Autonomous Work Vehicle Sensor Checks Under Mud and Rain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous traveling work vehicles face challenges in determining whether obstruction sensors are functioning properly, especially due to external environmental factors like mud, dust, and rainwater, leading to premature prohibition of autonomous travel even if the signal system is intact.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle employs an obstruction sensor determining unit that performs an operation environment securing process to remove external factors and a sensor trial process to confirm sensor functionality, ensuring sensors operate correctly before allowing autonomous travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If autonomous traveling is prohibited when the obstruction sensor is not normally working, then safety is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to premature prohibition even when the signal system is intact
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary checks by bringing an artificial obstruction into the detection region before allowing autonomous travel. This preliminary action ensures the sensor is functioning properly in the actual detection environment, distinguishing between signal system failures and environmental interference issues.
Solution Approach 2:
An artificial obstruction is introduced as an intermediary object to test the sensor's detection capability. This mediator allows the system to verify sensor functionality without relying solely on signal voltage checks, enabling differentiation between true sensor failures and environmental interference.
2Device complexity
If only signal system checks are performed to determine sensor normalcy, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates because external environment factors cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The obstruction sensor determines its own normalcy by detecting an artificial obstruction in its detection region. This self-service approach allows the sensor to verify its own functionality in the actual operating environment, providing accurate assessment of detection capability without requiring complex external testing equipment.
3Productivity
If the sensor trial process is performed without securing operation environment, then productivity is improved by reducing checking time, but reliability deteriorates because defective operations caused by external factors cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary environment securing by removing external factors such as mud and rainwater from the sensor detection region before conducting the sensor trial. This preliminary action ensures that the trial accurately reflects sensor functionality without environmental interference, maintaining both reliability and efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure refers to an autonomous traveling work vehicle comprising a travel control unit to control autonomous traveling; one or more obstruction sensors to detect an obstruction to traveling; an obstruction sensor determining unit (40) to perform a sensor determining process for determining whether or not the obstruction sensors are normally operating; and an obstruction sensor processing unit (56) to output a prohibition command to prohibit autonomous traveling in case the obstruction sensor determining unit (40) determines that the obstruction sensors are not normally operating. The sensor determining process includes an operation environment securing process for securing a proper operation environment for a normal operation of the obstruction sensorsand/or a sensor trial process for determining that the sensors are normally operating when an obstruction volontarily brought into a detection region is actually detected.