Construction system, construction method, and construction machine

Abstract

In the present invention, it is possible to safely execute the autonomous construction operations of each of a plurality of construction machines.　One example of a construction system of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of construction machines. Each of the plurality of construction machines includes: a vehicle control unit that controls the operation of each of the plurality of construction machines; and a first communication control unit that acquires, from another construction machine via a network, data for realizing an autonomous construction operation based on cooperation with the other construction machine by the vehicle control unit, and verifies the reliability of the data on the basis of whether the data at least includes an electronic signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

Description

Construction system, construction method, and construction machinery

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a construction system, a construction method, and a construction machine.

[0002] Various studies have been conducted on autonomous construction using self-driving construction machinery.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-166204

[0004] In light of the conventional technologies described above, it is desirable to realize a system in which multiple construction machines can autonomously perform construction operations while coordinating with each other, for example, through communication. In this case, however, it is necessary to avoid interference between the autonomous construction operations of each of the multiple construction machines and ensure safety.

[0005] One of the problems that the present disclosure aims to solve is to provide a construction system, a construction method, and a construction machine that are capable of safely executing autonomous construction operations for each of a plurality of construction machines.

[0006] An example construction system of the present disclosure includes a plurality of construction machines, each of which includes a vehicle control unit that controls the operation of the plurality of construction machines, and a first communication control unit that acquires data from the other construction machines via a network to realize autonomous construction operations based on cooperation between the vehicle control unit and the other construction machines, and verifies the authenticity of the data based on whether or not the data includes at least an electronic signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

[0007] Another example of a construction method of the present disclosure is a construction method using a plurality of construction machines, which includes controlling the operation of each of the plurality of construction machines by a vehicle control unit of each of the plurality of construction machines, acquiring data from the other construction machines via a network by a first communication control unit of each of the plurality of construction machines to realize autonomous construction operations based on cooperation with the other construction machines by the vehicle control unit, and verifying the reliability of the data based on at least whether the data includes an electronic signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

[0008] Furthermore, as yet another example of a construction machine of the present disclosure, the construction machine includes a vehicle control unit that controls the operation of the construction machine, and a first communication control unit that acquires data from other construction machines via a network to realize autonomous construction operations based on cooperation between the vehicle control unit and other construction machines, and verifies the reliability of the data based on at least whether the data includes an electronic signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

[0009] FIG. 1 is an exemplary and schematic diagram showing a general configuration of a construction system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of a construction machine and a management server according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exemplary and schematic sequence diagram showing an example of processing executed by a construction machine and a management server according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exemplary and schematic diagram for explaining an overview of digitally signed data according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer included in a construction machine and a management server according to an embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the embodiments described below, as well as the actions and effects brought about by the configurations, are merely examples and are not limited to the following description.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing a general configuration of a construction system according to an embodiment.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1 , the construction system according to the embodiment includes a plurality of construction machines 110 that are communicatively connected to each other via a relay device 150, and a management server 120 that is communicatively connected to the plurality of construction machines 110 via the relay device 150.

[0013] The multiple construction machines 110 are, for example, construction machines such as asphalt finishers, configured to perform autonomous construction operations within a predetermined area 170. The multiple construction machines 110 may be construction machines that perform the same construction operations, or may be construction machines that perform different construction operations. The management server 120 is a server device, for example, a cloud server, configured to manage the construction operations performed by the multiple construction machines 110.

[0014] In this embodiment, the construction machine 110 and the management server 120 are configured to have the functions shown in the following FIG. 2 in order to safely execute the autonomous construction operations of each of the multiple construction machines.

[0015] FIG. 2 is an exemplary schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the construction machine 110 and the management server 120 according to the embodiment.

[0016] 2, the construction machine 110 includes a communication control unit 211, a sensor data acquisition unit 212, and a vehicle control unit 213. The communication control unit 211 is an example of a "first communication control unit" in the present disclosure.

[0017] The communication control unit 211 controls communications executed between the construction machine 110 and other devices (for example, other construction machines 110 and the management server 120). The communication control unit 211 is configured to be able to transmit data to other construction machines 110 by broadcast or multicast. As will be described in detail later, in the embodiment, the communication control unit 211 is configured to be able to include an electronic signature based on a public key cryptosystem in data transmitted and received between the construction machine 110 and other construction machines 110. Note that, although the following describes a case in which an electronic signature based on a public key cryptosystem is used, in the embodiment, similar effects can be achieved even if an electronic signature based on another encryption system is used. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the communication system may be any system that can transmit data to multiple destinations simultaneously, and may be an Xcast system in addition to a broadcast or multicast system.

[0018] The sensor data acquisition unit 212 acquires sensing data, which is the detection values ​​of various sensors (for example, temperature sensors, position sensors, speed sensors, acceleration sensors, etc.) mounted on the construction machine 110. In addition, the vehicle control unit 213 controls the operation of the construction machine 110 by controlling the drive system of the construction machine 110, etc.

[0019] The management server 120 also includes a communication control unit 221 and a construction management unit 222. The communication control unit 221 is an example of a "second communication control unit" in the present disclosure.

[0020] The communication control unit 221 controls communications executed between the management server 120 and other devices (such as each construction machine 110). The construction management unit 222 also manages the autonomous construction operations performed by each construction machine 110.

[0021] The above configuration operates, for example, according to the flow shown in FIG.

[0022] Fig. 3 is an exemplary schematic sequence diagram showing an example of processing executed by the construction machine 110 and management server 120 according to the embodiment. For simplicity, Fig. 3 illustrates a case where there are two construction machines 110, and in order to conveniently distinguish between these two construction machines 110, one is illustrated as construction machine 110A and the other as construction machine 110B.

[0023] 3, in this embodiment, first, in S311A, the construction machine 110A (the communication control unit 211 thereof) generates a pair of a private key and a public key (key pair) to be used to include an electronic signature in data to be transmitted to another construction machine 110B. Then, in S312A, the construction machine 110A (the communication control unit 211 thereof) transmits the generated key pair to the management server 120.

[0024] Similarly, in the embodiment, in S311B, the construction machine 110B (the communication control unit 211 thereof) generates a key pair to be used to include an electronic signature in data to be sent to another construction machine 110A, and in S312B, sends the generated key pair to the management server 120.

[0025] Then, in S321A, the management server 120 (communication control unit 221) notifies (distributes) the public key of the construction machine 110B to the construction machine 110A. At this time, the management server 120 (communication control unit 221) may also notify the construction machine 110A of the action to be executed at the same time. Similarly, in S321B, the management server 120 (communication control unit 221) notifies the construction machine 110B of the public key of the construction machine 110A and the action to be executed by the construction machine 110B. This completes the preparation process prior to executing autonomous construction operations.

[0026] Then, in S313A, the construction machine 110A (the communication control unit 211 thereof) includes an electronic signature in data for supporting the autonomous construction operation of the construction machine 110B and transmits the data to the construction machine 110B. More specifically, the construction machine 110A (the communication control unit 211 thereof) transmits the sensing data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 212 to the construction machine 110B as data with an electronic signature as shown in the following Fig. 4.

[0027] FIG. 4 is an exemplary schematic diagram for explaining an overview of digitally signed data according to an embodiment.

[0028] 4 , in this embodiment, first, a hash value 420 is generated from original data 410 (the above-described sensor data) based on a predetermined hash function. Then, this hash value 420 is encrypted with a private key to generate a digital signature 430. This digital signature 430 is then combined with the original data 410 to generate digitally signed data 440. By decrypting this digitally signed data 440 with a public key corresponding to the private key used to generate the digital signature 430, it is possible to verify the authenticity of the digital signature 430, and therefore the reliability of the digitally signed data 440.

[0029] 3, in S313B, the construction machine 110B (the communication control unit 211 thereof) includes an electronic signature in data for supporting the autonomous construction operation of the construction machine 110A and transmits the data to the construction machine 110A. More specifically, the construction machine 110B (the communication control unit 211 thereof) transmits the sensing data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 212 to the construction machine 110A as data with an electronic signature as shown in FIG. 4 above.

[0030] Then, in S314A, the construction machine 110A (the communication control unit 211 thereof) decrypts the electronic signature included in the electronically signed data received from the construction machine 110B in S313B using the public key received from the management server 120 in S321A, thereby verifying the authenticity of the electronic signature and, therefore, the reliability of the electronically signed data. Similarly, in S314B, the construction machine 110B (the communication control unit 211 thereof) decrypts the electronic signature included in the electronically signed data received from the construction machine 110A in S313A using the public key acquired from the management server 120 in S321B, thereby verifying the authenticity of the electronic signature and, therefore, the reliability of the electronically signed data. These verifications may also include a determination as to whether or not the received data includes an electronic signature in the first place.

[0031] If the above verification determines that the electronic signature is authentic, it is considered that there is no problem with safety even if the autonomous construction operation continues as is. Therefore, in this case, the process returns to S313A and S313B. On the other hand, if it is determined that the electronic signature is not authentic, the following process is executed as an exception process.

[0032] That is, in S315A, the construction machine 110A (the communication control unit 211 thereof) sends an alert to the management server 120. Similarly, in S315B, the construction machine 110B (the communication control unit 211 thereof) sends an alert to the management server 120. Then, in S322, the management server 120 executes alert processing to notify the construction manager of the abnormality. Examples of alert processing include displaying a warning on the UI (user interface) of the management server 120, launching the UI to allow the construction manager to decide whether to suspend the entire construction work, transferring an alert to the construction manager via email or a chat system, or making an emergency call to workers working on site.

[0033] Here, if the electronic signature is not authentic, safety can be expected to be further improved if the management server 120 can not only execute an alert process, but also the construction machine 110 can be made to autonomously execute some kind of exceptional action.

[0034] Therefore, in an embodiment, if the electronic signature is not authentic, in S316A, the construction machine 110A (the vehicle control unit 213 thereof) determines whether or not to continue autonomous construction operations by performing additional determination based on, for example, the frequency with which situations in which the electronic signature is not authentic have occurred and the state of the construction machine 110A (a state that can be determined based on sensing data).

[0035] For example, if the frequency with which an electronic signature is not authentic occurs is equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency, if the distance between the construction machines 110A and 110B is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, or if the construction machine 110A is performing a construction operation that requires movement, there is a possibility that the construction operations of the construction machines 110A and 110B may interfere with each other, and therefore it is desirable to stop the construction operation. Therefore, in this case, in S317A, the construction machine 110A (the vehicle control unit 213 thereof) stops the construction operation that is currently being performed. Note that if the above-mentioned conditions based on frequency, distance, whether or not movement is present, and the possibility of interference between the construction operations of the construction machines 110A and 110B is sufficiently small, the construction machine 110A (the vehicle control unit 213 thereof) may continue to perform the construction operation that is currently being performed.

[0036] Similarly, in an embodiment, if the electronic signature is not authentic, in S316B, the construction machine 110B (the vehicle control unit 213 thereof) determines whether or not to continue autonomous construction operations by performing additional determination based on, for example, the frequency with which situations in which the electronic signature is not authentic have occurred and the state of the construction machine 110B (a state that can be determined based on sensing data).

[0037] For example, if the frequency with which an electronic signature is not authentic occurs is equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency, if the distance between the construction machines 110A and 110B is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, or if the construction machine 110B is performing a construction operation that requires movement, there is a possibility that the construction operations of the construction machines 110A and 110B may interfere with each other, and therefore it is desirable to stop the construction operation. Therefore, in this case, in S317B, the construction machine 110B (the vehicle control unit 213 thereof) stops the construction operation that it is currently performing. Note that if the above-mentioned conditions based on frequency, distance, whether or not movement is present, and the possibility of interference between the construction operations of the construction machines 110A and 110B is sufficiently small, the construction machine 110B (the vehicle control unit 213 thereof) may continue performing the construction operation that it is currently performing.

[0038] Incidentally, cases in which an electronic signature is determined to be not authentic include cases in which the received data does not contain an electronic signature in the first place due to, for example, an attack on the communication network between construction machines 110 or another system broadcasting within the same network, or cases in which the received data contains an electronic signature but the electronic signature does not match due to, for example, an attack on the communication network between construction machines 110 or another identical construction system operating within the same network.

[0039] As described above, the construction system according to the embodiment includes a plurality of construction machines 110. Each of the plurality of construction machines 110 includes a vehicle control unit 213 and a communication control unit 211. The vehicle control unit 213 controls the operation of each of the plurality of construction machines 110. The communication control unit 211 acquires data from the other construction machines 110 via the network to realize autonomous construction operations based on cooperation between the vehicle control unit 213 and the other construction machines 110, and verifies the reliability of the data based on at least whether the data includes a digital signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

[0040] According to the above configuration, the reliability of data transmitted and received between multiple construction machines 110 can be ensured by verification using electronic signatures, and therefore, each of the multiple construction machines 110 can safely perform autonomous construction operations based on data with ensured reliability.

[0041] Finally, the hardware configuration for realizing the functions of the construction machine 110 and management server 120 according to the embodiment described above (see FIG. 2) will be described. The functions of the construction machine 110 and management server 120 according to the embodiment are realized by installing a computer 500 having a hardware configuration such as that shown in FIG. 5 in the construction machine 110 and management server 120.

[0042] FIG. 5 is an exemplary schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the construction machine 110 and the computer 500 included in the management server 120 according to the embodiment.

[0043] 5, the computer 500 includes a processor 510, a memory 520, a storage 530, an input / output interface (I / F) 540, and a communication interface (I / F) 550. These pieces of hardware are connected to a bus 560.

[0044] The processor 510 is configured as, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the overall operation of each part of the computer 500 .

[0045] Memory 520 includes, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and provides volatile or non-volatile storage of various data such as computer programs executed by processor 510, and provides a working area for processor 510 to execute computer programs.

[0046] The storage 530 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various types of data in a non-volatile manner.

[0047] The input / output interface 540 controls the input of data to the computer 500 from input devices (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., and the output of data from the computer 500 to output devices (not shown) such as a display and speaker, etc.

[0048] Communications interface 550 allows computer 500 to communicate with other devices.

[0049] The functional configuration (see FIG. 2) of the construction machine 110 and management server 120 according to the embodiment is realized as a group of functional modules formed by the cooperation of hardware and software, for example, as a result of the processor 510 executing an information processing program pre-stored in the memory 520 or the storage 530. However, in the embodiment, some or all of the group of functional modules shown in FIG. 2 may be realized solely by hardware such as a specially designed circuit.

[0050] It should be noted that the above-described information processing program does not necessarily need to be stored in advance in the memory 520 or the storage 530. For example, the above-described information processing program may be provided as a computer program product recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable medium, such as various magnetic disks such as a flexible disk (FD) or various optical disks such as a digital versatile disk (DVD).

[0051] The information processing program may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. That is, the information processing program may be provided in a state where it is stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and is available for download via the network.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims.

[0053] 110, 110A, 110B Construction machine 120 Management server 150 Relay device 211 Communication control unit (first communication control unit) 213 Vehicle control unit 221 Communication control unit (second communication control unit)

Claims

1. A construction system comprising a plurality of construction machines, each of the plurality of construction machines including: a vehicle control unit that controls the construction operations of each of the plurality of construction machines; and a first communication control unit that acquires data from the other construction machines via a network to cause the vehicle control unit to execute the construction operations based on cooperation with the other construction machines, and verifies the reliability of the data based on at least whether the data includes an electronic signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

2. The construction system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication control unit transmits the data including the electronic signature to the other construction machines via the network by broadcast or multicast.

3. A construction system as described in claim 2, further comprising a management server that manages the plurality of construction machines, wherein the predetermined encryption method is a public key encryption method that uses a pair of a public key and a private key, and wherein the management server includes a second communication control unit configured to be able to communicate with the plurality of construction machines via the network, which second communication control unit manages the pair of a public key and a private key used by the first communication control unit of each of the plurality of construction machines to include the electronic signature in the data, and notifies each of the plurality of construction machines of the public key used by the other construction machines.

4. The construction system described in claim 3, wherein, when the data acquired from the other construction machine includes the electronic signature, the first communication control unit determines the authenticity of the electronic signature based on the public key notified by the management server, and if the electronic signature is authentic, causes the vehicle control unit to execute the construction operation based on the data, and if the electronic signature is not authentic, sends an alert to the management server.

5. The construction system according to claim 4, wherein the management server, upon receiving the alert, executes an alert process to notify a construction manager of an abnormality.

6. A construction system as described in claim 4 or 5, wherein, if the electronic signature is not authentic, the vehicle control unit determines whether to continue the construction operation based on the frequency with which the situation in which the electronic signature is not authentic has occurred and the status of the multiple construction machines.

7. A construction method using a plurality of construction machines, comprising: controlling the construction operations of each of the plurality of construction machines by a vehicle control unit of each of the plurality of construction machines; and acquiring data from the other construction machines via a network by a first communication control unit of each of the plurality of construction machines to cause the vehicle control unit to execute the construction operations based on cooperation with the other construction machines, and verifying the reliability of the data based at least on whether the data includes an electronic signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

8. A construction machine comprising: a vehicle control unit that controls the construction operations of the construction machine; and a first communication control unit that acquires data from other construction machines via a network to cause the vehicle control unit to execute the construction operations based on cooperation with the other construction machines, and verifies the reliability of the data based on whether or not the data includes at least an electronic signature based on a predetermined encryption method.

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