The new Map feature on Volvo CE’s updated Haul Assist application allows operators to monitor hauler traffic around the site and proactively adjust their driving according to traffic conditions, especially around load and dump zones.
Operated via Volvo Co-Pilot, Haul Assist’s Map functionality allows operators to identify their position, as well as the position of other haulers fitted with the technology.
This knowledge comes into its own on sites with restricted visibility, allowing operators to see where other haulers are, thereby reducing potentially dangerous situations.
The application works by using the hauler’s built-in GPS function for positioning purposes and combines it with a digital connection via Volvo Co-Pilot to communicate with other machines. The system also records how fast the hauler is travelling and emits an alert to remind operators to maintain a safe working speed.
The Map function can plan haul roads and preferred routes to help operators navigate their way around the site. It can highlight when the hauler is approaching a pre-defined section of narrow or single lane road, and even visualize meeting/passing areas. The map also highlights any reference points or notable areas of the site.
Load and dump zones may not only be visualized on the map, but can also trigger certain sub-functions, such as activating on-board weighing information.
On-board weighing helps to optimize the haul cycle by ensuring every hauler moves the correct payload. The system eliminates under-loading for good productivity and over-loading that increases machine wear and fuel consumption.
The system also monitors the amount of material moved, providing a real-time view of the productivity of each hauler. This helps when monitoring the production against targets for each project. The addition of Map enhances on-board weighing even further, giving the ability to include GPS coordinate data in its reports, allowing the ability to measure material moved to-and-from different coordinates.
The data can be exported over the air to a cloud portal or via a USB storage device, and used to create a report, either manually or automatically – on a daily or weekly basis.
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Built on the Android operating system, Volvo Co-Pilot is designed in a way that makes it easily scalable as future software updates, additional functionality and new applications are developed.
The system is 3G-compatible when equipped with a SIM card, allowing for the system to automatically and wirelessly receive software updates without any required action from the owner or operator.
In addition to Haul Assist, Volvo Co-Pilot also serves as the interface for several other applications, including Load Assist, a complete load weighing management system for Volvo wheel loaders, as well as the Volvo Intelligent Compaction system, Compact Assist with Density Direct, which offers the industry’s first and only real-time density mapping tool, available exclusively for Volvo asphalt compactors.
