Automatic Optical Element Control for Agricultural Machinery Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-propelled agricultural working machines, such as tractors and combine harvesters, require manual adjustment of lighting and mirrors, leading to increased driver workload, limited visibility, and potential dazzling of other vehicles due to inadequate lighting control, which impairs driving safety and visibility.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled agricultural working machine equipped with automatically controllable and adjustable active and passive optical elements, such as headlights and mirrors, using a signal processing unit to adapt to current operating conditions, allowing for optimized lighting and mirror settings based on specific tasks and environments without driver intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual adjustment of lighting and mirrors is used, then the driver has control over the settings, but the driver workload increases and visibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically adjusts lighting and mirror settings based on detected operating conditions without requiring driver intervention. The control unit monitors parameters such as vehicle speed, workload, and environmental conditions, then autonomously selects and applies appropriate optical element configurations, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring constant manual adjustment by the driver
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors operating conditions including vehicle speed, workload level, and environmental factors, then uses this feedback information to automatically adjust lighting intensity and mirror positioning. This closed-loop control ensures optimal visibility settings are maintained dynamically as operating conditions change
2Illumination intensity
If multiple headlights are combined in one group, then the lighting coverage is comprehensive, but energy consumption increases and other vehicles may be dazzled
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is divided into multiple independently controllable groups of headlights, where each group can be activated or deactivated based on specific operating conditions. This segmentation allows the system to provide comprehensive lighting coverage when needed while consuming less energy by activating only the necessary lighting groups during normal operation, and only activating additional groups when higher illumination is required
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting configuration is made dynamic through automatic adjustment based on real-time operating conditions. The control unit continuously evaluates parameters such as vehicle speed, workload, and environmental lighting levels, then dynamically adjusts which headlight groups are active and at what intensity, ensuring optimal balance between lighting coverage and energy consumption
3Illumination intensity
If manual mirror adjustment is used, then the mirror position can be set, but the driver cannot constantly adjust mirrors during work operation
Solution Approach 1:
The mirror adjustment system operates autonomously by detecting operating conditions such as vehicle speed, workload, and directional changes, then automatically positioning mirrors to provide optimal visibility without requiring driver intervention. This allows the system to continuously adapt mirror settings during work operations while the driver focuses on primary tasks
Solution Approach 2:
The system anticipates visibility needs by detecting upcoming operating condition changes and pre-adjusting mirror positions accordingly. For example, when a turn or directional change is detected or anticipated, the mirrors are adjusted in advance to ensure optimal visibility for the upcoming maneuver, rather than waiting for the driver to manually adjust them
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a self-propelled agricultural working machine (1) with at least one active and/or passive optical element (6, 7). The object of the present invention is to develop the working machine (1) in such a manner that a simple, functional improvement in visibility adapted to the prevailing driving and/or working situation is achieved for the driver of the working machine (1). This object is achieved according to the invention in that the at least one active and/or passive optical element (6, 7) is automatically controllable and/or adjustable by means of at least one signal processing unit (8) arranged on the working machine (1) as a function of current operating conditions of the agricultural working machine (1).