Patent Application
20230349109
The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for controlling an alignment of a first machine with respect to a second machine during operations, such as a milling operation.
During operations, such as a milling operation, at least two machines (e.g., a milling machine and a haul (or dump) truck) are generally required to co-ordinate their positions with respect to each other. For example, to perform a milling operation, as the milling machine travels, a milling drum of the milling machine may engage with an underlying surface and break up the underlying surface to generate milled materials. Simultaneously, the haul truck may also travel along with the milling machine in order to receive the milled materials generally ejected from a conveyor system of the milling machine.
To avoid situations when a spillage of the milled materials can occur outside the haul truck, such as when the haul truck is too far from or too close to the milling machine, operators generally rely on manual signaling techniques to adjust the alignment of the haul truck with respect to the conveyor system of the milling machine. These manual signaling techniques typically require the milling machine operators to monitor the alignment of the haul truck with respect to the conveyor system of the milling machine and manually send positioning signals to the haul truck operator, such as with the blast of a horn or activation of a light source. These techniques can burden or distract the milling machine operator from other aspects of the milling operation and may also involve the operator's subjective interpretation of the alignment of the haul truck with respect to the conveyor system. Further, the manual signals can be difficult for truck operators to interpret at times, which may result in miscalculated control of the haul truck and material spillage.
In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a system for controlling an alignment of a first machine with respect to a second machine. The system includes a projector mounted on the second machine. The projector is configured to project one or more light beams. The system further includes an image capturing device configured to capture one or more images of the first machine and the one or more light beams. The system further includes a controller configured to determine a position of the first machine with respect to the one or more light beams based on the one or more images and generate an alert when one or more characteristics of the one or more light beams shifts from a first condition to a second condition.
In another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a method for controlling an alignment of a first machine with respect to a second machine. The method includes projecting, by a projector mounted on the second machine, one or more light beams and capturing, by an image capturing device, one or more images of the first machine and the one or more light beams. The method further includes determining, by a controller, a position of the first machine with respect to the one or more light beams based on the one or more images and generating, by the controller, an alert when one or more characteristics of the one or more light beams shifts from a first condition to a second condition.
In yet another aspect, the disclosure is related to a machine system. The machine system includes a dump truck, a milling machine configured to perform a milling operation and transfer milled material to the dump truck, and a system for controlling an alignment of the dump truck with respect to the milling machine. The system includes a projector mounted on the milling machine, the projector configured to project one or more light beams and an image capturing device configured to capture one or more images of the dump truck and the one or more light beams. The system further includes a controller configured to determine a position of the dump truck with respect to the one or more light beams based on the one or more images and generate an alert when one or more characteristics of the one or more light beams shifts from a first condition to a second condition.
Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to
The second machine 106 may include a set of traction devices 108, a milling assembly 110, a conveyor system 114, an operator station 122, and a frame 136, to support and propel the second machine 106 over an expanse of the ground surface 128. The frame 136 supports the operator station 122. The operator station 122 may house any number of interface devices and control devices (e.g., a throttle control, a braking control, a steering device, etc.) that an operator may use to control the set of traction devices 108, the milling assembly 110, and the conveyor system 114 of the second machine 106.
The traction devices 108 may include tracks, wheels, or a combination thereof. Exemplarily, the second machine 106 may include four traction devices (one at each corner of the frame 136 of the second machine 106), although lesser or greater numbers of traction devices may be contemplated. The traction devices 108 may be adjustably supported on a frame 136 of the second machine 106 and may be moved or varied independently with respect to the frame 136, such that a distance (e.g., a height) of the frame 136 may be varied relative to the traction devices 108, allowing the frame 136 to acquire a desired orientation with respect to the ground surface 128.
The milling assembly 110 may be supported by the frame 136 and may be configured to facilitate the milling operation. During a milling operation, the ground surface 128 may be milled by the milling assembly 110 as the second machine 106 moves over the ground surface 128. The milling operation facilitates disintegration of one or more layers of the ground surface 128 to result in milled materials and thus a milled ground surface. The milling assembly 110 may include a milling drum 112. The milling drum 112 may be applied to engage and mill the ground surface 128 during the milling operations so as to obtain the milled materials and thus the milled ground surface. The milling drum 112 may grind and scrape off a top of the ground surface 128 or one or more layers (e.g., top layers) of the ground surface 128 that the milling drum 112 may come in contact with. In so doing, such layers of the ground surface 128 may break into rubble, dust, and debris, and may result in the formation of the milled materials which may be transferred to the conveyor system 114 so as to clear the milled ground surface of the milled materials. The conveyor system 114 may in turn convey the milled materials into the first machine 104 that may move ahead of the second machine 106 during the milling operation.
The first machine 104 may be a mobile machine for example, a dump truck, an articulated dump truck, a tractor-trailer, etc. The first machine 104 may be configured to receive the milled material from the second machine 106 and transport the milled material from a first location to a second location. The first machine 104 may include an open-box bed, such as a dump body 130 to receive the milled material from the second machine 106. The dump body 130 may include a rectangular-shaped body with a first side wall 130′, a rear side wall 130″, a second side wall 130′″, and a front side wall 130″″ (as shown in
The first machine 104 may include an operator station 134 which may include various controls, such as a throttle control, a braking control, a steering device, etc., within the operator station 134, that may allow the first machine 104 to be controlled by an operator stationed within the operator station 134 of the first machine 104. The first machine 104 may further include mirrors, e.g., rear view mirrors, that may help one or more operators stationed within the operator station of the first machine 104 to obtain a rearward view (including portions of the second machine) of the first machine 104. For example, an operator of the first machine 104 may use the mirrors 132 and one or more control devices (e.g., the throttle control, the braking control, and/or the steering device) to cause the first machine 104 to travel in front or ahead of the second machine 106 such that the first machine 104 may be able to receive the milled material from the conveyor system 114 as the second machine 106 traverses the ground surface 128. When the dump body 130 receives a full load of the milled material, the first machine 104 may depart to deliver the milled material to a storage site, processing plant, or any other facility, and another first machine (similar to the first machine 104) may approach and take the place of the first machine 104 so as to receive the milled materials and so that the milling operation can continue.
Referring to
The projector 116 may be an optical device that projects one or more light beams 124 on the ground surface 128 and/or on the first machine 104. The projector 116 includes a light source (not shown), such as a laser light source, for projecting the light beams 124. The projector 116 may be mounted on the conveyor system 114 (e.g., to an underside of the conveyor system 114) of the second machine 106. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that although the projector 116 is shown to be mounted to the underside of the conveyor system 114, the projector 116 may alternatively be installed at any portion of the second machine 106 to project the light beams 124, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the projector 116 is configured to project the light beams 124 on the ground surface 128 and/or the first machine 104 to form different patterns, depending upon the preferences of the worksite operator(s) or upon the type of the first machine 104 and/or the second machine 106. For example, in some embodiments, and as shown in
The image capturing device 118 is configured to capture images of the light beams 124 and the first machine 104. The image capturing device 118 may include a camera or a combination of cameras. The image capturing device is configured to capture a sequence of images at regular intervals, for example, at 30 frames per second. Examples of the images may include, but not limited to, two-dimensional images, three-dimensional images, and so on. The image capturing device 118 may be installed on the conveyor system 114 of the second machine 106 and may be configured to capture one or more images of the first machine 104 with respect to the light beams 124. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that although the image capturing device 118 is shown to be mounted to an underside of the conveyor system 114, the image capturing device 118 may alternatively be installed at any portion of the second machine 106 from where the image capturing device 118 may be able to capture the images of the first machine 104 and the light beams 124, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
The controller 202 may include one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, programmable logic controller, DSPs (digital signal processors), central processing units, state machines, logic circuitry, or any other device or devices that process/manipulate information or signals based on operational or programming instructions. The controller 202 may be implemented using one or more controller technologies, such as Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technology, Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) technology, Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) technology, etc.
The controller 202 is configured to determine a position of the first machine 104 with respect to the light beams 124 based on the images. To this end, the controller 202 is configured to obtain the images of the light beams 124 and the first machine 104 from the image capturing device 118 and determine whether one or more characteristics of the light beams 124 shifts from a first condition to a second condition. The characteristics include a continuity of the light beams 124.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the first condition of the light beams 124 represents an ideal alignment/positioning of the first machine 104 with respect to the light beams 124 and/or the second machine 106 for the milling operations. For example,
The second condition of the light beams 124 represents a misaligned position of the first machine 104 with respect to the light beams 124 and/or the second machine 106 for the milling operations. For example,
The controller 202 may be configured to utilize various image processing techniques to determine the change in the characteristics of the light beams 124. To this end, the controller 202 may be configured to compare pixel values of those pixel frames corresponding to the light beams 124 in the sequence of images to determine any change in the pixel values of such pixel frames. The controller 202 is further configured to compare the change in the pixel value with a threshold change value. When the change in the pixel value is greater than the threshold change value, the controller 202 is configured to designate the light beams 124 as discontinuous light beams corresponding to the broken condition of the light beams 124. When the change in the pixel value is less than or equal to the threshold change value, the controller 202 is configured to designate the light beams 124 as continuous light beams corresponding to the continuous condition of the light beams 124. The threshold change value distinguishes between the discontinuity owing to the light beams encountering rocks and stones and the discontinuity owing to the light beams encountering parts of the first machine 104.
When the first condition of the light beams 124 corresponds to the continuous condition, the controller 202 may be configured to compare various pixel frames in the sequence of images captured by the image capturing device 118 to determine if there is any discontinuity (i.e., the second condition) detected in the light beams 124. Similarly, when the first condition of the light beams 124 corresponds to the broken condition, the controller 202 may be configured to compare various pixel frames in the sequence of images captured by the image capturing device 118 to determine if there is any continuity (i.e., the second condition) detected in the light beams 124.
The controller 202 is further configured to control the output device 120 to generate an alert when the characteristics of the light beams 124 shift from the first condition to the second condition. The output device 120 may include an audio or visual indicator, e.g., a machine horn, configured to provide one or more indications to the operator of the first machine 104 to align the first machine 104 with respect to the light beams 124. In some embodiments, the controller 202 is configured to generate the alert by changing a color of the light beams 124 from a first color to a second color.
At the start and/or during operations, if the first machine 104 is to travel ahead (e.g., directly ahead) of the second machine 106, the first machine 104 may be positioned right ahead of the second machine 106 such that an exit or outlet of the conveyor system 114 can be brought right above the dump body 130 somewhat forward (in the intended direction of vehicle travel) from the rear side wall 130″. Thereafter, as the second machine 106 begins to process the ground surface 128, the milled materials are generated and they are delivered to the dump body 130. The U-shaped pattern, shown in
It may happen, in some environments, that the first machine 104 has to be deployed at an angle to the second machine 106 such that an exit or outlet of the conveyor system 114 can be brought right above the dump body 130 and slightly inboard from the first side wall 130′ or the second side wall 130′″. The L-shaped pattern, shown in
The system and method of the present disclosure provide an efficient solution to precisely align the first machine 104, such as the dump truck, with the second machine 106, such as the milling machine. The proper alignment avoids situations when the first machine 104 is too far from or too close to the second machine 106, thus preventing spillage of the milled materials outside the first machine 104. Moreover, with the system and method of the present disclosure, the operators can be automatically alerted whenever the machines 104, 106 are misaligned. This takes off the pressure from the operators to rely on and interpret the manual signals while operating the machines 104, 106.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the method and/or system of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the method and/or system disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalent.
