WO2025008566A1

WO2025008566A1 - Transfer vehicle, system and method for guiding a vehicle into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2025008566A1
Application number: PCT/FI2024/050244
Authority: WO
Inventors: Teijo HÖYLÄ
Original assignee: Sleipner Finland Oy
Current assignee: Sleipner Finland Oy
Priority date: 2023-07-06
Filing date: 2024-05-20
Publication date: 2025-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 2026-01-06

Abstract

The invention relates to a transfer vehicle (10) comprising a frame a cargo space (40) attached to the frame for a vehicle to be transferred (20) to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle (10), a ramp (45) that leads to the cargo space (40), and geopositioning means for determining a position of the transfer vehicle (10), wherein the geopositioning means comprises at least two geopositioning devices (50) for determining a position and an orientation of the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10). The invention also relates to a system and to a method for guiding a vehicle (20) into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle (10).

Description

TRANSFER VEHICLE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GUIDING A VEHICLE INTO A CARGO SPACE OF A TRANSFER VEHICLE

The invention relates to a transfer vehicle comprising a frame, a cargo space attached to the frame for a vehicle to be transferred to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle, a ramp that leads to the cargo space, and geopositioning means for determining a position of the transfer vehicle. The invention also relates to a system and to a method for guiding a vehicle into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle.

Autonomous vehicles, for example drill rigs like the Sandvik DR412i AutoMine Surface Drilling rig, are currently used in mining areas. Autonomous vehicles according to the prior art comprise a guidance system for guiding a vehicle based on geographic data provided by a geolocalization system such as GPS. For example, it is possible to determine route points for an autonomous drill rig based on coordinates determined for drilling sites, wherein the drill rig autonomously navigates from one drilling site to another according to the route points.

For long distances, drill rigs and other heavy machinery are typically transferred in mining areas using a separate transfer vehicle. The transfer vehicle can be a self-propelled transfer vehicle or a trailer towed by a separate towing vehicle. However, the autonomous vehicles according to the prior art are not able to drive autonomously into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle, so that guiding a vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle requires the presence of a human being, or the autonomous vehicle needs to comprise a complex guidance system for this purpose, for example based on cameras and/or lidars. For example, the patent publication AU 2023200477 Al discloses an autonomous vehicle which is configured to drive autonomously into the cargo space of a trailer. The vehicle in question comprises perception means for perceiving the contours of the transfer vehicle, which perception means comprise distance sensors and cameras. The solution according to the prior art is problematic due to its high cost and error- proneness stemming from the complexity of the system.

The object of the invention is to provide a transfer vehicle, a system and a method with which a vehicle can be guided into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle more easily and more reliably. The characteristic features of a system according to the invention are set out in the attached patent claim 1, the characteristic features of a system according to the invention are set out in the attached patent claim 6, and the characteristic features of a method according to the invention are set out in the attached patent claim 11.

A transfer vehicle according to the invention comprises a frame, a cargo space attached to the frame for a vehicle to be transferred to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle, a ramp that leads to the cargo space, and geopositioning means for determining a position of the transfer vehicle. The geopositioning means comprise at least two geopositioning devices for determining a position and an orientation of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle.

Modern transfer vehicles can comprise geopositioning means for determining a position of the transfer vehicle. It is surprising, however, to arrange two or more geopositioning devices in a transfer vehicle. This gives rise to the advantage that it is possible to determine, in addition to positional data, also an orientation of the transfer vehicle. The positional and orientational data can thus be used to guide the vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle. Determining the orientation is important because the vehicle to be transferred can only be loaded onto the transfer vehicle from one direction via the ramp of the transfer vehicle. The transfer vehicle according to the invention does not require lidar or other complex systems to load the vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle, but loading can occur based solely on the position and the orientation determined by the geopositioning system, so that the transfer vehicle is simpler, more reliable and cost-efficient. When the geometry of the transfer vehicle is known, the position and the orientation of the cargo space can be determined based on measurement data of the geopositioning means.

Preferably, the transfer vehicle includes wheels for supporting the frame on a substrate, and lifting means for lowering the cargo space in order to move the vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space. This allows the transfer vehicle to be moved by means of the wheels while a loading of the vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle can be facilitated by lowering the cargo space.

In one embodiment of the invention, the geopositioning means comprises three geopositioning devices for determining a position and an orientation of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle. The transfer vehicle can comprise only two geopositioning devices with which an orientation of the transfer vehicle can be determined, but in this case there can be a 180-degree error in orientation when the vehicle to be transferred is guided into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle. In this case, it is possible to use, for example, human verification or a sensing system for the case where the vehicle to be transferred approaches the transfer vehicle at an angle that is incorrect by 180 degrees, so that the route of the vehicle to be transferred can be corrected. With three geopositioning devices, it is possible to eliminate this potential 180-degree error, so that the correct direction from which the vehicle to be transferred must drive onto the ramp can be identified with certainty. In other words, it is possible with three geopositioning devices to determine, for example, a front side and a rear side, where the ramp can be located, of the transfer vehicle.

In one embodiment of the invention, the geopositioning means comprises two geopositioning devices for determining a position of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle and a gyroscope for determining an orientation of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle. The aforementioned potential 180-degree error can thereby be eliminated in an alternative manner.

In one embodiment, the geopositioning means comprises two geopositioning devices for determining a position of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle and software means for determining an orientation of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle based on a previous route of the transfer vehicle.

The geopositioning devices can be satellite geopositioning devices, preferably GPS geopositioning devices. A position and an orientation of the transfer vehicle can thereby be determined in open terrain, such as an open pit. It is also possible to use a geopositioning system built into the mine.

A system according to the invention for guiding a vehicle into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle includes a vehicle to be transferred which comprises geopositioning means for determining a position of the vehicle and a guidance system for guiding the vehicle based on positional data provided by the geopositioning means and route points entered into the guidance system, and a transfer vehicle for transferring the vehicle to be transferred. The transfer vehicle is any one of the transfer vehicles described in the foregoing, and the system comprises software means with which a route point generated from the position and the orientation of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle is configured to be entered into the guidance system of the transfer vehicle. This allows the position and the orientation of the transfer vehicle according to the invention to be entered into an existing guidance system of the vehicle to be transferred, so that the vehicle to be transferred can be easily guided into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle. Thanks to the determination of the orientation of the transfer vehicle, the vehicle to be transferred can be guided so as to travel along the ramp of the transfer vehicle into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle from the correct direction.

Preferably, the vehicle to be transferred is configured to approach the transfer vehicle from a designated direction in order to load it into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle in order to transport the vehicle to be transferred in an automated manner. The loading of the vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle thus does not require the presence of a human being.

Preferably, the vehicle to be transferred is a drill rig with a tracked chassis. Long transfers of tracked drill rigs are particularly problematic, because a transfer speed of a tracked drill rig is very low and long transfers subject a tracked chassis to considerable wear. The vehicle to be transferred can also be any other machine equipped with a wheeled or tracked chassis such as, for example, an autonomously guided bulldozer or even a tank.

In one embodiment, the vehicle to be transferred includes geopositioning means for a vehicle to be transferred, based on which the vehicle to be transferred is configured to move autonomously to designated route points. It is possible with the system according to the invention to load an autonomous vehicle into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle entirely without the presence of a human being.

Preferably, the system further includes a satellite geopositioning station for generating a geopositioning corrective signal in order to improve a precision of the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle and/or of the geopositioning means of the vehicle to be transferred. Real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) can be employed to improve a geopositioning precision. This means using a fixed base station which provides real-time corrections to a mobile receiver, resulting in a geopositioning with centimetre precision.

In a method according to the invention for guiding a vehicle into a cargo space of a transfer vehicle, wherein the vehicle to be transferred comprises geopositioning means for determining a position of the vehicle and a guidance system for guiding the vehicle based on positional data provided by the geopositioning means and route points entered into the guidance system, the position of the vehicle to be transferred is determined by the geopositioning means of the vehicle to be transferred, the vehicle to be transferred is driven into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle and is transferred to a designated position on board the transfer vehicle. A transfer vehicle as described in the foregoing is employed in the method and, in the method, a position and an orientation of the transfer vehicle is determined by geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle, a virtual route point is generated from the position and the orientation of the transfer vehicle for the vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle, the virtual route point is set as destination in the guidance system of the vehicle to be transferred, and a route is determined for the vehicle to be transferred that leads to the destination, and the vehicle to be transferred is guided along the determined route into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle. The vehicle to be transferred can thereby be loaded into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle in a simpler and more reliable manner using only the positional and orientational data generated by the geopositioning system.

The transfer vehicle can drive close to the vehicle to be transferred, preferably to less than 100 m away, and the transfer vehicle is stopped prior to the generation of the virtual route point. The vehicle to be transferred thus does not have to travel far.

It is possible to determine, with the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle, at least one virtual route point, preferably two virtual route points, outside the transfer vehicle which are aligned with the virtual route point formed in the cargo space of the transfer vehicle and a longitudinal centreline of the frame of the transfer vehicle. A route can thereby be determined for the vehicle to be transferred with which the vehicle to be transferred approaches the cargo space of the transfer vehicle in a straight line from the right direction. At least one virtual route point can be at a selected distance from the cargo space, which distance can preferably be at least 5 metres, more preferably at least 10 metres. This allows the vehicle to be transferred to be guided so as to adopt an orientation outside the cargo space that is in line with the longitudinal centreline of the frame of the transfer vehicle and thus also with the longitudinal centreline of the cargo space, so that the transfer vehicle can be arranged so as to drive into the cargo space of the transfer vehicle from the correct direction.

Preferably, a geometry of the transfer vehicle is determined relative to an arrangement of the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle, and a position and an orientation of the transfer vehicle are subsequently determined with the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle. More specifically, a position of the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle is determined relative to the cargo space. This allows the position of the cargo space of the transfer vehicle to be determined relative to the arrangement of the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle, so that it is possible to determine a route point for the vehicle to be transferred, for example at the centre of the cargo space.

The invention is described in detail in the following with reference to the attached drawings illustrating embodiments of the invention, wherein

Figure 1 illustrates an autonomous drill rig configured to move in drilling areas along a route defined by preset route points,

Figure 2 illustrates a transfer vehicle according to the invention, Figure 3 illustrates a system according to the invention for loading a vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space of a transfer vehicle.

Figure 1 illustrates an autonomous drill rig, which constitutes the vehicle to be transferred 20 in this example. In the system according to the invention, the vehicle to be transferred 20 is configured to move in drilling areas along a route 90 defined by preset route points 80. The vehicle 20 to be transferred comprises geopositioning means 62 for determining a position of the vehicle 20 and a guidance system for guiding the vehicle 20 based on positional data provided by the geopositioning means 62 and route points 80 entered into the guidance system. The geopositioning means 62 here comprises a satellite geopositioning device, which is in communication with satellites 97 in order to determine a position of the vehicle 20.

The vehicle to be transferred 20 is generally supported on a substrate by wheels or tracks 60 as is the case here, on which tracks 60 the vehicle 20 moves on the substrate in a self-propelled manner.

The guidance system of the vehicle to be transferred 20 can utilize a separate satellite geopositioning station 100 in order to generate a geopositioning corrective signal in order to improve a precision of the geopositioning means 62 of the vehicle to be transferred 20. This allows the position of route points 80 and of the vehicle 20 to be determined with a precision of up to +/- 2 cm. An RTK positioning is employed here, which uses a carrier wave to determine a position. The satellite geopositioning station 100 is in communication with the satellites 97 via a geopositioning antenna 95 and trans- mits the carrier wave to the geopositioning means of the vehicle 20 via a transmitting antenna 96.

Figure 2 illustrates a transfer vehicle 10 according to the invention. The transfer vehicle 10 includes a frame to which a cargo space 40 configured to receive the vehicle to be transferred 20 is attached. The frame comprises a first end and a second end here, which are joined together by an articulated joint. In other words, the transfer vehicle is thus frame-steered. The wheels, here front wheels 31 and rear wheels 32, support the frame on a substrate, and the transfer vehicle 10 moves on the substrate on the wheels. The front wheels 31 are arranged in the first end of the frame, and the rear wheels 32 are arranged in the second end of the frame. The transfer vehicle 10 here comprises a power unit arranged in the first end of the frame for transmitting power to the front wheels 31 in order to move the transfer vehicle. The transfer vehicle 10 here is thus self-propelled, although the transfer vehicle according to the invention can also be a trailer pulled by a separate towing vehicle in another embodiment .

The transfer vehicle 10 comprises lifting means 35 with which the cargo space 40 can be lowered in order to transfer the vehicle to be transferred into the cargo space 40. The lifting means 35 here are arranged in the suspension of the rear wheels 32, so that the rear end 41 of the cargo space 40 can be lowered close to the substrate, preferably into contact with the substrate, by the lifting means. The rear end 41 of the cargo space 40 further comprises a ramp 45 along which the vehicle 20 to be transferred can easily drive into the cargo space 40 when the rear end 41 of the cargo space 40 is lowered. The lifting means 35 are not essential for the realization of the transfer vehicle 10 according to the invention, but they facilitate the loading of the vehicle to be transferred 20 into the cargo space 40.

The transfer vehicle 10 further comprises geopositioning means for determining a position of the transfer vehicle. The geopositioning means here comprises three geopositioning devices 50 for determining a position and an orientation of the cargo space 20 of the transfer vehicle 10. The geopositioning devices 50 here are satellite geopositioning devices, more specifically GPS geopositioning devices. Each geopositioning device 50 comprises a satellite geopositioning antenna, here a GPS antenna. A position of the geopositioning devices 50 is defined relative to the cargo space 40.

The transfer vehicle 10 can comprise a minimum of two geopositioning devices 50 with which a position and an orientation of the transfer vehicle 10 can be determined, although in this case a 180-degree error in a route of the vehicle 20 to be transferred is possible. It is also possible to provide more than three geopositioning devices 50.

The transfer vehicle 10 can also utilize the satellite geopositioning station 100 described in the foregoing in order to render a geopositioning of the transfer vehicle 20 more precise .

The transfer vehicle 10 can differ in terms of its dimensions from the transfer vehicle 10 shown by way of example in Figure 2. A size and load capacity of the transfer vehicle 10 can be dimensioned according to the vehicle to be transferred 20. The transfer vehicle 10 here is a self-propelled transfer vehicle 10. The transfer vehicle 10 can also be a trailer towed by a separate towing vehicle, for example a Sleipner DB Series trailer, in which geopositioning means according to the invention are arranged.

Figure 3 illustrates a system according to the invention for loading a vehicle to be transferred 20 into the cargo space 40 of a transfer vehicle 10.

When the physical dimensions of the transfer vehicle 10 are known and the position of the geopositioning devices 50 relative to the cargo space 40 is known, a position and an orientation of the cargo space 40 can be determined with precision. The transfer vehicle 10 can drive close to the vehicle to be transferred 20, preferably to less than 100 m away, and the transfer vehicle 10 is stopped. According to the method of the invention, the position and the orientation of the transfer vehicle 10 are determined by the geopositioning means 62 of the transfer vehicle 10. A virtual route point 80 in the cargo space 40 of the transfer vehicle 10 is generated from the position and the orientation of the transfer vehicle 10 for the vehicle to be transferred 10. When the physical dimensions of the cargo space 40 and the vehicle to be transferred 20 are known, the route point 80 can be positioned in the cargo space 40 so that the vehicle to be transferred 20 fits into the cargo space 40 without hitting the edges. The virtual route point 80 generated at the site of the cargo space 40 is set as destination in the guidance system of the vehicle to be transferred 20, and a route 90 is determined for the vehicle to be transferred 20 that leads to this destination. The vehicle to be transferred 20 is guided along the generated route 90 into the cargo space 40 of the transfer vehicle 10, either autonomously or with manual guidance. It should be noted that, in addition to the loading of an autonomous vehicle 20, the system according to the invention also facilitates the loading of a manually guided vehicle into the cargo space 40 of the transfer vehicle 10.

Two further virtual route points 80 are defined here by the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle 10 outside the transfer vehicle 10, which are aligned with the virtual route point 80 in the cargo space 40 of the transfer vehicle 20 and the longitudinal centreline of the frame of the transfer vehicle 10. This allows the route 90 of the vehicle to be transferred 20 to be determined so that the vehicle to be transferred 20 is guided into the cargo space 40 via a ramp 45 in a straight line, so that the vehicle to be transferred 20 hits the ramp 45 at a right angle and is placed in a desired position in the cargo space 40. To this end, the virtual route points 80 are located at a selected distance from the cargo space 40. A distance of the first virtual route point 80 from the cargo space 40 can be, for example, at least 5 metres or at least 10 metres, so that a distance of the second virtual route point 80 from the cargo space 40 can be, for example, at least 20 metres or at least 50 metres .

Claims

1. A transfer vehicle (10) comprising

- a frame

- a cargo space (40) attached to the frame for a vehicle to be transferred (20) to be loaded onto the transfer vehicle (10) ,

- a ramp (45) that leads to the cargo space (40) , and

- geopositioning means for determining a position of the transfer vehicle (10) , characterized in that the geopositioning means comprises at least two geopositioning devices (50) for determining a position and an orientation of the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) .

2. The transfer vehicle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the transfer vehicle (10) includes

- wheels (31, 32) for supporting the frame on a substrate, and

- lifting means for lowering the cargo space (40) in order to transfer the vehicle to be transferred (20) into the cargo space ( 40 ) .

3. The transfer vehicle (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the geopositioning means comprises three geopositioning devices (50) for determining a position and an orientation of the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) .

4. The transfer vehicle (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the geopositioning means comprises two geopositioning devices (50) for determining a position of the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) and a gyroscope for determining an orientation of the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) .

5. The transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the geopositioning devices (50) are satellite geopositioning devices, preferably GPS geopositioning devices.

6. A system for guiding a vehicle (20) into a cargo space (40) of a transfer vehicle (10) , wherein the system includes

- a vehicle to be transferred (20) which comprises geopositioning means for determining a position of the vehicle (20) and a guidance system for guiding the vehicle (20) based on positional data provided by the geopositioning means and route points (80) entered into the guidance system, and

- a transfer vehicle (10) for transferring the vehicle (20) to be transferred, characterized in that the transfer vehicle (10) is a transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-5, and the system comprises software means with which a route point (80) generated from the position and the orientation of the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) is configured to be entered into the guidance system of the vehicle to be transferred (20) .

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that the vehicle to be transferred (20) is configured to approach the transfer vehicle (10) from a designated direction in order to load it into the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) in order to transport the vehicle to be transferred (20) in an automated manner.

8. The system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the vehicle to be transferred (20) is a drill rig, preferably with a tracked chassis (60) .

9. The system according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that the vehicle to be transferred (20) includes geopositioning means (62) for a vehicle to be transferred (20) , based on which the vehicle to be transferred (20) is configured to move autonomously to designated route points (80) .

10. The system according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that the system (52) further includes a satellite geopositioning station (100) for generating a geopositioning corrective signal in order to improve a precision of the geopositioning means (62) of the transfer vehicle (10) and/or of the geopositioning means (62) of the vehicle to be transferred (20) .

11. A method for guiding a vehicle (20) into a cargo space (40) of a transfer vehicle (10) , wherein the vehicle to be transferred (20) comprises geopositioning means (62) for determining a position of the vehicle (20) and a guidance system for guiding the vehicle (20) based on positional data provided by the geopositioning means (62) and route points (80) entered into the guidance system, in which method

- the position of the vehicle to be transferred (20) is determined by the geopositioning means of the vehicle to be transferred (20) ,

- the vehicle to be transferred (20) is driven into the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) and is transferred to a designated site on board the transfer vehicle (10) , characterized in that the transfer vehicle (10) is a transfer vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1-5, and in that in the method

- a position and an orientation of the transfer vehicle (10) are determined by geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle (10) ,

- a virtual route point (80) is generated from the position and the orientation of the transfer vehicle (10) for the vehicle to be transferred (20) into the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) ,

- the virtual route point (80) is set as destination in the guidance system of the vehicle to be transferred (20) , and a route (90) is determined for the vehicle to be transferred (20) that leads to the destination,

- the transfer vehicle (20) is guided along the generated route (90) into the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (10) .

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the transfer vehicle (10) is driven close to the vehicle to be transferred (20) , preferably to less than 100 m away, and the transfer vehicle (10) is stopped prior to the generation of the virtual route point (80) .

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that with the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle (10) at least one virtual route point (80) , preferably two virtual route points (80) , are determined outside the transfer vehicle (10) , which are aligned with the virtual route point (80) formed in the cargo space (40) of the transfer vehicle (20) and a longitudinal centreline of the frame of the transfer vehicle (10) .

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the at least one virtual route point (80) is at a selected distance from the cargo space (40) , which distance is preferably at least 5 metres, more preferably at least 10 metres.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that a geometry of the transfer vehicle (10) is determined relative to an arrangement of the geoposition- ing means of the transfer vehicle (10) , and a position and an orientation of the transfer vehicle (10) are subsequently determined with the geopositioning means of the transfer vehicle (10) .