Plausibility check

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12542014-B2
Application number	US-202418747819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2024
Priority date	Jun 19, 2024
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

A system is provided for determining the plausibility that a current ground surface on which a construction machine is located conforms to a prior survey of that ground surface. A controller is provided with a digital model defined within a reference system external to the construction machine. The controller determines a current relative orientation and an expected relative orientation, of at least one sensor pair of a plurality of distance sensors, relative to each other and relative to a reference plane defined in the digital model. The controller compares those orientations to confirm whether the current relative orientation conforms to the expected relative orientation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of operating a construction machine including a machine frame, a working implement supported from the machine frame, a controller, and a plurality of distance sensors supported directly or indirectly from the machine frame, each respective distance sensor being configured to detect a distance between the machine frame and a ground surface, the method comprising:
providing to the controller a digital model defined within a reference system external to the construction machine, the digital model being configured to guide the construction machine as the construction machine works the ground surface to create a design surface; determining with the controller a current relative orientation, relative to each other and relative to a reference plane defined within the digital model, of a first sensor and a second sensor of at least one sensor pair of the plurality of distance sensors; determining with the controller based at least in part on the digital model an expected relative orientation, relative to each other and relative to the reference plane, of the first sensor and the second sensor of the at least one sensor pair; and comparing with the controller the current relative orientation to the expected relative orientation of the at least one sensor pair to confirm whether the current relative orientation conforms to the expected relative orientation.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the construction machine further includes at least one position data determination component operable to determine position data to define a current position of a reference point on the construction machine in the reference system external to the construction machine; and the method further comprises: receiving the position data with the controller; and determining with the controller a current x, y position in the reference system external to the construction machine of each of the distance sensors.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the digital model includes a working depth data set including x and y coordinate data in the reference system external to the construction machine, and including desired working depth data corresponding to the x and y coordinate data; and the digital model further includes a design surface data set defining the design surface to be created, the design surface data set including x, y and z coordinate data of the design surface in the reference system external to the construction machine.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the digital model includes an actual ground surface data set including x, y and z coordinate data describing the actual ground surface as surveyed at a prior time in the reference system external to the construction machine; and the digital model further includes a design surface data set defining the design surface to be created, the design surface data set including x, y and z coordinate data of the design surface in the reference system external to the construction machine.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the digital model includes an actual ground surface data set including x, y and z coordinate data describing the actual ground surface as surveyed at a prior time in the reference system external to the construction machine; and the digital model further includes a working depth data set including x and y coordinate data in the reference system external to the construction machine, and including desired working depth data corresponding to the x and y coordinate data.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the reference plane within the digital model is a horizontal reference plane defined as a reference plane perpendicular to a direction of gravity in the reference system external to the construction machine.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
detecting with at least one slope sensor a slope of the machine frame relative to the direction of gravity and thereby relative to the reference plane.

8 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
detecting with a longitudinal slope sensor a longitudinal slope of the machine frame relative to the direction of gravity; and detecting with a cross-slope sensor a cross-slope of the machine frame relative to the direction of gravity, the cross-slope being perpendicular to the longitudinal slope.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the comparing is performed before beginning working of the ground surface with the working implement to determine whether the current relative orientation of the at least one sensor pair is consistent with the digital model.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the comparing is performed during working of the ground surface with the working implement to determine whether the current relative orientation of the at least one sensor pair is consistent with coordinate data describing an expected ground surface in the reference system external to the construction machine.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in the determining of the current relative orientation and of the expected relative orientation of the at least one sensor pair, the at least one sensor pair includes a plurality of sensor pairs.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the comparing includes determining whether a lack of conformity of the current relative orientation to the expected relative orientation of any of the sensor pairs is due to a change in the ground surface subsequent to preparation of the digital model or due to a sensor malfunction.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the comparing includes identifying a malfunctioning sensor as a sensor present in multiple sensor pairs lacking conformity of the current relative orientation to the expected relative orientation for the respective sensor pair over a period of time.

14 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
if the comparing determines that the lack of conformity of the current relative orientation to the expected relative orientation of any of the sensor pairs is due to a change in the ground surface subsequent to preparation of the digital model, then updating the digital model to reflect the change.

15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
if the comparing determines that the lack of conformity of the current relative orientation to the expected relative orientation of any of the sensor pairs is due to a sensor malfunction of a distance sensor being used for control of a working depth of the working implement, then automatically switching control of the working depth from the malfunctioning sensor to a different sensor.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the determining with the controller of the current relative orientation includes determining a difference between a current distance between the first sensor and the reference plane detected by the first sensor of the at least one sensor pair and a current distance between the second sensor and the reference plane detected by the second sensor of the at least one sensor pair.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the determining with the controller of the current relative orientation includes determining a current angle relative to the reference plane of a line between a ground contact point of the first sensor and a ground contact point of the second sensor of the at least one sensor pair.

18 . A construction machine, comprising:
a machine frame; a working implement supported from the machine frame for working a ground surface as the machine moves across the ground surface during a working operation; a plurality of distance

Assignees

• Wirtgen Gmbh

Inventors

• Fritz Matthias
• Müller René
• Rossa Manuel

Classifications

• G01C9/02

  Details · CPC title

• G07C5/0808 Primary

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title

• E01C23/07

  Apparatus combining measurement of the surface configuration of paving with application of material in proportion to the measured irregularities (measuring means only E01C23/01 {G01B}) · CPC title

• E01C19/48

  for laying-down the materials and consolidating them, or finishing the surface {, e.g. slip forms therefor, forming kerbs or gutters in a continuous operation in situ (E01C19/002, E01C23/065 take precedence; devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path E01C19/004)} · CPC title

• E01C19/004

  Devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path (for graders or bulldozers E02F3/841; for other soil-shifting machines E02F9/2045) · CPC title