Remote operation system for working machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11821170-B2
Application number	US-201916980551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 29, 2018
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

A remote operation system for a working machine includes a control device enabling an operator wearing a wearable display to grasp the surrounding situation of himself/herself. The control device includes an operation intention judgment section judging the presence/absence of an operator's operation intention to a remote operation lever based on the contents of acquired judgment information, and a display image switching section. With judgment of presence of the operation intention, the display image switching section makes a working area image taken by a working area image taking camera be displayed in a particular display area of the wearable display. With judgment of absence of the operation intention, the display image switching section stops the display of the working area image in the at least a part of the particular display area and switches it to a surrounding visual-recognition allowing area allowing the operator to visually recognize the surroundings.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A remote operation system for remotely operating a working machine, the remote operation system comprising:
a remote operation lever that is disposed at a position distant from the working machine and allows an operation to be applied to the remote operation lever by an operator of the working machine while being held by the operator;
at least one judgment information acquisition device capable of acquiring judgment information for judging presence or absence of an operation intention that is an intention of the operator to apply an operation to the remote operation lever;
a working area image taking camera that is disposed on the working machine and capable of taking a working area image that is an image of surroundings of the working machine;
a wearable display capable of displaying an image to the operator while being worn on the operator, the wearable display having a particular display area in which the working area image can be displayed; and
a control device that causes the wearable display to display the working area image in the particular display area according to a content of the judgment information acquired by the at least one judgment information acquisition device,
the control device including an operation intention judgment section that judges presence or absence of the operation intention based on the content of the judgment information acquired by the at least one judgment information acquisition device, and a display image switching section that causes the wearable display to display the working area image in the particular display area, when the operation intention judgment section judges that the operation intention of the operator is present, and causes the wearable display to stop the display of the working area image in at least a part of the particular display area and switches the at least a part of the particular display area to a surrounding visual-recognition allowing area in which the wearable display allows the operator to visually recognize surroundings of the operator, when the operation intention judgment section judges that the operation intention of the operator is absent.

2. The remote operation system for the working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one judgment information acquisition device includes a grip information acquisition device capable of acquiring, as the judgment information, grip information that is information about presence or absence of a gripping motion of gripping the remote operation lever by the operator, and the operation intention judgment section is configured to judge that the operation intention is present when the grip information that indicates the presence of the gripping motion is acquired.

3. The remote operation system for the working machine according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one judgment information acquisition device further includes a seating information acquisition device capable of acquiring, as the judgment information, seating information that is information about presence or absence of seating of the operator on an operating seat provided at a position where the operator is able to be seated with gripping the operation lever, and the operation intention judgment section is configured to judge that the operation intention is present only when a judgment condition is satisfied, the judgment condition being that the grip information indicating the presence of the gripping motion is acquired and that the seating information indicating the presence of the seating is acquired.

4. The remote operation system for the working machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a surrounding image taking camera that is disposed at a position distant from the working machine and takes a surrounding image that is an image of surroundings of the operator, wherein the display image switching section makes the surrounding image to be displayed in the surrounding visual-recognition allowing area when the operation intention judgment section judges that the operation intention is absent.

5. The remote operation system for the working machine according to claim 4 , wherein the wearable display is used in a state of being worn on a head of the operator, and the surrounding image taking camera is disposed on the wearable display so as to move integrally with the wearable display to take an image forward of the operator.

6. The remote operation system for the working machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a gate lever movable between a closing position for closing an entrance leading to an operation seat provided in the working machine and an opening position for opening the entrance, and a driving mechanism that drives the gate lever to move the gate lever between the closing position and the opening position, wherein the control device further includes a driving mechanism control section that controls the driving mechanism to move the gate lever to the closing position when the operation intention judgment section judges that the operation intention is present and to move the gate lever to the opening position when the operation intention judgment section judges that the operation intention is absent.

7. The working machine remote operation system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device further includes an operation control section that permits the working machine to operate based on an operation applied to the remote operation lever when the operation intention judgment section judges that the operation intention is present and prohibits the working machine from operating based on the operation applied to the remote operation lever when the operation intention judgment section judges that the operation intention is absent.

Assignees

• Kobelco Constr Mach Co Ltd

Inventors

• Otani Masaki
• Yamazaki Yoichiro
• Saiki Seiji
• Sasaki Hitoshi

Classifications

• E02F9/205 Primary

  Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles (E02F3/8866 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E02F9/261

  Surveying the work-site to be treated · CPC title

• G02B27/017

  Head mounted · CPC title

• G05B13/0265

  the criterion being a learning criterion · CPC title

• G06F3/14

  Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} · CPC title