Timber Loading Productivity of Remote Controlled Forestry Equipment Through Image of Monitor

Forest operations like timber harvesting have already been mechanized to reduce hazards to the worker and increase productivity. However, timber harvesting operations have still been considered potentially dangerous and expensive on steep terrain. Teleoperation, to control the timber harvesting machine at a distance, has the potential to improve the safety, productivity and efficiency of harvesting operations on steep terrain. To verify the effects of teleoperation, an experimental prototype system of a monitor image-based teleoperation was constructed using a real forestry machine. In this study, the productivity of excavator based grapple loader, which is one of the most used mechanized harvesting equipment in the timber production, was analyzed using time-study method. Factors like skill and age of operators, influencing loader productivity in timber loading operation were also evaluated by statistical analysis. Productivity analysis results showed that less experienced operators were more productive than experienced operators for teleoperation through image of monitors in the operator cabin. These results are shown to be unfamiliar to the monitor image and different loading operation pattern by operators. According to the results, the monitor image-based teleoperation system of forestry machine need to improve the resolution and installation position of camera. It was expected that additional studies will be needed for real-time remote control of forestry machine in the future.

모니터 영상을 통한 원격제어 임업용 장비의 원목상차작업 생산성