Task Planner for Autonomous Excavator Considering Work Environment

The earthwork is essential procedure for all construction projects. Because of its importance in terms of cost and time, it should be managed effectively. In light of this, an automated excavation system is being developed by a research consortium formed in Korea to improve productivity, quality, and safety of the conventional earthwork. This paper presents the excavation task planner for autonomous excavator which was devised to incorporate the intelligence of the construction planner and the skilled operator into the robotic control mechanism of the automated excavation system. The structure of the task planner has been designed in harmony with the sensing and the control schemes of the automated excavation system. The algorithms for the excavator’s path considering dump trunk and obstacles were developed.