Intelligent hinged boom excavation systems

Abstract

Embodiments of an intelligent hinged boom excavation system include a hinged boom assembly terminating in an excavation tool, an electro-hydraulic (EH) actuation subsystem, and boom assembly tracking sensors providing tracking data indicative of excavation tool movement. A controller architecture is operable in an excavation depth limiting mode in which the controller architecture: (i) tracks a current position of the excavation tool relative to a virtual excavation floor utilizing the tracking data provided by the boom assembly tracking sensors; (ii) determines when an operator-commanded movement of the hinged boom assembly will result in breach of the virtual excavation floor by the excavation tool; and (iii) when determining that an operator-commanded movement of the hinged boom assembly will result in breach of the virtual excavation floor, controls the EH actuation subsystem to modify the operator-commanded movement in a manner preventing breach of the virtual excavation floor by the excavation tool.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An intelligent hinged boom excavation system utilized in conjunction with a work vehicle, the intelligent hinged boom excavation system comprising:
 a hinged boom assembly terminating in an excavation tool;   an electro-hydraulic (EH) actuation subsystem including hydraulic cylinders integrated into the hinged boom assembly;   boom assembly tracking sensors coupled to the hinged boom assembly and configured to provide tracking data indicative of excavation tool movement; and   a controller architecture coupled to the EH actuation subsystem and to the boom assembly tracking sensors, the controller architecture operable in an excavation depth limiting mode in which the controller architecture:
 tracks a current position of the excavation tool relative to a virtual excavation floor utilizing the tracking data provided by the boom assembly tracking sensors; 
 determines when an operator-commanded movement of the hinged boom assembly will result in breach of the virtual excavation floor by the excavation tool based, at least in part, on the current position of the hinged boom assembly; and 
 when determining that an operator-commanded movement of the hinged boom assembly will result in breach of the virtual excavation floor, controls the EH actuation subsystem to modify the operator-commanded movement in a manner preventing breach of the virtual excavation floor by the excavation tool. 
   
     
     
         2 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller architecture is further configured to establish a location and an orientation of the virtual excavation floor in a three dimensional (3D) tool space through which the excavation tool moves. 
     
     
         3 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller architecture defines the virtual excavation floor as a two dimensional plane in the 3D tool space. 
     
     
         4 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller architecture establishes the location of the virtual excavation floor based, at least in part, on an excavation depth setting and a ground height reference point. 
     
     
         5 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 4 , wherein the controller architecture establishes the ground height reference point based, at least in part, on an estimated position of the excavation tool in response to receipt of operator input indicating that the excavation tool currently resides in a ground-contacting position. 
     
     
         6 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 4 , further comprising a ground height sensor coupled to the controller architecture and configured to provide thereto data indicative of a ground height relative to a chassis of the work vehicle; and
 wherein the controller architecture establishes the ground height reference point based, at least in part, on the data provided by the ground height sensor.   
     
     
         7 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 6 , further comprising stabilizer arms rotatable between a stowed position and a deployed position, the ground height sensor configured to detect an angular position of at least one of the stabilizer arms when rotated into the deployed position. 
     
     
         8 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller architecture establishes the orientation of the virtual excavation floor based, at least in part, on operator input indicating a target grade for an excavation feature desirably created utilizing the excavation implement. 
     
     
         9 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 1 , wherein, when controlling the EH actuation subsystem to modify the operator-commanded movement in a manner preventing breach of the virtual excavation floor by the excavation tool, the controller architecture modifies the operator-commanded movement such that a cutting edge of the excavation tool moves along the virtual excavation floor in a direction indicated by an operator input command. 
     
     
         10 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller architecture is configured to:
 further determine whether an operator-commanded movement of the hinged boom assembly will result in breach of a virtual sidewall by the excavation tool, the virtual sidewall extending from the virtual excavation floor to a ground height; and   when determining that an operator-commanded movement of the hinged boom assembly will result in breach of the virtual excavation floor, control the EH actuation subsystem to modify the operator-commanded movement n a manner preventing breach of the virtual sidewall by the excavation tool.   
     
     
         11 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 10 , wherein the virtual sidewall comprises a two dimensional plane defining a backface of an excavation feature desirably created utilizing the excavation implement. 
     
     
         12 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller architecture is further operable in a linear control mode in which the controller architecture translates operator input commands into linear movement of the excavation tool along at least one of:
 a first axis parallel to the virtual excavation floor; and   a second axis orthogonal to the virtual excavation floor.   
     
     
         13 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller architecture is further operable in a load limiting control mode in which the controller architecture commands the EH actuation system to reduce a penetration depth of the excavation tool in response to detection of an overload condition. 
     
     
         14 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 13 , wherein the overload condition comprises a current stall or an anticipated stall of the EH actuation subsystem. 
     
     
         15 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 1 , wherein the excavation tool comprises a backhoe bucket; and
 wherein the hinged boom assembly comprises:
 an inner boom attached to or attachable to a chassis of the work vehicle at a first pivot joint; and 
 an outer boom having a first end portion joined to the inner boom at a second pivot joint and having a second end portion joined to the backhoe bucket at a third pivot joint. 
   
     
     
         16 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 15 , wherein boom assembly tracking sensors comprise rotary position sensors integrated into the first, second, and third pivot joints. 
     
     
         17 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 1 , further comprising a joystick rotatable about a first axis and coupled to the controller architecture; and
 wherein the controller architecture is operable in a linear control mode in which the controller architecture translates rotation of the joystick about the first axis to linear movement of the excavation implement along the virtual excavation floor.   
     
     
         18 . An intelligent hinged boom excavation system utilized in conjunction with a work vehicle, the intelligent hinged boom excavation system comprising:
 a hinged boom assembly terminating in an excavation tool;   an electro-hydraulic (EH) actuation subsystem including hydraulic cylinders integrated into the hinged boom assembly;   boom assembly tracking sensors coupled to the hinged boom assembly and configured to provide tracking data indicative of excavation tool movement;   an operator interface configured to receive operator input commands directing movement of the hinged boom assembly; and   a controller architecture coupled to the EH actuation subsystem, to the operator interface, and to the boom assembly tracking sensors, the controller architecture configured to:
 utilize the tracking data provided by the boom assembly tracking sensors to track a current position of the excavation tool relative to a two dimensional plane defining a boundary of an excavation feature desirably created utilizing the excavation tool; and 
 control the EH actuation subsystem to move a cutting edge of the excavation tool along the two dimensional plane without breach thereof in response to operator input commands received via the operator interface. 
   
     
     
         19 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 18 , wherein the two dimensional plane defines a virtual excavation floor or a backface of the excavation feature. 
     
     
         20 . The intelligent hinged boom excavation system of  claim 18 , wherein the operator interface comprises a joystick rotatable about a first axis; and
 wherein the controller architecture is operable in a linear control mode in which the controller architecture translates rotation of the joystick about the first axis to linear movement of the excavation implement along the two dimensional plane.