DETERMINE SONIC SENSOR ANGLE USING LASER SHAPE

• US 20200131719A1
• Filed: 10/29/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Power Systems Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Power Systems Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Oetken, Nicholas A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,961,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/006 by laser or ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/48 for laying-down the materials and consolidating them, or finishing the surface , e.g. slip forms therefor, forming kerbs or gutters in a continuous operation in situ E01C19/002, E01C23/065 take precedence; devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00

Abstract

A system for distributing a material over a surface includes a sensor configured to transmit a sonic signal from a position on the system to a surface of a quantity of the material. The system also includes a device to project an image onto the surface of the quantity of the material. The device is adjustable in relation to the sensor to cause the image to have a specified shape when the sonic signal impacts the surface of the quantity of the material at a specified angle, and a different shape when the sonic signal impacts the surface of the quantity of the material at different angle.

Claims

1. A system for distributing a material over a surface, the system comprising:

a sensor configured to transmit a sonic signal from a position on the system to a surface of a quantity of the material; and

a device to project an image onto the surface of the quantity of the material, the device adjustable in relation to the sensor to cause the image to have;

a specified shape when the sonic signal impacts the surface of the quantity of the material at a specified angle, and

a different shape when the sonic signal impacts the surface of the quantity of the material at different angle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises three or more lasers to project the image, the three or more lasers configured to project the image as a two-dimensional pattern of laser points.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a laser to project the image, the laser coupled to an actuator, the actuator controllable to cause the laser to project the image as a shape having at least two-dimensions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein an orientation of the device is adjustable relative to an orientation of the sensor to determine the specified angle.

5. They system of claim 1, wherein the device is fixedly coupled to the sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified shape is a regular polygon and the different shape is not a regular polygon.

7. A method for operating a machine for depositing a paving material over a surface using an auger and a screed, the method comprising:

providing a sensor that is configured to measure a distance to a surface using a sonic signal; and

providing a light emitting device that is configured to project, onto the surface, a visual indicator of an angle at which the sonic signal meets the surface, the visual indicator comprising;

a specified shape on the surface when the angle is within a threshold angular degree of a specified angle, and

a different shape on the surface when the angle is not within the threshold angular degree of the specified angle.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

using the distance to determine a height of material deposited in front of the screed by the auger.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining the height of the material deposited in front of the screed by the auger using data received from the transmitted sonic signal when the visual indicator has the specified shape.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adjusting an orientation of the sensor when the when the visual indicator does not have the specified shape.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

adjusting the orientation of the light emitting device in coordination with adjusting the orientation of the sensor to cause the visual indicator to have the specified shape.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

integrating the sensor and the light emitting device in a single device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

adjusting an orientation of the light emitting device based on the orientation of the sensor to determine the specified angle.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the light emitting device comprises three or more lasers to provide the visual indicator, the three or more lasers configurable to project the visual indicator as a two-dimensional pattern of laser points.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the light emitting device comprises a laser, the method further comprising:

coupling the laser to an actuator; and

controlling the actuator to actuate the laser to provide the visual indicator as a two-dimensional shape.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the specified shape is a regular polygon and the different shape is not a regular polygon.

17. A device to measure a height of paving material deposited in front of a screed by an auger, the device comprising:

a sensor to transmit a sonic signal to a surface of the paving material; and

a light emitting device coupled to the sonic sensor to project an image substantially parallel to a transmit direction of the sonic signal, the light emitting device configured to cause the image to have;

a specified shape on the surface of the paving material when the sonic signal impacts the surface of the paving material at an angle that is substantially normal to the surface of the paving material, and

a different shape on the surface of the paving material when the sonic signal impacts the surface of the material at an angle that is not substantially normal to the surface of the paving material.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the light emitting device comprises three or more lasers to project the image, the three or more lasers adjustable to project the image as a two-dimensional pattern of laser points.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the light emitting device comprises a laser to project the image, the laser coupled to an actuator, the actuator controllable to cause the laser to project the image as a shape having at least two-dimensions.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the specified shape is a regular polygon and the different shape is not a regular polygon.