Heavy Machinery Automatic Control Mode System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous and semi-autonomous heavy machinery systems face challenges with reduced accuracy in location determination and lack of automatic control mode disabling when precision is lost or when the vehicle travels outside defined work areas, requiring manual intervention for monitoring and control.
Innovation Solution
An automatic control mode system for heavy machinery that includes a controller to monitor positional conditions, such as GPS accuracy and work area boundaries, and disables the automatic control mode if these conditions are not met, ensuring high precision and safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If autonomous control mode is used to improve operational efficiency and consistency, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to reduced accuracy in location determination and inability to automatically detect when the vehicle travels outside work areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors GPS accuracy metrics and work area boundary conditions, providing feedback to the control mode module. When accuracy falls below thresholds or boundaries are exceeded, the system automatically transitions from autonomous to manual control mode, ensuring reliable operation while maintaining productivity during normal conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The control mode is made dynamic by allowing automatic switching between autonomous and manual modes based on real-time GPS accuracy and boundary conditions. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by enabling autonomous operation for productivity when conditions permit, while automatically reverting to manual control when reliability concerns arise
2Reliability
If manual monitoring is required to ensure safety and accuracy, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to operator burden
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-monitoring of GPS accuracy and work area boundaries, automatically detecting when conditions require mode transition. This eliminates the need for continuous manual monitoring while maintaining safety, as the system serves itself by autonomously managing control mode based on detected conditions
Solution Approach 2:
Automatic feedback mechanisms monitor system conditions and operator status, triggering mode transitions when necessary. This provides reliable safety monitoring through automated detection while reducing operator burden by eliminating the need for constant manual oversight
3Ease of operation
If autonomous control continues with reduced GPS accuracy, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to complete tasks precisely
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts control mode based on GPS accuracy conditions. When accuracy is sufficient, autonomous operation maintains precision. When accuracy degrades below thresholds, the system automatically transitions to manual mode, preventing precision loss while allowing continuous operation under favorable conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system preemptively transitions from autonomous to manual control mode when GPS accuracy falls below required thresholds, preventing task completion errors before they occur. This preliminary protective action maintains manufacturing precision by avoiding autonomous operation under insufficient accuracy conditions
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic control mode system for heavy machinery and a method for controlling heavy machinery for an automatic control mode is disclosed. The method may include: monitoring one or more conditions of one or more systems of the heavy machinery for the automatic control mode; determining whether at least one of the one or more conditions is met; and disabling the automatic control mode if at least one of the one or more conditions are met.