Work Vehicle Obstacle Control With Animal-Specific Avoidance Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Work vehicles face reduced efficiency and complicated driving control when uniformly performing avoidance maneuvers around animals, such as birds, which may not escape until the vehicle is very close, leading to unnecessary travel and interference.
Innovation Solution
A work vehicle system that discriminates between different types of obstacles, including animals and static objects, to adjust avoidance travel distance and timing based on the detected target, minimizing unnecessary travel and interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the work vehicle uniformly performs avoidance travel around all detected animals, then safety is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to unnecessary travel and reduced work efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different avoidance travel distances based on the local characteristics of each detected animal. By discriminating between animal types (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians) and applying species-specific avoidance distances, the system ensures safety for vulnerable animals while minimizing unnecessary travel for animals that can escape more easily, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the avoidance distance parameter based on the detected animal type. Instead of using a fixed avoidance distance for all animals, the travel control unit adjusts this parameter according to the discrimination results, allowing optimal balance between safety requirements and work efficiency for different animal species
2Reliability
If the work vehicle starts avoidance travel in advance when animals are detected, then safety is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to waste travel
Solution Approach 1:
The system tailors the avoidance travel initiation distance to the specific animal type detected. For animals that can escape quickly (birds), avoidance is initiated only when closer, reducing waste travel. For animals that may not escape easily (mammals, reptiles, amphibians), avoidance is initiated at greater distances, ensuring safety. This localized approach resolves the contradiction between safety and time loss
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial avoidance action by adjusting the avoidance distance based on animal type. Instead of always initiating avoidance at the maximum safe distance for all animals, the system uses just enough avoidance distance appropriate for each animal type, eliminating excessive action and associated time loss while maintaining necessary safety
Data Source
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AI summary
A work vehicle 10 includes: a vehicle body 11; a detection device configured to detect an obstacle around the vehicle body 11; a discrimination processor configured to discriminate a type of a detection target based on a detection result by the detection device; and a travel controller configured to enable travel stop of the vehicle body or avoidance travel in which the vehicle body travels around the detection target according to the type of the detection target. The travel controller performs, in a case where the detection target is an animal other than a human, avoidance travel with an avoidance distance between the detection target and a start position of the avoidance travel smaller than that in a case where the detection target is a human.