Excavator Height Monitoring with Visual Warning and Limit Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Excavators lack a system to effectively alert operators of the heights of their boom, arm, and bucket in relation to their surroundings, potentially leading to collisions or operational hazards.
Innovation Solution
An excavator system that includes a display device showing the shapes of the boom, arm, and bucket, along with the terrain, and a control unit that calculates maximum heights and sets warning and limit heights, triggering alarms when these heights exceed predetermined safety levels, using sensors to detect angles and positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If no height monitoring system is installed, then the excavator structure remains simple, but collision hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by calculating and displaying warning heights before the excavator components actually reach dangerous positions. The control unit computes warning heights based on terrain data and component positions, then displays these warnings in advance on the display device, allowing operators to take preventive action before collisions occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the positions of the boom, arm, and bucket, comparing them against calculated warning heights, and providing real-time visual feedback through the display device. When components approach or exceed warning heights, the system immediately alerts the operator, creating a closed-loop safety monitoring system.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If height monitoring is implemented, then collision prevention improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs multiple functions using a single integrated system: it calculates component positions, determines terrain interactions, computes warning heights, and triggers alerts. This multi-functional approach reduces the need for separate dedicated systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity while comprehensively addressing collision prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The display device serves as an intermediary between the complex control calculations and the operator. Instead of requiring complex mechanical limit stops or multiple sensor systems, the intermediary display provides intuitive visual representation of component heights and warning levels, simplifying the interface between the monitoring system and human operator.
3Loss of information
If warning and limit heights are displayed together, then operator awareness improves, but information display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display device applies local quality by using distinct visual representations for different height levels. Warning heights and limit heights are displayed with different characteristics (such as different colors, icons, or positions), allowing operators to quickly distinguish between the two types of information without requiring complex display mechanisms. Each height level has its own optimized visual presentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The height information is segmented into distinct categories: current component heights, warning heights, and limit heights. Each category is displayed separately and independently, making it easier for operators to process the information hierarchically. This segmentation prevents information overload by organizing data into manageable, visually distinct segments rather than presenting all information uniformly.
Data Source
AI summary
An excavator according to the present disclosure includes a display device, a control unit, a limit height setting unit, and a warning height setting unit. The display device displays shapes of a boom, an arm, and a bucket of an excavator and a terrain where the excavator is located. The control unit calculates maximum heights of the boom, the arm, and the bucket from the ground. The limit height setting unit is provided in the display device and is set with a limit height required for work in the terrain where the excavator is located by a user. The warning height setting unit is provided in the display device and is set with a warning height lower than the limit height. The display device displays the limit height and the warning height together with the terrain where the excavator is located.