Work Machine Visibility Augmentation via Sensor Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Work machines, such as dozers, face challenges in providing operators with comprehensive and enhanced visual displays of their surroundings, especially in complex environments, which can hinder efficient operation and safety.
Innovation Solution
An enhanced visibility system incorporating image capture devices, sensors, and control circuits that augment image data with physical property data to generate and display an enhanced view of the area surrounding the work machine, either on the machine or remotely, using a combination of optical and non-optical sensors like lidar and cameras.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple sensors and image capture devices are integrated to provide comprehensive visual displays, then situational awareness and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensors (image capture devices, lidar, thermal sensors, ultrasonic sensors) into an integrated enhanced visibility system that processes and displays data from all sources through a unified control circuit and display interface, improving situational awareness while managing complexity through systematic integration
Solution Approach 2:
The control circuit serves multiple functions by receiving, processing, and coordinating data from various sensor types and image capture devices, acting as a universal processing unit that manages the complexity of the multi-sensor system while providing comprehensive environmental data
2Reliability
If multiple sensors and image capture devices are integrated to provide comprehensive visual displays, then situational awareness and safety are improved, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensors and image capture devices into a single integrated enhanced visibility system with unified control and display, reducing the effective number of independent components while maintaining comprehensive sensing capabilities
3Loss of information
If image data is augmented with physical property data from sensors, then the quality of visual display is improved, but processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit merges image data with physical property data from sensors through data fusion techniques, combining multiple data streams into a unified augmented display that provides complete information while managing processing requirements through integrated computation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides operators with improved situational awareness, enhancing the efficiency and safety of work machine operation by overlaying topographical, directional, and load data onto visual feeds, enabling more precise control and reduced risk.
Implementation Method 1
The image capture device is configured to obtain image data of an area surrounding the work machine
Implementation Method 2
The sensor is configured to obtain data regarding physical properties of the area surrounding the work machine
Data Source
AI summary
An enhanced visibility system for a work machine includes an image capture device, a sensor, one or more control circuits, and a display. The image capture device is configured to obtain image data of an area surrounding the work machine. The sensor is configured to obtain data regarding physical properties of the area surrounding the work machine. The control circuits are configured to receive the image data and the data regarding the physical properties, and augment the image data with the data regarding the physical properties to generate augmented image data. The display is configured to display the augmented image data to provide an enhanced view of the area surrounding the work machine.