CN114594775A - Path generation system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a path generation system, wherein an operation mode setting unit (101) sets a cooperative operation mode of a robot tractor (1) and a manned tractor (1X). The positional relationship setting unit (102) sets the positional relationship between the robot tractor (1) and the manned tractor (1X) when the cooperative work mode is cooperative work in the same work area. A travel route generation unit (35) generates a cooperative travel route including a first travel route (P) for the robot tractor (1) to travel and a second travel route (P') for the manned tractor (1X) to travel. A priority receiving unit (103) receives whether or not to maintain the positional relationship with priority. When the priority accepting unit (103) accepts priority to maintain the positional relationship, a cooperative travel route maintaining the positional relationship is generated. When the priority acceptance unit (103) does not accept the priority of maintaining the positional relationship, a cooperative travel route in which the positional relationship is not maintained is generated.

Description

path generation system

This application is a divisional application for an invention patent application with an application number of 201780045340.8, an application date of August 1, 2017, and an invention name of "Path Generation System".

technical field

The present invention relates to a path generation system. In detail, it relates to a route generation system that generates a travel route of a plurality of work vehicles when the work vehicles cooperate with each other.

Background technique

Conventionally, there has been known a route generation system capable of generating a travel route of a plurality of work vehicles when the work vehicles cooperate with each other. Patent Document 1 discloses a route generation device (travel route setting device) used in such a route generation system. The route generation device of Patent Document 1 is constituted by a touch-panel-type display device, and can communicate with the first work vehicle and/or the second work vehicle via the communication device. On the setting screen displayed on the route generation device, after the field has been determined, by setting the arrangement position of the second work vehicle relative to the first work vehicle, the travel of the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle can be generated. path. Here, the arrangement position of the second work vehicle with respect to the first work vehicle is configured such that an arbitrary arrangement position can be selected from a plurality of possible combinations.

In Patent Document 1, it is possible to generate a travel route in which the set arrangement position of the second work vehicle with respect to the first work vehicle is maintained.

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-93125

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the configuration of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is only possible to generate a travel route that is constrained by the set arrangement position of the second work vehicle with respect to the first work vehicle, and therefore, it is not always possible to generate travel in accordance with the user's intention. path.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a route generation system that can be fluidized according to the user's intention without being restricted by the positional relationship of a plurality of work vehicles that have been set. generate driving paths.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above, and next, means for solving the problem and effects thereof will be described.

From the viewpoint of the present invention, there is provided a route generation system having the following configuration. That is, this route generation system includes a cooperative operation mode setting unit, a positional relationship setting unit, a cooperative travel route generation unit, and an acceptance unit. The cooperative work mode setting unit is used to set the cooperative work mode of the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle. When the cooperative work mode is cooperative work in the same work area, the positional relationship setting unit sets a positional relationship between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle. When the cooperative work mode is cooperative work in the same work area, the cooperative travel route generation unit generates a first travel route on which the first work vehicle travels and a first travel route on which the second work vehicle travels. The cooperative driving path including the second driving path of . The accepting unit accepts whether or not to maintain the positional relationship with priority. When the accepting unit accepts that the positional relationship is maintained with priority, the cooperative travel route maintaining the positional relationship is generated. When the acceptance unit does not accept that the positional relationship is preferentially maintained, the cooperative travel route in which the positional relationship is not maintained is generated.

According to this, it is possible to fluidly generate the cooperative travel route according to the user's intention without being constrained by the set positional relationship between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle.

In the above-mentioned route generation system, the following configuration is preferably employed. That is, each of the first travel path and the second travel path includes a plurality of travel paths that are arranged in parallel. When the cooperative travel route generating unit generates the cooperative travel route that does not maintain the positional relationship, an arbitrary travel route of the first travel route and a route next to the arbitrary travel route are provided for the cooperative travel route. The number of rows of travel paths arranged between other travel paths on which the first work vehicle travels is maintained at a constant number.

In this way, when the set positional relationship between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle is not maintained with priority, the first work vehicle is provided for the first work vehicle on any travel path of the first travel path and the adjacent travel path for the first work vehicle. The number of rows of travel paths arranged between other travel paths on which the work vehicle travels, that is, how many rows the first work vehicle skips to travel on the next travel path, is maintained at a constant number. In this case, the turning method at the headland on one side and the headland on the other side of the field is fixed to a constant pattern, and therefore, the turning operation is easy to perform.

In the above-mentioned route generation system, the following configuration is preferably employed. That is, the route generation system includes a reference work setting unit, and when the cooperative work is cooperative work in different work areas, and the first work vehicle is used to perform work on the first work area, and the second work vehicle is used When the work is performed on the second work area, the reference work setting unit sets whether or not the reference work needs to be performed by the first work vehicle in the second work area. generating: including a travel path on which the reference work is performed by the first work vehicle in the second work area, and a plurality of travel paths on which the work by the first work vehicle is performed in the first work area The driving path inside is used as the first driving path. Generating a travel route including a plurality of travel paths in which work is performed by the second work vehicle in the second work area other than the area in which the reference work is performed is generated as the second travel route.

Accordingly, in the second work area, the reference work can be performed by the first work vehicle, and the plurality of travel roads can be worked on by the second work vehicle with reference to the travel road on which the work has been performed according to the reference work. Therefore, it becomes easy to carry out the work on the work area in an orderly manner.

In the above-mentioned route generation system, the following configuration is preferably employed. That is, as the first travel route, a travel route including a plurality of travel routes where work is performed by the first work vehicle in the first work area is generated. As the second travel route, a travel route including a plurality of travel routes where work is performed by the second work vehicle in the second work area is generated.

As a result, the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle can be used to share the work in different work areas, so that the work can be efficiently performed as a whole.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a robot tractor and a manned tractor that generate a cooperative travel route by a route generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention and perform cooperative work.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the overall configuration of the robot tractor.

Figure 3 is a top view of the robotic tractor.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a wireless communication terminal that is operated by a user and that can wirelessly communicate with the robot tractor.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configurations of the robot tractor and the wireless communication terminal.

6 is a block diagram showing a main electrical configuration included in a work information setting unit of the wireless communication terminal.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of an input selection screen on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

8 is a diagram showing a display example of a work vehicle information input screen on a display screen of a wireless communication terminal.

9 is a diagram showing a display example of a field information input screen on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example of an operation mode/position relationship setting screen for setting an operation mode and setting a position relationship on a display screen of a wireless communication terminal.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of a priority setting window for setting whether or not to give priority to maintaining the positional relationship on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example of a division area/reference job setting screen for setting a division area and setting whether or not a reference job is required on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

13 is a diagram showing a display example of an overlap width setting screen for setting the overlap width on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

14 is a diagram showing a display example of a skip count setting screen for setting the skip count on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

15 is a diagram showing a display example of a non-working area width setting screen for setting the headland width and the non-working area width on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display example of an autonomous driving monitoring screen on the display screen of the wireless communication terminal.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a travel route generated by a travel route generation unit when selecting to accompany (cooperative) work, maintaining the positional relationship between vehicles with priority, and selecting to skip one row. The solid line arrows indicate the first travel path, and the dashed line arrows indicate the second travel path.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a travel route generated by the travel route generation unit when the operation (cooperative) is selected, the positional relationship between the vehicles is not maintained with priority, and one row is selected to be skipped. The solid line arrows indicate the first travel path, and the dashed line arrows indicate the second travel path.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a travel route generated by the travel route generation unit when the division area is set and the reference work is set to “required”. The solid line arrows indicate the first travel path, and the dashed line arrows indicate the second travel path.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the travel route generated by the travel route generation unit when the division area is set and the reference work is set to “unnecessary”. The solid line arrows indicate the first travel path, and the dashed line arrows indicate the second travel path.

Detailed ways

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, in each of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted. In addition, the names of components and the like corresponding to the same reference numerals may be simply replaced, or the names of higher-level concepts or lower-level concepts may be replaced.

The present invention relates to a route generation system that drives a plurality of work vehicles in a predetermined field and generates a travel route for driving the work vehicles when all or part of agricultural work in the field is performed. In the present embodiment, a tractor is described as an example of the work vehicle. However, the work vehicle includes, in addition to the tractor, a rice transplanter, a combine harvester, a civil engineering work machine, a snow remover, and other passenger-type work machines, and Walking machine. In this specification, autonomous driving means: the components related to driving included in the tractor are controlled by the control unit (ECU) included in the tractor, so that the tractor travels along a predetermined path; autonomous operation means: the tractor is equipped with The configuration related to the work is controlled by the control unit included in the tractor, so that the tractor works along a predetermined route. On the other hand, the manual travel and manual work mean that each component included in the tractor is operated by the user to perform travel and work.

In the following description, a tractor that runs autonomously and works autonomously may be referred to as an "unmanned (or) tractor" or a "robot tractor," and a tractor that performs manual running and manual operation may be referred to as a "manned (or) tractor." . When part of the agricultural work is performed by the unmanned tractor in the field, the remaining agricultural work is performed by the manned tractor. The process of performing agricultural work in a single field by an unmanned tractor and a manned tractor is sometimes referred to as cooperative work of agricultural work, follow-up work, accompanying work, and the like. In this specification, the difference between an unmanned tractor and a manned tractor lies in the presence or absence of an operation performed by the user, and the respective configurations are basically common. That is, even if it is an unmanned tractor, the user can get on (in a car) and operate (that is, it can be used as a manned tractor), or even if it is a manned tractor, the user can get off the vehicle and perform autonomous driving and autonomous work ( That is, it can be used as an unmanned tractor). In addition, as the cooperative work of agricultural work, in addition to "the process of performing agricultural work in a single field with an unmanned vehicle and a manned vehicle", it may also include "the simultaneous execution of an adjacent field by an unmanned vehicle and a manned vehicle, etc." Farming in Different Fields".

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a robot tractor 1 and a manned tractor 1X that perform cooperative work by generating a cooperative travel path using the route generation system 99 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the overall configuration of the robot tractor 1 . FIG. 3 is a plan view of the robot tractor 1 . FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a wireless communication terminal 46 that is operated by the user and that can wirelessly communicate with the robot tractor 1 . FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configurations of the robot tractor 1 and the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main electrical configuration included in the work information setting unit 47 of the wireless communication terminal 46 .

The route generation system 99 according to one embodiment of the present invention generates a cooperative travel route for the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X shown in FIG. 1 to travel when they operate in coordination. Here, the cooperative travel route includes a first travel route on which the robot tractor (first work vehicle) 1 travels and a second travel route on which the manned tractor (second work vehicle) 1X travels. Each configuration of the route generation system 99 according to the present embodiment is mainly provided in the wireless communication terminal 46 that performs wireless communication with the robot tractor 1 .

First, referring mainly to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the robot tractor (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as a “tractor”) 1 will be described.

2 and 3, the structure of the tractor 1 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1 , the traveling body 2 of the tractor 1 is supported by a pair of left and right front wheels 7 and 7 at its front and supported by a pair of left and right rear wheels 8 and 8 at its rear.

The engine cover 9 is arranged in the front part of the traveling body 2 . The engine 10 serving as a drive source of the tractor 1 , a fuel tank (not shown), and the like are accommodated in the engine cover 9 . The engine 10 may be constituted by, for example, a diesel engine, but is not limited thereto, and may be constituted by, for example, a gasoline engine. In addition, as a drive source, the engine 10 and an electric motor may be used, or an electric motor may be used instead of the engine 10 .

At the rear of the engine cover 9, a cab 11 on which an operator rides is arranged. Inside the cab 11 are mainly provided: a steering wheel 12 for the operator to perform steering operations; a seat 13 for the operator to sit on; and various operating devices for performing various operations. However, the work vehicle is not limited to the work vehicle with the cab 11 , and may be a work vehicle without the cab 11 .

Examples of the above-mentioned operation devices include the monitor device 14 shown in FIG. 3 , the accelerator lever 15 , the main gear lever 27 , the plurality of hydraulic operation levers 16 , the PTO switch 17 , the PTO gear lever 18 , and the auxiliary gear lever 19 . , and working machine lift switch 28 and so on. These operating devices are arranged near the seat 13 or near the steering wheel 12 .

The monitor device 14 is configured to be able to display various information of the tractor 1 . The accelerator lever 15 is an operation tool for setting the output rotational speed of the engine 10 . The main gear lever 27 is an operating tool for infinitely changing the running speed of the tractor 1 . The hydraulic operation lever 16 is an operation tool for switching operation of a hydraulic external extraction valve (not shown). The PTO switch 17 is an operating tool for switching the transmission/disconnection of power to a PTO shaft (power take-out shaft) not shown that protrudes from the rear end of the transmission case 22 . That is, when the PTO switch 17 is in the ON state, power is transmitted to the PTO shaft, and the PTO shaft rotates to drive the working machine 3. On the other hand, when the PTO switch 17 is in the OFF state, the power transmitted to the PTO shaft is cut off. Therefore, the PTO shaft does not rotate, and the working machine 3 stops. The PTO shift lever 18 is a member that performs a change operation of the power input to the work machine 3 , and is specifically an operation tool for performing a shift operation of the rotational speed of the PTO shaft. The auxiliary transmission lever 19 is an operation tool for switching the speed ratio of the auxiliary transmission gear mechanism in the transmission case 22 . The working machine lift switch 28 is an operation tool for raising and lowering the height of the working machine 3 attached to the traveling body 2 within a predetermined range.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a chassis 20 of the tractor 1 is provided at the lower portion of the traveling body 2 . The chassis 20 is composed of a body frame 21, a transmission 22, a front axle 23, a rear axle 24, and the like.

The body frame 21 is a support member located in the front portion of the tractor 1, and supports the engine 10 directly or via an anti-vibration member or the like. The transmission 22 changes the power from the engine 10 and transmits it to the front axle 23 and the rear axle 24 . The front axle 23 is configured to transmit power input from the transmission 22 to the front wheels 7 . The rear axle 24 is configured to transmit the power input from the transmission 22 to the rear wheels 8 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the tractor 1 includes a control unit 4 for controlling the operation of the traveling body 2 (forward, backward, stop, turning, etc.) and the operation of the working machine 3 (elevating, driving, stopping, etc.). The control unit 4 is configured to include a CPU, ROM, RAM, I/O, etc. (not shown), and the CPU can read and execute various programs and the like from the ROM. A controller for controlling each component (for example, the engine 10 and the like) included in the tractor 1 , a wireless communication unit 40 capable of wirelessly communicating with other wireless communication devices, and the like are electrically connected to the control unit 4 , respectively.

As the above-mentioned controller, the tractor 1 includes at least an engine controller, a vehicle speed controller, a steering controller, and a lift controller (not shown). Each controller can control each configuration of the tractor 1 based on electric signals from the control unit 4 .

The engine controller controls the rotational speed and the like of the engine 10 . Specifically, the engine 10 is provided with a governor device 41 including an actuator (not shown) that changes the rotational speed of the engine 10 . The engine controller controls the governor device 41 , whereby the rotational speed of the engine 10 can be controlled. In addition, the engine 10 is provided with a fuel injection device 52 that adjusts the injection timing and injection amount of the fuel to be injected (supplied) into the combustion chamber of the engine 10 . The engine controller controls the fuel injection device 52 so that, for example, the fuel supply to the engine 10 can be stopped, and the driving of the engine 10 can be stopped.

The vehicle speed controller controls the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 . Specifically, the transmission 22 is provided with, for example, a swash plate type hydraulic continuously variable transmission device, that is, a transmission device 42 . The vehicle speed controller can change the speed ratio of the transmission 22 by changing the angle of the swash plate of the transmission device 42 through an actuator (not shown) to realize a desired vehicle speed.

The steering controller controls the turning angle of the steering wheel 12 . Specifically, a steering actuator 43 is provided in the middle portion of the rotation shaft (steering shaft) of the steering wheel 12 . According to this configuration, when the tractor 1 (as an unmanned tractor) is traveling on a predetermined path, the control unit 4 calculates an appropriate turning angle of the steering wheel 12 so that the tractor 1 travels along the path and moves toward the The steering controller outputs control signals in order to achieve the obtained turning angle. The steering controller drives the steering actuator 43 based on a control signal input from the control unit 4 to control the rotation angle of the steering wheel 12 . In addition, the steering controller may not adjust the turning angle of the steering wheel 12 but adjust the steering angle of the front wheels 7 of the tractor 1. In this case, the steering wheel 12 does not rotate even when the steering wheel 12 is turned. .

The lift controller controls the lift of the working machine 3 . Specifically, the tractor 1 includes a lift actuator 44 including a hydraulic cylinder or the like in the vicinity of a three-point link mechanism that connects the working machine 3 and the traveling body 2 . With this configuration, the lift controller drives the lift actuator 44 based on the control signal input from the control unit 4 to appropriately lift and lower the work machine 3 , whereby the work machine 3 can perform agricultural work at a desired height. According to this control, the working machine 3 can be supported at desired heights such as the retraction height (height at which agricultural work is not performed) and the working height (height at which agricultural work is performed).

Moreover, the above-mentioned several controllers which are not shown in figure control each member, such as the engine 10, based on the signal input from the control part 4. Therefore, it can be grasped that the control unit 4 controls each component substantially.

The tractor 1 provided with the control unit 4 as described above is configured such that when the user rides in the cab 11 and performs various operations, each component of the tractor 1 (the traveling body 2, the working machine 3, etc. can be controlled by the control unit 4). ) is controlled so that agricultural work is performed while driving in the field. Moreover, in the tractor 1 of the present embodiment, even if the user does not get on the tractor 1 , autonomous travel and autonomous operation can be performed based on a predetermined control signal output from the wireless communication terminal 46 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the tractor 1 includes various configurations capable of autonomous driving and autonomous operation. For example, the tractor 1 includes a positioning antenna 6 and the like that are required to acquire position information of itself (travel body 2 ) based on a positioning system. According to such a configuration, the tractor 1 can acquire its own position information based on the positioning system, and can autonomously travel on the field.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5 etc., the structure with which the tractor 1 can run autonomously is demonstrated in detail. Specifically, the tractor 1 of the present embodiment includes the positioning antenna 6 , the wireless communication antenna 48 , the storage unit 55 , and the like. In addition to these, the tractor 1 may further include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) not shown that can determine the posture (roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle) of the traveling body 2 .

The positioning antenna 6 receives signals from positioning satellites constituting a positioning system such as a satellite positioning system (GNSS), for example. As shown in FIG. 2 , the positioning antenna 6 is attached to the upper surface of the roof 5 provided in the cab 11 of the tractor 1 . The positioning signal received by the positioning antenna 6 is input to the position information calculation unit 49 shown in FIG. 5 . The position information calculation unit 49 calculates the position information of the traveling body 2 (strictly speaking, the positioning antenna 6 ) of the tractor 1 as latitude and longitude information, for example. The position information calculated by the position information calculation unit 49 is input to the control unit 4 and used for autonomous driving.

In addition, in the present embodiment, a high-precision satellite positioning system using the GNSS-RTK method is used, but it is not limited to this, and other positioning systems may be used as long as high-precision position coordinates can be obtained. For example, consider using a relative positioning method (DGPS), or a geostationary satellite-based satellite augmentation system (SBAS).

The wireless communication antenna 48 is used to receive a signal from the wireless communication terminal 46 operated by the user, or to transmit a signal to the wireless communication terminal 46 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the wireless communication antenna 48 is attached to the upper surface of the roof 5 provided in the cab 11 of the tractor 1 . The signal from the wireless communication terminal 46 received by the wireless communication antenna 48 is signal-processed by the wireless communication unit 40 shown in FIG. 5 , and then input to the control unit 4 . In addition, the signal transmitted from the control unit 4 to the wireless communication terminal 46 is signal-processed by the wireless communication unit 40 , and then transmitted from the wireless communication antenna 48 and received by the wireless communication terminal 46 .

The front camera 57 images the front of the tractor 1 . The rear camera 56 images the rear of the tractor 1 . The video data captured by the front camera 57 and the rear camera 56 is signal-processed by the wireless communication unit 40 , and then transmitted from the wireless communication antenna 48 to the wireless communication terminal 46 . The wireless communication terminal 46 can display the video obtained based on the received video data on the display screen 37 .

The vehicle speed sensor 53 detects the vehicle speed of the tractor 1 and is provided, for example, on an axle between the front wheels 7 and 7 . The fuel remaining amount sensor 54 detects the remaining amount of fuel in a fuel tank (not shown) mounted in the engine cover 9, and is provided in the fuel tank. The detection results obtained by the vehicle speed sensor 53 and the remaining fuel amount sensor 54 are signal-processed by the wireless communication unit 40 , and then transmitted from the wireless communication antenna 48 to the wireless communication terminal 46 . The wireless communication terminal 46 can display the received detection result on the display screen 37 .

The storage unit 55 is a memory that stores a route on which the tractor 1 autonomously travels, or a memory that stores a transition (travel trajectory) of the position of the tractor 1 (strictly speaking, the positioning antenna 6 ) during autonomous travel. The path on which the tractor 1 autonomously travels is a travel obtained by alternately connecting a straight or zigzag travel road (a work road for agricultural work) P1 and an arc-shaped connecting road (turning road) P2 for turning path (path) P. In addition to this, the storage unit 55 stores various kinds of information necessary for the tractor 1 to perform autonomous travel and autonomous work.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the wireless communication terminal 46 is configured as a tablet-type personal computer. In the present embodiment, the user who operates the manned tractor 1X gets on the manned tractor 1X with the wireless communication terminal 46 , for example, attaches the wireless communication terminal 46 to an appropriate support portion in the manned tractor 1X, and operates. Alternatively, a user other than the operator who operates the manned tractor 1X holds the wireless communication terminal 46 outside the tractors 1 and 1X and performs the travel route generation operation. The user can check by referring to information displayed on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 (for example, information from various sensors attached to the robot tractor 1 ). In addition, the user can transmit a control signal for controlling the tractor 1 to the control unit 4 of the tractor 1 by operating the touch panel 39 etc., which is arranged so as to be able to control the touch panel 39 arranged in the vicinity of the display screen 37 . The hardware key 38 and the display screen 37 are covered. Here, as the control signal output from the wireless communication terminal 46 to the control unit 4, a signal related to a route of autonomous travel and autonomous operation, a start signal of autonomous travel and autonomous operation, a stop signal, an end signal, an emergency stop signal, A pause signal, a resume signal after a pause, etc., are not limited to this.

In addition, the wireless communication terminal 46 is not limited to a tablet-type personal computer, but may be constituted by, for example, a notebook-type personal computer instead. Alternatively, for example, the monitor device 14 mounted on the tractor 1X on the manned side may be a wireless communication terminal.

The tractor 1 configured in this way can autonomously travel along a route in the field based on an instruction from a user using the wireless communication terminal 46 , and can perform agricultural work using the working machine 3 .

Specifically, by performing various settings by the user using the wireless communication terminal 46, it is possible to generate a linear or zigzag travel path P1 and an arc-shaped connection connecting the ends of the travel path to each other. A series of routes obtained by alternately connecting the roads P2, that is, the travel route P. Then, by inputting (transmitting) the information on the travel path (path) P generated in this way to the control unit 4 and performing a predetermined operation, the control unit 4 can control the tractor 1 so that the tractor 1 can follow the The travel path P autonomously travels, while agricultural work is performed by the working machine 3 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , in the present embodiment, a manned tractor (second work vehicle) 1X cooperates with a robot tractor (first work vehicle) that autonomously travels and operates along the first travel path P along the first Manual travel and manual work are performed on the second travel path P'. Specifically, for example, it is considered that the robot tractor 1 travels on one travel path P1 of the two adjacent travel paths P1 and P1 ′, and the manned tractor 1X travels on the other travel path P1 ′. When driving and working in the same work area. Further, the travel path P1 is a travel path included in the first travel path P, and the travel path P1' is a travel path included in the second travel path P'.

In this cooperative operation, the following mode is generally adopted, that is, the robot tractor 1 drives on the front side and the manned tractor 1X drives on the rear side, so that the user riding on the manned tractor 1X can easily see the mode of the robot tractor 1 directly. In other words, in the normal cooperative operation mode performed by the two tractors of the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X, the manned tractor 1X travels diagonally to the right or left of the robot tractor 1 . The user riding on the manned tractor 1X performs manual driving and manual work, while monitoring the robot tractor 1 on the preceding side, and operating the wireless communication terminal 46 as necessary to instruct the robot tractor 1 related to autonomous driving and autonomous work. .

Hereinafter, the configuration of the wireless communication terminal 46 including the main components of the route generation system 99 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 16 . FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main electrical configuration included in the work information setting unit 47 of the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of an input selection screen on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of the work vehicle information input screen 70 on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of the field information input screen 80 on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example of a work mode/position relationship setting screen 90 on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 for setting the work mode and setting the position relationship. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of a priority setting window 91 on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 for setting whether or not to give priority to maintaining the positional relationship. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example of the division/reference job setting screen 92 on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 for setting the division and setting the reference job. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of the overlap width setting screen 93 for setting the overlap width on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display example of the skip count setting screen 94 for setting the skip count on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of the non-working area width setting screen 96 for setting the headland width and the non-working area width on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 . FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display example of the autonomous driving monitoring screen 100 on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the wireless communication terminal 46 of the present embodiment includes, in addition to the display screen 37 , the hardware key 38 , and the touch panel 39 , as main components, a display control unit 31 and a field shape acquisition unit 33. A travel route generation unit (cooperative travel route generation unit) 35, a work vehicle information setting unit 36, a field information setting unit 45, a work information setting unit 47, a storage unit 32, and the like.

Specifically, as described above, the wireless communication terminal 46 is configured as a computer, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, which are not shown. In addition, a control application for controlling the tractor 1 is preinstalled in the wireless communication terminal 46 . Furthermore, by the cooperation of the above-mentioned hardware and software, the wireless communication terminal 46 can be used as the display control unit 31, the field shape acquisition unit 33, the travel route generation unit 35, the work vehicle information setting unit 36, the field information setting unit 45, The job information setting unit 47, the storage unit 32, and the like operate.

The display control unit 31 can perform control to create display data to be displayed on the display screen 37 and to appropriately switch the display screen. The display control unit 31 can generate an input selection screen 60 as an initial screen (menu screen) shown in FIG. 7 and display it on the display screen 37 . In addition, when a predetermined operation is performed on the input selection screen 60, the display control unit 31 can generate input screens 70, 80, and 90 (refer to FIGS. 8 to 10) to be described later, and switch the display screen of the display screen 37 to the input screen. Screens 70, 80, 90.

The field shape acquiring unit 33 shown in FIG. 5 acquires the shape of the field by, for example, making the tractor 1 make a circle along the outer circumference of the field, and recording the positional transition of the positioning antenna 6 at that time. The shape of the field acquired by the field shape acquisition unit 33 is stored in the storage unit 32 . However, the method of acquiring the shape of the field is not limited to this. Instead, for example, the position information of the corner of the field may be recorded, and the polygon may be determined from a so-called closed-circuit graph in which line segments connecting the recorded points do not intersect, and the polygon may be acquired. Polygons as the shape of the field.

The travel route generation (cooperative travel route generation unit) 35 generates a first travel route P input (transmitted) to the tractor 1, and a second travel route P' for reference by the user driving the manned tractor 1X. When the work vehicle information, field information, and work information, which will be described later, are set without omission and predetermined operations are performed, the travel route generation unit 35 automatically generates (calculates) the first travel route P including the first travel route P. and the cooperative travel route including the second travel route P'. The generated cooperative travel route is stored in the storage unit 32 .

The work vehicle information setting unit 36 accepts work vehicle information (information related to the traveling body 2 and the work machine 3 ) input on the work vehicle information input screen 70 to be described later. The work vehicle information set by the work vehicle information setting unit 36 is stored in the storage unit 32 .

The field information setting unit 45 accepts field information (information about fields) input on a field information input screen 80 to be described later. The field information set by the field information setting unit 45 is stored in the storage unit 32 .

The work information setting unit 47 accepts: work information (information related to work modes and the like) input to the work mode/position relationship setting screen 90 and the like. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 , the work information setting unit 47 mainly includes a work mode setting unit (cooperative work mode setting unit) 101 , a positional relationship setting unit 102 , a priority accepting unit 103 , and an overlap width setting unit 101 . The fixed unit 104 , the skip number setting unit 105 , the non-work area width setting unit 106 , the division area setting unit 107 , and the reference work setting unit 108 . Hereinafter, each of these configurations will be described in detail. The job information set by the job information setting unit 47 is stored in the storage unit 32 .

The storage unit 32 includes a nonvolatile memory (eg, flash ROM), and can store the work vehicle information set by the work vehicle information setting unit 36 and the field information set by the field information setting unit 45 . , and the job information set by the job information setting unit 47 . In addition, the storage unit 32 can store information on the registered field shape, information on the generated travel routes P and P', and the like. The storage unit 32 stores the information on the generated travel routes P and P' in association with the work vehicle information, field information, and work information for generating the travel routes P and P'.

Next, operations performed by the user using the wireless communication terminal 46 when setting the work vehicle information, field information, and work information and generating the travel paths P and P' will be described in detail.

At a stage before the user starts setting the work vehicle information, field information, and work information, as shown in FIG. 7 , the input selection screen 60 created by the display control unit 31 is displayed on the wireless communication terminal as an initial screen (menu screen). Display 37 of 46. The input selection screen 60 mainly displays a work vehicle information input operation unit 61 , a field information input operation unit 62 , a work information input operation unit 63 , a travel route generation/transmission operation unit 64 , and an agricultural work start operation unit 65 .

These operation parts are all configured as virtual keys (so-called icons) displayed on the display screen 37 . However, at a stage where none of the work vehicle information, field information, and work information is set, the work vehicle information input operation unit 61 , the field information input operation unit 62 , the work information input operation unit 63 , and the travel route generation and transmission operations are performed. Among the operation parts 64 and the agricultural work start operation part 65 , the only operable operation part is the work vehicle information input operation part 61 . That is, the operations of the field information input operation unit 62 , the work information input operation unit 63 , the travel route generation/transmission operation unit 64 , and the agricultural work start operation unit 65 are initially disabled (for example, displayed in gray), and even if touched, Operation not possible.

When the user starts to set the work vehicle information, the field information, and the work information, first, the user operates the work vehicle information input operation unit 61 of the input selection screen 60 . The work vehicle information input operation unit 61 is a key that is operated when switching from the input selection screen 60 to the work vehicle information input screen 70 .

When the user operates the work vehicle information input operation unit 61, a predetermined first selection screen (not shown) is displayed, and there is a case where there is information of a tractor set (registered) in the past on the first selection screen. , it is displayed as: You can select the information of the tractor set in the past.

In addition, on the first selection screen, it is displayed that the information of the tractor can be reset (registered), or the information of the tractor set in the past can be changed (however, the selection can be made when only the information of the tractor set in the past exists. ). When the user selects re-registration, the display screen of the display screen 37 is switched to the work vehicle information input screen 70 shown in FIG. 8 .

On the work vehicle information input screen 70 , it is possible to input work vehicle information related to the traveling body 2 and the work machine 3 attached to the traveling body 2 . Specifically, on the work vehicle information input screen 70 , the model of the tractor 1 designated as the work vehicle information, the installation position of the positioning antenna 6 on the traveling body 2 , the tractor 1 and the work machine 3 are respectively arranged. The lateral width of , the distance from the rear end of the 3-point link mechanism (the rear end of the lower link) to the rear end of the work machine 3, the offset amount of the center line of the work machine 3 relative to the center line of the tractor 1 ( distance), vehicle speed during work on the way to the road, speed during work on the circuit, vehicle speed at the headland (when turning), engine speed during work on the way, engine speed during work on the circuit, and at the headland ( Columns such as the engine speed at the time of turning). In addition, in the work vehicle information input screen 70 shown in FIG. 8, although only a part of the said fields are displayed, by performing the operation of scrolling the screen downward from the state of FIG. 8, the remaining fields can be displayed.

When designation of all items on the work vehicle information input screen 70 is completed, a "vehicle setting confirmation" button (not shown) is displayed. When the user operates the "vehicle setting confirmation" button, a setting confirmation screen (not shown) is displayed, and the content specified in each column is displayed for confirmation. When the user operates the "OK" button (not shown) on the setting confirmation screen, the content of the work vehicle information is stored in the storage unit 32, and the setting of the work vehicle information is completed. When the setting (registration) of the work vehicle information is completed, the lower part of the display screen displays that the "edit/add field information" button and the "return to input selection screen" button can be selected. When "edit/add field information" is selected, the field information can be set in the same manner as when the field information input operation unit 62 is operated on the input selection screen 60 . If "return to input selection screen" is selected, the display screen is switched to the input selection screen 60 .

Further, by repeating the operation of inputting and registering each item on the work vehicle information input screen 70 , the work vehicle information can be stored (ie, stored in the storage unit 32 ) for each of the plurality of work vehicles. When the work vehicle information input operation unit 61 is operated on the input selection screen 60, the saved work vehicle information can be used by selecting the information of the tractor set (registered) in the past on the first selection screen described above.

When the user completes the setting (registration) of the work vehicle information and returns to the input selection screen 60 of FIG. 7 , the field information input operation unit 62 of the input selection screen 60 becomes operable. The field information input operation unit 62 is a key that is operated when switching from the input selection screen 60 to the field information input screen 80 .

When the user operates the field information input operation unit 62, a predetermined second selection screen (not shown) is displayed, and when there is information on fields set (registered) in the past on the second selection screen , displayed as: You can select the information of the fields set in the past.

In addition, on the second selection screen, it is displayed that you can select to reset (register) the field information or change the information of the field set in the past (however, the selection can be made when only the information of the field set in the past exists. ). When the user selects re-registration, the display screen of the display screen 37 is switched to the field information input screen 80 shown in FIG. 9 .

On the field information input screen 80 , it is possible to input information on a traveling area (field) in which the traveling body 2 travels. Specifically, on the field information input screen 80, a plane display unit 81 that displays the shape of the field as a graph (displayed as a graph) is arranged. In addition, on the field information input screen 80, buttons for "start recording" and "reset" are arranged in the columns of "position and shape of field periphery" and "position and shape of obstacle". In addition, on the field information input screen 80, buttons for "set" and "reset" are arranged in each column of "work start position", "work end position", and "work direction".

When the "start recording" button of "the position and shape of the outer periphery of the field" is operated, the wireless communication terminal 46 switches to the field shape recording mode. In this field shape recording mode, for example, when the tractor 1 makes one turn around the outer circumference of the field, the field shape acquiring unit 33 records the positional change of the positioning antenna 6 at that time, and the field shape acquiring unit can pass the 33 Get (calculate) the shape of the field. Thereby, the position, shape, and area of the field can be specified. The position and shape of the outer periphery of the field calculated (designated) in this way are displayed on the plane display unit 81 in the form of a graph. In addition, by operating the "reset" button, the recording (designation) of the position of the outer periphery of the field can be performed again.

Similarly, when the "start recording" button of "the position and shape of the obstacle" is operated, the wireless communication terminal 46 switches to the obstacle outer peripheral shape recording mode. In this obstacle outer circumference shape recording mode, for example, if the tractor 1 is made to make one turn along the outer circumference of the obstacle, the obstacle shape acquisition unit (not shown) records the positional transition of the positioning antenna 6 at that time. , so as to obtain (calculate) the shape of the obstacle. Thereby, the position, shape, and area of the obstacle can be specified. The position and shape of the obstacle calculated (designated) in this way are displayed on the plane display unit 81 in a graphic form together with the shape of the field. In addition, by operating the "reset" button, the recording (designation) of the position of the outer periphery of the obstacle can be performed again.

When the "set" button of "work start position" is operated, the shapes of the fields and obstacles acquired as described above are displayed on the plane display unit 81 of the field information input screen 80 so as to overlap with the map data. In this state, when the user selects an arbitrary point in the vicinity of the field outline, the position information in the vicinity of the selected point can be set as the work start position. The setting of the "job end position" is also performed in the same manner as the "job start position".

When the "Set" button of "Working Direction" is operated, the shapes of fields and obstacles acquired as described above, the work start position, and the work end position are displayed on the field information input screen 80 so as to overlap with the map data. the plane display part 81 . In this state, when the user selects, for example, two arbitrary points on the field outline, the direction of the straight line obtained by connecting the two points can be set as the work direction.

When the setting of all the items on the field information input screen 80 is completed, the "register" button is displayed. When the user confirms the designated content on the plane display unit 81 or the like, and then operates the "register" button, the content of the set field information is stored in the storage unit 32, and the setting of the field information is completed. When the setting (registration) of the field information is completed, it is displayed in the lower part of the display screen that the "edit/add job" button and the "return to input selection screen" button can be selected. If "edit/add job" is selected, job information can be set in the same manner as when the job information input operation unit 63 is operated on the input selection screen 60 . If "return to input selection screen" is selected, the display screen switches to the input selection screen 60 .

In addition, by repeating the operation of registering each item on the field information input screen 80 , the field information can be stored (that is, stored in the storage unit 32 ) for each of the plurality of fields. When the field information input operation unit 62 is operated on the input selection screen 60, the stored field information can be used by selecting the field information that was set (registered) in the past on the second selection screen described above.

When the user completes the setting of the field information and returns to the input selection screen 60 of FIG. 7 , the work information input operation unit 63 of the input selection screen 60 becomes operable. In other words, the work information input operation unit 63 is in an inoperable state until the user completes the setting of the work vehicle information and the field information. That is, the work information setting unit 47 is configured to not accept the input of information (the setting of the work information) until the work vehicle information is set by the work vehicle information setting unit 36 and the field information is set by the field information setting unit 45 . Certainly). The work information input operation unit 63 is a key that is operated when switching from the input selection screen 60 to the work mode/position relationship setting screen 90 shown in FIG. 10 .

When the user operates the work information input operation unit 63, the display screen switches to the work mode/position relationship setting screen 90 shown in FIG. 10 .

On the work mode/position relationship setting screen 90, the work mode of the tractor 1 (and the manned tractor 1X) can be set. In addition, when agricultural work is performed using a plurality of tractors, the positional relationship between the tractors can be set. Specifically, when the manned tractor 1X and the robot tractor 1 are caused to travel together (coordinated), and the work mode in which the manned tractor 1X is caused to travel diagonally to the left of the robot tractor 1 is selected, the The first accompanying job selection unit 111 operates. When the manned tractor 1X and the robot tractor 1 are caused to travel together (coordinated), and the work mode in which the manned tractor 1X is to travel diagonally to the right of the robot tractor 1 is selected, select the second accompanying work. Section 112 operates. When selecting the work mode in which the manned tractor 1X runs behind the robot tractor 1 (runs the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X on the same travel path) to perform the following work, the following work selection unit 113 is operated. When the robot tractor 1 performs agricultural work alone, the individual work selection unit 114 is operated. When the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X cooperatively perform agricultural work on the travel paths of the respective different work areas, the cooperative work selection unit 115 for each divided area is selected.

The first accompanying operation selection unit 111, the second accompanying operation selection unit 112, the following operation selection unit 113, the individual operation selection unit 114, and the divisional cooperative operation selection unit 115 are formed as virtual buttons, and the user touches them with a finger or the like. The operation can be performed by touching the position of the touch panel 39 corresponding to the display area of the key. In addition, the selected key is displayed so as to be highlighted by, for example, being surrounded by a red thick frame (refer to FIG. 11 ). When the user selects any one of the selection units 111 , 112 , . . . 115 and operates the “setting” button in the lower part of the work mode/position relationship setting screen 90 , the work mode setting unit 101 accepts the work. In the mode, the positional relationship is received by the positional relationship setting unit 102, and the content of the set work mode and positional relationship is stored in the storage unit 32, and the setting of the work mode and the positional relationship is completed.

When either one of the first accompanying job selection unit 111 or the second accompanying job selection unit 112 is selected, and the “set” button in the lower part of the work mode/position relationship setting screen 90 is operated, the work mode/position relationship is completed. When the setting of , the priority setting window 91 (see FIG. 11 ) is displayed, and the priority setting window 91 is used to select whether to maintain the positional relationship between the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X as a priority when generating the path. When the user touches the "Yes" portion of the priority setting window 91 with a finger or the like, the priority accepting unit 103 accepts the content that the positional relationship of the vehicle is preferably maintained, and stores it in the storage unit 32 . Thereby, subsequent route generation is performed while maintaining the positional relationship of the vehicle with priority. On the other hand, when the user touches the "No" portion of the priority setting window 91 with a finger or the like, the priority accepting unit 103 accepts that the positional relationship of the vehicle is not maintained with priority, and stores it in the storage unit 32 . In this case, subsequent route generation is performed without necessarily being constrained by the positional relationship of the vehicle set on the work mode/positional relationship setting screen 90 .

On the other hand, when each partition cooperative operation selection unit 115 is selected on the work mode/positional relationship setting screen 90, and the "set" button in the lower part of the work mode/positional relationship setting screen 90 is operated, the work is completed. When setting the mode/position relationship, a division/reference operation setting screen 92 (refer to FIG. 12 ) is displayed, and the division/reference operation setting screen 92 is used for setting the division and whether or not a reference is required. Job settings. In the division area/reference work setting screen 92 shown in FIG. 12 , in the center of the rectangle in which the field (work area) is displayed virtually, a division line (vertical line) 116 (vertical line) for division is displayed ( Refer to Figure 12). The user can change the division ratio (ratio of the first work area and the second work area) by clicking the division line 116 and moving it left and right. In addition, in the lower part of the partition/reference job setting screen 92, a message "Is a reference job required?" and virtual buttons of "Yes" and "No" are displayed. If the user selects "Yes", the travel route for the reference work will be generated in the subsequent route generation. On the other hand, if the user selects "No", the travel route for the reference work will not be generated in the subsequent route generation.

When the user arranges the division line 116 for the division at an appropriate position and selects any one of the "Yes" and "No" buttons described above, the " If the "Set" button is operated, the division area setting unit 107 accepts the position of the division area, and the reference job setting unit 108 accepts whether or not a reference job is required, and the content of the set area/reference job setting is stored. In the storage unit 32, the setting of the partition and the reference operation is completed.

After the above-mentioned setting is completed, the display screen of the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 is switched to the overlapping width setting screen 93 shown in FIG. 13 . The overlap width setting screen 93 includes, as virtual buttons, the overlap setting unit 121 selected when the adjacent travel paths are overlapped (repeated) and the adjacent travel paths not to be overlapped. The non-overlapping setting unit 122 selected in the case of (repetition) can be operated by the user touching a position of the touch panel 39 corresponding to the display area of the key with a finger or the like. When the overlap setting unit 121 is selected, the key is displayed so as to be highlighted by being surrounded by a red thick frame, for example, and the overlap width can be input by touch. On the other hand, when the non-overlapping setting unit 122 is selected, the key is displayed so as to be highlighted by being surrounded by, for example, a red thick frame, and the width of the gap between adjacent travel paths can be input by touch.

If the user selects either the overlapping setting part 121 or the non-overlapping setting part 122, inputs the value of the above-mentioned width, and presses the "SET" button in the lower part of the overlapping width setting screen 93, the overlapping The width setting unit 104 receives this information, and the set content is stored in the storage unit 32, and the setting of the overlap width is completed.

After the above-mentioned setting is completed, the display screen of the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 is switched to the skip count setting screen 94 shown in FIG. 14 . On the skip count setting screen 94, a "no skip" button 123 is arranged as an imaginary button, and the "no skip" button 123 is used to select a travel path (No. The number of travel paths arranged between an arbitrary travel path P1 in a travel path) P and the travel path P1 on which the robot tractor 1 travels next to the arbitrary travel path P1 is 0 columns. In addition, on the lateral right side of the "no skip" button 123, a "skip 1 column" button 124 is also arranged as an imaginary button, and the "skip 1 column" button 124 is used to select: The number of travel paths arranged between an arbitrary travel path P1 in the travel path (first travel path) P on which the robot tractor 1 travels and the travel path P1 next to the arbitrary travel path P1 on which the robot tractor 1 travels is one row. content. In addition, on the lateral right side of the "skip 1 column" button 124, a "skip 2 column" button 125 is arranged as an imaginary button, and this "skip 2 column" button 125 is used to select: The number of travel paths arranged between an arbitrary travel path P1 in the travel path (first travel path) P on which the tractor 1 travels, and the travel path P1 on which the robot tractor 1 travels next to the arbitrary travel path P1 is two rows Content. When the user selects any one of these keys 123 , 124 , and 125 , the key is displayed as, for example, surrounded by a red thick line frame to be emphasized. When the user presses the “SET” button at the lower part of the skip count setting screen 94 in this state, the skip count setting unit 105 accepts the information, and the set content is stored in the storage unit 32 . to complete the setting of the skip count.

After the above-mentioned setting is completed, the display screen of the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46 is switched to the non-work area width setting screen 96 shown in FIG. 15 . On the non-working area width setting screen 96 , the width of the ground where the robot tractor 1 (and the manned tractor 1X) turns, that is, the turning back, and the width of the ground along the traveling direction of the robot tractor 1 are displayed as schematic images. The width of the configured non-working area (side edges). In the above-mentioned image of the non-work area width setting screen 96, the recommended width calculated based on the work width, the overlap width, etc. preset by the user is initially displayed. However, by performing a pull-down operation, for example, it is possible to The integer multiple of the working width is set as: headland width or non-working area width. However, it is not limited to this, and the user may input a desired width by touch input as the headland width or the non-working area width.

When the user selects or inputs the above-mentioned headland width and non-working area width, and presses the "SET" button at the lower part of the non-working area width setting screen 96, the non-working area width setting unit 106 accepts the information, the set content is stored in the storage unit 32, and the setting of the headland width and the non-working area width is completed.

When the user completes the setting of the work information and returns to the input selection screen of FIG. 7 , the travel route generation/transfer operation unit 64 of the input selection screen 60 becomes operable. In other words, the travel route generation/transmission operation unit 64 is in an inoperable state until the user completes the setting of the work vehicle information, the field information, and the work information. That is, only when the field information and the work information are input without omission, the route generation and transmission can be performed.

When the user selects the travel route generation/transmission operation unit 64, the first travel route P of the robot tractor 1 (and, where appropriate, the second travel route P' of the manned tractor 1X is also generated) is automatically generated. , and the travel route is stored in the storage unit 32 . In addition, when the travel route is generated, it is displayed on the display screen of the display screen 37 that the "route simulation" button can be selected. By selecting (operating) the "route simulation" button, an image representing the generated travel route as an arrow, a line, or the like is displayed. In addition, a video of the icon of the tractor moving along the travel path may be displayed.

After the display of the "path simulation" is completed, it is displayed on the display screen of the display screen 37 that the "transfer data" button and the "return to input selection screen" button can be selected. When the "transmit data" button is selected, an instruction for transmitting the information of the travel route to the control unit 4 of the tractor 1 can be performed. When the "return to input selection screen" button is selected, the display screen is switched to the input selection screen 60 .

In this way, in the route generation system 99 of the present embodiment, the information on the travel route generated on the side of the wireless communication terminal 46 can be transmitted to the control unit 4 of the tractor 1 . The control unit 4 can store the information of the travel route (first travel route P) received from the wireless communication terminal 46 in the storage unit 55 electrically connected to the control unit 4 .

After the first travel route P is stored in the storage unit 55, the agricultural work start operation unit 65 of the input selection screen 60 becomes operable. The control unit 4 is configured to be able to give an instruction to start the work using the traveling body 2 and the working machine 3 , but cannot give a start instruction until the first travel route P is generated and input to the storage unit 55 .

When the user operates the agricultural work start operation unit 65 on the input selection screen 60 , the control unit 4 controls the travel of the tractor 1 and the agricultural work so that the tractor 1 autonomously travels along the inputted first travel path P Driving and autonomous operation. With the start of the autonomous driving, the display screen of the display screen 37 is switched to the autonomous driving monitoring screen 100 shown in FIG. 16 .

On the left portion of the autonomous driving monitoring screen 100, a front camera display unit 131 that displays video data captured by the front camera 57 is arranged. On the left side of the autonomous driving monitoring screen 100 and below the front camera display unit 131, a rear camera display unit 132 for displaying video data captured by the rear camera 56 is arranged.

On the upper part of the autonomous driving monitoring screen 100, a vehicle speed display unit 133 that displays the current vehicle speed of the tractor 1 is arranged. The current vehicle speed of the tractor 1 acquired based on the data transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 53 is displayed on the vehicle speed display unit 133 .

In the lower part of the autonomous driving monitoring screen 100, a fuel demand display unit 134 is arranged. The amount of fuel required from the start to the end of the agricultural work is displayed on the fuel demand amount display unit 134 . In addition, the required amount of fuel can be calculated based on the length (distance) of the work path, the vehicle speed, the engine speed, and the like set by the user. In addition, the wireless communication terminal 46 acquires the detection result from the fuel remaining amount sensor 54, calculates the amount of insufficient fuel based on the detection result, and displays the amount of the insufficient fuel together with the required amount of fuel on the fuel demand amount Display unit 134 .

On the right part of the autonomous driving monitoring screen 100, a driving state display unit 109 that displays image data including the driving road P1 or the connecting road P2 on which the tractor 1 is driving is arranged. As shown in FIG. 9 , the image data displayed on the traveling state display unit 109 may be displayed by superimposing the shape of the field and the shape of the work area on the map data, and the traveling locus of the tractor 1 may be indicated by hatching thereon. On the traveling state display unit 109 of the present embodiment, the first traveling path P of the robot tractor 1 and the second traveling path P' of the manned tractor 1X are displayed.

The user who performs the steering operation of the manned tractor 1X can make the wireless communication terminal 46 support, for example, an appropriate support portion of the traveling body 2 of the manned tractor 1X, and refer to the autonomous driving displayed on the display screen 37 of the wireless communication terminal 46. The monitoring screen 100 causes the manned tractor 1X to travel along the second travel path P' to perform agricultural work. Thereby, the cooperative operation of the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X can be realized.

Hereinafter, the cooperative travel route generated by the route generation system 99 will be specifically described.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the travel routes P and P′ generated by the travel route generation unit 35 in the case of selecting a cooperative operation for causing the manned tractor 1X to travel diagonally to the right of the robot tractor 1 , and The content to give priority to maintaining the positional relationship between the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X is selected, and the case where one row is skipped is selected. In the travel paths P and P', as shown in Fig. 17 , the number of skips changes in the form of 2 columns→0 columns→2 columns→0 columns . . . On the other hand, in the travel paths P and P', as shown in Fig. 17 , a positional relationship in which the manned tractor 1X is arranged diagonally to the right and rear of the robot tractor 1 is maintained in both the outgoing path and the loop. When the travel paths P and P' are adopted as described above, there is an advantage in that the user of the manned tractor 1X is able to make the steering operation so that the manned tractor 1X is always traveling obliquely to the right of the robot tractor 1 so that Yes, the work can be easily performed with the position of the robot tractor 1 as a reference.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the travel routes P and P′ generated by the travel route generation unit 35 in the case of selecting a cooperative operation for causing the manned tractor 1X to travel diagonally to the right of the robot tractor 1 , and The content of maintaining the positional relationship between the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X is selected not to be given priority, and the case where one row is skipped is selected. In the travel paths P and P', as shown in Fig. 18 , the number of skips is constant to one row. On the other hand, in the travel paths P and P′, as shown in FIG. 18 , as viewed from the starting position, the positional relationship in which the manned tractor 1X is disposed obliquely rearward to the right of the robot tractor 1 is maintained, but , in the circuit, it is in a positional relationship in which the manned tractor 1X is arranged diagonally to the left of the robot tractor 1 (the set positional relationship is not maintained). When the travel paths P, P' like this are adopted, there is an advantage in that the user of the manned tractor 1X makes a turn in the same turning pattern (same turning radius, etc.) at one end of the land and the other at the end of the land. That is, the operation is easy for a user who is inexperienced in turning operation.

Fig. 19 shows an example of the travel routes P and P' generated by the travel route generation unit 35 when a division is set in the field and the reference work is set to "required". In the travel paths P and P′, as shown in FIG. 19 , in the second work area where agricultural work is mainly performed by the manned tractor 1X, a boundary line (division line) adjacent to the first work area is included. The traveling path P0 arranged on the line) is only on the traveling path P0, and the robot tractor 1 performs autonomous traveling and autonomous work, and on the traveling path P1' in the other second work area, the manned tractor 1X works. On the other hand, in the first work area, autonomous travel and autonomous work are performed by the robot tractor 1 on all the travel paths P1. When such travel paths P and P' are employed, the robot tractor 1 can be made to autonomously travel on the travel path P0 arranged adjacent to the boundary line with the first work area in the second work area. After the autonomous operation, the traveling path P0 is used as a reference (reference), and the manned tractor 1X performs agricultural work on the traveling paths P1 ′, P1 ′, and · in the second work area. Thereby, there is an advantage that it is easy to carry out the agricultural work on the field in an orderly manner.

Fig. 20 shows an example of the travel routes P and P' generated by the travel route generation unit 35 when a division is set in the field and the reference work is set to "unnecessary". In the travel paths P and P′, as shown in FIG. 20 , the first work area in which the agricultural work is performed by the robot tractor 1 and the second work area in which the agricultural work by the manned tractor 1X is performed are divided by a dividing line and side by side. configured. When such travel paths P and P' are used, there is an advantage in that the work area (field) can be divided into a plurality of pieces, and the work can be shared by the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X, and the entire work can be efficiently performed. Operation.

As described above, the route generation system 99 of the present embodiment includes the work mode setting unit (cooperative work mode setting unit) 101 , the positional relationship setting unit 102 , and the travel route generation unit (cooperative travel route generation unit) 35 , and the priority acceptance unit (acceptance unit) 103 . The work mode setting unit 101 sets the cooperative work mode of the robot tractor (first work vehicle) 1 and the manned tractor (second work vehicle) 1X. When the cooperative work mode is cooperative work in the same work area, the positional relationship setting unit 102 sets the positional relationship between the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X. When the cooperative work mode is cooperative work in the same work area, the travel route generation unit 35 generates a first travel route P on which the robot tractor 1 travels and a second travel route P' on which the manned tractor 1X travels. cooperative driving path within. The priority receiving unit 103 receives: whether to maintain the positional relationship with priority. When the priority accepting unit 103 accepts priority to maintain the positional relationship, it generates a cooperative travel route (the first travel route P and the second travel route P') maintaining the positional relationship (see FIG. 17 ). When the priority accepting unit 103 does not accept priority to maintain the positional relationship, it generates a cooperative travel route (the first travel route P and the second travel route P') that does not maintain the positional relationship (see FIG. 18 ).

According to this, the cooperative travel route can be fluidly generated according to the user's intention without being constrained by the positional relationship between the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X set by the positional relationship setting unit 102 .

In addition, in the route generation system 99 of the present embodiment, the first travel route P and the second travel route P' each include a plurality of travel routes P1 and P1' that are arranged in parallel. In the case where a coordinated travel route (the first travel route P and the second travel route P′) that does not maintain the positional relationship is generated by the travel route generation unit 35 , any travel route P1 of the first travel route P and the adjacent travel route P1 The number of rows of travel paths arranged between other travel paths P1 on which the robot tractor 1 travels on an arbitrary travel path P1 is maintained at a constant number (see FIG. 18 ).

According to this, when the set positional relationship between the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X is not maintained preferentially, the robot tractor 1 can be provided on the arbitrary travel path P1 of the robot tractor 1 and the robot tractor 1 next to the arbitrary travel path P1. The number of rows of travel paths arranged between other travel paths P1 on which the robot tractor 1 travels, that is, the so-called skip number for which the robot tractor 1 travels on the next travel path P1 is maintained at a constant number. In this case, the turning method (turning radius, etc.) at the headland on one side of the field and the headland on the other side is fixed to a constant pattern, so that the turning operation can be easily performed.

In addition, the route generation system 99 of the present embodiment includes a reference work setting unit 108, and the cooperative work is cooperative work in different work areas, and the robot tractor 1 is used to work on the first work area, and the manned tractor 1X is used. When the work is performed on the second work area, the reference work setting unit 108 sets whether or not the reference work needs to be performed by the robot tractor 1 in the second work area. Generate: a travel path including a travel path P0 where the robot tractor 1 performs the reference work in the second work area and a plurality of travel paths P1 where the robot tractor 1 performs work in the first work area as the first work area travel path P. A travel route (see FIG. 19 ) including a plurality of travel paths P1' where the manned tractor 1X is operated in the second work area other than the area in which the reference work is performed is generated as the second travel route P'.

According to this, in the second work area, the robot tractor 1 can perform the reference work (work along the travel path P0 ), refer to the travel path P0 on which the work has been performed according to the reference work, and use the manned tractor 1X to perform a plurality of Work is performed on the travel path P1'. Therefore, it becomes easy to carry out the work in an orderly manner in the work area.

In addition, the route generation system 99 of the present embodiment generates, as the first travel route P, a travel route including a plurality of travel routes P1, P1, . . Generate: a travel route including a plurality of travel paths P1', P1', .

Thereby, the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X can share the work in different work areas, respectively, so that the work can be efficiently performed as a whole.

As mentioned above, although the preferable embodiment of this invention was described, the said structure can be changed as follows.

In the cooperative operation of the robot tractor 1 and the manned tractor 1X in the above-mentioned embodiment, the robot tractor 1 runs on the leading side and the manned tractor 1X runs on the rear side, but it is not limited to this. For example, the manned tractor 1X may be used. The robot tractor 1 travels on the rear side while driving on the leading side.

In the above-described embodiment, when the cooperative travel route that does not maintain the positional relationship is generated by the travel route generation unit 35, the robot on the arbitrary travel route P1 of the first travel route P and the robot that is next to the arbitrary travel route P1 The number of rows of travel paths arranged between the other travel paths P1 on which the tractor 1 travels is maintained constant. However, when the number of travel paths P1 has a mantissa or the like, the number of skips may not be constant in some travel paths P1.

In the example shown in FIG. 20 described above, the first work area and the second work area are divided so that the area is the same. However, not limited to this, the first work area may be wider than the second work area, or the first work area may be narrower than the second work area. By appropriately shifting the division line 116 shown in FIG. 12 , for example, the number of rows of travel paths in the first work area and the number of rows of travel paths in the second work area can be appropriately different, and the work in which the first work vehicle is arranged can be made. The headland of the end position and the headland of the work end position where the second work vehicle is arranged are located on the same side.

In the above-described embodiment, the reference work is performed on the travel path on the side of the second work area adjacent to the dividing line. With such a configuration, there is an advantage that the boundary between the first work area and the second work area can be easily visually recognized, and the user who performs the steering operation of the manned tractor 1X can easily perform work. However, it is not limited to this, and the reference work may be performed on any one of the travel paths in the second work area. For example, the reference work may be performed on the travel road at the end position of the second work area on the side opposite to the side where the dividing line is arranged.

The display screen (input screen, etc.) shown in each figure is merely an example, and the layout of the display, the design of each icon (key), and the like are not limited to the example shown in the figure.

In the above-described embodiment, the work mode setting unit 101 , the positional relationship setting unit 102 , the travel route generating unit 35 , the priority accepting unit 103 , and the reference work setting unit 108 are provided in the wireless communication terminal 46 , however, these configurations Which one of the tractor 1 and the wireless communication terminal 46 is equipped with is not limited to this. In addition, components other than the above may be provided in any one of the tractor 1 and the wireless communication terminal 46 .

A device having a function corresponding to the wireless communication terminal 46 can be mounted on the traveling body 2 of the manned tractor 1X that travels along with the tractor 1 in a non-detachable manner. In this case, the wireless communication terminal 46 can be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the second work vehicle is a manned tractor 1X that is steered by the user. However, it is not limited to this, and the second work vehicle may be an unmanned tractor like the first work vehicle, and the second travel route P' generated by the travel route generation unit 35 may be transmitted to the tractor and used Drive autonomously.

Description of reference numerals

1 (robot) tractor (first work vehicle)

1X Manned (the) tractor (second work vehicle)

35 Travel route generation unit (cooperative travel route generation unit)

99 Path Generation System

101 Working Mode Setting Section (Cooperative Working Mode Setting Section)

102 Position relationship setting section

103 Priority Acceptance Department (Acceptance Department)

108 Reference work setting section

Claims (3)

1. A route generation system is provided with:

a cooperative work mode setting unit that sets a cooperative work mode of the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle;

a positional relationship setting unit that sets a positional relationship between the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle when the cooperative work mode is a cooperative work in the same work area;

a skip number setting unit that sets a skip number of a route on which at least one of the first work vehicle and the second work vehicle travels;

a travel route generation unit that generates a travel route that is at least one of a first travel route on which the first work vehicle travels and a second travel route on which the second work vehicle travels, when the cooperative work mode is a cooperative work in the same work area; and

a receiving unit that receives either the skip number set by the skip number setting unit or the maintenance of the positional relationship,

the path generation system is characterized in that,

the travel route generation unit generates the travel route in which the positional relationship is maintained when the reception unit receives the maintenance of the positional relationship,

when the receiving unit receives the set number of skips, the travel route generating unit generates the travel route in which the positional relationship is not maintained.

2. The path generation system according to claim 1,

at least one of the first travel path and the second travel path is provided with a plurality of travel paths arranged in parallel,

when the travel route generation unit generates the travel route that maintains the positional relationship, the travel route generation unit generates a travel route different from the number of skips set by the skip number setting unit.

3. The path generation system according to claim 1,

at least one of the first travel path and the second travel path is provided with a plurality of travel paths arranged in parallel,

when the travel route generation unit generates the travel route that does not maintain the positional relationship, the travel route generation unit generates a travel route that reaches the number of skips set by the skip number setting unit.

Images