Area Wire Offset Guidance for Autonomous Vehicle Charging Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous operating vehicles face challenges in accurately guiding themselves to a charging device when the battery level is low, as they rely solely on magnetic sensors and area wires, which can lead to inefficient navigation and potential misalignment with the charging station.
Innovation Solution
The area wire is laid with offset portions to guide the vehicle from a straight-running position to an offset direction and back, allowing the vehicle to alternate positions inside and outside the operating area, enabling precise navigation and alignment with the charging device, utilizing magnetic sensors to control wheel movements and ensure accurate connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle returns to the charging device along the area wire using magnetic sensors, then the battery can be recharged, but the vehicle may not align properly with the charging device causing connection failure
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the vehicle actively search for the charging device, the area wire is configured to actively guide the vehicle to the charging device by creating magnetic field offsets that push the vehicle toward the correct position. The guidance function is inverted from vehicle-initiated to infrastructure-initiated.
Solution Approach 2:
The area wire acts as an intermediary between the vehicle's magnetic sensors and the charging device. By embedding offset portions in the area wire, it mediates the guidance process, translating the vehicle's position into appropriate corrective magnetic field signals that lead the vehicle to align with the charging device.
2Ease of operation
If the area wire is laid in a straight line to the charging device, then the navigation path is simple, but the vehicle cannot correct its position to achieve proper alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The area wire transitions from a uniform straight line to a configuration with localized offset portions near the charging device. These local modifications create targeted magnetic field variations that provide positioning correction only where needed, maintaining simple navigation elsewhere while enabling precise alignment at the destination.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables the vehicle to be accurately guided to the charging device, ensuring efficient battery charging by ensuring proper alignment and connection of charging terminals, enhancing navigation precision and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a magnetic sensor attached to a front end of an operating vehicle detects the intensity of a magnetic field of an area wire laid along a border of an operating area
Implementation Method 2
a charging device is disposed on the area wire and when the remaining battery level is decreased, the vehicle is controlled to return to the charging device along the area wire by the aid of the magnetic sensor
Data Source
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AI summary
An unmanned autonomous operating vehicle (10) having an electric motor supplied with power from a battery for operating a lawn mower blades, other electric motors for driving wheels, and two magnetic sensors (34) attached at the front for detecting intensity of a magnetic field of an area wire and controlled to run about in an operating area defined by the area wire to perform operation and to return to a charging device (84) installed on the area wire so as to charge the battery, the area wire (72) is laid with an offset to right or left when viewed in a plane such that the vehicle (10) is turned from a straight-running position to a direction of the offset and then is returned to the straight-running position when the vehicle runs to be connected to the charging device (84), thereby guiding the vehicle to the charging device.