Construction support system, construction support method, and construction support program

Abstract

To properly manage the combined use of unmanned and manned machine.SOLUTION: A construction support system A1 comprises a control unit 21, a construction plan storage unit 22, and a work status storage unit 24. The control unit 21 communicates with a construction machine 40 in a manned operation mode and a construction machine 40 in an automatic operation mode. The control unit 21 acquires work status information of the construction machine in the automatic operation mode, calculates work efficiency based on the work status information, determines whether the work status information is abnormal, and if it determines that the work status information is abnormal, outputs behavior information of the construction machine in the manned operation mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a construction support system, a construction support method, and a construction support program for performing construction by a plurality of construction machines.

Background Art

[0002] In construction work such as construction, many construction machines are used. For this reason, a construction management system for managing construction machines has been studied (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The construction management system disclosed in this Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of construction machines that perform work by autonomous driving at a construction site, a management device that can be operated by an operator, and a platform in which the plurality of construction machines and the management device are communicably connected. Each construction machine transmits the acquired self-position to the platform. The management device transmits the safety priorities for the plurality of construction machines to the platform. The platform determines whether an emergency stop is necessary for each construction machine based on the self-position and safety priority of each construction machine during the work of each construction machine.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In particular, at a large-scale construction site, it is necessary to use many construction machines. In this case, since the site conditions and construction content are diverse, it is difficult to perform construction on all construction machines by autonomous driving using drones. For this reason, at a single construction site, drones by autonomous driving and manned machines operated by an operator are used in combination. Here, efficient construction cannot be achieved unless the combined use of drones and manned machines is managed accurately.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The construction support system for solving the above problems is such that a computer acquires work status information of a construction machine in an automatic driving mode, determines whether the work status information is abnormal, and outputs behavior information of a construction machine in a manned driving mode when it is determined that the work status information is abnormal.

Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, the combined use of unmanned aircraft and manned aircraft can be accurately managed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a construction support system, a construction support method, and a construction support program are embodied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the present embodiment, it will be described as a construction support system used for managing construction machines used at a construction site of a construction project.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the construction support system A1 includes a management server 20. The management server 20 is interconnected by a network with a management device 10, a monitoring device 15, a weather information site 30, a terrain information site 32, and a construction machine 40. The construction machine 40 includes a manned aircraft 40a and an unmanned aircraft 40b.

[0010] The manned aircraft 40a is a construction machine that an operator boarding the construction machine 40 operates at the construction site. The construction machine 40b is a construction machine that is not operated by an operator at the construction site. This unmanned aerial vehicle 40b performs autonomous operation to execute the instructed construction work through sensing such as obtaining position information and recognizing the surrounding environment. Note that this unmanned aerial vehicle 40b may also include the case where an operator operates it remotely. The construction machine 40 corresponds only to manned operation, only to unmanned operation, or is capable of corresponding to both the manned machine 40a and the unmanned aerial vehicle 40b by changing the operation mode.

[0011] This construction machine 40 includes shovels such as backhoes, various cranes such as crawler cranes, transport machines such as dump trucks, and the like. (Description of Hardware Configuration) Using FIG. 2, the hardware configuration of the management device 10, the monitoring device 15, the management server 20, and the information processing device H10 that constitutes the construction machine 40 will be described. The information processing device H10 includes a communication device H11, an input device H12, a display device H13, a storage device H14, and a processor H15. Note that this hardware configuration is an example, and it is also possible to be realized by other hardware.

[0012] The communication device H11 is an interface that establishes a communication path with other devices and executes data transmission and reception. The input device H12 is a device that accepts input of various information, such as a mouse and a keyboard. The display device H13 is a display or the like that displays various information.

[0013] The storage device H14 is a storage device that stores data and various programs for executing various functions of the management device 10, the monitoring device 15, the management server 20, the weather information site 30, the terrain information site 32, and the construction machine 40.

[0014] Processor H15 is a device (such as a CPU or MPU) that controls each process in the management device 10, the monitoring device 15, the management server 20, and the construction machine 40 by using programs and data stored in the storage device H14. This processor H15 expands the program stored in a ROM or the like into a RAM and executes various processes for each process. Note that the processor H15 may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit (for example, an application-specific integrated circuit).

[0015] That is, the processor H15 may be configured as follows. 〔1〕One or more processors that operate according to a computer program (software) 〔2〕One or more dedicated hardware circuits that execute at least a part of various processes, or 〔3〕A combination thereof, including circuitry The processor includes a CPU and memories such as a RAM and a ROM, and the memories store program codes or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute processes. The memory, that is, the computer-readable medium, includes any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer.

[0016] (System configuration) Next, each function of the construction support system A1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The management device 10 is a computer terminal used by a manager at a construction site. For example, the management device 10 may be a terminal installed in a monitoring center remote from the construction site.

[0017] The monitoring device 15 is a computer terminal for managing the terrain conditions at the construction site of a construction project. This monitoring device 15 uses a drone, which is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that flies by remote control or autopilot. This monitoring device 15 is equipped with a sensor that measures the shape of an object using laser light, sound waves, etc. in order to measure the current terrain of the construction site in three dimensions. Laser scan type, time-of-flight type, and photogrammetry type can be used. In this embodiment, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which measures the distance and shape to an object using laser light, is used.

[0018] The management server 20 is a computer system that supports the management of construction machinery 40 used at the construction site. The management server 20 is composed of one or more information processing devices H10. This management server 20 includes a control unit 21, a construction plan storage unit 22, and a work status storage unit 24.

[0019] The control unit 21 supports the management of the construction machinery 40 at the construction site of the construction project. The control unit 21 executes management steps, determination steps, output steps, etc. by executing a construction support program. And by executing this program, the control unit 21 functions as a management unit 211, a determination unit 212, and an output unit 213.

[0020] The management unit 211 executes processes for managing the determination unit 212 and the output unit 213. In addition, the management unit 211 acquires the work status of the construction machinery 40 in the automatic driving mode. The determination unit 212 determines whether or not the work status of the construction machinery 40 in the automatic driving mode is abnormal. Note that "the work status is abnormal" means that the work status does not meet a predetermined standard. For example, when there is a reference value indicating the work status, the determination unit 212 determines that the work status is abnormal when the actual work status is below or exceeds the reference value.

[0021] Furthermore, the determination unit 212 executes determination processing for a manned area that uses the manned aircraft 40a and an unmanned area that uses the unmanned aircraft 40b for each area of the construction site. The determination unit 212 holds manned / unmanned determination information for determining whether "only the manned aircraft 40a is applicable" or "either the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b is applicable" according to the construction content.

[0022] When the output unit 213 determines that the working condition is abnormal by the determination unit 212, the output unit 213 outputs the behavior information of the construction machine 40 in the manned operation mode to the display device H13 etc. of the management device 10. The behavior information of the construction machine 40 in the manned operation mode may be output as a dashboard together with information on other construction plans or achievements.

[0023] Construction plan storage unit 22 records construction management data. This construction management data is recorded when construction plan information regarding the process of the construction work is registered. The construction management data records information regarding the site ID, location, area ID, process ID, year / month / day, and time zone.

[0024] The site ID is information regarding an identifier for specifying the construction site. The location is information regarding the location (latitude / longitude) for specifying this construction site. The area ID is an identifier for specifying each area (area) that divides this construction site.

[0025] The process ID is an identifier for specifying the process performed at this construction site. The year / month / day data is information regarding the year / month / day when this process is executed. The time zone data is information regarding the time zone when this process is executed on this year / month / day.

[0026] The working condition memory unit 24 records the working condition information of the construction site. The working condition information is recorded when the control unit 21 acquires information on the terrain of the construction site from the monitoring device 15. Also, the working condition is recorded when the control unit 21 acquires information on the driving condition from the drone 40b. The working condition information records information on the year, month, day, site ID, area ID, current terrain, driving condition, and working efficiency.

[0027] The year, month, and day are information regarding the year, month, and day when the construction machinery 40 is scheduled to be used. The site ID is information regarding the identifier for specifying the construction site. The area ID is an identifier for specifying each area (area) that divides this construction site.

[0028] The current terrain is information regarding the three-dimensional current terrain of this area (undulations of the ground surface, embankment situation, cut-off situation, leveling situation, etc.). The current terrain is information acquired from the monitoring device 15 or terrain information processed from that information. Based on this current terrain, the progress status of the construction (completed or uncompleted areas) can be grasped. The current terrain is affected by "weather", "presence or absence of undulations", "slope", "width", "soil quality", etc.

[0029] The driving condition includes the braking condition of the drone 40b. The braking condition of the drone 40b is acquired from the drone 40b or the monitoring device 15. The braking condition includes the frequency of applying the brakes, braking distance, etc. The braking frequency of the drone 40b increases when there are many other vehicles or obstacles around. The driving condition is affected by "weather", "presence or absence of undulations", "slope", "width", "soil quality", etc. in the same way as the current terrain.

[0030] The working efficiency indicates the past working efficiency of the drone 40b during the target period. The working efficiency is calculated from at least one of the current terrain and the driving condition. The weather information site 30 is a computer system that provides information on the weather of the area where the construction site is located. In this embodiment, future weather information for a predetermined period is acquired from the weather information site 30.

[0031] The terrain information site 32 is a computer system that provides mesh data regarding the geographical information of the surrounding area of the construction site. In this embodiment, by using the website of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan as the terrain information site 32, three-dimensional digital data such as terrain (undulations and shapes of the ground surface) is obtained.

[0032] The construction support process will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 shows the procedure of the construction plan process performed for creating a construction plan or the like. The control unit 21 of the management server 20 executes the acquisition process of the construction site status (step S11). Specifically, the management unit 211 of the control unit 21 acquires the position information (latitude, longitude) of the construction site to be managed from the construction plan storage unit 22, and acquires the weather information of the area including this latitude and longitude from the weather information site 30. Further, the management unit 211 acquires the mesh data of the area including this latitude and longitude from the terrain information site 32. Furthermore, when the current terrain or driving status is recorded in the work status storage unit 24, the management unit 211 acquires them.

[0033] Next, the control unit 21 of the management server 20 executes the manned / unmanned determination process for each area (step S12). Specifically, the management unit 211 of the control unit 21 acquires the construction content for each area on the work day from the construction plan storage unit 22. Then, the determination unit 212 determines the manned aircraft 40a and the unmanned aircraft 40b according to the construction content. In this case, first, using the manned / unmanned determination information, it is determined whether "only the manned aircraft 40a is applicable" or "either the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b is applicable". Here, the area with the construction content for which "only the manned aircraft 40a is applicable" is determined as the manned area.

[0034] Furthermore, for the area with the construction content for which "either the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b is applicable", it is determined by using the weather information acquired from the weather information site 30, the terrain information site 32, and the work status information acquired from the work status storage unit 24. For example, scoring for determining the manned aircraft 40a and the unmanned aircraft 40b is performed based on the weather information and the work status information.

[0035] In this case, when it is determined that the weather in the weather information is bad and the visibility by the operator is narrow, the score of the drone 40b is increased. In this case, the score of the drone 40b may be decreased according to the performance of the sensor of the drone 40b.

[0036] Also, in the terrain in the terrain information, when it is determined that the difficulty of construction according to the construction content is high, the score of the manned aircraft 40a is increased. In this case, scoring may be performed according to the area, slope, soil quality, and firmness of the ground surface using the terrain information.

[0037] And in the area of the construction content where "either the manned aircraft 40a or the drone 40b is possible", an area where the score of the drone 40b is higher than the score of the manned aircraft 40a is determined as an unmanned area. On the other hand, an area where the score of the drone 40b is less than or equal to the score of the manned aircraft 40a is determined as an unmanned area.

[0038] Then, the determination unit 212 determines the number of manned aircraft 40a and the number of drones 40b by allocating the manned aircraft 40a or the drone 40b for each area by scoring (step S13). The area to which the manned aircraft 40a and the drone 40b are allocated, and the number of manned aircraft 40a and the number of drones 40b are stored in the construction plan storage unit 22 as construction plan information. The manager arranges the manned aircraft 40a and the drone 40b based on the construction plan information.

[0039] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the construction support process will be described. The construction support process is performed at a timing when feedback to the construction plan is required. For example, the construction support process is performed every predetermined time, when the work for half a day or one day is completed. Or the construction support process may be performed when conditions such as a change in the weather information or the completion of a predetermined work at the construction site are satisfied.

[0040] The management unit 211 acquires the working status of the drone 40b in the automatic driving mode (step S20). The management unit 211 may acquire the working status at predetermined time intervals. Alternatively, the management unit 211 may acquire the working status at a predetermined time or at a time when the work is scheduled to end.

[0041] Based on the working status, the management unit 211 calculates the working efficiency (step S21). For example, the determination unit 212 calculates the amount of work for a target period (e.g., one day) using the working status, and divides the amount of work by the target period to calculate the working efficiency.

[0042] Alternatively, the management unit 211 calculates the working efficiency based on the acquired driving status. For example, if the management unit 211 determines that the working efficiency has decreased because the braking frequency included in the driving status is higher than the standard due to reasons such as many unexpected obstacles, etc. The braking frequency is calculated by dividing the number of brakings by the target period, etc.

[0043] The determination unit 212 determines whether the working efficiency is normal (step S22, determination step). The determination unit 212 compares the calculated working efficiency with the reference working efficiency. The reference working efficiency is the past working efficiency recorded in the working status storage unit 24 or the pre-registered working efficiency. If the determination unit 212 determines, as a result of the comparison, that the working efficiency calculated in step S21 is equal to or higher than the reference working efficiency, it determines that it is normal. Also, if the determination unit 212 determines that the calculated working efficiency is low, it determines that it is abnormal. For example, when a reference value regarding the working efficiency is set, the determination unit 212 may determine whether the working efficiency is below (or exceeds) the reference value.

[0044] When the determination unit 212 determines that the working efficiency of the drone 40b is normal (step S22: YES), it returns to step S20. When the determination unit 212 determines that the working efficiency of the drone 40b is abnormal (step S22: NO), the output unit 213 outputs the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a to the display device H13 etc. of the management device 10 (step S23, output step).

[0045] For example, as the behavior information, the output unit 213 outputs the working efficiency of the area assigned to the manned aircraft 40a of the same type as the drone 40b at the same construction site. Or the output unit 213 outputs the working time required for a specific operation of the manned aircraft 40a of the same type as the drone 40b. Or the output unit 213 outputs the movement trajectory of the manned aircraft 40a of the same type as the drone 40b. Or the output unit 213 predicts the working efficiency when the manned aircraft 40a is applied to the area where the working efficiency is determined to be abnormal, and outputs the predicted working efficiency.

[0046] When the management unit 211 receives the user's operation, it changes the construction plan determined to be abnormal in terms of working efficiency (step S24). The change targets are the area assignment of the drone 40b, the operation mode, or the number of construction machines 40, etc. For example, a manned aircraft 40a or a drone 40b may be added. The change of the construction plan is reflected in future working days or time zones. Also, the changed construction plan information is newly stored in the construction plan storage unit 22.

[0047] When the management unit 211 changes the mode, it returns to step S20. The management unit 211 repeats the management step (steps S20, S21) and the determination step (step S22) at the timing when feedback to the construction plan is required, and performs the output step (step S23) when it is determined that the working situation is abnormal.

[0048] <Actions and Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, according to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) When the operation status information of the drone 40b in the autonomous flight mode is abnormal, the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a in the manned flight mode is output to the management device 10. According to this, since the administrator can refer to the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a, the construction plan can be timely changed at the timing determined to be abnormal.

[0049] <Modified Example> The above embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. Each embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically non - conflicting range.

[0050] · In the above embodiment, when the determination unit 212 determines that the operation status information is abnormal, it outputs the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a. Instead of or in addition to this, the determination unit 212 may predict future operation status information.

[0051] For example, the determination unit 212 acquires the weather information of the construction site every predetermined time from the weather information site 30. Then, the determination unit 212 determines whether a sudden change in the weather is predicted based on the weather information. When the determination unit 212 determines that there is a possibility of a sudden change in the weather and a decrease in visibility such as thunderstorms, heavy rain, or thick fog is predicted, the output unit 213 outputs the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a. At this time, the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a in the same weather may be output from the past behavior information recorded in the operation status storage unit 24. The administrator determines whether to arrange the manned aircraft 40a instead of the drone 40b with reference to the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a. Whether to deploy the manned aircraft 40a may be determined based on the performance of the sensors mounted on the drone 40b, past records, etc.

[0052] Alternatively, the determination unit 212 acquires the terrain situation from the monitoring device 15. Then, the determination unit 212 determines the area flattened by construction at the construction site. When the area with large undulations is flattened in the construction plan initially created by the determination unit 212, the output unit 213 outputs the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b that can be assigned the construction of that area. At this time, the output unit 213 may output the behavior information of the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b under the same terrain conditions from the past behavior information recorded in the work status storage unit 24. The administrator can consider the placement of the manned aircraft 40a and the unmanned aircraft 40b with reference to this behavior information.

[0053] ·In the above embodiment, the control unit 21 of the management server 20 assigned the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b for each area. Here, weather information and terrain information (mesh data, current situation information) are used, but the information used for determination is not limited to these. Some of these or other information may be used.

[0054] For example, consideration may be given to the procurement cost of the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b, and determination may be made with cost priority. In this case, the respective procurement costs when using the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b are calculated from the required time according to the construction content. Then, for the area where the construction content is "possible with either the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b", the one with the lower procurement cost is selected.

[0055] ·In the above embodiment, the control unit 21 has been described in terms of the mode of assigning the manned aircraft 40a or the unmanned aircraft 40b for each area, but it is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 21 may arrange the manned aircraft 40a and the unmanned aircraft 40b in a predetermined area and instruct the work from a predetermined position within the area.

[0056] ·In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 212 determines whether the work efficiency is abnormal. However, whether the work situation is abnormal may be determined based on information other than work efficiency. For example, based on the working time of the unmanned aircraft 40b required for a specific work, it may be determined whether the work situation is abnormal. For example, the determination unit 212 may determine whether the work situation is abnormal based only on the running situation of the unmanned aircraft 40b. The running situation may be at least one of the braking distance, the frequency of direction change, the stopping time of the work at the construction site, and the approaching information received from other construction machines 40, in addition to the braking frequency described above.

[0057] Next, the technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and alternative examples are added below. [A] The construction support system according to claim 1, wherein the computer calculates work efficiency based on the work situation information, and outputs the behavior information of the construction machine in the manned operation mode when the work efficiency is abnormal compared to a reference value.

[0058] [B] The construction support system according to [A], wherein the computer calculates the work efficiency by dividing the work amount of the construction machine by the work period. [C] The construction support system according to [A], wherein the computer calculates the work efficiency based on the braking frequency of the construction machine.

[0059] [D] The construction support system according to claim 1, wherein the behavior information includes the work efficiency assigned to the construction machine in the manned operation mode in the area assigned to the construction machine in the automatic operation mode at the construction site.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0060] A1... Construction support system, 10... Management device, 15... Monitoring device, 20... Management server, 21... Control unit, 211... Management unit, 212... Determination unit, 213... Output, 22... Construction plan storage unit, 24... Work situation storage unit, 40... Construction machine, 40a... Manned machine, 40b... Unmanned aircraft.

Claims

1. A computer, acquires working condition information of a construction machine in an automatic driving mode, determines whether or not the working condition information is abnormal, and outputs behavior information of a construction machine in a manned driving mode when it is determined that the working condition information is abnormal. A construction support system characterized by this.

2. A computer, acquires working condition information of a construction machine in an automatic driving mode, determines whether or not the working condition information is abnormal, and outputs behavior information of a construction machine in a manned driving mode when it is determined that the working condition information is abnormal. A construction support method characterized by this.

3. A computer is made to function as means for acquiring working condition information of a construction machine in an automatic driving mode, determining whether or not the working condition information is abnormal, and outputting behavior information of a construction machine in a manned driving mode when it is determined that the working condition information is abnormal. A construction support program characterized by this.

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