Autonomous Work Machine Route Control for Preferred Region Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control apparatuses for autonomously navigating work machines, such as lawn mowers, are inadequate in ensuring the machine navigates through desired regions while avoiding unserviceable areas, particularly when moving towards a destination like a charging station, leading to inefficient lawn maintenance and potential damage to unsuitable regions.
Innovation Solution
A control apparatus equipped with an information acquisition unit, a search unit, and a control unit that acquires and processes data to determine optimal navigation routes within the work area, avoiding unsuitable regions by prioritizing navigation through desired areas, utilizing sensors and cameras to map the environment and adjust the route based on unsuitability rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the work machine uses conventional navigation control to move toward a destination, then the machine can reach the destination, but it may pass through unserviceable regions causing lawn damage and reducing navigation quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary mapping of the work area to identify navigation-desired regions and navigation-unsuitable regions before actual navigation. This advance preparation allows the navigation planning unit to create routes that avoid unsuitable regions, preventing lawn damage before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation planning unit acts as an intermediary between the destination information and the route execution. It processes the work area map, identifies suitable paths, and generates optimized navigation routes that balance destination achievement with avoidance of unserviceable regions, thereby resolving the conflict between reaching the destination and preventing lawn damage.
2Speed
If the work machine prioritizes reaching the destination quickly, then the navigation speed increases, but the machine may traverse unsuitable regions reducing maintenance efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-processes the work area map to identify navigation-desired regions and navigation-unsuitable regions before actual navigation. This advance preparation allows the navigation planning unit to create routes that avoid unsuitable regions, preventing lawn damage before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation planning unit acts as an intermediary between the destination information and the route execution. It processes the work area map, identifies suitable paths, and generates optimized navigation routes that balance destination achievement with avoidance of unsuitable regions, thereby resolving the conflict between reaching the destination and preventing lawn damage.
3Length of moving object
If the work machine follows a direct path to the destination, then the travel distance is minimized, but it may pass through navigation-unsuitable regions causing harm
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary mapping of the work area to identify navigation-desired regions and navigation-unsuitable regions before actual navigation. This advance preparation allows the navigation planning unit to create routes that avoid unsuitable regions, preventing lawn damage before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation planning unit acts as an intermediary between the destination information and the route execution. It processes the work area map, identifies suitable paths, and generates optimized navigation routes that balance destination achievement with avoidance of unsuitable regions, thereby resolving the conflict between reaching the destination and preventing lawn damage.
Data Source
AI summary
A control apparatus of an autonomously navigating work machine driven by drive units while servicing a work area which is equipped with an information acquisition unit that acquires information relating to a navigation-desired region where navigation is desired inside or outside of the work area, a search unit that searches for a navigation route from a current location of the work machine to a desired location based on acquired information relating to the navigation-desired region, and a control unit that drives the work machine to run by driving the drive units in accordance with the navigation route searched by the search unit.