CIVIL ENGINEERING MACHINE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A CIVIL ENGINEERING MACHINE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a civil engineering machine, in particular a drilling rig, comprising a mobile carrier device, a mast or boom arm arranged on the carrier device, and a civil engineering tool adjustably arranged on the mast or boom arm for carrying out a civil engineering measure. Furthermore, the civil engineering machine comprises a control unit and an operating cabin for at least one operator with at least one display device, in particular a monitor, which is connected to the control unit and is designed to display operating data acquired by the control unit to a machine operator in a plurality of display fields on the at least one display device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating a civil engineering machine.

[0002] The civil engineering machine can be, for example, a diaphragm wall cutter, a pile driver, a cable excavator, a grab excavator, but also a mobile crane or a mobile jib crane.

[0003] Civil engineering machinery, particularly for creating foundations in the ground, has been around for a long time. A foundation element can be created, for example, by drilling a hole in the ground, such as a borehole or a milled trench. The hole is then filled with a hardenable medium, particularly mortar, to form a foundation pile or a diaphragm wall segment, possibly with additional reinforcement. A foundation element can also be installed by ramming or vibrating it, such as a foundation pile or plank. A foundation element is not limited to load-bearing or load-bearing functions, but can alternatively or additionally also perform a sealing function and / or other tasks, as is known, for example, from special foundation engineering when enclosing excavations with diaphragm walls.

[0004] Today's common civil engineering machines are equipped with electronic control units that simplify operation for the operator or can even partially or fully automate the operation. Various operating data can be recorded via sensors and transmitted to the control unit. Control commands can be issued to corresponding actuators, particularly drives and actuator cylinders, via appropriate data lines.

[0005] Such civil engineering machines are known, for example, from EP 3299523 A1, EP 3296467 A1 or JP 2022-077258 A.

[0006] Display devices in civil engineering machines are used to present operating data, acquired by the control unit from internal and / or external sensors, to the machine operator, allowing them to control the civil engineering machine effectively and safely. The data can include, for example, the current depth of the civil engineering tool, the torque of a winch, or even the temperature of the oil in an oil circuit.

[0007] On large construction sites, a variety of civil engineering machines are often used in parallel, controlled by different machine operators. These operators have varying levels of experience and also construct different foundation elements. Depending on the job and experience, different information is important for the machine operator.

[0008] The invention is therefore based on TaskThe aim is to provide a civil engineering machine and a method for operating a civil engineering machine, which facilitates the use of a civil engineering machine by different machine operators.

[0009] This object is achieved on the one hand by a civil engineering machine having the features of claim 1 and on the other hand by a method having the features of claim 11.

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims as well as in the figures and their description.

[0011] According to the invention, the control unit is designed such that a display, an arrangement, and / or a type of display fields can be changed and adjusted by a machine operator, and can be stored in a data memory as a personal configuration of the machine operator, independent of the control unit. Within the meaning of the invention, "independent of the control unit" also means that the configuration can be stored independently of the civil engineering machine in which the control unit is provided.

[0012] A basic idea of ​​the invention is to allow the machine operator to arrange and configure the displays on the display device according to the user's specific needs. This ensures that an experienced machine operator performing complex tasks can display specific information relevant to their work, whereas a less experienced machine operator can configure the display device and the information presented there in such a way that it displays the appropriate data, including different data, for them. In other words, the invention makes it possible to adapt the display device to the respective machine operator, but also to the respective work order. To ensure that this adaptation is not lost, it can be saved according to the invention.In order to enable a cross-device display, the invention provides that the information required for the user-specific display is not necessarily stored on the civil engineering machine or in the control unit, but is stored independently of it.

[0013] It is advantageous if the control unit has a transmission device, in particular a data transmission device, with which data for the personalized configuration of the display fields can be transferred to a data storage device outside the control unit. In other words, according to the invention, the transmission device allows the information for the user-specific configuration to be stored not in the control unit itself, nor necessarily in the civil engineering machine. This makes it possible to access the relevant information centrally.

[0014] In this regard, it is preferred if the transmission device is designed to transmit the data relating to the personal configuration on a mobile data carrier, a mobile computer unit, a central data depository, and / or in a cloud storage device. This is done in order to store the corresponding data there. The elements in the above list can be regarded as alternative possibilities for storing the data relating to the personal configuration. However, it is also possible to use not just one but several of them. For the purposes of the invention, a mobile data carrier can be understood as, for example, a machine key, a USB stick, or another data storage device that can be written to wirelessly, for example via Bluetooth, RFID, or NFC technologies. For the purposes of the invention, a mobile computer unit can be regarded as, for example, a laptop, a tablet computer, or a smartphone.This makes it possible to store the personal configuration data in various locations, allowing a personalized configuration to be transferred back to the civil engineering machine depending on the specific application. This can also be done in a similar way, for example, via the transmission device in conjunction with the control unit.

[0015] In principle, the display device can be designed in any way. It can be a monitor, for example, but also other types of display devices, such as data glasses, a head-up display, or a tablet. The display device is preferably designed to display numbers, functions, graphics, animations, and / or photos and video images.

[0016] In other words, any information can be displayed in a suitable manner on the display device. It is also possible for the machine operator to define the display format for specific data. For example, the temperature of the engine oil of a civil engineering machine can be displayed as a number, but also as a bar chart and / or in the form of a circular display. The machine operator can adjust the exact format to find the easiest way for them to read.

[0017] To facilitate the setup of the display unit, a preselection of retrievable operating data, possible display types, and / or arrangement options can be stored in the control unit and / or retrieved from it, and can be retrieved and selected by the machine operator to create their personal configuration. In other words, a type of toolbox can be provided in the control unit or, alternatively, in an external memory, from which the individual machine operator can compile the display and display type that, based on their experience, is best for the respective work situation. Templates can also be provided for this purpose. This makes such configuration particularly easier for less experienced machine operators.In the sense of the invention, operating data can be understood as, for example, information on current and past operating / machine states, but also information on production data such as details on foundation elements to be created or soil information.

[0018] It is preferred if the control unit has a display configuration mode, wherein upon activation of the display configuration mode the display on the at least one display device can be changed and saved. In other words, the display configuration mode can be used to influence, for example, the position or type of a specific display on the display device. Furthermore, it may be possible to enlarge or reduce the size of certain displays, which can also be referred to as windows or widgets, and / or to display them at different locations on the display device. This is particularly advantageous if the display device consists of several monitors, for example, so that some displays are displayed on the first monitor while other displays are displayed on the second monitor.In this context, different types of display devices can also be combined, for example a fixed monitor and a tablet PC, which can also be removed from the operator cabin.

[0019] According to the invention, the size, type, position and / or color of the display field is adjustable.

[0020] The graphical representation of the information can also be adjusted so that some information is displayed as digits or numbers, others as graphics, such as bars.

[0021] A particularly simple setting is achieved if the at least one display device is designed as a touchscreen, on which the display fields can be changed and / or adjusted directly by touching the display device. This makes intuitive setting of the individual display fields particularly easy. Alternatively or additionally, however, setting can also be made using a mouse or touchpad. Setting can also be done via a web interface or a mobile app.

[0022] In an advantageous embodiment, an identification device is provided, by which a machine operator who wishes to operate the civil engineering machine can be identified. Furthermore, the control unit can be configured to automatically and / or upon request call up a personal configuration of the identified machine operator in order to effect a desired display on the at least one display device. The call can be made from an internal memory in the control unit or the civil engineering machine, but also from an external memory provided via an interface. This can, for example, also be a central data storage device provided on servers of the manufacturer of the construction machine or the operating company.Using an identification device makes it particularly easy to assign and make available the corresponding user-specific settings of the display device to a user. In the simplest case, an identification device can be used, for example, a user name, optionally in conjunction with a password, a fingerprint sensor, or a correspondingly coded key for the civil engineering machine.

[0023] The invention is particularly advantageous when used in conjunction with an arrangement comprising multiple civil engineering machines that can be selected by a machine operator. The advantages of the invention then arise in a special way, since it is not necessary to strictly ensure that a machine operator uses the same civil engineering machine each time. This makes it possible for a machine operator to use different civil engineering machines and actively transfer their desired configuration to the civil engineering machine or have it retrieved there, so that the operator has their usual display available on the display device.

[0024] It is advantageous to provide a central data storage location and to connect the civil engineering machines to the central data storage location for storing and retrieving data for personalized configuration. This makes it easy to ensure that each machine operator has their specific display available on the display device.

[0025] Alternatively, it is also possible to carry this corresponding configuration on a data storage device, so that the machine operator actively transfers this data when starting the civil engineering machine, or the control unit queries it. In principle, within the meaning of the invention, a central data storage location can be understood as, for example, a database that can be accessed via the Internet. It is not necessary for there to be just one database; rather, several databases can be available that can be used alternatively to one another or act as a backup for one another.

[0026] The invention further relates to a method for operating a civil engineering machine as described above or a similar arrangement. It is provided that at least one machine operator creates a personal configuration for the display fields on the at least one display device and stores it in a data memory. Furthermore, it is provided that, upon request and / or through automatic identification of the machine operator, the control unit retrieves the machine operator's personal configuration from the data memory, and a corresponding display according to the personal configuration is displayed on the at least one display device.

[0027] For the purposes of the invention, a machine operator can also be regarded as an administrator or master user who defines individual personal configurations for different machine operators. The settings of the different machine operators can also be copied, so that different display fields or different content are shown on the at least one display device for an experienced group of machine operators than for inexperienced machine operators. The same also applies to different operating modes of the civil engineering machine. For example, for a trench cutter that is cutting into hard rock, different data on the display fields are of interest to the machine operator than for a trench cutter that is creating a trench wall in sandy subsoil. The data storage can be located in the civil engineering machine or remotely from it.

[0028] The invention will be further explained below with reference to preferred embodiments. These are illustrated in the accompanying schematic drawings. These drawings show: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a civil engineering machine according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a display device with various display fields; and Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of possible data transmission paths.

[0029] A civil engineering machine 10 according to the invention, which is exemplified as a drilling rig according to Fig. 1is designed, has an undercarriage 12, preferably designed as a crawler track, and a superstructure 14 rotatably mounted thereon. The undercarriage 12 and the superstructure 14 form a carrier device 15. The drive units and the control station for a machine operator of the civil engineering machine 10 can be arranged on the superstructure 14 in a known manner. A control unit 40 and a display device 50, in particular a monitor, can be arranged in the control station.

[0030] A substantially vertical mast 18 with an upper mast head 19 can be adjustably mounted on a front side of the superstructure 14 via a linkage kinematics 16 with neck cylinders. A carriage 20 can be displaceably guided along a front side of the mast 18. A first drilling drive 22, which can have a hydraulic motor 24, can be provided on the carriage 20. Furthermore, a second drive 26 with a sleeve-shaped rotary joint 27 for establishing a rotationally fixed connection to a support tube 4 can be provided on the carriage 20. The second drive 26 can, for example, essentially consist of a gear connection to the first drilling drive 22 with the hydraulic motor 24 in order to apply a torque to the rotary joint 27 and thus to the support tube 4.

[0031] The approximately sleeve-shaped first drill drive 22 can, for example, be penetrated by a drill rod 30, which can be designed as a Kelly rod with external drive bars. The drill rod 30 can have an upper suspension 32, to which the drill rod 30 is connected to a main cable 39. The main cable 39 can be guided via deflection pulleys on the mast head 19 to a main winch 38 on the upper side of the superstructure 14. By operating the main winch 38, the drill rod 30 can be moved vertically.

[0032] The carriage 20 can be connected to a feed cable 37, which can be guided above and below the carriage 20 along the mast 18 and can be operated by a feed winch 36. The feed winch 36 can move the carriage 20 up or down along a guide of the mast 18.

[0033] A drilling tool is attached to the underside of the drill rod 30 as a civil engineering tool 34 for removing soil material. In the illustrated embodiment, the civil engineering tool 34 is Fig. 1 designed as a drilling bucket. The diameter of the drilling tool is designed so that it can be inserted into the inner cavity of the support tube 4.

[0034] The civil engineering machine 10 can be used to create a cased borehole in the ground 1. To form a foundation element in the ground 1, a hardenable compound can be introduced into the borehole, which then hardens to form the foundation element. The support pipe 4 can remain in the borehole as part of the foundation element or, preferably, can be pulled out of the ground 1 before hardening.

[0035] In Fig. 2A schematic example of a display device 50 is shown. This shows five exemplary display fields 51, each displaying different information. For example, the middle display field 51 graphically shows the current depth of a borehole and the drilling depth to be achieved. To the right of this, in the upper area, a display field 51 is shown, which has a round element that displays, for example, the current torque of the motor.

[0036] Below this is a display field 51 with a bar graph. This can, for example, clearly display the current transmission oil pressure.

[0037] On the left side of the display device 50, a numeric display is shown in the upper area. The lower area shows a display field 51, which shows a progression curve, for example, the depth of the borehole over time.

[0038] Based on the invention, it is possible to arrange the various display fields 51 in any desired manner on the display device 50. Different display fields 51 can also be added and configured using corresponding functions. The type of display can also be selected. This also applies, for example, to the selection of displayed information, the position, the level of detail, or the like.

[0039] The display device 50 can thus be specifically configured for each machine user, so that the data required for their current task is displayed in a particularly advantageous manner. Personal preferences can also be taken into account.

[0040] Within the scope of the invention, not only one display device 50 can be used, but also several, which can be arranged, for example, one above the other or next to each other. This also makes it possible to move a display field 51 from a primary display device to a secondary display device if the information in the display field 51 is used relatively rarely.

[0041] In Fig. 3 a schematic view is shown which shows an exemplary basic structure of the data flow of a civil engineering machine 10 according to the invention with respect to the display devices 50.

[0042] A central element here is the control unit 40. This receives data via a plurality of sensor devices 48. The sensor devices 48 can be, for example, torque sensors or temperature sensors. These do not necessarily have to be arranged on the civil engineering machine according to the invention, but can also be external sensors. Transmission to the control unit 40 can be either wired or wireless. Other information sources can also be used by the control unit 40, for example, project or construction plans. In general, the sensor devices 48 can even be considered a data source.

[0043] These data and information are output via the control unit 40 to, in this case, two display devices 50. On the display devices 50, the data are shown in display fields 51, as previously described with respect to Fig. 2The machine user can select which data and information should be displayed and how.

[0044] This confrontation can be stored by the control unit 40 on an internal memory 42 in the civil engineering machine 10. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration can also be transferred to an external memory 44 by means of a transmission device 60. The external memory 44 can be, for example, a data storage device, but also a storage location in a cloud, a server, or the like. The respective design of the transmission device 60 can therefore be provided for wired transfer, but also for wireless transfer. For example, the transmission device 60 can be simply implemented in the form of a modem, which transmits the data to a server via a mobile network.

[0045] When a machine operator starts a civil engineering machine 10, they can load their configuration either from the internal memory 42 or from the external memory 44 via the transmission device 60, so that the display fields 51 are displayed on the display devices 50 in a manner that is most clearly visible to them. The arrangement of the display fields 51 on the display device 50 can preferably be achieved via a touchscreen, if the display device 50 is designed so. Alternatively, control can also be achieved using a rotary element, a slider, or other human-machine communication devices.

[0046] An identification device can also be provided, which can correspond to the control unit, by means of which it can be recognized which machine operator is operating the civil engineering machine 10. Based on this information, his individual configuration of the display devices 50 is loaded. This can be implemented both locally from the internal memory 42 and via an external memory 44, which can be accessed accordingly.

[0047] As described, the external memory 44 can also be used by different civil engineering machines 10 simultaneously, so that data transfer of the configuration from one civil engineering machine 10 to another is possible.

[0048] By means of the civil engineering machine according to the invention and the corresponding method, it is possible to display machine operator-specific data on a display device and thus enable more efficient work.

Claims

1. Civil engineering machine (10), in particular a drilling unit, having - a mobile support device (15), - a mast (18) or a boom arm, which is arranged on the support device (15), - a civil engineering tool (34), which is adjustably arranged on the mast (18) or the boom arm in order to carry out a civil engineering measure, - a control unit (40) and - an operator cabin for at least one operator, having at least one display device (50), in particular a monitor, which is connected to the control unit (40) and is designed to display operating data detected by the control unit (40) to the machine operator on the at least one display device (50) in a plurality of display fields (51), characterised in that the control unit (40) is designed such that a display, an arrangement and / or a type of the display fields (51) can be modified and set by a machine operator and can be stored in a data memory as a personal configuration of the machine operator independently of the control unit (40) and that the size, type, position and / or colour of a display field can be set.

2. Civil engineering machine (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that the control unit (40) has a transmission device (60) with which data for personal configuration of the display fields (51) in the data memory can be transmitted outside the control unit (40).

3. Civil engineering machine (10) according to claim 2, characterised in that the transmission device (60) is designed to transmit the data for the personal configuration to a mobile data carrier, such as a machine key, a mobile computer unit, a laptop, a table computer or a smart phone, a central data depository and / or a cloud storage.

4. Civil engineering machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that at least one display device (50) is designed to display figures, functions, graphics, animations and / or photo / video images.

5. Civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a preselection of retrievable operating data, possible display types and / or arrangement options are stored in and / or can be retrieved by the control unit (40) and can be retrieved and selected by the machine operator to create the personalised configuration.

6. Civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the control unit (40) comprises a display configuration mode, wherein when the display configuration mode is activated, the display on the at least one display device (50) can be modified and stored.

7. Civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that at least one display device (50) is designed as a touchscreen with which the display fields (51) can be modified and / or set directly by touching the display device (50).

8. Civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that an identification device is arranged by means of which a machine operator who wishes to operate the civil engineering machine (10) can be identified, and in that the control unit (40) is designed to automatically and / or on request call up a personal configuration of the identified machine operator, in order to effect a desired display on the at least one display device (50).

9. Assembly comprising a plurality of civil engineering machines (10), which can be selected by a machine operator, characterised in that the civil engineering machines are designed according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Assembly according to claim 9, characterised in that a central data depository is provided and in that the civil engineering machine (10) can be connected to the data depository to store and / or retrieve data according to the personal configuration.

11. Method for operating a civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or an assembly according to any one of claims 9 or 10, characterised in that at least one machine operator creates a personal configuration for the display fields (51) on the at least one display device (50) and stores it in the data memory, and in that on request and / or by automatic identification of the machine operator, the control unit (40) retrieves the personal configuration of the machine operator from the data memory and effects a corresponding display on the at least one display device (50) according to the personal configuration.