Patent ID: 12216018

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before implementations of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The disclosure is capable of supporting other implementations and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

FIGS.1A-1Billustrate a system including an excavator10and a dump truck20that are configured to communicate with one another.

The excavator10includes a chassis30supported by a pair of crawlers34(only one of which is shown). The excavator10further includes a prime mover36(e.g., a motor or an engine). When actuated the prime mover36drives the crawlers34to the move the excavator10. The excavator10further includes a cab portion38, an arm assembly42movably coupled to the chassis30, and a bucket46movably coupled to the arm assembly42. The arm assembly42, the bucket46, or both may have a camera48for viewing the surrounding area, the contents of the bucket46, the contents of the dump truck20, or a combination of the surrounding area, the contents of the bucket46and the contents of the dump truck20. Moreover, the bucket46may have one or more sensors49(e.g., load sensors, position sensors, accelerometers, etc.) for determining the amount of a load contained therein. The cab portion38includes a control assembly including an operator interface50(e.g., an interface that is manipulatable via buttons or a touch screen interface that manipulatable via pressure applied to one or more images/graphical representations) and one or more actuators (e.g., a steering actuators, arm assembly actuators, bucket actuators, camera actuators, etc.) for driving and controlling the excavator10. The excavator10has a controller54that is configured to communicate with the operator interface50.

The dump truck20includes a cab portion60and a dump body64that are supported by a chassis68, which has a longitudinal axis A. A plurality of wheels72is coupled to the chassis68. One or more of the wheels72may have one or more sensors74(e.g., pressure sensors, load sensors, traction sensors, etc.) configured to determine tire pressure, traction, terrain type, or a combination of tire pressure, traction, and terrain type. The dump truck20further includes a prime mover76(e.g., a motor or an engine, not shown). When actuated, the prime mover76drives the wheels to the move the dump truck20. The dump body64includes a dump bed78, a plurality of walls79, and a tailgate (not shown). Together, the dump bed78and the plurality of walls79receive and retain a material therein. One of the plurality of walls79(e.g., a rear wall) may be shorter than the others. The dump bed78includes a first end80(e.g., front end) and a second end81(e.g., rear end) opposite the first end80. The first end80is positioned adjacent the cab portion60while the second end81is positioned adjacent a rear of the dump truck20. The dump bed78, one or more of the plurality of walls79, or the dump bed78and the plurality of walls79has one or more sensors82(e.g., load sensors, position sensors, accelerometers, cameras, etc.). In some embodiments, the dump bed78has one or more heaters84.

The dump body64is movable relative to the chassis68between a first position in which a plane defined by the dump bed78is at a first angle relative to the longitudinal axis A of the chassis68and a second position in which the plane defined by the dump bed78is at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis A of the chassis68. The second angle is steeper than the first angle. For example, the first angle may be parallel (e.g., a 0 degree angle) to the longitudinal axis A and the second angle may be between 0 degrees and 70 degrees. The dump body64is movable between the first and second positions by actuators85(e.g., hydraulic actuators, only one of which is shown inFIG.1) positioned between the chassis68and the dump body64. The actuators85may have one or more sensors86(e.g., load sensors, position sensors, accelerometers, etc.).

The cab portion60includes a control assembly including an operator interface88and one or more actuators (e.g., steering actuators, dump body actuators, etc.) for driving and controlling the dump truck20. The dump truck20has a controller92that is configured to communicate with the operator interface88, the sensors74,82,86, the heater84, and the controller54of the excavator10.

The bucket46of the excavator10is configured to move (e.g., pick up and unload) material from a first location to a second location. In this case, the second location is the dump body64of the dump truck20. The dump truck20(and specifically the dump body64) is used to carry different types of materials (e.g., sand, soil, clay, gravel, rocks, slurries, etc.) from one jobsite to another). For certain types of loads (e.g., in quarries and surface mining operations) almost two-thirds of the total weight lands upon the rear axle.

As shown inFIG.2A, the center of mass C.M. should be near the first end80of the dump bed78for sticky and/or cohesive materials (e.g., wet clay, frozen clay, asphalt, etc.). Ideally, these materials would be kept away from the second end81. Other materials for which a center of mass C.M. should be near the first end80of the dump bed78are large-size stones and rock. These materials must be loaded away from second end81, so that they are released only upon complete tailgate-lift (e.g., they can flow easily upon complete tailgate lift). That is, a majority of the load should be concentrated adjacent to the first end80of the dump bed78. That is, a majority of the load should be concentrated nearer to the first end80than to second end81. For each of these materials, to achieve a center of mass C.M. nearer to the first end80of the dump bed78than to the second end81, the materials should be loaded beginning near the front of the dump bed78. The first dump from the bucket46of the excavator10should be loaded nearer to the first end80of the dump bed78than to the second end81.

Further with respect toFIG.2B, the center of mass C.M. should be near the center (e.g., between the first end80and the second end81) of the dump bed78for static or free flowing materials (e.g., sand, slurry, and snow). These materials may be loaded uniformly with the center of mass C.M. at the center of the dump bed78. For each of these materials, to achieve a center of mass C.M. near the center of the dump bed78, the materials should be loaded beginning near the center of the dump bed78. The first dump from the bucket46of the excavator10should be loaded near the center of the dump bed78.

Further with respect toFIG.2C, the center of mass C.M. should be near the second end81of the dump bed78for materials with poor flow (e.g., demolition waste). These materials must be loaded in lesser quantities and a majority of the load should be concentrated nearer to the second end81than to the first end80so they be released easily. For each of these materials, to achieve a center of mass C.M. nearer to the second end81of the dump bed78than to the first end80, the materials should be loaded beginning nearer to second end81of the dump bed78than to the first end80. The first dump from the bucket46of the excavator10should be loaded nearer to the second end81of the dump bed78than to the first end80.

With respect toFIGS.1A and3A, the system assists the operator of the excavator10in moving (e.g., picking up and unloading) a material into the dump bed78to achieve a correct or ideal center of mass C.M. for the specific material type (e.g., wet clay, frozen clay, asphalt, stones, rocks, snow, slurry, demolition waste, a combination of one or more materials, etc.). In particular, the controller54of the excavator10is configured to receive a first signal corresponding to the material being moved by the bucket46of the excavator10. In the illustrated embodiment, the operator may select the material from a plurality of materials displayed on the operator interface50of the excavator10to generate the first signal. For example, the plurality of material may be displayed on a menu on the operator interface50. The menu may be broken down by class of material (e.g., sticky and/or cohesive materials, static or free flowing materials, or poorly flowing materials, etc.), material type (e.g., wet clay, frozen clay, asphalt, stones, rocks, snow, slurry, demolition waste, a combination of one or more materials, etc.). Moreover, the menu may include options for a mix of classes of materials or a mix of material types (e.g., mix of rock and sand, etc.). The controller54of the excavator is configured to receive the first signal from the operator interface50when the operator selects the material. In other embodiments, the first signal may be generated and sent to the controller54of the excavator10by other means. For example, in some embodiments, the controller54of the excavator10may be configured determine the material based on an input received from the camera48. That is, the input from the camera48may generate the first signal. In still other embodiments, the controller54of the excavator10is configured to communicate with a global positioning system (GPS) and to determine the material based on coordinates provided by the global positioning system to the controller54of the excavator10. Accordingly, the first signal corresponds to the coordinates determined by the global positioning system. In still other embodiments, the controller54of the excavator10is configured to receive the material from an operator input device (e.g., a mobile device) that is separate from the excavator10and dump truck20. In this case, the first signal is generated and sent by the operator input device to the controller54of the excavator10.

The controller54of the excavator10sends (e.g., via WiFi, Bluetooth, radio, the cloud, or any other suitable wireless protocol) a second signal corresponding to the material being moved to the controller92of the dump truck20. The controller92of the dump truck20is configured to determine (i) a load distribution based on the material (e.g., similar to that shown inFIGS.2A-2B), (ii) a position of the center of mass C.M. based on the material and determined load distribution (e.g., similar to that shown inFIGS.2A-2B), and (iii) an instantaneous position of the center of mass C.M.

The controller92may use one or more of the following factors to determine the load distribution and the position of the center of mass C.M.: an average of material properties (e.g., size, density, weight, etc.) of the material (e.g., the material as a whole, the constituents of the material, or both), weather conditions (e.g., humidity, temperature, precipitation, visibility, etc.), dump bed78dimensions, tail gate size, sensed tire pressure of one or more of the tires72, material properties of the actuators85(e.g., wear and tear of the actuators85as determined by the age, usage, etc., of the dump truck20), dump bed heaters84, dump bed extensions, and path-planning information (e.g., whether the dump truck20shall move uphill or downhill, a determination of slope and/or turn radius measurements, and/or wheel72slip estimations as determined by other machines on the work site and/or trips taken along the same paths, distances, terrain conditions, etc.). In some embodiments, as noted above, the material is not a single material but a mix of materials. Therefore, an additional factor used by the controller92may be the percent composition of material mix (e.g., in the case of an underwater dredging operation, the mix of materials may be 30% silt, 70% clay), which may be manually input or computed (by the controller54,92, respectively, of either the excavator10or the dump truck20). The density of a material is often a good estimate of percent composition, for example. The density may be computed if the volume and weight of the material to be loaded is known. The volume of the material to be loaded may be measured or otherwise determined by the excavator10(e.g., via the camera) or may be considered to be constant. The weight of the material to be loaded may be measured or otherwise determined by either the excavator10or the dump truck20(via sensor information in the bucket46or the dump bed78). In some embodiments, one or more of these factors may be manually input and sent to the excavator controller54for transmission to the controller92of the dump truck20via the operator interface50of the excavator10. In other embodiments, one or more of these factors may be manually input and sent to the controller92of the dump truck20via the operator interface88of the dump truck20. In still other embodiments, one or more of these factors may be determined by a site supervisor and sent to the controller92of the dump truck20via a separate operator interface (e.g., a mobile device). In still other embodiments, one or more of these factors may be automatically determined (via sensor information, camera footage, wirelessly via a GPS or cloud system, or a database stored in a memory associated with one of the controllers54,92, etc.) and sent to the controller92. In still other embodiments, one more of these factors may be determined by a combination of manual input via the operator interface50, the operator interface88, a separate operator interface, and automatically. The instantaneous position of the center of mass C.M. is determined by the controller92of the dump truck20based on sensed information by the dump bed sensor82, the wheel sensors74, or both the dump bed and wheel sensors82,74of the dump truck20.

The controller92of the dump truck20is configured to determine a first position on the dump bed78where a first dump of the material should be unloaded from the bucket46of the excavator10based on the determined load distribution, the determined position of the center of mass C.M., and the instantaneous position of the center of mass C.M. The controller92of the dump truck20is configured to send a third signal corresponding to the first position at which the material should be added to the dump bed78to the controller54of the excavator10. In some embodiments, a signal corresponding to the determined load distribution may also be sent by the second controller92to the first controller54. The first position, the determined load distribution, or both may be displayed on the operator interface50of the excavator10. The operator of the excavator10, assisted by the one or more cameras48and the amount of load sensed by the sensor(s)49of the bucket46, for example, may then unload the first dump of the material to the first position on the dump bed78.

As shown, inFIG.3, this process is repeated for each successive dump of the excavator10until the dump body64reaches a maximum capacity (e.g., as determined by the determined load distribution and sensed by the sensors74,82) for the material. More specifically, the controller92of the dump truck20is configured to determine, based on the material type, the load distribution of the material on dump bed78, and the sensed information from the sensors74,82after the first dump is unloaded on the dump bed78, a second position on the dump bed78where a second dump of the material is to be unloaded from the bucket46of the excavator10. This determination may be made via information from the sensors74,82(which may include a camera, as noted above) of the dump truck20. Moreover, this determination may inform the controller92of the load distribution, the volume, the weight, or a combination of the load distribution, the volume, and the weight of the first dump relative to the determined load distribution and determined center of mass C.M. and update the instantaneous center of mass C.M. In some embodiments, especially if the material is not uniform but mixed, the controller92of the dump truck20may determine (via sensed information from sensors of the excavator10, sensed information from the sensors of the dump truck20, automatically, or some combination thereof) that the determined load distribution of the material on dump bed78and/or the position of the center of mass C.M. needs to be modified. For example, if the mix of materials is different than initially determined (e.g., more watery, more dense, heavier, having constituent particles being larger or smaller in size and/or weight, etc.), the material properties, percent composition, or both may be determined dynamically (e.g., in real-time via sensed information from sensors of the excavator10, sensed information from the sensors of the dump truck20, automatically, or some combination thereof) to modify the determined load distribution of the material on dump bed78and/or the position of the center of mass C.M. prior to determining the second position on the dump bed78. Once the second position is determined, the controller92of the dump truck20then sends a fourth signal corresponding to the second position to the controller54of the excavator10. In some embodiments, a signal corresponding to a current load distribution after the first dump and relative to the determined and/or updated load distribution may also be sent by the second controller92to the first controller54. The second position, the current load distribution, or both may be displayed on the operator interface50of the excavator10. The operator of the excavator10, assisted by the one or more cameras48and the amount of load sensed by the sensor(s)49of the bucket46, for example, may then unload the second dump of the material to the second position.

Similarly, the controller92of the dump truck20is configured to determine, based on the load distribution of the material on dump bed78and sensed information from the sensors74,82after the second dump is unloaded on the dump bed78, a third position on the dump bed78where a third dump of the material is to be unloaded from the bucket46of the excavator10. The controller92then sends a fifth signal corresponding to the third position to the controller54of the excavator10. This determination may be made via information from the sensors74,82(which may include a camera, as noted above) of the dump truck20. This determination may inform the controller92of the load distribution, the volume, the weight, or a combination of the load distribution, the volume, and the weight of the first two dumps relative to the determined load distribution and determined center of mass C.M. and update the instantaneous center of mass C.M. In some embodiments, a signal corresponding to a current load distribution after the second dump and relative to the determined and/or updated load distribution may also be sent by the controller92of the dump truck20to the controller54of the excavator10. The third position, the current load distribution, or both may be displayed on the operator interface50of the excavator10. The operator of the excavator10, assisted by the one or more cameras48and the amount of load sensed by the sensor(s)49of the bucket46, for example, may then unload the third dump of the material to the third position.

In some embodiments, the operator of either or both of the excavator or the dump truck20may choose to override the determined load distribution based on the material. Similarly, in some embodiments, the operator of either or both of the excavator10or the dump truck20may choose to override the determined dump position based on the load distribution and the material.

In other embodiments, the controller92of the dump truck may be configured to determine the material being moved by the excavator10. The controller92may obtain the material information via similar means as discussed above with respect to the means of for obtaining the material information via the excavator10. More specifically, the controller92may determine the material being moved via operator input into the operator interface88, sensed information from a camera, a GPS satellite in communication with the second controller92, or a separate operator input device, among other means. In this case, the controller54of the excavator does not receive and send the first signal. Rather, the controller92of the dump truck20obtains the material and operates as discussed above.

In some embodiments, either or both of the controllers54,92may receive a signal from respective operator interface50,88, a separate operator interface (e.g., a mobile device), or automatically (e.g., via GPS, the cloud, etc.) corresponding to weather in the area, which may affect the properties of the material that is being moved. The signal corresponding to weather may also be used to determine the position of each successive dump of material (e.g., first position, second position, third position, etc.). In some embodiments, the controller92of the dump truck20is configured activate the heater84to modify properties of the material after the first dump is unloaded onto the dump bed. For example, if the material is snow, the heater84may be activated to melt the snow. The controller92may be activated based on the material, the weather, or both the material and the weather.

The material type may be used to control the dump truck20also. In some embodiments, the controller92may be configured to alert the operator to an appropriate speed at which to operate the dump truck20(e.g., when turning the dump truck20) based on the material. As noted above, the dump body64is movable between the first position and the second position. In some embodiments, one of the sensors74,82of the dump truck20may be a position sensor configured to detect the position of the dump bed78relative to the longitudinal axis A and configured to communicate with the controller92of the dump truck20. In some embodiments, the sensors86of the actuators85may be configured to detect the position of the dump bed78relative to the longitudinal axis A and configured to communicate with the controller92of the dump truck20. The controller92may be configured to determine the non-parallel angle of the second position based on the material type and sensed information from one or more of the sensors74,82,86. Moreover, the controller92may be configured to move the dump bed78from the first position to the second position at a speed based on the material and sensed information from one or more of the sensors74,82,86.

In some embodiments, the excavator may be one of several excavators and the dump truck20is one of several dump trucks20in the area (e.g., at the worksite). Accordingly, each of the excavators10and dump trucks20may have similar features as discussed above. The excavators10and the dump trucks20in the area may communicate with one another to share information related to the material being moved. For example, a second dump truck20may include a dump bed78that receives the material from the bucket46of the excavator10, sensors74,82,86configured to measure the load of a dump bed78, and a controller92configured to communicate with the sensors74,82,86and the controller54of the excavator10. The controllers92of the first dump truck20and the second truck20may communicate. Accordingly, the controller92of the first dump truck20may be configured to send a signal corresponding to the determined load distribution of the material to the controller92of the second dump truck20, such that the second dump truck20may operate as discussed above to properly instruct loading of the material from the excavator10. Alternatively, the controller54of the excavator10may be configured to send a signal corresponding to the material being moved by the bucket46to the controller92of the second dump truck20, such that the second dump truck20may operate as discussed above to properly instruct loading of the material from the excavator10. In some embodiments, a first excavator10may be unloading a first material into the dump bed78of the dump truck20and a second excavator10may be unloading a second material into the dump bed78of the dump truck20. The second material may be the same or different than the first material. Accordingly, the controller92of the dump truck20may be configured to send signals corresponding to the determined load distribution of the material and recommended dump positions to the controllers54of both the first and second excavators10, such that both the first and second excavators10may operate as discussed above to properly instruct loading of the material to the dump truck20. Moreover, if the first and second materials are different, the controller92may operate similarly to when a mix of materials is being added by a single excavator10, as discussed above. That is, the controller92of the dump truck20may continually update (via sensed information from sensors of the first and second excavators10, sensed information from the sensors of the dump truck20, automatically, or some combination thereof) the determined load distribution of the material on dump bed78and/or the position of the center of mass C.M. as necessary with each successive dump, as discussed above.

The system and method discussed above may improve stability of the dump truck20, operator productivity, jobsite efficiency, and fuel efficiency of the excavator10. Specifically, accurate placement of a load on the dump bed78or in the dump body64during each loading operation supports the operator of the excavator10in decision making and reduces time required to fill the dump body64. Moreover, there is less idle time by operators and the machines10,20. First, because this system and method better estimates the time required to load each truck20. Second, because the excavator and the dump truck20can be run (and therefore use fuel) based on the time actually loading the trucks20rather than time spent waiting for trucks to be filled, emptied, and returned for another load.

Various features of the disclosure are set forth in the following claims.