JP2024161167A - Work vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The objective is to increase yields and improve work efficiency even without know-how. [Solution] A work vehicle that is equipped with a traveling body (2) and a supply device that supplies materials to a field on the traveling body (2), and adjusts the supply amount of the materials based on soil classification data that determines the classification of soil color using satellite image data of the field and images of the field that have actually been photographed. [Selected Figure] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a work vehicle.

Conventionally, work vehicles such as seedling transplanters used for planting seedlings in farm fields are equipped with a fertilizer applicator and a GPS, and are equipped with an automatic steering device that holds the steering member in a straight-ahead position to automatically drive in a straight line and automatically correct the direction of travel of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2016-24541 A

However, with conventional work vehicles, it is difficult to increase yields without the know-how of rice planting and seedling growth. In addition, because they do not recognize the shape of the field, they are unable to know when the seedlings will run out, which reduces work efficiency.

In consideration of the problems with conventional work vehicles described above, the present invention aims to increase yields even without the need for know-how, recognize the shape of the field, and enable workers to quickly replenish seedlings and fertilizer, thereby improving work efficiency.

The vehicle includes a traveling vehicle body (2) and a supply device for supplying materials to a field on the traveling vehicle body (2).
This work vehicle is characterized by adjusting the supply amount of the materials based on soil classification data that determines the classification of soil color using satellite image data of the field and images of the field that have been actually photographed.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The vehicle includes a traveling vehicle body (2) and a supply device for supplying materials to a field on the traveling vehicle body (2).
This work vehicle is characterized in that the supply amount of the materials is adjusted based on soil classification data that determines the classification of soil color using satellite image data of the field and topographical data of the field.

The third aspect of the present invention is
The traveling vehicle body (2) is provided with a planting device (50) for planting seedlings in the field,
3. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the planting depth at which seedlings are planted in a field is adjusted based on the soil type classification data.

This invention allows you to increase yields even without the know-how by adjusting the supply of materials based on classified data.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a robotic riding rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Plan view of the robotic rice transplanter in this embodiment A block diagram showing the connection relationship between the control unit and various devices and sensors in the robotic riding rice transplanter of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a field for explaining an outline of the travel path and work procedure of the robotic rice transplanter in the field according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a farm field for explaining an overview of a work procedure for acquiring shape information of the farm field based on manual travel along each side of the farm field according to the present embodiment;

The following describes an eight-row planting robotic riding rice transplanter that is one embodiment of the work vehicle of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 are a left side view and a plan view of the robotic riding rice transplanter according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the planting device 50 is mounted on the rear of the traveling body 2 via a lifting link device 30 so that it can be raised and lowered, and a hopper 3a of the fertilizer applicator 3 is provided on the upper rear part of the traveling body 2. The lifting link device 30 is a parallel link equipped with an upper link arm 31 and a lower link arm 32.

Below the planting device 50 is a soil covering unit 90 (see FIG. 3) that pours fertilizer supplied from a fertilizer hose (not shown) of the fertilizer applicator 3 into a furrow formed in the field by a furrow making unit (not shown) and then covers the fertilizer with soil. A soil covering plate drive device 91 provided in the soil covering unit 90 is configured to operate the soil covering plate (not shown) of the soil covering unit 90 in response to a command from the control unit 400, thereby making it possible to change the amount of soil covered.

The vehicle body 2 is a four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with a pair of left and right front wheels 4, 4 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 5, 5, which are drive wheels.

The robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is also equipped with a pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3) that measures the hydrogen ion exponent (pH value) of the field. Specifically, the electrode sensor of the pH meter 80 is disposed opposite the rims of the pair of front wheels 4 on the left and right of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

During fertilization work by the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, if the control unit 400 (see FIG. 3) determines from the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field by the pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3) that the pH value at a certain measurement position in the field is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it determines that the measurement position is a place with high reduction activity (i.e. poor drainage) and issues a command to the soil cover plate driver 91 to operate the soil cover plate and change the amount of covered soil in a direction less than a predetermined standard. This makes it possible to improve the drainage at the measurement position determined to have high reduction activity, promote oxidation, and improve the soil quality.

The front end of the vehicle body main frame 7 is fixed to the rear part of the transmission case 6, while a pair of left and right link support stays 10 that rotatably support the lifting link device 30 are fixed to both left and right ends of the rear end of the vehicle body main frame 7.

The engine 20 is mounted on the vehicle main frame 7, and the rotational power of the engine 20 is transmitted to the transmission case 6 via a belt transmission device 12 and an HST (hydrostatic continuously variable transmission) 13. The rotational power transmitted to the transmission case 6 is changed in speed by a speed change mechanism (auxiliary transmission, etc.) inside the transmission case 6, and then separated into running power and externally extracted power, which are then extracted. The running power then drives the front wheels 4, 4 and the left and right rear wheels 5, 5.

In addition, the external output power taken from the transmission case 6 is transmitted to the planting device 50 by the planting transmission shaft 21 via a planting clutch (not shown).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the planting device 50 is equipped with a first seedling planting section 55a, a second seedling planting section 55b, a third seedling planting section 55c, and a fourth seedling planting section 55d. Each seedling planting section is further equipped with two rotatable planting tools 51 on each side, each having claws for planting seedlings, allowing a total of eight rows of seedlings to be planted in the field.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, floats 53 are provided at the center and on both the left and right sides of the bottom of the planting device 50. These floats 53 slide across the muddy surface of the field while leveling it, and seedlings are planted in the leveled area by the planting tool 51.

In addition, a ground leveling rotor 40 is provided at the bottom of the planting device 50. The rotor 41 is arranged in a roughly gate-like shape when viewed from above, and is rotated via a universal joint 40a by the power extracted from the left rear wheel gear case 18L to level the field.

The soil leveling rotor 40 is attached to the planting device 50 so that it can be raised and lowered by the operation of a lifting motor (not shown), and the rotor 41 is rotated by turning on and off a specified clutch (not shown) provided on the left rear wheel gear case 18L.

A steering handle 24 is provided in front of the steering seat 22. A leveling rotor on/off switch 42 (see FIG. 3) for turning the leveling rotor 40 on and off is provided on the right or left side of the steering handle 24. When the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 is turned "on," the leveling rotor 40 descends to the field and the rotor 41 starts rotating in response to a command from the control unit 400 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later. When the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 is turned "off," the leveling rotor 40 rises from the field and the rotor 41 stops rotating in response to a command from the control unit 400 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later.

In addition, various levers are provided on the right or left side of the steering handle 24, such as an HST operation lever (not shown) that switches the traveling body 2 between forward and reverse travel and sets the traveling speed, and a planting operation lever 14 (see Figure 2) that raises and lowers the planting device 50 and turns the planting operation on and off.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, when the traveling body 2 turns or travels in reverse, the lifting link device 30 rises in conjunction with these movements, causing the planting device 50 to rise and the planting work to stop.

In addition, below the steering wheel 24 are provided various operation buttons (not shown), an automatic driving mode on/off switch 61 (see FIG. 3) for turning on and off the automatic driving mode described below, and a meter panel 60 (see FIG. 2) on which various meters and displays are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 3, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a transceiver 70, an automatic steering device 200, a position information acquisition device 300, and various other sensors, which are electrically connected to a control unit 400 (see FIG. 3) described later.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the connection relationship between the control unit 400 and various devices and sensors in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

The transmitter/receiver device 70 is a device for transmitting and receiving signals when a worker who is on the edge of a field and monitoring the automatic planting work performed by the unmanned robotic riding-on rice transplanter 1 remotely operates the robotic riding-on rice transplanter 1 using a remote control device 71 (Figure 3) carried by the worker as necessary.

The automatic steering device 200 is configured to automatically operate the steering wheel 24 to keep the traveling vehicle body 2 moving in a straight line or to turn the vehicle body 2.

That is, the automatic steering device 200 has a steering motor 210 that rotates the steering handle 24 by automatically applying an arbitrary rotational force to the steering handle 24, and a steering potentiometer 220 that detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering handle 24.

The position information acquisition device 300 is configured to acquire position information (i.e., coordinate information) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 on the Earth based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and is equipped with a receiving antenna 310 for receiving signals from artificial satellites at predetermined intervals, and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 is sent to the control unit 400.

The position information sent to the control unit 400, the shape information of the field obtained based on the position information (described later), and the position information (position coordinates) of the target travel path along which the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 should travel during automatic planting work in the field are configured to be recordable in the memory unit 410 (see FIG. 3). In addition, the shape information of the field and the position information of the target travel path are calculated by the calculation unit 420 (described later).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the receiving antenna 310 is fixed to the center of the upper surface of the gate-shaped antenna fixing member 320 when viewed from the front, and the left and right lower ends 321L and 321R of the antenna fixing member 320 are fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the front end of the floor step 23.

The traveling vehicle body 2 of this embodiment is an example of the traveling vehicle body of the present invention, and the planting device 50 of this embodiment is an example of the work device of the present invention. The soil leveling rotor 40 of this embodiment is an example of the soil leveling device of the present invention, and the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 of this embodiment is an example of the soil leveling device on/off switch of the present invention. The position information acquisition device 300 of this embodiment is an example of the position information acquisition device of the present invention, and the control unit 400 of this embodiment is an example of the control unit of the present invention. The fertilizer application device 3 of this embodiment is an example of the fertilizer application device of the present invention. The pH measuring device 80 of this embodiment is an example of the detection device of the present invention, and the soil covering unit 90 of this embodiment is an example of the soil covering unit of the present invention.

In the above configuration, the operation of automatic operation using the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment will be explained mainly using Figures 4 and 5.

First, we will use Figure 4 to provide an overview of the travel path and work procedures of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of a farm field to provide an overview of the travel path and work procedures of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 in the farm field.

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of a field to provide an overview of the work procedures for acquiring field shape information based on manual driving (hand-operated driving) along each side of the field.

In this embodiment, the field 500 is a substantially rectangular field surrounded on all four sides by a first side 501, a second side 502, a third side 503, and a fourth side 504.

In addition, in this embodiment, the supply of seedlings and fertilizer to the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 is performed on the fourth side 504 of the field 500, so while the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 is operating automatically, an operator carrying a remote control device 71 waits on the fourth side 504 and monitors its operation.

In addition, in this embodiment, a setting switch (not shown) is provided that allows the operator to set in advance that the ridge on the fourth side 504 of the field 500 is to be used for supplying seedlings and fertilizer, and the control unit 400 that receives setting information from the setting switch is configured to record the information in the memory unit 410. Note that the setting switch is provided near the steering wheel 24 or the meter panel 60 (see FIG. 2) in order to improve operability.

In this embodiment, first, an operator gets on the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, turns the automatic operation mode on/off switch 61 to "on", and operates the steering wheel 24 to manually travel along the first side 501, second side 502, and third side 503 of the field 500 through process A 511, process B 512, and process C 513, while operating the soil leveling rotor 40 to perform soil leveling work on the headland without performing planting work.

By manually driving through these steps A 511 to C 513 while repeatedly turning the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 on and off as appropriate, the control unit 400 acquires position information on the four corners of the field, which is necessary to identify the shape information of the field 500, and position information on the reference line, which is necessary to calculate the target line. Based on the various acquired position information, the control unit 400 also calculates automatic driving route information that allows automatic turning operation (including position information on the target line from the second row L2 onwards, and position information on the first planting start line LU1 and the second planting start line LU2, etc.), and stores this information in the memory unit 410.

Next, the operator manually drives along process D 514 (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 4) along the fourth side 504 of the field 500 without performing any planting work, turns clockwise just before the first planting start position L2S of the second row L2 (the intersection of the first planting start line LU1 and the second row L2) and stops driving at the first planting start position L2S, then gets off the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 and moves to the ridge on the fourth side 504 side.

In the present embodiment, when the operator manually drives the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 through process D 514, the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 is set to the "off" state, but this is not limited to the above.

Then, the worker operates the remote control device 71 carried by him/her from the position of the ridge on the fourth side 504 to send a command to the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 to start unmanned automatic operation.

The control unit 400 receives an automatic driving start command via the transmission/reception device 70, and based on the automatic driving route information stored in the memory unit 410, issues a command to the automatic steering device 200, etc., to automatically perform driving operations including turning in the second row L2 to the nth row Ln and planting work, with the exception of fertilizer and seedling supply work performed on the ridge side of the fourth side 504, without any human intervention.

Next, after the automatic planting work in the nth row Ln has been completed, the control unit 400 continues to issue commands to the automatic steering device 200, etc. based on the automatic driving route information recorded in the memory unit 410, to perform automatic planting work while driving in the headland of the field 500 (including the first row L1, the row roughly parallel to the second edge 502, the (n+1)th row Ln+1, and the row roughly parallel to the fourth edge 504) either unmanned or with an operator on board, and then terminates the automatic driving.
The control unit 400 uses position information of a reference line of the first row, which will be described later, for automatic driving of the first row L1, and uses position information of a target line corresponding to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 for automatic driving of the (n+1)th row Ln+1. When no one is present, automatic driving is terminated by a command from the operator via the remote control device 71.

The headland planting work may be performed manually during all or part of the travel and turning process.

The first planting start line LU1 shown in FIG. 4 is a straight line indicating the reference positions for the planting start position and the planting stop position on the fourth side 504 side of the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, and the second planting start line LU2 is a straight line indicating the reference positions for the planting stop position and the planting start position on the second side 502 side of the second row L2 to the nth row Ln. The setting of these lines by the calculation unit 420 will be described further below.

Next, mainly using FIG. 5, we will further explain the operation of the control unit 400 acquiring shape information of the field 500 and automatic driving route information through calculations by an operator riding in the vehicle and manually driving it in steps A 511 to C 513.

In step A 511 (see Figure 4), the worker positions the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 so that the left end of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 is as close as possible to the corner positions of the first side 501 and the fourth side 504 of the field 500.

As described above, after turning the automatic operation mode on/off switch 61 to "on," the operator sets the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 (see FIG. 3) to the "on" state and starts manual travel in process A 511 without performing planting work. The control unit 400 receives a signal indicating the "on" state from the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 (see FIG. 3), lowers the soil leveling rotor 40 into the field and starts rotating the rotor 41.

In this embodiment, manual driving involves the operator driving the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 along the unevenness of each side of the field 500, and the driving trajectory is not necessarily linear.

In addition, when the automatic driving mode on/off switch 61 is set to "on" and the automatic driving mode is in the "on" state, the control unit 400, which receives a signal indicating that the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 has been set to "on", determines that the signal is also a start point acquisition trigger signal in addition to its original meaning, and has the calculation unit 420 determine the position information (coordinate value) of the left end of the rotor 41 of the leveling rotor 40 using the latest position information (coordinate value) of the receiving antenna 310 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 immediately after or immediately before the determination, and a predetermined rear end position conversion constant described below, and stores the calculation result in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the first edge start point P1S (see Figure 5).

The latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see A-process antenna start point PA1S in FIG. 5) acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 immediately before or after it is determined that the above signal is a start point acquisition trigger signal is also recorded in the memory unit 410. Similarly, when the control unit 400 determines that the signal is an end point acquisition trigger signal, which will be described later, the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see A-process antenna end point PA1E in FIG. 5) is also recorded in the memory unit 410.

When the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 reaches the end of process A 511 by manually driving it along the unevenness of the first side 501 of the field 500, the operator stops the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 when the front end 2a (see Figure 1) of the running body 2 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 reaches a position just before the second side 502 of the field 500 and sets the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 to the "off" state. In response to this, the soil leveling rotor 40 stops rotating and rises to a specified height in response to a command from the control unit 400.

In addition, when the automatic operation mode on/off switch 61 is set to "on" and the automatic operation mode is in the "on" state, the control unit 400, which has received a signal indicating that the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 has been set to "off," determines that the signal is also an end point acquisition trigger signal in addition to its original meaning, and has the calculation unit 420 use the latest position information (coordinate value) of the receiving antenna 310 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 immediately after or immediately before the determination and a predetermined front end position conversion constant described below to determine the position information (coordinate value) of the left front end virtual point of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 described later, and store the calculation result in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the first edge end point P1E (see Figure 5).

The predetermined rear end position conversion constant is a conversion constant for calculating the position information (coordinate value) at the position of the left end of the rotor 41 of the ground leveling rotor 40 (i.e., the position of the above-mentioned first edge starting point P1S (see Figure 5)) using the position information (coordinate value) at the position of the receiving antenna 310, and the positional relationship between the two is a value that is determined in advance based on the configuration and size of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, and is stored in advance in the memory unit 410.

The predetermined front end position conversion constant is a conversion constant for calculating the position information (coordinate value) at the position of the intersection (called the left front end virtual point) in a plan view of a first virtual line that passes through the front end 2a (see FIG. 1) of the running body 2 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 and extends parallel to the left and right direction of the running body 2, and a second virtual line that passes through the left end position of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 and extends parallel to the front and rear direction of the running body 2 (i.e., the position of the first edge end point P1E (see FIG. 5)). The positional relationship between the two is a value that is determined in advance based on the configuration and size of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, and is assumed to be stored in advance in the memory unit 410.

As described above, by manually operating the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 so as to get as close as possible to the corner of the field 500, position information of the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5) and position information of the first side end point P1E (see FIG. 5) can be obtained, and these position information can be used as approximations of the position information of both ends of the first side 501 of the field 500.

The control unit 400 is also configured to calculate the reference line of the first row using the position information (coordinate point) of the A process antenna start point PA1S (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A process 511 and the position information (coordinate point) of the A process antenna end point PA1E (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A process 511, and record the reference line in the memory unit 410.

In addition, as described above, when the automatic driving mode is in the "ON" state, the "ON" and "OFF" operations of the existing leveling rotor ON/OFF switch 42, in addition to their original function, also serve as trigger signals for obtaining position information of the start point and the end point. This eliminates the need for dedicated switches or levers for obtaining position information of the start and end points, thereby reducing the number of parts.

Next, the worker completes the leveling work in step A 511, rotates the leveling rotor 40 clockwise while keeping it elevated, and performs the same operations as in step A described above in step B 512.

That is, when the operator manually drives the vehicle in step B 512 by performing the same operation as in step A 511, the control unit 400 receives a signal indicating that the soil leveling rotor ON/OFF switch 42 (see FIG. 3) has been set to "ON", and determines that the signal is also a start point acquisition trigger signal, as described above, and calculates the position information (coordinate value) of the left end of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 as the position information (coordinate value) of the second side start point P2S (see FIG. 5), and stores it in the memory unit 410. Furthermore, when the control unit 400 receives a signal indicating that the soil leveling rotor ON/OFF switch 42 has been set to the "OFF" state, it determines that the signal is also an end point acquisition trigger signal, as described above, and stores the position information (coordinate value) of the left front end virtual point (not shown) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the second side end point P2E (see FIG. 5).

In addition, in manual driving of process B 512, the control unit 400 is configured to record in the memory unit 410 at least the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 acquired when the start point acquisition trigger signal is received (see process B antenna start point PB2S in FIG. 5) and the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 acquired when the end point acquisition trigger signal is received (see process B antenna end point PB2E in FIG. 5), just like in the case of process A.

The control unit 400 is also configured to use position information (coordinate points) of the B process antenna start point PB2S (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the B process 512 and position information (coordinate points) of the B process antenna end point PB2E (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the B process 512 to calculate a reference line for the headland of the second side to be used when automatically driving on the headland along the second side 502, and record the line in the memory unit 410.

Furthermore, after moving from process B 512 to process C 513, in the same manner as described above, the control unit 400 receives a start point acquisition trigger signal, calculates the position information (coordinate value) of the third side start point P3S (see FIG. 5), and stores it in the memory unit 410, and receives an end point acquisition trigger signal, and stores it in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the third side end point P3E (see FIG. 5).

The control unit 400 causes the calculation unit 420 to calculate shape information of the field 500 using the position information of the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5), the position information of the first side end point P1E (see FIG. 5), the position information of the second side start point P2S (see FIG. 5), the position information of the second side end point P2E (see FIG. 5), the position information of the third side start point P3S (see FIG. 5), and the position information of the third side end point P3E (see FIG. 5) stored in the memory unit 410 as described above.

That is, the calculation unit 420 determines the position information of a first straight line 521 (see FIG. 5) passing through the first edge start point P1S and the first edge end point P1E from the position information of the first edge start point P1S (see FIG. 5) and the position information of the first edge end point P1E (see FIG. 5), and similarly determines the position information of a second straight line 522 passing through the second edge start point P2S and the second edge end point P2E, similarly determines the position information of a third straight line 523 passing through the third edge start point P3S and the third edge end point P3E, and similarly determines the position information of a fourth straight line 524 passing through the first edge start point P1S and the third edge end point P3E.

In this way, the control unit 400 approximately recognizes the shape of the rectangle surrounded on all sides by the first line 521 to the fourth line 524 as shape information of the field 500.

The control unit 400 is configured to use the position information of a parallel straight line separated by a predetermined distance (a distance equal to half the ground leveling width WR plus a predetermined margin) from the position information of the fourth straight line 524 to calculate a reference line of the headland of the fourth side to be used when automatically traveling on the headland along the fourth side 502, and record the calculated line in the memory unit 410.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 can be moved as close as possible to the corners to obtain the start and end points on each of the first to third sides 501 to 503 of the field 500, so the accuracy of automatic planting can be improved by appropriately setting the first planting start line LU1 and the second planting start line LU2, which serve as the reference for the automatic turning start and end positions.

In addition, according to the above configuration, the position information of a total of four points, namely, the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5), the first intersection point between the first line 521 and the second line 522, the second intersection point between the second line 522 and the third line 523, and the third side end point, is simultaneously acquired by the calculation unit 420. Therefore, the shape information of the field 500 in this embodiment may be recognized as a quadrangle formed by a first line segment connecting the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5) and the first intersection point, a second line segment connecting the first intersection point and the second intersection point, a third line segment connecting the second intersection point and the third side end point, and a fourth line segment connecting the third side end point and the first side start point P1S.

Regarding the position information of the start and end points of each of the first side 501 to the third side 503, which is acquired as the position information of the four corners of the field 500, the position information of the end point of the first side and the start point of the second side may or may not match, and the position information of the end point of the second side and the start point of the third side may or may not match, depending on the shape of the field and the placement of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 at the corners, etc.

As described above, in this embodiment, the first side 501 to the fourth side 504 of the field 500 may actually have uneven parts, but as described above, the shape of the field 500 is approximately determined based on the position information of the start and end points acquired for the first side 501 to the third side 503, and the straight lines (or line segments) passing through them, i.e., the first line 521 to the fourth line 524 (or the first line segment to the fourth line segment).

Next, we will explain how the control unit 400 calculates the automatic driving route information for the second row and beyond based on the above-mentioned field shape information.

As described above, during manual driving of Process A 511, the control unit 400 stores in the memory unit 410 at least the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see Process A antenna start point PA1S in FIG. 5) acquired when a start point acquisition trigger signal is received, and the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see Process A antenna end point PA1E in FIG. 5) acquired when an end point acquisition trigger signal is received.

The control unit 400 calculates a straight line passing through the position information of the A-process antenna start point PA1S (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A-process 511, i.e., the coordinate point of the position of the receiving antenna 310 when the start point acquisition trigger signal is received, and the position information of the A-process antenna end point PA1E (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A-process 511, i.e., the coordinate point of the position of the receiving antenna 310 when the end point acquisition trigger signal is received, which are stored in the memory unit 410 as described above, as the reference line of the first row, and calculates the automatic driving route of the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 as multiple straight lines (target lines) that are parallel to the reference line and spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other, using the ground leveling width of the ground leveling rotor 40 in each of the adjacent rows among the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1. The position information of the reference line of the first row and the position information of the target line are recorded in the memory unit 410.

As described above, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is configured to acquire position information of the reference line by using the on or off signal from the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42, which is unlikely to be operated by an operator outside of a field, as a start point acquisition trigger signal or an end point acquisition trigger signal, thereby preventing erroneous acquisition of reference line position information outside of a field.

In addition, when calculating the automatic travel path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1, the following are used: the leveling width WR (see FIG. 2) in the left and right lateral directions of the leveling rotor 40 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, which is pre-stored in the memory unit 410; the overlapping dimension (including a positive setting value, a zero setting value, and a negative setting value) between the edges of the leveling width, which is pre-set by the overlapping width variable volume 43 (see FIG. 3); and the distance between the first line 521 and the third line 523, which is obtained from the shape information of the field 500 stored in the memory unit 410 by the above calculation.

The overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3) is located near the various operating buttons (not shown) below the steering handle 24, and is a volume-type switch that allows the operator to manually adjust the overlap dimension of the ground leveling width WR of the ground leveling rotors 40 in adjacent rows.
When the overlap width variable volume 43 is rotated clockwise from the reference position (zero position), the overlap dimension of the ground leveling width WR gradually increases from zero in a positive direction, and when rotated counterclockwise, the overlap dimension of the ground leveling width WR gradually increases from zero in a negative direction, i.e., a gap is created between the edges of the ground leveling width WR and the gap gradually increases.

As a result, the overlapping dimension of the leveling width WR can be freely adjusted in either the positive or negative direction with zero as the base point by using the overlapping width variable volume 43. Therefore, by adjusting the overlapping width variable volume 43 in the positive direction according to the field conditions, the occurrence of unleveled areas can be prevented, improving the field leveling and planting accuracy, and water can be more easily supplied evenly within the field, making it less likely that uneven seedling growth will occur. Furthermore, by adjusting the overlapping width variable volume 43 in the negative direction, the gap between adjacent rows becomes wider compared to when the edges of the leveling width WR overlap, improving ventilation and improving seedling growth.

In addition, if the control unit 400 determines that the planting width of the (n+1)th row Ln+1 is narrower as a result of calculating the automatic travel path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 and that the planting width of eight rows cannot be secured, the control unit 400 adjusts the spacing between each row by using a change width that is narrower within a specified range than the set width based on the setting value previously set before work using the overlap width variable volume 43. In this case, the control unit 400 displays on the meter panel 60 that the spacing between each row has been adjusted by the change width.

This allows eight rows of planting to be performed in all rows from the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 without the need for a mechanism such as a partial clutch (not shown) that partially switches the planting operation by the planting tool 51 of the planting device 50 on and off, thereby reducing the number of parts and manufacturing costs.

If the control unit 400 determines, as a result of calculating the automatic travel path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1, that the planting width of the (n+1)th row Ln+1 is wider than the planting width of eight rows, the control unit 400 adjusts the spacing between each row by using a change width that is wider within a specified range than the set width based on the setting value previously set before work using the overlap width variable volume 43. In this case, the control unit 400 displays on the meter panel 60 that the spacing between each row has been adjusted by the change width.

Next, we will explain the configuration of the control unit 400 to appropriately set the first planting start line LU1 and the second planting start line LU2, taking into account the turning width so that automatic turning can be performed within the range of the ground leveling width by the ground leveling rotor 40 on the pillow area, and the turning operation that utilizes this.

In other words, the control unit 400, in the calculation unit 420, sets the above-mentioned first planting start line LU1 at a position (see Figure 4) on the second side 502 side that is a distance equal to the ground leveling width WR (see Figure 2) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 plus a predetermined margin width Wα, based on the position information of the fourth straight line 524 obtained from the shape information of the field 500 stored in the memory unit 410, and stores the position information of the first planting start line LU1 in the memory unit 410.

The control unit 400 also uses the position information of the second straight line 522 obtained from the shape information of the field 500 stored in the memory unit 410 as a reference, and sets the above-mentioned second planting start line LU2 at a position (see Figure 4) on the fourth side 504 side that is a distance equal to the ground leveling width WR (see Figure 2) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 plus a predetermined margin width Wα, and stores the position information of the second planting start line LU2 in the memory unit 410.

The specified margin width Wα is set, for example, to ensure a distance (e.g., about 30 cm) between the seedlings planted at the beginning or end of each row and the seedlings planted at the left and right width ends of the pillow area (in Figure 4, the right end based on the running direction), and is configured to be changeable depending on the volume, etc.

In addition, in this embodiment, the turning width WT (see FIG. 4) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 when the steering angle by the steering motor 210 is set to the maximum turning angle is configured to be smaller than the land leveling width WR. Furthermore, when the automatic driving mode is "on", the control unit 400 is configured to set the steering angle by the steering motor 210 to the maximum turning angle when causing the automatic steering device 200 to perform an automatic turn.

As a result, when the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 automatically travels along the target line of the second row L2 while performing automatic planting and leveling work, and the control unit 400 determines that the planting position of the planting tool 51 has reached the second planting start line LU2, the control unit 400 stops and raises the leveling operation by the leveling rotor 40, stops and raises the planting operation by the planting device 50, and sets the steering angle by the steering motor 210 to the maximum angle for the automatic steering device 200 to turn approximately 90° to move to the target line of the third row L3. The control unit 400 then further causes the robot to travel along a straight line parallel to the second planting start line LU2 for a predetermined straight-line distance that is pre-recorded in the memory unit 410 according to the distance between adjacent target lines. Finally, the control unit 400 again sets the steering angle of the steering motor 210 of the automatic steering device 200 to the maximum angle, moves it onto the target line of the third row L3, and lowers the planting device 50 and the soil leveling rotor 40 at the second planting start line LU2, while starting automatic straight-ahead driving that involves automatic planting and soil leveling operations.

In addition, when the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 automatically travels in a straight line along the target line of the third row L3, for example, while performing automatic planting work and ground leveling work, and the control unit 400 determines that the planting position of the planting tool 51 has reached the first planting start line LU1, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 also performs a turning operation similar to that described above.

In view of the above, in this embodiment, automatic rotation is performed within the range of the leveling width of the ground leveling rotor 40 on the pillow area, which prevents the occurrence of ungroomed and unplanted areas around the starting position of the rotation and improves the accuracy of automatic planting.

Here, we will further explain how to prevent the occurrence of unprepared and unplanted areas around the turning start position.

In another robotic riding rice transplanter with a different configuration from the above, the turning operation when the turning width WT is larger than the ground leveling width WR of the ground leveling rotor 40 in the pillow area is explained below with reference to Figure 4.

That is, for example, after automatically traveling straight on the target line of the second row L2, in order to turn so as not to interfere with the ridge of the second side 502, it is necessary to stop the planting work at a position a predetermined distance before the second planting start line LU2 described above and start automatic turning. Therefore, at the time when the last planting work on the headland is completed, between the seedlings on the second planting start line LU2 side of the seedlings at both ends of the eight rows planted on the headland and the seedlings planted at the end of the second row L2, the planting work is stopped at a position a predetermined distance before and automatic turning is started as described above, so the area corresponding to that predetermined distance remains as an area where seedlings have not been planted and the ground has not been leveled. Therefore, in such areas, the worker manually plants seedlings, but since the ground is not leveled, the ground leveling work must be done manually before the planting work, which reduces work efficiency.

In contrast, the configuration of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment as described above makes it possible to prevent such a decrease in work efficiency.

In this manner, the control unit 400 sets the position information of the target line required for automatic straight-line driving in the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, and the first planting start line LU1 (also referred to as the first turning reference line) and the second planting start line LU2 (also referred to as the second turning reference line) required for setting the reference positions for planting start and planting stop in the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, in other words, the turning end position corresponding to the planting start position and the turning start position corresponding to the planting stop position, and stores them in the memory unit 410.

In the above embodiment, the calculation of the automatic driving path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 is described as using the leveling width WR (see Figure 2) in the left and right lateral directions of the leveling rotor 40, the overlap dimension between the edges of the leveling width preset by the overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3) (including a positive setting value, a zero setting value, and a negative setting value), and field shape information, etc. However, without being limited to this, for example, in addition to the above items, a configuration may also be used that utilizes the planting width WU between the planting tools 51 arranged at both the left and right ends of the planting device 50 (i.e. the planting width between the left and right ends of the planting device 50) (see Figure 2). In this configuration, from information on the ground leveling width WR and planting width WU, the protrusion dimension Wd (= (WR-WU)÷2), which indicates how far the left and right ends of the ground leveling rotor 40 protrude outward in a plan view based on the planting positions of the planting tools 51 located at the left and right ends of the planting device 50, can be determined as a fixed value. Therefore, when the overlap dimension between the edges of the ground leveling width is set to zero using the overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3), the planting spacing Nk between seedlings planted in the outermost positions of adjacent rows can be determined as twice the protrusion dimension Wd.

If the overlap dimension (including positive, zero, and negative set values) between the edges of the leveling width set by the overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3) is Wk, then the planting distance Nk between seedlings planted in the outermost positions of adjacent rows can be expressed as 2 x Wd - Wk, so that by adjusting the overlap dimension Wk using the overlap width variable volume 43, the worker can also control the planting distance Nk (= 2 x Wd - Wk = WR - WU - Wk).

For example, if the protrusion dimension Wd is a fixed value of 20 cm, and the planting interval Nk between seedlings planted at the outermost positions of adjacent rows is to be set to the normal 30 cm, the overlap dimension Wk (= 2 × Wd - Nk) by the overlap width variable volume 43 can be set to 10 cm. Also, if the protrusion dimension Wd is a fixed value of 20 cm, and the planting interval Nk between seedlings planted at the outermost positions of adjacent rows is to be set to 50 cm, which is wider than normal, the overlap dimension Wk by the overlap width variable volume 43 can be set to -10 cm. In other words, if the overlap dimension Wk is set to -10 cm, a gap will be generated between the edges of the leveling width WR by the leveling rotor 40 of the adjacent rows, and this gap will be 10 cm, and the planting interval Nk between adjacent rows can be set to 50 cm, which is wider than 30 cm, improving ventilation and improving seedling growth.

That is, in the above configuration, if the overlap width variable volume 43 is, for example, a cylindrical knob that can be turned in either a clockwise (positive direction setting) or counterclockwise (negative direction setting) direction with respect to a reference position that sets the overlap dimension Wk = 0 between the edges of the ground leveling width, a first arc-shaped line centered on the rotation axis of the overlap width variable volume 43 is displayed on the operation panel side where the overlap width variable volume 43 is located, and the numerical value of the overlap dimension Wk between the edges of the ground leveling width is displayed as a scale on the first line. Furthermore, on the outer periphery of the first line, a second arc-shaped line centered on the rotation axis of the overlap width variable volume 43 is displayed, and the numerical value of the planting interval Nk between seedlings planted at the outermost positions of adjacent rows may be displayed as a scale on the second line in correspondence with the scale on the first line. In addition, instead of the analog display using the scales on the first line and the scales on the second line, the set value of the overlap width variable volume 43 may be displayed digitally. Next, we will mainly explain the configuration and operation to avoid a situation where the fertilizer runs out during the next round trip during the automatic operation control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment.

In this embodiment, as described above, it is assumed that the ridge on the fourth side 504 of the field 500 is used for supplying seedlings and fertilizer, and this is set in advance by the setting switch and recorded in the memory unit 410.

That is, a fertilizer delivery amount detection sensor 82 (see FIG. 3) is provided to detect the fertilizer delivered from the fertilizer applicator 3 to the field, and the control unit 400 calculates the amount of fertilizer applied from the detection results and calculates the amount of fertilizer remaining in the hopper. During the automatic straight-line driving in the odd-numbered rows among the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the fertilizer will run out during the automatic driving of one round trip after the next turning operation, in other words, during the driving until the machine next reaches the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line) (see FIG. 4) after the next turning operation, based on the remaining fertilizer amount, the fertilizer delivery amount, the distance of one round trip, and the vehicle speed calculated at the time when the machine approaches the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line) (see FIG. 4) and starts the next turning operation during the automatic driving of one round trip after the next turning operation.

In other words, if the control unit 400 determines that the fertilizer will run out during the next round trip, it will stop the next turn and continue driving straight toward the fourth side 504. After reaching the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), it will slow down the vehicle speed and stop it at the edge of the fourth side 504.

This makes it possible to avoid running out of fertilizer during the next planting cycle, and allows the operator to quickly replenish fertilizer to the hopper 3 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 that is stopped at the edge of the ridge on the fourth side 504, improving work efficiency. After the fertilizer replenishment work is completed, the operator can turn on the automatic operation continuation switch (not shown) to continue automatic operation control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

In addition, after reaching the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), the vehicle speed is reduced and stopped at the edge of the fourth side 504, ensuring safety for workers who are on board.

In the above explanation, the control unit 400 has been described as being configured and operated to avoid a situation in which the fertilizer runs out during the next round trip. However, this is not limiting. For example, to avoid a situation in which the seedlings in the seedling tank 52 run out during the next round trip and there are no seedlings, the control unit 400 may be configured to stop the next turn and continue driving straight toward the fourth side 504 when it determines that there will be no seedlings in the seedling tank 52 during the next round trip, and after reaching the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), to reduce the vehicle speed and stop the vehicle at the edge of the fourth side 504.

Here, the control unit 400 determines whether the seedlings in the seedling tank 52 will run out during the next round trip by recording data such as the spacing between plants, the amount of seedlings removed by the planting tool 51, and the lateral feed amount of the seedling tank 52 in the memory unit 410, and then determines whether the remaining amount of seedlings in the seedling tank 52 will allow planting work to be done in the next round trip.

This makes it possible to avoid the situation where the seedlings run out during the next planting round trip, and allows the operator to quickly replenish seedlings in the seedling tank 52 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 that has stopped at the edge of the ridge on the fourth side 504, improving work efficiency. After the seedling replenishment work is completed, the operator can turn on the automatic operation continuation switch (not shown) to continue automatic operation control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

In the above explanation, the control unit 400 has been described as being configured and operated to avoid the situation where the fertilizer runs out during the next round trip. In addition, the configuration may be such that the auxiliary seedling replenishment work is also performed in conjunction with the timing of the fertilizer replenishment work. In other words, in the case of this configuration, when the control unit 400 determines that the fertilizer will run out during the planting process of the next round trip and the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 stops at the edge of the fourth side 504, an electric auxiliary seedling frame is provided that automatically goes into a rail state in response to a command from the control unit 400. In addition, the electric auxiliary seedling frame can be returned to its original position by manual operation, and by returning it to its original position, the control unit 400 can continue automatic driving control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

Since supplementary seedlings are usually replenished at the same time as fertilizer is replenished, this allows both replenishment operations to be carried out in tandem, improving work efficiency.

In the above configuration, the control unit 400 has been described as canceling the next turn and driving straight to the edge of the ridge on the fourth side 504 and stopping it if it determines that there will be no seedlings in the seedling tank 52 during the next round trip. In this configuration, the machine may be configured to drive straight toward the fourth side 504, reach the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), and then decelerate and turn 90° to stop the machine parallel to the ridge on the fourth side 504 as the seedling supply position. In this configuration, a rail-shaped auxiliary seedling frame is provided on the top of the seedling tank 52, and the seedling supply position is set at the position where the rail reaches the ridge.

In the above embodiment, the case where shape information of the field 500 is acquired by manually traveling on the headland of the field 500 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, previously acquired map information or travel information of a tractor or the like may be recorded and used as shape information of the field 500.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 400 automatically changes the spacing between each row from a set width based on a preset value set before work using the overlap width variable volume 43 to a changed width in order to ensure planting of the eight rows in the (n+1)th row Ln+1. However, this is not limited to the above. For example, if the control unit 400 determines that it is possible to ensure planting of the eight rows in the (n+1)th row Ln+1 by changing only the planting spacing Nk between adjacent seedlings planted in the outermost positions of the nth row Ln and the (n+1)th row Ln+1, the control unit 400 may change only the planting spacing Nk between adjacent seedlings planted in the outermost positions of the nth row Ln and the (n+1)th row Ln+1 from the set width to the changed width.

In the above embodiment, when moving from an arbitrary target line to an adjacent target line by automatic turning, a configuration has been described in which the machine moves straight ahead to the first planting start line LU1 or parallel to the second planting start line LU2 a predetermined straight-line distance that is pre-recorded in the memory unit 410 according to the distance between the adjacent target lines. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the machine may be configured so that the operator can fine-tune the predetermined straight-line distance recorded in the memory unit 410 by operating the volume. This improves the accuracy of the planting start position.

In addition, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the grading rotor on/off switch 42 is set to the "off" state when the worker manually drives through D process 514, but this is not limiting. For example, the automatic driving mode may be in the "on" state, and the worker may turn the grading rotor on/off switch 42 "on" when starting manual driving through D process 514, and turn the grading rotor on/off switch 42 "off" when stopping manual driving through D process 514.

In this configuration, as in the above configuration example, the control unit 400 determines that the "on" signal and "off" signal of the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 are start point acquisition trigger signals and end point acquisition trigger signals, respectively, and records the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 at that time in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the D process antenna start point and the position information (coordinate value) of the D process antenna end point, respectively, based on each judgment, and may also be configured to calculate the position information (coordinate value) of the left end of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 at that time (referred to as the fourth side start point) and the position information (coordinate value) of the left front end virtual point of the robot riding rice transplanter 1 (referred to as the fourth side end point) and record it in the memory unit 410. As a result, the fourth straight line 524 can be determined as a straight line passing through the fourth side start point and the fourth side end point, and its position information can be obtained. In addition, in this configuration, the control unit 400 may be configured to use the position information (coordinate point) of the D process antenna start point during manual driving of the D process 514 and the position information (coordinate point) of the D process antenna end point during manual driving of the D process 514 to calculate a reference line for the headland of the fourth side to be used when automatically driving on the headland along the fourth side 504, and record the line in the memory unit 410.

In the above embodiment, the automatic travel from the second row L2 onwards is described as being based on the position information of the target line, regardless of the actual travel trajectory in the row immediately preceding the robotic riding rice transplanter 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the position information of the actual travel trajectory in the row immediately preceding the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be recorded in the memory unit 410, the amount of deviation between the target line corresponding to the immediately preceding row and its actual travel trajectory may be calculated, and if the control unit determines that the calculation result exceeds a predetermined range, the control unit may correct the position information of the target line corresponding to the next row based on the position of the deviation and the calculation result (amount of deviation), and then execute automatic travel of the next row.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which, when seedling or fertilizer replenishment is required, the next turn is stopped and the vehicle continues to travel straight toward the fourth side 504 and stops at the edge of the field. In addition, for example, if the control unit 400 determines that an error has occurred, the vehicle may be configured to return to the edge of the fourth side 504 to ensure safety.

In addition, if the control unit 400 determines that an error has occurred during automatic driving in the automatic driving mode, it may be configured to sound an alarm and stop the vehicle, and if the operation is changed to manual operation while the alarm is sounding, the manual operation may be prioritized.

The robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may also be equipped with a sensor that detects whether a person is riding on the vehicle, and if the sensor detects that a person is riding on the vehicle, the control unit 400 may be configured to slow down the rotation speed compared to when the vehicle is unmanned, to ensure safety.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, a pressure sensor (not shown) may be provided at the link fulcrum of the float 53 as a mud-pushing detection device for the float 53, and if the detection result indicates that the pressure value has increased due to mud pushing, the sensitivity of the float 53 may be changed from standard to the sensitive side. This allows automatic sensitivity adjustment.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, a spring steel and a limit switch (not shown) can be provided behind the link fulcrum of the float 53 as a mud-pushing detection device for the float 53, and when the float 53 is pushed by mud, the link fulcrum moves rearward from the standard position against the restoring force of the spring steel, turning the limit switch ON, and when there is no mud pushing, the link fulcrum returns to the standard position due to the restoring force of the spring steel, turning the limit switch OFF. This allows automatic sensitivity adjustment using a mechanical configuration without using an expensive pressure sensor.

In addition, to facilitate water management, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be configured to dig furrows on the outside of the end rows when planting. In this configuration, a furrow cutting mechanism can be provided in part of the front plate guard, allowing furrow cutting to be performed simultaneously with planting.

In addition, to facilitate water management, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be configured to dig furrows on the outside of the end rows when planting. In this configuration, by providing a furrow cutting mechanism on part of the float 53, furrow cutting on the outside of the machine body can be performed simultaneously with planting.

In addition, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 can be configured so that a furrow digger is provided on the front guard plate, and when teaching the entire circumference of process A 511 to process D 514 by manual driving, furrows can be dug between the ridges and the planting rows to reduce damage from grasshoppers and mice and to prevent weeds from entering the field. This can prevent uneven seedling growth and increase yields. It also makes subsequent growth management (water supply and drainage, mid-season drying) easier.

In addition, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be configured to provide a furrow digger on the front guard plate, as well as an image recognition device for identifying ridges, so that furrows can be dug between the ridges and planting rows, especially in cases where the boundaries are unclear (discontinuous), such as soil ridges. This makes it possible to avoid uneven seedling growth and increase yields. It also makes subsequent growth management (water supply and drainage, mid-season drying) easier.

In addition, in a robotic riding rice transplanter 1 equipped with a height control device for the planting section, a furrow digger can be provided in the planting section, and since lowering the planting section further makes the furrow deeper and raising the planting section further makes the furrow shallower, furrow cutting can be performed by gradually lowering the planting section toward the drainage side of the water inlet to reduce the height of the furrow. In this configuration, the position information of the water inlet (water supply side, drainage side) is set in advance, and the position information of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 can be used to optimize furrow cutting. This improves drainage and stabilizes seedling growth.

In addition, a furrow digger may be provided in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 equipped with a rolling control mechanism, and the furrows may be dug so that the height of the furrow decreases toward the drainage side of the water inlet. In this configuration, the position information of the water inlet (water supply side, drainage side) is set in advance, and the position information of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 is used to control the tilt angle of the vehicle body to the left and right due to rolling, thereby changing the height of the furrow and optimizing furrow cutting. This improves drainage and stabilizes seedling growth.

In the above embodiment, the amount of cover soil is adjusted based on the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field using the pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to measuring the ionization tendency, the pH value may also be measured at the same time, and the control unit may estimate the drainage of the soil based on the pH value. In places with poor drainage, the control unit may set the amount of fertilizer to be less than the standard amount, taking into account the fact that the soil has become alkaline due to reduction and that the fertilization effect is weak. This can improve the efficiency of variable fertilization. In this configuration, the pH meter electrode may also be used in conjunction with the electrical resistance measurement mechanism.

In the above embodiment, the work vehicle of the present invention is described as a robotic riding rice transplanter in which the planting device 50 is connected to the traveling body 2 as an example of a work device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the work vehicle of the present invention may be a robotic work vehicle connected to a seeding machine as another example of a work device. In this configuration, the control unit may estimate drainage by measuring the pH value of the field, and the control unit may change the soil cover accordingly. Specifically, in a location where the control unit determines that drainage is poor, the control unit may control the amount of soil cover to be less than the standard amount. This improves seedling establishment.

In the above embodiment, the work vehicle of the present invention is described as a robotic riding rice transplanter in which the planting device 50 is connected to the traveling body 2 as an example of a work device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the work vehicle of the present invention may be a robotic work vehicle connected to a seeding machine as another example of a work device. In this configuration, the control unit may estimate drainage by measuring the pH value of the field, and the control unit may change the furrow cutting accordingly. Specifically, in a location where the control unit determines that drainage is poor, the furrow cutting may be controlled to be deeper than the standard amount. This improves seedling establishment.

In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the amount of cover soil is adjusted based on the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field using a pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration may be adopted in which drainage is estimated by measuring the pH value using a pH meter, and variable fertilization is performed according to the estimated results (for example, the amount of fertilizer applied is increased compared to the standard amount in places with good drainage). This allows variable fertilization to be achieved at low cost without the need for expensive sensors.

In the above embodiment, the amount of soil cover is adjusted based on the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field using a pH meter 80) (see FIG. 3), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the tillage depth (depth of the field) may be measured according to the link angle detected by the link sensor, and variable fertilization may be performed accordingly (for example, the amount of fertilizer applied may be greater than the standard amount in shallow areas). In this configuration, a link sensor that detects the link angle of the pivot point supporting the float 53 is provided to detect the height of the planting device 50, and the detection result of the link sensor is used to realize variable fertilization in addition to its original function.
This makes it possible to realize variable fertilization at low cost without the need for expensive new sensors.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit can classify the field into gray lowland soil, yellow soil, or gley soil based on the topographical data, satellite image data, and soil distribution data, and if it is determined that the field is classified as yellow soil, it can apply more fertilizer than the basic setting value, and if it is determined that the field is classified as gley soil, it can perform shallow planting and furrow creation. Normally, nutrients tend to flow easily in yellow soil, and gley soil tends to have poor nutrient permeability in the soil, but with the above configuration, it is possible to increase yields even without know-how by changing the planting work depending on the condition of the soil.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit classifies the field soil type into gray lowland soil, yellow soil, or gley soil based on the soil distribution classified by the topographical data and satellite image data and the actual captured soil image of the field, and if it is determined to be classified as yellow soil, it applies more fertilizer than the basic setting value, and if it is determined to be classified as gley soil, it can be configured to perform shallow planting and furrowing. Normally, nutrients flow easily in yellow soil, and gley soil tends to have poor nutrient permeability in the soil, but with the above configuration, it is possible to increase yields even without know-how by changing the planting work depending on the condition of the soil.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit can classify the soil quality of the field as either gray lowland soil, yellow soil, or gley soil based on an actual soil image of the field, and if it is determined to be classified as yellow soil, it can apply more fertilizer than the basic setting value, and if it is determined to be classified as gley soil, it can perform shallow planting and furrow creation. Normally, nutrients tend to flow easily in yellow soil, and gley soil tends to have poor nutrient permeability in the soil, but with the above configuration, it is possible to increase yields even without know-how by changing the planting work depending on the condition of the soil.

In addition, in an autonomous linear rice transplanter, steering during teaching can be used as a learning opportunity, and if the expected output and actual output are the same but the actual input is different, the parameter sensed at that time with the highest contribution rate can be selected and weighted highly as a control parameter for the same field. Normally, leaving learning to artificial intelligence requires a large amount of data and takes time, but with the above configuration, it is possible to speed up the learning process while using steering during teaching.

The above-mentioned robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may also be configured to automatically detect ridges by blowing air while taking pictures with a camera, making it easier to remove noise caused by weeds, etc. Normally, stationary objects are recognized as obstacles, but the above-mentioned configuration makes it possible to reduce noise and automatically detect ridges. Also, instead of blowing air, the engine exhaust may be directed toward the ridges. This makes it possible to reduce noise during photography without having to install a new blower.

The above-mentioned robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may also be configured to detect ridges using an ultrasonic sensor. In this configuration, the sensor is installed at the side marker position and detects ridges based on the difference in distance from the planting field. The detection value is also corrected based on changes in the machine's attitude. This makes it possible to map the terrain.

In addition, for autonomous straight-line control, a turning device that changes the output depending on the slip ratio and tillage depth can be provided, and data on deviations from the path and the corresponding output can be collected using a satellite positioning system and tillage depth sensor (lift link angle sensor), the strength of correlation can be calculated, and data with a strong correlation can be linked to the output. This allows straight-line control to be performed without differences in straight-line ability depending on field conditions.

In addition, in autonomous straight-line control, a turning device that changes the output depending on the traveling speed may be provided, and the turning output may be reduced when the traveling speed is fast and increased when the traveling speed is slow, with weighting determined by the speed data collected along with the deviation from the route determined by the satellite positioning system and the corresponding output. This allows adaptation to a variety of situations, as the weighting value, which is influenced by conditions other than speed, is not fixed uniformly, and straight-line control can be performed without differences in straight-line ability depending on field conditions.

In addition, in autonomous straight-line control, a turning device that changes the output depending on various conditions can be provided, and the data (speed, field slip rate, tillage depth) collected along with deviation from the route using a satellite positioning system and the corresponding output can be weighted according to the degree of correlation, with the weighted value being recorded in the memory unit as field information. This makes it possible to adapt to a variety of situations as the weighted value is never a constant value, and straight-line control can be performed without differences in straight-line ability depending on field conditions.

The above-mentioned robotic riding rice transplanter 1 can also be configured to record field data (speed, field slip rate, tillage depth) and planting data (number of stalks planted, amount of seedlings removed, planting depth) at the time of planting, search for correlations with the ripeness in satellite images and the results of measurements using a yield combine, determine the most highly correlated data, and optimize planting conditions. This allows planting under optimal conditions regardless of field conditions and avoids overlearning.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an 8-row type robotic riding rice transplanter 1 was described as an example of a work vehicle of the present invention, but this is not limited to this, and the configuration may be, for example, 4-row planting, 5-row planting, or 6-row planting, and there is no limit to the number of rows.

The present invention makes it possible to determine in advance whether there are areas that have not yet been leveled by the soil leveling device, and is useful, for example, as a robotic riding rice transplanter.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Robotic riding rice transplanter 2 Traveling vehicle body 24 Steering handle 40 Land leveling rotor 43 Overlap width variable volume 300 Position information acquisition device 400 Control unit

The present invention relates to a work vehicle.

Conventionally, work vehicles such as seedling transplanters used for planting seedlings in farm fields are equipped with a fertilizer applicator and a GPS, and are equipped with an automatic steering device that holds the steering member in a straight-ahead position to automatically drive in a straight line and automatically correct the direction of travel of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2016-24541 A

However, with conventional work vehicles, it is difficult to increase yields without the know-how of rice planting and seedling growth. In addition, because they do not recognize the shape of the field, they are unable to know when the seedlings will run out, which reduces work efficiency.

In consideration of the problems with conventional work vehicles described above, the present invention aims to increase yields even without the need for know-how, recognize the shape of the field, and enable workers to quickly replenish seedlings and fertilizer, thereby improving work efficiency.

The vehicle includes a traveling vehicle body (2) and a supply device for supplying materials to a field on the traveling vehicle body (2).
This work vehicle is characterized by adjusting the supply amount of the materials based on classification data obtained by determining color classification using satellite image data of the field and images of the field that have been actually photographed.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The vehicle includes a traveling vehicle body (2) and a supply device for supplying materials to a field on the traveling vehicle body (2).
This work vehicle is characterized by adjusting the supply amount of the materials based on classification data obtained by determining a color classification using satellite image data of the field and topographical data of the field.

The third aspect of the present invention is
The classification data is soil classification data that classifies soil types, and the work vehicle is characterized in that the traveling body (2) is equipped with a planting device (50) that plants seedlings in the field, and the planting depth at which the seedlings are planted in the field is adjusted based on the soil classification data.

This invention allows you to increase yields even without any know-how by adjusting the supply of materials based on classified data.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a robotic riding rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Plan view of the robotic rice transplanter in this embodiment A block diagram showing the connection relationship between the control unit and various devices and sensors in the robotic riding rice transplanter of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a field for explaining an outline of the travel path and work procedure of the robotic rice transplanter in the field according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a farm field for explaining an overview of a work procedure for acquiring shape information of the farm field based on manual travel along each side of the farm field according to the present embodiment;

The following describes an eight-row planting robotic riding rice transplanter according to one embodiment of the work vehicle of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 are a left side view and a plan view of the robotic riding rice transplanter according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the planting device 50 is mounted on the rear of the traveling body 2 via a lifting link device 30 so that it can be raised and lowered, and a hopper 3a of the fertilizer applicator 3 is provided on the upper rear part of the traveling body 2. The lifting link device 30 is a parallel link equipped with an upper link arm 31 and a lower link arm 32.

Below the planting device 50 is a soil covering unit 90 (see FIG. 3) that pours fertilizer supplied from a fertilizer hose (not shown) of the fertilizer applicator 3 into a furrow formed in the field by a furrow making unit (not shown) and then covers the fertilizer with soil. A soil covering plate drive device 91 provided in the soil covering unit 90 is configured to operate the soil covering plate (not shown) of the soil covering unit 90 in response to a command from the control unit 400, thereby making it possible to change the amount of soil covered.

The vehicle body 2 is a four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with a pair of left and right front wheels 4, 4 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 5, 5, which are drive wheels.

The robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is also equipped with a pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3) that measures the hydrogen ion exponent (pH value) of the field. Specifically, the electrode sensor of the pH meter 80 is disposed opposite the rims of the pair of front wheels 4 on the left and right of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

During fertilization work by the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, if the control unit 400 (see FIG. 3) determines from the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field by the pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3) that the pH value at a certain measurement position in the field is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it determines that the measurement position is a place with high reduction activity (i.e. poor drainage) and issues a command to the soil cover plate driver 91 to operate the soil cover plate and change the amount of covered soil in a direction less than a predetermined standard. This makes it possible to improve the drainage at the measurement position determined to have high reduction activity, promote oxidation, and improve the soil quality.

The front end of the vehicle body main frame 7 is fixed to the rear part of the transmission case 6, while a pair of left and right link support stays 10 that rotatably support the lifting link device 30 are fixed to both left and right ends of the rear end of the vehicle body main frame 7.

The engine 20 is mounted on the vehicle main frame 7, and the rotational power of the engine 20 is transmitted to the transmission case 6 via a belt transmission device 12 and an HST (hydrostatic continuously variable transmission) 13. The rotational power transmitted to the transmission case 6 is changed in speed by a speed change mechanism (auxiliary transmission, etc.) inside the transmission case 6, and then separated into running power and externally extracted power, which are then extracted. The running power then drives the front wheels 4, 4 and the left and right rear wheels 5, 5.

In addition, the external output power taken from the transmission case 6 is transmitted to the planting device 50 by the planting transmission shaft 21 via a planting clutch (not shown).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the planting device 50 is equipped with a first seedling planting section 55a, a second seedling planting section 55b, a third seedling planting section 55c, and a fourth seedling planting section 55d. Each seedling planting section is further equipped with two rotatable planting tools 51 on each side, each having claws for planting seedlings, allowing a total of eight rows of seedlings to be planted in the field.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, floats 53 are provided at the center and on both the left and right sides of the bottom of the planting device 50. These floats 53 slide across the muddy surface of the field while leveling it, and seedlings are planted in the leveled area by the planting tool 51.

In addition, a ground leveling rotor 40 is provided at the bottom of the planting device 50. The rotor 41 is arranged in a roughly gate-like shape when viewed from above, and is rotated via a universal joint 40a by the power extracted from the left rear wheel gear case 18L to level the field.

The soil leveling rotor 40 is attached to the planting device 50 so that it can be raised and lowered by the operation of a lifting motor (not shown), and the rotor 41 is rotated by turning on and off a specified clutch (not shown) provided on the left rear wheel gear case 18L.

A steering handle 24 is provided in front of the steering seat 22. A leveling rotor on/off switch 42 (see FIG. 3) for turning the leveling rotor 40 on and off is provided on the right or left side of the steering handle 24. When the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 is turned "on," the leveling rotor 40 descends to the field and the rotor 41 starts rotating in response to a command from the control unit 400 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later. When the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 is turned "off," the leveling rotor 40 rises from the field and the rotor 41 stops rotating in response to a command from the control unit 400 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later.

In addition, various levers are provided on the right or left side of the steering handle 24, such as an HST operation lever (not shown) that switches the traveling body 2 between forward and reverse travel and sets the traveling speed, and a planting operation lever 14 (see Figure 2) that raises and lowers the planting device 50 and turns the planting operation on and off.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, when the traveling body 2 turns or travels in reverse, the lifting link device 30 rises in conjunction with these movements, causing the planting device 50 to rise and the planting work to stop.

In addition, below the steering wheel 24 are provided various operation buttons (not shown), an automatic driving mode on/off switch 61 (see FIG. 3) for turning on and off the automatic driving mode described below, and a meter panel 60 (see FIG. 2) on which various meters and displays are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 3, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a transceiver 70, an automatic steering device 200, a position information acquisition device 300, and various other sensors, which are electrically connected to a control unit 400 (see FIG. 3) described later.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the connection relationship between the control unit 400 and various devices and sensors in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

The transmitter/receiver device 70 is a device for transmitting and receiving signals when a worker who is on the edge of a field and monitoring the automatic planting work performed by the unmanned robotic riding-on rice transplanter 1 remotely operates the robotic riding-on rice transplanter 1 using a remote control device 71 (Figure 3) carried by the worker as necessary.

The automatic steering device 200 is configured to automatically operate the steering wheel 24 to keep the traveling vehicle body 2 moving in a straight line or to turn the vehicle body 2.

That is, the automatic steering device 200 has a steering motor 210 that rotates the steering handle 24 by automatically applying an arbitrary rotational force to the steering handle 24, and a steering potentiometer 220 that detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering handle 24.

The position information acquisition device 300 is configured to acquire position information (i.e., coordinate information) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 on the Earth based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and is equipped with a receiving antenna 310 for receiving signals from artificial satellites at predetermined intervals, and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 is sent to the control unit 400.

The position information sent to the control unit 400, the shape information of the field obtained based on the position information (described later), and the position information (position coordinates) of the target travel path along which the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 should travel during automatic planting work in the field are configured to be recordable in the memory unit 410 (see FIG. 3). In addition, the shape information of the field and the position information of the target travel path are calculated by the calculation unit 420 (described later).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the receiving antenna 310 is fixed to the center of the upper surface of the gate-shaped antenna fixing member 320 when viewed from the front, and the left and right lower ends 321L and 321R of the antenna fixing member 320 are fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the front end of the floor step 23.

The traveling vehicle body 2 of this embodiment is an example of the traveling vehicle body of the present invention, and the planting device 50 of this embodiment is an example of the work device of the present invention. The soil leveling rotor 40 of this embodiment is an example of the soil leveling device of the present invention, and the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 of this embodiment is an example of the soil leveling device on/off switch of the present invention. The position information acquisition device 300 of this embodiment is an example of the position information acquisition device of the present invention, and the control unit 400 of this embodiment is an example of the control unit of the present invention. The fertilizer application device 3 of this embodiment is an example of the fertilizer application device of the present invention. The pH measuring device 80 of this embodiment is an example of the detection device of the present invention, and the soil covering unit 90 of this embodiment is an example of the soil covering unit of the present invention.

In the above configuration, the operation of automatic operation using the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment will be explained mainly using Figures 4 and 5.

First, we will use Figure 4 to provide an overview of the travel path and work procedures of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of a farm field to provide an overview of the travel path and work procedures of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 in the farm field.

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of a field to provide an overview of the work procedures for acquiring field shape information based on manual driving (hand-operated driving) along each side of the field.

In this embodiment, the field 500 is a substantially rectangular field surrounded on all four sides by a first side 501, a second side 502, a third side 503, and a fourth side 504.

In addition, in this embodiment, the supply of seedlings and fertilizer to the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 is performed on the fourth side 504 of the field 500, so while the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 is operating automatically, an operator carrying a remote control device 71 waits on the fourth side 504 and monitors its operation.

In addition, in this embodiment, a setting switch (not shown) is provided that allows the operator to set in advance that the ridge on the fourth side 504 of the field 500 is to be used for supplying seedlings and fertilizer, and the control unit 400 that receives setting information from the setting switch is configured to record the information in the memory unit 410. Note that the setting switch is provided near the steering wheel 24 or the meter panel 60 (see FIG. 2) in order to improve operability.

In this embodiment, first, an operator gets on the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, turns the automatic operation mode on/off switch 61 to "on", and operates the steering wheel 24 to manually travel along the first side 501, second side 502, and third side 503 of the field 500 through process A 511, process B 512, and process C 513, while operating the soil leveling rotor 40 to perform soil leveling work on the headland without performing planting work.

By manually driving through these steps A 511 to C 513 while repeatedly turning the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 on and off as appropriate, the control unit 400 acquires position information on the four corners of the field, which is necessary to identify the shape information of the field 500, and position information on the reference line, which is necessary to calculate the target line. Based on the various acquired position information, the control unit 400 also calculates automatic driving route information that allows automatic turning operation (including position information on the target line from the second row L2 onwards, and position information on the first planting start line LU1 and the second planting start line LU2, etc.), and stores this information in the memory unit 410.

Next, the operator manually drives along process D 514 (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 4) along the fourth side 504 of the field 500 without performing any planting work, turns clockwise just before the first planting start position L2S of the second row L2 (the intersection of the first planting start line LU1 and the second row L2) and stops driving at the first planting start position L2S, then gets off the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 and moves to the ridge on the fourth side 504 side.

In the present embodiment, when the operator manually drives the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 through process D 514, the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 is set to the "off" state, but this is not limited to the above.

Then, the worker operates the remote control device 71 carried by him/her from the position of the ridge on the fourth side 504 to send a command to the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 to start unmanned automatic operation.

The control unit 400 receives an automatic driving start command via the transmission/reception device 70, and based on the automatic driving route information stored in the memory unit 410, issues a command to the automatic steering device 200, etc., to automatically perform driving operations including turning in the second row L2 to the nth row Ln and planting work, with the exception of fertilizer and seedling supply work performed on the ridge side of the fourth side 504, without any human intervention.

Next, after the automatic planting work in the nth row Ln has been completed, the control unit 400 continues to issue commands to the automatic steering device 200, etc. based on the automatic driving route information recorded in the memory unit 410, to perform automatic planting work while driving in the headland of the field 500 (including the first row L1, the row roughly parallel to the second edge 502, the (n+1)th row Ln+1, and the row roughly parallel to the fourth edge 504) either unmanned or with an operator on board, and then terminates the automatic driving.
The control unit 400 uses position information of a reference line of the first row, which will be described later, for automatic driving of the first row L1, and uses position information of a target line corresponding to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 for automatic driving of the (n+1)th row Ln+1. When no one is present, automatic driving is terminated by a command from the operator via the remote control device 71.

The headland planting work may be performed manually during all or part of the travel and turning process.

The first planting start line LU1 shown in FIG. 4 is a straight line indicating the reference positions for the planting start position and the planting stop position on the fourth side 504 side of the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, and the second planting start line LU2 is a straight line indicating the reference positions for the planting stop position and the planting start position on the second side 502 side of the second row L2 to the nth row Ln. The setting of these lines by the calculation unit 420 will be described further below.

Next, mainly using FIG. 5, we will further explain the operation of the control unit 400 acquiring shape information of the field 500 and automatic driving route information through calculations by an operator riding in the vehicle and manually driving it in steps A 511 to C 513.

In step A 511 (see Figure 4), the worker positions the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 so that the left end of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 is as close as possible to the corner positions of the first side 501 and the fourth side 504 of the field 500.

As described above, after turning the automatic operation mode on/off switch 61 to "on," the operator sets the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 (see FIG. 3) to the "on" state and starts manual travel in process A 511 without performing planting work. The control unit 400 receives a signal indicating the "on" state from the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 (see FIG. 3), lowers the soil leveling rotor 40 into the field and starts rotating the rotor 41.

In this embodiment, manual driving involves the operator driving the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 along the unevenness of each side of the field 500, and the driving trajectory is not necessarily linear.

In addition, when the automatic driving mode on/off switch 61 is set to "on" and the automatic driving mode is in the "on" state, the control unit 400, which receives a signal indicating that the leveling rotor on/off switch 42 has been set to "on", determines that the signal is also a start point acquisition trigger signal in addition to its original meaning, and has the calculation unit 420 determine the position information (coordinate value) of the left end of the rotor 41 of the leveling rotor 40 using the latest position information (coordinate value) of the receiving antenna 310 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 immediately after or immediately before the determination, and a predetermined rear end position conversion constant described below, and stores the calculation result in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the first edge start point P1S (see Figure 5).

The latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see A-process antenna start point PA1S in FIG. 5) acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 immediately before or after it is determined that the above signal is a start point acquisition trigger signal is also recorded in the memory unit 410. Similarly, when the control unit 400 determines that the signal is an end point acquisition trigger signal, which will be described later, the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see A-process antenna end point PA1E in FIG. 5) is also recorded in the memory unit 410.

When the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 reaches the end of process A 511 by manually driving it along the unevenness of the first side 501 of the field 500, the operator stops the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 when the front end 2a (see Figure 1) of the running body 2 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 reaches a position just before the second side 502 of the field 500 and sets the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 to the "off" state. In response to this, the soil leveling rotor 40 stops rotating and rises to a specified height in response to a command from the control unit 400.

In addition, when the automatic operation mode on/off switch 61 is set to "on" and the automatic operation mode is in the "on" state, the control unit 400, which has received a signal indicating that the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 has been set to "off," determines that the signal is also an end point acquisition trigger signal in addition to its original meaning, and has the calculation unit 420 use the latest position information (coordinate value) of the receiving antenna 310 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 immediately after or immediately before the determination and a predetermined front end position conversion constant described below to determine the position information (coordinate value) of the left front end virtual point of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 described later, and store the calculation result in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the first edge end point P1E (see Figure 5).

The predetermined rear end position conversion constant is a conversion constant for calculating the position information (coordinate value) at the position of the left end of the rotor 41 of the ground leveling rotor 40 (i.e., the position of the above-mentioned first edge starting point P1S (see Figure 5)) using the position information (coordinate value) at the position of the receiving antenna 310, and the positional relationship between the two is a value that is determined in advance based on the configuration and size of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, and is stored in advance in the memory unit 410.

The predetermined front end position conversion constant is a conversion constant for calculating the position information (coordinate value) at the position of the intersection (called the left front end virtual point) in a plan view of a first virtual line that passes through the front end 2a (see FIG. 1) of the running body 2 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 and extends parallel to the left and right direction of the running body 2, and a second virtual line that passes through the left end position of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 and extends parallel to the front and rear direction of the running body 2 (i.e., the position of the first edge end point P1E (see FIG. 5)). The positional relationship between the two is a value that is determined in advance based on the configuration and size of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, and is assumed to be stored in advance in the memory unit 410.

As described above, by manually operating the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 so as to get as close as possible to the corner of the field 500, position information of the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5) and position information of the first side end point P1E (see FIG. 5) can be obtained, and these position information can be used as approximations of the position information of both ends of the first side 501 of the field 500.

The control unit 400 is also configured to calculate the reference line of the first row using the position information (coordinate point) of the A process antenna start point PA1S (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A process 511 and the position information (coordinate point) of the A process antenna end point PA1E (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A process 511, and record the reference line in the memory unit 410.

In addition, as described above, when the automatic driving mode is in the "ON" state, the "ON" and "OFF" operations of the existing leveling rotor ON/OFF switch 42, in addition to their original function, also serve as trigger signals for obtaining position information of the start point and the end point. This eliminates the need for dedicated switches or levers for obtaining position information of the start and end points, thereby reducing the number of parts.

Next, the worker completes the leveling work in step A 511, rotates the leveling rotor 40 clockwise while keeping it elevated, and performs the same operations as in step A described above in step B 512.

That is, when the operator manually drives the vehicle in step B 512 by performing the same operation as in step A 511, the control unit 400 receives a signal indicating that the soil leveling rotor ON/OFF switch 42 (see FIG. 3) has been set to "ON", and determines that the signal is also a start point acquisition trigger signal, as described above, and calculates the position information (coordinate value) of the left end of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 as the position information (coordinate value) of the second side start point P2S (see FIG. 5), and stores it in the memory unit 410. Furthermore, when the control unit 400 receives a signal indicating that the soil leveling rotor ON/OFF switch 42 has been set to the "OFF" state, it determines that the signal is also an end point acquisition trigger signal, as described above, and stores the position information (coordinate value) of the left front end virtual point (not shown) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the second side end point P2E (see FIG. 5).

In addition, in manual driving of process B 512, the control unit 400 is configured to record in the memory unit 410 at least the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 acquired when the start point acquisition trigger signal is received (see process B antenna start point PB2S in FIG. 5) and the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 acquired when the end point acquisition trigger signal is received (see process B antenna end point PB2E in FIG. 5), just like in the case of process A.

The control unit 400 is also configured to use position information (coordinate points) of the B process antenna start point PB2S (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the B process 512 and position information (coordinate points) of the B process antenna end point PB2E (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the B process 512 to calculate a reference line for the headland of the second side to be used when automatically driving on the headland along the second side 502, and record the line in the memory unit 410.

Furthermore, after moving from process B 512 to process C 513, in the same manner as described above, the control unit 400 receives a start point acquisition trigger signal, calculates the position information (coordinate value) of the third side start point P3S (see FIG. 5), and stores it in the memory unit 410, and receives an end point acquisition trigger signal, and stores it in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the third side end point P3E (see FIG. 5).

The control unit 400 causes the calculation unit 420 to calculate shape information of the field 500 using the position information of the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5), the position information of the first side end point P1E (see FIG. 5), the position information of the second side start point P2S (see FIG. 5), the position information of the second side end point P2E (see FIG. 5), the position information of the third side start point P3S (see FIG. 5), and the position information of the third side end point P3E (see FIG. 5) stored in the memory unit 410 as described above.

That is, the calculation unit 420 determines the position information of a first straight line 521 (see FIG. 5) passing through the first edge start point P1S and the first edge end point P1E from the position information of the first edge start point P1S (see FIG. 5) and the position information of the first edge end point P1E (see FIG. 5), and similarly determines the position information of a second straight line 522 passing through the second edge start point P2S and the second edge end point P2E, similarly determines the position information of a third straight line 523 passing through the third edge start point P3S and the third edge end point P3E, and similarly determines the position information of a fourth straight line 524 passing through the first edge start point P1S and the third edge end point P3E.

In this way, the control unit 400 approximately recognizes the shape of the rectangle surrounded on all sides by the first line 521 to the fourth line 524 as shape information of the field 500.

The control unit 400 is configured to use the position information of a parallel straight line separated by a predetermined distance (a distance equal to half the ground leveling width WR plus a predetermined margin) from the position information of the fourth straight line 524 to calculate a reference line of the headland of the fourth side to be used when automatically traveling on the headland along the fourth side 502, and record the calculated line in the memory unit 410.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 can be moved as close as possible to the corners to obtain the start and end points on each of the first to third sides 501 to 503 of the field 500, so the accuracy of automatic planting can be improved by appropriately setting the first planting start line LU1 and the second planting start line LU2, which serve as the reference for the automatic turning start and end positions.

In addition, according to the above configuration, the position information of a total of four points, namely, the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5), the first intersection point between the first line 521 and the second line 522, the second intersection point between the second line 522 and the third line 523, and the third side end point, is simultaneously acquired by the calculation unit 420. Therefore, the shape information of the field 500 in this embodiment may be recognized as a quadrangle formed by a first line segment connecting the first side start point P1S (see FIG. 5) and the first intersection point, a second line segment connecting the first intersection point and the second intersection point, a third line segment connecting the second intersection point and the third side end point, and a fourth line segment connecting the third side end point and the first side start point P1S.

Regarding the position information of the start and end points of each of the first side 501 to the third side 503, which is acquired as the position information of the four corners of the field 500, the position information of the end point of the first side and the start point of the second side may or may not match, and the position information of the end point of the second side and the start point of the third side may or may not match, depending on the shape of the field and the placement of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 at the corners, etc.

As described above, in this embodiment, the first side 501 to the fourth side 504 of the field 500 may actually have uneven parts, but as described above, the shape of the field 500 is approximately determined based on the position information of the start and end points acquired for the first side 501 to the third side 503, and the straight lines (or line segments) passing through them, i.e., the first line 521 to the fourth line 524 (or the first line segment to the fourth line segment).

Next, we will explain how the control unit 400 calculates the automatic driving route information for the second row and beyond based on the above-mentioned field shape information.

As described above, during manual driving of Process A 511, the control unit 400 stores in the memory unit 410 at least the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see Process A antenna start point PA1S in FIG. 5) acquired when a start point acquisition trigger signal is received, and the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 (see Process A antenna end point PA1E in FIG. 5) acquired when an end point acquisition trigger signal is received.

The control unit 400 calculates a straight line passing through the position information of the A-process antenna start point PA1S (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A-process 511, i.e., the coordinate point of the position of the receiving antenna 310 when the start point acquisition trigger signal is received, and the position information of the A-process antenna end point PA1E (see FIG. 5) during manual driving of the A-process 511, i.e., the coordinate point of the position of the receiving antenna 310 when the end point acquisition trigger signal is received, which are stored in the memory unit 410 as described above, as the reference line of the first row, and calculates the automatic driving route of the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 as multiple straight lines (target lines) that are parallel to the reference line and spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other, using the ground leveling width of the ground leveling rotor 40 in each of the adjacent rows among the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1. The position information of the reference line of the first row and the position information of the target line are recorded in the memory unit 410.

As described above, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is configured to acquire position information of the reference line by using the on or off signal from the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42, which is unlikely to be operated by an operator outside of a field, as a start point acquisition trigger signal or an end point acquisition trigger signal, thereby preventing erroneous acquisition of reference line position information outside of a field.

In addition, when calculating the automatic travel path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1, the following are used: the leveling width WR (see FIG. 2) in the left and right lateral directions of the leveling rotor 40 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, which is pre-stored in the memory unit 410; the overlapping dimension (including a positive setting value, a zero setting value, and a negative setting value) between the edges of the leveling width, which is pre-set by the overlapping width variable volume 43 (see FIG. 3); and the distance between the first line 521 and the third line 523, which is obtained from the shape information of the field 500 stored in the memory unit 410 by the above calculation.

The overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3) is located near the various operating buttons (not shown) below the steering handle 24, and is a volume-type switch that allows the operator to manually adjust the overlap dimension of the ground leveling width WR of the ground leveling rotors 40 in adjacent rows.
When the overlap width variable volume 43 is rotated clockwise from the reference position (zero position), the overlap dimension of the ground leveling width WR gradually increases from zero in a positive direction, and when rotated counterclockwise, the overlap dimension of the ground leveling width WR gradually increases from zero in a negative direction, i.e., a gap is created between the edges of the ground leveling width WR and the gap gradually increases.

As a result, the overlapping dimension of the leveling width WR can be freely adjusted in either the positive or negative direction with zero as the base point by using the overlapping width variable volume 43. Therefore, by adjusting the overlapping width variable volume 43 in the positive direction according to the field conditions, the occurrence of unleveled areas can be prevented, improving the field leveling and planting accuracy, and water can be more easily supplied evenly within the field, making it less likely that uneven seedling growth will occur. Furthermore, by adjusting the overlapping width variable volume 43 in the negative direction, the gap between adjacent rows becomes wider compared to when the edges of the leveling width WR overlap, improving ventilation and improving seedling growth.

In addition, if the control unit 400 determines that the planting width of the (n+1)th row Ln+1 is narrower as a result of calculating the automatic travel path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 and that the planting width of eight rows cannot be secured, the control unit 400 adjusts the spacing between each row by using a change width that is narrower within a specified range than the set width based on the setting value previously set before work using the overlap width variable volume 43. In this case, the control unit 400 displays on the meter panel 60 that the spacing between each row has been adjusted by the change width.

This allows eight rows of planting to be performed in all rows from the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 without the need for a mechanism such as a partial clutch (not shown) that partially switches the planting operation by the planting tool 51 of the planting device 50 on and off, thereby reducing the number of parts and manufacturing costs.

If the control unit 400 determines, as a result of calculating the automatic travel path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1, that the planting width of the (n+1)th row Ln+1 is wider than the planting width of eight rows, the control unit 400 adjusts the spacing between each row by using a change width that is wider within a specified range than the set width based on the setting value previously set before work using the overlap width variable volume 43. In this case, the control unit 400 displays on the meter panel 60 that the spacing between each row has been adjusted by the change width.

Next, we will explain the configuration of the control unit 400 to appropriately set the first planting start line LU1 and the second planting start line LU2, taking into account the turning width so that automatic turning can be performed within the range of the ground leveling width by the ground leveling rotor 40 on the pillow area, and the turning operation that utilizes this.

In other words, the control unit 400, in the calculation unit 420, sets the above-mentioned first planting start line LU1 at a position (see Figure 4) on the second side 502 side that is a distance equal to the ground leveling width WR (see Figure 2) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 plus a predetermined margin width Wα, based on the position information of the fourth straight line 524 obtained from the shape information of the field 500 stored in the memory unit 410, and stores the position information of the first planting start line LU1 in the memory unit 410.

The control unit 400 also uses the position information of the second straight line 522 obtained from the shape information of the field 500 stored in the memory unit 410 as a reference, and sets the above-mentioned second planting start line LU2 at a position (see Figure 4) on the fourth side 504 side that is a distance equal to the ground leveling width WR (see Figure 2) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 plus a predetermined margin width Wα, and stores the position information of the second planting start line LU2 in the memory unit 410.

The specified margin width Wα is set, for example, to ensure a distance (e.g., about 30 cm) between the seedlings planted at the beginning or end of each row and the seedlings planted at the left and right width ends of the pillow area (in Figure 4, the right end based on the running direction), and is configured to be changeable depending on the volume, etc.

In addition, in this embodiment, the turning width WT (see FIG. 4) of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 when the steering angle by the steering motor 210 is set to the maximum turning angle is configured to be smaller than the land leveling width WR. Furthermore, when the automatic driving mode is "on", the control unit 400 is configured to set the steering angle by the steering motor 210 to the maximum turning angle when causing the automatic steering device 200 to perform an automatic turn.

As a result, when the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 automatically travels along the target line of the second row L2 while performing automatic planting and leveling work, and the control unit 400 determines that the planting position of the planting tool 51 has reached the second planting start line LU2, the control unit 400 stops and raises the leveling operation by the leveling rotor 40, stops and raises the planting operation by the planting device 50, and sets the steering angle by the steering motor 210 to the maximum angle for the automatic steering device 200 to turn approximately 90° to move to the target line of the third row L3. The control unit 400 then further causes the robot to travel along a straight line parallel to the second planting start line LU2 for a predetermined straight-line distance that is pre-recorded in the memory unit 410 according to the distance between adjacent target lines. Finally, the control unit 400 again sets the steering angle of the steering motor 210 of the automatic steering device 200 to the maximum angle, moves it onto the target line of the third row L3, and lowers the planting device 50 and the soil leveling rotor 40 at the second planting start line LU2, while starting automatic straight-ahead driving that involves automatic planting and soil leveling operations.

In addition, when the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 automatically travels in a straight line along the target line of the third row L3, for example, while performing automatic planting work and ground leveling work, and the control unit 400 determines that the planting position of the planting tool 51 has reached the first planting start line LU1, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 also performs a turning operation similar to that described above.

In view of the above, in this embodiment, automatic rotation is performed within the range of the leveling width of the ground leveling rotor 40 on the pillow area, which prevents the occurrence of ungroomed and unplanted areas around the starting position of the rotation and improves the accuracy of automatic planting.

Here, we will further explain how to prevent the occurrence of unprepared and unplanted areas around the turning start position.

In another robotic riding rice transplanter with a different configuration from the above, the turning operation when the turning width WT is larger than the ground leveling width WR of the ground leveling rotor 40 in the pillow area is explained below with reference to Figure 4.

That is, for example, after automatically traveling straight on the target line of the second row L2, in order to turn so as not to interfere with the ridge of the second side 502, it is necessary to stop the planting work at a position a predetermined distance before the second planting start line LU2 described above and start automatic turning. Therefore, at the time when the last planting work on the headland is completed, between the seedlings on the second planting start line LU2 side of the seedlings at both ends of the eight rows planted on the headland and the seedlings planted at the end of the second row L2, the planting work is stopped at a position a predetermined distance before and automatic turning is started as described above, so the area corresponding to that predetermined distance remains as an area where seedlings have not been planted and the ground has not been leveled. Therefore, in such areas, the worker manually plants seedlings, but since the ground is not leveled, the ground leveling work must be done manually before the planting work, which reduces work efficiency.

In contrast, the configuration of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment as described above makes it possible to prevent such a decrease in work efficiency.

In this manner, the control unit 400 sets the position information of the target line required for automatic straight-line driving in the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, and the first planting start line LU1 (also referred to as the first turning reference line) and the second planting start line LU2 (also referred to as the second turning reference line) required for setting the reference positions for planting start and planting stop in the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, in other words, the turning end position corresponding to the planting start position and the turning start position corresponding to the planting stop position, and stores them in the memory unit 410.

In the above embodiment, the calculation of the automatic driving path for the second row L2 to the (n+1)th row Ln+1 is described as using the leveling width WR (see Figure 2) in the left and right lateral directions of the leveling rotor 40, the overlap dimension between the edges of the leveling width preset by the overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3) (including a positive setting value, a zero setting value, and a negative setting value), and field shape information, etc. However, without being limited to this, for example, in addition to the above items, a configuration may also be used that utilizes the planting width WU between the planting tools 51 arranged at both the left and right ends of the planting device 50 (i.e. the planting width between the left and right ends of the planting device 50) (see Figure 2). In this configuration, from information on the ground leveling width WR and planting width WU, the protrusion dimension Wd (= (WR-WU)÷2), which indicates how far the left and right ends of the ground leveling rotor 40 protrude outward in a plan view based on the planting positions of the planting tools 51 located at the left and right ends of the planting device 50, can be determined as a fixed value. Therefore, when the overlap dimension between the edges of the ground leveling width is set to zero using the overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3), the planting spacing Nk between seedlings planted in the outermost positions of adjacent rows can be determined as twice the protrusion dimension Wd.

If the overlap dimension (including positive, zero, and negative set values) between the edges of the leveling width set by the overlap width variable volume 43 (see Figure 3) is Wk, then the planting distance Nk between seedlings planted in the outermost positions of adjacent rows can be expressed as 2 x Wd - Wk, so that by adjusting the overlap dimension Wk using the overlap width variable volume 43, the worker can also control the planting distance Nk (= 2 x Wd - Wk = WR - WU - Wk).

For example, if the protrusion dimension Wd is a fixed value of 20 cm, and the planting interval Nk between seedlings planted at the outermost positions of adjacent rows is to be set to the normal 30 cm, the overlap dimension Wk (= 2 × Wd - Nk) by the overlap width variable volume 43 can be set to 10 cm. Also, if the protrusion dimension Wd is a fixed value of 20 cm, and the planting interval Nk between seedlings planted at the outermost positions of adjacent rows is to be set to 50 cm, which is wider than normal, the overlap dimension Wk by the overlap width variable volume 43 can be set to -10 cm. In other words, if the overlap dimension Wk is set to -10 cm, a gap will be generated between the edges of the leveling width WR by the leveling rotor 40 of the adjacent rows, and this gap will be 10 cm, and the planting interval Nk between adjacent rows can be set to 50 cm, which is wider than 30 cm, improving ventilation and improving seedling growth.

That is, in the above configuration, if the overlap width variable volume 43 is, for example, a cylindrical knob that can be turned in either a clockwise (positive direction setting) or counterclockwise (negative direction setting) direction with respect to a reference position that sets the overlap dimension Wk = 0 between the edges of the ground leveling width, a first arc-shaped line centered on the rotation axis of the overlap width variable volume 43 is displayed on the operation panel side where the overlap width variable volume 43 is located, and the numerical value of the overlap dimension Wk between the edges of the ground leveling width is displayed as a scale on the first line. Furthermore, on the outer periphery of the first line, a second arc-shaped line centered on the rotation axis of the overlap width variable volume 43 is displayed, and the numerical value of the planting interval Nk between seedlings planted at the outermost positions of adjacent rows may be displayed as a scale on the second line in correspondence with the scale on the first line. In addition, instead of the analog display using the scales on the first line and the scales on the second line, the set value of the overlap width variable volume 43 may be displayed digitally. Next, we will mainly explain the configuration and operation to avoid a situation where the fertilizer runs out during the next round trip during the automatic operation control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment.

In this embodiment, as described above, it is assumed that the ridge on the fourth side 504 of the field 500 is used for supplying seedlings and fertilizer, and this is set in advance by the setting switch and recorded in the memory unit 410.

That is, a fertilizer delivery amount detection sensor 82 (see FIG. 3) is provided to detect the fertilizer delivered from the fertilizer applicator 3 to the field, and the control unit 400 calculates the amount of fertilizer applied from the detection results and calculates the amount of fertilizer remaining in the hopper. During the automatic straight-line driving in the odd-numbered rows among the second row L2 to the nth row Ln, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the fertilizer will run out during the automatic driving of one round trip after the next turning operation, in other words, during the driving until the machine next reaches the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line) (see FIG. 4) after the next turning operation, based on the remaining fertilizer amount, the fertilizer delivery amount, the distance of one round trip, and the vehicle speed calculated at the time when the machine approaches the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line) (see FIG. 4) and starts the next turning operation during the automatic driving of one round trip after the next turning operation.

In other words, if the control unit 400 determines that the fertilizer will run out during the next round trip, it will stop the next turn and continue driving straight toward the fourth side 504. After reaching the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), it will slow down the vehicle speed and stop it at the edge of the fourth side 504.

This makes it possible to avoid running out of fertilizer during the next planting cycle, and allows the operator to quickly replenish fertilizer to the hopper 3 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 that is stopped at the edge of the ridge on the fourth side 504, improving work efficiency. After the fertilizer replenishment work is completed, the operator can turn on the automatic operation continuation switch (not shown) to continue automatic operation control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

In addition, after reaching the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), the vehicle speed is decelerated and stopped at the edge of the fourth side 504, ensuring safety for workers who are on board.

In the above explanation, the control unit 400 has been described as being configured and operated to avoid a situation in which the fertilizer runs out during the next round trip. However, this is not limiting. For example, to avoid a situation in which the seedlings in the seedling tank 52 run out during the next round trip and there are no seedlings, the control unit 400 may be configured to stop the next turn and continue driving straight toward the fourth side 504 when it determines that there will be no seedlings in the seedling tank 52 during the next round trip, and after reaching the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), to reduce the vehicle speed and stop the vehicle at the edge of the fourth side 504.

Here, the control unit 400 determines whether the seedlings in the seedling tank 52 will run out during the next round trip by recording data such as the spacing between plants, the amount of seedlings removed by the planting tool 51, and the lateral feed amount of the seedling tank 52 in the memory unit 410, and then determines whether the remaining amount of seedlings in the seedling tank 52 will allow planting work to be done in the next round trip.

This makes it possible to avoid the situation where the seedlings run out during the next planting round trip, and allows the operator to quickly replenish seedlings in the seedling tank 52 of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 that has stopped at the edge of the ridge on the fourth side 504, improving work efficiency. After the seedling replenishment work is completed, the operator can turn on the automatic operation continuation switch (not shown) to continue automatic operation control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

In the above explanation, the control unit 400 has been described as being configured and operated to avoid the situation where the fertilizer runs out during the next round trip. In addition, the configuration may be such that the auxiliary seedling replenishment work is also performed in conjunction with the timing of the fertilizer replenishment work. In other words, in the case of this configuration, when the control unit 400 determines that the fertilizer will run out during the planting process of the next round trip and the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 stops at the edge of the fourth side 504, an electric auxiliary seedling frame is provided that automatically goes into a rail state in response to a command from the control unit 400. In addition, the electric auxiliary seedling frame can be returned to its original position by manual operation, and by returning it to its original position, the control unit 400 can continue automatic driving control of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1.

Since supplementary seedlings are usually replenished at the same time as fertilizer is replenished, this allows both replenishment operations to be carried out in tandem, improving work efficiency.

In the above configuration, the control unit 400 has been described as canceling the next turn and driving straight to the edge of the ridge on the fourth side 504 and stopping it if it determines that there will be no seedlings in the seedling tank 52 during the next round trip. In this configuration, the machine may be configured to drive straight toward the fourth side 504, reach the first planting start line LU1 (first turning reference line), and then decelerate and turn 90° to stop the machine parallel to the ridge on the fourth side 504 as the seedling supply position. In this configuration, a rail-shaped auxiliary seedling frame is provided on the top of the seedling tank 52, and the seedling supply position is set at the position where the rail reaches the ridge.

In the above embodiment, the case where shape information of the field 500 is acquired by manually traveling on the headland of the field 500 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, previously acquired map information or travel information of a tractor or the like may be recorded and used as shape information of the field 500.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 400 automatically changes the spacing between each row from a set width based on a preset value set before work using the overlap width variable volume 43 to a changed width in order to ensure planting of the eight rows in the (n+1)th row Ln+1. However, this is not limited to the above. For example, if the control unit 400 determines that it is possible to ensure planting of the eight rows in the (n+1)th row Ln+1 by changing only the planting spacing Nk between adjacent seedlings planted in the outermost positions of the nth row Ln and the (n+1)th row Ln+1, the control unit 400 may change only the planting spacing Nk between adjacent seedlings planted in the outermost positions of the nth row Ln and the (n+1)th row Ln+1 from the set width to the changed width.

In the above embodiment, when moving from an arbitrary target line to an adjacent target line by automatic turning, a configuration has been described in which the machine moves straight ahead to the first planting start line LU1 or parallel to the second planting start line LU2 a predetermined straight-line distance that is pre-recorded in the memory unit 410 according to the distance between the adjacent target lines. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the machine may be configured so that the operator can fine-tune the predetermined straight-line distance recorded in the memory unit 410 by operating the volume. This improves the accuracy of the planting start position.

In addition, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the grading rotor on/off switch 42 is set to the "off" state when the worker manually drives through D process 514, but this is not limiting. For example, the automatic driving mode may be in the "on" state, and the worker may turn the grading rotor on/off switch 42 "on" when starting manual driving through D process 514, and turn the grading rotor on/off switch 42 "off" when stopping manual driving through D process 514.

In this configuration, as in the above configuration example, the control unit 400 determines that the "on" signal and "off" signal of the soil leveling rotor on/off switch 42 are start point acquisition trigger signals and end point acquisition trigger signals, respectively, and records the latest position information of the position of the receiving antenna 310 at that time in the memory unit 410 as the position information (coordinate value) of the D process antenna start point and the position information (coordinate value) of the D process antenna end point, respectively, based on each judgment, and may also be configured to calculate the position information (coordinate value) of the left end of the rotor 41 of the soil leveling rotor 40 at that time (referred to as the fourth side start point) and the position information (coordinate value) of the left front end virtual point of the robot riding rice transplanter 1 (referred to as the fourth side end point) and record it in the memory unit 410. As a result, the fourth straight line 524 can be determined as a straight line passing through the fourth side start point and the fourth side end point, and its position information can be obtained. In addition, in this configuration, the control unit 400 may be configured to use the position information (coordinate point) of the D process antenna start point during manual driving of the D process 514 and the position information (coordinate point) of the D process antenna end point during manual driving of the D process 514 to calculate a reference line for the headland of the fourth side to be used when automatically driving on the headland along the fourth side 504, and record the line in the memory unit 410.

In the above embodiment, the automatic travel from the second row L2 onwards is described as being based on the position information of the target line, regardless of the actual travel trajectory in the row immediately preceding the robotic riding rice transplanter 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the position information of the actual travel trajectory in the row immediately preceding the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be recorded in the memory unit 410, the amount of deviation between the target line corresponding to the immediately preceding row and its actual travel trajectory may be calculated, and if the control unit determines that the calculation result exceeds a predetermined range, the control unit may correct the position information of the target line corresponding to the next row based on the position of the deviation and the calculation result (amount of deviation), and then execute automatic travel of the next row.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which, when seedling or fertilizer replenishment is required, the next turn is stopped and the vehicle continues to travel straight toward the fourth side 504 and stops at the edge of the field. In addition, for example, if the control unit 400 determines that an error has occurred, the vehicle may be configured to return to the edge of the fourth side 504 to ensure safety.

In addition, if the control unit 400 determines that an error has occurred during automatic driving in the automatic driving mode, it may be configured to sound an alarm and stop the vehicle, and if the operation is changed to manual operation while the alarm is sounding, the manual operation may be prioritized.

The robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may also be equipped with a sensor that detects whether a person is riding on the vehicle, and if the sensor detects that a person is riding on the vehicle, the control unit 400 may be configured to slow down the rotation speed compared to when the vehicle is unmanned, to ensure safety.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, a pressure sensor (not shown) may be provided at the link fulcrum of the float 53 as a mud-pushing detection device for the float 53, and if the detection result indicates that the pressure value has increased due to mud pushing, the sensitivity of the float 53 may be changed from standard to the sensitive side. This allows automatic sensitivity adjustment.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1, a spring steel and a limit switch (not shown) can be provided behind the link fulcrum of the float 53 as a mud-pushing detection device for the float 53, and when the float 53 is pushed by mud, the link fulcrum moves rearward from the standard position against the restoring force of the spring steel, turning the limit switch ON, and when there is no mud pushing, the link fulcrum returns to the standard position due to the restoring force of the spring steel, turning the limit switch OFF. This allows automatic sensitivity adjustment using a mechanical configuration without using an expensive pressure sensor.

In addition, to facilitate water management, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be configured to dig furrows on the outside of the end rows when planting. In this configuration, a furrow cutting mechanism can be provided in part of the front plate guard, allowing furrow cutting to be performed simultaneously with planting.

In addition, to facilitate water management, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be configured to dig furrows on the outside of the end rows when planting. In this configuration, by providing a furrow cutting mechanism on part of the float 53, furrow cutting on the outside of the machine body can be performed simultaneously with planting.

In addition, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 can be configured so that a furrow digger is provided on the front guard plate, and when teaching the entire circumference of process A 511 to process D 514 by manual driving, furrows can be dug between the ridges and the planting rows to reduce damage from grasshoppers and mice and to prevent weeds from entering the field. This can prevent uneven seedling growth and increase yields. It also makes subsequent growth management (water supply and drainage, mid-season drying) easier.

In addition, the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may be configured to provide a furrow digger on the front guard plate, as well as an image recognition device for identifying ridges, so that furrows can be dug between the ridges and planting rows, especially in cases where the boundaries are unclear (discontinuous), such as soil ridges. This makes it possible to avoid uneven seedling growth and increase yields. It also makes subsequent growth management (water supply and drainage, mid-season drying) easier.

In addition, in a robotic riding rice transplanter 1 equipped with a height control device for the planting section, a furrow digger can be provided in the planting section, and since lowering the planting section further makes the furrow deeper and raising the planting section further makes the furrow shallower, furrow cutting can be performed by gradually lowering the planting section toward the drainage side of the water inlet to reduce the height of the furrow. In this configuration, the position information of the water inlet (water supply side, drainage side) is set in advance, and the position information of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 can be used to optimize furrow cutting. This improves drainage and stabilizes seedling growth.

In addition, a furrow digger may be provided in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 equipped with a rolling control mechanism, and the furrows may be dug so that the height of the furrow decreases toward the drainage side of the water inlet. In this configuration, the position information of the water inlet (water supply side, drainage side) is set in advance, and the position information of the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 acquired by the position information acquisition device 300 is used to control the tilt angle of the vehicle body to the left and right due to rolling, thereby changing the height of the furrow and optimizing furrow cutting. This improves drainage and stabilizes seedling growth.

In the above embodiment, the amount of cover soil is adjusted based on the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field using the pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to measuring the ionization tendency, the pH value may also be measured at the same time, and the control unit may estimate the drainage of the soil based on the pH value. In places with poor drainage, the control unit may set the amount of fertilizer to be less than the standard amount, taking into account the fact that the soil has become alkaline due to reduction and that the fertilization effect is weak. This can improve the efficiency of variable fertilization. In this configuration, the pH meter electrode may also be used in conjunction with the electrical resistance measurement mechanism.

In the above embodiment, the work vehicle of the present invention is described as a robotic riding rice transplanter in which the planting device 50 is connected to the traveling body 2 as an example of a work device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the work vehicle of the present invention may be a robotic work vehicle connected to a seeding machine as another example of a work device. In this configuration, the control unit may estimate drainage by measuring the pH value of the field, and the control unit may change the soil cover accordingly. Specifically, in a location where the control unit determines that drainage is poor, the control unit may control the amount of soil cover to be less than the standard amount. This improves seedling establishment.

In the above embodiment, the work vehicle of the present invention is described as a robotic riding rice transplanter in which the planting device 50 is connected to the traveling body 2 as an example of a work device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the work vehicle of the present invention may be a robotic work vehicle connected to a seeding machine as another example of a work device. In this configuration, the control unit may estimate drainage by measuring the pH value of the field, and the control unit may change the furrow cutting accordingly. Specifically, in a location where the control unit determines that drainage is poor, the furrow cutting may be controlled to be deeper than the standard amount. This improves seedling establishment.

In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the amount of cover soil is adjusted based on the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field using a pH meter 80 (see FIG. 3). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration may be adopted in which drainage is estimated by measuring the pH value using a pH meter, and variable fertilization is performed according to the estimated results (for example, the amount of fertilizer applied is increased compared to the standard amount in places with good drainage). This allows variable fertilization to be achieved at low cost without the need for expensive sensors.

In the above embodiment, the amount of soil cover is adjusted based on the results of measuring the pH value (hydrogen ion exponent) of the field using a pH meter 80) (see FIG. 3), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the tillage depth (depth of the field) may be measured according to the link angle detected by the link sensor, and variable fertilization may be performed accordingly (for example, the amount of fertilizer applied may be greater than the standard amount in shallow areas). In this configuration, a link sensor that detects the link angle of the pivot point supporting the float 53 is provided to detect the height of the planting device 50, and the detection result of the link sensor is used to realize variable fertilization in addition to its original function.
This makes it possible to realize variable fertilization at low cost without the need for expensive new sensors.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit can classify the field into gray lowland soil, yellow soil, or gley soil based on the topographical data, satellite image data, and soil distribution data, and if it is determined that the field is classified as yellow soil, it can apply more fertilizer than the basic setting value, and if it is determined that the field is classified as gley soil, it can perform shallow planting and furrow creation. Normally, nutrients tend to flow easily in yellow soil, and gley soil tends to have poor nutrient permeability in the soil, but with the above configuration, it is possible to increase yields even without know-how by changing the planting work depending on the condition of the soil.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit classifies the field soil type into gray lowland soil, yellow soil, or gley soil based on the soil distribution classified by the topographical data and satellite image data and the actual captured soil image of the field, and if it is determined to be classified as yellow soil, it applies more fertilizer than the basic setting value, and if it is determined to be classified as gley soil, it can be configured to perform shallow planting and furrowing. Normally, nutrients flow easily in yellow soil, and gley soil tends to have poor nutrient permeability in the soil, but with the above configuration, it is possible to increase yields even without know-how by changing the planting work depending on the condition of the soil.

In addition, in the robotic riding rice transplanter 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit can classify the soil quality of the field as either gray lowland soil, yellow soil, or gley soil based on an actual soil image of the field, and if it is determined to be classified as yellow soil, it can apply more fertilizer than the basic setting value, and if it is determined to be classified as gley soil, it can perform shallow planting and furrow creation. Normally, nutrients tend to flow easily in yellow soil, and gley soil tends to have poor nutrient permeability in the soil, but with the above configuration, it is possible to increase yields even without know-how by changing the planting work depending on the condition of the soil.

In addition, in an autonomous linear rice transplanter, steering during teaching can be used as a learning opportunity, and if the expected output and actual output are the same but the actual input is different, the parameter sensed at that time with the highest contribution rate can be selected and weighted highly as a control parameter for the same field. Normally, leaving learning to artificial intelligence requires a large amount of data and takes time, but with the above configuration, it is possible to speed up the learning process while using steering during teaching.

The above-mentioned robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may also be configured to automatically detect ridges by blowing air while taking pictures with a camera, making it easier to remove noise caused by weeds, etc. Normally, stationary objects are recognized as obstacles, but the above-mentioned configuration makes it possible to reduce noise and automatically detect ridges. Also, instead of blowing air, the engine exhaust may be directed toward the ridges. This makes it possible to reduce noise during photography without having to install a new blower.

The above-mentioned robotic riding rice transplanter 1 may also be configured to detect ridges using an ultrasonic sensor. In this configuration, the sensor is installed at the side marker position and detects ridges based on the difference in distance from the planting field. The detection value is also corrected based on changes in the machine's attitude. This makes it possible to map the terrain.

In addition, for autonomous straight-line control, a turning device that changes the output depending on the slip ratio and tillage depth can be provided, and data on deviations from the path and the corresponding output can be collected using a satellite positioning system and tillage depth sensor (lift link angle sensor), the strength of correlation can be calculated, and data with a strong correlation can be linked to the output. This allows straight-line control to be performed without differences in straight-line ability depending on field conditions.

In addition, in autonomous straight-line control, a turning device that changes the output depending on the traveling speed may be provided, and the turning output may be reduced when the traveling speed is fast and increased when the traveling speed is slow, with weighting determined by the speed data collected along with the deviation from the route determined by the satellite positioning system and the corresponding output. This allows adaptation to a variety of situations, as the weighting value, which is influenced by conditions other than speed, is not fixed uniformly, and straight-line control can be performed without differences in straight-line ability depending on field conditions.

In addition, in autonomous straight-line control, a turning device that changes the output depending on various conditions can be provided, and the data (speed, field slip rate, tillage depth) collected along with deviation from the route using a satellite positioning system and the corresponding output can be weighted according to the degree of correlation, with the weighted value being recorded in the memory unit as field information. This makes it possible to adapt to a variety of situations as the weighted value is never a constant value, and straight-line control can be performed without differences in straight-line ability depending on field conditions.

The above-mentioned robotic riding rice transplanter 1 can also be configured to record field data (speed, field slip rate, tillage depth) and planting data (number of stalks planted, amount of seedlings removed, planting depth) at the time of planting, search for correlations with the ripeness in satellite images and the results of measurements using a yield combine, determine the most highly correlated data, and optimize planting conditions. This allows planting under optimal conditions regardless of field conditions and avoids overlearning.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an 8-row type robotic riding rice transplanter 1 was described as an example of a work vehicle of the present invention, but this is not limited to this, and the configuration may be, for example, 4-row planting, 5-row planting, or 6-row planting, and there is no limit to the number of rows.

The present invention makes it possible to determine in advance whether there are areas that have not yet been leveled by the soil leveling device, and is useful, for example, as a robotic riding rice transplanter.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Robotic riding rice transplanter 2 Traveling vehicle body 24 Steering handle 40 Land leveling rotor 43 Overlap width variable volume 300 Position information acquisition device 400 Control unit

Claims (3)

The vehicle includes a traveling vehicle body (2) and a supply device for supplying materials to a field on the traveling vehicle body (2).
A work vehicle characterized in that the supply amount of the materials is adjusted based on soil classification data obtained by classifying the color of the soil using satellite image data of the field and images of the field actually taken. The vehicle includes a traveling vehicle body (2) and a supply device for supplying materials to a field on the traveling vehicle body (2).
A work vehicle characterized in that the supply amount of the materials is adjusted based on soil classification data obtained by classifying the color of the soil using satellite image data of the field and topographical data of the field. The traveling vehicle body (2) is provided with a planting device (50) for planting seedlings in the field,
3. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the planting depth at which seedlings are planted in a field is adjusted based on the soil type classification data.