Driver Posture Monitoring for Safe Work Machine Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional work machines with elevating devices for driver boarding and alighting increase size, complexity, weight, and manufacturing costs.

Innovation Solution

A work machine management system that includes an imaging device, sensors, and a control system to monitor and determine the appropriateness of a driver's posture during boarding and alighting, eliminating the need for an elevating device by providing real-time feedback and logging inappropriate postures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a step-shaped elevating device is mounted to assist driver boarding and alighting, then driver safety and ease of operation are improved, but device complexity, size, weight, and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriver boarding and alightingVSAvoidelevating device structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical elevating device with an image processing system that uses cameras and algorithms to detect driver posture and provide guidance. This substitutes complex mechanical structures with electronic sensing and computational methods, reducing device complexity while maintaining the safety function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an image processing system as an intermediary between the driver and the boarding process. Instead of directly providing mechanical assistance through elevating devices, the system uses image analysis to detect posture and provides guidance information, acting as a mediating layer that enables safety without mechanical complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a step-shaped elevating device is mounted to assist driver boarding and alighting, then driver safety is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriver safetyVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces expensive mechanical elevating devices with more cost-effective image processing technology. By using cameras and software algorithms to monitor and guide driver posture, the system achieves safety objectives without the high manufacturing costs associated with mechanical elevation systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses image copying technology to create a digital representation of the driver's posture. By capturing and analyzing images of the driver's position, the system can assess safety without requiring physical mechanical interventions, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Ease of operation

If a step-shaped elevating device is mounted to assist driver boarding and alighting, then ease of operation is improved, but device size and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriver boarding and alightingVSAvoidwork machine weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces heavy mechanical elevating devices with lightweight image processing equipment. By using cameras and computational algorithms instead of mechanical structures, the system maintains ease of operation guidance while significantly reducing the added weight to the work machine.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4403707B1Work machine management system and work machine
Publication Date: 2026.05.06 SUMITOMO HEAVY IND LTD
  • EP4403707B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4403707B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4403707B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is to suppress addition of configurations and to make boarding and alighting of a driver of a work machine (100, 100A) appropriate. An acquisition unit (40) configured to acquired posture information indicating a posture of the driver of the work machine (100, 100A) when boarding and alighting, a transmission unit (31) configured to transmit the posture information to an outside of the work machine (100, 100A), and a determination unit (33, 34, 211, 212) configured to determine appropriateness of the posture when boarding and alighting based on the received posture information are included to detect boarding and alighting in an inappropriate posture such as two-point support or directing a body toward the outside, make notification in a recognizable manner, and transmit to the outside of the work machine (100, 100A), so that occurrence thereof is suppressed.