JP2023006213A - Excavator, excavator support system - Google Patents

Abstract

To grasp condition of a traveling surface.SOLUTION: An excavator has a lower traveling body, an upper rotating body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body, and a detection unit disposed on the upper rotating body for detecting contact characteristics between the lower traveling body and a traveling surface during traveling.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an excavator and an excavator support system.

Conventionally, information indicating the shape of the ground on which the excavator is to work is obtained, and based on the current position and orientation of the excavator and the current posture of the attachment, the risk of tipping of the excavator is predicted in advance. Techniques for restricting excavator motion are known.

JP 2016-172963 A

The above-described conventional technology can grasp the undulations of the ground that may overturn the excavator, but cannot grasp the state of the traveling surface such as small undulations of the ground that have a low possibility of overturning the excavator.

Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to grasp the state of the running surface.

An excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lower traveling body, an upper revolving body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body, and contact between the lower traveling body and a traveling surface disposed on the upper revolving body. and a detector for detecting characteristics during travel.

An excavator support system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an excavator support system including an excavator and an excavator management device, wherein the excavator is mounted on an undercarriage and the undercarriage so as to be capable of turning. An upper revolving structure, a detection unit arranged on the upper revolving structure that detects contact characteristics between the lower traveling structure and the running surface during travel, and a position when the contact characteristics are detected by the detection unit. A communication unit that acquires position information and transmits, to the management device, running surface information in which the position information is associated with information indicating the state of the running surface of the lower running body determined using the contact characteristics. and the management device has an information holding unit that stores the traveling surface information, and the state of the traveling surface of the other excavator based on the position information and the traveling surface information received from the other excavator. The excavator support system includes a determination unit that makes a determination, and a state notification unit that notifies the other excavator of the determination result of the determination unit.

You can grasp the situation of the running surface.

It is a figure which shows an example of the system configuration|structure of the support system of an excavator. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the drive system of an excavator. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on an excavator; FIG. It is a figure explaining the outline|summary of operation|movement of a shovel. FIG. 4 is a first diagram for explaining fluctuations in acceleration of a shovel; It is a flow chart explaining operation of a shovel of an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a second diagram for explaining fluctuations in acceleration of the shovel; 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a shovel of another embodiment; It is a figure explaining generation of map information by a management device. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a management apparatus. It is a figure explaining the function of a management apparatus. 4 is a first flowchart for explaining the operation of the management device; It is a second flowchart for explaining the operation of the management device.

(embodiment)
Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an excavator support system.

The excavator support system SYS of this embodiment includes an excavator 100 , a management device 200 , and a support device 300 . In the following description, the excavator support system SYS is simply referred to as the support system SYS.

In the support system SYS of this embodiment, the excavator 100, the management device 200, and the support device 300 are connected via a network or the like.

The excavator 100 of this embodiment determines the state of the traveling surface (ground) on which the excavator travels based on the contact characteristics between the lower traveling body 1 and the traveling surface.

Specifically, the excavator 100 refers to information that associates the contact characteristics between the lower traveling body 1 and the traveling surface with the state of the traveling surface, and according to the contact characteristics between the lower traveling body 1 and the traveling surface, Determine the condition of the running surface.

Here, the contact characteristics in this embodiment will be described. The contact characteristics include the magnitude of vibration of the undercarriage 1 and the contact stiffness between the undercarriage 1 and the running surface.

The magnitude of vibration of the undercarriage 1 is indicated by variations in acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor provided on the excavator 100 . The contact stiffness between the lower running body 1 and the running surface is indicated by the stiffness of the contact portion between the lower running body 1 and the running surface. The contact portion between the lower running body 1 and the running surface is, in other words, the contact portion between the shoe plate and the running surface. The rigidity of the contact portion between the lower running body 1 and the running surface indicates the hardness of the running surface.

That is, the contact characteristics of the present embodiment include variations in acceleration of the excavator 100 and hardness of the running surface.

In the present embodiment, among the contact characteristics between the undercarriage 1 and the traveling surface, the variation in the acceleration of the excavator 100 is mainly used to determine the state of the traveling surface. That is, in the present embodiment, the state of the traveling surface is determined by referring to the information that associates the variation in the acceleration of the excavator 100 with the state of the traveling surface. Note that the state of the running surface in this embodiment may include, for example, the soil quality and hardness of the running surface, the presence or absence of unevenness, and the like.

Also, the excavator 100 transmits to the management device 200 running surface information including the result of determining the state of the running surface and the position information of the excavator itself when the state of the running surface was determined.

When receiving the traveling surface information from the excavator 100, the management device 200 creates map information using this traveling surface information. Further, when receiving the position information from the excavator 100, the management device 200 determines the state of the traveling surface on which the excavator 100 is traveling based on the received position information and the map information, and outputs information indicating the state of the traveling surface. The excavator 100 is notified.

The support device 300 supports an operator who operates the excavator 100, for example, and provides the operator with information by receiving various kinds of information from the management device 200 or the like and displaying the information on a screen.

Note that in the example of FIG. 1, the support device 300 is included in the support system SYS, but the present invention is not limited to this. Support device 300 may not be included in support system SYS.

Also, in the example of FIG. 1, the management device 200 is realized by one information processing device, but it is not limited to this. The management device 200 may be realized by a plurality of information processing devices. In other words, the functions realized by the management device 200 may be realized by a plurality of information processing devices.

The shovel 100 of this embodiment will be described below. In FIG. 1, a side view of the excavator 100 is shown.

The excavator 100 has a lower travel body 1 , a revolving mechanism 2 and an upper revolving body 3 . In the excavator 100 , an upper revolving body 3 is rotatably mounted on a lower traveling body 1 via a revolving mechanism 2 . The lower traveling body 1 also has a crawler belt 1a that is an endless track (crawler) that is rotationally driven by a hydraulic motor 20 for traveling. The crawler belt 1a has a plurality of shoe plates.

A boom 4 is attached to the upper revolving body 3 . An arm 5 is attached to the tip of the boom 4, and a bucket 6 is attached to the tip of the arm 5 as an end attachment.

The boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 constitute an excavation attachment as an example of an attachment. The boom 4 is driven by a boom cylinder 7 , the arm 5 is driven by an arm cylinder 8 , and the bucket 6 is driven by a bucket cylinder 9 . A boom angle sensor S1 is attached to the boom 4, an arm angle sensor S2 is attached to the arm 5, and a bucket angle sensor S3 is attached to the bucket 6.

The boom angle sensor S<b>1 is configured to detect the rotation angle of the boom 4 . In this embodiment, the boom angle sensor S1 is an acceleration sensor, and can detect the rotation angle of the boom 4 with respect to the upper rotating body 3 (hereinafter referred to as "boom angle"). The boom angle is, for example, the minimum angle when the boom 4 is lowered, and increases as the boom 4 is raised.

Arm angle sensor S2 is configured to detect the rotation angle of arm 5 . In this embodiment, the arm angle sensor S2 is an acceleration sensor, and can detect the rotation angle of the arm 5 with respect to the boom 4 (hereinafter referred to as "arm angle"). The arm angle is, for example, the minimum angle when the arm 5 is closed most, and increases as the arm 5 is opened.

Bucket angle sensor S3 is configured to detect the rotation angle of bucket 6 . In this embodiment, the bucket angle sensor S3 is an acceleration sensor, and can detect the rotation angle of the bucket 6 with respect to the arm 5 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket angle"). The bucket angle is, for example, the smallest angle when the bucket 6 is closed most, and increases as the bucket 6 opens.

The boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3 are each a potentiometer using a variable resistor, a stroke sensor that detects the stroke amount of the corresponding hydraulic cylinder, and a rotation angle around the connecting pin. A rotary encoder, a gyro sensor, or a combination of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor may be used.

A boom rod pressure sensor S7R and a boom bottom pressure sensor S7B are attached to the boom cylinder 7 . The arm cylinder 8 is attached with an arm rod pressure sensor S8R and an arm bottom pressure sensor S8B. A bucket rod pressure sensor S9R and a bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B are attached to the bucket cylinder 9 . The boom rod pressure sensor S7R, boom bottom pressure sensor S7B, arm rod pressure sensor S8R, arm bottom pressure sensor S8B, bucket rod pressure sensor S9R, and bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B are also collectively referred to as "cylinder pressure sensors."

The boom rod pressure sensor S7R detects the pressure of the rod side oil chamber of the boom cylinder 7 (hereinafter referred to as "boom rod pressure"), and the boom bottom pressure sensor S7B detects the pressure of the bottom side oil chamber of the boom cylinder 7 (hereinafter referred to as "boom rod pressure"). , “boom bottom pressure”). The arm rod pressure sensor S8R detects the pressure in the rod side oil chamber of the arm cylinder 8 (hereinafter referred to as "arm rod pressure"), and the arm bottom pressure sensor S8B detects the pressure in the bottom side oil chamber of the arm cylinder 8 (hereinafter referred to as "arm rod pressure"). , “arm bottom pressure”) is detected.

The bucket rod pressure sensor S9R detects the pressure of the rod side oil chamber of the bucket cylinder 9 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket rod pressure"), and the bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B detects the pressure of the bottom side oil chamber of the bucket cylinder 9 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket rod pressure"). , “bucket bottom pressure”) is detected.

The upper swing body 3 is provided with a cabin 10 which is an operator's cab, and is equipped with a power source such as an engine 11 as a prime mover. Further, the upper rotating body 3 includes a controller 30 (control section), a display device 40, an input device 42, an audio output device 43, a storage device 47, a positioning device P1, a body tilt sensor S4, a turning angular velocity sensor S5, and an imaging device S6. and a communication device T1 are attached. In the present embodiment, an example using the engine 11 as the prime mover is shown, but an electric motor may be used as the prime mover. In this case, the main pump 14 may be driven by an electric motor driven by electric power from the power storage device. A fuel cell, a lithium ion battery, or the like may be used as the power storage device. It may be a combination of two or more prime movers such as an internal combustion engine and an electric motor.

The controller 30 functions as a main control unit that controls driving of the excavator 100 . In this embodiment, the controller 30 is configured by a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, and the like. Various functions of the controller 30 are implemented by the CPU executing programs stored in the ROM, for example. The various functions include, for example, at least one of a machine guidance function that guides the manual operation of the excavator 100 by the operator, and a machine control function that automatically supports the manual operation of the excavator 100 by the operator. may contain.

The display device 40 is configured to display various information. The display device 40 may be connected to the controller 30 via a communication network such as CAN, or may be connected to the controller 30 via a dedicated line.

The input device 42 is configured so that the operator can input various information to the controller 30 . The input device 42 includes at least one of a touch panel installed inside the cabin 10, a knob switch, a membrane switch, and the like.

The audio output device 43 is configured to output audio. The audio output device 43 may be, for example, an in-vehicle speaker connected to the controller 30 or an alarm device such as a buzzer. In this embodiment, the audio output device 43 is configured to output various information as audio in response to an audio output command from the controller 30 .

The storage device 47 is configured to store various information. The storage device 47 is, for example, a non-volatile storage medium such as a semiconductor memory. The storage device 47 may store information output by various devices during operation of the excavator 100, or may store information acquired via various devices before the excavator 100 starts operating.

Further, the storage device 47 may store in advance the association information 61 (see FIG. 6) that associates the range of acceleration fluctuation and the state of the running surface. Details of the association information 61 will be described later.

The storage device 47 may store data relating to the target construction surface acquired via the communication device T1 or the like, for example. The target construction plane may be set by the operator of the excavator 100, or may be set by the construction manager or the like.

The positioning device P<b>1 is configured to measure the position of the upper revolving structure 3 . That is, the positioning device P1 acquires the position information of the excavator 100 . Further, the positioning device P1 may be configured to measure the orientation of the upper revolving structure 3 .

In this embodiment, the positioning device P<b>1 is, for example, a GNSS compass, detects the position and orientation of the upper swing structure 3 , and outputs the detected values to the controller 30 . Therefore, the positioning device P1 can also function as an orientation detection device that detects the orientation of the upper revolving structure 3 . The positioning device P1 may be a direction sensor attached to the upper revolving structure 3 .

The machine body tilt sensor S4 is configured to detect the tilt of the upper revolving body 3 . In this embodiment, the fuselage tilt sensor S4 is an acceleration sensor that detects the longitudinal tilt angle about the longitudinal axis and the lateral tilt angle about the lateral axis of the upper revolving structure 3 with respect to the virtual horizontal plane. The longitudinal axis and the lateral axis of the upper revolving body 3 are orthogonal to each other, for example, at a shovel center point, which is one point on the revolving axis of the excavator 100 .

The turning angular velocity sensor S5 is configured to detect the turning angular velocity of the upper turning body 3 . The turning angular velocity sensor S5 may be configured to detect or calculate the turning angle of the upper turning body 3 . In this embodiment, the turning angular velocity sensor S5 is a gyro sensor. The turning angular velocity sensor S5 may be a resolver, rotary encoder, acceleration sensor, or the like.

The imaging device S6 is an example of a space recognition device, and is configured to acquire an image around the excavator 100 . In this embodiment, the imaging device S6 includes a front camera S6F that images the space in front of the excavator 100, a left camera S6L that images the space to the left of the excavator 100, and a right camera S6R that images the space to the right of the excavator 100. , and a rear camera S6B that captures the space behind the excavator 100 .

The imaging device S6 is, for example, a monocular camera having an imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS, and outputs the captured image to the display device 40. FIG. The imaging device S6 may be a stereo camera, a distance image camera, or the like. In addition, the imaging device S6 may be replaced with another space recognition device such as a three-dimensional range image sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a LIDAR, or an infrared sensor. may be replaced.

The front camera S6F is attached to the ceiling of the cabin 10, that is, inside the cabin 10, for example. However, the front camera S6F may be attached to the outside of the cabin 10, such as the roof of the cabin 10, the side of the boom 4, or the like. The left camera S6L is attached to the left end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3, the right camera S6R is attached to the right end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3, and the rear camera S6B is attached to the rear end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3. .

The space recognition device may be configured to detect objects existing around the excavator 100 . Objects are, for example, topographical shapes (slopes or holes, etc.), electric wires, utility poles, people, animals, vehicles, construction machinery, buildings, walls, helmets, safety vests, work clothes, or predetermined marks on helmets. . The space recognition device 70 may be configured to be able to identify at least one of the type, position, and shape of an object (state of undulations on the ground surface). The space recognition device may be configured to be able to distinguish between humans and non-human objects. The space recognition device may be configured to calculate the distance from the space recognition device or excavator 100 to the object recognized by the space recognition device.

The controller 30 of the present embodiment acquires travel data including values output from the various sensors described above, information output from space recognition devices including the positioning device P1 and the imaging device S6,
Stored in the storage device 47 . That is, the traveling data of the present embodiment includes values of various sensors, position information indicating the position of the excavator 100, and image data captured by the imaging device S6.

The communication device T1 is configured to control communication with external equipment outside the shovel 100 . Specifically, the communication device T1 may transmit travel data acquired by the controller 30 to the management device 200 . In this embodiment, the communication device T1 controls communication with external devices via a satellite communication network, a mobile phone communication network, an Internet network, or the like. The external device may be, for example, a management device 200 such as a server installed in an external facility, or may be a support device 300 such as a smart phone carried by a worker around the excavator 100 .

The external device is configured, for example, to manage construction information related to one or more excavators 100 . The construction information includes, for example, information on at least one of the operation time, fuel consumption, and work amount of the excavator 100 . The amount of work is, for example, the amount of excavated earth and sand, the amount of earth and sand loaded on the platform of the dump truck, and the like.

The excavator 100 may be configured to transmit construction information related to the excavator 100 to an external device at predetermined time intervals via the communication device T1. With this configuration, a worker, manager, or the like outside the excavator 100 can view various information including construction information through a display device such as a monitor connected to the management device 200 or the support device 300 .

The external device may be a communication device mounted on a dump truck equipped with a load weight measuring device, or may be a communication device connected to a stand that measures the weight of the dump truck. In this case, the excavator 100 can acquire the weight of earth and sand loaded on the loading platform of the dump truck based on the information from the dump truck or the platform.

Next, the configuration of the drive system of the excavator 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a drive system of an excavator. In FIG. 2, the mechanical power system, high-pressure hydraulic line, pilot line, and electrical control system are indicated by double lines, thick solid lines, broken lines, and dotted lines, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive system of the excavator 100 mainly includes an engine 11, a regulator 13, a main pump 14, a pilot pump 15, a control valve 17, an operation device 26, a discharge pressure sensor 28, an operation pressure sensor 29, It includes a controller 30, a proportional valve 31, a working mode selection dial 32, and the like.

The engine 11 is a driving source of the shovel. In this embodiment, the engine 11 is, for example, a diesel engine that operates to maintain a predetermined number of revolutions. Also, the output shaft of the engine 11 is connected to the input shafts of the main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15 .

The main pump 14 supplies hydraulic fluid to the control valve 17 through a high pressure hydraulic line. In this embodiment, the main pump 14 is a swash plate type variable displacement hydraulic pump.

The regulator 13 controls the discharge amount of the main pump 14 . In this embodiment, the regulator 13 controls the discharge amount of the main pump 14 by adjusting the tilt angle of the swash plate of the main pump 14 according to the control command from the controller 30 .

The pilot pump 15 supplies hydraulic fluid to various hydraulic control devices including the operating device 26 and the proportional valve 31 through pilot lines. In this embodiment, the pilot pump 15 is a fixed displacement hydraulic pump.

The control valve 17 is a hydraulic control device that controls the hydraulic system of the excavator. The control valve 17 includes control valves 171 - 176 and a bleed valve 177 . The control valve 17 can selectively supply hydraulic fluid discharged from the main pump 14 to one or more hydraulic actuators through the control valves 171-176.

The control valves 171 to 176 control the flow rate of hydraulic fluid flowing from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuators and the flow rate of hydraulic fluid flowing from the hydraulic actuators to the hydraulic fluid tank. The hydraulic actuators include a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, a bucket cylinder 9, a left travel hydraulic motor 20L, a right travel hydraulic motor 20R, and a turning hydraulic motor 2A.

The bleed valve 177 controls the flow rate (hereinafter referred to as "bleed flow rate") of the hydraulic fluid discharged by the main pump 14 that flows into the hydraulic fluid tank without passing through the hydraulic actuator. The bleed valve 177 may be installed outside the control valve 17 .

The operating device 26 is a device used by an operator to operate the hydraulic actuator. In this embodiment, the operation device 26 supplies the hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the pilot ports of the control valves corresponding to the respective hydraulic actuators through the pilot lines. The pressure (pilot pressure) of hydraulic fluid supplied to each of the pilot ports is a pressure corresponding to the direction and amount of operation of levers or pedals (not shown) of the operation device 26 corresponding to each of the hydraulic actuators. .

A discharge pressure sensor 28 detects the discharge pressure of the main pump 14 . In this embodiment, the discharge pressure sensor 28 outputs the detected value to the controller 30 .

The operating pressure sensor 29 detects the content of the operator's operation using the operating device 26 . In this embodiment, the operation pressure sensor 29 detects the operation direction and amount of operation of the lever or pedal of the operation device 26 corresponding to each hydraulic actuator in the form of pressure (operation pressure), and sends the detected value to the controller 30. Output for The operation content of the operation device 26 may be detected using a sensor other than the operation pressure sensor.

The controller 30 is a control unit that controls the excavator 100 as a whole. The details of the functions of the controller 30 of this embodiment will be described later.

The proportional valve 31 operates according to control commands output by the controller 30 . In this embodiment, the proportional valve 31 is an electromagnetic valve that adjusts the secondary pressure introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the pilot port of the bleed valve 177 inside the control valve 17 according to the current command output by the controller 30 . The proportional valve 31 operates such that, for example, the greater the current command, the greater the secondary pressure introduced to the pilot port of the bleed valve 177 .

The work mode selection dial 32 is a dial for the operator to select a work mode (running mode), and enables switching between a plurality of different work modes. Further, from the work mode selection dial 32, data indicating the set state of the engine speed and the set state of the acceleration/deceleration characteristic corresponding to the work mode is constantly transmitted to the controller 30. FIG.

The work mode selection dial 32 allows the work mode to be switched in multiple steps including SP mode, H mode, A mode and IDLE mode. That is, the work mode selection dial 32 of this embodiment can switch the setting conditions of the excavator 100 .

The SP mode is an example of the first mode, and the H mode is an example of the second mode. 2 shows a state in which the SP mode is selected with the work mode selection dial 32. FIG.

The SP mode is a work mode that is selected when priority is given to the amount of work, and utilizes the highest engine speed and the highest acceleration/deceleration characteristics. The H mode is a work mode that is selected when it is desired to achieve both work volume and fuel efficiency, and utilizes the second highest engine speed and the second highest acceleration/deceleration characteristics.

A mode is a work mode that is selected when you want to operate the excavator with low noise by making the acceleration and deceleration characteristics of the hydraulic actuator corresponding to lever operation gentle, improving accurate operability and safety, and operating the excavator. The third highest engine speed is used, and the third highest acceleration/deceleration characteristic is used. The IDLE mode is a work mode that is selected when the engine is to be in an idling state, and utilizes the lowest engine speed and the lowest acceleration/deceleration characteristics.

The engine speed of the engine 11 is controlled to be constant at the engine speed of the work mode set by the work mode selection dial 32 . Further, the opening of the bleed valve 177 is controlled based on the bleed valve opening characteristics of the work mode set by the work mode selection dial 32 . The bleed valve opening characteristics will be described later.

In the present embodiment, each work mode described above may be expressed as a setting condition of the excavator 100, and information indicating the setting condition may be expressed as setting condition information. The setting condition information is information in which a specified item and the value of the item are associated with each other. The specified item is, for example, an item indicating the state of the engine speed corresponding to each work mode, or an item indicating the state of acceleration/deceleration characteristics. Therefore, the setting condition information of the present embodiment includes items and item values indicating the state of the engine speed corresponding to each work mode, and items and item values indicating the state of acceleration/deceleration characteristics.

Although the ECO mode is set as one of the modes selected by the work mode selection dial 32 in the configuration diagram of FIG. 2, an ECO mode switch may be provided separately from the work mode selection dial 32 . In this case, the engine speed is adjusted corresponding to each mode selected using the work mode selection dial 32, and when the ECO mode switch is turned on, acceleration/deceleration corresponding to each mode of the work mode selection dial 32 is performed. Characteristics may be changed gradually.

Also, the change of work mode may be realized by voice input. In that case, the excavator is provided with a voice input device for inputting the voice uttered by the operator to the controller 30 . Further, the controller 30 is provided with a voice identification unit that identifies voice input by the voice input device.

As described above, the work mode is selected by a mode selection section such as the work mode selection dial 32, the ECO mode switch, or the voice recognition section.

Next, functions of the controller 30 of this embodiment will be described. The controller 30 of this embodiment has an information reference unit 301 , a state determination unit 302 , an information collection unit 303 and a communication unit 304 .

The information reference unit 301 refers to the correspondence information 61 stored in the storage device 47 . The state determination unit 302 determines the state of the traveling surface (ground) on which the excavator 100 travels. In other words, the state determination unit 302 is an example of a detection unit that detects contact characteristics between the lower running body 1 and the running surface during running.

Specifically, the state determination unit 302 of the present embodiment specifies, in the association information 61, the state of the running surface corresponding to the absolute value of the amplitude of the acceleration during running of the body detected by the body tilt sensor S4 or the like. Then, the specified state of the running surface is used as the determination result.

That is, the state of the running surface determined by the state determination unit 302 can be said to be the state of the running surface of the lower traveling body 1 determined using the contact characteristics detected by the detection unit.

In addition, since the attachment does not normally rotate or turn during running, the detected values of the angle sensors S1 to S3 and the turning angular velocity sensor S5, which measure the angles of the attachments, may be used.

The information collection unit 303 collects traveling surface information in which position information indicating the position of the excavator 100 , the determination result by the state determination unit 302 , and the work mode of the excavator 100 are associated with each other. The running surface information is stored in the storage device 47 or the like.

The communication unit 304 transmits and receives information between the excavator 100 and an external device. Specifically, the communication unit 304 transmits the running surface information collected by the information collection unit 303 to the management device 200 .

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the hydraulic system mounted on the excavator 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on an excavator. The hydraulic system of FIG. 3 circulates hydraulic oil from main pumps 14L, 14R driven by the engine 11 to hydraulic oil tanks through center bypass lines 40L, 40R and parallel lines 42L, 42R. Main pumps 14L and 14R correspond to main pump 14 in FIG.

The center bypass line 40L is a hydraulic fluid line passing through control valves 171L to 175L arranged inside the control valve 17. As shown in FIG. The center bypass line 40R is a hydraulic oil line passing through control valves 171R to 175R arranged inside the control valve 17. As shown in FIG.

The control valve 171L supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged from the main pump 14L to the left traveling hydraulic motor 20L and discharges the hydraulic fluid discharged from the left traveling hydraulic motor 20L to the hydraulic fluid tank. is a spool valve that switches between

The control valve 171R is a spool valve as a straight travel valve. The control valve 171R switches the flow of hydraulic oil so that hydraulic oil is supplied from the main pump 14L to the left traveling hydraulic motor 20L and the right traveling hydraulic motor 20R in order to improve the straightness of the lower traveling body 1.

Specifically, when the traveling hydraulic motor 20 and any other hydraulic actuator are operated simultaneously, the main pump 14L supplies hydraulic fluid to both the left traveling hydraulic motor 20L and the right traveling hydraulic motor 20R. The control valve 171R is switched so that it can. When none of the other hydraulic actuators is operated, the main pump 14L can supply hydraulic fluid to the left traveling hydraulic motor 20L, and the main pump 14R can supply hydraulic fluid to the right traveling hydraulic motor 20R. , the control valve 171R is switched.

The control valve 172L is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic fluid to supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the main pump 14L to the optional hydraulic actuator and to discharge the hydraulic fluid discharged by the optional hydraulic actuator to the hydraulic fluid tank. is. An optional hydraulic actuator is, for example, a grapple open/close cylinder.

The control valve 172R supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the main pump 14R to the right-side traveling hydraulic motor 20R and discharges the hydraulic fluid discharged by the right-side traveling hydraulic motor 20R to the hydraulic fluid tank. is a spool valve that switches between

The control valve 173L switches the flow of hydraulic fluid in order to supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the main pump 14L to the turning hydraulic motor 2A and to discharge the hydraulic fluid discharged by the turning hydraulic motor 2A to the hydraulic fluid tank. It is a spool valve.

The control valve 173R is a spool valve for supplying the hydraulic oil discharged by the main pump 14R to the end attachment cylinder 9 and discharging the hydraulic oil in the end attachment cylinder 9 to the hydraulic oil tank.

The control valves 174L, 174R supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pumps 14L, 14R to the boom cylinder 7 and discharge the hydraulic oil in the boom cylinder 7 to the hydraulic oil tank. valve. In this embodiment, the control valve 174L operates only when the boom 4 is raised, and does not operate when the boom 4 is lowered.

The control valves 175L, 175R supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pumps 14L, 14R to the arm cylinder 8 and discharge the hydraulic oil in the arm cylinder 8 to the hydraulic oil tank. valve.

42 L of parallel pipelines are hydraulic-oil lines parallel to 40 L of center bypass pipelines. The parallel pipe line 42L can supply hydraulic oil to control valves further downstream when the flow of hydraulic oil through the center bypass pipe line 40L is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 171L to 174L. The parallel pipeline 42R is a hydraulic fluid line parallel to the center bypass pipeline 40R. The parallel pipeline 42R can supply hydraulic fluid to more downstream control valves when the flow of hydraulic fluid through the center bypass pipeline 40R is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 172R to 174R.

The pump regulators 13L, 13R control the discharge amounts of the main pumps 14L, 14R by adjusting the tilt angles of the swash plates of the main pumps 14L, 14R according to the discharge pressures of the main pumps 14L, 14R. Pump regulators 13L and 13R correspond to pump regulator 13 in FIG. For example, when the discharge pressure of the main pumps 14L, 14R increases, the pump regulators 13L, 13R adjust the tilt angles of the swash plates of the main pumps 14L, 14R to reduce the discharge amounts. This is to prevent the absorption horsepower of the main pump 14 , which is represented by the product of the discharge pressure and the discharge amount, from exceeding the output horsepower of the engine 11 .

The left travel operation device 26L and the right travel operation device 26R are examples of the operation device 26. FIG. In this embodiment, the travel control lever and the travel control pedal are combined.

The left travel operation device 26L is used to operate the left travel hydraulic motor 20L. The left travel operation device 26L utilizes hydraulic fluid discharged from the pilot pump 15 to apply a pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation to the pilot port of the control valve 171L. Specifically, the left travel operation device 26L applies pilot pressure to the left pilot port of the control valve 171L when operated in the forward direction, and applies pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 171L when operated in the reverse direction. Apply pilot pressure.

The right travel operation device 26R is used to operate the right travel hydraulic motor 20R. The right traveling operation device 26R utilizes hydraulic fluid discharged from the pilot pump 15 to apply a pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation to the pilot port of the control valve 172R. Specifically, the right travel operation device 26R applies pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 172R when operated in the forward direction, and applies pilot pressure to the left pilot port of the control valve 172R when operated in the reverse direction. Apply pilot pressure to

The solenoid valve 27 allows the pilot pump 15 and the motor regulator 50 to communicate with each other when receiving a communication command from the controller 30 . In this case, the motor regulator 50 operates in forced fixed mode. On the other hand, the solenoid valve 27 cuts off the communication between the pilot pump 15 and the motor regulator 50 when the communication command from the controller 30 is not received. In this case, the motor regulator 50 operates in variable mode.

The pressure reducing valve 33 controls the stroke amount (movement amount) of the spool of each of the control valves 171L and 172R in accordance with a command from the controller 30 . In the present embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 33 is not necessarily required when the flow reduction process is performed by the traveling hydraulic motor 20, the main pump 14, the engine 11, and the like.

The discharge pressure sensors 28L and 28R are examples of the discharge pressure sensor 28 in FIG. The discharge pressure sensor 28L detects the discharge pressure of the main pump 14L and outputs the detected value to the controller 30 . The discharge pressure sensor 28R detects the discharge pressure of the main pump 14R and outputs the detected value to the controller 30 .

The operating pressure sensors 29L and 29R are examples of the operating pressure sensor 29 in FIG. The operation pressure sensor 29L detects the content of the operator's operation on the left traveling operation device 26L in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. FIG. The operation pressure sensor 29R detects the content of the operator's operation on the right traveling operation device 26R in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. FIG. The operation content is, for example, an operation direction, an operation amount (operation angle), and the like.

A boom control lever, an arm control lever, a bucket control lever, and a turning control lever (none of which are shown) are used to move up and down the boom 4, open and close the arm 5, open and close the end attachment 6, and open and close the upper swing body 3, respectively. It is an operating device for operating the turning of the Similar to the left traveling operation device 26L, these operation devices utilize hydraulic fluid discharged from the pilot pump 15 to apply pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of lever operation to either the left or right control valve corresponding to each hydraulic actuator. acting on the pilot port of

Further, the details of the operator's operation on each of these operating devices are detected in the form of pressure by the corresponding operation pressure sensors, similar to the operation pressure sensor 29L, and the detected values are output to the controller 30. FIG.

Further, the operation devices 26 (left travel operation device 26L, right travel operation device 26R, left travel lever 26DL, right travel lever 26DR, etc.) are not of a hydraulic pilot type that outputs pilot pressure, but an electric signal (hereinafter referred to as "operation It may be an electric type that outputs a signal"). In this case, an electrical signal (operation signal) from the operating device 26 is input to the controller 30, and the controller 30 controls each of the control valves 171 to 175 in the control valve 17 according to the input electrical signal. Thus, the operation of various hydraulic actuators is realized according to the content of operation on the operation device 26 .

For example, the control valves 171 to 175 in the control valve 17 may be electromagnetic solenoid type spool valves driven by commands from the controller 30 . Further, for example, between the pilot pump 15 and the pilot ports of the respective control valves 171 to 175, hydraulic control valves (hereinafter referred to as "operational control valves") that operate in response to electrical signals from the controller 30 are arranged. may The operating control valve may be, for example, a proportional valve.

In this case, when manual operation is performed using the electric operation device 26, the controller 30 controls the control valve for operation by an electric signal corresponding to the amount of operation (for example, the amount of lever operation) to increase the pilot pressure. By increasing or decreasing, each of the control valves 171 to 175 can be operated in accordance with the operation content of the operating device 26. FIG.

Further, in the hydraulic system of FIG. 3, the center bypass pipes 40L, 40R are provided with negative control throttles 18L, 18R between the control valves 175L, 175R, which are the most downstream, respectively, and the hydraulic oil tank. The flow of hydraulic oil generates control pressure (hereinafter referred to as "negative control pressure") for controlling the pump regulators 13L and 13R by the negative control throttles 18L and 18R. The negative control pressure sensors 19L and 19R are sensors for detecting negative control pressures generated upstream of the negative control apertures 18L and 18R. The negative control pressure sensors 19L and 19R output the detected values to the controller 30. FIG. The controller 30 outputs a command corresponding to the negative control pressure to the pump regulators 13L, 13R. Specifically, the pump regulators 13L and 13R decrease the discharge amounts of the main pumps 14L and 14R as the negative control pressure increases, and increase the discharge amounts of the main pumps 14L and 14R as the negative control pressure decreases.

With this configuration, in the hydraulic system of FIG. 3, when none of the hydraulic actuators is operated, wasteful energy consumption in the main pumps 14L and 14R can be suppressed. Wasteful energy consumption includes pumping loss caused by the hydraulic oil discharged by the main pumps 14L, 14R in the center bypass pipes 40L, 40R. To reliably supply necessary and sufficient working oil from main pumps 14L, 14R to hydraulic actuators to be operated when the hydraulic actuators are operated.

Next, an outline of the operation of the excavator 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining an overview of the operation of the excavator.

In the example of FIG. 4, the soil of the traveling surface R1 is earth and sand, which is relatively soft and gives little impact to the excavator 100 during traveling. Further, the soil of the traveling surface R2 is gravel, and the impact given to the excavator 100 during traveling is greater than that of earth and sand.

Therefore, the vibration of the excavator 100 when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R1 is smaller than the vibration when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R2.

Therefore, the variation in the acceleration output from the acceleration sensor of the excavator 100 is greater when traveling on the traveling surface R2 than when traveling on the traveling surface R1. The variation in acceleration in this embodiment is the amplitude value of the waveform output from the acceleration sensor. In other words, the variation in acceleration in this embodiment is the amplitude value of the waveform representing the acceleration.

Note that the acceleration sensor of the excavator 100 is preferably provided in the upper revolving body 3, and the machine body tilt sensor S4 or the like may be used.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the running surface including irregularities whose height difference is smaller than the height of the crawler belt 1a is regarded as a determination target by the state determination unit 302 .

Hereinafter, changes in acceleration of the excavator 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows vertical acceleration of the excavator 100 as an example of acceleration detected while the excavator 100 is traveling. FIG. 5 is a first diagram for explaining variations in acceleration. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of variation in acceleration in the vertical direction when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R1. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of variation in vertical acceleration when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R2.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, the time interval at which the vertical acceleration changes when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R2 corresponds to the change in the vertical acceleration when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R1. less than the time interval to

In other words, while the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R2, the timing interval at which the vertical acceleration changes Shorter than the timing interval at which changes in acceleration occur.

Furthermore, the amplitude value (absolute value) of the acceleration when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R2 is larger than the amplitude value (absolute value) of the acceleration when the excavator 100 is traveling on the traveling surface R1.

Here, the earth and sand on the running surface R1 may be so soft that the running surface is flattened by the weight of the excavator 100 itself. Further, the gravel of the running surface R2 may be rough enough to produce irregularities smaller than the thickness of the crawler belt 1a on the running surface.

Note that the traveling surface on which the acceleration waveform of the excavator 100 becomes as shown in FIG. 5A is not limited to a traveling surface of soft soil such as earth and sand. For example, even if the running surface is a hard running surface such as concrete, if it is a flat (smooth) running surface with little gravel or irregularities, the waveform of the acceleration will also be as shown in FIG. It may become a waveform. In this case, although the shaking is usually small, it can be seen that irregular vibrations occur due to steps and the like.

In addition, it is assumed that the variation in the acceleration of the excavator 100 is reduced to the extent shown in FIG. .

Further, the running surface on which the waveform of acceleration is as shown in FIG. 5B is not limited to a running surface having hard irregularities such as gravel. For example, even if the soil is earth and sand, if it contains a lot of water and the weight of the excavator 100 cannot level the running surface, the acceleration of the excavator 100 fluctuates to the extent shown in FIG. 5(B). expected to grow.

In this way, in this embodiment, the state of unevenness of the running surface can be estimated based on the time intervals of changes in acceleration, and the hardness of the running surface can be estimated based on the peak value of changes in acceleration.

In the state shown in FIG. 5A, the swaying of the excavator 100 is small, so the progress of deterioration of the excavator 100 can be suppressed, and the degree of fatigue of the operator can be reduced. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 5B, the body of the excavator 100 is greatly shaken. As a result, when the shoe plate that constitutes the crawler belt 1a of the lower traveling body 1 comes into contact with the traveling surface, it comes to strike against the traveling surface, possibly affecting the progression of deterioration of the structure. Moreover, the degree of fatigue of the operator who operates the shovel 100 also increases.

Thus, in this embodiment, by grasping the soil quality of the traveling surface of the excavator 100, it can be used to estimate the degree of damage to the excavator 100, the degree of fatigue of the operator of the excavator 100, and the like.

The association information 61 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of association information.

In the association information 61 of the present embodiment, the range of acceleration amplitude values is associated with soil quality. The correspondence information 61 of the present embodiment is obtained in advance by, for example, a simulation for obtaining a correspondence relationship between the contact characteristics of the excavator 100 (range of acceleration amplitude values) and the state of the traveling surface (soil quality). you can The association information 61 may be generated in advance and stored in the storage device 47 of the excavator 100 . Also, the association information 61 may be stored in the management device 200 .

In the example of FIG. 6, when the acceleration amplitude value is less than TH1, the soil on the running surface is earth and sand, and when it is greater than TH1, the soil on the running surface is gravel.

Note that the association information 61 may be provided for each hardness of the running surface, for example. The amplitude value of the acceleration of the excavator 100 varies depending on the rigidity of the contact portion between the shoe plate of the excavator 100 and the running surface (hardness of the running surface).

Therefore, in this embodiment, a plurality of types of association information 61 may be provided according to the hardness of the running surface. In this case, the hardness of the running surface may be indicated as the detection value of the acceleration sensor.

The correspondence relationship between the detection value of the acceleration sensor and the hardness of the traveling surface is obtained in advance by simulation or the like for associating the rigidity of the contact portion between the shoe plate of the excavator 100 and the traveling surface and the detection value of the acceleration sensor. It's okay.

Next, operation of the excavator 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the process of FIG. 7 may be performed at predetermined intervals while the excavator 100 is running.

The excavator 100 of the present embodiment detects acceleration using the machine body tilt sensor S4 or the like (step S701). In other words, the controller 30 causes the state determination unit 302 to acquire the acceleration detected by the body tilt sensor S4 and the like for a certain period of time. The certain period of time is, for example, 5 seconds.

Subsequently, the controller 30 refers to the association information 61 using the information reference unit 301 (step S702).

Subsequently, the controller 30 determines the state of the running surface by the state determination unit 302 (step S703). Specifically, the state determination unit 302 obtains the amplitude value of acceleration acquired during a certain period of time. For example, the state determination unit 302 may acquire, as the acceleration amplitude value, the minimum value and the maximum value among the acceleration amplitude values acquired during a certain period of time. Further, the state determination unit 302 may acquire an average value of acceleration amplitude values acquired during a certain period of time.

Then, the state determination unit 302 identifies the soil quality corresponding to the amplitude value of the acceleration in the association information 61, and uses the identified soil quality as the determination result of the state of the running surface.

Subsequently, the controller 30 collects and stores the traveling surface information by the information collection unit 303 (step S704). Specifically, the information collecting unit 303 generates traveling surface information in which the state determination result of the traveling surface by the state determining unit 302 is associated with the position information indicating the current position of the excavator 100 , and stores the information in the storage device 47 . etc. At this time, the controller 30 may transmit the running surface information to the management device 200 via the communication device T1.

Here, the position information indicating the current position of the excavator 100 can be said to be position information indicating the position when the contact characteristics of the running surface of the lower traveling body 1 are detected by the detection section (state determination section 302).

In this embodiment, the state of the traveling surface on which the excavator 100 is traveling is determined according to the variation in the acceleration of the excavator 100 .

Note that when the excavator 100 has a plurality of pieces of association information 61 according to the hardness of the traveling surface, the information reference unit 301 obtains the acceleration at an arbitrary timing during the fixed period of acceleration acquisition. The correspondence information 61 to be referred to may be specified as the hardness of the surface and the corresponding acceleration.

Further, in the present embodiment, as the acceleration for specifying the association information 61, a combination of values output from each of the plurality of acceleration sensors provided on the shovel 100, or the like may be used. Specifically, for example, a combination of a detected value output from the body tilt sensor S4 and a detected value output from an acceleration sensor provided at a location different from the body tilt sensor S4 is used as a reference association. Information 61 may be identified.

Further, in the present embodiment, travel surface information including the determination result of the travel surface state and the position information of the excavator 100 when the travel surface state was determined is collected and stored.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, for example, when the vehicle travels again in an area where the vehicle has traveled once, the display device 40 may display information indicating the state of the traveling surface based on the traveling surface information.

In this way, the operator of the excavator 100 can be made aware of the state of the traveling surface, and the operator can be urged to ensure safety during work according to the state of the traveling surface.

Further, in this embodiment, the traveling surface information may be shared with other excavators 100 . Specifically, the excavator 100 may transmit the traveling surface information to other excavators 100 existing at the same work site. Further, when the excavator 100 receives the traveling surface information from another excavator 100 , the excavator 100 may store the received traveling surface information in the storage device 47 .

As described above, in this embodiment, by holding the traveling surface information collected by other excavators 100, the operator can grasp the state of the traveling surface even in an area where the excavator 100 has never traveled. can improve work safety.

Hereinafter, changes in acceleration of the excavator 100 when the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a second diagram for explaining fluctuations in excavator acceleration.

The example of FIG. 8 shows the waveform of the acceleration of the shovel 100 acquired from timing T0 to timing T2.

In this case, the amplitude value is greater than or equal to TH1 from timing T0 to timing T1, and the amplitude value is less than TH1 from timing T1 to timing T2.

Therefore, the state (soil quality) of the traveling surface on which the excavator 100 traveled from timing T0 to timing T1 is gravel, and the state of the traveling surface on which the excavator 100 traveled from timing T1 to timing T2 is gravel. (Soil quality) is found to be earth and sand. Thus, the hardness of the running surface can be estimated based on the peak value of the acceleration change.

In this embodiment, both the image data captured by the imaging device S6 and the amplitude value of the acceleration may be used when determining the state of the running surface.

Specifically, for example, when it is determined that the amplitude value of the acceleration is greater than or equal to TH1 and the image of the running surface indicated by the image data is earth and sand, the state of the running surface is , it is determined to be earth and sand having irregularities that cannot be leveled by the weight of the shovel 100 itself.

The state determination unit 302 may determine the state of the running surface based on the color of the image of the running surface indicated by the image data. Specifically, for example, if the color of the image of the traveling surface is brownish, the state determination unit 302 determines that the soil of the traveling surface is earth and sand, and the color of the image of the traveling surface is light grayish. If so, the soil quality of the running surface may be determined to be gravel or concrete. Furthermore, if the color of the image of the running surface is a dark gray color, the state determination unit 302 may determine the soil quality of the running surface as asphalt.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the state determination unit 302, priority is given to either the determination result of the soil quality based on the image data or the determination result of the soil quality based on the contact characteristics between the lower traveling body 1 and the traveling surface. may be set to

Further, in the present embodiment, for example, when the waveform of the acceleration has undulations as a whole, it may be determined that the running surface has gentle undulations.

The image data is the image data of the running surface captured by the imaging device S6, but is not limited to this. The image data may be image data obtained by capturing an image of the traveling surface, and may be image data captured by an imaging device provided outside the excavator 100 .

Further, in the present embodiment, the state determination unit 302 refers to the correspondence information 61 to determine the state of the running surface, but the present invention is not limited to this. The state determination unit 302 may use, for example, a model learned by machine learning or the like to associate the travel data with the state of the travel surface. In this case, the state determination unit 302 may input the travel data and acquire information indicating the state of the travel surface according to the variation in acceleration and the image data included in the travel data.

By using such a model, the accuracy of determination can be improved according to the number of times the process of determining the condition of the running surface is repeated.

(Other embodiments)
Further embodiments will be described below. In this embodiment, the management device 200 generates map information using the traveling surface information received from the excavator 100 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating generation of map information by the management device. The management device 200 of this embodiment generates map information in which the traveling surface information received from the excavator 100 is associated with the map information.

For example, FIG. 9 shows an example in which an image of a river bed including a work area where work is performed by the excavator 100 is captured from above and displayed on a display device such as the management device 200 .

The image displayed on the display device is an image of a river bed including an area 91 in which the soil of the running surface is gravel and an area 92 in which the soil of the running surface is sand. An image of the road 96 is also included.

The area 91 includes a work area 93 in which the shovel 100 works. In this work area 93, for example, work such as burying a water channel for flowing water to a river may be performed. In the area 92, for example, a material storage area 92a is installed.

When the excavator 100 is traveling within the area 91, the management device 200 receives from the excavator 100 traveling surface information including position information of the excavator 100 and information indicating that the soil of the traveling surface is gravel. .

Further, when the excavator 100 is traveling within the area 92, the management device 200 receives from the excavator 100 traveling surface information including position information of the excavator 100 and information indicating that the soil of the traveling surface is earth and sand. receive.

When the management device 200 thus receives the driving surface information including the position information and the determination result of the driving surface state, the management device 200 generates map information in which the driving surface information is associated with the map information specified from the position information. Generate.

The hardware configuration of the management device 200 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a management device;

The management device 200 of this embodiment includes an input device 201, an output device 202, a drive device 203, an auxiliary storage device 204, a memory device 205, an arithmetic processing device 206, and an interface device 207, which are interconnected via a bus B. It's a computer.

The input device 201 is a device for inputting various kinds of information, and is realized by, for example, a touch panel or a keyboard. The output device 202 is for outputting various kinds of information, and is realized by, for example, a display. Interface device 207 is used to connect to a network.

A map generation program implemented by each unit described later is at least part of various programs that control the management device 200 . The map generation program is provided, for example, by distribution on the storage medium 208, download from a network, or the like. The storage medium 208 in which the map generation program is recorded is of various types, such as a storage medium that records information optically, electrically or magnetically, a semiconductor memory that electrically records information such as a ROM, a flash memory, or the like. A storage medium can be used.

Also, the map generation program is installed in the auxiliary storage device 204 from the storage medium 208 via the drive device 203 when the storage medium 208 recording the map generation program is set in the drive device 203 . A map generation program downloaded from a network is installed in auxiliary storage device 204 via interface device 207 .

The auxiliary storage device 204 stores the map generation program installed in the management device 200, map information generated by executing the map generation program, and various necessary files and data by the management device 200. do. The memory device 205 reads and stores the map generation program from the auxiliary storage device 204 when the management device 200 is started. The arithmetic processing unit 206 implements various types of processing described later in accordance with the map generation program stored in the memory unit 205 .

Next, with reference to FIG. 11, functions of the management device 200 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining functions of the management device.

The management device 200 of this embodiment includes a communication control section 210 , a map information generation section 220 , a map information holding section 230 , a travel area determination section 240 and a state notification section 250 .

The communication control unit 210 controls transmission and reception of information with external devices including the excavator 100 .

The map information generator 220 generates map information using the traveling surface information received from the excavator 100 by the communication controller 210 . Specifically, map information generator 220 identifies map information of an area including the position information based on the position information included in the traveling surface information. The map information may be acquired, for example, from an external server or the like on the network.

Next, the map information generator 220 associates the acquired map information with the driving surface information to generate map information.

Note that the map information generation unit 220 of the present embodiment may specify map information based on, for example, the area indicated by each piece of position information included in the driving surface information received multiple times during a certain period.

The map information holding unit 230 holds map information 231 generated by the map information generating unit 220 . The map information 231 is information in which driving surface information 231a and map information 231b are associated with each other. In other words, the map information 231 is information including information indicating the state of the running surface in the area indicated by the map information.

Further, the map information 231 of the present embodiment includes, in addition to the running surface information 231a and the map information 231b, information indicating the soil quality of the area indicated by the map information, information indicating the shape of the running surface and the presence or absence of inclination, and the like. may

Further, in the present embodiment, the management device 200 generates and holds map information in which map information and driving surface information are associated with each other, but is not limited to this. The management device 200 may hold the driving surface information as map information.

Based on the position information received from the excavator 100 and the map information, the travel area determination unit 240 determines the state of the travel surface in the area where the excavator 100 that has transmitted the position information is traveling. The state notification unit 250 transmits the determination result of the travel area determination unit 240 to the excavator 100 .

Next, the operation of the management device 200 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. FIG. 12 is a first flow chart for explaining the operation of the management device. FIG. 12 shows a process of generating map information by the management device 200. As shown in FIG.

The management device 200 of this embodiment receives traveling surface information from the excavator 100 through the communication control unit 210 (step S1201). Subsequently, the management device 200 acquires the map information of the area corresponding to the position information included in the traveling surface information by the map information generation unit 220 (step S1202). Note that the map information may be acquired from an external server on the network via the communication control unit 210 .

Subsequently, the map information generation unit 220 generates map information in which the map information acquired in step S1202 and the driving surface information are associated with each other (step S1203). Subsequently, the management device 200 causes the map information holding unit 230 to hold the generated map information 231 (step S1204), and ends the process.

FIG. 13 is a second flow chart showing the operation of the management device. FIG. 13 shows a process of determining the state of the traveling surface of the excavator 100 and notifying the excavator 100 by the management device 200 .

The management device 200 of this embodiment receives position information from the excavator 100 by the communication control unit 210 (step S1301).

Subsequently, the management device 200 causes the travel area determination unit 240 to refer to the map information 231 held in the map information storage unit 230 (step S1302), and determines the state of the travel surface in the area indicated by the position information ( step S1303).

Specifically, for example, the travel area determination unit 240 identifies map information including map information including the position indicated by the position information from the map information 231 held in the map information holding unit 230 . Then, the travel area determination unit 240 sets the state of the travel surface indicated by the travel surface information included in the identified map information as the state of the travel surface of the excavator 100 that received the position information.

Subsequently, the management device 200 uses the state notification unit 250 to transmit information indicating the state of the traveling surface to the excavator 100 that has received the position information (step S1304), and ends the process.

Thus, in this embodiment, the excavator 100 only needs to transmit the position information to the management device 200, and does not need to determine the state of the traveling surface by itself. Therefore, in this embodiment, the processing load on the controller 30 of the excavator 100 can be reduced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the map information is held in the management device 200 , the map information can be shared by the multiple excavators 100 . Further, according to the present embodiment, the operator of the excavator 100 can grasp the state of the traveling surface even in an area where the excavator 100 has never traveled.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the determination result of the state of the traveling surface by the management device 200 is transmitted to the excavator 100, but the present invention is not limited to this. The determination result of the state of the running surface transmitted from the management device 200 may also be transmitted to the support device 300 . The support device 300 may display the determination result of the state of the running surface received from the management device 200 on the display unit.

In the support device 300, the information received from the management device 200 is displayed on the display unit, so that workers other than the operator of the excavator 100 at the work site can be notified of the state of the traveling surface. In addition, in the present embodiment, by displaying information indicating the state of the traveling surface on the support device 300, it is possible for the manager or the like of the work site to grasp the safety of the work site where the excavator 100 is working. In addition, in this embodiment, even if the soil quality changes according to the progress of the construction at work sites such as road construction and residential land development, the manager can easily grasp the change in the soil quality.

Further, in the present embodiment, for example, when information specifying the position of the work site is input in the support device 300 and transmitted to the management device 200, the management device 200 refers to the map information 231 to identify the work site. may be transmitted to the support device 300 for the area corresponding to .

The support device 300 displays the map information received from the management device 200 . At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the map information may be displayed in different ways in an area showing the entire work site, depending on whether the traveling surface is earth and sand or the traveling surface is gravel. good. Furthermore, information indicating soil quality for each area may be displayed on the map information. Specifically, for example, “gravel” may be displayed in the area 91 and “earth and sand” may be displayed in the area 92 .

In other words, in the support device 300, the map information may be displayed by distinguishing regions having different states of the traveling surface in the work site.

By displaying the map information on the support device 300 in this manner, it is possible to visually grasp the state of the traveling surface of the entire work site for the worker who is working at the work site.

Information indicating the state of the traveling surface of the excavator 100 may be transmitted to, for example, a remote control room for remotely controlling the excavator 100 . In this case, the controller provided in the remote control room may display the information indicating the state of the running surface on the display device provided in the remote control room.

The present embodiment has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the invention is not limited to these specific examples. Design modifications to these specific examples by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the features of the present invention. Each element included in each specific example described above and its arrangement, conditions, shape, etc. are not limited to those illustrated and can be changed as appropriate. Each element included in each of the specific examples described above may be appropriately combined as long as there is no technical contradiction.

30 controller 100 excavator 200 management device 210 communication control unit 220 map information generation unit 230 map information storage unit 240 traveling area determination unit 250 state notification unit 250
300 support device 301 information reference unit 302 state determination unit 303 information collection unit 304 communication unit

Claims (7)

a lower running body;
an upper rotating body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body;
and a detector arranged on the upper revolving structure for detecting contact characteristics between the lower traveling structure and a traveling surface during traveling. an information reference unit that refers to association information that associates the contact characteristics between the lower traveling body and the traveling surface with the state of the traveling surface;
2. The excavator according to claim 1, further comprising a state determination section that determines a state of said running surface based on said contact characteristics detected by said detection section and said correspondence information. having an acceleration sensor,
The contact characteristics are
3. The excavator of claim 2, comprising variations in acceleration detected by said acceleration sensor. The condition of the running surface includes the soil quality of the running surface,
The state determination unit
4. The excavator according to claim 3, wherein the soil quality of said running surface is determined based on the variation in acceleration detected by said acceleration sensor and said correspondence information. The state determination unit
5. The excavator according to claim 4, further comprising determining the condition of said traveling surface using image data obtained by imaging said traveling surface. Acquiring position information indicating a position when the contact characteristics are detected by the detection unit, and obtaining the position information and information indicating the state of the running surface of the lower traveling body determined using the contact characteristics. The excavator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a communication unit that transmits the associated traveling surface information to an external device. An excavator support system including an excavator and an excavator management device,
The excavator is
a lower running body;
an upper rotating body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body;
a detection unit arranged on the upper swing structure for detecting contact characteristics between the lower traveling structure and the traveling surface during traveling;
Acquiring position information indicating a position when the contact characteristics are detected by the detection unit, and obtaining the position information and information indicating the state of the running surface of the lower traveling body determined using the contact characteristics. a communication unit that transmits the associated running surface information to the management device;
The management device
an information holding unit that stores the running surface information;
a determination unit that determines the state of the running surface of the other excavator based on the position information received from the other excavator and the running surface information;
and a state notification unit that notifies the other excavator of the determination result of the determination unit.

Images