Worksite management system with gear recommendation

• US 8,768,587 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2012
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Wulf, Stefan J., Sprock, Christopher M., Tobaa, Mahmoud M., Boddu, Mallikharjuna Rao
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US13/557,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/51, 701/53, 701/54, 701/58, 701/62, 701/64, 701/65
• US Class Current: 701/64
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/202 Mechanical transmission, e.g. clutches, gears clutches per se F16D, gears per se F16H
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2025 Particular purposes of control systems not otherwise provided for E02F3/16, E02F3/26, sub-groups of E02F3/43, E02F3/651, sub-groups of E02F3/84, E02F3/907, E02F5/145 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2079 Control of mechanical transmission for hydrostatic transmission or hydraulic torque converter E02F9/2253
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/262 with follow-up actions to control the work tool, e.g. controller
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2063/426 with means for advising the driver for proper shift action, e.g. prompting the driver with allowable selection range of ratios
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/42 Ratio indicator devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/048 using a predictor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles

Abstract

A method of operating a machine at a worksite includes determining data associated with at least one of a machine operation at the worksite and a worksite condition, and determining, based on the data, that one of machine propulsion and machine retarding will be required for greater than a corresponding threshold. The method also includes determining, in response to determining that machine propulsion will be required, a desired propulsion gear, and recommending the propulsion gear to an operator of the machine. The method further includes determining, in response to determining that machine retarding will be required, a desired retarding gear, and recommending the retarding gear to the operator. In such a method, the retarding gear is determined based on a maximum temperature associated with the machine.

Claims

1. A method of operating a machine at a worksite, comprising:

determining data associated with at least one of a machine operation at the worksite and a worksite condition;

determining, based on the data, that one of machine propulsion and machine retarding will be required for greater than a corresponding threshold;

determining, in response to determining that machine propulsion will be required, a desired propulsion gear, and recommending the propulsion gear to an operator of the machine; and

determining, in response to determining that machine retarding will be required, a desired retarding gear, and recommending the retarding gear to the operator,

wherein the retarding gear is determined based on a maximum temperature associated with the machine.

2. The method of claim 1, further including estimating a brake coolant temperature based on data associated with at least one of an upcoming grade of a haul route of the worksite on which the machine is located, a current grade of the haul route, a payload of the machine, and a rolling resistance of the machine on the haul route.

3. The method claim 2, further including determining the retarding gear based on a difference between the estimated brake coolant temperature and a current brake coolant temperature.

4. The method of claim 3, further including determining the retarding gear in response to determining that the difference is less than a coolant temperature difference threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, further including operating the machine in the retarding gear, wherein operating the machine in the retarding gear maintains brake coolant of the machine at a temperature below the maximum temperature associated with the machine.

6. The method of claim 3, further including determining that the difference is greater than a coolant temperature difference threshold,

correcting the data associated with the at least one of the upcoming grade, the current grade, the payload, and the rolling resistance based on the difference, and

determining the desired retarding gear based on the corrected data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein correcting the data includes generating the corrected data based on the difference, and

determining the desired retarding gear based on the corrected data comprises determining a temperature value closer to the current brake coolant temperature than the estimated brake coolant temperature.

8. The method of claim 1, further including recommending the retarding gear for a first portion of the haul route, and recommending an additional retarding gear for a second portion of the haul route, wherein the additional retarding gear is determined based on stored data associated with the haul route.

9. The method of claim 1, further including determining, for a haul route of the worksite on which the machine is located, that the desired propulsion gear will yield a higher machine travel speed and a lower machine power source speed than a current transmission gear, and

recommending the desired propulsion gear to the operator in response to determining that the desired propulsion gear will yield the higher machine travel speed and the lower machine power source speed.

10. The method of claim 1, further including estimating a power source speed based on data associated with at least one of a current grade of a haul route of the worksite on which the machine is located, a rim power of the machine, a payload of the machine, and a rolling resistance of the machine on the haul route, and

determining the propulsion gear based on a difference between the estimated power source speed and a current power source speed.

11. The method of claim 10, further including determining that the difference is greater than a power source speed difference threshold,

correcting the data associated with at least one of the current grade, the rim power, the payload, and the rolling resistance based on the difference, and

determining the propulsion gear based on the corrected data,

wherein determining the propulsion gear based on the corrected data comprises determining a power source speed value closer to the current power source speed than the estimated power source speed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding threshold comprises at least one of a predetermined distance and a predetermined period of time, and

determining that machine propulsion will be required includes determining that

a) a throttle pedal position will be greater than a throttle pedal position threshold for greater than the at least one of the predetermined distance and the predetermined period of time, or that

b) a transmission output speed will be greater than a transmission upshift speed for greater than the at least one of the predetermined distance and the predetermined period of time, or that

c) a transmission output speed will be less than a transmission downshift speed for greater than the at least one of the predetermined distance and the predetermined period of time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding threshold comprises at least one of a predetermined distance and a predetermined period of time, and

determining that machine retarding will be required includes determining that a grade of a haul route of the worksite on which the machine is located will be below a grade threshold for greater than the at least one of the predetermined distance and the predetermined period of time.

14. A method of operating a machine at a worksite, comprising:

determining data associated with a machine operation at the worksite and a worksite condition;

providing the data to a remote worksite controller in communication with the machine;

determining, based on the data, that one of machine propulsion and machine retarding will be required for greater than a corresponding threshold;

sending, in response to determining that machine propulsion will be required, a propulsion signal from the worksite controller to the machine,

the propulsion signal indicating a desired propulsion gear associated with a haul route of the worksite on which the machine is located, and

recommending the propulsion gear to an operator of the machine in response to the propulsion signal; and

sending, in response to determining that machine retarding will be required, a retarding signal from the worksite controller to the machine,

the retarding signal indicating a desired retarding gear associated with the haul route, and

recommending the retarding gear to the operator in response to the retarding signal, wherein the retarding gear is determined based on a maximum brake coolant temperature associated with the machine.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the worksite controller is in communication with a plurality of machines operating at the worksite,

the machine comprises one of the plurality of machines, and

the worksite condition comprises a traffic congestion associated with the plurality of machines and the haul route.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the worksite controller determines that one of machine propulsion and machine retarding will be required based on stored data associated with the haul route.

17. The method of claim 14, further including

estimating a power source speed based on data associated with at least one of a current grade of the haul route, a rim power of the machine, a payload of the machine, and a rolling resistance of the machine on the haul route,

determining that a difference between the estimated power source speed and a current power source speed is greater than a power source speed difference threshold,

correcting the data associated with the at least one of the current grade, the rim power, the payload, and the rolling resistance based on the difference, and

determining an additional estimated power source speed based on the corrected data,

wherein a difference between the additional estimated power source speed and the current power source speed is less than the power source speed difference threshold.

18. The method of claim 14, further including

estimating a brake coolant temperature based on data associated with at least one of an upcoming grade of the haul route, a current grade of the haul route, a payload of the machine, and a rolling resistance of the machine on the haul route,

determining that a difference between the estimated brake coolant temperature and a current brake coolant temperature is greater than a coolant temperature difference threshold,

correcting the data associated with the at least one of the upcoming grade, the current grade, the payload, and the rolling resistance based on the difference, and

determining an additional estimated brake coolant temperature based on the corrected data,

wherein a difference between the additional estimated brake coolant temperature and the current brake coolant temperature is less than the coolant temperature threshold.

19. A system for use with a machine at a worksite, comprising:

at least one sensor disposed on the machine, the at least one sensor configured to determine data associated with at least one of a machine operation at the worksite and a worksite condition;

a control module disposed on the machine, wherein the control module is in communication with the at least one sensor and is configured to control operations of the machine; and

a worksite controller disposed remote from the machine and in communication with the control module, the worksite controller configured to

determine, based on the data, that one of machine propulsion and machine retarding will be required for greater than a corresponding threshold;

send, in response to determining that machine propulsion will be required, a propulsion signal to the control module, the propulsion signal indicating a desired propulsion gear associated with a haul route of the worksite on which the machine is located, wherein the control module is configured to recommend the propulsion gear to an operator of the machine in response to the propulsion signal; and

send, in response to determining that machine retarding will be required, a retarding signal to the control module, the retarding signal indicating a desired retarding gear associated with the haul route, wherein the control module is configured to recommend the retarding gear to the operator in response to the retarding signal, and

wherein the retarding gear is determined based on a maximum temperature associated with the machine.

20. The system of claim 19, further including an operator interface module disposed on the machine and in communication with the control module, the control module configured to recommend the retarding gear and the propulsion gear to the operator via the operator interface module.