PONSSE Forwarder Game 1.3

Transcription

1 Table of Contents 1 Using the program Elements in the driving interface Running a training session Worksite Strip road network Timber Storage area Driving the machine Driving limits Trail point with a limited number of permitted passings One-way section on the trail Loading Load space view Unloading Reporting The content of the final report Overall performance information Driving time-specific information Report pictures Calculation principles for time usage Driving Loading and unloading Worksite editor Elements in the editor window Editing tools Editing the strip road network (Edit strip road) Setting driving limits Set passing limit Set forced driving direction Set machine position Adding and removing timber (Edit piles) Adding and removing storage areas (Edit storage areas) Area selection Zooming and panning the view Creating and editing assortments... 25

2 5 Alternative driving mode: limited site view Driving and observing Loading Selecting the driving mode Default mode of an exercise Opening the exercise in a different mode... 30

3 1 Using the program When opened, Ponsse Forwarder Game displays this empty view. First, open an existing training session or the worksite editor to create a new training session. - Opening an existing training session: Select File -> Open in the main menu - Creating a new training session: Edit -> Create new worksite - Editing an opened training session: Edit -> Edit worksite - Reviewing saved performance reports: Tools -> View reports 1

4 1.1 Elements in the driving interface 1. Worksite view This is the primary working view. 2. Map view This displays the entire worksite and the outlines of the area displayed in the worksite view. 3. Focus on worksite button This focuses the view on the worksite as shown in the picture. The view can be zoomed in or out using the mouse wheel, in which case the view focuses on the machine. 4. Turn machine button This helps in turning the machine at crossings. 5. Selecting assortments 6. Report view This displays general information during the performance. 7. Show report button 2

5 This displays a detailed interim report during the performance and a final report after the training session. The final report is opened automatically after the session. The final report can be saved but the interim report cannot. 8. Load space view This displays the load structure viewed through the log gate. One assortment unit in the terrain fills one load space cell. This can be used to reorganise the load. 2 Running a training session The task is to transfer all tree piles to designated storage areas. The training ends when all lines representing timber have been collected and unloaded at the storage area. Evaluation criteria include: Calculated time usage Driving distance Productivity The program does not pay attention to the time spent on completing the session. The program produces a performance report that indicates the calculated time usage, driving distance and productivity information, as well as load-specific reports. 3

6 2.1 Worksite Strip road network The worksite is a thinning site that is always accessed through a predefined strip road network. The strip road consists of sections connected to one another using strip road points. Each strip road is always accessed through these points Timber Timber is located by the strip road grouped into assortments. Each unit corresponds to several bundles to be loaded. The colour of the pile indicates the assortment. All assortment units have the same volume (1.0 m3). The number of loading movements/bundles it takes to load a single unit depends on the assortment. This ratio can be determined in the worksite editor when setting up the worksite. 4

7 2.1.3 Storage area Storage areas are illustrated as grey areas located usually by the forest machine road. The machine must be driven to the storage area s connection point (black dot) for unloading. It is also possible to define a specific assortment for the storage area at the planning stage. If the assortment has been defined in advance, only the specific assortment can be unloaded at the storage area. If the storage area is nameless, the first assortment unloaded will define its type. 2.2 Driving the machine When driving the machine, the program offers route suggestions forwards and backwards until the next crossing. Routes to be driven forwards are indicated by a yellow line, and those to be driven backwards are indicated by a red line. When the machine reaches a crossing, all possible route options will be displayed. 5

8 The route can be selected by moving the mouse cursor over the desired route option, after which the selected route is displayed as a wider yellow or red line, depending on the driving direction. The machine can be driven to the selected spot by clicking the primary mouse button. 6

9 When planning the driving route, note that the machine moves much more slowly backwards when the load space is more than half full. In this case, a turtle symbol is displayed at the end of the route when moving backwards. The machine can still be reversed but the performance time will be increased and an entry will be made in the performance report. An exception to this rule is the unloading phase when it is possible to reverse blindly from one pile to another without any penalties. The machine can be turned around at a crossing with the Turn Machine button below the map view. 2.3 Driving limits Trail point with a limited number of permitted passings It is possible to set a limit for a trail point, specifying the maximum times that the point in question may be passed during a single exercise. The limit is displayed as a number above the point, showing how many times it can be passed. If a limit has been set for a point, the suggested driving route will not continue over it. This has been made to avoid passing the point unintentionally. The number of permitted passings will not decrease if one returns back to the direction from which one arrived after driving to the point. A trail point that may be passed three times: Point shown in the previous figure after one passing: 7

10 When the point may only be crossed once more, the number indicating the maximum number of passings turns to red: When the maximum number of passings has been spent, the limitation turns to a cross above the trail point. After this, it is possible to drive to the point from both sides, but it can no longer be passed One-way section on the trail Exercise terrains can contain trail sections that can only be driven one way. They can, for example, represent a steep hill. One-way sections are marked in the terrain with an arrow whose head points to the permitted driving direction. 8

11 If the aim is to return via the same route, one must be careful at the beginning of the one-way trail. Returning is still possible if the machine is only partly on the arrow. If one continues further so that the machine ends up completely on the oneway section, it is no longer possible to go back. Machine partly on a one-way trail: Machine completely on a one-way trail: Driving onto a one-way trail from the direction of the arrow head is not possible. 9

12 2.4 Loading Loading is started by selecting the assortments to be loaded from the assortment list. The number in brackets next to each assortment in the list indicates how many units of the specific assortment remain. When an assortment is selected for loading, all piles of the specific assortment are highlighted, indicating that they will be loaded when driving past them. Assortment units that are of the assortment selected to be loaded and located next to the selected driving route are shadowed, meaning that they will be loaded when the transition is completed. If the load space becomes full during a transition, the machine will stop by the first unit not loaded, and the loading mode will be disabled automatically Load space view There is a load space view displayed from the log gate direction in the bottom right-hand corner of the program window. In this view, the load space is divided into 16 blocks, each of which is the size of a single pile located in the terrain. 10

13 The four bottommost blocks are always filled first. After this, the load space is filled automatically in layers in the following order: 1. Left side 2. Right side 3. The second block from the left 4. The third block from the left The load space view can be used to reorganise the load per layer. A timber unit can be moved from one block to another by dragging it over the desired block with the mouse. If the block is already full, its timber unit will be relocated to the block, from which the original block was removed. Timber units cannot be moved from one layer to another. 2.5 Unloading Unloading takes place at the storage areas located by the forest machine road. The storage areas can be unmarked (black outlines) or marked for a specific assortment (the outlines are of the same colour as the assortment). Only the specific assortment can be unloaded at marked storage areas. To drive the machine to a storage area, drive it to the storage area s connecting point (black dot). Each connecting dot covers one or two storage areas, depending on whether or not both sides of the road are used. In the example case, both sides are used, meaning that two assortments can be unloaded without needing to drive to another connecting point. 11

14 To start unloading, click the storage area with the mouse. When unloading is started at an unmarked storage area, unloading always starts from the left side of the topmost layer. That assortment is marked as the assortment of the selected storage area. Unloading is continued automatically as long as a single assortment can be loaded so that the units are diagonally located in the load space. The second assortment is unloaded at the remaining storage area, unloading will continue automatically as long as it is possible to unload units from the side of the topmost layer at any of the two storage areas at the connecting point. In the example case, the load space is emptied at this stage because there were only assortments marked for the specific storage areas. 12

15 3 Reporting The evaluation of the training performance is based on the final report produced by the program. The report includes various variables and pictures. The report can be saved for reviewing later. It can be opened from the main menu through Tools -> View reports. The program can be used for comparing various harvesting strategies by running a single training session several times. The results of each performance can be compared on the basis of time usage or productivity. By comparing other reporting variables and pictures, it is possible to identify which factor causes each difference. 3.1 The content of the final report Overall performance information Calculated time usage Time usage per working stage The number and total volume of loads transported Load density m3/100 m of driving Productivity (m³/h) Gross ton-kilometres (the weight of the machine and the timber in the load space) Net ton-kilometres (the weight of the timber in the load space) Total driving distance Driving distance forward/backward Driving distance backwards with limited visibility (the load space is more than half full) Driving distance per loading stage 13

16 3.1.2 Driving time-specific information Calculated time usage Time usage per working stage Load information Volume Number of assortments Number of grapple loads Load density m³/100 m of driving Productivity (m³/h) Gross ton-kilometres Net ton-kilometres Total driving distance Total driving distance Driving distance backwards with limited visibility (the load space is more than half full) Driving distance per loading stage Report pictures The final training report includes a driving route picture of each driving time and a picture of the load structure. The interim reports opened during the performance do not include any pictures. Driving route In the driving route picture, each working stage is indicated with a separate colour. In addition, the picture indicates the worksite status, i.e. any remaining piles. Piles collected during the transition are highlighted. 14

17 Load structure The load picture is identical to the load space view displayed in the bottom right-hand corner while driving. The picture presents the load structure when unloading has been started during the performance. 3.2 Calculation principles for time usage The time usage is calculated using specific default values and adjustable parameters. The parameter values can be changed by editing the reporting.ini file in the program installation folder. Assortment specifications are set for each training session through the worksite editor. The following values are fixed: The size of each assortment unit is 1.0 m³. The machine weight is kg (Ponsse Wisent). The size of the load space is 16.0 m³ (16 piles). The load size limits for different driving speeds are 5000 kg and kg. 15

18 3.2.1 Driving The driving time is calculated according to the transitionspecific driving speed. The driving speed is affected by the driving direction, load size and working stage. When the machine is turned around using the Turn Machine button, the driving time will be increased as follows: Machine length forwards Change of direction Machine length backwards Adjustable parameters: [Times] DirectionChange Time spent on the change of direction in seconds [DrivingSpeeds] SmallLoad Driving speed (m/s) when the load weighs less than 5000 kg HalfLoad Driving speed (m/s) when the load weighs at least 5000 kg but no more than kg FullLoad Driving speed (m/s) when the load weighs at least kg ReverseWithLimitedVisibility Driving speed (m/s) when driving backwards and the load space is at least half full [DrivingSpeedMultipliers] ReverseMultiplier Driving speed multiplier when driving backwards. The value 1.0 means that the driving speed is constant regardless of the direction. LoadingMultiplier Driving speed multiplier when loading. This can be used to simulate the decrease in average speed when loading caused by stopping and starting the machine. 16

19 Calculation formula for driving time: driving distance / (speed according to load size) x multipliers Loading and unloading The machine load space consists of 16 blocks, each of which fits one assortment unit regardless of the assortment. The number of loading movements needed to load a single assortment unit can be defined for each assortment. At the unloading stage, the assortment is insignificant. However, three levels can be defined for the grapple size according to the structure of the load. Only cells of the same assortment are against the cell being unloaded. A different assortment next to or under the block being unloaded (i.e. a different assortment is against the cell being unloaded on at least one side). A different assortment next to and under the block being unloaded (i.e. a different assortment is against the cell being unloaded on at least two sides). Adjustable parameters: [Times] Loading The time spent on loading one grapple load in seconds Unloading The time spent on unloading one grapple load in seconds [GrappleLoadSizes] UnloadOneAssortment The size of the unloaded grapple load when there are no other assortments around the load. Unit m³. UnloadTwoAssortments The size of the grapple load when unloading from a block, next to or under which there is another assortment. Unit m³. 17

20 UnloadMultipleAssortments The size of the grapple load when unloading from a block, next to and under which there is another assortment. Unit m³. Calculation formula for loading time: (number of grapple loads defined for the assortment) x (loading time of a grapple load) Calculation formula for unloading time: pile size = default 1.0 m³ (pile size) / (grapple size depending on the load structure) x (unloading time) 4 Worksite editor New training sessions can be created using the program s worksite editor. The editor can also be used to edit existing training sessions. Creating and editing a training file Creating a new training session: Select Edit -> Create new worksite from the main menu or File -> New from the worksite editor menu. Editing an existing training session: Once a training session has been loaded, select Edit -> Edit worksite from the main menu of the program. Training sessions can also be loaded directly in the editor by selecting File -> Open in the editor window. Saving a training file Saving a new training file: File -> Save or File -> Save As Saving an edited training session to replace the previous version: File -> Save. Saving an edited training session under a new name (the previous version is not deleted): File -> Save As... 18

21 4.1 Elements in the editor window 1. Edit mode display and buttons in the mode 2. Worksite view The worksite size is 400 m x 300 m. Grid in the view: small square = 100 m2, large square = 10,000 m2 3. Map view 4. Information about the worksite/selected area This displays the surface area of the worksite or the selected area, the total length of the strip road network and the volume of assortments. 5. Assortments This displays a list of assortments, from which assortments can be added in the Edit piles mode. 6. Buttons for adding, editing and removing assortments, and a reset button for pile counters 4.2 Editing tools Editing the strip road network (Edit strip road) The strip road network consists of strip road points and straight strip road segments connecting the points. Strip road points can be created by clicking the primary mouse button in a desired place of the worksite. Strip road segments can be created by connecting the points in two stages: 19

22 1. Creating or selecting a start-up point Start editing the strip road by creating a start-up point for the segment or selecting an existing point. 2. Creating or selecting an end point After the start-up point has been selected, the editor goes to a mode where the positioning of the strip road segment to be added is displayed as a dashed line and a text indicating the text length is displayed next to the mouse cursor. The segment is created by clicking the primary mouse button. To return to the selection mode for start-up points, click the secondary mouse button. The minimum length of a strip road segment is 14 metres. If the distance of the closest strip road segment to the mouse cursor is shorter, the strip road to be added will be connected to it. As a result, the preview line for the strip road is not displayed until the mouse cursor is at least 14 metres from the start-up point. Removing strip road parts Strip road parts can be removed by clicking them with the secondary mouse button when the strip road preview is not displayed (if it is, it can be closed by clicking the secondary mouse button). When a strip road segment is removed, all timber piles and storage areas placed by it will also be removed. In addition, the machine must be re-positioned if the segment in which it is located is removed. It should also be noted that, when a strip road point is removed, all connected strip road segments and any objects by them will also be removed. The program will request the user to confirm any deletions. 20

23 4.2.2 Setting driving limits Set passing limit Passing limits can be set by choosing the Set passing limit tool in the terrain editor. After this, select the desired trail point by clicking it in the terrain view. Clicking the trail point opens a setting window in which the number of permitted passings can be set for the point in the range of 1-9, or the limit can be disabled by selecting No limit Set forced driving direction To set driving direction limits, select the Set forced driving direction tool in the site editor. After this, select the desired trail section by hovering the mouse cursor on it in the terrain view, and add a driving direction limit by clicking it with the left mouse button. The default forced driving direction is determined according to which way the trail section was originally specified. The change the specified forced driving direction, click the trail section again with the right mouse button. To remove the forced driving direction, click the trail section with the left mouse button while the Set forced driving direction tool is in use Set machine position Set the machine position by clicking the primary mouse button on the desired place of the strip road. The machine can be turned around by clicking the secondary mouse button on any place of the worksite view. 21

24 4.2.4 Adding and removing timber (Edit piles) To add timber piles to the worksite, an assortment must first be selected from the list of assortments on the left-hand side of the program window. After this, piles can be added to strip roads by clicking the primary mouse button.the location of the pile to be added is displayed as a dashed line (picture below). Piles can be removed by clicking the secondary mouse button when the Edit piles mode is active. In this case, the pile closest to the mouse cursor will always be removed, regardless of the assortment. The assortment list includes counters that display the total volumes of assortments and the number of recently added piles. The counters are updated automatically when the number of piles at the worksite changes. The counters indicating the number of new piles can also be reset with the Reset counters button. Removing a pile will also reset the counter with regard to the specific assortment. 22

25 4.2.5 Adding and removing storage areas (Edit storage areas) Storage areas can be added by clicking the primary mouse button on the desired place by the strip road. The setting window will open (picture below) in which the length of the storage area is defined in metres and an assortment is set for the storage area. The assortment can also be left unmarked, in which case the first assortment unloaded at the storage area in the training session is marked for the storage area. A connecting point (black dot) is created automatically for driving to the storage area. If another storage area is created close to the connecting point, it will automatically be placed on the other side of the strip road, opposite the first storage area. In driving mode, two different assortments can be unloaded at the opposite storage areas without needing to drive between the storage areas. A storage area can be removed by clicking it with the secondary mouse button. 23

26 4.2.6 Area selection The area selection tool can be used to review a specific part of the worksite. Select a rectangular area by clicking the primary mouse button on the place of the worksite from which the area is to be started. Set the opposite corner by moving the mouse cursor on the desired place and clicking the primary mouse button. The area selection can be cancelled by clicking the secondary mouse button. Once the area has been selected, the Worksite info text view will be updated to display information about the selected area instead of the entire worksite. The information displayed includes the area s surface area, the total length of strip roads included in the area and assortment volumes Zooming and panning the view The worksite view can be zoomed in or out using the mouse wheel. In this case, the view will be focused on the middle of the worksite area. The view can be scrolled vertically and horizontally using the scroll bars or using a separate panning tool (Pan worksite view button), with which the view can be dragged by grabbing it with the mouse. 24

27 The Focus on worksite button focuses the view so that all timber piles, storage areas, crossings and the machine located at the worksite are displayed, filling as much of the worksite view as possible. 4.3 Creating and editing assortments New assortments can be added using the Add button below the assortment list. An existing assortment selected from the list can be edited using the Edit button. In both cases, the Edit Assortment window (picture below) will open for setting assortment properties. The Edit Assortment window is used to enter the assortment s name, colour and the number of grapple loads per pile. The most recent parameter indicates how many loading movements are needed to load a single pile. This is taken into account in time usage reporting. 25

28 When selecting assortment colours, ensure that the colour can be distinguished from other assortment colours and the background of the worksite. The assortment list is always saved on the basis of training sessions, meaning that new assortments must be created separately for each training session. In addition, changing the properties of default assortments offered by the program does not have any impact on other training sessions. 5 Alternative driving mode: limited site view The program also supports a training mode in which timber piles are first invisible and become visible as one drives near them. The locations of passed piles remain visible on the map, and it is possible to specify how assortments are remembered. 5.1 Driving and observing The limited site view is realised by darkening the background and hiding timber piles. Other site elements are displayed in the normal way. 26

29 There is an elliptical two-level visibility area around the machine. Timber piles in the outer perimeter appear without assortment information (grey colour). Piles that are partly or fully in the inner perimeter are shown using a colour illustrating the assortment of each pile. Dimensions of the visibility areas Length Inner perimeter 50 m (light area) Outer perimeter 65 m (dark green) Width 20 m 35 m The route driven is marked on the map with a grey line. All piles located along this route are displayed until the end of the exercise. The aim is to make it easier to find the last piles so that all piles that are not visible are on trail sections that have not been driven even once. Due to the size of the visibility range, piles may also appear from trails that have not been driven, but driving the section is the only way to ensure that all piles along the trail have been found. When driving forward, a limited number of piles remain in memory, i.e. continue to be displayed in colour. The maximum number of piles that are memorised can be set in the training.ini file by changing the MaxMemorizedPiles value. 27

30 If MaxMemorizedPiles = 0, assortment information is displayed only for stacks in the inner perimeter of the visibility area. In other cases, a minimum value of 10 should be used, as also piles in the visibility range take up memory space. training.ini is located in the software installation folder. When driving further, assortment information begins to be forgotten starting from the piles observed first. Piles remain visible as grey, i.e. information on their location does not disappear. The limited view does not prevent making long driving transitions to outside the visibility area. In long transitions, all piles along the driving route appear in the same way as with shorter transitions, i.e. assortment information on the 28

31 most recent piles is displayed according to the settings and the remaining piles are displayed in grey Loading Loading takes place in the same way as in the normal driving mode. The only difference is that the highlighting of assortment piles only affect trailside piles whose assortment is known. In loading drives, one should notice that when making transitions outside the visibility area, all piles that are of the selected assortments are loaded regardless of whether they have been visible or not. 29

32 5.2 Selecting the driving mode Default mode of an exercise It is possible to specify separately for each exercise in which mode it opens. This is done by opening the exercise in the terrain editor and clicking the Select operating mode button. A dialogue box appears listing the normal driving mode (Fully visible worksite) and limited visibility. Fully visible worksite is the default choice for exercises. The changes take effect when the dialogue box is closed by clicking OK Opening the exercise in a different mode You can also choose the driving mode when opening the exercise by selecting File -> Open As, after which a corresponding mode selection window appears after the file selection window as in the terrain editor. 30