Soil Cultivation Robot GNSS Quality Mapping for Precise Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic vehicles for soil cultivation face challenges in accurately determining their position, especially in areas with varying soil conditions or obstacles, due to unreliable satellite navigation signals and interference from other sources, which can lead to imprecise navigation and incomplete coverage of the work area.
Innovation Solution
A robotic vehicle equipped with a position detector, such as a GNSS receiver, that compares signal qualities from a vehicle base and the vehicle itself to assess navigation accuracy, and uses this information to determine the quality of location determination, allowing for initialization and operation only on grid points with sufficient accuracy, and employs predictive methods to forecast future navigation accuracy based on satellite constellations and signal reception conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If satellite navigation signals are used for position determination, then the robotic vehicle can operate autonomously in the work area, but the navigation accuracy becomes unreliable in areas with obstacles or varying soil conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary quality determination process that acts as a mediator between the GNSS position detector and the navigation system. This intermediary layer evaluates the quality of GNSS signals by comparing measurements from multiple detectors and determines whether the current position data is reliable enough for navigation, thereby resolving the contradiction between autonomous operation and navigation accuracy in challenging environments
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring GNSS signal quality and using this information to adjust navigation decisions. The quality determination process provides feedback about the reliability of position data, allowing the robotic vehicle to switch between autonomous and manual operation modes based on current signal conditions, thus maintaining both automation capability and navigation accuracy
2Adaptability or versatility
If the robotic vehicle operates in areas with obstacles or varying soil conditions, then it can cover more diverse work areas, but the position determination quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the operation mode adjustable and adaptive rather than fixed. The robotic vehicle dynamically switches between autonomous and manual operation modes based on real-time GNSS signal quality assessments, allowing it to adapt to varying work area conditions and maintain both versatility and position determination quality across different environments
3Measurement precision
If the vehicle uses multiple GNSS detectors for quality comparison, then the navigation accuracy can be improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by using multiple GNSS detectors selectively rather than continuously. The system employs multiple detectors to obtain redundant measurements for quality comparison, but only to the extent necessary for determining signal reliability. This approach improves navigation accuracy through quality assessment while avoiding the excessive complexity of continuously processing all detector data in all operating conditions
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a robotic vehicle (100) for movable operation in a work area (108), the movable operation comprising a soil cultivation, the work area (108) being represented by a set of discretized coordinate grid points (112), the vehicle (100) comprising a position detector and a controller (118), the controller (118) comprising a memory (122) and a processor, the memory (122) comprising instructions (124), wherein execution of the instructions (124) by the processor causes the vehicle (100) for performing a quality determination process comprising for a given grid point and a first point in time determining a quality with which the vehicle can be navigated at the given grid point using the position detector, wherein execution of the instructions (124) by the processor further causes the vehicle (100) to - perform an initialization process, the initialization process comprising repeatedly performing the quality determination process at different first points in time and different given grid points selected from a subset of the grid points (112), - abort the initialization process in case the number of grid points for which the quality with which the vehicle can be navigated at the given grid point was determined exceeds a predefined initialization threshold.