Self-Driving Combine Route Planning for Mid-Work Interruptions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing combine harvesters face challenges in smoothly interrupting automatic reaping travel to perform mid-course work, as non-reaped regions on the travel route to the mid-course work position complicate route generation, leading to longer and more complex routes.
Innovation Solution
The combine harvester is equipped with a travel route generation unit that combines routes to avoid non-reaped regions, a position setting unit that determines an appropriate interruption position based on workload, and a mid-course work route generation unit that creates a route from the interruption position to the mid-course work position, allowing for seamless switching between automatic reaping and mid-course work travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the combine harvester travels directly to the mid-course work position from the interruption position, then the travel route is simple, but the route passes through non-reaped regions causing incomplete reaping work
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the travel route into multiple sections: the original travel route up to the interruption position, and a new detour route that goes around the non-reaped region to reach the mid-course work position. This segmentation allows the system to handle the complex routing requirement by dividing it into manageable segments that can be processed and executed separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing the detour route that avoids non-reaped regions before the actual travel occurs. The system determines the optimal detour path in advance based on the interruption position and mid-course work position, so that when the combine harvester needs to travel to the mid-course work position, the route is already prepared and optimized.
2Productivity
If the combine harvester travels a longer route to avoid non-reaped regions, then reaping completeness is improved, but the travel time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculation of the detour route to determine the optimal path that balances route length and reaping completeness. By pre-processing the route information and storing it in advance, the system minimizes the computational time during actual operation while ensuring the combine harvester takes the most efficient detour path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the routing parameters dynamically based on the interruption position and mid-course work position. The system adjusts the detour route parameters (such as turning points, path length, and direction) to optimize the balance between avoiding non-reaped regions and minimizing travel time, rather than using a fixed detour pattern.
3Productivity
If the combine harvester interrupts automatic reaping travel frequently to perform mid-course work, then mid-course work efficiency is improved, but the overall reaping process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the interruption position parameters based on the combine harvester's current location, the distribution of non-reaped regions, and the position of the mid-course work position. By optimizing these parameters, the system determines the best moments to interrupt reaping for mid-course work, minimizing the impact on overall reaping time while ensuring mid-course work is performed efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
A combine is provided with a control device configured to function as a route generation unit, a position setting unit, a mid-work route generation unit, or a self-driving control unit. The route generation unit generates a travel route by combining a plurality of routes for an unreaped region in a field. To perform mid-work corresponding to the work amount of reaping traveling at a preset mid-work position, the position setting unit sets an interruption position at which automatic reaping traveling is interrupted to the end point of a predetermined interruption route based on the work amount. To perform the mid-work, the mid-work route generation unit generates a mid-work route extending from the interruption position to the mid-work position. The self-driving control unit controls traveling and reaping based on the travel or mid-work route.