Importance

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Abstract

A system is provided in which data from two or more sensors on-board a vehicle are used to determine an amount of work the vehicle performs. A historical record of the work is maintained in a memory. A transmitter is on-board the vehicle and in communication with an on-board processor, which receives the data from the sensors. The transmitter transmits information to a remote location. Preferably, one of the sensors is a weighing device for providing weight data. The other sensor is typically a complementary sensor such as an inclinometer, a sensor detecting the distance the vehicle has traveled or a sensor detecting the location of the vehicle. The transmitter is preferably a transceiver that establishes a bi-directional electromagnetic link with the remote location for communicating the information. The information may be used to dispatch the vehicle to sites in a working area. As an alternative to the foregoing two sensors, the system may include three or more sensors in which a first sensor senses when material is first loaded onto the vehicle. A second sensor senses an amount of material in the load carried by the vehicle. And, a third sensor senses when the material is dumped from the vehicle. At least the third sensor may be part of a means of a processor on-board the vehicle for detecting changes in the weight of the load carried by the vehicle. Data from these sensors are used for determining a haulage condition of the vehicle.

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