Methods and systems for controlling fluid delivery missions on a site

• US 9,805,317 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2010
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• 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): CHOY, PAN G
• Application Number:
  US12/772,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20110288769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,722 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling fluid delivery on a site using at least one fluid delivery machine are disclosed. An exemplary such method includes identifying at least one path on the site based on map information associated with the site, calculating a fluid delivery requirement of the at least one path based on environmental information associated with the site, and dispatching a fluid delivery machine on a mission to treat the at least one path with fluid based on the fluid delivery requirement.

Claims

1. A method for controlling fluid delivery on a site using at least one fluid delivery machine, the method performed by a worksite computing system and comprising:

identifying, by a processor associated with a controller, at least one path on the site based on map information associated with the site;

calculating, by the processor, a fluid delivery requirement of the at least one path based on environmental information associated with the site and a desired fluid level of the at least one path;

dispatching, by the processor, a fluid delivery machine on a mission to treat the at least one path with fluid based on the fluid delivery requirement; and

treating, by the fluid delivery machine, the at least one path with fluid based on the fluid delivery requirement, wherein the fluid delivery machine comprises an autonomous mobile machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of:

temperature information, solar radiation information, pressure information, humidity information, wind speed information, and precipitation information associated with the site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating a fluid delivery requirement includes:

receiving a predetermined baseline fluid level of the at least one path;

calculating the desired fluid level of the at least one path based on the baseline fluid level and on the environmental information;

calculating an actual fluid level of the at least one path based on the environmental information and on an initial fluid level of the at least one path; and

calculating a ratio the actual fluid level to the desired fluid level;

wherein dispatching the fluid delivery machine based on the fluid delivery requirement includes dispatching the fluid delivery machine when the ratio is below a threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating an actual fluid level includes:

determining an evaporation index based on the environmental information; and

reducing the initial fluid level based on the evaporation index and on an elapsed period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a fluid delivery requirement includes:

receiving usage information and surface characteristic information associated with the at least one path; and

modifying the fluid delivery requirement based on the usage information and on the surface characteristic information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the usage information includes at least one of;

traffic information, machine loading information, and zoning information associated with the at least one path; and

the surface characteristic information includes at least one of;

a surface composition, a surface inclination, a curvature, a dust level, and a width associated with the at least one path.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one path includes a plurality of paths, and the method further includes:

determining fluid delivery requirements associated with the plurality of paths;

receiving usage information associated with the plurality of paths; and

determining a route among the plurality of paths for the fluid delivery mission based on the fluid delivery requirements and on the usage information,

wherein the fluid delivery machine is dispatched to treat paths in the route with the fluid.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving a mission report from the fluid delivery machine, the mission report indicating an amount of fluid delivered to the at least one path during the mission; and

updating the fluid delivery requirement based on the amount of delivered fluid.

9. The method of claim 1, further including updating the fluid delivery requirement based on an estimated amount of fluid to be delivered to the at least one path during the mission.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein dispatching includes transmitting mission instructions to the fluid delivery machine, the mission instructions identifying the at least one path and an allocated amount of fluid to deliver to the path.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental information is received from at least one of a sensor associated with the site and a database.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one path is a stretch of road between two intersections.

12. A fluid delivery system for controlling fluid delivery on a site using at least one fluid delivery machine, the system comprising:

a communication device for communicating with the at least one fluid delivery machine;

a map database storing map information associated with the site;

a device for providing environmental information associated with the site; and

a controller configured to;

identify at least one path on the site based on the map information;

calculate a fluid delivery requirement of the at least one path based on the environmental information and a desired fluid level of the at least one path;

send, via the communication device and based on the fluid delivery requirement, a signal to dispatch a fluid delivery machine on a fluid delivery mission to treat the at least one path with fluid; and

the fluid delivery machine, configured to treat the at least one path with fluid based the fluid delivery requirement, wherein the fluid delivery machine comprises an autonomous mobile machine.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of:

temperature information, solar radiation information, pressure information, humidity information, wind speed information, and precipitation information associated with the site.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a fluid delivery database storing a predetermined baseline fluid level for the at least one path and an initial fluid level of the at least one path, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the fluid delivery requirement by:

calculating the desired fluid level of the at least one path based on the baseline fluid level and on the environmental information;

calculating an actual fluid level of the at least one path based on the environmental information and on the initial fluid level; and

calculating a ratio of the actual fluid level to the desired fluid level, wherein the controller is configured to send the signal to dispatch when the ratio is below a threshold.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the actual fluid level by:

determining an evaporation index based on the environmental information; and

reducing the initial fluid level based on the evaporation index and on an elapsed period of time.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising a site database storing usage information and surface characteristic information associated with the at least one path, wherein the controller is configured to determine the fluid delivery requirement by modifying the fluid delivery requirement based on the usage information and on the surface characteristic information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the usage information includes at least one of;

traffic information, machine loading information, and zoning information associated with the at least one path; and

the surface characteristic information includes at least one of;

a surface composition, a surface inclination, a curvature, a dust level, and a width associated with the at least one path.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one path includes a plurality of paths, and the controller is further configured to:

determine fluid delivery requirements associated with the plurality of paths;

retrieve usage information associated with the plurality of paths from a site database; and

determine a route among the plurality of paths for the fluid delivery mission based on the fluid delivery requirements and on the usage information,

wherein the fluid delivery machine is dispatched to treat the paths in the route with the fluid.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive, via the communication device, a mission report from the fluid delivery machine, the mission report indicating an amount of fluid delivered to the at least one path during the mission; and

update the fluid delivery requirement based on the amount of delivered fluid.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to update the fluid delivery requirement based on an estimated amount of fluid to be delivered to the at least one path during the mission.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the dispatch signal includes mission instructions, the mission instructions identifying the at least one path and an allocated amount of fluid to deliver to the path.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the device includes a sensor associated with the site or a weather database.

23. A fluid delivery system for controlling fluid delivery on a site using a plurality of fluid delivery machines, the system comprising:

a communication device for communicating with the plurality of fluid delivery machines;

a map database containing map information associated with the site;

a site database containing usage information associated with the site;

an environmental database containing environmental information associated with the site; and

a controller configured to;

identify a plurality of paths on the site based on the map information;

calculate fluid delivery requirements of the plurality of paths based on the environmental information and on the usage information;

determine a route including at least some of the paths based on the fluid delivery requirements and on the usage information;

select a fluid delivery machine among the plurality of fluid delivery machines;

transmit, to the selected fluid delivery machine via the communication device, fluid delivery mission instructions identifying the paths of the route and allocated fluid delivery amounts for the paths; and

the selected fluid delivery machine, configured to treat the at least one path with fluid based on the fluid delivery mission instructions.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the environmental information includes at least one of;

temperature information, solar radiation information, pressure information, humidity information, wind speed information, and precipitation information associated with the site; and

the usage information includes at least one of;

traffic information, machine loading information, and zoning information associated with the paths.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising a machine database storing at least one of location information, priority information, fluid reserves information, and status information associated with the plurality of fluid delivery machines,

wherein the controller is configured to select the fluid delivery machine based on at least one of the location information, priority information, fluid reserves information, and status information.