UWB Proximity Monitoring for Agricultural Machine Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural environments, such as dairy farms, face enhanced security challenges due to distracted users interacting with smart devices and animals, leading to increased accident risks with machines and robots.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology to track the location of users and agricultural structures with moving parts, triggering accident avoidance measures when the distance between them falls below a threshold, including alerts and deactivation of the moving parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If light grids are used to switch off machines when farmers or animals are detected, then safety is improved, but the system is disturbed by animals in the barn and requires complex infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical light grid system with a wireless positioning system using UWB technology. Instead of using physical light beams and switches, the system uses locational devices worn by farmers and transmitters on machines to determine proximity through wireless signal measurement, eliminating the need for complex light grid infrastructure while maintaining safety functionality.
2Ease of operation
If farmers focus on smart phone applications and games, then personal entertainment is improved, but attention to machinery safety is reduced leading to increased accident risk
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service safety monitoring where the automated proximity detection and alert system monitors the farmer's location and machine proximity without requiring the farmer's active attention. The system serves itself by automatically detecting dangerous situations and triggering alerts, allowing farmers to use their smartphones while the safety system operates autonomously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring the farmer's location via locational device and providing real-time alerts when approaching dangerous zones. This feedback loop constantly informs the farmer of their proximity to moving parts, compensating for distracted attention through automated warning signals that trigger when safety thresholds are approached.
3Productivity
If robots and autonomously operating machines are introduced to improve productivity, then agricultural efficiency is improved, but the risk of accidents with distracted farmers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes preliminary action by continuously monitoring and detecting potentially dangerous situations before accidents occur. The proximity detection system identifies when farmers are approaching dangerous zones and triggers preventive alerts, allowing farmers to take corrective action before contact with moving parts occurs, thus preventing accidents before they happen.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary safety monitoring layer between the distracted farmer and the autonomous machines. The locational devices and control unit act as intermediaries that continuously assess the situation and mediate safety by triggering alerts or stopping machines when dangerous proximity is detected, creating a buffer that protects farmers from the risks of distraction while working with autonomous equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances security by preventing accidents by continuously monitoring user proximity to dangerous machinery, reducing the risk of collisions and enhancing safety in agricultural settings.
Implementation Method 1
a set of wireless signal receivers situated at known positions in the agricultural environment, configured to receive wireless Ultra-Wideband, UWB, signals from the locational devices
Data Source
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AI summary
Method (500) and system (600) in an agricultural environment (100). The method (500) comprises the steps of: obtaining (501) a geographical position of a locational device (115), associated with a human user (200); determining (502) a distance between the obtained (501) geographical position of the locational device (115) and a geographical position of an agricultural structure (105) comprising a moving part (110); and triggering (503) an accident avoidance measure when the determined (502) distance is smaller than a threshold limit (310a, 310b, 310c).