RETROFIT PACKAGE FOR CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0166412, filed on November 20, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a retrofit package for a construction equipment, more particularly, to a retrofit package for a construction equipment which can be mounted in any construction equipment and allows the construction equipment in which the retrofit package is mounted to perform various works without a worker.

BACKGROUND

In general, the construction equipment refers to a machine which is used for a construction work such as a dozer, a loader, an excavator and the like, and an unmanned operation and making an intelligence level thereof become smarter are underway recently.

However, there are difficulties in making the unmanned operation and making an intelligence level of the construction equipment become smarter possible. In more detail, due to characteristics of the construction equipment market with a lower quantity, the construction equipment having the unmanned operation and the smarter intelligence level as essential features cannot gain an effect of an economy of scale, and thus, unit cost dramatically increase, a business value cannot be secured and has difficulties in commercialization. Therefore, in order to provide features of the unmanned operation and the smarter intelligence level to the construction equipment while reducing the unit cost, a retrofit package for a construction equipment capable of being mounted in the construction equipment which have been released in the market has been commercialized. However, the conventional retrofit package of the construction equipment has difficulties in that features of the unmanned operation and the smarter intelligence level cannot be fully materialized in the construction equipment because only functions in a level of assisting a worker gotten into the construction equipment are provided in the construction equipment.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a retrofit package for a construction equipment capable of realizing the unmanned operation and the smarter intelligence level of the construction equipment while minimizing unit cost increase.

One embodiment is a retrofit package for a construction equipment, including: a recognition sensor configured to figure out topography and an obstacle around the construction equipment; a positioning sensor configured to figure out a position, a direction, and a posture of the construction equipment; and a controller configured to control the construction equipment based on information detected from the recognition sensor and information detected from the positioning sensor, and the retrofit package may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the construction equipment.

The recognition sensor may be removably formed at a front and at a rear of the construction equipment.

The positioning sensor may include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) configured to figure out a position and a direction of the construction equipment based on a satellite signal and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) configured to figure out a posture of the construction equipment, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from a main body of the construction equipment, and the inertial measurement unit (IMU) may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the main body of the construction equipment and a working machine moved based on the main body and configured to perform works.

The main body may include a lower body movable along a ground and an upper body rotatably provided in the lower body, the positioning sensor may further include a turning sensor configured to figure out turning of the upper body, and the turning sensor may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the main body.

The controller may be provided separately from a controller of the construction equipment and may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the main body of the construction equipment.

The retrofit package may further include: a communication apparatus configured to transfer an instruction from a manager staying at a position spaced apart from the construction equipment to the controller and transfer state information from the controller to the manager, and the communication apparatus may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the construction equipment.

The retrofit package may further include: a display device configured to transfer an instruction from a worker gotten into the construction equipment to the controller and transfer state information from the controller to the worker, and the display device may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the construction equipment.

Software installed in the controller may be formed to receive a work plan and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment based on the work plan and information detected from the positioning sensor.

The software may be formed to be able to receive the work plan from a manager staying at a position spaced apart from the construction equipment.

The software may be formed to be able to receive the work plan from a worker gotten into the construction equipment.

The software may be formed to receive an instruction from a manager staying at a position spaced apart from the construction equipment and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment.

The software may be formed to be tuned to a detailed mode and a parameter set according to the construction equipment and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment.

The software may be formed to limit an operating speed of the construction equipment or stop the construction equipment based on the information detected from the recognition sensor.

The software may be formed to notify that the construction equipment is stopped when stopping the construction equipment.

The software may be formed to allow any function to be added thereto through an update.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a retrofit package for a construction equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating functions of software installed in the retrofit package in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a construction equipment in which the retrofit package in FIG. 1 is mounted.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating another construction equipment in which the retrofit package in FIG. 1 is mounted.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating still another construction equipment in which the retrofit package in FIG. 1 is mounted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, a retrofit package for a construction equipment according to the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a retrofit package for a construction equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating functions of software installed in the retrofit package in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a construction equipment in which the retrofit package in FIG. 1 is mounted, FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating another construction equipment in which the retrofit package in FIG. 1 is mounted, and FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating still another construction equipment in which the retrofit package in FIG. 1 is mounted.

As illustrated in the drawings, a retrofit package 100 for a construction equipment 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a recognition sensor 110 configured to figure out topography and an obstacle around the construction equipment 10, a positioning sensor 120 configured to figure out a position, a direction, and a posture of the construction equipment 10, and a controller 130 configured to control the construction equipment 10 based on information detected from the recognition sensor 110 and information detected from the positioning sensor 120, and may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the construction equipment 10.

In more detail, the recognition sensor 110 may be removably installed at a front and at a rear of the construction equipment 10.

The positioning sensor 120 may include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) 122 configured to figure out a position and a direction of the construction equipment 10 based on a satellite signal and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 124 configured to figure out a posture of the construction equipment 10, and the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) 122 may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from a main body (preferably, an upper side of a cabin into which a worker gets) of the construction equipment 10, and the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 124 may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the main body of the construction equipment 10 and a working machine (e.g., a boom, an arm, and a bucket of the excavator 16) moved based on the main body and configured to perform works.

Here, a posture of the construction equipment 10 may be obtained from information from the GNSS 122 and information from the IMU 124.

The controller 130 may be provided separately from a controller provided essentially in the construction equipment 10 and may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the main body of the construction equipment 10.

In addition, the retrofit package 100 may further include a communication apparatus 140 configured to transfer an instruction from a manager of a control center C spaced apart from the construction equipment 10 to the controller 130 and transfer state information from the controller 130 to the manager, and the communication apparatus 140 may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the construction equipment 10 (e.g., the main body).

Here, the communication apparatus 140 may communicate with the control center C through, for example, Long Term Evolution(LTE), Wireless Fidelity (Wifi) and the like.

In addition, the retrofit package 100 may further include a display device 150 configured to transfer an instruction from the worker to the controller 130 and transfer state information from the controller 130 to the worker, and the display device 150 may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the construction equipment 10 (e.g., a cabin).

Moreover, software installed in the controller 130 may be formed to receive a work plan from the manager and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment 10 based on the work plan and information detected from the positioning sensor 120.

Further, the software may be formed to be able to receive the work plan from the worker and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment 10 based on the work plan and information detected from the positioning sensor 120.

In addition, the software may be formed to be able to receive an instruction in realtime instead of the work plan from the manager and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment 10.

In addition, the software may be formed to be able to receive an instruction in realtime instead of the work plan from the worker and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment 10.

In addition, the software may be tuned to a detailed mode and a parameter set according to the construction equipment 10 and control a drive and a work of the construction equipment 10.

In addition, the software may be formed to limit an operating speed of the construction equipment 10 or stop the construction equipment 10 based on the information detected from the recognition sensor 110.

Further, the software may be formed to notify that the construction equipment 10 is stopped when stopping the construction equipment 10.

Moreover, the software may be formed to allow any function to be added thereto through an update.

Hereinafter, the functions and effects of the retrofit package 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The retrofit package 100 may make the unmanned operation of the construction equipment 10 in which the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment is mounted possible and make an intelligence level thereof be smarter.

In more detail, the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment may receive a work plan through the communication apparatus 140 or the display device 150, and obtain information on a position and a posture of the construction equipment 10 through the recognition sensor 110 and the positioning sensor 120, and perform various works according to the work plan as the controller 130 controls the construction equipment 10.

In addition, the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment may receive an instruction from the manager through the communication equipment 140 in realtime, and perform various works.

Here, any function may be added through an update of software installed in the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment, and the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment may perform various additional works other than basic works.

Further, the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment may recognize an obstacle in a working area of the construction equipment based on information detected from the recognition sensor 110, and may not only limit a working speed of the construction equipment 10, or stop the construction equipment 10 when an obstacle enters in a set distance, but also notify an emergency stop state to an external device as needed.

Meanwhile, as the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment is formed to be attachable to and detachable from the construction equipment 10, the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment may be attached to and removed from various construction equipments. That is, the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment may be mounted in the dozer 12 as illustrated in FIG. 3, removed from the dozer 12 and mounted in the wheel loader 14 as illustrated in FIG. 4, and removed from the wheel loader 14 and mounted in the excavator 16 as illustrated in FIG. 5. In addition, the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment may be tuned to a detailed mode and a parameter which are set according to a construction equipment 10 in which the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment is mounted, and control the construction equipment 10, thereby being able to perform a high-precision work. Because of this, a consumer of another construction equipment as well as a consumer of a certain construction equipment may be motivated to buy the retrofit package 100 of a construction equipment, and an amount of sales may increase. Accordingly, an economy of scale may be obtained, and therefore, unit costs may be reduced, a business value may be secured and commercialization may be made easier.

Here, in case of an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, a main body of a construction equipment may include a lower body movable along a ground and an upper body rotatably provided in the lower body, the positioning sensor 12 may further include a turning sensor 126 configured to figure out turning of the upper body, and the turning sensor 126 may be formed to be attachable to and detachable from the main body.