Work Vehicle Alert Zones With Speed-Based Obstacle Intervention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional obstacle detection systems in self-propelled work vehicles fail to differentiate effectively between types of obstacles and provide inappropriate alerts, leading to nuisance detections and false positives, especially in congested environments where smaller alert zones are necessary due to varying vehicle speeds and stopping distances.
Innovation Solution
The system introduces dynamic zones that adjust based on vehicle speed and operating characteristics, such as stopping distance and time, to filter alerts and provide targeted intervention states, using multiple vehicle-mounted sensors and cameras to generate image data and control signals for actuators, allowing for speed- and distance-adjusted alerts and interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional distance-based alert systems use fixed threshold zones, then operators receive consistent alerts, but nuisance detections and false positives increase in congested environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic alert zones that automatically adjust their size and position based on the work vehicle's current speed. When the vehicle slows down, the alert zones shrink proportionally, reducing false positives in congested areas while maintaining adequate coverage at higher speeds. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the alert system context-aware rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the spatial parameters of alert zones in real-time based on vehicle speed measurements. The controller continuously monitors speed and adjusts the radial distance and angular span of alert zones accordingly, transforming the alert system from a fixed-parameter to a variable-parameter system that adapts to operating conditions.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If alert zones are reduced for congested environments, then false positives decrease, but detection coverage may be insufficient at higher speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The alert zones are designed to dynamically expand and contract based on vehicle speed. At high speeds, zones expand to provide comprehensive detection coverage, while at low speeds in congested areas, zones contract to reduce false positives. This speed-dependent dynamic adjustment ensures adequate coverage is always maintained relative to the vehicle's operational context.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If speed-adjusted dynamic zones are implemented, then nuisance detections are reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system adjusts zone parameters (radius, position, span) based on changes in vehicle speed parameter. This parameter-based control approach, while adding complexity, provides a systematic and automated method to reduce nuisance detections without requiring manual intervention or complex decision logic.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional object detection systems distinguish between obstacle types, then appropriate responses can be generated, but detection precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the detection environment into multiple concentric alert zones (first alert zone, second alert zone, etc.) at different radial distances from the work vehicle. This spatial segmentation allows the system to provide different levels of alerting and response based on distance, reducing the need for highly precise object classification while still enabling appropriate responses to different situational contexts.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented system and method are provided for dynamically adjusting alerts based on detected objects external to a work vehicle. Vehicle-mounted object sensors generate object signals representative of detected objects in respective fields of vision, and vehicle-mounted cameras generate images corresponding to respective image regions. The images are selectively displayed, along with first indicia defining or based at least in part on concentric zones that are dynamically configured based on vehicle operating characteristics (e.g., travel speed). Distances are determined from respective object sensors to any detected objects, wherein second indicia are displayed with respect to the selectively generated images and corresponding to a respective intervention state for the objects within the images, the respective intervention state determined based on at least the determined distance and the operating characteristics of the work vehicle.