Device for computing the excavated soil volume using structured light vision system and method thereof

A method of computing an excavated soil volume using structured light, comprising:

• a first step of a control sensor unit, provided at hinge points of an excavator arm, outputting a relative location and a bent angle of the excavator arm to a microcontroller;
• a second step of computing a 3D location of a bucket of the excavator using the relative location and the bent angle, and then adjusting a camera and an illumination module so as to capture a work area of the bucket;
• a third step of, when excavation is performed by the excavator, turning on the illumination module so as to radiate light onto the work area of the bucket, and acquiring images of the work area using a structured light module;
• and
• a fourth step of computing an excavated soil volume by comparing ground shapes based on the obtained images of the work area.

A device for computing an excavated soil volume using structured light, comprising:

• an illumination module configured to include at least one lamp for projecting structured light, which is coded patterned light, onto a work area;
• a structured light module configured to include a camera for capturing reflected light of the projected patterned light from the work area;
• and
• a microcontroller configured to compute an excavated soil volume in the work area using the captured reflected light.