Implement Alert Zone Sizing for Safer Autonomous Field Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural management systems lack the ability to effectively set a suitable alert zone around implements connected with work vehicles, particularly when manufacturer-provided information is not available, posing a risk to human safety during automatic operations.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural management system that includes a server to accumulate implement information from users and a processor to set an alert zone based on retrieved implement information, using identification data to determine the size and position of the alert zone, even when necessary information is not disclosed by the manufacturer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manufacturer-provided implement information is used to set alert zone size, then the alert zone setting is simple and reliable, but this information is often not disclosed by the manufacturer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between implements and the alert zone setting system. The server accumulates implement information provided by multiple users and makes it available for alert zone calculation, resolving the information availability issue without requiring manufacturer disclosure
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows users to voluntarily provide implement information to the server, enabling the system to serve itself by accumulating necessary data from the user community rather than relying on manufacturer provision
2Ease of operation
If a fixed alert zone size is used for all implements, then the system is simple to operate, but it cannot ensure safety for different implement types with varying dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic alert zone sizing that automatically adjusts based on the specific implement's dimensions and characteristics. The system retrieves implement-specific information and calculates appropriate alert zone parameters, making the system adaptive rather than fixed
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the alert zone parameters (size, shape, position) based on implement-specific parameters such as width, length, and working characteristics. This allows the alert zone to be optimized for each implement type while maintaining automated operation
3Loss of information
If implement information is collected from multiple users and accumulated in a server, then the information becomes available even when manufacturers don't disclose it, but this requires additional system infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The server performs multiple functions: accumulating implement information, storing it for future retrieval, and providing it to the alert zone setting system. This multi-functional approach justifies the infrastructure addition by eliminating the need for separate information collection and management systems
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural management system includes a server configured or programmed to obtain implement information concerning a plurality of types of implements from a plurality of users and store the obtained implement information, and a processor configured or programmed to set a size of an alert zone around an implement connected with a work vehicle. The processor is configured or programmed to obtain identification information which identifies the first implement, retrieve implement information corresponding to the identification information from the server, and set the size of the alert zone based on the retrieved implement information.