Patents Assigned to Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 12352009
    Abstract: A remote operation assistance device configured such that when an operator performs work through remote operation of a work machine, the remote operation assistance device moves the work machine to the position suitable for the work scheduled to be performed by the work machine in advance or changes the attitude of the work machine in advance so as to be suitable for the work. The present invention comprises a first assistance processing element configured to execute a first assistance process that is a process of acquiring schedule information from a database, determining based on the schedule information whether or not a preparation condition is satisfied, and transmitting, when the determination is affirmative, a preparation signal that is a control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Hama, Masaki Otani
  • Patent number: 12346107
    Abstract: A remote operation assistance device enables an operator to get a feel for the controls of a work machine before communication is established between a remote operation device and the work machine. The remote operation assistance device as configured includes a first assistance processing element. The first assistance processing element executes a control for displaying, on a remote output interface, a simulated environment image for simulating remote operation of the work machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Hama, Masaki Otani
  • Patent number: 12315202
    Abstract: A device or the like capable of improving continuity of a moving image outputted to an image output device of a remote operation device even in circumstances where an inter-frame difference of the moving image becomes large. When it is predicted that a data amount of a captured image is to exceed a threshold in consideration of a detection result of a moving mode of a working machine, high frequency components exceeding a specified frequency in a second specified image area excluding a first specified image area of the captured image are eliminated. Thus, the data amount of the captured image is reduced so that the data amount becomes equal to or smaller than the threshold. Then, not only inter-frame continuity of the first specified image area of an environment image outputted to an image output device of a remote operation device but also visibility by an operator is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Hama, Yusuke Fujiwara, Yoichiro Yamazaki, Seiji Saiki
  • Patent number: 12312220
    Abstract: The present invention provides a work machine in which load shaking of a crane in emergency can be prevented. In the work machine, a turning body is disposed to be turnable relative to a base body. The work machine includes a drive control unit which controls a turning operation of the turning body, and a detection unit which detects an obstacle present around the turning body. The drive control unit does not start turning of the turning body in a case where the obstacle is detected by the detection unit while the turning of the turning body is stopped, and maintains the turning of the turning body for at least a predetermined period in a case where the obstacle is detected by the detection unit during the turning of the turning body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Sasaoka, Tomofumi Okada
  • Patent number: 12276085
    Abstract: Provided is a server and a system that can assist an operator in recognizing whether or not a work machine in a work-site birds-eye image output on an output interface constituting a remote operation device is subject to remote operation by the remote operation device. According to the captured image acquired through the image pickup device C, when a work machine 40 is in the work-site birds-eye image that is output on an output interface 220 constituting a remote operation device 20, whether or not the work machine 40 is a connection-target work machine is determined. If the determination result is positive, a first sign image ID1 associated with an actual machine image Q2 that represents the work machine 40 in the work-site birds-eye image is displayed on the output interface 220 of the remote operation device 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sasaki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12264457
    Abstract: According to the remote operation system or a remote operation server 20 included in the remote operation system, a “communication resource allocation process” is performed according to the skill or the like of the operator to allocate communication resources to a plurality of remote operation devices 10. When the “environment information control process” is performed, a data amount of environment data is reduced such that a reduction in the information amount of one or a plurality of low environment information factors is greater than the reduction in the information amount of one or a plurality of high environment information factors (meaning the reduction in the information amount of the environment information due to a change in the environment information factor). The environment information control process is performed in different modes according to a difference in an allocation resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Funahara, Hitoshi Sasaki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12258731
    Abstract: It is possible to notify an operator of a change in radio wave intensity in addition to the radio wave intensity received by a remotely operating vehicle. A radio wave is transmitted to and received from a vehicle to operate the vehicle. A communication device 14 includes a display unit 21 configured to display information, in which the display unit 21 is capable of displaying a first image 22 representing first radio wave intensity which is radio wave intensity of a radio wave being currently received by the vehicle, and a second image 32 representing information on a change in the first radio wave intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daiki Ishida, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12233890
    Abstract: Provided is a system or the like which can achieve improvement in remote operation efficiency of a work machine by improving an efficiency of calibration processing. A determination result of whether a remote operation factor corresponds to an actual machine operation factor is recognized by a first support processing element 121. “The remote operation factor” is a factor defining an operation setting of a remote operation mechanism 211 included in a remote operation apparatus 20. “The actual machine operation factor” is a factor defining an operation setting of an actual machine operation mechanism 411 included in a work machine 40. Processing of making the actual machine operation factor correspond to the remote operation factor is executed by a second support processing element 122 on a requirement that the determination result is negative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Hirose, Takayuki Doi
  • Patent number: 12208749
    Abstract: There is provided a camera installation structure for inside of operation room that can obtain a camera image with reduced shake to enable remote operation and hardly obstructs rear visual field in a case where an operator boards a working machine. A camera installation structure 10 includes an operation seat 3, a scaffold member 20 disposed in a rear space 4, and mounting portions for mounting the scaffold member 20. The scaffold member 20 includes a plurality of shelves 21, 23, 25, and 27, a camera 50 installed on the fourth shelf 27, and mounting brackets. In a state where the mounting brackets are mounted on the mounting portions, a lens 51 of the camera 50 is disposed at a height position corresponding to a height of eyes of an operator in a case where the operator sits on the operation seat 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Sawada, Fumino Hasegawa, Hitoshi Sasaki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12195949
    Abstract: There is provided a device or the like capable of causing a result of an operator, remotely operating a working machine, perceiving a motion aspect of the working machine to approximate to a result of the operator perceiving a motion aspect of the working machine when the operator gets on the working machine. When there is represented a relative motion of a first component (lower traveling body 410, upper revolving body 420) and a second component (upper revolving body 420, bucket 445 (working unit)) that constitute working machine 40, based on a result of detecting an operation aspect of a remote operation device 20, control is performed on individual sound output aspects of a plurality of sound output devices 2220, 2221 and 2222, each arranged at different locations in a remote operation space for the operator who operates the remote operation device 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Morita, Yoichiro Yamazaki, Seiji Saiki, Yusuke Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 12195948
    Abstract: There is provided a technique capable of appropriately controlling a warm-up completion timing of a work machine in view of scheduled use of the work machine. A warm-up period elapsed until a measurement value of an internal state variable satisfies a designated condition, i.e., warm-up is completed since a warm-up operation of a work machine 40 was started is predicted based on a measurement value of an external state variable with an operation of the work machine 40 stopped. The warm-up operation of the work machine 40 is started at a first designated time t1 as an appropriate timing based on the predicted warm-up period such that the measurement value of the internal state variable of the work machine 40 satisfies the designated condition by a second designated time t2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Masaki Otani, Seiji Saiki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12163312
    Abstract: The remote operation system has a mutual communication function of communicating with each of plural work machines and a remote operation device which remotely operates a cooperating work machine as a remote operation target among the plural work machines. The remote operation system includes a first support process element that acquires captured image which is captured by an actual machine image-capturing device of a first work machine establishing communication by a first communication path and transmits the captured image to the remote operation device and a second support process element that recognizes that one designation operation is performed, which is a portion of plural operations for causing a second work machine establishing communication by a second communication path and in which a changing situation corresponding to the operation appears in the captured image and that transmits a command signal corresponding to the one designation operation to the second work machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Hirose, Yuki Morita, Yuya Matsuda, Masaki Otani, Seiji Saiki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12123175
    Abstract: A display mode of a picked-up image in a central image output device 2210 (specified image output device) is variably controlled so as to display all of respective specified portions PPL and PPR of a pair of pillars 4240L and 4240R configuring a cab 424 in the central image output device 2210 (specified image output device). The specified portions PPL and PPR are part of the pillars 4240L and 4240R overlapping a specified image region R that extends in a belt shape between left and right bezels 2210L and 2210R.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Otani, Yusuke Fujiwara, Seiji Saiki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12127038
    Abstract: According to the remote operation system or a remote operation server 20 included in the remote operation system, when the “environment information control process” is performed, a data amount of environment data is reduced such that the reduction in the information amount of one or a plurality of low environment information factors is greater than the reduction in the information amount of one or a plurality of high environment information factors (meaning the reduction in the information amount of the environment information due to a change in the environment information factor). The environment information control process is performed by classifying the environment information factors into the high environment information factor and the low environment information factor according to a difference in the operation state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Funahara, Hitoshi Sasaki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12084835
    Abstract: A remote operation device and a remote operation system that can reduce or eliminate deviation of the position of an indicator image of a working unit such as a line image in an image with respect to the position of the working unit in a real space. In some case, because of a cause such as a communication failure, a position posture coordinate value of a working unit corresponding to captured image data in a work environment image deviates from a position posture coordinate value of the working unit estimated according to an operation form of a remote operation mechanism. In this case, a semitransparent indicator image Img2(?2) simulating a bucket is superimposed on a work environment image Img1(?2) in a position where the bucket is estimated to be originally present and deviating from an image region representing the bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignees: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., Hiroshima University
    Inventors: Masaru Ito, Yuichi Kurita
  • Patent number: 12077943
    Abstract: There is provided a system and the like capable of assisting remote operation of a work machine performed by a remote operator in such a way that contact between the work machine and an actual machine operator and other unfavorable situations can be avoided. Even in a situation in which a first evaluation result is affirmative and a work machine 40 can be remotely operated via a remote operation apparatus 20, but in a situation in which a second evaluation result is affirmative and it is highly probable that a worker carrying a portable terminal 60, such as an actual machine operator OP2, is so close to the work machine 40 or on the work machine 40 that short-range wireless communication between the work machine 40 and the portable terminal 60 is established, remote operation of the work machine 40 is inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Hama, Hitoshi Sasaki, Seiji Saiki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12054915
    Abstract: There is provided a server and a system capable of enabling an operator of a remote operating device to recognize which remote operating device remotely operates a work machine displayed on an output interface constituting the remote operating device. For example, a first work environment image indicating a situation of a work site acquired through an image pickup device 412 loaded on a work machine 40 is outputted on an output interface 220 constituting each of a plurality of remote operating devices 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sasaki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12043982
    Abstract: A system or the like capable of making an operator recognize an environment around a working machine in an appropriate form in consideration of a state of the working machine. In the case where a working machine 40 is in a first state (an operable state), a display magnification of a captured image (environment image) outputted to a remote output interface 220 is controlled only in a range of a specified display magnification or lower, or is fixed at a value of the specified display magnification or lower. On the other hand, in the case where the working machine 40 is in a second state (an inoperable state), a zoom function of an actual machine image capturing device 412 is demonstrated according to a zoom operation through a remote input interface 210 by the operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daiki Ishida, Ryota Hama, Seiji Saiki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12031297
    Abstract: A first operating mechanism 7 of a work machine 1 includes a first guide member 74 which tilts a fourth operating lever 5 in the right-left direction, and a first actuator 72 which generates a driving force for tilting a first direction guide member 74 on the basis of an operation command. The first actuator 72 is disposed at a position on the opposite side of the fourth operating lever 5 from a slave-side seat 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sasaki, Seiji Saiki, Yoichiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 12028653
    Abstract: A remote control system 1 having a function as an inspection system includes a plurality of cameras 25, 60 which are located in a location environment of a construction machine 10, a captured image processing unit 50a configured to cause a display unit 45 to display captured images, and a camera selection unit 50b configured to select an inspection camera from the plurality of cameras 25, 60 at a time of inspection of the construction machine 10. The captured image processing unit 50a is configured to receive an image captured by the selected inspection camera to include an image of a portion to be inspected and cause the display unit 45 to display the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sasaki, Yoichiro Yamazaki