Cab Door Display Integration for Loader Visibility and Task Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power machines, such as compact loaders, face challenges in efficiently performing repetitive tasks and maintaining operator situational awareness due to the need for continuous manual control and limited display visibility, which can lead to reduced efficiency and increased operator fatigue.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a touchscreen display system into the cab door of power machines, allowing for augmented control through a learning mode that records and automates repetitive tasks, and providing a heads-up display system with augmented reality features to enhance operator visibility and control of the work area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If display panels are mounted in corners of the cab, then operational information can be provided to the operator, but the operator's situational awareness of the work area is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The display is moved from the traditional corner mounting (2D plane on cab wall) to the door glass surface (transparent medium in operator's direct line of sight). This dimensional change allows the display to occupy the same visual space as the work area, enabling simultaneous viewing of both operational information and work area without head movement or attention switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The display material is made transparent or semi-transparent, creating a local quality difference that allows light from the work area to pass through while displaying operational information. This localized transparency property enables the display to function both as an information source and as a transparent window to the work area.
2Ease of operation
If a touchscreen display is integrated into the cab door, then display visibility and operator control are improved, but the door structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cab door is transformed from a single-function structural component (providing access and protection) to a multi-functional element that also serves as a display medium and control interface. The door glass becomes both a protective barrier and an information display surface, eliminating the need for separate display mounting structures within the cab.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system is merged with the door assembly by integrating the display material directly into the door glass or mounting it on the door's exterior surface. This combination eliminates separate display support structures and wiring harnesses that would otherwise be needed, reducing overall system complexity despite adding display functionality.
3Productivity
If automated control is implemented for repetitive tasks, then productivity increases, but the extent of automation requires sophisticated learning and control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary learning actions by recording operator inputs and machine responses during a示范 run of the repetitive task. This pre-programming phase captures the complete task sequence, including controller movements, hydraulic valve actuations, and timing parameters, which are then stored for automated execution without requiring complex real-time decision-making algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated control system creates a copy of the operator's manual control sequence by recording and storing the series of inputs and machine responses. This copied task profile is then replayed during automated operation, allowing the system to reproduce complex repetitive tasks using simple playback functionality rather than sophisticated artificial intelligence or real-time control algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments include power machines having doors with a display that allows the display of information, such as gauges, user inputs, mapped obstacles, boundaries, etc., allowing the operator of the machine to see the displayed information closer to the line of sight with the work area.