JP2006183452A - Construction machine management system and construction machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a construction machine management system for maximally preventing a supply object person or a providing object person of a construction machine from feeling inconvenience, while saving transmission cost by transmitting position information on the construction machine when necessary. <P>SOLUTION: This construction machine management system receives information transmitted from the construction machine 10 by a receiver arranged in a base station. A position detecting device 11 of the construction machine detects the position information on the construction machine, and a determining device 13 of the construction machine outputs a transmission signal in starting and stopping by determining the existence of engine starting and stopping of the construction machine, and a transmitter of the construction machine transmits the position information detected at that time to the base station as information for determining positional abnormality of the construction machine in response to the transmission signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a construction machine capable of transmitting position information to a base station and a management system using the construction machine.

  As a system for managing the operation status of vehicles such as automobiles and dump trucks, for example, there are those described in JP-A-4-174387 and JP-A-4-174388. In the systems disclosed in these publications, position information of individual vehicles is detected using GPS satellites, and the position information is transmitted to the base station as needed.

JP-A-4-174387 JP-A-4-174388

  However, depending on the purpose of use of location information, it is not necessary for the base station to constantly recognize the location information. As described above, the method of transmitting as needed increases the transmission cost and is not economical.

  Moreover, what is described in the above publication is intended to manage the operation operating time from the operation distance of a vehicle such as an automobile or a dump truck. For example, construction machines such as a hydraulic excavator are away from the management department. It is common to be transported to a remote location and used in that remote location. And after the work is completed, since the collection work by the transport vehicle is troublesome, the construction machine is often left in the remote place. Under such circumstances, management of the construction machine by the manager is unprotected, and the manager is forced to bear a mental burden.

  In addition, the construction machine management department, that is, the manufacturer or rental company of the construction machine, needs to grasp the operating status of the construction machine supplied or provided and manage it so that the supplier or the recipient does not feel inconvenience. There is. For example, when a failure occurs in a construction machine, it takes time to confirm the location of the failed construction machine and arrange service personnel after confirmation after receiving notification of the failure from the supplier or the recipient. Is delayed.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the transmission cost by transmitting the position information of the construction machine as necessary, and to prevent the construction machine supplier or the provider from feeling as inconvenient as possible. The purpose is to provide a construction machine management system.

In order to achieve the above object, a construction machine management system according to the present invention determines a position detection device that detects position information of a construction machine, whether or not to transmit position information, and determines whether or not to transmit. A determination device that outputs a transmission signal at the time of transmission, and a transmission device that transmits the position information detected at that time to notify the base station in response to the transmission signal.
According to the present invention, the determination device for determining whether or not the position information should be transmitted is provided, and the position information is transmitted from the construction machine only when it is determined that the position information should be transmitted. The transmission cost can be reduced compared to the case of transmission.
Whether or not the operation switch is operated may be determined, and the transmission signal may be output when the operation switch is operated. A failure detection device that detects whether there is a failure in the construction machine may be further provided, and when a failure is detected when the transmission signal is output, the failure information may be transmitted in addition to the position information. Further, when a failure is detected by the failure detection device, the failure information may be transmitted together with the position information. It may be configured to determine whether there is a transmission instruction from the base station and to output a transmission signal when there is a transmission instruction. The construction machine may be configured to determine whether the engine is started and stopped, and to output a transmission signal when the engine is started and stopped.
A storage device is provided for storing position information detected when the engine of the construction machine is stopped, and the engine is started when the position information detected when the engine is started is separated from the stored position information when the engine is stopped by a predetermined distance or more. The position information may be transmitted. According to this, it is possible to determine the position abnormality of the construction machine (whether there is a possibility of theft) by comparing the position information at the time of start and stop at the base station. Further, the position information detected when the engine is stopped is stored, and the position information at the time of engine start is transmitted when the position information detected at the time of engine start and the stored position information are more than a predetermined distance apart. For example, when the base station sends the information to the user and other related parties, it is possible to quickly cope with theft and to contribute to the reduction of theft itself.
A construction machine management system according to another invention is provided in a construction machine, a position detection device that detects position information of the construction machine, a transmission device that transmits position information detected by the position detection device, and a construction And a determination device that is provided at a location remote from the machine and determines whether there is an abnormality in the position of the construction machine based on position information from the transmission device.
As described above, the presence / absence of abnormality in the position of the construction machine is determined based on the position information from the construction machine. Therefore, the position abnormality of the construction machine (possibility of theft, etc.) can be determined, and theft is taken by taking appropriate measures. Contributes to prevention.
The determination result of the determination device may be transmitted to the management department or user of the construction machine by e-mail or the like, for example.

  The present invention is directed to a construction machine and a construction machine in which position information of the construction machine is transmitted as necessary so as to save transmission costs and to make the construction machine supplier or recipient not feel as inconvenient as possible. Management system can be provided.

-First embodiment-
An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hydraulic excavator management system will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system according to the present invention. A GPS control unit 11 mounted on each hydraulic excavator 10 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites 21 and calculates position information of each hydraulic excavator 10 (own vehicle). The calculated position information is input to the main control unit 12. The position information here is, for example, longitude and latitude information. The main control unit 12 is connected to a transmission operation switch SW1 provided in the cab and a failure detection device 13 that detects a failure of the excavator 10. The transmission operation switch SW1 is a switch operated when the operator wants to transmit position information and the like. The failure detection device 13 detects various abnormalities of the excavator 10 for each type, and inputs the detection results to the main control unit 12. The details of the failure include, for example, various sensor voltage abnormalities, engine speed abnormality, engine oil pressure abnormality, battery charge abnormality, cooling water temperature abnormality, boom raising operation amount abnormality, traveling operation amount abnormality, and the like.

  The main control unit 12 includes a transmission unit 12A that transmits input position information and failure information, and a memory 12B that stores position information. The information transmitted from the transmission unit 12A is transmitted to the management server on the ground side via the communication satellite 22. In the present embodiment, for example, a mail server 30 is used as the management server. The transmission information includes various information such as information indicating the operating status of the excavator 10 in addition to the position information and failure information described above.

  A center server 41 is installed in a base station (for example, a head office or a branch office of a construction machine company) 40 that is located remotely from the excavator 10. The center server 41 takes in the information transferred from the mail server 30, processes the information, and sends a communication line such as a telephone line to the terminals 50, 61 of the user 50 and the service department 60 as necessary. It is possible to send information by e-mail or the like via

  Next, a specific example of the information transmission / reception process will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing by the main control unit 12 of the excavator 10.

  In step S1, it is determined whether or not the transmission operation switch SW1 has been operated. If it is determined that it has been operated, the position information of the excavator 10 is read from the GPS control unit 11 (step S2), and the presence / absence of a failure is input from the failure detection device 13 (step S3). The read position information is the position information at the time when the operation switch SW1 is turned on.

  In step S4, the presence / absence of a failure is determined based on the input information from the failure detection device 13. When it is determined that there is a failure, the position information and the failure information are transmitted from the transmission unit 12A (step S5), and when it is determined that there is no failure, only the position information is transmitted (step S6). The failure information indicates the location where an abnormality has occurred, and is transmitted with a preset code number such as “01” if the sensor is abnormal or “02” if the engine speed is abnormal. .

  The transmitted information is sent to the mail server 30 via the communication satellite 22 as described above, and the information is transferred from the mail server 30 to the base station 40. FIG. 3 shows processing in the center server 41 of the base station 40. In step S11, it is determined whether or not information has been sent from the mail server 30, and if it is determined that information has been sent, the information is read (step S12). The read position information and failure information are transmitted to the terminal 61 of the service department 60.

  The service department 60 grasps the position of the excavator 10 based on the position information received by the terminal 61 and dispatches a service person to the site where the excavator 10 is located. If the failure information is also received, the contents of the failure can be grasped based on the failure information, and the service person goes to the site with equipment for repairing the failure. According to this, repair can be performed in a short time from the occurrence of a failure, and work delays can be minimized.

  Failure information is not always necessary. For example, when the operator operates the transmission operation switch SW1 when the excavator 10 falls, the transmitted position information is transmitted to the service department 60 via the base station 40. This information transmission allows service personnel to arrive at the site in a short period of time, and promptly take measures to return.

  Alternatively, fuel can be replenished quickly by operating the transmission operation switch SW1 when the fuel remaining amount is low. For example, if the remaining amount of fuel is confirmed on the hydraulic excavator 10 side when the transmission operation switch SW1 is operated, and information indicating that is transmitted together with the position information when the amount is small, a quicker response is possible.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the position information is transmitted in accordance with the switch operation of the operator, the communication cost can be saved as compared with the case where the position information is transmitted as needed.

  In the present embodiment, the information is transmitted by operating the switch SW1, but the failure information and the position information may be transmitted when the occurrence of the failure is detected. As a result, the information is sent to the base station 40 and the service department 60 almost simultaneously with the occurrence of the failure, and a quick response to the failure becomes possible. Therefore, the stagnation of work due to a failure can be suppressed to a minimum time.

-Second Embodiment-
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, it is determined that the excavator 10 may be stolen when the position of the excavator 10 is different between when the engine is stopped and when the excavator 10 is started, and position information at the time of starting the engine is transmitted. . The system configuration is the same as in FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows processing when the engine is stopped in the main control unit 12 of the excavator 10. In step S31, for example, when it is determined that the engine is stopped by an engine key off signal or the like, position information at that time is read from the GPS control unit 11 (step S32), and the read information is stored in the memory 12B as position information P1. (Step S33). According to this, the position information when the engine was stopped last time is always stored in the memory 12B when the engine is started.

  FIG. 5 shows processing at the time of engine start in the main control unit 12. First, the current position information is read from the GPS control unit 11, and this information is used as position information P2 (step S41). Information stored in the memory 12B, that is, position information P1 at the time of the previous engine stop is read (step S42), and the distance between P1 and P2 is compared with a predetermined distance ΔL set in advance (step S43). When the distance between P1 and P2 is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance ΔL, that is, when the position of the hydraulic excavator 10 is more than the predetermined distance when the engine is stopped and started, the position of the hydraulic excavator 10 is abnormal (theft) The current position information P2 is transmitted (step S44). At this time, information indicating that there is a risk of theft may be transmitted together.

  FIG. 6 shows processing in the center server 41 of the base station 40. In step S51, the presence / absence of position information is determined. If there is position information, it is determined whether the position information has been sent. If it has been sent, the position information is read (step S52). The read information is notified to the user 50 side by e-mail or the like (step S53).

  FIG. 7 shows an example of processing in the terminal 51 on the user 50 side. If it is determined in step S61 that a mail has been received, the position information of the excavator 10 is grasped by reading the mail (step S62). Process management data created in advance by the user is read (step S63), and the presence or absence of an abnormality is determined (step S64). For example, when the transmitted position information is significantly different from the position in the process management data, it is determined that there is an abnormality, and information to that effect is displayed on the screen of the terminal 61 (step S65). When this abnormality information is displayed, the person in charge contacts the related person or reports to the police or the like in some cases. According to this, even when the excavator 10 is stolen, it can be promptly collected. Also, by spreading such a system, theft itself can be drastically reduced. Furthermore, since location information is transmitted only when there is a possibility of theft, transmission costs can be reduced.

  In the above, the position information when the engine is stopped and when the engine is started is compared on the shovel side, but the comparison may be performed on the base station side. That is, the shovel side simply transmits the position information P1 when the engine is stopped and the position information P2 when the engine is started, and compares the information on the base station side to determine whether or not there is a possibility of theft. You may make it judge.

  In another embodiment, for example, information can be transmitted from the base station 40 side to the excavator 10, and when the main control unit 12 of the excavator 10 receives a transmission instruction from the base station 40, position information at that time is received. May be transmitted. This is convenient, for example, when the base station 40 or the user needs to know the position of a specific hydraulic excavator.

-Third embodiment-
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is also intended to prevent the hydraulic excavator 10 from being stolen similarly to the second embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram in the present embodiment, and the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The center server 41 of the base station 40 can transmit information to the terminal 71 of the construction machine rental company 70 by e-mail or the like via a communication line, for example, a telephone line, as necessary. Further, information communication between the terminal 71 of the rental company 70 and the terminal 51 of the user 50 who uses the construction machine of the rental company 70 is also possible. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG.

  The base station 40, which is one of the construction machine management departments, provides a service for the user 50 to register the work site of the construction machine such as the excavator 10 on the website. For example, when the user 50 accesses a predetermined website of the base station 40 using the terminal 51, a map that divides the whole country into a plurality of areas is displayed on the screen. When the user 50 clicks on an area including a work site of a construction machine used by the user 50, the area is transmitted to the base station 40 as work area information.

  Instead of using a map, the user 50 may input a state name or a region name or select from a plurality of candidates to specify a work area.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the center server 41 of the base station 40 confirms that the work area information has been transmitted from the user 50 (step S101), the work area information is associated with the user 50 and registered in the database. (Step S102).

  FIG. 10 shows another process performed by the center server 41 of the base station 40. As described with reference to FIG. 6, it is determined in step S51 whether or not position information has been sent from the excavator 10, and if it is sent, the position information is read (step S52). Next, it is determined whether or not work area information corresponding to the user 50 using the hydraulic excavator 10 is stored in the database (step S111). When the work area information is stored, it is determined whether or not the hydraulic excavator 10 exists in the work area based on the work area information and the position information (step S112). If it is not present in the work area, it is determined that the position of the excavator 10 is abnormal (possibly stolen), and that is the fact that the rental company 70, which is the user 50 or other management department of the construction machine, Alternatively, both are notified by e-mail or the like (step S113). At this time, the position information of the excavator is also notified at the same time. When only the rental company 70 is notified, the rental company 70 may notify the user 50.

  A signal to stop the engine of the excavator 10 may be transmitted to the excavator 10 via the mail server 30 and the communication satellite 22 in synchronization with the notification in step S113. In this case, the main control unit 12 of the excavator 10 performs a process as shown in FIG. 11, for example. In FIG. 11, it is determined whether or not a signal to stop the engine has been received (step S121), and if received, the engine is forcibly stopped (step S122).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S111 in FIG. 10 that the work area information is not stored, the position information of the excavator 10 is notified to the user 50 or the rental company 70 (step S114). In this case, the user 50 or the rental company determines whether or not the theft has occurred.

  Note that the rental company 70 may perform the same processing as in FIG. In this case, the work area information may be transmitted from the base station 40 to the rental company 70, or the rental company may provide a work area information registration service.

  In the present embodiment, the center server 41 compares the work area information corresponding to the user 50 and the position information and performs abnormality determination. However, the work area information is transmitted to the control unit 12 mounted on the excavator 10 in advance, The work area information may be stored in the memory unit of the control unit 12, and the control unit 12 may compare the work area information with the position information and determine an abnormality. In this case, when it is determined that there is an abnormality, the fact that it is abnormal is transmitted to the center server 41 together with the position information. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to determine in the control unit 12 whether or not the hydraulic excavator 10 is to be stopped. For example, even if the communication state is bad and position information is not delayed, the excavator 10 Theft can be prevented.

-Fourth Embodiment-
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the hydraulic excavator side determines whether or not there is a possibility of theft. In FIG. 8, a switch SW <b> 2 provided in the hydraulic excavator 10 is an operation switch operated to store the current position of the hydraulic excavator 10.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the main control unit 12 of the excavator 10 stores the current position information Pm of the excavator 10 in the memory 12B when the switch SW2 is turned on (step S201) (step S202). The operator stores the position information Pm by operating the switch SW2 at the start or end of work, for example.

  FIG. 13 shows another process by the main control unit 12. This process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined time period.

  The current position information Pc of the excavator 10 is read from the GPS control unit 11 (step S211), and the position information Pm stored in the memory 12B is read (step S212). A distance between Pc and Pm is obtained (step S213), and it is determined whether this distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance (step S214). If it is longer than the predetermined distance, it is determined that there is a possibility of theft, and the position information Pc and information indicating the possibility of theft are transmitted via the transmission unit 12A (step S215). Upon receiving these pieces of information, the base station 40 notifies the user 50 or the rental company 70 by electronic mail in the same manner as described above.

  Here, when the excavator 10 is stolen, if the theft operates the switch SW2, the presence or absence of the theft cannot be accurately determined. Therefore, it is desirable to install the switch SW2 in an inconspicuous place.

  Also in this embodiment, the base station 40 or the rental company 70 may determine whether there is a possibility of theft. In this case, when the switch SW2 is operated, the position information at that time is transmitted, and this is stored in the storage device of the base station 40 or the rental company 70 as the position information Pm. Then, the position information Pc periodically sent from the excavator 10 is compared with the position information Pm to determine whether the theft is the same as described above.

  In the above embodiment, the position of the excavator is detected using a GPS satellite, but instead of this, for example, a PHS position information providing service or the like may be used.

  In the above, the management system of the hydraulic excavator has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to a management system of a construction machine (for example, a crane) other than the hydraulic excavator.

  Although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these contents. Other embodiments conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a management system in an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the hydraulic shovel in 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the base station in 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the hydraulic shovel in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the hydraulic shovel in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the base station in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence by the side of the user in 2nd Embodiment. The schematic block diagram of the management system in 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence by the side of the base station in 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the other processing procedure of the base station side in 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the hydraulic shovel in 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the hydraulic shovel in 4th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence by the side of the base station in 4th Embodiment.

Claims (19)

A management system for receiving information transmitted from a construction machine by a receiving device provided in a base station,
The construction machine determines a position detection device that detects position information of the construction machine, a determination device that determines whether or not to transmit the position information, and outputs a transmission signal when it is determined that the transmission should be performed, and A construction machine management system comprising: a transmission device that transmits a signal to notify the base station of the position information detected at that time in response to a transmission signal. In the construction machine management system according to claim 1,
A construction machine management system comprising an operation switch operable by an operator, wherein the determination device determines whether or not the operation switch is operated, and outputs the transmission signal when operated. The construction machine management system according to claim 2,
The apparatus further includes a failure detection device that detects whether there is a failure in the construction machine, and the transmission device also transmits failure information in addition to the position information when a failure is detected when the transmission signal is output. A construction machine management system characterized by that. In the construction machine management system according to claim 1,
The apparatus further includes a failure detection device that detects whether there is a failure in the construction machine, and the determination device determines whether a failure is detected by the failure detection device, and outputs the transmission signal when the failure is detected. And a construction machine management system which transmits failure information in addition to the position information. In the construction machine management system according to claim 1,
The determination apparatus determines whether or not there is a transmission instruction from the base station, and outputs the transmission signal when there is a transmission instruction. In the construction machine management system according to claim 1,
The determination apparatus determines whether or not the construction machine has been started and stopped, and outputs the transmission signal when the engine is started and stopped. In the construction machine management system according to claim 1,
A storage device that stores the position information detected when the engine of the construction machine is stopped is provided, and the determination device is configured such that the position information detected when the engine is started and the stored position information when the engine is stopped are a predetermined distance or more. A construction machine management system that outputs the transmission signal to transmit position information at the time of starting the engine when the engine is separated. In the construction machine management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A construction machine management system, further comprising: a base station-side transmitting device that is provided in the base station and transmits position information received by the receiving device to another organization.   In response to the transmission signal, a position detection device that detects the position information of the construction machine, a determination device that determines whether or not the position information should be transmitted, and that outputs a transmission signal when it is determined that the position information should be transmitted A construction machine comprising: a transmission device that transmits the positional information detected at that time to notify a base station. A position detection device provided in a construction machine for detecting position information of the construction machine;
A transmission device for transmitting position information detected by the position detection device;
A construction machine management system comprising: a determination device that is provided at a remote location with respect to the construction machine, and that determines whether there is an abnormality in the position of the construction machine based on position information from the transmission device. A position detection device provided in a construction machine for detecting position information of the construction machine;
A transmission device for transmitting position information detected by the position detection device;
A determination device that is provided at a remote location with respect to the construction machine, and that determines whether there is an abnormality with respect to the position of the construction machine based on position information from the transmission device;
A construction machine management system comprising: a transmission device that transmits a judgment result of the judgment device to a management department or user of the construction machine. The construction machine management system according to claim 11,
The transmission system transmits a determination result only when the determination device determines that there is an abnormality. The construction machine management system according to claim 11,
A construction machine management system, wherein the transmission device transmits the determination result by electronic mail. A position detection device for detecting position information of the construction machine;
A determination device that determines whether there is an abnormality with respect to the position of the construction machine based on the information at the position;
A construction machine comprising: a transmission device that transmits a determination result of the determination device to a management department of the construction machine.   A construction machine management system comprising: a determination device that receives position information of the construction machine transmitted from a construction machine and determines whether there is an abnormality with respect to the position of the construction machine based on the position information. A determination device that receives position information of the construction machine transmitted from a construction machine, and determines whether or not there is an abnormality with respect to the position of the construction machine based on the position information;
A construction machine management system comprising: a transmission device that transmits the determination result to a construction machine management department or a user. The construction machine management system according to claim 15 or 16,
The management system for a construction machine, wherein the determination device determines the presence / absence of the abnormality based on information on a position of the construction machine set in advance and position information transmitted from the construction machine. A receiving device for receiving a determination result relating to a position abnormality of the construction machine transmitted from a construction machine;
A construction machine management system comprising: a transmission device that transmits the received information to a construction machine management department or a user.   Receiving the position information of the construction machine transmitted from the construction machine, determining whether there is an abnormality with respect to the position of the construction machine based on the position information, and transmitting the determination result to a management department or user of the construction machine A management system for construction machinery.

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