Work vehicle and abnormality notification method for work vehicle

• US 10,109,123 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuzaki, Yushi, SHinkai, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/385,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20180025560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/007 Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 76/00 Parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, not provided for in groups A01B51/00 - A01B75/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/127 Control or measuring arrangements specially adapted for combines
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 41/1271 for measuring crop flow
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/267 Diagnosing or detecting failure of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

A work vehicle includes travelling work state detection sensors to detect a travelling work state of the work vehicle to output detected signals indicating the traveling work state. Circuitry is configured to determine that an early abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a first condition, the work vehicle being in an early stage of trouble in travelling due to the early abnormality. The circuitry is configured to determine that an actual abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a second condition which has a second threshold severer than a first threshold of the first condition, the work vehicle being in trouble in travelling due to the actual abnormality. The circuitry is configured to provides notifications of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality toward an outside of the work vehicle when it is determined that the early abnormality and the actual abnormality occurs, respectively.

Claims

1. A work vehicle comprising:

travelling work state detection sensors to detect a travelling work state of the work vehicle to output detected signals indicating the traveling work state; and

circuitry configured to

calculate a position of the work vehicle based on positioning data,

determine that an early abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a first condition, the work vehicle being in an early stage of trouble in travelling due to the early abnormality,

determine that an actual abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a second condition which has a second threshold severer than a first threshold of the first condition, the work vehicle being in trouble in travelling due to the actual abnormality,

generate abnormality information including at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality and including an abnormality occurring position of the work vehicle where the at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality occurs,

provide a notification of the early abnormality toward an outside of the work vehicle when the early abnormality is determined to have occurred, and

provide a notification of the actual abnormality toward the outside of the work vehicle when the actual abnormality is determined to have occurred.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to record the abnormality information in line with a travel locus.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry is configured to generate, based on a difference between a target travel route and the position of the work vehicle, an automatic steering instruction to control the work vehicle to travel along the target travel route, and

wherein notification information regarding the early abnormality and the actual abnormality is sent to a communication terminal operated by a supervisor supervising an automatic travelling operation.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is configured to execute an abnormality recovery process to resolve at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality when at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality is determined to have occurred.

5. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the abnormality recovery process includes a partial or complete stoppage of the automatic travelling operation.

6. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein, when the travelling operation is performed in a field separated by ridges as boundaries and the abnormality recovery process is performed near one of the ridges, the abnormality recovery process includes an automatic travelling operation through which the work vehicle automatically approaches one of the ridges.

7. The work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a content of the abnormality recovery process is settable beforehand in accordance with a type of abnormality.

8. A work vehicle comprising:

travelling work state detection sensors to detect a travelling work state of the work vehicle to output detected signals indicating the traveling work state;

a first calculator to calculate a position of the work vehicle based on positioning data;

a first processor to determine that an early abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a first condition, the work vehicle being in an early stage of trouble in travelling due to the early abnormality;

a second processor to determine that an actual abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a second condition which has a second threshold severer than a first threshold of the first condition, the work vehicle being in trouble in travelling due to the actual abnormality;

an information generator to generate abnormality information including at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality and including an abnormality occurring position of the work vehicle where the at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality occurs;

a first notifier to provide a notification of the early abnormality toward an outside of the work vehicle when the early abnormality is determined to have occurred; and

a second notifier to provide a notification of the actual abnormality toward the outside of the work vehicle when the actual abnormality is determined to have occurred.

9. An abnormality notification method for a work vehicle, comprising:

detecting a travelling work state of the work vehicle to output detected signals indicating the traveling work state;

using circuitry to calculate a position of the work vehicle based on positioning data;

using circuitry to determine that an early abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a first condition, the work vehicle being in an early stage of trouble in travelling due to the early abnormality;

using circuitry to determine that an actual abnormality occurs when the detected signals satisfy a second condition which has a second threshold severer than a first threshold of the first condition, the work vehicle being in trouble in travelling due to the actual abnormality;

generating abnormality information including at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality and including an abnormality occurring position of the work vehicle where the at least one of the early abnormality and the actual abnormality occurs;

providing a notification of the early abnormality toward an outside of the work vehicle when the early abnormality is determined to have occurred; and

providing a notification of the actual abnormality toward the outside of the work vehicle when the actual abnormality is determined to have occurred.