Control device, work machine and non-transitory computer readable medium storing program

• US 11,457,559 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2019
• Issued: 10/04/2022
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Haneda, Satoshi, Udagawa, Takamasa, Yamamura, Makoto, Fujiwara, Masato, Kimata, Ryuichi, Onodera, Satoshi, Tsuji, Yutaka, Isegawa, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US16/454,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20190313576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• 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 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16

Abstract

A control device includes: an image acquiring section that acquires image data of an image of a work target of the work machine; a feature recognizing section that recognizes a feature about at least one of (i) a type of the work target of the work machine, (ii) a number or density of the work target, (iii) a shape of the work target and (iv) an appearance of the work target after work, based on the image data acquired by the image acquiring section; and a control parameter deciding section that decides at least either (i) a parameter for controlling travel of the work machine or (ii) a parameter for controlling work of the work machine, based on the feature recognized by the feature recognizing section.

Claims

1. A control device that controls a work machine having an autonomous travel function, the control device comprising:

an image acquiring section that acquires image data of an image of a work target of the work machine that executes pruning, mowing, watering, fertilization, transportation, monitoring, security or guard;

a feature recognizing section that recognizes a feature about a shape of the work target after work, based on the image data acquired by the image acquiring section;

a control parameter deciding section that decides at least either (i) a parameter for controlling travel of the work machine or (ii) a parameter for controlling work of the work machine, based on the feature recognized by the feature recognizing section; and

a transmitting section that transmits the decided parameter to the work machine to cause the work machine to execute pruning, mowing, watering, fertilization, transportation, monitoring, security or guard in accordance with the decided parameter.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein

the work machine has an image-capturing section that captures an image of the work target, and

the image acquiring section acquires image data of the image of the work target captured by the image-capturing section of the work machine.

3. A work machine having an autonomous travel function, the work machine comprising;

the control device according to claim 1; and

an image-capturing section that captures an image of the work target, wherein

the image acquiring section of the control device acquires image data of the image of the work target captured by the image-capturing section of the work machine.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein

the feature recognizing section recognizes a feature about the shape of the work target before work, based on the image data acquired by the image acquiring section, and

the control parameter deciding section decides based on the feature before work and the feature after work.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the feature recognizing section recognizes a feature about a shape of an end portion of the work target after work, based on the image data acquired by the image acquiring section.

6. A control device that controls a work machine having an autonomous travel function, the control device comprising:

an image acquiring section that acquires image data of an image of a work target of the work machine;

a feature recognizing section that recognizes a feature about at least one of (i) a type of the work target of the work machine, (ii) a number or density of the work target, (iii) a shape of the work target and (iv) an appearance of the work target after work, based on the image data acquired by the image acquiring section; and

a control parameter deciding section that decides at least either (i) a parameter for controlling travel of the work machine or (ii) a parameter for controlling work of the work machine, based on the feature recognized by the feature recognizing section, wherein

the work machine has a cutting section that cuts the work target,

the feature recognizing section recognizes a feature of a cut portion of the work target cut by the cutting section, and

the control device further comprises a judging section that judges a state of the cutting section based on the feature of the cut portion of the work target recognized by the feature recognizing section.

7. The control device according to claim 6, wherein the control parameter deciding section decides the parameter based on a result of judgment by the judging section.

8. The control device according to claim 6, wherein

the cutting section has a rotor for cutting the work target,

the judging section judges a cutting performance of the cutting section, and

if the cutting performance of the cutting section judged by the judging section does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the control parameter deciding section decides the parameter such that (i) a travel speed of the work machine becomes lower or (ii) a rotational speed of the rotor becomes higher, as compared with a case where the cutting performance of the cutting section satisfies the predetermined condition.

9. The control device according to claim 6, wherein

the judging section judges whether maintenance of or a check on the cutting section is necessary or not based on a result of judgment about the state of the cutting section.

10. The control device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a specification information acquiring section that acquires specification information about a specification of the cutting section,

wherein the judging section judges the state of the cutting section based on the specification information acquired by the specification information acquiring section and the image captured by the image-capturing section.

11. The control device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a positional information acquiring section that acquires positional information indicating a position where the image-capturing section has captured the image,

wherein the judging section outputs, in association with each other, the positional information acquired by the positional information acquiring section and information indicating a result of judgment at the position indicated by the positional information.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing thereon a program for causing a computer to serve as an control device, by performing operations comprising:

acquiring image data of an image of a work target of a work machine that executes pruning, mowing, watering, fertilization, transportation, monitoring, security or guard;

recognizing a feature about a shape of the work target after work, based on the image data acquired by the image acquiring;

deciding at least either (i) a parameter for controlling travel of the work machine or (ii) a parameter for controlling work of the work machine, based on the feature recognized by the feature recognizing, and

transmitting the decided parameter to the work machine to cause the work machine to execute pruning, mowing, watering, fertilization, transportation, monitoring, security or guard in accordance with the decided parameter.