Heavy Equipment Sensor Sync for Parallel Tree Felling Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tree felling operations using heavy equipment are hazardous due to the difficulty in maintaining real-time communication between machines, leading to safety risks and inefficiencies, especially in dense forest environments where operators cannot see each other.
Innovation Solution
A system for syncing operational data between heavy equipment machines, utilizing GPS, Bluetooth, and long-range radio signals to enable real-time communication and coordination, allowing machines to cut parallel tree felling tracks with precise location and sensor data sharing, even in obstructed environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heavy equipment operates in dense forest environments without real-time communication systems, then device complexity is reduced, but safety and operational coordination deteriorate due to inability to maintain communication between machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that receives sensor data from multiple heavy equipment machines, processes it, and distributes relevant information back to the machines. This mediator enables indirect communication between machines through the server, allowing them to coordinate operations and maintain safety without requiring direct machine-to-machine communication systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or direct radio communication systems with a data-centric approach using sensors and a centralized server. Instead of machines communicating directly through complex communication hardware, the system uses sensor data collection and processing infrastructure to enable coordination, substituting direct communication mechanisms with an information-sharing architecture.
2Reliability
If heavy equipment uses direct machine-to-machine communication systems, then real-time coordination improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the communication function into the existing sensor data infrastructure. Instead of adding separate communication systems to each machine, the solution combines data collection, processing, and distribution functions into a unified server-based platform that leverages the existing sensor networks already present on the heavy equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The server performs multiple functions: collecting sensor data from various machines, processing and analyzing the data, storing operational information, and distributing relevant data back to machines. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for dedicated communication hardware, as the server handles all coordination tasks through its universal data processing capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If sensor data is collected and processed in real-time, then operational precision and safety improve, but data processing requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex data processing functions from the individual machines and relocates them to a centralized server. The machines themselves remain relatively simple data collectors, while the server handles the computationally intensive tasks of processing sensor data, calculating precise locations, and generating coordination information, thereby reducing on-machine complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of real-time data processing. It receives raw sensor data from multiple sources, processes this data to extract meaningful information such as precise location and operational status, and provides processed information back to the machines, shielding the machines from the complexity of real-time processing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Sensor systems for communications between heavy equipment machines during tree felling operations. A system includes a first heavy equipment comprising a first winch and a second heavy equipment comprising a second winch. The system includes a first cable attached to the first winch and a fulcrum roller and a second cable attached to the second winch and the fulcrum roller. The system is such that the first heavy equipment communicates with the second heavy equipment by way of long-range radio signals.