SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF DETERMINING ROAD QUALITY

• US 20170167088A1
• Filed: 12/12/2016
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freeport-Mcmoran Corporation (Freeport-Mcmoran Copper & Gold Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Freeport-Mcmoran Corporation (Freeport-Mcmoran Copper & Gold Incorporated)
• Inventors: Walker, Mary Amelia, Catron, Robert, Vaughan, Brian, Lu, Hung Jung
• Granted Patent: US 10,378,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/01 Devices or auxiliary means for setting-out or checking the configuration of new surfacing, e.g. templates, screed or reference line supports form rails E01C19/50; Applications of apparatus for measuring, indicating, or recording the surface configuration of existing surfacing, e.g. profilographs E01C23/07 takes precedence; measuring roughness or irregularity in general G01B
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/04 Suspension or damping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A system for determining road quality includes a vehicle equipped with sensors to detect a position of the vehicle on the road and a suspension strut parameter indicative of road quality. The suspension strut parameter may be suspension strut pressure or suspension strut cylinder stroke. A threshold range is established outside of which the suspension strut parameter is associated with poor road quality. A computerized system implementing this method is capable of automating requests for inspection and maintenance of the road, as well as generating maps indicating sections of the road according to their relative quality. The system may be implemented for use by heavy equipment type commonly used in mining operations, or in context of other operations utilizing fleets of vehicles that commonly traverse publicly or privately maintained roads.

Claims

1. A method of determining road quality, comprising:

traversing the road with a vehicle;

tracking a position of the vehicle as the vehicle traverses one or more segments of the road;

measuring a suspension strut parameter of the vehicle as the vehicle traverses the road;

associating the measured suspension strut pressure with vehicle position;

establishing a threshold range of the suspension strut parameter, values outside of this threshold range being indicative of poor road quality;

determining instances where an absolute value of the suspension strut parameter exceeds the threshold value as an indicator of poor road quality associated with a portion of the road; and

reporting the quality status of at least one segment of the road.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining instances includes identifying local maxima and minima and comparing the local maxima and minima to the threshold range.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of comparing the local maxima and minima includes a subtraction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a threshold range includes calculating a confidence interval based upon a data array of the suspension strut parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reporting the quality includes reporting the quality of multiple segments of the road and the method further comprises a step of generating a heat map to display relative quality of the multiple segments of the road.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of generating a heat map includes colorizing the multiple segments according to a predetermined quality color scale.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of tracking the position of the vehicle and the step of measuring the suspension strut parameter are conducted at least once every second.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a threshold range includes associating a vehicle speed reduction with an amplitude of the suspension strut parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, further including a step of automating a request for inspection of the at least one road segment when the suspension strut parameter falls outside of the threshold range.

10. The method of claim 9, further including a step of automating a request for maintenance of the at least one road segment following the request for inspection.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of tracking a position and measuring a suspension strut parameter are performed on the vehicle, and further comprising steps of

averaging the position data and the suspension strut parameter data over and interval of time to provide an averaged data set;

and

transmitting the averaged data set to a central computing location where the steps of establishing the threshold range, determining instances, and reporting the quality are performed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the road is a mining road and the vehicle is a heavy vehicle capable of moving earthen materials obtained from the mine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of tracking the position includes collecting GPS position data as the vehicle traverses the road.

14. A system for determining road quality, comprising:

a vehicle having at least one suspension strut;

a sensor operatively associated with the suspension strut of the vehicle for sensing a suspension strut parameter indicative of road quality

a position sensor operatively associated with the vehicle for determining a position of the vehicle on the road;

a vehicle network mounted on the vehicle and operatively configured for transmitting output representative of the suspension strut parameter and the position of the vehicle;

a central computing location;

a telecommunications network constructed and arranged for communicating data between the vehicle network and the central computing location;

the system being provided with program logic for implementing the method of claim 1.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the road is a mining road and the vehicle is a heavy vehicle capable of moving earthen materials obtained from the mine.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the system further includes a display and the program logic further includes logic for generating a heat map to display relative quality of the multiple segments of the road.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the program logic for determining instances includes program logic for identifying local maxima and minima and comparing the local maxima and minima to the threshold range.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the program logic for tracking the position of the vehicle and the program logic for measuring the suspension strut parameter generates data at least once every second.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable attractions embodied thereon that, when executed by at least one computer processor cause the processor to execute the method of claim 1.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 further including program instructions for generating a heat map to display relative quality of the multiple segments of the road.