Method and apparatus for determining an excavation strategy
US6108949A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 14, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 14, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE02F9/262
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
In one embodiment of the present invention, a planning system and method for earthmoving operations such as digging a foundation or leveling a mound of soil is disclosed including three different levels of processing for planning the excavation. One of the processing levels is a coarse-level planner that uses geometry of the site and the goal configuration of the terrain to divide the excavation area into a grid-like pattern of smaller excavation regions and to determine the boundaries and sequence of excavation for each region. The next level is a refined planner wherein each excavation region is, in order of the excavation sequence provided by the coarse planner, searched for the optimum excavation that can be executed. This is accomplished by choosing candidate excavations that meet geometric constraints of the machine and that are approximately within the boundaries of the region being excavated. The refined planner evaluates the candidate excavations using a simulated model of a closed loop controller and by optimizing a cost function based on performance criteria such as volume of material excavated, energy expended, and time, to determine the optimal location and orientation…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.