JP7568490B2 - Autonomous Driving System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous driving system that can perform highly safe operation and control even in a configuration in which multiple operators can operate multiple remote controls for a single work vehicle.

In recent years, autonomous driving systems have been developed that allow unmanned work vehicles without an operator to drive autonomously in order to efficiently and easily perform agricultural work in fields and other locations. Such autonomous driving systems are usually configured so that the work vehicle can be remotely controlled by a server device installed in a residence or other location far from the work vehicle.

However, with a system configured in this way, it is not possible to visually check the driving and working status of a work vehicle such as a tractor, making it difficult to respond in an emergency. For this reason, autonomous driving systems have been developed that use a remote control terminal equipped with a display screen that serves as a monitor means, so that the autonomous driving of the work vehicle can be controlled while checking images captured by a camera attached to the work vehicle on the screen of a remote control terminal such as a tablet.

In addition, in order to ensure that the work vehicle can be stopped safely even if remote control becomes impossible when driving a work vehicle by such remote control, it has been proposed to provide a second remote control terminal such as a portable remote control that can control the travel operation of the work vehicle by communicating with the work vehicle (particularly enabling operations such as emergency stops) in addition to a first remote control terminal such as a tablet that sets the travel route and controls the operation of the work vehicle by communicating with the work vehicle (see Patent Document 1).

In the autonomous driving system described in Patent Document 1, an emergency stop button, a pause button, and an automatic driving start button are provided on the remote control, and the automatic driving start button makes it possible to resume driving of a work vehicle that has been stopped in an emergency. It has also been proposed to configure the system with multiple second remote control terminals such as remote controls, so that multiple workers working in the same field each carry a second remote control terminal, improving the monitoring system and improving safety in the field.

JP 2018-191522 A

However, in conventional autonomous driving systems, the remote control is provided with a separate button for restarting driving, which creates the problem of the remote control itself being large. Since autonomously driven work vehicles are operated by a remote control device and the emergency stop remote control only plays an ancillary role, it is desirable for the remote control to be small.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an autonomous driving system that reduces the size of a remote control terminal that issues driving instructions to an autonomously driven work vehicle, and that can restart the driving of the work vehicle using the remote control terminal if the work vehicle stops.

The autonomous driving system according to the present invention is an autonomous driving system that includes a remote control terminal that issues driving-related instructions to a work vehicle capable of autonomous driving. The remote control terminal includes a switch unit that accepts a stop operation that stops the work vehicle during autonomous driving, and a control unit that resumes driving of the work vehicle when a driving resumption operation is performed after the work vehicle has stopped in response to the stop operation on the switch unit, the control unit including a pressing operation that continuously presses the switch unit for a first predetermined time or longer and a release operation that releases the pressing operation on the switch unit for a second predetermined time following the first predetermined time.

The autonomous driving system according to the present invention is an autonomous driving system equipped with a remote control terminal that issues driving-related instructions to a work vehicle capable of autonomous driving. The remote control terminal is equipped with a first switch unit that accepts an emergency stop operation that brings the work vehicle to an emergency stop during autonomous driving, a second switch unit that accepts a pause operation that pauses the work vehicle during autonomous driving, and a control unit that resumes the driving of the work vehicle when a driving resume operation is performed in which both the first switch unit and the second switch unit are pressed for a first predetermined time after the work vehicle has stopped in response to a stop operation on the first switch unit or the second switch unit.

The present invention makes it possible to miniaturize the remote control terminal that issues driving instructions to an autonomous work vehicle, and to realize an autonomous driving system that can restart the driving of the work vehicle using the remote control terminal if the work vehicle stops.

1 is an overall side view of a robot tractor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the robot tractor. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the robot tractor. FIG. 1A is a plan view of a tablet according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen on a display of the tablet. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the tablet. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the remote control according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the remote control. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a work selection area on a tablet display. FIG. 11 is a transition diagram showing a specific example 1 of a selection operation mode of a remote control that can be operated when performing a restart operation after the tractor has been stopped. FIG. 11 is a transition diagram showing a specific example 2 of a selection operation mode of a remote control that can be operated when performing a restart operation after the tractor has been stopped. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an operation selection menu displayed when a remote control selection operation is performed. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a tractor restart operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a timing chart showing the operation of a tractor restart operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a configuration block diagram of a tablet according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a tractor restart operation according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a timing chart showing the operation of a tractor restart operation according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First Embodiment
Prior to describing a remote controlled device (hereinafter, referred to as an RCD) according to a first embodiment of the present invention, a robot tractor 1 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a "tractor"), which is an example of a work vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention, will first be described.

The tractor 1 of the present invention is equipped with a machine body 2 that travels autonomously in a field. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the machine body 2 is equipped with a detachable working implement 3 used for agricultural work. In addition, the machine body 2 is configured to be able to change the height and attitude of the attached working implement 3.

The working machine 3 in this embodiment is used for agricultural work. There are various types of working machine 3, such as cultivators, plows, fertilizer applicators, grass cutters, and seed sowing machines, and the desired working machine can be selected from these as needed and attached to the machine body 2.

In this specification, "autonomous driving" means that the tractor 1 drives along a predetermined route by controlling each device and equipment equipped on the tractor 1 for driving using an autonomous driving control device 51 equipped on the tractor 1, as shown in FIG. 3.

In the following description, an autonomous tractor will be referred to as an "unmanned tractor" or "robot tractor," and a tractor that travels and works by being directly operated by an operator will be referred to as a "manned tractor." When part of the farm work in a field is performed by an unmanned tractor, the remaining farm work is performed by a manned tractor.

In this embodiment, the difference between an unmanned tractor and a manned tractor is whether or not it is directly operated by an operator, and the configuration of the tractor is the same for both unmanned and manned tractors. That is, even with an unmanned tractor, an operator can board (ride) it and operate it directly (in other words, it can be used as a manned tractor). Also, even with a manned tractor, the operator can dismount and have it perform autonomous driving and work (in other words, it can be used as an unmanned tractor).

The structure of the tractor 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, the body 2 of the tractor 1 is supported at its front by a pair of left and right front wheels 7, 7, and at its rear by a pair of left and right rear wheels 8, 8. The front wheels 7, 7 and the rear wheels 8, 8 form the running part.

A bonnet 9 is disposed at the front of the machine body 2. Inside this bonnet 9 are housed an engine 10, which is the driving source of the tractor 1, a fuel tank (not shown), and the like. This engine 10 can be configured, for example, as a diesel engine, but is not limited to this and may be configured, for example, as a gasoline engine. Also, an electric motor may be used as a driving source in addition to or instead of the engine.

A cabin 11 is located behind the bonnet 9, in which the operator sits. Inside this cabin 11, the main components are a steering wheel 12 for the operator to steer, a seat 13 for the operator to sit in, and various operating devices for performing various operations. However, agricultural work vehicles are not limited to those with a cabin 11, and may be ones that do not have a cabin 11.

Although not shown in the figures, the above-mentioned operating devices include, for example, a monitor device, a throttle lever, a main shift lever, a lift lever, a PTO switch, a PTO shift lever, and multiple hydraulic shift levers. These operating devices are located near the seat 13 or near the steering wheel 12.

The monitor device is configured to display various information about the tractor 1. The throttle lever sets the rotation speed of the engine 10. The main speed change lever changes the gear ratio of the transmission case 22. The lift lever raises and lowers the height of the work equipment 3 attached to the machine body 2 within a predetermined range. The PTO switch switches on and off the power transmission to the PTO shaft (power take-off shaft) protruding outward from the rear end side of the transmission case 22. That is, when the PTO switch is ON, power is transmitted to the PTO shaft, the PTO shaft rotates, and the work equipment 3 is driven, while when the PTO switch is OFF, the power to the PTO shaft is cut off, the PTO shaft does not rotate, and the work equipment 3 stops. The PTO speed change lever changes the power input to the work equipment 3, and specifically, it changes the rotation speed of the PTO shaft. The hydraulic shift lever switches the hydraulic external extraction valve.

As shown in FIG. 1, the chassis 20 that constitutes the framework of the aircraft body 2 is provided at the bottom. The chassis 20 is composed of an aircraft frame 21, a transmission case 22, a front axle 23, and a rear axle 24, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tractor 1 includes an engine control device 15, a transmission control device 16, and a work implement control device 17 that are capable of communicating with each other via a vehicle bus line 18 as control units for controlling the operation of the machine body 2 (forward, backward, stopping, turning, etc.) and the operation of the work implement 3 (lifting, driving, stopping, etc.). The engine control device 15 is electrically connected to a common rail device 41 as a fuel injection device provided in the engine 10, and the transmission control device 16 is electrically connected to a transmission 42 that includes a hydraulic transmission that changes the speed of the power from the engine 10. The work implement control device 17 is also electrically connected to a work implement lifting actuator 44.

The transmission 42 is, for example, a hydraulic continuously variable transmission with a movable swash plate, and is provided in the transmission case 22. The transmission 42 is controlled by the control device 4 to appropriately adjust the angle of the swash plate, so that the gear ratio of the transmission case 22 can be set to the desired gear ratio.

The engine control device 15 is also electrically connected to sensors such as a rotation speed sensor 31 that detects the rotation speed of the engine 10, a vehicle speed sensor 32 that detects the rotation speed of the rear wheels 8, and a steering angle sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel 12. The detection values of these sensors are converted into detection signals and transmitted to the engine control device 15.

The tractor 1 equipped with the above-mentioned control devices 15-17 is configured to be able to perform agricultural work while traveling in a field by controlling each part of the tractor 1 (machine body 2, work implement 3, etc.) through communication between the control devices 15-17 via the vehicle bus line 18 based on various operations by an operator inside the cabin 11. In addition, the tractor 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a remote control device RCD so that it can be operated autonomously by remote control, for example, without an operator on board.

The remote control device RCD of the present invention is composed of a single first remote control terminal 70 (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "tablet 70") and one or more (two in this embodiment) second remote control terminals 100 (hereinafter abbreviated as "remote controls 100"), and is capable of autonomous travel based on predetermined control signals output from these remote control devices RCD. In order to clearly distinguish between these two remote controls 100, they may be referred to as a first remote control 100A and a second remote control 100B.

The first remote control terminal 70 is configured as a tablet-type personal computer. In this embodiment, a user who operates a manned tractor boards the manned tractor with the first remote control terminal 70, and for example, sets the first remote control device on an appropriate support part inside the manned tractor and operates it. Alternatively, a user different from the operator who operates the manned tractor holds the first remote control terminal 70 outside the tractor and operates the driving route generation. The user can refer to and confirm information displayed on the display 71 of the first remote control terminal 70 (for example, information from various sensors attached to the robot tractor 1). In addition, the user can operate a hardware key arranged near the display 71 and a touch panel arranged on the display 71 to send a control signal for controlling the tractor 1 to the control unit of the tractor 1. Here, the control signal output from the first remote control terminal to the control unit of the tractor 1 may be, but is not limited to, a signal related to the route of autonomous driving/autonomous work, a start signal, an end signal, an emergency stop signal, a temporary stop signal, and a resume signal after a temporary stop.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, various components such as an autonomous driving control device 51 are added to enable the tractor 1 to drive autonomously. Furthermore, the tractor 1 is equipped with various components such as a positioning antenna 6 required to acquire its own (machine's) position information based on a positioning system. With this configuration, the tractor 1 is able to acquire its own position information based on the positioning system and drive autonomously on a farm field.

<Equipment configuration of tractor 1>
Next, a detailed description will be given of the configuration of the tractor 1 for autonomous driving. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the tractor 1 includes a positioning antenna 6, a monitor camera 35, an obstacle sensor 36, a steering actuator 43, a wireless communication antenna unit 48, an autonomous driving control device 51, a steering control device 52, a positioning surveying device 53, a wireless communication router (low-power data communication device) 54, a remote control receiver (specified low-power wireless device) 55, a sound emission unit 57, etc.

The positioning antenna 6 receives signals from a positioning satellite that constitutes a positioning system such as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning antenna 6 is disposed on the upper surface of the roof of the cabin 11. The signal received by the positioning antenna 6 is input to a positioning device 53 shown in FIG. 3, which calculates the position information of the tractor 1 as, for example, latitude and longitude information. The position information calculated by the positioning device 53 is acquired by the autonomous driving control device 51 and used to control the tractor 1.

As will be described in more detail later, the camera 35 is installed at a predetermined position on the tractor 1 (for example, at a predetermined position that allows a full 360-degree view in all directions), and monitors whether there are any obstacles, such as people, near or around the tractor 1. The image data captured by the camera 35 is transmitted from the third wireless communication antenna 48c to the tablet 70 via the autonomous driving bus line 56.

The obstacle sensor 36, which will be described in detail later, is, for example, an infrared sensor, and is installed in a predetermined position on the tractor 1 (for example, a predetermined position that provides a full 360-degree view in all directions) in the same way as the camera 35 in order to detect obstacles such as people in the vicinity, and is capable of monitoring whether there are people or obstacles in the vicinity and around the tractor 1. The detection result data from the obstacle sensor 36 is transmitted from the third wireless communication antenna 48c to the tablet 70 via the autonomous driving bus line 56.

The steering actuator 43 is provided, for example, in the middle of the rotation axis (steering axis) of the steering wheel 12 and adjusts the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication antenna unit 48 is disposed on the roof of the cabin 11 of the tractor 1, and is equipped with first to third wireless communication antennas 48a to 48c (see FIG. 3) that are communicatively connected to first to third wireless communication networks having different frequency bands.

1) The first wireless communication network is constructed using, for example, a specific low-power radio in the 920 MHz band, which has a high data transmission rate, in order to communicate positioning information from the reference station 60.

2) The second wireless communication network is constructed, for example, as a low-power data communication system in the 2.4 GHz band in order to transmit large volumes of data, such as image data, at high speed.

3) The third wireless communication network has a smaller data transmission volume than the second wireless communication network, and is therefore constructed using, for example, a specific low-power radio in the 400 MHz band.

The first wireless communication antenna 48a is electrically connected to the positioning survey device 53, the second wireless communication antenna 48b is electrically connected to the wireless communication router 54, and the third wireless communication antenna 48c is electrically connected to the remote control receiver 55.

The wireless communication router 54 connected to the second wireless communication antenna 48b communicates with a tablet 70 capable of displaying images, which is operated by an operator outside the tractor 1, via the second wireless communication network. The wireless communication router 54 also receives control signals from the tablet 70 and outputs them to the autonomous driving control device 51 via the autonomous driving bus line 56.

The remote control receiver 55 connected to the third wireless communication antenna 48c communicates wirelessly through the third wireless communication network with multiple remote controls 100 (two in this embodiment) which are operated by an operator outside the tractor 1. The remote control receiver 55 is also configured to receive control signals from each remote control 100, and when it receives control signals from these remote controls, it transmits them to the autonomous driving control device 51 via the autonomous driving bus line 56. Note that, although two remote controls 100 are used in this embodiment, this number can be increased.

As will be described in detail later, the autonomous driving control device 51 and the steering control device 52 are configured to be able to communicate with each of the engine control device 15, the transmission control device 16, and the work machine control device 17 via the vehicle bus line 18.

The autonomous driving control device 51, which will be described in detail later, is capable of communicating with the positioning device 53, wireless communication router 54, and remote control receiver 55 via an autonomous driving bus line 56 (sometimes referred to as the "second bus line 56") in an autonomous driving communication system that is separate from the steering communication system via the vehicle bus line 18 (sometimes referred to as the "first bus line 18"), and with a sound emission unit 57 (driving resumption warning means) that sounds a buzzer to alert those in the vicinity for a predetermined period of time prior to resuming driving after a temporary stop.

The autonomous driving control device 51 controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the information of the driving route generated on the tablet 70. The autonomous driving control device 51 checks the position of the tractor 1 on the driving route, calculates the steering angle and driving speed of the tractor 1 taking into account the inclination angle information, and communicates with each of the control devices 15 to 17, 52 through the vehicle bus line 18. As a result, the tractor 1 can perform agricultural work using the work implement 3 while autonomously driving along the driving route. In this way, the route within the field area (driving area) on which the tractor 1 autonomously drives may be referred to as the "driving route" in the following description. In addition, the area (working area) in the field area (driving area) that is the subject of agricultural work by the work implement 3 of the tractor 1 is determined as the area excluding the headland and clearance from the entire field area, and is set based on these registration points and the overall length and working width of the body of the tractor 1 when the operator or the like performs the registration work of the registration points described below.

The steering control device 52 communicates with the engine control device 15, the transmission control device 16, and the work machine control device 17 via the first bus line 18, thereby performing steering according to the vehicle speed of the tractor 1.

The positioning survey device 53 is electrically connected to the first wireless communication antenna 48a in the wireless communication antenna unit 48, and communicates with a reference station (portable reference station) 60 (described later) through a first wireless communication network (e.g., a wireless communication network in the 920 MHz band) using a specific low-power radio. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication antenna unit 48 is disposed on the upper surface of the roof of the cabin 11. The positioning survey device 53 communicates with the reference station 60 in a position close to the field via the first wireless communication antenna 48a, corrects the satellite positioning information of the tractor 1 (mobile station) using correction information from the reference station 60, and determines the current position of the tractor 1. For example, various positioning methods such as DGPS (differential GPS positioning) and RTK positioning (real-time kinematic positioning) can be applied.

In this embodiment, for example, RTK positioning is applied, and in addition to the positioning antenna 6 on the mobile station side tractor 1, a reference station 60 equipped with a reference station positioning antenna 61 is also provided. The reference station 60 is placed at a position (reference point) that does not interfere with the travel of the tractor 1, such as around a field. The position information of the reference point where the reference station 60 is installed is set in advance. The reference station 60 is equipped with a reference station communication device 62 that can communicate via a first wireless communication network established between the positioning surveying device 53 of the tractor 1 and the communication device by the first wireless communication antenna 48a.

In RTK positioning, the carrier phase (satellite positioning information) from the positioning satellite 63 is measured by both the reference station 60 installed at the reference point and the positioning antenna 6 of the tractor 1, which is the mobile station side for which position information is sought. The reference station 60 generates correction information including the measured satellite positioning information and the position information of the reference point, etc., every time it measures satellite positioning information from the positioning satellite 63 or every time a set period has elapsed, and transmits the correction information from the reference station communication device 62 to the first wireless communication antenna 48a of the tractor 1. The positioning survey device 53 of the tractor 1 (corresponding to a mobile station) corrects the satellite positioning information measured by the positioning antenna 6 using the correction information transmitted from the reference station 60 to obtain the current position information (e.g., latitude information and longitude information) of the tractor 1.

In this embodiment, a highly accurate satellite positioning system using the GNSS-RTK method is used, but this is not limited to this, and other positioning systems may be used as long as they can obtain highly accurate position coordinates. GNSS-RTK is a positioning method that improves accuracy by correcting information based on information from a reference station whose position is known, and there are several methods that differ in the method of distributing information from the reference station. Since the present invention does not depend on the GNSS-RTK method, details will be omitted in this embodiment.

The positioning survey device 53 is capable of measuring not only the position information of the tractor 1 (machine 2) by satellite positioning, but also the tilt angle information for the front, rear, left and right by inertial measurement. The tilt angle information measured by the positioning survey device 53 is acquired by the autonomous driving control device 51 in a state where it is associated with the position information (latitude and longitude information) and is used to control the tractor 1. The positioning survey device 53 is also capable of measuring the height position of the positioning antenna 6 relative to the field scene, and thus the vehicle height of the tractor 1 (machine 2).

The sound emitting unit 57 informs workers and the like around the tractor 1 that a travel resume signal has been output to the tractor 1, thereby informing them that the tractor 1 will soon resume autonomous travel and warning them to evacuate the field for safety. In this embodiment, the sound emitting unit 57 is configured as a buzzer provided on the tractor 1, and is activated for a predetermined time in synchronization with the tractor 1 receiving the travel resume signal output from the remote control 100 (only) that performed the resume operation when the operator of the remote control 100 that was temporarily stopped performs the resume operation. In this embodiment, the sound emitting unit 57 is activated for a predetermined time in synchronization with the tractor 1 receiving the travel resume signal output from the remote control 100 that performed the resume operation, and is configured as a buzzer provided on the tractor 1. In other words, it is configured to emit a loud buzzer sound (warning sound) that can be heard at least by the workers (within a radius of about 500 m) who are monitoring and operating the remote controls 100 around the tractor 1.

<Autonomous driving control device 51>
3, the autonomous driving control device 51 stops fuel injection in the common rail device 41 through communication with the engine control device 15 based on the operator's operation of an emergency stop button 110 on a remote control 100 described later, and also places the transmission 42 in a neutral state through communication with the transmission control device 16, and causes a braking operation to be performed by the brake device 26 described later. At this time, the autonomous driving control device 51 may also control the steering actuator 43 through communication with the steering control device 52 to place the handlebars 12 in a neutral position, and orient the left and right front wheels 7, 7 in a straight-ahead direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the autonomous driving control device 51 checks the communication state with the reference station 60 in the positioning survey device 53 (communication state in the "first communication network"), the communication state with the tablet 70 in the wireless communication router 54 (communication state in the "second communication network"), and the communication state with the remote control 100 by the remote control receiver 55 (communication state in the "third communication network") via the second bus line 56.

When the autonomous driving control device 51 confirms that communication with any of the first to third communication networks has been interrupted, it communicates with the engine control device 15 and the transmission control device 16, etc., to bring the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 to an emergency stop. Note that when the positioning survey device 53, the wireless communication router 54, and the remote control receiver 55 do not receive a signal from the communication partner for a predetermined period of time or longer, they each determine that communication with the communication partner has been interrupted.

The tractor 1 is further provided with a pair of left and right brake devices 26 that apply the brakes to the left and right rear wheels 8, 8 by two systems: the operation of the brake pedal or parking brake lever, and automatic control. In other words, both the left and right brake devices 26 are configured to apply the brakes to both the left and right rear wheels 8, 8 by operating the brake pedal (or the parking brake lever) in the braking direction. Also, when the rotation angle of the handlebars 12 reaches or exceeds a predetermined angle, the brake device 26 for the rear wheel 8 on the inside of the turn is configured to automatically perform a braking operation in response to a command from the transmission control device 16 (so-called auto brake).

As mentioned above, the tractor 1 is equipped with a camera 35 that captures images in front, on the sides, and behind, as shown in FIG. 3. Also, as mentioned above, the tractor 1 is equipped with an obstacle sensor 36 that detects whether or not there are obstacles in front, on the sides, and behind. The obstacle sensor 36 is composed of a laser sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc., and recognizes obstacles that exist in front, on the sides, and behind the tractor 1 and generates a detection signal.

The camera 35 and the obstacle sensor 36 are configured to be capable of wireless communication with the wireless communication router 54, and are configured to transmit obstacle detection signals and image signals to the autonomous driving control device 51 via the wireless communication router 54 and the autonomous driving bus line 56. The wireless communication router 54 then transmits image signals from the camera 35 to the tablet 70 via the second wireless communication network, thereby allowing the tablet 70 to display images of the area around the tractor 1. The camera 35 and the obstacle sensor 36 may also be connected by wire to the autonomous driving control device 51 via the second bus line 56.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reference station 60 includes a reference station positioning antenna 61 that receives signals from a positioning satellite 63, a wireless communication antenna 64 that wirelessly communicates with the autonomously traveling tractor (work vehicle) 1, and a reference station communication device 62 that is electrically connected to both the reference station positioning antenna 61 and the wireless communication antenna 64. The reference station 60 is installed at a reference point for identifying the position of the tractor (work vehicle) 1, which serves as a mobile station. The reference station 60 is configured to be disassembled into multiple components, and each of the disassembled components is configured to be of a size that can be transported by the tractor 1.

The reference station 60, which is installed at a reference point by assembling each of the disassembled components of the disassembled reference station 60, is configured to send signals received from a positioning satellite 63 by a reference station positioning antenna 61 to a reference station communication device 62. The reference station communication device 62 is also configured to generate correction information including the measured satellite positioning information and the position information of the reference point. The reference station 60 then transmits the correction information generated by the reference station communication device 62 from a reference station wireless communication antenna 64, which is connected to a first wireless communication network (capable of communicating with the first wireless communication antenna 48a of the tractor 1 shown in FIG. 3).

In this embodiment, the tractor 1 is temporarily stopped when a temporary stop signal is output by the tablet 70 or the remote control 100, when the obstacle sensor 36 detects an obstacle, when the communication connection between the tablet 70 or the remote control 100 and the tractor 1 is cut off while the tractor 1 is traveling automatically, etc. In addition, an emergency stop of the tractor 1 is when the tractor 1 is stopped by an emergency stop signal output by the tablet 70 or the remote control 100, etc.

<Tablet 70 (First Remote Control Terminal 70)>
The first remote control terminal 70 of this embodiment is configured as a tablet-type personal computer equipped with a touch panel, and as shown in Figures 4 (a) and 5, is equipped with a liquid crystal display unit 71 (sometimes referred to as a "display 71"), a display control unit 72, a touch panel type operation unit 73, a memory unit 74, a transmission/reception unit 75, and a control unit 76 that controls these.

The tablet 70 of this embodiment may have the same functions as the notification unit 130 installed in the remote control 100 described below. However, in this embodiment, since the tractor 1 and the surrounding conditions can be constantly monitored on the display screen 71 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "liquid crystal display unit 71" or "display 71") of the tablet 70, and since any abnormality or problem with the tractor 1 in particular is displayed as a pop-up on the screen of the display 71 of the tablet 70, the tablet 70 does not have the same functions as the notification unit 130 of the remote control 100.

The input of the LCD display unit 71 is connected to the output of the control unit 76, and it imports images captured by the camera 35 mounted on the tractor 1 and displays them on the LCD display screen.

The display control unit 72 has an input connected to the output of the control unit 76 and an output connected to the input of the liquid crystal display unit 71, and is configured to control the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 71, for example, by operating the operation unit 73, which will be described next.

In particular, the display control unit 72 of this embodiment can select a remote control device that can execute the travel restart operation of the tractor 1 by using either the tablet 70 or one or more (two in this embodiment) second remote control terminals. That is, when the tractor 1 is temporarily stopped, a terminal that can resume travel (hereinafter, this may be called a "travel restart capable terminal") can be selected from among the multiple remote control devices. Furthermore, this display control unit 72 is configured to be able to selectably display the first remote control terminal and one or more second remote control terminals as a travel restart capable terminal that can perform the travel restart operation in a work selection screen WSA (see FIG. 8) described later at the bottom of the screen of the display 71. In the initial state, only the first remote control terminal is displayed on the display 71, and the second remote control terminal (100) is configured to be displayed after communication with the tractor 1 is established.

In addition, as described below with reference to Figures 9 and 10, when the communication connection between the tractor 1 and the second remote control terminal (remote control 100) is cut off, the display control unit 72 is configured to be able to change the display mode of the remote control 100, which is the remote control terminal, on the display 71 of the tablet 70.

The display control unit 72 is also configured to store that the remote control 100 selected as the driving restart-capable terminal was the driving restart-capable terminal when the communication connection between the tractor 1 and one of the two remote controls 100 is lost and the communication connection with the tractor 1 is restored.

The display control unit 72 of the tablet 70 is configured to display a disclaimer screen that enables the remote control 100 to control the tractor 1 to resume traveling when at least one of the two remote controls 100 is selected as a terminal capable of resuming traveling.

The display 71 also has a touch panel that can be operated by the user, and the travel of the tractor 1 can be controlled by touching items displayed on the display 71. Furthermore, when the tractor 1 is working, the display 71 displays a work status confirmation screen. On the work status confirmation screen, the generated travel route and the tractor 1 are displayed in the center of the screen, an emergency stop icon is displayed on the upper right side of the screen, and a pause icon is displayed on the upper left side of the screen. In addition, an item is provided on the right side of the screen that transitions to a screen where detailed work information can be confirmed, and by touching the item, a "work information setting mode" can be displayed in which the remaining battery level of the remote control 100 can be confirmed, etc.

The memory unit 74 is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores data regarding the travel route of the tractor 1 in the field area (travel area) and data of the remote control 100 registered by pairing, and is connected to the control unit 76.

In this way, the display 71 of the tablet 70 can display a work status confirmation screen. On the work status confirmation screen, an emergency stop button image 71A (see FIG. 4A) is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen as an icon for emergency stopping the autonomous driving of the tractor 1. Similarly, a pause button image 71B (see FIG. 4A) is displayed in the upper left corner of the display 71, slightly smaller than the emergency stop button image 71A, as an icon for starting or stopping the autonomous driving of the tractor 1. In this way, the emergency stop button image 71A is displayed in the upper right corner of the display 71 where it is easy to see, making it easier for the operator to recognize the position of the emergency stop button image 71A when he or she wishes to make an emergency stop of the tractor 1, thereby reducing delays in the emergency stop operation and erroneous operation.

Note that, in the tablet 70 of this embodiment, taking into consideration that most people are right-handed, it is customary for people to hold the tablet 70 in their left hand and operate the emergency stop button with their right hand, which is their dominant hand, so the tablet 70 is configured to display an emergency stop button image 71A in the upper right corner of the display 71. However, in consideration of use by left-handed operators as well, the tablet 70 is also configured so that the setting for displaying and forming the emergency stop button image 71A in the upper left corner of the display 71 can be switched.

Furthermore, in the display 71 of this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a "work information setting mode" can be displayed on the screen, and a terminal capable of resuming traveling can be set. By touching an item on the work status confirmation screen that transitions to a screen where the work information can be confirmed in detail, the screen can be switched to the work information setting mode. In addition, in the lower part of the screen in the work information setting mode, in an area where the remote control terminal can be selected and switched (hereinafter, this is called the "selection area WSA" (see FIG. 8)), a plurality of icons (three types in this embodiment) that are targets for selecting a remote control device capable of resuming traveling of the temporarily stopped tractor 1, that is, a tablet image T indicated by "Tablet", a first remote control image RA indicated by "First remote", and a second remote control image RB indicated by "Second remote" are displayed.

In addition, when a rectangular display image is displayed on the work information setting mode screen, for example, with a border around the entire perimeter of each image, this indicates that the icon can be operated (hereinafter, this may be referred to as "selected"), that is, that it is a "terminal capable of resume operation."

For example, in the case of FIG. 4(b), the tablet image T and the first remote control image RA are displayed as icons that can be used to select a terminal capable of performing the restart operation. Meanwhile, the second remote control image RB has been registered, but a communication connection with the tractor 1 has not been established. Therefore, only the tablet image T and the first remote control image RA can currently be selected as remote control devices capable of performing the restart operation. Furthermore, particularly in the case of FIG. 4(b), an image F is displayed surrounding the tablet image T of the tablet 70, and therefore this tablet image T is the terminal capable of performing the restart operation.

When the screen is in the display state shown in FIG. 4(b), touching the first remote control image RA with a finger causes an F to be displayed surrounding the first remote control image RA. In other words, the device capable of resume operation is changed from the tablet 70 to the first remote control.

The tablet 70 of this embodiment configured as described above allows the operator to perform various operations while visually checking information (e.g., farm field information required for autonomous driving) displayed on the touch panel of the tablet 70. The operator can also operate the tablet 70 to send various control signals for controlling the tractor 1 to the autonomous driving control device 51 of the tractor 1.

The first remote control terminal 70 in this embodiment is not limited to such a tablet-type personal computer, and instead, it can be configured as, for example, a notebook-type personal computer. Alternatively, when a manned tractor (not shown) is caused to travel in accompaniment to the unmanned tractor 1, a monitor device mounted on the manned tractor can be the first remote control device.

<Remote control 100>
As shown in Fig. 6, the remote control 100 has a first switch section 110 (hereinafter referred to as "emergency stop button 110"), a second switch section 120 (hereinafter referred to as "pause button 120"), and an alarm section 130 provided on a remote control body 101. Among these, the alarm section 130 includes a light emitting section 130a that emits LED lights in a plurality of light emitting modes, and a sound output section 130b that emits sounds in a plurality of sound modes. Note that the second remote control terminal 100 of this embodiment is composed of two remote controls, and in order to clearly distinguish between them, as described above, they may be referred to as the first remote control 100A and the second remote control 100B.

This remote control 100 is also carried by each of multiple operators (two in this embodiment) who monitor the tractor 1 in an area where they can visually check the tractor 1 near the field where they are working and can hear the buzzer sound from the sound emitting unit 57 of the tractor 1. Normally, each operator can remotely operate the tractor 1 via wireless communication as needed.

The relationship between the tractor 1 and the remote control 100 will now be described. When an external device such as the service tool 45 or tablet 70 requests pairing with the remote control 100 in the tractor 1, the remote control receiver 55 transitions to a pairing mode in which the remote control receiver 55 authenticates the remote control 100. When the remote control receiver 55 transitions to the pairing mode and receives a signal from the remote control 100, it stores the remote control ID (identification information) of the remote control 100 and then transmits the stored remote control ID to the remote control 100, thereby establishing pairing.

A service tool 45 that can set various functions in the tractor 1 is wired to the vehicle bus line 18 of the tractor 1, and when a service technician operates the service tool 45, the remote control receiver 55 executes authentication processing (pairing) of the remote control 100. The remote control receiver 55 in the tractor 1 can authenticate multiple remote controls 100 (two in this embodiment), and stores the remote control ID of each stop remote control 100 in association with the corresponding remote control number.

When the service tool 45 is operated to select the remote control number to be authenticated and to instruct pairing registration, the remote control number to be registered is notified to the remote control receiver 55 via the autonomous driving control device 51. When the remote control receiver 55 receives the instruction to register pairing, it recognizes the remote control number to be registered and transitions to a pairing mode in which it can receive signals from the remote control 100.

When the remote control 100 receives an operation on the emergency stop button 110 or the pause button 120, it reads out the remote control ID, which is identification information assigned to each remote control 100, from the storage unit 140 and transmits it to the remote control receiver 55 via the transmission/reception unit 75. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the remote control ID is transmitted to the remote control receiver 55 based on the operation on the emergency stop button 110. When the remote control receiver 55 receives the remote control ID of the remote control 100, it stores the received remote control ID in association with the remote control number. The remote control receiver 55 also stores a communication device ID, which is identification information assigned to the remote control receiver 55 for each tractor 1. The remote control receiver 55 generates a response signal that combines the received remote control ID with the receiver ID, and transmits the response signal to the remote control 100 via the third wireless communication antenna 48c.

When the remote control 100 receives a response signal from the remote control receiver 55, it confirms that the remote control ID confirmed from the response signal matches the remote control ID of its own device, and recognizes that pairing has been established. The remote control 100 then extracts the receiver ID from the response signal and stores the receiver ID in the memory unit 140, thereby identifying the remote control receiver 55 and tractor 1 with which pairing has been established. In addition, when the remote control 100 accepts an operation on the emergency stop button 110, it lights up the light-emitting unit 130a in a third color (yellow) to notify that it is in pairing mode. After that, when pairing with the remote control receiver 55 is established, the remote control 100 issues an alarm from the alarm unit 130 to notify that pairing has been established.

Note that in the case of the service tool 45, pairing registration is performed via a wired connection, but in the case of the tablet 70, pairing registration is performed via a wireless connection.

As shown in FIG. 7, the remote control 100 of this embodiment includes the emergency stop button 110, the pause button 120, the light emitting unit 130a and the audio output unit 130b constituting the notification unit 130, as well as a memory unit 140, a remote control transmitting/receiving unit 150, a control unit 160, etc. In addition, in this embodiment, a resume button is provided as a temporary means to be used when the resume operation cannot be performed using the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120, but this resume button is not essential.

The emergency stop button 110 is for bringing the tractor 1 to an emergency stop while it is moving to ensure safety in the event of an emergency, such as when a person enters a field while the tractor 1, which is a work vehicle, is moving. To make it easy to see when operating, the emergency stop button 110 is the largest of the buttons installed on the surface of the remote control body 101, and is installed with the word "STOP" written on the upper side of the remote control body 101. The output of the emergency stop button 110 is connected to the input of the control unit 160, and by pressing the emergency stop button 110, an emergency stop signal is sent via the control unit 160 to the autonomous driving control device 51 on the tractor 1 side, causing the tractor 1 to make an emergency stop.

The pause button 120 is used to stop the tractor 1 while it is moving, for example when a specific task on the tractor 1, which is a work vehicle, is to be completed or temporarily interrupted (i.e., when taking a normal work break with low urgency). The pause button 120 in this embodiment is slightly smaller than the emergency stop button 110, and is represented by a stop symbol consisting of two wide vertical bars arranged closely together, approximately at the center of the remote control body 101. The output of this pause button 120 is connected to the input of the control unit 160, and pressing this pause button 120 sends a pause signal via the control unit 160 to the autonomous driving control device 51 on the tractor 1 side, causing the tractor 1 to pause temporarily.

In particular, in this embodiment, the details will be described later in the section on operation, but it is configured so that travel can be resumed by performing a specific operation using the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120. That is, the travel of the stopped tractor 1 can be resumed by pressing the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120 almost simultaneously and releasing the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button within a specific time. In another aspect, the travel of the stopped tractor 1 can also be resumed when the tractor 1 is in a paused state, by pressing the pause button 120 for a specific time or more and releasing it within the specific time.

In this embodiment, the tablet 70 is configured to be able to select either the tablet 70 or a single or multiple remote controls 100 as the terminal capable of resuming driving. However, if multiple remote controls 100 are provided, the configuration may be such that only one remote control that has temporarily stopped the tractor 1 from performing the resume operation is available. The autonomous driving control device 51 of the tractor 1 stores the remote controls 100 in an identifiable manner during pairing registration. Therefore, it is configured to be able to determine which remote control 100 has output a resume operation signal to the tractor 1.

In addition, in the present invention including this embodiment, if an abnormality is detected by the obstacle sensor 36 provided on the tractor 1, the tractor 1 is configured not to accept a travel resume signal from the tablet 70 and remote control 100. Therefore, if an abnormality is detected in the obstacle sensor 36, the tractor 1 is configured not to resume travel even if a travel resume signal is output from the tablet 70 and remote control 100 to the control unit 160. Abnormalities caused by the obstacle sensor 36 include both cases where the obstacle sensor 36 detects an obstacle and cases where the obstacle sensor 36 is not operating normally.

The light emitting unit 130a and the audio output unit 130b are configured to enable confirmation of the vehicle status of the tractor 1 in an automatic driving state by the light emitting manner and audio manner. The light emitting unit 130a functions as a means for remotely confirming the current surrounding environment of the tractor 1 in an automatic driving state. For example, it is configured with an LED (light emitting diode) that emits light in the following three types of manners.
When the light is green, the tractor 1 is in automatic driving mode.
- When the light turns yellow, the tractor 1 is temporarily stopped.
When the light turns red, the tractor 1 is in an emergency stop state.
The remote control 100 is configured to inform the operator of the remote control 100 of the above. If the communication connection between the remote control 100 and the tractor 1 is interrupted, the light emitting unit 130a emits green light and the audio output unit 130b outputs a buzzer sound for a predetermined period of time. If the communication between the tractor 1 and the remote control 100 is interrupted, the automatic driving mode of the tractor 1 is cancelled, and if the communication connection with the tractor 1 is not restored, the power of the remote control 100 is turned off.

On the other hand, the audio output unit 130b, like the light emitting unit 130a, functions as a means for remotely checking the vehicle status of the tractor 1 in the automatic driving state. For example, it is configured to be able to check the vehicle status in the following audio manner.
When the tractor 1 is temporarily stopped, a buzzer sound is output for a few seconds (for example, 1 second).
When the tractor 1 makes an emergency stop (this corresponds to a case where communication between the tractor 1 and the remote control 100 is interrupted), a buzzer sound is output intermittently for a predetermined period (for example, 10 seconds);
The operator of the remote control 100 is notified of these respective light emission and sound modes. Note that the present invention is not limited to these light emission and sound modes.

Furthermore, as described above, when the tractor 1 is temporarily stopped, the light emitting unit 130a of the remote control 100 flashes yellow. In such a case, if the operator of the remote control 100 is too far away to visually see the tractor 1, the state of the tractor 1 cannot be confirmed. For this reason, when the tractor 1 is temporarily stopped, the state of the tractor 1 can be confirmed by the notification unit 130 by operating the remote control 100. Specifically, by operating the pause button 120 of the remote control 100, the light emitting unit 130a and the audio output unit 130b can confirm whether the tractor 1 can resume running. For example, when the tractor 1 is in a state where the resume operation is not possible, the light emitting unit 130a lights up in red (first color) and the audio output unit 130b outputs a buzzer sound (first sound). Also, when the tractor 1 is in a state where the resume operation is possible, the light emitting unit 130a lights up in green (second color) and the audio output unit 130b outputs a buzzer sound (second sound). The first sound and the second sound may be different sounds or may be the same sound. In the present invention, as described above, the restart operation can be performed only with the remote control 100 that performed the temporary stop (the one that was last stopped). In the other embodiment described above, even if only the remote control 100 that performed the temporary stop operation is allowed to resume running, the current status of the tractor 1 can be confirmed with the remote control 100 other than the remote control 100 that performed the temporary stop operation.

The memory unit 140 is used to store the remote control ID to be sent to the tractor 1 when the remote control is registered by pairing with the tractor 1. The memory unit 140 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is connected to the control unit 160.

The remote control transmission/reception unit 150 outputs to the tractor 1 via the control unit 160 an emergency stop signal generated when the emergency stop button 110 is operated, a pause signal generated when the pause button 120 is operated, a resume control signal generated by approximately simultaneous operation of the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120, and an auxiliary resume signal generated when an auxiliary resume button (not shown) is operated, and also receives various signals transmitted from the tractor 1 and outputs them to the control unit 160.

The resume button is an operation button for restarting the tractor 1 that has been temporarily stopped, but is not normally used. For example, the resume control signal that would normally be generated by the simultaneous operation of the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120 is not generated, and the button can be used or operated in cases where either of these buttons has a malfunction or abnormality, and the output of the button is connected to the input of the control unit 160. Note that, since the resume button in this embodiment is not normally used, it is provided in a location that is not normally visible. For example, it is provided inconspicuously with a small right-pointing triangular symbol written on the bottom near a logo indicating the company name (not shown).

<Screen transition operations>
Next, a screen transition operation on the tablet 70, which is the first remote control terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 8, etc.

After the tablet 70 has instructed the tractor 1 to drive automatically, the control unit 76 shown in FIG. 5 forms patterns that become icons in the work selection area WSA displayed at the bottom of the work information setting mode screen shown in FIG. 8 so that the tablet 70, which is the first remote control terminal, and the first remote control 100A and second remote control 100B, which are the second remote control terminals, can be appropriately selected and displayed. These will be referred to as the "tablet icon T", the "first remote icon RA", and the "second remote icon RB", respectively, below.

In the screen shown in FIG. 8, the tablet icon T and the first remote icon RA are displayed in solid lines. In other words, only the tablet 70 and the first remote control 100A have been registered with the tractor 1 through pairing and a communication connection has been established, and they are displayed as selectable terminals that can resume driving. This state is referred to as an "active icon." On the other hand, the second remote icon RB representing the second remote control 100B is displayed in dashed lines because it has been registered with the tractor 1 but the communication connection has been lost. This display state is referred to as an "inactive icon."

In the case of FIG. 8, a thin image (hereinafter, referred to as fringe F) is displayed surrounding the outside of tablet icon T. In other words, tablet icon T is displayed as a terminal that enables tablet 70 to operate tractor 1 to resume traveling. This state is referred to as a "startup icon." Also, an icon displayed as an "active icon" can be made into a "startup icon" by touching it. Note that in the initial state, i.e., before tractor 1 starts traveling autonomously, registration by pairing with remote control 100 has not been performed, and therefore the only startup icon and active icon is tablet icon T.

Furthermore, in order to prevent interference between different operations, which will be described later, the startup icon is configured so that only one startup icon is selectively displayed in the work selection area WSA at any one time, and it is impossible to generate two startup icons at the same time. Note that, if safety is ensured, it may be possible to resume driving using two or more remote control devices.

In addition, even if the remote control 100 is registered with the tractor 1 by pairing and the first remote icon RA and the second remote icon RB are displayed as active icons on the display of the tablet 70, the tablet icon T is displayed as a startup icon from a safety standpoint. In this case, if either the first remote icon RA or the second remote icon RB is selected as the startup icon, a disclaimer is displayed requesting safety confirmation as shown in Figures 11(a) and (b).

Here, we will explain the occurrence of the above-mentioned interoperation interference. In a conventional autonomous driving system, a system has been proposed in which multiple second remote control terminals such as remote controls are used, and multiple workers working in the same field each carry a second remote control terminal, improving the monitoring system and improving safety in the field.

In the autonomous driving system, emergency stops can be performed using multiple remote controls, improving safety, but there is a risk that different operations will be performed simultaneously using multiple remote controls (hereinafter, this will be referred to as "different operation interference"). In that case, there is a risk of unintended autonomous driving being performed due to different operation interference. In addition, if the work vehicle is temporarily stopped using one of the remote control terminals when a person enters a field where the work vehicle is working, it is possible that an operator of a remote control or other remote control terminal other than the operator who performed the temporary stop may mistakenly resume the work vehicle's travel without checking for safety. In contrast, the autonomous driving system according to this embodiment can realize a safe autonomous driving system that can avoid the occurrence of a situation in which the remote control terminals perform different operations (different operation interference) when operating one work vehicle using multiple remote control terminals.

<Switching and displaying transition states: Specific example 1>
Next, the switching operation of these three types of icons will be specifically described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Note that, in order to explain the specific transition operation, labels are used on these drawings to identify each stage ST, and each stage shows the display content in the current work selection area WSA. In addition, in the specific example 1, only the first remote control 100A has been registered by pairing with the tractor 1.

First, in FIG. 9, the remote control terminal capable of restarting the tractor 1 in the initial state, i.e., the startup icon, is the tablet icon T (first stage ST1a). Note that in this state, the communication connection between the first remote control 100A and the tractor 1 is cut off.

Here, for example, if the communication connection between the first remote control 100A and the tractor 1 is restored, the first remote icon RA is displayed as an active icon (second stage ST1b).

Furthermore, when the first remote icon RA, which has become the active icon, is touched, the display (pattern) of the fringe F portion of the tablet icon T, which was previously the startup icon, disappears, and at the same time, a fringe F pattern is generated and displayed around the active icon RA (third stage ST1c). As a result, the first remote icon RA switches to a startup icon and begins to function.

When transitioning to the display state of the third stage ST1c, a screen with a disclaimer requesting a safety confirmation is displayed as shown in Figs. 11(a) and (b). First, the screen of Fig. 11(a) is displayed, and when icon Y1 displaying "Yes" is touched, it switches to the screen of Fig. 11(b), where a screen with a disclaimer requesting a safety confirmation is displayed again, and when icon Y2 displaying "Yes" is touched, it transitions to the display screen of the next third stage ST1c. Note that when either icon N1 with "No" or icon N2 with "No" displayed in Figs. 11(a) and (b) is touched, the screen does not transition to the third stage STc, but returns to the original display of the second stage ST1b.

Furthermore, when the first remote icon RA is the startup icon as in the third stage ST1c, if communication between the first remote control 100A and the tractor 1 is interrupted, only the display of the inner area disappears and the display becomes as in the fourth stage ST1d. Note that if communication between the tractor 1 and the first remote control 100A or the tablet 70 is interrupted, the automatic driving of the tractor 1 will be stopped for safety reasons.

When the communication state is restored, the display state returns to the same as the third stage ST1c (fifth stage ST1e). In other words, even if the communication state is interrupted, when the communication is restored, the autonomous driving control device 51 remembers the state immediately before the communication state was interrupted, and so returns to the previous setting state.

When the tractor 1 starts automatic driving, the tractor 1 requests the tablet 70 to transfer the route path. This allows the tablet 70 to periodically transfer the route path to the tractor 1, allowing automatic driving to continue. Note that while automatic driving is continuing, it is possible to maintain the startup icon selected (sixth stage ST1f).

On the other hand, if the engine power is turned off, the screen will transition to the initial setting screen (seventh stage ST1g).

<Switching and displaying other transition states: Specific example 2>
Next, another transition mode will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Also, in the specific example 2, unlike the specific example 1, not only the first remote control 100A but also the second remote control 100B are registered by pairing with the tractor 1. In Fig. 10, the tablet icon T is displayed as an activation icon, and the first remote icon RA and the second remote icon RB are displayed as inactive icons (first stage ST2a).

In the first stage ST2a, when the first remote control 100A regains communication connection with the tractor 1, the first remote icon RA is displayed in solid lines and transitions to the active icon state (second stage ST2b).

Furthermore, in the second stage ST2b, if the second remote control 100B regains communication connection with the tractor 1, the second remote icon RB is displayed in solid lines and transitions to the active icon state (third stage ST2c).

Furthermore, of these active icons, the first remote icon RA and the second remote icon RB, when the first remote icon RA is touched, the tablet icon T is displayed as the startup icon in the initial state, but the first remote icon RA is displayed as the startup icon (fourth stage ST2d). Note that, in order to transition to this fourth stage ST2d, as explained in concrete example 1, when the display of Figures 11(a) and (b) is switched, "Yes" Y1, Y2 must be selected in both cases, otherwise the transition to the fourth stage ST2d will not occur.

Next, in this fourth stage ST2d, if a communication interruption occurs between the second remote control 100B and the tractor 1 or tablet 70, the display of the second remote icon RB, which was an active icon, is erased and becomes an inactive icon, so it can be confirmed that communication with the second remote control 100B has been interrupted (fourth stage ST2d').

On the other hand, in the fourth stage ST2d, when communication is interrupted between the first remote control 100A and the tractor 1, the internal display of the first remote icon RA, which was the startup icon, is erased, making it possible to confirm that communication with the first remote control 100A has been interrupted (fifth stage ST2e).

Then, when the communication state is restored thereafter, the display state returns to the same as the fourth stage ST2d (sixth stage ST2f).

In the first stage ST2a state, that is, when only the tablet 70 is connected to the tractor 1 and the communication connections between the first remote control 100A and the second remote control 100B and the tractor 1 are interrupted, if the communication connection between the second remote control 100B and the tractor 1 is restored, for example, the second remote icon RB is displayed in solid lines and transitions to the active icon state (second stage ST2b').

Furthermore, when the communication connection between the first remote control 100A and the tractor 1 is restored, the first remote icon RA is also displayed in solid line and transitions to an active icon state. This makes it possible to select the first remote control 100A as the terminal that can resume driving, not only by the second remote control 100B but also by the second remote control 100B.

<Operation, action, etc.>
Next, the operation (function) of the tablet 70 and the remote control 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 13 (particularly the flow chart of FIG. 12 and the timing chart of FIG. 13).

As described above, in the autonomous driving system of this embodiment, one tablet 70 and two remote controls 100A, 100B are used to remotely control the tractor 1. However, as described in the above-mentioned specific examples 1 and 2, these two remote controls are configured so that when the remote control 100 is communicatively connected to the tractor 1, the tablet 70 can select either remote control 100 as the driving restartable terminal. Therefore, here, the setting state of the sixth stage ST2f in the previous specific example 2 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed, and the first remote control 100A is set as the driving restartable terminal.

In addition, in this embodiment, the autonomous driving control device 51 of the tractor 1 stores the remote control 100 in an identifiable manner when pairing is registered. Therefore, it is configured to be able to determine which remote control 100 has output a resume operation signal to the tractor 1. This allows a unique fail-safe system to function separately from the tablet 70 side, and it can also be configured so that resume is only possible with the remote control that last performed the pause operation (the remote control that performed the final stop operation). Therefore, even if one of the remote controls is not selected as the drive remote control on the tablet 70 side, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the two remote controls 100A and 100B simultaneously perform different operations, causing interference between different operations and making the tractor uncontrollable.

The tablet 70 and the two remote controls 100 are each configured to communicate with the tractor 1 via wireless communication networks with different communication methods. As described above, the tablet 70 is equipped with a display 71 that can be operated using a touch panel. Meanwhile, each remote control 100 is equipped with a pause button 120 for temporarily stopping the autonomous driving of the tractor 1, an emergency stop button 110 for urgently stopping the autonomous driving of the tractor 1 in the event of an emergency, and an alarm unit 130 (light emitting unit 130a and audio output unit 130b) that is a means for allowing the remote control operator to check the current driving state of the tractor 1 after a pause or emergency stop.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the stopped tractor 1 can be operated to resume traveling by following the procedure described below. In this case, one remote control terminal is designated using the method described above so that the three types of remote control terminals, the tablet 70 and the two remote controls 100, do not issue different instructions to the tractor 1 (so as to avoid interference between different operations). In this case, it is assumed that the first remote control 100A is set as a terminal that can be remotely controlled.

In this embodiment, the procedure when an obstacle is detected will not be described in detail, but will be described briefly, since it deviates from the scope of the present invention. That is, if an obstacle is detected, the timing shown in FIG. 13 is as follows: the obstacle is detected at time t1, and the tablet 70 is notified of an abnormality immediately thereafter at time t2. At the same time t2, the light-emitting unit 130a and the audio output unit 130b of the first remote control 100A are activated, and a red lamp lights up (or flashes) and a buzzer or the like is emitted to notify the user. Furthermore, at time t4, when the abnormal state is resolved, the notification operation of the tablet 70 and the remote control 100 ends. Then, the light-emitting unit 130a of the first remote control 100A emits green light, and the device returns to its original state (a state in which operation can be resumed).

Initially, if there are no obstacles to the tractor 1 during traveling work, for example, in Figures 12 and 13, the tractor 1, which is a work vehicle, continues to travel autonomously (first step S1).

While the tractor 1 is running, a constant determination is made as to whether it needs to be stopped (second step S2).

If the operator decides in this second step S2 that he/she wants to temporarily stop the tractor 1, the process proceeds to the third step S3. If the operator decides not to temporarily stop the tractor 1 in the second step S2, the process returns to the first step S1.

In this third step S3, for example, the first remote control 100A has been selected and set in advance as the terminal that can be remotely operated, so that operation is possible only with this first remote control 100A. As a result, by pressing the pause button 120 of the first remote control 100A, the tractor 1 that is running can be immediately stopped.

Next, the operator or the like who temporarily stopped the tractor 1 decides whether to resume traveling (fourth step S4). If the operator does not want to resume traveling, the process returns to the fourth step S4.

On the other hand, when it is desired to resume the traveling of the tractor 1 that has been temporarily stopped, the operator of the first remote control 100A can perform the traveling restart operation. That is, at time t5, the operator presses the pause button 120 of the first remote control 100A, and then, almost immediately thereafter (after the passage of an infinitesimal time Δt2), at time t6, the operator presses the emergency stop button 110 (fifth step S5). Note that in this case, the second remote control 100B, which did not perform the stop operation, cannot execute the traveling restart.

As a result, when the tractor 1, which is a work vehicle, starts the operation to resume driving after temporarily stopping, at time t6, a warning sound such as a loud buzzer is emitted from the tractor 1 for approximately 3 seconds prior to the resumption of driving in order to notify (warn) workers in the vicinity of the tractor 1 that the resumption operation will soon begin (sixth step S6).

That is, the operator of the first remote control 100A who is listening to the tractor 1's report sound releases the emergency stop button 110 of the first remote control 100A while the sound is being emitted, i.e., at time t7, and at the same time or at almost the same time (after a small amount of time Δt3 has elapsed), time t8, also releases the pause button 120 (seventh step S7).

When releasing the two buttons, for example, if the emergency stop button 110 is released during the warning sound time of about 3 seconds, the tractor 1 will be temporarily stopped after the warning sound ends. On the other hand, if only the emergency stop button 110 is continuously pressed, the tractor 1 will be in an emergency stop state even after the warning sound ends.

As a result, at time t9, the tractor 1, which had been temporarily stopped, can resume autonomous driving (eighth step S8).

In this way, the remote control 100 resumes the travel of the tractor 1 when a travel resume operation is performed in which both the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120 are pressed for a first predetermined time after the tractor 1 has been temporarily stopped in response to a pause operation on the pause button 120. In addition, when both the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120 are pressed, the remote control 100 causes the sound emitting unit 57 of the tractor 1 to emit a buzzer sound (warning sound) indicating that the travel of the tractor 1 will resume for a second predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds), and resumes the travel of the tractor 1 when the pressing operations on both the emergency stop button 110 and the pause button 120 are released during the second predetermined time.

The remote control 100 may also cause the tractor 1 to resume traveling if the traveling restart operation is performed after the tractor 1 has been brought to an emergency stop in response to an emergency stop operation on the emergency stop button 110.

＜Effects＞
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the tablet 70 and the remote controller 100 each perform wireless communication with the tractor 1 via a wireless communication network having a different communication method, so that the multiple wireless communication networks function as a fail-safe, improving safety. Also, an appropriate communication method can be selected according to the data capacity of the communication performed by the tablet 70 and the data capacity of the communication performed by the remote controller 100.

In addition, according to this embodiment, by carrying the remote control 100, the operator can operate the emergency stop button 110 on one of the two remote controls 100 in the event of an emergency, and can perform an emergency stop operation of the autonomously traveling tractor 1 without delay. In addition, an operator who carries the tablet 70 and one of the remote controls 100 can flexibly use the tablet 70 and the remote control 100 depending on the situation, for example by having another worker hold the other remote control 100.

In addition, according to this embodiment, an emergency stop button image 71A for stopping the autonomous travel of the tractor 1 is displayed in the upper right position on the display 71 of the tablet 70 (see FIG. 4(a)), and a pause button image (start button image) 71B of the tablet 70 is displayed slightly smaller in a position opposite to and farther from the emergency stop button image 71A. Therefore, the emergency stop button image 71A and the pause button image 71B can be arranged together on the same display screen at the same time.

Therefore, when the operator wishes to make an emergency stop of the tractor 1, the position of the emergency stop button image 71A can be instantly recognized without having to perform the troublesome operation of switching screens, for example, thereby reducing delays and erroneous operations in the emergency stop operation.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the remote control 100 is equipped with a light emitting unit 130a and a sound output unit 130b as a notification unit 130 that notifies the user of the status of the tractor 1. This allows the user to recognize the status of the tractor 1 reliably and in real time even when the user is away from the autonomously traveling tractor 1, thereby significantly improving the driving safety of the tractor 1.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the emergency stop button image 71A on the tablet 70 is operated by pressing (touching) the touch panel display 71, so even if the operator does not feel as if he or she has performed a pressing (touching) operation, the emergency stop button 110 (see FIG. 6) on the remote control 100 is structured to be firmly pressed. Therefore, by using the remote control 100, the operator can reliably obtain the feeling that he or she has performed a pressing operation, and can perform reliable operation. However, in this case, when the operator brings the tractor 1 to an emergency stop, he or she may use either the emergency stop button 110 on the remote control 100 or the emergency stop button image 71A on the tablet 70.

In this embodiment, two remote controls 100 are used, but the number can be increased. Furthermore, by carrying the remote control 100, workers working in the same field other than the operator monitoring the autonomously traveling tractor 1 can also be made aware of the status of the tractor 1 through the LED lamps of the light-emitting unit 130a and the audio alerts from the audio output unit 130b. Furthermore, in the event of an emergency, the emergency stop button 110 on the remote control 100 can be operated, improving the monitoring system for the autonomously traveling tractor 1 and significantly improving the safety of workers in the field.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the display 71 can be set to the "work information setting mode" shown in FIG. 8 by operating the screen switching button 73A. By switching to the screen set to this work information setting mode, as described above, a work selection area WSA for selecting and setting a terminal that can be resumed is formed at the bottom of the screen, and three types of icons, namely, a tablet image T indicated by "Tablet," a first remote control image RA indicated by "First remote," and a second remote control image RB indicated by "Second remote," can be displayed, so that the terminal can be easily changed and switched by touching with a finger or the like for convenience.

In addition, on such a display screen, when a rectangular display image F is displayed with a border around each image, for example, the icon can be set and displayed in an operable startup state, making startup operations easy and quick.

With the tablet 70 of this embodiment configured in this way, the operator can perform various operations while referring to and checking information displayed on the touch panel of the tablet 70 (e.g., information about the field required for autonomous driving, etc.), thereby reducing the risk of operational errors.

The autonomous driving system according to the present embodiment described above can be specified as follows:

<Appendix 1>
An autonomous driving system including a first remote control terminal capable of communicating with a work vehicle and generating a driving route and performing driving control of the work vehicle, and one or more second remote control terminals capable of communicating with the work vehicle and performing driving control of the work vehicle, wherein the first remote control terminal has a display control unit capable of selecting whether to resume driving of the work vehicle by either the first remote control terminal or the second remote control terminal,
An autonomous driving system characterized in that the display control unit selectively displays only the second remote control terminal with which communication has been established with the work vehicle.

The autonomous driving system according to Supplementary Note 1 is an autonomous driving system that includes a first remote control terminal capable of communicating with a work vehicle, a display screen capable of displaying various information, and generating a driving route and controlling the driving of the work vehicle, and a plurality of second remote control terminals capable of communicating with the work vehicle and controlling the driving of the work vehicle, and the first remote control terminal has a display control unit that enables the selection of a "remotely operable terminal" that can be remotely controlled from among the plurality of remote control terminals, with regard to whether the first remote control terminal or the plurality of second remote control terminals can execute the driving restart operation of the work vehicle after it has been stopped, and the display control unit is configured to specify and select one of the remote control terminals that have established communication with the work vehicle as a remotely operable terminal capable of the driving restart operation on the display screen, and display it on the screen.

<Appendix 2>
The autonomous driving system described in Appendix 1, characterized in that the display control unit changes the display mode of the second remote control terminal when a communication connection between the work vehicle and the second remote control terminal is lost.

In the autonomous driving system according to Supplementary Note 2, the display control unit is configured to change the display mode of the second remotely operable terminal on the display screen of the first remotely operated terminal when a communication connection between the work vehicle and either of the second remotely operated terminals is lost, so that the state of the connection can be confirmed.

<Appendix 3>
The autonomous driving system described in Appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that the display control unit memorizes the selected second remote control terminal when the communication connection with the work vehicle is restored after the communication connection between the selected second remote control terminal and the work vehicle is lost.

In the autonomous driving system according to Supplementary Note 3, when the communication connection between the selected second remote control terminal and the work vehicle is lost and then the communication connection with the work vehicle is restored, the display control unit stores the selection setting status of the second remote control terminal that was selected among the second remote control terminals until immediately before the communication connection was lost.

<Appendix 4>
The autonomous driving system described in any one of Appendices 1 to 3, characterized in that, when the second remote control terminal is selected, the display control unit notifies the user that the work vehicle can resume traveling via the second remote control terminal.

In the autonomous driving system according to Supplementary Note 4, when the second remote control terminal is selected, the display control unit notifies the second remote control terminal that it is possible to control the work vehicle to resume driving, in order to confirm that the second remote control terminal will resume driving of the work vehicle.

According to the autonomous driving system of this embodiment, the display control unit provided in the first remote control terminal can display only the second remote control terminal that has established communication with the work vehicle among the multiple remote control terminals on the display screen as a remotely operable terminal capable of restarting driving. Therefore, when multiple operators operate multiple remote control terminals for one work vehicle, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the remote control terminals perform different operations (different operation interference), and a highly safe autonomous driving system can be realized.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 16. In this embodiment, the tractor 1 (its main parts) and the tablet 70 have the same configurations as those in the first embodiment, so the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanation.

That is, in the remote control 100' shown in FIG. 14 of this embodiment, the control unit 160' is configured to generate a traveling resume signal by pressing and holding the pause button 120'. Therefore, in the remote control 100' shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 160', among the components of each part, is partially different in configuration from the control unit 160 of the remote control 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7. In response to this configuration, the autonomous traveling control device 51 in the configuration block diagram shown in FIG. 3 is also partially different in the tractor 1, and is configured to resume the traveling of the tractor 1 that was temporarily stopped when a traveling resume signal generated by pressing and holding the pause button 120' of the remote control 100' is input.

As in the first embodiment, the autonomous driving system of this embodiment is equipped with two remote controls 100A and 100B and can be used. However, as explained in the first embodiment, in order to prevent interference between different operations, the system is set up so that only one of the two remote controls can be used (start-up remote control). In this embodiment, the tablet 70 is also set up in advance so that only the first remote control 100A can be used.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 15 and the timing chart shown in FIG. 16, what is different from the first embodiment is the fifth' step S5', the seventh' step S7', and among the components of the remote control 100, the emergency stop button 110', the pause button 120', the memory unit 140', and the control unit 160'. Note that the only difference between the emergency stop button 110', the pause button 120', the memory unit 140', and the control unit 160' is the configuration related to the control of the resume operation, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

On the other hand, regarding the restart operation procedure, when attempting to restart the tractor 1 that was temporarily stopped in the fifth step S5', the operator of the first remote control 100A who caused the temporary stop (the one who can currently operate) can perform the restart operation. That is, at time t5, the pause button 120 of the first remote control 100A is pressed and held for a certain period of time or more (for example, 5 seconds or more).

As a result, when the tractor 1, which is a work vehicle, starts the operation to resume travel after temporarily stopping, at time t6, prior to the resumption, a warning sound such as a loud buzzer is emitted from the tractor 1 for approximately three seconds to notify (warn) workers in the vicinity of the tractor 1 that the resumption operation will soon begin (sixth step S6). For example, when the pause button 120 of the first remote control 100A is pressed and held for five consecutive seconds, the control unit 160' outputs a sound emission instruction to the tractor 1, causing the sound emission unit 57 of the tractor 1 to emit a buzzer sound for three seconds.

The operator of the first remote control 100A, who is listening to the sound of the tractor 1, releases the pressing of the pause button 120' of the first remote control 100A at time t7 during the sound (for example, for 3 seconds), that is, at time t7 at least 5 seconds after the button pressing start time t5 (7th step S7').

As a result, at time t7, the tractor 1, which had been temporarily stopped, can resume autonomous driving (eighth' step S8'). If the pause button 120 is continuously pressed for a certain period of time or more in this eighth' step S8', the tractor 1 will be temporarily stopped without resuming driving operation when a predetermined time has elapsed after the warning sound notifying the start of driving has ended.

Note that the second step S2 to the fourth step S4 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted.

As described above, the remote control 100' of this embodiment issues instructions regarding driving to the tractor 1 capable of autonomous driving. In addition, when a driving restart operation is performed after the tractor 1 is temporarily stopped in response to a pause operation on the pause button 120', including a pressing operation for pressing the pause button 120' continuously for a first predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) or more and a release operation for releasing the pressing operation on the pause button 120' for a second predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds) following the first predetermined time, the remote control 100' outputs a driving restart signal to the tractor 1 to restart the tractor 1. This eliminates the need to provide a separate switch for restarting the stopped tractor 1, and allows the remote control 100' to be made smaller. Therefore, it is possible to realize an autonomous driving system in which the remote control terminal (remote control 100, 100') that issues driving instructions to the tractor 1 capable of autonomous driving is made smaller and the remote control terminal can restart the tractor 1 when the tractor 1 is stopped.

In addition, when the pause button 120' is pressed continuously for at least the first predetermined time after the tractor 1 has been paused in response to the pause operation on the pause button 120', the remote control 100' causes the sound emitting unit 57 of the tractor 1 to emit a buzzer sound (warning sound) indicating that the tractor 1 will resume traveling for only the second predetermined time. This makes it possible to notify workers in the vicinity of the tractor 1 that the traveling restart operation will soon begin prior to the resumption of traveling, and also allows the user of the remote control 100' to know that the traveling restart operation is now possible.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the remote control 100 may resume the travel of the tractor 1 when the travel resume operation is performed after the tractor 1 has been brought to an emergency stop in response to an emergency stop operation on the emergency stop button 110.

In addition, in the first and second embodiments described above, the tractor 1 may be configured to resume traveling when the function of the obstacle sensor 36 (obstacle detection unit) is valid (or normal), and not resume traveling when the function of the obstacle sensor 36 is invalid (or abnormal). In this way, by configuring the tractor 1 so that it can resume traveling only when the obstacle sensor 36 is operating normally, it is possible to prevent the user from resuming traveling unintentionally.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be embodied in various forms. The configuration of each part is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1. Robot Tractor (Work Vehicle)
18 Vehicle bus line (First bus line)
35 Camera (obstacle detection unit)
36 Obstacle sensor (obstacle detection unit)
51 Autonomous driving control device 54 Wireless communication router 55 Remote control receiver (specific low power wireless device)
56 Autonomous driving bus line (second bus line)
57 Sound emission unit (means for warning to resume driving)
70 First remote control terminal (tablet)
71 Liquid crystal display (display)
71A Emergency stop button image 71B Pause button image 72 Display control unit 73 Operation unit (interface)
73A Screen switching button 74 Memory unit 75 Transmitter/receiver unit 76 Control unit 100, 100' Second remote control terminal (remote control, remote control terminal)
100A, 100A' First remote controller 100B, 100B' Second remote controller 101 Remote controller main body 110 Emergency stop button (first switch section, switch section)
120 Pause button (second switch section, switch section)
130 Notification unit 130a Light emitting unit (LED lamp)
130b Audio output unit 140 Memory unit 150 Remote control transmission/reception unit 160 Control unit F Surrounding image (display pattern of start-up icon)
N1, N2 No RA 1st remote control image (1st remote icon)
RB Second remote control image (Second remote icon)
RCD Remote Control Device T Tablet image (tablet icon)
WSA Work Selection Area Y1, Y2 Yes

Claims (8)

An autonomous driving system including a remote control terminal that issues driving instructions to an autonomously driven work vehicle,
The remote control terminal includes:
A switch unit that receives a stop operation to stop the work vehicle during autonomous traveling;
a control unit that resumes the traveling of the work vehicle when a traveling restart operation is performed after the work vehicle has stopped in response to the stop operation on the switch unit, the restart operation including a pressing operation of pressing the switch unit continuously for a first predetermined time or more and a release operation of releasing the pressing operation on the switch unit for a second predetermined time following the first predetermined time;
An autonomous driving system comprising: The switch unit includes a first switch unit that accepts an emergency stop operation to make an emergency stop of the work vehicle during autonomous traveling, and a second switch unit that accepts a temporary stop operation to temporarily stop the work vehicle during autonomous traveling,
The control unit resumes traveling of the work vehicle when a traveling restart operation is performed after the work vehicle is temporarily stopped in response to the temporary stop operation on the second switch unit, the traveling restart operation including a pressing operation of pressing the second switch unit continuously for the first predetermined time or more and a release operation of releasing the pressing operation on the second switch unit during the second predetermined time.
The autonomous driving system according to claim 1 . The work vehicle includes a sound emitting unit that emits a predetermined sound,
When the second switch unit is pressed continuously for at least the first predetermined time after the work vehicle is temporarily stopped in response to the temporary stop operation on the second switch unit, the control unit causes the sound emitting unit to emit a sound indicating that the travel of the work vehicle will be resumed for only the second predetermined time.
The autonomous driving system according to claim 2 . An autonomous driving system including a remote control terminal that issues driving instructions to an autonomously driven work vehicle,
The remote control terminal includes:
A first switch unit that receives an emergency stop operation to bring the work vehicle to an emergency stop during autonomous traveling;
A second switch unit that accepts a temporary stop operation to temporarily stop the work vehicle during autonomous traveling;
a control unit that resumes traveling of the work vehicle when a traveling restart operation is performed in which both the first switch unit and the second switch unit are pressed for a first predetermined time after the work vehicle has stopped in response to a stop operation on the first switch unit or the second switch unit;
An autonomous driving system comprising: The work vehicle includes a sound emitting unit that emits a predetermined sound,
When the first switch unit and the second switch unit are both in a pressed state, the control unit causes the sound emitting unit to emit a sound indicating that the work vehicle will resume traveling for only a second predetermined time,
the control unit resumes traveling of the work vehicle when the pressing operations on the first switch unit and the second switch unit are both released during the second predetermined time.
The autonomous driving system according to claim 4. The autonomous driving system includes a plurality of the remote control terminals,
the work vehicle resumes traveling only when a traveling resume instruction is received from the remote control terminal that has stopped the work vehicle among the plurality of remote control terminals;
An autonomous driving system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The work vehicle includes an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle,
The work vehicle resumes traveling when a function of the obstacle detection unit is enabled, and does not resume traveling when the function of the obstacle detection unit is disabled.
An autonomous driving system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The remote control terminal includes a light emitting unit that emits light in a plurality of light emitting modes and a sound output unit that emits sound in a plurality of sound modes;
When the work vehicle is stopped in response to the stop operation, if the work vehicle is in a state where it is impossible to resume traveling, the control unit lights up the light-emitting unit in a first color and outputs a first sound from the audio output unit, and if the work vehicle is in a state where it is possible to resume traveling, lights up the light-emitting unit in a second color and outputs a second sound from the audio output unit.
An autonomous driving system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.