Work Machine Fuel Tank Abnormality Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel control systems for work machines fail to reliably and immediately notify operators or administrators of abnormal liquid reductions in tanks, such as those caused by theft or tank cracks, due to malfunctions in in-vehicle signal lines, leading to uncertainty about whether liquid reduction is due to abnormality or normal consumption.
Innovation Solution
A work machine system that calculates the difference in liquid levels between when the machine is stopped and when it is started, and notifies of abnormal reductions only if the operating time is short and the difference exceeds a threshold, using a communication device to alert outside systems, and includes a position detector to provide positional information with the alert.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system notifies all liquid reductions regardless of operating time, then all potential abnormalities are detected, but false notifications increase due to normal consumption during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the operating time of the work machine. When operating time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system suppresses notifications to avoid false alarms from normal consumption. When operating time is below the threshold, the system activates notification to detect potential abnormalities. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between detecting all abnormalities and avoiding false notifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the notification parameter (whether to send notification) based on the operating time parameter. By using operating time as a conditional parameter, the system selectively enables or disables notifications to distinguish between normal consumption patterns and actual abnormalities, thereby improving notification reliability while reducing false alarms.
2Reliability
If the system uses a threshold-based notification approach, then false notifications are reduced, but some abnormalities with short operating periods may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The notification threshold is not fixed but dynamically determined by the operating time of the work machine. The system compares the liquid level reduction against a threshold that varies based on how long the machine has been operating. This dynamic thresholding maintains high detection sensitivity for short-duration abnormalities while preventing false notifications from normal consumption during extended operation.
3Speed
If the system monitors liquid levels continuously, then immediate detection of abnormalities is achieved, but system complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by recording the liquid level at the start of each operating period before the work machine begins operation. This initial measurement is stored and later compared with the liquid level after operation completes. By preparing the baseline measurement in advance, the system achieves effective monitoring without requiring complex continuous monitoring mechanisms during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring function is extracted from continuous operation and performed only at specific checkpoints (before and after operation). Instead of continuously monitoring liquid levels during operation, the system extracts the essential measurement moments to compare initial and final states, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining effective abnormality detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A work machine includes a tank that stores liquid. The work machine includes a calculation unit configured to obtain a difference between an amount of the liquid inside the tank acquired at a first timing and an amount of the liquid inside the tank acquired at a second timing after the first timing, and a notification unit configured to notify abnormality information indicating occurrence of abnormality related to the tank in the case where an operating time of the work machine during a period from the first timing to the second timing is equal to or smaller than a first threshold and also the difference is equal to or larger than a second threshold, and further configured not to notify the abnormality information in the case where the operating time is larger than a second threshold.