Image-Guided Rock Collection Path Control for Field Clearing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for clearing rocks from agricultural fields are inefficient, often requiring manual operation and multiple passes, leading to high labor costs and safety hazards due to the failure of existing implements to effectively remove rocks, which interfere with equipment and pose safety risks.
Innovation Solution
An object-collection system that uses image analysis to identify and locate rocks, guiding a collection vehicle to autonomously pick up objects by determining their location and instructing an object picker assembly to remove them, thereby improving efficiency and reducing manual labor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual implements (rakes, windrowers, sieves) are used to clear rocks, then some rock removal is achieved, but the failure rate is high requiring multiple passes and human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by using imaging devices to detect and map rock locations before the collection vehicle arrives. This advance detection allows the system to plan optimal collection paths and position the vehicle precisely for rock pickup, eliminating the need for multiple random passes with traditional implements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring rock locations using imaging devices, tracking the collection vehicle's position via GPS, and adjusting the collection path in real-time. This closed-loop control ensures high reliability in rock removal by confirming each rock is located and collected, preventing the incomplete removal that plagues manual methods.
2Productivity
If manual operation and human picking intervention are used, then rocks can be removed, but labor costs increase and work becomes slow and unpleasant
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies self-service by enabling the collection vehicle to autonomously navigate to rock locations and perform pickup operations without human intervention. The imaging devices automatically detect rocks, the GPS system self-manages navigation, and the vehicle independently executes collection, completely eliminating manual labor while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical rock-picking operations with an automated electromechanical system. Imaging devices substitute for human eyes, GPS navigation replaces human direction, and the automated pickup mechanism supplants human hands, thereby eliminating labor while preserving and enhancing removal speed.
3Loss of time
If traditional implements are used without precise location data, then simple equipment is required, but multiple passes are needed increasing time expenditure
Solution Approach 1:
The collection vehicle serves multiple functions: it acts as an autonomous platform integrating imaging devices for rock detection, GPS receivers for location tracking, and a mechanical pickup system for rock collection. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate equipment into a single vehicle, managing complexity while dramatically reducing total clearing time through precise navigation and single-pass collection.
Data Source
AI summary
An object identification and collection method is disclosed. The method includes receiving a pick-up path that identifies a route in which to guide an object-collection system over a target geographical area to pick up objects, determining a current location of the object-collection system relative to the pick-up path, and guiding the object-collection system along the pick-up path over the target geographical area based on the current location. The method further includes capturing images in a direction of movement of the object-collection system along the pick-up path, identifying a target object in the images; tracking movement of the target object through the images, determining that the target object is within range of an object picker assembly on the object-collection system based on the tracked movement of the target object, and instructing the object picker assembly to pick up the target object.