Control system for earth bucket

Abstract

To provide a control system for an earth bucket in which all facilities for detecting the earth bucket are installed on the ground.SOLUTION: The earth bucket control system S includes an earth bucket 22, a skater crane 23 serving as a crane for hoisting and lowering the earth bucket 22, a mark 24 attached near the earth bucket 22, a video camera 25 serving as an imaging device capable of capturing an image of the mark 24, and a control device 30 for controlling the hoisting and lowering operation of the skater crane 23 and regulating the hoisting and lowering operation of the skater crane 23 based on the captured image (video) of the mark 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an earth bucket for transporting earth and sand from inside a caisson in a pneumatic caisson construction method. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, in pneumatic caisson construction, the removal of excavated soil from the work chamber has been done by lifting an earth bucket with a crane and repeatedly transporting it into the work chamber and then out to the ground by adjusting the air pressure inside the material lock.

[0003] When adjusting the air pressure inside the material lock, it was necessary to stop the earth bucket in a position where it would not come into contact with the opening and closing movements of the upper and lower hatches of the material lock. Stopping the earth bucket in this precise position required extremely careful crane operation (corresponding to steps S3:A and S10:B in Figure 6).

[0004] If the crane is operated incorrectly, the earth bucket may come into contact with the material lock hatch, causing the material lock hatch to malfunction. Depending on the severity of the malfunction, the air pressure in the work chamber may not be maintained sufficiently, causing serious problems such as high-pressure injury to workers in the work chamber due to a drop in air pressure in the work chamber or a sudden sinking of the caisson.

[0005] In order to achieve safe and efficient earth removal work, it is desirable to develop a system that automatically stops / restricts the operation of the crane when the earth bucket reaches the above-mentioned position. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that automatically transports the earth bucket into a material lock. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7358667 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, conventional technologies including the system of Patent Document 1 do not take into consideration their use as safety devices when earth removal work, such as operating a crane or opening and closing a material lock hatch, is performed manually.

[0008] In addition, sensors that detect the earth bucket are installed inside the material lock and material shaft, but the inside of the material lock and material shaft are often contaminated with soil and sand, and soil that falls from the earth bucket can come into contact with the sensor, which can lead to false detection or malfunction. Furthermore, in this case, sensor maintenance is also required, but since this work must be done in an opening, it can be said that this is both difficult to do and is not safe. The same is true for daily inspections and maintenance.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an earth bucket control system in which all equipment related to detecting the earth bucket is installed above ground. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the earth bucket control system of the present invention is a control system for an earth bucket used in pneumatic caisson construction, and comprises an earth bucket, a crane that hoists / lowers the earth bucket, a mark attached near the earth bucket, an imaging device that can capture an image of the mark, and a control device that controls the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane, and regulates the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane based on the captured image of the mark. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In this way, the earth bucket control system of the present invention comprises an earth bucket, a crane, a mark attached near the earth bucket, an imaging device, and a control device that regulates the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane based on the image of the mark that has been captured.As a result, the earth bucket control system is one in which all equipment related to earth bucket detection is installed above ground. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a pneumatic caisson. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration in the vicinity of a material lock. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the earth bucket control system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an example of a captured image. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the earth bucket control system. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of an earth removal operation using a conventional control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in the following examples are merely examples and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. [Example]

[0014] (Configuration of pneumatic caisson) First, the overall configuration of the pneumatic caisson 1 will be described using Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, a cutting edge 12 tapered to a tip is formed below a side wall 11 at the bottom of the pneumatic caisson 1, and a work chamber 13 is formed by the inner surface of this cutting edge 12 and the underside of a work chamber slab 14 (and further, the ground). At least one or more excavators 21 are arranged inside the work chamber 13, and the ground is excavated by the remotely operated excavator 21 to sink the pneumatic caisson 1. The earth and sand excavated by the excavator 21 is then carried out using an earth bucket 22.

[0015] At least one material shaft 16 extends from the work room 13 toward the ground, with a material lock 17 installed at the top. Similarly, at least one man shaft 18 extends from the work room 13 toward the ground, with a man lock 19 installed at the top. In addition, although not shown, compressed air equipment is provided to supply and exhaust compressed air to the work room 13, material lock 17, and man lock 19.

[0016] The earth bucket 22 is suspended by a wire 26 and is hoisted up and down by a skater crane 23, which is a crane erected on the ground near the pneumatic caisson 1. Furthermore, the skater crane 23 moves the earth bucket 22 horizontally and hoists and lowers it, thereby discharging the earth and sand into a dump truck 29 via a soil and sand hopper 28.

[0017] Furthermore, a central monitoring room 15 is installed on the ground near the pneumatic caisson 1. A control device (40) is installed in the central monitoring room 15, and it monitors and manages the entire system, including the delivery of materials via the excavator 20, material shaft 16, and material lock 17, the removal of excavated earth and sand, the entry and exit of workers via the man shaft 18 and man lock 19, pressure management such as pressurization and depressurization within the man lock 19, and display of the caisson's sinking amount, tilt, and other posture.

[0018] (Earth bucket control system) As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the control system S for the earth bucket of the pneumatic caisson in this embodiment is composed of an earth bucket 22, a skater crane 23 as a crane that hoists / lowers the earth bucket 22, a marker 24 attached near the earth bucket 22, a camera 25 as an imaging device that can capture an image of the marker 24, and a control device 30 that controls the hoisting / lowering operation of the skater crane 23 and regulates the hoisting / lowering operation of the skater crane 23 based on the image of the captured marker 24.

[0019] Earth bucket 22 is suspended via wire 26 by skater crane 23, which serves as a crane. Marker 24 is attached to wire 26. Earth bucket 22 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and comprises main body 22a, which is a cylindrical container, and suspension part 22b, which is rotatably attached to main body 22a and to which wire 26 is connected.

[0020] This earth bucket 22 moves back and forth between the high-pressure (internal pressure) working chamber 13 and the outside atmospheric pressure through the material shaft 16. A material lock 17 is installed at the top of the material shaft 16 to adjust the internal pressure in the working chamber 13 and the external atmospheric pressure.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the material lock 17 is formed into a deformed cylindrical shape overall, and is provided with a pair of left and right semicircular upper doors 17a, 17a at the top that swing open and closed, and a pair of left and right semicircular lower doors 17b, 17b at the bottom that swing open and closed.

[0022] When the earth bucket 22 is carried into the material lock 17 from the ground, the upper doors 17a, 17a are opened to store the earth bucket 22, the upper doors 17a, 17a are closed to pressurize the space between the upper and lower doors, and the lower doors 17b, 17b are opened to lower the earth bucket 22. On the other hand, when the earth bucket 22 is carried out from the work chamber 13, the lower doors 17b, 17b are opened to store the earth bucket 22, the lower doors 17b, 17b are closed to depressurize the space between the upper and lower doors, and the upper doors 17a, 17a are opened to raise the earth bucket 22.

[0023] A work stage 17c is installed above the material lock 17, and an operation room 27 is installed above the work stage 17c. A camera 25 serving as an imaging device is installed near the operation room 27 (for example, on a fence, a mounting bracket installed on the fence, or a pole or tripod installed on the fence or stage). The camera 25 serving as an imaging device is preferably a video camera for capturing moving images. The captured images (moving images) are transmitted to the recognition / control PC 30a.

[0024] The marker 24 is attached to the wire 26 that suspends the earth bucket 22, at a predetermined distance from the earth bucket 22. Specifically, the marker 24 can be a nylon rope, tape, paint, or the like. Alternatively, a painted sphere or the like can be used as the marker 24. Furthermore, multiple markers 24 can be used, or multiple markers 24 with different shapes or colors can be used.

[0025] The position where this marker 24 is installed is determined based on the distance between the position where the camera 25 recognizes the marker 24 and the position where the earth bucket 22 is carried in inside the material lock 17. Multiple markers may be installed, such as one for stopping when hoisting up and one for stopping when lowering. Specifically, the position of the marker 24 is preferably determined so that when the earth bucket 22 is positioned in the center between the upper door 17a and the lower door 17b, the marker 24 is located in the center of the target range.

[0026] The skater crane 23, which serves as a crane, is controlled by a control device 30. That is, the winding up / lowering operation of a winch (not shown) of the skater crane 23 is controlled by the control device 30, regardless of whether it is manual or automatic. The recognition control PC 30a of the control device 30 determines whether the mark 24 is within the target range based on the image received from the camera 25, and restricts (stops) the skater crane 23 if it is within the target range. Conversely, the lower end of the target range (described later) can be set at a predetermined margin above the position where the lower part of the earth bucket 22 overlaps with the opening and closing track of the lower door 17b, and the state of the target range can be set at a predetermined margin below the position where the upper part of the earth bucket 22 overlaps with the opening and closing track of the upper door 17a.

[0027] (Control system configuration) As described above, the control system of the earth bucket control system S of this embodiment is configured around the control device 30, which is composed of a recognition / control PC 30a and a management PC 30b, as shown in Fig. 3. The recognition / control PC 30a and the management PC 30b can also be configured as a single PC.

[0028] The camera 25 and pressure sensor 31 are connected as an input system to the recognition and control PC 30a of the control device 30, and the output system is connected to a crane control relay circuit 32 that controls the skater crane 23, a material lock control relay circuit 33 that controls the material lock 17, and an alarm device 41 such as a Patlite (registered trademark) or a speaker. Therefore, the image captured by the camera 25 is constantly sent to the recognition and control PC 30a, which determines the position information of the mark 24 (stop mark) attached to the wire 26 and whether the stop mark is present within a given range (target range) of the image.

[0029] When the recognition / control PC 30a determines that the mark 24 is present within the aforementioned range, it automatically controls the operation of the crane by sending a control signal via the control circuit to the crane control relay circuit 32. Note that manual operation of the crane is not accepted during automatic control.

[0030] Furthermore, the recognition and control PC 30a is in constant communication with the management PC 30b, and the image from the camera 25 and the recognition results from the recognition and control PC 30a are displayed as images on the management PC 30b. The target range mentioned above is determined by specifying an arbitrary range within the image from the camera 25 from the management PC 30b. Figure 4 shows an example of the screen of the management PC 30b. In Figure 4, for example, the white dashed line frame indicates the target range, and the white solid line frame indicates the position of the recognized landmark.

[0031] (Control flow of the earth bucket control system) Next, the control flow of the earth bucket control system S will be explained using Figure 5. First, when the control is turned ON (START), it is determined whether or not the mark 24 is within the range of the image (step S1). If the mark 24 is not within the range of the image (NO in step S1), the determination is repeated at each sampling time. If the mark 24 is within the range of the image (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to the next step S2.

[0032] If the skater crane 23 is being operated manually (YES in step S2), it is switched to automatic operation (step S3) and the crane is stopped (step S4). If the skater crane 23 is being operated automatically, the crane is stopped (step S4). Furthermore, when the operation is switched to automatic, an alarm device 41 such as a Patlite (registered trademark) is used to notify the operator.

[0033] It is then determined whether the landmark 24 is within the target range in the image (step S5). This determination will be explained using FIG. 4. If the solid frame line is inside the chain frame line, the landmark 24 is determined to be within the target range (YES in step S5). When there are multiple landmarks 24,..., the determination method can be a method of distinguishing between landmarks 24,... that have different shapes or colors, or a method of determining how many landmarks 24,... have passed within the target range in the image. Furthermore, these methods can be combined.

[0034] If the marker 24 is not within the target range in the image (NO in step S5), the process proceeds to step S51. That is, if the marker 24 is above the target range (YES in step S51), the crane is hoisted down at a low speed (step S41). On the other hand, if the marker 24 is below the target range (NO in step S51), the crane is hoisted up at a low speed (step S42). In short, the position of the earth bucket 22 is finely adjusted to an appropriate position within the material lock 17 according to the position of the marker 24.

[0035] On the other hand, if the mark 24 is within the target range in the image (YES in step S5), the process waits for a set time (step S6). After waiting, the control of the crane is switched to manual operation (step S7), and the process ends. Note that if the determination in step S2 is automatic operation, it is also possible to maintain automatic operation.

[0036] (effect) Next, the effects achieved by the earth bucket control system S of this embodiment will be listed and explained.

[0037] (1) As described above, the earth bucket control system S used in the pneumatic caisson construction method of this embodiment includes the earth bucket 22, the skater crane 23 as a crane for hoisting and lowering the earth bucket 22, the marker 24 attached near the earth bucket 22, the video camera 25 as an imaging device for capturing an image of the marker 24, and the control device 30 for controlling the hoisting and lowering operation of the skater crane 23, which regulates the hoisting and lowering operation of the skater crane 23 based on the captured image (video) of the marker 24. With this configuration, all of the equipment required for detecting the earth bucket 22 is installed above ground in the earth bucket control system S. This prevents the equipment from being contaminated by soil and sand, and eliminates the possibility of false detection or malfunction. In addition, sensor maintenance is performed on the work stage 17c, improving workability and safety.

[0038] (2) Furthermore, if the marker 24 is attached to the wire 26 that suspends the earth bucket 22, the position of the earth bucket 22 can be easily and accurately grasped from outside the material lock 17.

[0039] (3) Furthermore, the camera 25 as an imaging device is installed near the operation room 27 on the work stage 17c installed on top of the material lock 17, so that the camera 25 is easy to install and maintenance can be carried out easily and safely.

[0040] (4) Furthermore, the control device 30 is configured to restrict the hoisting / lowering operation of the skater crane 23 when the mark 24 is within a predetermined target range within the image (video) of the camera 25, so that the position of the earth bucket 22 can be easily and accurately determined using the camera 25 and image processing.

[0041] (5) Furthermore, the control device 30 is configured to stop the operation of the crane for a predetermined time (standby time) to regulate the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane, so that the pressure inside the material lock 17 can be increased or decreased during the standby time.

[0042] (6) Furthermore, by further providing an alarm device 41 that warns of the restriction while the control device 30 is restricting the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane, the crane operator can be made aware that automatic control is in progress.

[0043] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0044] For example, although not specifically described in the embodiment, it is also possible to install multiple cameras 25 in order to improve the recognition accuracy of the mark 24. Furthermore, although not described in the embodiment, it is also possible to perform anti-sway of the earth bucket 22 in the automatic control.

[0045] In addition, in the embodiment, the restriction on the crane is described as waiting for a set time, but this is not limited to this. For example, the restriction may be configured to be ON (stop) / OFF (move) depending on the air pressure value inside the material lock 17. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Pneumatic caisson 11 Side wall 12 Blade mouth 13 Workroom 14 Workroom slab 15 Central monitoring room 16 Material Shaft 17 Material Rock 17a Upper door 17b Lower door 17c Working Stage 18 Mannschaft 19 Manrock 21 Excavator 22 Earth Bucket 23 Skater Crane (Crane) 24 Landmark 25 Camera (imaging device) 26 wires 27 Control room 28 Soil Hopper 29 Dump Truck 30 Control device 30a Recognition and control PC 30b Management PC 31 Pressure Sensor 32 Crane control relay circuit 33 Material lock control relay circuit 41 Alarm device

Claims

1. A control system for earth buckets used in pneumatic caisson construction, Earth bucket and a crane that hoists and lowers the earth bucket; a mark attached near the earth bucket; an imaging device capable of imaging the mark; a control device for controlling the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane, the control device regulating the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane based on the captured image of the mark; An earth bucket control system comprising:

2. 2. The earth bucket control system of claim 1, wherein the marker is attached to a wire that suspends the earth bucket.

3. 3. The earth bucket control system according to claim 2, wherein the imaging device is installed near an operation room installed above the material lock.

4. 4. The earth bucket control system according to claim 2, wherein the control device is configured to restrict the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane when the mark is within a predetermined range within the image of the imaging device.

5. 5. The earth bucket control system according to claim 4, wherein the control device is configured to stop the operation of the crane for a predetermined period of time as a restriction on the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane.

6. 6. The earth bucket control system according to claim 5, further comprising an alarm device that issues an alarm when the control device is restricting the hoisting / lowering operation of the crane.

Images