Automated Dumping Height Adjustment for Earthmoving Pile Growth
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated systems for controlling work vehicles during earthmoving operations, such as dumping, face inefficiencies due to the non-linear growth of dump piles, leading to excessive implement movement and higher operating costs.
Innovation Solution
A system with sensors and a computing system that determines the current vertical height of a dump pile and adjusts the implement's dumping height accordingly, using vision-based or payload data to optimize the dumping process, ensuring efficient movement and reduced costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If linear increment of dumping height is used for each subsequent operation, then automation is achieved, but implement movement becomes excessive and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously receives sensor data about the actual dump pile height and uses this feedback to adjust the dumping height dynamically. The computing system compares the measured pile height with the predicted height and modifies the implement position accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to actual conditions rather than following a fixed linear increment pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the dumping height parameter based on actual sensor measurements of the dump pile. Instead of using a fixed linear increment, the control system adjusts the height parameter in real-time according to the measured pile growth, optimizing the implement position for each dumping operation based on actual conditions.
2Ease of operation
If automated control system is implemented, then operator fatigue is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is integrated into the existing work vehicle platform and can be applied to various types of earthmoving equipment. The computing system uses general-purpose processors and standard communication protocols to interface with different sensor types and vehicle control systems, making the solution universally applicable across multiple machine types while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system includes intermediary components such as the computing system that acts as a mediator between the sensors and the vehicle's existing control mechanisms. This intermediary layer processes sensor data and translates it into control signals using standard communication protocols, bridging the gap between simple sensing and complex vehicle control without requiring complete system redesign.
3Manufacturing precision
If sensor-based height measurement is used, then dumping precision is improved, but measurement accuracy challenges arise due to non-linear pile growth
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensor feedback to continuously monitor the actual dump pile height and compares it with the predicted linear growth model. This feedback loop allows the control system to detect deviations from linear growth and adjust the dumping height accordingly, compensating for the non-linear nature of pile accumulation and maintaining measurement accuracy throughout the operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system performs preliminary measurements and predictions before each dumping operation. By measuring the current pile height in advance and predicting the expected height after the next dump, the system can pre-calculate the optimal dumping height and position, allowing for precise control while accounting for the non-linear growth pattern that develops over time.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A method for automatically controlling an operation of a work vehicle during the performance of an earthmoving operation may include receiving an input associated with initiating an automated dumping operation to allow a load of worksite materials contained by an implement of a lift assembly of the work vehicle to be released onto a dump pile. The method may further include determining a current vertical height of the dump pile based on data from at least one sensor and determining a dumping height of the implement for performing the dumping operation based on the current vertical height. Additionally, the method may include controlling an operation of the lift assembly to move the implement to the dumping height and then to pivot the implement from a load-carrying position to a loaddumping position to release the load of worksite materials onto the dump pile from the dumping height.