JP7846549B2 - Work management methods, work management systems, and work management programs - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a work management method, a work management system, and a work management program.

In recent years, research has focused on using information about field operations to analyze cultivation management.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for receiving operational information from work equipment used in field operations and estimating the type of work performed in the field based on the received operational information.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-089477

The technology described in Patent Document 1 estimates the type of work based on the operational information of the work device when it performs a task; therefore, the type of work is estimated after the work is completed. For this reason, it is not possible to estimate the type of work being performed in the field in real time.

In light of the above circumstances, one of the purposes of this disclosure is to estimate the type of work performed by the work device. Other purposes can be understood from the following description and the description of the embodiments.

The following describes the means for solving the problem, using the numbers and reference numerals used in the embodiments for carrying out the invention. These numbers and reference numerals are added in parentheses for reference, to illustrate an example of the correspondence between the claims and the embodiments for carrying out the invention. Therefore, the claims should not be interpreted restrictively based on the parenthetical descriptions.

A work management method according to one embodiment for achieving the above objective includes estimating a first type of work to be performed by a work device (30) in a field (500) based on route information representing the planned movement path (600, 650) of the autonomously moving work device (30) in the field (500). The work management method also includes outputting work information representing the first type of work.

A work management system (1000) according to one embodiment for achieving the above objective comprises an estimation unit (250) and an output unit (260). The estimation unit (250) estimates a first type of work to be performed by the autonomously moving work device (30) in the field (500) based on route information representing the planned movement path (600, 650) of the autonomously moving work device (30) in the field (500). The output unit (260) outputs work information representing the first type of work.

A work management program (420) according to one embodiment for achieving the above objective causes the arithmetic units (120, 220, 320) to estimate the first type of work to be performed by the autonomously moving work device (30) in the field (500), based on path information representing the planned movement path (600, 650) of the work device (30) in the field (500). The work management program (420) also causes the arithmetic units (120, 220, 320) to output work information representing the first type of work.

According to the above configuration, users can efficiently check the types of work registered in the work management device.

This is a schematic diagram of a work management system in one embodiment. This diagram illustrates the movement path of a work device that performs tasks such as fertilization in one embodiment. This diagram illustrates the movement path of a harvesting device in one embodiment. This is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device in one embodiment. This diagram shows a functional block that is executed by a work management system in one embodiment. This diagram shows the configuration of a work management device in one embodiment. This diagram shows the configuration of a terminal in one embodiment. This is a flowchart illustrating the processing performed by the work management system in one embodiment. This is a diagram showing the work information displayed by the terminal in one embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
A work management system 1000 according to this embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the work management system 1000 includes a control device 100 for controlling a work device 30, a work management device 200, and a terminal 300. The control device 100 is communicated with the work device 30. The work management device 200 is communicated with the control device 100 and the terminal 300 via a network 20, for example, the Internet.

The control device 100 controls the work device 30 that performs work in the field 500. For example, the control device 100 determines the planned movement path for the work device 30 in the field 500 and outputs information representing the determined movement path to the work device 30.

The work device 30 autonomously moves within the field 500 along a movement path determined by the control device 100, performing tasks. For example, the work device 30 includes a tractor that tows a work machine. Alternatively, the work device 30 may be a vehicle integrally formed with a work machine, such as a combine harvester. Furthermore, the work device 30 may be a drone for spraying pesticides.

Here, the movement path determined by the control device 100 differs depending on the type of work performed by the work device 30, such as fertilization, tilling, pest control, and harvesting. For example, when the work device 30 performs fertilization, tilling, etc., as shown in Figure 2, the movement path 600 has multiple straight lines 601 that move while performing work in the field 500, and multiple turning lines 602 that connect adjacent straight lines 601. On the other hand, when the work device 30 performs harvesting, as shown in Figure 3, the movement path 650 has a path that circles along the contour of the field 500, moving away from the contour of the field 500 with each rotation.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the fertilization path 600 and the tillage path 600 are adjacent and parallel to each other, and the overlap width 611 of the work areas in the two parallel straight paths 601, for example, the first straight path 601-1 and the second straight path 601-2, differs. For example, when the work device 30 moves along the first straight path 601-1, it performs work in the first work area along the first straight path 601-1, which has a work width 610. Here, the work width 610 represents the length in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the work device 30 in the area where the work device 30 moves and performs work. The overlap width 611 represents the length in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the work device 30 in the overlap area between, for example, the first work area where the work device 30 moves and performs work along the first straight path 601-1, and the second work area where the work device 30 moves and performs work along the second straight path 601-2, which is adjacent to the first straight path 601-1.

Furthermore, the distance between two adjacent straight paths 601 differs between the fertilization travel path 600 and the disease prevention travel path 600, such as pesticide spraying. For example, in the disease prevention travel path 600, the distance between two adjacent straight paths 601 is determined by the length of the boom of the boom sprayer used for pesticide spraying. Here, the boom length is longer than the working width of the machinery used for other types of work, such as fertilization and tilling. Therefore, in the disease prevention travel path 600, the distance between two adjacent straight paths 601 is longer than that for other types of work. Thus, as shown in Figure 2, in a travel path 600 formed by multiple straight paths 601 and multiple turning paths 602, the overlap width 611 and working width 610 differ depending on the information used to determine the travel path 600, such as the type of work.

Therefore, the work management device 200 acquires route information representing the movement path of the work device 30 from the control device 100, and estimates the type of work performed by the work device 30 in the field 500 based on the acquired route information. The estimated work type information is output to the terminal 300. Users, such as work managers or the owner of the field 500, can check the work being performed by the work device 30 in real time based on the work information displayed on the terminal 300.

The work device 30 is equipped with a positioning device, such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, and acquires position information representing the position of the work device 30 at each time it moves. The acquired position information is output to the control device 100 and used by the control device 100 to control the work device 30.

(Configuration of the work management system)
As shown in Figure 1, the configuration of the control device 100 included in the work management system 1000 will be described. As shown in Figure 4, the control device 100 includes an input/output device 110, an arithmetic unit 120, a communication device 130, and a storage device 140. The control device 100 includes, for example, a computer, tablet, or mobile terminal. Information for the arithmetic unit 120 to perform processing is input to the input/output device 110. The input/output device 110 also outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 120. The input/output device 110 includes various input and output devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, display, speaker, and touch panel.

The communication device 130 is directly connected to the work device 30 wirelessly, for example, via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and communicates with the work device 30. The communication device 130 transfers signals received from the work device 30 to the arithmetic unit 120. It also transfers signals generated by the arithmetic unit 120 to the work device 30.

Furthermore, the communication device 130 is electrically connected to the network 20 and communicates with each device via the network 20. The communication device 130 transfers signals acquired from the work management device 200 to the arithmetic unit 120. It also transfers signals generated by the arithmetic unit 120 to the work management device 200. The communication device 130 includes various interfaces such as transceivers used in wireless communication (e.g., wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and cellular networks), NICs (Network Interface Cards), and USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The storage device 140 stores various data for controlling the work device 30, such as the work device control program 400. The storage device 140 is used as a non-transitory tangible storage medium for storing the work device control program 400. The work device control program 400 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium 1, or as a computer program product downloadable from a server.

The arithmetic unit 120 reads and executes the work device control program 400, thereby realizing the route determination unit 150 as shown in Figure 5. The route determination unit 150 determines the movement path that the work device 30 will take within the field 500. The route information representing the determined movement path is output to the work device 30 and the work management device 200.

Next, the configuration of the work management device 200 shown in Figure 1 will be described. As shown in Figure 6, the work management device 200 comprises an input/output device 210, an arithmetic unit 220, a communication device 230, and a storage device 240. The work management device 200 is, for example, a computer. Information for the arithmetic unit 220 to perform processing is input to the input/output device 210. The input/output device 210 also outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 220. The input/output device 210 includes various input and output devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, display, speaker, and touch panel. The input/output device 210 may be omitted.

The communication device 230 is electrically connected to the network 20 and communicates with each device via the network 20. The communication device 230 transfers routing information obtained from the control device 100 to the arithmetic unit 220. It also transfers signals generated by the arithmetic unit 220 to the terminal 300. The communication device 230 includes various interfaces, such as NIC (Network Interface Card) and USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The storage device 240 stores various data for estimating the type of work performed by the work device 30, such as work data 410, and the work management program 420. The storage device 240 is used as a non-transitory tangible storage medium for storing the work management program 420. The work management program 420 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium 2, or as a computer program product downloadable from a server.

The work data 410 stores work information related to the work performed by the work device 30. This work information includes, for example, the field 500 where the work device 30 performed the work, the type of work performed by the work device 30, and information representing the work device 30's movement path. The work information is output to, for example, the terminal 300 and displayed on the terminal 300.

The arithmetic unit 220 reads and executes the work management program 420 from the storage device 240 and performs various data processing to estimate the type of work performed by the work device 30. For example, the arithmetic unit 220 includes a central processing unit (CPU).

The arithmetic unit 220 reads and executes the work management program 420, thereby realizing the estimation unit 250 and the output unit 260, as shown in Figure 5. The estimation unit 250 estimates the type of work performed by the work device 30 based on the movement path determined by the control device 100. The output unit 260 outputs work information representing the estimated work type to the terminal 300.

Next, the configuration of the terminal 300 shown in Figure 1 will be described. As shown in Figure 7, the terminal 300 comprises an input/output device 310, an arithmetic unit 320, a communication device 330, and a storage device 340. The terminal 300 includes, for example, a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. The input/output device 310 receives information for the arithmetic unit 320 to perform processing. The input/output device 310 also outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 320. The input/output device 310 includes various input and output devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, display, speaker, and touch panel.

The communication device 330 is electrically connected to the network 20 and communicates with each device via the network 20. The communication device 330 transfers signals acquired from the work management device 200 to the arithmetic unit 320. It also transfers signals generated by the arithmetic unit 320 to the work management device 200. The communication device 330 includes various interfaces such as transceivers used in wireless communication (e.g., wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and cellular networks), NICs (Network Interface Cards), and USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The storage device 340 stores various data, such as a display program 430, for displaying work information related to the work performed by the work device 30. The storage device 340 is used as a non-transitory tangible storage medium for storing the display program 430. The display program 430 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium 3, or as a computer program product downloadable from a server.

The arithmetic unit 320 reads and executes the display program 430, and, as shown in Figure 5, works in cooperation with the input/output device 310 to realize the display unit 350. The display unit 350 acquires field information from the work management device 200 and displays the acquired field information.

(Operation of the work management device)
When a worker performs work in field 500, they input a registration operation to the control device 100 to register the work area in field 500 with the control device 100. When the control device 100 receives the registration operation, it reads and executes the work equipment control program 400. Once the work equipment control program 400 is executed, the control device 120 executes the process shown in Figure 8, which is part of the field information management method.

In step S110, the route determination unit 150, implemented by the calculation unit 120, registers the work area in the field 500. For example, the route determination unit 150 instructs the operator to manually steer the work device 30 along a route that circles the contour of the field 500. The route determination unit 150 acquires the position information of the work device 30 as the operator moves it along the contour of the field 500. Based on the acquired position information, the route determination unit 150 registers the area enclosed by the route taken by the work device 30 as the work area in the field 500 where work will be performed.

In step S120, the route determination unit 150 determines the movement path for the work device 30 to move within the field 500 to perform its work. For example, the route determination unit 150 receives information for determining the movement path. The user, for example, the worker, inputs the specifications of the work device 30 used to determine the movement path, such as the work width 610 and overlap width 611 where the work device 30 will perform its work, into the input/output device 210. The user also inputs a path pattern into the input/output device 210, for example, a path with multiple straight paths 601 that return back and forth within the field 500 as shown in Figure 2, or a path that circles the field 500 as shown in Figure 3. Based on the input specifications, the path pattern, and the registered work area, the route determination unit 150 determines the movement path for the work device 30 to perform its work within the work area.

The route determination unit 150 outputs route information representing the determined movement route to the work device 30 and controls the work device 30. The work device 30 performs work in the field 500 based on the instructions from the route determination unit 150.

Furthermore, the route determination unit 150 outputs route information representing the determined movement route to the work management device 200. The route information output to the work management device 200 includes user-inputted specification information, such as the work width 610 and overlap width 611. The route information may also include information representing the location of the registered work area, such as latitude and longitude.

In step S130, the estimation unit 250 of the work management device 200 determines the work field where the work device 30 will perform the work, based on the route information obtained from the route determination unit 150 of the control device 100. For example, the estimation unit 250 extracts the location of the work area from the route information and determines the field 500, which includes the location of the work area, as the work field where the work device 30 will perform the work. Here, the information representing the area of field 500 is stored in the work data 410.

In step S140, the estimation unit 250 estimates the type of work performed by the work device 30 based on the route information obtained from the route determination unit 150 of the control device 100. For example, the estimation unit 250 estimates the type of work using a trained model obtained through machine learning. In this case, the trained model is trained to estimate the type of work from the route information. Alternatively, the estimation unit 250 may estimate the type of work based on the model of the work device 30. In this case, the storage device 240 stores work-related data that associates the model of the work device 30 with the type of work. The estimation unit 250 estimates the type of work based on the work-related data. The estimated type of work is stored in the work data 410 shown in Figure 6, associated with the determined work field, by the estimation unit 250. Alternatively, the estimation unit 250 may store route information representing the movement path of the work device 30 in the work data 410, associated with the determined work field.

In step S150, the output unit 260 outputs work information representing the estimated work type to the terminal 300. For example, the work information represents the estimated work type associated with the field 500 where the work was performed by the work device 30.

In step S160, the display unit 350 of the terminal 300 displays the work information acquired from the output unit 260 of the work management device 200 on the input/output device 210. For example, the display unit 350 extracts the field 500 where work was performed by the work device 30 and the type of work performed by the work device 30 from the work information. As shown in Figure 9, the display unit 350 displays a work image 700 on the map, representing the area corresponding to the extracted field 500, for example, the area corresponding to the first work field 521, in a display format according to the type of work. Users, such as the work manager or the owner of the field 500, can view the work image 700 displayed on the input/output device 210 of the terminal 300 to confirm the type of work currently being performed in the field 500.

The area corresponding to the field 500 where work is being performed is displayed in a different format depending on the type of work. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the type of work being performed in the first field 521 and the type of work being performed in the second field 522 are displayed in different formats. For example, the color of the area corresponding to the first field 521 is different from the color of the area corresponding to the second field 522. Furthermore, the pattern representing the area corresponding to the first field 521 may also be different from the pattern representing the area corresponding to the second field 522. This allows the user to easily confirm the type of work being performed in each field 500.

Furthermore, when the same type of work is being performed in both the first work field 521 and the second work field 522, the specifications set in the work device 30 performing the work in one of the fields—for example, the work width 610, the overlap width 611, or the path pattern—may be incorrect. Therefore, by viewing the work image 700, the user can quickly detect any errors in the information set in the work device 30.

Furthermore, the terminal 300 may display information on the input/output device 210 indicating completed fields 510 where work has been completed and unworked fields 530 where work has not yet begun. In this case, the route determination unit 150 of the control device 100 determines whether the work performed by the work device 30 has been completed based on the position of the work device 30. For example, the route determination unit 150 determines that the work performed by the work device 30 has been completed when the work device 30 reaches the end point of its movement path. Once the route determination unit 150 determines that the work performed by the work device 30 has been completed, it outputs completion information to the work management device 200 indicating that the work has been completed. The estimation unit 250 of the work management device 200 stores the acquired completion information in the work data 410. The output unit 260 outputs work information, including information indicating the fields 500 where work has been completed, to the terminal 300. Terminal 300 displays a work image 700 on the map, for example as shown in Figure 9, which shows areas indicating completed fields 500, such as completed fields 510, in a display format that is distinguishable from fields 500 still being worked on. This allows the user to easily understand the work status at each field 500.

The display unit 350 of terminal 300 may accept correction information to correct the estimated work type. For example, if the work type of work in field 500 displayed on the input/output device 310 differs from the work type of work actually being performed, the user inputs correction information representing the work type of the actual work being performed into the input/output device 310. The display unit 350 outputs the input correction information to the work management device 200. The estimation unit 250 of the work management device 200 stores the corrected work type in the work data 410, associating it with the corresponding field 500, based on the correction information. This ensures that even if the estimation of the work type by the estimation unit 250 of the work management device 200 is incorrect, the correct work type is stored in the work data 410.

(Variant)
The configuration described in the embodiment is just one example, and the configuration can be changed as long as it does not impede the function. For example, in step S130 shown in Figure 8, the estimation unit 250 of the work management device 200 may determine the work field in which the work device 30 will perform work by any method. For example, the estimation unit 250 may determine the work field in which the work device 30 will perform work based on the position of the work device 30. In this case, the control device 100 acquires position information representing the position of the work device 30 from the work device 30. The acquired position information is included in the route information and output to the work management device 200. The estimation unit 250 determines the work field as the field 500 that includes the position of the work device 30, or the field 500 closest to the position of the work device 30.

Furthermore, when the route information represents the position of the work device 30 on its movement path, for example, latitude and longitude, the estimation unit 250 may determine the work field where the work device 30 will perform its work based on the position on the movement path. For example, the estimation unit 250 may determine the field 500, which includes the position on the movement path, as the work field.

Furthermore, in step S140 shown in Figure 8, the estimation unit 250 may estimate the type of work performed by the work device 30 by any method. For example, the estimation unit 250 may estimate the type of work using a trained model and a threshold. For example, if there are multiple types of work estimated using the trained model, the estimation unit 250 may estimate the type of work using a threshold. For example, the estimation unit 250 may determine that multiple types of work have been estimated if the difference between the likelihood of one type of work estimated using the trained model and the likelihood of other types of work is smaller than a threshold. In this case, if the work width 610 is greater than the first threshold, the estimation unit 250 may estimate that the type of work performed by the work device 30 is "pest control". If the work width 610 is less than or equal to the first threshold and the overlap width 611 is smaller than the second threshold, the estimation unit 250 may estimate that the type of work performed by the work device 30 is "fertilization". The estimation unit 250 may estimate that the type of work performed by the work device 30 is "cultivation" when the working width 610 is less than or equal to the first threshold and the overlapping width 611 is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

Furthermore, the estimation unit 250 may estimate the type of work without using some of the route information, such as the specifications of the work device 30.

The work area where the work device 30 is performed may be pre-registered in the control device 100. Alternatively, a previously registered work area may be used. In this case, the process in step S110 shown in Figure 8 may be omitted.

When the work area is pre-registered in the control device 100, step S120 shown in Figure 8 may be executed at any time before the work device 30 performs work in the field. For example, a user, such as an operator, may input the specifications information of the work device 30, such as the route pattern, the day before performing work with the work device 30. In this case, the route determination unit 150 of the control device 100 determines the movement route of the work device 30 based on the input specifications information.

Furthermore, the output unit 260 of the work management device 200 may store work plan information representing the tasks related to cultivation over a year in the field where work is performed by the work device 30. For example, the work plan information represents the types of tasks performed in the field over a year and the order in which those tasks are performed. For instance, the work plan information is input by the user to the input/output device 310 of the terminal 300 and output from the terminal 300 to the work management device 200. In this case, if the work type estimated by the estimation unit 250 differs from the work type represented in the work plan information, the output unit 260 may output confirmation information to the terminal 300 to confirm the tasks performed by the work device 30. The display unit 350 of the terminal 300 displays the confirmation information to prompt the user to confirm the tasks performed by the work device 30. This reduces the likelihood of the user mistakenly performing tasks different from the work plan before starting work in the field. It also reduces the likelihood of the user performing tasks based on incorrect specifications of the work device 30.

Furthermore, the specifications of the work device 30 may be pre-registered in the control device 100. Alternatively, previously registered specifications may be used. In this case, user input operations may be omitted in the process of step S120 shown in Figure 8.

The embodiments and modifications described above are examples, and the configurations described in each embodiment and modification may be arbitrarily changed and/or combined as long as they do not impair the functionality. Furthermore, some of the functions described in the embodiments and modifications may be omitted if the necessary functions can be realized. For example, some or all of the processing of the control device 100 may be performed by the work management device 200. Also, some or all of the processing of the work management device 200 may be performed by the control device 100 or the terminal 300. Also, some or all of the processing of the terminal 300 may be performed by the work management device 200. Furthermore, the work management program 420 may include a work device control program 400 and may include a display program 430. Also, the work management system 1000 may not include the terminal 300 and may display work information on an external terminal not included in the work management system 1000.

1, 2, 3: Storage medium 20: Network 30: Work device 100: Control device 110: Input/output device 120: Calculation unit 130: Communication device 140: Storage device 150: Route determination unit 200: Work management device 210: Input/output device 220: Calculation unit 230: Communication device 240: Storage device 250: Estimation unit 260: Output unit 300: Terminal 310: Input/output device 320: Calculation unit 330: Communication device 340: Storage device 350: Display unit 400: Work device control program 410: Work data 420: Work management program 430: Display program 500: Field 510: Work completed field 521: First working field 522: Second working field 530: Unworked field 600 : Movement path 601 : Straight path 602 : Turning path 610 : Working width 611 : Overlap width 650 : Movement path 700 : Working image 1000 : Work management system

Claims (8)

Based on path information representing the planned movement path of an autonomously moving work device in a field, the computer estimates the first type of work that the work device is scheduled to perform in the field before the work is performed by the work device .
The computer performs the action of outputting work information representing the first type of work,
A work management method that includes this. The work management method according to claim 1, wherein the route information includes the specifications of the work device used to determine the movement route. The work management method according to claim 2, wherein the specifications information includes the working width when the work device performs the work. The aforementioned travel path includes a first straight line path and a second straight line path adjacent to and parallel to the first straight line path.
The work management method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the specification information includes an overlap width representing the length in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the first straight path extends, in an overlapping region where the first work area where the work is performed by the work device moving along the first straight path and the second work area where the work is performed by the work device moving along the second straight path overlap. The computer further includes obtaining completion information indicating that the work performed by the work apparatus in the field has been completed.
The work management method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the work information includes information representing the field where the work has been completed. An estimation unit estimates a first type of work that the autonomously moving work device is scheduled to perform in the field, based on route information representing the planned movement path of the work device in the field, before the work device performs its work .
An output unit that outputs work information representing the first type of work,
A work management system equipped with the following features. The work management system according to claim 6, further comprising a display unit for displaying the aforementioned work information. Based on path information representing the planned movement path of an autonomously moving work device in a field, the first type of work that the work device is scheduled to perform in the field is estimated before the work is performed by the work device .
Outputting work information representing the first type of work,
A task management program that instructs the computing unit to execute tasks.