At Bauma, Doosan demonstrated ‘TeleOperation’ of the company‘s new DX225LC-7X ‘Smart’ crawler excavator working in the Demo Area on the stand.
Doosan defines TeleOperation as the operation of construction equipment from a remote station. At the last Bauma, Doosan created one of the highlights of the show, when the company provided the first demonstration of 5G technology for worldwide TeleOperation of construction machines. This entailed operating a Doosan DX380LC-5 40 tonne crawler excavator located over 8500 km away in South Korea, from an operator’s booth on the Bauma stand in Munich.
One of the reasons for the huge distance between the machine and operator at Bauma 2019 was the lack of availability of 5G technology at the time in Europe. Three years on, 5G is now fully implemented in Europe so at this year’s show, visitors were able to see all of the parts of the operatlon live on the stand, with the DX225LC-7X being teleoperated by an operator in a booth in the Innovation Center.
Doosan’s First ‘Smart’ Crawler Excavator
As Doosan’s first Smart crawler excavator, the DX225LC-7X is designed to help operators work faster and more efficiently. The DX225LC-7X offers a number of exciting features as standard, including Full Electric Hydraulic (FEH) technology. As well as the FEH system, other standard features of the DX225LC-7X include integrated 2D machine guidance and machine control systems, as well as an e-Fence Virtual Wall. In the latest development, the DX225LC-7X is now 3D Trimble-ready and Engcon ready as standard from the factory. Once the machine has been delivered to the customer, they can simply contact their local Trimble dealer for a 3D extension, as well as their local Engcon dealer to install a tiltrotator.
Machine Guidance and Machine Control
The integrated machine guidance system on the DX225LC-7X uses sensors mounted on the front and body to recognize the location of each working device and inform/guide it for the operator. Feedback to the operator is provided through audio and visual displays which allow improved control of the machine in relation to the intended or designed direction of travel.
There are three major Machine Control functions, and they can be activated by pushing the appropriate function button:
- Grade Assist
- Lift Assist and Weighing system
- Virtual e-fence – to limit the excavator with the maximum height/depth/reach and swing angle in both directions.
Full Electric Hydraulic (FEH) Technology
Full Electric Hydraulic (FEH) technology is similar to the D-ECOPOWER VBO (virtual bleed off) system now incorporated on the standard DX225LC-7 model and all Doosan crawler excavators from the DX300LC-7 and above. In effect, the FEH is a VBO system without pilot pressure lines. The joysticks and pedals are fully electric, but give the operator the same feeling as hydraulic joysticks.
In the FEH system, an electric signal is sent to the central controller and as such is more precise and provides faster information. Back pressure and energy loss are therefore eliminated, by delivering the exact amount of oil needed. As the system does not utilise pilot pressure, energy is saved and there is a resultant fuel saving.
In fact, the FEH system offers a significant 8% less fuel burn compared to the D-ECOPOWER VBO system. This is on top of the 7% decrease in fuel consumption already achieved in the standard DX225LC-7, compared to the previous DX225LC-5 model.
