U.S. patent application number 16/679824 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-14 for autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction applications.
This patent application is currently assigned to Alberto Daniel Lacaze. The applicant listed for this patent is Robotic Research, LLC. Invention is credited to Alberto Daniel Lacaze, Karl Nicholas Murphy.
Application Number | 20200150669 16/679824 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 70550187 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-14 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200150669 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lacaze; Alberto Daniel ; et
al. |
May 14, 2020 |
Autonomous Dust Mitigation in Mining and Construction
Applications
Abstract
The autonomous dust mitigation m mmmg and construction
applications system disclosed herein may comprise a system that
automatically detects dust at mmmg and construction sites and
dispatches dust mitigation equipment in response to such
detections. The dust areas detected may be assigned priorities
within the system, and may be addressed or ignored based on various
parameters dictating the behavior of the system. If, for example,
an area of dust is not currently in use by local equipment, the
system may not dispatch equipment to address that area. If, on the
other hand, an area of dust is affecting a high priority or high
risk area of the site, the system may prioritize the dispatching of
dust mitigation equipment to that area over other areas. The system
described in the present invention comprises an autonomous dust
mitigation system used in mining and construction applications that
contains a plurality of sensors, a computing device, a dust area
mapping system, a dust area prioritizing system, and a plurality of
dust mitigation equipment.
Inventors: |
Lacaze; Alberto Daniel;
(Potomac, MD) ; Murphy; Karl Nicholas; (Rockville,
MD) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Robotic Research, LLC |
Gaithersburg |
MD |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Lacaze; Alberto Daniel
Gaithersburg
MD
|
Family ID: |
70550187 |
Appl. No.: |
16/679824 |
Filed: |
November 11, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62759963 |
Nov 12, 2018 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05D 1/028 20130101;
G05D 2201/0202 20130101; G05D 1/0276 20130101; G05D 1/0251
20130101; G05D 2201/0203 20130101; B60W 60/0027 20200201; E21F 5/02
20130101; B66F 9/063 20130101; B66F 9/0755 20130101; B60W 60/0011
20200201; G05D 1/0257 20130101; E02F 9/261 20130101; G05D 1/0219
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G05D 1/02 20060101
G05D001/02; E21F 5/02 20060101 E21F005/02 |
Claims
1. An autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction
applications system, comprising: a plurality of sensors; a
computing device; a dust area mapping system; a dust area
prioritizing system; and a plurality of dust mitigation
equipment.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensors detect
a plurality of dust area information; wherein said plurality of
dust area information includes size, speed, direction, height,
relative height, position, and relative position; wherein said
plurality of sensors transmit said detected plurality of dust area
information to said computing device; wherein said dust area
mapping system is installed on said computing device; wherein said
dust area mapping system interprets said detected plurality of dust
area information to determine a dust area map; wherein said dust
area prioritizing system is installed on said computing device;
wherein said dust area prioritizing system determines an
appropriate dust area priority based on said plurality of dust area
information and said determined dust area map; and wherein said
computing device instructs said plurality of dust mitigation
equipment to perform a dust mitigation.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensors
comprise a LADAR device.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensors
comprise a stereo camera.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensors
comprise a ranging sensor.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensors
comprise a LADAR device.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein said dust area prioritizing
system comprises a plurality of environment data.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein said dust area prioritizing
system determines an appropriate dust area priority based on said
plurality of dust area information, said determined dust area map,
and said plurality of environment data; and wherein said computing
device instructs said plurality of dust mitigation equipment to
perform a dust mitigation.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the planner coordinates with the
overall site planner to deconflict the dust mitigation equipment
and the other equipment such as haul trucks.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates in general to autonomous
systems, and, more specifically, to an autonomous dust mitigation
in mining and construction applications system.
COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent application may
contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The owner
has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the
patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
[0003] Certain marks referenced herein may be common law or
registered trademarks of third parties affiliated or unaffiliated
with the applicant or the assignee. Use of these marks is by way of
example and should not be construed as descriptive or to limit the
scope of this invention to material associated only with such
marks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The creation of dust in mining and construction operations
is a known hazard to both personnel and the environment. Personnel
can inhale the dust or have the dust get into their eyes, and the
dust itself could be carrying pathogens that can cause infections
and disease. The dust can also spread across the environment,
affecting plant and animal life in the area and settling into
bodies of water where it can cause contamination. Such dust may
also cause problems for the equipment on mining and construction
sites by getting into the engines and clogging the filters and
joints of the various machinery. Especially in instances where
autonomous trucks are used in such applications, it is important to
understand how the dust affects the trucks' particular autonomous
system sensors. For example, dust comes in different particulate
sizes, which affects the laser detection and ranging (LADAR)
systems and cameras differently, depending on the frequencies,
sizes of receptors, beam divergences, and distances. Two dust
clouds that are indistinguishable from a human standpoint, can
affect autonomous systems quite differently. The dust can also
obscure pedestrians or cliff edges, and so mining and construction
operations use a variety of methods to mitigate such dust.
[0005] One common method for dust suppression involves the use of
trucks to spray water over the site that congeals the dust and
prevents it from becoming airborne. Such a technique is considered
cheap and effective, though carries with it the risk of
overwatering a site and creating mud, which can entrap equipment
and personnel, and causing toxic or otherwise hazardous runoff
Moreover, some dust may or may not dissipate by wetting the
surface, and other dust may require spraying or misting of the
area.
[0006] Another method of dust mitigation involves applying mulch
and vegetation to the area to protect exposed dirt from wind and
water erosion. Although this method is environmentally friendly, it
still requires that watering of the flora be performed to maintain
the protection, and overwatering can result in erosion anyway. This
technique can be very effective though carries with it a higher
cost of implementation, since birds can eat up freshly applied
seeds and many of the seeds may not implant anyway.
[0007] Yet other methods of dust mitigation involve plowing the
sites with tills to create rough terrain, which reduces dust
creation by almost 80%, or applying stones over the sites so that
dust is not kicked up by equipment traversing loose soil. All of
these methods carry with them their own benefits and detriments,
though no dust mitigation solution has been provided that detects
and responds to dust automatically and in real time.
[0008] There is significant time and effort involved in mitigating
dust during mining and construction applications, though the widely
accepted use of water for mitigation is a solution that has several
problems. First, the application of too much water can render roads
slippery and muddy and can slow down the performance of vehicles on
the site. Second, the application of water in the wrong areas may
just waste time and resources and may not address the dust problem.
Even if a road creates dust when travelled, there may be areas of
the road that need to be wet though others that need to remain dry
for traction or other purposes. Adding water in some areas may
create runoff, thereby wasting time or creating environmental
problems. Finally, some areas of a site can create dust but are not
being traversed by vehicles, and, therefore, may not need
mitigation with water.
[0009] Thus, there is a need in the art for an autonomous dust
mitigation in mining and construction applications system. Dust
mitigation can benefit from having sensors measure the need and the
effectiveness of the operation, and a more effective mitigation
system includes sensing of the dust. It is to these ends that the
present invention has been developed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] To minimize the limitations in the prior art, and to
minimize other limitations that will be apparent upon reading and
understanding the present specification, the present invention
describes an autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction
applications system.
[0011] It is an objective of the present invention to provide an
autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction applications
system that receives a plurality of detected inputs relating to
dust on a work site.
[0012] It is another objective of the present invention to provide
an autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction
applications system that interprets detected inputs relating to
dust on a work site to generate a list of dust areas.
[0013] It is another objective of the present invention to provide
an autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction
applications system that can assign priorities to detected dust
areas.
[0014] It is another objective of the present invention to provide
an autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction
applications system that assigns priorities to dust areas based on
dust severity.
[0015] It is another objective of the present invention to provide
an autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction
applications system that assigns priorities to dust areas based on
area usage.
[0016] It is another objective of the present invention to provide
an autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction
applications system that can dispatch dust mitigation equipment to
high priority dust areas.
[0017] These and other advantages and features of the present
invention are described herein with specificity so as to make the
present invention understandable to one of ordinary skill in the
art, both with respect to how to practice the present invention and
how to make the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Elements in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to
scale in order to enhance their clarity and improve understanding
of these various elements and embodiments of the invention.
Furthermore, elements that are known to be common and well
understood to those in the industry are not depicted in order to
provide a clear view of the various embodiments of the
invention.
[0019] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the basic autonomous dust
mitigation system.
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates that the dust detection sensors can be
mounted at fixed locations.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in
nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or
the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used
herein, the word "exemplary" or "illustrative" means "serving as an
example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation described
herein as "exemplary" or "illustrative" is not necessarily to be
construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations.
All of the implementations described below are exemplary
implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to
make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended
to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the
claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any
expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical
field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed
description. It is also to be understood that the specific devices
and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described
in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of
the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence,
specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to
the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as
limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
[0022] The present invention uses sensors installed on manned and
unmanned vehicles to qualify how the particular dust cloud is
affecting a vehicle, and to determine if such an effect interferes
with the operation of the vehicle. For example, heavy dust may be
present, but it may not deteriorate the performance of the vehicle.
On the other hand, light dust may be present, but this dust may be
occurring at frequencies that render the vehicle's autonomous
systems blind.
[0023] The invention measures the levels of dust detected by the
sensors, computes if the levels of dust can affect the performance
of the system, and, in the case where the effect warrants the use
of water to mitigate the issue, invokes a water dispensing vehicle
or sprinklers in needed areas. Both the sensing vehicle and the
water vehicle can be autonomous or manned.
[0024] The illustration of FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an
autonomous dust mitigation in mining and construction applications
system, as contemplated by the present disclosure.
[0025] One method for detecting dust is the single return laser
detection and ranging (LADAR), which can see dust as the first
return signal sent back to the system. The LADAR hits the surface
or edge of the dust cloud, and the dust cloud can be
morphologically classified using size, volume, and various movement
parameters.
[0026] Another method for detecting dust is by multi-return LADAR,
which can partially penetrate through the dust, and, in some cases,
can fully penetrate through the dust. As an example, the multiple
returns of a single beam can be classified as dust when they return
multiple ranges for the same beam. A solid object, in comparison,
provides a single range for each beam.
[0027] Cameras, such as electro-optical sensor or infrared cameras,
can also see some dust. There are cloud classification algorithms
that can correctly classify the dust using the color, size, and
texture of particles detected.
[0028] When dust is dense enough, LADARs tend to bloom. The
diffracted energy sent into the dust is reflected back to the
sensor, usually within the minimum range of the sensor, and tends
to overwhelm, or saturate, the receivers, or cause crosstalk in
systems with multiple receiver elements. This blooming can be used
as a strong indicator that dust is present.
[0029] As the energy radiated by the LADAR bounces off a dust cloud
very close to the receiver, the receivers are triggered at very
short distances. These very short distances are usually faster than
the internal time counters in the LADAR can measure, therefore
triggering a "too close" error on the LADAR for each beam embedded
in the cloud.
[0030] Redundancy of a variety of sensor combinations. Radio
detection and ranging (RADAR) can see through most dust clouds,
while and LADAR does not. Therefore, if a combination of these
sensors covers the area where the dust cloud is located, the RADAR
will show it as transparent and the LADAR will provide returns as
if it were solid. These discrepancies between redundant sensors can
also be used to detect dust. The redundancy is not only between
LADAR and RADAR, but it can also be between two LADARs of different
frequencies, a camera and RADAR combination, or any other
appropriate combination.
[0031] As the dust is detected, the location of the dust can be
determined and stored. The volume and other characteristics of the
dust can also be stored such as, for example, density, particulate
size, size of cloud, distance from the ground, and other relevant
parameters. LADAR can also be used to determine the support
surface, as well as the inclination of the ground. If the system
detecting the dust is also an autonomous system, it can provide
measurements that indicate how the dust, at different locations, is
affecting the autonomous system, and may store this
information.
[0032] A number of key measurements may affect the performance and
safety of the system. As the dust gets denser, less energy will be
able to penetrate and reflect from the ground and the distance at
which the support surface can be determined is affected. Therefore,
the area where the vehicles can determine the support surface for
their wheels becomes smaller as the vehicle drives along. For
example, a truck may be able to determine its support surface using
a LADAR 50 meters in front of the driving area. In a dusty
environment, the same system may only be allowed to determine the
support surface at 20 meters in front of the vehicle. Depending on
the application or the specific environment, 20 meters may or may
not be enough. If the maximum speed in the area is less than 5 mph,
the vehicle without a load may be able to brake in time if a ditch
on the road is detected within the 20 meters. However, if the
vehicle is fully loaded and driving at 60 mph, 20 meters may not be
sufficient to stop, and, therefore, the vehicle will be unsafe to
drive in the dust.
[0033] The distance at which dynamic obstacles are detected,
classified, and predicted may also be affected by dust. As with the
performance of safety systems, this measurement can be used to
compare the reduced sensing and prediction characteristics of the
vehicle in dust against the rules of the particular
application.
[0034] The distance at which static obstacles are detected and
classified may also be affected by dust. The distance at which
these obstacles are detected and classified is negatively affected
by dust. Measuring how much they are affected by the dust and how
this affects the performance of the vehicle becomes important to
assess safety within the application.
[0035] It is important to note that, to minimize water usage, it
becomes important to track the effects of the dust to the
parameters of the autonomous system as it relates to the particular
application.
[0036] The invention can be decomposed in two parts: data
collection and mitigation effects. During the data collection
phase, one or more trucks collect information on the location of
the dust, the characteristics of the dust, and the safety
assessment. The safety assessment presented above can take into
consideration many variables of the user and area, however, simple
assessments exist where the user or system may decide to water
areas that are above a certain threshold of dust in the many of the
measurements taken, or even to use time as a factor in the decision
to water an area.
[0037] The information collected is stored in a database. The
database is then accessed by a dust mitigation planner algorithm.
The dust mitigation planner is an optimization algorithm that
generates trajectories and water mitigation needs around the area
being groomed. The algorithm can take into consideration a variety
of inputs, including the status of the water delivery trucks, as
well as all the information collected in the database.
[0038] Optimization can be performed a variety of ways, including
simple programming, dynamic programming, and genetic algorithms.
The space of optimization can include the cost of the water, cost
of reduced performance, chances of losing traction, as well as a
large number of utility parameters in the optimization area. Once
the optimization is performed, the trucks are sent to water the
specified areas.
[0039] While the invention has been described m connection with
what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred
embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be
limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is
intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements
included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic of the autonomous dust mitigation
system in which there are sensors (100) which can be mobile or
stationary. These sensors (100) are used to detect the location and
dust that is present which is then compared to the dust mapping
database. This information is passed along to the dust mitigation
planner which looks at the area usage and dust priorities and give
trajectories and operation parameters to the dust mitigation
equipment controller which is then passed onto the dust mitigation
equipment (101, 102).
[0041] FIG. 2 shows that the dust detection sensors (200) can be
mounted at fixed locations. These sensors (200) can also be mounted
to haul trucks, dust mitigation equipment (201, 202), or other
vehicles at the site.
[0042] The autonomous dust mitigation system used in mining and
construction applications comprises a plurality of sensors, a
computing device, a dust area mapping system, a dust area
prioritizing system, and a plurality of dust mitigation
equipment.
[0043] The system that is described in the present invention has a
plurality of sensors that detect a plurality of dusty area
information and the plurality of dust area information includes
size, speed, direction, height, relative height, position, and
relative position. The plurality of sensors transmit the detect
plurality of dust area information to said computing device and the
dust area mapping system is installed on the computing device.
Also, the dust area mapping system interprets the detected
plurality of dust area information to determine a dust area map.
Also, the dust area prioritizing system is installed on said
computing device and determines an appropriate dust area based on
plurality of dust area information and determined dust area map.
The computing device instructs the plurality of dust mitigation
equipment to perform a dust mitigation.
[0044] The system that is disclosed in the present invention has a
plurality of sensors that comprise a LADAR device.
[0045] Laser Detection and Ranging (LADAR) refers to a surveying
method that measures distance to a target by illuminating the
target with laser light and measuring the reflected light with a
sensor. Differences in laser return times and wavelengths can then
be used to make digital 3-D representations of the target.
[0046] In another embodiment, the system has a plurality of sensors
that comprise a stereo camera. A stereo camera is a type of camera
with two or more lenses with a separate image sensor or film frame
for each lens. This allows the camera to simulate human binocular
vision, and therefore gives it the ability to capture
three-dimensional images, a process known as stereo
photography.
[0047] In yet another embodiment, the system has a plurality of
sensors that comprise a ranging sensor. A ranging sensor requires
no physical contact with the object being detected. This type of
sensor allows a robot to see an obstacle without actually having to
come into contact with it.
[0048] In the system described by the present invention, the dust
area prioritizing system comprises a plurality of environment data.
Also, the dust area prioritizing system determines an appropriate
dust area priority based on the plurality of dust area information,
determined dust area map, and plurality of environment data and the
computing device instructs said plurality of dust mitigation
equipment to perform a dust mitigation.
[0049] In this system that is described in the present invention,
the planner coordinates with the overall site planner to deconflict
the mitigation equipment and the other equipment such as haul
trucks.
[0050] Areas to be treated include haul roads, access roads, stock
piles, and open areas. Watering road sis the most common method
used for haul road dust control. Surfactants or wetting agents can
be added to the water to extend its life as a dust control agent.
Slat solutions are commonly mixed with water and used for haul road
dust control. Petroleuyjm resins are generally engineered products
or byproducts of lubrication oil manufacturing. Polymers include
acrylics and vineyls, which are chemical additives, mixed with
water to form a diluted solution, then applied to the road surface
topically. Adhesives are compounds, solutions, formulas, etc. that
are mixed with the soil surface to form a new road surface.
* * * * *