System of wireless electronic devices for construction equipment and maintenance system thereof

• US 7,742,861 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment Holding Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment Holding Sweden AB
• Inventors: Lee, Chang Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMPLE, JONATHAN L
• Application Number:
  US11/510,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/1, 701/200
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A system of wireless electronic devices for construction equipment and a maintenance system thereof are disclosed, in which various information used in an input and output unit, like modules of a construction work vehicle such as a hydraulic excavator, etc., are transmitted and received based on a wireless method, so that the use of wires can be significantly decreased. The wireless electronic system of a construction machine comprises at least one control panel which transmits a wireless signal for controlling each part of a construction machine in accordance with an operator'"'"'s control; a main control device which receives a wireless signal from the control panel and transmits a wireless control signal for controlling a corresponding device; at least one auxiliary control device which performs input and output control, operation control, error detection, automatic control, etc. of each part of a construction machine in accordance with a wireless control signal from the main control device; and an internal wireless network which is constructed by the main control device for wireless data communication between the control panel, the main control device and the auxiliary control device.

Claims

1. An electronic system of a construction machine provided with a plurality of controlled control devices, a plurality of sensors for sensing a state of each controlled control device, and a wireless electronic system of a construction machine, comprising:

at least one control panel which transmits a wireless signal for controlling each part of a construction machine in accordance with an operator'"'"'s control through an input unit including a plurality of control switches and control levers and which is equipped in a driver'"'"'s cab of construction machine;

a main control device which receives a wireless signal from the control panel and transmits a wireless control signal for controlling a corresponding device and which is equipped in the construction machine;

at least one auxiliary control device which performs input and output control, operation control, error detection, or automatic control of each part of construction machine in accordance with the wireless control signal from the main control device and which is equipped in the construction machine; and

an internal wireless network which is constructed by the main control device for wireless data communication between the control panel, the main control device, and the auxiliary control device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said main control device includes:

a ROM (Read Only Memory) which stores an operating system program and initialization data for driving a main control device;

a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporarily storing data;

a communication control unit which forms a wireless network by providing an inherent network address to each auxiliary control device and the control panel and performs wireless data communication with the auxiliary control device and the control panel based on a certain wireless data communication protocol;

a main control unit which controls the entire operation of a construction machine in accordance with an operating system stored in the ROM and receives a wireless signal transmitted from the control panel through the communication control unit and transmits a wireless control signal corresponding to the wireless signal; and

storing means which stores an automatic control program, various data and construction machine maintenance database of the construction machine, with the stored data being stored or deleted in accordance with the control of the main control unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said control panel includes:

a panel control unit for controlling all operations of the control panel;

the input unit for generating a control signal in accordance with an operator'"'"'s control; and

a local area wireless communication control unit which stores an inherent network address set by the main control device and transmits a wireless signal corresponding to a control signal transmitted from the input unit through an internal wireless network of the construction machine using the network address based on a certain protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary control device includes:

an auxiliary control unit which controls the operation of the auxiliary control device;

a local area wireless communication control unit which stores an inherent network address set by the main control device and performs wireless data communication with the main control device or the control panel through an internal wireless network of a construction machine using the network address based on a certain protocol;

a driving control unit which receives a wireless control signal transmitted from the main control device or the control panel through the local area wireless communication control unit and controls the controlled control device for thereby performing a function corresponding to the wireless control signal; and

a sensor control unit which receives and analyzes state information of the controlled control device from the sensors provided at the controlled control device for measuring a state of the controlled control device and transmits the state information through the internal wireless network using the local area wireless communication control unit.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said communication control unit comprises a local area wireless communication control unit and a remote wireless communication control unit,

wherein said local area wireless communication control unit provides an inherent network address to the control panel and the auxiliary control device, respectively, with the network address being used in the internal wireless network, stores the information of the inherent network address, receives data or a wireless signal through the internal wireless network and transmits a wireless control signal or a data to the control panel or the auxiliary control device in accordance with the network address contained in the data or the wireless signal, and

wherein said remote wireless communication control unit which is connected with a construction machine maintenance server through an external commercial wireless network and performs wireless data communication.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said main control device further includes a diagnosing means which receives state information of the controlled control device from the auxiliary control device in accordance with the control of the main control unit, compares the state information with a value in a construction machine maintenance database stored in the storing means, diagnoses an operation state of each controlled control device and outputs an error message when failure occurs in the system based on a result of the diagnosis of the state of each controlled control device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless electronic system of the construction machine further includes an MDU (Machine Display Unit) which performs wireless data communication with the control panel, the main control device and the auxiliary control device through an internal wireless network of the construction machine and displays an information regarding the construction machine in accordance with the control of the main control device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said MDU includes:

MDU control unit which controls the operation of the MDU;

an input unit which generates a control signal in accordance with an operator'"'"'s control;

a local area wireless communication control unit which stores an inherent network address set by the main control device and performs wireless data communication with the main control device or the control panel through an internal wireless network of the construction machine using the network address in accordance with a certain protocol; and

a display unit which displays construction machine information transmitted from the main control device or the auxiliary control device through the local area wireless communication control unit.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said display unit includes:

an LCD unit which displays a graphic image, a 3D image and a document file; and

at least one lamp unit which indicates the state of a construction machine.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary control device includes at least one of a driving control unit for controlling the operations of various hydraulic devices of the construction machine, a cooling control device for controlling the cooling operations of various hydraulic devices, an engine control device, a cooling and heating control device for controlling the cooling and heating operation of an operation cab, and an automatic work control device for controlling automatic work of the construction machine.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said control panel, main control device and auxiliary control device perform wireless data communication using the Zigbee method.

12. In a construction machine maintenance system in which a construction machine maintenance server is connected with a construction machine through a commercial wireless network, with the construction machine maintenance server being provided with a construction machine information database, a construction machine maintenance information database, and a construction machine part database, said maintenance system using a wireless electronic system of a construction machine, comprising:

a construction machine which includes a wireless electronic system of the construction machine of claim 1; and

a construction machine maintenance server which receives a construction machine state information transmitted from the construction machine through the commercial wireless network, constructs a construction machine information database using the state information of the construction machine and transmits maintenance information data a construction machine for maintaining the construction machine when a construction machine has an error as a result of the analysis that is performed with respect the construction machine with reference to the construction machine maintenance information database.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said construction machine transmits state information and a maintenance request of the controlled control device when a certain error occurs at the controlled control device;

and said construction machine maintenance server receives the state information and the maintenance request, determines a maintenance date of the construction machine with reference to the construction machine part database and transmits the maintenance date information of the construction machine to the construction machine.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said maintenance system using a wireless electronic system of the construction machine further includes a mobile communication device which receives state information of the construction machine transmitted through the commercial wireless network based on a wireless method and displays the state information.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless electronic system of the construction machine further includes a key pad which performs a wireless data communication with the control panel, the main control device and the auxiliary control device through an internal wireless network of the construction machine and outputs a control signal for controlling an MDU which displays the information of the construction machine, a graphic image display unit, and a cooling and heating control device.