Worksite control system for managing lost loads

• US 9,145,661 B1
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Jensen, Jeffrey Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein A.
• Application Number:
  US14/495,548
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/283 Elements of tipping devices
• 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: E02F 9/261 Surveying the work-site to be treated
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/265 with follow-up actions (e.g. control signals sent to actuate the work tool)
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/267 Diagnosing or detecting failure of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A control system is disclosed for a worksite. The control system may have a sensor located onboard a haul machine to generate a first signal indicative of a load of material lost, and a locating device to generate a second signal indicative of a location of the haul machine. The control system may also have a controller configured to determine a location at which the load of material was lost based on the first and second signals, and to determine a quantity of the load of material. The controller may also be configured to determine a repair needed at the worksite, to calculate a value of performing the repair, and to selectively dispatch a cleanup machine to perform the repair or to move the load of material to a stockpile location based on the value.

Claims

1. A control system for a worksite at which a haul machine and at least one cleanup machine are located, the control system comprising:

at least one sensor located onboard the haul machine and configured to generate a first signal indicative of a load of material lost from the haul machine;

a locating device configured to generate a second signal indicative of a location of the haul machine at the worksite; and

a controller in communication with the at least one sensor and the locating device, the controller being configured to;

determine a location at which the load of material was lost from the haul machine based on the first and second signals;

determine a quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine;

determine a repair needed at the worksite;

calculate a value of performing the repair; and

selectively dispatch the at least one cleanup machine to perform the repair or to move the load of material lost from the haul machine to a stockpile location based on the value of the repair.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine an availability of the at least one cleanup machine to perform the repair or to move the load of material; and

selectively dispatch the at least one cleanup machine based on the availability.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a cost of the repair; and

selectively dispatch the at least one cleanup machine based also on the cost of the repair.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to dispatch the at least one cleanup machine only when the quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine is greater than a threshold quantity and the at least one cleanup machine is available.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to dispatch the at least one cleanup machine to perform the repair only when the value of the repair is greater than the cost of the repair by at least a desired margin.

6. The control system of claim 3, further including a locating device configured to generate a third signal indicative of a location of the at least one cleanup machine, wherein the controller is configured to determine the cost of the repair based on the third signal.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine the cost of the repair based also on a type of the at least one cleanup machine available to perform the repair.

8. The control system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to determine the cost of the repair based also on the location at which the load of material was lost from the haul machine and the quantity of the load of material.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the location at which the load of material was lost from the haul machine by correlating the first signal with the second signal generated at a time of the loss.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine based on the first signal.

11. A control system for a worksite at which a haul machine and at least one cleanup machine are located, the control system comprising:

at least one sensor located onboard the haul machine and configured to generate a first signal indicative of a load of material lost from the haul machine;

a first locating device configured to generate a second signal indicative of a location of the haul machine at the worksite;

a second locating device configured to generate a third signal indicative of a location of the at least one cleanup machine; and

a controller in communication with the at least one sensor, the first locating device, and the second locating device, the controller being configured to;

determine a location at which the load of material was lost from the haul machine based on the first and second signals;

determine a quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine based on the first signal;

determine a repair needed at the worksite;

determine an availability of the at least one cleanup machine to perform the repair or to move the load of material;

calculate a value of performing the repair;

determine a cost of the repair;

selectively dispatch the at least one cleanup machine to perform the repair only when the quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine is greater than a threshold quantity, the at least one cleanup machine is available, and the value of the repair is greater than the cost of the repair by at least a desired margin; and

selectively dispatch the at least one cleanup machine to move the load of material lost from the haul machine to a stockpile location when the quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine is less than the threshold quantity, the at least one cleanup machine is unavailable, or the value of the repair is less than the cost of the repair plus the desired margin.

12. A method of managing a worksite, comprising:

determining that a load of material has been lost from a haul machine;

determining a location at which the load of material was lost from the haul machine;

determining a quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine;

determining a repair needed at the worksite;

calculating a value of performing the repair; and

selectively dispatching a cleanup machine to perform the repair or to move the load of material lost from the haul machine to a stockpile location based on the value of the repair.

13. The method of claim 12, further including determining an availability of the cleanup machine to perform the repair or to move the load of material, wherein selectively dispatching the cleanup machine includes selectively dispatching the cleanup machine based on the availability.

14. The method of claim 13, further including determining a cost of the repair, wherein selectively dispatching the cleanup machine includes selectively dispatching the cleanup machine based also on the cost of the repair.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein selectively dispatching the cleanup machine includes selectively dispatching the cleanup machine only when the quantity of the load of material lost from the haul machine is greater than a threshold quantity and the cleanup machine is available.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein selectively dispatching the cleanup machine includes selectively dispatching the cleanup machine only when the value of the repair is greater than the cost of the repair by at least a desired margin.

17. The method of claim 14, further including determining a location of the cleanup machine, wherein determining a cost of the repair includes determining a cost of the repair based on the location of the cleanup machine.

18. The method of claim 17, further including determining a type of the cleanup machine available to perform the repair, wherein determining a cost of the repair includes determining a cost of the repair based on the type of the cleanup machine.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the cost of the repair includes determining the cost of the repair based also on the location at which the load of material was lost from the haul machine and the quantity of the load of material.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the location at which the load of material was lost from the haul machine includes correlating a location of the haul machine with the lost load of material at a time when the load of material is determined to have been lost.