Excavator 3D Feature Location Using Laser Rangefinder
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing earth excavation machines face challenges in accurately locating underground utilities and obstructions due to interference from rocks, trees, and unmarked sub-surface structures, and current GPS technologies suffer from limited accuracy and signal obstruction issues.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a laser rangefinder on an excavator with a Local Positioning Station and on-board computer to provide real-time, centimeter-level accurate location data of features, combining GPS data with offsets from the excavator's swing-pin and laser rangefinder, allowing for precise three-dimensional mapping of sub-surface and above-ground features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS technology is used to locate underground utilities, then location data can be obtained, but signal obstruction and limited accuracy occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Local Positioning Station as an intermediary system between satellites and the excavator. This ground-based station receives satellite signals and retransmits corrected positioning data to the excavator, overcoming signal obstruction in excavations and achieving centimeter-level accuracy without relying directly on satellite signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the direct satellite-to-receiver electromagnetic signal path with a ground-based radio communication system. The Local Positioning Station uses radio frequencies to transmit positioning corrections, substituting the vulnerable satellite signal path with a reliable ground-based communication mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If hand measurements and surveying instruments are used to record utility locations, then accurate as-built drawings can be created, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the excavator to automatically record its own position and the positions of utilities it encounters during excavation. The on-board computer continuously tracks the excavator's location and stores encounter data, eliminating the need for separate surveying operations and manual recording processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning system operates continuously throughout the excavation process, constantly tracking and recording utility locations as they are encountered. This continuous data collection replaces discrete manual measurement operations, maintaining accuracy while significantly improving productivity.
3Loss of information
If GPS antennas are placed at feature locations to determine position, then location data can be collected, but the process requires multiple setup points and is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the positioning function from the measurement function. Instead of placing antennas at each feature, the excavator's position is continuously tracked as a single moving reference point, and all feature locations are determined relative to this moving position, simplifying the measurement setup.
Solution Approach 2:
The on-board computer acts as an intermediary that continuously calculates and stores the relationship between the excavator's position and encountered utilities. This centralized data management eliminates the need for multiple separate measurement setups and consolidates all location information in one system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and efficient recording of feature locations and dimensions, facilitating the creation of as-built drawings, improving excavation accuracy, and enabling real-time data collection and transmission for precise invoicing and billing.
Implementation Method 1
a laser rangefinder mounted on an excavator
Implementation Method 2
laser rangefinder... to provide real-time, centimeter-level accurate location data of features
Data Source
AI summary
A combination of location measurement apparatuses to measure in three dimensions the location of an excavator with respect to a job site, and to further measure the location of an excavated or a topographical feature with respect to the excavator by range finding from the excavator in proximity of the feature and contemporaneously recording measurement data on a computer.