JP7664863B2 - Cruise control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a driving control system that controls the driving of a work vehicle.

An example of such a system is already known, as described in Patent Document 1. In this system, the travel of a work vehicle (referred to as an "autonomous work vehicle" in Patent Document 1) is controlled by a travel control unit (referred to as a "control device" in Patent Document 1) so that the work vehicle travels along a preset route in a farm field.

JP 2021-27834 A

Patent Document 1 does not mention avoiding interference between the body of the work vehicle and the outer edge of the field (e.g., ridges) that surrounds the field during work in the field. Here, in the system described in Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to control the travel of the work vehicle so that the body does not overlap with the outer edge of the field in a plan view. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the body and the outer edge of the field.

However, depending on the three-dimensional shape of the vehicle body and the field edge, even if the vehicle body and the field edge overlap in a plan view, there are cases in which they do not actually interfere with each other. In the above configuration, the work vehicle cannot travel in a traveling position where the vehicle body and the field edge overlap in a plan view but do not actually interfere with each other. As a result, it is expected that the area in which the work vehicle can travel will be unnecessarily limited, reducing the efficiency of travel.

The object of the present invention is to provide a driving control system that is less likely to reduce the efficiency of a work vehicle's driving.

A feature of the present invention is a driving control system that controls the driving of a work vehicle, and comprises an outer edge information acquisition unit that acquires outer edge information indicating the three-dimensional shape of the outer edge of a field, a machine information acquisition unit that acquires machine information including three-dimensional position information regarding the body of the work vehicle, and a driving control unit that controls the driving of the work vehicle based on the outer edge information and the machine information so that the machine does not interfere with the outer edge of the field , wherein the three-dimensional position information is information that indicates the three-dimensional position of part or all of the machine while the work vehicle is driving, or the three-dimensional position of a virtual reference marker whose relative position is set with respect to the machine while the work vehicle is driving, and a position information generation unit that generates the three-dimensional position information based on measurement results by a positioning device possessed by the work vehicle .

According to this configuration, the travel of the work vehicle is controlled so that the vehicle does not interfere with the field edge based on edge information indicating the three-dimensional shape of the field edge and vehicle information related to the vehicle. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the travel of the work vehicle is controlled so that the vehicle and the field edge do not overlap in a planar view, it is easier for the work vehicle to travel in a traveling position where the vehicle and the field edge overlap in a planar view but do not actually interfere with each other. This makes it less likely that the efficiency of the work vehicle's travel will decrease.

Therefore, with this configuration, a travel control system can be realized that is less likely to reduce the efficiency of the work vehicle's travel.
Furthermore, according to this configuration, the position information generating unit generates three-dimensional position information over time while the work vehicle is traveling, so that the three-dimensional positional relationship between the vehicle or the reference marker and the outer edge of the field can be calculated in real time. As a result, for example, when the work vehicle travels along a predetermined route so that the vehicle does not interfere with the outer edge of the field, if the work vehicle deviates from the route due to the influence of the inclination of the field, it is easy to perform appropriate travel control to avoid interference between the vehicle and the outer edge of the field.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the outer edge information indicates the position and three-dimensional shape of the side surface of the ridge at the outer edge of the field .

Furthermore, in the present invention, the vehicle information includes vehicle shape information indicating the three-dimensional shape of a part or the entire vehicle , and a path generation unit is provided which generates a target path for the work vehicle to travel on based on the outer edge information and the vehicle information so that the vehicle does not interfere with the outer edge of the field, and the travel control unit preferably controls the travel of the work vehicle so that the vehicle does not interfere with the outer edge of the field by controlling the travel of the work vehicle so that the work vehicle travels along the target path.

With this configuration, the travel of the work vehicle can be controlled so that the vehicle does not interfere with the edge of the field, even without calculating the three-dimensional positional relationship between the vehicle and the edge of the field in real time while the work vehicle is traveling. This tends to reduce the calculation load in the travel control system while the work vehicle is traveling.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the work vehicle has a detection unit that detects the position and height of an object present in the detection target area, and the outer edge information acquisition unit acquires the outer edge information by generating the outer edge information based on the detection result by the detection unit.

According to this configuration, the outer edge information acquisition unit can generate outer edge information based on the detection results by the detection unit when the work vehicle is working in the field. This makes it less likely that there will be a discrepancy between the (latest) actual three-dimensional shape of the field outer edge at the time of work and the three-dimensional shape indicated by the outer edge information, compared to when, for example, outer edge information generated in the year prior to work is used to control the travel of the work vehicle.

FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a driving control system. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an outer edge map. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of travel control of a combine harvester by a travel control unit. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outer edge map in another embodiment (1).

The embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the direction of the arrow F in the figure is "front", the direction of the arrow B is "back", the direction of the arrow L in the figure is "left", and the direction of the arrow R is "right". Additionally, the direction of the arrow U in the figure is "up" and the direction of the arrow D is "down".

[Combine configuration]
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the body 10 of the combine harvester 1 (corresponding to the "work vehicle" of the present invention) in this embodiment is equipped with a harvesting section H, a crawler-type running device 11, a driving section 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a conveying section 16, a grain discharge device 18, and a satellite positioning module 80 (corresponding to the "positioning device" of the present invention).

The running gear 11 is provided on the lower part of the machine body 10. The running gear 11 is driven by power from an engine (not shown). The combine harvester 1 can run by the running gear 11.

The driving section 12, threshing device 13, and grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11. An operator can ride in the driving section 12. The operator may also monitor the operation of the combine harvester 1 from outside the combine harvester 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the grain discharge device 18 is provided on the upper side of the grain tank 14. The satellite positioning module 80 is attached to the upper surface of the driving unit 12.

The harvesting section H is provided at the front of the machine body 10. The transport section 16 is provided at the rear of the harvesting section H. The harvesting section H also includes a reaping device 15 and a reel 17.

The harvesting device 15 harvests the planted culms in the field 5. The reel 17 rotates around the reel axis 17b that runs along the left-right direction of the machine body 10 while raking in the planted culms to be harvested. The harvested culms harvested by the harvesting device 15 are sent to the conveying section 16.

With this configuration, the harvesting section H harvests crops in the field 5. The combine 1 is capable of traveling while cutting the planted culms in the field 5 with the cutting device 15 and traveling with the traveling device 11.

The harvested stalks harvested by the harvesting section H are transported rearward by the transport section 16. This transports the harvested stalks to the threshing device 13.

The harvested stalks are threshed in the threshing device 13. The grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in the grain tank 14. The grains stored in the grain tank 14 are discharged outside the machine by the grain discharge device 18 as necessary.

The harvesting section H is configured to be able to rise and fall. When the harvesting section H is lowered, the harvesting section H assumes a working position (see FIG. 1). When the harvesting section H is raised, the harvesting section H assumes a non-working position (see FIG. 7).

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the combine harvester 1 is configured to harvest crops in a field 5 located inside a field edge 6. The field edge 6 is provided to surround the field 5. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the field edge 6 includes, for example, ridges 61 and a water supply and drainage pump (not shown).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the ridge 61 has a side portion 61a and an upper surface portion 61b. The side portion 61a is inclined so that it is higher toward the outside (the further away from the field 5). The upper surface portion 61b is horizontal. In Figure 2, the upper surface portion 61b of the ridge 61 is indicated by diagonal hatching.

The combine harvester 1 is configured to be able to perform a first mowing run, as shown in FIG. 3. The first mowing run is a mowing run that is performed in the outer peripheral area SA of the field 5. The outer peripheral area SA is an area located on the outer periphery of the field 5, as shown in FIG. 4.

In this embodiment, the number of revolutions in the first mowing run is one. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of revolutions in the first mowing run may be two or more.

The combine harvester 1 can perform a first mowing run, and then a second mowing run as shown in FIG. 4, thereby performing a mowing run in the field 5. The second mowing run is a mowing run that is performed in the work target area CA, which is on the inside of the outer circumferential area SA, after the first mowing run.

In this embodiment, the first mowing run shown in FIG. 3 is performed by manual driving. Also, the second mowing run shown in FIG. 4 is performed by automatic driving. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first mowing run may be performed by automatic driving. Also, the second mowing run may be performed by manual driving.

The automatic running of the combine harvester 1 is controlled by the running control system A (see FIG. 5). That is, the running control system A controls the running of the combine harvester 1. The running control system A is described in detail below.

[Outer edge map]
5, the driving control system A includes a control unit 20, a satellite positioning module 80, and a detection unit 81. The control unit 20 includes a position information generation unit 21 and a map generation unit 22 (corresponding to the "outer edge information acquisition unit" of the present invention). The control unit 20, the satellite positioning module 80, and the detection unit 81 are mounted on the combine harvester 1.

The satellite positioning module 80 receives GPS signals from the artificial satellite GS (see FIG. 1) used in the GPS (Global Positioning System). As a result, the satellite positioning module 80 is configured to measure the position of the satellite positioning module 80. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the satellite positioning module 80 sends the measurement results to the position information generation unit 21.

However, the present invention is not limited to this. The satellite positioning module 80 does not have to use GPS. For example, the satellite positioning module 80 may use a GNSS other than GPS (GLONASS, Galileo, Michibiki, BeiDou, etc.).

The position information generating unit 21 calculates the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 over time based on the measurement results output by the satellite positioning module 80. The calculated position coordinates are sent from the position information generating unit 21 to the detection unit 81. The position coordinates sent to the detection unit 81 may be the position coordinates of the satellite positioning module 80 of the combine harvester 1, the position coordinates of the detection unit 81, or the coordinates of the center position in the left-right direction of the harvesting section H.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the detection unit 81 is attached to the upper surface of the driving unit 12. The detection unit 81 faces forward in the direction of travel of the combine harvester 1. The detection unit 81 detects the position and height of an object present in a detection target area FA. The detection target area FA of the detection unit 81 extends forward of the machine body 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detection target area FA of the detection unit 81 may extend to the left, right, or rear of the machine body 10.

In this way, the combine harvester 1 has a detection unit 81 that detects the position and height of an object present in the detection target area FA.

More specifically, the detection unit 81 in this embodiment is a two-dimensional scanning LiDAR, which is a measurement device that uses a ToF (Time of Flight) measurement method. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detection unit 81 may be a three-dimensional scanning LiDAR. Furthermore, the measurement method of the detection unit 81 is not limited to the ToF measurement method, and may be a stereo matching measurement method, etc.

The detection unit 81 outputs point cloud data indicating the position and height of an object present in the detection target area FA based on the measurement results of the ToF measurement method and the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 received from the position information generation unit 21. With this configuration, the detection unit 81 detects the position and height of an object present in the detection target area FA, which is an area that extends forward in the direction of travel of the combine harvester 1 while the combine harvester 1 is traveling in the field 5. In this way, the detection unit 81 obtains three-dimensional position data of an object located in the outer edge 6 of the field.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detection unit 81 may have any configuration as long as it is capable of detecting the position and height of an object present in the detection target area FA.

The detection unit 81 detects, for example, the position and height of each point of the ridge 61 located at the outer edge 6 of the field.

Then, as the combine harvester 1 travels through the field 5 as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the detection unit 81 detects the position and height of objects present in the detection target area FA, and a detection result (a collection of three-dimensional position data) corresponding to the entire circumference of the outer edge 6 of the field is obtained.

The detection results by the detection unit 81 are sent to the map generation unit 22. The map generation unit 22 generates an outer edge map (corresponding to the "outer edge information" of the present invention) based on the detection results by the detection unit 81. In this way, the map generation unit 22 obtains the outer edge map. The outer edge map shows the distribution of the three-dimensional shape of the outer edge 6 of the field.

That is, the driving control system A includes a map generator 22 that acquires an outer edge map that shows the three-dimensional shape of the field outer edge 6. The map generator 22 also acquires the outer edge map by generating the outer edge map based on the detection results by the detector 81.

Figure 6 shows an example of an outer edge map generated by the map generation unit 22. The outer edge map shown in Figure 6 includes the position and three-dimensional shape of the side surface 61a of the ridge 61, and the position and three-dimensional shape of the upper surface 61b of the ridge 61.

In this embodiment, the edge map is generated as point cloud data showing the distribution of the three-dimensional shape of the field edge 6 (the height of each point).

The edge map shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the entire circumference of the field edge 6. In other words, this edge map shows the distribution of three-dimensional shapes over the entire circumference of the field edge 6. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, when the position and height of only a portion of the field outer edge 6 has been detected by the detection unit 81, a map showing the distribution of the three-dimensional shape of only that portion may be generated as the outer edge map. In this case, the outer edge map may be configured to be updated as the combine harvester 1 travels through the field 5 and the area in which the detection unit 81 detects the position and height of objects expands. In this case, the area shown by the outer edge map will expand as the combine harvester 1 continues its harvesting travel through the field 5.

The control unit 20 and each element included in the control unit 20, such as the position information generating unit 21, may be a physical device such as a microcomputer, or may be a functional unit in software.

[Aircraft information]
As shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 20 has an aircraft shape information storage unit 23 and an aircraft information generation unit 24 (corresponding to the "aircraft information acquisition unit" of the present invention). The aircraft shape information storage unit 23 stores aircraft shape information. The aircraft shape information is information related to the three-dimensional shape of the aircraft 10. The aircraft shape information in this embodiment is specifically three-dimensional data indicating the overall three-dimensional shape of the aircraft 10.

The position information generating unit 21 is also configured to generate three-dimensional position information regarding the aircraft 10 based on the measurement results by the satellite positioning module 80. In this embodiment, the three-dimensional position information is information indicating the three-dimensional position of a part or the entire aircraft 10, or the three-dimensional position of a virtual reference marker M (see FIG. 7) whose relative position with respect to the aircraft 10 is set.

That is, the driving control system A is equipped with a position information generating unit 21 that generates three-dimensional position information based on the measurement results by the satellite positioning module 80 possessed by the combine harvester 1.

For example, FIG. 7 shows a first part Y1, a second part Y2, and a third part Y3. The first part Y1, the second part Y2, and the third part Y3 are all parts of the aircraft 10.

The first part Y1 is the front end of the traveling device 11. The second part Y2 is the lower end of the harvesting part H in the non-working position (raised position). The third part Y3 is the front end of the harvesting part H in the non-working position (raised position).

The position information generating unit 21 generates information indicating the three-dimensional position of the first section Y1, information indicating the three-dimensional position of the second section Y2, and information indicating the three-dimensional position of the third section Y3 over time based on the measurement results by the satellite positioning module 80 while the combine harvester 1 is traveling automatically. All of this information is three-dimensional position information. The positions (relative positions within the machine body 10) of the first section Y1, the second section Y2, and the third section Y3 on the machine body 10 when the harvesting section H is in a non-working posture (raised posture) are stored in advance in the position information generating unit 21.

Also shown in FIG. 7 are a first marker M1, a second marker M2, and a third marker M3. The first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3 are all virtual reference markers M whose relative positions with respect to the aircraft 10 are set. The relative positions of each reference marker M with respect to the aircraft 10 are stored in advance in the position information generating unit 21.

The relative position of the first marker M1 with respect to the aircraft 10 is set to a position a predetermined distance forward from the first portion Y1. The relative position of the second marker M2 with respect to the aircraft 10 is set to a position a predetermined distance forward and downward from the second portion Y2. The relative position of the third marker M3 with respect to the aircraft 10 is set to a position a predetermined distance forward from the third portion Y3. Note that each predetermined distance may be equal to each other or may be different.

The position information generating unit 21 generates information indicating the three-dimensional position of the first marker M1, information indicating the three-dimensional position of the second marker M2, and information indicating the three-dimensional position of the third marker M3 over time based on the measurement results by the satellite positioning module 80 while the combine harvester 1 is traveling automatically. All of this information is three-dimensional position information.

As shown in FIG. 5, the aircraft information generation unit 24 acquires the three-dimensional position information generated by the position information generation unit 21 and the aircraft shape information stored in the aircraft shape information storage unit 23. Then, the aircraft information generation unit 24 generates aircraft information based on this information. In this way, the aircraft information generation unit 24 acquires the aircraft information.

In this embodiment, the three-dimensional position information acquired by the aircraft information generation unit 24 includes information indicating all three-dimensional positions of the first part Y1, the second part Y2, the third part Y3, the first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the aircraft information generation unit 24 may acquire three-dimensional position information generated individually for each of the first part Y1, the second part Y2, the third part Y3, the first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3.

In this embodiment, the aircraft information generation unit 24 generates aircraft information such that the aircraft information includes three-dimensional position information and aircraft shape information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the aircraft information generation unit 24 may generate aircraft information such that the aircraft information includes only one of three-dimensional position information and aircraft shape information.

In this way, the machine information in this embodiment includes three-dimensional position information. Also, the machine information in this embodiment includes machine shape information. Also, the travel control system A is equipped with a machine information generation unit 24 that acquires machine information including at least one of three-dimensional position information regarding the machine 10 of the combine 1 and machine shape information regarding the three-dimensional shape of the machine 10.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration described above. The three-dimensional position information included in the aircraft information may be information indicating the three-dimensional positions of any number of parts of the aircraft 10. Furthermore, the three-dimensional position information included in the aircraft information may be information indicating the three-dimensional position of the entire aircraft 10. Furthermore, the three-dimensional position information included in the aircraft information may be information indicating the three-dimensional positions of any number of reference markers M.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 20 has a running management unit 25. The running management unit 25 has a running control unit 26. The running control unit 26 is configured to be able to control the running of the combine harvester 1 by controlling the running device 11.

In the second harvesting run described above, the running management unit 25 acquires the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 from the position information generation unit 21. The running management unit 25 also acquires the outer edge map from the map generation unit 22. The running management unit 25 also acquires machine information from the machine information generation unit 24. The running control unit 26 of the running management unit 25 is configured to control the running of the combine harvester 1 based on this information so that the machine 10 does not interfere with the outer edge 6 of the field.

That is, the driving control system A is equipped with a driving control unit 26 that controls the driving of the combine 1 based on the edge map and the machine information so that the machine 10 does not interfere with the field edge 6.

In this embodiment, the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 that the traveling management unit 25 acquires from the position information generation unit 21 are two-dimensional coordinates (position in a planar view) of the combine harvester 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the position coordinates that the traveling management unit 25 acquires from the position information generation unit 21 may be three-dimensional coordinates of the combine harvester 1.

The following describes in detail how the travel control unit 26 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1.

[Drive control based on three-dimensional position information]
The travel control unit 26 shown in Figure 5 is configured to be able to control the travel of the combine 1 during the above-mentioned second cutting travel based on the outer edge map and the three-dimensional position information contained in the machine information so that the machine 10 does not interfere with the outer edge 6 of the field.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the combine harvester 1 is traveling in a direction approaching the ridge 61 of the field outer edge 6. At this time, the travel control unit 26 calculates the three-dimensional positional relationship between the ridge 61 (field outer edge 6) and the first portion Y1, the second portion Y2, and the third portion Y3 in real time based on the outer edge map and the three-dimensional position information. The travel control unit 26 also calculates the three-dimensional positional relationship between the ridge 61 (field outer edge 6) and the first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3 in real time based on the outer edge map and the three-dimensional position information. The travel control unit 26 then controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 so that none of the first portion Y1, the second portion Y2, and the third portion Y3 interferes with the ridge 61 (field outer edge 6). In addition, the travel control unit 26 controls the travel of the combine 1 so that the first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3 do not interfere with the ridge 61 (field edge 6).

That is, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the combine 1 is permitted to approach the outer edge of the field 6 to the extent that the first portion Y1, the second portion Y2, the third portion Y3, the first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3 do not interfere with the outer edge of the field 6.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and information indicating the three-dimensional positions of the first section Y1, the second section Y2, and the third section Y3 does not have to be used in the travel control of the combine 1 by the travel control unit 26. In other words, information indicating the three-dimensional position of a part or the entire machine body 10 does not have to be used in the travel control of the combine 1 by the travel control unit 26.

In addition, information indicating the three-dimensional positions of the first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3 does not have to be used by the travel control unit 26 to control the travel of the combine harvester 1. In other words, information indicating the three-dimensional position of the virtual reference marker M, whose relative position with respect to the machine body 10 is set, does not have to be used by the travel control unit 26 to control the travel of the combine harvester 1.

The three-dimensional position information included in the aircraft information is preferably information that indicates the three-dimensional shape of the aircraft 10, for example by indicating the three-dimensional positions of multiple points.

The three-dimensional position information included in the aircraft information may be information indicating the three-dimensional position of one or more specific points, or may be information indicating the three-dimensional position of one or more specific lines or surfaces. For example, the first portion Y1, the second portion Y2, the third portion Y3, the first marker M1, the second marker M2, and the third marker M3 may each be a point, a line, or a surface.

[Target route]
As shown in FIG. 5, the travel management unit 25 has a path generation unit 27. As described above, the travel management unit 25 acquires the outer edge map from the map generation unit 22. The travel management unit 25 also acquires the machine information from the machine information generation unit 24. In the above-mentioned second reaping travel, the path generation unit 27 of the travel management unit 25 generates a target path T (see FIG. 8) for the combine harvester 1 to travel on the basis of these pieces of information. More specifically, the path generation unit 27 generates the target path T based on the outer edge map and the machine shape information included in the machine information. At this time, the path generation unit 27 generates the target path T so that the machine 10 does not interfere with the field outer edge 6 when the combine harvester 1 travels along the target path T.

That is, the driving control system A includes a path generating unit 27 that generates a target path T for the combine 1 to travel along so that the machine 10 does not interfere with the field edge 6, based on the edge map and the machine information.

Then, the travel control unit 26 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 based on the position coordinates of the combine harvester 1 and the target route T so that the combine harvester 1 travels along the target route T. As a result, the combine harvester 1 travels so that the machine body 10 does not interfere with the outer edge 6 of the field.

In other words, the travel control unit 26 controls the travel of the combine harvester 1 so that the combine harvester 1 travels along the target path T, thereby controlling the travel of the combine harvester 1 so that the machine body 10 does not interfere with the outer edge 6 of the field.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the route generation unit 27 generates a first mowing route LI1, a second mowing route LI2, and a turning route TL based on the outer edge map and the vehicle information. The first mowing route LI1, the second mowing route LI2, and the turning route TL are all target routes T.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first mowing path LI1 and the second mowing path LI2 extend parallel to each other. The first mowing path LI1 and the second mowing path LI2 are generated to be located within the work area CA.

The turning path TL is a U-shaped path connecting the end of the first mowing path LI1 and the start of the second mowing path LI2. The end of the first mowing path LI1 means the end of the first mowing path LI1 that is downstream in the traveling direction of the combine harvester 1. The start of the second mowing path LI2 means the end of the second mowing path LI2 that is upstream in the traveling direction of the combine harvester 1. The turning path TL is generated so as to be located within the outer periphery area SA.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, under the control of the travel control unit 26, the combine harvester 1 performs a mowing run along the first mowing path LI1, and then performs a turning run along the turning path TL. Then, the combine harvester 1 performs a mowing run along the second mowing path LI2.

As shown in the upper part of FIG. 8, during turning travel along the turning path TL, the combine harvester 1 is in a state in which the machine body 10 overlaps the side portion 61a of the ridge 61 in a plan view. At this time, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8, the machine body 10 does not interfere with the side portion 61a of the ridge 61.

In this way, the travel control system A in this embodiment allows the generation of a target path T that brings the combine 1 closer to the field edge 6 without interfering with the field edge 6.

According to the configuration described above, the travel of the combine harvester 1 is controlled so that the machine body 10 does not interfere with the field edge 6 based on the edge information indicating the three-dimensional shape of the field edge 6 and the machine body information regarding the machine body 10. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the travel of the combine harvester 1 is controlled so that the machine body 10 and the field edge 6 do not overlap in a planar view, the combine harvester 1 is more likely to travel in a travel position where the machine body 10 and the field edge 6 overlap in a planar view but do not actually interfere with each other. This makes it less likely that the travel efficiency of the combine harvester 1 will decrease.

Therefore, with the configuration described above, it is possible to realize a driving control system A that is less likely to reduce the efficiency of the driving of the combine harvester 1.

Other embodiments
(1) The outer edge map in the above embodiment is generated as point cloud data showing the distribution of the three-dimensional shape of the field outer edge 6 (heights at each point). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer edge map may be as shown in FIG. 9. In the outer edge map shown in FIG. 9, the entire field outer edge 6 is divided into a number of small sections 63. The size and shape of each section 63 are not particularly limited, and for example, each section 63 may be a square with one side measuring 10 centimeters to 1 meter. This outer edge map may be generated from point cloud data showing the distribution of the three-dimensional shape of the field outer edge 6 (heights at each point).

Each section 63 is provided with information indicating its height. A section 63 may also be provided with information indicating a representative height (e.g., average, maximum, or minimum) within the area of the field edge 6 that corresponds to that section 63. Even with such an edge map, the three-dimensional shape of the field edge 6 can be shown.

(2) The traveling device 11 may be a wheel type or a semi-crawler type.

(3) The detection unit 81 does not have to be a LiDAR. For example, the detection unit 81 may be a radar or a camera. Furthermore, the detection unit 81 may include another detection device in addition to the LiDAR. Furthermore, the detection unit 81 does not have to be provided.

(4) A map acquisition unit may be provided that acquires an outer edge map from a management facility or a management server provided outside the combine harvester 1. In this case, the map acquisition unit corresponds to the "outer edge information acquisition unit" according to the present invention. In addition, the outer edge map acquired by the map acquisition unit may be configured to be updated based on the detection results by the detection unit 81.

(5) The path generation unit 27 does not have to be provided.

(6) The satellite positioning module 80 does not have to be provided.

(7) Some or all of the location information generating unit 21, map generating unit 22, machine shape information storage unit 23, machine information generating unit 24, travel management unit 25, travel control unit 26, and route generating unit 27 may be provided outside the combine harvester 1, for example, in a management facility or management server provided outside the combine harvester 1.

(8) The reference marker M does not have to be set.

(9) An information acquisition unit may be provided that acquires machine information from a management facility or a management server provided outside the combine harvester 1. In this case, the information acquisition unit corresponds to the "machine information acquisition unit" according to the present invention.

The configurations disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, so long as no contradiction occurs. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the purpose of the present invention.

The present invention can be used not only for normal combine harvesters, but also for a variety of work vehicles, such as head-feeding combine harvesters, tractors, rice transplanters, corn harvesters, potato harvesters, carrot harvesters, and construction machines.

1 Combine (work vehicle)
6 Field edge 10 Machine body 21 Position information generating unit 22 Map generating unit (edge information acquiring unit)
24 Machine information generation unit (machine information acquisition unit)
26 Driving control unit 27 Route generation unit 80 Satellite positioning module (positioning device)
81 Detection unit A Driving control system FA Detection target area M Reference marker T Target route

Claims (4)

A travel control system for controlling travel of a work vehicle,
an outer edge information acquisition unit that acquires outer edge information indicating a three-dimensional shape of an outer edge of a farm field;
a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including three-dimensional position information relating to the vehicle body of the work vehicle;
a travel control unit that controls travel of the work vehicle based on the edge information and the vehicle information so that the vehicle does not interfere with the edge of the field ,
the three-dimensional position information is information indicating a three-dimensional position of a part or the whole of the vehicle while the work vehicle is traveling, or a three-dimensional position of a virtual reference marker whose relative position with respect to the vehicle is set while the work vehicle is traveling,
A driving control system comprising a position information generating unit that generates the three-dimensional position information based on measurement results by a positioning device possessed by the work vehicle . The navigation control system according to claim 1 , wherein the edge information indicates the position and three-dimensional shape of a side surface of a ridge at the edge of the field. The aircraft information includes aircraft shape information indicating a three-dimensional shape of a part or the whole of the aircraft ,
a route generating unit that generates a target route for the work vehicle to travel so that the vehicle does not interfere with the field edge based on the edge information and the vehicle information;
The travel control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the travel control unit controls the travel of the work vehicle so that the work vehicle travels along the target route, thereby controlling the travel of the work vehicle so that the vehicle body does not interfere with the outer edge of the field. The work vehicle has a detection unit that detects the position and height of an object present in a detection target area,
The cruise control system according to claim 1 , wherein the outer edge information acquisition unit acquires the outer edge information by generating the outer edge information based on a detection result by the detection unit.

Images