Work area determination system for autonomous traveling work vehicle, the autonomous traveling work vehicle and work area determination program

• US 10,656,653 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Uemura, Katsuhiko, Aoyama, Hitoshi, Umemoto, Hideya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ingram, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US15/993,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20190113928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• 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 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• 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

Abstract

A work area determination system for an autonomous traveling work vehicle includes a photographing device for photographing a predetermined area including a work area and acquiring a photographic image thereof, a positioning device for obtaining position information indicative of a position at which the photographic image has been acquired, a map generation section for generating a map based on the photographic image and the position information, a displaying section for displaying the map, and a work area determination section for determining the work area in which the autonomous traveling work vehicle is to work, based on an area designation for the map displayed in the displaying section.

Claims

1. A work area determination system for an autonomous traveling work vehicle, comprising:

a photographing device for photographing a predetermined area including a work area and acquiring a plurality of photographic images thereof, the plurality of photographic images containing an index positioned in the work area;

a positioning device for obtaining position information indicative of a position at which each of the plurality of photographic images has been acquired;

a map generation section for generating a map by synthesizing the plurality of photographic images based on a position of the index in each of the plurality of photographic images and the position information indicative of the position at which each of the plurality of photographic images has been acquired;

a displaying section for displaying the map; and

a work area determination section for determining the work area in which the autonomous traveling work vehicle is to work while an exclusion area is excluded automatically, based on an area designation for the map displayed in the displaying section.

2. The work area determination system of claim 1, wherein the photographing device includes a slope sensor, and slope information of the photographing device at the time of photographing of the plurality of photographic images is added to the plurality of photographic images.

3. The work area determination system of claim 1, further comprising an unmanned flying body;

and wherein the photographing device and the positioning device are mounted on the unmanned flying body.

4. The work area determination system of claim 1, further comprising an elongate stick member;

and wherein the photographing device and the positioning device are mounted on the elongate stick member.

5. An autonomous traveling work vehicle comprising:

a traveling vehicle body;

a positioning device for acquiring self-vehicle position information indicative of a self-vehicle position;

a work area information acquisition section for acquiring work area information indicative of a work area; and

a traveling control section for controlling traveling of the traveling vehicle body based on the self-vehicle position information and the work area information such that the traveling vehicle body travels within the work area;

wherein the work area information acquisition section acquires the work area information determined by an area designation for a map generated while an exclusion area is excluded automatically by synthesizing a plurality of photographic images of a predetermined area including the work area, the plurality of photographic images containing an index positioned in the work area, wherein the synthesizing of the plurality of photographic images is based on a position of the index in each of the plurality of photographic images and position information indicative of a position at which each of the plurality of photographic images has been acquired.

6. A computer program product for determining a work area for an autonomous traveling work vehicle, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

acquire a plurality of photographic images photographed by a photographing device of a predetermined area including a work area, the plurality of photographic images containing an index positioned in the work area;

acquire position information indicative of a position where each of the plurality of photographic images was acquired;

generate a map by synthesizing the plurality of photographic images based on a position of the index in each of the plurality of photographic images and the position information indicative of the position at which each of the plurality of photographic images has been acquired;

display the map in a displaying section; and

determine the work area where the autonomous traveling work vehicle is to work while an exclusion area is excluded automatically, based on an area designation for the map displayed by the displaying function.