JP2023176800A - Shovel and shovel management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a shovel capable of more accurately calculating the position of a predetermined part of an end attachment.SOLUTION: A shovel 100 includes a lower traveling body 1, an upper revolving body 3 mounted on the lower traveling body 1, an attachment AT that is attached to the upper revolving body 3 and includes a boom 4, an arm 5, and a bucket 6, an attitude detection device that detects the attitude of the attachment AT, and a controller 30 that is configured to calculate an estimated position of a tip of a claw 6a of a bucket 6 based on an output of the attitude detection device. The controller 30 is configured to calculate the positional deviation between the estimated position of the tip of the claw 6a and a reference position RP based on the output of the attitude detection device when the tip of the claw 6a is positioned at the reference position RP that is a known distance DS away from a boom foot pin in a predetermined direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present disclosure relates to excavators and excavator management systems.

Conventionally, excavators are known that calculate the coordinate position of the tip of the bucket based on the known boom length, arm length, and bucket length, and the boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle measured by an angle sensor ( (See Patent Document 1.) This excavator opens and closes the bucket while keeping the boom angle and arm angle unchanged, bringing the tip of the bucket into contact with each of the first and second positions, and measuring the actual distance between the first and second positions. The bucket angle measurement error is derived based on the difference between the distance and the calculated value of the distance.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-150596

However, the above-described configuration is based on the premise that the difference between the measured value of the distance between the first position and the second position and the calculated value of the distance is caused by a measurement error of the bucket angle. Therefore, if the bucket attached to the arm is replaced with a bucket having a different shape, the excavator will no longer be able to accurately calculate the coordinate position of the tip of the bucket. This is because a difference caused by a difference in the shape of the bucket is recognized as a difference caused by a measurement error in the bucket angle.

Therefore, it is desired to provide a shovel that can more accurately calculate the position of a predetermined portion of the end attachment.

An excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lower traveling body, an upper rotating body mounted on the lower traveling body, and an attachment including a boom, an arm, and an end attachment attached to the upper rotating body. The control device includes an attitude detection device that detects the attitude of the attachment, and a control device configured to calculate an estimated position of a predetermined part of the end attachment based on an output of the attitude detection device, and the control device includes: The estimated position of the predetermined portion of the end attachment and the It is configured to calculate a positional deviation between the first position and the first position.

The above-mentioned shovel can more accurately calculate the position of the predetermined portion of the end attachment.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drive system of an excavator. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of an excavator management system. FIG. 2 is a side view of the excavator showing a reference coordinate system. FIG. 3 is a top view of the excavator showing a reference coordinate system. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of information acquisition processing. FIG. 3 is a side view of an excavator that executes an example of information acquisition processing. FIG. 7 is a side view of a shovel that executes another example of information acquisition processing.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a shovel 100 as an excavator, which is an example of a construction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. An upper rotating body 3 is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 1 of the excavator 100 via a rotating mechanism 2. 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 as an end attachment is attached to the tip of the arm 5. A field bucket, slope bucket, wide bucket, narrow bucket, or the like may be attached as an end attachment.

The boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 constitute a digging attachment that is an example of the attachment AT. 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 link.

The boom angle sensor S1 is a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the boom 4. In the illustrated example, the boom angle sensor S1 is an acceleration sensor that detects the inclination angle of the boom 4 with respect to a horizontal plane by detecting gravitational acceleration. In the illustrated example, the boom angle sensor S1 detects the rotation angle of the boom 4 around a boom foot pin that connects the upper revolving structure 3 and the boom 4 as the boom angle.

The arm angle sensor S2 is a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the arm 5. In the illustrated example, the arm angle sensor S2 is an acceleration sensor that detects the inclination angle of the arm 5 with respect to the horizontal plane by detecting gravitational acceleration. In the illustrated example, the arm angle sensor S2 detects the rotation angle of the arm 5 around the arm pin that connects the boom 4 and the arm 5 as the arm angle.

The bucket angle sensor S3 is a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the bucket 6. In the illustrated example, the bucket angle sensor S3 is an acceleration sensor that detects the inclination angle of the bucket 6 with respect to the horizontal plane by detecting gravitational acceleration. In the illustrated example, the bucket angle sensor S3 detects the rotation angle of the bucket 6 around the bucket pin that connects the arm 5 and the bucket 6 as the bucket angle.

At least one of the boom angle sensor S1, arm angle sensor S2, and bucket angle sensor S3 includes 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. It may also be a rotary encoder or the like for detection. Alternatively, at least one of the boom angle sensor S1, arm angle sensor S2, and bucket angle sensor S3 may be an inertial measurement device that combines an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor). The boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3 function as an attitude detection device for calculating the attitude of the attachment AT.

The upper revolving body 3 is provided with a cabin 10 and is equipped with a power source such as an engine 11. Further, the upper revolving body 3 is attached with a body inclination sensor S4, a turning angular velocity sensor S5, and a positioning device S6. Inside the cabin 10, an input device D1, a sound output device D2, a display device D3, a storage device D4, a controller 30, and an operation support device 50 are installed.

The controller 30 is a control device that controls the drive of the shovel 100. In the illustrated example, the controller 30 is configured with an arithmetic processing unit (processing circuit) including a CPU and internal memory. Various functions of the controller 30 are realized by the CPU executing programs stored in the internal memory.

The operation support device 50 is a device that supports the operation of the shovel 100 by an operator. In the illustrated example, the operation support device 50 visually and audibly informs the operator of the distance in the vertical direction between the surface of the target terrain set by the operator and the position of the tip (toe) of the bucket 6. The function of guiding the operation of the shovel 100 by the user is performed. In the following, this function will be referred to as "machine guidance function". The operation support device 50 may only notify the operator of the distance visually or may only notify the operator aurally. Specifically, like the controller 30, the operation support device 50 is configured of an arithmetic processing device including a CPU and an internal memory as one of the controllers. Various functions of the operation support device 50 are realized by the CPU executing programs stored in the internal memory. Further, the operation support device 50 may be integrated into the controller 30.

Alternatively, the operation support device 50 may perform a function of automatically supporting the manual operation of the shovel 100 by the operator. In the following, this function will be referred to as "machine control function". In the machine control function, the operation support device 50 allows the operator to control at least one of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 in order to move the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 along a preset target trajectory, for example. At least one of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 may be automatically operated when a manual operation is performed on one of the booms 4, 5, and the bucket 6. Specifically, the operation support device 50 may automatically extend the boom cylinder 7 and raise the boom 4 when the operator performs an arm closing operation.

Alternatively, the operation support device 50 may perform a function of automatically operating the shovel 100. In the following, this function will be referred to as "autonomous control function". In the autonomous control function, the operation support device 50 automatically controls at least one of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6, for example, in order to move the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 along a preset target trajectory. It may be operated manually. Specifically, the operation support device 50 may automatically operate the boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 when the operator is not performing manual operation.

Note that the machine guidance function and the machine control function may be used in a remote-controlled shovel that is remotely controlled using the operating device 26 located outside the shovel 100. Furthermore, the autonomous control function may be used in an autonomous excavator that does not include the operating device 26.

The body inclination sensor S4 is a sensor that detects the inclination angle of the upper rotating body 3 with respect to the horizontal plane. In the illustrated example, by detecting gravitational acceleration, the inclination angle of the longitudinal axis of the upper revolving body 3 with respect to the horizontal plane (hereinafter referred to as "body pitch angle") and the inclination angle of the left-right axis of the upper revolving body 3 with respect to the horizontal plane (hereinafter referred to as "body roll angle"). Note that the body tilt sensor S4 may constitute an attitude detection device for calculating the attitude of the attachment AT.

The turning angular velocity sensor S5 is a sensor that detects the angular velocity of the upper rotating structure 3 that turns (rotates) around the turning axis. In the illustrated example, the turning angular velocity sensor S5 is a rotary encoder that detects the angular velocity of the upper rotating structure 3. Note that the turning angular velocity sensor S5 may constitute an attitude detection device for calculating the attitude of the attachment AT.

The positioning device S6 is a device that measures the position of the excavator 100. In the illustrated example, the positioning device S6 is an electronic compass including two GNSS receivers, and the positioning device S6 has position coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) and orientation (azimuth) in the world geodetic system relative to the operation support device 50. Output information about. The world geodetic system is a three-dimensional orthogonal XYZ system with its origin at the center of gravity of the Earth, the X-axis pointing toward the intersection of the Greenwich meridian and the equator, the Y-axis pointing toward 90 degrees East longitude, and the Z-axis pointing toward the North Pole. It is a coordinate system.

The input device D1 is a device for the operator of the excavator 100 to input various information. In the illustrated example, the input device D1 is a hardware switch provided around the display screen of the display device D3. The operator of the excavator 100 inputs various information to the operation support device 50 through the input device D1. The input device D1 may be a touch panel. Furthermore, the input device D1 may be a USB memory. In this case, the operator can input information stored in the USB memory into the operation support device 50 by inserting the USB memory into a USB connector installed in the cabin 10.

The sound output device D2 is a device that outputs various sound information in response to a sound output command from the controller 30 or the operation support device 50. In the illustrated example, the sound output device D2 is a vehicle-mounted speaker directly connected to the operation support device 50. The sound output device D2 may be a buzzer.

The display device D3 is a device that displays various image information in response to commands from the controller 30 or the operation support device 50. In the illustrated example, the display device D3 is an in-vehicle liquid crystal display that is directly connected to the operation support device 50.

The storage device D4 is a device for storing various information. In the illustrated example, the storage device D4 is a nonvolatile storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, and stores various information output by the operation support device 50 and the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drive system of the excavator 100 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the mechanical power system is shown as a double line, the hydraulic oil line is shown as a thick solid line, the pilot line is shown as a broken line, and the electric drive/control system is shown as a thin solid line.

The engine 11 is a driving source for the excavator 100. In the illustrated example, the engine 11 is a diesel engine that employs isochronous control that maintains the engine speed constant regardless of increases or decreases in engine load.

A main pump 14 and a pilot pump 15 are connected to the engine 11 as hydraulic pumps. A control valve unit 17 is connected to the main pump 14 via a hydraulic oil line.

The control valve unit 17 is a hydraulic control device that controls the hydraulic system of the excavator 100. In the illustrated example, the control valve unit 17 is connected to each of a plurality of hydraulic actuators, such as a left side travel hydraulic motor 1L, a right side travel hydraulic motor 1R, a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, a bucket cylinder 9, and a swing hydraulic motor 21. includes a plurality of control valves corresponding to the Each of the plurality of hydraulic actuators is connected to a corresponding control valve in the control valve unit 17 via a hydraulic oil line.

The pilot pump 15 is configured to supply hydraulic oil to each pilot port of a plurality of control valves in the control valve unit 17 via a pilot line 25. In the illustrated example, the pilot pump 15 is a fixed displacement hydraulic pump. Pilot pump 15 may be omitted. In this case, the functions performed by the pilot pump 15 may be realized by the main pump 14. That is, the main pump 14 may have, in addition to the function of supplying hydraulic oil to the control valve unit 17, the function of reducing the pressure of the hydraulic oil by throttling or the like and then supplying the hydraulic oil to the hydraulic control equipment. good.

The operating device 26 is a device for operating a hydraulic actuator, and includes an operating lever 26A, an operating lever 26B, and an operating pedal 26C. The operation sensor 29 is a sensor that detects the operation content of the operation device 26 and outputs a detected value to the controller 30.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the management system SYS for the excavator 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management system SYS. The management system SYS is a system for managing the excavator 100, and mainly includes a controller 30 and an operation support device 50.

In the illustrated example, the operation support device 50 receives outputs from a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, a body tilt sensor S4, a turning angular velocity sensor S5, a positioning device S6, an input device D1, and a controller 30. and outputs various commands to each of the sound output device D2, display device D3, and storage device D4. The operation support device 50 also includes a coordinate acquisition section 51, a calculation section 52, a sound output processing section 53, and a display processing section 54. The controller 30 and the operation support device 50 are connected to each other via a CAN (Controller Area Network).

The coordinate acquisition unit 51 is configured to acquire the coordinates of a predetermined portion of the attachment AT. In the illustrated example, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 derives the origin coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the reference coordinate system based on the detection values of the aircraft tilt sensor S4 and the positioning device S6. The reference coordinate system is a coordinate system based on the shovel 100, and is, for example, a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system in which the extending direction of the attachment AT is the X axis and the rotation axis of the shovel 100 is the Z axis. The positional relationship between the origin coordinates of the reference coordinate system and the coordinates of the mounting position of the positioning device S6 (hereinafter referred to as "positioning device coordinates") remains relatively unchanged. Therefore, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 can uniquely derive the origin coordinates of the reference coordinate system in the world geodetic system from the detection values of the aircraft tilt sensor S4 and the positioning device S6.

Specifically, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 derives the origin coordinates of the reference coordinate system in the world geodetic system based on the position coordinates and orientation of the positioning device S6 in the world geodetic system, which are the detected values of the positioning device S6.

Further, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 rotates the reference coordinate system based on the aircraft roll angle and the aircraft pitch angle, which are the values detected by the aircraft tilt sensor S4, to align the three axes of the reference coordinate system with the three axes of the world geodetic system. Derive the rotation matrix of .

Thereby, once the coordinates of an arbitrary point in the reference coordinate system are determined, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 calculates the coordinates of the arbitrary point in the world geodetic system based on the origin coordinates and rotation matrix of the reference coordinate system in the world geodetic system. can be derived.

Note that the coordinate acquisition unit 51 may be configured to derive coordinates in the world geodetic system regarding a predetermined portion on the rotating upper structure 3, such as the boom foot pin, based only on the detected value of the positioning device S6.

Further, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 derives the attitude of the attachment AT based on the detection values of the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3. This is to make it possible to derive the coordinates in the reference coordinate system corresponding to each point on the attachment AT, and furthermore to make it possible to derive the coordinates in the world geodetic system corresponding to each point. Each point on the attachment AT includes the position of the bucket pin and the position of the tip of the bucket 6.

The calculation unit 52 derives the deviation between the current position of the tip of the bucket 6 and the target position. In the illustrated example, the calculation unit 52 derives the shift between the current position and the target position of the tip of the bucket 6 based on the coordinates of the tip position of the bucket 6 acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit 51 and the target terrain information. The target terrain information is information regarding the terrain at the time of completion of construction, and includes a coordinate group representing the target terrain. Further, target terrain information is input through the input device D1 and stored in the storage device D4.

For example, the calculation unit 52 derives the distance in the vertical direction between the tip position of the bucket 6 and the surface of the target terrain as the amount of deviation. The amount of deviation may be the distance in the horizontal direction between the tip position of the bucket 6 and the surface of the target terrain, or may be the shortest distance between the tip position of the bucket 6 and the surface of the target terrain.

The sound output processing section 53 controls the sound output from the sound output device D2. The sound output processing unit 53 adjusts, for example, the attributes (height, volume, and tone) of the sound output from the sound output device D2. In the illustrated example, the sound output processing unit 53 causes the sound output device D2 to output an intermittent sound as a guidance sound when the amount of deviation derived by the calculation unit 52 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Further, the sound output processing unit 53 shortens the output interval of the intermittent sound (the length of the silent portion) as the amount of deviation becomes smaller. When the amount of deviation is zero, that is, when the tip position of the bucket 6 and the surface of the target terrain match, the sound output processing unit 53 outputs a continuous sound (an intermittent sound with an output interval of zero) from the sound output device D2. You may also output it. Further, the sound output processing unit 53 may change the pitch (frequency) of the intermittent sound when the sign of the deviation amount is reversed. The amount of deviation takes a positive value, for example, when the tip position of the bucket 6 is vertically above the surface of the target terrain.

The display processing unit 54 controls the contents of various image information to be displayed on the display device D3. In the illustrated example, the display processing unit 54 causes the display device D3 to display the relationship between the coordinates of the tip position of the bucket 6 acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit 51 and a coordinate group representing the target terrain. Specifically, the display processing unit 54 displays a CG image of a cross section of the bucket 6 and the target terrain viewed from the side (Y-axis direction), and a CG image of the bucket 6 and the cross-section of the target terrain viewed from the rear (X-axis direction). The generated CG image is displayed on the display device D3. The display processing unit 54 may display the magnitude of the shift amount derived by the calculation unit 52 in a bar graph.

Next, a reference coordinate system that is a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. 4A is a side view of shovel 100, and FIG. 4B is a top view of shovel 100.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the Z axis of the reference coordinate system corresponds to the pivot axis PC of the shovel 100, and the origin O of the reference coordinate system corresponds to the intersection of the pivot axis PC and the ground contact surface of the shovel 100.

The X-axis, which is orthogonal to the Z-axis, extends in the direction in which the attachment AT extends, and the Y-axis, which is also orthogonal to the Z-axis, extends in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the attachment AT extends. That is, the X-axis and the Y-axis rotate around the Z-axis as the excavator 100 turns.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the attachment position of the boom 4 to the upper revolving structure 3 is represented by a boom foot pin position P1, which is the position of the boom foot pin as a boom rotation axis. Similarly, the attachment position of the arm 5 to the boom 4 is represented by an arm pin position P2, which is the position of the arm pin as the arm rotation axis. The attachment position of the bucket 6 to the arm 5 is represented by a bucket pin position P3, which is the position of the bucket pin as the bucket rotation axis. The tip position of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is represented by bucket tip position P4.

The length of the line segment SG1 connecting the boom foot pin position P1 and the arm pin position P2 is expressed as a predetermined value _L1 as the boom length, and the length of the line segment SG2 connecting the arm pin position P2 and the bucket pin position P3 is the arm length. The length is represented by a predetermined value _L2 , and the length of the line segment SG3 connecting the bucket pin position P3 and the bucket tip position P4 is represented by a predetermined value _L3 as the bucket length. The predetermined values L ₁ , L ₂ , and L ₃ are stored in advance in the storage device D4 or the like.

Also, the boom angle formed between line segment SG1 and the horizontal plane is represented by β ₁ , the arm angle formed between line segment SG2 and the horizontal plane is represented by β ₂ , and the angle between line segment SG3 and the horizontal plane is represented by β 1. The bucket angle formed between is denoted by _β3 . In FIG. 4A, the boom angle β ₁ , the arm angle β ₂ , and the bucket angle β ₃ have a positive direction in a counterclockwise direction with respect to a line parallel to the X axis.

Here, the three-dimensional coordinates of the boom foot pin position P1 are (X, Y, Z) = (H _0X , 0, H _0Z ), and the three-dimensional coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 are (X, Y, Z) = ( X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z ₄ ), X ₄ and Z ₄ are represented by formula (1) and formula (2), respectively.

X ₄ =H _0X +L ₁ cosβ ₁ +L ₂ cosβ ₂ +L ₃ cosβ ₃ ... (1)
Z ₄ =H _0Z +L ₁ sinβ ₁ +L ₂ sinβ ₂ +L ₃ sinβ ₃ ... (2)
_Y4 becomes 0. This is because the bucket tip position P4 exists on the XZ plane. Furthermore, since the boom foot pin position P1 remains unchanged relative to the origin O, once the boom angle _β1 is determined, the coordinates of the arm pin position P2 are uniquely determined. Similarly, once the boom angle β ₁ and the arm angle β ₂ are determined, the coordinates of the bucket pin position P3 are uniquely determined, and when the boom angle β ₁ , the arm angle β ₂ , and the bucket angle β ₃ are determined, the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 are determined. The coordinates are uniquely determined.

Furthermore, once the coordinates of the boom foot pin position P1, arm pin position P2, bucket pin position P3, and bucket tip position P4 in the reference coordinate system are determined, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 determines the boom foot pin position P1 in the world geodetic system, The coordinates of each of the arm pin position P2, bucket pin position P3, and bucket tip position P4 can be uniquely derived. This is because the relative positional relationship between the position of the positioning device S6 and the boom foot pin position P1 is known.

However, the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is an example of a replaceable consumable part and wears out with use. Therefore, the three-dimensional coordinates (X, Y, Z) = (X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z ₄ ) of the bucket tip position P4 calculated using the above equations (1) and (2) are As wear progresses, the three-dimensional coordinates of the actual bucket tip position deviate from the three-dimensional coordinates. As a result, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 is no longer able to acquire accurate coordinates of the bucket tip position P4, and the operation support device 50 is no longer able to accurately support the operation of the shovel 100.

Therefore, in the illustrated example, the controller 30 can derive accurate coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 by executing the information acquisition process described later, and can accurately support the operation of the shovel 100 even when the claw 6a is worn out. do it like this.

Specifically, the controller 30 includes a coordinate estimation section 31 and a positional deviation calculation section 32.

The coordinate estimation unit 31 is configured to estimate the coordinates of the tip of the end attachment. In the illustrated example, the coordinate estimating unit 31 calculates the coordinates of the bucket pin position P3 that the coordinate acquiring unit 51 acquires when the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 contacts the reference position, which is one known coordinate on the world geodetic system. The coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 in the world geodetic system are derived based on the bucket angle detected by the bucket angle sensor S3. The reference position is, for example, a position a known distance away from the boom foot pin in a predetermined direction. In the illustrated example, the position is a distance DS diagonally downward and forward from the boom foot pin position P1. The distance DS may be a pre-registered distance, or may be a distance that is dynamically set before calculating the positional shift.

The positional deviation calculation unit 32 is configured to calculate the positional deviation between the estimated coordinates and the actual coordinates of a predetermined portion of the end attachment. In the illustrated example, the positional deviation calculation unit 32 calculates the coordinates (estimated coordinates) of the bucket tip position P4 calculated by the coordinate estimation unit 31 when the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 contacts the reference position, and the GNSS receiver, etc. The positional deviation between the coordinates (actual coordinates) of the reference position and the coordinates (actual coordinates) measured in advance using the Specifically, the positional deviation calculation unit 32 calculates in which direction and how far the estimated coordinates are away from the actual coordinates. Note that when the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is brought into contact with the reference position, the coordinates of the reference position correspond to the actual coordinates of the bucket tip position P4.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, an example of a process in which the controller 30 acquires information regarding the positional deviation of the tip of the claw 6a (hereinafter referred to as "information acquisition process") will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of information acquisition processing. Further, FIG. 6 is a side view of the shovel 100 that executes an example of the information acquisition process. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows the state of the shovel 100 when the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is brought into contact with the reference position RP.

The reference position RP is a position having coordinates of a predetermined geodetic system, and includes a position having coordinates represented by a survey marker such as a reference stake. In the illustrated example, the reference position RP has coordinates in the world geodetic system. The coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP are known to the controller 30 and the operation support device 50 .

The reference position RP may be a line drawn on the horizontal ground on the apron of the excavator 100. This line has a length that is approximately the same as the width of the bucket 6, for example. In this case, the operator of the shovel 100 runs the shovel 100 and stops the lower traveling body 1 at a predetermined position. The predetermined position is, for example, a position represented by a rectangular frame drawn on the ground. A line representing the reference position RP is drawn at a position a predetermined distance away from the front side of the rectangular frame so as to be parallel to the front side. Thereafter, the operator of the excavator 100 operates the operating device 26 to move the attachment AT to bring the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 into contact with the reference position RP. At this point, the controller 30 executes information acquisition processing.

First, the controller 30 acquires the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP (step ST1). In the illustrated example, the operator enters the coordinates (X _R , Y R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP into the controller 30 by inputting the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP via the input device _D1 . )give. The coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP may be input to the controller 30 via a USB memory, wireless communication, or the like. Note that the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP correspond to the actual coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 when the operator brings the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 into contact with the reference position RP.

Thereafter, the coordinate estimation unit 31 of the controller 30 estimates the coordinates (X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z ₄ ) of the bucket tip position P4 when the operator brings the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 into contact with the reference position RP ( Step ST2).

Specifically, the operator of the excavator 100 operates the operating devices 26 such as a boom operating lever, an arm operating lever, a bucket operating lever, a swing operating lever, and a travel pedal to move the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 to the reference position RP. contact with. Then, the operator uses the touch panel as the input device D1 to instruct the operation support device 50 via the coordinate estimation unit 31 to store the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 at that time as estimated coordinates. In response to the instruction, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 of the operation support device 50 stores the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 as estimated coordinates in the storage device D4.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 determines the coordinates (X _S , Y _S , Z _S ) of the sensor position Ps in the world geodetic system and the upper rotation based on the respective outputs of the aircraft tilt sensor S4 and the positioning device S6. The direction of body 3 is derived. Then, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 obtains the coordinates (X _S , Y _S , Z _S ) of the sensor position Ps in the world geodetic system and the orientation of the upper rotating structure 3 based on the coordinates ( X ₁ , Y ₁ , Z ₁ ) are derived. Then, based on the outputs of the boom angle sensor S1, arm angle sensor S2, and bucket angle sensor S3, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 determines the distance DS (value DS1) from the boom foot pin position P1 in the toe direction indicated by the broken line. The coordinates (X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z ₄ ) of the bucket tip position P4 at the position are calculated. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the direction of the toe is set so as to form an angle θ1 with the horizontal plane.

The operator of the excavator 100 brings the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 into contact with the reference position RP multiple times while changing the attitude of the attachment AT, and each time the operator separately estimates the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 as the estimated coordinates. An instruction may be given to the operation support device 50 via the coordinate estimating unit 31 to memorize the information.

Thereafter, the positional deviation calculation unit 32 of the controller 30 acquires information regarding the positional deviation between the actual coordinates and the estimated coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 (step ST3). In the illustrated example, the controller 30 acquires the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP acquired in step ST1 as the actual coordinates of the bucket tip position P4. Then, the controller 30 acquires information regarding the positional deviation between the actual coordinates and the estimated coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 stored in the storage device D4 in step ST2.

The information regarding the positional shift is, for example, the distance, horizontal distance, or vertical distance between the estimated coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 and the actual coordinates, or the direction of the estimated coordinates as seen from the actual coordinates.

If a plurality of estimated coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 are stored, the positional deviation calculation unit 32 may acquire information regarding the positional deviation between each of the plurality of estimated coordinates and the actual coordinates. In this case, the information regarding the positional shift may be a statistical value (average value, maximum value, or minimum value) of the distance between each of the plurality of estimated coordinates and the actual coordinate. The same applies to the horizontal distance or vertical distance, or the direction of the estimated coordinates as seen from the actual coordinates.

After that, the controller 30 calculates the correction amount based on the information regarding the positional deviation (step ST4). The correction amount is used to correct the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 calculated by the coordinate acquisition unit 51 when the operation support device 50 executes a machine guidance function, a machine control function, an autonomous control function, etc. . The correction amount is, for example, the amount of wear of the claw 6a of the bucket 6.

With this configuration, the controller 30 performs subsequent execution based on the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit 51 when the claw 6a of the bucket 6 contacts the reference position RP, which is one known coordinate. A correction amount for correcting the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 calculated by various functions is derived. Therefore, after the information acquisition process is executed, the controller 30 can accurately derive the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 regardless of whether the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is worn. In the illustrated example, the controller 30 corrects the bucket tip position P4 so that the error in the bucket tip position P4 is within ±50 mm.

Next, another example of the information acquisition process will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7. FIG. 7 is a side view of the shovel 100 that executes another example of the information acquisition process. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows the state of the shovel 100 when the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is brought into contact with the tip of the protruding member PM.

The protruding member PM is a member provided so as to protrude forward from the revolving frame that constitutes the upper revolving body 3 so that the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 can come into contact with the protruding member PM. In the illustrated example, the protruding member PM is an extensible rod-shaped member, and one end is attached to the lower surface of the revolving frame, and the projecting member PM is configured to be retracted and stored between the lower traveling structure 1 and the upper revolving structure 3. has been done. However, the protruding member PM may be configured to be detachable from the rotating frame. In this case, the protruding member PM is attached to the revolving frame immediately before the information acquisition process is executed, and is removed after the information acquisition process is completed and before the shovel 100 starts normal work. Note that the protruding member PM may be a plate-shaped member, or may be configured to be disassembled into a plurality of members.

The information acquisition process performed by the shovel 100 shown in FIG. 7 differs from the information acquisition process performed by the shovel 100 shown in FIG. 6 using the output of the positioning device S6 in that the output of the positioning device S6 is not used. Therefore, in the excavator 100 shown in FIG. 7, the positioning device S6 may be omitted. However, the information acquisition process executed by shovel 100 shown in FIG. 7 is executed along the flow shown in FIG. 5, similar to the information acquisition process executed by shovel 100 shown in FIG. 6.

In the information acquisition process executed by the excavator 100 shown in FIG. 7, the controller 30 first acquires the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP (step ST1). In the example shown in FIG. 7, the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP are coordinates located at the tip of the protrusion member PM having a known size, and are registered in advance in the storage device D4. . Further, the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP are not in the world geodetic system but in the reference coordinate system with the shovel 100 as a reference. The same applies to the coordinates (X ₁ , Y ₁ , Z ₁ ) of the boom foot pin position P1 and the coordinates (X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z ₄ ) of the bucket tip position P4. The operator provides the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP to the controller 30 by inputting the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP via the input device D1. Good too. Note _that in the information acquisition process executed _by the excavator 100 _shown in FIG. When brought into contact, this corresponds to the actual coordinates of the bucket tip position P4.

Thereafter, the coordinate estimation unit 31 of the controller 30 estimates the coordinates (X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z ₄ ) of the bucket tip position P4 when the operator brings the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 into contact with the reference position RP ( Step ST2).

Specifically, the operator of the excavator 100 operates the operating devices 26 such as a boom operating lever, an arm operating lever, a bucket operating lever, a swing operating lever, and a travel pedal to move the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 to the reference position RP. contact with. Then, the operator uses the touch panel as the input device D1 to instruct the operation support device 50 via the coordinate estimation unit 31 to store the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 at that time as estimated coordinates. In response to the instruction, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 of the operation support device 50 stores the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 as estimated coordinates in the storage device D4.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 calculates a distance DS (value DS2 The coordinates (X ₄ , Y ₄ , Z ₄ ) of the bucket tip position P4 located at a position separated by ) are calculated. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the relative positional relationship between the origin of the coordinates (0, 0, 0) and the boom foot pin position P1 of the coordinates (X ₁ , Y ₁ , Z ₁ ) is stored in the storage device D4. has been registered in advance. Further, the direction of the toe is set so as to form an angle θ2 with the horizontal plane.

The operator of the excavator 100 brings the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 into contact with the reference position RP multiple times while changing the attitude of the attachment AT, and each time the operator separately estimates the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 as the estimated coordinates. An instruction may be given to the operation support device 50 via the coordinate estimating unit 31 to memorize the information.

Thereafter, the positional deviation calculation unit 32 of the controller 30 acquires information regarding the positional deviation between the actual coordinates and the estimated coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 (step ST3). In the illustrated example, the controller 30 acquires the coordinates (X _R , Y _R , Z _R ) of the reference position RP acquired in step ST1 as the actual coordinates of the bucket tip position P4. Then, the controller 30 acquires information regarding the positional deviation between the actual coordinates and the estimated coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 stored in the storage device D4 in step ST2.

After that, the controller 30 calculates the correction amount based on the information regarding the positional deviation (step ST4). The correction amount is used to correct the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 calculated by the coordinate acquisition unit 51 when the operation support device 50 executes a machine guidance function, a machine control function, an autonomous control function, etc. . The correction amount is, for example, the amount of wear of the claw 6a of the bucket 6.

With this configuration, the controller 30 performs subsequent execution based on the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit 51 when the claw 6a of the bucket 6 contacts the reference position RP, which is one known coordinate. A correction amount for correcting the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 calculated by various functions is derived. Therefore, after the information acquisition process is executed, the controller 30 can accurately derive the coordinates of the bucket tip position P4 regardless of whether the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is worn.

As described above, the excavator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the undercarriage 1, the upper revolving structure 3 mounted on the undercarriage 1, and the upper revolving structure 3 attached to the upper revolving structure 3, as shown in FIG. In addition, the attachment AT (excavation attachment) including the boom 4, arm 5, and end attachment (bucket 6), an attitude detection device that detects the attitude of the attachment AT, and a predetermined portion of the end attachment ( A control device (controller 30) configured to calculate the estimated position of the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6.In the example shown in FIG. The control device (controller 30) includes an angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, a body inclination sensor S4, and a turning angular velocity sensor S5.As shown in FIG. 6 or 7, the control device (controller 30) A predetermined portion of the end attachment (the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6) is positioned at a first position (reference position RP) that is a known distance DS away from the foot pin position P1 in a predetermined direction (direction represented by a broken line). is configured to calculate the positional deviation between the estimated position of a predetermined part of the end attachment (the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6) and the first position (reference position RP) based on the output of the attitude detection device when Note that if the positional deviation is zero, the estimated position of the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is the same as the reference position RP.

This configuration has the effect that the position of the predetermined portion of the end attachment can be calculated more accurately.

Furthermore, the shovel 100 may include a positioning device S6 that measures the position of the shovel 100. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, before calculating the positional deviation, the controller 30 calculates the value of the distance DS between the boom foot pin position P1 and the reference position RP based on the output of the positioning device S6. It may be configured as follows. This is to check whether the distance DS is a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a distance suitable for calculating positional deviation, and may have a certain width.

This configuration has the effect of simplifying preparations when the controller 30 executes the information acquisition process, which is the process of acquiring information regarding the positional deviation of the tip of the claw 6a. The advance preparation includes, for example, installing the protrusion member PM in the example shown in FIG. 7 .

That is, in the excavator 100 equipped with the positioning device S6, the claw 6a of the bucket 6 is positioned at a public reference point or a reference point set based on the public reference point without using the protruding member PM as shown in FIG. Just by bringing the tips into contact, the effect is that the positional deviation between the estimated position (estimated coordinates) of the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 and the reference position RP (actual coordinates of the tip of the claw 6a) is calculated.

Further, in the excavator 100, the controller 30 acquires information regarding the type of the end attachment attached to the arm 5, and adjusts the position of the predetermined portion of the end attachment based on the acquired information regarding the type of the end attachment and the output of the attitude detection device. It may be configured to calculate the estimated position. The types of end attachments may be classified by use, such as slope buckets or excavation buckets, or by size, such as large slope buckets, medium slope buckets, or small slope buckets. You can leave it there. The information regarding the type of end attachment includes the distance from the arm pin to a predetermined portion (for example, the tip of the claw 6a) when the end attachment is attached to the arm 5.

The operator of excavator 100 may input information regarding the type of end attachment to controller 30 through input device D1 when the end attachment is replaced. For example, when the operator of the excavator 100 attaches a slope bucket to the arm 5 after removing the excavation bucket attached to the arm 5, the operator selects the input device D1 attached to the display device D3. Calls up an input screen for inputting the type of end attachment by operating the touch panel. Then, the user presses the software button labeled "Slope Bucket" displayed on the display screen of the display device D3. By this operation, information regarding the slope bucket, such as the distance between the arm pin and the tip of the slope bucket, is input to the controller 30. The controller 30 can calculate the estimated position of the tip of the slope bucket based on the information regarding the slope bucket and the output of the attitude detection device.

This configuration has the effect that even if the excavation bucket is replaced with a slope bucket, the controller 30 can accurately estimate the position of the predetermined portion of the end attachment.

In addition, in the excavator 100, the controller 30 controls the position between the estimated position of a predetermined portion of the end attachment (the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6) and the first position (reference position RP) when a predetermined control command is input. It may also be configured to calculate the positional deviation of.

In the example shown in FIG. 6 or 7, the operator of the excavator 100 operates the operating device 26 to move the attachment AT, and when the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 contacts the reference position RP, Calculation of positional deviation may be started by pressing a software button for starting calculation of positional deviation displayed on the display screen. In this case, when the control command generated when the software button is pressed is input, the controller 30 determines the estimated coordinates of the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 and the actual coordinates of the tip (coordinates of the reference position RP). ) may be calculated.

In this configuration, the operator confirms that the predetermined portion of the end attachment has contacted the reference position RP, and then calculates the estimated coordinates of the predetermined portion of the end attachment and the actual coordinates of the predetermined portion (coordinates of the reference position RP). This brings about the effect that calculation of the positional deviation between can be started. Therefore, this configuration has the effect of increasing the accuracy of positional deviation.

Further, in the excavator 100, the end attachment may be the bucket 6. In this case, the controller 30 determines the wear amount of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 based on the size of the positional deviation between the estimated coordinates of the tip of the claw 6a of the bucket 6 and the actual coordinates of the tip (coordinates of the reference position RP). may be configured to calculate.

This configuration has the effect that the operator of the excavator 100 can accurately grasp the amount of wear on the claw 6a of the bucket 6. Therefore, the operator can accurately know when to replace the claw 6a.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications, substitutions, etc. may be applied to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, features described separately can be combined as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the reference position RP is one point on the ground, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Specifically, the reference position RP may be any feature that can make contact with a predetermined part of the end attachment, for example, it may be a point on the surface of a vertical wall, or it may be a pedestal that protrudes upward from the ground. It may be a single point on the upper end surface of.

Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the protruding member PM is configured to be attached to the upper rotating body 3, but may be configured to be attached to the lower traveling body 1.

Further, the reference position RP does not need to be an actual point, and may be a virtual point set optically, magnetically, or electrically.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 rotates the reference coordinate system with the excavator 100 as a reference and aligns the three axes of the reference coordinate system with the three axes of the world geodetic system. Derive the coordinates in the world geodetic system corresponding to the point. For example, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 derives coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) in a global geodetic system such as the World Geodetic System 1984, the Japanese Geodetic System 2000, or the International Earth Reference Coordinate System. However, the coordinate acquisition unit 51 may derive the coordinates of a geodetic system in a narrower range, such as a local coordinate system (regional coordinate system).

1...Lower traveling body 1R...Hydraulic motor for right side travel 1L...Hydraulic motor for left side travel 2...Swivel mechanism 3...Upper rotating body 4...Boom 5...Arm 6. ...Bucket 6a...Claw 7...Boom cylinder 8...Arm cylinder 9...Bucket cylinder 10...Cabin 11...Engine 14...Main pump 15...Pilot pump 17. ... Control valve unit 21 ... Hydraulic motor for swing 25 ... Pilot line 26 ... Operating device 26A, 26B ... Control lever 26C ... Control pedal 29 ... Operation sensor 30 ... Controller 31... Coordinate estimation section 32... Position shift calculation section 50... Operation support device 51... Coordinate acquisition section 52... Calculation section 53... Sound output processing section 54... Display processing section 100... Excavator S1... Boom angle sensor S2... Arm angle sensor S3... Bucket angle sensor S4... Body tilt sensor S5... Turning angular velocity sensor S6... Positioning device D1... Input device D2...Sound output device D3...Display device D4...Storage device PM...Protruding member

Claims (6)

a lower running body;
an upper revolving body mounted on the lower traveling body;
an attachment including a boom, an arm, and an end attachment attached to the upper revolving structure;
a posture detection device that detects the posture of the attachment;
a control device configured to calculate an estimated position of a predetermined portion of the end attachment based on the output of the posture detection device;
The control device determines the predetermined portion of the end attachment based on the output of the attitude detection device when the predetermined portion of the end attachment is positioned at a first position separated by a known distance in a predetermined direction from the boom foot pin. configured to calculate a positional shift between the estimated position of and the first position;
shovel. Equipped with a positioning device to measure the position of the excavator,
The control device calculates the distance between the boom foot pin and the first position based on the output of the positioning device before calculating the positional deviation.
The excavator according to claim 1. The control device acquires information regarding the type of the end attachment attached to the arm, and estimates a predetermined portion of the end attachment based on the acquired information regarding the type of the end attachment and the output of the posture detection device. configured to calculate a position;
The excavator according to claim 1 or 2. The control device is configured to calculate the positional deviation when a predetermined control command is input.
The excavator according to claim 1 or 2. the end attachment is a bucket;
The control device calculates a wear amount of the claw of the bucket based on the positional deviation.
The excavator according to claim 1 or 2. An undercarriage body, an upper revolving body mounted on the lower revolving body, an attachment including a boom, an arm, and an end attachment attached to the upper revolving body, and an attitude detection device that detects the attitude of the attachment. An excavator management system comprising:
a control device configured to calculate an estimated position of a predetermined portion of the end attachment based on the output of the posture detection device;
The control device determines the predetermined portion of the end attachment based on the output of the attitude detection device when the predetermined portion of the end attachment is positioned at a first position separated by a known distance in a predetermined direction from the boom foot pin. configured to calculate a positional shift between the estimated position of and the first position;
Excavator management system.

Images