JPH08256522A - Unmanned lawn mowing system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Purpose] To provide a system to automatically mow the work area. [Structure] A position sensor 1010 and a landmark sensor 1 for reading an area number written in a landmark
020 and a work area storage unit 1 for storing work area data
030, and an area module 1040 that writes the work area data to the work area storage unit 1030 by teaching the area.
A work plan storage unit 1050, a work plan module 1060 that reads work region data from the work region storage unit 1030, creates a work plan, writes the created work plan in the work plan storage unit 1050, and a moving unit 1110 that moves.
The lawn mowing unit 1120, the control module 1100, the obstacle avoidance module 1200, and the serious obstacle sensor 1210 perform lawn mowing while autonomously traveling.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for performing lawn mowing using an unmanned steering machine capable of autonomous traveling and work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, grasses planted on a patting green, fairway, rough or the like of a golf course must be mowed and managed regularly. Be seen. At the golf course, it is difficult to take time for this lawn mowing work because the lawn has a large planting area and is often used. If this lawnmower work can be automated, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of the golf course by performing lawn mowing work at night in addition to cost reduction such as labor cost.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In order for an autonomous mobile lawn mower to move automatically to mow the lawn (1) Teaching the area ... Teaching the lawn mower which area to cut (2) Creating a work plan ... How to mow, that is, where to start cutting, where to go, where to raise the blade, turn, and where to turn off the engine, create for the entered area. (3) Control: A large process flow is required to actually control the moving parts and lawn mowing parts of the lawn mower based on the work plan. Also, for safety, (4) Obstacle avoidance: When a pond, a tree, or a person is on the path, it is necessary to avoid the accident by detouring or stopping and waiting for a human instruction. Becomes The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an operator rides on a lawn mower and turns around the area where the lawn is to be cut to teach an area, and the lawn mower instructs the operator to roughly cut the lawn. Then, the CPU of the lawn mower creates a concrete lawn mowing plan, and based on this, the moving part and the drive part of the lawn mower are controlled to realize autonomous moving lawn mowing, and avoiding obstacles if necessary. A system for an autonomous mobile lawn mower that realizes all of the above on a lawn mower. According to a second aspect of the invention, area teaching is performed on an off-line area teaching device, and the work area data generated here is placed on a storage medium such as a floppy disk or MO disk to be given to an autonomous mobile lawn mower to create a later work plan. , A system of autonomous mobile lawn mowers that controls, avoids obstacles by themselves.

A third aspect of the invention teaches an area by allowing an operator to ride on a lawn mower and rotate around the area where the lawn is to be cut.
The work area data generated here is taken out from the storage medium and is carried out by the offline work plan creation device to create the work plan here.The created work plan is passed to the autonomous mobile lawn mower by the storage medium, and the subsequent control, The present invention relates to a system of an autonomous mobile lawn mower that performs obstacle avoidance by itself. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the lawn mowing area teaching and the work plan creation are performed offline, the work plan created here is given to the lawn mower via a recording medium, and control and obstacle avoidance are performed based on this work plan. Mobile lawn mower system.

[0006]

The present invention can achieve lawless mowing of complicated terrain by unmanned person by providing the above means.

[0007]

1 is a plan view of a traveling vehicle which is an automatic lawnmower used in an unmanned lawn mowing system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. A traveling vehicle indicated by reference numeral 1 is a traveling vehicle body 10
And a body 300 that is exteriorly mounted on the traveling vehicle body 10. The traveling vehicle body 10 is, for example, a self-propelled lawnmower, and the main frame 20 is supported by two front wheels 22 and one rear wheel 24. An engine 30 is mounted on the main frame 20 and drives the hydraulic pumps 200 and 250. In this lawnmower, a fuel tank 34, a battery 32, and the like are arranged in the vicinity of the engine 30, which is hydraulically supplied with power for traveling and driving force of a lawn cutting unit and the like.

A seat 50 for an operator is mounted on the central upper portion of the main frame 20, and a steering device 52 is arranged in front of the seat 50. Around the seat 50, in addition to the manual brake lever 54 and the control switch 80 of the cutting unit, a forward pedal and a reverse pedal (not shown) of the vehicle are arranged. The body 300 mounted on the traveling vehicle body 10 includes a bumper body 310 that surrounds the main frame 20 with a curved surface. An engine cover 320 that covers the periphery of the engine 30 and a front cover 330 that covers the front part of the vehicle body are attached to the upper portion of the bumper body 310. These bodies are made of plastic or the like and are appropriately coated.

Various sensors and control devices are mounted for this unmanned operation. Controller 100 of control device
Are arranged around the seat 50. GP that uses a satellite as a sensor to detect the position and traveling direction of the vehicle
S (Global Positioning System) sensor 12
1, a geomagnetic sensor 123, and an optical fiber gyro 124 are installed. Before and after the bumper body 310, an object sensor 111 for detecting an obstacle and a contact sensor 113 for stopping the vehicle when touching an obstacle or a person are arranged. A ground sensor 112 for detecting that the vehicle is on the ground is also provided. GPS sensor 1
It is possible to detect the traveling position of the vehicle by using 21 and the geomagnetic sensor 123. However, in order to more accurately control the work range of lawn mowing and the like, a vehicle speed sensor 140 for contacting the ground and detecting the vehicle speed is provided.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the system configuration of the traveling vehicle of the present invention. The engine 30 drives two hydraulic pumps 200 and 250. First hydraulic pump 200
Is a turf cutting unit and a hydraulic pump for steering operation. The output of the hydraulic pump 200 is sent to the vertical movement cylinder 62 of the front cutting unit 60 and the vertical movement cylinder 72 of the rear cutting unit 70 via the control valve unit 40A to perform the vertical movement of the cutting units 60, 70. . This hydraulic pressure is sent to the hydraulic motors 202 and 204 which drive the cutting units 60 and 70, and rotationally drives the cutting units. This cutting unit 60,
Reference numeral 70 has a fixed blade and a reel blade, and by rotationally driving the reel blade, grass can be sharply cut between the fixed blade and the fixed blade.

The output of the control valve unit 40A is also supplied to the steering hydraulic motor 210. The steering hydraulic motor 210 is connected to the steering 52, and when the steering 52 is operated, the steering hydraulic motor 210 sends hydraulic pressure to the cylinder 212 that steers the rear wheel 24. The steering cylinder 212 steers the rear wheel 24. The second hydraulic pump 250 is a hydraulic pump for transmission, and its output is output via the control valve unit 40B to the hydraulic motor 252 for driving the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 2.
The hydraulic pressure for driving No. 4 is also sent to the motor 254. By alternately depressing the forward pedal 90 and the reverse pedal 92 provided in the driver's seat, the forward and reverse movements of the vehicle are achieved via the control valve unit 40B. The rear wheel 24 is equipped with a disc brake 25, which is mechanically braked by a manual brake lever 54.

The controller 100 having a board computer receives information from the obstacle recognition sensor 110 mounted on the bumper body 310. The obstacle recognition sensor 110 has a contact sensor 111, a ground sensor 112, and an objective sensor 113. Further, information is also input from sensors such as the geomagnetic sensor 121, the acceleration sensor 122, the GPS sensor 123, and the optical fiber gyro 124 that detect the traveling of the vehicle. Further, the actual position of the vehicle is detected and the error correction signal 126 is also given to the controller 100.

The traveling vehicle 1 can select an unmanned operation mode and a manned operation mode, and has a switch 102 for switching between the operation modes. A door interlock switch 138 is provided to confirm the unmanned operation mode and the manned operation mode. Steering motor 23 for controlling hydraulic motor 210 for steering to achieve unmanned operation
0, the controller 100 sends an output signal to the steering motor 230 according to the information of the steering angle sensor 130. Similarly, an actuator 136 for operating the forward pedal 90 and the reverse pedal 92 is provided, and the depression amount of the pedal is controlled via the accelerator amount detection sensor 134. The ignition switch 36 that starts the engine 30 is
When the contact sensor 111 of the obstacle recognition sensor 110 directly operates and touches an obstacle or a person, the ignition switch 36 is shut off and the operation of the engine 30 is stopped. The rotation speed of the engine 30 is controlled by the throttle lever 37.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the system configuration of the vehicle shown in FIG. In-vehicle controller 1
00 is map information generating means 100a, work path generating means 100b, trajectory target value generating means 100c, vehicle position estimating means 100d, position error correcting means 100e, target speed /
It has a direction calculation means 100f, a motion command means 100g, and the like. The in-vehicle controller 100 is connected to a remote control or a switch box 170 via a communication unit or an interface 160. The vehicle position correcting means 100e is a laser distance measuring sensor 15 installed on the ground.
The current position of the vehicle is corrected based on an external sensor such as 0. The motion command unit 100e controls the steered wheels 24 and the drive wheels 22 via the steering control device 52A and the traveling control device 90A.

[Embodiment 1] (When the area teaching, work plan creation, control, and obstacle avoidance are all performed by an autonomous mobile lawn mower) The lawn mower measures the position and orientation of the lawn mower as shown in FIG. Position sensor 1010
And a landmark sensor 1020 that detects a landmark installed on the ground and reads the area number written in the landmark, a work area storage unit 1030 that stores work area data, and work area data that is used for area teaching. Area teaching module 1040 to be written in the work area storage unit
And a work plan storage unit 1050 that stores the work plan, a work plan module that reads work area data from the work area storage unit, creates a work plan, and writes the created work plan in the work plan storage unit, and a moving unit that moves the work plan. And a lawn mowing unit including a lawn mowing cutter and its elevating means, and a work plan is read from the work plan storage unit or the failure countermeasure storage unit, and the moving unit 1
110 and a control module 11 for controlling the lawn mower 1120
00, an obstacle avoidance module 1200 that detects an obstacle and sends countermeasures to the control unit, and a serious obstacle sensor 1210 that works on the moving unit to turn off the engine when a serious obstacle is detected. In addition, it may have a map 1300, and is used for correction of position measurement of a position sensor and provision of obstacle data when creating a work plan.

The general operation flow of the lawnmower in this embodiment is that the work area data is first created in the work area teaching module 1040, this work area data is written in the work area storage unit 1030, and then the work planning module. 1
060 reads the work area data from the work area storage unit 1030 and creates a work plan using the work area data. The work plan is written in the work plan storage unit 1050, and the control unit 11
00 reads the work plans one by one, and controls the moving unit 1110 and the lawn mowing unit 1120. In parallel with this flow, the obstacle avoidance module 1200 detects an obstacle, and when the obstacle is detected, gives a countermeasure to the obstacle to the control unit. Also,
The serious obstacle sensors 1210 also work in parallel, and immediately turn off the engine 30 when a serious obstacle is detected. Hereinafter, this process will be described by dividing it into four areas of area teaching, work plan creation, control, and obstacle avoidance.

(Region Teaching FIGS. 6 to 10) A region E to be cut on the lawn mower starting from the landmark LM1
One round around R1 and ER2 makes the lawn mower recognize that there is an area to mow the lawn. Even if there are multiple areas where you want to mow the lawn, if you continue tracing around the area as shown in Fig. 6, the lawn mower analyzes the phase structure and decomposes it into two areas and a path connecting the areas. recognize. In this section,
The operation of the user and the operation of the lawn mower when teaching the area by riding on the lawn mower will be described. Prior to this, the structure of the main data created and exchanged by the lawn mower when teaching the area will be described. . When the lawnmower is run to teach the area, the progress point is recorded in the progress point storage unit as progress point data as shown in FIG. The progress point data consists of a zone number and a coordinate sequence of the progress points. There is one landmark LM1 in one area, and the area number is recognized by passing through the landmark.

Work area data is created from the passing point data. The work area data is obtained by decomposing the passage point data into areas for cutting lawn and paths for moving between the areas by analyzing the phase structure.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the work area data in the case of an area is formed by arranging the word “area”, an area number, and an area name consisting of the area number, followed by a coordinate string on the outer periphery of the area. is there. As shown in FIG. 9, the work area data in the case of a route is formed by arranging the word "route", a zone number, and a zone name consisting of the course number, and then a coordinate string on the outer periphery of the zone. These two data are the data generated when the area is taught.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the operation of the user and the operation of the lawnmower when teaching an area by riding on the lawnmower of the present invention. First, the user inputs to the area teaching input device of the lawn mower to start area teaching. As a specific example, the start of area teaching is input by turning on a "area teaching" switch provided on the operation panel. By doing this, the area teaching input device has accepted the input of the area teaching start (step S
10). The user then moves the lawn mower over the landmark. Then, the landmark sensor detects the landmark (step S11), and the landmark sensor sends the area number to the work area data creation unit (step S1).
2). Then, the work area data creation unit writes the area number in the progress point storage unit (step S13).

When the user runs the lawn mower along the outer periphery of the area to be mowed, the position sensor measures the position (step S14). The work area data creation unit reads this position from the position sensor (step S15) and writes the position in the elapsed point storage unit (step S16). This is repeated while the user runs the lawnmower to teach the area. Here, if the landmark sensor detects a landmark (step S17), creation of new elapsed point data is started (step S12). To end the teaching of the area, the user inputs to the area teaching input device of the lawn mower that the teaching of the area is finished. As a specific example, the end of the area teaching is input by turning off the "area teaching" switch on the operation panel. By doing so, the area teaching input device has accepted the input of the area teaching end (step S18).

Then, the work area data creating unit creates work area data according to the procedure for converting the elapsed point data of FIG. 6 into work area data for each area (step S1).
9). Elapsed point data corresponding to the area shown in Fig. 6 (Fig. 7)
The work area data created from is shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. This work area data is written in the work area storage unit (step S20), and the area teaching ends. 12
6 is a flow chart showing a procedure for converting data at a progress point into a work area.

(Preparation of work plan) Referring to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, in order to automatically mow the lawn, what route to mow the lawn, where to raise and lower the cutter, and where to stop the rotation of the cutter, Instructing the behavior of
It is possible to simply repeat the operation when mowing the grass from the next time, but with this lawnmower, if you go around the area once, what kind of path to cut in this area, where? A work plan for raising and lowering the cutter and where to stop the rotation of the cutter is automatically created. This section introduces the commands that make up the work plan, and then describes the configuration and operation for the lawnmower to automatically generate the work plan.

Command for constructing work plan go_str (x, y, v) ... Go straight to point (x, y) at speed v go_fit (x, y, v) ... Go back and forth at point (x, y) at speed v According to the constraint conditions of engine_on… start the engine engine_off… stop the engine up… raise the cutter down… lower the cutter cut… rotate the cutter to mow the lawn

For example, from A to B as shown in FIG.
When moving from C to D and from C to D, it is desired to go straight, so go_str is used. When moving from B to C, go_fit is used because the orientations at B and C and the minimum turning radius are constraint conditions.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the configuration and operation for the lawnmower to automatically generate a work plan. First, the user inputs pattern selection information on what kind of pattern the lawn is cut in the work pattern selection unit (step S60). To give a concrete example, press the button on the operation panel in the pattern of cutting grass. This pattern selection information is sent to the work plan creation unit (step S6).
Then, the work planning unit reads the work pattern corresponding to the pattern selection information from the work pattern storage unit (step S63). The work pattern is a program for generating a path for cutting the pattern selected by the pattern selection information.

Next, the work plan creation unit reads work area data indicating what range of lawn should be cut from the work area storage unit (step S63), and when using a map, reads the map (step S63). S64). Since the map contains information on obstacles such as sprinklers and drains, it is possible to avoid damaging the cutter by creating a work plan so that the blade is raised here. The work plan creation unit creates a work plan in the work area based on the work pattern and the map (step S65). The work plan thus created is written in the work plan storage unit (step S66). Here, an example of the procedure of the work plan creation unit creating the work plan based on the work pattern in step S65 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, it is assumed that a comb-shaped pattern for cutting an area is selected as a work pattern. Then, go_str (A, vA) is generated so as to proceed in a fixed direction from the starting point O and proceed from the outer circumference to the front by the length required for rotation. Next, go_fit (B, vB) is first generated to cut straight from C to D, and then g_fit (B, vB) is generated.
o_str (C, vC) is created. Similarly, go_
I want to turn with fit (D, vD) and mow from D to E, but since there is a sprinkler with S in the middle, go to S before with go_str (E, vE), u
After raising the cutter with p, go over the sprinkler with go_str (F, vF), start lawn mowing again with cut, and go to point G with go_str (G, vG). If you proceed to I in the same way, turn off the engine with engine_off. In this way, the work plan is generated.

(Control FIG. 15) The control module receives a command of the work plan (the command is explained in the work plan part) from the work plan module or the obstacle avoidance module, and uses this command to move the moving unit. And control the lawn mower. Commands related to movement, go_str
Alternatively, when go_fit is read by the control command creation unit (step S80), the control command creation unit reads the position from the position sensor. (Step S83). If this position has reached the target position of the command, the next command is read, and if not, the control command creation unit moves the target position of the command based on the current position in which direction and at what speed. A target velocity vector asking whether to do so is created (step S85).

This target velocity vector is sent to the control amount creation unit, and from the control characteristic storage unit, the control amount creation unit asks how much steering should be turned in order to proceed to the target direction.
The control characteristic data indicating how much the accelerator should be opened to proceed to the target speed is read, and the control amount for realizing the target speed vector is calculated (step S8).
6). This control amount is sent to the moving unit, and the moving unit moves based on this control amount. This loop is repeated until the target position is reached.

Next, commands relating to lawn mowing, up, do
When wn and cut are read by the control command creating unit (step S82), this command is replaced with an electric signal for controlling the lawn mowing unit, and the lawn mowing unit raises and lowers the blade based on the electric signal and rotates the cutter to rotate the lawn. Mow (step S
89, S90). When the control command creating unit reads commands engine_on and engine_off related to the engine on / off (step S82), the control command creating unit applies a current to the motor for starting the engine (step S87), and turns on the electric system of the engine. It is cut off (step S88). This starts and stops the engine.

(Obstacle Avoidance FIG. 16) FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the obstacle avoidance processing. When the obstacle sensor detects an obstacle (step S100), the information is sent to the obstacle countermeasure creating section (step S10).
1). The obstacle countermeasure creating unit reads the obstacle countermeasure pattern corresponding to the obstacle information from the obstacle countermeasure pattern storage unit (step (S102)), and the obstacle countermeasure preparing unit detects the obstacle based on the obstacle countermeasure pattern and the obstacle information. (Step S103) The obstacle countermeasure preparation unit writes the obstacle countermeasures in the obstacle countermeasure storage unit (Step S104), and the control command preparation unit reads the obstacle countermeasures one by one from the fault countermeasure storage unit (Step S105). .

It is checked whether all the countermeasures against the failure have been completed (step S106), and if not completed, the process proceeds to step S107. If the failure countermeasure is movement, the processes in and after step S110 are executed. If the obstacle countermeasure is ON / OFF of the engine, step S120
The following process is executed, and the process returns to step S105. If the obstacle countermeasure is lawn mowing, the processing from step S130 is executed and the process returns to step S105.

[Embodiment 2] (When off-line teaching is performed) The lawn mower is shown in FIG.
As shown in, a position sensor 1010 that measures the position and orientation of the lawn mower, and a landmark sensor 1 that detects a landmark and reads the area number written in the landmark
020 and work area storage unit 10 for storing work area data
30, a work plan module 1060 that reads work area data from the work area storage unit to create a work plan, and writes the created work plan in the work plan storage unit, a work plan storage unit 1050 that stores the work plan, and a work plan A control module 1100 that reads a work plan from the storage unit and controls the moving unit and the lawn mowing unit, a moving unit 1110 that moves, an obstacle avoidance module 1200 that detects an obstacle and sends an obstacle countermeasure to the control unit, and a lawn mowing A lawn mowing section 1120 composed of a cutter and its elevating means, and a serious obstacle sensor 12 that immediately operates a moving section to turn off the engine when a serious obstacle is detected.
It consists of 10. I also have a map 1300,
It is used to correct the position measurement of the position sensor and to provide obstacle data when creating a work plan.

The rough operation flow of the lawnmower in this embodiment is as follows. First, the work area data created by the offline area teaching device and stored in the work area storage unit is stored in the work area storage unit 1030 of the lawn mower by a storage medium. Move to. Next, the work plan module 1060 reads the work area data from the work area storage unit 1030 and creates a work plan using this, and this work plan is stored in the work plan storage unit 1
050, the control unit 1100 reads out the work plans one by one, and controls the moving unit 1110 and the lawn mowing unit 1120. In parallel with this flow, the obstacle avoidance module 12
00 detects an obstacle, and when an obstacle is detected, the countermeasure is given to the control unit 1100. Further, the serious obstacle sensor 1210 also works in parallel, and when a serious obstacle is detected, the engine is immediately turned off. Hereinafter, the three procedures of work plan creation, control, and obstacle avoidance are the same as in [Example 1]. Here, the configuration and operation of the offline area teaching device will be described in detail.

(Offline Area Teaching FIG. 18 and FIG. 19) Here, instead of a method of teaching the area by turning the lawn mower around the circumference of the area and teaching the area, the area is displayed on the screen of the offline area teaching device. The teaching method will be described.
FIG. 18 shows the system configuration. FIG. 19 shows a flow chart of processing. First, the display / input control unit reads a map from the map storage unit (step S200) and displays the map on the display unit (step S201). Next, the display unit requests to select an area (step S202), and the area to be taught is input to the area number input section (step S202).
203) As an example of a specific method, a landmark on the screen of the display unit is designated with a touch pen. Then, the area number is input to the area number input section (step S203).

Then, the display section asks whether the user wants to input the area or the order for cutting the area (step S204), and the input mode selection section selects which one (step S205). As a specific example, touch the "area" or "procedure" on the screen of the display unit with a touch pen. If the area input is selected (step S20)
6) It is possible to input the outer circumference of the area. When a point on the outer circumference of the area is input to the area input section (step S20)
7) The point is displayed on the display (step S20).
8). Specifically, when tracing the outer circumference of the area on the screen of the display unit with a touch pen, the area is displayed on the screen.
When the outer circumference of the area is input, the area input unit is notified that the area input is completed (step S209). Specifically, the touch pen may be released from the display unit. Then, the area number adding section assigns an area area number (step S210), and the display / input control section writes this area number and work area data in the work area storage section (step S21).
1).

After that, the process returns to step S204 and asks whether to input the area or the procedure.
If you want to enter the area, repeat the above description. After inputting all areas, it is necessary to input how to cut the area. Therefore, the procedure is selected in step S206. Then, the execution procedure input unit specifies areas or routes in the order of execution (step S220). As a specific example, an area indicates a route with a touch pen in the order of execution. Then
The regions or paths are numbered in the designated order (step S224). After inputting all the procedures, the execution procedure input unit is instructed to end the procedure input (step S2).
22) As a specific example, if the "end" portion displayed on the screen is pointed with a touch pen, the procedure input is completed,
The display / input control unit rewrites the work area data in the work area storage unit according to the procedure. In this way, the work area is taught off-line.

[Embodiment 3] (When the work plan is created offline)
As shown in FIG. 20, a position sensor 1010 for measuring the position and orientation of a lawn mower, a landmark sensor 1020 for detecting a landmark and reading an area number written in the landmark, and a work for storing work area data An area storage unit 1030 and an area teaching module 1040 for performing area teaching and writing work area data in the work area storage unit
And a work plan storage unit 1050 that stores the work plan, and a control module 110 that reads the work plan from the work plan storage unit or the failure countermeasure storage unit and controls the moving unit and the lawn mowing unit.
0, a moving unit 1110 for moving, a lawn mowing unit 1120 composed of a lawn mowing cutter and its elevating means, an obstacle avoidance module 1 for detecting an obstacle and sending an obstacle countermeasure to the control unit.
200, and a serious obstacle sensor 1210 that works on the moving part to turn off the engine when a serious obstacle is detected. In addition, it may have a map 1300, and is used for correction of position measurement of a position sensor and provision of obstacle data when creating a work plan.

The rough operation flow of the lawnmower in this embodiment is as follows. First, the work area data is created by the work area teaching module 1040, and this work area data is written in the work area storage unit 1030, and then by the storage medium. The work area data stored in the work area storage section of the lawn mower is transferred to the work area storage section of the offline work plan creation apparatus by the storage medium, and the work plan created by the offline work plan creation apparatus is stored in the work plan storage section of the lawn mower. The control unit 1100 reads out the work plans one by one, and controls the moving unit 1110 and the lawn mowing unit 1120. In parallel with this flow, the obstacle avoidance module 12
00 detects an obstacle, and when an obstacle is detected, the countermeasure is given to the control unit. In addition, the serious obstacle sensor 12
10 also works in parallel, and when a serious obstacle is detected, the engine is turned off immediately. The three procedures of area teaching, control, and obstacle avoidance are the same as in the first embodiment. Here, the configuration and operation of the offline work planning work device will be described in detail.

(Offline work plan creation FIGS. 21 and 2
(See 2) By making the work plan offline after teaching the area, a person can change the work plan. This section describes a method of creating a work plan offline. FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing the structure of the device. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of the process.
First, the display / input control unit reads a map (step S
300), the map is displayed on the display unit (step S30).
1). The work area data is read from the work area storage unit (step S302) and displayed on the display unit. Here, the display unit displays a message requesting that the area for which the work plan is to be created be selected (step S30).
3). When a region is selected by the region selection unit (step S
304) As a specific example, when the area for which a work plan is to be created is pointed on the screen of the display unit with the touch pen, the selected area is sent to the display / input control unit (step S30).
6).

If a work plan has already been created in the selected area (step S308), the display / input control section displays the work plan execution status as shown in FIG. Pd-3 (step S309). . Next, a display as shown in FIG. Pd-4 is displayed on the display unit so as to select a work pattern such as comb cutting or spiral cutting (step S).
310), the user selects a work pattern in the work pattern selection unit (step S311). Like combing,
When cutting in a spiral pattern or when creating a work plan according to a prepared pattern, the work pattern is sent from the work pattern selection unit to the work plan creation unit (step S312), and the work plan creation unit sends the work pattern to this. The corresponding work pattern is read from the work pattern storage unit (step S
313). Parameters required for work planning, such as
Information such as how many meters to cut is input by the parameter input device (step S314). The work plan creation unit reads the work area data from the work capacity storage unit (step S315) and the map (step S3).
16), create a work plan, write it in the work plan storage unit, and display it on the display unit (step S319).

When selecting a work pattern (step S
311) A case where manual creation is input will be described.
When the command to be executed is selected in the work plan input section (step S322) and the position to execute the command is input, the command is stored in the work plan storage section and the execution status of the work plan is displayed on the display section (step S322). S325).
Further, when the deletion of the work plan is selected (step S32
1) After the command to be deleted is input in the work plan creation unit (step S326), the corresponding command is deleted from the work plan storage unit (step S327) and the execution status of the work plan is displayed on the display unit (step S327). Step S32
8). When the completion of the work plan is instructed in step S320, the offline work is completed.

[Embodiment 4] (When area teaching and work plan creation are performed offline, and an autonomous mobile lawn mower performs control and obstruction avoidance according to the work plan) The lawn mower, as shown in FIG. A position sensor 1010 that measures the position and orientation of the lawn mower, a landmark sensor 1020 that detects a landmark and reads an area number written in the landmark, a work plan storage unit 1050 that stores a work plan, and a work plan storage Control module 1100 that reads the work plan from the control unit or the obstacle countermeasure storage unit, controls the moving unit and the lawn mowing unit, the moving unit 1110 that moves, the lawn mowing unit 1120 that includes the lawn mowing cutter and its lifting means, and detects obstacles. , An obstacle avoidance module 1200 that sends obstacle measures to the control unit, and an engine that works on the moving unit when a serious obstacle is detected. It consists of a serious obstacle sensor 1210 that cuts off. Also, the map 1300
It is also used to correct position measurement of position sensors and to provide obstacle data when creating a work plan. The rough operation flow of the lawnmower in this embodiment is as follows. First, work area data is created by an offline area teaching device, and this work area data is transferred to an offline work planning device by a storage medium or a cable, and then the offline work plan creating device is created. Then, a work plan is created, the work plan created by the offline work plan creating apparatus is transferred to the storage medium of the work plan storage unit 1050 of the lawn mower, the control unit 1100 reads the work plans one by one, and the moving unit 1110 and the lawn mowing The unit 1120 is controlled. In parallel with this flow, the obstacle avoidance module detects the obstacle, and when the obstacle is detected, the countermeasure is given to the control unit. Further, the serious obstacle sensors also work in parallel, and the engine is turned off when a serious obstacle is detected. The three procedures of control and obstacle avoidance are the same as in the first embodiment. The offline area teaching is the same as in the second embodiment, and the offline plan creation is the same as in the third embodiment.

[0044]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention is an automatic lawnmower having an autonomous traveling function and capable of unmanned operation. When lawn mowing an area having arbitrary terrain, the area is driven by manned operation. Then, the lawn mower recognizes the work area, creates a work plan, and achieves automatic lawn mowing. For the teaching of this work area, it is also possible to create data on an off-line device other than the automatic lawnmower and teach it to the automatic lawnmower. The automatic lawnmower can perform lawn mowing while avoiding obstacles.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a traveling vehicle that is an automatic lawnmower showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a traveling vehicle which is an automatic lawnmower showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration of a traveling vehicle that is an automatic lawnmower of the present invention.

4 is a control block diagram of the system configuration of the vehicle shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a work area.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing data in a work area.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing data in a work area.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing data in a work area.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing data in a work area.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of area designation.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for converting elapsed point data into a work area.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an algorithm for creating a work plan.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a lawn mowing work area.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an algorithm for controlling an automatic lawnmower.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an interrupt processing algorithm.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a configuration diagram of an offline area designating device.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of an off-line area.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a system configuration according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram of a route generation device that is offline.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an algorithm for offline route generation.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 traveling vehicle 10 traveling vehicle main body 20 main frame 22, 24 wheels 30 engine 40 control valve unit 50 seat 52 steering 60, 70 cutting unit 100 controller 111 contact sensor 112 ground sensor 113 objective sensor 121 geomagnetic sensor 122 acceleration sensor 123 GPS sensor 124 Optical fiber gyro 126 Light receiving element 280 Operating status display lamp 300 Body 1010 Position sensor 1020 Landmark sensor 1030 Work area storage 1040 Area teaching module 1060 Work planning module 1100 Control module 1200 Obstacle avoidance module

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication location G05D 1/02 G05D 1/02 S (72) Inventor Toshihiro Aono 502 Kandachi-cho, Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki Stock Company Hiritsu Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Mechanical Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Tokuhisa Miyake 502 Jintamachi, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A lawn mower having a frame of a vehicle, an engine mounted on the frame, wheels driven by the power of the engine, a traveling operating device, and a control device for controlling the traveling operating device. Position sensor that measures the position and orientation of the lawn mower, a landmark sensor that detects the landmark and reads the area number written in the landmark, a work area storage unit that stores work area data, and area teaching. Create an area teaching module that writes the work area data to the work area storage section, a work plan module that stores the work plan, a work plan that reads the work area data from the work area storage section, and store the created work plan in the work plan storage section. A work planning module to write to the section, a moving section that moves the lawn mower, a lawn mowing section that includes a lawn mowing cutter and its lifting means, A control module that reads the work plan from the work plan storage unit or the obstacle countermeasure storage unit, controls the moving unit and the lawn mowing unit, an obstacle avoidance module that detects an obstacle and sends an obstacle countermeasure to the control unit, and a serious obstacle. The unmanned lawn mowing system is equipped with a critical obstacle sensor that detects when the moving part and turns on the engine by acting on the moving part. 2. A lawn mower having a frame of a vehicle, an engine mounted on the frame, wheels driven by the power of the engine, a travel operation device, and a control device for controlling the travel operation device. Position sensor that measures the position and orientation of the lawn mower, a landmark sensor that detects a landmark and reads the area number written in the landmark, a work area storage unit that stores work area data, and a work area storage Section to read work area data, create a work plan, write the created work plan to the work plan storage section, work plan storage section to store the work plan, and read the work plan from the work plan storage section and move Control module for controlling the cutting section and the lawn mower, a moving section for moving the lawn mower, a lawn mowing section including a lawn mowing cutter and its lifting means, and an obstacle. An unmanned lawn mowing system equipped with an obstacle avoidance module that detects harmful substances and sends obstacle countermeasures to the control unit, and a serious obstacle sensor that detects serious obstacles and at the same time operates the moving unit to turn off the engine. 3. A lawn mower having a frame of a vehicle, an engine mounted on the frame, wheels driven by the power of the engine, a travel operation device, and a control device for controlling the travel operation device. Position sensor that measures the position and orientation of the lawn mower, a landmark sensor that detects the landmark and reads the area number written in the landmark, a work area storage unit that stores work area data, and area teaching. An area teaching module for writing work area data to the work storage section, a work plan module for storing the work plan, and a control module for reading the work plan from the work plan storage section or the failure countermeasure storage section and controlling the moving section and the lawn mowing section. , A moving part that moves the lawn mower, a lawn mowing part consisting of a lawn mowing cutter and its lifting means, and obstacles are detected and countermeasures against obstacles are taken. An unmanned lawn mowing system equipped with an obstacle avoidance module that sends to the control unit, and a serious obstacle sensor that detects a serious obstacle and at the same time operates the moving unit to turn off the engine. 4. A lawn mower having a frame of a vehicle, an engine mounted on the frame, wheels driven by the power of the engine, a travel operation device, and a control device for controlling the travel operation device. Position sensor that measures the position and orientation of the lawn mower, a landmark sensor that detects the landmark and reads the area number written in the landmark, a work plan storage unit that stores the work plan, and a work plan storage unit Alternatively, it reads a work plan from the obstacle countermeasure storage unit, a control module that controls the moving unit and the lawn mowing unit, a moving unit that moves the lawn mower, a lawn mowing unit that includes a lawn mowing cutter and its lifting means, and detects obstacles. Equipped with an obstacle avoidance module that sends countermeasures to the control unit and a serious obstacle sensor that detects a serious obstacle and at the same time operates the moving unit to turn off the engine Consisting of Te unmanned mowing system.