Work machine management system, and work machine

Abstract

To easily improve control software of a work machine regarding a prescribed evaluation index.SOLUTION: Provided is a work machine management system that comprises a processing device for evaluating a work performed by a work machine. The processing device: acquires control software for motion control of the work machine and operation data including machine body data and work data of the work machine; calculates, on the basis of the operation data, an evaluation value of work of the work machine, that is based on an evaluation index used for work evaluation of the work machine; and performs simulation for adjusting a parameter for the control software of the work machine based on the evaluation value, and outputs the simulation outcome.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work machine management system that manages work machines such as hydraulic excavators that operate in mines, and the work machine. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known technology that proposes improvements to the operation methods of work machines based on operating data of the work machine, such as enabling fuel-efficient operation by stopping the engine except when working if the machine spends a lot of time idling (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-287069 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, in mines, work involves loading excavated materials such as soil and sand excavated by hydraulic excavators onto transport vehicles such as dump trucks. However, in recent years, the number of workers working in mines has been decreasing, and in order to accommodate the decrease in manpower, automation and semi-automation of work machines operating in mines is being promoted.

[0005] When automating the operation of a work machine, it is desirable to optimize the control software of the work machine so that key performance indicators (KPIs) such as productivity and fuel efficiency of the work machine are improved.

[0006] Patent Document 1 can present improvement proposals for problems with the current operating conditions of work machines, but does not go so far as to propose anything that goes beyond the best performance of the current control software. Even if the control software is optimized by collecting operating data from the work machine, it is not easy to make improvements that go beyond the best performance for large-scale work machines such as those operating in mines, as verification tests require large testing costs such as fuel and labor costs.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a work machine management system and a work machine that can easily improve the control software of a work machine with respect to predetermined evaluation indexes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a work machine management system equipped with a processing device that evaluates work performed by a work machine, wherein the processing device acquires control software related to operational control of the work machine and operating data including machine body data and work data of the work machine, calculates an evaluation value of the work of the work machine based on the operating data and on evaluation indices used to evaluate the work of the work machine, performs a simulation to adjust parameters of the control software of the work machine based on the evaluation value, and outputs the results of the simulation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily improve the control software of a work machine with respect to a predetermined evaluation index. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a work site where a work machine managed by a work machine management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention operates. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a hydraulic excavator, which is an example of a work machine managed by a work machine management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a functional block diagram of control software relating to an excavation load control function of a machine controller provided in the hydraulic excavator of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of a work machine management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a series of processes performed by the work machine management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a numerical model of a work machine used in a work machine management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an excavation reaction force (external force of the bucket) acting on the bucket during an excavation operation. [Figure 8] 4 is an example of a threshold value for determining whether the excavation load is a high load in the control software of FIG. 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a difference in the trajectory of the bucket toe during excavation depending on a threshold value. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the difference in progress of excavation work depending on a threshold value. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram showing the difference in the weight of the excavated material S scooped into the bucket per excavation operation depending on the threshold value. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a table showing the difference in production volume (weight of excavated material per unit time) as a key evaluation indicator depending on threshold values. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a comparison of pressure waveforms of a boom cylinder before and after calibration of a numerical model in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of control software relating to the turning control function of a machine controller provided in a work machine managed by a work machine management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a simulation map that defines the relationship between the swing operation amount and the opening area of ​​the solenoid valve for swing control, as an example of a parameter that is adjusted when calibrating a numerical model in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control map that defines the relationship between the target swing speed and the relative angle between the bucket position and the transport vehicle, as an example of a parameter that is adjusted when improving control software in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of control software relating to the state transition function of a machine controller provided in a work machine managed by a work machine management system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a transition table of the working states of a hydraulic excavator that excavates an excavated object and loads it onto a transport vehicle. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of parameters adjusted when calibrating a numerical model in the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a report output in step S106 of FIG. 5. [Figure 21] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a report output in step S113 of FIG. 5. [Figure 22] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a report output in step S115 of FIG. 5. [Figure 23] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen output in step S116 of FIG. 5. [Figure 24] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a control software update progress display screen output in step S117 of FIG. 5. [Figure 25] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a control software update completion notification screen output in step S118 of FIG. 5. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a work machine management system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] In the following embodiments, an example will be described in which the invention is applied to a large hydraulic excavator capable of automatic or semi-automatic operation as an example of a work machine managed by a work machine management system. However, the present invention is applicable to management systems for all work machines capable of automatic or semi-automatic operation, and is also applicable to management systems for medium-sized or smaller hydraulic excavators that are smaller than large hydraulic excavators, as well as management systems for work machines other than hydraulic excavators, such as crane trucks, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, and carrier crawlers.

[0013] 1. First embodiment 1-1.Worksite Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a work site where work machines managed by a work machine management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention are operating. At the work site shown in Fig. 1, transport vehicles 101, 102 such as dump trucks are parked near an excavation site of a hydraulic excavator 1. The transport vehicle 101 is a vehicle in the process of being loaded with excavated material S by the hydraulic excavator 1, and is parked so that its loading platform is positioned inside the turning radius of the front working implement 20 of the hydraulic excavator 1. The transport vehicle 102 is a waiting vehicle waiting for the loading of the excavated material S onto the transport vehicle 101 to be completed, and has a configuration similar to that of the transport vehicle 101.

[0014] The excavated material S is a product of the hydraulic excavator 1, and can include a variety of materials such as soil and sand (including materials such as ore excavated in mines), rubble, buildings and other demolished materials, wood chips, etc.

[0015] The transport vehicles 101, 102 are equipped with a controller 130, which is an on-board computer, a communication device 135, and a positioning device (GNSS). The controllers of the hydraulic excavator 1 and the transport vehicles 101, 102 can wirelessly communicate with each other via the communication devices 135, 135, and can directly send and receive data in both directions. However, the configuration is not limited to direct data communication between the hydraulic excavator 1 and the transport vehicles 101, 102, and data communication may also be performed via a relay station RS.

[0016] At the work site shown in FIG. 1 , for example, the hydraulic excavator 1 drives the front working implement 20 to excavate the excavated material S and load the excavated material S onto the transport vehicle 101. The hydraulic excavator 1 repeatedly performs the operations of excavating the excavated material S and loading it onto the transport vehicle 101, and when it has performed excavation and loading onto the transport vehicle 101 a predetermined number of times, it outputs a departure command to the transport vehicle 101 via the communication device 35. When the transport vehicle 101 receives the departure command via the communication device 135, it starts moving and leaves the location where the hydraulic excavator 1 loaded the excavated material S. Thereafter, the transport vehicle 102 waiting near the hydraulic excavator 1 moves and stops near the hydraulic excavator 1, and the hydraulic excavator 1 loads the excavated material S onto the transport vehicle 102. Meanwhile, the next transport vehicle arrives at the waiting location. This series of processes is repeated at the work site.

[0017] 1-2.Work machinery 2 is a schematic diagram of a hydraulic excavator 1. As shown in the figure, the hydraulic excavator 1 includes a vehicle body 10 and a front working implement 20. The vehicle body 10 includes a traveling body 11 and a revolving body 12.

[0018] The traveling body 11 is equipped with left and right crawlers (traveling devices) 16 each having an idler 13 which is an idler wheel, a drive tumbler 14 which is a drive wheel, and an endless track 15 which is looped around the idler 13 and the drive tumbler 14. The drive tumblers 14 are driven by left and right traveling motors (not shown), and the endless track 15 rotates between the idler 13 and the drive tumbler 14, causing the hydraulic excavator 1 to travel. For example, a hydraulic motor is used as the traveling motor.

[0019] The rotating body 12 is provided on top of the running body 11 via a rotation device (not shown) so as to be able to rotate left and right. The rotation device that connects the rotating body 12 to the running body 11 includes a rotation motor (not shown), and by driving the rotation motor, the rotating body 12 rotates left or right (yaw direction) relative to the running body 11. A hydraulic motor, for example, is used as the rotation motor. A cab 18 in which an operator sits is provided at the front of the rotating body 12 (on the front left side in this embodiment). The rotating body 12 is also equipped with a prime mover, a hydraulic system, etc.

[0020] The front work implement 20 is an articulated arm type working device for performing work such as excavating the excavated material S, and is attached to the front of the revolving body 12 (to the right of the cab 18 in this embodiment). The front work implement 20 is used for loading the excavated material onto the transport vehicle 101 (FIG. 1). The front work implement 20 includes a boom 21, an arm 22, and a bucket 23.

[0021] The boom 21 is rotatably connected to a base frame of the rotating structure 12, called a rotating frame, and is driven by a boom cylinder 24 to rotate up and down relative to the rotating structure 12. Both ends of the boom cylinder 24 are rotatably connected to the boom 21 and the rotating structure 12. The arm 22 is rotatably connected to the tip of the boom 21, and is driven by an arm cylinder 25 to rotate back and forth relative to the boom 21. Both ends of the arm cylinder 25 are rotatably connected to the arm 22 and the boom 21. The bucket 23 is rotatably connected to the tip of the arm 22, and is driven by a bucket cylinder 26 to rotate up and down relative to the arm 22. Both ends of the bucket cylinder 26 are rotatably connected to the boom 21 and the bucket 23.

[0022] The hydraulic excavator 1 is equipped with a drive system 31, an attitude sensor 32 (FIG. 3), a pressure sensor 33, a work management controller 34, a communication device 35, an operation device 37 (FIG. 3), an external environment recognition sensor 38, and a machine control controller 36.

[0023] 1-2-1. Drive system The drive system 31 is a system for driving drive components of the hydraulic excavator 1, such as the front work implement 20, the traveling body 11, and the swing body 12. The drive system 31 is made up of hydraulic equipment such as hydraulic pumps and valves, electrical equipment that controls these hydraulic equipment, hydraulic piping, signal lines, etc. The valves included in the drive system 31 include a plurality of directional control valves that control the direction and flow rate of pressure oil supplied from the hydraulic pump to corresponding hydraulic actuators such as the boom cylinder 24, and solenoid valves that generate pilot pressure to drive these directional control valves. A solenoid valve 31vb (FIG. 3) for controlling the boom cylinder and a solenoid valve 31vs (FIG. 14) for controlling the swing motor, which will be described later, are examples of solenoid valves included in the drive system 31.

[0024] 1-2-2. Posture sensor The attitude sensor 32 (FIG. 3) is a sensor that detects the attitude of the hydraulic excavator 1 and its front work implement 20 as one piece of machine data, which is data that indicates the operation details and operating status of the hydraulic excavator 1. As a sensor that detects the attitude of the front work implement 20, for example, an angle sensor that detects the angle of the boom 21 relative to the revolving unit 12, an angle sensor that detects the angle of the arm 22 relative to the boom 21, or an angle sensor that detects the angle of the bucket 23 relative to the arm 22 can be used. Alternatively, accelerometers (e.g., IMUs) that use the direction of gravity as a reference can be provided on the boom 21, arm 22, and bucket 23, and these accelerometers can be used as the attitude sensor 32. Based on the output of the attitude sensor 32, the attitude of the front work implement 20, specifically the angles of the boom 21, arm 22, and bucket 23, the position of the bucket 23, etc., are calculated by the machine control controller 36. As a sensor that detects the attitude of the hydraulic excavator 1, an inclination sensor (e.g., IMU) that detects the inclination angle of the revolving unit 12 in the front-to-back and left-to-right (roll direction and pitch direction) directions can be used.

[0025] The attitude sensor 32 may also include a positioning device. The positioning device detects the position of the vehicle body 10. The positioning device is, for example, an RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System). Position data in a global coordinate system of an antenna (not shown) installed on the vehicle body 10 is acquired by the positioning device and input to the vehicle body control controller 36. By installing two antennas, the vehicle body control controller 36 can also calculate orientation data of the vehicle body 10 (rotating unit 12) from the position data of the two antennas. The position of the vehicle body 10 acquired by the positioning device is, strictly speaking, the position of the antenna installed on the vehicle body 10, but can be freely converted to a specific position of the vehicle body 10 (for example, the position of the rotation center of the vehicle body 10) using known dimensional data of the vehicle body 10.

[0026] 1-2-3.Pressure sensor The pressure sensor 33 measures the pressure in the cylinder chamber of the boom cylinder 24 as one piece of machine data for the hydraulic excavator 1, and outputs the measured value to the machine control controller 36 and the work management controller 34. In this embodiment, the weight of the excavated material S scooped into the bucket 23 is calculated by the work management controller 34 based on the output of the pressure sensor 33 and the position of the bucket 23 determined from the output of the attitude sensor 32. For example, the height at which the bucket 23, having scooped up the excavated material S, leaves the ground can be set, and the weight of the excavated material S in each excavation operation can be determined from the output of the pressure sensor 33 when the bucket 23 rises to the set height after excavation.

[0027] 1-2-4.Operation device The operating device 37 (FIG. 3) is an operation input device for operating the traveling body 11, the revolving body 12, and the front work implement 20 of the hydraulic excavator 1, and is, for example, an operating lever device provided around the driver's seat in the driver's cab 18. The hydraulic excavator 1 is provided with an operation sensor that detects the operation signal from the operating device 37 and the amount of operation thereof, and, for example, the amount of operation of the operating device 37 is detected as one piece of machine data of the hydraulic excavator 1 and input to the machine control controller 36. Note that the operating device 37 may be of a type that is mounted in the driver's cab 18 and operated by an operator on board the hydraulic excavator 1, or may be a remote-controlled device that is remotely controlled by an operator outside the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0028] 1-2-5. External recognition sensor The external environment recognition sensor 38 (FIG. 3) is a distance measurement sensor for identifying the position of the transport vehicle 101. The external environment recognition sensor 38 is a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), but other distance measurement sensors such as a stereo camera can also be used. The LiDAR as the external environment recognition sensor 38 emits multiple laser beams with optical axis angles shifted in the left-right direction (yaw direction) and the up-down direction (pitch direction), and measures the distance to each distance measurement point from the time it takes for the laser beam reflected at each distance measurement point to be received. Based on the output of the external environment recognition sensor 38, the vehicle control controller 36 calculates position data of each distance measurement point (point cloud) relative to the vehicle body 10. The vehicle control controller 36 obtains three-dimensional measurement data (point cloud data) of the position of the transport vehicle 101 relative to the vehicle body 10 and the terrain (shape of the ground surface) based on the obtained point cloud data.

[0029] 1-2-6. Work Management Controller The work management controller 34 is an on-board computer equipped with an arithmetic device (CPU, etc.) and a storage device (RAM, ROM, HHD, SSD, etc.), and calculates and acquires work information of the hydraulic excavator 1 performed by the front work implement 20 as one piece of work data, which is data indicating the work content and work history of the hydraulic excavator 1. The work management controller 34 may be provided in the hydraulic excavator 1 as a function of the machine body control controller 36, rather than as a computer separate from the machine body control controller 36. The work information calculated by the work management controller 34 includes, for example, the work time history, the time required for each excavation operation obtained from the work time history, and the excavated weight per excavation operation calculated based on the output of the pressure sensor 33, etc.

[0030] 1-2-7.Communication equipment The communication device 35 is connected to the communication device 210 of the processing device 200 and the communication device 135 of the transport vehicle 101 via the relay station RS (Figure 1) as necessary, and communicates various data related to commands, notifications, displays, etc., and vehicle operating data (e.g., vehicle data and work data) bidirectionally between the communication device 35 and the transport vehicle 101 and the processing device 200.

[0031] 1-2-8.Aircraft control controller The machine body controller 36 is an on-board computer equipped with an arithmetic unit (CPU, etc.) and a storage unit (RAM, ROM, HHD, SSD, etc.), and has the function of outputting command signals to the drive system 31 without operator operation to operate the hydraulic excavator 1 semi-automatically or automatically. The machine body controller 36 is connected to the drive system 31 and the communication unit 35 via signal lines, and can output control signals to the drive system 31 and exchange data with the transport vehicle 101 and the processing unit 200 via the communication unit 35. For example, the machine body controller 36 may have a function of automatically moving the boom 21 up and down in response to the operation of the arm 22 so that the toe of the bucket 23 moves along the excavation target surface during excavation operation. Note that these command signals and control signals are included in the machine body data.

[0032] In addition, the machine controller 36 may be provided with an excavation load control function that commands a boom to be raised to suppress the excavation load when the excavation load is excessive, a swing control function (second embodiment) that adjusts the swing speed when loading the excavated material S onto the transport vehicle 101, a state transition function (third embodiment) that determines the situation and transitions the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1, etc. These functions are examples of control software related to the operation control of the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0033] 1-3. Excavation load control function 3 is a functional block diagram of control software related to the excavation load control function of the machine controller 36. As described above, the hydraulic excavator 1 can be equipped with an excavation load control function that suppresses the excavation load by issuing a boom lift command when the excavation load is excessive. With this excavation load control function, for example, when the ground being excavated by the front working implement 20 is hard and the bucket 23 is likely to dig into the ground and become stuck, the boom 21 is automatically raised to relieve the excavation load, and excavation operations can be carried out continuously and smoothly without the bucket 23 stopping.

[0034] The excavation load control function includes an attitude determination unit 36a, a load determination unit 36b, and a correction unit 36c. The attitude determination unit 36a, the load determination unit 36b, and the correction unit 36c are functions executed by the machine controller 36, and are realized by software elements such as programs.

[0035] The attitude determination unit 36a calculates the attitude of the front working implement 20 and the tiptoe position of the bucket 23 based on the output of the attitude sensor 32, and determines whether the tiptoe position of the bucket 23 is below a predetermined height.

[0036] In the load determination unit 36b, the excavation load L is calculated in real time based on the output of the pressure sensor 33 during the excavation operation, or the excavation load L calculated in real time by the work management controller 34 is sequentially input, and it is determined whether the excavation load L exceeds the threshold value Lt. The threshold value Lt is a value set in advance for the excavation load L to determine whether the load is so high that the bucket 23 can stop. If L > Lt, it is determined that the excavation load L is excessive (high load).

[0037] In the correction unit 36c, when the tip position of the bucket 23 is below a predetermined height (estimated to be during excavation) and the excavation load is a high load (L < Lt), a predetermined boom raising operation amount is calculated as a correction value for the operation amount of the front work machine 20 (the boom operation amount in this embodiment). The correction value calculated by the correction unit 36c is added to the boom operation amount (including 0) of the operation device 37, and a boom command value corresponding to the corrected operation amount is output to the electromagnetic valve 31vb for boom cylinder control, and the boom 21 rises by a predetermined amount more than the operator's operation and the excavation load is reduced.

[0038] In this embodiment, the case of semi-automatic operation in which the function of FIG. 3 is executed by intervening in the operator's operation has been described. However, it is of course possible to implement a function in which the boom raising amount is corrected according to the excavation load when the hydraulic excavator 1 is automatically operated.

[0039] 1-4. Work Machine Management System FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a work machine management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The work machine management system 100 shown in FIG. 4 includes a remote management system 110 for remotely managing at least one work machine such as the hydraulic excavator 1, and a sales / service support system 120. The sales / service support system 120 includes an OTA (Over the Air) system 121 that updates the control software installed in each work machine and controls the work machine from outside the work machine via a network. Note that the function of the OTA system 121 may be provided in the processing device 200.

[0040] The remote management system 110 includes a processing device 200 as a management device that presents improvement proposals for evaluation indicators that evaluate work performed by the hydraulic excavator 1, which is one of the construction machines to be managed, and a software update management unit 300. In this embodiment, a case where a key performance indicator (KPI) is used as the evaluation indicator is taken as an example. Improving a key performance indicator means obtaining a simulation result for the value of a predetermined key performance indicator that exceeds the highest historical performance value of the hydraulic excavator 1 using the current control software. In this embodiment, the key performance indicator targeted for improvement in the improvement proposal by the processing device 200 is production volume (the amount of product produced by the construction machine per unit time), which in this embodiment is the weight of excavated material S excavated per unit time by the hydraulic excavator 1. It is possible to select multiple key performance indicators to be improved, rather than just one, and set the priority of improvement. The software update management unit 300 communicates with the OTA system 121 and can download, from the OTA system 121, the update history of the control software for construction machines under its management, such as the hydraulic excavator 1, and each version of the control software.

[0041] 1-5. Processing equipment The processing device 200 is a computer equipped with an arithmetic unit (CPU, etc.) and a storage device (RAM, ROM, HHD, SSD, etc.), and is installed at the work site of the hydraulic excavator 1 or at a facility such as a management center located in a remote location away from the work site. In this embodiment, the processing device 200 is configured by one computer, but it may also be configured by multiple computers connected via a network using, for example, grid computing or a cluster system.

[0042] The processing device 200 as a management device receives and acquires operation data (machine data such as operation signals and command signals, work data such as excavation volume, and other various data) sequentially transmitted from the hydraulic excavator 1 via the communication device 210, and provides the acquired operation data to at least one of the customer terminal device Tc and the in-house terminal device Ti. The customer terminal device Tc is a terminal device such as a PC used by a customer who uses the work machine management system 100. The in-house terminal device Ti is a terminal device such as a PC used by the operator who operates the work machine management system 100.

[0043] The processing device 200 also acquires control software related to operational control of the hydraulic excavator 1 and operation data including machine data and work data for the hydraulic excavator 1, calculates an evaluation value for the work of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on key evaluation indicators based on the acquired operation data, performs a simulation for adjusting parameters of the control software for the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the calculated evaluation value, and outputs the simulation results. For example, the processing device 200 inputs the operation data into a numerical model including parameters of the control software for simulating the behavior of the hydraulic excavator 1 to calculate a simulation value of the evaluation index for an actual performance value, which is an evaluation value for past work of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the evaluation indicators, and if the calculated simulation value is equal to or greater than the actual performance value, outputs the calculated simulation value and the control software parameters corresponding to this simulation value as an improvement proposal for the control software. In particular, the processing device 200 calculates actual performance values ​​for different periods from the operation data, and if the calculated simulation value of the evaluation index is greater than the maximum value, which is the largest actual performance value among the actual performance values ​​for different periods (e.g., per unit time), outputs the control software parameters corresponding to the calculated simulation value together with the simulation value. However, the control software parameters do not necessarily have to be improved so that the simulation value exceeds the above-mentioned maximum value. A predetermined value may be set within a range of actual values ​​with the maximum value as the upper limit, and the control software parameters may be improved so as to exceed this predetermined value. In other words, it is not necessary to improve the control software of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the best performance in the past, but the control software may also be improved so that the overall performance is improved over the current situation. A specific example for realizing such a function will be described below.

[0044] 4 includes a data link processing unit 220 and a key evaluation index improvement unit 230. The data link processing unit 220 and the key evaluation index improvement unit 230, including the function blocks (such as the reference key evaluation index selection unit 231) included therein, may be realized by hardware elements such as circuits, or may be realized by software elements such as programs.

[0045] 1-5-1. Data linking processing section The data linking processing unit 220 has the function of charting the operation data received from the hydraulic excavator 1 and creating an operation / manipulation method diagnostic report that evaluates the operation data. This data linking processing unit 220 includes a key evaluation index holding unit 221 that calculates and holds actual values ​​for key evaluation indexes related to work done by the work machine from the work machine operation data. The values ​​of the key evaluation index held in the key evaluation index holding unit 221 are assigned identification data for the work machine ID, operator, and work content, making it possible to extract the values ​​of the key evaluation index for each work machine, operator, and work content.

[0046] The key evaluation index calculated by the key evaluation index holding unit 221 is at least one item designated in advance. In this embodiment, the key evaluation index holding unit 221 calculates and holds, as a key evaluation index, a productivity index of a product produced by a work machine, for example, the weight of the excavated material S excavated per unit time by the hydraulic excavator 1. The weight of the excavated material S excavated per unit time can be calculated from the work data received from the hydraulic excavator 1 (the weight of the excavated material S by each excavation operation and the time history of the excavation operation).

[0047] 1-5-2. Key Performance Indicator Improvement Department The key evaluation index improvement unit 230 is a function that proposes improvements to predetermined demand evaluation indexes for work performed by a work machine such as the hydraulic excavator 1. This key evaluation index improvement unit 230 includes a reference key evaluation index selection unit 231, a numerical model calibration unit 232, a key evaluation index verification unit 233, a key evaluation index improvement determination unit 234, a key evaluation index improvement prediction report output unit 235, and a control software update request unit 236.

[0048] 1-5-2a. Reference Key Evaluation Indicator Selection Section The reference key evaluation index selection unit 231 extracts the maximum value from the actual values ​​of a predetermined number of key evaluation indexes. In the reference key evaluation index selection unit 231, for example, a predetermined number of data, for example, a predetermined period set in advance, a predetermined number of recent times, or all data, is extracted for the weight of the excavated material S excavated per unit time related to the hydraulic excavator 1 held in the key evaluation index holding unit 221, and the maximum value is selected from the extracted data.

[0049] 1-5-2b. Numerical model calibration section The numerical model calibration unit 232 has a function of calibrating a pre-stored numerical model. A numerical model is a mathematical model used by the processing device 200 to simulate the behavior of the work machine, and is a combination of mathematical expressions such as an equation of motion and an arithmetic expression for hydraulic pressure. In this embodiment, the numerical model includes a set of various parameters (a combination of multiple parameters) in the control software for the work machine. Simulation software or the like can be used for the numerical model, and, for example, machine data (e.g., operation signals) for a predetermined period of time (e.g., the most recent day, one week, etc.) of the hydraulic excavator 1 is input to simulate the behavior of the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0050] Furthermore, the numerical model calibration unit 232 calculates trial values ​​of key evaluation indexes when the current version of the control software is used as evaluation values ​​for accuracy management of the numerical model, from the behavior of the hydraulic excavator 1 simulated by inputting machine data into the numerical model. Then, it is determined whether the difference between the calculated trial values ​​of the key evaluation indexes and the maximum values ​​of the key evaluation indexes extracted by the reference key evaluation index selection unit 231 is less than a predetermined value set in advance (i.e., whether there is agreement between the two).

[0051] Furthermore, if the difference between the estimated value and the maximum value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, i.e., if the error between the value calculated using the numerical model and the actual value is large, the numerical model calibration unit 232 automatically calibrates the numerical model so that the difference between the estimated value and the maximum value is less than the predetermined value. The calibration of the numerical model is performed by adjusting (tuning) the parameter values ​​of the numerical model. The parameters that affect the estimated value vary depending on the key evaluation index to be estimated, and the parameters to be adjusted are empirically or theoretically selected in advance. In an example described later in this embodiment, the hydraulic equivalent bulk modulus E is adjusted as a parameter. The parameter adjustment is performed by automatically searching for parameter values ​​that make the difference between the estimated value and the maximum value of the key evaluation index less than a predetermined value. The automatic search for parameter values ​​can be achieved, for example, by applying GA (genetic algorithms), which are suboptimal parameter search algorithms.

[0052] 1-5-2c. Key Performance Indicator Verification Department The key evaluation index verification unit 233 simulates the behavior of the work machine from the machine body data of the work machine, using a numerical model and the latest version of the work machine's control software acquired via the software update management unit 300. When the numerical model is configured by the numerical model calibration unit 232, the numerical model calibrated by the numerical model calibration unit 232 is applied. For example, the key evaluation index verification unit 233 inputs the machine body data into a numerical model that simulates the behavior of the hydraulic excavator 1 (or the calibrated numerical model if calibration is required), and thereby calculates a simulated value of a predetermined key evaluation index (weight of excavated material S excavated per unit time) that is obtained under control by the current control software of the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0053] 1-5-2d.Important evaluation indicator improvement judgment department The key evaluation index improvement determination unit 234 determines whether the simulation value of a specified key evaluation index obtained under conditions in which the hydraulic excavator 1 is controlled by the latest control software calculated by the key evaluation index verification unit 233 is greater than the maximum value of the key evaluation index extracted by the reference key evaluation index selection unit 231, and sets the improvement determination value to true if the simulation value is greater than the maximum value, and sets the improvement determination value to false if the simulation value is equal to or less than the maximum value.

[0054] At this time, if the simulation value of the key evaluation index is equal to or less than the maximum value, the key evaluation index improvement determination unit 234 attempts to search for values ​​for the parameters of the control software implemented in the work machine that will increase the simulation value above the maximum value. Parameters that affect the simulation of the key evaluation index vary depending on the key evaluation index being simulated, and the parameters to be adjusted are selected in advance arbitrarily, empirically, or theoretically. In an example described later in this embodiment, a parameter that specifies the timing for intervening an assist operation during operation of the work machine is adjusted; specifically, the threshold value Lt used in the load determination unit 36b of the control software related to the excavation load control function in FIG. 3 is adjusted. The parameter adjustment is performed by automatically searching for parameter values ​​that will increase the simulation value of the key evaluation index above the maximum value. The automatic search for parameter values ​​can be achieved, for example, by applying GA (genetic algorithms), which are suboptimal parameter search algorithms. When the parameters are searched for and the control software is virtually tuned in this manner, the simulation value of a predetermined key evaluation index obtained under conditions in which the hydraulic excavator 1 is controlled by the virtually tuned control software is recalculated, and the recalculated simulation value is compared with the maximum value. If a simulation value exceeding the maximum value is obtained by tuning the control software, the improvement judgment value is set to true; if not, the improvement judgment value is set to false.

[0055] 1-5-2e. Key evaluation indicator improvement prediction report output section The key evaluation index improvement prediction report output unit 235 generates a report including the maximum value and the simulation value of the key evaluation index, and outputs the report to an output device (e.g., at least one of the customer terminal device Tc and the in-house terminal device Ti) via the data linking processing unit 220. The output device displays the simulation value of the key evaluation index when the control software is virtually updated by applying the parameters found by the key evaluation index improvement determination unit 234, and preferably displays this simulation value in comparison with the maximum value of the key evaluation index. For example, if the improvement determination value is true, the improvement rate of the simulation value relative to the maximum value of the key evaluation index is highlighted. The report received by the data linking processing unit 220 is converted into a data format for network transmission by the network line information processing unit 240 and provided to at least one of the customer terminal device Tc and the in-house terminal device Ti via the network.

[0056] 1-5-2f. Control Software Update Request Department When the improvement determination value is true, the control software update request unit 236 updates the control software installed in the work machine with control software to which the parameters found by the key evaluation index improvement determination unit 234 are applied. For example, when the improvement determination value is true, the control software update request unit 236 outputs the control software to which the parameters found by the key evaluation index improvement determination unit 234 are applied to the data link processing unit 220. Then, the data link processing unit 220 transmits the control software to which the found parameters are applied (or the update contents) together with a signal instructing the update to the OTA system 121, and the OTA system 121 rewrites the control software installed in the hydraulic excavator 1 with a new version of control software to which the found parameters are applied.

[0057] 1-6. Flowchart Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a series of processes performed by the work machine management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The processing device 200 executes the flow of Figure 5 at a predetermined timing for each work machine under its management. The predetermined timing for executing the flow of Figure 5 may be, for example, a predetermined time every day, a predetermined time every week, a predetermined time interval, a date and time specified by an operator, etc.

[0058] 5 starts, the processing device 200 receives operation data including machine data and work data from the hydraulic excavator 1 (step S101), processes the received operation data and graphs it (steps S102 and S103), and calculates and stores a predetermined key performance index value kpi from the operation data (step S104). In this embodiment, in step S104, based on the output of the pressure sensor 33 during the excavation operation, the weight of the excavated material S excavated per unit time [t / s] is calculated as the key performance index value kpi from the time taken for each excavation operation and the weight of the excavated material S. The key performance index value kpi calculated in step S104 is a value related to the excavation operation executed by the version of control software currently implemented in the hydraulic excavator 1. The key performance index value kpi may be calculated for all excavation operations executed by the current version of control software, or may be calculated for a portion of the excavation operations (e.g., the excavation operations for the most recent N days, the most recent N excavation operations, etc.). N is an arbitrary set value.

[0059] After calculating the key performance indicator value kpi in step S104, the processing device 200 creates a report including the operation data of the hydraulic excavator 1 and the key performance indicator value kpi (step S105), and creates a diagnostic report (Figure 20) of the operation and handling method that evaluates the operation data, and outputs this to an output device (customer terminal device Tc, etc.) together with the key performance indicator value kpi (step S106).

[0060] Furthermore, after calculating the key evaluation index values ​​kpi in step S104, the processing device 200 executes subsequent processing related to improvement proposals for the key evaluation indexes in parallel with the report on the actual operation of the hydraulic excavator 1 in steps S105 and S106. As the processing for improvement proposals for the key evaluation indexes, the processing device 200 first extracts the maximum value kpi0 from the key evaluation index values ​​kpi calculated in step S104 (step S107).

[0061] Next, the processing device 200 calibrates the numerical model. Specifically, as described above, the numerical model is used to simulate the behavior of the hydraulic excavator 1 under control by the current control software, and the estimated value kpi1 of the key evaluation index is calculated (step S108). The processing device 200 determines whether the difference between the estimated value kpi1 of the key evaluation index and the maximum value kpi0 is less than a predetermined value ε (|kpi1-kpi0|<ε) (step S109).

[0062] The predetermined value ε is a threshold value for determining whether kpi1 and kpi0 match, and if |kpi1-kpi0|≧ε (No), the estimated value kpi1 calculated by the numerical model deviates from the actual value (maximum value kpi0). In this case, tuning of the numerical model is required, so the processing device 200 automatically adjusts the parameters of the numerical model to calibrate the numerical model (step S110), and returns the procedure to step S108.

[0063] In step S109, if |kpi1-kpi0|<ε (Yes), the numerical model is in a state where a value approximating the actual value (maximum value kpi0) of the key evaluation index is calculated according to the aircraft data. In this case, tuning of the numerical model is not required, so the processing device 200 proceeds to a trial of improving the control software using a numerical model with ensured accuracy.

[0064] In improving the control software, first, the processing device 200 uses a numerical model to simulate the behavior of the hydraulic excavator 1 under control by the current control software (if the control software has been virtually updated by parameter search in later S114, the latest control software) and calculates a simulation value kpi2 of the key evaluation index (step S111). The processing device 200 determines whether the simulation value kpi2 of the key evaluation index exceeds the maximum value kpi0 (kpi2>kpi0) (step S112).

[0065] If kpi2≦kpi0 (No), no improvement in the key performance indicator value kpi is expected relative to the current best performance (kpi0). In this case, to attempt to improve the control software, the processing device 200 creates a report ( FIG. 21 ) including the simulation value kpi2 and the actually measured key performance indicator value kpi, outputs it to an output device (such as the customer terminal device Tc) (step S113), automatically adjusts the control software parameters to improve the control software (step S114), and returns the procedure to step S111. In this embodiment, as an example, for the control software related to the excavation load control function described in FIG. 3, the control software is improved by adjusting the threshold value Lt for evaluating the excavation load L in the load determination unit 36b, that is, the timing at which the boom raising operation intervenes during excavation.

[0066] In step S112, if kpi2>kpi0 (Yes), a further improvement in the key performance indicator value kpi is expected relative to the current best performance (kpi0). In this case, the processing device 200 creates a performance improvement prediction report (FIG. 22) and outputs it to an output device (such as the customer terminal device Tc) (step S115), and confirms with an operator (for example, a user) whether or not to update the control software of the hydraulic excavator 1 to control software related to the simulation value kpi2 (step S116).

[0067] If the operator who has checked the performance improvement prediction report does not want to update (No), the processing device 200 skips the remaining processing and ends the flow of FIG. 5 without updating the control software.

[0068] If the operator who has checked the performance improvement prediction report performs the update (Yes), the processing device 200 transmits the control software related to the simulation value kpi2 to the hydraulic excavator 1 via the OTA system 121 (step S117), outputs to the output device (customer terminal device Tc, etc.) a message indicating that the update of the control software received from the OTA system 121 has been completed successfully (step S118), and ends the flow of Figure 5.

[0069] 1-7.Numerical model Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a numerical model of a hydraulic excavator. In steps S108 and S111 of Fig. 5, the behavior of the hydraulic excavator 1 is simulated using a numerical model such as that shown in Fig. 6, and a trial value kpi1 and a simulation value kpi2 of the key evaluation index are calculated from the necessary physical quantities (such as the weight of the excavated material S) obtained by this simulation. The numerical model 250 shown in Fig. 6 is configured to include a machine control controller model 251, a hydraulic pump model 252, a hydraulic valve model 253, a hydraulic piping model 254, a boom cylinder model 255, an excavator mechanism model 256, and a soil model 257. The elements required for the numerical model differ depending on the key evaluation index to be calculated, and the numerical model 250 shown in Fig. 6 is merely an example.

[0070] The aircraft controller model 251 includes control software and calculates an operation amount i (command signal) related to boom operation based on an operation signal from the operating device 37 or a program such as control software, and inputs the calculated operation amount i to a hydraulic pump model 252 and a hydraulic valve model 253.

[0071] The hydraulic pump model 252 represents, by at least one mathematical formula, the relationship between parameters such as the manipulated variable i, the pump discharge flow rate q1 of the hydraulic pump, the pump discharge pressure p1, the pump rotation speed n, and the pump displacement D(i). For example, the pump discharge flow rate q1 when the manipulated variable i is input from the aircraft controller 36 is calculated by the formula q1=nD(i).

[0072] The hydraulic valve model 253 expresses, in at least one mathematical formula, the relationship between parameters such as the manipulated variable i, pump discharge flow rate q1, pump discharge pressure p1, valve passage flow rate q2, valve meter-out pressure p2, flow coefficient C, and valve opening area A(i). For example, the valve passage flow rate q2 and the like when the manipulated variable i is input from the aircraft controller 36 are calculated using the formula q1=C·A(i)·√(p2-p1).

[0073] The hydraulic piping model 254 expresses, by at least one mathematical formula, the relationship between parameters such as the valve passing flow rate q2, the valve meter-out pressure p2, the cylinder flow rate q3 of the boom cylinder 24, the cylinder pressure p3, the equivalent bulk modulus E, and the piping volume V. For example, the cylinder flow rate q3 of the boom cylinder 24 corresponding to the operation amount i output from the aircraft controller 36 is calculated by the formula dp3 / dt=E / V(q3-q2).

[0074] The boom cylinder model 255 is, for example, at least one mathematical formula that represents the relationship between parameters such as the cylinder flow rate q3, cylinder pressure p3, cylinder thrust F1, cylinder displacement L1, cylinder velocity v1, and cylinder pressure-receiving area Ac of the boom cylinder 24. For example, the mathematical formula F1=Ac·p3 is used to calculate the cylinder thrust F1 of the boom cylinder 24 according to the operation amount i output from the machine body controller 36.

[0075] The shovel mechanism model 256 is obtained by expressing, in at least one mathematical formula, the relationship between parameters such as the cylinder thrust F1 of the boom cylinder 24, the cylinder displacement L1, the cylinder speed v1, the toe position x2 of the bucket 23, the toe speed v2, and the bucket external force F2. The soil model 257 is a model of the excavated object S. The bucket external force F2 is an excavation reaction force acting on the bucket 23 when the front work implement 20 excavates the ground (FIG. 7).

[0076] A plurality of elements such as the machine body controller model 251 and the hydraulic pump model 252 interact with each other to form a mathematical model of the hydraulic excavator 1. In the example of Fig. 6, the cylinder pressure p3 of the boom cylinder 24 simulates the output of the pressure sensor 33, and the weight of the excavated material S excavated per unit time, that is, the estimated value kpi1 and the simulated value kpi2 of the key evaluation indicators of this embodiment, can be calculated from the cylinder pressure p3.

[0077] 1-8.Effects 1-8-1. In this embodiment, the processing device 200 inputs machine data into the numerical model 250 to calculate a simulation value kpi2 of a predetermined evaluation index (a key evaluation index in this embodiment). If the simulation value kpi2 is equal to or less than a predetermined actual value (the maximum actual value kpi0 in this embodiment), the processing device 200 searches for values ​​for the parameters of the control software implemented in the hydraulic excavator 1 that will make the simulation value kpi2 greater than the predetermined actual value (maximum value kpi0). This makes it possible to easily improve the control software of the hydraulic excavator 1 with respect to the predetermined evaluation index. Furthermore, since the control software parameters are automatically adjusted through simulation when improving the control software, verification testing using an actual hydraulic excavator 1 is not required. This reduces fuel and labor costs associated with verification testing and makes it easy to improve the control software of large construction machines such as hydraulic excavators operating in mines. In particular, in this embodiment, by searching for control software parameters that will make the simulation value kpi2 greater than the maximum actual value of the predetermined evaluation index, the control software can be improved to exceed the current best performance of the hydraulic excavator 1. Examples of the effects are described below.

[0078] Figure 8 shows an example of threshold values ​​Lt for determining whether the excavation load L is a high load in the control software of Figure 3. Threshold value Lt1 (20 MPa) is the lowest, threshold value Lt2 (25 MPa) is higher than threshold value Lt1, and threshold value Lt3 (30 MPa) is even higher than threshold value Lt2.

[0079] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the difference in the trajectory of the toe of the bucket 23 during excavation depending on the threshold value Lt. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the X direction (the direction in which the bucket 23 approaches the vehicle body 10), and the vertical axis represents the Z direction (the direction in which the bucket 23 moves upward). The solid line represents an example of the trajectory of the bucket 23 when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt1, the dashed line represents an example of the trajectory of the bucket 23 when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt2, and the dashed-dotted line represents an example of the trajectory of the bucket 23 when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt3. In each trajectory in the figure, the convex shape in the +Z direction indicates that the load determination unit 36b in the control software of FIG. 3 determined that the load was high, and the correction unit 36c intervened to perform a boom-raising operation, moving the toe position of the bucket 23 in the +Z direction (upward). In this way, the boom-raising operation automatically intervenes in response to the operator's operation, thereby reducing the excavation load. When threshold value Lt is set to the lowest value Lt1, assist control is executed when the pressure in the boom cylinder 24 is relatively low (the excavation load L is relatively low), and boom raising operations are performed frequently. In contrast, when threshold value Lt is set to Lt2, the boom raising operation does not intervene until the excavation load L exceeds Lt1 and reaches Lt2. This delays the timing at which the boom raising operation intervenes compared to when threshold value Lt1, and the trajectory of the toe of the bucket 23 becomes lower (deeper). Similarly, when threshold value Lt is set to a further value Lt3, the boom raising operation does not intervene until the excavation load L exceeds Lt2 and reaches Lt3. This delays the timing at which the boom raising operation intervenes compared to when threshold value Lt2, and the trajectory of the toe of the bucket 23 becomes lower (deeper). Note that in the example of FIG. 9, when threshold value Lt3 is set, the frequency of boom raising operation intervention decreases, and therefore the amount of boom raising operation that intervenes is set to be larger accordingly.

[0080] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the difference in excavation work progress depending on the threshold value Lt. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the excavation work progress rate [%]. The solid line represents an example of progress when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt1, the dashed line represents an example of progress when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt2, and the dashed-dotted line represents an example of progress when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt3. The vertical axis component of each progress example shown in FIG. 10 is proportional to the movement speed in the X direction in FIG. 9. In each progress example in FIG. 10, horizontal (slope 0) areas indicate that a boom-raising operation intervened to release the excavation load (the tip of the bucket 23 was moved in the +Z direction). The operation of releasing the excavation load does not advance excavation. As shown in FIG. 10, the movement speed in the X direction of the bucket 23 varies depending on the excavation load. Furthermore, the frequency and amount of boom-raising operation also vary depending on the setting of the threshold value Lt. Therefore, the time it takes for the progress rate to reach 100% varies depending on the value of the threshold value Lt. FIG. 10 shows an example in which the progress rate is expected to reach 100% most quickly when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt1.

[0081] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the difference in the weight [t] of the excavated material S scooped into the bucket 23 per excavation operation depending on the threshold value Lt. As shown in FIG. 9, the trajectory of the toe of the bucket 23 changes depending on the setting of the threshold value Lt. For example, when the threshold value Lt1 is set, the trajectory of the toe of the bucket 23 during excavation is the highest (shallowest), so the amount of excavated material S that enters the bucket 23 per excavation operation is small, as shown in FIG. 11. The trajectory of the toe of the bucket 23 becomes lower (deeper) as the threshold value Lt increases, and the amount of excavated material S that is scooped into the bucket 23 during excavation also increases. In this example, when the threshold value Lt3 is set, the trajectory of the toe of the bucket 23 during excavation is the lowest (deepest), so the amount of excavated material S that enters the bucket 23 per excavation operation is largest, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0082] FIG. 12 is a table showing the difference in production volume (weight of excavated material S excavated per unit time) as a key evaluation index depending on the threshold value Lt. The data in FIG. 12 or the trend expressed by the data is reported in a performance improvement report output in step S115 of the flowchart in FIG. 5. Steps S111-S114 of the flowchart in FIG. 5 are tried to find the value of the threshold value Lt, and the result shown in FIG. 12 is obtained, for example. Also, assume that the maximum value kpi0 of the actual value of the key evaluation index was set to 0.9 [t / s] in step S107. In this case, the simulated value kpi2 (=0.94 [t / s]) of the key evaluation index when the threshold value Lt is set to Lt2 exceeds the maximum value kpi0. Therefore, in step S116 of FIG. 5, the processing device 200 checks whether to update the control software of the hydraulic excavator 1 to a new version of control software that employs the threshold value Lt2.

[0083] As in the above example, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the control software of the hydraulic excavator 1 so that it can exceed the best performance of the current hydraulic excavator 1 in terms of predetermined key evaluation indexes.

[0084] 1-8-2. Furthermore, prior to calculating the simulation value kpi2 of the key evaluation index, the processing device 200 calculates a trial value kpi1 of the key evaluation index as an evaluation value for accuracy control of the numerical model 250, and calibrates the numerical model 250 so that the difference between the trial value kpi1 of the key evaluation index and the maximum actual value kpi0 is less than a predetermined value ε. This ensures the accuracy of the numerical model 250, making it possible to provide a highly reliable simulation value kpi2 and, ultimately, to propose improvements to highly reliable control software.

[0085] Figure 13 is a diagram showing a comparison of the pressure waveform of the boom cylinder 24 before and after calibration of the numerical model. As shown in Figure 13, when the boom cylinder 24 is operated by the operating device 37, pressure fluctuations occur in the boom cylinder 24 as the boom cylinder 24 moves. The pressure waveform W1 shown by the solid line is an example of the pressure waveform of the boom cylinder 24 actually obtained during operation of the hydraulic excavator 1, the pressure waveform W2 shown by the dashed line is an example of the pressure waveform simulated by the numerical model before calibration, and the pressure waveform W3 shown by the dashed line is an example of the pressure waveform simulated by the numerical model after calibration.

[0086] It can be seen that the pressure waveform W2 simulated by the numerical model 250 before the calibration process in step S114 of Fig. 5 has a phase and frequency shift compared to the actual waveform W1. In contrast, the pressure waveform W3 simulated by the numerical model 250 after adjusting the value of the hydraulic equivalent bulk modulus E of the hydraulic piping model 254 in the calibration process in step S114 of Fig. 5 is similar in phase, frequency, amplitude, etc. to the actual waveform W1. Approximating the weight of the excavated material S excavated per unit time, which is a key evaluation index, is equivalent to approximating the timing at which the load determination unit 36b of the control software in Fig. 3 determines that the excavation load is high. Therefore, by undergoing the calibration process, the pressure waveform W3 calculated by the numerical model 250 approaches the actual waveform W1 (the value actually measured by the pressure sensor 33).

[0087] Calibrating the numerical model 250 in this way ensures the accuracy of the numerical verification of the key evaluation indicators, which also contributes to making actual machine verification unnecessary.

[0088] 1-8-3. In the processing of step S117 in Fig. 5, the processing device 200 updates the control software installed in the hydraulic excavator 1 by applying the parameters found in the processing of step S114 in Fig. 5. This control software update is executed by the work machine management system 100 via a network, and does not require, for example, an operator to go to the work site (Fig. 1) to operate the machine controller 36 of the hydraulic excavator 1. Therefore, the control software can be updated quickly and easily, and since no manual work by an operator is required, the cost required for updating the control software can also be reduced.

[0089] The processing device 200 calibrates the numerical model 250 by changing the parameter values ​​thereof. The numerical model 250 can be easily calibrated by adjusting the parameters without having to reconstruct the numerical model 250 by, for example, revising the mathematical formulas.

[0090] 2. Second embodiment In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the production volume [t / s] by the work machine was used as a key evaluation index, and the threshold value Lt that specifies the timing of intervention of an assist operation in control software that causes an assist operation (a boom-raising operation in the first embodiment) to intervene during operation of the work machine was automatically adjusted. However, the key evaluation index to be improved can be selected and set arbitrarily. The parameters to be automatically adjusted may differ depending on the key evaluation index to be improved. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the loading time [s] for loading the excavated material S excavated by the hydraulic excavator 1 onto the transport vehicle 101 during the excavation and loading operation is used as a key evaluation index for improvement. This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the points described below.

[0091] In this embodiment, the actuator speed relative to the required operation amount is automatically adjusted as a parameter of the control software. In this embodiment, the required operation amount is the amount of swing required for the loading operation after the excavation operation, specifically the relative angle (azimuth angle around the center of swing) between the position of the bucket 23 immediately after excavating the excavated material S and the position of the platform of the transport vehicle 101. The actuator speed is, for example, the target swing speed of the swing unit 12. Calibration of the numerical model 250 is performed by tuning the actuator speed relative to the operation amount, specifically the opening area or valve shape of the solenoid valve 31vs for controlling the swing motor relative to the operation amount i related to the swing operation.

[0092] 2-1. Turning control function Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram of control software relating to the turning control function of the aircraft controller 36. In Fig. 14, elements that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in the previously mentioned drawings, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0093] As described above, the hydraulic excavator 1 can be provided with a swing control function that adjusts the swing speed when loading the excavated material S onto the transport vehicle 101. This swing control function corrects the swing speed of the rotating body 12 when the hydraulic excavator 1 loads the excavated material S onto the transport vehicle 101, thereby facilitating the transportation of the excavated material S during loading.

[0094] The turning control function includes a transport vehicle position calculation unit 36e, a payload calculation unit 36f, and a turning command unit 36g in addition to the attitude determination unit 36a described in Fig. 3. The attitude determination unit 36a, the transport vehicle position calculation unit 36e, the payload calculation unit 36f, and the turning command unit 36g are functions executed by the vehicle controller 36, and may be realized by hardware elements such as circuits, or by software elements such as programs.

[0095] The delivery vehicle position calculation unit 36e calculates the position of the delivery vehicle 101 based on the point cloud data input from the external environment recognition sensor 38.

[0096] The payload calculation unit 36f calculates the weight of the excavated material S scooped into the bucket 23 during the excavation operation based on the outputs of the attitude determination unit 36a and the pressure sensor 33. As described above, the attitude determination unit 36a determines that the bucket 23 has risen to a height (set value) at which it leaves the ground after excavating the excavated material S, and the weight of the excavated material S scooped into the bucket 23 can be calculated from the output of the pressure sensor 33 at that time.

[0097] The swing command unit 36g calculates a target swing speed according to the current toe position of the bucket 23, the weight of the excavated material S, and the relative angle (azimuth angle) between the hydraulic excavator 1 and the transport vehicle 101, and outputs a command signal according to the target swing speed to the solenoid valve 31vs for controlling the swing motor, causing the bucket 23 to reach above the bed of the transport vehicle 101 within a predetermined time. The target swing speed is calculated, for example, using a control map that defines the relationship between the relative angle (azimuth angle) between the current bucket position and the transport vehicle 101 and the target swing speed for each weight of the excavated material S. If the target swing speed is not appropriate, it may take longer than necessary to transport the excavated material S, or the bucket 23 may collide with the transport vehicle 101.

[0098] The function of Figure 14 can be applied to a semi-automatic hydraulic excavator 1 in which the bucket 23 that has scooped up the excavated material S in response to the excavation operation by the operator automatically turns as an assist operation when it rises to a predetermined height, and can also be applied to an automatically operated hydraulic excavator 1.

[0099] 2-2. Overview of Key Performance Indicator Improvement In this embodiment, in step S104 of the flowchart in Fig. 5, under the control of the control software in Fig. 14, the processing device 200 actually measures the loading time [s] (strictly speaking, the reciprocal of the loading time), which is the time required to move the bucket 23 from the excavation position to the top of the transport vehicle 101 during the excavation and loading operation, as a key performance index value kpi based on the outputs and time history of the external environment recognition sensor 38, the attitude sensor 32, and the pressure sensor 33, and extracts the maximum value kpi0 of the key performance index from a predetermined number of actually measured values ​​(step S108). Thereafter, the processing device 200 calibrates the numerical model as necessary (steps S108-S110), attempts to improve the control software in Fig. 14 (steps S111-S114), outputs a performance improvement prediction report (step S115), and updates the control software (step S117).

[0100] 2-3. Calibration of the numerical model FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a simulation map that defines the relationship between the opening area A(i) of the solenoid valve 31vs for swing control and the operation amount i related to swing, as an example of a parameter to be adjusted when calibrating a numerical model in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0101] The processing device 200 also stores a numerical model for the swing operation of the hydraulic excavator 1, such as the numerical model 250 shown in Fig. 6. The numerical model for the swing operation includes, as one of its elements, a hydraulic valve model for the solenoid valve 31vs for controlling the swing motor (corresponding to the hydraulic valve model 253 in Fig. 6). This hydraulic valve model includes a simulation map of the valve opening area A(i) of the solenoid valve 31vs for controlling the swing motor relative to the operation amount i for the swing operation, as shown in Fig. 15. The opening area A(i) of the solenoid valve 31vs is a parameter that determines the swing speed of the swing body 12, and if the simulation map in Fig. 15 is not appropriate, the loading time [s], which is a key evaluation index, will not be reproduced with high accuracy.

[0102] Therefore, in this embodiment, in the processing of step S110 in the flowchart of Fig. 5, the simulation map (for example, gain) in Fig. 15 is adjusted so that the error of the trial calculation value kpi1 of the key evaluation index with respect to the maximum value kpi0 becomes less than a predetermined value ε. In Fig. 15, the solid line represents the simulation map M1 before calibration, and the dashed dotted line represents the simulation map M1' after calibration.

[0103] 2-4.Improvement of control software FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a control map that defines the relationship between the target swing speed and the relative angle between the bucket position and the transport vehicle, as an example of a parameter that is adjusted when improving control software in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] In the processing device 200, the control maps used by the swing command unit 36g in the control software of FIG. 14 are stored for each payload (weight of the excavated material S scooped up by the bucket 23) as shown in FIG. 16. The control map M2 shown by the solid line is an example of the current control map applied when the payload is 0, and the control map M3 also shown by the solid line is an example of the current control map applied when the payload is maximum. In this embodiment, in the processing of step S114 of the flowchart of FIG. 5, the control map (e.g., gain) of FIG. 16 is searched for so that the simulated value kpi2 of the key evaluation index can exceed the maximum value kpi0. The control map M2' shown by the dashed-dotted line is an example of an improved control map applied when the payload is 0, and the control map M3' also shown by the dashed-dotted line is an example of an improved control map applied when the payload is maximum.

[0105] 3. Third embodiment In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the loading amount [t / h] of excavated material S loaded per unit time onto the transport vehicle 101 by the hydraulic excavator 1 is improved as a key evaluation index during automatic operation of the hydraulic excavator 1. Except for the points described below, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

[0106] 3-1. State transition function Fig. 17 is a functional block diagram of control software relating to the state transition function of the machine controller 36, Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a transition table of the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1, and Fig. 19 is a conceptual diagram of parameters adjusted when calibrating the numerical model in this embodiment. In these figures, elements that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as in the previously mentioned drawings, and explanations thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0107] As described above, the hydraulic excavator 1 can be provided with a state transition function that determines the situation and transitions the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1. As shown in Fig. 18, the work cycle of the hydraulic excavator 1 includes a plurality of working states, such as "digging and loading" for excavating the excavated material S and loading it onto the transport vehicle 101, "waiting for the transport vehicle" for waiting for the next transport vehicle 101, "leveling" for leveling the ground G after excavation, and "reverse" for moving and changing the excavation location. In this embodiment, as a means for realizing automatic operation of the hydraulic excavator 1, condition thresholds for automatically transitioning from one working state to the next are set as parameters of the control software, and in this embodiment, these condition thresholds are automatically adjusted.

[0108] Specifically, for example, when the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1 is "digging and loading," the processing device 200 transitions the working state from "digging and loading" to "waiting for transport vehicle" when the hydraulic excavator 1 performs the excavation and loading operation on the transport vehicle 101 a threshold number Th1 times.

[0109] When the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1 is "waiting for transport vehicle", if the unevenness of the ground G after excavation (for example, the difference in elevation between concave and convex parts) is equal to or greater than a threshold value Th2, the processing device 200 transitions the working state from "waiting for transport vehicle" to "leveling" and levels the ground G after excavation. The unevenness of the ground G can be measured based on the output of the external environment recognition sensor 38. However, if the next transport vehicle 101 arrives before the working state is transitioned to "leveling", the processing device 200 transitions the working state from "waiting for transport vehicle" to "digging and loading".

[0110] If the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1 is "ground leveling," the processing device 200 transitions the working state from "ground leveling" to "digging and loading" when the next transport vehicle 101 arrives. However, if the unevenness of the ground G is not improved to be less than the threshold value Th2 even after leveling the ground, or if it is determined that excavation (ground leveling) of the ground G is impossible based on the output of the pressure sensor 33, for example, the processing device 200 transitions the working state from "ground leveling" to "reverse" and changes the location of excavation and loading.

[0111] When the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1 is "reverse", the processing device 200 transitions the working state from "reverse" to "digging and loading" when the reverse distance reaches the threshold value Th3 (a distance equal to or greater than the threshold value Th3 is secured between the slope 43 to be excavated and the traveling body 11) or when the next transport vehicle 101 arrives. If excavation is still impossible after reversing, the processing device 200 causes the hydraulic excavator 1 to move backward further.

[0112] 17 includes a state determination unit 36h and an automatic driving control unit 36i. The state determination unit 36h and the automatic driving control unit 36i are functions executed by the vehicle controller 36, and may be realized by hardware elements such as circuits, or by software elements such as programs.

[0113] The state determination unit 36h determines various states (number of excavation loadings, arrival of a transport vehicle, unevenness of the ground G, possibility of excavation, etc.) based on the outputs of the attitude sensor 32, the external environment recognition sensor 38, and the pressure sensor 33. The automatic driving control unit 36i outputs command signals to the drive system 31 according to each program to execute predetermined operations (including standby), and also determines and transitions the work state according to the state transition table in Fig. 18 based on the various states and threshold values ​​Th1, Th2, and Th3 acquired via the state determination unit 36h.

[0114] 3-2. Overview of Key Performance Indicator Improvement In this embodiment, in step S104 of the flowchart of Fig. 5, the processing device 200 actually measures the amount of excavated material S loaded onto the transport vehicle 101 per unit time [t / h] when the hydraulic excavator 1 is automatically operated under the control of the control software of Fig. 17 as a key performance index value kpi based on the outputs of the attitude sensor 32 and the pressure sensor 33 and the time history, and extracts the maximum value kpi0 of the key performance index from a predetermined number of actually measured values ​​(step S108). Thereafter, the processing device 200 calibrates the numerical model as necessary (steps S108-S110), attempts to improve the control software of Fig. 17 (steps S111-S114), outputs a performance improvement prediction report (step S115), and updates the control software (step S117).

[0115] 3-3. Calibration of the numerical model The numerical model configured in this embodiment includes the above-mentioned threshold values ​​Th1, Th2, and Th3. The values ​​of these threshold values ​​Th1, Th2, and Th3 affect the key evaluation index (the loading amount of excavated material S per unit time during automatic operation [t / h]). Therefore, in this embodiment, in the process of step S110 in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the threshold values ​​Th1, Th2, and Th3 are adjusted so that the error of the estimated value kpi1 of the key evaluation index with respect to the maximum value kpi0 becomes less than a predetermined value ε.

[0116] 3-4.Improvement of control software In this embodiment, in the process of step S114 in the flowchart of FIG. 5, thresholds Th1, Th2, and Th3 in the state transition table of FIG. 17 are searched for so that the simulation value kpi2 of the key evaluation index can exceed the maximum value kpi0.

[0117] 4. Report Hereinafter, examples of reports output at each stage of the series of processes in Fig. 5 will be described. The following examples of reports are displayed on the monitor of, for example, the customer terminal device Tc or the in-house terminal device Ti.

[0118] 4-1. Report output in step S106 FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a report output in step S106 of FIG. 5. As described above, in step S106, a diagnostic report on the operation and handling method that evaluates the operation data of the hydraulic excavator 1 is created and output. FIG. 20 displays the name of the site where the hydraulic excavator 1 was operated, the operation period, and the version information of the control software related to the machine control of the hydraulic excavator 1, as well as operation time data 20-1, work breakdown data 20-2, and key evaluation index evaluation 20-3 of the hydraulic excavator 1. The operation time data 20-1 shows the engine ON time and OFF time of the hydraulic excavator 1 during the operation period in a diagram format (a pie chart in the example of the same figure). The work breakdown data 20-2 shows the total time for each operation state, such as excavation and loading, leveling, and traveling, in a diagram format (a pie chart in the example of the same figure). The key evaluation index evaluation 20-3 shows statistical data of the key evaluation index in a diagram format (a bar graph in the example of the same figure). In the example of the same figure, the key evaluation index evaluation 20-3 represents the key evaluation index value for each day, and clearly indicates the maximum value kpi0 of the key evaluation index value.

[0119] 4-2. Report output in step S113 FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the report output in step S113 of FIG. 5. The report shown in FIG. 21 includes Table 21-1, which shows the improvement trends of each key evaluation index as a result of parameter adjustments to the control software, and Graph 21-2, which shows changes in the behavior waveform of the hydraulic excavator 1 as shown in FIG. 13. The report visualizes the expected improvement trends resulting from the control software improvements proposed by the work machine management system 100 in a graphical format. Table 21-1 clearly shows the amount of change in each parameter and the improvement or decrease in the key evaluation index using arrows. The display format of this information can be changed using a menu (not shown) for changing the report display method. For example, it is possible to display the information mainly in numerical form. As shown in FIG. 21, when there are multiple parameters that can be changed, the data may be sorted in order of the magnitude of improvement in the key evaluation index so that only the top few are displayed, or all data for which the parameter changes have been verified may be displayed.

[0120] 4-3. Report output in step S115 Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a report output in step S115 of Fig. 5. The report shown in Fig. 22 displays, in a table, a comparison of the current best performance (maximum value) 22-2 and a simulation value (expected improvement relative to the best performance) 22-1 when the control software is updated, for each key evaluation indicator. A button for transitioning the screen to the confirmation screen of Fig. 23 may be displayed on the report screen of Fig. 22.

[0121] 4-4. Confirmation screen output in step S116 Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the confirmation screen output in step S116 of Fig. 5. The screen shown as an example in Fig. 23 displays buttons 23-1 and 23-2 for selecting whether or not to agree to the proposal from the work machine management system 100 and update the control software of the hydraulic excavator 1. Pressing button 23-1 displaying "Yes" will update the control software, and pressing button 23-2 displaying "No" will maintain the current control software. The confirmation screen in Fig. 23 also displays a table showing the expected improvements in the key evaluation indicators, just like the report in Fig. 22, and it is possible to determine whether or not to update the control software by checking the table of expected improvements.

[0122] 22. Buttons 23-1 and 23-2 may be displayed in the report of FIG. 22 so that the user can select whether or not to update the control software on the report screen of FIG. 22. In other words, the report screen of FIG. 22 may also serve as the confirmation screen of FIG.

[0123] 4-5. Update progress display screen output in step S117 Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a control software update progress display screen output in step S117 of Fig. 5. The screen shown in Fig. 24 is an update progress display screen that is displayed when a control software update operation is performed by pressing button 23-1 in Fig. 23. This update progress screen displays steps 24-1, such as sending the control software file, rewriting the control software, and verifying the rewritten control software, and a check mark is placed next to processes that have been completed or are currently being executed, allowing the user to confirm whether the step is currently being executed. In addition, a progress display bar 24-2 is displayed on the screen of Fig. 24, allowing the user to visually see what percentage of the total process has been completed.

[0124] 4-6. Notification screen output in step S118 Figure 25 is a diagram showing an example of a control software update completion notification screen output in step S118 of Figure 5. The screen shown in Figure 25 is displayed when the control software update process is completed successfully. In Figure 25, message 25-1 is displayed to indicate that the control software update has been completed successfully, but if the control software update process has failed, a message to that effect will be displayed.

[0125] 5. Variations The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may include various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. For example, it is possible to replace part of the configuration with another configuration. It is also possible to delete part of the configuration of the embodiment or add another configuration. It is also possible to combine multiple embodiments.

[0126] For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the processing device 200 is provided separately from the hydraulic excavator 1, but it is also possible to implement the processing device 200 in the hydraulic excavator 1 as shown in FIG. 26, and configure the hydraulic excavator 1 to output and present improvement proposals for key evaluation indicators for its own work to an output device such as a customer terminal device Tc.

[0127] Furthermore, in the various embodiments described above, the case where an improvement proposal for the parameters of the control software is also output in addition to the simulation results of the evaluation value has been described. However, the output information may be, for example, only the simulation results of the software parameters. That is, the processing device 200 only needs to have the functions of acquiring control software related to the operational control of the hydraulic excavator 1 and operation data including machine data and work data of the hydraulic excavator 1, calculating an evaluation value of the work of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the evaluation index used for work evaluation of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the acquired operation data, performing a simulation to adjust the parameters of the control software based on the calculated evaluation value, and outputting the simulation results to an output device (for example, a customer terminal device Tc). [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1...hydraulic excavator (work machine), 100...work machine management system, 200...processing device, 250...numerical model, E...equivalent bulk modulus (numerical model parameter), kpi...key performance indicator value (actual value), kpi0...maximum value, kpi1...estimated value, kpi2...simulation value, L...excavation load (operation data), Lt...threshold value (control software parameter), M1, M1'...simulation map (numerical model parameter), M2, M2', M3, M3'...control map (control software parameter), S...excavated material (product), Tc...customer terminal device (output device), Th1-Th3...threshold value (control software parameter, numerical model parameter), Ti...in-house terminal device (output device), ε...predetermined value

Claims

1. A work machine management system equipped with a processing device that evaluates work performed by a work machine, The processing device includes: Acquiring control software related to operational control of the work machine and operation data including machine data and work data of the work machine; Calculating an evaluation value of the work of the work machine based on the operation data and on an evaluation index used for work evaluation of the work machine; performing a simulation to adjust parameters of the control software of the work machine based on the evaluation value; A work machine management system that outputs the simulation results.

2. The work machine management system according to claim 1, The processing device includes: inputting the operation data into a numerical model including parameters of the control software for simulating the behavior of the work machine, to calculate a simulation value of the evaluation index for a performance value that is an evaluation value of past work of the work machine based on the evaluation index; A work machine management system characterized in that, when the simulation value is equal to or greater than the actual value, the simulation value and the parameter of the control software corresponding to the simulation value are output as an improvement proposal for the control software.

3. 3. The work machine management system according to claim 2, The processing device calculates the performance values ​​for different periods from the operation data, and if the simulation value of the evaluation index is greater than a maximum value that is a maximum performance value among the performance values ​​for the different periods, The parameter of the control software corresponding to the simulation value is output together with the simulation value. A work machine management system characterized by:

4. The work machine management system according to claim 3, The processing device includes: inputting the operational data into the numerical model to calculate a trial value of a key evaluation index as an evaluation value for accuracy control of the numerical model; Determine whether the difference between the estimated value of the key evaluation index and the maximum value is less than a predetermined value; If the difference between the estimated value and the maximum value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, calibrating the numerical model so that the difference between the estimated value and the maximum value is less than the predetermined value; Calculating simulated values ​​of the key performance indicators using the calibrated numerical model. A work machine management system characterized by:

5. The work machine management system according to claim 4, A work machine management system characterized in that the processing device compares the simulation value of the key evaluation index when the control software is updated with the maximum value of the key evaluation index and displays the result on an output device.

6. The work machine management system according to claim 4, A work machine management system, characterized in that the processing device applies the searched parameters to update the control software installed in the work machine.

7. The work machine management system according to claim 4, The work machine management system is characterized in that the processing device calibrates the numerical model by changing the values ​​of its parameters.

8. The work machine management system according to claim 4, A work machine management system, wherein the key evaluation index is the production volume of the product produced by the work machine.

9. The work machine management system according to claim 8, A work machine management system characterized in that the automatically adjusted parameter is a threshold value that defines the timing for intervening in an assist operation during operation of the work machine.

10. The work machine management system according to claim 4, A work machine management system, wherein the key evaluation index is loading time.

11. The work machine management system according to claim 10, A work machine management system characterized in that the parameter to be automatically adjusted is an actuator speed relative to a required amount of operation.

12. The work machine management system according to claim 4, A work machine management system characterized in that the key evaluation index is the amount of excavated material loaded onto a transport vehicle per unit time.

13. The work machine management system according to claim 12, A work machine management system characterized in that the automatically adjusted parameter is a condition threshold value that transitions the work state.

14. A work machine comprising the work machine management system according to claim 1.

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