Patent Grant
12146293
The present invention relates to a work machine.
Recently, the introduction of computerized construction has been underway on construction sites. Computerized construction is a system for achieving higher efficiency of construction by an information communication technology (ICT: Information and Communication Technology) with attention directed to construction among processes such as survey, design, construction, inspection, and management, and with utilization of electronic information. Known as a work machine supporting computerized construction is a hydraulic excavator that incorporates a guidance function of displaying, on a monitor, information on a machine body position, the posture of a front work implement, and the position of a construction target surface, and a machine control function of preventing a bucket located at a distal end of the front work implement from entering below the construction target surface. The work machine supporting such computerized construction provides functions of presenting information to an operator, assisting in work, and assisting in operation on the basis of computerized construction data having three-dimensional coordinate information.
The work machine is often operated continuously on a construction site or the like so that construction is completed before a construction period desired by a construction client ends. Thus, when an abnormality such as a failure has occurred in the work machine, repair or the like needs to be performed quickly. The work machine supporting computerized construction needs to include a satellite positioning system, a posture sensor, a communication terminal, a radio, a pressure sensor, hydraulic equipment including a solenoid valve, and the like in a machine body in order to calculate the position of the machine body, the posture of the front work implement, and the like. When such equipment fails, functions of the computerized construction machine are lost, and the construction period is also affected. Therefore, when an abnormality has occurred in the machine on the site, it is necessary to grasp the state of each piece of equipment, immediately determine whether the cause of the abnormality is a failure in the equipment, and then determine a subsequent measure.
A hydraulic excavator operation management system is known as a conventional system that manages whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the work machine. A controller of a hydraulic excavator in a typical operation management system records and collects operation data related to the operation state of mounted equipment such as a start and a stop of an engine and pump oil pressure, integrates the operation data into data in units of one day, and transmits the operation data of a previous day to a computer of a ground station through satellite communication at a time of a start of operation on a next day, for example. The computer of the ground station transmits the received operation data to a computer (server) of a management section remote from the work site via an Internet line, for example.
In relation to this kind of operation management system, a system described in Patent Document 1 displays a plurality of pieces of work position information and a work state of a hydraulic excavator on a work site, on a monitor (display device) within a cabin of the hydraulic excavator in order to perform more detailed operation management of the hydraulic excavator on the work site. More detailed operation management than conventional is thereby made possible.
Patent Document 1: JP-2013-114580-A
Unlike a conventional hydraulic excavator, the hydraulic excavator supporting computerized construction may include an RTK (Real Time Kinematic)-GNSS receiver that receives signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites by two antennas for GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and calculates the position and azimuth angle of the hydraulic excavator (upper swing structure) in a geographic coordinate system; and a radio for receiving correction information used by the RTK-GNSS receiver to realize high-accuracy positioning calculation from a reference station (reference point). When an abnormality occurs in the work machine supporting such computerized construction (the work machine may be referred to as a “computerized construction machine”), not only a failure in the mounted equipment as mentioned above but also a surrounding environment affecting states of communication with positioning satellites and the reference station (for example, an obstacle obstructing the direct arrival of radio waves and the presence of radio interference) may be the cause of the abnormality. That is, it is important to identify the cause of the abnormality while considering information about the surrounding environment or the like, to which attention has not been directed in the conventional operation management system. In particular, the computerized construction machine may automatically operate a part of actuators by using a machine control function, and therefore, it is more important than ever to record the occurrence of an abnormality phenomenon and investigate the abnormality phenomenon.
However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 performs detailed operation management of the conventional hydraulic excavator but does not assume the computerized construction machine that constructs a construction target surface. Therefore, a case where the bucket enters under the construction target surface, for example, cannot be detected as an abnormality, and the cause of the abnormality occurring in the computerized construction machine cannot be identified correctly because information about the hydraulic excavator which is recorded at a time of occurrence of the abnormality does not include information indicating the states of communication with positioning satellites and the reference station.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a work machine that, when a problem occurs in operation as a computerized construction machine, can identify the cause of the problem including not only a failure in equipment but also surrounding conditions related to construction and the like such as states of communication with positioning satellites and a reference station.
The present application includes a plurality of types of means for solving the above-described problems. To cite an example of the means, there is provided a work machine including a work implement attached to a machine main body; an operation sensor that detects an operation of the work implement by an operator; a pressure sensor that detects a pressure on a hydraulic actuator that drives the work implement; a posture sensor that detects a posture of the work implement; an antenna that is attached to the machine main body and receives satellite signals from a plurality of positioning satellites; a receiver configured to calculate a position of the machine main body on a basis of the satellite signals received by the antenna; a first communication device that receives, from a base station, a correction signal used when the receiver calculates the position of the machine main body; and a controller having a storage device storing a position of a construction target surface, and configured to calculate magnitude of a position difference in a height direction between the construction target surface and the work implement on a basis of the position of the construction target surface stored in the storage device, the position of the machine main body calculated by the receiver, and the posture of the work implement detected by the posture sensor. The controller is configured to record, in the storage device, snapshot data of information about the operation sensor, the pressure sensor, the posture sensor, the receiver, and the first communication device in a predetermined period determined based on a time at which the magnitude of the position difference exceeds a predetermined value when the magnitude of the position difference exceeds the predetermined value, and diagnose a cause of the magnitude of the position difference exceeding the predetermined value, on a basis of the snapshot data.
According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain the snapshot data of information about equipment necessary for computerized construction (for example, the receiver configured to calculate the position of the machine main body and the first communication device that receives the correction signal from the base station) at a time of occurrence of an abnormality. It therefore becomes easy to identify not only a failure in equipment but also an abnormality cause related to states of communication with positioning satellites and a reference station by referring to the snapshot data.
A work machine management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described. The present embodiment is an application of the present invention to a hydraulic excavator of a crawler type as a work machine and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred on the basis of a distance (target surface distance) between a front work implement of the hydraulic excavator and a construction target surface. Incidentally, in each figure, the same members are identified by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, in the following description, when there are a plurality of similar members, the plurality of similar members may be denoted with lowercase alphabetic letters added to ends of reference numerals. However, the plurality of members may be denoted collectively with the lowercase alphabetic letters omitted. For example, when there are three similar valves 10a, 10a, and 10a, these valves may be denoted collectively as valves 10.
The front work implement 3 includes a plurality of front implement members such as a boom 6, an arm 7, and a bucket (attachment) 8. The front implement members 6, 7, and 8 are respectively driven by a boom cylinder 9, an arm cylinder 10, and a bucket cylinder 11.
The front work implement 3 is equipped with a plurality of posture sensors 20 (20a, 20b, and 20c) for detecting the posture of the front work implement 3. The posture sensor 20a is a boom angle sensor for detecting the posture (rotational angle) of the boom 6. The posture sensor 20b is an arm angle sensor for detecting the posture (rotational angle) of the arm 7. The posture sensor 20c is a bucket angle sensor for detecting the posture (rotational angle) of the bucket 8. Incidentally, the posture sensors 20 in the present embodiment are potentiometers that detect the rotational angles of the respective front implement members 6, 7, and 8. However, inertial measurement units that detect the inclination angles of the respective front implement members 6, 7, and 8 may be used as the posture sensors 20. The upper swing structure 4 is provided with inclination angle sensors (for example, inertial measurement units) 26a and 26b that detect inclination angles (a pitch angle and a roll angle) of the upper swing structure 4, as posture sensors.
The upper swing structure 4 is provided with devices including, for example, a cab 12 boarded by an operator; a swing hydraulic motor 13 for swinging the upper swing structure 4 left and right; an engine 31; a hydraulic pump 32 that is driven by the engine 31 and supplies a hydraulic operating fluid to each of the hydraulic actuators 9, 10, 11, 13, and 15; and a control valve 33 that controls the hydraulic operating fluid supplied from the hydraulic pump 32 to each of the actuators 9, 10, 11, 13, and 15.
The upper swing structure 4 is further equipped with two GNSS antennas 28a and 28b for receiving satellite signals from a plurality of positioning satellites; a GNSS receiver 21 (see
The cab 12 houses a control lever (operation device) 17 for the operator to operate the front work implement 3, the upper swing structure 4, the lower track structure 5, and the like. The operator can drive each of the boom cylinder 9, the arm cylinder 10, the bucket cylinder 11, the swing hydraulic motor 13, and the travelling motors 15a and 15b by operating the control lever 17. The control lever 17 in the present embodiment is of a hydraulic pilot type. Detection of an operation input to the control lever 17 by the operator is performed by an operation sensor 34 (see
In addition, a touch panel display 19 incorporating various kinds of setting functions and display functions for construction is installed in the cab 12. The touch panel display 19 in the present embodiment functions as a display device (monitor) that displays various kinds of information about the hydraulic excavator 1 and construction on a screen, and also functions as a construction target surface setting device 24 for setting a construction target surface.
In addition, the cab 12 is provided with a controller 100 having a storage device 25 that stores the position of the construction target surface. The controller 100 calculates a target surface distance as a distance between the construction target surface and the front work implement 3 on the basis of the position of the construction target surface which is stored in the storage device 25, the position of the machine main body 2 which is calculated by the GNSS receiver 21, and the posture of the front work implement 3 which is detected by the posture sensors 20. Incidentally, though the controller 100 and the storage device 25 are installed within the cab 12 in the present embodiment, the controller 100 and the storage device 25 may be installed outside the cab. In addition, the storage device 25 does not need to be provided within the controller 100 and may be an external storage device (for example, a semiconductor memory) independent of the controller 100, for example.
The lower track structure 5 has crawlers 14a and 14b on both a left side and a right side. The hydraulic excavator 1 travels when the left and right crawlers 14a and 14b are respectively driven by the left and right travelling motors 15a and 15b. The upper swing structure 4 is rotatably connected to the lower track structure 5 via a swing wheel 16 and is driven by the swing hydraulic motor 13.
In the example of
The hydraulic excavator 1 performs work such as soil excavation, cutting, embankment, or ground leveling on the construction site. The external management server 102 is, for example, a computer including a calculation processing device (for example, a CPU), a storage device (for example, a ROM or a RAM), and the like. The external management server 102 is connected to another terminal such as a computer installed in a support center 103 via a communication network such as the Internet and is capable of mutual communication with the support center 103. For example, a design terrain profile of the construction site is created on the terminal in the support center 103, and the design terrain profile is transmitted as construction target surface data (design surface data) to the hydraulic excavator 1 via the external management server 102. The external management server 102 and the terminal in the support center 103 may be respectively constituted by a plurality of servers and a plurality of terminals.
The external management server 102 receives information transmitted from the hydraulic excavators 1 and, for example, transmits and receives information to and from each hydraulic excavator 1 through satellite communication and mobile telephone communication. The external management server 102 stores information (for example, snapshot data to be described later) transmitted from the hydraulic excavator 1 through the communication network and manages the information such that an administrator or a user can refer to the information as required.
The GNSS receiver 21 is a device for calculating the position and azimuth angle of the machine main body 2 (upper swing structure 4) in the geographic coordinate system. In the present embodiment, the GNSS receiver 21 is connected to the two GNSS antennas 28a and 28b. The GNSS antennas 28a and 28b are antennas for RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic-Global Navigation Satellite Systems). The GNSS receiver 21 can measure position coordinate values of the respective antennas 28a and 28b, the coordinate values including the latitudes, longitudes, and ellipsoidal heights of the respective antennas 28a and 28b. In addition, the azimuth angle of the upper swing structure 4 can be calculated by calculating a vector from one GNSS antenna 28a to the other GNSS antenna 28b on the basis of the measured coordinate values of the respective GNSS antennas 28a and 28b. The GNSS receiver 21 outputs information about the position and azimuth angle (orientation) of the hydraulic excavator 1, the position and azimuth angle being computed as described above, to the controller 100.
The posture sensors 20 are devices for obtaining the posture information on the front work implement 3. The posture sensors 20, for example, measure rotation by the angle sensors attached to the boom 6, the arm 7, and the bucket 8. Here,
Inclination angle sensors 26a and 26b that detect a roll angle θroll and a pitch angle θpitch are attached to the upper swing structure 4. The posture sensor 20a detects an angle θbm of the boom 6 by measuring a rotational angle of the boom pin that couples the upper swing structure 4 and the boom 6 to each other. The posture sensor 20b detects an angle θam of the arm 7 by measuring a rotational angle of an arm pin that couples the boom 6 and the arm 7 to each other. The posture sensor 20c detects an angle θbk of the bucket 8 by measuring a rotational angle of a bucket pin that couples the arm 7 and the bucket 8 to each other. The angle information on the parts 4, 6, 7, and 8 which is computed as described above is output to the controller 100.
The construction target surface setting device 24 is, for example, a controller sharing the display 19 prepared for computerized construction. The construction target surface setting device 24 allows settings of work contents and various kinds of settings to be made in addition to a setting of the construction target surface and allows settings related to machine guidance to be made. For example, three-dimensional construction target surface data can be input to the construction target surface setting device 24 via a USB memory or the like. In addition, the construction target surface can also be read by input from the server via the network. This device may also serve as a controller or may be a terminal such as a tablet.
The camera (surrounding information sensor) 22 is a device for obtaining information about surrounding conditions of the machine main body 2 and is, for example, a device for detecting an object that is an obstacle to satellite signals transmitted from positioning satellites. While only one camera 22 is installed in the rear of the upper swing structure 4 in
The operation sensor 34 is a sensor for detecting an operation of the operator. In the present embodiment, the operation sensor 34 is a pressure sensor that detects a pilot pressure output according to an operation of the control lever 17 by the operator.
The operation state information obtaining device 27 is a device for obtaining information about the operation state of the hydraulic excavator (machine body) 1 (operation state information). The operation state information includes information about the operation state of each piece of equipment included in the hydraulic excavator 1, such as the engine 31, a hydraulic system, the posture sensors 20, the GNSS receiver 21, the construction target surface setting device 24, the camera 22, the radio 29, and the communication device 23. In the present embodiment, pressure sensors respectively attached to bottom side hydraulic chambers and rod side hydraulic chambers of the hydraulic cylinders 9, 10, and 11 that operate the front work implement 3 are used as the operation state information obtaining device 27, and the output of the pressure sensors is output to the controller 100.
The display 19 is a device for displaying a result of diagnosis of the cause of an abnormality by the controller 100 and various kinds of information. In the present embodiment, the display 19 is a monitor of a liquid crystal display installed in the cab 12, and the screen of the monitor displays information such as an image of the hydraulic excavator 1 as viewed from the side, the image being generated on the basis of information obtained by each posture sensor 20, and the sectional shape of the construction target surface.
The storage device 25 is a device for recording various kinds of information, the device being possessed by the controller 100. The storage device 25 can also be made independent of the controller 100 and can be configured, for example, as a nonvolatile storage medium such as a flash memory to be detachable through a dedicated insertion port within the cab 12.
The radio (first communication device) 29 is a communication device for receiving, from the reference station, a correction signal used when the GNSS receiver 21 calculates the position of the machine main body 2 (upper swing structure 4). Positioning accuracy is improved when the correction signal received by the radio 29 is used for positioning calculation in the GNSS receiver 21.
The communication device (second communication device) 23 is a device for mutual communication between the hydraulic excavator 1 and an external terminal. The communication device 23, for example, transmits and receives information between the hydraulic excavator 1 and the server 102 at a remote place through satellite communication. Specifically, the communication device transmits information recorded in the storage device 25 or secondary information generated on the basis of the information recorded in the storage device 25, to the server 102. In addition, the communication device 23 may realize exchange of information between the hydraulic excavator 1 and a base station through a mobile telephone network and a narrow band wireless communication network.
Next, each of functions of the controller 100 will be described. The position information detecting section 110 can transform any coordinate value in the machine body coordinate system shown in
The posture calculating section 111 computes the position coordinates of a distal end (claw tip) of the bucket 8 in the geographic coordinate system used for construction by the hydraulic excavator 1, on the basis of the angle information on the front implement members 6, 7, and 8 in the machine body coordinate system, the angle information being computed by the posture sensors 20, and the position coordinate information on the boom pin in the geographic coordinate system, the position coordinate information being computed by the position information detecting section 110. In addition, the posture calculating section 111 can calculate posture information for computing an image of the hydraulic excavator 1 as viewed from the side, the image being for use on the display 19.
The construction target surface calculating section 112 calculates the sectional shape of the construction target surface corresponding to the position of the bucket 8, on the basis of the position information on the construction target surface in the geographic coordinate system which is input from the construction target surface setting device 24 and stored in the storage device 25 and the position information on the bucket claw tip in the geographic coordinate system which is calculated by the posture calculating section 111. The sectional shape of the construction target surface which is computed here is used for calculation of the target surface distance, the sectional shape of the construction target surface presented by the display 19, and the like. Incidentally, while the construction target surface is assumed to be defined in the geographic coordinate system in this case, the construction target surface may be defined in a site coordinate system set on the work site.
The operation state estimating section 113 estimates the operation contents of the hydraulic excavator 1 on the basis of information input from the operation sensor 34 and the operation state information obtaining device 27. For example, the operation state estimating section 113 determines whether the hydraulic excavator 1 is performing excavation, on the basis of machine body position information, posture sensor information, operation sensor information, and construction target surface information described earlier. Whether the hydraulic excavator 1 is actually performing excavation work may not be able to be determined on the basis of only the above-described information, in some cases. Thus, the determination may be made by using information of the pressure sensors attached to the respective actuators 9, 10, and 11. In addition, the operation state estimating section 113 calculates a target surface distance D (see
The abnormal state determining section 114 determines what is abnormal with regard to the operation of the hydraulic excavator 1, on the basis of information about an abnormality of each piece of equipment included in the hydraulic excavator 1, such as the posture sensors 20, the GNSS receiver 21, the construction target surface setting device 24, the camera 22, the radio 29, and the communication device 23. In the computerized construction machine, the operator operates so as to perform excavation along the presented construction target surface. However, if the distal end of the bucket enters below the construction target surface and there is excessive excavation with respect to the construction target surface as a result of actual construction, the operator recognizes the occurrence of an abnormality. At times of those abnormalities, the abnormal state determining section 114 determines whether a failure of equipment itself is the cause or whether satellite reception conditions or radio wave conditions related to communication are poor. Details of processing performed by the abnormal state determining section 114 will next be described.
In the following, computerized construction in which machine control that controls at least the boom 6 (boom cylinder 9) such that the distal end of the bucket 8 is retained above the construction target surface is performed will be taken as an example.
The construction state diagnosing section 201 is a section that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality by diagnosing a state of construction by the hydraulic excavator 1. As shown in
When the construction state diagnosing section 201 determines that an abnormality has occurred, the construction state diagnosing section 201 outputs a snapshot data recording command to the information recording section 115. The snapshot data recording command is a command for making the information recording section 115 record snapshot data (to be described later) in the storage device 25. The snapshot data recording command may include a command that makes the information recording section 115 transmit the snapshot data to the external management server 102. In addition, the snapshot data recording command can also be output to the information recording section 115 within the controller 100 of another hydraulic excavator (another machine) located around the own machine (hydraulic excavator 1).
The information recording section 115 shown in
A snapshot data recording command may be input from the controller 100 of another hydraulic excavator 1 in some cases. For example, when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in a certain hydraulic excavator 1, a snapshot data recording command is output from the construction state diagnosing section 201 (controller 100) of the certain hydraulic excavator 1 also to the information recording section 115 (controller 100) of another hydraulic excavator 1 located within a predetermined distance with the certain hydraulic excavator 1 set as a reference. Consequently, the other hydraulic excavator also records snapshot data within the predetermined period with the time of occurrence of the abnormality in the certain hydraulic excavator 1 as a reference, and the snapshot data of each hydraulic excavator 1 is transmitted to and stored in the external management server 102. It is therefore possible to refer also to the snapshot data of the other hydraulic excavator 1 located in the surroundings of the certain hydraulic excavator 1 detecting the abnormality. Thus, whether an abnormality due to a surrounding environment has occurred may be able to be determined in some cases. For example, when there is radio interference or the like in the surroundings and satellite reception conditions are poor, a similar abnormality is considered to have occurred also in a plurality of hydraulic excavators present in the surroundings.
The snapshot data may include an image photographed by the camera 22 in the predetermined period with the time that the target surface distance D reaches less than the predetermined value d1 as a reference. This image may be a still image or may be a moving image. It is possible to check the conditions of the surrounding environment at the time of the occurrence of the abnormality, by referring to this image.
The snapshot data includes the position of the machine main body 2 (upper swing structure 4), the posture of the front work implement 3, an amount of operation of the control lever 17 by the operator, pressure sensor values of the respective actuators 8, 9, and 10, a kind of positioning solution by the GNSS receiver 21 (a Fix solution, a Float solution, or a single positioning solution), the number of positioning satellites from which the GNSS receiver 21 can receive satellite signals, a positioning mode of the GNSS receiver 21 (for example, an accurate mode or an approximate mode), conditions of reception of the correction signal by the radio (first communication device) 29 (communication log data), conditions of transmission and reception of data by the communication device (second communication device) 23 (communication log data), a surrounding image photographed by the camera 22, satellite positioning data (for example, in an NMEA format) output from the GNSS receiver 21, a connection setting of the communication device 2, the time at which the target surface distance D reaches less than the predetermined value d1, and the like. The information recording section 115 records the snapshot data in the storage device 25. In addition, when the information recording section 115 stores the snapshot data in the storage device 25 at the time of input of the snapshot data recording command, the information recording section 115 may transmit the snapshot data to the external management server 102 via the communication device 23.
When the construction state diagnosing section 201 determines that an abnormality has occurred (that is, D<d1), it is necessary to determine whether the cause of the abnormality is an equipment failure (that is, an abnormality originating from hardware) or whether the abnormality results from another cause. The equipment failure diagnosing section 202 diagnoses the presence or absence of a failure in equipment included in the hydraulic excavator 1 (for example, at least one piece of equipment among the operation sensor 34, the pressure sensors 27, the posture sensors 20, the GNSS receiver 21, and the radio 29) on the basis of the snapshot data recorded in the storage device 25 by the information recording section 115. That is, here, the presence or absence of a failure in equipment necessary for computerized construction is grasped, the equipment including the posture sensors 20 of the boom 6, the arm 7, the bucket 8, and the like, the operation sensor 34, the GNSS receiver 21, the pressure sensors (operation state information obtaining device) 27 of the respective actuators 9, 10, and 11, the communication device 23, the radio 29, and the like in addition to standard equipment such as the engine 31 and the hydraulic pump 32 mounted in the hydraulic excavator 1. When there is an abnormality in such equipment, the equipment failure diagnosing section 202 outputs information about the faulty equipment and an equipment failure flag.
The state diagnosing section 203 is a section that checks the presence or absence of an abnormality related to communication and GNSS positioning used in computerized construction, on the basis of the snapshot data, when the equipment failure diagnosing section 202 does not find any failure in the mounted equipment. That is, on the basis of the snapshot data, the state diagnosing section 203 performs diagnosis of an abnormality cause related to a state of communication of the radio 29 with a base station and diagnosis of an abnormality cause related to positioning in the GNSS receiver 21. For example, as for the former abnormality cause, correction information necessary in RTK-GNSS (information received by the radio 29) may not be input due to a communication abnormality. In addition, as for the latter abnormality cause, a state of arrangement of positioning satellites may be unbalanced (a DOP (Dilution Of Precision) value may relatively be large). The state diagnosing section 203 outputs an abnormality cause diagnosis result.
A diagnosis result output section 204 displays the diagnosis results of the equipment failure diagnosing section 202 and the state diagnosing section 203, on the display (monitor) 19.
The external management server 102 stores the construction target surface data, soil information, terrain profile information including the periphery of the construction site, a communicable area, and the like, and the external management server 102 can also grasp communication conditions. In addition, it becomes easy to grasp abnormal time data related to the environment such as satellites or communication by adopting a configuration in which, when an abnormality occurs in a certain hydraulic excavator 1, not only the snapshot data of the hydraulic excavator but also the snapshot data of the hydraulic excavators 1 in the surroundings thereof is uploaded to the server. In particular, in performing computerized construction, during work using such machine control that the operation of a part of the machine is automated in the computerized construction, an event may occur in which deep excavation is excessively performed with respect to the construction target surface or in which the bucket cannot approach the construction target surface. In such a case, conventionally, a serviceperson needs to go to the site and determine whether a machine abnormality has occurred or whether there is an effect of surrounding conditions, for example, by observing the actual behavior of the machine and checking the states of various kinds of sensors and the like. In the present embodiment, on the other hand, the work contents and the state of each piece of mounted equipment can be checked after data at the time of the abnormality is transmitted to the external management server 102. Thus, support can be provided efficiently.
Abnormality diagnosis processing of the controller 100 configured as described above will next be described with reference to
The controller 100 performs a flow shown in
In step S2, the controller 100 (construction target surface calculating section 112) calculates the sectional shape of the construction target surface corresponding to the position of the bucket 8, on the basis of the position information on the construction target surface in the geographic coordinate system which is input from the construction target surface setting device 24 and stored in the storage device 25 and the position information on the bucket claw tip in the geographic coordinate system which is calculated by the posture calculating section 111.
In step S3, the controller 100 (operation state estimating section 113) calculates the target surface distance D as a distance from the bucket claw tip to the construction target surface, on the basis of the position information on the bucket claw tip which position information is calculated in step S1 and the sectional shape of the construction target surface which sectional shape is calculated in step S2.
In step S4, the controller 100 (construction state diagnosing section 201) determines whether or not excessive excavation has occurred with respect to the construction target surface by determining whether or not the target surface distance D calculated in step S3 is less than the predetermined value d1. That is, whether or not an accuracy required for machine control is not achieved and thus an abnormality has occurred is determined. Here, when the target surface distance D is equal to or more than d1, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred, and the processing proceeds to step S20. The processing is then ended. When the target surface distance D is less than d1, on the other hand, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, and an abnormality occurrence time is stored in the storage device 25. The processing then proceeds to step S5.
In step S5, the construction state diagnosing section 201 (controller 100) outputs a snapshot data recording command to the information recording section 115. With the input of the snapshot data recording command as a trigger, the information recording section 115 records snapshot data in the storage device 25 and uploads the same snapshot data to the external management server 102.
In step S6, the controller 100 (equipment failure diagnosing section 202) diagnoses the presence or absence of a failure in the equipment necessary for computerized construction (machine control) (the posture sensors 20, the operation sensor 34, the GNSS receiver 21, the pressure sensors (operation state information obtaining device) 27 of the respective actuators 9, 10, and 11, the communication device 23, the radio 29, and the like), on the basis of the snapshot data stored in the storage device 25 in step S5.
In step S7, the controller 100 (equipment failure diagnosing section 202) determines whether or not there is a failure in the equipment necessary for computerized construction in step S6. When there is faulty equipment, the controller 100 (equipment failure diagnosing section 202) proceeds to step S8 and outputs an equipment failure flag. The name of the faulty equipment is thereby displayed on the display 19. When there is no faulty equipment, on the other hand, the processing is advanced to step S9.
In step S9, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines whether or not the positioning solution (positioning state) of the GNSS receiver 21 in the snapshot data stored in step S5 is the Fix solution. When the positioning solution is the Fix solution, the processing moves to a flowchart of first processing shown in
In step S10, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines whether or not the positioning solution (positioning state) of the GNSS receiver 21 in the snapshot data stored in step S5 is the Float solution. When the positioning solution is the Float solution, the processing moves to a flowchart of second processing shown in
In step S11, the positioning solution (positioning state) of the GNSS receiver 21 in the snapshot data stored in step S5 is the single positioning solution. Therefore, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) proceeds to a flowchart of third processing shown in
In step S102, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines that there is a problem in at least either the communication environment of the radio 29 or the correction signal transmitted from the reference station. The controller 100 then moves to next processing (step S103).
In step S103, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message or an icon) for giving an instruction to check whether the reference station is able to transmit the correction information, and outputs the display data to the display 19. As a result, the display data is displayed on the display 19.
In the following step S104, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) also generates display data (for example, a message or an icon) for giving an instruction to check whether or not there is an object generating radio waves or an object interrupting radio waves in the surroundings, and outputs the display data to the display 19. As a result, the display data is displayed on the display 19. When the display on the display 19 is completed, the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in steps S103 and S104 (for example, the contents of the displayed abnormality causes and measures, data taken into consideration when the display data is generated, a display time, and the like) in the storage device 25 (step S112), ends the processing, and stands by until a next control cycle.
In step S105, on the other hand, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for instructing the operator to perform input as to whether a GNSS accuracy mode set in the GNSS receiver 21 is either an accurate mode or an approximate mode, and outputs the display data to the display 19. Incidentally, the GNSS accuracy mode in the present embodiment is classified according to the magnitude of variations (errors) of a positioning result with which the GNSS receiver 21 ends positioning computation, and in the accurate mode, variations with which the positioning computation is ended are set to a value relatively smaller than that of the approximate mode (value of high accuracy positioning).
In step S106, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines whether or not the GNSS accuracy mode input after display in step S105 is the accurate mode. When the accurate mode is set, the processing proceeds to step S107. Otherwise (when the approximate mode is set), the processing proceeds to step S109.
In step S107, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) stores, in the storage device 25, the GNSS accuracy mode at the time (that is, the accurate mode) and a positioning accuracy determination condition set in the GNSS accuracy mode (for example, when positioning result variations (errors) within 30 mm are tolerated in the accurate mode, a numerical value representing the tolerable range). The processing then proceeds to step S108.
In step S108, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for making a notification that the strict positioning condition of the set GNSS accuracy mode is the cause of occurrence of the abnormality, and outputs the display data to the display 19. The controller 100 then ends the processing. Receiving the input of the display data, the display 19 performs display to indicate that the setting of the GNSS accuracy mode to the accurate mode is the cause of the abnormality. Then, the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in steps S105 and S108 in the storage device 25 (step S112), and ends the processing.
When the processing proceeds to step S109 (when the GNSS accuracy mode is the approximate mode), on the other hand, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) diagnoses, as the cause of the abnormality, poor satellite signal reception conditions in the GNSS antennas 28, specifically, a small number of satellites from which satellite signals can be received, a poor arrangement of satellites from which satellite signals can be received, or the like.
In step S110, the controller (diagnosis result output section 204) obtains satellite positioning data (for example, in the NMEA format) output from the GNSS receiver 21. The controller stores the satellite positioning data in the storage device 25, generates display data for displaying the satellite positioning data on the display 19, and outputs the display data to the display 19 (step S111). After the display 19 that has received the input of the display data displays the satellite positioning data, the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in steps S105 and S111, in the storage device 25 (step S112). The processing is then ended.
In step S202, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines that there is a problem in the communication environment of the radio 29. The controller 100 then moves to next processing (step S203).
In step S203, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) obtains the communication log data of the radio 29 and stores the communication log data in the storage device 25.
In step S204, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for prompting the operator to check the communication environment of the radio 29 such as a connection and a setting of the radio 29, and outputs the display data to the display 19. Receiving the input of this display data, the display 19 displays the display data, and the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in step S204, in the storage device 25 (step S212). The processing is then ended.
When the processing proceeds to step S205 (when the correction information is able to be received by the radio 29), on the other hand, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data for having the operator (or the user) check the number of satellites from which the GNSS receiver 21 can receive satellite signals (for example, a message in which the number of satellites can be grasped, such as a “total number of satellites: X ([breakdown] GPS: x1, GLONASS: x2, . . . )”), and outputs the display data to the display 19.
In step S206, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines whether or not the number of satellites which is displayed in step S205 exceeds a predetermined value n1 (for example, 10). When the displayed number of satellites exceeds the predetermined value n1, the processing proceeds to step S207. Otherwise (when the number of satellites is equal to or less than 10), the processing proceeds to step S209.
In step S207, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) obtains the communication log data of the radio 29 and stores the communication log data in the storage device 25.
In step S208, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for prompting the operator to reconfirm the communication speed of the radio 29 and an equipment failure and outputs the display data to the display 19. Receiving the input of the display data, the display 19 displays the display data, and the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in steps S205 and S208, in the storage device 25 (step S212). The processing is then ended.
When the processing proceeds to step S209 (when the number of satellites is equal to or less than the predetermined value n1), on the other hand, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) diagnoses, as the cause of the abnormality, poor satellite signal reception conditions in the GNSS antennas 28, specifically, a small number of satellites from which satellite signals can be received, a poor arrangement of satellites from which satellite signals can be received, or the like.
In step S210, the controller (diagnosis result output section 204) obtains the satellite positioning data (for example, in the NMEA format) output from the GNSS receiver 21. The controller stores the satellite positioning data in the storage device 25, generates display data for displaying the satellite positioning data on the display 19, and outputs the display data to the display 19 (step S211). Receiving the input of the display data, the display 19 displays the satellite positioning data, and the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in steps S205 and S211, in the storage device 25 (step S212). The processing is then ended.
In step S302, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines that there is a problem in the correction information format of the radio 29 or the communication environment of the radio 29. The controller 100 then moves to next processing (step S303).
In step S303, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) obtains the communication log data of the radio 29 and stores the communication log data in the storage device 25.
In step S304, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for prompting the operator to check the communication environment of the radio 29 such as a connection and a setting of the radio 29, and outputs the display data to the display 19. Receiving the input of the display data, the display 19 displays the display data, and the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in step S304, in the storage device 25 (step S312). The processing is then ended.
When the processing proceeds to step S305 (when the correction information is able to be received by the radio 29), on the other hand, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for instructing the operator to input the number of satellites from which the GNSS receiver 21 can receive satellite signals, and outputs the display data to the display 19. Then, the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in steps S305 and S308, in the storage device 25 (step S312). The processing is then ended.
In step S306, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines whether or not the number of satellites which is input after display in step S305 exceeds a predetermined value n2 (for example, zero). When the input number of satellites exceeds the predetermined value n2, the processing proceeds to step S307. Otherwise (when the number of satellites is zero), the processing proceeds to step S309.
In step S307, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) obtains the communication log data of the radio 29 and stores the communication log data in the storage device 25, and obtains the satellite positioning data (for example, in the NMEA format) output from the GNSS receiver 21 and stores the satellite positioning data in the storage device 25.
In step S308, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for prompting the operator to restart the radio 29 and the GNSS receiver 21, and outputs the display data to the display 19. Receiving the input of this display data, the display 19 displays the display data. The processing is then ended.
On the other hand, in step S309, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) determines that there is a problem in the correction information format of the radio 29. The controller then moves to next processing (step S310).
In step S310, the controller 100 (state diagnosing section 203) obtains the communication log data of the radio 29 and stores the communication log data in the storage device 25.
In step S311, the controller 100 (diagnosis result output section 204) generates display data (for example, a message) for prompting the operator to check the communication environment of the radio 29 such as a connection and a setting of the radio 29, and outputs the display data to the display 19. Receiving the input of this display data, the display 19 displays the display data, and the controller 100 stores information about the display data generated in steps S305 and S311, in the storage device 25 (step S312). The processing is then ended.
<Actions and Effects>
In the management system configured as described above, the controller 100 included in the hydraulic excavator 1 capable of computerized construction such as what is called machine control determines that an abnormality has occurred when the target surface distance D reaches less than the predetermined value d1, stores, in the storage device 25, the snapshot data of information about the equipment necessary for computerized construction (for example, the operation sensor 34, the pressure sensors 27, the posture sensors 20, the GNSS receiver 21, and the radio 29), and diagnoses a cause of the target surface distance D reaching less than the predetermined value d1, that is, the cause of the abnormality, on the basis of the snapshot data. When the controller 100 is configured as described above, the snapshot data of the information about the equipment necessary for computerized construction can be obtained at a time of the occurrence of the abnormality, and therefore, it becomes easy to identify the abnormality cause.
In the present embodiment, the snapshot data includes an image photographed by the camera 22. It is therefore possible to grasp conditions of the surroundings of the hydraulic excavator 1, the conditions being unable to be grasped from only the operation data (numerical data) of each piece of equipment at the time of the occurrence of the abnormality. For example, it is also possible to detect an obstacle that can cause the abnormality, by interrupting signals to the radio 29 and the GNSS receiver 21.
Further, in the present embodiment, the use of the snapshot data recording command enables the management system to be configured such that the controllers 100 of other hydraulic excavators located in the surroundings of the hydraulic excavator in which the abnormality has occurred also record snapshot data and transmit the display data to the server 102. When the system is thus configured such that not only the snapshot data of the hydraulic excavator in which the abnormality is detected but also the snapshot data of the hydraulic excavators in the surroundings is uploaded to the server 102 in conjunction with the hydraulic excavator, it becomes easy to grasp that an abnormality occurs not due to hardware but the surrounding environment, and it becomes easy to identify an abnormality cause.
In particular, the controller 100 according to the present embodiment first diagnoses the presence or absence of a hardware failure in the equipment necessary for computerized construction. When that kind of failure is not detected, the controller 100 attempts to identify the abnormality cause by performing different processing (three pieces of processing in the present embodiment) according to the positioning solution of the GNSS receiver 21. Specifically, the controller 100 is configured to diagnose an abnormality cause related to the state of communication of the radio (first communication device) 29 with the base station and an abnormality cause related to positioning in the GNSS receiver 21, on the basis of the conditions of reception of the correction information from the base station, the GNSS accuracy mode, and the number of satellites from which satellite signals are received. It is thereby possible to diagnose and identify not only a failure in hardware but also an abnormality cause related to communication conditions of the communication equipment necessary for computerized construction. Thus, a period of time from the occurrence of an abnormality to a return to work can be shortened, so that work efficiency can be improved.
In addition, in the management system according to the present embodiment, a result of diagnosis by the controller 100 can be displayed on the display (monitor) 19 within the cab 12 of the hydraulic excavator 1. Thus, the abnormality cause and a measure effective for resolving the abnormality can promptly be transmitted to the operator. There is an abnormality that is resolved when the operator himself/herself implements the displayed measure. Thus, opportunities to return to normal work without waiting for arrival of a serviceperson or inquiry to the manufacturer are increased, so that work efficiency can be improved. In addition, the information related to the display data is stored in the storage device 25 (steps S112, 212, and 312) and can therefore be used for diagnosis after the occurrence of the abnormality.
<Others>
Incidentally, in the above description, an example has been described in which, when it is determined in step S4 in
In addition, in the above description, description has been made of a case where the controller 100 of the hydraulic excavator 1 diagnoses an abnormality on the basis of the snapshot data. However, a configuration may be adopted in which the snapshot data temporarily recorded in the storage device 25 at the time of detection of the abnormality is uploaded (transmitted) to the external management server 102, the external management server 102 performs the abnormality diagnosis on the basis of the snapshot data, and a result of the diagnosis is transmitted to the corresponding hydraulic excavator 1. In this case, a configuration is considered in which the server 102 incorporates the functions of the equipment failure diagnosing section 202, the state diagnosing section 203, and the diagnosis result output section 204 in the abnormal state determining section 114 in
In the above description, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred when the target surface distance D is less than the predetermined value d1, and the snapshot data is then recorded. However, a configuration may be adopted in which the snapshot data is recorded when another condition that makes it possible to identify an abnormality as having occurred in the computerized construction machine is satisfied.
In addition, in place of calculating the target surface distance D, the controller 100 may calculate the magnitude (absolute value) of a difference in position in a height direction between the construction target surface and the front work implement 3, on the basis of the position of the construction target surface which is stored in the storage device 25, the position of the machine main body 2 which is calculated by the GNSS receiver 21, and the posture of the front work implement 3 which is detected by the posture sensors 20 (20a, 20b, and 20c). Whether or not an abnormality has occurred may be determined on the basis of whether or not the magnitude of the position difference exceeds a predetermined value. At this time, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred when the magnitude of the position difference exceeds the predetermined value. Useable as the predetermined value is, for example, |±α| which is an absolute value of an upper limit value or a lower limit value of the required accuracy range mentioned in the above description. When the magnitude (absolute value) of the position difference is thus calculated and whether or not an abnormality has occurred is determined, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred not only when excessive excavation occurs with respect to the construction target surface as described above (when the bucket 8 is located on the lower side of the construction target surface) but also when excavation is insufficient with respect to the construction target surface (when the bucket 8 is located on the upper side of the construction target surface). Incidentally, usable as the “position difference in the height direction” between the construction target surface and the front work implement 3 is a position difference in a vertical direction (gravitational direction) or a position difference in a direction normal to the construction target surface.
In the above description, the target surface distance D is the distance between the construction target surface and the distal end (claw tip) of the bucket 8, as shown in
It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments and includes various modifications within a scope not departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to including all of the configurations described in the foregoing embodiments and includes configurations obtained by omitting a part of the configurations. In addition, a part of a configuration according to a certain embodiment can be added to or replaced with a configuration according to another embodiment.
In addition, a part or the whole of each configuration of the controller 100 described above and functions, execution processing, and the like of each such configuration may be implemented by hardware (for example, by designing logic for performing each function by an integrated circuit). In addition, the configurations of the controller described above may be a program (software) that implements each function of the configurations of the controller by being read and executed by a calculation processing device (for example, a CPU). Information related to the program can be stored in, for example, a semiconductor memory (a flash memory, an SSD, or the like), a magnetic storage device (a hard disk drive or the like), and a recording medium (a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or the like), and the like.
In addition, in the description of each of the foregoing embodiments, control lines and information lines construed as necessary for the description of the embodiments are illustrated. However, not all of control lines and information lines of a product are necessarily illustrated. Almost all configurations may be considered to be actually interconnected.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-059387 | Mar 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/013468 | 3/25/2020 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2020/196674 | 10/1/2020 | WO | A |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220049453 A1 | Feb 2022 | US |
