Spraying Vehicle Path Control With Switchable Spray Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated driving systems for spraying work vehicles struggle to efficiently spray chemicals or water on multiple rows of trees and crops while maintaining automated driving, as they require straddling each row, leading to inefficiencies in work efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An automated driving system that includes a target path generation part, an automated driving control part, and a spray control part, which allows for switching between four-direction and direction-limited spraying patterns, enabling the work vehicle to efficiently spray by generating paths that optimize the number of spraying paths and reduce wasteful spraying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the work vehicle straddles each spray target row to spray chemicals on all spray target objects during automated driving, then complete spraying coverage is achieved, but work efficiency is reduced due to increased driving distance and time
Solution Approach 1:
The spray target rows are divided into different groups (first group and second group) with different spraying patterns. The first group uses four-direction spraying while the second group uses direction-limited spraying, allowing optimization of driving paths for different sections to improve overall efficiency while maintaining complete coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different spraying patterns (four-direction and direction-limited) based on the row group being processed. This dynamic adjustment allows the work vehicle to optimize its driving path and spraying behavior for different sections, reducing unnecessary driving distance while ensuring complete spraying coverage.
2Reliability
If the work vehicle uses four-direction spraying pattern on all rows, then complete spraying coverage is achieved, but driving distance and time are increased
Solution Approach 1:
Different spraying patterns are applied to different local groups of rows based on their positioning relative to the work vehicle. The first group of rows receives four-direction spraying while the second group receives direction-limited spraying, optimizing the balance between coverage and time for each local section.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the spraying pattern parameter from four-direction to direction-limited based on the row group being processed. This parameter change allows the system to reduce driving time for certain rows while maintaining adequate spraying coverage through the directional spray pattern.
3Productivity
If the work vehicle uses direction-limited spraying pattern, then driving distance is reduced, but spraying coverage may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The rows are segmented into different groups where direction-limited spraying is applied to the second group after four-direction spraying on the first group. This segmentation ensures that rows requiring complete coverage receive it, while other rows benefit from the efficiency of direction-limited spraying.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects between four-direction and direction-limited spraying patterns based on the specific row group being processed. This dynamic selection ensures that spraying coverage completeness is maintained for rows where it is critical, while driving efficiency is improved for other rows.
4Ease of operation
If the work vehicle sprays all rows with the same pattern, then operational simplicity is maintained, but work efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically and dynamically switches between different spraying patterns based on the row group being processed, without requiring manual intervention. This dynamic automation maintains operational simplicity from the user perspective while significantly improving work efficiency through optimized spraying paths and patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The target path generation part automatically determines and switches between different spraying patterns based on the row positioning and grouping, without requiring external control or complex manual operation. The system serves itself by making intelligent decisions about which spraying pattern to use, improving efficiency while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
This automated travel system for spraying work has a target path generation unit for generating a target path for a spraying work. A work vehicle is provided with left and right liquid spraying units which have spraying patterns including: a four-direction spraying pattern in which each of the left and right liquid spraying units sprays a liquid to both the left and right directions; and a direction-restricted spraying pattern in which the number of spraying directions of the left and right liquid spraying units is restricted to 3 or less. The target path generation unit generates the target path P in a path setting to incorporate a four-direction spraying path for which the four-direction spraying pattern is set as a spraying pattern and direction-restricted spraying paths for which the direction-restricted spraying pattern is set as a spraying pattern.