Method and apparatus for determining an excavation strategy for a front-end loader
US6167336A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 18, 1998 |
| Grant date | Dec 26, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 18, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE02F3/842
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
In one embodiment of the present invention, a planning apparatus and method for earthmoving operations with a front-end loader, such as loading a bucket with material and unloading the material in a receptacle, is disclosed including multi-level processing for planning the operation. One of the processing levels is a coarse-level planner that uses geometry of the site and heuristics specified by expert operators to find an optimal area from which to remove material. The next level involves searching the area for an exact starting location. This is accomplished by choosing among candidate excavations for the site with the optimum performance criteria including maximum amount of material protruding from the pile, minimum side loading of the bucket, and minimum distance from the loading receptacle. Other performance criteria that are evaluated for the candidate excavation include whether the front-end loader is capable of making the turns required by a candidate trajectory, and whether obstacles are in the path of the trajectory.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.