Autonomous Dispersed Object Collection with Cluster-Based Work Areas

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing self-running dispersed object collection systems face inefficiencies in vehicle navigation and battery consumption, leading to suboptimal collection performance and increased battery usage.

Innovation Solution

The system sets a working area by specifying aggregation regions and outermost dispersed objects to minimize unnecessary vehicle movement, coupled with optimized routing and battery management to reduce consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the vehicle runs based on predicted distribution of dispersed objects to collect more objects, then the collection quantity increases, but the vehicle may run without performing collection work, reducing efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollection quantityVSAvoidcollection efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary monitoring of dispersed object distribution using vision sensors before the vehicle starts collection. This advance information allows the vehicle to plan its route to only areas where objects are actually present, avoiding unnecessary running while ensuring collection quantity is maximized.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors dispersed object distribution during operation and provides feedback to the vehicle control. This real-time feedback enables dynamic route adjustment, ensuring the vehicle always moves to locations where collection work can be performed, thereby maintaining high efficiency while collecting maximum quantity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Duration of action of moving object

If the battery load is increased to extend working time, then the vehicle can operate longer, but battery consumption increases, requiring more frequent charging

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworking timeVSAvoidbattery consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system monitors battery charge level in advance and identifies charging opportunities before the battery is depleted. By proactively seeking charging points during the collection process, the vehicle can extend its working time without excessive battery consumption, as it avoids high-power operations when charge is low.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The vehicle dynamically adjusts its collection strategy based on real-time battery status. When battery charge is sufficient, it intensifies collection operations; when charge drops below thresholds, it automatically reduces power consumption and prioritizes movement to charging locations, thereby optimizing the balance between working time and battery consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Quantity of substance

If the vehicle runs longer distance to collect more dispersed objects, then collection quantity increases, but battery consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollection quantityVSAvoidbattery consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of uniformly searching the entire working area, the system applies different collection strategies to different local regions based on monitored object distribution. The vehicle concentrates its efforts in areas with high object density, reducing travel distance to low-density areas while maintaining overall collection quantity, thereby lowering total battery consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors both object distribution and vehicle position, providing feedback that enables real-time optimization of the collection path. This feedback mechanism ensures the vehicle takes the most energy-efficient route to reach clusters of objects, maximizing collection quantity while minimizing the running distance and associated battery consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4074387B1Dispersed object collection system and dispersed object collection method
Publication Date: 2025.04.02 YAMABIKO CORP
  • EP4074387B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4074387B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4074387B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A specific measure for increasing the work efficiency of recovery work by reducing, to the greatest extent possible, travel of a machine body while the machine body is not performing work to recover dispersed objects is presented, and a work area is set for an electric recovery device so as to take into consideration battery consumption, in order to make work effectively more efficient. This dispersed object recovery device is provided with an electric machine body that travels autonomously within an activity area along a set travel path, the machine body is made to depart from a collection site to travel autonomously within a set work area so that dispersed objects dispersed within the work area are accommodated in an accommodation section provided inside or outside the machine body and recovered to the collection site, and the work area is set as a closed region following the locations of the outer edge of the dispersed objects in an aggregation range where a plurality of the dispersed objects are densely clustered.