Agricultural Route Planning for Timely Material Replenishment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural machines lack the ability to identify and prevent material depletion during automatic operation, leading to potential material shortages mid-route and inefficient replenishment processes.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural machine equipped with a route creator, area setter, charge amount acquirer, remaining amount calculator, position setter, and automatic operation controller to plan and adjust the traveling route, ensuring material replenishment occurs efficiently by setting a replenishment position on turning routes outside the work area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If automatic operation is implemented without material replenishment planning, then operational automation is improved, but material depletion risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculation of material consumption along the work traveling line and identifies optimal replenishment positions before automatic operation begins. The replenishment area and position are predetermined based on charge amount and consumption rate, ensuring material availability is planned in advance rather than reacting to depletion during operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If material replenishment is performed at any position in the replenishment area, then replenishment flexibility is improved, but operational efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system designates specific optimal positions within the replenishment area based on local characteristics such as proximity to the work area, ground conditions, and turning route geometry. Rather than treating all positions equally, the system identifies and prioritizes specific locations that minimize disruption to work operations while ensuring material replenishment.
3Device complexity
If the replenishment position is fixed without considering remaining material amount, then system simplicity is improved, but material shortage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the remaining amount of material and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust or confirm the replenishment position. The calculated remaining amount based on charge amount and consumption rate provides real-time information that ensures replenishment occurs at the appropriate moment and location, preventing material depletion while maintaining systematic control.
Data Source
AI summary
In an agricultural machine, a route creator creates a planned traveling route for a traveling vehicle body in a work area where a working device works using a material. An area setter sets, outside the work area, a replenishment area to replenish the material. A charge amount acquirer acquires a charge amount of the material. A remaining amount calculator calculates a remaining amount of the material based on the charge amount acquired and a material consumption of the material consumed by the work. A position setter sets a replenishment position to replenish the material in the replenishment area set by the area setter based on the remaining amount calculated by the remaining amount calculator. A position changer changes the replenishment position when a change reception switch receives change of the replenishment position. A display displays the changed replenishment position.