Methods and systems for executing fluid delivery mission

• US 8,360,343 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Gudat, Adam J., Humphrey, James D., Anderton, Peter W., Orr, David C., Stratton, Kenneth L., Koehrsen, Craig L., Keefer, Claude W., Braunstein, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, CHRISTOPHER S
• Application Number:
  US12/772,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20110266360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 169/46, 169/47, 169/53, 239 67- 74, 239/172
• US Class Current: 239/172
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/00 Machines or plants for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces of objects or other work by spraying, not covered by groups B05B1/00 - B05B11/00 B05B5/08 takes precedence ; means for supplying or discharging liquid or other fluent material for this purpose, see the relevant preceding groups; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces in general B05D
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 3/02 Mobile apparatus, e.g. watering-vehicles moistening combined with the removal of undesirable matter E01H1/00; mobile flushing or washing installations E01H1/101; mobile apparatus specially adapted for applying liquid or semi-liquid thawing materials E01H10/007; road moistening devices in cleaning machines per se; vehicle features B60P3/22; applying liquid materials for road paving materials E01C19/16 ; applying curing agents on concrete roads E01C23/03; applying marking-out agents E01C23/16
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 5/02 by wetting or spraying

Abstract

A mobile fluid delivery machine for delivering fluid to a site has a tank storing fluid, and at least one spray head configured to spray the stored fluid onto the site. In addition, the machine has a communication device configured to receive fluid delivery mission instructions from a site computing system, the mission instructions identifying a sequence of path segments on the site and corresponding fluid delivery amounts allocated to the path segments, and a location device configured to determine the location of the machine on the site. Th machine may also have a fluid delivery system configured to determine whether the location of the fluid delivery machine corresponds to a path segment of the sequence, and when it is determined that the location of the machine corresponds to a path segment in the sequence, to identify the fluid delivery amount allocated to that path segment based on the mission instructions.

Claims

1. A mobile fluid delivery system for delivering fluid to a site using one or more mobile fluid delivery machines, the system comprising:

a site computing system comprising mission instructions identifying a sequence of path segments on the site and corresponding fluid delivery amounts allocated to the path segments; and

a mobile fluid delivery machine comprising;

a tank storing fluid;

at least one spray head configured to spray the stored fluid onto the site based on a fluid delivery command received from an operator of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

an operator interface receiving input from the operator indicative of the fluid delivery command;

a display device;

a communication device receiving fluid delivery mission instructions from the site computing system;

a location device that determines the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site;

a fluid delivery system comprising a controller and memory storing computer program instructions that the controller executes to;

determine whether the location of the fluid delivery machine corresponds to a path segment of the sequence;

identify the fluid delivery amount allocated to that path segment based on the mission instructions when it is determined that the location of the fluid delivery machine corresponds to a path segment in the sequence

determine an actual amount of fluid delivered to the path segment based on the fluid delivery command received from the operator; and

control the display device to display a representation of a comparison of the actual fluid delivery amount to the identified fluid delivery amount allocated to the path segment based on the mission instructions.

2. The mobile fluid delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a speed sensor configured to sense a travel speed of the fluid delivery machine, wherein the fluid delivery system is further configured to determine a fluid delivery rate based on the travel speed of the fluid delivery machine and on the fluid delivery amount allocated to the path segment.

3. The mobile fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the fluid delivery system is further configured to provide at least one of an audible or visual warning to the operator when the actual fluid delivery differs from the fluid delivery allocated to the path segment based on the mission instructions by more than a threshold.

4. The mobile fluid delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a navigation system configured to control the mobile fluid delivery machine to travel the sequence of path segments.

5. The mobile fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the fluid delivery system is further configured to:

monitor actual amounts of fluid delivered to the segments in the sequence during the fluid delivery mission; and

transmit, via the communication device, a fluid delivery mission report indicating the actual amounts of fluid delivered to the segments during the fluid delivery mission.

6. The mobile fluid delivery system of claim 1, wherein the fluid delivery system is further configured to cause the display device to display a map of the site indicating the sequence of path segments.

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

a tank storing fluid;

at least one spray head configured to spray the stored fluid onto the site based on a fluid delivery command received from an operator of the mobile fluid delivery machine;

an operator interface receiving input from the operator indicative of the fluid delivery command;

a display device;

a communication device receiving fluid delivery mission instructions from a site computing system, the mission instructions identifying a sequence of path segments on the site and corresponding fluid delivery allocated to the path segments;

a location device that determines a location of the mobile fluid delivery machine on the site;

a speed sensor configured to sense a travel speed of the mobile fluid delivery machine; and

a fluid delivery system comprising a controller and a memory storing computer program instructions that the controller executes to;

control a rate at which the fluid is sprayed from the at least one spray head to the path segments based on the travel speed of the mobile fluid delivery machine and on the operator'"'"'s fluid delivery command;

determine fluid delivery allocated to the path segments based on the location of the mobile fluid delivery machine and the mission instructions;

determine actual delivery of the machine corresponding to the fluid delivery command received from the operator;

compare the actual fluid delivery to the allocated fluid delivery; and

control the display device to display a representation of the comparison.

8. The mobile fluid delivery system of claim 7, further comprising a navigation system configured to control the mobile fluid delivery machine to travel the sequence of path segments.