Remote control system and method for construction equipment

• US 8,195,344 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HD Hyundai Infracore Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Doosan Infracore Company Limited
• Inventors: Song, Jin Suk, Kim, In Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, ISAM A
• Application Number:
  US13/142,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20110257816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/50
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2008 Control mechanisms in the form of the machine in the reduced scale model
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device

Abstract

A remote control system and a remote control method of a construction machine for reducing a fatigue degree of an operator at the time when the operator controls driving of the construction machine depending on his/her body motion in the remote control system of the construction machine. For this, according to the present disclosure, a value acquired by compensating for a predetermined value ε_β with respect to a finger bending angle β_h for a palm is tracked by a bending angle β_e of a bucket at the time of tracking the position of the bucket depending on hand motion of the operator to reduce a finger bending movement amount of the operator, thereby reducing fatigue. Further, the workspace of the operator is set to be smaller than points which are maximally movable in each of X, Y, and Z-axis directions at the time of setting the workspace of the operator, the workspace of WS_h of the operator set to be small and a machine workspace WS_e match each other, and the operator performs an operation in the workspace which is set to be small, thereby reducing the fatigue.

Claims

1. A remote control system of a construction machine, comprising:

a remote device including a plurality of sensors for sensing a finger bending angle β

_h with respect to a palm of an operator and a wrist position H of the operator, a remote control unit tracking an operation angle β

_e of a bucket depending on the finger bending angle β

_h with respect to the palm of the operator and a machine operating position E depending on the wrist position H of the operator, and a remote wireless transmitting and receiving unit wirelessly transmitting the tracked operation angle β

_e of the bucket or the machine operating position E to the construction machine; and

a construction machine including an operation device including a boom, an arm, and a bucket, and an upper swing body, and controlling driving of the upper swing body or the operation device depending on the operation angle β

_e of the bucket or the machine operating position E received from the remote device,

wherein the remote device generates an absolute coordinate system using a rotational center point of an arm of the operator as an original point for setting a workspace, sets a predetermined angle in a Y-axis direction on the basis of an X axis in an area within a radius smaller than an inputted maximum radius by a predetermined size on an XY plane as the workspace when a maximum distance to which a wrist reaches in each direction axis of an anteroposterior direction X, a horizontal direction Y, and a longitudinal direction Z is inputted, and thereafter, matches a remote coordinate system and a machine coordinate system depending on the set workspace each other.

2. The remote control system of a construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the construction machine drives the upper swing body or the operation device by setting a driving velocity based on predetermined acceleration at the time of driving the upper swing body or the operation device to the machine operating position E.

3. The remote control system of a construction machine according to claim 1, wherein a partial area approximate to the Y axis outside the workspace on the XY plane is set as an absolute swing area λ

, and

when the wrist of the operator enters the absolute swing area λ

in the workspace, tracking a movement position of the wrist of the operator stops and only a movement direction is tracked to swing the upper swing body at a predetermined swing velocity.

4. The remote control system of a construction machine according to claim 2, wherein the remote device transmits a swing operation stopping command to the construction machine through the remote wireless transmitting and receiving unit when the wrist position H of the operator deviates from the absolute swing area λ

.

5. The remote control system of a construction machine according to claim 4, wherein the remote device calculates the swing velocity as a maximum velocity previously set for absolute swing when the wrist position H is positioned on the Y axis and calculates the swing velocity as a minimum velocity previously set for absolute swing when the wrist position H is positioned at the furthest location on the Y axis in the absolute swing area λ

, calculates the swing velocity varying depending on an approximate degree to the Y axis within the minimum velocity range and the maximum velocity range with respect to the wrist position H when the wrist position H is positioned between the furthest location on the Y axis and within the Y axis, and transmits a command for continuously performing the swing operation at the calculated swing velocity to the construction machine through the remote wireless transmitting and receiving unit.

6. The remote control system of a construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the remote device sets a position H′

approximated to a point the closest to the workspace as the wrist position H of the operator when the wrist position H of the operator deviates from the set workspace.

7. The remote control system of a construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the remote device previously sets an approximate area in the workspace, tracks a velocity and a direction by using a previous velocity and a direction component when the wrist position H of the operator belongs to the approximate area, and wirelessly transmits the tracked velocity and direction information to the construction machine through the remote wireless transmitting and receiving unit.

8. A remote control method of a construction machine for remotely controlling the construction machine including an operation device including a boom, an arm, and a bucket and an upper swing body in a remote area, the method comprising:

receiving, by a remote device, a maximum distance to which a wrist is reachable in each direction axis of an anteroposterior direction X, a horizontal direction Y, and a longitudinal direction Z and setting a radius based on a distance smaller than the received maximum distance by a predetermined size as a workspace, and setting a predetermined area on an XY plane as an absolute swing area λ

;

tracking an operation angle β

_e of the bucket to track the operation angle β

_e of the bucket depending on a finger bending angle β

_h with respect to a palm of the operator and wirelessly transmit the tracked information to the construction machine;

executing a position tracking mode to track a machine operating position E and wirelessly transmit the tracked information to the construction machine when a wrist position H of the operator belongs to the workspace;

executing an absolute swing mode to recognize that a request for a swing operation is received from the operator and wirelessly transmit the swing operation request to the construction machine when the wrist position H of the operator belongs to the absolute swing area;

executing an approximate position tracking mode to track the machine operating position E by setting a position H′

approximated to a point the closest to the workspace as the wrist position H of the operator and wirelessly transmit the tracked information to the construction machine when the wrist position H of the operator deviates from the workspace and the absolute swing area; and

controlling, by the construction machine, driving of the operation device and the upper swing body in accordance with the tracking information or the swing operation request that is received from the remote device.

9. The remote control method of a construction machine according to claim 8, wherein in the tracking of the operation angle β

_e of the bucket, the operation angle β

_e of the bucket is tracked by compensating for a predetermined value with respect to the finger bending angle β

_h with respect to the palm of the operator and when the compensated value is more than a maximum value of the operation angle β

_e of the bucket, the compensated value is tracked as the maximum value of the operation angle β

_e of the bucket.

10. The remote control method of a construction machine according to claim 8, wherein in the executing of the absolute swing mode, a command for continuously performing the swing operation is transmitted to the construction machine when the wrist position H of the operator belongs to the absolute swing area λ

and a swing operation stopping command is transmitted to the construction machine through the remote wireless transmitting and receiving unit when the wrist position H of the operator deviates from the absolute swing area λ

.

11. A remote control method of a construction machine for remotely controlling the construction machine including an operation device including a boom, an arm, and a bucket and an upper swing body in a remote area, the method comprising:

receiving, by a remote device, a maximum distance to which a wrist is reachable in each direction axis of an anteroposterior direction X, a horizontal direction Y, and a longitudinal direction Z and setting a radius based on a distance smaller than the received maximum distance by a predetermined size as a workspace, and setting a predetermined area on an XY plane as an absolute swing area λ

;

tracking an operation angle β

_e of the bucket to track the operation angle β

_e of the bucket depending on a finger bending angle β

_h with respect to a palm of the operator and wirelessly transmit the tracked information to the construction machine;

executing a position tracking mode to judge whether the upper swing body is driven when a wrist position H of the operator belongs to the workspace and only when the upper swing body is not driven, track a machine operating position E and wirelessly transmit the tracked information to the construction machine;

executing an absolute swing mode to judge whether at least one of the boom and the arm is driven when the wrist position H of the operator belongs to the absolute swing area and only when the boom and the arm are not driven, wirelessly transmit a swing operation request to the construction machine;

executing an approximate position tracking mode to judge whether the upper swing body is driven when the wrist position H of the operator deviates from the workspace and the absolute swing area and only when the upper swing body is not driven, set a position H′

approximated to the closest point to the workspace as the wrist position H of the operator and track the machine operating position E, and wirelessly transmit the tracked information to the construction machine; and

controlling, by the construction machine, driving of the operation device and the upper swing body in accordance with the tracking information or the swing operation request that is received from the remote device.