System and method for controlling fluid delivery

• US 9,046,895 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Orr, David C., Humphrey, James D., Anderton, Peter W., Gudat, Adam J., Stratton, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norton, Jennifer L
• Application Number:
  US12/650,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20110160920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 700/240, 700/282, 700/283, 239/1, 239/170, 239/172, 239/225.1, 239/237, 239/251, 239/262, 239/265.11, 239/265.19, 239/265.25, 239/265.35, 239/722, 250/206.2, 250/559.46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/047 Spraying of liquid fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0089 Regulating or controlling systems the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/24 Safety devices , e.g. for preventing overload E02F9/226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/262 with follow-up actions to control the work tool, e.g. controller
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 5/02 by wetting or spraying
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0629 characterised by the type of regulator means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0688 by combined action on throttling means and flow sources G05D7/0694 takes precedence

Abstract

A systems and methods for delivering fluid to a site using a mobile fluid delivery machine are disclosed. The method includes determining a location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site, and determining a fluid delivery rate based on the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine using information related to the site. The method further includes delivering the fluid to a surface of the site at the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine, at the determined fluid delivery rate.

Claims

1. A method for delivering fluid to a site using a mobile fluid delivery machine, comprising:

determining a location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site;

determining, via a flow controller, a fluid delivery rate based on the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine using information related to the site;

delivering, via a fluid delivery system, the fluid to a surface of the site at the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine, at the determined fluid delivery rate;

wherein the method further includes;

determining, via the flow controller, whether the mobile fluid delivery machine is within an exclusion zone on the site, and when it is determined that the mobile fluid delivery machine is within the exclusion zone, further determining, via the flow controller, whether the exclusion zone is due to an object on the site or to terrain or a surface feature of the site; and

when it is determined that the mobile fluid delivery machine is due to terrain or the surface feature of the site, modifying, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate by a predetermined amount; and

when it is determined that the exclusion zone is due to the object on the site;

sensing a proximity of the object on a surface of the site to the mobile fluid delivery machine and determining a direction to the sensed object with respect to a heading of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

determining, via the flow controller, at least one of a plurality of spray heads of the mobile fluid delivery machine that does not spray in the determined direction;

selecting, via the flow controller, the at least one of a plurality of spray heads of the mobile fluid delivery machine that does not spray in the determined direction;

modifying, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate in response to the sensed object; and

delivering, via the fluid delivery system, the fluid to the surface of the site at the modified fluid delivery rate using the selected at least one spray head;

wherein when it is determined that mobile fluid delivery machine is not within an exclusion zone, determining, via the flow controller, whether an override instruction has been received from an operator or a site control facility, and when an override instruction has been received from the operator or the site control facility, reducing, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining, via the flow controller, a spray width based on the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site using the information related to the site; and

delivering, via the fluid delivery system, the fluid to the worksite surface with the determined spray width.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining, via the flow controller, based on the information related to the site, a value of a site parameter corresponding to the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine; and

determining, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate based on the value of the site parameter.

4. The method of claim 3, further including:

determining, via the flow controller, based on the information related to the site, a value of a second site parameter corresponding to the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

determining, via the flow controller, a first fluid delivery rate component based on the value of the first site parameter;

determining, via the flow controller, a second fluid delivery rate component based on the value of the second site parameter; and

determining, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate based on the first fluid delivery rate component and the second fluid delivery rate component.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the site parameter includes at least one of a surface inclination of the site, a type of material composing the surface of the site, a radius of curvature of a road on the site, volume of traffic at the site, a number of traffic incidents at the site, or a loading of vehicles on the site associated with the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the fluid delivery rate is determined from a predetermined curve mapping values of the site parameter to corresponding fluid delivery rates based on the value of the site parameter.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the information related to the site comprises a site database containing at least one of surface inclination data, surface composition data, road profile information, traffic incident information, vehicle loading information, exclusion zone information, or solar exposure information indexed according to location on the surface of the site.

8. The method of claim 7, further including:

receiving, via the flow controller, operational information associated with other mobile machines on the site; and

updating, via a flow controller, the site database based on the received operational information.

9. A mobile fluid delivery machine for delivering fluid to a site, comprising:

a location device configured to determine a location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site;

a site database storing information related to the site;

a flow controller configured to

determine a fluid delivery rate based on the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site using the information related to the site;

generate a flow control signal based on the determined fluid delivery rate;

a fluid delivery system including a plurality of spray heads configured to spray the fluid on a surface of the site at the determined fluid delivery rate based on the flow control signal;

a vision device configured to sense an object on the surface of the site;

wherein the flow controller is further configured to;

determining whether the mobile fluid delivery machine is within an exclusion zone on the site, and when it is determined that the mobile fluid delivery machine is within the exclusion zone, further determining whether the exclusion zone is due to an object on the site or to terrain or a surface feature of the site; and

when it is determined that the mobile fluid delivery machine is due to terrain or a surface feature of the site, modifying the fluid delivery rate by a predetermined amount; and

when it is determined that the exclusion zone is due to an object on the site;

determine a direction to the sensed object with respect to a heading of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

determine at least one of a plurality of spray heads of the mobile fluid delivery machine that does not spray in the determined direction;

select the at least one of the spray heads that does not spray in the determined direction;

modify the fluid delivery rate in response to the sensed object;

generate the flow control signal based on the modified fluid delivery rate and on the selected at least one spray head; and

wherein the fluid delivery system is further configured to spray the fluid on the surface of the site at the modified rate using the selected at least one spray head based on the flow control signal; and

wherein when it is determined that mobile fluid delivery machine is not within an exclusion zone, the flow controller further determines whether an override instruction has been received from an operator or a site control facility, and when an override instruction has been received from the operator or the site control facility, the flow controller reduces the fluid delivery rate.

10. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 9, wherein the flow controller is further configured to:

determine a spray width based on the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine using the information related to the site; and

generate the flow control signal based further on the determined spray width, and the fluid delivery system is further configured to spray the fluid on the surface of the site with the determined spray width based on the flow control signal.

11. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 9, wherein the flow controller is configured to:

determine, based on the information related to the site, a value of a site parameter corresponding to the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine; and

determine the fluid delivery rate based on the value of the site parameter.

12. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 11, wherein the flow controller is further configured to:

determine, based on the information related to the site, a value of a second site parameter corresponding to the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

determine a first fluid delivery rate component based on the value of the first site parameter;

determine a second fluid delivery rate component based on the value of the second site parameter; and

determine the fluid delivery rate based on the first fluid delivery rate component and the second fluid delivery rate component.

13. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 11, wherein the site parameter includes at least one of a surface inclination of the site, a type of material composing the surface of the site, a radius of curvature of a road on the site, volume of traffic at the site, a number of traffic incidents at the site, or a loading of vehicles on the site associated with the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine.

14. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 11, wherein the site database further includes a predetermined curve mapping values of the site parameter to corresponding fluid delivery rates, and the flow controller is further configured to determine the fluid delivery rate from the curve based on the value of the site parameter.

15. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 11, wherein the information related to the site includes at least one of surface inclination data, surface composition data, road profile information, traffic incident information, vehicle loading information, exclusion zone information, or solar exposure information indexed according to location on the surface of the site.

16. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 15, wherein the flow controller is further configured to:

receive operational information associated with other mobile machines on the site; and

update the site database based on the received information.

25. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 9, wherein the plurality of spray heads includes a first spray head located toward a front of the mobile fluid delivery machine, a second spray head located to a right and rear of the mobile fluid delivery machine, a third spray head located to a left and the rear of the mobile fluid delivery machine.

26. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 9, wherein the flow control signal is further generated based on the relative allocation of an overall fluid delivery rate among each of the selected spray heads, and a desired spray width or distribution of each of the selected spray heads.

27. The mobile fluid delivery machine of claim 9, wherein each spray head of the plurality of spray heads is independently controllable.

17. A method for delivering fluid to a site using a mobile fluid delivery machine, comprising:

receiving a location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site;

determining, via a flow controller, a fluid delivery rate based on the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine using information related to the site;

generating, via the flow controller, a flow control signal based on the determined fluid delivery rate;

sending, via the flow controller, the flow control signal to the mobile fluid delivery machine;

wherein the method further includes;

determining, via the flow controller, whether the mobile fluid delivery machine is within an exclusion zone on the site, and when it is determined that the mobile fluid delivery machine is within the exclusion zone, further determining, via the flow controller, whether the exclusion zone is due to an object on the site or to terrain or a surface feature of the site; and

when it is determined that the mobile fluid delivery machine is due to terrain or the surface feature of the site, modifying, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate by a predetermined amount; and

when it is determined that the exclusion zone is due to an object on the site;

receiving an indication of the sensed object in the proximity of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

determining, via the flow controller, a direction to the sensed object with respect to a heading of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

determining, via the flow controller, at least one of a plurality of spray heads of the mobile fluid delivery machine that does not spray in the determined direction;

selecting the at least one of a plurality of spray heads of the mobile fluid delivery machine that does not spray in the determined direction;

modifying, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate in response to the sensed object; and

generating, via the flow controller, the flow control signal based on the modified fluid delivery and on the selected at least one spray head;

wherein when it is determined that mobile fluid delivery machine is not within an exclusion zone, determining, via the flow controller, whether an override instruction has been received from an operator or a site control facility, and when an override instruction has been received from the operator or the site control facility, reducing, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate.

18. The method of claim 17, further including:

determining, via the flow controller, a spray width based on the value of the site parameter; and

generating, via the flow controller, the flow control signal based further on the determined spray width.

19. The method of claim 17, further including:

determining, via the flow controller, based on the information related to the site, a value of a site parameter corresponding to the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine; and

determining, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate based on the value of the site parameter.

20. The method of claim 19, further including:

determining, via the flow controller, based on the information related to the site, a value of a second site parameter corresponding to the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

determining, via the flow controller, a first fluid delivery rate component based on the value of the first site parameter;

determining, via the flow controller, a second fluid delivery rate component based on the value of the second site parameter; and

determining, via the flow controller, the fluid delivery rate based on the first fluid delivery rate component and the second fluid delivery rate component.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the site parameter includes at least one of a surface inclination of the site, a type of material composing the surface of the site, a radius of curvature of a road on the site, volume of traffic at the site, a number of traffic incidents at the site, or a loading of vehicles on the site associated with the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the fluid delivery rate is determined from a predetermined curve mapping values of the site parameter to corresponding fluid delivery rates based on the value of the site parameter.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the information related to the site comprises a site database containing at least one of surface inclination data, surface composition data, road profile information, traffic incident information, vehicle loading information, exclusion zone information, or solar exposure information indexed according to location on the surface of the site.

24. The method of claim 23, further including:

receiving, via the flow controller, operational information associated with other mobile machines on the site; and

updating, via the flow controller, the site database based on the received information.