JP2023052339A - Shovel and work monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shovel capable of more accurately confirming a state of an operator in an operator's cab.

SOLUTION: A shovel 100 comprises: a lower traveling structure 1; an upper revolving structure 3 rotatably mounted on the lower traveling structure 1; a cabin 10 mounted on the upper revolving structure 3; a left control lever 26AL arranged on a left side of a driver's seat 110 in the cabin 10; a right control lever 26AR arranged on a right side of the driver's seat 110 in the cabin 10; an imaging device mounted in the cabin 10, which captures an image of at least the left control lever 26AL, the right control lever 26AR, and the trunk of an operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 in an imaging range; and a controller 30 to which the image captured by the imaging device is input.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to excavators and work monitoring systems.

2. Description of the Related Art There is known an excavator that determines the state of an operator based on changes in pressure distribution applied to a seat surface of a driver's seat installed in a cabin (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-162225 A

However, since the excavator described above determines the state of the operator based only on the pressure distribution applied to the seat surface of the driver's seat, there is a possibility that the state of the operator in the operator's cab cannot be accurately confirmed.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide an excavator that allows the operator to more accurately check the state of the operator in the operator's cab.

An excavator according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a lower traveling body, an upper revolving body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body, a cab mounted on the upper revolving body, and an operator operating in the cab. a left operating lever arranged on the left side of a seat; a right operating lever arranged on the right side of the driver's seat in the driver's cab; It has an imaging device that captures an image of the torso of an operator sitting in a driver's seat so as to include an imaging range, and an arithmetic device to which the image captured by the imaging device is input.

The excavator according to one embodiment of the present invention can more accurately confirm the state of the operator in the operator's cab.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of a work monitoring system. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a drive system mounted on the excavator of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a control system mounted on the excavator of FIG. 1; FIG. It is a side view of the operator who sits on the driver's seat provided in the cabin. It is a top view of the driver's seat provided in the cabin. It is a figure explaining the range in which the center-of-gravity position of an operator's upper body is distributed. 6 is a flowchart of estimation processing; It is a side view of the operator who sits on the driver's seat provided in the cabin.

First, a work monitoring system SYS including a working machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a work monitoring system SYS. The work monitoring system SYS is a system that monitors the state of an operator who operates a working machine. The operator's condition includes, for example, the operator's fatigue condition. Working machines include excavators (shovels), lifting magnet machines, cranes, forklifts, and the like.

In the example of FIG. 1, the work monitoring system SYS includes a shovel 100, a support device 200 and a management device 300. The excavator 100, the support device 200, and the management device 300 that constitute the work monitoring system SYS may be one or more. In the example of FIG. 1, the work monitoring system SYS is composed of one excavator 100, one support device 200, and one management device 300. As shown in FIG.

The excavator 100 is mainly composed of a lower running body 1 and an upper revolving body 3 . An upper rotating body 3 is mounted on the lower traveling body 1 via a rotating mechanism 2 . A boom 4 is attached to the upper revolving body 3 . An arm 5 is attached to the tip of the boom 4 . A bucket 6 is attached to the tip of the arm 5 as an end attachment.

The boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 constitute an excavation attachment, which is an example of an attachment as a working mechanism. Boom 4 is driven by boom cylinder 7 . Arm 5 is driven by arm cylinder 8 . The buckets 6 are driven by bucket cylinders 9, respectively.

A cabin 10 as a driver's cab is mounted on the upper revolving body 3 . An engine 11 as a power source for the excavator is mounted behind the cabin 10 in the upper swing body 3 . The engine 11 is, for example, an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine. A positioning device P1 and a communication device T1 are attached to the upper rotating body 3 .

A driver's seat 110 and a console 120 are installed in the cabin 10 . Furthermore, in the cabin 10, a controller 30 and an information acquisition device C1 are installed.

The controller 30 is an arithmetic device that performs various arithmetic operations. In this embodiment, the controller 30 is a microcomputer including a CPU, volatile memory and non-volatile memory. Various functions of the controller 30 are implemented, for example, by the CPU executing a program stored in a nonvolatile storage device.

The information acquisition device C<b>1 is configured to acquire information about the posture of the operator who operates the work mechanism, and output the acquired information to the controller 30 . In this embodiment, the information acquisition device C1 is an imaging device such as a camera attached to a position away from the driver's seat 110, such as a pillar, side wall, or ceiling of the cabin 10 so that the operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 can be photographed. be. In this case, the operator may be wearing a bodysuit that can assist the imaging device in obtaining information about the operator's posture. The bodysuit is made of, for example, a piece of cloth on which a plurality of markers of a predetermined shape (for example, circles) are arranged at equal intervals on the surface. The bodysuit is typically made of fabric that is in close contact with the operator's body, but may be made of fabric that is not in close contact with the body. Also, the bodysuit may cover the whole body or may cover the upper half of the body. The imaging device acquires information about the posture of the operator, for example, based on the positional relationship of the markers. The information acquisition device C1 may be a 3D scanner, an optical distance measuring device such as LIDAR. The information acquisition device C1 is not only a non-contact type device such as an imaging device or an optical distance measuring device, but also a body suit with a built-in extension sensor worn by the operator, or an acceleration sensor attached to the operator. It may be a contact-type device such as a wearable sensor. Alternatively, the information acquisition device C1 may be a sensor that detects the tension of a seat belt attached to the driver's seat 110 .

The positioning device P1 is configured to measure the position and orientation of the upper revolving structure 3 . The positioning device P<b>1 is, for example, a GNSS compass, detects the position and orientation of the upper swing body 3 , and outputs the detected values to the controller 30 .

The communication device T1 is configured to control communication with external equipment outside the shovel 100 . In this embodiment, the communication device T1 controls communication with external devices via a satellite communication network, a mobile phone communication network, the Internet network, or the like. The communication device T1 may also control communication with the support device 200 via a short-range wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and wireless LAN.

The support device 200 is a mobile terminal device such as a tablet PC, a smart phone, a wearable PC, or smart glasses carried by a worker or the like at the work site.

The management device 300 is a fixed terminal device such as a management server, and is, for example, a computer installed in a management center or the like outside the work site. The management device 300 may be, for example, a portable computer such as a notebook PC, tablet PC, or smart phone.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the drive system of the shovel 100. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the mechanical power transmission system is indicated by a double line, the hydraulic oil line is indicated by a thick solid line, the pilot line is indicated by a thick dashed line, and the electric drive/control system is indicated by a dotted line.

A drive system of the excavator 100 includes an engine 11 , a regulator 13 , a main pump 14 , a pilot pump 15 , a control valve 17 , an operating device 26 , an operating pressure sensor 29 and a controller 30 .

The engine 11 is controlled by an engine control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU 74"). An output shaft of the engine 11 is connected to respective input shafts of the main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15 . The main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15 are driven by the power of the engine 11 .

The main pump 14 supplies hydraulic fluid to the control valve 17 via the hydraulic fluid line 16 . In this embodiment, the main pump 14 is a swash plate type variable displacement hydraulic pump.

The regulator 13 controls the discharge amount of the main pump 14 . In this embodiment, the regulator 13 adjusts the tilt angle of the swash plate of the main pump 14 according to a control signal or the like from the controller 30 .

The pilot pump 15 supplies hydraulic fluid to various hydraulic control devices. In this embodiment, the pilot pump 15 is a fixed displacement hydraulic pump.

The control valve 17 is a hydraulic control device that controls a hydraulic system mounted on the excavator 100 . In this embodiment, the control valve 17 includes a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, a bucket cylinder 9, a left traveling hydraulic motor 1L, a right traveling hydraulic motor 1R, and a turning hydraulic motor 2A (hereinafter collectively referred to as "hydraulic actuators"). "."), including the corresponding flow control valves. The control valve 17 can selectively supply hydraulic fluid discharged by the main pump 14 to one or more hydraulic actuators.

The operating device 26 is used to operate the hydraulic actuators. In this embodiment, the operation device 26 includes an operation lever 26A, a travel pedal 26B and a travel lever 26C. The operating lever 26L includes a left operating lever 26AL for arm opening/closing operation and turning operation, and a right operating lever 26AR for boom raising/lowering operation and bucket opening/closing operation. The travel pedal 26B includes a left travel pedal 26BL for forward/reverse operation of the left crawler and a right travel pedal 26BR for forward/reverse operation of the right crawler. The travel lever 26C includes a left travel lever 26CL interlocked with the left travel pedal 26BL and a right travel lever 26CR interlocked with the right travel pedal 26BR.

The operating device 26 is connected to the control valve 17 via a hydraulic fluid line 27 . Specifically, it is connected to the pilot port of the flow control valve in the control valve 17 .

The operating device 26 is connected to an operating pressure sensor 29 via a hydraulic fluid line 28 . The operation pressure sensor 29 detects the operation content of the operation device 26 in the form of pressure and outputs the detected value to the controller 30 . The controller 30 detects each operation content of the operation device 26 (for example, presence/absence of lever operation, lever operation direction, lever operation amount, etc.) based on the output of the operation pressure sensor 29 . However, the detection of the operation content of the operation device 26 may be performed using a sensor other than the pressure sensor, such as an inclination sensor that detects the inclination of the operation lever 26A.

The controller 30 is configured to derive information about the state of the operator based on the information about the posture of the operator acquired by the information acquisition device C1. In this embodiment, the controller 30 has an estimator 30a.

The estimation unit 30a estimates the state of the operator based on the information about the posture of the operator acquired by the information acquisition device C1. In this embodiment, the estimation unit 30a estimates the fatigue state of the operator based on the information about the posture of the operator acquired by the information acquisition device C1. For example, the estimation unit 30a estimates the center-of-gravity position of the operator's upper body based on the information about the operator's upper body posture acquired by the information acquisition device C1. Then, the fatigue state of the operator is estimated based on the distribution of the position of the center of gravity of the operator's upper body over a predetermined period of time. However, the estimation unit 30a estimates the center-of-gravity position of the operator's whole body based on the information about the posture of the operator acquired by the information acquisition device C1, and performs the operation based on the distribution of the center-of-gravity position of the whole body of the operator over a predetermined time. You may estimate a person's fatigue state.

When a bodysuit is employed as the information acquisition device C1, the estimating unit 30a receives outputs from a plurality of stretch sensors embedded in the bodysuit via short-range wireless communication or the like, and determines the posture of the operator's whole body or upper body. derive information about Then, the position of the center of gravity of the operator's whole body or upper body is estimated based on the information about the posture of the operator's whole body or upper body. The expansion/contraction sensor is configured to detect, for example, a change in resistance value of fibers forming the bodysuit as expansion/contraction of the fibers.

When a sensor that detects the tension of the seat belt is employed as the information acquisition device C1, the estimation unit 30a may estimate the center of gravity of the operator's whole body or upper body based on the maximum value of the tension, for example. Also, the number of times the center of gravity position of the operator's whole body or upper body moves may be estimated based on the number of times the tension changes.

Further, the controller 30 may be configured to control the external device C2 based on the derived information regarding the state of the operator. In this embodiment, the controller 30 has a device control section 30b.

The external device C2 includes a display device 130 (see FIG. 5), an audio output device, a fragrance generator, a regulator 13, a gate lock valve 50 (see FIG. 3), a pilot pressure control valve 51 (see FIG. 3), and communication. At least one of the devices T1.

The device control unit 30b controls the external device C2 based on the fatigue state of the operator estimated by the estimation unit 30a. For example, when the estimation unit 30a estimates that the fatigue state of the operator has reached a predetermined level, the device control unit 30b notifies that the operator is fatigued. Specifically, the device control unit 30b outputs a control command to the voice output device, and causes the voice output device to output information indicating that the operator is tired. The audio output device may output audio to a worker or the like working around the excavator 100 or may output audio to an operator in the cabin 10 . Further, the device control section 30b may cause the display device 130 to display information indicating that the operator is tired. The display device 130 may be configured to be visually recognizable by a worker working around the excavator 100, similarly to the audio output device.

Alternatively, when the estimating unit 30a estimates that the fatigue state of the operator has reached a predetermined level, the equipment control unit 30b transmits information indicating that the operator is fatigued to the support device 200 and the operator through the communication device T1. It may be transmitted to at least one of the management devices 300 . In this case, the device control unit 30b may associate and transmit at least one of the information on the work content and the information on the work environment. This is to enable a manager or the like to analyze the relationship between operator fatigue and work content or work environment. The information about work content includes, for example, the output of the operating pressure sensor 29 and the like. The information about the work environment includes at least one of, for example, information about the hardness of the excavation target (earth and sand, etc.), information about the outside air temperature, and the like. Information about the hardness of the excavation target (earth and sand, etc.) may be derived based on, for example, the pressure of the bottom-side oil chamber of the boom cylinder 7 or the like. With this configuration, the administrator or the like can appropriately change the operator's future work content, work time, or the like. For example, a manager or the like can grasp the time until each operator becomes fatigued, and can determine work allocation to each operator.

Alternatively, when the estimating unit 30a estimates that the fatigue state of the operator has reached a predetermined level, the device control unit 30b uses an actuator (not shown) to change the inclination of the seat surface of the driver's seat 110 in the front-rear direction. You may let This is to reduce fatigue of the operator by changing the seating posture of the operator.

Alternatively, the device control section 30b may generate a scent based on the information about the posture of the operator's upper body acquired by the information acquisition device C1. For example, when the estimating unit 30a estimates that the fatigue state of the operator has reached a predetermined level, the device control unit 30b may output a control command to the scent generating device to generate a scent. The scent may be a scent for relaxing the operator or a scent for awakening the operator. Further, the device control unit 30b may cause the audio output device to output music for relaxing the operator, or may cause the audio output device to output music for awakening the operator.

Alternatively, the device control unit 30b may restrict the movement of the excavator 100 when the estimation unit 30a estimates that the fatigue state of the operator has reached a predetermined level. This is to prompt the operator to stop the work or take a break. For example, the device control unit 30b may output a control command to the regulator 13 to limit the discharge amount of the main pump 14, thereby slowing down the movement of the excavation attachment. Alternatively, the device control unit 30b outputs a control command to the gate lock valve 50 to cut off the flow rate of the hydraulic oil supplied to the operation device 26, that is, to disable the operation device 26, so that excavation can be performed. You may stop the movement of the attachment. Alternatively, the device control section 30b may output a control command to the pilot pressure control valve 51 to adjust the pilot pressure generated by the operating device 26, thereby restricting the movement of the excavation attachment. Alternatively, if the operating lever 26A has a force feedback function, the device control unit 30b may reduce the operation reaction force on the operating lever 26A when the estimating unit 30a estimates that the fatigue state of the operator has reached a predetermined level. can be increased. This is to prompt the operator to stop the work by making it difficult to operate the operation lever 26A.

Alternatively, the device control unit 30b may switch the operation mode of the excavator 100 to the assist mode when the estimation unit 30a estimates that the fatigue state of the operator has reached a predetermined level. The assist mode may be, for example, an operation mode for smoothing rough movements of the hydraulic actuator caused by swinging of the operation amount of the control lever 26A. In this case, the device control section 30b may output a control command to the pilot pressure control valve 51 to adjust the pilot pressure generated by the operating device 26, thereby suppressing fluctuations in the pilot pressure.

Alternatively, the device control unit 30b may restrict the movement of the excavator 100 when receiving a restriction command from the support device 200 or the management device 300 via the communication device T1. With this configuration, for example, when an administrator at the management center receives information that the operator is tired, he or she can remotely control the movement of the excavator 100 by transmitting a restriction command to the excavator 100. can be restricted by

Next, a control system of the excavator 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a control system mounted on the excavator 100. As shown in FIG.

The controller 30 operates by receiving power supply from the storage battery 70 . The storage battery 70 is charged by a generator 11 a driven by the engine 11 . The power of the storage battery 70 is also supplied to the information acquisition device C1, the electrical equipment 72, the starter 11b of the engine 11, and the like. The starter 11b is driven by electric power from the storage battery 70 to start the engine 11. As shown in FIG.

The engine 11 is controlled by the ECU 74 . The ECU 74 transmits various data indicating the state of the engine 11 to the controller 30 . The controller 30 accumulates this data in a temporary memory (volatile memory).

A water temperature sensor 11 c provided in the engine 11 transmits cooling water temperature data to the controller 30 . The regulator 13 transmits information regarding the swash plate tilt angle to the controller 30 . The discharge pressure sensor 14 b transmits information regarding the discharge pressure of the main pump 14 to the controller 30 .

An oil temperature sensor 14c is provided in a conduit CL between the main pump 14 and a tank in which hydraulic oil sucked by the main pump 14 is stored. The oil temperature sensor 14c transmits to the controller 30 information regarding the temperature of the hydraulic oil flowing through the conduit CL.

The operating pressure sensor 29 transmits information to the controller 30 regarding the pilot pressure acting on the control valve 17 when the operating lever 26A is operated, for example.

The engine speed adjustment dial 75 is a dial for adjusting the speed of the engine 11 . In this embodiment, the engine speed adjustment dial 75 is configured to switch the engine speed in multiple stages of four or more stages including SP mode, H mode, A mode and idling mode. The engine speed adjustment dial 75 transmits information regarding the set state of the speed of the engine 11 to the controller 30 .

The SP mode is a rotation speed mode that is selected when it is desired to give priority to the amount of work, and the highest engine speed is used. The H mode is a rotational speed mode that is selected when it is desired to achieve both work load and fuel efficiency, and uses the second highest engine rotational speed. The A mode is a rotational speed mode selected when it is desired to operate the excavator with low noise while giving priority to fuel efficiency, and the third highest engine rotational speed is used. The idling mode is a rotational speed mode selected when the engine 11 is to be in an idling state, and the lowest engine rotational speed is used. The engine 11 is controlled so that its rotational speed is the same as the engine rotational speed set by the engine rotational speed adjustment dial 75 .

The gate lock valve 50 is configured to switch between a communicating state and a blocked state of the pilot line PL1 that connects the pilot pump 15 and the operating device 26 . When the pilot line PL1 is in the communicating state, the operating device 26 is in the enabled state, and when the pilot line PL1 is in the blocked state, the operating device 26 is in the disabled state. The enabled state of the operating device 26 means a state in which the operation on the operating device 26 is reflected in the movement of the excavator 100 , and the disabled state of the operating device 26 means a state in which the operation on the operating device 26 is not reflected in the movement of the excavator 100 . means. In this embodiment, the gate lock valve 50 opens the pilot line PL1 when the gate lock lever GL is pulled up, and closes the pilot line PL1 when the gate lock lever GL is pushed down. Further, the gate lock valve 50 may be configured to switch between the communication state and the cutoff state of the pilot line PL1 according to a control command from the controller 30 .

The information acquisition device C1 may be configured to acquire information about the posture of the operator who operates the work mechanism when the operation device 26 is in the active state. For example, the information acquisition device C1 may be configured to acquire information about the posture of the operator who operates the excavation attachment only when the operation lever 26A is in the active state. In this case, the information acquisition device C1 may be configured not to acquire information about the posture of the operator's upper body when the operation lever 26A is in the disabled state. Alternatively, the information acquisition device C1 may be configured so that the controller 30 does not use the information regarding the posture of the operator's body acquired when the operation lever 26A is in the disabled state. Specifically, the information acquisition device C1 may erase the information regarding the posture of the operator's body acquired when the operation lever 26A is in the disabled state.

The information acquisition device C1 is configured to acquire information about the posture of the upper body of the operator while the operator is operating, that is, when the operating lever 26A is in the operating state. good too. In this case, the information acquisition device C1 may be configured not to acquire information about the posture of the upper body of the operator when the operator is not operating, that is, when the operation lever 26A is in the non-operating state. good. Alternatively, the information acquisition device C1 may be configured so that the controller 30 does not use the information regarding the posture of the operator's body acquired when the control lever 26A is in the non-operating state. Specifically, the information acquisition device C1 may delete the information regarding the posture of the operator's body acquired when the control lever 26A is in the non-operating state.

The pilot pressure control valve 51 is configured to adjust the pilot pressure, which is the pressure of hydraulic fluid in a pilot line PL2 that connects the pilot port of the flow control valve in the control valve 17 and the operating device 26 . In this embodiment, the pilot pressure control valve 51 is configured to adjust the pilot pressure according to a control command from the controller 30 . With this configuration, the controller 30 can limit the amount of displacement of the flow control valve with respect to the amount of operation of the operation lever 26A. Therefore, it is possible to limit the movement of the hydraulic actuator, which in turn limits the movement of the drilling attachment.

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, changes in the upper body posture of the operator sitting on the driver's seat 110 installed in the cabin 10 will be described. 4A and 4B are side views of an operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 installed in the cabin 10, and include FIGS. 4A and 4B. FIG. 4A shows the state of the operator at the start of work, and FIG. 4B shows the state of the operator after long hours of work. 5A and 5B are top views of the driver's seat 110 installed in the cabin 10. The position of the center of gravity CG1 of the upper body of the operator in FIG. 4A and the center of gravity of the upper body of the operator in FIG. position CG2. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the range in which the center-of-gravity position CG of the upper body of the operator is distributed, and includes FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B). FIG. 6(A) is a top view of the driver's seat 110, and FIG. 6(B) shows the frequency distribution of the X coordinate of the center-of-gravity position CG.

A driver's seat 110 includes a seat 112 on which an operator sits and a backrest 114 . In this embodiment, the driver's seat 110 is a reclining seat, and the tilt angle of the backrest 114 is adjustable. Armrests 116 (a left armrest 116L and a right armrest 116R) are arranged on both left and right sides of the driver's seat 110 . Armrest 116 is configured to be rotatable.

Consoles 120 include a left console 120L and a right console 120R. The left console 120L is arranged on the left side of the driver's seat 110, and the right console 120R is arranged on the right side of the driver's seat 110. As shown in FIG. Driver's seat 110 and console 120 are installed movably on rails fixed to the floor of cabin 10 . Therefore, the operator can move and fix the driver's seat 110 and the console 120 to desired positions with respect to the windshield of the cabin 10 . In addition, only the driver's seat 110 can be slid forward and backward, and the position of the driver's seat 110 with respect to the position of the console 120 can be adjusted.

A left operating lever 26AL is provided on the front side of the left console 120L, and a right operating lever 26AR is provided on the front side of the right console 120R. An operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 grips the left operating lever 26AL with the left hand to operate the left operating lever 26AL, and grips the right operating lever 26AR with the right hand to operate the right operating lever 26AR.

A travel pedal 26B is arranged on the floor in front of the driver's seat 110 . An operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 operates the left travel pedal 26BL with the left foot to drive the left travel hydraulic motor 1L, and operates the right travel pedal 26BR with the right foot to drive the right travel hydraulic motor 1R.

A left travel lever 26CL is installed near the left travel pedal 26BL. By operating the left travel lever 26CL with the left hand, the operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 can drive the left travel hydraulic motor 1L in the same manner as when the left travel pedal 26BL is operated with the left foot. A right travel lever 26CR is installed in the vicinity of the right travel pedal 26BR. By operating the right travel lever 26CR with the right hand, the operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 can drive the right travel hydraulic motor 1R in the same manner as when the right travel pedal 26BR is operated with the right foot.

A display device 130 for displaying information such as working conditions and operating states of the excavator 100 is arranged in the front right portion of the cabin 10 . An operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 can work with the excavator 100 while checking the information displayed on the display device 130 .

A gate lock lever GL is provided on the left side of the driver's seat 110 (that is, on the side of the passenger door of the cabin 10). 4A, 4B and 5 show the state when the gate lock lever GL is pulled up. By pulling up the gate lock lever GL, the operator is permitted to start the engine 11 and can operate the excavator 100 . On the other hand, the operator can disable the engine 11 by pushing down the gate lock lever GL. Therefore, the operator cannot operate the excavator 100 unless he sits on the driver's seat 110 and pulls up the gate lock lever GL. With this configuration, the excavator 100 prevents the excavation attachment from moving even if a part of the operator's body accidentally touches the operation lever 26A as long as the gate lock lever GL is pushed down. can be prevented.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the center-of-gravity position CG of the operator's upper body often differs depending on whether the operator is not tired or tired. In the examples of FIGS. 4 to 6, the center-of-gravity position CG1 of the operator's upper body at the first point in time when the operator is not tired is the position of the operator's upper body at the second point in time when the operator is tired. It is on the front side (+X side) of the center of gravity position CG2. The X-axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the excavator 100 has its origin O at the rear end of the seating surface of the seat 112 .

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the center-of-gravity position CG1 when the operator is not tired is located within the distribution range ER1, and the center-of-gravity position CG2 when the operator is tired is Located within the distribution range ER2. In the example of FIG. 6A, the distribution range ER1 indicates the distribution range of the center-of-gravity position CG1 estimated every minute during the period from the start of work in the morning until 3 hours have passed. The distribution range ER2 indicates the distribution range of the center-of-gravity position CG2 estimated every minute during the period from the start of work in the afternoon, when the operator is considered to be more fatigued than in the morning, until three hours have passed. Note that the dashed lines in FIG. 6A represent the positions of the buttocks and thighs of the operator sitting in the driver's seat 110 .

The solid line in FIG. 6(B) indicates the frequency distribution of the X coordinates of the 180 center-of-gravity positions CG1 estimated for 3 hours in the morning, and the dashed line indicates the frequency distribution of the 180 center-of-gravity positions CG2 estimated for 3 hours in the afternoon. The frequency distribution of the X coordinate is shown. The variation range W1 in the X-axis direction of the center-of-gravity position CG1 when the operator is not tired is the variation range in the X-axis direction of the center-of-gravity position CG2 when the operator is tired, as shown in FIG. It has the characteristic of being smaller than W2. Further, the maximum frequency F1 of the center-of-gravity position CG1 when the operator is not tired is larger than the maximum frequency F2 of the center-of-gravity position CG2 when the operator is tired, as shown in FIG. 6B. have However, the characteristics as shown in FIG. 6B differ depending on the operator. Further, the above description mainly relates to the characteristics related to the transition of the center of gravity position CG in the X-axis direction, but the characteristics related to the transition of the center-of-gravity position CG in the Y-axis direction and the characteristics related to the transition of the center-of-gravity position CG in the Z-axis direction. applies similarly.

Therefore, the controller 30 is configured to estimate the fatigue state of the operator using such characteristics.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of processing (hereinafter referred to as “estimation processing”) for estimating the fatigue state of the operator by the controller 30 . The controller 30 repeatedly executes this estimation process every predetermined control period (for example, every minute).

First, the controller 30 estimates the center-of-gravity position CG of the operator's upper body (step ST1). In this embodiment, the estimation unit 30a of the controller 30 applies image processing to the image of the operator acquired by the camera as the information acquisition device C1 to estimate the center-of-gravity position CG of the upper body of the operator. The center-of-gravity position CG is, for example, three-dimensional coordinates in the reference coordinate system. The reference coordinate system is, for example, an orthogonal coordinate system whose origin is the center of the camera.

The estimation unit 30a may omit the estimation of the center-of-gravity position CG of the upper body of the operator when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Predetermined conditions include, for example, "being in turning motion". This is because the body posture of the operator is likely to change during the turning motion due to the influence of the angular acceleration around the turning axis. That is, it is impossible to distinguish between a change in body posture during a turning motion and a change in body posture due to fatigue. In this case, the estimating section 30a may determine whether or not the turning motion is being performed based on the output of the operating pressure sensor 29, for example. For the same reason, the predetermined condition may include at least one of "drilling" and "running".

After that, the controller 30 estimates the state of fatigue based on the transition of the center-of-gravity position CG (step ST2). In this embodiment, the estimator 30a of the controller 30 estimates the state of fatigue based on transitions of a plurality of past center-of-gravity positions CG including the currently estimated center-of-gravity position CG.

Specifically, the estimating unit 30a derives the number (frequency) of the center-of-gravity positions CG belonging to the distribution range ER2 in the most recent predetermined time period (for example, the most recent 30 minutes), and estimates the operator's fatigue state based on the frequency. presume. For example, under the premise that the higher the frequency, the greater the fatigue, it is determined to which of a plurality of preset levels the current fatigue state belongs. The frequency of the center-of-gravity positions CG belonging to a specific distribution range may be reset when a predetermined reset condition is met. Predetermined reset conditions include, for example, at least one of "the seat belt has been unfastened", "the engine 11 has been turned off", and "the gate lock lever GL has been pushed down".

The estimating unit 30a may also estimate the fatigue state of the operator based on the movement distance of the center-of-gravity position CG in a predetermined period of time, the frequency of each movement distance, or the time intervals at which movements occur.

The distribution range ER2 is a three-dimensional range pre-stored in the non-volatile storage device. In this embodiment, it is stored so as to be updatable for each operator. The controller 30 identifies the operator by, for example, having the operator input a personal ID or a password when the shovel 100 is started. The controller 30 may identify the operator by performing short-range wireless communication with a mobile information terminal such as a mobile phone or a smart phone held by the operator sitting in the driver's seat. With this configuration, the controller 30 can respond appropriately even when the operator changes.

After that, the controller 30 determines whether or not the estimated fatigue state has reached a predetermined level (step ST3). In this embodiment, the estimation unit 30a determines whether or not the current fatigue level has reached a predetermined level.

Next, another configuration example of the information acquisition device C1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view of an operator sitting on the driver's seat 110 installed in the cabin 10, and corresponds to FIG. 4(A). The example of FIG. 8 differs from the example of FIG. 4 in that a plurality of acceleration sensors AS worn by the operator are additionally adopted as the information acquisition device C1.

In the example of FIG. 8, the acceleration sensor AS includes a head acceleration sensor AS1, a shoulder acceleration sensor AS2, a chest acceleration sensor AS3, an upper arm acceleration sensor AS4, a forearm acceleration sensor AS5, an abdomen acceleration sensor AS6, and a thigh acceleration sensor. AS7 and leg acceleration sensor AS8. The upper arm acceleration sensor AS4 includes a left upper arm acceleration sensor AS4L and a right upper arm acceleration sensor AS4R. The forearm acceleration sensor AS5 includes a left forearm acceleration sensor AS5L and a right forearm acceleration sensor AS5R. The thigh acceleration sensor AS7 includes a left thigh acceleration sensor AS7L and a right thigh acceleration sensor AS7R. The leg acceleration sensor AS8 includes a left leg acceleration sensor AS8L and a right leg acceleration sensor AS8R. 8 omits illustration of the right upper arm acceleration sensor AS4R, the right forearm acceleration sensor AS5R, the right thigh acceleration sensor AS7R, and the right leg acceleration sensor AS8R. In the example of FIG. 8, a head acceleration sensor AS1 is attached to a helmet, a shoulder acceleration sensor AS2, a chest acceleration sensor AS3, an upper arm acceleration sensor AS4, a forearm acceleration sensor AS5, an abdomen acceleration sensor AS6, and a thigh acceleration sensor AS6. An acceleration sensor AS7 and a leg acceleration sensor AS8 are attached to work clothes.

The controller 30 derives information about the operator's whole body or upper body posture based on the output of the acceleration sensor AS. Then, the center of gravity position CG of the operator's whole body or upper body is estimated based on the information about the posture of the operator's whole body or upper body. Then, the controller 30 estimates the fatigue state of the operator based on the transition of the center-of-gravity position CG of the operator's whole body or upper body.

As described above, the excavator 100 as a working machine according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an excavating attachment as a working mechanism, an operating lever 26A for operating the excavating attachment, and an excavating mechanism when the operating lever 26A is in the active state. An information acquisition device C1 for acquiring information on the upper body posture of an operator who operates an attachment, and an operation for deriving information on the state of the operator based on the information on the upper body posture of the operator acquired by the information acquisition device C1. and a controller 30 as a device. With this configuration, the excavator 100 can more accurately estimate the fatigue state of the operator. This is because the collapse of the operator's body posture as fatigue progresses can be used to estimate the fatigue state.

The working machine may be a lifting magnet machine, a crane, a forklift, or the like. In this case, the work mechanism includes a suction mechanism in a lifting magnet machine, a wire winding mechanism in a crane, a lift mechanism in a forklift, or the like.

The controller 30 desirably estimates the center-of-gravity position CG of the upper body of the operator from the information about the posture of the operator's upper body acquired by the information acquisition device C1. Then, the controller 30 estimates the fatigue state of the operator based on the transition of the center-of-gravity position CG of the upper body of the operator. With this configuration, the controller 30 can more accurately estimate the fatigue state of the operator. By grasping the change in the center of gravity position of the operator's upper body as the deterioration of the operator's body posture due to the progress of fatigue, the change in the position of the center of gravity of the operator's upper body can be used to estimate the fatigue state. is.

The controller 30 desirably estimates the operator's fatigue state based on the information about the operator's upper body posture acquired by the information acquisition device C1, and when it is estimated that the operator's fatigue state has reached a predetermined level. In addition, it is notified that the operator is tired. With this configuration, the controller 30 can reliably notify the administrator or the like that the operator is tired. In addition, the controller 30 can inform the operator of the objective determination result that the operator is tired even if the operator is not aware of the fatigue.

The information acquisition device C1 may be an imaging device or an optical distance measuring device, a wearable sensor, or a sensor that detects the tension of a seat belt attached to the driver's seat 110 . This configuration does not adversely affect sitting comfort, unlike a detector embedded in the seating surface of the driver's seat 110 . Further, since the information acquisition device C1 does not require replacement of the driver's seat 110, it can be easily attached to work machines that have already been shipped.

The controller 30 may generate a scent based on the information about the posture of the operator's upper body acquired by the information acquisition device C1. With this configuration, the controller 30 can relieve operator fatigue, for example. Alternatively, the controller 30 can restore the concentration of the operator who has been distracted by fatigue.

The controller 30 may limit the movement of the excavation attachment as a working mechanism based on the information about the posture of the operator's upper body acquired by the information acquisition device C1. With this configuration, the controller 30 can prompt the operator to stop or interrupt the work, or take a break.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications, replacements, etc., may be applied to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, features described separately can be combined unless technical contradiction arises.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Lower traveling body 1L Left traveling hydraulic motor 1R Right traveling hydraulic motor 2 Turning mechanism 2A Turning hydraulic motor 3 Upper turning body 4 Boom 5 Arm 6 Bucket 7 Boom cylinder 8 Arm cylinder 9 Bucket cylinder 10 Cabin 11 Engine 11a Generator 11b Starter 11c Water temperature sensor 13 Regulator 14 Main pump 14b Discharge pressure sensor 14c Oil temperature sensor 15 Pilot pump 16 Hydraulic oil line 17 Control valve 26 Operation device 26A Operation lever 26B Travel pedal 26C Travel lever 27, 28 Hydraulic oil line 29 Operation pressure sensor 30 Controller 30a Estimation Part 30b... Equipment control part 50... Gate lock valve 51... Pilot pressure control valve 70... Storage battery 72... Electrical component 74... ECU 75... Engine speed adjustment dial 100. Excavator 110 Driver's seat 112 Seat 114 Backrest 116 Armrest 120 Console 130 Display device 200 Support device 300 Management device AS Acceleration sensor C1... Information acquisition device C2... External device GL... Gate lock lever P1... Positioning device PL1, PL2... Pilot line T1... Communication device

Claims (9)

a lower running body;
an upper revolving body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body;
a cab mounted on the upper revolving body;
a left operation lever arranged on the left side of the driver's seat in the driver's cabin;
a right operation lever arranged on the right side of the driver's seat in the driver's cabin;
an imaging device that is mounted in the driver's cab and captures an image of at least the left control lever, the right control lever, and the torso of an operator sitting in the driver's seat in an imaging range;
and an arithmetic device to which the image captured by the imaging device is input,
Excavator. The imaging device is a camera,
Shovel according to claim 1 . The computing device determines whether or not to restrict movement of the actuator based on the image.
Shovel according to claim 1 . The imaging device is provided on a pillar of the driver's cab,
Shovel according to claim 1 . The computing device determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the movement of the actuator based on the image when the operating device including the left operating lever and the right operating lever is in an active state.
Shovel according to claim 1 . The computing device acquires the image when an operating device including the left operating lever and the right operating lever is in an operating state.
Shovel according to claim 1 . The computing device acquires the image when an operating device including the left operating lever and the right operating lever is in an operating state, and obtains the image related to the movement of the actuator based on the image when the operating device is in the operating state. determine whether restrictions are necessary;
Shovel according to claim 1 . The computing device stops the movement of the actuator based on the image.
Shovel according to claim 1 . An imaging device that captures an image of at least a left control lever located on the left side of a driver's seat, a right control lever located on the right side of the driver's seat, and the torso of an operator sitting on the driver's seat. and,
and an arithmetic device to which the image captured by the imaging device is input,
Work monitoring system.

Images