Electric Work Machine Allocation Using Battery Degradation Prediction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional power supply systems for construction machinery do not consider battery degradation variation, leading to inefficient battery operation and reduced lifespan.

Innovation Solution

An operation assistance device comprising a server that allocates electric work machines to work sites based on workload and battery degradation states, predicting and minimizing battery degradation by optimizing work site assignments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If batteries are allocated to work sites based on workload plan alone, then operation efficiency and usage efficiency are improved, but battery degradation increases and life decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation efficiencyVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the allocation parameter from workload alone to a composite parameter combining workload and battery degradation state. The server calculates predicted degradation states for different work sites and uses these predictions to make allocation decisions, thereby changing the decision-making parameter to include battery health projections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring actual battery degradation states and comparing them with predicted degradation states. The server uses this feedback information to adjust future allocations, creating a closed-loop system that learns from actual battery performance to optimize future work site assignments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If batteries are allocated without considering degradation state, then allocation simplicity is maintained, but battery degradation suppression is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveallocation system complexityVSAvoidbattery degradation suppression
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by calculating predicted degradation states before making allocation decisions. The server proactively computes how battery degradation will progress under different work site conditions and uses these predictions to pre-determine optimal allocations, preventing degradation rather than reacting to it.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The server acts as an intermediary between workload requirements and battery allocation decisions. It mediates by processing both workload information and predicted degradation data to create optimized allocation plans, serving as an intermediate calculation layer that balances operational needs with battery health preservation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4693129A1Operation assistance device and operation assistance method for electric work machine
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO LTD
  • EP4693129A1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4693129A1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4693129A1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

This disclosure provides an operation assistance device capable of suppressing degradation and increasing a life of battery of an electric work machine. An operation assistance device 1 allocates a plurality of electric work machines EWM1, EWM2, ..., EWMn to a respective plurality of work sites WS1, WS2, ..., WSn. The operation assistance device 1 includes an information storing section 11 that stores each piece of information on a workload of the plurality of work sites WS, a state acquiring section 12 that acquires a degradation state of a battery B mounted in each of the electric work machines EWM, a state predicting section 13 that calculates a predicted degradation state of the battery B when each of the electric work machines EWM works at each of the work sites WS, and an operation planning section 14. The operation planning section 14 selects the work sites WS in a descending order of the workload based on the information stored by the information storing section 11, and allocates a specific electric work machine EWM among the plurality of electric work machines EWM1, EWM2, ..., EWMn to the selected work site WS based on the predicted degradation state.