Autonomous Farm Implement Folding With Obstacle-Aware Trajectory Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing farm implements face challenges in efficiently folding and unfolding operations, particularly in navigating obstacles and aligning with power platforms during transport and storage, which can lead to damage and inefficient use of space.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous system for farm implements that includes a sensor system, control interface, and processing structure to autonomously fold or unfold implements by capturing sensor data, estimating pose, generating trajectories, and controlling power platforms for precise alignment and obstacle avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If farm implements are designed to fold for transport and storage, then space utilization and transport efficiency are improved, but the complexity of folding operations and risk of damage during folding increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting obstacles and planning fold trajectories before the folding operation begins. The autonomous controller calculates safe fold paths and prepares actuation sequences in advance, preventing damage and simplifying the actual folding execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to continuously monitor the implement's position and detect obstacles during folding operations. This feedback loop allows the autonomous controller to adjust fold trajectories in real-time, ensuring safe operation and reducing complexity by automatically handling adjustments that would otherwise require manual intervention.
2Ease of operation
If manual folding operations are used, then operational simplicity is maintained, but time consumption and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs folding operations autonomously without manual intervention. The autonomous controller automatically detects the implement's state, plans fold trajectories, actuates the folding mechanism, and monitors completion, enabling the system to service itself and eliminate time-consuming manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical folding operations with an automated control system that uses sensors, processors, and actuators. This substitution maintains operational simplicity from the user perspective while dramatically reducing the time required for folding through automated execution.
3Speed
If folding operations proceed without obstacle detection, then operational speed is maintained, but risk of damage to implement or power platform increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary obstacle detection and trajectory planning before initiating folding operations. The autonomous controller calculates safe fold paths that avoid detected obstacles, ensuring reliable damage-free operation while maintaining folding speed through pre-computed optimal trajectories.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the environment and implement position during folding using sensors. This real-time feedback allows the autonomous controller to detect obstacles and adjust fold trajectories dynamically, maintaining both speed and reliability by preventing collisions through active monitoring and adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an autonomous system for farm implements having a sensor system, an interface to send control signals to a power platform coupled to the farm implement, and a processing structure executing instructions. The instructions involve capturing initial sensor data from the sensor system; estimating a pose of the farm implement from the initial sensor data; generating a fold/unfold trajectory for the power platform in order to fold or unfold the farm implement; instructing the power platform using the interface to travel along the fold/unfold trajectory; receiving additional sensor data from the sensor system as the power platform travels along the fold/unfold trajectory; instructing the power platform using the interface to make adjustments to the fold/unfold trajectory based on the additional sensor data; and stopping the power platform once the farm implement reaches a folded position or an unfolded position.