Process for reliable detection of the top edge of the heading face of a pile of product(s) for animal feeding, from an extraction vehicle and such a vehicle for implementing said process

A process for reliable detection of a top edge of a heading face of a pile of product(s) for animal feeding, from an extraction vehicle comprising a chassis supporting, at the front of said vehicle, an extraction arm that is mobile vertically and equipped with an extraction tool, the vehicle also comprising at least two measurement sensors each oriented toward the front of the vehicle along a measurement axis that passes alongside the extraction tool and an electronic processing unit, said method comprising:

• in a first phase:
• positioning the vehicle in front of the heading face so that the extraction tool is facing the heading face,
• in a second phase:
• of continuously controlling the upward motion of the extraction arm while vertically scanning the plane of the heading face with the axes of measurement in a manner coordinated with the motion of the extraction arm in order to detect the top edge at the moment when the extraction tool reaches or approximately reaches the height of it and while constantly taking, according to a predetermined frequency, using each measurement sensor, a one-time measurement supplying all-or-nothing information, said all-or-nothing information indicating a presence or absence of target on the corresponding axis of measurement, as said information indicating the absence of target corresponding to said detection of the top edge,
• in a third phase:
• as soon as at least any information is acquired indicating the absence of target, ordering the motion of the extraction arm to stop,
• in a last phase:
• ordering the actuation of the extraction tool for extraction.