Buried Utility Detection for Excavator Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work machines face significant downtime, increased costs, and reduced productivity due to collisions with buried utilities and obstructions during construction projects, largely because of the reliance on experienced operators for surveillance, which can be error-prone, especially in complex urban environments.
Innovation Solution
A work tool collision avoidance system that includes a frame, boom arm, object detector, processor, and controller, which generates object signals to detect buried objects and adjusts the movement of the work tool and machine to avoid collisions by modifying pitch, roll, yaw, speed, and depth of cut, using sensors like RGB, lidar, and FLIR to identify objects and set distance thresholds based on work tool parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If operator surveillance is used to detect buried utilities and obstructions, then the system complexity is low, but the reliability of collision avoidance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual operator surveillance with an automated detection system comprising sensors (RGB camera, lidar, FLIR), processors, and controllers that automatically detect buried utilities and obstructions, eliminating reliance on human operators while maintaining system functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary detection devices (sensors and processors) between the work machine and the buried utilities, which mediate the detection process by capturing data about subsurface objects and translating it into actionable information for collision avoidance
2Productivity
If manual surveillance by experienced operators is used, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity is reduced due to downtime and tool replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary detection of buried utilities and obstructions before the work tool encounters them, using sensors to scan the work area ahead of time and identify potential hazards, allowing the system to take preventive action before collisions occur
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback loop where sensors continuously monitor the work area, the processor analyzes detected objects, and the controller adjusts work tool operations in real-time based on this feedback, enabling dynamic collision avoidance during operations
3Loss of time
If operator surveillance is relied upon, then the ease of operation is high, but the loss of time due to collisions and repairs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the work machine to perform self-monitoring and self-protection by equipping it with autonomous detection capabilities that continuously scan for hazards and automatically adjust operations to avoid collisions, making the system self-sufficient in protecting itself from damage
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a system for avoiding collision of an object with a work tool coupled to a work machine. The method comprising generating an object signal by an object detector, monitoring the object signal in real-time by a processor, processing the object signal to detect an object at least partially buried in the ground surface, determining a distance between the object and a distance threshold, and sending by a controller a control signal to one or more of a machine control system and a work tool control system to modify one or more of a movement of the work tool or the work machine based on the object reaching the distance threshold.