Autonomous Pile Driving Quality Control for Position and Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manual operation of heavy equipment vehicles for pile driving is costly, labor-intensive, and prone to human error, with insufficient skilled labor and limited operational hours contributing to project delays and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of autonomous off-road vehicles (AOVs) capable of accessing pile plan maps, generating obstacle maps, and autonomously navigating, loading, and driving piles into the ground, while also performing quality control operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation of heavy equipment vehicles is used for pile driving, then human operators can perform earthwork operations, but labor costs increase and skilled labor shortage limits project execution
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy equipment vehicle performs pile driving operations autonomously using onboard sensors, processors, and control systems. The vehicle self-navigates to pile locations, self-adjusts operating parameters, and self-monitors quality metrics without requiring human operators during operation, thereby eliminating labor constraints while maintaining operational capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human operator system with an automated control system comprising sensors, processors, and actuators. This substitution enables continuous operation without human intervention, resolving the contradiction between operational capability and project execution efficiency by eliminating the bottleneck of skilled labor availability
2Reliability
If manual operation during daytime only is used, then human operators can safely operate vehicles, but operational duration is limited and project completion time extends
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle performs all operational tasks including navigation, pile driving, and quality monitoring without human intervention. This enables operation during nighttime and extended hours while maintaining safety through automated sensor-based environmental perception and control, thereby extending operational duration without compromising safety
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous pile driving operations by eliminating the need for human operators to take breaks, rotate shifts, or stop work. The autonomous system can operate continuously across day and night cycles, maximizing productive time and accelerating project completion while maintaining consistent safety standards through automated monitoring
3Ease of operation
If manual operation is used for pile driving, then operators can make real-time decisions, but human error increases and work quality decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle incorporates sensors that continuously monitor pile installation parameters such as depth, orientation, and soil resistance. The system compares real-time measurements against predetermined specifications and automatically adjusts operating parameters to maintain quality within tolerances, eliminating human error while preserving adaptive decision-making capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces human judgment and decision-making with automated control algorithms that process sensor data and adjust operational parameters in real-time. This substitution eliminates human error in quality control while maintaining the ability to make real-time decisions through programmed logic and feedback mechanisms, thereby improving manufacturing precision
4Productivity
If autonomous off-road vehicles are deployed for pile driving, then labor costs reduce and operational efficiency increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous heavy equipment vehicle integrates multiple functions including navigation, pile driving, quality monitoring, and obstacle detection within a single platform. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized systems and equipment, thereby managing system complexity while delivering comprehensive autonomous capabilities that improve productivity
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous off-road vehicle (AOV) autonomously performs a pile driving operation by driving a pile into the ground at a location identified by a pile plan map. The AOV detects one or more attributes of the pile using one or more sensors during or after the pile driving operation. The AOV determines whether the one or more attributes of the pile exceed respective tolerance thresholds. The AOV performs a quality control action in response to determining that the one or more attributes of the pile exceed the respective tolerance thresholds. The one or more attributes include one or more of a location and an orientation of the pile, and the quality control action is performed in response to determining that the location or the orientation of the pile exceeds the respective tolerance threshold.