Excavator Assistance System for Uniform Truck Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
In opencast mines, excavator operators face challenges in precisely loading heavy-duty trucks to maximize payload while maintaining uniform load distribution, leading to inefficiencies in productivity and increased maintenance costs due to uneven load distribution, which can result in unstable driving behavior and premature wear of mechanical components.
Innovation Solution
An assistance system that provides a loading strategy to excavator operators, indicating the number of loading cycles and current payload distribution, allowing for timely adjustments to ensure uniform load distribution and optimal loading, thereby reducing the risk of premature wear and improving productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the excavator operator relies on visual perception and experience to assess loading state, then the operation can be performed manually, but the precision of payload assessment and load distribution control is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the operator's visual perception and manual assessment with an automated sensor system that objectively measures payload mass and load distribution. Sensors detect forces and positions to calculate payload parameters, eliminating subjective visual estimation and providing precise, real-time data on loading state and material distribution in the truck trough.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically monitoring and controlling the loading process without continuous operator intervention. The sensor system autonomously detects payload mass, calculates load distribution, and provides feedback to control the excavator's unloading position, allowing the system to self-regulate the loading process based on real-time measurements.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple excavator loading cycles are performed to reach maximum payload, then the HD truck can be loaded to capacity, but the time required for loading increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring payload mass and load distribution during each excavator loading cycle. The sensor system provides real-time feedback on the current loading state, allowing the operator to adjust the unloading position and optimize each cycle's contribution to the total payload, thereby reducing the number of cycles needed to reach maximum capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables preliminary action by calculating and indicating the optimal unloading position before each loading cycle begins. Based on predicted payload requirements and current load distribution, the system pre-determines the best position for the excavator shovel to unload material, ensuring each cycle contributes maximally to reaching the target payload with minimal cycles.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the excavator shovel unloads material without controlled position adjustment, then the unloading process is simple, but uniform load distribution in the trough cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback from sensors measuring load distribution and truck inclination to control the excavator's unloading position. The system continuously monitors how material is distributed in the trough and adjusts the shovel's position accordingly, providing real-time feedback control that ensures uniform load distribution while automating the complex positioning adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves uniform load distribution by dynamically changing operational parameters, specifically the unloading position and angle of the excavator shovel. Based on sensor data on current load distribution and truck orientation, the system adjusts these parameters in real-time to optimize material placement and maintain uniform distribution throughout the trough.
4Productivity
If the HD truck is overloaded to maximize payload, then transportation efficiency improves, but mechanical components experience premature wear and fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control that monitors actual payload mass and load distribution in real-time. The sensor system provides feedback to prevent overloading by detecting when the maximum permissible payload is reached, and to ensure uniform distribution that prevents excessive stress on mechanical components, thereby maintaining both productivity and component durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system controls operational parameters to maintain optimal loading conditions. By dynamically adjusting the unloading position and monitoring payload mass, the system ensures the truck is loaded to the maximum permissible payload without exceeding structural limits, and distributes the load uniformly to minimize stress concentration on mechanical components like axles, tires, and frame joints.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for assisting an excavator operator with the loading of a mobile transportation implement, in particular heavy-duty truck, by means of the excavator shovel, wherein a loading strategy with the number of excavator loading cycles to be executed for loading the transportation implement is proposed to the excavator operator via an assistance system and/or the current payload distribution on the loading area of the transportation implement is indicated.