JP7500241B2 - Machinery management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management system for a work machine.

Conventionally, there is a management system that identifies the operator of a work machine when operation information is obtained from the work machine, and provides driving guidance for the work machine and grasps its status.

Methods for identifying the operator of a work machine include, for example, receiving identification information identifying the operator from a terminal carried by the operator of the work machine, and inputting identification information identifying the operator into the work machine.

Patent No. 5941123 Patent No. 5233043

In the conventional technology described above, when an operator is identified by identification information received from a terminal, if the terminal is used by a person other than the operator identified by the identification information, the operator will not be correctly recognized. In addition, when an operator is identified from identification information input to a work machine, it is difficult to prevent impersonation by a third party.

In view of the above, the objective is to automatically identify the operator of a work machine.

A work machine management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a work machine management system for managing a work machine, and includes: a memory unit in which a correspondence table is stored in which identification information for identifying an operator is associated with an operation feature pattern indicative of operation characteristics for each operator, the operation feature pattern being generated by collecting operation feature information previously acquired from the work machine for each operator; and an identification unit that identifies an operator corresponding to the operation feature information acquired from the work machine based on the correspondence table, wherein the operation feature information is information indicative of a distribution of cylinder pressures of a plurality of cylinders that drive a plurality of attachments of the work machine for each operator, and the operation feature pattern is information indicative of a distribution pattern of the cylinder pressures generated by aggregating the operation feature information previously collected .

The operator of the work machine can be automatically identified.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a management system for a work machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a drive system of a shovel. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an excavation operation. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of operation feature information. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a management apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a management device. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the management device. FIG. 11 is a first diagram showing an example of displaying information including an operator identification result. FIG. 11 is a second diagram showing an example of displaying information including an operator identification result.

The following describes an embodiment with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a work machine management system. In the following description, a shovel 100 is described as an example of a work machine. In addition, in the following description, the work machine management system may be simply referred to as a management system.

The management system SYS of this embodiment includes a shovel 100, a management device 200 that manages the shovel 100, and a support device 300 that supports the management of the shovel 100. The shovel 100 and the management device 200 are connected in a state in which they can communicate with each other via a network or the like. In addition, the shovel 100, the management device 200, and the support device 300 are each connected in a state in which they can communicate with each other via a network or the like.

In the example of FIG. 1, the management system SYS includes the support device 300, but this is not limited to the above. The management system SYS only needs to include the excavator 100 and the management device 200, and does not need to include the support device 300.

The shovel 100 will be described below. Figure 1 shows a side view of the shovel 100.

The excavator 100 has a lower traveling body 1, a slewing mechanism 2, and an upper rotating body 3, and the upper rotating body 3 is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 1 via the slewing mechanism 2. A boom 4 is attached to the upper rotating body 3. An arm 5 is attached to the tip of the boom 4, and a bucket 6 is attached to the tip of the arm 5 as an end attachment.

The boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 constitute an excavation attachment, which is an example of an attachment. The boom 4 is driven by a boom cylinder 7, the arm 5 is driven by an arm cylinder 8, and the bucket 6 is driven by a bucket cylinder 9. A boom angle sensor S1 is attached to the boom 4, an arm angle sensor S2 is attached to the arm 5, and a bucket angle sensor S3 is attached to the bucket 6.

The boom angle sensor S1 is configured to detect the rotation angle of the boom 4. In this embodiment, the boom angle sensor S1 is an acceleration sensor, and can detect the rotation angle of the boom 4 relative to the upper rotating body 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "boom angle"). For example, the boom angle is at its minimum when the boom 4 is lowered to the lowest, and increases as the boom 4 is raised.

The arm angle sensor S2 is configured to detect the rotation angle of the arm 5. In this embodiment, the arm angle sensor S2 is an acceleration sensor, and can detect the rotation angle of the arm 5 relative to the boom 4 (hereinafter referred to as the "arm angle"). For example, the arm angle is at its smallest when the arm 5 is fully closed, and increases as the arm 5 is opened.

The bucket angle sensor S3 is configured to detect the rotation angle of the bucket 6. In this embodiment, the bucket angle sensor S3 is an acceleration sensor, and can detect the rotation angle of the bucket 6 relative to the arm 5 (hereinafter referred to as the "bucket angle"). For example, the bucket angle is at its minimum when the bucket 6 is fully closed, and increases as the bucket 6 is opened.

The boom angle sensor S1, arm angle sensor S2, and bucket angle sensor S3 may each be a potentiometer using a variable resistor, a stroke sensor that detects the stroke amount of the corresponding hydraulic cylinder, a rotary encoder that detects the rotation angle around the connecting pin, a gyro sensor, or a combination of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, etc.

A boom rod pressure sensor S7R and a boom bottom pressure sensor S7B are attached to the boom cylinder 7. An arm rod pressure sensor S8R and an arm bottom pressure sensor S8B are attached to the arm cylinder 8. A bucket rod pressure sensor S9R and a bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B are attached to the bucket cylinder 9.

The boom rod pressure sensor S7R, the boom bottom pressure sensor S7B, the arm rod pressure sensor S8R, the arm bottom pressure sensor S8B, the bucket rod pressure sensor S9R and the bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B are collectively referred to as the "cylinder pressure sensors."

The boom rod pressure sensor S7R detects the pressure in the rod side oil chamber of the boom cylinder 7 (hereinafter referred to as the "boom rod pressure"), and the boom bottom pressure sensor S7B detects the pressure in the bottom side oil chamber of the boom cylinder 7 (hereinafter referred to as the "boom bottom pressure").

The arm rod pressure sensor S8R detects the pressure in the rod side oil chamber of the arm cylinder 8 (hereinafter referred to as "arm rod pressure"), and the arm bottom pressure sensor S8B detects the pressure in the bottom side oil chamber of the arm cylinder 8 (hereinafter referred to as "arm bottom pressure").

The bucket rod pressure sensor S9R detects the pressure in the rod side oil chamber of the bucket cylinder 9 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket rod pressure"), and the bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B detects the pressure in the bottom side oil chamber of the bucket cylinder 9 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket bottom pressure").

The upper rotating body 3 is provided with a cabin 10 which is a driver's room, and is equipped with a power source such as an engine 11. The upper rotating body 3 is also equipped with a controller 30, a display device 40, an input device 42, an audio output device 43, a storage device 47, a positioning device P1, an aircraft tilt sensor S4, a rotation angular velocity sensor S5, an imaging device S6, and a communication device T1.

The upper rotating body 3 may be equipped with a power storage unit that supplies electric power, and a motor generator that generates electricity using the rotational driving force of the engine 11. The power storage unit is, for example, a capacitor or a lithium ion battery. The motor generator may function as an electric motor to drive a mechanical load, or may function as a generator to supply electric power to an electrical load.

The controller 30 functions as a main control unit that controls the drive of the excavator 100. In this embodiment, the controller 30 is configured as a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. The various functions of the controller 30 are realized, for example, by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM.

The various functions may include, for example, at least one of a machine guidance function that guides the operator in manually operating the shovel 100, and a machine control function that automatically assists the operator in manually operating the shovel 100.

The display device 40 is configured to display various information. The display device 40 may be connected to the controller 30 via a communication network such as a CAN, or may be connected to the controller 30 via a dedicated line.

The input device 42 is configured to allow the operator to input various information to the controller 30. The input device 42 includes at least one of a touch panel, a knob switch, a membrane switch, etc., installed in the cabin 10.

The audio output device 43 is configured to output audio. The audio output device 43 may be, for example, an in-vehicle speaker connected to the controller 30, or an alarm such as a buzzer. In this embodiment, the audio output device 43 is configured to output various information by audio in response to an audio output command from the controller 30.

The storage device 47 is configured to store various information. The storage device 47 is, for example, a non-volatile storage medium such as a semiconductor memory. The storage device 47 may store information output by various devices during operation of the shovel 100, or may store information acquired via various devices before operation of the shovel 100 is started. The storage device 47 may also store operation characteristic information generated by a function of the controller 30. Details of the operation characteristic information will be described later.

The storage device 47 may store data regarding the target construction surface acquired, for example, via the communication device T1. The target construction surface may be set by the operator of the shovel 100, or may be set by a construction manager, etc.

The positioning device P1 is configured to measure the position of the upper rotating body 3. The positioning device P1 may be configured to measure the orientation of the upper rotating body 3. In this embodiment, the positioning device P1 is, for example, a GNSS compass, which detects the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3 and outputs the detection value to the controller 30. Therefore, the positioning device P1 can also function as an orientation detection device that detects the orientation of the upper rotating body 3. The orientation detection device may be a compass attached to the upper rotating body 3.

The machine body inclination sensor S4 is configured to detect the inclination of the upper rotating body 3. In this embodiment, the machine body inclination sensor S4 is an acceleration sensor that detects the longitudinal inclination angle about the longitudinal axis and the lateral inclination angle about the lateral axis of the upper rotating body 3 relative to a virtual horizontal plane. The longitudinal axis and lateral axis of the upper rotating body 3 are perpendicular to each other at, for example, the shovel center point, which is a point on the rotation axis of the shovel 100.

The rotation angular velocity sensor S5 is configured to detect the rotation angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3. The rotation angular velocity sensor S5 may be configured to detect or calculate the rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3. In this embodiment, the rotation angular velocity sensor S5 is a gyro sensor. The rotation angular velocity sensor S5 may also be a resolver, a rotary encoder, etc.

The imaging device S6 is an example of a spatial recognition device, and is configured to acquire images of the periphery of the shovel 100. In this embodiment, the imaging device S6 includes a front camera S6F that images the space in front of the shovel 100, a left camera S6L that images the space to the left of the shovel 100, a right camera S6R that images the space to the right of the shovel 100, and a rear camera S6B that images the space behind the shovel 100.

The imaging device S6 is, for example, a monocular camera having an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS, and outputs the captured image to the display device 40. The imaging device S6 may be a stereo camera, a distance imaging camera, etc. Furthermore, the imaging device S6 may be replaced with other spatial recognition devices such as a three-dimensional distance image sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a LIDAR, or an infrared sensor, or may be replaced with a combination of another spatial recognition device and a camera.

The front camera S6F is attached, for example, to the ceiling of the cabin 10, i.e., inside the cabin 10. However, the front camera S6F may also be attached to the outside of the cabin 10, such as the roof of the cabin 10 or the side of the boom 4. The left camera S6L is attached to the left end of the top surface of the upper rotating body 3, the right camera S6R is attached to the right end of the top surface of the upper rotating body 3, and the rear camera S6B is attached to the rear end of the top surface of the upper rotating body 3.

The communication device T1 is configured to control communication with an external device outside the excavator 100. In this embodiment, the communication device T1 controls communication with the external device via a satellite communication network, a mobile phone communication network, the Internet network, or the like.

The external device may be, for example, a management device 200 such as a server installed in an external facility, or a support device 300 such as a smartphone carried by a worker near the excavator 100.

The external device is configured to be able to manage, for example, operation information relating to one or more shovels 100. The operation information includes, for example, the operation time, fuel consumption, and work amount of the shovel 100,
The information includes information on at least one of the work content and the operator who operated the shovel 100, and indicates the operating status of the shovel 100. The amount of work is, for example, the amount of earth and sand excavated and the amount of earth and sand loaded onto the bed of the dump truck.

The shovel 100 may be configured to transmit operation information related to the shovel 100 to an external device at a predetermined time interval via the communication device T1. With this configuration, a worker or manager outside the shovel 100 can visually check various information including the operation information through a display device such as a monitor connected to the management device 200 or the support device 300.

The external device may be a communication device mounted on a dump truck equipped with a load weight measuring device, or may be a communication device connected to a platform that measures the weight of the dump truck. In this case, the excavator 100 can obtain the weight of the soil, sand, etc. loaded on the bed of the dump truck based on information from the dump truck or the platform.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drive system of a shovel. In Figure 2, the mechanical power system, hydraulic oil lines, pilot lines, and electrical control system are indicated by double lines, solid lines, dashed lines, and dotted lines, respectively.

The drive system of the excavator 100 mainly includes an engine 11, a regulator 13, a main pump 14, a pilot pump 15, a control valve 17, an operating device 26, a discharge pressure sensor 28, an operating pressure sensor 29, a controller 30, a fuel tank 55, and an engine controller unit (ECU 74).

The engine 11 is the driving source of the excavator 100. In this embodiment, the engine 11 is, for example, a diesel engine that operates to maintain a predetermined rotation speed. In addition, the output shaft of the engine 11 is connected to the input shafts of the main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15.

The main pump 14 is configured to supply hydraulic oil to the control valve 17 via a hydraulic oil line. In this embodiment, the main pump 14 is a swash plate type variable displacement hydraulic pump.

The regulator 13 is configured to control the discharge volume of the main pump 14. In this embodiment, the regulator 13 controls the discharge volume of the main pump 14 by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the main pump 14 in response to a control command from the controller 30. For example, the controller 30 receives the output of the operating pressure sensor 29, etc., and outputs a control command to the regulator 13 as necessary to change the discharge volume of the main pump 14.

The pilot pump 15 supplies hydraulic oil to various hydraulic control devices, including the operating device 26, via a pilot line. In this embodiment, the pilot pump 15 is a fixed displacement hydraulic pump. However, the pilot pump 15 may be omitted.

In this case, the function that was previously performed by the pilot pump 15 may be realized by the main pump 14. That is, the main pump 14 may have a function of supplying hydraulic oil to the operating device 26, etc. after reducing the supply pressure of the hydraulic oil by throttling or the like, in addition to the function of supplying hydraulic oil to the control valve 17.

The control valve 17 is a hydraulic control device that controls the hydraulic system in the excavator 100. In this embodiment, the control valve 17 includes control valves 171 to 176. The control valve 17 can selectively supply hydraulic oil discharged by the main pump 14 to one or more hydraulic actuators through the control valves 171 to 176.

The control valves 171 to 176 are configured to control the flow rate of hydraulic oil flowing from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuator, and the flow rate of hydraulic oil flowing from the hydraulic actuator to the hydraulic oil tank.

The hydraulic actuators include a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, a bucket cylinder 9, a left-side traveling hydraulic motor 1L, a right-side traveling hydraulic motor 1R, and a swing hydraulic motor 2A. The swing hydraulic motor 2A may be a swing motor generator as an electric actuator. In this case, the swing motor generator may receive power from a power storage unit or a motor generator.

The operating device 26 is a device used by an operator to operate the actuator. The actuator includes at least one of a hydraulic actuator and an electric actuator. In this embodiment, the operating device 26 supplies hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve 17 via a pilot line.

The pressure of the hydraulic oil (pilot pressure) supplied to each pilot port is, in principle, a pressure according to the operation direction and operation amount of the operating device 26 corresponding to each hydraulic actuator. At least one of the operating devices 26 is configured to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve 17 via a pilot line.

The discharge pressure sensor 28 is configured to detect the discharge pressure of the main pump 14. In this embodiment, the discharge pressure sensor 28 outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

The operation pressure sensor 29 is configured to detect the operation content of the operator using the operation device 26. In this embodiment, the operation pressure sensor 29 detects the operation direction and operation amount of the operation device 26 corresponding to each actuator in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation content of the operation device 26 may be detected using a sensor other than the operation pressure sensor.

The fuel tank 55 is a container that stores fuel. The remaining amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 55 is detected by a fuel remaining amount sensor 55a. The fuel remaining amount sensor 55a outputs information regarding the remaining amount of fuel to the controller 30.

The ECU 74 is configured to control the engine 11. In this embodiment, the ECU 74 controls the fuel injection amount, fuel injection timing, boost pressure, and the like in the engine 11. The ECU 74 also outputs information about the engine 11 to the controller 30.

Next, the functional elements of the controller 30 will be described. The controller 30 has a work amount calculation unit 35, a display control unit 36, a fuel consumption calculation unit 37, and an operation characteristics information generation unit 38.

The work amount calculation unit 35 of this embodiment calculates the amount of work of the excavator 100. Specifically, the work amount calculation unit 35 calculates the amount of work based on information acquired by the information acquisition device. The information acquired by the information acquisition device includes at least one of the boom angle, arm angle, bucket angle, front-to-rear tilt angle, left-to-right tilt angle, swing angular velocity, swing angle, boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, bucket bottom pressure, an image captured by the imaging device S6, the discharge pressure of the main pump 14, and the operating pressure for each of the operating devices 26.

The information acquisition device includes at least one of a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, a vehicle tilt sensor S4, a turning angular velocity sensor S5, an image capture device S6, a boom rod pressure sensor S7R, a boom bottom pressure sensor S7B, an arm rod pressure sensor S8R, an arm bottom pressure sensor S8B, a bucket rod pressure sensor S9R, a bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B, a discharge pressure sensor 28, and an operating pressure sensor 29.

For example, the work volume calculation unit 35 calculates the volume of material, such as soil and sand, excavated by the excavation attachment as the work volume, based on a distance image of the space in front of the shovel 100 captured by a three-dimensional distance image sensor serving as the imaging device S6. The three-dimensional distance image sensor is, for example, a three-dimensional laser scanner that measures the topography with a laser. The three-dimensional distance image sensor may also be another spatial recognition device, such as a stereo camera.

Specifically, the workload calculation unit 35 calculates the volume (estimated value) of the material excavated in one excavation operation as the workload, based on the distance image captured when the excavation operation starts and the distance image captured when the excavation operation is completed. In this way, the topography before and after excavation is compared, and the workload for one operation is calculated based on the change.

In this embodiment, the work volume calculation unit 35 is configured to be able to determine the type of work content, such as an embankment operation, a loading operation, or an excavation operation, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device. An embankment operation is an operation of piling up soil in a predetermined position, and a loading operation is an operation of loading soil and sand into a dump truck.

The excavation operation is an operation of taking in excavated material into the bucket 6, and is considered to have started, for example, when the bucket 6 without the excavated material comes into contact with the ground, and is considered to have been completed when the bucket 6 with the excavated material leaves the ground. However, the conditions for determining that the excavation operation has started and the conditions for determining that the excavation operation has been completed can be set arbitrarily. The same applies to other work contents such as the filling operation and the transport operation. Details of the operations included in the excavation work will be described later.

The work amount calculation unit 35 also determines whether the excavation operation has started and whether the excavation operation has been completed, for example, based on the output of the operating pressure sensor 29 and the cylinder pressure sensor. The work amount calculation unit 35 may also determine whether the excavation operation has started and whether the excavation operation has been completed, based on the output of an attitude sensor that detects the attitude of the excavation attachment. The attitude sensor includes, for example, a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, and a bucket angle sensor S3. The attitude sensor may be a combination of stroke sensors.

With this configuration, the controller 30 can calculate the cumulative value of the volume (estimated value) of the excavated material for each of one or more excavation operations performed within a specified time as the amount of work in the specified time.

The display control unit 36 is configured to control the content displayed on the display device 40. In this embodiment, the display control unit 36 causes the display device 40 to display various information based on the information acquired by the information acquisition device.

The fuel consumption calculation unit 37 is configured to calculate the fuel consumption. In this embodiment, the fuel consumption calculation unit 37 calculates the fuel consumption based on the output of the fuel remaining amount sensor 55a. The fuel consumption calculation unit 37 may calculate the fuel consumption at predetermined time intervals, for example.

The operation characteristic information generating unit 38 generates operation characteristic information indicating the operation characteristics of each operator. Specifically, the operation characteristic information generating unit 38 may use, for example, information indicating the distribution of boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure acquired by the information acquisition device as the operation characteristic information.

The boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure are used to calculate the amount of work included in the operation information of the shovel 100, and therefore can be considered to be part of the operation information. Therefore, the operation characteristic information of this embodiment can be considered to be information generated using part of the operation information that indicates the operating state of the shovel 100.

The operation characteristic information generating unit 38 of this embodiment may generate operation characteristic information for each task performed by the shovel 100, for example.

Note that the operation characteristic information generating unit 38 is provided in the controller 30, but is not limited to this. The operation characteristic information generating unit 38 may be provided on the management device 200 side.

Below, with reference to Figures 3 and 4, an example of operation characteristic information will be described, which is operation characteristic information generated when the shovel 100 performs excavation work. First, the excavation work of the shovel 100 will be described.

Figure 3 is a diagram explaining excavation work. In excavation work, as shown in Figure 3 (a), with the upper rotating body 3 rotated and the bucket 6 positioned above the excavation position, and with the arm 5 and bucket 6 open, the operator lowers the boom 4 and lowers the bucket 6 so that the tip of the bucket 6 is at the target excavation depth D. Normally, the operator controls the rotation and boom lowering and visually confirms the position of the bucket 6. Also, it is common to rotate the upper rotating body 3 and lower the boom 4 simultaneously. The above operation is called the boom lowering rotation operation, and this operation section is called the boom lowering rotation operation section.

When the operator determines that the tip of the bucket 6 has reached the target excavation depth D, the next step is horizontal pulling, as shown in FIG. 3(b). In the horizontal pulling, the arm 5 is closed until it is perpendicular to the ground so that the tip of the bucket 6 moves almost horizontally. This horizontal pulling excavates soil to a specified depth and is scraped up by the bucket 6.

Once the horizontal pulling operation is complete, the bucket 6 is then closed until it is at 90 degrees relative to the arm 5, as shown in FIG. 3(c). In other words, the bucket 6 is closed until the upper edge of the bucket 6 is horizontal, and the raked soil is stored in the bucket 6. The above operation is called the excavation operation, and this operation section is called the excavation operation section.

When the operator determines that the bucket 6 has been closed to 90 degrees, he or she then raises the boom 4 with the bucket 6 still closed until the bottom of the bucket 6 reaches a predetermined height H, as shown in FIG. 3(d). Following this, or at the same time, the upper rotating body 3 is rotated to rotate the bucket 6 to a position from which soil will be discharged. The above operation is called the boom-raising and rotating operation, and this operation section is called the boom-raising and rotating operation section.

The boom 4 is raised until the bottom of the bucket 6 reaches a predetermined height H because, for example, when dumping soil onto the bed of a dump truck, the bucket 6 must be raised higher than the bed height otherwise the bucket 6 will hit the bed.

For example, if an operator, whether skilled or not, is operating the machine, there is a risk that the bucket 6 will turn without being raised to the specified height H. In such a case, there is a risk that the bucket 6 will hit the bed of the dump truck.

When the operator determines that the boom raising and rotating operation is complete, he or she then opens the arm 5 and the bucket 6 as shown in FIG. 3(e) to discharge the soil in the bucket 6. This operation is called the dump operation, and this operation section is called the dump operation section. In the dump operation, only the bucket 6 may be opened to discharge the soil.

When the operator determines that the dumping operation is complete, he or she then rotates the upper rotating body 3 to move the bucket 6 directly above the excavation position, as shown in FIG. 3(f). At the same time as the rotation, the boom 4 is lowered to lower the bucket 6 to the excavation start position. This operation is part of the boom lowering and rotating operation described in FIG. 3(a). The operator lowers the bucket 6 from the excavation start position to the target excavation depth D, as shown in FIG. 3(a), and again performs the excavation operation shown in FIG. 3(b).

As described above, during excavation work, one cycle is made up of "boom lowering and swinging operation," "digging operation," "boom raising and swinging operation," "dumping operation," and "boom lowering and swinging operation," and this cycle is repeated.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of operation characteristic information. Figure 4 shows operation characteristic information when operators A, B, C, and D operate the shovel 100 to perform excavation work.

In the example of FIG. 4, the operation characteristic information generating unit 38 calculates the average values of the boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure acquired by the information acquisition device while excavation work is being performed, and uses the information showing each average value in the form of a bar graph as operation characteristic information.

In this embodiment, the operation characteristic information is shown as the average value of each pressure, but this is not limited to this. The operation characteristic information may be shown, for example, as a cumulative value or a maximum value of each pressure.

In FIG. 4, the operation characteristic information 81 is operation characteristic information generated using the values of the boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure acquired by the information acquisition device when, for example, operator A performs excavation work. Also, the operation characteristic information 82 is operation characteristic information generated using the values of the boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure acquired by the information acquisition device when operator B performs excavation work. The operation characteristic information 83 indicates operation characteristic information generated using the values of the boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure acquired by the information acquisition device when operator C performs excavation work. The operation characteristic information 84 indicates operation characteristic information generated using the values of the boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure acquired by the information acquisition device when operator D performs excavation work.

In the operation characteristic information 81, the average value of the boom rod pressure is the smallest, and the average value of the boom bottom pressure is the largest. In other words, in the operation characteristic information 81, the difference between the average value of the boom rod pressure and the average value of the boom bottom pressure is the largest. Also, in the operation characteristic information 81, the next largest value after the average value of the boom bottom pressure is the average value of the arm bottom pressure, and the next largest value after that is the average value of the bucket bottom pressure.

In the operation characteristic information 82, the average value of the arm rod pressure is the smallest, and the average value of the boom bottom pressure is the largest. In addition, in the operation characteristic information 82, the difference between the average value of the arm bottom pressure and the average value of the arm rod pressure is the largest. Furthermore, in the operation characteristic information 82, the next largest value after the average value of the boom bottom pressure is the average value of the arm bottom pressure, and the next largest value after that is the average value of the boom rod pressure.

In this way, the magnitude relationship of each value differs between operation characteristic information 81 and operation characteristic information 82, and the distribution of each pressure is different. For this reason, it can be said that the excavation work when operation characteristic information 81 was acquired and the excavation work when operation characteristic information 82 was acquired were each performed by different operators. In other words, operator A and operator B are different people.

Furthermore, in the operation characteristic information 83, similar to the operation characteristic information 82, the average value of the arm rod pressure is the smallest and the average value of the boom bottom pressure is the largest. Also, in the operation characteristic information 83, the difference between the average value of the arm bottom pressure and the average value of the arm rod pressure is the largest. Furthermore, in the operation characteristic information 82, the next largest value after the average value of the boom bottom pressure is the average value of the arm bottom pressure, and the next largest value after that is the average value of the boom rod pressure.

In this way, the distribution of each pressure is similar between operation characteristic information 83 and operation characteristic information 82. Therefore, it can be said that the operator who was performing the excavation work when operation characteristic information 83 was acquired is likely to be the same person as the operator who was performing the excavation work when operation characteristic information 82 was acquired. In other words, it can be said that operator A and operator D are likely to be the same person.

In this manner, the shovel 100 of this embodiment acquires operation characteristic information that indicates the operation characteristics of the operator who operates the shovel 100, and transmits this operation characteristic information to the management device 200.

In addition, each time a task in which a series of operations is repeated is completed, the excavator 100 may generate operation characteristic information for that task and transmit it to the management device 200.

The excavator 100 may also generate operation characteristic information at regular intervals and periodically transmit the operation characteristic information to the management device 200.

When the management device 200 of this embodiment receives operation characteristic information from the shovel 100, the management device 200 refers to a correspondence table that associates operation characteristic patterns generated from previously acquired operation characteristic information with the identification information of the operator, and identifies the operator who operated the shovel 100. Details of the correspondence table will be described later.

The management device 200 of this embodiment will be described below. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the management device.

The management device 200 of this embodiment is a computer including an input device 201, an output device 202, a drive device 203, an auxiliary storage device 204, a memory device 205, an arithmetic processing device 206, and an interface device 207, all of which are interconnected via a bus B.

The input device 201 is a device for inputting various types of information, and is realized, for example, by a keyboard or a pointing device. The output device 202 is for outputting various types of information, and is realized, for example, by a display. The interface device 207 includes a LAN card, etc., and is used for connecting to a network.

The specific program that identifies the operator is at least a part of the various programs that control the management device 200. The specific program is provided, for example, by distribution of a storage medium 208 or by downloading from a network. The storage medium 208 on which the specific program is recorded can be of various types, including storage media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as CD-ROMs, flexible disks, and magneto-optical disks, and semiconductor memories that record information electrically, such as ROMs and flash memories.

When the storage medium 208 on which the specific program is recorded is set in the drive device 203, the specific program is installed in the auxiliary storage device 204 from the storage medium 208 via the drive device 203. A specific program downloaded from the network is installed in the auxiliary storage device 204 via the interface device 207.

The auxiliary storage device 204 realizes each storage unit of the management device 200, and stores the specific program installed in the management device 200 as well as various files, data, etc. required by the management device 200. The memory device 205 reads out and stores the analysis target specific program from the auxiliary storage device 204 when the management device 200 is started. The arithmetic processing device 206 then realizes various processes as described below in accordance with the specific program stored in the memory device 205.

Next, the functions of the management device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the management device.

The management device 200 of this embodiment has an input reception unit 210, an operation characteristic information acquisition unit 220, a pattern generation unit 230, a correspondence table storage unit 240, an operator identification unit 250, a pattern update unit 260, and a display control unit 270.

The input receiving unit 210 receives various inputs to the management device 200. Specifically, the input receiving unit 210 receives operations by an administrator or the like who manages the shovel 100. The operation characteristic information acquiring unit 220 acquires (receives) operation characteristic information from the shovel 100. The pattern generating unit 230 generates an operation characteristic pattern based on the operation characteristic information acquired by the operation characteristic information acquiring unit 220. Specifically, the operation characteristic pattern is an operation pattern for each operator generated using operation characteristic information for each operator acquired and accumulated from the shovel 100.

The operation feature pattern generated by the pattern generation unit 230 is stored in the association table 241 in association with, for example, the operator identification information input by the administrator of the excavator 100 or provisionally input new identification information.

Specifically, the pattern generation unit 230 generates, as an operation feature pattern, information indicating the result of aggregating the average values of the boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure contained in the operation feature information, for example.

The association table storage unit 240 stores an association table 241 that associates identification information that identifies an operator with an operation feature pattern. In the following description, information that associates an operation feature pattern with identification information that identifies an operator may be referred to as association information. In other words, the association table storage unit 240 is an example of a storage unit that stores association information that associates identification information of an operator with an operation feature pattern.

The correspondence table 241 of this embodiment may be created in advance as a pre-processing step of the management device 200.

In the correspondence table 241, the identification information for identifying an operator is, for example, the operator's name or employee number. The operation feature pattern is information generated by the pattern generation unit 230 by aggregating operation feature information collected in the past.

Specifically, the operation characteristic pattern may be a pattern showing the distribution of each pressure generated by aggregating the average values of the boom rod pressure, boom bottom pressure, arm rod pressure, arm bottom pressure, bucket rod pressure, and bucket bottom pressure contained in the operation characteristic information for each operator and performing statistical processing.

In the management device 200 of this embodiment, an operation feature pattern is generated in advance using operation feature information associated with the operator's identification information, and a process of associating this identification information with the operation feature pattern is performed to create the association table 241.

In this embodiment, the correspondence information is stored as the correspondence table 241 (table format), but the format of the correspondence information does not have to be a table format. The correspondence information may be stored in any format as long as it is information that associates identification information that identifies an operator with an operation feature pattern.

The operator identification unit 250 refers to the association table 241 and identifies an operator to be associated with the operation characteristic information acquired by the operation characteristic information acquisition unit 220. In other words, the operator identification unit 250 is an example of an identification unit that refers to the association information stored in the memory unit and identifies the operator who was operating the shovel 100 when the operation characteristic information was acquired.

Specifically, when the operation characteristic information acquisition unit 220 receives operation characteristic information, the operator identification unit 250 compares the operation characteristic information with the operation characteristic patterns stored in the correspondence table 241 and determines whether or not there is an operation characteristic pattern similar to the received operation characteristic information.

Then, when an operation feature pattern whose similarity with the received operation feature information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is present in the association table 241, the operator identification unit 250 acquires identification information corresponding to this operation feature pattern. Note that the similarity between the operation feature information and the operation feature pattern indicates the degree of similarity in distribution.

In this embodiment, the operator identified by this identification information is identified as the operator who was operating the shovel 100 when the operation characteristic information acquisition unit 220 acquired the received operation characteristic information. Note that the predetermined threshold value may be set in advance by the administrator of the shovel 100, etc.

The pattern update unit 260 updates the correspondence table 241. Specifically, when the pattern update unit 260 receives operation feature information that is not similar to any of the operation feature patterns stored in the correspondence table 241, the pattern update unit 260 stores this operation feature information in the correspondence table 241 as a new operation feature pattern.

In addition, if an operation feature pattern similar to the received operation feature information exists in the correspondence table 241, the pattern update unit 260 updates (learns) the existing operation feature pattern using the newly acquired operation feature information.

When an instruction to display the results of identifying the operator is input by, for example, an administrator of the excavator 100, the display control unit 270 causes the results of identifying the operator to be displayed on an output device 202 such as a display.

Below, the operation of the management device 200 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the management device.

The process in FIG. 7 may be executed, for example, when an instruction to display the identification results of the operator who operated the shovel 100 is received from an administrator of the shovel 100. The process in FIG. 7 may also be executed, for example, at a set time each day.

In this embodiment, the management device 200 receives operation characteristic information from the shovel 100 via the operation characteristic information acquisition unit 220 (step S701).

Next, the management device 200 causes the operator identification unit 250 to refer to the association table 241 (step S702). Specifically, the operator identification unit 250 compares the operation characteristic information with the operation characteristic patterns stored in the association table 241.

Next, the management device 200 determines whether or not an operator has been identified by the operator identification unit 250 (step S703). Specifically, the operator identification unit 250 determines whether or not an operation feature pattern whose similarity with the operation feature information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is stored in the association table 241.

If the operator is not identified in step S703, the pattern update unit 260 stores this operation feature information in the association table 241 as a new operation feature pattern (step S704), and proceeds to step S705, which will be described later. At this time, the operator identification unit 250 sets the operator identification result to "unknown."

When an operator is not identified, this refers to a case where there is no operation feature pattern in the association table 241 whose similarity with the operation feature information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In this case, the pattern update unit 260 may associate the operation feature pattern with provisional identification information and store it in the association table 241.

If an operator is identified in step S703, the display control unit 270 causes information including the operator identification result and the operation information received by the excavator 100 to be displayed on the output device 202, etc. (step S705).

When an operator is identified, this refers to a case where an operation feature pattern whose similarity with the operation feature information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value exists in the association table 241. The pattern update unit 260 regards the identification information of the operator associated with the corresponding operation feature pattern in the association table 241 as the identification result.

The display control unit 270 may also display the results of identifying the operator on a display device other than the output device 202 of the management device 200.

In this embodiment, for example, when an instruction to display the results of identifying an operator who operated the shovel 100 during a certain time period is received, operation characteristic information and operation information for the specified time period may be acquired from the shovel 100. Then, the display control unit 270 may generate image data including information that associates the identification information of the operator identified based on the operation characteristic information with the operation information, and display the image data on the output device 202, etc.

Next, the management device 200 determines whether the input reception unit 210 has received an operation instructing approval of the displayed content (step S706). If the corresponding operation has not been received in step S706, the management device 200 ends the process.

When the corresponding operation is accepted in step S706, the management device 200 updates the operation characteristic pattern based on the approved content using the pattern update unit 260, updates the association table 241 (step S707), and ends the process.

Specifically, when the displayed identification result is corrected, the pattern update unit 260 generates an operation feature pattern including the corrected content, and reflects it in the association table 241. In addition, when the displayed identification result is approved without being corrected, the pattern update unit 260 generates an operation feature pattern including the new operation feature information received in step S701, and reflects it in the association table 241.

Below, a display example of information including the operator identification result will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is the first figure showing a display example of information including the operator identification result.

Screen 41w shown in FIG. 8 displays the estimated soil volume over time in a bar graph, and the actual and planned work volume (estimated soil volume) over time in a line graph. In the line graph, the solid line represents the target value, and the dashed line represents the value based on the actual result.

In addition, screen 41w displays the work time, the weather for each day, the total work time, the operator, the type of work, and the rotation speed mode in a table format in correspondence with the bar graphs and line graphs. In other words, screen 41w can be said to be an example of a management screen that associates the operation information of the shovel 100 with the operator who operated the shovel 100 for each work time.

In this table format, display area 61 displays information based on past performance, and display area 62 displays information based on future plans. Screen 41w also displays display areas 63, 64, and 65, and an operation button 66.

Specifically, in the display area 61 of the screen 41w, for example, for work from 8:00 to 9:00, it is shown that the weather is "sunny," the total work time is "40 minutes," the operator identification information identified from the operation characteristic information acquired during this time is "A," the type of work content is "loading (operation)," the rotation speed mode is "SP," and the amount of work for 40 minutes is W2 [t].

Screen 41w also shows, for example, that for work from 11:00 to 12:00, the weather is "sunny," the total work time is "11 minutes," the operator corresponding to the operation characteristic information acquired during this time is "unknown," the type of work content is "loading (operation)," the rotation speed mode is "SP," and the amount of work for 11 minutes is W3 [t].

Here, in this embodiment, when the operator's identification information is set to "unknown" in the display area 61, the display mode of this display field may be made different from other display fields. Specifically, when the operator's identification information is set to "unknown," this display field is highlighted.

In the example of Figure 8, the operator's identification information is "unknown" in display field 61a, so display field 61a is highlighted.

In addition, the display field 62a in the display area 62 displays, for example, a weather forecast based on meteorological information acquired by the management device 200 from an external server. The display field 62b displays the identification information of an operator who is scheduled to perform work from 14:00 and the work that this operator is scheduled to perform.

The display area 63 displays a message indicating that the management device 200 has identified an operator based on operation characteristic information for work performed by 14:00, and a message prompting the user to confirm the results of the identification by the management device 200.

The display area 64 displays a machine number for identifying the shovel 100 operated by the operator. From the display area 64, it can be seen that the management device 200 has identified the operator who operated the shovel 100 based on the operation characteristic information received from the shovel 100 identified by the machine number displayed in the display area 64.

The display area 65 displays, for example, the date and time when the operation characteristic information was received. In other words, the date and time displayed in the display area 65 may be, for example, the date and time when the management device 200 received an instruction to display the screen 41w.

The operation button 66 is an operation button for approving the identification result of the operator displayed in the display area 61. In other words, the operation button 66 is an operation button for instructing the confirmation of the correspondence between the identification information of the operator displayed in the display area 61 and the operation information.

In this embodiment, when the operation button 66 is operated, the correspondence table 241 is updated based on the operator identification results displayed in the display area 61.

Specifically, in FIG. 8, when the operation button 66 is operated and the display content is approved, the operation characteristic information acquired between 11:00 and 12:00 corresponds to an "unknown" operator. Therefore, the pattern update unit 260 may treat the operation characteristic information acquired during this time period as a new operation characteristic pattern, associate it with the provisional identification information, and store it in the association table 241.

Furthermore, the operation characteristic information acquired between 8:00 and 11:00 corresponds to the operator's identification information "A". Therefore, the pattern update unit 260 compiles the operation characteristic information acquired during this time period and the operation characteristic patterns associated with the identification information "A" in the association table 241, updates the operation characteristic patterns, and reflects them in the association table 241.

In this way, in this embodiment, each time new operation feature information is acquired from the shovel 100, the operation feature pattern for each operator is updated using the operation feature information.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the greater the amount of operation feature information acquired, the closer the operation features indicated by the operation feature pattern become to the operation features of the actual operator. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation feature pattern is updated in response to the acquisition of operation feature information, so that, for example, improvements in the operator's operation technique can be reflected in the operation feature pattern.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the greater the amount of operation feature information, the more accurate the results of identifying an operator based on the operation feature pattern can be improved.

Figure 9 is a second diagram showing an example of displaying information including the results of identifying an operator. Screen 41w shown in Figure 9 shows a state in which the operator's identification information has been entered into display field 61a by the administrator of the excavator 100, etc.

In this embodiment, the input of information is accepted in the display area 61 of the screen 41w in this manner. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, when the operator identification result is "unknown" or when the operator identification result is incorrect, the administrator of the excavator 100 can input information into the screen 41w.

When the operation button 66 is operated in the state of the screen 41w shown in FIG. 9, the pattern update unit 260 compiles the operation feature information acquired for the work performed between 8:00 and 12:00 and the operation feature pattern associated with the identification information "A" in the association table 241, and updates the operation feature pattern. Then, the pattern update unit 260 updates the association table 241 by associating the updated operation feature pattern with the identification information "A".

The screen 41w shown in Figures 8 and 9 may be displayed, for example, on the display of the support device 300 or on the display device 40 of the excavator 100.

In addition, in the examples of Figures 8 and 9, the identification information of one operator is displayed for each work time period. However, if multiple operators are operating the excavator 100 during the same work time period, the identification information of multiple operators may be displayed. The operator identification information may be the operator's name.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the operator (operator) who operated the shovel 100 can be automatically identified based on the operation characteristic information of the shovel 100. Furthermore, in this embodiment, information that associates the operation information of the shovel 100 during the time period when the operation characteristic information was acquired with the identified operator can be displayed on the screen 41w.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, for example, the operator of the excavator 100 can reduce the effort required to send identification information to the management device 200 using a terminal or the like in which his or her own identification information is stored, thereby reducing the communication load.

In addition, in this embodiment, there is no risk of misrecognition of the operator due to the terminal being used by a person other than the operator identified by the identification information. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the management device 200 identifies the operator based on the operation characteristic information, which makes it possible to prevent impersonation by a third party.

In the above embodiment, the shovel 100 is an example of a work machine, but the work machine is not limited to a shovel. The work machine may be, for example, a crane, etc.

This embodiment may also be used in combination with an identification method in which the excavator 100 receives identification information that identifies the operator from a mobile device carried by the operator. Furthermore, this embodiment may also be used in combination with an identification method in which a camera is placed inside the cabin 10 to identify the operator. In this way, by combining this embodiment with multiple identification methods, it is possible to more accurately identify the operator.

The above describes in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Lower traveling body 2 Swing mechanism 3 Upper rotating body 4 Boom 5 Arm 6 Bucket 10 Cabin 11 Engine 30 Controller 35 Work volume calculation unit 36, 270 Display control unit 37 Fuel consumption calculation unit 38 Operation characteristic information generation unit 40 Display device 100 Shovel 200 Management device 220 Operation characteristic information acquisition unit 230 Pattern generation unit 240 Correspondence table storage unit 241 Correspondence table 250 Operator identification unit 260 Pattern update unit

Claims (6)

A work machine management system for managing a work machine,
a storage unit in which a correspondence table is stored in which identification information for identifying an operator is associated with an operation feature pattern that indicates the operation features of each operator and is generated by collecting operation feature information previously acquired from the work machine for each operator;
an identification unit that identifies an operator corresponding to the operation feature information based on the operation feature information acquired from the work machine and the correspondence table ,
the operation characteristic information is information indicating a distribution of cylinder pressures of a plurality of cylinders that drive a plurality of attachments of the work machine for each operator,
A management system for a work machine , wherein the operation feature pattern is information indicating a distribution pattern of the cylinder pressure generated by aggregating the operation feature information collected in the past . A work machine management system for managing a work machine,
a storage unit in which a correspondence table is stored in which identification information for identifying an operator is associated with an operation feature pattern that indicates the operation features of each operator and is generated by collecting operation feature information previously acquired from the work machine for each operator;
an identification unit that identifies an operator corresponding to the operation feature information based on the operation feature information acquired from the work machine and the correspondence table,
when operation feature information not similar to any of the operation feature patterns stored in the correspondence table is acquired from the work machine, the operation feature information not similar to any of the operation feature patterns is stored in the correspondence table as a new operation feature pattern,
A work machine management system having an update unit that updates the similar operation feature pattern using the acquired operation feature information when an operation feature pattern similar to the operation feature information acquired from the work machine is stored in the correspondence table. A work machine management system for managing a work machine,
a storage unit in which a correspondence table is stored in which identification information for identifying an operator is associated with an operation feature pattern indicative of an operation feature;
an identification unit that identifies an operator corresponding to the operation feature information based on the operation feature information acquired from the work machine and the correspondence table;
a display control unit that displays a screen showing information correlating the operator identified by the identification unit with operation information of the work machine at the time the operation characteristic information was acquired. The display control unit is
4. A work machine management system as described in claim 3, which accepts an instruction to display the identification result of the operator of the work machine in a certain time period, and displays a screen including information correlating the operator identified by the identification unit based on the operation characteristic information acquired in the time period with operation information including the operation characteristic information acquired in the time period. a pattern generating unit that generates an operation feature pattern for each operator by using a distribution of cylinder pressures of a plurality of cylinders that drive a plurality of attachments of the work machine, the distribution being included in the operation feature information collected for each operator;
5. The management system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein the correspondence table, in which the operation feature pattern for each operator is associated with the identification information of the operator, is stored in the storage unit. The identification unit is
6. The work machine management system according to claim 5, wherein an operator identified by identification information associated with an operation feature pattern, among the operation feature patterns stored in the association table, in which a similarity in distribution of cylinder pressures of the plurality of cylinders included in the operation feature information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, is identified as the operator corresponding to the operation feature information.

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