Patents Assigned to LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
  • Patent number: 12187139
    Abstract: The present application shows a trolley system for providing electrical power to a vehicle, the trolley system comprising: a trolley line that is at least one out of: a flexible structure to be loosely positioned on a ground surface; and a sealed structure with an insulating housing comprising a sealing arrangement for sealing an opening extending along the trolley line, and a current collector assembly mounted on the vehicle for establishing a sliding electrical contact with a conductor of the trolley line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
    Inventors: Joshua Brown, Lucas Smith
  • Patent number: 11892836
    Abstract: The present application comprises a system for controlling a plurality of autonomous vehicles on a mine site, the system comprising: a centralized platform configured to store an inventory list of vehicles travelling on the mine site and comprising a first communication interface configured to communicate missions to the vehicles; a plurality of autonomous vehicles, the autonomous vehicles comprising: a first communication interface configured to wirelessly communicate with the centralized platform for receiving a predetermined mission, a trajectory control system configured to autonomously control the autonomous vehicle according to the predetermined mission; and at least one portable device, the portable device comprising a second communication interface configured to wirelessly communicate with a second communication interface of the plurality of vehicles from the mine site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
    Inventors: James Whitfield, Jr., Bryan Harper
  • Patent number: 11860643
    Abstract: A system for controlling a plurality of autonomous vehicles on a mine site comprises a centralized platform configured to store an inventory list of vehicles travelling on the mine site and configured to determine and communicate missions to the vehicles of a plurality of autonomous vehicles. The autonomous vehicles may comprise an interface configured to communicate with the centralized platform for receiving a predetermined mission, a trajectory control system configured to autonomously control the autonomous vehicle according to the predetermined mission, a detection system configured to detect other vehicles by evaluating sensor information received from at least one sensor of the vehicle, a collision prediction system configured to predict collisions with the other vehicles detected by the detection system, and a V2V communication interface for directly communicating with a V2V communication interface of at least one of the other vehicles on the mine site for exchanging information between the vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
    Inventors: James Whitfield, Jr., Bryan Harper, Jason Altice
  • Patent number: 11703859
    Abstract: The present application provides a method for autonomously controlling a vehicle performed by a control system of the vehicle on the basis of a mission received from a mission controller, the method comprising: receiving a mission comprising a set of instructions from the mission controller; validating the mission by checking whether the mission meets a first set of requirements; executing the mission if the mission meets the first set of requirements and rejecting the mission if the mission does not meet the first set of requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
    Inventors: James Whitfield, Jr., Jason Altice
  • Patent number: 11414000
    Abstract: A self-leveling single axle dump truck is provided, the truck comprising a frame, a dump body pivotably mounted on the frame, and a propulsion and self-leveling system comprising a single axle supporting the frame at least during motion of the self-leveling single axle dump truck, the single axle comprising at least a first and a second wheel and at least a first electric traction motor for driving the first wheel and a second electric traction motor for driving the second wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
    Inventors: Joshua Brown, Hunter Bates
  • Patent number: 11242067
    Abstract: The present application relates to a vehicle comprising a vehicle control system, the vehicle control system being configured to operate the vehicle in an autonomous mode and in a manual mode, the vehicle control system comprising: a first selector switch for switching between said autonomous mode and said manual mode; a second selector switch for switching between said autonomous mode and said manual mode; and an interlock circuit configured to deactivate propulsion of the machine when the first and the second selector switch are switched to different modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
    Inventors: James Whitfield, Jr., Bryan Harper
  • Patent number: 11230273
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for autonomously controlling a vehicle performed by a vehicle control system, the vehicle control system comprising a zone control system, a collision prediction system and a braking control system, the method comprising the steps of: defining in the zone control system at least a first zone and a second zone relative to a vehicle position, predicting a collision with an obstacle with the prediction system, autonomously braking the vehicle with the braking control system in a first braking mode if the collision is predicted to occur in the first zone and braking the vehicle with the braking control system in a second braking mode if the collision is predicted to occur in the second zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: LIEBHERR MINING EQUIPMENT NEWPORT NEWS CO.
    Inventor: James Whitfield, Jr.