JP2023149853A - Information processing device, information processing system and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow a work machine to travel more safely.SOLUTION: A management device 200 acquires positional information of a shovel 100 from the shovel 100, and based on the positional information of the shovel 100, generates a safety map M in which a travel region TA where the shovel 100 has traveled is displayed on a map. That is, a region which has a traveling record of the shovel 100 can be displayed on a map as a traveling possible region. Therefore, different from the conventional way of showing a region which does not include a prohibition region as a traveling possible region, the region which can be traveled can be presented more surely.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, and an information processing program.

At sites where work machines such as excavators and cranes perform work, it is not uncommon for the road surface to be in poor condition, such as unevenness and cracks. Poor road surface conditions can cause accidents such as vehicle overturning, so it is extremely important to understand the areas in which vehicles can drive safely in order to prevent such accidents.

Therefore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, for example, a prohibited area in which running is prohibited is set, and an area that does not include the prohibited area is set as a driveable area.
However, areas other than the prohibited areas are not necessarily driveable areas.

Patent No. 6694328

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make a working machine run more safely.

The information processing device according to the present invention includes:
an information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the work machine;
map generating means for generating safety map information that displays a first area in which the working machine has traveled, based on the position information of the working machine;
Equipped with

The information processing system according to the present invention includes:
The above information processing device,
at least one of the work machines capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the information processing device;
including.

The information processing program according to the present invention includes:
computer,
information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the working machine;
map generating means for generating safety map information that displays a first area in which the working machine has traveled, based on the position information of the working machine;
function as

According to the present invention, a working machine can be run more safely.

It is a side view of the excavator concerning this embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information management system according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of safety map display processing concerning this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining safety map display processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining safety map display processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining safety map display processing according to the present embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[Shovel configuration]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a shovel 100 according to this embodiment.
As shown in this figure, an excavator 100 is an example of a working machine according to the present invention, and includes a lower traveling body 1 and an upper rotating body 3 that is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 1 via a turning mechanism 2. , a boom 4, an arm 5, and a bucket 6 as attachments 11, and a cabin 10 in which an operator rides. The attachment 11 is not limited to this, as long as it is provided with a working element (for example, a bucket, a crusher, a crane device, etc.).

The lower traveling body 1 includes, for example, a pair of left and right crawlers, and each crawler is hydraulically driven by a traveling hydraulic motor (not shown), thereby causing the excavator 100 to travel.
The upper rotating body 3 rotates relative to the lower traveling body 1 by being driven by a swing hydraulic motor or an electric motor (both not shown).

The boom 4 is pivotally attached to the center of the front part of the upper revolving body 3 so that it can be lifted up and down, an arm 5 is pivoted to the tip of the boom 4 so that it can be moved up and down, and a bucket 6 is attached to the tip of the arm 5 so that it can be moved up and down. Rotatably pivoted. The boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 are hydraulically driven by a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, and a bucket cylinder 9, respectively.
The cabin 10 is a cockpit in which an operator rides, and is mounted, for example, on the front left side of the upper revolving structure 3. The excavator 100 operates an actuator in response to an operation by an operator riding in the cabin 10, and drives driven elements such as the lower traveling body 1, the upper revolving body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information management system 400 including the shovel 100.
As shown in this figure, the information management system 400 includes at least one shovel 100, and a management device 200 and a terminal device 300 that can communicate with the shovel 100.

In addition to the above configuration, the excavator 100 includes an imaging device 40, a distance sensor 41, a movement/posture state sensor 42, a position sensor 43, a direction sensor 44, an operating device 45, a display device 50, and an audio output device 60. , a communication device 80 , and a controller 30 .

The imaging device 40 photographs the surroundings of the excavator 100 and outputs the image to the controller 30. The imaging device 40 includes, for example, a rear camera that photographs the rear of the shovel 100, a left camera that photographs the left side, and a right camera that photographs the right side. Each imaging device 40 is installed so that its optical axis faces diagonally downward, and has an imaging range (angle of view) in the vertical direction including from the ground near the shovel 100 to far from the shovel 100.

The distance sensor 41 is a distance measuring device that measures the distance to objects around the shovel 100 and obtains the information (two-dimensional or three-dimensional distance information), and outputs the obtained information to the controller 30. The distance sensor 41 is provided, for example, in correspondence with the imaging device 40 so as to be able to measure three directions: rearward, leftward, and rightward of the shovel 100.

The motion/posture state sensor 42 is a sensor that detects the motion state and posture state of the excavator 100 and outputs the detection results to the controller 30. The motion/posture state sensor 42 includes a boom angle sensor, an arm angle sensor, a bucket angle sensor, a three-axis inertial sensor (IMU: Inertial Measurement Unit), a turning angle sensor, and an acceleration sensor.
These sensors may be configured with a sensor that obtains rotation information such as a stroke sensor of a cylinder such as a boom or a rotary encoder, or may be replaced by acceleration (which may also include speed and position) obtained by an IMU. good.
The arm angle sensor detects the rotation angle of the arm 5 with respect to the boom 4 (hereinafter referred to as "arm angle").
The bucket angle sensor detects the rotation angle of the bucket 6 with respect to the arm 5 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket angle").
The IMU is attached to each of the boom 4 and arm 5, and detects the acceleration of the boom 4 and arm 5 along three predetermined axes, and the angular acceleration of the boom 4 and arm 5 around the three predetermined axes.
The turning angle sensor detects the turning angle of the upper rotating body 3 with respect to a predetermined angular direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the turning angle may be detected based on a GPS or an IMU sensor provided in the upper rotating body 3.
The acceleration sensor is attached to a position away from the rotation axis of the upper revolving body 3 and detects the acceleration at the relevant position of the upper revolving body 3. Thereby, based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor, it can be determined whether the upper rotating body 3 is turning or whether the lower traveling body 1 is traveling.

The position sensor 43 is a sensor that acquires information on the position (current position) of the excavator 100, and in this embodiment is a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. The position sensor 43 receives a GPS signal containing information on the position of the shovel 100 from a GPS satellite, and outputs the acquired position information on the shovel 100 to the controller 30. Note that the position sensor 43 does not need to be a GPS receiver as long as it can acquire information on the position of the excavator 100, and may use a satellite positioning system other than GPS, for example. Further, the position sensor 43 may be provided on either the lower traveling body 1 or the upper rotating body 3.

The orientation sensor 44 is a sensor that acquires information about the orientation (direction) in which the excavator 100 is facing, and is, for example, a geomagnetic sensor. The orientation sensor 44 acquires information on the orientation of the excavator 100 and outputs it to the controller 30. Note that the orientation sensor 44 only needs to be able to acquire information on the orientation of the excavator 100, and its sensor type is not particularly limited. For example, two GPS receivers may be provided and azimuth information may be obtained from the difference in position information.

The operating device 45 is provided near the cockpit of the cabin 10, and is an operating means by which an operator operates each operating element (the lower traveling body 1, the upper revolving body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, the bucket 6, etc.). In other words, the operating device 45 is an operating means that operates each hydraulic actuator that drives each operating element. The operation device 45 includes, for example, levers, pedals, various buttons, etc., and outputs operation signals to the controller 30 according to the contents of these operations.
The operating device 45 is also an operating means for operating the imaging device 40, the distance sensor 41, the motion/posture state sensor 42, the position sensor 43, the display device 50, the audio output device 60, the communication device 80, etc. An operation command for the controller 30 is output to the controller 30.

The display device 50 is provided around the cockpit in the cabin 10 and displays various image information to notify the operator under the control of the controller 30. The display device 50 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, and may be a touch panel type that also serves as at least a part of the operating device 45.

The audio output device 60 is provided around the cockpit in the cabin 10, and outputs various audio information to notify the operator under the control of the controller 30. The audio output device 60 is, for example, a speaker, a buzzer, or the like.

The communication device 80 is a communication device that transmits and receives various information to and from remote external devices, other excavators 100, etc. via a predetermined communication network NW based on a predetermined wireless communication standard. The communication network NW includes, for example, a mobile communication network whose terminal is a base station, a satellite communication network that uses communication satellites in the sky, a short-range communication network that conforms to protocols such as WiFi and Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Internet communication. It may also include a net etc.

The controller 30 is a control device that controls the operation of each part of the shovel 100 to control the drive of the shovel 100. The controller 30 is mounted inside the cabin 10. The functions of the controller 30 may be realized by arbitrary hardware, software, or a combination thereof, and are mainly configured with a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, I/O, etc., for example. In addition to these, the controller 30 may also include, for example, an FPGA or an ASIC.

Further, the controller 30 includes a storage section 35 as a storage area defined in an internal memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).
The storage unit 35 stores various programs and data for operating each part of the excavator 100, and also functions as a work area for the controller 30. The storage unit 35 of this embodiment has a safety map storage area 350 that stores a safety map M, which will be described later.

Furthermore, in the information management system 400, each excavator 100 can communicate with the management device 200 and the terminal device 300 through a predetermined communication network NW.

The management device 200 (an example of an information processing device) is located at a location geographically distant from a user who owns the shovel 100 and the terminal device 300. The management device 200 is, for example, a server device that is installed in a management center or the like provided outside the work site where the excavator 100 works, and is configured mainly of one or more server computers. In this case, the server device may be an in-house server operated by a company operating the system or a related company related to the company, or may be a rental server. Further, this server device may be a so-called cloud server. Furthermore, the management device 200 may be a server device (so-called edge server) placed in a management office or the like within the work site of the excavator 100, or may be a stationary or portable general-purpose computer terminal. good.
As described above, the management device 200 can communicate with each of the excavator 100 and the terminal device 300 via the communication network NW. Thereby, the management device 200 can receive and store (accumulate) various information uploaded from the excavator 100. Furthermore, the management device 200 can transmit various information to the terminal device 300 in response to a request from the terminal device 300. Furthermore, the management device 200 manages (memorizes) information regarding a plurality of shovels 100 by associating it with ID information of each shovel 100 so that each shovel 100 can be identified.
Specifically, the management device 200 includes a control section 210 and a storage section 220. The control unit 210 operates each part of the management device 200 based on the user's operation details, develops a program stored in advance in the storage unit 220, and executes various processes in cooperation with the developed program. I do things. The storage unit 220 stores various programs and data, and also functions as a work area for the control unit 210.

Terminal device 300 is a user terminal used by a user. The users may include, for example, a supervisor of the work site, a manager, an operator of the shovel 100, a manager of the shovel 100, a service person of the shovel 100, a developer of the shovel 100, and the like. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a general-purpose mobile terminal such as a laptop-type computer terminal, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone owned by a user. Further, the terminal device 300 may be a stationary general-purpose terminal such as a desktop computer. Furthermore, the terminal device 300 may be a dedicated terminal (a mobile terminal or a fixed terminal) for receiving information.
The terminal device 300 can communicate with the management device 200 through the communication network NW. Thereby, the terminal device 300 can receive information transmitted from the management device 200 and provide the information to the user through the display device installed therein. Further, the terminal device 300 may be configured to be able to communicate with the excavator 100 through the communication network NW.

[Safety map display processing]
Next, a safety map display process for generating and displaying a safety map M indicating a safe driving area will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of safety map display processing. 4 to 6 are diagrams for explaining the safety map display process, in which (a) is a plan view of the work site, and (b) is a safety map M corresponding to (a). It is.

The safety map display process is performed in cooperation between the excavator 100 and the management device 200 by the controller 30 of the excavator 100 (or the control unit 210 of the management device 200) executing a predetermined program stored in the storage unit. is executed. This process may be executed and terminated based on the operator's operation, or may be executed continuously while the excavator 100 is in operation.
Here, it is assumed that the management device 200 generates a safety map M for a certain work site based on information from a plurality of excavators 100 working at the work site. The safety map M is a map displaying the travel area TA or safety area SA in which the excavator 100 can (estimated to) travel safely.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the safety map display process is executed, the controller 30 of each excavator 100 first acquires the position information of its own vehicle using the position sensor 43, and transmits it to the management device 200 (step S1).
At this time, the controller 30 of each excavator 100 may associate the position information to be transmitted with the ID information of the own vehicle.

Next, the control unit 210 of the management device 200 determines the travel area TA in which each shovel 100 actually traveled based on the position information acquired from each shovel 100 (step S2).
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, the control unit 210 determines the travel area TA by adding an additional width α to both sides of the vehicle width W of the shovel 100 as the travel width of the shovel 100. The value of the vehicle width W may be used if it is stored as vehicle information of each excavator 100, or a value of the vehicle width of a general excavator vehicle or the like may be used simply. The value of the additional width α is not particularly limited, and may be zero or a negative value.

Next, the control unit 210 of the management device 200 obtains a safety area SA excluding the operating range R of the bucket 6 from the driving area TA (step S3).
Here, "operating" of the bucket 6 (attachment 11) means that the bucket 6 (attachment 11) is currently performing work such as digging (including changing posture during work), and simply It does not include the state where only the . In other words, the operating range R of the bucket 6 refers to the operating range when the bucket 6 is performing work such as digging.
Specifically, the operating range R of the bucket 6 is determined based on the operating status of the bucket 6 (attachment 11) and the position information of the bucket 6. The operating status (whether or not it is operating) of the attachment 11 is determined by detecting the operation and load of the bucket 6 from various actuators that drive the attachment 11 and the operation/posture state sensor 42 . Further, the position information of the bucket 6 is obtained from the posture information of the attachment 11 acquired from the motion/posture state sensor 42.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the excavator 100 is excavating a hole 91 or mounding excavated soil to form a mound 92, the operating range R of the bucket 6 is the vicinity thereof. Then, by excluding this operating range R from the travel area TA, a safety area SA is determined.
Note that the method for determining the operating range R of the bucket 6 is not limited to the above method. For example, the imaging device 40 may be attached toward the front of the vehicle body, and the operating range R or operating status of the attachment 11 may be acquired based on image data acquired by the imaging device 40. Further, the work using the bucket 6 includes, for example, simple excavation work, slope finishing work, trench excavation work, horizontal excavation work, turning ground leveling work, earth pounding work, scattering work, pressing work, crane work, loading work, etc. .

Next, the control unit 210 of the management device 200 generates a safety map M that displays the safety area SA as a map, and stores it in the storage unit 220 (step S4).
Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a safety map M is generated by mapping the safety area SA on map data of the work site acquired in advance. The information included in the safety map M is not particularly limited, and may include, for example, buildings, roads, and the like. However, it is preferable that the position and orientation of each shovel 100 be included. Furthermore, the map data of the work site does not have to be obtained in advance; it may be obtained from the Internet, or it may be newly created.

Note that the safety map M may be a map displaying at least the driving area TA, as shown in FIG. 4(b).
Further, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), for example, after the hole 91 is filled or the earth pile 92 is scraped, the area where the excavator 100 newly travels is the travel area TA (safety area SA). It can be considered as

Next, the control unit 210 of the management device 200 transmits the safety map M to each shovel 100, and the controller 30 of each shovel 100 stores the safety map M in the safety map storage area 350 and displays it on the display device 50. (Step S5).
As a result, by looking at the displayed safety map M, the operator of each excavator 100 can recognize the area where the bucket 6 is not working, which has a track record, and operate the excavator 100 more safely. It can be run.
Note that when displaying on the display device 50, it is preferable to display identification (highlighted display) on the safety map M so that the vehicle can be easily identified.

Next, the control unit 210 determines whether or not to end the safety map display process (step S6), and if it is determined not to end (step S6; No), the process moves to step S1 described above. . As a result, while the safety map display process is being executed, the processes of steps S1 to S5 are repeated, for example, at regular time intervals, and the safety map M is updated as needed.
If it is determined that the safety map display process is to be terminated, for example due to completion of the work (step S6; Yes), the control unit 210 of the management device 200 and the controller 30 of the excavator 100 terminate the safety map display process. .

[Technical effects of this embodiment]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the safety map M that displays the travel area TA in which the shovel 100 has traveled is generated based on the position information of the shovel 100.
That is, an area where the excavator 100 has a track record can be displayed on a map as a traversable area. Therefore, unlike in the past, where an area that does not include a prohibited area is defined as a drivable area, it is possible to present an area in which the vehicle can more reliably drive. As a result, the excavator 100 can be driven more safely.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in the safety map M, a safety area SA that excludes the operating range R of the bucket 6 from the driving area TA is displayed on the map.
As a result, it is possible to present a safety map M in which the range in which the bucket 6 is moving during work is excluded from the travel area TA, as an area in which it is (possibly) not possible to travel safely. Therefore, the excavator 100 can be run even more safely.

[others]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments or modifications thereof.
For example, in the embodiment described above, the generated safety map M is displayed on the display device 50 and presented to the operator. However, it may also be used for operation control of work, such as travel control of autonomously running work machines. Further, it is preferable that the safety map M is managed (stored) in the management device 200 as work management information for the work site in association with information on the work site.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, as the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the management apparatus 200 exclusively performs the main control. However, the information processing device according to the present invention is not limited to this, and may be installed in a working machine, for example. In this case, each work machine may individually generate and display a safety map, or a specific work machine may transmit information related to the safety map to other work machines.
Further, the information processing system according to the present invention may include an information processing device and at least one working machine.

Further, the working machine according to the present invention is not limited to excavators, but can of course be applied to construction machines in general, and can also be suitably applied to working machines including construction machines.
Other details shown in the embodiments can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

6 Bucket (work element)
11 Attachment 30 Controller 35 Storage unit 42 Movement/posture state sensor 43 Position sensor (information acquisition means)
50 Display device (display means)
91 Hole 92 Earth pile 100 Excavator (work machine)
200 Management device (information processing device)
210 Control unit 220 Storage unit 400 Information management system (information processing system)
M Safety map (safety map information)
R Operating range SA Safety area TA Driving area W Vehicle width α Additional width

Claims (6)

an information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the work machine;
map generating means for generating safety map information that displays a first area in which the working machine has traveled, based on the position information of the working machine;
An information processing device comprising: comprising a detection means for detecting a working range of a working element of the working machine,
The map generation means generates, as the safety map information, a map display of a second area excluding the operating range of the work element from the first area.
The information processing device according to claim 1. The detection means detects the working range of the working element based on the working status of the working element and the position information of the working element.
The information processing device according to claim 2. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
at least one of the work machines capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the information processing device;
information processing systems including; Each of the at least one work machine includes display means for displaying the safety map information.
The information processing system according to claim 4. computer,
information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the working machine;
map generating means for generating safety map information that displays a first area in which the working machine has traveled, based on the position information of the working machine;
An information processing program that functions as

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