US 11,726,485 B2
Autonomous work vehicle travel system, travel route managing device, travel route generating device, and travel route determining device
Sakura Tomita, Amagasaki (JP); Tomohiko Sano, Amagasaki (JP); Kazuo Sakaguchi, Amagasaki (JP); Tetsuya Nakajima, Sakai (JP); Makoto Oshitani, Sakai (JP); Kenichi Iwami, Sakai (JP); and Osamu Yoshida, Amagasaki (JP)
Assigned to Kubota Corporation, Osaka (JP)
Appl. No. 16/306,948
Filed by Kubota Corporation, Osaka (JP)
PCT Filed Jun. 28, 2017, PCT No. PCT/JP2017/023774
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 4, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/042853, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 8, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 2016-173109 (JP), filed on Sep. 5, 2016; application No. 2016-209969 (JP), filed on Oct. 26, 2016; and application No. 2016-209970 (JP), filed on Oct. 26, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0146513 A1, May 16, 2019
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); B60W 30/10 (2006.01); A01B 69/04 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0219 (2013.01) [A01B 69/008 (2013.01); B60W 30/10 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/0278 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0201 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An autonomous harvester travel system that manages autonomous travel of a harvester that travels while harvesting in a work site, the system comprising:
a satellite positioning module that outputs positioning data indicating a vehicle position of the harvester; and
one or more processors programmed and/or configured to:
set an area to be harvested in the work site;
calculate a travel route element set, the travel route element set being an aggregate of multiple travel route elements selectable for travel while harvesting that cover the area to be harvested, and store the travel route element set so as to be capable of readout;
select, during travel while harvesting of the harvester in a current travel route element, using one or more dynamic rules, a next travel route element, which is to be traveled while harvesting after the travel while harvesting is completed for the current travel route element, from among the multiple travel route elements of the travel route element set;
cause the harvester to travel autonomously on the basis of the next travel route element and the vehicle position; and
repeat the selection of the next travel route element and the causing of the harvester to travel autonomously on the basis of the next travel route element and the vehicle position, wherein each selection of the next travel route element selects only a single travel route element as the next travel route element,
wherein the selected next travel route element does not cover all of the rest of the area to be harvested,
wherein the travel route element set includes a parallel line set constituted by parallel lines that are parallel to each other and divide the area to be worked into rectangular shapes, and movement from one end of one travel route element to one end of another travel route element is executed through U-turn travel by the work vehicle, and
wherein a travel route element separated by a predetermined distance for U-turn travel from the current travel route element is set to a highest priority level of the multiple travel route elements aggregated in the travel route element set, and wherein travel route elements further from the current travel route element than the travel route element separated by the predetermined distance are set to lower priority levels that decrease as a distance of the travel route elements from the current travel route element increases.