METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REGULATING MOVEMNET OF AN AUTONOMOUS ENTITY BETWEEN ZONES

• US 20120053775A1
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technological Resources Pty. Ltd. (Rio Tinto Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sydney The University of Business Liaison Office
• Inventors: Nettleton, Eric, Hennessy, Ross, Durrant-Whyte, Hugh, Göktogan, Ali Haydar, Singh, Surya P N, Bandara, Guralawela Ekanayake Dharmapriya Chandrarathne
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/26 Methods of surface mining machines for obtaining, or the removal of, materials in open-pit mines E21C47/00; Layouts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0282 generated in a local control room
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method is described of regulating movement of an autonomous entity between a first zone (904) and a second zone (901), wherein the first and second zones each have an operation-defined geographical boundary within a defined geographical region. The autonomous entity is instructed to move into a transition zone (906, 907) that spans the first zone and the second zone, wherein the autonomous entity while located in the first zone is responsive to supervisory control of a first controller (912) associated with the first zone. The autonomous entity is registered with a second controller (910) associated with the second zone to enable the autonomous entity to respond to supervisory control of the second controller as the autonomous entity enters the second zone through the transition zone. The autonomous entity is de-registered from the first controller.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method of regulating movement of an autonomous entity from a first zone to a second zone adjacent to the first zone, wherein the first zone is associated with a first controller and the second zone is associated with a second controller in an integrated automation system comprising a hierarchy of controllers corresponding to a hierarchy of zones in a defined geographical region, the method comprising:

a) providing a supervising controller operable to supervise the first and second controllers in the hierarchy of controllers;

b) the supervising controller seeking clearance from the first and second controllers for the autonomous entity to move from the first zone to the second zone;

c) the supervising controller commanding the first controller to instruct the autonomous entity to move to a transition zone that spans the first zone and the second zone;

d) the supervising controller commanding the second controller to register the autonomous entity such that the autonomous entity is responsive to supervisory control of the second controller as the autonomous entity moves from the transition zone to the second zone; and

e) the supervising controller commanding the first controller to de-register the autonomous entity such that the entity is no longer responsive to supervisory control by the first controller.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transition zone includes a first transition zone wherein the autonomous entity is responsive to supervisory control of the first controller, and is under secondary control of the second controller, in which it receives future control messages from the second controller.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the future control messages include future way-points or trajectories for its future planning before full operational control by the second controller.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the transition zone includes a second transition zone wherein the autonomous entity is responsive to supervisory control of the secondary controller and wherein the first controller deregisters the autonomous entity when the autonomous entity is in the second transition zone.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the defined geographical region contains at least two boundary-defined, contiguous localised zones and wherein a said transition zone intersects a common boundary of the at least two contiguous zones at a required geographical location.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the defined geographical region contains at least two boundary-defined localised zones, said zones being separated and the transition zone interconnecting the separated zones.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the geographical boundaries comprise at least one physical structure.

9. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least one of the geographical boundaries comprises a virtual boundary.

10. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the transition zone is bounded at least in part by a physical structure.

11. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the transition zone is bounded at least in part by a virtual boundary.

12. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the defined geographical region comprises an open pit mine site and wherein the zones comprise distinct mine operation areas within the mine site.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the mine operation areas include drilling, blasting, loading, haulage and plant areas of the mine site.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 and employed in a mine automation system.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the mine automation system comprises a mine control system integrated with a mine picture compilation system and a mine planning system.

16. An apparatus for regulating movement of an autonomous entity between a first zone and a second zone adjacent to the first zone, wherein the first and second zones each have an operation-defined geographical boundary within a defined geographical region, the apparatus comprising:

a) means for instructing the autonomous entity to move into a transition zone that spans the first zone and the second zone, wherein the autonomous entity while located in the first zone is responsive to supervisory control of a first controller associated with the first zone;

b) means for registering the autonomous entity with a second controller associated with the second zone to enable the autonomous entity to respond to supervisory control of the second controller as the autonomous entity enters the second zone through the transition zone; and

c) means for de-registering the autonomous entity from the first controller.

17. (canceled)

18. A computer program product comprising machine-readable program code recorded on a machine-readable recording medium for controlling the operation of a data processing system on which the program code executes to perform a method of regulating movement of an autonomous entity between a first zone and a second zone adjacent to the first zone, wherein the first and second zones each have an operation-defined geographical boundary within a defined geographical region, the method comprising:

a) instructing the autonomous entity to move into a transition zone that spans the first zone and the second zone, wherein the autonomous entity while located in the first zone is responsive to supervisory control of a first controller associated with the first zone;

b) registering the autonomous entity with a second controller associated with the second zone to enable the autonomous entity to respond to supervisory control of the second controller as the autonomous entity enters the second zone through the transition zone; and

c) de-registering the autonomous entity from the first controller.