Positioning assistance system for a vibrator truck and corresponding vibrator truck and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11327500-B2
Application number	US-201916591788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2019
Priority date	Oct 8, 2018
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

It is proposed a positioning assistance system for a vibrator truck, that is configured to determine a vibration point distance between the vibrator truck and the vibration point location; determine a stopping distance for stopping the vibrator truck at a vibration point location, according to a determined current speed of the vibrator truck and according to a speed profile; determine a time for stopping the vibrator truck at the vibration point location according to the current speed of the vibrator truck, when the stopping distance corresponds to said vibration point distance; and trigger the lifting down of the baseplate of the vibratory system, when at least the following condition is met: said stopping time is inferior or equal to a time for lifting down the vibratory system to the ground. Corresponding vibrator truck and method are also proposed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A positioning assistance system for a vibrator truck, said vibrator truck comprising:
a motor for moving the vibrator truck and a control system comprising a motor control unit to control the motor;
a vibratory system comprising a vibratory part and a baseplate used to transmit vibrations generated by the vibratory part through the ground;
a lift system for lifting up and down the vibratory system,
wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to:
determine a vibration point distance between the vibrator truck and a vibration point location;
determine a stopping distance that the vibrator truck is susceptible to cover before stopping according to a deceleration speed profile generated for a determined current speed value of the vibrator truck, assuming that this deceleration speed profile is applied to the motor of the vibrator truck from the moment corresponding to this determined current speed value;
determine a time for stopping the vibrator truck at the vibration point location according to the current speed of the vibrator truck, when the stopping distance corresponds to said vibration point distance;
trigger the lifting down of the baseplate of the vibratory system, when at least the following conditions are met: the vibrator truck speed is greater than a first positive threshold value and said stopping time is less than or equal to a time for lifting down the vibratory system to the ground, so that the lifting down of the baseplate is triggered before the vibratory truck reaches the vibration point location.

2. The positioning assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to trigger the lifting down of the baseplate of the vibratory system when at least the further following condition is met: the vibrator truck speed is less than a second positive threshold value.

3. The positioning assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to determine the vibration point distance and the stopping distance in real time.

4. The positioning assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to determine the vibration point distance and the stopping distance in real time as long as the positioning assistance system is in an ON state.

5. The positioning assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to trigger a decelerating phase when at least the following condition is met: the stopping distance corresponds to the vibration point distance.

6. The positioning assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein, an angular sector being defined with a given angular value and a top of said angular sector that corresponds to said vibration point location, a middle axis of the angular sector passing through said vibration point location and the position of the vibrator truck,
the positioning assistance system, when in an ON state, is configured to run a first mode, referred to as an auto-guidance ready mode, according to which the amount of time the vibrator truck remains inside said angular sector is determined;
and wherein, when the following conditions are met:
said determined amount of time is greater than or equal to a predefined time value, and
said vibration point distance is less than to a predefined value or said vibration point distance is included in a given range of distances,
then the positioning assistance system is configured to run a second mode, referred to as an auto-guidance armed mode, wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to compare the stopping distance of the vibrator truck with the vibration point distance, and, when the stopping distance corresponds to the vibration point distance, run a third operating mode, referred to as an auto-guidance active mode, wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to operate a decelerating phase.

7. The positioning assistance system according to claim 5 , wherein the positioning assistance system is also configured to operate a speed limit phase wherein the speed of the vibrator truck is limited or maintained to a given value.

8. The positioning assistance system according to claim 7 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to operate the speed limit phase previous to the decelerating phase.

9. The positioning assistance system according to claim 5 , wherein the positioning assistance is configured to operate said decelerating phase, by providing a motor command to the motor control unit, that corresponds to a command as if a pedal accelerator of the vibrator truck is released.

10. The positioning assistance system according to claim 5 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to operate said decelerating phase, by providing a motor command to the motor control unit, that corresponds to a given ramp angle of deceleration.

11. The positioning assistance system according to claim 5 , wherein the positioning assistance system being configured to determine the vibration point distance and the stopping distance in real time, the positioning assistance system is configured to operate said decelerating phase, until reaching a predefined speed value at which the vibrator truck speed is maintained until at least the following condition is met: the stopping distance corresponds to the vibration point distance.

12. The positioning assistance system according to claim 11 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to operate a further decelerating phase, also referred to as a final adjusting phase, when the vibration point distance reaches a threshold value corresponding to the stopping distance.

13. The positioning assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning assistance system is configured to generate the deceleration speed profile based on at least:
a truck and land model that includes technical parameters of the vibrator truck and technical parameters of a land that is travelled by the vibrator truck.

14. A vibrator truck comprising:
a motor for moving the vibrator truck and a control system comprising a motor control unit to control the motor,
a vibratory system comprising a vibratory part and a baseplate used to transmit vibrations generated by the vibratory part through the ground;
a lift system for lifting up and down the vibratory system,

wherein the control system also includes a positioning assistance system according to claim 1 .

15. A method for lifting down a baseplate of a vibratory system of a vibrator truck at a vibration point location, the vibrator truck comprising:
a motor for moving the vibrator truck and a control system comprising a motor control unit to control the motor;
a vibratory system comprising a vibratory part and a baseplate used to transmit the vibrations generated by the vibratory part through the ground;
a lift system for lifting up and down the vibratory system,
a positioning assistance system,
wherein the method comprises the following steps that are carried out by the positioning assistance system:
determining a vibration point distance between the vibrator truck and the vibration point location;
determining a stopping distance that the vibrator truck is susceptible to cover before stopping, according to a deceleration speed profile generated for a determined current speed value of the vibrator truck, assuming that this deceleration speed profile is applied to the motor of the vibrator truck from the moment corresponding to this determined current speed value;
determining a time for stopping the v

Assignees

• Sercel Rech Const Elect

Inventors

• Ollivrin Gilles
• Maugere Alexandre

Classifications

• G05D1/0227 Primary

  using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area · CPC title

• B62D47/00

  Motor vehicles or trailers predominantly for carrying passengers (superstructures B62D31/00) · CPC title

• G01V2210/1214

  Continuous · CPC title

• G01V1/02

  Generating seismic energy {(G01V1/003 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G01V1/09 Primary

  Transporting arrangements, e.g. on vehicles (G01V1/38 takes precedence) · CPC title