Autonomous travelling service vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9841768-B2
Application number	US-201515129571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

In the prior art, detection sensitivity was fixed for an obstacle detection means provided to an autonomous travelling service vehicle; therefore, in the present invention an autonomous travelling service vehicle is provided with a position calculation means that determines the position of the chassis using a satellite positioning system, and with a control device that automatically drives the vehicle along a set travel route and causes the vehicle to execute the service, wherein an obstacle sensor that acts as an obstacle detection means for detecting whether or not an obstacle is present around the autonomous travelling service vehicle and a sensitivity adjustment means for adjusting the sensitivity of the obstacle sensor are provided, and the sensitivity of the obstacle sensor is adjusted by the sensitivity adjustment means so as to be high within a set work area and low outside the set work area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An autonomously traveling work vehicle comprising:
a position calculation processor positioning a position of a vehicle body by using a satellite positioning system; and
a control device making the vehicle travel and work automatically along a set traveling route,
characterized in that
an obstacle detection sensor detecting whether an obstacle exists in a circumference of the autonomously traveling work vehicle or not, and a sensitivity adjustment processor changing sensitivity of the obstacle detection sensor are provided, and
the control device adjusts the sensitivity of the obstacle detection sensor by the sensitivity adjustment processor so that the sensitivity is high in a set work area and low out of the set work area.

2. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device adjusts the sensitivity by the sensitivity adjustment processor so that a detection range of the obstacle detection sensor is in the set work area.

3. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device adjusts the sensitivity by the sensitivity adjustment processor so that the detection range is wide at a center of the set work area and reduced toward an outer perimeter of the set work area.

4. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein an environmental recognition sensor is connected to the control device, weather is judged corresponding to a detection value of the environmental recognition sensor, and the sensitivity of the obstacle detection sensor is changed by the sensitivity adjustment processor corresponding to the weather.

5. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein an environmental recognition sensor and a manual input device are connected to the control device, a direct ray mode is selected by a mode switch provided in the control device based on a detection value of the environmental recognition sensor or by input of the manual input device, and the sensitivity is reduced by the sensitivity adjustment processor.

6. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a manual input device and a rain detection sensor as an environmental recognition sensor are connected to the control device, and when raining is detected by the rain detection sensor or the raining is inputted by the manual input device, the control device reduces the sensitivity by the sensitivity adjustment processor.

7. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a manual input device and an optical sensor as an environmental recognition sensor are connected to the control device, and when illumination detected by the optical sensor is not more than set illumination and it is judged to be night or it is inputted that it is night by the manual input device, a head light mode is selected by a mode switch, and a detection value not less than the set illumination is filtered and only the detection value not more than the predetermined value is obtained.

8. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

9. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the control device adjusts the sensitivity by the sensitivity adjustment processor so that the detection range is wide at a center of the set work area and reduced toward an outer perimeter of the set work area.

10. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to one of claim 2 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

11. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

12. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to one of claim 3 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

13. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to one of claim 4 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

14. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to one of claim 5 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

15. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to one of claim 6 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

16. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to one of claim 7 , wherein environment state such as day and night and weather and history of sensitivity adjustment at that time are stored in a storage device provided in the control device.

17. An autonomously traveling work vehicle comprising:
a position calculation processor positioning a position of a vehicle body by using a satellite positioning system; and
a control device making the vehicle travel and work automatically along a set traveling route,
characterized in that
a sound notification processor is connected to the control device, and when traveling direction or work state is changed, the control device gives preliminary notification of next operation by the sound notification processor at a position before a change start position for a set distance.

18. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein the control device notifies actual operation by the sound notification processor.

19. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein a light notification processor is connected to the control device and next operation and actual operation are notified by the light notification processor.

20. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein a display processor can be communicated with the control device, and next operation and actual operation are displayed by the display processor.

21. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein a light notification processor is connected to the control device and next operation and actual operation are notified by the light notification processor.

22. The autonomously traveling work vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein a display processor can be communicated with the control device, and next operation and actual operation are displayed by the display processor.

Assignees

• Yanmar Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hiramatsu Toshifumi
• Aoki Hideaki
• Ogura Kouhei

Classifications

• B62D49/06

  adapted for multi-purpose use · CPC title

• A01D75/185

  Avoiding collisions with obstacles · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• A01B69/008

  automatic · CPC title

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title