A method for controlling a material processing device and a load-carrying vehicle

Method for controlling a system comprising a material processing device and at least one load-carrying vehicle configured to transport a load of unprocessed material to the material processing device and dump the unprocessed material directly or indirectly into the material processing device,

• the method comprising:
• determining a total amount of unprocessed material that has been dumped into the material processing device during a first time period between a first point in time and a second point in time;
• determining a total amount of unprocessed material that has been processed by the material processing device during the first time period;
• determining a reference level of unprocessed material contained in the material processing device at the first point in time;
• determining a current level of unprocessed material contained in the material processing device based on i) the total amount of unprocessed material that has been dumped into the material processing device during the first time period, ii) the total amount of unprocessed material that has been processed by the material processing device during the first time period, and iii) the reference level of unprocessed material contained in the material processing device at the first point in time;
• predicting, based at least on the current level of unprocessed material contained in the material processing device and on an expected future processing rate of the material processing device, at least one of:
• a third point in time at which the level of unprocessed material is expected to fall below an upper limit at which upper limit dumping of further unprocessed material into the material processing device is not allowed so that dumping of unprocessed material becomes allowed, and
• a fourth point in time at which the level of unprocessed material is expected to fall below a lower limit indicating that the material processing device has or is about to run out of unprocessed material;
• establishing a desired time-of-arrival period for arrival a first load-carrying vehicle at the material processing device, wherein the desired time-of-arrival period extends between a start point and an end point and wherein at least one of the start point and end point is set so that the start point is, at the earliest, at the third point in time and/or so that the end point is, at the latest, at the fourth point in time;
• and
• adapting a speed of the first load-carrying vehicle so as to arrive at the material processing device within the desired time-of-arrival period.