Mining truck spotting under a shovel
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for aligning a mining vehicle under a shovel, the vehicle comprising a transmission, a throttle, and a steering mechanism, the system comprising:
- a communication interface configured to direct an operator of the mining vehicle to perform one or more vehicle operation, including at least one of engaging a reversing gear of the transmission and reversing the mining vehicle;
one or more distance sensor mounted to the mining vehicle and configured to measure, by using at least one of a laser sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a RADAR sensor, a SONAR sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor, a distance between the mining vehicle and the shovel and a location and orientation of the shovel relative to the mining vehicle;
one or more steering sensor configured to determine a steering angle associated with the steering mechanism; and
an electronic control module configured to;
cause the mining vehicle to at least one of accelerate, decelerate, and adjust the steering angle;
repeatedly receive the distance measured by the one or more distance sensor;
repeatedly receive the steering angle from the one or more steering sensor; and
adjust at least one of the throttle and the steering mechanism based, at least in part, on at least one of the distance measured by the one or more distance sensor and the steering angle.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This disclosure is generally drawn to methods, systems, devices and/or apparatus related to aligning a mining truck with a shovel. Specifically, some of the disclosed example methods, systems, devices and/or apparatus relate to semi-automatic and/or automatic alignment of mining trucks relative to shovel during mining loading operations.
32 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A system for aligning a mining vehicle under a shovel, the vehicle comprising a transmission, a throttle, and a steering mechanism, the system comprising:
-
a communication interface configured to direct an operator of the mining vehicle to perform one or more vehicle operation, including at least one of engaging a reversing gear of the transmission and reversing the mining vehicle; one or more distance sensor mounted to the mining vehicle and configured to measure, by using at least one of a laser sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a RADAR sensor, a SONAR sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor, a distance between the mining vehicle and the shovel and a location and orientation of the shovel relative to the mining vehicle; one or more steering sensor configured to determine a steering angle associated with the steering mechanism; and an electronic control module configured to; cause the mining vehicle to at least one of accelerate, decelerate, and adjust the steering angle; repeatedly receive the distance measured by the one or more distance sensor; repeatedly receive the steering angle from the one or more steering sensor; and adjust at least one of the throttle and the steering mechanism based, at least in part, on at least one of the distance measured by the one or more distance sensor and the steering angle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. A method of aligning a mining vehicle with a shovel, the mining vehicle comprising a transmission, a throttle and a steering mechanism, the method comprising:
-
prompting an operator of the mining vehicle to shift the mining vehicle transmission in a reversing gear; measuring, by a distance sensor comprising at least one of a laser sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a RADAR sensor, a SONAR sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor mounted on the mining vehicle, a first distance between the mining vehicle and the shovel, the first distance comprising a distance between a rear portion of the mining vehicle and a front portion of the shovel; measuring, by the distance sensor mounted on the mining vehicle, a second distance between the mining vehicle and the shovel, the second distance comprising a distance between a side portion of the mining vehicle and a side portion of the shovel; measuring a steering angle of the steering mechanism; controlling the steering mechanism and the throttle to reduce the first distance; and controlling the steering mechanism and the throttle to reduce the second distance. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A system for aligning a mining vehicle with a shovel, the mining vehicle comprising a transmission, a throttle and a steering mechanism, the system comprising:
-
one or more sensor comprising at least one of a laser sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a RADAR sensor, a SONAR sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor coupled to a mining vehicle, the one or more sensor configured to measure at least one of a distance between the mining vehicle and a shovel, a location of the shovel relative to the mining vehicle, an orientation of the shovel relative to the mining vehicle, and a steering angle of the steering mechanism; a communication interface configured to instruct a mining vehicle operator to perform one or more vehicle operations, including at least one of engaging a reversing gear of the transmission and reversing the mining vehicle; and an electronic control module configured to receive at least one of the distance, the location, the orientation, and the steering angle from the one or more sensor, and further configured to control the throttle based, at least in part, on at least one of the distance, the location, the orientation, and the steering angle, and further configured to adjust the steering mechanism based, at least in part, on at least one of the distance, the location, the orientation, and the steering angle, so as to align the mining vehicle with the shovel. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
Specification