Location confirmation method and location display system of construction machine and such construction machine

• US 7,643,938 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hiroshi, Shibata, Koichi, Sugiyama, Genroku, Shibamori, Kazuhiro, Komatsu, Hideki, Adachi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behncke; Christine M
• Application Number:
  US10/483,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,734 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 701/36, 180/287, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/99, 455/67.11, 455/517, 455/508, 455/507, 340/426.19, 340/989, 340/992, 340/426.3, 340/426.11, 340/426.24, 340/429.19
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• 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 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2045 Guiding machines along a predetermined path for graders E02F3/841; machines for construction of roads E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A hydraulic excavator periodically measures its current location at predetermined time intervals by the GPS device in an inoperative state where its engine key is in the off position and sends the current location data and time data to a management server by a main controller and communicator. The management server receives the periodically sent location data at its communicator and successively stores it in its memory. The current location data and the measurement time data to provide a location confirmation service by a location information provider. Changes in location can be confirmed on a map, the movement of the hydraulic excavator can be tracked, and assistance can be given for confirmation of location and prevention of theft.

Claims

1. A location confirmation method of a construction machine applied to a system comprised of a construction machine provided with a controller, a locator, a first communicator and a power key for controlling a switch that supplies operating electric power when switched on, and a timer circuit for providing an ON control signal for a predetermined period of time and periodically at predetermined intervals of time, to said controller, said locator and said first communicator when said power key is switched off;

and a no operation scheduled button for generating data about an operation schedule, and a center server provided with a second communicator, a memory, and a location information provider,

said location confirmation method comprising;

supplying at said construction machine electric power to said controller, said locator and said first communicator for operation for said predetermined period of time as determined by said ON control signal that is provided by said timer circuit after said power key is switched off, and sending current location data, measurement time data, and said data about an operation schedule to said center server by said controller and said first communicator if said current location data measured by said locator differs from previously measured location data by a predetermined value during said predetermined period of time, stopping the supply of the electric power to said controller, said locator and said first communicator, and after said predetermined period of time elapses, periodically supplying the electric power to said controller, said locator and said first communicator at predetermined intervals of time as determined by said ON control signal provided by said timer circuit and measuring a current location by said locator at said predetermined time intervals and sending current location data, measurement time data, and said data about operation schedule to said center server by said controller and said first communicator; and

receiving at said center server said current location data, said measurement time data, and said data about operation schedule sent from said construction machine at said second communicator and successively storing said current location data, said measurement time data, and said data about operation schedule in said memory and providing location confirmation by said location information provider using said current location data and said measurement time data, and judging an abnormal situation of said construction machine when said location confirmation indicates movement of said construction machine and said data about operation schedule indicates no movement scheduled.

2. A location confirmation method according to claim 1, wherein said center server is provided with map data and marking the location based on said current location data and said measurement time data on a map showing an area including a work site of said construction machine so as to provide said location confirmation.

3. A location confirmation method according to claim 2, wherein in providing said location confirmation, the map shows the state of movement of said construction machine as a discontinuous path of location marks based on said current location data and said measurement time data.

4. A location confirmation method according to claim 1, wherein said location confirmation prepared by said location information provider is provided to a user of said construction machine through a communications line.

5. A location confirmation method according to claim 4, wherein information relating to the provision of said location confirmation is sent to a terminal of said user by e-mail.

6. A location confirmation method according to claim 4, wherein said user accesses said location information provider of said center server from its terminal through the Internet and confirms provision of said location confirmation based on an advance notification from said center server to said user.

7. A location confirmation method according to claim 1, wherein said locator is a GPS device utilizing GPS satellites to measure the current location.

8. A location confirmation method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined periods of time and said predetermined time intervals are that are set in said construction machine are changeable in accordance with a change in situation.

9. A location display system of a construction machine applied to a system comprised of a construction machine provided with a controller, a locator, a first communicator and a switch switchable between on and off by a power key for controlling supplying of operating electric power, and a timer circuit for providing an ON control signal for a predetermined period of time and periodically at predetermined time intervals, to said controller, said locator and said first communicator when said power key is switched off;

and a no operation scheduled button for generating data about an operation schedule, and a center server provided with a second communicator, a memory, and a location information provider, wherein

said construction machine supplies operating electric power to said controller, said locator and said first communicator for said predetermined period of time as determined by said ON control signal that is provided by said timer circuit after said power key is switched off, and sends current location data of said construction machine, measurement time, and said data about an operation schedule data to said center server by said controller and said first communicator if said current location data measured by said locator differs from previously measured location data by a predetermined value during said predetermined period of time, stops the supply of the electric power to said controller, said locator and said first communicator, and after said predetermined period of time elapses, periodically supplies the electric power to said controller, said locator and said first communicator at said predetermined intervals of time determined by said ON control signal provided by said timer circuit and measures a current location by said locator at said predetermined time intervals and sends current location data of said construction machine, measurement time data, and said data about an operation schedule to said center server by said controller and said first communicator and

said center server receives said current location data of said construction machine, said measurement time data, and said data about an operation schedule sent from said construction machine at said second communicator, successively stores said current location data, said measurement time data, and said data about an operation schedule in said memory, provides location marks of a current location on a map using said current location data and said measurement time data by said location information provider, and judges an abnormal situation of said construction machine when said location confirmation indicates movement of said construction machine and said data about operation schedule indicates no movement scheduled.

10. A location display system according to claim 9, wherein the location marks relating to said current location are provided so that the state of movement of said construction machine is displayed on the map as a discontinuous path of the location marks based on said current location data and said measurement time data.

11. A location display system according to claim 9, wherein the location marks relating to said current location provided by said location information provider are provided to a user of said construction machine through a communications line.

12. A location display system according to claim 9, wherein information on the location marks according to said current location is sent to a terminal of said user by e-mail as an attached file.

13. A construction machine, comprising:

a controller for controlling operations of the construction machine, a locator for measuring a current location of said construction machine, and a communicator for communicating with an external base station;

a switch and a power key switchable between on and off;

an electric power supply for supplying operating electric power to said construction machine when said power key is switched on;

a timer circuit for providing an ON control signal, after said power key is switched off to provide electric power from said electric power supply to said controller, said locator and said communicator for a predetermined period of time;

a no operation scheduled button for generating data about an operation schedule;

said communicator sending current location data, measurement time data, and said data about an operation schedule during said predetermined period of time to said center sewer if said current location data measured by said locator differs from previously measured location data by a predetermined value; and

said timer circuit providing said ON control signal periodically to provide electric power from said electric power supply to said controller, said locator and said communicator for measuring the current location at predetermined time intervals after said predetermined period of time elapses and sending current location data, measurement time data, and said data about an operation schedule to the base station by said controller and said communicator and said controller judges an abnormal situation of said construction machine when said location confirmation indicates movement of said construction machine and said data about operation schedule indicates no movement scheduled;

wherein the operation for measurement and transmission of the current location in the non-operative state of said construction machine is set to be effective for a predetermined term.

14. A construction according to claim 13, wherein said locator is comprised of a GPS device utilizing GPS satellites to measure its current location.

15. A construction machine according to claim 13, wherein said predetermined time intervals are variable in accordance with changes in the situation.

16. A construction machine according to claim 13, wherein the data sent to said base station includes data relating to a schedule of movement and a change in current location is judged to be normal or abnormal based on the data relating to the schedule of movement.

17. A construction machine according to claim 13, wherein said circuit includes a power key for controlling switching between on and off.