JP7142597B2 - Running area shape registration system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a travel area shape registration system for registering the shape of a travel area in which a work vehicle travels.

Patent Literature 1 describes a technique of detecting the position and running direction of a work vehicle in a field by position detection means and direction detection means, and allowing the work vehicle to travel unmanned based on these detected values. The document also describes a technique of setting a work route based on information on a field section and a reference traveling direction obtained from learning traveling data obtained by manual driving (teaching traveling) around a field.

JP-A-10-66405

The edge of an actual farm field, that is, the boundary between a farm field and a ridge, or a road, is not necessarily a straight line due to the characteristics of the land, etc., and it is difficult to travel faithfully along the boundary during teaching travel. In addition, since the positioning data obtained by the teaching run does not contain information about obstacles such as telephone poles, water intake valves, and walls that have protruded locally into the field, autonomous running can perform headland work and side margin finishing work. It was not possible to make the work vehicle do it autonomously.

In view of the above, the present invention sets the shape of the travel area in which the work vehicle travels to a more appropriate shape on the display screen of the travel locus information, which is the locus for registering the shape of the travel area of the work vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a travel area shape registration system capable of confirming whether or not a travel area shape is registered.

The present invention is a travel area shape registration system for registering the shape of a travel area in which a work vehicle travels, comprising position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the work vehicle by a satellite positioning system, and acquisition by the satellite positioning system. a travel locus information acquisition means for acquiring travel locus information indicating a travel locus of the work vehicle, which is specified based on the position information of the work vehicle obtained and is a locus for registering a shape of a travel area; external environment information acquisition means for acquiring an image of the surroundings of the vehicle; and a boundary feature part for specifying a boundary feature part between the travel area and the outside of the area based on the image acquired by the external environment information acquisition means. identifying means; and display means for superimposing the boundary characteristic portion identified by the boundary characteristic portion identifying means and the running locus information acquired by the running locus information acquiring means on the image displayed on the display screen. , is provided.
Correction means is provided for correcting a portion of the travel locus information based on the boundary characteristic portion.
The display means displays a related feature having characteristics identical or similar to at least one of hue, saturation, and brightness to the boundary feature so as to be identifiable.
Further, the correcting means corrects a part of the travel locus information based on the related characteristic portion.

According to the present invention, by displaying the travel locus information on the display screen of the display means, the operator can check whether the shape of the travel area in which the work vehicle travels is appropriate.

1 is a schematic side view of an autonomous traveling work vehicle and a traveling work vehicle; FIG. Control block diagram. The figure which shows an initial screen. The figure which shows a field setting. The figure which shows the area|region of a field. The figure which shows the shape of an agricultural field. The figure which shows a mode that the shape of an agricultural field edge is recognized. The figure which shows correction|amendment of an agricultural field shape. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the position and orientation of an environment recognition means that acquires surrounding information; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how boundary feature points are selected on a display device; The figure which shows a mode that a field edge is recognized with the distance sensor which acquires surrounding information.

An unmanned and autonomously traveling autonomous working vehicle (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an unmanned vehicle) 1, and a manned traveling working vehicle that is steered by a worker (user) in cooperation with the autonomous traveling working vehicle 1. An embodiment will be described in which 100 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a manned vehicle) is a tractor, and the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and the traveling work vehicle 100 are each equipped with a rotary tillage device as a work machine. However, the work vehicle is not limited to a tractor, and may be a combine harvester, etc., and the work machine is not limited to a rotary tillage device, and may be a ridge maker, a mower, a rake, a seeding machine, a fertilizer applicator, or the like. may

In this specification, the term "autonomous travel" means that the tractor travels along a predetermined route under the control of a configuration related to travel provided in the tractor by a control unit (ECU) provided in the tractor. Execution of agricultural work in a single field by unmanned vehicles and manned vehicles is sometimes referred to as cooperative work, follow-up work, accompaniment work, and the like of agricultural work. In addition to "executing agricultural work in a single field by unmanned vehicles and manned vehicles" as cooperative work of agricultural work, "agricultural work in different fields such as adjacent fields can be performed at the same time by unmanned vehicles and manned vehicles." may include "perform".

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an autonomous traveling work vehicle and a traveling work vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a control block diagram showing their control configurations. 1 and 2, the overall configuration of the tractor that serves as the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 will be described. The vehicle body of the tractor has an engine 3 installed inside a hood 2, a dashboard 14 provided inside a cabin 11 at the rear of the hood 2, and a steering handle 4 serving as steering operation means provided on the dashboard 14. It is When the steering handle 4 is turned, the front wheels 9 are turned through the steering device. A steering actuator 40 that operates the steering system is connected to a steering controller 301 that constitutes the control unit 30 . A steering direction of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 is detected by a steering sensor 20 . The steering sensor 20 is an angle sensor such as a rotary encoder, and is arranged at the pivot base of the front wheel 9 . However, the detection configuration of the steering sensor 20 is not limited as long as the steering direction can be recognized, and the rotation of the steering wheel 4 or the operation amount of the power steering may be detected. A detection value obtained by the steering sensor 20 is input to the steering controller 301 of the control unit 30 .

The control unit 30 includes a steering controller 301, an engine controller 302, a gear shift controller 303, a horizontal controller 304, a work controller 305, a positioning controller 306, an autonomous travel controller 307, etc., each of which has a CPU (Central Processing Unit). , RAM, ROM, and other storage devices, interfaces, etc. The storage device stores programs, data, etc. for operation, and can communicate so that information, data, etc. can be transmitted and received by CAN communication.

A driver's seat 5 is arranged behind the steering handle 4, and a transmission case 6 is arranged below the driver's seat 5. - 特許庁Rear axle cases 8, 8 are provided continuously on both left and right sides of the transmission case 6, and rear wheels 10, 10 are supported by the rear axle cases 8, 8 via axles. The power from the engine 3 is changed by a transmission (main transmission and sub-transmission) in the mission case 6 to drive the rear wheels 10,10. The speed change device is composed of, for example, a hydraulic continuously variable speed change device. The transmission means 44 is connected to the transmission control controller 303 of the control section 30 . The number of revolutions of the rear wheels 10 is detected by the vehicle speed sensor 27 and input to the transmission controller 303 as the running speed. However, the method of detecting the vehicle speed and the arrangement position of the vehicle speed sensor 27 are not limited.

A PTO clutch and a PTO transmission are housed in the mission case 6, and the PTO clutch is turned on and off by the PTO on/off means 45. It is connected so that it is possible to control the connection and disconnection of power to the PTO shaft. Further, when a seeding machine, a ridge coating machine, or the like is installed as a working machine, a working machine controller 308 is provided so as to be able to control the working machine uniquely. is connected to the work control controller 305 via the

A front axle case 7 is supported on the front frame 13 that supports the engine 3, front wheels 9 are supported on both sides of the front axle case 7, and power from the transmission case 6 can be transmitted to the front wheels 9 and 9. It consists of The front wheels 9, 9 are steered wheels, and are rotatable by rotating the steering handle 4. The front wheels 9, 9 are steered left and right by a steering actuator 40 consisting of a power steering cylinder serving as a driving means of the steering device. It is rotatable. The steering actuator 40 is connected to and controlled by a steering controller 301 of the control unit 30 .

An engine controller 302 serving as engine rotation control means is connected to an engine rotation speed sensor 61, a water temperature sensor, an oil pressure sensor, and the like so as to detect the state of the engine. The engine controller 302 detects the load from the set rotation speed and the actual rotation speed, controls the load so as not to overload it, and transmits the state of the engine 3 to the remote control device 112 described later so that it can be displayed on the display device 113. ing.

In addition, a level sensor 29 for detecting the liquid level of the fuel is arranged in the fuel tank 15 arranged below the step and connected to the display means 49. The display means 49 is provided on the dashboard of the autonomous traveling working vehicle 1, and the fuel remaining amount. Then, the remaining amount of fuel is calculated by the autonomous traveling controller 307, and the information is transmitted to the remote control device 112 via the communication device 110. Available time can be displayed. The display means for displaying the tachometer, fuel gauge, oil pressure, and abnormality may be configured separately from the display means for displaying the current position and the like.

On the dashboard 14, a display means 49 for displaying an engine tachometer, a fuel gauge, a monitor indicating oil pressure, an abnormality, a setting value, and the like is arranged. As with the remote control device 112, the display means 49 is of a touch panel type, and enables input and selection of data, switch operation, button operation, and the like.

Also, a rotary tillage device 24 as a work machine is installed via a work machine mounting device 23 on the rear portion of the vehicle body of the tractor so as to be able to move up and down. An elevating cylinder 26 is provided on the transmission case 6 , and by extending and contracting the elevating cylinder 26 , an elevating arm that constitutes the working machine mounting device 23 is rotated to raise and lower the rotary tillage device 24 . The lifting cylinder 26 is expanded and contracted by the operation of the lifting actuator 25 , and the lifting actuator 25 is connected to the horizontal control controller 304 of the control section 30 . A tilting cylinder is provided on one of the right and left lift links of the working machine mounting device 23 , and a tilting actuator 47 for operating the tilting cylinder is connected to the horizontal control controller 304 .

A mobile GPS antenna (positioning antenna) 34 and a data reception antenna 38 are connected to the positioning control unit 306 serving as a position detection unit, and the mobile GPS antenna 34 and the data reception antenna 38 are connected to the cabin 11 . provided above. The positioning control unit 306 is provided with a position calculation means to calculate the latitude and longitude so that the current position can be displayed on the display means 49 or the display device 113 of the remote control device 112 . In addition to GPS (United States), a satellite positioning system (GNSS) such as a quasi-zenith satellite (Japan) or a Glonass satellite (Russia) can be used to achieve highly accurate positioning. explain.

The autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 is equipped with a gyro sensor 31 for obtaining posture change information of the vehicle body, and an azimuth angle detection section 32 for detecting the traveling direction, and is connected to the control section 30 . However, since the traveling direction can be calculated from GPS position measurement, the azimuth angle detection unit 32 can be omitted. The gyro sensor 31 detects the angular velocity of the tilt (pitch) in the longitudinal direction of the body of the autonomous working vehicle 1, the angular velocity of the tilt (roll) in the lateral direction of the body, and the angular velocity of turning (yaw). By integrally calculating the three angular velocities, it is possible to obtain the tilt angle in the front-rear direction and left-right direction and the turning angle of the vehicle body of the autonomous working vehicle 1 . Specific examples of the gyro sensor 31 include a mechanical gyro sensor, an optical gyro sensor, a fluid gyro sensor, a vibrating gyro sensor, and the like. The gyro sensor 31 is connected to the control unit 30 and inputs information on the three angular velocities to the control unit 30 .

The azimuth angle detection unit 32 detects the orientation (traveling direction) of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 . A specific example of the azimuth angle detection unit 32 is a magnetic azimuth sensor or the like. Information from the azimuth angle detector 32 is input to the autonomous travel controller 307 via CAN communication means.

In this way, the autonomous traveling controller 307 calculates the signals obtained from the gyro sensor 31 and the azimuth angle detection unit 32 by means of the attitude/azimuth calculation means, and determines the attitude (orientation, front-rear direction of the vehicle body portion and left-right direction of the vehicle body portion) of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1. directional inclination, turning direction).

Next, the position information of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 is obtained using GPS (Global Positioning System), which is one of the satellite positioning systems. Positioning methods using GPS include various methods such as independent positioning, relative positioning, DGPS (differential GPS) positioning, and RTK-GPS (real-time kinematic-GPS) positioning, and any of these methods can be used. However, in this embodiment, the RTK-GPS positioning method with high measurement accuracy is adopted.

In RTK-GPS positioning, a reference station whose position is known and a mobile station whose position is to be determined simultaneously perform GPS observations, and the data observed by the reference station is transmitted to the mobile station in real time by means of radio or other means. This is a method of obtaining the position of the mobile station in real time based on the position result of the .

In this embodiment, a positioning control unit 306 serving as a mobile station, a mobile GPS antenna 34, and a data receiving antenna 38 are arranged in the autonomous traveling working vehicle 1, and a fixed communication device 35 serving as a reference station, a fixed GPS antenna 36, and a data transmitting antenna. 39 is placed in place. In the RTK-GPS positioning of this embodiment, both the reference station and the mobile station measure the phase (relative positioning), and the data positioned by the fixed communication device 35 of the reference station is transmitted from the data transmission antenna 39 to the data reception antenna 38. .

A mobile GPS antenna 34 arranged on the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 receives signals from GPS satellites 37, 37 . . . This signal is transmitted to the positioning control unit 306 for positioning. At the same time, the fixed GPS antenna 36 serving as a reference station receives signals from the GPS satellites 37, 37 . Determine station location.

Thus, the autonomous traveling controller 307 is provided as an autonomous traveling means for causing the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 to autonomously travel. That is, the various information acquisition units connected to the autonomous traveling controller 307 acquire the traveling state of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 as various information, and the various control units connected to the autonomous traveling controller 307 acquire information about the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1. Control autonomous driving. Specifically, radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites 37, 37, . Based on the position information, the displacement information, and the direction information, the steering actuator 40 and the gear shift are operated so that the vehicle body travels along a preset route (running route and work route) R. The means 44, the lifting actuator 25, the PTO on/off means 45, the engine controller 302, etc. are controlled to enable autonomous traveling and automatic work.

Further, an obstacle sensor 41 is arranged in the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and connected to the control unit 30 so that the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 does not collide with an obstacle. For example, the obstacle sensor 41 is composed of a laser sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a camera, and is arranged at the front, side, or rear portion of the vehicle body and connected to the control unit 30 . It detects whether there is an obstacle in front of you or behind you, and controls it so that it stops running when the obstacle approaches within a set distance.

Further, the autonomous traveling working vehicle 1 is equipped with a camera 42</b>F for photographing the front and a camera 42</b>R for photographing the working machine at the rear and the condition of the field after work, and these are connected to the control unit 30 . Although the cameras 42F and 42R are arranged on the front and rear parts of the roof of the cabin 11 in this embodiment, the arrangement positions are not limited, and the cameras 42F and 42R can be arranged on the front and rear parts of the cabin 11 or by one camera. 42 may be arranged at the center of the vehicle body and rotated about a vertical axis to photograph the surroundings, or a plurality of cameras 42 may be arranged at the four corners of the vehicle body to photograph the surroundings of the vehicle body. Further, when the emblem of the manufacturer of the autonomous working vehicle 1 is attached to the cabin 11, the bonnet 2, or the like, the cameras 42F and 42R may be arranged on the back side of the emblem. In that case, a through hole or a predetermined gap is set in the emblem, and the lenses of the cameras 42F and 42R correspond to the position of the through hole or gap, so that photographing is not hindered. Images captured by the cameras 42F and 42R are displayed on the display device 113 of the remote control device 112 provided in the traveling work vehicle 100. FIG.

The remote control device 112 sets a route R, which will be described later, of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1, remotely operates the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1, and monitors the traveling state of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and the operation state of the working machine. , and stores work data, and includes a control device (CPU or memory), a communication device 111, a display device 113, and the like.

The traveling work vehicle 100, which is a manned traveling vehicle, is driven by a worker, and a remote control device 112 is mounted on the traveling work vehicle 100 so that the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 can be operated. Since the basic configuration of the traveling work vehicle 100 is substantially the same as that of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1, detailed description thereof will be omitted. It should be noted that the traveling work vehicle 100 (or the remote control device 112) may be configured to include a control unit for GPS.

The remote control device 112 can be attached to and detached from an attachment portion (not shown, for example, an arm member to which the remote control device 112 can be attached and fixed) provided on the dashboard of the traveling work vehicle 100 and the autonomous travel work vehicle 1, the pillar of the cabin 11, or the like. and The remote control device 112 can be operated while attached to the mounting portion of the traveling work vehicle 100, taken out of the traveling work vehicle 100 and carried, and operated while attached to the mounting portion of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1. It is also possible to operate The remote control device 112 can be composed of a wireless communication terminal such as a notebook or tablet personal computer. In this embodiment, a tablet computer is used.

Furthermore, the remote operation device 112 and the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 are configured to be able to communicate with each other wirelessly, and the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and the remote operation device 112 are provided with communication devices 110 and 111 for communication, respectively. ing. The communication device 111 is integrated with the remote control device 112 . The communication means is configured to be able to communicate with each other through a wireless LAN such as WiFi. The remote control device 112 is provided with a display device 113, which is a touch panel type operation screen that can be operated by touching the screen, on the surface of the housing.

Next, a procedure for setting the route R using the remote control device 112 will be described. FIG. 3 shows an initial screen displayed on the display device of the remote controller. The display device 113 of the remote control device 112 is of a touch panel type, and when the power is turned on to activate the remote control device 112, an initial screen appears. On the initial screen, as shown in FIG. 3, a tractor setting button 201, field setting button 202, route generation setting button 203, data transfer button 204, work start button 205, and end button 206 are displayed.

First, the tractor setting will be explained. When the tractor setting button 201 is touched, the name (model) of the tractor that has been set in the past is displayed if a tractor was previously used for work with the remote control device 112 . If the name of the tractor to be used this time is selected from among the displayed tractor names by touching, then it is possible to proceed to field setting, which will be described later, or to return to the initial screen. When newly setting a tractor, the model of the tractor is specified. In this case, enter the model name directly. Alternatively, a list of a plurality of tractor models is displayed on the display device 113 so that a desired model can be selected.

When the model of the tractor is set, a screen for setting the size, shape, and position of the working machine to be attached to the tractor appears. For the position of the working machine, for example, the front, between the front and rear wheels, the rear, or offset is selected. When the setting of the working machine is completed, a screen for setting the vehicle speed during work, the engine speed during work, the vehicle speed during turning, and the engine speed during turning appears. The vehicle speed during work can be set to different vehicle speeds for the outward and return trips. When the settings of the vehicle speed and the engine speed are completed, it is possible to proceed to field setting, which will be described later, or to return to the initial screen.

Next, field setting will be described. FIG. 4 shows how a user rides an autonomously traveling working vehicle and performs outer traveling when setting a field. FIG. 5 shows areas set in a farm field, such as a work area and a headland area. When the farm field setting button 202 is touched, the name of the farm field that has been set is displayed if the remote control device 112 has been used to work with the tractor in the past, that is, if there is a farm field that has been set in the past. By touching and selecting the field name to be worked on this time from among the displayed field names, it is possible to proceed to route generation setting, which will be described later, or to return to the initial screen. It is also possible to edit or newly set the set field.

If there is no registered farm field, a new farm field is set. When a new field setting is selected, as shown in FIG. 4, the tractor (autonomous working vehicle 1) is positioned at one corner A of the four corners in the field H, and the "start measurement" button is touched. After that, the tractor is caused to travel along the outer circumference of the field H, and the shape of the field is registered. Next, the operator registers the corner positions A, B, C, and D and the inflection point from the registered field shape to specify the field shape.

When the field H is identified, a work start position S, a work start direction F, and a work end position G are set as shown in FIG. If there is an obstacle in the field H, move the tractor to the position of the obstacle, touch the "obstacle setting" button, and run around the obstacle to set the obstacle. Note that the display device 113 can display a map image of the field, and when the identified field shape is superimposed on the map image, the surroundings of the obstacles are specified on the display device 113. By doing so, it may be possible to set obstacles. When the above work is completed, or when a field registered in the past is selected, a confirmation screen appears, and an OK (confirmation) button and an "edit/add" button are displayed. If there is a change in the field registered in the past, touch the "edit/add" button.

When the OK button is touched in the field setting, the path generation setting is performed. The route generation setting can also be performed by touching the route generation setting button 203 on the initial screen. In the route generation setting, a selection screen for selecting the position at which the traveling work vehicle 100 travels with respect to the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 is displayed. That is, the positional relationship between the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and the traveling work vehicle 100 is set. Specifically, (1) the traveling work vehicle 100 is positioned to the left rear of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 . (2) The traveling work vehicle 100 is positioned to the right rear of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 . (3) The traveling work vehicle 100 is positioned directly behind the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 . (4) The traveling work vehicle 100 does not accompany (work is performed only by the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1). are displayed and can be selected by touching.

Next, the width of the work implement of the traveling work vehicle 100 is set. In other words, the width of the working machine is input by a number. Next, set the number of skips. That is, the number of routes to be skipped is set when the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 reaches the edge of the outer circumference of the field (headland) and moves from the first route to the second route. Specifically, (1) do not skip. (2) Skip one row. (3) Skip two columns. Choose one. Next, set the overlap. In other words, the overlapping amount of the working width between the working path and the adjacent working path is set. Specifically, (1) do not overlap. (2) Overlap. to select. If you select "Overlap", a numerical input screen will be displayed, and you will not be able to proceed to the next step unless you enter a numerical value.

Next, perimeter setting is performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5 , an area outside the work area HA in which work is performed by the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and the traveling work vehicle 100 or by the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 is set. In other words, there are set the headland HB on which the vehicle turns and travels in a non-working state at the edge of the field, and the side marginal land HC as a non-working area in contact with the outer perimeter of the farm field on both left and right sides between the headland HB and the headland HB. . Therefore, farm field H=work area HA+headland HB+headland HB+side clearance land HC+side clearance land HC. Normally, the width Wb of the headland HB and the width Wc of the side clearance HC are two times or less than the width of the working machine mounted on the traveling work vehicle 100, and the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and the traveling work vehicle 100 After the accompanying work is completed, the worker gets into the traveling work vehicle 100 and manually makes two laps around the outer circumference, thereby finishing the work. However, if the shape of the outer circumference of the field is not complicated, it is also possible to work the outer circumference with the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 . In setting the outer periphery, the width Wb of the headland HB and the width Wc of the side clearance HC are automatically calculated to predetermined widths according to the width of the working machine. The width Wb and the width Wc of the side marginal land HC can be changed to any desired width. It can be set as the width of the marginal land HC. However, if the width can be changed arbitrarily, it cannot be set below the minimum setting width calculated in consideration of travel, work and safety in the field. For example, when the autonomously traveling work vehicle 1 travels or turns in the headland HB or the side free land HC, a width that guarantees that the working machine does not jump out of the field is calculated as the minimum set width.

When the input of the various settings described above is completed, a confirmation screen appears, and when confirmation is touched, the route R is automatically generated. The route R consists of a work route Ra and a travel route Rb. The work route Ra is a route generated within the work area HA, which is a route that travels while performing work, and is a straight route. However, if the work area HA is not rectangular, it may protrude into areas outside the work area HA (headlands HB and side margins HC). The travel route Rb is a route generated in an area outside the work area HA, is a route for traveling without performing work, and is a route combining a straight line and a curved line. Mainly, it becomes a turning run on the headland HB.

As for the route R, the route R of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 and the traveling work vehicle 100 is generated. After the work path is generated, if the user wants to see the work path, the simulation image is displayed by touching the path generation setting button 203 so that the user can check the work path. Note that the route R is generated even if the route generation setting button 203 is not touched. When each item of the route generation setting is set, the route generation setting is displayed, and "Route setting button", "Transfer data", and "Return to home" are selectably displayed at the bottom.

When transferring information about the route (route R) generated by the route generation setting, it can be transferred by touching the data transfer button 204 provided on the initial screen. Since this transfer is performed by the remote control device 112 , it is necessary to transfer the set information to the control device of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 . For this transfer, there are (1) a method of transferring using a terminal and (2) a method of transferring wirelessly. The control device of the traveling work vehicle 1 is directly connected, or the data is temporarily stored in a USB memory and then connected to the USB terminal of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 for transfer. Also, in the case of wireless transfer, transfer is performed using WiFi (wireless LAN).

The farm field setting for registering the farm field shape will be described in more detail below. FIG. 6 shows a field having a locally complicated shape change due to the presence of an obstacle at the boundary of the field edge. An example in which a utility pole exists is shown. FIG. 7 shows how the shape of the edge of a field is recognized as peripheral information, and here shows how a utility pole is recognized. FIG. 8 shows the field shape registered after the running locus is corrected based on the peripheral information. Here, it shows how the field peripheral shape is registered in consideration of the utility pole projecting inside the field H.

When the field setting button 202 is touched on the display device 113 of the remote control device 112 to newly set the field or when the existing field is edited and the field is set again, the "start measurement" button is touched. , the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 travels. In this embodiment, the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 is positioned at one corner A of the four corners of the field H, and the "start measurement" button is touched to cause the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 to travel along the outer circumference of the field H. A case will be described. At this time, the positioning control unit 306 receives radio waves transmitted from the GPS satellites 37, 37 . Displacement information and orientation information of the part are obtained. Travel locus information is acquired based on the position information, displacement information, and azimuth information of the vehicle body thus acquired.

When the autonomously traveling work vehicle 1 is caused to travel along the outer circumference of the field H, the obstacle sensor 41 and/or the cameras 42F and 42R arranged to recognize the surrounding environment of the autonomously traveling work vehicle 1 enable autonomous traveling work. Peripheral information (environmental information) of the vehicle 1 is also acquired. "Peripheral information" means, for example, an image of the front and sides of the vehicle body obtained by the obstacle sensor 41 configured as imaging means such as a camera, an image obtained by the camera 42F, or a laser sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. It is information about the boundary between the edge of the farm field and the outside of the farm field such as a ridge by the obstacle sensor 41 configured as a distance sensor such as a sound wave sensor. In this embodiment, the image captured by the front camera 42F is acquired as peripheral information and displayed on the display device 113 .

The travel locus information is corrected based on the peripheral information thus obtained. Specifically, the actual outer peripheral edge of the field H is grasped based on the image or the like obtained as the surrounding information, and the traveling locus is corrected to the outside or the inside so as to match it, thereby correcting the traveling locus information. Register the outer shape of the . Then, a travel route for the outer circumference of the field H is set based on the outer circumference shape. In other words, when traveling on the outer circumference of the field H, it travels so as to avoid obstacles as appropriate, but depending on the nature of the obstacle, it is necessary to register the outer circumference of the agricultural field inside or outside the avoided route at that time. , using the shape of the obstacle, the size of the obstacle protruding into the air, etc. from the image etc. acquired as the surrounding information as in this embodiment, the appropriate avoidance amount according to the obstacle is set, and the traveling in the route generation setting It can also be used for route setting.

In this embodiment, the traveling locus information is corrected based on the traveling locus information and the surrounding information (environmental information), but the traveling locus information may not be corrected, or the corrected locus information may be corrected. It may be possible to select whether or not to When the corrected trajectory information is not corrected, for example, there is an external factor that affects the traveling trajectory information in the surrounding information (for example, when an obstacle exists near the edge of the field or when the edge of the field is curved). It may not exist. In this case, the presence or absence of an external factor is determined based on the peripheral information, and if there is an external factor, the traveling locus information is corrected, and if there is no external factor, the traveling locus information is not corrected.

Further, when it is possible to select whether or not to correct the traveling locus information, for example, when the traveling locus information is acquired, an image is displayed to prompt the user to select whether or not to correct based on the surrounding information. If execution of correction is selected, correction is executed, and if non-execution of correction is selected, correction is not executed. Alternatively, it is possible to select and set the necessity of correction based on the surrounding information in a setting menu or the like (not shown). In some cases, the travel locus information may not be corrected.

As described above, by acquiring the peripheral information and correcting the travel locus information, it is possible to accurately grasp and register the edges of the farm field. Even when the outer peripheral shape of the agricultural field H is complicated, such as when an obstacle protrudes into the field H, a more accurate agricultural field area can be registered as the agricultural field area.

FIG. 9 shows the position and orientation of the environment recognition means for acquiring surrounding information. When correcting the traveling locus information, in order to recognize the edge of the field more accurately, the arrangement of the obstacle sensor 41 and the cameras 42F and 42R for acquiring the surrounding information with respect to the moving GPS antenna 34 ( relative position), and after clarifying the positional relationship between the travel trajectory, the obstacle sensor 41, the cameras 42F and 42R, and the recognized field edge at an arbitrary position on the travel trajectory, based on these position information and orientation correction is performed. Specifically, using information on the height of the mounting position of the sensor or camera, position information on the horizontal position, the relative positional relationship between them and the moving GPS antenna 34, and the shooting direction of the camera or the detection direction of the sensor, Based on the image acquired by the camera or the detected value detected by the sensor, the distance between the running path and the edge of the field or the obstacle is calculated in consideration of the information on the position and orientation, and the position of the edge of the field is accurately determined. grasp.

As described above, by providing the peripheral information with a relative positional relationship with the travel locus information, it is possible to more accurately use the information related to the field edge recognized by the environment recognition means, and the recognition process of the field edge. can be performed automatically.

Although the correction of the travel locus information may be automatically performed as described above, it may also be performed according to the user's operation. For example, a map image of a farm field is displayed on the display device 113, and a linear shape indicating the farm field specified based on the running track information on the map image, or based on the running track information corrected based on the peripheral information. When the line shape indicating the specified field is superimposed and displayed, the user can specify the correct field edge by touching the display device 113, and correct the traveling locus information according to the user's operation. good too. In that case, the environmental information acquisition means (general term for the environmental sensor 41 and the cameras 42F and 42R described above) may be used to display the map image of the field on the display device 113 . When specifying the edge of the field, for example, by adding control points to the linear shape and manipulating the control points, it may be possible to correct a part of the linear shape. Further, the user may specify one or more boundary feature points in the linear shape, and the running locus information may be automatically corrected based on the boundary feature points. The boundary feature points will be described below.

FIG. 10 shows how the field shape is registered by selecting boundary feature points at the edge of the field on the display device. In this example, the recognition of the outer edge of the field based on the surrounding information is performed by causing the display device 113 of the remote control device 112 to display an image acquired by the obstacle sensor 41 or the cameras 42F and 42R configured as a camera. A position to be registered as an edge is touched on the display device 113 . In other words, the operator himself/herself identifies a feature point (that is, a boundary feature point) of the boundary between the field and the outside in the image displayed on the display device 113 and designates it on the display device 113 . In this case, the display device 113 of the remote control device 112 functions as a display unit that displays the position information of the vehicle body, the travel locus information, and the surrounding information, and also serves as a display unit for designating boundary feature points for the surrounding information. It also functions as an operating unit to be operated. Then, the travel locus information is corrected based on the boundary feature points specified by the user, and the changed linear shape is registered as the field shape. Correction of the travel locus information may also be performed based on the boundary feature points and the associated feature points. A related feature point is a feature point that has the same or similar features as the boundary feature point. It is possible to identify feature points that do (the difference of each element is within a predetermined threshold) as relevant feature points.

In the above description, the traveling locus information is corrected at the time of registration of the field. For example, it can be done as a change in field settings.

As a method for recognizing the outer edge of the field based on the surrounding information, in addition to the visual recognition by the operator on the image acquired by the camera as described above, for example, the difference in color on the image data acquired by the camera or It is conceivable to automatically determine a displacement point on image data such as a difference in brightness as a boundary feature point. In addition, when using a distance sensor such as a laser sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, by detecting a step existing at the boundary between the edge of the field and the ridge as a change in distance and using the lower end of the step as a boundary feature point, It is also possible to automatically recognize the outer edge of the field (see FIG. 11).

In this specification, the remote control device 112 is used when setting the route R of the autonomous traveling work vehicle 1 . Various settings necessary for setting the route R (the tractor setting, the field setting, and the route generation setting) are set by appropriately operating the display device 113 of the remote control device 112. may be performed by the control unit 30 (for example, the autonomous driving controller 307), and various settings necessary for setting the route R may be set by the user by appropriately operating the display means 49. FIG. In other words, the remote control device 112 may not be included in the system for registering the shape of the field, or the remote control device 112 may be included but not used in setting the route R.

Further, in this specification, the correction of the travel locus information is performed to specify and register the shape of the field. It may be used to identify and register the shape of a predetermined area (running area) in which the work vehicle 1 travels. For example, it may be used to specify and register the shape of the work area as described above. Furthermore, it may be used to identify and register the shape of a predetermined area (non-traveling area) in which the autonomous traveling work vehicle is prohibited from traveling. For example, it may be used to identify and register the shape of the obstacle as described above. Whether the target of identification/registration is a traveling area or a non-traveling area, there is no difference in that the traveling locus information is corrected based on the surrounding information. While the travel for obtaining the travel locus information in the non-travel region often travels outside the end of the travel region. In this case, the correction of the traveling locus information in the traveling area is performed in the direction of expanding the area of the closed linear shape specified by the traveling locus information, while the correction of the traveling locus information in the non-traveling area This is done in the direction of reducing the area of the shape.

Considering the invention based on the specification described above, the invention of the present application is a system for registering the shape of a travel area (herein realized by, for example, an agricultural field) in which a work vehicle travels, comprising satellite positioning Position information acquisition means (herein, for example, realized by a positioning control unit) for acquiring position information of the work vehicle by a system (herein, for example, realized by GNSS), and environmental information around the work vehicle. Traveling trajectory information indicating the traveling trajectory of the working vehicle identified based on the environment information acquisition means (in this specification, realized by, for example, an environment recognition sensor) and the positional information of the working vehicle acquired by the satellite positioning system. (In this specification, for example, it is realized by a control means provided in a work vehicle or a wireless communication terminal that can wirelessly communicate with the work vehicle), and the environment information acquired by the travel locus information acquisition means. Registering means (herein For example, it is realized by a control means provided in a work vehicle or a wireless communication terminal capable of wirelessly communicating with the work vehicle).

Further, in the present invention, the correction of the travel locus information by the registration means is also performed based on the direction in which the environment recognition means acquires the position information and the environment information. Further, in the present invention, display means (in this specification, for example, a work vehicle or a wireless communication terminal capable of wirelessly communicating with (realized by an image display unit provided in) and an operation means (in this specification, for example, realized by a touch panel provided in the display means) capable of operating the shape of the travel area displayed on the display means), and a registration means is the changed area in which the shape of the running area displayed on the display means is changed according to the operation on the operating means (in this specification, for example, it is realized by adding a control point or specifying a boundary feature point) as a running area Register as the shape of Needless to say, before being registered by the registering means (that is, the shape of the traveling area before correction) can be changed according to the operation on the operating means.

1: Autonomous working vehicle, 30: Control unit, 34: Mobile GPS antenna, 37: GPS satellite, 41: Obstacle sensor, 42F/42R: Camera, 112: Remote control device, 113: Display device, 306: Positioning control unit, H: field

Claims (4)

A travel area shape registration system for registering the shape of a travel area in which a work vehicle travels,
position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the work vehicle by a satellite positioning system;
Travel trajectory information for acquiring travel trajectory information indicating a travel trajectory of the work vehicle, which is specified based on the position information of the work vehicle acquired by the satellite positioning system and is a trajectory for registering a shape of a travel area. acquisition means;
external environment information acquisition means for acquiring an image of the surroundings of the work vehicle;
Boundary feature identification means for identifying a boundary feature between the travel area and the outside of the area based on the image acquired by the external environment information acquisition means;
display means for superimposing and displaying the boundary characteristic portion specified by the boundary characteristic portion specifying means and the running locus information acquired by the running locus information acquiring means on the image displayed on the display screen; Area shape registration system. 2. The running area shape registration system according to claim 1, further comprising correcting means for correcting part of said running locus information based on said boundary feature portion. 3. The travel area shape registration according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said display means displays a related feature portion having characteristics identical or similar to at least one of hue, saturation, and brightness to said boundary feature portion so as to be identifiable. system. 4. The travel area shape registration system according to claim 3, wherein the correcting means corrects a part of the travel locus information based on the related feature portion.

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