Autonomous Dump Truck Route Correction for Excavator Loading Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous dump trucks face challenges in stopping at loading specified positions in a direction that facilitates easy loading operations by excavators, as the alignment of their front-rear direction with the excavator's front work device is often not optimal due to dynamic mine environments, leading to increased operational difficulty and fatigue for operators.
Innovation Solution
A control system for autonomous dump trucks that adjusts the travelling route to align the dump truck's front-rear direction with the excavator's front work device by generating a post-correction travelling route, ensuring the excavator can easily load the dump truck, while incorporating obstacle detection to avoid collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the autonomous dump truck stops at the loading specified position based on the predetermined travelling route, then the dump truck can reach the loading position, but the alignment between the dump truck's front-rear direction and the excavator's front work device may not be optimal, increasing operator difficulty and fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates the optimal stop direction by determining the angle between the travelling route and the line connecting the loading specified position to the excavator position. Before the dump truck reaches the loading position, the controller adjusts the travelling route to ensure the dump truck stops in the pre-determined optimal direction, allowing the excavator to load efficiently without requiring additional swing movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the travelling route based on real-time relative position information between the dump truck and excavator. The controller continuously updates the optimal stop direction by calculating the angle between the current travelling route and the line to the excavator, enabling the dump truck to adapt its stopping orientation to match the excavator's position and maintain optimal loading conditions.
2Ease of operation
If the travelling route is adjusted to align the dump truck's front-rear direction with the excavator's front work device, then loading operation ease is improved, but the route complexity increases requiring real-time position recognition
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the dump truck's recognition device that detects the excavator's position and the loading specified position. The controller receives this real-time position information, calculates the optimal stop direction by determining the angle between the current route and the line to the excavator, and adjusts the travelling route accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables automatic route adjustment without requiring complex manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous dump truck independently performs route adjustment by using its own recognition device to detect the excavator position and calculate the optimal stop direction. The controller automatically modifies the travelling route based on the calculated angle, enabling the dump truck to self-correct its stopping orientation without external assistance, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Productivity
If the dump truck stops closer to the loading specified position, then loading efficiency is improved, but the risk of collision with the face increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates the optimal stop direction and determines the precise stopping position before the dump truck reaches the loading area. By determining the angle between the travelling route and the line to the excavator in advance, the controller can guide the dump truck to stop at the optimal position with the correct orientation, maximizing loading efficiency while maintaining a safe distance from the face to prevent collisions.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller that controls a dump truck in such a manner that the dump truck travels on a travelling route and stops at a loading specified position is provided in the dump truck. The controller computes, from travelling route data, a front-rear direction (a first stop direction) of the dump truck in a case in which the dump truck has travelled on the travelling route and stopped at the loading specified position, and corrects the travelling route to compute a post-correction travelling route including the loading specified position as an end point in such a manner that an excavator is located on an extension line of the front-rear direction (a second stop direction) of the dump truck in a case in which the dump truck has travelled on the post-correction travelling route and stopped at the loading specified position, on the basis of the computed first stop direction, position data of the loading specified position, and swing center position data of the excavator.