Autonomous travelling work vehicle, and method for controlling autonomous travelling work vehicle

• US 10,635,100 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuzaki, Yushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie, Wae L
• Application Number:
  US15/842,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20180210443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 701 28
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 33/021 with rigid tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

An autonomous travelling work vehicle includes at least one obstruction sensor and circuitry. The at least one obstruction sensor is to detect an obstruction in a travel route along which the autonomous travelling work vehicle is configured to travel. The circuitry is configured to determine whether the at least one obstruction sensor operates under a proper operation environment and to determine whether a malfunction occurs in the at least one obstruction sensor if the at least one obstruction sensor is determined to operate under the proper operation environment.

Claims

1. An autonomous travelling work vehicle comprising:

at least one obstruction sensor to detect an obstruction in a travel route along which the autonomous travelling work vehicle is configured to travel; and

circuitry configured to

determine whether there is no external factor which disturbs an operation of the at least one obstruction sensor and which is other than a malfunction in the at least one obstruction sensor and in an electrical line connected to the at least one obstruction sensor, and

determine whether the malfunction occurs if it is determined that there is no external factor.

2. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the autonomous travelling work vehicle to autonomously travel along the travel route in a case where it is determined that the malfunction does not occur.

3. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

notify a user of an instruction to confirm that there is no external factor, and

receive, from the user, information indicating that it is confirmed that there is no external factor.

4. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine whether or not the malfunction occurs by trial.

5. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the circuitry is configured to determine whether or not the malfunction occurs by determining whether the at least one obstruction sensor detects an artificial obstruction brought into a detection region of the at least one obstruction sensor.

6. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the at least one obstruction sensor includes cameras having a face recognition function, and

the circuitry is configured to determine whether or not the malfunction occurs by determining whether the cameras recognize a face of a person who enters field of views of the cameras.

7. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 4,

the circuitry is further configured to detect disconnection and short circuit of the electrical line.

8. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine whether there is no external factor when a main key is turned on;

and

wherein the circuitry is configured to omit determining whether there is no external factor in a period from an immediately preceding time at which the main key is turned off to a subsequent time at which the main key is turned on.

9. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to suspend determining whether there is no external factor while the autonomous travelling work vehicle conducts manual travelling.

10. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to

control autonomous travelling along the travel route,

determine whether or not the at least one obstruction sensor detects an artificial obstruction entering a detection region of the at least obstruction sensor, and

prohibit the autonomous travelling in a case where it is determined that the at least one obstruction sensor does not detect the artificial obstruction.

11. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine that there is no external factor when a substance to disturb the operation of the at least one obstruction sensor is not attached to the at least one obstruction sensor.

12. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one obstruction sensor is configured to emit a sensor beam.

13. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the at least one obstruction sensor includes an ultrasonic sonar or a laser scanner.

14. The autonomous travelling work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one obstruction sensor includes a camera.

15. A method for controlling an autonomous travelling work vehicle, comprising:

determining whether there is no external factor which disturbs an operation of at least one obstruction sensor and which is other than a malfunction in the at least one obstruction sensor and in a signal line of the at least one obstruction sensor, the at least one obstruction sensor being configured to detect an obstruction in a travel route along which the autonomous travelling work vehicle is configured to travel; and

determining whether the malfunction occurs if it is determined that there is no external factor.