Travel Route Planning With Route Expectation Feedback for Tractors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional travel route generation devices do not provide sufficient information about the time and effort required for a work vehicle to travel along the generated route, making it difficult for operators to set routes that meet their requests.

Innovation Solution

A travel route generation device that allows operators to manually set travel work parameters, including headland information, and displays route expectation information such as expected work distance and time, enabling easy adjustment and validation of the generated route.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional travel route generation devices generate a travel route without displaying route expectation information, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates because operators cannot obtain sufficient information to set routes that meet their requests

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of setting travel routeVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system displays route expectation information (expected work distance, expected work time, fuel consumption) as feedback to the operator when setting travel routes. This allows operators to see the consequences of their parameter settings and adjust them to meet their requests, thereby improving ease of operation without excessive complexity increase

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically calculates and displays route expectation information based on the generated travel route and input parameters. This self-service approach provides necessary information without requiring additional manual calculations or complex interface operations from the operator

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If the system displays detailed route expectation information, then the ease of operation improves, but the loss of time increases due to the additional processing and display requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of determining route suitabilityVSAvoidtime for route setting
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary calculations of route expectation information (work distance, work time, fuel consumption) automatically when the travel route is generated. This preliminary action provides all necessary information upfront, allowing operators to quickly determine route suitability without additional time loss

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system merges the route generation process with the calculation and display of route expectation information. By combining these functions into a single integrated process, the system avoids separate processing steps that would increase time loss while maintaining ease of operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3351903B1Travel route generation device and a method for operating a travel route generation device
Publication Date: 2025.10.22 KUBOTA CORP
  • EP3351903B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3351903B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3351903B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A travel route generation device is provided, the travel route generation device includes: an acquisition unit (21) that acquires field data including a field shape; a setting unit (22) that allows setting of a travel work parameter including headland information based on a manual operation; a generation unit (23) that generates a travel route R along which a tractor travels based on the field data and the travel work parameter; a route expectation unit (24) that derives route expectation information E about the generated travel route R; and a display control unit (25) that causes a display device (11) capable of displaying information to display the acquired field shape F, the generated travel route R, and the derived route expectation information E. Further, a method for operating a travel route generation device is provided.