Machine control system having autonomous edge dumping

• US 8,880,334 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Vitale, Andrew J., Koehrsen, Craig L., Everett, Bryan J., Kini, Anath P., Struble, Joshua C., Banham, Mark H. C., Povey, Dean G., Holmes, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US13/752,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/411
• US Class Current: 701/411
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2033 Limiting the movement of frames or implements, e.g. to avoid collision between implements and the cabin sub-groups of E02F3/431 of E02F3/435 take precedence; for turntables E02F9/123
• 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 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

A control system is disclosed for use with a plurality of machines operating at a worksite. The control system may have a plurality of communicating devices, and a plurality of onboard controllers, each mountable to the plurality of machines. The control system may also have an offboard controller in communication with the plurality of onboard controllers via the plurality of communicating devices. The offboard controller may be configured to selectively assign each of a plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on an order in which the plurality of machines arrive at a dump location. The offboard controller may be further configured to make a determination that lanes extending to two dump targets of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets overlap, and selectively skip assignment of one of the two dump targets based on the determination.

Claims

1. A control system for use with a plurality of machines operating at a worksite, the control system comprising:

a plurality of communicating devices, each mountable to a different one of the plurality of machines;

a plurality of onboard controllers, each mountable to a different one of the plurality of machines; and

an offboard controller in communication with the plurality of onboard controllers via the plurality of communicating devices, the offboard controller configured to;

selectively assign each of a plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on an order in which the plurality of machines arrive at a dump location;

make a determination that lanes extending to two dump targets of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets overlap; and

selectively skip assignment of one of the two dump targets based on the determination.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the offboard controller is further configured to assign the one of the two dump targets after assignment of a remaining number of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the offboard controller is further configured to restart assigning each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on the order in which the plurality of machines arrive at the dump location after assignment of the one of the two dump targets.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the offboard controller is further configured to track a number of times that each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets receives a load of discarded material.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the offboard controller is further configured to:

receive input indicative of a desired number of loads to be discarded at each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets; and

when the number of times that a particular one of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets receives a load of discarded material reaches the desired number of loads, selectively inhibit further assignment of that particular one of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets.

6. The control system of claim 4, wherein the offboard controller is further configured to communicate instruction to the plurality of onboard controllers to cap dump a final load of material at each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein the offboard controller is further configured to:

receive input indicative of a desire to clean up the dump location; and

selectively inhibit assignment of all dump targets associated with a common grouping of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets based on the input.

8. The control system of claim 7, wherein:

the common grouping is a first common grouping; and

the offboard controller is further configured to assign dump targets associated with a second common grouping of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets when assignment of the first common grouping is inhibited.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the offboard controller is further configured to instruct each of the plurality of onboard controllers to autonomously cause the associated plurality of machines to traverse travel paths to and discard material at the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets based on the assignment.

10. A method of controlling a plurality of machines operating at a worksite, comprising:

selectively assigning, using a processor, each of a plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on an order in which the plurality of machines arrive at a dump location;

making a determination that lanes extending to two dump targets of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets overlap; and

selectively skipping assignment of one of the two dump targets based on the determination.

11. The method of claim 10, further including assigning the one of the two dump targets after assignment of a remaining number of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets.

12. The method of claim 11, further including restarting assignment of each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on the order in which the plurality of machines arrive at the dump location after assigning of the one of the two dump targets.

13. The method of claim 10, further including tracking a number of times that each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets receives a load of discarded material.

14. The method of claim 13, further including:

receiving input indicative of a desired number of loads to be discarded at each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets; and

when the number of times that a particular one of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets receives a load of discarded material reaches the desired number of loads, selectively inhibiting further assigning of that particular one of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets.

15. The method of claim 14, instructing each of the plurality of machines to cap dump a final load of material at each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets.

16. The method of claim 10, further including:

receiving input indicative of a desire to clean up the dump location; and

selectively inhibiting assigning of all dump targets associated with a common grouping of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets based on the input.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the common grouping is a first common grouping; and

the method further includes assigning dump targets associated with a second common grouping of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets when assignment of the first common grouping is inhibited.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon for causing a computer to perform a method of controlling a plurality of machines at a worksite, the method comprising:

selectively assigning each of a plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on an order in which the plurality of machines arrive at a dump location;

making a determination that lanes extending to two dump targets of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets overlap;

selectively skipping assignment of one of the two dump targets based on the determination;

assigning the one of the two dump targets after assignment of a remaining number of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets; and

restarting assignment of each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on the order in which the plurality of machines arrive at the dump location after assigning of the one of the two dump targets.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method further includes:

tracking a number of times that each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets receives a load of discarded material;

receiving input indicative of a desired number of loads to be discarded at each of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets; and

when the number of times that a particular one of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets receives a load of discarded material reaches the desired number of loads, selectively inhibiting further assigning of that particular one of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method further includes:

receiving input indicative of a desire to clean up the dump location;

selectively inhibiting assigning of all dump targets associated with a first common grouping of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets based on the input; and

assigning dump targets associated with a second common grouping of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets when assignment of the first common grouping is inhibited.