Hailing Route Planning for Autonomous Agricultural Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural machine systems lack the ability to efficiently hail a self-driving machine to a desired point along a suitable path without traversing already-worked areas, which can lead to loss of work effectiveness or crop damage.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural support system comprising a terminal device and a processing unit that generates a travel route for the agricultural machine to reach a hailing point while avoiding already-worked areas, using positional information and user manipulation to determine the optimal path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the agricultural machine travels directly to the hailing point, then the response time is reduced, but the machine may step on already-worked areas causing crop damage or loss of work effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the travel route into multiple possible paths and divides the field area into already-worked and unworked zones. The system calculates multiple candidate routes from the current position to the hailing point, evaluating each segment against the constraint of avoiding already-worked areas. This segmentation allows the machine to choose an optimal path that balances speed with crop protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the agricultural machine follows a path avoiding already-worked areas, then crop damage is prevented, but the travel distance and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic route calculation where multiple candidate paths are generated and evaluated in real-time based on the machine's current position, the hailing point location, and the distribution of already-worked areas. The system dynamically selects the optimal route that minimizes travel time while satisfying the constraint of avoiding already-worked zones, rather than following a fixed predetermined path.
3Manufacturing precision
If the system calculates multiple candidate routes, then the path selection accuracy is improved, but the computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through automated route calculation and selection algorithms that independently evaluate multiple candidate paths based on predefined criteria. The system autonomously compares travel times, avoids already-worked areas, and selects the optimal route without requiring manual intervention, thereby managing computational complexity through systematic automated decision-making.
4Ease of operation
If the agricultural machine operates autonomously with hailing function, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single autonomous control system: the machine performs its primary agricultural work, responds to hailing signals from operators or monitoring systems, calculates optimal routes dynamically, and autonomously navigates to the hailing point while avoiding already-worked areas. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into one integrated unit, managing complexity through functional integration.
Data Source
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AI summary
An agricultural support system includes: a terminal device to hail a self-driving agricultural machine to a hailing point; and a processing unit to generate, in an area excluding an already-worked area of the agricultural machine, a travel route for the agricultural machine to head toward the hailing point.