Remote Control Machine With Partial Or Total Autonomous Control

• US 20080208395A1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Machine Works Incorporated The
• Original Assignee: Charles Machine Works Incorporated The
• Inventors: Self, Kelvin P., Kiner, Nathan E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,828 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 9/24 Safety devices , e.g. for preventing overload E02F9/226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A system for controlling a tool carrier and work tool from either a first remote control or a second remote control. The first remote control and the second remote control both transmit respective first and second control signals to a controller system supported on the tool carrier. The controller system is programmed to select either the first control signal or the second control signal to control operation of the tool carrier. The system may include programming to allow autonomous movement of the tool carrier between a first work zone and a second work zone. Further, the controller system may be programmed to avoid obstacles within its path and to reroute its path between the first work zone and the second work zone to avoid such obstacles.

Claims

1. A system for controlling operation of a tool carrier (10), the system comprising:

a first remote control (12) adapted to generate a first control signal (22);

a second remote control (14) adapted to generate a second control signal (26); and

a controller system (18) supported on the tool carrier (10);

wherein the controller system (18) is adapted to receive the first control signal (22) and the second control signal (26) and to select either the first control signal (22) or the second control signal (26) to the exclusion of the unselected control signal to control operation of the tool carrier (10).

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first control signal (22) is selected when the tool carrier (10) is at a first work zone (60) and wherein the second control signal (26) is selected when the tool carrier is at a second work zone (62).

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the first work zone (60) and the second work zone (62) overlap.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the controller system (18) is further adapted to autonomously control movement of the tool carrier (10) along a predetermined path (68) between the first work zone (60 and the second work zone (62).

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a signal transmitter (70) positioned along the predetermined path (68);

wherein the signal transmitter (70) is adapted to transmit a reference signal to the controller system (18) for establishing a path relative to the tool carrier (10) and the signal transmitter (70) along which the tool carrier (10) is steered toward the second work zone (62).

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the controller system (18) comprises a global positioning system.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the global positioning system is adapted to guide the tool carrier (10) along a path between the first work zone (60) and the second work zone (62).

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller system (18) is adapted to select either the first control signal (22) or the second control signal (26) based on the location of the tool carrier (10) determined using the global positioning system.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the tool carrier (10) comprises an obstacle avoidance system (46, 48) adapted to detect an obstacle to tool carrier operation.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the obstacle avoidance system (46, 48) comprises an acoustic sensor system.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first control signal (22) comprises a first remote control relinquishment command.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein both the first remote control (12) and the second remote control (14) are further adapted to transmit a shutdown command signal to the controller system (18) to shutdown operation of tool carrier (10) regardless of selection of the first control signal (22) or the second control signal (26) by the controller system (18).

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the first control signal (22) comprises a first unique identifier.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first unique identifier comprises a frequency specific to the first remote control (12).

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller system (18) is configured to allow the first control signal (22) to take control of the tool carrier (10) when received by the controller system (18) when the second control signal (26) is selected by the controller system (18).

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the tool carrier (10) comprises a work tool (40) operatively supported thereon;

wherein the first control signal (22) is selected to control movement of the tool carrier (10) and wherein the second control signal (26) is selected to control operation of the work tool (40).

17. The system of claim 1 wherein either the first control signal (22) or the second control signal (26) is selected by the controller system (18) based upon the location of the first remote control (12) and the second remote control (14) relative to the tool carrier (10).

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the tool carrier (10) comprises a work tool (40) operatively connected to the tool carrier (10) and wherein the controller system (18) is adapted to autonomously control operation of the tool carrier (10) and the work tool (40) along a predetermined path (68).

19. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of signal transmitters (70), wherein the signal transmitters (70) are each adapted to transmit a positioning signal to the controller system (18) for establishing a path along which the tool carrier (10) is steered.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the plurality of signal transmitters (70) each comprise a global positioning system.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the positioning signal transmitted by each of the plurality of signal transmitters comprises a laser beam.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller system (18) is adapted to record movement of the tool carrier (10) along a path and to autonomously move the tool carrier (10) along the recorded path.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the first control signal (22) comprises an enable signal adapted to enable autonomous control of the tool carrier (10) by the controller system (18).

24. A method for controlling operation of a tool carrier (10), the method comprising:

transmitting a first control signal (22) from a first remote control (12);

transmitting a second control signal (26) from a second remote control (14); and

selecting either the first control signal (22) or the second control signal (26) to the exclusion of the unselected control signal to control operation of the tool carrier (10).

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising selecting the first control signal (22) when the tool carrier (10) is in a first work zone (60).

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising selecting the second control signal (26) when the tool carrier (10) is in a second work zone (62).

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising autonomously moving the tool carrier (10) along a path (68) between a first hand-off point (54a) and a second hand-off point (54b).

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

moving the tool carrier (10) along a path (68) between a first hand-off point (54a) and a second hand-off point (54b);

recording movements of the tool carrier (10) along the path (68); and

autonomously moving the tool carrier (10) along the path (68) using the recorded movements.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising automatically altering the path (68) to avoid an obstacle disposed within the path.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein autonomously moving the tool carrier (10) along the path further comprises:

transmitting a positioning signal to the tool carrier (10) to establish a path between the tool carrier and a point located along the path; and

steering the tool carrier toward the point located along the path.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein moving the tool carrier (10) to the second work zone (62) comprises positioning the tool carrier (10) at a hand-off point (54) and selecting the disabled control signal to take control of the tool carrier (10).

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the second control signal (26) is selected to the exclusion of the first control signal (22) when the second control signal (26) is detected at the tool carrier (10).

33. The method of claim 24 wherein the first control signal (22) is selected to the exclusion of the second control signal (26) when the first control signal (22) is detected at the tool carrier (10).

34. The method of claim 24 wherein deselecting the first control signal (22) comprises relinquishing control of the tool carrier (10) at the first remote control (12).

35. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

operating the tool carrier (10) in a first work zone (60) in response to the first control signal (22);

moving the tool carrier (10) to a first hand-off point (54a);

autonomously moving the tool carrier (10) from the first hand-off point (54a) to a second hand-off point (54b);

selecting the second control signal (26) when the tool carrier (10) is at the second hand-off point (54b); and

operating the tool carrier (10) at a second work zone (62) in response to the second control signal (26).

36. The method of claim 24 further comprising transmitting a shutdown signal from either the first remote control (12) or the second remote control (14).

37. The method of claim 24 wherein the first control signal (22) is selected to control operation of the tool carrier (10).

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising deselecting the first control signal (22) and selecting the second control signal (26).

39. The method of claim 37 wherein selecting the first control signal (22) comprises receiving a unique identifier carried by the first control signal (22).

40. The method of claim 38 wherein the first control signal (22) has priority over the selected second control signal (26).

41. The method of claim 24 wherein the tool carrier (10) comprises a work tool (40), the method comprising selecting both the first control signal (22) and the second control signal (26);

wherein the first control signal (22) controls movement of the tool carrier (10) and wherein the second control signal (26) controls operation of the work tool (40).