Loader Visual Guidance With Preview Path for Obstructed Boom Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of machines with hydraulic boom mechanisms face challenges in visualizing the position and movement of tool carriers and loads due to obstructed views, leading to increased stress, operation time, and safety concerns during material handling tasks.
Innovation Solution
A virtual guidance system comprising a camera device and display unit provides visual aids, such as alignment targets and preview paths, to assist operators in positioning and maneuvering loaders and tool carriers efficiently and safely, using a guidance control unit with processor and memory to store visual aid data and logic for image processing and display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If hydraulic boom mechanisms are used to extend reach capabilities, then the ability to handle loads outside human strength and reach is improved, but the operator's visibility and spatial perception of tool carriers and attachments are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy of the physical boom mechanism and tool carrier in the form of a graphical overlay displayed on the windshield. This virtual representation shows the actual position and orientation of the tool carrier, allowing the operator to perceive spatial information that would otherwise be blocked from direct view. The graphical overlay acts as a visual copy that compensates for the obstruction caused by the extended boom mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The windshield display system serves as an intermediary between the operator and the physical environment. Instead of directly observing the tool carrier through unobstructed line-of-sight, the operator receives processed visual information through the graphical overlay on the windshield. This intermediary representation bridges the gap between the operator's limited direct view and the actual position of distant tools and attachments.
2Productivity
If the operator relies on quasi-rectilinear path of the tool carrier, then material handling operations can be performed, but operation time increases and stress levels rise due to lack of visual feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous visual feedback by displaying the graphical overlay of the tool carrier's position and movement path on the windshield. This real-time feedback allows the operator to monitor the tool carrier's location and adjust operations accordingly, eliminating the need for trial-and-error approaches. The visual feedback reduces operational uncertainty and enables more efficient, deliberate control of material handling tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system displays preview paths that show the anticipated trajectory of the tool carrier before the operator executes movements. This preliminary visual information allows the operator to plan operations in advance, anticipate the tool carrier's position, and make more efficient decisions about material handling sequences, thereby reducing overall operation time.
3Ease of operation
If boom mechanisms are positioned to achieve desired orientation, then load manipulation capability is improved, but the operator's view of the load and attachment is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual image of the tool carrier and its contents on the windshield, allowing the operator to view the load and attachment position without requiring direct line-of-sight. This virtual copy enables the operator to monitor and manipulate loads even when the physical boom mechanism blocks the operator's direct view, maintaining visual awareness while achieving optimal boom positioning for load handling.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual guidance apparatus and method assist an operator to maneuver a loader of a work vehicle for material handling of a workpiece. The virtual guidance apparatus includes a guidance control unit, one or more camera devices mounted on the associated work vehicle and operable to obtain an image of a loader of the associated work vehicle, and a display unit operatively coupled with the guidance control unit and displaying on a screen of the display unit that is viewable from an operator's seat of the associated work vehicle visual aids for guiding the operator in operating the loader to position a boom relative to level ground, to position a tool carrier on an end of the boom, to show a preview of a path of the tool carrier and of tools attached with the tool carrier, and to assist in positioning the workpiece load to be manipulated.