Mining Vehicle Path Search Using Pre-calculated Return Routes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated mining vehicles often struggle to return to their main route after diverging, especially due to navigation system malfunctions or collisions, leading to interruptions in automatic operation.
Innovation Solution
A method that generates a single-use drive path for mining vehicles using actual initial position and orientation data, employing a path search algorithm with a kinematic model and environment model to find collision-free steering sequences, allowing the vehicle to return to the main route and continue automatic operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a predetermined main route is used for automatic drive, then the drive path is simple and easy to follow, but the vehicle cannot adapt when deviating from the route or when navigation malfunctions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating multiple alternative drive paths from the main route to goal points before navigation failures or deviations occur. When the vehicle deviates or navigation malfunctions, the pre-calculated alternative paths enable immediate adaptation without complex real-time recalculation, thus improving adaptability while controlling system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The path generation system dynamically adapts to changing conditions by selecting from multiple pre-calculated drive paths based on the vehicle's actual position and orientation. The system transitions from a static predetermined route to a dynamic path selection mechanism that responds to navigation status and vehicle state, improving adaptability while maintaining manageable complexity through pre-computation.
2Reliability
If the vehicle returns to the main route after deviation, then automatic operation can resume, but the return process may cause interruptions and reduce productivity
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple alternative drive paths are pre-calculated from the main route to various goal points before deviations occur. When the vehicle needs to return to the main route, the system selects from these pre-prepared paths based on current vehicle state, enabling reliable automatic operation to resume quickly without time-consuming real-time pathfinding, thus improving both reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system skips the time-consuming process of real-time path recalculation by using pre-calculated alternative drive paths. When navigation failures or deviations occur, the vehicle rapidly transitions to a pre-computed return path, reducing the time lost during the return process and maintaining higher productivity while ensuring reliable automatic operation restoration.
3Measurement precision
If actual initial position and orientation data are used to generate drive paths, then the accuracy and reliability of path following is improved, but the computational requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary path calculations using actual initial position and orientation data before the vehicle deviates from the main route. By pre-calculating multiple alternative drive paths with high measurement precision data, the system achieves accurate path following while avoiding the need for complex real-time computations during critical return operations, thus improving precision while managing algorithmic complexity.
4Speed
If multiple alternative drive paths are pre-calculated, then the system can quickly respond to navigation failures, but the data processing requirements and memory usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple alternative drive paths are pre-calculated and stored in the system's memory before navigation failures occur. This preliminary preparation enables the system to respond immediately to navigation failures by selecting from pre-computed paths without time-consuming recalculation, achieving fast response speed while managing the quantity of stored path data through selective pre-computation of alternative routes.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus and method for finding collision-free drive paths for a mining vehicle in a mine. The drive path search is implemented in a data processing device and it employs a kinematic model of the mining vehicle and an environment model of the mine. An actual initial position and orientation of the mining vehicle is determined and input as a start point. One known point in the mine is selected as a goal point for the drive path. In the search process, several different steering movements are experimented on in relation to driving movements in order to find at least one steering sequence.