Work status management system

Abstract

To provide a working condition management system for allowing a manager to grasp a working condition of a work site more accurately for management.SOLUTION: A working condition management system 1 is configured by connecting a heavy machine 2 equipped with an imaging device 3, an acceleration detection apparatus 4 and a position acquisition apparatus 5, a server device 6, and a terminal device 7 over a network N. The imaging device 3 images a working condition of the heavy machine 2 to acquire a work video. The acceleration detection apparatus 4 detects an acceleration in accordance with the work of the heavy machine 2 to acquire acceleration information. The position acquisition apparatus 5 acquires position information of the heavy machine 2. The server device 6 receives the acceleration information and the position information in real time. The terminal device 7 receives the acceleration information and the position information from the server device 6, displays an operation condition of the heavy machine 2 determined on the basis of the acceleration information, and superimposes a current position of the heavy machine 2 on a site drawing of a work site on the basis of the position information. The terminal device 7 receives the work video for a predetermined time range via the server device 6, in accordance with a predetermined management timing, and displays the video.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work status management system for managing the status of work being performed at a site by a work machine such as a heavy machine. [Background technology]

[0002] When workers use heavy machinery or other work machines to carry out work on site, the site manager must visually check the work status, and if an incident occurs, must ask the workers about the work status. This requires a lot of time and effort for the manager to manage the work status on site, and makes it difficult for him to accurately grasp the work status.

[0003] The supervision system described in Patent Document 1 involves installing a portable information terminal with Internet connectivity connected to a digital camera and a mobile phone on multiple civil engineering machines, construction machines, and vehicles operating within a civil engineering work area, and transmitting images taken by the digital camera via the Internet, allowing any construction worker who possesses an information terminal with Internet connectivity to freely supervise the civil engineering work area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-269176 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the conventional technology such as the supervision system of Patent Document 1, construction workers can receive and check images taken by a digital camera on an information terminal. However, the communication environment at the construction site is often not well established, and even if images of the site are taken by a digital camera, it is difficult to smoothly transmit the images to the information terminal of the construction workers, and it is particularly difficult to transmit videos in real time. Therefore, it is difficult for managers of construction workers to check the work status of the site where heavy machinery and other work machines are working in real time.

[0006] Furthermore, with conventional technology, even if a manager checks only images taken of the site, it is difficult for him to understand which work area of ​​the site the work machine is working in, and it is difficult for him to understand what work the work machine is doing and how the work situation is progressing. Furthermore, since workers and managers refer to site drawings to understand the work area and move within the site, it is difficult for them to understand the work area and the current position of the work machine even if they refer to map data.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a work status management system that enables a manager to more accurately grasp and manage the work status at a site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The work status management system of the present invention is a work status management system that manages the work status of a work machine at a site, and comprises: a filming device that is attached to the work machine and films the work status of the work machine to obtain a work video; an acceleration detection device that is attached to the work machine and detects acceleration corresponding to the work of the work machine to obtain acceleration information; a position acquisition device that is attached to the work machine and obtains position information of the work machine; a server device that instantly receives the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration detection device and the position information acquired by the position acquisition device; and a terminal device that receives the acceleration information and the position information from the server device, wherein the terminal device determines the operating status of the work machine based on the acceleration information and displays the operating status, and also stores a site map of the site in advance and displays the current position of the work machine superimposed on the site map based on the position information, and the terminal device receives the work video for a predetermined time range acquired by the filming device via the server device in accordance with a predetermined management timing and displays it. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a manager can more accurately grasp and manage the work situation at the site. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a work status management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view showing an example of a management screen displayed on a terminal device in a work status management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a front view showing an example of a management screen displayed on a terminal device in a work status management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a work status management system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the work status management system 1.

[0012] The work status management system 1 manages the work status at a site using work machines such as heavy equipment 2, and is equipped with a camera device 3, an acceleration detection device 4 and a position acquisition device 5 attached to the heavy equipment 2, a server device 6 capable of communicating with the heavy equipment 2, and a terminal device 7 capable of communicating with the server device 6.

[0013] The heavy equipment 2 is a work machine such as a hydraulic excavator that travels and works according to the operation of a worker. The heavy equipment 2 is equipped with travel operation members and work operation members around the driver's seat for operating the travel and work, and further equipped with a monitor 8 for displaying the guide contents by a machine guidance function that supports the operation of the worker.

[0014] The camera 3 is attached to the heavy equipment 2 in a position where it can capture images of the work being done by the heavy equipment 2, and is disposed, for example, above the driver's seat in a position where it can visually confirm the work situation at the same eye level as the worker in the driver's seat. The camera 3 is also attached to the heavy equipment 2 in a position where it can capture images of the guide content displayed on the monitor 8.

[0015] The photographing device 3 is provided with a removable flash memory such as an SD card, and is configured to store images of the work situation and images of the guide contents in the memory as work videos, and to be able to output the work videos. The photographing device 3 photographs and stores the work videos in high resolution, while being able to output the work videos in low resolution or high resolution.

[0016] The photographing device 3 may be configured with two cameras, one for photographing the work situation and the other for photographing the guide contents, or may be configured with one camera for simultaneously photographing the work situation and the guide contents. The photographing device 3 may also be configured to photograph the work situation from two or more viewpoints with two or more cameras.

[0017] The acceleration detection device 4 is an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration related to the traveling and work of the heavy machine 2, and is configured to be able to output acceleration information indicating that acceleration.

[0018] The position acquisition device 5 is a positioning device that acquires GNSS information of the heavy equipment 2 as position information by utilizing a satellite positioning system such as GPS, and is configured to be able to output the position information.

[0019] The photographing device 3 and the acceleration detection device 4 may be configured separately, or may be configured integrally as a camera with an acceleration sensor. The photographing device 3 and the position acquisition device 5 may be configured separately, or may be configured integrally. Alternatively, the photographing device 3, the acceleration detection device 4, and the position acquisition device 5 may all be configured integrally.

[0020] The heavy equipment 2 also includes a communication device 9 that is communicably connected to a server device 6 via a network N such as the Internet. The communication device 9 transmits the work video acquired by the imaging device 3, the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration detection device 4, and the position information acquired by the position acquisition device 5 to the server device 6.

[0021] The filming device 3 stores the filmed work video in memory, while also acquiring low-resolution work video constantly (for example, at relatively short, predetermined time intervals) while the heavy equipment 2 is operating, and the communication device 9 instantly (real-time) transmits (uploads) the acquired low-resolution work video to the server device 6.

[0022] Furthermore, while the heavy machinery 2 is in operation, the filming device 3 reads out and acquires high-resolution work video of a predetermined time range from the memory, using the time when the video is requested from the terminal device 7 as the management timing, and the communication device 9 transmits (uploads) the acquired high-resolution work video to the server device 6. For example, the filming device 3 acquires high-resolution work video of a predetermined time range spanning before and after the time when the video is requested, and at this time, the work video of several seconds (e.g., 12 seconds) before the time when the video is requested and the work video of several seconds (e.g., 8 seconds) after the time when the video is requested may be combined to form a work video of a predetermined time range (e.g., 20 seconds).

[0023] Furthermore, while the heavy equipment 2 is operating, the photographing device 3 photographs still images of the work status of the heavy equipment 2 and the guide content displayed on the monitor 8 in response to an image request from the terminal device 7, and the communication device 9 instantly (real-time) transmits (uploads) the captured still images to the server device 6.

[0024] The acceleration detection device 4 and the position acquisition device 5 acquire acceleration information and position information constantly (for example, at relatively short, predetermined time intervals) while the heavy equipment 2 is operating, and the communication device 9 transmits (uploads) the acquired acceleration information and position information to the server device 6 instantly (in real time).

[0025] The server device 6 records the low-resolution work video, acceleration information, and position information as real-time data transmitted from the heavy equipment 2, in association with the heavy equipment 2 and the work site, and can output the data in real time. Furthermore, the server device 6 calculates the movement trajectory of the heavy equipment 2 based on the position information of the heavy equipment 2, and records the movement trajectory in association with the heavy equipment 2.

[0026] In addition, the server device 6 records high-resolution work videos and still images transmitted from the heavy equipment 2 in response to a request from the terminal device 7, in association with the heavy equipment 2 and the work site, and makes it possible to output them as a response to a request from the terminal device 7.

[0027] The terminal device 7 is a terminal that manages the work status at the site by the heavy equipment 2, and is configured, for example, as a tablet terminal with a touch panel, a smartphone, a notebook personal computer, or the like. The terminal device 7 can manage the work status by accessing a website having a work status management function, or by starting a management application having a work status management function. The same management function can be used by either the website or the management application, but the following describes an example in which the management function is used by a management application installed in the terminal device 7.

[0028] The terminal device 7 includes a control device 10 configured with a computer such as a CPU, and the control device 10 is connected to a storage unit 11 such as a ROM, RAM, a hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc., and a communication unit 12 that communicates with external devices. The terminal device 7 also includes a display unit 13 such as a touch panel or a monitor for displaying and outputting various information to the worker, and an input unit 14 such as a touch panel or operation keys for receiving input operations of various information from the worker.

[0029] The storage unit 11 stores programs and data for controlling various components and various functions of the terminal device 7, and the control device 10 controls the various components and various functions of the terminal device 7 by executing arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit 11. The communication unit 12 is connected to the server device 6 via a network N such as the Internet so as to be able to communicate with the server device 6.

[0030] The terminal device 7 installs a management application having a function for managing work status and stores the application in the storage unit 11. When the control device 10 starts the management application in response to an operation of the terminal device 7 by an administrator, the terminal device 7 connects to the server device 6 via the communication unit 12 so as to be able to communicate with the server device 6, and displays a management screen 20 for executing various functions of the management application on the display unit 13, as shown in Fig. 2. The operation of the management application of the terminal device 7 will be described below.

[0031] The terminal device 7 inputs a site drawing of a site and stores it in the storage unit 11. For example, the terminal device 7 may input the site drawing from a storage medium such as a flash memory such as an SD card or a USB memory, may input the site drawing from an external device such as a personal computer connected to the terminal device 7, or may input the site drawing from an external server (not shown) via the communication unit 12. The terminal device 7 may store site drawings of various sites, or may store various site drawings for one site.

[0032] The terminal device 7 acquires position information of two or more points on the site and registers the information in association with the corresponding positions on the site drawing, thereby making it possible to grasp the position information of each position on the site drawing. At this time, the position information of each position may be acquired by using the positioning function of the terminal device 7 at each position on the actual site, or the position information of each position on the site may be input to the terminal device 7.

[0033] The terminal device 7 accepts a selection operation of the heavy machine 2 for managing the work status, and receives the acceleration information and position information of the selected heavy machine 2 from the server device 6. The terminal device 7 may transmit an acquisition request for the acceleration information and position information of the selected heavy machine 2 to the server device 6, and receive the acceleration information and position information from the server device 6 as a response to the acquisition request, or may specify the selected heavy machine 2 to the server device 6 and receive the acceleration information and position information automatically transmitted by the server device 6.

[0034] The terminal device 7 accepts a selection operation of a site drawing for managing the work status, reads out the selected site drawing from the storage unit 11, and displays it in the site drawing field 21 of the management screen 20. The terminal device 7 also accepts a selection operation of a heavy machine 2 for managing the work status, and receives acceleration information and position information of the selected heavy machine 2 from the server device 6 instantly (in real time).

[0035] At this time, the terminal device 7 determines the current position of the heavy equipment 2 at the site based on the position information of the selected heavy equipment 2, and based on the determination result, displays an icon 22 of the heavy equipment 2 at a position corresponding to the current position of the heavy equipment 2 on the site map of the management screen 20. In addition, the terminal device 7 determines the operating status of the heavy equipment 2, such as the operating time, based on the acceleration information of the heavy equipment 2, and displays the operating status of the heavy equipment 2 in an operating status column 23 of the management screen 20 together with the site map.

[0036] The terminal device 7 may receive the movement trajectory of the heavy equipment 2 from the server device 6 and display the movement trajectory of the heavy equipment 2 on the site map of the management screen 20. The terminal device 7 may grasp the position of the terminal device 7 at the site using its own positioning function and display the position of the terminal device 7 on the site map.

[0037] The terminal device 7 is configured to receive low-resolution work videos of the selected heavy equipment 2, which are instantly (real-time) captured by the imaging device 3, and display them in the work video section 24 of the management screen 20 so as to simply show the real-time work status of the heavy equipment 2. For example, the terminal device 7 requests the low-resolution work video from the server device 6 in response to the start of a management application or in response to an operation on the management screen 20, and constantly displays the low-resolution work video on the management screen 20. The terminal device 7 may simultaneously display the video of the work status and the video of the guide content on the monitor 8 on the management screen 20, or may display either one of the videos in response to an operation.

[0038] In addition, the terminal device 7 is configured to receive from the server device 6 high-resolution work videos of the work situation and the guide contents of the monitor 8 for the selected heavy equipment 2 within a predetermined time range, which are captured by the imaging device 3, as shown in Fig. 3, and display the work situation of the heavy equipment 2 in detail in the work video field 24 of the management screen 20. In Fig. 3, the work video captured by the guide contents of the monitor 8 provided near the driver's seat of the heavy equipment 2 is displayed on the left side of the work video field 24, and the work video captured by the window in front of the driver's seat of the heavy equipment 2 is displayed on the right side of the work video field 24. In response to a video request operation on the management screen 20, the terminal device 7 transmits a video request for high-resolution work videos to the heavy equipment 2 via the server device 6, and receives high-resolution work videos captured by the imaging device 3 from the heavy equipment 2 via the server device 6 in response to the video request.

[0039] For example, the terminal device 7 transmits a video request in response to a touch operation on the icon 22 of the heavy equipment 2 displayed on the management screen 20 superimposed on the site drawing, or in response to an operation of a video request button or the like provided on the management screen 20. The terminal device 7 may be capable of setting a predetermined time range of the high-resolution work video in response to an operation on the management screen 20, and may set the length of the predetermined time range in response to the time (long press time) between touch operations of the icon 22 of the heavy equipment 2. The terminal device 7 may simultaneously display the video of the work status and the video of the guide contents on the monitor 8 on the management screen 20, or may display either one of the videos in response to an operation.

[0040] The terminal device 7 is also configured to receive still images of the work status and guide contents on the monitor 8 for the selected heavy equipment 2 captured by the camera 3 from the server device 6, and display them on the management screen 20. The terminal device 7 transmits an image request for a still image to the heavy equipment 2 via the server device 6 in response to an operation on the management screen 20 or at predetermined time intervals, receives still images captured by the camera 3 in response to the image request from the heavy equipment 2 via the server device 6, and displays them on the management screen 20. For example, the terminal device 7 transmits the image request in response to a touch operation on the icon 22 of the heavy equipment 2 displayed superimposed on the site drawing on the management screen 20, or in response to an operation of an image request button or the like provided on the management screen 20.

[0041] Furthermore, the terminal device 7 may store the received high-resolution work video in the storage unit 11 in association with the heavy equipment 2. The terminal device 7 may also store each position of the movement trajectory of the heavy equipment 2 in association with the high-resolution work video relating to the work situation at each position, and may display the high-resolution work video on the management screen 20 by specifying a position of the movement trajectory. The terminal device 7 may store the received still image in the storage unit 11 in association with the heavy equipment 2.

[0042] In this embodiment, as described above, the work status management system 1 that manages the work status of a work machine such as a heavy machine 2 at a site includes a photographing device 3, an acceleration detection device 4, a position acquisition device 5, a server device 6, and a terminal device 7. The photographing device 3 is attached to the heavy machine 2, and photographs the work status of the heavy machine 2 to acquire a work video. The acceleration detection device 4 is attached to the heavy machine 2, and detects acceleration according to the work of the heavy machine 2 to acquire acceleration information. The position acquisition device 5 is attached to the heavy machine 2 to acquire the position information of the heavy machine 2. The server device 6 instantly receives the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration detection device 4 and the position information acquired by the position acquisition device 5. The terminal device 7 receives the acceleration information and the position information from the server device 6. The terminal device 7 determines the operation status of the heavy machine 2 based on the acceleration information and displays the operation status, and also stores a site map of the site in advance and displays the current position of the heavy machine 2 superimposed on the site map based on the position information. The terminal device 7 also receives and displays the work video of a predetermined time range acquired by the photographing device 3 via the server device 6 according to a predetermined management timing.

[0043] As a result, the site manager can use the terminal device 7 to grasp the operating status and position of the heavy equipment 2 at the site, and can further grasp the work status of the heavy equipment 2 by referring to the work video. Therefore, even if the manager is in a location away from the work area, he or she can more accurately and easily confirm what work the heavy equipment 2 is performing and at what location on the site. Furthermore, since a work video limited to a predetermined time range is used, the communication load related to sending and receiving the work video is reduced and the work video can be transmitted smoothly, so that even if the communication environment at the site is poor, the work video can be displayed instantly on the terminal device 7.

[0044] For example, the terminal device 7 accepts a video request operation for requesting a work video, and transmits a video request to the heavy equipment 2 via the server device 6 in response to the video request operation. In response to the video request, the heavy equipment 2 transmits a work video of a predetermined time range spanning before and after the video request time to the terminal device 7 via the server device 6. The terminal device 7 then receives the work video using the timing in response to the video request as the management timing.

[0045] This allows work videos to be sent and received only when the on-site manager requests them as needed, thereby reducing the communication load associated with sending and receiving the work videos and enabling the work videos to be transmitted smoothly.

[0046] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the work status management system 1 transmits high-resolution work video of a predetermined time range captured by the camera device 3 of the heavy equipment 2 from the heavy equipment 2 to the terminal device 7, using the time when a video request is made from the terminal device 7 as the management timing, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, in another embodiment, high-resolution work video of a predetermined time range captured by the camera device 3 of the heavy equipment 2 may be transmitted from the heavy equipment 2 to the terminal device 7, using the timing corresponding to the detection of a specific task by the heavy equipment 2 as the management timing.

[0047] The heavy equipment 2 detects the specific work of the heavy equipment 2 by determining the load on the work equipment, the attitude of the work equipment, the attitude of the heavy equipment 2, etc., by threshold-judging the detection results of, for example, a hydraulic sensor that detects the hydraulic pressure of a hydraulic cylinder for driving the work equipment, an angle sensor that detects the working angle of a boom or arm for driving the work equipment, an inclination sensor that detects the inclination angle of the heavy equipment 2, etc. The heavy equipment 2 may detect important work, dangerous work, or abnormal work as the specific work. The work status management system 1 may be configured to set a work area for detecting the specific work of the heavy equipment 2, and transmit a high-resolution work video of a predetermined time range when the specific work is performed in the set work area. Alternatively, the work status management system 1 may be configured to transmit a high-resolution work video of a predetermined time range when an abnormality (a fall or collision of another heavy equipment or worker) is detected based on the analysis result of the image captured by the imaging device 3, when a supervisor monitoring the image finds a similar abnormality, or when a collision or impact of the heavy equipment 2 is detected as an abnormality by the acceleration detection device 4.

[0048] The heavy equipment 2 may automatically detect a specific task and automatically transmit a high-resolution work video for a predetermined time range, in which case the detection of the specific task may be notified in advance to the terminal device 7 via the server device 6. In response to this notification, the terminal device 7 may accept an operation to request a video.

[0049] In order to determine the specific work of the heavy equipment 2 to be detected, thresholds for the hydraulic sensor, angle sensor, tilt sensor, etc. may be set in advance, and the terminal device 7 may further receive an operation for setting the thresholds for the hydraulic sensor, angle sensor, tilt sensor, etc. Also, a work area in which the specific work of the heavy equipment 2 is detected may be set in advance, and the terminal device 7 may further receive an operation for setting the work area.

[0050] As described above, in the work status management system 1 of this embodiment, in response to the detection of a specific task, the heavy equipment 2 transmits a work video of a predetermined time range spanning before and after the detection of the specific task to the terminal device 7 via the server device 6, and the terminal device 7 receives the work video using the timing in response to the detection of the specific task as the management timing.

[0051] This enables the manager to place emphasis on specific tasks performed by the heavy equipment 2 and manage them more accurately.

[0052] 2, an example in which there is one heavy machine 2 at the work site has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, in other embodiments, the work status management system 1 may be configured to manage the work status of multiple heavy machines 2.

[0053] In this case, the terminal device 7 accepts a selection operation of multiple heavy machines 2 for managing the work status, and instantly (in real time) receives acceleration information and position information of each selected heavy machine 2 from the server device 6. The terminal device 7 determines the current position of each heavy machine 2 at the work site based on the position information of each heavy machine 2, and displays an icon 22 of each heavy machine 2 in a position corresponding to the current position of each heavy machine 2 on the work site map displayed on the display unit 13 based on the determination result.

[0054] The terminal device 7 determines the operating status, such as the operating time, of each heavy machine 2 based on the acceleration information of each heavy machine 2, and displays the operating status of each heavy machine 2 on the display unit 13 together with the site map. The terminal device 7 also selects one of the multiple heavy machines 2 and displays a low-resolution work video, a high-resolution work video, and a still image. This allows the positions and operating status of the multiple heavy machines 2 to be grasped on the site map of the terminal device 7.

[0055] The description of the embodiment shows one aspect of the work status management system according to the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention may be modified, substituted, or altered in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical idea, and the claims include all embodiments that may be included within the scope of the technical idea. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1. Work status management system 2. Heavy machinery (work machinery) 3. Imaging Equipment 4. Acceleration detection device 5 Location acquisition device 6 Server equipment 7 Terminal Equipment

Claims

1. A work status management system for managing a work status at a site by a work machine, a photographing device attached to the work machine and photographing a work situation of the work machine to obtain a work video; an acceleration detection device attached to the work machine and detecting acceleration corresponding to work performed by the work machine to obtain acceleration information; a position acquisition device attached to the work machine and acquiring position information of the work machine; a server device that instantly receives the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration detection device and the position information acquired by the position acquisition device; a terminal device that receives the acceleration information and the position information from the server device, the terminal device determines an operating status of the work machine based on the acceleration information and displays the operating status, and also stores a site map of the work site in advance and displays a current position of the work machine superimposed on the site map based on the position information; the terminal device receives the work video within a predetermined time range acquired by the image capturing device via the server device in accordance with a predetermined management timing, and displays the work video; Furthermore, the terminal device accepts an operation for requesting the work video, and transmits a request for video to the work machine via the server device in response to the operation for requesting video, the work machine transmits, in response to the video request, the work video for the predetermined time range spanning before and after the video request time to the terminal device via the server device; The work status management system is characterized in that the terminal device receives the work video at a timing corresponding to the video request as the management timing.

2. the work machine, in response to detection of a specific work, transmits the work video for the predetermined time range spanning before and after the detection of the specific work to the terminal device via the server device; The work status management system according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal device receives the work video at a timing corresponding to the detection of the specific work as the management timing.

3. the terminal device receives the acceleration information and the position information from each of the plurality of work machines via the server device; 3. A work status management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a display unit that displays the operation statuses of the plurality of work machines and the current positions of the plurality of work machines superimposed on the site map.

Images