JP5867222B2 - Operating information transmission device, construction machine equipped with the same, and information management system equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information management system for managing operation information of construction machines.

  Conventionally, for example, an information management system described in Patent Document 1 is known. The information management system described in Patent Document 1 includes an operating device such as a hydraulic excavator and a management device that transmits and receives information to and from the operating device via a communication satellite and a base station.

  The operating device acquires operating information (for example, engine start date / time, engine stop date / time, etc.) and transmits the operation information to the management device.

  The management device processes the operation information received from the operation device and manages the operation device.

  In the information management system described in Patent Document 1, the data related to the operation information is transmitted from the operation device to the management device in a compressed state, and is decompressed when taken into the management device.

JP 2000-76505 A

  However, in the information management system described in Patent Document 1, since data related to operating information transmitted from the operating device to the managing device is compressed and transmitted, there is a possibility that data related to operating information may be transmitted in a state where there is a large amount of data. is there. The reason is as follows.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing data before and after compression. When compressing data, a header and a footer defined for each compression format are usually added to the compressed data. Here, the header and the footer have a predetermined amount of data. Therefore, when compressing data having a relatively small amount of data relative to the header and footer, the amount of data related to operation information itself is smaller after compression than before compression, but the data after compression is The total amount of data to which the header and footer are added is greater after compression than before compression.

  Therefore, it is also conceivable to transmit a small amount of data by comparing the data amount before compression with the data amount after compression for all operation information to be transmitted. However, in this case, it is necessary to prepare information on the amount of data after compression for all operation information to be transmitted, but as a result, data before compression may be transmitted, and processing efficiency is increased. bad.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an operation information transmitting apparatus capable of efficiently transmitting data related to operation information with a small amount of data, a construction machine including the same, and an information management system including the same.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an operation information transmitting apparatus capable of transmitting operation information of a construction machine to a management apparatus, the operation information detecting means for detecting a plurality of types of operation information, and the operation information detection Based on the operation information detected by the means, at least one type of storage information including a plurality of values detected at different times for the same type of operation information, and at least one type of non-storage information other than the storage information An information creation unit to be created, a storage unit that stores the accumulated information and the non-accumulated information, and information to be transmitted is read out from the storage unit when a transmission trigger set in each of the accumulated information and the non-accumulated information occurs. A reading unit, an information determining unit for determining whether the information read by the reading unit is the accumulated information or the non-accumulated information, and the information read by the reading unit A compressed data generating unit that compresses data related to information and generates compressed data in which a predetermined header and footer are added to the compressed data; and data related to information read by the reading unit via a communication satellite A transmission unit capable of transmitting to the management device, and when the information determination unit determines that the storage information is stored, the compressed data of the storage information created by the compressed data creation unit is transmitted to the management device, Provided is an operation information transmitting apparatus for transmitting data relating to non-accumulated information without compression when it is determined as non-accumulated information.

  In the present invention, for the stored information, the compressed data is transmitted to the management apparatus, while the data relating to the non-stored information is transmitted to the management apparatus without being compressed. As a result, it is possible to compress only the data related to the accumulated information having a relatively large amount of data among the accumulated information and the non-accumulated information stored in the storage unit. Specifically, since the accumulated information includes a plurality of values detected at different times for the same type of operation information, the data amount is usually larger than that of the non-accumulated information. In the present invention, in order to determine whether or not compression is necessary based on an alternative determination of whether the information is stored information or non-stored information, the processing is performed in comparison with the case of comparing the data amount before and after compression. Can be simplified.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, data related to operation information can be efficiently transmitted with a small amount of data.

  In the operation information transmitting apparatus, when the information determining unit determines that the stored information is stored information, a data amount determining unit that determines a smaller one of the data amount before the compression and the data amount after the compression with respect to the data related to the stored information And when the data amount determination unit determines that the amount of compressed data is small, the compressed data is transmitted, while the amount of compressed data is determined to be greater than or equal to the amount of data before compression. It is preferable to transmit the data before compression.

  In this aspect, when data related to accumulated information is transmitted, the data is compressed only when the data amount after compression is smaller than the data amount before compression. As a result, uncompressed data can be transmitted for a plurality of types of stored information that have a large data amount after compression. Therefore, operation information can be transmitted more efficiently.

  The present invention provides a construction machine that includes a machine body, a work attachment that can be raised and lowered with respect to the machine body, and the operation information transmitting device.

  The present invention also provides an information management system comprising the construction machine, and a management device that can communicate with the construction machine via a communication satellite and manages the operation of the construction machine.

  According to the present invention, data related to operation information can be efficiently transmitted with a small amount of data.

It is a right view which shows the whole structure of the hydraulic shovel which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an operation information transmitting device for the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed by the operation information transmitter of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows a part of operation information transmitter which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed by the operation information transmitter of FIG. It is a table | surface which shows the content of the accumulation | storage information memorize | stored in an operation | movement information transmitter, and the non-accumulation information. It is the schematic for demonstrating compression of data.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an example which actualized this invention, Comprising: The thing of the character which limits the technical scope of this invention is not.

  The information management system according to the present embodiment includes the excavator 1 shown in FIG. 1 and the management device 50 shown in FIG. 2 that can communicate with the excavator 1 via the communication satellite 51 and the base station 52. Yes.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a hydraulic excavator 1 as an example of a construction machine includes a lower traveling body 2 of a crawler 2a type, an upper revolving body 3 that is turnably provided on the lower traveling body 2, and an upper revolving body 3 The work attachment 6 attached so as to be undulating and the operation information transmitting device 14 for communicating with the management device 50 are provided. The lower traveling body 2 and the upper swing body 3 constitute an airframe according to the present embodiment.

  The upper turning body 3 includes a turning frame 4 attached on the lower traveling body 2 so as to be rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the ground, and a cab 5 provided on the turning frame 4.

  The work attachment 6 includes a boom 7 having a base end portion rotatably attached to the revolving frame 4, and an arm 8 having a base end portion rotatably attached to the distal end portion of the boom 7. , And a bucket 9 that is rotatably attached to the tip of the arm 8. The work attachment 6 includes a boom cylinder 10 for raising and lowering the boom 7 with respect to the revolving frame 4, an arm cylinder 11 for rotating the arm 8 with respect to the boom 7, and a bucket 9 with respect to the arm 8. And a bucket cylinder 12 to be moved.

  The operation information transmission device 14 can transmit the operation information of the excavator 1 to the management device 50. Specifically, the operation information transmission device 14 includes an operation information detection unit 15 that detects a plurality of types of operation information, a machine control device 16 that receives operation information detected by the operation information detection unit 15, and a communication satellite 51. And a transmission / reception device 17 and an antenna 49 that transmit and receive information to and from the management device 50 via the base station 52, and an alarm device (alarm device) 18 that notifies the abnormality of the hydraulic excavator 1.

  The operation information detection unit 15 detects a plurality of types of operation information of the excavator 1. Specifically, the operation information detection means 15 includes a key switch 19, an alternator 20, an hour meter 21, a fuel sensor 22, a pressure switch 23, a GPS receiver 25, and a failure detection unit 28. . The key switch 19 has a key hole into which a start key (not shown) is inserted, and from the “LOCK” position where the start key can be inserted / removed according to the rotation operation of the start key, the “ON” position and the “START” position. Can be switched to. The alternator 20 constitutes a power supply unit of the excavator 1 together with a battery (not shown). The hour meter 21 is activated when the alternator 20 is activated. The fuel sensor 22 can detect the remaining amount of fuel such as gasoline or light oil. The pressure switch 23 can detect whether or not the operation lever for operating the work attachment 6 is operated. The GPS receiver detects the current position of the excavator 1 by receiving a signal from a GPS satellite (not shown). The failure detection unit 28 detects a failure of the excavator 1. For example, a sensor that detects a failure in an electric system or a hydraulic system and an emergency stop button that is operated when an operator feels an abnormality constitutes a failure detector.

  The body control device 16 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 29 that performs predetermined calculation and control processing, a ROM (Random Access Memory) 30 that stores a predetermined control program, and a RAM (temporarily storing processing data). Random Access Memory) 31, a storage unit 32 for storing operation information, and a timer 33 having a calendar function for measuring time. The CPU 29 transmits the operation information detected by the operation information detection unit 15 and the date / time information in association with each other and stored in the storage unit 32 and the operation information and date / time information stored in the storage unit 32 to the transmission / reception device 17. With functionality.

  The transmission / reception device 17 includes a control unit 34 that creates predetermined data using the operation information and date / time information transmitted from the machine control device 16, a storage unit 35 that stores data created by the control unit 34, and a control unit 34 includes a transmitting unit 36 that transmits the data created by 34 through the antenna 49, and a receiving unit 37 that receives information transmitted from the management device 50 through the antenna 49.

  The control unit 34 includes an information identification unit 38 that identifies the type of operation information transmitted from the machine control device 16, and information that creates data to be stored in the storage unit 35 based on the operation information identified by the information identification unit 38. A creation unit 39, a reading unit 40 that reads information to be transmitted from the storage unit when a transmission trigger preset for each piece of information stored in the storage unit 34 occurs, and a type of information read by the reading unit 40 Information discriminating unit 41 and a compressed data creating unit 42 for creating compressed data related to information read by the reading unit 40.

  The information identification unit 38 includes the engine ON / OFF information, the pressure switch ON / OFF information, the remaining fuel information, the position information, the remaining maintenance time information, the failure information, and the alarm information. The information received from the control device 16 is identified. The remaining maintenance time is obtained by subtracting the use time (for example, engine start time) of the consumable part from the maintenance time set in advance for a specific consumable part (for example, the filter of the radiator). The maintenance time is stored in advance in the storage unit 32 of the machine control device 16.

  The information creation unit 39 creates at least one accumulated information and at least one non-accumulated information other than the accumulated information based on the operation information detected by the operation information detecting unit 15. The accumulated information includes a plurality of values detected at different times for the same type of operation information. FIG. 6 illustrates two pieces of accumulated information and two pieces of expense accumulated information.

  The accumulated information shown in FIG. 6 includes a daily work report and a failure history. The daily work report includes a work history of the excavator 1 in one day. Specifically, the daily work report includes the engine operation time from the start to the stop of the engine, the work time from the start of the work to the end of the work, the remaining fuel level detected at regular intervals, and the hydraulic excavator 1 at a specific time point. It includes position information and maintenance remaining time detected (calculated) at regular intervals.

  The failure history is a history of failures since the excavator 1 is used for the first time. In other words, the failure history includes all information related to failures detected by the failure detection unit 28 in the past.

  On the other hand, the non-accumulated information shown in FIG. 6 includes machine information and alarm information. The machine information is information indicating the state of the excavator 1 at a specific time. Specifically, the machine information includes information indicating the operation or non-operation of the engine at a specific time, fuel remaining amount, and position information.

  The alarm information is information indicating the operation of the alarm device 18 when an alarm is generated by the alarm device 18.

  As described above, the accumulated information includes values detected at different times with respect to the same type of operation information, that is, a history, and thus has a larger data amount than non-accumulated information that does not include a history.

  The reading unit 40 reads the information when a transmission trigger that is set in advance for each piece of information stored in the storage unit 35 occurs. Specifically, the reading unit 40 reads the daily work report from the storage unit 35 at 12:00 am every day. Further, the reading unit 40 reads the failure history and machine information from the storage unit 35 in response to a request (request signal) from the management device 50. Further, the reading unit 40 reads the alarm information from the storage unit 35 when the alarm device 18 is activated.

  The information determining unit 41 determines whether the information read by the reading unit 40 is stored information or non-stored information. If the information discriminating unit 41 determines that the information is stored information, the information determining unit 41 transmits the data related to the stored information to the compressed data creating unit 42. Send to part 36.

  The compressed data creation unit 42 compresses data related to the information read by the reading unit 40 and creates compressed data in which a predetermined header and footer are added to the compressed data. The header and footer are defined for each compression format.

  Hereinafter, processing executed by the transmission / reception device 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When processing by the transmission / reception device 17 is started, first, it is determined whether or not a transmission event has occurred, that is, whether or not the time has come for the reading unit 40 to read information from the storage unit 35 (step S1). Specifically, it is determined whether or not 12:00 am, which is the time to read out the daily work report, whether or not a request for a failure history or machine history has been received from the management device 50, and whether or not the alarm device 18 has been activated. . If no transmission event has occurred, step S1 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that a transmission event has occurred, the corresponding information is read from the storage unit 35 (step S2).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the information read from the storage unit 35 is accumulated information (step S3). If it is determined that the information is stored information (YES in step S3), compressed data related to the stored information is created (step S4), and the compressed data is transmitted (step S5). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that the information is non-accumulated information, non-compressed data relating to the non-accumulated information is transmitted (step S6).

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment, the compressed data is transmitted to the management apparatus 50 for the accumulated information, while the data related to the non-accumulated information is transmitted to the management apparatus 50 without being compressed. Thereby, it is possible to compress only the data related to the storage information having a relatively large amount of data among the storage information and the non-storage information stored in the storage unit 35. Specifically, since the accumulated information includes a plurality of values detected at different times for the same type of operation information, the data amount is usually larger than that of the non-accumulated information. And in the said embodiment, in order to judge the necessity of compression based on the alternative judgment whether it is accumulation | storage information or non-accumulation information, compared with the case where the data amount before and behind compression is compared, Processing can be simplified.

  Therefore, according to the embodiment, it is possible to efficiently transmit the data related to the operation information with a small amount of data.

  In the embodiment, machine information including position information of the excavator 1 is transmitted to the management device in response to a request from the management device 50. Thereby, in the management apparatus 50, the position of the hydraulic excavator 1 can be managed. Therefore, for example, when the excavator 1 is stolen, the management apparatus 50 can identify the position of the excavator. And in the said embodiment, the data of the comparatively small data amount transmitted for every request | requirement from the management apparatus 50 called the positional information of the hydraulic excavator 1 in a regulation time can be transmitted, without compressing. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both management of the position of the excavator 1 and efficient data transmission.

  In the above aspect, the failure history of the excavator 1 is transmitted to the management device 50 in response to a request from the management device 50. As a result, the management apparatus 50 can manage the failure history of the excavator 1 even from a remote location. Therefore, when performing maintenance on the excavator 1, the administrator can check the failure history of the excavator 1 and make appropriate preparations before heading to the site. And in the said embodiment, the data regarding the failure log | history in which more information is accumulate | stored can be compressed and transmitted, so that the use period of the hydraulic shovel 1 is long. As a result, it is possible to achieve both maintenance efficiency and efficient data transmission.

  In the embodiment, information indicating the operation of the alarm device 18 is transmitted to the management device 50 when the alarm device 18 is operated. Thereby, in the management apparatus 50, it can be grasped that some abnormality has occurred in the excavator 1. In the above-described embodiment, data indicating the operation of the alarm device 18, which needs to be transmitted each time it occurs, can be transmitted without being compressed. Therefore, both notification of abnormality to the management device 50 and efficient data transmission can be achieved.

  In the embodiment, the stored information is uniformly compressed. However, even the stored information has a relatively small amount of data. Specifically, the data amount of the failure history is smaller as the past use period of the hydraulic excavator 1 is shorter. Thus, it is not efficient to uniformly compress the stored information having a small data amount.

  Therefore, as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the amount of data before and after compression can be compared for stored information. In addition, about the structure similar to the said embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 34 further includes a data amount determination unit 43 that determines a smaller person among the data amount before compression and the data amount after compression for the data related to the accumulated information. Specifically, the data amount determination unit 43 receives the data (uncompressed data) related to the storage information before compression read from the storage unit 35 from the reading unit 40, and the compressed data generation unit receives the compressed data related to the storage information. Receive from 42. Then, the data amount determination unit 43 sends uncompressed data and compressed data having a small data amount to the transmission unit 36.

  As shown in FIG. 5, after it is determined in step S3 that the data is stored information (YES in step S3) and compressed data is created (step S4), it is determined whether or not the data amount is reduced by the compression. (Step S41). If it is determined that the data amount is reduced (YES in step S41), the compressed data is transmitted (step S5). On the other hand, if it is determined that the data amount does not decrease, uncompressed data is transmitted (step S6).

  In the present embodiment, when data related to accumulated information is transmitted, the data is compressed only when the data amount after compression is smaller than the data amount before compression. As a result, uncompressed data can be transmitted for a plurality of types of stored information that have a large data amount after compression. Therefore, operation information can be transmitted more efficiently.

1 Hydraulic excavator (an example of construction machinery)
2 Lower traveling body (an example of the aircraft)
3 Upper revolving structure (an example of the aircraft)
6 Work Attachment 14 Operation Information Transmitting Device 15 Operation Information Detection Means 18 Alarm 19 Key Switch 20 Alternator 21 Hour Meter 22 Fuel Sensor 23 Pressure Switch 25 GPS Receiver 28 Fault Detection Unit 35 Storage Unit 36 Transmission Unit 37 Reception Unit 38 Information Identification Unit 39 Information creation unit 40 Reading unit 41 Information discrimination unit 42 Compressed data creation unit 43 Data amount judgment unit

Claims (4)

An operation information transmission device capable of transmitting construction machine operation information to a management device,
Operation information detecting means for detecting a plurality of types of operation information;
Based on the operation information detected by the operation information detecting means, at least one type of accumulated information including a plurality of values detected at different times for the same type of operation information, and at least one type of non-accumulated information other than the accumulated information. An information creation unit for creating stored information;
A storage unit for storing the accumulated information and the non-accumulated information;
A reading unit that reads information to be transmitted from the storage unit when a transmission trigger is set for each of the stored information and the non-stored information;
An information discriminating unit for discriminating whether the information read by the reading unit is the accumulated information or the non-accumulated information;
A compressed data creating unit that compresses data related to the information read by the reading unit and creates compressed data in which a predetermined header and footer are added to the compressed data;
A transmission unit capable of transmitting data related to information read by the reading unit to a management device via a communication satellite;
If the information discriminating unit determines that the stored information is stored information, the compressed data of the stored information created by the compressed data creating unit is transmitted to the management device. An operation information transmitter that transmits data related to information without compression. A data amount determination unit for determining a smaller one of the data amount before compression and the data amount after compression when the information determination unit determines that the information is stored information;
When the data amount determination unit determines that the amount of data after compression is small, the compressed data is transmitted. On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of data after compression is equal to or greater than the amount of data before compression, The operation information transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, which transmits data. The aircraft,
A work attachment provided so as to be raised and lowered with respect to the aircraft;
A construction machine comprising the operation information transmitting device according to claim 1. A construction machine according to claim 3;
An information management system comprising a management device capable of communicating with the construction machine via a communication satellite and managing the operation of the construction machine.

Images