阅读说明：本技术 作业机械 (Working machine ) 是由 井村进也 伊东胜道 森木秀一 齐藤裕保 于 2019-09-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种能够降低与作业者、自卸卡车等接触的可能性,并且抑制作业效率的恶化的作业机械。预先设定作业机械的移动范围,使作业者、自卸卡车等不进入所设定的移动范围内侧。作业机械对于进入到移动范围的障碍物具有富余地进行停止控制,但对于移动范围不怎么具有富余(将富余抑制到最小限度)地进行停止控制,因此能够抑制车身、作业机停止的频率,能够抑制作业效率的恶化。另外,在作业者、自卸卡车等进入本作业机械的移动范围内侧时,车身、作业机具有富余地进行停止控制,因此能够降低与作业者、自卸卡车等接触的可能性。(Provided is a working machine which can reduce the possibility of contact with an operator, a dump truck, or the like, and which can suppress deterioration of work efficiency. The movement range of the working machine is set in advance so that an operator, a dump truck, or the like does not enter the set movement range. The work machine performs the stop control with a margin for an obstacle that enters the movement range, but performs the stop control with a margin for the movement range that is not so large (the margin is minimized), so that the frequency of stopping the vehicle body and the work machine can be suppressed, and the deterioration of the work efficiency can be suppressed. Further, when the operator, the dump truck, or the like enters the inside of the movement range of the work machine, the vehicle body or the work implement is subjected to the stop control with a margin, and therefore, the possibility of contact with the operator, the dump truck, or the like can be reduced.)

1. A working machine is provided with:

a movable vehicle body or a working machine movably mounted on the vehicle body;

an actuator that drives the work machine or the vehicle body;

a movement range setting device that sets a movement range of the work machine or the vehicle body;

an obstacle position detection device that detects the position of an obstacle in the periphery; and

a control device that controls the actuator,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the control device is provided with:

a first control command calculation unit that calculates a first control command for controlling the actuator based on the movement range;

a second control command calculation unit that calculates a second control command for controlling the actuator based on a position of the obstacle inside the movement range; and

and a control execution unit that selects one of the first control command and the second control command, which is to stop the work implement or the vehicle body earlier, or which is to decelerate the work implement or the vehicle body more largely, and executes control of the actuator.

2. The work machine of claim 1,

the first control command calculation unit calculates a margin to move the work implement or the vehicle body outside the movement range, and sets a value of the margin as a first margin, and when the first margin is equal to or less than a first threshold, the first control command is set as a stop command, and when the first margin is larger than the first threshold, the first control command is set as an operation continuation command,

the second control command calculation unit calculates a margin until the work implement or the vehicle body comes into contact with the obstacle inside the movement range, and uses the value as a second margin, and when the second margin is equal to or less than a second threshold, the second control command is made a stop command, and when the second margin is larger than the second threshold, the second control command is made an operation continuation command,

the control execution unit performs control to stop the actuator when at least one of the first control command and the second control command is a stop command,

the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

3. The work machine of claim 1,

the first control command calculation unit calculates a margin to move the work implement or the vehicle body outside the movement range, and sets a value of the margin as a first margin, and when the first margin is equal to or less than a first threshold, the first control command is set as a stop command, and when the first margin is larger than the first threshold, the first control command is set as an operation continuation command,

the second control command calculation unit sets the periphery of the obstacle inside the movement range as an obstacle existing range, calculates a margin to the extent that the work implement or the vehicle body enters the obstacle existing range, and uses the value thereof as a second margin, and makes the second control command a stop command when the second margin is equal to or less than a second threshold, and makes the second control command an operation continuation command when the second margin is greater than the second threshold,

the control execution unit performs control to stop the actuator when at least one of the first control command and the second control command is a stop command.

4. The work machine of claim 1,

the first control command calculation unit calculates a margin to move the work implement or the vehicle body outside the travel range, sets the first speed limit value such that the first speed limit value of the work implement or the vehicle body increases as the first margin increases, and sets the first speed limit value as the first control command,

the second control command calculation unit calculates a margin until the work implement or the vehicle body comes into contact with the obstacle inside the movement range, sets the second speed limit value such that the second speed limit value of the work implement or the vehicle body becomes larger as the second margin becomes larger, and sets the value as the second control command,

the control execution unit controls the speed of the actuator to be equal to or lower than the speed limit value when the speed of the actuator is higher than the speed limit value, with the smaller one of the first speed limit value and the second speed limit value being a speed limit value,

when the first margin is larger than a predetermined lower limit and the second margin is smaller than a predetermined upper limit, the second speed limit value is smaller than the first speed limit value even if the first margin and the second margin are the same.

5. The work machine of claim 1,

the first control command calculation unit calculates a margin to move the work implement or the vehicle body outside the travel range, sets the first speed limit value such that the first speed limit value of the work implement or the vehicle body increases as the first margin increases, and sets the first speed limit value as the first control command,

the second control command calculation unit sets a periphery of the obstacle inside the movement range as an obstacle existing range, calculates a margin until the working implement or the vehicle body enters the obstacle existing range, sets the second speed limit value as a second margin such that the second speed limit value of the working implement or the vehicle body becomes larger as the second margin becomes larger, and sets the second speed limit value as the second control command,

the control execution unit sets a smaller one of the first speed limit value and the second speed limit value as a speed limit value, and controls the speed of the actuator to be equal to or lower than the speed limit value when the speed of the actuator is greater than the speed limit value.

6. The work machine of claim 1,

the actuator is an actuator for running the vehicle body,

the first control command calculation unit calculates a travel distance until the work implement or the vehicle body moves outside the movement range, and sets the value as a first margin,

the second control command calculation unit calculates a travel distance until the work implement or the vehicle body comes into contact with the obstacle or a travel distance until the work implement or the vehicle body enters an obstacle presence range set around the obstacle, and sets the calculated value as a second margin.

7. The work machine of claim 1,

the actuator is an actuator for rotating the vehicle body,

the first control command calculation unit calculates a rotation angle until the work implement or the vehicle body moves outside the movement range, and sets the value as a first margin,

the second control command calculation unit calculates a rotation angle until the work implement or the vehicle body comes into contact with the obstacle or a rotation angle until the work implement or the vehicle body enters an obstacle presence range set around the obstacle, and sets the value of the rotation angle as a second margin.

8. The work machine of claim 1,

the actuator is a cylinder for moving the work machine,

the first control command calculation unit calculates a displacement amount of the actuator until the work implement moves outside the movement range, and sets the value as a first margin,

the second control command calculation unit calculates a displacement amount of the actuator until the work implement comes into contact with the obstacle or a displacement amount of the actuator until the work implement enters an obstacle presence range set around the obstacle, and sets the value of the displacement amount as a second margin.

9. The work machine of claim 1,

the second control command calculation unit calculates a second control command for controlling the actuator based on the position of the obstacle regardless of the location when the movement range is not set.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a working machine such as a hydraulic excavator, a bulldozer, a wheel loader, a compacting machine, or a truck.

Background

There is known a work machine that performs control to stop rotation of an attachment of the work machine when there is a high possibility that an entering object such as an operator or a dump truck entering a work area comes into contact with the attachment (for example, patent document 1). In the work machine described in patent document 1, when an angular interval between the azimuth of the attachment and the azimuth of the entering object, which is based on the rotation center, is smaller than a threshold value, the rotation stop control is started. The threshold value for the angular interval is set to be larger as the rotational angular velocity is higher, and the threshold value for the angular interval is set to be larger as the rotational moment of inertia is larger.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 5570332

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, when stopping control is performed on an entering object as in the method described in patent document 1, the entering object moves, and therefore, it is necessary to start rotation stopping control with a certain margin in order to reduce the possibility of contact with the entering object. In this case, the stop control may be performed without actually touching the work area, and the frequency of stopping the work machine in the work area may increase, thereby deteriorating the work efficiency.

The invention aims to provide a working machine which can reduce the possibility of contact with an operator, a dump truck and the like and inhibit the deterioration of the working efficiency.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a work machine according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a movable vehicle body or a working machine movably mounted on the vehicle body; an actuator that drives the work machine or the vehicle body; a movement range setting device that sets a movement range of the work machine or the vehicle body; an obstacle position detection device that detects the position of an obstacle in the periphery; and a control device that controls the actuator, wherein the control device includes: a first control command calculation unit that calculates a first control command for controlling the actuator based on the movement range; a second control command calculation unit that calculates a second control command for controlling the actuator based on a position of the obstacle inside the movement range; and a control execution unit that selects one of the first control command and the second control command, which is a control command for stopping the working machine or the vehicle body earlier, or a control command for decelerating the working machine or the vehicle body more largely, and executes control of the actuator.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the possibility of contact with an operator, a dump truck, or the like, and to suppress deterioration of the work efficiency.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a hydraulic excavator as an example of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a hydraulic excavator as an example of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing of the first control instruction arithmetic unit of the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing by the second control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing by the second control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing of the first control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing performed by the second control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 shows an example of a first speed limit value used in the first control command arithmetic unit and a second speed limit value used in the second control command arithmetic unit of the control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing performed by the second control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a functional block diagram of a control device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing of the first control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing performed by the second control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram of a control device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing performed by the first control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the arithmetic processing performed by the second control instruction arithmetic unit in the control device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described using a hydraulic excavator as an example of a working machine. The present invention is applicable to all work machines such as bulldozers, wheel loaders, compactors, and trucks, and is not limited to hydraulic excavators.

In the following description of the embodiments, the same or related reference numerals are given to portions having the same functions, and redundant description is omitted.

[ first embodiment ]

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

< integral Structure >

Fig. 1 is a side view of a hydraulic excavator as an example of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In fig. 1, a hydraulic excavator 1 includes an autonomous crawler traveling structure 10, a revolving structure 20 rotatably provided on the traveling structure 10, and a front work implement 30 attached to the revolving structure 20 so as to be capable of tilting. The "work machine" in the protection range corresponds to hydraulic excavator 1, the "work machine" in the protection range corresponds to front work machine 30, and the "vehicle body" in the protection range corresponds to traveling structure 10 and revolving structure 20.

The traveling structure 10 includes a pair of crawler belts 11a and 11b, crawler frames 12a and 12b (only one side is shown in fig. 1), a pair of traveling hydraulic motors 13a and 13b that independently drive and control the crawler belts 11a and 11b, a speed reduction mechanism thereof, and the like. The driving force of each of the hydraulic motors for traveling 13a and 13b as actuators is transmitted to each of the crawler belts 11a and 11b via a speed reduction mechanism or the like, and (the traveling body 10 of) the hydraulic excavator 1 is caused to travel (move) within the working area (within a movement range described later) by the driving force.

The rotating body 20 is composed of the following components: the hydraulic drive system includes a revolving frame 21, an engine 22 as a prime mover provided on the revolving frame 21, a hydraulic motor 27 for revolving, and a reduction mechanism 26 for reducing the rotation of the hydraulic motor 27 for revolving. The driving force of a hydraulic motor 27 for rotation, which is an actuator, is transmitted to the traveling structure 10 via the speed reduction mechanism 26, and the upper rotating body 20 (rotating frame 21) is rotationally driven relative to the lower traveling structure 10 by the driving force.

Further, a front work implement 30 is mounted on the revolving structure 20. Front work implement 30 is composed of the following components: the boom 31, the boom cylinder 32 for driving the boom 31, an arm 33 pivotally supported near the tip end of the boom 31 so as to be rotatable, an arm cylinder 34 for driving the arm 33, a bucket 35 pivotally supported at the tip end of the arm 33 so as to be rotatable, and a bucket cylinder 36 for driving the bucket 35. Front work implement 30 (boom 31, arm 33, bucket 35) is moved relative to rotary body 20 (rotating frame 21) by the driving force of boom cylinder 32, arm cylinder 34, and bucket cylinder 36 as actuators.

A hydraulic system 40 is mounted on the revolving frame 21 of the revolving structure 20, and the hydraulic system 40 drives hydraulic actuators such as the traveling hydraulic motors 13a and 13b, the revolving hydraulic motor 27, the boom cylinder 32, the arm cylinder 34, and the bucket cylinder 36. Hereinafter, the traveling hydraulic motors 13a, 13b, the turning hydraulic motor 27, the boom cylinder 32, the arm cylinder 34, and the bucket cylinder 36 may be referred to as hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36.

The hydraulic system 40 is constituted by a hydraulic oil tank, a hydraulic pump, a regulator, a control valve, and the like, and the description thereof will be made with reference to fig. 2 described later.

Further, the front work implement 30 is mounted with a boom tilt angle sensor 51, an arm tilt angle sensor 52, and a bucket tilt angle sensor 53 as sensors. A rotation angle sensor 54, GNSS receivers 55a and 55b (only one side is shown in fig. 1), and obstacle position detectors 56a and 56b are mounted on the revolving frame 21 of the revolving structure 20.

The boom tilt angle sensor 51 detects a tilt angle of the boom 31 with respect to the ground, the arm tilt angle sensor 52 detects a tilt angle of the arm 33 with respect to the ground, and the bucket tilt angle sensor 53 detects a tilt angle of the bucket 35 with respect to the ground. These tilt angle sensors 51, 52, and 53 may be Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), which are called Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), and in this case, the influence of acceleration and deceleration during the operation of the boom 31, arm 33, and bucket 35 can be corrected, and accurate tilt angles can be measured.

The rotation angle sensor 54 is an angle sensor using a resistor or a magnet, and detects a relative angle between the traveling body 10 and the rotating body 20.

The GNSS receivers 55a and 55b are configured by an antenna and a receiver, and detect the positions (horizontal coordinates and altitude) of the GNSS receivers 55a and 55b with respect to the earth. Gnss (global Navigation Satellite system) is a generic term for a system that performs positioning using satellites.

The obstacle position detection devices 56a and 56b are each configured by a camera or a radar, and detect the position of a peripheral obstacle that should not be touched by an operator, a dump truck, or the like, with respect to the rotating body 20. In fig. 1, 2 obstacle position detection devices are mounted in front of and behind the rotating body 20 (rotating frame 21), but the mounting positions may be arbitrarily changed, and may be 1 or 3 or more.

< System Structure >

Fig. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a hydraulic excavator as an example of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the present system is composed of: the engine 22, the engine controller 23, the traveling hydraulic motors 13a and 13b, the turning hydraulic motor 27, the boom cylinder 32, the arm cylinder 34, the bucket cylinder 36, the hydraulic oil tanks 46a and 46b, the hydraulic pumps 41a and 41b and their regulators 42a and 42b, the pilot valves 43a to 43d, the control valve 44, the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l, the boom tilt angle sensor 51, the arm tilt angle sensor 52, the bucket tilt angle sensor 53, the rotation angle sensor 54, the GNSS receivers 55a and 55b, the obstacle position detection devices 56a and 56b, the engine control dial 61, the movement range setting device 62, and the control device 100.

The engine 22 is controlled by an engine controller 23, and the engine controller 23 adjusts the fuel injection amount and the fuel injection timing of the engine 22 so that the actual engine speed coincides with the target engine speed output by the control device 100.

The hydraulic pumps 41a and 41b are variable displacement hydraulic pumps that are rotationally driven by the engine 22 and discharge hydraulic oil (from hydraulic oil tanks 46a and 46b to hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36 via a control valve 44) in proportion to the product of the number of revolutions and the displacement.

The regulators 42a, 42b are driven in accordance with a control command from the control device 100, so that the regulators 42a, 42b change the volumes of the hydraulic pumps 41a, 41 b.

The travel L pilot valve 43a generates a travel L forward pilot pressure Pa and a travel L reverse pilot pressure Pb in accordance with the inclination of the corresponding operation lever (not shown) in the front-rear direction. The travel R pilot valve 43b generates a travel R forward pilot pressure Pc and a travel R reverse pilot pressure Pd according to the inclination of the corresponding operation lever (not shown) in the front-rear direction. The turning/arm pilot valve 43c generates a turning right pilot pressure Pe, a turning left pilot pressure Pf, an arm dump pilot pressure Pg, and an arm shovel pilot pressure Ph in accordance with the inclinations of the corresponding operation lever (not shown) in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The boom/bucket pilot valve 43d generates a boom-down pilot pressure Pi, a boom-up pilot pressure, a bucket-cutting pilot pressure Pk, and a bucket-dumping pilot pressure Pl in accordance with the inclinations of the corresponding operation levers (not shown) in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. As described above, the pilot valves 43a to 43d can generate the pilot pressures Pa to Pl by, for example, an operator moving a corresponding operation lever provided at the driver's seat of the hydraulic excavator 1, and can generate the pilot pressures Pa to Pl according to a control command of the control device 100 even if the operator does not move the operation lever as in the automatic driving.

The control valve 44 is driven by the pilot pressures Pa to Pl corresponding to the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36, and the control valve 44 adjusts the flow rate from the hydraulic pumps 41a and 41b to the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36 and the flow rate from the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36 to the hydraulic tanks 46a and 46 b.

The pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l restrict the pilot pressures Pa to Pl (decrease to a restriction value when the pilot pressure is equal to or higher than the restriction value, and do not restrict anything when the pilot pressure is equal to or lower than the restriction value) in accordance with a control command of the control device 100, and decelerate or stop the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, 36 as will be described later.

The engine control dial 61 is a means for an operator to indicate the engine speed at the driver's seat of the hydraulic excavator 1, for example, and when the operator twists the engine control dial 61, the output voltage changes according to the dial angle.

Movement range setting device 62 sets a movement range of hydraulic excavator 1 (i.e., work area), and outputs the information to control device 100. The movement range refers to a range in which the movable body 10, the swing structure 20, and the front work implement 30 move due to the travel, the swing, or the work performed by the front work implement 30 of the hydraulic excavator 1 in the predetermined work content. Movement range setting device 62 may be located at the operator's seat of hydraulic excavator 1 and transmits information to control device 100 by setting an operation by the operator, or may be located outside hydraulic excavator 1 and transmits information to control device 100 by wireless.

Control device 100 outputs the target engine speed value to engine controller 23 based on the output voltage of engine control dial 61. The pilot pressures Pa to Pl are detected by sensors, and the regulators 42a and 42b are controlled based on the detected values and the command values of the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l so as to ensure the flow rates of the hydraulic oil flowing to the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36.

As will be described later, the control device 100 controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l to decelerate or stop the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36. A control method of the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l will be described with reference to fig. 3 and the like.

Functional block structure and control content of control device

Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the control device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 shows an example of a control method of the control device 100 for the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l, and particularly shows an example of a control method of the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d that control the pilot pressures Pa to Pd related to traveling.

Although not shown, the control device 100 is configured as a microcomputer (microcomputer) including a CPU that performs various calculations, a storage device such as a ROM or HDD that stores programs for the CPU to execute the calculations, a RAM that becomes a work area when the CPU executes the programs, a communication interface (communication I/F) that is an interface when transmitting and receiving data to and from other devices, and the like. The various programs stored in the storage device are loaded into the RAM by the CPU to be executed, thereby realizing the functions of the control device 100.

The rotator current position/orientation calculation unit 101 of the control device 100 calculates the position of the rotation center of the rotator 20 and the orientation (azimuth) of the rotator 20 based on the position of the GNSS receiver 55a and the position of the GNSS receiver 55b detected by the GNSS receivers 55a and 55b, and outputs the position and the orientation.

The traveling body current position/direction calculation unit 102 outputs the same value as the position of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body current position/direction calculation unit 101 as the position of the traveling body 10. The direction of the vehicle 10 is calculated from the direction of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body current position/direction calculating unit 101 and the rotation angle (the relative angle between the vehicle 10 and the rotating body 20) detected by the rotation angle sensor 54, and the direction is output.

The traveling body position/direction calculation unit 103 calculates the position and direction of the traveling body 10 coming from the traveling body 10 traveling at the maximum speed, based on the current position and direction of the traveling body 10 input from the traveling body current position/direction calculation unit 102. For example, the positions after 0.1 second, 0.2 second, 0.3 second, · and 2.0 seconds when the vehicle travels in the forward direction at the maximum speed are calculated; after 0.1 second, after 0.2 second, after 0.3 second, after ·, and after 2.0 seconds when traveling at the maximum speed in the backward direction. The future orientation is assumed to be the same as the current orientation. While the vehicle is currently traveling, the position and orientation after 0.1 second, after 0.2 second, after 0.3 second, after …, after 2.0 seconds when the vehicle is traveling with the trajectory thereof maintained can be calculated. The traveling body position/direction calculation unit 103 outputs information of the future position and direction of the traveling body 10 calculated by the traveling body position/direction calculation unit 103 and information of the current position and direction of the traveling body 10 calculated by the traveling body current position/direction calculation unit 102 together.

The rotating body position/direction calculation unit 104 determines the same value as the future position of the rotating body 20 as the future position of the traveling body 10 calculated by the traveling body position/direction calculation unit 103. The future direction of the turning structure 20 is calculated based on the future direction of the traveling structure 10 calculated by the traveling structure position/direction calculation unit 103 and the rotation angle (relative angle between the traveling structure 10 and the turning structure 20) detected by the rotation angle sensor 54 (assuming that the future rotation angle is the same as the current rotation angle). The information on the future position and direction of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body position/direction calculating unit 104 and the information on the current position and direction of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body current position/direction calculating unit 101 are output from the rotating body position/direction calculating unit 104.

The boom position/direction calculation unit 105 calculates the current and future positions of the connection portion of the boom 31 to the rotating body 20 based on the current and future positions and directions of the rotating body 20 input from the rotating body position/direction calculation unit 104, calculates the current and future positions of the connection portion of the boom 31 to the arm 33 based on the calculated value and the inclination angle of the boom 31 detected by the boom inclination angle sensor 51, and outputs the calculated value as the current and future positions of the boom 31. The same value as the current and future directions of the swing structure 20 input from the swing structure position/direction calculation unit 104 is output as the current and future directions of the boom 31.

The arm position/direction calculation unit 106 calculates the current and future positions of the connection portion of the arm 33 to the bucket 35 based on the current and future positions and directions of the boom 31 input from the boom position/direction calculation unit 105 and the inclination angle of the arm 33 detected by the arm inclination angle sensor 52, and outputs the calculated values as the current and future positions of the arm 33. Further, the same value as the current and future directions of boom 31 input from boom position/direction calculation unit 105 is output as the current and future directions of arm 33.

The bucket position/orientation calculation unit 107 calculates the current and future positions of the tip end of the bucket 35 based on the current and future positions and orientations of the arm 33 input from the arm position/orientation calculation unit 106 and the inclination angle of the bucket 35 detected by the bucket inclination angle sensor 53, and outputs the calculated value as the current and future positions of the bucket 35. Further, the same value as the current and future orientations of arm 33 input from arm position/orientation calculation unit 106 is output as the current and future orientations of bucket 35.

The first control command calculation unit 108 receives the information output from the calculation units 103 to 107 and the information on the movement range set by the movement range setting device 62, and calculates first control commands for controlling the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36 based on the movement range set by the movement range setting device 62.

The first control instruction arithmetic unit 108 performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 4. First, it is determined whether or not the movement range setting means 62 sets the movement range (S201). When the movement range is set (yes in S201), it is determined whether or not a part of the traveling body 10, the swing structure 20, the boom 31, the arm 33, and the bucket 35 is currently or in the future moved outside the movement range (S202). When the vehicle moves outside the moving range (S202: YES), the time required for the vehicle to move to the outside at the earliest time (zero when the vehicle moves outside the moving range) is multiplied by the maximum speed of travel, and the travel distance (margin) required for the vehicle to move to the outside is calculated as a first margin (S203). When the movement range is not shifted to the outside (no in S202) or when the movement range is not set (no in S201), a sufficiently large value (a value larger than a first threshold value described later) is set as a first margin (S204). Then, it is determined whether or not the first margin amount is equal to or less than a first threshold value (S205), and when the first margin amount is equal to or less than the first threshold value (S205: YES), a stop command is output as a first control command (S206), and when the first margin amount is larger than the first threshold value (S205: NO), an operation continuation command is output as a first control command (S207). The first threshold may be a fixed value set in advance, or may be changed to be larger as the inclination in the downward direction is stronger, in consideration of the fact that the vehicle is difficult to stop on a downhill.

On the other hand, the second control command calculation unit 109 receives the information output from the calculation units 103 to 107, the information on the movement range set by the movement range setting device 62, and the information on the obstacle position detected by the obstacle position detection devices 56a and 56b, and calculates a second control command for controlling the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36 based on the obstacle position detected by the obstacle position detection devices 56a and 56 b.

The second control instruction arithmetic unit 109 performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 5. First, it is determined whether or not the movement range setting means 62 sets the movement range (S301). When the moving range is set (YES in S301), it is determined whether or not an obstacle is present inside the moving range (S302). When the moving range is not set (NO in S301), whether or not an obstacle is present is determined regardless of the location (S303). If an obstacle is present in S302 or S303 (yes in S302 or S303), it is determined whether or not a part of the traveling body 10, the swing structure 20, the boom 31, the arm 33, and the bucket 35 is currently in contact with the obstacle or will come into contact with the obstacle in the future (S304). When the vehicle is in contact with an obstacle (yes in S304), the time until the vehicle comes into contact with the obstacle at the earliest time (zero in the case of the current contact with the obstacle) is multiplied by the maximum speed of travel, and the travel distance (margin) until the vehicle comes into contact is calculated, and the value is used as a second margin (S305). When the contact with the obstacle is not made (no in S304), or when there is no obstacle in S302 or S303 (no in S302 or S303), a sufficiently large value (a value larger than a second threshold value described later) is set as a second margin (S306). Then, it is determined whether or not the second margin amount is equal to or less than a second threshold value (S307), and when the second margin amount is equal to or less than the second threshold value (S307: YES), the stop command is output as a second control command (S308), and when the second margin amount is larger than the second threshold value (S307: NO), the operation continuation command is output as a second control command (S309). The second threshold may be a fixed value set in advance, or may be changed to be larger as the inclination in the downward direction is stronger, in consideration of the fact that the vehicle is difficult to stop on a downhill.

Since there are cases where an obstacle such as an operator or a dump truck moves, it is preferable to perform stop control for the obstacle (an obstacle that enters the movement range) with a margin (at an earlier timing) than the stop control for the movement range.

Therefore, the second threshold value set in the second control command calculation unit 109 is set to a value larger than the first threshold value set in the first control command calculation unit 108. For example, the second threshold value is set to 5m, and the first threshold value is set to 2 m. In addition, the second threshold value set in the second control command calculation unit 109 may be set to a relatively large value in consideration of an error in the position detected by the obstacle position detection devices 56a and 56 b.

Returning to fig. 3, when at least one of the first control command input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command calculation unit 109 is a stop command, the control execution unit 110 controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d to shut off the travel L forward pilot pressure Pa, the travel L reverse pilot pressure Pb, the travel R forward pilot pressure Pc, and the travel R reverse pilot pressure Pd (to 0MPa) entering the control valve 44 in order to select an appropriate one of the stop commands to stop the travel (more specifically, to perform control for stopping the travel hydraulic motors 13a and 13b as hydraulic actuators).

Specifically, when one of the first control command input from the first control command operation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command operation unit 109 is a stop command, the control execution unit 110 selects the stop command and controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d as described above.

Further, when both the first control command input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command calculation unit 109 are stop commands, the control execution unit 110 selects one of the stop commands to stop traveling earlier (one to stop the traveling hydraulic motors 13a and 13b as hydraulic actuators earlier), and controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d as described above.

At this time, the remaining pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45e to 45l may or may not cut off the pilot pressure. When the pilot pressure is cut off and the operation is stopped, not only the actuators for traveling are stopped but also all the actuators are stopped, so that the operator can easily understand the operation of the entire hydraulic excavator 1. If the pilot pressure is not cut off, the operation other than the running is continued, and therefore, the convenience is good.

In any case, the travel stop control described above can reduce the possibility that the vehicle body (traveling structure 10, revolving structure 20) or the working machine (boom 31, arm 33, bucket 35 of front working machine 30) moves outside the set movement range or comes into contact with the detected obstacle.

When both the first control command input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command calculation unit 109 are operation continuation commands, the control execution unit 110 controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d so as to maintain the travel L forward pilot pressure Pa, the travel L reverse pilot pressure Pb, the travel R forward pilot pressure Pc, and the travel R reverse pilot pressure Pd, which are supplied to the control valve 44, in order to continue the current travel.

As described above, hydraulic excavator 1 as a working machine according to the first embodiment includes: a movable vehicle body (traveling body 10, revolving structure 20) or a working machine (boom 31, arm 33, bucket 35 of front working machine 30) movably attached to the vehicle body; actuators (traveling hydraulic motors 13a and 13b, turning hydraulic motor 27, boom cylinder 32, arm cylinder 34, bucket cylinder 36) that drive the work machine or the vehicle body; a movement range setting device 62 for setting a movement range of the work machine or the vehicle body; obstacle position detection devices 56a, 56b that detect positions of peripheral obstacles; and a control device 100 that controls the actuator. The control device 100 includes: a first control command calculation unit 108 that calculates a first control command for controlling the actuator based on the movement range; a second control command calculation unit 109 that calculates a second control command for controlling the actuator based on a position of the obstacle inside the movement range or a position of the obstacle when the movement range is not set; and a control execution unit 110 that selects one of the first control command and the second control command to stop the work machine or the vehicle body earlier, and executes control of the actuator.

The first control command calculation unit 108 calculates a margin to move the work implement or the vehicle body outside the movement range, and uses the calculated value as a first margin, and when the first margin is equal to or less than a first threshold, the first control command is set as a stop command, and when the first margin is greater than the first threshold, the first control command is set as an operation continuation command. The second control command calculation unit 109 calculates a margin until the work implement or the vehicle body comes into contact with the obstacle inside the movement range or the obstacle when the movement range is not set, and sets the calculated value as a second margin, and when the second margin is equal to or less than a second threshold, the second control command is set as a stop command, and when the second margin is greater than the second threshold, the second control command is set as an operation continuation command. The control execution unit 110 performs control to stop the actuator when at least one of the first control command and the second control command is a stop command. The second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

Here, since the second threshold is larger than the first threshold, the stop control for the obstacle can be performed with a margin (at an earlier timing) than the stop control for the movement range.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the stop control is performed with a margin for obstacles, but the stop control is performed with little margin for the movement range (the margin is suppressed to the minimum), so that the frequency of stopping the vehicle body can be suppressed and deterioration of the work efficiency can be suppressed by setting the movement range in advance so that the operator, the dump truck, or the like does not enter the set movement range. Further, since the vehicle body performs the stop control with a margin when the operator, the dump truck, or the like enters the inside of the movement range of the working machine, the possibility of contact with the operator, the dump truck, or the like can be reduced.

[ second embodiment ]

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the calculation content of the second control instruction calculation unit 109 of the control device 100 of the first embodiment is different.

The second control instruction arithmetic unit 109 according to the second embodiment performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 6. The operation contents of S301 to S303 and S306 to S309 in fig. 6 are the same as those in the first embodiment (see fig. 5). In the second embodiment, when an obstacle is present in S302 or S303 (yes in S302 or S303), the area around the obstacle is set to a range in which the obstacle is currently or may be present in the future (this range is referred to as an obstacle presence range) (S311). The range may be a fixed value set in advance, or may be increased with the passage of time in consideration of the movement of the obstacle. When this range becomes larger with the passage of time, the ranges of the current range, 0.1 second later, 0.2 second later, 0.3 second later, ·, and 2.0 seconds later are set for the obstacle existing range, respectively. The obstacle-existing range may be a circular area several meters around the obstacle, or the moving direction side of the range may be increased in consideration of the movement of the obstacle. Next, it is determined whether or not a part of the traveling body 10, the rotating body 20, the boom 31, the arm 33, and the bucket 35 enters the obstacle existing range at present or in the future (S312). When the vehicle enters the obstacle existing range (yes in S312), the time required to enter the obstacle existing range (zero in the case where the vehicle currently enters the obstacle existing range) is multiplied by the maximum speed of travel, the travel distance (margin) required to enter the obstacle existing range is calculated, and the calculated value is used as a second margin (S313).

In the second embodiment, since the stop control is performed for the obstacle existing range set around the obstacle, the stop control is performed with a margin for the obstacle itself. Therefore, unlike the first embodiment, the second threshold value set in the second control command operation unit 109 may not be larger than the first threshold value set in the first control command operation unit 108. For example, the second threshold value may be set to the same value (for example, 2m) as the first threshold value.

In this way, in the second embodiment, the first control command calculation unit 108 calculates the margin to move the work implement or the vehicle body outside the movement range, and sets the value as a first margin, and when the first margin is equal to or less than a first threshold, the first control command is set as a stop command, and when the first margin is greater than the first threshold, the first control command is set as an operation continuation command. The second control command calculation unit 109 sets the area around the obstacle inside the movement range or the area around the obstacle when the movement range is not set as the obstacle existing range, calculates a margin until the work implement or the vehicle body enters the obstacle existing range, and sets the calculated value as a second margin, and when the second margin is equal to or less than a second threshold, makes the second control command a stop command, and when the second margin is greater than the second threshold, makes the second control command an operation continuation command. The control execution unit 110 performs control to stop the actuator when at least one of the first control command and the second control command is a stop command.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the stop control is performed with a margin for obstacles, but the stop control is performed with little margin for the movement range (the margin is suppressed to the minimum), so that the frequency of stopping the vehicle body can be suppressed and the deterioration of the work efficiency can be suppressed by setting the movement range in advance so that the operator, the dump truck, or the like does not enter the set movement range. Further, since the vehicle body is controlled to stop with a margin when the operator, the dump truck, or the like enters the inside of the movement range of the working machine, the possibility of contact with the operator, the dump truck, or the like can be reduced.

[ third embodiment ]

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the calculation contents of the first control instruction calculation unit 108, the second control instruction calculation unit 109, and the control execution unit 110 of the control device 100 of the first embodiment are different.

The first control instruction arithmetic unit 108 according to the third embodiment performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 7. The operation contents of S201 to S203 in fig. 7 are the same as those in the first embodiment (see fig. 4). In the third embodiment, when the travel structure 10, the swing structure 20, the boom 31, the arm 33, and the bucket 35 are not moved outside the movement range at present or in the future (no in S202) and when the movement range setting device 62 does not set the movement range (no in S201), a value sufficiently larger than the margin X1 when the first speed limit value is the maximum speed in fig. 9 described later is set as the first margin (S221). Next, using fig. 9, the first speed limit value is calculated from the first margin amount, and this value is output as the first control command (S222).

The first speed limit value in fig. 9 is a speed limit value (speed upper limit value) for performing deceleration and stop control of the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36, and is set such that the first speed limit value increases as the first margin amount increases (in other words, the first speed limit value decreases as the first margin amount decreases). The value in fig. 9 may be a fixed value set in advance, or may be changed to be smaller as the inclination in the downward direction is stronger, in consideration of the fact that the vehicle is difficult to stop on a downhill.

On the other hand, the second control instruction arithmetic unit 109 according to the third embodiment performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 8. The operation contents of S301 to S305 in fig. 8 are the same as those in the first embodiment (see fig. 5). In the third embodiment, when part of the traveling structure 10, the swing structure 20, the boom 31, the arm 33, and the bucket 35 does not contact an obstacle currently or in the future (no in S304), or when there is no obstacle in S302 or S303 (no in S302 or S303), a value sufficiently larger than the margin X2 when the second speed limit value becomes the maximum speed in fig. 9 described later is set as the second margin (S321). Next, using fig. 9, the second speed limit value is calculated from the second margin amount, and this value is output as a second control command (S322).

The second speed limit value in fig. 9 is a speed limit value (speed upper limit value) for controlling deceleration and stopping of the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, and 36, and is set such that the second speed limit value increases as the second margin amount increases (in other words, the second speed limit value decreases as the second margin amount decreases). The value in fig. 9 may be a fixed value set in advance, or may be changed to be smaller as the inclination in the downward direction is stronger, in consideration of the fact that the vehicle is difficult to stop on a downhill.

Since there are cases where an obstacle such as an operator or a dump truck moves, in order to be able to decelerate and stop the obstacle (an obstacle that enters the movement range) with a margin, the second speed limit value used in the second control command calculation unit 109 is set to a value that is smaller than the first speed limit value used in the first control command calculation unit 108, even if the first margin is the same as the second margin, within at least a partial range (more specifically, if the first margin is a predetermined lower limit value and is larger than a value at which the first speed limit value becomes zero, and the second margin is a predetermined upper limit value and is smaller than a value at which the second speed limit value becomes maximum speed). The second speed limit value used in the second control command calculation unit 109 is set to a relatively small value in consideration of an error in the position detected by the obstacle position detection devices 56a and 56 b.

The control execution unit 110 according to the third embodiment selects, as the travel speed limit value, a smaller one of the first control command (first speed limit value) input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command (second speed limit value) input from the second control command calculation unit 109 (in other words, the hydraulic actuators 13a, 13b, 27, 32, 34, 36, and even the vehicle body (traveling body 10, revolving structure 20) or the work machine (one of the boom 31, arm 33, and bucket 35 of the front work machine 30) that decelerates more greatly), and controls the travel hydraulic motors 13a, 13b so that the travel speed is equal to or less than the travel speed limit value when the travel speed is greater than the travel speed limit value (specifically, when the rotation speeds of the travel hydraulic motors 13a, 13b serving as hydraulic actuators are greater than the rotation speed limit value corresponding to the travel speed limit value), and controls the travel hydraulic motors 13a, 13b so that the travel speed is equal to or less than the travel speed limit value, 13b becomes the rotation speed limit value or less), the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d are controlled to limit the travel L forward pilot pressure Pa, the travel L reverse pilot pressure Pb, the travel R forward pilot pressure Pc, and the travel R reverse pilot pressure Pd that enter the control valve 44.

By the above control, the traveling speed of the vehicle body (traveling structure 10, revolving structure 20) and the working machine (boom 31, arm 33, bucket 35 of front working machine 30) decreases as it approaches the outside of the set movement range or the obstacle, and therefore the possibility of moving outside the set movement range or coming into contact with the detected obstacle can be reduced.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the control device 100 includes: a first control command calculation unit 108 that calculates a first control command for controlling the actuator based on the movement range; a second control command calculation unit 109 that calculates a second control command for controlling the actuator based on a position of the obstacle inside the movement range or a position of the obstacle when the movement range is not set; and a control execution unit 110 that selects one of the first control command and the second control command, which greatly decelerates the work machine or the vehicle body, and executes control of the actuator.

The first control command calculation unit 108 calculates a margin to move the working implement or the vehicle body outside the travel range, sets the first speed limit value such that the first speed limit value of the working implement or the vehicle body increases as the first margin increases, and sets the first speed limit value as the first control command. The second control command calculation unit 109 calculates a margin until the work implement or the vehicle body comes into contact with the obstacle inside the movement range or the obstacle when the movement range is not set, sets the second speed limit value such that the second speed limit value of the work implement or the vehicle body becomes larger as the second margin becomes larger, and sets the calculated value as the second control command. The control execution unit 110 sets a smaller one of the first speed limit value and the second speed limit value as a speed limit value, and controls the speed of the actuator to be equal to or lower than the speed limit value when the speed of the actuator is higher than the speed limit value. When the first margin is larger than a predetermined lower limit and the second margin is smaller than a predetermined upper limit, the second speed limit value is smaller than the first speed limit value even if the first margin and the second margin are the same.

Here, even if the first margin and the second margin are the same, the second speed limit value is smaller than the first speed limit value, and therefore, the obstacle can be decelerated and stopped with a margin.

As described above, in the third embodiment, although the deceleration control is performed with a margin for an obstacle, the deceleration control is performed with little margin for the movement range (the margin is suppressed to the minimum), and therefore, the frequency of deceleration of the vehicle body can be suppressed and deterioration of the work efficiency can be suppressed by setting the movement range in advance so that the operator, the dump truck, or the like does not enter the set movement range. Further, when the operator, the dump truck, or the like enters the inside of the movement range of the work machine, the vehicle body performs the deceleration control with a margin, and therefore the possibility of contact with the operator, the dump truck, or the like can be reduced.

[ fourth embodiment ]

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The fourth embodiment is the same as the third embodiment except that the calculation content of the second control instruction calculation unit 109 of the control device 100 of the third embodiment is different.

The second control instruction arithmetic unit 109 according to the fourth embodiment performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 10. The operation contents of S301 to S303, S321, and S322 in fig. 10 are the same as those in the third embodiment (see fig. 8). The operation contents of S311 to S313 in fig. 10 are the same as those in the second embodiment (see fig. 6).

In the fourth embodiment, the deceleration control is performed for the obstacle existing range set around the obstacle, and therefore the deceleration control is performed with a margin for the obstacle itself. Therefore, unlike the third embodiment, the second speed limit value used in the second control instruction arithmetic unit 109 may not be smaller than the first speed limit value used in the first control instruction arithmetic unit 108. For example, the second speed limit value may be set to the same value as the first speed limit value.

In this way, in the fourth embodiment, the first control command calculation unit 108 calculates the margin to move the working implement or the vehicle body outside the movement range, sets the first speed limit value so that the first speed limit value of the working implement or the vehicle body becomes larger as the first margin becomes larger, and sets the calculated value as the first control command. The second control command calculation unit 109 sets the area around the obstacle inside the movement range or the area around the obstacle when the movement range is not set as the obstacle existing range, calculates a margin to the working implement or the vehicle body to enter the obstacle existing range, sets the second speed limit value as a second margin, and sets the second speed limit value of the working implement or the vehicle body as the second control command such that the second speed limit value becomes larger as the second margin becomes larger. The control execution unit 110 sets a smaller one of the first speed limit value and the second speed limit value as a speed limit value, and controls the speed of the actuator to be equal to or lower than the speed limit value when the speed of the actuator is higher than the speed limit value.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the deceleration control is performed with a margin for an obstacle, but the deceleration control is performed with little margin for the movement range (the margin is suppressed to the minimum), so that the frequency of deceleration of the vehicle body can be suppressed and deterioration of the work efficiency can be suppressed by setting the movement range in advance so that the operator, the dump truck, or the like does not enter the set movement range. Further, when the operator, the dump truck, or the like enters the inside of the movement range of the work machine, the vehicle body performs the deceleration control with a margin, and therefore the possibility of contact with the operator, the dump truck, or the like can be reduced.

[ fifth embodiment ]

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The fifth embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that a method of controlling the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l in the control device 100 of the first embodiment is different.

In the first embodiment, the vehicle body (traveling structure 10, revolving structure 20) is controlled to be decelerated or stopped by controlling the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d for controlling the pilot pressures Pa to Pd relating to traveling among the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l, but in the fifth embodiment, the vehicle body (revolving structure 20) is controlled to be decelerated or stopped by controlling the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45e and 45f for controlling the pilot pressures Pe and Pf relating to revolution.

Fig. 11 is a functional block diagram of a control device 100 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 shows an example of a control method of the control device 100 for the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l, and particularly shows an example of a control method of the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45e and 45f for controlling the pilot pressures Pe and Pf related to rotation. The calculation contents of the present rotor position/direction calculation unit 101, the boom position/direction calculation unit 105, the arm position/direction calculation unit 106, and the bucket position/direction calculation unit 107 in fig. 11 are the same as those in the first embodiment (see fig. 3), but the present vehicle position/direction calculation unit 102 and the vehicle position/direction calculation unit 103 in the first embodiment are omitted, and the calculation contents of the rotor position/direction calculation unit 104, the first control command calculation unit 108, the second control command calculation unit 109, and the control execution unit 110 are different from those in the first embodiment.

The rotating body position/direction calculation unit 104 calculates the future direction of the rotating body 20 when rotating at the maximum angular velocity, based on the current direction of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body current position/direction calculation unit 101. For example, the orientation after 0.1 second, after 0.2 second, after 0.3 second,. cndot.g.. cndot.2.0 second when the disk is rotated rightwards at the maximum angular velocity, and the orientation after 0.1 second, after 0.2 second, after 0.3 second,. cndot.g.. cndot.2.0 second when the disk is rotated leftwards at the maximum angular velocity are calculated. The future position of the rotating body 20 is made identical to the current position of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body current position/direction calculating unit 101. During the current rotation, only future orientations in the direction of the current rotation may be calculated. The information on the future position and direction of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body position/direction calculating unit 104 and the information on the current position and direction of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body current position/direction calculating unit 101 are output from the rotating body position/direction calculating unit 104.

The first control instruction arithmetic unit 108 performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 12. The present operation of the fifth embodiment is the same except that the operation contents of S252 and S253 are different from those of S202 and S203 (see fig. 4) of the first embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment, when the movement range is set by the movement range setting device 62 (yes in S201), it is determined whether or not a part of the rotating body 20, the boom 31, the arm 33, and the bucket 35 moves outside the movement range at present or in the future (in the first embodiment, it is also determined whether or not the traveling body 10 moves outside the movement range) (S252). When the movement range is shifted to the outside (yes in S252), a multiplication of the time required to shift to the outside of the movement range (zero when the movement range is currently shifted to the outside) and the maximum angular velocity of the rotation is performed, and the rotation angle (margin) to shift to the outside of the movement range is calculated as a first margin (S253). The same calculation as in the first embodiment is performed except for S252 and S253, and a first control command (stop command or operation continuation command) is set.

The second control instruction arithmetic unit 109 performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 13. The present operation of the fifth embodiment is the same except that S354 and S355 are different from the operation contents of S304 and S305 (see fig. 5) of the first embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment, when an obstacle is present in S302 or S303 (yes in S302 or S303), it is determined whether or not a part of the swing structure 20, the boom 31, the arm 33, or the bucket 35 is currently or in the future brought into contact with the obstacle (in the first embodiment, it is also determined whether or not the traveling body 10 is brought into contact with the obstacle) (S354). When the vehicle comes into contact with an obstacle (yes in S354), a multiplication of the time until the vehicle comes into contact with the obstacle (zero in the case of the current contact with the obstacle) and the maximum angular velocity of the rotation is performed, the rotation angle (margin) until the vehicle comes into contact is calculated, and the value of the rotation angle is defined as a second margin (S355). The same calculation as in the first embodiment is performed except for S354 and S355, and a second control command (stop command or operation continuation command) is set.

In the fifth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the second threshold value set in the second control command calculation unit 109 is set to a value larger than the first threshold value set in the first control command calculation unit 108.

Returning to fig. 11, when at least one of the first control command input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command calculation unit 109 is a stop command, the control execution unit 110 selects an appropriate one of the stop commands to stop the rotation (specifically, performs control to stop the rotation hydraulic motor 27 as a hydraulic actuator), and controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45e and 45f to cut off the rotation right pilot pressure Pe and the rotation left pilot pressure Pf (set to 0MPa) of the inlet control valve 44.

Specifically, when one of the first control command input from the first control command operation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command operation unit 109 is a stop command, the control execution unit 110 selects the stop command and controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45e and 45f as described above.

Further, when both the first control command input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command calculation unit 109 are stop commands, the control execution unit 110 selects one of the stop commands to stop the rotation earlier (one to stop the rotation hydraulic motor 27 as the hydraulic actuator earlier), and controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45e and 45f as described above.

At this time, the remaining pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d and 45g to 45l may or may not block the pilot pressure. When the pilot pressure is cut off and the operation is stopped, not only the rotation but also all the actuators are stopped, so that the operator can easily understand the operation of the entire hydraulic excavator 1. If the pilot pressure is not cut off, the operation other than the rotation is continued, and therefore, the convenience is good.

In any case, the possibility that the vehicle body (the swing structure 20) or the working machine (the boom 31, the arm 33, and the bucket 35 of the front working machine 30) moves outside the set movement range or comes into contact with the detected obstacle can be reduced by the above-described swing stop control.

In the control execution unit 110, when both the first control command input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command calculation unit 109 are operation continuation commands, the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45e and 45f are controlled so as to maintain the turning right pilot pressure Pe and the turning left pilot pressure Pf of the inlet control valve 44 in order to continue the current turning.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment, the stop control is performed with a margin for obstacles, but the stop control is performed with little margin for the movement range (the margin is suppressed to the minimum), so that the frequency of stopping the vehicle body can be suppressed and the deterioration of the work efficiency can be suppressed by setting the movement range in advance so that the operator, the dump truck, or the like does not enter the set movement range. Further, since the vehicle body is controlled to stop with a margin when the operator, the dump truck, or the like enters the inside of the movement range of the working machine, the possibility of contact with the operator, the dump truck, or the like can be reduced.

The fifth embodiment is described as a modification of the first embodiment, but can be applied in combination with the second to fourth embodiments, for example.

[ sixth embodiment ]

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The sixth embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that a method of controlling the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l in the control device 100 of the first embodiment is different.

In the first embodiment, the vehicle body (traveling structure 10, revolving structure 20) is controlled to be decelerated or stopped by controlling the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45d for controlling the pilot pressures Pa to Pd relating to traveling among the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l, but in the sixth embodiment, the work implement (front work implement 30) is controlled to be decelerated or stopped by controlling the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45g to 45l for controlling the pilot pressures Pg to Pl relating to movement of the work implement (front work implement 30).

Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram of a control device 100 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 shows an example of a control method of the control device 100 for the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45l, and particularly shows an example of a control method of the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45g to 45l for controlling the pilot pressures Pg to Pl related to the movement of the working machine (the front working machine 30) among them. The calculation contents of the present rotor position/direction calculation unit 101 and the bucket position/direction calculation unit 107 in fig. 14 are the same as those in the first embodiment (see fig. 3), and the present vehicle position/direction calculation unit 102 and the vehicle position/direction calculation unit 103 in the first embodiment are omitted, except that (104 to 106, 108 to 110) the calculation contents are different from those in the first embodiment.

The rotating body position/direction calculation unit 104 sets the current position and direction of the rotating body 20 calculated by the rotating body current position/direction calculation unit 101 to a position and direction that will be continuously maintained in the future, and outputs information on the current and future positions and directions of the rotating body 20.

The boom position/direction calculation unit 105 calculates the current position of the connection portion of the boom 31 with the rotation body 20 based on the current position and direction of the rotation body 20 input from the rotation body position/direction calculation unit 104, and calculates the current position of the connection portion of the boom 31 with the arm 33 based on the calculated value and the tilt angle of the boom 31 detected by the boom tilt angle sensor 51. Then, the future position of the connection portion between the boom 31 and the arm 33 when the boom is lowered at the maximum speed is calculated from the current position of the connection portion between the boom 31 and the arm 33. For example, the positions 0.1 second later, 0.2 second later, 0.3 second later, ·, and 2.0 second later are calculated. The same value as the current and future directions of the swing structure 20 input from the swing structure position/direction calculation unit 104 is set as the current and future directions of the boom 31. Then, the current and future positions of the connection portion of the boom 31 with the arm 33, and the current and future orientations of the boom 31 are output.

The arm position/direction calculation unit 106 calculates the current position of the connection part of the arm 33 with the bucket 35, based on the current position and direction of the boom 31 input from the boom position/direction calculation unit 105 and the inclination angle of the arm 33 detected by the arm inclination angle sensor 52. Then, the future position of the connection portion of the arm 33 with the bucket 35 at the time of arm dumping at the maximum speed is calculated from the current position of the connection portion of the arm 33 with the bucket 35. For example, the positions 0.1 second later, 0.2 second later, 0.3 second later, ·, and 2.0 second later are calculated. The current and future directions of arm 33 are set to the same values as the current and future directions of boom 31 input from boom position/direction calculation unit 105. And, the current and future positions of the connection of the output arm 33 with the bucket 35, and the current and future orientations of the arm 33.

The first control instruction arithmetic unit 108 performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 15. The present operations of the sixth embodiment are only S262 and S263, which are different from the operations of S202 and S203 (see fig. 4) of the first embodiment, and are otherwise the same.

In the sixth embodiment, when the movement range is set by the movement range setting device 62 (yes in S201), it is determined whether or not a part of the bucket 35 is currently or in the future moved outside the movement range (in the first embodiment, it is also determined whether or not the travel body 10, the swing body 20, the boom 31, and the arm 33 are moved outside the movement range) (S262). When the bucket 35 moves to the outside of the movement range (yes in S262), the movement distance (margin) for the bucket 35 to move from the current position to the outside of the movement range is calculated (zero when the bucket moves to the outside of the movement range), and the value is set as the first margin (S263). The movement distance here corresponds to the displacement amount (also referred to as an expansion/contraction amount) of the boom cylinder 32, the arm cylinder 34, and the bucket cylinder 36, which are hydraulic actuators. The same calculation as in the first embodiment is performed except for S262 and S263, and a first control command (stop command or operation continuation command) is set.

The second control instruction arithmetic unit 109 performs arithmetic operations shown in the flowchart of fig. 16. The present operations of the sixth embodiment are only S364 and S365, which are different from the operations of S304 and S305 (see fig. 5) of the first embodiment, and are otherwise the same.

In the sixth embodiment, when an obstacle is present in S302 or S303 (yes in S302 or S303), it is determined whether a part of bucket 35 is currently in contact with the obstacle or not (in the first embodiment, it is also determined whether traveling body 10, rotating body 20, boom 31, and arm 33 are in contact with the obstacle or not) (S364). When the bucket 35 is in contact with the obstacle (yes in S364), the distance traveled from the current position until the bucket comes into contact with the obstacle (margin) (assuming that zero is present when the bucket is in contact with the obstacle) is calculated and the value is set as the second margin (S365). The movement distance here corresponds to the displacement amount (also referred to as an expansion/contraction amount) of the boom cylinder 32, the arm cylinder 34, and the bucket cylinder 36, which are hydraulic actuators. The same calculation as in the first embodiment is performed except for S364 and S365, and a second control command (stop command or operation continuation command) is set.

In the sixth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the second threshold value set in the second control command calculation unit 109 is set to a value larger than the first threshold value set in the first control command calculation unit 108.

Referring back to fig. 14, in control execution unit 110, when at least one of the first control command input from first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from second control command calculation unit 109 is a stop command, an appropriate stop command is selected, and the operation of work implement 30 before stopping (specifically, control is performed to stop boom cylinder 32, arm cylinder 34, and bucket cylinder 36 as hydraulic actuators) is controlled so as to control pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45g to 45l to cut off arm dump pressure Pg, arm shovel loading pilot pressure Ph, boom lowering pilot pressure Pi, raising pilot pressure Pj, bucket loading pilot pressure Pk, and bucket dumping pilot pressure Pl (to 0MPa) entering control valve 44.

Specifically, when one of the first control command input from the first control command operation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command operation unit 109 is a stop command, the control execution unit 110 selects the stop command and controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45g to 45l as described above.

Further, when both the first control command input from the first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from the second control command calculation unit 109 are stop commands, the control execution unit 110 selects a stop command for one of the boom cylinder 32, the arm cylinder 34, and the bucket cylinder 36, which are hydraulic actuators, which stops the operation of the front work machine 30 earlier (stops the boom cylinder 32, the arm cylinder 34, and the bucket cylinder 36 earlier), and controls the pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45g to 45l as described above.

At this time, the remaining pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45a to 45f may or may not block the pilot pressure. When the pilot pressure is cut off and the operation is stopped, the operation of the front working machine 30 is stopped and all the actuators are stopped, so that the operator can easily understand the operation of the entire hydraulic excavator 1. If the pilot pressure is not cut off, the operation other than the operation of the front work implement 30 is continued, and therefore, the convenience is good.

In any case, the movement stop control of front work implement 30 described above can reduce the possibility that the work implement (boom 31, arm 33, bucket 35 of front work implement 30) moves outside the set movement range or comes into contact with a detected obstacle.

Further, in control execution unit 110, when both the first control command input from first control command calculation unit 108 and the second control command input from second control command calculation unit 109 are operation continuation commands, pilot pressure control solenoid valves 45g to 45l are controlled so as to maintain arm dump pilot pressure Pg, arm bucket loading pilot pressure Ph, boom lowering pilot pressure Pi, boom raising pilot pressure P, bucket loading pilot pressure Pk, and bucket dump pilot pressure Pl that are input to control valve 44 in order to continue the operation of current front work implement 30.

As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the stop control is performed with a margin for obstacles, but the stop control is performed with little margin for the movement range (the margin is suppressed to the minimum), so that the frequency of stopping the vehicle body can be suppressed and deterioration of the work efficiency can be suppressed by setting the movement range in advance so that the operator, the dump truck, or the like does not enter the set movement range. Further, since the vehicle body performs the stop control with a margin when the operator, the dump truck, or the like enters the inside of the movement range of the working machine, the possibility of contact with the operator, the dump truck, or the like can be reduced.

Here, the sixth embodiment is described as a modification of the first embodiment, but it goes without saying that the sixth embodiment can be applied in combination with the second to fourth embodiments, for example.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility of contact with an operator, a dump truck, or the like, and to suppress deterioration of the work efficiency.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and includes various modifications. The above-described embodiments are described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to having all the configurations described. For example, a part of the structure of an embodiment may be replaced with the structure of another embodiment, or the structure of another embodiment may be added to the structure of an embodiment. In addition, deletion, and replacement of other configurations can be performed for the partial configuration of each embodiment.

In addition, for example, a part or all of the above-described structures, functions, and the like may be realized in hardware by designing using an integrated circuit or the like. In addition, it can also be realized in a software manner by a program interpreted and executed by a processor to realize the respective functions.

Description of the reference numerals

1 Hydraulic digger (working machine)

10 traveling body (vehicle body)

11a, 11b crawler

12a, 12b track frame

13a, 13b Hydraulic Motor (actuator) for traveling

20 rotating body (vehicle body)

21 rotating frame

22 engine

23 Engine controller

26 speed reducing mechanism

27 Hydraulic motor (actuator) for rotation

30 front working machine (working machine)

31 boom

32 moving arm cylinder (actuator)

33 bucket rod

34 bucket rod cylinder (actuator)

35 bucket

36 bucket cylinder (actuator)

40 hydraulic system

41a, 41b hydraulic pump

42a, 42b regulator

43 a-43 d pilot valve

44 control valve

45 a-45 l pilot pressure control electromagnetic valve

46a, 46b working oil tank

51 swing arm inclination angle sensor

52 bucket rod inclination angle sensor

53 bucket inclination angle sensor

54 rotation angle sensor

55a GNSS receiver

56a, 56b obstacle position detecting device

61 Engine control dial

62 moving range setting device

100 control device

101 rotating body current position/orientation calculation unit

102 current position/orientation calculation unit for vehicle

103 traveling body position/direction calculation unit

104 rotating body position/orientation calculating unit

105 boom position/orientation calculating unit

106 arm position/orientation calculating unit

107 bucket position/orientation calculating unit

108 first control instruction arithmetic part

109 second control instruction arithmetic unit

110 controls the execution section.