JP2012127059A - Construction vehicle support system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a construction vehicle support system that can prevent an involvement accident caused by a construction vehicle even at a small construction site.SOLUTION: A construction vehicle support system comprises: an RFID tag 140 that functions as radio signal transmission means to be held by a worker 150 at a construction site; an RFID antenna 190 that is mounted on a hydraulic excavator 100 being a construction vehicle and functions as radio signal receiving means for receiving a signal from the RFID tag 140; a personal computer 180 that functions as calculation means for determining the location of the worker 150 using information on the signal obtained by the RFID antenna 190; and a spectacles type display 170 functioning as position display means that obtains the location of the worker 150 from the personal computer 180 and then conveys the location of the worker 150 to an operator 10 of the hydraulic excavator 100.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for reducing accidents that occur when a construction vehicle is used for construction, and specifically, it is a blind spot for a construction vehicle driver using AR (Augmented Reality) technology. It relates to technology that conveys the state of humans and obstacles.

  When operating heavy machinery at construction sites, it is necessary to pay careful attention to the surrounding conditions and operate it safely. However, in relatively small construction sites, there are often cases where the workable range is narrow and a sufficient safety zone cannot be provided. Specifically, an accident has occurred in which an operator passes through a blind spot of a heavy machine, and the operator of the heavy machine operates the heavy machine without knowing it. From the viewpoint of safety, it is desirable to prevent workers from entering the operating range of heavy machinery, or not to use heavy machinery when this is not possible. However, if work using heavy machinery is possible, it is also true that it is preferable to work using heavy machinery in view of work efficiency. Therefore, various methods for solving such problems have been studied.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a pop-out warning device. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a technique for avoiding a contact accident with respect to a vehicle and a pedestrian on a general road instead of a construction site. Specifically, when the vehicle has a plurality of sensors and the proximity of the pedestrian from the sidewalk is detected by the plurality of sensors, the vehicle driver is warned of the proximity of the pedestrian to the other vehicle, This is a technique for avoiding contact accidents between other vehicles and pedestrians.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique related to a surrounding vehicle monitoring device and a surrounding vehicle monitoring method. It is possible to detect surrounding vehicles and the like that may be interrupted by information obtained from an onboard surveillance camera and radar, and to perform an alarm and automatic danger avoidance control.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a technique related to a blind spot image display device and a blind spot phase display method. The left and right fronts of the host vehicle are photographed by a monitoring camera attached to the front end of the vehicle, and the image is displayed on a monitor prepared in the vehicle compartment, so that the driver is informed of the image of the blind spot. Making it possible.

  Patent Document 4 discloses a technique related to a blind spot display device. By shooting the image of the blind spot from the driver such as the shadow of the pillar with the surveillance camera attached to the vehicle and displaying the image of the blind spot on the display embedded in the pillar, it becomes a blind spot from the driver. It is possible to convey the image of the part that is present to the driver.

JP 2006-154933 A JP 2010-072969 A JP 2010-078661 A JP 2010-184534 A

  However, when the prevention of accidents at a small-scale construction site is considered with the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4, it is considered that there are problems described below.

  Although it is conceivable to use the above-mentioned accident prevention technology for ordinary vehicles at construction sites, construction vehicles such as hydraulic excavators have different shapes from ordinary passenger vehicles and simply have different characteristics. These inventions cannot be applied. For example, in the case of a hydraulic excavator, it is necessary to visually operate the tip tool attached to the arm, so that there is a situation such as taking the driver's field of view as wide as possible. In addition, the arm and the vehicle body itself often make a blind spot, and there are circumstances where there are many obstacles and structures on the construction site.

  Therefore, specific warning means is not clearly described in Patent Document 1, and Patent Document 2 describes that information is transmitted to the driver by warning means that displays voice or characters on a monitor. Because of the characteristics of the work, even if the construction vehicle is displayed on the fixed monitor in a method that requires time to grasp the character information, it is difficult to confirm during the work. Also, since the noise level at the construction site is quite high, it may be possible that the warning means by voice is sometimes not effective. Therefore, even if the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are applied, the possibility of being an effective measure is low.

  In addition, applying the techniques as shown in Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 is advantageous in that it reduces the blind spots of the construction vehicle, but it is necessary to attach a large number of surveillance cameras to the construction vehicle in terms of cost. It becomes a problem. There is also a problem that a new blind spot may be created by attaching a monitor. In addition, since it is not possible to obtain information on the part that becomes a blind spot of the surveillance camera, it is considered that the merit obtained at a construction site with many obstacles is small.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a construction vehicle support system capable of preventing an accident involving a construction vehicle even in a small construction site in order to solve such a problem.

  In order to achieve the above object, a construction vehicle support system according to an aspect of the present invention has the following characteristics.

(1) Radio signal transmitting means to be given to a worker on the construction site, radio signal receiving means attached to the construction vehicle and receiving a signal from the radio signal transmitting means, and the signal obtained by the radio signal receiving means Calculation means for determining the position of the worker using information on the position, and position display means for acquiring the position of the worker from the calculation means and transmitting the position of the worker to the driver of the construction vehicle. It is characterized by that.

(2) The construction vehicle support system according to (1), wherein the position display means is a goggle type retinal scanning display worn by a driver of the construction vehicle.

(3) In the construction vehicle support system according to (1) or (2), the wireless signal transmitting unit is an RFID tag, and the wireless signal receiving unit is an RFID antenna.

  With the construction vehicle support system according to one aspect of the present invention having such characteristics, the following operations and effects can be obtained.

  The aspect of the invention described in the above (1) includes a radio signal transmitting means to be given to a worker on a construction site, a radio signal receiving means attached to a construction vehicle and receiving a signal from the radio signal transmitting means, and a radio signal Calculation means for determining the worker's position using information about the signal obtained by the receiving means, and position display means for acquiring the worker's position from the calculation means and transmitting the worker's position to the driver of the construction vehicle It is what has.

  In most cases, a specific person who works on a construction site works in the same area, so by giving a radio signal transmission means to the worker on the same site, a radio signal is sent from the worker side. It is possible to make a call. On the other hand, the construction vehicle is provided with wireless signal receiving means, calculating means, and position display means, so that a wireless signal is transmitted from the worker side, and the work is performed with the position display means based on the data of the wireless signal receiving means that has received it It is possible to specify the position of the worker, and the driver of the construction vehicle can identify the position information of the worker in the blind spot of the construction vehicle, which is effective in reducing accidents.

  The aspect of the invention described in (2) is the construction vehicle support system described in (1), since the position display means is a goggle type retinal scanning display worn by the driver of the construction vehicle. The position information of other workers can be transmitted to the driver with almost no obstruction of the driver's view. With a goggle type retinal scanning display, it is possible to superimpose the operator's position information on the driver's field of view by using AR (augmented reality) technology. Therefore, the driver can check the information of the worker in the blind spot at any time, and an effect can be obtained in reducing accidents.

  In addition, the aspect of the invention described in (3) is that, in the construction vehicle support system described in (1) or (2), the wireless signal transmitting means is an RFID tag and the wireless signal receiving means is an RFID antenna. It can be operated relatively easily. Since the RFID tag is miniaturized, it is unlikely to interfere with the worker, and the reception distance with the RFID antenna can secure a reception area with a radius of several tens of meters or more with some devices and a radius of 100 meters or more depending on the device. Any small construction site can be used. In addition, it can be said that it is suitable for operation at the construction site because it can confirm the worker in the blind spot by wrapping around the radio wave and is resistant to dirt.

It is a schematic plan view of the hydraulic excavator of this embodiment. It is a perspective view of a hydraulic excavator of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing the mode of the driver's seat of a hydraulic excavator of this embodiment. It is a system schematic diagram of this embodiment. It is an image figure of the glasses type display which a driver wears of this embodiment. It is a top view showing typically the circumference of a hydraulic excavator of this embodiment.

  First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a hydraulic excavator 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the excavator 100. A hydraulic excavator 100 used as a construction vehicle includes an arm 101 in front and a crawler 102, and can turn and move. The engine 106 is attached to the rear part of the driver. At the construction site, the excavator 100 is used for removing the pavement of the road when exchanging piping, attaching the bucket 105 to the arm 101, and excavating and removing earth and sand. Since the excavator 100 may be swung while turning the arm 101, the center radius m is within the work range, and it is not desirable for safety management to enter another worker.

  In FIG. 3, the schematic diagram showing the mode of the driver's seat 104 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is shown. The driver 10 of the excavator 100 sits on the driver's seat 104 shown in FIG. 3 and operates the excavator 100. The roof 103 of the excavator 100 is provided with three RFID (Radio Frequency IDentificatio) antennas 190. For convenience, the RFID antenna 190 is referred to as a first antenna 190a, a second antenna 190b, and a third antenna 190c.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic system diagram. The RFID antenna 190 is connected to a personal computer 180 mounted on the excavator 100. The personal computer 180 communicates with the glasses-type display 170 provided by the driver 10 wirelessly or by wire. The RFID antenna 190 is provided so as to receive radio waves emitted from the RFID tag 140 carried by the worker 150 who works together on the construction site. The personal computer 180 is used to calculate the information obtained from the RFID antenna 190 and the information of the RFID tag 140 to specify the relative position of the operator 150 with respect to the excavator 100.

  FIG. 5 shows an image of the glasses-type display 170 worn by the driver 10. The glasses-type display 170 worn by the driver 10 employs a glasses-type retinal scanning display so that the image is present in the field of view of the driver 10 by shining light on the retina beside the goggles. You can feel it. By being connected to the personal computer 180, an image based on information from the personal computer 180 can be imaged in the field of view of the driver 10 by the glasses-type display 170. If augmented reality (AR) technology is used, information can be conveyed to the driver 10 by matching the image with the scenery seen through the glasses-type display 170. Further, the glasses-type display 170 can transmit an image to the driver 10 with almost no visual field interruption, and since it is glasses-type, it does not hinder operation with both hands.

  The adopted RFID tag 140 is a passive type, and the communication distance with the RFID antenna 190 is about several tens of meters and has a communication range that covers the construction site. The RFID tag 140 transmits a unique signal so that the worker 150 can be individually identified. For convenience, FIG. 4 shows a first worker 150a and a second worker 150b. The RFID tag 140 is attached to a helmet worn by the worker 150 with a band or attached to clothes worn by the worker 150 so as not to hinder the work.

  Since the construction vehicle support system of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, the operation described below is exhibited.

  First, an RFID antenna 190 attached to the excavator 100 captures a signal transmitted from the RFID tag 140 carried by the worker 150 in the same construction site. Data obtained by the three RFID antennas 190 of the first antenna 190a, the second antenna 190b, and the third antenna 190c is transmitted to the personal computer 180 and processed. When the personal computer 180 processes the data, the personal computer 180 identifies the position of the worker 150 relative to the position of the excavator 100.

  Since the three RFID antennas 190 are provided, the time delay of the signal from the RFID tag 140 is calculated and the position of the worker 150 is measured. This data is calculated by the personal computer 180 and then transmitted to the glasses-type display 170 as an image.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the periphery of the hydraulic excavator 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the information transmitted to the driver 10 by the glasses-type display 170 relatively displays the position of the worker 150 around the excavator 100. A first worker 150a, a second worker 150b, and a third worker 150c in the display range 200 are shown in FIG. The turning radius 210 of the excavator 100 is also shown, and is shown highlighted because the third operator 150c is in the turning radius 210.

  Since the construction vehicle support system of the present embodiment exhibits the above-described operation by the above-described configuration, the following effects can be obtained.

  First, there is a point that is effective in preventing an accident involving the hydraulic excavator 100. The construction vehicle support system according to the present embodiment is a wireless tag that is attached to the RFID tag 140 serving as a wireless signal transmission means to be provided to the worker 150 at the construction site and the hydraulic excavator 100 serving as the construction vehicle, and receives signals from the RFID tag 140. Using the RFID antenna 190 serving as a signal receiving unit, the personal computer 180 serving as a calculation unit for determining the position of the worker 150 using the information about the signal obtained by the RFID antenna 190, and the position of the worker 150 from the personal computer 180 are obtained. Thus, the eyeglass-type display 170 serving as a position display means for transmitting the position of the worker 150 to the driver 10 of the excavator 100 is provided.

  Since the excavator 100 has a shape as shown in FIG. 2, the arm 101 and the bucket 105 obstruct the field of view when viewed from the driver's seat 104. Further, depending on the model of the hydraulic excavator 100, the engine 106 is large, and there is a possibility that the rear view is also hindered. In addition, there are many installations and structures on the construction site where the excavator 100 is operated, and it is easy to make blind spots in such parts. Depending on the construction site, there is little space reserved for the construction, and there are cases where the worker 150 needs to work within the working range of the excavator 100. Under these circumstances, there is always a need to prevent entanglement accidents at construction sites.

  According to the present embodiment, the worker 150 is almost fixed at the construction site and rarely changes. Therefore, each worker 150 has the RFID tag 140 in advance, receives a signal with the RFID antenna 190, and performs data processing with the personal computer 180. By performing the above and transmitting the position of the worker 150 to the driver 10 of the excavator 100 using the glasses-type display 170, the driver 10 can grasp the information. Therefore, even if the worker 150 is at a position where it is a blind spot from the driver's seat 104, it is possible to grasp the situation and prevent the accident.

  Specifically, the driver 10 can obtain an image as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, it can be seen that the third worker 150c is in the turning radius 210 even when looking forward. Actually, it is desirable to visually confirm, but only information can be confirmed in advance in this way, and accidents involving the third worker 150c can be prevented by performing inadvertent turning and back. Of course, since the radio wave emitted from the RFID tag 140 can be expected to have a sneak effect, the position of the operator 150 can be grasped even if there is a certain amount of shielding. Therefore, it is possible to operate the excavator 100 with care even if there is a worker 150 who is going out from behind the building, and there is a danger of overlooking the worker 150 behind the arm 101 or the bucket 105. It is also possible to reduce the nature.

  Further, it is considered that information can be conveyed to the driver 10 more accurately than a voice warning. As described above, warning sounds and voice warnings may be hindered by noise on the construction site and delay judgment. In particular, sound warnings are not sufficient during work on roads with heavy traffic or during excavation work. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, assuming that the third worker 150 c has entered the turning radius 210, if this is warned with only a warning sound, the position of the third worker 150 c is instantaneously grasped. Difficult to do. This is because the third worker 150c is not within the field of view of the driver 10. However, the information by the image from the display range 200 has a larger amount of information than the voice information, and it is highly possible that the driver 10 can instantly grasp the position of the third worker 150c. For this reason, even if a plurality of workers 150 have entered the turning radius 210, for example, it becomes easy to grasp each of the plurality of workers 150.

  In a narrow construction site, the worker 150 often enters the turning radius 210 of the excavator 100 particularly during work. Although this may intentionally enter the turning radius 210, there may be a case where the operator 150 enters the turning radius 210 when the excavator 100 moves while the worker 150 is working. There are cases where it is necessary to intrude due to the necessity of work rather than intrusion with caution. Even in such a case, the fact that the driver 10 of the excavator 100 can grasp the intrusion of the worker 150 instantaneously leads to accident prevention and is highly advantageous.

  Further, when the driver 10 wears the glasses-type display 170 as shown in FIG. 5, image information from the personal computer 180 can be obtained, and information can be obtained without sacrificing the operability of the excavator 100. It becomes possible. As described above, a separate monitor can be provided and displayed on the driver's seat 104 of the excavator 100, but in this case, there is a problem that the back of the monitor becomes a blind spot. Moreover, if a monitor is attached at a position where it does not become a blind spot, the movement of the line of sight increases, which may hinder the work. In the case where the glasses-type display 170 is used, it is possible to minimize the influence on the field of view without hindering the work.

  Further, by using the RFID tag 140 and the RFID antenna 190, it is possible to specify the positions of the workers 150 in a relatively wide range. By using a passive active tag for the RFID tag 140, the detection distance can be covered up to a radius of about several tens of meters. Since the work area of the excavator 100 can be sufficiently covered if there is such a distance, it is useful for avoiding danger. In addition, even if there is a shield, the radio wave wraps around, so that it is possible to detect the worker 150 behind the building, for example.

  Although the invention has been described according to the present embodiment, the invention is not limited to the embodiment, and by appropriately changing a part of the configuration without departing from the spirit of the invention. It can also be implemented.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the excavator 100 is illustrated as a construction vehicle. However, since there is a blind spot that is unique to each wheel loader, asphalt finisher, and other heavy machinery, The present invention is not prevented from being applied to construction vehicles. Further, it is not always necessary to display on the glasses-type display 170. For example, a method of arranging a highly transmissive display on the front surface of the excavator 100 is conceivable, and the method of mounting is also limited to the glasses-type. No. Further, for the data to be displayed on the glasses-type display 170, the state shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example. For example, when the worker 150 is in the blind spot, a method of synthesizing a human figure at the place is used. Also good. Further, the information communicated from the personal computer 180 is not limited to the position information of the worker 150, and may include, for example, a construction schedule or an emergency contact item.

10 Driver 100 Hydraulic excavator 101 Arm 102 Crawler 103 Roof 104 Driver's seat 105 Bucket 106 Engine 140 RFID tag 150 Worker 170 Glasses-type display 180 Personal computer 190 RFID antenna 200 Display range 210 Turning radius

Claims (3)

Wireless signal transmission means for workers on construction sites,
Radio signal receiving means attached to a construction vehicle and receiving signals from the radio signal transmitting means;
Calculating means for determining the position of the operator using information on the signal obtained by the wireless signal receiving means;
A construction vehicle support system comprising position display means for acquiring the position of the worker from the calculation means and transmitting the position of the worker to a driver of the construction vehicle. In the construction vehicle support system according to claim 1,
The construction vehicle support system, wherein the position display means is a goggle type retinal scanning display worn by a driver of the construction vehicle. In the construction vehicle support system according to claim 1 or 2,
A construction vehicle support system, wherein the wireless signal transmitting means is an RFID tag, and the wireless signal receiving means is an RFID antenna.

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