Management of materials on a construction site

• US 8,306,836 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Nichols, Mark E., Fosburgh, Bryn, Gipps, Peter Graham, Darby, George Derrick Jr., Richardson, Christopher David
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Benjamin S
• Application Number:
  US12/325,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705 711- 742, 701/50, 701/29.3
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A computer implemented method and computer system for management of materials on a construction site. In one embodiment, at least one cost scenario is defined for moving at least one material with a vehicle pool. A status of a project which uses the material is then determined. A report is generated which identifies a vehicle of the vehicle pool and defines a load of the material which is to be moved by the vehicle from a first location to a second location.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for management of materials on a construction site, said method comprising:

defining at least one cost scenario to move at least one material with at least one vehicle from a vehicle pool;

determining a status of a project which uses the at least one material;

generating a report which identifies a vehicle from said vehicle pool to be utilized and defines a load of the material which is to be moved by said vehicle, according to a mass haul plan, from a first location which is a cut section to a second location which is a fill section;

automatically updating the status of the project based on an actual size and an actual drop-off location of the load of the material moved by said vehicle; and

updating the report based on the updating of the status of the project.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said defining further comprises:

defining the cost to move the material from said first location to said second location using said vehicle pool.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

determining at least one variable of the material which affects said cost scenario.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 further comprising:

determining the moisture content of the material.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

defining at least one site variable selected from the group consisting of a distance to move the material from said first location to said second location, a road condition between said first location and said second location, how fast the material can be moved from said first location to said second location, a time when the material is moved from said first location to said second location, and a weather variable.

6. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

receiving an indication of a weighted value which is used to assign said load of the material to said vehicle and wherein said weighted value is selected from the group consisting of;

minimizing the cost to move the material from said first location to said second location and the maximizing the volume of the material which can be moved from said first location to said second location.

7. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

receiving an indication selected from the group consisting of the availability of an operator for said vehicle and the productivity of said operator of said vehicle.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said vehicle pool comprises a plurality of vehicles, said method further comprising:

determining which of said plurality of vehicles are available; and

generating a plurality of reports which define how the material is to be moved by said vehicle pool.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 further comprising:

identifying at least one additional vehicle which can be included in said vehicle pool from an outside site.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

conveying a machine work flow plan wirelessly to said vehicle.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

generating at least one simulation which models each movement of the material based upon the current status of the site and a desired status of the site.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said generating said report further comprises:

defining a route for said vehicle to use.

13. A computer implemented system for managing an asset on a construction site, said system comprising:

a cost scenario generator configured to define at least one cost scenario to move a material with a vehicle pool;

a status determiner configured to determine the status of a project which uses the material, the status determiner automatically updates the status of the project at a user selectable interval based on an actual size and an actual drop-off location of the load of the material moved by said vehicle; and

a report generator configured to generate a report which identifies a vehicle from said vehicle pool and defines which load of the material is to be moved by said vehicle, according to a mass haul plan, from a first location which is a cut section to a second location which is a fill section;

wherein the report generator updates the report based on the updates to the status of the project from the status determiner.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said cost scenario generator is further configured to define the cost to move the material from said first location to said second location using said vehicle pool.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said cost scenario generator is further configured to receive at least one variable of the material which affects said cost scenario.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a moisture content estimator configured to generate an estimate of the moisture content of the material.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein said status determiner is further configured to receive at least one site variable selected from the group consisting of a distance to move the material from said first location to said second location, a road condition between said first location and said second location, how fast the material can be moved from said first location to said second location, a time when the material is moved from said first location to said second location, and a weather variable.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein said report generator is further configured to receive an indication of a weighted value which is used to assign said load of the material to said vehicle and wherein said weighted value is selected from the group consisting of:

minimizing the cost to move the material from said first location to said second location and the maximizing the volume of the material which can be moved from said first location to said second location.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein said status determiner is further configured to receive an indication selected from the group consisting of the availability of an operator for said vehicle and the productivity of said operator of said vehicle.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein said cost scenario generator is further configured to receive an indication of a plurality of vehicles comprising said vehicle pool which are available;

and

wherein said report generator is configured to generate a plurality of reports which define how the material is to be moved by said vehicle pool.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said report genitor is further configured to define a route to be used by said vehicle when moving a load of the material from said first location to said second location and to define a route to be used by said vehicle when returning from said second location to said first location.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein said cost scenario generator is further configured to receive an indication of at least one additional vehicle which can be included in said vehicle pool from an outside site.

23. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

a wireless transmitter configured to convey a machine work flow plan wirelessly to said vehicle.

24. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

a simulator configured to generate at least one simulation which models each movement of the material based upon the current status of the site and a desired status of the site.

25. A computer implemented method for asset management of a material on a construction site, said method comprising:

defining a cost to move a material from a first location which is a cut section to a second location which is a fill section based upon the availability of a plurality of vehicles of a vehicle pool;

identifying said first location of the material and said second location of the material based upon a current status of said project and a desired status of said project;

generating a report which defines a load of the material and selecting a vehicle from said plurality of vehicles to be utilized to move said load of the material, according to a mass haul plan, from said first location to said second location;

automatically updating the status of the project based on an actual size and an actual drop-off location of the load of the material moved by said vehicle; and

updating the report based on the updating of the status of the project.

26. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

conveying a machine work flow plan wirelessly to said vehicle which identifies said first location, said second location, and said load of the material.

27. The method as recited in claim 26 further comprising:

conveying a route to use when moving said load of the material.

28. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

determining the moisture content of the material.

29. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

defining at least one variable selected from the group consisting of a distance to move the material from said first location to said second location, a road condition between said first location and said second location, how fast the material can be moved from said first location to said second location, a time when the material is moved from said first location to said second location, and a weather variable.

30. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

receiving an indication of a weighted value which is used to assign said load of the material to said particular vehicle and wherein said weighted value is selected from the group consisting of;

minimizing the cost to move the material from said first location to said second location and the maximizing the volume of the material which can be moved from said first location to said second location.

31. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

receiving an indication selected from the group consisting of the availability of an operator for said vehicle and the productivity of said operator of said vehicle.

32. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

generating at least one simulation which models each movement of the material based upon the current status of the site and a desired status of the site.