SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING MACHINE OPERATIONS

• US 20060047377A1
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Neal, Steven Wayne, Meiss, Trent Ray, Jenkins, Brian Lane, Wood, Daniel Craig, Ferguson, Alan Lewis
• Granted Patent: US 7,398,137 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• 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 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that enable one or more work machines to control operations of one or more remote work machines. In one embodiment, the systems and methods perform a process including determining a first type of first work machine performing first operations in a work environment and determining a second type of second work machine performing second operations in the work environment. Based on the first and second type of the first and second work machines, a selected second operation that the first work machine can control is determined. Subsequently, the first work machine may adjust the selected second operation while the first work machine performs the first operations.

Claims

1. A system for performing remote controlled operations between work machines, comprising:

a first work machine associated with first work machine identifier information and including mapping information and configured to perform a first set of operations; and

a second work machine associated with second work machine identifier information and configured to perform a second set of operations,

wherein the mapping information defines a control relationship between one or more operations of other work machines and the first work machine, and wherein the first work machine determines at least one selected operation from the second set of operations that may be adjusted by the first work machine based on the mapping information and at least one of the first and second work machine identifier information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected operation may vary based on at least one of:

a type of the first work machine,

a type of the second work machine,

an operator profile associated with a first operator of the first work machine, and

an operator profile associated with a second operator of the second work machine.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping information includes one or more of the first and second set of operations that is indexed based on data included in the first and second work machine identifier information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second work machine identifier information includes data reflecting a type of the first and second work machines, respectively.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the mapping information correlates work machine types, an experience level for an operator of the second work machine, an experience level for an operator of the first work machine, and at least one of the first and second set of operations.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first work machine determines the at least one selected operation by analyzing the mapping information based on the first and second work machine types to identify one or more second work machine operations the first work machine is authorized to adjust.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second work machines are different types of work machines, and the at least one selected operation varies based on the type of each of the first and second work machine.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second work machine includes the mapping information and determines at least one selected operation from the first set of operations that may be adjusted by the second work machine based on the mapping information and at least one of the first and second work machine identifier information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first work machine is operated by a first operator having a first profile included in the first work machine identifier information and the second work machine is operated by a second operator having a second profile included in the second work machine identifier information.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the work machine mapping information correlates a first work machine operator to a second work machine operator to determine the at least one selected operation that may be adjusted by the first work machine.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first work machine adjusts the at least one selected operation of the second work machine while performing at least one of the first set of operations.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second work machine performs one or more of the second set of operations while the first work machine adjusts the at least one selected operation.

13. A method for controlling operations of work machines, comprising:

determining a first type of first work machine performing first operations in a work environment;

determining a second type of second work machine performing second operations in the work environment;

determining a selected second operation that the first work machine can control based on the first and second type of the first and second work machines, respectively; and

adjusting, by the first work machine, the selected second operation while the first work machine performs the first operations.

14. The method of claim 13, further including:

communicating first work machine identifier information from the first work machine to the second work machine; and

communicating second work machine identifier information from the second work machine to the first work machine,

wherein the first work machine identifier information identifies the first type of the first work machine and the second work machine identifier information identifies the second type of the second work machine.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the selected second operation includes:

analyzing mapping information that correlates the first work machine type to the second work machine type to determine the selected second operation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mapping information further correlates the first and second work machine types to an operator profile for a first operator of the first work machine and a second operator profile for a second operator of the second work machine.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the selected second operation includes:

determining the selected second operation based on the first and second type of the first and second work machines, respectively, and the first and second operator profiles.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second operator profile includes data reflecting experience levels for the respective first and second operators.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the selected second operation includes:

determining whether the first work machine includes mapping information that correlates the first work machine type to the second work machine type used to determine the selected second operation; and

receiving the mapping information from at least one of an off-board system or a remote work machine in the event the first work machine does not include the mapping information.

20. The method of claim 13, further including:

receiving, by the first work machine from a remote work machine, a request message for mapping information that correlates the first work machine type to the second work machine type used to determine the selected second operation; and

sending the mapping information to the remote work machine.

21. The method of claim 13, further including:

receiving, by the first work machine from a remote work machine, an operation request message for determining operations of an identified work machine that can be controlled by the remote work machine;

determining a third operation of the identified work machine that the remote work machine can control; and

sending a message identifying the determined third operation to the remote work machine.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining a third operation includes:

analyzing mapping information that correlates the first work machine type, the second work machine type, a remote work machine type and an identified work machine type to determine the third operation.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the selected second operation is performed by one of:

the first work machine;

the second work machine;

an off-board system; and

a third work machine.

24. A system in a first work machine performing first operations, comprising:

a memory including a data structure storing mapping information that correlates work machine types to operations of work machines of the work machine types; and

a processor configured to receive identifier information from a second work machine reflecting at least a type of the second work machine and configured to analyze the data structure based on the identifier information to determine a selected operation of the second work machine that the first work machine is authorized to control,

wherein the first work machine controls the selected operation of the second work machine while performing the first operations.

25. A system for controlling operations of work machines, comprising:

means for determining a first type of first work machine performing first operations in a work environment;

means for determining a second type of second work machine performing second operations in the work environment;

means for determining a selected second operation that the first work machine can control based on the first and second type of the first and second work machines, respectively; and

means for adjusting, in the first work machine, the selected second operation while the first work machine performs the first operations