Mission Planning System for Autonomous Work Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous control of work vehicles is limited to finishing stages and requires advanced mission planning and real-time terrain adaptation to effectively operate on complex job sites, especially in coordinating multiple vehicles and avoiding obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates and updates missions for autonomous work vehicles by dividing job sites into sub-regions, paths, and layers, using sensors and positioning units to collect data for real-time adjustments, and implementing alert and brake zones for collision prevention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous control is implemented on complex job sites, then productivity and automation extent improve, but system complexity and difficulty of detecting and measuring increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mission planning system divides complex job sites into manageable sub-regions, paths, and layers. Each autonomous vehicle receives segmented task assignments for specific sub-regions rather than entire sites, reducing the complexity each vehicle must process while maintaining overall site coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
A centralized mission planning system acts as an intermediary between human operators and autonomous vehicles. This mediator processes complex site-wide coordination, obstacle detection, and real-time adjustments, allowing individual vehicles to operate autonomously without needing to process all complexity themselves.
2Adaptability or versatility
If real-time terrain adaptation is implemented, then adaptability and reliability improve, but use of energy and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary mapping and identifies planned paths through sub-regions before autonomous vehicles begin operation. By pre-processing terrain data and establishing baseline routes, the system reduces the real-time processing energy required during actual vehicle operation while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mission planning system updates terrain data and adjusts paths periodically rather than continuously. Sensors collect terrain information at regular intervals, and the system re-plans routes when significant changes are detected, reducing energy consumption compared to continuous real-time adaptation while maintaining reliable operation.
3Productivity
If multiple vehicles are coordinated on site, then productivity improves, but device complexity and loss of information increase
Solution Approach 1:
The job site is divided into distinct sub-regions, and each autonomous vehicle is assigned to operate within specific sub-regions or paths. This spatial segmentation reduces communication overhead by limiting which vehicles need to coordinate with each other, while still achieving overall site-wide productivity through coordinated sub-region coverage.
4Reliability
If alert and brake zones are implemented for collision prevention, then safety and reliability improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Alert zones are established in advance around each autonomous vehicle based on its position and planned path. By pre-defining these safety zones before potential conflicts arise, the system simplifies real-time decision-making while maintaining reliable collision avoidance through proactive rather than reactive measures.
Data Source
AI summary
Generation and assignment of tasks based on a pre-generated and updateable mission may be utilized to reduce risk and dangers associated with allowing multiple autonomous vehicles to operate within a site. In some cases, the site may be divided into sub-regions with particular vehicles assigned, paths and segments as horizontal divisions of the sub-region and layers as vertical division of the sub-region. The vehicles may then be assigned to a perform operations related to tasks associated with a sub-region, path or segment, and layer.