Specialized Vehicle Operation Status Management System

Abstract

To allow a manager to grasp the inappropriate actuation of safety devices.SOLUTION: When a specially-equipped vehicle actuation status management system receives safety device actuation information from a specially-equipped vehicle, the system determines whether it is a stop determination (S5). In the case where an emergency stop is made, the system determines that it is a stop determination, and transmits a message to a user-side manager terminal device 120 (S11). Upon receiving such a message, the user-side manager terminal device 120 displays the message on a monitor as a warning display (S23). The warning display contains a registration number, vehicle information, date and time, positional data, and the like. Therefore, even when an operator of the user-side manager terminal device 120 is viewing information about another specially-equipped vehicle on the user-side manager terminal device 120, the operator can easily notice the actuation of the safety device in the specially-equipped vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a special vehicle operation status management system, and particularly to the management of inappropriate operation data of special vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a safety stop technology for a garbage truck as a safety device that detects a person approaching the loading port with a camera, gives a warning, and stops the loading device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the safety stop technology of the garbage truck in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.

[0005] Even if the safety device operates in this way, since there is no administrator at the site, the administrator cannot grasp when the safety device operated and furthermore, what the degree of danger was. Therefore, it is difficult to take measures to eliminate such causes.

[0006] An object of this invention is to provide a special vehicle operation status management system for a special vehicle that solves the above problems and enables an administrator to grasp inappropriate operations of the safety device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] (1) The special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention is a special vehicle operation status management system that receives the operation status of a control target device mounted on a special vehicle from a special vehicle vehicle-side control device that controls the control target device mounted on the special vehicle, and manages the operation status, and comprises B) at least one user portable device and at least one user-side administrator terminal device, and C) the user portable device has a safety device operation information management means that, upon receiving safety device operation information of a mounted device from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device, stores the safety device operation information and transmits the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on the safety device operation information to the user administrator terminal device.

[0008] Therefore, the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information sent from the special vehicle control device can be provided to the user-side administrator terminal device.

[0009] (2) The special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention is a special vehicle operation status management system comprising a special vehicle vehicle-side control device for controlling a control target device mounted on a special vehicle, and a special vehicle management server for managing the operation status of the control target device, wherein the special vehicle vehicle-side control device has a transmission means for directly or indirectly transmitting safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server when it detects safety device operation information of the mounted equipment, and the special vehicle management server has a safety device operation information storage means for storing the received safety device operation information.

[0010] Therefore, safety device operation information sent from the special-purpose vehicle's on-board control unit can be stored in the special-purpose vehicle management server.

[0011] (3) In the special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention, the user administrator terminal device has a means for transmitting safety device operation output information generated from the received safety device operation information, or the received safety device operation output information, to the operator. Therefore, the safety device operation output information generated from the received safety device operation information can be transmitted to the operator of the user administrator terminal device.

[0012] (4) The special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention further comprises a user-side administrator terminal device that can access the special vehicle management server, wherein the special vehicle management server has control means for transmitting the safety device operation information or screen data generated from the safety device operation information screen data to the user administrator terminal device, and the user administrator terminal device has transmission means for transmitting safety device operation output information generated from the received safety device operation information, or the received safety device operation output information to the operator.Therefore, the safety device operation output information generated from the received safety device operation information can be transmitted to the operator of the user administrator terminal device.

[0013] (5) The special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention includes a user portable device having safety device operation information management means that, upon receiving safety device operation information of a fitted-out structure from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device, stores the safety device operation information and transmits the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on the safety device operation information to the user administrator terminal device, wherein the safety device operation information management means includes disconnection information when the wireless communication connection with the special vehicle vehicle-side control device is disconnected as safety device operation information. Therefore, even when the wireless communication connection between the user portable device and the special vehicle vehicle-side control device is disconnected, the information can be interpreted as the safety device being operated.

[0014] (6) In the special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention, the safety device operation information management means temporarily stores the safety device operation information and, at a predetermined timing, transmits the stored safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated from the safety device operation information to the user administrator terminal device. Therefore, the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information sent from the special vehicle side control device can be provided to the user side administrator terminal device at the predetermined timing.

[0015] (7) In the special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention, the safety device operation information management means temporarily stores the safety device operation information and, at a predetermined timing, transmits the stored safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated from the safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server. Therefore, the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information sent from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device can be provided to the user-side administrator terminal device at the predetermined timing.

[0016] (8) In the special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention, the user portable device can set whether or not to transmit the safety device operation information or the generated safety device operation information screen to the user administrator terminal device directly or indirectly to the user administrator terminal device via the special vehicle management server, depending on whether the risk is low or high. Therefore, it is possible to switch whether or not to transmit depending on whether the risk is low or high. As a result, safety device operation information with a low risk level is not frequently sent to the user administrator terminal device.

[0017] (9) In the special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention, the safety device operation output information includes a URI from which detailed information can be obtained, the URI from which detailed information can be obtained indicates a storage area file for the special vehicle that is transmitted wirelessly via short-range wireless communication to the user's portable device for the user of the user administrator terminal device of the special vehicle management server, and the safety device operation output information includes that the safety device has been activated and a special vehicle identifier for identifying the special vehicle. Therefore, a special vehicle operation status management system can be realized that provides information that the safety device has been activated and a special vehicle identifier for identifying the special vehicle when detailed information is not needed, and that can be obtained when detailed information is needed.

[0018] (10) In the special vehicle operation status management system according to the present invention, the user portable device has safety device operation information management means that, upon receiving safety device operation information of the mounted equipment from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device, stores the safety device operation information and transmits the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on the safety device operation information to the user administrator terminal device, wherein the safety device of the mounted equipment can be switched by the operator between the stopped state and the restarted state which is a restart from the stopped state, and when the safety device is in the stopped state or the restarted state, the user portable device transmits it to the special vehicle management server as safety device operation information, and the control means of the special vehicle management server, after receiving safety device operation information of the stopped state from the user terminal, transmits the safety device operation information or the generated safety device operation information screen to the user-side administrator terminal device. If the special vehicle management server receives information from the user terminal indicating that a safety device has stopped, and does not receive information indicating that a safety device has restarted within a predetermined time, it may transmit the safety device operation information or a generated safety device operation information screen to the user-side administrator terminal device.

[0019] (11) When the user portable device according to the present invention receives safety device operation information of the mounted equipment from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device, it generates safety device operation output information based on the safety device operation information and transmits this safety device operation output information to the user-side administrator terminal device.

[0020] Therefore, the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information sent from the special vehicle control device can be provided to the user-side administrator terminal device.

[0021] (12) The user portable device according to the present invention is a user portable device that transmits the operation status to the special vehicle management server when receiving the operation status of the controlled device from the special vehicle side control device that controls the controlled device mounted on the special vehicle, and receives the operation status of the controlled device from the special vehicle side control device, and transmits the received safety device operation information or the safety device operation output information generated based on the received safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server as the operation status. It has a safety device operation information management means.

[0022] Therefore, the safety device operation information or the safety device operation output information sent from the special vehicle side control device can be provided to the special vehicle management server.

[0023] The terms used in the claims and the corresponding relationships in the embodiments will be described.

[0024] The "controlled device" corresponds to, in the embodiment, the hydraulic pump P, the multi-valve MV, various cylinders A1 to A4, the lifting body 4, the compression plate 5, etc. The "controlled device control unit" corresponds to, in the embodiment, the mounted object side control device UK.

[0025] The "safety device operation information" refers to information indicating that the safety device related to the mounted object of the special vehicle has operated, and in the embodiment, the safety device operation information shown in FIG. 6 corresponds. The "safety device operation output information" corresponds to, in the embodiment, the alert screen generated from the "safety device operation information". In the embodiment, although it is a display screen, as long as it can convey to the operator of the user-side administrator terminal device 120 that the safety device has operated, thing any information that can be transmitted to humans, such as sound information and tactile information, can be used.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] [Figure 1] It is an overall side view with a part broken off of the dust collection vehicle V adopted in the special vehicle operation status management system 1. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the control relationships of each part in the refuse collection vehicle V. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of the Special Vehicle Operation Status Management System 1. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the hardware configuration of the special vehicle management server 100. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of user-specific vehicle data and special vehicle operation data. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of safety device operation status information. [Figure 7] This figure shows the hardware configuration of the user-portable device 160. [Figure 8] This diagram shows the hardware configuration of the user-side administrator terminal device 120. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the display of an alert from the user's portable device 160 to the user-side administrator terminal device 120. [Figure 10] This is an example of an alert screen. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart illustrating the transmission of safety device activation information from the user's portable device 160 to the special vehicle management server 100. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0028] (1. Description of special-purpose vehicles) First, we will explain the refuse collection vehicle V, which is a special-purpose vehicle used in this special-purpose vehicle operation status management system 1.

[0029] The refuse collection vehicle V shown in Figure 1 consists of a base vehicle Vb and a load-collecting unit K that is mounted on the vehicle body F of the base vehicle Vb after its assembly is complete. The base vehicle Vb is equipped with a vehicle-side control device UV, and the load-collecting unit K is equipped with a load-collecting unit-side control device UK.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the base vehicle Vb's body F is equipped with an engine E, battery B, electric motor M, power selection and extraction mechanism PS, and vehicle-side control device UV.

[0031] Engine E provides driving force to the wheels W. The electric motor M is connected to the battery B via an inverter 12 and operates using power from the battery B. The power selection extraction mechanism PS can selectively extract power from either engine E or electric motor M from the wheel drive system D, which is a drive system including engine E and electric motor M. The vehicle-side control device UV is mainly composed of a microcontroller and controls engine E, electric motor M, battery B, and electromagnetic clutch 11. The starter switch S-SW for starting engine E is also connected to the vehicle-side control device UV.

[0032] Note that while the vehicle-side control unit UV is actually connected to the engine E, electric motor M, and battery B by multiple power lines and / or signal lines, Figure 2 shows a simplified representation of these connections.

[0033] The output side of the power take-off device PTO is linked to and connected to the hydraulic pump P, which is part of the vehicle body K. The power take-off device PTO is also connected to the vehicle-side control device UV, and in response to the operation input to the power take-off switch P-SW, which is also connected to the vehicle-side control device UV, the output of the transmission 10 (see Figure 1) is selectively switched and transmitted to the wheel side W side and the hydraulic pump P side. Specifically, when the power take-off switch P-SW is OFF, the output of the transmission 10 is transmitted to the wheel side W side and used for driving. Conversely, when the switch P-SW is ON, the output of the transmission 10 is transmitted to the hydraulic pump P side and used for pump driving.

[0034] The vehicle body K has a box-shaped refuse container 1 with an open rear end as its base (vehicle body). This refuse container 1 is retrofitted and mounted on the vehicle body F of the base vehicle Vb. A refuse input box 3 is attached to the rear end of the refuse container 1. The refuse input box 3 has a refuse input opening 3a at its rear end for depositing refuse into the refuse container 1. An opening / closing door 3t opens and closes the refuse input opening 3a.

[0035] A refuse loading device 2, which functions as a work machine, is installed inside the refuse input box 3. When the input box 3 is in the loading position, the refuse loading device 2 forcibly loads the refuse from the input box 3 into the refuse storage box 1.

[0036] The structure of the refuse loading device 2 is a conventionally known compression plate type and includes a lifting body 4, a second cylinder A2, a compression plate 5, and a third cylinder A3. The lifting body 4 is supported so as to be able to move up and down on both the left and right side walls of the refuse input box 3 at a position facing the rear end opening 1a of the refuse storage box 1. The second cylinder A2 forces the lifting body 4 to move up and down. The compression plate 5 is supported by the second cylinder A2 for lifting the lifting body and extends across the full width of the refuse input box 3 and is pivotally supported at the bottom of the lifting body 4 so as to be able to rotate back and forth. The third cylinder A3 forces the compression plate 5 to rotate.

[0037] Furthermore, the rear control panel CR is fixed and supported on the outer surface around the refuse input port 3a of the refuse input box 3 shown in Figure 1. The rear control panel CR is equipped with operation switches CR-SW1 to CR-SW3, a first power source selection switch M-SW1, and indicator lamps L1 to L5. Operation switches CR-SW1 to CR-SW3 select the operating mode of the refuse loading device 2. In particular, operation switch CR-SW3 is a switch that instructs an emergency stop in the event of a dangerous situation. When the first power source selection switch M-SW1 is turned ON, it outputs a motor selection signal. This switches the hydraulic pump P from an engine-driven state, where it is driven by the engine E, to a motor-driven state, where it is driven by the electric motor M.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, the driver's cab of the base vehicle Vb is equipped with an in-cabin control device UF having an operation panel CF. As shown in Figure 2, the in-cabin control device UF includes a microcontroller 61, a short-range wireless communication unit 63, an antenna 65, and an operation panel CF.

[0039] The control panel CF is equipped with operation switches CF-SW1 to CF-SW3, a second power source selection switch M-SW2, and indicator lamps L1 to L5. Operation switches CF-SW1 to CF-SW3, like operation switches CR-SW1 to CF-SW3, select the operating mode of the waste loading device 2 and the waste discharge device 7. The second power source selection switch M-SW2, like the first power source selection switch M-SW2, outputs a motor selection signal when turned ON.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a camera 53 is provided on the top of the waste disposal box 3. Images from this camera 53 are analyzed by an image processing unit 51 located in the control unit box UKB. The image processing unit 51 is connected to the vehicle-side control device UK, and if the image analysis determines that a dangerous situation exists, it outputs an emergency stop signal to the vehicle-side control device UK. In other words, it is equivalent to pressing the operation switch CR-SW3.

[0041] In this embodiment, a garbage truck was used as an example of a specially equipped vehicle, but the invention is not limited to garbage trucks.

[0042] 2. Overall Overview of Special Vehicle Operation Status Management System 1 As shown in Figure 3, the special vehicle operation status management system 1 is a system that manages the operation status of a controlled device 210 from a special vehicle vehicle-side control device 201 that controls a controlled device mounted on a special vehicle, and comprises a special vehicle management server 100, a user portable device 160, a user-side administrator terminal device 120, and a special vehicle 180a.

[0043] The special vehicle side control device 201 of the special vehicle 180a includes a short-range wireless transmission / reception means 203, an operation data storage means 205, a special vehicle specific data storage means 209, and a control means 207 and a safety support means 208. The short-range wireless transmission / reception means 203 is connected to the short-range wireless transmission / reception means 164 of the special vehicle side control device 201 by short-range wireless communication. The operation data storage means 205 stores operation data of the controlled device 210. The special vehicle specific data storage means 209 stores the identifier of the special vehicle. The safety support means 208 is a support means that detects dangerous operation in the controlled device 210 and takes action such as stopping. In this embodiment, image detection is performed to determine if there is a person in the warning / stop area and a warning or stop process is performed, but it is not limited to this, and also includes cases where an abnormality is detected by various sensors and the vehicle is stopped at that stage. The control means 207 manages the transmission of operational data stored in the operational data storage means 205 using the short-range wireless transmission and reception means 203.

[0044] The user-portable device 160 includes a short-range wireless transmission / reception means 164, an operational data management means 167, and a safety device operation information management means 163.

[0045] The safety device operation information management means 163 wirelessly connects the short-range wireless transmission / reception means 164 to the special vehicle vehicle-side control device 201, and when it acquires safety device operation information of the mounted equipment, it stores this safety device operation information and generates safety device operation output information from this safety device operation information, and transmits it to the user-side administrator terminal device 120 based on predetermined transmission conditions. The safety device operation information management means 163 also transmits such safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server 100.

[0046] The operational data management means 167 wirelessly connects the short-range wireless transmission / reception means 164 to the special vehicle vehicle-side control device 201 to acquire operational data of the mounted equipment, and transmits the acquired operational data to the special vehicle management server 100 based on predetermined transmission conditions.

[0047] The user-side administrator terminal device 120 has a communication means 121. The communication means 121 has a notification management means 125 and a display means 123.

[0048] When the notification management means 125 receives safety device activation output information from the user's portable device 160, it displays it on the display means 123. In other words, the notification management means 125 and the display means 123 constitute the transmission means 121, and the transmission means 121 transmits the received safety device activation output information to the operator.

[0049] The special vehicle management server 100 includes a safety device operation information storage means 103, an operation data storage means 107, and a control means 105.

[0050] The safety device operation information storage means 103 stores safety device operation information received from the user portable device 160. The operation data storage means 107 stores operation data received from the user portable device 160. These processes are performed by the control means 105.

[0051] In this embodiment, the control means 105 generates safety device operation output information from safety device operation information when transmitting to the user-side administrator terminal device 120, but the timing of such generation may be anytime between the time of storage and the time of transmission.

[0052] In this embodiment, safety device activation output information is provided from the user's portable device 160 to the user-side administrator terminal device 120. However, the special vehicle management server 100 may first store the safety device activation information, generate safety device activation output information from the safety device activation information, and transmit this to the user-side administrator terminal device 120. Alternatively, the safety device activation information may be transmitted to the user administrator terminal device 120, and the user administrator terminal device 120 may generate and notify the safety device activation output information.

[0053] Furthermore, the safety device operation information management means 163 may also include disconnection information as safety device operation information when the wireless communication connection with the special vehicle side control device 201 is disconnected.

[0054] Furthermore, the safety device operation information management means 163 may temporarily store the safety device operation information received from the special vehicle side control device 201, and at a predetermined timing, generate safety device operation output information from the stored safety device operation information and transmit the generated safety device operation output information to the user administrator terminal device 120. The timing for generating the safety device operation output information is not limited to transmission time, but is arbitrary.

[0055] Furthermore, the safety device operation information management means 163 may temporarily store the safety device operation information and, at a predetermined timing, transmit the stored safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server 100.

[0056] When the user portable device 160 transmits safety device activation information or a generated safety device activation information screen to the user administrator terminal device 120 directly, or indirectly to the user administrator terminal device 120 via the special vehicle management server 100, it may transmit the information such that the elapsed time from receiving the safety device activation information from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device is longer in the case of high risk than in the case of low risk.

[0057] The safety device activation output information includes a URI from which detailed information can be obtained, and the URI from which detailed information can be obtained indicates a storage area file for a special vehicle that communicates wirelessly with the user's portable device 160 for the user of the user administrator terminal device 120 of the special vehicle management server 100. The safety device activation output information may also include information that the safety support means 208 has been activated and a special vehicle identifier for identifying the special vehicle.

[0058] 3. Hardware Configuration (3.1 Hardware configuration of the special vehicle management server 100) The hardware configuration of the special vehicle management server 100, which is configured using a CPU, will be explained with reference to Figure 4.

[0059] The special vehicle management server 100 includes a CPU 23, memory 27, hard disk 26, monitor 30, optical drive 25, input device 28, communication board 31, and bus line 29. The CPU 23 controls each component via the bus line 29 according to the programs stored in the hard disk 26.

[0060] The hard disk 26 includes an operating system program 26o (hereinafter abbreviated as OS), a main program 26m, a user-specific vehicle data storage unit 26c, a safety device operation information storage unit 26S, and a special vehicle operation data storage unit 26d.

[0061] Figure 5A shows the data structure of user-specific vehicle data 26c. User-specific vehicle data 26c stores the serial numbers of the special-purpose vehicles managed by each user ID in association with that user.

[0062] Figure 5B shows the data structure of the operation data stored in the special vehicle operation data storage unit 26d. The operation data is associated with the manufacturing number and stores time, cumulative loading count, cumulative TG lift count, PTO operating time, and position data. This operation data is provided via the user portable device 160.

[0063] Figure 6A shows the data structure of the safety device operation information stored in the safety device operation information storage unit 26S. The safety device operation information consists of user ID, serial number, judgment type, presence or absence of device malfunction, date and time of occurrence, location, image file name, and video file name. In this embodiment, the judgment type is "warning judgment" and "stop judgment," but is not limited to these. A device malfunction is detected by a sensor on the special vehicle's bodywork K, as will be described later.

[0064] In this embodiment, Windows 10 (registered trademark or trademark) is used as the operating system program (OS) 26o, but it is not limited to this.

[0065] The above programs are read from the CD-ROM 25a containing the programs via the optical drive 25 and installed on the hard disk 26. In addition to CD-ROMs, programs may also be installed on the hard disk from other computer-readable recording media such as flexible disks (FDs) or IC cards. Furthermore, they may be downloaded using a communication line.

[0066] In this embodiment, the program stored on the CD-ROM is indirectly executed by the computer by installing the program from the CD-ROM to the hard disk 26. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the program stored on the CD-ROM may also be executed directly from the optical drive 25. Note that executable programs by the computer include not only those that can be executed directly after installation, but also those that require conversion to another form (for example, decompressing data that has been compressed), and even those that can be executed in combination with other module parts.

[0067] (3.2 Hardware configuration of user portable device 160) The user-portable device 160 will be explained using Figure 7. This figure shows an example of a hardware configuration of the user terminal device 160 using a CPU.

[0068] The user terminal device 160 has a typical smartphone configuration and includes a CPU 123, memory 127, flash memory 126, display unit 130, wireless communication unit 128, operation unit 125, audio input / output unit 124, location information detection unit 122, short-range wireless communication unit 121, and bus line 129. The location information detection unit 122 is a module that detects location information using GNNS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The short-range wireless communication unit 121 communicates using the Bluetooth® standard. In this embodiment, iOS® is used as the OS.

[0069] The CPU 123 controls each part via the bus line 129 according to the programs stored in the flash memory 126.

[0070] The flash memory 126 contains an operating system program 126o (hereinafter abbreviated as OS) and a main program 126m.

[0071] The processing of the main program 126m will be described later.

[0072] In this embodiment, Bluetooth® is used as the short-range wireless communication unit, but the invention is not limited to this.

[0073] Operational data is transmitted from the user terminal device 160 to the special vehicle management server 100 in the following procedure. Based on the main program 126m, the CPU 123 periodically (for example, every 30 seconds) connects with the special vehicle vehicle-side control device 201 via short-range wireless communication and issues a command to acquire operational data. Upon receiving such an acquisition command, the special vehicle vehicle-side control device 201 transmits the operational data stored in the memory (not shown in Figure 2) of the body-side control device UK to the user terminal device 160. Upon receiving this operational data, the CPU 123 transmits it to the special vehicle management server 100.

[0074] (3.3 Hardware configuration of user-side administrator terminal device 120) Figure 8 shows the hardware configuration of the user-side administrator terminal device 120. The basic configuration is the same as in Figure 4.

[0075] The hard disk 226 contains an operating system program 226o and a basic program 226m. The basic program 226m performs tasks such as logging into the special vehicle management server 100 and managing the special vehicles and user portable devices 160. As will be described later, it also displays alerts about safety support device information received from the user portable device 160.

[0076] 4. Notification process for safety device activation information (4.1 First Embodiment) Using Figure 9, we will explain what happens when the special-purpose vehicle with serial number 18R830001M is brought to an emergency stop by operating the control switch CR-SW3.

[0077] When the operation switch CR-SW3 is operated, the special-purpose vehicle's on-board control unit UK (see Figure 2) transmits this information to the cabin control unit UF, which has a microcontroller 61. The microcontroller 61 transmits this safety device operation information to the user's portable device 160 via the short-range wireless communication unit 63.

[0078] The user's portable device 160 repeatedly receives information about the activation of such safety devices via the short-range wireless communication unit 121 and determines whether the Bluetooth communication has been disconnected (steps S1, S3).

[0079] Therefore, upon receiving information that the safety device has been activated, a determination is made as to whether or not to stop the vehicle (step S5).

[0080] In this case, since the operation switch CR-SW3 was operated, an emergency stop occurred, so it is determined that a stop has occurred, and a message is sent to the user-side administrator terminal device 120 (step S11).

[0081] The CPU 223 of the user-side administrator terminal device 120 determines whether or not to receive such a message (step S21). Therefore, if such a message is received, it is displayed as a warning on the monitor 230 (see Figure 8) (step S23). Figure 10A shows an example of a warning display. For such an alert screen, the user portable device 160 stores template data for each special vehicle ID (manufacturing number) that includes the registration number and line 315 (URL for storing vehicle information), and the date and time in line 311 and location data in line 313 are obtained from the location information detection unit 122 to generate the alert display screen. In this example, the URL in line 315 is identified by the username and manufacturing number, but it is not limited to these.

[0082] Such warning displays may be pop-up displays, warning messages, illuminated warning icons, or banner displays.

[0083] Thus, in this embodiment, when the user-portable device 160 receives a notification that the safety device has been activated, an alert is displayed on the monitor screen of the user-side administrator terminal device 120. Therefore, even when the operator (administrator) of the user-side administrator terminal device 120 is viewing information about other special-purpose vehicles on the user-side administrator terminal device 120, they can easily notice the activation of the safety device in the special-purpose vehicle.

[0084] After step S11, safety device operation information is transmitted to the special vehicle management server 100 (step S13). In this embodiment, the safety device operation information includes user ID, serial number, judgment type, presence or absence of device malfunction, date and time of occurrence, location, image file name, and video file name. The user ID is entered into the user portable device 160 when the user portable device 160 logs into the special vehicle management server 100, so it is sufficient to temporarily store it in the flash memory 126. Alternatively, the user portable device 160 may not provide the user ID, and the special vehicle management server 100 may identify and record it from user-specific vehicle data (see Figure 5A) and the serial number.

[0085] As a result, safety device operation information for the special-purpose vehicle with serial number 18R830001M is added, as shown in Figure 6B. The image file "127.jpg" is data automatically captured by camera 53 (see Figure 2).

[0086] Furthermore, if Bluetooth communication is disconnected in step S3, the CPU 123 of the user's portable device 160 sends a message to the user's administrator terminal device 120 (step S15). If Bluetooth communication between the user's portable device 160 and the special vehicle's vehicle-side control device 180 (see Figure 3) is disconnected, even if the safety device of the special vehicle's vehicle-side control device 180 is activated, this cannot be communicated to the user's portable device 160. Therefore, the disconnection of such a Bluetooth connection is treated as equivalent to the activation of the safety device, and if the Bluetooth communication is disconnected, this is communicated to the user's administrator terminal device 120.

[0087] Furthermore, if the CPU 123 of the user-portable device 160 does not determine that the device has stopped in step S5, it temporarily stores the safety device activation information in the flash memory 126 (Figure 9, step S7). The CPU 123 also determines whether "Work Completed" (not shown) displayed on the display unit 130 of the user-portable device 160 is selected (step S9). If such a selection is made, it sends screen data displaying the temporarily stored safety device activation information as an alert to the user-side administrator terminal device 120 (step S11). This allows the administrator to view all the low-risk safety device activation information at once. Therefore, the need to check each time is eliminated, and important information is not overlooked.

[0088] The processing in steps S13 and S23 following step S11 in Figure 9 is the same as described above.

[0089] In this case, since the operation switch CR-SW3 was operated, an emergency stop occurred, so it was determined that a stop had occurred, and a message was sent to the user-side administrator terminal device 120 (step S11). A message was also sent to the special vehicle management server 100 (step S13).

[0090] In this way, the system allows users to configure whether or not to display alerts on the user-side administrator terminal device 120 for low-risk "warning judgments" and high-risk "stop judgments." This allows users to customize the system according to their circumstances; for example, a user with many special-purpose vehicles might choose to display alerts only when a stop judgment is made, thus reducing the frequency of alert displays.

[0091] Figure 10B shows an example of a viewing information screen summarizing low-risk safety device activation information. In this example, it can be seen that five safety device activation information entries were sent, of which two were due to the user's portable device 160 operator turning off the detection function, and three were due to danger detection.

[0092] When displaying such an alert, map data including the aforementioned location data should be displayed at the same time.

[0093] In this embodiment, the user's portable device 160 generates an alert display screen and transmits the screen data to the user-side administrator terminal device 120. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the user-side administrator terminal device 120 may be configured to send the necessary data for screen generation to the user-side administrator terminal device 120 and generate the alert screen there.

[0094] In this embodiment, an alert is displayed at the time of either "stop detection" or "Bluetooth connection disconnection," but the same may be applied to other conditions. For example, various sensor groups have been provided on the special vehicle's body K, and if any of the sensors detect an abnormality, the special vehicle's body control unit UK (see Figure 2) will "abnormally stop." Such "abnormal stop" can be canceled by a restart switch (not shown). Therefore, if "abnormal stop" from the same sensor is repeated, an alert should be displayed on the user-side administrator terminal device 120 at that time. Such transmission conditions can be stored in the main program 126m.

[0095] In this embodiment, we have described the case where an emergency stop occurs due to the operation of the CR-SW3 switch, but the same applies when other safety devices are activated.

[0096] (4.2 Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, a case was described in which an alert display is sent directly from the user's portable device 160 to the user's administrator terminal device 120. However, the alert display may also be sent indirectly via the special vehicle management server 100. A flowchart for this case is shown in Figure 11.

[0097] The user's portable device 160, similar to the first embodiment, repeatedly receives the safety device activation information via the short-range wireless communication unit 121 and determines whether the Bluetooth communication has been disconnected (steps S31, S33).

[0098] Therefore, upon receiving information that the safety device has been activated, a determination is made as to whether or not to stop the vehicle (step S35).

[0099] In this case, since the operation switch CR-SW3 was operated, an emergency stop occurred, so it is determined that a stop has occurred, and safety device operation information is sent to the special vehicle management server 100 (step S39).

[0100] The CPU 23 of the special vehicle management server 100 determines whether or not to receive such safety device activation information (step S51). Therefore, upon receiving such a message, it stores the safety device activation information in the safety device activation information storage unit 26S (see Figure 4) (step S53). As a result, the safety device activation information is added to the safety device activation information storage unit 26S.

[0101] The CPU 23 of the special vehicle management server 100 determines whether the predetermined transmission time has arrived (step S55). When the transmission time arrives, an alert display screen is sent to the user-side administrator terminal device 120 (step S57). As in the first embodiment, the transmission time can be set to when a high-risk "warning judgment" is stored, and to when a low-risk "stop judgment" is notified of the completion of the work from the user portable device 160. This can be determined by whether the item "judgment" is "warning" or "stop". Naturally, the same applies to other conditions.

[0102] In this embodiment, the case described is one in which the user portable device 160 receives all safety device operation information from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device 201 and transmits it to the special vehicle management server 100, and the special vehicle management server 100 determines the timing of the alert display. Even when the alert is displayed indirectly to the user administrator terminal device 120 via the special vehicle management server 100, all or part of the transmission timing may be performed by the user portable device 160.

[0103] In this embodiment, the user-portable device 160 is wirelessly connected to the vehicle-side control device 180a, but the invention is not limited to this, and a wired connection may also be used. Furthermore, the user-portable device 160 may be configured as a vehicle-specific communication device.

[0104] Alternatively, the vehicle-side control device 180a may transmit the safety device operation information directly to the special vehicle management server 100 without going through the user-portable device 160. In this case, in addition to transmitting the safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server 100, alert screen information may also be transmitted.

[0105] (5. Other Embodiments) In this embodiment, Figure 3 shows that one user's user terminal 150 consists of one user-side administrator terminal device 120 and one user-portable device 160. However, the number of user-portable devices 160 required is equal to the number of special-purpose vehicles used by the user simultaneously. Generally, one user consists of multiple user-portable devices 160 and multiple special-purpose vehicles. Note that multiple user-side administrator terminal devices 120 may also be provided.

[0106] In this embodiment, we have described the case in which a garbage collection vehicle is used as the special-purpose vehicle, but the same can be applied to other special-purpose vehicles.

[0107] In this embodiment, the URL in line 315, which shows vehicle information in the alert display shown in Figure 10, specifies the vehicle information. However, it is not limited to this, and could be any URL, such as the URL of the special vehicle management server 100 or the URL of the user. When the special vehicle management server 100 generates the safety device activation information, it is easy to identify as it is located at the server's management location. On the other hand, when the user portable device 160 generates such a screen, as already explained, a template can be prepared in advance for each special vehicle control device, or it can be inquired about each time. Furthermore, when the user administrator terminal device 120 generates such an alert screen, the special vehicle management server 100 can send the necessary data along with the safety device activation information.

[0108] In this embodiment, it is possible to set whether or not to send an email depending on whether the risk is low or high. However, in the former case, the email may be sent such that a longer time elapses after receiving the safety device activation information from the special vehicle control device.

[0109] Furthermore, this embodiment can be understood as the following invention.

[0110] A) A special vehicle operation status management system that manages the operating status of a control target device mounted on a special vehicle, from a special vehicle vehicle-side control device that controls the control target device installed on the special vehicle, B) A special vehicle management server, at least one user-portable device, and at least one user-side administrator terminal device, C) The user portable device has the following c1) to c2), c1) Short-range wireless transmitting and receiving means for wireless communication with the vehicle-side control device of the special-purpose vehicle, c2) When the short-range wireless transmission and reception means receives information on the operation of the safety device of the special vehicle from the vehicle-side control device, it stores the safety device operation information, Safety device operation information management means to transmit to the special vehicle management server, D) The special vehicle management server has a safety device operation information storage means for storing the received safety device operation information, The user administrator terminal device has a transmission means for transmitting to the operator, via the special vehicle management server, from the user's portable device, or directly from the user's portable device, safety device operation output information generated from the safety device operation information, or the received safety device operation output information. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following: [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 100 Special Vehicle Management Server 120 User-side administrator terminal device 160 User-portable devices

Claims

1. A) A special vehicle operation status management system that receives the operating status of a controlled device from a special vehicle vehicle-side control device that controls a controlled device installed in the special vehicle, and manages the operating status of the controlled device, B) A special vehicle equipped with at least one user-portable device, at least one user-side administrator terminal device, and the controlled device, C) The controlled device has a drive unit that is driven by power supplied from the power extraction device, D) The user-portable device has safety device operation information management means that receives safety device operation information indicating that the safety device related to the drive unit has been activated from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device, and transmits this safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on this safety device operation information to the user-side administrator terminal device. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

2. A vehicle-side control device for a special-purpose vehicle that controls a control target device mounted on the special-purpose vehicle, and which has a transmission means for detecting safety device operation information of the control target device and transmitting this safety device operation information directly or indirectly to a special-purpose vehicle management server. A special vehicle management server has a safety device operation information storage means for storing the received safety device operation information, and manages the operating status of the controlled device. A special vehicle operation status management system equipped with, The controlled device has a drive unit that is driven by power supplied from a power extraction device. The safety device activation information setting is information indicating that the safety device related to the drive unit has been activated. The transmission means transmits the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on the safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

3. In the special vehicle operation status management system of claim 1, The user-side administrator terminal device has a means for transmitting the received safety device activation information or the received safety device activation output information to the operator. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

4. In the special vehicle operation status management system of claim 2, The system further includes a user-side administrator terminal device that can access the aforementioned special vehicle management server, The special vehicle management server has control means for transmitting the safety device operation information or the safety device operation output information to the user-side administrator terminal device. The user-side administrator terminal device has a means for transmitting the received safety device activation information or safety device activation output information to the operator. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

5. In the special vehicle operation status management system of claim 4, The user-portable device includes a safety device operation information management means that receives safety device operation information from the special vehicle vehicle-side control device indicating that the safety device related to the drive unit has been activated, and transmits this safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on this safety device operation information, The safety device activation information includes disconnection information indicating that the wireless communication connection between the user's portable device and the special vehicle's control device has been disconnected. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

6. In the special vehicle operation status management system according to claim 1 or claim 3, The safety device operation information management means temporarily stores the safety device operation information and, at a predetermined timing, transmits the stored safety device operation information or the safety device operation output information to the user-side administrator terminal device. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

7. In the special vehicle operation status management system according to claim 2 or claim 4, The control means of the special vehicle management server temporarily stores the safety device operation information in the safety device operation information storage means, and at a predetermined timing, transmits the stored safety device operation information or the safety device operation output information to the special vehicle management server. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

8. In the special vehicle operation status management system of claim 5, The user-portable device, when directly or indirectly transmitting the safety device activation information or the safety device activation output information to the user-side administrator terminal device, allows for setting whether or not to transmit the information depending on whether the risk is low or high. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

9. In the special vehicle operation status management system of claim 5, The aforementioned safety device activation output information includes a URI from which detailed information can be obtained. The URI from which the above detailed information can be obtained indicates a storage area file for a special vehicle that communicates via short-range wireless communication with a user-portable device used by the user of the user-side administrator terminal device on the special vehicle management server. The safety device activation output information includes the safety device activation information and a special vehicle identifier for identifying the special vehicle. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

10. In the special vehicle operation status management system of claim 4, The user-portable device includes a safety device operation information management means that, upon receiving safety device operation information from the special vehicle-side control device indicating that the safety device of the controlled device has been activated, transmits the safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server. The safety device of the controlled device can be switched by the operator between a stopped state and a restarted state, which restarts the device from the stopped state. When the safety device enters the stopped state or the restarted state, the user-carried device transmits safety device operation information to the special vehicle management server. The control means of the special vehicle management server, after receiving the safety device activation information indicating a stopped state from the user's portable device, transmits the safety device activation information or the safety device activation output information to the user-side administrator terminal device if it does not receive the safety device activation information indicating a restarted state within a predetermined time. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

11. A user-portable device in the special vehicle operation status management system according to claim 1, In a user-portable device that receives safety device activation information from the special vehicle-side control device indicating that the safety device of the controlled device has been activated, generates safety device activation output information based on the safety device activation information and transmits this safety device activation output information to the user-side administrator terminal device, The controlled device has a drive unit driven by power supplied from a power extraction device, and has a safety device operation information management means that receives safety device operation information indicating that a safety device related to the drive unit has been activated from the special vehicle side control device, and transmits this safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on this safety device operation information to the user side administrator terminal device. A user-portable device characterized by the following:

12. A user-portable device that receives the operating status of a controlled device mounted on a special-purpose vehicle from a vehicle-side control device of the special-purpose vehicle that controls the controlled device, and transmits the operating status to a special-purpose vehicle management server, The controlled device has a drive unit that is driven by power, moreover, The vehicle-side control device of the special-purpose vehicle has a safety device operation information management means that, upon receiving safety device operation information from the vehicle-side control device of the special-purpose vehicle indicating that a safety device related to the drive unit has been activated, transmits the safety device operation information or safety device operation output information generated based on the safety device operation information to the special-purpose vehicle management server. A user-portable device characterized by the following:

13. In the special vehicle operation status management system of Claim 1 or Claim 3, The safety device activation information includes disconnection information indicating that the wireless communication connection between the user's portable device and the special vehicle's control device has been disconnected. A special vehicle operation status management system characterized by the following:

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