Working Machine Camera System for Blind Zone Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of large work machines, such as hydraulic excavators, face difficulties in recognizing the direction of working equipment and obstacles due to limited visibility from the cab, and existing technologies struggle to clearly display this information on monitors.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system with multiple cameras, a display unit, and a controller that generates an overview image, superimposes a top view of the work machine, and allows for the partial or transparent display of working equipment, enabling operators to easily identify the working direction and obstacles, particularly under the equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cab is positioned on the front-left-top portion of the upper revolving body to provide operator protection and control, then the operator has a protected position, but regions such as a front bottom, a right side and a rear side of the upper revolving body are poorly visible from the setting position of the cab
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple cameras to capture images of the surrounding regions that are not visible from the cab position. These camera images are then processed to generate an overview image that is displayed on the monitor. This creates a visual copy of the blind zones, allowing the operator to see regions (front bottom, right side, rear side) that would otherwise be invisible from the protected cab position, thus resolving the visibility loss without compromising operator protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera system and image processing system act as intermediaries between the operator and the blind zones. Instead of requiring direct line-of-sight visibility, the system uses cameras to capture images of hidden regions and presents them to the operator through the display unit. This intermediary approach enables the operator to maintain the protected cab position while still obtaining visual information about surrounding areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Data Source
AI summary
A work machine includes plural cameras, a display unit and a controller controlling the cameras and the display unit. The controller includes an overview image generator generating an overview image from the images by the cameras, an image superimposing unit superimposing a top view image of the work machine on the overview image, a working-equipment display unit putting a part of working equipment in the top view image of the work machine in non- or transparent-display, and an operation judging unit judging at least one of operation of the working equipment and travel of the work machine. When the operation judging unit judges the operation of the working equipment etc. is performed, the working-equipment display unit displays the top view image of the work machine without displaying at least one part of the working equipment or with transparently displaying the at least one part of the working equipment.