CONTROL SYSTEM OR PROCESS FOR THE AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF A MOVEABLE BUCKET WHEEL DEVICE

• US 20050246133A9
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Isam-Inma Gesellschaft Fur Angewandte Kybernetik mbH
• Original Assignee: Isam-Inma Gesellschaft Fur Angewandte Kybernetik mbH
• Inventors: Mann, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 6,970,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/175
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/26 Safety or control devices safety devices in general F16P; controlling in general G05B
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/261 Surveying the work-site to be treated
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/264 Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool

Abstract

The invention relates to a control system (10), or a process for the automatic control of a moveable bucket wheel device (1) for the reducing of a stockpile and/or for the piling up of bulk goods, whereby the bucket wheel device (1) has at least one bucket wheel (6) for the takeup of bulk goods, at least one measurement device (11) for the measurement of the stockpile (9) and the bucket wheel device (1) is automatically moved to the desired removal and/or piling up position in dependence of the measured and/or processed measurement data.

Natural slide processes on the stockpile (9) can be determined in that the control system (10) and the measurement device (11) are constructed or realized in such a way that a continual capture of the actual stockpile shape is guaranteed independent of the operation of the bucket wheel shovel (1) namely an actual change of the stockpile shape can be captured at least in a certain vicinity of the bucket wheel (6).

Claims

1. Control system (10) for the automatic control of a moveable bucket wheel device (1) for the reducing of stockpiles and/or the piling up of bulk goods, whereby the bucket wheel device (1) has at least one bucket wheel (6) for the takeup of bulk goods, at least one measurement device (11) for the measurement of the stockpile (9), and the bucket wheel device (1) is automatically moveable to the desired removal and/or piling up position in dependence of the measured and/or processed measurement data, characterized in that the control system (10) and the measurement device (11) are constructed and/or realized in such a way that independent of the operation of the bucket wheel device (1) a permanent capture of the actual stockpile shape is guaranteed, namely an actual change of the stockpile shape can be captured in at least a certain region in the vicinity of the bucket wheel (6).

2. Control system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the bucket wheel device (1) has a forward jib (2) and a pylon (3) and the measurement device (11) is positioned on the pylon (3).

3. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the measurement device (11) is constructed as a 3-D image capturing system, especially a 3-D laser scanner.

4. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a GPS system is provided for the capture of the movements and/or positions of the bucket wheel device (1) especially the movements of the bucket wheel device (1) about its three axes of rotation.

5. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first and a second GPS position receiver (12a, 12b) for determination of the position of the bucket wheel device (1) and the bucket wheel (6) is provided.

6. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first GPS position receiver (12a) is positioned on the jib (2) and the second GPS position receiver (12b) is positioned on the pylon (3).

7. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bucket wheel device (1) has a separate control processor (10b).

8. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control system (10) includes additional sensor elements (14) for the realization of an additional tipping protection for the bucket wheel device (1).

9. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one tilt angle sensor (14a) is provided.

10. Control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that additionally a capture of the actual stockpile shape in the larger vicinity of the forward jib (2) and/or a scanning of the vicinity of the rearward jib (8) is realized.

11. Process for the automatic control of a moveable bucket wheel device (1), especially by way of the control system (10) according to one of claims 1-10, whereby an automatic control of a moveable bucket wheel device (1) for the reducing of stockpiles and/or the piling up of bulk goods is carried out, whereby the stockpile shape is captured by way of at least one measuring device (11) and the bucket wheel device (1) automatically moved to the desired removal and/or piling up position in dependence of the measured and/or processed measurement data, characterized in that independent of the operation of the bucket wheel device (1) a continual capture of the actual stockpile shape is carried out, namely an actual change in the stockpile shape is captured in at least a certain vicinity of the bucket wheel (6).

12. Process according to claim 11, characterized in that the measurement device (11) and the associated components are constructed in such a way that the stockpile shape is captured in real time.

13. Process according to one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that the movements or positions of the bucket wheel device (1), especially the movements of the bucket wheel device (1) about its three axes of rotation are captured by way of a GPS system.

14. Process according to one of claims 11-13, characterized in that the stockpile shape is calculated and reproduced from the measurement data delivered by the measurement device (11) and the GPS system.

15. Process according to one of claims 11-14, characterized in that the surface profile of the stockpile (9) is calculated by way of a control processor (10b) and output in two dimensional color representation on a screen (16).

16. Process according to one of claims 11-15, characterized in that a tipping protection for the bucket wheel device (1) is realized by way of at least one tilt angle sensor (14a) by comparison of the data of the tilt angle sensor (14a) GPS system.

17. Process according to one of claims 11-16, characterized in that additionally the capture of the actual stockpile shape in the larger vicinity of the forward jib (2) is carried out and/or a scanning of the vicinity of the rearward jib (8).