JP2018017028A - Camera device for construction machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera device for a construction machine for making it possible to handle both of work of loading iron scrap or the like and shaft drilling work, using a single moving image camera.SOLUTION: In order to make up for a visual field from an operation cabin 11, a camera device 2 for a construction machine 1 forms an image of the periphery of an attachment and transmits moving image data to a monitor of the operation cabin 11. A tilt shaft 21 for a support arm 22 is provided on the construction machine 1 to make the support arm 22 be freely tilted in a longitudinal direction of the operation cabin 11. A moving picture camera 23 for directing an imaging direction T to the periphery of an attachment in front from a portion made to project upward on the operation cabin 11 by the support arm 22 in a standing posture is provided on the support arm 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera device for a construction machine that takes a picture of the vicinity of an attachment and sends moving image data to a monitor of the driving cabin in order to supplement the view from the driving cabin (the range that can be visually recognized by an operator seated in a seat in the driving cabinet). .

  For example, in a construction machine 1 in which an electromagnetic attachment (lifting magnet) 14 is attached to a normal arm 13, iron scraps are selected from waste materials and adsorbed to the electromagnetic attachment 14, and the arm 13 is operated to the loading platform 31 of the dump truck 3. It is used for loading work to carry iron scraps. At this time, the opened upper surface of the loading platform 31 is above the field of view S from the operation cabin 11, and the state of the electromagnet attachment 14 directly above the loading platform 31 or in the loading platform 31 is unknown. For this reason, in loading work such as iron scrap using the electromagnet attachment 14, the operation cabin 11 uses the construction machine 1 provided with the lifting mechanism 112, and the operation cabin 11 is raised to a height overlooking the loading platform 31 of the dump truck 3. Thus, the electromagnet attachment 14 and the loading platform 31 were captured in the field of view S, and it was understood how the electromagnet attachment 14 loaded iron scraps and the like on the loading platform 31 (see FIG. 5).

  Further, the construction machine 1 in which the excavation attachment (clamshell bucket) 16 is attached to the long arm (telescope arm) 15 is used for excavation work for excavating the shaft 4 on the ground. At this time, the shaft 4 is below the field of view S from the driving cabin 11, and particularly the floor surface blocks the field of view S, so it is not known how the excavation attachment 16 digs the shaft 4. For this reason, in the excavation work for digging the shaft 4 using the excavation attachment 16, the operating cabin 11 uses the construction machine 1 provided with the advance / retreat mechanism 113, and the operating cabin 11 is moved forward and positioned above the shaft 4, so that the operating cabinet 11 The excavation attachment 16 and the shaft 4 were caught in the field of view S directed downward through the observation window provided at the bottom of the base, and it was understood how the excavation attachment 16 dug the shaft 4 (see FIG. 6).

  However, when the driving cabin is raised or moved forward, the center of gravity of the construction machine changes, which causes a problem that the stability during work is impaired and the danger increases. In the first place, in order to provide an elevating mechanism or an advancing / retreating mechanism in the operation cabin, it is necessary to modify the construction machine, and the cost and labor of the modification are required. Furthermore, the raising / lowering mechanism or the advancing / retreating mechanism of the operation cabin is complicated, and maintenance costs and labor are required. From now on, as a means for supplementing the field of view from the driving cabin without remodeling the construction machine, a camera device that sends moving image data to a monitor provided in the driving cabin has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, a tube (cylinder main body) is fixed to an operation cabinet, a cylinder that projects a rod end (head portion of a movable cylinder) forward from the operation cabinet, and an angle adjustable attached to the rod end. Disclosed is a camera device (movable monitor device) composed of a video camera (CCD camera). The moving image camera is connected to a monitor (monitor device) provided in the driving cabin via a cable, and sends moving image data (image data) to the monitor (Patent Document 1 [Claim 1]). As a result, the effect of facilitating excavation work, such as when digging a shaft, is provided (Patent Document 1 [0065]).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-036382

  The camera device disclosed in Patent Document 1 provides a construction machine suitable for excavation work of a shaft. However, the camera device disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot be used for loading iron scraps or the like because there is a video camera at a height that is not different from the ceiling of the driving cabin. Here, as a camera device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it may be possible to provide a plurality of video cameras having different heights in the driving cabin. However, since a plurality of video cameras are not used at the same time, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost and operation cost to provide a plurality of video cameras that are not used at the same time due to the manufacturing cost. Therefore, we examined a camera device for a construction machine that can handle both loading work of iron scraps and excavation work of a shaft by using a single video camera.

  What was developed as a result of the study was to provide a tilting shaft for the support arm on the construction machine in a camera device for a construction machine that captures the area around the attachment and sends video data to the monitor of the driving cabin in order to supplement the visibility from the driving cabin. A construction characterized in that the support arm is tiltable in the front-rear direction of the driving cabin, and a video camera is provided on the support arm so that the support arm in a standing posture projects the shooting direction forward from a portion where the supporting arm protrudes above the driving cabin. It is a mechanical camera device. The video camera and the driving cabin monitor are connected by wire or wirelessly. As the power source of the moving image camera, a dedicated power source is provided for the moving image camera or the support arm, or an existing power source provided in the construction machine is used.

  When the video camera is provided with the shooting direction facing forward from the portion where the support arm in the standing posture protrudes upward from the driving cabin, the moving image camera can photograph the vicinity of the attachment located in front of the loading operation. The shooting direction is the central direction of the shooting range (view angle). When the video camera is tilted by tilting the support arm forward, the shooting direction is directed downward, and the periphery of the attachment located below can be photographed during excavation work. Since the moving image camera has a certain angle of view, even if the shooting direction is deviated from horizontal or vertical and is fixed to the support arm, it is possible to shoot the periphery of the attachment located forward or downward. When the video camera is not used, the support arm can be in a retracted posture inclined to the rear of the driving cabin. The tilting means of the support arm can be exemplified by an electric motor or a hydraulic motor that transmits rotational power to the tilt shaft, and an electric cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or an air cylinder that extends and contracts a rod connected to the support arm.

  The front-rear direction of the operating cabin means the front-rear direction viewed from the operating cabin, and is set within the range of the left-right width of the construction machine beyond the operating cabin. The front-rear direction of the driving cabin may be slightly inclined in the left-right direction. Further, the standing posture of the support arm includes a posture in which the support arm protrudes upward from the operating cabin and a posture that is slightly tilted in the front-rear direction around the posture in which the support arm protrudes in the vertical direction. The tilting posture of the support arm is a posture in which the support arm protrudes forward from the driving cabin, and includes a posture in which the support arm is slightly tilted up and down around a posture in which the support arm faces in the horizontal direction.

  The support arm may be provided with a tilting shaft at the front edge of the ceiling of the driving cabin. As a result, the moving image camera is always positioned above the driving cabin in a standing posture and always positioned in front of the driving cabin in a tilted posture, regardless of where the moving camera is provided. As a result, the video camera can always shoot the vicinity of the attachment located forward from the position protruding upward of the driving cabin in the standing posture of the support arm, and downward from the position protruding forward of the driving cabin in the tilting posture of the support arm. You can always shoot around the attachment located at.

  The support arm is preferably extendable and retractable between the tilting shaft and the video camera. As a result, the shooting direction of the video camera can be adjusted up and down with the standing posture of the support arm, and the shooting direction of the video camera can be adjusted back and forth with the tilting posture of the support arm. The support arm can be in a retracted position with a reduced overall length when the video camera is not in use. As the support arm that expands and contracts, an electric cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an air cylinder, or a meshing chain can be used. A support arm, which is an electric cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or air cylinder, has a tube lower end pivotally attached to a construction machine with a tilting shaft, and a moving camera is attached to the tip of a telescopic rod. In addition, the support arm, which is a meshing chain, attaches a pair of chain storage boxes to the construction machine with a tilting shaft, and attaches a moving camera to the tip of the meshing portion that increases or decreases.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera device for a construction machine that can handle both loading work of iron scraps and excavation work of a shaft by using only one moving image camera. This is an effect obtained by providing a moving camera on a support arm that can tilt in the front-rear direction of the driving cabin. In addition, when a video camera is not used, if the support arm is in a retracted posture inclined to the rear of the driving cabin, the long support arm protrudes above or in front of the driving cabin and does not interfere with other operations. Can also be obtained.

  When the tilting axis of the support arm is provided at the front edge of the ceiling of the driving cabin, the video camera provided on the support arm that always protrudes upward or forward from the driving cabin will be located around the attachment located in front of the driving cabin and around the upper attachment. You can always shoot. In addition, since the tilting shaft is provided at the ceiling front edge of the driving cabin, the long supporting arm that does not expand and contract is also laid on the ceiling of the driving cabin by tilting the supporting arm toward the rear of the driving cabin, There is an advantage that a retracted posture can be achieved in which the amount of protrusion from the rear of the driving cabin is eliminated or suppressed.

  By making the support arm extendable, the shooting direction of the video camera can be adjusted in the vertical direction or the front-back direction, and the specific shooting position around the attachment to be shot can be adjusted. Further, since the support arm expands and contracts, for example, the support arm protrudes from the upper side or the front side of the operation cabin by contracting the support arm in the standing posture without tilting the support arm toward the rear side of the operation cabin. There is an advantage that it is possible to make a retracted posture with a reduced amount.

It is a side view showing an example of the construction machine provided with the camera apparatus comprised from a telescopic support arm. It is a side view showing the other example of the construction machine provided with the camera apparatus comprised from the support arm which does not expand-contract. It is a side view showing the state which is loading work, such as iron scrap, with the construction machine of this example. It is a side view showing the state which is excavating the shaft with the construction machine of this example. It is a side view showing the state which is loading work, such as iron scrap, with the conventional construction machine provided with the raising / lowering mechanism. It is a side view showing the state which is excavating a shaft with the conventional construction machine provided with the advancing / retreating mechanism.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the camera device 2 of the present invention is configured by providing a tilting shaft 21 of a support arm 22 having a moving camera 23 at the tip thereof on the front edge of a ceiling 111 of an operation cabin 11 of the construction machine 1. Is done. The support arm 22 is extendable and retracted, and a standing posture with its tip directed directly upward is defined as a retracted posture (see a solid line in FIG. 1). The support arm 22 in the retracted position does not protrude from the driving cabin 11 in any of the front and rear directions, and only slightly protrudes directly upward by contraction, so that it does not interfere with other operations. The support arm 22 can be tilted in a range from a standing posture to a horizontal posture (90 degrees), and extended to a tilted posture with the tip tilted slightly forward from the retracted posture, or extended to extend the tip forward from the driving cabin 11 The protruding tilted posture (see the phantom line in FIG. 1) is set to the use state.

  The support arm 22 of this example is configured to be freely extendable and retractable between the tilting shaft 21 and the moving image camera 23 by a meshing chain. The meshing chain storage box 221 is attached to the tilting shaft 21 provided at the front edge of the ceiling 111 of the driving cabin 11 and tilts according to the rotational power of the electric motor 211. The meshing chain that is fed out while meshing from the storage box 221 is defined as a support arm 22 that expands and contracts. The chain feeding means of the electric motor 211 and the storage box 221 and the operation means (not shown) of the operation cabin 11 are wired (serial communication cable represented by RS-232C, LAN cable, etc.) or wireless (Bluetooth (registered trademark)). Or WiFi (registered trademark). As a power source for the chain feeding means of the electric motor 211 and the storage box 221, a dedicated power source is provided for the chain feeding means of the electric motor 211 and the storage box 221, or an existing power source (not shown) provided in the construction machine 1 is used.

  The video camera 23 is provided at the tip of the support arm 22 in an upright posture with the tip pointed directly upward, with the shooting direction T directed forward. The shooting direction T of the moving image camera 23 in this example coincides with the front-rear direction in which the support arm 22 tilts and is orthogonal to the extending direction of the support arm 22. The moving image camera 23 may be a single-focus camera. However, as will be described later, when it is desired to adjust the range captured by the angle of view M, it is preferable to have a telephoto function. The video camera 23 and the monitor (not shown) of the driving cabin 11 are wired (serial communication cable represented by RS-232C, LAN cable, etc.) or wireless (Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (registered trademark), etc.). Connected. As the power source of the video camera 23, a dedicated power source is provided for the video camera 23 or the support arm 22, or an existing power source (not shown) provided in the construction machine 1 is used.

  The camera device 2 of the present invention can also be configured with a support arm 24 that does not expand and contract, as seen in FIG. The support arm 24 of another example is a metal rod having a length corresponding to the longitudinal length of the ceiling 111 of the driving cabin 11, and the base end is attached to the tilting shaft 21 provided on the front edge of the ceiling 111 of the driving cabin 11, Tilt according to the rotational power of the motor 211. In another example, the support arm 24 has a horizontal posture along the ceiling 111 of the driving cabin 11 with its tip directed rearward (refer to a solid line in FIG. 2). Since the support arm 22 in the retracted position does not protrude from the driving cabin 11 in any of the front and rear directions, it does not interfere with other operations. Further, the support arm 24 of another example can be tilted in a horizontal posture range (180 degrees) with the tip directed forward from the retracted posture, and the tilted posture with the tip slightly tilted forward from the standing posture, or the driving cabin 11 The tilted posture (see the phantom line in FIG. 1) with the tip protruding forward from the position is the use state.

  The loading operation (FIG. 3) and excavation operation (FIG. 4) using the camera device 2 of this example will be described. When loading iron scraps, the construction machine 1 attaches an electromagnet attachment 14 to a normal arm 13 as seen in FIG. The operator moves the electromagnet attachment 14 by turning the operation cabinet 11 or bending the boom 12 and the arm 13. Then, by switching the operation and non-operation of the electromagnet attachment 14, the iron scrap is attracted and moved, separated, and loaded onto the loading platform 31 of the dump truck 3.

  The camera device 2 extends the support arm to a tilted posture slightly tilted forward from the standing posture, and directs the shooting direction T of the video camera 23 toward the center of the loading platform 31. The tilt angle of the support arm 22 determines the shooting direction T of the video camera 23. The tilt angle of the support arm 22 may be automatically set according to the loading operation, or may be adjustable by the operator. When the shooting direction T of the video camera 23 is directed near the center of the loading platform 31 of the duck car 3, the angle of view M of the video camera 23 catches the electromagnetic attachment 14 and the loading platform 31, and how the electromagnetic attachment 14 moves to the loading platform 31 such as iron scraps. Can be easily grasped by the monitor (not shown) of the operation cabinet 11.

  When the camera device 2 of the present invention is used for loading work, as described above, it can be grasped by the monitor (not shown) of the operation cabinet 11 how the electromagnet attachment 14 loads iron scraps or the like on the loading platform 31. . In addition to this, the operation cabinet 11 is located on the side of the loading platform 31 of the dump truck 3 (backward in this example), and an operator can visually recognize the surroundings of the loading platform 31. Conventionally, the raised operation cabinet 11 is located above the loading platform 31, and the periphery of the loading platform 31 was not visible (see FIG. 5). This means that the range that can be confirmed by the operator has been expanded by adding the angle of view M of the video camera 23 to the field of view S from the operation cabinet 11, and while confirming the safety of the surroundings, it is surely and quickly. This has the effect of being able to load.

  When excavating the shaft 4, the construction machine 1 attaches the excavation attachment 16 to the long arm 15 as seen in FIG. The operator moves (particularly moves up and down) the excavation attachment 16 by turning the operation cabinet 11 and bending the boom 12 and the arm 13. Then, the bottom of the shaft 4 is excavated by opening and closing the excavation attachment 16 in a downward orientation. If the angle of view M of the video camera 23 is sufficient, the pit 4 including the excavation attachment 16 that has been lowered downward may be used as long as the shooting direction T is not directed toward the center of the bottom of the pit 4, but only toward the bottom. The entire interior can be photographed.

  The camera device 2 extends the support arm 22 into a tilted posture in which the tip protrudes forward from the driving cabin 11 and directs the shooting direction T of the video camera 23 toward the bottom of the shaft 4. The tilt angle of the support arm 22 determines the shooting direction T of the video camera 23. The tilt angle of the support arm 22 may be automatically set according to excavation work, or may be adjustable by the operator. When the shooting direction T of the video camera 23 is directed to the bottom of the shaft 4, the angle M of the video camera 23 captures the excavation attachment 16 and the shaft 4, and how the excavation attachment 16 digs the shaft 4 It can be easily grasped by the monitor (not shown) of the cabinet 11.

  When the camera device 2 of the present invention is used for excavation work, as described above, it is possible to grasp how the excavation attachment 16 is excavating the shaft 4 with a monitor (not shown) of the operation cabinet 11. In addition to this, the operation cabinet 11 is kept in front of the shaft 4 (right side in this example) so that the operator can visually recognize the entire periphery of the shaft 4. Conventionally, the operating cabinet 11 that has moved forward covers the shaft 4, and the entire periphery of the shaft 4 was not visible (see FIG. 6). This means that the range that can be confirmed by the operator has been expanded by adding the angle of view M of the video camera 23 to the field of view S from the operation cabinet 11, and while confirming the safety of the surroundings, it is surely and quickly. This has the effect of enabling excavation work.

  Thus, according to the camera device 2 of this example, it is possible to handle both loading work of iron scraps and excavation work of the shaft 4 with only one video camera 23. Here, in addition to the tilt angle of the support arm 22, the camera device 2 of the present example can extend and contract the support arm 22. Therefore, the range captured by the angle of view M can be adjusted while keeping the shooting direction T of the video camera 23 the same. . Furthermore, if the video camera 23 has a telephoto function, the range captured by the angle of view M can be flexibly adjusted. The telephoto function of the video camera 23 can be used with the shooting direction T fixed, and is convenient when the center of the shooting direction T is desired to be enlarged during loading or excavation work.

1 Construction machinery
11 Driving cabin
12 boom
13 arm
14 Electromagnet attachment
15 Long arm
16 Drilling attachment 2 Camera device
21 Tilt axis
22 Support arm
23 video camera
24 Support arm 3 Tipper
31 cargo bed 4 shafts S field of view M angle of view T shooting direction

Claims (3)

In order to supplement the view from the driving cabin, in the camera device of the construction machine that photographs the vicinity of the attachment and sends the video data to the driving cabin monitor,
A tilt axis of the support arm is provided in the construction machine so that the support arm can be tilted in the front-rear direction of the driving cabin.
A camera device for a construction machine, wherein a moving camera is provided on the support arm so that a shooting arm is directed forward from a portion where the support arm in a standing posture protrudes above the operation cabin. The camera device for a construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the support arm is provided with a tilt shaft at a front edge of the ceiling of the operation cabin. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the support arm is extendable and retractable between the tilt axis and the moving image camera.

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