Excavator 3D integrated laser and radio positioning guidance system

Abstract

An excavator 3D integrated laser and radio positioning guidance system (Ex_3D_ILRPGS) comprising: a mobile radio positioning system receiver configured to obtain 2D horizontal coordinates of the excavator, a bucket-to-machine-body positioning system configured to obtain coordinates of the boom, the stick and the bucket of the excavator, a laser detector configured to receive at least one laser beam and configured to provide a local vertical coordinate with a substantially high accuracy, and an on-board navigational system configured to receive and to integrate the 2D horizontal coordinates of the excavator obtained by the mobile radio positioning system receiver, the coordinates of the boom, the stick and the bucket of the excavator obtained by the bucket-to-machine-body positioning system, and the local vertical coordinate obtained by the laser detector, and configured to guide the cutting edge of the bucket of the excavator with substantially high vertical accuracy.

1 . An excavator 3D integrated laser and radio positioning guidance system (Ex — 3D_ILRPGS); wherein an excavator further comprises: a frame comprising a cab member horizontally pivoted about a tread member; a boom pivotally mounted at a proximal end to said cab by a first pivot means; a stick pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said boom by a second pivot means; and a bucket pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said stick by a third pivot means; wherein a distal end of said bucket defines a cutting edge which is used to excavate dirt in response to movement of said bucket towards said frame; said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS comprising:
 a mobile radio positioning system receiver configured to obtain 2D horizontal coordinates of said excavator;   a bucket-to-machine-body positioning system configured to obtain position coordinates of said boom, said stick and said bucket of said excavator;   a laser detector configured to receive at least one laser beam and configured to provide a local vertical coordinate with a substantially high accuracy; and   an on-board navigational system configured to receive and to integrate said 2D horizontal coordinates of said excavator obtained by said mobile radio positioning system receiver, said position coordinates of said boom, said stick and said bucket of said excavator obtained by said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system, and said local vertical coordinate obtained by said laser detector, and configured to guide said cutting edge of said bucket of said excavator with substantially high vertical accuracy.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said mobile radio positioning system receiver is selected from the group consisting of: {an autonomous satellite receiver; a Virtual Reference Station (VRS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Wide Area Augmentation Service (WAAS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Real Time Kinematic (RTK)-based satellite positioning system receiver; an Omni STAR-High Performance (HP)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; and a pseudolite receiver}; and wherein said satellite receiver is selected from the group consisting of: {a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; a GLONASS receiver, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver; and a combined GPS-GLONASS receiver}. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system is selected from the group consisting of: {a tilt sensor; an in-cylinder measurement sensor; a potentiometer; and a cable encoder}. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said laser detector further comprises:
 a single slope planar laser detector configured to receive a single flat plane laser beam from a single flat plane laser transmitter.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said laser detector further comprises:
 a single slope planar laser detector configured to receive a single sloping plane laser beam from a single sloping plane laser transmitter.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said laser detector further comprises:
 a dual slope planar laser detector configured to receive a dual slope plane laser beam from a dual slope plane laser transmitter.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said laser detector further comprises:
 a single sloping fan laser detector configured to receive a single sloping fan laser beam from a single sloping fan laser transmitter, wherein said on-board navigational system is configured to compute the difference in height between said fan laser transmitter and said fan laser detector to increase the vertical accuracy of said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said laser detector further comprises:
 a fan laser detector configured to receive at least two fan laser beams from a fan laser transmitter; wherein said on-board navigational system is configured to compute the difference in height between said fan laser transmitter and said fan laser detector to increase the vertical accuracy of said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an on-board display system configured to display the movement of said bucket of said excavator, wherein a vertical coordinate of a cutting edge of said bucket is displayed with accuracy substantially similar to a vertical accuracy of said laser beam.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein said on-board navigational system further comprises:
 an on-board computer configured to calculate the difference between an actual position of said cutting edge of said bucket and a design surface, and wherein said on-board display system is configured to display said actual position of said cutting edge of said bucket relative to said design surface.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said on-board navigational system further comprises:
 an on-board computer configured to calculate the difference between an actual position of said cutting edge of said bucket and a design surface, and configured to control said position of said cutting edge of said bucket by controlling hydraulics valves configured to operate said cutting edge of said bucket.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a remotely located control station configured to remotely operate said excavator; and   a communication link configured to link said remotely located control station and said on-board navigational system of said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system;   wherein said on-board navigational system is configured to transmit an excavator real time positioning data to said remotely located control station via said communication link, and wherein said on-board navigational system is configured to receive at least one control signal from said remotely located control station via said communication link; and wherein said wireless communication link is selected from the group consisting of: {a cellular link; a radio; a private radio band; a SiteNet 900 private radio network; a wireless Internet; a satellite wireless communication link; and an optical wireless link}.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said remotely located control station further comprises:
 a display configured to display said remotely controlled excavator.   
     
     
         14 . A method of operating an excavator with substantially high vertical accuracy by using an Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system; wherein said excavator further comprises: a frame comprising a cab member horizontally pivoted about a tread member; a boom pivotally mounted at a proximal end to said cab by a first pivot means; a stick pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said boom by a second pivot means; and a bucket pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said stick by a third pivot means; wherein a distal end of said bucket defines a cutting edge which is used to excavate dirt in response to movement of said bucket towards said frame; said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system comprising: a mobile radio positioning system receiver, a bucket-to-machine-body positioning system, a laser detector, and an on-board navigational system; said method comprising:
 (A) obtaining 2D horizontal coordinates of said excavator by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver;   (B) obtaining position coordinates of said boom, said stick and said bucket of said excavator by utilizing said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system;   (C) obtaining a local vertical coordinate with a substantially high accuracy by using said laser detector configured to receive at least one laser beam from a laser transmitter;   (D) receiving and integrating said 2D horizontal coordinates of said excavator obtained by said mobile radio positioning system receiver, said position coordinates of said boom, said stick and said bucket of said excavator obtained by said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system, and said local vertical coordinate obtained by said laser detector by using said on-board navigational system; and   (E) guiding said cutting edge of said bucket of said excavator with substantially high vertical accuracy by using said on-board navigational system.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (A) of obtaining 2D horizontal coordinates of said excavator by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver further comprises:
 (A1) selecting said mobile radio positioning system receiver from the group consisting of: {an autonomous satellite receiver; a Virtual Reference Station (VRS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Wide Area Augmentation Service (WAAS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Real Time Kinematic (RTK)-based satellite positioning system receiver; an Omni STAR-High Performance (HP)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; and a pseudolite receiver}; and   (A2) selecting said satellite receiver from the group consisting of: {a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; a GLONASS receiver, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver; and a combined GPS-GLONASS receiver}.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said mobile radio positioning system receiver further comprises a satellite receiver and a pseudolite receiver; wherein said satellite receiver is configured to obtain a first horizontal coordinate of said excavator; and wherein said pseudolite receiver is configured to obtain a second horizontal coordinate of said excavator; and wherein said step (A) of obtaining 2D horizontal coordinates of said excavator by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver further comprises:
 (A3) selecting said mobile radio positioning system receiver from the group consisting of: {an autonomous satellite receiver; a Virtual Reference Station (VRS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Wide Area Augmentation Service (WAAS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Real Time Kinematic (RTK)-based satellite positioning system receiver; and an Omni STAR-High Performance (HP)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver}; and   (A4) selecting said satellite receiver from the group consisting of: {a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; a GLONASS receiver, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver; and a combined GPS-GLONASS receiver}.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (B) further comprises:
 (B1) selecting said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system from the group consisting of: {a tilt sensor; an in-cylinder measurement sensor; a potentiometer; and a cable encoder}.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (C) of obtaining said local vertical coordinate with said substantially high accuracy further comprises:
 (C1) receiving a single slope plane laser beam from a single slope plane laser transmitter by using a single slope planar laser detector.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (C) of obtaining said local vertical coordinate with said substantially high accuracy further comprises:
 (C2) receiving a dual slope plane laser beam from a dual slope plane laser transmitter by using a dual slope planar laser detector.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (C) of obtaining said local vertical coordinate with said substantially high accuracy further comprises:
 (C3) receiving a single sloping fan laser beam from a single sloping fan laser transmitter by using a single sloping fan laser detector.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (C) of obtaining said local vertical coordinate with said substantially high accuracy further comprises:
 (C4) receiving at least two fan laser beams from a fan laser transmitter by using a fan laser detector; wherein said on-board navigational system is configured to compute the difference in height between said fan laser transmitter and said fan laser detector to increase the vertical accuracy of said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (D) further comprises:
 (D1) using an on-board computer to calculate the difference between an actual position of said cutting edge of said bucket and a design surface.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (E) of guiding said cutting edge of said bucket of said excavator with substantially high vertical accuracy further comprises:
 (E1) using said on-board navigational system to control said position of said cutting edge of said bucket by controlling hydraulics valves configured to operate said cutting edge of said bucket.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (E) of guiding said cutting edge of said bucket of said excavator with substantially high vertical accuracy further comprises:
 (E2) using a remotely located control station to remotely operate said excavator.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step (E) of guiding said cutting edge of said bucket of said excavator with substantially high vertical accuracy further comprises:
 (E3) using a communication link to link said remotely located control station and said on-board navigational system of said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system;   (E4) transmitting an excavator real time positioning data to said remotely located control station via said communication link; and   (E5) receiving at least one control signal from said remotely located control station via said communication link.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said step (E3) further comprises:
 (E3, 1) selecting said wireless communication link from the group consisting of: {a cellular link; a radio; a private radio band; a SiteNet 900 private radio network; a wireless Internet; a satellite wireless communication link; and an optical wireless link}.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 (F) displaying the movement of said bucket of said excavator by using an on-board display system, wherein a vertical coordinate of a cutting edge of said bucket is displayed with accuracy substantially similar to a vertical accuracy of said laser beam.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 (H) displaying the movement of the bucket of the excavator by using a control station display system, wherein a vertical coordinate of a cutting edge of said bucket is displayed with accuracy substantially similar to a vertical accuracy of said laser beam.   
     
     
         29 . A method of operating an excavator with improved vertical accuracy by using an Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system; wherein said excavator further comprises: a frame comprising a cab member horizontally pivoted about a tread member; a boom pivotally mounted at a proximal end to said cab by a first pivot means; a stick pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said boom by a second pivot means; and a bucket pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said stick by a third pivot means; wherein a distal end of said bucket defines a cutting edge which is used to excavate dirt in response to movement of said bucket towards said frame; said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system comprising: a mobile radio positioning system receiver, a bucket-to-machine-body positioning system, a laser detector, and an on-board navigational system; wherein 3D coordinates of said excavator are obtained by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver; and wherein a local vertical coordinate is obtained with a substantially high accuracy by using said laser detector configured to receive at least one laser beam from a laser transmitter; said method comprising:
 (A) obtaining 3D coordinates of said excavator by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver;   (B) obtaining position coordinates of said boom, said stick and said bucket of said excavator by utilizing said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system;   (C) obtaining a local vertical coordinate with a substantially high accuracy by using said laser detector configured to receive at least one laser beam from a laser transmitter;   (D) receiving and integrating said 3D coordinates of said excavator obtained by said mobile radio positioning system receiver, said coordinates of said boom, said stick and said bucket of said excavator obtained by said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system, and said local vertical coordinate obtained by said laser detector by using an on-board navigational system in order to improve vertical accuracy of said mobile radio positioning system receiver; and   (E) guiding said cutting edge of said bucket of said excavator with improved vertical accuracy by using said on-board navigational system.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein said mobile radio positioning system receiver further comprises a satellite receiver and a pseudolite receiver; wherein said satellite receiver is configured to obtain at least one coordinate of said excavator; and wherein said pseudolite receiver is configured to obtain at least one coordinate of said excavator; and wherein said mobile radio positioning system receiver is configured to obtain 3D coordinates of said excavator; and wherein said step (A) of obtaining 3D coordinates of said excavator by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver further comprises:
 (A1) selecting said mobile radio positioning system receiver from the group consisting of: {an autonomous satellite receiver; a Virtual Reference Station (VRS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Wide Area Augmentation Service (WAAS)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver; a Real Time Kinematic (RTK)-based satellite positioning system receiver; and an Omni STAR-High Performance (HP)-based differential satellite positioning system receiver}; and   (A2) selecting said satellite receiver from the group consisting of: {a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; a GLONASS receiver, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver; and a combined GPS-GLONASS receiver}.   
     
     
         31 . A method of operating an excavator with improved vertical accuracy by using an Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system and by assigning weight functions to different measurements; wherein said excavator further comprises: a frame comprising a cab member horizontally pivoted about a tread member; a boom pivotally mounted at a proximal end to said cab by a first pivot means; a stick pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said boom by a second pivot means; and a bucket pivotally mounted at a proximal end to a distal end of said stick by a third pivot means; wherein a distal end of said bucket defines a cutting edge which is used to excavate dirt in response to movement of said bucket towards said frame; said Ex — 3D_ILRPGS system comprising: a mobile radio positioning system receiver, a bucket-to-machine-body positioning system, a laser detector, and an on-board navigational system; said method comprising:
 (A) obtaining a set of 3D coordinates measurements of said excavator by making a plurality of measurements by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver;   (B) obtaining position coordinates of said boom, said stick and said bucket of said excavator by utilizing said bucket-to-machine-body positioning system;   (C) obtaining a set of local vertical coordinate measurements with a substantially high accuracy by making a plurality measurements by using said laser detector configured to receive at least one laser beam from a laser transmitter;   (D) selecting a weight function configured to assign a 3D weight function to said set of 3D measurements obtained by using said mobile radio positioning system receiver, and configured to assign a vertical weight function to said set of local vertical coordinate measurements obtained by using said laser detector;   (E) integrating said set of 3D coordinates measurements of said excavator with said 3D weight function, and said set of the local vertical coordinate measurements with said vertical weight function by using said on-board navigational system in order to improve vertical accuracy of said mobile radio positioning system receiver; and   (F) guiding said cutting edge of said bucket of said excavator with improved vertical accuracy by using said on-board navigational system.