JP2023122359A - Remote operation system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a remote operation system configured to improve workability.SOLUTION: A hydraulic shovel 100 includes a turning body which turns around a pivot, and a camera 20. The camera 20 is mounted on the turning body to image an object existing in a work site. A remote operation system 200 includes: a remote operation apparatus 40 which receives an input from an operator regarding a turning direction of the turning body; a display device 50 for displaying an image; and a remote controller 60 for controlling the hydraulic shovel 100. The remote controller 60 displays, on the display device 50, a reversed image obtained by horizontally flipping the image captured by the camera 20, and outputs a control signal to turn the turning body in a direction opposite the turning direction input to the remote operation apparatus 40, to the hydraulic shovel 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present disclosure relates to a remote control system for remotely controlling work machines.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2018-207244 (Patent Document 1) describes an imaging device that is mounted on a work machine having a revolving body that revolves around a revolving shaft and a work machine that is supported by the revolving body, and that captures an image; a display device that exists outside the machine; and a control device that exists outside the work machine and can communicate with the work machine. and a display control unit that causes a display device to display an image acquired by the acquisition unit.

JP 2018-207244 A

In the case of excavation and loading work using a hydraulic excavator, the revolving body is revolved to transport the excavated earth and sand to a target position such as a dump truck. The turning direction at this time differs depending on the situation at the site. When remotely operating a work machine such as a hydraulic excavator in a situation where the work site can be changed frequently, if the swing direction of the swing structure after excavation is different, the operator who performs the remote operation may get confused and work efficiency may decrease. have a nature.

The present disclosure proposes a remote control system capable of improving workability.

According to the present disclosure, a remote control system is proposed for remotely controlling a work machine. The work machine has a revolving body that revolves around a revolving shaft and an imaging device. The image pickup device is mounted on the revolving body and picks up an image of an image pickup target present at the work site. The remote control system includes an operation device that receives an operator's input regarding the turning direction of the turning body, a display device that displays an image, and a controller that controls the working machine. The controller displays on the display device a reversed image obtained by horizontally reversing the captured image captured by the imaging device, and outputs to the work machine a control signal for rotating the rotating body in a direction opposite to the rotating direction input to the operating device. .

According to the remote control system according to the present disclosure, workability can be improved.

1 is an external view of a hydraulic excavator; FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a remote control system for a hydraulic excavator; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a remote control typically. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of a remote control system. 4 is a flow chart showing a remote control method for a hydraulic excavator; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a positional relationship between a hydraulic excavator and a transport machine; It is a figure which shows an example of a captured image. It is a figure which shows an example of the reverse image which reversed the captured image right and left. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a virtual positional relationship between a hydraulic excavator and a transport machine in which the revolving direction of the revolving structure is reversed; 4 is a flow chart showing another example of a remote control method for a hydraulic excavator;

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a hydraulic excavator 100 as an example of a work machine remotely controlled by a remote control system based on an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in this example, a hydraulic excavator 100 will be mainly described as a working machine.

The hydraulic excavator 100 is present at the work site and works at the work site. The hydraulic excavator 100 excavates an object such as earth and sand or ore, and performs a loading operation of loading the excavated object onto a transport machine such as a dump truck. The hydraulic excavator 100 of the embodiment is a work machine with specifications that can be remotely controlled. Operation of the hydraulic excavator 100 is performed by radio signals from a remote location using a remote control system. The hydraulic excavator 100 is not equipped with an operation function by an operator on board.

A hydraulic excavator 100 includes a main body 1 . The main body 1 has a revolving body 3 and a traveling body 5 .

The traveling body 5 has a pair of crawler belts 5Cr and a traveling motor 5M. The hydraulic excavator 100 can travel by rotating the crawler belts 5Cr. The traveling motor 5M is provided as a drive source for the traveling body 5. As shown in FIG. The traveling motor 5M is a hydraulic motor operated by hydraulic pressure. Note that the traveling body 5 may have wheels (tires).

The revolving body 3 is arranged on the running body 5 and supported by the running body 5 . The revolving body 3 is mounted on the running body 5 so as to be able to revolve with respect to the running body 5 about the revolving axis RX. The revolving body 3 has a compartment 4 . The front surface of the compartment 4 is covered with a transparent window plate 4W. The window plate 4W is made of tempered glass or the like. A space 4S is formed in the vehicle interior 4 .

The revolving body 3 has an engine room 9 in which an engine is housed, and a counterweight provided at the rear part of the revolving body 3 . In the engine room 9, an engine 31, a hydraulic pump 32, etc., which will be described later, are arranged.

A handrail 19 is provided in front of the engine room 9 in the revolving body 3 . An antenna 21 is provided on the handrail 19 . Antenna 21 is, for example, an antenna for GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems). The antenna 21 has a first antenna 21A and a second antenna 21B provided on the revolving body 3 so as to be separated from each other in the vehicle width direction.

The hydraulic excavator 100 includes a working machine 2 that operates hydraulically. The working machine 2 is supported by the revolving body 3 . The work implement 2 has a boom 6 , an arm 7 and a bucket 8 . A base end of the boom 6 is rotatably connected to the revolving body 3 via a boom foot pin 13 . A base end of the arm 7 is rotatably connected to a tip of the boom 6 via a boom tip pin 14 . Bucket 8 is rotatably connected to the tip of arm 7 via arm tip pin 15 . Each of the arm 7 and the bucket 8 is a movable member that can move on the tip side of the boom 6 .

Bucket 8 has a plurality of blades. Bucket 8 may not have blades. The tip of the bucket 8 may be formed of a straight steel plate. Bucket 8 is an example of an attachment that can be attached to the tip of work implement 2 . Depending on the type of work, the attachment can be replaced with a breaker, grapple, or lifting magnet.

In this embodiment, the positional relationship of each part of the hydraulic excavator 100 will be described with the work machine 2 as a reference.

The boom 6 of the work machine 2 rotates around the boom foot pin 13 with respect to the revolving body 3 . A specific portion of the boom 6 that rotates relative to the revolving structure 3, for example, the tip of the boom 6, travels along an arc, and a plane that includes the arc is specified. When the hydraulic excavator 100 is viewed from above, the plane is represented as a straight line. The direction in which this straight line extends is the front-rear direction of the main body 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 or the front-rear direction of the revolving body 3, and is hereinafter simply referred to as the front-rear direction. The left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the main body 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 or the left-right direction of the revolving body 3 is a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction in a plan view, and is hereinafter simply referred to as the left-right direction. The vertical direction of the vehicle main body or the vertical direction of the revolving body 3 is a direction orthogonal to a plane defined by the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and is hereinafter simply referred to as the vertical direction.

In the front-rear direction, the side where the work implement 2 protrudes from the main body 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is the front direction, and the direction opposite to the front direction is the rear direction. The right side and the left side in the horizontal direction are the right direction and the left direction, respectively, when viewed in the forward direction. In the vertical direction, the side with the ground is the lower side, and the side with the sky is the upper side.

The work machine 2 has a boom cylinder 10 , an arm cylinder 11 and a bucket cylinder 12 . A boom cylinder 10 drives the boom 6 . Arm cylinder 11 drives arm 7 . Bucket cylinder 12 drives bucket 8 . Each of the boom cylinder 10, the arm cylinder 11, and the bucket cylinder 12 is a hydraulic cylinder driven by hydraulic fluid.

The hydraulic excavator 100 has a camera 20 . The camera 20 is an imaging device for capturing an image of an imaging target existing in a work site around the hydraulic excavator 100 and obtaining an image of the imaging target. A camera 20 is mounted on the revolving body 3 .

The object to be imaged by the camera 20 includes a construction object to be constructed at a work site. The construction target includes an excavation target to be excavated by the working machine 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100 . The excavation target includes an excavation target before excavation (ie, the current terrain), an excavation target during excavation, and an excavation target after excavation. Objects captured by the camera 20 include obstacles around the hydraulic excavator 100 .

An imaging target of the camera 20 includes at least part of the hydraulic excavator 100 . An imaging target of camera 20 includes at least part of work machine 2 . The imaging target of the camera 20 includes other working machines arranged around the hydraulic excavator 100 . Other work machines include transport machines that transport excavation targets for the excavator 100 . Other work machines include dump trucks.

The camera 20 has an optical system and an image sensor that receives light that has passed through the optical system. The image sensor includes a CCD (Couple Charged Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor.

The cameras 20 include a right front camera 20A, a right side camera 20B, a rear camera 20C, a left side camera 20D, and a front camera 20E.

The right front camera 20A and the right side camera 20B are arranged on the right edge of the upper surface of the revolving body 3 . The right front camera 20A is arranged ahead of the right side camera 20B. The right front camera 20A and the right side camera 20B are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction near the central portion of the revolving body 3 in the front-rear direction. The right front camera 20A captures an image of the right front of the revolving body 3 . The optical axis of the right front camera 20A extends obliquely to the right from the right front camera 20A. The right side camera 20B captures an image of the right rear of the revolving body 3 . The optical axis of the right side camera 20B extends obliquely to the right and rearward from the right side camera 20B.

The rear camera 20C is arranged at the rear end portion of the revolving body 3 in the front-rear direction, and is arranged in the central portion of the revolving body 3 in the left-right direction. A counterweight is installed at the rear end of the revolving body 3 to balance the vehicle during mining or the like. The rear camera 20C is arranged on the upper surface of the counterweight. The rear camera 20</b>C takes an image of the rear of the revolving body 3 . The optical axis of the rear camera 20C extends rearward from the rear camera 20C. The left camera 20</b>D is arranged on the left edge of the upper surface of the revolving body 3 . The left side camera 20D is arranged near the central portion of the revolving body 3 in the front-rear direction. The left side camera 20</b>D images the left side of the revolving body 3 . The optical axis of the left side camera 20D extends leftward from the left side camera 20D.

The front camera 20E is arranged in front of the revolving body 3 . Front camera 20</b>E is arranged on the left side of work machine 2 . The front camera 20E is arranged inside the vehicle interior 4 . The front camera 20E is accommodated in the vehicle interior 4. As shown in FIG. The front camera 20E is arranged in the space 4S inside the vehicle interior 4 . The front camera 20E images the front of the revolving body 3 through the window plate 4W. The optical axis of front camera 20E extends forward from front camera 20E. A captured image captured by the front camera 20</b>E may include the topography in front of the revolving body 3 and at least part of the work implement 2 .

The hydraulic excavator 100 includes a communication device 22 and a vehicle body controller 26 . Communication device 22 includes a communication antenna. The communication antenna is arranged above the engine room 9, for example. The communication device 22 receives control signals transmitted from a remote location. The vehicle body controller 26 controls the engine 31, the work implement 2, the revolving body 3, etc. based on the received control signal. The communication device 22 also transmits a signal containing information on the excavator 100 to a remote location. The communication device 22 transmits the captured image of the imaging target captured by the camera 20, the position information and posture information of the hydraulic excavator 100, and the like to a remote location.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a remote control system 200 for the hydraulic excavator 100. As shown in FIG. The remote control system 200 exists outside the hydraulic excavator 100 . The hydraulic excavator 100 is remotely controlled by a remote control system 200 . Remote control system 200 is provided, for example, at a remote control facility. The remote control facility may be installed at the work site where the hydraulic excavator 100 exists, or may be installed at a remote location away from the work site.

The remote control system 200 mainly includes a remote control device 40 , a display device 50 , a remote controller 60 and a communication device 72 . Each of the remote operation device 40 , the display device 50 , the remote controller 60 and the communication device 72 is provided separately from the hydraulic excavator 100 .

A hydraulic excavator 100 is connected to a remote control system 200 via a network 400 . Network 400 includes at least one of the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a cellular network, and a satellite communication network. Network 400 may include relay stations that relay data to be communicated.

The communication device 22 of the hydraulic excavator 100 transmits a signal including information on the hydraulic excavator 100 to the remote control system 200 via the network 400 . The remote control system 200 processes the captured image of the imaging target captured by the camera 20 and received by the communication device 72 by the remote controller 60 and displays it on the display device 50 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the remote control device 40. As shown in FIG. The remote control device 40 and the display device 50 shown in FIG. 3 are arranged in a remote control room provided in a remote control facility. The remote control device 40 is operated by an operator seated on the control seat 45 . The operator sits on the control seat 45 facing the display screen of the display device 50 . The operator visually recognizes the situation of the work site through the display device 50 . The operator operates the remote controller 40 while looking at the display screen of the display device 50 .

The remote control device 40 includes a left working lever 41 and a right working lever 42 operated to operate the working machine 2 and the revolving body 3, and a left traveling lever 43 and a right traveling lever 43 operated to operate the traveling body 5. and a lever 44 .

The left working lever 41 is arranged on the left side of the control seat 45 . An operator seated on the control seat 45 holds the left working lever 41 with his left hand and operates the left working lever 41 . The left working lever 41 operates the arm 7 and the revolving body 3 . The left working lever 41 receives an operator's input regarding the revolving direction of the revolving body 3 and the vertical movement of the arm 7 . Operation of the left working lever 41 in the front-rear direction corresponds to turning of the revolving body 3, and the revolving body 3 is rotated to the right and left in response to the operation in the front-rear direction. The lateral operation of the left working lever 41 corresponds to the operation of the arm 7, and the arm 7 is moved upward and downward according to the lateral operation.

The right working lever 42 is arranged on the right side of the control seat 45 . An operator seated on the control seat 45 holds the right working lever 42 with his right hand and operates the right working lever 42 . The boom 6 and the bucket 8 are operated by the right working lever 42 . The right working lever 42 receives operator input regarding vertical movement of the boom 6 and vertical movement of the bucket 8 . Operation of the right working lever 42 in the front-rear direction corresponds to operation of the boom 6, and the boom 6 is raised and lowered according to the operation in the front-rear direction. The operation of the right working lever 42 in the left-right direction corresponds to the operation of the bucket 8, and the bucket 8 is moved downward and upward in accordance with the operation in the left-right direction.

A left console 48 is also arranged to the left of the operator seat 45 . A right console 49 is also arranged to the right of the operator seat 45 .

The left travel lever 43 and the right travel lever 44 are arranged in front of the control seat 45 . The left travel lever 43 and the right travel lever 44 are arranged side by side, with the left travel lever 43 on the left and the right travel lever 44 on the right. The left travel lever 43 and the right travel lever 44 receive an operator's input regarding travel of the travel body 5 . In accordance with the operation of the left traveling lever 43 in the longitudinal direction, the crawler belt 5Cr on the left side of the traveling body 5 is moved forward and backward. In accordance with the operation of the right traveling lever 44 in the longitudinal direction, the crawler belt 5Cr on the right side of the traveling body 5 is moved forward and backward.

The display device 50 is arranged in front of the control seat 45 . The display device 50 is arranged further away from the control seat 45 than the left travel lever 43 and the right travel lever 44 . Display device 50 includes a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display device 50 displays images. The display device 50 can display a captured image captured by the camera 20 and acquired via the network 400 . The display device 50 can also display an image after the captured image has been processed by the remote controller 60 . Specifically, the display device 50 can display a reversed image obtained by horizontally reversing the captured image captured by the camera 20 .

Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which one display screen configures the display device 50, the display device 50 may include a plurality of display screens. The display device 50 may include a total of five display screens arranged adjacent to each other above, below, to the left, and to the right of the central display screen. It may include a total of nine display screens, or any number of display screens arranged in any other manner. The display device 50 may include a display screen arranged in front of the operator's seat 45 and a display screen arranged to the left of the operator's seat 45, to the right of the operator's seat, and/or above the operator's seat 45. good.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the remote control system 200. As shown in FIG. The remote control system 200 is connected to the excavator 100 and the transport machine 300 via the network 400 .

A captured image captured by the camera 20 shown in FIG. 1 is input to the vehicle body controller 26 . The antenna 21 outputs a signal corresponding to the received radio wave (GNSS radio wave) to the global coordinate calculation unit 23 . Global coordinate calculation unit 23 detects the current position of antenna 21 in the global coordinate system based on the signal input from antenna 21 . The global coordinate system is a three-dimensional coordinate system referenced to the earth, indicated by latitude, longitude and altitude. The latitude, longitude and altitude coordinate data of the antenna 21 define the absolute position of the antenna 21 in the global coordinate system. The current position of the antenna 21 in the global coordinate system is input to the vehicle body controller 26 .

The captured image and the position information of the antenna 21 input to the vehicle body controller 26 are transmitted to the remote control system 200 via the network 400 .

The hydraulic excavator 100 is configured such that a hydraulic pump 32 is driven by an engine 31 and hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 32 is supplied to various hydraulic actuators 34 via a direction control valve 33 . By controlling the supply and discharge of hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic actuator 34, the operation of the work implement 2, the swinging of the revolving body 3, and the traveling motion of the traveling body 5 are controlled. Hydraulic actuator 34 includes boom cylinder 10, arm cylinder 11, bucket cylinder 12, travel motor 5M, and swing motor shown in FIG.

Engine 31 is, for example, a diesel engine. The output of the engine 31 is controlled by adjusting the injection amount of fuel to the engine 31 according to the output of the control signal from the vehicle body controller 26 . The engine 31 has a drive shaft for connecting with the hydraulic pump 32 .

The hydraulic pump 32 is connected to the drive shaft of the engine 31 . The hydraulic pump 32 is driven by the rotational driving force of the engine 31 being transmitted to the hydraulic pump 32 . The hydraulic pump 32 is a variable displacement hydraulic pump that has a swash plate and changes the displacement by changing the tilt angle of the swash plate. The hydraulic pump 32 supplies hydraulic oil used for driving the work machine 2 , traveling the traveling body 5 , and turning the revolving body 3 . Hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 32 is decompressed to a constant pressure by a decompression valve and supplied to the directional control valve 33 .

The directional control valve 33 is a spool-type valve that moves a rod-shaped spool to switch the direction in which hydraulic oil flows. The directional control valve 33 has respective spools for adjusting the amount of hydraulic oil supplied to the boom cylinder 10, the arm cylinder 11, the bucket cylinder 12, the travel motor 5M, and the swing motor. By moving each spool in the axial direction according to the output of the control signal from the vehicle body controller 26, the amount of hydraulic fluid supplied to the hydraulic actuator 34 is adjusted.

Transport machine 300 is, for example, a dump truck. The transport machine 300 in the embodiment is an unmanned vehicle that travels based on a control command transmitted from a control facility. The transporting machine 300 is equipped with a position detection device that detects the position of the transporting machine 300 . The position detection device uses GNSS to detect the absolute position of the transport machine 300 in the global coordinate system. The transport machine 300 includes a communication device 302 . The position information of transporting machine 300 detected by the position detection device is transmitted to remote control system 200 via network 400 .

The position information of the transporting machine 300 detected by the position detection device may be transmitted to the hydraulic excavator 100 through inter-vehicle communication. The excavator 100 may detect the position information of the transporting machine 300 using inter-vehicle communication. Based on the current position of the antenna 21 in the global coordinate system and the relative positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator 100 and the transporting machine 300, the vehicle body controller 26 may obtain the absolute position of the transporting machine 300 in the global coordinate system. The position information of the transporting machine 300 may be transmitted from the hydraulic excavator 100 to the remote control system 200 via the network 400 .

The remote control system 200 is arranged in a remote control facility outside the hydraulic excavator 100 . The remote control system 200 includes a remote control device 40 , a display device 50 , a remote controller 60 and a communication device 72 .

The remote control device 40 has an operation content setting section 46 and a mode setting receiving section 47 in addition to the respective levers 41 to 44 shown in FIG.

The remote controller 60 can selectively set normal mode and reverse mode. When the normal mode is set, the remote controller 60 outputs the captured image captured by the camera 20 to the display device 50 and causes the display device 50 to display the captured image. When the reverse mode is set, the remote controller 60 outputs to the display device 50 a reversed image obtained by horizontally reversing the captured image captured by the camera 20 , and the reversed image is displayed on the display device 50 .

Further, when the normal mode is set, the remote controller 60 outputs to the excavator 100 a control signal for rotating the revolving body 3 in the revolving direction input by the operation of the left work lever 41 by the operator. When the reverse mode is set, the remote controller 60 outputs to the hydraulic excavator 100 a control signal that causes the revolving body 3 to revolve in a direction opposite to the revolving direction input by the operator's operation of the left work lever 41 . For example, when the operator operates the left working lever 41 backward, if the normal mode is set, the revolving body 3 is turned left, and if the reverse mode is set, the revolving body 3 is turned right. , the excavator 100 is controlled.

The operation content setting unit 46 determines whether the normal mode is set or the reverse mode is set when the revolving body 3 is turned to transport the earth and sand excavated by the hydraulic excavator 100 that has excavated the earth and sand to the transporting machine 300 . In both cases, the operation content of the remote control device 40 is set so as to receive an operation input for turning the turning body 3 in either the right turning direction or the left turning direction. The operation content setting unit 46 may be, for example, a switch that can be manually operated by the operator, and may be installed on the left console 48 or the right console 49 .

As described above, the operator can turn the revolving body 3 to the right by operating the left working lever 41 forward, and turn the revolving body 3 to the left by operating the left working lever 41 backward. be able to. The operation content setting unit 46 receives input of either one of forward and rearward operations of the left working lever 41 by the operator, and invalidates input of the other operation. The operation contents of the remote control device 40 are set as follows.

For example, when the left turning direction is set by the operation content setting unit 46, when the operator who intends to turn the turning body 3 to carry the earth and sand to the transporting machine 300 operates the left working lever 41 in the rearward direction, the turning is made. A configuration can be adopted in which the rotating body 3 rotates, but the rotating body 3 does not rotate even when the operator operates the left working lever 41 forward. When the left turning direction is set by the operation content setting unit 46, the operator who intends to turn the revolving body 3 for the next excavation work after loading earth and sand onto the transporting machine 300 pushes the left work lever 41 forward. When operated, the revolving body 3 performs revolving motion, and on the other hand, even when the operator operates the left working lever 41 backward, the revolving body 3 does not perform revolving motion.

The weight of the load in bucket 8 can be calculated, for example, based on the pressure of hydraulic fluid in boom cylinder 10 . From this calculation result, it can be determined whether or not the bucket 8 is filled with earth and sand. If the bucket 8 is loaded with earth and sand, the operator's operation to turn the revolving body 3 is an operation for transporting the earth and sand to the transport machine 300 (to be described later, the work machine 2 is loaded from the excavation work position). It can be determined that it is an operation for moving to the loading work position). If the bucket 8 is not loaded with earth and sand, the operator's operation to swing the revolving body 3 returns the work machine 2 to the position for the excavation work after the earth and sand are loaded onto the transport machine 300. (an operation of moving the work machine 2 from the loading work position to the excavation work position, which will be described later).

The process of disabling the operation of the left working lever 41 by the operator is, for example, not causing the remote controller 60 to output a control signal for turning the revolving body 3 to the hydraulic excavator 100 even if the operator operates the left working lever 41 in the longitudinal direction. It can be realized by doing A control signal output unit 69 (to be described later) may not generate a control signal for rotating the rotating body 3 . The control signal output unit 69 may generate a control signal that does not move the spool of the directional control valve 33 . Alternatively, the left working lever 41 may be locked.

The mode setting reception unit 47 receives an operator's input to select one of the normal mode and the reverse mode. For example, the operator can recognize the relative positional relationship between the excavator 100 and the transporting machine 300 and select which mode to set for the excavator 100, the normal mode or the reverse mode. When remote-controlling a plurality of excavators 100 using the remote control system 200 , it is possible to select which mode to set for each of the plurality of excavators 100 , the normal mode or the reverse mode. Mode setting reception unit 47 may be, for example, a switch that can be manually operated by an operator, and may be installed on left console 48 or right console 49 .

The remote controller 60 has a working machine selector 61 . When a plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 are remotely controlled by the remote control system 200 as shown in FIG. 2, the working machine selection unit 61 sequentially selects the hydraulic excavators 100 to be remotely controlled one by one.

The remote controller 60 has an image acquisition section 62 . The image acquisition unit 62 acquires a captured image captured by the camera 20 of the hydraulic excavator 100 .

The remote controller 60 has a working position acquisition section 63 . The work position acquisition unit 63 acquires the relative positional relationship between the excavation work position where the work machine 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100 performs excavation work and the loading work position where the work machine 2 carries out the loading work on the transport machine 300. . The loading position is defined as a position at which the work implement 2 is arranged when the revolving body 3 is swung from the state where the work implement 2 is at the excavation work position. The hydraulic excavator 100 that has performed the excavation work with the work machine 2 positioned at the excavation work position rotates the revolving body 3 around the turning axis RX without traveling, so that the work machine 2 is placed on the loading platform of the transport machine 300. can be positioned above. By moving the bucket 8 arranged above the loading platform of the transport machine 300 upward (dumping direction), the object in the bucket 8 can be loaded onto the loading platform.

As described above, the work machine 2 protrudes forward from the revolving body 3, and the transport machine 300 is arranged on either the right or left side of the revolving body 3 when the work machine 2 is in the excavating position. be. The turning direction of the revolving body 3 for moving the work implement 2 above the platform of the transport machine 300 after the excavation work depends on the arrangement of the transport machine 300 with respect to the revolving body 3. ) or counterclockwise direction (counterclockwise direction in plan view). Specifically, when the transport machine 300 is on the right side of the revolving body 3, the revolving body 3 is revolved rightward to move the working machine 2 from the excavating position to the loading position. When the transport machine 300 is on the left side of the revolving body 3, the revolving body 3 is revolved counterclockwise to move the working machine 2 from the excavating position to the loading position.

The relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position is captured by, for example, the camera 20 (typically, one or more of the front camera 20E, the right front camera 20A, and the left side camera 20D). It can be obtained by analyzing a captured image around the hydraulic excavator 100 and detecting the position of the transport machine 300 in the captured image. The relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position can be acquired from the absolute positions of the excavator 100 and the transport machine 300 in the global coordinate system. The relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position is determined from the positions of hydraulic excavator 100 and transport machine 300 in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on a reference position provided at the work site, for example, the position of the tip of a reference pile. , can be obtained.

The remote controller 60 has an operation input acquisition section 64 . The operation input acquisition unit 64 acquires an operator's operation input to the remote control device 40 . More specifically, the operation input acquiring unit 64 acquires the operation of the left work lever 41 in the rotating direction of the rotating body 3 .

The remote controller 60 has a mode selector 65 . The mode selection unit 65 is based on the operation content of the remote control device 40 set by the operation content setting unit 46 and the relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position acquired by the work position acquisition unit 63. , to selectively set one of the normal mode and the reverse mode. The mode selection unit 65 moves the work implement 2 from the excavation work position to the loading work when the operator operates the left work lever 41 so as to turn the revolving body 3 in the turning direction set by the operation content setting unit 46 . Either the normal mode or the reverse mode is selected for each of the plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 so that the revolving body 3 revolves in the direction to move it to the position.

For example, when the transport machine 300 is arranged on the left side of the hydraulic excavator 100, the swing body 3 swings left to move the work machine 2 from the excavating position to the loading position. Therefore, when the left turning direction is set by the operation content setting unit 46, the mode selection unit 65 selects the normal mode for turning the turning body 3 in the turning direction input by the operator. When the right turning direction is set by the operation content setting unit 46, the mode selecting unit 65 selects a reverse mode in which the turning body 3 turns in a direction opposite to the turning direction input by the operator.

The remote controller 60 has an image inversion processor 66 . When the reverse mode is set, the image reversal processing unit 66 performs a process of horizontally reversing the captured image captured by the camera 20 to create a reversed image.

The remote controller 60 has an image output section 67 . The image output unit 67 outputs an image to the display device 50 and causes the display device 50 to display the image. When the normal mode is set, the image output unit 67 outputs the captured image captured by the camera 20 and acquired by the image acquisition unit 62 to the display device 50 and causes the display device 50 to display the captured image. When the reverse mode is set, the image output unit 67 outputs the reversed image created by the image reverse processing unit 66 to the display device 50 and causes the display device 50 to display the reversed image.

The remote controller 60 has a turning direction reversal processor 68 . The turning direction reversal processing unit 68 performs processing for reversing the turning direction input to the remote control device 40 when the reversing mode is set.

The revolving superstructure 3 revolves by supplying hydraulic oil to the revolving motor. Hydraulic oil is supplied to the swing motor by axially moving the spool for adjusting the amount of hydraulic oil supplied to the swing motor in the directional control valve 33 . By reversing the axial movement direction of the spool, reversing the flow direction of hydraulic oil supplied to the revolving motor, and reversing the revolving direction of the revolving motor, the revolving direction of the revolving body 3 can be reversed.

The operation input acquisition unit 64 acquires the operation of the remote control device 40 (the left working lever 41) regarding the turning direction of the turning body 3, and determines the moving direction of the spool of the directional control valve 33 based on the operation of the left working lever 41. stipulate. When the reversal mode is set, the turning direction reversing processing unit 68 performs processing to change the moving direction of the spool of the directional control valve 33 to the direction opposite to the moving direction specified based on the operation of the remote control device 40. . Note that when the normal mode is set, the turning direction reversal processing unit 68 does not execute processing for reversing the turning direction of the revolving body 3 .

The remote controller 60 has a control signal output section 69 . The control signal output unit 69 generates control signals to be output to the excavator 100 . When the normal mode is set, the control signal output unit 69 generates a control signal for turning the turning body 3 in the turning direction input to the remote control device 40 . The control signal output unit 69 generates a control signal for moving the spool of the directional control valve 33 in the direction based on the operation of the remote control device 40 . When the reverse mode is set, the control signal output unit 69 generates a control signal that causes the revolving superstructure 3 to revolve in a direction opposite to the revolving direction input to the remote control device 40 . The control signal output unit 69 generates a control signal for moving the spool of the directional control valve 33 in the direction changed by the processing of the turning direction reversal processing unit 68 .

The communication device 72 transmits the control signal generated by the control signal output unit 69 to the hydraulic excavator 100 via the network 400 .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a remote control method for the hydraulic excavator 100. As shown in FIG. Although there is some overlap with the content described with reference to FIG. 4, the remote control method for the hydraulic excavator 100 of the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 and subsequent figures.

As shown in FIG. 5, first, in step S1, an excavation work position is acquired. The work position acquisition unit 63 acquires an excavation work position, which is the position of the work implement 2 when the hydraulic excavator 100 performs excavation work. The work position acquisition unit 63 may define the excavation work position based on the current position of the hydraulic excavator 100 in the global coordinate system and the position of an object such as earth and sand. The current position of the hydraulic excavator 100 in the global coordinate system is detected based on GNSS radio waves received by the antenna 21 . The position of the object can be detected by analyzing the captured image around the hydraulic excavator 100 captured by the camera 20 . The location of the object may be defined based on the shape of the existing terrain or the shape of the designed terrain around the excavator 100 .

In step S2, the loading work position is obtained. The work position acquisition unit 63 acquires a loading work position, which is the position of the work machine 2 when the hydraulic excavator 100 performs a loading work of loading objects onto the transporting machine 300 . The work position acquisition unit 63 may specify the loading work position based on the current position of the transporting machine 300 . The current position of the transporting machine 300 may be detected from the absolute position of the transporting machine 300 in the global coordinate system. The current position of the transporting machine 300 may be detected by analyzing the captured image around the hydraulic excavator 100 captured by the camera 20 and detecting the position of the transporting machine 300 in the captured image.

In step S3, the relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position is acquired. The work position acquisition unit 63 acquires the relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position based on the excavation work position acquired in step S1 and the loading work position acquired in step S2.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator 100 and the transport machine 300. As shown in FIG. Each work implement 2 of hydraulic excavators 100A, 100B, and 100C shown in FIG. 6 is in the excavation work position. The transport machine 300A is arranged to the left of the hydraulic excavator 100A. By rotating the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100A to the left, the working machine 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100A can be moved from the excavation work position to the loading work position. The transport machine 300B is arranged to the left of the hydraulic excavator 100B. By rotating the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100B to the left, the working machine 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100B can be moved from the excavation work position to the loading work position. The transport machine 300C is arranged on the right side of the excavator 100C. By rotating the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100C to the right, the working machine 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100C can be moved from the excavation work position to the loading work position.

Returning to FIG. 5, in step S4, the operation direction of the remote control device 40 for rotating the rotating body 3 is set. Before starting the excavation and loading work using the hydraulic excavator 100, the operator operates the operation content setting unit 46 of the remote control device 40 to move the working machine 2 from the excavation work position to the loading work position. Therefore, it is set in advance whether to operate the left working lever 41 for turning the revolving body 3 to the right or to operate the left working lever 41 for turning the revolving body 3 to the left. The remote controller 60 receives input of operation content setting via the operation content setting unit 46 by the operator.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to reverse the turning direction of the turning body 3. FIG. For example, in step S4, it is assumed that an operation to turn the revolving body 3 to the left is made for the loading work after the excavation work. Hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B shown in FIG. 6 can move the work machine 2 from the excavation work position to the loading work position by turning the revolving body 3 to the left. On the other hand, the hydraulic excavator 100C needs to rotate the revolving body 3 to the right in order to move the work implement 2 from the excavation work position to the loading work position. Therefore, in the determination of step S5, it is determined that the hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B do not need to be reversed, and that the hydraulic excavator 100C needs to be reversed.

For excavator 100C determined to require reversing in step S5 (YES in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6, and remote controller 60 receives an input of a command to start excavation and loading work.

In step S<b>7 , the image acquisition unit 62 acquires the captured image captured by the camera 20 . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image. The normal image NI shown in FIG. 7 is a captured image of the front of the revolving body 3 captured by the front camera 20E (FIG. 1) mounted on the hydraulic excavator 100C. The normal image NI is not horizontally inverted. The normal image NI includes the frame of the cabin 4 and part of the work implement 2 . In the normal image NI, the work implement 2 is on the right side of the vehicle compartment 4 .

Next, in step S8, processing for horizontally inverting the captured image is performed. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an inverted image obtained by horizontally inverting a captured image. The image reversal processing unit 66 creates a reversed image RI by horizontally reversing the normal reversed image NI shown in FIG. In the reverse image RI, the work implement 2 is on the left side of the vehicle interior 4 .

In step S9, the image is output. The image output unit 67 outputs the reverse image RI created in step S8 to the display device 50, and causes the display device 50 to display the reverse image RI.

In step S10, the operator, while viewing the reversed image RI displayed on the display device 50, performs an operation to turn the revolving structure 3 for the loading work after the excavation work.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a virtual positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator 100CV in which the revolving direction of the revolving body 3 is reversed and the transport machine 300CV. In the inverted image RI obtained by horizontally inverting the captured image, the rotating body 3 is apparently rotated to the left. The operator performs an operation to turn the revolving body 3 to the left. The operator operates the left working lever 41 backward. In the hydraulic excavator 100CV shown in FIG. 9, similarly to the other hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B, the work implement 2 moves from the excavation work position to the loading work position by turning the revolving body 3 to the left. From the excavation work position shown in FIG. 9, the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100CV is revolved leftward, and the bucket 8 of the hydraulic excavator 100CV is arranged above the transport machine 300CV.

In step S11, processing for reversing the turning direction of the turning body 3 is performed. The turning direction reversing processing unit 68 performs processing to change the turning direction of the turning body 3 to the right direction, which is opposite to the left direction based on the operator's operation. The turning direction reversal processing unit 68 changes the rotation direction of the turning motor of the hydraulic excavator 100C from the counterclockwise direction in plan view to the clockwise direction. More specifically, in the directional control valve 33 of the hydraulic excavator 100C shown in FIG. 4, the axial movement direction of the spool that adjusts the flow rate of hydraulic oil supplied to the swing motor is reversed.

In step S<b>16 , a control signal for rotating the rotating body 3 is output to the hydraulic excavator 100 . Since the process of reversing the turning direction is performed in step S11, the control signal output unit 69 causes the turning body 3 to rotate in the opposite direction (right turning) to the turning direction (left turning) input to the remote control device 40. to the hydraulic excavator 100C.

In step S17, the vehicle body controller 26 that has received the control signal controls the direction control valve 33 to turn the revolving body 3 rightward. By turning the hydraulic excavator 100C shown in FIG. 6 to the right, the bucket 8 of the hydraulic excavator 100C is arranged above the platform of the transporting machine 300C.

In step S18, the vehicle body controller 26 of the hydraulic excavator 100C causes the bucket 8 to move in the dumping direction, thereby dropping the object in the bucket 8 onto the platform of the transporting machine 300C. In this manner, the work of loading the object onto the transporting machine 300C is performed. Then, in step S19, the excavation and loading work is finished.

After completion of the loading work, an operation is performed to turn the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100CV shown in FIG. 9 to the right in order to return the working machine 2 from the loading work position to the excavation work position. The operator operates the left working lever 41 forward. The control signal output unit 69 outputs to the hydraulic excavator 100C a control signal for rotating the revolving structure 3 in the opposite direction (left turning) to the turning direction (right turning) based on the operator's operation. By turning the hydraulic excavator 100C shown in FIG. 6 to the left, the work implement 2 moves to the excavation work position.

For hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B determined in step S5 that reversing is not necessary (NO in step S5), the process proceeds to step S12, and remote controller 60 issues a command to start excavation and loading work in the same manner as in step S6. receive the input of In step S13, similarly to step S7, the image acquisition unit 62 acquires the captured image in front of the revolving body 3 captured by the front camera 20E mounted on the hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B.

In step S14, the image is output. The image output unit 67 outputs the picked-up image (normal image NI, FIG. 7) acquired in step S13 to the display device 50, and causes the display device 50 to display the normal image NI.

In step S15, the operator operates the left work lever 41 to turn the revolving body 3 for the loading work after the excavation work while viewing the normal rotation image NI displayed on the display device 50. FIG. In the normal image NI, the rotating body 3 is rotated to the left. The operator performs an operation to turn the revolving body 3 to the left. The operator operates the left working lever 41 backward. In the hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B, the work machine 2 moves from the excavation work position to the loading work position by turning the revolving body 3 to the left. From the excavation work position shown in FIG. 6, the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100CV turns to the left, and the bucket 8 of the hydraulic excavator 100CV is arranged above the transport machine 300CV.

Subsequently, in step S<b>16 , a control signal for rotating the rotating body 3 is output to the hydraulic excavator 100 . The control signal output unit 69 outputs to the excavators 100A and 100B a control signal for turning the revolving structure 3 in the turning direction (left turning) input to the remote control device 40 .

In step S17, the vehicle body controller 26 that has received the control signal controls the direction control valve 33 to turn the revolving body 3 leftward. By turning the excavators 100A and 100B shown in FIG.

In step S18, the vehicle body controllers 26 of the hydraulic excavators 100A, 100B operate the buckets 8 in the dumping direction, thereby dropping the objects in the buckets 8 onto the platforms of the transport machines 300A, 300B. In this manner, the work of loading the objects onto the transport machines 300A and 300B is performed. Then, in step S19, the excavation and loading work is terminated.

After the loading work is completed, the revolving bodies 3 of the hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B are rotated to the right in order to return the working machine 2 from the loading work position to the excavation work position. The operator operates the left working lever 41 forward. The control signal output unit 69 outputs to the hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B a control signal for rotating the revolving structure 3 in the revolving direction (right turning) based on the operator's operation. By turning the hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B shown in FIG. 6 to the right, the work implement 2 moves to the excavation work position.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the remote control method for the hydraulic excavator 100. As shown in FIG. In steps S1 to S3 shown in FIG. 10, the same processes as steps S1 to S3 shown in FIG. 5 are performed. Subsequently, in step S24, each hydraulic excavator 100 is set to either the normal mode or the reverse mode. This setting is performed by the operator's input to the mode setting reception unit 47 of the remote control device 40 . The operator selects one of the normal mode and the reverse mode for each excavator 100 based on the relative positional relationship between the excavating work position and the loading work position acquired in step S3.

For example, assume that the operator prefers to turn the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100 to the left rather than to the right. In this case, the hydraulic excavator 100A in which the transporting machine 300A is arranged on the left side of the main body 1 and the hydraulic excavator 100B in which the transporting machine 300B is arranged on the left side of the main body 1 shown in FIG. Since the body 3 is turned to the left to move the work machine 2 from the excavation work position to the loading work position, the normal mode is selected. For the hydraulic excavator 100C in which the transport machine 300C is arranged on the right side of the main body 1, the revolving body 3 is rotated to the right to move the working machine 2 from the excavation work position to the loading work position. Select mode.

Next, in step S25, for each hydraulic excavator 100, it is determined whether or not the selected mode is the reverse mode. For the hydraulic excavator 100C set to the reverse mode, the process proceeds to step S6, and the same process as the process described with reference to FIG. 5 is performed. For the hydraulic excavators 100A and 100B set to the normal mode, the process proceeds to step S12, and the same process as the process described with reference to FIG. 5 is performed.

Although there are descriptions that partially overlap with the above description, the characteristic configuration and effects of the present embodiment will be collectively described as follows.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the remote controller 60 has an image reversal processing section 66 , an image output section 67 , a turning direction reversal processing section 68 and a control signal output section 69 . As shown in FIGS. 5 to 10, the image inversion processor 66 horizontally inverts the captured image captured by the camera 20. FIG. The image output unit 67 outputs the reverse image RI to the display device 50 . The turning direction reversal processing unit 68 executes processing for reversing the turning direction of the revolving body 3 input to the left working lever 41 . The control signal output unit 69 outputs to the hydraulic excavator 100 a control signal for rotating the revolving body 3 in the opposite direction to the revolving direction input to the left work lever 41 .

After the work machine 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is arranged at the excavation work position and the excavation work is executed, the revolving body 3 turns to move the work machine 2 to the loading work position. The relative position of the transporting machine 300 loaded with the object excavated by the hydraulic excavator 100 with respect to the excavation work position changes depending on the conditions of the work site. The transport machine 300 may be arranged on the left side of the hydraulic excavator 100 and may be arranged on the right side of the hydraulic excavator 100 .

For example, when the transport machine 300 is arranged on the right side of the hydraulic excavator 100, the display device 50 displays the reverse image RI, and the operator operates to turn the revolving structure 3 to the left while viewing the reverse image RI. A control signal can be output to the hydraulic excavator 100 to turn the revolving body 3 to the right by reversing the revolving direction by the operator's operation. As a result, the revolving body 3 can be rotated to the right to move the working machine 2 from the excavating position to the loading position. When the transporting machine 300 is arranged on the left side of the hydraulic excavator 100 and when the transporting machine 300 is arranged on the right side of the hydraulic excavator 100, the operator only has to perform the operation to swing the revolving structure 3 in the same direction. . In the case of the above example, the operation of the operator is aligned with the operation of turning the revolving body 3 to the left.

Regardless of the relative position of the transport machine 300 with respect to the hydraulic excavator 100, the operator can perform the same operation to swing the revolving body 3 to appropriately move the work implement 2 from the excavating position to the loading position. Since the apparent revolving direction is unified, it is possible to reduce the operator's confusion as to which direction, left or right, the revolving body 3 should be revolved for the loading operation after the excavation operation. It is possible to prevent the operator from making a mistake in the turning direction and from stagnating the work. Therefore, workability can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 4, remote controller 60 has mode selector 65 . A mode selection unit 65 selects one of the normal mode and the reverse mode. When the normal mode is set, the image output unit 67 outputs the captured image captured by the camera 20 to the display device 50 . The control signal output unit 69 outputs to the hydraulic excavator 100 a control signal for rotating the revolving body 3 in the revolving direction input to the left work lever 41 . When the reverse mode is set, the image output unit 67 outputs to the display device 50 a reversed image obtained by horizontally reversing the captured image. The control signal output unit 69 outputs to the hydraulic excavator 100 a control signal for rotating the revolving body 3 in the opposite direction to the revolving direction input to the left work lever 41 .

By appropriately selecting one of the normal mode and the reverse mode according to the relative position of the transport machine 300 with respect to the hydraulic excavator 100, the revolving body 3 is revolved to move the work machine 2 from the excavation work position to the loading work position. The operator's operation for moving can be unified. For example, when the transporting machine 300 is placed on the left side of the excavator 100, the normal mode is set, and when the transporting machine 300 is placed on the right side of the hydraulic excavator 100, the reverse mode is set, so that the work implement 2 excavates. The operator's operation for moving from the work position to the loading work position is aligned with the left turn. It is possible to reduce the operator's confusion as to which direction, left or right, the revolving body 3 should be revolved, thus improving workability.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the remote controller 40 has an operation content setting section 46 . The operation content setting unit 46 rotates the revolving body 3 in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction for the loading operation after the excavation operation, both when the normal mode is set and when the reversal mode is set. The operation content of the remote control device 40 is set so as to receive an input of an operation to turn in the direction of .

If the operator prefers to turn the turning body 3 in either one of the right turning direction and the left turning direction, the input of the turning operation in the preferred one direction is accepted, and the operation in the other direction is accepted. It can be set not to accept the input of turning operation. As a result, operator operations can be reliably unified. When the transporting machine 300 is arranged so that the excavator 100 moves from the excavation work position to the loading work position by turning in one direction, the normal mode is selected, and the turning operation in the other direction moves the hydraulic excavator 100 to the loading work position. The reversal mode can be selected when the haulage machine 300 is positioned such that the haulage machine 300 moves from the digging position to the loading position. In this way, the operator can reliably move the work implement 2 of the excavator 100 from the excavation work position to the loading work position by the operation of turning it in one direction.

For loading work after excavation work, an input of an operation to turn the revolving body 3 in one of the right turning direction and the left turning direction is received, and an input of an operation to turn in the other direction is received. is not accepted, it is possible to prevent the swinging body 3 from swinging in an unintended direction even if the operator operates the left working lever 41 in the wrong direction. Therefore, a decrease in work efficiency can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the remote controller 60 has a working position acquisition section 63 . The work position acquisition unit 63 acquires an excavation work position, which is the position of the work implement 2 when the hydraulic excavator 100 performs excavation work, and a position of the work implement 2 when the hydraulic excavator 100 performs loading work on the transport machine 300. Acquire the relative positional relationship with the loading work position. Either the normal mode or the reversal mode can be selected based on the relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position. The machine 2 can be reliably moved from the excavating position to the loading position.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mode selection unit 65 selects the turning position set by the operation content setting unit 46 based on the relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position acquired by the work position acquisition unit 63. Either the normal mode or the reversal mode is selected so that when the operator operates the left working lever 41 so as to turn the revolving body 3 in the direction, the working machine 2 moves from the excavating work position to the loading work position. mode. The remote controller 60 automatically switches from the normal mode to the normal mode based on the turning direction set by the operation content setting unit 46 and the relative positional relationship between the excavation work position and the loading work position acquired by the work position acquisition unit 63. Either mode with reverse mode can be selected.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the remote control device 40 has a mode setting reception section 47 . The mode setting reception unit 47 receives an operator's input to select one of the normal mode and the reverse mode. Based on the relative positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator 100 and the transport machine 300, the operator can rotate the revolving body 3 in a desired direction so that the work implement 2 moves from the excavating position to the loading position. , either normal mode or reverse mode can be selected.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the remote control system 200 remotely controls a plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, each of the plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 is selectively set to either the normal mode or the reverse mode.

When one operator remotely operates a plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 shown in FIG. 6, the operation is performed while switching between the respective hydraulic excavators 100A, 100B, and 100C. If the plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 includes the hydraulic excavator 100C that rotates in different directions after excavation, the operator may be confused.

By selecting the normal mode for the excavators 100A and 100B shown in FIG. 6 and selecting the reversal mode for the excavator 100C, only the excavator 100C is reversed in the captured image and the turning operation. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the apparent turning direction of the revolving body 3 for moving the work implements 2 of the hydraulic excavators 100A, 100B, and 100CV from the excavation work position to the loading work position can be unified. can be done. By operating the plurality of hydraulic excavators 100 so that they all turn in the same direction, the operator can work while switching without confusion. Therefore, workability can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the hydraulic excavator 100 is used as an example of a working machine, but it can also be applied to other types of working machines such as loading shovels, mechanical rope shovels, bucket cranes, and wheel loaders. In the case of a wheel loader, the revolving body is the front part of the vehicle body, and excavation and loading work is carried out while turning right or left by left and right steering operations.

In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the hydraulic excavator 100 includes a swing motor, which is the hydraulic actuator 34, and the swing body 3 swings when hydraulic oil is supplied to the swing motor. The shovel is not limited to this example and may include an electric motor. The excavator may be a hybrid excavator that includes an engine that is a drive source for operating and traveling the work machine 2 and an electric motor that drives the revolving body 3 with electrical energy. The excavator is an electric excavator in which the driving source for the revolving of the revolving body 3, the traveling by the traveling body 5, and the operation of the working machine 2 are all electric motors, and the electric motors are driven by electric energy stored in a battery. may

In the embodiment, the operator relies on the image displayed on the display device 50 as he or she sees it, without being conscious of whether or not the image is reversed. conduct. Therefore, it is desirable to be consistent with the image in other operations as well. For example, operations with left-right polarity, such as operation of the left travel lever 43 and right travel lever 44 of a hydraulic excavator, left-right steering operation in the case of a wheel loader, are horizontally reversed in the same manner as the turning direction reversal processing unit 68. Thus, a consistent operating method is realized.

The embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and should be considered not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 main body 2 working machine 3 revolving body 4 vehicle compartment 4W window plate 5 traveling body 20 camera 20A right front camera 20B right side camera 20C rear camera 20D left side camera 20E front camera 21 Antenna 21A first antenna 21B second antenna 22,72,302 communication device 23 global coordinate calculation unit 26 vehicle body controller 40 remote control device 41 left work lever 42 right work lever 43 left travel lever 44 right travel lever, 45 control seat, 46 operation content setting unit, 47 mode setting reception unit, 48 left console, 49 right console, 50 display device, 60 remote controller, 61 work machine selection unit, 62 image acquisition unit, 63 work position acquisition unit 64 operation input acquisition unit 65 mode selection unit 66 image reversal processing unit 67 image output unit 68 turning direction reversal processing unit 69 control signal output unit 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100CV hydraulic excavator , 200 remote control system, 300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 300CV transport machine, 400 network, NI normal image, RI reverse image, RX pivot axis.

Claims (7)

A remote control system for remotely controlling a work machine, comprising:
The work machine has a revolving body that revolves around a revolving axis, and an imaging device that is mounted on the revolving body and captures an image of an imaging target that exists at a work site,
The remote control system is
an operating device that receives an operator's input regarding the turning direction of the turning body;
a display device for displaying an image;
a controller that controls the working machine;
The controller displays on the display device a reversed image obtained by horizontally reversing the captured image captured by the imaging device, and a control signal for rotating the rotating body in a direction opposite to the rotating direction input to the operating device. to the work machine. The controller selectively sets a normal mode and an inversion mode,
When the normal mode is set, the captured image is displayed on the display device, and a control signal for rotating the rotating body in the rotating direction input to the operating device is output to the working machine,
When the reversal mode is set, the reversal image is displayed on the display device, and a control signal for revolving the revolving body in a direction opposite to the revolving direction input to the operating device is output to the working machine. Item 1. The remote control system according to item 1. An operation content setting unit configured to set the operation content of the operating device so as to receive an input of an operation to rotate the rotating body in one direction both when the normal mode is set and when the reverse mode is set. 3. The remote control system according to claim 2. A relationship between a first work position where the work machine performs a first work and a second work position where the work machine performs a second work, which is a position where the revolving body has swung from the first work position 4. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a work position acquisition unit that acquires positional relationships. The controller moves the work machine from the first work position to the second work position by an operation of turning the revolving body in the one direction based on the relative positional relationship acquired by the work position acquisition unit. 5. The remote control system according to claim 4, wherein one of the normal mode and the reverse mode is selected so that the remote control system cites claim 3. 4. The remote control system according to claim 2, further comprising a mode setting reception unit that receives operator input for selecting one of said normal mode and said reverse mode. The remote control system remotely controls the plurality of work machines,
3. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein said normal mode and said reverse mode are selectively set for each of said plurality of work machines.

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