Shovel Camera Display Superimposing Slope Direction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of shovels struggle to intuitively understand how to properly align their equipment with a slope surface, as existing machine guidance systems do not effectively convey the necessary operational information.
Innovation Solution
A shovel equipped with a camera, processor, and memory that generates and displays an output image superimposing the direction of the work target surface or its orthogonal direction onto the camera image, along with icons indicating the shovel's orientation and operation direction, to guide the operator in aligning the equipment correctly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a confronting compass is displayed as an independent icon on a computer image of a designed landform, then the machine guidance function is provided, but the operator cannot intuitively understand the operation to normally face the slope surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the confronting compass icon with the camera image by superimposing it directly onto the real-time visual field. This integration combines the guidance information (compass) with the operational context (camera image), allowing operators to see both simultaneously without switching between separate displays, thereby achieving intuitive understanding of how to orient the shovel toward the slope surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera image serves as an intermediary medium that bridges the gap between the abstract compass information and the physical slope surface. By displaying the compass icon superimposed on the camera image, the system creates a visual mediator that directly relates the guidance information to the operator's view of the work area, enabling intuitive comprehension of the required orientation.
2Device complexity
If a confronting compass is displayed as an independent icon, then the guidance system is simple, but the operator cannot intuitively understand the operation direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple information elements (camera image, confronting compass icon, and slope surface indication) into a single superimposed display. This merging maintains relative simplicity in the display system architecture while dramatically improving operational understanding by presenting all necessary information in one integrated visual field that directly correlates with the operator's view of the work area.
Data Source
AI summary
A shovel includes a lower travelling body; an upper turning body pivotably attached to the lower traveling body; a camera attached to the upper turning body; a processor; and a memory that includes instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to generate an output image including a camera image captured by the camera; and to display an image representing an extending direction of a work target surface or a direction orthogonal to the extending direction and the camera image while superposing the image on the camera image.