Method of determining a road surface condition, road, surface condition monitoring system, for monitoring an industrial site, and computer program product

Abstract

A method of determining a road surface condition is described. The method includes providing an electric power to a vehicle while the vehicle travels on the road, determining at least one power delivery value, the power delivery value being indicative of a power provided to the vehicle along the road, correlating the power delivery value with the position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value, and identifying a deviation of the position-correlated: power delivery value front; an expected power value. The expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position. The method further includes deriving, from the deviation between the position-correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position.

Description

[0001] Method of determining a road surface condition, road surface condition monitoring system for monitoring an industrial site, and computer program product

[0002] Aspects of the invention relate to the monitoring of a road surface condition, particularly based on a power delivery value indicative of an electric power delivered to a vehicle travelling on the road. According to an aspect, the vehicle may be a wheeled vehicle having an electric traction system, and may be utilized in a mining operation.

[0003] Iechnical . background:

[0004] Heavy industrial vehicles, such as mining trucks, often include an electrical traction system, such as a diesel-electric or even battery-powered drivetrain. Additionally, the vehicle may be powered by an external electric power source while traveling, such as a stationary power delivery system including trolley lines. lb operate the vehicle efficiently, the roads travelled by the vehicles should be in a satisfactory condition. A poor road surface condition may cause undesirable braking and acceleration, increase energy consumption, reduce the effective speed of the vehicle, may increase wear on the truck and / or the power delivery infrastructure, and even risk the safety of the mining truck and / or the operator.

[0005] A poor road surface condition may be caused by a deteriorated road surface. A deteriorated road surface may include rough surfaces, such as surfaces with bumps and dints, potholes, and / or rotting. Furthermore, a road surface condition may be poor if the road is obstructed, e.g. by debris.

[0006] A road surface may deteriorate particularly quickly on roads travelled by heavy industrial vehicles. Actions taken by the vehicle due to a poor road surface condition, such as strong breaking and subsequent acceleration, or even driving the vehicle at near-normal driving conditions, may cause additional wear to the road surface and may further decrease the road surface condition. Accordingly, the early, reliable identification of a poor road surface condition may be desirable. Known methods of monitoring a road surface condition, such as visually inspecting the road or relying on driver reports, may not be possible at the desired intervals, be unreliable, time-consuming and / or costly.

[0007] Thus, there is a need for an improved system and method for determining a road surface condition. Summary of the invention

[0008] In view of the above, the invention as set out in the appended set of claims is provided.

[0009] According to an aspect, a method of determining a road surface condition is described. The method includes providing an electric power to a vehicle while the vehicle travels on the road, determining at least one power delivery value, the power delivery value being indicative of a power provided to the vehicle along the road, correlating the power delivery value with the position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value, and identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value. The expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position. The method further includes deriving, from the deviation between the position-correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position.

[0010] According to an aspect, a road surface condition monitoring system for monitoring an industrial site is described. The industrial site includes a road, a vehicle, a power delivery system for providing an electric power to the vehicle while the vehicle travels on the road, and a power delivery value sensor for sensing a power delivery value indicative of the power provided to the vehicle at a point along the road. The monitoring system includes a communication module configured for receiving the power delivery value from the power delivery value sensor. The monitoring system is configured for correlating the power delivery value with a position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value, and identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value. The expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position. The monitoring system is further configured for deriving, from the deviation between tbe position- correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position.

[0011] According to an aspect, a computer program product is described, The computer program product includes instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carryout a method including: receiving a power delivery value of a sensor, wherein the power delivery value is indicative of an electrical power provided to the vehicle by a stationary power delivery system while the vehicle travels on the road, the electric power being utilized for propelling the vehicle; determining at least one power delivery value, the power delivery value being indicative of the power provided to the vehicle at a point along the road; correlating the power del ivery value with a position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value; identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value, foe expected power value being indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position; and deriving, from the deviation between the position-correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position. According to an aspect, a vehicle is described. The vehicle may be utilized for transporting a load, e.g. between loading and dump sites. The vehicle may be operated in an industrial setting, such as in an industrial site, such as a mine. The vehicle may be a machine travelling to a destination, e.g. to perform tasks at the destination. The vehicle may be, for example, a load, haul and dump (LHD) machine, a mining truck, a bolter, a driller and / or a pickup truck. The vehicle may be an off-highway vehicle. Passenger vehicles, such as road cars, trains, aircraft or boats are not considered mining vehicles in the context of this disclosure. The vehicle may be an electric truck, such as a diesel-electric and / or hydrogenelectric truck. The vehicle may be a battery electric vehicle. Accordingly, the vehicle may include an on-board battery. The battery may, essentially be the sole source of on-board traction power of the vehicle, or the battery may be provided in addition to a drivetrain including a combustion engine, such as in a diesel-electric vehicle, particularly a hybrid diesel electric vehicle. The on-board batery may be a battery providing power to a traction motor. According to an aspect, the vehicle may be controlled by an operator, such as a dri ver. Additionally, or alternati vely, the vehicle may be remote controlled, semi- autonomous or even fully autonomous and / or self-driving.

[0012] According to an aspect, the vehicle may include a connector for connecting to a stationary power delivery system. For example, the vehicle may include a pantograph style connector for electrically connecting the vehicle to a trolley line of a stationary power delivery system. The vehicle may be configured for being powered primarily or even exclusively by power received from the stationary power deli very system white the vehicle is electrically connected to the stationary power delivery system. For example, a diesel-electric drivetrain may be configured to operate the diesel engine in an idling state or even a stopped state while being connected to the stationary power delivery system. Likewise, an onboard battery may not be discharged, or even be charged at a predefined rate while the vehicle is connected to the stationary power delivery system.

[0013] According to an aspect, additionally or alternative to a pantograph-style connector, different types of current collectors may be suitable as a connector, particularly a bow collector, a contact shoe, a trolley pole, e.g. a trolley pole including a trolley pole wheel, a collector pole, or other known current collectors. The current collector may be configured for contacting a component of a power delivery infrastructure such as a catenary line and / or an overhead line, or even a powered rail, forming a part of a stationary power deliv ery system.

[0014] According to an aspect, the road surface condition monitoring system may be a computer-implemented system. In particular, the road surface condition monitoring system may be communicatively connected to the sensors described herein, and be provided at remote location, such as a control room associated with the industrial site, or even off-site. For example, the road surface condition monitoring system may be provided at a remote location, e.g. on a remote server, or even be implemented as a cloud-based system. According to an aspect, a power delivery value is described. The power delivery value may be sensed by a power delivery value sensor. While it is noted that the term power is generally understood as a value indicating a work done per unit time, in the methods and systems described herein, a power delivery value may be any value indicative of the power delivered to the vehicle, and is not necessarily represented as an electrical power. A power delivery value may be any value indicative of a change in the power delivered to the vehicle. Accordingly, a power delivery value may be obtained by sensing a power, a voltage, a current, a magnetic flux indicative of a current, a resistance, a phase shift, a power factor, or other suitable values known in the art. For example, and not limited thereto, a power value may include a current measurement, and / or a change in the current provided to the vehicle may be indicative of a change in electric power delivered to the vehicle. Likewise, a power delivery value may be obtained by being derived from values indicative and / or related to power, such as from the amount of energy or charge provided within a timespan.

[0015] According to an aspect, the power delivery value is indicative of a power provided to the vehicle along the road. In particular, the power delivery value may be indicative of a power provided to the vehicle’s traction system. The electric power may be utilized for propelling the vehicle. In particular, the electric power may power one or more electric traction motors of the vehicle. In particular, changes in driving parameters, such as a change in speed or an acceleration of the vehicle, and / or factors affecting the vehicle, such as changes in rolling resistance, may affect the power utilized for propelling the vehicle, and / or affect the power delivery value accordingly. The power delivery value may be a value indicating the power being provided to the vehicle at a point in time while the vehicle is travelling. Accordingly, the power delivery value may be suitable for being correlated with a point, position and / or section along the road. Likewise, the power delivery value may be indicative of an average power provided to the vehicle over a time interval, and the power delivery value may be suitable for being correlated with a section of the road.

[0016] Beneficially the systems and methods described herein may allow a simple, reliable and even automated detection of road surface conditions, and may be particularly suitable for detecting and localizing road surface defects. The data utilized by the systems beneficially is derived directly from a value indicative of a power utilized for propelling the sehicle. Accordingly no additional, specialized sensors or monitoring systems are required. Beneficially, the proposed solution may he integrated into an existing installation at low cost and with low effort. Beneficially, since the road condition may be monitored by multiple vehicles at high intervals and / or even for every trip of a vehicle, the detection time of a road surface defect can be reduced.

[0017] Further advantages, features, aspects and details that can be combined with embodiments described herein are evident from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings. Brief description of the Figures:

[0018] The details will be described in the following with reference to the figures, wherein

[0019] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an industrial site according to embodiments;

[0020] Fig. 2 shows a method of determining a road surface condition according to embodiments;

[0021] Fig. 3 shows a method of generating a nominal model and identifying a deviation of the position- correlated power delivery value from an expected power value according to embodiments;

[0022] Fig. 4 shows schematic graphs demonstrating the effect of a poor road surface condition on a power delivery curve;

[0023] Fig. 5 shows schematic graphs demonstrating fiting a power delivery curve to an expected power curve according to embodiments.

[0024] Detailed description of the Figures and of embodiments:

[0025] Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments, one or more examples of which are illustrated in each figure. Each example is provided by way of explanation and is not meant as a limitation. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with any other embodiment to yield yet a further embodiment. It is intended that the present disclosure includes such modifications and variations.

[0026] Within the following description of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to the same or to similar components. Generally, only the differences with respect to the individual embodiments are described. Unless specified otherwise, the description of a part or aspect in one embodiment applies to a corresponding part or aspect in another embodiment as well.

[0027] Referring now to Fig. 1, an industrial site 100 including a road surface condition monitoring system 134 is described. The industrial site 100 includes a road 120 with a road surface. A vehicle 110 travels on the road 120 in the direction indicated by the arrow. It should be noted that the road 120 of Fig. 1 is straight and level, and is described in a simplified manner to help in understanding the disclosure. In some implementations, a road 120 according to embodiments ray be any type of road, or even a road in a road network, having known features such as turns, bends, inclinations, declinations, ramps, intersections, or the like. According to embodiments, the road 120 is connected to a mine, or even included in a mine. For example, the road may be provided between a loading site associated with the mine and an unloading site associated with the mine. According to embodiments, the vehicle 110 is a mining truck, such as a haul truck.

[0028] A stationary power delivery system is provided along the road 120. In the example shown in Fig. 1. the stationary power delivery system is electrically connected to an external power source 138 and includes at least one trolley line 136. The trolley line 136, insulators 140 and / or masts suspending the trolley linemay be a component of a stationary power delivery infrastructure. The trolley line 136 is suspended above the road by masts, and divided into electrically insulated sections by the insulators 140, the insulators 140 defining the road section 160. The vehicle 110 includes at least one pantograph style connector 112 to electrically connect the vehicle, particularly a drivetrain of the vehicle 110, to the stationary power delivery system.

[0029] When entering the road section 160. a traction motor of the vehicle 1 10 is powered with electric energy provided by the stationary power delivery system. In particular, the electric power provided by the stationary power deliver system via the trolley line 136 is utilized for propelling the vehicle.

[0030] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the road surface condition monitoring system 134 is included in the substation 130 The substation 130 may be configured for providing power to the power delivery system. For example, the substation may include one or more converters, transformers, rectifiers, and / or other components known in the art, to convert an electric power received from the external power source 138 into an electrical power suitable for powering the vehicle 110. The electrical power for powering the vehicle 110 may be an AC power or a DC power. The external power source 138 may be any source of power, such as a power grid, a generator, a power storage facility such as e.g a battery-based system, or the like.

[0031] The substation 130 further includes a power delivery value sensor 132. The sensor 132 senses a power delivery value indicative of the power provided to the vehicle 110 while the vehicle travels along the road 120, particularly the road section 160. The sensor 132 may include a current sensor for measuring a current being provided, e.g. after being converted from the external power source 138, to the trolley line 136. For example, a constant voltage may be applied to the trolley line 136, and a power value may be derived from the current being provided at the constant voltage. Likewise, other types of sensors known in the art may be utilized. For example, and not limited thereto, the power delivery value sensor 132 may be a power sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a resistance sensor, a phase shift sensor, a power factor sensor, or other suitable type of sensors known in the art for measuring a value indicative of a power provided to the vehicle. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the power delivery value sensor 132 is included in the substation 130, and communicatively connected to the road surface condition monitoring system 134, e.g. via a wired or wireless connection to a communication module of the road surface condition monitoring system 134, According to embodiments, the road surface condition monitoring system 134 may be remote from the sensor 132, and be communicatively connected to the road surface condition monitoring system 134 via a communication module configured for receiving the power delivery value from the power delivery value sensor 132.

[0032] While the vehicle 110 travels in the road section 160, a power delivery value is sensed by the power delivery value sensor 132. The power delivery value is indicative of the power provided to the vehicle along the road. For example, a power delivery value may indicate a high power provided to the vehicle 110 while the vehicle is accelerating, and may indicate a lower power provided to the vehicle while the vehicle is braking. Likewise, the power delivery value may indicate if the vehicle 110 is travelling at high or low speed, and / or if the vehicle is utilizing additional traction power to cross a road surface causing high rolling resistance.

[0033] A more detailed description of the effect of some driving parameters of the vehicle on the sensed power delivery value are given with reference to Fig. 4.

[0034] The monitoring system 134 is configured for receiving the power delivery value from the power delivery value sensor 132, and correlating the power delivery value with a position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value.

[0035] According to some embodiments, correlating the power delivery value with a position of the vehicle 1 10 may include deriving the position from a series of power delivery values determined during a trip of the vehicle 110 along the road 120. In particular, the series of power delivery values may include information allowing some or all of the power delivery values included in the series of power delivery values to he correlated with a corresponding position, e.g. by utilizing statistical and / or stochastic analysis or approximation. For example, a correlation based on dynamic time warping may be utilized, e.g, as is further described herein with reference to Fig, 5.

[0036] According to some embodiments, correlating the power delivery value with a position of the vehicle may include deriving the position from a position sensor, such as a position sensor provided on the vehicle, such as an on-board GPS sensor, and / or a position sensor provided along the road. The position data recorded by the position sensor may be communicated, e.g. by the position sensor or the vehicle 110, to a communication module of the monitoring system 134. The position data may be communicated essentially in real-time and correlated with the power delivery value by being received at the essentially same time as the power delivery value. Likewise, the position data may be correlated to the power delivery value, e.g. according to data, such as timestamps, included in the position data.

[0037] The monitoring system 134 is configured for identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value. The expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle al the position. For example, the monitoring system 134 may have stored, e.g. in a memory of the road surface condition monitoring system 134, one or more expected power values or data, such as data of a nominal model, from which an expected power value may be derived. The expected power value may be correlated with a defined position along the road, lb evaluate a position-correlated power value, an expected power value corresponding to the position of the position- correlated power value may be selected. Likewise, for a series of position-correlated power values, a position-correlated power value comsponding to the position of an expected power value may be selected. The deviation between the values may be derived from one pair of selected position-correlated power values and expected power values, or even several pairs. Likewise, several deviations may be derived from several pairs.

[0038] Additionally, or alternatively, according to embodiments, the expected power value may be derived from a nominal model. The nominal model may be configured and / or suitable for determining an expected power value at the position of the position-correlated power delivery value.

[0039] Additionally, according to embodiments, the nominal model may be suitable for normalizing the power delivery value according to variable parameters affecting the vehicle. The parameters may be derived, e.g. from one or more power delivery values recorded for the vehicle on the trip, or may even be provided from external sources.

[0040] According to embodiments, the nominal model may be generated from a plurality of power delivery values. The plurality of power deli very values may represent a plurality of trips of one or more vehicles along the road 120. For example, the nominal model may be based on a ( nominal ) power delivery curve, the (nominal) power delivery curve being generated e.g. by averaging power delivery curves, or even normalized power delivery curves, of multiple trips of one or more vehicles along the road. Likewise, the nominal model may be suitable for generating an expected power curve.

[0041] An example for generating and utilizing a nominal model according to embodiments is given herein with reference to Fig. 3. Accordingly, the monitoring system 134 may be configured for generating and / or utilizing a nominal model according to the method 300 shown in Fig. 3.

[0042] According tit embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the nominal model may include, be implemented as, or be derived from a modeling engine suitable for modeling a vehicle traveling along the path. One or more expected power values, or even a power delivery curve, may be generated and / or derived from modeling, e.g. physically modeling and / or simulating, a movement of the vehicle on the road. Generating the nominal model may include defining road parameters, such as parameters defining a road layout.

[0043] Based on the nominal model, an expected power delivery value may be derived by modeling a vehicletraveling on the road. Deriving the expected power value may include defining (variable) parameters affecting the vehicle, such as weather, vehicle type, vehicle load, a driving schedule of the vehicle, or the like. The modeling engine may model the vehicle traveling based on the parameters, and a derived expected power value may be generated according to the parameters. Accordingly, the expected power value may be normalized with respect to variable parameters and / or be suitable for normalizing a power delivery value. The modeling engine may be suitable for position-correlating an expected power value with a position derived from the modeling and / or simulating.

[0044] 4s shown in big 1, the road section 160 includes a road surface defect 150 spanning a delect portion 164 of the road section 160. When the vehicle 110 enters the road section 160, the substation 130 provides power to the vehicle 110 via the trolley line 136 and the pantograph style connector 112. Accordingly, one or more, or even a series of power delivery values may be sensed by the power delivery value sensor 132 and evaluated by the road condition monitoring system 134. A position-correlated power delivery value may be obtained according to embodiments described herein, e.g, by receiving position data from the vehicle 110, or by deriving the position from the series of power deli very values.

[0045] When the vehicle 110 travels over the road surface defect 150, the position-correlated power delivery values determined for the defect portion 164 of the road section 160 may deviate from an expected power value, e.g. while the position-correlated power delivery values determined for portion 162 and portion 166 may not deviate from the expected power value. For example, and not limited thereto, the vehicle 110 may experience a higher rolling resistance, may brake before entering the defect portion 164, may accelerate after leaving the portion, may travel through the portion at reduced speed, and / or may perform steering maneuvers.

[0046] Accordingly, based on a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from the expected power value, the road surface condition monitoring system 134 can derive a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position, such as one or more positions within the defect portion 164, or even a section corresponding to the defect portion 164.

[0047] According to embodiments, the monitoring system 134 is configured for providing an output. The output may be derived from the road surface condition indicator. The road surface condition indicator may include data indicative of a road surface condition, and / or data indicative of a position associated with the road surface condition indicator, e.g. based on the position of the position-correlated power delivery value and / or the position of the expected power value. The output may be indicative of a road surface deterioration, such as the road surface defect 150. The output may be derived by scoring the deviation between the position-correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, e.g. according to predefined thresholds. Scoring may further include utilizing previously determined road surface condition indicators. For example, the road surface condition monitoring system 134 may store a plurality road surface condition indicators generated from previous trips of one or several vehicles such as vehicle 110 at or near the position of the road surface condition indicator. The road surface condition indicator may be scored according to factors such as an observed increase, e.g. in size or severity, in the potential road surface defect. For example, a repeatedly observed potential road surface defect may be scored higher. Furthermore, the scoring may include identifying false-positive road surface indicators falsely indicating a road surface defect 150, such as e.g. a driver braking due to reasons unrelated to road surface defects, such as traffic or wildlife. For example, the monitoring system 134 may be configured for scoring singular events lower than events that have been observed multiple times in multiple trips. According to embodiments, the output may be communicated to a secondary system, such as a nionitoring system or a logging system. In some embodiments, the output may be communicated selectively, e.g according to the scoring. For example, if the scoring indicates, with a sufficiently high confidence, that a road surface defect is detected at a position, an alarm, a work order, a warning or the like may be communicated to drivers, workmen, management and / or monitoring personnel.

[0048] In the example shown in Fig. 1, the monitoring system 134 is configured for monitoring the road section 160 bv sensing, with the power delivery value sensor 132. power delivery values from a power feed value representing the power fed into the power delivery infrastructure, such as a power fed into the trolley line 136. Multiple monitoring systems such as the monitoring system 134 may be provided for multiple sections, such as the sections neighboring the road section 160. Beneficially, the length of the road section 160 may be chosen such that there is a significant probability of not more than one vehicle 110 travelling within the road section 160 at one time. For example, the mad section 160 may have a length of 100 m to 5 km, such as 500 m to 2 km, such as about 1 km. For example, in some embodiments, the road section 160 may be defined by an electrically connected portion of the trolley lines between two or more insulators 140 and have essentially a length corresponding to the distance between at least two masts, such as at least 20 m, at least 30 in, at least 40 m, or even at least 50 m. Multiple masts may be provided for a road section 160 having an electrically connected trolley line, and the example shown in Fig. 1 should not be understood as a limitation.

[0049] Particularly in situations where the length of the road section 160 is long such that there is a chance of two or more vehicles traveling in the road section 160 simultaneously, the system and methods described herein may be configured for detecting that the sensed power value corresponds to the power provided to more than one vehicle. In embodiments configured for such multi-vehicle events, monitoring may be performed only for the sections of the road section 160 in which only one vehicle is present, e.g. before a second vehicle has entered the road section 160 and / or after a first of two vehicles has left the road section 160. Likewise, signal processing, such as deconvolution, may be performed on an aggregated power delivery value indicative of the power provided to two or more vehicles to derive a power delivery value indicative of the power provided to one of the two or more vehicles.

[0050] Additionally, or alternatively, the vehicle 110 may include a power delivery value sensor (not shown). For example, the power delivery value sensor may be a sensor included in or connected to the electric drivetrain of the vehicle. The sensor may be configured for sensing a power receive value representing the power received by the vehicle, e.g. from the stationary power delivery system, or even from an onboard power delivery system, such as a generator of the diesel-electric drivetrain and / or an on-board batery of the vehicle 110. The power receive value may be indicative of the power received by the single vehicle, e.g. a vehicle 110 including the power delivery value sensor. Accordingly, the power delivery value of each vehicle may be determined irrespective of the number of vehicles within the road section 160. The vehicle 1 10 including the power delivery value sensor may be configured for communicating the power delivery value to a communication module of the monitoring system 134. In some embodiments, the power delivery value may be communicated together with, or be correlated wi th, position data provided by the vehicle.

[0051] According to embodiments, in embodiments utilizing a power delivery value sensor provided at the vehicle, a power delivery sensor provided in the substation, or even the stationary power delivery system and / or power delivery infrastructure may be optional.

[0052] In the embodiment shown in Fig. l , the power delivery system is a stationary power delivery system. According to embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the power deliver system may be a power delivery system of the vehicle 110, such as an on-board power delivery system. For example, and not limited thereto, the power delivery system may include an on-board batery, a diesel-electric generator and / or even a hydrogen-electric generator or fuel cell. Accordingly, a power delivery system may be any system suitable for providing power to an electric dri vetrain of the vehicle. Accenting to embodiments, a power delivery value sensor of a vehicle having an on-board power delivery system may he an onboard power delis ery value sensor.

[0053] According tet embodiments, the monitoring system 134 and / or the power delivery value sensor 132 may further comprise a network interface for connecting the device to a data network, in particular a global data network. The network interface may be a communication module. The data network may be a TCP / IP network such as Internet. The monitoring system 134 is operatively connected to the network interface for carrying out commands received from the data network. The power delivery value sensor 132 is operatively connected to the network interface to provide a sensed power delivery value to the monitoring system 134. The commands may include a control command for controlling the device to cany out a task such as starting or stopping the monitoring, and / or providing one or more road surface condition indicators. In this case, the device / controller is adapted for carrying out the task in response to die control command. The commands may include a status request. In response to the status request, or without prior status request, the device / controller may he adapted for sending a status information, and / or information including one or more road surface condition indicators, to the network interface, and the network interface is then adapted for sending the information over the network. The commands may include an update command including update data. In this case, the device is adapted for initiating an update in response to the update command and using the update data. The data network may be an Ethernet network using TCP / IP such as LAN, WAN or Internet. The data network may comprise distributed storage units such as Cloud. Depending on the application, the Cloud can be in form of public, private, hybrid or ownmunity Cloud.

[0054] Referring now to Fig. 2, a method 200 of determining a road surface condition is described. The method may be performed by a monitoring system, such as the road surface monitoring system 134 described with reference to Fig. 1, and / or the method may include operations as described with reference to the road surface monitoring system 134. Accordingly, the method may be performed in an industrial site, such as the industrial site 100 described with reference to Fig. 1 .

[0055] It: should be noted that, while the method 200 is described sequentially, some of the operations may be performed in parallel and / or repeatedly.

[0056] In operation 210, an electric power is provided to a vehicle while the vehicle travels on the road. The electric power may be provided by a stationary power delivery system and / or power delivery infrastructure. Likewise, the electric power may be provided by an on-board power source of the vehicle. Providing the electric power may include driving the vehicle to a position at which a connector of the vehicle electrically connects a drivetrain of the vehicle to the stationary power delivery system, and / or driving the vehicle while connected to the stationary power delivery system. The electric power may be utilized for propelling the vehicle along the road, e.g. by providing the electric power to a traction system of the vehicle.

[0057] In operation 220, a power delivery value is determined. Several power delivery values may be determined, e.g. as a series of power delivery values, such as a series of power delivery values being recorded over time. The power delivery value is indicative of a power provided to the vehicle along the road. In particular, the power delivery value may be indicative of the power utilized by the vehicle to propel the vehicle. Accordingly, the power delivery value may be influenced by factors affecting the operation of the vehicle, such as, but not limited to, internal parameters affecting the vehicle, such as operator and / or driver inputs, such as braking and accelerating, or driving at a constant speed. Furthermore, the power delivery value may be influenced by external parameters, such as weather, vehicle type, vehicle load, a dri ving schedule of the vehicle, or the like. According to embodiments, the power delivery value may be affected by a road surface condition. For example, the vehicle may be operated at reduced speed, perform additional braking, acceleration, and / or steering, and / or may experience increased rolling resistance when encountering poor road surface conditions.

[0058] According to embodiments, the power deli very value may be one of a plurality of power delivery values representing a power delivery curve.

[0059] The power delivery value may be determined by sensing the power delivery value with a power delivery value sensor, e.g. as described with reference to Fig. 1. Determining the power delivery value may include communicating the power delivery value to a road surface condition monitoring system.

[0060] In operation 230, the power delivery value is correlated with the position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value. Determining the position of the vehicle may be performed according to one or more of the methods described herein, and the methods may be combined. It should be noted that the determined position of the vehicle may be an approximate position. In particular, an approximation may have an accuracy of several meters or even several tens of meters, which may be sufficiently accurate for determining a road surface condition and / or identifying a road surface defect. Additionally, or alternatively, combining the methods for obtaining a vehicle position described herein may beneficially increase the accuracy.

[0061] According to embodiments, position data of the vehicle may be transmitted from the vehicle and / or a position determining system to a road surface condition monitoring system.

[0062] According to embodiments, correlating the power delivery value of the vehicle with a position of the vehicle may include deriving a position of the vehicle from a voltage change and / or an observed electrical resistance along the power delivery infrastructure. For example, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 . the resistance of the trolley line 136 may he essentially proportional to the distance of the vehicle to the substation 130, and a position of the vehicle may be derivable from the resistance observable by the vehicle and / or the substation 130.

[0063] Additionally, or alternatively, the position of the vehicle corresponding to the power delivery value, particularly the position of the vehicle at the point in time and / or the point along the road at which the power delivery value has been determined, may be derived from a series of power delivery values determined during a trip of the vehicle along the road. The series of power delivery values may be a power delivery curve. According to embodiments, a position of the vehicle, at least for a value or a subset of values of the series of power delivery values, may be derived by defining a start point of the road and / or a start point of a measurement, and correlating the start point with a value of the series of power delivery values. For example, in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle entering the road section 160 may connect to the trolley line 136 and receive a power. Accordingly, for the corresponding power delivery value, which may be detectable by the sudden increase in provided power, it may be concluded that the vehicle is at the defined start point.

[0064] According to embodiments, a position of the vehicle, at least for a value or a subset of values of the series of power delivery values, may be derived by defining an end point of the road and / or an end point of a measurement, and correlating the end point with a value of the series of power delivery values. For example, in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle exiting the road section 160 may disconnect to the trolley line 136 and stop receiving a power. Accordingly, for the corresponding power delivery value, which may be detectable by the sudden decrease in provided power, it may be concluded that the vehicle is at the defined end point.

[0065] According embodiments, a position of the vehicle, at least for a value or a subset of values of the series of power delivery values, may be derived by defining a feature point of the road and correlating the feature point of the road with a value of the series of power delivery values. For example, in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , a feature point may include a physical feature of the road, such as the start and / or end of an inclination or declination, a stop sign, a change in an allowable vehicle speed, a curve and / or corner causing the vehicle to slow down, or the like. A vehicle at the position of the feature point on the road section 160 may show an expected driving behavior and / or cause an expected signal in the series of power delivery values. Accordingly, for the corresponding power delivery value or subset of the series of power delivery values showing the expected signal, it may be concluded and / or deri ved from the power deliver value(s) that the vehicle is at the defined feature point.

[0066] An example of correlating defined start points, defined end points and defined feature points with a position of the value of the series of power delivery values is given with reference to Fig. 5. According to embodiments, by deri ving one or more positions from a series of power delivery values for some of the series of power delivery values, a position may further be correlated with sonic or all of the remaining power delivery values. For example, the position corresponding to the remaining power delivery values may be approximated, interpolated, or Otherwise derived. For example, the position may be approximated by comparing the scries of power delivery values with a nominal model, and utilizing e.g. shape matching algorithms and / or dynamic time warping.

[0067] In operation 240, a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value is identified. The expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position. Accordingly, the expected power value may be an expected power value at a position along the road, such as a position-correlated expected power value. The expected power value may be one of a plurality of expected power values representing and / or derived from an expected power curve. The expected value may be predetermined, or be generated based on predetermined data, such as a nominal model. Operation 240 may include comparing a position-correlated power delivery value and an expected value. Comparing may include calculating a difference, and / or analyzing the position- correlated power delivery value and the expected value according to other mathematical functions known in the art.

[0068] In operation 250, a road surface condition indicator is deri ved from the deviation between the position- correlated power delivery value and the expected power value. The road surface condition indicator is indicative of a road surface condition at the position. For example, a road surface condition indicator showing a large deviation from the expected power value may indicate a poor road surface condition, and a road surface condition indicator showing no or a small deviation may indicate a nominal and / or acceptable road surface condition.

[0069] According to embodiments, the method 200 may include normalizing the power delivery value according tit variable parameters affecting the vehicle. Variable parameters affecting the vehicle may include external and / or internal parameters, such as a general driving style of the driver, weather, vehicle type, vehicle load, a driving schedule of the vehicle, or the like. For example, power delivery values of a fully loaded vehicle may show a different, e.g. a higher, power consumption than an unloaded vehicle. Accordingly, parameters may be determined and / or provided and utilized for normalizing one or more power delivery values, e.g. of a series of power delivery values.

[0070] According to embodiments, a power draw correction factor may be determined, based on the parameters, and the power delivery value and / or one or more power delivery values of a series of power delivery values may be normalized based on the power draw correction factor.

[0071] According to embodiments, normalizing the power delivery value may include identifying a deviation of a plurality of position-correlated power delivery values from an expected power value, and determining a correction factor from the deviation. In some embodiments, e.g. based on the assumption that a road surface defect may be a localized event, an average deviation of the plurality of position- correlated power delivery values may be based on variable parameters affecting the vehicle. Accordingly, by correcting the power delivery value according to a correction factor derived from the average deviation, a road surface defect may be identifiable by having a higher deviation from the expected power value than the average deviation. According to embodiments, the plurality of position-correlated power values may be analyzed with respect to a nominal model, and, additionally or alternatively to determining an average deviation, may be analyzed and / or processed according to known methods, such as Z-transforrnation, determining a standard deviation and / or offset, Z-scoring, T-scoring and / or other known methods.

[0072] According to embodiments, the expected power value is generated from historical data generated from one or more vehicles traveling on the road. The vehicles generating the historical data may be the same vehicle, or different vehicles. The historical data may be generated similarly or essentially identically as described for operation 210 through operation 230. Furthermore, power delivery values obtained when performing the method 200 may be utilized for generating and / or refining historical data. Additionally, or alternatively, historical data may be generated by dedicated vehicles, such as vehicles including additional sensors, such as vehicle-mounted power delivery value and / or position sensors. Additionally, or alternatively, the historical data may be curated and / or verified, e.g. be selected from data received from a road known to not include road surface defects.

[0073] According to embodiments, the method 200 may include generating a nominal model. The nominal model may he indicative, include and / or allow deriving from the model the expected power value at one or more positions on the road. For example, the model may he represented as an expected power curve, or be configured for generating a nominal power curve based on the model. According to embodiments, the model may be generated from historical data, e.g. as described herein with respect to generating an expected power value from historical data.

[0074] According to embodiments, generating a nominal model may include recording a plurality of timeseries of power deliver values of vehicles traveling on the road. Generating the model may further include normalizing the timeseries with respect to standard deviation and offset, e.g. to correct parameters affecting the vehicle, such as vehicle load. Generating the model may include averaging a selected number of timeseries. The nominal model may indicate the expected power values of a vehicle traveling along the road traveling under nominal conditions.

[0075] According to embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the nominal model may include, be implemented as, or be derived from modeling a vehicle traveling along the path. One or more expected power values, or even a power delivery curve, may be generated and / or derived from modeling, e.g, physically modeling and / or simulating, a movement of the vehicle on the toad. Generating the nominal model may include defining road parameters, such as a road layout. Generating the one or more expected power values may include defining one or more variable parameters affecting the vehicle. Accordingly, based on the parameters, the power delivery value may be normalized with respect to the expected power value according to these parameters.

[0076] Referring now to Fig. 3, a method 300 of generating a nominal model 340 and identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value according to embodiments is shown. Several of the operations described with reference to the method 200 are performed in the same or similar fashion for the method 300. While the method 300 is described sequential! y, some of the operations may be performed in parallel and / or repeatedly. In the method 300, several operations are performed both for generating the nominal model 30 and for identifying a deviation. It should be noted that the respective operations of method 300, i.e. the generating of the model and the identifying a deviation, may also be performed independently.

[0077] In operation 310, an electric power is provided to a vehicle while the vehicle travels on the road. Operation 310 may be performed e.g. in the same or similar manner as described for operation 210 with reference to the method 200 shown in Fig. 2. Furthermore, in operation 310, a plurality of power delivery values is recorded. The plurality of power delivery values may be a series of power delivery values, such as a time series. The plurality of power delivery values may be represented as a series of discrete values and / or a power delivery curve.

[0078] In operation 320. the power delivery curve, and / or power delivery values of the plurality of power delivery values, are correlated with a position of the vehicle. Correlating, particularly positioncorrelating, may be performed as described with reference to operation 230 of method 200. Additionally, or alternatively, particularly if a nominal model 30 has been previously been generated, correlating may include fitting the power delivery curve to an expected power curve. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the expected power curve is generated from the nominal model 340. The power delivery curve may be influenced by variable parameters, such as vehicle load. Fitting parameters may be selected according to a fitting criterion dependent on the power delivery curve. The power delivery curve may be fitted to the expected power curve derived from the nominal model. In particular, fitting may include varying a time-dependent metric of the expected power curve or the power delivery curve to achieve a best fit in the time domain .

[0079] According to embodiments, partial fitting may be performed, i.e. a power delivery curve corresponding to a partial trip of the vehicle along the road may be fitted to the expected power curve and / or a portion of the expected power curve.

[0080] According to embodiments, fiting may include performing curve fitting according to methods known in the art. Additionally, or alternatively, fitting may include methods such as dynamic time warping, e.g. as described with reference to Fig. 5. Fiting the power delivery curve to an expected power curve may result in a position-correlated power delivery curve such as the curve 515 shown in Fig, 5.

[0081] In operation 322 the power delivery curve is normalized. Normalizing may he performed as described with reference to method 200. Additionally, or alternatively, particularly if a nominal model 340 has been previously been generated, correlating may include transforming values of the position-correlated power delivery curve, e.g. according to a deviation from the expected power curve. Rirthermore, correlating may include utilizing techniques known in the field of process monitoring, such as, but not limited to, principal component analysis. Normalizing the position-correlated power delivery curve based on an expected power curve may result in a normalized power delivery curve 516 as shown in Fig, 5. Furthermore, additionally or alternatively, normalizing may he performed based on additional parameters, such as variable parameters affecting the vehicle.

[0082] In operation 324, the normalized power deliver curve and / or the position-correlated power deli ver curve may be utilized for generating and / or refining a nominal model 340. A nominal model 340 may be initially generated by storing one or more normalized and / or position-correlated power delivery curves, e.g. in a memory of a road surface condition monitoring system. In cases where a nominal model is already present, the power delivery curve may be included into the nominal model 340, e.g. by averaging a plurality of normalized and / or position-correlated power delivery curve to generate a nominal expected power curve, and / or by modifying a nominal expected power curve according to a (weighted) average derived from the normalized and / or position-correlated power delivery curve. Operation 324 may include a selecting step. e.g. to exclude normalized and / or position-correlated power delivery curves showing a strong deviation from the expected power curve. Furthermore, operation 324 may be performed only initially for a road, e.g. for a limited time when implementing the method 300, e.g. to allow the detection of large-area deterioration of the road surface, which may be unobservable in some implementations in case the model is periodically refined.

[0083] In operations 330 and 332. a deviation between the normalized power delivery curve and the expected power curve is identified. According to embodiments, identifying the deviation includes fitting the power delivery curve to the expected power curve. In the exemplary method 300, the fitting is performed in operation 330. In particular, the normalized power delivery curve is fitted to the expected power curve. Additionally, or alternatively, fitting may be performed as described for operation 320 and / or 322, e.g. based on the power delivery curve and / or the position-correlated power delivery curve. Operation 330may include dynamic time warping, interpolation, principal component analysis, or other known methods in the art. The fitting of operation 330 may include modifying one or more fitting parameters, such as a road surface condition parameter, that accounts for a deviation between one or more values of the power delivery curve and the nominal model and / or an expected power curve derived from the model. The fitting of operation 330 may result in one or more fitting parameters, including a road surface condition parameter.

[0084] In operation 332, a road surface condition indicator is derived from a fitting parameter. Additionally, or alternatively, a road surface condition indicator may be derived from a deviation of the fitted power delivery curve from the expected power curve. For example, after the fiting of operation 330, the power delivery curve may be essentially identical to the expected power curve, and show only localized deviations. The localized deviations may indicate a road surface defect. A road surface defect indicator may be derived from the localized deviation.

[0085] For example, after the fiting of operation 330, the power deli very curve may be essentially identical to the expected power curve. During fitting, fitting parameters may have modified to account for localized deviations from the expected power curve. Accordingly, a value of one or more fitting parameters may be indicative of the localized deviation. A road surface defect indicator may be derived from the fiting parameter, e.g. by identifying the use of an uncommon fitting parameter, and / or by identifying fitting parameters exceeding predefined thresholds.

[0086] Referring now to Fig. 4, an example of the effect of a poor road surface condition on a power delivery curve is shown. The example is simplified and should not be considered as limiting. In the example, reference will be made to Fig. 1, however, the demonstrated effect may be observable in a similar or even identical manner for other embodiments. Likewise, the demonstrated effect may differ in some aspects in some embodiments.

[0087] Graphs 410 and 420 show a time resolved power delivery curve, indicating a power delivery value P at the time t. The graphs are recorded for a vehicle 110 travelling in the road section 160.

[0088] Graph 410 shows a graph in which no road surface defects are present. The vehicle 110 enters the road section 160 at a constant speed, and continues to drive at the constant speed until it exits the road section 160. Since the road section 160 is flat and even, the power provided to the vehicle 110 is constant, and graph 410 shows a flat line. In some embodiments, graph 410 may be a nominal power delivery curve. Likewise, a nominal model may be derived from graph 410. For example, the nominal model may indicate that for portion 162, a constant power delivery value is expected.

[0089] Graph 420 shows a graph in which a road surface defect 150 is present in the defect portion 164. As for graph 410, the vehicle 1 10 enters the road section 160 at a constant speed and continues to travel at the constant speed throughout portion 162. In the graph 420. the power values recorded in portion 162 are shown in stage 462.

[0090] When entering the defect portion 164, corresponding in the graph 420 to stage 464, a driver of the vehicle 110 notices the poor road condition and decelerates the vehicle 110, causing the power delivery values to show a strong decrease in power provided to the vehicle 110 while braking. After decelerating, the vehicle 110 continues to drive at reduced speed throughout the defect portion 164, causing the power delivery values to show a slight decrease in power provided to the vehicle 110 while traveling at reduced speed. After exiting the defect portion 164, the vehicle 110 enters portion 166 having nominal road surface conditions. In the graph 420, the portion 166 corresponds to the stage 466. The dri ver notices the nominal conditions and accelerates the vehicle 110 at the beginning of stage 466, causing the power delivery value to show a temporary increase in power provided to the vehicle 110 while accelerating. After reaching the desired speed, the vehicle proceeds to travel in portion 166 in the expected manner, causing the power deli very values of the remainder of stage 466 to show a nominal power being provided to the vehicle 110.

[0091] Based on the difference between the graphs 410 and 420, a non-nominal driving behavior of vehicle 110 and / or a potential road surface defect may be detected for section 464 corresponding to the defect portion 164. The time-resolved graphs may be position correlated, e.g. based on a known length of the road section 160 and the start and end points of the graph 410. Accordingly, a road surface condition indicator indicating the road surface defect 150 may derived,

[0092] It should be noted that the scenario described with reference to Pig. 4 is exemplary. In further examples, a road surface defect may cause the driver to proceed driving at the same speed, and instead be prompted by a road surface defect to steer the vehicle, e.g. when the road surface defect is a traversable obstruction.

[0093] I .ikewi.se. additional power may be required due to additional rolling resistance and / or suspension action, e,g. while driving on rough surfaces. Likewise, a pantograph-style connector may briefly disconnect from a trolley line, e.g, while traveling on rough surfaces or leaving the area of the road surface allowing the connector to contact the trolley line. Accordingly, the resulting graph may, in addition or alternatively to the described braking and accelerating behavior shown in graph 420. show' e.g. additional power being provided to the vehicle, and / or the power being provided to the vehicle at an unsteady rate.

[0094] Referring now to Fig, 5, fitting a power delivery curve to an expected power curve according to embodiments is described. The fitting may be performed, e.g. according to operations of the method 300 described with reference to Fig. 3.

[0095] Graphs 510, 520 and 530 show a time resolved expected power curve 512, indicating an expected power value P at the time t, shown as a continuous line. The expected power curve may be position-correlated, i.e. a position along a road corresponding to a power value at the time t may be known.

[0096] The expected power curve 512 may be generated from historical data recorded from one or more vehicles traveling the road under nominal conditions, i.e. having no road surface defects. The expected power curve 512 may be a nominal model, or be derived from a nominal model. The expected power curve 512 may be derived from modeling and / or simulating a vehicle in a modeling engine. In the example shown in Fig. 5, a road has three sections as indicated by three essentially constant power delivery values in the respective section. In the first section, road is flat, in the second section, the road has an inclination causing the power provided to the vehicle to increase with respect to the flat section, and in the third section, the road has a declination causing the power provided to the vehicle to decrease with respect to the flat section. A transition from the first section to the second section and / or from the second section to the third section may be expected signals generated by feature points.

[0097] As shown in graph 510, a power delivery curve 514 is plotted as a dashed line. The power delivery curve 514 was generated by driving a vehicle on the road corresponding to the expected power curve 512. The power delivery curve 514 has three sections corresponding to the three sections described with reference to the expected power curve 512. It should be noted that the power delivery curve 514 is shorter in time than the expected power curve, and indicates a higher power delivered to the vehicle. This may be caused by the vehicle travelling at a higher speed along the road. Furthermore, a signal 518 showing a localized anomaly is present.

[0098] Graph 520 shows the result of processing the power delivery curve 514 by dynamic time warping using the expected power curve 512 as a reference. Dynamic time warping may include identifying and / or defining a start point, an end point and / or one or more feature points based on the power delivery curve, aligning the points with the expected power curve 512, and warping a section of the power delivery curve according to the aligned points. The resulting power delivery curve 515 may be a position- correlated power delivery curve.

[0099] Graph 530 shows the result of processing the power delivery curve 514 by normalizing the position- correlated power delivery curve 515 using the expected power curve 512 as a reference. In the example, the power delivery curve 515 may be normalized by identifying an offset, such as an average offset along the power delivery value axis P, between the power delivery curve 515 and / or sections of the power delivery curve 515, and the expected power curve 512. By correcting the offset, the normalized power delivery curve 516 is obtained. The normalized power delivery curve 516 is essentially congruent with the expected power curve 512, except for the signal 518.

[0100] By comparing power delivery values of the power delivery curve 516 with values of the expected power curve 512, a deviation may be identified. For example, a deviation may be identified in the region corresponding to the signal 518. Accordingly, a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position of the signal 518 may indicate a road surface defect causing a higher than expected power consumption.

[0101] While in the example of Fig. 5, fitting was described as a two-step process including a position correlation and a normalization, further and / or other signal processing methods may be utilized. Examples for suitable signal processing and / or process monitoring techniques include, but are not limited to, principal component analysis and / or other types of factor analysis.

[0102] According to embodiments, further signal analysis may be performed. e.g. after identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value, based on the shape of a signal such as the signal 518 shown in Fig, 5. In particular, different types of road surface defects may cause different deviations of the delivered power from the expected power, and / or cause different shapes of the signal. Accordingly, road surface defects may be classified based on the shape of the signal. For example, a pot-hole may cause a vehicle to break and / or drive around the pot-hole, resulting e.g. in a signal shape as shown in Fig. 4, while a rough patch of road may cause a localized increase in rolling resistance and / or power provided to the vehicle, resulting in a signal shape such as signal 518 as shown in Fig. 5. Accordingly, based on the classification of the road surface defect, a defect type indicator may be generated and / or included in the road surface condition indicator, Based on the defect type indicator, a suitable response and / or repair strategy may be decided.

[0103] While some embodiments have been described in the context of delecting localized road surface defects, the present disclosure may likewise be suitable for determining a road surface condition of large sections of the road, or even the whole road. For example, a road may deteriorate gradually, which may impact a vehicle performance along a significant length of the road. For example, a deteriorated road may increase the overall power provided to the vehicle along the trip. Such an increase in overall power required to the vehicle may be detectable by identifying an offset of one or more power delivery valuesfrom one or more expected power values. To detect the offset, according to embodiments, a normalization operation of a position-correlated power delivery value or power delivery curve may be utilized. The normalization operation may include normalizing the position-correlated power delivery value and / or curse based on known, approximated, estimated and / or determined parameters affecting the vehicle. For example, an expected power value may be derived from a nominal model taking into account paiameters affecting the vehicle. For example, it may be biown that a vehicle for which one or more power delivery values are determined is a vehicle of a known type having a known load and travelling under known conditions, such as known weather conditions, e.g, by communicating the data to a monitoring system performing the method. The normalization operation may include correcting the expected power value and / or the (position-correlated) power delivery value according to the vehicle type, vehicle load, and vehicle conditions before identifying the deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from the expected power value.

[0104] According to embodiments, a road surface monitoring system, such as the road surface condition monitoring system 134 shown in Fig, 1, may be a computer. The computer may include a processop such as a CPU, a microprocessor, a System-On- A-Chip device, or the like. The road surface condition monitoring system may include a memory. The memory may have stored therein a computer program including instructions which, when the program is executed by the computer, cause the computer to carry out a method according to one or more embodiments described herein, such as the method 200 described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0105] The memory may further include data including one or more expected power values, expected power curves, modeling engines and / or nominal models suitable for deriving expected power values and / or expected power curves thereftom. The processor may be communicatively connected to one or more communication modules configured for receiving data including one or more values, such as power delivery values, position data, and / or variable parameters affecting the vehicle.

[0106] The monitoring system may be configured for communicating and / or displaying an output based on one or more road surface condition indictors. The monitoring system may be implementable in pre-existing computer systems, e.g, by installing a computer program product according to embodiments onto an industrial process monitoring system.

[0107] The systems and methods described herein beneficially allow the monitoring of a road surface condition based on readily available data In some embodiments, a sensor of a power substation is used, which often is already present in existing systems. Likewise, additional data, e.g. data derived from a vehicle which may be readily available may be utilized. Both the generation of a nominal model »d the monitoring may be performed semi-automated or even fully automated. Beneficially, the described solution allows the identification of road surface defects with high accuracy and minimal efforts for the monitoring personnel.

[0108] While the foregoing is directed to some embodiments, other and farther embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope, and the scope is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

Claims:1 . Method of determining a road surface condition, comprising: providing an electric power to a vehicle while the vehicle travels on the road; determining at least one power delivery value, the power delivery value being indicative of a power provided to the vehicle along the road; correlating the power delivery value with a position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value; identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value, wherein the expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position: and deriving, from the deviation between the position-correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the power is provided by a stationary power delivery system.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the expected power value is generated from historical data generated from one or more vehicles traveling on the road,4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: generating a nominal model of the expected power value at one or more positions on the road, and deriving the expected power value from the model.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein correlating the power delivery value with a position of the vehicle comprises deriving the position from a series of power delivery values determined during a trip of the vehicle along the road.

6. The method according to claim 5, comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of:- defining a start point of the road and correlating the start point of the road with a value of the series of power delivery values;- defining an end point of the road and correlating the end point of the road with a value of the series of power delivery values;- defining a feature point on the road suitable for generating an expected signal, and correlating the expected signal with a value of the series of power delivery values.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: normalizing the power delivery value according to variable parameters affecting the vehicle.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein correlating the power delivery value of the vehicle with a position of the vehicle comprises deriving a position of the vehicle from a voltage change and / or an observed electrical resistance along a power delivery infrastructure.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power del ivery value is derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of:- a power feed value representing the power fed into the power delivery infrastructure;- a power receive value representing the power received by the vehicle.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power delivery value is one of a plurality of power delivery values representing a power delivery curve, and the expected power value is one of a plurality of expected power values representing an expected power curve.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein correlating comprises fiting the power delivery curve to the expected power curve.

12. The method according to any one of claims 10 or 11, wherein identifying the deviation includes fitting the power delivery curve to the expected power curve.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the road surface condition indicator is derived from a fitting parameter and / or a deviation of the fitted power delivery curve from the expected power curve,14. A road surface condition monitoring system for monitoring an industrial site, the industrial site cornprising: a road; a vehicle; a power deli very system for providing an electric power to the vehicle while the vehicle travels on the road; a power delivery value sensor for sensing a power delivery value indicative of the power provided to the vehicle along the road; the monitoring system comprising a communication module configured for receiving the power delivery value from the power delivery value sensor, and being configured for: correlating the power delivery value with aposition of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value; identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value, wherein the expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position; and deriving, from the deviation between the position-correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, a road surface condition indicator indicative of the road surface condition at the position.

15. The monitoring system according to claim 14, wherein the power delivery system includes a stationary power delivery infrastructure.

16. The monitoring system according to claim 14 or 15 configured for: receiving a plurality of power delivery values representing a plurality of trips of one or more vehicles; from the plurality of power delivery values, generating a nominal model of the expected power value at one or more positions on the road, and deriving the expected povvei value from the model.

17. The monitoring system according to any one of the claims 14 to 16. wherein the monitoring system is configured for providing an output, wherein the output is derived from the road surface condition indicator and indicative of a road surface deterioration.

18. The monitoring system according to any one of the claims 15 to 17, wherein the stationary power delivery system comprises a trolley line.

19. The monitoring system according to any one of the claims 15 to 18, wherein the powet delivery value sensor is comprised in a substation, the substation prov iding power to the power delivery infrastructure.

20. The monitoring system according to any one of the claims 14 to 19, wherein the vehicle comprises the power delivery value sensor.21 , The industrial site comprising the road, the vehicle, the power delivery value sensor and the monitoring system according to any one of the claims 14 to 2(1.

22. The industrial site according to claim 21, wherein the road is connected to a mine, and wherein the vehicle is a mining truck.

23. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a method comprising: receiving a power delivery value of a sensor, wherein the power delivery value is indicative of an electrical power provided to the vehicle by a stationary power delivery system while the vehicle travels on the road, the electric power being utilized for propelling the vehicle; determining at least one power delivery value, the power delivery value being indicative of the power provided to the vehicle at a point along the road; correlating the power delivery value with a position of the vehicle to obtain a position-correlated power delivery value; identifying a deviation of the position-correlated power delivery value from an expected power value, wherein the expected power value is indicative of an expected power provided to the vehicle at the position; and deriving, from the deviation between the position-correlated power delivery value and the expected power value, a road surface condition indicator indicati ve of the road surface condi tion at the position.

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