Mapping a dig site diagram

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11016501-B2
Application number	US-201815877221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2018
Priority date	Jan 23, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for preparing excavation instructions, the method comprising:
receiving a digital file of a site describing a target state of the site, a geographic boundary defining the perimeter of the geographic area of the site, and positions of one or more features within the site, the target state comprising an excavated hole located within the site;
navigating an excavation vehicle (EV) through the site and concurrently recording contextual information about the site with a sensor physically mounted on the EV, the contextual information representing a current state of the site and a position of the one or more features within the site;
identifying a portion of the geographic boundary from the contextual information recorded by the sensor physically mounted on the EV;
aligning the digital file with the contextual information based on 1) positions of the one or more features both described in the digital file and recorded in the contextual information and 2) the geographic boundary described in the digital file and the portion of the geographic boundary identified from the contextual information, wherein the alignment determines a difference between the target state of the site and the current state of the site, the determined difference representing dimensions of the excavated hole in the digital file; and
generating a plurality of target tool paths based on the determined difference, the plurality of target tool paths describing instructions for actuating a tool mounted to the EV, wherein the actuation of the tool mounted to the EV excavates earth from the site according to the dimensions of the excavated hole of the digital file, wherein at least one of the plurality of target tool paths is generated based on a weight of the EV.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital file comprises geographic locations of one or more physical fiducials placed within the site.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital file includes a boundary for a ramp, wherein the EV navigates over the ramp to enter and exit the site.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital file includes a dump pile, wherein the EV deposits earth excavated from the excavated hole at the dump pile.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein a location of the dump pile is based on at least one of:
the dimensions of the excavated hole of the digital file;
an estimated compaction factor of the earth excavated from the site;
an estimated swell factor of the earth excavated from the site.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor physically mounted on the EV is a spatial sensor, the method further comprising:
generating one or more point clouds representing portions of the site based on data captured by the spatial sensor; and
determining a position of the EV and an orientation of the tool mounted to the EV using the one or more point clouds.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor physically mounted on the EV is an imaging sensor, the method further comprising:
capturing, with the imaging sensor, one or more photographic images of the site; and
determining a position of the EV and an orientation of the tool mounted to the EV using the one or more photographic images.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a digital terrain model of the site by aligning positions and orientations of the one or more features recorded in the contextual information with positions and orientations of the one or more features in the digital file.

9. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein aligning the digital file with the contextual information generates a digital terrain model of the excavated hole comprising one or more cutbacks in the digital file, each cutback representing one or more angled surfaces within the excavated hole; and
wherein the plurality of target tool paths describes instructions for actuating the tool mounted to the EV, wherein the actuation creates the one or more cutbacks in the excavated hole.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein generating the digital terrain model comprises:
collecting a volume of earth with the tool;
obtaining a soil cohesion measurement with the sensor based on the collected volume of earth; and
generating one or more geometric parameters for each of the one or more cutbacks in the digital file based on the soil cohesion measurement.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein generating the digital terrain model comprises:
receiving information describing an expected presence of human operators within the geographic area of the site; and
updating one or more geometric parameters for the each of the one or more cutbacks in the digital file based on the expected presence.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein generating the digital terrain model comprises:
receiving an estimate describing a length of time for excavating earth from the site.

13. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein aligning the digital file with the contextual information generates a digital terrain model of the excavated hole comprising one or more slope backs in the digital file, each slope back representing one or more sloped walls bounding the excavated hole; and
wherein the plurality of target tool paths describes instructions for actuating the tool mounted to the EV, wherein the actuation creates the one or more slope backs in the excavated hole.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a finish tool path describing instructions for actuating the tool mounted to the EV, wherein the actuation of the tool mounted to the EV shapes a bottom surface of the excavated hole after excavation of the hole is completed.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein each target tool path of the plurality of target tool paths describes instructions for actuating the tool mounted to the EV, wherein the actuation of the tool mounted to the EV excavates earth representing a fraction of the dimensions of the excavated hole.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein each target tool path of the plurality of target tool paths is generated based on at least one of:
a soil composition measurement;
a property of the tool mounted to the EV;
a property of a maneuvering equipment of the EV; and
a property of the EV.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the property of the tool mounted to the EV is a size of the tool.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the property of the maneuvering equipment of the EV is a force exerted on the maneuvering equipment by the tool mounted to the EV when in contact with a ground surface of the site.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein each target tool path of the plurality of target tool paths is a two-dimensional shape representing a path, wherein movement of the tool mounted to the EV along the path excavates earth from the site.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein each target tool path of the plurality of target tool path is a three-dimensional volume in a three dimensional coordinate space representing a volume of earth, wherein movement of the tool mounted to the EV according to the target tool path excavates the volume of earth from the site.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein each target tool path of the plurality of target tool paths is rectangular in two dimensions or hyperrectangular in three dimensions.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein each target tool path of the plurality of target tool paths is curved along a ground surface.

23. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a set of instructions for actu

Assignees

• Built Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Ready-Campbell Noah Austen
• Liang Andrew Xiao
• Chou Linus Page
• Walker Jr Edward Stephen
• Wawrzonek Christian John
• Ready-Campbell Cyrus Mcmann

Classifications

• G06V20/56

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title

• E02F3/439

  Automatic repositioning of the implement, e.g. automatic dumping, auto-return (E02F3/438 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E02F3/435 Primary

  for dipper-arms, backhoes or the like · CPC title

• E02F9/205

  Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles (E02F3/8866 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N33/24

  Earth materials (G01N33/42 takes precedence) · CPC title