Shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device and shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method

Abstract

To easily and accurately diagnose an abnormal sign of a wear amount of a shaft joint, by easily and accurately predicting transition of the wear amount of the shaft joint in consideration of operator's manipulation skill.SOLUTION: A shaft joint wear amount diagnosis device 1 diagnoses an abnormal sign of a wear amount of a shaft joint 80, and comprises: a wear amount acquisition unit 21 that acquires a wear amount of the shaft joint 80; an operation data acquisition unit 22 that acquires operation data of a construction machine equipped with the shaft joint 80; a data accumulation unit 23 that accumulates the acquired wear amount and operation data; a skill determination unit 24 that determines operator' manipulation skill of the construction machine based on the accumulated operation data; a prediction unit 25 that predicts transition of the wear amount based on the accumulated operation data, the wear amount and the determined manipulation skill; and a diagnosis unit 26 that diagnoses the abnormal sign based on the predicted transition of the wear amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device and a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method. [Background technology]

[0002] Construction machinery is equipped with a shaft coupling that connects a drive shaft (e.g., the output shaft of an engine) that outputs power from a prime mover (e.g., an engine) to a driven shaft (e.g., the rotating shaft of a hydraulic pump) of a driven machine (e.g., a hydraulic pump) that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft of the prime mover.

[0003] Many of the shaft couplings installed in construction machinery are shaft couplings that transmit the power output from the drive shaft of the prime mover to the driven shaft of the driven machine via an elastic body (also called "elastic body shaft couplings"). This type of shaft coupling can absorb misalignment between the central axes of the drive shaft and the driven shaft, torque fluctuations in the prime mover, etc., by elastic deformation of the elastic body, enabling smooth torque transmission between the prime mover and the driven machine.

[0004] In shaft couplings, the elastic body wears out due to aging, deformation due to fatigue, etc. When the elastic body wears out, it becomes difficult to smoothly transmit torque between the prime mover and driven machine, and in some cases, it may cause failures such as shaft breakage. Therefore, it is desirable to diagnose signs of abnormal wear in the shaft coupling and replace the elastic body at the appropriate time.

[0005] One method for diagnosing signs of abnormal wear in a shaft coupling is to predict the progression of wear based on a statistical model that shows the relationship between the operating time of the construction machine and the wear amount of the shaft coupling. This statistical model can be generated, for example, by measuring the wear amount of a large number of shaft couplings collected in the past from a certain model of construction machine and correlating the measured wear amount with the operating time of the construction machine. However, when actually collecting and measuring the wear amount of multiple shaft couplings from construction machine, there have been cases where the wear amount was high despite the short operating time. Even for the same model of construction machine, the wear amount of the shaft coupling varies depending on the operator's operating skill.

[0006] As a technology for determining a driver's driving skill, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that estimates information related to the driver's driving skill and physical condition and provides necessary support depending on the driving situation. The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines that driving assistance is necessary if any one of the driving skills related to steering operation, driving skill related to accelerator operation, driving skill related to braking operation, and driving skill related to turn signal operation is below a reference value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6499682 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a technology for identifying drivers with low skills. Applying the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 to predicting the transition of wear on a shaft coupling is difficult because it requires quantifying the driving technique related to wear.

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to easily and accurately diagnose abnormal signs of wear in a shaft coupling by easily and accurately predicting the progression of wear in the shaft coupling while taking into account the pilot's driving skills. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device of the present invention is a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device that diagnoses signs of abnormality in the wear amount of a shaft coupling that connects a drive shaft that outputs power from a prime mover and a driven shaft of a driven machine that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft, and is characterized by comprising: a wear amount acquisition unit that acquires the wear amount; an operation data acquisition unit that acquires operation data of a machine on which the shaft coupling is installed; a data storage unit that accumulates the acquired wear amount and the operation data; a skill judgment unit that judges the operating skill of an operator of the machine based on the accumulated operation data; a prediction unit that predicts the trend in the wear amount based on the accumulated operation data and the wear amount and the judged operating skill; and a diagnosis unit that diagnoses the signs of abnormality based on the trend in the predicted wear amount.

[0011] The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method of the present invention is a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method for diagnosing abnormal signs of wear in a shaft coupling that connects a drive shaft that outputs power from a prime mover and a driven shaft of a driven machine that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft, and is characterized by including: determining the driving skill of the operator of the machine on which the shaft coupling is installed based on operation data of the machine; predicting a change in the wear amount based on the operation data, the wear amount, and the determined driving skill; and diagnosing the abnormal signs based on the predicted change in the wear amount. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, by easily and accurately predicting the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling while taking into account the pilot's driving skills, it is possible to easily and accurately diagnose abnormal signs in the wear amount of the shaft coupling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a shaft coupling. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3]10 is a diagram showing the operating noise of a prime mover when wear of a shaft coupling has progressed to a certain extent. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a data storage unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a model for predicting the transition of the amount of wear of a shaft coupling. [Figure 6] 3 is a flowchart showing a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method using the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Components with the same reference numerals in each embodiment have the same functions in each embodiment unless otherwise specified, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] A shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

[0016] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a shaft coupling 80. As shown in FIG.

[0017] The shaft coupling 80 is a shaft coupling that connects a drive shaft 61 (e.g., the output shaft of an engine) that outputs the power of a prime mover 60 (e.g., an engine) to a driven shaft 71 (e.g., the rotating shaft of a hydraulic pump) of a driven machine 70 (e.g., a hydraulic pump) that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft 61.

[0018] 1 is an elastic shaft coupling that transmits power output from a drive shaft 61 of a prime mover 60 to a driven shaft 71 of a driven machine 70 via an elastic body 85. The shaft coupling 80 absorbs misalignment between the central axis of the drive shaft 61 and the central axis of the driven shaft 71, torque fluctuations of the prime mover 60, and the like, by elastic deformation of the elastic body 85. The shaft coupling 80 is an elastic shaft coupling that is mounted on a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator.

[0019] The shaft coupling 80 includes a drive shaft side block 81 , a hub member 82 , a driven shaft side block 83 , and an elastic body 85 .

[0020] The drive shaft side block 81 is formed as a generally sector-shaped block body. The multiple drive shaft side blocks 81 are fixed to the flywheel 62 provided on the drive shaft 61 at intervals in the circumferential direction by screws or the like. A flange 81a extending in the circumferential direction is provided on each of both circumferential sides of the outer diameter side of the drive shaft side block 81. The flange 81a restricts radial displacement of the elastic body 85.

[0021] The hub member 82 is formed as a thick-walled cylindrical body and is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the driven shaft 71 by spline connection.

[0022] The driven-shaft side block 83 is formed as a generally sector-shaped block body. The multiple driven-shaft side blocks 83 are fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the hub member 82 at circumferential intervals with screws or the like. The driven-shaft side blocks 83 are provided so as to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the hub member 82. Circumferentially extending flanges 83a are provided on both circumferential sides of the outer diameter side of the driven-shaft side block 83. The flanges 83a restrict radial displacement of the elastic body 85.

[0023] The elastic body 85 is formed as a thick-walled cylindrical body made of rubber or the like. The inner peripheral surface of the elastic body 85 defines an accommodation portion 86 that accommodates the hub member 82. On the outer peripheral surface of the elastic body 85, drive shaft side engaging portions 87 that engage with the drive shaft side block 81 and driven shaft side engaging portions 88 that engage with the driven shaft side block 83 are formed alternately at intervals in the circumferential direction. The drive shaft side engaging portions 87 and the driven shaft side engaging portions 88 are formed as grooves that are recessed radially inward from the outer peripheral surface of the elastic body 85. The portion between the drive shaft side engaging portions 87 and the driven shaft side engaging portions 88 is a compressed portion 89 that is compressed circumferentially by the drive shaft side block 81 and the driven shaft side block 83.

[0024] The compression portion 89 of the elastic body 85 wears due to aging, deformation due to fatigue, and the like, and its thickness in the circumferential direction decreases. This causes the flange 81a of the drive shaft side block 81 and the flange 83a of the driven shaft side block 83 to approach each other. The compression portion 89 of the elastic body 85 wears further, and its thickness in the circumferential direction decreases. As the wear of the elastic body 85 progresses in this manner, the flange 81a and the flange 83a will eventually come into contact with each other, causing a malfunction such as shaft breakage. Therefore, it is important to diagnose signs that the amount of wear in the shaft coupling 80 is becoming abnormal, and it is desirable to replace the elastic body 85 at the appropriate time.

[0025] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the operating sound of the motor 60 when wear of the shaft coupling 80 has progressed to a certain extent. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the data accumulation unit 23. Fig. 5 is a diagram explaining a model for predicting the transition of the wear amount.

[0026] The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 is a device that diagnoses abnormal signs of the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. Specifically, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 is a device that predicts the transition of the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80, and diagnoses abnormal signs of the wear amount based on the predicted transition of the wear amount.

[0027] The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 is provided inside a construction machine, such as a hydraulic excavator, on which a shaft coupling 80 is mounted. Specifically, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 is provided in a control device 20 of the construction machine. The control device 20 controls various devices and operations mounted on the construction machine. The control device 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) that performs arithmetic processing, a read-only memory (ROM) as a secondary storage device that stores programs describing arithmetic processing procedures, and a random access memory (RAM) as a primary storage device that stores the progress of the calculations and temporary control variables. The control device 20 is configured by a microcomputer that combines the CPU, ROM, and RAM. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 is configured by the CPU and other components provided in the control device 20, and the CPU executes programs to realize various functions of the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can also be applied to a shaft coupling 80 mounted on machines other than construction machines.

[0028] The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 includes a wear amount acquisition unit 21, an operation data acquisition unit 22, a data accumulation unit 23, a skill determination unit 24, a prediction unit 25, a diagnosis unit 26, and a diagnosis result output unit 27.

[0029] The wear amount acquisition unit 21 acquires the current wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 periodically or upon request. Specifically, the wear amount acquisition unit 21 acquires the wear amount based on abnormal sound components contained in the operating sound of the prime mover 60 when the rotation speed of the prime mover 60 is changed. For example, the wear amount acquisition unit 21 uses a microphone provided on the construction machine to acquire the operating sound when the key is turned off on a construction machine while the prime mover 60 is operating at the minimum rotation speed (low idling). This wear amount may be acquired each time the key is turned off while the prime mover 60 is operating at the minimum rotation speed.

[0030] When a construction machine operating with the prime mover 60 at the minimum rotational speed is keyed off, the rotational speed of the prime mover 60 changes from the minimum rotational speed to 0. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, in the period before time T1 when the construction machine is keyed off, the amplitude of the operation sound of the prime mover 60 is roughly constant, excluding fluctuations due to noise, etc. After key-off time T1, the amplitude of the operation sound of the prime mover 60 gradually decreases and converges at time T2. However, in the period Tc from key-off time T1 to time T2 when the amplitude of the operation sound converges, peaks P1 to P6 indicating abnormal sound components occur in the amplitude of the operation sound of the prime mover 60. Peaks P1 to P6 are the amplitude of the operation sound that exceeds a predetermined threshold. This threshold can be calculated in advance through experiments, etc.

[0031] The wear amount acquisition unit 21 extracts the amplitude (peaks P1 to P6) of the operation sound that exceeds a predetermined threshold as an abnormal sound component. The operation sound that includes the abnormal sound component is a rattling sound that can be heard during the period from when the construction machine is keyed off until the amplitude of the operation sound of the prime mover 60 converges. The occurrence interval of the abnormal sound component correlates with the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 (more specifically, the amount of wear of the elastic body 85). As the occurrence interval of the abnormal sound component increases, the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 increases.

[0032] A wear model that indicates the relationship between the occurrence interval of abnormal sound components and the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 is preset in the wear amount acquisition unit 21. The wear model can be described as a mathematical formula such that the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 increases as the occurrence interval of abnormal sound components increases. The wear amount acquisition unit 21 calculates the occurrence interval of the extracted abnormal sound components and substitutes the calculated interval into the mathematical formula that describes the preset wear model, thereby acquiring the current amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80. The wear amount acquisition unit 21 outputs the acquired amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 to the data accumulation unit 23. The wear amount acquisition unit 21 may periodically output the acquired amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 to the data accumulation unit 23 in the form of daily report data or the like, or may output the acquired amount of wear to the data accumulation unit 23 upon request. Note that the daily report is one example of the output format of the wear amount, and a monthly report may also be used, and the output format of the wear amount can be set as desired.

[0033] The operation data acquisition unit 22 acquires operation data of the construction machine on which the shaft coupling 80 is mounted. The operation data acquisition unit 22 acquires current operation data of the construction machine periodically or upon request in synchronization with the wear amount acquisition unit 21. Specifically, the operation data acquisition unit 22 acquires data such as the model of the construction machine or the shaft coupling 80, the operating time of the construction machine, the load applied to the driven machine 70 while operating the construction machine, the work content while operating the construction machine, and the operator's identification information as operation data. The load applied to the driven machine 70 while operating the construction machine is, for example, the hydraulic load applied to the hydraulic pump which is the driven machine 70, and can be expressed by the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump. The operation data includes sensor information detected by various sensors mounted on the construction machine, and known content can be used.

[0034] The operation data acquisition unit 22 acquires current operation data from the engine controller or monitor controller of the construction machine that constitutes the control device 20, and outputs it to the data accumulation unit 23. The operation data acquisition unit 22 may periodically output the acquired operation data to the data accumulation unit 23 in the form of daily report data or the like, or may output it to the data accumulation unit 23 upon request. The daily report data includes date and time information and location information. This makes it possible to grasp trends such as the date and time and location where driving operations with high hydraulic loads were performed.

[0035] The data accumulation unit 23 is composed of a database, etc. The data accumulation unit 23 accumulates the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 acquired by the wear amount acquisition unit 21 and the operation data acquired by the operation data acquisition unit 22 on a daily basis. In addition, the data accumulation unit 23 calculates and stores the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time from the current wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. The wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time is a value obtained by dividing the current wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 by the operation time of the construction machine. The wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time may be calculated by the prediction unit 25. Furthermore, the data accumulation unit 23 stores identification information of the operator who performed the operation corresponding to the operation data acquired by the operation data acquisition unit 22, and the operator's operation skill.

[0036] The skill determination unit 24 determines the operation skill of the operator of the construction machine based on the operation data accumulated in the data accumulation unit 23. Specifically, the skill determination unit 24 determines that the greater the hydraulic load included in the operation data accumulated in the data accumulation unit 23, the lower the operation skill. For example, the skill determination unit 24 references the hydraulic loads acquired over a certain period (e.g., several hours) during operation time and calculates the rate at which high hydraulic loads exceeding a specified value occurred. If the rate at which hydraulic loads exceeding the specified value occur is high enough to exceed a first reference value, the skill determination unit 24 determines the operation skill as a low rank "C rank." If the rate at which hydraulic loads exceeding the specified value occur does not exceed the first reference value but does exceed a second reference value (smaller than the first reference value), the skill determination unit 24 determines the operation skill as an intermediate rank "B rank." If the rate at which hydraulic loads exceeding the specified value occur is low enough to not exceed the second reference value, the skill determination unit 24 determines the operation skill as a high rank "A rank." For the sake of convenience, the judgment results are ranked from A to C, but this is not limited to three levels and may be changed as desired depending on the convenience of the user. The display format of the judgment results is not limited to ranks, and may be displayed as a "score" that quantifies the indicators.

[0037] Even when the operator's driving skill is the same, the hydraulic load may change depending on the model of the construction machine or the coupling 80 and the work content while operating the construction machine. When determining the driving skill from the occurrence rate of hydraulic load exceeding a specified value, the skill determination unit 24 can change the above-mentioned reference value to be compared with the occurrence rate of hydraulic load depending on the model of the construction machine or the coupling 80 included in the operation data accumulated in the data accumulation unit 23 and the work content while operating the construction machine. This allows the skill determination unit 24 to determine the driving skill taking into account the model and the work content, thereby enabling a more accurate determination of the driving skill.

[0038] The skill determination unit 24 outputs the determined driving skill to the prediction unit 25. Furthermore, the skill determination unit 24 stores the occurrence rate of hydraulic loads exceeding a specified value and the driving skill in the data accumulation unit 23. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the operator's identification information, the operating time of the construction machine, the occurrence rate of hydraulic loads exceeding a specified value, and the driving skill rank are stored in the data accumulation unit 23 in association with each other.

[0039] The prediction unit 25 predicts the change in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 based on the operation data and the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 accumulated in the data accumulation unit 23, and the operation skill determined by the skill determination unit 24. Specifically, the prediction unit 25 makes the prediction based on a statistical model (hereinafter also referred to as "prediction model") for predicting the change in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80. The prediction model in this embodiment is a statistical model that indicates the relationship between the operation time of the construction machine, the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time, and the operation skill.

[0040] FIG. 5 shows an example of a prediction model of this embodiment. The vertical axis of FIG. 5 represents the amount of wear on the shaft coupling 80 per unit time. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 represents the operating time of the construction machine. As shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that as the operating time of the construction machine increases, the amount of wear on the shaft coupling 80 per unit time also increases. As shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that even if the operating time of the construction machine is the same, the lower the operating skill, the greater the amount of wear on the shaft coupling 80 per unit time. The prediction model can be described for each operating skill as an approximation of a graph such as that shown in FIG. 5.

[0041] The prediction unit 25 can estimate the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time for each driving skill by substituting the operating time of the construction machine into an approximation formula of the graph corresponding to the driving skill. Then, the prediction unit 25 can predict the transition of the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 based on the estimated amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time.

[0042] For example, the prediction unit 25 estimates the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time when the operation time of the construction machine reaches time X by substituting time X, which represents the operation time of the construction machine, into an approximation equation of a graph corresponding to the operation skill. The prediction unit 25 estimates the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 when the operation time of the construction machine reaches time X by multiplying the estimated wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time by the time X. The prediction unit 25 estimates multiple amounts of wear of the shaft coupling 80 by changing the time X multiple times. The prediction unit 25 can estimate changes in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 in response to changes in the operation time of the construction machine by plotting the multiple estimated wear amounts of the shaft coupling 80 in correspondence with multiple times X. In this way, the prediction unit 25 can predict changes in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 in response to changes in the operation time of the construction machine, taking into account the operator's operation skill.

[0043] Since the skill determination unit 24 determines the driving skill based on the hydraulic load acquired over a certain period (for example, several hours), the prediction unit 25 can predict the change in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 taking into account the driving skill, even if the driver is changed. The change in driver can be detected by facial recognition of images captured by a camera installed in the cab of the construction machine.

[0044] The diagnosing unit 26 diagnoses an abnormal sign in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 based on the transition in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 predicted by the predicting unit 25. Specifically, the diagnosing unit 26 may be set in advance with a plurality of boundary values ​​that distinguish the degree of abnormality in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80. The diagnosing unit 26 may then diagnose an abnormal sign in the amount of wear by comparing the transition in the predicted amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 with the plurality of boundary values ​​that have been set in advance.

[0045] For example, it is assumed that first to third boundary values ​​are preset in the diagnosing unit 26. The first boundary value, the second boundary value, and the third boundary value are assumed to be smaller in this order. If the predicted change in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 is equal to or smaller than the first boundary value, the diagnosing unit 26 may diagnose the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 as "normal." If the predicted change in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 exceeds the first boundary value and is equal to or smaller than the second boundary value, the diagnosing unit 26 may diagnose the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 as "normal, but caution is required." If the predicted change in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 exceeds the second boundary value and is equal to or smaller than the third boundary value, the diagnosing unit 26 may diagnose the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 as "normal, but replacement of the elastic body 85 is recommended." If the predicted change in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 exceeds the third boundary value, the diagnosing unit 26 may diagnose the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 as "abnormal." The diagnostic unit 26 can diagnose not only whether there is an abnormality in the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80, but also whether there is a sign of an abnormality in the amount of wear, using these diagnostic results as "No abnormality", "No abnormality but caution required", "No abnormality but replacement of the elastic body 85 recommended", and "Abnormality present". The diagnostic unit 26 outputs the diagnostic results and the progress of the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 to the diagnostic result output unit 27.

[0046] The diagnostic result output unit 27 outputs the diagnostic results of the diagnosing unit 26 and the progress of wear of the shaft coupling 80 to a display device installed on the construction machine or to a communication device installed on the construction machine and transmits them to the user's terminal device. The diagnostic results, such as "No abnormalities," "No abnormalities but caution required," and "No abnormalities but replacement of the elastic body 85 recommended," are not limited to text messages. They may be ranked from A to C or displayed in simpler ways, such as red, yellow, or blue. One example of the progress of wear is a time-series line graph in which the vertical (Y) axis represents wear and the horizontal (X) axis represents time. However, other display formats are also acceptable. If there is little change since the previous diagnosis or if not much time has passed, a simpler display may be used, such as displaying only the rank corresponding to the previous diagnosis result in comparison with the current diagnosis result. Alternatively, the timing combination of output may be arbitrarily set depending on the urgency of the diagnostic result, such as only when "no abnormality found, but replacement of elastic body 85 is recommended" or including "no abnormality found, but caution required." This makes it possible to effectively utilize the accumulated history of judgment results to check changes in skill since the previous time or to use this information to improve from the next time onwards. This allows the diagnostic result output unit 27 to notify the user of the diagnostic results of the diagnosing unit 26. The user may be an operator, manager, maintenance worker, or the like of the construction machine.

[0047] Furthermore, the diagnostic result output unit 27 may output an alert according to the diagnostic result of the diagnosing unit 26 to notify the user. For example, if the diagnostic result of the diagnosing unit 26 is "no abnormality found, but replacement of the elastic body 85 is recommended," the diagnostic result output unit 27 may output an alert urging replacement of the elastic body 85 and notify a maintenance person. This allows the maintenance person to suggest replacement of the elastic body 85 to the manager of the construction machine in a timely manner. Note that the destination of the alert may be set or changed as desired.

[0048] Furthermore, the diagnostic result output unit 27 may output an alert to the user in accordance with the judgment result of the skill judgment unit 24. For example, if there is a driver whose judgment result of the skill judgment unit 24 is "C rank," the diagnostic result output unit 27 may output an alert to encourage improvement in driving if the "C rank" continues for a certain period of time, and notify the driver. In this case, the diagnostic result output unit 27 may notify the driver twice, once after operating the construction machine and once before the next operation. Note that the timing of the output is not limited to a predetermined period of time, and may be set in units of times, such as three times without resolution. The driving skill rank may be updated each time the construction machine is operated. For example, if there is a driver whose judgment result of the skill judgment unit 24 is "A rank," the diagnostic result output unit 27 may output an alert indicating that the driver is an exemplary driver, and notify the driver or manager if the "A rank" continues for a certain period of time. For example, if the skill determination unit 24 determines that a driver has a "B" rank, the diagnostic result output unit 27 may output an alert to the driver urging him or her to improve their operation only when the rate of hydraulic load exceeding a specified value increases. The content of the alert, the timing of the alert output, and the recipients of the alert can be set arbitrarily depending on the driver's operation skill rank and the need for improvement. This allows the driver to improve their operation skills. Managers can benefit from reduced load, which extends the durable life of the construction machinery. While the alert may be output before the operation, the determination result of the skill determination unit 24 also includes the operation data stored in the data accumulation unit 23, which includes date, time, and location information. Therefore, as an example, the alert may be output after taking into consideration and understanding not only the skill of the driver but also the trends in time periods and driving areas where other drivers are likely to experience high hydraulic loads. This allows for flexible responses, such as outputting an alert before approaching a driving area requiring caution based on the driver's individual characteristics or a driving area requiring caution for other drivers.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method using the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 shown in FIG.

[0050] In step S101, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 acquires the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 acquires the wear amount based on abnormal sound components contained in the operating sound of the prime mover 60 when the rotation speed of the prime mover 60 is changed.

[0051] In step S102, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 acquires operation data of the construction machine equipped with the shaft coupling 80. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 acquires operation data from the engine controller of the construction machine, which constitutes the control device 20, etc.

[0052] In step S103, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 accumulates the acquired wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 and the operation data of the construction machine.

[0053] In step S104, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 judges the driver's driving skill based on the accumulated operation data. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 calculates the occurrence rate of hydraulic loads exceeding a specified value among the hydraulic loads included in the operation data, and judges that the higher the occurrence rate, the lower the driver's driving skill.

[0054] In step S105, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 predicts the transition in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 based on the accumulated operation data and the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80, and the determined operation skill. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 predicts the transition in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 based on a prediction model that indicates the relationship between the operation time of the construction machine included in the operation data, the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time, and the operation skill.

[0055] In step S106, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 diagnoses an abnormal sign of the wear amount based on the transition of the predicted wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 may diagnose an abnormal sign of the wear amount by comparing the transition of the predicted wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 with a plurality of preset boundary values.

[0056] In step S107, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 outputs the diagnosis result of the abnormality sign, an alert, etc., and notifies the user. For example, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can determine the predicted value of the wear amount three months from now from the predicted change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80, and notify the user. The maintenance person can suggest replacement of the elastic body 85 to the manager of the construction machine in a timely manner. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method shown in Figure 6 is then completed.

[0057] The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 may change the order in which step S102 is performed, as long as it is performed before step S103.

[0058] As described above, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the first embodiment is a device that diagnoses signs of abnormal wear in the shaft coupling 80 that connects the drive shaft 61 that outputs power from the prime mover 60 and the driven shaft 71 of the driven machine 70 that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft 61. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 includes a wear amount acquisition unit 21 that acquires the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 includes an operation data acquisition unit 22 that acquires operation data of a construction machine on which the shaft coupling 80 is mounted. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 includes a data accumulation unit 23 that accumulates the acquired wear amount and operation data. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 includes a skill determination unit 24 that determines the operation skill of a driver of the construction machine based on the accumulated operation data. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 includes a prediction unit 25 that predicts a transition in the wear amount based on the accumulated operation data and the wear amount, and the determined operation skill. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 includes a diagnosis unit 26 that diagnoses the abnormality sign based on the transition of the predicted wear amount.

[0059] That is, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 determines the operation skill based on operation data acquired from existing construction machinery, and predicts the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 taking into consideration the determined operation skill. In this way, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can easily and accurately predict the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can easily and accurately diagnose abnormal signs of the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. A maintenance person or manager of the construction machinery can optimize the maintenance plan for the shaft coupling 80, such as the timing of replacing the elastic body 85. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can significantly reduce the downtime of the construction machinery, thereby improving the productivity of the construction machinery.

[0060] Furthermore, the wear amount acquiring unit 21 acquires the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 based on abnormal sound components contained in the operating sound of the prime mover 60 when the rotation speed of the prime mover 60 is changed.

[0061] As a result, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can obtain the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 without having to disconnect the prime mover 60 and the driven machine 70 and disassemble the shaft coupling 80. Furthermore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can diagnose signs of abnormal wear even when the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 is still small, by utilizing the fact that abnormal sound components are generated in the operating sound of the prime mover 60, even before the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 reaches an abnormal amount. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can diagnose signs of abnormal wear of the shaft coupling 80 even more easily and with even greater accuracy.

[0062] Furthermore, the operation data acquisition unit 22 acquires the operation time of the construction machine and the hydraulic load applied to the hydraulic pump, which is the driven machine 70, while the construction machine is being operated as operation data of the construction machine. The skill determination unit 24 determines the operator's operation skill based on the hydraulic load. The data accumulation unit 23 stores the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80, the operation time, the hydraulic load, and the operation skill. The prediction unit 25 predicts the change in the amount of wear based on a prediction model that indicates the relationship between the operation time, the amount of wear per unit time, and the operation skill.

[0063] That is, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 determines the operation skill based on the operation time and hydraulic load acquired in an existing construction machine, and predicts the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 taking the determined operation skill into consideration. This allows the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 to easily and accurately predict the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. Furthermore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 predicts the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 based on a prediction model that shows the relationship between the operation time of the construction machine, the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 per unit time, and the operation skill. This allows the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 to accurately predict the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 even when the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 changes nonlinearly with changes in the operation time of the construction machine. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can predict the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 even more easily and accurately. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can diagnose abnormal signs in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 even more easily and accurately.

[0064] Furthermore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 further includes a diagnosis result output unit 27 that outputs an alert in accordance with the diagnosis result of the diagnosis unit .

[0065] As a result, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can quickly notify the maintenance personnel or manager of the construction machinery of the diagnosis results of the diagnosis unit 26. The maintenance personnel or manager of the construction machinery can quickly optimize the maintenance plan for the shaft coupling 80, such as the timing of replacing the elastic body 85. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can further reduce the downtime of the construction machinery, and further improve the productivity of the construction machinery.

[0066] Furthermore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 is provided inside the construction machine. That is, the wear amount acquisition unit 21, the operation data acquisition unit 22, the data accumulation unit 23, the skill determination unit 24, the prediction unit 25, the diagnosis unit 26, and the diagnosis result output unit 27 are provided inside the construction machine.

[0067] As a result, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can easily and accurately predict the transition in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80, without having to provide a separate processing device outside the construction machine that realizes these functions. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 can diagnose abnormal signs in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 even more easily and accurately.

[0068] The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method of the first embodiment is a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method that diagnoses signs of abnormality in the wear amount of a shaft coupling 80 that connects a drive shaft 61 that outputs power from a prime mover 60 to a driven shaft 71 of a driven machine 70 that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft 61. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method includes determining the driving skill of the operator of the construction machine based on operation data of the construction machine on which the shaft coupling 80 is mounted (step S104). The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method also includes predicting a transition in the wear amount based on the operation data, the wear amount, and the determined driving skill (step S105). The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method also includes diagnosing the signs of abnormality based on the predicted transition in the wear amount (step S106).

[0069] That is, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method determines the operation skill based on operation data acquired from an existing construction machine, and predicts the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 taking into consideration the determined operation skill. In this way, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method can easily and accurately predict the change in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method can easily and accurately diagnose signs of abnormality in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80. A maintenance person or manager of the construction machine can optimize the maintenance plan for the shaft coupling 80, such as the timing of replacing the elastic body 85. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method can significantly reduce the downtime of the construction machine and improve the productivity of the construction machine.

[0070] Furthermore, the amount of wear of the shaft coupling 80 is acquired based on abnormal sound components contained in the operating sound of the prime mover 60 when the rotation speed of the prime mover 60 is changed.

[0071] As a result, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method can obtain the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 without having to disconnect the prime mover 60 and the driven machine 70 and disassemble the shaft coupling 80. Furthermore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method can diagnose signs of abnormal wear even when the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 is still small, by utilizing the fact that abnormal sound components are generated in the operating sound of the prime mover 60, even before the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 reaches an abnormal amount. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method can diagnose signs of abnormal wear of the shaft coupling 80 even more easily and with more accuracy.

[0072] [Embodiment 2] A shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment, the description of the same configuration and operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0073] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0074] In the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment, a wear amount acquisition unit 21 and an operation data acquisition unit 22 are provided in a control device 20 of a construction machine. In the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment, a data accumulation unit 23, a skill determination unit 24, a prediction unit 25, a diagnosis unit 26 and a diagnosis result output unit 27 are provided in a server device 30 that can communicate with the construction machine.

[0075] The server device 30 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and is installed in a management sensor of a construction machine, etc. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment is configured by the above-mentioned CPU, etc., provided in the server device 30, and various functions of the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 are realized by the CPU executing a program.

[0076] The wear amount acquiring unit 21 of the second embodiment transmits the acquired wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 to the data accumulation unit 23 provided in the server device 30. The operation data acquiring unit 22 of the second embodiment transmits the acquired operation data to the data accumulation unit 23 provided in the server device 30. The diagnosis result output unit 27 of the second embodiment transmits the diagnosis results, etc. to the construction machine to be displayed on a display device provided in the construction machine, or transmits the diagnosis results, etc. to the user's terminal device to be displayed.

[0077] As described above, in the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment, the data accumulation unit 23, the skill determination unit 24, the prediction unit 25, the diagnosis unit 26, and the diagnosis result output unit 27 are provided in the server device 30, and therefore the processing related to these functions can be performed more quickly than in the first embodiment. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment can diagnose signs of abnormality in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 more quickly than in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment can greatly increase the amount of data that can be accumulated in the data accumulation unit 23 compared to the first embodiment. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the second embodiment can predict the transition in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 more accurately using a huge amount of data, and therefore can diagnose signs of abnormality in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 more accurately than in the first embodiment.

[0078] [Embodiment 3] A shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the third embodiment, the description of the same configuration and operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0079] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0080] The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of the third embodiment is provided in a communication device 40 that is retrofitted to a construction machine. That is, in the third embodiment, a wear amount acquisition unit 21, an operation data acquisition unit 22, a data accumulation unit 23, a skill determination unit 24, a prediction unit 25, a diagnosis unit 26, and a diagnosis result output unit 27 are provided in the communication device 40.

[0081] The communication device 40 is, for example, a service controller that is retrofitted or externally attached to the construction machine. The service controller is configured by a microcomputer that combines a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of embodiment 3 is configured by the above-mentioned CPU etc. provided in the communication device 40, and the CPU executes programs to realize various functions of the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1. The service controller is provided separately from the control device 20 that controls various devices and operations mounted on the construction machine. The service controller is connected to various controllers of the construction machine that make up the control device 20 via a gateway device.

[0082] The wear amount acquisition unit 21 of the third embodiment detects that the key has been turned off on a construction machine in which the prime mover 60 is operating at the minimum rotation speed, and acquires the operating sound of the prime mover 60 using a microphone built into the communication device 40. The wear amount acquisition unit 21 of the third embodiment acquires the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 based on abnormal sound components contained in the acquired operating sound. The operation data acquisition unit 22 of the third embodiment can acquire operation data of the construction machine from various controllers of the construction machine that constitute the control device 20 via a gateway device. The diagnosis result output unit 27 of the third embodiment displays the diagnosis results, etc. on a display device provided on the construction machine, or transmits the diagnosis results, etc. to a user's terminal device for display. The diagnosis result output unit 27 of the third embodiment may transmit the diagnosis results, etc. to the server device 30.

[0083] In this way, in the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of embodiment 3, the wear amount acquisition unit 21, operation data acquisition unit 22, data accumulation unit 23, skill determination unit 24, prediction unit 25, diagnosis unit 26, and diagnosis result output unit 27 are provided in the communication device 40 that is retrofitted to the construction machine, making it easier to introduce the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 into the construction machine than in embodiment 1. Therefore, the shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device 1 of embodiment 3 can more easily predict the transition in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 and more easily diagnose signs of abnormality in the wear amount of the shaft coupling 80 than in embodiment 1.

[0084] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims. In the present invention, the configuration of one embodiment can be added to the configuration of another embodiment, the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, or part of the configuration of one embodiment can be deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1... Shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device, 21... Wear amount acquisition unit, 22... Operation data acquisition unit, 23... Data accumulation unit, 24... Skill determination unit, 25... Prediction unit, 26... Diagnosis unit, 27... Diagnosis result output unit, 30... Server device, 40... Communication device, 60... Prime mover, 61... Drive shaft, 70... Driven machine, 71... Driven shaft, 80... Shaft coupling

Claims

1. A shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device that diagnoses signs of abnormal wear in a shaft coupling that connects a drive shaft that outputs power from a prime mover to a driven shaft of a driven machine that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft, a wear amount acquisition unit that acquires the wear amount; an operation data acquisition unit that acquires operation data of a machine on which the shaft coupling is mounted; a data storage unit that stores the acquired wear amount and the acquired operation data; a skill determination unit that determines the driving skill of the operator of the machine based on the accumulated operation data; a prediction unit that predicts a change in the wear amount based on the accumulated operational data and the wear amount and the determined piloting skill; a diagnosis unit that diagnoses the abnormality sign based on the change in the predicted wear amount. A shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device characterized by:

2. The wear amount acquisition unit acquires the wear amount based on an abnormal sound component included in an operation sound of the prime mover when the rotation speed of the prime mover is changed.

2. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to claim 1.

3. the operation data acquisition unit acquires, as the operation data, an operating time of the machine and a load applied to the driven machine while the machine is being operated; the skill determination unit determines the piloting skill based on the load, the data storage unit stores the wear amount, the operating time, the load, and the piloting skill; The prediction unit predicts the change in the amount of wear based on a model showing a relationship between the operating time, the amount of wear per unit time, and the piloting skill.

2. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to claim 1.

4. The apparatus further includes a diagnostic result output unit that outputs an alert in accordance with the diagnostic result of the diagnostic unit.

2. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to claim 1.

5. The wear amount acquisition unit, the operation data acquisition unit, the data accumulation unit, the skill determination unit, the prediction unit, and the diagnosis unit are provided inside the machine.

2. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to claim 1.

6. the wear amount acquisition unit and the operation data acquisition unit are provided in the machine, The data storage unit, the skill determination unit, the prediction unit, and the diagnosis unit are provided in a server device that can communicate with the machine.

2. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to claim 1.

7. The wear amount acquisition unit, the operation data acquisition unit, the data accumulation unit, the skill determination unit, the prediction unit, and the diagnosis unit are provided in a communication device of the machine.

2. The shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis device according to claim 1.

8. A shaft coupling wear amount diagnosis method for diagnosing abnormal signs of wear in a shaft coupling connecting a drive shaft that outputs power from a prime mover to a driven shaft of a driven machine that is driven by the power transmitted from the drive shaft, comprising: Determining the driving skill of a driver of a machine based on operation data of the machine on which the shaft coupling is mounted; predicting a transition of the wear amount based on the operational data, the wear amount, and the determined piloting skill; and diagnosing the abnormality sign based on the change in the predicted wear amount. A method for diagnosing the amount of wear of a shaft coupling, comprising:

9. The wear amount is acquired based on abnormal sound components contained in the operation sound of the engine when the rotation speed of the engine is changed.

9. The method for diagnosing the amount of wear of a shaft coupling according to claim 8.

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