Harvester, surrounding situation detection system, surrounding situation detection program, recording medium having surrounding situation detection program recorded thereon, and surrounding situation

文档序号：751227 发布日期：2021-04-02 浏览：17次中文

阅读说明：本技术 收割机、周围状况检测系统、周围状况检测程序、记录有周围状况检测程序的记录介质、以及周围状况检测方法 (Harvester, surrounding situation detection system, surrounding situation detection program, recording medium having surrounding situation detection program recorded thereon, and surrounding situation ) 是由中林隆志佐野友彦吉田脩阪口和央于 2019-05-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：一边在田地中行驶一边收获谷物的收割机(10)具备：本车位置检测模块(18),所述本车位置检测模块设置于机体并检测本车位置；检测单元(40),所述检测单元设置于机体,具备多个能够检测机体的周围的状况的检测模块(41-44)；地图制作部(30),所述地图制作部设置于本车位置,制作表示田地中的收获了谷物的已收割地的位置以及未收获谷物的未收割地的位置的地图；以及动作模式设定部(32),所述动作模式设定部基于地图和本车位置,设定检测模块(41-44)各自的动作模式。(A harvester (10) for harvesting grains while traveling in a field is provided with: a vehicle position detection module (18) that is provided in the body and detects the position of the vehicle; a detection unit (40) which is provided in the machine body and has a plurality of detection modules (41-44) capable of detecting the surrounding situation of the machine body; a map creation unit (30) that is provided at the vehicle position and creates a map that shows the position of a harvested area where grain is harvested and the position of an un-harvested area where grain is not harvested in the field; and an operation mode setting unit (32) that sets the operation mode of each of the detection modules (41-44) on the basis of the map and the vehicle position.)

1. A harvester for harvesting grains while traveling in a field, comprising:

the vehicle position detection module is arranged on the machine body and is used for detecting the position of the vehicle;

a detection unit provided in the body and including a plurality of detection modules capable of detecting a situation around the body;

a map creation unit that creates a map showing a position of a harvested place where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested place where the grain is not harvested in the field, based on the vehicle position; and

and an operation mode setting unit that sets an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

2. A harvester according to claim 1,

the operation mode setting unit stops the detection function of the detection module whose state is a detection target of the non-cutting area among the plurality of detection modules, based on the map and the vehicle position.

3. A harvester according to claim 1 or 2,

the operation mode setting unit sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

4. A harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the machine body work performed by the machine body includes: a straight harvesting operation of harvesting the grains while the machine body is driven straight, a turning harvesting operation of harvesting the grains while turning the machine body, and a turning driving operation of turning the machine body while cutting off the harvesting of the grains,

the operation mode setting unit increases the detection sensitivity of the side of the machine body in comparison with the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the machine body during the turning harvesting work and the turning traveling.

5. A harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the operation mode setting unit increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested region to the side of the machine body in the travel of the non-harvested region in the field as compared with the harvested region to the rear of the machine body, and increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested region to the front of the machine body in the travel of the harvested region in the field as compared with the harvested region to the side of the machine body.

6. A surrounding situation detection system that detects a situation around a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field, the surrounding situation detection system comprising:

a vehicle position detection module that detects a vehicle position of the harvester;

a detection unit including a plurality of detection modules capable of detecting a situation around the harvester;

and an operation mode setting unit that sets an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

7. The ambient condition detection system of claim 6,

8. The surrounding situation detection system according to claim 6 or 7,

the operation mode setting unit sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

9. The ambient condition detection system according to any one of claims 6 to 8,

the body work performed by the body of the harvester includes: a straight harvesting operation of harvesting the grains while the machine body is driven straight, a turning harvesting operation of harvesting the grains while turning the machine body, and a turning driving operation of turning the machine body while cutting off the harvesting of the grains,

10. The ambient condition detection system according to any one of claims 6 to 9,

the operation mode setting unit increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the side of the machine body of the harvester to the harvested land on the rear side of the machine body during travel of the uncut land in the field, and increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the front side of the machine body to the harvested land on the side of the machine body during travel of the harvested land in the field.

11. An ambient condition detection program for detecting an ambient condition around a harvester that harvests grain while traveling in a field, wherein the ambient condition detection program causes a computer to execute:

a vehicle position detection function of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester;

a detection function of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester;

a map creation function of creating a map showing a position of a harvested site where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested site where the grain is not harvested in the field based on the vehicle position; and

and an operation mode setting function of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

12. The ambient condition detection program according to claim 11,

the operation mode setting function stops the detection function of the detection module whose state is a detection target of the non-cutting area among the plurality of detection modules, based on the map and the vehicle position.

13. The surrounding situation detection program according to claim 11 or 12,

the operation mode setting function sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

14. The ambient condition detection program according to any one of claims 11 to 13,

the operation mode setting function increases the detection sensitivity of the side of the machine body in comparison with the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the machine body during the turning harvesting work and the turning traveling.

15. The ambient condition detection program according to any one of claims 11 to 14,

the operation mode setting function increases the sensitivity of detecting the harvested land on the side of the machine body of the harvester during travel of the uncut land in the field more than the harvested land on the rear side of the machine body, and increases the sensitivity of detecting the harvested land on the front side of the machine body during travel of the harvested land in the field more than the harvested land on the side of the machine body.

16. A recording medium having a peripheral condition detection program recorded thereon, the peripheral condition detection program detecting a condition around a harvester that harvests grain while traveling in a field, wherein the peripheral condition detection program causes a computer to execute:

a vehicle position detection function of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester;

a detection function of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester;

and an operation mode setting function of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

17. The recording medium of claim 16, wherein,

18. The recording medium of claim 16 or 17,

the operation mode setting function sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

19. The recording medium according to any one of claims 16 to 18,

20. The recording medium according to any one of claims 16 to 19,

21. A surrounding situation detection method for detecting a surrounding situation of a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field, the surrounding situation detection method comprising:

a vehicle position detection step of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester;

a detection step of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester;

a map creation step of creating a map indicating a position of a harvested site where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested site where the grain is not harvested in the field based on the vehicle position; and

an operation mode setting step of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

22. The ambient condition detection method according to claim 21,

the operation mode setting step stops the detection function of the detection module whose state is a detection target of the non-cutting area among the plurality of detection modules, based on the map and the vehicle position.

23. The surrounding situation detection method according to claim 21 or 22,

the operation mode setting step sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

24. The ambient condition detection method according to any one of claims 21 to 23,

the operation mode setting step increases the detection sensitivity of the side of the machine body during the turning harvesting work and during the turning travel compared to the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the machine body.

25. The ambient condition detection method according to any one of claims 21 to 24,

the operation mode setting step increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the side of the machine body of the harvester as compared with the harvested land on the rear side of the machine body during travel of the uncut land in the field, and increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the front side of the machine body as compared with the harvested land on the side of the machine body during travel of the harvested land in the field.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field, a surrounding situation detection system that detects a situation around such a harvester, a surrounding situation detection program that detects a situation around such a harvester, a recording medium that records such a surrounding situation detection program, and a surrounding situation detection method that detects a situation around the harvester.

Background

Conventionally, harvesters such as combine harvesters have been used for harvesting grains. In such a combine harvester, there is a combine harvester that performs harvesting by automatic travel in order to improve harvesting efficiency (for example, patent document 1).

Patent document 1 describes an autonomous traveling work vehicle including: a position calculating means for positioning a position of the body using a satellite positioning system; and a control device that causes the autonomous traveling work vehicle to automatically travel and perform work along the set travel path. The autonomous traveling work vehicle is provided with an obstacle detection member that detects a surrounding obstacle, and a sensitivity adjustment member that changes the sensitivity of the obstacle detection member, and the sensitivity of the obstacle detection member is set high in the field and low outside the field. The sensitivity is set so that the detection range is widened at the center portion in the field, and is set so that the detection range is smaller as the distance from the outer periphery of the field is increased.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-191592

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The harvester may travel not only in an unharvested (unworked) land in a field but also in a harvested (worked) land. Since the objects to be detected are different between such uncut and harvested lands, it is not easy to appropriately detect the objects to be detected only by changing the sensitivity in the field and outside the field, and in the central portion and outer peripheral portion of the field as in the technique described in patent document 1.

Therefore, a technology capable of appropriately detecting a detection target in a field and automatically traveling is required.

Means for solving the problems

A harvester according to the present invention is a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field, the harvester including: the vehicle position detection module is arranged on the machine body and is used for detecting the position of the vehicle; a detection unit provided in the body and including a plurality of detection modules capable of detecting a situation around the body; a map creation unit that creates a map showing a position of a harvested place where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested place where the grain is not harvested in the field, based on the vehicle position; and an operation mode setting unit that sets an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

With such a characteristic configuration, the operation mode setting unit can set the operation mode of the detection module provided around the machine body in accordance with the position on the map of the field, and therefore the detection module can appropriately detect the detection object in the field. Therefore, according to the present characteristic configuration, it is possible to realize a combine harvester capable of appropriately performing automatic travel using the detection result of the detection module.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting unit stops the detection function of the detection module whose unescaped state is a detection target among the plurality of detection modules, based on the map and the vehicle position.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection by invalidating the detection module that is likely to detect grains.

Preferably, the operation mode setting unit sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

With such a configuration, for example, the detection ranges can be allocated to the respective detection modules. In this case, since the load of the detection module can be distributed, detection delay and erroneous detection can be prevented.

Preferably, the machine body work performed by the machine body includes: the operation mode setting unit increases the detection sensitivity of the side of the machine body in comparison with the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the machine body during the turning harvesting operation and the turning traveling.

With such a configuration, the detection of an object focused on the side can be performed during the turning of the machine body. Therefore, the rolling-in of the object on the inner side of the curve and the contact of the object on the outer side end of the curve can be prevented when the machine body is turned.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting unit increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested region on the side of the machine body in the traveling of the non-harvested region in the field as compared with the harvested region on the rear side of the machine body, and increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested region on the front side of the machine body in the traveling of the harvested region in the field as compared with the harvested region on the side of the machine body.

With this configuration, the object existing in the preceding harvested site can be easily detected, and erroneous detection due to detection of an unrecovered site can be prevented.

In addition, a surrounding situation detection system according to the present invention is a surrounding situation detection system for detecting a surrounding situation of a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field, the surrounding situation detection system including: a vehicle position detection module that detects a vehicle position of the harvester; a detection unit including a plurality of detection modules capable of detecting a situation around the harvester; a map creation unit that creates a map showing a position of a harvested place where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested place where the grain is not harvested in the field, based on the vehicle position; and an operation mode setting unit that sets an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

Even such a surrounding situation detection system is substantially not different from the above-described harvester, and can provide the same effect as the harvester.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection by invalidating the detection module that is likely to detect grains.

Preferably, the operation mode setting unit sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

Preferably, the machine body work performed by the machine body of the harvester includes: the operation mode setting unit increases the detection sensitivity of the side of the machine body in comparison with the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the machine body during the turning harvesting operation and the turning traveling.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting unit increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the side of the machine body of the harvester in the traveling of the non-harvested land in the field as compared with the harvested land on the rear side of the machine body, and increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the front side of the machine body in the traveling of the harvested land in the field as compared with the harvested land on the side of the machine body.

With this configuration, the object existing in the preceding harvested site can be easily detected, and erroneous detection due to detection of an unrecovered site can be prevented.

In addition, a peripheral situation detection program according to the present invention is a peripheral situation detection program for detecting a situation around a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field, the peripheral situation detection program including: a vehicle position detection function of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester; a detection function of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester; a map creation function of creating a map showing a position of a harvested site where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested site where the grain is not harvested in the field based on the vehicle position; and an operation mode setting function of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

By installing and executing such a surrounding situation detection program in a computer, it is possible to detect the situation around a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting function stops the detection function of the detection module whose state is a detection target of the non-cutting area among the plurality of detection modules, based on the map and the vehicle position.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection by invalidating the detection module that is likely to detect grains.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting function sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

Preferably, the machine body work performed by the machine body of the harvester includes: the operation mode setting function is configured to improve detection sensitivity on a side of the machine body in the turning harvesting operation and the turning traveling, compared with a front side and a rear side in a traveling direction of the machine body.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting function increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the side of the machine body of the harvester as compared with the harvested land on the rear side of the machine body during travel of the non-harvested land in the field, and increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the front side of the machine body as compared with the harvested land on the side of the machine body during travel of the harvested land in the field.

With this configuration, the object existing in the preceding harvested site can be easily detected, and erroneous detection due to detection of an unrecovered site can be prevented.

In addition, a recording medium according to the present invention is a recording medium in which a surrounding situation detection program is recorded, the surrounding situation detection program detecting a situation around a harvester that harvests grains while traveling through a field, the surrounding situation detection program including: a vehicle position detection function of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester; a detection function of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester; a map creation function of creating a map showing a position of a harvested site where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested site where the grain is not harvested in the field based on the vehicle position; and an operation mode setting function of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

By installing and executing the surrounding situation detection program in a computer via such a recording medium, it is possible to cause the computer to detect the situation around a harvester that harvests grains while traveling through a field.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection by invalidating the detection module that is likely to detect grains.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting function sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

With this configuration, the object existing in the preceding harvested site can be easily detected, and erroneous detection due to detection of an unrecovered site can be prevented.

In addition, a surrounding situation detection method according to the present invention is a surrounding situation detection method for detecting a surrounding situation of a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field, the surrounding situation detection method including: a vehicle position detection step of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester; a detection step of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester; a map creation step of creating a map indicating a position of a harvested site where the grain is harvested and a position of an un-harvested site where the grain is not harvested in the field based on the vehicle position; and an operation mode setting step of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

Even with such a method of detecting the surrounding situation, there is substantially no difference from the above-described harvester, and the same effect as that of the harvester can be obtained.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting step stops the detection function of the detection module whose state is a detection target of the non-cutting area among the plurality of detection modules, based on the map and the vehicle position.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection by invalidating the detection module that is likely to detect grains.

Preferably, the operation mode setting step sets the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

Preferably, the machine body work performed by the machine body of the harvester includes: the operation mode setting step is configured to increase detection sensitivity on a side of the machine body during the turning harvesting operation and during the turning traveling compared with a front side and a rear side in a traveling direction of the machine body.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting step increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the side of the machine body of the harvester as compared with the harvested land on the rear side of the machine body during travel of the non-harvested land in the field, and increases the detection sensitivity of the harvested land on the front side of the machine body as compared with the harvested land on the side of the machine body during travel of the harvested land in the field.

With this configuration, the object existing in the preceding harvested site can be easily detected, and erroneous detection due to detection of an unrecovered site can be prevented.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a combine harvester.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of automatic travel of the combine harvester.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a travel route during automatic travel.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of the combine harvester.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of setting of the operation mode.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of setting of the operation mode.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of setting of the operation mode.

Detailed Description

The harvester of the invention is configured to be capable of properly detecting the surrounding situation when harvesting grains while traveling in a field. The following describes the harvester 10 of the present embodiment. In the following, a combine harvester 10 will be described as an example of the harvester 10.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a combine harvester 10 of the present embodiment. The following describes the combine harvester 10 according to the present embodiment, taking a so-called all-feed combine harvester as an example. Of course, the combine 10 may also be a semi-feeding combine.

Here, for ease of understanding, in the present embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "front" (the direction of arrow F shown in fig. 1) refers to the front in the machine body front-rear direction (the traveling direction), and "rear" (the direction of arrow B shown in fig. 1) refers to the rear in the machine body front-rear direction (the traveling direction). The left-right direction or the lateral direction means a transverse direction (a machine width direction) of the machine body orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the machine body. The "up" (the direction of arrow U shown in fig. 1) and the "down" (the direction of arrow D shown in fig. 1) are positional relationships in the vertical direction (vertical direction) of the machine body, and indicate relationships in the height above the ground.

As shown in fig. 1, the combine harvester 10 includes a traveling vehicle body 11, a crawler-type traveling device 12, a driving unit 13, a threshing device 14, a grain tank 15, a harvesting unit H, a conveying device 16, a grain discharge device 17, and a vehicle position detection module 18.

The traveling device 12 is provided at a lower portion of the traveling vehicle body 11 ("an example of a machine body", hereinafter simply referred to as the vehicle body 11). The combine harvester 10 is configured to be capable of self-traveling by the traveling device 12. The driving unit 13, the threshing device 14, and the grain tank 15 are provided above the traveling device 12, and constitute an upper portion of the vehicle body 11. The driver 13 can board a driver who drives the combine harvester 10 and a monitor who monitors the work of the combine harvester 10. Usually, the driver doubles as a monitor. In the case where the driver and the monitor are different persons, the monitor may monitor the operation of the combine harvester 10 from the outside of the combine harvester 10.

The grain discharging device 17 is connected to a lower rear portion of the grain box 15. The vehicle position detection module 18 is attached to the front upper portion of the driver section 13 and detects the vehicle position. The vehicle position detection module 18 may use a satellite positioning module configured as a GNSS module. The vehicle position detection module 18 includes a satellite antenna for receiving a GPS signal or a GNSS signal (in the present embodiment, a "GPS signal") from an artificial satellite GS (see fig. 2). The vehicle position detection module 18 may include an inertial navigation module equipped with a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic azimuth sensor to supplement satellite navigation. Of course, the inertial navigation module may be provided at a different location from the vehicle position detection module 18. The vehicle position detection module 18 detects the vehicle position as the position of the combine harvester 10 based on the GPS signal and the detection result of the inertial navigation module. The vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection module 18 is used for automatic travel (autonomous travel) of the combine harvester 10 or is used as "vehicle position information" for each function section described later.

The harvesting section H is provided at the front of the combine harvester 10. The conveyor 16 is disposed on the rear side of the harvesting section H. The harvesting section H has a cutting mechanism 19 and a reel 20. The cutting mechanism 19 harvests the standing grain stalks of the field. The reel 20 is driven to rotate and gather up the vertical grain stalks of the harvested objects. With such a configuration, the harvesting unit H can harvest grains (a kind of agricultural crops) in the field. The combine harvester 10 can perform work travel by traveling the traveling device 12 while harvesting grains in a field by the harvesting unit H.

The harvested straw harvested by the cutting mechanism 19 is transported to the threshing mechanism 14 by the transporting device 16. In the threshing device 14, the harvested grain stalks are subjected to threshing processing. The grains obtained by the threshing process are stored in a grain tank 15. The grains stored in the grain tank 15 are discharged to the outside of the machine through the grain discharging device 17 as needed. In the combine harvester 10, a hydraulic tilt mechanism 110 is provided between the vehicle body 11 and the traveling device 12, and the vehicle body 11 can be tilted in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction with respect to the traveling surface (field surface).

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of automatic travel of the combine harvester 10. As shown in fig. 2, the combine harvester 10 automatically travels along a travel path set in a field. In this automatic traveling, the vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position detection module 18 is used.

The combine harvester 10 of the present embodiment performs harvesting work in the field in the following procedure.

First, the driver-cum-monitor manually operates the combine harvester 10, and as shown in fig. 2, the harvesting travel is performed so as to surround the boundary line of the field at the outer peripheral portion in the field. Thus, the area that becomes the harvested area (the worked area) is set as the outer peripheral area SA. An area left as is without being cut (without being worked) inside the outer peripheral area SA is set as a working target area CA.

At this time, the driver drives the combine harvester 10 for 2 to 3 weeks in order to secure the width of the outer peripheral area SA to a certain extent. In this travel, each time the combine harvester 10 rotates 1 revolution, the width of the outer peripheral area SA is increased by the amount of the working width of the combine harvester 10. For example, when the first 2 to 3 weeks of travel are completed, the width of the outer peripheral area SA becomes about 2 to 3 times the working width of the combine harvester 10. The first round of travel by the driver may be not less than 2 to 3 weeks (not less than 4 weeks), but may be 1 week.

The outer peripheral area SA is used as a space for the combine harvester 10 to perform direction change when performing harvesting travel in the work target area CA. The outer peripheral area SA is also used as a space for movement when the harvesting travel is once ended and the vehicle moves to a grain discharge place, a fuel supply place, or the like.

Fig. 2 also shows a cart CV in which grain harvested by the combine harvester 10 is discharged and carried. When discharging the grain, the combine harvester 10 moves to the vicinity of the carrier CV, and discharges the grain to the carrier CV via the grain discharge device 17.

When the outer peripheral area SA and the work area CA are set by the manual travel, the travel route in the work area CA is calculated as shown in fig. 3. The calculated travel route is set in order based on the work travel mode, and the combine harvester 10 is automatically controlled to travel along the set travel route.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a detection system (an example of a "surrounding situation system") 1 for detecting a surrounding situation of the combine harvester 10. As shown in fig. 4, the detection system 1 includes functional units of a map creation unit 30, a machine work information acquisition unit 31, an operation mode setting unit 32, and a detection unit 40 in addition to the vehicle position detection module 18.

The host vehicle position detection module 18 detects the host vehicle position of the combine harvester 10 as described above. The vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection module 18 is transmitted as "vehicle position information" to a map creation unit 30 and an operation pattern setting unit 32, which will be described later.

The map making unit 30 makes a map showing the positions of the harvested areas where the grains are harvested and the positions of the non-harvested areas where the grains are not harvested in the field based on the vehicle position. The vehicle position is transmitted from the vehicle position detection module 18 as vehicle position information. The harvested field in which the grains are harvested in the field is a region in which the grains are harvested in the field, and corresponds to the peripheral region SA in the example of fig. 2. The non-harvested region where no grain is harvested means a region where no grain is harvested in the field, and corresponds to the work target region CA in the example of fig. 2.

As described above, when the driver/monitor manually operates the combine harvester 10 to travel, the vehicle position detection module 18 acquires the vehicle position, and the map making unit 30 specifies the contour of the field based on the acquired vehicle position. This outline forms the basis for the production of a map of the field. In addition, the host vehicle position detection module 18 also detects the host vehicle position when the combine harvester 10 harvests grain during manual operation. The vehicle position obtained at this time is set as a harvested area in the map. When the peripheral area SA is set, the combine harvester 10 automatically travels in the work target area CA, but at this time, a map is created while changing (updating) the area where the grains have been harvested from the non-harvested area to the harvested area. The map created by the map creating unit 30 may be stored in the map creating unit 30, or may be stored in a storage unit provided separately.

The body work information acquiring unit 31 acquires body work information indicating body work performed by the vehicle body 11 (an example of a "body"). The machine operation state is information indicating whether the combine harvester 10 is performing a harvesting operation or not, and information indicating a travel mode of the combine harvester 10. The information indicating the travel mode of the combine harvester 10 is information indicating whether the combine harvester is traveling straight or turning. In the present embodiment, the machine body work includes: a straight harvesting operation of harvesting grains while the vehicle body 11 is traveling straight, a turning harvesting operation of harvesting grains while turning the vehicle body 11, and a turning traveling of turning the vehicle body 11 while interrupting harvesting of grains.

The machine work information acquisition unit 31 calculates and acquires machine work information indicating such machine work, based on the operating state of each functional unit of the combine harvester 10. The body work information acquired by the body work information acquiring unit 31 is transmitted to an operation mode setting unit 32 described later.

The detection unit 40 is provided on the vehicle body 11 and is configured to include a plurality of detection modules capable of detecting a situation around the vehicle body 11. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 40 is configured by four ultrasonic sensors. Specifically, the device is provided with: a front side detection module 41, the front side detection module 41 being disposed at the front center of the vehicle body 11 and capable of detecting a state of the front side of the vehicle body 11; a rear side detection module 42, the rear side detection module 42 being disposed at the rear center of the vehicle body 11 and capable of detecting a rear side condition of the vehicle body 11; a left side detection module 43, the left side detection module 43 being disposed on a left side portion of the vehicle body 11 and capable of detecting a left side condition of the vehicle body 11; and a right side detection module 44, the right side detection module 44 being disposed at a right side portion of the vehicle body 11, and being capable of detecting a right side condition of the vehicle body 11.

The operation mode setting unit 32 sets the operation modes of the detection modules 41 to 44 based on the map and the vehicle position. The map is created by the map creation unit 30. The vehicle position is detected by the vehicle position detection module 18 and transmitted as vehicle position information.

The operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules 41 to 44 indicates the operation state of each of the plurality of detection modules 41 to 44. The operation state corresponds to a detection state in which detection is performed, a stop state in which detection is not performed, a wide-range detection state in which detection is performed over a range larger than a predetermined range with respect to a detection range, a narrow-range detection state in which detection is performed within the predetermined range or less with respect to the detection range, a high-sensitivity state in which detection sensitivity is higher than a predetermined value, a low-sensitivity state in which detection sensitivity is equal to or less than the predetermined value, and the like. In the present embodiment, the operation mode setting unit 32 can set such an operation mode to each of the detection modules 41 to 44.

The operation mode setting unit 32 stops the detection function of the detection module, which is the detection target of the situation of the non-cutting area, among the plurality of detection modules 41 to 44, based on the map and the vehicle position. As described above, in the present embodiment, the front side detection module 41 can detect the condition of the front side of the vehicle body 11, and the rear side detection module 42 can detect the condition of the rear side of the vehicle body 11. The left detection module 43 can detect the condition of the left side of the vehicle body 11, and the right detection module 44 can detect the condition of the right side of the vehicle body 11.

When harvesting work is performed on the outer peripheral area SA of the field and the work area CA on the inner side thereof is harvested, an uncut area and a harvested area may be mixed around the combine harvester 10. Specifically, for example, as shown in fig. 5, there are the following situations: one of the front side and the left and right sides of the combine harvester 10 (the left side in the example of fig. 5) is an uncut land (an unworked land), and the other of the rear side and the left and right sides of the combine harvester 10 (the right side in the example of fig. 5) is a harvested land (an operated land). In this case, the operation mode setting unit 32 stops (invalidates) the detection functions of the front side detection block 41 and the left side detection block 43, which are the detection targets of the situation of the non-harvested site, and validates the detection functions of the rear side detection block 42 and the right side detection block 44, which are the detection targets of the situation of the harvested site. The detection function is disabled meaning that the detection result of the detection module is not used, and as a method therefor, for example, the operation of the detection module itself may be stopped, or the detection result of the detection module may not be outputted. Further, the detection result of the detection module may not be used for each function unit.

Further, the operation mode setting unit 32 may be configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the harvested region on the side of the vehicle body 11 in comparison with the harvested region on the rear side of the vehicle body 11 during traveling in the non-harvested region in the field. When the combine harvester 10 travels in a field while performing harvesting work, a harvested land is formed behind the combine harvester 10, and the combine harvester 10 travels in a region away from the rear. On the other hand, a harvested land on which harvesting work has been performed is often formed on the side of the combine harvester 10. Therefore, the operation mode setting unit 32 can set the detection sensitivity of the side detection block (the left side detection block 43 and the right side detection block 44) to be higher than the detection sensitivity of the rear side detection block 42.

Further, the operation mode setting unit 32 may be configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the harvested site in front of the vehicle body 11 as compared with the harvested site on the side of the vehicle body 11 during traveling of the harvested site in the field. When the combine harvester 10 is traveling in a harvested place, for example, when the combine harvester 10 is traveling toward the vehicle CV while discharging grain to the vehicle CV. In this case, the traveling speed may be higher than the traveling speed during harvesting. Therefore, the operation mode setting unit 32 can set the detection sensitivity of the front detection block 41 to be higher than the detection sensitivity of the side detection blocks (the left detection block 43 and the right detection block 44).

The operation mode setting unit 32 may be configured to set the detection ranges of the plurality of detection modules 41 to 44 based on the map and the vehicle position. For example, in the example of fig. 5, in the area on the left front side of the combine harvester 10, the detection can be performed by both the front side detection module 41 and the right side detection module 44, but since the area on the right side of the combine harvester 10 is extended in the harvesting range, the load (the calculation load related to the detection) becomes large when the detection range of the right side detection module 44 is large. Therefore, as shown in fig. 6, the operation mode setting unit 32 can set the respective detection ranges so that the front side detection module 41 and the right side detection module 44 share the region on the right front side of the combine harvester 10, and can set the respective detection ranges so that the rear side detection module 42 and the right side detection module 44 share the region on the right rear side of the combine harvester 10. With the above configuration, detection delay and erroneous detection can be prevented.

The operation mode setting unit 32 may set the detection range of the detection module whose state is the detection target of the harvested area, based on, for example, the distance (free-wheeling distance) traveled from when the detection module detects the object until the combine harvester 10 stops.

Further, it is preferable that the operation mode setting unit 32 is configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the side of the vehicle body 11 compared to the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction of the vehicle body 11 during the turning harvesting work and the turning traveling. The turning harvesting work is a work of harvesting grains while turning the vehicle body 11, and the turning travel is a travel performed while turning the vehicle body 11 in a state where the harvesting of grains is interrupted. In such a turning harvesting work and turning travel (for example, in the situation shown in fig. 7), in particular, in order to prevent the combine harvester 10 from rolling in the object on the inside of the turn and from contacting the object on the outside end of the turn, the detection sensitivity of the left side detection block 43 and the right side detection block 44 can be improved as compared with the detection sensitivity of the front side detection block 41 and the rear side detection block 42.

[ other embodiments ]

In the above-described embodiment, the operation mode setting unit 32 has been described as stopping the detection function of the detection module whose non-cutting area is to be detected, among the plurality of detection modules, based on the map and the vehicle position, but may switch to the front side detection module 41 when the vehicle is moving forward and harvesting the vehicle, to the rear side detection module 42 when the vehicle is moving backward, to the left side detection module 43 when the vehicle is turning left, and to the right side detection module 44 when the vehicle is turning right. In addition, the four detection modules 41 to 44 may be periodically switched to perform the periphery monitoring (obstacle detection).

In the above embodiment, the detection module is configured using an ultrasonic sensor, but the detection module may be a camera. In this case, the forward camera may be switched to the forward camera during forward harvesting, the backward camera during backward harvesting, and the turning direction camera during turning. This prevents erroneous detection and reduces the computational load on the detection result. Further, four cameras may be periodically switched to perform periphery monitoring (obstacle detection). Further, a bird's-eye view image (surround view image) may be created using four cameras, so that the operator can easily visually confirm the surrounding situation.

In the case where the detection module is configured by cameras, not only the four cameras described above but also a full-circle camera that can take an image of the entire circumference of the combine harvester 10 or a so-called omnidirectional camera (360-degree camera) that can take a panoramic image of the combine harvester 10 in all directions, up, down, left, and right, may be used. When such a camera is used, the operation mode setting unit 32 can achieve the above-described effects by setting a used region and an unused region from a captured image obtained by the camera, for example.

In addition, the detection module can be a laser sensor or a distance sensor. In either case, the operation mode setting unit 32 sets the operation mode in accordance with the operation state of the combine harvester 10, thereby enabling detection of the operation state suitable for the combine harvester 10.

Further, for example, the detection module may be configured to detect an abnormality of the vehicle body 11 of the combine harvester 10. In this case, the detection module may be constituted by a camera to capture an image of the vehicle body 11. This enables detection of an abnormality of the vehicle body 11. In addition, the detection module may be formed by a microphone. In this case, the sound collected by the microphone may be analyzed (for example, frequency analysis) to detect an abnormality of the engine or an abnormality (clogging or the like) of the grain discharging device 17 or the like. Such detection based on the voice can be performed by, for example, performing machine learning in advance and comparing the voice with the voice having been subjected to the machine learning. Accordingly, since the number of sensors used can be reduced without providing a dedicated sensor, it is possible to detect an abnormality of the combine harvester 10 at low cost.

In the above embodiment, the combine harvester 10 is described as an example of the harvester, but the present invention can also be applied to a harvester other than the combine harvester 10 such as a corn harvester.

In the above-described embodiment, a description has been given of a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field and a detection system that detects the situation around the harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field. The peripheral condition detection program of each functional unit in the above embodiments may be executed by a computer. In this case, the surrounding situation detection program may be configured to cause the computer to execute the following functions: a vehicle position detection function of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester; a detection function of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester; a map creation function of creating a map showing a position of a harvested area where grains are harvested and a position of an un-harvested area where grains are not harvested in a field based on a vehicle position; and an operation mode setting function of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

The peripheral condition detection program may be recorded on a recording medium.

Further, the surrounding situation detection program and the surrounding situation detection program recorded in the recording medium may be configured such that the operation mode setting function stops the detection function of the detection module whose situation is a detection target among the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position, and the operation mode setting function sets the detection range of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position. Further, the machine body work performed by the machine body of the harvester may include: the operation mode setting function is configured to improve detection sensitivity on a side of the machine body in the turning harvesting operation and the turning traveling, compared with a front side and a rear side in a traveling direction of the machine body. Further, the operation mode setting function may be configured to increase a detection sensitivity of the harvested region on a side of the machine body of the harvester as compared with the harvested region on a rear side of the machine body during travel of the non-harvested region in the field, and to increase a detection sensitivity of the harvested region on a front side of the machine body as compared with the harvested region on the side of the machine body during travel of the harvested region in the field.

Further, the processing performed by each functional unit in the above-described embodiment may be configured as a surrounding situation detection method for detecting a surrounding situation of a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field. In this case, the surrounding situation detection method may be configured to include: a vehicle position detection step of causing a vehicle position detection module to detect a vehicle position of the harvester; a detection step of causing a detection unit provided with a plurality of detection modules to detect a situation around the harvester; a map creation step of creating a map indicating a position of a harvested area where grains are harvested and a position of an un-harvested area where grains are not harvested in a field based on a vehicle position; and an operation mode setting step of setting an operation mode of each of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position.

In the above-described surrounding situation detection method, the operation mode setting step may stop a detection function of a detection module whose situation at the non-cutting place is a detection target among the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position, and the operation mode setting step may set a detection range of the plurality of detection modules based on the map and the vehicle position. Further, the machine body work performed by the machine body of the harvester may include: the operation mode setting step is configured to increase detection sensitivity on a side of the machine body during the turning harvesting operation and during the turning traveling compared with a front side and a rear side in a traveling direction of the machine body. Further, the operation mode setting step may be configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the harvested region on the side of the machine body of the harvester as compared with the harvested region on the rear side of the machine body during travel of the non-harvested region in the field, and to increase the detection sensitivity of the harvested region on the front side of the machine body as compared with the harvested region on the side of the machine body during travel of the harvested region in the field.

Industrial applicability

The present invention can be used to detect the situation around a harvester that harvests grains while traveling in a field.

Description of the reference numerals

1: detection system (surrounding situation detection system)

10: combine harvester (harvester)

11: car body (organism)

18: vehicle position detection module

30: map creation unit

32: operation mode setting unit

40: detection unit

41-44: detection module

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Harvester, surrounding situation detection system, surrounding situation detection program, recording medium having surrounding situation detection program recorded thereon, and surrounding situation

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