System and method for remotely controlling machine operations using mapping information

• US 7,398,137 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Neal, Steven Wayne, Meiss, Trent Ray, Jenkins, Brian Lane, Wood, Daniel Craig, Ferguson, Alan Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett; Ryan A.
• Application Number:
  US10/924,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/50, 700 2- 5, 700/159, 700/275
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2054 Fleet management
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that enable one or more work machines to control operations of one or more remote work machines. In one embodiment, the systems and methods perform a process including determining a first type of first work machine performing first operations in a work environment and determining a second type of second work machine performing second operations in the work environment. Based on the first and second type of the first and second work machines, a selected second operation that the first work machine can control is determined. Subsequently, the first work machine may adjust the selected second operation while the first work machine performs the first operations.

Claims

1. A system for performing remote controlled operations between machines, comprising:

a first machine associated with first machine identifier information and including mapping information, the first machine configured to perform a first set of physical operations; and

a second machine associated with second machine identifier information and configured to perform a second set of physical operations,

wherein the mapping information includes the first machine identifier information and the second machine identifier information, and defines a control relationship between the first machine and one or more physical operations of the second machine,

and wherein the first machine is configured to;

determine, based on the mapping information, at least one selected physical operation from the second set of physical operations that may be adjusted by the first machine, and

adjust the at least one selected physical operation of the second machine based on the determination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected physical operation is determined based on at least one of:

a type of the first machine,

a type of the second machine,

an operator profile associated with a first operator of the first machine, and

an operator profile associated with a second operator of the second machine.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping information includes one or more of the first and second set of physical operations that is indexed based on data included in the first and second machine identifier information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second machine identifier information includes data reflecting a type of the first and second machines, respectively.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the mapping information correlates machine types, an experience level for an operator of the second machine, an experience level for an operator of the first machine, and at least one of the first and second set of physical operations.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first machine determines the at least one selected physical operation by analyzing the mapping information based on the first and second machine types to identify one or more physical operations of the second machine that the first work machine is authorized to adjust.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second machines are different types of machines, and the at least one selected physical operation varies based on the type of each of the first and second machine.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second machine includes the mapping information and determines at least one selected physical operation from the first set of physical operations that may be adjusted by the second machine based on the mapping information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first machine is operated by a first operator having a first profile included in the first machine identifier information and the second machine is operated by a second operator having a second profile included in the second machine identifier information.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine mapping information correlates a first machine operator to a second machine operator to determine the at least one selected physical operation that may be adjusted by the first machine.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first machine is configured to adjust the at least one selected physical operation of the second machine while performing at least one of the first set of physical operations.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second machine is configured to perform one or more of the second set of physical operations while the first machine adjusts the at least one selected physical operation.

13. A method for controlling operations of machines, comprising:

determining a first type of first machine performing a set of first physical operations in a work environment;

determining a second type of second machine performing a set of second physical operations in the work environment;

determining a selected physical operation from the set of second physical operations that the first machine can control by analyzing mapping information that includes the first machine type and the second machine type and correlates the first machine type, the second machine type, and one or more physical operations of the set of second physical operations; and

adjusting, by the first work machine, the selected second physical operation while the first machine performs the set of first physical operations.

14. The method of claim 13, further including:

communicating first machine identifier information from the first machine to the second machine; and

communicating second machine identifier information from the second machine to the first machine,

wherein the first machine identifier information identifies the first type of the first machine and the second machine identifier information identifies the second type of the second machine.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the mapping information further correlates the first and second machine types to an operator profile for a first operator of the first machine and a second operator profile for a second operator of the second machine.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the selected second physical operation includes:

determining the selected second physical operation based on the first and second type of the first and second machines, respectively, and the first and second operator profiles.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second operator profile includes data reflecting experience levels for the respective first and second operators.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the selected second physical operation includes:

determining whether the first machine includes mapping information that correlates the first machine type to the second machine type used to determine the selected physical operation; and

receiving the mapping information from at least one of an off-board system and a remote machine in the event the first machine does not include the mapping information.

19. The method of claim 13, further including:

receiving, by the first machine from a remote machine, a request message for the mapping information; and

sending the mapping information to the remote machine.

20. The method of claim 13, further including:

receiving, by the first machine from a remote machine, an operation request message for determining physical operations of an identified machine that can be controlled by the remote machine;

determining a selected physical operation of the identified machine that the remote machine can control; and

sending a message identifying the determined selected physical operation to the remote machine.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the selected physical operation of the identified machine that the remote machine can control includes:

analyzing mapping information that correlates the first machine type, the second machine type, a remote machine type and an identified machine type.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the selected physical operation is performed by one of:

the first machine;

the second machine;

an off-board system; and

a third machine.

23. A system in a first machine performing first physical operations, comprising:

a memory including a data structure storing mapping information that includes a correlation of machine types of a first and second machine to physical operations of the first and second machines; and

a processor configured to receive identifier information from a second machine reflecting at least the type of the second machine and configured to analyze the data structure based on the identifier information to determine a selected physical operation of the second machine that the first machine is authorized to control,

wherein the first machine is configured to control the selected physical operation of the second machine while performing the first physical operations.

24. A system for controlling operations of machines, comprising:

means for determining a first type of first machine performing first physical operations in a work environment;

means for determining a second type of second machine performing second physical operations in the work environment;

means for determining a selected second physical operation that the first machine can control based on the first and second type of the first and second machines, respectively, and based on an operator profile of the operator of the first machine and an operator profile of the operator of the second machine; and

means for adjusting, in the first machine, the selected second physical operation while the first machine performs the first physical operations.