Mapping a Dig Site Diagram

Abstract

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation vehicle that is capable of navigating through a dig site and carrying out an excavation routine using a system of sensors physically mounted to the excavation vehicle. The sensors collects any one or more of spatial, imaging, measurement, and location data representing the status of the excavation vehicle and its surrounding environment. Based on the collected data, the excavation vehicle executes instructions to carry out an excavation routine. The excavation vehicle is also able to carry out numerous other tasks, such as checking the volume of excavated earth in an excavation tool, and helping prepare a digital terrain model of the site as part of a process for creating the excavation routine.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for excavating material by an excavation vehicle (EV), the method comprising:
 receiving a digital representation of a site including a planned hole that has not yet been excavated within a portion of the site;   capturing, by the EV, information representative of the portion of the site and representative of a current status of the planned hole using sensors of the EV and creating a current digital terrain model of the site based on the captured information;   generating a target volume to be excavated based at least in part on a difference between the planned hole within the digital representation of the site and the current status of the planned hole within the current digital terrain model of the site; and   performing, by the EV, one or more excavation actions to remove the target volume of material from the planned hole.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital representation of the site comprises geographic locations of one or more physical fiducials within the site. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital representation of the site comprises geographic coordinates for one or more features of the site. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors comprise one or more of: a measurement sensor, a spatial sensor, an imaging sensor, and a position sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital representation of the site comprises a data model representing at least the planned hole within the site, wherein the captured information comprises one or more images of a location of the planned hole within the site, and wherein the target volume is generated based on a comparison of the planned hole represented by the data model and the images of the location of the planned hole. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more excavation actions comprise a plurality of tool paths that, when performed, result in removal of the target volume of material from the planned hole. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of tool paths, when performed, create one or more cutbacks, one or more slope backs, or one or more hole surfaces. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of tool paths are selected based additionally on one or more of: a soil composition measurement, a property of an excavation tool, a property of maneuvering equipment of the EV, or a property of the EV itself. 
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions for excavating material by an excavation vehicle (EV) that, when executed by a hardware processor, cause the hardware processor to perform steps comprising:
 receiving a digital representation of a site including a planned hole that has not yet been excavated within a portion of the site;   capturing, by the EV, information representative of the portion of the site and representative of a current status of the planned hole using sensors of the EV and creating a current digital terrain model of the site based on the captured information;   generating a target volume to be excavated based at least in part on a difference between the planned hole within the digital representation of the site and the current status of the planned hole within the current digital terrain model of the site; and   performing, by the EV, one or more excavation actions to remove the target volume of material from the planned hole.   
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the digital representation of the site comprises geographic locations of one or more physical fiducials within the site. 
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the digital representation of the site comprises geographic coordinates for one or more features of the site. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the sensors comprise one or more of: a measurement sensor, a spatial sensor, an imaging sensor, and a position sensor. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the digital representation of the site comprises a data model representing at least the planned hole within the site, wherein the captured information comprises one or more images of a location of the planned hole within the site, and wherein the target volume is generated based on a comparison of the planned hole represented by the data model and the images of the location of the planned hole. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more excavation actions comprise a plurality of tool paths that, when performed, result in removal of the target volume of material from the planned hole. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of tool paths, when performed, create one or more cutbacks, one or more slope backs, or one or more hole surfaces. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of tool paths are selected based additionally on one or more of: a soil composition measurement, a property of an excavation tool, a property of maneuvering equipment of the EV, or a property of the EV itself. 
     
     
         17 . A method for performing excavation operations by an excavation vehicle (EV), the method comprising:
 receiving a digital representation of a site including a planned excavation operation that has not yet been performed within a portion of the site;   capturing, by the EV, information representative of the portion of the site and representative of a current status of the planned excavation operation using sensors of the EV and creating a current digital terrain model of the site based on the captured information;   determining a difference between the planned excavation operation within the digital representation of the site and the planned excavation operation within the current digital terrain model; and   performing, by the EV, one or more excavation actions based on the determined difference.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the planned excavation operation comprises one or more of: digging, grading, filling, trenching, compacting, aerating, ripping, stripping, spreading, and smoothing. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more excavation actions comprise a plurality of tool paths. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of tool paths are selected based additionally on one or more of: a soil composition measurement, a property of an excavation tool, a property of maneuvering equipment of the EV, or a property of the EV itself.