Remote excavation multitask system for pneumatic caisson construction

Abstract

To provide a remote excavation multitask system capable of efficiently and correctly performing operations.SOLUTION: A remote excavation multitask system S is a remote excavation multitask system for pneumatic caissons for allocating operators w to a plurality of excavators ec (20), ... and comprises: available work dates and times of operators w of the excavators ec (20); an excavation work plan for each site c; and a control device 30 that creates a personnel allocation plan by setting an objective function for improving the quality of pneumatic caissons 1 based on the available work dates and times and the excavation work plan. As the objective function, it is preferable to calculate the sum of differences between skill values of the operators w in charge of the excavators ec (20) and required skill values for all the excavators ec (20) and all the sites, and to create the personnel allocation plan so that this sum is minimized.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote excavation multitask system for distributing remote excavation operators at multiple sites in pneumatic caisson construction excavation work. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in the excavation work of pneumatic caisson construction, each operator performs excavation work only at the target site for which he is responsible, and there is a one-to-one relationship between the operator and the excavator. In other words, each operator performs excavation work according to the required work time at the site and the target excavator (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-8370 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to efficiently operate multiple caisson excavation work remotely by freely connecting operators, the site, and even the excavators, it is necessary to efficiently link the excavation work time for each caisson, the number of excavators in operation, and the operator's available working time.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention proposes a system for carrying out such operations efficiently and without error. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the remote excavation multi-task system for pneumatic caissons of the present invention is equipped with a control device that creates a personnel allocation plan by setting an objective function that aims to improve the quality of the pneumatic caisson based on the available work dates and times of the excavator operator, an excavation work plan for each site, and the available work dates and times and the excavation work plan. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In this way, the remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitasking system of the present invention is equipped with a control device that creates a personnel allocation plan by setting an objective function for improving the quality of the pneumatic caisson based on the available work dates and times of the excavator operator, the excavation work plan for each site, and the available work dates and times and the excavation work plan. With this configuration, the system can be operated efficiently and without error. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a pneumatic caisson. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the relationship between a general manager, a site manager, and an operator. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a remote control multitask system. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the flow of a remote control multitask system. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of input of available working time of an operator. [Figure 6] This is an example of an excavation work plan (sites A, B, and C). [Figure 7] This is a step diagram of personnel allocation planning based on the determination of the operator in charge for plan B. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a step diagram illustrating the process of updating a personnel allocation plan in response to corrections to various pieces of information. [Figure 9] This is an example of a staffing plan determined by the operator in charge. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of on-site work. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in the following examples are merely examples and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. [Example]

[0010] (Configuration of pneumatic caisson) First, the overall configuration of the pneumatic caisson 1 will be described using Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, a cutting edge 12 tapered to a tip is formed below a side wall 11 at the bottom of the pneumatic caisson 1, and a work chamber 13 is formed by the inner surface of this cutting edge 12 and the underside of a work chamber slab 14 (and further, the ground). At least one excavator 20 is disposed within the work chamber 13, and the ground is excavated by the remotely operated excavator 20 to lower the pneumatic caisson 1. The earth and sand excavated by the excavator 20 is then transported using an earth bucket 22.

[0011] At least one material shaft 16 extends from the work room 13 toward the ground, with a material lock 17 installed at the top. Similarly, at least one man shaft 18 extends from the work room 13 toward the ground, with a man lock 19 installed at the top. In addition, although not shown, compressed air equipment is provided to supply and exhaust compressed air to the work room 13, material lock 17, and man lock 19.

[0012] The earth bucket 22 is suspended by a wire 26 and is hoisted up and down by a skater crane 23, which is a crane erected on the ground near the pneumatic caisson 1. Furthermore, the skater crane 23 moves the earth bucket 22 horizontally and hoists and lowers it, thereby discharging the earth and sand into a dump truck 29 via a soil and sand hopper 28.

[0013] Furthermore, a central monitoring room 15 is installed on the ground near the pneumatic caisson 1. A control device (30) is installed in the central monitoring room 15, and it monitors and manages the entire operation, including the delivery of materials via the excavator 20, material shaft 16, and material lock 17, the removal of excavated earth and sand, the entry and exit of workers via the man shaft 18 and man lock 19, pressure management such as pressurization and depressurization within the man lock 19, and display of the caisson's sinking amount, tilt, and other posture.

[0014] In order to achieve multitasking in remote excavation work across multiple sites, multiple caissons, and multiple operators, it is necessary to consider the following factors 1) and 2). 1) Excavation work time for each site and each caisson, number of excavators in operation 2) Working hours of each operator

[0015] To achieve this, as shown in Figure 2, the three parties involved - the general manager, the on-site manager, and the operator - must work together to operate the remote-controlled multitasking system (S). General Manager: Allocates operators to each excavator for multiple caissons at multiple sites, and monitors and manages the overall operation and working status. · Site manager: Plans the operation plan (number of machines, time) for each excavator on site and notifies the general manager. Gives excavation instructions to each excavator operator. Checks and manages the excavation work status. Notifies the general manager when excavation work is completed. Operator: Notifies the general manager of the date and time when he / she is available to carry out excavation work. Performs excavation work according to the work assignments of the general manager. Excavation work is performed based on the instructions of the site manager.

[0016] (Configuration of a remote excavation multitask system) 3 shows the configuration of the remote excavation multitask system S. As shown in the figure, the remote excavation multitask system S of this embodiment is configured by linking an integrated management office IMO, a first operation room CR1, a second operation room CR2, a first site C1, and a second site C2 in a star configuration, with a control device 30 installed with an automatic personnel allocation program at the center.

[0017] An automatic personnel allocation program is installed in the control device 30, and various data is input to the control device 30. The control device 30 can be configured as a server installed in an external server center (for example, on the cloud).

[0018] The Integrated Management Office (IMO) is staffed by an Integrated Manager (IM) and a Supervisor (SV), who access the system via their respective PCs and manage it in an integrated manner. The Integrated Management Office (IMO) can be configured as a room located within a branch office or head office, for example.

[0019] Two operators W1 and W2 are stationed in the first control room CR1, and they access the system via their respective PCs and use operation devices 41 and 42 to operate either the excavators 211-213 or the excavator 221. Similarly, one operator W3 is stationed in the second control room CR2, and they access the system via their PCs and use operation device 43 to operate either the excavators 211-213 or the excavator 221.

[0020] At the first site C1, one site manager M1 is stationed, who accesses the system via a PC and manages three excavators 211 to 213. Similarly, at the second site C2, one site manager M2 is stationed, who accesses the system via a PC and manages one excavator 221.

[0021] (Control flow of a remote excavation multitask system) Figure 4 shows the control flow of the remote excavation multitask system S. The flow diagram in Figure 4 explains each of the operator w, site manager M, integrated manager IM, and supervisor SV. As explained below, the control flow is roughly divided into two processes: personnel allocation and site work.

[0022] First, in the first half of the personnel allocation process, operators w operate their own PCs to input available work dates and times (step S1), and the site managers M at each site c operate their own PCs to create and input excavation work plans (step S2). Based on these inputs, the integrated manager IM then creates a personnel allocation plan (step S3). The process of creating this personnel allocation plan will be described in detail later.

[0023] Next, in the latter half of the on-site work, first, the operator w and the site manager M attend and hold a work meeting (step S4). That is, a meeting is held between the site manager and the operator w based on the created personnel allocation plan.

[0024] In the actual excavation work, the operator w performs the excavation work (step S5). During the excavation work, the site manager M supervises the work and instructs the operator w to excavate (step S6). At the same time, the supervisor SV, who has been monitoring remotely, supervises the work through the site manager M and instructs the operator w to excavate.

[0025] When the excavation work is completed, the site manager M performs a work report (step S8). For example, the site manager M records and inputs the excavation work performed that day.

[0026] Finally, the integrated manager IM checks the work report (step S9), and the supervisor SV checks the work report (step S10), completing all the steps of the control flow.

[0027] (Personnel assignment) Next, the method (algorithm) for creating a personnel allocation plan in step S3 of the control flow described above will be described in detail.

[0028] As described above, the available work date and time input by the operator w and the excavation work plan created and input by the site manager M are used to determine the work schedule of the excavator e at each site c. c An operator w is assigned to (20) (staffing plan). Staffing plan is automated by mathematically modeling it as a combinatorial optimization problem and applying exact or approximate methods to obtain the optimal solution. A combinatorial optimization problem is a problem of finding a solution that minimizes or maximizes an objective function within constraints for a mathematical model whose solution is expressed as a combination.

[0029] When using combinatorial optimization to find the most efficient allocation of operators, an objective function is set to improve the quality of the caisson at each site c. Improving the quality of excavation work means controlling the caisson's sinking posture (inclination, eccentricity, rotation) and bringing the inclination, eccentricity, and rotation of the caisson closer to zero when construction is complete.

[0030] The difficulty of caisson excavation work varies depending on the caisson's sinking position, the cumulative amount of sinking, the soil quality of the ground, and the construction period. Furthermore, there are two types of excavation work: bottom-down excavation, which does not involve caisson sinking, and bottom-down excavation, which involves caisson sinking, and the difficulty of these excavation work differs. Generally, within the same caisson, bottom-down excavation work is more difficult than bottom-down excavation, which does not involve caisson sinking position. Excavator e c (20) is an excavator that is often used for subsidence excavation because the range of excavation in the caisson is roughly determined by the arrangement of the running rails. c (20) and other excavators e c (20) The level of skill required by the operator for excavation work differs.

[0031] Here, two values ​​are introduced: "skill value" and "required skill value." "Skill value" is a value that indicates the skill of the operator, calculated based on the operator's years of experience, track record of excavation work, and evaluation from the site manager. "Required skill value" is a value that indicates the skill of the operator, calculated based on the caisson's sinking posture, cumulative sinking amount, soil quality of the ground, construction period, and excavator e c (20) Excavator e calculated based on the excavation area c (20) are the skill values ​​required of the operator for excavation work. These values ​​can be expressed, for example, by linearly mapping them to a continuous value with a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 10, or by a discrete value on a scale of 1 to 10.

[0032] The remote excavation multitask system S of this embodiment is c It is configured to realize efficient operator allocation by setting an objective function that minimizes the difference between the skill value of the operator w in charge of (20) and the required skill value.

[0033] - Operator registration and available working hours input - Here, the registration of operator w and input of available working time will be explained using Figure 5. First, the information of operator w is registered in the remote excavation multitask system S. Elements for calculating the skill value (years of experience, excavation work results, evaluation from the site manager, etc.) are entered here, and the skill value of operator w is calculated.

[0034] Operator w logs into the remote excavation multitasking system S and inputs his or her available working hours. First, he or she inputs conditions such as the hours available for work on a working day (for example, day shifts OK, night shifts not OK) and the days of the week available for work (weekdays OK, weekends off) ((1) in Figure 5). Based on this, the remote excavation multitasking system S automatically inputs the available working hours of operator w ((2) in Figure 5), and the operator manually adjusts them if there are any changes ((3) in Figure 5).

[0035] -Site registration and excavation work plan input- Here, we will explain how to register a site and input an excavation work plan using Figure 6. First, information about the site C is registered in the remote excavation multitasking system S. Elements for calculating the required skill value (date of caisson excavation work, soil quality relative to depth, work range of caisson excavators, etc.) are entered. The site manager (or integrated manager) logs into the remote excavation multitasking system S and enters the excavation work date for each lift, the work time period on the excavation work day, and the number of caisson excavators.

[0036] (Plan A: Create a staffing plan for general managers) The mathematical model for personnel allocation planning is shown below. The objective function is c The skill value a of the operator w in charge of (20) w and its required skill value a tce The difference between all excavators e c (20), and sums over ··· and shows that the value is minimized.

[0037] W: a set of operators w C: Gathering of site c E c Excavator on site c Set of T: A set of time t obtained by dividing the period (e.g., one month) that is the target of the staffing plan into unit time (e.g., four divisions: day shift morning, day shift afternoon, night shift morning, and night shift afternoon). a w :Skill value of operator w a tce : Excavator e at site c at time t c Required skill value in x tcew : Excavator e at site c at time t c When an operator is assigned to 1, otherwise 0

[0038]

number

[0039] In addition to this, constraints that should be met as much as possible are expressed as penalties. For example, we want the same operator w to be assigned to each site c as much as possible. This is expressed by finding the number of people who are different from the previous assignment for each site c and weighting this. Expressed as an equation, this becomes the second term in Equation 2.

[0040] Additionally, cost reduction is also important at site c. Therefore, if the cost per unit time of each operator varies, we want to minimize the cost of the assigned operator w. This is expressed by calculating the total cost of the operator w and weighting it. This can be expressed as the third term in Equation 2.

[0041] y tc W : The number of operators at a certain time t who are different from the number of operators at the site c at the previous work cost w : Operator cost per unit of time α,β: weight of each term

[0042]

number

[0043] The weights are determined by the integrated manager. As a means of determination, for example, a fictitious allocation plan is used to find Pareto-optimal solutions (candidate solutions) for the multi-objective optimization problem shown in Equation 3, and the integrated manager then prefers one solution from among them, and reverse-calculates the weights based on this selected solution.

[0044]

number

[0045] The constraints are set, for example, as follows: · One or more supervisor-level operators will be assigned to each site at the same time. Limit work hours to 8 hours or less per day. Limit work hours to 40 hours or less in seven days - When changing from night shift to day shift, one or more days off must be provided.

[0046] By finding an optimal or approximate solution to this formulated combinatorial optimization problem, an efficient personnel allocation plan can be made. The optimal solution is obtained using exact solutions such as exhaustive search and general-purpose solvers. However, depending on the scale of the problem, i.e., the number of sites c and the number of excavators e at the sites, c As the number of operators in (20) increases, the amount of calculation also increases, and the calculation time may become impractical. In this case, approximate solutions are obtained using approximate methods such as simulated annealing and genetic algorithms.

[0047] (Plan B: Create a staffing plan for general managers) As shown in Figure 7, based on the available working time of the operators and the excavation work plan for the site ((1) in Figure 9), the operator in charge of each lift at each site c (operator in charge) is calculated from the operators by combinatorial optimization based on Equation 4 ((2) in Figure 9).

[0048] a max cle : Excavator e during excavation work of lift l at site c c The maximum required skill value x main clew During the excavation work period of lift l at site c, excavator e c 1 if an operator is assigned to the task, otherwise 0

[0049]

number

[0050] After that, a temporary operator is assigned based on the determined assigned operator ((3) in Fig. 9). Then, in the temporary operator assignment, for the time when the assigned operator is unavailable, an operator who is available to work during that time and whose skill value is closest to the assigned operator's skill value (or an operator who is closest to the required skill value) is assigned instead ((4) in Fig. 9).

[0051] When values ​​such as the caisson's sinking posture or depth are updated (each time work is completed) for an existing site c, the required skill value for that site c is recalculated. If there is a discrepancy between the skill value of the operator in charge and the required skill value (the difference is greater than the reference value), the operator in charge is replaced with the operator who is available to work and has the closest required skill value ((5) in Figure 9). Whether or not to perform this replacement operation can be decided by each site manager or the integrated manager.

[0052] Furthermore, if there is a change in the excavation work plan for site c, the personnel allocation plan for the lift not currently under construction is recalculated using Equation 4 to determine the operator in charge, as shown in Figure 8, and then a temporary operator is assigned and a replacement worker is assigned for the unavailable time. Also, if there is a change in the available working time of the operator, a replacement worker is assigned for the unavailable time.

[0053] (on-site work) Figure 10 shows a flow diagram of the on-site work. After the personnel allocation plan is decided, the operator and the site manager log in to System S at the start time of work. In addition to the above personnel allocation tools, System S also provides the following functions: c (20) is equipped with a remote control tool for remotely controlling the robot and a communication tool for communicating information between the operator and the site manager. Work meetings are held using voice calls or web conferences provided by the communication tool.

[0054] The site manager confirms that the operators participating in the web conference are consistent with the personnel allocation plan, and then reports to the site manager that the excavator e at site c is c (20) is granted to operator w. Operator w has access to excavator e c(20) and check the operation.

[0055] The site manager gives instructions to the operator to start excavation, and the work meeting ends. The instructions can be given by voice communication or by displaying images or videos, such as 3D graphics of the excavation surface shape, on the operator's screen.

[0056] While the operators w are performing excavation work, the aforementioned voice call is kept connected in order to enable quick information transmission between the operators w and between the operators w and the site manager M.

[0057] (Actions and Effects) Next, the functions and effects of the remote excavation multitask system S of this embodiment will be listed and explained.

[0058] (1) As described above, the remote excavation multitask system S of this embodiment is a remote excavation multitask system for pneumatic caissons for allocating operators w to multiple excavators 20, and includes a control device 30 that creates a personnel allocation plan by setting the available work dates and times of the operators w of the excavators 20, an excavation work plan for each site c, and an objective function for improving the quality of the pneumatic caisson 1 based on the available work dates and times and the excavation work plan. With this configuration, the system S can perform operations efficiently and without error.

[0059] (2) Furthermore, as an objective function, the difference between the skill value of the operator w in charge of the excavator 20 and the required skill value is summed up for all excavators 20 and all sites c, and a personnel allocation plan is created so that this sum is minimized. This allows work to be done efficiently using the excavator 20 without wasting the skill of the operator w.

[0060] (3) Specifically, it is preferable that the remote excavation multitask system S for pneumatic caisson is configured to create the personnel allocation plan based on the following formula (1):

number

[0061] (4) In addition, the number of operators w that need to be moved from the previous assignment is calculated, and by weighting the number of operators, a penalty can be imposed, so that adjustments can be made so that the same operators w are assigned to each site c as much as possible.

[0062] (5) Furthermore, the cost per unit time of operator w is calculated for all excavators e c (20) and weighting the total cost to impose a penalty, thereby adjusting to reduce the cost of site c.

[0063] (6) Specifically, it is preferable to use a remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitask system S that creates a personnel allocation plan based on the following formula (2).

number

[0064] (7) Also, as the objective function, the excavator e c The difference between the skill value of the operator w in charge of (20) and the maximum required skill value is calculated by the c By summing (20) for all sites c and creating a personnel allocation plan that minimizes this total, it is possible to prioritize excavation work for lifts that are more difficult to carry out.

[0065] (8) Specifically, it is preferable to use a remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitask system S that creates a personnel allocation plan based on the following formula (4).

number

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1: Pneumatic caisson 11: Side wall 12:Blade mouth 13:Workroom 14:Workroom slab 15: Central monitoring room 16: Material shaft 17: Material Lock 18: Manschaft 19: Manrock e c (20): Excavator 22: Earth Bucket 23: Skater Crane 26: Wire 28: Soil hopper 29: Dump truck 30: Control device 41-43: Operating device 211-213: Excavator 221: Excavator CR1: Control Room 1 CR2: Second control room SV: Supervisor IM: Integration Administrator IMO: Integrated Management Office C1: First site C2: Second site M: Site manager M1: Site manager M2: Site manager W: Operator W1-W3: Operator S: Remote excavation multitask system

Claims

1. A pneumatic caisson remote excavation multitasking system for arranging operators for multiple excavators, comprising: The excavator operator's available dates and times; Excavation work plans for each site, A control device that creates a personnel allocation plan by setting an objective function for improving the quality of the pneumatic caisson based on the available work date and time and the excavation work plan; A remote excavation multitasking system for pneumatic caisson.

2. A remote pneumatic caisson excavation multi-task system as described in claim 1, wherein the objective function is to sum up the difference between the skill value of the operator in charge of the excavator and the required skill value for all excavators and all sites, and to create the personnel allocation plan so that this sum is minimized.

3. 3. The remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitasking system according to claim 2, wherein the manpower allocation plan is created based on the following formula (1): [Equation 1] However, in the formula (1), W: A set of operators C: Gathering at site c E ｃ Excavator at the site ｃ Set of T: A set of time t obtained by dividing the period (e.g., one month) that is the subject of the staffing plan into unit time (e.g., four divisions: day shift morning, day shift afternoon, night shift morning, and night shift afternoon). a ｗ : Skill value of operator w a ｔｃｅ : Excavator e at site c at a certain time t ｃ Required skill value in x ｔｃｅｗ : Excavator e at site c at a certain time t ｃ When an operator is assigned to 1, otherwise 0

4. 4. The remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitask system according to claim 3, which is configured to calculate the number of operators who need to be moved since the previous deployment and to impose a penalty by weighting the number of operators.

5. 5. A remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitasking system as described in claim 4, configured to impose penalties by summing up the operator's costs per unit time for all excavators and weighting the total costs.

6. 6. A remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitasking system according to claim 5, wherein the manpower allocation plan is created based on the following formula (2): [Equation 2] However, in the formula (2), y ｔｃ Ｗ : The number of operators at a given time who are different from the previous time they were working on-site cost ｗ : Operator cost per unit of time α, β: weight of each term

7. 2. A remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitasking system as described in claim 1, wherein the objective function is to sum up the difference between the skill value of the operator in charge of the excavator and the maximum required skill value for all excavators and all sites, and to create the personnel allocation plan so that this sum is minimized.

8. 8. The remote pneumatic caisson excavation multitask system according to claim 7, wherein the manpower allocation plan is created based on the following formula (4): [Equation 4] However, in the formula (4), W: A set of operators C: Gathering at site c E ｃ Excavator at the site ｃ Set of L: Set of lifts l a ｗ : Skill value of operator w a ｍａｘ ｃｌｅ : Excavator e during the excavation work period of lift l at site c ｃ The maximum required skill value x ｍａｉｎ ｃｌｅｗ : During the excavation work period of lift l at site c, excavator e ｃ If an operator is assigned to the

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