Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – With meter reading
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-29
2004-08-17
Zimmerman, Brian (Department: 2763)
Communications: electrical
Continuously variable indicating
With meter reading
C340S679000, C340S683000, C342S426000, C455S015000, C701S002000, C701S050000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06778097
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a remote radio control system for remotely controlling a movable working machine such as a hydraulic excavator, a bulldozer or a dump truck by radio and relates further to a remote control apparatus, a movable repeater station and a radio movable working machine for implementing the remote radio control system.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, research and development on technology for remotely controlling a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator, a bulldozer or a dump truck by radio have been performed energetically. Particularly in a working site which is very dangerous for a man to enter such as a site for restoration against natural calamities, a site for construction of a dam, a quarry or an iron mill, it is strongly expected to operate an unmanned construction machine by radio from a remote place so that various operations can be performed safely and efficiently.
Here, in such a comparatively small scale working site that a control operator (operator) can control a construction machine from a distance over which the construction machine can be observed, since the operator can perform a controlling operation while always observing an actual working condition of the construction machine, the construction machine may be remotely controlled in a so-called radio control (radio controlling) fashion. However, where construction machines must be controlled from a place from which the construction machines cannot be observed over a very wide range in working site such as a large scale site for restoration against natural calamities, a function for grasping actual working conditions of the construction machines is required.
Thus, it is a conventional countermeasure to mount, on a construction machine, a television camera for imaging a working condition of the construction machine in addition to a radio communication apparatus and provide an image imaged by the television camera to a remote control room (operator) on the real time basis by radio transmission so that remote control of the construction machine can be performed in such a manner as in a case wherein the construction machine can be observed or to further mount a sound collecting microphone on the construction machine to provide also operation sound of the construction machine such as engine sound or excavation sound to the working control room so that an actual working situation can be regenerated with fidelity in the working control room at the remote place to achieve improvement in efficiency of remote control.
Further, in such remote control technology as described above, also it has been proposed that remote controlling levers and buttons in the remote control room are disposed in a similar manner to operation levers and buttons in an actual cabin (operation control room) of the construction machine so as to provide a structure wherein operation environments in the remote control room are simulated to those in the actual cabin so that the operator can perform remote control of the construction machine in a manner (virtual reality) nearer to an actual operation feeling.
Furthermore, also a technique has been proposed wherein, in the remote control technique described above, a repeater car (movable repeater station) which repeats such various data such as an image, operation sound and operation control information to the construction machine as described above sent thereto from the construction machine is disposed between the remote control room and the construction machine described above so that the transmission distance of the various data mentioned above may be increased to allow accurate remote control of the construction machine also from a place spaced by a larger distance.
However, with such a conventional remote radio control technique as described above, if an abnormal condition or a failure occurs with a radio apparatus mounted on the construction machine or the repeater car and disables radio communication with the construction machine or the repeater car, then it becomes impossible to control the construction machine or the repeater car accurately, and consequently, not only it is impossible to continue working, but also there is the possibility that such a significant loss that the construction machine or the repeater car cannot be recovered and cannot be avoided to be left in a dangerous working site may occur.
Further, in a conventional technique, since a radio apparatus is mounted on an ordinary construction machine to allow remote radio control, an operator must perform, in a remote control room (particularly where it adopts virtual reality), quite same operations as those performed when the operator actually gets into the cabin of the construction machine and controls the construction machine must be performed. This is very advantageous to a skilled person having much experience in getting into and controlling the construction machine actually since it is very easy to handle, but is not necessarily advantageous to those who do not have much experience.
Particularly when a complicated work, a work for which accuracy or precision is required or a like work is to be performed, since more complicated and delicate control operations are required, only a person skilled in controlling operations of the actual construction machine can perform remote control of the construction machine after all.
The present invention has been made in view of such subjects as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to make it possible to perform, even when communication with a construction machine or a movable repeater station becomes impossible, such a minimum required work as to retract the construction machine or the repeater station to a safe place and to make it possible for remote control of a construction machine to be performed readily by any person other than those skilled in controlling operations of an actual construction machine.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
To this end, a remote radio control system of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a radio movable working machine capable of movably working by radio control in a working site, a remote control apparatus for operating the radio movable working machine by radio control, and a movable repeater station interposed between the remote control apparatus and the radio movable working machine for repeating a signal, that first bidirectional communication means having a high radio wave directionality and first automatic tracking means are provided between the radio movable working machine and the movable repeater station, and that second bidirectional communication means having a high radio wave directionality, second automatic tracking means, and emergency spread spectrum bidirectional communication means for enabling bidirectional communication between the remote control apparatus and the movable repeater station when communication by the second bidirectional communication means is impossible are provided between the remote control apparatus and the movable repeater station.
Meanwhile, another remote radio control system of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a radio movable working machine capable of movably working by radio control in a working site, a remote control apparatus for operating the radio movable working machine by radio control, and a movable repeater station interposed between the remote control apparatus and the radio movable working machine for repeating a signal, that first bidirectional communication means having a high radio wave directionality and first automatic tracking means are provided between the radio movable working machine and the movable repeater station, that second bidirectional communication means having a high radio wave directionality and second automatic tracking means are provided between the remote control apparatus and the movable repeater station, and that the radio movable working machine includes a joint type arm mechanism connected at one end portion thereof for pivotal motion on a machine body and having
Awano Katsusuke
Kajita Shigeo
Miki Masatoshi
Nishikawa Hiroyasu
Tozawa Shoji
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd.
Yang Clara
Zimmerman Brian
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