Field Work Vehicle Path Selection for Manual-Autonomous Transition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural field work vehicles face challenges in transitioning smoothly from manual to autonomous travel, particularly when navigating multiple parallel work travel paths, as existing systems do not clearly inform drivers of the intended destination path during turns, leading to potential misalignment and unintended autonomous travel directions.
Innovation Solution
The agricultural field work vehicle is equipped with a destination travel path singling-out section, notification information generation, and a notification device to inform the driver of available work travel paths and intended entry directions, allowing for accurate selection and reversal of entry directions through a user interface, ensuring the vehicle enters the intended path during autonomous travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the system provides autonomous travel control along multiple parallel work travel paths, then the automation level and productivity are improved, but the driver cannot identify which specific path will be selected, leading to potential unintended path entry
Solution Approach 1:
The notification device provides feedback to the driver by displaying which specific work travel path will be selected for autonomous travel. This feedback mechanism resolves the information asymmetry between the autonomous travel control system and the driver, allowing the driver to verify the intended path selection before autonomous travel begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification device acts as an intermediary between the autonomous travel control system and the driver. It translates the system's internal path selection decisions into visible information that the driver can understand and verify, bridging the information gap without reducing automation level.
2Ease of operation
If the vehicle enters autonomous travel during turn travel, then the transition from manual to autonomous travel is automated, but the vehicle may enter an unintended work travel path due to lack of driver awareness
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary notification to the driver about the intended work travel path selection before autonomous travel actually begins. This advance notice allows the driver to verify the correctness of the path selection while the vehicle is still in manual control, preventing unintended path entry.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification device provides feedback about the selected work travel path to the driver before autonomous travel starts. This feedback loop ensures that the driver is aware of and can verify the intended path, maintaining reliability during the transition from manual to autonomous control.
3Productivity
If multiple work travel paths are set at intervals according to work width, then the productivity and work efficiency are improved, but the driver cannot determine which path the control unit has selected as the destination
Solution Approach 1:
The notification device provides feedback to the driver by displaying information about the selected destination work travel path. This resolves the information loss problem by making the control unit's selection visible to the driver, allowing verification without reducing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification device creates a visual copy or representation of the selected work travel path information for the driver's reference. This copy allows the driver to verify the destination path without interfering with the autonomous control system's operation or reducing productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an agricultural field work vehicle capable of entering a work travel path intended by the driver in transition from manual turn travel to autonomous work travel. An agricultural field work vehicle includes an autonomous travel control section configured to cause the agricultural field work vehicle to perform autonomous travel on the basis of work travel paths and the position of the agricultural field work vehicle, a manual travel control section configured to control manual travel of the agricultural field work vehicle along a turn travel path, a destination travel path singling-out section configured to single out a destination work travel path from among a group of candidates of destination work travel paths that the agricultural field work vehicle is able to enter from the turn travel path through which the agricultural field work vehicle is driven manually, a notification device configured to notify the driver of path notification information, which is information on the work travel paths, which include the destination work travel path singled out, and an autonomous travel start operation tool for use to instruct the agricultural field work vehicle to switch from controlling the manual travel to controlling the autonomous travel.