System and method for material disposal

• US 10,474,155 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Wei, Mo
• Primary Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler D
• Application Number:
  US15/663,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20190033877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23
• 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 9/20 Drives; Control devices gearings in general F16H; controlling in general G05; electric multi-motor drives H02K, H02P
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2054 Fleet management
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0005 with arrangements to save energy
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process
• 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 1/0287 involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16

Abstract

A control system for operating an autonomous earthmoving machine to move material from a work area to a dumping location is disclosed. The control system includes a receiving module to receive values of a set of parameters associated with a profile of a first ground surface between the work area and the first dump location, a profile of a second ground surface between the work area and the second dump location, and operational characteristics of the machine. The control system includes a controller to generate a first cost and a second cost of moving the material from the work area to the first dump location and the second dump location, respectively, and send instructions to the autonomous earthmoving machine to move the material from the work area to either of the first dump location and the second dump location, based on the first cost and the second cost.

Claims

1. A control system for operating an autonomous earthmoving machine to move material from a work area to a first dump location or a second dump location, the control system comprising:

a memory; and

a controller configured to;

generate a first cost of moving the material from the work area to the first dump location based at least in part on a profile of a first ground surface between the work area and the first dump location,

wherein the first ground surface comprises an inclined surface and a flat surface extending from the inclined surface;

generate a second cost of moving the material from the work area to the second dump location based at least in part on a profile of a second ground surface, between the work area and the second dump location, and a compensating factor,

wherein the second ground surface comprises an inclined surface and an elevated surface extending from the inclined surface, and

wherein the compensating factor is determined based on operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine;

determine that the first cost is less than the second cost;

select the first dump location, from the first dump location and the second dump location, for dumping the material from the work area based on determining that the first cost is less than the second cost; and

send instructions to the autonomous earthmoving machine to move the material from the work area to the first dump location based on selecting the first dump location.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein a set of parameters associated with the profile of the first ground surface and the profile of the second ground surface comprises at least one of a distance to be travelled by the autonomous earthmoving machine along the first ground surface or the second ground surface, a length of the flat surface of the first ground surface, or an angle of inclination along the elevated surface with respect to the inclined surface of the second ground surface.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine comprise a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the first dump location, a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the second dump location, a fuel consumption of the autonomous earthmoving machine, and a speed of the autonomous earthmoving machine while travelling from the work area to the first dump location and the second dump location.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the first cost is generated further based on a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the first dump location.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein values of a set of parameters, associated with the profile of the first ground surface and the profile of the second ground surface, are received from a set of sensors.

6. The control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a learning module in communication with the controller,

the learning module being configured to store details associated with;

a set of parameters associated with the profile of the first ground surface, the profile of the second ground surface between the work area and the second dump location, and the operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine,

and

historical data associated with the operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine moving the material over the first ground surface and the second ground surface.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to:

retrieve the stored details for generation of the first cost and the second cost.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the compensating factor is determined while moving the material along the elevated surface.

9. A method of operating an autonomous earthmoving machine to move material from a work area to either of a first dump location and a second dump location based on cost, the method comprising:

generating a first cost of moving the material from the work area to the first dump location based at least in part on a profile of the first ground surface between the work area and the first dump location,

wherein the first ground surface comprises an inclined surface and a flat surface extending from the inclined surface;

generating a second cost of moving the material from the work area to the second dump location based at least in part on a profile of a second ground surface, between the work area and the second dump location, and a compensating factor,

wherein the second ground surface comprises an inclined surface and an elevated surface extending from the inclined surface, and

wherein the compensating factor is determined based on operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine;

determining that the first cost is less than the second cost;

selecting the first dump location, from the first dump location and the second dump location, for dumping the material from the work area based on determining that the first cost is less than the second cost; and

sending instructions to the autonomous earthmoving machine to move the material from the work area to the first dump location based on selecting the first dump location.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing details associated with

a set of parameters associated with the profile of the first ground surface, the profile of the second ground surface between the work area and the second dump location, and the operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine,

and

historical data associated with the autonomous earthmoving machine moving the material over the first ground surface and the second ground surface; and

retrieving the stored details for generation of the first cost and the second cost.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of parameters comprises at least one of an angle of inclination along the elevated surface with respect to the inclined surface of the second ground surface, a distance to be travelled by the autonomous earthmoving machine along the first ground surface and the second ground surface, a length of the flat surface of the first ground surface, a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the first dump location, a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the second dump location, a fuel consumption of the autonomous earthmoving machine, and a speed of the autonomous earthmoving machine while travelling from the work area to the first dump location and the second dump location.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first cost is generated further based on a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the first dump location.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the compensating factor while moving the material along the elevated surface.

14. An autonomous earthmoving machine comprising:

a ground engaging work implement for engaging ground surfaces of a work area; and

a control system for operating the autonomous earthmoving machine to move material, by using the ground engaging work implement, from the work area to either a first dump location or a second dump location, the control system being configured to;

generate a first cost of moving the material from the work area to the first dump locational based at least in part on a profile of a first ground surface between the work area and the first dump location,

wherein the first ground surface comprises an inclined surface and a flat surface extending from the inclined surface;

generate a second cost of moving the material from the work area to the second dump location based at least in part on a profile of a second ground surface between the work area and the second dump location, and a compensating factor,

wherein the second ground surface comprises an inclined surface and an elevated surface extending from the inclined surface, and

wherein the compensating factor is determined based on operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine;

determine that the second cost is less than the first cost;

select the second dump location, from the first dump location and the second dump location, for dumping the material from the work area based on determining that the second cost is less than the first cost; and

control the autonomous earthmoving machine to move the material from the work area to the second dump location, based on selecting the second dump location.

15. The autonomous earthmoving machine of claim 14, wherein a set of parameters associated with the profile of the first ground surface and the profile of the second ground surface comprises at least one of a distance to be travelled by the autonomous earthmoving machine along the first ground surface or the second ground surface, a length of the flat surface of the first ground surface, or an angle of inclination along the elevated surface with respect to the inclined surface of the second ground surface.

16. The autonomous earthmoving machine of claim 14, wherein the operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine comprise a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the first dump location, a number of times the autonomous earthmoving machine travels for moving the material from the work area to the second dump location, a fuel consumption of the autonomous earthmoving machine, and a speed of the autonomous earthmoving machine while travelling from the work area to the first dump location and the second dump location.

17. The autonomous earthmoving machine of claim 14, wherein the control system is further configured to:

receive values of a set of parameters, associated with the profile of the first ground surface and the profile of the second ground surface, from a set of sensors.

18. The autonomous earthmoving machine of claim 17, wherein the set of sensors includes at least one of a position detection sensor, an engine speed sensor, a torque converter speed sensor, a terrain detection sensor, or an implement load sensor.

19. The autonomous earthmoving machine of claim 14, wherein the control system is further configured to:

store details associated with;

a set of parameters associated with the profile of the first ground surface, the profile of the second ground surface between the work area and the second dump location, and the operational characteristics of the autonomous earthmoving machine,

and

historical data associated with the autonomous earthmoving machine moving the material over the first ground surface and the second ground surface.

20. The autonomous earthmoving machine of claim 19, wherein the control system is further configured to:

retrieve the stored details for generation of the first cost and the second cost.