Construction machine and operation management system of construction machine

Abstract

To provide a construction machine and an operation management system of the construction machine improving utilization effect of operation information.SOLUTION: A construction machine 11 is provided with a battery, a battery management section that detects a battery state, a connection section to which a commercial power supply is connected, an electric energy meter that measures supplied electric power from the commercial power supply, a power unit, a switch that switches an operation mode of the power unit between battery drive and commercial power drive, and a controller that controls driving of the power unit in the set operation mode. The controller transmits unique identification information of the construction machine to an external server 92 by associating it with operation information of the construction machine, including the operation mode, the battery state, and the supplied electric power.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction machine and an operation management system for the construction machine, and more particularly to a construction machine equipped with an electric power unit and an operation management system for the construction machine. [Background technology]

[0002] A known technology for monitoring the condition of construction machinery is a system that collects various information such as location information, operating time, engine fuel consumption and abnormalities, and notifies the manager of the information (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In recent years, from the perspective of zero emissions, there has been a demand for electrically powered construction machinery at construction sites (see, for example, Patent Document 2). This type of construction machinery is designed to minimize the number of batteries installed in the vehicle body due to its construction, and the power required for its main operation, work, is obtained from a commercial power source. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-161192 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-109029 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When monitoring the condition of electric construction machinery, there is a need to utilize operational information such as battery status and power consumption for future operations.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a construction machine and a construction machine operation management system that enhances the effectiveness of utilizing operation information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the construction machine of the present invention is a construction machine comprising a battery, a battery management unit that detects the state of the battery, a connection unit to which a commercial power source is connected, a watt-hour meter that measures the amount of power supplied from the commercial power source, a power unit, a switch that sets the operating mode of the power unit to be battery-powered or commercial power-powered, and a controller that controls the operation of the power unit in the set operating mode, and is characterized in that the controller transmits identification information unique to the construction machine to an external server in association with the operating mode, the state of the battery, and the amount of power supplied, which constitute operating information of the construction machine.

[0008] The construction machine operation management system of the present invention is characterized by comprising the construction machine, the server, and an information terminal connected to the server and displaying the operation information.

[0009] Furthermore, the operation information includes a CO2 reduction amount calculated based on the amount of power supply and a CO2 emission coefficient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the operation mode is included in the operation information collected from construction machinery, so it is possible to consider the main operation (operation on commercial power) while keeping in mind the battery status, for example, to review electricity costs for each site or task and predict future costs. In other words, it is possible to realize a construction machinery and construction machinery operation management system that increases the effectiveness of utilizing operation information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a pile driver showing an example of a construction machine according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a side view of the main part of the base machine. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the devices. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the equipment configuration of the system. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing an outline of an electric circuit for power management. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the operation management system. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing the display screen of the management site provided by the server. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the display screen of the management site provided by the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] 1 to 10 show an example of an application of the present invention to a pile driver, which is an example of construction machinery. As shown in FIG. 1, the pile driver 11 is a dual-purpose machine that can switch between steel pipe pile driving and ground improvement work. It includes a base machine (machine body) 15 consisting of a lower track body 12 equipped with crawlers and an upper rotating body 14 rotatably mounted on the lower track body 12 via a slewing bearing 13, a leader 16 erected at the front of the upper rotating body 14, and a boom-raising cylinder 17 supporting the leader 16 from the rear. A leader support 18 is also provided at the front of the upper rotating body 14 to support the leader 16 so that it can be raised and lowered. Furthermore, stabilizing jacks 19 are provided at four locations on the front, rear, left, and right of the upper rotating body 14, and a counterweight 20 is mounted at the rear end of the upper rotating body 14 to balance the pile driver 11.

[0013] The leader 16 is made up of multiple leader members detachably connected to one another, with a top sheave 21 attached to the upper end and a lower guide 22 attached to the lower end, and an auger 23, an example of a work device, attached to the front of the leader 16 so that it can be raised and lowered. The flange members at the upper and lower ends of each leader member are detachably connected to each other with bolts and nuts. When transporting the pile driver 11, the leader 16 thus formed is transported separately from the machine body, with the upper leader member removed in accordance with the transport conditions. In this case, heavy objects such as the auger 23 and counterweight 20 are removed from the machine body as necessary, and the leader 16 is tilted backward for transport (not shown).

[0014] The auger 23 is centered around a device body 23a equipped with a rotatable drive shaft 24, and is provided with a pair of left and right guide gibs 23b, 23b that protrude rearward and slide against guide pipes 25, 25 of the leader 16. An elevating chain 28 is stretched between a drive sprocket 26 provided at the lower end of the leader 16 and a driven sprocket 27 provided at the upper end. Attached to the top and bottom of the auger 23 are both ends of a chain-type auger elevating device. The auger elevating device rotates the drive sprocket 26 with a hydraulic motor, and moves the elevating chain 28, which is stretched around the drive sprocket 26 and the driven sprocket 27, in the vertical direction, thereby raising and lowering the auger 23 along the front surface of the leader 16.

[0015] When the pile driver 11 is used to bury a steel pipe pile, a steel pipe pile 29 is used as the construction member. The steel pipe pile 29 is connected to the lower end of the drive shaft 24 via a rod cap 30. Then, at the start of operation with all four jacks 19 on the ground, the auger drive hydraulic motor 23c is driven to rotate the drive shaft 24 while lowering the auger 23, thereby pressing the steel pipe pile 29 into the ground.

[0016] On the other hand, when the pile driver 11 is used for the purpose of ground improvement, a hollow rod (not shown) is used as the construction member. The hollow rod is attached by passing through the device body 23a, and a ground improvement agent injection hose (grout hose) 31 is connected to the upper end via a swivel, and a drilling head with a drilling blade and agitating blades is attached to the lower end. The injection hose 31 is a hose for supplying ground improvement agent pumped from a batcher plant (not shown). As shown in Figure 2, the injection hose 31 is introduced from the rear side of the pile driver 11 and installed along one side of the machine body, and is raised at the front of the machine body where the flow meter 32 is installed, and then routed along the leader 16. Then, with all four jacks 19 in the ground at the start of work, the hollow rod is rotated and driven to move down along the leader 16, and the soil improvement agent sent through the hollow rod is sprayed from the tip of the excavation head into the borehole, so that the soil excavated by the excavation blades of the excavation head and the soil improvement agent are mixed by the mixing blades of the excavation head.

[0017] 3, the upper rotating body 14 includes a frame body integrally joined to a rectangular box-shaped main frame 33 on the underside of which the swing bearing 13 is attached, and floor frames 34, 35 which are framed on both widthwise sides of the main frame 33. This frame body has a vertical swing axis PV that passes through the center of the swing bearing 13 in the main frame 33, and the swing radius R at the rear end of the upper rotating body 14 is determined by this swing axis PV and the rear end position of the counterweight 20. Furthermore, of the four jacks 19 located at the front, rear, left, and right, the two rear jacks 19 are arranged inside an arc having the swing radius R at the rear end of the upper rotating body 14. When all four jacks 19 are in a state where they are in contact with the ground, four support points are formed at the front, rear, left, and right of the upper rotating body 14, and a stable region that is rectangular in plan view is formed by connecting these points. The center of gravity of the pile driver 11 is always placed within the stable area, but the center of gravity of the counterweight 20 is placed outside the rear of the stable area, and for example, during main construction when the auger 23 is driven, the counterweight 20 plays a role in improving pile extraction performance.

[0018] An operator's cab 36, where an operator sits and performs driving operations, is provided at the front of the right floor frame 34. An equipment storage room 38 that stores hydraulic equipment such as a hydraulic oil tank 37 is provided at the rear of the right floor frame 34. Meanwhile, a power unit (hydraulic power source device) that receives drive from an electric motor 39 and supplies pressurized oil, and a storage structure 40 that stores this power unit, are provided on the left floor frame 35.

[0019] Within the operator's cab 36, devices such as operation levers and pedals for driving the machine, swinging the machine, raising and lowering the jack 19 and auger 23, various operation switches, and a touch panel display 41 are all arranged in a concentrated manner near the operator's seat 42 for ease of operation. As shown in Figure 5, these operation devices are connected by wire to a controller 43 that provides overall control of the pile driver 11 system.

[0020] The controller 43 is mainly configured with a CPU that performs various calculation processes based on the operator's operation commands and the status of the pile driver 11, and is equipped with various wired and wireless communication interfaces. As shown in FIG. 8, the wireless communication interface includes a communication module that performs wireless communication compliant with a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) with an external server (e.g., a cloud server) 92 that constitutes an operation management system 91 (described later). The memory (storage area) built into the controller 43 stores various control programs and a pile driver ID (Identification), which is identification information unique to the pile driver. The pile driver ID is, for example, an aircraft number assigned to each pile driver 11. The controller 43 executes the control program to perform predetermined control, such as power supply management for the power unit and control of data communication with the server 92.

[0021] Information acquired by various sensors included in the vehicle control equipment 44 (for example, information indicating the operating status of the auger 23) is input as construction-related information into a construction management device installed in the driver's cab 36. The construction management device is configured to be able to execute a control program for controlling the construction method to be carried out based on the construction plan, such as the precast pile method, the cast-in-place pile method, or the ground improvement method, and includes an external storage device that stores various data during construction at the construction site, and a display 41 that allows the operator to check the execution results of the control program on a display screen and input data by operating a touch panel.

[0022] An air conditioning unit (air conditioning device) is provided behind the driver's seat 42 in the driver's cab 36. As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioning unit 45 includes an electric compressor 46 (see also FIG. 5) installed on the ceiling of the equipment housing room 38, and forms a heat exchange cycle in which a refrigerant circulates through the electric compressor 46, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, which are connected by a closed pipe. As a result, while the refrigerant is circulating, the evaporator removes heat from the surrounding area to cool the driver's cab 36. On the other hand, during heating operation, the cooling water of the power unit is used as the heat medium. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, an electric heater 49 is provided in a cooling water circuit (closed pipe) 48 that circulates cooling water by operating a water pump 47. While the cooling water is circulating, the cooling water heated by the electric heater 49 is dissipated in a heating core (air heating section) built into an air conditioning unit 45, and the air (air from the blower) passing through this heating core becomes warm air and heats the driver's cab 36.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the power unit is mainly composed of an electric motor 39, a hydraulic pump (multiple pump) 50 connected to and driven by the electric motor 39, an inverter 51 that controls the electric motor 39, and an electric circuit including an inverter power supply circuit 52 that supplies power to the inverter 51, and is housed in the housing structure 40 together with a high-voltage battery (hereinafter referred to as the first battery) 53 that serves as the power source.

[0024] The electric motor 39 is a water-cooled electric motor equipped with a water circuit that indirectly cools the interior with cooling water, and is mounted in a vibration-isolated state on the floor frame 35 with the tip of its output shaft facing rearward in the fore-and-aft direction of the upper rotating body (to the right in FIG. 2). In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the water circuit of the electric motor 39 constitutes part of a cooling water circuit 48, which is a heat medium circuit.

[0025] The coolant circuit 48 is provided with a first DC step-down converter (a water-cooled DC-DC converter equipped with a water circuit) 54 connected in parallel to the electric motor 39 in the discharge-side flow path of the water pump 47, and a water cooler 55 connected in parallel to the electric heater 49 in the suction-side flow path of the water pump 47. The water cooler 55 is a heat exchanger equipped with an electric fan, and is configured to send air through a heat-dissipating cooling core to dissipate heat from the coolant that has passed through the electric motor 39 and the first DC step-down converter 54, and to return the cooled coolant to the electric motor 39 and the first DC step-down converter 54, thereby maintaining the temperatures of these devices within appropriate ranges.

[0026] The discharge-side flow path of water pump 47 is provided with a flow control valve (not shown) that ensures a constant amount of coolant for electric motor 39, and is configured to be able to branch into a motor-side branch flow path 48a that supplies coolant to electric motor 39 and a step-down converter-side branch flow path 48b that supplies coolant to first DC step-down converter 54. On the other hand, the suction-side flow path of water pump 47 is configured to be able to branch into a cooler-side branch flow path 48c that supplies returning coolant to water cooler 55 and a heater-side branch flow path 48d that supplies coolant to electric heater 49.

[0027] A cooling water tank (expansion tank) 56 is provided in cooler-side branch flow path 48c, and when the cooling water thermally expands, cooling water (overflow) is guided and stored from air vent flow paths 48e, 48f connected to the upstream and downstream sides of water cooler 55, respectively. When the pressure inside cooling water tank 56 exceeds a set pressure, air is vented to the outside through an air vent cap (not shown) provided at the upper end of cooling water tank 56. Cooling water discharged from cooling water tank 56 passes through water supply flow path 48g to join the returning cooling water. Although not shown, a water temperature sensor is provided in water cooler 55 and a water level sensor is provided in cooling water tank 56 as status monitoring means, and signals from each sensor can be input to controller 43.

[0028] Here, the coolant that has been heated after passing through the water circuits of the devices 39, 54 is returned to the water pump 47 through the cooler-side branch flow path 48c. However, when the electric heater 49 is energized, that is, when the air conditioning unit 45 is using heating, a valve (not shown) is opened, and a flow of coolant is generated through the heater-side branch flow path 48d, and the coolant is heated by the heat of the electric heater 49. The heated coolant is then introduced into the heating core in the air conditioning unit 45, where heat is exchanged between the coolant and the air (blowing air) passing through the heating core. In this way, the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 48 is used as a heat medium for heating.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5 and other figures, the first battery 53 is an electricity storage module including a plurality of chargeable and dischargeable battery packs 57, a battery management unit 58, and a switch (contactor) 59. In this embodiment, 21 battery packs 57 are used, each consisting of lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of approximately 40 Ah. For example, when the battery packs 57, each with a working voltage of approximately 32.4 V, are connected in series, the first battery 53 can output a DC voltage of approximately 680 V.

[0030] The battery management section 58 may be, for example, a BMU (Battery Management Unit). The BMU stores and manages a data log that indicates operation information of the battery pack 57. The data log includes the voltage, temperature, remaining capacity SOC (State Of Charge), and degradation state SOH (State Of Health) of the battery pack 57. The BMU transmits the data log to the controller 43 as operation information (operation data) of the pile driver 11, and controls the opening and closing of the contacts of the switch 59 in response to commands from the controller 43.

[0031] The DC power stored in the first battery 53 is supplied to various devices such as the electric compressor 46 and the electric heater 49 based on commands from the controller 43, and power converted from DC to AC by the inverter 51 is supplied to the electric motor 39. This discharges the first battery 53. On the other hand, when the remaining charge SOC of the first battery 53 decreases, power converted from AC to DC by a stabilized power supply (AC-DC converter) 60 is supplied while the commercial power source (AC power supply source) and the first battery 53 are electrically connected. This charges the first battery 53.

[0032] Such use of a commercial power source is achieved by providing a circuit breaker 61 and a watt-hour meter 62 in the electrical circuit, and then extracting power by splitting it from, for example, a power outlet at a facility managing the pile driver 11 or a high-voltage line at the construction site. Specifically, a power transmission cable 65 is run from an AC step-up transformer (charger) 63 at the management facility and from a stationary cubicle (AC step-down transformer) 64 at the construction site to the pile driver 11, and power is supplied (for example, to a battery) by connecting the power transmission cable 65 with a connector (commercial power connection portion) 66. Note that separate power transmission cables 65 are provided, for example, for use during construction (power supply cable) that supplies large amounts of power, and for use during charging (charging cable) that supplies small amounts of power. The power transmission cable 65 used during construction is, for example, approximately 20 meters or longer, depending on the scale of the construction site.

[0033] The circuit breaker 61 cuts off the power supply from the commercial power source in the event of a load short circuit or overload. The watt-hour meter 62 is an electronic watt-hour meter with communication capabilities, a so-called multimeter, and measures the integrated amount of power supply (the amount of power supply obtained by integrating the amount of power supply per fixed time period over a predetermined unit period) exchanged between the commercial power source and the pile driver 11, and transmits the measurement value to the controller 43 as operation information (operation data) of the pile driver 11. This operation information includes various data such as the measurement time and other information related to the power supply (power supply voltage, power supply current, power supply).

[0034] The power supply control by the controller 43 is also performed for a lead battery (hereinafter referred to as a second battery) 67 provided separately from the first battery 53. The controller 43 selects either the first battery 53 or the stabilized power supply 60 as the power source to be used based on, for example, the remaining charge SOC of the first battery 53, the connection state of the power transmission cable 65, or an arbitrary selection by the operator, and performs control to supply DC power from the selected power source to the second battery 67.

[0035] The second battery 67 stores DC power supplied from the first battery 53 or the stabilized power supply 60 via the first DC step-down converter (DC-DC converter) 54, and supplies the DC power as a control power source for various devices other than high-voltage devices such as the electric motor 39, such as the operating power sources for the water cooler 55, the oil cooler 68, and the water pump 47, the controller 43, the inverter 51, and the battery management unit 58, which receives power via the second DC step-down converter (DC-DC converter) 69.

[0036] Inverter power supply circuit 52 includes a switch circuit that switches between first battery 53 and a commercial power source to connect inverter 51. The switch circuit is configured to use, for example, a plurality of relays to control the opening and closing of contacts of a switchgear (contactor) and switch between AC power and DC power input to inverter 51. The procedure for switching based on the operator's selection will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7.

[0037] 7 shows the electrical circuit of the operation input system for power supply management. This electrical circuit includes a start switch 70 for starting the system, a charge switch 71 for obtaining commercial power and charging the first battery 53 and the second battery 67, an on / off switch 72 for starting and stopping the electric motor 39, a rotation setting switch 73 for setting a target value (target rotation speed) for the rotation speed of the electric motor 39, and an operation mode selection switch 74 for switching the operation mode of the power unit between battery power and commercial power power. The electrical circuit also includes a main power supply circuit PL and a control power supply circuit CL for operating a power supply relay 75 provided between the main power supply circuit PL and a power line 76 of the controller 43. The start switch 70 and the charge switch 71 are provided in parallel in the control power supply circuit CL.

[0038] The switches 70, 71, 72, 73, and 74 are mainly provided in the driver's cab 36. For example, the start switch 70, charge switch 71, and run / stop switch 72 are self-resetting push button switches, and the run / stop switch 72 is a two-point push button switch consisting of a run button and a stop button. The rotation setting switch 73 is a variable resistor type volume switch that can change the rotation position of the knob continuously or in steps. The operation mode selection switch 74 is a selector switch that changes the contact point of the switch by rotating the knob.

[0039] When the start switch 70 is pressed to turn it on, the power supply relay 75 is switched, and the power supply line 76 of the controller 43 is energized, activating the controller 43. At this time, a lamp 70a attached to the start switch 70 lights up in response to a command from the controller 43, and the power supply relay 75 is maintained in a switched state. This allows the inverter power supply circuit 52 (not shown in FIG. 7) incorporated in the electrical circuit to be switched on and controlled by a command from the controller 43, i.e., an activated state in which power can be supplied to the inverter 51. In this activated state, the display screen of the display 41 displays, for example, either the transport mode or the construction mode as the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection switch 74. That is, the controller 43 executes either the transport mode or the construction mode in response to the on-operation of the start switch 70. In this case, the transport mode corresponds to battery power, and the construction mode corresponds to commercial power power.

[0040] When the transport mode is selected, the controller 43 activates the inverter power supply circuit 52 to maintain a circuit connection (conductive state) between the first battery 53 and the inverter 51, and issues a command to the battery management unit 58 to close the switch 59. This switches the switch 59 to the closed state, allowing power from the first battery 53 to be supplied to the inverter 51.

[0041] Here, when the operation button of the operation / stop switch 72 is pressed to turn it on, an operation input is made to the controller 43, and a lamp 72a attached to the operation button lights up. Then, in the inverter 51, while receiving power from the first battery 53, the control circuit operates in accordance with commands from the controller 43, and the rotation of the electric motor 39 is controlled in accordance with the target rotation speed (e.g., low rotation) of this command. When the hydraulic pump 50 is driven by the electric motor 39 in this way, the hydraulic circuit of the pile driver 11 is able to supply hydraulic pressure to, for example, the hydraulic motor of the lower traveling body 12 and the hydraulic cylinder of the jack 19, and the pile driver 11 can be self-propelled and construction setup work can be performed by battery power.

[0042] On the other hand, when the installation mode is selected after the power transmission cable 65 has been connected, the controller 43 activates the inverter power supply circuit 52 to maintain a circuit connection (conductive state) between the cubicle 64 and the inverter 51. This allows power from the commercial power source to be supplied to both the inverter 51 and the regulated power supply 60.

[0043] Here, when the operation button of the run / stop switch 72 is pressed to turn it on, an operation input is made to the controller 43, as in the transport mode described above. Then, while receiving power from a commercial power source, the inverter 51 operates a control circuit in accordance with commands from the controller 43, and controls the rotation of the electric motor 39 in accordance with the target rotation speed (e.g., high rotation) of the command. When the hydraulic pump 50 is driven by the electric motor 39 in this way, the hydraulic circuit of the pile driver 11 is able to supply hydraulic pressure to, for example, the auger drive hydraulic motor 23c, enabling the pile driver 11 to perform construction work while driven by the commercial power source. Note that when the construction mode is selected, power is distributed according to the load, and the first battery 53 and the second battery 67 can each be charged via the regulated power supply 60.

[0044] Furthermore, even when the pile driver 11 is in a resting state (for example, in a garage), the first battery 53 and the second battery 67 can be charged by making the battery 11 capable of receiving power from a commercial power source (cable-connected state). In this case, when the charging switch 71 is pressed to turn it on, the power supply relay 75 is switched on, and the power supply line 76 of the controller 43 is energized, activating the controller 43. In response to the on-operation of the charging switch 71, the controller 43 executes a charging mode, which is prepared separately from the operation mode. At this time, in response to a command from the controller 43, the lamp 71a attached to the charging switch 71 is turned on, and the power supply relay 75 is held in the switched state.

[0045] The controller 43 issues a command to the battery management unit 58 to close the switch 59, which switches the switch 59 to the closed state. Then, while the stabilized power supply 60 is receiving power from the commercial power source, the control circuit operates in accordance with the command from the controller 43 to charge the first battery 53. When the first battery 53 is fully charged (fully charged), the controller 43 issues a command to the battery management unit 58 to open the switch 59 and controls the first DC step-down converter 54 to charge the second battery 67 for a predetermined charging time. When the charging switch 71 is turned on, the batteries 53, 67 can be charged by the charging current controlled by the stabilized power supply 60 and the first DC step-down converter 54, allowing the pile driver 11 to operate continuously under battery power.

[0046] The arrangement of the various components will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. The power unit storage structure 40 comprises a box body installed on the floor frame 35, and the ceiling portion equipped with multiple handrails 40a also serves as a foothold for ascending and descending from the front side of the upper rotating body 14, and therefore the overall rigidity is increased by reinforcing materials. The interior of the box body is formed with storage spaces that are divided into approximately two equal parts in the front-rear direction of the upper rotating body (left-right direction in FIG. 3) by a vertical plane S in the width direction of the upper rotating body that passes through the rotation axis PV. The outer surface of the box body is provided with a pair of front and rear openings corresponding to each storage space, and flip-up doors 40b, 40b are attached to these openings. Furthermore, the inner surface of the box body (the surface facing the main frame 33) is designed to be disassembled for maintenance, etc.

[0047] The front storage space is provided with an electrical compartment 77 made of a waterproof and dustproof housing. The electrical compartment 77 occupies a large portion of the front storage space, and the bottom of the housing is recessed inside the floor frame 35. As shown in FIG. 4, the electrical compartment 77 is attached in a vibration-isolating manner via brackets 78 equipped with vibration-isolating rubber 78a. The interior of the housing is primarily equipped with a first battery 53, an inverter 51, and a stabilized power supply 60. Although not shown, the controller 43 is made up of a main and a sub controller, and is appropriately installed in the electrical compartment 77 taking into consideration the placement of other equipment.

[0048] The size (external shape) of the first battery 53 is such that the dimension in the width direction of the upper rotating body is smaller than the dimension in the vertical direction, and in the fore-and-aft direction of the upper rotating body, three battery packs 57 stacked in six levels are arranged side by side, with a battery pack 57 stacked in three levels at the forefront, for a total of 21 integrated battery packs 57. In addition, below the three-level stacked battery packs 57, a space equivalent to two levels is left in the vertical direction, and this space is used to place a stabilized power supply 60.

[0049] The inverter 51 has an operation unit 51a provided on the front of its rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is disposed outside the first battery 53, with its back to the first battery 53. As a result, the first battery 53 and the inverter 51 are disposed side by side in the width direction of the upper rotating body, and even when the electric room 77 is installed, the operation unit 51a of the inverter 51 and the like can be easily accessed by removing the outer surface panel that constitutes the outer surface of the housing. On the other hand, the first battery 53 and the like can be easily accessed by removing the inner surface panel that constitutes the inner surface of the housing.

[0050] In the rear accommodation space, the electric motor 39 and hydraulic pump 50 are arranged to fill the entire fore-and-aft direction, and accessories such as the water pump 47 and first DC step-down converter 54 are arranged around them in consideration of the connection of the water circuit. The upper part of the rear accommodation space is connected to an upper equipment accommodation space formed by covering the ceiling opening of the accommodation structure 40 with a flat, box-shaped cover 79, and accessories such as the water cooler 55, cooling water tank 56, and oil cooler 68 are arranged in this upper equipment accommodation space. The water cooler 55 and the oil cooler 68 are both installed with the axes of their electric fans facing vertically, and when they are operating, an updraft is created in the rear accommodation space.

[0051] An opening / closing hatch (not shown) that allows access to the cooling water tank 56 is provided on the top surface of the cover 79, and punched metal openings with numerous holes are provided on the four front, rear, left, and right sides of the cover 79. When the power unit is in operation, outside air introduced into the rear housing space of the housing structure 40 through the floor frame 35 passes through the cooling cores of the water cooler 55 and the oil cooler 68, and becomes warm air (exhaust air) that is discharged to the outside through the opening in the cover 79.

[0052] Of the various devices arranged in this manner, the first battery 53, the electric motor 39, and the hydraulic pump 50 are basically arranged side by side in the fore-and-aft direction of the upper rotating structure, and in terms of their relative positions, they are arranged in the order of the hydraulic pump 50, the electric motor 39, and the first battery 53, from the rear to the front. In terms of their positions relative to the rotating axis PV, the first battery 53 is arranged in front of the vertical plane S, and the electric motor 39 and the hydraulic pump 50 are arranged in the rear. Furthermore, the first battery 53, the electric motor 39, and the hydraulic pump 50 are all arranged within a stable region formed by the four support points of the jack 19, and the weight balance in the arrangement of each part, particularly the weight balance in the fore-and-aft direction of the upper rotating structure, is taken into consideration.

[0053] A space of a size suitable for power transmission, oil transmission, etc. is provided within the accommodation structure 40. In this space, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, a lead-in cable 80 is installed from a connector 66 to the power unit. The connector 66 is located at a position corresponding to the right-hand jack 19, of the two rear jacks 19 where the driver's cab 36 is located, for example, above the jack 19, and is removably connected to a power transmission cable 65 suspended in a loop shape by a hanger 81 (see also Fig. 2), thereby relaying between the power transmission cable 65 and the lead-in cable 80.

[0054] The lead-in cable 80 forms a pair with the power transmission cable 65 to form a conductive path for the stabilized power supply 60, the inverter 51, etc. This conductive path is formed, for example, by attaching a connector 66 to the outer surface of a cable entrance chamber 82 installed between the equipment housing room 38 and the counterweight 20, and the cable is introduced from the outside into the cable entrance chamber 82 via the connector 66, and then passes through a cable relay room 83 installed between the housing structure 40 and the counterweight 20. This cable relay room 83 is equipped with equipment such as a circuit breaker 61 and a watt-hour meter 62. The lead-in cable 80 is specifically routed by crossing the front space of the counterweight 20 from one side (right side) to the other side (left side) in the width direction of the upper rotating body, passing through the circuit breaker 61 and the watt-hour meter 62, and then being drawn into the housing structure 40, and extending from the rear housing space to the front housing space where the electrical room 77 is located.

[0055] The following describes how to move the pile driver 11 and use it on site. First, when moving (transporting) between construction sites, the transport mode is selected as the operating mode of the power unit, and the driving operation, for example, when loading and unloading from the bed of a transport vehicle, is performed using battery power. In other words, the power unit is operated using power obtained from the first battery 53 mounted on the pile driver 11. After the pile driver 11 is transported to the construction site, the leader 16 is raised from a horizontal position following a predetermined procedure, and the pile driver 11 is self-propelled by following the instructions on the guidance screen of the display 41 to move from the current position to the construction position (target pile core position).

[0056] After stopping the pile driver 11 at the construction position, all four jacks 19 are grounded to stably support the upper rotating body 14. Then, the power transmission cable 65 is pulled from the cubicle 64 to the pile driver 11, and a conduction path between the power transmission cable 65 and the inverter 51 is secured via the connector 66. The operation mode selection switch 74 is then operated to switch from transportation mode to construction mode. That is, the power supply to the inverter 51 is switched from the first battery 53 to a commercial power source. For example, when driving steel pipe piles (FIG. 1), the rotation and lifting of the auger 23 are driven by the commercial power source. That is, the power unit is operated by obtaining electric power from the commercial power source, which is an external power source. In this way, the power unit controls the rotation of the electric motor 39 to adjust the amount of hydraulic oil supplied to the auger drive hydraulic motor 23c and other components, thereby maintaining the rotation of the auger 23 at a speed appropriate for the ground conditions.

[0057] When extending the steel pipe pile 29, various operations such as the jack 19 and rotation are performed in a predetermined sequence. During operations other than the main construction, the power transmission cable 65 is temporarily disconnected. However, while the power transmission cable 65 remains connected, the first battery 53 is charged, and the remaining SOC of the first battery 53, which has decreased due to self-propulsion and construction setup work, is restored. After the predetermined pile extension work is completed, the auger 23 is again driven to rotate and advance the steel pipe pile 29, thereby embedding the steel pipe pile 29 deep into the ground. At this time, the construction management device associates various acquired data (e.g., construction torque for each depth) with the pile number of the construction target and sequentially stores them in an external storage device. When construction is completed, the power transmission cable 65 is disconnected, the operation mode is switched from construction mode to transportation mode, and the vehicle travels to the next construction location using battery power. The operation mode can be selected not only manually by an operator, but also automatically by detecting the connection state of the power transmission cable 65, for example.

[0058] Meanwhile, for example, at a relatively large-scale construction site where multiple pile drivers 11 are in operation, it is essential to manage the operating status of these machines for construction management and maintenance management. As described above, the operating status is recognized by devices such as the battery management unit 58 and the watt-hour meter 62 provided in each machine. Therefore, an operation management system has been established that collects operating information (such as battery status and power supply amount) from the pile drivers 11 over time and provides this information to an administrator via a management site on a network. The operation management system for the pile driver 11 will be described below with reference to Figures 8 to 10.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 8, the operation management system 91 includes the pile driver 11, a server 92, and an information terminal 93 connected to the server 92 and displaying operation information of the pile driver 11. When the pile driver 11 is in operation, the controller 43 is activated, and therefore AC power from a commercial power source and DC power stored in the first battery 53 and the second battery 67 are supplied to the devices connected to the electrical circuit (such as the stabilized power supply 60, the first DC step-down converter 54, the second DC step-down converter 69, the battery management unit 58, the watt-hour meter 62, the inverter 51, the electric compressor 46, and the electric heater 49) and other electrical components (Fig. 5).

[0060] The controller 43 in the activated state receives operation information (power supply, cumulative power supply, battery voltage related to the battery pack 57, battery temperature, remaining battery charge SOC, battery deterioration state SOH, operating time of the inverter 51, motor rotation speed related to the electric motor 39, motor power consumption, temperature of each part measured by the temperature sensor, etc.) from the equipment, and at predetermined intervals (for example, every 5 minutes), it associates the pile driver ID (pile driver identification information) stored internally with each operation information received from the equipment and the set operation information mode (either transport mode, construction mode, or charging mode) and transmits it to an external server 92.

[0061] The server 92 is, for example, an information processing device located on a cloud, which reads out various pieces of operational information stored in a database and processes it into display data having a predetermined display format in response to a request from an administrator. The generated display data is transmitted to an information terminal 93 via a network, and is displayed on a display screen 94 of the information terminal 93 using a web browser.

[0062] The information terminal 93 may be a personal computer in a management facility (e.g., a construction management company) located far from the construction site, or a tablet terminal or smartphone carried by the manager. The manager operates the information terminal 93 to access the management site provided by the server 92 and specifies the ID of the pile driver to be managed, thereby displaying the current operating information of the pile driver 11 on a display screen 94 of the management site. In addition, all or part of the displayed data can be downloaded from the display screen 94. The downloaded data can be analyzed using, for example, dedicated software or commercially available spreadsheet software.

[0063] 9 shows an example of a display screen. This display screen 94 is roughly divided into upper, middle, and lower display areas 95, 96, and 97, and each of the upper and middle display areas is further divided into multiple sections in the left-right direction. Operational information is visually displayed in each area using numerical values, colored graphs, superimposed images, etc. The upper display area 95 has four display areas arranged in the left half: a last update time display area 95a (2023-07-05 10:44:29), an inverter operating time display area 95b (120 hours), a motor power consumption display area 95c (50.5 kW), and a power supply display area 95d (36 kW). The right half has a temperature display area 95e arranged horizontally, showing, from left to right, the hydraulic oil temperature (37°C), the coolant temperature (36°C), the electric motor temperature (111°C), the first DC step-down converter (DC-DC converter) temperature (41°C), the first battery temperature (43°C), and the inverter temperature (18°C). Each item in the temperature display area 95e has a background color. If a value exceeds a preset upper limit, the background color of that item changes stepwise, for example, from blue to yellow (caution) to red (warning).

[0064] In the middle display area 96, roughly in the left half, there is a motor rotation speed display area 96a "924 rpm" and a battery remaining SOC display area 96b "98%", each with an arc-shaped bar meter (level gauge) attached, arranged side by side, and in roughly the right half, there are three display areas: a mode display area 96c "construction mode", a battery voltage display area 96d "576V", and an equipment status display area 96e.

[0065] In the device status display area 96e, a regular hexagonal background image is added to each item, and there is an indication of the activated state "activated"; an indication of the inactivated state "not activated"; and an indication of the abnormal state (malfunction) "abnormal"; and each state has a different background color (in this embodiment, the activated state (operating normally) is blue, the inactivated state is gray, and the abnormal state is yellow or red). Furthermore, in the case of an abnormal state, the background color of the item is changed as an abnormality process, similar to the temperature display area 95e, to prompt a caution or warning. The seven items are arranged horizontally from left to right: first battery "activated", first DC step-down converter (DC-DC converter) "activated", stabilized power supply (AC-DC converter) "not activated", electric compressor "not activated", inverter "activated", electric heater "not activated", and other devices "activated".

[0066] The lower display area 97 is an area that displays the operation information stored in the server 92 in chronological order (by month, day, hour). In other words, it differs from the current operation information displayed in the upper display area 95 and the middle display area 96 in that it displays operation information from past history. This type of display is useful for dealing with problems (troubleshooting), and its usage is expanded to the extent described below.

[0067] For example, in processing on the server 92 side, the increase in the integrated amount of supplied power during the inquiry period is calculated on a daily basis, and this is used as the amount of supplied power (amount of power used) by day, and a bar graph is created with the date on the horizontal axis and the amount of supplied power (MWh) on the vertical axis. As a result, it can be seen from the graph display in the lower display area 97 that, for example, commercial power was supplied for the six days during the inquiry period indicated by the range of the bar graph in Figure 9.

[0068] On the other hand, periods when no bar graph is displayed (periods when the amount of supplied power is zero) indicate that neither commercial power (construction mode) nor operation of the charging switch 71 (charging mode) was performed, and the pile driver 11 was not receiving commercial power. Therefore, in the daily display mode, the operating days of the pile driver 11 (days when construction was performed) can be read from the graph display, which makes it possible to determine the actual amount of supplied power per site (per site) while aligning it with the construction plan. In addition, the power cost per site can be calculated by multiplying the amount of supplied power by the unit price of electricity. This makes it possible to predict the power costs required for sites of the same size.

[0069] Here, each piece of operation information stored in the server 92 is associated with the mode of the pile driver 11 at the time of transmission (upload). Therefore, based on this operation information, it is possible to determine the construction mode power supply amount corresponding to the "construction mode" among the daily power supply amounts, and the charge mode power supply amount corresponding to the "charge mode." This makes it possible to more specifically identify the operation days of the pile driver 11, for example, based on the construction mode power supply amount.

[0070] Incidentally, when the pile driver 11 is moving or during construction setup, the mode is switched to "transport mode," and this period is graphed as a period of zero power supply. Therefore, if the display unit is reduced, for example, to hourly, the construction start time (time to switch to construction mode) and construction end time (time to switch to transport mode) of the pile driver 11 can be read from the graph display, and this makes it possible to determine the actual power supply amount per construction (task unit) while ensuring consistency with the construction plan. In addition, the power cost per construction can be calculated by multiplying the power supply amount by the unit price of electricity. This makes it possible to predict the power costs required for construction of the same scale.

[0071] Fig. 10 shows another example of the display screen. This display screen 98 has, in addition to the current status (operation information) of the first battery 53, such as "98%" in a battery remaining charge SOC display area 96b and "600V" in a battery voltage display area 96d, a time series display area (by month in Fig. 10) similar to the lower display area 97 described above. In this time series display area, a supplied power amount display area 99 and a corresponding CO2 reduction amount display area 100 are arranged vertically so that they can be compared with each other.

[0072] For example, the server 92 processes the monthly power supply (kWh) by the CO2 emission coefficient (kg-CO2 / kWh) to calculate the CO2 emissions (kg). The CO2 reduction is calculated by subtracting the CO2 emissions from the conventional CO2 emissions, which are calculated in advance from the fuel consumption of a conventional diesel-engine pile driver performing similar construction work. The CO2 emission coefficient is an index that represents the CO2 reduction per unit of generated power, i.e., the amount of CO2 emitted to generate 1 kWh of electricity. CO2 emission coefficients are published by the Ministry of the Environment in the "List of Emission Coefficients by Electricity Utilities." This system makes it easy to calculate CO2 reductions without spending much time or effort, which has the effect of constantly keeping owners of individual pile drivers 11 aware of their CO2 reductions and motivating them to make improvements.

[0073] In this way, according to the present invention, the operation mode (transport mode, construction mode, etc.) is included in the operation information collected from the construction machinery, so it is possible to consider the main operation (operation on commercial power) while keeping in mind the state of the battery 53 (for example, battery charging, consideration of the need for maintenance, etc.), for example, to review electricity costs for each site or task and predict future costs. In other words, it is possible to realize a construction machinery and construction machinery operation management system that increases the effectiveness of utilizing operation information.

[0074] In particular, construction machinery for pile construction (such as pile drivers) has many functions to meet diverse construction needs, and after moving to the construction location, it remains in place for a long time, and depending on the site, the driving force can be extremely large. Therefore, this is particularly effective as an operation management system for construction machinery, which uses battery 53 when not in construction, such as when moving or setting up work (transport mode), and switches to using commercial power when performing main construction (construction mode), which consumes a lot of power.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specifications of the power unit, battery, and other equipment can be changed as appropriate depending on the functions required of the construction machine. Also, although a pile driver has been used as an example of construction machine, the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation management system can also be applied to foundation construction machines that remain at the construction site for a relatively long time and continue working, such as earth drills and obstacle removal machines equipped with a rotary drive device (kelly drive) similar to that of an auger.

[0076] Furthermore, while the system processing can be simplified and costs reduced by performing it on the server side as in the embodiment, this is not particularly limited, and some processing may be performed on the client side. In addition, the configuration and items of the information terminal display screen can be variously configured. For example, a graph showing time-series changes can display the relationship with the internal combustion engine, or a target value can be displayed together. Furthermore, by applying the emission reduction amount to substances (environmental impact factors) such as NOx as well as CO2, the trend of this information can be monitored and used to promote zero emissions at the site. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 11... pile driver, 12... lower running body, 13... swivel bearing, 14... upper swivel body, 15... base machine, 16... leader, 17... elevation cylinder, 18... leader support, 19... jack, 20... counterweight, 21... top sheave, 22... lower guide, 23... auger, 23a... device body, 23b... guide gib, 23c... auger drive hydraulic motor, 24... drive shaft, 25... guide pipe, 26... drive sprocket, 27... driven sprocket, 28... lifting chain, 29... steel pipe pile, 30... rod cap, 3 1...injection hose, 32...flow meter, 33...main frame, 34, 35...floor frame, 36...operator's cab, 37...hydraulic oil tank, 38...equipment housing, 39...electric motor, 40...housing structure, 40a...handrail, 40b...door, 41...display, 42...operator's seat, 43...controller, 44...vehicle control equipment, 45...air conditioning unit, 46...electric compressor, 47...water pump, 48...coolant circuit, 48a...motor side branch flow path, 48b...step-down converter side branch flow path, 48c...cooler side branch flow path, 48d...heater side branch flow path, 48e,48f...Air bleed passage, 48g...Water supply passage, 49...Electric heater, 50...Hydraulic pump, 51...Inverter, 51a...Operation unit, 52...Inverter power supply circuit, 53...High voltage battery (first battery), 54...First DC step-down converter, 55...Water cooler, 56...Cooling water tank, 57...Battery pack, 58...Battery management unit, 59...Switch, 60...Stabilized power supply (AC-DC converter), 61...Circuit breaker, 62 ...Watt-hour meter, 63...AC step-up converter (charger), 64...Cubicle (AC step-down converter), 65...Power transmission cable, 66...Connector, 67...Lead battery (second battery), 68...Oil cooler, 69...Second DC step-down converter (DC-DC converter), 70...Start switch, 70a...Lamp, 71...Charging switch, 71a...Lamp, 72...On / off switch, 72a...Lamp, 73...Rotation setting switch, 74 ...operation mode selection switch, 75...power relay, 76...power line, 77...electrical room, 78...bracket, 78a...vibration-proof rubber, 79...cover, 80...pull-in cable, 81...hanger, 82...cable entry room, 83...cable relay room, 91...operation management system, 92...server, 93...information terminal, 94...display screen, 95...upper display area, 95a...last update time display area, 95b...inverter operating time display area, 95c...motor power consumption display area, 95d...power supply display area, 95e...temperature display area, 96...middle display area, 96a...motor rotation speed display area, 96b...battery remaining SOC display area, 96c...mode display area, 96d...battery voltage display area, 96e...equipment status display area, 97...lower display area, 98...display screen, 99...power supply amount display area, 100...CO2 reduction amount display area

Claims

1. A battery, a battery management unit that detects the state of the battery; a connection portion to which a commercial power source is connected; a watthour meter that measures the amount of power supplied from the commercial power source; A power unit and a switch for switching the operation mode of the power unit between battery drive and commercial power drive; a controller that controls the drive of the power unit in the set operation mode, The controller transmits identification information unique to the construction machine to an external server in association with the operation mode, the battery status, and the amount of power supply, which are operation information of the construction machine.

2. The construction machine according to claim 1; the server; and an information terminal that is connected to the server and displays the operation information.

3. The operation information includes the amount of power supply and CO ２ CO calculated based on the emission factor ２ The operation management system according to claim 2, further comprising a reduction amount.

Images