Measure-up processes that enable positioning a tip of a bucket of an excavator
Measure-up processes described herein provide data that enable three-dimensional (3D) positioning of a tip of a bucket of an excavator. The processes may include steps of curling a bucket of the excavator in and out, moving a stick of the excavator in and out, and moving the bucket so that it touches a point at different bucket angles. During each of the steps, data is generated using a tilt compensating survey pole and one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs).
1 . A method for performing a measure-up process on an excavator, the measure-up process used to provide data that enables three-dimensional (3D) positioning of a tip of a bucket of the excavator, the method comprising:
curling the bucket of the excavator a first time between a fully out position and a fully in position multiple times, with a tilt compensating survey pole mounted to the bucket and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) coupled to a dog bone, the dog bone being part of a linkage between the bucket and a stick of the excavator;
moving the stick of the excavator in toward a cab of the excavator and out away from the cab of the excavator multiple times, with the tilt compensating survey pole coupled to the stick and the IMU coupled to the dog bone;
curling the bucket of the excavator a second time between the fully out position and the fully in position multiple times, with the tilt compensating survey pole coupled to the stick and the IMU coupled to the dog bone; and
moving the bucket so that the tip of the bucket touches a point at multiple different bucket angles, with the tilt compensating survey pole coupled to the stick and the IMU coupled to the dog bone, wherein the point is at a known position;
wherein the data is generated using position measurements obtained using the tilt compensating survey pole, orientation and angular rate measurements obtained using the tilt compensating survey pole, IMU measurements obtained using the IMU, a distance from the tip of the bucket to a pivot point between the stick and the bucket, a lateral distance between a centerline of the stick and a phase center of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna of the tilt compensating survey pole, and a width of the tip of the bucket,
wherein the position measurements are obtained while performing the step of moving the bucket, and
wherein the orientation and angular rate measurements and the IMU measurements are obtained while performing the steps of curling the bucket the first time, moving the stick of the excavator, curling the bucket the second time, and moving the bucket.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the stick of the excavator is static while curling the bucket the first time.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the tilt compensating survey pole includes sensors for performing the orientation and angular rate measurements and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver for performing the position measurements.
4 . The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a position of the point using the tilt compensating survey pole.
5 . An implement guidance system comprising the 3D positioning of the tip of the bucket configured to perform the method according to claim 1 .
6 . An excavator system having an implement guidance system, the implement guidance system comprising the 3D positioning of the tip of the bucket configured to perform the method according to claim 1 .