Predictive Worksite Boundaries for Mobile Machine Coordination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing worksite operation systems face challenges in accurately coordinating the logistics of mobile machines due to dynamic locations and boundaries, which can lead to inefficient and unsafe operation, especially when considering the changing positions and obstacles within the worksite.

Innovation Solution

A worksite operation system generates dynamic boundary outputs that include historical, current, and predictive locations and boundaries of mobile machines, utilizing georeferenced data, sensor data, and configuration data to coordinate route planning and prevent interference among machines, with confidence bands indicating the reliability of these predictions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If dynamic boundary prediction is implemented to improve logistics coordination, then worksite operation safety and efficiency are improved, but system complexity increases due to predictive modeling requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelogistics coordination accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by generating predictive boundaries before actual machine movements occur. The predictive boundary generator creates future position estimates and confidence bands in advance, allowing the logistics coordinator to plan routes and prevent interference proactively rather than reactively, improving coordination accuracy while managing complexity through advance preparation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The predictive boundary output serves as an intermediary between raw sensor data and logistics control decisions. By introducing this intermediate layer that translates machine positions into predictive boundaries with confidence bands, the system enables more accurate logistics coordination without directly complexifying the core control mechanisms, as the intermediary handles the complexity of prediction and uncertainty quantification

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If predictive boundaries with confidence bands are generated to improve collision prevention, then operation safety is improved, but computational resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollision prevention capabilityVSAvoidcomputational resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by generating confidence bands at selective levels of detail rather than exhaustive precision. The predictive boundary generator produces confidence bands that provide sufficient accuracy for collision prevention without computing every possible variable to maximum precision, thereby preventing collisions while consuming reasonable computational resources through targeted rather than complete analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The predictive boundaries and confidence bands function as disposable computational objects that are continuously generated and discarded as new sensor data arrives. Rather than maintaining complex persistent models, the system creates fresh predictive boundaries for each evaluation cycle, allowing computational resources to be reused each cycle rather than invested in long-lived complex structures, thus preventing collisions with manageable energy consumption

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Data Source

PatentUS20240411313A1Dynamic boundaries for logistics control
Publication Date: 2024.12.12 DEERE & CO
  • US20240411313A1 patent drawing
  • US20240411313A1 patent drawing
  • US20240411313A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Data is obtained by a worksite operation system. The data includes machine sensor data indicative of one or more characteristics of a mobile machine operating at a worksite. The worksite operation system generates, based on the obtained data, a dynamic boundary output indicative of a predictive boundary of the mobile machine at a location along a predictive path of the mobile machine at the worksite. The worksite operation system generates a control signal based on the dynamic boundary output.