Method of monitoring a digging operation

Abstract

The method comprises receiving data indicative of the power available to the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation. Data is als

Description

Field of the disclosure The present disclosure relates to a work machine. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a digging operation performed by a work machine. Background A work machine may be utilised to perform a digging operation. For example, an excavator typically comprises a boom, arm, and a bucket, with one or more actuators associated with each of the boom, arm, and bucket. An operator may control the actuators to cause the excavator to perform a variety of digging operations, for example digging a trench, moving a load from a pile, and the like. It will be appreciated that the type of digging operations performed by a work machine may vary depending on the type of work machine, the nature of the worksite, and the demands of the operator. In many instances, the effectiveness of a digging operation depends on the manner in which an operator controls the work machine performing the digging operation. In particular, each operation of one or more of the actuators of the work machine causes the work machine to consume energy. In the case of a work machine comprising an internal combustion engine, energy consumption by the work machine results in particulate emissions. In order to reduce particulate emissions and to improve worksite productivity, it is desirable that each digging operation of a work machine is performed in an efficient and effective manner. US-B-10982409 discloses an excavator measurement and control logic. In US-B-10982409 an excavator operating cycle is detected, and one or more load sensors are provided to sense a characteristic of a load moved during the operating cycle. The location where the load is moved to is also sensed. US-B-8156048 discloses an adaptive payload monitoring system for an excavation machine. US-B-8156048 discloses that the payload monitoring system comprises a tool, a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of a velocity of the tool, and a second sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a lift force of the tool. A controller is provided to record the velocity and lift force of the tool during a work cycle. Against this background, the present disclosure seeks to provide an improved, or at least commercially relevant alternative, method of monitoring a digging operation Summary According to a first aspect of the disclosure, a method of monitoring a digging operation performed by a work machine comprising is provided. The method comprises: receiving data indicative of the power available to the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation; receiving data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation; calculating a total energy consumed by the actuators of the work machine based on the data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators over the duration of the digging operation; calculating a total energy available to the actuators of the work machine over the duration of the digging operation; calculating a digging efficiency parameter based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the digging operation; and outputting the digging efficiency parameter. Thus, according to the method of the first aspect, the efficiency of a digging operation performed by a work machine may be monitored. In particular, where a work machine is operated by a human operator, the method may provide a way of quantifying how effectively an operator is utilising the work machine to perform a digging operation. It will be appreciated that a digging operation performed by a work machine (e.g. an excavator) involves the simultaneous control of a plurality of mechanical components (e.g. boom, arm, and bucket of an excavator) of the work machine and the associated actuators. Advantageously, the method of the first aspect provides a method of monitoring the efficiency of operation of these mechanical components which does not involve complex sensing arrangements (e.g. detecting the relative positions of various components of the excavator and the ground during a digging operation). Rather, the method of the first aspect utilises data which is readily available to e.g. an engine control unit of a work machine to assess the efficiency of a digging operation performed by the work machine. In particular, the method of the first aspect determines that a relatively efficient digging operation is performed when the actuators of the work machine utilise a larger amount of available power to perform the digging operation. According to a second aspect of the disclosure, a controller for monitoring a digging operation of a work vehicle is provided. The controller is configured to: receive data indicative of the power available to the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation; receive data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation; calculate a total energy consumed by the actuators of the work machine based on the data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators over the duration of the digging operation; calculate a total energy available to the actuators of the work machine over the duration of the digging operation; calculate a digging efficiency parameter based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the digging operation; and output the digging efficiency parameter. As such, the controller of the second aspect may be utilised to perform the method of the first aspect. It will be appreciated that the controller of the second aspect may incorporate any of the optional features of the first aspect and any associated advantages. According to a third aspect of the disclosure, a work machine configured to perform a digging operation is provided. The work machine comprises a plurality of actuators configured to cause the work machine to perform the digging operation and the controller of the second aspect of the disclosure. As such, the work machine of the third aspect may be utilised to perform the method of the first aspect of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the work machine of the third aspect may incorporate any of the optional features of the first aspect and any associated advantages. In some embodiments, the plurality of actuators comprises a plurality of hydraulic actuators, and the work machine further comprises a hydraulic pump connected to the plurality of hydraulic actuators. As such, the work machine of the third aspect may comprise a hydraulic system which is configured to operate a digging tool of the work machine. In some embodiments, the plurality of actuators comprises a plurality of electromechanical actuators. As such, the work machine of the third aspect may be an electric work machine, or a hybrid work machine. That is to say, the work machine of the third aspect may comprise an electromechanical system which is configured to operate a digging tool of the work machine. According to a fourth aspect, a computer program comprising instructions to cause a processor to execute the method of the first aspect is provided. According to a fifth aspect, a computer-readable medium having stored thereon the computer program of the fourth aspect is provided. The fourth and fifth aspects may incorporate any optional features and associated advantages of any of the first through third aspects of the disclosure. Brief description of the figures Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following figures, in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic drawing of a work machine according to an embodiment of the disclosure; Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the disclosure; Fig. 3 shows a graph representative of data signals received in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure; and Fig. 4 shows a graph representative of energy calculations performed in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Detailed description Fig. 1 shows an isometric diagram of a work machine 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The work machine 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a tracked excavator, although it will be appreciated that the disclosure is not limited to tracked excavators. For example, a work machine 1 according to this disclosure may be an excavator, a bulldozer, a backhoe loader, or any other work machine which may be used to perform a digging operation. The work machine 1 may comprise a plurality of actuators 10, 11, 12 which may be operated to cause the work machine 1 to perform a digging operation. In the embodiments of Fig. 1, the actuators 10, 11, 12 are configured operate a boom 20, arm 21, and bucket 22 respectively (two actuators 10 are provided to operate boom 20 in the embodiment of Fig. 1). In the embodiment of Fig. 1, each of the boom actuators 10, arm actuator 11, and bucket actuator 12 are hydraulic actuators. Each of the hydraulic actuators may be supplied with hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic fluid pump (not shown in Fig. 1). The hydraulic actuators and hydraulic fluid pump may be provided as part of a hydraulic fluid system. In other embodiments, electro-mechanical actuators may be provided. The work machine 1 may also comprise a controller (not shown in Fig. 1). The controller may be configured to cause the actuators 10, 11, 12 to perform a digging operation. In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to control one or more of the actuators 10, 11, 12 in response to an input from an operator. The controller may also be configured to control other parts of the work machine 1. For example, the controller may be configured to control the operation of the hydraulic pump, which is connected to the actuators 10, 11, 12. In particular, the controller may be configured to receive data from the hydraulic fluid pump which is indicative of the power being consumed by the hydraulic fluid pump. In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to receive data indicative of an outlet pressure of the hydraulic fluid pump. For hydraulic fluid pumps of a known displacement (or hydraulic fluid pumps with a controllable displacement), the controller may determine the flow rate of hydraulic fluid based on an engine speed used to drive the hydraulic fluid pump and the displacement of the hydraulic fluid pump. As such, in some embodiments, the controller may receive data which is indicative a hydraulic fluid pump displacement and a hydraulic fluid pump speed (or engine speed), from which a hydraulic fluid flow rate may be calculated. The hydraulic fluid flow rate and the outlet pressure of the hydraulic fluid pump may in turn be used to calculate the power being consumed by the hydraulic fluid pump. For hydraulic fluid pumps which do not have a controllable displacement, an angle sensor could be provided on the hydraulic pump to sense the displacement, or the displacement could be estimated by the controller based on sensor readings from other parts of the hydraulic fluid system. As such, the skilled person will appreciate that the there are various manner in which the controller may obtain data which is indicative of the power being consumed by the hydraulic fluid pump. The work machine 1 may be configured to perform a digging operation. The work machine 1 of Fig. 1 may be controlled by an operator (i.e. a user) to perform the digging operation. The skilled person will appreciate that the efficiency of the digging operation may be influenced by the manner in which the operator controls the boom 20, arm 21, and bucket 22. For example, an operator may control the work machine 1 in a manner which results in a relatively small amount of material being moved with each digging operation, or a digging operation in which material is only removed during part of the digging operation. Alternatively, an operator may control the work machine 1 in manner which results in relatively high rates of material removed per hour (i.e. relatively efficient digging operations. Embodiments of this disclosure aim to provide a method of monitoring a digging operation which provides an indication of the efficiency of a digging operation performed. In particular, embodiments of this disclosure aim to provide a measure of the digging efficiency without knowledge, or direct sensing of, the amount of material removed per hour (e.g. by a payload sensor or otherwise). Thus, methods according to this disclosure may be incorporated on to a wide range of work machines 1 without requiring any complex and / or additional sensors to be connected to the work machine 1. Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of a method 100 of monitoring a digging operation performed by a work machine 1. For example, the method 100 may be performed by the work machine 1 of Fig. 1, although it will be appreciated that method 100 may be performed by other work machines 1 according to this disclosure. As shown in Fig. 2, the method 100 comprises step 101 of receiving data indicative of the power available to the actuators 10, 11, 12 of the work machine 1 used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation. For example, the data may be received by the controller of the work machine 1. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the power available is understood to be the maximum power available to the actuators 10, 11, 12. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the power available may be based on the available power output of the internal combustion engine. In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to receive data from the internal combustion engine which is indicative of the instantaneous maximum available torque at the current engine speed. The maximum available torque of the internal combustion engine may not be the same as the current torque output of the internal combustion engine. In particular, the maximum available torque may be greater than the torque currently being applied by the internal combustion engine in order to drive the hydraulic fluid pump. Based on known relationships between hydraulic fluid pump speed and mechanical efficiency, the controller can thereby determine a maximum available output power from the hydraulic fluid pump (and thus available to the actuators). As such, for the embodiment of Fig. 1, the controller may determine the maximum power available to the actuators based on data indicative of the engine speed and the instantaneous maximum available torque of the internal combustion engine. In step 102, the method 100 comprises step 102 of receiving data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators 10, 11, 12 of the work machine 1 used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation. The data may be received by the controller of the work machine 1. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the power consumed is understood to be the actual power output of the actuators 10, 11, 12. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the method 100 may calculate the instantaneous power output of each actuator 10, 11, 12 involved in the digging operation. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, where each actuator 10, 11, 12 is a hydraulic actuator, the instantaneous power output may be calculated based on the instantaneous hydraulic fluid pressure in each cylinder of an actuator 10, 11, 12 and the flow rate of hydraulic fluid for each actuator 10, 11, 12. The flow rate of hydraulic fluid may be derived from knowledge of the cylinder velocity and cylinder dimensions for example, although other calculations or sensors may be provided. In some embodiments, the power consumed by the actuators may be assumed to be the power output by the hydraulic fluid pump. In some embodiments, the method 100 may comprising receiving data of the instantaneous power at regular intervals (samples). The data may be interpolated between sample points in order to provide a continuous power profile as shown in Fig. 3 for example. For example, in some embodiments, data may be received at intervals of about 10 ms. According to this disclosure, steps 101 and 102 provide data indicative of the power available to, and consumed by, the actuators 10, 11, 12 over a duration of a digging operation. According to this disclosure, a digging operation may be detected by the controller. For example, the controller may monitor the actuators 10, 11, 12 in order to detect a start and / or an end of a digging operation based on position of one or more of the actuators 10, 11, 12. The controller may also monitor the hydraulic fluid pressure in one or more of actuators 10, 11, 12 in order to detect a start and / or end of a digging operation. The controller may also monitor the control inputs made by an operator of the work machine 1 in order to detect a start and / or end of a digging operation. For example, the controller may apply one or more logic decisions (“digging logic”) to determine that a digging operation has started. The controller may also detect an end of digging operation based on the position of one or more of the actuators 10, 11,12. It will be appreciated that the digging logic of the controller is configured to detect a start and end of a digging operation such that the work performed by the work machine during the digging operation occurs between the start point and the end point of the digging operation. As an example, Fig. 3 shows a graph which is representative of the data received by the controller while the work machine 1 performs a series of digging operations. As shown in Fig. 3, the digging logic registers a logic 1 (or “high”) value when a digging operation is detected and a logic 0 (or “low” value) when a digging operation is not detected. As such, the digging logic may detect a start of a digging operation on a rising edge of the digging logic. The digging logic may detect an end of the digging operation on a falling edge of the digging logic Over the series of digging operations shown in Fig. 3, data indicative of the instantaneous power consumed by the actuators is also recorded by the controller. Data indicative of the instantaneous power available to the actuators 10, 11, 12 is also recorded by controller. Both data plots are shown in Fig. 3. It will be appreciated that over the course of the digging operations, the instantaneous power consumed by the actuators varies, but remains lower than the instantaneous power available to the actuators. In the graph of Fig. 3, the powers shown may be the summed powers from each of the actuators 10, 11, 12 used to perform the digging operation. It will be appreciated from Fig. 3 that the digging operation logic is set to indicate the period during a digging operation where the work machine is performing effective work (i.e. when the work machine is digging material, rather than when the work machine is working to simply lift the boom 20). As such, the digging operations indicated in Fig. 3 do not necessarily correspond with time periods where the instantaneous power consumption is relatively high. It will also be appreciated that for some digging operations, the amount of power consumed may be higher than for other digging operations. In step 103, the controller calculates a total energy consumed by the actuators 10, 11, 12 of the work machine 1 based on the data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators 10, 11, 12 over the duration of the digging operation. As discussed above, the duration of the digging operation may be determined based on the digging logic. Fig. 4 shows a graph showing the calculation of the total energy consumed by the actuators 10, 11,12 over a plurality of digging operations. The graph of Fig. 4 is calculated based on the data shown in Fig. 3. It will be appreciated that the total energy consumed graph is only increased when the digging logic indicates that a digging operation is being performed. At other time when the digging operation is not being performed, power consumed by the actuators (e.g. positioning or moving the boom 20) is not taken into account. In step 104, the controller calculates a total energy available to the actuators 10, 11, 12 of the work machine 1 over the duration of the digging operation. The total energy available to the actuators is also shown in Fig. 4 and is calculated from the data shown in Fig. 3 in a similar manner to the total energy consumed by the actuators 10, 11, 12 discussed above. In step 105, the controller calculates a digging efficiency parameter based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the digging operation (i.e. the total energy consumed divided by the total energy available). In the graphs of Figs. 3 and 4, the controller may calculate the digging efficiency parameter after each digging operation, or after a plurality of operations. For example, the controller may continue to sum the energy consumed and the energy available to the actuators over a decision time period (a predetermined time period), wherein at the end of the decision time period the controller calculates the digging efficiency parameter. By taking into account a plurality of digging operations performed over the decision time period, the digging efficiency parameter may effectively represent the average digging efficiency of the digging operations performed over the time period. The digging efficiency parameter may be expressed as a decimal value between 0 and 1, or alternatively as a percentage. The digging efficiency parameter provides an indication of the efficiency of the digging operation(s) performed. In general, more skilled operators of work machines 1 tend to perform digging operations with higher digging efficiency parameters than operators who require further training. Method 100 may provide a means of monitoring a work machine 1 in order to identify operators who may benefit from further coaching in order to improve digging efficiency. In some embodiments, a digging operation may take about 15 seconds. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the decision time period may be at least 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, or 24 hours. The length of the decision time period may be selected or adjusted in order to vary the time resolution over which digging efficiency data may be output / recorded by the controller. In step 106, the controller outputs the digging efficiency parameter. In some embodiments, the controller may output the digging efficiency parameter to a remote device. The remote device may be another computing device which is provided as part of the work machine 1, or the remote device may be a device which is physically separate from the work machine 1. For example, the remote device may be a smart phone, laptop computer, tablet computer, a desktop computer, a computer server or a cloud server and the like. As such, the controller may output the digging efficiency parameter to the remote device via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of the two. In some embodiments, data from each digging operation is used to calculate a digging efficiency parameter. However, in some use cases, an operator may intentionally operate a work vehicle in an unconventional manner. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to filter out digging operations from the data used to calculate a digging efficiency parameter where an operator is not attempting to perform a digging operation in a relatively efficient manner. Thus, in some embodiments, the controller may also be configured to receive data indicative of the frequency of the digging operations performed. For example, in some embodiments, an operator efficiency parameter is calculated based on the digging efficiency parameter and the data indicative of the frequency of the digging operations performed. Such an operator efficiency parameter may be utilised to identify periods of time where the work machine 1 was not utilised in an efficient manner. Thus, an operator efficiency parameter may be indicative of operators which may require further training on the efficient use of a work machine 1. In some embodiments, the operator efficiency parameter may provide a weighting for the digging efficiency parameter, depending on the frequency of the digging operation. That is to say, the operator efficiency parameter may be based on the digging efficiency parameter, multiplied by a weight. For example, where an operator is performing digging operations at a relatively high rate (e.g. 3 or more digging operations per minute), the rate of the digging operations indicates that the operator may be attempting to complete a task in an efficient manner. By contrast, where an operator is performing digging operations at a relatively low rate (e.g. about 1 digging operation per minute or less), the rate may indicate that an operator may not be attempting to complete a digging operation in an efficient manner. Thus, where an operator efficiency parameter is calculated for a plurality of decision time periods, the significance of decision time periods with relatively high digging rates may be increased, while the significance of decision time periods with relatively lower digging rates may be decreased. That is to say, the operator efficiency parameter may be weighted more to reflect the digging efficiency of periods of operation of the work vehicle where a relatively high rate of digging operations is performed. In some embodiments, the controller may elect to consider digging operations only if the rate of digging operations is above a threshold frequency. That is to say, in some embodiments, the operator efficiency parameter / digging efficiency parameter may only be calculated based on digging operations where the frequency of the respective digging operation exceeds a frequency threshold. For example, the frequency threshold may be at least 2 digging operations per minute (i.e. 0.033 Hz). The frequency threshold may be selected based by a user or the owner of the work machine 1 based on the type of work machine 1 and the nature of the digging operations being performed. In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to monitor the digging efficiency parameter and / or the operator efficiency parameter and generate an alert when the digging efficiency parameter for a digging operation (or for a decision time period) falls is below a predetermined efficiency threshold. The alert generated may be output to a remote device, for example a display module of the work machine, or to a remote device separate from the work machine 1. An alert may be output to an operator to indicate that the work vehicle could be operated in a more efficient manner, or that an adjustment to the digging control may be appropriate. Alternatively, alerts may be output to a remote device such as smartphone operating a coaching application. The coaching application may log said alerts for an operator of a work machine in order to build up a profile of the operator. Where a number of alerts are generated in a short space of time, the coaching application may suggest training materials for the operator to help the improve their control of the work machine 1. While, in some embodiments, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide for the monitoring of a digging operation without requiring any form of payload monitoring, in some embodiments, the work machine 1 may comprise one more load (payload) monitoring sensors. As such, in some embodiments, the controller may receive data from a load sensor of the work machine over the duration of the digging operation. The data from the load sensor may be used to further inform the calculation of the digging efficiency parameter. As such, the digging efficiency parameter may be calculated based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the digging operation and the data from the load sensor. While in some embodiments, the steps of the above-described method 100 may all be performed by the controller of the work machine, in other embodiments, at least some of the steps may be performed by a remote device. For example, in some embodiments, the controller (or another electronic device of the work machine 1) may transmit the data indicative of the power available to, and the data indicative of the power consumed by, the actuators of the work machine to the work device. Accordingly, the remote device may receive the data indicative of the power available to, and the data indicative of the power consumed by, the actuators of the work machine 1 in order to perform all the steps of method 100. In other embodiments, the controller of the work machine 1 may perform some of the processing of the data and subsequently transmit the total energy consumed by the actuators 10, 11, 12 of the work machine 1 and the total energy available to the actuators 10, 11, 12 of the work machine 1, to allow the remote device to calculate the digging efficiency parameter and / or the operator efficiency parameter. In some embodiments, the digging efficiency parameter and / or the operator efficiency parameter may be used by, for example, a coaching application running on the remote device to identify operator training needs. For example, where an operator is performing a plurality of digging operations with a digging efficiency parameter (or an operator efficiency parameter) below a predetermined threshold, the coaching application may be configured to identify further training materials for the operator or output a signal that to flag that further training of the operators may be helpful. Where the method 100 comprises generating an alert, the coaching application may be configured to identify further training materials or output a signal when the number of alerts generated in a span of time exceeds an alert threshold. Industrial applicability According to this disclosure, a method of monitoring a digging operation performed by a work machine is provided. A controller for monitoring a digging operation of a work vehicle, a work vehicle, a computer program, and a computer-readable medium are also provided which may incorporate any of the optional features of the above-described method. According to embodiments of the disclosure, the efficiency of a digging operation performed by a work machine 1 may be monitored. In particular, where a work machine 1 is operated by a human operator, the method 100 may provide a way of quantifying how effectively an operator is utilising the work machine 1 to perform a digging operation. It will be appreciated that a digging operation performed by a work machine 1 (e.g. the excavator of Fig. 1) involves the simultaneous control of a plurality of mechanical components (e.g. boom 20, arm 21, and bucket 22) of the work machine 1 and the associated actuators 10, 11, 12. Advantageously, the method 100 of Fig. 2 provides a method of monitoring the efficiency of operation of these mechanical components which does not involve complex sensing arrangements (e.g. detecting the relative positions of various components of the work machine 1 and the ground during a digging operation). Rather, method 100 utilises data which is readily available to e.g. an engine control unit of a work machine 1 to assess the efficiency of a digging operation performed by the work machine 1. In particular, the method 100 determines that a relatively efficient digging operation is performed when the actuators 10, 11, 12 of the work machine 1 utilise a larger amount of available power to perform the digging operation. Such information may be used to infer which operators are utilising a work machine 1 to its full capability and to identify operators who may benefit from further training on operating techniques. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to filter out digging operations from the data used to calculate a digging efficiency parameter where an operator is not attempting to perform a digging operation in a relatively efficient manner. Thus, in some embodiments of the disclosure data may also be received which is indicative of the frequency of the digging operations performed. Thus, an operator efficiency parameter may be calculated which seeks to identify periods of time where digging operations were performed at a relatively high rate, but with a low digging efficiency parameter. For example, some embodiments may elect to consider digging operations only if the rate of digging operations is above a threshold frequency. That is to say, in some embodiments, the operator efficiency parameter / digging efficiency parameter may only be calculated based on digging operations where the frequency of the respective digging operation exceeds a frequency threshold. For example, the frequency threshold may be at least 2 digging operations per minute (i.e. 0.033 Hz). The frequency threshold may be selected based by a user or the owner of the work machine 1 based on the type of work machine 1 and the nature of the digging operations being performed. The above description describes the method in relation to a digging operation performed by an excavator. It will be appreciated that the above disclosure may be applied to any work vehicle 1 which performs digging operations. For example, a work machine 1 according to this disclosure may comprise an excavator, a bulldozer, a backhoe loader, or any other work machine 1 which may be used to perform a digging operation.

Claims

1. Method of monitoring a digging operation performed by a work machine comprising: receiving data indicative of the power available to the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation;receiving data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation;calculating a total energy consumed by the actuators of the work machine based on the data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators over the duration of the digging operation;calculating a total energy available to the actuators of the work machine over the duration of the digging operation;calculating a digging efficiency parameter based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the digging operation; and outputting the digging efficiency parameter.

2. A method according to claim 1, whereina plurality of digging operations performed by the work machine are monitored, whereinthe digging efficiency parameter is calculated based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the plurality of digging operations.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, whereina plurality of digging operations are monitored over a predetermined time period, wherein optionally the predetermined time period is at least 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours,12 hours, or 24 hours.

4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, the method further comprising: receiving data indicative of the frequency of the digging operations performed.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprisingan operator efficiency parameter is calculated based on the digging efficiency parameter and the data indicative of the frequency of the digging operations performed.

6. A method according to claim 4 or claim 5, whereinthe digging efficiency parameter is calculated only for digging operations where the frequency of the respective digging operation exceeds a frequency threshold.

7. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6, further comprisingoutputting an alert when the digging efficiency parameter or the operator efficiency parameter is below a predetermined efficiency threshold.

8. A method according to any of claims 1 to 7, whereinthe actuators of the work machine are hydraulic actuators,the data indicative of the power available to the actuators of the work machine is data indicative of a maximum output power of a hydraulic pump connected to the actuators of the work machine, andthe data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators of the work machine is data indicative of a power output of the hydraulic pump connected to the actuators of the work machine.

9. A method according to any of claims 1 to 7, whereinThe actuators of the work machine comprise at least one electric actuator.

10. A method according to any of claims 1 to 9, whereina controller of the work machine monitors the actuators of the work machine in order to detect a start of a digging operation and / or an end of a digging operation.

11. A method according to any of claims 1 to 10, further comprisingreceiving data from a load sensor of the work machine over the duration of the digging operation,wherein the digging efficiency parameter is calculated based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the digging operation and the data from the load sensor.

12. A method according to any of claims 1 to 11, whereinthe method is performed by a controller of the work machine.

13. A method according to any of claims 1 to 11, whereinthe method is performed by a remote device which receives the data indicative of the power available to, and the data indicative of the power consumed by, the actuators of the work machine.

14. A controller for monitoring a digging operation of a work vehicle, the controller configured to:receive data indicative of the power available to the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation;receive data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators of the work machine used to perform the digging operation over the duration of the digging operation;calculate a total energy consumed by the actuators of the work machine based on the data indicative of the power consumed by the actuators over the duration of the digging operation;calculate a total energy available to the actuators of the work machine over the duration of the digging operation;calculate a digging efficiency parameter based on the ratio of the total energy consumed to the total energy available over the duration of the digging operation; andoutput the digging efficiency parameter.

15. A controller according to claim 14, whereinthe controller is provided as part of a remote device, whereinthe controller is configured to receive the data indicative of the power available to the actuators and the data indicative of the power available to the actuators from the work machine over a wireless network.

16. A work machine configured to perform a digging operation, the work machine comprising:a plurality of actuators configured to cause the work machine to perform the digging operation;a controller according to claim 14.

17. A work machine according to claim 16, whereinthe plurality of actuators comprises a plurality of hydraulic actuators, andthe work machine further comprises a hydraulic pump connected to the plurality of hydraulic actuators.

18. A work machine according to claim 16, whereinthe plurality of actuators comprises a plurality of electromechanical actuators.5 19. A computer program comprising instructions to cause a processor to execute themethod of any of claims 1 to 13.

20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon the computer program of claim 19.

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