Civil engineering machinery and civil engineering machinery operating method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a civil engineering machine comprising a movable support device and a mast or boom arm arranged on the support device. A civil engineering tool is additionally provided and adjustably arranged on the mast or boom arm for carrying out civil engineering procedures. A control unit and an operator cabin for at least one operator are also provided, and at least one display device is provided and connected to the control unit and designed to display operational data detected by the control unit to the machine operator in a plurality of display fields on the at least one display device. According to the present invention, the control unit is configured so that the arrangement of the display fields and / or the type of display fields can be modified and set by the machine operator and stored as a personal configuration for the machine operator independently of the control unit. The present invention also relates to a method for operating such a civil engineering machine.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an earthmoving machine, in particular an excavation machine, having a movable support device, a mast or boom arm arranged on the support device, and an earthmoving tool adjustably arranged on the mast or boom arm for performing earthmoving operations. The earthmoving machine further comprises a control unit and an operator's cabin for at least one operator, the operator's cabin having at least one display device, in particular a monitor, connected to the control unit and designed to display operating data detected by the control unit to the machine operator in a plurality of display fields on the at least one display device. The present invention also relates to a method for operating an earthmoving machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Possible earthmoving machines include, for example, trench cutters, pile drivers, cable excavators, grab excavators, as well as mobile cranes and mobile boom cranes.

[0003] Civil engineering machines, in particular those for creating foundations in the ground, have been known for some time. Foundation elements can be created, for example, by creating holes in the ground, such as drilled or cut trenches, filling the holes with a hardening medium, in particular mortar, to form foundation piles or diaphragm wall segments, and, if necessary, providing additional reinforcement. Foundation elements can also be created, for example, by vibrations on the foundation piles or screeds or by driving them. The foundation elements can perform a sealing function and / or other functions instead of or in addition to a load-bearing or transport-accommodating function, as is known, for example, in the case of excavation pit enclosures with sealing walls from specialized civil engineering.

[0004] Currently known earthmoving machines are equipped with electronic control units, which facilitate the operation of the earthmoving machine by the machine operator and even allow operation to be partially or fully automated. Various operating data can be recorded by sensors and sent to the control unit. Control commands can be issued and sent to corresponding actuators, in particular drives and actuating cylinders, via corresponding data lines.

[0005] Such earthmoving machines are known, for example, from US Pat. No. 5,629,991 and US Pat. No. 5,629,991.

[0006] A display device within the earthmoving machine is used to display operational data from internal and / or external sensors and recorded by the control unit to the machine operator, enabling the machine operator to effectively and safely control the earthmoving machine. For example, this data could be the current depth of the earthmoving tool, the torque of a winch, or even the temperature of the oil in the oil circuit.

[0007] On large construction sites, many machines are used in parallel and are often controlled by different machine operators. These machine operators have different levels of experience and create different foundation elements. Depending on the work instructions and experience, different information will be important to the machine operator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 3299523 (A1) [Patent Document 2] European Patent Application Publication No. 3296467 (A1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an earthmoving machine and a method for operating an earthmoving machine in a manner that facilitates use of the earthmoving machine by different machine operators. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] This object is achieved on the one hand by a civil engineering machine having the features of claim 1 and on the other hand by a method having the features of claim 12.

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the invention are provided in the dependent claims and in the drawings and their description.

[0012] According to the invention, the control unit is arranged so that the appearance, arrangement and / or type of display fields can be modified and set by the machine operator and stored as a personal configuration for the machine operator independently of the control unit, where independently of the control unit in the sense of the invention also means that the configuration can be stored independently of the earthmoving machine on which the control unit is installed.

[0013] The basic idea of ​​the present invention is to allow the machine operator to arrange and configure the display on the display device in a user-specific manner. This means that an experienced machine operator performing complex tasks can receive specific information related to the operator's work from the display, while a less experienced machine operator can also adjust the display device and the information shown therein to display appropriate data for that operator, including other data. In other words, the present invention allows the display device to be adapted not only to the individual machine operator but also to the individual work instruction. This adjustment can be retained by storing it in accordance with the present invention. To enable cross-device display, the present invention provides that the information required for the user-specific display is not necessarily stored on the earthmoving machine or in the control unit, but is stored independently.

[0014] It is advantageous for the control unit to have a transmission device, in particular a data transmission device, by means of which the data stored in the data memory and relating to the personal configuration of the display field can be transmitted outside the control unit. In other words, the idea according to the invention is that the transmission device makes it possible to avoid storing information about the user-specific configuration in the control unit itself, and not necessarily in the construction machine. This allows for centralized access to the relevant information.

[0015] In this context, it is desirable to design the transmission device to transmit data relating to the personalized configuration to a mobile data carrier, a mobile computer unit, a central data repository, and / or a cloud storage facility. By doing so, the corresponding data is saved there. The elements in the above list are, so to speak, alternative options for where the data relating to the personalized configuration can be saved. However, it is also possible to use several of these elements rather than just one. Mobile data carriers within the meaning of the present invention include, for example, machine keys, USB sticks, and other data storage devices that allow wireless writing, for example via Bluetooth, RFID, or NFC technology. Mobile computer units within the meaning of the present invention include, for example, laptops, tablet computers, or smartphones. Since the data relating to the personalized configuration can thus be stored in various places, depending on the specifics of the application, the personalized configuration can also be transmitted back to the construction machine. This can also be done in a similar manner, for example, by the transmission device in conjunction with a control unit.

[0016] In principle, the display device can be of any design. For example, it can be a monitor, but also other types of display devices, such as a DATA GLASS™, a head-up display or a tablet. The display device is preferably designed to be able to display drawings, functions, graphics, animations and / or photographs and video images.

[0017] In other words, any information can be displayed on the display. The way in which particular data is displayed can also be determined by the machine operator. For example, the engine oil temperature of the earthmoving machine can be displayed numerically, as a bar graph, and / or in the form of a circular display gauge. The machine operator will determine the exact implementation that is most readable to them.

[0018] To facilitate the setup of the display unit, a preselection of readable operating data, available display types, and / or layout options may be stored in and / or readable by the control unit, and can be retrieved and selected by the machine operator to create a personalized configuration. In other words, the control unit, or alternatively an external memory, can simulate a kind of toolbox from which each machine operator can select, based on their experience, the displays and display types that are best for them in a particular work situation. Templates can also be provided for this purpose, making such configuration easier, especially for less experienced machine operators. Within the meaning of the present invention, operating data can be understood to mean, for example, information about current and past operating / machine states, as well as information about production data, such as details of the foundation elements to be built or soil information.

[0019] It is desirable for the control unit to have a display configuration mode, during which the display configuration mode can be activated to modify and store the display on at least one display device. In other words, the display configuration mode can be used, for example, to affect the position and type of a particular display on the display device. Furthermore, it may be possible to enlarge or shrink certain types of displays, such as windows or widgets, and / or have them displayed in different locations on the display device. This is particularly advantageous, for example, when the display device is configured with multiple monitors, with some displays being displayed on a first monitor and others on a second monitor. In this context, it is also possible to combine different types of display devices, for example, a fixed monitor and a tablet PC that can be removed from the control cabin.

[0020] For example, it may be advantageous to be able to configure the size, type, position and / or color of the display field. The graphical display of the information may also be configured so that some information is displayed as digits or numbers and other information is displayed as graphics, e.g., bars.

[0021] A particularly simple configuration is achieved by designing at least one of the display devices as a touchscreen, allowing the display fields thereon to be directly modified and / or configured by touching the display device. In this way, intuitive configuration of the individual display fields becomes particularly easy. However, alternatively or additionally, configuration may be obtained using a mouse or touchpad. Configuration may also be performed via a web interface or a mobile phone application.

[0022] In a successful embodiment, an identification device is provided, capable of identifying a machine operator who wishes to operate the construction machine. Furthermore, the control unit is designed to automatically and / or on demand retrieve the identified machine operator's personalized configuration and realize the desired display on the at least one display device. In this context, this may be retrieved from an internal memory in the control unit or the construction machine, or from an external memory available via an interface. An example of this is a central data storage provided on a server of the construction machine manufacturer or operating company. The use of an identification device makes it particularly easy to assign and make available to users appropriate user-specific settings for the display device. In the simplest cases, a user name, optionally combined with a password, a fingerprint sensor, or a key appropriately coded for the construction machine can be used as the identification device.

[0023] The present invention is particularly advantageous when used in connection with an arrangement in which several earthmoving machines are provided and can be selected by the machine operator. Since it is not necessary to strictly ensure that the same earthmoving machine is used by each machine operator, the advantages of the present invention arise in a particular manner. This allows a machine operator to actively transfer his preferred configuration to another earthmoving machine and call it up on that machine, and thus make his usual display available on the display device.

[0024] It is advantageous to provide a central data repository to which construction machines can be connected, and through which data in the personalized configuration can be stored and read out. This can easily be achieved so that each machine operator is presented with a personalized representation on the display device each time. Alternatively, the configuration can be carried by the machine operator on a data carrier, and the data can be actively transferred when the construction machine is started or when the control unit queries it. In principle, what can be understood as a central data repository in the sense of the present invention could be, for example, a database that can be queried via the Internet. It is not necessary here for it to be a single database; several databases can be used, and they can be used as substitutes for each other or act as backups for each other.

[0025] The invention also relates to a method for operating an earthmoving machine or similar assembly as described above, in which at least one machine operator creates a personal configuration for the display fields on said at least one display device and stores it in a data memory, and further, at the request of the machine operator and / or upon automatic identification, the control unit retrieves the personal configuration of the machine operator from the data memory and causes a corresponding display on said at least one display device according to said personal configuration.

[0026] In the context of the present invention, the machine operator can also be considered as an administrator or master user who defines individual personalized configurations for various machine operators. In this context, different display fields or different content can be shown on the at least one display device for experienced machine operators than for less experienced machine operators, since the settings can be copied for other machine operators. The same applies to the different operating modes of the earthmoving machine. For example, data on the display field of a trench cutter milling in hard rock will be of different interest to the machine operator than that of a trench cutter creating trench walls in sand. Here, the data memory can be located on the earthmoving machine or remotely therefrom.

[0027] The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of preferred exemplary embodiments, which are illustrated in the referred to schematic drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view of a construction machine according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a display device having various display fields; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of available data transmission paths. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The earthmoving machine 10 according to the invention, which is designed as an excavating unit, for example according to Fig. 1, has a lower carriage 12, preferably designed as the lower carriage of a crawler, and an upper carriage 14 rotatably mounted thereon. The lower carriage 12 and the upper carriage 14 form a support device 15. The drive unit of the earthmoving machine 10 and a control station for the machine operator can be arranged on the upper carriage 14 in a known manner. A control unit 40 and a display device 50, in particular a monitor, can be arranged in the control station.

[0030] A substantially vertical mast 18 with an upper mast head 19 can be adjustably mounted on the front side of the upper carriage 14 via a linkage kinematics 16 with a neck cylinder. A carriage 20 can be movably guided along the front side of the mast 18. A first drill drive 22 can be provided on the carriage 20 and can include a hydraulic motor 24. Furthermore, a second drive 26 with a sleeve-shaped rotary joint 27 can be provided on the carriage 20, establishing a non-rotatable connection to the support tube 4. The second drive 26 can, for example, essentially consist of a gear connection of the hydraulic motor 24 to the first drill drive 22, thereby applying a torque to the rotary joint 27 and thus to the support tube 4.

[0031] The substantially sleeve-shaped first drill drive 22 can, for example, be threaded by a drill rod 30, which can be designed as a Kelly rod with an external driver strip. Here, the drill rod 30 can have an upper suspension 32 that connects it to a main cable 39. The main cable 39 can be guided via a deflection pulley on the masthead 19 to a main winch 38 located above the upper carriage 14. The drill rod 30 can be moved vertically by operating the main winch 38.

[0032] The carriage 20 may be connected to a feed cable 37 that is guided above and below the carriage 20 along the mast 18 and may be actuated by a feed winch 36. The feed winch 36 may be used to move the carriage 20 up and down along guides on the mast 18.

[0033] A drilling tool is attached to the underside of the drill rod 30 as an earthwork tool 34 for removing earth material. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 1, the earthwork tool 34 is designed as a digging bucket. The diameter of the drilling tool is therefore designed so that it can be inserted into the inner cavity of the support tube 4.

[0034] A covered borehole may be created in the ground 1 using earthmoving machine 10. A hardenable composition may be introduced into the borehole, which then hardens to form the foundation element, to form the foundation element in the ground 1. A support tube 4 may remain in the borehole as part of the foundation element, or may preferably be withdrawn from the ground 1 prior to hardening.

[0035] 2 shows a schematic example of a display device 50. It shows, by way of example, five display fields 51, each displaying different information. The central display 51 shows, for example, in graphical form, the current depth of the borehole and the drilling depth to be reached. To the right of this, in the upper area, a display field 51 has a circular element which shows, for example, the current torque of the motor.

[0036] Below this is a bar graph display field 51, which allows, for example, the current transmission oil pressure to be displayed in a clear manner.

[0037] A numerical display is shown in the upper area towards the left of the display device 50. In the lower area is shown a display field 51 which displays a progress curve over time, for example that of the depth of a borehole.

[0038] According to the invention, various display fields 51 can be arranged on the display device 50 in whatever manner is desired. Further display fields 51 can also be added and configured using corresponding functions. The type of display can also be selected. This applies, for example, to the selection of the information to be displayed, the position, the level of detail or the like.

[0039] In this way, the display device 50 can be specifically configured for each individual machine user, and thus the data required for his current task can be displayed in a particularly advantageous manner, thereby allowing for personal preferences to be taken into account.

[0040] In the context of the present invention, not only a single display device 50 can be used, but also several, which can be arranged, for example, one above the other or next to each other, making it possible to move a display field 51 from the main display device to a secondary display device if the information in that field is rarely used.

[0041] FIG. 3 shows a schematic overview of an example of a basic structure of data flow in the earth moving machine 10 according to the present invention in relation to a display device 50.

[0042] The central element here is the control unit 40, which contains data on a number of sensor devices 48. The sensor devices 48 can be, for example, torque sensors or temperature sensors. These do not necessarily have to be located on the construction machine according to the invention, but can also be external sensors. The transmission to the control unit 40 can be carried out by wire or wirelessly. Other information sources can also be used by the control unit 40, such as, for example, blueprints or construction plans. In general, even the sensor devices 48 can be considered as data sources.

[0043] This data and information is output via the control unit 40 to, in this case, two display devices 50. On the display devices 50, the data is shown in display fields 51, as described above with reference to Figure 2. The machine user can now select which data and information should be displayed, and also how it should be displayed.

[0044] This configuration can be stored by the control unit 40 on an internal memory 42 in the construction machine 10. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration can be transmitted by the transmission device 60 to an external memory 44. The external memory 44 can be a data carrier or a storage location, for example in the cloud, on a server or the like. The design of the transmission device 60 in this regard can therefore be provided for wired or wireless transmission. For example, the transmission device 60 can simply be embodied in the form of a modem that transmits data to a server via a mobile phone network.

[0045] When the machine operator starts up the earthmoving machine 10, he can load his configuration from the internal memory 42 or from the external memory 44 via the transmission device 60, and then have the display field 51 depicted on the display device 50 in a manner that is most clear to him. Positioning of the display field 51 on the display device 50 can preferably be performed via a touch screen, if the display device 50 is so designed. Alternatively, it can be performed and controlled by a rotary element, slider or other human-machine communication device.

[0046] An identification device may also be provided which may be associated with the control unit to enable it to recognize which machine operator is operating the earthmoving machine 10 and then load that operator's personalized configuration of the display device 50 based on that information. This may be achieved locally in the internal memory 42 or via an external memory 44 which may be accessed accordingly.

[0047] As mentioned above, the external memory 44 may be used by different earthmoving machines 10 simultaneously, allowing for the transfer of configuration data from one earthmoving machine 10 to another.

[0048] The earthmoving machine and corresponding method of the present invention allows machine operator-specific data to be displayed on the display, thereby enabling more efficient operation.

Claims

1. An earth moving machine (10), in particular an excavation unit, a movable support device (15); a mast (18) or boom arm disposed on said support device (15); an earthmoving tool (34) adjustably positioned on the mast (18) or the boom arm to perform an earthmoving procedure; a control unit (40); an operator's cabin for at least one operator, the operator's cabin having at least one display device (50), in particular a monitor, which display device (50) is connected to the control unit (40) and which display device (50) is designed to display to the machine operator operating data detected by the control unit (40) on the at least one display device (50) in a plurality of display fields (51); A construction machine (10) having 1. A civil engineering machine, characterized in that the control unit (40) is designed so that the display, arrangement and / or type of the display fields (51) can be modified and set by a machine operator and can be stored in a data memory as a personal configuration of the machine operator independently of the control unit (40).

2. 2. A civil engineering machine (10) according to claim 1, 10. A civil engineering machine, comprising: a control unit (40) having a transmission device (60) by means of which data stored in the data memory and relating to the personalized configuration of the display field (51) can be transmitted outside the control unit (40).

3. A civil engineering machine (10) according to claim 2, 1. The earth moving machine, characterized in that the transmission device (60) is designed to transmit the data relating to the personalized configuration to a mobile data carrier, such as a machine key, a mobile computer unit, a laptop, a tablet computer or a smartphone, a central data depository and / or to a cloud storage facility.

4. A civil engineering machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, An earthmoving machine, characterized in that at least one display device (50) is designed to display drawings, functions, graphics, animations and / or photographic / video images.

5. A civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 10. The earth moving machine of claim 9, wherein a pre-selected version of readable operating data, available display types and / or configuration options is stored in and / or readable by the control unit (40) and can be retrieved and selected by the machine operator to create the personalized configuration.

6. A civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 10. An earth moving machine, comprising: a control unit (40) having a display configuration mode, the display on the at least one display device (50) being modifiable and storable when the display configuration mode is activated.

7. A civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, An earth moving machine characterized in that the size, type, position and / or color of the display field can be set.

8. A civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, 1. An earthmoving machine, characterized in that at least one display device (50) is designed as a touch screen, so that the display fields (51) can be directly modified and / or set by touching the display device (50).

9. A civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, an identification device is provided that can identify a machine operator who wishes to operate the earth moving machine (10); and the control unit (40) is designed to automatically and / or on request call up the identified machine operator's personalized configuration and thus to provide a desired display on the at least one display device (50); Civil engineering machinery characterized by:

10. An assembly comprising a plurality of earth moving machines (10) selectable by a single machine operator, Assembly, characterized in that the earthmoving machine is designed according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. 11. An assembly according to claim 10, A central data depository is provided; and the earthmoving machine (10) can be connected to the data depository to store and / or retrieve data in the personalized configuration; An assembly characterized by:

12. A civil engineering machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or A method for operating an assembly according to one of claims 10 and 11, comprising the steps of: causing at least one machine operator to create and store in said data memory a personalized configuration of said display field (51) on said at least one display device (50); at the request of the machine operator and / or upon automatic identification, the control unit (40) retrieves the personal configuration of the machine operator from the data memory and produces a corresponding display on the at least one display device (50) according to the personal configuration; A method characterized by:

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