Worker-Aware Work Machine Control for Adaptive Alarm Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work machines issue alarms or stop operations based on the distance of workers regardless of their carelessness, leading to annoyance for operators and decreased productivity.
Innovation Solution
A work machine that recognizes identification information of individuals entering a predetermined region, counts their approaches, and controls the machine based on the number of approaches to differentiate between careful and careless workers, adjusting alarms or operating speed accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a long distance alarm threshold is applied to ensure safety for careless workers, then safety is improved, but the operator experiences frequent unnecessary alarms and productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm system applies different alarm thresholds to different workers based on their individual behavior characteristics. Careless workers receive alarms at longer distances while careful workers receive alarms at shorter distances, making the safety measure localized to each worker's needs rather than applying a uniform threshold to all.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm distance parameter is dynamically adjusted based on the worker's behavioral parameters (number of approaches). The system changes the alarm threshold parameter from a fixed value to a variable value that adapts to each worker's safety consciousness level, resolving the contradiction between safety and productivity.
2Productivity
If a short distance alarm threshold is applied to maintain productivity for careful workers, then productivity is improved, but safety management for careless workers becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Different alarm thresholds are applied locally to different workers based on their safety consciousness. Careful workers benefit from shorter alarm distances that maintain productivity, while careless workers receive longer alarm distances that ensure safety, allowing both groups to operate under appropriate conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary classification of workers into careful and careless categories based on their approach behavior history before applying different alarm thresholds. This preliminary action enables the system to proactively adjust alarm parameters for each worker, preventing safety issues before they occur while maintaining productivity.
3Device complexity
If uniform alarm control is applied to all workers regardless of their behavior, then simplicity is maintained, but operator annoyance increases and productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm system automatically classifies workers and adjusts alarm thresholds without requiring manual intervention from the operator. The system serves itself by autonomously analyzing worker behavior patterns and configuring appropriate alarm parameters, eliminating the need for the operator to manually manage different alarm settings for different workers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary automatic classification of workers based on their approach behavior before uniform control is applied. This preliminary categorization enables differentiated alarm control to be implemented automatically, resolving the contradiction between control simplicity and productivity by making the complexity invisible to the operator.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a work machine capable of eliminating the inconvenience from the operator of the work machine as much as possible while deterring a contact between the work machine and workers, and suppressing a decrease in productivity of the work machine. A work machine 5 includes: an identification information recognition device 41 configured to recognize identification information on a person who enters a predetermined region R around the work machine 5; and a controller 7 configured to control the work machine in accordance with the identification information. When a person enters the predetermined region R under the condition that the work machine 5 is ready for operation, the controller 7 counts the number of times the person enters the predetermined region R as the number of approaches for each person distinguished with the identification information, and controls the work machine 5 based on the counted number of approaches in accordance with the identification information of the person who is in the predetermined region R.