Labor-saving method of concrete construction

Abstract

To provide a labor-saving method of concrete construction capable of labor-saving in concrete construction by importing data handwritten at a concrete construction site, which is currently generally done, using an OCR function and application of a mobile device such as a smartphone, and the like, which field workers can easily use, and linking the same with a construction vehicle operation management system.SOLUTION: Character data including characters handwritten on a paper medium or board at a construction site is read using an OCR application installed on a communication terminal of a construction worker and is stored on a data management server. The data is linked with construction vehicle operation data that is obtained by a construction vehicle operation management system that uses GNSS position information to manage concrete construction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a labor-saving method for concrete construction work, and more specifically, to a method for managing concrete construction work by linking construction vehicle operation data from a construction vehicle operation management system that uses location information from GNSS with character data including handwritten input read by an OCR app at the concrete construction site. [Background technology]

[0002] Pouring concrete is an important process in creating a high-quality concrete structure, and the utmost safety and quality control are required, with constant checking of the condition of the pouring site and the operation status of the ready-mix concrete truck to ensure that the ready-mix concrete is poured smoothly.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a ready-mix concrete delivery and pouring management system that allows both a ready-mix concrete plant and a construction site to share the status of the shipment, delivery, pouring, etc. of ready-mix concrete in real time. The system is composed of a host computer equipped with a database and multiple communication devices that transmit data to the database and check the contents of the database. The database contains the following: (1) Specifications of ready-mix concrete (2) Time when mixing of ready-mix concrete begins (3) The order in which trucks loaded with ready-mix concrete are shipped to the ready-mix concrete plant (4) Delivery time of ready mixed concrete at the construction site (5) Completion time of pouring ready mixed concrete at the construction site (6) Time elapsed from the start of mixing the ready-mix concrete (7) The number of trucks currently being used for pouring ready-mixed concrete and the number of trucks currently transporting ready-mixed concrete (8) Cumulative volume of ready mixed concrete delivered to the construction site A ready-mix concrete delivery and pouring management system is disclosed.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a ready-mixed concrete delivery and pouring management system that can accurately and efficiently manage the delivery and pouring of ready-mixed concrete at a construction site. The ready-mixed concrete delivery and pouring management system includes a scanning device that scans ready-mixed concrete delivery slips held by the construction site, and a communication device that transmits image data scanned by the scanning device to a host computer, in which the transmitted image data is converted into characters by the host computer's OCR software, and information data containing specified information is created within the host computer.

[0005] Furthermore, non-patent document 1 discloses a ready-mix concrete truck operation management system that uses GPS location information and links a data management server in a cloud environment with a location information transmission app installed on the smartphone carried by the ready-mix concrete truck driver, and an operation management web app installed on various terminals used by site supervisors, site workers, and other related parties. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-001658 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2017-182208 A [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Koike Construction develops its own vehicle operation management system to manage ready-mix concrete delivery," Nikkei Construction No. 773, published December 13, 2021, pp. 38-40 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] A construction vehicle operation management system that uses GNSS location information has the great advantage of being able to send and receive location data for managed construction vehicles in real time and share that data with all construction-related parties through a data management server.

[0009] However, in actual concrete construction, even if it is possible to know in real time, for example, the departure time of a construction vehicle from a ready-mix concrete plant and the arrival time at the construction site, from the perspective of concrete quality control, it is more important to manage the time when the concrete is completed mixing at the ready-mix concrete plant and the time when the concrete is actually poured at the construction site.

[0010] In terms of quality control of concrete, in addition to concrete mix data from ready-mix concrete plants, data on on-site testing of fresh concrete is also important.

[0011] Conventionally, this type of quality control has been carried out using paper media, such as the "ready mixed concrete delivery slip" specified by the JIS.

[0012] Although efforts are being made to automate and digitize these paper-based data management tasks using various devices, the costs of introducing the systems and training system operators are high, so there are only a limited number of companies that can introduce new systems.

[0013] As a result, currently, in most concrete construction work, data is written by hand on paper as mentioned above, or, in the case of on-site fresh concrete testing, on blackboards or whiteboards, and this data needs to be transcribed.

[0014] The present invention aims to solve the problems described above, and aims to provide a labor-saving method for concrete construction work that can read data that is currently hand-entered at typical concrete construction sites using the OCR function or app of a mobile device such as a smartphone that can be easily used by on-site workers, and link it to a construction vehicle operation management system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The labor-saving method for concrete work of the present invention includes a data management server that accumulates operation data of construction vehicles used in concrete work, a location information transmission app installed on a communication terminal carried by the driver of the construction vehicle and transmitting location information of the construction vehicle to the data management server, and an operation management web app installed on a communication terminal of a person involved in the concrete work and checking the operation data accumulated in the data management server. A plurality of geofences using GNSS location information are set at intervals on the route along which the construction vehicle travels, and each time the construction vehicle passes through the geofence, the entry and exit times of the construction vehicle into and out of the geofence are transmitted to and accumulated in the data management server. This labor-saving method for concrete work uses a construction vehicle operation management system, and is characterized in that character data related to the operation of the construction vehicle or the concrete to be poured at the construction site, including characters handwritten on a paper medium or board at the construction site of the concrete work, is read by an OCR application installed on the communication terminal of the person involved in the construction work and accumulated in the data management server, and the concrete work is managed in conjunction with the operation data of the construction vehicle obtained by the construction vehicle operation management system.

[0016] In the above-mentioned configuration, the configuration of the construction vehicle operation management system part is basically the same as the operation management system described in Non-Patent Document 1 mentioned in the background art section, and by incorporating the concept of geofence, various situations such as the departure and arrival of construction vehicles and the status of each construction vehicle along the route can be displayed in real time on communication terminals such as PCs, tablets, and smartphones, and shared among those involved in the construction work.

[0017] The paper media referred to here includes, for example, the "Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Note" specified in JIS A 5308, but is not limited to this and includes various types of paper media used in paper form at concrete pouring sites.

[0018] The board referred to here is a blackboard or whiteboard for concrete work that has been conventionally used in concrete work, and is not particularly limited. Effect of the Invention

[0019] The labor-saving method for concrete work of the present invention utilizes the OCR functions and apps of widely used mobile devices such as smartphones, so it does not require large capital investment and can be easily used even by on-site workers who are unfamiliar with operating devices.

[0020] By linking this to a construction vehicle operation management system that uses GNSS-based location information, on-site workers only need to perform simple operations on their mobile devices, meaning no special training is required, including for construction vehicle drivers, and the system can be easily introduced by companies of all sizes.

[0021] Since construction vehicle operations and concrete quality can be centrally managed in real time, it is possible to significantly reduce the labor required for concrete construction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1]This is a sample of a "Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Invoice" as exemplified in JIS A 5308:2019. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a simplified diagram showing an example of a delivery slip used on-site that has been handwritten in addition to being printed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a field system in a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a photograph of an example of a blackboard used in on-site testing of fresh concrete. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an overview of a field system in a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a system overview diagram showing an example of a construction vehicle operation management system used in the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the arrangement of geofences in a construction vehicle operation management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the labor-saving method for concrete work of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0024] Fig. 6 is a system overview diagram of an example of a construction vehicle traffic control system used in the labor-saving method for concrete work of the present invention, and its basic configuration is the same as that of the traffic control system described in Non-Patent Document 1 mentioned in the Background Art section. Also, Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the arrangement of geofences used in this construction vehicle traffic control system.

[0025] In the diagram, reference numeral 1 denotes a host computer incorporating a data management server that accumulates data such as operational information for a construction vehicle 2 (hereinafter referred to as a "ready mixed concrete truck"), reference numeral 3 denotes a communications terminal that transmits position information for the ready mixed concrete truck 2 to the host computer 1, and has an application installed to transmit position information for the ready mixed concrete truck 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a communications terminal that checks data such as operational information for the ready mixed concrete truck 2 accumulated in the host computer 1, and has an operational management web application for the ready mixed concrete truck 2 installed.

[0026] The communication terminal 3 may be a smartphone, tablet, or the like, and is carried by the workers at the ready-mixed concrete plant and the driver of the ready-mixed concrete truck 2. The communication terminal 4 may be a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer, and is carried by the site supervisor and other people involved in the construction work, the construction management headquarters at the head office or branch office, and other people involved in the construction work, such as the client and design office.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, a geofence A surrounding the location of ready-mixed concrete plant a and a certain area including the location of ready-mixed concrete plant a, and a geofence B surrounding the location of construction site b and a certain area including the location of construction site b are set on the maps displayed on the screens of communication terminal 3 and communication terminal 4.

[0028] In addition, geofences C and D are set on the road along which the ready-mixed concrete truck 2 travels between the location of the ready-mixed concrete plant a and the location of the construction site b, for example at intersections c and predicted congestion points d, which surround these locations and a certain area including these locations.

[0029] Geofences A, B, C, and D are set to optimal shapes such as circles or rectangles to suit the shape of the complicated roads in the set area of ​​each geofence. Geofence B is set on a road that is not on the map.

[0030] In this configuration, each time the ready-mixed concrete truck 2 passes through geofences A, B, C, and D, the arrival time at which it arrives at each geofence A, B, C, and D and the departure time at which it departs from geofences A, B, C, and D are automatically registered in the communication terminal 3 carried by the driver of the ready-mixed concrete truck 2, and the registered data is transmitted to the host computer 1 and automatically stored in the data management server of the host computer 1.

[0031] In addition, the map displayed on the screens of communication terminal 3 and communication terminal 4 displays the vehicle position of each ready-mixed concrete truck 2 in real time as information indicating the operation status of the ready-mixed concrete truck 2, and also displays necessary information such as the planned amount of ready-mixed concrete to be poured, the actual pouring record, the remaining amount, etc. in real time as information indicating the pouring status of the ready-mixed concrete.

[0032] Information indicating the pouring status is entered by the person in charge of the ready-mixed concrete plant or the driver of the ready-mixed concrete truck 2, etc., using a communication terminal 3 carried by them, and is also displayed on the screens of communication terminals 3 and 4 automatically or by pressing a button.

[0033] This information can be checked in real time by workers at the ready-mixed concrete plant, drivers of ready-mixed concrete truck 2, as well as the site supervisor and other relevant parties at the construction site, the construction management headquarters at the head office or branch office, and other construction-related parties such as clients and design offices, using the communication terminals 3 and 4 that they carry with them.

[0034] This allows the time it takes for the ready-mixed concrete truck 2 moving between the ready-mixed concrete plant and the construction site to pass through geofences A, B, C, and D to be known, making it possible to grasp the operating conditions, such as the operating speed and expected arrival and departure times, for each geofenced section in real time, and to share this information with those involved in the construction. In addition, since it is possible to check the stay time of the ready-mixed concrete truck 2 at each geofenced location, it is possible to predict congestion locations and arrival times in real time.

[0035] For example, since it is possible to confirm the passing time of the ready mixed concrete truck 2 through each geofence A, B, C, and D, it is possible to calculate the operating interval from the time difference when the preceding ready mixed concrete truck 2 passed (the operating interval time is calculated from the time difference, and the operating speed is calculated from the operating interval time and each section distance between each geofence A, B, C, and D to calculate the operating interval distance between the preceding and following ready mixed concrete trucks 2), thereby preventing accompanying operations.

[0036] Next, an example of an embodiment will be described that relates to on-site work at a construction site using an OCR application linked to operation data of a construction vehicle obtained by a construction vehicle operation management system.

[0037] [Embodiment 1] 1. Ready-mixed concrete delivery note

[0038] 1.1 Current situation Regarding ready mixed concrete, JIS A 5308 stipulates standards for the process from when the concrete is mixed in the ready mixed concrete plant to when it is shipped and delivered to the unloading point.

[0039] Figure 1 shows the "Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Slip" (hereinafter referred to as the "Delivery Slip") as specified in JIS A 5308:2019. The contents to be written on the delivery slip are specified, but the format of the delivery slip varies depending on the ready mixed concrete plant.

[0040] In addition, although there is currently a movement to digitize delivery slips, it is predicted that paper documents will continue to be used for the time being.

[0041] 1.2 Assignment Figure 2 shows a simplified example of a delivery slip used on site. As mentioned above, the contents to be written on the delivery slip are specified by the JIS, and the arrival time on the site (9:45 in this example) is written by hand by the driver of the ready-mix concrete truck when it arrives at the site.

[0042] When reading character data including handwritten characters using OCR, there are two methods: using a form OCR system such as a cloud service, or using part of the camera function of a terminal (for example, a smartphone).

[0043] When using cloud services, it is difficult to obtain real-time data and there is a time lag. On the other hand, if the functions can be completed using only the terminal, data can be obtained in real time, which makes information sharing smoother and is also cost-effective.

[0044] Because the traffic management systems shown in Figures 6 and 7 above use the geofencing function of GNSS, the departure time from the ready-mix concrete plant based on the position data of the construction vehicle differs (is later) from the time the concrete is mixed at the ready-mix concrete plant, that is, the actual departure time from the perspective of concrete management.

[0045] In addition, the arrival time of a construction vehicle in an operation management system that uses the GNSS geofence function will differ (be earlier) than the arrival time at the concrete pouring point on site.

[0046] In addition, the arrival time on the delivery slip is often written by hand by the driver of the construction vehicle, and due to personnel deployment and other factors, it is often difficult for the on-site staff to actually check the contents of the delivery slip.

[0047] 1.3 Solution [System Overview] Figure 3 shows an overview of the on-site system in the first embodiment of the present invention, in which the delivery slip issued by the ready-mixed concrete plant on the day of pouring is received by the delivery site, and the text information written on the slip is read using the OCR function of a smartphone or other device. From this read information, the time the ready-mixed concrete truck departed the plant (printed) and the time of arrival at the site, handwritten by the driver upon arrival at the site, are read as numerical information.

[0048] This is recorded together with the time obtained from the GNSS traffic control system to manage the departure time from the ready-mix concrete plant and the arrival time at the site. In addition, text information other than the time written on the delivery slip can also be used for quality control.

[0049] 〔merit〕 The advantages of this system are listed below: (1) It is desirable for quality control because it provides more accurate time (the time required for quality control) than the time information obtained by GPS. (2) By scanning the documents using the OCR function built into the terminal, it is possible to obtain data in real time without using document OCR software. (3) There is no need to process two-dimensional barcodes on invoices, etc. (4) It can accommodate different invoice templates (formats).

[0050] In addition, since handwritten characters are read, it is possible that the accuracy of OCR reading may be affected by how the characters are written. One possible solution is to print a guide display of the characters at the handwritten position, and then trace it to reduce variation and improve accuracy.

[0051] [Embodiment 2] 2. Blackboard for concrete acceptance inspection

[0052] 2.1 Current situation For the purpose of quality control of concrete, a third-party inspector performs on-site fresh concrete testing (hereafter referred to as acceptance testing) at the frequency and items stipulated in the design documents when concrete is poured on-site. The results of the testing are written down each time, either in chalk on a special blackboard as shown in the photo in Figure 4, or in marker on a whiteboard, and a photograph is taken for record. After that, the notes on the test contents are transcribed into a specified format.

[0053] 2.2 Challenges After the inspection, the information is handwritten onto concrete pouring reports and then returned to the office to be digitized, so real-time information sharing is not possible.

[0054] 2.3 Solution [System Overview] The contents written on the blackboard during the acceptance inspection can be read by the OCR on a smartphone, and the read contents can be used in conjunction with the operation control system and quality control system. Figure 5 shows an overview of this on-site system.

[0055] By setting the reading position and placement using the OCR app, necessary numerical data and other information written on the blackboard is sent to a cloud server, and the sent data is recorded in a specified format as quality control information.

[0056] 〔merit〕 Data that was previously transcribed on a blackboard can now be immediately sent to a management server using the camera, OCR function, and app on the site worker's smartphone. By linking this to a construction vehicle operation management system, data can be shared in real time among all parties involved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1...Host computer 2... Ready-mix concrete truck (construction vehicle) 3. Communication terminal 4. Communication terminal A,B,C,D…Geofence a…Ready-mix concrete plant b…Construction site c...intersection d…Predicted congestion locations

Claims

1. A labor-saving method for concrete work using a construction vehicle operation management system comprising: a data management server that accumulates operation data of construction vehicles used in concrete work; a location information transmission app that is installed on a communication terminal carried by the driver of the construction vehicle and transmits location information of the construction vehicle to the data management server; and an operation management web app that is installed on a communication terminal of a person involved in the concrete work and checks the operation data accumulated in the data management server, wherein a plurality of geofences using GNSS location information are set at intervals on the route along which the construction vehicle travels, and each time the construction vehicle passes through the geofence, the entry and exit times of the construction vehicle into and out of the geofence are transmitted to and accumulated in the data management server. The labor-saving method for concrete work using a construction vehicle operation management system is characterized in that character data related to the operation of the construction vehicle or the concrete to be poured at the construction site, including characters handwritten on a paper medium or board at the construction site of the concrete work, is read by an OCR app installed on the communication terminal of the person involved in the concrete work, and accumulated in the data management server, and the concrete work is managed in conjunction with the operation data of the construction vehicle obtained by the construction vehicle operation management system.

2. 2. The labor-saving method for concrete work according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminals carried by the driver of the construction vehicle and the construction personnel at the construction site are PCs, tablets or smartphones.

3. 3. A method for reducing labor in concrete work as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the paper medium is a ready-mixed concrete delivery note, and the character data read by the OCR application includes the departure time from the ready-mixed concrete plant where the ready-mixed concrete is loaded and the arrival time at the concrete pouring site of the construction site, which is handwritten.

4. 3. The labor-saving method for concrete work according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the board is a blackboard or whiteboard for concrete work, and the character data read by the OCR application includes handwritten characters relating to the mix proportions of fresh concrete or the results of field tests of fresh concrete.

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