TIRE CONDITIONING OPTIMIZATION FOR A COLLECTION OF MINING VEHICLES

• US 20170023372A1
• Filed: 07/20/2016
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Modular Mining Systems Incorporated (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Modular Mining Systems Incorporated (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rayco, Maria Brenda R., Van Latum, Lucas
• Granted Patent: US 10,533,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/20 Devices for measuring or signalling tyre temperature only
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A system and method includes accessing a road network database to identify a tire cost for a plurality of edges in a mining road network, identifying least-cost paths between each of a plurality of nodes on the mining road network using the tire cost for each of the plurality of edges, the nodes including a loading area and a dumping area for a plurality of haul trucks, accessing a distributed objects database to identify constraints for the nodes on the mining road network, determining a production plan using the constraints for the nodes on the mining road network by maximizing a function of the form αf′(x)-βg′(x), where f′(x) is a normalized measure of productivity, g′(x) is a normalized measure of impact on tire conditioning, and α and β, are nonnegative constants with α+β=1, subject to constraints on resource capacities and production requirements, with the material flow rates between each of the nodes on the mining road network specifying the production plan, determining a task assignment for each of the plurality of haul trucks using the production plan as guide, and transmitting the task assignment for each of the plurality of haul trucks.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a pressure sensor configured to measure a tire pressure of a tire of a vehicle;

a navigation aid configured to output a task assignment for review by an operator of the vehicle; and

a dispatch control system configured to;

receive an indication of the tire pressure of the tire of the vehicle from the pressure sensor,

determine the task assignment based upon the indication of the tire pressure of the tire of the vehicle, and

transmit the task assignment to the navigation aid for output by the operator of the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispatch control system is configured to determine the task assignment by:

comparing the indication of the tire pressure to a first pressure threshold and a second pressure threshold, the second pressure threshold being less than the first pressure threshold; and

when the indication of the tire pressure is less than the first pressure threshold and greater than the second pressure threshold;

determining whether the vehicle has a current task assignment; and

when the vehicle does not have a current task assignment, determining that the task assignment is an assignment configured to cause the vehicle to navigate to a tire shop.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the dispatch control system is configured to determine the task assignment by:

comparing the indication of the tire pressure to the first pressure threshold and the second pressure threshold; and

when the indication of the tire pressure is less than the first pressure threshold and less than the second pressure threshold;

determining whether the vehicle is empty; and

when the vehicle is empty, determining that the task assignment is an assignment configured to cause the vehicle to navigate to a tire shop.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the dispatch control system is configured to determine the task assignment by:

comparing the indication of the tire pressure to a third pressure threshold greater than the first pressure threshold and the second pressure threshold; and

when the indication of the tire pressure is greater than the third pressure threshold;

identifying a plurality of candidate tasks, each candidate task being a short haul task assignment; and

determining that the task assignment is an assignment selected from the plurality of candidate tasks.

5. The system of claim 1, including a temperature sensor configured to measure a tire temperature of the tire of the vehicle and wherein the dispatch control system is configured to:

receive an indication of the tire temperature of the tire of the vehicle from the temperature sensor; and

determine the task assignment based upon the indication of the tire pressure of the tire of the vehicle and the indication of the tire temperature.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the dispatch control system is configured to determine the task assignment by:

comparing the indication of the tire temperature to a first temperature threshold; and

when the indication of the tire temperature is greater than the first temperature threshold;

identifying a plurality of candidate tasks, each candidate task being a short haul task assignment; and

determining that the task assignment is an assignment selected from the plurality of candidate tasks.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle and transmitting the task assignment to the navigation aid for output by the operator of the vehicle includes causing the operator of the autonomous vehicle to undertake a task described in the task assignment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation aid includes a display screen configured to display at least a portion of the task assignment.

9. A dispatch control system, comprising:

a road network database storing a mining road network defining a plurality of edges in the mining road network;

a distributed objects database;

a dispatch processor configured to perform the steps of;

accessing the road network database to identify a tire cost for each of the plurality of edges in the mining road network,

accessing the distributed objects database to identify constraints for nodes on the mining road network,

determining a production plan using the constraints for the nodes on the mining road network and the tire cost for each of the plurality of edges by, maximizing a function of the form α

f′

(x)-β

g′

(x), where f′

(x) is a normalized measure of productivity, g′

(x) is a normalized measure of impact on tire conditioning, and α and

β

are nonnegative constants with α

+β

=1;

determining a task assignment for each haul truck the plurality of haul trucks using the production plan; and

transmitting the task assignment of each haul truck in the plurality of haul trucks to each haul truck.

10. The dispatch control system of claim 9, wherein the dispatch processor is configured to, for a first haul truck in the plurality of haul trucks, perform the steps of:

determining at least one of a current tire temperature and a current tire pressure;

determining a history of at least one of tire temperature and tire pressure for the first haul truck;

determining a history of at least one of a work load history and a maintenance history for the first haul truck; and

determining a prognosis for the first haul truck using the at least one of the current tire temperature and the current tire pressure, and the history of at least one of the work load history and the maintenance history for the first haul truck.

11. The dispatch control system of claim 10, wherein the dispatch processor is configured to perform the step of modifying an operating regime of at least one of the plurality of haul trucks based upon the prognosis.

12. The dispatch control system of claim 11, wherein modifying the operating regime includes restricting a maximum speed of at least one of the plurality of haul trucks, or restricting a maximum payload of at least one of the plurality of haul trucks, or dispatching for servicing at least one of the plurality of haul trucks.

13. The dispatch control system of claim 10, wherein determining the task assignment includes:

identifying a candidate task for at least one of the plurality of haul trucks;

identifying a route through the mining road network associated with the candidate task; and

determining a tire cost associated with the route through the mining road network.

14. The dispatch control system of claim 9, wherein the tire costs for the plurality of edges in the mining road network are determined by a surface type, rolling resistance, gradient, or curvature of at least one of the plurality of edges in the mining road network.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication of a tire pressure of a tire of a vehicle from a pressure sensor;

determining a task assignment based upon the indication of the tire pressure of the tire of the vehicle; and

transmitting the task assignment to a navigation aid of the vehicle for output to an operator of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, including:

comparing the indication of the tire pressure to a first pressure threshold and a second pressure threshold, the second pressure threshold being less than the first pressure threshold; and

when the indication of the tire pressure is less than the first pressure threshold and greater than the second pressure threshold;

determining whether the vehicle has a current task assignment; and

when the vehicle does not have a current task assignment, determining that the task assignment is an assignment configured to cause the vehicle to navigate to a tire shop.

17. The method of claim 16, including:

comparing the indication of the tire pressure to the first pressure threshold and the second pressure threshold; and

when the indication of the tire pressure is less than the first pressure threshold and less than the second pressure threshold;

determining whether the vehicle is empty; and

when the vehicle is empty, determining that the task assignment is an assignment configured to cause the vehicle to navigate to a tire shop.

18. The method of claim 17, including:

comparing the indication of the tire pressure to a third pressure threshold greater than the first pressure threshold and the second pressure threshold; and

when the indication of the tire pressure is greater than the third pressure threshold;

identifying a plurality of candidate tasks, each candidate task being a short haul task assignment; and

determining that the task assignment is an assignment selected from the plurality of candidate tasks.

19. The method of claim 15, including:

receiving an indication of a tire temperature of the tire of the vehicle from a temperature sensor; and

determining the task assignment based upon the indication of the tire pressure of the tire of the vehicle and the indication of the tire temperature.

20. The method of claim 19, including:

comparing the indication of the tire temperature to a first temperature threshold; and

when the indication of the tire temperature is greater than the first temperature threshold;

identifying a plurality of candidate tasks, each candidate task being a short haul task assignment; and

determining that the task assignment is an assignment selected from the plurality of candidate tasks.