System and method for dumping material

• US 10,407,878 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Wei, Mo
• Primary Examiner(s): Whittington, Jess
• Application Number:
  US15/602,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20180341267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/7604 Combinations of scraper blades with soil loosening tools working independently of scraper blades soil loosening attachments fixed on blades E02F3/8152, E02F3/8155
• 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 9/2037 Coordinating the movements of the implement and of the frame
• 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 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/262 with follow-up actions to control the work tool, e.g. controller
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/264 Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool

Abstract

A method for depositing a pile of material by a machine at a worksite. The method includes determining, by a controller, a volume of material transported by the machine. The method further includes determining, by the controller, at least one parameter associated with the pile to be formed by the determined volume based on a comparison of the determined volume with a threshold volume and operating the machine to deposit the determined volume to form the pile, on a working surface of the worksite, based on the at least one parameter.

Claims

1. A method for depositing a pile of material along a path by a machine at a worksite, the method comprising:

(a) storing a threshold volume of material to be moved along the path by a ground engaging work implement of the machine;

(b) storing a threshold pile length measured along the path;

(c) determining, by a controller, a transported volume of material transported by the ground engaging work implement of the machine along the path;

(d) determining, by the controller, a pile depositing factor based upon a difference between the threshold volume of material and the transported volume of material, the pile depositing factor being a ratio between the threshold volume of material and the transported volume of material;

(e) determining, by the controller, at least one parameter associated with the pile as a function of the threshold pile length and the pile depositing factor, the at least one parameter being a pile length along the path of the pile to be formed; and

(f) operating, by the controller, the machine to deposit the determined volume to form the pile, on a working surface of the worksite, based on the at least one parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the transported volume of material transported by the machine comprises:

receiving at least one machine signal from one or more machine sensors; and

calculating the transported volume of material transported by the machine based on the at least one machine signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one machine signal includes information pertaining to one or more of:

torque generated by an engine of the machine; and

a slip factor of the machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pile length corresponds to the threshold pile length times the pile depositing factor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the transported volume of material transported by the machine comprises:

determining an initial terrain along the path prior to a material moving operation;

determining a subsequent terrain along the path after the material moving operation; and

determining the transported volume of material based upon a difference between the initial terrain and the subsequent terrain.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an upper bound value for the material depositing factor;

repeating steps (c)-(f); and

upon determining, by the controller, a pile depositing factor that exceeds the upper bound value, utilizing the upper bound value to determine, by the controller, the at least one parameter associated with the pile as a function of the threshold pile length and the upper bound value.

7. The method of claim 1, further including repeating steps (c)-(f) until a desired amount of material has been moved.

8. A material depositing system for a machine operating at a worksite, the material depositing system comprising:

a ground engaging work implement of the machine configured for moving material along a path at the worksite;

a controller operatively coupled to the machine, the controller configured to;

(a) store a threshold volume of material to be moved by the work implement;

(b) store a threshold pile length measured along the path;

(c) determine a transported volume of material transported by the ground engaging work implement of the machine along the path;

(d) determine a pile depositing factor based upon a difference between the threshold volume of material and the transported volume of material, the pile depositing factor being a ratio between the threshold volume of material and the transported volume of material;

(e) determine at least one parameter associated with a pile to be formed as a function of the threshold pile length and the pile depositing factor, the at least one parameter being a pile length along the path of the pile to be formed; and

(f) operate the machine to form the pile, on a working surface of the worksite, based on the at least one parameter.

9. The material depositing module of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive at least one machine signal from at least one machine sensor to determine the transported volume of material transported by the machine.

10. The material depositing module of claim 9, wherein the at least one machine sensor includes a torque sensor and a slip sensor.

11. The material depositing system of claim 8, wherein the pile length corresponds to the threshold pile length times the pile depositing factor.

12. The material depositing system of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine an initial terrain along the path prior to a material moving operation;

determine a subsequent terrain along the path after the material moving operation; and

determine the transported volume of material based upon a difference between the initial terrain and the subsequent terrain.

13. The material depositing system of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

store an upper bound value for the material depositing factor;

repeating steps (c)-(f); and

upon determining a pile depositing factor that exceeds the upper bound value, utilize the upper bound value to determine the at least one parameter associated with the pile as a function of the threshold pile length and the upper bound value.

14. The material depositing system of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to repeat steps (c)-(f) until a desired amount of material has been moved.

15. A machine configured to operate at a worksite, the machine comprising:

a ground engaging work implement of the machine configured for moving material along a path at the worksite;

at least one machine sensor configured to generate at least one machine signal;

a controller communicably coupled to the at least one machine sensor, the controller configured to;

(a) store a threshold volume of material to be moved by the work implement;

(b) store a threshold pile length measured along the path;

(c) receive the at least one machine signal from the at least one machine sensor;

(d) determine a transported volume of material transported by the ground engaging work implement of the machine along the path based on the at least one machine signal;

(e) determine a pile depositing factor based upon a difference between the threshold volume of material and the transported volume of material, the pile depositing factor being a ratio between the threshold volume of material and the transported volume of material;

(f) determine at least one parameter associated with a pile to be formed as a function of the threshold pile length and the pile depositing factor, the at least one parameter being a pile length along the path of the pile to be formed; and

(g) generate a machine operation signal to cause the machine to deposit the determined volume to form the pile on a working surface of the worksite based on the at least one parameter.

16. The machine of claim 15, wherein the at least one machine sensor includes one or more of an engine torque sensor and a slip sensor.

17. The machine of claim 15, further comprising an input device configured to allow an operator to input the threshold volume.

18. The machine of claim 15, wherein the pile length corresponds to the threshold pile length times the pile depositing factor.

19. The machine of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine an initial terrain along the path prior to a material moving operation;

determine a subsequent terrain along the path after the material moving operation; and

determine the transported volume of material based upon a difference between the initial terrain and the subsequent terrain.

20. The machine of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to repeat steps (c)-(g) until a desired amount of material has been moved.