Excavator Motion Range Control for Collision-Aware Operation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional shovels decelerate or stop movement upon detecting any possibility of collision with nearby objects, leading to reduced operational efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A shovel equipped with an object detecting device and a controller that sets a movable range based on the state of nearby objects, allowing movement while preventing collisions by restricting movement within a defined range.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the shovel decelerates or stops movement upon detecting any possibility of collision with nearby objects, then collision avoidance is improved, but operational efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollision avoidanceVSAvoidoperational efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The movable range is dynamically adjusted based on the detected state of nearby objects. When objects are detected, the movable range is restricted to prevent collision; when no objects are detected, the movable range is expanded to allow efficient operation. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the safety restriction conditional rather than constant.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The control device changes the parameter of movable range based on detection results. By varying the movable range parameter according to the presence and state of nearby objects, the system achieves both collision avoidance (when objects are present) and operational efficiency (when objects are absent).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3770334B1shovel
Publication Date: 2024.03.13 SUMITOMO HEAVY IND LTD
  • EP3770334B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3770334B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3770334B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A shovel (100) according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a lower-part traveling body (1); an upper-part swing body (3) rotatably provided above the lower-part traveling body (1); an object detecting device (70) provided in the upper-part swing body (3); a controller (30) as a control device provided in the upper-part swing body (3); and at least one driven body configured to be operated by an actuator. The object detecting device (70) is configured to detect another shovel (200) in a detection space (DS) set around the shovel (100). The controller (30) is configured to vary a movable range (MS) being a range accessible to the driven body, based on a state of an object detected by the object detecting device (70).