Excavator Periphery Monitoring via Ladder State Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of large excavators face challenges in visualizing the periphery of the machine, particularly when the lifting ladder is in its storage position, and ensuring safety during maintenance or operation, as the rear side of the vehicle body is difficult to recognize.
Innovation Solution
A periphery monitoring apparatus and method that includes an acquisition unit for gathering peripheral conditions, a lifted/lowered state detection unit for the lifting ladder, and an output control unit to adjust the information displayed based on the ladder's state, allowing for enhanced monitoring and safety awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the lifting ladder is stored in the upper swing body, then the operator can operate the excavator, but the rear side of the vehicle body becomes difficult to visually recognize
Solution Approach 1:
A camera is installed as an intermediary device to capture images of the rear side and other areas difficult to observe from the operating room. The captured images are transmitted to a monitor, serving as a mediator to bridge the gap between the operator's limited visual field and the actual peripheral conditions, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining operation capability and achieving rear side visibility.
2Ease of operation
If the lifting ladder is lowered onto the ground, then people can access the operating room, but the operator cannot understand the peripheral condition of the lifting ladder
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system acts as an intermediary by capturing images of the peripheral conditions around the lowered lifting ladder and transmitting them to the monitor. This allows people to safely access the operating room via the lowered ladder while the operator maintains awareness of the peripheral environment through the camera feed, resolving the information loss problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera provides real-time feedback about the peripheral conditions to the operator through the monitor display. This feedback mechanism enables the operator to observe the environment around the lowered lifting ladder, including any personnel or objects in the vicinity, thereby maintaining situational awareness despite the ladder being in a different position.
3Loss of information
If cameras are provided on the rear side or side of the vehicle body, then the operator can visually recognize obstacles, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system is designed with multi-functionality to reduce overall device complexity. The same camera that captures images for obstacle recognition also captures images when the lifting ladder is lowered, serving multiple purposes with a single device. This universal approach eliminates the need for separate cameras for different functions, thereby reducing the total number of cameras required while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A periphery monitoring apparatus of an operation machine, includes an acquisition unit acquiring a peripheral condition of the operation machine; an information output unit outputting information acquired by the acquisition unit; a lifted/lowered state detection unit detecting a lifted/lowered state of a lifting ladder provided in the operation machine; and an output control unit performing changing an output content in the information output unit in accordance with the lifted/lowered state of the lifting ladder, the output content being related to the information acquired by the acquisition unit, the lifted/lowered state being detected by the lifted/lowered state detection unit.