Video reproduction device and video sharing system

Abstract

To provide a technology which allows a manager to remotely confirm an operation environment of an operator in a construction machine at work.SOLUTION: A video reproduction device 300 reproduces a video regarding work which a construction machine is executing. The video reproduction device includes: a video acquisition unit 312 for acquiring a combined video obtained by combining a camera video imaged by a camera mounted on the construction machine with a guidance video provided to an operator of the construction machine during the execution of the work and including guidance information to the operator with respect to the operation of the work machine in the work; and a reproduction unit 313 for allowing a display device 363 to display this combined video and for simultaneously reproducing the camera video and the guidance video by synchronizing them with each other in the combined video.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device that plays back video of work being performed by construction machinery, and a system that uses this device to allow construction machinery operators and managers to share the video. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for construction machinery such as hydraulic excavators, technologies have been proposed that assist the operator in operation by providing the operator with various information corresponding to the work being performed.For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of displaying three-dimensional shape information of the work site on a display device provided on the inside of the windshield of the driver's seat of the hydraulic excavator, and superimposing an image of the hydraulic excavator bucket projected from above on this three-dimensional shape information, thereby providing the operator with guidance regarding the approach of the bucket to the target position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-173352 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technique of Patent Document 1 is intended to provide a guidance function to the operator, but for operators who are unfamiliar with operating construction machinery, it may be difficult to operate the machinery properly using only this guidance function. In such cases, it is preferable for the work site manager to accurately understand the operator's operating environment and provide appropriate support to the operator. However, the technique of Patent Document 1 makes it difficult for the work site manager to accurately understand the operator's operating environment.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide a technology that allows an administrator to remotely check the operating environment of an operator of a construction machine while it is working. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The video playback device according to the present invention is a device that plays back video related to work being performed by a construction machine, and includes: a video acquisition unit that acquires a combined video that combines camera video taken by a camera attached to the construction machine and guidance video that is provided to the operator of the construction machine while the work is being performed and contains guidance information for the operator regarding the operation of the construction machine during the work; and a playback unit that displays the combined video on a display device and simultaneously plays back the camera video and the guidance video in synchronization with each other in the combined video. The video sharing system of the present invention is a system that allows video of work being performed by a construction machine to be shared between the operator of the construction machine and a manager, and includes an on-board device mounted on the construction machine and a video playback device that plays back the video and provides it to the manager, the on-board device comprising a guidance monitor that displays guidance information to the operator regarding the operation of the construction machine during the work, and a communication terminal that transmits to the video playback device a combined video that combines camera video taken by a camera attached to the construction machine and guidance video based on the guidance information displayed on the guidance monitor, the video playback device comprising a video acquisition unit that acquires the combined video transmitted by the communication terminal, and a playback unit that displays the combined video acquired by the video acquisition unit on a display device and simultaneously plays back the camera video and the guidance video in synchronization with each other in the combined video. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that allows a manager to remotely check the operating environment of an operator of a construction machine while it is working.

[0008] Further features related to the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of a hydraulic excavator, an example of construction machinery [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a video sharing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] Video sharing overview [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video playback device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed on a video playback device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a video playback screen displayed on a video playback device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a video playback screen when a pointer button is selected. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an in-vehicle device that has received notification of a specified location; [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video playback device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hydraulic excavator, which is an example of construction machinery.

[0012] The hydraulic excavator 100 shown in Fig. 1 is equipped with an engine 1 as a power source and a main pump 2 driven by the engine 1. The hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 2 causes a lower traveling body 3, an upper rotating body 4, and a front device 5 to operate independently.

[0013] The lower traveling body 3 has a pair of left and right crawlers 6 and a traveling hydraulic motor 7. The traveling hydraulic motor 7 is rotationally driven by hydraulic oil sent from the main pump 2, driving the crawlers 6 and causing the lower traveling body 3 to travel. Note that Fig. 1 shows only one of the pair of left and right crawlers 6 and traveling hydraulic motor 7.

[0014] The upper rotating body 4 is connected to the lower traveling body 3 in the vertical direction by a rotating device (not shown) that has a hydraulic swing motor 8. The hydraulic swing motor 8 is rotationally driven by hydraulic oil sent from the main pump 2, and rotates the upper rotating body 4 relative to the lower traveling body 3.

[0015] The front device 5 is mounted on the upper rotating structure 4 and has a boom 9, a boom cylinder 10 for driving the boom 9, an arm 11, an arm cylinder 12 for driving the arm 11, a bucket 13, and a bucket cylinder 14 for driving the bucket 13. The boom cylinder 10, the arm cylinder 12, and the bucket cylinder 14 extend and retract with hydraulic oil sent from the main pump 2, thereby driving the boom 9, the arm 11, and the bucket 13, respectively. The boom 9 drives relative to the upper rotating structure 4 about a rotation axis 15, the arm 11 drives relative to the boom 9 about a rotation axis 16, and the bucket 13 drives relative to the arm 11 about a rotation axis 17.

[0016] The upper rotating body 4 is provided with a cabin for an operator to ride in. The operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 sits in a driver's seat installed inside the cabin and controls the operations of the lower traveling body 3, the upper rotating body 4, and the front device 5 by operating an operation lever 19 (see FIG. 2) installed near the driver's seat. This allows the hydraulic excavator 100 to perform work such as excavation and ground leveling.

[0017] The upper rotating body 4 is also equipped with an on-vehicle device 200 that acquires video relating to work being performed by the hydraulic excavator 100 and shares the video between the operator and manager on board the hydraulic excavator 100. Details of the system including this on-vehicle device 200 will be described below.

[0018] 2 is a configuration diagram of a video sharing system 500 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The video sharing system 500 includes an on-board device 200 mounted on each construction machine, and a video playback device 300.

[0019] The in-vehicle device 200 includes a camera 201, a guidance controller 202, a guidance monitor 203, a recording device 204, a communication terminal 205, and a position detection device 206. The guidance controller 202, the guidance monitor 203, and the recording device 204 are each connected to the vehicle body network 20, and can communicate with each other via the vehicle body network 20.

[0020] The camera 201 is installed on the hydraulic excavator 100, for example, facing forward from the driver's seat, and captures a predetermined range around the hydraulic excavator 100 to obtain camera footage recording the state of work being performed by the hydraulic excavator 100. The camera footage obtained by the camera 201 is output to the recording device 204.

[0021] The guidance controller 202 controls a guidance function for providing guidance information to the operator regarding the operation of the hydraulic excavator 100 during work. For example, the guidance controller 202 calculates the positional relationship between the construction surface and the bucket 13 according to a construction drawing of the site that has been input in advance, and outputs the calculation result to the guidance monitor 203 as guidance information regarding the operation of the bucket 13. In addition to this, any guidance information can be provided to the operator depending on the operation that the operator should perform during work.

[0022] The guidance monitor 203 is installed near the driver's seat of the hydraulic excavator 100, and displays guidance information input from the guidance controller 202 on its screen for presentation to the operator. While the guidance information is being displayed, the guidance monitor 203 can externally output a guidance video that visualizes the contents of the display screen. The guidance video output from the guidance monitor 203 is input to the recording device 204 together with the camera video described above.

[0023] The guidance monitor 203 also has a touch panel function, which detects touch operations input by the operator to the guidance monitor 203. Depending on the content of the touch operation detected by the guidance monitor 203, the guidance controller 202 performs processing such as switching of guidance functions and enlarging or reducing the guidance information displayed on the guidance monitor 203.

[0024] Recording device 204 receives as input the camera video output from camera 201 and the guidance video output from guidance monitor 203. These videos input to recording device 204 are combined together and recorded in recording device 204 as a combined video.

[0025] Recording device 204 is connected to communication terminal 205 and position detection unit 206. Communication terminal 205 has a function for connecting to the Internet via wireless communication, and uploads the combined video of the camera video and guidance video stored in recording device 204 to video playback device 300 connected via the Internet. At this time, communication terminal 205 can transmit the combined video of the camera video and guidance video to video playback device 300 at predetermined time intervals or at any timing in response to instructions from an operator or administrator.

[0026] The video playback device 300 is configured using an information processing device such as a server, and is installed at a predetermined location away from the hydraulic excavator 100. The video playback device 300 is a device that plays back video relating to work being performed by various construction machines, including the hydraulic excavator 100, and provides the video to a manager, thereby allowing the video to be shared between the operator and the manager. Specifically, a combined video of camera video and guidance video uploaded to the video playback device 300 from the in-vehicle device 200 mounted on each construction machine is played back and displayed by the video playback device 300 as video relating to work being performed by each construction machine. Details of the video playback device 300 will be described later.

[0027] The position detection device 206 receives positioning signals transmitted from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites and, based on these, detects the position of the hydraulic excavator 100. The position information of the hydraulic excavator 100 detected by the position detection device 206 is stored in the recording device 204 together with the above-mentioned combined video, and is uploaded to the video playback device 300.

[0028] A vehicle body controller 18 is connected to the vehicle body network 20, which performs hydraulic control of each hydraulic actuator (travel hydraulic motor 7, swing hydraulic motor 8, boom cylinder 10, arm cylinder 12, and bucket cylinder 14) of the hydraulic excavator 100. Operation levers 19 consisting of a travel lever 19-1, a swing lever 19-2, a boom lever 19-3, an arm lever 19-4, and a bucket lever 19-5 are connected to the vehicle body controller 18, and the vehicle body controller 18 performs hydraulic control of each hydraulic actuator according to the amount of operation of these operation levers 19.

[0029] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of video sharing using a video sharing system 500. Fig. 3 shows an example in which construction machines 100a, 100b, and 100c, such as hydraulic excavators, are operating at a construction site 21, and videos of the work being performed by these construction machines 100a to 100c are uploaded to a video playback device 300 and shared. Note that Fig. 3 shows hydraulic excavators 100a to 100c as examples of the construction machines 100a to 100c that upload videos to the video playback device 300, but the number and types of construction machines that upload videos to the video playback device 300 are not limited to this.

[0030] The construction machines 100a to 100c are each equipped with the on-vehicle device 200 shown in Fig. 2, and transmit the combined video of the camera video and guidance video stored in the recording device 204 and location information to the video playback device 300 periodically via the communication terminal 205, or at any timing in response to a request from an operator or a manager via the video playback device 300. The video playback device 300 presents the combined video of the camera video and guidance video transmitted from the construction machines 100a to 100c to the manager, and determines the respective positions of the construction machines 100a to 100c based on the position information of the construction machines 100a to 100c.

[0031] The video playback device 300 is connected to the terminal 22 via the Internet. An administrator who manages the construction machines 100a to 100c using the video playback device 300 can connect to the video playback device 300 using a web browser or the like on the terminal 22, thereby displaying the operating status of the construction machines 100a to 100c on the screen of the terminal 22 and obtaining necessary information.

[0032] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video playback device 300 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The video playback device 300 of this embodiment is a computer including a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, a memory 361, an operation input device 362, a display device 363, and a network device 364, and is configured by connecting these devices to each other via a bus 365.

[0033] The control unit 310 is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs various processes and calculations to operate the video playback device 300. The control unit 310 executes a program stored in the storage unit 320 to realize the functional blocks of a management screen display control unit 311, a video acquisition unit 312, a playback unit 313, and a designated location notification unit 314. Details of these functional blocks will be described later.

[0034] The storage unit 320 is configured using a large-capacity non-volatile storage device, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores programs executed by the control unit 310 and various information used in the processing of the control unit 310. The information stored in the storage unit 320 includes combined video data 330, which is data of combined video generated by combining camera video and guidance video in each construction machine and uploaded from each construction machine. This combined video data 330 is stored for each specified recording time for each construction machine.

[0035] 4 shows an example in which two types of combined video data 330a, 330b are stored in the storage unit 320. The combined video data 330a is data of combined video in which camera video and guidance video captured in one of the construction machines during the same recording period are combined. Similarly, the combined video data 330b is data of combined video in which camera video and guidance video captured in one of the construction machines during the same recording period are combined.

[0036] The memory 361 is configured using a high-speed, volatile storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and is used as a work area when the control unit 310 executes a program.

[0037] The operation input device 362 is a device for detecting operation inputs made by the administrator to the video playback device 300, and is configured using, for example, a keyboard or a mouse. The display device 363 is a device for displaying the processing results of the video playback device 300 on a screen and presenting them to the administrator, and is configured using, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The network device 364 is a device for communicating with other computers via a network (not shown). By using the network device 364, the video playback device 300 can transmit various data stored in the storage unit 320 to other computers and receive various data transmitted from other computers and store it in the storage unit 320. Note that another computer capable of communicating with the video playback device 300, such as the terminal 22 in FIG. 3, may be used as the operation input device 362 or the display device 363.

[0038] 1 may be physically constructed on a single computer, or may be distributed across multiple computers. Also, the video playback device 300 may be realized by a cloud computer installed on a cloud, a virtual machine operating in a virtual environment, or the like.

[0039] Next, the functional blocks of the control unit 310, namely, the management screen display control unit 311, the video acquisition unit 312, the playback unit 313, and the designated location notification unit 314, will be described.

[0040] The management screen display control unit 311 causes the display device 363 to display a management screen for the manager to manage each construction machine.

[0041] The video acquisition unit 312 acquires a combined video of the camera video and guidance video uploaded from the on-board device 200 of each construction machine, and stores the data of this combined video in the storage unit 320 as combined video data 330.

[0042] The playback unit 313 displays the combined video including the camera video and guidance video of each construction machine on the display device 363 by streaming the combined video acquired by the video acquisition unit 312. It can also play back the combined video of the camera video and guidance video based on the combined video data 330 stored in the storage unit 320 and display it on the display device 363.

[0043] The designated location notification unit 314 notifies the construction machine that uploaded the guidance video of the designated location designated by the manager in the guidance video in the combined video that has been streamed and played back by the playback unit 313 and displayed on the display device 363. The designated location notified by the designated location notification unit 314 is displayed in a form that can be recognized by the operator in the guidance information displayed on the guidance monitor 203 of the construction machine. This allows any location in the guidance information to be shared as the designated location between the manager and the operator. Details of how the designated location is displayed on the guidance monitor 203 will be described later.

[0044] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen 30 displayed on the video playback device 300. In the video playback device 300, the function of the management screen display control unit 311 causes the management screen 30, for example, as shown in Fig. 5, to be displayed on the terminal 22 or display device 363 connected via a web browser. Using this management screen 30, the manager can check the type and location of each construction machine at the construction site 21 and manage each construction machine.

[0045] The management screen 30 has an operating machine list window 31 and a map window 33. Note that Fig. 5 shows an example of the management screen 30 that is displayed when the construction machines 100a to 100c shown in Fig. 3 are set as management targets.

[0046] The operating machine list window 31 displays the names of all the construction machines 100a to 100c operating at the construction site 21, as well as the switches 32 assigned to each of the construction machines 100a to 100c. Each switch 32 can be switched to either enabled (on) or disabled (off) in response to an administrator's operation. In the video playback device 300, the management screen display control unit 311 performs processing for each construction machine whose switch 32 is switched to enabled, and displays the result in the map window 33. In the example of FIG. 5, the switches 32 are switched to enabled for all of the construction machines 100a to 100c.

[0047] The map window 33 displays a map of the construction site 21, and also displays on the map a vehicle icon 34 indicating the latest position of each construction machine for which the switch 32 has been enabled in the operating machine list window 31. In the example of FIG. 5, since the switch 32 has been enabled for all of the construction machines 100a to 100c as described above, vehicle icons 34a, 34b, and 34c corresponding to the construction machines 100a, 100b, and 100c, respectively, are displayed at their respective positions on the map in the map window 33.

[0048] The administrator can select a construction machine from which the video acquisition unit 312 will acquire combined video by selecting any vehicle body icon 34 on the map window 33. FIG. 5 shows an example in which a vehicle body icon 34a is selected on the map window 33. In this case, a balloon-shaped vehicle body detail window 35 for the construction machine 100a corresponding to the vehicle body icon 34a is displayed near the vehicle body icon 34a on the map window 33. The vehicle body detail window 35 displays detailed information about the construction machine 100a, such as the name of the construction machine 100a and the operating status of the construction machine 100a. A screen sharing button 36 is also provided on the vehicle body detail window 35. By selecting this screen sharing button 36, the administrator can switch the screen display of the video playback device 300 from the management screen 30 to a video playback screen for streaming playback of a combined video of the camera video and guidance video of the construction machine 100a.

[0049] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a video playback screen 40 displayed on the video playback device 300. In the video playback device 300, when the screen sharing button 36 is selected for any of the construction machines on the management screen 30 as described above, the functions of the video acquisition unit 312 and the playback unit 313 cause the video playback screen 40 shown in Fig. 6 to be displayed on the terminal 22 or display device 363 connected via a web browser.

[0050] The video playback screen 40 has an information column 41, a camera video area 42, a guidance video area 43, a map window 44, a call button 45, a pointer button 46, and a video recording button 47. Note that Fig. 6 shows an example of the video playback screen 40 displayed for the construction machine 100c out of the construction machines 100a to 100c. Using this video playback screen 40, the manager can remotely check the operating environment of the operator of the construction machine 100c while he or she is working and share this with the operator.

[0051] The information field 41 displays information about the video displayed on the video playback screen 40, such as the name of the construction machine 100c, the current time (time the video was captured), and the position coordinates of the construction machine 100c. The current time and position coordinates are updated to the latest values ​​every second.

[0052] In the camera video area 42 and the guidance video area 43, the camera video and the guidance video of the combined video uploaded from the construction machine 100c are streamed and displayed in real time. As a result, on the video playback screen 40, the camera video and the guidance video are played back simultaneously in sync with each other in the combined video that combines these videos. This allows the manager viewing the video playback screen 40 to share the same information as the operator of the construction machine 100c, making it easier to understand the construction situation. The camera video and the guidance video are combined in the on-vehicle device 200 mounted on the construction machine 100c when they are uploaded from the on-vehicle device 200 to the video playback device 300.

[0053] The map window 44 displays a map of the construction site 21, similar to the map window 33 on the management screen 30 in Fig. 5, and the current position of the construction machine 100c is displayed on that map. This allows the manager viewing the video playback screen 40 to check, while looking at the video playback screen 40, where within the construction site 21 the construction machine 100c is working.

[0054] The call button 45, the pointer button 46, and the record button 47 are operation buttons that allow the administrator to give instructions to the video playback device 300. The administrator viewing the video playback screen 40 can select the call button 45, the pointer button 46, and the record button 47 on the video playback screen 40, respectively, to instruct the video playback device 300 to perform the processing corresponding to these buttons.

[0055] The call button 45 is an operation button that allows the manager to talk to the operator. When the manager selects the call button 45, the video playback device 300 establishes a call line with a call device (not shown) mounted on the construction machine 100c, enabling a call between the manager and the operator. This enables the manager to provide audio operation guidance to the operator.

[0056] The pointer button 46 is an operation button for notifying the operator of a location that the manager has arbitrarily designated on the guidance video area 43. After the manager selects the pointer button 46, when an arbitrary location in the guidance video area 43 is designated with a cursor or the like, information about the designated location is transmitted by the designated location notification unit 314 to the on-board device 200 of the construction machine 100c. The on-board device 200, which has received the information about the designated location, displays a pointer at the same position as the designated location on the guidance information screen displayed on the guidance monitor 203. This allows the manager to provide operation guidance to the operator while pointing to an arbitrary location on the screen of the guidance monitor 203. Examples of the screens displayed on the video playback device 300 and the on-board device 200 at this time will be described later.

[0057] Record button 47 is an operation button that allows the administrator to issue a recording instruction. When record button 47 is selected by the administrator, data of a combined image that combines the camera image and guidance image that are being played back and displayed in camera image area 42 and guidance image area 43, respectively, is stored in storage unit 320 as combined image data 330. This allows the administrator to save the combined image and use it for later daily report creation, reporting materials, training, etc.

[0058] The playback unit 313 can also display the video playback screen 40 using the combined video data 330 stored in the storage unit 320. In this case, previously recorded combined video is displayed in the camera video area 42 and the guidance video area 43. In this combined video, the camera video and the guidance video are played back and displayed in sync with each other, just like in streaming playback.

[0059] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the video playback screen 40 when the pointer button 46 is selected. As described above, when the pointer button 46 is selected on the video playback screen 40, a pointer icon 48 is displayed in the guidance video area 43. The administrator can specify any location within the guidance video area 43 by moving this pointer icon 48 to any position.

[0060] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on guidance monitor 203 in in-vehicle device 200 that has received notification of a designated location from video playback device 300. For example, if the position of pointer icon 48 shown on video playback screen 40 in Fig. 7 is notified as the designated location by video playback device 300 via designated location notifying unit 314, in in-vehicle device 200 that has received this notification, a screen such as that shown in Fig. 8 is displayed on guidance monitor 203. This screen displays the same content as guidance video area 43 in Fig. 7, and also displays pointer icon 48 in the same position on the screen. This allows the administrator and operator to share the designated location on the guidance video.

[0061] According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the following advantageous effects are achieved.

[0062] (1) The video playback device 300 is a device that plays back video related to work being performed by a construction machine, and includes a video acquisition unit 312 that acquires combined video that combines camera video taken by a camera 201 attached to the construction machine and guidance video that is provided to the operator of the construction machine while work is being performed and contains guidance information for the operator regarding operation of the construction machine during that work, and a playback unit 313 that displays this combined video on a display device 363 and simultaneously plays back the camera video and the guidance video in synchronization with each other in the combined video. This makes it possible to provide a technology that enables a manager to remotely check the operating environment of an operator of a construction machine while it is working.

[0063] (2) The video playback device 300 is equipped with a designated location notification unit 314 that notifies the construction machine of a designated location that is arbitrarily designated on the guidance video in the combined video displayed on the display device 363. The guidance video can be displayed on the guidance monitor 203 mounted on the construction machine, and the designated location notification unit 314 notifies the construction machine of the designated location, thereby displaying a predetermined pointer icon 48 indicating the designated location on the guidance video displayed on the guidance monitor 203. This allows the manager and operator to share the designated location on the guidance video.

[0064] (3) Video playback device 300 includes storage unit 320 capable of storing combined video. Playback unit 313 synchronizes the camera video and the guidance video when playing back combined video stored in storage unit 320. This allows the administrator to easily understand the operating environment of the operator at the time of playback and display of combined video recorded in the past.

[0065] (4) The video sharing system 500 is a system that allows a construction machine operator and a manager to share video related to work being performed by the construction machine. The system includes an on-board device 200 mounted on the construction machine and a video playback device 300 that plays back the video and provides it to the manager. The on-board device 200 includes a guidance monitor 203 that displays guidance information to the operator regarding the operation of the construction machine during work, and a communication terminal 205 that transmits to the video playback device 300 a combined video that combines camera video captured by a camera 201 attached to the construction machine and guidance video based on the guidance information displayed on the guidance monitor 203. The video playback device 300 includes a video acquisition unit 312 that acquires the combined video transmitted by the communication terminal 205, and a playback unit 313 that displays the combined video acquired by the video acquisition unit 312 on a display device 363 and simultaneously plays back the camera video and the guidance video in synchronization with each other in the combined video. This configuration provides a technology that allows a manager to remotely check the operating environment of an operator of a construction machine during work.

[0066] (5) The on-vehicle device 200 is equipped with a recording device 204 that records and stores the combined video. The communication terminal 205 transmits the combined video recorded in the recording device 204 to the video playback device 300 at predetermined intervals or at times in accordance with instructions from an operator or manager. This allows the combined video to be uploaded to the video playback device 300 from each construction machine at any time.

[0067] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which camera images and guidance images are uploaded from each construction machine without being combined, and a combined image is generated after the upload. Note that the construction machine to which this embodiment is applied is, for example, the hydraulic excavator 100 in FIG. 1, as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the configuration of the on-vehicle device 200 mounted on each construction machine and the form of image sharing are the same as those described in FIGS. 2 and 3 in the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will omit these and will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0068] 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video playback device 300A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Like the video playback device 300 described in the first embodiment, the video playback device 300A of this embodiment is a computer including a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, a memory 361, an operation input device 362, a display device 363, and a network device 364, and these devices are connected to each other via a bus 365. The difference from the first embodiment is that the control unit 310 further includes the functional blocks of a video combination unit 315 in addition to the management screen display control unit 311, video acquisition unit 312, playback unit 313, and designated location notification unit 314. The control unit 310 can realize these functional blocks by executing a program stored in the storage unit 320.

[0069] In this embodiment, the camera video and guidance video are uploaded directly from the on-board device 200 mounted on each construction machine without being combined. The video acquisition unit 312 acquires the camera video and guidance video uploaded from the on-board device 200 of each construction machine. The video combination unit 315 combines the camera video and guidance video acquired by the video acquisition unit 312 to generate a combined video. At this time, the combined video is generated so that, similar to the combined video streamed in the first embodiment, the camera video and the guidance video are played back simultaneously in sync with each other when the combined video is played back.

[0070] The combined video generated by the video combining unit 315 is played back by the playback unit 313 and displayed on the display device 363. When a recording instruction is given by the administrator, combined video data 330 is stored in the storage unit 320 based on the combined video generated by the video combining unit 315.

[0071] According to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, the video playback device 300A is equipped with a video combination unit 315 that generates a combined video. The video acquisition unit 312 acquires camera video and guidance video transmitted from the construction machine, and the video combination unit 315 generates a combined video by combining the camera video and guidance video acquired by the video acquisition unit 312. As a result, even if the on-board device 200 mounted on each construction machine does not have a video combination function, it is possible to provide a technology that allows the manager to remotely check the operating environment of the operator of the construction machine while it is working by presenting the manager with a combined video that combines camera video and guidance video.

[0072] Although each embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1...engine, 2...main pump, 3...lower traveling body, 4...upper rotating body, 5...front device, 6...crawler, 7...travel hydraulic motor, 8...swing hydraulic motor, 9...boom, 10...boom cylinder, 11...arm, 12...arm cylinder, 13...bucket, 14...bucket cylinder, 15...boom rotation axis, 16...arm rotation axis, 17...bucket rotation axis, 18...machine control controller, 19...operation lever, 20...machine network, 100...hydraulic excavator (construction machinery), 200...on-board device, 20 1...camera, 202...guidance controller, 203...guidance monitor, 204...recording device, 205...communication terminal, 206...position detection unit, 300, 300A...video playback device, 310...control unit, 311...management screen display control unit, 312...video acquisition unit, 313...playback unit, 314...designated location notification unit, 315...video combination unit, 320...storage unit, 330...combined video data, 361...memory, 362...operation input device, 363...display device, 364...network device, 365...bus, 500...video sharing system

Claims

1. A device for playing back video relating to work being performed by a construction machine, an image acquisition unit that acquires a combined image that combines camera images captured by a camera attached to the construction machine and guidance images that are provided to an operator of the construction machine while the work is being performed and that include guidance information for the operator regarding the operation of the construction machine during the work; a playback unit that displays the combined video on a display device and simultaneously plays back the camera video and the guidance video in synchronization with each other in the combined video. A video playback device characterized by:

2. 2. The video playback device according to claim 1, a designated location notification unit that notifies the construction machine of a designated location arbitrarily designated on the guidance image in the combined image displayed on the display device, The guidance video can be displayed on a monitor mounted on the construction machine, The designated location notification unit notifies the construction machine of the designated location, thereby displaying a predetermined icon indicating the designated location on the guidance image displayed on the monitor. A video playback device characterized by:

3. 3. The video playback device according to claim 1, a storage unit capable of storing the combined image, The playback unit synchronizes the camera image and the guidance image with each other when playing back the combined image stored in the storage unit. A video playback device characterized by:

4. 3. The video playback device according to claim 1, an image combining unit that generates the combined image, the image acquisition unit acquires the camera image and the guidance image transmitted from the construction machine, The image combining unit combines the camera image acquired by the image acquiring unit with the guidance image to generate the combined image. A video playback device characterized by:

5. A system for sharing video of work being performed by a construction machine between an operator and a manager of the construction machine, an on-board device mounted on the construction machine; a video playback device that plays the video and provides it to the administrator, The in-vehicle device a guidance monitor that displays guidance information to the operator regarding the operation of the construction machine during the work; a communication terminal that transmits to the video playback device a combined video that combines a camera video captured by a camera attached to the construction machine and a guidance video based on the guidance information displayed on the guidance monitor, The video playback device an image acquisition unit that acquires the combined image transmitted by the communication terminal; a playback unit that displays the combined video acquired by the video acquisition unit on a display device and simultaneously plays back the camera video and the guidance video in synchronization with each other in the combined video. A video sharing system characterized by:

6. 6. The video sharing system according to claim 5, the in-vehicle device includes a recording device that records the combined video; The communication terminal transmits the combined video recorded in the recording device to the video playback device at predetermined time intervals or at a timing according to an instruction from the operator or the administrator. A video sharing system characterized by:

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