Work Vehicle Steering Control for Turn-to-Straight Path Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing automatic travel systems for work vehicles, there is an issue where the vehicle struggles to accurately transition from a turning path to a straight path, resulting in biased travel and loss of precision along the straight path due to the steering wheel being in a largely steered state, leading to inaccurate navigation.
Innovation Solution
An automatic travel system with a steering unit, positioning unit, and control unit that sets a target travel position at a predetermined distance from the current position and adjusts the steering to follow the target path, determining when to switch from a turning path to a straight path to ensure accurate alignment and travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the target travel position is set on the turning path or its extension until the work vehicle switches from the turning path to the straight path, then the work vehicle can follow the target travel position during turning, but the steering wheel remains in a largely steered state causing the work vehicle to travel biased toward the inside of the turn and cannot accurately follow the straight path
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit determines whether the target travel position has reached the end of the turning path and proactively changes the target travel position from a position on the turning path to a position on the straight path before the work vehicle actually reaches the path switch point. This preliminary adjustment of the target position allows the steering control to begin preparing for straight-line travel in advance, enabling the steering wheel to return to the center position gradually and accurately, thus eliminating the bias toward the inside of the turn and ensuring precise alignment with the straight path from the moment of transition.
2Manufacturing precision
If the target travel position is changed to a position on the straight path at the point where the work vehicle reaches the start position of the straight path, then the work vehicle should return to the straight path, but the work vehicle cannot travel automatically and accurately along the straight path for a while due to the steering wheel being in a largely steered state
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors the position of the work vehicle relative to the turning path and straight path, and based on this feedback, determines whether the target travel position has reached the end of the turning path. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically and accurately switch the target travel position from the turning path to the straight path at the appropriate moment, ensuring precise path following without requiring complex manual intervention or overly complicated control logic.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an automatic travel system for a work vehicle, wherein: a control unit that causes the work vehicle to automatically travel according to a target path includes a target position setting unit that sets a target travel position to a predetermined position separated by a predetermined distance in an advancing direction from a current position of the work vehicle, and an automatic steering controller that controls operations of a steering unit so that that work vehicle follows the target travel position; and the target position setting unit determines whether the target travel position has reached an end position of a turning path connected to a straight path and, if a determination is made that the target travel position has reached the end position of the turning path, then changes the setting of the target travel position from the position on the turning path to a position on the straight path.