Autonomous Mobile Supply Station for Agricultural Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural supply systems for autonomous or highly automated vehicles require significant human intervention for positioning and reloading of supply stations, leading to inefficiencies, especially on large plots of land where distances between supply stations and vehicles increase, necessitating a solution to minimize operator intervention and optimize supply routes.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural supply and maintenance system featuring an autonomous supply station and vehicle with a control unit that manages the travel and positioning of the supply station independently or dependent on the vehicle's movements, allowing the station to follow the vehicle and optimize its location for reduced distances and autonomous operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed supply station is placed on the edge of the field, then the station can be supplied manually by the driver or operator, but the distances between each supply increase rapidly on large plots of land
Solution Approach 1:
The supply station is transformed from a fixed structure to a mobile platform that can be relocated across the field. The station includes propulsion means (such as wheels with motors or tracks) that enable it to move autonomously or be towed by the agricultural vehicle, allowing it to dynamically follow the vehicle's progress through different work areas and maintain optimal supply distances.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables autonomous supply operations where the agricultural vehicle automatically returns to the supply station to be replenished with inputs (fuel, fertilizer, seeds, etc.) without requiring manual intervention. The control unit manages the supply process, and the station can be automatically relocated to follow the vehicle's work pattern.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the fixed supply station is moved by a dedicated vehicle or tool, then the station can be repositioned, but significant human intervention is required during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The supply station is equipped with autonomous propulsion capabilities including motors, drives, and control systems that enable it to move itself without requiring towing by separate vehicles or manual handling. The control unit on the station manages its own relocation based on the agricultural vehicle's position and work area requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply station integrates multiple functions into a single mobile unit: it combines storage areas for various inputs (fuel tanks, fertilizer hoppers, seed bins), propulsion systems, control electronics, and supply dispensing mechanisms. This consolidation allows the station to serve multiple supply needs while moving autonomously as a unified platform.
3Loss of time
If the supply station is not moved to save time, then operational time is reduced, but the distances between each supply increase rapidly on large plots of land
Solution Approach 1:
The supply station dynamically adjusts its position throughout the field to maintain optimal proximity to the working agricultural vehicle. As the vehicle progresses through different work areas, the station relocates accordingly, ensuring that supply distances remain minimal and do not increase with field size.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply station is positioned in advance in each work area before the agricultural vehicle arrives. The control system anticipates the vehicle's movement pattern and pre-positions the station in the next work area, so that when the vehicle completes its current task and needs supply, the station is already in place, minimizing wait time and travel distance.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural facility arranged in a plot of farmland includes: a supply and/or maintenance station; an autonomous agricultural device performing an agricultural task in the plot of farmland; a control unit for moving the autonomous agricultural device and the station, which unit is configured to control movement of the autonomous agricultural device within the plot of farmland including a work area in which an agricultural task is performed by the autonomous agricultural device and an area to be worked in which an agricultural task is to be performed by the autonomous agricultural device. The control unit is configured to control movement of the station from the work area to the area to be worked if the autonomous agricultural device moves to perform an agricultural task in the area to be worked, movement of the station being independent from movement of the autonomous agricultural device.