Remote Excavation Control with Site-Mounted Blind-Spot Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing excavation systems face challenges in detecting objects in blind spots and maintaining clear camera images due to machine shaking, leading to potential inaccuracies and decreased work efficiency.

Innovation Solution

An excavation system comprising a detection device installed at the excavation spot to gather information about the object, a control device that determines and transmits operation commands based on target location data, allowing the excavation device to execute precise operations independently or remotely.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If a camera is attached to the work machine to acquire excavation target shape, then remote control or self-control is achieved, but captured images are limited to visible areas and objects in blind spots cannot be detected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremote control capabilityVSAvoidblind spot detection

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

A separate detection device is introduced as an intermediary component installed at the excavation spot rather than on the work machine itself. This detection device independently captures target location data from blind spots and transmits it to the control device, which then integrates this information with camera images to generate comprehensive control instructions, thereby resolving the blind spot detection limitation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from a single-perspective camera view to a multi-dimensional detection approach by adding a detection device positioned at the excavation spot. This creates additional spatial dimensions for data collection, enabling simultaneous acquisition of target information from both the work machine perspective and the excavation spot perspective, thus eliminating blind spots

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Extent of automation

If a camera is attached to the work machine, then remote control is enabled, but image quality degrades due to machine shaking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremote control capabilityVSAvoidimage clarity

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The detection function is extracted from the work machine and placed in a separate detection device installed at the excavation spot. This separation removes the detection system from the source of vibration (machine shaking), thereby eliminating the cause of image degradation while preserving the remote control capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A separate detection device acts as an intermediary between the work machine and the control system. This intermediary is positioned away from the machine's vibration source, providing stable, high-precision target location data without being affected by machine shaking, thus resolving the image quality issue

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Extent of automation

If camera images are used for excavation control, then work automation is achieved, but work efficiency decreases due to potential image blur and detection inaccuracies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvework automationVSAvoidwork efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges data from two independent sources: camera images captured from the work machine and target location data captured by the detection device at the excavation spot. The control device integrates these complementary data sources to generate accurate control instructions, thereby maintaining work automation while eliminating the efficiency-degrading issues of image blur and blind spots

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12110661B2Excavation system, work system, control device, control method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program

Publication Date: 2024.10.08 NEC CORP

AI summary

The present invention provides an excavation system capable of improving the work efficiency at a worksite. An excavation device (20) excavates an object (80) treated as an excavation target at an excavation spot. A first detection device (2) is installed at an excavation spot away from the excavation device (20). The first detection device (2) detects information related to the object (80) at the excavation spot. A control device (10) transmits, to the excavation device (20), control information related to operations of the excavation device (20) based on target location data indicating the position of the object (80), which corresponds to information related to the object (80). The excavation device (20) executes operations for excavation in accordance with the control information.