Pile Basket Loading Order for Autonomous Pile Driving
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current manual operation of heavy equipment vehicles for earthwork operations, such as pile driving, is costly due to labor expenses, limited skilled labor availability, and prone to human error, restricting operations to daytime and reducing efficiency and quality.
Innovation Solution
Autonomous off-road vehicles (AOVs) that access pile plan maps to autonomously navigate, load, and drive piles into the ground, utilizing obstacle maps and quality control sensors to optimize pile placement and ensure compliance with specifications, thereby reducing manual labor and increasing operational efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operators are used to operate heavy equipment vehicles, then the vehicles can be controlled with human judgment and adaptability, but labor costs increase, skilled labor availability becomes limited, and operations are restricted to daytime only
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy equipment vehicle performs operations autonomously without human intervention. The vehicle navigates, positions, and executes pile driving tasks automatically using onboard sensors, processors, and control systems, eliminating the need for manual operators while maintaining continuous operation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical control system operated by humans with an automated control system using sensors, processors, and actuators. The automated system perceives the environment through sensors, processes data through algorithms, and executes commands through mechanical actuators, substituting human-operated mechanical control with automated electro-mechanical control
2Reliability
If manual operators are used for pile driving operations, then operations can be performed during daytime with human supervision, but the duration of projects extends and overall costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle performs pile driving operations continuously without interruption by human factors such as breaks, shifts, or fatigue. The vehicle operates around the clock including nighttime hours, maintaining continuous useful action throughout the project duration without the temporal limitations imposed by manual operation
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle uses onboard sensors to continuously monitor pile driving parameters such as depth, alignment, and soil resistance. The processor compares actual measurements with target specifications and automatically adjusts operation parameters in real-time, providing continuous feedback control that ensures reliability without human supervision
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual operators operate heavy equipment, then flexibility in decision-making is maintained, but the risk of human error increases and quality of work decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human decision-making with automated algorithms that process sensor data and execute control commands. The automated system eliminates human error in measurement and execution while maintaining adaptability through programmable logic that can adjust to varying site conditions based on real-time sensor feedback
Data Source
AI summary
A pile plan map indicating a plurality of locations in a geographic area at which piles are to be installed is accessed. A first set of locations is identified from the plurality of locations and a first set of piles to be driven into the ground at the first set of locations using the pile plan map is identified. An order for driving the first set of piles into the ground is identified and a pile type for each of the first set of piles is identified. Basket assembly instructions are generated for assembling the first set of piles into a basket based on the identified order and the identified pile types. The first set of piles are assembled autonomously or manually into the basket based on the generated basket assembly instructions.