Information acquisition system and information acquisition method

Abstract

Information related to a working machine can be more accurately obtained through simple operations. The information acquisition system includes a hydraulic excavator (100), a target unit (40), a position measuring unit (50), and an information acquisition unit (60). The hydraulic excavator (100) has a rotating body (3) and a working device (2) that can move relative to the rotating body (3). The target unit (40) is installed on the working device (2). The position measuring unit (50) continuously measures the position of the target unit (40) that moves as the working device (2) moves relative to the rotating body (3). The information acquisition unit (60) obtains three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator (100) based on the trajectory of the target unit (40) obtained from the measurement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information acquisition system and an information acquisition method for acquiring information related to a working machine. Background Art

[0002] Informationized construction refers to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in construction of civil engineering to achieve high-efficiency and high-precision construction. As an example of informationized construction technology, the following machine guidance technology has been proposed: using a position measuring device such as a total station (Total Station) or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) to obtain the position of the working machine, and providing information related to the difference between the design data and the current terrain data of the construction site to the driver's seat monitor of the working machine.

[0003] As one of the working machines, there is a hydraulic excavator. The hydraulic excavator may have a working device consisting of a boom, an arm, and a bucket. The boom, the arm, and the bucket may be supported by pins in sequence so as to be rotatable. Regarding construction using machine guidance technology, non-patent document 1 describes the measurement of the dimensions between the pins of each movable part such as the arm dimensions of an ICT hydraulic excavator and the dimensions of a bucket.

[0004] Prior Art Literature

[0005] Non-patent literature

[0006] Non-patent document 1: "Guidelines on Machine Guidance Technology (Backhoe)" by Kinki Technical Office, Kinki Regional Administration Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, March 2014, p.29 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] In order to calculate the dimensions between the pins based on the results of measuring the positions of the pins of the working device of the working machine using a total station or the like, it is necessary to install a measuring target at the position of each pin. The installation work of the measuring target is complicated, and since the measuring target is installed on each pin manually, the installation accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

[0009] The present invention proposes an information acquisition system and an information acquisition method that can more accurately acquire information related to a working machine used for information-based construction through simple operations.

[0010] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0011] According to the present invention, an information acquisition system is provided. The information acquisition system includes a working machine, a target part, a position measuring part, and an information acquisition part. The working machine has a base part and a movable part that moves relative to the base part. The target part is mounted on the movable part. The position measuring part continuously measures the position of the target part that moves as the movable part moves relative to the base part. The information acquisition part acquires three-dimensional information related to the working machine based on the trajectory of the target part obtained from the measurement.

[0012] According to the present invention, a method for acquiring three-dimensional information related to a working machine is proposed. The working machine has a base portion and a movable portion that can move relative to the base portion. A target portion is installed on the movable portion of the working machine. The information acquisition method includes the following processing. The first processing is to move the movable portion relative to the base portion. The second processing is to continuously measure the position of the target portion that moves with the relative movement of the movable portion relative to the base portion. The third processing is to acquire three-dimensional information related to the working machine based on the trajectory of the target portion obtained from the measurement.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to the information acquisition system and information acquisition method of the present invention, it is possible to more accurately acquire information related to a working machine through a simple operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is an appearance diagram of a hydraulic excavator.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing a schematic structure of an information acquisition system according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the functional structure of the information acquisition system.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for acquiring three-dimensional information related to a hydraulic excavator.

[0019] Figure 5 It is a schematic plan view showing the rotation of the rotating body.

[0020] Figure 6 It is a side schematic diagram showing the inclination angle of the rotation plane and the installation error of the inertial measurement device.

[0021] Figure 7 It is a side schematic diagram showing the movement of the boom when the working machine movement plane is derived.

[0022] Figure 8 It is a side schematic diagram showing the movement of the bucket when deriving the bucket dimensions.

[0023] Fig. 9 It is a side schematic diagram showing the movement of the arm when deriving the arm dimensions.

[0024] Fig.10 It is a side schematic diagram showing the movement of the boom when deriving the boom dimensions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, the implementation mode will be described based on the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same components. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, their detailed description will not be repeated.

[0026] Figure 1 This is an external view of a hydraulic excavator 100 as an example of a working machine that acquires information by the information acquisition system and the information acquisition method according to the embodiment. In the embodiment, the hydraulic excavator 100 is taken as an example as a working machine for description.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the hydraulic excavator 100 includes a main body 1 and a working device 2 that operates using hydraulic pressure. The main body 1 includes a revolving body 3 and a traveling body 5. The traveling body 5 includes a pair of crawlers 5Cr and a traveling motor 5M. The traveling motor 5M is provided as a driving source for the traveling body 5. The traveling motor 5M is a hydraulic motor that operates using hydraulic pressure.

[0028] When the hydraulic excavator 100 is in motion, the traveling body 5, more specifically, the crawler tracks 5Cr, are in contact with the ground. The traveling body 5 can travel on the ground by the rotation of the crawler tracks 5Cr. It should be noted that the traveling body 5 may have wheels (tires) instead of the crawler tracks 5Cr.

[0029] The rotating body 3 is arranged on the traveling body 5 and supported by the traveling body 5. The rotating body 3 can move relative to the traveling body 5. The rotating body 3 is mounted on the traveling body 5 in a manner that it can rotate relative to the traveling body 5 with the rotation axis RX as the center. The rotating body 3 is installed on the traveling body 5 via a rotating disk (circle) portion. The rotating disk portion is arranged in the approximate center of the main body 1 when viewed from above. The rotating disk portion has a roughly circular ring shape and has internal teeth for rotation on the inner circumference. The pinion gear meshing with the internal teeth is assembled to a rotating motor not shown. The rotating body 3 can rotate relative to the traveling body 5 by rotating the rotating disk portion due to the driving force transmitted from the rotating motor.

[0030] The revolving body 3 has a cab 4. The crew (operator) of the hydraulic excavator 100 rides in the cab 4 and operates the hydraulic excavator 100. The cab 4 is provided with a driver's seat 4S for the operator to sit on. The operator can operate the hydraulic excavator 100 in the cab 4. The operator can operate the working device 2 in the cab 4, can perform a revolving operation of the revolving body 3 relative to the traveling body 5, and can perform a traveling operation of the hydraulic excavator 100 based on the traveling body 5. In the present invention, the hydraulic excavator 100 is operated from the cab 4, but can also be remotely operated by wireless from a place away from the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0031] In the embodiment, the positional relationship of each part in the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is described with the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S in the cab 4 as a reference. The front-to-back direction refers to the front-to-back direction of the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S. The direction directly opposite the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S is the front direction, and the direction behind the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S is the rear direction. The left-right direction refers to the left-right direction of the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S. The right side and the left side of the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S when facing the front are the right direction and the left direction, respectively. The up-down direction refers to the up-down direction of the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S. The foot side of the operator sitting on the driver's seat 4S is the lower side, and the upper side of the head is the upper side.

[0032] In the front-to-back direction, the side where the working device 2 protrudes from the rotating body 3 is the front direction, and the direction opposite to the front direction is the rear direction. When observing the front direction, the right side and the left side of the left-right direction are the right direction and the left direction, respectively. In the up-down direction, the side where the ground is located is the lower side, and the side where the sky is located is the upper side.

[0033] The revolving body 3 has an engine room 9 for housing an engine and a counterweight provided at the rear of the revolving body 3. The engine room 9 is provided with an engine for generating a driving force, a hydraulic pump for receiving the driving force generated by the engine and supplying hydraulic oil to a hydraulic actuator, and the like.

[0034] The revolving body 3 is provided with a handrail 19 in front of the engine room 9. The handrail 19 is provided with an antenna 21. The antenna 21 is, for example, a GNSS antenna. The antenna 21 includes a first antenna 21A and a second antenna 21B provided on the revolving body 3 so as to be separated from each other in the left-right direction.

[0035] The working device 2 is mounted on the revolving body 3 and supported by the revolving body 3. The working device 2 has a boom 6, an arm 7, and a bucket 8. The boom 6 is rotatably connected to the revolving body 3. The arm 7 is rotatably connected to the boom 6. The bucket 8 is rotatably connected to the arm 7. The bucket 8 has a plurality of teeth. The front end of the bucket 8 is referred to as a blade tip 8a.

[0036] It should be noted that the bucket 8 may not have teeth. The front end portion of the bucket 8 may be formed of a linear steel plate.

[0037] The base end of the boom 6 is connected to the revolving body 3 via a boom foot pin 13 (hereinafter referred to as a boom pin). The base end of the arm 7 is connected to the front end of the boom 6 via an arm connecting pin 14 (hereinafter referred to as an arm pin). The bucket 8 is connected to the front end of the arm 7 via a bucket connecting pin 15 (hereinafter referred to as a bucket pin). The boom pin 13, the arm pin 14, and the bucket pin 15 extend in a substantially left-right direction.

[0038] The boom 6 can move relative to the revolving body 3. The boom 6 can rotate relative to the revolving body 3 about the boom pin 13. The arm 7 can move relative to the boom 6. The arm 7 can rotate relative to the boom 6 about the arm pin 14. The bucket 8 can move relative to the arm 7. The bucket 8 can rotate relative to the arm 7 about the bucket pin 15.

[0039] The arm 7 and the bucket 8 can relatively move, specifically can relatively rotate, in an integrated manner relative to the boom 6 when the bucket 8 does not relatively rotate relative to the arm 7. The boom 6, the arm 7, and the bucket 8 can relatively move, specifically can relatively rotate, in an integrated manner relative to the revolving body 3 when the bucket 8 does not relatively rotate relative to the arm 7 and the arm 7 does not relatively rotate relative to the arm 6. The working device 2 and the revolving body 3 can relatively move, specifically can relatively rotate, in an integrated manner relative to the traveling body 5 when the working device 2 does not relatively rotate relative to the revolving body 3.

[0040] The working machine 2 has a boom cylinder 10, an arm cylinder 11, and a bucket cylinder 12. The boom cylinder 10 drives the boom 6. The arm cylinder 11 drives the arm 7. The bucket cylinder 12 drives the bucket 8. The boom cylinder 10, the arm cylinder 11, and the bucket cylinder 12 are hydraulic cylinders driven by hydraulic oil.

[0041] The bucket cylinder 12 is attached to the arm 7. The bucket 8 rotates relative to the arm 7 as the bucket cylinder 12 is extended and retracted. The work implement 2 includes a bucket link. The bucket link connects the bucket cylinder 12 and the bucket 8.

[0042] The hydraulic excavator 100 is equipped with a controller 26 . The controller 26 controls the operation of the hydraulic excavator 100 .

[0043] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information acquisition system according to an embodiment. A target unit 40 is mounted on a hydraulic excavator 100. The target unit 40 is mounted at one location of the hydraulic excavator 100. Figure 2 In the illustrated example, target portion 40 is attached to cutting edge 8 a of bucket 8 .

[0044] The information acquisition system includes a position measuring unit 50. The position measuring unit 50 measures the position of the target unit 40. The position measuring unit 50 is, for example, a laser tracker, and in this case, the target unit 40 is a target reflector.

[0045] The laser tracker irradiates a laser L toward a target reflector. When irradiated with the laser L, the target reflector reflects the light in the same direction as the irradiated direction. The reflected light returns to the laser tracker. The laser tracker can find the distance between the laser tracker and the target reflector based on the time it takes for the laser L to return from the target reflector. In addition, the laser tracker itself grasps the direction of the irradiated laser L. The laser tracker can find the three-dimensional position of the target reflector based on the direction of the irradiated laser L and the distance to the target reflector.

[0046] The laser tracker can continuously measure the three-dimensional position of the moving target reflector at a high sampling rate. The laser tracker can automatically track the movement of the target reflector and continuously obtain the three-dimensional position. Thus, the laser tracker can obtain the trajectory of the moving target reflector. The three-dimensional position of the target reflector continuously measured at a high sampling rate can be processed as the trajectory of the target reflector.

[0047] The position measuring unit 50 is not limited to a laser tracker as long as it can obtain the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40. For example, the position measuring unit 50 may be a total station having a tracking function of the target unit 40. In addition, for example, the position measuring unit 50 may be a photographing device represented by a stereo camera, in which case the target unit 40 may be a mark for facilitating the recognition of the position of the target unit 40 in the photographed image. In addition, for example, the position measuring unit 50 may be realized by a combination of an arbitrary angle meter and a rangefinder.

[0048] The information acquisition system includes an information acquisition unit 60. The information acquisition unit 60 is provided, for example, outside the hydraulic excavator 100. The information acquisition unit 60 can communicate with the position measurement unit 50 via wireless or wired communication means. The information acquisition unit 60 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a nonvolatile memory, a timer, and the like.

[0049] The information acquisition unit 60 acquires three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 from the trajectory of the moving target unit 40. The three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 acquired by the information acquisition unit 60 includes, for example, the size of the working device 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100, the plane drawn by the trajectory of the working device 2 rotating relative to the revolving body 3, the plane drawn by the trajectory of the revolving body 3 rotating relative to the traveling body 5, etc. The three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 may be position coordinate information of a predetermined part of the hydraulic excavator 100 in the three-dimensional space, distance information between two predetermined parts, information of a plane defined by the shape, posture, etc. of the hydraulic excavator 100, etc. The coordinate system of the three-dimensional space may be an ITRF (International Terrestrial Reference Frame) coordinate system.

[0050] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the functional structure of the information acquisition system. Figure 1 In addition to the swing body 3, boom 6, arm 7, bucket 8, and controller 26 described above, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 30 is also provided. The inertial measurement unit 30 detects the inclination of the hydraulic excavator 100. The inertial measurement unit 30 detects the inclination angle of the hydraulic excavator 100 with respect to the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction. The inertial measurement unit 30 is equivalent to an inclination sensor of an embodiment that detects the inclination angle of the ground on which the hydraulic excavator 100 is located. Figure 2 As shown, the inertial measurement device 30 is mounted at the center of the front portion of the rotating body 3 in the left-right direction.

[0051] The target unit 40 is attached to any part of the swing unit 3 or the work implement 2 (the boom 6 , the arm 7 , and the bucket 8 ) in the hydraulic excavator 100 . The position measuring unit 50 measures the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40 attached to the swing unit 3 , the boom 6 , the arm 7 , or the bucket 8 .

[0052] The information acquisition unit 60 includes an input unit 61 , a rotation plane derivation unit 62 , an on-vehicle IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 , a work machine motion plane derivation unit 64 , a rotation radius calculation unit 65 , a vector processing unit 66 , and an output unit 67 .

[0053] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for acquiring three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100. Figure 3The functions of each functional block of the information acquisition unit 60 and the processing of acquiring three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 implemented by each functional block are shown. The three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 acquired by the following processing is a parameter required to improve the accuracy of the calculation of the position of the working device 2 in order to accurately derive the position of the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8 when implementing information construction.

[0054] First, in the processing of steps S1 to S6, a correction value for the installation error of the inertial measurement device 30 mounted on the revolving body 3 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is obtained, so that the inclination of the revolving body 3 relative to the horizontal plane can be accurately recognized. In step S1, the trajectory TR of an arbitrary position of the vehicle body when the revolving body 3 is revolving is measured.

[0055] Figure 5 1 is a schematic plan view showing the rotation of the rotating body 3. As described above, the rotating body 3 is rotated relative to the traveling body 5 by the driving force generated by the rotating motor. It should be noted that the hydraulic excavator 100 can perform a lifting rotation in which the rotating body 3 is rotated while the boom 6 is raised, and a lowering rotation in which the rotating body 3 is rotated while the boom 6 is lowered, but Figure 5 In the shown rotation, the relative position of the working device 2 to the revolving body 3 is kept constant. The traveling body 5 as a stationary part is regarded as a base part, and the revolving body 3 and the working device 2 which rotate relative to the base part are regarded as movable parts.

[0056] The target unit 40 is mounted at any position of the working device 2 or the revolving body 3. The target unit 40 is mounted, for example, at the tip of the boom 6, typically at the position of the boom pin 14. In this state, the revolving body 3 rotates relative to the traveling body 5. The traveling body 5 is used as a stationary base portion, and the revolving body 3 is used as a movable portion to be rotated. Typically, the revolving body 3 rotates 180° relative to the traveling body 5. The position measuring unit 50 measures the position of the target unit 40 that moves as the working device 2 and the revolving body 3 rotate relative to the traveling body 5. The position measuring unit 50 continuously obtains the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40, and outputs the obtained three-dimensional position information (position signal) of the target unit 40 to the input unit 61 of the information acquisition unit 60.

[0057] The rotation plane derivation unit 62 obtains the trajectory of the target portion 40 from the three-dimensional position of the target portion 40 that is continuously obtained, and sets it as the trajectory TR.

[0058] In step S2, the rotation plane derivation unit 62 derives the equation of the rotation plane PR by the least square method based on the trajectory TR obtained in step S1. The plane is tilted to obtain the plane with the minimum error with the point group on the trajectory TR of the target part 40, and the obtained plane is used as the rotation plane PR.

[0059] A method of deriving a plane equation from the three-dimensional position of the target portion 40 that is continuously acquired by the least square method is described in, for example, the following website.

[0060] "SOL Corporation's e-mail magazine 'I learned about interferometer measurement technology!' February 10, 2009, Vol. 001", [retrieved on October 27, 2009], Internet<URL:https: / / www.sol-j.co.jp / mailmag / d-0001.html>

[0061] In step S3 , the on-vehicle IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 calculates the inclination angle AID of the rotation plane PR with respect to the horizontal plane based on the equation of the rotation plane PR obtained in step S2 .

[0062] Figure 6 It is a side schematic diagram showing the inclination angle AID of the rotating plane PR relative to the horizontal plane H and the installation error β of the inertial measurement device 30. The target unit 40 is installed at the position of the boom pin 14 at the front end of the boom 6. The inertial measurement device 30 outputs the posture information (angle signal) of the main body 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 based on the origin OP of the coordinate system of the built-in sensor. The on-board IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 derives the rotating plane PR by the least square method based on the trajectory TR of the target unit 40 when the rotating body 3 rotates relative to the traveling body 5. The on-board IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 calculates the inclination angle AID of the rotating plane PR relative to the horizontal plane H.

[0063] In step S4, the measurement result information (IMU output signal) of the inertial measurement unit 30 mounted on the hydraulic excavator 100 is input to the input unit 61 of the information acquisition unit 60. The vehicle-mounted IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 acquires the vehicle body posture, that is, the inclination angle AI of the main body 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 relative to the horizontal plane H based on the output of the inertial measurement unit 30.

[0064] In step S5, the onboard IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 compares the inclination angle AID of the rotation plane PR calculated in step S3 with the inclination angle AI of the main body 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 obtained in step S4. The onboard IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 determines whether the inclination angle AID is not equal to the inclination angle AI, that is, whether there is an error between the inclination angle AI and the inclination angle AID.

[0065] If it is determined that the inclination angle AID is not equal to the inclination angle AI (yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6, where the onboard IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 corrects the alignment error (installation error) of the inertial measurement unit 30 according to the difference between the inclination angle AID and the inclination angle AI. Figure 6As shown, the vehicle-mounted IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 calculates the IMU installation error β as the difference between the inclination angle AID of the rotation plane PR and the inclination angle AI recognized by the inertial measurement unit 30. More specifically, the vehicle-mounted IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 calculates the IMU installation error β as follows.

[0066] In step S2, when the height is set to z and the vertical and horizontal directions of the plane are set to x and y, the equation of the rotation plane PR is obtained as z=a+bx+cy. In this case, the normal vector of the rotation plane PR indicating the inclination of the rotation plane PR is (b, c, 1). In addition, if the angle vector of the inclination angle AI of the vehicle body measured by the inertial measurement device 30 is set to (A, B, C), the difference vector between the inclination angle AID of the rotation plane PR and the inclination angle AI of the vehicle body is (Ab, Bc, C-1). This difference vector becomes the IMU installation error β.

[0067] The vehicle-mounted IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 obtains the difference between the inclination angle AI, which is the angle recognized by the inertial measurement unit 30, and the inclination angle AID of the rotation plane PR. Based on the difference, the vehicle-mounted IMU alignment error calculation unit 63 obtains a correction value for the inclination angle AI detected by the inertial measurement unit 30. The output unit 67 outputs the correction value information (correction value signal) to the controller 26 mounted on the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0068] If it is determined in step S5 that the inclination angle AID is equal to the inclination angle AI (No in step S5), the inclination angle AI detected by the inertial measurement unit 30 does not need to be corrected, so the process of step S6 is not performed and the process directly proceeds to step S7.

[0069] Next, in the processing of steps S7 to S8, the plane in which the working device 2 moves is obtained, and the position deviation of the blade tip 8a in the left-right direction can be accurately identified. In step S7, the working device operation plane derivation unit 64 measures the trajectory TB of the boom pin 14 at the front end of the boom 6 when only the boom 6 of the working device 2 is operated.

[0070] Figure 7 The derived working device action plane PI (refer to Figure 5 ) is a side view schematic diagram of the movement of the boom 6 when the boom 6 is in the state of being pulled out of the working position. The target portion 40 is installed at the front end of the boom 6, at the position of the boom pin 14. In this state, the boom 6 rotates relative to the revolving body 3. The main body 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is used as a base portion, and the boom 6 is used as a movable portion to be rotated. Typically, the boom 6 falls from a position where the boom 6 is lifted to the maximum at the end of the stroke of the boom cylinder 10 on the retracted side to a position just before the working device 2 is about to contact the ground. At this time, the relative positions of the boom 7 and the bucket 8 with respect to the boom 6 remain constant.

[0071] At this time, the arm cylinder 11 may be at the end of the stroke on the extension side, and the arm 7 may be in the direction in which it can move in the excavation direction (the direction in which the arm 7 approaches the boom 6). Figure 7 The bucket cylinder 12 is at the end of the stroke on the extension side, and the bucket 8 is in a position where it can move in the digging direction (the direction in which the bucket 8 approaches the bucket 7). Figure 7 The position of the dipper arm 7 and the dipper 8 is determined in this way, such as Figure 7 As shown, the working device 2 is in the most folded posture, so the boom 6 is lowered a greater distance.

[0072] The position measuring unit 50 measures the position of the target unit 40 that moves as the boom 6 rotates relative to the swing unit 3. The position measuring unit 50 continuously acquires the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40 and outputs the acquired three-dimensional position information (position signal) of the target unit 40 to the input unit 61 of the information acquiring unit 60.

[0073] The work machine operation plane derivation unit 64 obtains the trajectory of the target unit 40 from the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40 that is continuously obtained, and sets it as the trajectory TB.

[0074] In step S8, the work machine operation plane derivation unit 64 derives the equation of the work machine operation plane PI by the least square method based on the trajectory TB obtained in step S7. The equation of the work machine operation plane PI can be derived in the same manner as the equation of the swing plane PR in step S2.

[0075] The output unit 67 outputs information (equation signal) of the obtained equation of the work machine operation plane PI to the controller 26 mounted on the hydraulic excavator 100 .

[0076] Next, in the processing of steps S9 to S18, accurate dimensions of boom 6, arm 7, and bucket 8 are obtained. In step S9, rotation radius calculation unit 65 measures trajectory TBk of cutting edge 8a of bucket 8 when only bucket 8 of work machine 2 is operated.

[0077] Figure 8 1 is a side view schematic diagram showing the movement of bucket 8 when the size of bucket 8 is derived. Target part 40 is installed at the position of blade tip 8a of bucket 8. In this state, bucket 8 rotates relative to arm 7 with bucket pin 15 as the center. The main body 1, boom 6 and arm 7 are used as the base part, and bucket 8 is used as the movable part to rotate. Figure 8 As shown, the bucket 8 can also be unloaded in the direction (the direction in which the bucket 8 is away from the vehicle body). Figure 8 15) moves in the counterclockwise direction around the bucket pin 15. At this time, the boom 6 and the arm 7 remain stationary.

[0078] The position measuring unit 50 measures the position of the target unit 40 that moves as the bucket 8 rotates relative to the arm 7. The position measuring unit 50 continuously acquires the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40 and outputs the acquired three-dimensional position information (position signal) of the target unit 40 to the input unit 61 of the information acquiring unit 60.

[0079] The rotation radius calculation unit 65 obtains the trajectory of the target portion 40 from the three-dimensional position of the target portion 40 that is continuously obtained, and sets it as the trajectory TBk.

[0080] In step S10, the rotation radius calculation unit 65 calculates the coordinates of the bucket pin 15 and the distance between the bucket pin 15 and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8 to which the target unit 40 is attached by the least square method based on the trajectory TBk obtained in step S9. The calculation is performed so as to minimize the radius error from the point group on the trajectory TBk of the target unit 40 rotating around the bucket pin 15 to the center of the temporarily determined arc, and the calculated center is used as the coordinates of the bucket pin 15.

[0081] A method of deriving the coordinates of the rotation center and the rotation radius from the three-dimensional position of the target portion 40 that rotates and moves around the bucket pin 15 by the least square method is described in, for example, the following website.

[0082] "Estimation of a sphere based on the least squares method", [retrieved on October 27, 2020], Internet<URL:https: / / qiita.com / yujikaneko / items / 955b4474772802b055bc>

[0083] In step S11, the vector processing unit 66 generates a vector Vb between the bucket pin 15 and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8. Figure 8 As shown, when the working machine 2 is viewed from the side, the vector Vb is a vector having the bucket pin 15 as a starting point and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8 as an end point.

[0084] In step S12 , rotation radius calculation unit 65 measures trajectory TA of cutting edge 8a of bucket 8 when arm 7 of work machine 2 is operated.

[0085] Fig. 9 1 is a side view schematically showing the movement of the boom 7 when the dimensions of the boom 7 are derived. The target part 40 is installed at the position of the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8. In this state, the boom 7 and the bucket 8 rotate relative to the boom 6 around the boom pin 14. The main body 1 and the boom 6 are used as the base part, and the boom 7 is used as the movable part to rotate. Fig. 9 As shown, it can also be that the bucket arm 7 is in the unloading direction (the direction in which the bucket arm 7 is away from the vehicle body. Fig. 9The bucket 8 moves in the counterclockwise direction around the boom pin 14. At this time, the relative position of the bucket 8 to the boom 7 remains constant. The bucket cylinder 12 may also be located at the end of the stroke on either the extension side or the retraction side. In addition, the boom 6 remains stationary.

[0086] The position measuring unit 50 measures the position of the target unit 40 that moves as the arm 7 and the bucket 8 rotate relative to the boom 6. The position measuring unit 50 continuously acquires the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40 and outputs the acquired three-dimensional position information (position signal) of the target unit 40 to the input unit 61 of the information acquiring unit 60.

[0087] The rotation radius calculation unit 65 obtains the trajectory of the target unit 40 from the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40 that is continuously obtained, and sets it as the trajectory TA.

[0088] In step S13, the rotation radius calculation unit 65 calculates the coordinates of the arm pin 14 and the distance between the arm pin 14 and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8 by the least square method based on the trajectory TA obtained in step S12. This calculation can be performed in the same manner as the derivation of the coordinates of the rotation center and the rotation radius in step S10.

[0089] In step S14, the vector processing unit 66 generates a vector Va' between the arm pin 14 and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8. Fig. 9 As shown, when working machine 2 is viewed from the side, vector Va′ is a vector having arm pin 14 as a starting point and cutting edge 8 a of bucket 8 as an end point.

[0090] In step S15 , rotation radius calculation unit 65 measures trajectory VB of cutting edge 8 a of bucket 8 when boom 6 of work machine 2 is operated.

[0091] Fig.10 1 is a side view schematically showing the movement of the boom 6 when the size of the boom 6 is derived. The target part 40 is installed at the position of the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8. In this state, the boom 6, the arm 7 and the bucket 8 rotate relative to the revolving body 3 around the boom pin 13. The main body 1 is used as the base part, and the boom 6 is used as the movable part to rotate. Fig.10 As shown, it can also be that the boom 6 moves in the direction of the boom lifting (in Fig.10 In this case, the bucket 8 is moved in a counterclockwise direction around the boom pin 13. At this time, the relative position of the bucket 8 with respect to the boom 7 remains constant. The bucket cylinder 12 may also be located at the end of the stroke on either the extension side or the retraction side. Furthermore, the relative position of the boom 7 with respect to the boom 6 remains constant. The boom cylinder 11 may also be located at the end of the stroke on either the extension side or the retraction side.

[0092] The position measuring unit 50 measures the position of the target unit 40 that moves as the boom 6, the arm 7, and the bucket 8 rotate relative to the swing unit 3. The position measuring unit 50 continuously obtains the three-dimensional position of the target unit 40, and outputs the obtained three-dimensional position information (position signal) of the target unit 40 to the input unit 61 of the information obtaining unit 60.

[0093] The rotation radius calculation unit 65 obtains the trajectory of the target portion 40 from the three-dimensional position of the target portion 40 that is continuously obtained, and sets it as the trajectory VB.

[0094] In step S16, the rotation radius calculation unit 65 calculates the coordinates of the boom pin 13 and the distance between the boom pin 13 and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8 by the least square method based on the trajectory VB obtained in step S15. This calculation can be performed in the same manner as the derivation of the coordinates of the rotation center and the rotation radius in step S10.

[0095] In step S17, the vector processing unit 66 generates a vector Vs′ between the boom pin 13 and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8. Fig.10 As shown, when the working machine 2 is viewed from the side, the vector Vs′ is a vector having the boom pin 13 as a starting point and the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8 as an end point.

[0096] In step S18, the vector processing unit 66 obtains the magnitude of the vector Vb and uses it as the distance between the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8 and the bucket pin 15, that is, the size of the bucket 8. The vector processing unit 66 obtains the difference obtained by subtracting the vector Vb from the vector Va', that is, the vector Va ( Fig. 9 ) is taken as the distance between the arm pin 14 and the bucket pin 15, that is, the size of the arm 7. The vector processing unit 66 obtains the difference obtained by subtracting the sum of the vector Va and the vector Vb from the vector Vs', that is, the vector Vs ( Fig.10 ) is used as the distance between the boom pin 13 and the arm pin 14, that is, the size of the boom 6.

[0097] The output unit 67 outputs information (dimensional signals) on the obtained dimensions of the boom 6 , the arm 7 , and the bucket 8 to the controller 26 mounted on the hydraulic excavator 100 .

[0098] In this way, a series of processes for acquiring three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 are completed. Figure 4 end of ).

[0099] Although some descriptions overlap with the above descriptions, the characteristic configurations and effects of this embodiment are summarized as follows.

[0100] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the position measuring unit 50 measures the position of the target unit 40. The target unit 40 is, for example, Figure 6 , 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the target portion 40 is mounted on the front end of the boom 6 and moves with the relative movement of the swing body 3 with respect to the traveling body 5, or moves with the relative movement of the boom 6 with respect to the swing body 3. Alternatively, the target portion 40 may be, for example, Figures 8 to 10 As shown in FIG. 1 , the blade tip 8a mounted on the bucket 8 moves with the relative movement of the bucket 8 with respect to the arm 7 ( Figure 8 ), or moves with the relative movement of the boom 7 relative to the boom 6 ( Fig. 9 ), or moves with the relative movement of the boom 6 relative to the rotary body 3 ( Fig.10 ).

[0101] The position measuring unit 50 continuously measures the position of the moving target unit 40. Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100, such as the size of the working device 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100, the plane drawn by the trajectory of the working device 2 rotating relative to the revolving body 3, and the plane drawn by the trajectory of the revolving body 3 rotating relative to the traveling body 5, based on the trajectory of the target unit 40 obtained from the measurement. It is also possible to directly measure the position of each pin without installing a measurement target at the position of each pin in order to calculate the size of the working device 2, so that more accurate information can be obtained with a simple operation in a short time. Based on this information, the position of the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8 can be accurately derived, so the calculation accuracy of the position of the working device 2 in the information construction can be improved.

[0102] like Figure 5 As shown, the rotating body 3 can rotate relative to the traveling body 5. Figure 7 , 10 As shown, the boom 6 can rotate relative to the rotating body 3. Fig. 9 As shown, the arm 7 can rotate relative to the boom 6. Figure 8 As shown, the bucket 8 can rotate relative to the arm 7. By installing the target part 40 on the rotating mechanical part and measuring the position of the target part 40 moving in an arc shape, the arc-shaped trajectory of the target part 40 can be measured. Based on the arc trajectory of the target part 40, three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 can be obtained.

[0103] like Figure 4 and Figures 8 to 10 As shown in FIG. 1 , the information acquisition unit 60 acquires the center position of rotation of the rotating mechanical component. The information acquisition unit 60 can obtain the size of the mechanical component based on the acquired information of the center position of rotation.

[0104] like Figure 4 , 8As shown, bucket 8 rotates relative to arm 7, and the center position of the rotation of bucket 8 is the position of bucket pin 15. Information acquisition unit 60 acquires the distance between bucket pin 15 and target portion 40. Information acquisition unit 60 can obtain the size of bucket 8 based on the acquired distance information.

[0105] like Figure 1 As shown, the arm 7 is connected to the boom 6 via the arm pin 14. The working device 2 has a link mechanism in which the boom 6 and the arm 7 are connected via the arm pin 14, and the arm 7 and the bucket 8 are connected via the bucket pin 15. Figure 4 , 10 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires the distance between the boom pin 13, which is the center position of the boom 6 rotating relative to the swing unit 3, and the arm pin 14 connecting the boom 6 and the arm 7. The information acquisition unit 60 can obtain the size of the boom 6 based on the acquired distance information.

[0106] like Figure 4 , 9 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires the distance between the arm pin 14 connecting the boom 6 and the arm 7 and the bucket pin 15 connecting the arm 7 and the bucket 8. The information acquisition unit 60 can obtain the size of the arm 7 based on the acquired distance information.

[0107] like Figure 4 , 7 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires information about the working device action plane PI formed by the relative rotation of the boom 6 with respect to the revolving body 3. Based on the acquired information about the working device action plane PI, the position offset of the blade tip 8a in the left-right direction can be accurately identified, thereby improving the accuracy of the calculation of the position of the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8 in the information construction.

[0108] like Figure 4 , 6 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires information on a swing plane PR formed by the relative rotation of the swing body 3 with respect to the traveling body 5. The inclination angle of the ground on which the hydraulic excavator 100 is located can be accurately acquired based on the acquired information on the swing plane PR.

[0109] like Figure 4 , 6 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires the inclination angle AID of the swing plane PR with respect to the horizontal plane H. Based on the acquired information of the inclination angle AID, the inclination angle of the ground on which the hydraulic excavator 100 is located can be accurately acquired.

[0110] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the hydraulic excavator 100 includes an inertial measurement device 30. The inertial measurement device 30 detects an inclination angle AI indicating an inclination angle of the ground on which the hydraulic excavator 100 is located. Figure 4 ,6 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires the difference between the inclination angle AT and the inclination angle AID, that is, the IMU installation error β. The acquired information of the IMU installation error β can identify the degree of deviation of the detection result based on the inertial measurement unit 30 from the inclination angle AID of the ground where the hydraulic excavator 100 is located.

[0111] like Figure 4 , 6 As shown, the information acquisition unit 60 acquires a correction value for the inclination angle AT detected by the inertial measurement device 30 based on the IMU installation error β. By correcting the detection result based on the inertial measurement device 30 according to the acquired correction value, the inclination angle of the ground where the hydraulic excavator 100 is located can be accurately recognized based on the detection result of the inertial measurement device 30 during construction. As a result, the calculation accuracy of the position of the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8 in the information construction can be improved.

[0112] like Figure 2 , 6 As shown in FIGS. 10 to 10 , the target unit 40 is attached to one portion of the work machine 2. Since it is not necessary to attach a plurality of measurement targets in order to obtain three-dimensional information about the hydraulic excavator 100, the work can be simplified and the accuracy of the acquired information can be improved.

[0113] like Figure 4 As shown, the information acquisition method for obtaining three-dimensional information related to the hydraulic excavator 100 includes, for example: step S9, in which the bucket 8 is moved relative to the dipper arm 7, and the position of the target part 40 that moves with the movement of the bucket 8 is continuously measured; and step S10, in which the coordinates of the bucket pin 15 and the distance between the bucket pin 15 and the blade tip 8a of the bucket 8 are obtained based on the trajectory TBk of the target part 40 obtained by measurement.

[0114] By performing simple operations in a short time, three-dimensional information about the hydraulic excavator 100 can be obtained more accurately, and based on this information, the position of the blade edge 8a of the bucket 8 can be accurately derived, thereby improving the calculation accuracy of the position of the working device 2 in information construction.

[0115] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the hydraulic excavator 100 is cited as an example of a working machine, but the present invention is not limited to the hydraulic excavator 100 and can be applied to other types of working machines such as a loader excavator, a mechanical rope excavator, an electric excavator, and a bucket crane.

[0116] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative and non-restrictive in all aspects. The scope of the present invention is not indicated by the above description but by the technical claims, and it is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the technical claims.

[0117] Description of reference numerals:

[0118] 1 main body, 2 working device, 3 rotating body, 5 traveling body, 6 boom, 7 arm, 8 bucket, 8a shovel tip, 10 boom cylinder, 11 arm cylinder, 12 bucket cylinder, 13 boom foot pin, 14 arm connecting pin, 15 bucket connecting pin, 26 controller, 30 inertial measurement device, 40 target unit, 50 position measurement unit, 60 information acquisition unit, 61 input unit, 62 rotation plane derivation unit, 63 on-board IMU alignment error calculation unit, 64 working device motion plane derivation unit, 65 rotation radius calculation unit, 66 vector processing unit, 67 output unit, 100 hydraulic excavator, AI, AID tilt angle, H horizontal plane, L laser, OP origin, PI working device motion plane, PR rotation plane, RX rotation axis, TA, TBk, TR, VB trajectory, Va, Vb, Vs vector.

Claims

1. An information acquisition system, wherein: The information acquisition system comprises: A working machine having a base portion and a movable portion that can move relative to the base portion; a target portion, which is mounted on the movable portion and does not move relative to the movable portion; a position measuring unit that continuously measures the position of the target unit that moves along with the relative movement of the movable unit with respect to the base unit; and An information acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional information related to the working machine based on the trajectory of the target unit obtained by the measurement.

2. The information acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein: The movable portion is rotatable relative to the base portion.

3. The information acquisition system according to claim 2, wherein: The trajectory of the target portion is an arc.

4. The information acquisition system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The three-dimensional information is information on a center position of relative rotation of the movable portion with respect to the base portion.

5. The information acquisition system according to claim 4, wherein: The three-dimensional information is information on the distance between the center position and the target portion.

6. The information acquisition system according to claim 4, wherein: The movable part has a link mechanism formed by connecting a plurality of link members via joints. The three-dimensional information is information about the distance between the center position and the joint.

7. The information acquisition system according to claim 6, wherein: The three-dimensional information is information on distances between the plurality of joints.

8. The information acquisition system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The three-dimensional information is information on a plane formed by the relative rotation of the movable portion with respect to the base portion.

9. The information acquisition system according to claim 8, wherein: The three-dimensional information is information on the tilt angle of the plane relative to the horizontal plane.

10. The information acquisition system according to claim 9, wherein: The working machine further includes a tilt sensor for detecting a tilt angle of the ground on which the working machine is located. The three-dimensional information is information on a difference between an inclination angle of the ground and an inclination angle of the plane.

11. The information acquisition system according to claim 10, wherein: The information acquisition unit acquires a correction value with respect to an inclination angle of the ground detected by the inclination sensor based on the difference.

12. The information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The target portion is mounted on a portion of the movable portion.

13. An information acquisition method for acquiring three-dimensional information related to a working machine, wherein the working machine has a base portion and a movable portion that can move relative to the base portion, and a target portion that does not move relative to the movable portion is mounted on the movable portion, wherein: The information acquisition method includes the following processing: causing the movable portion to move relative to the base portion; continuously measuring the position of the target portion that moves along with the relative movement of the movable portion with respect to the base portion; and The three-dimensional information is acquired based on the trajectory of the target part obtained by the measurement.

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