasp the curvature of the ground. For example, in the case of a field, it can be used to distinguish between a ridge and a furrow, and can be used to detect a bank or a field bank.

For example, the shape of the surface can be detected by irradiating the laser beam and reflecting the laser beam. That is, when the light source for irradiating the laser beam is rotated or the laser beam is rotated using the mirror, the one-dimensional bending in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is detected, Is continuously detected, it is possible to detect the bending of the two-dimensional ground surface. On the other hand, since such detection proceeds discretely, the space therebetween can be interpolated to compensate.

The contact sensor 123 includes a wire-made contact head at its end to sense when the contact head is in contact with the edges of the crop or field during the process. For example, when the contact head is in contact with the surface of a crop or a field and is rotated, the contact head senses the contact and determines whether or not the contact head is in contact.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific sensor type of the navigation sensor unit described above may adopt other sensors.

The working base 140 may be detachably attached to the main body 110. The working base 140 may be various types of working machines such as a moving machine, a grass mower, a harvester, or the like, and may be detachably attached to the main body 110 for other operations.

The processor 132 of the controller 130 receives the progress signal of the task and stores the position signal of the main body 110 detected by the navigation sensor unit 120 Moves to the initial position of the work on the global route, proceeds with the farming operation, and controls the steering device to change the traveling direction when a touch signal is detected from the navigation sensor unit 120 in progress.

Preferably, the processor 132 of the control unit 130 moves to the initial position of the work in the global route, and then identifies the position of the crop or the ridge received from the navigation sensor unit 120, If there is a crop in the wheel position, the initial position of the work can be readjusted to avoid this.

The control unit 130 may further include a memory 131 for storing the global path. The global path may be set by a GPS signal at a boundary obtained by traveling the outside of a field or a field to be processed, Can be set by a map.

When it is determined that the main body 110 has reached the boundary of the global path from the signal received from the navigation sensor unit 120, the processor 132 of the control unit 130 returns the operation end position And controls the main body 110 to move to the work position in the next row by turning the main body 110. When the work end position is reached, It is possible to control to stop the operation.

Hereinafter, the control operation of the controller 130 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

3 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling an agricultural robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention for controlling the agricultural robot shown in Fig.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, according to the method for controlling an agricultural robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a global path to be processed is generated first (step S310). The global path may be set by a GPS signal at a boundary obtained by running the outside of a field or a field to be processed, or may be set by a digital map. That is, the GPS sensor 121 of the navigation sensor unit 120 receives the GPS signal while the main body 110 travels around rice fields or fields, and the processor 132 of the controller 130 controls the memory 131). Alternatively, by storing the digital map created in the conventional manner in the memory 131, the boundaries of rice field and field can be determined.

Then, the robot is transferred to the initial position of the work on the global route (step S320). It is preferable to set the initial position of the work in the corner portion among the boundaries of rice field and field.

Thereafter, the work can be advanced while transferring the robot (step S350). However, preferably, after the robot is transferred to the initial position of the work (step S320), the position of the crop or the ridge is identified (step S330), and if there is a crop at the wheel position in the expected travel direction, It is desirable to precisely readjust the initial position (step S340). In other words, if the process proceeds to the initial position and then proceeds as it is, damage may be applied to crops planted along rice paddies or fields by the wheels, so that the presence of crops from the contact sensor 123 of the navigation sensor unit 120 And if the crop exists, readjust it so that it can be avoided. On the other hand, the surface sensor 122 of the navigation sensor unit 120 grasps the bend of the ground surface, and if the ridge on which the crop is planted is detected at the portion where the wheel is to be advanced, it is readjusted to avoid it.

Thereafter, the work is advanced while the robot is being transported (step S350).

The processor 132 of the control unit 130 determines whether the sensor 132 is in contact with a crop or a roller by a signal applied from the surface sensor 122 or the contact sensor 123 of the navigation sensor unit 120 If it is determined in step S360 that the main body 110 is in contact with the main body 110, the process proceeds to step S380 while adjusting the traveling direction of the main body 110 (step S370).

Thereafter, the processor 132 of the control unit 130 determines whether the boundary of the global path has been reached (step S390). For example, the controller 130 may receive a GPS signal from the GPS sensor 121 of the navigation sensor unit 120 to determine that the main body 110 has reached the boundary of the global path, , It is preferable to determine that a boundary has been reached when a boundary intersecting the front of the traveling direction is detected from the surface sensor 122 of the navigation sensor unit 120 in the forward direction, In general, since the crossbars and the thick gutters are formed to have a certain width, the boundaries of the global paths are not exactly matched.

If it is determined that the boundary of the global path has been reached, it is determined whether the work ending position has been reached (step S400). The job end position is determined according to the set algorithm according to the initial position of the job. That is, if the number of times of running in the column direction is an odd number, the job end position is set on the opposite side of the column direction of the advancing direction. If the number of times of operation is an even number, Can be set.

As a result of the determination, if the work end position is not reached, the process proceeds to the step of advancing the work while transferring the robot (step S350), and when the work end position is reached, the robot is stopped (step S410).

As described above, according to the agricultural robot and the control method thereof according to the present invention, it is possible to carry out agricultural work on rice paddies and fields that grow small plants such as paddy fields and fields, thereby saving labor, Can be increased.

The agricultural robot according to the present invention is capable of boarding, remote operation, and autonomous traveling so that unskilled farmers can easily operate and manipulate the crops planted with the crops, thereby making it possible for the farmer or the farmer to carry out difficult agriculture such as weeding, .

Remote control and autonomous driving function provide farmers with a more pleasant working environment for farming. In addition to reducing the labor force due to the improvement of performance of agricultural machinery, it is possible to increase the competitiveness of products by applying robot technology. .

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical and exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

100: Agricultural robot
110:
120: navigation sensor section
121: GPS sensor 122: Surface detection sensor
123: Contact sensor
130:
131: memory 132: processor
140: Working donation

Claims

A main body having a steering device and moving while controlling a direction under the control of a steering device;
A navigation sensor unit attached to the main body unit and sensing a position of the main body unit, a curvature of the ground surface, and a crop; And
When a progress signal of the operation is received, the position signal of the main body detected by the navigation sensor unit is used to move to the initial position of the stored global route, A control unit for controlling the steering apparatus to change the running direction when a signal is detected;
.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
The position of the crop or the ridge received from the navigation sensor unit is identified after moving to the initial position of the work of the global route and the initial position of the work is re-adjusted so that the crop can be avoided Wherein the robot is a robot.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit further comprises a memory for storing the global path,
Wherein the global route is set by a GPS signal at a boundary obtained by traveling on the periphery of a rice field or a field where work is to be performed, or is set by a digital map.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
If it is determined from the signal received by the navigation sensor unit that the main body reaches the boundary of the global path,
It is determined whether or not the work end position has been reached again,
When the work end position is not reached, controls the main body to be turned and moved to the next working position in the next row,
And stops the operation of the main body unit when the work end position is reached.

The method according to claim 1,
The navigation sensor unit,
A GPS sensor for receiving a GPS signal;
A surface detection sensor for detecting a curved shape of the ground surface; And
And a contact sensor for detecting the presence of the crop in contact with the crop.

The method according to claim 1,
A working base attached to the main body to carry out agriculture work;
Wherein the robot further comprises:

The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the working base is detachably attached to the main body.

Generating a global path through which the operation is to be performed;
Transferring the robot to a work initial position on the global path;
Moving the robot while moving the robot;
Judging whether or not it is in contact with a crop or a lane;
Adjusting the traveling direction of the robot and moving the robot while the robot is moving, if it is determined that the robot is in contact with the robot;
Determining whether a boundary of the global path has been reached;
If it is determined that the boundary of the global path has been reached, determining whether the job end position has been reached; And
If the work end position is not reached, proceeding to the step of advancing the work while carrying the robot, stopping the operation of the robot when the work end position is reached;
And a control unit for controlling the robot.

9. The method of claim 8,
After the step of transferring the robot to the initial position of the work on the global path,
Identifying a position of the crop or the ridges and re-adjusting the initial position of the work so that the crop can be avoided if the crop exists at the wheel position in the planned travel direction;
Further comprising the steps of:

9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the global path is set by a GPS signal at a boundary obtained by traveling the outside of a field or a field to be processed, or is set by a digital map.