Remote-Control Working Machine for Road Drivability Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural field working vehicles are limited to autonomous driving operations within agricultural fields and cannot easily operate outside these fields.
Innovation Solution
A working machine equipped with a driving estimator to assess drivability based on road conditions and device conditions, a controller to manage driving operations, and a communicator to transmit driving information for remote control, allowing the vehicle to be driven outside agricultural fields.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous driving control is implemented for agricultural field working vehicles, then autonomous driving capability within agricultural fields is improved, but operability outside agricultural fields deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous driving control unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it can autonomously drive the vehicle along working travel paths within agricultural fields, and also enable remote control driving along roads outside agricultural fields. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the same control system adaptable to both autonomous and remote control operations in different environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between autonomous driving mode and remote control driving mode based on the operating environment. When on agricultural fields, it operates autonomously; when on roads outside agricultural fields, it transitions to remote control mode. This dynamic adaptability allows the vehicle to maintain high automation where applicable while preserving versatility across different terrains.
2Reliability
If autonomous driving is restricted to agricultural fields only, then autonomous driving reliability within fields is improved, but ease of operation outside fields deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A communicator unit acts as an intermediary between the autonomous driving control unit and the outside world. It transmits driving information to external devices and receives remote control instructions, enabling smooth transition from autonomous to remote control operation when the vehicle moves outside agricultural fields. This intermediary facilitates reliable operation in both environments without compromising either reliability or ease of operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If remote control capability is added for road driving, then adaptability to different environments is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The remote control driving control unit is integrated with the autonomous driving control unit, sharing common hardware resources such as the steering device, braking device, and communicator. By merging these control functions into a unified system rather than creating separate independent systems, the patent achieves environmental adaptability while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A working machine includes a vehicle body to which a working device is connectable, a driving estimator to estimate whether the vehicle body is drivable along a road based on a road condition and a device condition, a controller to control a driving operation of the vehicle body based on an estimation result obtained by the driving estimator, and a communicator to transmit to an external device driving information regarding driving the vehicle body under control of the controller. The controller is configured or programmed to drive the vehicle body based on a command received from the external device after transmission of the driving information from the communicator to the external device.