Editor's Note: This story was updated August 1, 2023.
Develon, formerly Doosan Infracore, showed off the latest version of its industry-first Transparent Bucket technology for its DL-7 Series wheel loaders.
The system enables the operator to “see through” the bucket to the other side on the cab’s monitor. The system was first introduced by Doosan in 2021. Now as Develon, the company unveiled version 2 of the system at ConExpo 2023. The video above shows the ConExpo demonstration of the latest version of the Transparent Bucket for the DL-7 wheel loaders.
The device uses two cameras and forward projection to remove blind spots for operators whose vision would otherwise be obstructed by a raised bucket. And it alerts the operator to any people or obstacles on the other side of the bucket. The image behind the bucket shows up on the in-cab monitor as the two camera views are merged together into one.
The video also demonstrates Develon’s Smart Around View Monitoring for the DL-7 loaders.
This system uses three cameras and sensors to give a view behind the wheel loader of 270 degrees and alerts operators on the in-cab monitor to any obstacles or people nearby.
“If there’s an object eight to 12 feet behind the machine, a flashing green caution box will appear, notifying the wheel loader operator,” says Bill Zak, wheel loader product manager. “A yellow caution box will show up if the object is four to eight feet and a red triangle and red border notification if the object is closer than four feet.”
Both of the systems work together to help improve jobsite safety, Develon says. The Transparent Bucket also helps productivity by providing a forward view during loading and unloading and when carrying a load.
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ConExpo announcer:
Develon’s industry exclusive transparent bucket technology. It is available on the Dash 7 series wheel loaders. This particular DL320-7 is running version 2 of this technology, the very latest version, and it will be available soon.
So we all know that there's a big blind spot in front of the wheel loader. The machine uses two forward facing cameras. One is right in the middle of the front axle in between the two front wheels. The other one is up high on the cab. And essentially these two images kind of work just like our eyes; they stitch the two images together. And then the obstacle in the blind spot, in this case it's me, shows up on the screen. And this on the big screen is a replication of exactly what the operator sees on his screen in the cab. it gives him an opportunity to see what he cannot see with his own eyes.
The other thing about this technology on this particular machine is what's called Around View Monitoring or AVM. And in this case, it's an even higher level than that. It's SAVM, or Smart Around View Monitor. Whenever he puts the machine into reverse – he's going to hold it there. As you can see, there are three cameras and some sensors up on that bar on the rear of the machine. Now I show up as an obstacle, and a red triangle, that indicates danger. Also, the red border around the screen tells the operator in the cab there's a dangerous situation, an obstacle behind him, and he will see that very display on his screen in the cab.
There are three cameras, as I mentioned, and they all combine to form that one single image for the operator, very much like what you would find on the sensors in your automobile. And all these technologies come together to promote better jobsite safety all the way around.
