System and method for managing construction machinery

• US 7,162,347 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2003
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shibata, Koichi, Sugiyama, Genroku, Shibamori, Kazuhiro, Komatsu, Hideki, Adachi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/492,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/2, 701/213, 701/300, 701/302, 340/995.21, 340/988, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/042 operating on the fuel supply
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/045 by limiting or cutting the electrical supply to the propulsion unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/24 Safety devices , e.g. for preventing overload E02F9/226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence

Abstract

Construction machine management, permitting operation of a construction machine only under specified conditions and inhibiting its operation in case it is in a state incongruent with preset working conditions. Working conditions for each construction machine are set up by a working conditions setup means, including a geographically divided working area and a working time zone in which a construction machine is allowed to operate in a specified working area. Setup working conditions are stored in a memory means. At the time of starting a construction machine, the status of the construction machine is checked for by a status checkup means which is adapted to check for current position of the construction machine and current time against the working area and working time zone of the setup working conditions. In case a construction machine is found to be in a state incongruent with both of the working area and the working time zone of the preset working conditions, the management inhibits operation of that construction machine.

Claims

1. A construction machine management system, for managing construction machines in such a way as to permit operations of construction machines only under specified working conditions while inhibiting operations of said construction machines when not in agreement with said specified working conditions, said system comprising:

working condition setup means adapted to set up working conditions for each one of said construction machines, said working conditions including a working time zone in addition to a geographical working area;

a memory means for storing the working conditions set up by said working condition setup means;

a status checkup means adapted to check for current status of each one of said construction machines against both of said geographical working area and working time zone specified by said setup working conditions at predetermined time intervals including rest time periods;

an operation inhibiting means adapted to inhibit operation of a construction machines when in a state incongruent with said setup working conditions with regard to both of said working area and working time zone, while permitting operation of said construction machines when satisfying both of said working area and working time zone of said working conditions; and

a communication means adapted to report said management center current position and time of a construction machine as soon as operation of said construction machine is inhibited by said operation inhibiting means.

2. A construction machine management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said working conditions setup means is adapted to set up said working area on the basis of latitudes and longitudes or on the basis of known geographical divisions, and said status checkup means is adapted to measure current position of a construction machine on the basis of position data acquired from GPS satellites.

3. A construction machine management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said working conditions setup means is provided on the side of a management device holding all of construction machines under surveillance and adapted to exchange data with respective construction machines through wireless communication means.

4. A construction machine management system as defined in claim 3, wherein said working conditions setup means is provided in a communication terminal connected to said management device through a communication network.

5. A construction machine management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said memory means and said status checkup means are provided on the side of construction machines.

6. A construction machine management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said working conditions setup means is arranged into a format permitting a plural number of working conditions for one construction machine, along with working time zones in respective setup working areas.

7. A construction machine management system as defined in claim 1, wherein said operation inhibiting means is adapted to inhibit operation of an engine or a hydraulic actuator of a construction machine.

8. A method of managing construction machines for permitting operations of construction machines only under specified working conditions while inhibiting operations of said construction machines when not in agreement with said specified working conditions, said method comprising the steps of:

setting up working conditions for each one of construction machines under surveillance, including a geographic working area and a working time zone for operation in said geographic working area;

checking for current location of each one of said construction machines and current time against setup geographic working area and working time zone every time when said construction machine is started, and regularly at predetermined time intervals including rest periods of said construction machine, to check whether or not status of said construction machine is in agreement with said working conditions with regard to both of said geographic working area and working time zone;

inhibiting operation of said construction machine when found incongruent with both of said working area and working time zone of setup working conditions, while permitting operation of said construction machine when satisfying both of said setup working conditions; and

reporting a management center current position and current time of a construction machine as soon as operation of said construction machine is inhibited due to failure to satisfy both of said setup working conditions.

9. A method of managing construction machines as defined in claim 8, comprising the steps of:

setting up for each one of construction machines under surveillance working conditions including a plural number of geographic working areas and a working time zone for operation in each geographic working area;

checking for current location of said construction machines and current time against setup geographic working areas and working time zones in the respective geographic working areas; and

permitting start-up of said construction machine only when said construction machine is located in one of the setup geographic working areas and within a working time zone for that particular geographic working area.