JP2000185893A - Running control device for vehicles in mutual cooperation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To run a plurality of vehicles cooperatively by simple steering without requiring a plurality of operators. SOLUTION: This running control device runs a plurality of vehicles 10 and 20 mutually cooperatively which have their superstructures 13 and 23 rotatably mounted on carriers 12 and 22. In this case, the rotating angle of each of the superstructures 13 and 23, the running speed of each of the carriers 12 and 12, and a relation in relative position between the superstructures 13 and 23 are detected so as to control the running driving of the carriers 12 and 22 of each vehicle while the relation in relative position is maintained at a specified relation according to the operation of a steering device by an operator.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traveling control device for causing two vehicles used as a large crane or the like to travel in cooperation with each other.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, among working machines such as cranes,
The mobile type has a configuration in which an upper revolving unit is installed on a single lower traveling unit. However, when the load and the size of the load including the suspended load are very large, such as a large crane, a single traveling body may not be able to stably support the load.

[0003] In recent years, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-396
As shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 39, a crane has been developed in which two vehicles are interconnected and a common working device is installed on these vehicles. In such a crane, each vehicle travels at the same time, so that the entire crane moves.

[0004]

Conventionally, in a crane or the like using a cooperative vehicle as described above, a plurality of drivers basically board each vehicle and operate each vehicle individually while cooperating with each other. System. Therefore, in order to move the crane or the like, a plurality of drivers are necessarily required. In addition, steering for cooperative driving as described above,
In other words, it is not easy to control the vehicles to run simultaneously while keeping the relative positional relationship between the vehicles constant, so that each driver requires considerable skill and the driving burden becomes considerably large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a travel control device capable of causing a plurality of vehicles to cooperate and travel with a simple operation without requiring a plurality of drivers. .

[0006]

According to the present invention, as a means for solving the above-described problems, a plurality of vehicles having an upper revolving structure rotatably provided on a lower traveling structure are run in cooperation with each other. A traveling angle detecting means for detecting a rotational angle of the upper revolving body in each of the vehicles, a traveling speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed of each of the vehicles or a value corresponding thereto, A relative position detecting means for detecting a relative positional relationship between the upper revolving structures of the vehicle, a control device having an operation unit operated by a driver, and outputting a command signal according to the operation content; On the basis of the signals input from each of the detection means, the relative position detected by the relative position detection means is maintained so as to maintain a predetermined relation, and the vehicle is driven so as to correspond to the operation content of the control device. In which a control means for controlling the travel drive of the undercarriage of both.

In this device, when the driver gets on one of the vehicles and operates the control device, the traveling drive of the lower traveling body of each vehicle is automatically controlled in order to realize traveling corresponding to the operation content. Is done. Therefore, the vehicles can be run in cooperation with each other with a simple operation without requiring a plurality of drivers.

Here, the control means calculates a traveling direction and a traveling speed required for each vehicle from the content of the operation performed by the steering device, and calculates the required values and the actual traveling direction and the traveling speed. Means for calculating a feedback control amount based on a comparison with a detected value; and correcting the feedback control amount based on a difference between a relative position relationship detected by the relative position detection device and a preset relative position relationship. It is preferable that the apparatus include means for outputting a travel control signal to each vehicle based on the corrected feedback control amount.

The upper revolving superstructures of the vehicles do not necessarily have to be connected to each other, and the upper revolving superstructure is swiveled with respect to the lower traveling structure so that the relative positional relationship of the upper revolving superstructure is always maintained at a predetermined relationship. However, if the upper revolving superstructures are interconnected via a telescopic coupling mechanism, the relative orientation of the upper revolving superstructures is always constant without performing special drive control. Can be kept.

In this case, the relative positional relationship between the upper revolving units can be grasped by detecting the amount of expansion and contraction of the connecting mechanism.

In the present invention, the specific control contents performed by the control means can be variously set. For example, control may be performed such that the respective vehicles run simultaneously in a state where the vehicles are arranged in the traveling direction, or control may be performed such that the vehicles travel in parallel while being arranged in a direction different from the traveling direction. It may be. In addition, it is also possible to perform control of spinning at least one vehicle on the spot and control of turning at least one vehicle around a predetermined vertical axis.

Various settings can be made for the configuration of the control device. As a configuration of the steering device, a traveling command unit for instructing a traveling direction and a traveling speed of each vehicle, and a traveling mode selection unit for selecting a desired traveling mode from a plurality of traveling modes set in advance. If the control means is configured to determine the actual traveling operation of each vehicle based on a combination of the selected traveling mode and the traveling direction and traveling speed commanded by the traveling command unit, The driver can select a desired driving mode from a plurality of driving modes, and the range of control is expanded. Moreover,
Since the travel command section can be used in common for each mode, the configuration of the steering device can be greatly simplified as compared with the case where a dedicated travel command section is provided for each mode.

[0013]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The crane shown in FIG. 1 has a front vehicle 10 and a rear vehicle 20 as its traveling means. Front vehicle 10
The upper traveling body 13 is rotatably installed on the lower traveling body 12, and the lower traveling body 12 is
There is provided a traveling means including 1L and right crawler 11R. Similarly, in the rear vehicle 20, the upper revolving unit 23 is installed so as to be able to turn on the lower traveling unit 22, and the lower traveling unit 22 includes traveling means including a left crawler 21L and a right crawler 21R. .

The upper slewing body 13 of the front vehicle 10 is provided with a driver's cab 13a, a front boom 31 and a rear boom 32 are installed so as to be able to undulate, and the upper slewing body 23 of the rear vehicle 20 itself is a counter. It is configured as a weight. A wire 33 is wound around the top sheave of each of the booms 31 and 32. One end of the wire 33 is connected to the upper revolving unit 23, which is the counterweight, while the suspended load 34 is suspended at the other end. It has become.

The driver's cab may be provided on the rear vehicle 20 side.

The upper revolving body 13 of the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 20
Are connected to each other via a pair of left and right connection mechanisms 35. The connecting mechanism 35 is configured to be able to expand and contract slightly by taking a telescope type structure or the like, for example, but by the connection of the connecting mechanism 35, the orientation of the other upper rotating body with respect to the one upper rotating body. Has been fixed.

The front vehicle 10 includes a rotation angle detector 14, a right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15R, a right crawler rotation amount detector 16R, and a left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15 as shown in FIG.
L, a left crawler rotation amount detector 16R, and a controller 36 are mounted.
4. A right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25R, a right crawler rotation amount detector 26R, a left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25L, and a left crawler rotation amount detector 26R are mounted.

The rotation angle detectors 14 and 24 are provided for each vehicle 1.
Upper revolving superstructure 1 for 0,20 lower transit vehicles 12,22
The relative rotation angles (turning angles) of the motors 3 and 23 are detected, and the detection signal is input to the controller 36.

The right crawler drive hydraulic circuits 15R and 25R and the left crawler drive hydraulic circuits 15L and 25L respectively control the right crawlers 11R and 21R and the left crawlers 11L and 21L in response to control signals input from the controller 36.
L are driven to rotate independently of each other. FIG. 3 shows a specific configuration of the drive hydraulic circuit. Each hydraulic circuit 15
Each of L, 15R, 25L, and 25R includes a hydraulic motor 50 for rotationally driving the crawler mechanism and a hydraulic pump 51 as a hydraulic pressure source. A control valve 52 is provided between the hydraulic motor 50 and the hydraulic pump 51. Is provided. The control valve 52 is constituted by a pilot switching valve having a pair of pilot portions 52a and 52b in the illustrated example. The pilot hydraulic sources 54A and 54B are connected to the pilot portions 52a and 52b via electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 53A and 53B, respectively. 54B are connected. When a control signal from the controller 36 is input to each of the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 53A and 53B, the secondary pressure (that is, the pilot pressure of the control valve 52) is operated. 11L,
The driving directions and driving speeds of the 11R, 21L, and 21R (that is, the driving directions and the driving speeds of the vehicles 10, 20) are controlled.

However, in the present invention, the specific configuration of the traveling drive means is not limited, and for example, an electric circuit may be used instead of the hydraulic circuit as described above.

The right crawler rotation amount detectors 16R and 26R and the left crawler rotation amount detectors 16L and 26L respectively include the right crawler 11R and 21R and the left crawler 11L and
The amount of rotation of 21 L, that is, the traveling distance is detected, and the detection signal is input to the controller 36.

The coupling mechanism 35 is provided with an expansion / contraction detector 37 for detecting the amount of expansion / contraction, and its detection signal is also input to the controller 36. A known stroke sensor (for example, one using a rotary encoder) or the like can be applied to the expansion / contraction amount detector 37. In addition to the expansion / contraction detector 37, the detectors 24, 26L, 26R and the drive hydraulic circuits 25L, 25R mounted on the rear vehicle 20 are connected to the front vehicle 10 via wiring inserted into the coupling mechanism 35. Is electrically connected to the controller 36.

A control device 40 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided in the driver's cab 13a of the front vehicle 10. The control device 40 is provided with a dial-type traveling mode changeover switch (traveling mode selection means) 41, a left operation lever 42L and a right operation lever 42R.

The travel mode changeover switch 41 is provided with a preset travel mode (in this embodiment, a front vehicle spin turn, a rear vehicle spin turn, straight ahead, turning, turning, on-the-spot turning, traversing / sloping). The driver performs a rotation operation to select a desired traveling mode from the three traveling modes), and a selection signal corresponding to the rotational position is input to the controller 36.

Left operating lever 42L and right operating lever 42
R is the left crawler 11L, 21L and the right crawler 11L.
The operation levers 42L, 42R are operated to instruct the rotation direction and rotation speed of the R, 21R.
Is connected to a potentiometer for detecting the operation direction and the operation amount. The detection signal output from the potentiometer is input to the controller 36.

Next, the contents of the control operation performed by the controller 36 in each of the running modes will be described.

1) Front vehicle spin-turn mode (FIGS. 4 and 5) This mode corresponds to FIG.
And the coupling mechanism 35 are schematically shown. ), The rear vehicle 20 is stopped and the front vehicle 10 is stopped.
In this mode, the lower traveling unit 12 is spin-turned on the spot while the orientation of the upper revolving unit 13 is fixed.
The control operation performed by the controller 36 in this mode is shown in the block diagram of FIG. In this mode, the controller 36 has the following functional configuration.

Rotational feedback control amount calculation means (blocks B1 to B3) Deviation of the operation amounts of right operating lever 42R and left operating lever 42L (eg, right operating lever 42R and left operating lever 42L)
Is calculated by adding the operation amounts of both levers when the levers are operated in opposite directions to each other), and the deviation is regarded as a value corresponding to the spin angular velocity requested by the driver, and the target spin angular velocity is calculated. It is converted to ωo (block B1). On the other hand, the actual rotation angular velocity ω of the lower traveling body 12 is calculated by differentiating the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detector 14 (block B2). Then, a deviation Δωo (= ω−ω) between the target spin angular velocity ωo and the actual rotational angular velocity ω.
o), the right crawler 11R
Then, a rotation feedback control amount for the left crawler 11L is calculated (block B3).

Expansion / contraction feedback correction amount calculating means (blocks B 4 to B 6) The rotation angle of the lower traveling body 12 detected by the rotation speed detector 14 and the expansion / contraction amount of the coupling mechanism 35 detected by the expansion / contraction detector 35. Based on this, a target straight traveling speed Vo of the front vehicle 10 for reducing the amount of expansion and contraction to zero is calculated (block B4). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed V of the preceding vehicle is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation detected by the right crawler rotation detector 16R and the left crawler rotation detector 16L (block B5). Then, a deviation ΔV (= Vo−) between the target straight traveling speed Vo and the actual straight traveling speed V is obtained.
By performing a proportional differential operation on V), a feedback correction amount for approaching the amount of expansion and contraction of the coupling mechanism 35 to zero is calculated (block B6).

Control signal output means (blocks B7, B
8) A final command value is calculated based on the rotation feedback control amount calculated in the block B3 and the feedback correction amount calculated in the block B6, and the final command value is calculated by the right crawler driving hydraulic circuit 15R and the left crawler driving hydraulic pressure. Circuit 15
Output to the L proportional solenoid valves (blocks B7, B
8). As a result, the traveling control is performed in which only the lower traveling body 12 of the front vehicle 10 is spin-turned while the amount of expansion and contraction of the coupling mechanism 35 is kept substantially zero.

2) Rear Vehicle Spin Turn Mode (FIG. 6) In the rear vehicle spin turn mode, only the lower traveling body 22 of the rear vehicle 20 is spun while the front vehicle 10 is stopped. The control principle is exactly the same as the preceding vehicle spin-turn mode, and the description of the subsequent vehicle spin-turn mode will be omitted.

3) Straight running mode (FIG. 7) This mode is a basic running mode in which the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 20 are simultaneously driven straight (including slight deflection during forward movement) in a state of being arranged in the traveling direction. It is. The control operation performed by the controller 36 in this mode is shown in the block diagram of FIG. For this mode, the controller 36
Has the following functional configuration.

Forward vehicle forward feedback control amount calculation means (blocks B 9 to B 11) calculates an average value of the operation amounts of the right operation lever 42 R and the left operation lever 42 L, and this value corresponds to the forward speed requested by the driver. Target forward speed V of the preceding vehicle 10
Converted to fo (block B9). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed Vf of the front vehicle 10 is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation amounts detected by the crawler rotation amount detectors 15R and 15L (block B10). Then, a deviation ΔVf between the target forward speed Vfo and the actual straight forward vehicle speed Vf.
(= Vf−Vfo) is calculated by proportional differentiation to calculate the forward feedback control amount for the right crawler 11R and the left crawler 11L (block B11).

Front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount calculation means (blocks B12 to B14) Deviation of the operation amounts of right operating lever 42R and left operating lever 42L (eg, right operating lever 42R and left operating lever 42L)
If the two are operated in opposite directions, an amount obtained by adding the operation amounts of both levers) is calculated, and this deviation is regarded as a deflection angular velocity required by the driver and converted into a target rotational angular velocity ωo. (Block B12). On the other hand, the rotation angle detector 1
The actual rotational angular velocity ω of the lower traveling body 12 is calculated by differentiating the rotational angle detected by the step 4 (block B13). Then, a deviation Δωo (= ω−ωo) between the target rotational angular velocity ωo and the actual rotational angular velocity ω is proportionally differentiated and converted into a rotational feedback correction amount for the right crawler 11R and the left crawler 11L (block B).
14).

Rear vehicle forward feedback control amount calculation means (blocks B15 to B17) calculates an average value of the operation amounts of the right operation lever 42R and the left operation lever 42L, and this value corresponds to the forward speed requested by the driver. Target forward speed V of the rear vehicle 20
It is converted to ro (block B15). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed Vr of the rear vehicle 20 is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation amounts detected by the crawler rotation amount detectors 25R and 25L (block B16). Then, a deviation Δ between the target forward speed Vro and the actual rear vehicle straight-line speed Vr is obtained.
The forward feedback control amount for the right crawler 21R and the left crawler 21L is calculated by proportionally differentiating Vr (= Vr-Vro) (block B17).

Rear vehicle rotation feedback correction amount calculating means (block B 18) The rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detector 24 (the upper revolving unit 2
Then, a proportional differential operation is performed on the rotation speed of the lower traveling body 13 with respect to No. 3 and a rear vehicle rotation feedback correction amount for making the rotation angle close to 0 is calculated (block B18).

Expansion / contraction feedback correction amount calculating means (block B19) The expansion / contraction amount of the coupling mechanism 35 detected by the expansion / contraction amount detector 37 is converted into a feedback correction amount for setting the expansion / contraction amount to zero (block B19).

Front vehicle control signal output means (block B
20, B21) A value obtained by subtracting the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B19 from the front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B11 and adding the front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount converted in the block B14 to this value. A final command value for the right crawler of the preceding vehicle is calculated based on the calculated value, and the calculated command value is output to the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15R (block B20). Further, based on the value obtained by subtracting the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B19 from the front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B11, and further subtracting the front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount converted in the block B14. Calculates a command value for the front vehicle left crawler and outputs it to the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15L (block B2).
1). As a result, the running control for moving the front vehicle 10 forward at a speed corresponding to the forward speed and the deflection angular speed required by the driver is executed.

Rear vehicle control signal output means (block B
22, B23) A value obtained by adding the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B19 to the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B17 and subtracting the vehicle rotation feedback correction amount after the conversion in the block B18 from this value. A final command value for the rear vehicle right crawler is calculated based on the calculated value, and the calculated command value is output to the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25R (block B22). Further, based on a value obtained by adding the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B19 to the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B17 and further adding the vehicle rotation feedback correction amount converted in the block B18. The command value for the typical front vehicle left crawler is calculated and output to the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25L (block B23).
As a result, the traveling control that causes the rear vehicle 20 to follow the front vehicle 10 so that the amount of expansion and contraction of the coupling mechanism 35 approaches 0 is executed.

4) Curving mode (FIGS. 8 and 9) This mode is a driving mode in which the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 20 are largely turned left or right in a state where they are arranged in the traveling direction, as shown in FIG. It is. The control operation performed by the controller 36 in this mode is shown in the block diagram of FIG. In this mode, the controller 36 has the following functional configuration.

The forward vehicle forward feedback control amount calculating means (blocks B24 to B26) The content of the operation performed by the front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculating means is the forward vehicle forward feedback control amount calculating means (blocks B9 to B9) described in the straight traveling mode. Since the operation content is completely the same as that of B11), the description is omitted here.

Front Vehicle Rotation Feedback Correction Amount Calculation Unit (Blocks B27 to B29) The content of the calculation performed by the front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount calculation unit is the front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount calculation unit (blocks B12 to B12) described in the straight traveling mode. The description is omitted here because it is completely the same as the calculation content of B14).

Rear vehicle forward feedback control amount calculating means (blocks B30 to B32) The content of the operation performed by the rear vehicle forward feedback control amount calculating means is the rear vehicle forward feedback control amount calculating means (blocks B15 to B15) described in the straight traveling mode. The description is omitted here because it is completely equivalent to the calculation content of B17).

Rear vehicle rotation feedback correction amount calculation means (blocks B33 to B35) Deviation of the operation amounts of right operating lever 42R and left operating lever 42L (for example, right operating lever 42R and left operating lever 42L)
If the two are operated in directions opposite to each other, an amount obtained by adding the operation amounts of both levers) is calculated, and this deviation is regarded as the turning angular speed required by the driver, and is converted into a target rotational angular speed ωo. (Block B33). On the other hand, the rotation angle detector 2
The actual rotation angular velocity ω of the lower traveling body 22 is calculated by differentiating the rotation angle detected by the step 4 (block B34). Then, a deviation Δωo (= ω−ωo) between the target rotational angular velocity ωo and the actual rotational angular velocity ω is proportionally differentiated and converted into a rotational feedback correction amount for the right crawler 21R and the left crawler 21L (block B).
35).

Expansion / contraction feedback correction amount calculating means (block B36) The expansion / contraction amount of the coupling mechanism 35 detected by the expansion / contraction amount detector 37 is converted into a feedback correction amount for setting the expansion / contraction amount to zero (block B36).

Forward / backward rotation difference feedback correction amount calculating means (blocks B 37 to B 39)
This is for calculating a correction amount for eliminating the rotation angle difference of 0 and making the curvatures of the traveling paths of the two vehicles 10 and 20 uniform. First, a deviation Δθf between the rotation angle initial value detected by the rotation angle detector 14 of the preceding vehicle 10 and the current rotation angle detection value before the start of curve running is calculated (block B37). Rotation angle detector 24 of front vehicle 20
Is calculated (block B38). The deviation .DELTA..theta.r between the detected initial rotation angle and the current detected rotation angle is calculated. Then, the difference (= Δθf−Δθr) between the two deviations is proportionally differentiated and converted into a correction amount for reducing the difference (block B39).

Front vehicle control signal output means (block B
40, B41) The telescopic feedback correction amount converted in the block B36 is subtracted from the front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B26, and the longitudinal rotation difference feedback correction amount converted in the block 39 and the block B
A final command value for the front vehicle right crawler is calculated based on the value obtained by adding the front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount converted in step 29, and this is used as the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 1.
Output to 5R (block B40). Further, the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B36 is subtracted from the front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B26, and the longitudinal rotation difference feedback correction amount converted in the block B39 is added thereto. A final command value for the front vehicle left crawler is calculated based on the value obtained by subtracting the front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount converted in step 29, and this is used as the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 1.
Output to 5L (block B41). As a result, the running control for turning the front vehicle 10 at a speed corresponding to the forward speed and the turning angular speed required by the driver is executed.

Rear vehicle control signal output means (block B
42, B43) After calculating in the block B32, add the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B36 to the vehicle forward feedback control amount, and calculate the longitudinal / rotational difference feedback correction amount converted in the block B39 from this value. A final command value for the rear vehicle right crawler is calculated based on the value obtained by subtracting the converted vehicle rotation feedback correction amount from the converted value.
Output to 5R (block B42). Further, after the calculation in the block B32, the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B36 is added to the vehicle forward feedback control amount, the longitudinal rotation difference feedback correction amount converted in the block B39 is reduced, and the conversion is further performed in the block B35. A final command value for the front vehicle left crawler is calculated based on the value obtained by adding the rear vehicle rotation feedback correction amount.
Output to 5L (block B43). As a result, the traveling control is performed in which the rear vehicle 20 turns while following the front vehicle 10 so that the amount of expansion and contraction of the coupling mechanism 35 approaches zero.

5) Turning Mode (FIGS. 10 and 11) In this mode, as shown in FIG. 10, the front vehicle 10 is stopped and the rear vehicle is turned around the turning center of the upper turning body 13 of the front vehicle 10. In this mode, the vehicle 20 turns. The control operation performed by the controller 36 in this mode is shown in the block diagram of FIG. For this mode,
The controller 36 has the following functional configuration.

Forward Feedback Control Amount Calculating Means (Blocks B44 to B46) The average value of the operation amounts of the right operating lever 42R and the left operating lever 42L is calculated, and the forward speed of the rear vehicle 20 for which the driver has requested this value. The value is regarded as a value corresponding to (turning peripheral speed) and converted into a target forward speed Vo (block B44). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed V of the rear vehicle 20 is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation amounts detected by the crawler rotation amount detectors 25R and 25L (block B45).
Then, the forward feedback control amount for the right crawler 21R and the left crawler 21L is calculated by performing a proportional differential operation on a deviation ΔV (= V−Vo) between the target forward speed Vo and the actual rear vehicle straight traveling speed V ( Block B
46).

Expansion / contraction feedback correction amount calculating means (block B47) The expansion / contraction amount of the coupling mechanism 35 detected by the expansion / contraction amount detector 37 is converted into a feedback correction amount for setting the expansion / contraction amount to zero (block B47).

Turning Feedback Correction Amount Calculation Means (Block B48) This means maintains the relative rotation angle between the lower traveling body 22 and the upper revolving body 23 in the rear vehicle 20 at 90 ° (ie, the traveling direction of the lower traveling body 22). This is to calculate a correction amount for adjusting to the turning circumferential direction). Specifically, the difference between 90 ° and the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detector 24 is proportionally differentiated and converted into the correction amount (block B4).
8).

Control signal output means (block B 49,
B50) Based on a value obtained by adding the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B47 to the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B46 and subtracting the turning feedback correction amount converted in the block B48 from this value. Then, the command value for the right crawler of the rear vehicle is calculated and output to the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25R (block B49). Further, based on the value obtained by subtracting the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B47 from the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B46 and adding the turning feedback correction amount converted in the block B48, A command value for the vehicle left crawler is calculated and output to the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25L (block B50). As a result, the rear vehicle 20 around the front vehicle 10 in the stopped state
The running control for turning the vehicle is executed.

6) In-situ turning mode (FIG. 12 and FIG. 1)
3) In this mode, as shown in FIG. 12, the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 20 are simultaneously turned on the spot around an intermediate position between the two vehicles 10, 20. The control operation performed by the controller 36 in this mode is shown in the block diagram of FIG. In this mode, the controller 36 has the following functional configuration.

Front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculation means (blocks B51 to B53) calculates an average value of the operation amounts of the right operation lever 42R and the left operation lever 42L, and calculates this value as the forward speed (turning) required by the driver. The speed is regarded as a value corresponding to the peripheral speed and is converted into the target forward speed Vfo of the preceding vehicle 10 (block B51). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed Vf of the front vehicle 10 is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation amounts detected by the crawler rotation amount detectors 15R and 15L (block B5).
2). Then, a difference ΔVf (= Vf−Vfo) between the target forward speed Vfo and the actual preceding vehicle straight running speed Vf is proportionally differentiated to calculate the right crawler 11R and the left crawler 1.
The forward feedback control amount for 1 L is calculated (block B53).

Expansion / contraction feedback correction amount calculating means (block B54) The expansion / contraction amount of the connecting mechanism 35 detected by the expansion / contraction amount detector 37 is converted into a feedback correction amount for setting the expansion / contraction amount to zero (block B54).

Front Vehicle Turning Feedback Correction Amount Calculation Means (Block B55) This means keeps the relative rotation angle between the lower running body 12 and the upper turning body 13 of the front vehicle 10 at 90 ° (ie, the running of the lower running body 12). The correction amount for adjusting the direction to the turning circumferential direction) is calculated. Specifically, the difference between 90 ° and the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detector 14 is proportionally differentiated and converted into the correction amount (block B5).
5).

Rear Vehicle Forward Feedback Control Amount Calculating Means (Blocks B 56 to B 58) Calculate the average value of the operation amounts of the right operation lever 42 R and the left operation lever 42 L, and calculate the average value of the rear vehicle 20 for which the driver has requested this value. The value is regarded as a value corresponding to the forward speed (turning peripheral speed) and is converted to the target forward speed Vro (block B56). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed Vr of the rear vehicle 20 is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation amounts detected by the crawler rotation amount detectors 25R and 25L (block B5).
7). Then, a difference ΔVr (= Vr−Vro) between the target forward speed Vro and the actual rear vehicle straight running speed Vr is proportionally differentiated, thereby obtaining the right crawler 21R and the left crawler 2R.
The forward feedback control amount for 1 L is calculated (block B58).

Rear Vehicle Turning Feedback Correction Amount Calculation Unit (Block B59) This unit calculates a correction amount for maintaining the relative rotation angle between the lower traveling unit 22 and the upper revolving unit 23 in the rear vehicle 20 at 90 °. And the content of the operation (block B5
9) is the same as the calculation content of the turning feedback correction amount calculating means shown in the turning mode, and the description is omitted here.

Front vehicle control signal output means (block B
60, B61) A value obtained by adding the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B54 to the front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B53, and subtracting the front vehicle turning feedback correction amount converted in the block B55 from this value. A final command value for the right crawler of the front vehicle is calculated based on the calculated value and output to the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15R (block B60). Also, based on a value obtained by subtracting the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B54 from the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B53 and adding the previous vehicle turning feedback correction amount converted in the block B55. Calculates a command value for the left front crawler and outputs it to the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15L (block B6).
1).

Rear vehicle control signal output means (block B
62, B63) A value obtained by adding the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B54 to the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B58 and subtracting the vehicle turning feedback correction amount after the conversion in the block B59 from this value. A final command value for the rear crawler right crawler is calculated on the basis of this, and this is output to the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25R (block B62). Also, based on the value obtained by subtracting the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B54 from the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B58 and adding the vehicle turning feedback correction amount converted in the block B59. Calculates the command value for the left rear crawler and outputs it to the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25L (block B6).
3).

7) Horizontal / skew mode (FIG. 14 and FIG. 1)
5) In this mode, the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 20 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction as shown in FIG. 14A, or the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 2 are arranged as shown in FIG.
In this mode, the vehicle travels straight and parallel in a state where 0s are arranged in a direction crossing the traveling direction. The control operation performed by the controller 36 in this mode is shown in the block diagram of FIG. In this mode, the controller 36 has the following functional configuration.

Front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculation means (blocks B64 to B66) The average value of the operation amounts of the right operation lever 42R and the left operation lever 42L is calculated, and this value corresponds to the forward speed requested by the driver. Target forward speed V of the preceding vehicle 10
It is converted to fo (block B64). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed Vf of the front vehicle 10 is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation amounts detected by the crawler rotation amount detectors 15R and 15L (block B65). Then, a deviation Δ between the target forward speed Vfo and the actual preceding vehicle straight-line speed Vf.
The forward feedback control amount for the right crawler 11R and the left crawler 11L is calculated by performing a proportional differential operation on Vf (= Vf-Vfo) (block B66).

Expansion / contraction feedback correction amount calculation means (block B67) The expansion / contraction amount of the coupling mechanism 35 detected by the expansion / contraction amount detector 37 is converted into a feedback correction amount for setting the expansion / contraction amount to zero (block B67).

Front Vehicle Rotation Feedback Correction Amount Calculation Unit (Block B 68) This unit keeps the relative rotation angle between the lower traveling unit 12 and the upper revolving unit 13 in the front vehicle 10 at the rotation angle at the start of traveling (initial value). To calculate the amount of correction to be performed.
More specifically, the difference between the value (initial value) detected by the rotation angle detector 14 at the start of traveling and the rotation angle detected by the current rotation angle detector 14 is proportionally differentiated and converted to the correction amount. (Block B68).

Rear Vehicle Forward Feedback Control Amount Calculating Means (Blocks B69 to B71) An average value of the operation amounts of the right operation lever 42R and the left operation lever 42L is calculated, and the average value of the operation amount of the rear vehicle 20 requested by the driver is calculated. Target forward speed V assuming a value corresponding to forward speed
Converted to ro (block B69). On the other hand, the actual straight traveling speed Vr of the rear vehicle 20 is calculated by differentiating the crawler rotation amounts detected by the crawler rotation amount detectors 25R and 25L (block B70). Then, a deviation Δ between the target forward speed Vro and the actual rear vehicle straight-line speed Vr is obtained.
The forward feedback control amount for the right crawler 21R and the left crawler 21L is calculated by proportionally differentiating Vr (= Vr-Vro) (block B71).

Rear Vehicle Rotation Feedback Correction Amount Calculation Unit (Block B 72) This unit keeps the relative rotation angle between the lower traveling unit 22 and the upper revolving unit 23 in the rear vehicle 20 at the rotation angle at the start of traveling (initial value). To calculate the amount of correction to be performed.
Specifically, the difference between the value (initial value) detected by the rotation angle detector 24 at the start of traveling and the rotation angle detected by the current rotation angle detector 24 is proportionally differentiated and converted to the correction amount. (Block B72).

Front vehicle control signal output means (block B
73, B74) A value obtained by adding the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B67 to the front vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B66, and subtracting the front vehicle rotation feedback correction amount converted in the block B68 from this value. A final command value for the right crawler of the front vehicle is calculated based on the calculated value and output to the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15R (block B73). Further, based on a value obtained by subtracting the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B67 from the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B66 and adding the previous vehicle turning feedback correction amount converted in the block B68. A command value for the front vehicle left crawler is calculated and output to the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 15L (block B7).
4).

Rear vehicle control signal output means (block B
75, B76) A value obtained by adding the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B67 to the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B71 and subtracting the vehicle rotation feedback correction amount after the conversion in the block B72 from this value. Based on this, a final command value for the rear vehicle right crawler is calculated, and the calculated command value is output to the right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25R (block B75). Further, based on a value obtained by subtracting the expansion / contraction feedback correction amount converted in the block B67 from the vehicle forward feedback control amount calculated in the block B71 and adding the vehicle rotation feedback correction amount converted in the block B72. Calculates the command value for the left rear crawler and outputs it to the left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25L (block B7).
6).

With the output described above, the traveling control is realized in which the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 20 are arranged side by side and run in parallel.

According to this device, when the driver gets into the driver's seat 13a of the front vehicle 10 and operates the steering device 40, the lower traveling body of each vehicle is driven to realize the running corresponding to the operation content. The traveling drive is automatically controlled. Therefore, the front and rear vehicles 10, 20 can be run in cooperation with each other with a simple operation without requiring a plurality of drivers.

Further, in this device, a plurality of types of traveling modes are prepared in advance, and the driver can select a desired traveling mode by operating the traveling state changeover switch. It is wide and has excellent functionality. Moreover, since the operation levers 42L and 42R are used in common for each mode, the configuration of the control device 40 can be greatly simplified as compared with the case where the operation levers are provided for each mode.

However, the present invention can be applied to a case in which only a single traveling mode is prepared, and the specific configuration of the control device 40 can be variously set.
For example, as shown in FIG. 16 as a second embodiment,
A forward / backward command lever 43 and a left / right rotation command lever 44 are provided in place of the above-mentioned left operation levers 42L and 42R.
The front and rear vehicles 10 and 20 may be commanded to move forward or backward when turning or turning, and the front vehicle 10 or the rear vehicle 20 may be allowed to spin by operating the left / right rotation command lever 44. Instead of using a dial-type changeover switch as described above as the drive mode selection means, as shown in FIG. 17 as a third embodiment, a plurality of on / off changeover switches 41A, 41A, 41B, 41C, 4
1D, 41E, 41F, and 41G may be juxtaposed, and the driving mode corresponding to the switch that has been turned on may be executed.

In addition, the present invention can take the following forms as examples.

(1) The present invention can be applied to a case where three or more vehicles are run in cooperation with each other in the same manner as described above. For example, in a case where three vehicles are going straight forward at the same time, basic traveling control is performed for one of the vehicles, and the traveling of each vehicle is controlled so as to follow this vehicle, and the relative positional relationship between the vehicles is controlled. Should be kept constant.

(2) The upper revolving structures of each vehicle need not necessarily be connected to each other. When the connection is omitted as described above, control may be performed such that the upper revolving unit is swiveled relative to the lower traveling unit so that the relative positional relationship of the upper revolving unit is always maintained at a predetermined relationship. A circuit configuration for this is shown in FIG. 18 as a fourth embodiment. In this device, FIG.
Drive hydraulic circuit 1 for the turning motor of the front and rear vehicles
7, 27, and a relative position detector 37 'for the front and rear vehicles is provided instead of the coupling mechanism expansion / contraction amount detector 37 of FIG. As the relative position detector 37 ', various distance sensors such as an optical sensor and an ultrasonic sensor can be applied in addition to the mechanical detection means such as the rotary encoder described above. Then, the relative position detector 37 '
In order to keep the relative positional relationship detected in step (1) constant, in addition to the drive control of each crawler, that is, the traveling control, the swing drive control of the upper swing bodies 13 and 23 by the swing motor is performed. Also in such a device, for example, by exchanging signals between the front and rear vehicles by radio or the like, it is possible to collectively control all vehicles without requiring a plurality of drivers.

However, if the upper revolving units are interconnected via an extendable coupling mechanism as in the first embodiment, the relative relationship between the upper revolving units can be reduced without performing special drive control. There is an advantage that the desired orientation can always be kept constant. By detecting the amount of expansion and contraction of the coupling mechanism, it is possible to accurately grasp the relative positional relationship between the upper revolving units.

(3) The traveling means to be controlled by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned crawler, and the present invention can be applied to traveling control of a wheel crane, for example.

(4) The use of the interconnected vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described crane, but is also applicable to, for example, a control of a transport vehicle for placing and transferring a heavy object on a plurality of vehicles. Is possible.

[0081]

As described above, according to the present invention, for a plurality of vehicles running in cooperation with each other, the rotational angle of the upper revolving unit, the traveling speed, and the relative positional relationship between the upper revolving units in each vehicle are detected. Since the driving of the lower traveling body of each vehicle is controlled so as to perform traveling corresponding to the operation content of the steering device while maintaining the relative positional relationship in a predetermined relationship, particularly, Each vehicle can be run in cooperation with each other with a simple operation without requiring a plurality of drivers, and there is an effect that the burden on the drivers can be greatly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a crane using an interconnected vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a travel control device provided in a front vehicle and a rear vehicle which are the above-mentioned cooperative vehicles.

FIG. 3 is a hydraulic circuit diagram showing a drive hydraulic circuit of each crawler provided in the front vehicle and the rear vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the movement of the vehicle in a front vehicle spin turn mode.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing computation control contents of a controller in the front vehicle spin turn mode.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the movement of the vehicle in a rear vehicle spin turn mode.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing calculation control contents of a controller in a straight traveling mode.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the movement of the vehicle in the turning mode.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing arithmetic control contents of a controller in the above-mentioned music progress mode.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the movement of the vehicle in a turning mode.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing calculation control contents of a controller in a turning mode.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the movement of the vehicle in the spot turning mode.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing calculation control contents of a controller in a spot turning mode.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are plan views showing the movement of the vehicle in the traversing / skew mode.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing arithmetic and control contents of a controller in the horizontal / skew mode.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a steering device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a steering device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a traveling control device for an interconnected vehicle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Front Vehicle 11L Left Crawler 11R Right Crawler 12 Lower Traveling Body 13 Upper Revolving Body 14 Rotation Angle Detector 15L Left Crawler Drive Hydraulic Circuit 15R Right Crawler Drive Hydraulic Circuit 16L Left Crawler Rotation Detector 16R Right Crawler Rotation Detector 17 Rotation Motor drive hydraulic circuit 20 Rear vehicle 21L Left crawler 21R Right crawler 22 Lower traveling body 23 Upper revolving body 24 Rotation angle detector 25L Left crawler drive hydraulic circuit 25R Right crawler drive hydraulic circuit 26L Left crawler rotation detector 26R Right crawler rotation Amount detector 27 Drive hydraulic circuit for turning motor 35 Linkage mechanism 36 Controller (control means) 37 Linkage mechanism expansion / contraction amount detector 37 'Front / rear vehicle relative position detector 40 Steering device 41 Driving mode changeover switch (Driving mode selection means) 42L Left Operation lever ( Line command unit) 42R right operating lever (running command unit) 43 advance and return command lever (running command portion) 44 the right and left rotation command lever (running command unit)

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) B66C 23/36 B66C 23/36 Z // B62D 17:00 (72) Inventor Masayuki Kagoshima 1-5 Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe City No. 5 Kobe Steel, Ltd.Kobe Research Institute (72) Inventor Seiichi Kinno 2-3-1, Shinhama, Araimachi, Takasago City, Hyogo Prefecture Kobe Steel, Ltd.Takasago Works (72) Inventor Hideaki Yoshimatsu Hyogo 740 Yagi, Okubo-cho, Akashi-City, Japan Inside the Kobe Steel Works Okubo Construction Machinery Plant (72) Inventor Kaoru Nishikawa 2-27-14 Hondamon, Tarumizu-ku, Kobe F-term (reference) 3D032 CC48 CC50 DA23 DA99 DC03 DC04 DD02 DD17 EA10 EB04 EC01 FF10 GG04 3D034 CA01 CA10 CB01 CC06 CC09 CC17 CD04 CD12 CD13 CD20 CE02 CE03 CE09 CE12 CE13 3D052 AA16 BB00 BB01 BB08 BB11 DD01 EE01 FF02 FF03 GG02 GG05 GG07 HH01 EJ02 JJ032

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A traveling control device for causing a plurality of vehicles, in which an upper revolving structure is rotatably provided on a lower traveling structure, to run in cooperation with each other, the rotation of the upper revolving structure in each of the vehicles. Rotation angle detection means for detecting an angle, traveling speed detection means for detecting the traveling speed of each vehicle or a value corresponding thereto, and relative position detection means for detecting the relative positional relationship between the upper revolving units of each vehicle. A control device having an operation unit operated by the driver and outputting a command signal corresponding to the operation content; and a signal input from the control device and each of the detection devices. Control means for controlling the traveling drive of the lower traveling body of each vehicle so as to perform traveling corresponding to the operation content of the control device while maintaining the detected relative positional relationship in a predetermined relationship. Special Driving control device for mutual cooperation vehicles. 2. The traveling control device for an interconnected vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control means calculates a traveling direction and a traveling speed required for each vehicle from contents of an operation performed by the steering device, Means for calculating a feedback control amount based on a comparison between the required value and the detected values of the actual traveling direction and the traveling speed; and a relative positional relation detected by the relative position detecting means and a predetermined relative positional relation. A means for correcting the feedback control amount based on the difference between the two, and a means for outputting a running control signal to each vehicle based on the corrected feedback control amount. Control device. 3. The traveling control device for an interconnected vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the upper revolving units of the respective vehicles are interconnected via a telescopic coupling mechanism. A traveling control device for a cooperative vehicle. 4. The travel control device according to claim 3, wherein
The traveling control device for an interconnected vehicle, wherein the relative position detecting means detects an amount of expansion and contraction of the coupling mechanism. 5. The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the vehicles to travel simultaneously in a state where the vehicles are arranged in the traveling direction. The traveling control device of the mutual cooperation vehicle. 6. The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the vehicles to travel in parallel while being arranged in a direction different from the traveling direction. A traveling control device for an interconnected vehicle, comprising: 7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls to spin at least one vehicle on the spot. Travel control device. 8. The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein said control means performs control for turning at least one vehicle around a predetermined vertical axis. Running control device for mutual cooperation vehicles. 9. The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes: a travel command unit configured to command a travel direction and a travel speed of each of the vehicles; A traveling mode selection unit for selecting a desired traveling mode from among the traveling modes, based on a combination of the selected traveling mode and the traveling direction and traveling speed commanded by the traveling command unit. A traveling control device for an interconnected vehicle, wherein the control means is configured to determine an actual traveling operation of the vehicle.