JP2024082940A - Work vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a work vehicle capable of displaying information about unexpected problems that may occur in the work vehicle due to remote operation for a supervisor such as a remote operator. [Solution] The work vehicle is equipped with a vehicle driving management unit 7 that generates driving control commands based on an operation signal from a manual remote operation device 3, a determination unit 75 that determines whether driving can be performed according to the driving control commands, a driving control unit 6 that executes driving according to the driving control commands based on the determination result by the determination unit 75, a determination result reason information generation unit 53a that generates determination result reason information when the determination result by the determination unit 75 is that driving cannot be performed, and a display device 56 that displays the determination result reason information. [Selected Figure] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a work vehicle that can be remotely driven by a human remote control device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a work vehicle capable of automatic driving with a human driver. In this work vehicle, when an obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle around the tractor, an automatic driving interruption unit interrupts automatic driving, and an alarm unit notifies the surroundings that automatic driving has been interrupted. This allows people around the tractor to know the reason why the tractor has stopped automatic driving.

Patent Document 2 discloses a work vehicle that can travel autonomously through wireless communication operations from a location away from the vehicle. In this work vehicle, if an obstacle is detected around the work vehicle by an obstacle detection unit, the autonomous travel is interrupted, and the reason why the work vehicle has stopped traveling autonomously is announced through a buzzer and warning lights.

Patent Document 3 discloses a rice transplanter that is capable of both remote-controlled and automatic driving, and in special areas where automatic driving is difficult, the operator remotely controls the machine to drive the machine. Just before the rice transplanter enters a special area during automatic driving, the machine is forcibly stopped and a notification is issued to switch to manual driving using the remote control. Furthermore, if an obstacle, border crossing, tilt, etc. is detected, the rice transplanter will suddenly stop. Also, if a material jam is detected, a slip is detected, an abnormality in satellite signal reception is detected, an abnormality in position deviation is detected, etc., the rice transplanter will gradually stop.

JP 2016-168883 A (paragraph number 0037, etc.) JP 2016-170523 A (paragraph number 0035 etc.) JP 2022-085684 A (paragraphs 0206, 0317, etc.)

When remotely controlling a work vehicle using a remote control, if the work vehicle does not travel as desired or if the work vehicle suddenly stops, a monitor such as a remote operator needs to understand the relationship between the remote operation and the unexpected movement of the work vehicle. However, the above patent document does not disclose technology that displays information regarding such unexpected movement of the work vehicle due to remote operation for the remote operator or monitor.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a work vehicle that can display information regarding unexpected problems that may occur in the work vehicle during remote operation for a supervisor such as a remote operator.

The work vehicle according to the present invention is capable of remote driving by a manual remote control device, and includes a vehicle driving management unit that generates driving control commands based on an operation signal from the manual remote control device, a determination unit that determines whether driving can be performed according to the driving control commands, a driving control unit that executes driving according to the driving control commands based on the determination result by the determination unit, a determination result reason information generation unit that generates determination result reason information when the determination result by the determination unit is that driving cannot be performed, and a display device that displays the determination result reason information.

In this configuration, in remote driving in which a vehicle drives according to a driving control command generated based on an operation signal from a manual remote control device, it is determined whether driving according to the driving control command is executable. If driving according to the driving control command is executable, the driving control unit executes the driving. If driving according to the driving control command is not executable, the driving control unit does not execute the driving, but at the same time, judgment result reason information indicating the reason for this driving impossibility is generated and displayed on the display device. A remote driving operator or observer using the manual remote control device can identify the driving control command (command from the remote operator) that was not executed and understand the reason for it from the displayed judgment result reason information.

Regarding the timing of displaying the judgment result reason information, in one embodiment of the present invention, the judgment result reason information is displayed on the display device in response to manual manipulation. In this configuration, the timing at which the judgment result reason information is displayed on the display device is determined arbitrarily by the person who wishes to view the judgment result reason information, so that the person can view the judgment result reason information at the time they wish. In other words, in this configuration, the judgment result reason information is held until manual manipulation is performed, and the judgment result reason information is displayed at the time of manual manipulation.

Regarding the timing of displaying the information on the reason for the judgment result, in another embodiment of the present invention, the information on the reason for the judgment result is automatically displayed on the display device. In this configuration, the information on the reason for the judgment result is automatically displayed on the display device at the point in time when the driving control command is not executed. Therefore, the remote driving operator and other observers can understand the reason why the driving control command was not executed without missing it.

In such a work vehicle, the main reason why a driving control command is not executed is that a command refusal command, which has a higher command priority than the driving control command, is issued. For example, if the driving control command is a forward driving command, a refusal command is issued to refuse the forward driving command when the vehicle surroundings of the work vehicle do not permit forward driving. The vehicle surroundings are detected by a group of vehicle condition detection devices. For example, if an obstacle detection device detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle, a command refusal command is issued. Also, if a problem is detected in the vehicle's power system, a command refusal command is issued. For this reason, in the present invention, a group of vehicle condition detection devices that detect the vehicle condition is provided, and the determination unit determines the feasibility of driving based on the detection signal from the group of vehicle condition detection devices.

When a driving control command based on the driving operation by the remote driving operator is not executed based on a detection signal from a group of vehicle condition detection devices, it is important for the remote driving operator to know from which vehicle condition detection device the detection signal was not used to execute the driving control command. For this reason, in the present invention, the judgment result reason information includes information identifying the vehicle condition detection device from the group of vehicle condition detection devices that caused the judgment result to be unable to execute driving, and the detection result of that vehicle condition detection device.

When a work vehicle can travel in various driving modes, for example, an automatic driving mode, a front-pushing driving mode (automatic or remote driving), and a rear-pushing driving mode (automatic or remote driving), the vehicle conditions that cause the determination result to indicate that travel cannot be performed differ depending on the driving mode. For this reason, in order to determine whether travel can be performed, it is important to consider the driving mode that is applied at that time. For this reason, in the present invention, the vehicle travel management unit has an automatic driving mode, a front-pushing driving mode, and a rear-pushing driving mode, and the detection signal, which differs for each driving mode, is used to determine the travel feasibility.

In particular, in the autonomous driving mode, since a supervisor is not constantly monitoring the autonomous driving of the worker, it is preferable to stop driving if the detection result of even one of the vehicle condition detection devices is negative. It is required that at least all of the detection results of the pre-set vehicle condition detection devices that are important for autonomous driving are positive. For this reason, in the autonomous driving mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that driving can be performed, in the present invention, all detection results related to autonomous driving among the vehicle condition detection devices are required to be positive.

In addition, in forward approach driving, where the vehicle body approaches a specific area from the front, electronic monitoring by the vehicle condition detection devices is important. In particular, in forward approach driving, it is necessary to pay close attention to the surrounding environment during forward driving, such as obstacle detection and the distance to the specific area. For this reason, in the present invention, in the forward approach driving mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that driving is possible, the detection result of the detection device related to forward driving among the vehicle condition detection devices is required to be positive.

Similarly, in the present invention, in the rearward travel mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that travel is possible, the detection result of the detection device related to reverse travel among the group of vehicle condition detection devices is required to be positive.

The information on the reason for the judgment result caused by a deterioration in the vehicle condition, such as the detection of an obstacle, changes from moment to moment, and various levels of multi-layered information, such as the type of obstacle, the distance to the obstacle, and even the difference from the allowable threshold, are mixed over time. In order to display such information in an easy-to-understand manner, a chronological or hierarchical display of the information is suitable. For this reason, in the present invention, the information on the reason for the judgment result can be displayed on the display device in a chronological or hierarchical display, or both.

FIG. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of automatic driving of a combine harvester. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a driving route for an automatic driving of a combine harvester. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control system of the combine harvester. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a control flow in a vehicle stop information display control process. FIG. 13 is a diagram of a display screen on which an example of determination result reason information is displayed. FIG. 13 is a diagram of a display screen on which an example of determination result reason information is displayed.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction of arrow F shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is "front" and the direction of arrow B is "rear". In addition, the direction of arrow U shown in Fig. 1 is "up", the direction of arrow D is "down", the direction of arrow L shown in Fig. 2 is "left", and the direction of arrow R is "right".

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a normal combine harvester (corresponding to the "vehicle" of the present invention), which is one form of the work vehicle of the present invention, is equipped with a crawler-type traveling device 11, a driving section 12, a threshing device 13, a grain tank 14, a harvesting section 15, a conveying device 16, a grain discharge device 18, and a satellite positioning module 80. The combine harvester body 10 refers to the assembly of the main components of the combine harvester, but in some cases it may refer to individual components such as the traveling device 11 and the harvesting section 15.

The traveling device 11 is driven by power from an engine (not shown). The driving section 12, threshing device 13, and grain tank 14 are provided above the traveling device 11. An operator who monitors the operation of the combine can ride in the driving section 12. The operator may also monitor the operation of the combine from outside the combine.

The satellite positioning module 80 constituting the vehicle position detection module 8 (see FIG. 5) is attached to the upper surface of the ceiling of the cabin constituting the driver's section 12. The satellite positioning module 80 receives GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals (such as GPS signals) from the positioning satellite GS to obtain the aircraft position. Note that to complement the satellite navigation by the satellite positioning module 80, an inertial navigation unit incorporating a gyro acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor is incorporated in the satellite positioning module 80. Of course, the inertial navigation unit may be located in a different location from the satellite positioning module 80.

The harvesting section 15 is provided at the front of the combine. The transport device 16 is provided across the rear end of the harvesting section 15 and the front end of the threshing device 13. The harvesting section 15 and the transport device 16 are configured to be able to swing up and down around the lateral axis of the machine body by the extension and contraction of a hydraulic cylinder (not shown).

The harvesting unit 15 rakes in the planted culms to be harvested and cuts the planted culms in the field. In this way, the harvesting unit 15 harvests the planted culms in the field. The combine travels on the traveling device 11 while cutting the planted culms in the field with the harvesting unit 15.

The harvested stalks harvested by the harvesting section 15 are transported by the conveying device 16 to the threshing device 13. In the threshing device 13, the harvested stalks are threshed. 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.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, as an example of an obstacle detector 20, a millimeter wave radar 21 is attached to the front end of the cabin constituting the driving section 12 and to the rear end of the threshing machine 13. The millimeter wave radar 21 is a device that performs sensing by irradiating a detection target area with millimeter waves.

Furthermore, two or more cameras 22 that output captured images are attached to the right side of the cabin constituting the driving unit 12 and the left side of the threshing device 13. In addition, cameras 22 are attached to the front end of the cabin and the rear end of the threshing device 13. In this embodiment, the capture ranges of the four cameras 22 are the front, left and right sides, and rear of the combine harvester. The cameras 22 are equipped with wide-angle lenses, and their capture angle is approximately 180 degrees, so that these cameras 22 essentially cover all directions of the vehicle body 10. The mounting position of the camera 22 is adjustable, but after adjustment, the mounting position is fixed. This determines the capture range. The captured image of the camera 22 is used as an input image for a learning-type obstacle detection algorithm of the deep learning method. In other words, the camera 22 is a component of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) obstacle recognition device.

The procedure for harvesting in a field using a combine is as follows:

First, the driver/supervisor manually operates the combine harvester and drives it around the outer periphery of the field, as shown in FIG. 3, to harvest along the boundary line of the field. The area that has been mowed (worked) is set as the outer periphery area SA. The area inside the outer periphery area SA that remains unmowed (unworked) is set as the work target area CA. FIG. 2 shows an example of the outer periphery area SA and the work target area CA. Note that the periphery mowing is performed by manual driving, with the driver riding on the combine harvester and operating it, but remote driving, in which the combine harvester is driven by a supervisor or the like via remote control, or automatic driving based on programming may also be used.

When cutting the perimeter, the driver runs the combine harvester two or three times around the field to ensure that the width of the outer perimeter area SA is relatively wide. Each time the combine harvester runs around the field, the width of the outer perimeter area SA increases by the working width of the combine harvester. After the first two or three runs, the width of the outer perimeter area SA will be about two to three times the working width of the combine harvester.

The outer periphery area SA is used as a space for the combine to change direction when it is automatically traveling to harvest in the work area CA. The outer periphery area SA is also used as a space for moving when it finishes harvesting and moves to a grain discharge location or a fuel supply location.

The transport vehicle CV shown in FIG. 3 has the role of collecting the grain discharged from the combine harvester and transporting it to a drying facility or the like. When a sufficient amount of grain has accumulated in the grain tank 14, the combine harvester moves close to the transport vehicle CV and the grain discharge device 18 discharges the grain into the transport vehicle CV.

When the outer periphery area SA and the work target area CA are set, a travel path in the work target area CA is generated as shown in FIG. 4. The generated travel path is read out sequentially based on the work travel pattern and becomes the target path for the combine to travel automatically. In addition to the U-turn pattern shown in FIG. 4, which changes direction along a U-shaped turning travel path, α-turn pattern and switchback turning pattern are also used as turning patterns for turning travel. The α-turn pattern is a turning pattern in which the direction is changed while repeatedly moving forward and backward. The switchback turning pattern is a turning pattern in which the direction is changed in the same way as the U-turn pattern in a narrower area than the U-turn pattern, with reverse travel. Such turning travel including reverse travel is also used when the grain tank 14 becomes full and the combine that has left the travel path of the work target area CA is aligned with the transport vehicle CV.

Figure 5 shows a functional block diagram of the combine harvester's electronic control system. The electronic control system in this embodiment is composed of a large number of electronic control units called ECUs (one of the functional blocks), various operating devices, and a group of sensors and switches. Data transmission between them is performed using an on-board LAN (Local Area Network) or a normal wire harness.

The electronic control system includes a detection signal processing unit 40, an equipment control unit 52, a display information generation unit 53, a communication control unit 54, a driving route management unit 50, a work device management unit 51, a driving control unit 6, a vehicle driving management unit 7, a judgment unit 75, and a time series/hierarchical information management unit 76.

In the block diagram shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle position detection module 8, the obstacle detector 20, and the detection device group 9 are components of the vehicle status detection device group 2 that detects the vehicle status including the vehicle surroundings. The detection device group 9 includes detection devices that detect forward travel, reverse travel, reverse approach travel (called front approach) and forward approach travel (called rear approach) to a specific location (such as the grain discharge location where the transport vehicle CV is stopped), road travel, etc. For example, the detection device group 9 detects the scanning state of the forward/reverse switching operation device and the auxiliary speed change operation device, and the operating state of the actuators of various power clutches. Furthermore, the detection device group 9 includes detection devices that detect the traveling state of the engine speed adjustment device, the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, etc., and detection devices that detect the device states of the harvesting section 15, the conveying device 16, the threshing device 13, and the grain discharge device 18, and the accumulation state of the stalks and grains.

The detection signal processing unit 40 includes a vehicle position calculation unit 41, an obstacle detection unit 42, and a vehicle state detection unit 43. The vehicle position calculation unit 41 calculates the position of the vehicle body 10 (the vehicle position in map coordinates or field coordinates) based on the positioning signal from the satellite positioning module 80 that constitutes the vehicle position detection module 8.

The obstacle detection unit 42 generates obstacle information such as the position of the obstacle, the distance to the obstacle, the type of the obstacle, and the detection direction of the obstacle based on the obstacle detection signal from the obstacle detector 20. In this embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 42 has multiple signal processing units (not shown) that perform detection signal processing according to the type of obstacle detector 20. Among these signal processing units, the radar signal processing unit for the millimeter wave radar 21 outputs position information (distance, angle) and speed information from the detection signal. The AI signal processing unit for the camera 22, which is an input device of the AI obstacle recognition device, is a learning-type obstacle detection unit using a deep learning method, and outputs the type and size of obstacles (objects that hinder driving) such as people, animals, and steel towers in the captured image acquired by the camera 22, and their positions on the captured image. By combining the radar signal processing unit and the learning-type obstacle detection unit, more accurate and detailed obstacle detection is possible.

The vehicle state detection unit 43 detects the driving state and the working state based on the detection signals from the detection device group 9. The detection device group 9 includes a driving state detection sensor group that detects the state of the manual operation devices 90, such as the engine speed adjustment device, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and main shift lever, and a working state detection sensor group that detects the device state of the harvesting section 15, the conveying device 16, the threshing device 13, and the grain discharge device 18, as well as the state of the stalks and grains.

The equipment control unit 52 provides control signals to each equipment driver 91 to operate the operating equipment 92 incorporated in the work devices, such as the harvesting unit 15, the threshing device 13, the conveying device 16, and the grain discharge device 18.

The display device 56 is a specific example of an alarm device. It is arranged inside the driving unit 12 to notify the driver or supervisor of the results of obstacle detection and warnings of problematic events that occur during work travel. The display, which is a specific example of the display device 56, can display various forms of information such as text information and graphic information, and the display is controlled by the display control unit 55. The display information generation unit 53 generates display information to be displayed on the display through the display control unit 55. Examples of the display device 56 are not limited to displays, and include groups of light-emitting elements such as groups of 7-segment LEDs. The combine harvester is also equipped with alarm devices other than the display device 56, such as warning lamps, speakers, and buzzers, which can be used to notify the driver or supervisor of various information as necessary.

The communication control unit 54 is used for the combine's electronic control system to exchange data with the manual remote control device 3 or with a management computer (cloud service) installed in a remote location. The manual remote control device 3 may be, for example, a tablet computer or remote control operated by a supervisor standing in the field or a driver/supervisor riding in the combine, or it may be a computer installed in a home or management office.

The travel path management unit 50 performs the above-mentioned tasks of setting the outer perimeter area SA and the work target area CA, generating travel paths, reading out the target travel paths, etc. The work device management unit 51 manages the operation of the work devices such as the harvesting section 15, the threshing device 13, the conveying device 16, and the grain discharge device 18.

The driving control unit 6 has an engine control function, a steering control function, a vehicle speed control function, etc., and gives driving control commands related to vehicle driving to the equipment control unit 52. The driving control unit 6 includes an automatic driving control unit 61, a manual driving control unit 63, and a remote driving control unit 62. The automatic driving control unit 61 automatically drives the combine harvester (vehicle) based on the target driving route provided by the driving route management unit 50 and the vehicle position provided by the vehicle position calculation unit 41. The manual driving control unit 63 manually drives the combine harvester (vehicle) based on manual operation using steering tools such as a turning lever and a gear lever. The remote driving control unit 62 drives the combine harvester (vehicle) based on an operation command (operation signal) from the manual remote operation device 3. In other words, the driving control unit 6 controls the combine harvester (vehicle) in response to remote operation at a location away from the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the vehicle driving management unit 7 linked to the driving control unit 6 includes an automatic driving management unit 71, a remote driving management unit 72, and a manual driving management unit 73. The automatic driving management unit 71 has an automatic driving mode in which, through the automatic driving program, it refers to the vehicle status information that is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, and if driving execution is possible, it gives a driving control command for executing automatic driving to the automatic driving control unit 61. The remote driving management unit 72 has a remote driving mode in which, through the remote driving program, it refers to the operation signal from the manual remote operation device 3 and the vehicle status information that is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, and if the driving control command based on the operation signal is permitted, it gives the driving control command to the remote driving control unit 62. The manual driving management unit 73 has a manual driving mode in which, in manual driving, it takes into account the vehicle status information that is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, and if the remote operation command is permitted, it gives a manual control command (driving control command) for executing manual driving to the manual driving control unit 63.

Furthermore, the automatic driving management unit 71 and the remote driving management unit 72 are additionally provided with a forward approaching driving mode and a rearward approaching driving mode. In the forward approaching driving mode, if the detection result of the detection device related to forward driving, which is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, is positive (for example, the obstacle detector 20 does not detect an obstacle in front), a driving control command to perform forward approaching driving is given to the remote driving control unit 62. In the rearward approaching driving mode, if the detection result of the detection device related to reverse driving, which is the processing result from the detection signal processing unit 40, is positive (for example, the obstacle detector 20 does not detect an obstacle in the rear), a driving control command to perform rearward approaching driving is given to the remote driving control unit 62.

In addition, in the autonomous driving mode, if all vehicle condition detection devices related to autonomous driving in the vehicle condition detection device group 2 are not positive, the driving control command cannot be executed.

The determination unit 75 determines whether the driving control command generated by the vehicle driving management unit 7 is capable of driving or not capable of driving based on the detection signal from the vehicle status detection device group 2, that is, whether driving is feasible. If the determination result by the determination unit 75 is that driving is not possible, the determination result reason information generation unit 53a included in the display information generation unit 53 generates determination result reason information (information identifying the vehicle status detection device that caused the impossibility of driving) to be displayed on the display device 56.

The information on the reason for the judgment result includes information for identifying the vehicle status detection device associated with the vehicle status information indicating the judgment result of the inability to travel from the vehicle status detection device group 2, and the detection result of the vehicle status detection device identified by the information. The vehicle status detection device group 2 targeted here is the satellite positioning module 80, the millimeter wave radar 21, the camera 22, and the detection device group 9. If the reliability of the positioning data due to a decrease in the reception sensitivity to the positioning satellite GS is below a threshold, the satellite positioning module 80 becomes the vehicle status detection device associated with the vehicle status information indicating the judgment result of the inability to travel. Similarly, the obstacle detector 20 (consisting of the millimeter wave radar 21, the camera 22, and the sonar) that detected the obstacle becomes the vehicle status detection device associated with the vehicle status information indicating the judgment result of the inability to travel. The detection result of the obstacle detector 20 includes the size, type, and distance from the vehicle of the obstacle. In addition, the group of detection devices 9 that are factors that cause driving to be impossible includes detection devices that detect the operation state (operation position) of various manual operation devices 90, and the detection result that the operation position of the manual operation device 90, which is a prerequisite for allowing automatic driving, remote driving, manual driving, front-pushing driving, and rear-pushing driving, is not satisfied, becomes the judgment result reason information. For example, the detection result included in the judgment result reason information is that the stop position of the main shift lever, which is a prerequisite for automatic driving and remote driving, is not detected.

The vehicle status information, which is the processing result of the detection signal processing unit 40, and the judgment result reason information generated by the judgment result reason information generating unit 53a are stored in the information storage unit 78 under the management of the time series/hierarchical information management unit 76. The time series/hierarchical information management unit 76 has a function of managing the judgment result reason information generated sequentially in a time series and providing it to the display control unit 55, and a function of managing the judgment result reason information composed of hierarchical data in a hierarchical manner and providing it to the display control unit 55. This makes it possible to display the judgment result reason information in a hierarchical manner and in a time series manner on the display device 56. The display of the vehicle status information and the judgment result reason information on the display device 56 may be automatically displayed, or may be performed by operating a hardware switch or a software switch attached to the display device 56. The display can also be erased automatically or by operating a switch.

In the electronic control system shown in Figures 5 and 6, the judgment unit 75 judges whether or not a driving command issued using the manual remote control device 3 or the manual operation tool 90 should be permitted. This judgment by the judgment unit 75 is made based on the conditions set for each driving mode managed by the vehicle driving management unit 7 and the vehicle status information. If it is judged that the driving command can be executed, it is executed through the driving control unit 6. If it is judged that the driving command cannot be executed, judgment result reason information indicating the reason is generated. This judgment result reason information is displayed on the display device 56.

In this embodiment, the display device 56 is a liquid crystal display installed in the driving unit 12, and displays the stop information generated by the display information generating unit 53 under display control by the display control unit 55. FIG. 7 shows a window screen displaying the judgment result reason information regarding the inability to start automatic driving during preparation for automatic driving as an example of the judgment result reason information generated by the judgment result reason information generating unit 53a. At the top of the window screen, the window title "Automatic OFF Automatic driving preparation" is displayed, and the judgment result reason information is a message saying "Automatic driving cannot be started. Please check the condition start condition with the [Condition confirmation] button." This allows the monitor (the operator of the manual remote control device 3) to understand that there is a reason why automatic driving does not start despite the operation to start automatic driving. To know the cause further, the [Condition confirmation] button located at the right end of the window screen is operated. This operation displays the condition confirmation window screen shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, "Main shift lever [non-stop]" is displayed as the current state, and "Please set the main shift lever to [stop]" is displayed as the confirmation/operation content. From this, the monitor knows that the reason autonomous driving has not started is that the main shift lever has been operated to a position other than the stop position. Furthermore, the monitor also knows that in order to switch to autonomous driving, the main shift lever must first be set to "Stop." In this way, the monitor can understand from the display content of the display device 56 that autonomous driving has not started despite the operation to switch the vehicle to autonomous driving has been performed, and what measures should be taken to address this.

If a configuration is adopted in which the judgment result reason information generated by the judgment result reason information generating unit 53a is sent via wireless data communication to a manual remote control device 3 having a display, it is also possible to display the judgment result reason information on the display of the manual remote control device 3.

Although no screen image is shown, if the vehicle is not driven as instructed, such as by driving forward or backward using the manual remote control device 3, information on the reason for the judgment result, such as the example shown below, will be displayed on the display device 56.
(1) An indication that a driving obstacle has been detected within the allowable limit distance in the direction of travel.
(2) When driving close to the ground or close to the ground, a message is displayed indicating that the distance between the vehicle body 10 and the ridge is outside the allowable range. This message is displayed when the vehicle does not move even if the forward (close to the ground) button is operated during driving close to the ground, and when the vehicle does not move even if the reverse (close to the ground) button is operated during driving close to the ground.
(3) A display indicating that the vehicle is driving forward or backward from an inappropriate location (for example, in the middle of a field, or the vehicle body 10 is in an inappropriate position relative to the ridge, etc.).

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the display device 56 is installed inside the driving unit 12. However, the display device 56 may be installed outside the driving unit 12. In addition, a wireless display device that displays information wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle body 10 may be used in a position away from the vehicle body 10.

(2) The functional block diagrams shown in Figures 5 and 6 are schematic for explanatory purposes. The illustrated functional blocks may be integrated with other functional blocks, or a single functional block may be divided. In addition, some of them may be incorporated into the human remote control device 3.

(3) Among the obstacle detectors 20, the millimeter wave radar 21 can be replaced by LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or sonar. Also, the millimeter wave radar 21 and the camera 22 can be replaced by a stereo camera system. Of course, it is also possible to mix such obstacle detectors 20.

(4) The arrangement of the multiple obstacle detectors 20 in the above-described embodiment is just one example, and other arrangements are also possible, such as arranging multiple detectors for short distances and long distances, or arranging multiple detectors according to the height of the field.

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

The work control system that is the subject of this invention can be installed not only in combine harvesters, but also in various other work vehicles such as tractors, rice transplanters, cultivators, and harvesters.

2: Vehicle status detection device group 3: Manual remote operation device 6: Travel control unit 7: Vehicle travel management unit 9: Detection device group 10: Vehicle body 20: Obstacle detector 21: Millimeter wave radar 22: Camera 40: Detection signal processing unit 41: Vehicle position calculation unit 42: Obstacle detection unit 43: Vehicle status detection unit 50: Travel route management unit 51: Work device management unit 52: Device control unit 53: Display information generation unit 53a: Judgment result reason information generation unit 55: Display control unit 56: Display device 61: Automatic travel control unit 62: Remote travel control unit 63: Manual travel control unit 71: Automatic driving management unit 72: Remote driving management unit 73: Manual driving management unit 75: Judgment unit 76: Hierarchical information management unit 78: Information storage unit 80: Satellite positioning module 90: Manual operation tool

Claims (10)

A work vehicle that can be remotely driven by a remote control device,
A vehicle driving management unit that generates a driving control command based on an operation signal from the manual remote control device;
A determination unit that determines whether or not driving can be performed based on the driving control command;
a travel control unit that executes travel according to the travel control command based on a result of the determination by the determination unit;
a judgment result reason information generating unit that generates judgment result reason information when the judgment result by the judgment unit is that driving is not possible;
a display device for displaying the determination result reason information;
A work vehicle equipped with: The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information on the reason for the judgment result is displayed on the display device in response to a human operation. The work vehicle according to claim 1, in which the information on the reason for the judgment result is automatically displayed on the display device. The work vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle status detection device group that detects the vehicle status, and the determination unit determines the possibility of traveling based on a detection signal from the vehicle status detection device group. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the information on the reason for the judgment result includes information identifying the vehicle condition detection device among the group of vehicle condition detection devices that caused the judgment result to be unable to travel, and the detection result of the vehicle condition detection device. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle driving management unit has an automatic driving mode, a front approach driving mode, and a rear approach driving mode, and the detection signal, which differs for each driving mode, is used to determine the possibility of driving. The work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein in the autonomous driving mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that driving is possible, all detection results related to autonomous driving among the vehicle condition detection device group are required to be positive. The work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein in the forward approach travel mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that travel is possible, a positive detection result from a detection device related to forward travel among the group of vehicle status detection devices is required. The work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein in the rearward travel mode, in order for the determination unit to determine that travel is possible, a positive detection result from a detection device related to reverse travel among the group of vehicle condition detection devices is required. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information on the reason for the judgment result can be displayed on the display device in a chronological order, a hierarchical order, or both.

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