Road surface management system

Abstract

In this road surface management system, a work vehicle, a water sprinkler vehicle, and a management terminal are connected via a wireless communication line. The management terminal calculates, on the basis of sprinkled water information relating to the water sprinkler vehicle, a cumulative sprinkled water parameter representing the cumulative amount of water sprinkled from a predetermined time before the time at which the sprinkled water information was acquired to the time at which the sprinkled water information was acquired, at each of a plurality of positions on a traveled road surface, and extracts the cumulative sprinkled water parameter, with the time at which the rate of change in a degree of deterioration of the traveled road surface exceeds a deterioration degree threshold as a deterioration determination time. On the basis of the cumulative sprinkled water parameter, one of the management terminal and a travel control device executes at least one of travel suppression control for outputting a travel suppression signal for suppressing travel of the work vehicle and water sprinkling suppression control for outputting a water sprinkling suppression signal for suppressing water sprinkling by the water sprinkler vehicle.

Description

Pavement management system

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

[0002] For example, at a mining site, the driving surface on which transport vehicles such as dump trucks travel is not paved. Therefore, as the transport vehicles repeatedly travel, the driving surface deteriorates, such as by forming ruts on the driving surface. When the driving surface deteriorates, adverse effects such as a decrease in driving speed, an increase in fuel consumption, and damage to the vehicle body occur. Therefore, at the mining site, the driving surface is regularly maintained by grading vehicles (pavement maintenance vehicles) such as bulldozers and motor graders. At the mining site, there is a demand for a technology to improve the efficiency of the maintenance management of the driving surface.

[0003] As a technology to improve the efficiency of pavement maintenance management, there is an invention in which a transport vehicle acquires pavement information and estimates the deterioration of the driving surface based on weather conditions such as "sunny", "cloudy", and "rain" (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-52835

[0005] At the work site, watering work may be performed on the driving surface by a watering vehicle. The pavement is likely to deteriorate when the moisture content is high. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the deterioration of the driving surface can be estimated based on information on weather conditions such as rain. However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the influence of the pavement due to the operating status of the watering vehicle is not considered, and there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a pavement management system capable of suppressing the deterioration of a driving surface containing moisture due to watering by a watering vehicle.

[0007] A road surface management system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a work vehicle, a watering vehicle, and a management terminal for managing the road surface on which the work vehicle and the watering vehicle travel, all connected via a wireless communication line. The work vehicle includes a first position sensor for detecting the position of the work vehicle, a first vehicle state detection sensor for detecting at least one of the speed of the work vehicle, the weight of the work vehicle, and the suspension pressure of the work vehicle as the state of the work vehicle, and a driving control device for controlling the movement of the work vehicle based on a driving control signal. The driving control device calculates driving parameters related to the movement of the work vehicle and the degree of deterioration of the road surface on which the work vehicle has traveled, based on at least one of the driving control signal and the output value of the first vehicle state detection sensor, and transmits the driving information, which includes the position of the work vehicle, the driving parameters, and the degree of deterioration of the road surface, to the management terminal via a first vehicle-side wireless communication device, linked to the time when the driving information was acquired. The water-sprinkling vehicle comprises a second position sensor for detecting the position of the water-sprinkling vehicle, a second vehicle state detection sensor for detecting at least one of the water storage amount and water pressure as the state of the water-sprinkling vehicle, and a water-sprinkling control device for controlling watering by the water-sprinkling vehicle based on a water-sprinkling control signal. The water-sprinkling control device calculates water-sprinkling parameters related to watering by the water-sprinkling vehicle based on at least one of the water-sprinkling control signal and the output value of the second vehicle state detection sensor, and transmits the water-sprinkling information, which is the position of the water-sprinkling vehicle and the water-sprinkling parameters, to the management terminal via a second vehicle-side wireless communication device, linked to the water-sprinkling information acquisition time at which the water-sprinkling information was acquired. Based on the water-sprinkling information, the management terminal calculates cumulative water-sprinkling parameters for each of the multiple locations on the road surface, representing the cumulative amount of water sprinkled from a predetermined time before the water-sprinkling information acquisition time to the water-sprinkling information acquisition time, and for each of the multiple locations on the road surface, it extracts the cumulative water-sprinkling parameters at the deterioration determination time, with the time at which the rate of change of the deterioration degree of the road surface exceeds the deterioration degree threshold being used as the deterioration determination time.The management terminal and the driving control device either perform at least one of the following based on the cumulative watering parameters: driving suppression control, which outputs a driving suppression signal to suppress the driving of the work vehicle; and watering suppression control, which outputs a watering suppression signal to suppress watering by the watering vehicle.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a road surface management system that can suppress the deterioration of a road surface containing moisture through watering by a watering vehicle.

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the mining site. Figure 2 is a side view showing the structure of the transport vehicle. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transport vehicle. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the transport vehicle's operation information table. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the watering vehicle. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the watering vehicle's operation information table. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management terminal. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram explaining map information. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the on-board terminal of the transport vehicle. Figure 10A is a diagram showing the operation information table transmitted from transport vehicle 2A to the management terminal. Figure 10B is a diagram showing the operation information table transmitted from transport vehicle 2B to the management terminal. Figure 11 is a diagram showing the operation information table of the transport vehicle assigned to segment i, which is one of a plurality of segments, by the data partitioning unit. Figure 12A is a diagram showing the operation information table transmitted from watering vehicle 6A to the management terminal. Figure 12B is a diagram showing the operation information table transmitted from watering vehicle 6B to the management terminal. Figure 13 is a diagram showing the operation information table of the watering vehicle assigned to segment i, which is one of a plurality of segments, by the data partitioning unit. Figure 14 is a diagram showing the cumulative watering amount table at each time point in segment i. Figure 15A is a diagram showing the integrated operational information table at point A. Figure 15B is a diagram showing the extracted operational information table extracted from the integrated operational information table at point A. Figure 16A is a diagram showing the time change in the degree of road surface deterioration at points A and B. Figure 16B is a diagram showing the time change in the cumulative watering amount within one hour at points A and B. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the road surface deterioration condition estimation process. Figure 18 is a diagram explaining the aggregated data, where (a) shows aggregated weather data, (b) shows aggregated cumulative watering amount within one hour, (c) shows aggregated driving speed of transport vehicles, and (d) shows aggregated accelerator opening data of transport vehicles. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of the road surface deterioration notification process during driving.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings used to describe the embodiments, components having the same function are denoted by the same or related reference numerals, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, in the following embodiments, descriptions of the same or similar parts will not be repeated unless particularly necessary.

[0011] <Mining Site> Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the general configuration of a mining site. As shown in Figure 1, the mining site operates multiple loading machines 1 that perform excavation and loading operations, and multiple transport vehicles 2 (2A, 2B) that transport excavated materials such as crushed stone and soil from the loading area where the loading machines 1 are located to the unloading area. The road surface on which the transport vehicles 2 travel is unpaved, and because the transport vehicles 2 are heavy, the road surface deteriorates (worsens) as the transport vehicles 2 travel. Therefore, multiple leveling vehicles 3, such as wheel loaders, are in operation to repair the deteriorated road surface. In addition, light vehicles 7 are in operation at the mining site (work site) for road surface maintenance and operator transport. Loading machines 1 are, for example, hydraulic excavators, and transport vehicles 2 are, for example, work vehicles such as dump trucks that perform transport operations. During transport operations from the loading area to the unloading area, dust is easily generated due to spillage of soil from the transport vehicles 2. Therefore, at the mining site, water-spraying vehicles 6 (6A, 6B) are in operation to spray water onto the road surface in order to suppress the generation of sand and dust.

[0012] The management terminal 4 collects operational information of work vehicles operating at the mining site, such as the loading machine 1, transport vehicle 2, leveling vehicle 3, watering vehicle 6, and light vehicle 7, via the wireless relay station 5. Operational information includes, for example, the speed of the vehicles detected by speed sensors. Based on the collected information, the management terminal 4 manages information regarding the condition of the road surface traveled by each vehicle and manages the operation of vehicles operating at the mining site. The mine manager monitors the operational information of each vehicle via the management terminal 4. Transport vehicles 2 often have a nearly constant load weight and repeatedly travel on the same road surface. Therefore, the mine manager can estimate future operational information, such as the next trip, from the past operational information of each transport vehicle 2.

[0013] <Configuration of the Road Surface Management System> The configuration of the road surface management system 8 in the mine will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 7. Figure 2 is a side view showing the structure of the transport vehicle 2. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transport vehicle 2. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the operation information table 251 of the transport vehicle 2. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the watering vehicle 6. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the operation information table 351 of the watering vehicle 6. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management terminal 4.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the road surface management system 8 includes a loading machine 1, transport vehicles 2, leveling vehicles 3, watering vehicles 6, and light vehicles 7, as well as a management terminal 4. The management terminal 4 manages the road surface on which the transport vehicles 2 and watering vehicles 6, etc., travel. Each vehicle and the management terminal 4 are connected via a wireless communication line.

[0015] <Transport Vehicle> As shown in Figure 2, the transport vehicle 2 comprises a body frame 201, left and right front wheels 202FL and 202FR (only the front wheel 202FL is shown in Figure 2) rotatably mounted on the front lower part of the body frame 201, left and right rear wheels 202BL and 202BR (only the rear wheel 202BL is shown in Figure 2) rotatably mounted on the rear upper part of the body frame 201 via a hinge pin 207, a hoist cylinder 208 for rotating the cargo bed 203, and a driver's cab 205 located on the front upper part of the body frame 201. The driver's cab 205 is equipped with a steering wheel for controlling the steering angle of the front wheels 202FL and 202FR, an accelerator pedal for accelerating the transport vehicle 2, and a brake pedal for braking the transport vehicle 2.

[0016] Furthermore, the transport vehicle 2 is equipped with speed sensors 212 (see Figure 3), such as wheel speed sensors, attached to either the front wheels 202FL, 202FR or the rear wheels 202BL, 202BR. In addition, front wheel suspensions 204FL, 204FR (only the front wheel suspension 204FL is shown in Figure 2) are provided between the vehicle frame 201 and the front wheels 202FL, 202FR, respectively, and rear wheel suspensions 204BL, 204BR (only the rear wheel suspension 204BL is shown in Figure 2) are provided between the vehicle frame 201 and the rear wheels 202BL, 202BR.

[0017] The front suspensions 204FL and 204FR, and the rear suspensions 204BL and 204BR, are each composed of hydraulic cylinders. The transport vehicle 2 is equipped with suspension pressure sensors 214FL, 214FR, 214BL, and 214BR (collectively referred to as suspension pressure sensor 214 in Figure 3) that detect the pressure of these hydraulic cylinders.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3, the transport vehicle 2 is equipped with a weight sensor 213 and a position sensor 215. The weight sensor 213 measures the load of cargo loaded onto the cargo bed 203. The position sensor 215 receives GNSS satellite data from GNSS satellites to detect the position of the transport vehicle 2. The transport vehicle 2 is equipped with a vehicle-side wireless communication device 250 that communicates with a management terminal 4, an on-board terminal 200 that calculates the road surface conditions of the road surface on which the transport vehicle 2 travels, a display device 261 such as a display, and a driving device 271 that drives the transport vehicle 2. The driving device 271 includes an engine as a drive source, a power transmission mechanism that transmits engine power to the wheels, a brake device that applies braking force to the wheels, and a steering mechanism that steers the wheels. The weight sensor 213 may indirectly estimate the load by measuring the pressure of the suspension attached to the vehicle frame 201 and converting that value into the weight of cargo loaded onto the cargo bed 203.

[0019] The suspension pressure sensors 214FL, 214FR, 214BL, 214BR, speed sensor 212, and weight sensor 213 are referred to as vehicle condition detection sensors for detecting the state of the transport vehicle 2.

[0020] The speed sensor 212, weight sensor 213, suspension pressure sensor 214, and position sensor 215 are each connected to the in-vehicle terminal 200.

[0021] <On-board terminal of transport vehicle> Referring to Figure 3, the functions of the on-board terminal 200 mounted on the transport vehicle 2 will be described. The on-board terminal 200 includes a position calculation unit 210, an operation information calculation unit 220, an operation information storage unit 230, a degradation degree calculation unit 240, a display control unit 260, and a vehicle body control unit 270. The position calculation unit 210 calculates the position and orientation (direction of travel) of the transport vehicle 2 based on the output value of the position sensor 215.

[0022] The operation information calculation unit 220 calculates the driving parameters of the transport vehicle 2 (e.g., driving speed, accelerator opening, brake opening) based on the output value of the vehicle state detection sensor (e.g., speed sensor 212) and at least one of the driving control signals of the transport vehicle 2. The driving parameters of the transport vehicle 2 are one of the operational information of the transport vehicle 2. The operational information of the transport vehicle 2 includes not only the driving control signal, the output value of the vehicle state detection sensor, and the driving parameters, but also various results calculated from the driving control signal and the output value of the vehicle state detection sensor. The operation information storage unit 230 stores the operational information of the transport vehicle 2 calculated by the operation information calculation unit 220.

[0023] The vehicle control unit 270 controls the movement of the transport vehicle 2 by controlling the travel device 271 based on the travel control signal. The travel control signal for the transport vehicle 2 is a signal that transmits and controls the amount of operation related to the movement of the transport vehicle 2, which is operated by the operator to move the transport vehicle 2, to each part of the transport vehicle 2. Examples of travel control signals include signals indicating the amount of operation (depression) of the accelerator pedal, signals indicating the amount of operation (depression) of the brake pedal, and signals indicating the amount of operation of the steering wheel. The operation information calculation unit 220 calculates the accelerator opening, which is a travel parameter, based on the signal indicating the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal. The operation information calculation unit 220 calculates the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2, which is a travel parameter, based on the output value of the speed sensor 212. The operation information calculation unit 220 stores the calculated travel parameters in the operation information storage unit 230.

[0024] The deterioration calculation unit 240 calculates the degree of road surface deterioration, which is the degree of deterioration of the road surface traveled by the transport vehicle 2, based on at least one of the driving control signal and the output value of the vehicle state detection sensor (for example, the suspension pressure sensor 214).

[0025] The deterioration calculation unit 240 determines, for example, that the road surface at the location where the transport vehicle 2 is traveling is in a deteriorated state if, among the pressure values ​​of the front suspension 204FL, 204FR and rear suspension 204BL, 204BR output by the suspension pressure sensors 214FL, 214FR, 214BL, 214BR, one value is outside a predetermined range, and the remaining three values ​​are within a predetermined range.

[0026] The deterioration calculation unit 240 calculates the road surface deterioration degree by, for example, referring to a road surface deterioration degree table and based on the difference between the pressure value outside a predetermined range and the predetermined range. The road surface deterioration degree table is a data table that defines the relationship between the difference between the pressure value outside a predetermined range and the predetermined range and the road surface deterioration degree, and is pre-stored in the in-vehicle terminal 200. The road surface deterioration degree table defines the characteristic that the greater the difference between the pressure value outside a predetermined range and the predetermined range, the higher the road surface deterioration degree.

[0027] The deterioration calculation unit 240 may be configured to estimate whether the road surface conditions are deteriorated or to calculate the degree of road surface deterioration based on values ​​other than those of the suspension pressure sensors 214FL, 214FR, 214BL, and 214BR, such as the time change of accelerator opening or brake opening identified by the driving control signal. The deterioration calculation unit 240 stores the calculated degree of road surface deterioration in the operation information storage unit 230.

[0028] "Deteriorated road conditions" refers to road conditions where ruts are formed on the road surface, potentially causing twisting in the vehicle frame 201 when the transport vehicle 2 travels on the road surface. Furthermore, "deteriorated road conditions" also refers to road conditions where unevenness on the road surface reduces the transport vehicle 2's speed or increases its fuel consumption.

[0029] The operation information storage unit 230 stores the driving parameters (driving speed, accelerator opening, and brake opening) calculated by the operation information calculation unit 220, and the road surface deterioration degree calculated by the deterioration degree calculation unit 240. The operation information storage unit 230 stores an operation information table 251 which includes the information configuration shown in Figure 4. The operation information table 251 is a data table in which the position of the transport vehicle 2 output by the position calculation unit 210 at the time the operation information of the transport vehicle 2 was acquired (operation information acquisition position), the time when the operation information calculation unit 220 acquired the operation information of the transport vehicle 2 (such as the output value of the vehicle state detection sensor) (operation information acquisition time), the road surface deterioration degree calculated by the deterioration degree calculation unit 240 based on the operation information of the transport vehicle 2, the driving parameters (driving speed and accelerator opening, etc.) calculated by the operation information calculation unit 220 based on the operation information of the transport vehicle 2, and the vehicle ID of the transport vehicle 2 are associated and stored. Note that the operation information table 251 may also include operation information that is not shown.

[0030] For the sake of explanation, the position of the transport vehicle 2 (corresponding to the operational information acquisition position), the driving parameters at that position, and the degree of road surface deterioration at that position are defined as driving information. The on-board terminal 200 links the driving information with the time the driving information was acquired (corresponding to the operational information acquisition time) and transmits it to the management terminal 4 via the vehicle-side wireless communication device 250. In this embodiment, the on-board terminal 200 transmits the operational information table 251 to the management terminal 4.

[0031] The display control unit 260 controls the display device 261 based on the notification control signal from the management terminal 4 to display notification information for the operator on the display screen of the display device 261. The display control unit 260 may also control the display device 261 to display operational information or the like on the display screen of the display device 261.

[0032] <Water Spraying Vehicle> As shown in Figure 1, the water spraying vehicle 6 comprises a vehicle body 6a, a running gear 6b ​​including wheels, a water storage tank 6c in which water is stored, and a water spraying nozzle 6d for discharging water from the water storage tank 6c. A water spraying valve is provided in the piping between the water storage tank 6c and the water spraying nozzle 6d. The running gear 6b ​​supports the vehicle body 6a and moves the vehicle body 6a by driving the wheels. The water storage tank 6c is supported by the vehicle body 6a. The water spraying nozzle 6d is located at the rear of the water storage tank 6c and sprays water behind the vehicle body 6a.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the water-spraying vehicle 6 is equipped with a water level sensor 314, a water pressure sensor 317, and a position sensor 315. The water level sensor 314 measures the amount of water stored in the water storage tank 6c. The water pressure sensor 317 measures the pressure of the water discharged from the water-spraying nozzle 6d (nozzle pressure). The position sensor 315 receives GNSS satellite data from GNSS satellites to detect the position of the water-spraying vehicle 6. The water-spraying vehicle 6 is equipped with a vehicle-side wireless communication device 350 that communicates with a management terminal 4, a water-spraying device 371 that sprays water onto the road surface, a driving device 6b that drives the water-spraying vehicle 6, an on-board terminal 300 that calculates the water-spraying status on the road surface by the water-spraying vehicle 6, and a display device 361 such as a display. The water-spraying device 371 is composed of the aforementioned water storage tank 6c, water-spraying nozzle 6d, piping that connects the water storage tank 6c and the water-spraying nozzle 6d, and a water-spraying valve attached to the piping.

[0034] The water storage volume sensor 314 and the water pressure sensor 317 are referred to as vehicle condition detection sensors for detecting the status of the watering vehicle 6.

[0035] The water level sensor 314 is a water level sensor that measures the amount of water stored in the water storage tank 6c based on the water level of the water stored in the water storage tank 6c. Alternatively, the water level sensor 314 may indirectly estimate the amount of water stored by measuring the weight of the water in the water storage tank 6c using a weight sensor or the like and converting that value into the amount of water stored.

[0036] The water level sensor 314, the water pressure sensor 317, and the position sensor 315 are each connected to the in-vehicle terminal 300.

[0037] <On-board terminal of water-spraying vehicle> Referring to Figure 5, the functions of the on-board terminal 300 mounted on the water-spraying vehicle 6 will be described. The on-board terminal 300 comprises a position calculation unit 310, an operation information calculation unit 320, an operation information storage unit 330, a display control unit 360, and a vehicle body control unit 370. The position calculation unit 310 calculates the position and orientation (direction of travel) of the water-spraying vehicle 6 based on the output value of the position sensor 315.

[0038] The vehicle control unit 370 controls the running gear 6b ​​and the watering device 371 of the watering vehicle 6. The vehicle control unit 370 controls the movement of the watering vehicle 6 by controlling the running gear 6b ​​based on the movement control signal. The movement control signal for the watering vehicle 6 is a signal that transmits and controls the amount of operation related to the movement of the watering vehicle 6, which is operated by an operator to move the watering vehicle 6, to each part of the watering vehicle 6. Examples of movement control signals include signals indicating the amount of operation (depression) of the accelerator pedal, signals indicating the amount of operation (depression) of the brake pedal, and signals indicating the amount of operation of the steering wheel.

[0039] The vehicle control unit 370 controls the watering of the watering vehicle 6 onto the road surface by controlling the watering device 371 based on the watering control signal. The vehicle control unit 370 controls the amount of water (discharge rate) by the watering device 371 by controlling the opening and closing of the watering valve. The watering control signal of the watering vehicle 6 is a signal that transmits and controls operation signals related to watering, which are operated by an operator to perform watering (discharge) by the watering device 371, to various parts of the watering vehicle 6. Examples of watering control signals include signals indicating the opening and closing operation of the watering valve, signals to adjust the set value of the water pressure (nozzle pressure) discharged from the watering nozzle, and signals to control the time the watering valve is open.

[0040] The operation information calculation unit 320 calculates watering parameters (e.g., watering volume) related to watering the watering vehicle 6 based on the output values ​​of vehicle state detection sensors such as the water storage volume sensor 314 and the water pressure sensor 317, and at least one of the watering control signals of the watering vehicle 6. The watering parameters of the watering vehicle 6 are one of the operation information of the watering vehicle 6. The operation information of the watering vehicle 6 includes not only the watering control signal, the driving control signal, the output values ​​of the vehicle state detection sensors (water level, nozzle pressure), and the watering parameters (watering volume), but also various results calculated from the watering control signal and the output values ​​of the vehicle state detection sensors. The operation information storage unit 330 stores the operation information of the watering vehicle 6 calculated by the operation information calculation unit 320.

[0041] When the watering vehicle 6 is in the watering state, the operation information calculation unit 320 calculates the amount of water sprayed at regular intervals until the end of the watering state (hereinafter, also referred to as the amount of water sprayed per unit time). The amount of water sprayed (water discharge amount) [m ３ during a certain period from the first time to the second time is calculated, for example, by subtracting the water storage amount at the second time from the water storage amount at the first time measured by the water storage sensor 314. Note that the calculation method of the amount of water sprayed [m ３ is not limited to this. The amount of water sprayed [m ３ from the first time to the second time may be calculated, for example, based on the time during which the watering valve was open and the water pressure (nozzle pressure) during watering measured by the water pressure sensor 317 between the first time and the second time. The time during which the watering valve was open is calculated based on the watering control signal from the vehicle body control unit 370 to the watering valve. The unit time is set to, for example, 1 second or a value ranging from several seconds to several minutes. The operation information calculation unit 320 stores the calculated amount of water sprayed in the operation information storage unit 330.

[0042] The operation information storage unit 330 stores the watering parameters (amount of water sprayed) calculated by the operation information calculation unit 320. The operation information storage unit 330 stores an operation information table 351 including an information configuration as shown in FIG. 6. The operation information table 351 associates the position of the watering vehicle 6 (operation information acquisition position) output by the position calculation unit 310 at the time of acquiring the operation information of the watering vehicle 6, the time (operation information acquisition time) when the operation information calculation unit 320 acquires the operation information of the watering vehicle 6, the watering parameters (amount of water sprayed) calculated by the operation information calculation unit 320 based on the operation information of the watering vehicle 6, and the vehicle ID of the watering vehicle 6 and stores them as a data table. Note that the operation information table 351 may include operation information not shown in the figure.

[0043] Here, for convenience of explanation, the position of the watering vehicle 6 (corresponding to the operation information acquisition position) and the watering parameters at that position are defined as watering information. The in-vehicle terminal 300 associates the watering information with the watering information acquisition time (corresponding to the operation information acquisition time) when the watering information was acquired and transmits it to the management terminal 4 via the vehicle-side wireless communication device 350. In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle terminal 300 transmits the operation information table 351 to the management terminal 4.

[0044] The display control unit 360 controls the display device 361 based on the notification control signal from the management terminal 4, and causes the display device 361 to display notification information for the operator on the display screen of the display device 361. Note that the display control unit 360 may control the display device 361 to display operation information and the like on the display screen of the display device 361.

[0045] <Management Terminal> As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the management terminal 4 includes a management-side wireless communication device 41 that communicates with vehicles in the mine such as the transport vehicle 2 and the watering vehicle 6, a server 42, and an input device 43 such as a keyboard that an administrator operates when inputting information.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 7, the functions of the server 42 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the server 42 includes a map information storage unit 421, a vehicle position calculation unit 422, a data division unit 423, a road surface information storage unit 424, an environment information storage unit 425, a road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426, a road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427, a road surface deterioration determination unit 428, a watering information storage unit 429, and a cumulative water application amount calculation unit 430.

[0047] The map information storage unit 421 stores, as map information 420 (see FIG. 8), the driving road surface in the mine where vehicles such as the transport vehicle 2 and the watering vehicle 6 travel, divided into a plurality of segments of a predetermined size. The vehicle position calculation unit 422 calculates, based on the information of the vehicle in the mine acquired by the management-side wireless communication device 41, which segment of the driving road surface included in the map information 420 stored in the map information storage unit 421 the vehicle is traveling on. The data division unit 423 assigns the information of the vehicle in the mine acquired by the management-side wireless communication device 41 to each segment of the driving road surface included in the map information 420.

[0048] The road surface information storage unit 424 stores road surface information, which is configured by assigning operational information (e.g., driving speed) of the transport vehicle 2 to each segment of the road surface included in the map information 420 using the data division unit 423, in association with the time the operational information was acquired. The watering information storage unit 429 stores watering information, which is configured by assigning operational information (e.g., watering amount) of the watering vehicle 6 to each segment of the road surface included in the map information 420 using the data division unit 423, in association with the time the operational information was acquired. The cumulative watering amount calculation unit 430 calculates the cumulative watering amount for each segment within a predetermined time based on the watering information stored in the watering information storage unit 429, and stores it in the watering information storage unit 429.

[0049] The environmental information storage unit 425 stores environmental information such as the weather conditions of the mine (e.g., temperature, atmospheric pressure, weather, rainfall, cloud cover, etc.). The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 calculates the deterioration conditions under which the road surface condition of the roads within the mine deteriorates, based on the information stored in the road surface information storage unit 424, the environmental information storage unit 425, and the watering information storage unit 429.

[0050] The road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427 stores the deterioration conditions calculated by the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426. The road surface deterioration determination unit 428 determines, based on operational information obtained from vehicles such as transport vehicles 2 traveling within the mine and the deterioration conditions stored in the road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427, whether the deterioration conditions are met such that the road surface condition within the mine deteriorates at the time of travel when the vehicle travels on the road surface, and outputs the determination result to the management wireless communication device 41, which is one of the determination result output devices.

[0051] The environmental information storage unit 425 stores, for example, multiple pieces of environmental information for each time (e.g., time t1, t2) at multiple locations within the mine (e.g., location A, location B). In other words, the environmental information storage unit 425 stores multiple pieces of environmental information in association with location information indicating the location within the mine and time information indicating the time the environmental information was acquired. The environmental information can be received, for example, from a commercial server that provides a weather data distribution service via the management wireless communication device 41. Note that the server 42 may not include environmental information such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and weather in the mine, nor the environmental information storage unit 425 that stores this environmental information. However, by using the environmental information within the mine, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 can calculate the deterioration conditions under which the road surface condition within the mine deteriorates with greater accuracy.

[0052] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating map information. In Figure 8, transport vehicles 2A and 2B traveling on the road surface inside the mine are schematically shown on the map information 420. The map information 420 is composed of multiple segments i, j, ... in which the road surface inside the mine is divided at predetermined intervals. Each of the multiple segments is assigned information indicating the coordinates that identify that segment on the map information 420. The coordinates of segment i are (xi, yi), and the coordinates of segment j are (xj, yj). Figure 8 shows transport vehicles 2A and 2B traveling from segment i towards segment j.

[0053] As shown in Figure 7, the management-side wireless communication device 41 of the management terminal 4, the vehicle-side wireless communication device 250 of the transport vehicle 2 (not shown in Figure 7), and the vehicle-side wireless communication device 350 of the watering vehicle 6 (not shown in Figure 7) are connected via a wireless communication line, forming the road surface management system 8 according to this embodiment.

[0054] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the on-board terminal 200 of the transport vehicle 2. The on-board terminal 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 24, an input interface 25, and an output interface 26, and is configured using a control device that connects these components to each other via a bus 27. The on-board terminal 300 of the watering vehicle 6 and the server 42 of the management terminal 4 also include a hardware configuration similar to that of the on-board terminal 200. Each functional unit of the in-vehicle terminal 200 shown in Figure 3, each functional unit of the in-vehicle terminal 300 shown in Figure 4, and each functional unit of the server 42 shown in Figure 7 may be realized through the cooperation of software and hardware, by the CPU 21 executing programs stored in ROM 22, RAM 23, and HDD 24, or they may be realized by integrated circuits. Furthermore, ROM 22, RAM 23, and HDD 24 function as storage devices (memories). Thresholds and data tables used for various calculations are stored in the storage devices. Note that the processor is not limited to a CPU, but may also be an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc.

[0055] <Processing> Referring to Figures 10A to 19, an overview of the processing of the road surface management system 8 will be explained. Figures 10A and 10B show the operation information tables 251A and 251B transmitted from the transport vehicle 2A and the transport vehicle 2B to the management terminal 4, respectively. As shown in Figure 10A, the operation information table 251A transmitted from the transport vehicle 2A to the management terminal 4 consists of the vehicle ID of the transport vehicle 2A, the location where the operation information was acquired, the time when the operation information was acquired, the degree of road surface deterioration, the driving speed of the transport vehicle 2A, the accelerator opening, and the brake opening. As shown in Figure 10B, the operation information table 251B transmitted from the transport vehicle 2B to the management terminal 4 has the same configuration as the operation information table 251A. Each record in the operation information table 251A and the operation information table 251B is information that is assigned to one of multiple segments by the data division unit 423.

[0056] Figure 11 shows the operation information table (segment-assigned operation information table) 251C of the transport vehicle 2 assigned to segment i, which is one of multiple segments, by the data splitting unit 423. Based on the operation information acquisition location, the data splitting unit 423 generates the segment-assigned operation information table 251C by merging the operation information table 251A and the operation information table 251B for each segment. That is, for all records contained in the operation information table 251A and the operation information table 251B, the data splitting unit 423 extracts records that contain the same operation information acquisition location and assigns the extracted records to the segment that contains the operation information acquisition location.

[0057] As shown in Figure 11, the operation information table 251C for segment i includes a vehicle ID to identify transport vehicle 2A or transport vehicle 2B, an operation information acquisition location indicating the position (xi, yi) included in segment i, the operation information acquisition time, the degree of road surface deterioration, the travel speed of transport vehicle 2, the accelerator opening, and the brake opening. Each time the data division unit 423 receives operation information tables 251A and 251B, it generates or updates a segment-assigned operation information table 251C for each segment by merging operation information tables 251A and 251B, and stores it in the road surface information storage unit 424 as road surface information.

[0058] Figures 12A and 12B show the operation information tables transmitted from watering vehicle 6A and watering vehicle 6B to the management terminal 4, respectively. The operation information table 351A transmitted from watering vehicle 6A to the management terminal 4 includes the vehicle ID of watering vehicle 6A, the location where operation information is acquired (location where watering information is acquired), the time when operation information is acquired (time when watering information is acquired), and the amount of water sprayed. The operation information table 351B transmitted from watering vehicle 6B to the management terminal 4 has the same configuration as the operation information table 351A. Each record in the operation information table 351A and the operation information table 351B is information that is assigned to one of multiple segments by the data division unit 423.

[0059] Figure 13 shows the operation information table (segment-assigned operation information table) 351C of the watering vehicle 6 assigned to segment i, which is one of multiple segments, by the data splitting unit 423. Based on the operation information acquisition location, the data splitting unit 423 generates the segment-assigned operation information table 351C by merging the operation information table 351A and the operation information table 351B for each segment. That is, the data splitting unit 423 extracts records that include the same operation information acquisition location from all records included in the operation information table 351A and the operation information table 351B, and assigns the extracted records to the segment that includes the operation information acquisition location.

[0060] As shown in Figure 13, the operation information table 351C for segment i includes an operation ID to identify the watering vehicle 6A or watering vehicle 6B, an operation information acquisition location indicating the position (xi, yi) included in segment i, an operation information acquisition time, and operation information such as the amount of water sprayed. Whenever the data division unit 423 receives the operation information table 351A and the operation information table 351B, it generates or updates a segment-assigned operation information table 351C for each segment by merging the operation information table 351A and the operation information table 351B, and stores it in the watering information storage unit 429 as watering information.

[0061] Figure 14 shows the cumulative watering amount table 352 for each time point in segment i. The cumulative watering information includes the cumulative watering amount within one hour from the time of acquiring operational information (measurement time), and the cumulative watering amount within two hours from the time of acquiring operational information. For example, the cumulative watering amount ds11 within one hour from the time of acquiring operational information t1 is the sum of the watering amounts from time (t1-1 [h]) to the time of acquiring operational information t1. The cumulative watering amount calculation unit 430 calculates the watering amount [m] for a unit time width within the corresponding time range (for example, within one hour from the measurement time) from the segment-assigned operational information table 351C. ３ The system obtains the watering rate and calculates the cumulative watering rate based on the obtained rate and the duration of the watering state (discharge time).

[0062] In this way, the cumulative watering amount calculation unit 430 calculates the cumulative amount of watering at each of the multiple locations (segments) on the road surface, based on the watering information (watering information acquisition location and watering amount) at the time the operating information of the watering vehicle 6 is acquired (watering information acquisition time), and calculates the cumulative amount of watering from a predetermined time before the time the operating information is acquired (1 hour before and 2 hours before) to the time the operating information is acquired, as the cumulative watering amount at the time the operating information is acquired.

[0063] The cumulative watering amount calculation unit 430 generates or updates the segment-assigned cumulative watering amount table 352 each time the segment-assigned operation information table 351C is generated or updated, and stores it in the watering information storage unit 429 as cumulative watering information. The time range for accumulating may be shorter or longer than one hour. Furthermore, an example has been described in which the cumulative watering amount is stored in the watering information storage unit 429 as a cumulative watering parameter representing the cumulative value of the watering amount at the time of operation information acquisition. However, the cumulative watering parameter is not limited to the cumulative watering amount. The cumulative watering parameter may be not the cumulative watering amount, but rather the rate of change (average value) of the cumulative watering amount from a predetermined time before the time of operation information acquisition to the time of operation information acquisition. In Figure 14, the watering amount within one hour and the watering amount within two hours from a certain measurement time are measured and generated as the segment-assigned cumulative watering amount table 352.

[0064] Next, the road surface deterioration condition calculation process performed by the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 will be explained with reference to Figures 15A to 19. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 obtains the segment-assigned operational information table 251C for each segment from the road surface information storage unit 424. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 obtains the segment-assigned cumulative watering amount table 352 for each segment from the watering information storage unit 429. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 obtains environmental information for each segment from the environmental information storage unit 425. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 merges the cumulative watering amount table 352 and the environmental information into the segment-assigned operational information table 251C. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 stores the merged information of the operational information table 251C, the cumulative watering amount table 352, and the environmental information as an integrated operational information table 261A.

[0065] Figure 15A shows the integrated operational information table 261A at point A (segment A). Figure 15B shows the extracted operational information table 261B extracted from the integrated operational information table 261A at point A (segment A). As will be described later, the extracted operational information table 261B contains operational information for the time (deterioration determination time) when the rate of change of the road surface deterioration (rate of change over time) exceeds a predetermined deterioration threshold.

[0066] Figure 16A shows the time change in the degree of road surface deterioration at points A and B, and Figure 16B shows the time change in the cumulative amount of water sprayed within one hour at points A and B. The coordinates of point A (segment A) are (xa, ya), and the coordinates of point B (segment B) are (xb, yb). The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 generates graphs 281 and 282 as shown in Figures 16A and 16B, based on the integrated operation information table 261A corresponding to the segment including point A, and the integrated operation information table (not shown) corresponding to the segment including point B. The horizontal axis of graph 281 represents the time of operation information acquisition, and the vertical axis of graph 281 represents the degree of road surface deterioration. The horizontal axis of graph 282 represents the time of water spraying information acquisition (operation information acquisition time), and the vertical axis represents the cumulative amount of water sprayed within one hour.

[0067] As shown in Graph 281, the degree of road surface deterioration at point A is high during the time range from time ta to time tb. As shown in Graph 282, the cumulative amount of water sprayed at point A is high during the time range from time ta to time tb. This indicates that watering was carried out at point A during the time range from time ta to time tb, and the road surface deteriorated due to the increase in moisture content caused by the watering. As shown in Graph 281, the degree of road surface deterioration at point A is low during the time range from time tb to time tc. As shown in Graph 282, the cumulative amount of water sprayed at point A is low during the time range from time tb to time tc. This indicates that watering was stopped after time tb, and the road surface was prepared by the leveling vehicle 3.

[0068] As shown in Graph 281, the degree of road surface deterioration at point A is high during the time range from time tc to time td. As shown in Graph 281, the weather at point A is rainy during the time range from time tc to time td. This indicates that at point A, the road surface deteriorates during the time range from time tc to time td due to increased moisture content caused by the rainy weather. As shown in Graph 281, the degree of road surface deterioration at point A is low during the time range from time td to time te. As shown in Graph 281, the weather at point A is sunny during the time range from time td to time te. This indicates that after time td, the weather becomes sunny and the road surface is prepared by the leveling vehicle 3.

[0069] As shown in Graph 281, the degree of road surface deterioration at point B remained low throughout the time range from time t0 to time te. As shown in Graph 282, the cumulative amount of water sprayed at point B remained low throughout the time range from time t0 to time te. In other words, at point B, watering was not performed much within the time range shown, and the deterioration of the road surface was minimal.

[0070] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the road surface deterioration condition estimation process. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 performs the road surface deterioration condition estimation process for each of a predetermined number of points, including point A and point B. Below, an example of the flow of the road surface deterioration condition estimation process for point A will be described. The road surface deterioration condition estimation process is performed, for example, whenever the server 42 receives the operation information tables 251 and 351 and updates the integrated operation information table 261A. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 refers to the updated integrated operation information table 261A and performs the various processes shown in Figure 17.

[0071] As shown in Figure 17, in step S1, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 calculates the rate of change in the degree of road surface deterioration during a predetermined time period (the time period from a predetermined time before the time of operation information acquisition to the time of operation information acquisition) based on the time of operation information acquisition updated in the integrated operation information table 261A. In the next step S2, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 determines whether the rate of change in the degree of road surface deterioration calculated in step S1 exceeds the deterioration threshold. If it is determined that the rate of change in the degree of road surface deterioration does not exceed the deterioration threshold, the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 17 is terminated. If it is determined that the rate of change in the degree of road surface deterioration exceeds the deterioration threshold, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0072] In step S3, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 extracts records for the time period targeted in this process from the integrated operation information table 261A. As described above, the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 17 is executed each time the integrated operation information table 261A is updated. Once processing is completed for all time periods in the integrated operation information table 261A (see Figure 15A), the information extracted in step S3 is accumulated, and the extracted operation information table 261B (see Figure 15B) is generated. Note that the extraction process (step S3) only needs to be performed on the information for the new time periods added to the integrated operation information table 261A. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 stores the generated extracted operation information table 261B in the road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427. This updates the extracted operation information table 261B.

[0073] In step S4, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 aggregates the number of data points for each of the predetermined elements (weather, cumulative water spraying amount, driving speed, accelerator opening) from the extracted operational information table 261B extracted in step S3, and generates aggregated data for each element. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 stores each of the generated aggregated data in the road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427.

[0074] In step S4, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 aggregates the number of times (times) each weather condition such as "sunny," "cloudy," and "rainy" in the environmental information for the extracted operational information table 261B, and generates a graph as shown in Figure 18(a). In step S4, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 aggregates the cumulative water spraying amount, speed, and accelerator opening values ​​within one hour for the extracted operational information table 261B, each within a predetermined numerical range, and generates graphs as shown in Figures 18(b) to 18(d).

[0075] Figure 18 is a diagram illustrating the aggregated data, where (a) shows aggregated weather data, (b) shows aggregated cumulative watering amount data within one hour, (c) shows aggregated vehicle speed data, and (d) shows aggregated accelerator opening data for the vehicle. Figures 18(a) to 18(d) show the results of extracting and aggregating records from the integrated operation information table 261A under predetermined conditions.

[0076] The weather summary data shown in Figure 18(a) is generated by aggregating the occurrence times for each weather condition from the extracted operational information table 261B. The cumulative watering volume summary data shown in Figure 18(b) is generated by aggregating the number of waterings for the cumulative watering volume within one hour from the extracted operational information table 261B. The cumulative watering volume is divided into multiple numerical ranges, and the number of waterings (watering time) for each divided numerical range is aggregated. For example, the cumulative watering volume is 0 [m ３ ] from value D1[m ３ The data is divided into numerical ranges such as up to ] and numerical ranges from value D1 to value D2. By aggregating the number of waterings for each numerical range and associating the number of waterings with a representative value (average, etc.) for each numerical range, cumulative watering amount data is generated.

[0077] The aggregated speed data shown in Figure 18(c) is a graph that aggregates the speed values ​​from the extracted operational information table 261B. The aggregated speed data is generated by aggregating the occurrence times corresponding to the travel speeds of transport vehicles 2A and 2B. The aggregated accelerator opening data shown in Figure 18(d) is a graph that aggregates the accelerator opening values ​​from the extracted operational information table 261B. The aggregated accelerator opening data is generated by aggregating the occurrence times corresponding to the accelerator openings of transport vehicles 2A and 2B. Note that, similar to the cumulative water spraying volume, the aggregated speed data and the aggregated accelerator opening data are generated by aggregating the occurrence times for each of several numerical range categories.

[0078] As shown in Figure 17, once the record aggregation process (step S4) is completed, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 calculates the road surface deterioration conditions based on the aggregated data generated in step S4, and stores the calculated road surface deterioration conditions in the road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427. Road surface deterioration conditions refer to factors that significantly change the degree of road surface deterioration.

[0079] The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 refers to the aggregated weather data (see Figure 18(a)) and determines whether the duration of rainfall exceeds a predetermined environmental deterioration threshold. If the duration of rainfall exceeds the environmental deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 includes "rainy weather" as an environmental deterioration condition in the road surface deterioration conditions at that location. If the duration of rainfall does not exceed the environmental deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 does not include "rainy weather" as an environmental deterioration condition in the road surface deterioration conditions. The environmental deterioration threshold is predetermined and stored in the storage device of the management terminal 4.

[0080] The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 refers to the aggregated data of the cumulative amount of water sprayed within one hour (see Figure 18(b)) and determines whether the number of water sprays for a cumulative amount greater than the first cumulative amount of water sprayed threshold exceeds the water spraying deterioration threshold. If the number of water sprays for a cumulative amount greater than or equal to the first cumulative amount of water sprayed threshold exceeds the water spraying deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 includes "the cumulative amount of water sprayed within one hour is greater than the second cumulative amount of water sprayed threshold" as a water spraying deterioration condition in the road surface deterioration conditions. The second cumulative amount of water sprayed threshold may be the same value as the first cumulative amount of water sprayed threshold, or it may be a different value. If the number of water sprays for a cumulative amount greater than or equal to the first cumulative amount of water sprayed threshold does not exceed the water spraying deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 does not include "the cumulative amount of water sprayed within one hour is greater than the second cumulative amount of water sprayed threshold" as a water spraying deterioration condition in the road surface deterioration conditions. The watering deterioration threshold, the first cumulative watering amount threshold, and the second cumulative watering amount threshold are predetermined and stored in the storage device of the management terminal 4. The second cumulative watering amount threshold may be determined by the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 based on aggregated data. For example, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 may calculate the second cumulative watering amount threshold as a representative value of the cumulative watering amount category with the most waterings among the aggregated cumulative watering amount data.

[0081] The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 refers to the aggregated data of driving speeds (see Figure 18(c)) and determines whether the time spent at a driving speed of a first speed threshold or higher exceeds the speed deterioration threshold (first driving deterioration threshold). If the time spent at a driving speed of a first speed threshold or higher exceeds the speed deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 includes "driving speed is greater than the second speed threshold" as a driving deterioration condition (speed deterioration condition) in the road surface deterioration conditions. The second speed threshold may be the same value as the first speed threshold or a different value. If the time spent at a driving speed of a first speed threshold or higher does not exceed the speed deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 does not include "driving speed is greater than the second speed threshold" as a driving deterioration condition (speed deterioration condition) in the road surface deterioration conditions. The speed deterioration threshold, the first speed threshold, and the second speed threshold are predetermined and stored in the storage device of the management terminal 4. The second speed threshold may be determined by the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 based on the aggregated data. For example, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 may calculate a second speed threshold by selecting a representative value from the aggregated driving speed data for the speed category with the most frequent occurrence time.

[0082] The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 refers to the aggregated accelerator opening data (see Figure 18(d)) and determines whether the time spent with an accelerator opening greater than or equal to the first opening threshold exceeds the accelerator deterioration threshold (second driving deterioration threshold). If the time spent with an accelerator opening greater than or equal to the first opening threshold exceeds the accelerator deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 includes "accelerator opening greater than the second opening threshold" as a driving deterioration condition (accelerator deterioration condition) in the road surface deterioration conditions. The second opening threshold may be the same value as the first opening threshold or a different value. If the time spent with an accelerator opening greater than or equal to the first opening threshold does not exceed the accelerator deterioration threshold, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 does not include "accelerator opening greater than the second opening threshold" as a driving deterioration condition (accelerator deterioration condition) in the road surface deterioration conditions. The first opening threshold is predetermined and stored in the storage device of the management terminal 4. The accelerator degradation threshold, the first throttle threshold, and the second throttle threshold are predetermined and stored in the storage device of the management terminal 4. The second throttle threshold may be determined by the road surface degradation condition calculation unit 426 based on aggregated data. For example, the road surface degradation condition calculation unit 426 may calculate the second throttle threshold as a representative value of the throttle throttle category that occurs most frequently among the aggregated throttle throttle data.

[0083] In the calculation process for road surface deterioration conditions (step S5), the thresholds (environmental deterioration threshold, watering deterioration threshold, driving deterioration threshold) compared with each occurrence time or watering number in the data may be the same value or different values. The road surface deterioration conditions are set by at least one of the environmental deterioration conditions, watering deterioration conditions, and driving deterioration conditions, or a combination thereof.

[0084] For example, when the aggregated data shown in Figure 18 is generated, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 includes factors that significantly change the degree of road surface deterioration, namely the watering deterioration condition "the amount of water sprayed is greater than the second cumulative watering threshold" and the accelerator deterioration condition "the accelerator opening is greater than the second opening threshold" in the road surface deterioration conditions. In other words, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 estimates that the factors that significantly change the degree of road surface deterioration at point A are the large amount of water sprayed by the watering vehicle 6 and the large accelerator opening.

[0085] In the next step S6, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 stores the road surface deterioration conditions calculated in step S5 in the road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427, and terminates the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 17. The road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427 stores the segments (locations of the road surface) for which the road surface deterioration conditions are set.

[0086] As described above, the server 42 updates the integrated operational information table 261A whenever it receives the operational information table 251 or the operational information table 351. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 executes the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 17 each time the integrated operational information table 261A is updated to estimate the factors that cause significant changes in the degree of road surface deterioration at each point and update the road surface deterioration conditions.

[0087] As described above, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 according to this embodiment determines the deterioration time for each of the multiple segments (locations) of the road surface, using the time when the rate of change of the road surface deterioration exceeds the deterioration threshold as the deterioration determination time, and extracts cumulative watering parameters (e.g., cumulative watering amount), driving parameters (e.g., driving speed, accelerator opening), and environmental information (weather conditions) at the deterioration determination time.

[0088] The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 determines whether the number of times the extracted cumulative watering parameters (cumulative watering amount) exceeded the cumulative watering parameter threshold (first cumulative watering amount threshold) for each of the multiple segments (locations) of the road surface exceeded the watering deterioration threshold. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 also determines whether the time for which the extracted driving parameters (driving speed, accelerator opening) exceeded the driving parameter threshold (first speed threshold, first opening threshold) exceeded the driving deterioration threshold (speed deterioration threshold, accelerator deterioration threshold) for each of the multiple segments (locations). Furthermore, based on the extracted environmental information, the road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 determines whether the time for which weather conditions (rain) affecting the moisture content of the road surface occurred exceeded the environmental deterioration threshold for each of the multiple segments (locations).

[0089] The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 sets watering deterioration conditions based on cumulative watering parameters (cumulative watering amount) for specific segments (specific locations) where the number of times the extracted cumulative watering parameters exceeded the cumulative watering parameter threshold exceeds the watering deterioration threshold. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 sets watering deterioration conditions and driving deterioration conditions based on driving parameters for specific segments (specific locations) where the number of times the cumulative watering parameters exceeded the cumulative watering parameter threshold exceeds the watering deterioration threshold, and the time (number of times) the driving parameters exceeded the driving parameter threshold exceeds the driving deterioration threshold. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 sets watering deterioration conditions and environmental deterioration conditions based on environmental information for specific segments (specific locations) where the number of times the cumulative watering parameters exceeded the cumulative watering parameter threshold exceeds the watering deterioration threshold, and the time (number of times) the weather conditions affecting the moisture content of the road surface exceeded the environmental deterioration threshold.

[0090] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of the road surface deterioration notification process during driving. The flowchart shown in Figure 19 is started, for example, when a predetermined operation is performed by the input device 43 or when the road surface deterioration conditions are updated, and is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control cycle.

[0091] As shown in Figure 19, in step S11, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 obtains an operational information table 251 from the transport vehicle 2 traveling inside the mine. In the next step S12, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 obtains the road surface deterioration conditions set for each segment (each location) of the work site from the road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427.

[0092] If the road surface deterioration conditions include watering deterioration conditions, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 obtains the cumulative amount of water sprayed corresponding to the current time from the watering information storage unit 429. If the road surface deterioration conditions include environmental deterioration conditions, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 obtains environmental information (weather conditions) corresponding to the current time from the environmental information storage unit 425. If the road surface deterioration conditions include driving deterioration conditions, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 obtains driving parameters (driving speed, accelerator opening, etc.) corresponding to the current time of the transport vehicle 2 from the operation information table 251.

[0093] In the next step S13, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 compares the current information acquired in step S12 with the road surface deterioration conditions. If the road surface deterioration conditions include driving deterioration conditions, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 compares the driving parameters of the transport vehicle 2 with the driving deterioration conditions. This comparison process is performed for each transport vehicle 2 traveling through the work site. If the road surface deterioration conditions include watering deterioration conditions, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 compares the current cumulative amount of water sprayed with the watering deterioration conditions. This comparison process is performed for each segment (each location) where road surface deterioration conditions are set. If the road surface deterioration conditions include environmental deterioration conditions, the current environmental information (weather conditions) is compared with the environmental deterioration conditions. This comparison process is performed for each segment (each location) where road surface deterioration conditions are set.

[0094] In the next step S14, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 determines whether the current information satisfies the road surface deterioration conditions based on the comparison process in step S13. If it is determined that the current information satisfies the road surface deterioration conditions, the process proceeds to step S15. If it is determined that the current information does not satisfy the road surface deterioration conditions, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0095] For example, let's consider the case where the road surface deterioration conditions for point A stored in the road surface deterioration condition storage unit 427 are "the amount of water sprayed is greater than the second cumulative water spraying threshold" and "the accelerator opening is greater than the second opening threshold" (see Figures 18(b) and 18(d)). The road surface deterioration determination unit 428 determines that the road surface deterioration conditions are met when the current position of the transport vehicle 2 is point A, the cumulative amount of water sprayed at point A within one hour is greater than the second cumulative water spraying threshold (threshold), and the accelerator opening of the transport vehicle 2 is greater than the second opening threshold. The road surface deterioration determination unit 428 determines that the road surface deterioration conditions are not met when at least one of the following conditions is met: the cumulative amount of water sprayed at point A within one hour is less than or equal to the second cumulative water spraying threshold, and the accelerator opening of the transport vehicle 2 is less than or equal to the second opening threshold.

[0096] Although an example has been described in which the road surface deterioration conditions at point A are determined to be met when both the watering deterioration conditions and the driving deterioration conditions are met at point A, the determination method is not limited to this. For example, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 may determine that the road surface deterioration conditions are met at point A when at least the watering deterioration conditions are met. Also, if watering deterioration conditions, driving deterioration conditions, and environmental deterioration conditions are set at point A, the road surface deterioration conditions may be determined to be met when at least one of these deterioration conditions is met.

[0097] In step S15, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 determines that there is a high probability that the road surface at point A will deteriorate as the transport vehicle 2 travels on the road surface at point A. In the next step S16, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 outputs a notification control signal to the transport vehicle 2 at point A via the management wireless communication device 41 to inform the operator that deterioration of the road surface at point A can be avoided by reducing the amount of accelerator operation, and terminates the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 19.

[0098] In step S17, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 determines that there is a low probability that the road surface at point A will deteriorate as the transport vehicle 2 travels on the road surface at point A. In the next step S18, the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 outputs a notification control signal to the transport vehicle 2 at point A via the management wireless communication device 41 to notify the operator that there is a low probability that the road surface at point A will deteriorate, and terminates the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 19.

[0099] Furthermore, the results of the road surface deterioration condition determination process may be output not only to the transport vehicle 2 at point A, but also to other transport vehicles 2 performing work at the work site.

[0100] When the onboard terminal 200 of another transport vehicle 2 receives the result of the road surface deterioration condition determination process from the management terminal 4, it calculates the timing before the transport vehicle 2 passes point A based on the transport vehicle 2's current position, the position of point A where the road surface deterioration condition is met, and the transport vehicle 2's current direction of travel. At the calculated timing, the onboard terminal 200 notifies the operator via a notification device of information to avoid deterioration of the road surface at point A.

[0101] If road surface deterioration conditions are met based on operational information when transport vehicle 2A travels through point A, all transport vehicles 2 within the work site, including transport vehicle 2A, may be subject to notification. In this case, transport vehicle 2B, which is different from transport vehicle 2A, will be notified to its operator before it passes point A. Transport vehicle 2A will be notified to its operator at the time it passes point A, and then again just before it passes point A.

[0102] Notifications to the operator are provided, for example, using a display device 261. The onboard terminal 200 of the transport vehicle 2 displays an image on the display screen of the display device 261 prompting the operator to reduce the accelerator opening so that the accelerator opening is less than the second accelerator opening threshold. Note that the notification device that notifies the operator is not limited to a display device 261 such as a display. For example, a light-emitting device equipped with multiple LEDs may be used as the notification device. In this case, the operator can be prompted to reduce the accelerator opening by changing the color of the LEDs, the lighting time, blinking, etc. Alternatively, a speaker capable of outputting a voice message prompting the operator to reduce the accelerator opening may be used as the notification device.

[0103] Typically, the routes used in mines are predetermined. For example, if the conditions for watering deterioration are met at a certain point on the route, and it is determined that a certain transport vehicle 2 also meets the conditions for road deterioration, a notification is sent to multiple transport vehicles 2, including the transport vehicle 2 in question, to prevent road surface deterioration. For example, if the accelerator opening is repeatedly increased at the same point, the road surface will deteriorate. Therefore, if the accelerator deterioration condition is met for one transport vehicle 2, a notification is sent to the second and subsequent transport vehicles 2 that are scheduled to pass point A, instructing them to reduce their accelerator opening, thereby preventing road surface deterioration.

[0104] Furthermore, the information output to transport vehicle 2 when the driving deterioration conditions are met, the information output to transport vehicle 2 when the watering deterioration conditions are met, and the information output to transport vehicle 2 when the environmental deterioration conditions are met may be the same information or different information. In addition, although an example of notifying all transport vehicles 2 at the work site to suppress the movement of transport vehicles 2 has been described, notifications may also be limited to transport vehicles 2 that are scheduled to pass through a specific segment where the road surface deterioration conditions are met.

[0105] In this manner, the management terminal 4 monitors the cumulative amount of water sprayed at a specific location and performs driving suppression control by outputting a driving suppression signal (notification control signal) to suppress the movement of transport vehicles 2 that are scheduled to pass through the specific location where the water spray deterioration conditions are met. In addition, the management terminal 4 monitors the cumulative amount of water sprayed at the specific location, as well as the driving parameters of transport vehicles 2 that are scheduled to pass through the specific location and the weather conditions at the specific location.

[0106] If the driving parameters of a transport vehicle 2 that is scheduled to pass through a specific location where the watering deterioration conditions are met meet the driving deterioration conditions, the management terminal 4 outputs a driving suppression signal to suppress the driving of the transport vehicle 2.

[0107] The management terminal 4 outputs a travel restriction signal to suppress the travel of a transport vehicle 2 that is scheduled to pass through a specific location where at least one of the watering deterioration conditions and the environmental deterioration conditions is met.

[0108] The management terminal 4 may perform water spray suppression control in place of, or in conjunction with, the above-mentioned vehicle travel suppression control. In water spray suppression control, the management terminal 4 outputs a water spray suppression signal to suppress water spraying by the water spraying vehicle 6 that is scheduled to spray water at a specific location.

[0109] The onboard terminal 300 of the watering vehicle 6 displays a display image on the display screen of the display device 361 prompting the operator to reduce the amount of water sprayed, based on the water spraying suppression signal received from the management terminal 4. In other words, the operator of the watering vehicle 6 receives a predetermined notification. Note that the notification device that notifies the operator is not limited to the display device 361 such as a display. For example, a light-emitting device equipped with multiple LEDs may be used as the notification device. In this case, the operator can be prompted to reduce the amount of water sprayed by changing the color of the LEDs, the lighting time, and the manner of light emission such as flashing. Alternatively, a speaker capable of outputting a message prompting the operator to reduce the amount of water sprayed may be used as the notification device.

[0110] With this configuration, even when the watering vehicle 6 is performing watering operations, the amount of water sprayed can be reduced before the transport vehicle 2 travels on the road surface, thereby suppressing deterioration of the road surface. As a result, the number of road surface maintenance (ground leveling) operations in the mine can be reduced, and the efficiency of road surface maintenance work can be improved.

[0111] According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0112] (1) The road surface management system 8 includes a transport vehicle (work vehicle) 2, a watering vehicle 6, and a management terminal 4 that manages the road surface on which the transport vehicle 2 and the watering vehicle 6 travel. The transport vehicle 2, the watering vehicle 6, and the management terminal 4 are connected via a wireless communication line.

[0113] The transport vehicle 2 includes a position sensor (first position sensor) 215 for detecting the position of the transport vehicle 2, a first vehicle state detection sensor (speed sensor 212, weight sensor 213, and suspension pressure sensor 214) for detecting the state of the transport vehicle 2, and an on-board terminal 200 which is a driving control device that controls the driving of the transport vehicle 2 based on a driving control signal. The on-board terminal 200 calculates the accelerator opening, which is a driving parameter related to the driving of the transport vehicle 2, based on the driving control signal. The on-board terminal 200 calculates the driving speed of the transport vehicle 2, which is a driving parameter related to the driving of the transport vehicle 2, based on the output value from the speed sensor 212 (output value from the first vehicle state detection sensor). The on-board terminal 200 calculates the degree of road surface deterioration, which is the degree of deterioration of the road surface on which the transport vehicle 2 has driven, based on the output value from the suspension pressure sensor 214 (output value from the first vehicle state detection sensor). The in-vehicle terminal 200 transmits the driving information, including the location of the transport vehicle 2 (operation information acquisition location), driving parameters, and road surface deterioration degree, to the management terminal 4 via the vehicle-side wireless communication device (first vehicle-side wireless communication device) 250, linking it with the time the driving information was acquired (operation information acquisition time).

[0114] The watering vehicle 6 includes a position sensor (second position sensor) 315 for detecting the position of the watering vehicle 6, a second vehicle state detection sensor (water storage volume sensor 314 and water pressure sensor 317) for detecting the state of the watering vehicle 6, and an on-board terminal 300 which is a watering control device that controls watering by the watering vehicle 6 based on a watering control signal. The on-board terminal 300 calculates the watering amount, which is a watering parameter related to watering by the watering vehicle 6, based on at least one of the watering control signal and the output value of the second vehicle state detection sensor (output value from the water storage volume sensor 314 or the water pressure sensor 317). The on-board terminal 300 links the watering information, which is the position of the watering vehicle 6 (operation information acquisition position) and the watering amount, with the watering information acquisition time (operation information acquisition time) when the watering information (operation information of the watering vehicle 6) was acquired, and transmits it to the management terminal 4 via a vehicle-side wireless communication device (second vehicle-side wireless communication device) 350.

[0115] Based on the watering information, the management terminal 4 calculates a cumulative watering parameter for each of the multiple locations on the road surface, representing the cumulative amount of water sprayed from a predetermined time before the watering information acquisition time (for example, one hour before) to the time the watering information was acquired. In this embodiment, the management terminal 4 calculates, for example, the cumulative amount of water sprayed within one hour as the cumulative watering parameter (see Figure 14). In this embodiment, the road surface is divided into multiple segments. Therefore, the location on the road surface is represented by the location included in the segment.

[0116] The management terminal 4 extracts the cumulative amount of water sprayed at each of the multiple locations on the road surface, using the time when the rate of change in the road surface deterioration exceeds the deterioration threshold as the deterioration determination time (see Figures 15A and 15B). The deterioration determination time corresponds to the operational information acquisition time in Figure 15B. Either the management terminal 4 or the in-vehicle terminal 200 performs at least one of the following based on the cumulative amount of water sprayed: driving suppression control, which outputs a driving suppression signal to suppress the driving of the transport vehicle 2, and water spray suppression control, which outputs a water spray suppression signal to suppress water spraying by the water spraying vehicle 6.

[0117] For example, the management terminal 4 determines whether the number of times the extracted cumulative watering amount exceeded the first cumulative watering amount threshold (cumulative watering parameter threshold) at each of several locations on the road surface (number of waterings) exceeds the watering deterioration threshold. The management terminal 4 sets watering deterioration conditions based on the cumulative watering amount for specific locations where the number of times the extracted cumulative watering amount (cumulative watering amount within one hour) exceeded the first cumulative watering amount threshold (number of waterings for data exceeding the threshold) exceeds the watering deterioration threshold.

[0118] The management terminal 4 monitors the cumulative amount of water sprayed at a specific location and determines whether the water spray deterioration conditions have been met. The management terminal 4 executes travel restriction control to suppress the movement of transport vehicles 2 passing through the specific location where the water spray deterioration conditions have been met. In the travel restriction control, the management terminal 4 outputs a travel restriction signal to suppress the movement of transport vehicles 2 that are scheduled to pass through the specific location where the water spray deterioration conditions have been met.

[0119] In this configuration, at a certain location, if the rate of change in the degree of road surface deterioration exceeds the deterioration threshold at the deterioration determination time, and the cumulative amount of water sprayed is greater than the first cumulative amount of water sprayed, the water spraying deterioration condition is set. For example, if watering is performed at a specific location when the weather is sunny, the amount of moisture on the road surface decreases after the watering is completed. This makes it difficult for the road surface to deteriorate. However, if watering is performed again at the specific location, the degree of road surface deterioration may increase as the transport vehicle 2 passes over that location. In this embodiment, the cumulative amount of water sprayed at the specific location is monitored, and if the water spraying deterioration condition is met due to an increase in the cumulative amount of water sprayed, a driving suppression signal is output from the management terminal 4 to suppress the driving of the transport vehicle 2. Therefore, road surface deterioration caused by the driving of the transport vehicle 2 can be suppressed. As a result, the number of road surface maintenance (ground leveling) operations in the mine can be reduced, and the efficiency of road surface maintenance work can be improved.

[0120] (2) The management terminal 4 may perform water spray suppression control instead of driving suppression control. In water spray suppression control, the management terminal 4 outputs a water spray suppression signal to suppress water spraying by the water spraying vehicle 6 that is scheduled to spray water at a specific location where the water spray deterioration conditions are met. This configuration prevents the cumulative amount of water sprayed at the specific location from becoming too large. As a result, deterioration of the road surface caused by vehicles passing over the specific location can be suppressed. Note that instead of performing water spray suppression control instead of driving suppression control, water spray suppression control may be performed together with driving suppression control. This makes it possible to suppress deterioration of the road surface more effectively.

[0121] (3) In this embodiment, the driving suppression signal output from the in-vehicle terminal 300 when the road surface deterioration conditions are met is a notification control signal that causes the notification device (display, speaker, etc.) of the transport vehicle 2 to make a predetermined notification. When the notification device of the transport vehicle 2 receives the notification control signal, it notifies the operator of the transport vehicle 2 of a message to suppress the deterioration of the road surface. With this configuration, the operator of the transport vehicle 2 performs operations to suppress the driving of the transport vehicle 2 at locations where the cumulative amount of water sprayed is high, such as reducing the throttle opening. This makes it possible to suppress the degree of road surface deterioration at a specific location from increasing due to the passage of the transport vehicle 2.

[0122] (4) The management terminal 4 extracts driving parameters (driving speed, accelerator opening, and brake opening) at each of the multiple locations on the driving surface at the time of deterioration determination (see Figures 15A and 15B). The management terminal 4 calculates the time at each of the multiple locations when the extracted driving parameters become greater than the driving parameter threshold (the time at which data exceeding the threshold occurs). The management terminal 4 determines whether the calculated time exceeds the driving deterioration threshold.

[0123] The management terminal 4 sets watering deterioration conditions and driving deterioration conditions based on driving parameters for specific locations where the number of times the cumulative watering amount exceeds the first cumulative watering amount threshold exceeds the watering deterioration threshold, and the time (number of times) when the driving parameters (e.g., driving speed, accelerator opening) exceed the driving parameter threshold exceeds the driving deterioration threshold (speed deterioration threshold, accelerator deterioration threshold).

[0124] The management terminal 4 monitors the cumulative amount of water sprayed at a specific location and also monitors the driving parameters of the transport vehicle 2 that is scheduled to pass through that location. If the driving parameters of the transport vehicle 2 that is scheduled to pass through a specific location where the water spray deterioration conditions have been met meet the driving deterioration conditions, the management terminal 4 outputs a driving suppression signal to suppress the movement of the transport vehicle 2.

[0125] In this configuration, when the road surface contains a large amount of moisture, it is determined that the degree of road surface deterioration is increasing due to the passage of the transport vehicle 2. By reducing the driving parameters of the transport vehicle 2 when passing through a specific location, the deterioration of the road surface at that location can be appropriately suppressed.

[0126] The management terminal 4 may, when watering deterioration conditions and driving deterioration conditions are set at a specific location, determine that the road surface deterioration condition is met if at least one of the deterioration conditions is met, and output a driving suppression signal. In this case, if neither the watering deterioration condition nor the driving deterioration condition is met, it is determined that the road surface deterioration condition is not met. This configuration makes it possible to effectively suppress the deterioration of the driving road surface.

[0127] Furthermore, if the management terminal 4 has set watering deterioration conditions and driving deterioration conditions at a specific location, it may determine that the road surface deterioration condition has been met when both deterioration conditions are met, and output a driving suppression signal. In this case, if at least one of the deterioration conditions, the watering deterioration condition and the driving deterioration condition, is not met, it is determined that the road surface deterioration condition has not been met. If the watering deterioration condition is not met at a specific location, the management terminal 4 does not output a driving suppression signal to the transport vehicle 2 passing through the specific location. With this configuration, it is not necessary to constantly suppress the driving of the transport vehicle 2 passing through the specific location, thus improving work efficiency. Also, if the watering deterioration condition is met at a specific location, and the driving parameters of the transport vehicle 2 scheduled to pass through the specific location do not meet the driving deterioration conditions, the management terminal 4 does not output a driving suppression signal to the transport vehicle 2. With this configuration, transport vehicles 2 that are already traveling at low speeds do not receive notifications to suppress their driving. In other words, unnecessary notifications to the operator can be eliminated.

[0128] (5) The management terminal 4 extracts environmental information indicating the weather conditions at the time of deterioration determination for each of the multiple locations on the road surface. Based on the extracted environmental information, the management terminal 4 calculates the time at each of the multiple locations when weather conditions affecting the moisture content of the road surface (e.g., rain) occurred (the time when data exceeding the threshold occurred). The management terminal 4 determines whether the calculated time exceeded the environmental deterioration threshold.

[0129] The management terminal 4 sets watering deterioration conditions and environmental deterioration conditions based on environmental information for specific locations where the number of times the cumulative watering amount exceeds the first cumulative watering amount threshold exceeds the watering deterioration threshold, and the number of times weather conditions affecting the moisture content of the road surface occur exceeds the environmental deterioration threshold.

[0130] The management terminal 4 monitors the cumulative amount of water sprayed and weather conditions at a specific location, and outputs a travel restriction signal to suppress the travel of transport vehicles 2 that are scheduled to pass through a specific location where at least one of the water spray deterioration conditions and environmental deterioration conditions is met.

[0131] With this configuration, a driving restriction signal is input to the transport vehicle 2 not only when the watering deterioration conditions are met, but also when the weather conditions at a specific location affect the moisture content of the road surface (for example, rain). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the road surface caused by weather conditions.

[0132] The following modifications are also within the scope of the present invention, and it is possible to combine the configurations shown in the modifications with the configurations described in the embodiments described above, or to combine the configurations described in the following different modifications.

[0133] <Modification 1> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a notification control signal is transmitted from the management terminal 4 to the transport vehicle 2 as a driving suppression signal, and a predetermined notification is made by the notification device (e.g., display, speaker) of the transport vehicle 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The driving suppression signal output from the management terminal 4 may be a speed control signal that limits the driving speed of the transport vehicle 2. In this configuration, for example, if the driving speed of the transport vehicle 2 is high, deceleration control is performed on the transport vehicle 2 when it passes a specific location. This prevents the transport vehicle 2 from passing the specific location at high speed. As a result, deterioration of the road surface at the specific location can be suppressed. In this case, it is preferable that the notification device provides notification that deceleration control is being performed.

[0134] For the autonomous transport vehicle 2, which operates without operator intervention, a speed control signal is input to limit the vehicle's speed. This configuration prevents the autonomous transport vehicle 2 from passing a specific location at high speed. As a result, deterioration of the road surface at that location can be suppressed.

[0135] When the transport vehicle 2, which is operated remotely without an operator on board, passes a specific location, the management terminal 4 transmits a notification control signal to a notification device (e.g., display, speaker) included in the remote control device outside the transport vehicle 2. With this configuration, as in the above embodiment, a notification is sent to the operator remotely controlling the transport vehicle 2 to prompt them to slow down, thereby suppressing the movement of the transport vehicle 2.

[0136] <Modification 2> The method for estimating factors that significantly change the degree of road surface deterioration, that is, the method for calculating road surface deterioration conditions, is not limited to the example described above. The road surface deterioration condition calculation unit 426 may use statistical methods such as cluster analysis to estimate factors that significantly change the degree of road surface deterioration.

[0137] <Modification 3> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the server 42 of the management terminal 4 functions as the road surface deterioration determination unit 428. However, the function of the road surface deterioration determination unit 428 may also be provided by the on-board terminal 200 of the transport vehicle 2. For example, the on-board terminal 200 obtains information on a specific location where road surface deterioration conditions have been set from the management terminal 4. When the transport vehicle 2 passes through the specific location, the on-board terminal 200 provides notification via a notification device or controls the accelerator opening and brake opening so that the driving parameters are below the driving parameter threshold. In this configuration, the on-board terminal 200 obtains current environmental information and cumulative watering information at the specific location from the management terminal 4 and determines whether or not the road surface deterioration conditions have been met.

[0138] Furthermore, the in-vehicle terminal 200 may have the functions of the management terminal 4 described above, and the in-vehicle terminal 200 may be configured to output a watering suppression signal to suppress watering by the watering vehicle 6. For example, the in-vehicle terminal 200 may monitor the cumulative amount of water sprayed at a specific location and output a travel suppression signal to suppress the travel of the transport vehicle 2 that is scheduled to pass through a specific location where the watering deterioration conditions have been met, or it may output a watering suppression signal to suppress watering by the watering vehicle 6 that is scheduled to water a specific location where the watering deterioration conditions have been met. In other words, it is sufficient if either the management terminal 4 or the in-vehicle terminal 200 is configured to perform at least one of the following based on the cumulative amount of water sprayed: travel suppression control which outputs a travel suppression signal to suppress the travel of the transport vehicle 2, and watering suppression control which outputs a watering suppression signal to suppress watering by the watering vehicle 6.

[0139] <Modification 4> The road surface deterioration determination unit 428 may be configured to allow the operator to add arbitrary deterioration conditions via the input device 43. For example, if the frequency of watering work decreases or the road surface is paved at a predetermined location where watering deterioration conditions have been set, and the cumulative amount of water sprayed at that location no longer exceeds the first cumulative amount of water sprayed, the watering deterioration conditions set at that location can be released. In addition, the operator can set watering deterioration conditions for locations where it is desired to suppress road surface deterioration as much as possible. With this configuration, watering deterioration conditions can be set before the conditions are set due to the accumulation of data.

[0140] <Modification 5> In the above embodiment, an example of suppressing the movement of the transport vehicle 2 was described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A movement suppression signal may be output to each work vehicle such as the loading machine 1, leveling vehicle 3, watering vehicle 6, and light vehicle 7 as they pass through a specific location where watering deterioration conditions are set.

[0141] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments only represent a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0142] 1...Loading machine (work vehicle), 2...Transport vehicle (work vehicle), 3...Earth leveling vehicle (work vehicle), 4...Management terminal, 5...Wireless relay station, 6...Watering vehicle (work vehicle), 6a...Vehicle body, 6b...Running gear, 6c...Water storage tank, 6d...Watering nozzle, 7...Light vehicle (work vehicle), 8...Road surface management system, 25...Input interface, 26...Output interface, 41...Management side wireless communication device, 42...Server, 43...Input device, 200...On-board terminal (running control device), 203...Cargo bed, 205...Driver's cab, 210...Position calculation unit, 2 12...Speed ​​sensor (first vehicle state detection sensor), 213...Weight sensor (first vehicle state detection sensor), 214...Suspension pressure sensor (first vehicle state detection sensor), 215...Position sensor (first position sensor), 220...Operation information calculation unit, 230...Operation information storage unit, 240...Degradation degree calculation unit, 250...Vehicle-side wireless communication device (first vehicle-side wireless communication device), 251...Operation information table, 251C...Segment-assigned operation information table, 260...Display control unit, 261...Display device, 261A...Integrated operation information table Table, 261B... Extracted operational information table, 270... Vehicle body control unit, 271... Running gear, 281... Graph showing the time change in road surface deterioration, 282... Graph showing the time change in cumulative water spraying amount, 300... On-board terminal (water spraying control device), 310... Position calculation unit, 314... Water storage amount sensor (second vehicle state detection sensor), 315... Position sensor (second position sensor), 317... Water pressure sensor (second vehicle state detection sensor), 320... Operational information calculation unit, 330... Operational information storage unit, 350... Vehicle-side wireless communication device (second vehicle-side wireless communication device) ), 351...Operation information table, 351C...Segment-assigned operation information table, 352...Cumulative watering amount table, 360...Display control unit, 361...Display device, 370...Vehicle body control unit, 371...Watering device, 420...Map information, 421...Map information storage unit, 422...Vehicle position calculation unit, 423...Data division unit, 424...Road surface information storage unit, 425...Environmental information storage unit, 426...Road surface deterioration condition calculation unit, 427...Road surface deterioration condition storage unit, 428...Road surface deterioration determination unit, 429...Watering information storage unit, 430...Cumulative watering amount calculation unit.

Claims

1. In a road surface management system in which a work vehicle, a watering vehicle, and a management terminal for managing the road surface on which the work vehicle and the watering vehicle travel are connected via a wireless communication line, the work vehicle comprises: a first position sensor for detecting the position of the work vehicle; a first vehicle state detection sensor for detecting at least one of the speed of the work vehicle, the weight of the work vehicle, and the suspension pressure of the work vehicle as the state of the work vehicle; and a driving control device for controlling the movement of the work vehicle based on a driving control signal, the driving control device calculates driving parameters related to the movement of the work vehicle and the degree of deterioration of the road surface on which the work vehicle has traveled based on at least one of the driving control signal and the output value of the first vehicle state detection sensor, and transmits the driving information, which is the position of the work vehicle, the driving parameters, and the degree of deterioration of the road surface, to the management terminal via a first vehicle-side wireless communication device, linked to the time when the driving information was acquired. The watering vehicle comprises: a second position sensor for detecting the position of the watering vehicle, The system comprises: a second vehicle state detection sensor that detects at least one of the water storage amount and water pressure as the state of the water-spraying vehicle; and a water-spraying control device that controls watering by the water-spraying vehicle based on a water-spraying control signal, wherein the water-spraying control device calculates water-spraying parameters related to watering by the water-spraying vehicle based on at least one of the water-spraying control signal and the output value of the second vehicle state detection sensor, and transmits the water-spraying information, which is the position of the water-spraying vehicle and the water-spraying parameters, to the management terminal via a second vehicle-side wireless communication device, linked to the water-spraying information acquisition time at which the water-spraying information was acquired; the management terminal calculates cumulative water-spraying parameters at each of the multiple locations on the road surface based on the water-spraying information, representing the cumulative amount of water sprayed from a predetermined time before the water-spraying information acquisition time to the water-spraying information acquisition time; and extracts the cumulative water-spraying parameters at each of the multiple locations on the road surface, with the time at which the rate of change of the deterioration of the road surface exceeds the deterioration threshold as the deterioration determination time.A road surface management system characterized in that one of the management terminal and the driving control device performs at least one of the following based on the cumulative watering parameters: driving suppression control which outputs a driving suppression signal to suppress the driving of the work vehicle, and watering suppression control which outputs a watering suppression signal to suppress watering by the watering vehicle.

2. A road surface management system according to claim 1, wherein the management terminal determines whether the number of times the extracted cumulative watering parameters have exceeded the cumulative watering parameter threshold has exceeded the watering deterioration threshold at each of a plurality of locations on the road surface, sets a watering deterioration condition based on the cumulative watering parameters for a specific location where the number of times the cumulative watering parameters have exceeded the cumulative watering parameter threshold has exceeded the watering deterioration threshold, and either the management terminal or the driving control device monitors the cumulative watering parameters at the specific location and performs at least one of the following: driving suppression control which outputs a driving suppression signal to suppress the driving of the work vehicle that is scheduled to pass over the specific location where the watering deterioration condition has been met, and watering suppression control which outputs a watering suppression signal to suppress watering by the watering vehicle that is scheduled to water over the specific location where the watering deterioration condition has been met.

3. A road surface management system according to claim 2, wherein the management terminal extracts the driving parameters at the deterioration determination time for each of the plurality of locations on the road surface, determines for each of the plurality of locations whether the time for which the extracted driving parameters were greater than the driving parameter threshold exceeds the driving deterioration threshold, sets the watering deterioration condition and the driving deterioration condition based on the driving parameters for a specific location where the number of times the cumulative watering parameters were greater than the cumulative watering parameter threshold exceeds the watering deterioration threshold and the time for which the driving parameters were greater than the driving parameter threshold exceeds the driving deterioration threshold, and either the management terminal or the driving control device monitors the cumulative watering parameters at the specific location and monitors the driving parameters of the work vehicle scheduled to pass through the specific location, and outputs the driving suppression signal to suppress the driving of the work vehicle when the driving parameters of the work vehicle scheduled to pass through the specific location where the watering deterioration condition is met satisfy the driving deterioration condition.

4. A road surface management system according to claim 2, wherein the management terminal extracts environmental information indicating the weather conditions at the time of deterioration determination at each of a plurality of locations on the road surface, determines, based on the extracted environmental information, whether the time at each of the plurality of locations that was affected by weather conditions that affect the moisture content of the road surface exceeded an environmental deterioration threshold, sets the watering deterioration condition and the environmental deterioration condition based on the environmental information for a specific location where the number of times the cumulative watering parameter has exceeded the cumulative watering parameter threshold exceeds the watering deterioration threshold and the time at which weather conditions that affect the moisture content of the road surface exceeded the environmental deterioration threshold, and either the management terminal or the driving control device monitors the cumulative watering parameter and the weather conditions at the specific location, and outputs a driving suppression signal to suppress the driving of the work vehicle that is scheduled to pass over the specific location where at least one of the watering deterioration condition and the environmental deterioration condition is met.

5. A road surface management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving suppression signal is a notification control signal that causes the notification device of the work vehicle to make a predetermined notification.

6. A road surface management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving suppression signal is a speed control signal that limits the driving speed of the work vehicle.

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