Shovel Control System External Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ICT shovels require high-performance controllers and sensors, increasing costs and operational burdens, making it challenging to implement high-level control in standard shovels without these advanced components.
Innovation Solution
A shovel control system that includes a communication device for external device interaction and a control device capable of switching between manual and network-controlled operations, allowing for semi-automated or fully-automated control without the need for onboard high-performance controllers, using an external management device to assist in controlling the shovel's movements based on received signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If high-performance controllers and sensors are installed in the shovel to achieve high-level control, then automation capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external management device as an intermediary that provides high-level control functions to the shovel. Instead of installing complex controllers and sensors onboard, the control device acts as a mediator that receives control signals from the external management device and executes them, thereby achieving automation without increasing onboard device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the high-performance controller and complex control algorithms from the onboard system and places them in an external management device. This extraction allows the shovel to access advanced control capabilities through communication while keeping its own hardware simple and cost-effective
2Extent of automation
If high-performance controllers and sensors are installed in the shovel to achieve high-level control, then automation capability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The external management device serves as a cost-effective intermediary that provides expensive automation functions without requiring the shovel itself to be equipped with high-performance controllers and sensors, thereby reducing the overall system cost while maintaining automation capability
Solution Approach 2:
By extracting the expensive control hardware and software from the shovel and placing them in a separate external management device, the patent enables cost-effective manufacturing of the shovel itself while still providing access to advanced automation features through communication interface
3Manufacturing precision
If the shovel is equipped with various sensors and high-performance controllers, then control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device acts as an intermediary that receives precise control signals from the external management device and transmits them to the execution mechanisms. This allows high control precision to be achieved through the external device without increasing the complexity of the shovel's own control system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts complex control algorithms and processing functions from the onboard system and relocates them to an external management device. This extraction enables precise control through sophisticated algorithms while keeping the shovel's hardware simple and easy to manufacture
Data Source
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AI summary
A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper swiveling body swivelably mounted to the lower traveling body, an attachment attached to the upper swiveling body, an operation device including an electric operation lever, a communication device configured to transmit or receive information to or from an external device, and a control device. The control device is configured to perform switching between first control that controls the lower traveling body, the upper swiveling body, the attachment, or any combination thereof in accordance with first operation information received by the operation device, and second control that receives, from the external device, a control signal for controlling the lower traveling body, the upper swiveling body, the attachment, or any combination thereof, and controls the lower traveling body, the upper swiveling body, the attachment, or any combination thereof in accordance with the received control signal.