Work Vehicle Charge Monitoring Using Route-Based Return Energy Reserve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural electric work vehicles face challenges in accurately assessing their charge levels due to varied energy consumption influenced by diverse tasks and external factors, making it difficult for drivers to return to charging stations in a timely manner without extensive work planning and experience.
Innovation Solution
A method for dynamic charge level monitoring that records the route traveled and its height profile, determines average energy consumption, estimates the total energy requirement for returning to a charging station, and outputs this information via a user interface, allowing for timely and efficient return, even for less familiar drivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the work vehicle uses a battery-powered drive system to reduce emissions and operating costs, then environmental sustainability and operational efficiency are improved, but the complexity of managing charge levels and returning to charging stations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit automatically monitors the charge level, calculates energy consumption based on recorded route and elevation data, determines the return energy requirement, and provides notifications to the driver. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual charge level assessment by the driver, resolving the contradiction between improved reliability and reduced complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors charge level, records route information including elevation profile, calculates energy consumption, and provides feedback to the driver through notifications when the charge level falls below a threshold. This closed-loop feedback system ensures reliable charge level management while automating the process to reduce complexity.
2Reliability
If the driver manually monitors charge level and plans work to ensure timely return to charging station, then energy management can be controlled, but this requires extensive work planning and experience, reducing ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit automatically performs all charge level monitoring, route recording, energy consumption calculation, and return energy requirement determination. The driver simply operates the vehicle and receives automated notifications, eliminating the need for manual charge level management expertise while ensuring timely return to charging stations.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary between the battery system and the driver, automatically processing charge level data, route information, and energy consumption calculations to provide simplified guidance to the driver. This intermediary function resolves the contradiction by handling complex calculations while presenting simple information to the driver.
3Measurement precision
If the system records detailed route information including elevation profile to accurately calculate energy consumption, then charge level assessment accuracy is improved, but the data processing requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit records the route course and elevation profile during the outward journey from the charging station to the work location. This preliminary data collection enables accurate energy consumption calculation for the return journey without requiring additional sensors or complex real-time processing, resolving the contradiction between precision and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the recorded route information from the outward journey as a template for calculating energy consumption on the return journey. By copying and adapting the route data rather than requiring separate detailed measurements for each direction, the system achieves accurate assessment while minimizing data processing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for dynamic charge level monitoring of an electrically powered work vehicle (10) comprising a drive system with an electrical energy storage device that can be charged at a charging station (56), in which a control unit records the course of a journey (58) traveled between a starting position (60) of the work vehicle (10) at the location of the charging station (56) and a different current operating position (62) of the work vehicle (10), including its elevation profile, and determines the average energy consumption of the work vehicle (10) occurring along the traveled journey (58).Based on the determined travel distance (58) and the determined average energy consumption, the total energy requirement of the work vehicle (10) to be maintained for the return from the current operating position (62) to the starting position (60) along the traveled route (58) or a return route derived therefrom is estimated, and the estimated total energy requirement of the work vehicle (10) to be maintained is output as energy reserve information via a user interface.