Agricultural Vehicle Charge Planning for Workflow-Linked Charging Breaks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electric agricultural vehicles require frequent recharging, leading to undesirable workflow interruptions and increased driver planning complexity due to unpredictable energy consumption from diverse agricultural tasks.
Innovation Solution
A control unit estimates energy requirements based on specific parameters and compares them with the current state of charge, recommending optimal charging stations using AI to minimize workflow interruptions by strategically planning charging breaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the driver recharges the electrical energy storage frequently as a precaution, then the risk of energy depletion is reduced, but the workflow is interrupted more often and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit autonomously monitors energy consumption, estimates total energy requirements, and determines optimal charging moments without driver intervention. The system serves itself by automatically comparing current energy level with estimated requirements and initiating charging decisions, eliminating the need for driver planning and reducing workflow interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit estimates the total energy requirement in advance based on parameters specific to the planned agricultural work operation before the work begins. This preliminary energy assessment allows the system to proactively identify when charging is needed, rather than reacting to low energy levels during operation, thereby minimizing workflow interruptions.
2Ease of operation
If the driver manually plans charging breaks, then charging decisions can be made, but the planning complexity increases and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit autonomously monitors energy consumption, estimates total energy requirements, and determines optimal charging moments without driver intervention. The system serves itself by automatically comparing current energy level with estimated requirements and initiating charging decisions, eliminating the need for driver planning and reducing workflow interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors actual energy consumption during agricultural work operations and uses this feedback to refine energy requirement estimates. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the system to adapt to varying work conditions and provide accurate charging recommendations, freeing the driver from manual planning while maintaining optimal energy management.
3Reliability
If the driver returns to a permanently installed charging station, then reliable charging is ensured, but the flexibility to handle unpredictable energy consumption is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed to work with multiple types of charging infrastructure, including both permanently installed charging stations and mobile charging stations. The system can adapt its charging strategy based on the availability and characteristics of different charging options, providing both reliability and flexibility in energy management.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit dynamically adjusts charging recommendations based on real-time energy consumption patterns, work operation parameters, and available charging infrastructure. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to respond to unpredictable energy consumption while leveraging both permanent and mobile charging options appropriately.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
In a charging management procedure for an electrically powered agricultural work vehicle (12) comprising a drive system (42) with a rechargeable electrical energy storage device (40), a control unit (16) assigns a geographical position of an application-related break in travel to at least one charging station (54) along a route to be traveled during the execution of an agricultural work operation and outputs it via a data interface (26) in the form of a charging recommendation.