Production Circuit Dispatching for Autonomous Worksite Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispatching systems for machines at worksites are limited in their ability to assign machines to perform sequences of operations without real-time management, leading to inefficiencies and non-productive time.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that identifies production circuits assigned to machines, determines if the machine satisfies entry criteria for activities within those circuits using sensor data, and causes the machine to perform the activities based on those determinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If real-time management systems are used to dispatch machines, then operational efficiency is improved, but system complexity and dependency on data connectivity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dispatching system is segmented into autonomous machine-level decision-making components and circuit-level coordination components. Each machine contains local logic to evaluate entry criteria and determine activity performance independently, while the overall production circuit provides the framework. This segmentation reduces central system complexity and eliminates dependency on continuous real-time data connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Production circuits are pre-defined with complete sequences of activities and associated entry criteria before operation begins. Machines receive and store these circuit definitions in advance, enabling them to autonomously determine when to perform activities by evaluating current state against pre-stored criteria, without requiring real-time management intervention.
2Loss of time
If real-time management of machines is implemented, then non-productive time is reduced, but loss of information and data connectivity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Machines are equipped with autonomous capability to monitor their own state through sensors, evaluate entry criteria against their current condition, and determine activity performance independently. This self-service approach eliminates dependency on continuous real-time data connectivity to central management systems while minimizing non-productive time through immediate local decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
Production circuits serve as intermediary structures that encode sequences of activities and entry criteria. These circuits act as mediators between central management and individual machines, allowing pre-planned coordination without requiring continuous real-time communication. The circuit definitions are transmitted in advance and stored locally, enabling autonomous operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If autonomous machine decision-making is enabled, then real-time management dependency is reduced, but measurement precision of machine state requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Entry criteria are defined in terms of specific machine state parameters (position, load status, operational mode) that can be directly measured by sensors. The system transforms abstract dispatching decisions into concrete parameter-based evaluations, enabling autonomous machines to accurately determine when to perform activities by comparing current parameter values against pre-defined thresholds and conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine at a worksite may be assigned to one or more production circuits that each include a sequence of activities. Each activity in a production circuit may associated with corresponding entry criteria indicating conditions that, if satisfied by the machine, permit the machine to initiate performance of that activity. The machine may perform activities of a production circuit if the machine satisfies the corresponding entry criteria. If the machine does not satisfy entry criteria of an activity in an assigned production circuit, the machine may switch to performing activities of a different production circuit, such as a lower-priority production circuit that has also been assigned to the machine, that includes an activity with entry criteria that the machine does satisfy.