Methods and systems for active load weight for mining excavating equipment

• US 9,267,837 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Large Drives LLC
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Jaeger, Julian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Sheela C
• Application Number:
  US14/230,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20150276468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 382/159, 382/100, 299/11, 299/2, 299/13, 299/17, 299/106, 299/19, 299/37.3, 299/16, 299/10, 373/04, 374/57, 373/48, 371/95, 374/46, 374/52, 374/55, 374/56, 701/50, 102/302, 405/130, 405/138, 340/435, 175/67, 414/694
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 17/00 Methods or apparatus for determining the capacity of containers or cavities, or the volume of solid bodies measuring linear dimensions to determine volume G01B
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/00 Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups electric measuring arrangements involving comparison with a reference value G01R17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 9/00 Methods of, or apparatus for, the determination of weight, not provided for in groups G01G1/00 - G01G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/00 Investigating density or specific gravity of materials; Analysing materials by determining density or specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30181 Earth observation

Abstract

Provided is a method in which an excavation surface is scanned, the excavation surface shape is determined based on scanned excavation surface, an excavating path is identified from a mining excavation equipment, a volume of a material excavated by the mining excavation equipment is actively calculated based at least on the excavation surface shape and the excavating path of the mining excavating equipment, and a weight of the material excavated by the mining excavating equipment is actively calculated based on at least one density factor.

Claims

1. A method for actively determining a load weight for mining excavation equipment, the method comprising:

scanning an excavation surface;

determining an excavation surface shape based on the scanned excavation surface;

identifying an excavating path of a mining excavation equipment;

calculating a volume of a material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment based at least on the excavation surface shape and the excavating path of the mining excavating equipment; and

calculating a weight of the material in the bucket of the mining excavating equipment based on the volume of the material in the bucket using at least one density factor,

wherein the scanning an excavation surface comprises;

scanning an excavation surface surrounding the mining excavating equipment using a plurality of laser scanners; and

generating a plurality of data points based on a plurality of images generated by the plurality of laser scanners; and

wherein the determining an excavation surface shape comprises;

combining the plurality of images into a three-dimensional model of the excavation surface;

obtaining a plurality of sets of coordinates for each of the plurality of images; and

determining the excavation surface shape based on the plurality of sets of coordinates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying an excavating path of the mining excavation equipment comprises:

dividing the plurality of data points into a plurality of groups and calculating polynomial coefficients for each of the plurality of groups;

obtaining a plurality of sets of coordinates of each of the plurality of images in front of the mining excavating equipment; and

determining the excavating path based on the plurality of sets of coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating a volume of a material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment based at least on the excavation surface shape and the excavating path of the mining excavating equipment comprises calculating an area of a material in the bucket of the mining excavation equipment by:

calculating an area difference value between the excavation surface shape and the excavating path; and

in response to determining that the area difference value is a positive value, including the area difference value in a total area of the material excavated by the mining excavating equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating a weight of the material in a bucket of the mining excavating equipment comprises:

determining a volume of the material in the bucket of the mining excavating equipment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining a volume of the material in the bucket comprises:

multiplying a value of a width of the bucket of the mining excavating equipment by the total area of the material excavated by the mining excavating equipment; and

determining the weight of the material in the bucket by multiplying the volume of the material in the bucket by the density factor.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining a volume of the material in the bucket comprises:

generating a three-dimensional model of the bank, the three dimensional model represented in voxels;

comparing the digging path and the bank shape;

determining the material removed from the bank based on a number of voxels between a visual representation of the bank shape and a visual representation of the digging path; and

determining the volume of the material in the bucket based on a volume of each voxel in the three-dimensional model of the bank.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the calculating a weight of the material in a bucket of the mining excavating equipment further comprises:

calculating a weight of the material using a first weight calculation method;

determining a first density factor by dividing the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method by the volume of the material;

verifying that the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method is within a predetermined limit by comparing the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method with the weight of the material determined by a second weight calculating method using a second density factor;

in response to verifying that the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method is within a predetermined limit, storing the first density factor in a database.

8. Apparatus for actively determining a load weight for mining excavation equipment, the method comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled with the processor and storing computer program instructions which, when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

scanning an excavation surface;

determining an excavation surface shape based on the scanned excavation surface;

identifying an excavating path of a mining excavation equipment;

calculating a volume of a material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment based at least on the excavation surface shape and the excavating path of the mining excavating equipment; and

calculating a weight of the material in the bucket of the mining excavating equipment based on the volume of the material in the bucket using at least one density factor,

wherein the scanning an excavation surface comprises;

scanning an excavation surface surrounding the mining excavating equipment using a plurality of laser scanners; and

generating a plurality of data points based on a plurality of images generated by the plurality of laser scanners; and

wherein the determining an excavation surface shape comprises;

combining the plurality of images into a three-dimensional model of the excavation surface;

obtaining a plurality of sets of coordinates for each of the plurality of images; and

determining the excavation surface shape based on the plurality of sets of coordinates.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the identifying an excavating path of the mining excavation equipment comprises:

dividing the plurality of data points into a plurality of groups and calculating polynomial coefficients for each of the plurality of groups;

obtaining a plurality of sets of coordinates of each of the plurality of images in front of the mining excavating equipment; and

determining the excavating path based on the plurality of sets of coordinates.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the calculating a volume of a material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment based at least on the excavation surface shape and the excavating path of the mining excavating equipment comprises calculating an area of a material in the bucket of the mining excavation equipment by:

calculating an area difference value between the excavation surface shape and the excavating path; and

in response to determining that the area difference value is a positive value, including the area difference value in a total area of the material excavated by the mining excavating equipment.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the calculating a weight of the material in a bucket of the mining excavating equipment comprises:

determining a volume of the material in the bucket of the mining excavating equipment.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determining a volume of the material in the bucket comprises:

multiplying a value of a width of the bucket of the mining excavating equipment by the total area of the material excavated by the mining excavating equipment; and

determining the weight of the material in the bucket by multiplying the volume of the material in the bucket by the density factor.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determining a volume of the material in the bucket comprises:

generating a three-dimensional model of the bank, the three-dimensional model represented in voxels;

comparing the digging path and the bank shape;

determining the material removed from the bank based on a number of voxels between a visual representation of the bank shape and a visual representation of the digging path; and

determining the volume of the material in the bucket based on a volume of each voxel in the three-dimensional model of the bank.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the calculating a weight of the material in a bucket of the mining excavating equipment further comprises:

calculating a weight of the material using a first weight calculation method;

determining a first density factor by dividing the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method by the volume of the material;

verifying that the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method is within a predetermined limit by comparing the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method with the weight of the material determined by a second weight calculating method using a second density factor;

in response to verifying that the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method is within a predetermined limit, storing the first density factor in a database.

15. A computer readable medium storing computer program instructions, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

scanning an excavation surface;

determining an excavation surface shape based on the scanned excavation surface;

identifying an excavating path of a mining excavation equipment;

calculating a volume of a material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment based at least on the excavation surface shape and the excavating path of the mining excavating equipment; and

calculating a weight of the material in the bucket of the mining excavating equipment based on the volume of the material in the bucket using at least one density factor,

wherein the calculating a weight of the material in a bucket of the mining excavating equipment comprises;

determining a volume of the material in the bucket of the mining excavating equipment comprising;

generating a three-dimensional model of the bank, the three-dimensional model represented in voxels;

comparing the digging path and the bank shape;

determining the material removed from the bank based on a number of voxels between a visual representation of the bank shape and a visual representation of the digging path; and

determining the volume of the material in the bucket based on a volume of each voxel in the three-dimensional model of the bank.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the scanning an excavation surface comprises:

scanning an excavation surface surrounding the mining excavating equipment using a plurality of laser scanners; and

generating a plurality of data points based on a plurality of images generated by the plurality of laser scanners.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the determining an excavation surface shape comprises:

combining the plurality of images into a three-dimensional model of the excavation surface;

obtaining a plurality of sets of coordinates for each of the plurality of images; and

determining the excavation surface shape based on the plurality of sets of coordinates.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the identifying an excavating path of the mining excavation equipment comprises:

dividing the plurality of data points into a plurality of groups and calculating polynomial coefficients for each of the plurality of groups;

obtaining a plurality of sets of coordinates of each of the plurality of images in front of the mining excavating equipment; and

determining the excavating path based on the plurality of sets of coordinates.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the calculating a volume of a material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment based at least on the excavation surface shape and the excavating path of the mining excavating equipment comprises calculating an area of a material in the bucket of the mining excavation equipment by:

calculating an area difference value between the excavation surface shape and the excavating path; and

in response to determining that the area difference value is a positive value, including the area difference value in a total area of the material excavated by the mining excavating equipment.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the determining a volume of the material in the bucket comprises:

multiplying a value of a width of the bucket of the mining excavating equipment by the total area of the material excavated by the mining excavating equipment; and

determining the weight of the material in the bucket by multiplying the volume of the material in the bucket by the density factor.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the calculating a weight of the material in a bucket of the mining excavating equipment further comprises:

calculating a weight of the material using a first weight calculation method;

determining a first density factor by dividing the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method by the volume of the material;

verifying that the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method is within a predetermined limit by comparing the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method with the weight of the material determined by a second weight calculating method using a second density factor;

in response to verifying that the weight of the material determined by the first weight calculating method is within a predetermined limit, storing the first density factor in a database.