Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Global Mining LLC

Catepillar Inc.

Bryan James Everett

Craig L Koehrsen

Andrew J Vitale

Joshua Struble

James Decker Humphrey

Dean G Povey

Mark H C Banham

Matthew A Holmes

Kenneth Lee Stratton

Roger D Koch

Brian Mintah

Darryl Victor Collins

Eric Alan Moughler

Michael Siemer

Ananth Purushotham Kini

Mark H Banham

Gary Edward Hull

Philip Carl Wallstedt

Matthew D Johnson

Sagar Chowdhury

John R Ellwood

Anath P Kini

Rodney R Richards

Steven J Cook

Craig Lawrence Koehrsen

Process for clearing an autonomous machine including first evaluating operation at a high curvature offline location. Following acceptable operation, the machine is placed into service and evaluated at a worksite. Following acceptable worksite operation, online operating speed of the machine is increased incrementally, and performance reevaluated. Following acceptable performance characteristics, online operating speed of the machine continues to be increased and revaluated until the machine reaches maximum designated operating speed, or is evaluated as unacceptable, in which case the machine continues to operate at the last acceptable online operating speed and identifies the unacceptable performance characteristic for further evaluation.

InCycle planner checkout for autonomous vehicles

A system for moving material from a first location to a second location includes a planning system to identify an initial spot location. A perception sensor is configured to generate perception signals indicative of whether an obstacle is in the path between a material carrying machine and the initial spot location. An alternate spot location is determined if an obstacle is in the path and a propulsion command is generated to move the material carrying machine from the current pose to the alternate spot location.

System for modifying a spot location

A method for controlling a mining truck travelling on a work site is disclosed. The method includes receiving payload information associated with a payload carried in a bed of the mining truck from sensors associated with the mining truck. The method further includes determining an imbalance of the payload based on the payload information. The method further includes receiving positioning data associated with the work site from a positioning system and determining an approaching terrain of the work site based on the positioning data. The method further includes planning a path for the mining truck based on the imbalance and the approaching terrain and controlling the mining truck based on the path.

Stabilization based path planning

A control system is disclosed for use with a machine. The control system may have a communicating device, a locating device configured to generate a first signal indicative of a location of the machine, a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of contact of the machine with a berm, and an onboard controller. The control system may also have an offboard controller configured to generate a first set of coordinates of a dump target, and to assign the first set of coordinates to the onboard controller for use in controlling the machine. The offboard controller may also be configured to detect contact of the machine with the berm based on the second signal during reverse travel toward the dump target, and to generate a second set of coordinates of the dump target to correspond with a location of the machine at a time of contact detection.

Machine control system having autonomous edge dumping

A control system is disclosed for use with a machine at a worksite. The control system may have an offboard controller. The offboard controller may be configured to receive information regarding a berm at the worksite, determine starting and ending points spaced apart along an edge of the berm based on the information, and determine a maximum orthogonal distance from a virtual line extending between the starting and ending points to the edge of the berm. The offboard controller may be further configured to selectively validate the starting and ending points based on the maximum orthogonal distance, and to designate a center of the virtual line between validated starting and ending points as a dump target.

A control system for use at a dump location having a plurality of dump sites is disclosed. The control system may have a control module associated with a mobile machine and a worksite controller. The worksite controller may be configured to receive a signal from the control module indicative of the mobile machine crossing a boundary at a dump location, and assign a travel route for the mobile machine based on the signal. The travel route may include a travel segment on a common entrance row, a first single-use path from the common entrance row to a particular one of the plurality of dump sites, a second single-use path from the particular one of the plurality of dump sites to a common exit row, and a travel segment on the common exit row. The worksite controller may be further configured to communicate the travel route to the control module as the mobile machine moves toward the dump location.

Machine control system having autonomous dump queuing

A control system is disclosed for use with a plurality of mobile machines operating at a worksite having a resource. The control system may have a worksite controller configured to divide a common travel path into a plurality of segments, including at least a spot segment at the resource and a stage segment. The worksite control may further be configured to receive a first input indicative of a desire for a first of the plurality of mobile machines to leave the spot segment, and to direct the first of the plurality of mobile machines out of the spot segment based on the first input. The worksite controller may be further configured to receive first location information for the first of the plurality of mobile machines, and to direct the second of the plurality of mobile machines from the stage segment into the spot segment based on the first location information.

Machine control system having autonomous resource queuing

A control system is disclosed for use with a plurality of machines operating at a worksite. The control system may have a plurality of communicating devices, and a plurality of onboard controllers, each mountable to the plurality of machines. The control system may also have an offboard controller in communication with the plurality of onboard controllers via the plurality of communicating devices. The offboard controller may be configured to selectively assign each of a plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets for use by each of the plurality of machines based on an order in which the plurality of machines arrive at a dump location. The offboard controller may be further configured to make a determination that lanes extending to two dump targets of the plurality of sequentially arranged dump targets overlap, and selectively skip assignment of one of the two dump targets based on the determination.

A control system is disclosed for use with a mobile loading machine operating at a first location and a plurality of mobile haul machines configured to move material received at the first location to a second location. The control system may have a plurality of control modules, each associated with one of the mobile loading machine and the plurality of mobile haul machines, and a worksite controller. The worksite controller may be configured to make a determination that a position of the mobile loading machine has changed, and to generate a new travel path for the plurality of mobile haul machines based on the determination. The worksite controller may also be configured to selectively communicate the new travel path to each of the plurality of control modules. The new travel path between the first and second locations may be automatically determined in accordance with at least one user-selected goal.

System for autonomous path planning and machine control

A method of tracking a fleet of machines operating at a common worksite is disclosed. The method may include receiving at a central controller an unacknowledged message from communicating devices onboard the fleet of machines, the unacknowledged message including a current location of each of the fleet of machines determined by locating devices onboard the fleet of machines. The method may also include updating a location listing of the fleet of machines with the current location, and repetitively multicasting the location listing to the communicating devices.

Fleet tracking method using unicast and multicast communication

A control system is disclosed for use with a machine having a work tool and operating at a work site. The control system may have a sensor associated with the work tool and configured to generate a signal indicative of a position of the work tool, an offboard worksite controller, and an onboard controller in communication with the sensor and the offboard worksite controller. The onboard controller may be configured to receive from an operator an input indicative of a current task being performed by the machine, and track movement of a portion of the work tool corresponding with the operator input. The onboard controller may also be configured to communicate the tracked movement to the offboard worksite controller.

Control system having tool tracking

A tracking system is disclosed for use with a fleet of machines operating at a common worksite. The tracking system may have a locating device located onboard each machine of the fleet of machine that is configured to determine a current location of an associated machine of the fleet of machines, and a communicating device located onboard each machine in communication with the locating device. The tracking system may also have a central controller located offboard the fleet of machines in communication with each communicating device. The central controller may be configured to receive an unacknowledged message from each communicating device relaying the current location of the associated machine. The central controller may also be configured to update a location listing of the fleet of machines with the current location, and to repetitively multicast the location listing to the communicating devices of the fleet of machines.

Fleet tracking system having unicast and multicast functionality

A slippage condition response system for a first machine of a plurality of machines is disclosed. The response system may have a sensing system configured to sense a parameter indicative of a slippage condition of the first machine. Additionally, the response system may have a locator configured to sense a parameter indicative of a location of the first machine. The response system may also have a transmitter. In addition, the response system may have a controller, which may be in communication with the sensing system, the locator, and the transmitter. The controller may be configured to monitor the location of the first machine. The controller may also be configured to monitor the parameter indicative of a slippage condition of the first machine. Additionally, the controller may be configured to transmit to an offboard system at least one location where the first machine experienced a slippage condition.

Slippage condition response system

A method of managing movement of an electric cable that is configured to provide power to a mobile machine. The method includes determining an initial boundary of an isolation zone in which the cable lies, for a first location of the machine. The initial boundary is divided into a first static boundary and a first dynamic boundary. The first static boundary surrounds a static isolation sub-zone of the isolation zone, and the first dynamic boundary surrounds a dynamic isolation sub-zone of the isolation zone. A second dynamic boundary surrounding the dynamic isolation sub-zone is determined, based on a second location of the machine when the machine moves from the first location to the second location, such that the cable lies within the second dynamic boundary. The first static boundary is maintained when the machine is in the second location.

Growing community of inventors

Peoria, IL, United States of America

Bryan James Everett