Desenvolvimento conceitual de um veículo autônomo elétrico para uso em unidades agrícolas de escala familiar

Abstract

Family farms in Brazil are characterized by being small agricultural units responsible for the population’s food security in the regions near its location, and also enables the generation of income to encourage the fixation of people in rural areas. However, the absence of ergonomically adequate implements and machinery, besides causing low productivity in the performance of agricultural activities, directly affects the farmer's well-being and is one of the main reasons why people, especially young people, seek better opportunities in large industrial centers to avoid the rigor and harshness of work on the field. Given this, was developed a conceptual project of an autonomous vehicle with electric propulsion to be used in family agricultural units, to research, generate, evaluate, and select engineering solutions that meet the customers’ needs involved in the product's life cycle. The product development methodology applied allowed the project to be carried out in two stages, informational and conceptual. In the informational phase, 26 customer needs were listed, obtained from family farmers in the region, teachers, technicians, and researchers. Subsequently, the needs were analyzed, unfolded and hierarchized into project requirements by applying the Mudge diagram and the House of Quality. As a partial result, 22 specifications with their target values were established. In the conceptual phase, a functional structure was developed to provide a system for autonomous vehicle travel and positioning in crops, consisting of four sub-functions: power source, control and guidance system, traction, and steering module. The choice and design of the solution principles that conform to the sub-functions were based on patents and machines developed by companies and universities, especially in Europe. Finally, two total solution principles were created in conjunction with three vehicle designs modelled in Solidworks. As a result, design number one was selected, which features an independent electric drive and steering system for each wheel, onboard GPS receiver and ultrasonic sensors for positioning, on-grid and auxiliary solar panel charging, and a low-cost, lightweight, and adjustable structural design for its adaptability to different types of crop layouts. The research presented, due to its multidisciplinary, offers opportunities for the development and research associated with all the subsystems of the vehicle, bringing this in the future, improvements to the conception initially proposed.