System for the automatic movement of material

• US 8,364,353 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liebherr-Werk Bischofshofen GmbH (Liebherr-International AG)
• Original Assignee: Liebherr-Werk Bischofshofen GmbH (Liebherr-International AG)
• Inventors: Kiegerl, Christoph, Ukimeraj, Leke, Huber, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Application Number:
  US12/214,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701/26, 701/50, 701/301, 700/245
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 1/00 General working methods with dredgers or soil-shifting machines methods for making embankments E02D17/18; methods for mining E21C
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2045 Guiding machines along a predetermined path for graders E02F3/841; machines for construction of roads E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/264 Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for the automatic movement of material in a working area comprising at least one movable piece of equipment, wherein the system has a control for the automatic movement of the piece of equipment with an automatic recognition of obstacles. In accordance with the invention, the control has a first obstacle processing function which moves an obstacle in the working area automatically using the movable piece of equipment; and/or in that the control has a second obstacle processing function which automatically removes an obstacle from the working area using the movable piece of equipment.

Claims

1. A system for the automatic movement of material in a working area comprising at least one movable piece of equipment which is a wheeled loader, wherein

the system has a control for the automatic movement of the piece of equipment with an automatic recognition of obstacles,

the control has a first obstacle processing function which moves an obstacle in the working area automatically using the movable piece of equipment,

the control has a second obstacle processing function which automatically removes an obstacle from the working area using the movable piece of equipment, and

the control has a third obstacle processing function in which the obstacle is driven around by the movable piece of equipment,

the second obstacle processing function has the highest priority with removal of the obstacle from the working area attempted first,

if it is not possible to remove the obstacle from the working area, then the first obstacle processing function has the next highest priority with movement of the obstacle to a less disturbing location within the working area attempted next, and

if it is not possible to remove the obstacle to a less disturbing position within the working area, then the third obstacle processing function has the next highest priority with the movable piece of equipment driven around the obstacle.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, which uses one or more positioning systems for the detection of the effective location of the piece or equipment, preferably GPS and/or DGPS and/or rotational laser systems and/or stationary and/or mobile microwave systems (LPS) and/or odometric data.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the movable piece of equipment has a tool, in particular a bucket, with which it can take up and transport material;

and the tool is advantageously used for the removal of the obstacle as a first obstacle processing function and/or for the movement of the obstacle as a second obstacle processing function.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the position of the obstacle is stored and is taken into account in the calculation of future paths.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the working area has at least one loading site and at least one unloading site at which the movable piece of equipment automatically takes up or puts down material.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the work equipment is controlled during the return journey from the unloading site to the loading site in a manner such that small obstacles and contamination areas are continuously removed from the travel paths.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the working area has loading or unloading sites to which the obstacle is transported to remove it from the working area.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the obstacle is moved to a different position in the working area when the obstacle cannot be removed from the working area or a defined number of loading attempts has failed.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the obstacle is classified on the basis of sensor data and the obstacle processing function to be used is selected based on the classification.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein an obstacle which cannot be moved or removed is shown on a display.

11. A system in accordance with claim 1, which has a remote-controlled and/or a manual operating mode in addition to the automatic operating mode.

12. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein an obstacle which cannot be moved or removed is shown on a display and a selection option makes it possible to change into the semi-automatic operating mode and/or into a manual operating mode or to continue to move in the automatic operating mode.

13. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the obstacle is detected with reference to sensors at the piece of equipment, advantageously 3-dimensionally.

14. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the obstacle is moved to several times from different directions for the more precise detection.

15. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the vehicle vibrations and/or vehicle strains are determined on the driving over of the working area and, if a permitted value range is exceeded, the position driven over is evaluated as an obstacle, with its position advantageously being stored in order optionally to drive around it.

16. A system, in particular in accordance with claim 1, wherein material of different composition can be processed and wherein a desired mixing ratio is automatically achieved by a corresponding control of the piece or pieces of movable equipment.

17. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition of a material region driven to by the movable piece of equipment is automatically recognized, in particular based on sensors arranged at the piece of equipment, with the sensors advantageously simultaneously serving the obstacle recognition.

18. A system in accordance with claim 1, comprising a track planning unit which calculates paths from a loading site to an unloading site and/or back, in particular based on a changed terrain model and detected obstacles.

19. A system in accordance with claim 1, comprising an input unit via which standard travel paths can be set.

20. A system in accordance with claim 18, wherein the calculation of the paths takes place while taking account of standard travel paths and recognized and/or stored obstacles.

21. A system in accordance with claim 1, comprising an input unit via which a desired mixing ratio can be set.

22. A system in accordance with claim 18, wherein the calculation of the paths takes place while taking account of a desired mixing ratio of the material, in particular in that loading sites with different material composition are selected alternatively.

23. A system in accordance with claim 18, wherein the calculation of the paths and/or of the terrain model takes place while taking account of the geometry of the working area changing by the material removal or of any other terrain changes, in particular determined from position data and/or odometric data of the machine and/or data of the obstacle recognition.

24. A system in accordance with claim 18, wherein a plurality of pieces of equipment are provided whose movement is taken into account alternately in each case on the calculation of the paths in that a data exchange takes place among the plurality of pieces of equipment.