JP7738974B2 - Material management system, method, and program - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Published on the Nihon Keizai Shimbun website on September 6, 2023.

The present invention relates to a material management system, method, and program for managing remaining material amounts in batcher plants, etc.

In a batcher plant, the fine and coarse aggregates that make up concrete are stored in aggregate bins at the bottom of the plant, then loaded onto a belt conveyor from an aggregate hopper at the top of the plant, and then passed through a weighing scale from the belt conveyor into a mixer where they are mixed with water, cement, fly ash, etc.
Previously, aggregate was moved from the aggregate bin to the aggregate hopper by a worker using a clamshell bucket (grabbing device) suspended from an overhead crane operated by remote control to pick up the aggregate from the bin and drop it into the aggregate hopper. In addition, the replenishment of aggregates such as coarse aggregate and fine aggregate into the aggregate bin, and the replenishment of cement and fly ash into the silo were carried out by a person in charge who checked the remaining amounts and placed orders on a daily basis.

Conventionally, one technology proposed to facilitate the automated operation of crane equipment includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires the position of a transport unit relative to a predetermined reference position as position information in first and second directions that are orthogonal to each other, and a control unit that automatically operates the crane equipment based on the acquired position information and a preset target position of the transport unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Also proposed in the past is a system for detecting the filling status of a container, which includes a means for striking the container wall and a means for detecting the sound generated by the striking, making it possible to quickly and easily detect the filling status of the container using a relatively simple system (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-123464 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-221675

However, with conventional technology, even though it has become easier to automate crane operations and it has become possible to detect the filling status of containers such as cement silos and fly ash silos, manual work is still required. Furthermore, it is not always possible for a person in charge of material replenishment to be present at the tunnel excavation site, and ordering materials such as aggregate for the batcher plant cannot always be carried out smoothly.

In addition, when it comes to material management, it is necessary to take into account the progress of construction work, predict the amount of materials to be used in the future, and then replenish materials accordingly. However, if this judgment is incorrect, problems can arise, such as ordering too much material and causing the aggregate bin to overflow, or incurring additional charges for having to take materials home, or conversely, construction coming to a halt due to a lack of materials.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a materials management system, method, and program that facilitates materials management.

A material management system according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an aggregate bin remaining amount sensor that is installed in a batcher plant corresponding to an aggregate bin that stores aggregate and is used to measure the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin, and a control computer that notifies a terminal device of a predetermined registered member of the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin measured using the aggregate bin remaining amount sensor ;
The aggregate bin remaining amount sensor is an aggregate bin lidar sensor that is installed above the aggregate bin, measures scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation, and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate bin,
The control computer calculates, as the remaining amount, the volume of the aggregate in the aggregate bin or a ratio of the volume to the aggregate capacity that the aggregate bin can store, based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
a crane device that is installed within a batcher plant and is capable of moving and opening/closing a clamshell bucket to any three-dimensional coordinate position within a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system defined within the batcher plant;
an aggregate hopper installed in the batcher plant for loading the aggregate onto a belt conveyor for transporting the aggregate;
an aggregate hopper lidar sensor that is installed corresponding to the aggregate hopper as an aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
Further provided with
the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor measures the remaining amount of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
The control computer
When it is determined that the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold based on the measurement by the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor, the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin to pick up the aggregate stored in the aggregate bin, and then the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper to drop the aggregate held by the clamshell bucket into the aggregate hopper;
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the aggregate piled up is highest in the aggregate bin corresponding to the aggregate bin lidar sensor based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
The picking up is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the highest,
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the piled-up aggregates in the aggregate hopper corresponding to the aggregate hopper lidar sensor is the lowest based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate hopper lidar sensor;
The dropping is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the lowest .

In the second aspect of the material management system, when the control computer calculates that the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold value, if the aggregate is stored in a plurality of aggregate bins, it moves the clamshell bucket to one of the plurality of aggregate bins and performs the pick-up operation until the amount of aggregate stored in that bin is equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

The material management system of the third aspect further comprises a plurality of remaining amount detection units installed at intervals in the vertical direction on the side of a silo storing material to be mixed with the aggregate to produce concrete, each of which includes a hammering device that strikes the side wall of the silo where it is installed and a microphone that collects the hammering sounds of the hammering device, and the control computer detects the remaining amount of material in the silo based on changes in the hammering sounds collected by the microphone of each of the plurality of remaining amount detection units, and notifies the terminal device operated by the specified registered member of the detected remaining amount of material in the silo.

A fourth aspect of the material management method includes a control computer measuring the amount of aggregate remaining in an aggregate bin using an aggregate bin remaining amount sensor installed in a batcher plant corresponding to the aggregate bin for storing aggregate, and notifying a terminal device of a predetermined registered member of the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin measured using the aggregate bin remaining amount sensor ;
The aggregate bin remaining amount sensor is an aggregate bin lidar sensor that is installed above the aggregate bin, measures scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation, and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate bin,
The control computer calculates, as the remaining amount, the volume of the aggregate in the aggregate bin or a ratio of the volume to the aggregate capacity that the aggregate bin can store, based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
a crane device that is installed within a batcher plant and is capable of moving and opening/closing a clamshell bucket to any three-dimensional coordinate position within a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system defined within the batcher plant;
an aggregate hopper installed in the batcher plant for loading the aggregate onto a belt conveyor for transporting the aggregate;
an aggregate hopper lidar sensor that is installed corresponding to the aggregate hopper as an aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
Further provided with
the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor measures the remaining amount of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
The control computer
When it is determined that the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold based on the measurement by the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor, the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin to pick up the aggregate stored in the aggregate bin, and then the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper to drop the aggregate held by the clamshell bucket into the aggregate hopper;
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the aggregate piled up is highest in the aggregate bin corresponding to the aggregate bin lidar sensor based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
The picking up is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the highest,
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the piled-up aggregates in the aggregate hopper corresponding to the aggregate hopper lidar sensor is the lowest based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate hopper lidar sensor;
The dropping is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the lowest .

A material management program according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a control computer that measures the amount of aggregate material in an aggregate bin using an aggregate bin remaining amount sensor installed in correspondence with an aggregate bin that stores aggregate in a batcher plant, and notifies a terminal device of a predetermined registered member of the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin measured using the aggregate bin remaining amount sensor;
The aggregate bin remaining amount sensor is an aggregate bin lidar sensor that is installed above the aggregate bin, measures scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation, and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate bin,
The control computer calculates, as the remaining amount, the volume of the aggregate in the aggregate bin or a ratio of the volume to the aggregate capacity that the aggregate bin can store, based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
a crane device that is installed within a batcher plant and is capable of moving and opening/closing a clamshell bucket to any three-dimensional coordinate position within a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system defined within the batcher plant;
an aggregate hopper installed in the batcher plant for loading the aggregate onto a belt conveyor for transporting the aggregate;
an aggregate hopper lidar sensor that is installed corresponding to the aggregate hopper as an aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
Further provided with
the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor measures the remaining amount of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
The control computer
When it is determined that the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold based on the measurement by the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor, the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin to pick up the aggregate stored in the aggregate bin, and then the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper to drop the aggregate held by the clamshell bucket into the aggregate hopper;
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the aggregate piled up is highest in the aggregate bin corresponding to the aggregate bin lidar sensor based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
The picking up is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the highest,
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the piled-up aggregates in the aggregate hopper corresponding to the aggregate hopper lidar sensor is the lowest based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate hopper lidar sensor;
The dropping is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the lowest .

The first aspect of the present invention makes it possible to easily manage materials.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the remaining amount of aggregate in an aggregate bin or aggregate hopper can be calculated as the volume of aggregate in the aggregate bin or as a ratio of the volume to the aggregate capacity that the aggregate bin can store, making it possible to accurately measure the remaining amount of aggregate and notify registered users.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is no need to operate a crane device.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to maximize the amount of aggregate that can be grasped at one time by the clamshell bucket. Furthermore, when dropping aggregate from the clamshell bucket into the aggregate hopper, it is possible to prevent the aggregate from spilling out of the aggregate hopper into the surrounding area.

The fifth aspect of the present invention makes it easier to refill aggregate into the aggregate bin.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible to easily manage materials stored in silos.

The seventh aspect of the present invention makes it possible to easily manage materials in accordance with the progress of work on site.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a materials management method that can achieve the same functions as the materials management system of the first aspect.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a material management program that can achieve the same functions as the material management system of the first aspect.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment as viewed in the direction A (Y-axis direction) of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment as viewed in the direction B (X-axis direction) of FIG. 1 . FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display of point cloud data of each aggregate bin acquired from a lidar sensor in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen showing remaining amount information of each aggregate bin notified to a registered user in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged side view showing an example of a remaining amount detection unit for a silo according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control PC according to the first embodiment. 1 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating an example of a control processing program executed by a control PC in the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating an example of a control processing program executed by the control PC in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a work process estimated in the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The first embodiment is a material management system in a system consisting of a batcher plant and a silo.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment as viewed in direction A of FIG. 1 (the Y-axis direction described later), and FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment as viewed in direction B of FIG. 1 (the X-axis direction described later).
In the following description, reference will be made to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG.

Batcher plants are concrete manufacturing facilities installed at large-scale construction sites that require large amounts of concrete, such as dams and tunnels. Concrete is made from cement, fly ash (ash produced by burning coal), water, sand, gravel, and admixtures.
Aggregate materials such as sand and gravel are stored in aggregate bins within the batcher plant, divided into fine aggregate (fine particle aggregate) and coarse aggregate (coarse particle aggregate). In Figures 1, 2, and 3, sand, which is a fine aggregate used in large quantities, is stored in the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) and the second aggregate bin 101 (#2). Gravel, which is a coarse aggregate, is stored in the third aggregate bin 101 (#3).
In the following description, the first aggregate bin 101 (#1), the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), and the third aggregate bin 101 (#3) may be collectively referred to as aggregate bins 101.
Each aggregate bin 101 can be directly replenished with aggregate from a downpour truck or the like parked next to the outside of the batcher plant 100.

The fine aggregate (sand) stored in the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) or the second aggregate bin 101 (#2) is picked up by a clamshell bucket 201 suspended from a crane device described later and is replenished as needed into the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) located above.
Similarly, the coarse aggregate (gravel) stored in the third aggregate bin 101 (#3) is picked up by the clamshell bucket 201 and replenished as needed into the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2) located above.

In the following description, the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2) may be collectively referred to as aggregate hoppers 102.

The fine aggregate (sand) in the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the coarse aggregate (gravel) in the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2) are loaded sequentially onto the first belt conveyor 104 (#1) and the second belt conveyor 104 (#2), respectively, through holes at the bottom.
The fine aggregate (sand) dropped onto the first belt conveyor 104 (#1) and the coarse aggregate (gravel) placed on the second belt conveyor 104 (#2) are transported to and dropped into the first weighing machine 105 (#1) and the second weighing machine 105 (#2), respectively, which are located above the building of the batcher plant 100.
The first weighing machine 105 (# 1 ) and the second weighing machine 105 (# 2 ) measure predetermined amounts of fine aggregate (sand) and coarse aggregate (gravel), respectively, and charge them into the mixer 106 .

The mixer 106 produces concrete by mixing and stirring fine aggregate (sand) fed from the first measuring device 105 (#1), coarse aggregate (gravel) fed from the second measuring device 105 (#2), cement separately fed through a pressure pipe 210 from a cement silo 108 installed next to the building of the batcher plant 100, fly ash separately fed through a pressure pipe 211 from a fly ash silo 109, and water or hot water (not shown).
The produced concrete is loaded into a waiting vehicle (a ready-mix concrete truck or a mixer truck) through a hole in the bottom of the mixer 106. The concrete carried into this vehicle is transported to a nearby construction site and used in the construction work.

Within the building of the batcher plant 100, three-dimensional coordinates are defined, which are Cartesian coordinates consisting of mutually orthogonal X-, Y-, and Z-axes, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The origin (0,0,0) of these three-dimensional coordinates is defined, for example, on the ground at the corner of the building of the batcher plant 100, below and to the left of the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) in the plan view (top view) of Figure 1.

The following crane equipment will be installed inside the batcher plant 100 building.

First, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a pair of traveling rails 205 (#1) and 205 (#2) extending in the Y-axis direction are installed on the upper parts of the left and right side walls 209 (#1) and 209 (#2) of the building of the batcher plant 100.
In addition, only the upper part of the right side wall 209 (#2) forms a wall, and the lower part is structured so that the first belt conveyor 104 (#1) and the second belt conveyor 104 (#2) can pass through from the side of the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the side of the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2) to the side of the first weighing machine 105 (#1) and the side of the second weighing machine 105 (#2).

Next, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, saddles 207 (#1) and 207 (#2) are installed, which can run on running rails 205 (#1) and 205 (#2), respectively, and girder rails 206 are connected to saddles 207 (#1) and 207 (#2) and extend in the X-axis direction.

Saddles 207 (#1) and 207 (#2) and girder rail 206 can move together in the Y-axis direction on running rails 205 (#1) and 205 (#2).

Furthermore, a trolley 202 capable of moving along the girder rail 206 in the X-axis direction in Figure 2, a winch 203 attached to the trolley 202, and a clamshell bucket 201 suspended via a wire 204 that can be wound up by the winch 203 are installed.

In addition, one or both of saddles 207 (#1) and 207 (#2) are equipped with a first drive mechanism (not shown) that, under control of control PC (control computer) 107 (see Figure 1), moves the integrated structure of saddles 207 (#1) and 207 (#2) and girder rail 206 on traveling rails 205 (#1) and 205 (#2) in the Y-axis direction to a Y coordinate position specified by control PC 107 (see Figure 3).

Similarly, the trolley 202 is equipped with a second drive mechanism (not shown) that, under control of the control PC 107 in Figure 1, moves the trolley 202 on the girder rail 206 to an X coordinate position in the X-axis direction in Figure 2 specified by the control PC 107.

Furthermore, the winch 203 installed on the trolley 202 winds up or pays out the wire 204 under the control of the control PC 107 in Figure 1, thereby moving the clamshell bucket 201 to the Z coordinate position in the Z-axis direction specified by the control PC 107 in Figure 2 or Figure 3.

In addition, the clamshell bucket 201 is equipped with a third drive mechanism (not shown) that opens and closes buckets 301 (#1) and 301 (#2) around hinge shaft 212 (shown in Figure 3) under the control of control PC 107 (shown in Figure 1).

Using a crane device with the above structure, the control PC 107 can specify any three-dimensional coordinate position to the crane device, causing the clamshell bucket 201 to move to that three-dimensional coordinate position, and then opening and closing buckets 301 (#1) and 301 (#2) of the clamshell bucket 201 at that position.

Next, within the building of the batcher plant 100, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors 103(#1), 103(#2), and 103(#3), which are remaining amount sensors, are installed above the first aggregate bin 101(#1), the second aggregate bin 101(#2), and the third aggregate bin 101(#3), respectively, on the beam 208(#1) installed in the X-axis direction on the side wall 302(#1) shown in FIG. 3 as shown in FIG.
Similarly, within the building of the batcher plant 100, lidar sensors 103 (#4) and 103 (#5), which are remaining amount sensors, are installed above the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2), respectively, on the side wall 302 (#2) shown in Figure 3 and on the beam 208 (#2) installed in the X-axis direction as shown in Figure 2.

Lidar sensors 103 (#1), 103 (#2), and 103 (#3) are sensors for measuring the remaining amount of aggregate in the first aggregate bin 101 (#1), the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), and the third aggregate bin 101 (#3), respectively.They measure scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation emitted from above each aggregate bin 101, and obtain point cloud data indicating the distance to each of multiple points on the surface of the aggregate in each aggregate bin 101.
Similarly, lidar sensors 103 (#4) and 103 (#5) are sensors for measuring the remaining amount of aggregate in the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2), respectively, and measure scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation emitted from above each aggregate hopper 102, and obtain point cloud data indicating the distance to each of multiple points on the surface of each aggregate hopper 102.
In the following description, the LIDAR sensors 103 (#1), 103 (#2), 103 (#3), 103 (#4), and 103 (#5) may be collectively referred to as the LIDAR sensor 103.

The control PC 107 shown in Figure 1 or 3 calculates the volume of aggregate in the aggregate bin 101 or aggregate hopper 102, or the ratio of that volume to the aggregate capacity that each can store, as the remaining amount based on the point cloud data acquired by the lidar sensors 103 (#1) to 103 (#5).

Figures 4(a), (b), and (c) are figures showing examples of displaying the point cloud data of the first aggregate bin 101 (#1), the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), and the third aggregate bin 101 (#3) obtained from the lidar sensors 103 (#1), 103 (#2), and 103 (#3) on the display of the control PC 107 of Figure 1 or Figure 3, respectively.
For example, the point cloud data in Figure 4(a) is data indicating the distance from the lidar sensor 103 (#1) installed above the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) to each position on the surface of the aggregate within the first aggregate bin 101 (#1).
Similarly, for example, the point cloud data in Figure 4(b) is data indicating the distance from the lidar sensor 103 (#2) installed above the second aggregate bin 101 (#2) to each position on the surface of the aggregate within the second aggregate bin 101 (#2).
Similarly, for example, the point cloud data in Figure 4(c) is data indicating the distance from the lidar sensor 103 (#3) installed above the third aggregate bin 101 (#3) to each position on the surface of the aggregate within the third aggregate bin 101 (#3).

Based on this point cloud data, the control PC 107 calculates the remaining volume of aggregate in the first aggregate bin 101 (#1), the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), and the third aggregate bin 101 (#3) as a filling rate % (volume ÷ aggregate bin capacity × 100), and displays this on the display of the control PC 107, as shown in Figures 4(a), (b), and (c).

In the first embodiment, the control PC 107 executes the following first control process. In this first control process, the control PC 107 notifies a terminal device, such as a smartphone or tablet operated by a specified registered member, of the remaining amount of aggregate, such as the volume and filling rate, in the first aggregate bin 101 (#1), the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), and the third aggregate bin 101 (#3), as measured by the lidar sensors 103 (#1), 103 (#2), and 103 (#3), using network software such as email, SNS, or business chat. The notification may be made at specified time intervals, or when the remaining amount falls below a specified threshold.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen on the display of a terminal device such as a registered user's smartphone or tablet terminal, showing remaining amount information, such as volume (m 3 ) and filling rate (%), for the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) (displayed as "Sand 1" in FIG. 5 ), the second aggregate bin 101 (#2) (displayed as "Sand 2" in FIG. 5 ), and the third aggregate bin 101 (# ³ ) (displayed as "Gravel" in FIG. 5 ), which is notified to the registered user, for example, via business chat, in the first embodiment.

The first control process performed by the control PC 107 in the first embodiment described above makes it possible to easily determine the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin 101.

Next, in the first embodiment, the control PC 107 executes the following second control process. In this second control process, the control PC 107 first moves the clamshell bucket 201 to the three-dimensional coordinate position of the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) or the second aggregate bin 101 (#2) when it determines, based on the measurement results of each point cloud data from the lidar sensors 103 (#4) and 103 (#5), that the remaining amount of aggregate in the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) is below a threshold.

Specifically, when the control PC 107 determines that the remaining amount of fine aggregate (sand) in the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) is below a threshold value, it moves the clamshell bucket 201 to the three-dimensional coordinate position of either the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) or the second aggregate bin 101 (#2).
When the aggregate to be replenished to the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) is stored in multiple aggregate bins, such as the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) and the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), it is preferable to replenish aggregate from one of the aggregate bins until the amount of aggregate stored in that bin falls below a certain level. This makes it easier to replenish aggregate to the aggregate bins. Furthermore, when the control PC 107 determines that the amount of coarse aggregate (gravel) remaining in the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2) has fallen below a threshold, it moves the clamshell bucket 201 to the three-dimensional coordinate position of the third aggregate bin 101 (#3).

It is preferable that the control PC 107 calculates the three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin 101 determined as described above as the three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin, where the height of the aggregate is highest in the aggregate bin 101 corresponding to the lidar sensor 103, based on the point cloud data acquired by the lidar sensor 103 corresponding to that aggregate bin 101.
This makes it possible to move to the three-dimensional coordinate position where the pile height is the highest and pick up the aggregate, thereby maximizing the amount of aggregate that can be picked up at one time.

As a result of the above control processing, the clamshell bucket 201 of the crane device described above moves to the three-dimensional coordinate position of one of the aggregate bins 101 specified by the control PC 107 as described above. Then, buckets 301 (#1) and 301 (#2) (see Figure 3) of the clamshell bucket 201 open and then close, thereby grabbing up the aggregate piled up in the aggregate bin 101.

In the second control process, the control PC 107 then moves the clamshell bucket 201 that has picked up the aggregate to the three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper 102 where a remaining amount shortage has been detected.

It is preferable that the control PC 107 calculates the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the aggregate piled up in the aggregate hopper 102 is lowest as the three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper 102 based on the point cloud data acquired by the lidar sensor 103 corresponding to the aggregate hopper 102 that detected a shortage of remaining amount.
This makes it possible to prevent the aggregate from spilling out of the aggregate hopper 102 and onto its surroundings by moving to the three-dimensional coordinate position where the pile height is lowest and dropping the aggregate from the clamshell bucket 201 into the aggregate hopper 102.

As a result of the above control processing, the clamshell bucket 201 of the crane device described above moves to the three-dimensional coordinate position of one of the aggregate hoppers 102 specified by the control PC 107 as described above. Then, buckets 301 (#1) and 301 (#2) (see Figure 3) of the clamshell bucket 201 open, dropping aggregate into the aggregate hopper 102 to replenish it.

As described above, based on the remaining amount of aggregate in the aggregate bin and aggregate hopper measured by the lidar sensor 103, the crane device can automatically move the aggregate in the aggregate bin 101 to the aggregate hopper 102 to replenish it when the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper 102 becomes low.

In the first embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the cement silo 108 and the fly ash silo 109 respectively store fine aggregate (sand) and coarse aggregate (gravel) supplied from the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2) within the batcher plant 100 via the first belt conveyor 104 (#1) and the second belt conveyor 104 (#2), respectively, and cement and fly ash that are mixed in the mixer 106.

In the first embodiment, the control PC 107 executes a third control process for detecting the remaining amount of cement or fly ash in the silo 108 or 109 .
FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of a remaining amount detection unit for a silo according to the first embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the cement silo 108 and the fly ash silo 109 have a plurality of remaining amount detection units 601 (#1) to 601 (#5) installed, for example, at equal intervals, on the side wall 605 in the height direction of the silo 108 or 109.
In the following description, the remaining amount detection units 601 (#1) to 601 (#5) may be collectively referred to as remaining amount detection units 601.

6, the remaining amount detection unit 601 is provided with magnets 604 at a plurality of locations for magnetically mounting on a side wall 605 of the silo 108 or 109. Note that the mounting method is not limited to magnetic mounting.
The remaining amount detection unit 601 includes a hammering device 602 that strikes the side wall 605 of the silo where the unit is installed, for example, by the force of an electromagnet, and a microphone 603 that collects the hammering sound of the hammering device 602.

In the third control process, the control PC 107 in Figure 1 or 3 captures the sounds collected by the microphones 603 in each of the remaining amount detection units 601 (#1) to 601 (#5) and detects the remaining cement or fly ash position 606 in the silo 108 or 109 based on the changes in those sounds.

Next, the control PC 107 executes a fourth control process in which the remaining amount of cement or fly ash in the silo 108 or 109 detected by the third control process is notified to a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet operated by a specified registered member. The notification may be made at specified time intervals, or when the remaining amount falls below a specified threshold.

The third and fourth control processes described above allow the remaining amount of materials such as cement and fly ash in the silo 108 or 109 operating in conjunction with the batcher plant 100 to be notified at predetermined time intervals to a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet operated by a designated registered member, in the same way as the remaining amount of aggregate in the aggregate bin 101, making it easy to manage materials in the silos 108 and 109 even when the member is not on-site.

Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the control PC 107 shown in Figure 1 or 3 in the first embodiment. The control PC 107 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 701, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 702, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 703, an external storage device 704, an input unit 705, a display unit 706, an interface unit 707, and a network communication unit 708, all interconnected by a system bus 709.

The CPU 701 loads a control processing program stored in the ROM 702 into the RAM 703 and executes it.
By executing this program, the first to fourth control processes by the control PC 107 in the first embodiment described above are realized.

ROM 702 is a non-volatile memory that stores control processing programs.

RAM 703 is a randomly accessible memory. When executing a control processing program, CPU 701 loads program data from ROM 702 into RAM 703 and executes it. RAM 703 is also used as a work memory when executing a control processing program.

The external storage device 704 is, for example, an SSD (solid state drive) or hard disk, and stores data input from the lidar sensor 103 and remaining amount detection units 601(#1) to 601(#5), as well as data to be sent to registered users.

The input unit 705 is, for example, a keyboard or mouse input device, and is used to input data, parameters, etc. that need to be input when executing the control processing program.

The display unit 706 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel, or an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and displays information such as point cloud data acquired from the LIDAR sensor 103 shown in Figure 4, as well as the volume and filling rate of the aggregate.

The interface unit 707 converts the point cloud data from the lidar sensor 103 from analog data to digital data using an A/D converter (not shown) and stores the digital data in the external storage device 704 (or the RAM 703).
The interface unit 707 also outputs tapping instruction data to the tapping device 602 in the remaining amount detection unit 601 described in FIG. 6 , and converts the audio signal collected by the microphone 603 in the remaining amount detection unit 601 from an analog audio signal to a digital audio signal using an A/D converter (not shown), and stores the digital audio signal in the external storage device 704 (which may be the RAM 703).

The network communication unit 708 transmits data such as aggregate remaining amount information (volume, filling rate) and cement or fly ash remaining amount information to a block network or the Internet (not shown) to be sent to a terminal device (not shown) of a registered user, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal (not shown), which is capable of communication via the Internet (not shown).

8 and 9 are flowcharts showing an example of a control processing program executed by the control PC 107 in the first embodiment.
This control processing program starts to be executed when the batcher plant 100 starts to operate.

First, the CPU 701 resets a notification timer, which is a variable in the RAM 703 that counts the time interval for notifying registered users, to a value of 0, for example (step S801 in FIG. 8).
The value of this notification timer is automatically timed out as time passes by a timer interrupt process (not shown).

Next, the CPU 701 initializes the value of variable i in RAM 703 to 1 in step S802 of FIG. 8, and then increments the value of variable i by +1 in step S807 of FIG. 8, repeatedly executing the processes of steps S803 to S807 until it determines in step S806 of FIG. 8 that the value is equal to 3.

In this series of processes, the CPU 701 first acquires point cloud data for the i=1th first aggregate bin 101 (#1) from the lidar sensor 103 (#1) (step S803 in Figure 8).

Next, the CPU 701 calculates the volume and filling rate of the remaining aggregate in the i=1 first aggregate bin 101 (#1) based on the point cloud data acquired in step S803 (step S804 in Figure 8).

Furthermore, the CPU 701 calculates the three-dimensional coordinate position where the piled height of aggregate in the i=1 first aggregate bin 101 (#1) is the highest (step S805 in Figure 8).

Then, the CPU 701 determines whether the value of the variable i is equal to 3 (step S806 in Figure 8).

If the determination in step S806 is NO, the CPU 701 increments the value of the variable i by +1 (step S807 in Figure 8) and returns to the processing of step S803 in Figure 8.

In this way, point cloud data is acquired from the lidar sensors 103 (#1), 103 (#2), and 103 (#3) for each of the first aggregate bin 101 (#1), second aggregate bin 101 (#2), and third aggregate bin 101 (#3), the volume and filling rate of the remaining aggregate in each aggregate bin 101 are calculated, and the three-dimensional coordinate position of the highest pile height for each aggregate is calculated.

Next, the CPU 701 initializes the value of variable j in RAM 703 to 1 in step S808 of FIG. 8, and then increments the value of variable j by +1 in step S813 of FIG. 8, repeatedly executing the processes of steps S809 to S813 until it determines in step S812 of FIG. 8 that the value is equal to 2.

In this series of processes, the CPU 701 first acquires point cloud data of the j=1-th first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) from the lidar sensor 103 (#5) (step S809 in Figure 8).

Next, the CPU 701 calculates the volume of the remaining aggregate in the j=1st first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) based on the point cloud data acquired in step S809 (step S810 in Figure 8).

Furthermore, the CPU 701 calculates the three-dimensional coordinate position where the piled height of aggregate in the j=1st first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) is the lowest (step S811 in Figure 8).

Then, the CPU 701 determines whether the value of variable j is equal to 2 (step S812 in Figure 8).

If the determination in step S806 is NO, the CPU 701 increments the value of the variable j by +1 (step S813 in FIG. 8), and returns to the processing of step S808 in FIG.
In the second loop, point cloud data is acquired from the LIDAR sensor 103 (#5).

In this way, point cloud data is acquired from the lidar sensors 103 (#4) and 103 (#5) for each of the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2), the volume of the remaining aggregate in each aggregate hopper 102 is calculated, and the three-dimensional coordinate position at the lowest pile height of each aggregate is calculated.

Next, in step S814 of FIG. 9, the CPU 701 resets the value of variable j in RAM 703 to 1, and then in step S823 of FIG. 9, sequentially increments the value of variable j by +1, repeatedly executing steps S815 to S823 until it is determined in step S822 of FIG. 9 that the value is equal to 2.

In this series of processes, the CPU 701 first determines whether the volume of the remaining amount in the j=1 first aggregate hopper 102 (#1), calculated in step S810 of Figure 8 when variable j=1, is smaller than a predetermined threshold value (step S815 of Figure 9).

If the determination in step S815 is NO, the CPU 701 skips steps S816 to S821 and proceeds to step S822.

If the determination in step S815 is YES, the j-th aggregate hopper 102 needs to be replenished.
In this case, the CPU 701 first determines whether the value of the variable j is 1 (step S816 in FIG. 9).

If the determination in step S816 is YES, the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) needs to be replenished, and since there are two corresponding aggregate bins 101, the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) and the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), it is necessary to select one of them as the source of replenishment.
Therefore, the CPU 701 sets the three-dimensional coordinate position of the first aggregate bin 101 (#1) or the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), whichever has the larger volume of remaining aggregate calculated in step S804 of Figure 8, as the source coordinate position for replenishment (step S817 of Figure 9).

On the other hand, if the determination in step S816 is NO, the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2) needs to be replenished, and there is only one corresponding aggregate bin 101, the third aggregate bin 101 (#3).
Therefore, the CPU 701 sets the three-dimensional coordinate position of the third aggregate bin 101 (#3) as the replenishment source coordinate position (step S818 in FIG. 9).

After processing step S817 or S818, the CPU 701 moves the clamshell bucket 201 to the replenishment source coordinate position set in step S817 or S818. The CPU 701 then opens and then closes buckets 301 (#1) and 301 (#2) (see Figure 3) of the clamshell bucket 201 toward the highest point of aggregate in the aggregate bin 101, thereby picking up the aggregate (this is step S819 in Figure 9).

Next, the CPU 701 sets the replenishment destination coordinate position of the clamshell bucket 201 that picked up the aggregate to the three-dimensional coordinate position calculated in step S811 of Figure 8 for the jth aggregate hopper 102 for which a remaining amount shortage was detected in step S815 (step S820 of Figure 9).

The CPU 701 moves the clamshell bucket 201 to the complementary coordinate position set in step S820. The CPU 701 then executes the operation of opening buckets 301 (#1) and 301 (#2) (see Figure 3) of the clamshell bucket 201, thereby dropping and replenishing aggregate into the aggregate hopper 102 at the lowest position (step S821 in Figure 9).

Then, the CPU 701 determines whether the value of variable j is equal to 2 (step S822 in Figure 9).

If the determination in step S822 is NO, the CPU 701 increments the value of variable j by +1 (step S823 in Figure 9) and returns to the processing of step S815 in Figure 9.

In this way, it is determined whether there is a shortage of aggregate in each of the first aggregate hopper 102 (#1) and the second aggregate hopper 102 (#2), and the shortage is automatically replenished from the aggregate bin 101.

Then, the CPU 701 determines whether the value of the notification timer, which is a variable in RAM 703, has timed out (becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined upper limit) due to the passage of a predetermined amount of time since the previous notification time (step S824 in Figure 9).

If the determination in step S824 is NO, the CPU 701 does not perform the notification operations from step S825 onwards, but returns to the processing of step S802 in Figure 8, and repeatedly performs the operation of measuring the remaining amounts in the aggregate bin 101 and aggregate hopper 102.

When the notification timer times out and the determination in step S824 becomes YES, the CPU 701 transmits display data such as that illustrated in Figure 5, which summarizes the remaining volume and filling rate of each aggregate in the first aggregate bin 101 (#1), the second aggregate bin 101 (#2), and the third aggregate bin 101 (#3) calculated by the repeated processing of step S804 in Figure 8, to the terminal device of a registered member who has been separately registered in advance, via the network communication unit 708 (step S825 in Figure 9).

Next, the CPU 701 calculates the remaining positions of cement and fly ash for the cement silo 108 and the fly ash silo 109, respectively (step S826 in FIG. 9).
Specifically, in step S826, the CPU 701 first sequentially causes the hammering devices 602 of the remaining amount detection units 601 (#1) to 601 (#5) provided on the side wall 605 of the cement silo 108 to operate, and as a result, captures the hammering sounds collected by the microphones 603 of the remaining amount detection units 601 (#1) to 601 (#5) into the external storage device 704 (which may be RAM 703) via the interface unit 707.
Next, in step S826, the CPU 701 performs frequency analysis (for example, fast Fourier calculation) on each of the hitting sounds captured for each of the remaining amount detection units 601(#1) to 601(#5), and detects the peak frequency of the hitting sound at which the frequency power is greatest.
Then, in step S826, the CPU 701 determines the peak frequency of the impact sound detected for each of the remaining amount detection units 601 (#1) to 601 (#5) in order, starting from the remaining amount detection unit 601 (#1) which corresponds to the lowest position in the cement silo 108, and detects the height of the side wall 605 on which the remaining amount detection unit 601 immediately preceding the remaining amount detection unit 601 whose frequency has changed is located as the remaining amount position 606 in the cement silo 108 (see Figure 6).

In step S826, the CPU 701 performs the same processing as for the cement silo 108 for the remaining amount detection units 601 (#1) to 601 (#5) installed on the side wall 605 of the fly ash silo 109. As a result, in step S826, the CPU 701 detects the remaining amount position 606 of the fly ash silo 109.

Next, the CPU 701 transmits the remaining amounts of cement and fly ash in the cement silo 108 and the fly ash silo 109 calculated in step S826 of Figure 9 to the registered member's terminal device, in the same manner as in step S825 of Figure 9 (step S827 of Figure 9).

Finally, the CPU 701 resets the value of the notification timer, which is a variable on the RAM 703, to 0 (step S828 in FIG. 9).
Thereafter, the CPU 701 returns to the process of step S802 in FIG. 8 and repeatedly executes the operation of measuring the remaining amounts of the aggregate bin 101 and the aggregate hopper 102.

Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment. The second embodiment is equipped with, for example, a network camera (camera) 1001 that automatically captures work footage at a construction work site, such as a tunnel excavation work site 1002 as shown in Figure 10.

Then, a control computer similar to the control PC 107 in the first embodiment, or a control computer that is a server computer prepared on the Internet cloud, uses a work process determination model that has been machine-learned from work footage previously captured at, for example, a tunnel excavation work site, to estimate the work process based on the work footage newly captured by the network camera 1001.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of work processes estimated in the second embodiment. In Figure 11, the daily work times for work processes such as drilling and charging work, blasting work, debris removal work, and spraying work are estimated.

After estimating the work process in this way, the control computer executes a fifth control process that estimates the timing for using the concrete produced in the batcher plant and predicts the amounts of materials such as aggregate and cement to be used.

Furthermore, the control computer executes a sixth control process that notifies a terminal device, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal operated by a specified registered member, of the amount of material required for the spraying work, as predicted by the fifth control process, at predetermined time intervals.

The second embodiment described above makes it possible to easily manage materials in accordance with the progress of work on site.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Batcher plant 101 Aggregate bin 101 (#1) First aggregate bin 101 (#2) Second aggregate bin 101 (#3) Third aggregate bin 102 Aggregate hopper 102 (#1) First aggregate hopper 102 (#2) Second aggregate hopper 103, 103 (#1), 103 (#2), 103 (#3), 103 (#4), 103 (#5) Lidar sensor 104 (#1) First belt conveyor 104 (#2) Second belt conveyor 105 (#1) First weighing scale 105 (#2) Second weighing scale 106 Mixer 107 Control PC
108 Cement silo 109 Fly ash silo 201 Clamshell bucket 202 Trolley 203 Winch 204 Wire 205 (#1), 205 (#2) Traveling rail 206 Girder rail 207 (#1), 207 (#2) Saddle 208 (#1), 208 (#2) Beam 209 (#1), 209 (#2) Left and right side walls 210, 211 Pressure pipe 212 Hinge shaft 301 (#1), 301 (#2) Bucket 302 (#1), 302 (#1) Side wall 601, 601 (#1), 601 (#2), 601 (#3), 601 (#4), 601 (#5) Remaining amount detection unit 602 Striking device 603 Microphone 604 Magnet 605 Side wall 606 Remaining amount position 701 CPU
702 ROM
703 RAM
704 External storage device 705 Input unit 706 Display unit 707 Interface unit 708 Network communication unit 709 System bus 1001 Network camera 1002 Tunnel excavation work site

Claims (5)

an aggregate bin remaining amount sensor that is installed in correspondence with an aggregate bin that stores aggregate in the batcher plant and is used to measure the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin;
a control computer that notifies a terminal device of a predetermined registered member of the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin measured using the aggregate bin amount sensor;
Equipped with
The aggregate bin remaining amount sensor is an aggregate bin lidar sensor that is installed above the aggregate bin, measures scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation, and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate bin,
The control computer calculates, as the remaining amount, the volume of the aggregate in the aggregate bin or a ratio of the volume to the aggregate capacity that the aggregate bin can store, based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
a crane device that is installed within a batcher plant and is capable of moving and opening/closing a clamshell bucket to any three-dimensional coordinate position within a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system defined within the batcher plant;
an aggregate hopper installed in the batcher plant for loading the aggregate onto a belt conveyor for transporting the aggregate;
an aggregate hopper lidar sensor that is installed corresponding to the aggregate hopper as an aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
Further provided with
the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor measures the remaining amount of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
The control computer
When it is determined that the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold based on the measurement by the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor, the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin to pick up the aggregate stored in the aggregate bin, and then the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper to drop the aggregate held by the clamshell bucket into the aggregate hopper;
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the aggregate piled up is highest in the aggregate bin corresponding to the aggregate bin lidar sensor based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
The picking up is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the highest,
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the piled-up aggregates in the aggregate hopper corresponding to the aggregate hopper lidar sensor is the lowest based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate hopper lidar sensor;
A material management system in which the dropping is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the lowest . The control computer
When the aggregate is stored in a plurality of aggregate bins, when it is calculated that the amount of the aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold value, the clamshell bucket is moved to any one of the plurality of aggregate bins and the picking-up operation is performed until the amount of aggregate stored in that one aggregate bin becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount.
The material management system of claim 1 . a plurality of remaining amount detection units are installed at intervals in the vertical direction on a side surface of a silo that stores material to be mixed with the aggregate to produce concrete, each of the remaining amount detection units including a hammering device that strikes the side wall of the silo where the hammering device is installed, and a microphone that collects hammering sounds from the hammering device;
The control computer
detecting the amount of material remaining in the silo based on a change in the hammering sounds collected by the microphones in each of the plurality of remaining amount detection units;
notifying the detected remaining amount of material in the silo to a terminal device operated by the predetermined registered member;
The material management system of claim 1 . The control computer
measuring the amount of aggregate remaining in an aggregate bin using an aggregate bin remaining amount sensor installed corresponding to the aggregate bin for storing aggregate in the batcher plant;
notifying a terminal device of a predetermined registered member of the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin measured using the aggregate bin amount sensor ;
The aggregate bin remaining amount sensor is an aggregate bin lidar sensor that is installed above the aggregate bin, measures scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation, and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate bin,
The control computer calculates, as the remaining amount, the volume of the aggregate in the aggregate bin or a ratio of the volume to the aggregate capacity that the aggregate bin can store, based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
a crane device that is installed within a batcher plant and is capable of moving and opening/closing a clamshell bucket to any three-dimensional coordinate position within a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system defined within the batcher plant;
an aggregate hopper installed in the batcher plant for loading the aggregate onto a belt conveyor for transporting the aggregate;
an aggregate hopper lidar sensor that is installed corresponding to the aggregate hopper as an aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
Further provided with
the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor measures the remaining amount of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
The control computer
When it is determined that the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold based on the measurement by the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor, the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin to pick up the aggregate stored in the aggregate bin, and then the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper to drop the aggregate held by the clamshell bucket into the aggregate hopper;
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the aggregate piled up is highest in the aggregate bin corresponding to the aggregate bin lidar sensor based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
The picking up is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the highest,
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the piled-up aggregates in the aggregate hopper corresponding to the aggregate hopper lidar sensor is the lowest based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate hopper lidar sensor;
The material management method includes dropping the material at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the lowest . The control computer
measuring the amount of aggregate material in the aggregate bin using an aggregate bin remaining amount sensor installed corresponding to the aggregate bin for storing the aggregate in the batcher plant;
notifying a terminal device of a predetermined registered member of the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate bin measured using the aggregate bin amount sensor;
The aggregate bin remaining amount sensor is an aggregate bin lidar sensor that is installed above the aggregate bin, measures scattered light in response to pulsed laser irradiation, and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate bin,
The control computer calculates, as the remaining amount, the volume of the aggregate in the aggregate bin or a ratio of the volume to the aggregate capacity that the aggregate bin can store, based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
a crane device that is installed within a batcher plant and is capable of moving and opening/closing a clamshell bucket to any three-dimensional coordinate position within a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system defined within the batcher plant;
an aggregate hopper installed in the batcher plant for loading the aggregate onto a belt conveyor for transporting the aggregate;
an aggregate hopper lidar sensor that is installed corresponding to the aggregate hopper as an aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor and acquires point cloud data indicating distances to each of a plurality of points on the surface of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
Further provided with
the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor measures the remaining amount of the aggregate in the aggregate hopper;
The control computer
When it is determined that the amount of aggregate remaining in the aggregate hopper is equal to or less than a threshold based on the measurement by the aggregate hopper remaining amount sensor, the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate bin to pick up the aggregate stored in the aggregate bin, and then the clamshell bucket is moved to a three-dimensional coordinate position of the aggregate hopper to drop the aggregate held by the clamshell bucket into the aggregate hopper;
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the aggregate piled up is highest in the aggregate bin corresponding to the aggregate bin lidar sensor based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate bin lidar sensor;
The picking up is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position where the height is the highest,
calculating a three-dimensional coordinate position where the height of the piled-up aggregates in the aggregate hopper corresponding to the aggregate hopper lidar sensor is the lowest based on the point cloud data acquired by the aggregate hopper lidar sensor;
A program that executes a process in which the dropping is performed at the three-dimensional coordinate position with the lowest height .