System and method for controlling a work machine

• US 10,119,244 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Elkins, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler D
• Application Number:
  US15/455,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20180258610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 701 25
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/17 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/24 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/7609 Scraper blade mounted forwardly of the tractor on a pair of pivoting arms which are linked to the sides of the tractor, e.g. bulldozers
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/841 Devices for controlling and guiding the whole machine, e.g. by feeler elements and reference lines placed exteriorly of the machine construction of roads E01C19/008
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2045 Guiding machines along a predetermined path for graders E02F3/841; machines for construction of roads E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/262 with follow-up actions to control the work tool, e.g. controller
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/268 with failure correction follow-up actions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A system for moving material at a work site includes: a work machine including a chassis, a material mover defining a material mover position, a location sensor, and a steering mechanism; and a controller system operably coupled to the material mover, the location sensor, and the steering mechanism. The controller system is configured to: store a sequence of travel paths; control the steering mechanism to follow the sequence of travel paths; determine the material mover position; determine followed travel positions of the work machine; generate an as-built map as the work machine follows the sequence of travel paths based on the material mover position and followed travel positions; compare the as-built map to a desired terrain map; generate a revised sequence of travel paths based on the comparison between the as-built map and the desired terrain map; and control the steering mechanism to follow the revised sequence of travel paths.

Claims

1. A system for moving material at a work site, comprising:

a work machine comprising a chassis, a material mover carried by said chassis and defining a material mover position, a location sensor carried by said chassis, and a steering mechanism configured to control a travel direction of said work machine; and

a controller system operably coupled to said material mover, said location sensor, and said steering mechanism, said controller system configured to;

store a sequence of travel paths for said work machine to follow;

control said steering mechanism to follow said sequence of travel paths;

determine said material mover position;

determine followed travel positions of said work machine based on signals from said location sensor;

generate an as-built map as said work machine follows said sequence of travel paths based on said material mover position and followed travel positions;

compare said as-built map to a desired terrain map;

generate a revised sequence of travel paths for said work machine to follow based on said comparison between said as-built map and said desired terrain map, wherein said revised sequence alters a material volume movement sequence of said work machine; and

control said steering mechanism to follow said revised sequence of travel paths.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said material mover is adjustably carried by said chassis.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said work machine further comprises at least one operating parameter sensor and said controller is further configured to:

detect a travel anomaly from an output signal of said at least one operating parameter sensor while said work machine follows said revised sequence of travel paths; and

adjust said material mover position of said material mover based on said detected travel anomaly.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said travel anomaly is at least one of a work machine slip, an undesired fill of said material mover, and an undesired tilt of said work machine.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said controller system is configured to adjust at least one of a height and a rake angle of said material mover based on said detected travel anomaly.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller system is further configured to:

receive an override command;

generate an override sequence of travel paths subsequently to receiving said override command; and

control said steering mechanism to follow said override sequence of travel paths.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller system is further configured to detect a terrain irregularity as said work machine follows said sequence of travel paths, wherein said terrain irregularity is taken into account during generation of said revised sequence of travel paths.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said material mover comprises a blade defining said material mover position.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller system is carried by said chassis of said work machine.

10. A method of controlling a work machine comprising a chassis, a material mover carried by said chassis and defining a material mover position, a location sensor carried by said chassis, and a steering mechanism configured to control a travel direction of said work machine, said method being implemented by a controller system and comprising:

storing a sequence of travel paths for said work machine to follow;

controlling said steering mechanism to follow said sequence of travel paths;

determining said material mover position;

determining followed travel positions of said work machine based on signals from said location sensor;

generating an as-built map as said work machine follows said sequence of travel paths based on said material mover position and followed travel positions;

comparing said as-built map to a desired terrain map;

generating a revised sequence of travel paths for said work machine to follow based on said comparison between said as-built map and said desired terrain map, wherein said revised sequence alters a material volume movement sequence of said work machine; and

controlling said steering mechanism to follow said revised sequence of travel paths.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said material mover is adjustably carried by said chassis.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a travel anomaly from an output signal of at least one operating parameter sensor of said work machine while said work machine follows said revised sequence of travel paths; and

adjusting said material mover position of said material mover based on said detected travel anomaly.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said travel anomaly is at least one of a work machine slip, an undesired fill of said material mover, and an undesired tilt of said work machine.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising adjusting at least one of a height and a rake angle of said material mover based on said detected travel anomaly.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an override command;

generating an override sequence of travel paths subsequently to receiving said override command; and

controlling said steering mechanism to follow said override sequence of travel paths.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising detecting a terrain irregularity as said work machine follows said sequence of travel paths, wherein said terrain irregularity is taken into account during generation of said revised sequence of travel paths.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein said material mover comprises a blade defining said material mover position.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein said controller system is carried by said chassis of said work machine.