Autonomous travel work system

• US 9,332,691 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yanmar Power Technology Co., Ltd. (Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Yanmar Company Limited (Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Toshio, Sekiyama, Kosuke, Matsumoto, Keiji, Terashima, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, GARRETT F
• Application Number:
  US14/646,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20150296707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/00 Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/64 mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle A01D34/695 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/461 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 : for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 : Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 : Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An autonomous travel work system works, regarding a garden LD as a canvas and applying an arbitrary design to the garden LD, according the design. The autonomous travel work system includes an information terminal configured to be input means and transmit input information, a computer configured to receive the input information, and at least one electric lawn mower configured to work autonomously traveling in the garden LD. The information terminal includes a display, a work ground input, a design allocation input, and a work request device. The information terminal or the computer includes a work ground designation device, a design allocation device, a mapping route generator, and a work pattern generator.

Claims

1. An autonomous travel work system which works, regarding a work ground as a canvas and applying an arbitrary design to the work ground, according to the design, the system comprising:

an information terminal configured to be input means and transmit input information;

a computer configured to receive the input information; and

at least one work vehicle configured to work autonomously traveling in the work ground, wherein

the information terminal includes;

display means for displaying a map image including the work ground;

work ground input means for inputting the work ground on the map image displayed on the display unit;

design allocation input means for inputting the arbitrary design to be allocated to the work ground; and

work request means for requesting a work,

the information terminal or the computer includes;

work ground designation means for generating location information about the work ground based on the work ground input on the map image;

design allocation means for allocating the input design to the work ground and generating location information about the design and contrast information about the design; and

work information generation means for generating geographical information about the work ground designated on the map image and the input design as work information.

2. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein the information terminal includes design generation means for creating the design.

3. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein

the information terminal or the computer includes the work fee calculation means for calculating a work fee estimation based on the work information,

the information terminal includes desired date/time input means for inputting a desired date and time for the work, and

the computer includes schedule management means for managing a schedule of the work based on the desired date and time.

4. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein the design allocation means sets the design based on constraint conditions on that the work vehicle is able to work.

5. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein the information terminal or the computer includes design extracting means for extracting a recommended design suitable for a shape of the work ground from existing designs.

6. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein

the information terminal or the computer includes storage means for storing the work information, and

the work request means included in the information terminal requests the work based on the work information.

7. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein the work request means performs settlement of the work fee when the work is requested.

8. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein the computer is movable.

9. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein the work is a grass mowing work.

10. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 1, wherein the work vehicle electrically travels and works.

11. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 2, wherein

the information terminal or the computer includes the work fee calculation means for calculating a work fee estimation based on the work information,

the information terminal includes desired date/time input means for inputting a desired date and time for the work, and

the computer includes schedule management means for managing a schedule of the work based on the desired date and time.

12. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 2, wherein the design allocation means sets the design based on constraint conditions on that the work vehicle is able to work.

13. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 3, wherein the design allocation means sets the design based on constraint conditions on that the work vehicle is able to work.

14. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 2, wherein the information terminal or the computer includes design extracting means for extracting a recommended design suitable for a shape of the work ground from existing designs.

15. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 3, wherein the information terminal or the computer includes design extracting means for extracting a recommended design suitable for a shape of the work ground from existing designs.

16. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 4, wherein the information terminal or the computer includes design extracting means for extracting a recommended design suitable for a shape of the work ground from existing designs.

17. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 2, wherein

the information terminal or the computer includes storage means for storing the work information, and

the work request means included in the information terminal requests the work based on the work information.

18. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 3, wherein

the information terminal or the computer includes storage means for storing the work information, and

the work request means included in the information terminal requests the work based on the work information.

19. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 4, wherein

the information terminal or the computer includes storage means for storing the work information, and

the work request means included in the information terminal requests the work based on the work information.

20. The autonomous travel work system according to claim 5, wherein

the information terminal or the computer includes storage means for storing the work information, and

the work request means included in the information terminal requests the work based on the work information.