Autonomous Combine Harvester Corner Reaping With Inclined Routes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual reaping traveling in farm fields, especially around corners, is labor-intensive and time-consuming, leading to decreased work efficiency due to the need for repetitive forward and backward movements to ensure no unworked land is left and to form areas necessary for turns.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous travel method for work vehicles that includes outermost periphery traveling, setting a turning necessary area, creating inclined routes from a start point on one outermost periphery straight-ahead route to an adjacent unworked land, and performing autonomous straight-ahead traveling along these inclined routes to efficiently navigate and reap land.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual traveling is performed with repetitive forward and backward movements in the vicinity of corner portions, then no unworked land is left and turn areas are formed, but operation burden on worker is increased and work efficiency is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and determines the optimal traveling path through corner portions before actual execution. The path planning unit computes the necessary forward and backward movement segments in advance, allowing the work vehicle to automatically execute the predetermined path without requiring manual operation during the repetitive movements, thereby reducing operation burden while ensuring complete coverage of unworked land
Solution Approach 2:
The work vehicle performs autonomous traveling along the predetermined path using its own navigation and control systems. The autonomous travel control unit enables the vehicle to automatically execute the calculated path, including repetitive forward and backward movements near corners, without continuous human intervention. This self-service capability maintains work completeness while significantly improving work efficiency by eliminating manual operation requirements
2Reliability
If manual traveling is performed along outermost periphery, then turn areas are formed and unworked land is covered, but it takes a long time and operation burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The path planning unit pre-calculates the optimal traveling path along the outermost periphery before the work vehicle begins execution. By determining the precise sequence of forward movements, backward movements, and turn positions in advance, the system enables the vehicle to automatically follow the predetermined path, ensuring reliable turn area formation while minimizing travel time through optimized routing
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical operation with automated path execution. The autonomous travel control unit substitutes human-driven vehicle control with computer-based navigation that automatically steers the work vehicle along the predetermined outermost periphery path. This substitution ensures reliable turn area formation through consistent path following while reducing travel time by eliminating manual reaction delays and optimization
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem]An autonomous travel method, a work vehicle, and an autonomous travel system capable of reducing an operation burden on a worker, and smoothly performing reaping traveling in the vicinity of a corner portion of a farm field are provided. [Solution] In a combine harvester 1, a travel control portion 35 performs control to enable traveling on a plurality of outermost periphery straight-ahead routes 54a extending along a plurality of sides constituting a farm field outline 50, respectively. A route creation portion 47 sets, based on machine body information of the combine harvester 1, a turning necessary area 55 which is necessary for a turn from one outermost periphery straight-ahead route 54a to a next outermost periphery straight-ahead route 54b, and also creates, from a predetermined start point set on the one outermost periphery straight-ahead route 54a toward an unworked land 51 adjacent to an already-worked land 52 which is formed by traveling based on the one outermost periphery straight-ahead route 54a, a predetermined number of inclined routes 56, which are inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the one outermost periphery straight-ahead route 54a, in the turning necessary area 55. The travel control portion 35 performs control to enable autonomous straight-ahead traveling along the inclined route 56.