Remote Control System for Construction Machines with Posture-Based Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In remote control systems for construction machines, working devices can disappear from the camera's field of view, causing operators to feel uneasy and increasing operation load, especially when resuming control after a break, as they must predict the device's position without visual confirmation.
Innovation Solution
A remote control system with a main control device and a slave control device, where the slave device includes a camera capturing images from inside the cab seat, a posture detecting unit, and a communication unit to transmit surrounding images and posture information to the main control device, which determines if the working device is in the image and displays its position if not visible, using a display object on the main control device's screen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a camera is disposed inside the cab seat to capture surrounding images, then the operator can monitor the construction environment, but the working device may disappear from the field of view causing operator unease and increased operation load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of a posture detecting unit and display control unit that mediates between the camera's limited field of view and the operator's need for complete awareness. When the working device disappears from the camera view, the system automatically displays posture information as an intermediary representation, allowing the operator to maintain situational awareness without requiring the device to be visible in the camera feed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy of the working device's position and posture through display objects shown on the display device. Instead of relying on direct camera visualization, the system generates symbolic representations (display objects) that copy and convey the essential positional information, allowing the operator to understand device location even when not visible in the camera feed.
2Productivity
If the operator must predict working device position without visual confirmation, then control can continue during breaks, but operation load increases and safety decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously tracking and displaying working device posture information even when not visible in camera view. This advance provision of positional information means that when the operator returns after a break, the device position is already known and displayed, eliminating the need to predict position and reducing operation load while maintaining control continuity.
3Device complexity
If only camera images are displayed without posture information, then the display system remains simple, but the operator cannot determine working device position when it disappears from view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information display into two distinct components: the camera's surrounding image and the posture information display objects. This segmentation allows the system to maintain the simple camera-based visual field while adding separate, targeted posture information only when needed (when the device disappears from view), thereby reducing information loss without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A master acquires, from a slave, a surrounding image obtained by capturing an image of surroundings of a construction machine from inside a cab seat of the construction machine, determines whether or not a working device is included in the surrounding image, and in a case of determining that the working device is not included in the surrounding image, calculates a position of the working device from a posture of the construction machine and displays, on a display device, a display object for informing an operator of the calculated position, together with the surrounding image.