JP7554053B2 - Installation System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a construction system using a work machine, etc.

Workers who work around work machines such as construction machinery and mobile cranes are at risk of being pinched or entangled by the work machine. For this reason, workers can reduce the risk by working at a distance from the work machine, but it is also expected that workers may approach the work machine to assist with work performed by the machine. In general, safety and productivity are inversely proportional; if a worker keeps a distance from the work machine to increase safety, productivity decreases, and if a worker moves closer to the work machine to increase productivity, safety decreases.

Patent Document 1 provides an excavator that can ensure the safety of nearby workers, and includes a human detection means that detects people within a specified range around the excavator, and a controller that determines at each specified control period whether the human detection means has detected a person before the hydraulic actuator is operated, and prohibits any of the swinging, traveling, and excavation operations if an obstacle is detected. As a result, when the excavator detects nearby workers, it prohibits operation, ensuring the safety of the workers.

JP 2019-7348 A

The excavator in Patent Document 1 aims to ensure the safety of surrounding workers by stopping the machine. However, at construction sites where work machines are in operation, various risks can occur, such as the risk of the work machine tipping over or falling, and the risk of productivity decreasing due to excessive restrictions on the operation of the work machine, in addition to the risk of contact between the work machine and surrounding workers.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a construction system that can reduce various risks that occur at construction sites where work machines and workers work together.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a construction system comprising a work machine capable of operation under automatic or semi-automatic control and capable of acquiring information on its own internal state or information on its surroundings, a server computer that calculates quantified risk information based on information within the work environment in which the work machine operates, and a communications network that communicatively connects the work machine and the server computer, wherein the server computer stores the calculated risk information in chronological order at a fixed frequency, and based on the risk information stored in chronological order, calculates candidate values for automatic control parameters of the work machine as update automatic control parameters so as to reduce risk while maximizing a weighted sum of a function that evaluates safety in the work environment and a function that evaluates productivity in the work environment, and the work machine receives the update automatic control parameters via the communications network and updates the automatic control parameters with the update automatic control parameters.

According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to change the behavior of the automatic or semi-automatic control of a work machine so as to reduce various risks determined based on information within the work environment.

The construction system of the present invention makes it possible to reduce various risks that occur at construction sites where work machines and workers work together.

1 is an overall view of a construction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a configuration diagram of a construction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a functional block diagram of a construction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of collision risk information in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of fall risk information in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of heat stroke risk information according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which a risk of being pinched occurs in an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention using a hydraulic excavator as an example of a work machine with reference to the drawings. Note that in each drawing, the same reference numerals are used for equivalent elements, and duplicate explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

Figure 1 is an overall view of the construction system of this embodiment. The construction system 1 is composed of a work machine 2, a worker terminal 4 worn by a worker 3, an environmental sensor 5, a communication device 6, and a server computer 7 having a calculation device such as a CPU.

The work machine 2 includes any machine that performs work at a construction site, such as construction machinery or transport vehicles. The work machine 2 is equipped with communication devices and a control computer, and can operate under automatic or semi-automatic control by the control computer. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates a hydraulic excavator as an example of the work machine 2.

The worker 3 is a person who performs work within the construction site, and drives the work machine 2, assists the work of the work machine 2, and performs work independently of the work machine 2. The worker terminal 4 is a device worn by the worker 3, and is equipped with a computer, communication equipment, output devices such as a speaker and a monitor, and input devices such as a touch panel and buttons. In this embodiment, a wristwatch-type terminal is illustrated as an example of the worker terminal 4, but it may be a glass-type terminal or have another shape, and it does not have to be a device worn by the worker. Specifically, it may be carried by the worker or may be located near the worker, such as a monitor in the driver's seat facing the operator.

The environmental sensor 5 is installed within the construction site and is equipped with a camera, laser sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, etc., to acquire environmental information. It also has communication equipment like the work machine 2 and the worker terminal 4. It may be installed permanently at the site, or it may be installed simply and easily moved to another location. The communication equipment 6 is equipment that allows the construction site to be connected to the same communication network, and is composed of wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access points, etc. The server computer 7 is a computer connected to the communication network of the communication equipment 6.

The work machine 2, worker terminal 4, and environmental sensor 5 can connect to the communication network provided by the communication equipment 6 via their respective communication devices, enabling information to be transmitted via communication with the server computer 7 connected to the same communication network.

Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the construction system 1.

The work machine 2 is equipped with a work implement 24 that performs various tasks (for example, in the case of a hydraulic excavator, a front mechanism consisting of a boom, arm, bucket, etc.), and the work implement 24 is controlled by a controller 21. The work machine 2 also includes a sensor 22 that measures the state of the work machine 2 itself (machine internal information), such as the state of the work implement 24, and the surrounding conditions (surrounding information), such as the positions of moving objects around the work machine 2, and a communication device 23 that enables the work machine 2 to communicate with the outside. The information measured by the sensor 22 is passed to the controller 21. The controller 21 can also exchange information with the outside of the machine via the communication device 23. The communication device 23 is connected to a communication network 61 provided within the construction site by communication equipment 6.

The worker terminal 4 includes an input interface (IF) 43 consisting of a touch panel, buttons, switches, etc., an output interface 44 consisting of a monitor, speaker, vibration device, etc., a controller 41 that controls the input/output interface, a sensor 42 consisting of a GPS (Global Positioning System) that measures bioinformation such as the heart rate and position information of the worker 3 wearing the terminal, etc., and a communication device 45 for communicating with the outside. The information measured by the sensor 42 (worker information) is passed to the controller 41. The controller 41 can also exchange information with the outside of the device via the communication device 45. The communication device 45 is connected to a communication network 61.

The environmental sensor 5 includes a camera or laser sensor that measures the positions of surrounding moving objects and the position and shape of the work target (surrounding information), a sensor 52 consisting of a thermometer or hygrometer that measures environmental information such as temperature and humidity, a controller 51 that receives the raw information measured by the sensor 52 and performs processing such as converting it into physical values or other information, and a communication device 53 that is connected to a communication network 61 and enables the controller 51 to exchange information with the outside.

The server computer 7 is connected to the communication network 61 by wire or wirelessly, and can acquire information from the work machines 2, worker terminals 4, environmental sensors 5, etc. that are connected to the same communication network, and can transmit information within the computer.

The number of work machines 2, worker terminals 4, and environmental sensors 5 at a construction site is not limited to one; there may be multiple of each, or none at all. Additionally, the surrounding information, environmental information, and worker information may be acquired by any of the work machines 2, worker terminals 4, and environmental sensors 5. However, at least one of the surrounding information, environmental information, and worker information must be acquired and sent to the server computer 7.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the construction system 1. The main functions of the construction system 1 are a machine internal information/surrounding information acquisition function 2a and an automatic control function 2b that operate on the work machine 2, a worker information acquisition function 4a and a warning function 4b that operate on the worker terminal 4, a surrounding information/environmental information acquisition function 5a that operates on an environmental sensor 5, and a risk analysis function 7a and a construction system optimization calculation function 7b that operate on the server computer 7.

The internal machine information/surrounding area information acquisition function 2a processes information acquired by the sensor 22 of the work machine 2 in the controller 21 as necessary, and transmits it to the risk analysis function 7a of the server computer 7 via the communication device 23 and the communication network 61. The automatic control function 2b calculates the control amount for operating the work machine 24 in the controller 21 of the work machine 2, and controls the work machine 24. Note that the automatic control function 2b can also be replaced with a semi-automatic control function that automates only part of the operation of the work machine 24.

The worker information acquisition function 4a processes information acquired by the sensor 42 of the worker terminal 4 in the controller 41 as necessary, and transmits the information to the risk analysis function 7a of the server computer 7 via the communication device 45 or the communication network 61. The warning function 4b generates information to be output to the output interface 44 in the controller 41 of the worker terminal 4, and outputs the information to the output interface 44.

The surrounding information/environmental information acquisition function 5a processes the information acquired by the sensor 52 of the environmental sensor 5 in the controller 51 as necessary, and transmits it to the risk analysis function 7a of the server computer 7 via the communication device 53 and the communication network 61.

The risk analysis function 7a collects and analyzes various information within the construction site to quantify the risk within the site. For example, the risk of a collision between the work machine 2 and the worker 3 can be calculated from the machine's position, movement direction, and movement speed contained in the machine's internal information, and the position, movement direction, and movement speed of the worker 3 contained in the surrounding information or worker information. The risk of a collision here is the probability of a collision occurring, and can be estimated from the relative positional relationship and movement state between the two objects. In addition to collisions, if there is a step in the shape of the site contained in the surrounding information, and information that the work machine is near the step and is moving in that direction contained in the machine's internal information, the risk of the work machine tipping over or falling can be estimated, and the risk of heatstroke of the worker can be estimated from the temperature and humidity information contained in the environmental information and the worker's biological information such as the worker's heart rate contained in the worker information. In situations where a worker is between a work machine and an obstacle (such as a building) and the work machine is approaching the worker, the risk of being pinched increases, and if the worker is in the direction of travel of the work machine's tires or crawlers, the risk of being run over or entangled can be estimated to be high. In this way, risk analysis function 7a calculates various risks that may occur at a construction site in response to each work machine and each worker present at the construction site.

Figure 4 shows collision risk information as an example of risk information output by the risk analysis function 7a. If there are three work machines 2 (work machines A to D) and four workers 3 (workers A to D) at a construction site, the risk of collision between each work machine and each worker is calculated. The risk here is expressed, for example, as the probability that the event will occur within a specified time.

Figure 5 shows an example of risk information for tipping over of a work machine 2, and Figure 6 shows an example of risk information for heat stroke of a worker 3. The risk of being pinched or entangled can be expressed in the same way as the risk of collision. As shown in Figures 4 to 6, risk information is calculated in a form corresponding to each work machine 2 or worker 3.

The specific method for calculating risk information can be any method, but for example, various information from actual construction sites can be accumulated while manually creating data on what risks existed at the time, and then using the former as learning data and the latter as teacher data, a risk calculation model can be created and trained using techniques such as machine learning and neural networks, so that when a similar on-site situation occurs, risk information can be output from the trained model.

Another method of calculating risk information is to calculate risk based on predetermined rules. Here, as an example, a calculation method based on the rules for entrapment risk information is described. FIG. 7 shows an example of the occurrence of the entrapment risk. If the rules for increasing the entrapment risk are defined as (1) an obstacle is present around the work machine, (2) the work machine is moving in the direction of the obstacle, and (3) the worker is present or about to be present between the work machine and the obstacle, then the entrapment risk Rc can be calculated as Rc = fc (Pm, Po, Ph, Vm, Vh) when the work machine position Pm (mx, my), the obstacle position Po (ox, oy), the person position Ph (hx, hy), the work machine movement speed Vm (mvx, mvy), and the person movement speed Vh (hvx, hvy) are taken as the position of the work machine Pm (mx, my), the obstacle position Po (ox, oy), the person position Ph (hx, hy), the work machine movement speed Vm (mvx, mvy), and the person movement speed Vh (hvx, hvy). Here, the position Pm and movement speed Vm of the work machine are obtained from internal machine information, the position Po of the obstacle is obtained from surrounding information, and the position Ph and speed Vh of the worker are obtained from surrounding information or worker information. The function fc calculates the pinch risk Rc from this information, and is configured to calculate a high value based on rules in a situation where an obstacle is present around the machine and the machine is operating in the direction of the obstacle, and in a situation where a person is between the machine and the obstacle or is moving toward the space between the machine and the obstacle.

The risk analysis function 7a transmits the calculated risk information in real time at short intervals (e.g., 0.5 second intervals) to the automatic control function 2b and the warning function 4b. The risk analysis function 7a also saves the calculated risk information in chronological order, and transmits the time-series risk information at long intervals (e.g., several hours to one day). The automatic control function 2b temporarily changes the automatic control behavior to reduce risk based on the risk information, and the warning function 4b temporarily changes the warning behavior to reduce risk based on the risk information. The construction system optimization calculation function 7b permanently changes the automatic control behavior by the automatic control function 2b and the warning behavior by the warning function 4b using long-term risk information.

The construction system optimization calculation function 7b calculates parameters for optimizing the safety and productivity of the construction site based on the risk information calculated by the risk analysis function 7a. The parameters referred to here refer to the automatic control parameters (described in detail later) used in the automatic control function 2b and the warning control parameters (described in detail later) used in the warning function 4b. The construction system optimization calculation function 7b updates parameters that are effective in reducing the risk of the obtained risk information. However, since many parameters have a trade-off relationship between safety and productivity, if the parameters are updated only in the direction of reducing risk, safety will improve but productivity may decrease. For this reason, for example, a weight is determined to indicate the ratio of importance given to safety and productivity at the site, and optimization is performed by a method such as maximizing the weighted sum of safety and productivity. Specifically, any optimization calculation method may be used, but for example, a method is considered in which the objective function f is set to f(p) = ωF _S (p) + (1-ω)F _P (p) and p is obtained at which the objective function f is maximized. Here, ω is a variable that determines the priority of safety and productivity and takes a value between 0 and 1, and p is a set of parameters including automatic control parameters and warning control parameters. Furthermore, F _S is a function that evaluates safety for p, and F _P is a function that evaluates productivity for p. If safety and productivity are in a trade-off relationship, when the risk information obtained from the risk analysis function 7a is greater than the allowable value, it is determined that productivity is being prioritized too much, and ω is increased to increase safety. Conversely, when the risk information is smaller than the allowable value, it is determined that safety is being prioritized too much, and ω is decreased to increase productivity. Using the determined ω, p at which the objective function f is maximized is calculated. For the long-term risk information sent from the risk analysis function 7a to the construction system optimization calculation function 7b, a method of using the average value in the time axis direction or the maximum value can be considered.

The work machine 2 used in the construction system 1 is a machine that can operate manned or unmanned, and can perform part or all of its work and associated safety operations through automatic control. The automatic control function 2b performed by automatic control is, for example, a function that operates the work machine automatically (automatically controlling the entire work machine) or semi-automatically (automatically controlling part of the work machine by intervening in the operator's operation) to perform the desired work, or automatically slows down the operation speed or automatically stops the operation when a person approaches. The automatic control is performed based on automatic control parameters held in the controller 21. The automatic control parameters are a set of variables necessary for planning and executing operations, such as enable/disable of the automatic control function 2b, operation conditions, operation range, and operation speed and size.

The work machine 2 improves work efficiency and contributes to improved construction productivity by performing some or all of the work automatically. However, because it operates against the operator's instructions or unmanned, there is a risk of reduced safety. In addition, by slowing or stopping operation when a person approaches, the risk of collision with or entanglement with the person is reduced, contributing to improved construction safety. However, if operation slows down or stops when the user wishes to perform work, there is a risk of reduced productivity. In this way, the automatic control function 2b may result in a trade-off between productivity and safety, and the balance between safety and productivity is determined by the automatic control parameters.

The worker terminal 4 can use the output interface 44 to give the worker 3 wearing the terminal a notice by the warning function 4b. For example, the position information of the worker 3 obtained by the sensor 42 (strictly speaking, this is the position of the worker terminal 4, but here the position of the worker terminal 4 is substituted for the position of the worker 3) is compared in the controller 41 with the position of the work machine 2 sent from the work machine 2 via the communication network 61, and when the position of the worker 3 approaches the position of the work machine 2 to a certain extent, the worker terminal 4 can warn the worker 3 of the approach to the work machine 2 by the output interface 44 such as a monitor, vibration, or sound. This warning function 4b is performed based on warning control parameters held in the controller 41. The warning control parameters are a set of variables necessary for executing a warning, such as the enable/disable of the warning function 4b, warning conditions, and warning method.

If the worker 3 unconsciously approaches the work machine 2, the warning function 4b may alert the worker 3 and potentially help avoid risks such as a collision with or being caught in the work machine 2 due to unnecessary approach, thereby contributing to improved safety. On the other hand, if the worker 3 approaches the work machine 2 out of necessity and consciously, this warning is unnecessary, and there is a risk of productivity decreasing if the worker 3 is forced to take unnecessary action such as stopping the warning. In this way, the functions of the worker terminal 4 may be in a trade-off relationship between productivity and safety, and the balance between safety and productivity is determined by the warning control parameters.

Next, we will explain emergency risk reduction through real-time risk information feedback as one of the features of construction system 1.

The risk information calculated by the risk analysis function 7a is fed back in real time to the automatic control function 2b and the warning function 4b.

Automatic control function 2b acquires risk information corresponding to itself and changes the behavior of the automatic control in accordance with the risk information. Specifically, for example, if information is obtained indicating that the risk of a collision between itself and a certain worker is higher than an acceptable value, the movement in the direction of that worker is restricted (the maximum speed of movement is restricted) or stopped. If the risk information falls below the acceptable value, the movement restriction and stop control are released, allowing normal operation. In this way, automatic control function 2b can improve the safety of the work site by controlling its own behavior to reduce risk in accordance with risk information. Note that this is equivalent to temporarily changing automatic control parameters such as the avoidance range and avoidance method (deceleration or stopping) and changing the behavior of the automatic control when one of automatic control functions 2b has a function for avoiding collisions with moving objects (collision damage reduction function).

The warning function 4b acquires risk information corresponding to the wearer (worker) of the worker terminal 4, and changes the warning behavior in accordance with the risk information. Specifically, for example, if information is obtained indicating that the risk of a collision between the worker and a certain work machine is higher than an allowable value, the output interface 44 is used to warn the worker by sound, vibration, etc., to make the worker aware of the risk of a collision. This warning allows the worker to become aware of the possibility of a collision before it occurs, and by avoiding the collision, the safety of the work site can be improved. Note that this is equivalent to temporarily changing the control parameters such as the warning range and warning method (sound only, sound and vibration, etc.) and changing the warning behavior when one of the warning functions is a function to warn of approaching work machines.

Next, we will explain the second feature of construction system 1, which is its drastic risk reduction using long-term risk information.

The risk information calculated by the risk analysis function 7a is stored within the risk analysis function 7a for a certain period of time, and the stored time-series risk information is sent together to the construction system optimization calculation function 7b. This cycle may be on the order of a few hours to a few days. Based on this time-series risk information, the construction system optimization calculation function 7b calculates automatic control parameters and warning control parameters that optimize safety and productivity within the construction site, as described above. The automatic control parameters are sent to the automatic control function 2b, and the automatic control parameters within the automatic control function 2b are updated. The warning control parameters are sent to the warning function 4b, and the warning control parameters within the warning function 4b are updated.

Specifically, when there is time-series risk information indicating that the risk of collision between a work machine 2 in a specific location or performing a specific task and a worker 3 frequently increases over a certain period of time, the construction system optimization calculation function 7b calculates automatic control parameters to reduce the risk of collision below an allowable value by widening the avoidance range of the function for avoiding collisions with moving objects, which is one of the automatic control functions 2b, for the work machine 2 in that location or performing that task, or by increasing the deceleration rate of the work implement 24 for avoidance. As a result, the automatic control parameters are updated, and for a work machine 2 in a high-risk location or performing high-risk task, automatic control operates in a direction that reduces the risk. This parameter update is not temporary, but is carried over until the next update.

Specifically, when there is time-series risk information indicating that the risk of collision with a work machine of a worker in a specific location or performing a specific task frequently increases over a certain period of time, the construction system optimization calculation function 7b calculates automatic control parameters to widen the warning range of the warning function that warns of approach to the work machine 2 for workers in that location or performing that task, or to strengthen the warning level, in order to reduce the risk of collision to below an acceptable value. This updates the warning control parameters, and encourages workers 3 who are in a high-risk location or performing high-risk tasks to behave in a way that reduces the risk. This parameter update is not temporary, but is carried over until the next update.

Parameter updates can also be performed for a specific work machine 2 or worker 3. However, different parameters for different machines or people mean that they behave differently, which may be confusing for others. For this reason, it is better to have only one type of parameter at a construction site.

The construction system 1 configured as above has the following overall characteristics:

In construction using the construction system 1 of this embodiment, information on machines, people, and the environment is collected. This information is instantly analyzed by the risk analysis function 7a, and risk information is fed back to the work machine 2 and worker 3 at the site in real time. This makes it possible to appropriately control the behavior of the worker 3 and work machine 2 in high-risk locations and reduce risk. For example, if a worker 3 not wearing a worker terminal 4 is trying to approach the work machine 2 from the blind spot of the work machine 2, it is determined that there is a high risk that the operator of the work machine 2 will not notice the worker 3 and will rear-end the work machine 2, and control such as automatically slowing down the operating speed of the work machine 2 is activated. In this construction system, risk analysis is performed in real time based on various information obtained from the site in this way, and risk information is fed back to the site in sequence, providing a mechanism for temporarily reducing risk. This is called the first risk information feedback loop.

The risk information analyzed in real time by the risk analysis function 7a is accumulated in the risk analysis function 7a. This accumulated risk information identifies potential and fundamental risks at the construction site, and site-specific risks that were not anticipated at the time of design/planning (for example, poor positional relationship between two construction sites, which inevitably results in many overlaps in the movement paths of people and machines, or incompatibility between operators and workers, which results in frequent near misses, etc.) are extracted. This time-series risk information is delivered to the construction system optimization calculation function 7b. The construction system optimization calculation function 7b calculates parameters that optimize safety and productivity based on this time-series risk information and reconstructs the system. This construction system thus has a mechanism for extracting potential and fundamental risks at the site that were not anticipated in the original plan, and reconstructing the system to further reduce risk, thereby achieving fundamental risk reduction. This is called the second risk information feedback.

In these two loop structures, the first risk information feedback loop is an emergency response to risks at that moment, while the second risk information feedback loop is a drastic response to potential, fundamental risks. By effectively running these two loops, this construction system can minimize risks and optimize safety and productivity for each individual work site.

Using the situation in Figure 7 as an example, we will show one concrete example of how this embodiment contributes to optimizing safety and productivity.

First, we will explain emergency risk reduction through real-time risk information feedback. Based on the relative positions of the work machine 2, obstacle 8, and worker 3, and the motion and movement speeds (speed also includes direction) of the work machine 2 and worker 3, the risk analysis function 7a calculates that there is a high possibility of being trapped if the work machine continues moving at the current speed, and high risk information is obtained. This risk information is fed back to the automatic control function of the work machine, and the operation speed limit parameter of the collision damage reduction function, which is one of the automatic control functions 2b of the work machine 2, temporarily increases. Note that the degree to which the parameter is changed based on the level of risk information is predetermined. The operation speed limit parameter is a parameter related to how much the operation speed is reduced in the collision damage reduction function when a collision with a person or obstacle is imminent, and the larger the operation speed limit parameter is, the more the speed is reduced (the slower the speed becomes). If the worker 3 is not present in the situation shown in Figure 7, the work machine 2 will activate its normal collision damage mitigation function against the obstacle 8, and automatic control will be activated to avoid colliding with the obstacle 8. However, if the worker 3 is present and moving between the work machine 2 and the obstacle 8, as in the situation shown in Figure 7, the risk of collision is higher than when only the obstacle 8 is present, and the risk of getting caught is reduced by imposing a stronger speed limit on the operation of the work machine 2.

Next, we will explain drastic risk reduction using long-term risk information. If the situation in FIG. 7 occurs frequently in the same place, the long-term risk information will show that the risk around the obstacle 8 tends to be high. The reason why the situation in FIG. 7 occurs frequently is that the obstacle 8 is the shortest route to the target point where the worker 3 sometimes passes by, and the worker 3 tends to choose that route from the perspective of improving productivity even if it means taking a certain amount of risk. When such long-term risk information is obtained, the construction system optimization calculation function 7b updates the warning control parameters so that when the worker 3 approaches the obstacle 8 that tends to be high risk, a warning or a warning is given to the worker 3 via the worker terminal 4. Specifically, the position information of the obstacle 8 is added to the parameter array indicating the warning target position among the warning control parameters. This is equivalent to the construction system optimization calculation function 7b updating the rules of the site so that the route (around the obstacle) should not be traveled, or the surrounding conditions of the work machine 2 and the like must be confirmed before traveling along the route.

In this embodiment, in a construction system 1 including a work machine 2 capable of operating under automatic or semi-automatic control and capable of acquiring information on its own internal state or information on its surroundings, a computer 7 that performs risk analysis based on information within the work environment in which the work machine 2 operates, and a communication network 61 that communicatively connects the work machine 2 and the computer 7, the work machine 2 receives the risk analysis results of the computer 7 via the communication network 61, and changes the automatic control parameters used for the automatic or semi-automatic control in accordance with the risk analysis results.

According to this embodiment configured as described above, the behavior of the automatic control or semi-automatic control of the work machine 2 can be temporarily changed so that various risks predicted based on information within the work environment are reduced. This makes it possible to reduce various risks that occur at a construction site where the work machine 2 and the worker 3 work together.

Furthermore, based on the risk analysis results, the computer 7 calculates candidate values for automatic control parameters that improve construction safety or productivity in the work environment as updated automatic control parameters, and the work machine 2 receives the updated automatic control parameters via the communication network 61 and updates the automatic control parameters with the updated automatic control parameters. This makes it possible to permanently change the behavior of the automatic control or semi-automatic control of the work machine 2 so as to reduce the average level of risk to construction safety or productivity predicted based on information within the work environment.

The construction system 1 according to this embodiment is also provided with a worker terminal 4 capable of performing a warning operation, and the worker terminal 4 receives the risk analysis results of the computer 7 via the communication network 61, and changes the warning control parameters used in the warning operation according to the risk analysis results. This makes it possible to temporarily change the warning behavior of the worker terminal 4 so as to reduce various risks predicted based on information within the work environment.

Furthermore, the computer 7 calculates candidate values of warning control parameters that improve the safety or productivity of construction in the work environment as updated warning control parameters based on the risk analysis results, and the worker terminal 4 receives the updated warning control parameters via the communication network 61 and updates the warning control parameters with the updated warning control parameters. This makes it possible to permanently change the warning behavior of the worker terminal 4 so as to reduce the average level of risk to the safety or productivity of construction predicted based on information within the work environment.

The worker terminal 4 also has a sensor 42 capable of acquiring its own position information or information about its surroundings as worker terminal information, and the computer 7 receives the worker terminal information via the communication network 61 and includes the worker terminal information in the information within the work environment. This makes it possible to temporarily change the behavior of the automatic or semi-automatic control of the work machine 2 or the warning behavior of the worker terminal 4 so as to reduce various risks predicted based on information within the work environment including information acquired by the worker terminal 4, or to permanently change the behavior of the automatic or semi-automatic control of the work machine 2 or the warning behavior of the worker terminal 4 so as to reduce the average level of these risks.

The construction system 1 in this embodiment also includes an environmental sensor 5 that is installed in the work environment and is capable of acquiring information about the surroundings as environmental information, and the computer 7 receives the environmental information via a communication network 61 and includes the environmental information in the information in the work environment. This makes it possible to temporarily change the behavior of the automatic or semi-automatic control of the work machine 2 or the warning behavior of the worker terminal 4 so as to reduce various risks predicted based on information in the work environment including information acquired by the environmental sensor 5, or to permanently change the behavior of the automatic or semi-automatic control of the work machine 2 or the warning behavior of the worker terminal 4 so as to reduce the average level of these risks.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-mentioned embodiment has been described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to an embodiment having all of the configurations described.

1...construction system, 2...work machine, 21...controller, 22...sensor, 23...communication equipment, 24...work machine, 3...worker, 4...worker terminal, 41...controller, 42...sensor, 43...input interface, 44...output interface, 45...communication equipment, 5...environmental sensor, 51...controller, 52...sensor, 53...communication equipment, 6...communication equipment, 61...communication network, 7...server computer, 8...obstacle.

Claims (4)

A construction system including a work machine capable of operating under automatic or semi-automatic control and capable of acquiring information on its own internal state or information on its surroundings, a server computer that calculates quantified risk information based on information within the work environment in which the work machine operates, and a communication network that connects the work machine and the server computer so that they can communicate with each other,
the server computer stores the calculated risk information in a chronological order at a fixed frequency, and calculates candidate values for automatic control parameters of the work machine as automatic control parameters for update based on the risk information stored in chronological order so as to reduce risk while maximizing a weighted sum of a function for evaluating safety in the work environment and a function for evaluating productivity in the work environment;
A construction system comprising: the work machine receiving the update automatic control parameters via the communication network, and updating the automatic control parameters with the update automatic control parameters. In the construction system according to claim 1,
Equipped with a worker terminal capable of issuing warnings,
the server computer calculates, based on the risk information , a candidate value of a warning control parameter used for a warning operation of the worker terminal as an updated warning control parameter by maximizing a weighted sum of a function for evaluating safety in the work environment and a function for evaluating productivity in the work environment;
The construction system according to claim 1, wherein the worker terminal receives the updated warning control parameters via the communication network, and updates the warning control parameters with the updated warning control parameters. In the construction system according to claim 2,
the worker terminal has a sensor capable of acquiring its own position information or information about its surroundings as worker terminal information,
The server computer receives the worker terminal information via the communication network, and includes the worker terminal information in information within the work environment. In the construction system according to claim 1,
An environmental sensor is provided in the work environment and capable of acquiring information about the surroundings as environmental information,
The server computer receives the environmental information via the communication network, and includes the environmental information in information about the work environment.

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