Autonomous Farm Vehicle Fleet Control With Local Route Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-guided agricultural vehicle systems face inefficiencies due to high data exchange requirements, communication challenges, and suboptimal movement planning, particularly in row crops, which restrict productivity and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A system where the topology of movement zones is calculated by a separate computer (supervisor) and guidance is managed locally by each vehicle's calculator, reducing data exchange and enhancing robustness, with vehicles operating autonomously between line allocations and communicating minimally with the server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If permanent exchanges with high data rates are implemented between autonomous vehicles and server, then route optimization and coordination are improved, but communication requirements and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides responsibilities between central server and local vehicle computers. The server handles high-level task allocation and route planning, while local computers manage real-time navigation and execution. This segmentation reduces the data exchange burden on communication systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Routes are pre-calculated and stored in the vehicle's local memory before deployment. Vehicles receive task assignments and pre-computed routes from the server, then execute them autonomously without requiring continuous real-time communication during field operations.
2Ease of operation
If server-based remote control is used for agricultural vehicles, then operational control is improved, but reliability deteriorates under poor communication conditions
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles are equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities including local route calculation, obstacle detection, and self-correction. The onboard computer independently manages navigation tasks using pre-stored route data and real-time sensor information, eliminating dependency on continuous server communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements local feedback loops where vehicle sensors continuously monitor position and environmental conditions, and the onboard computer adjusts navigation in real-time based on this feedback, ensuring reliable operation independent of communication quality.
3Device complexity
If workspace is partitioned into closed areas for individual vehicle control, then coordination is simplified, but productivity decreases due to restricted movement optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic route allocation where vehicles can be reassigned to different work zones based on real-time conditions, progress, and fleet coordination needs. Routes are not fixed to static partitions but can be adjusted and extended across partition boundaries as operations progress.
Solution Approach 2:
Vehicles are designed with universal navigation capabilities that allow them to operate across different work zones and adapt to various field layouts. The route planning system can generate routes that span multiple traditional partition boundaries, enabling more flexible and optimized movement patterns.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for managing a fleet of self-guided agricultural vehicles (100) each having a means for the real-time determination of the coordinates of its current position, said method consisting in calculating a digital map containing: at least georeferenced border data for the area of movement and a plurality of georeferenced indexed lines Li, and in transmitting allocation messages for at least one indexed line Li to each of the self-guided agricultural vehicles, characterized in that at least one copy of said digital map is stored in a digital memory of each of said agricultural vehicles. The movement of the agricultural vehicles is controlled on the basis of the allocated indexed lines Li and said position coordinates. The allocation messages for a following indexed line Li are transmitted to a self-guided agricultural vehicle when it transmits a service message.