UAV Soil Layer Mapping for Earthmoving Prescription Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current earthmoving operations rely on manual control of work vehicles, leading to inefficient mixing of soil types and unsuitable operational settings, which affects efficiency and effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to collect data on soil layers and surface profiles, generating an earthmoving prescription map that guides work vehicles to separate and efficiently excavate different soil types based on their composition and depth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual control of work vehicles is used, then operational flexibility is maintained, but soil mixing increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated system that uses UAV-based data collection, computational analysis, and automated vehicle control. The system substitutes human operator judgment with algorithms that process soil layer data and generate optimized excavation paths and parameters, thereby increasing efficiency while reducing manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables work vehicles to operate autonomously by providing them with real-time guidance data from UAV surveys and computational models. The vehicles self-navigate and self-adjust their excavation parameters based on generated prescriptions, eliminating the need for continuous manual control while maintaining operational effectiveness.
2Manufacturing precision
If work vehicles operate without soil composition data, then operational simplicity is maintained, but soil separation precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary aerial survey and soil layer mapping using UAVs before the actual excavation work begins. This advance data collection and computational analysis creates a detailed digital model of soil composition and layering, which then guides precise excavation operations. The preliminary action enables high-precision soil separation without complicating the actual excavation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational system that processes raw UAV data and translates it into actionable excavation prescriptions. This intermediary layer includes algorithms that analyze soil composition, determine optimal separation strategies, and generate vehicle control parameters, thereby achieving precise soil separation while managing system complexity through structured data processing stages.
3Productivity
If standard work vehicle settings are used, then device versatility is maintained, but operational effectiveness for different soil types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts work vehicle parameters based on real-time soil composition data and layer information. Instead of using fixed standard settings, the vehicle operational parameters (such as excavation depth, bucket size, movement speed) are continuously adapted to match the specific soil conditions encountered, maximizing effectiveness for each soil type while maintaining versatility across different work zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring work vehicle operations to specific local soil conditions rather than using uniform settings across the entire worksite. The system identifies distinct soil layers and compositions at different locations and generates location-specific excavation prescriptions, allowing each area to be worked optimally for its particular soil characteristics.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for generating earthmoving prescriptions may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be flown across a worksite, at least one sensor supported on the UAV that generates data indicative of a surface profile of a surface of the worksite and data indicative of a plurality of soil layers below the surface of the worksite, and a computing system communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor. The computing system may receive the data indicative of the surface profile of the worksite and the data indicative of the plurality of soil layers of the worksite. The computing system may further receive an input associated with a target profile of the worksite. Additionally, the computing system may generate an earthmoving prescription map that maps the plurality of soil layers between the surface and target profiles of the worksite.