Work Vehicle Route Generation for Irregular Field Boundaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Generating an accurate travel route for autonomous work vehicles in work fields divided by private farm roads is challenging due to the difficulty in determining the shape of the work field from general maps.
Innovation Solution
A travel route generation device and method that uses a position sensor and point input interface to detect and calculate the positions of reference points on the work vehicle, defining the shape of the target work region by connecting starting, intermediate, and end points, and generating a route for the vehicle to follow within the work field.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a work vehicle manually travels within a field to acquire external shape data, then the field shape can be obtained, but the process requires manual operation and time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The work vehicle automatically acquires its own external shape data by utilizing its own locus information during manual travel. The system stores the vehicle's travel path and automatically calculates the field shape based on this self-generated data, eliminating the need for separate measurement operations and reducing time consumption while maintaining accuracy
2Adaptability or versatility
If the work vehicle enters the field from a specific location, then the entrance passage can be defined, but it becomes difficult to determine the target work region shape
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the field into distinct regions: the entrance passage and the target work region. By identifying the entrance passage based on the vehicle's entry locus, the system separately defines the target work region shape, allowing accurate shape determination even when the entrance is at a specific location with complex field divisions
3Ease of manufacture
If general map data is used to determine field shape, then mapping is simplified, but accurate field shape cannot be determined due to private farm roads
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the work vehicle's locus information as an intermediary to accurately determine field shape. Instead of relying directly on general map data that lacks precision due to private farm roads, the vehicle's actual travel path serves as a mediator to capture the true field boundaries and shape, combining simplicity with accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A travel route generation device includes circuitry configured to calculate positions of a starting point, an end point, and intermediate points from a start vehicle position, an end vehicle position, and intermediate vehicle positions, respectively, based on a distance from a contour point to a reference point. The circuitry is configured to define the shape of the target work region by calculating a line connecting the starting point, the intermediate points, and the end point, the line defining the shape of the target work region. The circuitry is configured to generate a travel route along which the work vehicle is to travel in the target work region.