FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM AND EARTH-MOVING MACHINE

• US 20140107849A1
• Filed: 06/19/2012
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Tojima, Masanori, Takeda, Koji, Yamashita, Kouichi, Sudou, Tsugio
• Granted Patent: US 9,651,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/283
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0676 by action on flow sources G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence

Abstract

A fuel supply system includes: a fuel supply facility capable of supplying fuel; an earth-moving machine capable of traveling toward the fuel supply facility; and a control apparatus that acquires execution permission information indicating whether or not fuel can be supplied to the earth-moving machine, and is capable of executing control based on the acquired execution permission information, wherein when the control apparatus determines that fuel cannot be supplied to the earth-moving machine based on the execution permission information at a time of supplying the fuel to the earth-moving machine, the control apparatus executes entry restriction control for restricting an entry to the fuel supply facility by the earth-moving machine.

Claims

1. A fuel supply system comprising:

a fuel supply facility capable of supplying fuel;

an earth-moving machine capable of traveling toward the fuel supply facility, the earth-moving machine including a loading unit that loads a load;

a load detection device capable of detecting whether or not the load is loaded on the loading unit, as loading information; and

a control apparatus that acquires execution permission information indicating whether or not fuel can be supplied to the earth-moving machine, and is capable of executing control based on the acquired execution permission information,

wherein the control apparatus acquires the loading information as the execution permission information at a time of supplying the fuel to the earth-moving machine, and when the control apparatus determines that the load is loaded on the loading unit based on the loading information, the control apparatus determines fuel cannot be supplied to the earth-moving machine to execute entry restriction control for restricting an entry to the fuel supply facility by the earth-moving machine.

2. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus controls the earth-moving machine to execute entry operation restricting control for restricting an entry operation of the earth-moving machine, which enters the fuel supply facility, as the entry restriction control.

3. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notification apparatus capable of notifying information,

wherein the control apparatus controls the notification apparatus to execute entry restriction notifying control for notifying the earth-moving machine of warning information on the restriction of the entry to the fuel supply facility by the earth-moving machine, as the entry restriction control.

4. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a gate apparatus that restricts the entry of the earth-moving machine to the fuel supply facility,

wherein the control apparatus controls the gate apparatus to execute gate restriction operating control to restrict the entry of the earth-moving machine to the fuel supply facility, as the entry restriction control.

6. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, wherein the load detection device includes at least one of a loaded-amount detection device that detects a loaded amount of the load which is loaded on the loading unit, an imaging device that takes an image of the load which is loaded on the earth-moving machine, and a weight measurement device that measures a weight of the earth-moving machine.

7. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus dispatches the earth-moving machine toward an unloading area when the control apparatus determines that the load is loaded on the loading unit based on the loading information and dispatches the earth-moving machine toward the fuel supply facility when the control apparatus determines that the load is not loaded on the loading unit based on the loading information.

8. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply facility includes a facility-side fuel tank that accumulates the fuel and a facility-side fuel amount detector capable of detecting an amount of the fuel accumulated in the facility-side fuel tank, as facility-side fuel amount information, and

the control apparatus acquires the facility-side fuel amount information as the execution permission information and when the control apparatus determines that fuel does not remain based on the facility-side fuel amount information, the control apparatus determines that fuel cannot be supplied to the earth-moving machine to execute the entry restriction control.

9. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply facility includes a fuel supply-vehicle presence detector capable of detecting a presence or absence of a fuel supply vehicle that supplies the fuel to the earth-moving machine, as fuel supply-vehicle presence information, and

the control apparatus acquires the fuel supply-vehicle presence information as the execution permission information and when the control apparatus determines that the fuel supply vehicle is not present in the fuel supply facility based on the fuel supply-vehicle presence information, the control apparatus determines that fuel cannot be supplied to the earth-moving machine to execute the entry restriction control.

10. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply facility includes an operation status detector capable of detecting an operation status of the fuel supply facility due to the supply of the fuel to the earth-moving machine, as operation information, and

the control apparatus acquires the operation information as the execution permission information and when the control apparatus determines that the fuel supply facility is in a full state based on the operation information, the control apparatus determines that fuel cannot be supplied to the earth-moving machine to execute the entry restriction control.

5. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. An earth-moving machine capable of traveling toward a fuel supply facility that supplies fuel, the machine comprising:

a loading unit that loads a load;

a load detector capable of detecting whether or not the load is loaded on the loading unit, as loading information; and

a control unit that acquires execution permission information indicating whether or not fuel can be supplied to the earth-moving machine and is capable of executing control based on the acquired execution permission information,

wherein the control unit acquires the loading information as the execution permission information at a time of supplying the fuel to the earth-moving machine, and when the control unit determines that the load is loaded on the loading unit based on the loading information, the control unit determines fuel cannot be supplied to execute entry restriction control for restricting an entry to the fuel supply facility.

13. The earth-moving machine according to claim 12, wherein the control unit executes entry operation restricting control for restricting an entry operation of entering the fuel supply facility, as the entry restriction control.

14. The earth-moving machine according to claim 12, further comprising:

a notification unit capable of notifying information,

wherein the control unit controls the notification unit to execute entry restriction notifying control for notifying an operator of warning information on the restriction of the entry to the fuel supply facility, as the entry restriction control.

16. The earth-moving machine according to claim 12, wherein when the control unit determines that the load is loaded on the loading unit based on the loading information, the control unit dispatches the earth-moving machine toward an unloading area and when the control unit determines that the load is not loaded on the loading unit based on the loading information, the control unit dispatches the earth-moving machine toward the fuel supply facility.

15. (canceled)