GPS Tracking for Mobile Machinery Boundary Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for tracking and controlling the movement of mobile machines, such as construction equipment, often rely on onboard sensors that are prone to damage and provide inaccurate data, especially in harsh environments, and fail to effectively limit the equipment from exceeding operational boundaries, potentially causing damage to the machine or structures.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using three or more GPS units to track key points on mobile machines, comparing their positions to three-dimensional boundary data, and a control system that limits movement to prevent exceeding predetermined limits, thereby protecting the machine and surrounding structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If onboard sensors are used for tracking machine position, then the system can provide real-time location data, but the sensors are damaged or destroyed during machine operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces GPS receivers as intermediary devices that track machine position from a remote location rather than using onboard sensors directly attached to moving parts. The GPS system acts as a mediator between the machine operator and the boundary control system, eliminating the need for fragile onboard sensors in harsh environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces mechanical onboard sensors with an electronic GPS-based tracking system. This substitution eliminates the mechanical wear and physical damage risks associated with traditional sensors mounted on moving equipment, using satellite-based positional data instead of contact-based measurement.
2Measurement precision
If two GPS receiver units are used to track machine position, then the system can determine location, but the positioning accuracy is insufficient for precise boundary control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional tracking (using two GPS units on the machine body) to three-dimensional positioning by placing GPS receivers at multiple points throughout the machine structure. This spatial distribution of receivers enables precise calculation of the position of specific points on machine appendages, providing the measurement precision needed for boundary control.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for tracking and limiting the movement of key identified points on a movable machine, through the use of location devices positioned on the body or appendages of the machine, by comparing the sensed locations against a database of site information, and to restrict movement of the machine and/or its appendages if it has or is likely to pass through a defined boundary in the site information database.