Stable Floor Robot Navigation Around Feeding-Driven Animal Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned vehicles used for floor cleaning in stables face inefficiencies due to the unpredictable movement of animals, which can hinder their navigation and lead to incomplete cleaning or increased manure left on the floor.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes an animal enclosure, a first vehicle for floor-related actions, and a feed providing device, where communication signals about feeding actions are used to adapt the vehicle's navigation route to avoid areas with high animal presence, allowing for more efficient cleaning by planning routes around feeding times and locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the unmanned vehicle follows a pre-planned route, then the cleaning task can be executed efficiently according to schedule, but the route may be blocked by animals moving into the path, causing cleaning delays or incomplete cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system dynamically adjusts the cleaning route in real-time based on animal detection data. When animals are detected on the planned route, the system automatically recalculates and modifies the path to avoid blockages while ensuring complete cleaning coverage, thus maintaining both efficiency and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from animal presence detection sensors to continuously monitor route conditions and trigger route adjustments. The detection of animals provides feedback that initiates route recalculation, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to changing stable conditions
2Ease of operation
If the unmanned vehicle detects an animal and reroutes to pass it, then the vehicle can avoid blocking animals, but the cleaning route efficiency decreases and some areas may not be cleaned
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary route planning that anticipates animal movements and identifies alternative paths in advance. When animals are detected, pre-calculated alternative routes are immediately activated, avoiding the need for time-consuming on-the-fly route changes and maintaining cleaning efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation system dynamically generates and evaluates multiple alternative routes in real-time based on animal position and movement patterns, selecting the optimal path that balances animal passage requirements with cleaning coverage and efficiency
3Manufacturing precision
If the unmanned vehicle waits for animals to move away, then complete cleaning can be achieved, but the cleaning task takes longer to complete
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically decides between waiting and rerouting based on real-time factors such as animal behavior patterns, predicted movement, and cleaning priority areas. This dynamic decision-making optimizes the balance between cleaning completeness and time efficiency
4Productivity
If the unmanned vehicle pushes animals out of the way, then the cleaning route can be maintained, but animal welfare may be compromised and additional sensors are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the animal from the cleaning path by routing the vehicle around the animal rather than interacting with it. This separation eliminates both the productivity loss from route changes and the harmful effects of animal disturbance or stress
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a system to carry out a floor related action. The system comprises an animal enclosure for detaining at least one animal and provided with an enclosure floor surface, a first autonomous vehicle configured to navigate over the floor surface to carry out the floor related action, and a feed providing device to provide feed to the animal. The system comprises a communication signal configured to transmit a communication signal representative for an actual or planned feeding action of the feed providing device to the first vehicle, which action influences the position of animals with the animal enclosure. In order to move the first vehicle more efficiently over the stable floor, in particular to avoid interference with animals on the stable floor, the first vehicle is capable to adapt its navigation based on the communication signal representative for the actual or planned feeding action.