Inspection workflow management system

Abstract

This inspection workflow management system includes a server for managing an inspection workflow indicating an inspection procedure for a work machine, and a terminal connected to the server via a network. The terminal includes: a communication unit that is connected to the work machine to be inspected and acquires identification information of the work machine; a display unit that displays an inspection workflow including an instruction for acquiring moving image data of an inspection target portion of the work machine; an operation unit for inputting inspection-related information corresponding to the inspection workflow; and an imaging unit that acquires moving image data of the inspection target portion. The server includes a storage unit for storing machine attribute information of the work machine associated with the identification information, and the moving image data of the inspection target portion acquired by the terminal. The terminal associates the identification information and the inspection-related information with the moving image data of the inspection target portion acquired by the imaging unit. The server further associates the machine attribute information with the moving image data of the inspection target portion for which the association has been performed, and stores the machine attribute information in the storage unit. The terminal or the server further includes a search unit that, on the basis of at least one of the identification information, the inspection-related information, and the machine attribute information that has been input to the terminal, extracts the moving image data of the inspection target portion associated with the at least one information.

Description

Inspection Workflow Management System

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for managing an inspection workflow of a work machine.

[0002] Because work machines such as hydraulic excavators are used differently at each operating site, the inspection points for each work machine also differ during maintenance work. Therefore, regardless of whether a maintenance technician is experienced or not, they are required to quickly and reliably inspect many component parts, and efficient inspection is a challenge. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for outputting a maintenance inspection flow to efficiently perform machine maintenance inspections.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-178148

[0004] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes that when a malfunction is identified in a part included in the machine maintenance inspection flow, a procedure for dealing with the malfunction is output (paragraphs 0052, 0068-0070, Figure 7, etc.). However, the procedure is limited to a simple response of inputting the condition of the part to be inspected. Therefore, if the cause of the malfunction cannot be identified and a fundamental solution cannot be found, a request is made to a specialized repair organization, which still leaves the problem of time it takes to complete the repair.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to shorten the time required to identify the cause of a malfunction during maintenance and inspection of a work machine, thereby enabling maintenance and inspection to be performed quickly and reliably.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the inspection workflow management system of the present invention is an inspection workflow management system that includes a server that manages an inspection workflow that instructs the inspection procedure of a work machine, and a terminal connected to the server via a network, wherein the terminal includes a communication unit that connects to the work machine to be inspected and acquires identification information of the work machine, a display unit that displays the inspection workflow including instructions to acquire video data of the part of the work machine to be inspected, an operation unit that inputs inspection-related information corresponding to the inspection workflow, and a photographing unit that acquires video data of the part to be inspected, the server includes a memory unit that stores machine attribute information of the work machine associated with the identification information and the video data of the part to be inspected acquired by the terminal, the terminal associates the identification information with the inspection-related information for the video data of the part to be inspected acquired by the photographing unit, and the server further associates machine attribute information with the video data of the part to be inspected that has been associated and stores the machine attribute information in the memory unit, and the terminal or server further includes a search unit that extracts video data of the part to be inspected associated with at least one piece of information based on at least one of the identification information, inspection-related information, and machine attribute information input to the terminal.

[0007] According to the present invention, images, videos, and sounds (video data) related to past malfunction cases are associated with inspection results and information related to the work machine, and related video data can be extracted using this information as keywords. This makes it easy to use the video data to determine whether a malfunction discovered during an inspection is the same as a past malfunction case, which can lead to a reduction in the time required to identify the cause of the malfunction.

[0008] Further features related to the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, the problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

[0009] A conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of the present invention. A block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the entire system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A flowchart showing a processing flow executed by the present invention. A block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the entire system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. A flowchart showing a processing flow executed in the second embodiment. A diagram for explaining tagging performed in the present invention. A diagram showing types of tagged data. A block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the entire system according to a modified example.

[0010] [Example 1] Hereinafter, an example will be described with reference to the drawings. In this example, a hydraulic excavator will be described as an example of a work machine, but the work machine is not limited to a hydraulic excavator and may be a crane truck, a wheel loader, a forklift, a bulldozer, or a combination of these.

[0011] At the work machine operation site, maintenance inspectors (hereafter referred to as service personnel) inspect the work machine using a mobile terminal. The inspection points vary depending on the operating status of the target work machine, so the inspection points are output / displayed on the terminal's display screen according to the inspection target. The service personnel perform the inspection according to a (digital) workflow. Here, the workflow refers to the inspection procedure involving screen transitions, and if a malfunction is discovered during the procedure, video data is acquired and stored in association with information related to the malfunction. With this configuration, when a malfunction occurs, it becomes easy to use the video data to determine whether it is the same as a previous malfunction.

[0012] Management System The management system of this embodiment manages operation information sent from the work machines under management and video image data of inspection results sent from mobile terminals by associating them with any inspection procedure from a workflow that includes multiple inspection procedures, and provides this information to a service technician when a similar event occurs.

[0013] 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of an inspection workflow management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The management system 100 of this embodiment comprises a plurality of work machines 10, a maintenance management server 20 configured to be able to communicate with each of these work machines 10 via a network 40, and a terminal 30 that is able to communicate with each of the server 20 and the work machines 10 via the network 40.

[0014] The work machine 10 is equipped with an operation sensor and wireless communication means on its body, and is capable of communicating with the maintenance management server 20 and terminal 30 via a network 40. The maintenance management server 20 is used to perform maintenance management of work machines 10 such as hydraulic excavators. The work machines 10 that are the subject of maintenance management by the maintenance management server 20 are not limited to hydraulic excavators, and may be, for example, wheel loaders, road machinery, dump trucks, etc.

[0015] In response to a request from an inspector of the work machine 10, the maintenance management system 100 transmits to the terminal 30 a program relating to failure prediction and maintenance information for the work machine.

[0016] The terminal 30 is a portable notebook PC or a desktop PC installed in an office, but may also be, for example, a smartphone, tablet terminal, mobile phone, or PDA (Personal Data Assistant) carried by a maintenance worker or a user of the hydraulic excavator 10. The maintenance worker or user can request inspection information related to a specific hydraulic excavator 10 from the server 20 by selecting the identification number of the specific hydraulic excavator 10 via the terminal 30.

[0017] The work machine 10 is equipped with sensors attached to each of its main locations to detect its operating status, and a controller that converts the operating status detected by the sensors into data and transmits it to the server 20, for example, via the network 40.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the entire system according to this embodiment.

[0019] Terminal The terminal 30 includes a communication unit 31 , a display unit 32 , an imaging unit 33 , a storage unit 34 , an operation unit 35 , a search unit 36 ​​, and a diagnosis unit 37 .

[0020] The communication unit 31 has a communication function such as wireless communication for connecting to the network 40. The display unit 32 is made up of, for example, a display, and has a function of displaying a guidance screen relating to the inspection work and various pieces of information to the inspector.

[0021] The image capturing unit 33 has an image capturing function that enables it to capture moving images. It may also be connected wirelessly or via a wire to, for example, a terminal (such as a smartphone) that has an image capturing function. The memory unit 34 has a memory function and stores a workflow that indicates the inspection procedure for the work machine. The operation unit 35 is made up of a touch panel provided on the display surface of the display unit 32 and performs input processing related to operations. The operation unit 35 also has a function to accept input of inspection results, search conditions, etc. For example, the inspector can input inspection results, etc. by pressing or selecting icons or buttons displayed on the display unit 32 or by inputting via a keyboard displayed on the display unit 32.

[0022] The search unit 36 ​​is able to search for and extract information by accessing various functions stored in the memory unit 22 (described later) of the maintenance management server 20. The diagnosis unit 37 identifies the cause of the malfunction based on sensor data acquired from the work machine 10, and displays the identification results on the display unit 32 and transmits them to the server 20.

[0023] The maintenance management server 20 of this embodiment provides the terminal with information to support maintenance work, such as the recommended timing for part replacement and the degree of deterioration, based on operation information and inspection results transmitted from the terminal 30 held by the work machine 10 or the serviceman. The maintenance management server 20 comprises a calculation unit 21, a memory unit 22, an input / output unit 23, and a communication unit 24.

[0024] The calculation unit 21 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes various programs. The storage unit 22, like the storage unit 34, has a memory function and stores operation information of the work machine 10 transmitted from the work machine 10 and maintenance information transmitted from the terminal 30 in association with individual identification information of the work machine 10. Data generated during processing by the calculation unit 21 is also stored in the storage unit 22. Programs for performing the various functions executed by the calculation unit 21 are also stored in the storage unit 22. The input / output unit 23 is equipped with, for example, a touch panel, and accepts various inputs. The communication unit 24 accepts operation instructions from the terminal 30 and sends and receives data to and from outside the server, such as the work machine 10 and the terminal 30.

[0025] Functions of the Server and Terminal An application (inspection app) for performing inspections of the work machine 10 is pre-installed on the terminal 30, and by connecting to any work machine 10, identification information (for example, model and serial number) of that work machine 10 is obtained.

[0026] The inspection app includes multiple programs corresponding to workflows for each machine. When connected to a target work machine 10, the inspection app on the terminal starts up and the machine's identification information is automatically entered into the terminal 30. Next, when an instruction to perform an inspection is given via the terminal 30, a workflow corresponding to the identification information acquired from the connected work machine 10 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal 30.

[0027] Here, a workflow indicates the inspection procedure for each malfunction in a work machine. A workflow is made up of multiple inspection procedures, and a detailed screen including the specific inspection content is displayed for each inspection procedure. Therefore, when a certain inspection procedure is confirmed, the display transitions to a screen showing the next inspection procedure. In addition, when a workflow is being carried out, it is displayed which inspection procedure is currently being carried out within the overall workflow.

[0028] The service technician inspects the work machine 10 according to the workflow. If a malfunction is identified during the inspection procedure, a message is displayed on the terminal 30 instructing the service technician to acquire data (photos, videos, audio) of the malfunctioning area as related information. The service technician operates the terminal 30 according to the instructions in the message and acquires the data of the malfunctioning area. The terminal 30 associates the acquired data with the identification information and workflow of the target work machine.

[0029] The terminal 30 uploads the data associated with the workflow to the maintenance management server 20 via the communication unit 31. The maintenance management server 20 stores the data in the storage unit 22, and thereafter, when a request is received from any terminal 30 wishing to view video similar to the malfunction event, the maintenance management server 20 outputs and displays video data on the terminal 30 according to conditions specified by the attributes of the work machine.

[0030] 3 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the system in this embodiment. First, in S1, a service technician connects the terminal 30 to the work machine 10 and selects information to identify the machine to be inspected, after which the inspection begins. Next, in S2, the communication unit 31 of the terminal 30 is started and a communication state is established with the work machine 10. In S3, a workflow (inspection procedure) is displayed on the display screen of the terminal 30. The workflow is stored in the terminal 30, but may also be stored in the server 20, in which case the terminal 30 acquires workflow information from the server 20.

[0031] In S4, the workflow progresses with the inspection proceeding by transitioning between screens displaying the inspection procedure, and if the occurrence of a malfunction is confirmed by the terminal 30 during this process, an instruction to acquire data (for example, video or audio) of the target location is displayed, and the necessary data is acquired via the imaging unit 33. In S5, an instruction to acquire sensor values ​​indicating the operating status of the malfunctioning location is displayed in the workflow, and the sensor values ​​are acquired from the work machine 10 via the communication unit 31. In S6, the terminal 30 identifies the cause of the malfunction based on the acquired sensor values. At this time, the identification result of the malfunction may be displayed on the display unit 32.

[0032] In S7, the terminal 30, having identified the cause of the malfunction, ends the inspection. In S8, the terminal 30 transmits data (including video and audio) associating the work machine 10 to be inspected with the inspection results to the server 20 via the communication unit 31. In S8, the terminal 30 associates the various information about the work machine 10 to be inspected and the inspection results with the acquired video data. Here, in this embodiment, this association is performed by "tagging," and details of this tagging will be described later. In S9, the terminal 30 transmits the associated video data (including video and audio) to the server 20 via the communication unit 31. In S10, the server 20 associates the received video data with attribute information of the machine present on the server. In S11, the server 20 stores the video data associated with the machine attribute information in the storage unit 22. This ends the processing.

[0033] As described above, by associating (tagging) work machine information and inspection results with the acquired video data and storing them in a server or terminal as in this embodiment, a service technician who will later perform the inspection can search for the information using keywords, etc., and refer to video data, etc. similar to the extracted malfunction phenomenon, thereby quickly identifying the cause of the malfunction.

[0034] The features of the workflow described above are listed below. 1) The workflow begins with an alarm display that identifies the location and type of malfunction occurring on the work machine based on operational status data detected by the work machine's sensors. 2) Next, a detailed screen is displayed showing checkpoints for areas related to the malfunction. 3) Malfunctions often involve multiple, complex issues. Because each potential malfunction requires a checkpoint, the workflow is composed of multiple detailed screens for each inspection area. The detailed screens are displayed sequentially and may contain reference video data. In such cases, a "Related Video Available" message is displayed for the relevant area. The video data stored on the server can then be displayed by selecting and specifying the relevant display on the terminal. The display can be performed whenever the user transitions to the relevant screen, at the beginning or end of the workflow, or a combination of these. The timing of the display is not important. In this way, the goal is to identify potential malfunction locations through the checkpoints on each detailed screen and obtain related video data. Because it is a workflow, once the necessary check items on the detail screen are completed, the next detail screen will be displayed. If the check items on one of the detail screens identify a possible cause of the problem, a detailed inspection will be performed, such as checking sensor values, to further identify the root cause. The workflow detail screen includes text messages regarding the check items and circuit diagrams of the inspection points. 4) The workflow executor decides at their own discretion whether to acquire video data.

[0035] Video data management method In the above, video data is acquired on the terminal 30, and the detailed screen is associated with the identification information of the work machine to be inspected, which is so-called "tagging." The tagging results are displayed on the display unit 32 of the terminal 30, but it is also possible to display a message stating that video data has been acquired on the detailed screen each time video data is acquired, or to display a list of the correspondence between the video data and the detailed screen all at once at the end of the workflow. Note that the display format is an example and is not limited to this.

[0036] Tagging, which associates video data acquired during the workflow with information about inspection results and work machines, is performed by the terminal 30 and the server 20. Hereinafter, the former will be referred to as "primary tagging" and the latter as "secondary tagging."

[0037] Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing tagging. Primary tagging is performed by the terminal 30 when an inspection of any work machine 10 is carried out in accordance with a workflow. Specifically, information about the work machine (machine identification information), information about the inspection (inspection-related information), and video data 200 acquired during the workflow are associated with each other. The machine identification information and inspection-related information will be described later.

[0038] Secondary tagging involves further classifying and associating information that has been primarily tagged by the terminal 30 in the server 20 based on attributes (machine attribute information) common to a plurality of work machines 10. In other words, the information of each individual work machine 10 that has been primarily tagged is aggregated by being secondary tagged in the server 20. In this way, the workflow for each work machine 10 and the information of the work machine 10 that has been primarily tagged in the terminal 30 are secondary tagged and stored in the server 20.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing types of tagged data. "Machine identification information" is information for identifying each individual work machine 10, such as "machine model" and "serial number," and is stored in the controller of the work machine 10. "Inspection-related information" is information held for each workflow, such as "fault phenomenon to be inspected," "details of inspection work," "areas inspected," and "areas from which video images were acquired." "Machine attribute information" is information related to attributes common to all work machines, regardless of machine model or serial number, such as "information about the customer who owns the work machine (customer name, type of business, etc.)," ​​"region / country in which the work machine operates," "history of work machine inspection and repair (timing, details, etc.)," ​​"work machine operating environment (tropical, cold region, high altitude, flat land, etc.)," ​​"work details of the work machine (civil engineering, demolition, stone crushing, etc.)," ​​and "work load of the work machine (engine output, etc.)," ​​and is stored in the server 20 in association with the machine identification information.

[0040] Of the above information, the information associated by the primary tagging performed by the terminal 30 is machine identification information, which is information about each individual work machine 10, and inspection-related information, which is information obtained as a result of the inspection, and the information associated by the secondary tagging performed by the server 20 is machine attribute information, which is information commonly stored for multiple work machines.

[0041] In this way, the inspection results in the workflow for each work machine are associated with video data (primary tagging), and are further classified and associated by work machine attribute (secondary tagging), so when a malfunction occurs in a work machine and an inspection is performed, it is possible to easily search for video data acquired in past inspections of other work machines that have attributes in common with the work machine being inspected, such as other work machines of the same model, other work machines that have the same malfunction, or other work machines operating in the same region / country, as related data, and refer to the extracted video data. This makes it possible to achieve efficient inspections.

[0042] The tagged video data is stored in the server 20 and can be searched and extracted on the terminal 30. Specifically, when the above tagging information is input as a search condition on the terminal 30 while the workflow is in progress or before it starts, video data that meets the search condition is extracted from the video data stored in the server 20, and the extraction results are displayed on the display unit 32 of the terminal. The search condition may be either the "machine identification information" and "inspection-related information" set in the primary tagging, or the "machine attribute information" set in the secondary tagging, or any combination thereof, or the like, may be specified arbitrarily.

[0043] By tagging video data, reverse lookup becomes possible when searching and extracting similar cases. The display order may vary depending on the number of extracted results. For example, a selectable mark (e.g., "☆") indicating helpfulness may be displayed on the display unit 32 of the terminal 30. If the extracted video data is helpful in identifying the cause of a defect, the operator of the terminal 30 may select the mark. The selection of the mark is associated with the video data and stored in the server's storage unit 22. When searching and extracting video data, the terminal 30 determines whether or not video data associated with a mark exists. If the data exists, the terminal 30 displays the extracted results on the display unit 32 in order of the number of times the mark was selected. The number of results to be displayed may be set arbitrarily.

[0044] In the above flowchart, the sensor value is acquired in S5, but a problem may be identified during the workflow. In that case, all of the detail screens included in the workflow may be interrupted without transitioning, and the workflow may be resumed after the problem is addressed.

[0045] 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an inspection workflow management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The system according to the second embodiment differs from the system according to the first embodiment in that the maintenance management server 20 is provided with a registration management unit 25 for managing the "acquisition history of moving image data."

[0046] In the first embodiment, moving image data was acquired only for locations that the workflow executor determined were necessary. However, even moving images of locations that are not necessary when inspecting the work machine being inspected may be useful when inspecting another work machine. Therefore, the acquisition of moving image data may not be based solely on the judgment of the workflow executor, but may be performed in accordance with the display on the details screen.

[0047] Therefore, the registration management unit 25 manages the acquisition history (date and time) of video data for each detailed screen. Then, during an arbitrarily set period, the number of acquisitions of video data for each detailed screen stored in the registration management unit 25 is referenced, and the more acquisitions of a detailed screen are, the more necessary the video data is deemed to be, and the more likely the user is to be prompted to acquire the video data.

[0048] In addition to explanatory text messages, video images on the details screen help users understand the inspection procedures more easily. Therefore, there are some areas where video data must be acquired specifically for reference in defect cases. In this embodiment, the video data required for each details screen of the workflow is specified in advance in the input / output unit 23 of the server 20. For example, a text message or icon may be displayed in a pop-up format at a specific location while the details screen is displayed, indicating that "video data is required."

[0049] 5 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the inspection workflow management system according to the second embodiment. This embodiment relates to the registration and management of moving image data. The processing of this embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in steps S51, S52, and S53. Therefore, a description of the other steps will be omitted.

[0050] In S51, the registration management unit 25 performs registration management. Specifically, the registration management unit 25 temporarily saves the acquired video data and displays it on the terminal 30, and also stores it in response to an instruction for final saving on the terminal 30 after the workflow is completed.

[0051] In S52, an instruction to acquire data is issued from the calculation unit 21 of the server. If there is a data acquisition instruction in the workflow (Y), the process proceeds to S53 and video data is acquired. The calculation unit 21, for example, has a function for determining whether or not a video exists, and determines which detailed screen in the workflow does not contain a video. When the process transitions to a detailed screen that does not contain a video, a message notifying this fact is displayed. For example, a message saying "No video data" is displayed near the part for which video data acquisition has been specified. If there is no data acquisition instruction in the workflow (N), the process proceeds to S5 and sensor values ​​of the part to be inspected, etc. are acquired. These processes make it possible to reliably recognize the acquisition of video data on the detailed screen of the workflow.

[0052] While machine identification information is obtained directly from the work machine, inspection-related information includes information entered by a service technician. This raises the possibility of human input errors. Furthermore, video data acquired by a terminal may be inappropriate. For example, if a video captures a different part of the video image than the subject required for a specific detailed screen, or if the subject is not captured accurately, accurate association with the detailed screen cannot be achieved. Therefore, when video data is acquired, it is temporarily stored in the terminal (primary registration). Subsequently, the terminal is notified whether the video data to be registered and the associated primary tagged information are correct, and the data is finally registered after confirmation on the terminal (secondary registration). This two-stage registration management, in which the video acquirer verifies that the acquired video and the associated information on the terminal are correct, ensures reliable registration of video data on the server.

[0053] [Modification] Finally, a modification will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the entire system according to the modification. As shown in Fig. 8, in the modification, the server 20 includes a search unit 26 and a diagnosis unit 27. The server 20 according to the modification performs the same functions as the search unit 36 ​​and diagnosis unit 37 of the terminal described above.

[0054] In the modified example, the terminal 30 does not have a search unit or a diagnosis unit, but the terminal 30 may also be provided with these functional units as in the above embodiment, and configured so that the search or diagnosis can be performed by either the server 20 or the terminal 30.

[0055] The above-described embodiment of the present invention provides the following advantageous effects.

[0056] (1) An inspection workflow management system according to the present invention is an inspection workflow management system including a server that manages an inspection workflow that instructs the inspection procedure for a work machine, and a terminal connected to the server via a network, wherein the terminal includes a communication unit that connects to the work machine to be inspected and acquires identification information of the work machine, a display unit that displays the inspection workflow including instructions to acquire video data of the part of the work machine to be inspected, an operation unit that inputs inspection-related information corresponding to the inspection workflow, and a photographing unit that acquires video data of the part to be inspected, the server includes a memory unit that stores machine attribute information of the work machine associated with the identification information and video data of the part to be inspected acquired by the terminal, the terminal associates the identification information with the inspection-related information for the video data of the part to be inspected acquired by the photographing unit, and the server further associates machine attribute information with the video data of the part to be inspected that has been associated and stores the machine attribute information in the memory unit, and the terminal or server further includes a search function that extracts video data of the part to be inspected associated with at least one piece of information based on at least one of the identification information, inspection-related information, and machine attribute information input to the terminal.

[0057] With the above configuration, images, videos, and sounds (video data) related to past defect cases can be tagged to associate them with information about inspection results and work machines, and related video data can be searched and extracted using this information as keywords. This makes it easy to use the video data to determine whether a defect discovered during an inspection is the same as a past defect case, which can lead to a reduction in the time required to identify the cause of the defect.

[0058] (2) At least one of the terminal and the server further includes a diagnostic unit that identifies the cause of a malfunction in an inspection target part of the work machine based on sensor values ​​that indicate the operating state of the inspection target part, and when video image data is acquired by the imaging unit, the terminal displays an instruction to acquire the sensor values ​​on the display unit, and the diagnostic unit identifies the cause of the malfunction in the inspection target part based on the sensor values ​​acquired by the terminal and displays the identification result on the display unit. As a result, for example, by displaying the identification result of the cause of the malfunction on the display unit, the system user can visually grasp the cause of the malfunction in the work machine.

[0059] (3) The server further includes a registration management unit that stores the acquisition history of video data of the inspection target part corresponding to the inspection workflow, and when the acquisition history of video data of the inspection target part corresponding to the inspection workflow displayed on the display unit is stored in the registration management unit, the terminal displays the video data of the inspection target part corresponding to the inspection workflow in a part of the display area of ​​the inspection workflow on the display unit. This makes it possible for system users to easily know whether video data of the inspection target part corresponding to the inspection workflow is available.

[0060] (4) The registration management unit calculates the number of acquisitions based on the acquisition history of video data of the inspection target part corresponding to the inspection workflow, and the terminal displays the number of acquisitions in the display area of ​​the inspection workflow. This makes it possible to set a high priority to video data that has been acquired many times, as it is deemed to have a high need for acquisition.

[0061] (5) The terminal determines the display order of the extracted video data of the inspection target area on the display unit based on the usefulness of the video data. This allows the system user to grasp the importance of the video data at a glance, which can be useful for maintenance inspections.

[0062] (6) The machine attribute information includes at least one of information about the customer who owns the work machine, information about the area where the work machine operates, information about the inspection and repair history of the work machine, information about the work content of the work machine, information about the operating environment of the work machine, and information about the workload of the work machine. In this way, by including information about attributes common to multiple work machines in the machine attribute information, it becomes easier to search for and extract video data of similar malfunctions.

[0063] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to embodiments that include all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment. It is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to delete part of the configuration of each embodiment, or to add or replace other configurations.

[0064] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Work machine, 20 Maintenance management server, 24 Communication unit, 25 Registration management unit, 30 Terminal, 31 Communication unit, 32 Display unit, 33 Photography unit, 35 Operation unit, 36 Search unit, 37 Diagnosis unit

Claims

1. An inspection workflow management system including a server that manages an inspection workflow that instructs the inspection procedure of a work machine, and a terminal connected to the server via a network, wherein the terminal comprises a communication unit that connects to the work machine to be inspected and acquires identification information of the work machine, a display unit that displays the inspection workflow including an instruction to acquire video data of the inspection target part of the work machine, an operation unit for inputting inspection-related information corresponding to the inspection workflow, and a photographing unit that acquires video data of the inspection target part, the server comprises a memory unit that stores machine attribute information of the work machine associated with the identification information and video data of the inspection target part acquired by the terminal, the terminal associates the identification information with the inspection-related information for the video data of the inspection target part acquired by the photographing unit, and the server further associates the machine attribute information with the video data of the inspection target part for which the association has been performed, and stores the machine attribute information in the memory unit, an inspection workflow management system, wherein the terminal or server further comprises a search unit that extracts video data of the inspection target area associated with at least one piece of information among the identification information, the inspection-related information, and the machine attribute information input to the terminal.

2. An inspection workflow management system as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the terminal or server further comprises a diagnostic unit which identifies a cause of a malfunction in an inspection target part of the work machine based on a sensor value which indicates the operating status of the inspection target part; when the video image data is acquired by the photographing unit, the terminal displays an instruction to acquire the sensor value on the display unit; and the diagnostic unit identifies a cause of a malfunction in the inspection target part based on the sensor value acquired by the terminal and displays the identification result on the display unit.

3. An inspection workflow management system as described in claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a registration management unit which stores an acquisition history of video data of the inspection target area corresponding to the inspection workflow, and when the acquisition history of video data of the inspection target area corresponding to the inspection workflow displayed on the display unit is stored in the registration management unit, the terminal displays the video data of the inspection target area corresponding to the inspection workflow in a part of the display area of ​​the inspection workflow on the display unit.

4. An inspection workflow management system as described in claim 3, characterized in that the registration management unit calculates the number of acquisitions based on the acquisition history of video image data of the inspection target area corresponding to the inspection workflow, and the terminal displays the number of acquisitions in a display area of ​​the inspection workflow.

5. An inspection workflow management system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the terminal determines the display order of the extracted results of video data of the inspection target area on the display unit based on the usefulness of the video data.

6. An inspection workflow management system as described in claim 1, characterized in that the machine attribute information includes at least one of information related to the customer who owns the work machine, information related to the area in which the work machine is operated, information related to the inspection and repair history of the work machine, information related to the work content of the work machine, information related to the operating environment of the work machine, and information related to the workload of the work machine.

Images