Construction information management system

Abstract

To provide a construction information management system that reduces a communication load when environmental information is wirelessly transmitted and can accurately transmit information required to understand changes in topography to a server device.SOLUTION: A hydraulic excavator 100 and a site sensor 200 calculate an amount of change between past measurement results and current measurement results, and transmit the amount of change to a management server 300. The management server 300 determines data transmission priority (data transmission propriety) based on the amount of change, and the hydraulic excavator 100, and the site sensor 200 that are permitted to transmit data transmit the measurement results to the management server 300.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In computerized construction and automated construction using work machines, it is very important to understand the topographical information of the work site, which changes every moment. In addition, the frequency of updating the topographical information is particularly important because it affects the efficiency of construction at the work site.

[0003] However, if the results of topographical measurements within a construction site are transmitted wirelessly at high frequencies, the communication load will increase, resulting in data loss and delays, and the topographical information may not be updated appropriately.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for transmitting topographical information of a construction site. [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] According to the conventional technology of Patent Document 1, point cloud data representing the topography of a construction site is thinned out to reduce the data. However, such thinning may result in the loss of information necessary to understand changes in the topography.

[0007] The present invention was created in consideration of the above-mentioned situation and with the aim of solving these problems, and aims to provide a construction information management system that can accurately transmit information necessary to understand changes in the terrain to a server device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the construction information management system of the present invention is provided on at least one of a work machine working at a construction site or a site sensor installed at the construction site, and comprises a plurality of environmental measuring devices that measure environmental information of the construction site, a communication device that transmits the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices to a server device, and a calculation device that calculates the amount of change between the current measurement result and the past measurement result measured by the environmental measuring device, wherein the server device determines the transmission priority of the environmental information measured by the plurality of environmental measuring devices to the server device so that the priority of the measurement result with the large amount of change is higher, determines whether the environmental information measured by the plurality of environmental measuring devices can be transmitted to the server device based on the transmission priority, and transmits a signal indicating whether the transmission can be performed to the communication device. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, since information on locations where greater changes have occurred is preferentially transmitted to the server device, information required to grasp the changes in the topography can be accurately transmitted to the server device.

[0010] 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 an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a side view showing an overview of a hydraulic excavator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the process of a change amount adjusting unit 351 and a transmission priority calculation unit 352. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a grid map for calculating an amount of change. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a time chart of the construction information management system 500 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] A graph showing data volume stacked in order of transmission priority (largest change). [Figure 8] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a weight reduction process according to the first modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a controller according to the first and second modified examples. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a time chart of the construction information management system 500 of the second modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a time chart of the construction information management system 500 of the third modified example. [Figure 12] 13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining an update process of environmental information around a machine position according to Modification 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, parts having the same function are given the same reference numerals, and repeated description may be omitted. Note that various changes and modifications are possible by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this specification. In this embodiment, a hydraulic excavator is described as an example of a work machine that performs construction, but other types of work machines such as a wheel loader may also be used.

[0013] In the following description of this document, when there are multiple identical components, an alphabet may be added to the end of the reference symbol (number), but the alphabet may be omitted to collectively refer to the multiple components. For example, when there are two hydraulic excavators 100a and 100b, they may be collectively referred to as hydraulic excavator 100.

[0014] <Configuration of construction information management system> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a construction information management system 500 according to this embodiment. The construction information management system 500 is composed of a plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 that are operated and work in an operating area 1, which is a construction site, site sensors 200 that are installed at fixed positions in the operating area 1 and acquire environmental information, and a management server 300 that is installed in an office 2 and aggregates and manages information from the hydraulic excavators 100 and the site sensors 200 in the operating area 1. In Fig. 1, there are two each of the hydraulic excavators 100a and 100b, and the site sensors 200a and 200b, but this is just an example and any number of units may be present.

[0015] The hydraulic excavator 100 is equipped with an environmental measuring device 103 that measures environmental information of the operating area 1, an on-board controller 102 (hereinafter, may be referred to simply as the controller 102) that processes data measured by the environmental measuring device 103, and a communication device 101 (hereinafter, may be referred to as the communication terminal 101) for connecting to a communication network.

[0016] The site sensor 200 is composed of an environmental measuring device 203 that measures environmental information in the operating area 1, a site sensor controller 202 (hereinafter may be referred to simply as the controller 202) that processes the data measured by the environmental measuring device 203, and a communication device 201 (hereinafter may be referred to as the communication terminal 201) for connecting to a communication network.

[0017] The environment measuring devices 103 and 203 are, for example, LiDARs.

[0018] The management server 300 is composed of a communication device 301 (hereinafter, may be referred to as a communication terminal 301) for connecting to a communication network, and a server controller 302 (hereinafter, may be referred to simply as a controller 302) for processing information received via the communication device 301.

[0019] In the construction information management system 500, a local communication network for transmitting and receiving data is configured by a plurality of communication devices 101, 201, 301, and the management server 300 and the controllers 102, 202, 302 mounted on the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 can be connected to the same communication network. Note that the management server 300 is not limited to an operation in which a computer main body is installed on-site in the office 2, but may utilize a virtual computer on an external cloud that can be connected to the communication network. Also, for example, the communication network is a wireless network, and the communication devices 101, 201, 301 are wireless communication devices.

[0020] <Hydraulic excavator configuration> 2 is a side view showing the configuration of a hydraulic excavator 100 according to this embodiment. The hydraulic excavator 100 includes an articulated front device (front working machine) 110 configured by connecting a plurality of rotating driven members (a boom 111, an arm 112, and a bucket (working implement) 113), and an upper rotating body 120 and a lower traveling body 130 that constitute a vehicle body, and the upper rotating body 120 is provided so as to be able to rotate with respect to the lower traveling body 130. In addition, a base end of the boom 111 of the front device 110 is rotatably supported at the front of the upper rotating body 120, one end of the arm 112 is rotatably supported at an end (tip) different from the base end of the boom 111, and a bucket 113 is rotatably supported at the other end of the arm 112. Each of the driving units 111, 112, 113, 120, and 130 is provided with a group of actuators (not shown) for driving the respective units, and is configured so that the operation of the actuators can be controlled via the on-board controller 102. Each of the drive units 111, 112, 113, and 120 is provided with a group of angle sensors (not shown) for measuring the respective attitudes. The hydraulic excavator 100 is also provided with an IMU 105 for measuring the inclination of the upper rotating body 120. The hydraulic excavator 100 is further equipped with a GNSS 104 for acquiring position information and orientation information of the hydraulic excavator 100. As described above, the hydraulic excavator 100 (its upper rotating body 120) is equipped with an environment measuring device 103, an on-board controller 102, and a communication device 101.

[0021] <Controller configuration> 3 is a functional block diagram showing the processing functions of the vehicle controller 102, the site sensor controller 202, and the server controller 302 according to this embodiment. The vehicle controller 102 is configured with the processing functions of a coordinate conversion unit 150, a change amount calculation unit 151, a measurement result storage unit 152, and a communication control unit 153. The site sensor controller 202 is configured with the processing functions of a coordinate conversion unit 250, a change amount calculation unit 251, a measurement result storage unit 252, and a communication control unit 253. The server controller 302 is configured with the processing functions of an environment information management unit 350, a change amount sorting unit 351, a transmission priority calculation unit 352, and a communication control unit 353. These processes are configured as processes that are periodically performed for each process and event processes that are performed when an event occurs that triggers execution of the process.

[0022] The coordinate conversion unit 150 converts the measurement results (environmental information) measured periodically by the environment measuring device 103 into a coordinate system in the operating area 1 based on information from the GNSS 104 and IMU 105.

[0023] The change amount calculation unit 151 calculates the amount of change between the measurement result previously transmitted to the management server 300 and stored in the measurement result storage unit 152, and the current measurement result measured by the environment measuring device 103. The method of calculating the amount of change will be described later. The change amount calculation unit 151 outputs the calculated amount of change and the amount of data of the current measurement result to the communication control unit 153. In addition, the change amount calculation unit 151 saves the current measurement result used in calculating the amount of change as the current measurement result in the measurement result storage unit 152. The change amount calculation unit 151 receives an environmental information transmission permission signal from the management server 300, and is executed when this signal is received and when the program is started for the first time (event processing). When the change amount calculation unit 151 receives a signal from the management server 300 indicating that the measurement results can be transmitted (when the transmission permission flag of the received environmental information transmission permission signal is 1), it transmits the current measurement results stored in the measurement result storage unit 152 to the management server 300, and stores the environmental information transmitted to the management server 300 in the measurement result storage unit 152 as past measurement results (because the environmental information has been transmitted to the management server 300, this transmitted environmental information becomes past environmental information to be compared with changes in future measurement results), and then performs processing to calculate the amount of change. When the change amount calculation unit 151 receives a signal from the management server 300 indicating that the measurement results cannot be transmitted (when the transmission permission flag of the received environmental information transmission permission signal is 0), it does not transmit the current measurement results to the management server 300, and performs processing to calculate the amount of change.

[0024] The communication control unit 153 transmits the amount of change calculated by the change amount calculation unit 151 and the amount of data of the current measurement result (environment information) to the communication terminal 301 of the management server 300 via the communication terminal 101.

[0025] The contents of the processing by the change amount calculation unit 251, the measurement result storage unit 252, and the communication control unit 253 of the site sensor controller 202 are similar to the processing by the change amount calculation unit 151, the measurement result storage unit 152, and the communication control unit 153 of the in-vehicle controller 102 described above. Unlike the coordinate conversion unit 150, the coordinate conversion unit 250 does not use information from the GNSS or IMU. The site sensor 200 is fixedly installed in the operating area 1, and the coordinate conversion unit 250 stores the position and angle at the time of fixed installation. The coordinate conversion unit 250 performs coordinate conversion using the stored position and angle.

[0026] The change amount sorting unit 351 of the server controller 302 compares and sorts the magnitudes of the change amounts transmitted from the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200. The sorted information is output to the transmission priority calculation unit 352. The transmission priority calculation unit 352 uses the sorted change amount information to determine whether or not the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 should transmit the measurement results of the environmental measuring devices 103 and 203 to the management server 300 (the transmission priority of the measurement results of the environmental measuring devices 103 and 203 to the management server 300). The transmission priority calculation unit 352 transmits the result of the determination (1 or 0 of the transmission permission flag of the environmental information transmission permission signal) to the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 via the communication control unit 353. The transmission priority calculation unit 352 also transmits a transmission controller list indicating which controller has instructed transmission to the environmental information management unit 350. The process of the change amount sorting unit 351 is an event process executed after receiving the amount of change from all the controllers (102, 202 in this embodiment) connected to the environment measuring devices present in the operating area 1. Also, in consideration of communication failures and the like, if the amount of change is not transmitted from all the controllers even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous process, the change amount sorting unit 351 may be configured to sort the amount of change for the controllers that have already received the amount of change.

[0027] The environmental information management unit 350 of the server controller 302 integrates the measurement results of the environmental measuring devices transmitted from the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200. Specifically, the environmental information management unit 350 updates the environmental information by replacing the information on the measurement range of the received measurement result, among the environmental measurement results held by the environmental information management unit 350, with the received measurement result. The timing at which the environmental information management unit 350 performs processing is event processing that is executed when it receives environmental information for the controllers in the transmission controller list received from the transmission priority calculation unit 352. In consideration of communication failures, etc., if environmental information has not been transmitted from all the controllers even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous processing, the environmental information for the controllers that have already been received may be integrated. In addition, the environmental information may be configured as event processing that immediately performs integration processing on the received information each time it is received, or the received environmental information may be temporarily stored in a memory, and the environmental integration processing may be periodically performed using the temporarily stored environmental information.

[0028] 4 is a flowchart of the process of the change amount organizing section 351 and the transmission priority calculation section 352. Step S601 is the process of the change amount organizing section 351, and steps S602 to S604 are the process of the transmission priority calculation section 352.

[0029] In S601, the received amounts of change are sorted in descending order of the amount of change.

[0030] In S602, a variable d indicating the total amount of data is initialized (d=0).

[0031] In S603, the loop process (S603a to S603d) is executed the same number of times as the number of devices to which data is transmitted.

[0032] In S603a, for the i-th amount of change (more specifically, the i-th amount of change in the order rearranged in S601), the corresponding amount of data is added to d. That is, the corresponding amount of data is added to d preferentially starting from the environmental information resulting in the measurement result with the largest amount of change (so that the priority of the environmental information resulting in the measurement result with the largest amount of change is higher).

[0033] In S603b, it is determined whether d is equal to or greater than the allowable data amount. If NO (if d is less than the allowable data amount), proceed to S603c, and if YES (if d is equal to or greater than the allowable data amount), proceed to S603d. Here, the allowable data amount is the amount of data allowed for communication with the communication terminal used, and is a value set in advance according to the communication terminal used. In addition, this allowable data amount may be changed according to the communication situation by monitoring the data communication situation. In other words, the allowable data amount is increased when the communication situation is good, and decreased when the communication situation is deteriorating.

[0034] In S603c, the transmission permission flag for the i-th data transmission target device is set to 1 (transmission permission state).

[0035] In S603d, the transmission permission flag for the i-th data transmission target device is set to 0 (transmission prohibited state).

[0036] Through these processes, the server controller 302 determines the priority of transmission of environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices 103, 203 to the server controller 302 so that the environmental information resulting from the measurement result with the largest amount of change received from the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 is given a higher priority. In detail, the server controller 302 refers to the amount of data of the environmental information and the allowable data amount in addition to the amount of change received from the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200, and determines whether or not to transmit the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices 103, 203 to the server controller 302 so that the environmental information resulting from the measurement result with the largest amount of change is given a higher priority and so that the total amount of communication data (calculated by adding up the amount of data of the environmental information in descending order of the amount of change) does not exceed the allowable data amount. The server controller 302 identifies an environmental measuring device among the multiple environmental measuring devices 103, 203 that transmits data whose total communication data volume exceeds the allowable data volume, determines that the measurement results of the environmental measuring device that has a larger amount of change than the measurement results of the identified environmental measuring device can be transmitted to the server controller 302 (transmission permitted), and sets the transmission permission flag to 1, and determines that the measurement results of the identified environmental measuring device and the measurement results of environmental measuring devices that have a smaller amount of change than the measurement results of the identified environmental measuring device cannot be transmitted to the server controller 302 (transmission prohibited), and sets the transmission permission flag to 0.

[0037] In S605, the transmission permission flag set in S603c and S603d is transmitted to the corresponding data transmission target device. When the corresponding data transmission target device receives an environmental information transmission permission signal with the transmission permission flag set in S603c=1, the device is permitted to transmit the current measurement results stored in the measurement result storage unit 152 to the management server 300, and when the corresponding data transmission target device receives an environmental information transmission permission signal with the transmission permission flag set in S603d=0, the device is prohibited from transmitting the current measurement results stored in the measurement result storage unit 152 to the management server 300.

[0038] A method for calculating the amount of change will be described with reference to FIG.

[0039] The point cloud information measured by the environmental measurement device is converted into a grid map format (cells are defined by dividing the x and y directions by a certain grid size, and each cell has height information (z-direction value)) (see the top diagram of Fig. 5). The grid size is set in advance, taking into consideration the processing power of the controller and the measurement range of the environmental measurement device. Furthermore, when one cell contains multiple point cloud information, the height information can be averaged or each point can be weighted for calculation.

[0040] The amount of change is obtained by comparing the grid map of past measurement results with the grid map of current measurement results (see the lower diagram of FIG. 5). Specifically, the difference in height information for each cell is obtained, and the height difference is multiplied by the area of ​​one cell (area of ​​the area where the measurement result has changed) to calculate the volume of change for each cell. The volume of change for each cell is then summed up for all cells to determine the amount of change. In this embodiment, the volume of change is determined as the amount of change, but the area of ​​the area where the measurement result has changed may also be used as the amount of change. The past measurement results are those last transmitted to the management server 300, and if they have not been transmitted to the management server 300 in the past, an initial value measured separately in advance is given.

[0041] <Actions and Effects> An example of operation will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an example of operation when communication is performed among two hydraulic excavators 100a and 100b, two site sensors 200a and 200b, and the management server 300 in the construction information management system 500. In FIG.

[0043] Between time Ta and time Tb, the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 are started at their respective timings, and after being started, the change amount calculation units 151 and 251 perform a change amount calculation process. Although not shown in Fig. 6, the environmental measuring devices 103 and 203 perform measurements periodically. The change amount calculation units 151 and 251 obtain the amount of change using the method of Fig. 5, and transmit the amount of change and the amount of measured data to the management server 300. In this operation example, the amount of change of the hydraulic excavator 100a is V100a, the amount of change of the hydraulic excavator 100b is V100b, the amount of change of the site sensor 200a is V200a, and the amount of change of the site sensor 200b is V200b, with the magnitudes being V100a>V200a>V200b>V100b. Also, the amount of data of the measurement results of the hydraulic excavator 100a is D100a, the amount of data of the measurement results of the hydraulic excavator 100b is D100b, the amount of data of the measurement results of the site sensor 200a is D200a, and the amount of data of the measurement results of the site sensor 200b is D200b.

[0044] At time Tb, the management server 300 receives the amounts of change from all of the controllers 102, 202 in the operating area 1, and therefore executes the processing of the change amount organizing unit 351 and the transmission priority calculation unit 352 as event processing. The processing of the change amount organizing unit 351 and the transmission priority calculation unit 352 determines whether or not to transmit the measurement data according to the flowchart of FIG.

[0045] In S601, the received data on the amount of change is arranged in the order V100a>V200a>V200b>V100b.

[0046] In S602, d=0 is set.

[0047] In S603, the processes of S603a to S603d are executed for the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200, which are a total of four units.

[0048] In S603a, D100a is added to d.

[0049] In S603b, since d (=D100a) is less than the allowable data amount (see FIG. 7), the process proceeds to S603c, and the transmission permission flag of the hydraulic excavator 100a becomes 1.

[0050] In S603a, D200a is added to d.

[0051] In S603b, since d (=D100a+D200a) is less than the allowable data amount (see FIG. 7), the process proceeds to S603c, and the transmission permission flag of the site sensor 200a becomes 1.

[0052] In S603a, D200b is added to d.

[0053] In S603b, since d (=D100a+D200a+D200b) is less than the allowable data amount (see FIG. 7), the process proceeds to S603c, and the transmission permission flag of the site sensor 200b becomes 1.

[0054] In S603a, D100b is added to d.

[0055] In S603b, since d (=D100a+D200a+D200b+D100b) is equal to or greater than the allowable data amount (see FIG. 7), the process proceeds to S603d, and the transmission permission flag of the hydraulic excavator 100b becomes 0.

[0056] In S604, the calculated transmission permission flags are transmitted to the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200, respectively, to the corresponding devices.

[0057] At time Tc, the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 receive the transmission permission flag, and the processing of the change amount calculation units 151, 251 of the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 is executed as event processing. Since the transmission permission flag=1 for the hydraulic excavator 100a, the site sensor 200a, and the site sensor 200b, they transmit the measurement results (environmental information) to the management server 300 and then calculate the amount of change. Since the transmission permission flag=0 for the hydraulic excavator 100b, they do not transmit the measurement results (environmental information) and instead calculate the amount of change.

[0058] At time Td, the management server 300 integrates the measurement results (environmental information) received from the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 in the environmental information management unit 350, and the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 calculate the amount of change. Thereafter, the same process is repeated.

[0059] In the construction information management system 500 configured as described above, environmental information with large changes is preferentially transmitted, so that important information (environmental information with large changes) can be communicated without increasing the communication load.

[0060] <Variation 1> The first modification will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the environmental information of the hydraulic excavator 100b could not be transmitted to the management server 300 because it exceeded the allowable data amount (see FIG. 7, etc.). However, in this modified example 1, the management server 300 calculates the transmittable data amount D100b' by subtracting D100a+D200a+D200b from the allowable data amount.

[0062] The management server 300 transmits this transmittable data amount D100b' to the hydraulic excavator 100b, and the change amount calculation unit 151 of the hydraulic excavator 100b transmits the transmittable data amount D100b' to the weight reduction processing unit 154 (shown in FIG. 9). The weight reduction processing unit 154 reads the current measurement result stored in the measurement result storage unit 152, thins out (performs weight reduction processing to reduce the amount of data) the current measurement result so that it becomes less than the transmittable data amount D100b' (i.e., so that d becomes less than the allowable data amount), and transmits the result to the management server 300 via the change amount calculation unit 151, the communication control unit 153, and the communication terminal 101 (see FIG. 8).

[0063] The contents of the processing by the weight reduction processing unit 254 (shown in FIG. 9) of the site sensor 200 are similar to the processing by the weight reduction processing unit 154 of the hydraulic excavator 100 described above.

[0064] That is, the server controller 302 identifies an environmental measuring device among the multiple environmental measuring devices 103, 203 that transmits data whose total communication data volume exceeds the allowable data volume, and the lightweight processing unit 154, 254, which processes the measurement results of the identified environmental measuring device, performs lightweight processing on the measurement results so that the total communication data volume is less than the allowable data volume, and transmits the measurement results to the server controller 302.

[0065] In the present first modification, environmental information with large changes is preferentially transmitted, and environmental information with relatively small changes (relatively low priority) can be transmitted with reduced data volume within the range of the allowable data amount.

[0066] <Variation 2> The second modification will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0067] 9, in this modified example 2, a plurality of environmental measuring devices 103 are installed on a hydraulic excavator 100. In this modified example 2, two environmental measuring devices 103c and 103d are exemplified, but the number of devices may be more than two.

[0068] FIG. 10 shows a time chart of an operation example of the third modified example.

[0069] In FIG. 10, unlike the above embodiment, the amount of change is calculated for each environmental measuring device 103 (amount of change calculation unit 151), a transmission permission flag is calculated for each of them (transmission priority calculation unit 352), and environmental information is transmitted to the management server 300 for each environmental measuring device 103.

[0070] <Variation 3> The third modification will be described with reference to FIG.

[0071] In this third variant, the hydraulic excavator 100 does not use past measurement results converted into a grid map as the object for comparing the amount of change, but instead obtains environmental information around the hydraulic excavator 100 as a grid map from the management server 300, and compares the grid map obtained from the management server 300 with the current measurement results (converted into a grid map).

[0072] As shown in FIG. 11, after the measurement, the hydraulic excavator 100 transmits its own position information to the management server 300.

[0073] The environmental information management unit 350 of the management server 300 includes an environmental information extraction and transmission unit 354 (not shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 3 and the like).

[0074] The environmental information extraction and transmission unit 354 is an event processing unit that is executed when self-location information is acquired, and converts environmental information around the machine position sent from the hydraulic excavator 100 (the latest environmental information held by the environmental information management unit 350) into a grid map and transmits it to the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0075] The change amount calculation unit 151 of the hydraulic excavator 100 calculates the amount of change between the environmental information (grid map) around the machine position received from the environmental information extraction and transmission unit 354 and the measurement results currently measured by the environmental measuring device 103 .

[0076] That is, when calculating the amount of change, the change amount calculation unit 151 provided in the hydraulic excavator 100 acquires from the server controller 302 environmental information about the area around the machine position (the latest environmental information held by the environmental information management unit 350) that has been transmitted from the environmental measuring device 103 provided in the hydraulic excavator 100 to the server controller 302, and calculates the amount of change between the acquired environmental information about the area around the machine position (the latest environmental information held by the environmental information management unit 350) and the measurement result currently measured by the environmental measuring device 103.

[0077] The hydraulic excavator 100 may travel or swing. At this time, the position of the environment measuring device 103 in the operating area 1 changes, and it may not be possible to calculate the amount of change by comparing with past measurement results. In the present modified example 3, even if the hydraulic excavator 100 travels or swings, it becomes possible to calculate the amount of change using the latest environmental information about the surroundings of the machine position held by the management server 300.

[0078] <Modification 4> In the present modified example 4, unlike the modified example 3, the hydraulic excavator 100 does not always acquire environmental information about the surroundings of the machine position every time it performs a measurement, but acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the machine position only immediately after the hydraulic excavator 100 has finished traveling. The acquired environmental information is stored in the measurement result storage unit 152.

[0079] The end of traveling may be determined based on a change in the self-position information acquired from the GNSS 104, or based on a traveling drive command input or output by the in-vehicle controller 102.

[0080] Environmental information about the surroundings of the machine position is not acquired until the next travel, but once measured environmental information has been transmitted to the management server 300, the transmitted content is used to update the transmitted range (shaded area in FIG. 12) as shown in Fig. 12. In other words, since environmental information about the surroundings of the machine position is not acquired from the management server 300 every time, the hydraulic excavator 100 performs an update process for the environmental information about the surroundings of the machine position.

[0081] Similar processing may be performed not only for traveling but also for turning operations. That is, environmental information about the surroundings of the machine position is acquired only immediately after the hydraulic excavator 100 has performed a turning operation. The acquired environmental information is stored in the measurement result storage unit 152.

[0082] The end of the turning operation may be determined based on a change in self-position information (orientation) acquired from the GNSS 104, or based on a turning drive command input or output by the in-vehicle controller 102.

[0083] That is, after the hydraulic excavator 100 has finished traveling or swinging, the change amount calculation unit 151 provided in the hydraulic excavator 100 requests the server controller 302 to transmit environmental information about the hydraulic excavator 100 in order to acquire the environmental information about the hydraulic excavator 100 from the server controller 302, but does not request the server controller 302 to transmit the environmental information about the hydraulic excavator 100 until the hydraulic excavator 100 performs traveling or swinging again. In other words, the change amount calculation unit 151 provided in the hydraulic excavator 100 requests the server controller 302 to transmit environmental information about the hydraulic excavator 100 in order to acquire the environmental information about the hydraulic excavator 100 from the server controller 302 only after the hydraulic excavator 100 has finished traveling or swinging.

[0084] In the present modification 4, compared to the modification 3, the frequency with which environmental information about the surroundings of the hydraulic excavator 100 is acquired from the management server 300 is reduced, making it possible to reduce the communication load.

[0085] <Variation 5> In the present fifth modification, the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 transmit to the management server 300 not only the amount of change and the amount of data, but also the time of the past measurement result and the current measurement result that are to be compared.

[0086] The management server 300 rearranges the data in consideration of not only the magnitude of the amount of change but also the time between the past measurement result and the current measurement result that are received for comparison in S601 of Fig. 4. Specifically, the rearrangement is performed based on an index such as amount of change x time x coefficient, or amount of change + time x coefficient.

[0087] In other words, the server controller 302 determines the priority of transmitting environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices 103, 203 to the server controller 302 based on the time interval (time difference) between the time when the past measurement result was measured and the time when the current measurement result was measured, in addition to the amount of change, so that environmental information with a measurement result having a large time interval is given a higher priority.

[0088] In this way, in the present fifth modification, the management server 300 has a higher priority in receiving environmental information when the time interval from the comparison target is larger, so that, when the amount of change is about the same, the older information can be updated.

[0089] <Other> In the above embodiment, the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 are provided with a change amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of change, but the hydraulic excavator 100 and the site sensor 200 may be configured to convert the current measurement results into a data format that is lighter than point cloud information, such as a grid map format, and transmit the lighter data format to the management server 300, which then calculates the amount of change. In other words, the management server 300 (the server controller 302 thereof) may be provided with a change amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of change.

[0090] In the above embodiment, a construction machine such as the hydraulic excavator 100 is used as an example of a work machine, but an environmental measuring device may be mounted on a moving body that does not perform construction work other than a construction machine, and in this specification, it is intended that a moving body that does not perform construction work and is equipped with an environmental measuring device is also included in the term work machine.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the measurement results of the environment measuring devices 103 and 203 are configured to be transmitted to the management server 300, but data processing may be performed such that data in a predetermined area is deleted from the measurement results. Specifically, for example, data processing may be performed such that the range outside the operating area 1 is excluded from the measurement results.

[0092] In the above-described third and fourth modified examples of the embodiment, the environmental information around the machine position is acquired, but the environmental information may be acquired within the measurement range of the mounted environment measuring device 103, which can be measured.

[0093] <Summary> As described above, the construction information management system 500 of this embodiment is provided in at least one of a work machine (hydraulic excavator 100) working at a construction site or a site sensor (200) installed at the construction site, and includes a plurality of environmental measuring devices (103, 203) that measure environmental information at the construction site, a communication device (101, 201, 301) that transmits the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices to a server device (server controller 302) (via a communication network), and a communication device (101, 201, 301) that transmits the current measurement results and past measurement results measured by the (each) environmental measuring device. and a calculation device (change amount calculation unit 151, 251) that calculates the amount of change between the environmental information measured by the plurality of environmental measuring devices and the environmental information measured by the plurality of environmental measuring devices. The server device (server controller 302) determines the priority of transmission of the environmental information measured by the plurality of environmental measuring devices to the server device (server controller 302) so that the priority of the environmental information resulting in a measurement result with a large amount of change is given to the environmental information, and determines whether or not the environmental information measured by the plurality of environmental measuring devices can be transmitted to the server device (server controller 302) based on the transmission priority, and transmits a signal indicating whether or not the transmission is possible to the communication device.

[0094] The server device (server controller 302) determines whether or not to transmit the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices to the server device (server controller 302) based on the amount of change, as well as the amount of data of the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices and the allowable data amount, which is the amount of data allowed for communication (of the communication device), so that the environmental information resulting from the measurement result with the largest amount of change is given a higher priority and so that the total data amount of communication (calculated by adding up the amount of data of the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices in descending order of amount of change) does not exceed the allowable data amount.

[0095] The server device (server controller 302) identifies an environmental measuring device among the multiple environmental measuring devices that transmits data whose total communication data volume exceeds the allowable data volume, determines that the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring device whose amount of change is greater than the amount of change in the environmental information measured by the identified environmental measuring device can be transmitted to the server device (server controller 302) (sets the transmission permission flag to 1), and determines that the environmental information measured by the identified environmental measuring device, and the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring device whose amount of change is smaller than the amount of change in the environmental information measured by the identified environmental measuring device, cannot be transmitted to the server device (server controller 302) (sets the transmission permission flag to 0).

[0096] Of the current measurement results measured by the environmental measuring device (and stored in the measurement result storage unit 152, 252), when a signal indicating that the environmental information can be transmitted is received from the server device (server controller 302) (when the transmission permission flag of the environmental information transmission permission signal is 1), the current measurement result transmitted to the server device (server controller 302) is treated as the past measurement result (to be compared with future changes in the measurement result) (and stored in the measurement result storage unit 152, 252). In other words, the past measurement result is treated as the measurement result transmitted to the server device (server controller 302) in the past.

[0097] The server device (server controller 302) identifies an environmental measuring device among the multiple environmental measuring devices that transmits data whose total communication data volume exceeds the allowable data volume, and the construction information management system 500 has an information processing device (lightweighting processing unit 154, 254) that processes the measurement results of the identified environmental measuring device, and the information processing device (lightweighting processing unit 154, 254) performs lightweighting processing on the measurement results so that the total communication data volume is less than the allowable data volume, and transmits the measurement results to the server device (server controller 302) (variant example 1).

[0098] The server device (server controller 302) determines the priority of transmitting the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices to the server device (server controller 302) based on the amount of change as well as the time interval (time difference) between the time when the past measurement result was measured and the time when the current measurement result was measured (variant example 5).

[0099] The server device (server controller 302) determines the priority of transmitting the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices to the server device (server controller 302) so that the priority of the environmental information resulting from the measurement result with the larger time interval (time difference) is given to the higher priority (variant 5).

[0100] The calculation device (change amount calculation unit 151) that calculates the amount of change in the measurement results of the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine (hydraulic excavator 100) acquires from the server device (server controller 302) the (latest) environmental information around the work machine that has been transmitted from the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine to the server device (server controller 302) when calculating the amount of change, and calculates the amount of change between the acquired environmental information around the work machine and the measurement results currently measured by the environmental measuring device (variation example 3).

[0101] The calculation device (change amount calculation unit 151), which calculates the amount of change in the measurement results of the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine (hydraulic excavator 100), requests the server device (server controller 302) to transmit the environmental information around the work machine in order to obtain the environmental information around the work machine from the server device (server controller 302) after the work machine has finished traveling or turning, and does not request the server device (server controller 302) to transmit the environmental information around the work machine until the work machine performs a traveling or turning operation again (variation 4).

[0102] The calculation device (change amount calculation unit 151), which calculates the amount of change in the measurement results of the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine (hydraulic excavator 100), requests the server device (server controller 302) to transmit the environmental information around the work machine in order to obtain the environmental information around the work machine from the server device (server controller 302) only after the work machine has finished traveling or turning (variant example 4).

[0103] The amount of change is information equivalent to a volume obtained by multiplying the area of ​​the region where the measurement result has changed by the difference in height as the amount of change in the region where the measurement result has changed.

[0104] The amount of change is information corresponding to the area of ​​the region in which the measurement result has changed.

[0105] The server device (server controller 302) updates the environmental information by replacing the environmental information within the measurement range of the measurement results received from the environmental measuring device with the measurement results received from the environmental measuring device, among the stored environmental information.

[0106] The calculation device (change amount calculation unit 151, 251) is provided in at least one of the work machine (hydraulic excavator 100) or the site sensor (200), and is provided in a control device (controller 102, 202) that processes the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring device and transmits it to the server device (server controller 302), or in the server device (server controller 302).

[0107] In other words, the construction information management system 500 of this embodiment determines the priority of data transmission (whether or not data can be transmitted) to the management server 300 based on the amount of change between past measurement results and current measurement results, and transmits the measurement results for which data transmission is permitted to be transmitted to the management server 300.

[0108] According to this embodiment, information on areas where greater changes have occurred is preferentially transmitted to the server device, so that information required to understand changes in the terrain can be accurately transmitted to the server device.

[0109] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to the embodiment having all of the described configurations.

[0110] In addition, each function of the controller in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized in hardware by designing some or all of them as an integrated circuit, for example. Also, each function may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function may be stored in a storage device in the controller, a hard disk, a solid state drive (SSD), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0111] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 1. Operating area 2. Office 100...Hydraulic excavator (working machine) 200...Site sensor 300: Management server 101, 201, 301...Communication equipment 102, 202, 302...Controller 103, 203...Environmental measuring equipment 104...GNSS 105…IMU 150, 250... Coordinate conversion section 151, 251...Change amount calculation section 152, 252...Measurement result storage section 153, 253, 353...Communication control unit 154, 254...Lightweight processing section 350…Environmental Information Management Department 351…Change amount sorting section 352...Transmission priority calculation unit 500...Construction information management system

Claims

1. A plurality of environmental measurement devices are provided on at least one of a work machine working at a construction site or a site sensor installed at the construction site, and measure environmental information of the construction site; a communication device that transmits the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring device to a server device; a calculation device that calculates a change amount between a current measurement result and a past measurement result measured by the environment measuring device, The server device determines the transmission priority of the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices to the server device so that the environmental information with the measurement result of the large amount of change has a higher priority, determines whether or not the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices can be transmitted to the server device based on the transmission priority, and transmits a signal indicating whether or not the transmission can be transmitted to the communication device. This construction information management system is characterized by the above.

2. In the construction information management system according to claim 1, This construction information management system is characterized in that the server device determines whether or not to send the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices to the server device based on the amount of change, as well as the amount of data of the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring devices and the allowable data amount, which is the amount of data allowed for communication, so that environmental information resulting in a measurement result with a large amount of change is given a higher priority and so that the total amount of data for communication does not exceed the allowable data amount.

3. In the construction information management system according to claim 2, the server device identifies an environmental measuring device that transmits data in which the total amount of data in the communication exceeds the allowable data amount, among the plurality of environmental measuring devices; determining that the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring device having the greater amount of change than the environmental information measured by the specified environmental measuring device can be transmitted to the server device; A construction information management system characterized in that it determines that the environmental information measured by the identified environmental measuring device, and the environmental information measured by an environmental measuring device whose amount of change is smaller than the environmental information measured by the identified environmental measuring device, cannot be transmitted to the server device.

4. In the construction information management system according to claim 2, A construction information management system characterized in that, when a signal is received from the server device that the environmental information can be sent, the current measurement results measured by the environmental measuring device are treated as the past measurement results.

5. In the construction information management system according to claim 2, the server device identifies an environmental measuring device that transmits data in which the total amount of data in the communication exceeds the allowable data amount, among the plurality of environmental measuring devices; an information processing device that processes the measurement results of the specified environmental measuring device; The construction information management system is characterized in that the information processing device performs a weighting process on the measurement results so that the total data volume of the communication is less than the allowable data volume and transmits the results to the server device.

6. In the construction information management system according to claim 1, A construction information management system characterized in that the server device determines the priority of transmitting the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices to the server device based on the amount of change as well as the time interval between the time when the past measurement result was measured and the time when the current measurement result was measured.

7. In the construction information management system according to claim 6, A construction information management system characterized in that the server device determines the priority of transmitting the environmental information measured by the multiple environmental measuring devices to the server device so that the priority of environmental information with measurement results having a large time interval is higher.

8. In the construction information management system according to claim 1, The calculation device calculates the amount of change in the measurement results of the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine, and, when calculating the amount of change, acquires from the server device the environmental information around the work machine transmitted from the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine to the server device, and calculates the amount of change between the acquired environmental information around the work machine and the measurement results currently measured by the environmental measuring device.

9. In the construction information management system according to claim 8, A construction information management system characterized in that the calculation device, which calculates the amount of change in the measurement results of the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine, requests the server device to transmit the environmental information around the work machine in order to obtain the environmental information around the work machine from the server device after the work machine has finished traveling or turning, and does not request the server device to transmit the environmental information around the work machine until the work machine again performs a traveling or turning operation.

10. In the construction information management system according to claim 8, A construction information management system characterized in that the calculation device, which calculates the amount of change in the measurement results of the environmental measuring device provided on the work machine, requests the server device to transmit the environmental information around the work machine in order to obtain the environmental information around the work machine from the server device only after the work machine has finished traveling or turning.

11. In the construction information management system according to claim 1, A construction information management system characterized in that the amount of change is information equivalent to a volume obtained by multiplying the area of ​​the area where the measurement result has changed by the difference in height as the amount of change in the area where the measurement result has changed.

12. In the construction information management system according to claim 1, 2. A construction information management system, wherein the amount of change is information corresponding to an area of ​​a region in which a measurement result has changed.

13. In the construction information management system according to claim 1, A construction information management system characterized in that the server device updates the environmental information stored in the server device by replacing the environmental information within the measurement range of the measurement results received from the environmental measuring device with the measurement results received from the environmental measuring device.

14. In the construction information management system according to claim 1, The calculation device is provided in at least one of the work machine or the site sensor, and is a control device that processes the environmental information measured by the environmental measuring device and transmits it to the server device, or a construction information management system characterized in that it is provided in the server device.

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