Shovel management device and shovel management system

Abstract

To assist in making a shovel arrangement plan.SOLUTION: This shovel management device comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the hardness of the foundation of a work site from an information processing device capable of communication with the management device; a damage prediction unit that predicts the damage degree of the shovel after work has been carried out at the work site on the basis of the information indicating the hardness of the foundation of the work site and work site information including information indicating a work content carried out at the work site and stored in a storage device; and a display control unit that causes a display device to display the predicted damage degree.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management device for an excavator and an excavator management system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an excavator support device that displays the distribution of ground hardness based on information indicating the hardness of the ground at locations where work has been performed in the past.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, information indicating the hardness of the ground at a new work site cannot be obtained, and the degree of damage when working at a new work site cannot be predicted. For this reason, in the conventional technology, for example, when formulating an arrangement plan for an excavator for a new work site, it is difficult to formulate an arrangement plan considering the life of the excavator.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to assist in formulating an arrangement plan for an excavator.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The excavator management device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the hardness of the ground at the work site from an information processing device capable of communicating with the management device, information indicating the hardness of the ground at the work site, and work site information including information indicating the work content performed at the work site and stored in a storage device. Based on this, a damage degree prediction unit that predicts the damage degree of the excavator after work is performed at the work site, and a display control unit that causes the predicted damage degree to be displayed on a display device. It is an excavator management device.

[0007] The excavator management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an excavator management system including an excavator, the excavator management device, and the excavator support device. The management device is installed outside the excavator management system. An information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the hardness of the ground at the work site from an information processing device, information indicating the hardness of the ground at the work site, and work site information including information indicating the work content performed at the work site and stored in a storage device. Based on this, a damage degree prediction unit that predicts the damage degree of the excavator after work is performed at the work site, and a display control unit that causes the predicted damage degree to be displayed on the support device. It is an excavator management system.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] It can assist in formulating the placement plan of the excavator.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the excavator management system according to the first embodiment.

[0011] The excavator management system 100 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of excavators 20 to be managed, a support device 30 for the excavator 20, and a management device 60 for the excavator 20. In the excavator management system 100, the excavator 20, the support device 30, and the management device 60 communicate with each other via a communication line 70. In the following description, the excavator management system 100 may sometimes be simply expressed as the management system 100.

[0012] In the management system 100 of this embodiment, when information indicating the location of a new work site of the excavator 20 is input, the management device 60 acquires information indicating the hardness of the ground at the new work site from an external server or the like provided outside the management system 100 via the communication line 70. Then, based on the information indicating the hardness of the ground at the new work site and the information indicating the work content at the new work site pre-stored in the management device 60, the management device 60 of this embodiment predicts the degree of damage when the excavator 20 performs work at the new work site, and causes the support device 30 to display the prediction result.

[0013] Note that in this embodiment, the new work site means a work site with unknown ground hardness. In other words, the new work site includes a work site where the excavator 20 has never performed work in the past.

[0014] In this embodiment, by acquiring information indicating the hardness of the ground from the external server in this way, even at a new work site where work has never been performed in the past, it is possible to predict the degree of damage to the excavator 20 after performing work at the new work site.

[0015] Also, in this embodiment, by causing the support device 30 to display the degree of damage to the excavator 20 after performing work at the new work site, for example, it is possible to make an administrator or the like who manages the excavator 20 using the support device 30 understand the impact of the new work on the remaining life of the excavator 20.

[0016] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when formulating the layout plan of the excavator 20 at a new work site for the administrator or the like of the excavator 20, it is possible to consider the degree of damage and the remaining life of the excavator 20, and support the formulation of the layout plan of the excavator 20.

[0017] Note that the degree of damage in this embodiment may be the cumulative degree of damage required for each part of the excavator 20. Details of the cumulative degree of damage will be described later. Also, the remaining life in this embodiment is the life until the parts of the excavator 20 are destroyed.

[0018] In the following description, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 may indicate a representative value of the cumulative damage degree for each component included in the excavator 20.

[0019] Specifically, for example, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 may be the cumulative damage degree with the largest value among the cumulative damage degrees obtained for each component of the excavator 20. Further, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 may be, for example, a representative value determined according to a predetermined condition among the cumulative damage degrees obtained for each component of the excavator 20.

[0020] Also, the external server in the present embodiment may be, for example, an information processing device installed on the Internet or the like and accessible arbitrarily by Internet users. Specifically, for example, the external server may be an information processing device managed by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan or the like. The external server in the present embodiment stores information in which regions are associated with information indicating the hardness of the ground in the regions, and when information indicating the position of the work site is input from the management device 60, outputs information indicating the hardness of the ground corresponding to the position of the work site to the management device 60. In the following description, the information indicating the hardness of the ground obtained from the external server may be expressed as external ground information.

[0021] In the present embodiment, by doing so, the publicly available information regarding the ground can be utilized for specifying the placement plan of the excavator 20. Note that the external server of the present embodiment may be any device as long as it is an information processing device capable of communicating with the management device 60, and is not limited to those installed on the Internet.

[0022] Next, the hardware configurations of the devices included in the management system 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0023] The excavator 20 of this embodiment is equipped with a controller 21, a communication device 22, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 23, a display device 24, a short-range wireless communication device 25, and a plurality of sensor groups 26. The sensor groups 26 output various detection values of the excavator 20. The various sensor values output from the sensor groups 26 are input to the controller 21. The various sensor values output from the sensor groups 26 are included in the operation information of the excavator 20 acquired by the controller 21.

[0024] Specifically, the operation information includes, for example, hydraulic pump pressure, coolant temperature, hydraulic load, attachment posture, hydraulic cylinder extension length, swing angle, operation time, working time, etc. Further, the operation information includes aircraft identification information for identifying the excavator 20 and position information indicating the current position of the excavator 20.

[0025] The controller 21 transmits the operation information of the excavator 20 from the communication device 22 to the management device 60 via the communication line 70. The GPS receiver 23 serves as a position sensor for acquiring position information indicating the current position of the excavator 20. Further, the controller 21 displays various information about the excavator 20 on the display device 24. The short-range wireless communication device 25 communicates directly with the support device 30 without going through the communication line 70.

[0026] The support device 30 includes a display device 31, an input device 32, a processing device 33, a transmission / reception circuit 34, a short-range wireless communication circuit 35, and a storage device 36. The transmission / reception circuit 34 has a function of communicating with the management device 60 via the communication line 70. The short-range wireless communication circuit 35 communicates directly with neighboring excavators 20. Programs executed by the processing device 33 and various information about the excavator are stored in the storage device 36.

[0027] The processing device 33 may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. Based on the data received from the management device 60 via the communication line 70 and through the transmission / reception circuit 34, the processing device 33 performs data processing and displays the processing result on the display device 31. The input device 32 inputs commands and the like input from a user of the support device 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as "user") to the processing device 33. For the support device 30, for example, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone terminal, or the like is used. For the display device 31 and the input device 32, for example, a touch panel is used. The touch panel serves as both the display device 31 and the input device 32.

[0028] The management device 60 includes an input device 61, an output device 62, a storage device 63, a processing device 64, and a communication device 65. In the management device 60, various information transmitted from the excavator 20 via the communication line 70 is input to the processing device 64 via the communication device 65.

[0029] The input device 61 is a device for inputting various information to the management device 60. Specifically, the input device 61 may be realized by, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like.

[0030] The output device 62 is a device for outputting the result processed in the management device 60. Specifically, the output device 62 may be realized by a display device or the like, or may be realized by a device for writing data held by the management device 60 to a recording medium or the like.

[0031] The storage device 63 stores a program executed by the processing device 64, management information including the result of processing by the processing device 64, and operation information acquired from the excavator 20.

[0032] The processing device 64 may be, for example, a CPU or the like, and reads and executes the program stored in the storage device 63.

[0033] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the excavator 20 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a side view of the excavator. The excavator 20 includes a lower traveling body 80, a slewing bearing 81, an upper slewing body 82, and an attachment AT. In the excavator 20, the upper slewing body 82 is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 80 via the slewing bearing 81.

[0034] The upper slewing body 82 includes a controller 21, a slewing motor 83, and a slewing angle sensor 84. The slewing motor 83 rotates the upper slewing body 82 clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the lower traveling body 80. The slewing angle sensor 84 is attached to the slewing motor 83 and measures the slewing angle of the upper slewing body 82. An attachment AT including a boom 85, an arm 86, and a bucket 87 is attached to the upper slewing body 82. The boom 85, the arm 86, and the bucket 87 are hydraulically driven by a boom cylinder 88, an arm cylinder 89, and a bucket cylinder 90, respectively.

[0035] Displacement sensors for measuring the amount of expansion and contraction of the hydraulic cylinders are attached to the boom cylinder 88, the arm cylinder 89, and the bucket cylinder 90, respectively. Based on the amount of expansion and contraction measured by the displacement sensors, the posture of the attachment AT can be obtained. In the following description, the three displacement sensors may be collectively referred to as a posture sensor 91. The posture sensor 91 is included in the sensor group 26 shown in FIG. 1. The measurement result of the posture sensor 91 is input to the controller 21. Further, in the present embodiment, as the posture sensor 91, an angle sensor that measures the angle formed between the upper slewing body 82 and the boom 85, the angle formed between the boom 85 and the arm 86, and the angle formed between the arm 86 and the bucket 87 may be used.

[0036] Furthermore, pressure sensors are respectively attached to the boom cylinder 88, the arm cylinder 89, and the bucket cylinder 90. The pressure sensors measure the pressure on the bottom side and the rod side of the boom cylinder 88, the arm cylinder 89, and the bucket cylinder 90. Based on the pressure sensors, the load applied to the boom cylinder 88, the arm cylinder 89, and the bucket cylinder 90 (the load applied to the attachment) can be obtained. Based on the measurement results of the pressure sensors and the posture of the attachment, the load applied to the bucket 87 can be obtained. In the following description, these pressure sensors may be referred to as load sensors 92. The load sensors 92 are included in the sensor group 26 (see FIG. 1). The measurement results of the load sensors 92 are input to the controller 21.

[0037] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of the excavator 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is an example of a block diagram showing the configuration of the excavator. In FIG. 3, the mechanical power system is represented by a double line, the high-pressure hydraulic line is represented by a thick solid line, the electric control system is represented by a thin solid line, and the pilot line is represented by a broken line.

[0038] In the excavator 20, the drive shaft of the engine 120 is connected to the input shaft of the torque transmission mechanism 121. An internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine is used for the engine 120. The drive shaft of the motor generator 111 is connected to the other input shaft of the torque transmission mechanism 121. The motor generator 111 can perform both driving (assist) operation and power generation operation. The torque transmission mechanism 121 has two input shafts and one output shaft. The drive shaft of the main pump 122 is connected to this output shaft.

[0039] When the load applied to the main pump 122 is large, the excavator 20 performs assist operation, and the driving force of the motor generator 111 is transmitted to the main pump 122 via the torque transmission mechanism 121. Thereby, the load applied to the engine 120 is reduced. On the other hand, when the load applied to the main pump 122 is small, the driving force of the engine 120 is transmitted to the motor generator 111 via the torque transmission mechanism 121, whereby the motor generator 111 is operated for power generation.

[0040] The main pump 122 supplies hydraulic pressure to the control valve 124 via the high-pressure hydraulic line 123. The control valve 124 distributes hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic motors 109A and 109B, the boom cylinder 88, the arm cylinder 89, and the bucket cylinder 90 according to a command from the operator. The hydraulic motors 109A and 109B drive the left and right two crawlers provided on the lower traveling body 80, respectively.

[0041] An attitude sensor 91 and a load sensor 92 are attached to each of the boom cylinder 88, the arm cylinder 89, and the bucket cylinder 90.

[0042] In the excavator 20, the motor generator 111 is connected to the power storage circuit 112 via the inverter 113A. Also, in the excavator 20, the swing motor 83 is connected to the power storage circuit 112 via the inverter 113B. The inverters 113A and 113B and the power storage circuit 112 are controlled by the controller 21.

[0043] The inverter 113A performs operation control of the motor generator 111 based on a command from the controller 21. The inverter 113A switches between the assist operation and the power generation operation of the motor generator 111.

[0044] Also, in the excavator 20, during the period when the motor generator 111 is in assist operation, the necessary power is supplied from the power storage circuit 112 to the motor generator 111 through the inverter 113A. During the period when the motor generator 111 is in power generation operation, the power generated by the motor generator 111 is supplied to the power storage circuit 112 through the inverter 113A. Thereby, the power storage device in the power storage circuit 112 is charged.

[0045] The swing motor 83 is driven by alternating current by the inverter 113B and can perform both power running operation and regenerative operation. During the power running operation of the swing motor 83, power is supplied from the power storage circuit 112 to the swing motor 83 via the inverter 113B. The swing motor 83 swings the upper swing body 82 (FIG. 2) via the speed reducer 131. During the regenerative operation, the rotational movement of the upper swing body 82 is transmitted to the swing motor 83 via the speed reducer 131, whereby the swing motor 83 generates regenerative power. The generated regenerative power is supplied to the power storage circuit 112 via the inverter 113B. Thereby, the power storage device in the power storage circuit 112 is charged.

[0046] The swing angle sensor 84 detects the rotational direction position of the rotation axis of the swing motor 83. For example, a resolver is used as the swing angle sensor 84. The detection result of the swing angle sensor 84 is input to the controller 21. By detecting the rotational direction position of the rotation axis before and after the operation of the swing motor 83, the swing angle and the swing direction are derived. The swing angle sensor 84 is included in the sensor group 26.

[0047] The mechanical brake 133 is connected to the rotation axis of the swing motor 83 and generates a mechanical braking force. The braking state and the released state of the mechanical brake 133 are switched by an electromagnetic switch under the control from the controller 21.

[0048] The pilot pump 125 generates the pilot pressure required for the hydraulic operating system. The generated pilot pressure is supplied to the operating device 128 via the pilot line 126. The operating device 128 includes a lever and a pedal and is operated by the driver. The operating device 128 converts the primary hydraulic pressure supplied from the pilot line 126 into a secondary hydraulic pressure according to the driver's operation. The secondary hydraulic pressure is transmitted to the control valve 124 via the hydraulic line 129 and is also transmitted to the pressure sensor 127 via another hydraulic line 130.

[0049] The detection result of the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 127 is input to the controller 21. Thereby, the controller 21 can detect the operation status of the lower traveling body 80, the slewing motor 83, the boom 85, the arm 86, and the bucket 87 (FIG. 2).

[0050] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the functional configuration of the management device 60 in the management system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the management device in the first embodiment.

[0051] First, the functions of the management device 60 will be described. The management device 60 of the present embodiment includes a management information database 610, an operation information acquisition unit 620, an external information acquisition unit 630, a damage degree prediction unit 640, and an output control unit 650.

[0052] The management information database 610 of the present embodiment is realized by a storage device 63 or the like included in the management device 60. The operation information acquisition unit 620, the external information acquisition unit 630, the damage degree prediction unit 640, and the output control unit 650 are realized by the processing device 64 reading and executing a program stored in the storage device 63.

[0053] The management information database 610 of the present embodiment stores management information. Here, the management information of the present embodiment will be described.

[0054] The management information of this embodiment may include operation information collected from each excavator 20 included in the management system 100, work site information regarding work sites where each excavator 20 may be arranged in the future, contractor information regarding the contractors managing each excavator 20, replacement schedule information indicating the desired replacement time for each excavator 20, and damage degree information.

[0055] Moreover, each of the work site information, contractor information, and replacement schedule information is stored in advance as part of the management information in the management information database 610 by the contractors or the like managing the excavator 20.

[0056] The work site information may include work site identification information for identifying a new work site, information indicating the location of the new work site, information indicating the work content performed at the new work site, and information indicating the work period during which work is performed at the new work site. Further, the work site information may include external ground information obtained from an external server.

[0057] The contractor information may include contractor identification information for identifying the contractor arranging the excavator 20 at the work site, the number of excavators 20 managed by the contractor, the aircraft identification information of the excavators 20 managed by the contractor, and work site identification information for identifying the work sites where the contractor performs work.

[0058] The replacement schedule information indicates the preset replacement schedule time of the excavator 20 by the contractor managing the excavator 20. In other words, the replacement schedule information indicates the operating period of the excavator 20 desired by the contractor managing the excavator 20.

[0059] The damage degree information is information indicating the predicted or calculated cumulative damage degree for each excavator 20. More specifically, the damage degree information may be information in which the aircraft identification information of the excavator 20, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 when working at a new work site, and the cumulative damage degree of the current excavator 20 are associated with each other.

[0060] In the following description, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 after work is performed at a new work site may be referred to as the first cumulative damage degree. Also, in the following description, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 immediately before the excavator 20 performs work at a new work site may be referred to as the second cumulative damage degree.

[0061] In this way, the operation information, work site information, contractor information, replacement schedule information, and damage degree information included in the management information of this embodiment may be associated with the aircraft identification information of the excavator 20.

[0062] The operation information acquisition unit 620 acquires operation information for each excavator 20 from each excavator 20. The external information acquisition unit 630 acquires external ground information from an external server. More specifically, when the operation information acquisition unit 620 receives an input of information indicating the position of the work site, it outputs the information indicating the position of the work site to the external server, and acquires external ground information indicating the hardness of the ground in the area corresponding to the position of the work site from the external server.

[0063] The damage degree prediction unit 640 predicts the first cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 based on the external ground information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 630 and the work site information. Also, the damage degree prediction unit 640 of this embodiment calculates the second cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 based on the operation information of the excavator 20 stored in the management information database 610. Further, when the damage degree prediction unit 640 obtains each of the first cumulative damage degree and the second cumulative damage degree, it stores them in the management information database 610 as damage degree information associated with the aircraft identification information of the excavator 20. The details of the processing of the damage degree prediction unit 640 will be described later.

[0064] The output control unit 650 controls the output of the result of the processing by the management device 60. Specifically, the output control unit 650 may display the first cumulative damage degree and the second cumulative damage degree on the display device 31 of the support device 30. Also, the output control unit 650 may display the first cumulative damage degree and the second cumulative damage degree on the output device 62 as a display device. That is, the output control unit 650 is an example of a display control unit that controls the display on the display device.

[0065] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the operation of the management system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the management system of the excavator according to the first embodiment.

[0066] In the management system 100 of the present embodiment, the excavator 20 periodically transmits operation information to the management device 60, and the operation information acquisition unit 620 of the management device 60 acquires the operation information transmitted from the excavator 20 (step S501). The operation information acquired in step S501 is stored in the management information database 610 as part of the management information.

[0067] Also, in the management system 100, the management device 60 transmits information indicating the location of a new work site to the external server 110 by the external information acquisition unit 630 (step S502), and acquires external ground information corresponding to the information indicating the location of the new work site from the external server 110 (step S503). The external ground information acquired in step S503 is stored in the management information database 610 as part of the work site information.

[0068] Note that when the external information acquisition unit 630 of the management device 60 inputs work site identification information for identifying a new work site by, for example, the administrator of the excavator 20 or the like, and an operation for instructing the prediction of the cumulative damage degree is performed, it may refer to the management information database 610 and transmit information indicating the location of the new work site corresponding to the input work site identification information to the external server 110. This operation may be referred to as a prediction instruction operation. The prediction instruction operation may be performed in the management device 60 or in the support device 30.

[0069] Also, in the present embodiment, when the new work site has a certain area, the new work site may be divided into a plurality of sections, and external ground information corresponding to each section may be acquired from the external server 110.

[0070] By doing so, it is possible to predict the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 according to the position where the excavator 20 works, and the accuracy of the prediction can be improved.

[0071] When a prediction instruction operation is performed, the management device 60 refers to the management information stored in the management information database 610 by the damage degree prediction unit 640, and predicts the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 when work is performed at a new work site (step S504). Details of step S504 will be described later.

[0072] Subsequently, when the management device 60 receives a request for obtaining a prediction result from the support device 30 (step S505), the output control unit 650 transmits the prediction result in step S504 to the support device 30 (step S506).

[0073] The support device 30 causes the display device 31 to display the prediction result received from the management device 60 (step S507).

[0074] In the example of FIG. 5, the processing from step S501 to step S507 has been described as an example of processing, but it is not limited thereto. In the management system 100, the processing of step S501, the processing from step S502 to step S504, and the processing from step S505 to step S507 may be executed at independent timings.

[0075] In other words, the management device 60 may execute the processing of acquiring operation information from the excavator 20, the processing of predicting the cumulative damage degree, and the processing of transmitting the prediction result to the support device 30 at independent timings.

[0076] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the processing of the damage degree prediction unit 640 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the processing of the management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows details of the processing of step S504 in FIG. 5.

[0077] The damage degree prediction unit 640 of the management device 60 according to this embodiment selects one excavator 20 from among the excavators 20 that are the targets of the prediction of the cumulative damage degree (step S601).

[0078] Note that the excavator 20 that is the target of the prediction of the cumulative damage degree may be, for example, an excavator 20 in which the business operator identification information of the business operator to which the administrator who performed the prediction instruction operation belongs is associated with the aircraft identification number.

[0079] Also, in step S601, when the aircraft identification information of the excavator 20 is associated with the work site identification information of a new work site, the excavator 20 that is the target of the prediction of the cumulative damage degree may be an excavator 20 in which the work site identification information and the aircraft identification information are associated with each other.

[0080] Also, in step S601, the excavator 20 may be selected in order from the excavator 20 having the largest second cumulative damage degree D2, which is the current cumulative damage degree, among the excavators 20 that are the targets of the prediction of the cumulative damage degree. Also, the selection of the excavator 20 in step S601 may be performed by the administrator who performed the prediction instruction operation.

[0081] Subsequently, the damage degree prediction unit 640 predicts the first cumulative damage degree D1 when the selected excavator 20 performs work at a new work site, associates the predicted first cumulative damage degree D1 with the aircraft identification information, and stores it in the management information database 610 (step S602).

[0082] More specifically, the damage degree prediction unit 640 acquires information indicating the work content associated with the work site identification information of the work site where the external ground information was acquired in step S503 from among the work site information stored in the management information database 610. Then, the damage degree prediction unit 640 predicts the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the selected excavator 20 based on the external ground information and the information indicating the work content.

[0083] Subsequently, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 620, the damage degree prediction unit 640 calculates a second cumulative damage degree D2 due to the previous operations, associates the calculated second cumulative damage degree D2 with the aircraft identification information, and stores it in the management information database 610 (step S603).

[0084] Specifically, the damage degree prediction unit 640 acquires the operation information acquired from the selected excavator 20 from among the operation information stored in the management information database 610. Then, based on the acquired operation information, the damage degree prediction unit 640 calculates the second cumulative damage degree D2.

[0085] Subsequently, the damage degree prediction unit 640 determines whether or not the processes of step S602 and step S603 have been performed for all the excavators 20 that are the targets of the cumulative damage degree prediction (step S604). In step S604, if the processes have not been performed for all the excavators 20, the damage degree prediction unit 640 returns to step S601.

[0086] In step S604, if the processes have been performed for all the excavators 20, the damage degree prediction unit 640 ends the process.

[0087] Here, the method for obtaining the second cumulative damage degree D2 of the present embodiment will be described. The damage degree prediction unit 640 of the management device 60 of the present embodiment acquires information such as the sensor values of the sensor group 26 for at least one cycle of a series of operations repeatedly performed during the operation by the excavator 20, the work type, the work date, and the aircraft identification number. Note that the range of the period for which information is acquired to obtain the second cumulative damage degree D2 may be arbitrarily set.

[0088] Next, the damage degree prediction unit 640 extracts a plurality of times to be analyzed (hereinafter referred to as "analysis times") within one cycle of the series of operations. More specifically, the damage degree prediction unit 640 may extract characteristic times such as the peak and inflection point of the time waveform of the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder and the turning angle as the analysis times. Note that the analysis times may be automatically extracted based on the time waveform, or an administrator or the like may observe the time waveform to determine the analysis times and input the analysis times from the input device 61.

[0089] Subsequently, at each of the analysis times, the damage degree prediction unit 640 uses the analysis model to calculate the distribution of the stress applied to each of the components such as the boom and the arm. The stress distribution is calculated based on the specific posture of the excavator 20 determined for each analysis time. That is, for each posture of the excavator 20 that appears within one cycle of the repeated series of operations, the stress distribution is calculated based on the load applied to the components of the excavator 20. For calculating the stress distribution, numerical analysis methods such as the finite element method can be applied, for example. At this time, the posture of the excavator 20 and the load applied to the components of the excavator 20 are used as analysis conditions. Here, the load is represented by a vector. The magnitude and direction of the load are obtained from the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, the axial direction of the hydraulic cylinder (the posture of the attachment), and the turning angular acceleration. The turning angular acceleration is calculated by differentiating the turning angle twice.

[0090] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the cumulative damage degree. Here, (A) of FIG. 7 shows an example of the time waveform of the stress applied to one evaluation point of the components of the excavator. In (A) of FIG. 7, the stress is calculated at each of the analysis times t1 to t4. The time waveform of the stress shown in FIG. 7A is obtained for a plurality of evaluation points (a plurality of elements and nodes in the case of using the finite element method) for each of the components such as the boom 85, the arm 86, and the bucket 87.

[0091] The damage degree prediction unit 640 calculates the damage degree (hereinafter referred to as "single-cycle damage degree") accumulated during one cycle of operation for each evaluation point of each component. Thereby, the distribution of the single-cycle damage degree within the component is obtained. The single-cycle damage degree is calculated based on the extreme value of the stress extracted from the time change of the stress.

[0092] An example of a method for calculating the single-cycle damage degree will be described below. First, the maximum value and the minimum value of the stress time waveform shown in Fig. 7(A) are detected. Based on the maximum value and the minimum value, a stress range Δσ, which is the range in which the stress fluctuates, is obtained, and the occurrence frequency for each stress range Δσ is obtained. Let the occurrence frequency of the stress range Δσi be represented by ni.

[0093] Fig. 7(B) shows an example of an S-N diagram. For example, in the S-N diagram shown in Fig. 7(B), the fatigue life (number of breakage repetitions) of the stress range Δσi is Ni times. According to the cumulative fatigue damage rule (also known as the linear damage rule), the single-cycle damage degree D is expressed by the following formula.

[0094]

Equation

[0095] After calculating the single-cycle damage degree D of the component, the damage degree prediction unit 640 calculates the second cumulative damage degree D2 of the component. Specifically, the damage degree prediction unit 640 calculates, for each body and each component of the excavator 20, the sum of the single-cycle damage degrees from the start time of the operation of the body to the current time as the second cumulative damage degree D2.

[0096] Next, a method for obtaining the first cumulative damage degree D1 will be described. The method for obtaining the first cumulative damage degree D1 is the same as the method for obtaining the second cumulative damage degree D2, except that all the values used in the calculation are prediction values.

[0097] Specifically, when new work is performed at a new work site, the damage degree prediction unit 640 predicts the single-cycle damage degree accumulated during one cycle of operation for each evaluation point of each component of the excavator 20. Then, for each body and each component of the excavator 20, the damage degree prediction unit 640 sets the value obtained by adding the sum of the single-cycle damage degrees during the work period when the excavator 20 performs work at the new work site to the second cumulative damage degree D2 as the first cumulative damage degree D1.

[0098] That is, when the sum of the single-cycle damage degrees during the work period when the excavator 20 performs work at the new work site is defined as the third cumulative damage degree D3 during the work period at the new work site of the excavator 20, D1 = D2 + D3.

[0099] Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the display example of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the display example of the first embodiment.

[0100] The screen 300 shown in FIG. 8 is an example of the screen displayed on the display device 31 of the support device 30 in step S507 of FIG. 5.

[0101] The screen 300 of the present embodiment includes display areas 45, 71, and 72. An image schematically showing a new work site is displayed in the display area 45. The first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 for each excavator 20 to be managed are displayed in the display area 71. Work site information of the new work site is displayed in the display area 72. Each display area will be further described below.

[0102] In the display area 45, an image showing the distribution of the hardness of the ground at the new work site and icon images of the excavators 20 when the excavator 20 to be managed is arranged at the new work site are displayed. In the example of FIG. 8, the ground drawn with a thick line corresponding to rank 4 is the hardest, the ground drawn with a medium thick line corresponding to rank 3 is the next hardest, the ground drawn with a solid line corresponding to rank 2 is the next hardest, and the ground drawn with a dotted line corresponding to rank 1 is the softest.

[0103] In addition, the image showing the distribution of the ground hardness displayed in the display area 45 can be reduced or enlarged by pinching in or pinching out the screen 300. Thereby, it is possible to confirm the details of the distribution of the ground hardness.

[0104] The display area 71 displays the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 of each shovel 20 when each shovel 20 is arranged as shown in the display area 45. Note that the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 displayed in the display area 71 may be the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 of the part among the parts included in each shovel 20 for which the sum of the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 is the largest.

[0105] The display area 71 includes display areas 73a, 73b, 74a, 74b, 75a, 75b, 76a, and 76b. In the display areas 73a and 73b, the second cumulative damage degree D2 and the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the shovel 20 designated as the No. 1 machine are displayed. In the display areas 74a and 74b, the second cumulative damage degree D2 and the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the shovel 20 designated as the No. 2 machine are displayed. In the display areas 75a and 75b, the second cumulative damage degree D2 and the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the shovel 20 designated as the No. 3 machine are displayed. In the display areas 76a and 76b, the second cumulative damage degree D2 and the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the shovel 20 designated as the No. 4 machine are displayed.

[0106] The display area 72 includes display areas 40, 41, 42, 43, and 44. In the display area 40, the name of the part for which the sum of the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 is the largest among the parts of each shovel 20 is displayed. In other words, in the display area 40, the name of the most damaged part among the parts to be managed is displayed.

[0107] In the example of FIG. 8, it can be seen that in the shovel 20 designated as the No. 1 machine, the name of the most damaged part is the boom top boss, and in the shovel 20 designated as the No. 2 machine, the name of the most damaged part is the bracket.

[0108] The display area 41 displays information indicating the hardness of the ground in the section where each excavator 20 is arranged. In the example of FIG. 8, it can be seen that the ground in the section where the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 1 and the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 2 are to be arranged is the hardest.

[0109] The display area 42 displays information indicating the work content to be performed at the new work site for each excavator 20. In the example of FIG. 8, it can be seen that each of the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 1, the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 2, and the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 3 is scheduled to perform excavation work, and the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 4 is scheduled to perform loading work.

[0110] The display area 43 displays information indicating the time for which the work content displayed in the display area 42 is to be continued for each excavator 20. In the display area 44, the cumulative operating time for each excavator 20 after the work period has ended at the new work site is displayed.

[0111] From the screen 300 shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that for the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 1, the most damaged part is the boom top boss, and when performing the scheduled excavation work during the work period at the new work site shown in the display area 45, the second cumulative damage degree D2 shown in the display area 73a will increase to the first cumulative damage degree D1 shown in the display area 73b.

[0112] Also, from the screen 300 shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that for the excavator 20 designated as Machine No. 3, the most damaged part is the boom center boss, and when performing the scheduled excavation work during the work period at the new work site shown in the display area 45, the second cumulative damage degree D2 shown in the display area 75a will increase to the first cumulative damage degree D1 shown in the display area 75b.

[0113] Also, in the screen 300 shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the way the cumulative damage degree increases in the excavator 20 of Machine No. 1 that excavates the hardest part of the ground is greater compared to the way the cumulative damage degree increases in the excavator 20 of Machine No. 2 that excavates a relatively soft part of the ground.

[0114] In this embodiment, in this way, it is possible to acquire external ground information indicating the state of the ground at a new work site, predict the cumulative damage degree after working at the new work site, and present the result to the administrator of the excavator 20 or the like.

[0115] Further, in this embodiment, by displaying both the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20 at the current time and the cumulative damage degree when working at a new work site, the administrator of the excavator 20 can be made to understand the magnitude of the damage caused to the excavator 20 by the work at the new work site.

[0116] Note that in the example of FIG. 8, it is assumed that the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 are displayed for each excavator 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. In this embodiment, only the first cumulative damage degree D1 of each excavator 20 may be displayed.

[0117] Also, although not shown in FIG. 8, the screen 300 may have an operation member for selecting a work site to be schematically displayed in the display area 45. When this operation member is operated and the work site to be displayed in the display area 45 is selected, the management device 60 may update the information displayed in the display areas 71 and 72 based on the work site information corresponding to the selected work site.

[0118] By doing so, for each work site, the administrator of the excavator 20 can be made to understand the magnitude of the damage caused to the excavator 20, and the excavator 20 to be arranged at the new work site can be appropriately selected.

[0119] Furthermore, although not shown in FIG. 8, replacement schedule information for each excavator 20 may be displayed in the display area 72 of the screen 300.

[0120] For example, it is assumed that the replacement schedule time is not set for the excavator 20 that becomes the No. 1 machine, and the replacement schedule time is set for the excavator 20 that becomes the No. 3 machine.

[0121] In this case, for example, if the first excavator No. 1, which has the largest second cumulative damage degree D2 among excavators No. 1 to No. 4, is placed at a position where the ground hardness is ranked 2, and the fourth excavator No. 4, which has the smallest second cumulative damage degree D2 among excavators No. 1 to No. 4, is placed at a position where the ground hardness is ranked 4, the load on the first excavator due to the work at the new work site can be reduced, and the remaining life can be extended.

[0122] Also, for example, assume that the excavator 20 which is the first excavator No. 1 with the largest second cumulative damage degree D2 among excavators No. 1 to No. 4 is approaching the scheduled replacement time, and the excavator 20 which is the fourth excavator No. 4 with the smallest second cumulative damage degree D2 among excavators No. 1 to No. 4 has no scheduled replacement time set.

[0123] In this case, for example, if the first excavator No. 1 is placed at a position where the ground hardness is ranked 4, and the fourth excavator No. 4 is placed at a position where the ground hardness is ranked 2, the remaining life of the third excavator can be extended.

[0124] Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to assist the manager of the excavator 20 in formulating an arrangement plan of the excavator 20 considering the life of the excavator 20.

[0125] (Second Embodiment) Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the management device 60A makes a decision on the arrangement of the excavator 20 at a new work site. In the following description of the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and those having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the management device according to the second embodiment. The management device 60A of this embodiment includes a management information database 610, an operation information acquisition unit 620, an external information acquisition unit 630, a damage degree prediction unit 640, an output control unit 650, and an arrangement decision unit 660.

[0127] The arrangement determination unit 660 of the present embodiment specifies the arrangement of the excavator 20 at a new work site based on the replacement schedule information of the excavator 20 and the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the excavator 20 obtained by the damage degree prediction unit 640. Details of the processing of the arrangement determination unit 660 will be described later.

[0128] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the excavator management system according to the second embodiment.

[0129] The processing from step S1001 to step S1004 in FIG. 10 is the same as the processing from step S501 to step S504 in FIG. 5, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0130] Subsequent to step S1004, the management device 60A determines, by the arrangement determination unit 660, the arrangement of the excavator 20 at the work site where the external ground information was acquired in step S1003 (step S1005). Details of step S1005 will be described later.

[0131] Subsequently, when the management device 60A receives an acquisition request for the arrangement result from the support device 30 (step S1006), the output control unit 650 transmits the arrangement result in step S1005 to the support device 30 (step S1007).

[0132] The support device 30 causes the display device 31 to display the prediction result received from the management device 60A (step S1008).

[0133] Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the processing of the arrangement determination unit 660 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the processing of the management device according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 11, details of the processing of the arrangement determination unit 660 in step S1005 of FIG. 10 are shown.

[0134] In the management device 60A of the present embodiment, the arrangement determination unit 660 acquires the replacement schedule information of each excavator 20 included in the management information stored in the management information database 610 (step S1101).

[0135] Note that the excavator 20 from which the replacement schedule information is acquired here is the excavator 20 in which the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 are stored in the management information database 610 in step S1004. In other words, the excavator 20 from which the replacement schedule information is acquired is the excavator 20 that is the target of the prediction of the cumulative damage degree.

[0136] Subsequently, the placement determination unit 660 selects an excavator 20 to be placed at a new work site from among the excavators 20 for which the replacement schedule information has been acquired (step S1102).

[0137] At this time, the placement determination unit 660 of the present embodiment may select the excavator 20 to be placed in order from the excavators 20 whose desired replacement schedule time is earlier and whose damage has progressed. In other words, the placement determination unit 660 selects the excavator 20 to be placed from among the excavators 20 that are the targets of the prediction of the cumulative damage degree in the order of the longest period until the replacement schedule time indicated by the replacement schedule information and the largest second cumulative damage degree D2.

[0138] Subsequently, the placement determination unit 660 acquires the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the excavator 20 selected in step S1102 (step S1103).

[0139] Subsequently, the placement determination unit 660 determines whether or not the first cumulative damage degree D1 is within the allowable range (step S1104). Note that the allowable range in the present embodiment may be determined in advance by the administrator or the like of the excavator 20 and held by the placement determination unit 660.

[0140] In step S1104, when the first cumulative damage degree D1 is not within the allowable range, the placement determination unit 660 decides not to place this excavator 20 and returns to step S1102.

[0141] In step S1104, when the first cumulative damage degree D1 is within the allowable range, the placement determination unit 660 determines this excavator 20 as the excavator 20 to be placed at the new work site (step S1106).

[0142] Subsequently, the arrangement determination unit 660 determines whether the processes from step S1102 to step S1106 have been executed for all of the excavators 20 for which the cumulative damage degree is to be predicted (step S1107). In step S1107, if the processes have not been performed for all of the excavators 20, the arrangement determination unit 660 proceeds to step S1105.

[0143] In step S1107, if the processes have been performed for all of the excavators 20, the arrangement determination unit 660 ends the process.

[0144] In the present embodiment, in this way, the excavators 20 are arranged in order from the excavator 20 having a long period until the replacement scheduled time indicated by the replacement schedule information and a large second cumulative damage degree D2 which is the cumulative damage degree at the current time to a new work site.

[0145] In other words, the arrangement determination unit 660 derives an optimal solution such that the excavator 20 to be arranged at the new work site is the excavator 20 having a long period until the replacement scheduled time indicated by the replacement schedule information and a large second cumulative damage degree D2 which is the cumulative damage degree at the current time.

[0146] In the present embodiment, by doing so, it is possible to perform an arrangement in consideration of the lifespan of the excavator 20 so that the excavator 20 can be operated until the replacement scheduled time desired by the operator.

[0147] Note that the order of selecting the excavator 20 to be arranged at the new work site is not limited to the above-described order and may be arbitrarily set.

[0148] Further, when there are a plurality of new work sites and external ground information has been acquired for the plurality of new work sites, the arrangement determination unit 660 may derive a combination of arrangements of the excavator 20 for which the first cumulative damage degree D1 is within the allowable range for the plurality of new work sites.

[0149] Next, referring to FIG. 12, a display example of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a display example of the second embodiment.

[0150] The screen 300A shown in FIG. 12 is an example of the screen displayed on the display device 31 of the support device 30 in step S1008 of FIG. 10. The screen 300A has display areas 45A, 71, and 72A.

[0151] In the display area 45A, a list of new work sites where work site information is stored in the management information database 610 is displayed. Note that the list of new work sites displayed in the display area 45A may be, for example, a list of work sites managed by the business office to which the manager who performed the prediction instruction operation in step S1006 of FIG. 10 belongs.

[0152] In other words, in the display area 45A, a list of work sites in which the business operator identification information to which the business office to which the manager who performed the prediction instruction operation belongs and the work site identification information are associated is displayed.

[0153] In the display area 45A, selection bars 45a, 45b, and 45c for selecting each of the work sites A, B, and C are displayed in association with the work sites A, B, and C.

[0154] In the display area 72A, in addition to the display areas 40, 41, 42, 43, and 44, the display area 46 is included. In the display area 46, information for specifying a new work site whose arrangement has been determined is displayed for each excavator 20.

[0155] In the example of FIG. 12, in the display area 45A, the selection bar 45a is selected. That is, the screen 300A shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the support device 30 when information indicating the position of the work site A is transmitted to the external server 110 and the external ground information of the work site A is displayed.

[0156] On screen 300A, in display area 71, the first cumulative damage degree D1 and the second cumulative damage degree D2 when the excavators 20 numbered from 1 to 4 are arranged at work site A are displayed. Also, in display area 46 of display area 72A, the name of the work site where the excavators 20 numbered from 1 to 4 are arranged is displayed.

[0157] In this embodiment, in this way, based on the scheduled replacement time set for each excavator 20 and the cumulative damage degree of the excavator 20, the excavator 20 to be arranged at the selected new work site can be determined and presented to the administrator or the like of the excavator 20. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to support the formulation of the arrangement plan of the excavator 20 in consideration of the influence of the work at the new work site on the life of the excavator 20.

[0158] Although not shown in FIG. 12, the scheduled replacement time indicated by the replacement scheduled information of each excavator 20 may be displayed in display area 72A.

[0159] Also, in this embodiment, in display area 45A, when a work site is selected, the display of display areas 71 and 72A may be switched for each selected work site. For example, assume that work site B is selected in display area 45A of screen 300A. In this case, in display area 71 of screen 300A, the first cumulative damage degree D1 after the excavators numbered from 1 to 4 have worked at work site B may be displayed together with the second cumulative damage degree D2. Also, in display area 72A, information based on the first cumulative damage degree D1 after the excavators numbered from 1 to 4 have worked at work site B and the work site information corresponding to work site B may be displayed.

[0160] By doing so, in this embodiment, the administrator of the excavator 20 can be made to understand the arrangement of the excavator 20 for each new work site.

[0161] Further, in the present embodiment, for example, in the list of work sites shown in the display area 45A, when a plurality of work sites are selected, information indicating the order of the work sites to be arranged may be displayed in the display area 46 for each excavator 20.

[0162] Specifically, for example, it is assumed that after the work at work site A is completed, the work at work site B is started, and after the work at work site B is completed, the work at work site C is started, and in the display area 45A, work sites A, B, and C are selected.

[0163] In this case, after determining the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site A, the management device 60A determines the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site B. Specifically, when determining the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site A, the management device 60A uses the first cumulative damage degree D1 of each excavator 20 obtained as the second cumulative damage degree D2 after the work is performed at work site B, and determines the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site B.

[0164] Further, after determining the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site B, the management device 60A determines the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site C. Specifically, when determining the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site B, the management device 60A uses the first cumulative damage degree D1 of each excavator 20 obtained as the second cumulative damage degree D2 after the work is performed at work site C, and determines the arrangement of the excavator 20 at work site C.

[0165] Then, the management device 60A causes the order of the work sites where each excavator 20 is arranged to be displayed in the display area 46.

[0166] In the present embodiment, by doing so, it is possible to support the formulation of a long-term arrangement plan for the excavator 20 for the manager of the excavator 20 or the like.

[0167] In addition, when the work at the work site A is completed, for example, the management device 60A of the present embodiment may re-determine the arrangement of the excavators 20 at the work sites B and C by using the second cumulative damage degree D2 of each excavator 20 at the time when the work at the work site A is completed, and update the arrangement of the excavators 20 at the work sites B and C.

[0168] In the present embodiment, by doing so, each time the work at one work site is completed, it is possible to determine the arrangement of the new work sites where the work will be performed in the future according to the degree of damage of the actual excavator 20, and support the formulation of a more appropriate arrangement plan.

[0169] Note that in the present embodiment, when a prediction instruction operation on the management device 60A is performed in the support device 30, a screen including the display area 45A may be displayed on the display device 31 of the support device 30. At this time, the prediction instruction operation may include the business operator identification information of the business operator to which the administrator operating the support device 30 belongs.

[0170] When the management device 60A receives a prediction instruction including the business operator identification information, it extracts the work site identification information associated with the business operator identification information in the management information database 610. Then, the management device 60A may transmit information indicating the position of the work site specified from the extracted work site identification information to the external server 110.

[0171] In addition, when the management device 60A receives a prediction instruction including the business operator identification information, it acquires the aircraft identification information associated with the business operator identification information in the management information database 610, and extracts the operation information and the exchange schedule information associated with the acquired aircraft identification information. Then, based on the external ground information and work site information acquired for each work site, and the operation information and exchange schedule information for each excavator 20, the management device 60A may determine the arrangement of the excavators 20 for each selected new work site and display the screen 300A on the support device 30.

[0172] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a new work site is selected, a combination of excavators 20 to be arranged is determined for each selected new work site, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0173] For example, when an excavator 20 is selected, the management device 60A may determine a new work site where the selected excavator 20 should be arranged.

[0174] In this case, when an excavator 20 is selected, the management device 60A identifies new work sites where the excavator 20 may be arranged, and acquires external ground information for each identified work site. Then, the management device 60A predicts the first cumulative damage degree D1 of the selected excavator 20 for each identified work site, and may determine the arrangement of the excavator 20 in the order that the selected excavator 20 can operate until the replacement scheduled time indicated by the replacement schedule information.

[0175] In this embodiment, by doing so, it is possible to assist in formulating an optimal arrangement plan for operating the excavator 20 for a period desired by the administrator of the excavator 20.

[0176] Note that the functions of the management devices 60 and 60A in each of the above-described embodiments may be provided in the support device 30 of the excavator 20. In this case, the support device 30 may include an operation information acquisition unit 620, an external information acquisition unit 630, a damage degree prediction unit 640, an output control unit 650, and an arrangement determination unit 660, and the management devices 60 and 60A may only include the management information database 610. By causing the support device 30 to execute the processing in this way, the processing load on the management devices 60 and 60A can be reduced.

[0177] Note that in this embodiment, the management devices 60 and 60A are configured to manage the excavator 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. The management devices 60 and 60A of this embodiment can manage a work machine that performs excavation work instead of the excavator 20. The work machine that performs excavation work may be, for example, a bulldozer, a scraper, a tractor shovel, a continuous excavator, or the like.

[0178] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications, substitutions, etc. can be applied without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, the features described separately can be combined as long as there is no technical contradiction.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0179] 20 Excavator 21 Controller 30 Support Device 31 Display Device 60, 60A Management Device 100 Excavator Management System 610 Management Information Database 620 Operating Information Acquisition Unit 630 External Information Acquisition Unit 640 Damage Degree Prediction Unit 650 Output Control Unit 660 Arrangement Determination Unit

Claims

1. An excavator management device, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the hardness of the ground at the work site from an information processing device capable of communicating with the management device; a damage degree prediction unit that predicts the damage degree of the excavator after work is performed at the work site based on the information indicating the hardness of the ground at the work site and work site information including information indicating the work content performed at the work site and stored in a storage device; a display control unit that causes a display device to display the predicted damage degree. An excavator management device having the above.

2. The work site is a new work site where the excavator has never worked in the past, The damage degree prediction unit predicts the cumulative damage degree of the excavator after the excavator works at the new work site. The excavator management device according to claim 1.

3. The work site information includes information indicating the work period at the new work site, The damage degree prediction unit Based on the information indicating the hardness of the ground at the new work site acquired by the information acquisition unit, the information indicating the work content performed at the new work site, and the information indicating the work period at the new work site, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator during the work period at the new work site predicted, The cumulative damage degree of the excavator up to immediately before the excavator works at the new work site calculated based on the operation information of the excavator is added together, and the value is used as the cumulative damage degree of the excavator after the excavator works at the new work site. The excavator management device according to claim 2.

4. The display control unit displays the cumulative damage degree of the excavator up to immediately before the excavator works at the new work site and the cumulative damage degree of the excavator after the excavator works at the new work site on the same screen. The excavator management device according to claim 3.

5. The storage device stores replacement schedule information indicating the scheduled replacement time of the excavator, The management device has an arrangement determination unit that determines the arrangement of the excavator at the new work site based on the replacement schedule information and the cumulative damage degree of the excavator after the excavator works at the new work site, The display control unit causes the display device to display information indicating the arrangement of the excavator determined by the arrangement determination unit. The excavator management device according to claim 2.

6. The information acquisition unit When information indicating the positions of the plurality of new work sites is input, information indicating the hardness of the ground at each of the plurality of new work sites is acquired for each of the plurality of new work sites. The damage degree prediction unit predicts, for each of the plurality of new work sites, the cumulative damage degree of the excavator after the excavator has performed work at the new work site. The arrangement determination unit determines, for each of the plurality of new work sites, the arrangement of the excavator. The display control unit causes the display device to display, for each of the new work sites, information indicating the arrangement of the excavator determined by the arrangement determination unit so as to be switchable. The excavator management device according to claim 5.

7. An excavator management system including an excavator, the excavator management device, and the excavator support device, wherein the management device an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the hardness of the ground at a work site from an information processing device installed outside the excavator management system; Based on the information indicating the hardness of the ground at the work site and the work site information including the information indicating the work content performed at the work site stored in the storage device, a damage degree prediction unit that predicts the damage degree of the excavator after work has been performed at the work site; A display control unit that causes the support device to display the predicted damage degree. An excavator management system.

Images