Kubota Corporation

Shunsuke Miyashita

Kunihiko Nishino

Yasuaki Morioka

Kumiko Kobayashi

Misako Kawai

Toru Tambo

Shunsuke Edo

Kenichi Iwami

Hiroki Suga

Yukifumi Yamanaka

Yuki Kubota

Misako Kikumoto

Manabu Togo

Junichi Yuasa

Ryo Kurata

Hideaki Ezaki

Takuya Tamai

Takashi Nakabayashi

Go Takaki

Yoshihiko Kuroshita

Koji Matsuda

Shigeo Shoen

Shunya Takase

Masatoshi Sakai

Toshiki Watanabe

Mitsuaki Nagao

Takahito Matsumori

A crop row detection system includes a camera mounted to an agricultural machine to image a ground surface traveled by the agricultural machine to acquire time-series color images including at least a portion of the ground surface, and a processor configured or programmed to (i) perform image processing for the time-series color images, (ii) generate, from the time-series color images, an enhanced image in which a color of a crop row for detection is enhanced to provide an enhanced image, (iii) generate from the enhanced image a plan view image as viewed from above the ground surface, the plan view image being classified into first pixels having a color index value for the crop row equal to or greater than a threshold and second pixels having the color index value below the threshold, and (iv) determine positions of edge lines of the crop row based on the color index values of the first pixels.

Crop row detection system, agricultural machine having a crop row detection system, and method of crop row detection

A mobile machine movable between multiple rows of trees includes at least two LiDAR sensors to output two-dimensional or three-dimensional point clouds data indicating a distribution of objects in a surrounding environment of the mobile machine, a storage to store environment map data indicating a distribution of trunks of the multiple rows of trees, a localization processor, and a controller to control movement of the mobile machine in accordance with a position of the mobile machine as estimated by the localization processor. The localization processor is configured or programmed to detect the trunks of the rows of trees in the surrounding environment of the mobile machine based on the point clouds data that is repeatedly output from the at least two LiDAR sensors while the mobile machine is moving, and to perform matching between the detected trunks of the rows of trees and the environment map data to estimate a position of the mobile machine.

Mobile machine, control unit, data generation unit, method of controlling operation of a mobile machine, and method of generating data

A mobile machine movable between multiple rows of trees includes one or more sensors to output sensor data indicating a distribution of objects in a surrounding environment of the mobile machine, and a data generator. While performing localization, the data generator is configured or programmed to detect trunks of the rows of trees in the surrounding environment of the mobile machine based on the sensor data that is repeatedly output from the one or more sensors, and generate local map data from which to generate environment map data indicating a distribution of the detected trunks of the rows of trees and record the local map data to a storage.

Mobile machine, data generation unit, and method of generating data

A mobile machine movable between multiple rows of trees includes one or more sensors to output sensor data indicating a distribution of objects in a surrounding environment of the mobile machine, a storage to store environment map data indicating a distribution of trunks of the multiple rows of trees, a localization processor, and a controller to control movement of the mobile machine in accordance with a position of the mobile machine estimated by the localization processor. The localization processor is configured or programmed detect the trunks of the rows of trees in the surrounding environment of the mobile machine based on the sensor data that is repeatedly output from the one or more sensors while the mobile machine is moving, and perform matching between the detected trunks of the rows of trees and the environment map data to estimate a position of the mobile machine.

Mobile machine, control unit, and method of controlling operation of a mobile machine

A harvesting machine includes: a machine main body; a harvesting unit provided forward of the machine main body and capable of swinging upward and downward relative to the machine main body; a height detection unit capable of detecting a height position at which the harvesting unit is located; and an obstacle detection unit capable of detecting an obstacle located forward thereof in a travel direction. The obstacle detection unit includes: a first sensor and a second sensor provided at different positions in a vertical direction, and output detection information regarding a detection area located forward thereof in the travel direction; a selection unit that selects at least either the detection information from the first sensor or the detection information from the second sensor based on the height position of the harvesting unit and a determination unit that determines the obstacle based on the detection information selected by the selection unit.

Harvesting machine, obstacle determination program, recording medium on which obstacle determination program is recorded, obstacle determination method, agricultural work machine, control program, recording medium on which control program is recorded, and control method

To stably and safely perform automatic steering during rearward travel of a working vehicle, the working vehicle includes a vehicle body to be manually steered with a steering wheel or automatically steered to travel forward or rearward, a prime mover on the vehicle body, a working implement supported on the vehicle body, a power take-off (PTO) shaft to transmit power from the prime mover to the working implement, and a controller to control automatic steering of the vehicle body and driving of the PTO shaft. The controller is configured or programmed to allow the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body when the PTO shaft is in a stopped state, and prohibit the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body when the PTO shaft is in a driven state.

Working vehicle

Provided is a harvester configured to effect a work-performing traveling for harvesting agricultural products in a field while traveling in the field autonomously. This harvester includes a traveling device effecting the work-performing traveling, a machine body supported to the traveling device, a harvesting section supported to a front portion of the machine body and harvesting the products in the field, an imaging device provided at a front portion of the machine body and at a position higher than the harvesting section so as to view down a product present in an un-worked area located forwardly of the harvesting section, a detecting section detecting abnormality in the field from an image imaged by the imaging device, and a controlling section executing an abnormality situation control as a control in accordance with the abnormality detected in the field.

Agricultural work machine such as harvester

An obstacle detection system for an agricultural work vehicle includes: an obstacle estimation unit that estimates a region in a field based on a detection signal from an obstacle sensor in which region an obstacle is present, and outputs obstacle present region information; an image capturing unit that outputs a captured image of the field; an obstacle detection unit that detects the obstacle from an input image and outputs obstacle detection information; and an image preprocessing unit that generates, as an image to be input to the obstacle detection unit, a trimmed image obtained by trimming the captured image so as to include the region in which the obstacle is present, based on the obstacle present region information and shooting-angle-of-view information regarding the image capturing unit.

Obstacle detection system, agricultural work vehicle, obstacle detection program, recording medium on which obstacle detection program is recorded, and obstacle detection method

A working vehicle includes a vehicle body to travel either by manual steering with a steering wheel or by automatic steering with the steering wheel, a reference registration controller configured or programmed to register a traveling reference line based on a position of the vehicle body caused to travel by the manual steering, a traveling line setter configured or programmed to set, based on the traveling reference line, scheduled traveling lines for traveling using the automatic steering, and an automatic steering controller to control the automatic steering based on the scheduled traveling lines. The traveling line setter is configured or programmed to change an adjacency width between the scheduled traveling lines adjoining each other among the plurality of scheduled traveling lines.

Working vehicle capable of setting scheduled traveling line for traveling using automatic steering

Provided is a working vehicle capable of operation and driving that includes a plurality of image capture devicesthat capture an image of surroundings of a vehicle body; a direction detection unitthat detects an advancement direction of the operation and driving; an image selection unitthat acquires, as a detection image, a surrounding area image captured by one image capture deviceof the plurality of image capture devicescapturing a front advancement direction detected by the direction detection unit; and a detection unitthat analyzes the detection image acquired by the image selection unitand detects an obstacle.

Working vehicle, obstacle detection method, and obstacle detection program

A working vehicle includes an inertia detector to measure inertia information of a vehicle body, a rear axle supporting a rear wheel, and a transmission case rotatably supporting the rear wheel. The inertia detector overlaps with at least a portion of the transmission case in a plan view and is capable of accurately measuring inertia information when a vehicle body changes attitude.

Working vehicle and tractor

A working vehicle includes a steering handle, a vehicle body to travel with either manual steering by the steering handle or automatic steering of the steering handle based on a traveling reference line, and a display including a line orientation display portion to indicate an orientation of the traveling reference line, and a vehicle orientation display portion to indicate an orientation of the vehicle body.

A working vehicle includes a vehicle body capable of traveling either by either manual steering with a steering wheel or by automatic steering with the steering wheel, a reference registration controller configured or programmed to register a traveling reference line based on a position of the vehicle body caused to travel by the manual steering, an automatic steering controller configured or programmed to perform control by the automatic steering on a set scheduled traveling line based on the traveling reference line, a display to display information about the automatic steering when forward traveling by the automatic steering is to be performed, and a notifier to issue a notification of the information about the automatic steering aside from the information displayed on the display when rearward traveling by the automatic steering is to be performed.

Working vehicle including steering control

A riding management machine includes a traveling vehicle including a vehicle body, an operator's seat provided on the vehicle body, and a hood provided in front of the operator's seat, a working device attached to the traveling vehicle, a position detector to detect a position of the vehicle body based on a signal from a positioning satellite, and a support body to support the position detector above the hood. The support body includes a pair of struts on opposite sides of the vehicle body in a vehicle-width direction, a connector to connect tops of the pair of struts to each other, and reinforcements to connect the respective struts to the vehicle body.

Riding management machine

A working vehicle includes a steering device to steer a vehicle body, a working device connected to the vehicle body, an automatic steering controller to perform automatic steering of the steering device based on a difference between a scheduled traveling line and a position of the vehicle body, and a parameter changer to change a control parameter of the automatic steering depending on the working device connected to the vehicle body.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Shunsuke Miyashita