System and method of material handling using one or more imaging devices on the transferring vehicle to control the material distribution into the storage portion of the receiving vehicle
First Claim
1. A method for facilitating the transfer of material from a transferring vehicle having a material distribution end to a receiving vehicle having a bin to store the transferred material, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. obtaining image data from at least one imaging device facing the bin, wherein the at least one imaging device is mounted on the transferring vehicle;
b. identifying and locating the bin from the image data using an image processing module;
c. identifying a spout from the image data using the image processing module to determining a location and orientation of the spout;
d. detecting a representation of the fill level or volumetric distribution of the material in the bin;
e. determining a position of the spout relative to the bin using an alignment module based on an identified location of the bin and the identified location and orientation of the spout;
f. aligning the spout over a current target area of the bin requiring the material by generating command data used by at least one of a vehicle controller and a spout controller,wherein the command data is based in part on the position of the spout relative to the bin;
g. determining subsequent target areas of the bin that require material based on the representation of the fill level or volumetric distribution of the material in the bin;
h. transferring the material from the transferring vehicle to the current target area of the bin of the receiving vehicle;
i. detecting when the current target area of the bin is filled with the material;
j. repeating steps f-i until the subsequent target areas of the bin are filled; and
k. terminating the transfer of the material from the transferring vehicle to the receiving vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
First imaging device collects first image data, whereas second imaging device collects second image data of a storage portion. A container identification module identifies a container perimeter of the storage portion in at least one of the collected first image data and the collected second image data. A spout identification module is adapted to identify a spout of the transferring vehicle in the collected image data. An image data evaluator determines whether to use the first image data, the second image data, or both based on an evaluation of the intensity of pixel data or ambient light conditions. An alignment module is adapted to determine the relative position of the spout and the container perimeter and to generate command data to the propelled portion to steer the storage portion in cooperative alignment such that the spout is aligned within a central zone or a target zone of the container perimeter.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for facilitating the transfer of material from a transferring vehicle having a material distribution end to a receiving vehicle having a bin to store the transferred material, the method comprising the steps of:
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a. obtaining image data from at least one imaging device facing the bin, wherein the at least one imaging device is mounted on the transferring vehicle; b. identifying and locating the bin from the image data using an image processing module; c. identifying a spout from the image data using the image processing module to determining a location and orientation of the spout; d. detecting a representation of the fill level or volumetric distribution of the material in the bin; e. determining a position of the spout relative to the bin using an alignment module based on an identified location of the bin and the identified location and orientation of the spout; f. aligning the spout over a current target area of the bin requiring the material by generating command data used by at least one of a vehicle controller and a spout controller, wherein the command data is based in part on the position of the spout relative to the bin; g. determining subsequent target areas of the bin that require material based on the representation of the fill level or volumetric distribution of the material in the bin; h. transferring the material from the transferring vehicle to the current target area of the bin of the receiving vehicle; i. detecting when the current target area of the bin is filled with the material; j. repeating steps f-i until the subsequent target areas of the bin are filled; and k. terminating the transfer of the material from the transferring vehicle to the receiving vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification