EP4350077A1 - Civil engineering machine and method for operating a civil engineering machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a civil engineering machine with a mobile carrier device and a mast or boom arm, which are arranged on the carrier device. Furthermore, a civil engineering tool is provided, which is adjustably arranged on the mast or boom arm for carrying out a civil engineering measure. Furthermore, a control unit is provided, as well as an operating cabin for at least one operator and with at least one display device, which is connected to the control unit and is designed to display operating data recorded by the control unit to the machine operator in several display fields on the at least one display device. According to the invention, it is provided that the control unit is designed such that the arrangement and/or the type of display fields can be changed and set by the machine operator and can be stored as a personal configuration of the machine operator independently of the control unit. The invention also relates to a method for operating such a civil engineering machine.

Description

The invention relates to a civil engineering machine, in particular a drilling rig, with a mobile carrier device, a mast or boom arm which is arranged on the carrier device, and a civil engineering tool which is adjustably arranged on the mast or boom arm for carrying out a civil engineering measure. The civil engineering machine also has a control unit and an operating cabin for at least one operator with at least one display device, in particular a monitor, which is connected to the control unit and is designed to display operating data recorded by the control unit to a machine operator in several display fields on the at least one display device. The invention also relates to a method for operating a civil engineering machine.

The civil engineering machine can be, for example, a diaphragm wall cutter, a pile driver, a cable excavator, a grab excavator, but also a mobile crane or a mobile boom crane.

Civil engineering machines, particularly for creating foundations in the ground, have been known for a long time. A foundation element can be formed, for example, by creating a hole in the ground, such as a borehole or a milling slot, with the hole then being filled with a hardenable medium, in particular a mortar, to form a foundation pile or a diaphragm wall segment, possibly with additional reinforcement. A foundation element can also be created by ramming or vibrating, for example a foundation pile or a plank. A foundation element is not limited to a load-bearing or load-bearing function, but can alternatively or additionally also take on a sealing function and/or other tasks, as is known, for example, from special foundation engineering when enclosing excavation pits with sealing walls.

Nowadays, well-known civil engineering machines are equipped with electronic control units that make it easier for a machine operator to operate the civil engineering machine or can even take over partially or fully automatically. Various operating data can be recorded via sensors and sent to the control unit. Control commands can be issued to corresponding actuators, in particular drives and actuating cylinders, via corresponding data lines.

Such civil engineering machines are, for example, from the EP3299523A1 , the EP3296467A1 known.

Display devices in civil engineering machines are used to show the machine operator operating data that is recorded by the control unit from internal and/or external sensors, so that he can control the civil engineering machine effectively and safely. The data can be, for example, the current depth of the civil engineering tool, the torque of a winch or the temperature of the oil in an oil circuit.

On large construction sites, a large number of civil engineering machines are often used in parallel, controlled by different machine operators. These operators have different levels of experience and also create different foundation elements. Depending on the work order and experience, different information is important for the machine operator.

The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a civil engineering machine and a method for operating a civil engineering machine, which facilitates the use of a civil engineering machine by different machine operators.

This object is achieved on the one hand by a civil engineering machine having the features of claim 1 and on the other hand by a method having the features of claim 12.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims as well as in the figures and their description.

According to the invention, the control unit is designed in such a way that the display, the arrangement and/or the type of display fields can be changed and adjusted by a machine operator, and can be stored as a personal configuration of the machine operator independently of the control unit. In the sense of the invention, independent of the control unit also means that the configuration can be stored independently of the civil engineering machine in which the control unit is provided.

A basic idea of the invention is to allow the machine operator to arrange and configure the displays on the display device in a user-specific manner. This means that an experienced machine operator who carries out complicated tasks can have certain information relevant to his work displayed, whereas a less experienced machine operator can put together the display device and the information shown there in such a way that it also shows the appropriate data for him, including other data. In other words, the invention makes it possible to adapt the display device to the respective machine operator, but also to the respective work order. So that this adaptation is not lost, it can be stored according to the invention. In order to enable a cross-device display, the invention provides that the information required for the user-specific display is not necessarily stored on the civil engineering machine or in the control unit, but independently of it.

It is advantageous if the control unit has a transmission device, in particular a data transmission device, with which data for the personal configuration of the display fields can be transmitted to a data storage device outside the control unit. In other words, according to the invention, the information for the user-specific configuration is not stored in the control unit itself and not necessarily in the civil engineering machine by means of the transmission device. This makes it possible to access the relevant information centrally.

In this regard, it is preferred if the transmission device is designed to store the data relating to the personal configuration on a mobile data carrier, a mobile computer unit, a central data depository and/or in a Cloud storage. This is done in order to save the corresponding data there. The elements in the above list can be seen as alternative ways in which the data for the personal configuration can be saved. However, it is also possible to use not just one but several of them. For the purposes of the invention, a mobile data carrier can be understood as, for example, a machine key, a USB stick or another data storage device that can be written to wirelessly, for example via Bluetooth, RFID or NFC technologies. For the purposes of the invention, a mobile computer unit can be seen as, for example, a laptop, a tablet computer or a smartphone. In this way, it is possible to store the data for the personal configuration in different places, so that depending on the exact area of application, it is possible to transfer a personal configuration back to the civil engineering machine. This can, for example, be done in a similar way via the transmission device in conjunction with the control unit.

In principle, the display device can be designed in any way. This can be a monitor, for example, but also other types of display devices, such as data glasses, a head-up display or a tablet. The display device is preferably designed to show numbers, functions, graphics, animations and/or photo and video images.

In other words, any information can be displayed in a suitable manner on the display device. It is also possible for the machine operator to define the type of display of certain data himself. For example, the temperature of the engine oil of the civil engineering machine can be displayed as a number, but also as a bar chart and/or in the form of a circular display instrument. The machine operator can set the exact design according to what is easiest for him to read.

In order to facilitate the installation of the display unit, it can be provided that a pre-selection of retrievable operating data, possible display types and/or arrangement options is stored in the control unit and/or can be retrieved from it and can be retrieved and selected by the machine operator to create the personal configuration. In other words, a type of A toolbox can be provided from which the individual machine operator can put together the display and the type of display that is best for him in his experience in the respective work situation. Templates can also be provided here. This makes such a setting easier for less experienced machine operators in particular. In the sense of the invention, operating data can be understood as information on current and past operating/machine states, for example, but also information on production data such as details on foundation elements to be created or soil information.

It is preferred if the control unit has a display configuration mode, wherein when the display configuration mode is activated, the display on the at least one display device can be changed and saved. In other words, the display configuration mode can be used to influence, for example, the position or type of a specific display on the display device. Furthermore, it can be possible to enlarge or reduce certain displays, which can also be referred to as windows or widgets, and/or to display them at different locations on the display device. This is particularly advantageous if the display device consists of several monitors, for example, so that some displays are displayed on the first monitor while other displays are displayed on the second monitor. In this context, different types of display devices can also be combined, for example a fixed monitor and a tablet PC, which can also be removed from the operator's cabin.

It is advantageous if, for example, the size, type, position and/or color of the display field can be adjusted. The graphical representation of the information can also be adjusted so that some information is shown as figures or numbers, others as graphics, such as bars.

A particularly simple setting is achieved if the at least one display device is designed as a touchscreen on which the display fields can be changed and/or adjusted directly by touching the display device. In this way, an intuitive setting of the individual display fields can be achieved particularly easily. Alternatively or additionally, however, a setting via a mouse or a touchpad. The setting can also be made via a web interface or a mobile phone app.

In an advantageous embodiment, an identification device is arranged by means of which a machine operator who wishes to operate the civil engineering machine can be identified. Furthermore, the control unit can be designed to automatically and/or on request call up a personal configuration of the identified machine operator in order to bring about a desired display on the at least one display device. The call can be made from an internal memory in the control unit or the civil engineering machine, but also from an external memory that is made available via an interface. This can also be, for example, a central data storage device that is provided on servers of the manufacturer of the construction machine or the operating company. By using an identification device, it is particularly easy to assign the corresponding user-specific setting of the display device to a user and make it available. In the simplest case, a user name, optionally in conjunction with a password, a fingerprint sensor or a correspondingly coded key for the civil engineering machine can be used as an identification device.

The invention is particularly advantageous when used in conjunction with an arrangement that includes multiple civil engineering machines that can be selected by a machine operator. The advantages of the invention then arise in a particular way, since it is not necessary to ensure that a machine operator uses the same civil engineering machine each time. It is therefore possible for a machine operator to use different civil engineering machines and actively transfer his desired configuration to the civil engineering machine or to call it up there, so that he has his usual display available on the display device.

It is advantageous if a central data storage location is provided and the civil engineering machines can be connected to the central data storage location for storing and calling up data for personal configuration. In this way, it is easy to ensure that each machine operator is provided with his or her specific representations on the display device.

Alternatively, it is also possible to carry this corresponding configuration on a data carrier so that the machine operator actively transfers this data when starting the civil engineering machine or the control unit queries it. In principle, in the sense of the invention, a central data storage location can be understood as, for example, a database that can be queried via the Internet. It is not necessary that there is just one database, but several databases can also be available that can be used alternatively to one another or act as a backup for one another.

The invention further relates to a method for operating a civil engineering machine as described above or an arrangement of this type. It is provided that at least one machine operator creates a personal configuration for the display fields on the at least one display device and stores it in a data storage device. It is also provided that, upon request and/or through automatic identification of the machine operator, the control unit retrieves the personal configuration of the machine operator from the data storage device and a corresponding display is effected in accordance with the personal configuration on the at least one display device.

In the sense of the invention, a machine operator can also be regarded as an administrator or master user who defines individual personal configurations for different machine operators. The settings of the different machine operators can also be copied so that different display fields or different contents are shown on the at least one display device for an experienced group of machine operators than for inexperienced machine operators. The same also applies to different operating modes of the civil engineering machine. For example, with a trench wall cutter that cuts into hard rock, different data on the display fields are of interest to the machine operator than with a trench wall cutter that creates a trench wall in sandy subsoil. The data storage can be located in the civil engineering machine or remote from it.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Tiefbaumaschine;

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung einer Anzeigeeinrichtung mit verschiedenen Anzeigefeldern und

Fig. 3

eine schematische Darstellung möglicher Datenübertragungswege.

The invention is explained in more detail below using preferred embodiments. These are shown in the schematic drawings. In these drawings:

Fig.1

a schematic side view of a civil engineering machine according to the invention;

Fig.2

a schematic representation of a display device with various display fields and

Fig.3

a schematic representation of possible data transmission paths.

A civil engineering machine 10 according to the invention, which can be used as a drilling device according to Fig.1 has an undercarriage 12, preferably designed as a crawler chassis, and an upper carriage 14 rotatably mounted thereon. The undercarriage 12 and the upper carriage 14 form a carrier device 15. The drive units and the control station for a machine operator of the civil engineering machine 10 can be arranged on the upper carriage 14 in a known manner. A control unit 40 and a display device 50, in particular a monitor, can be arranged in the control station.

A substantially vertical mast 18 with an upper mast head 19 can be adjustably attached to a front side of the superstructure 14 via an articulation kinematics 16 with neck cylinders. A carriage 20 can be guided displaceably along a front side of the mast 18. A first drilling drive 22, which can have a hydraulic motor 24, can be provided on the carriage 20. Furthermore, a second drive 26 with a sleeve-shaped rotary connection 27 for producing a rotationally fixed connection to a support tube 4 can be provided on the carriage 20. The second drive 26 can, for example, essentially consist of a gear connection to the first drilling drive 22 with the hydraulic motor 24 in order to apply a torque to the rotary connection 27 and thus the support tube 4.

The approximately sleeve-shaped first drilling drive 22 can, for example, be penetrated by a drill rod 30, which can be designed as a Kelly rod with external drive strips. The drill rod 30 can have an upper suspension 32, with which the drill rod 30 is connected to a main cable 39. The main cable 39 can be guided via deflection rollers on the mast head 19 to a main winch 38 on the top of the upper carriage 14. The drill rod 30 can be moved vertically by operating the main winch 38.

The carriage 20 can be connected to a feed cable 37, which can be guided above and below the carriage 20 along the mast 18 and can be operated by a feed winch 36. The carriage 20 can be moved up or down along a guide of the mast 18 by the feed winch 36.

A drilling tool is attached to the underside of the drill rod 30 as a civil engineering tool 34 for removing soil material. The civil engineering tool 34 is in the illustrated embodiment according to Fig.1 designed as a drilling bucket. The diameter of the drilling tool is designed such that it can be inserted into the inner cavity of the support tube 4.

The civil engineering machine 10 can be used to create a cased borehole in the ground 1. To form a foundation element in the ground 1, a hardenable mass can be introduced into the borehole, which then hardens to form the foundation element. The support pipe 4 can remain in the borehole as part of the foundation element or can preferably be pulled out of the ground 1 before hardening.

In Fig.2 a schematic example of a display device 50 is shown. This shows five display fields 51 as an example, each of which shows different information. The middle display field 51 shows, for example, the current depth of a borehole and the drilling depth to be achieved in graphical form. To the right of this, in the upper area, a display field 51 is shown which has a round element which, for example, shows the current torque of the motor.

Below this, a display field 51 with a bar graph is shown. This can, for example, show the current transmission oil pressure in a clear manner.

A numerical display is shown in the upper area on the left side of the display device 50. In the lower area, a display field 51 is shown which shows a progression curve, for example the depth of the borehole over time.

Based on the invention, it is possible to arrange the various display fields 51 in any way on the display device 50. Different display fields 51 can also be added and configured using corresponding functions. The type of display can also be selected. This also applies for example for the selection of information displayed, the position, the level of detail or the like.

The display device 50 can thus be specially configured for the respective machine user so that the data required for his current task is displayed in a particularly advantageous manner. Personal preferences can also be taken into account in this way.

Within the scope of the invention, not only one display device 50 can be used, but also several, which can be arranged one above the other or next to one another, for example. This also makes it possible to move a display field 51 from a main display device to a secondary display device if the information in the display field 51 is rarely used.

In Fig.3 a schematic view is shown which shows an exemplary basic structure of the data flow of a civil engineering machine 10 according to the invention with respect to the display devices 50.

A central element here is the control unit 40. This receives data via a large number of sensor devices 48. The sensor devices 48 can be, for example, torque sensors or temperature sensors. These do not necessarily have to be arranged on the civil engineering machine according to the invention, but can also be external sensors. The transmission to the control unit 40 can be either wired or wireless. Other sources of information can also be used by the control unit 40, for example project or construction plans. In general, the sensor devices 48 can even be viewed as a data source.

These data and information are output via the control unit 40 to, in this case, two display devices 50. On the display devices 50, the data are shown in display fields 51, as previously described with respect to Fig.2 The machine user can select which data and information should be displayed and in what manner.

This confrontation can be stored by means of the control unit 40 on an internal memory 42 in the civil engineering machine 10. Alternatively or additionally, a transmission device 60, the configuration can also be transferred to an external memory 44. The external memory 44 can be, for example, a data storage device, but also a storage location in a cloud, a server or the like. The relevant design of the transmission device 60 can therefore be intended for a wired transfer, but also for a wireless transfer. For example, the transmission device 60 can be designed in a simple manner in the form of a modem, which transmits the data to a server via a mobile network.

If a machine operator starts a civil engineering machine 10, he can load his configuration either from the internal memory 42 or from the external memory 44 via the transmission device 60, so that the display fields 51 are shown on the display devices 50 in the manner that is most clear for him. The arrangement of the display fields 51 on the display device 50 can preferably be done via a touchscreen if the display device 50 is designed in this way. Alternatively, the control can also be done by means of a rotary element, a slider or other human-machine communication devices.

An identification device can also be provided which can correspond to the control unit, by means of which it can be recognized which machine operator is operating the civil engineering machine 10, whereby based on this information his individual configuration of the display devices 50 is loaded. This can be implemented both locally from the internal memory 42 and via an external memory 44 which can be accessed accordingly.

As described, the external memory 44 can also be used by different civil engineering machines 10 simultaneously, so that data transfer of the configuration from one civil engineering machine 10 to another is possible.

By means of the civil engineering machine according to the invention and the corresponding method, it is possible to display machine operator-specific data on a display device and thus enable more efficient work.

Claims (12)

Civil engineering machine (10), in particular drilling rig, with - a mobile carrier device (15), - a mast (18) or boom arm which is arranged on the carrier device (15), - a civil engineering tool (34) which is adjustably arranged on the mast (18) or boom arm for carrying out a civil engineering measure, - a control unit (40) and - an operating cabin for at least one operator with at least one display device (50), in particular a monitor, which is connected to the control unit (40) and is designed to display operating data recorded by the control unit (40) to the machine operator in several display fields (51) on the at least one display device (50),
characterized,
that the control unit (40) is designed such that the display, the arrangement and/or the type of display fields (51) can be changed and adjusted by a machine operator and can be stored as a personal configuration of the machine operator independently of the control unit (40). Civil engineering machine (10) according to claim 1,
characterized,
that the control unit (40) has a transmission device (60) with which data for the personal configuration of the display fields (51) can be transmitted in a data memory outside the control unit (40). Civil engineering machine (10) according to claim 2,
characterized,
that the transmission device (60) is designed to transmit the data relating to the personal configuration to a mobile data carrier, such as a machine key, a mobile computer unit, a laptop, a tablet computer or a smartphone, a central data depository and/or in a cloud storage. Civil engineering machine according to one of claims 1 to 3,
characterized,
that at least one display device (50) is designed to display numbers, functions, graphics, animations and/or photo/video images. Civil engineering machine (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4,
characterized,
that a preselection of retrievable operating data, possible display types and/or arrangement options is stored in the control unit (40) and/or can be retrieved by the latter and can be retrieved and selected by the machine operator to form the personal configuration. Civil engineering machine (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5,
characterized,
that the control unit (40) comprises a display configuration mode, wherein upon activation of the display configuration mode the display on the at least one display device (50) can be changed and stored. Civil engineering machine (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6,
characterized,
that the size, type, position and/or color of a display field can be adjusted. Civil engineering machine (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7,
characterized,
that at least one display device (50) is designed as a touchscreen with which the display fields (51) can be changed and/or adjusted directly by touching the display device (50). Civil engineering machine (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8,
characterized,
that an identification device is arranged by which a machine operator who wishes to operate the civil engineering machine (10) can be identified, and that the control unit (40) is designed to automatically and/or on request call up a personal configuration of the identified machine operator in order to effect a desired display on the at least one display device (50). Arrangement comprising several civil engineering machines (10) which can be selected by a machine operator,
characterized,
that the civil engineering machines are designed according to one of claims 1 to 9. Arrangement according to claim 10,
characterized, that a central data depository exists and that the civil engineering machines (10) can be connected to the data depository for storing and/or retrieving data relating to the personal configuration. Method for operating a civil engineering machine (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9 or an arrangement according to one of claims 10 or 11,
characterized, that at least one machine operator creates a personal configuration for the display fields (51) on the at least one display device (50) and stores it in a data memory and that upon request and/or automatic identification of the machine operator, the control unit (40) stores the personal configuration of the machine operator from the data memory and a corresponding display according to the personal configuration is effected on the at least one display device (50).

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