Patent Publication Number: US-2019188620-A1

Title: System and method for location sensor association

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a paving system. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a paving system having a controller configured to associate a haul truck identifier with a location sensor. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Haul trucks, paving machines and other equipment are often used to perform a variety of tasks associated with a paving worksite. For example, a haul truck may be used to transport paving material from a paving plant to a worksite so that the paving material can be distributed along a paving surface by one or more paving machines. The operation of such machines must be coordinated in order to perform paving operations in an efficient manner. In particular, it may be useful to monitor the location of one or more haul trucks so that the delivery of paving material to the worksite can be managed accurately. 
     An example system for coordinating the activities of paving machines is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0290062 (hereinafter referred to as the &#39;062 reference). In particular, the &#39;062 reference describes a system for implementing a computer-based method of coordinating activities associated with paving a roadway. The &#39;062 reference describes, for example, a server configured to provide communication among system components. As explained in the &#39;062 reference, the server may receive a communication from a transport truck indicating that a batch of paving material has been delivered to the roadway, and such a communication may be generated automatically by a truck computer system in conjunction with a global positioning system (GPS) receiver on the truck. The &#39;062 reference does not, however, disclose details related to ensuring that a particular location sensor monitoring the location of a respective truck has been accurately matched or otherwise associated with the truck. As a result, errors may occur when coordinating the activities of such trucks and other paving equipment. 
     Example embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward overcoming the deficiencies described above. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes receiving, with a controller of a paving plant, a first signal from a location sensor associated with a haul truck, the first signal including information indicating a first location of the haul truck determined by the location sensor. Such an example method also includes generating a paving material ticket with the controller, the paving material ticket including information indicating paving material loaded into the haul truck at the paving plant and a first identifier unique to the haul truck. Such a method further includes determining, with the controller, whether the first location is within a first geofence disposed within a perimeter of the paving plant. Based at least partly on determining that the first location is within the first geofence, the controller is configured to associate the first identifier with the location sensor in a memory connected to the controller. 
     In another aspect of the present disclosure, a paving system includes a haul truck configured to transport paving material between a paving plant and a worksite, the haul truck including a first identifier unique to the haul truck. Such an example paving system also includes a location sensor configured to determine a location of the haul truck, and a controller disposed at the paving plant and in communication with the location sensor. In such examples, the controller is configured to receive a first signal from the location sensor, the first signal including information indicating a first location of the haul truck determined by the location sensor. The controller is also configured to generate a paving material ticket based at least partly on the haul truck receiving paving material at the paving plant, the paving material ticket including the first identifier. The controller is further configured to determine whether the first location is within a first geofence disposed within a perimeter of the paving plant. Based at least partly on determining that the first location is within the first geofence, the controller is configured to associate the first identifier with the location sensor in a memory connected to the controller. 
     In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a control system includes a location sensor configured to determine a location of a haul truck, a controller, and a wireless communication system configured to transmit signals between the location sensor and the controller. In such examples, the controller is configured to receive a first signal from the location sensor and via the wireless communication system, the first signal including information indicating a first location of the haul truck determined by the location sensor. In such examples, the controller is also configured to receive an input including information indicating a first identifier unique to the haul truck. The controller is further configured to generate a paving material ticket, the paving material ticket including information indicating paving material loaded into the haul truck, and the first identifier. Additionally, the controller is configured to determine whether the first location is within a first geofence disposed within a perimeter of a paving plant. Based at least partly on determining that the first location is within the first geofence, the controller is configured to associate the first identifier with the location sensor in a memory connected to the controller. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a paving system in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of a paving plant in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart depicting a method of associating a location sensor with a haul truck in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Referring to  FIG. 1 , an example paving system  100  may include one or more paving plants  102  for producing a paving material  108  such as asphalt, and a plurality of machines such as one or more haul trucks  104  for transporting paving material  108 , and one or more paving machines  106  for applying a layer (e.g., a mat) of paving material  108  such as asphalt to a work surface  110  at a worksite  112 . Other machines, such as compactors (not shown) and remixing transfer vehicles (not shown) may also form a portion of the paving system  100 . Such an example worksite  112  may include, for example, a construction site, a roadwork site, a parking lot, or any other type of job site. In some examples, one or more haul trucks  104  may be operative to transport paving material  108  from the paving plant  102  to a paving machine  106  at the worksite  112 . In particular, a haul truck  104  may be loaded with paving material  108  at the paving plant  102 . The haul truck  104  may then travel to the appropriate paving machine  106  at the worksite  112 , and transfer the paving material  108  to the paving machine  106 . The paving machine  106  may then apply the paving material  108  to the work surface  110 . 
     The paving plant  102  may produce paving material  108  such as asphalt from bitumen, aggregate, and other materials or fillers. The paving material  108  is often produced in batches with each batch stored or held in a separate storage or holding location such as a silo until it is loaded into a haul truck  104  at a loading station. Each holding location may be dedicated to storing or holding paving material  108  for a particular worksite  112  and paving material  108  within a particular holding location is periodically loaded into a haul truck  104  for transport to the worksite  112 . The characteristics of each batch stored within a holding location may be set based upon the desired characteristics for a particular paving job. For example, the amount of oil and the size of the aggregate may be set based upon the desired characteristics of the paving material  108  and the requirements of each paving job. 
     Each batch may be periodically or continuously mixed at the holding location and maintained at a desired temperature. The temperature at which the paving material  108  is maintained may be set based upon a desired temperature at which the paving material  108  will be loaded into the haul trucks  104 . Such loading temperature may be based upon the desired temperature at which the load will be delivered to the paving machine  106 , the ambient temperature of the air, the expected time required for the haul truck  104  to drive from the paving plant  102  to the paving machine  106  as well as any expected or anticipated waiting time for the haul  104  truck at the worksite  112 . 
     The paving system  100  shown in  FIG. 1  may include a control system  114  and one or more controllers  116 . In some examples, the control system  114  and/or the controller  116  may be located at the paving plant  102 . In such examples, the control system  114  and/or the controller  116  may also include components located remotely from the paving plant  102  such as on any of the machines of the paving system  100 , at the worksite  112 , and/or at a remote command center (not shown). The functionality of controller  116  may be distributed so that certain functions are performed at paving plant  102  and other functions are performed remotely. For example, some functions of the controller  116  may be performed at the worksite  112 , on one or more of the haul trucks  104 , one or more of the paving machines  106 , etc. It is understood that the controller  116  may comprise a component of the paving system  100 , the paving plant  102 , and/or the control system  114 . 
     The paving system  100  and/or the control system  114  may also include a plurality of sensors such as one or more temperature sensors  118  operative to monitor the temperature of the paving material  108  within each holding location. The term “sensor” is used herein in its broadest sense to include one or more sensors and related components that may cooperate to sense various functions, operations, and operating characteristics of a machine or system and/or aspects of the environment in which the machine or system is operating. The paving system  110  and/or the control system  114  may also include one or more volume and/or weight sensors  120  configured to determine an amount and/or weight of paving material  108  remaining at the holding location. The paving system  110  and/or the control system  114  may further include one or more loading sensors  122  configured to determine an amount and/or weight of paving material  108  being loaded onto a haul truck  104  at the loading station. 
     Information regarding the paving plant  102 , the paving material  108 , one or more of the haul trucks  104 , and/or one or more of the paving machines  106  may be stored or determined by controller  116 . Some of the information may be relatively static (i.e., static or fixed for each batch of paving material  108 ) and other information may be dynamic or change. Examples of static information include a unique identifier associated with the batch. Dynamic information that may be stored or determined by the controller  116  includes the amount and temperature of the paving material  108  within a holding location at the paving plant  102 . In many instances, the characteristics of each batch (e.g., amount of oil and size of the aggregate) may be static information. However, in some instances, the characteristics of each batch may change or be modified based upon the feedback or requests from the worksite  112  or other personnel and thus may be considered dynamic information. Further, as will be described below, the controller  116  may be configured to receive, store, and/or periodically update information associated with the location of one or more haul trucks  104 , a unique identifier associated with each respective haul truck  104 , a location sensor disposed on or removably located within one or more of the haul trucks  104 , and/or other information associating a respective haul truck  104  with a corresponding location sensor. 
     In some examples, the controller  116  may comprise one or more servers, computers, and/or other electronic control modules. The controller  116  may receive input signals from one or more of the temperature sensors  118 , volume and/or weight sensors  120 , loading sensors, haul trucks  104 , paving machines  106 , and/or other sensors of components of the paving system  100 . The controller  116  may also receive input signals from systems outside of the paving system  100  such as GPS signals (e.g., latitude coordinates, longitude coordinates, and/or other global positioning information), and signals indicative of traffic and weather that may affect the operation of the paving system  100  or the paving process. The controller  116  may control the operation of various aspects of the paving plant  102 , as well as various operations of one or more of the haul trucks  104 , paving machines  106 , and/or the machines of the paving system  100 . In some examples, the controller  116  may also generate desired communication signals to each of the haul trucks  104 , paving machines  106 , and/or the machines of the paving system  100 . 
     The controller  116  may be an electronic controller that operates in a logical fashion to perform operations, execute control algorithms, store and retrieve data and other desired operations. The controller  116  may include or access memory, secondary storage devices, processors, and any other components for running an application. The memory and secondary storage devices may be in the form of read-only memory (ROM) or random access memory (RAM) or integrated circuitry that is accessible by the controller. Various other circuits may be associated with the controller  116  such as power supply circuitry, signal conditioning circuitry, driver circuitry, and other types of circuitry. 
     The controller  116  may be a single controller or may include more than one controller (such as additional controllers associated with each of the haul trucks  104 , paving machines  106 , and/or other machines of the paving system  100 ) configured to control various functions and/or features of the paving system  100 . As used herein, the term “controller” is meant in its broadest sense to include one or more controllers and/or microprocessors that may be associated with the paving system  100 , and that may cooperate in controlling various functions and operations of the paving plant  102  and the machines of the paving system  100 . The functionality of the controller  116  may be implemented in hardware and/or software without regard to the functionality. The controller  116  may rely on one or more data maps relating to the operating conditions and the operating environment of the paving system  100  that may be stored in the memory of the controller  116 . Each of these data maps may include a collection of data in the form of tables, graphs, and/or equations to maximize the performance and efficiency of the paving system  100  and its operation. 
     The haul trucks  104  of the paving system  100  may be operative to transport paving material  108  between the paving plant  102  and one or more of the paving machines  106  located at the worksite  112 . More specifically, at the paving plant  102 , a haul truck  104  may be loaded with paving material  108  at a desired temperature. The haul truck  104  may then travel to the appropriate paving machine  106  or a remixing transfer vehicle (not shown), and the paving material  108  may subsequently be applied to the work surface  110  as a layer of paving material  108 . Each haul truck  104  may include a chassis  124  that supports a prime mover such as an engine  126 , and a cab  128  in which an operator may be positioned to provide input instructions to operate the haul truck  104 . The engine  126  is operatively connected to and drives a ground engaging drive mechanism such as wheels  130 . A material transport unit such as a dump body  132  is pivotally mounted on the chassis  124  and receives a payload (e.g., paving material  108 ) to be hauled from one location to another. 
     Each haul truck  104  may include a truck control system  134  and a truck controller  136  generally similar or identical to the control system  114  and the controller  116 , respectively. The truck control system  134  and the truck controller  136  may be located on the haul truck  104  and may also include components located remotely from the haul truck  104  such as on any of the other machines of the paving system  100 , at the paving plant  102 , or at a command center (not shown). The functionality of truck controller  136  may be distributed so that certain functions are performed on the haul truck  104  and other functions are performed remotely. 
     The haul truck  104  may also be equipped with a plurality sensors connected to and/or otherwise in communication with the truck controller  136  and/or with the controller  116 . Such sensors may be configured to provide data indicative (directly or indirectly) of various operating parameters of the haul truck  104 , systems associated with the haul truck  104 , and/or the worksite  112  and/or other environment in which the haul truck  104  is operating. In any of the examples described herein, such sensors may comprise components of the control system  114  and/or the paving system  110 , generally. For example, the haul truck  104  may be equipped with a location sensor  138  configured to sense, detect, and/or otherwise determine a location and/or orientation of the haul truck  104 . The location sensor  138  may include a plurality of individual sensors that cooperate to generate and provide location signals to the truck controller  136  and/or to the controller  116  indicative of the location and/or orientation of the haul truck  104 . In some examples, the location sensor  138  may be fixed to the cab  128 , the chassis  124 , and/or any other component of the haul truck  104 . In other examples, however, the location sensor  138  may be removably attached to the haul truck  104  and/or disposed within, for example, the cab  128  of the haul truck  104  during operation of the haul truck  104 . In such examples, the location sensor  138  may comprise one or more portable location sensors  138  that may be removably disposed within the cab  128  by an operator of the haul truck  104  during operation of the haul truck  104 . In any of the examples described herein, the location sensor  138  may include one or more sensors that interact with a positioning system such as a global navigation satellite system or a global positioning system to operate as a location sensor. The truck controller  136  and/or the controller  116  may use information included in one or more signals received from the location sensor  138  to determine the location of the haul truck  104  relative to an earth reference (e.g., GPS), relative to one or more geofences of the present disclosure, relative to another machine such as the paving machine  106 , and/or relative to the paving plant  102  or one or more components of the paving plant  102 . 
     In some examples, the haul truck  104  may also include a load sensor  140  configured to sense, measure, and/or otherwise determine the load or amount of paving material  108  disposed within the dump body  132 . The haul truck  104  may further include a temperature sensor  142  configured to sense, measure, and/or otherwise determine the temperature of the load (e.g., paving material  108 ) within the dump body  132 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 1 , each haul truck  104  may include a unique identifier  144  connected thereto and/or otherwise associated therewith. The unique identifier  144  may comprise a license plate number, a haul truck code, an alphanumeric code, a radio frequency identification tag, a near-field communication emitter/transponder, a barcode, a QR code, and/or any other identifier, device, or component uniquely identifying a respective one of the haul trucks  104 . Such unique identifiers  144  may be located at the front of the haul truck  104  (e.g., on a front bumper of the haul truck  104 ), at the rear of the haul truck  104  (e.g., at a rear bumper or rear tailgate of the haul truck  104 ), at a side panel of the haul truck  104  (e.g., on an outer sidewall of the dump body  132 ), and/or at any other location on the haul truck  104  easily visible and/or accessible by an observer at the worksite  112  and/or at the paving plant  102 . 
     In example embodiments, the control system  114  and/or the paving system  100 , generally, may also include a wireless communication system  146  to permit wireless transmission of a plurality of signals, instructions, and/or information between the paving plant  102 , the haul trucks  104 , and the paving machines  106 , as well as to permit communication with other machines and systems remote from the paving plant  102 , haul trucks  104 , and paving machines  106 . For example, the wireless communication system  146  may include one or more components configured to transmit signals between one or more of the location sensors  138 , the controller  116 , and/or other components of the control system  114 . In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, each wireless communication system  146  may include a transmitter configured to transmit signals to a receiver of one or more other wireless communication systems  146 . In such examples, each wireless communication system  146  may also include a receiver configured to receive signals from a transmitter of one or more other wireless communication systems  146 . In some examples, the transmitter and the receiver of a particular wireless communication system  146  may be combined as a transceiver or other such component. 
     The wireless communication systems  146  described herein may implement or utilize any desired system or protocol including any of a plurality of communications standards. The desired protocols will permit communication between the controller  116 , one or more of the location sensors  138 , the paving plant  102 , one or more haul trucks  104 , one or more paving machines  106 , and/or any other desired machines or systems. Examples of wireless communications systems or protocols that may be used by the wireless communication systems  146  describe herein include a wireless personal area network such as Bluetooth® (e.g., IEEE 802.15), a local area network such as IEEE 802.11b or 802.11g, a cellular network, or any other system or protocol for data transfer. Other wireless communication systems  146  and configurations are contemplated. In some instances, wireless communications may be transmitted and received directly between the paving plant  102  and a machine or between machines. In other instances, the communications may be automatically routed without the need for re-transmission by remote personnel. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example paving plant  102  of the present disclosure in greater detail. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the paving plant  102  includes various material delivery components, mixers, heaters, and/or other equipment  200  configured to assist in manufacturing paving material  108  for use in various paving operations. Such equipment  200  may include, for example, one or more conveyors or other devices configured to transport paving material  108  to one or more paving material silos  202  or other holding locations for storage therein. The paving plant  102  may also include one or more scale houses  204  for use by plant personnel. As indicated in  FIG. 2 , one or more components of the control system  114  may be housed in and/or otherwise located at the scale house  204 . For example, in some embodiments the controller  116  may be located within the scale house  204 . Additionally, a receiver, transmitter, transceiver, and/or one or more other components of the wireless communication system  146  may be located at the scale house  204 . Such components may be configured to receive one or more signals from and/or send one or more signals to, for example, various location sensors  138  ( FIG. 1 ) disposed on or in one or more of the haul trucks  104 . Such components of the wireless communication system  146  may also be configured to receive one or more signals from and/or send one or more signals to, for example, various temperature sensors  118  ( FIG. 1 ), volume and/or weight sensors  120  ( FIG. 1 ), loading sensors  122  ( FIG. 1 ), load sensors  140  ( FIG. 1 ), temperature sensors  142  ( FIG. 1 ), and/or other wireless communication systems  146  or components. 
     The paving plant  102  may include one or more gates  206 , and such gates  206  may comprise respective entrances and/or exits to the paving plant  102 . Such gates  206  may, for example, be configured to permit passage of a haul truck  104  into the paving plant  102  in the direction  208 . In any of the examples described herein, one or more components of the control system  114  may be configured to sense, detect, and/or otherwise determine passage of the haul truck  104  through the gate  206 , and such components may also be configured to determine whether the haul truck  104  is located within the paving plant  102 . For example, the control system  114  may include one or more geofences configured to assist in determining the location of a haul truck  104 . In example embodiments, a geofence may comprise, for example, a virtual geographic boundary defined by GPS, cellular, near-field communication, radio frequency identification (RFID), and/or other components of the control system  114 . Such geofences may enable the controller  116 , software operable on the controller  116 , and/or other components of the control system  114  to generate a signal or other response when a location sensor  138  carried by a haul truck  104  enters or leaves the virtual geographic boundary of the geofence. In some examples, the respective location sensors  138  may emit signals continuously, substantially continuously, or at predetermined intervals (e.g., every second, every two seconds, every five seconds, every ten seconds, every 15 seconds, etc.), and such signals may include information indicating the location of the haul truck  104  within which the location sensor  138  is disposed. In such examples, the controller  116  may be configured to determine whether the location sensor  138  and, thus, the haul truck  104  is located within one or more geofences of the control system  114  based at least partly on such signals. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the control system  114  may include a geofence  210  extending substantially along and/or otherwise substantially overlaying a perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . Such a geofence  210  may, thus, correspond to an outer boundary of the paving plant  102 , and a haul truck  104  may pass into the geofence  210  when entering the paving plant  102  via the gate  206 . Upon entering the paving plant  102  via the gate  206 , a haul truck  104  may travel along a path  214  extending between the gate  206  and a location  216  within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102  corresponding to one or more of the holding locations described herein. For example, the location  216  may comprise an entrance to the paving material silo  202  at the paving plant  102 . In such examples, the control system  114  may also include a geofence  218  extending substantially along and/or otherwise substantially overlaying a perimeter of the location  216 . In such examples, the geofence  218  may define a virtual boundary of the location  216 , and the location  216  may be within the geofence  218 . It is understood that a haul truck  104  may be located at location  216  and thus, within the geofence  218 , before entering a loading area of the paving material silo  202  disposed adjacent to the entrance. 
     For example, a location  220  substantially beneath the paving material silo  202  may comprise a loading area of the paving material silo  202  at which the haul truck  104  may receive paving material  108  into the dump body  132 . In such examples, the control system  114  may further include a geofence  222  extending substantially along and/or otherwise substantially overlaying a perimeter of the location  220 . For example, the geofence  222  may define a virtual boundary of the location  220 , and the location  220  may be within the geofence  222 . Additionally, the geofence  218  may be disposed adjacent to the geofence  222 . Further, a location  224  adjacent to the location  220  may comprise an exit of the paving material silo  202  at which the haul truck  104  may be weighed, observed, and/or otherwise evaluated. As shown in  FIG. 2 , in some examples, the control system  114  may also include a geofence  226  extending substantially along and/or otherwise substantially overlaying a perimeter of the location  224 . For example, the geofence  226  may define a virtual boundary of the location  224 , and the location  224  may be within the geofence  226 . In such examples, the geofence  222  may be disposed adjacent to the geofence  226 . 
     In some examples, upon exiting the location  224  a haul truck  104  may travel along a path  228  extending between the location  224  and a location  230  proximate the scale house  204 . In such examples, the haul truck  104  may temporarily stop at the location  230 , such that an operator of the haul truck  104  may receive a paving material ticket associated with the paving material  108  received at the paving material silo  202 . In some examples, such a paving material ticket may comprise a text file, an image file, a data file, and/or any other digital or electronic file configured to contain information, and to be executed and/or otherwise consumed by a server, a computer, a mobile phone, and/or other electronic device. Such a paving material ticket may be saved within a memory connected to the controller  116 , and may be transmitted to one or more additional electronic devices (e.g., an electronic device carried by the operator of the haul truck  104 , the truck controller  136 , etc.) via, for example, the wireless communication system  146 . Additionally or alternatively, such a paving material ticket may comprise a physical card, ticket, piece of paper, or other physical object including any of the information described herein and configured for consumption by a human. Such a paving material ticket may be printed on a printer or other device connected to the controller  116 . 
     An example paving material ticket may include information indicating the weight, volume, composition, temperature, and/or other characteristics of the paving material  108  deposited into the dump body  132  at the location  220 . Such a paving material ticket may also include information identifying the worksite  112  at which the paving material  108  will be utilized. In further examples, such a paving material ticket may also include information uniquely identifying the particular haul truck  104  receiving such paving material  108  at the location  220 . For example, a paving plant employee may observe the unique identifier  144  associated with a particular haul truck  104  during inspection of the haul truck  104  in at least one of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224 . In such examples, the paving plant employee may record the unique identifier  144 , and may provide an input to the controller  116  including information indicating the unique identifier  144 . Alternatively, one or more cameras, scanners, RFID readers, near-field communication scanners, barcode readers, or other detection devices may automatically capture and/or otherwise observe the unique identifier  144  during inspection of the haul truck  104  in at least one of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224 . In such examples, the one or more cameras or other detection devices may send a signal to the controller  116  including information indicating the unique identifier  144 . In any of the examples described herein, the controller  116  may generate the paving material ticket based at least partly on the haul truck  104  receiving the paving material  108  at the paving material silo  202  of the paving plant  102 , and an example paving material ticket may include the unique identifier  144  identifying the particular haul truck  104 . Further, any of the paving material tickets described herein may include a timestamp indicating the date and/or time at which the paving material ticket was generated. 
     Upon receiving the paving material ticket at the location  230 , the haul truck  104  may travel from the location  230  to the gate  206  via a path  232 . Upon reaching the gate  206 , the haul truck  204  may pass through the gate  206  in order to exit the paving plant  102 . In particular, the haul truck  104  may pass through the gate  206  in the direction  234 . By passing through the gate  206  in the direction  234 , the haul truck  104  may also exit the geofence  210  corresponding to the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a flow chart depicting an example method  300  of associating a unique identifier  144  of a particular haul truck  104  with a respective location sensor  138  connected to or disposed within the particular haul truck  104 . The example method  300  is illustrated as a collection of steps in a logical flow diagram, which represents operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In the context of software, the steps represent computer-executable instructions stored in memory. When such instructions are executed by, for example, the controller  116 , such instructions may cause the controller  116 , various components of the control system  114 , the wireless communication system  146 , and/or the haul truck  104  to perform the recited operations. Such computer-executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described steps can be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the process. For discussion purposes, and unless otherwise specified, the method  300  is described with reference to the paving system  100 , the control system  114 , the paving plant  102 , and/or other items shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     An example work cycle of a haul truck  104  may include receiving a load of paving material  108  at the paving material silo  202  of the paving plant  102 , transporting the paving material  108  to the worksite  112 , depositing the paving material  108  in a hopper or other component of a paving machine  106 , and returning to the paving plant  102  to receive another load of paving material  108  for use at the worksite  112 . As part of such a work cycle and/or when a particular haul truck  104  is first onboarded into a fleet of machines at the paving plant  102 , the controller  116  may, at  302 , receive one or more signals from a location sensor  138 . As noted above, such a location sensor  138  may be fixed to the cab  128 , the chassis  124 , and/or any other component of the haul truck  104 . In other examples, however, the location sensor  138  may be removably attached to the haul truck  104  and/or disposed within, for example, the cab  128  of the haul truck  104  during operation of the haul truck  104 . In such examples, the location sensor  138  may comprise one or more portable location sensors  138  that may be removably disposed within the cab  128  by an operator of the haul truck  104 . 
     In any of the examples described herein, one or more such signals received at  302  may include information (e.g., GPS coordinates, map information, a location name, and/or other information determined by the location sensor  138 ) indicating a first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138 . One or more such signals may also include a first timestamp indicating a first time (e.g., day, month, year, hour, minute, second, millisecond, etc.) at which the first location of the haul truck  104  and/or other information included in the corresponding first signal was determined by the location sensor  138 . In additional examples, one or more such signals received by the controller  116  at  302  may also include a second identifier unique to an/or otherwise uniquely identifying the particular location sensor  138  disposed on or within the haul truck  104 . Similar to the unique identifier  144  associated with the haul truck  104 , such a second identifier, may comprise one or more alphanumeric codes or other indicia useful in uniquely identifying the location sensor  138 . In some examples, the first location of the haul truck  104  may comprise a location at the worksite  112  or a location at the paving plant  102 . In some examples, the first location of the haul truck  104  described above with respect to  302  may comprise the location  216  at the entrance to the paving material silo  202 , and/or any other location within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . In other examples, the first location of the haul truck  104  described above with respect to  302  may comprise a location outside of the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . 
     In any of the examples described herein, a paving material ticket may be generated by the controller  116  when the haul truck  104  is disposed at one or more locations associated with the paving material silo  202 . For example, at  304 , the controller  116  may generate a paving material ticket, and such a paving material ticket may include information indicating paving material  108  loaded into the haul truck  104  at the paving plant  102 . Such information may include information indicating the weight, volume, composition, temperature, and/or other characteristics of the paving material  108  deposited into the dump body  132  at the paving material silo  202 . In some examples, at  304  the controller  116  may generate the paving material ticket based at least partly on the haul truck  104  receiving paving material  108  at the paving plant  102 , and in particular, at the paving material silo  202 . For example, the controller  116  may generate the paving material ticket at  304  based at least partly on the haul truck  104  being located at one or more of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224  and/or being located within one or more of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226 . 
     As described above, such a paving material ticket may also include information uniquely identifying the particular haul truck  104  receiving paving material  108  at the paving material silo  202 . For example, a paving plant employee may observe the unique identifier  144  associated with a particular haul truck  104  during inspection of the haul truck  104  in at least one of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224 . In such examples, the paving plant employee may record the unique identifier  144 , and may provide an input to the controller  116  including information indicating the unique identifier  144 . Alternatively, one or more cameras or other detection devices may automatically capture and/or otherwise observe the unique identifier  144  during inspection of the haul truck  104  in at least one of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224 . In such examples, the one or more cameras or other detection devices may send a signal to the controller  116  including information indicating the unique identifier  144 . Accordingly, the paving material ticket generated at  304  may include the unique identifier  144 . Further, the paving material ticket generated at  304  may include a second timestamp indicating a second time (e.g., day, month, year, hour, minute, second, millisecond, etc.) at which the paving material ticket was generated. 
     At  306 , the controller  116  may determine whether the location sensor  138  disposed on and/or within the haul truck  104  is currently and/or has been previously associated with a haul truck identifier (e.g., a unique identifier substantially similar to the unique identifier  144  described above). As noted above, one or more signals received by the controller  116  at  302  may include an identifier (e.g., a second identifier) unique to and/or otherwise uniquely identifying the particular location sensor  138  disposed on or within the haul truck  104 . In such examples, at  306  the controller  116  may search one or more databases and/or other components of a memory associated with the controller  116  to determine whether the second identifier unique to and/or otherwise uniquely identifying the particular location sensor  138  is indicated in the memory as being associated with a haul truck identifier. If, at  306 , the controller  116  determines that the particular location sensor  138  is indicated in the memory as being associated with a haul truck identifier ( 306 —Yes), at  308  the controller  116  may determine whether the haul truck identifier identified at  306  matches, corresponds to, and/or is the same as the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304 . If, at  308 , the controller  116  determines that the haul truck identifier identified at  306  is the same as the unique identifier  144  included in the paving material ticket ( 308 —Yes), the controller  116  may, at  310 , maintain the existing association between the location sensor  138  and the haul truck identifier identified at  306 . 
     If, on the other hand, at  306  the controller  116  determines that the particular location sensor  138  is not indicated in the memory as being associated with a haul truck identifier ( 306 —No), at  312 , the controller  116  may determine whether the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within a first geofence disposed within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . In such examples, such a first geofence may comprise one of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226  described herein with respect to the paving material silo  202 . Alternatively, such a first geofence may comprise one or more additional geofences disposed within, for example, the geofence  210  and/or the perimeter  212 . Such an additional geofence may be located, for example, at the location,  230  proximate the scale house  204 , at the gate  206 , and/or at any other locations within the perimeter  212 . 
     If, at  312 , the controller  116  determines that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within such a first geofence (e.g., within one of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226 ) ( 312 —Yes), at  314  the controller  116  may associate (e.g., in the memory connected to the controller  116 ) the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302 . For example, at  314  the controller  116  may store the unique identifier  144  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304  in association with the second identifier included in the first signal received at  302 . As noted above, in some examples such a second identifier may be unique to and/or may otherwise uniquely identifying the particular location sensor  138  disposed on or within the haul truck  104 . 
     In some examples, the determination at  312  that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within such a first geofence (e.g., within one of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226 ) may provide a relatively high level of confidence that the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304  corresponds to the particular location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302  since, among other things, the unique identifier  144  was directly observed while the haul truck  104  was at the paving material silo  202  and/or proximate the scale house  204 . Additionally, at  314 , the controller  116  may associate the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received based at least partly on the first time included in the first timestamp and the second time included in the second timestamp. In such examples, associating the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  based at least partly on information included in the first timestamp and corresponding information included in the second timestamp may further increase the level of confidence and/or accuracy of the association made by the controller  116  at  314 . 
     For example, as noted above, the first signal received at  302  may include a first timestamp indicating a first time (e.g., day, month, year, hour, minute, second, millisecond, etc.) at which the first location of the haul truck  104  and/or other information included in the corresponding first signal was determined by the location sensor  138 . Likewise, the paving material ticket generated at  304  may include a second timestamp indicating a second time (e.g., day, month, year, hour, minute, second, millisecond, etc.) at which the paving material ticket was generated. At  312 , the controller  116  may associate the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  (e.g., with the second identifier of the location sensor  138 ) from which the first signal was received if the first time is identical to the second time. In other examples, the controller  116  may associate the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  if the first time is within a predetermined range of the second time. In such examples, such a predetermined range may be less than one second, less than five seconds, less than ten seconds, less than one minute, and/or any other length of time or time interval. Based at least partly on determining that the first time is within the predetermined range of the second time, the controller  116  may, at  312 , associate the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  in a memory connected to the controller  116 . 
     Additionally, in further examples the controller  116  may receive one or more additional signals from the location sensor  138  at  302 . In such examples, one or more of the additional signals received at  302  may be utilized by the controller  116  at  314  to associate the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138 , and use of the information included in such additional signals may also increase the level of confidence and/or accuracy of the association made by the controller  116  at  314 . For example, it is understood that the location sensor  138  may generate and/or send such signals continuously, substantially continuously, and/or at predetermined intervals (e.g., every second, every two seconds, every five seconds, every ten seconds, every 15 seconds, etc.), and such signals may include information indicating the location of the haul truck  104  within which the location sensor  138  is disposed. In such examples, the controller  116  may, at  302 , receive at least one additional signal (e.g., a second signal) from the location sensor  138 , and such a second signal may include information indicating a corresponding second location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138 . At  312 , the controller  116  may determine whether the second location indicated in the second signal is within a second geofence (e.g., the geofence  222  or the geofence  226 ) disposed within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102  different from the first geofence  218  noted above. If, at  312 , the controller  116  determines that the second location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  and indicated in the second signal is within such a second geofence (e.g., the geofence  222  or the geofence  226 ) ( 312 —Yes), at  314 , the controller  116  may associate the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  from which the second signal was received in the memory connected to the controller  116  based at least partly on the second signal received at  302 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 3 , if, at  312 , the controller  116  determines that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is outside of the first geofence (e.g., outside of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226 ) ( 312 —No), at  316  the controller  116  may generate one or more alarms or other alerts associated with the location sensor  138 . For example, determining, at  312 , that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is outside of the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102  (e.g., outside of the geofence  210 ) may provide a moderate level of confidence that such a determination was made accurately by the location sensor  138 , and that the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304  corresponds to the particular location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302 . Such a moderate level of confidence may be below a first threshold level of confidence such that, at  316 , the controller  116  may generate an alarm to indicate that the identity of the particular location sensor  138  associated with the haul truck  104  should be verified by the operator of the haul truck  104  and/or by an employee of the paving plant  102 . Such an alarm may be transmitted directly to the haul truck  104  at  316  via, for example, the paving material ticket and/or via the wireless communication system  146 . Additionally or alternatively, such an alarm may be communicated to an employee of the paving plant  102 , at  316 , via a display connected to the controller  116  and/or by other means. Since the moderate level of confidence described above with respect to  312 —No is below a predetermined threshold level of confidence, at  316  the controller  116  may generate the alert without associating the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 3 , and as noted above with respect to  306 , in some examples the controller  116  may determine that the location sensor  138  providing the signal received at  302  has been and/or is currently associated with a haul truck identifier ( 306 —Yes). In such examples, and based at least partly on such a determination, the controller  116  may also determine, at  308 , that such a haul truck identifier is different from the unique identifier  144  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304  ( 308 —No). In such examples, at  320 , the controller  116  may determine whether the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within a first geofence disposed within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . As noted with respect to  312 , such a first geofence may comprise one of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226  described herein with respect to the paving material silo  202 . Alternatively, such a first geofence may comprise one or more additional geofences disposed within, for example, the geofence  210  and/or the perimeter  212 . 
     If, at  320 , the controller  116  determines that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within such a first geofence (e.g., within one of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226 ) ( 320 —Yes), at  322  the controller  116  may associate (e.g., in the memory connected to the controller  116 ) the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302 . Additionally, at  322  the controller  116  may correct and/or otherwise modify the association between the location sensor  138  and the haul truck identifier identified at  306 . In such examples, the controller  116  may modify the haul truck identifier identified at  306  (and previously stored in memory) to match the unique identifier  144 . In some examples, at  322  the controller  116  may cancel and/or delete the haul truck identifier identified at  306  (and previously stored in memory), and may replace the haul truck identifier with the unique identifier  144  in memory. 
     For example, at  322  the controller  116  may store the unique identifier  144  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304  in association with the second identifier included in the first signal received at  302 . As noted above, in some examples such a second identifier may be unique to and/or may otherwise uniquely identify the particular location sensor  138  disposed on or within the haul truck  104 . In such examples, the determination at  320  that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within such a first geofence (e.g., within one of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226 ) may provide a relatively high level of confidence that the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304  corresponds to the particular location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302  since, among other things, the unique identifier  144  was directly observed while the haul truck  104  was at the paving material silo  202  and/or proximate the scale house  204 . Additionally, at  322 , the controller  116  may associate the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received based at least partly on the first time included in the first timestamp and the second time included in the second timestamp. 
     On the other hand, if, at  320 , the controller  116  determines that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is outside of such a first geofence (e.g., outside of the geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226 ) ( 320 —No), at  324  the controller  116  may determine whether the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . For example, determining, at  324 , that such a first location indicated by the location sensor  138  is within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102  may provide a moderate level of confidence that such a determination was made accurately by the location sensor  138 , and that the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304  corresponds to the particular location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302 . For example, at  324  the controller  116  may determine whether the first location of haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within the geofence  210  substantially overlaying the perimeter  212 . If, at  324 , the controller  116  determines that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102  (e.g., within the geofence  210 ) ( 324 —Yes), at  326  the controller  116  may maintain the association between the haul truck identifier identified at  306  and the location sensor  138 . In such examples, the controller  116  may have a relatively low level of confidence that the location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302  is actually disposed on or within the haul truck  104  having the unique identifier  144  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304 . For example, such a low level of confidence may be below a second threshold level of confidence (less than the first threshold level of confidence noted above with respect to  316 ). As a result, at  326  the controller  116  may maintain the association between the haul truck identifier identified at  306  and the location sensor  138  despite receiving an input including contradicting information (e.g., the unique identifier  144 ). 
     Alternatively, if at  324  the controller  116  determines that the first location of the haul truck  104  determined by the location sensor  138  is outside of the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102  (e.g., outside of the geofence  210 ) ( 324 —No), at  328  the controller  116  may determine whether the location sensor  138  was associated with the haul truck identifier identified at  306  within a predetermined range of the second time indicated on the paving material ticket generated at  304 . As noted above, such a predetermined range may be less than one second, less than five seconds, less than ten seconds, less than one minute, and/or any other length of time or time interval. Based at least partly on determining that the location sensor  138  was associated with the haul truck identifier identified at  306  within a predetermined range of the second time indicated on the paving material ticket ( 328 —Yes), the controller  116  may, at  326 , maintain the association between the haul truck identifier identified at  306  and the location sensor  138 . 
     On the other hand, if at  328  the controller  116  determines that the location sensor  138  was associated with the haul truck identifier identified at  306  outside of a predetermined range of the second time indicated on the paving material ticket ( 328 —No), the controller  116  may, at  330 , maintain the association between the haul truck identifier identified at  306  and the location sensor  138 . Additionally, at  330 , the controller  116  may generate one or more alarms or other alerts associated with the location sensor  138 . In such examples, the controller  116  may have a relatively low level of confidence that the location sensor  138  from which the first signal was received at  302  is actually disposed on or within the haul truck  104  having the unique identifier  144  included in the paving material ticket generated at  304 . For example, such a low level of confidence may be below a third threshold level of confidence (less than the first and second threshold levels of confidence noted above). As a result, at  330  the controller  116  may maintain the association between the haul truck identifier identified at  306  and the location sensor  138  despite receiving an input including contradicting information (e.g., the unique identifier  144 ). 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The present disclosure provides systems and methods for associating a unique identifier  144  of a haul truck  104  with a particular location sensor  138  disposed on or within the haul truck  104 . Such systems and methods may be used to more efficiently coordinate activities of the haul truck  104 , paving machines  106 , and/or other machines or equipment  200  during paving operations. For example, such systems and methods may enable a control system  114  to determine the location of a particular haul truck  104  with greater confidence. As a result, the control system  114  may schedule the pick-up and/or delivery of paving material  108  with improved accuracy, and thus, may maximize efficiency at a paving worksite  112 . Additionally, such systems and methods may be used to more accurately manage the temperature of the paving material  108  at the paving plant  102 , thereby reducing operating costs. 
     As noted above with respect to  FIGS. 1-3 , an example method  300  of associating a unique identifier  144  of a haul truck  104  with a particular location sensor  138  disposed on or within the haul truck  104  may include receiving a first signal from the location sensor  138 . In some examples, such a first signal may include information indicating a first location of the haul truck  104  as determined by the location sensor  138 . Such a first location may be within a perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . For example, such a first location may comprise one of a plurality of locations  216 ,  220 ,  224  disposed proximate a paving material silo  202  of the paving plant  102 . Respective geofences  218 ,  222 ,  226  of the control system  114  may be associated with each of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224  within the perimeter  212 . Alternatively, such a first location may comprise any other location outside of the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . 
     Such a method may also include generating a paving material ticket that includes information indicating paving material  108  loaded into the haul truck  104  at the paving plant  102 . For example, as part of such a method the control system  114  may cause such paving material  108  to be loaded into a dump body  132  of the haul truck  104  at the paving material silo  202 , and a controller  116  may generate a paving material ticket based at least partly on the haul truck  104  receiving the paving material  108  at the paving plant  102 . In any of the examples described herein, such a paving material ticket may include the unique identifier  144  identifying the haul truck  104  with particularity. In some examples, the unique identifier  144  may be directly observed by one or more paving plant employees while the haul truck  104  is disposed at one or more of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224  described above. Alternatively, one or more cameras, scanners, or other components of the paving plant  102  may directly observe the unique identifier  144  while the haul truck  104  is disposed at one or more of the locations  216 ,  220 ,  224 . Further, such a method may include determining whether the first location noted above is within a geofence that is disposed within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102 . In some examples, determining that the first location is within a geofence disposed within the perimeter  212  of the paving plant  102  may provide a relatively high level of confidence that the location sensor  138  providing the first signal noted above is actually disposed on or within the particular haul truck  104  identified by the unique identifier  144  included in the paving material ticket. Thus, the controller  116  may associated the unique identifier  144  of the haul truck  104  with the location sensor  138  in a memory connected to the controller  116  based at least partly on making such a determination. Utilizing such a method may minimize false associations between unique identifiers  144  of haul trucks  104  and location sensors  138  disposed on or within such haul trucks  104  caused by human error and other factors. Additionally, such a method may simplify the process of onboarding haul trucks  104  and/or other machines at the paving plan  102 . 
     While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.