Operation history collecting and managing system of work machine

Abstract

To make it possible to suppress enlargement of an error between an actual position and an estimated position and continuously accumulate operation history data, even if a work machine travels at the time of abnormality of GNSS and a position of a vehicle body cannot be measured.SOLUTION: An information processing controller 40 re-calculates positional information of a vehicle body 3 calculated by an inertial navigation method with a position of the vehicle body 3 before the vehicle body 3 starts moving as a first normal positioning start point A when the vehicle body 3 is moved, and thereby generates first estimated positional information of the vehicle body after the vehicle body is moved, re-calculates the first estimated positional information of the vehicle body 3 back to the first normal positioning start point A, with the position of the vehicle body 3 when the positional information acquisition device 20 is normally restored as a second normal positioning start point B, when the positional information acquisition device 20 is normally restored, and thereby generates second estimated positional information of the vehicle body 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work machine operation history collection and management system that collects and manages operation history data collected by a work machine. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in the field of work machines such as construction machines, operation history collection and management systems that collect and manage operation history data such as the position information of the work machine or working equipment in order to manage the operation history of the work machine have been widely used. By using this operation history collection and management system, as part of information-based construction, it is possible to provide a guidance device that displays the position information of the work machine or working equipment on a guidance screen of a monitor installed in the driver's cab of the work machine to support the operation of the operator, and a control device that automatically or semi-automatically controls the operation of the work machine such as the work equipment to support the operation of the operator.

[0003] In the operation history collection and management system, the position information of the work machine is detected using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). However, if the position information can no longer be detected by the GNSS, the vehicle's position cannot be determined, and the accumulation of operation history data such as toe history (information construction) cannot be continued.

[0004] Patent Document 1 proposes a technology that continues to accumulate operation history data even when location information is no longer detected by GNSS.

[0005] Specifically, Patent Document 1 proposes a control system including a position information generation unit that operates in a first mode of outputting position information detected by GNSS as position information related to the position of the work machine when GNSS positioning is normal, operates in a second mode of outputting position information determined using both operation information detected by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and the position of the intersection of the rotation center axis of the rotating body and the ground contact surface of the running gear, which is the reference position of the work machine before GNSS positioning became abnormal, when GNSS positioning is abnormal and the work machine is not moving, and operates in a third mode of not outputting position information when GNSS positioning is abnormal and the work machine is moving, and a target value generation unit that determines the position of the work machine based on the position information obtained from the position information generation unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] Patent No. 6162807 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the control system described in Patent Document 1, if an abnormality occurs in the GNSS and it becomes unable to determine its own position, and the work machine is not moving, in the second mode, the current reference position of the work machine is estimated using the operation information detected by the IMU and the reference position of the work machine before the GNSS became abnormal (the position of the intersection of the rotation center axis of the rotating body and the contact surface of the running gear), thereby backing up its own positioning and continuing to accumulate operation history data.

[0008] However, when the work machine is moving, the position information generation unit operates in the third mode and does not output position information, so there is a discrepancy between its current position (the actual position of the intersection of the rotation center axis of the rotating body and the ground surface) and the reference position before the GNSS became abnormal (the position of the operation history data), whereas the position information of the operation history data remains at the value just before the GNSS became abnormal. Therefore, if the value of the position information of the operation history data is used as the estimated reference position, the error between the actual position and the estimated position gradually increases.

[0009] When displaying position information on the guidance screen, if the error between the actual position and the estimated position increases, problems will arise such as reduced visibility for the operator due to the discrepancy between the actual operating status and the operating history data, or a decrease in the accuracy of position control of the tip of the work machine, making it impossible to continue accurate information-based construction.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a work machine operation history collection and management system that can reduce the increase in error between the actual position and the estimated position, and accumulate operation history data that is close to the actual operating condition, even when the work machine is running during a GNSS abnormality and the vehicle position cannot be determined. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a work machine operation history collection and management system including a position information acquisition device that acquires position information of a vehicle body, an inertial information acquisition device that acquires inertial information of the vehicle body, and a controller that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the position information acquisition device, and when there is an abnormality in the position information acquisition device, calculates position information of the vehicle body by inertial navigation using the inertial information of the vehicle body acquired by the inertial information acquisition device, wherein the controller (a) when there is an abnormality in the position information acquisition device, determines whether the vehicle body has moved using the position information of the vehicle body calculated by inertial navigation, and (b) when there is an abnormality in the position information acquisition device, calculates position information of the vehicle body by inertial navigation. (c) when the position information acquisition device returns to normal, the position of the vehicle body when the position information acquisition device has returned to normal is used as a second normal positioning starting point, and the first estimated position information of the vehicle body is recalculated going back to the first normal positioning starting point to generate second estimated position information of the vehicle body; and (d) the first estimated position information, the second estimated position information, and the position information of the vehicle body when the position information acquisition device is normal are stored as operation history data.

[0012] In this way, the controller generates first estimated position information of the vehicle body after the vehicle body has moved by recalculating the vehicle body position information calculated by inertial navigation using the vehicle body position before the vehicle body started to move as the first normal positioning starting point, and when the position information acquisition device returns to normal, the controller recalculates the first estimated position information of the vehicle body by going back to the first normal positioning starting point using the vehicle body position when the position information acquisition device returned to normal as the second normal positioning starting point to generate second estimated position information of the vehicle body.This makes it possible to prevent the error between the actual position and the estimated position from increasing, and to accumulate operating history data that deviates little from the actual operating condition, even if the work machine is traveling during an abnormality in the GNSS (position information acquisition device) and the vehicle body position cannot be determined. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, even if a work machine is traveling when there is an abnormality in the GNSS (location information acquisition device) and the vehicle position cannot be determined, it is possible to prevent the error between the actual position and the estimated position from increasing, and to accumulate operating history data that is close to the actual operating state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a hydraulic excavator, which is a representative example of a work machine equipped with an operation history collection management system of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing an overall system for collecting and managing the operation history of a work machine in an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a processing function of an information processing controller; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the overall processing function of an information processing controller according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing details of the operation history data accumulation and estimated position information generation process in step S150 of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing details of the estimated position information generating process in step S130A of FIG. 4. [Figure 7A] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an amount of change in vehicle body position. [Figure 7B] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing polar coordinates used to calculate the amount of change in vehicle body position. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting an estimated position calculation count number. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of estimated position information obtained by the processes of steps S130-4 and S130-5. [Figure 10] This figure shows the overlapping and blank sections between the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information that occur depending on the length of the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle moves from starting point A to starting point B, and the concept of their correction. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of data management in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance screen displayed on the guidance device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <First embodiment> ~Work Machines~ FIG. 1 is a side view of a hydraulic excavator, which is a representative example of a work machine equipped with the operation history collection management system of the present invention.

[0017] In Figure 1, the hydraulic excavator 1 comprises a lower running body 2, an upper rotating body 3 which is rotatably mounted on the upper part of the lower running body 2 and forms the vehicle body, and a multi-jointed front work machine 4 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the work machine) which is attached to the front of the upper rotating body 3 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.

[0018] The lower running body 2 comprises a track frame 2a which forms the base of the lower running body 2, a slewing wheel 2b mounted on the upper part of the track frame 2a, tracks 2c, 2d attached to the left and right sides of the track frame 2a, and left and right running motors 2e, 2f located at the inner rear of the tracks 2c, 2d.

[0019] The upper rotating body 3 includes a rotating frame 3a serving as the base of the upper rotating body 3, a rotating motor 3b disposed in the center of the rotating frame 3a, a cabin 3c disposed on the front left side of the rotating frame 3a, a counterweight 3d disposed at the rear of the rotating frame 3a, and an engine room 3e formed in front of the counterweight 3d of the rotating frame 3a. The working machine 4 is attached to the front center of the rotating frame 3a so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.

[0020] The work machine 4 is equipped with a boom 4a, an arm 4b, a bucket 4c, and a boom cylinder 4d, an arm cylinder 4e, and a bucket cylinder 4f which drive the boom 4a, the arm 4b, and the bucket 4c, respectively.

[0021] ~Operation history collection and management system~ FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall system for collecting and managing the operation history of a work machine in this embodiment.

[0022] In Figure 2, the operating history collection and management system 100 mounted on the hydraulic excavator 1 is equipped with a position information acquisition device 20 that acquires position information of the upper rotating body (car body) 3, and an inertial information acquisition device 30 that acquires inertial information of the upper rotating body (car body) 3 and the work machine 4.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1, the position information acquisition device 20 includes GNSS antennas 20a and 20b provided on the upper rotating body 3, a GNSS receiver 20c, and a wireless device 20d. The GNSS antennas 20a and 20b are two antennas installed on the upper part of the upper rotating body 3 for receiving radio waves from satellites. The GNSS receiver 20c is installed behind the driver's seat in the cabin 3c, and calculates the global position coordinates and azimuth angles of the GNSS antennas 20a and 20b. The wireless device 20d receives correction information necessary for the GNSS receiver 20c to perform high-precision position measurement. 2, the inertial information acquisition device 30 includes an IMU (inertial measurement unit) 30a provided on the rotating frame 3a of the upper rotating body 3, and IMUs (inertial measurement units) 30b, 30c, and 30d provided on the boom 4a, arm 4b, and bucket 4c of the work machine 4. The inertial information acquired by the inertial information acquisition device 30 includes the angular velocity and acceleration of the upper rotating body 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle body 3") measured by the IMU (inertial measurement unit) 30a, as well as the ground angle (attitude information) of the upper rotating body 3, and the angular velocity and acceleration of the boom 4a, arm 4b, and bucket 4c measured by the IMUs (inertial measurement units) 30b, 30c, and 30d, as well as the ground angle (attitude information).

[0024] 1, the operation history collection and management system 100 also includes an information processing controller 40 that performs various calculations and controls related to the hydraulic excavator 1 and is installed behind the driver's seat in the cabin 3c of the upper rotating body 3. The information processing controller 40 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the controller) takes in the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 and the attitude information acquired by the inertial information acquisition device 30, performs various calculations using the position information and inertial information, and causes the guidance device 50 to present (display) a guidance screen including construction data that serves as driving support to the operator of the hydraulic excavator 1 via the information processing controller 40.

[0025] The location information acquisition device 20 described above may acquire location information by satellite positioning using GNSS and a compass, or may acquire location information by self-location estimation using LiDAR.

[0026] Furthermore, the inertial information acquisition device 30 may be a potentiometer or an inclinometer capable of measuring attitude other than an IMU.

[0027] In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the position information acquisition device 20 may be referred to as GNSS.

[0028] The information processing controller 40 generally performs the following processes.

[0029] First, the controller 40 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the position information acquisition device 20, and if there is an abnormality in the position information acquisition device 20, it calculates the position information of the vehicle body 3 by inertial navigation using the inertial information of the vehicle body 3 acquired by the inertial information acquisition device 30.

[0030] Furthermore, the controller 40 performs the following processes as its characteristic functions. (a) When the position information acquisition device 20 is abnormal, it is determined whether the vehicle body 3 has moved using the position information of the vehicle body 3 calculated by inertial navigation, (b) when the vehicle body 3 moves, the position information of the vehicle body 3 calculated by the inertial navigation is recalculated using the position of the vehicle body 3 before the vehicle body 3 starts moving as the first normal positioning origin A to generate first estimated position information of the vehicle body after the vehicle body moves; (c) when the position information acquisition device 20 returns to normal, the position of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 returns to normal is set as a second normal positioning starting point B, and the first estimated position information of the vehicle body 3 is recalculated going back to the first normal positioning starting point A to generate second estimated position information of the vehicle body 3; (d) The first estimated position information, the second estimated position information, and the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal are stored as operation history data.

[0031] ~Information Processing Controller~ The processing functions of the information processing controller 40 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the processing functions of the controller 40. As shown in FIG.

[0033] The controller 40 includes a data acquisition unit 200 , a movement amount calculation unit 300 , a data management unit 400 , and a position information generation unit 500 .

[0034] The data acquisition unit 200 has a position information acquisition unit 210 and an inertial information acquisition unit 220. The position information acquisition unit 210 acquires position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 while the work machine is in operation, and the inertial information acquisition unit 220 acquires inertial information acquired by the inertial information acquisition device 30 while the work machine is in operation.

[0035] The movement amount calculation unit 300 has an inertial navigation calculation unit 310, which calculates position information of the vehicle body 3 by inertial navigation using the angular velocity and acceleration of the upper rotating body 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle body 3") measured by an IMU (inertial measurement unit) 30a, which are included in the inertial information captured by the inertial information acquisition unit 220, and the movement amount calculation unit 300 calculates the movement amount and movement vector of the vehicle body 3 using the position information.

[0036] More specifically, the inertial navigation calculation unit 310 integrates the angular velocity measured by the IMU (inertial measurement unit) 30a, performs coordinate transformation matrix calculations with the calculated angles, performs coordinate transformation matrix calculations using the acceleration measured by the IMU (inertial measurement unit) 30a, calculates the velocity from each coordinate transformation result, and then integrates the velocity to calculate the position. The position calculation is performed at predetermined time intervals. The movement amount calculation unit 300 calculates the movement amount and movement vector of the vehicle body 3 using the deviation between the previous value and the current value at each position calculated by the inertial navigation calculation unit 310.

[0037] The data management unit 400 has a history management unit 410 and a data integration unit 420, and the history management unit 410 stores and accumulates in a storage device (database) the position information and inertia information acquired by the data acquisition unit 200, the position information, movement amount, and movement vector of the vehicle body 3 calculated by the movement amount calculation unit, and various position information (described later) generated by the position information generation unit 500. The data integration unit 420 integrates the various position information generated by the position information generation unit 500, generates continuous operation history data in chronological order, and stores and accumulates it in the storage device (database).

[0038] The position information generation unit 500 has a position information calculation unit 510 , a vehicle body movement determination unit 520 , and a position information estimation calculation unit 530 .

[0039] The position information calculation unit 510 calculates the position information of the vehicle body 3 using the position information and inertia information taken in from the data acquisition unit 200 and the movement amount calculation unit 300 via the data management unit 400, and the position information, movement amount and movement vector of the vehicle body 3.

[0040] The vehicle body movement determination unit 520 determines whether or not the vehicle body 3 has moved by using the position information calculated by the position information calculation unit 510 (the process (a) described above).

[0041] When the vehicle body 3 moves, the position information estimation calculation unit 530 calculates an estimated position during a non-detection period when an estimated position calculation is required (the above-mentioned processes (b) and (c)).

[0042] In addition, the data management unit 400 stores the estimated position as operation history data, distinguishing it from the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal, so that the estimated position can be displayed on the guidance device 50, distinguishing it from the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal (the process (d) described above).

[0043] The guidance device 50 can switch the display mode of the guidance screen by an operation of the operator, and the controller 40 generates corresponding position information in response to a mode instruction from the guidance device (monitor) 50 and causes the guidance device 50 to display it.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the overall processing function of the controller 40 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] In FIG. 4, the controller 40 performs an operation determination of the work machine in order to start up the operation history collection management system using the start-up of the power supply of the work machine as a trigger (step S100).

[0046] When the controller 40 determines that the system is in operation, it acquires the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 and the inertial information acquired by the inertial information acquisition device 30 (step S110).

[0047] Next, the controller 40 judges whether there is an abnormality in the detection value of the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 (step S120), and judges whether there is an abnormality in the equipment of the position information acquisition device 20. If the detection value of the position information is normal, the controller 40 generates position information (actual position information) of the vehicle body 3 from the detected position information (step S130), and accumulates the position information of the vehicle body 3 as operation history data via step S130A (described later) (step S150 (processing A); step S153 in FIG. 5).

[0048] If there is an abnormality in the equipment of the position information acquisition device 20 and the controller 40 determines in step S120 that there is an abnormality in the acquired information, the controller 40 calculates the position of the vehicle body 3 by inertial navigation using the position of the vehicle body 3 calculated in the previous calculation cycle and the movement amount and movement vector of the vehicle body calculated by the movement amount calculation unit 300 (step S140), and accumulates the position information as operation history data (step S150; step S153 in Figure 5).

[0049] In step S140, the position of the vehicle body 3 is calculated as follows using the movement amount and movement vector of the vehicle body calculated by the movement amount calculation unit 300.

[0050] First, the controller 40 calculates the position of the vehicle body 3 at every predetermined time. Hereinafter, this predetermined time is referred to as a calculation cycle. In the first calculation cycle after entering step S140, the controller 40 calculates the vehicle body position by inertial navigation using the vehicle body position acquired from the position information acquisition device 20 in the previous calculation cycle (the point in time immediately before the position detection of the position information acquisition device 20 becomes abnormal) and the vehicle body movement amount and movement vector calculated by the movement amount calculation unit 300. In the next calculation cycle, the controller 40 calculates the vehicle body position by inertial navigation using the vehicle body position calculated in the previous calculation cycle and the vehicle body movement amount and movement vector calculated by the movement amount calculation unit 300 in the current calculation cycle. The same calculation is repeated for each calculation cycle, and the position of the vehicle body 3 is calculated by inertial navigation at every predetermined time.

[0051] The process then proceeds to step S150.

[0052] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the operation history data accumulation and estimated position information generation process in step S150 of FIG.

[0053] In Fig. 5, the controller 40 calculates the amount of change between the previous value and the current value of the vehicle body position calculated and accumulated in steps S130 and S140 in Fig. 4 (step S151), and judges whether the amount of change is equal to or less than a threshold value (step S152). This process corresponds to the process (a) described above. Here, the threshold value is a value for judging whether the vehicle body 3 has moved, and a value (distance) at which it can be judged that the vehicle body 3 has moved is set in a calculation cycle period.

[0054] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the amount of change in vehicle body position, and FIG. 7B is a diagram showing polar coordinates used to calculate the amount of change in vehicle body position.

[0055] In Figure 7A, the previous value of the vehicle body position is indicated by (x0, y0, z0), and the current value is indicated by (x1, y1, z1). These values ​​are values ​​in an orthogonal coordinate system with latitude on the y-axis, longitude on the x-axis, and elevation on the z-axis. By converting these position coordinate values ​​into values ​​in the polar coordinate system shown in Figure 7B, the amount of change Δr (amount of movement) can be calculated from the distance (r) between the previous value and the current value of the vehicle body position. The polar coordinate system is a coordinate system defined in an n-dimensional Euclidean space Rn, and consists of one radius r and n-1 deviation angles θ1...θn-1.

[0056] When converting position coordinates in a Cartesian coordinate system into values ​​in a polar coordinate system and calculating distance, the following formulas (1), (2), and (3) can be used.

[0057]

number

[0058]

number

[0059]

number

[0060] Returning to FIG. 5, if it is determined in step S152 that the amount of change in the vehicle body position is less than or equal to the threshold value, the vehicle body 3 is stationary, and the controller 40 accumulates the vehicle body positions calculated in steps S130 and S140 of FIG. 4 as operating history data (step S153).

[0061] If it is determined in step S152 that the amount of change in the vehicle body position is greater than the threshold value, the vehicle body 3 is moving, and the controller 40 further determines whether the result of the position information detection in step S120 was normal (step S154).If the result of the position information detection in step S120 is normal, the vehicle body position calculated in step S130 of Figure 4 is stored as operation history data (step S153).

[0062] On the other hand, in step S154, if the determination result of the position information detection in step S120 is abnormal, the controller 40 determines that there is no continuity in the positioning and calculation of the vehicle body position, and recalculates the position information of the vehicle body 3 calculated by inertial navigation in step S140 of Figure 4, using the position of the vehicle body 3 before the vehicle body 3 started moving as the first normal positioning starting point A (first starting point A), thereby generating estimated position information (first estimated position information) of the vehicle body 3 during the undetected period of the position information acquisition device 20 after the vehicle body moved (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the GNSS undetected period) (step S155), and accumulates it as operation history data (step S153).

[0063] While it is determined in step S120 that the detection value of the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 20 is abnormal and while it is determined in step S152 that the amount of change in the vehicle body position is greater than the threshold value (while the vehicle body 3 is moving), the controller 40 repeats the processing of steps S140, S151, S152, S154, S155, and S153.

[0064] When the device of the location information acquisition device 20 returns to normal from such a state, the controller 40 determines in step S120 of FIG. 4 that the detected value of the location information is normal, and performs the estimated location information generation process in step S130A.

[0065] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the estimated position information generation process in step S130A of FIG.

[0066] 6, the controller 40 first determines whether the estimated position information (first estimated position information) accumulated during the GNSS non-detection period after the vehicle body moves is 0 (step S130-1). If the accumulated position information is 0, the determination result of the position information detection in step S120 is abnormal, the amount of change in the vehicle body position is greater than the threshold value in the determination in step S152, and the vehicle body 3 is moving, and the controller 40 accumulates the position information of the vehicle body 3 generated in step S130 as operation history data (step S150; step S153 in FIG. 5).

[0067] In the first calculation cycle in which the equipment of the position information acquisition device 20 has returned to normal, the estimated position information accumulated during the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body has moved is not zero, so in step S130-2, the controller 40 repeatedly performs the position estimation process for the estimated position information during the GNSS undetected period as follows, until the estimated position information accumulated during the GNSS undetected period becomes zero.

[0068] First, for each position of the estimated position information (first estimated position information) accumulated during the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moved, the controller 40 determines which of the elapsed time from each position to the first normal positioning origin A (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as origin A) or the elapsed time to the second normal positioning origin B (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as origin B) is shorter (step S130-3).For positions where the elapsed time to origin A is shorter, the controller 40 retrieves the position information for the period of the estimated position calculation count number from origin A (position estimation valid period E) and re-generates it as the first estimated position information (step S130-4).For positions where the elapsed time to the second origin B is shorter, the controller 40 goes back from origin B to origin A and re-calculates the position as a value from the second origin for the period of the estimated position calculation count number (position estimation valid period E) to generate the second estimated position information (step S130-5). The process of step S155 and the process of step S130-4 in FIG. 5 described above correspond to the process (b) described above, and the process of step S130-5 corresponds to the process (c) described above.

[0069] Here, the estimated position calculation count number will be explained.

[0070] The position information of the vehicle body 3 calculated by the inertial navigation in step S140 of Fig. 4 contains a certain amount of error due to the quality or accuracy of the IMU 30a, and by repeatedly calculating the position of the vehicle body 3, the error is added, and the error contained in the calculated estimated position information of the vehicle body 3 increases. The estimated position calculation count number is set as the position estimation valid period E for the estimated position information (first estimated position information and second estimated position information) in order to keep the increasing error within an acceptable error range, and by generating the position information of the vehicle body 3 for only the period of the estimated position calculation count number from the first normal positioning starting point A, the inconvenience of the error in the estimated position exceeding the acceptable range is prevented.

[0071] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of setting the estimated position calculation count number.

[0072] In Fig. 8, the vertical axis indicates the error between the estimated position by inertial navigation and the actual measured value, and the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed operation time. The dotted line indicates the error that increases with repeated calculation of the vehicle position, and the dashed and dotted line indicates the threshold of the allowable error. The slope of the dotted line changes depending on the quality or accuracy of the IMU 30a.

[0073] T1 on the horizontal axis is the time when the vehicle 3 starts moving while GNSS is not detected, and at this time the estimated position of the vehicle 3 calculated by inertial navigation contains a certain error according to the quality or accuracy of the IMH 30a. As the operating time passes from this time T1, the error in the estimated position increases, and at T2 the error reaches the threshold of the allowable error. The time from this time T1 to T2 is set as the period of the estimated position calculation count number (position estimation valid period E).

[0074] Incidentally, taking into consideration that the estimated position calculation count number varies depending on the quality or precision of the IMH 30a and the operating conditions of the work machine (hydraulic excavator 1), it is preferable that the operator be able to set it.

[0075] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the estimated position information obtained by the processes of steps S130-4 and S130-5.

[0076] In Fig. 9, the black triangle mark on the left side is the first normal positioning origin A, and the black triangle mark on the right side is the second normal positioning origin B. The upper shaded oval mark is the estimated position from origin A, and the lower open oval mark is the estimated position from origin B. To simplify the illustration, some of the estimated positions are thinned out. Also, this example shows a case where the GNSS non-detection period after the vehicle moves from origin A to origin B is twice the period of the estimated position calculation count number, and when each position of the first estimated position information generated in step S130-4 and each position of the second estimated position information generated in step S130-5 are combined, it becomes as shown on the right side of Fig. 9.

[0077] As can be seen from the synthesized position information on the right side of Figure 9, the position information on the starting point B side has been replaced with second estimated position information based on the position of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 returns to normal, improving the accuracy of the vehicle body position on the starting point B side.

[0078] In the example of FIG. 9, a case where the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves from starting point A to starting point B is twice the period of the estimated position calculation count number has been described. However, in reality, the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves changes, so the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves may be shorter or longer than twice the period of the estimated position calculation count number. If the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves is shorter than twice the period of the estimated position calculation count number, the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information generated during the period of the estimated position calculation count number partially overlap, and an overlapping section occurs between the two. On the other hand, if the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves is longer than twice the period of the estimated position calculation count number, a section in which no position information exists (hereinafter referred to as a blank section) that is different from the period of the position estimation calculation count number of the first estimated position information and the period of the position estimation calculation count number of the second estimated position information occurs between the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the first estimated position information and the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the second estimated position information.

[0079] Figure 10 is a diagram showing overlapping and blank sections between the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information that occur depending on the length of the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle moves from starting point A to starting point B, and the concept of their correction.

[0080] If the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves is shorter than twice the period of the estimated position calculation count number, an overlapping section S1 occurs between the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the first estimated position information and the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the second estimated position information, as shown by the arrow in the upper left diagram of Fig. 10. If the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves is longer than twice the period of the estimated position calculation count number, a blank section S2 in which no position information exists occurs between the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the first estimated position information and the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the second estimated position information, as shown by the arrow in the lower left diagram of Fig. 10.

[0081] In this embodiment, the information processing controller 40 performs a process of determining the time to the starting point A and the starting point B of each position as described above in steps SS130-3, S130-4, and S130-5 shown in Fig. 6, and generates the position where the elapsed time to the starting point A is shorter as the first estimated position information, and generates the position where the elapsed time to the starting point B is shorter as the second estimated position information. As a result, the position where the elapsed time to the starting point A in the overlapping section S1 is shorter is generated as part of the first estimated position information, and the position where the elapsed time to the starting point B is shorter is generated as part of the second estimated position information. As a result, the position information of the overlapping section S1 is automatically corrected and allocated half to the first estimated position information and half to the second estimated position information.

[0082] On the other hand, the blank section S2 is corrected in step S130-6 in FIG.

[0083] 6, after generating the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information in steps S130-3, S130-4, and S130-5, in step S130-6, it is determined again whether the position information accumulated during the GNSS undetected period after the vehicle body moves is 0, and if the accumulated position information is not 0, the processes of steps S130-3, S130-4, and S130-5 are repeated. Furthermore, if a blank interval S2 occurs between the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the first estimated position information and the period of the estimated position calculation count number of the second estimated position information until the accumulated position information becomes 0, an alarm signal is generated and a correction process is performed to add position information to the blank interval S2.

[0084] The controller 40 transmits the alarm signal generated in step SS130-6 to the guidance device 50 via the data integration unit 420 of the data management unit 400, and generates an alarm in the guidance device 50 to warn that the accuracy of the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information has decreased.

[0085] Furthermore, the controller 40 performs a correction process to add position information to the blank section S2, for example, as follows.

[0086] 1. First, assume a line segment, for example a straight line, connecting a first starting point A1 of the blank section S2 on the starting point A side (the first starting point on the side of the first estimated location information of the blank section S2) and a second starting point B1 of the blank section S2 on the starting point B side (the second starting point on the side of the second estimated location information of the blank section S2) (a curved line may be used instead of a straight line); 2. Set multiple virtual points on this straight line, calculate the ratio of the time from the first starting point A1 (or the second starting point B1) of the blank time S2 to each virtual point relative to the time of the blank section S2, and calculate the position information of each virtual point by apportioning the position information of the first starting point A1 and the position information of the second starting point B1 at each virtual point according to the time ratio; 3. Among the position information of the multiple virtual points, the position information of the virtual point close to the first origin A is included in the first estimated position information, and the position information of the virtual point close to the second origin B is included in the second estimated position information.

[0087] The controller 40 accumulates the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information generated in steps S130-4 and S130-5 of Fig. 6, and the corrected position information of the blank section S2 generated in step S130-6, as operation history data (step S153). At this time, the controller 40 accumulates the position information as operation history data, distinguishing it from the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal.

[0088] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data management in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0089] The upper part of Figure 11 shows continuous integrated management history information D1 of the vehicle position generated by the data integration unit 420 of the data management unit 400 shown in Figure 3, and the lower part of Figure 11 shows actual measurement value management history information D2 and estimated value management history information D3 of the vehicle position, also generated by the data integration unit 420.

[0090] The continuous integrated management history information D1 includes the actual position information of the vehicle body 3 captured when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal and generated in step S130 of Fig. 4, and the estimated position information (first estimated position information and second estimated position information) of the vehicle body 3 generated in steps S130-4, S130-5, and S130-6 of Fig. 6 when the position information acquisition device 20 is abnormal, and time information is added to each piece of position information, and the actual position information and the estimated position information are stored in chronological order. In addition, the actual position information is assigned a detection flag "GNSS", and the estimated position information is assigned a detection flag "estimated value", and the actual position information and the estimated position information are stored separately as operation history data.

[0091] The actual measurement value management history information D2 includes only the actual measurement position information of the vehicle body 3 captured when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal, and the estimated value management history information D3 includes only the estimated position information of the vehicle body 3 generated when the position information acquisition device 20 is abnormal. These pieces of history information also store position information in chronological order, and the actual measurement position information is assigned the detection flag "GNSS", and the estimated position information is assigned the detection flag "estimated value".

[0092] The data integration unit 420 first generates actual measurement value management history information D2 and estimated value management history information D3 depending on whether the location information acquisition device 20 is normal or abnormal, and then combines the actual measurement value management history information D2 and the estimated value management history information D3 to generate continuous integrated management history information D1.

[0093] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance screen displayed on the guidance device 50 in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] When the display mode of the guidance device 50 is switched to differential display by an operator operation, the guidance device 50 transmits a corresponding display request to the controller 40, and in response to the display request, the controller 40 transmits the continuous integration management history information D1 at that time as shown in the upper part of Fig. 11 and separately calculated position information of the tip of the bucket 4c of the work machine 4 to the guidance device 50. The guidance device 50 performs a differential display of the construction surface on the guidance screen as shown in Fig. 12, based on the continuous integration management history information D1 and the position information of the tip of the bucket 4c.

[0095] The difference display in Figure 12 is for a case where the location information of the area in the continuous integration management history information D1 in Figure 11 where the altitude z value is "2" is estimated location information, and a detection flag of "estimated value" is attached to that location information, and the guidance device 50 displays the area G where the altitude z value is "2" as shown in Figure 12, distinguishing it from the area of ​​actual location information, based on the information of the detection flag.

[0096] In this embodiment, the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information are stored as operation history data, distinguished from the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal, and the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information can be displayed on the guidance device 50, distinguished from the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal.This allows the operator to determine, by looking at the guidance screen display, whether the position information of the displayed area is actual position information based on normal positioning or estimated position information not based on normal positioning, and to accurately determine whether to continue or end operation.

[0097] Furthermore, as described above, if a blank interval S2 occurs between the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information before the accumulated position information becomes 0, the controller 40 generates an alarm signal and transmits this alarm signal to the guidance device 50 to generate an alarm that warns that the accuracy of the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information has decreased (see step S130-6 in FIG. 6). This allows the operator to recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the position information acquisition device 20 and that it will take time to restore the position information acquisition device 20, and to take appropriate measures.

[0098] ~Effects~ According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0099] 1. The information processing controller 40 generates the first estimated position information of the vehicle body 3 after the vehicle body moves by recalculating the position information of the vehicle body 3 calculated by inertial navigation using the position of the vehicle body 3 before the vehicle body 3 starts moving as the first normal positioning starting point A, and when the position information acquisition device 20 returns to normal, the position of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 returns to normal is used as the second normal positioning starting point B, and the first estimated position information of the vehicle body 3 is recalculated back to the first normal positioning starting point A to generate the second estimated position information of the vehicle body 3. Therefore, even if the work machine runs during an abnormality in the GNSS (position information acquisition device 20) and the position of the vehicle body 3 cannot be determined, it is possible to suppress the increase in error between the actual position and the estimated position, and accumulate operation history data with little deviation from the actual operating state. This maintains proper information display on the guidance screen and accurate position control of the work machine, and allows for the continuation of accurate information-based construction.

[0100] 2. The information processing controller 40 sets a position estimation valid period E for the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information, and when generating the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information, generates the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information only during the position estimation valid period E from the first normal positioning starting point and the second normal positioning starting point, respectively, thereby preventing the error in the estimated position from exceeding the allowable range and reliably preventing the error between the actual position and the estimated position from increasing.

[0101] 3. The information processing controller 40 stores the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information as operation history data, distinguishing them from the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal, and makes the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information displayable on the guidance device 50, distinguishing them from the position information of the vehicle body 3 when the position information acquisition device 20 is normal. Therefore, by looking at the display on the guidance screen, the operator can determine whether the position information of the displayed area is actual position information based on normal positioning or estimated position information not based on normal positioning, and can accurately determine whether to continue or end operation.

[0102] 4. When there is a section (blank section S2) where no location information exists between the location estimation valid period E of the first estimated location information and the location estimation valid period E of the second estimated location information, the information processing controller 40 sets a plurality of virtual points between the first start point A1 on the first estimated location information side of the blank section S2 and the second start point B1 on the second estimated location information side, calculates the ratio of the time from one start point A1 (or B2) of the blank section S2 to each virtual point of the blank section S2 with respect to the time of the blank section S2, and calculates the location information of each virtual point by apportioning the location information of one start point A1 of the blank section S2 and the location information of the other start point B1 of the blank section S2 by the time ratio, so that the operation history data can be continuously accumulated in the blank section S2. In addition, an alarm is generated to warn of the deterioration of the accuracy of the first estimated location information and the second estimated location information, so that the operator can recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the location information acquisition device 20 and that it is taking time to restore the location information acquisition device 20, and can take appropriate measures.

[0103] 5. For each position of the first estimated position information calculated by inertial navigation after the vehicle body 3 moves, the information processing controller 40 determines which of the elapsed time from each position to the first normal positioning starting point or the elapsed time to the second normal positioning starting point is shorter, and re-generates the position for which the elapsed time to the first normal positioning starting point is shorter as the first estimated position information, and generates the position for which the elapsed time to the second normal positioning starting point is shorter as the second estimated position information.Therefore, when an overlapping section S1 occurs, the position information of the overlapping section is allocated half to the first estimated position information and half to the second estimated position information, and the position information for the overlapping period can be automatically corrected.

[0104] <Other> In the above embodiment, the information processing controller 40 sets a position estimation valid period E in steps S130-4 and S130-5 of FIG. 6 for keeping the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information within an acceptable error range (below a threshold), and when the position information acquisition device 20 returns to normal, recalculates the position of the estimated position information (first estimated position information) generated in step S155 from each of the first normal positioning starting point A and the second normal positioning starting point B only during the position estimation valid period E to generate the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information. However, without setting the position estimation valid period E, the estimated position information (first estimated position information) generated in step S155 may be used as is to recalculate the position as the values ​​of the first normal positioning starting point A and the second normal positioning starting point B, and the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information may be generated. Even in this case, the first estimated position information is generated as the value of the first normal positioning origin A, and the first estimated position information is generated as the value of the second normal positioning origin B, so that for the position information of the specified range portion corresponding to the position estimation validity period E from the first normal positioning origin A and the second normal positioning origin B, the position accuracy is improved as shown in the synthesized position information on the right side of Figure 9, and the increase in error between the actual position and the estimated position is suppressed, making it possible to accumulate operating history data with little deviation from the actual operating state.

[0105] In addition, in this embodiment, the working machine is described as being a hydraulic excavator, which is a typical example of construction machinery, but the working machine may be any working machine other than a hydraulic excavator (for example, a wheeled hydraulic excavator, a traveling hydraulic crane, a wheel loader, etc.) as long as it has a vehicle body and a multi-jointed working machine attached to the vehicle body so that it can rotate in the vertical direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1. Hydraulic excavator (working machine) 2 Undercarriage 3 Upper rotating body (car body) 4 Work equipment 4a Boom 4b Arm 4c Bucket 20 Location information acquisition device (GNSS) 30 Attitude information acquisition device 30a~30d IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit; Attitude Information Acquisition Unit) 40 Information Processing Controller (Controller) 50 Guidance device 100 Operation history collection and management system 200 Data Acquisition Department 210 Location information acquisition unit 220 Posture information acquisition unit 300 Movement amount calculation unit 310 Inertial Navigation Calculation Unit 400 Data Management Department 410 History Management Department 420 Data Integration Department 500 Location information generation section 510 Location information calculation unit 520 Vehicle movement determination unit 530 Location information estimation calculation unit A First normal positioning origin B. Second normal positioning origin D1 Continuous integration management history information D2 Actual measurement value management history information D3 Estimated value management history information E. Valid period of position estimation (period of estimated position calculation count) G area S1 Overlapping section S2 Blank section

Claims

1. A position information acquisition device that acquires position information of a vehicle body, An inertial information acquisition device that acquires inertial information of the vehicle body, In a work machine operation history collection and management system comprising a controller that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the position information acquisition device, and when the position information acquisition device is abnormal, calculates the position information of the vehicle body by inertial navigation using the inertial information of the vehicle body acquired by the inertial information acquisition device, The controller is, (a) When the position information acquisition device is abnormal, determines whether the vehicle body has moved using the position information of the vehicle body calculated by inertial navigation, (b) When the vehicle body has moved, the position information of the vehicle body calculated by inertial navigation is recalculated with the position of the vehicle body before the start of movement as the first normal positioning starting point to generate first estimated position information of the vehicle body after the vehicle body has moved, (c) When the position information acquisition device has returned to normal, the first estimated position information of the vehicle body is recalculated retroactively to the first normal positioning starting point with the position of the vehicle body when the position information acquisition device has returned to normal as the second normal positioning starting point to generate second estimated position information of the vehicle body, (d) A work machine operation history collection and management system characterized by accumulating the first estimated position information, the second estimated position information, and the position information of the vehicle body when the position information acquisition device is normal as operation history data.

2. In the work machine operation history collection and management system according to Claim 1, The controller is, Sets a position estimation valid period for the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information, When generating the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information, generates the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information only for the period of the position estimation valid period from each of the first normal positioning starting point and the second normal positioning starting point. A work machine operation history collection and management system characterized by this.

3. In the work machine operation history collection and management system according to Claim 1, The controller is, Accumulates the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information as operation history data separately from the position information of the vehicle body when the position information acquisition device is normal, and makes the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information displayable on a guidance device separately from the position information of the vehicle body when the position information acquisition device is normal. A work machine operation history collection and management system characterized by this.

4. In the operation history collection and management system for a working machine according to claim 1, the controller determines, for each position of the first estimated position information calculated by inertial navigation after the movement of the vehicle body, which of the elapsed times from each position to the first normal positioning starting point and the elapsed time to the second normal positioning starting point is shorter, regenerates the position where the elapsed time to the first normal positioning starting point is shorter as the first estimated position information, and generates the position where the elapsed time to the second normal positioning starting point is shorter as the second estimated position information. A system for collecting and managing the operation history of a working machine is characterized by this.

5. In the operation history collection and management system for a working machine according to claim 1, the controller sets a position estimation valid period for the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information. When the position estimation valid periods of the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information partially overlap, in the overlapping section of the position estimation valid periods, a position close to the first normal positioning starting point is generated as a part of the first estimated position information, and a position close to the second normal positioning starting point is generated as a part of the second estimated position information. A system for collecting and managing the operation history of a working machine is characterized by this.

6. In the operation history collection and management system for a working machine according to claim 1, the controller sets a position estimation valid period for the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information. When there is a blank section where there is no position information different from the position estimation valid periods of the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information between the position estimation valid period of the first estimated position information and the position estimation valid period of the second estimated position information, a plurality of virtual points are set between the first starting point on the first estimated position information side and the second starting point on the second estimated position information side of the blank section, the ratio of the time from one of the first and second starting points to each virtual point with respect to the time of the blank section is calculated, and the position information of each virtual point is calculated by prorating the position information of the first starting point and the position information of the second starting point at each virtual point according to the ratio of the time. A system for collecting and managing the operation history of a working machine is characterized by this.

7. In the operation history collection and management system for a working machine according to claim 2, the controller If there is a blank period during which there is no position information different from the position estimation validity period of the first estimated position information and the position estimation validity period of the second estimated position information between the position estimation validity period of the first estimated position information and the position estimation validity period of the second estimated position information, an alarm for warning of a decrease in the accuracy of the first estimated position information and the second estimated position information is generated. A work machine operation history collection and management system characterized by this.

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