Machine control system having autonomous edge dumping

US9298188B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Caterpillar Inc. · US

Inventors

• Ananth Kini · Conshohocken, US
• Joshua Struble · Sahuarita, US
• Andrew J. Vitale · Peoria, US
• Craig L. Koehrsen · East Peoria, US
• Bryan J. Everett · Peoria, US
• Mark H. Banham · Cleveland, AU
• Dean G. Povey · Forsayth, AU
• Matthew A. Holmes · Sahuarita, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 2013
• Grant date: Mar 29, 2016
• Expiry date: Jun 20, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05D1/0278
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

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.