Excavator Bucket Depth Control Based on Soil Hardness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shovels reduce excavation efficiency by minimizing soil intake to avoid bucket sticking, leading to suboptimal excavation performance due to inadequate depth control and soil hardness assessment.
Innovation Solution
A shovel system equipped with sensors and a control device that calculates a target excavation depth based on soil hardness, adjusting the boom and bucket operations to optimize excavation efficiency without causing the bucket to become stuck.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the shovel increases excavation depth to improve productivity, then the excavation efficiency increases, but the bucket may become stuck in hard soil
Solution Approach 1:
The control device performs preliminary assessment of soil hardness using sensor data before excavation, and pre-calculates the appropriate excavation depth to prevent bucket sticking. This advance preparation allows the system to optimize excavation depth based on predicted soil conditions rather than reacting after the bucket is already stuck.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors excavation reaction force, boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle through sensors, and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the excavation depth in real-time. The control device compares actual excavation conditions with target values and modifies the excavation depth to maintain optimal performance while avoiding bucket sticking.
2Reliability
If the shovel reduces excavation depth to prevent bucket sticking, then reliability improves, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of soil hardness using sensor data before excavation, and pre-calculates the appropriate excavation depth to prevent bucket sticking. This advance preparation allows the system to optimize excavation depth based on predicted soil conditions rather than reacting after the bucket is already stuck.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device dynamically changes the excavation depth parameter based on real-time sensor data and soil hardness assessment. By adjusting this key parameter according to actual conditions, the system achieves both deep excavation for productivity and adaptive depth reduction to prevent bucket sticking.
3Device complexity
If the shovel uses fixed excavation depth control, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different soil conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shovel's control device automatically assesses soil hardness using its own sensor data and autonomously determines the optimal excavation depth without requiring external intervention or complex manual programming. The system serves itself by using its operational parameters to make intelligent decisions about excavation depth adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical depth control mechanisms with an intelligent control device that uses sensor data and algorithms to determine excavation depth. This substitution of mechanical systems with electronic control and data processing enables adaptive behavior while maintaining relative system simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper turning body mounted on the lower traveling body, an attachment attached to the upper turning body, and a control device mounted on the upper turning body and configured to assist an excavating motion with the attachment. The control device is configured to derive a target excavation depth based on the hardness of an excavation target.