Excavator Upper Body Orientation Estimation Using Reference Objects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing excavator technologies struggle to accurately determine the positional relationship between the upper turning body and surrounding objects, particularly in identifying the orientation of the upper turning body relative to a work target.
Innovation Solution
The excavator is equipped with an acquisition device, such as imaging devices and sensors, to capture the surroundings and recognize reference objects, enabling the control device to estimate the turning angle and position of the upper turning body relative to the lower traveling body, and identify the excavator's position with respect to surrounding objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If imaging devices and sensors are used to capture surrounding objects, then the accuracy of identifying the upper turning body's orientation and position is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device and sensor system are designed to perform multiple functions: capturing images of surrounding objects, detecting object positions, calculating turning angles, and determining excavation positions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated devices for each measurement task, thereby improving measurement precision while controlling device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical angle sensors and physical positioning systems with optical imaging devices and computational algorithms. The control device calculates turning angles and positions by processing images and sensor data rather than using mechanical measurement systems, which improves precision while reducing mechanical complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the control device calculates turning angles based on object position changes, then the operational accuracy is improved, but the computation time and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control device continuously captures images and tracks object positions in advance, maintaining a running calculation of turning angles as objects move through the field of view. This preliminary and continuous processing reduces the computational burden at critical moments and minimizes processing time while maintaining high operational accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the movement of surrounding objects themselves as the measurement reference, eliminating the need for external calibration or pre-programmed reference data. The objects in the scene provide their own positional information, and the control device automatically calculates turning angles based on their observed motion, reducing processing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An excavator includes a lower traveling body; an upper turning body turnably mounted to the lower traveling body; an acquisition device mounted to the upper turning body and configured to acquire information including a status around the excavator; and a control device configured to recognize a reference object that is in a stopped state or at a fixed position around the excavator based on the information acquired by the acquisition device, and to estimate a turning angle of the upper turning body based on a change in a position of the reference object as viewed from the upper turning body.