Construction information management system

Abstract

To efficiently aggregate data within a construction site while reducing processing loads on the network by preferentially transmitting measurement data with high importance.SOLUTION: A construction information management system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of environmental measurement devices for measuring an environment of a construction site where work machines are working, a server for storing work information of the work machines, and a controller for transmitting at least a portion of environmental information measured by the environmental measurement devices to the server in accordance with instructions from the server. The server determines transmission priorities of the environmental information for each of the plurality of environmental measurement devices to the server based on measurement states of the plurality of environmental measurement devices and the work information, and transmits the transmission priorities to the controller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction information management system. [Background technology]

[0002] At civil engineering construction sites, systems are being developed that aggregate and process measurement information from multiple sensors installed on work machines such as hydraulic excavators and on-site structures, and use it for remote monitoring of the site and automatic control of work machines.Various uses of on-site data are expected, such as remote monitoring of dangers and abnormal behavior at the site using camera images, understanding the shape of soil and sand using point cloud information measured by LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), and construction progress management.

[0003] A common mechanism for aggregating measurement data from multiple sensors installed on-site is to wirelessly transmit the data measured by each sensor to a work machine or server via a network. However, since there is a limit to the amount of data that a network can transmit simultaneously and the communication cycle, if multiple sensors transmit large amounts of data simultaneously, network processing may be delayed. In particular, since camera video data and point cloud data measured by LiDAR, etc., are large in volume, a mechanism is required to smoothly transmit measurement data within a construction site while reducing the load on the network.

[0004] In particular, as a means for reducing the weight of point cloud information transmitted via a network, a technology such as that in Patent Document 1 is disclosed. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that includes a weight reduction processing unit that performs weight reduction processing to reduce the total amount of point cloud data, and performs thinning processing on the point cloud data to reduce the weight of the point cloud data and transmit it wirelessly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 012988 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Since sensors at a construction site measure different ranges and directions, the importance of the data measured by each sensor changes depending on the progress of the work. At a given time at a construction site, the locations where work machines and workers are working are often limited to a certain part of the site, but video data and point cloud data measuring the range related to the work of work machines and workers are related to the work content and its progress and are considered to be highly important, so it is desirable to transmit them with priority over other data of lower importance.

[0007] In the technology shown in Patent Document 1, the measured point cloud data is uniformly thinned out to reduce the weight of the data, but as mentioned above, the importance of each data is different, so there is a possibility that data with high importance will be thinned out excessively. In such a case, the work efficiency of the work machine and the worker may decrease due to inaccurate recognition of the site condition caused by the loss of data with high importance. On the other hand, if data with low importance is thinned out insufficiently, the load on the network may not be sufficiently reduced, and the transmission of other data with high importance may be delayed.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to efficiently aggregate data within a construction site while reducing the processing load on the network by prioritizing the transmission of measurement data with high importance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The construction information management system of the present invention comprises a plurality of environmental measuring devices that measure the environment of a construction site where a work machine is working, a server that stores work information of the work machines, and a controller that transmits at least a portion of the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices to the server in accordance with instructions from the server, and the server determines a transmission priority of the environmental information for each of the plurality of environmental measuring devices to the server based on the measurement state of the plurality of environmental measuring devices and the work information, and transmits the transmission priority to the controller. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the transmission priority of data measured by an environmental measuring device to a server is calculated based on the measurement state and work information of the environmental measuring device. In addition, by controlling the transmission method of the measurement data based on the calculated transmission priority, it becomes possible to efficiently aggregate measurement data of high importance while suppressing the processing load of the server network. Further features related to the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, the problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a construction information management system 500 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a processing function of the construction information management system 500 according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a state MS during measurement of the environment measuring apparatuses 1 and 4 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a valid overlap range CR between the measurement range MSb and the working range WSa according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 10 is a diagram showing a process flow of an effective overlap rate calculation unit 10b and a transmission priority calculation unit 10c according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process flow of communication control units 2c and 6d according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the effect of the invention according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a processing function of a construction information management system 500 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a measurement overlapping range MR of a plurality of measurement ranges MSb according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a process flow of a measurement overlap rate calculation unit 10e and a transmission priority calculation unit 10c according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the effect of the invention according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a processing function of a construction information management system 500 according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a process flow of a weight reduction method selection unit 10f according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a process flow of communication control units 2c and 6d according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the effect of the invention according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description shows a specific example of the contents of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. Various changes and modifications are possible by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this specification. In addition, in all the drawings for explaining the present invention, parts having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof may be omitted.

[0013] [Example 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a construction information management system 500 according to Example 1. The construction information management system 500 includes an environmental measuring device 1 attached to an outside-vehicle measurement system 100, an environmental measuring device 4 attached to a machine 200, a communication device 8, a user interface 9, a server 10, and the like.

[0014] The vehicle-external measurement system 100 is installed on pillars or walls at the site, and includes an environmental measurement device 1, a controller 2, and a communication terminal 3. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the environmental measurement device 1 includes a camera that captures an image of the area around the vehicle-external measurement system 100, a LiDAR that measures point cloud information for expressing topographical information, etc. The environmental measurement device 1 provided in the vehicle-external measurement system 100 is not limited to one, and may include multiple or various types of measurement devices and be integrated and processed by the controller 2. Hereinafter, data measured by these cameras and LiDAR will be referred to as environmental information EI. The data measured by the environmental measurement device 1 is processed by the controller 2 and transmitted from the communication terminal 3 to the server 10 via the communication equipment 8.

[0015] The machine 200 includes all kinds of machines that perform work at a construction site, such as construction machines and transport vehicles. In this embodiment, a hydraulic excavator 200a and a wheel loader 200b are illustrated as examples of the machine 200, but the types of the machine 200 that are assumed are not limited to these two types, and all kinds of construction machines and transport vehicles are assumed.

[0016] The hydraulic excavator 200a includes an environment measuring device 4a, a machine state measuring device 5a, a controller 6A, and a communication terminal 7a. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the environment measuring device 4a includes a camera that captures an image of the periphery of the hydraulic excavator 200a, a LiDAR that measures point cloud information for expressing topographical information, etc. The number of environment measuring devices 4a provided on the hydraulic excavator 200a is not limited to one, and the hydraulic excavator 200a may be configured to be integrated and processed by the controller 6A. The measurement range of the environment measuring device 4a is shown as a measurement range MSb. In this embodiment, at least two GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antennas and at least one IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) are used as the machine state measuring device 5a, and the machine state measuring device 5a is configured to calculate the three-dimensional position in the horizontal and height directions of the upper rotating body 201a of the hydraulic excavator 200a, and the three-dimensional attitude in the roll, pitch, and yaw directions. The data measured by the environment measuring device 4a and the machine state measuring device 5a are integrated and processed by the controller 6A, and are transmitted from the communication terminal 7a to the server 10 via the communication equipment 8.

[0017] The wheel loader 200b has an environment measuring device 4b, a machine state measuring device 5b, a controller 6B, and a communication terminal 7b. The details of each component are similar to those of the hydraulic excavator 200a, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0018] The communication equipment 8 is equipment that allows all controllers and sensors in the construction site, including the communication terminal 3 provided in the vehicle exterior measurement system 100 and the communication terminal 7 provided in the machine 200, to be connected to the same network, and is composed of an access point of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The server 10 is a computer connected to the communication network of the communication equipment 8. In this embodiment, the server 10 is provided in the office 300, and is connected to a user interface 9 for receiving input from a user or displaying and outputting the result of integrated processing of measurement data. The server 10 may be prepared as a virtual machine on the cloud and configured to communicate with the cloud via the network provided by the communication equipment 8. The server 10 may also be configured to be mounted on any of the machines 200 in the construction site.

[0019] 2 is a block diagram showing the processing functions of the construction information management system 500 according to the first embodiment. The overall processing functions of the construction information management system 500 are composed of the processing functions of an outside vehicle measurement system 100, a work machine 200 (hereinafter referred to as the machine 200), a user interface 9, and a server 10.

[0020] The processing of the vehicle outside measurement system 100 is executed by the controller 2. The controller 2 is a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, and includes a measurement state storage unit 2a, an integration processing unit 2b, and a communication control unit 2c. The measurement state storage unit 2a stores the measurement state MS of each environmental measuring device 1. The measurement state MS includes the installation position and orientation MSa of the environmental measuring device 1 measured in advance by surveying or the like based on a coordinate system defined in the construction site (hereinafter, the site coordinate system) and the measurement range MSb of each environmental measuring device 1. The installation position and orientation MSa may be configured to be directly measured by providing a GNSS, an IMU, or the like in the vehicle outside measurement system 100. The integration processing unit 2b integrates the environmental information EI measured by the environmental measuring device 1 mounted on the vehicle outside measurement system 100 and the measurement state MS stored in the measurement state storage unit 2a, and generates transmission data processed into a format that allows data transmission. In addition, the communication control unit 2c executes a process of changing the size of the transmission data in response to a data processing command requested by the communication control unit 2c described later. The communication control unit 2c controls the timing of transmitting the transmission data to the server 10 via the communication terminal 3 and the communication equipment 8. In addition, the communication control unit 2c transmits the data processing command requested by the server 10 to the integrated processing unit 2b.

[0021] The processing of the machine 200 is executed by the controller 6 mounted on the vehicle. The configuration of the controller 6 is the same as that of the controller 2, and includes a measurement state storage unit 6a, a measurement state calculation unit 6b, an integrated processing unit 6c, and a communication control unit 6d as its functional units. The measurement state storage unit 6a stores the vehicle body measurement state of each of the environmental measuring devices 4 mounted on the machine 200. The vehicle body measurement state MMS includes information on the vehicle body position and orientation MMSa of the environmental measuring device 4 measured in advance by surveying or the like with reference to a coordinate system defined on the upper rotating body 201 of the machine 200, and information on the vehicle body measurement range MMSb of each environmental measuring device 4. The measurement state calculation unit 6b calculates the vehicle body position and orientation MMSa of the upper rotating body 201 with respect to the site coordinate system from the measurement results of the GNSS and IMU, and calculates the measurement state MS including the installation position and orientation MSa and measurement range MSb of each environmental measuring device 4 with respect to the site coordinate system based on the calculated vehicle body position and orientation MMSa. The functional configurations of the integrated processing unit 6c and the communication control unit 6d are similar to those of the integrated processing unit 2b and the communication control unit 2c of the outside-vehicle measurement system 100, respectively, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a state MS at the time of measurement of the environment measuring device 1, 4 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3(a) shows an example of a state MS at the time of measurement of the environment measuring device 1 mounted on the vehicle exterior measuring system 100. In this embodiment, the state MS at the time of measurement is defined as information expressed by three pieces of information, namely, the position and orientation MSa, the measurement distance MSb1, and the measurement field of view MSb2. The position and orientation MSa is the three-dimensional position and three-dimensional orientation information of the environment measuring device 1 with respect to the site coordinate system. The measurement distance MSb1 is the position of the environment measuring device 1, that is, the distance information with the position and orientation MSa as the origin. The measurement field of view MSb2 is the direction in which the environment measuring device 1 is facing, that is, the angle range information with respect to a certain direction defined from the orientation information included in the position and orientation MSa. A set of the measurement distance MSb1 and the measurement field of view MSb2 is called the measurement range MSb.

[0023] 3(b) shows an example of a measurement state MS of each of the four environmental measuring devices 4 mounted on the machine 200. Measurement states MS1, MS2, MS3, and MS4 are defined for each of the four environmental measuring devices 4. As in the explanation of the outside-vehicle measuring system 100, each of the measurement states MS1 to 4 is defined as information expressed from three pieces of information: the position and orientation MSa, the measurement distance MSb1, and the measurement field of view MSb2. When the machine 200 performs a turning operation and the orientation of the upper turning body 201 changes, or when the machine 200 performs a traveling operation and the position of the machine 200 moves, the position and orientation MSa of each of the measurement states MS1 to 4 also changes accordingly.

[0024] The measurement range MSb has a maximum value that is specific to the sensor mounted as the environmental measuring device 1, 4. When the measurement distance MSb1 or measurement field of view MSb2 of the sensor is limited by the controller 2, 6, the value after the limiting is regarded as the measurement range MSb.

[0025] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 2, the processing of the user interface 9 is executed by a work information input device 9a. The work information input device 9a is capable of setting at least the work range WSa of each machine 200 working within the construction site as work information WS through manual input operations by a manager managing the site or the like. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the work information WS is input by manual keyboard input or the like, but the work information WS may be automatically determined by introducing a work planning system or the like that plans the work of the machine 200. The set work information WS is transmitted to the server 10.

[0026] The server 10 is configured as a computer equipped with a CPU and memory, similar to the controllers 2 and 6, and its processing function units are composed of a work information storage unit 10a, an effective overlap rate calculation unit 10b, a transmission priority calculation unit 10c, and an environment information storage unit 10d. The work information storage unit 10a stores the work information WS input by the work information input device 9a. The effective overlap rate calculation unit 10b calculates an effective overlap rate RP based on the measurement time state MS transmitted from the outside-vehicle measurement system 100 and the machine 200 and the work information WS stored in the work information storage unit 10a. The transmission priority calculation unit 10c calculates a transmission priority SP for each of the multiple environment measuring devices 1 and 4 based on the effective overlap rate RP calculated for each of the multiple environment measuring devices 1 and 4. The environment information storage unit 10d aggregates and stores the environment information EI transmitted from the outside-vehicle measurement system 100 and the machine 200.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a valid overlap range CR of the measurement range MSb and the working range WSa according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a case where the environment measuring device 1 measures the direction of the working range WSa with the measurement range MSb. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the explanation, it is assumed that the measurement range MSb and the working range WSa are considered in a two-dimensional situation when the construction site is viewed from above. The measurement range MSb, which is composed of the measurement distance MSb1 and the measurement field of view MSb2, is expressed two-dimensionally as a sector. The working range WSa is expressed as a two-dimensional rectangle. At this time, the valid overlap range CR of the measurement range MSb and the working range WSa is the shaded part in FIG. 4. The measurement range MSb and the working range WSa can be calculated in a similar way when they are treated three-dimensionally, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0028] Next, the processing executed in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processes executed by the valid overlap rate calculation unit 10b and the transmission priority calculation unit 10c according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processes executed by the communication control units 2c and 6d.

[0029] 5(a) shows a process flow executed by the effective overlap rate calculation unit 10b, which is a functional unit of the server 10. First, in FC1a, the effective overlap rate calculation unit 10b acquires the entire work range WSa from the work information storage unit 10a, and acquires the measurement range MSb from the outside-vehicle measurement system 100 and the machine 200. The data of the measurement range MSb acquired here does not use the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 itself, but is, for example, two-dimensional coordinate information of an image included in the environmental information. This two-dimensional coordinate information has a low volume and can be processed quickly without straining the network of the server 10.

[0030] Next, in FC2a, one of the environmental measuring devices 1, 4 that has acquired the measurement range MSb is selected. Next, in FC3a, for the selected one environmental measuring device 1, 4, the effective overlap range CR of all work ranges WSa and the measurement range MSb is calculated. The method for calculating the effective overlap range CR is as shown in Figure 4. Next, in FC4a, the total area WA is calculated by adding up the areas of all work ranges WSa. Next, in FC5a, the total area CA of the effective overlap range CR is calculated. Next, in FC6a, the effective overlap rate RP is calculated. The effective overlap rate RP is the ratio of the total area CA of the effective overlap range CR to the total area WA of the work ranges WSa, and is calculated according to the following equation 1.

[0031]

number

[0032] Next, in FC7a, it is determined whether the calculation of the valid overlap rates RP has been completed for all the environment measuring devices 1 and 4. If there are any environment measuring devices 1 and 4 for which the valid overlap rates RP have not yet been calculated, the process returns to FC2a. If the valid overlap rates RP have been calculated for all the environment measuring devices 1 and 4, all the valid overlap rates RP are output to the transmission priority calculation unit 10c.

[0033] 5(b) shows a processing flow executed by the transmission priority calculation unit 10c, which is a functional unit of the server 10. First, in FC1b, the effective overlap rate RP calculated for all the environment measuring devices 1 and 4 is obtained. Next, in FC2b, one of the environment measuring devices 1 and 4 is selected. Next, in FC3b, the transmission priority SP is calculated for the selected environment measuring device 1 and 4. The transmission priority SP is calculated so that the value increases as the effective overlap rate RP increases. In this embodiment, as an example, the effective overlap rate of the i-th environment measuring device is RPi, and the number of all the environment measuring devices is N, and the transmission priority SPi of the i-th environment measuring device is calculated as shown in the following equation 2.

[0034]

number

[0035] Next, in FC4b, it is determined whether the calculation of the transmission priority SP has been completed for all the environmental measuring devices 1, 4. If there are any environmental measuring devices 1, 4 for which the transmission priority SP has not yet been calculated, the process returns to FC2b. If the transmission priority SP has been calculated for all the environmental measuring devices 1, 4, the calculated transmission priority SP is distributed and transmitted to the outside-vehicle measuring system 100 and the machine 200 in which the corresponding environmental measuring device 1, 4 is mounted.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the communication control units 2c and 6d, which are functional units of the outside-vehicle measurement system 100 and the machine 200, according to the first embodiment. First, in FC1c, the communication control units 2c and 6d acquire the transmission priority SP calculated for each of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4. Next, in FC2c, one of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 is selected. Next, in FC3c, it is determined whether the transmission priority SP is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value SPT. In this embodiment, the threshold value SPT is a value between 0 and 1, and is determined taking into consideration the size of the work range WSa that can be set at each construction site and the size of the measurement range MSb of the environmental measuring device 1 or 4 to be used.

[0037] If the transmission priority SP is equal to or higher than the threshold value SPT, FC4c permits the transmission of the environmental information EI measured by the corresponding environmental measuring device 1, 4. On the other hand, if the transmission priority SP is lower than the threshold value SPT, FC5c rejects the transmission of the environmental information EI measured by the corresponding environmental measuring device 1, 4. Next, FC6c judges whether the transmission permission judgment based on the transmission priority SP has been completed for all environmental measuring devices 1, 4. If there are environmental measuring devices 1, 4 for which the transmission permission judgment has not yet been made, the process returns to FC2c. If the transmission permission judgment has been made for all environmental measuring devices 1, 4, FC7c transmits the environmental information EI measured by the environmental measuring devices 1, 4 for which the transmission permission has been granted to the server 10.

[0038] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the effect of the first embodiment. Fig. 7(a) shows an example of a situation in which a plurality of environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 measure environmental information EI in a construction site where four external measurement systems 100 and one machine 200 are present. Each of the four external measurement systems 100a to d is equipped with an environmental measuring device 1a to d, and their respective measuring ranges MSb1 to 4 are shown. Meanwhile, four environmental measuring devices 4a to d are equipped on the machine 200 so as to face the front, rear, left and right of the machine 200, and their respective measuring ranges MSb5 to 8 are shown. Also shown is a working range WSa1 in which the machine 200 performs an excavation operation of soil and sand, and a working range WSa2 in which the machine 200 performs an earth dumping operation.

[0039] In this situation, the server 10 calculates the transmission priority SP of each of the environmental measuring devices 1a-d and 4a-d, and as a result, it is determined that the four environmental measuring devices 1a, 1c, 4a, and 4d, whose measurement ranges MSb are indicated by solid lines, are measuring high-priority environmental information EI, and periodically transmit the environmental information EI to the server 10. The measurement ranges MSb1, MSb3, MSb5, and MSb8 of the environmental measuring devices 1a, 1c, 4a, and 4d, which are determined to have high priorities, all overlap with the excavation work range WSa1 or the soil discharge work range WSa2 by a certain percentage or more.

[0040] On the other hand, the four environmental measuring devices 1b, 1d, 4b, and 4c, whose measurement ranges MSb are indicated by dashed lines, are determined to be measuring low-priority environmental information EI, and transmission of the environmental information EI to the server 10 is suspended. None of the measurement ranges MSb2, MSb4, MSb6, and MSb7 of the environmental measuring devices 1b, 1d, 4b, and 4c, which are determined to have low priority, overlap with the excavation work range WSa1 or the dumping work range WSa2, or the overlap rate is significantly low.

[0041] 7(a), most of the excavation work range WSa1 and the dumping work range WSa2 are measured by the measurement ranges MSb1, MSb3, MSb5, and MSb8 of the environmental measuring devices 1a, 1c, 4a, and 4d, which are determined to have high priority. Therefore, it can be determined that sufficient environmental information EI has been transmitted to the server 10 for the machine 200 to smoothly carry out its work.

[0042] The bar graph in Fig. 7(b) shows the total amount of transmission data sent to the server 10 within a certain period of time in the situation in Fig. 7(a). The bar graph on the left side of Fig. 7(b) shows the total amount of transmission data when environmental information EI from all environmental measuring devices 1, 4 present at the site is transmitted (hereinafter referred to as method S1). Here, it is assumed that all environmental information EI from the environmental measuring devices 1a-d and 4a-d is the same amount of data, and the value is the sum of the amount of data of environmental information EI measured by a total of eight environmental measuring devices 1, 4.

[0043] On the other hand, the bar graph on the right side of Fig. 7(b) shows the total amount of data transmitted when transmitting environmental information EI from the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 that the server 10 has determined to have a high transmission priority (hereinafter referred to as S2 method). Since only the environmental information EI from the four environmental measuring devices 1a, 1c, 4a, and 4d that have been determined to have a high priority is transmitted, communication is performed with half the total amount of data compared to S1.

[0044] From the above results, as in this embodiment, by determining the transmission priority SP from the work range WSa and the measurement range MSb of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4, and transmitting only the environmental information EI of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 with the high priority to the server 10, it is possible to transmit as much of the environmental information EI that is important for the operation of the machine 200 as possible while suppressing the load on the network, thereby enabling an accurate understanding of the on-site situation and efficient execution of construction work.

[0045] [Example 2] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the processing functions of a construction information management system 500 according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the server 10. Specifically, the server 10 includes a measurement overlap rate calculation unit 10e in addition to the work information storage unit 10a, the effective overlap rate calculation unit 10b, the transmission priority calculation unit 10c, and the environmental information storage unit 10d described in the first embodiment. The other system configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0046] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a measurement overlap range MR of a plurality of measurement ranges MSb according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9(a) shows a state in which two environmental measuring devices 1a and 1b are installed facing each other, and their respective measurement ranges MSb1 and MSb2 overlap, as viewed from above. In this embodiment, the range in which a plurality of measurement ranges MSb overlap is defined as the measurement overlap range MR. When a measurement overlap range MR occurs, it is considered that the environmental information EI of that range also overlaps, so the total amount of data transmitted can be reduced by transmitting only one portion of environmental information EI from one environmental measuring device.

[0047] FIG. 9(b) shows a state seen from the side where two environmental measuring devices 1a and 1b are installed facing each other and the soil E to be excavated is present between them. In this case, as in the case of FIG. 9(a), the measurement ranges MSb1 and MSb2 overlap, resulting in a large measurement overlap range MR. However, when considered three-dimensionally, the presence of the soil E causes blind spots to appear behind the soil E in the measurement ranges MSb1 and MSb2 of the environmental measuring devices 1a and 1b when viewed from each direction. Therefore, even in a situation where a large measurement overlap range MR occurs, the closer the measurement directions of the environmental measuring devices 1 come to being opposed to each other, the higher the possibility of interpolating a three-dimensional blind spot area. In other words, the higher the possibility that one environmental measuring device is interpolating and measuring an area that is a blind spot for the other environmental measuring device.

[0048] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process flow executed by the measurement overlap rate calculation unit 10e and the transmission priority calculation unit 10c according to the second embodiment.

[0049] 10(a) shows a process flow executed by the measurement overlap rate calculation unit 10e, which is a functional unit of the server 10. First, in FC1d, the measurement time states MS of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 are acquired from the outside-vehicle measuring system 100 and the machine 200. Next, in FC2d, a combination of two environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 from which the measurement time states MS have been acquired is selected. Next, in FC3d, for the selected combination of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4, the measurement overlap range MR between the measurement ranges MSb is calculated.

[0050] The concept of the measurement overlap range MR is as explained using Fig. 9. At this time, the measurement overlap range MR is considered to have occurred only in one of the environment measuring devices 1, 4. For example, a serial number is set for all the environment measuring devices 1, 4, and it is calculated that the measurement overlap range MR has occurred only in the one with the larger serial number. Next, in FC4d, the area MA of the calculated measurement overlap range MR is calculated.

[0051] Next, in FC5d, the measurement orientation difference MD is calculated from the difference in orientation between the position and orientation MSa. The measurement orientation difference MD is defined as the difference in the yaw direction component θy of the position and orientation MSa. If the yaw direction component of one of the environment measuring devices 1 and 4 is θy1 and the other is θy2, the measurement orientation difference MD is calculated as shown in the following formula 3.

[0052]

number

[0053] At this time, as in the process of FC4d, the measurement direction difference MD is considered to have occurred only in one of the environmental measuring devices 1, 4. If this measurement direction difference MD is small, it means that the measurement is being made in a direction close to that of the other environmental measuring device, and that the measurement is being made in a range close to that measured by the other environmental measuring device, and the transmission priority is low. Conversely, if the measurement direction difference MD is large, there is a high possibility that the measurement is being made by interpolating a range that the other environmental measuring device was unable to measure for the reasons described above, and the transmission priority is high.

[0054] Next, in FC6d, it is determined whether or not the calculation of the measurement overlap range MR and the measurement direction difference MD is completed for all combinations of the environment measuring devices 1 and 4. If there are any combinations of the environment measuring devices 1 and 4 that have not yet been calculated, the process returns to FC2d.

[0055] When the measurement overlap range MR has been calculated for all combinations of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4, in FC7d, the measurement overlap rate MP is calculated for each environmental measuring device 1 and 4. The measurement overlap rate MP is calculated taking into account the measurement overlap range MR and the measurement orientation difference MD calculated for all combinations of a certain environmental measuring device 1 and 4, and is calculated so that the larger the measurement overlap range MR is and the smaller the measurement orientation difference MD is, the larger the measurement overlap rate MP is.

[0056] In this embodiment, as an example, the measurement overlap rate MPi of the i-th environment measuring devices 1 and 4 is calculated according to the following formula 4.

[0057]

number

[0058] Here, MAi is the area of ​​the measurement range MSb of the i-th environmental measuring device 1, 4, UMAi is the area of ​​the union of the overlapping ranges MR of the environmental measuring devices 1, 4 that overlap with the i-th environmental measuring device 1, 4, and k1 is the direction difference adjustment coefficient when considering the measurement direction difference MD. The larger the value of the direction difference adjustment coefficient k1, the greater the degree to which the measurement direction difference MD contributes to reducing the measurement overlap rate MP. Finally, in FC8d, the measurement overlap rates MP calculated for all environmental measuring devices 1, 4 are output to the transmission priority calculation unit 10c.

[0059] Fig. 10(b) shows a processing flow executed by the transmission priority calculation unit 10c. First, in FC1e, the effective overlap rate RP and the measurement overlap rate MP calculated for all the environment measuring devices 1, 4 are obtained. Next, in FC2e, one of the environment measuring devices 1, 4 is selected. Next, in FC3e, the transmission priority SP is calculated for the selected environment measuring device 1, 4. The transmission priority SP is calculated so that the value increases as the effective overlap rate RP increases and the measurement overlap rate MP decreases. In this embodiment, as an example, the transmission priority SPi of the i-th environment measuring device is calculated according to the following equation 5.

[0060]

number

[0061] Since FC4e and FC5e are similar to FC4b and FC5b in FIG. 5(b), detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0062] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the effect of the second embodiment. Fig. 11(a) shows an example of a situation in which, as in Fig. 7(a), in a construction site where four external vehicle measurement systems 100 and one machine 200 are present, multiple environmental measurement devices 1 and 4 are measuring environmental information EI in the construction site, and a work area WSa1 in which the machine 200 performs an excavation work of earth and a work area WSa2 in which the machine 200 performs an earth dumping work are set. In this situation, the server 10 calculates the transmission priority SP of each of the environmental measurement devices 1a-d and 4a-d, taking into account the measurement overlap rate MP in addition to the effective overlap rate RP. As a result, it is determined that the three environmental measurement devices 1a, 4a, and 4d, whose measurement ranges MSb are indicated by solid lines, are measuring environmental information EI with high priority, and the environmental information EI is periodically transmitted to the server 10.

[0063] 7, the environmental measuring device 1c has a relatively large measurement overlap range MR with the environmental measuring device 4d and a relatively small measurement direction difference MD, so that the measurement overlap rate MP is calculated to be large. In addition, the effective overlap rate RP of the environmental measuring device 1c is smaller than that of the environmental measuring device 4d, so that the transmission priority SP is finally calculated to be small. As a result, the environmental information EI measured by the environmental measuring device 1c is not transmitted, but since the soil discharge work range WSa2 can be sufficiently measured only by the environmental measuring device 4d, it can be determined that the environmental information EI sufficient for the machine 200 to smoothly proceed with the work is transmitted to the server 10.

[0064] The bar graph in Fig. 11(b) shows the total amount of transmission data sent to the server 10 within a certain time period in the situation in Fig. 11(a). The bar graph on the left shows the total amount of transmission data in method S2, in which environmental information EI from the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 is sent using the method in Example 1 that does not take into account the measurement overlap rate MP. Meanwhile, the bar graph on the right shows the total amount of transmission data when environmental information EI from the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 is sent using the method in Example 2 that takes into account the measurement overlap rate MP (hereinafter referred to as method S3). It can be seen that method S3 is able to further reduce the total amount of transmission data compared to method S2.

[0065] From the above results, by determining the transmission priority SP taking into account the measured overlap rate MP in addition to the effective overlap rate RP, as in the second embodiment, it is possible to more efficiently suppress the load on the network while transmitting as much environmental information EI that is important for the operation of the machine 200 as possible.

[0066] [Example 3] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing processing functions of a construction information management system 500 according to the third embodiment. The third embodiment of the present invention differs from the first and second embodiments in the configuration of the server 10.

[0067] Specifically, the server 10 in this embodiment includes a task information storage unit 10a, an effective overlap rate calculation unit 10b, a transmission priority calculation unit 10c, an environmental information storage unit 10d, a measurement overlap rate calculation unit 10e, and a weight reduction method selection unit 10f. The other system configurations are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

[0068] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process flow executed by the weight reduction method selection unit 10f according to the third embodiment. First, in FC1f, the weight reduction method selection unit 10f acquires the work range WSa and the work method WSb from the work information storage unit 10a. The work method WSb is a label indicating the work content, such as excavation work or traveling work, of the machine 200, and is information set for each work range WSa. Next, in FC2f, one of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 is selected. Next, in FC3f, it is determined whether or not there is a work range WSa included in the measurement range MSb of the selected environmental measuring device 1 or 4.

[0069] If there is a work range WSa included in the measurement range MSb, the work method WSb performed in the selected work range WSa is referenced in FC4f, and a weight reduction method CM corresponding to the work method WSb is selected in FC5f. On the other hand, if there is no work range WSa included in the measurement range MSb, a weight reduction method CM prepared as an initial state is selected in FC6f. In this embodiment, the weight reduction method CM is selected from among the resolution adjustment CM1 that adjusts the data resolution of point clouds and images, the transmission frequency adjustment CM2 that adjusts the data transmission frequency, and the transmission cancellation CM3 that cancels the transmission of data.

[0070] Next, in FC7f, it is determined whether or not the weight reduction method CM has been selected for all the environment measuring devices 1, 4. If there are any environment measuring devices 1, 4 for which the weight reduction method CM has not been selected, the process returns to FC2f. If the weight reduction method CM has been selected for all the environment measuring devices 1, 4, the weight reduction method CM is transmitted to the corresponding environment measuring devices 1, 4, respectively, in FC8f.

[0071] 14 is a flowchart showing a process flow executed by the communication control units 2c and 6d according to the third embodiment. First, in FC1g, the calculated transmission priority SP and the selected weight reduction method CM for each of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 are acquired. Next, in FC2g, one of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 is selected. Next, in FC3g, it is determined whether the weight reduction method CM instructed by the server 10 is resolution adjustment CM1 or transmission frequency adjustment CM2. Next, in FC4g, the weight reduction degree of the environmental information EI is adjusted according to the transmission priority SP.

[0072] When the resolution adjustment CM1 is selected as the weight reduction method CM, the resolution of the environmental information EI is adjusted to be finer as the transmission priority SP increases. On the other hand, when the transmission frequency adjustment CM2 is selected as the weight reduction method CM, the transmission frequency of the environmental information EI is adjusted to be higher as the transmission priority SP increases.

[0073] Next, in FC5g, it is determined whether the environmental information EI of all the environmental measuring devices 1, 4 has been lightened. If there are still environmental measuring devices 1, 4 whose environmental information EI has not been lightened, the process returns to FC2g. If the environmental information EI of all the environmental measuring devices 1, 4 has been lightened, the lightened environmental information EI is transmitted to the server 10 in FC6g.

[0074] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the effect of the third embodiment. FIG. 15(a) shows an example of a situation in which a plurality of environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 measure environmental information EI in a construction site where four outside-vehicle measuring systems 100 and two machines 200a and 200b exist. Each of the four outside-vehicle measuring systems 100a to d is equipped with one environmental measuring device 1a to d, and the respective measuring ranges MSb1 to 4 are shown. Four environmental measuring devices 4a to d are mounted on the machine 200a so as to face the front, rear, left and right of the machine 200a, and the respective measuring ranges MSb5 to 8 are shown. Furthermore, two environmental measuring devices 4e and 4f are mounted on the machine 200b so as to face the front and rear of the machine 200b, and the respective measuring ranges MSb9 to 10 are shown.

[0075] A work area WSa1 in which excavation work of soil and sand is performed and a work area WSa2 in which dumping work of soil and sand is performed are shown around the machine 200a. In addition, a travel area WSa3 in which the machine 200b is scheduled to travel is shown in the traveling direction of the machine 200b.

[0076] In this situation, the server 10 calculates the weight reduction method CM for each of the environmental measuring devices 1a-d and 4a-f, and as a result, it is determined that the environmental information EI of the three environmental measuring devices 1a, 4a, and 4d, whose measurement ranges MSb are indicated by solid lines, should be reduced by the resolution adjustment CM1. This is because it is considered important that the excavation range WSa1 and the soil dumping range WSa2 more accurately represent the topographical shape of the soil and sand that is the target of the excavation and soil dumping work of the machine 200a.

[0077] On the other hand, it is determined that the environmental information EI should be lightened by adjusting the transmission frequency CM2 for the six environmental measuring devices 1b, 1c, 1d, 4c, 4e, and 4f, whose measurement ranges MSb are indicated by dashed lines. This is because it is considered important to detect obstacles such as structures and moving objects as early as possible in the travel range WSa3. As for the remaining environmental measuring device 4b, since it does not overlap with any of the working ranges WSa, the transmission cancellation CM3 is selected.

[0078] Fig. 15(b) shows the total amount of transmission data sent to the server 10 within a certain time period and the resolution of the environmental information EI for measuring the work ranges WSa1 and WSa2 in the situation of Fig. 15(a). The circles indicate the case where all the environmental information EI of the environmental measuring devices 1a-d and 4a-f is sent (method S1). On the other hand, the stars indicate the case where the environmental information EI is sent after adjusting the weight reduction method CM and the degree of weight reduction of the environmental information EI sent by each of the environmental measuring devices 1 and 4 according to the method of the third embodiment (method S4).

[0079] In method S1, the total amount of transmitted data is large because all environmental information EI is transmitted, and since all environmental information EI is transmitted with equal priority, it is not possible to improve the measurement resolution of specific environmental information EI. On the other hand, in method S4, the total amount of transmitted data is reduced by appropriately reducing the weight of environmental information EI with low importance, and it is possible to improve the measurement resolution of specific environmental information EI related to the excavation work range WSa1 and the soil discharge work range WSa2, which are particularly important for detailed representation of the topographical shape.

[0080] FIG. 15(c), like FIG. 15(b), shows the relationship between the total amount of transmission data when transmitting environmental information EI in each of methods S1 and S4 and the transmission frequency of environmental information EI measuring the travel range WSa3. In method S1, the total amount of transmission data is large because all environmental information EI is transmitted, and since all environmental information EI is transmitted with equal priority, it is not possible to increase the transmission frequency of specific environmental information EI. On the other hand, in method S4, the total amount of transmission data is suppressed by appropriately reducing the weight of environmental information EI with low importance, and it is possible to increase the data transmission frequency of specific environmental information EI related to the travel range WSa3, which is important for early detection of obstacles that the machine 200 may collide with.

[0081] From the above results, by determining the weighting method CM of the environmental information EI taking into consideration the work content WSb as in Example 3, it is possible to reduce the load on the network and to more efficiently transmit the environmental information EI that has been appropriately weighted according to the work being performed by the machine 200, which is expected to improve the efficiency of the work of the machine 200.

[0082] The above-described embodiment of the present invention provides the following advantageous effects.

[0083] (1) A construction information management system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of environmental measuring devices that measure the environment of a construction site where a work machine is working, a server that stores work information of the work machines, and a controller that transmits at least a portion of the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices to the server in accordance with instructions from the server. The server determines a transmission priority of the environmental information for each of the plurality of environmental measuring devices to the server based on the measurement state of the plurality of environmental measuring devices and the work information, and transmits the transmission priority to the controller.

[0084] With the above configuration, by prioritizing the transmission of measurement data with high importance, it becomes possible to efficiently aggregate data within a construction site while reducing the processing load on the network.

[0085] (2) The measurement state includes at least information regarding the measurement range of the environmental measuring device, and the work information includes at least information regarding the work range of the work machine, and the server calculates the effective overlap degree between the measurement range and the work range and determines the transmission priority of the environmental information for each of the multiple environmental measuring devices so that the greater the effective overlap degree, the higher the transmission priority. Information regarding the work range is highly important, and by prioritizing the transmission of measurement information measuring this area, it becomes possible to carry out work without problems even if the transmission of other information with lower priority is omitted.

[0086] (3) The controller transmits environmental information to the server only when the transmission priority exceeds a certain value. This reduces the processing load on the network because environmental information with a low transmission priority and low importance is not transmitted.

[0087] (4) The server calculates the degree of overlap between the measurement ranges of the multiple environmental measuring devices, and determines the transmission priority of the environmental information for each of the multiple environmental measuring devices so that the greater the degree of overlap, the lower the transmission priority. This makes it possible to prevent the same information from being sent multiple times, thereby preventing an increase in the processing load on the network.

[0088] (5) The state at the time of measurement includes the measurement direction of the environmental measuring device, and the server determines the transmission priority of the environmental information for each of the multiple environmental measuring devices in accordance with the degree of measurement overlap, so that the closer the measurement directions of the multiple environmental measuring devices are, the lower the transmission priority becomes. This makes it possible to prevent an increase in the processing load on the network due to duplicate transmission of the same information, as in (4).

[0089] (6) The controller transmits environmental information to the server with a lower data resolution as the transmission priority decreases. This allows low-priority, low-importance information to be transmitted at a lower resolution, reducing the network processing load.

[0090] (7) The lower the transmission priority, the less frequently the controller transmits environmental information to the server. This makes it possible to reduce the processing load on the network, just like (6).

[0091] (8) The work information includes information related to the work content of the work machine, and the server selects whether to change the data resolution or transmission frequency of the environmental information depending on the work content, and commands the controller. In this way, by appropriately selecting the processing content depending on the work content, it is possible to achieve the effect of (6) or (7).

[0092] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to an embodiment having all of the configurations described. It is also possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment. It is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to delete a part of the configuration of each embodiment, or to add or replace another configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1,4 Environmental measurement device, 2,6 Controller, 10 Server, 200 Work machine

Claims

1. A plurality of environmental measurement devices that measure the environment of a construction site where the work machine works; A server that stores work information of the work machine; a controller that transmits at least a part of the environmental information measured by the environment measuring device to the server in accordance with an instruction from the server; the server determines a transmission priority of the environmental information for each of the plurality of environmental measuring devices to the server based on the measurement states of the plurality of environmental measuring devices and the work information, and transmits the transmission priority to the controller. A construction information management system characterized by the above.

2. The construction information management system according to claim 1, the measurement state includes at least information regarding a measurement range of the environmental measuring device, and the work information includes at least information regarding a work range of the work machine, and the server calculates an effective overlap degree between the measurement range and the work range, and determines a transmission priority of the environmental information for each of the plurality of environmental measuring devices such that the transmission priority becomes higher as the effective overlap degree becomes larger. A construction information management system characterized by the above.

3. The construction information management system according to claim 1, The controller transmits the environmental information to the server only when the transmission priority exceeds a certain value. A construction information management system characterized by the above.

4. The construction information management system according to claim 1, the server calculates a degree of measurement overlap between the measurement ranges of the plurality of environment measuring devices, and determines a transmission priority of the environment information for each of the plurality of environment measuring devices such that the transmission priority becomes lower as the degree of measurement overlap increases. A construction information management system characterized by the above.

5. The construction information management system according to claim 4, the state at the time of measurement includes a measurement direction of the environment measuring device, and the server determines a transmission priority of the environment information for each of the plurality of environment measuring devices in addition to the degree of measurement overlap such that the closer the measurement directions of the plurality of environment measuring devices are, the lower the transmission priority is. A construction information management system characterized by the above.

6. The construction information management system according to claim 1, the controller transmits the environmental information to the server with a smaller data resolution as the transmission priority becomes lower; A construction information management system characterized by the above.

7. The construction information management system according to claim 1, the controller transmits the environmental information to the server at a lower frequency as the transmission priority becomes lower; A construction information management system characterized by the above.

8. The construction information management system according to claim 1, the work information includes information related to the work content of the work machine, and the server selects whether to change either the data resolution or the transmission frequency of the environmental information depending on the work content, and instructs the controller to change the selected environmental information. A construction information management system characterized by the above.

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