JP6740661B2 - Remote control terminal for work equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to power saving technology for a remote control terminal of a work device mounted on a work vehicle.

Conventionally, a remote control terminal for remotely controlling a work device mounted on a work vehicle including a mobile crane has been used. In recent years, a remote control terminal is provided with a display unit including a liquid crystal display, and the display unit is increasing to display numerical information for work and the like.

On the other hand, when a liquid crystal display is used, battery life often becomes a problem. At present, the backlight of the liquid crystal display is turned on/off manually to achieve both power saving and visibility. However, it is complicated to manually switch ON/OFF of the backlight during work, and there is a risk that the battery will be exhausted if the switch is forgotten to be switched on. Securing the duration of the battery is an important issue, because if the battery runs out during the work, the work will be interrupted.

In order to secure the battery duration, for example, in Patent Document 1, a tilt detecting unit of a mobile phone, a first timer that sets a time from turning on the backlight to turning off the backlight by detecting an operation, and a tilt detecting unit. A mobile phone including a second timer that sets a time by detecting a state change due to. With such a configuration, the backlight can be turned on by utilizing the movement intended by the operator.

Japanese Patent No. 4025752

However, the mobile phone of Patent Document 1 simply switches on/off (ON/OFF) of the backlight based on the change in the tilt angle, and does not change the brightness according to the attitude of the mobile phone. There wasn't. Therefore, the display has substantially the same brightness regardless of whether the display is difficult to see or is easy to see.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control terminal capable of adjusting the brightness of the backlight according to the attitude of the remote control terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, a remote control terminal for a work device mounted on a work vehicle according to the present invention, wherein a switch for operating the work device and a display unit for displaying information about the work device. A backlight that illuminates the display unit, an attitude detection unit that detects the attitude of the remote operation terminal, and an adjustment unit that adjusts the brightness of the backlight according to the detected attitude of the remote operation terminal. , Are provided.

As described above, the remote control terminal of the working apparatus according to the present invention is such that the operation switch, the display unit, the backlight, the attitude detection unit, and the adjustment for adjusting the brightness of the backlight according to the attitude of the remote operation terminal. And a section. With such a configuration, the brightness of the backlight can be automatically adjusted according to the attitude of the remote control terminal to achieve both visibility and power saving.

It is a side view of a loading type truck crane. It is a block diagram of a control system of a loading truck crane. It is a front view of a remote control terminal. It is a side view of a remote control terminal. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the angle of a remote control terminal and the brightness of a backlight.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The remote control terminal according to the present invention can be applied to a work vehicle such as a mobile crane, an aerial work vehicle, a wheel loader, and a hydraulic excavator. Examples of mobile cranes include all-terrain cranes, rough terrain cranes, truck cranes, and loading truck cranes. Hereinafter, the loading truck crane will be described as an example, but the remote control terminal according to the present invention can be applied to other work vehicles.

(Overall structure of loading truck crane)
First, the structure of the loading truck crane CR will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the loading type truck crane CR has a small crane 20 mounted on a vehicle frame 13 between a driver's cab 11 and a loading platform 12 of a general-purpose truck 10.

The small crane 20 includes a base 21 fixed on the vehicle frame 13, a post 22 pivotally provided with respect to the base 21, and a boom 23 provided at an upper end of the post 22 so as to be capable of undulating. ing. A winch is built in the post 22. A wire rope is guided from the winch to the tip of the boom 23, and is hung around the hook 24 via a pulley at the tip of the boom 23. The post 22, the boom 23, and the hook 24 constitute a crane device.

Further, the small crane 20 includes outrigger devices 25 and 26 on both left and right sides of the base 21. Below, the crane device (post 22, boom 23, hook 24) and the outrigger devices 25, 26 will be collectively referred to as a “working device”. The small crane 20 is provided with lever groups 27 for operating these working devices on both left and right sides of the base 21.

(Structure of hydraulic system and control system)
As shown in FIG. 2, the hydraulic system of the small crane 20 mainly includes a hydraulic valve unit 31, a hydraulic pump 33 that supplies hydraulic oil from the tank 32 to the hydraulic valve unit 31, a hydraulic pump 33, and a hydraulic valve unit. A main oil passage 34 connecting 31 to each other, a return oil passage 35 connecting the hydraulic valve unit 31 to the tank 32, and a plurality of hydraulic actuators 41 to 46 connected to the hydraulic valve unit 31.

The hydraulic valve unit 31 is connected to a boom expansion/contraction hydraulic cylinder 41, a winch hydraulic motor 42, a boom hoisting hydraulic cylinder 43, a turning hydraulic motor 44, and outrigger hydraulic cylinders 45, 46 as hydraulic actuators. ..

A lever is attached to each switching control valve (not shown) constituting the hydraulic valve unit 31, and the direction and flow rate of the pressure oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 33 can be switched by manually operating the lever. You can do it. The levers attached to the switching control valve are arranged on the left and right sides of the base 21 as a lever group 27 (see FIG. 1).

Further, a pilot cylinder is attached to the switching control valve separately from the lever, and the direction and flow rate of the pressure oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 33 can be switched also by the operation of the pilot cylinder. ing. An electromagnetic valve is attached to each pilot cylinder, and the electromagnetic valve is connected to a control device 70 composed of a known computer or the like. The solenoid valve operates based on a control signal from the control device 70 to drive the pilot cylinder and switch the switching control valve. In this way, the control device 70 controls the operation of the work device.

(Remote control terminal)
The control device 70 is capable of bidirectional wireless communication or wired communication with the remote operation terminal 80, and by operating the remote operation terminal 80, the working device can be operated. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, operation switches 81 to 90 such as various switches and levers and a display unit 91 which is a liquid crystal display are arranged on the upper portion of the remote control terminal 80. The section 91 is illuminated by a backlight 92 from the back surface. The operation switches are a swivel selection switch 81, an up/down selection switch 82, a winch selection switch 83, and an expansion/contraction selection switch 84, a power switch 85, a horn switch 86, a navigation switch 87, a mode selection switch 88, a hook extraction switch 89, and a hook storage. The switch 90 and the like are included.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, inside the remote control terminal 80, a posture detection section 93 for detecting the posture of the remote control terminal 80 and a terminal as an adjustment section for adjusting the brightness of the backlight 92. And a controller 94. Further, a grip portion 95 for gripping with a hand is arranged below the remote operation terminal 80, and a trigger 96 is arranged on the back side of the remote operation terminal 80. A battery is housed inside the grip portion 95.

The display unit 91 is a color display or a black-and-white display liquid crystal display, and displays information about the work device. Information about the work equipment includes hook-in, hook-out, hook horizontal movement, hook parallel movement, low speed/high speed modes, rated load value, actual load value, load factor value, stability limit display, strength limit display. and so on. The display unit 91 is illuminated from the back by a backlight 92. Due to the nature of the liquid crystal, in extremely bright or dark places such as in the sun in the daytime, the information displayed on the display unit 91 becomes difficult to read unless the backlight 92 is brightened in order to provide contrast. During the operation of the operation switches 81 to 84 and the trigger 96, the operation is often performed without looking at the display unit 91.

The backlight 92 is a light source that illuminates the display unit 91 from the back by a light guide plate method or a direct type method in order to provide contrast of the display unit 91 which is a liquid crystal display. As the backlight 92, for example, a light bulb, a fluorescent lamp, a light emitting diode, or the like can be used. The brightness of the backlight 92 is adjusted by the adjusting unit described later according to the posture of the remote control terminal 80. Further, the maximum brightness (MAX) of the backlight 92 can be manually adjusted according to the preference of the operator.

The posture detection unit 93 is a gyroscope (gyro sensor), and is a measuring instrument that detects the angle (posture) of the remote control terminal 80. The posture detection unit 93 detects the angle formed by the surface of the display unit 91 and the vertical plane within the plane of the remote control terminal 80 shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the side. That is, as shown in the upper part of the graph in FIG. 5, the posture in which the grip portion 95 is on the top and the display portion 91 is on the bottom (the posture in which the upper direction of the display unit substantially coincides with the vertical downward direction=an inverted posture) At an angle of 0°, the display unit 91 is oriented in the upward direction at an angle of 90°, the grip unit 95 is in the downward position, and the display unit 91 is in the upward position (the upper direction of the display unit substantially coincides with the vertical upward direction). The attitude=upright attitude) is defined as an angle of 180 degrees, and the attitude of the display unit 91 facing downward is defined as an angle of 270 degrees.

The terminal controller 94 as an adjusting unit adjusts the brightness of the backlight 92 according to the detected attitude of the remote control terminal 80. That is, the terminal controller 94 displays the backlight 92 in a posture in which it is highly likely that the operator is looking at the display unit 91 according to the angle of the remote control terminal 80 detected by the posture detection unit 93 which is a gyroscope. The brightness is increased and the brightness of the backlight 92 is decreased in a posture in which the operator is not likely to be looking at the display unit 91.

Specifically, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5, the terminal controller 94 as the adjusting unit brightens the backlight 92 little by little from the minimum value according to the angle of the remote control terminal 80, and sets the maximum value in a predetermined range. After that, the brightness of the backlight 92 is adjusted in a trapezoidal pattern as a whole by gradually decreasing the brightness and returning to the minimum value.

That is, the terminal controller 94 maximizes the brightness of the backlight 92 when the display unit 91 is in the upright posture in which the upper direction substantially coincides with the vertically upper direction, that is, when the angle is 180 degrees. .. Further, the maximum value is maintained in the range of postures in which the display section 91 is likely to be viewed, that is, in the angle (180−α) degrees to the angle (180+α) degrees. It is preferable that the maximum value (MAX) and the angle range (2α) can be increased or decreased according to the operator's preference or need.

In addition, the terminal controller 94 minimizes the brightness of the backlight 92 when the display unit 91 is in the inverted posture in which the vertical direction is substantially the same as the vertical downward direction, that is, when the angle is 0 degree (or 360 degrees). It is like this. Further, the minimum value is maintained in the range of postures in which it is highly likely that the display unit 91 is not viewed, that is, in the angles of 0 degrees to 90 degrees and the angles of 270 degrees to 360 degrees.

Then, the backlight 92 linearly increases (gradually increases) the brightness from the minimum value to the maximum value depending on the angle from the angle 90 degrees to the angle (180-α) degrees. Similarly, the backlight 92 linearly decreases (gradually decreases) the brightness from the maximum value to the minimum value according to the angle from the angle (180+α) degrees to the angle 270 degrees. The angle of 90 degrees and the angle of 270 degrees may be increased or decreased according to the preference or need of the operator.

Therefore, the backlight 92 is not illuminated (lighted) in the posture in which the remote control terminal 80 is suspended from the waist via a strap or the like. Further, even when the remote control terminal 80 is actually operated, the grip 95 is often on and the display 91 is down, and the backlight 92 is not illuminated even in this attitude. On the other hand, the backlight 92 is illuminated in a posture in which there is a high possibility that the remote control terminal 80 is raised and looking at the display unit 91. Further, as the display unit 91 is made to stand upright from the horizontal, the brightness of the backlight 92 is gradually increased from 90 degrees to (180-α) degrees, which makes it easier for the operator to see. Further, the display unit 91 is tilted to gradually decrease the brightness of the backlight 92 from the angle (180+α) degrees to the angle 270 degrees, which makes it difficult for the operator to see.

(Action/effect)
Next, the effects of the remote control terminal 80 of the working apparatus according to the present embodiment will be listed and described.
(1) As described above, the remote control terminal 80 of the working device of this embodiment is the remote control terminal 80 of the working device mounted on the work vehicle, and the operating switch 81 for operating the working device. To 90, a display unit 91 that displays information about the work device, a backlight 92 that illuminates the display unit 91, a posture detection unit 93 that detects the posture of the remote control terminal 80, and a detected remote control terminal 80. A terminal controller 94 as an adjusting unit that adjusts the brightness of the backlight 92 according to the posture is provided. With such a configuration, the brightness of the backlight 92 can be automatically adjusted according to the attitude of the remote control terminal 80, and both visibility and power saving can be achieved.

(2) Further, since the terminal controller 94 as the adjustment unit is configured to maximize the brightness of the backlight 92 in the upright posture in which the upward direction of the display unit 91 substantially matches the vertically upward direction, the display is made. Since the backlight 92 can be brightened in the posture of the remote control terminal 80 that is highly likely to be looking at the part 91, power can be efficiently saved. That is, since it is considered that the operator who looks at the display unit 81 looks at the display unit 81 in an upright posture such that the upper direction of the display unit 91 substantially coincides with the vertically upward direction, the brightness of the upright posture is maximized. Furthermore, since the maximum value is maintained in a certain range including the upright posture, it is possible to prevent the brightness from changing frequently and becoming difficult to see.

(3) Further, since the terminal controller 94 as the adjustment unit is configured to minimize the brightness of the backlight 92 in the inverted posture in which the upper direction of the display unit 91 substantially matches the vertically lower direction, the display is made. Since the backlight 92 can be dim in the posture of the remote control terminal 80 in which it is unlikely that the user is looking at the part 91, power can be saved efficiently. That is, it is considered that the operator who operates the operation switches 81 to 90 holds the remote control terminal 80 in an inverted posture so that the upper direction of the display unit 91 is substantially aligned with the vertically lower direction, and in this case, the display unit 91. The brightness of the inverted posture is kept to a minimum because the user does not see. Furthermore, by keeping the minimum value in a certain range including the inverted posture, it is possible to prevent the brightness from changing frequently and becoming difficult to see.

(4) Further, the terminal controller 94 as the adjusting unit is configured to gradually increase the brightness of the backlight 92 from the inverted posture to the upright posture. For this reason, the backlight 92 becomes brighter as the posture in which the display unit 91 is more likely to be viewed increases, and thus visibility and power saving can be efficiently compatible with each other. In addition, when the tilt is changed so that the remote control terminal 80 is held up by hand, the display unit 91 becomes brighter little by little, so that necessary information can be easily read. Furthermore, since the change in the brightness of the display unit 91 is small, it is possible to view the image without feeling uncomfortable as compared with the case where it suddenly becomes bright.

(5) Furthermore, the terminal controller 94 as an adjusting unit adjusts the brightness of the backlight 92 only in accordance with the attitude of the remote control terminal 80. For this reason, for example, when the user operates the display unit 91 without looking at the display unit 91, the backlight 92 is not illuminated, and power can be efficiently saved. In addition, since a timer that illuminates before and after the operation is not used, the illumination can be performed only while actually viewing the display unit 91, and the power saving efficiency is further improved.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and any design change that does not depart from the gist of the present invention is not limited to the present invention. included.

For example, in the embodiment, the case where the brightness of the backlight is gradually made brighter or darker has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and ON/OFF may be switched depending on the angle. it can.

Although not particularly described in the embodiment, the terminal controller 94 as an adjusting unit may have a brightness adjusting function by timer control in addition to the brightness adjusting function of the backlight 92 based on the angle. Further, the angle-based brightness adjustment function and the timer-controlled brightness adjustment function can be combined.

Further, in the embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the brightness is gradually increased from the angle of 90 degrees to the angle of (180-α) degrees, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the brightness can be gradually increased from an angle of 0 degree to an angle of 180 degrees. Further, when the angle exceeds 270 degrees, the backlight 92 can be turned off.

CR: Loaded truck crane;
10: general-purpose truck; 11: cab; 12: luggage carrier; 13: frame;
81-90: Operation switch; 91: Display unit; 92: Backlight;
93: Posture detection unit; 94: Terminal controller (adjustment unit)

Claims (4)

A remote control terminal for a work device mounted on a work vehicle,
An operation switch for operating the work device,
A display unit that displays information about the working device;
A backlight for illuminating the display unit,
A posture detection unit that detects the posture of the remote control terminal,
A remote operation terminal for a work device, comprising: an adjusting unit that adjusts the brightness of the backlight according to only the attitude of the remote operation terminal. The remote of the work apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit is configured to maximize the brightness of the backlight in an upright posture in which an upper direction of the display unit substantially matches a vertically upper direction. Operation terminal. The remote of the work apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to minimize the brightness of the backlight in an inverted posture in which an upper direction of the display unit substantially matches a vertically lower direction. Operation terminal. 4. The remote control terminal for a work apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to gradually increase the brightness of the backlight from the inverted posture to the upright posture.