Work Vehicle Steering Control Using Optical Beam and Boundary Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work vehicle guidance systems face challenges in accurately navigating along a reference travel path and successive parallel paths, leading to inefficiencies and inaccuracies in work travel due to high costs for optical beam projection and issues with initial travel trajectory affecting subsequent travel.
Innovation Solution
A work vehicle equipped with a first detection unit for optical beams, a second detection unit for work boundary lines, and a steering information generation section to calculate and correct position deviations, allowing for accurate steering along both reference and successive travel paths using a combination of optical beam guidance and work boundary line detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If optical beam projection means are disposed for each of the plurality of parallel travel paths, then accurate work travel along each path is achieved, but the cost becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The single optical beam projection means projects a beam that serves multiple functions: it establishes the reference travel path and also enables detection for successive parallel travel paths through the work boundary line. The detection unit detects both the optical beam for reference path guidance and the work boundary line for successive path guidance, making the system universally applicable to multiple travel paths without requiring separate projection means for each path.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of projecting separate optical beams for each travel path, the system uses a single optical beam to create a reference, then copies this reference approach by detecting the work boundary line (which is parallel to the reference path) as a virtual optical beam for subsequent paths. This copying mechanism allows the same detection unit to guide the vehicle along multiple parallel paths without requiring multiple physical beam projectors.
2Extent of automation
If the work vehicle uses average brightness difference to detect the boundary between worked and unworked regions, then automatic travel along the boundary is achieved, but unfavorable initial travel trajectories are carried on in subsequent travel
Solution Approach 1:
Before the work vehicle begins automatic travel along successive paths, the reference travel path is accurately established using the optical beam projection means. This preliminary action creates a reliable reference that ensures subsequent automatic travel along parallel paths will be accurate, preventing the propagation of trajectory errors that would occur if automatic travel began without such a reference.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures accurate and efficient work travel without unnecessary overlap or unfinished areas by correcting position deviations based on real-time detection data, enabling planned work across the entire work area.
Implementation Method 1
a beam projector that projects an optical beam along a reference travel path
Implementation Method 2
a first detection unit that detects the optical beam
Implementation Method 3
captured images acquired by capturing the state of the work area for a predetermined range forward in the direction in which the vehicle body is traveling using image capturing means
Data Source
AI summary
A work vehicle includes a first detection unit that detects an optical beam emitted from a beam projector disposed at one end of a reference travel path, a first position deviation calculation section that calculates position deviation by a vehicle body from the reference travel path based on a detection signal from the first detection unit, a second detection unit that detects a work boundary line that occurs due to work travel, a second position deviation calculation section that calculates position deviation of the vehicle body traveling along successive travel paths from the work boundary line based on a detection signal from the second detection unit, and a steering information generation section that, based on the position deviation calculated by the first position deviation calculation section and the second position deviation calculation section, generates steering information for correcting the position deviation.