JP6948837B2 - Work vehicle cooperation system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work vehicle cooperation system configured to perform ground work in a field by a parent work platform and a child work platform running in parallel with the parent work platform.

In this type of work vehicle coordination system, conventionally, the maneuvering operation is performed so that the preceding parent work vehicle travels along the set route by the driver's manual operation, and the child work vehicle that follows is the parent work vehicle. Some are automatically controlled to travel along a target setting route set based on the traveled travel route (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this configuration, the driver only needs to drive and operate the parent work vehicle, and the child work vehicle automatically travels while following the parent work vehicle, so that one person can perform the work for multiple vehicles at the same time, and the work efficiency. Is improved.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-188351

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, the driver needs to manually perform all the maneuvering operations for the parent work vehicle, which has a disadvantage that the work load is increased accordingly.

In order to reduce the work load on the driver, it is conceivable to control not only the child work vehicle but also the parent work vehicle so as to automatically travel along a preset set route. In this case, it is necessary to provide each of the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle with a target route setting unit for setting a travel route, and set a travel route to be a travel target for each. Then, in each of the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle, the vehicle travels along the target travel route while measuring the position of the own vehicle using a position measuring means such as GPS (Global Positioning System). It is a configuration that controls to do so.

With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the work load of the driver when working in the field, but as a preparatory work for automatic running control, a goal provided for the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle. Each of the route setting units needs to set a travel route separately, which has a disadvantage that the preparatory work required prior to executing the automatic travel control is troublesome.

Therefore, in the case where the work is performed in the field by the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle running in parallel with the parent work vehicle, it is necessary not only when the work is performed in the field but also before the automatic travel control is executed. It has been desired to be able to reduce the work load even in the preparatory work.

The characteristic configuration of the work vehicle cooperation system according to the present invention is
A parent work platform and a child work platform running in parallel with the parent work platform are configured to perform ground work in the field.
The parent work vehicle
A target route setting unit that sets a target travel route in the field of the own vehicle and each of the child work vehicles, and a target route setting unit.
A travel control unit that controls the travel state so as to travel along the target travel route,
It is provided with a parent communication unit that is wirelessly connected to the child work platform so that the other party can be identified and information for work driving can be transmitted and received.
The child work vehicle
A child-side communication unit that is wirelessly connected to the parent-side communication unit so that the other party can be identified and information for work driving can be transmitted and received.
A traveling control unit that controls a traveling state so as to travel along the target traveling route transmitted from the parent communication unit is provided.
For each of the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle
A vehicle position calculation unit that obtains the position of the vehicle based on the transmission status transmitted from the reference station installed on the ground side and the reception information of radio waves from multiple satellites.
A position information management unit that manages the map data of the field to be worked on and the position data of the reference station corresponding to the field in association with each other is provided.
The reference station can be installed at any position,
The position information management unit is at a point of displaying the field, the set position of the reference station, and the current position of the reference station on a map.

According to the present invention, each of the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle running in parallel with the parent work vehicle is provided with a travel control unit, and the travel state is controlled so as to travel along a preset target travel route in the field. .. As a result, it is possible to automatically drive not only the child work vehicle but also the parent work vehicle, and it is possible to reduce the maneuvering burden of the driver in the work in the field.

The target route setting unit provided in the parent work vehicle sets not only the target travel route of the own vehicle but also the target travel route of the child work vehicle. The information of the set target travel route is transmitted from the parent communication unit to the child communication unit. The travel control unit of the parent work vehicle controls the travel state of the parent work vehicle so as to travel along the target travel route set by the target route setting unit provided in the own vehicle. The travel control unit of the child work vehicle controls the traveling state of the child work vehicle so as to travel along the target travel route transmitted from the parent work vehicle.

The child work vehicle does not require the work of setting the target travel route, and there is no troublesome work such as setting the target travel route separately for each of the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle, and the preparatory work for automatic driving control. Also, the work load can be reduced.

Therefore, it has become possible to reduce the work load not only when working in the field but also in the preparatory work required prior to executing the automatic running control.

It is a side view of a work vehicle. It is a top view of the field which shows the traveling route. It is a top view of the work vehicle which runs cooperatively. It is a control block diagram. It is a flowchart of a control operation. It is a flowchart of a control operation. It is the image display contents of a plurality of fields. It is an image display content showing the selected field and the position of the reference station.

Hereinafter, a case where the embodiment of the position measuring device for a work vehicle according to the present invention is applied to a work vehicle (tractor) provided with a tilling device as a ground work device at the rear of the traveling vehicle body as a work vehicle based on the drawings. explain. Specifically, in this embodiment, a case where it is applied to a work vehicle cooperation system in which two work vehicles run side by side so that ground work can be efficiently performed in a field will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the parent work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 running in parallel with the parent work vehicle 1 are configured to perform ground work in the field. Work in the field is generally divided into a central work area CL located on the central side of the field and a headland HL defined along the ridges around the central work area CL. At the central work area CL, each of the parent work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 travels along a preset target travel route, and the ground work is performed by reciprocating travel. The details will be described later, but the parent work vehicle 1 travels in advance, and the work traces of the child work vehicle 2 overlap with the work traces of the parent work vehicle 1 on the side thereof by a predetermined amount. Travel control is performed so that the vehicle travels.

〔overall structure〕
The parent work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 have some different control configurations as described later, but other configurations are the same. As shown in FIG. 1, a four-wheel type traveling vehicle body 4 is configured to be provided with a pair of left and right front wheels 3a whose orientation can be changed and a pair of left and right rear wheels 3b whose orientation is fixed so that the vehicle can travel straight and turn. ing. A control unit 5 is formed at the center of the traveling vehicle body 4. The control unit 5 is covered by the cabin 6. A tilling device 9 as a ground work device is connected to the rear portion of the traveling vehicle body 4 so as to be driven and raised and lowered by a lifting hydraulic cylinder (not shown) via a link mechanism 7. A steering wheel 11 and various operating levers (not shown) are provided on the front portion of the control unit 5. A driver's seat 12 on which the driver sits is provided at the rear of the control unit 5.

The engine 14 is mounted in the bonnet 13 at the front of the traveling vehicle body 4, and the power of the engine 14 is transmitted to the front and rear wheels 3a and 3b via a transmission mechanism (not shown) to drive the vehicle. The power of the engine 14 is transmitted to the tilling device 9 via the transmission mechanism to drive the tilling device 9. Although not shown, the transmission mechanism is provided with an electronically controlled transmission, forward / backward switching device, brake, and the like, and is configured so that the vehicle speed can be changed and the vehicle body traveling direction can be changed. Further, the traveling vehicle body 4 is configured so that the steering angle of the front wheels 3a can be changed and operated freely. Although not shown, the traveling vehicle body 4 includes a work clutch that can switch power transmission to and from the transmission system for the tilling device 9, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the front wheels, and a vehicle body. Various sensors such as an obstacle detection sensor that detects an obstacle existing nearby are also provided.

[Control configuration of parent work vehicle]
As shown in FIG. 4, the master work vehicle 1 is provided with a master unit controller 15 as a control device for controlling the transmission mechanism as described above, the steering state of the front wheels 3a, the working state of the tilling device 9, and the like. There is. The master controller 15 causes the vehicle body to travel along the set route based on the calculation results of the vehicle position calculation unit 16 that obtains the position of the vehicle based on the GPS positioning information and the vehicle position calculation unit 16. Various information can be communicated between the traveling control unit 17 that controls the traveling state of the vehicle body, the target route setting unit 18 that sets the target traveling route in the field, and the reference station management unit 20 that manages the position of the reference station 19. It is provided with a communication unit 21 (parent communication unit) on the parent side. The own vehicle position calculation unit 16, the travel control unit 17, the target route setting unit 18, and the reference station management unit 20 may each perform a cooperative operation with hardware, but they are substantially realized by a computer program. The communication unit 21 is composed of a device or the like for transmitting wireless information by radio waves or the like, and is wirelessly connected to and from the child work vehicle 2 so that the other party can be identified and work travel information can be transmitted and received.

The own vehicle position calculation unit 16 uses RTK-GPS (real-time kinematic GPS), which is a well-known technology, to transmit information transmitted from a reference station 19 installed on the ground side, and from a plurality of GPS satellites 22. It is configured to execute a position calculation process for determining the position of the own vehicle based on the received information of the radio wave. A GPS antenna 23 that receives radio waves from GPS satellites 22 and a GPS data processing unit 24 that processes information received by the GPS antenna 23 and transmits it to a control device are provided above the cabin 6 of the parent work vehicle 1. There is. The GPS data processing unit 24 is provided with a receiving unit 25 that receives transmission information transmitted from a reference station 19 installed on the ground side in a fixed position.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reference station 19 wirelessly transmits its own position data obtained by the GPS antenna 26, the GPS data processing unit 27, and the GPS data processing unit 27, which are the same as those of the parent work vehicle 1, to the outside. It is provided with a part 28. The receiving unit 25 provided in the GPS data processing unit 24 of the parent work vehicle 1 is configured to receive the information transmitted from the transmitting unit 28 of the reference station 19.

When there are a plurality of fields to be worked on, the reference station 19 is set up separately for each field. When measuring the position of the work vehicle in the field by RTK-GPS, the reference station 19 needs to be installed at a place where the accurate position is always known in advance in order to improve the positioning accuracy.

The reference station 19 is configured to be portable and can be installed anywhere on the ground. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the cost by sharing the reference station 19 in a plurality of fields. The reference station 19 can be loaded and moved by a carrier or the like, and in order to facilitate receiving radio waves from the GPS satellite 22, for example, it is located at a higher position than the field and can be placed and supported in a stable posture. It is installed in a place.

If the reference station 19 is portable and can be installed at an arbitrary location on the ground in this way, the operator may mistakenly install it at a position different from the previous installation position. Therefore, a reference station management unit 20 that manages the position of the reference station 19 is provided.

The reference station management unit 20 is configured to manage the map data of the field to be worked on and the position data of the reference station 19 corresponding to the field in association with each other. As the map data of the field, preset map data may be read from an external device and set, or the position in the target field using GPS while the work vehicle is running along the peripheral edge. May be measured to create map data.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reference station management unit 20 includes a storage device 29 that stores the position information of the reference station 19 set in advance corresponding to the field. The storage device 29 is a non-volatile memory that can retain the stored contents even if the key switch (not shown) provided in the traveling vehicle body 4 is turned off and the power supply to the master unit controller 15 is cut off. It is configured.

A touch panel type liquid crystal display 30 is provided as a display device for displaying the field and the position of the reference station 19 on a map. The liquid crystal display 30 is provided in the control unit 5 so that the driver seated in the driver's seat 12 can see it, and is configured to be able to display various information such as characters and images.

The reference station management unit 20 is configured to manage the map data of the fields and the position data of the reference stations for each of the plurality of fields, and the liquid crystal display 30 is used for the plurality of fields and the selected fields among them. It is configured to display the position of the reference station corresponding to the above as map information.

To add an explanation, as shown in FIG. 7, when there are a plurality of fields (A to F) to be worked on, the reference station 19 is separately installed for each field as described above. Each reference station 19 needs to be installed at a place where the exact position is always known in advance. The reference station management unit 20 manages the map data of the fields and the position data of the reference station 19 in association with each other for each of the plurality of fields. For example, when the master work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 are located in one of the plurality of fields (A), the liquid crystal display 30 displays the plurality of fields (A) as shown in FIG. ~ F) and the map data of the selected field A (the field where the work vehicle is currently located) and the position of the corresponding reference station 19 are displayed as map information so that the relative position can be visually discriminated. do.

Further, the liquid crystal display 30 displays the field, the position of the set reference station 19, and the current position of the reference station 19 on the map. As shown in FIG. 8, when the position of the reference station 19 is set and stored in the storage device 29 in the previous work, the preset and stored setting position (a) and this time are newly added. The current position (b) of the reference station 19 installed in the above is displayed as map information on the same screen. At this time, since the position information of the reference station 19 is a position measurement result by GPS independent positioning, the positioning accuracy is not so high, but the stored position (a) and the present state of the newly installed reference station 19 It is possible to determine whether or not the position (b) is significantly separated from the position (b).

Therefore, the reference station management unit 20 and the liquid crystal display 30 constitute a position information management unit 100 that manages the map data of the field to be worked on and the position data of the reference station 19 corresponding to the field in association with each other. ..

The target route setting unit 18 is configured to set target travel routes for each of the own vehicle and the child work vehicle 2 based on the map data of the field and the work parameters. As the work parameters, for example, various data such as the work width of the tilling device 9, the minimum turning radius of the traveling vehicle body 4, and the set values of the overlapping work widths of the master work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 are used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the parent work vehicle 1 travels in advance, and the work traces of the child work vehicle 2 overlap with the work traces of the parent work vehicle 1 by a predetermined amount on the side of the parent work vehicle 2. The target travel route is set so as to travel. The traveling route is a form in which a straight outward traveling, a turning (U-turn) traveling, and a parallel and linear returning traveling and a turning (U-turn) traveling are repeated at regular intervals with respect to the outward traveling. There is. The headland HL serves as a turning area in the work run of the central work area CL. Although not shown, in the headland HL, the ground work is performed by running in a straight line along the longitudinal direction thereof. It should be noted that the form is not limited to the mode in which the parent work vehicle 1 travels in advance and the child work vehicle 2 travels in advance, but the mode in which the child work vehicle 2 travels in advance and the parent work vehicle 1 follows and travels. It may be.

The target route setting unit 18 of the master unit controller 15 provided in the master work vehicle 1 sets not only the target travel route Tp of the own vehicle but also the target travel route Tc of the slave work vehicle 2 (another vehicle). As shown in FIG. 3, the target travel path Tc of the child work vehicle 2 is set in a state of being laterally displaced with respect to the target travel route Tp of the parent work vehicle 1.

The communication unit 21 on the parent side uses the map data of the field to be worked on and the target travel routes Tc and Tp of the own vehicle and the child work vehicle 2 set by the target route setting unit 18 as work travel information. The data is transmitted to the child work vehicle 2, specifically, the child-side communication unit 31 (child-side communication unit) described later.

The traveling vehicle body 4 is provided with a traveling operation unit 32 for operating the transmission mechanism and a steering operation unit 33 capable of changing the steering angle of the front wheels 3a. Although not shown, the traveling operation unit 32 includes a transmission, a forward / backward switching device, and a plurality of actuators capable of operating a brake and the like, and is configured to be able to change the vehicle speed, the vehicle body traveling direction, and the like. .. The steering operation unit 33 includes an actuator such as an electric motor that can operate the steering angle of the front wheels 3a, etc., and can change the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body 4 to go straight, turn left, and turn right, respectively. The steering angle of the front wheel 3a during turning can be changed arbitrarily. The traveling vehicle body 4 is also provided with a work operation unit (not shown) for driving and operating a work clutch, an elevating cylinder, and the like.

The travel control unit 17 drives and controls the travel operation unit 32 and the steering operation unit 33 so that the traveling vehicle body 4 travels along the target travel path Tp set by the target route setting unit 18.
The travel control unit 17 causes the parent work vehicle 1 to move along the set target travel route Tp when the start is instructed after the parent work vehicle 1 has moved to the start point of the target travel route Tp. In addition, the traveling operation unit 32 and the steering operation unit 33 are controlled. In addition, the work operation unit is controlled so that the tilling work is performed on the straight traveling path and the tilling work is not performed during the turning traveling.

[Control configuration of child work vehicle]
Like the parent work vehicle 1, the child work vehicle 2 includes a GPS antenna 23, a GPS data processing unit 24, a liquid crystal display 30, a traveling operation unit 32, a steering operation unit 33, and the like. A slave controller 34 having substantially the same configuration as the master controller 15 is provided.

The slave unit controller 34 includes the own vehicle position calculation unit 16, the travel control unit 17, the reference station management unit 20, and the slave side communication unit 31, similar to the master unit controller 15, and calculates the own vehicle position. Each of the unit 16, the travel control unit 17, and the reference station management unit 20 may perform a cooperative operation with the hardware, but are substantially realized by a computer program. The communication unit 31 on the child side is composed of a device or the like for transmitting wireless information by radio waves or the like, and is wirelessly connected to the communication unit 21 on the parent side so that the other party can be identified and information for work driving can be transmitted and received. NS. The slave unit controller 34 does not have a function of setting a target travel route. The slave unit controller 34 is configured to control the traveling state so as to travel along the target traveling route Tc set by the target route setting unit 18 provided in the master unit controller 15.

[Control details]
Next, the control operation in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6.

In order to operate the RTK-GPS, a reference station 19 located near the field to be worked is set (steps # 1 and # 101). The setting of the reference station 19 is performed separately for each of the parent work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2.

The setting of the reference station 19 is performed as shown in FIG. When the setting of the reference station 19 is started, when there are a plurality of fields to be worked on, the plurality of fields are displayed as map information on the liquid crystal display 30 as shown in FIG. 7 (step # 11). By operating the touch panel type liquid crystal display 30, the field to be the target of the current work is selected from the plurality of fields (step # 12). When a field is selected, as shown in FIG. 8, the map data of the selected field and the position of the reference station 19 corresponding to the map data are displayed as map information so that the relative position can be visually discriminated. At this time, if the position of the reference station 19 is set in advance for the field, the map data of the field, the set position (a) of the reference station 19, and the position of the newly installed reference station 19 (b). ) Is displayed on the screen (steps # 13 and 14).

If the preset position of the reference station 19 and the current position of the newly installed reference station 19 are separated by a set distance or more, a warning display warns the operator, although not shown. (Steps # 15 and 16). The operator may re-install the reference station 19 so as to match the preset position, or may update the reference station 19 to the newly installed position this time. Although the set position and the current position are separated by the set distance or more, when updating to a new installation position, etc., although not shown, by operating the operation unit of the touch panel type liquid crystal display 30 It can be commanded (step # 17).
The same can be set even when the position of the reference station 19 is not set in advance for the field (step # 18). If the update setting is not performed even if the set position and the current position are separated by the set distance or more, the process returns to step 11.

When the setting of the reference station 19 is completed in the parent work vehicle 1, the target travel route setting process is then performed (step # 2). As described above, at this time, not only the target travel path Tp of the own vehicle (parent work vehicle 1) but also the target travel route Tc of the child work vehicle 2 is set. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the target travel path Tc of the child work vehicle 2 is set in a state of being laterally deviated by a set amount with respect to the target travel route Tp of the parent work vehicle 1. The target travel routes Tp and Tc may be limited to routes as shown in FIG. 2 as long as the parent work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 running in parallel with the parent work vehicle 1 perform ground work in the field. It is not something that is done.

When the target travel routes Tp and Tc are set, the data of the target travel routes Tp and Tc set for each of the parent work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 are wirelessly communicated from the communication unit 21 to the communication unit 31 on the child side. (Step # 3). The communication unit 31 on the child side receives the data transmitted from the communication unit 21 on the parent side (step # 102).

After the target travel paths Tp and Tc are set, the master work vehicle 1 and the child work vehicle 2 each shift to travel control and follow the target travel routes Tp and Tc set for the parent work vehicle 1. The running state is controlled so as to run (steps # 4, 103). That is, the operation of the traveling operation unit 32 is controlled so that the traveling vehicle body 4 travels along the target traveling paths Tp and Tc.
When traveling straight on the central work area CL, perform the tilling work by the tilling device 9, and when turning and turning on the headland HL, stop the tilling work and raise the tilling device 9. , Control the operation of the work clutch and elevating cylinder.

If the reference station 19 is not set in step # 1, the process cannot proceed to step 2, so that the traveling control in step 4 does not occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the own vehicle position calculation unit 16 does not execute the position calculation process unless the position information of the reference station 19 is set in the position information management unit 100.

Although not shown, the master unit controller 15 of the master work vehicle 1 has an automatic mode in which the travel control unit 17 controls the travel operation unit 32 so as to automatically travel along the target travel path Tp, and such automatic mode. It is configured to be switchable to a manual mode in which the vehicle body can be driven by manual control without executing control.

With the master controller 15 switched to the manual mode, an operator can board the control unit 5 and manually perform the control operation. Even when the parent work vehicle 1 is configured to be manned, the child work vehicle 2 is unmanned and follows the parent work vehicle 1 along the target setting route. The running control is automatically performed. It is also possible for an operator to board and monitor the traveling state with the master unit controller 15 switched to the automatic mode, or to manually perform a correction operation.

[Another Embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, the slave unit controller 34 is not provided with the function of setting the target travel route, but the slave unit controller 34 is configured to share the same configuration as the master unit controller, and the target is The function of setting the travel route may not be used. As a result, the parent work platform and the child work platform have the same configuration, and the work of the same configuration can be shared.

(2) In the above embodiment, the parent communication unit transmits the map data of the field and the target travel route to the child communication unit, but only the target travel route may be transmitted.

(3) In the above embodiment, the liquid crystal display 30 is provided as a display unit, but other types of display such as an organic EL type display device and a fluorescent display tube may be used.

(4) In the above embodiment, the main work vehicle and the child work vehicle are each provided with a display unit (liquid crystal display 30), but only the main work vehicle is provided with a display unit and the child work vehicle is displayed. It may be configured without a part.

(5) In the above embodiment, the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle are set in a predetermined combination, but instead of this configuration, the parent work vehicle is made of a plurality of work vehicles by wireless connection. The configuration may include a slave unit setting unit (not shown) for setting any one of the work vehicles as a slave work vehicle. For example, a plurality of work vehicles are provided with identification information that can be identified in a wireless connection state in advance, and the slave unit setting unit of the parent work vehicle identifies one of the work vehicles by wireless connection and is a slave work vehicle. It is a configuration to be set as.

(6) In the above embodiment, the case where there is one child work vehicle is shown, but there may be two or more child work vehicles. However, in this case, it is necessary for the parent work vehicle to be configured so that different child work vehicles can be identified by wireless connection.

(7) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the display unit (liquid crystal display 30) is a display device on the vehicle-mounted side fixed to the control unit 5 of the work vehicle. You may use a display device provided in a portable terminal that is portable.

The present invention can be applied to a work vehicle working in a field such as a tractor, a rice transplanter, a combine harvester, and the like.

1 parent work vehicle 2 child work vehicle
16 Vehicle position calculation unit 17 Travel control unit 18 Target route setting unit
19 Reference station 21 Parent communication unit 31 Child communication unit
100 Location information management unit Tc, Tp Target travel route

Claims (1)

A parent work platform and a child work platform running in parallel with the parent work platform are configured to perform ground work in the field.
The parent work vehicle
A target route setting unit that sets a target travel route in the field of the own vehicle and each of the child work vehicles, and a target route setting unit.
A travel control unit that controls the travel state so as to travel along the target travel route,
It is provided with a parent communication unit that is wirelessly connected to the child work platform so that the other party can be identified and information for work driving can be transmitted and received.
The child work vehicle
A child-side communication unit that is wirelessly connected to the parent-side communication unit so that the other party can be identified and information for work driving can be transmitted and received.
A traveling control unit that controls a traveling state so as to travel along the target traveling route transmitted from the parent communication unit is provided.
For each of the parent work vehicle and the child work vehicle
A vehicle position calculation unit that obtains the position of the vehicle based on the transmission status transmitted from the reference station installed on the ground side and the reception information of radio waves from multiple satellites.
A position information management unit that manages the map data of the field to be worked on and the position data of the reference station corresponding to the field in association with each other is provided.
The reference station can be installed at any position,
The position information management unit is a work vehicle cooperation system that displays the field, the set position of the reference station, and the current position of the reference station on a map.

Images