Motor Grader Automated Steering Path Generator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated steering systems for motor graders rely on pre-made maps, limiting their versatility and efficiency, as they do not account for site-specific optimal paths and often result in misalignment, leading to suboptimal grading and increased costs due to errors in path deviation.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a path generator and tracker, utilizing GPS and local positioning units to create and guide the motor grader along multiple alternative paths based on site-specific kinematics and operator input, ensuring accurate initial positioning and real-time course correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pre-made maps are used for automated steering, then the system has a simpler structure, but the adaptability to different work sites is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates digital copies of work site boundaries and features through GPS tracking and mapping, allowing the automated steering to adapt to any work site without requiring pre-existing physical maps. The boundary detection system captures and stores geographic information that can be reused for path generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated steering system is designed to handle multiple types of work sites and boundary configurations through a single unified platform. The path generation algorithm can work with any polygonal boundary shape, making the system universally applicable across different construction sites without requiring site-specific customization.
2Productivity
If a single optimal path is generated based on minimal passes, then the productivity increases, but the manufacturing precision of grading decreases due to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the grader's position using GPS and compares it against the generated path, providing real-time feedback for course correction. This feedback mechanism allows the system to maintain high grading accuracy by detecting and correcting deviations from the optimal path during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary positioning calculations and generates the complete optimal path before grading operations begin. The initial position and orientation are pre-calculated to ensure accurate alignment, preventing misalignment errors before they occur during the grading process.
3Ease of operation
If the operator controls both machine trajectory and surface elevations, then the ease of operation decreases, but the manufacturing precision of grading improves
Solution Approach 1:
The operator's control tasks are segmented into two distinct functions: the automated steering system handles trajectory control, while the operator focuses exclusively on blade positioning and surface elevation control. This segmentation reduces cognitive load and allows the operator to concentrate on the more complex task of achieving precise grading surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated steering system serves itself by independently managing path following and course correction without operator intervention. This self-service capability frees the operator from trajectory control duties, allowing them to dedicate full attention to blade control and grading precision.
4Measurement precision
If pre-made maps are stored in the system, then the measurement precision of path following improves, but the loss of information increases due to memory requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of storing large pre-made maps, the system creates lightweight digital copies of only the essential boundary information needed for path generation. GPS-tracked boundary points are stored in a compact format that enables accurate path following without requiring extensive memory resources.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is provided for regulating a travel course of a machine. The system has a steering system operationally connected to at least one ground engaging device. Additionally, the system has a path generator configured to generate a path along which the machine can travel. The system also has a path tracker configured to automatically regulate the steering system to position the machine within a predetermined vicinity of an initial point on the generated path and guide the machine along the generated path.