Working vehicle capable of setting scheduled traveling line for traveling using automatic steering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12197225-B2
Application number	US-202117554075-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2021
Priority date	Sep 26, 2019
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A working vehicle includes a vehicle body to travel either by manual steering with a steering wheel or by automatic steering with the steering wheel, a reference registration controller configured or programmed to register a traveling reference line based on a position of the vehicle body caused to travel by the manual steering, a traveling line setter configured or programmed to set, based on the traveling reference line, scheduled traveling lines for traveling using the automatic steering, and an automatic steering controller to control the automatic steering based on the scheduled traveling lines. The traveling line setter is configured or programmed to change an adjacency width between the scheduled traveling lines adjoining each other among the plurality of scheduled traveling lines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A working vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle body to travel either by manual steering with a steering wheel or by automatic steering with the steering wheel;
a switch; and
one or more controllers, including a circuit and/or a central processing unit (CPU), configured or programmed to:
register a traveling reference line that is a straight line connecting a start point and an end point, the start point being defined as a position of the vehicle body at a time when the vehicle body is caused to travel by the manual steering and a first operation is performed on a registration switch, and the end point being defined as a position of the vehicle body at a time when a second operation is performed on the registration switch;
set, based on the traveling reference line, a plurality of scheduled traveling lines for traveling using the automatic steering; and
control the automatic steering with the steering wheel so that the vehicle body travels along the scheduled traveling lines; wherein

the one or more controllers is operable to change an adjacency width between the scheduled traveling lines adjoining each other among the plurality of scheduled traveling lines;
the switch is operable to issue therefrom an instruction to change the adjacency width;
when the instruction to change the adjacency width is issued from the switch during the automatic steering, the one or more controllers changes the adjacency width to a changed adjacency width and changes a position of a next scheduled traveling line to a position spaced by the changed adjacency width from a current scheduled traveling line; and
when the instruction to change the adjacency width is issued from the switch after a termination of the automatic steering and before a new automatic steering is started, the one or more controllers changes the adjacency width to the changed adjacency width and changes the position of the next scheduled traveling line to a position spaced by the changed adjacency width from an immediately preceding scheduled traveling line on which the vehicle body was traveling immediately before the termination of the automatic steering.

2. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display including a reference input portion to input a reference adjacency width, which is a reference width between the scheduled traveling lines adjoining each other, and a variation input portion to input a variation adjacency width; wherein
the one or more controllers is operable to change the adjacency width to a value obtained by adding the variation adjacency width to the reference adjacency width when the instruction to change is issued from the switch, and sets the reference adjacency width as the adjacency width when the instruction to change is not issued from the switch.

3. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display including a reference input portion to input a reference adjacency width, which is a reference width between the scheduled traveling lines adjoining each other, and a variation input portion to input a variation adjacency width; wherein
the one or more controllers, including the circuit and/or the CPU, are configured or programmed to calculate a work count that is a count of a number of times of performing a ground work;
the one or more controllers is operable to change the adjacency width to a value obtained by adding the variation adjacency width to the reference adjacency width when the work count reaches a predetermined count, and resets the work count; and
the one or more controllers is operable to set the reference adjacency width as the adjacency width when the work count does not reach the predetermined count.

4. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a positioning device to detect a position of the vehicle body; wherein
the one or more controllers, including the circuit and/or the CPU, are configured or programmed to:
when the adjacency width is unchanged, after the automatic steering is terminated, and when a new automatic steering is started after the vehicle body is turned by the manual steering, refer to a vehicle body position representing the position of the vehicle body detected by the positioning device to change a steering angle of the vehicle body so that the vehicle body position approaches the next scheduled traveling line with the unchanged adjacency width and matches the next scheduled traveling line; and
when the adjacency width is changed, after the automatic steering is terminated, and when a new automatic steering is started after the vehicle body is turned by the manual steering, refer to the vehicle body position detected by the positioning device to change the steering angle of the vehicle body so that the vehicle body position approaches the next scheduled traveling line with the changed adjacency width and matches the next scheduled traveling line.

5. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display to display information about the vehicle body; and
a controller, including a circuit and/or a central processing unit (CPU), configured or programmed to cause the display to display a scheduled traveling line on which the vehicle body travels and a next-scheduled traveling line adjoining the scheduled traveling line; wherein
when an adjacency width between scheduled traveling lines adjoining each other is changed, the controller is operable to cause the display to display the next-scheduled traveling line to be scheduled after the changing.

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• KIKUMOTO Misako
• Nishino Kunihiko
• Morioka Yasuaki
• Ezaki Hideaki
• Miyashita Shunsuke
• TAMBO Toru

Classifications

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K35/81

  for controlling displays · CPC title

• B60K35/10 Primary

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B60K2360/16

  Type of output information · CPC title

• B60K35/28

  characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver · CPC title