There may still be a few hurdles to be overcome before the first self-propelled and autonomously working construction machine can be found on construction sites in Germany, but the topic of autonomy is becoming increasingly important and was also one of the major trends at bauma 2022. From a single machine to an entire fleet, Caterpillar now offers customers the ability to monitor, automate and manage their equipment to reduce costs, improve productivity and safety, and maximize fleet utilization.
There may still be a few hurdles to be overcome before the first self-propelled and autonomously working construction machine can be found on construction sites in Germany, but the topic of autonomy is becoming increasingly important and was also one of the major trends at bauma 2022. From a single machine to an entire fleet, Caterpillar now offers customers the ability to monitor, automate and manage their equipment to reduce costs, improve productivity and safety, and maximize fleet utilization.
“We are on a journey towards autonomy that has just picked up speed. The goal in the future is fully autonomous construction machines and, ultimately, fully automated construction sites that do their work more or less by themselves. We still have a long way to go here,”
says Dr. Hubert Mariutti, head of the service technology training department at Zeppelin.
The last bauma already showed what is already possible today: direct control of a Cat crawler excavator 340 or crawler dozer D7 some 2,368 kilometers away at the Caterpillar Demonstration and Learning Center in Málaga, Spain – and that without direct line of sight using only monitors. The distance is even greater at 9,419 kilometers when a Cat crawler excavator 320 and Cat crawler dozer D5 are moved in the Caterpillar Mining Center in Tucson, Arizona. Visitors could literally experience for themselves what is now possible in terms of Cat Command, the precursor to autonomous construction machinery. They were shown on screens how tracked excavators and tracked dozers react to their control commands in real time and how an excavation or a subgrade can be realized with them.
The preliminary stage to the autonomous construction machine described is based on remote control based on a machine-like operator station by transmission of the control commands via the Internet and VPN. This is fully integrated with the machines’ electronic and hydraulic systems to ensure fast response and smooth operation. The operating commands are sent directly to the machine’s electronics, resulting in real-time control. Such systems are primarily intended to be used when there is a need to rule out any danger to the driver in the cab, or when an operator has to control several machines one after the other. The remote control offers full maneuverability of the machine from a safe distance, for example when working in potentially dangerous environments such as explosive ordnance clearance or nuclear power plant dismantling, to name just a few use cases. Remote operation also eliminates machine vibration feedback felt by the operator, reducing fatigue.
Typical accidents at work, which occur again and again when getting on or off the machines, are also reduced. The technology may also be a way out of the skills shortage because it allows multiple machines to be operated by a few operators. Or in the future the driver will go from the office to the home office like an employee and move his work equipment from there. There are also new career opportunities for employees with physical disabilities. Demographic change and the changing age structure among drivers are fueling the development of autonomous construction machines – the final stage of driverless assistance systems. Cat dump trucks without operators are already doing their rounds in the large raw material mines.
The commodities carried include iron ore, oil sands, copper, coal and gold. More than 500 autonomous Cat dump trucks worldwide are already performing transport tasks without operators in the cab thanks to Cat Command for Hauling. It is the largest active fleet using onboard technologies. As if by magic, the dump trucks find their way through the deposit on clearly defined routes and based on a pre-programmed schedule. They can follow an assigned track through an ever-changing mining area, or choose the best route to head for assigned loading spots, take their position for loading and drive to the crusher for dumping once the bucket is filled. They are guided by an intelligent control system. They pass other construction machines without touching them and go about their tasks. To do this, the dump trucks are equipped with a proximity detection and collision avoidance system to immediately identify and avoid hazards. The dump trucks will automatically slow down if something unexpected comes their way, take evasive action or, if operating conditions allow, pick up maximum speed. All this takes place without operators in the cabin.
Cat construction equipment eligible for full autonomous operation ranges from 210 ton to 400 ton classes and includes 789D, 793D, 793F, 797F and 794 AC electric dump trucks.
“We continue to explore new avenues with Command for Hauling to make strides towards the fully autonomous mine site and recently achieved a major milestone with more than 500 autonomous haul trucks. We are currently working on introducing new products. We’ve also expanded our Command system to include water trucks for dust control,”
said Sean McGinnis, general manager for Cat Mining.
The necessary hardware and technology is currently being used on the Cat 789D at Rio Tinto’s Gudai Darri mine in Australia.
In 1994-1995, Caterpillar commissioned the first two prototypes of the Cat 777C autonomously driving trucks at a Texas limestone quarry, where they successfully hauled more than 5,000 loads over a four-kilometer route. In 2021, around 1.2 billion tons of material were transported autonomously. To date, trucks equipped with Caterpillar’s autonomous transportation system have traveled more than 147 million kilometers without accidental damage, almost the distance from Earth to the Sun. Safety and sustainability continue to have high priority in the mining industry.
“We are now entering our ninth year with zero accidents thanks to our Systems Command for Hauling – a testament to its safety record,”
commented Marc Cameron, vice president at Caterpillar Resource Industries, adding,
“A recent five completed by one of our customers -Year Autonomous Transport of Iron Ore Study found an 11 percent reduction in fuel consumption, resulting in a 4,300 tonne reduction in CO2 emissions per year, an 11 percent increase in hourly production, a 50 percent increase in maximum travel speed, and a 35 percent longer tire life.”
Nevertheless, no one in this country expects the implementation to take place so quickly.
“A “real” autonomy for construction machinery is hardly imaginable in the foreseeable future, since – unlike, for example, in the closed working environment of a quarry or mine – there are complex technical and safety challenges,”
estimates Tim-Oliver Müller, General Manager of the Main Association of the German Construction Industry. , the development a. According to him, the use of “intelligent” construction machines with semi-automated, automated or supporting functions is much more realistic and more tangible for the construction industry – and this in selected construction processes, for example in earthworks, road construction or special civil engineering.
“Such solutions have the potential for noticeable increases in efficiency and productivity,”
emphasizes Müller. In this way, they could relieve the machine operator of repetitive and tiring activities.
Caterpillar also had an answer ready for this at bauma: a crawler excavator 325 of the latest generation was equipped with the assistance system Cat Grade Assist 2D Advanced, which provides semi-autonomous excavation functions. While Cat Grade with 2D Control is a display-only system that assists operators with elevation and grade information to aid in excavation, Grade Assist 2D Advanced goes one step further. Cat Grade Assist 2D Advanced offers fully automatic guidance of the bucket edge for height, lateral and longitudinal inclination. This makes it easier for the operator to maintain the accuracy required to automate boom and stick movements for more precise cuts with less effort. The operator selects the desired target depth and grade and is prompted for depth, grade and horizontal distance to grade. In this way, the desired removal can be achieved quickly and excessive material removal can be avoided. The driver also receives acoustic height and depth warnings that indicate that the desired destination has been reached or that there are deviations.
This means that precise ablations can be carried out in less time. Greater accuracy and productivity can be achieved with in-cab displays for bucket position and grading depth. This means that less experienced drivers can also achieve a high level of quality and increase their work efficiency. And there is no need for another employee to stake out, who has to check the work result around the construction machine. In addition, Grade Assist 2D Advanced also extends the standard 2D system with the possibility of on-site planning. An additional touchscreen enables the display, input and processing of longitudinal/transverse gradients and profile pieces from the driver’s seat, so that the work steps can be carried out according to the implementation planning. If 2D is expanded to 3D, drivers can then also implement complex terrain models using satellite-supported position displays in real time. GNSS receivers on the excavator and positioning ensure the necessary accuracy to create three-dimensional designs.
And that’s not all: Zeppelin had additional Cat Assist technologies with it for bauma, which can be used to increase productivity on the construction site. Systems available range from the standard Slope Assist assistance system, which displays the lateral and longitudinal inclination of a Cat dozer on the main monitor for quick and easy reference, to the fully integrated Cat Grade 3D machine control system, such as that used on the Cat track-type tractor family are available from the D2 to the D8. Among other things, GNSS is then used to control the shield positions. These are then fully automatically adjusted to the contours of the previously created three-dimensional terrain model. Benefits arise in all work phases, from earthmoving to fine leveling, which lead to the desired result more quickly and reduce the costs for rework. Cat Grade 3D coupled with AutoCarry is especially useful for large crowd movements, where AutoCarry automates blade lift, maintaining necessary blade fill while reducing track slip. It helps experienced operators be more productive and maintain accuracy over time – less experienced operators quickly increase their productivity and complete construction plans in less time. The construction plan is displayed on the instrument panel as a three-dimensional terrain model directly in front of the driver, who only has to work through it.
But the next stage of development is already on the rise. Thanks to augmented reality, digital terrain models can be integrated with high precision into the real terrain and construction site situation on site. This requires GNSS receivers in combination with the Trimble Augmented Reality Camera in order to display digital terrain models together with the camera image of the real situation on the screen of the construction machine in a realistic and precise manner. Excavator drivers can then compare the models with the actual situation, derive the construction progress or identify possible problems and react in good time. Existing infrastructure or the future shape of terrain surfaces can then be better understood. This should also make the machine operator’s work easier in the future and support him in his work as well as possible.
The precursor to the autonomous construction machine is based on a remote control, which visitors to bauma were also able to try out.
There is no longer a driver behind this steering wheel. His workplace will be in a control center in the future. For the first time in mining history, dump trucks equipped with Command for Hauling have autonomously moved more than a billion tons of material in less than a year.
Cat Grade Assist 2D Advanced provides semi-autonomous excavation capabilities. Increase jobsite productivity with Cat Grade 3D machine control.
Zeppelin Baumaschinen is Europe’s leading sales and service organization in the construction machinery industry and has been the sales and service partner of Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of construction machinery, in Germany since 1954. With 1,776 employees and sales of around EUR 1.14 billion in 2021, Zeppelin Baumaschinen is the largest company in the Zeppelin Group. The product range includes new and used Caterpillar construction machines in the range from 1 to 150 tons operating weight, the range of services includes service, which is provided nationwide in 35 branches, as well as advice and financing for the machines. The headquarters and legal domicile of Zeppelin Baumaschinen GmbH are in Garching near Munich.
The Zeppelin Group offers solutions in the areas of construction, propulsion and energy as well as engineering and plant construction. The offer ranges from sales and service of construction, mining, forestry and agricultural machinery to rental and project solutions for construction and industry to drive and energy systems as well as engineering and plant construction and is supplemented by digital business models. Zeppelin is represented at more than 340 locations in 43 countries and regions worldwide. In the 2021 financial year, almost 11,000 employees generated sales of 3.7 billion euros. The Group organizes its cooperation in six strategic business units (Construction Machinery Central Europe, Construction Machinery Nordics, Construction Machinery Eurasia, Rental, Power Systems, Plant Engineering) and the Strategic Management Center Zeppelin Digit.
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