System for calculating desired estimated time of arrival

• US 10,019,012 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment AB (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment AB (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Rylander, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam D
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US15/028,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127

Abstract

A system for calculating a desired time of arrival to a target destination for a vehicle includes a device mountable to a first vehicle. The device includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a logic unit configured to receive signals for determining a current position and a current vehicle speed of the first vehicle, the logic unit being further configured to determine an estimated time of arrival at a target destination for the first vehicle based on predetermined route information, the current position of the first vehicle and the target destination of the first vehicle. The device is configured to transmit the estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle, receive, from a second vehicle, an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle, calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle, and calculate a desired vehicle speed for the first vehicle for achieving the desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for calculating a desired time of arrival to a target destination of a working site for a working machine, comprising a device mountable to a first vehicle being a working machine, the device comprises:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

a logic unit configured to receive signals for determining a current position and a current vehicle speed of the first vehicle, the logic unit being further configured to determine an estimated time of arrival at a target destination for the first vehicle based on predetermined route information, the current position of the first vehicle and the target destination of the first vehicle;

characterized in that the device is configured to;

transmit the estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle;

receive, from a second vehicle being a working machine, an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle;

calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle; and

calculate a desired vehicle speed for the first vehicle for achieving the desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle,

wherein the device is further configured to;

receive signals indicative of a weight of a load on a platform of the respective first and the second vehicle, and

calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle and a weight ratio between the weight of the load on the platform of the first vehicle and the weight of the load on the platform of the second vehicle.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

receive an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for a third vehicle being a working machine;

calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the third vehicle; and

calculate a desired vehicle speed for the first vehicle for achieving the desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle only if the estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the third vehicle is later than the estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

receive an estimated time of arrival at a second target destination for a third vehicle being a working machine; and

calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the second target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the second target destination for the third vehicle only if the second target destination is the same target destination as the target destination.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the target destination is a first target destination, wherein the device is further configured to:

determine an estimated time of arrival at a second target destination for the first vehicle, and

select that a next desired target destination for the first vehicle is the first target destination if the determined estimated time of arrival at the first target destination is earlier in time than the determined estimated time of arrival at the second target destination.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

receive signals, from weight sensors of the vehicle, indicative of a current weight of a load on a platform of the vehicle; and

select that a next desired target destination for the first vehicle is a second target destination if the weight of the load on the platform of the first vehicle is above a predetermined weight value.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

determine an estimated time of arrival at a second target destination for the first vehicle; and

select that a desired target destination for the first vehicle is the second target destination if a time difference between the estimated time of arrival at a first target destination for the first vehicle and the estimated time of arrival at the first target destination for the second vehicle is below a predetermined time period.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the target destination is selected based on the route information and the current position.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

receive a signal indicative of a current vehicle speed of the first vehicle;

receive a signal indicative of a current vehicle speed of the second vehicle; and

calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle and a vehicle speed ratio between the vehicle speed of the first vehicle and the vehicle speed of the second vehicle.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

transmit a signal to a display unit arranged within a compartment of the first vehicle, wherein the signal is indicative of the calculated vehicle speed of the first vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

transmit a signal to a driveline of the first vehicle, wherein the signal is indicative of the calculated vehicle speed of the first vehicle for controlling the speed of the driveline of the first vehicle.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the calculated desired vehicle speed of the first vehicle is based on the estimated time of arrival received from the second vehicle and a predetermined time period.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined time period is a part of the time period the second vehicle is expected to be stationary at the target destination.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to:

receive a signal from the target destination, the signal being indicative of an estimated duration of stay for the second vehicle at the target destination.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the signals received by the logic unit for determining a current position of the first vehicle are provided from a global positioning unit.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the signals received by the logic unit for determining a current vehicle speed of the first vehicle are provided from a global positioning unit or a speedometer.

16. A system for calculating a desired time of arrival to a target destination of a working site for a working machine, comprising a first and a second device mountable to a respective first and second vehicle, the first and the second vehicle each being working machines, each of the first and the second devices comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

a logic unit configured to receive signals for determining a current position and a current vehicle speed for the respective first and the second vehicle, the logic unit being further configured to determine an estimated time of arrival at a target destination based on predetermined route information, the current position and the target destination for the respective first and second vehicles, wherein the second device is configured to transmit the estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle, wherein the first device is configured to receive the transmitted estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle and to calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle, and to calculate a desired vehicle speed for the first vehicle for achieving the desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle,

wherein the logic unit is further configured to;

receive signals indicative of a weight of a load on a platform of the respective first and the second vehicle, and

calculate a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle and a weight ratio between the weight of the load on the platform of the first vehicle and the weight of the load on the platform of the second vehicle.

17. The system according to claim 16, comprising a plurality of devices mountable to respective plurality of vehicles being working machines, wherein a first subset of the plurality of vehicles has a first target destination, and a second subset of the plurality of vehicles has a second target destination;

wherein each device is configured to calculate a desired vehicle speed only when receiving an estimated time of arrival from a device of a vehicle having the same target destination.

18. A method for calculating a desired time of arrival to a target destination of a working site for a first vehicle being a working machine, the first vehicle comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a logic unit, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a current position of the first vehicle;

determining an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on predetermined route Information, the current position and the target destination of the first vehicle;

receiving, from a second vehicle being a working machine, an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle;

calculating, by means of the logic unit, a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle; and

calculating a desired vehicle speed for the first vehicle for achieving the desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle,

receiving signals indicative of a weight of a load on a platform of the respective first and the second vehicle, and

calculating a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle and a weight ratio between the weight of the load on the platform of the first vehicle and the weight of the load on the platform of the second vehicle.

19. A computer comprising a program for performing, when the program is run on the computer, a method for calculating a desired time of arrival to a target destination of a working site for a first vehicle being a working machine, the first vehicle comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a logic unit linked to the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a current position of the first vehicle;

determining an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on predetermined route Information, the current position and the target destination of the first vehicle;

receiving, from a second vehicle being a working machine, an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle;

calculating, by means of the logic unit, a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle; and

calculating a desired vehicle speed for the first vehicle for achieving the desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle,

receiving signals indicative of a weight of a load on a platform of the respective first and the second vehicle, and

calculating a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle and a weight ratio between the weight of the load on the platform of the first vehicle and the weight of the load on the platform of the second vehicle.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a computer program for performing, when the program is run on a computer, a method for calculating a desired time of arrival to a target destination of a working site for a first vehicle being a working machine, the first vehicle comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a logic unit, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a current position of the first vehicle;

determining an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on predetermined route Information, the current position and the target destination of the first vehicle;

receiving, from a second vehicle being a working machine, an estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle;

calculating, by means of the logic unit, a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle; and

calculating a desired vehicle speed for the first vehicle for achieving the desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle,

receiving signals indicative of a weight of a load on a platform of the respective first and the second vehicle, and

calculating a desired estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the first vehicle based on the received estimated time of arrival at the target destination for the second vehicle and a weight ratio between the weight of the load on the platform of the first vehicle and the weight of the load on the platform of the second vehicle.