Positioning apparatus for excavating and similar equipment

• US 8,843,266 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mikrofyn A/S (Hexagon AB)
• Original Assignee: Mikrofyn A/S (Hexagon AB)
• Inventors: Lindskov, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/639,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20130197743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34.4, 367/99, 340/572.2
• US Class Current: 701/34.4
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2025 Particular purposes of control systems not otherwise provided for E02F3/16, E02F3/26, sub-groups of E02F3/43, E02F3/651, sub-groups of E02F3/84, E02F3/907, E02F5/145 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/264 Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/265 with follow-up actions (e.g. control signals sent to actuate the work tool)
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/22 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/28 takes precedence

Abstract

The complex movements performed by the various components carrying a bucket that performs earth moving work are monitored by means of ultrasound devices relating lengths and angles obtained during a calibration step and instant measurements in a processing unit in order to output either a visual indication of the position of the bucket or signals for automatic control of a digging or other earth-moving operation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in controlling the position and movement of components in excavating and earth moving equipment, said components being moveable in relationship to each other and the ground, said apparatus comprising:

ultrasound transmitters and receivers mounted on said components,

wherein said transmitters and receivers are placed on said components of the excavating and earth moving equipment so that their geometrical relationships change dependent on the relative positions of the components, and that at least one ultrasound transmitter is transmitting intermittent bursts of ultrasound energy, and that the ultrasound receivers have a time window of reception after the burst of ultrasound energy, the received signals being transmitted to a processing unit for calculating the position of a predetermined component.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the components comprise a boom fitted on a tractor body, a stick and a bucket, a wide-angle ultrasound pulse transmitter being placed on said stick close to the stick-bucket joint, said ultrasound pulse transmitter transmitting a pulse that is received by two ultrasound receivers that are placed with a pre-determined distance between them on the tractor body, the arrival times at said receivers being used together with the distance between said receivers in the processing unit to determine by triangulation the position of the stick-bucket joint.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an inclination sensor is fitted to the tractor body and that a reflector for ultrasonic pulses is fitted to the bucket, and in that the processing unit determines the position relative to ground of the tip of the bucket.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an inclination sensor is fitted to the tractor body and that a reflector for ultrasonic pulses is fitted to a linkage for the rotation of the bucket, and in that the processing unit determines the position relative to ground of the tip of the bucket.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the reflector is an active wide-angle ultrasound device that is capable of switching from a receiving mode to a transmitting mode.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the signal from the ultrasound receivers representing the instant distance between the ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver is corrected by the velocity of sound determined by means of the transmission time of the roundtrip signal from the transmitter via a reflector back to the transmitter acting as a receiver, in order to obtain a corrected signal representing the position relative to ground of the tip of the bucket.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the signal from the ultrasound receivers representing the instant distance between the ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver is corrected by the velocity of sound determined by means of the transmission time of the roundtrip signal from the transmitter via a reflector back to the transmitter acting as a receiver, in order to obtain a corrected signal representing the position relative to ground of the tip of the bucket.

8. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein that the signal from the ultrasound receivers representing the instant distance between the ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver is corrected by the velocity of sound determined by means of signals from temperature and pressure sensors provided to the processing unit, thereby obtaining a corrected signal representing the position relative to ground of the tip of the bucket.

9. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein that the signal from the ultrasound receivers representing the instant distance between the ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver is corrected by the velocity of sound determined by means of signals from temperature and pressure sensors provided to the processing unit, thereby obtaining a corrected signal representing the position relative to ground of the tip of the bucket.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the stick is provided with a stick extension, that the wide-angle ultrasonic transmitter/receiver is fitted to the stick extension, that a further ultrasonic receiver is fitted to the stick and that the transit time from the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver to said receiver is a measure of the instant length of the stick for the purpose of determining the position relative to ground of the tip of the bucket.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of a signal in response the reception of an ultrasound signal from the transmitter by the receivers as well as the signal from the inclinometer on the tractor body occurs by electromagnetic radiation means, appropriate receivers being provided in conjunction with the processing unit.

12. An apparatus according to any of the claim 2, wherein the transmission of a signal in response the reception of an ultrasound signal from the ultrasound transmitter by the ultrasound receivers as well as the signal from the inclinometer on the tractor body occurs by means of ultrasound signals transmitted from the receivers and inclinometer, the wide-angle ultrasound receiver receiving all of these signals in a time-staggered fashion.