Work surface failure prediction and notification system

• US 10,279,930 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Hukkeri, Ramadev, Struble, Joshua C., Kini, Ananth P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngon, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US15/199,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20180003856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 702105
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/16 Extraterrestrial cars
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/261 Surveying the work-site to be treated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles

Abstract

A failure prediction and notification system for a work surface that has a raised contour includes a perception sensor mounted on a machine and a controller. The controller determines an initial physical characteristic of the initial topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour, generates an electronic map of a current topography of the work surface based at least partially on the raw data points, and determines a current physical characteristic of the current topography. The controller further determines a difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic, compares the difference to a characteristic difference threshold, and generates an alert upon the difference exceeding the characteristic difference threshold.

Claims

1. A failure prediction and notification system for use at a work site, the work site having a work surface including a raised contour, and the work site further including a plurality of dump targets adjacent the raised contour, comprising:

a perception sensor mounted on a machine for generating raw data points reflective of a perceived work environment associated with the machine;

a controller configured to;

store a characteristic difference threshold;

store an electronic map of an initial topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour;

determine an initial physical characteristic of the initial topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour;

receive the raw data points from the perception sensor;

generate an electronic map of a current topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour based at least partially on the raw data points;

determine a current physical characteristic of the current topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour;

determine a difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic;

compare the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic to the characteristic difference threshold;

generate an alert upon the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeding the characteristic difference threshold, the alert including target instructions to direct haul machines to avoid dump targets adjacent a portion of the raised contour at which the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeds the characteristic difference threshold, and further including inspection and/or repair instructions to direct an inspection and/or repair of the portion of the raised contour; and

generate haul machine movement commands based upon the alert to move each haul machine to one of the dump targets while avoiding dump targets adjacent the portion of the raised contour at which the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeds the characteristic difference threshold.

2. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the raised contour includes a top wall, and the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic comprise a height of the top wall above the work surface.

3. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the raised contour includes an inward edge, a top wall, and a sloped sidewall extending between the inward edge and the top wall, and the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic comprise an angle of the sloped sidewall.

4. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the raised contour includes a crack and the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic comprise a length of the crack.

5. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the raised contour includes a crack and the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic comprise a width of the crack.

6. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the alert to a system remote from the machine.

7. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 6, wherein the alert includes a request for human inspection.

8. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic comprise a slope of the work surface adjacent the raised contour.

9. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 8, further including a position sensor on-board the machine for generating position signals indicative of a pose of the machine, and the controller is configured to determine the pose of the machine based upon the position signals, determine a slope of the work surface adjacent the raised contour based upon pose of the machine, and the characteristic difference threshold comprises a slope change threshold.

10. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to store a characteristic threshold, compare the characteristic threshold to the current physical characteristic of the current topography, generate a second alert upon the current physical characteristic exceeding the characteristic threshold, and transmit the second alert to a system remote from the machine.

11. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic difference threshold is stored by an on-board controller on the machine, and the on-board controller is configured to compare the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic to the characteristic difference threshold.

12. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic difference threshold is stored by an off-board controller remote from the machine, and the off-board controller is configured to compare the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic to the characteristic difference threshold.

13. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to store a plurality of characteristic difference thresholds, the plurality of characteristic difference thresholds corresponding to different soil conditions of the work surface.

14. A method of failure prediction and notification for use at a work site, the work site a work surface including a raised contour, and the work site further including a plurality of dump targets adjacent the raised contour, comprising:

storing a characteristic difference threshold;

storing an electronic map of an initial topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour;

determining an initial physical characteristic of the initial topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour;

receiving raw data points from a perception sensor mounted on a machine;

generating an electronic map of a current topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour based at least partially on the raw data points;

determining a current physical characteristic of the current topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour;

determining a difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic;

comparing the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic to the characteristic difference threshold;

generating an alert upon the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeding the characteristic difference threshold, the alert including generating target instructions to direct haul machines to avoid dump targets adjacent a portion of the raised contour at which the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeds the characteristic difference threshold, and further including generating inspection and/or repair instructions to direct an inspection and/or repair of the portion of the raised contour; and

moving each haul machine to one of the dump targets based upon the alert while avoiding dump targets adjacent the portion of the raised contour at which the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeds the characteristic difference threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising comparing a difference between the current physical characteristic and a prior physical characteristic of the topography to determine a rate of change as a function of time and generating a second alert upon the difference between the current physical characteristic and the prior physical characteristic exceeding a rate of change threshold.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the alert to a system remote from the machine and requesting human inspection.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing the plurality of characteristic difference thresholds off-board the machine, and comparing the difference between the plurality of current physical characteristics and the plurality of initial physical characteristics to the plurality of characteristic difference thresholds off-board the machine.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing a plurality of characteristic difference thresholds, the plurality of characteristic difference thresholds corresponding to different soil conditions of the work surface.

19. A failure prediction and notification system for use at a work site, the work site having a work surface including a raised contour, the raised contour comprising an inward edge, a top wall, and a sloped sidewall extending between the inward edge and the top wall, and the work site further including a plurality of dump targets adjacent the raised contour, comprising:

a perception sensor mounted on a machine for generating raw data points reflective of a perceived work environment associated with the machine;

a controller configured to;

store a plurality of characteristic difference thresholds, the plurality of characteristic difference thresholds corresponding to a height of the top wall above the work surface and an angle of the sloped sidewall;

store an electronic map of an initial topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour;

determine a plurality of initial physical characteristics of the initial topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour, the plurality of initial physical characteristics comprising the height of the top wall above the work surface and the angle of the sloped sidewall;

receive the raw data points from the perception sensor;

generate an electronic map of a current topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour based at least partially on the raw data points;

determine a plurality of current physical characteristics of the current topography of the work surface adjacent the raised contour, the plurality of current physical characteristics comprising the height of the top wall above the work surface and the angle of the sloped sidewall;

determine differences between the plurality of current physical characteristics and the plurality of initial physical characteristics;

compare the differences between the plurality of current physical characteristics and the plurality of initial physical characteristics to respective characteristic difference thresholds;

generate an alert upon any of the differences between the plurality of current physical characteristics and the plurality of initial physical characteristics exceeding the respective characteristic difference thresholds, the alert including target instructions to direct haul machines to avoid dump targets adjacent a portion of the raised contour at which the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeds the characteristic difference threshold, and further including inspection and/or repair instructions to direct an inspection and/or repair of the portion of the raised contour; and

generate haul machine movement commands based upon the alert to move each haul machine to one of the dump targets while avoiding dump targets adjacent the portion of the raised contour at which the difference between the current physical characteristic and the initial physical characteristic exceeds the characteristic difference threshold.

20. The failure prediction and notification system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of characteristic difference thresholds are stored by an off-board controller remote from the machine, and the off-board controller is configured to compare the difference between the plurality of current physical characteristics and the plurality of initial physical characteristics to the plurality of characteristic difference thresholds.