Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.

Kyle David Hendricks

Robert J McGee

Timothy Michael O'Donnell

Sangameshwar Sonth

Thomas J Frelich

Craig L Koehrsen

Joshua Struble

Justin Peters

Paul D Lenzen

Jeremy Lee

Clarence Matthew Glover

John Lee Marsolek

Nicholas Alan Oetken

Mathew James Hedrington

Bryan Joseph Downing

Robert K Iverson

Jeffrey Louis Stern

Craig R Fausch

Paul S Petersen

Rolf Af Klinteberg

A controller may configure the machine to operate in a plurality of modes including a manned control mode, a remote control mode, and an autonomous control mode. The controller may receive a request to cause the machine to perform an action; and determine a requested mode of operation of the machine associated with the request. The requested mode of operation may be one of the plurality of modes. The controller may selectively deny the request or enable the machine to perform the action based on a priority assigned to a current mode of operation of the machine and a priority assigned to the requested mode of operation.

Transitioning between manned control mode and unmanned control mode based on assigned priority

An autonomous machine control system is disclosed. The autonomous machine control system may include a controller configured to: cause an initiation of an autonomous mode of a machine, the autonomous mode providing automatic control of a propulsion operation, a steering operation, and a work operation of the machine; determine that automatic control of the work operation is to be disabled in the autonomous mode of the machine; and cause automatic control of the work operation to be disabled in the autonomous mode of the machine, while automatic control of the propulsion operation and the steering operation is enabled in the autonomous mode of the machine.

Override of autonomous functions of a machine

A test system includes a master electronic control module (ECM) configured to receive user input for performing a test action. The master ECM determines one or more subsystem ECMs associated with the requested test action and a sequence of operations to be controlled by the subsystem ECMs to perform the requested test action. The master ECM provides instructions to the subsystem ECMs to perform the operations, along with parameters for those operations. The master ECM may determine whether a test action is appropriate to perform, based on sensor data, before instructing subsystem ECMs to perform the operations of the test action.

Test system and method for autonomous machines

An automatic control mode system for heavy machinery and a method for controlling heavy machinery for an automatic control mode is disclosed. The method may include: monitoring one or more conditions of one or more systems of the heavy machinery for the automatic control mode; determining whether at least one of the one or more conditions is met; and disabling the automatic control mode if at least one of the one or more conditions are met.

Automatic control mode system for heavy machinery

A work machine includes an engine power management system. The work machine includes an engine, a hydraulic temperature sensor, and a coolant temperature sensor. The hydraulic temperature sensor is configured to monitor and transmit a hydraulic fluid temperature, and the coolant temperature sensor is configured to monitor and transmit a coolant fluid temperature. The work machine also includes an engine controller and a machine controller. The engine controller includes a processor, and is operatively associated with the engine and the coolant fluid temperature sensor. The machine controller includes a processor, and is operatively associated with the hydraulic fluid temperature sensor and the engine controller. The machine controller is configured to transmit a torque limit command to the engine controller when the hydraulic fluid temperature or the coolant fluid temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature threshold.

Engine power management strategy

System and methods for marking a work area boundary of an autonomous vehicle are disclosed. A system may receive an indication that boundary marking for a work area is to be activated, and may transmit an activation signal to a marking actuator based on receiving the indication that boundary marking for the work area is to be activated. The activation signal may cause the marking actuator to begin marking the boundary as a vehicle, that includes the system, traverses the boundary. The system may store information that identifies a plurality of marked locations along the boundary. The system may determine that boundary marking for the work area is to be deactivated, and may transmit a deactivation signal to the marking actuator based on determining that boundary marking for the work area is to be deactivated. The deactivation signal may cause the marking actuator to stop marking the boundary.

System and method to mark autonomous work area

A work machine includes a power generator configured to generate power to propel the machine, a brake system, an operator seat, one or more sensors, and a controller. The operator seat is rotatably mounted to the machine. The one or more sensors are configured to generate one or more signals indicative of an orientation of the operator seat relative to a direction of travel of the machine. The controller is coupled to the machine and communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors. The controller is configured to determine that the operator seat is out of alignment with the direction of travel based on the one or more signals and automatically actuate the brake system if the operator seat is out of alignment with the direction of travel for more than a first threshold time.

Controlling machine operation based on seat orientation

A compactor gathers GPS, orientation and wheel slip data to identify the location of a soft spot in a surface that is being compacted and to isolate the soft spot to a particular side of the compactor if the wheel slip data indicates that the soft spot is located beneath only one of the compactor wheels. The GPS, orientation and wheel slip data are displayed as location information to an operator and/or sent to a remote location to facilitate the fast and accurate repair of the soft spot.

Use of wheel slip to help identify soft spots

A system for determining a state of compaction of a work material includes a roller having a vibration system. A controller is configured to determine the speed of the machine, determine an inclination of the machine, and determine an inclination power change based upon the inclination and the speed of the machine. The controller is also configured to determine the gross power loss resulting from the compaction operation, determine a vibration compensation factor based upon vibration characteristics of the vibration system, and determine the state of compaction of the work material based upon the inclination power change, the power loss, and the vibration compensation factor.

System and method for determining a state of compaction

A system and method for calibrating a compactor. The compactor may have a roller. The system may comprise a display and a controller. The controller may be configured to receive, when the roller rotates in a first direction, a first baseline compaction value, receive, when the roller rotates in a second direction, a second baseline compaction value, calculate an offset between the first and second baseline compaction values, receive a subsequent compaction value obtained while the roller is rotating in the second direction, adjust the subsequent compaction value by the offset difference, and display an adjusted subsequent compaction value on the display.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Francis, MN, United States of America

Kyle David Hendricks