Material Transfer Route Control for Slope-Based Machine Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Operators face challenges in determining when terrain changes will lead to material spill or contact between work machines during in-tandem material transfer operations, making it difficult to adjust operations accordingly and maintain efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A system that identifies material transfer machine and receiving machine routes, calculates slope differentials, and adjusts machine operations or provides information to operators to prevent material spill and contact by aligning the machines effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If in-tandem material transfer operations are conducted without terrain analysis, then operational speed is maintained, but material spill and machine contact occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial transfer reliabilityVSAvoidoperational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary terrain analysis using slope sensors and GPS data before material transfer operations begin. The control system pre-identifies slope differentials and potential spill zones, allowing operators to plan transfer points in advance rather than reacting to terrain changes during operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors terrain conditions using slope sensors and compares actual slope differentials against threshold values. This feedback loop enables real-time detection of hazardous terrain changes and triggers alerts or automatic adjustments to transfer operations, ensuring reliable material transfer even on varying terrain.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Loss of substance

If material transfer operations proceed without slope differential analysis, then operational continuity is maintained, but material spillage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial spillageVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces complex manual terrain assessment and adjustment procedures with automated electronic sensors and control algorithms. Slope sensors, GPS receivers, and processors automatically calculate slope differentials and determine optimal transfer parameters, eliminating the need for complex manual measurements and calculations by operators.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The control system automatically adjusts material transfer parameters based on real-time terrain data without requiring external intervention. The system self-monitors slope conditions, self-calculates optimal transfer points, and self-adjusts operational parameters, reducing the burden on operators while minimizing material spillage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Manufacturing precision

If real-time slope monitoring is implemented, then material transfer precision is improved, but information processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial transfer precisionVSAvoiddata processing load

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the critical terrain parameters needed for material transfer operations, specifically slope differential values and their rates of change. Rather than processing all available terrain data, the system focuses on the specific slope information that directly impacts material transfer precision, reducing data processing requirements while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms raw sensor data into meaningful operational parameters by calculating slope differentials and comparing them against predetermined threshold values. This parameter transformation converts complex continuous terrain data into discrete actionable information that directly controls material transfer operations, simplifying the information processing burden.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12550805B2Methods and systems to determine material transfer locations

Publication Date: 2026.02.17 DEERE & CO

AI summary

A material transfer operation system includes one or more processors and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to identify a material transfer machine material transfer route indicative of a route along which a material transfer machine is to conduct a material transfer operation; identify a material receiving machine material transfer route indicative of a route along which the material receiving machine is to conduct the material transfer operation; identify a material transfer machine slope value; identify a material receiving machine slope value; generate an adjustment based on the identified material transfer machine slope value and the material receiving machine slope value; and control one or more of the material transfer machine and the material receiving machine based on the adjustment.