Remote operation control device and remote operation method

Abstract

To quickly and appropriately detect abnormalities that prevent workers from remotely operating multiple remote-controlled machines at construction sites, and to efficiently operate multiple remote-controlled machines.SOLUTION: A control device 110 (remote operation control device) manages an operation terminal 30 for remote operation, a remote operation device 10 remotely operated by the operation terminal 30, and an automatic operation device 20 automatically operating at the same work site as the remote operation device 10 via a communication network N. When a state is reached where a task is to be performed by the remote operation device 10, the control device 110 causes the automatic operation device 20 to transmit a task execution instruction to the remote operation device 10, and when no task is remotely performed by the remote operation device 10 for a predetermined time after the task execution instruction is transmitted by the automatic operation device 20, the control device 110 revokes the operation authority of the remote operation device 10 from the operation terminal 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote operation control device and a remote operation method that manage, via a communication network, an operation terminal for remote operation, a remote control machine remotely operated by the operation terminal, and an automatic operation machine that automatically operates in the same work site as the remote control machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for a worker to remotely operate a machine or device using a remote operation terminal. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a remote operation system in which a user remotely operates a remotely operated device such as an air conditioner using a terminal such as a mobile phone. In this remote operation system, a notification is sent to the user to encourage remote operation when the air conditioner continues to operate while there is no one in the room, or when the room temperature remains high after the air conditioner has stopped due to a power outage. Then, if the user does not operate the device for a predetermined period of time despite the notification to encourage remote operation, another user is granted the operation authority. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-111674 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, construction machines that perform work at construction sites may use remote-controlled machines that perform work by remote control, and in order to efficiently operate multiple remote-controlled machines, it is required that the operating authority for remote operation be assigned to an appropriate worker. On the other hand, at construction sites, an abnormality may occur in which a worker cannot perform remote operation due to circumstances such as the occurrence of some kind of trouble, and the remote operation may be stopped. However, as in the system described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to detect the abnormality based on prerequisites such as an unmanned room or equipment stopped due to a power outage. Therefore, the problem is what method should be used to detect the abnormality and how to change the operating authority from the worker in whom the abnormality is occurring.

[0005] In addition, in the remote control system of Patent Document 1, if the device is not operated for a certain period of time, a warning is first sent to the user to encourage remote operation, and if no operation is performed for a further specified period of time, the operation authority is changed to another user. With this configuration, there is a possibility that an abnormality that makes it impossible to remotely operate the remote control device is not quickly detected and the operation authority cannot be changed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to quickly and appropriately detect abnormalities in multiple remote-controlled machines that are remotely operated at a construction site, preventing workers from remotely operating the machines, and to ensure efficient operation of the multiple remote-controlled machines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the remote operation control device of the present invention is a remote operation control device that manages, via a communication network, an operation terminal for remote operation, a remote operation machine remotely operated by the operation terminal, and an automatic driving machine that operates automatically at the same work site as the remote operation machine, and is characterized in that, when the automatic driving machine is in a state where it should perform work using the remote operation machine, a work execution instruction requesting the automatic driving machine to perform work is transmitted from the automatic driving machine to the remote operation machine, and when no work is remotely performed by the remote operation machine for a predetermined time after the work execution instruction is transmitted from the automatic driving machine, the operation terminal is deprived of the operation authority of the remote operation machine.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the remote operation method of the present invention uses an operation terminal for remote operation, a remote operation control device that manages, via a communication network, an operation terminal for performing remote operation, a remote operation machine remotely operated by the operation terminal, and an automatic operation machine that operates automatically at the same work site as the remote operation machine, wherein, when the automatic operation machine is in a state where it should perform work using the remote operation machine, a work execution instruction requesting the automatic operation machine to perform work is transmitted from the automatic operation machine to the remote operation machine, and when no work is being performed remotely using the remote operation machine for a predetermined time after the work execution instruction is transmitted from the automatic operation machine, operation authority is revoked from the operation terminal to which operation authority for the remote operation machine has been assigned, and the revoked operation authority is delegated by a construction site manager to the operation terminal of another worker, or made available for acquisition from the operation terminal of any of the other workers. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the remote operation control device and remote operation method of the present invention, it is possible to quickly and appropriately detect abnormalities that prevent workers from remotely operating multiple remote-operated machines at a construction site, thereby enabling efficient operation of the multiple remote-operated machines. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a remote control system. [Diagram 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a construction site where a plurality of remote-controlled machines are used as construction machines remotely controlled by a remote control system. [Diagram 3] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a flow in which the operating authority of the remote controller is transferred; FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a flow for setting operation authority that can be acquired by any operation terminal; FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of a remote control method according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic flow of delegation of operation authority by the processing of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a remote operation system. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a construction site where a plurality of construction machines remotely operated by the remote operation system are operated.

[0012] (Construction site) First, a construction site where a plurality of remote-controlled devices 10 are operated as construction machines remotely controlled by the remote control system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The construction site 1 includes a plurality of (three in this embodiment) construction sites 1a, 1b, 1c. The construction sites 1a, 1b, 1c are not located far apart, as in separate areas, but are adjacent to each other. The construction site 1 is not limited to three, and may include at least one site. The progress of work at each of the construction sites 1a, 1b, 1c is managed in an integrated manner by a manager M.

[0013] At each of the construction sites 1a, 1b, and 1c, a plurality of remote-controlled machines 10 are arranged for carrying out work. In FIG. 2, a hydraulic excavator is illustrated as an example of the remote-controlled machine 10, but the type of the remote-controlled machine 10 is not limited to this, and any construction machine that can be remotely controlled may be used. As indicated by the dashed arrow, each remote-controlled machine 10 is remotely operated by an operation terminal 30 to which operation authority is assigned to operate the remote-controlled machine 10 by a plurality of workers W. In the following description, a certain remote-controlled machine 10 is referred to as a "remote-controlled machine 10A," and an operation terminal 30 to which operation authority of the remote-controlled machine 10A is assigned is referred to as a "corresponding operation terminal 30A."

[0014] Furthermore, at the construction site 1 (construction site 1a in FIG. 2), a plurality of automatic driving machines 20 that perform predetermined operations in response to a specific remote control device 10 (remote control device 10A in FIG. 2) are arranged. Although FIG. 2 illustrates a dump truck as an example of the automatic driving machine 20, the type of the automatic driving machine 20 is not limited to a dump truck as long as the automatic driving machine 20 performs work in cooperation with the remote control device 10. The automatic driving machine 20 may be a wheel loader, a road roller, or the like that performs work while traveling. Furthermore, the automatic driving machine 20 may be a device for moving objects at the construction site 1, such as a crane device or a hydraulic excavator used as a crane device.

[0015] (Remote Control System) The remote operation system 100 is a system for operating a plurality of remote operation devices 10 at the construction site 1 while managing the operating authority for remote operation of the plurality of remote operation devices 10 at the construction site 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the remote operation system 100 includes a plurality of remote operation devices 10, a plurality of automatic driving devices 20, a plurality of operation terminals 30, and an administrator terminal 40. In addition, each of the controllers 14, 24, 38, 48 described below constitutes a control device 110 (remote operation control device) of the remote operation system 100.

[0016] (Remote Control Device) Each remote-controlled vehicle 10 is a construction machine operated at the construction site 1, and includes various devices (not shown) such as an engine, a hydraulic pump driven by the engine, and a working device and a traveling device driven by hydraulic oil pumped from the hydraulic pump. As shown in Fig. 1, each remote-controlled vehicle 10 includes a communication device 12 and a controller 14. Note that, although only an example of remotely controlling the remote-controlled vehicle 10 will be described in this embodiment, each remote-controlled vehicle 10 may be operated by a worker on board.

[0017] The communication device 12 is connected to the controller 14 and a communication network N, and exchanges various types of information between the controller 14 and each automatic driving device 20, each operation terminal 30, and the administrator terminal 40 via the communication network N.

[0018] The controller 14 is a control device for performing overall control including drive control of the remote controller 10. The controller 14 is configured to include a storage device (ROM: Read Only Memory, RAM: Random Access Memory, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit), etc.

[0019] The controller 14 acquires an operation signal from a corresponding operation terminal 30A (see FIG. 2) which is an operation terminal 30 to which operation authority has been assigned, and drives and controls various devices (not shown) of the remote controller 10 based on the operation signal.

[0020] The controller 14 also transmits operation information of the remote control device 10 to the corresponding operation terminal 30A (see FIG. 2) and the manager terminal 40. The operation information includes, for example, information on whether the remote control device 10 is in a standby state or in a state where work is being performed by remote control. The standby state is, for example, an auto-idle state in which the engine speed is automatically reduced to a predetermined low speed due to no operation being performed for a certain period of time, or a state in which various devices of the remote control device 10 are set so that no hydraulic load is applied to them by a shutoff lever (not shown) as a safety device. The state in which work is being performed by remote control can be determined based on the control state of the remote control device 10, for example, whether various devices of the remote control device 10 are subjected to a hydraulic load of a predetermined value or more, or whether the engine torque is a predetermined torque or more. The operation information also includes, for example, information on various control states that are monitored at any time, such as the engine torque of the remote control device 10. Note that the information on the control state may be transmitted only to the corresponding operation terminal 30A.

[0021] Furthermore, when the controller 14 receives a task execution instruction, which will be described later, from the autonomous driving device 20, it transmits information to the corresponding operation terminal 30A indicating that the task execution instruction has been received. Furthermore, the controller 14 receives a task completion instruction, which will be described later, from the corresponding operation terminal 30A, and transmits information to the autonomous driving device 20 indicating that the task completion instruction has been received.

[0022] (Autonomous Driving Machine) The autonomous driving device 20 has a communication device 22 and a controller 24. The communication device 22 is connected to the controller 24 and a communication network N, and exchanges various information with the controller 24, each remote control device 10, and the manager terminal 40 via the communication network N.

[0023] The controller 24 is a control device for performing overall control including drive control of the automatic driving device 20. The controller 24 is configured to include a storage device (ROM: Read Only Memory, RAM: Random Access Memory, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit), etc.

[0024] The controller 24 stores predetermined operation contents, and automatically operates the automatic driving machine 20 with respect to a specific remote control device 10A (see FIG. 2) according to the predetermined operation contents. Specifically, if the specific remote control device 10A is a hydraulic excavator and the automatic driving machine 20 is a dump truck, for example, the remote control device 10A loads excavated soil to a predetermined amount, carries the loaded soil to a predetermined location, and moves again to the vicinity of the remote control device 10A, repeating a predetermined number of predetermined operations. The predetermined operation contents may be appropriately updated in response to an instruction from the manager M via the manager terminal 40 according to the progress of the work at the construction site 1. Each remote control device 10 and each automatic driving machine 20 is equipped with a device for acquiring the position coordinates of the machine itself, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) not shown. The automatic driving machine 20 may move within the construction site 1 according to the predetermined operation contents based on the acquired position coordinates of the machine itself, the position coordinates of the remote control device 10 acquired via the communication network N, and the map information of the construction site 1 stored in advance.

[0025] In addition, when the specific remote control device 10A is in a state where it should perform a task by remote control in cooperation with the automatic driving device 20, the controller 24 communicates with the remote control device 10A as shown by the arrows arranged in a circular ring in FIG. 2 and transmits a task execution instruction to the remote control device 10A. Here, "when the specific remote control device 10 is in a state where it should perform a task by remote control in cooperation with the automatic driving device 20" is when the automatic driving device 20 approaches the specific remote control device 10A to a predetermined distance, stops moving, and takes a predetermined posture corresponding to the task to be performed by the remote control device 10A, as shown in FIG. 2. In other words, "when the specific remote control device 10 is in a state where it should perform a task by remote control in cooperation with the automatic driving device 20" is when the automatic driving device 20 side completes preparations to perform the task in cooperation with the remote control device 10. Note that in the following drawings, including FIG. 2, the description of the above-mentioned predetermined posture of the automatic driving device 20 is omitted.

[0026] The fact that the automatic driver 20 has approached the remote control device 10A to a predetermined distance, stopped moving, and taken a predetermined posture corresponding to the work performed by the remote control device 10A may be detected based on the position coordinates of the remote control device 10A and the automatic driver 20 itself, which are acquired by a device such as a GPS. In addition, a distance measuring sensor may be mounted on the automatic driver 20, and the distance measuring sensor may detect that the automatic driver 20 has approached the remote control device 10A to a predetermined distance. In addition, the "predetermined posture" may be appropriately set according to the type of the remote control device 10A and the type of the automatic driver 20. For example, if the remote control device 10A is a hydraulic excavator and the automatic driver 20 is a dump truck, the "predetermined posture" is a posture in which the remote control device 10A can load the soil excavated by the remote control device 10A. In addition, the automatic driver 20 may transmit a work execution instruction at the time when the automatic driver 20 approaches the remote control device 10A to a predetermined distance and stops moving.

[0027] Furthermore, the controller 24 continues to transmit the work execution instruction while making the automatic driver 20 wait at the above-mentioned predetermined distance and in the above-mentioned predetermined posture until it receives information from the remote control device 10A indicating that the work completion instruction has been received. However, if the construction site 1 is in a state where the remote control device 10A should not perform the work due to some circumstances, the automatic driver 20 stops transmitting the work execution instruction. The fact that the remote control device 10A should not perform the work is transmitted from the administrator terminal 40 to the controller 24 of the automatic driver 20 by, for example, an input instruction from the administrator M. On the other hand, when the controller 24 receives information from the remote control device 10A indicating that the work completion instruction has been received, it causes the automatic driver 20 to move to the next operation according to the predetermined operation content. For example, if the automatic driver 20 is a dump truck, it moves to an operation of transporting the soil loaded from the remote control device 10 to a predetermined location as described above.

[0028] The controller 14 also transmits operation information of the autonomous vehicle 20 to the manager terminal 40. The operation information of the autonomous vehicle 20 includes, for example, information on whether the autonomous vehicle 20 is in a standby state, a state in which the autonomous vehicle 20 is traveling in the construction site 1, or a state in which the autonomous vehicle 20 is working in cooperation with the remote control device 10, information on the current location of the autonomous vehicle 20, and the like.

[0029] (Operation terminal) Each operator W uses one of the operation terminals 30. The operation terminal 30 has an input device 31, a control device 32, a display device 34, a communication device 36, and a controller 38. Some of the functions of the operation terminal 30 may be realized by a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet computer.

[0030] The input device 31 is an interface for the worker W to input various information, and may be included in a touch panel display device 34, or may be a keyboard. The control device 32 is a device for the worker W to control the remote control device 10, and includes, for example, a plurality of control levers (not shown) for instructing the travel of the remote control device 10 and the operation of the working device, and a plurality of control switches (not shown) for performing various settings of the remote control device 10. The display device 34 is, for example, a touch panel display, and displays various information to the worker W. The communication device 36 is connected to the controller 38 and the communication network N, and exchanges various information between the controller 38 and each remote control device 10 and the manager's terminal 40 via the communication network N.

[0031] The controller 38 is a control device for performing overall control of the operation terminal 30. The controller 38 is configured to include a storage device (ROM: Read Only Memory, RAM: Random Access Memory, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit), etc.

[0032] The controller 38 transmits an operation signal corresponding to the operation of the control device 32 by the operator W to the remote control device 10 corresponding to the assigned operation authority.

[0033] In addition, the controller 38 acquires, from the remote control device 10 corresponding to the assigned operating authority, information on the operation of the remote control device 10 and information indicating that a task execution instruction has been received, and causes the display device 34 to display this information.

[0034] Furthermore, when the controller 38 determines that the worker W has completed the task performed by the remote control device 10, the controller 38 transmits a task completion instruction to the remote control device 10 in response to an instruction input by the worker W.

[0035] Furthermore, the controller 38 acquires various instructions and information on messages input by the manager M from the manager terminal 40, and displays this information on the display device 34. Furthermore, the controller 38 transmits various messages to the manager terminal 40 in response to input instructions from the worker W.

[0036] (Administrator terminal) The manager terminal 40 is a terminal for the manager M to perform overall management of the construction site 1, and includes an input device 42, a display device 44, a communication device 46, and a controller 48. Note that some of the functions of the manager terminal 40 may be realized by a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet computer.

[0037] The input device 42 is an interface for the administrator M to input various information, and may be, for example, a plurality of switches or a keyboard, or may be included in a touch panel type display device 44. The display device 44 is, for example, a touch panel type display, and displays various information to the administrator M. The communication device 46 is connected to the controller 48 and the communication network N, and communicates with each remote control machine 10, each automatic driving machine 20, and each operation terminal 30 to exchange various information.

[0038] The controller 48 is a control device that performs overall control of the manager terminal 40. The controller 48 includes a storage device (ROM: Read Only Memory, RAM: Random Access Memory, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit), etc.

[0039] The controller 48 acquires operation information of each remote control device 10 from the remote control device 10, and also acquires operation information of the automatic driving device 20 from each automatic driving device 20, and displays it on the display device 44. The controller 48 also acquires various communication items input by the worker W from each operation terminal 30, and displays it on the display device 44. This allows the manager M to grasp the progress of the work in the entire construction site 1 and the status of the worker W.

[0040] Furthermore, the controller 48 transmits various instructions and information on messages to each operation terminal 30 in response to an input instruction from the manager M.

[0041] (Delegation of Operational Rights) The controller 14 of each remote controller 10, the controller 38 of each operation terminal 30, and the controller 48 of the manager terminal 40 cooperate with each other to carry out processes such as transfer of operation authority for remote operation of each remote controller 10.

[0042] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a flow in which the operation authority of the remote control device is transferred. Now, it is assumed that the operation terminal 30 of the worker W1 is a corresponding operation terminal 30A to which the operation authority OA of a specific remote control device 10A is assigned. As shown in FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 3, the manager M and the worker W1 communicate with each other that the worker W1 will give up the operation authority OA of the remote control device 10A. For example, the above communication is performed when the manager M decides that the operation authority OA should be transferred to another worker W, or when the worker W1 leaves his / her post by his / her own decision and is unable to operate the remote control device 10A. When the manager M agrees that the worker W1 will give up the operation authority OA, the worker W1 performs a process of giving up the operation authority OA by the operation terminal 30. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation authority OA of the remote control device 10 is transferred to the manager's terminal 40. The process of the worker W releasing the operating authority OA may be executed by the manager M via the manager terminal 40.

[0043] When the operation authority OA of the remote control device 10A is transferred to the manager's terminal 40, the manager M selects one of the other workers W. The method of selecting the other worker W by the manager M will be described later. The manager M transfers the operation authority OA to the operation terminal 30 of the selected other worker W (worker W2 in the example shown in FIG. 3) via the manager's terminal 40, as shown typically by the solid arrow A3 in FIG. 3. This allows the worker W2 to operate the remote control device 10A using the operation terminal 30, as shown by the two-dot chain arrow. Note that the operation terminal 30 of the worker W2 is capable of selecting either the operation authority of the other remote control device 10 that was originally operated or the operation authority OA of the newly transferred remote control device 10A, and the worker W2 can operate the remote control device 10 corresponding to the operation authority selected. The worker W2 determines which remote control device 10 to operate, for example, in response to a contact instruction from the manager M.

[0044] The administrator M can also set the delegated operation authority OA to a state that can be acquired by any of the operation terminals 30. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram that shows an example of a flow for setting operation authority that can be acquired by any of the operation terminals 30. The administrator M sets the operation authority of the remote control device 10A to a free-pass operation authority FOA that can be acquired by any of the operation terminals 30 via the administrator terminal 40, as shown typically by a solid arrow A4 in FIG. 4. At the same time, each operation terminal 30 can select the above operation authority FOA at the discretion of the worker W. When the operation authority FOA is selected by the operation terminal 30 of any of the workers W, the operation authority FOA of the remote control device 10A is delegated to the operation terminal 30. As a result, the remote control device 10A only accepts operation signals from the operation terminal 30, and does not accept operation signals from other operation terminals 30 at the same time.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, "the operation authority OA is transferred to the manager terminal 40" means that the operation authority OA can be transferred to the operation terminal 30 of another worker W according to the judgment of the manager M. Also, "the operation authority OA is transferred to the manager terminal 40" means that the operation authority FOA of a free pass that can be acquired by any operation terminal 30 can be set according to the judgment of the manager M. Also, "the operation authority OA is transferred to the operation terminal 30" means that the worker W can operate the remote operation device 10A via the operation terminal 30.

[0046] In the remote operation system 100 configured as above, there is a possibility that an abnormality occurs in which the operator W cannot perform remote operation due to some trouble occurring without appropriate communication between the manager M and the operator W as described above. In this case, it is preferable to promptly detect the abnormality, appropriately determine to revoke the operation authority OA from the operation terminal 30 of the operator W, and transfer the operation authority OA to another operator W. Therefore, the remote operation system 100 of this embodiment executes the process of the remote operation method according to the embodiment described below, thereby automatically revokes the operation authority OA from the corresponding operation terminal 30A.

[0047] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of the remote operation method according to the embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 5 is executed by the cooperation of the controllers 14, 24, 38, 48 as the control device 110 included in the remote operation system 100 according to the embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 5 is started while a certain autonomous driving machine 20 is approaching a specific remote operation machine 10A in order to perform a task in cooperation with the specific remote operation machine 10A.

[0048] First, the remote operation system 100 determines, by the controller 24 of the automatic driver 20, whether or not the specific remote operator 10A is in a state where it should perform a task by remote operation in cooperation with the automatic driver 20 (step S1). Specifically, the controller 24 determines whether or not the automatic driver 20 has approached the specific remote operator 10A to a predetermined distance, stopped moving, and taken a predetermined posture corresponding to the task performed by the remote operator 10A. As described above, the controller 24 may determine whether or not the automatic driver 20 has approached the specific remote operator 10A to a predetermined distance.

[0049] When the controller 24 of the remote operation system 100 determines that the specific remote operation device 10A is not in a state where it should perform a task by remote operation in cooperation with the automatic driving device 20 (No in step S1), the remote operation system 100 repeats the process of step S1 and waits until the specific remote operation device 10A is in a state where it should perform a task by remote operation in cooperation with the automatic driving device 20 (Yes in step S1). On the other hand, when the controller 24 of the remote operation system 100 determines that the specific remote operation device 10A is in a state where it should perform a task by remote operation in cooperation with the automatic driving device 20 (Yes in step S1), the controller 24 transmits a task execution instruction to the controller 14 of the remote operation device 10A (step S2).

[0050] Next, the remote operation system 100 transmits information indicating that the remote operation device 10A has received a work execution instruction to the corresponding operation terminal 30A by the controller 14 of the remote operation device 10A (step S3), and further determines whether the remote operation device 10A is not performing work by remote operation (step S4). In the process of step S4, the controller 14 determines whether or not work is being performed based on, for example, whether or not a hydraulic load of a predetermined value or more is applied to various devices of the remote operation device 10. That is, when a hydraulic load of a predetermined value or more is applied to various devices of the remote operation device 10, it can be determined that work is being performed by the remote operation device 10. Note that the controller 14 may determine whether or not work is being performed based on, for example, whether or not the engine torque of the remote operation device 10 is a predetermined torque or more. That is, it is preferable that the presence or absence of work being performed is determined based on information regarding various control states of the remote operation device 10 that are monitored at any time. However, the presence or absence of work being performed may also be determined based on, for example, whether or not an operation signal is received from the corresponding operation terminal 30A.

[0051] When the remote operation system 100 determines that the remote operation device 10 is performing a task by remote operation (No in step S4), the controller 14 determines whether or not a task completion instruction has been received from the corresponding operation terminal 30A (step S5). When the controller 14 determines that a task completion instruction has not been received from the corresponding operation terminal 30A (No in step S5), the remote operation system 100 repeatedly executes the process of step S4 and waits until a task completion instruction is received. On the other hand, when the controller 14 determines that a task completion instruction has been received from the corresponding operation terminal 30A (Yes in step S5), the remote operation system 100 ends this routine. Note that this causes the automatic driving machine 20 to move on to the next operation.

[0052] On the other hand, when the remote control system 100 determines that the remote control device 10 is not performing a remotely controlled task (Yes in step S4), the controller 14 determines whether the state in which no task is being performed has continued for a predetermined period of time (e.g., more than 3 minutes and less than 20 minutes) (step S6).

[0053] When the remote control system 100 determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed (No in step S6), it repeatedly executes the processes in and after step S4 and waits. On the other hand, when the remote control system 100 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in step S6), it uses the controller 14 to determine whether or not a task execution instruction is being continuously transmitted from the autonomous driving device 20 (step S7). When the remote control system 100 determines that a task execution instruction is not being continuously transmitted from the autonomous driving device 20 (No in step S7), it determines that for some reason, a state has occurred in which the task should not be performed by the remote control device 10, and temporarily ends this routine.

[0054] On the other hand, when the remote operation system 100 determines that the task execution instruction is continuously transmitted from the automatic driving device 20 (Yes in step S7), the controller 14 revokes the operation authority OA from the corresponding operation terminal 30A and transfers it to the manager terminal 40 (step S8). As a result, the revoked operation authority OA becomes available for transfer to the operation terminal 30 of another worker W according to the judgment of the manager M. Also, the revoked operation authority OA becomes available for setting the operation authority FOA of a free pass that can be acquired at any operation terminal 30 according to the judgment of the manager M. Then, the remote operation system 100 transfers the operation authority OA to the operation terminal 30 of another worker W selected by the manager M according to the input instruction of the manager M by the controller 48 of the manager terminal 40 (step S9). Note that the controller 48 may set the revoked operation authority OA to the above-mentioned operation authority FOA of the free pass according to the input instruction of the manager M in the process of step S9.

[0055] The flow of delegation of the operation authority OA by the process of FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram that shows a flow of delegation of the operation authority by the process of FIG. 5. Now, assume that the operation terminal 30 of the worker W1 is in a state where it is the corresponding operation terminal 30A of a specific remote operation device 10A. At this time, assume that an abnormality occurs in which the worker W1 cannot perform remote operation due to circumstances such as the occurrence of some kind of trouble. As a result, even though the automatic driving device 20 continues to transmit a work start instruction to the remote operation device 10A, the state where the work is not performed by the remote operation device 10A continues for a predetermined time. Therefore, the controller 14 of the remote operation device 10 revokes the operation authority OA from the corresponding operation terminal 30A of the worker W1, and delegates the operation authority OA to the manager terminal 40 as shown typically by the solid arrow A5 in FIG. 6.

[0056] The manager M selects one of the other workers W (worker W2 in the example shown in FIG. 6) and transfers the operation authority OA to the operation terminal 30 of the selected other worker W2 via the manager terminal 40, as shown by the solid arrow A6 in FIG. 6. This allows the worker W2 to operate the remote control device 10A using the operation terminal 30, as shown by the two-dot chain arrow. As described above, the operation terminal 30 of the worker W2 allows the worker W2 to select either the operation authority of the other remote control device 10 that he or she originally operated or the operation authority OA of the newly transferred remote control device 10A, and the worker W2 can operate the remote control device 10 corresponding to the operation authority selected by the worker W2.

[0057] (Method of selecting a recipient of operation authority) Next, a method for selecting another worker W to whom the operation authority OA is to be delegated will be described. In this embodiment, the remote operation system 100, in cooperation with the controllers 14 and 48, calculates digitized data that digitizes to which operation terminal 30 of the worker W the operation authority OA should be delegated in correspondence with a predetermined selection item. That is, the digitized data is data that expresses, by points (numerical values), the degree to which the operation terminal 30 to which the operation authority OA should be delegated. Table 1 shows the selection items for calculating the digitized data, the points assigned corresponding to the selection items, and the contents corresponding to the selection items.

[0058] [Table 1]

[0059] When the state of another worker W who is a candidate for the transfer of the operating authority OA matches the contents of each selection item shown in Table 1, the worker W is assigned the total point value shown in Table 1. Therefore, the more selection items that match the contents, the greater the total point value assigned to each worker W. Each point is calculated by the controller 14, 48 and displayed on the display device 44 of the manager terminal 40. This allows the manager M to check the total point value assigned to each worker W when transferring the operating authority OA, and make a decision such as selecting a worker W with a larger total point value.

[0060] In this embodiment, the selection items include seven items, selection item (1) to selection item (7). The points for selection items (1) to (5) are calculated as needed by the controller 14 of the remote control device 10 operated by the worker W based on the operation information of the remote control device 10 and the operation information of the automatic driving device 20, and are transmitted to the controller 48 of the manager terminal 40. On the other hand, the points for selection items (6) to (7) are calculated by the manager terminal 40 based on the information input by the manager M. Note that the manager terminal 40 may also calculate the points for selection items (1) to (5) by acquiring the necessary information from each remote control device 10, etc.

[0061] Selection item (1) is that the remote control device 10 operated by the worker W is in a standby state. As described above, the standby state is, for example, an auto-idle state or a state in which the various devices of the remote control device 10 are set so that no hydraulic load is applied to them by a shutoff lever serving as a safety device. In this way, if the remote control device 10 operated by the worker W is in a standby state, it can be determined that the worker W has time to perform work using another remote control device 10. A worker W who meets selection item (1) is assigned, for example, 4 points.

[0062] Selection item (2) is that the remote control device 10 operated by the worker W and the automatic driving device 20 working in cooperation with the remote control device 10 are separated by a certain distance or more. When the remote control device 10 and the automatic driving device 20 are separated by a certain distance or more, it is possible to determine that there is no need to immediately perform work using the remote control device 10, and the worker W has time to perform work using the other remote control device 10. In other words, the certain distance is determined to be a distance longer than the above-mentioned predetermined distance. Note that the remote control device 10 may obtain current location information of the automatic driving device 20 from a communication network and determine whether the remote control device 10 and the automatic driving device 20 are separated by a certain distance or more. For example, 4 points are assigned to the worker W who corresponds to selection item (2).

[0063] Selection item (3) is that the remote control device 10 operated by the worker W has not received a task execution instruction from the automatic driving device 20 working in cooperation with the remote control device 10 for a predetermined period of time (e.g., about 3 minutes or more and less than 10 minutes). When the remote control device 10 has not received a task execution instruction from the automatic driving device 20, it can be determined that there is no immediate need to perform a task using the remote control device 10, and the worker W has time to perform a task using another remote control device 10. A worker W who meets selection item (3) is assigned, for example, 4 points.

[0064] Selection item (4) is that the autonomous driving device 20 working in cooperation with the remote control device 10 behaves as if it is moving away from the remote control device 10 that the worker W is in charge of operating. When the autonomous driving device 20 behaves as if it is moving away from the remote control device 10, it can be determined that there is no need to immediately perform work using the remote control device 10, and the worker W has time to perform work using another remote control device 10. The remote control device 10 may obtain current location information of the autonomous driving device 20 from a communication network and determine whether the autonomous driving device 20 is moving away. For example, 4 points are assigned to a worker W who corresponds to selection item (4).

[0065] Selection item (5) is that the average engine torque of the remote control device 10 operated by the worker W over a certain period of time (e.g., about 300 seconds) is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value (e.g., 40% or lower of the rated value). If the average engine torque of the remote control device 10 over a certain period of time is relatively low, it can be determined that there is no urgent need to perform work using that remote control device 10, and the worker W has time to perform work using another remote control device 10. A worker W who meets selection item (4) is assigned, for example, 4 points.

[0066] Selection item (6) is that there is no delay from the schedule in the progress of the work of the remote control device 10 that the worker W is in charge of operating. Information regarding selection item (6) is input by the manager M via the manager terminal 40. The manager M grasps the information regarding selection item (6) before starting the work and inputs it to the manager terminal 40 in advance. The manager M may also grasp the information regarding selection item (6) by contacting the worker W during the work and input it to the manager terminal 40. In this way, if there is no delay in the progress of the work that the worker W is in charge of, it can be determined that the worker W has a relatively large margin to perform work using another remote control device 10. For example, 10 points are assigned to the worker W who corresponds to selection item (6).

[0067] Selection item (7) is that the worker W is temporarily driving the remote control device 10 as a substitute. Driving as a substitute means that the remote control device 10 that the worker W is operating is a different device other than the remote control device 10 that the worker W was previously scheduled to operate. The manager M grasps information about selection item (7) before starting work and inputs it to the manager terminal 40 in advance. The manager M may also grasp information about selection item (7) by contacting the worker W during work and input it to the manager terminal 40. When the worker W is temporarily driving as a substitute, it can be determined that there is a relatively large margin in the progress of the work that the worker W was originally responsible for. Furthermore, if the substitute driving is temporary, it can be determined that the substitute driving will end relatively quickly. For example, 20 points are assigned to the worker W who corresponds to selection item (7).

[0068] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the control device 110 (remote operation control device) according to the embodiment manages the operation terminal 30 for remote operation, the remote operator 10 remotely operated by the operation terminal 30, and the automatic driving device 20 automatically operating at the same work site as the remote operator 10, via the communication network N. When a state is reached where a task should be performed by the remote operator 10, the control device 110 causes the automatic driving device 20 to transmit a task execution instruction to the remote operator 10, and when no task is remotely performed by the remote operator 10 for a predetermined time after the task execution instruction is transmitted by the automatic driving device 20, the control device 110 revokes the operation authority of the remote operator 10 from the operation terminal 30.

[0069] With this configuration, when a task execution instruction is transmitted from the automatic driving machine 20 but a task is not performed by remote control for a predetermined time, it is possible to detect that an abnormality has occurred that prevents the worker W from performing remote control due to some circumstances, and as a result, it is possible to deprive the worker W of the operation authority OA. In addition, compared to a case where a warning is once issued to the worker W when a task is not performed by remote control for a predetermined time and the operation authority OA is deprived after a further time has passed after the warning, it is possible to quickly detect the abnormality and deprive the operation authority OA. As a result, it is possible to quickly perform processing such as the transfer of the operation authority OA thereafter. Therefore, according to the control device 110 and the remote operation method of the embodiment, it is possible to quickly and appropriately detect an abnormality that prevents the worker W from performing remote control for multiple remote control machines 10 remotely operated at the construction site 1, and to efficiently operate the multiple remote control machines 10.

[0070] In addition, the control device 110 makes it possible to transfer the revoked operating authority OA to the operating terminal 30 of another worker W at the discretion of the manager M of the construction site 1, and also makes it possible to set a free pass operating authority FOA that can be acquired at any operating terminal 30.

[0071] With this configuration, depending on the judgment of the administrator M, the revoked operating authority OA can be delegated to another worker W or made into a free pass operating authority FOA, thereby enabling multiple remote controlled devices 10 to be operated more efficiently at the construction site 1.

[0072] Furthermore, the control device 110 calculates digitized data indicating to which of the operation terminals 30 of the other workers W the revoked operation authority OA should be transferred in correspondence with a predetermined selection item.

[0073] This configuration allows the manager M to determine which of the operation terminals 30 of the other workers W should be delegated based on the quantified data. In particular, a plurality of remote control devices 10 and a plurality of workers W are arranged at the construction site 1, and the number of remote control devices 10 may be greater than the number of workers W who perform remote operation. Therefore, the manager M can more appropriately and easily handle the revoked operation authority OA by determining which worker W it is appropriate to delegate the operation authority OA to or to set a free pass operation authority FOA based on objective quantified data. Therefore, a plurality of remote control devices 10 can be operated more efficiently at the construction site 1.

[0074] In addition, the specified selection items include the above-mentioned selection items (1) to (5), and the quantified data corresponding to the selection items (1) to (5) are calculated by the control device 110 (controller 14 or controller 48) based on the operation information of the remote control device 10 and the automatic driving device 20.

[0075] With this configuration, it is possible to calculate digitized data according to the work situation currently handled by the worker W based on the contents of the selection items (1) to (5), and it becomes possible to appropriately and easily select a worker W who has leeway in the work situation. In addition, since the digitized data is calculated based on the operation information of the remote control device 10 and the automatic driving device 20 without the intervention of the judgment or information input processing of the manager M or the worker W, the digitized data can be obtained promptly while reducing the burden on the manager M and the worker W.

[0076] The predetermined selection items include the above selection items (6) and (7), and the digitized data corresponding to the selection items (6) to (7) are calculated by the control device 110 (controller 48) based on the information input by the manager M. The predetermined selection items may include at least one of the selection items (1) to (7).

[0077] With this configuration, special circumstances that the manager M is aware of regarding the workers W can be reflected in the quantified data, and a worker W who has sufficient work capacity can be appropriately and easily selected.

[0078] (Modification) Although the description of the embodiment is ended above, the aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, in the process of step S9 in FIG. 5, depending on the judgment of the manager M, one of the workers W is selected and the operation authority OA is delegated, or a free-pass operation authority FOA is set. The process of step S9 in FIG. 5 may be automatically performed by the control device 110 of the remote operation system 100. That is, the control device 110 may automatically delegate the revoked operation authority OA to the operation terminal 30 of another worker W selected based on the above-mentioned digitized data, or automatically set a free-pass operation authority FOA that can be acquired by any operation terminal 30.

[0079] This configuration does not require the administrator M to make a decision, and therefore reduces the burden on the administrator M, and makes it possible to handle the revoked operating authority OA promptly and appropriately.

[0080] In the present embodiment, as described above, the operation terminal 30 of the worker W (worker W2 in the examples of Figs. 3 and 6) to whom the operation authority OA has been delegated can select either the operation authority of the other remote operation device 10 that was originally operated or the operation authority OA of the newly delegated remote operation device 10A. However, after the operation authority OA is delegated to the operation terminal 30 of the other worker W, the control device 110 may revoke the operation authority OA of the other remote operation device 10 that was assigned to the operation terminal 30 of the other worker W.

[0081] With this configuration, only one operating authority OA is assigned to one operating terminal 30, and the worker W can be prevented from operating a remote control device 10 other than the remote control device 10A corresponding to the newly delegated operating authority OA.

[0082] In addition, when no work is being performed remotely by the remote control device 10 for a second specified time period that is shorter than the above-mentioned specified time period after the automatic driving device 20 sends a work execution instruction to the remote control device 10, the control device 110 (controller 14) may notify the operating terminal 30 that has been assigned the operating authority OA of the remote control device 10 to encourage the remote control device 10 to perform the work.

[0083] In addition, in this embodiment, the controllers 14, 24, 38, and 48 cooperate to function as the control device 110 of the embodiment. However, the control device 110 of the embodiment may be realized by a single controller (for example, the controller 48) by transmitting and receiving control signals as necessary to other controllers (for example, the controllers 14, 24, and 38) and acquiring necessary data from other controllers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1, 1a, 1b, 1c construction site 10, 10A Remote control unit (construction machinery) 14, 24, 38, 48 Controllers 20 Self-driving car 30 Operation terminal 30A compatible operation terminal 40 Administrator terminal 100 Remote Control System 110 Control device (remote control device) OA, FOA operation authority M Administrator N Communication Network W, W1, W2 workers

Claims

1. A remote operation control device that manages, via a communication network, an operation terminal for remote operation, a remote control machine remotely operated by the operation terminal, and an automatic operation machine that automatically operates at the same work site as the remote control machine, When the autonomous driving machine is in a state where a task should be performed by the remote control machine, a task execution instruction requesting the autonomous driving machine to perform the task is transmitted from the autonomous driving machine to the remote control machine; A remote operation control device characterized by depriving the operation terminal of the operation authority of the remote operation device when no work is performed remotely by the remote operation device for a predetermined time after the work execution instruction is transmitted from the automatic driving device.

2. The remote operation control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating authority revoked from the remote control device can be transferred to the operating terminal of another worker or acquired from any operating terminal at the discretion of the construction site manager.

3. 2. The remote operation control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a calculation unit that calculates, based on quantified data corresponding to a predetermined selection item, to which of the operation terminals of other workers the operation authority revoked from the remote control device should be transferred.

4. The predetermined selection items are: (1) The other remote control device operated by the other worker is in a standby state; (2) The distance between the other remote-controlled machine operated by the other worker and the automatic driving machine is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance; (3) The other remote-controlled machine operated by the other worker has not received the task execution instruction from the automatic driving machine for a predetermined period of time; (4) The autonomous vehicle is moving away from the other remote-controlled vehicle that is being operated by the other operator. (5) An average engine torque of the other remote-controlled machine operated by the other worker over a certain period of time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value; At least one of the following is included: The digitized data corresponding to the selection items (1) to (5) is calculated based on operation information of the other remote control device and the automatic driving device.

4. The remote control device according to claim 3.

5. The predetermined selection items are: (6) There is no delay in the progress of the work performed by the other remote-controlled device operated by the other worker, (7) The other operator is temporarily operating the other remote-controlled machine, At least one of the following is included: The digitized data corresponding to the selection items (6) to (7) is calculated based on information input by an administrator.

5. The remote control device according to claim 4.

6. The remote control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the operating authority revoked from the remote control device is automatically transferred to an operating terminal of the other worker selected based on the digitized data, or is automatically set to a state in which it can be acquired by any operating terminal.

7. 3. The remote operation control device according to claim 2, further comprising: a remote control device that deprives the operation authority of the other remote control device that was assigned to the operation terminal of the other worker after the operation authority is transferred to the operation terminal of the other worker.

8. A remote operation method using a remote operation control device that manages, via a communication network, an operation terminal for remote operation, a remote control machine remotely operated by the operation terminal, and an automatic operation machine that automatically operates at the same work site as the remote control machine, When the autonomous driving machine is in a state where a task should be performed by the remote control machine, a task execution instruction requesting the autonomous driving machine to perform the task is transmitted from the autonomous driving machine to the remote control machine; When no work is remotely performed by the remote control device for a predetermined time after the work execution instruction is transmitted from the automatic driving device, an operation authority is revoked from an operation terminal to which an operation authority for the remote control device is assigned, The construction site manager transfers the revoked operation authority to the operation terminal of another worker, or makes the operation authority available for acquisition from the operation terminal of any of the other workers. A remote control method comprising:

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