Hydraulic Excavator Work Implement Posture Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing configuration for determining the posture of a work implement in hydraulic excavators requires expensive sensors attached to each axis, which is costly and prone to durability issues due to adherence of materials like water and soil.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic excavator system incorporating a revolving unit, an imaging device, and a controller, where the imaging device captures images of the work implement at an angle greater than 0°, allowing the controller to determine the posture of the work implement relative to the revolving unit based on the captured image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are attached to each axis of the boom, dipper stick and bucket to determine the posture of the work implement, then the position of the tooth tip can be calculated accurately, but the cost increases significantly and durability decreases due to sensor exposure to water and soil
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical sensors (boom angle sensor, dipper stick angle sensor, bucket angle sensor) with an imaging device that captures images of the work implement. The controller then calculates the posture and tooth tip position based on image processing, eliminating the need for physical sensors exposed to harsh environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an imaging device to create a visual copy (image) of the work implement's position and posture. Instead of using physical sensors to detect position, the system captures an image and processes it to determine the same information, thereby avoiding sensor exposure to water and soil.
2Measurement precision
If multiple expensive sensors are attached to the work implement axes, then the posture can be determined accurately, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple sensors (boom angle sensing, dipper stick angle sensing, bucket angle sensing) into a single imaging device. Instead of using three separate sensors, one imaging device captures the entire work implement, and the controller processes the image to extract all necessary position and posture information.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging device serves multiple functions: it captures the position of the boom, dipper stick, and bucket simultaneously, and provides data for calculating the tooth tip position. This single device replaces multiple specialized sensors, reducing system complexity while maintaining measurement accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a hydraulic excavator allowing a simple configuration to be employed to determine a posture of a work implement accurately. The work implement and an imaging device are attached to a revolving unit. The work implement operates on a prescribed operating plane. The imaging device captures an image of the work implement at an angle larger than 0° with respect to the operating plane. The controller determines a position of the work implement relative to the revolving unit based on a posture of the work implement in the image captured by the imaging device.