Physics-Informed Neural Networks-Based Online Excavation Trajectory Planning for Unmanned Excavator

Abstract As a large-scale mining excavator, the electric shovel (ES) has been extensively employed in open-pit mines for overburden removal and mineral loading. In the development of unmanned operations for ES, dynamic excavation trajectory planning is essential, as it directly influences operational efficiency and energy consumption by guiding the dipper during excavation. However, conventional optimization-based methods for excavation trajectory planning typically start from scratch, resulting in a time-consuming process that fails to meet real-time requirements. To address this challenge, we propose an innovative online trajectory planning framework based on physics-informed neural networks (PINNOTP) that utilizes advanced data-driven techniques. The input to PINNOTP consists of on-site working conditions, including the initial state of the ES and the material surface being excavated. The output is a smooth, polynomial-based curve that serves as the reference trajectory for the dipper. To ensure smooth execution of the generated trajectory, prior domain knowledge—such as physics-based target-oriented constraints, essential system dynamics, and mechanical constraints—is explicitly incorporated into the loss function during training. A case study is presented to validate the proposed method, demonstrating that PINNOTP effectively addresses the challenges of online excavation trajectory planning.