WO2023119993A1

WO2023119993A1 - Field working machine

Info

Publication number: WO2023119993A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/042982
Authority: WO
Inventors: 玉谷健二; 鈴川めぐみ; 宇谷直晃
Original assignee: 株式会社クボタ
Priority date: 2021-12-20
Filing date: 2022-11-21
Publication date: 2023-06-29
Also published as: JP2023091597A

Abstract

This field working machine comprises: an obstacle detection unit 70 which detects an obstacle including a furrow; a machine body location calculation unit 52 which calculates the location of a machine body; a traveling control unit 6 which causes the machine body to travel automatically or manually; a recognition unit 54 which recognizes a specific object to be recognized that has been registered in advance; and an obstacle management unit 55 which manages an access prohibition distance of the machine body to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 70, or an accessible time of the machine body to the obstacle. The specific object to be recognized is registered as a symbol for allowing an access of the machine body to the obstacle, and when the obstacle is the specific object to be recognized or the specific object to be recognized is recognized in an area in the vicinity of the obstacle, the obstacle management unit 55 reduces the access prohibition distance or extends the accessible time of the machine body to the obstacle.

Description

field work machine

The present invention relates to an automatically traveling field working machine that performs work in fields bounded by ridges.

In order to avoid accidental contact between the machine body and the ridge when running near the ridge, the control for running control is placed at a position farther from the ridge than the actual boundary line. Boundaries are set. A field working machine needs to approach a ridge during work on a field, such as replenishing seedlings and fertilizers, discharging harvested materials, and replenishing fuel. However, if a control boundary line is set in such a run approaching the ridge, it becomes impossible for the aircraft to approach the ridge to the very limit. In order to solve this problem, in the rice transplanter according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-108597, when the machine detects that the machine is traveling straight toward the ridge for seedling replenishment, etc., the boundary line for traveling control is automatically set. It has the function of extending to the shore side. This extension of the control boundary allows the rice planter to get as close as possible to the ridge.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-108597

In the rice transplanter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-108597, when traveling beyond the boundary line is permitted based on a predetermined traveling state, the boundary line is extended, and the rice transplanter can approach the ridge as close as possible. . However, if a traveling state permitting extension of the boundary line is erroneously detected, the boundary line is unnecessarily extended, causing the inconvenience of the aircraft approaching even a place where it should not be close enough. To avoid this, it is necessary to detect exactly where the perimeter extension is allowed. That is not disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-108597.

An object of the present invention is to provide a field working machine that is more accessible to specific obstacles than other obstacles.

An automatically traveling agricultural field working machine according to the present invention is an automatically traveling agricultural field working machine that performs work in a field bounded by a ridge, the obstacle detection unit detecting an obstacle including the ridge; An aircraft position calculation unit that calculates the aircraft position, a travel control unit that automatically or manually runs the aircraft, and a recognition unit that recognizes a specific recognition target registered in advance as a symbol that allows the aircraft to approach the obstacle. and an obstacle management unit that manages the prohibited distance of the aircraft to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit, or the time in which the aircraft can approach the obstacle, The management unit determines whether the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit is the specific recognition target, or when the specific recognition target is recognized in an area near the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit. If so, reduce the no-access distance or extend the accessible time.

According to this configuration, when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit and the specific recognition target registered in advance is recognized by the recognition unit, the distance from the aircraft to the obstacle or the distance of the aircraft to the obstacle is detected. The obstacle management unit that manages the approachable time of is activated. In other words, if the detected obstacle itself is the recognized specific recognition target, or if there is a recognized specific recognition target in the vicinity of the detected obstacle, the detected obstacle It is determined that the aircraft is an object that should be approached as close as possible, and either the prohibited distance is shortened or the time during which the aircraft can approach the obstacle is extended. By shortening the no-approach distance, the aircraft can approach obstacles more. In addition, the approachable distance of the aircraft to the obstacle varies depending on the vehicle speed. , the distance that can be traveled to the detected obstacle becomes longer, and the approach distance of the aircraft to the obstacle becomes shorter. The specific recognition target is registered as a symbol that allows the aircraft to approach an obstacle, that is, as an approach determination material. In other words, based on the two determination conditions of obstacle detection and specific recognition target recognition, the aircraft is permitted to approach the obstacle closer, so safe and reliable approach travel control is realized.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the obstacle used by the obstacle management unit to determine whether to shorten the prohibited distance or extend the accessible time is the ridge. The specific recognition target is a specific ridge that is a specific area of the ridge or a recognition target located in the vicinity of the specific ridge.

Ridges are frequently detected obstacles when field implements travel. The implement should be approached as close as possible. The word “ridge” here can be interpreted in a broad sense, and includes not only constituent materials such as concrete, wood, plastic, earthenware, but also walls rising from fields, artificial lawns, etc. Surfaces, naturally occurring slopes, etc. are also included.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific recognition target is a specific communication terminal registered in advance, and the recognition unit recognizes the communication terminal based on data transmitted from the communication terminal. .

With this configuration, by simply arranging a specific communication terminal in an area where the field work machine can approach closer, the field work machine can be closer to the area. For example, in specific areas of ridges (specific ridges) set for work purposes such as replenishment of seedlings and fertilizers, discharge of harvested materials, replenishment of fuel, etc., an observer who performs or monitors the work is on standby. Therefore, by making such a supervisor carry this special communication terminal, the field work machine can be as close as possible to the place where the supervisor is waiting.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communication terminal has a remote control operation function for a control unit including the travel control section.

If the field work machine has a function to be controlled by a remote control, it is convenient for the observer who monitors the work on the specific ridge to use the remote control to drive the field work machine closer to the ridge. A synergistic effect is obtained when the communication terminal, which is the specific recognition target recognized by the recognition unit, and the remote controller are integrated.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit has an image recognition function, and the specific recognition target is recognized by the image recognition function.

Inexpensive and high-performance image recognition devices are in circulation, so it is possible to recognize specific objects without any technical or cost burden. Furthermore, by setting an arbitrary object in advance as an object to be image-recognized, any object can be used as a specific recognition target of the present invention.

Furthermore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the specific recognition target recognized by the recognition unit is an observer who monitors the movement of the aircraft from a ridge.

A specific observer, such as an observer wearing a specific costume, is registered in the recognition unit, so that a person unrelated to the work is recognized, and the field work machine mistakenly approaches the ridge. is avoided.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the image recognition function of the recognition unit includes a function of recognizing a gesture of a person on a ridge, and the obstacle management section changes the running state of the aircraft. A running state change command is given to the running control unit.

If the image recognition function of the recognition unit has a function of recognizing the gesture of a person on a ridge, the obstacle management section responds to this gesture by controlling the aircraft to stop, move forward or backward. can be instructed to As a result, it is possible to easily control not only the aircraft approaching the ridge, but also emergency flight control through gestures.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the recognition unit has a voice recognition function, the specific recognition target is voice emitted from the ridge, and the obstacle management section recognizes Based on the received voice, a running state change command for changing the running state of the aircraft is given to the running control unit.

In this embodiment as well, since inexpensive and high-performance speech recognition devices are on the market, it is possible to configure the recognition unit to recognize the speech adopted as the specific recognition target without any technical or cost burden. In addition, by registering the voice of the observer as a specific recognition target, noise unrelated to the work or human voice is recognized as a specific recognition target. Avoided. Furthermore, if the speech recognition function of the recognition unit is configured to recognize simple words related to the flight control of the aircraft, the obstacle management unit can change the traveling state of the aircraft based on the voice recognized by the recognition unit. A state change command can be given to the cruise control unit. As a result, it is possible to easily control not only the approach of the aircraft to the ridge but also the control of the aircraft in case of an emergency.

Further, in one preferred embodiment, the obstacle management unit is connectable to a farming management system so that data can be exchanged, and the obstacle management unit uses the specific recognition registered in advance in the farming management system. Manage the no-access distance or the accessible time with respect to the object.

In this configuration, for example, a farming management system built on a computer installed at a cloud service center or at a farmer's home, etc., has a prohibitive distance to a specific recognition target, or an aircraft approaching a specific recognition target. By registering the available time, the obstacle management department can access the farming management system, acquire these data, and manage them. As a result, the management of data such as the prohibition distance and accessible time for the specific recognition object in the obstacle management unit is decentralized, and the data management in the obstacle management unit is simplified.

In one preferred embodiment, the specific recognition target data detected by the image recognition function or voice recognition function of the recognition unit is automatically or selectively accumulated in the farming management system.

If the farming management system as described above adopts a configuration for automatically or selectively accumulating specific recognition target data detected by the image recognition function or voice recognition function of the recognition unit, the detected specific recognition Information about the target is stored chronologically in the farming management system and can be used for various post-processing.

It is a side view of a rice transplanter equipped with an automatic steering system. It is a schematic diagram explaining the power transmission from an engine to a planting mechanism. It is a mimetic diagram explaining a travel route for automatic travel of a rice transplanter. It is a functional block diagram which shows the control system of a rice transplanter. 4 is a data flow diagram showing the flow of data and commands between control function units in running along the edge of a ridge. FIG.

In the following, a rice transplanter will be described as an example of one of the embodiments of the field work machine capable of automatically traveling according to the present invention. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "front" (the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 1) means the front in the longitudinal direction (running direction) of the aircraft, and "rear" (the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1). ) means the rear in the longitudinal direction (running direction) of the fuselage. In addition, the left-right direction or the lateral direction means the left-right direction (machine width direction) perpendicular to the front-back direction of the machine body. shall mean the direction of orientation.

[Overall structure]
As shown in FIG. 1, the rice transplanter includes a ride-on, four-wheel-drive body 1 . The machine body 1 includes a parallel quadruple link type link mechanism 13, a hydraulic elevating cylinder 13a, a seedling planting device 3A, a fertilizing device 3B, and the like. The link mechanism 13 is connected to the rear portion of the fuselage 1 so as to be vertically swingable. The lifting cylinder 13a drives the link mechanism 13 to swing. 3 A of seedling planting apparatuses are connected with the rear-end part of the link mechanism 13 so that rolling is possible. The fertilizing device 3B extends from the rear end of the machine body 1 to the seedling planting device 3A. In this embodiment, the seedling planting device 3A and the fertilizing device 3B are liftable working devices 3 provided in the field working machine of the present invention. The work device 3 performs seedling planting work along a predetermined row direction. The link mechanism 13 and the elevating cylinder 13a constitute an elevating mechanism for elevating the seedling planting device 3A and the fertilizing device 3B.

The machine body 1 includes a wheel-type traveling device 12, an engine 2A, and a hydraulic continuously variable transmission 2B. The continuously variable transmission 2B is a main transmission. The continuously variable transmission 2B is, for example, an HST (Hydro-Static Transmission). The continuously variable transmission 2B changes the rotation speed of the power (rotational power) output from the engine 2A by adjusting the angles of the motor swash plate and the pump swash plate. The traveling device 12 has left and right front wheels 12A and left and right rear wheels 12B. The left and right front wheels 12A function as steering wheels for changing the orientation of the vehicle. The left and right rear wheels 12B cannot be steered.

As shown in FIG. 1, an operating section 14 is provided at the rear portion of the airframe 1. The driving unit 14 includes a steering wheel 10 for steering the front wheels, a main shift lever 7A, an auxiliary shift lever 7B, a work operation lever 11, and a driver's seat 16 for passengers (drivers, workers, managers). , etc. The main shift lever 7A adjusts the vehicle speed by shifting the continuously variable transmission 2B. The sub-transmission lever 7B enables the shift operation of the sub-transmission. The work operation lever 11 performs elevating operation of the seedling planting device 3A. Further, a preliminary seedling storage device 17A is supported by a preliminary seedling support frame 17 in front of the operating section 14. As shown in FIG. The spare seedling storage device 17A stores spare seedlings.

The steering wheel 10 is connected to the front wheels 12A via a steering mechanism (not shown). The steering angle of the front wheels 12A is adjusted by rotating the steering wheel 10. FIG. A steering motor M1 is connected to the steering mechanism. During automatic steering, the steering motor M1 operates based on a steering signal to adjust the steering angle (steering degree) of the front wheels 12A. Further, in the present embodiment, a shift operation motor M2 is provided for automatically operating the main shift lever 7A. During automatic running, the shift position of the continuously variable transmission 2B is adjusted by operating the shift operation motor M2 based on the shift signal.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seedling planting device 3A is illustrated in an eight-row planting format as an example. The seedling planting device 3A may be of other types such as a 6-row planting type or a 10-row planting type. Power from the engine 2A is distributed to each planting mechanism 22 via the planting clutch C0 and each row clutch EC. The planting clutch C0 switches the driving state of the seedling planting device 3A by switching on and off power transmission from the engine 2A. Each row clutch EC is configured to be able to select driving or non-driving of each planting mechanism 22 every two rows in the seedling planting device 3A. By controlling each row clutch EC, the seedling planting device 3A can be changed to two-row planting, four-row planting, six-row planting, and eight-row planting.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seedling planting device 3A includes a seedling platform 21, a planting mechanism 22, and the like. The seedling mounting table 21 is a pedestal on which 8 rows of mat-like seedlings are mounted. The seedling mounting table 21 reciprocates in the horizontal direction with a constant stroke amount corresponding to the lateral width of the mat-like seedling. Each time the seedling platform 21 reaches the left and right stroke ends, each mat-like seedling on the seedling platform 21 is longitudinally fed toward the lower end of the seedling platform 21 at a predetermined pitch. The eight planting mechanisms 22 are of a rotary type and are arranged in the left-right direction at regular intervals corresponding to the intervals between the planting rows. Power from the engine 2A is transmitted to each planting mechanism 22 . Each planting mechanism 22 cuts off one seedling (planted seedling) from the lower end of each mat-like seedling placed on the seedling placement table 21 by the power from the engine 2A, and cuts off the mud part after leveling ( planted in the field). As a result, the seedling planting apparatus 3A can take out seedlings from the mat-like seedlings placed on the seedling placement table 21 and plant them in the mud part of the paddy field in the operating state.

The fertilizing device 3B has a hopper 25, a delivery mechanism 26, and a fertilizing hose 28. The hopper 25 stores granular or powdery fertilizers (chemicals and other agricultural materials). A delivery mechanism 26 delivers fertilizer from the hopper 25 . The fertilizing hose 28 conveys the fertilizer delivered by the delivery mechanism 26 and discharges the fertilizer to the field. Fertilizer stored in the hopper 25 is delivered by a delivery mechanism 26 by a predetermined amount and sent to the fertilizing hose 28, conveyed through the fertilizing hose 28 by the carrying wind of the blower 27, and discharged from the ditching device 29 to the field. be. Thus, the fertilizing device 3B supplies fertilizer to the field.

The grooving machine 29 is arranged on the leveling float 15 . Each grooving device 29 ascends and descends together with each leveling float 15, forms a fertilizing groove in the muddy part of the paddy field, and guides the fertilizer into the fertilizing groove during work travel in which each leveling float 15 touches the ground.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication terminal 9 detachably attached to the operation unit 14 is configured by, for example, a tablet computer. The communication terminal 9 can output various types of information to the operator as visual information and auditory information, and can accept inputs of various types of information. The communication terminal 9 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the control system of the rice transplanter so that data can be exchanged. Various functions for automatic driving are installed in the communication terminal 9 . For example, at a position away from the rice transplanter, it may be configured to have a remote control operation function for remotely controlling the control system (control unit 100) of the rice transplanter.

A positioning unit 8 is provided that outputs positioning data for calculating the position (aircraft position: represented by map coordinates, for example) and orientation (aircraft bearing) of the airframe 1 . The positioning unit 8 includes a satellite positioning module 8A that receives radio waves from satellites of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and an inertial measurement module 8B that detects the three-axis tilt and acceleration of the airframe 1 ( See Figure 6). The positioning unit 8 is supported on top of the preliminary seedling support frame 17 .

Furthermore, the rice transplanter is equipped with an obstacle detection unit 70 for obstacle detection. In this embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 70 comprises a camera unit 71 and a LiDAR unit 72 (Light Detection And Ranging). The obstacle detection unit 70 detects an object by combining the image captured by the camera unit 71 and the point cloud image by the LiDAR unit 72 . Then, the obstacle detection unit 70 calculates the position and shape of the object, and sends this as detected object information to the control system of the rice transplanter. With the configuration of the obstacle detection unit 70 , object detection and object recognition are possible from images captured by the camera unit 71 . Furthermore, with the configuration of the obstacle detection unit 70 , object detection and object recognition are also possible from the point cloud data by the LiDAR unit 72 . Therefore, the obstacle detection unit 70 may consist of either one of the camera unit 71 and the LiDAR unit 72 . In this embodiment, an image captured by the camera unit 71 is used in a recognition unit 54 (see FIG. 4) that recognizes a specific recognition target, which will be described later. Therefore, in any case, the camera unit 71 is provided on the airframe 1 .

[Travel route]
Working traveling in which the rice transplanter carries out seedling planting work in a field by automatic traveling will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

The rice transplanter in this embodiment can selectively execute manual running and automatic running. In manual traveling, the driver manually operates (including remote control operation) the steering wheel 10, the main gearshift lever 7A, the sub gearshift lever 7B, the work operation lever 11, etc. to perform work traveling. In automatic travel, the rice transplanter automatically travels and works along a preset target travel route.

When the rice transplanter performs the seedling planting work, the driver first runs the rice transplanter manually along the outer circumference (outer edge) of the field without performing work. When the outer peripheral shape of the farm field is calculated by this mapping round trip, as shown in FIG. 3, a farm field map is generated in which the farm field is divided into an outer peripheral area OA and an inner area IA.

When the field map is generated, the driving route that the rice transplanter uses for automatic driving is also generated. In the inner area IA, a plurality of linear running paths (hereinafter referred to as straight running paths, but not necessarily limited to straight lines) extending substantially parallel to one side of the field are generated. The extending direction of the travel route is also called the row direction. This straight travel route is a travel route for the rice transplanter to travel throughout the entire inner area IA for work. Automatic steering in automatic driving is performed using this straight travel route as a target travel route. Each straight travel route is connected by a U-shaped turning travel route (substantially a 180-degree turning route). Traveling along a straight travel route and travel along a turning travel route are performed by automatic travel control consisting of automatic steering and automatic transmission.

In the outer peripheral area OA, one or more round traveling routes are generated that go around the outer peripheral area OA along the outer periphery (outer edge) of the farm field. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, the circular traveling route consists of two circular traveling routes, inner and outer. The inner and outer circular travel routes can also be automatically traveled, but one or both of them may be manually traveled.

Most of the travel along the straight travel route is work travel. In the work traveling, the machine body 1 travels while the seedling planting device 3A, which is the working device 3, operates in a state where the seedling planting device 3A is lowered to the lower position. As a result, linear seedling planting work is performed in units of several rows.

When work travel is completed on one straight travel route, the machine body 1 turns 180 degrees toward the next straight travel route for work travel. This 180-degree turning travel of the machine body 1 is a non-working travel. During the non-working travel, the seedling planting device 3A, which is the working device 3, is raised to the upper position, and the leveling float 15 is positioned above the surface of the paddy field. In this state, the seedling planting device 3A stops. Then, the body 1 changes direction by 180 degrees while running.

In the seedling planting work for a rectangular field as shown in FIG. is done. Next, the seedling planting work in the outer peripheral area OA is performed by a combination of the straight travel, which is the working travel on the outer peripheral route, and the 90-degree turning travel, which is the non-working travel. In the seedling planting work in the inner area IA, every time the work travel is completed in one straight travel route and the robot moves toward the next straight travel route, a 180-degree turning travel is performed. Since this 180-degree turning travel is performed in the outer peripheral area OA in an unworked state (a state in which seedlings are not planted), a sufficient turning space can be secured.

[Rough edge special driving]
The rice transplanter performs special traveling on a complicated route at the edge of a ridge in addition to the above-described straight traveling and 180-degree turning traveling. One of such special roadside runs is turning around corners in mapping round runs. Turning around corners in mapping round trips is indicated by SR1 in FIG. This 90 degree turn takes place at a corner bounded by a ridge. Although FIG. 3 shows a simple route, it is not uncommon for the vehicle to repeat forward and backward movements several times in practice. The reference position for field mapping is calculated at the timing when the seedling planting device 3A is lowered from the raised position to the lowered position. Therefore, in order to obtain an accurate reference position, it is necessary to bring the seedling planting apparatus 3A as close to the ridge as possible and lower the seedling planting apparatus 3A. In addition, it is necessary to travel over a ridge in which the machine body 1 approaches the ridge while the seedling planting device 3A is raised above the ridge.

Another one of the ridge edge special runs is the forward resupply run, which approaches the ridge by moving forward from straight running in the inner area IA to supply materials. Forward resupply travel is designated SR2 in FIG. Still another one is a backward replenishment run in which after turning 180 degrees from a straight run in the inner area IA, the vehicle approaches a ridge in reverse for material replenishment. A reverse refueling run is designated SR3 in FIG. In any replenishment run, it is important for the aircraft 1 to approach the ridge for smooth material replenishment. Especially in the backward replenishment traveling, traveling over a ridge is also performed. Furthermore, in some cases, an operation of placing the seedling planting device 3A on the upper surface of the ridge is also performed.

In the above-mentioned edge-of-ridge special run, Aircraft 1 approaches the edge of the ridge. Therefore, the ridge is detected by the obstacle detection unit 70 as an obstacle. When an obstacle is detected and detected object information including the position and shape of the obstacle is sent to the control system, the control system sets the distance between the detected obstacle and the airframe 1 to the preset prohibition of approach. Run control is performed so that the vehicle does not fall below the distance. Alternatively, when an obstacle is detected and the detected object information including the position and shape of the obstacle is sent to the control system, the control system controls the control system so that the approachable time for the aircraft 1 to approach the detected obstacle is exceeded. Run control to prevent it from happening. However, in ridge edge special driving, it is necessary to get as close to the ridge as possible. Therefore, when the detected obstacle (ridge) is determined to be a specific ridge set as a specific area of ridges in this field, the control system shortens the prohibited access distance or extends the accessible time. and allow a closer approach to the ridge for Aircraft 1. In other words, when the detected ridge is a specific recognition target set in advance, or when the specific recognition target is recognized in the vicinity of the detected ridge, the approach to this special ridge is permitted. This specific recognition target recognition process will be described in detail later. It should be noted that the control for changing the prohibited approach distance or approachable time for obstacles detected by the obstacle detection unit 70 may also be employed in travel other than the special railroad travel.

[Control system]
Next, the control system of this rice transplanter will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the control system. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of data regarding recognition processing of a specific recognition target in the control system.

The control system of the rice transplanter includes a control unit 100 and a communication terminal 9. The control unit 100 controls various operations of the rice transplanter. The communication terminal 9 can exchange data with the control unit 100 . Signals from the positioning unit 8 , the manual operation tool sensor group 31 , the travel sensor group 32 , and the work sensor group 33 are input to the control unit 100 . A control signal from the control unit 100 is output to the traveling equipment group 1A and the work equipment group 1B.

The control unit 100 acquires positioning data from the satellite positioning module 8A of the positioning unit 8 for calculating the position and orientation of the aircraft 1 (orientation in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body). In addition, the control unit 100 acquires inertial measurement data regarding the three-axis tilt and acceleration of the airframe 1 from the inertial measurement module 8B.

The control unit 100 acquires detected object information from an obstacle detection unit 70 that detects objects (obstacles) existing around the aircraft 1 . Also, an image captured by the camera unit 71 of the obstacle detection unit 70 is sent to the recognition unit 54 constructed in the control unit 100 in this embodiment, and used to recognize a specific recognition target.

The traveling device group 1A includes, for example, a steering motor M1 and a shift operation motor M2. The steering angle is adjusted by controlling the steering motor M1 based on the control signal from the control unit 100 . Further, the vehicle speed is adjusted by controlling the speed change operation motor M2 based on the control signal from the control unit 100. FIG.

The work equipment group 1B includes, for example, an elevating cylinder 13a, a seedling amount adjusting device, a feeding amount adjusting device, and an on/off control device for the planting clutch C0 and each row clutch EC. The elevating cylinder 13a elevates the seedling planting device 3A. The seedling amount adjusting device adjusts the amount of seedlings taken by the planting mechanism 22 . The delivery amount adjusting device changes the amount of fertilizer delivered by the delivery mechanism 26 .

The manual operating tool sensor group 31 includes sensors, switches, and the like that detect the operating states of various manual operating tools. The traveling sensor group 32 includes various sensors for detecting conditions such as steering angle, vehicle speed, engine speed, and set values for them. The work sensor group 33 includes various sensors for detecting the drive state of the seedling planting device 3A and the fertilizing device 3B. Various sensors in the work sensor group 33 include a grounding sensor that detects the grounding of the leveling float 15, an elevation position sensor that detects the elevation position of the link mechanism 13, and the like.

The control unit 100 includes functional units such as an input signal processing unit 50, a travel control unit 6, a work control unit 51, an aircraft position calculation unit 52, a travel route setting unit 53, a recognition unit 54, an obstacle management unit 55, and the like. ing.

The input signal processing unit 50 receives data from external devices such as measuring devices, monitoring devices, and communication devices. The input signal processing unit 50 then performs necessary data conversion processing and the like, and supplies the data to the functional units of the control unit 100 . For example, the input signal processing unit 50 can receive speech recognition data obtained by speech recognition from a speech recognition device, data from a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and Wi-Fi data and public line data from a remote management computer. . A farming management system, which will be described later, is built in this management computer.

The body position calculation unit 52 calculates the body position (map position) of the body 1 based on the satellite positioning data and inertial navigation data sequentially sent from the positioning unit 8 . The map coordinates may be coordinates in a field coordinate system or a specific coordinate system as well as latitude and longitude.

In this embodiment, the communication terminal 9 includes a touch panel IF 90, a field information storage unit 91, a travel route map generation unit 92, a travel route generation unit 93, a remote control unit 94, and the like. The touch panel IF 90 is a graphic interface, and has a function of displaying and inputting information through the touch panel provided in the communication terminal 9 . Therefore, this communication terminal 9 functions as an input/output interface for the control unit 100 .

The farm field information storage unit 91 stores information about the farm field, such as the entrance (exit) position of the farm field and the positions where seedlings and fertilizer can be supplied. The traveling route map generator 92 generates a map of the field based on the traveling locus obtained by causing the machine body 1 to travel along the outermost periphery of the outer peripheral area OA (see FIG. 3) of the field, that is, along the boundary line with the ridge. Calculate the external dimensions. The travel route generation unit 93 divides the field into an outer peripheral area OA and an inner area IA based on the outer dimensions of the field, and generates a travel route for automatic travel. The travel route, as shown in FIG. 3, consists of a circular travel route for travel in the outer peripheral area OA and a straight travel route for travel in the inner area IA. The generated travel route is sent to the control unit 100 .

The remote control unit 94 has a program that causes the communication terminal 9 to function as a remote control for operating the rice transplanter. When the remote controller 94 operates, the administrator can remote-control the rice transplanter using hardware switches attached to the communication terminal 9 or software switches displayed on the touch panel of the communication terminal 9 .

A travel route setting unit 53 built in the control unit 100 receives and manages the travel route generated by the travel route generation unit 93 from the communication terminal 9, and sets a target travel route for route following steering control. The travel route is set in sequence.

The work control unit 51 automatically controls the work equipment group 1B based on a program given in advance during automatic travel, and controls the work equipment group 1B based on the driver's operation during manual travel.

The travel control unit 6 includes an automatic travel control unit 61, a manual travel control unit 62, and a control management unit 63. This rice transplanter can be switched between an automatic running mode for automatic running and a manual running mode for manual running. The control management unit 63 receives a signal from a manual operation tool sensor (one of the manual operation tool sensor group 31) that detects the state of the running mode switching operation tool (not shown), and a signal generated by the control unit 100 in a controlled manner. Either the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode is selected based on the switching signal.

The manual travel control unit 62 operating in the manual travel mode controls the steering motor M1 based on the amount of operation of the steering wheel 10. Further, the manual travel control unit 62 controls the speed change operation motor M2 based on the operation of the manual operation tools such as the main shift lever 7A and the auxiliary shift lever 7B.

The automatic travel control unit 61 operating in the automatic travel mode uses the vehicle body position calculated by the aircraft position calculation unit 52 to calculate the positional deviation of the aircraft 1 with respect to the target travel route (lateral deviation with respect to the target travel route) and the azimuth deviation of the aircraft 1 with respect to the target travel route. (deviation angle of the vehicle azimuth with respect to the azimuth of the target travel route) is calculated. Then, the automatic travel control unit 61 steers the body 1 so as to reduce the positional deviation and the azimuth deviation.

The recognition unit 54 recognizes a pre-registered specific recognition target. The specific recognition target is registered as a symbol that allows the aircraft to approach the obstacle. A “symbol (approach determination material)” here is an object that can be recognized by the recognition unit 54, such as an object, human body, equipment, or behavior. The recognition unit 54 has at least one recognition function such as an image recognition function, a speech recognizer, a symbol matching function, etc. for recognition of a specific recognition target.

The obstacle management unit 55 manages the prohibited distance or accessible time of the aircraft 1 to obstacles detected by the obstacle detection unit 70 .

As described above, this rice transplanter is provided with the prohibited access distance changing function or the accessible time changing function. The no-approach distance change function prohibits the aircraft 1 from approaching the detected ridge or other obstacle when the detected ridge or other obstacle is an object in the specific area set as the specific area in the field. Shorten the distance and allow Aircraft 1 to approach the ridge. The approachable time change function changes the approachability of the body 1 to the detected obstacle such as a ridge when the detected obstacle such as a ridge is an object in the specific area set as the specific area in the field. Extend the time and allow Aircraft 1 to approach the ridge. The obstacle management unit 55 executes this prohibited distance change function or accessible time change function. When the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 70 is the specific recognition target recognized by the recognition unit 54, the obstacle management unit 55 shortens the prohibited distance or extends the accessible time. Alternatively, when the specific recognition target recognized by the recognition unit 54 is recognized in the vicinity of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 70, the obstacle management unit 55 shortens the prohibited distance, or Extends reachable time. This allows the aircraft 1 to approach this obstacle.

The obstacle management unit 55 shortens the prohibited distance or extends the accessible time, from straight running in the inner area IA to forward replenishment traveling to approach the ridge in order to supply materials, and backward replenishment to approach the ridge in reverse. In running, it is done. That is, one of the obstacles used by the obstacle management unit 55 to determine whether to shorten the prohibited distance or extend the accessible time is the specific area of the ridge. The recognition unit 54 preliminarily registers a specific ridge, which is a specific area of the ridge used for this supply of materials, as a specific recognition target. Upon recognizing that a specific ridge exists in the traveling direction of the aircraft, the obstacle management section 55 determines that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 70 is the specific ridge. At this time, the obstacle management unit 55 shortens the prohibited distance or extends the accessible time.

In an embodiment in which the recognition unit 54 has an image recognition function, image recognition is performed on the photographed image acquired by the camera unit 71, and the specific ridge is recognized. However, when the shape of the ridge used for material supply is similar to the shape of other ridges, it becomes difficult to recognize the specific ridge. Therefore, when an object other than a ridge is registered in the recognition unit 54 as a specific recognition target, and the recognition unit 54 recognizes the specific recognition target in the vicinity of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 70, the obstacle management unit A reference numeral 55 designates a ridge adjacent to the specific recognition target as a specific ridge. "Symbols" used as specific recognition targets instead of the ridges themselves are listed below.

[1: When the communication terminal 9 is used as a “symbol”]
A communication terminal 9 carried by an observer who monitors the movement of the field work machine from the ridge is also used as a remote control device and a work progress display device. Therefore, when replenishing materials, the supervisor brings the communication terminal 9 and positions it near the ridge for replenishing the materials. For this reason, it is convenient to set the communication terminal 9 carried by the monitor as a specific recognition target. By registering feature data indicating the color and shape of the communication terminal 9 in the recognition unit 54, the recognition unit 54 can recognize the communication terminal 9 by image recognition processing. In addition, the recognition unit 54 is provided with a code matching function. When the identification data that can be transmitted by the communication terminal 9 is registered, the recognition unit 54 recognizes the communication terminal 9 by performing code collation of highly directional transmission data (including identification data) transmitted by the communication terminal 9. It is possible. Transmission data from an IC tag can also be used as transmission data whose code can be collated. In that case, an IC tag is attached to the ridge for material supply. If the code matching function has a function of reading the code image, a signboard or the like printed with the code image can be attached to the ridge for material supply. Instead of the communication terminal 9, a mobile phone installed with an application capable of exchanging data with the control system of the rice transplanter may be used. If the identification data of the mobile phone is registered in the recognition unit 54 from the application of the mobile phone via the cloud service computer, it is possible to designate a specific ridge that can shorten the approach distance in real time.

[2: When the monitor who monitors the movement of the rice transplanter from the ridge is the “symbol”]
When resupplying, the observer is positioned near the ridge for resupplying materials. For this reason, it is convenient to set the observer as a specific recognition target. By registering the face photograph of the monitor in the recognition unit 54, the recognition unit 54 can recognize the monitor using a face recognition function, which is a type of image recognition function. In addition, by registering a photo of the observer wearing a specific costume (such as a distinctive hat or jacket), the observer can be distinguished from other people and recognized. It is possible.

[3: When using a person's gesture as a "symbol"]
The recognition unit 54 is equipped with a gesture recognition function, which is a type of image recognition function, and if characteristic gestures of a person (hand waving, etc.) are registered, the gesture performed by the person located near the ridge can be identified. It can be recognized as a recognition target. Assuming that a specific recognition target is recognized in the vicinity of the ridge detected by the obstacle detection unit 70, the obstacle management section 55 can regard this ridge as the specific ridge.

[4: When a person's voice is used as a "symbol"]
A case where the recognition unit 54 has a voice recognition function and the input signal processing section 50 is connected to a microphone (preferably a microphone with good directivity) will be described. A speech emitted from the ridge is recognized by the recognition unit 54 . The obstacle management section 55 can appropriately regard the ridge detected by the obstacle detection unit 70 as the specific ridge through the voice recognized by the recognition unit 54 . Restricting the phrases to be voice-recognized simplifies the voice-recognition function. Also, by recognizing the voice of a specific person, it is possible to avoid erroneously reacting to the voice of children playing around the field.

If the recognition unit 54 has a function capable of recognizing gestures, the obstacle management unit 55 controls the running state change command for changing the running state of the body 1 based on the gesture recognized by the recognition unit 54. Part 6 can be given. In this configuration, gestures are used to stop, move forward, and reverse the body 1 .

If the recognition unit 54 has a function capable of recognizing voice, the obstacle management unit 55 controls the running state change command to change the running state of the aircraft 1 based on the voice recognized by the recognition unit 54. Part 6 can be given. Also in this configuration, the machine body 1 is stopped, moved forward, or reversed by voice.

Control by the recognition unit 54 and the obstacle management unit 55 to shorten the prohibition distance to the aircraft 1 to obstacles such as ridges, or control to extend the accessible time, is performed by the trees, utility poles, etc. in the ridges and fields. limited to driving close to certain obstacles. For other obstacles, the normal no-access distance or accessible time is maintained. As a result, the shortening of the prohibited approach distance or the accessible time due to malfunction is suppressed. For this reason, the travel control unit 6 may be provided with a special travel management unit 64 that manages, as special travel, travel that approaches a specific obstacle that has been grasped in advance. Such a special travel management unit 64 sends a permission command to the recognition unit 54 and the obstacle management unit to permit the control to shorten the prohibited approach distance or the control to extend the accessible time only when the aircraft 1 performs special travel. Give to 55 and.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the obstacle management unit 55 can exchange data with the farming management system built in the management computer via the input signal processing unit 50. In the farming management system, a prohibition distance or an approachable time of the body 1 to the obstacle is registered in advance with respect to the specific recognition target. The obstacle management unit 55 accesses the farming management system, and sets the prohibition distance to the specific recognition target (detected obstacle) registered in advance in the farming management system, or the specific recognition target (detected obstacle ) can be obtained and managed.

Furthermore, the farming management system can automatically or selectively accumulate data relating to specific recognition targets detected by the image recognition function or voice recognition function of the recognition unit 54 . Data relating to the detected specific recognition target is converted into information and stored in the farming management system in chronological order.

[Another embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the configurations exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and other representative embodiments of the present invention will be exemplified below.

(1) In the above-described embodiments, the rice transplanter was taken as the field working machine of the present invention, but the present invention can also be applied to other field working machines such as tractors, harvesters, seeders, and the like. is.

(2) The special traveling such as the special traveling on the edge of a furrow ascertained by the special traveling management section 64 can be registered in advance in the traveling route set by the traveling route setting section 53 .

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the travel device 12 is of the steering wheel type, but may be of the crawler type.

(4) The division of functional units shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is an example, and each functional unit is integrated with other functional units, each functional unit is divided into a plurality of functional units, Various modifications are possible, such as the control unit 100 being distributed over multiple control subunits.

It should be noted that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including other embodiments; the same shall apply hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is applicable to field working machines that can automatically travel in fields bounded by ridges.

1: Airframe 1A: Running equipment group 1B: Working equipment group 3: Working device 6: Traveling control unit 8: Positioning unit 8A: Satellite positioning module 8B: Inertial measurement module 9: Communication terminal 12: Traveling device 50: Input signal processing unit 52: Aircraft position calculation unit 54: Recognition unit 55: Obstacle management unit 70: Obstacle detection unit 71: Camera unit 72: LiDAR unit 100: Control unit

Claims

A field work machine capable of automatically traveling for working in a field bounded by a ridge,
an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle including the ridge;
a body position calculation unit that calculates the body position;
A travel control unit that automatically travels or manually travels the aircraft,
a recognition unit that recognizes a specific recognition target registered in advance as a symbol that allows the aircraft to approach the obstacle;
an obstacle management unit that manages the prohibited distance of the aircraft to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit, or the time in which the aircraft can approach the obstacle;
When the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit is the specific recognition target, or when the specific recognition target is in an area near the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit, the obstacle management unit A field implement that, if known, reduces said no-access distance or extends said accessible time.
The obstacle used by the obstacle management unit to determine whether to shorten the prohibited distance or extend the accessible time is the ridge,
The field working machine according to claim 1, wherein the specific recognition target is a specific ridge that is a specific area of the ridge or a recognition target located in the vicinity of the specific ridge.
The specific recognition target is a specific communication terminal registered in advance,
The agricultural machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recognition unit recognizes the communication terminal based on data transmitted from the communication terminal.
The field working machine according to claim 3, wherein the communication terminal has a remote control function for a control unit including the travel control section.
The recognition unit has an image recognition function,
The field working machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the specific recognition target is recognized by the image recognition function.
The field working machine according to claim 5, wherein the specific recognition target recognized by the recognition unit is an observer who monitors the movement of the machine body from a ridge.
The image recognition function of the recognition unit includes a function of recognizing a gesture of a person on the ridge,
The field work machine according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the obstacle management section gives a running state change command for changing the running state of the machine body to the running control section.
the recognition unit has a speech recognition function,
the specific recognition target is a sound emitted from the ridge,
8. The obstacle management unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the obstacle management unit gives a running state change command for changing the running state of the aircraft to the running control unit based on the voice recognized by the recognition unit. field work machine.
The obstacle management unit is connectable to a farming management system so that data can be exchanged,
9. The field according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said obstacle management unit manages said prohibited distance or said accessible time with respect to said specific recognition target registered in advance in said farming management system. working machine.
10. The field working machine according to claim 9, wherein the specific recognition target data detected by the image recognition function or voice recognition function of the recognition unit is automatically or selectively stored in the farming management system.