阅读说明：本技术 挖土机及施工系统 (Excavator and construction system ) 是由 泉川岳哉 于 2020-03-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：挖土机(100)具有：下部行走体(1)；上部回转体(3),可回转地搭载于下部行走体(1)；挖掘附件(AT),安装在上部回转体(3)上；铲斗(6),构成挖掘附件(AT)；附件致动器,使挖掘附件(AT)动作；及控制器(30),使附件致动器自主地动作。控制器(30)针对铲斗(6)的铲尖的控制基准点(Pa)及背面的控制基准点(Pb)分别计算附件致动器的控制量,并根据所计算出的各控制量使附件致动器自主地动作。(A shovel (100) is provided with: a lower traveling body (1); an upper revolving body (3) which is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body (1); an excavation Attachment (AT) mounted on the upper slewing body (3); a bucket (6) constituting an excavation Attachment (AT); an attachment actuator that actuates an excavation Attachment (AT); and a controller (30) for autonomously operating the attachment actuator. A controller (30) calculates control amounts of the attachment actuator for a control reference point (Pa) of the cutting edge of the bucket (6) and a control reference point (Pb) of the back surface, and autonomously operates the attachment actuator based on the calculated control amounts.)

1. An excavator, having:

a lower traveling body;

an upper revolving body which is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body;

an attachment mounted on the upper slewing body;

a termination fitting forming said fitting;

an actuator; and

a control device for autonomously operating the actuator,

the control device calculates control amounts of the actuator for a plurality of predetermined points in the terminal fitting, and autonomously operates the actuator in accordance with the calculated control amounts.

2. The shovel of claim 1,

the end attachment is a bucket,

the plurality of prescribed points include left and right end points of a cutting edge of the bucket and left and right rear end points of a back surface of the bucket.

3. The shovel of claim 1,

the control device calculates a combined control amount by combining the control amounts, and autonomously operates the actuator based on the combined control amount.

4. The shovel of claim 1,

the control device calculates a control amount of the actuator with respect to each of the plurality of predetermined points, based on a change in a distance between each of the plurality of predetermined points and a predetermined target surface.

5. The shovel of claim 1,

the control device predicts positions of the plurality of predetermined points after a predetermined time period, and calculates a control amount of the actuator associated with each of the plurality of predetermined points based on the positions after the predetermined time period.

6. The shovel of claim 1,

the control device autonomously operates the actuator using at least one control amount selected from the control amounts according to a predetermined condition.

7. A construction system that supports construction by a shovel, the shovel comprising: a lower traveling body; an upper revolving body which is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body; an attachment mounted on the upper slewing body; a termination fitting forming said fitting; and an actuator, the construction system having:

a communication device that communicates with the shovel; and

a control device for controlling the operation of the motor,

the control device calculates control amounts of the actuator for a plurality of predetermined points in the terminal attachment, and outputs a command for autonomously operating the actuator in accordance with the calculated control amounts to the shovel via the communication device.

8. The construction system according to claim 7,

the end attachment is a bucket,

the plurality of prescribed points include left and right end points of a cutting edge of the bucket and left and right rear end points of a back surface of the bucket.

9. The construction system according to claim 7,

the control device calculates a combined control amount by combining the control amounts, and autonomously operates the actuator based on the combined control amount.

10. The construction system according to claim 7,

the control device calculates a control amount of the actuator with respect to each of the plurality of predetermined points, based on a change in a distance between each of the plurality of predetermined points and a predetermined target surface.

11. The construction system according to claim 7,

the control device predicts positions of the plurality of predetermined points after a predetermined time period, and calculates a control amount of the actuator associated with each of the plurality of predetermined points based on the positions after the predetermined time period.

12. The construction system according to claim 7,

the control device autonomously operates the actuator using at least one control amount selected from the control amounts according to a predetermined condition.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an excavator as an excavator and a construction system.

Background

Conventionally, there is known a shovel that calculates and displays a distance (shortest distance) between a portion closest to a target surface and the target surface among portions of a bucket when an operator performs a slope dressing operation while manually operating an operation device to move a boom, an arm, and the bucket (see, for example, patent document 1).

The earth-moving mechanism is configured to output an alarm sound according to the shortest distance between the bucket and the target surface. Specifically, the excavation mechanism increases the frequency of the alarm sound as the shortest distance becomes shorter. This is to allow the excavator operator to recognize that the bucket is too close to the target surface.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2014-101664

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in the excavator described above, when the cutting edge of the bucket is located on the target surface, that is, when the shortest distance is zero, the alarm sound does not change. Therefore, as long as this state continues, the operator of the excavator may recognize that the cutting edge of the bucket is detected as a portion closest to the target surface. As a result, in a situation where the inclination angle of the target surface increases as the excavator is separated from the excavator, when the excavator opens the arm while bringing the cutting edge of the bucket into contact with the target surface, there is a possibility that the back surface of the bucket may be brought into contact with the target surface to break the target surface. This is because, even if the inclined surface, which is another part of the target surface, approaches the back surface of the bucket, the operator cannot recognize that the back surface of the bucket approaches the inclined surface.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an excavator that can more reliably prevent damage to a target surface due to a termination fitting.

Means for solving the technical problem

An excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a lower traveling body; an upper revolving body which is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body; an attachment mounted on the upper slewing body; a termination fitting forming said fitting; an actuator; and a control device that autonomously operates the actuator, wherein the control device calculates a control amount of the actuator for each of a plurality of predetermined points in the terminal fitting, and autonomously operates the actuator based on each of the calculated control amounts.

Effects of the invention

With the above arrangement, an excavator capable of more reliably preventing damage to a target surface due to a termination fitting is provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a shovel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the excavator of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on the shovel of fig. 1.

Fig. 4A is a diagram of extracting a hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the arm cylinder.

Fig. 4B is a diagram of extracting a portion of the hydraulic system related to the operation of the boom cylinder.

Fig. 4C is a diagram of extracting a portion of the hydraulic system related to the operation of the bucket cylinder.

Fig. 4D is a diagram of extracting a portion of the hydraulic system related to the operation of the swing hydraulic motor.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the controller.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an input side of the autonomous control unit.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the output side of the autonomous control unit.

FIG. 8A is a side view of a bucket moving along a target surface.

FIG. 8B is a side view of the bucket moving along the target surface.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the bucket.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the bucket moving along the target surface.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the tilt bucket.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a tilt bucket moving along a target surface.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a construction system.

Fig. 14 is a schematic view showing another example of the construction system.

Detailed Description

First, a shovel 100 as an excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a side view of the shovel 100, and fig. 2 is a plan view of the shovel 100.

In the present embodiment, the lower traveling body 1 of the shovel 100 includes a crawler belt 1C. The crawler belt 1C is driven by a traveling hydraulic motor 2M as a traveling actuator mounted on the lower traveling body 1. Specifically, crawler belt 1C includes left crawler belt 1CL and right crawler belt 1 CR. The left crawler belt 1CL is driven by a left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML, and the right crawler belt 1CR is driven by a right traveling hydraulic motor 2 MR.

An upper turning body 3 is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 1 via a turning mechanism 2. The turning mechanism 2 is driven by a turning hydraulic motor 2A as a turning actuator mounted on the upper turning body 3. However, the slewing actuator may be a slewing motor generator as an electric actuator.

A boom 4 is attached to the upper slewing body 3. An arm 5 is attached to a front end of the boom 4, and a bucket 6 as a terminal attachment is attached to a front end of the arm 5. The boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 constitute an excavation attachment AT as an example of an attachment. Boom 4 is driven by boom cylinder 7, arm 5 is driven by arm cylinder 8, and bucket 6 is driven by bucket cylinder 9. The boom cylinder 7, the arm cylinder 8, and the bucket cylinder 9 constitute an attachment actuator. The termination fitting may also be a bevel bucket.

The boom 4 is supported to be vertically rotatable with respect to the upper slewing body 3. Further, a boom angle sensor S1 is attached to the boom 4. The boom angle sensor S1 can detect a boom angle α that is a turning angle of the boom 4. The boom angle α is, for example, a rising angle from a state in which the boom 4 is lowered to the lowest position. Therefore, the boom angle α becomes maximum when the boom 4 is lifted to the highest position.

The arm 5 is supported rotatably with respect to the boom 4. Further, the arm 5 is attached with an arm angle sensor S2. The arm angle sensor S2 can detect an arm angle β as a rotation angle of the arm 5. The arm angle β is, for example, an opening angle from a state in which the arm 5 is maximally closed. Therefore, the arm angle β is maximized when the arm 5 is maximally opened.

The bucket 6 is supported rotatably with respect to the arm 5. Further, a bucket angle sensor S3 is attached to the bucket 6. The bucket angle sensor S3 can detect a bucket angle γ that is a rotation angle of the bucket 6. The bucket angle γ is an opening angle from a state where the bucket 6 is maximally closed. Therefore, the bucket angle γ is maximized when the bucket 6 is maximally opened.

In the embodiment of fig. 1, the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3 are each configured by a combination of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. However, the acceleration sensor may be constituted only by the acceleration sensor. The boom angle sensor S1 may be a stroke sensor attached to the boom cylinder 7, or may be a rotary encoder, a potentiometer, an inertial measurement unit, or the like. The same applies to the stick angle sensor S2 and the bucket angle sensor S3.

The upper slewing body 3 is provided with a cab 10 as a cab, and is mounted with a power source such as an engine 11. The upper slewing body 3 is provided with a space recognition device 70, a direction detection device 71, a positioning device 73, a body inclination sensor S4, a slewing angular velocity sensor S5, and the like. The cabin 10 is provided therein with an operation device 26, a controller 30, an information input device 72, a display device D1, a voice output device D2, and the like. In the present description, for convenience, the side of the upper revolving structure 3 to which the excavation attachment AT is attached is referred to as the front side, and the side to which the counterweight is attached is referred to as the rear side.

The space recognition device 70 is configured to be able to recognize objects existing in a three-dimensional space around the shovel 100. The space recognition device 70 may be configured to calculate a distance from the space recognition device 70 or the shovel 100 to the recognized object. The space recognition device 70 includes, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a LIDAR, a range image sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like, or any combination thereof. In the present embodiment, space recognition device 70 includes a front sensor 70F attached to the front end of the upper surface of cab 10, a rear sensor 70B attached to the rear end of the upper surface of upper revolving unit 3, a left sensor 70L attached to the left end of the upper surface of upper revolving unit 3, and a right sensor 70R attached to the right end of the upper surface of upper revolving unit 3. An upper sensor for recognizing an object existing in a space above the upper slewing body 3 may be mounted on the shovel 100.

The direction detection device 71 is configured to detect information relating to the relative relationship between the direction of the upper revolving unit 3 and the direction of the lower traveling unit 1. Direction detecting device 71 may be constituted by a combination of a geomagnetic sensor attached to lower traveling structure 1 and a geomagnetic sensor attached to upper revolving structure 3, for example. Alternatively, the direction detection device 71 may be constituted by a combination of a GNSS receiver mounted on the lower traveling structure 1 and a GNSS receiver mounted on the upper revolving structure 3. The orientation detection device 71 may be a rotary encoder, a rotary position sensor, or the like, or any combination thereof. In the configuration in which the upper slewing body 3 is rotationally driven by the slewing motor generator, the direction detector 71 may be constituted by a resolver. The orientation detection device 71 may be attached to, for example, a center joint portion provided in association with the turning mechanism 2 that realizes relative rotation between the lower traveling body 1 and the upper turning body 3.

The orientation detection device 71 may be constituted by a camera attached to the upper revolving unit 3. At this time, the orientation detection device 71 performs known image processing on an image (input image) captured by a camera attached to the upper revolving structure 3 to detect an image of the lower traveling structure 1 included in the input image. Then, the orientation detection device 71 detects the image of the lower traveling body 1 by using a known image recognition technique, and determines the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling body 1. Then, an angle formed between the front-rear axis direction of the upper revolving structure 3 and the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling structure 1 is derived. The front-rear axis direction of the upper revolving structure 3 is derived from the mounting position of the camera. In particular, since the crawler belt 1C protrudes from the upper revolving structure 3, the orientation detection device 71 can determine the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling structure 1 by detecting an image of the crawler belt 1C. At this time, the orientation detection device 71 may be integrated with the controller 30. Also, the camera may be the space recognition device 70.

The information input device 72 is configured to allow an operator of the excavator to input information to the controller 30. In the present embodiment, the information input device 72 is a switch panel provided in the vicinity of the display unit of the display device D1. However, the information input device 72 may be a touch panel disposed on the display portion of the display device D1, or may be a voice input device such as a microphone disposed in the cabin 10. The information input device 72 may be a communication device that acquires information from the outside.

The positioning device 73 is configured to measure the position of the upper slewing body 3. In the present embodiment, positioning device 73 is a GNSS receiver that detects the position of upper revolving unit 3 and outputs the detected value to controller 30. The positioning device 73 may also be a GNSS compass. At this time, since the positioning device 73 can detect the position and the orientation of the upper revolving structure 3, it also functions as the orientation detecting device 71.

The body inclination sensor S4 detects the inclination of the upper slewing body 3 with respect to a predetermined plane. In the present embodiment, the body inclination sensor S4 is an acceleration sensor that detects the inclination of the upper slewing body 3 about the front-rear axis and the inclination about the left-right axis with respect to the horizontal plane. The front-rear axis and the left-right axis of the upper revolving structure 3 are orthogonal to each other and pass through a shovel center point, which is one point on the revolving shaft of the shovel 100, for example.

The rotation angular velocity sensor S5 detects the rotation angular velocity of the upper slewing body 3. In the present embodiment, it is a gyro sensor. Or may be a resolver, rotary encoder, etc., or any combination thereof. The revolution angular velocity sensor S5 may also detect a revolution speed. The slew velocity may be calculated from the slew angular velocity.

Hereinafter, at least one of the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, the bucket angle sensor S3, the body inclination sensor S4, and the turning angular velocity sensor S5 is also referred to as a posture detection device. The posture of the excavation attachment AT is detected from the outputs of the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3, for example.

The display device D1 is a device that displays information. In the present embodiment, the display device D1 is a liquid crystal display provided in the cabin 10. However, the display device D1 may be a display of a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

The voice output device D2 is a device that outputs voice. The voice output device D2 includes at least one of a device for outputting voice to an operator in the cab 10 and a device for outputting voice to a worker outside the cab 10. Or may be a speaker of the mobile terminal.

The operation device 26 is a device used by an operator to operate the actuator. The operation device 26 includes, for example, an operation lever and an operation pedal. The actuator includes at least one of a hydraulic actuator and an electric actuator.

The controller 30 is a control device for controlling the shovel 100. In the present embodiment, the controller 30 is configured by a computer including a CPU, a volatile memory device, a nonvolatile memory device, and the like. The controller 30 reads a program corresponding to each function from the nonvolatile storage device, loads the program into the volatile storage device, and causes the CPU to execute the corresponding processing. The functions include, for example, a machine guide function for guiding (guiding) a manual operation of the shovel 100 by an operator, and a machine control function for supporting the manual operation of the shovel 100 by the operator or automatically or autonomously operating the shovel 100. The controller 30 may also include a contact avoidance function that automatically or autonomously operates or stops the shovel 100 in order to avoid contact with the shovel 100 by objects present within a monitoring range around the shovel 100. The monitoring of the objects around the shovel 100 is performed not only on the inside of the monitoring range but also on the outside of the monitoring range. At this time, the controller 30 detects the kind of the object and the position of the object.

Next, a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on the shovel 100 will be described with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on the shovel 100. The mechanical power transmission system, the working oil line, the pilot line, and the electrical control system are shown in fig. 3 by double lines, solid lines, broken lines, and dotted lines, respectively.

The hydraulic system of the shovel 100 mainly includes an engine 11, a regulator 13, a main pump 14, a pilot pump 15, a control valve unit 17, an operation device 26, a discharge pressure sensor 28, an operation pressure sensor 29, a controller 30, and the like.

In fig. 3, the hydraulic system is configured to be able to circulate hydraulic oil from the main pump 14 driven by the engine 11 to the hydraulic oil tank via the intermediate bypass line 40 or the parallel line 42.

The engine 11 is a drive source of the shovel 100. In the present embodiment, the engine 11 is, for example, a diesel engine that operates to maintain a predetermined number of revolutions. An output shaft of the engine 11 is coupled to respective input shafts of the main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15.

The main pump 14 is configured to be able to supply hydraulic oil to the control valve unit 17 via a hydraulic oil line. In the present embodiment, the main pump 14 is a swash plate type variable displacement hydraulic pump.

The regulator 13 is configured to be able to control the discharge rate of the main pump 14. In the present embodiment, the regulator 13 controls the discharge rate of the main pump 14 by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the main pump 14 in accordance with a control command from the controller 30.

The pilot pump 15 is an example of a pilot pressure generating device, and is configured to be able to supply hydraulic oil to a hydraulic control apparatus including the operation device 26 via a pilot pipe. In the present embodiment, the pilot pump 15 is a fixed displacement hydraulic pump. However, the pilot pressure generating device may be implemented by main pump 14. That is, the main pump 14 may have a function of supplying hydraulic oil to various hydraulic control devices including the operation device 26 via a pilot line in addition to a function of supplying hydraulic oil to the control valve unit 17 via a hydraulic line. In this case, the pilot pump 15 may be omitted.

The control valve unit 17 is a hydraulic control device that controls a hydraulic system in the shovel 100. In the present embodiment, the control valve unit 17 includes control valves 171 to 176. Control valve 175 includes control valve 175L and control valve 175R, and control valve 176 includes control valve 176L and control valve 176R. The control valve unit 17 is configured to be able to selectively supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 14 to one or more hydraulic actuators via the control valves 171 to 176. The control valves 171 to 176 control, for example, the flow rate of hydraulic oil flowing from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuators and the flow rate of hydraulic oil flowing from the hydraulic actuators to the hydraulic oil tank. The hydraulic actuators include a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, a bucket cylinder 9, a left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML, a right traveling hydraulic motor 2MR, and a swing hydraulic motor 2A.

The operation device 26 is configured to be able to supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve unit 17 via the pilot pipe. The pressure (pilot pressure) of the hydraulic oil supplied to each pilot port is a pressure corresponding to the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation device 26 corresponding to each hydraulic actuator. However, the operation device 26 may be of an electrically controlled type, instead of the pilot pressure type as described above. At this time, the control valve in the control valve unit 17 may be an electromagnetic solenoid type spool valve.

The discharge pressure sensor 28 is configured to be able to detect the discharge pressure of the main pump 14. In the present embodiment, the discharge pressure sensor 28 outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

The operation pressure sensor 29 is configured to be able to detect the content of an operation performed by the operator on the operation device 26. In the present embodiment, the operation pressure sensor 29 detects the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation device 26 corresponding to each actuator as a pressure (operation pressure), and outputs the detected values to the controller 30. The operation content of the operation device 26 may be detected by a sensor other than the operation pressure sensor.

Main pump 14 includes a left main pump 14L and a right main pump 14R. The left main pump 14L circulates hydraulic oil to the hydraulic oil tank through the left intermediate bypass line 40L or the left parallel line 42L, and the right main pump 14R circulates hydraulic oil to the hydraulic oil tank through the right intermediate bypass line 40R or the right parallel line 42R.

The left intermediate bypass line 40L is a working oil line passing through the control valves 171, 173, 175L, and 176L arranged in the control valve unit 17. The right intermediate bypass line 40R is a working oil line passing through control valves 172, 174, 175R, and 176R arranged in the control valve unit 17.

The control valve 171 is a spool valve that switches the flow of the hydraulic oil in order to supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L to the left travel hydraulic motor 2ML and discharge the hydraulic oil discharged from the left travel hydraulic motor 2ML to a hydraulic oil tank.

The control valve 172 is a spool valve that switches the flow of the hydraulic oil in order to supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the right main pump 14R to the right travel hydraulic motor 2MR and discharge the hydraulic oil discharged from the right travel hydraulic motor 2MR to a hydraulic oil tank.

The control valve 173 is a spool valve that switches the flow of the hydraulic oil in order to supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L to the hydraulic swing motor 2A and discharge the hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic swing motor 2A to a hydraulic oil tank.

The control valve 174 is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil in order to supply hydraulic oil discharged from the right main pump 14R to the bucket cylinder 9 and discharge the hydraulic oil in the bucket cylinder 9 to a hydraulic oil tank.

The control valve 175L is a spool valve for switching the flow of the hydraulic oil in order to supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L to the boom cylinder 7. The control valve 175R is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil in order to supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the right main pump 14R to the boom cylinder 7 and discharge the hydraulic oil in the boom cylinder 7 to a hydraulic oil tank.

The control valve 176L is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil in order to supply hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L to the arm cylinder 8 and discharge the hydraulic oil in the arm cylinder 8 to a hydraulic oil tank.

The control valve 176R is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil in order to supply hydraulic oil discharged from the right main pump 14R to the arm cylinder 8 and discharge the hydraulic oil in the arm cylinder 8 to a hydraulic oil tank.

The left parallel line 42L is a working oil line in parallel with the left intermediate bypass line 40L. When the flow of the hydraulic oil through the left intermediate bypass line 40L is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 171, 173, and 175L, the left parallel line 42L can supply the hydraulic oil to the control valve further downstream. The right parallel line 42R is a working oil line in parallel with the right intermediate bypass line 40R. When the flow of the hydraulic oil through the right intermediate bypass line 40R is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 172, 174, and 175R, the right parallel line 42R can supply the hydraulic oil to the control valve further downstream.

The regulator 13 includes a left regulator 13L and a right regulator 13R. The left regulator 13L controls the discharge rate of the left main pump 14L by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L in accordance with the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L. Specifically, the left regulator 13L reduces the discharge amount by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L in accordance with, for example, an increase in the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L. The same applies to the right regulator 13R. This is to prevent the absorbed power (absorption horsepower) of the main pump 14, which is expressed by the product of the discharge pressure and the discharge amount, from exceeding the output power (output horsepower) of the engine 11.

Operation device 26 includes a left operation lever 26L, a right operation lever 26R, and a travel lever 26D. The travel bar 26D includes a left travel bar 26DL and a right travel bar 26 DR.

The left operation lever 26L is used for the swing operation and the operation of the arm 5. When the left control lever 26L is operated in the front-rear direction, the control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount is introduced into the pilot port of the control valve 176 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15. When the control valve is operated in the left-right direction, the control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount is introduced into the pilot port of the control valve 173 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15.

Specifically, when the left control lever 26L is operated in the arm closing direction, the hydraulic oil is introduced into the right pilot port of the control valve 176L, and the hydraulic oil is introduced into the left pilot port of the control valve 176R. When the left control lever 26L is operated in the arm opening direction, the hydraulic oil is introduced into the left pilot port of the control valve 176L, and the hydraulic oil is introduced into the right pilot port of the control valve 176R. The left control lever 26L introduces hydraulic oil to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 when operated in the leftward turning direction, and introduces hydraulic oil to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 when operated in the rightward turning direction.

The right control lever 26R is used for the operation of the boom 4 and the operation of the bucket 6. When the right control lever 26R is operated in the front-rear direction, the control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount is introduced into the pilot port of the control valve 175 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15. When the control valve is operated in the left-right direction, the control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount is introduced into the pilot port of the control valve 174 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15.

Specifically, when the right control lever 26R is operated in the boom lowering direction, the hydraulic oil is introduced into the left pilot port of the control valve 175R. When the right control lever 26R is operated in the boom raising direction, the hydraulic oil is introduced into the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the hydraulic oil is introduced into the left pilot port of the control valve 175R. The right control lever 26R introduces hydraulic oil to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 when operated in the bucket closing direction, and the right control lever 26R introduces hydraulic oil to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 when operated in the bucket opening direction.

The traveling bar 26D is used for the operation of the crawler belt 1C. Specifically, the left travel lever 26DL is used for the operation of the left crawler belt 1 CL. The left travel pedal may be linked to the vehicle. When the left travel lever 26DL is operated in the front-rear direction, the control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount is introduced into the pilot port of the control valve 171 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15. The right walking bar 26DR is used for the operation of the right crawler belt 1 CR. The right travel pedal may be linked to the vehicle. When the right travel lever 26DR is operated in the front-rear direction, the control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount is introduced into the pilot port of the control valve 172 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15.

The discharge pressure sensor 28 includes a discharge pressure sensor 28L and a discharge pressure sensor 28R. The discharge pressure sensor 28L detects the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The same applies to the discharge pressure sensor 28R.

The operation pressure sensors 29 include operation pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, 29 DR. The operation pressure sensor 29LA detects the content of the operation of the left operation lever 26L by the operator in the front-rear direction in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation contents include, for example, a lever operation direction and a lever operation amount (lever operation angle).

Similarly, the operation pressure sensor 29LB detects the content of the operation performed by the operator on the left operation lever 26L in the left-right direction in a pressure manner, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation pressure sensor 29RA detects the content of the operation of the right operation lever 26R in the front-rear direction by the operator in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation pressure sensor 29RB detects the content of the operation of the right operation lever 26R in the left-right direction by the operator in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation pressure sensor 29DL detects the content of the operation of the left travel lever 26DL by the operator in the front-rear direction in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation pressure sensor 29DR detects the content of the operation of the right travel lever 26DR in the front-rear direction by the operator in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

The controller 30 receives the output of the operating pressure sensor 29 and outputs a control command to the regulator 13 as needed to vary the discharge rate of the main pump 14. The controller 30 receives the output of the control pressure sensor 19 provided upstream of the throttle 18, and outputs a control command to the regulator 13 as necessary to change the discharge rate of the main pump 14. The throttle 18 includes a left throttle 18L and a right throttle 18R, and the control pressure sensor 19 includes a left control pressure sensor 19L and a right control pressure sensor 19R.

In the left intermediate bypass line 40L, a left choke 18L is disposed between the control valve 176L located at the most downstream side and the hydraulic oil tank. Therefore, the flow of the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L is restricted by the left throttle 18L. And, the left orifice 18L generates a control pressure for controlling the left regulator 13L. The left control pressure sensor 19L is a sensor for detecting the control pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The controller 30 controls the discharge rate of the left main pump 14L by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L in accordance with the control pressure. The controller 30 decreases the discharge rate of the left main pump 14L as the control pressure increases, and the controller 30 increases the discharge rate of the left main pump 14L as the control pressure decreases. The discharge rate of the right main pump 14R is controlled in the same manner.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, when the hydraulic actuators in the shovel 100 are not operated in the standby state, the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L passes through the left intermediate bypass line 40L and reaches the left throttle 18L. The flow of the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L increases the control pressure generated upstream of the left throttle 18L. As a result, the controller 30 reduces the discharge rate of the left main pump 14L to the allowable minimum discharge rate, and suppresses the pressure loss (pumping loss) when the discharged hydraulic oil passes through the left intermediate bypass line 40L. On the other hand, when any one of the hydraulic actuators is operated, the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L flows into the operation target hydraulic actuator through the control valve corresponding to the operation target hydraulic actuator. The flow of the hydraulic oil discharged from the left main pump 14L decreases or disappears the amount of hydraulic oil reaching the left throttle 18L, and the control pressure generated upstream of the left throttle 18L is reduced. As a result, the controller 30 increases the discharge rate of the left main pump 14L, circulates a sufficient amount of hydraulic oil in the hydraulic actuator to be operated, and ensures the driving of the hydraulic actuator to be operated. The controller 30 also controls the discharge rate of the right main pump 14R in the same manner.

According to the above configuration, the hydraulic system of fig. 3 can suppress unnecessary energy consumption in the main pump 14 in the standby state. Unnecessary energy consumption includes pumping loss of the working oil discharged from main pump 14 in intermediate bypass line 40. When the hydraulic actuator is operated, the hydraulic system of fig. 3 can reliably supply a sufficient amount of hydraulic oil required for the hydraulic actuator to be operated from the main pump 14.

Next, a configuration of the controller 30 for operating the actuator by the device control function will be described with reference to fig. 4A to 4D. Fig. 4A to 4D are diagrams of a part of the extraction hydraulic system. Specifically, fig. 4A is a diagram of extracting a hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the arm cylinder 8, and fig. 4B is a diagram of extracting a hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the boom cylinder 7. Fig. 4C is a diagram of extracting a hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the bucket cylinder 9, and fig. 4D is a diagram of extracting a hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the swing hydraulic motor 2A.

As shown in fig. 4A to 4D, the hydraulic system includes a proportional valve 31, a shuttle valve 32, and a proportional valve 33. Proportional valve 31 includes proportional valves 31 AL-31 DL and 31 AR-31 DR, shuttle valve 32 includes shuttle valves 32 AL-32 DL and 32 AR-32 DR, and proportional valve 33 includes proportional valves 33 AL-33 DL and 33 AR-33 DR.

The proportional valve 31 functions as a control valve for controlling the plant. The proportional valve 31 is disposed in a pipe line connecting the pilot pump 15 and the shuttle valve 32, and is configured to be capable of changing a flow passage area of the pipe line. In the present embodiment, the proportional valve 31 operates in accordance with a control command output from the controller 30. Therefore, regardless of the operation device 26 by the operator, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve unit 17 via the proportional valve 31 and the shuttle valve 32.

The shuttle valve 32 has two inlet ports and one outlet port. One of the two inlet ports is connected to the operating device 26 and the other is connected to the proportional valve 31. The discharge port is connected to a pilot port of a corresponding control valve in the control valve unit 17. Therefore, the shuttle valve 32 can cause the higher pilot pressure of the pilot pressure generated by the operation device 26 and the pilot pressure generated by the proportional valve 31 to act on the pilot port of the corresponding control valve.

The proportional valve 33 functions as a plant control valve, similarly to the proportional valve 31. The proportional valve 33 is disposed in a pipe line connecting the operation device 26 and the shuttle valve 32, and is configured to be capable of changing a flow passage area of the pipe line. In the present embodiment, the proportional valve 33 operates in accordance with a control command output from the controller 30. Therefore, regardless of the operation device 26 by the operator, the controller 30 can reduce the pressure of the hydraulic oil discharged from the operation device 26 and supply the pressure to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve unit 17 via the shuttle valve 32.

With this configuration, even when an operation is not performed on a specific operation device 26, the controller 30 can operate the hydraulic actuator corresponding to the specific operation device 26. Even when an operation is being performed on a specific operation device 26, the controller 30 can forcibly stop the operation of the hydraulic actuator corresponding to the specific operation device 26.

For example, as shown in fig. 4A, the left operation lever 26L is used to operate the arm 5. Specifically, the left control lever 26L causes a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation in the front-rear direction to act on the pilot port of the control valve 176 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15. More specifically, when the left control lever 26L is operated in the arm closing direction (rear side), the pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount is applied to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R. When the left control lever 26L is operated in the arm opening direction (forward side), a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount is applied to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R.

The left operating lever 26L is provided with a switch NS. In the present embodiment, the switch NS is a push switch provided at the distal end of the left operating lever 26L. The operator can operate the left operating lever 26L while pressing the switch NS. The switch NS may be provided on the right operating lever 26R, or may be provided at another position in the cabin 10.

The operation pressure sensor 29LA detects the content of the operation of the left operation lever 26L by the operator in the front-rear direction in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

The proportional valve 31AL operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AL and the shuttle valve 32AL is adjusted. The proportional valve 31AR operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AR and the shuttle valve 32AR is adjusted. The proportional valves 31AL, 31AR can adjust the pilot pressures so that the control valves 176L, 176R can be stopped at arbitrary valve positions.

With this configuration, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AL and the shuttle valve 32AL, regardless of the boom closing operation performed by the operator. That is, the arm 5 can be closed. The controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AR and the shuttle valve 32AR, regardless of the boom opening operation performed by the operator. That is, the arm 5 can be opened.

The proportional valve 33AL operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Pilot pressure generated by hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the left control lever 26L, the proportional valve 33AL, and the shuttle valve 32AL is reduced. The proportional valve 33AR operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the left control lever 26L, the proportional valve 33AR, and the shuttle valve 32AR is reduced. The proportional valves 33AL, 33AR can adjust the pilot pressures so that the control valves 176L, 176R can be stopped at arbitrary valve positions.

With this configuration, even when the operator is performing the arm closing operation, the controller 30 can reduce the pilot pressure acting on the closed pilot port of the control valve 176 (the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R) as necessary, and forcibly stop the arm 5 closing operation. The same applies to a case where the opening operation of the arm 5 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing the arm opening operation.

Alternatively, even when the operator is performing the arm closing operation, the controller 30 may forcibly stop the closing operation of the arm 5 by increasing the pilot pressure acting on the pilot port on the opening side of the control valve 176 (the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R) located on the opposite side of the pilot port on the closing side of the control valve 176 by controlling the proportional valve 31AR as necessary, and forcibly returning the control valve 176 to the neutral position. In this case, the proportional valve 33AL may be omitted. The same applies to a case where the opening operation of the arm 5 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing the arm opening operation.

Further, the description with reference to fig. 4B to 4D below is omitted, but the same applies to the case where the operation of the boom 4 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing the boom raising operation or the boom lowering operation, the case where the operation of the bucket 6 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing the bucket closing operation or the bucket opening operation, and the case where the swing operation of the upper swing body 3 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing the swing operation. The same applies to the case where the walking operation of the lower walking body 1 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing the walking operation.

As shown in fig. 4B, the right operation lever 26R is used to operate the boom 4. Specifically, the right control lever 26R causes a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation in the front-rear direction to act on the pilot port of the control valve 175 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15. More specifically, when the operation is performed in the boom raising direction (rear side), the right control lever 26R causes the pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to act on the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R. When the operation is performed in the boom lowering direction (forward side), the right control lever 26R causes a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to act on the right pilot port of the control valve 175R.

The operation pressure sensor 29RA detects the content of the operation of the right operation lever 26R in the front-rear direction by the operator in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

The proportional valve 31BL operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BL and the shuttle valve 32BL is adjusted. The proportional valve 31BR operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Pilot pressure generated by hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 175L and the right pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BR and the shuttle valve 32BR is adjusted. The proportional valves 31BL, 31BR can adjust pilot pressures so that the control valves 175L, 175R can be stopped at arbitrary valve positions.

With this configuration, regardless of the boom raising operation by the operator, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BL and the shuttle valve 32 BL. That is, the boom 4 can be lifted. Further, regardless of the boom lowering operation performed by the operator, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BR and the shuttle valve 32 BR. That is, the boom 4 can be lowered.

As shown in fig. 4C, the right operating lever 26R is used to operate the bucket 6. Specifically, the right control lever 26R causes a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation in the left-right direction to act on the pilot port of the control valve 174 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15. More specifically, when the right control lever 26R is operated in the bucket closing direction (left direction), the pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount is applied to the left pilot port of the control valve 174. When the right control lever 26R is operated in the bucket opening direction (right direction), a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount is applied to the right pilot port of the control valve 174.

The operation pressure sensor 29RB detects the content of the operation of the right operation lever 26R in the left-right direction by the operator in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

The proportional valve 31CL operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CL and the shuttle valve 32CL is adjusted. The proportional valve 31CR operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CR and the shuttle valve 32CR is adjusted. The proportional valves 31CL and 31CR can adjust the pilot pressure so that the control valve 174 can stop at any valve position.

With this configuration, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CL and the shuttle valve 32CL, regardless of the bucket closing operation performed by the operator. I.e. the bucket 6 can be closed. The controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CR and the shuttle valve 32CR, regardless of the bucket opening operation performed by the operator. I.e. the bucket 6 can be opened.

Also, as shown in fig. 4D, the left operating lever 26L is also used to operate the swing mechanism 2. Specifically, the left control lever 26L causes a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation in the left-right direction to act on the pilot port of the control valve 173 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15. More specifically, when the left operation lever 26L is operated in the left turning direction (left direction), a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount is applied to the left pilot port of the control valve 173. When the left control lever 26L is operated in the rightward turning direction (rightward direction), a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount is applied to the right pilot port of the control valve 173.

The operation pressure sensor 29LB detects the content of the operation of the left operation lever 26L in the left-right direction by the operator in a pressure form, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

The proportional valve 31DL operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DL and the shuttle valve 32DL is adjusted. The proportional valve 31DR operates in accordance with a control command (current command) output from the controller 30. Then, the pilot pressure generated by the hydraulic oil introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DR and the shuttle valve 32DR is adjusted. The proportional valves 31DL and 31DR can adjust the pilot pressure so that the control valve 173 can be stopped at an arbitrary valve position.

With this configuration, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DL and the shuttle valve 32DL regardless of the left swing operation performed by the operator. That is, the turning mechanism 2 can be turned left. The controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DR and the shuttle valve 32DR regardless of the right swing operation performed by the operator. That is, the turning mechanism 2 can be turned right.

The shovel 100 may have a structure in which the lower traveling unit 1 is automatically or autonomously advanced/retreated. At this time, the hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML and the hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the right traveling hydraulic motor 2MR may be configured similarly to the hydraulic system portion related to the operation of the boom cylinder 7 and the like.

Further, as a form of the operation device 26, a description is given of a hydraulic operation lever provided with a hydraulic pilot circuit, but an electric operation lever provided with an electric pilot circuit may be adopted instead of the hydraulic operation lever. At this time, the lever operation amount of the electric operation lever is input to the controller 30 as an electric signal. Further, an electromagnetic valve is disposed between the pilot pump 15 and the pilot port of each control valve. The solenoid valve is configured to operate in response to an electric signal from the controller 30. According to this configuration, when a manual operation using an electric operation lever is performed, the controller 30 controls the solenoid valve based on an electric signal corresponding to the lever operation amount to increase or decrease the pilot pressure, thereby moving each control valve. In addition, each control valve may be constituted by an electromagnetic spool valve. At this time, the solenoid spool operates in response to an electric signal from the controller 30 corresponding to the lever operation amount of the electric operation lever.

Next, a configuration example of the controller 30 will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the controller 30. In fig. 5, the controller 30 is configured to be able to receive signals output from at least one of the posture detection device, the operation device 26, the space recognition device 70, the direction detection device 71, the information input device 72, the positioning device 73, the switch NS, and the like, to perform various calculations, and to output a control command to at least one of the proportional valve 31, the display device D1, the voice output device D2, and the like. The attitude detection device includes a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, a body inclination sensor S4, and a turning angular velocity sensor S5. The controller 30 includes a position calculating unit 30A, a trajectory acquiring unit 30B, and an autonomous control unit 30C as functional elements. For convenience of explanation, the position calculating unit 30A, the track acquiring unit 30B, and the autonomous control unit 30C are illustrated separately, but they are not necessarily physically separated and may be constituted by entirely or partially identical software components or hardware components. One or more of the functional elements in the controller 30 may be functional elements in another control device such as the management device 300 described later. That is, each functional element may be realized by any control device. For example, the autonomous control unit 30C may be realized by the management device 300 located outside the shovel 100.

The position calculation unit 30A is configured to calculate the position of the positioning target. In the present embodiment, the position calculating unit 30A calculates a coordinate point in a reference coordinate system of a predetermined portion of the attachment. The predetermined portion is, for example, a cutting edge of the bucket 6. The origin of the reference coordinate system is, for example, the intersection of the revolving shaft and the ground plane of the shovel 100. The reference coordinate system is, for example, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system having an X axis parallel to the front-rear axis of the shovel 100, a Y axis parallel to the left-right axis of the shovel 100, and a Z axis parallel to the rotation axis of the shovel 100. The position calculation unit 30A calculates a coordinate point of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 from the respective pivot angles of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6, for example. The position calculating unit 30A may calculate not only the coordinate point of the center of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 but also the coordinate point of the left end of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 and the coordinate point of the right end of the cutting edge of the bucket 6. At this time, the position calculating unit 30A may use the output of the body inclination sensor S4. The position calculating unit 30A may calculate a coordinate point in the world coordinate system of the predetermined portion of the attachment using the output of the positioning device 73.

The track acquisition unit 30B is configured to acquire a target track, which is a track to be followed by a predetermined portion of the attachment when the shovel 100 is autonomously operated. In the present embodiment, the track acquisition unit 30B acquires a target track used when the autonomous control unit 30C autonomously operates the shovel 100. Specifically, the track acquiring unit 30B derives the target track from data (hereinafter, referred to as "design data") relating to the target surface stored in the nonvolatile storage device. The track acquiring unit 30B may derive the target track from information on the terrain around the shovel 100 recognized by the space recognition device 70. Alternatively, the trajectory acquisition unit 30B may derive information on the past trajectory of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 from the past output of the posture detection device stored in the volatile storage device, and derive the target trajectory from the information. Alternatively, the trajectory acquisition unit 30B may derive the target trajectory from the current position of the predetermined portion of the accessory and the design data.

The autonomous control unit 30C is configured to be able to autonomously operate the shovel 100. In the present embodiment, when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, the predetermined portion of the accessory is moved along the target trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquisition unit 30B. Specifically, when the operation device 26 is operated in a state where the switch NS is pressed, the shovel 100 is autonomously operated to move the predetermined portion along the target track.

In the present embodiment, the autonomous control unit 30C is configured to support manual operation of the excavator by the operator by autonomously operating the actuator. For example, when the operator manually performs an arm closing operation while pressing the switch NS, the autonomous control unit 30C may autonomously extend and contract at least one of the boom cylinder 7, the arm cylinder 8, and the bucket cylinder 9 so that the target trajectory is aligned with the position of the cutting edge of the bucket 6. At this time, the operator can close arm 5 while aligning the cutting edge of bucket 6 with the target trajectory simply by operating left control lever 26L in the arm closing direction, for example. In this example, the arm cylinder 8 as a main operation target is referred to as a "main actuator". The boom cylinder 7 and the bucket cylinder 9 that are the objects of the slave operation that move in accordance with the operation of the main actuator are referred to as "slave actuators".

In the present embodiment, the 1 st control unit 30C can operate each actuator autonomously by individually adjusting the pilot pressure acting on the control valve corresponding to each actuator by giving a current command to the proportional valve 31. For example, at least one of the boom cylinder 7 and the bucket cylinder 9 can be operated regardless of whether the right control lever 26R is tilted.

Next, a configuration example of the autonomous control unit 30C will be described with reference to fig. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 shows an example of the input side configuration of the autonomous control unit 30C. Fig. 7 shows a configuration example of the output side of the autonomous control unit 30C.

In the present embodiment, the autonomous control unit 30C is configured to calculate the control amount of the actuator for each of a plurality of predetermined points in the end-piece in the slope finishing work, the leveling work, or the like. The plurality of prescribed points in the terminal attachment include, for example, points on the cutting edge of the bucket 6 and points in the back of the bucket 6. The current position of the prescribed point is represented by, for example, a coordinate point in the reference coordinate system. The control amount of the actuator includes, for example, a control amount of the boom cylinder 7, a control amount of the arm cylinder 8, a control amount of the bucket cylinder 9, and the like. The control amount of the boom cylinder 7 is represented by, for example, the stroke amount of the boom cylinder 7, the boom angle α, and the like. The same applies to the control amount of the arm cylinder 8 and the control amount of the bucket cylinder 9.

The autonomous control unit 30C can rotate the boom 4 by X degrees by outputting a control command regarding a boom angle "X degrees" as a control amount of the boom cylinder 7 to the proportional valve 31, for example.

The autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount of the arm cylinder 8 as a main actuator, for example, and then calculates the control amount of each of the arm cylinder 7 and the bucket cylinder 9 as a slave actuator. The control amount of the arm cylinder 8 as the main actuator is adjusted (corrected) as needed after being calculated from the operation amount of the left operation lever 26L, for example. When the control amount of arm cylinder 8 changes, the control amount of each of boom cylinder 7 and bucket cylinder 9 also changes according to the change.

In the present embodiment, the autonomic control unit 30C includes a target value calculation unit 30D, a synthesis unit 30E, and a calculation unit 30F. The target value calculation section 30D is configured to calculate a target value for each of a plurality of predetermined points in the terminal fitting for each predetermined control cycle. The target value is, for example, a value related to a position (target position) of a predetermined point in the terminal attachment after a predetermined time, and is typically represented by a target boom angle, a target stick angle, and a target bucket angle. For convenience of explanation, the target value calculation unit 30D, the synthesis unit 30E, and the calculation unit 30F are illustrated separately, but they are not necessarily physically separated and may be constituted by entirely or partially identical software components or hardware components. One or more of the functional elements in the autonomous control unit 30C may be functional elements in another control device such as the management device 300 described later. That is, each functional element may be realized by any control device. For example, the target value calculation unit 30D and the synthesis unit 30E may be realized by the management device 300 located outside the shovel 100.

In the present embodiment, the target value calculation unit 30D includes the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1 and the 2 nd target value calculation unit 30D 2. The 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1 is configured to calculate a target value relating to a control reference point Pa (see fig. 1.) of the cutting edge of the bucket 6. The 2 nd target value calculation unit 30D2 is configured to calculate a target value relating to a control reference point Pb (see fig. 1.) on the back surface of the bucket 6.

Specifically, the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1 calculates the target position of the control reference point Pa of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 based on the outputs of the operation pressure sensor 29LA, the information input device 72, the switch NS, and the position calculation unit 30A. The target position is a position where the control reference point Pa arrives after a predetermined time.

More specifically, the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1 determines whether or not the left operation lever 26L is operated in the front-rear direction in a state where the switch NS is pressed, based on the output of the operation pressure sensor 29LA and the output of the switch NS. When it is determined that the left operation lever 26L has been operated in the front-rear direction with the switch NS pressed, the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1 calculates the target position of the control reference point Pa based on the current position of the control reference point Pa and the information on the target surface. The information relating to the target surface is derived, for example, from design data input through the information input device 72. The information related to the target surface includes, for example, a bevel angle and the like. The current position of the control reference point Pa is calculated by, for example, the position calculating unit 30A. The position calculator 30A calculates the current position of the control reference point Pa based on the outputs of the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, the bucket angle sensor S3, and the like, for example. Then, the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1 derives the boom angle α t1, the arm angle β t1, and the bucket angle γ t1 when the control reference point Pa is moved to the target position, based on the calculated target position of the control reference point Pa. In the present embodiment, the boom angle α t1 represents the 1 st control amount related to the boom cylinder 7. Similarly, the arm angle β t1 indicates the 1 st control amount relating to the arm cylinder 8, and the bucket angle γ t1 indicates the 1 st control amount relating to the bucket cylinder 9.

Like the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1, the 2 nd target value calculation unit 30D2 calculates the target position of the control reference point Pb on the back surface of the bucket 6 based on the outputs of the operation pressure sensor 29LA, the information input device 72, the switch NS, and the position calculation unit 30A. The target position is a position where the control reference point Pb arrives after a predetermined time.

Specifically, like the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1, the 2 nd target value calculation unit 30D2 determines whether or not the left operation lever 26L is operated in the front-rear direction in a state where the switch NS is pressed. When it is determined that the left operating lever 26L has been operated in the forward/rearward direction with the switch NS pressed, the 2 nd target value calculating portion 30D2 calculates the target position of the control reference point Pb based on the current position of the control reference point Pb and the information on the target surface. Then, the 2 nd target value calculation unit 30D2 derives the boom angle α t2, the arm angle β t2, and the bucket angle γ t2 when the control reference point Pb is moved to the target position, based on the calculated target position of the control reference point Pb. In the present embodiment, the boom angle α t2 indicates the 2 nd control amount related to the boom cylinder 7. Similarly, the arm angle β t2 indicates the 2 nd control amount relating to the arm cylinder 8, and the bucket angle γ t2 indicates the 2 nd control amount relating to the bucket cylinder 9.

In the present embodiment, the 1 st target value calculation unit 30D1 and the 2 nd target value calculation unit 30D2 are separate functional elements that operate independently of each other, but may be integrally configured as the same single functional element.

The combining unit 30E is configured to combine a plurality of control amounts for one actuator. In the present embodiment, the synthesis unit 30E includes the 1 st synthesis unit 30E1, the 2 nd synthesis unit 30E2, and the 3 rd synthesis unit 30E 3.

The calculation unit 30F is configured to generate a control command (current command) to be output to the proportional valve 31, based on the synthesized control amount output from the synthesis unit 30E. In the present embodiment, the arithmetic unit 30F includes a 1 st arithmetic unit 30F1, a2 nd arithmetic unit 30F2, and a3 rd arithmetic unit 30F 3.

The 1 st combining unit 30E1 is configured to output a combined control amount α t, which is derived by combining a plurality of control amounts relating to the boom cylinder 7, to the 1 st arithmetic unit 30F 1. The 1 st arithmetic unit 30F1 is configured to generate control commands (current commands) to be output to the proportional valves 31BL, 31BR associated with the boom cylinder 7, based on the combined control amount α t output from the 1 st combining unit 30E 1. In the present embodiment, the 1 st combining unit 30E1 combines the 1 st control amount (boom angle α t1) and the 2 nd control amount (boom angle α t2) relating to the boom cylinder 7 to derive the combined control amount α t. "composite" may also be any of an arithmetic average, a geometric average, a weighted average, or a two-out-of-two, etc. In the case of either, the 1 st combining unit 30E1 may compare the 1 st control amount with the 2 nd control amount and select the larger one, for example. The 1 st arithmetic unit 30F1 generates a control command such that the difference between the synthesized control amount α t and the current boom angle α approaches zero, for example, and outputs the control command to the proportional valves 31BL and 31BR associated with the boom cylinder 7.

The 2 nd synthesizer 30E2 is configured to output the synthesized control amount β t, which is derived by synthesizing a plurality of control amounts relating to the arm cylinder 8, to the 2 nd calculator 30F 2. The 2 nd arithmetic unit 30F2 is configured to generate control commands (current commands) to be output to the proportional valves 31AL and 31AR associated with the arm cylinder 8, based on the combined control amount β t output from the 2 nd combining unit 30E 2. In the present embodiment, the 2 nd synthesizing unit 30E2 synthesizes the 1 st control amount (arm angle β t1) and the 2 nd control amount (arm angle β t2) relating to the arm cylinder 8, and derives the synthesized control amount β t. "composite" may also be any of an arithmetic average, a geometric average, a weighted average, or a two-out-of-two, etc. In the case of either, the 2 nd synthesizing unit 30E2 may compare the 1 st control amount and the 2 nd control amount and select the larger one, for example. The 2 nd arithmetic unit 30F2 generates a control command such that the difference between the synthesized control amount β t and the current arm angle β approaches zero, for example, and outputs the control command to the proportional valves 31BL, 31BR associated with the arm cylinder 8.

The 3 rd combining unit 30E3 is configured to output a combined control amount γ t, which is derived by combining a plurality of control amounts relating to the bucket cylinder 9, to the 3 rd arithmetic unit 30F 3. The 3 rd arithmetic unit 30F3 is configured to generate control commands (current commands) to be output to the proportional valves 31CL and 31CR associated with the bucket cylinder 9, based on the combined control amount γ t output from the 3 rd combining unit 30E 3. In the present embodiment, the 3 rd combining unit 30E3 combines the 1 st control amount (bucket angle γ t1) and the 2 nd control amount (bucket angle γ t2) with respect to the bucket cylinder 9 to derive the combined control amount γ t. "composite" may also be any of an arithmetic average, a geometric average, a weighted average, or a two-out-of-two, etc. In the case of either, the 3 rd synthesizing unit 30E3 may compare the 1 st control amount and the 2 nd control amount and select the larger one, for example. The 3 rd arithmetic unit 30F3 generates a control command such that the difference between the synthesized control amount γ t and the current bucket angle γ approaches zero, for example, and outputs the control command to the proportional valves 31CL and 31CR associated with the bucket cylinder 9.

In the present embodiment, the 1 st synthesis unit 30E1, the 2 nd synthesis unit 30E2, and the 3 rd synthesis unit 30E3 are separate functional elements that operate independently of each other, but may be integrally configured as the same single functional element. In this case, "synthesis" may be any one of arithmetic average, geometric average, weighted average, two-out-of-two, and the like. In the case of either one, the integrally configured functional element may be selected by comparing the 1 st control amount and the 2 nd control amount and selecting the larger one, for example. In this manner, the autonomous control unit 30C controls the hydraulic actuator according to predetermined conditions, such as driving the boom 4 to lift the entire bucket 6, turning the bucket 6 to raise the cutting edge of the bucket 6, and the like. Further, although the 1 st arithmetic unit 30F1, the 2 nd arithmetic unit 30F2, and the 3 rd arithmetic unit 30F3 are separate functional elements that operate independently of each other, they may be integrally configured as the same single functional element.

Proportional valves 31BL, 31BR apply pilot pressure corresponding to a control command to control valve 175 associated with boom cylinder 7. The control valve 175 that receives the pilot pressure generated by the proportional valves 31BL and 31BR supplies the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 14 to the boom cylinder 7 in a flow direction and a flow rate corresponding to the pilot pressure.

At this time, the autonomous control unit 30C may generate a spool control command based on the spool displacement amount of the control valve 175, which is a detection value of a spool displacement sensor (not shown). Further, control currents corresponding to the spool control commands may be output to the proportional valves 31BL, 31 BR. This is for controlling the control valve 175 with higher accuracy.

The boom cylinder 7 extends and contracts by the hydraulic oil supplied thereto through the control valve 175. The boom angle sensor S1 detects the boom angle α of the boom 4 operated by the telescopic boom cylinder 7. Then, the boom angle sensor S1 feeds back the detected boom angle α to the 1 st arithmetic unit 30F1 as the current value of the boom angle α.

The above description relates to the control of the boom 4 based on the combined control amount α t, but the present invention is also applicable to the control of the arm 5 based on the combined control amount β t and the control of the bucket 6 based on the combined control amount γ t. Therefore, the flow of control of the arm 5 based on the combined control amount β t and the flow of control of the bucket 6 based on the combined control amount γ t will not be described.

The above description relates to control of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6, but may be applied to swing control. In this case, the synthesizing unit 30E may be configured to synthesize a plurality of control amounts relating to the rotary actuator and derive a synthesized control amount. Further, the above description is also applicable to the control of the tilt bucket in the case where the tilt bucket is attached to the tip end of the arm 5 instead of the bucket 6. In this case, the synthesizing unit 30E may be configured to synthesize a plurality of control amounts relating to the tilt driving unit (tilt cylinder) and derive a synthesized control amount.

Next, an effect of autonomously operating the actuator based on the plurality of control reference points will be described with reference to fig. 8A and 8B. Fig. 8A and 8B are side views of bucket 6 moving along target surface TS. In the example of fig. 8A and 8B, the target surface TS includes a horizontal portion HS and an inclined portion SL. When the left control lever 26L is operated in the arm closing direction with the switch NS pressed, the autonomous control unit 30C autonomously operates the shovel 100 so as to move the bucket 6 along the target surface TS while maintaining the excavation angle θ of the bucket 6 with respect to the target surface TS.

In the example of fig. 8A and 8B, the autonomous control unit 30C moves the bucket 6 from the left to the right along the target surface TS between the 1 st time and the 4 th time. In the example of fig. 8A and 8B, the bucket 6 at the 1 st time is indicated by a two-dot chain line, the bucket 6 at the 2 nd time is indicated by a one-dot chain line, the bucket 6 at the 3 rd time is indicated by a broken line, and the bucket 6 at the 4 th time (current time) is indicated by a solid line.

Fig. 8A shows the movement path of the bucket 6 when the autonomous control unit 30C autonomously operates the excavation attachment AT based on the control amount derived based on one control reference point. That is, in the example of fig. 8A, the autonomous control unit 30C autonomously operates the excavation attachment AT based on the control amount derived based on the control reference point Pa or the control reference point Pb which is the control reference point closest to the target surface TS AT each time. The autonomous control unit 30C derives a control amount from the current position of the control reference point closest to the target surface TS and the information on the target surface.

Specifically, at the 1 st timing, the autonomous control portion 30C calculates the control amount from the control reference point Pb1 that is in contact with the horizontal portion HS. Then, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates a control amount so as to move the bucket 6 along the horizontal portion HS, that is, so as to move the bucket 6 in the horizontal direction indicated by the arrow AR 1.

At time 2, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount from the control reference point Pb2 in contact with the horizontal portion HS, as in the case of time 1. Then, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates a control amount so as to move the bucket 6 along the horizontal portion HS, that is, so as to move the bucket 6 in the horizontal direction indicated by the arrow AR 2.

At the 3 rd timing, the autonomic control section 30C calculates a control amount from the control reference point Pa3 that is in contact with the inclined portion SL. Then, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates a control amount to move the bucket 6 along the inclined portion SL, that is, to move the bucket 6 in an obliquely upward direction indicated by an arrow AR 3. Specifically, the autonomous control section 30C calculates the control amount so that the control reference point Pb can contact the inclined portion SL at the excavation angle θ.

In this manner, in the example of fig. 8A, until the control reference point Pa3 comes into contact with the inclined portion SL, the autonomous control portion 30C calculates the control amount from the control reference point Pb. When the control reference point Pa3 comes into contact with the inclined portion SL, the autonomous control unit 30C switches the control reference point that is a reference for calculating the control amount from the control reference point Pb to the control reference point Pa, and calculates the control amount from the control reference point Pa. This is because the closest point with respect to the target surface TS is switched from the control reference point Pb to the control reference point Pa. At this time, the autonomous control unit 30C also moves the bucket 6 along the target surface TS, but as shown by the bucket 6 indicated by the dotted line, it is not possible to prevent the cutting edge of the bucket 6 from falling into the target surface TS immediately after the 3 rd time. This is because, even if the control content suddenly changes due to the switching of the closest point, the bucket 6 moves to the right side in the horizontal direction due to inertia. That is, this is because the autonomous control unit 30C cannot make the position change of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 follow the change of the target surface TS (change from the horizontal portion HS to the inclined portion SL).

In contrast, in the example of fig. 8B, the autonomous control unit 30C is configured to autonomously operate the excavation attachment AT by a control amount derived from the respective predicted positions of the two control reference points. Specifically, in the example of fig. 8B, the autonomous control unit 30C autonomously operates the excavation attachment AT by a combined control amount obtained by combining a control amount derived from the predicted position of the control reference point Pa and a control amount derived from the predicted position of the control reference point Pb. That is, the example of fig. 8B is different from the example of fig. 8A in that the predicted position based on the two control reference points and on the control reference points is not the current position based on the control reference points.

The predicted position of the control reference point is a position of the control reference point after a predetermined time, which is predicted from the current position of the control reference point. The predetermined time is, for example, a time corresponding to 1 or more control cycles. However, the autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to autonomously operate the excavation attachment AT by a control amount derived from the current positions of the two control reference points. In the example of fig. 8B, the predicted position of the control reference point is calculated from the current position of the control reference point and the operation amount of the left operation lever 26L in the arm closing direction.

More specifically, at time 1, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates a control amount so that the bucket 6 moves in the horizontal direction indicated by the arrow AR11, as in the case of the example of fig. 8A. However, at time 2, unlike the case of the example of fig. 8A, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount so that the bucket 6 moves in the obliquely upward direction indicated by the arrow AR 12. This is because the autonomous control unit 30C synthesizes the control amount calculated from the control reference point Pa2 and the control amount calculated from the control reference point Pb2 to calculate the final control amount. The control amount calculated based on the control reference point Pb2 is a control amount for moving the bucket 6 in the horizontal direction indicated by the dotted arrow AR12a, and the control amount calculated based on the control reference point Pa2 is a control amount for moving the bucket 6 in the obliquely upward direction indicated by the dotted arrow AR12 b. In the example of fig. 8B, since the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow AR12a is different from the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow AR12B, the autonomous control unit 30C is configured to calculate the final control amount so as to reduce the control amount for moving the bucket 6 in the direction indicated by the dotted line arrow AR12 a. However, the autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to calculate the final control amount so that the control amount for moving the bucket 6 in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow AR12a does not decrease even in this case.

In the example of fig. 8B, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amounts continuously and individually from the control reference point Pa and the control reference point Pb, and then synthesizes the two control amounts to derive the final control amount. Therefore, compared to the example of fig. 8A, the autonomous control unit 30C can take in the influence of the control amount calculated from the control reference point other than the control reference point closest to the target surface TS relatively early. Therefore, the autonomous control unit 30C can cause the position change of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 to follow the change of the target surface TS. Strictly speaking, the autonomous control unit 30C can change the position of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 before the target surface TS changes. As a result, the autonomous control unit 30C can prevent the cutting edge of the bucket 6 from falling into the target surface TS immediately after the 3 rd time.

Next, another setting example of the control reference point in the bucket 6 will be described with reference to fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a rear perspective view of the bucket 6. Instead of calculating the control amounts from the control reference points Pa and Pb as described above, the autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to calculate the control amounts from the 4 control reference points as shown in fig. 9.

The 4 control reference points include control reference points PaL, PaR, PbL, and PbR. The control reference point PaL is set at the left end of the cutting edge of the bucket 6. The control reference point PaR is set at the end on the right side of the cutting edge of the bucket 6. The control reference point PbL is set at the left end of the back surface of the bucket 6. The control reference point PbR is set at the right end of the back surface of the bucket 6.

In this case, the autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to autonomously operate the excavation attachment AT based on a combined control amount obtained by combining control amounts derived from the current positions or predicted positions of the 4 control reference points, for example. The autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to autonomously operate the excavation attachment AT based on a combined control amount obtained by combining control amounts derived from the current positions or predicted positions of 3 or 5 or more control reference points, for example. For example, the control reference points may also include: control reference points PaL, PaR, PbL and PbR; a control reference point set at the center end of the back surface of the bucket 6; and a control reference point set at the center end of the cutting edge of the bucket 6.

The autonomous control unit 30C may dynamically determine the number of control reference points for calculating the control amount based on information on the shovel 100, information on the target surface TS, and the like. That is, the autonomous control unit 30C may dynamically determine which control reference point of the plurality of control reference points is used. For example, the autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to calculate the control amount based on the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR when it is determined that the shovel 100 is located on a slope, and to calculate the control amount based on the two control reference points PaL and PbL when it is determined that the shovel 100 is located on a flat ground. At this time, the autonomous control unit 30C may determine whether the shovel 100 is located on a slope or a flat ground based on the output of the body inclination sensor S4.

The autonomous control unit 30C may dynamically determine which of the plurality of control reference points is used in the turning operation. For example, when determining that the swing operation is being performed, the autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount based on the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR. Alternatively, the autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to calculate the control amount from each of the two control reference points PaL and PbL when it is determined that the swing is stopped. At this time, the autonomous control unit 30C may determine whether the swing operation or the swing stop is being performed, based on at least one of the lever operation amount of the left operation lever 26L in the left-right direction (the swing direction), the pilot pressure acting on the pilot port of the control valve 173, the pressure of the hydraulic oil in the swing hydraulic motor 2A, the detection value of the swing angular velocity sensor S5, and the like.

With this configuration, the autonomous control unit 30C can more reliably prevent the cutting edge of the bucket 6 from falling into the slope when performing the slope dressing operation using the implement control function in a state where the shovel 100 is not facing the slope, for example.

Next, the effect when the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR shown in fig. 9 are used will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a front view of the shovel 100.

In the example shown in fig. 10, the right crawler belt 1CR is located on a horizontal plane, and the left crawler belt 1CL is located on a stone ST on the horizontal plane. Therefore, the shovel 100 is inclined in such a manner that it descends to the right. The operator then attempts to move the cutting edge of the bucket 6 along the target surface TS by turning left. The target surface TS has a horizontal portion HS and an inclined portion SL, and is inclined upward leftward.

At this time, if the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount based on only the control reference point PaR in contact with the horizontal portion HS, when the left operation lever 26L is operated in the left swing direction and the bucket 6 moves to the left side, the control reference point PaL comes into contact with the inclined portion SL, and the target surface TS is damaged. Bucket 6A shown by a broken line in fig. 10 shows a state of bucket 6 when the left end of the cutting edge of bucket 6 is sunk into inclined portion SL of target surface TS.

Therefore, for example, when it is determined from the output of the body inclination sensor S4 that the shovel 100 is inclined so as to descend in the right direction, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount based on the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR, respectively.

Alternatively, for example, when it is determined from the output of the operation pressure sensor 29LB that the swing operation is being performed, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount from each of the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR. At this time, the autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount based on the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR, respectively, regardless of whether the shovel 100 is tilted.

Alternatively, when it is determined from the output of the operation pressure sensor 29LB that the left swing operation is being performed, the autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount from at least one of the control reference points PaL and PbL. This is because the control reference points PaL and PbL are located in the front row in the rotation direction. Similarly, when it is determined from the output of the operation pressure sensor 29LB that the right swing operation is being performed, the autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount from at least one of the control reference points PaR and PbR. This is because the control reference points PaR and PbR are located in the front row in the rotation direction.

The autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount from the two control reference points PaL and PaR, respectively, without bringing the rear surface of the bucket 6 into contact with the target surface TS.

With this configuration, even when the bucket 6 moves to the left, the autonomous control unit 30C can prevent the control reference point PaL (the left end of the cutting edge of the bucket 6) from sinking into the inclined portion SL of the target surface TS. Bucket 6B shown by a one-dot chain line in fig. 10 shows a state of bucket 6 when it is lifted slightly upward so as not to cause the left end of the cutting edge of bucket 6 to fall into inclined portion SL of target surface TS.

Next, an example of setting the control reference point in the tilt bucket 6T will be described with reference to fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the tilt bucket 6T when the tilt bucket 6T is viewed from the cab 10. As in the case of fig. 9, the autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to calculate the control amount from each of the 4 control reference points.

The 4 control reference points include control reference points PaL, PaR, PbL, and PbR. The control reference point PaL is set at the end on the left side of the cutting edge of the tilt bucket 6T. The control reference point PaR is set at the end on the right side of the cutting edge of the tilt bucket 6T. The control reference point PbL is set at the left end of the back surface of the tilt bucket 6T. The control reference point PbR is set at the end on the right side of the back surface of the tilt bucket 6T.

In the example shown in fig. 11, the controller 30 can tilt the tilt bucket 6T about the tilt axis AX by extending and contracting the pair of right and left tilt cylinders TC, respectively. Further, only one tilt cylinder TC may be attached to the left side of the tilt axis AX, or only one tilt cylinder TC may be attached to the right side of the tilt axis AX.

Next, effects when the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR shown in fig. 11 are used will be described with reference to fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a front view of the shovel 100, and corresponds to fig. 10.

In the example shown in fig. 12, the right crawler belt 1CR is located on a horizontal plane, and the left crawler belt 1CL is located on a stone ST on the horizontal plane, as in the case of fig. 10. Therefore, the shovel 100 is inclined in such a manner that it descends to the right. The operator then attempts to move the back surface of the tilt bucket 6T along the target surface TS by turning left. The target surface TS has a horizontal portion HS and an inclined portion SL, and is inclined upward leftward.

At this time, if the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount based on only the control reference point PaR in contact with the horizontal portion HS, when the left operation lever 26L is operated in the left swing direction and the tilt bucket 6T moves to the left, the control reference point PaL comes into contact with the tilt portion SL and damages the target surface TS. Tilt bucket 6TA shown by a broken line in fig. 12 shows a state of tilt bucket 6T when the left end of the cutting edge of tilt bucket 6T falls into tilt portion SL of target surface TS.

Therefore, for example, when it is determined from the output of the body tilt sensor S4 that the shovel 100 is tilted so as to descend in the right direction, the autonomous control unit 30C tilts the tilt bucket 6T about the tilt axis AX so that both the left end and the right end of the cutting edge of the tilt bucket 6T contact the target surface TS. Here, the autonomous control unit 30C tilts the tilt bucket 6T about the tilt axis AX so that the back surface of the tilt bucket 6T is parallel to the horizontal portion HS of the target surface TS.

The autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount from the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR, respectively.

Alternatively, for example, when it is determined from the output of the operation pressure sensor 29LB that the swing operation is being performed, the autonomous control unit 30C calculates the control amount from each of the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR. At this time, the autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount based on the 4 control reference points PaL, PbL, and PbR, respectively, regardless of whether the shovel 100 is tilted.

Alternatively, when it is determined from the output of the operation pressure sensor 29LB that the left swing operation is being performed, the autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount from at least one of the control reference points PaL and PbL. This is because the control reference points PaL and PbL are located in the front row in the rotation direction. Similarly, when it is determined from the output of the operation pressure sensor 29LB that the right swing operation is being performed, the autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount from at least one of the control reference points PaR and PbR. This is because the control reference points PaR and PbR are located in the front row in the rotation direction.

The autonomous control unit 30C may calculate the control amount from the two control reference points PaL and PaR, respectively, without bringing the rear surface of the tilt bucket 6T into contact with the target surface TS. That is, the autonomous control unit 30C may not calculate the control amount from the remaining two control reference points PbL and PbR.

With this configuration, even when the tilt bucket 6T moves to the left, the autonomous control unit 30C can prevent the control reference point PaL (the left end of the cutting edge of the tilt bucket 6T) from sinking into the inclined portion SL of the target surface TS. The tilt bucket 6TB shown by a one-dot chain line in fig. 12 indicates a state of the tilt bucket 6T when tilted about the tilt axis AX such that the right end of the cutting edge of the tilt bucket 6T is aligned with the horizontal portion HS of the target surface TS and the left end of the cutting edge of the tilt bucket 6T is aligned with the tilt portion SL of the target surface TS.

Next, the construction system SYS will be described with reference to fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the construction system SYS. As shown in fig. 13, the construction system SYS includes a shovel 100, a support device 200, and a management device 300. The construction system SYS is configured to support construction by 1 or more excavators 100.

The information acquired by the shovel 100 may be shared with a manager and other shovel operators through the construction system SYS. The excavator 100, the support device 200, and the management device 300 constituting the construction system SYS may be 1 or more than one. In the example shown in fig. 13, the construction system SYS includes 1 excavator 100, 1 support device 200, and 1 management device 300.

The support apparatus 200 is typically a mobile terminal apparatus, such as a laptop computer terminal, tablet terminal, or smartphone carried by an operator or the like at a construction site. The support apparatus 200 may be a mobile terminal carried by an operator of the shovel 100. The support apparatus 200 may be a fixed terminal apparatus.

The management device 300 is typically a fixed terminal device, and is, for example, a server computer (so-called cloud server) installed in a management center or the like outside a construction site. The management device 300 may be, for example, an edge server installed at a construction site. The management device 300 may be a portable terminal device (for example, a mobile terminal such as a laptop computer terminal, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone).

At least one of the support apparatus 200 and the management apparatus 300 may include a monitor and a remote operation device. At this time, the operator using the support apparatus 200 or the management apparatus 300 may operate the shovel 100 using the remote operation operating apparatus. The remote operation device is connected to the controller 30 mounted on the shovel 100 so as to be able to communicate with the remote operation device via a wireless communication network such as a short-range wireless communication network, a mobile phone communication network, or a satellite communication network.

Various information images (for example, image information indicating the state of the surroundings of the shovel 100, various setting screens, and the like) displayed on the display device D1 provided in the cab 10 may be displayed on a display device connected to at least one of the support device 200 and the management device 300. The image information indicating the state of the surroundings of the shovel 100 may be generated from the captured image of the imaging device (e.g., a camera as the space recognition device 70). Thus, the operator using the support apparatus 200 or the manager using the management apparatus 300 can perform remote operation of the shovel 100 or perform various settings related to the shovel 100 while confirming the state around the shovel 100.

For example, in the construction system SYS, the controller 30 of the shovel 100 may transmit information related to at least one of the time and the place when the switch NS is pressed, a target trajectory used when the shovel 100 autonomously operates, a trajectory actually followed by the predetermined position during autonomous operation, and the like to at least one of the support apparatus 200 and the management apparatus 300. At this time, the controller 30 may transmit the image captured by the imaging device to at least one of the support device 200 and the management device 300. The captured image may be a plurality of images captured during the autonomous operation. The controller 30 may transmit information on at least one of data related to the operation content of the shovel 100 during the autonomous operation, data related to the posture of the shovel 100, data related to the posture of the excavation attachment, and the like to at least one of the support apparatus 200 and the management apparatus 300. Thus, the operator using the support apparatus 200 or the manager using the management apparatus 300 can obtain information on the shovel 100 during autonomous operation.

In this way, in the support apparatus 200 or the management apparatus 300, the type and the position of the monitoring target outside the monitoring range of the shovel 100 are stored in the storage unit in chronological order. Here, the object (information) stored in the support apparatus 200 or the management apparatus 300 may be the type and position of the monitoring object outside the monitoring range of the shovel 100 and within the monitoring range of another shovel.

In this way, the construction system SYS can share information related to the shovel 100 with a manager and other shovel operators and the like.

As shown in fig. 13, the communication device mounted on the shovel 100 may be configured to transmit and receive information to and from a communication device T2 provided in the remote control room RC via wireless communication. In the example shown in fig. 13, the communication device and the communication device T2 mounted on the shovel 100 are configured to transmit and receive information via a 5 th generation mobile communication line (5G line), an LTE line, a satellite line, or the like.

In the remote control room RC, a remote controller 30R, a sound output device a2, an indoor imaging device C2, a display device RD, a communication device T2, and the like are provided. Further, a driver seat DS on which an operator OP of the remote control shovel 100 sits is provided in the remote control room RC.

The remote controller 30R is an arithmetic device that performs various operations. In the present embodiment, the remote controller 30R is constituted by a microcomputer including a CPU and a memory, as in the controller 30. Also, various functions of the remote controller 30R are realized by the CPU executing programs stored in the memory.

The sound output device a2 is configured to output sound. In the present embodiment, the sound output device a2 is a speaker and is configured to play sound collected by a sound collector (not shown) attached to the shovel 100.

The indoor imaging device C2 is configured to image the inside of the remote control room RC. In the present embodiment, the indoor imaging device C2 is a camera provided inside the remote control room RC and is configured to image the operator OP sitting on the driver seat DS.

The communication device T2 is configured to control wireless communication with a communication device mounted on the shovel 100.

In the present embodiment, the operator's seat DS has the same configuration as an operator's seat provided in an operator's cabin of a general excavator. Specifically, a left steering box is disposed on the left side of the driver seat DS, and a right steering box is disposed on the right side of the driver seat DS. A left operating lever is disposed at the top surface front end of the left console box, and a right operating lever is disposed at the top surface front end of the right console box. A travel lever and a travel pedal are disposed in front of the driver seat DS. A control panel 75 is disposed at the center of the upper surface of the right console box. The left operating lever, the right operating lever, the travel pedal, and the control panel 75 constitute the operating device 26A, respectively.

The control panel 75 is a control panel for adjusting the rotation speed of the engine 11, and is configured to be capable of switching the engine rotation speed in 4 stages, for example.

Specifically, the control panel 75 is configured to be able to switch the engine speed in 4 stages of the SP mode, the H mode, the a mode, and the idle mode. The control panel 75 transmits data relating to the setting of the engine speed to the controller 30.

The SP mode is a rotational speed mode selected when the operator OP wants to give priority to the amount of work, and uses the highest engine rotational speed. The H mode is a rotational speed mode selected when the operator OP wants to achieve both the workload and the fuel efficiency, and uses the second highest engine rotational speed. The a mode is a rotational speed mode selected when the operator OP wants to operate the excavator with low noise while prioritizing fuel economy, and utilizes the third highest engine rotational speed. The idle mode is a rotational speed mode selected when the operator OP wants to bring the engine into an idle state, and uses the lowest engine rotational speed. The engine 11 is controlled to have a constant engine speed in the speed mode selected by the control panel 75.

The operation device 26A is provided with an operation sensor 29A for detecting the operation content of the operation device 26A. The operation sensor 29A is, for example, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilt angle of the operation lever, an angle sensor for detecting a swing angle around a swing axis of the operation lever, or the like. The operation sensor 29A may be configured by another sensor such as a pressure sensor, a current sensor, a voltage sensor, or a distance sensor. The operation sensor 29A outputs information related to the detected operation content of the operation device 26A to the remote controller 30R. The remote controller 30R generates an operation signal based on the received information, and transmits the generated operation signal to the shovel 100. The operation sensor 29A may be configured to generate an operation signal. At this time, the operation sensor 29A may output an operation signal to the communication device T2 without going through the remote controller 30R.

The display device RD is configured to display information related to the situation around the shovel 100. In the present embodiment, the display device RD is a multifunction display including 9 monitors in 3 stages in the vertical direction and 3 rows in the horizontal direction, and is configured to be able to display the state of the space in the front, left, and right directions of the excavator 100. Each monitor is a liquid crystal monitor, an organic EL monitor, or the like. However, the display device RD may be constituted by 1 or more curved monitors, or may be constituted by a projector.

The display device RD may be a display device that the operator OP can wear. For example, the display device RD may be a head-mounted display, and may be configured to transmit and receive information to and from the remote controller 30R by wireless communication. The head mounted display may also be wired to the remote controller 30R. The head-mounted display may be a transmissive head-mounted display or a non-transmissive head-mounted display. The head-mounted display may be a monocular type head-mounted display or a binocular type head-mounted display.

The display device RD is configured to display an image that allows the operator OP in the remote operation room RC to recognize the surroundings of the shovel 100. That is, the display device RD displays an image so that the situation around the shovel 100 can be confirmed as in the cab 10 of the shovel 100 even though the operator is in the remote operation room RC.

Next, another configuration example of the construction system SYS will be described with reference to fig. 14. In the example shown in fig. 14, the construction system SYS is configured to support construction by the shovel 100. Specifically, the construction system SYS includes a communication device CD and a control device CTR that communicate with the shovel 100. The control device CTR includes a 1 st control unit for autonomously operating the actuator of the shovel 100 and a2 nd control unit for autonomously operating the actuator. When it is determined that a collision occurs between the plurality of control units including the 1 st control unit and the 2 nd control unit, the control device CTR is configured to select one of the plurality of control units including the 1 st control unit and the 2 nd control unit as a priority control unit for priority operation. For convenience of explanation, the 1 st control unit and the 2 nd control unit are shown separately, but they need not be physically separated and may be constituted by entirely or partially identical software components or hardware components.

As described above, the shovel 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes: a lower traveling body 1; an upper revolving structure 3 which is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling structure 1; an attachment mounted on the upper slewing body 3; a termination fitting forming a fitting; an actuator that actuates the attachment; and a controller 30 as a control device for autonomously operating the actuator. The controller 30 is configured to calculate a control amount of the actuator for each of a plurality of predetermined points (control reference points) in the terminal fitting, and to autonomously operate the actuator based on each of the calculated control amounts. With this configuration, the shovel 100 can more reliably prevent the target surface TS from being damaged by the end fitting when performing work using the equipment control function.

The termination fitting is typically a bucket 6. At this time, the plurality of control reference points in the bucket 6 may be a point of the cutting edge of the bucket 6, or may be a point on the back surface of the bucket 6. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 9, the plurality of control reference points in the bucket 6 may include the left and right end points of the cutting edge of the bucket 6 and the left and right rear end points of the rear surface of the bucket 6. With this configuration, the shovel 100 can more reliably prevent the target surface TS from being damaged by the bucket 6 when performing work using the equipment control function.

For example, the controller 30 may be configured to synthesize the respective control amounts to calculate a synthesized control amount, and autonomously operate the actuator based on the synthesized control amount. With this configuration, the controller 30 can appropriately reflect the control amount calculated from the control reference point other than the control reference point closest to the target surface TS in the synthesized control amount, and can more reliably prevent the target surface TS from being damaged by the bucket 6.

The controller 30 may be configured to calculate the control amount of the actuator associated with each of the plurality of control reference points based on a change in the distance between each of the plurality of control reference points and the target surface. For example, the controller 30 may be configured such that, when the control amounts are synthesized and the synthesized control amount is calculated, the influence of the control amount on the control reference point having the largest change in distance among the plurality of control reference points is the largest. With this configuration, the controller 30 can preferentially reflect the control amount calculated by the control reference point having the highest possibility of being erroneously stuck in the target surface TS among the plurality of control reference points in the synthesized control amount, and can more reliably prevent the target surface TS from being damaged by the bucket 6.

The controller 30 may be configured to predict positions of the plurality of control reference points after a predetermined time, and calculate the control amount of the actuator associated with each of the plurality of control reference points based on the positions after the predetermined time. With this configuration, the controller 30 can determine whether or not each control reference point is likely to fall into the target surface TS earlier, and can more reliably prevent the target surface TS from being damaged by the bucket 6.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above-described embodiment can be applied to various modifications, replacements, and the like without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, the features described separately can be combined as long as technically contradictory results are not generated.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the predicted position of the control reference point is a position after a predetermined time of the control reference point predicted from the current position of the control reference point, and the predetermined time is, for example, a time corresponding to 1 or more control cycles. That is, the prescribed time is a time in the range of several tens milliseconds to several hundreds milliseconds. However, the predetermined time may be 1 second or more. The autonomous control unit 30C may be configured to autonomously operate the shovel 100 by model predictive control using an observer (state observer).

The present application claims priority based on japanese patent application No. 2019-065022, filed on 28/3/2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in the present specification.

Description of the symbols

1-lower traveling body, 1C-track, 1 CL-left track, 1 CR-right track, 2-swing mechanism, 2A-swing hydraulic motor, 2M-travel hydraulic motor, 2 ML-left travel hydraulic motor, 2 MR-right travel hydraulic motor, 3-upper swing body, 4-boom, 5-arm, 6-bucket, 7-boom cylinder, 8-arm cylinder, 9-bucket cylinder, 10-cockpit, 11-engine, 13-regulator, 14-main pump, 15-pilot pump, 17-control valve unit, 18-restrictor, 19-control pressure sensor, 26A-operating device, 26D-travel lever, 26 DL-left travel lever, 26 DR-right travel lever, 26L-left operation lever, 26R-right operation lever, 28-discharge pressure sensor, 29DL, 29DR, 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29 RB-operation pressure sensor, 29A-operation sensor, 30-controller, 30A-position calculating section, 30B-trajectory acquiring section, 30C-autonomous control section, 30D-target value calculating section, 30D 1-1 st target value calculating section, 30D 2-2 nd target value calculating section, 30E-synthesizing section, 30E 1-1 st synthesizing section, 30E 2-2 nd synthesizing section, 30E 3-3 rd synthesizing section, 30F-operation section, 30F 1-1 st operation section, 30F 2-2 nd operation section, 30F 3-3 rd operation section, 30R-remote controller, 31 AL-31 DL, 29DR, 29LA, 29LB, 29 RB-operation pressure sensor, 29A-operation sensor, 30E-1 st target value calculating section, 30E-1 st synthesizing section, 30E 1-1 st synthesizing section, 30E-3 rd synthesizing section, 30F-3 rd synthesizing section, and remote controller, 31 AR-31 DR proportional valve, 32 AL-32 DL, 32 AR-32 DR reciprocating valve, 33 AL-33 DL, 33 AR-33 DR proportional valve, 40-middle bypass line, 42-parallel line, 70-space recognition device, 70F-front sensor, 70B-rear sensor, 70L-left sensor, 70R-right sensor, 71-orientation detection device, 72-information input device, 73-positioning device, 75-control panel, 100-shovel, 171-176-control valve, 200-support device, 300-management device, A2-sound output device, AT-shovel accessory, C2-indoor camera device, CD-communication device, CTR-control device, D1-display device, d2-speech output device, DS-driver seat, NS-switch, OP-operator, RC-remote control room, RD-display device, S1-boom angle sensor, S2-stick angle sensor, S3-bucket angle sensor, S4-body inclination sensor, S5-rotation angular velocity sensor, SYS-construction system, T2-communication device.