Switching Between Local And Remote Control Of Autonomous Powered Earth-Moving Construction Or Mining Vehicles

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• switching, at a first powered earth-moving vehicle being operated by a human operator user located on the first powered earth-moving vehicle, and by one or more hardware processors on the first powered earth-moving vehicle, from a local control mode in which manipulations of first physical controls on the first powered earth-moving vehicle by the human operator user cause respective changes to first movable components of the first powered earth-moving vehicle, to a remote control mode in which further manipulations of the first physical controls on the first powered earth-moving vehicle by the human operator user cause further respective changes to second movable components of a remote second powered earth-moving vehicle;
• capturing, after the switching and by the one or more hardware processors, at least some of the further manipulations of the first physical controls on the first powered earth-moving vehicle by the human operator user;
• sending, by the one or more hardware processors, one or more control signals representing the at least some further manipulations via one or more wireless transmissions from the first powered earth-moving vehicle to the second powered earth-moving vehicle, to cause at least some of the further respective changes to the second movable components of the second powered earth-moving vehicle in response to the sent one or more control signals representing the at least some further manipulations;
• and
• switching, by the one or more hardware processors and after the sending of the one or more control signals, the first powered earth-moving vehicle from the remote control mode to the local control mode, to enable additional respective changes to the first movable components of the first powered earth-moving vehicle in response to additional manipulations of the first physical controls on the first powered earth-moving vehicle by the human operator user.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored contents that cause one or more one or more hardware processors to perform automated operations including at least:

• receiving, at a second powered earth-moving vehicle on which the one or more hardware processors are located and that is operating in a local control mode in which manipulations of second physical controls on the second powered earth-moving vehicle are autonomously controlled by an autonomous control system on the second powered earth-moving vehicle and cause respective changes to second movable components of the second powered earth-moving vehicle, instructions to switch from the local control mode to a remote control mode in which additional manipulations of the second physical controls on the second powered earth-moving vehicle are controlled by a remote first powered earth-moving vehicle under control of a human operator user on the first powered earth-moving vehicle, the received instructions including one or more control signals representing additional manipulations performed by the human operator user of one or more first physical controls on the first powered earth-moving vehicle;
• switching, at the second powered earth-moving vehicle and in response to the received instructions, from the local control mode to the remote control mode;
• manipulating, at the second powered earth-moving vehicle, at least one of the second physical controls to cause further respective changes to the second movable components of the second powered earth-moving vehicle, wherein the manipulating is performed based on the one or more control signals to correspond to the additional manipulations performed by the human operator user of one or more first physical controls on the first powered earth-moving vehicle;
• and
• further switching, at the second powered earth-moving vehicle and in response to additional received instructions, the second powered earth-moving vehicle from the remote control mode to the local control mode, to enable additional respective changes to the second movable components of the second powered earth-moving vehicle to be performed in response to additional manipulations of the second physical controls on the second powered earth-moving vehicle under autonomous control of the autonomous control system on the second powered earth-moving vehicle.