by Mike Kleinau, Product Engineer.

The Load Assist module of PAMS Production Manager provides loader operators with real-time feedback on the weight and physical distribution of material in the truck being loaded.  One of the most important settings for optimal performance of Load Assist is the size of the ‘loading radius’.

A truck will only automatically pair with a loader if the truck is inside the loading radius of the loader so the radius must be set large enough to cover the maximum scenario, however care must be taken to not set the radius too large.  If there are two loading tools working nearby each other, and a truck being loaded is in the loading radius of both loaders, then the truck will pair with both loaders (to support dual side loading of trucks).  If this occurs unintentionally there may be several undesired side effects, such as the truck reporting the incorrect material, load location and causing confusion for the operators of both pieces of equipment.

The configured loading radius needs to account for the maximum reach of the loader bucket plus the distance to the GPS receiver on the truck, plus a bit more to allow for GPS errors.  It is possible to offset the reported GPS location on the truck to give the impression that it is closer to the loader than it really is, but this could also be difficult to manage as trucks are not always orientated to the loader the same way.

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