Patent ID: 11961027
Assignee: CATERPILLAR INC.
Field: IT methods for management (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A method of optimal utilization of work machines for performing tasks across a predetermined work area, the method comprising:
electronically receiving, using processing circuitry, a single request to initiate a job on the predetermined work area that includes a first segment and a second segment, the job comprising a plurality of tasks associated with a plurality of machines;
deploying, using the processing circuitry, in response to the single request, a first machine of the plurality of machines to the predetermined work area to execute a first task of the plurality of tasks autonomously;
electronically receiving, using the processing circuitry, information indicating a location of the first machine in the first segment;
determining, using the processing circuitry, whether the first machine in the first segment will be able to trigger a deployment event to deploy a second machine of the plurality of machines based on operation of the first machine in the first segment toward autonomously completing the first task;
determining, using the processing circuitry, and prior to deploying any additional machines of the plurality of machines to the first segment, that the first machine will be unable to trigger the deployment event;
in response to said determining that the first machine will be unable to trigger the deployment event, without another request to initiate the job being received, and prior to occurrence of the triggering event, outputting signaling, using the processing circuitry, to automatically deploy a third machine proximate to the location of the first machine, to execute the first task of the plurality of tasks autonomously instead of the first machine continuing to execute the first task;
automatically deploying, in response to the signaling to automatically deploy the third machine, and without another request to initiate the job being received, the third machine to execute the first task of the plurality of tasks autonomously and trigger the deployment event;
determining, using the processing circuitry, occurrence of the deployment event triggered by the third machine, the deployment event triggered by the third machine being determined based on characteristics of the third machine and the second machine, and based on characteristics of the predetermined work area, including determining that the first machine is no longer in the first segment and that the third machine has entered the second segment of the predetermined work area based on information indicating location of the third machine in the first segment;
in response to determining the occurrence of the deployment event and based on the third machine entering the second segment, and without another request to initiate the job being received, outputting signaling, using the processing circuitry, to deploy the second machine to the first segment of the predetermined work area to execute a second task of the plurality of tasks autonomously; and
in response to the signaling to deploy the second machine, and without another request to initiate the job being received, deploying, using the processing circuitry, the second machine to the first segment of the predetermined area to execute the second task of the plurality of tasks autonomously,
wherein the single request to initiate the job on the predetermined work area is the only request to perform the job by way of the second machine and a combination of the first machine and the third machine,
wherein occurrence of the deployment event triggered by the third machine is determined prior to the third machine leaving the first segment, and
wherein the second task is based on the first task and cannot occur without the first task being completed.