JPH04103457A - Safety monitoring apparatus for cableway - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable monitoring with naked eyes or a wide range of surroundings, including an article loading site and states of wood materials under conveyance, by mounting imaging means, drive mechanism for changing the photographing direction of this imaging means, etc., on a wood-conveyance carriage movable along a main cableway. CONSTITUTION:The safety-monitoring moving station 10 includes a camera casing 16 in which a video camera 14 is accommodated, the camera casing 16 being made swingable in directions indicated by arrow A at an upper end of a support member 24, by rotation of a first motor 26 contained therein. Further, the support member 24 is made rotatable in the arrow B indicated direction by rotation of a second motor 28 on a carriage 30. On the carriage 30 there is secured a controlling section 38 which contains a transmitter 40, a receiver 42, various controllers 44, 46, battery 48, etc. And the carriage 30 is moved right or left along a main cableway 36 via roller 66,... by pulling of a driving rope.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a cableway safety monitoring device for monitoring conditions around a remotely controlled carriage.

(Prior Art) After cutting down trees in a mountain forest, a cableway system is used to transport the wood to a collection base. Figure 3 shows an example of a cableway system.

In the figure, the cut wood 34 is loaded onto a loading block 94 of the carriage 30 at a loading site 32 and suspended. By pulling the driving cable 68, the carriage 30 is moved above the material collection site 92, and the loading cable 90
Loosen the lumber 34 to lower it.

The cableway system is operated by an operator riding on the timber collecting machine 70. Unless the operator knows the situation at the loading site 32, he or she cannot work safely. Therefore, operators and cargo handlers communicate using mobile radios and intercoms to carry out work.

(Problem B to be solved by the invention) However, in the conventional method, the position of the loading site 32 depends on the position of the timber collecting machine 70, the distance between the timber collecting machine 70 and the loading site 32, etc.
There are issues with safety concerns as it may not be possible to see the situation with the naked eye. Therefore, a proposal was made to install a monitor camera at the loading site 32, but this would not be possible if the topography of the loading site 32 was steep. Also loading site 3
If the position of 2 changes, the monitor camera must be reinstalled, and if there is an obstacle such as a standing tree, it must be removed, which is troublesome. Furthermore, because the monitor only monitors the loading site 32, it is not possible to monitor the condition of the wood 34 during transport, and when the wood 34 gets caught in a root stump, the operator's intuition is the only thing to do, which solves the safety issue. Not done.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cableway safety monitoring device that can visually monitor a wide range of surrounding conditions, including not only the loading site but also the surrounding area and the condition of the timber being transported.

(Means for solving problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes the following configuration.

First, a carriage for transporting wood that is movable along the main rope, an imaging means mounted on an eight-carriage carriage and converting an image around the carriage into an image signal, and an imaging means mounted on the carriage and used to capture an image of the imaging means. a drive mechanism for changing the direction; and a radio wave, which is mounted on the carrier and includes a control signal for controlling the operation of the image pickup means and the drive mechanism, and controls the image pickup means and the drive mechanism based on the control signal. A mobile station is provided, characterized in that it comprises a control section for controlling and transmitting radio waves including the image signal output from the imaging means. Second, a transmitter that generates the control signal and transmits a radio wave containing the control signal in response to an operator's operation, and a transmitter that receives the radio wave containing the image signal transmitted by the control unit and demodulates the image signal. , and a receiver for displaying an image as an image. A cableway safety monitoring fixed station for controlling the cableway safety monitoring mobile station is provided. The mobile station and the fixed station constitute a cableway safety monitoring device.

(effect) The effect will be explained.

Since the mobile station has an imaging means mounted on the carriage, it is possible to take images from a high position, and therefore it is possible to send images over a wide range to the operator. Furthermore, since the mobile station moves together with the carriage, the operator can monitor the condition of the wood being transported. Since signals are sent and received between the fixed station and the mobile station using radio waves, the operator can operate the cableway system while viewing the image sent from the mobile station at the location of the timber collecting machine.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, a cableway safety monitoring device suitable for use in the cableway system shown in FIG. 3 will be described as an example.

First, the cableway safety monitoring mobile station 10 will be explained with reference to FIG.

A video camera 14 is an example of imaging means, and is housed in a camera case 16. A transparent glass plate 18 is fitted into the front surface of the camera case 16. The video camera 14 is, for example, a commercially available 6x camera with an autofocus function.

A wiper 20 is provided to remove water droplets adhering to the surface of the glass plate 18 during rainy weather. The wiper 20 is driven by a wiper motor 22.

24 is a support body, and the camera case 16 is pivotally attached to the upper end thereof. A first motor 26 is built in the camera case 16, and the rotation of the first motor 26 allows the camera case 16 to swing in the eight directions of the arrows.

That is, by swinging the camera case 16 in the direction of arrow A, the field of view of the video camera 14 can be moved in the vertical direction.

A second motor 28 is fixed to the upper surface of the carriage 30. The support body 24 is fixed to the output shaft 32 of the second motor 28, and the rotation of the second motor 28 causes the support body 24 and the camera case 16 to rotate in the direction of arrow B. This rotation in the direction of arrow B by the second motor 28 allows the field of view of the video camera 14 to be moved in the direction of arrow B (horizontal direction). Therefore, by rotating the first motor 26 and the second motor 28, it is possible to direct the field of view of the video camera 14 in any direction. Further, since the camera case 16 is disposed on the carriage 30, the video camera 14 can be used at the loading site 32 or the hanging timber 3.
4, it becomes possible to take a wide range of images of the loading site 32, the hanging timber 34, and the surrounding situation such as the work of pulling out timber. It is also possible to monitor the damage to the main rope 36 and the like.

Note that the first motor 26 and the second motor 28 constitute a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism of this embodiment is also equipped with an infrared tracking device (not shown), and is capable of automatically tracking the loader. Further, if a microphone is provided in the camera case 16, it becomes possible to monitor the sound as well as the image of the video camera 14.

38 is a control unit, which includes a controller 4 for a transmitter 40, a receiver 42, a video camera 14, and a wiper motor 22;
4. Drive mechanism controller 46 and battery 48
(eg DC 12 volts) and a battery control unit 50 are built-in. The control section 38 is also fixed to the upper surface of the carriage 30.

The transmitter 40 modulates the image signal output from the video camera 14 and radiates it from the antenna 52 as a radio wave signal 54 . Note that, when performing audio monitoring, the transmitter 40 also transmits an audio signal on the radio signal 54. In the case of this example,
The radio signal 54 of the transmitter 40 is transmitted at a frequency of 13 UHF channels.

The receiver 42 receives, via an antenna 58, a control signal that is a command for a controller 44, 46 for controlling the operation of the video camera 14, wiper motor 22, and drive mechanism, which is transmitted as a radio signal 56 from a fixed station to be described later. . Receiver 42 sends the demodulated control signals to controllers 44 and/or 46.

The controllers 44, 46 are comprised of digital circuits including microprocessors, and control the operation of the video camera 14 and wiper motor 22, or drive mechanism, according to control signals, respectively.

The battery 48 is rechargeable and powered by a generator 60 fixed to the carriage 30.

The generator 60 is rotatably attached to the carriage nozzle 30 and connected by a belt 64 to a rotating body 62 that rotates along the main rope 36 when the carriage 30 moves along the main rope 36. When the rotating body 62 rotates, the generator 60 rotates and generates electricity. In addition, the generator 60
If the zero power generation amount is small, a solar cell may be provided on the upper surface of the carriage 30 to compensate for the power shortage.

The battery control unit 50 controls the video camera 14 of the battery 48.
, wiper motor 22, drive mechanism, controller 44.
Controls power supply to 46 etc.

The battery control unit 50 automatically starts supplying power when the carriage 30 starts traveling, and stops supplying power when the carriage 30 stops for 10 minutes or more. It is possible to determine whether the carriage 30 is running or stopping by detecting the voltage generated by the generator 60.

Note that rollers 66 are provided inside the carrier 7, and when the drive cable 68 is pulled, the rollers 66 are moved.
6 rotates on the main rope 36, and the carriage 30 moves in the left-right direction. The carriage 30 itself and other cableway systems (FIG. 3) are conventionally known systems, and their explanations will be omitted.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the fixed station 1 installed on the timber collecting machine 70
2 will be explained.

A reception booster 72 amplifies the radio wave signal 54 received by the antenna 74 and transmitted from the transmitter 40 of the mobile station 10, and sends it to the CRT 76, which is a reception section.

The CRT 76 demodulates the image signal (and audio signal) so that it can be visually (and audibly) monitored.

Reference numeral 78 denotes an operating device which is a transmitter and remotely controls the video camera 14, wiper motor 22, drive mechanism, etc. of the mobile station 10. The operator uses the handle 80.
... instructs the operation of the video camera 14, etc., and in response to the instruction, the operating device 78 generates a control signal for the video camera 14, etc., and also modulates the control signal and sends it to the mobile station as a radio wave signal 56 from the antenna 82. Send to 10. In this embodiment, the transmission frequency of the radio waves 56 is 26
I am using MH2.

84 is a battery (eg DC 24 volts), which can be used together with the battery of the wood collecting machine 70.

As a power source for the operating device 78, the voltage of the battery 84 is directly applied. On the other hand, the power source 8 of the reception booster 72
6 and the CRT 76 are supplied with a voltage obtained by converting the DC voltage of a battery 84 to AC 100 volts via an inverter 88.

The mobile station 10 and fixed station 12 configured as described above constitute the cableway safety monitoring device of this embodiment.

Next, the operation will be explained.

When the carriage 30 is above the loading site 32, the operator of the timber collecting machine 70 operates the operating device 78 of the fixed station 12 to transmit a control signal as a radio wave 56 to the mobile station 10.
The second motor 26 and the second motor 28 are driven to direct the camera case 16 and, by extension, the video camera 14 in the direction desired for monitoring.

At that time, when the infrared tracking device is activated, the video camera 14 automatically points toward the worker who is loading the cargo, reducing the need for the operator to operate the operating device 278 when monitoring the worker. It becomes possible.

When carrying out loading work, the operator operates the loading cable 90, and at this time, by directing the field of view of the video camera 14 downward to the carriage 30, the operator can monitor the loading work status.

After loading the timber 34, the operator
to hang the wood 34 onto the carriage 30. Next, the operator pulls the drive line 68 to move the carriage 30 above the material collection site 92. If the operator sets the field of view of the video camera 14 around the wood 34 during transportation, the operator can immediately see if the wood 34 interferes with roots or the like during transportation, and can take measures while visually recognizing the interference situation.

When the carriage 30 reaches above the wood collection site 92, the loading cable 90 is loosened and the wood 34 is lowered.

Even in this case, the operator can collect materials while monitoring the work status.

After the timber 34 is lowered to the timber collection site 92, the driving cable 68 is pulled in the opposite direction to return the carriage 30 to the loading site 32 in preparation for the next loading. In addition, the carriage 3 moves toward the loading site 32.
If the operator points the video camera 14 in the direction of the main rope 36 when returning to 0, the condition of the main rope 36 can also be inspected.

The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above;
Of course, many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

(Effects of the Invention) When the cableway safety monitoring device according to the present invention is used, the imaging means is provided on the carriage, and the imaging direction is variable by the drive mechanism, so it is possible to secure a wide field of view and monitor a wide range. . In addition, even while the carriage is moving, it is possible to monitor the condition of the timber being transported and the main rope, etc. Even if the timber gets caught in a root stump, the operator can immediately see the abnormality and take countermeasures while visually checking the situation. This makes it possible to greatly improve safety. Further, since the imaging means is provided on the carriage, it is not necessary to remove obstacles when installing the imaging means, which is a significant advantage.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a mobile station of an embodiment of the cableway safety monitoring device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the fixed station, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a general cableway system. .

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A carriage for transporting wood that is movable along the main rope; an imaging means mounted on the carriage and converting an image around the carriage into an image signal; a drive mechanism for changing the imaging direction of the means; and a drive mechanism mounted on the carriage that receives radio waves containing control signals for controlling the imaging means and the drive mechanism, and controls the imaging means and the drive mechanism based on the control signals. 1. A mobile station for safety monitoring of a cableway, comprising a control section for controlling operations and transmitting radio waves including the image signal output from the imaging means. 2. A transmitter that generates the control signal and transmits a radio wave containing the control signal in response to an operator's operation; and a transmitter that receives the radio wave containing the image signal transmitted by the control unit, demodulates the image signal, and generates an image. 2. The cableway safety monitoring fixed station for controlling the cableway safety monitoring mobile station according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving unit that displays a signal as a cableway safety monitoring mobile station. 3. A cableway safety monitoring device comprising the cableway safety monitoring mobile station according to claim 1 and the cableway safety monitoring fixed station according to claim 2.