Offboard Planner for Autonomous Excavation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for controlling heavy machinery at worksites, such as dozers and earthmoving apparatus, are inefficient and labor-intensive, especially during bulk material operations and when coordinating multiple machines, as they lack precise control and automation capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A control system comprising a locating device, position sensor, and offboard planner that generates an excavation plan based on inputs from the machine and work area characteristics, allowing autonomous control of the machine to execute the plan efficiently and accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated control systems are implemented for heavy machinery, then productivity and precision are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an off-board planner as an intermediary component that generates excavation plans separately from the machine control system. This mediator receives work area characteristics and machine capabilities as inputs, processes them to create optimized excavation plans, and then guides the machine operations, thereby distributing system complexity across multiple specialized components rather than concentrating it all in the machine controller
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional modules: locating devices for position detection, position sensors for tool tracking, an off-board planner for plan generation, and controllers for execution. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture by dividing the complex control task into manageable segments
2Manufacturing precision
If precise autonomous control is achieved, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to increased system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates self-service capabilities through automatic plan generation and adaptive control. The off-board planner automatically creates excavation plans based on work area characteristics and machine capabilities without requiring detailed manual programming. The control system continuously monitors actual positions via locating devices and position sensors, then autonomously adjusts machine operations to maintain precision, reducing the operational burden on users
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous feedback loops where locating devices and position sensors monitor the actual positions of the machine and work tool, compare them against the excavation plan, and feed this information back to the controller. The controller automatically adjusts machine operations based on this feedback to maintain precise excavation, eliminating the need for constant manual monitoring and adjustment while preserving high precision
3Productivity
If multiple machines are coordinated simultaneously, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The off-board planner serves as a universal coordination system that can manage multiple excavation machines simultaneously. It receives work area characteristics and machine capabilities as inputs and generates coordinated excavation plans for multiple machines, allowing the same planning architecture to scale from single-machine to multi-machine operations without fundamental redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary planning actions by generating complete excavation plans before machine execution begins. The off-board planner creates detailed excavation plans that coordinate multiple machines in advance, considering work area characteristics and machine capabilities, so that during execution machines can operate autonomously according to pre-coordinated plans, reducing the complexity of real-time coordination
Data Source
AI summary
A control system is disclosed for a mobile excavation machine operating at a worksite. The control system may have a locating device configured to generate a first signal indicative of a position of the mobile excavation machine, and a position sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a position of a work tool. The control system may also have an offboard planner configured to receive a first input indicative of a characteristic of an intended work area, a second input indicative of a characteristic of the mobile excavation machine, and a third input indicative of a desired change in the intended work area. The offboard planner may also be configured to generate an excavation plan based on the first, second, and third inputs. The control system may further have a controller configured to autonomously control the mobile excavation machine based on the first and second signals and based on the excavation plan.