Management System

Abstract

To provide a system which can assist a scraper vehicle at an appropriate timing.SOLUTION: A management system S manages operations of a scraper vehicle V having a towing part 1 and a storage part 23 which is towed by the towing part 1 and takes in and stores sediment excavated by a cutting edge 24, and a bulldozer B for assisting travel of the scraper vehicle V. The management system S includes: an operation information acquisition unit 45 for acquiring operation information of the scraper vehicle V; a first position information acquisition unit 43 for acquiring position information of the scraper vehicle V; and a determination unit 46 for determining the necessity of assist for the scraper vehicle V by the bulldozer B, on the basis of the operation information of the scraper vehicle V acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 45 and the position information of the scraper vehicle V acquired by the first position information acquisition unit 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a scraper having a bowl main body that accommodates sediment excavated by a cutting edge. Prior Art Literature Patent Literature

[0003] Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 50-12803 Summary of the Invention Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described in Patent Document 1, when the load from excavation and transportation is large during excavation, the scraper travels while being pushed (assisted) from behind by a bulldozer or the like.

[0005] However, in the scraper vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the determination of whether the scraper needs to be pushed by a bulldozer is made by the driver who operates the scraper vehicle or the driver who operates the bulldozer. Therefore, in order to assist the scraper vehicle at appropriate timing, the skill level of the driver is required.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a system that can assist a scraper vehicle at appropriate timing regardless of the skill level of a driver. Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The present invention relates to a management system for managing the operation of a scraper vehicle having a towing unit and a storage unit towed by the towing unit and for collecting and storing soil excavated by a cutting edge, and an assist driving machine that assists the driving of the scraper vehicle, comprising: an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operational information of the scraper vehicle; a first position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the scraper vehicle; and a determination unit that determines whether or not assistance to the scraper vehicle by the assist driving machine is necessary based on the operational information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the operation information acquisition unit and the position information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the first position information acquisition unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the scraper vehicle can be assisted at the appropriate timing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of the management system S according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view of a scraper vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a top view of the towed vehicle of a scraper vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the management system S according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the control flow executed by the management system S according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] The management system S of this embodiment manages the operation of the scraper vehicle V and the bulldozer B (assistant driving machine) that assists the movement of the scraper vehicle V. First, the structure of the scraper vehicle V according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

[0012] The scraper vehicle V according to the embodiment of this product performs excavation, loading, transportation, and leveling of soil and sand at a civil engineering construction site. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the scraper vehicle V comprises a towing vehicle 1 (towing unit) and a towed vehicle 2 towed by the towing vehicle 1. Hereinafter, the forward direction of the scraper vehicle V will be referred to as "forward," and the reverse direction as "rear." The longitudinal direction of the scraper vehicle V will simply be referred to as the "longitudinal direction," and the width direction of the scraper vehicle V will simply be referred to as the "width direction."

[0013] The towing vehicle 1 is, for example, a tractor having wheels 15. The towing vehicle 1 is powered by an internal combustion engine and tows the towed vehicle 2. The towing vehicle 1 may also be a vehicle driven by an electric motor. Furthermore, the towing vehicle 1 may be a vehicle having tracks.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, the towing vehicle 1 comprises a controller 11, a GPS sensor 12 for detecting the position of the scraper vehicle V, a load cell 13 (towing load detection unit) for detecting the towing load of the towing vehicle 1, a communication device 14 connected to the controller 11 for wireless communication with other devices, and a drive state detection unit 16 for detecting the drive state of the internal combustion engine. The drive state detection unit 16 is, for example, a rotation speed sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine.

[0015] The controller 11 consists of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and an I / O interface (Input / Output Interface). In this embodiment, the controller 11 detects wheel slippage of the wheel 15.

[0016] The controller 11 compares the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine detected by the rotational speed sensor (driving state detection unit 16) with the position of the scraper vehicle V detected by the GPS sensor 12, and determines that idling has occurred when the moving distance of the scraper vehicle V within a predetermined period of time (for example, several seconds to more than ten seconds) is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (for example, equal to or less than several meters). The controller 11 stores state information when idling occurs in a ROM. In the present embodiment, the state information when idling occurs is the position information of the scraper vehicle V at the time of idling occurrence, the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine detected by the rotational speed sensor (driving state detection unit 16), and traction load information detected by the load cell 13. In addition to the above, the controller 11 may also cause the ROM to store the excavation state detected by an excavation state detection unit 31 described later and the accommodation amount detected by an accommodation amount detection unit 32 described later. Further, the controller 11 may also associate the state when idling occurs with the model (maximum output, maximum torque, etc.) of the internal combustion engine and store the associated information in the ROM.

[0017] Note that, as the driving state of the internal combustion engine, a torque sensor may be used to detect the output torque of the internal combustion engine, this output torque may be compared with the position of the scraper vehicle V detected by the GPS sensor 12, and idling may be determined to have occurred when the moving distance of the scraper vehicle V within a predetermined period of time (for example, several seconds to more than ten seconds) is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (for example, equal to or less than several meters).

[0018] The controller 11 transmits, via the communication device 14, the state when idling occurs to the management device 40. Further, the controller 11 may also transmit, to the management device 40, states when past idling events occurred that are stored in the ROM.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the towed vehicle 2 includes a frame 21, wheels 22, a storage container 23 (accommodation unit), a cutting edge 24, a first hydraulic cylinder 25, and a pair of second hydraulic cylinders 26.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one end of the frame 21 is connected to the towing vehicle 1, and the other end is swingably connected to the storage container 23. The frame 21 includes: a first frame portion 21a extending in the front-rear direction and having one end connected to the towing vehicle 1; a second frame portion 21b connected to the other end of the first frame portion 21a and extending in the width direction; and a pair of third frame portions 21c extending rearward from both ends of the second frame portion 21b and swingably connected to the storage container 23.

[0021] The storage container 23 is a container formed with an open upper surface, and stores earth and sand excavated by the cutting edge 24. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front side surface of the storage container 23 is formed by an openable / closable gate 23a, and the rear side surface of the storage container 23 is formed by a movable member 23b movable in the front-rear direction.

[0022] The cutting edge 24 is a plate-like (spatula-like) member for scraping earth and sand from the ground. The cutting edge 24 is attached to a front end portion of the bottom surface 23c of the storage container 23. An opening 23d for taking in the earth and sand excavated by the cutting edge 24 is provided between the upper surface of the cutting edge 24 and the gate 23a.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, a link mechanism 28 constituted by link members 28a, 28b is provided between the gate 23a and the first frame portion 21a. A first hydraulic cylinder 25 is provided between the link member 28a and the second frame portion 21b. Accordingly, when the first hydraulic cylinder 25 is extended, the link mechanism 28 is lifted from the state shown in FIG. 2, thereby opening the gate 23a.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the second hydraulic cylinder 26 is provided between the second frame 21b and the housing container 23. Specifically, the cylinder tube 26b of the second hydraulic cylinder 26 is pivotably attached to the second frame 21b, and the tip of the rod 26a of the second hydraulic cylinder 26 is pivotably attached to the housing container 23. As a result, when the second hydraulic cylinder 26 is extended, the housing container 23 is pushed down on its front side, with the axle of the wheel 22 supporting the rear end of the housing container 23 as the pivot point. Consequently, the cutting edge 24 bites into the ground, making it possible to excavate the ground with the cutting edge 24.

[0025] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the towed vehicle 2 further includes an excavation state detection unit 31 that detects the excavation state by the cutting edge 24, a storage volume detection unit 32 that detects the amount of soil and sand stored in the storage container 23, a controller 33 that acquires the detection results detected by the excavation state detection unit 31 and the storage volume detection unit 32, and a communication device 34 that communicates with a communication device 14 connected to a controller 11 mounted on the towing vehicle 1.

[0026] The excavation state detection unit 31 is composed of, for example, a position sensor that detects the position of the rod 26a of the second hydraulic cylinder 26. As described above, when the second hydraulic cylinder 26 is extended, the cutting edge 24 digs into the ground. Therefore, by detecting the position of the rod 26a of the second hydraulic cylinder 26 using the position sensor, it is possible to detect how much the cutting edge 24 has dug into the ground. Note that the excavation state detection unit 31 is not limited to a position sensor; it may be any device that can detect the inclination angle of the containment container 23 (the amount of digging in of the cutting edge 24). Specifically, the excavation state detection unit 31 can employ a distance sensor to measure the distance between the cutting edge 24 and the ground, a load sensor to detect the load (excavation resistance) acting on the cutting edge 24, or an angle sensor to detect the angle of the containment container 23. The excavation state detection unit 31 detects whether the scraper vehicle V is in an excavation state and also detects the degree of the excavation state.

[0027] The storage volume detection unit 32 is composed of, for example, a load sensor that detects the weight of the soil contained in the storage container 23. The storage volume detection unit 32 detects the amount of soil excavated by the cutting edge 24. The storage volume detection unit 32 is not limited to a load sensor; it may be any device that can detect the amount of soil contained in the storage container 23 (storage state), such as a laser displacement meter that detects the position of the top surface of the soil contained in the storage container 23, or an optical sensor that detects when light is blocked by soil. Alternatively, the storage volume detection unit 32 may be configured to capture an image of the inside of the storage container 23 using a camera, and the controller 33 may determine the storage state (capacity) of the soil in the storage container 23 from the image captured by the camera. The storage volume detection unit 32 not only detects the capacity and weight of the soil contained in the storage container 23, but the controller 33 can also detect whether the soil contained in the storage container 23 is at its rated capacity (predetermined capacity) and rated weight (predetermined weight).

[0028] The controller 33 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and an I / O interface (Input / Output Interface). The controller 33 acquires the detection results detected by the excavation state detection unit 31 and the volume detection unit 32, and transmits them to the controller 11 mounted on the towing vehicle 1 via the communication device 34 (see Figure 4, etc.). In this embodiment, the case of wireless communication using the communication device 34 and the communication device 14 is shown, but the controller 33 and the controller 11 may be connected by a cable or the like. Alternatively, the detection results detected by the excavation state detection unit 31 and the volume detection unit 32 may be transmitted directly to the controller 11 without providing the controller 33 and the communication device 34.

[0029] Bulldozer B assists scraper vehicle V in its movement by pushing it from behind. When the cutting edge 24 has a large amount of penetration into the ground (amount of ground to be scraped), the towing force of towing vehicle 1 alone may not be sufficient for excavation and movement, or it may become inefficient. In such cases, bulldozer B assists scraper vehicle V in its movement by pushing it from behind.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the bulldozer B comprises a controller 51, a communication device 52 connected to the controller 51 for wireless communication with other devices, a display unit 53 (notification unit) that displays necessary information to the driver (operator), and a GPS sensor 54 for detecting the position of the bulldozer B. The display unit 53 is, for example, a display or a lamp.

[0031] Next, we will explain the driving operation of the scraper vehicle V.

[0032] First, the scraper vehicle V moves to a predetermined excavation range. Once the scraper vehicle V has moved to the predetermined excavation range, a lever or switch (neither shown) is operated to extend the second hydraulic cylinder 26. This causes the cutting edge 24 to bite into the ground. In this state, when the scraper vehicle V is moved forward, the cutting edge 24 excavates the ground. The excavated soil is collected into the containment container 23 through the opening 23d.

[0033] In this situation, if there is a risk that the towing force of the towing vehicle 1 is insufficient, the bulldozer B will push (assist) the scraper vehicle V from behind. In other words, the bulldozer B will assist the towing force of the towing vehicle 1 (the propulsion force of the scraper vehicle V).

[0034] When the containment container 23 is filled with excavated soil, that is, when it is determined that the containment container 23 has reached its rated capacity (rated weight), a lever or switch (neither shown) is operated and the second hydraulic cylinder 26 retracts. This causes the cutting edge 24 to move away from the ground.

[0035] In this state, the scraper vehicle V is moved to the soil discharge position. When the scraper vehicle V reaches the soil discharge position, a lever or switch (neither shown) is operated, and the first hydraulic cylinder 25 retracts. This opens the gate 23a. In this state, by driving the movable member 23b forward while moving the scraper vehicle V forward, the soil in the container 23 is discharged, unloaded and / or spread. In other words, the scraper vehicle V transports and spreads the soil.

[0036] In this way, the scraper vehicle V performs excavation, loading, transportation, unloading, and / or leveling of soil and sand at a civil engineering construction site.

[0037] Incidentally, the decision of whether or not assistance from bulldozer B is needed during the excavation work of scraper vehicle V is made by the driver operating scraper vehicle V and the driver operating bulldozer B. As a result, assistance for scraper vehicle V cannot be provided at the appropriate time.

[0038] Therefore, in this embodiment, the need for assistance to the scraper vehicle V is determined using the management system S, so that assistance to the scraper vehicle V can be provided regardless of the driver (operator). Furthermore, in this embodiment, when assistance to the scraper vehicle V is necessary, the bulldozer B automatically assists the scraper vehicle V through autonomous driving. The control performed by the management system S will be described below with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0039] First, we will explain the basic configuration of the management system S in detail, referring to Figure 4.

[0040] The management system S comprises a control device 40, a controller 11 mounted on the towing vehicle 1, a controller 33 mounted on the towed vehicle 2, and a controller 51 mounted on the bulldozer B.

[0041] The management device 40 is a computer installed in a building such as a management facility. The management device 40 comprises a controller 41 and a communication device 42 connected to the controller 41 that performs wireless communication with other devices (controllers 11, 33, and 51).

[0042] The controller 41 consists of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and an I / O interface (Input / Output Interface). The ROM of the controller 41 may be configured to store the towing load of the towing vehicle 1 detected by the load cell 13 when the bulldozer B assisted in the past, the position of the rod 26a of the second hydraulic cylinder 26 detected by the excavation state detection unit 31 (position sensor), and the amount of soil contained in the containment container 23 detected by the containment volume detection unit 32.

[0043] The controller 41 includes a first position information acquisition unit 43, a second position information acquisition unit 44, an operation information acquisition unit 45, a determination unit 46, and a control unit 47. Note that the first position information acquisition unit 43, the second position information acquisition unit 44, the operation information acquisition unit 45, the determination unit 46, and the control unit 47 represent the functions of the controller 41 as virtual units and do not mean that they exist physically.

[0044] The first position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the position information of the scraper vehicle V. Specifically, the first position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the position information of the scraper vehicle V detected by the GPS sensor 12 through the controller 11, communication device 14, and communication device 42.

[0045] The second position information acquisition unit 44 acquires the position information of the bulldozer B. Specifically, the second position information acquisition unit 44 acquires the position information of the bulldozer B detected by the GPS sensor 54 through the controller 51, communication device 52, and communication device 42.

[0046] The operational information acquisition unit 45 acquires operational information of the scraper vehicle V. Specifically, the operational information acquisition unit 45 acquires the towing load of the towing vehicle 1 detected by the load cell 13, the position of the rod 26a of the second hydraulic cylinder 26 detected by the excavation state detection unit 31 (position sensor), and the amount of soil contained in the containment container 23 detected by the containment amount detection unit 32, via the controller 11, communication device 14, and communication device 42, or the controller 51, communication device 52, and communication device 42.

[0047] Furthermore, the operational information acquisition unit 45 acquires information such as the vehicle speed, engine rotation speed, torque, accelerator opening, and steering angle of the towing vehicle 1 through the controller 11, communication device 14, and communication device 42.

[0048] The determination unit 46 determines whether or not assistance from the scraper vehicle V is necessary based on the various information acquired by the first position information acquisition unit 43 and the operation information acquisition unit 45.

[0049] The control unit 47 generates a control signal for the automatic operation of the bulldozer B based on the determination result of the determination unit 46.

[0050] Next, with reference to Figure 5, the specific control flow performed in the management system S will be explained. Note that the control related to the flowchart shown in Figure 5 is executed based on a program pre-stored in the controller 41.

[0051] In step S1, the excavation range of the scraper vehicle V is identified (set). Specifically, the controller 41 (control unit 47) acquires the excavation range of the scraper vehicle V that has been input to the controller 41 in advance.

[0052] In step S2, the bulldozer B is guided to the set excavation range. Specifically, the controller 41 (control unit 47) guides the bulldozer B to a standby position near the excavation range based on the excavation range acquired in step S1 and the position information of the bulldozer B acquired by the second position information acquisition unit 44. The controller 41 (control unit 47) calculates the distance from the current position of the bulldozer B to the excavation range and the direction to the excavation range, and transmits the results to the controller 51. The position to which the bulldozer B is guided may be within the set excavation range or in the vicinity of the set excavation range.

[0053] Based on the received results, the controller 51 controls the hydraulic motor that drives the crawler of the bulldozer B, and moves the bulldozer B to the standby position.

[0054] In step S3, operational information of the scraper vehicle V is acquired. Specifically, the controller 41 (operational information acquisition unit 45) acquires the operational information of the scraper vehicle V as described above when it confirms that the scraper vehicle V is within the excavation range.

[0055] In step S4, it is determined whether or not assistance is needed. Specifically, the controller 41 (determination unit 46) determines whether at least one of the following conditions has been met for a certain period of time, based on the operating information of the scraper vehicle V acquired by the controller 41 (operating information acquisition unit 45): the towing load of the towing vehicle 1 detected by the load cell 13 is above a predetermined value; the position of the rod 26a of the second hydraulic cylinder 26 is within a predetermined range as detected by the excavation state detection unit 31 (position sensor); and the amount of soil contained in the containment container 23 detected by the containment amount detection unit 32 is above a predetermined value. The controller 41 may also determine whether or not assistance is needed when the controller 11 detects wheel slippage of the 15, or it may determine whether or not assistance is needed based on the conditions when wheel slippage occurred in the past, or the condition of the scraper vehicle V when assistance was provided by the bulldozer B in the past.

[0056] If the towing load of towing vehicle 1 remains above a predetermined value for a certain period of time, the towing force (driving force) of towing vehicle 1 may become insufficient, and it may become unable to tow vehicle 2. In this case, the process proceeds to step S5, where assist control by bulldozer B is performed. In other words, bulldozer B assists scraper vehicle V.

[0057] If the position of the rod 26a of the second hydraulic cylinder 26 is within a predetermined range according to the excavation state detection unit 31 (position sensor), the amount of cutting edge 24 digging into the ground is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. In this case, the scraper vehicle V is in an excavation state, and it is expected that the amount of soil and sand contained in the containment container 23 will increase. If the amount of soil and sand contained in the containment container 23 increases, the traction force (driving force) of the towing vehicle 1 may become insufficient, and it may become impossible to tow the towed vehicle 2. Therefore, in this case as well, the process proceeds to step S5, and assist control by the bulldozer B is performed.

[0058] Even if the amount of soil contained in the storage container 23 detected by the storage volume detection unit 32 is less than a predetermined value, depending on the road surface conditions, the wheels 15 of the towing vehicle 1 may slip, making it impossible to tow the towed vehicle 2. For this reason, for example, the controller 41 may weight the decision of whether or not to perform assist control by the bulldozer B based on the amount of rainfall on the previous day or the day before that, i.e., the most recent rainfall. If the controller 41 determines that the most recent rainfall exceeds a predetermined amount and the road surface is muddy, it may perform assist control by the bulldozer B even if the amount of soil contained is less than a predetermined value. In addition, the controller 41 may lower the thresholds of various parameters for determining whether or not to perform assist control (for example, shortening the certain period of time during which the towing load of the towing vehicle 1 is above a predetermined value).

[0059] If these conditions are not met, the process proceeds to step S6 without performing assist control by bulldozer B.

[0060] In step S5, assist control is performed. Specifically, the controller 41 (control unit 47) determines the positional relationship between the scraper vehicle V and the bulldozer B, such as the distance between them, based on the position information of the scraper vehicle V detected by the GPS sensor 12 and the position information of the bulldozer B detected by the GPS sensor 54, and transmits the result to the controller 51.

[0061] Based on the received results, the controller 51 controls the hydraulic motor that drives the crawler, guides it to the rear of the scraper vehicle V, and then pushes the scraper vehicle V to assist in its movement.

[0062] In this embodiment, the bulldozer B is guided based on position information detected by GPS sensors 12 and 54. However, for example, the bulldozer B may be equipped with a camera and a laser displacement meter, and when the distance between the scraper vehicle V and the bulldozer B falls below a predetermined value, the bulldozer B may be guided based on information measured by a proximity sensor, analysis using images captured by the camera, and relative position sensors such as a laser displacement meter. In this case, the bulldozer B can be guided with greater accuracy.

[0063] In step S6, it is determined whether the scraper vehicle V is outside the excavation range. Specifically, the controller 41 (determination unit 46) determines whether the scraper vehicle V is traveling within a predetermined excavation range based on the position information of the scraper vehicle V detected by the GPS sensor 12. If the scraper vehicle V is traveling outside the predetermined excavation range, the assist control is terminated. On the other hand, if the scraper vehicle V is traveling within the predetermined excavation range, the process returns to step S3, and the necessity of assist control is determined again.

[0064] Thus, in this embodiment, the necessity of assist control is determined based on the detected values ​​from various sensors, so that the scraper vehicle V can be assisted at the appropriate timing regardless of the driver's skill level.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bulldozer B can be automatically guided to assist the scraper vehicle V. This allows the bulldozer B to be operated unmanned.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the example described was that when assist control is started, the bulldozer B continues to push the scraper vehicle V outside the excavation range. However, the system is not limited to this, and for example, if the towing load of the towing vehicle 1 remains below a predetermined value for a certain period of time during the execution of assist control, that is, if the conditions for executing assist control in step S4 are not met for a predetermined time, the assist control may be terminated.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the bulldozer B was automatically guided to the standby position and assist position, but instead, the result of the determination of whether or not assist control is necessary may be notified to the driver of the bulldozer B. Possible methods of notifying the driver of the bulldozer B include, for example, displaying the determination result on the display unit 53 mounted on the bulldozer B, or notifying the driver of the need for assist control by voice from a speaker (notification unit) mounted on the bulldozer B. If the display unit 53 is a display, the determination result will be displayed, and if the display unit 53 is a lamp, the lamp will light up when assist control is necessary.

[0068] In this case, instead of the process in step S2, the waiting location may be displayed on the display unit 53, and the driver may move the bulldozer B to the waiting location.

[0069] In these cases as well, the need for assist control is determined based on the detected values ​​from various sensors, so that the scraper vehicle V can be assisted at the appropriate time regardless of the driver's skill level.

[0070] During assist control, the bulldozer B may assist in keeping the scraper vehicle V's speed below a predetermined value.

[0071] Furthermore, at least some of the functions related to the controller 41 of the management device 40 may be assigned to the controller 11 or controller 51.

[0072] In the above embodiment, a bulldozer B was used as an example of an assisting driving machine that assists the scraper vehicle V, but any machine that can assist the scraper vehicle V may be used.

[0073] The above management system S produces the following effects.

[0074] The management system S includes a determination unit 46 that determines whether or not assistance from the bulldozer B to the scraper vehicle V is necessary, based on the operation information of the scraper vehicle V acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 45 and the position information of the scraper vehicle V acquired by the first position information acquisition unit 43.

[0075] The management system S determines whether or not assistance is needed for the scraper vehicle V, so assistance for the scraper vehicle V can be provided at the appropriate time, regardless of the driver's skill level.

[0076] Furthermore, by using the management system S, the bulldozer B can be automatically guided and assisted by the scraper vehicle V. This allows the bulldozer B to be operated unmanned.

[0077] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be applied, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] S...Management System V-scraper vehicle B... Bulldozer (assisted driving machine) 1. Towing vehicle (towing unit) 2...Towed vehicle (towed part) 11. Controller 12. GPS sensor 13. Load cell (traction load detection means) 16. Drive state detection unit 23. Containment container (containment section) 23a...Gate 23b...Movable parts 23d...Aperture 24... Cutting Edge 25. First hydraulic cylinder 26. Second hydraulic cylinder 31. Excavation status detection unit 32. Capacity detection unit 33. Controller 40...Management device 41. Controller 43...First location information acquisition unit 44...Second location information acquisition unit 45. Operation Information Acquisition Unit 46...judgment section 47.. Control Unit 51... Controller 53...Display unit (Notification unit)

Claims

1. A scraper vehicle having a towing section and a storage section that is towed by the towing section and collects and stores soil excavated by a cutting edge, An assist driving machine that assists the driving of the scraper vehicle, and a management system for managing its operation, An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information of the scraper vehicle, A first position information acquisition unit acquires the position information of the scraper vehicle, A management system comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not assistance to the scraper vehicle by the assist driving machine is necessary, based on the operation information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the operation information acquisition unit and the position information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the first position information acquisition unit.

2. A management system according to claim 1, The system further includes a drilling state detection unit that detects the drilling state by the cutting edge, The determination unit is a management system that determines whether or not assistance to the scraper vehicle is necessary based on the state of the cutting edge detected by the excavation state detection unit.

3. A management system according to claim 1 or 2, The traction load detection unit further comprises a traction load detection unit that detects the traction load of the traction unit, The determination unit is a management system that determines whether or not to provide assistance to the scraper vehicle based on the towing load detected by the towing load detection unit.

4. A management system according to claim 1 or 2, The storage section is further equipped with a storage volume detection unit for detecting the amount of soil and sand stored in the storage section. The determination unit is a management system that determines whether or not to provide assistance to the scraper vehicle based on the amount of soil and sand detected by the amount of soil detection unit.

5. A management system according to claim 1 or 2, The vehicle further comprises a drive state detection unit for detecting the drive state of the drive source that drives the scraper vehicle, The determination unit is a management system that determines whether or not to provide assistance to the scraper vehicle by the assist driving machine, based on the drive state of the drive source detected by the drive state detection unit and the position information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the first position information acquisition unit.

6. A management system according to claim 1 or 2, The assist driving machine is a management system comprising a notification unit that notifies the result of whether or not assistance to the scraper vehicle is necessary, as determined by the determination unit.

7. A management system according to claim 1 or 2, A management system further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the assist driving machine based on the operating information of the scraper vehicle and the position information of the scraper vehicle.

8. A management system according to claim 7, The system further includes a second position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the aforementioned assisted driving machine, The control unit is a management system that guides the assist driving machine to a position to assist the scraper vehicle based on the position information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the first position information acquisition unit and the position information of the assist driving machine acquired by the second position information acquisition unit.

9. A scraper vehicle having a towing section and a storage section that is towed by the towing section and collects and stores soil excavated by a cutting edge, An assist driving machine that assists the driving of the scraper vehicle, and a management system for managing its operation, An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information of the scraper vehicle, It includes a first position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the scraper vehicle, A management system that operates the assist driving machine to assist the scraper vehicle based on the operation information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the operation information acquisition unit and the position information of the scraper vehicle acquired by the first position information acquisition unit.

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