JPH05297942A - Automatic transfer system for construction work - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically carry out a series of jobs including the loading, transfer and unloading of earth and sand. CONSTITUTION:The present position of a crawler dump 9 is calculated in real time by a bidirectional automatic tracking system including an automatic tracking device 19 provided to the dump 9 and an automatic tracking device 20 provided to a fixed station 14 and a coordinate arithmetic system of the dump 9. Then, the present position of the dump 9 is compared with the traveling route coordinates set previously and at the same time the dump 9 is automatically moved along traveling route 10 between a loading position P1 and an unloading position P2. An ultrasonic sensor 8 attached to a power shovel 1 measures the shape of the earth and sand to be loaded. Based on this measured shape, a working pattern of the shovel 1 is decided so that the earth and sand can be automatically dug out and loaded into the dump 9 waiting at the position P1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic transfer system used for earthwork, and more specifically, it is used for excavating power shovels, loading machines and crawler dump trucks for loading and unloading earth and sand. The present invention relates to an automatic transport system that automatically performs a series of work until unloading.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Productivity improvement such as labor saving and efficiency improvement in disaster-prevention work in a constructed land, tunnel work, earth-quarrying, etc. As a measure to do so, large-scale construction machines have been mainly promoted. However, new measures have been demanded to cope with the decrease in the number of workers engaged in work in recent years, the aging, the ensuring of safety, and the improvement of the work environment. On the other hand, with the recent development of electronics and mechatronics, it has become possible to solve the above problems by making full use of these latest technologies for labor saving and unmanned operation.

[0003] Conventionally, an unmanned traveling system of a dump truck has been known as a sediment transport system for earthwork. In this unmanned traveling system, a preset traveling course is stored in a storage medium such as an IC card, and a large number of laser reflecting plates are installed along the traveling route of the dump truck to generate a laser beam emitted from the dump truck. The direction and distance are calculated from the reception angle of the reflected laser when the light is irradiated toward the reflector, and the calculated position and the traveling route data of the storage medium are compared to confirm the traveling position of the dump truck and the position. While correcting, the dump truck is run unmanned along the stored course.

As a machine for excavating construction such as a power shovel which can be automated, a laser oscillator is installed on the ground, and a laser receiver, a boom angle sensor, an arm angle sensor, a bucket angle sensor and a computer are installed in the body of the heavy excavator. The laser beam sent from the laser oscillator is received by the light receiver, the excavation depth is calculated based on this received beam, and the calculated data is input to the computer, and the detection data from each sensor is input to the computer. It is proposed to automatically excavate the drainage management ditch by feeding back to.

[0005]

However, in the conventional transportation system as described above, since the laser reflector has to be installed along the traveling route of the carrier, the traveling route is changed each time. Since the installation position of the laser reflection plate must be changed, the work becomes complicated, and the setting of the traveling route becomes troublesome. Further, the conventional excavation construction machine described above is suitable for excavation such as ditch excavation, but is not suitable for a construction machine that excavates earth and sand and loads it on a carrier, and in most cases the operator operates the earth and sand Currently, loading is done. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is an automatic transfer capable of automatically performing a series of operations from unearthing and loading of earth and sand to transportation and unloading. In providing the system.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fixed station installed in an earthworking area and a predetermined route between the loading position and the unloading position in the earthworking area. And a carrier vehicle that autonomously travels along the fixed station and the carrier vehicle, and an automatic tracking device that operates so as to always face each other by a light wave transmitted from both,
Distance measurement means for measuring the distance between the fixed station and the carrier by irradiating a light wave from the other automatic tracking apparatus to the target provided in the one automatic tracking apparatus, and the horizontal direction of the automatic tracking apparatus of the fixed station. Angle detecting means for detecting a swing angle and a tilt angle in the vertical direction, and calculating means for calculating coordinates on the traveling route of the transport vehicle based on the distance information from the distance measuring means and the angle information from the angle detecting means. Communication between the transport vehicle and the control center, and operation control means for automatically traveling the transport vehicle along the travel route based on the predetermined travel route information and the coordinate values calculated by the computing means. Communication means to perform, a loading machine capable of autonomously loading a loading object such as earth and sand in the earthworking area onto the transport vehicle, and an object loading by the loading machine A shape measuring means for measuring the shape,
The loading work pattern is determined according to the shape information measured by the shape measuring means, and the operation drive control means for automatically driving the loading machine according to the work pattern, and the arrival of the carrier at the loading position. Communication is performed between the loading machine and the control center by notifying the loading machine, operating the loading machine, detecting the completion of loading of the object on the transport vehicle and giving a start command to the transport vehicle, and the loading machine. And a communication means. Further, according to the present invention, the transport vehicle is trial-run in the earthworking area, and the traveling route coordinates of the transport vehicle are taught by bidirectional automatic tracking from a fixed station as a base point. Automatic transfer system for earthwork described in 1. Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the work status of the transport vehicle and the loading machine is monitored based on the work information of the transport vehicle and the loading machine transmitted to the control center.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An automatic carrying system of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram when the automatic transport system of the present invention is applied to a residential land construction work or the like. In FIG. 1, 1 is a power shovel for excavating and loading earth and sand, etc. This power shovel 1 is a crawler 2 that runs automatically, a swivel 3 installed on the crawler 2 so as to be horizontally swivel, and a swivel 3 A boom 4 that is vertically rotatably installed, an arm 5 that is bendably attached to the tip of the boom 4, and a bucket 6 that is rotatably attached to the arm tip. A drive mechanism 7 including a diesel engine for driving the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 and a hydraulic pump is installed. An ultrasonic sensor 8 for measuring the position and shape of the excavation part and the shape of the load on the crawler dump described later is installed at the tip of the arm 5, and the swivel for detecting the swivel angle of the swivel base 3. Angle sensor, boom angle sensor that detects the tilt angle of the boom 4,
An arm angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the arm 5 and a bucket angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the bucket 6 (both will be described later) are provided.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 9 is a crawler dump that travels along a predetermined travel route 10 between a sediment loading position P1 close to the power shovel 1 and a unloading position P2 for unloading the sand. Crawler dump 9
Includes a crawler 11 that automatically travels on the travel route 10, a dump truck 12 provided on the crawler 11, and a driver's seat 13. Reference numeral 14 is a fixed station installed at a reference position overlooking the area to be created, 15 is a relay station installed at the same position as the fixed station 14, and 16 is a control center installed at a predetermined location in the area. The cable 16 and the fixed station 14 and the relay station 15 are connected to each other by cables 17 and 18.

In the crawler dump 9 and the fixed station 14,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a bidirectional automatic tracking device 1
9 and 20 are installed respectively. The automatic tracking devices 19 and 20 send tracking light waves toward each other, and receive the light waves, so that the light receiving position on the two-dimensional light receiving element is always centered. The tracking devices 19 and 20 are operated in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, so that the front surfaces of the automatic tracking devices 19 and 20 are automatically controlled so as to always face each other. In addition, the automatic tracking device 19,
As shown in FIG. 2, 20 is provided with optical communication devices 21 and 22 for spatial lightwave data transmission, which perform data communication with each other.

The automatic tracking device 20 on the fixed station 14 side is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the distance from the fixed station 14 to the target 23 of the crawler dump 9, that is, the crawler dump 9
The distance from the reference point of the automatic tracking device 20 when the optical distance meter 24 that measures the current position of the automatic tracking device 19 and the automatic tracking device 19 horizontally turn to face the automatic tracking device 20 of the fixed station 14 Vertical angle measurement for measuring the tilt angle from the reference point of the automatic tracking device 20 when the horizontal angle measuring device 29 and the automatic tracking device 19 are tilted vertically so as to face the automatic tracking device 20 of the fixed station 14. And a container 30 are installed. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the automatic tracking device 19 on the crawler dump 9 side is provided with a target 23 that reflects the light wave sent from the light wave range finder 24 on the fixed station 14 side toward the crawler dump 9. ..

As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed station 14 is provided with a control circuit 25 (corresponding to arithmetic means) composed of a microcomputer for managing and controlling the entire fixed station. The control circuit 25 stores the optical communication device 22, the lightwave distance meter 24, the data communication circuit 26, the horizontal angle measuring device 29, the vertical angle measuring device 30, and a control program for controlling these, communication data, and the like. The storage circuits 27 are connected to each other, and the data communication circuit 26 is connected to the control center 16 through the cable 17.

As shown in FIG. 2, the crawler dump 9 includes a main control circuit 28 composed of a microcomputer for managing and controlling the entire crawler dump. The main control circuit 28 includes an optical communication device 21, a safety monitoring device 31, a transceiver 32 for communicating with the power shovel 1, an operation control circuit 33 for the crawler dump 9, and a control program for controlling these and a crawler dump. A storage circuit 34 for storing a processing program for teaching, travel route data, etc. is connected to each.

The safety monitoring device 31 is for preventing rear-end collisions with field workers and other obstacles, for preventing mutual distance with the power shovel 1 and for preventing the crawler dump 9 from tipping over. It is composed of a sensor for detecting the rolling angle. The operation control circuit 33,
The crawler dump 9 is used for running / stopping, changing direction, starting / stopping the engine, and moving up / down the loading platform 12. The operation control circuit 33 includes a crawler drive unit 35,
A steering unit 36, an engine start / stop operation unit 37, and an up / down drive unit 38 of the luggage carrier 12 are connected to each other.

The power shovel 1 is provided with a main control circuit 39 composed of a microcomputer for managing and controlling the entire power shovel as shown in FIG. The main control circuit 39 includes an ultrasonic sensor 8, a turning angle sensor 40, a boom angle sensor 41, an arm angle sensor 42, a bucket angle sensor 42A, a transceiver 43 for communicating with the crawler dump 9, a control program, and a loading time. Storage circuit 44 for storing work pattern data and the like, operation control circuit 45 of power shovel 1, transceiver 46 for communicating with relay station 15,
And a safety monitoring device 47 are respectively connected.

The operation control circuit 45 controls the running / stopping of the power shovel 1, the direction change, the start / stop of the engine, the swivel base 3, the boom 4, the arm 5 and the bucket 6, and the operation control circuit 45. Includes a crawler drive unit 48, a steering unit 49, an engine start / stop operation unit 50,
The swivel 3, the boom 4, the drive unit 51 for driving the arm 5, and the bucket 6 are connected to each other. The safety monitoring device 47 prevents the rear-end collision with a field worker or other obstacles, monitors the mutual distance with the crawler dump 9, and prevents the power shovel 1 from falling, and detects an ultrasonic sensor and a pitching angle and a rolling angle. It is composed of sensors for use.

The relay station 15 relays data between the power shovel 1 and the control center 16. Communication between the relay station 15 and the control center 16 is performed through a cable 18. The control center 16 processes various data transmitted from the power shovel 1 and the crawler dump 9 as shown in FIG. 1, and processes and sends data such as a start command to the power shovel 1 and the crawler dump 9. A host computer 52, a monitor 53 for displaying the work status of the power shovel 1 and the crawler dump 9, and a VR display unit 54 for remotely operating the power shovel 1 using a VR (virtual quality) system. I have it. In addition,
When the power shovel 1 is remotely controlled by the VR method, a stereoscopic camera 55 is attached to the power shovel 1 as shown in FIG. 1, and images of the bucket and the excavated portion photographed by the stereoscopic camera 55 are displayed on the VR display unit 54. indicate.

Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. Prior to carrying work, first, the driver's seat 13
The crawler dump 9 is tried by the operator who has entered the vehicle along a predetermined travel route 10, and the crawler dump 9 is automatically taught the coordinate data of the travel route including the soil loading position P1 and the unloading position P2.

This teaching is performed as follows. First, the loading position P1 is used as a starting point for trial, and the crawler dump 9 is positioned at this position P1.
Each automatic tracking device 1 of the crawler dump 9 and the fixed station 14.
9 and 20 are operated, and both automatic tracking devices 19 and 20 are operated.
The two-way automatic tracking state is maintained so that the fronts of the two face each other. Then, the light wave range finder 24 of the fixed station 14 is operated to irradiate the target 23 of the crawler dump 9 with the light wave generated from this, and based on the light wave reflected from the target 23, the fixed station 14 outputs the crawler dump 9 to the crawler dump 9. Horizontal distance measuring device 29
Automatic tracking device 20 centered on a reference point determined in advance by
Is measured in the horizontal direction, and the vertical angle measuring device 30 further measures the vertical tilt angle of the automatic tracking device 20 around a predetermined reference point.

The position of the fixed station 14 is determined by fetching these measured data into the control circuit 25 and calculating them. Based on the position data of the fixed station 14, the starting point of the crawler dump 9, that is, the loading position P1 is created. The map coordinates in the area are calculated, and the map coordinates are used for this.
To the main control circuit 28 on the side of the crawler dump 9 and stored in the memory circuit 34 as traveling route coordinates.

Thereafter, similarly, the crawler dump 9 is moved along the travel route 10 determined by the operator's judgment by 5 (k).
The travel route 10 is sampled at intervals of, for example, 50 cm or less by performing trial travel at a speed of about m / h), and the coordinate value of each sampling point is calculated and sequentially stored in the storage circuit 34. The coordinates of the unloading position P2 are also stored in the storage circuit 34 in the same manner, and the stored sampling data is stored in the control circuit 2 on the fixed station 14 side.
5, the teaching is performed on the fixed station 14 side.

The taught coordinate data of the traveling route is transmitted from the fixed station 14 to the control center 16 through the data communication circuit 26 and the cable 17. This travel route data is processed by the host computer 52, and then the monitor 5 together with the map of the development area.
It is displayed in 3.

Next, the earth and sand carrying work by the cooperative operation of the power shovel 1 and the crawler dump 9 will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. FIG. 4 shows the operation procedure of the power shovel 1, the control center 1
When a work command for operating the host computer 52 of No. 6 is transmitted to the power shovel 1 via the relay station 15, this work command is taken into the main control circuit 39 through the transceiver 46, and the program shown in FIG. To start.

First, in step S1, it is determined whether the power shovel 1 has started the automatic loading operation. here,
When a negative determination is made, the work ends, and when an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S2 to measure the shape of the load (earth and sand). That is, the shape of the earth and sand is measured by emitting ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic sensor 8 to the earth and sand at the excavated site, receiving the reflected wave by the ultrasonic sensor 8 and incorporating the reflected wave in the main control circuit 39. Then, the power shovel 1, that is, the boom 4 and the arm 5 is based on the result of the shape of the earth and sand.
Set the work pattern of.

In the next step S3, the crawler dump 9
Determines whether has arrived at the loading position. That is,
When the crawler dump 9 arrives at the loading position, an arrival signal signal is transmitted from the transceiver 32, and when the signal signal is received by the transceiver 46 on the power shovel 1 side, the process proceeds to step S4 and the safety monitoring device 47 The position of the crawler dump 9 (the distance from the power shovel 1 to the crawler dump 9) is measured by the ultrasonic sensor of FIG.

In the next step S5, the main control circuit 39 gives an excavation operation command and a work pattern signal to the operation control circuit 45, and the operation control circuit 45 controls the drive unit 51 to rotate the swivel base 3, the boom 4, and the like. The arm 5 and the bucket 6 are driven to excavate the earth and sand and pack it in the bucket 6.
When the excavation of the earth and sand is completed, the boom 4 and the arm 5 raise the bucket 6 to the loading level in accordance with the work pattern command, and move the power shovel 1 to the proper loading position based on the measured position information of the crawler dump 9. After that, in step S6, the swivel base 3 is swiveled to position the bucket 6 on the cargo bed 12 of the crawler dump 9. In the next step S7, the bucket 6 is tilted by the drive unit 51 so that the soil in the bucket 6 is loaded into the loading platform 1.
The ultrasonic sensor 8 monitors the loading state of the earth and sand in the loading platform 12 at this time.

In the next step S8, it is determined whether or not a predetermined amount of earth and sand has been loaded in the platform 12. This judgment is made by measuring the number of times of loading of sand by the power shovel 1 or by measuring the loading weight by a load meter mounted on the crawler dump 9. In step S8, when the number of times of loading and the weight of loading are not reached, the process returns to step S5. Further, when the predetermined number of times or the predetermined weight is reached, the transceiver 43 sends a loading completion signal to the crawler dump 9.

Next, the operation of the crawler dump 9 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, step S1
In No. 1, a work start command from the control center 16 is transmitted to the crawler dump 9 through the fixed station 14 to set the control section to the operation mode and set the taught path coordinates. In the next step S12, it is determined whether the loading completion signal from the power shovel 1 has been received.

When it is determined that the loading completion signal has been received, in step S13, the main control circuit 28 outputs a departure command to the operation control circuit 33 to drive the crawler drive section 35 to drive the crawler dump 9. Depart. Then, the crawler dump 9 autonomously travels on the travel route 10 in accordance with the taught route coordinates (step S14). At this time, the actual traveling coordinates of the crawler dump 9 are based on the fixed station 14, and the lightwave range finder 24, the horizontal angle measuring device 29, and the vertical angle measuring device 30 of the fixed station 14.
And compared with the taught path coordinates. Then, the traveling direction of the crawler dump 9 is corrected so that the deviation becomes zero.

When the crawler dump 9 reaches the unloading position P2, it stops, the rear part of the bed 12 is directed in the discharging direction, and the up / down drive unit 38 is operated to move up the bed 12, so that the earth and sand in the bed 12 Is discharged (step S15). When the unloading is completed, the crawler dump 9 starts moving again on the traveling route 10 toward the loading position P1 (step S16). Then, when the crawler dump 9 arrives at the loading position P1, it stops (step S17). At the same time, it is determined whether or not the arrival signal has been transmitted from the transceiver 32 of the crawler dump 9 (step S18). If an affirmative determination is made here, the process returns to step S2 and waits until the next loading is completed. If a negative decision is made, step S18 is carried out until an affirmative decision is made.
The process of is repeated.

The work status data of the power shovel 1 and the crawler dump 9 are transmitted to the control center 16 through the respective communication systems and monitored by the monitor 53.

In this embodiment as described above, loading and transporting of earth and sand using a power shovel and a crawler dump,
Unloading can be done fully automatically and unattended. Further, by incorporating the bidirectional automatic tracking system in the crawler dump and the fixed station, the traveling route of the crawler dump can be monitored unattended from the fixed station, and the crawler dump can be made to accurately and autonomously travel along the traveling route.
Furthermore, since the bidirectional automatic tracking system and the route coordinates of the crawler dump can be calculated in real time, the traveling route of the crawler dump can be automatically taught,
It is easy to change the travel route.

Further, since the power shovel is provided with an ultrasonic sensor, the shape of the excavated portion is automatically measured by this ultrasonic sensor, and the boom, arm, etc. are driven in accordance with the portion shape data. , It is possible to automate excavation of sediment and loading of dump. Furthermore, the work status of the crawler dump and the power shovel can be monitored by sucking up the work information of the crawler dump and the power shovel to the control center.

In the above embodiment, the coordinate data of the traveling route of the crawler dump is described by teaching, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be input by a keyboard or the like. Further, the present invention is
The present invention can be applied not only to excavation and loading of earth and sand, but also to loading and transporting crushed stone and the like, and can be variously modified without departing from the scope described in the claims.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically and unmannedly carry and load and unload objects to be loaded, such as earth and sand, using a carrier vehicle and a loading machine. .. Further, according to the present invention, the travel route of the transport vehicle can be taught only by trial-driving the transport vehicle in the earthwork area, and the travel route can be set easily. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to monitor the working status of the transport vehicle and the loading machine at the center.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic transport system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an entire automatic transport system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a part of an automatic transport system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the power shovel in the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the crawler dump according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Power shovel 8 Ultrasonic sensor 9 Crawler dump 10 Traveling route P1 Loading position P2 Unloading position 14 Fixed station 16 Control center 17,18 Communication cable 19,20 Automatic tracking device 21,22 Optical communication device 23 Target 24 Optical distance meter 25 Control circuit 26 Data communication circuit 28 Main control circuit 29 Horizontal angle measuring device 30 Vertical angle measuring device 32 Transceiver 33 Operation control circuit 39 Main control circuit 43,46 Transceiver 45 Operation control circuit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI Technical display location E02F 1/00 8809-2D 9/20 C G05D 1/00 B 7828-3H 1/10 7828-3H 3/00 M 9179-3H (72) Inventor Toru Masaki 4-6-15 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Stock company Fujita (72) Inventor Minoru Mano 4-6-15 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Share-type Inside Fujita Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Sakio Kuriki 4-6-15 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside Fujita Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A fixed station installed in an earthworking area, a carrier vehicle autonomously traveling along a predetermined route between a loading position and an unloading position in the earthworking area, and the fixed station and the carrier. An automatic tracking device that is provided in each vehicle and operates so as to always face each other by the light waves sent from both, and fixed by irradiating the target provided in the one automatic tracking device with the light wave from the other automatic tracking device Distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the station and the carrier, angle detecting means for detecting the horizontal deflection angle and the vertical tilt angle of the automatic tracking device of the fixed station, and distance information from the distance measuring means and Calculating means for calculating the coordinates on the traveling route of the carrier based on the angle information from the angle detecting means, the predetermined traveling route information and the seat calculated by the calculating means. Operation control means for automatically traveling the transport vehicle along the travel route based on the standard value, communication means for communicating between the transport vehicle and a control center, and loading targets such as earth and sand in the earthwork area A loading machine capable of autonomously loading the transportation vehicle, shape measuring means for measuring the shape of an object loaded by the loading machine, and a loading work pattern according to shape information measured by the shape measuring means. And drive control means for automatically driving the loading machine according to this work pattern, and notifying the loading machine of the arrival of the transport vehicle at the loading position to operate the loading machine and also to the transport vehicle. A transmitting / receiving means for detecting the completion of loading of the target object and giving a start command to the transport vehicle; and a communication means for communicating between the loading machine and the control center. Automatic transfer system earthworks, characterized in that it comprises a. 2. The traveling route coordinate of the transport vehicle is taught by performing a trial run of the transport vehicle in an earthworking area and performing two-way automatic tracking from a fixed station as a base point. Automatic transfer system for earthworks described. 3. An automatic transfer system for earthwork according to claim 1, wherein the work status of the transfer vehicle and the loading machine is monitored based on the work information of the transfer vehicle and the loading machine transmitted to the control center. ..