JP7615498B2 - Vehicle Control Systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control system that controls a work vehicle that performs agricultural work.

In recent years, as the aging of agricultural workers and labor shortages have led to an increase in abandoned farmland, it has become an important issue to efficiently consolidate farmland into the hands of new entrants and the next generation of farmers who are looking to expand their scale. Against this backdrop, as of 2021, the amount of farmland per farm household in Japan is on the rise, and this trend is predicted to continue in the future. In response to this, there has been growing interest in smart agriculture, which uses robotics technology and ICT to achieve ultra-labor-saving, high-quality production.

Here, in the technical field of work vehicles that perform agricultural work in fields, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, vehicle control systems have been known that use positioning satellite systems such as GPS to determine the current position of the work vehicle and drive the work vehicle autonomously.

Furthermore, a work vehicle control system is known that applies this technology to link a work vehicle that is operated by a human (hereinafter referred to as a manned work vehicle) with an unmanned work vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an unmanned work vehicle) and is configured to perform agricultural work more efficiently.

For example, the following Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle control system that sequentially determines a target driving position based on the actual driving position of a manned work vehicle, and steers an unmanned work vehicle toward the target driving position.

In addition, the following Patent Document 3 discloses a vehicle control system that determines the travel trajectory of an unmanned work vehicle depending on the travel position of the unmanned work vehicle.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-266608 U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,024 JP 2021-6009 A

However, in conventional vehicle control systems that are designed to link manned and unmanned work vehicles, if the manned work vehicle stops due to some factor, such as a breakdown, the unmanned work vehicle linked to the manned work vehicle must also stop. As a result, the unmanned work vehicle becomes idle, resulting in lost work.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle control system that solves these problems and prevents work loss.

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides:
A plurality of main work vehicles configured to be capable of autonomously traveling in a farm field;
A sub-work vehicle that accompanies and travels in conjunction with one main work vehicle;
An information processing terminal capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the main work vehicle and the sub work vehicle,
When the information processing terminal receives a work interruption signal notifying that work has been interrupted from the main work vehicle,
To provide a vehicle control system which instructs the sub-work vehicle linked to the main work vehicle whose work has been suspended to travel to a location where work is possible, searches for other main work vehicles which can be linked, and switches the linkage of the sub-work vehicle from the main work vehicle whose work has been suspended to the other main work vehicle which can be linked.

According to the first invention, when the main work vehicle suspends work, the linked sub work vehicle can switch its link to another main work vehicle, thereby preventing the occurrence of lost work.

The second invention has the same configuration as the first invention, but further comprises:
A vehicle control system is provided which, when the linkable main work vehicle and the main work vehicle that has suspended work are in different fields, moves the sub work vehicle to the field of the linkable main work vehicle.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention,
By moving the sub-work vehicle to another field where work is possible, it is possible to prevent the field from being left idle and to avoid loss of work.

The third invention is, in addition to the configuration of the first invention or the second invention,
The information processing terminal is characterized in that, upon receiving a work interruption signal from the main work vehicle T1, it displays that fact on a display unit to notify the worker, and accepts input from an operation unit, thereby allowing the sub-work vehicle linked to the main work vehicle that has interrupted work to select whether to wait there or move to another field.

The third invention provides the advantages of the first or second invention, as well as improved convenience for the worker.

The fourth invention is, in addition to the configuration of the third invention,
When searching for other main work vehicles that can be linked, a main work vehicle in which an abnormality has been detected is excluded from candidates for linkage.

According to the fourth invention, in addition to the effect of the third invention, the main work vehicle in which an abnormality has been detected can be excluded from the newly linked work vehicles, thereby preventing waste.

The fifth invention is, in addition to the configuration of the third invention,
The information processing terminal is characterized in that it is configured so that, only when the cause of the work interruption signal of the main work vehicle is running out of fuel, the sub-work vehicle linked to the main work vehicle that has interrupted work can select whether to wait as is or move to another field.

The fifth aspect of the invention provides the effect of the third aspect of the invention, and also reduces the burden of checking on the worker.

The present invention provides a vehicle control system that prevents work loss.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the basic operations of the main work vehicle and the sub work vehicle in the vehicle control system of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram including a control unit of the work vehicle. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the traveling of the work vehicle by the main traveling section. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining traveling of the work vehicle by the sub-traveling section. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining traveling of the work vehicle to a workable point by the sub-traveling unit. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram including a control unit of the information processing terminal. FIG. 8(a) is a schematic diagram showing the data contents of vehicle information, FIG. 8(b) is a schematic diagram showing the data contents of field information, and FIG. 8(c) is a schematic diagram showing the data contents of work information. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the inter-field movement route included in the field information. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the instruction unit while the work vehicle is traveling. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing of the sub-traveling section while the work vehicle is traveling.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the forward direction of the harvesting vehicle is referred to as "front," the opposite direction is referred to as "rear," and the right side when facing forward is referred to as "right" and the left side is referred to as "left."

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle control system 1 of the present invention is configured to connect an information processing terminal A that transmits control signals to a plurality of work vehicles T via a network NW, enabling information to be sent and received in both directions.

The work vehicle T is, for example, a tractor equipped with a work implement W, and is equipped with a main work vehicle T1 that takes the lead in work in the field, and a sub work vehicle T2 that works while traveling alongside the main work vehicle.

The main work vehicle T1 according to the present invention is composed of at least two vehicles and the sub work vehicle T2 is composed of at least one vehicle, and in the illustrated example, it is composed of four main work vehicles T1 and two sub work vehicles T2. Furthermore, each sub work vehicle T2 is configured to travel in an accompanying manner to one of the main work vehicles T1. Incidentally, "traveling in an accompanying manner" means traveling in a manner that follows.

The work device W (W1) attached to the rear of the main work vehicle T1 is a so-called rake that collects grass clippings that have been spread on the ground, and the work device W (W2) attached to the rear of the sub work vehicle T1 is a so-called roll baler that collects the collected grass clippings, creates grass rolls, and packs them in rolls, but is not limited to this, and the work device W is configured to be freely attached and detached to the rear of the vehicle, and various types can be used.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the basic operations of the main work vehicle T1 and the sub work vehicle T2 in the vehicle control system 1 of the present invention.
The vehicle control system 1 of the present invention is intended to perform work in at least two or more fields F, and in the illustrated example, a main work vehicle T1 is deployed in each of the four fields F (F1 to F4), and a sub work vehicle T2 is deployed in fields F1 and F2. Moreover, only the main work vehicle T1 is deployed in fields F3 and F4. The main work vehicle T1 travels along a planned travel route R set for each field, and the sub work vehicle T2 is configured to travel on the travel trajectory of the linked main work vehicle T1.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram including a control unit C of the work vehicle T.
The control unit C is an information processing device including an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit C of the work vehicle T includes a communication module c1 capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving information via a communication antenna AN1, a position information calculation unit c2 that receives satellite signals transmitted from a positioning satellite ST such as a GPS via a positioning antenna AN2 and calculates the position of the vehicle itself, a travel control unit c3 that controls the travel of the vehicle, a route calculation module c4 that calculates a planned travel route R when traveling unmanned, a work device control unit c5 that controls the drive of the work device W, and an abnormality detection unit c6 that detects abnormalities in the vehicle. The abnormality detection unit c6 is connected to a failure detection sensor s1 that detects a failure of the vehicle, an obstacle sensor s2 that detects obstacles around the vehicle using, for example, an obstacle radar or the like, and a fuel sensor s3 that detects when the vehicle runs out of fuel.

The driving control unit c3 has a manual driving mode c31 that is realized by a control program that controls various driving mechanisms during manual driving by a person, and an automatic driving mode c32 that is realized by a control program that controls various driving mechanisms during automatic driving by an unmanned person, and is configured to be switchable between these modes by a specified operation by an operator or a control signal.

The automatic driving mode c32 includes a main driving unit c33 that handles driving control when the work vehicle T is set as the main work vehicle T1, and a sub driving unit c34 that handles driving control when the work vehicle T is set as the sub work vehicle T2. This allows the work vehicle T to be switched between driving as the main work vehicle T1 or the sub work vehicle T2 by a specified operation by the worker or a control signal.

The main driving section c33 includes a planned driving route driving means for driving the vehicle along the planned driving route R (see FIG. 4) using the position information from the position information calculation unit c2, and a work interruption determination means for determining whether to stop driving and interrupt work when an abnormality in the vehicle is detected by the abnormality detection unit c6.

The sub-driving unit c34 is equipped with an actual driving path driving means for driving the machine along the actual driving path L (see FIG. 5), which is the driving trajectory of the linked main work vehicle T1, a workable point driving means for driving the machine to a workable point P4 (see FIG. 6), and an inter-field driving means for driving the machine between fields along an inter-field movement path L3 (see FIG. 9).

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the traveling of the work vehicle T by the main traveling section c33.
The main driving unit c33 acquires information regarding the planned driving route R of the field F to be worked on, which is contained in the work information Dr, from the information processing terminal A, and automatically controls the steering mechanism such as the steering handle so that the vehicle travels along the planned driving route R.

As shown in FIG. 4, the planned travel route R is a route that travels in a single stroke from the work start point P1 to the work end point P2, repeating a straight travel route r1 that travels straight and a turning route r2 that turns between the straight travel routes r1. Work by the work device W is performed while traveling along the straight travel route r1, and in the travel of the main work vehicle T2 on the planned travel route R, one straight travel route r1 is counted as one process.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the traveling of the work vehicle T by the sub-traveling unit c34.
The actual driving path driving means of the sub-driving unit c34 obtains information regarding the actual driving path L of the main work vehicle T1 linked to the vehicle itself, which is included in the work information Dr, from the information processing terminal A, and automatically controls the steering mechanism such as the steering handle so that the vehicle drives along the actual driving path L.

The actual travel route L is calculated by the information processing terminal A acquiring the current position of the main work vehicle T1 at a predetermined time interval, storing it in the work information storage unit m23 each time, and performing processing to connect the passing points l1, l2, l3, ..., ln of the main work vehicle T1 by the actual travel route calculation unit m32 (see FIG. 7). Here, when the actual travel route L is created, the actual travel route calculation unit m32 calculates the calculated straight line travel route L2 corresponding to the straight travel route r1 from the change rate of the travel direction between adjacent passing points l1, l2, l3, ..., ln. That is, in the straight travel route r1, the travel trajectory is approximately straight, so the change rate is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, and in the turning route r2, it is larger. As a result, in the travel of the sub work vehicle T2 on the actual travel route L, one calculated straight line travel route L2 is counted as one process. As a result, the sub work vehicle T2 can travel in accordance with the actual travel trajectory of the main work vehicle T1.

The actual travel path travel means of the sub-travel unit c34 travels the sub-work vehicle T2 with a distance of one process from the main work vehicle T1 to prevent contact between the main work vehicle T1 and the sub-work vehicle T2.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the traveling of the work vehicle T to a workable point by the sub-traveling unit c34.
When the workable point traveling means of the sub-traveling unit c34 receives an instruction from the information processing terminal A to travel to the workable point P4, it travels the machine to the workable point P4 and then goes into a standby state. Here, the workable point P4 is set to the end point of the calculated straight-line traveling path L2 along which the sub-work vehicle T2 is currently working.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram including control unit M of information processing terminal A. As shown in FIG.
As shown in Figure 7, the information processing terminal A has a display unit a1 that displays information to the worker, an operation unit a2 that accepts operations from the worker, and a communication unit a3 that has a communication antenna AN and is capable of sending and receiving information to and from the outside.

Here, the control unit M is an information processing device configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and is equipped with a setting unit m1 that performs various settings, a memory unit m2 that stores various information, a calculation unit m3 that calculates various information required for work, and an instruction unit m4 that issues various instructions to the work vehicle T.

The setting unit m1 includes a vehicle information setting unit m11 that sets vehicle information Dt by receiving operations from the operator via the operation unit a2, a field information setting unit m12 that sets field information Df, and a work information setting unit m13 that sets work information Dr.

The memory unit m2 includes a vehicle information memory unit m21 that stores vehicle information Dt, a field information memory unit m22 that stores field information Df, and a work information memory unit m23 that sets work information Dr.

The calculation unit m3 includes a planned driving route calculation unit m31 that calculates a planned driving route R from the field information Df and information such as the working width input from the operation unit a2, an actual driving route calculation unit m32 that calculates an actual driving route L, and a workable point calculation unit m33 that calculates a workable point P4 from the current position of the sub-work vehicle T2 and information on the calculated straight-line driving route L2.

The instruction unit m4 includes a work interruption monitoring unit m41 that monitors the occurrence of work interruptions in the main work vehicle T1, a driving mode switching unit m42 that instructs the driving control unit c3 to switch the driving mode, and a switching instruction unit m43 that instructs the switching of the sub work vehicle T2 (switching of the linked main work vehicle T1).

Figure 8 (a) is a schematic diagram showing the data contents of vehicle information Dt, Figure 8 (b) is a schematic diagram showing the data contents of field information Df, and Figure 8 (c) is a schematic diagram showing the data contents of work information Dr.

The vehicle information Dt stores records consisting of field information such as a vehicle number that uniquely identifies the work vehicle T, a driving setting that stores whether each work vehicle T is in manual driving mode or automatic driving mode, a linked vehicle that stores the vehicle number of the linked work vehicle T, an equipment status that stores the equipment status including equipment abnormalities, a work status that stores whether or not work is in progress, the current position of the work vehicle T, and a return position where the current position (corresponding to the workable point P4) is stored when switching to each work vehicle T and moving from the field currently being worked on to another field.

The field information Df stores records consisting of field information such as a field number that uniquely identifies the field, a work priority order that determines the order of priority when there are multiple candidate fields to which the sub-work vehicle T2 can move, a field location that indicates the location of field F, a field size that indicates the size of the field, a field shape that indicates the shape of the field, and a field entrance/exit point that serves as a target point when the sub-work vehicle T2 moves between fields.

The work information Dr stores records consisting of field information such as the work start point for each field, the work end point, the planned driving route R, the actual driving route L, the inter-field movement route L3, the work area, which is the area of the field to be worked on and in which the straight driving route r1 is set, and the headland area in which the turning route r2 is set, and this information is referenced when work is carried out by the work vehicle T.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the inter-field movement route L3 included in the field information Df.
9, the inter-field travel route L3 indicates a route for travel between different fields (i.e., a route connecting the field entrance/exit points P3), and data is created by teaching travel, etc. By referring to the information on the inter-field travel route L3, the sub work vehicle T2 is able to travel between different fields.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the instruction unit m4 while the work vehicle T is traveling.
When the work vehicle T starts traveling, the work interruption monitoring unit m41 monitors for the interruption of work of the main work vehicle T1 (#1). Specifically, it monitors whether a work interruption signal notifying of the interruption of work is transmitted from the work vehicle T working in each field F.

Here, when the abnormality detection unit c6 detects an abnormality while the work vehicle T is traveling, the work interruption determination means of the main traveling section c33 acquires the detection information, and determines whether or not to interrupt work based on the acquired detection result. If it is determined that work should be interrupted, the work stops traveling and transmits a work interruption signal to the information processing terminal A together with the abnormality detection information. Examples of reasons for abnormality detection include the failure detection sensor s1 detecting a failure of the work device W, the obstacle sensor s2 detecting an obstacle in the traveling direction, and the combustion sensor s3 detecting a fuel shortage. In addition, the determination criteria (for example, a predetermined threshold value is set) by the work interruption determination means for determining that work should be interrupted can be preset based on the level of abnormality detected by the abnormality detection sensor s1 (mild to severe), and for example, it can be set so that if the level of abnormality is mild, work is continued without being determined to be interrupted, and if the level of abnormality is severe, work is interrupted.

When a work interruption signal is received from the main work vehicle T2, the work interruption monitoring unit m41 identifies the work vehicle T2 that has interrupted work from the vehicle number of the main work vehicle T2, calculates the workable point P4 of the sub-work vehicle T2 linked to the main work vehicle T2 that has interrupted work by the workable point calculation unit m33, and transmits instructions to the linked sub-work vehicle T2 to travel to the workable point P4 along with information on the calculated workable point P4 (#2 to #4).

As a result, the sub-work vehicle T2, which has received an instruction to travel to the workable point P4, travels to the workable point P2, performs work, and then goes into standby mode (#23, #25, #26 in FIG. 11).

Next, a main work vehicle T2 to which the linked sub work vehicle T2 can switch is searched for by referencing the vehicle information Dt and the field information Df. For example, in the illustrated examples of Figures 2, 8(a) and 8(b), the main work vehicle T1 with vehicle number T01 has suspended work due to a serious abnormality, and a search is made for a new main work vehicle T1 to link with the linked sub work vehicle T2 with vehicle number T02.

At this time, the main work vehicles T1 that will be new link candidates will be the main work vehicles T1 with vehicle numbers T05 and T06, which are listed as "none" linked vehicles in the vehicle information Dt, but in principle, those with normal vehicle conditions will be candidates. Note that the settings may be configured to include vehicles with minor abnormalities, for example. In the illustrated example, the vehicle condition of vehicle number T05 is out of fuel, so it is excluded from the candidates for new link destinations, and the main work vehicle T1 for the new link destination will be the vehicle with vehicle number T06.

If there are multiple main work vehicles T1 that are candidates for a new connection destination, the field information Df is referenced, and the vehicle with the smallest work priority number for the field F to which the candidate main work vehicle T1 belongs (at this time, the field of the field to be worked on is referenced) is selected as a priority. The work priority can be set using the operation unit a2.

When a new main work vehicle T1 that can be linked is found, the linked vehicle field of the vehicle information Dt is updated, and the sub work vehicle T2 transmits the return position to the information processing terminal A for storage, and then obtains from the information processing terminal A information on the inter-field movement route L3 to the field of the newly linked main work vehicle T1, the field entrance/exit point P3, and the work start point P1. Then, the sub work vehicle T2 first travels through the headland area to the field entrance/exit point P3 of the current field, then travels along the inter-field movement route L3 to the field F to which the newly linked main work vehicle T1 belongs, travels to the field entrance/exit point P3 of the field F of the newly linked main work vehicle T1, travels to the new work start point P1, and starts work by accompanying the newly linked main work vehicle T1 (#6, #7). In this way, if the main work vehicle T1 suspends work, the linked sub work vehicle T2 can switch its link to another main work vehicle T1, avoiding idleness and preventing work losses.

If a new main work vehicle T1 that can be linked is not found, the sub work vehicle T2 will be placed on standby until the interruption signal is resolved (#8, #9).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing of the sub-travel unit c34 while the work vehicle T is traveling.
As shown in Fig. 11, the sub work vehicle T2 travels alongside the linked main work vehicle T1 until it receives a travel instruction to the work start point P4 from the instruction unit m4 (#21, #22). Here, when the sub work vehicle T2 receives a travel instruction to the work start point P4 (#23), it travels to the work start point P4 and enters a standby state (#25, #26), and when it receives information on the new linked main work vehicle T1, it moves to the field F of the new linked main work vehicle T1 as described above, and starts work from the new work start point P1 after the movement (#29, #30, #21, #22). Note that the sub work vehicle T2 may be configured such that, when work in the field F after the movement is completed, it automatically returns to the position where the work was completed in the field F before the movement (workable point P4) by referring to the return position stored in the information processing terminal A, and can quickly resume work after the interruption signal is resolved.

In addition, the information processing terminal A may be configured to, upon receiving a work interruption signal from the main work vehicle A, display that fact on the display unit a1 to notify the worker, and accept input from the operation unit a2 to allow the worker to select whether to wait there or move to another field, and to send instructions to the target sub work vehicle T2. This improves convenience for the worker.

In addition, when the information processing terminal A receives a work interruption signal from the main work vehicle T2, it may be configured to notify the worker of the abnormality detection information of the main work vehicle A only when the vehicle is out of fuel, and to allow the worker to select whether to wait there or move to another field by accepting input from the operation unit a2. This reduces the burden of checking on the worker.

In addition, when the information processing terminal A receives a work interruption signal from the main work vehicle T1, it refers to the vehicle status of the linked sub work vehicle T2, and is configured not to issue a switching command if the sub work vehicle T2 is experiencing an abnormality or has run out of fuel, thereby preventing waste.

1 Vehicle control system A Information processing terminal T Work vehicle T1 Main work vehicle T2 Sub work vehicle NW Network W Work device F Field

Claims (5)

A plurality of main work vehicles configured to be capable of autonomously traveling in a farm field;
A sub-work vehicle that accompanies and travels in conjunction with one main work vehicle;
An information processing terminal capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the main work vehicle and the sub work vehicle,
When the information processing terminal receives a work interruption signal notifying that work has been interrupted from the main work vehicle,
A vehicle control system that instructs the sub-work vehicle linked to the main work vehicle that has suspended work to travel to a location where work is possible, searches for other main work vehicles that can be linked, and switches the linkage of the sub-work vehicle from the main work vehicle that has suspended work to the other main work vehicle that can be linked. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the linkable main work vehicle and the main work vehicle that has suspended work are in different fields, the sub work vehicle is moved to the field of the linkable main work vehicle. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information processing terminal is configured to, upon receiving a work interruption signal from the main work vehicle, display that fact on a display unit to notify the worker, and accept input from an operation unit, allowing the sub work vehicle linked to the main work vehicle that has interrupted work to select whether to wait there or move to another field. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, characterized in that when searching for other main work vehicles that can be linked, a main work vehicle in which an abnormality has been detected is excluded from candidates for linkage. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, characterized in that the information processing terminal is configured to allow the sub-work vehicle linked to the main work vehicle that has suspended work to select whether to wait or move to another field only when the cause of the work suspension signal of the main work vehicle is a fuel shortage.