Remote control system for work machines

• US 9,982,415 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamada, Hiroyuki, Kai, Takamasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrand
• Assistant Examiner(s): Testardi, David A
• Application Number:
  US15/300,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20170121938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/32 working downwardly and towards the machine, e.g. with backhoes
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/166 movable, tiltable or pivoting, e.g. movable seats, dampening arrangements of cabins seats for vehicles in general B60N2/00
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2012 Setting the functions of the control levers, e.g. changing assigned functions among operations levers, setting functions dependent on the operator or seat orientation
• 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: G05D 1/005 by providing the operator with signals other than visual, e.g. acoustic, haptic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058

Abstract

Provided is a remote control system which controls a work machine from a remote place in order to improve safety and workability and to reduce fatigue of an operator. In the remote control system which controls the work machine from a remote place, a seat where the operator sits is driven to be inclined in conjunction with the machine, so that inclination information of the machine at the time of traveling is provided to the operator to be sensible and the safety and the workability are improved. On the other hand, a large inclined vibration caused by the work of the machine is not transferred to the operator since an inclination amount of the seat is kept when the machine is not traveling, so that the fatigue of the operator is reduced.

Claims

1. A remote control system for a work machine which is controlled by an operator from a remote control facility installed at a remote place, wherein

the work machine includes

a traveling unit via which the work machine travels on a ground, and

an inclination sensor that detects an inclination direction and an inclination amount of the work machine,

the remote control facility includes

a seat on which the operator sits, and

an actuator configured to incline the seat,

the actuator inclines the seat such that the seat is synchronized with the inclination direction and the inclination amount detected by the inclination sensor when the work machine is traveling, and

in response to determining that the work machine is not traveling, the inclination direction and the inclination amount detected by the inclination sensor are not updated for controlling the inclination of the seat, and the inclination of the seat is controlled to keep an inclination amount previously detected by the inclination sensor.

2. The remote control system of the work machine according to claim 1,

wherein the seat is inclined to be synchronized with a low frequency component of the inclination amount detected by the inclination sensor when the work machine is not traveling.

3. The remote control system of the work machine according to claim 1, wherein

the work machine includes a travel sensor that detects whether the work machine is traveling or stopped,

the actuator inclines the seat to be synchronized with the inclination direction and the inclination amount detected by the inclination sensor during a period when the travel sensor detects that the work machine is traveling, and

the inclination of the seat is controlled to be kept in an inclination amount detected by the inclination sensor at the time when the travel sensor is switched from a traveling state to a stopped state during a period when the travel sensor detects that the work machine is stopped.

4. A remote control system of a work machine which is controlled by an operator from a remote control facility installed at a remote place, wherein

the work machine includes

a traveling unit via which the work machine travels on a ground, and

an inclination sensor that detects an inclination direction and an inclination amount of the work machine,

the remote control facility includes

a seat on which the operator sits, and

an actuator configured to incline the seat,

the actuator inclines the seat such that the seat is synchronized with the inclination direction and the inclination amount detected by the inclination sensor when the work machine is traveling,

the inclination of the seat is controlled to keep a certain inclination amount when the work machine is not traveling,

the work machine is configured by a lower structure and a revolving body that is supported to be rotatably about a vertical axis with respect to the lower structure, and includes a revolving sensor that detects a rotation amount of the revolving body with respect to the lower structure, and

when the work machine is not traveling, an inclination direction of the lower structure is acquired by the inclination sensor, an inclination direction of the revolving body is derived on the basis of the rotation amount detected by the revolving sensor with respect to the inclination direction of the lower structure, and the seat is inclined to be synchronized with the revolving body in the inclination direction of the revolving body.

5. A remote control system of a work machine which is controlled by an operator from a remote control facility installed at a remote place, wherein

the work machine includes

a traveling unit via which the work machine travels on a ground, and

an inclination sensor that detects an inclination direction and an inclination amount of the work machine,

the remote control facility includes

a seat on which the operator sits, and

an actuator configured to incline the seat,

the actuator inclines the seat such that the seat is synchronized with the inclination direction and the inclination amount detected by the inclination sensor when the work machine is traveling,

the inclination of the seat is controlled to keep a certain inclination amount when the work machine is not traveling,

the work machine includes an image sensor that detects an image viewed from the work machine,

the remote control facility includes an image display that indicates an image to the operator,

the image detected by the image sensor is output to the image display without any change when the work machine is traveling, and

when the work machine is not traveling, a vibration component in the image detected by the image sensor caused by an inclination vibration of the work machine is removed and the image is then output by the image display.