Automatic traveling work vehicle, steering controller for automatic traveling work vehicle, and steering control method for automatic traveling work vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10407097-B2
Application number	US-201715841296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2017
Priority date	Jan 20, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

An automatic traveling work vehicle includes a memory to store work traveling information including information on work which a work device is configured to perform and on a state of a work field in which the automatic traveling work vehicle is configured to automatically travel along a target travel route. Circuitry is configured to calculate a vehicle position of the automatic traveling work vehicle, to calculate a track deviation of a vehicle body from the target travel route based on the target travel route and the vehicle position, to calculate a steering sensitivity based on at least one of the information on the work and the information on the state of the work field, and to calculate, based on the track deviation and the steering sensitivity, a steering control amount according to which the steering is controlled.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic traveling work vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body to which a work device is configured to be connected;
a steering to change a traveling direction of the automatic traveling work vehicle;
a detector to detect an operation amount of a sensitivity adjustment operation tool to be operated by a user;
a memory to store work traveling information including information on work which the work device is configured to perform and on a state of a work field in which the automatic traveling work vehicle is configured to automatically travel along a target travel route; and
circuitry configured to
calculate a vehicle position of the automatic traveling work vehicle,
calculate a track deviation of the vehicle body from the target travel route based on the target travel route and the vehicle position,
calculate a steering sensitivity based on at least one of the information on the work and the information on the state of the work field, the steering sensitivity indicating a steering amount based on which the work vehicle is to travel to return to the target travel route from the vehicle position that deviates from the target travel route by the track deviation,
calculate an adjustment value of the steering sensitivity based on the operation amount of the sensitivity adjustment operation tool,
add the adjustment value to the steering sensitivity to obtain an adjusted steering sensitivity, and
calculate, based on the track deviation and the adjusted steering sensitivity, a steering control amount according to which the steering is controlled.

2. The automatic traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive the work traveling information through communication to provide the work traveling information to the memory.

3. The automatic traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sensitivity adjustment operation tool is configured to be displayed in a touch panel in the automatic traveling work vehicle, and
wherein the detector is the touch panel.

4. The automatic traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to
calculate from sequential vehicle positions of the automatic traveling work vehicle a track deviation eliminating travel locus via which the automatic traveling work vehicle travels to eliminate the track deviation, and
compare the track deviation eliminating travel locus with an ideal locus to eliminate the track deviation which is derived from the work traveling information to send to the circuitry a command to increase or decrease the steering sensitivity.

5. The automatic traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to set the target travel route.

6. The automatic traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry configured to calculate the vehicle position of the automatic traveling work vehicle based on positioning data from a positioning module.

7. A steering controller for an automatic traveling work vehicle, comprising:
a detector to detect an operation amount of a sensitivity adjustment operation tool to be operated by a user;
a memory to store work traveling information including information on work which a work device attached to the automatic traveling work vehicle is configured to perform and on a state of a work field in which the automatic traveling work vehicle is configured to automatically travel along a target travel route; and
circuitry configured to
calculate a vehicle position of the automatic traveling work vehicle,
calculate a track deviation of the automatic traveling work vehicle from the target travel route and the vehicle position,
calculate a steering sensitivity based on at least one of the information on the work and information on the state of the work field, the steering sensitivity indicating a steering amount based on which the work vehicle is to travel to return to the target travel route from the vehicle position that deviates from the target travel route by the track deviation,
calculate an adjustment value of the steering sensitivity based on the operation amount of the sensitivity adjustment operation tool,
add the adjustment value to the steering sensitivity to obtain an adjusted steering sensitivity, and
calculate, based on the track deviation and the adjusted steering sensitivity, a steering control amount according to which a steering of the automatic traveling work vehicle is controlled.

8. The steering controller according to claim 7 ,
wherein the sensitivity adjustment operation tool is configured to be displayed in a touch panel in the automatic traveling work vehicle, and
wherein the detector is the touch panel.

9. A steering control method for an automatic traveling work vehicle, comprising:
detecting an operation amount of a sensitivity adjustment operation tool to be operated by a user;
calculating a vehicle position of the automatic traveling work vehicle;
calculating a track deviation of the automatic traveling work vehicle from the vehicle position and a target travel route along which the automatic traveling work vehicle is configured to automatically travel in a work field;
calculating a steering sensitivity based on at least one of information on a state of the work field and information on work which a work device attached to the automatic traveling work vehicle is configured to perform, the steering sensitivity indicating a steering amount based on which the work vehicle is to travel to return to the target travel route from the vehicle position that deviates from the target travel route by the track deviation;
calculating an adjustment value of the steering sensitivity based on the operation amount of the sensitivity adjustment operation tool;
adding the adjustment value to the steering sensitivity to obtain an adjusted steering sensitivity; and
calculating, based on the track deviation and the adjusted steering sensitivity, a steering control amount according to which a steering of the automatic traveling work vehicle is controlled.

10. The steering control method according to claim 9 ,
wherein the sensitivity adjustment operation tool is configured to be displayed in a touch panel in the automatic traveling work vehicle, and
wherein the detector is the touch panel.

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Sakaguchi Kazuo
• Yamaguchi Kotaro
• Suga Hiroki
• Shinkai Atsushi

Classifications

• A01B69/00 Primary

  Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track · CPC title

• B62D15/025 Primary

  Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D6/001

  the torque NOT being among the input parameters · CPC title

• A01B69/008 Primary

  automatic · CPC title

• G05D1/027

  comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector (inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165) · CPC title