# US 10,872,302 B2 · Automatically determining construction worksite operational zones based on received construction equipment telemetry data

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,872,302 B2
- Document ID: US10872302B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/219,258
- Filed: 2018-12-13
- Published: 2020-06-18
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-13
- Assignees: Caterpillar Inc.
- Applicants: Caterpillar Inc.
- Inventors: Vishnu Gaurav Selvaraj; Chad Timothy Brickner; Gautham Subramanian; Harshavardhan Veluru; Siddharth Kamal; Chandra Mouli Ravindran; Keerthivasan Amuthanathan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872302B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/0639: Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
- E02F 9/2054: {Fleet management}
- G06Q 50/08: Construction
- G07C 5/0808: {Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005)}
- G07C 5/0841: {Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B)}
- H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
- H04L 67/125: involving control of end-device applications over a network
- G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- E02F: DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING (winning peat E21C49/00)
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A control system for a machine operating on a worksite includes a telemetry module associated with the machine. The telemetry module generates signals indicative of operational data of the machine. A controller communicably coupled to the telemetry module receives the signals indicative of the operational data from the telemetry module. The controller processes the received signals to create a data model. The controller identifies multiple operational zones over the worksite based at least on an analysis of the created data model. The controller determines occurrence of work cycles of the machine over the worksite based at least on the identified operational zones. The controller determines productivity data of the worksite based at least on the identified work cycles. The controller controls the machine based on the determined productivity data.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A control system for a machine operating on a worksite, the control system comprising:
a telemetry module associated with the machine, the telemetry module configured to generate signals indicative of operational data of the machine as the machine moves within the worksite; and
a controller communicably coupled to the telemetry module, the controller configured to:
receive the signals indicative of the operational data from the telemetry module corresponding to the movement of the machine within the worksite;
process the received signals to create a data model corresponding to the movement of the machine within the worksite;
identify plurality of operational zones over the worksite based at least on an analysis of the created data model corresponding to the movement of the machine within the worksite, the plurality of operational zones including one or more of a parking zone, a loading zone, and a dumping zone;
determine occurrence of work cycles of the machine over the worksite and a corresponding work cycle confidence level based at least on the identified operational zones and movement of the machine to and from the plurality of operational zones, the work cycles comprising a plurality of segments including at least a loading-related segment, a traveling-related segment, and a dumping-related segment;
determine productivity data of the worksite based at least on the identified work cycles, the productivity data including one or more of work cycle ID, work cycle start and stop times, work cycle segment, fuel consumption, distance travelled, and work cycle duration; and
control the machine based on the determined productivity data.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The control system of claim 1, wherein processing the received signals to create the data model comprises:
standardization of the received operational data; and
simulating the standardized operational data to generate simulated operational data corresponding to time periods for which operational data is not collected by the telemetry module; and
creating the data model based on the standardized operational data and the simulated operational data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The control system of claim 1, wherein the operational data comprises one or more of a machine speed, machine location timestamp, machine GPS data, machine fuel consumption, and engine start and stop occurrences coupled with GPS data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The control system of claim 1, wherein the parking zone is identified based at least on engine start and stop occurrences and GPS data.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The control system of claim 1, wherein the loading zone is identified based at least on a duration of time spent by the machine at a particular location on the worksite.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The control system of claim 1, wherein the dumping zone is identified based at least on a duration of time spent by the machine at a particular location, and a distance of the location from the loading zone.

### Claim 7

A worksite management system comprising:
a plurality of machines operating on a worksite, wherein each machine from the plurality of machines has an associated telemetry module such that the telemetry module is configured to generate signals indicative of operational data of the corresponding machine from the plurality of machines as the machines move within the worksite;
a controller communicably coupled with the plurality of machines, the controller configured to:
receive the signals indicative of the operational data of the plurality of machines from the corresponding telemetry modules corresponding to the movement of the machines within the worksite;
process the received signals to create a data model corresponding to the movement of the machines within the worksite;
identify plurality of operational zones over the worksite based at least on an analysis of the created data model corresponding to the movement of the machines within the worksite, the plurality of operational zones including one or more of a parking zone, a loading zone, and a dumping zone;
determine occurrence of work cycles of each machine from the plurality of machines over the worksite and a corresponding work cycle confidence level based at least on the identified operational zones and movement of each said machine to and from the plurality of operational zones, the work cycles comprising a plurality of segments including at least a loading-related segment, a traveling-related segment, and a dumping-related segment;
determine productivity data of the worksite based at least on the identified work cycles of each machine from the plurality of machines, the productivity data including one or more of work cycle ID, work cycle start and stop times, work cycle segment, fuel consumption, distance travelled, and work cycle duration; and
manage the worksite by controlling the plurality of machines based on the determined productivity data.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The worksite management system of claim 7, wherein processing the received signals to create the data model comprises:
standardization of the received operational data;
simulating the standardized operational data to generate simulated operational data corresponding to time periods for which operational data is not collected by the telemetry module; and
creating the data model based on the standardized operational data and the simulated operational data.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The worksite management system of claim 7, wherein the operational data comprises one or more of a machine speed, machine location timestamp, machine GPS data, machine fuel consumption, and engine start and stop occurrences coupled with GPS data.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The worksite management system of claim 7, wherein the parking zone is identified based at least on engine start and stop occurrences and GPS data of at least one machine from the plurality of machines.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The worksite management system of claim 7, wherein the loading zone is identified based at least on duration of time spent by at least one machine from the plurality of machines at a particular location on the worksite.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The worksite management system of claim 7, wherein the dumping zone is identified based at least on a duration of time spent by at least one machine from the plurality of machines at a particular location, and a distance of the location from the loading zone.

### Claim 13

A control system comprising:
a first machine operating at a worksite, the first machine having a first telemetry module configured to generate signals indicative of operational data of the first machine as the first machine moves within the worksite;
at least one second machine operating at the worksite, the at least one second machine having a second telemetry module configured to generate signals indicative of operational data of the at least one second machine as the second machine moves within the worksite;
a controller associated with the first machine, and communicably coupled with the at least one second machine, the controller configured to:
receive the signals indicative of the operational data from the first telemetry module corresponding to the movement of the first machine within the worksite;
process the received signals to create a data model corresponding to the movement of the first machine within the worksite;
receive the signals indicative of the operational data from the second telemetry module corresponding to the movement of the second machine within the worksite;
process the received signals to revise the created data model;
identify plurality of operational zones over the worksite based at least on an analysis of the revised data model corresponding to the movement of the first and second machines within the worksite, the plurality of operational zones including one or more of a parking zone, a loading zone, and a dumping zone;
determine occurrence of work cycles of the first machine and a corresponding work cycle confidence level based at least on the identified operational zones and movement of at least the first machine to and from the plurality of operational zones, the work cycles comprising a plurality of segments including at least a loading-related segment, a traveling-related segment, and a dumping-related segment;
determine productivity data of the worksite based at least on the identified work cycles of the first machine, the productivity data including one or more of work cycle ID, work cycle start and stop times, work cycle segment, fuel consumption, distance travelled, and work cycle duration; and
control the first machine based on the determined productivity data.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The control system of claim 13, wherein the operational data comprises one or more of a machine speed, machine location timestamp, machine GPS data, machine fuel consumption, and engine start and stop occurrences coupled with GPS data.