Worker-Aware Work Machine Proximity Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing work machines issue alarms or stop operations based on worker proximity without distinguishing between careful and careless workers, leading to operator annoyance and productivity issues due to inappropriate safety management.

Innovation Solution

A work machine equipped with an identification information recognition device to count the number of approaches by each worker and control operations accordingly, differentiating between careful and careless workers based on their behavior patterns.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a long distance alarm threshold is applied to ensure safety for careless workers, then safety management for careless workers is improved, but the operator experiences frequent unnecessary alarms from careful workers leading to annoyance and reduced productivity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety managementVSAvoidproductivity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments workers into different groups (careful and careless) based on their approach behavior patterns. By recognizing individual workers and their historical approach data, the alarm system applies different distance thresholds to different worker segments, rather than using a single uniform threshold for all workers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The alarm distance threshold is made dynamic rather than static. The system adjusts the alarm threshold based on the recognized worker's behavior pattern - careful workers receive a shorter threshold while careless workers receive a longer threshold. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the safety parameter adaptive to individual worker characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If a short distance alarm threshold is applied to avoid annoying the operator with frequent alarms, then operator convenience is improved, but safety management for careless workers becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperator convenienceVSAvoidsafety management

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments workers into different groups (careful and careless) based on their approach behavior patterns. By recognizing individual workers and their historical approach data, the alarm system applies different distance thresholds to different worker segments, rather than using a single uniform threshold for all workers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The alarm distance threshold is made dynamic rather than static. The system adjusts the alarm threshold based on the recognized worker's behavior pattern - careful workers receive a shorter threshold while careless workers receive a longer threshold. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the safety parameter adaptive to individual worker characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If uniform alarm control is applied to all workers regardless of behavior patterns, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but the operator experiences annoyance and productivity deterioration due to inappropriate safety management

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol system simplicityVSAvoidproductivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically recognizes workers and determines their behavior patterns without requiring manual classification or operator intervention. The worker's approach history is automatically tracked and analyzed, and the appropriate alarm threshold is automatically selected based on the recognized behavior pattern, making the system self-configuring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from historical approach data to automatically adjust alarm thresholds. By monitoring how often workers approach the machine and their subsequent actions, the system learns and adapts to individual worker behaviors, automatically setting appropriate thresholds without requiring complex manual configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12091837B2Work machine

Publication Date: 2024.09.17 HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO LTD

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.