Sensor-based material loading detection
AssigneeCaterpillar Paving Products Inc.
InventorsJacob J. McAlpine, John Lee Marsolek, Brian D. Nagel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A controller may monitor measurements collected by a sensor that relate to a characteristic of a material in a material holding component of a machine. The controller may detect that the measurements exhibit a change that is indicative of a loading of additional material to the material holding component. The controller may output, responsive to the change being indicative of the loading of the additional material, loading information that indicates at least one of a time or a location of the machine associated with the loading of the additional material.
Claims20
A monitoring system, comprising:
- a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a material in a material holding component of a machine;
- a global navigation satellite system configured to detect a location of the machine;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- detect, using the temperature sensor, that measurements relating to the temperature exhibit a change that is indicative of a loading of additional material to the material holding component;
- identify whether the change in the measurements temporally coincide with a physical adjustment of the material holding component;
- and
- transmit loading information to a remote system responsive to the material holding component having no physical adjustment that temporally coincides with the change in the measurements,
- wherein the loading information indicates a time and the location of the machine associated with the loading of the additional material.
A method of material loading detection, comprising:
- monitoring, by a controller, measurements collected by a sensor that relate to a characteristic of a material in a material holding component of a machine;
- detecting, by the controller, that the measurements exhibit a change that is indicative of a loading of additional material to the material holding component;
- and
- outputting, by the controller responsive to the change being indicative of the loading of the additional material, loading information that indicates at least one of a time or a location of the machine associated with the loading of the additional material.
A paver, comprising:
- a hopper to hold material used in a paving operation, the hopper having folding wings configured to fold to provide flow of the material during the paving operation;
- a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the material;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- detect, using the temperature sensor, that measurements relating to the temperature exhibit a change that is indicative of a loading of additional material into the hopper;
- identify whether the change in the measurements temporally coincides with a folding operation for one or more of the folding wings;
- and
- output loading information responsive to the hopper having no folding operation that temporally coincides with the change in the measurements,
- wherein the loading information indicates at least one of a time or a location of the paver associated with the loading of the additional material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.