Multi-Machine Scripting Control for Autonomous Site Coordination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current automation in mining and construction sites is limited, with a lack of autonomous coordination between diverse machinery from different vendors, leading to inefficiencies and safety risks due to reliance on human intervention for machine coordination.
Innovation Solution
A self-discovery mechanism and scripting language that allows for the coordination of multiple machines from different vendors by providing behavior and sensor blocks, enabling cooperative behavior and optimization across various types of machinery through a multithreaded scripting language and optimization tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple machines from different vendors are coordinated using human intervention, then each machine can perform its specialized function, but coordination efficiency is reduced and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized coordination system that acts as an intermediary between multiple machines from different vendors. This system uses a standardized protocol with common behavior blocks and sensor blocks to enable autonomous coordination without human intervention, thereby improving coordination efficiency and reducing safety risks associated with human-operated machinery interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal coordination protocol that can interface with machines from different vendors through standardized behavior and sensor blocks. This allows a single coordination system to manage diverse machinery types (excavators, trucks, loaders, etc.) from multiple manufacturers, enabling multi-vendor machine coordination while maintaining safety and efficiency.
2Extent of automation
If automation is implemented for single machines, then operational efficiency improves, but coordination between multiple machines remains dependent on human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual machine automation capabilities with a centralized coordination system. Each machine maintains its autonomous operation through behavior blocks, while the coordination system combines these individual automations into a cohesive multi-machine workflow, enabling both single-machine automation and multi-machine coordination to function together.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where machines report sensor data to the coordination system, which then adjusts behavior blocks to optimize multi-machine operations. This feedback loop enables the system to coordinate automated machines dynamically, improving overall productivity while maintaining the extent of automation at the individual machine level.
3Productivity
If specialized machinery from multiple vendors is used, then task-specific efficiency is maximized, but coordination between machines becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of machine interaction by standardizing communication through defined behavior blocks and sensor blocks. This standardization allows specialized machinery from multiple vendors to coordinate efficiently without increasing system complexity, as the protocol abstracts the underlying machine-specific complexities into uniform interfaces.
4Adaptability or versatility
If human intervention is used for machine coordination, then flexibility in handling diverse machinery is maintained, but automation level and safety are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic coordination system that can adapt to different machine types and configurations through programmable behavior blocks. The system maintains flexibility by allowing customization of coordination logic while operating autonomously, achieving both adaptability and high-level automation without requiring human intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
Mines and construction sites are pnme applications for automation. The invention is composed of a protocol that allows multiple machines to be coordinated from a single application. The invention provides what in classical control is called a coordination layer between the machines (4D-RCS). This coordination layer is currently provided by humans as machines only interact with each other in the physical world, but there is no infrastructure to have them coordinated from an autonomous control standpoint. The system described in the present invention is a coordinating mining or construction machinery that is comprised of two or more mining (or construction) equipment with sensors and actuators, a database of stored behavior and sensing capabilities for each machine, a scripting editor that can concatenate sensing and behavior blocks, a controller (centralized or at each machine) that can interpret the scripts and command the machines according to the script, and a communication infrastructure that allows the machines to communicate.