Grading machines with improved control

Abstract

A mobile machine includes a powertrain that propels the mobile machine about a worksite and a controllable subsystem configured to affect a surface of the worksite. The mobile machine includes a terrain sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the surface and generate sensor signals indicative of the characteristic of the surface. The mobile machine includes a control system configured to control the controllable subsystem, with a control signal, to affect the portion of the surface. The control system is configured to receive a sensor signal from the terrain sensor after the controllable subsystem has affected the portion of the surface, the sensor signal indicative of the characteristic of the portion of the surface after the controllable subsystem affects the portion of the surface and control the mobile machine based on the sensor signal and control signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling a mobile machine, the method comprising:
 obtaining an initial terrain sensor signal from a terrain sensor, the initial terrain sensor signal indicative of a characteristic of a surface of a worksite;   generating a terrain prediction of the characteristic of the surface of the worksite to be observed after one or more controllable subsystems execute a control path to affect the surface of the worksite;   sending control signals to the one or more controllable subsystems to execute the control path;   obtaining a second terrain sensor signal from the terrain sensor, the second terrain sensor signals being indicative of a characteristic of the surface of the worksite after the one or more controllable subsystems affected the surface of the worksite; and   controlling the mobile machine based on a comparison of the terrain prediction with the second terrain sensor signal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein sending control signals to the one or more controllable subsystems to execute the control path comprises sending a set of controls to a blade actuator to move a blade position to grade the surface of the worksite. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein controlling the mobile machine based on the comparison of the terrain prediction with the second terrain sensor signal comprises sending a second set of control signals to the one or more controllable subsystems to execute a second control path. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 generating a subsystem terrain prediction of the characteristic of the surface of the worksite to be observed after the one or more controllable subsystems execute the second control path;   obtaining a third terrain sensor signal from the terrain sensor, the third terrain sensor signal being indicative of a characteristic of the surface of the worksite after the one or more controllable subsystems affected the surface of the worksite while executing the second control path; and   controlling the mobile machine based on a comparison of the subsequent prediction with the third sensor signal.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising generating a productivity metric based on the initial terrain sensor signal and the second terrain sensor signal and wherein controlling the mobile machine comprises controlling the mobile machine based on the productivity metric. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining the second sensor signal from the terrain sensor comprises: range scanning the surface of the worksite. 
     
     
         7 . A mobile machine comprising:
 a powertrain that propels the mobile machine about a worksite;   a controllable subsystem configured to affect a surface of the worksite;   a terrain sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the surface and generate terrain sensor signals indicative of the characteristic of the surface; and   a control system configured to:
 control the controllable subsystem, with a control signal, to affect a portion of the surface; 
 receive a sensor signal from the terrain sensor after the controllable subsystem has affected the portion of the surface, the sensor signal being indicative of the characteristic of the portion of the surface after the controllable subsystem affects the portion of the surface; and 
 control the mobile machine based on the terrain sensor signal and control signal. 
   
     
     
         8 . The mobile machine of  claim 7 , wherein the control system comprises:
 terrain prediction logic that generates a terrain prediction indicative of a predicted characteristic of the portion of the surface to be observed after the controllable subsystem affects the portion of the surface and wherein the control system controls the mobile machine based on the terrain prediction.   
     
     
         9 . The mobile machine of  claim 8 , wherein the control system comprises:
 terrain comparison logic that compares the terrain prediction to the terrain sensor signal and generates a comparison signal indicative of the comparison and wherein the control system controls the mobile machine based on the comparison signal.   
     
     
         10 . The mobile machine of  claim 9 , wherein the control system comprises:
 control model logic that generates a control model based on the comparison signal and wherein the control system controls the mobile machine based on the control model.   
     
     
         11 . The mobile machine of  claim 10 , wherein the control system controls the controllable subsystem to affect the surface of the worksite a second time, the terrain prediction logic generates a second terrain prediction indicative of a predicted characteristic of the portion of the surface to be observed after the controllable subsystem affects the portion of the surface the second time, the terrain comparison logic receives the second terrain prediction and a second terrain sensor signal from the terrain sensor after the controllable subsystem has affected the portion of the surface the second time, the second terrain sensor signal indicative of the characteristic of the portion of the surface after the controllable subsystem affects the portion of the surface the second time, and the terrain comparison logic compares the second terrain prediction and the second terrain sensor signal and generates a second comparison signal indicative of the comparison, the control system being configured to control the mobile machine based on the second comparison signal. 
     
     
         12 . The mobile machine of  claim 11 , wherein the control model logic is configured to modify the control model based on the second terrain comparison. 
     
     
         13 . The mobile machine of  claim 12 , wherein the control model logic comprises machine learning logic that generates or modifies the control model. 
     
     
         14 . The mobile machine of  claim 10 , wherein the control model comprises a neural network. 
     
     
         15 . The mobile machine of  claim 7 , wherein the control system is configured to generate a productivity metric based on the sensor signal and control the mobile machine based on the productivity metric. 
     
     
         16 . The mobile machine of  claim 7 , wherein the mobile machine comprises a crawler. 
     
     
         17 . The mobile machine of  claim 7 , wherein the mobile machine comprises an excavator. 
     
     
         18 . A control system for a mobile machine comprising:
 control path generator logic that generates a control path for the mobile machine;   terrain prediction logic that generates a terrain prediction indicative of a predictive affect on the terrain by executing the control path;   terrain sensing logic that receives a terrain sensor signal and determines a characteristic of the terrain after the control path is executed, based on the terrain sensor signal; and   terrain comparison logic that compares the characteristic of the terrain after the control path is executed with the terrain prediction and generates a comparison signal indicative of the comparison, wherein the control system controls the mobile machine based on the comparison signal.   
     
     
         19 . The control system of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 control model logic that generates a control model based on the comparison signal and wherein the control system controls the mobile machine based on the control model.   
     
     
         20 . The control system of  claim 19 , wherein the control path generator logic generates a second control path for the mobile machine, the terrain prediction logic that generates a second prediction indicative of a predicted affect on the terrain by executing the second control path, the terrain sensing logic receives a second terrain sensor signal and determines a characteristic of the terrain after the second control path is executed based on the second terrain sensor signal, the terrain comparison logic that compares the characteristic of the terrain of the terrain after the second control path is executed with the second terrain prediction and generates a second terrain comparison signal indicative of the terrain second comparison, and the control model logic modifies the control model based on the second comparison signal; and
 wherein the control system controls the mobile machine based on the modified control model.