EP4692468A1

EP4692468A1 - Operation apparatus and operation system provided with same

Info

Publication number: EP4692468A1
Application number: EP24825725.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Masaki Otani; Hitoshi Sasaki
Original assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co Ltd
Current assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-06-23
Filing date: 2024-06-05
Publication date: 2026-02-11
Also published as: CN121039349A; JP2025003217A; WO2024262318A1

Abstract

Provided is an operation apparatus allowing a sense of presence to be imparted to an operator who operates a work machine to be improved. The operation apparatus includes an operation unit (210) and a notification unit (220). The notification unit (220) provides a notification about the state of a work machine (40) when at least one of a start condition and an end condition is satisfied. The start condition includes that a starting operation for making an operation target part (44) of the work machine (40) start a target motion has been applied to the operation unit (210). The end condition includes that an ending operation for ending the target motion has been applied to the operation unit (210).

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an operation apparatus for operating an operation target part of a work machine and an operation system including the operation apparatus.

Background Art

As described in Patent Literature 1, a technique is proposed for remotely operating a work machine such as a hydraulic excavator. The work machine is operated based on an operation by an operator.
When getting on the operation chamber of the work machine, the operator can intuitively grasp the state of the motion of the work machine; however, when remotely operating the work machine with use of a remote operation apparatus laid outside the work machine as described in Patent Literature 1, the operator only indirectly can grasp the state of the motion of the work machine. This hinders a sufficient sense of presence from being imparted to the operator.

Citation List

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-152399

Summary of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an operation apparatus allowing an improved sense of presence to be imparted to an operator who operates a work machine, and an operation system including the operation apparatus.
Provided is an operation apparatus for operating an operation target part included in a work machine. The operation apparatus includes an operation unit and a notification unit. The operation unit allows an operation to be applied to the operation unit by an operator. The notification unit provides a notification about a state of the work machine to the operator when at least one of a start condition and an end condition is satisfied. The start condition includes that a start operation for making the operation target part start a preset target motion is applied to the operation unit. The end condition includes that an end operation for making the operation target part end the target motion is applied to the operation portion.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a remote operation apparatus included in the operation system.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a work machine included in the operation system.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the first half of processing to be performed by the operation system.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the second half of processing to be performed by the operation system.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a work environment image provided by the operation system.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The operation system includes a remote operation apparatus 20, which is an example of an operation apparatus according to the present invention, and a work machine 40, which is an example of a work machine according to the present invention. The remote operation apparatus 20 and the work machine 40 are configured to be capable of performing network communication with each other so as to enable the work machine 40 to be remotely operated by use of the remote operation apparatus 20.
The work machine 40 illustrated in FIG. 3 is a hydraulic excavator, including a lower traveling body 41, an upper turning body 42 and a work device 44. The lower traveling body 41 includes a traveling mechanism, which includes a pair of crawlers. The upper turning body 42 is mounted on the lower traveling body 41 capably of turning through a turning drive mechanism. The upper turning body 42 includes a cab 43 (operation chamber), which forms a left front part of the upper turning body 42. The cab 43 may be configured to be lifted and lowered with respect to the upper turning body 42 by a not-illustrated lifting drive mechanism including a link mechanism and an actuator. Alternatively, the tilt angle of the cab 43 with respect to the upper turning body 42 may be changed by a not-illustrated tilt drive mechanism having an actuator.
The work device 44 is connected to the right front part of the upper turning body 42. The work device 44 includes a boom 441, an arm 443 and an end attachment 445. The boom 441 has a proximal end and a distal end opposite thereto, and the proximal end is connected to the upper turning body 42 capably of rotational movement in a derricking direction. The arm 443 has a proximal end and a distal end opposite thereto, and the proximal end is connected to the distal end of the boom 441 capably of rotational movement. The end attachment 445 has a proximal end, which is connected to the distal end of the arm 443 capably of rotational movement. The end attachment 445 illustrated in FIG. 3 is a lifting magnet. The end attachment 445 is not limited to the lifting magnet. The end attachment 445 may be, for example, any of a bucket, a grapple or a breaker. The bucket includes a container to accommodate objects such as soil and sand. A hook may be attached to the back of the bucket and configured to engage with the object to allow the object to be hung. The grapple, for example, includes a plurality of gripping claws opposed to each other and grasps the object by the opening and closing motions of the plurality of gripping claws. The breaker, for example, includes a breaker body and a chisel, which is supported by the breaker body capably of reciprocating to strike a work object. The chisel may be configured to be operable by means of a switch. Besides, the proximal end of at least one of the boom 441 and the arm 443 may be attached with a swing mechanism, which is configured to swing the at least one distal end leftward and rightward with respect to the proximal end. The arm 443 may be a slide arm including a slidable expanding and contracting mechanism to be entirely expandable and contractable. The slide arm may be configured to be operable to be expanded and contracted by means of a switch or optional pedal. The lower traveling body 41 may be attached with a dozer located on the front side thereof. The dozer includes, for example, a soil removal plate and a soil-removal-plate lifting and lowering drive mechanism. The soil-removal-plate lifting and lowering drive mechanism includes a dozer cylinder for lifting and lowering the soil removal plate. The soil-removal-plate lifting and lowering drive mechanism may be configured to be operable by means of a switch or an optional pedal.
The work device 44 is attached with a plurality of hydraulic cylinders, namely, a boom cylinder 442, an arm cylinder 444 and an end attachment cylinder 446, each of which is an actuator for actuate a movable part. The boom cylinder 442 is interposed between the boom 441 and the upper turning body 42 so as to be expanded and contracted by supply of hydraulic fluid thereto to rotationally move the boom 441 in the derricking direction. The arm cylinder 444 is interposed between the arm 443 and the boom 441 so as to be expanded and contracted by supply of hydraulic fluid thereto to rotationally move the arm 443 around a horizontal axis with respect to the boom 441. The end attachment cylinder 446 is interposed between the end attachment 445 and the arm 443 so as to be expanded and contracted by supply of hydraulic fluid thereto to rotationally move the end attachment 445 around a horizontal axis with respect to the arm 443.
Each of the boom cylinder 442, the arm cylinder 444, the end attachment cylinder 446, the traveling drive mechanism, the turning drive mechanism, the lifting and lowering drive mechanism, the tilt drive mechanism, the swing mechanism, the expanding and contracting mechanism, and the soil-removal-plate lifting and lowering drive mechanism is an example of an "operation target part". Each of the lifting magnet for attracting an object, the bucket for accommodating the object, the grapple for gripping and holding the object, and a bucket with the hook for hanging the object is an example of a "holding part" included in the operation target parts. The operation target part may be operable by, for example, a hand terminal. The operation target part only has to be operable through the operation unit, not limited to the above-described ones.
The remote operation apparatus 20 includes a remote control device 200, a remote input interface 210 and a remote output interface 220. The remote control device 200, which is composed of an arithmetic processing device, reads necessary data and software from a storage device such as a memory and executes arithmetic processing according to the software for the data. The arithmetic processing device is, for example, a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, or a processor core constituting the same.
The remote input interface 210 includes a remote operation mechanism 211. The remote output interface 220 includes a remote image output device 221, a remote sound output device 222 and a remote wireless communication device 224, and each of the remote image output device 221 and the remote sound output device 222 is an example of the notification unit according to the present invention.
The remote operation mechanism 211 includes a plurality of operation devices and a hand terminal 2240 shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of operation devices including a traveling operation device, a turning operation device, a boom operation device, an arm operation device and an end attachment operation device. Each of the operation devices includes an operation lever, which allows a rotational movement operation to be applied to the operation lever.
The operation lever of the traveling operation device, namely, a traveling lever, allows a traveling operation for moving a traveling motor to be applied to the traveling lever. The traveling motor is, for example, a hydraulic motor (hydraulic actuator) constituting the traveling drive mechanism in the lower traveling body 41 of the work machine 40 as shown later with reference to FIG. 3. The traveling lever may also serve as a traveling pedal. For example, the traveling pedal may be fixed to a proximal part or a lower end part of the traveling lever.
The operation lever of the turning operation device, namely, a turning lever, allows a turning operation for moving a turning motor to be applied to the turning lever. The turning motor is a hydraulic motor (hydraulic actuator) constituting the turning drive mechanism of the work machine 40.
The operation lever of the boom operation device, namely, a boom lever, allows a boom operation for moving the boom cylinder 442 (FIG. 3) of the work machine 40 to be applied to the boom lever. The operation lever of the arm operation device, namely, an arm lever, allows an arm operation for moving the arm cylinder 444 (FIG. 3) of the work machine 40 to be applied to the arm lever. The operation lever of the end attachment operation device, namely, an end attachment lever, allows an end attachment operation for moving the end attachment cylinder 446 (FIG. 3) of the work machine 40 to be applied to the end attachment lever.
The plurality of operation devices may include an option pedal. The option pedal is disposed, for example, sideward of the traveling pedal and allows an operation for moving the end attachment or the like of the work machine 40 to be applied to the option pedal. A specific operation lever included in the above-described operation levers, for example, the end attachment lever, may be provided with a switch for switching ON/OFF of power supply to the electromagnet of the lifting magnet constituting the end attachment 445.
In the cab 43 is disposed a seat (operation seat) St as shown in FIG. 2, allowing an operator to sit thereon. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the hand terminal 2240 is disposed on the rightward diagonal front side of the seating position on the seat St to be able to serve as a display device. The hand terminal 2420 includes input means, which is composed of, for example, a touch panel.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of operation levers constituting the remote operation mechanism 211 are disposed around the seat St. The seat St illustrated in FIG. 2 is a high-back chair with an armrest, but it may be a low-back chair without a headrest or a steel without a backrest. In summary, the seat St only has to include a seating part allowing an operator to sit thereon. The seat St illustrated in FIG. 2 constitutes a "seat device" in association with a seat tilting mechanism or a seat actuator which are not graphically shown. The seat tilting mechanism is configured to tilt or swing the seat St around at least a pitch axis. The seat tilting mechanism may tilt or swing the seat St around not only the pitch axis but also the roll axis or each of the roll axis, or around each of the pitch axis, the roll axis and the roll axis.
The above-described traveling lever is, specifically, a pair of left and right traveling levers 2110 shown in FIG. 2. The pair of traveling levers 2110 correspond to the pair of left and right crawlers, respectively, arranged side by side on the front side of the seat St.
In the plurality of operation devices, one operation lever may serve as a plurality of operation levers. For example, the left operation lever 2111 provided on the front side of the left frame of the seat St illustrated in FIG. 2 may function as both an arm lever when operated in the front-rear direction and a turning lever when operated in the left-right direction. Similarly, the right operation lever 2112 provided on the front side of the right frame of the seat St shown in FIG. 2 may function as both a boom lever when operated in the front-rear direction and an end attachment lever when operated in the front-rear direction and an end attachment lever when operated in the left-right direction. The lever pattern may be arbitrarily changed by an operation instruction from an operator.
Although the remote image output device 221 may be constituted by a single image output device, the remote image output device 221 in the present embodiment is constituted by a plurality of image output devices. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the remote image output device 221 is constituted by a center remote image output device 2210, a left remote image output device 2211 and a right remote image output device 2212, which are arranged on the front side, on the leftward diagonal front side and rightward diagonal front side of the seat St, respectively. Each of the center remote image output device 2210, the left remote image output device 2211 and the right remote image output device 2212 includes a substantially rectangular screen. Each of the screens corresponds to an image display region. The screens may have either the same or different shapes and sizes. The remote image output device 221, alternatively, may be constituted either by a single curved or curvable image output device or by two or four or more image output devices disposed around the front of the seat St.
As shown in FIG. 2, the right edge of the left remote image output device 2211 is adjacent to the left edge of the center remote image output device 2210 with the screen of the left remote image output device 2211 inclined to the screen of the center remote image output device 2210 at an inclination angle 01 (e.g., 120° ≤ θ1 ≤ 150°) when viewed from above. Similarly, the left edge of the right remote image output device 2212 is adjacent to the right edge of the center remote image output device 2210 with the screen of the right remote image output device 2212 inclined to the screen of the center remote image output device 2210 at an inclination angle θ2 (e.g., 120° ≤ θ2 ≤ 150°) when viewed from above. The inclination angles 01 and θ2 may be either equal to or different from each other.
The screen of each of the center remote image output device 2210, the left remote image output device 2211 and the right remote image output device 2212 may be either parallel to the vertical direction or inclined to the vertical direction. At least one of the center remote image output device 2210, the left remote image output device 2211 and the right remote image output device 2212 may be divided into a plurality of unit image output devices. For example, the center remote image output device 2210 may be constituted by a pair of unit image output devices which have respective substantially rectangular screens and are vertically adjacent to each other.
The remote sound output device 222 serves as a notification unit according to the present invention. Specifically, the remote sound output device 222 is composed of at least one sound output device, such as a speaker. The at least one sound output device may include, for example, a plurality of sound output devices disposed rearward of the seat St, in the left armrest rear part and the right armrest rear part, respectively. Respective specifications of the sound output devices may be either the same or different.
As shown in FIG. 1, the work machine 40 includes a real-machine control device 400, a real-machine input interface 410, a real-machine output interface 420 and a real-machine wireless communication device 422.
The real-machine control device 400 includes a plurality of components, each of which is composed of an arithmetic processing device, which reads necessary data and software from a storage device such as a memory and executes arithmetic processing according to the software for the data. The arithmetic processing device is, for example, a single-core processor or a multi-core processor or a processor core constituting the same.
The real-machine input interface 410 includes a real-machine operation mechanism 411, a real-machine imaging device 412, a real-machine positioning device 414 and a real-machine sensor group 416.
The real-machine operation mechanism 411 includes a plurality of operation levers, which are arranged around the seat St disposed inside the cab 43 in the same manner as the remote operation mechanism 211. In the cab 43 is provided an operation application mechanism, for example, a robot, and the operation application mechanism receives a signal corresponding to the state of an operation applied to the remote operation lever and actuates the real-machine operation lever based on the received signal.
The real-machine imaging device 412 is installed, for example, inside the cab 43, and images an environment including at least a part of the work device 44 through a front window and left and right side windows. At least a part of the front window and the side window may be omitted. The real-machine positioning device 414 may be composed of a GPS or a GNSS that measures the position (latitude and longitude) of the work machine 40, and may include a gyro sensor or the like as necessary.
The real-machine sensor group 416 is constituted by a plurality of real-machine sensors, configured to output signals corresponding to respective values of a plurality of parameters related to the state of the work machine 40 to the real-machine control device 400. The plurality of parameters include, for example, a derricking angle of the boom 441 to the upper turning body 42, a rotation angle of the arm 443 to the boom 441, a rotation angle of the end attachment 445 (the lifting magnet in the example shown in FIG. 3) to the arm 443, a hydraulic fluid pressure, a fuel remaining amount and the like.
Next will be described processing to be performed by the remote operation apparatus 20 and the remote operation system with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the flowchart, the part represented by a combination of "C" and a numeral means a conditional branch at which the next processing in the branch direction is executed on the condition of transmission and/or reception of data.
In FIG. 4, the remote control device 200 initially sets a flag f to "0" (STEP 202). The flag f represents the presence or absence of the execution of below-described "start notification". The flag f of 0 indicates the absence of the execution of "start notification", and the flag f of 1 indicates the presence of the execution of "start notification".
On the condition of the establishment of communication between the remote operation apparatus 20 and the work machine 40, the captured image data that the real-machine control device 400 of the work machine 40 has acquired through the real-machine imaging device 412 is transmitted to the remote operation apparatus 20 (STEP 404). The captured image data may be either the captured image itself or image data representing a simulated environmental image generated based on the captured image.
The communication between the remote operation apparatus 20 and the work machine 40 may be established in accordance with the transmission of a designation signal from the remote control device 200 of the remote operation apparatus 20 to the work machine 40 through the remote wireless communication device 224. When a plurality of work machines 40 are operation target candidates, the designation signal may be transmitted to each of the work machines 40. It is also allowable that the presence or absence of the designation operation through the remote input interface 210 by an operator is judged and the designation signal is transmitted when the result of the judgment is affirmative. The designation operation is, for example, an operation for an operator to designate the work machine 40 that is the target of remote operation from among the plurality of work machines, being, for example, a tap onto the remote input interface 210.
When the remote operation apparatus 20 receives a captured image through the remote wireless communication device 224 (C20), the remote control device 200 outputs the captured image to the remote image output device 221, which is a display device (STEP 204). This causes the remote image output device 221 to output the captured image. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the captured image includes a ground surface extending forward of the cab 43, the end attachment 445 (the lifting magnet in FIG. 6) which is a part of the work device 44, and an object OBJ, such as iron scrap, placed on the ground.
The remote control device 200 of the remote operation apparatus 20 judges whether or not the flag f is 0 (STEP 210). When judging the flag f to be "0" (FIG. 4/ YES in STEP 210), the remote control device 200 judges whether or not a starting operation for making the work machine 40 start a preset target motion is applied to a specific element (for example, the remote input interface 210 or the remote operation mechanism 211) of the remote operation apparatus 20 (STEP 212).
The target motion includes a holding motion of the end attachment 445 to hold the object OBJ. Examples of the holding motion include an attraction holding motion of the lifting magnet to attract and hold the object OBJ, an accommodation motion of the bucket to accommodate the object OBJ, a gripping motion of the grapple to grip the object OBJ, and a lifting motion of the bucket with the hook to lift the object OBJ. Examples of the target motion include: the turning motion of the upper turning body 42 with respect to the lower traveling body 41 caused by the turning operation mechanism; the lifting and lowering motion of the cab 43 with respect to the upper turning body 42 caused by the lifting drive mechanism; the traveling motion of the lower traveling body 41; the striking motion of the breaker to strike the target OBJ; the expansion and contraction motion of the slide arm; the swing motion caused by the swing mechanism; and the soil-removal-plate lifting and lowering motion to lift and lower the soil removal plate.
The presence or absence of the starting operation is performed based on whether or not any of the operation lever, the traveling pedal and the option pedal, which constitute the remote input interface 210, is displaced from a neutral position or an initial position in order to make the operation target part (for example, the work device 44) of the work machine 40 start the target motion. Moreover, it is preferable that whether or not the amount of operation, which is the magnitude of the displacement, is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (for example, whether or not the detected operation amount exceeds the predetermined dead band region) and whether or not the displacement state is maintained for a predetermined time or longer are also considered. The presence or absence of the starting operation, alternatively, may be judged either based on whether or not a switch included in the remote input interface 210 for making the operation target part such as the work device 44 start the target motion is switched from an OFF state to an ON state or based on whether or not an operation such as a tap for making the target motion started is applied to the hand terminal 2420.
When it is judged that the starting operation is absent (NO in STEP 212), the reception of the captured image, the output of the captured image to the remote image output device 221 (step 404, C20 and STEP 204) and subsequent processing are repeated.
When judging that the starting operation has been applied (YES in STEP 212), the remote control device 200 of the remote operation apparatus 20 transmits a remote operation command corresponding to the operation state to the work machine 40 through the remote wireless communication device 224 (STEP 214).
In the case where the real-machine control device 400 of the working machine 40 receives the remote control command through the real-machine wireless communication device 422 (C41), the motion of the actuator of the operation target part is controlled so as to make the operation target part of the work device 44 and the like start the target motion in accordance with the remote control command. The real-machine control device 400 judges whether or not the motion of the actuator has actually started and, furthermore, whether or not the motion of the operation target part has actually started, based on the output signals of the plurality of actual machine sensors included in the real-machine sensor group 416 (STEP410). For example, based on a change in the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder, a change in the posture of the working machine 40 (derricking angle, rotation angle, inclination angle, etc.), a change in the position of the working machine 40 caused by the target motion (the movement of the working machine 40 by the running motion of the lower traveling body 41), etc., it is judged whether or not the motion of the operation target part has been started. Besides, in the case where the start of the attraction of the object OBJ by the lifting magnet, which is the end attachment 445, corresponds to the start of the target operation, whether or not the target motion has been started is judged based on an increase in the weight of the end attachment 445 (an increase in the hydraulic fluid pressure to hold the end attachment 445), an increase in the strain of the work device 44, the grasp of the retention of the object OBJ by the end attachment 445 by the analysis of the imaging image, a change in the detection value of acceleration or velocity provided by an IMU sensor, etc., which is capable of detecting the vibration of the working machine 40 caused by the attraction of the object OBJ, a change in the frequency of engine sound and other sounds due to the generation of power to be supplied to the electromagnet contained in the lifting magnet, or the like. The above-described criteria for the judgment is also applicable to cases where the holding part is other than the lifting magnet. In place of or in addition to the criteria of the judgment, the judgment may be made based on the presence or absence of an operation to raise the end attachment 445 of the work device 44.
When the target motion is judged not to have been started (NO in STEP 410), the real-machine control device 400 executes a start abnormality countermeasure processing (STEP 411). For example, the real-machine control device 400 transmits a start abnormality notification, which is a notification that the target motion has not been started, to the remote operation apparatus 20 through the real-machine wireless communication device 422. In response thereto, the remote control device 200 may output the start abnormality notification to the remote image output device 221 to thereby prompt an operator to perform a countermeasure such as a further starting operation.
When the target motion is judged to have been started (YES in STEP 410), the real-machine control device 400 transmits a target motion start signal to the remote operation apparatus 20 through the real-machine wireless communication device 422 (STEP 412). The target motion start signal is information indicating that the operation target part has actually started the target motion.
When the remote operation apparatus 20 receives the target motion start signal through the remote wireless communication device 224 (C21), the remote control device 200 executes the start notification processing (STEP 216). Example of the start notification processing include: a change in the tilt of the seat St caused by the seat tilting mechanism; a change in an output image from the remote image output device 221 (for example, an output of a message image indicating that the target motion has been started or an output of an image indicating suggestion that the virtual work machine has started the target motion in a virtual space); a tilt or swing of at least one image output device constituting the remote image output device 221 around at least one of a pitch axis, a roll axis and a yaw axis; and an output of a notification sound from the remote sound output device 222 in a designation form (designated by an output place, a frequency component, an output time, or the like). Such a start notification processing allows a sense of presence that the target motion has been started to be imparted to an operator.
The start notification processing is continued only for a predetermined processing period. The processing period is, for example, a period until it is detected that a change in acceleration caused by the start of the specific motion of the work machine 40 is stabilized, based on the output signal from a real-machine sensor (for example, an acceleration sensor) included in the real-machine sensor group 416, or a standard required period, which is a period until a change in the acceleration is stabilized, the period having been obtained by a past experiment. In the case of the work machine 40 including a plurality of operation target parts, the standard required period may be set for each operation target part. Following the end of the start notification processing, the remote control device 200 sets the flag f to "1" (STEP 218).
Subsequently, the remote control device 200 transmits a remote operation command corresponding to an operation applied to the remote operation mechanism 211 to the work machine 40 through the remote wireless communication device 224 (X20 shown in FIG. 4 and STEP 240 shown in FIG. 5).
When receiving the remote operation command through the real-machine wireless communication device 422 (C44 shown in FIG. 5), the real-machine control device 400 of the work machine 40 controls the motion of the work device 44 and the like in accordance with the remote operation command (STEP 440). For example, in the case where the end attachment 445 is the lifting magnet, predetermined work is executed, as shown in FIG. 6, involving a motion of the work device 44 to displace the real-space position of the lifting magnet, which is attracting and holding the object OBJ such as iron scrap which had been placed on the ground.
Even after the execution of the start notification processing, the flag f is kept "1" and, until an end operation described later is applied (NO in STEP 222), the remote operation apparatus 20 transmits the remote operation command to the work machine 40, which continues the target motion according to the remote operation command (STEP 240 and STEP 440).
The remote control device 200 of the remote operation apparatus 20 judges whether or not the ending operation has been applied to the remote input interface 210 or the remote operation mechanism 211 (STEP 222). The ending operation is an operation for ending the target motion of the operation target part, for example, the work device 44, in the work machine 40.
The presence or absence of the ending operation is judged based on whether or not the operation lever, the traveling pedal, or the option pedal, which constitute the remote input interface 210, has been returned to a neutral position or an initial position in order to end the target motion of the operation target part such as the work device 44 of the work machine 40, and whether or not the return state has been maintained for a certain time. The judgement on the presence or absence of the ending operation, alternatively, may be based on either whether or not a switch constituting the remote input interface 210 has been switched from an ON state to an OFF state in order to end the target motion of the operation target part such as the work device 44 or whether or not an operation such as a tap for ending the target motion has been applied to the hand terminal 2420.
When the ending operation is absent (NO in STEP 222), repeated are the reception of the captured image, the output thereof to the remote image output device 221 (C20 and STEP 204 in FIG. 4) and subsequent processing, whereby the target motion corresponding to the remote operation command in the work machine 40 is continued.
When judging that the ending operation has been applied (YES in STEP 222 in FIG. 5), the remote control device 200 of the remote operation apparatus 20 ends the transmission of the remote operation command to the work machine 40 through the remote wireless communication device 224 (STEP 224).
Upon the end of the reception of the remote control command through the real-machine wireless communication device 422 (C42), the real-machine control device 400 of the working machine 40 controls the motion of the operation object part such as the working machine 44 and the like, for example, the motion of the actuator, so as to make the operation object part end the operation target motion. Moreover, the real-machine control device 400 judges whether or not the operation of the actuator and the like has actually ended and, further, whether or not the motion of the operation object part has actually ended, based on the output signal of the real-machine sensor included in the real-machine sensor group 416 (STEP420). The judgment is made based on, for example, the stop of the change in the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder, which is the actuator, the stop of the change in the posture (derricking angle, turning angle, tilt angle, etc.) of the working machine 40, and the stop of the change in the position of the working machine 40 due to the specific action (the movement of the working machine 40 caused by the traveling motion of the lower traveling body 41). In the case where the release of the object OBJ performed by the lifting magnet as the end attachment 445 corresponds to the end of the target motion, the judgment on the end of the target motion by the holding part is based on a reduction in the weight of the end attachment 445 (e.g., a decrease in the hydraulic fluid pressure for holding the end attachment 445), a reduction in the strain of the work device 44, the grasp of the release of the object OBJ by the end attachment 445 by the analysis of the imaging image, a change in the detection value of acceleration or velocity provided by an IMU sensor, etc., a change in the frequency of sound (engine sound) caused by the target motion by a predetermined value or higher, and the like. The above-described criteria for the judgment is also applicable to the end of the target motion in cases where the holding part is other than the lifting magnet. In place of or in addition to the above-described items, it may be included in the criteria of the judgment that an operation for making the work device 44 lower the end attachment 445 is detected.
When judging that the target motion has not been ended (NO in STEP 420), the real-machine control device 400 executes an end abnormality countermeasure processing (STEP 421). The end abnormality countermeasure processing is, for example, the transmission of an end abnormality notification, which is a notification of absence of the end of the target motion, to the remote operation apparatus 20 from the real-machine control device 400 through the real-machine wireless communication device 422. The remote control device 200 may be configured to input the end abnormality notification to the remote image output device 221 in response to the reception of the end abnormality countermeasure processing to prompt an operator to perform a countermeasure such as a further ending operation.
On the other hand, when judging that the target motion has ended (YES in STEP 420), the real-machine control device 400 transmits a target motion end signal, which is information indicating that the operation target part has actually ended the target motion, to the remote operation apparatus 20 through the real-machine wireless communication device 422 (STEP 422).
When the remote operation apparatus 20 receives the target motion end signal through the remote wireless communication device 224 (C22), the remote control device 200 executes the end notification processing (STEP 226). The end notification processing is performed, for example, by means of: a change in the tilt state of the seat St caused by the seat tilting mechanism; a change in the output image from the remote image output device 221 (for example, the output of a message image indicating that the target motion has ended or the output of an image varied so as to suggest the end of the target motion of a virtual work machine in a virtual space); a tilt or swing of at least one image output device constituting the remote image output device 221 around at least one of a pitch axis, a roll axis and a yaw axis; and an output of a notification sound from the remote sound output device 222 in a designation form (designated by an output place, a frequency component, an output time, or the like). Such a notification allows a sense of presence that the target motion has been started to be imparted to an operator.
The end notification processing is continued only for a predetermined processing period. The processing period is, for example, a period until it is detected, based on an output signal from a real-machine sensor included in the real-machine sensor group 416 (i.e., an acceleration sensor), that a change in the acceleration caused by the end of the target motion in the work machine 40 is stabilized, or a standard required period, which is a period until a change in the acceleration is stabilized, the period obtained by a past experiment. In the case of the work machine 40 including a plurality of operation target parts, the standard required period may be set for each operation target part.

The execution of each of the start notification processing and the end notification processing may involve, for example, as shown in Table 1, the control of a seat tilt angle Θ in accordance with the attraction state of the object OBJ by the lifting magnet that is the end attachment 445. The attraction state is selected from among an attraction start state, an attraction holding state and an attraction end state, and the seat tilt angle Θ is the tilt angle of the seat St around the pitch axis. The attraction start state is a state in a period from the start of the attraction until the stabilization of the acceleration of the end attachment 445; the attraction holding state is a state in a period from the stabilization of the acceleration of the end attachment 445 until the end of the attraction; the attraction end state is a state in a period from the end of the attraction until the stabilization of the acceleration of the end attachment 445.

[TABLE 1]

Attraction SW	ON	ON	OFF
Attraction state	Attraction start state	Attraction holding state	Attraction end state (release)
Seat tilt angle Θ	Θ←Θ0+Δ Θ1±Δ Θ2	Θ←Θ0	Θ←Θ0-Δ Θ1± Δ Θ2

The control of the seat tilt angle Θ is performed through the motion of the seat tilting mechanism. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction start state is controlled to be temporally vibrated around the angle (Θ0+ΔΘ1) ("+" represents the forward tilt) that is obtained by adding a correction angle ΔΘ1 (0 < ΔΘ1) to an initial angle Θ0 with an amplitude ΔΘ2 (0 < ΔΘ2 < ΔΘ1). The initial angle Θ0 is the angle of the seat St immediately before the start of attraction, which angle may be controlled to match the angle around the pitch axis, the roll axis, and/or the yaw axis of the upper turning body 42. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction start state, thus, is controlled so that the seat St is slightly vibrated frontward and backward in a posture where the seat St is tilted forward more than before. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state is controlled to match the initial angle Θ0. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state, thus, is controlled so as to return to the initial angle Θ0 at which the seat St is tilted backward from the attraction start state. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction end state is controlled to be temporally vibrated around the angle (Θ0-ΔΘ1) that is obtained by subtracting the correction angle ΔΘ1 from the initial angle Θ0 ("-" represents a backward tilt) with the amplitude of ΔΘ2. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction end state, thus, is driven so that the seat St is slightly vibrated frontward and backward in a posture where the seat St is tilted backward more than the attraction holding state (or a state corresponding to the initial angle Θ0). The amplitude ΔΘ2 may be either constant or set so as to be reduced with the lapse of time. The seat St may be tilted in a direction other than the front-rear direction. In this case, it is desirable that respective tilt directions of the seat St in the "attraction start state" and the "attraction holding state" are set to be different from each other.

The seat tilt angle Θ in each of the attraction start state, the attraction holding state and the attraction end state may be controlled as shown in Table 2.

[TABLE 2]

Attraction SW	ON	ON	OFF
Attraction state	Attraction start state	Attraction holding state	Attraction end state (release)
Seat tilt angle Θ	Θ←Θ0-Δ Θ1±Δ Θ2	Θ ← Θ 0+ΔΘ1	Θ←Θ 0±ΔΘ2

In the example shown in Table 2, similarly to the example shown in Table 1, the seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction start state is controlled to be temporally vibrated around the angle (Θ0 + ΔΘ1) that is obtained by adding the correction angle ΔΘ1 (0 < ΔΘ1) to the initial angle Θ0 with the amplitude ΔΘ2 (0 < ΔΘ2 < ΔΘ1). The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction start state, thus, is controlled so that the seat St is slightly vibrated frontward and backward in a posture where the seat St is tilted forward more than before. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state is controlled so as to match the angle (Θ0 + ΔΘ1) that is obtained by adding the correction angle ΔΘ1 to the initial angle Θ0. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state, thus, is substantially the same as that in the attraction start state, but involves no vibration. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction end state is controlled to be temporally vibrated around the initial angle Θ0 with the amplitude ΔΘ2. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction end state, thus, is controlled so that the seat St is slightly vibrated frontward and backward in a posture where the seat St is tilted backward from the posture in the attraction holding state.
The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state may be controlled in accordance with the magnitude of an end ATT interval shown in Table 3. The end ATT interval is a horizontal interval between the upper turning body 42 (or the proximal end of the boom 441) and the distal end attachment 445. [Table 3]

End ATT interval Small Large

Attraction state Attraction start state Attraction holding state

Seat tilt angle Θ Θ←Θ0+(1-Δ Θ3)Δ Θ1 Θ←Θ0+(1+Δ Θ3)Δ Θ1
In Table 3, when the end ATT interval is small (smaller than a preset reference interval), the seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state is controlled so as to match the angle (Θ0 + (1 - ΔΘ3)ΔΘ1) that is obtained by adding the angle of (1 - ΔΘ3) times the correction angle ΔΘ1 to the initial angle Θ0 (0 ≤ ΔΘ3 < 1). On the other hand, when the end ATT interval is large (larger than the reference interval), the seat tilt angle Θ is controlled so as to match an angle (Θ0 + (1 + ΔΘ3) ΔΘ1) obtained by adding the angle of (1 + ΔΘ3) times the correction angle ΔΘ1 to the initial angle Θ0. The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state, thus, is controlled to be increased stepwise with an increase in the end ATT interval (that is, so that the frontward tilt of the seat St is increased stepwise). The angle value ΔΘ3 is set in accordance with the deviation of the end ATT interval from the reference interval.
The seat tilt angle Θ in the attraction holding state, alternatively, may be controlled to be continuously increased with an increase in the end ATT interval (that is, so that the frontward tilt of the seat St is continuously increased).
According to the remote operation apparatus 20 and the operation system including the remote operation apparatus 20, the start notification processing is executed when the start condition is satisfied (YES in STEP 212 shown in FIG. 4). The start condition includes that a starting operation for making the operation target part of the work machine 40, for example, the work device 44, start the target motion is applied to the remote operation mechanism 211, and the start notification processing is executed by means of control of the tilt state of the seat St and the like by the notification unit, e.g., the seat tilt mechanism. This allows the sense of presence applied to an operator to be improved at the start of the target motion.
Moreover, the start condition including that the operation target part of the work machine 40 has actually started the target motion, in addition to that the starting operation is applied to the remote operation mechanism 211, prevents a sense of presence as if the target motion had been started, differently from the actual state where the target motion has not been actually started in spite of the application of the starting operation, from being imparted to an operator.
Similarly, the end notification processing is executed when the end condition is satisfied (YES in STEP 222 shown in FIG. 5). The end condition includes that an ending operation for ending the target motion is applied to the remote operation mechanism 211, and the end notification processing is executed by means of control of the tilt state of the seat St and the like by the notification unit e.g., the seat tilting mechanism. This allows the sense of presence imparted to an operator as to the end of the target motion to be improved.
Moreover, the start condition including that the target motion has actually ended, in addition to that the ending operation is applied to the remote operation mechanism 211, prevents a sense of presence as if the target motion had been ended, differently from an actual state where the target motion has not been ended in spite of the application of the ending operation, from being imparted to an operator.
The start notification processing is executed over a preset processing time. Similarly, the end notification processing is executed over a preset processing time. These prevent the sense of presence from being excessively imparted to an operator.
As shown in Tables 1 and 2, different notification processings are executed for a case where the start condition is satisfied and a case where the end condition is satisfied, respectively. This allows a sense of presence as to the start of the target motion and a presence as to the end of the target motion to be imparted to an operator in respective forms discriminable from each other.
Besides, in the above embodiment, in the work machine 40 including the first operation target part and the second operation target part, the first start notification processing as to the first starting operation for making the first operation target part start the first target motion and the first end notification processing as to the first ending operation for making the first target motion of the first operation target part ended, and the second start notification processing as to the second start notification processing for making the second operation target part start the second target motion and the second end notification processing for making the second ending operation of the second target motion of the second operation target part ended are processed in parallel. The first notification processing and the second notification processing may be performed in different forms.
In the embodiment, both the start notification processing and the end notification processing are executed (STEP 216 shown in FIG. 4 and STEP 226 shown in FIG. 5); however, it is also allowable that only one of the start notification processing and the end notification processing is executed.
Although the start condition according to the embodiment includes both that the starting operation has been applied to the remote operation mechanism 211 and that the operation target part of the work machine 40 has actually started the target motion, it is also allowable that the start condition includes only that the starting operation has been applied to the remote operation mechanism 211. In this aspect, upon the judgment that the starting operation is applied (YES in STEP 212 shown in FIG. 4), the start notification processing is immediately executed (STEP 216 shown in FIG. 4). Alternatively, it is also allowable that the primary start notification processing is executed at the time when the starting operation is judged to be applied and, thereafter, the secondary start notification processing is executed in different form from that of the primary start notification processing at the time when it is detected that the operation target part of the work machine 40 has actually started the target motion (C21 shown in FIG. 4).
Although the end condition according to the embodiment includes both that the ending operation has been applied to the remote operation mechanism 211 and that the operation target part of the work machine 40 has actually ended the target motion, it is also allowable that the end condition includes only that the ending operation has been applied to the remote operation mechanism 211. In this aspect, upon the judgment that the ending operation has been applied (YES in STEP 222 shown in FIG. 5), the end notification processing is immediately executed (STEP 226 shown in FIG. 5). Alternatively, it is also allowable that the primary end notification processing is executed at the time when the ending operation is judged to be applied and, thereafter, the secondary end notification processing is executed in a different form from that of the primary end notification processing at the time when it is detected that the operation target part of the work machine 40 has actually ended the target motion (C22 shown in FIG. 5).
Although the operation apparatus according to the embodiment is composed of the remote operation apparatus 20, it is also allowable that the operation apparatus is composed of a simulator for virtually operating a virtual work machine, which virtually represents the work machine 40, in a virtual space. The simulator may include an input interface and an output interface having configurations similar to the remote input interface 210 and the remote output interface 220 in the remote operation apparatus 20, respectively. The virtual space reproduced by the simulator contains not only the virtual work machine but also a terrain including a ground surface shown in FIG. 6, that is, a ground surface around the virtual work machine and including at least the front of the cab 43, and an object OBJ such as iron scrap placed on the ground; for example, a simulator image capturing an environment including at least a part of the work device 44 from the inside of the cab 43 of the virtual work machine through the front window and the right and left side windows is output by the remote image output device 221. The motion of the work device 44 or the like of the virtual work machine is controlled in accordance with a virtual operation command corresponding to the operation state perceived by the remote operation mechanism 211. For example, specific work involving the motion of the work device 44 and the like for shifting the real space position of the lifting magnet is executed in the virtual space, while attracting and holding an object OBJ such as iron scrap placed on the ground by the lifting magnet as the end attachment 445. The virtual work machine provided by the simulator may optionally include the operation target part and/or the holding part described in the embodiment.
According to the thus configured operation apparatus, the notification of the situation of the virtual work machine which virtually executes the work in the virtual space, provided by the notification device, enables the sense of presence as to making the operation target part of the work machine 40 start the target motion and/or the sense of presence as to making the work machine 40 end the target motion of the operation target part, each sense imparted to an operator, to be improved. The judgment on whether or not the target motion of the operation target part has been actually started (STEP 410 shown in FIG. 4) and the judgment on whether or not the target motion of the operation target part has been actually ended (STEP 420 shown in FIG. 4) may be made based on the result of the simulation of the target motion by the simulator.
Although the remote control device 200, in the above-described embodiment, executes the start notification processing at the time of the start of the holding motion for holding the target object OBJ while lifting it (STEP 216 shown in FIG. 4), it is also allowable that the remote control device 200 executes the start notification processing when the amount of the target object OBJ lifted by the holding part is increased by a predetermined amount or more than that before lifting the target object OBJ. This prevents a sense of presence as if the predetermined amount or more of the object had lifted, differently from the actual state where the object OBJ has been lifted but the amount of the object OBJ is less than a predetermined amount, from being imparted to an operator.
Each of the start notification processing and the end notification processing may be executed in accordance with the speed of the target motion of the operation target part. For example, it is also allowable that the start notification processing emphasized at a degree increased with an increase in the speed is executed or the end notification processing emphasized at a degree increased with an increase in the speed immediately before the ending operation is executed.
Each of the start notification processing and the end notification processing may be executed in accordance with the amount of the object OBJ lifted by the operation target part (for example, the holding part). For example, it is also allowable that the start notification processing that is emphasized at a degree increased with an increase in the amount of the lifted target object OBJ is executed or the end notification processing that is emphasized at a degree increased with an increase in the amount of the lowered target object OBJ is executed.
Although the notification processing, in the embodiment where the end attachment 445 is the lifting magnet, is executed in different forms in a case where the start condition is satisfied and a case where the end condition is satisfied (Table 1 and Table 2), respectively, the notification processing is not confined in this and only has to be executed in different forms when the starting operation for making the operation target part perform the target motion and the ending operation for making the target motion ended are applied, respectively. For example, the notification processing may be executed in different forms in a case where a start condition including that a starting operation for making the object OBJ lifted in order to make the holding motion started by the holding part is applied to the remote operation mechanism 211 is satisfied and a case where an end condition including that an ending operation for lowering the object OBJ that has been lifted in order to make the holding part end the holding motion is applied to the remote operation mechanism 211 is satisfied, respectively.
Although the remote control device 200 of the remote operation apparatus 20, in the embodiment, transmits a remote operation command corresponding to the operation state through the remote wireless communication device 224 (STEP 214 shown in FIG. 4) when the starting operation is judged to have been applied (YES in STEP 212 shown in FIG. 4), it is also allowable that a start command is transmitted to the remote operation apparatus 20 in place of or in addition to the remote operation command. In this case, it is preferable to configure the real-machine control device 400 to control the motion of the actuator or the like of the operation target part including the work device 44 so as to make the operation target part start the target motion in accordance with the start command received through the real-machine wireless communication device 422.
Although the remote control device 200, in the embodiment, ends the transmission of the remote operation command to the work machine 40 through the remote wireless communication device 224 (STEP 224 shown in FIG. 5) when the ending operation is judged to have been applied (YES in STEP 222 shown in FIG. 5), it is also allowable that an end command is transmitted to the remote operation apparatus 20 in place of or in addition to the end of the transmission of the remote operation command. In this case, it is preferable to configure the real-machine control device 400 to control the motion of the actuator or the like of the operation target part including the work device 44 so as to make the operation target part end the target motion in accordance with the end command received through the real-machine wireless communication device 422.
Although the operation apparatus, in the embodiment, is composed of the remote operation apparatus 20 including the seat St, it is also allowable that the operation apparatus is composed of a support apparatus such as a mobile terminal. The support apparatus may be, for example, a portable terminal device such as a notebook PC, a tablet PC, or a smartphone, which are carried by a worker or the like, or the portable terminal device may be fixed. The support apparatus, if including a function as an arithmetic processing device, a communication function, a display unit, a sound output function, an input interface that receives operations such as a tap, can replace the remote operation apparatus 20 in the embodiment. When the support apparatus has a vibration function, the vibration function can be used for notification of the situation of the work machine 40.
Although the operation system according to the embodiment includes the remote operation apparatus 20 and the work machine 40 remotely operated through the remote operation apparatus 20, the operation system according to the present invention may further include one or more servers interposed between the remote operation apparatus 20 and the work machine 40 in network communication therebetween. The server may be configured to execute processing of making the notification unit notify a situation of the work machine when at least one of the start condition and the end condition is satisfied (YES in STEP 212 shown in FIG. 4, STEP 226). The server, alternatively, may be configured to either provide the remote operation apparatus 20 with a simulator function for virtually operating a virtual work machine 40 in a virtual space or execute a processing of making the remote operation apparatus 20 execute the simulator function.
As has been described, there are provided an operation apparatus allowing an improved sense of presence to be imparted to an operator who operates a work machine, and an operation system including the operation apparatus. Provided is an operation apparatus for operating an operation target part included in a work machine. The operation apparatus includes an operation unit and a notification unit. The operation unit allows an operation to be applied to the operation unit by an operator. The notification unit provides a notification about a state of the work machine to the operator when at least one of a start condition and an end condition is satisfied. The start condition includes that a start operation for making the operation target part start a preset target motion is applied to the operation unit. The end condition includes that an end operation for making the operation target part end the target motion is applied to the operation portion.
The notification unit of the operation apparatus, notifying of the situation of the work machine when at least one of the start condition and the end condition is satisfied, allows a sense of presence, specifically, a sense of presence as to making the operation target part of the work machine start the target motion and/or a sense of presence as to making the operation target part of the work machine end the target motion, to be imparted to the operator.
Preferably, the start condition further includes that the notification unit receives, from the work machine, information that the operation target part has actually started the target motion in accordance with the starting operation.
The start condition, including that the operation target part has actually started the target motion in addition to that the starting operation is applied to the operation unit, can prevent a sense of presence as if the target motion had been started, differently from an actual state where the starting operation has been imparted but the operation target part has not started the target motion, from being imparted to an operator.
Similarly, it is preferable that the end condition further includes that the notification unit receives, from the work machine, information that the operation target part has actually ended the target motion in accordance with the ending operation.
The end condition, including that the operation target part has actually ended the target motion in addition to that the ending operation is applied to the operation unit, can prevent a sense of presence as if the target motion had been ended, differently from an actual state where the ending operation has been imparted but the operation target part has not ended the target motion, from being imparted to an operator.
The notification unit is preferably configured to provide the notification only for a period until a preset notification time elapses since at least one of the start condition and the end condition is satisfied. This prevents excessive notification from being performed to an operator.
The notification unit is preferably configured to notify a situation of the work machine in different forms in a case where the start condition is satisfied and a case where the end condition is satisfied, respectively. This allows the sense of presence as to making the operation target part start the target motion and the sense of presence as to making the operation target part end the target motion to be imparted to an operator in respective forms discriminable from each other.
It is preferable that the operation unit includes a seat device allowing an operator to sit on the seat device and a seat driving device that tilts the seat device and that the notification unit is configured to provide the notification by means of making the seat device tilt the seat driving device. This allows a sense of presence as to the start and/or end of the target motion to be effectively imparted to an operator by use of the seat device on which the operator sits.
In a case where the operation unit includes a display device with a screen that can be visually recognized by an operator, the notification unit may be configured to provide the notification by means of varying the screen. This allows a sense of presence as to the start and/or end of the target motion to be reliably imparted to an operator by use of the screen of the display device that can be visually recognized by the operator. The variation in the screen may be either a variation in an image displayed by the display device or a variation in a posture of the display device including the screen.
The operation target part may include a holding part that holds an object. In this case, it is preferable that the target motion is a holding motion of the holding part to hold the object having been lifted and the starting operation is an operation for starting the holding motion. This allows a sense of presence of having made the holding motion started by the starting operation to be imparted to an operator.
On the other hand, in the above case, the ending operation is preferably an operation for ending the holding motion. This allows a sense of presence of having made the holding motion ended by the ending operation to be imparted to an operator.
In a case where the operation target part includes an actuator that actuates a movable part of the work machine, it is preferable that the starting operation is an operation for starting a motion of the actuator.
In the above case, it is preferable that the ending operation is an operation for ending a motion of the actuator.
The operation apparatus may be a simulator for allowing a virtual work machine virtually representing the work machine to be virtually operated in a virtual space. In this case, the notification unit may be configured to notify a situation of the virtual work machine.

Claims

An operation apparatus for operating an operation target part included in a work machine, comprising:
an operation unit that allows an operation to be applied to the operation unit by an operator; and

a notification unit that provides a notification about a state of the work machine to the operator, wherein

the notification unit provides the notification when at least one of a start condition including that a start operation for making the operation target part start a preset target motion is applied to the operation unit and an end condition including that an end operation for making the operation target part end the target motion is applied to the operation unit is satisfied.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the start condition further includes that the notification unit receives, from the work machine, information that the operation target part has actually started the target motion in accordance with the starting operation.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the end condition further includes that the notification unit receives, from the work machine, information that the operation target part has actually ended the target motion in accordance with the ending operation.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit provides the notification only for a period until a preset notification time elapses since at least one of the start condition and the end condition is satisfied.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit provides the notification in different forms in a case where the start condition is satisfied and a case where the end condition is satisfied, respectively.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit includes a seat device allowing an operator to sit on the seat device and a seat driving device that tilts the seat device, and the notification unit is configured to provide the notification by means of making the seat device tilt the seat driving device.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit includes a display device with a screen that can be visually recognized by an operator, and the notification unit is configured to provide the notification by means of varying the screen.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation target part includes a holding part that holds an object, the target motion being a holding motion of the holding part to hold the object having been lifted, the starting operation being an operation for starting the holding motion.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation target part includes a holding part that holds an object, the target motion being a holding motion of the holding part to hold the object having been lifted, the ending operation being an operation for ending the holding motion.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation target part includes an actuator that actuates a movable part of the work machine and the starting operation is an operation for starting a motion of the actuator.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation target part includes an actuator that actuates a movable part of the work machine and the ending operation is an operation for ending a motion of the actuator.
The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation apparatus is a simulator for operating a virtual work machine virtually representing the work machine in a virtual space.
An operation system comprising a work machine including an operation target part and an operation apparatus for operating the operation target part, wherein the operation apparatus is the operation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12.