Operating machinery

Abstract

Based on the operation signal output from the operating lever (24), the posture information output from the inertial measurement device (27) to (30), the load information output from the pressure sensors (32) and (33), and the operation area set by the display input device (26), the operation status indicating the current operation status of the hydraulic excavator (1) is judged, and the action mode indicating the content of the action of the front working machine (12) in the operation correction control is determined from a plurality of action modes set in advance in accordance with the judged operation status, and the operation correction control is performed in a manner that the front working machine is moved in accordance with the action mode. As a result, appropriate support actions can be performed in the machine control, and the operation accuracy can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a working machine. Background Art

[0002] As a technology for improving the working efficiency of working machines represented by hydraulic excavators, machine control (MC) is known, which semi-automatically controls the operation of the working device (for example, a working device composed of a boom, an arm, and a bucket) according to the operation of the operating device by the operator of the working device and the conditions determined in advance. In machine control (hereinafter simply referred to as MC), for example, the front end position of the bucket in the working device is maintained at a predetermined distance relative to the target surface, or the posture (angle) of the bucket is maintained at a predetermined angle relative to the target surface, thereby providing support for the operator's operation.

[0003] As a technology related to the setting of MC, for example, in patent document 1, there is disclosed a control system of a work vehicle having a work machine (work device), which includes a first operating lever of the work machine, a first operating member provided on the first operating lever, and a controller for automatically controlling the work machine. When the execution conditions including the first operating lever being in a neutral position are satisfied, the controller executes the automatic control function assigned to the first operating member in correspondence with the operation of the first operating member.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: JP International Publication No. 2016 / 148311 Summary of the invention

[0007] In order to achieve appropriate operation support in MC, it is necessary to switch the validity and invalidation of MC in accordance with the operation content or the operation environment, or it is necessary to set appropriate support content. However, it is conceivable that when the operation of the operating member provided on the operating lever is used to alternately switch the validity and invalidation of the automatic control as in the prior art, the operator may forget to operate and perform the operation in the invalid state of the automatic control, thereby digging beyond the designed surface. In addition, it is conceivable that when the operation content is set according to the operation of the operator, the operation content or the support content may be set incorrectly, and the operation device may erroneously over-excavate the construction surface without being in the desired posture, or the sand and soil transported to the construction surface may be spilled, and sufficient operation accuracy may not be obtained. That is, in this case, there is a concern that the appropriate MC action may not be achieved, resulting in a decrease in operation accuracy.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a working machine capable of performing appropriate support operations in machine control and improving working accuracy.

[0009] The present application includes a plurality of means for solving the above-mentioned problems, but if an example is given, the working machine comprises: a lower traveling body; an upper rotating body capable of rotating relative to the lower traveling body; a multi-jointed front working machine, which is mounted on the upper rotating body and is composed of a plurality of front members rotatably connected to each other; an operating device, which outputs an operating signal for driving the upper rotating body and the front working machine in accordance with an operation amount based on an operator; a plurality of front working machine actuators, which respectively drive the plurality of front members based on a driving signal generated in accordance with the operating signal output from the operating device; a rotating actuator, which rotationally drives the upper rotating body based on the operating signal output from the operating device; a posture information detection device, which detects posture information, which is information related to the posture of the upper rotating body and the front working machine; and a control device, which performs operation correction control, in which, based on the operation signal output from the operating device and the posture information detected by the posture information detection device, the upper rotating body and the front working machine are rotated on a predetermined target surface and relative to the upper rotating body. The drive signal is output to at least one of the plurality of front working machine actuators in such a manner that the front working machine is brought into a predetermined position or posture within an area on one side of the target surface. The working machine is characterized in that it further comprises: a load information detection device that detects load information, which is information related to the load of at least one hydraulic actuator among the plurality of front working machine actuators; and a working area setting device that sets a working area above the predetermined target surface. The control device determines a working condition representing the current working condition of the working machine based on an operation signal output from the operating device, posture information detected by the posture information detection device, load information detected by the load information detection device, and the working area set by the working area setting device. Corresponding to the determined working condition, the control device determines an action form representing the content of the action of the front working machine in the operation correction control from a plurality of action forms set in advance, and performs the operation correction control in such a manner that the front working machine is moved corresponding to the action form.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform appropriate support operations in machine control and improve work accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1This is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a hydraulic excavator as an example of a working machine.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an extract of a main part of a hydraulic circuit of a drive mechanism of a hydraulic excavator.

[0014] Figure 3 : is a functional block diagram showing the functional parts of the controller according to this embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of work performed by a hydraulic excavator, and is a diagram showing a slope shaping work.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of work performed by a hydraulic excavator, and is a diagram showing a trench excavation work.

[0017] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing posture calculation of a hydraulic excavator, and schematically shows the entire hydraulic excavator in a side view.

[0018] Figure 7 1 is a diagram showing an example of a work object, and is a diagram showing a work object in a slope shaping work.

[0019] Figure 8 1 is a diagram showing an example of a work object, and is a diagram showing a work object in a trench excavation work.

[0020] Fig. 9 1 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen displayed on the display input device, and is a diagram showing a work area setting screen.

[0021] Fig.10 1 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen displayed on the display input device, and is a diagram showing a state where a bucket setting screen is displayed in a work area.

[0022] Fig.11 : is a flowchart showing the contents of the work type determination process.

[0023] Fig.12 This is a diagram for explaining a method of determining whether the tooth tip position of the bucket is within the working area.

[0024] Fig.13 : is a flowchart showing the content of the working tool state determination process.

[0025] Fig.14 1 is a diagram showing an example of the detection result of the pressure sensor, and is a diagram showing the detection result of the cylinder bottom pressure of the arm hydraulic cylinder.

[0026] Fig.151 is a diagram showing an example of detection results of the pressure sensor, and is a diagram showing detection results of the cylinder bottom pressure of the boom hydraulic cylinder.

[0027] Fig.16 It is a figure explaining the posture of a bucket.

[0028] Fig.17 It is a figure explaining the posture of a bucket.

[0029] Fig.18 : is a flowchart showing the content of the action form reading process.

[0030] Fig.19 It is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating the assist operation amount of the bucket, and is a side view showing the relationship between the bucket and the target surface.

[0031] Fig. 20 This is an external view showing the status display of the bucket during the support operation.

[0032] Fig.21 This is an enlarged view showing a rotary tilt bucket.

[0033] Fig. 22 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of operation of a hydraulic excavator having a rotary tilt bucket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a hydraulic excavator equipped with a multi-articulated front working mechanism is described as an example of a working machine, but the present invention can also be applied to other working machines having a front working mechanism.

[0035] <First embodiment>

[0036] Reference Figure 1 to Figure 17 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a hydraulic excavator as an example of a working machine according to the present embodiment.

[0038] exist Figure 1 In the figure, the hydraulic excavator 1 is roughly composed of a lower traveling structure 10, an upper rotating structure 11 rotatably provided on the lower traveling structure 10, a front working device 12 rotatably provided on the upper rotating structure 11, and an operation room 22 where an operator sits.

[0039] The front working machine 12 is a multi-jointed type formed by connecting multiple front components (a boom 13, a dipper arm 14, and a bucket (working tool) 15) that rotate in the vertical direction respectively. The base end of the boom 13 is rotatably supported in the vertical direction at the front part of the upper rotating body 11, one end of the dipper arm 14 is rotatably supported in the vertical direction at an end (front end) different from the base end of the boom 13, and a bucket 15 as a working tool is rotatably supported in the vertical direction at the other end of the dipper arm 14.

[0040] The boom 13, the arm 14, and the bucket 15 are driven to rotate by the boom hydraulic cylinder 17, the arm hydraulic cylinder 18, and the bucket hydraulic cylinder 19, which are hydraulic actuators (front work machine actuators). In addition, the upper rotating body 11 is driven to rotate by the rotating hydraulic motor 16, which is a hydraulic actuator (rotating actuator). In addition, the lower travel body 10 is driven to travel by the left and right travel hydraulic motors (not shown) which are hydraulic actuators (travel actuators).

[0041] The boom hydraulic cylinder 17 is provided with a pressure sensor 32a for detecting the hydraulic pressure on the piston rod side and a pressure sensor 32b for detecting the hydraulic pressure on the cylinder bottom side as a load information detection device for detecting load information as information related to the load of the hydraulic actuator. Similarly, the arm hydraulic cylinder 18 is provided with a pressure sensor 33a for detecting the pressure on the piston rod side and a pressure sensor 33b for detecting the pressure on the cylinder bottom side as a load information detection device. Hereinafter, the pressure sensors 32a, 32b and the pressure sensors 33a, 33b are sometimes collectively referred to as the pressure sensor 32 and the pressure sensor 33, respectively.

[0042] The operating room 22 is provided with operating levers 24a and 24b as operating devices (see Figure 2 ), a controller 23 as a control device for controlling the overall operation of the hydraulic excavator 1, and a display input device 26 for displaying information for the operator and inputting instructions from the operator. Hereinafter, the two operating levers 24a and 24b are sometimes collectively referred to as the operating lever 24.

[0043] The controller 23 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and an interface. The central processing unit (CPU) executes a program stored in advance in the memory. The central processing unit (CPU) processes based on the set values ​​stored in the memory and the signals input from the interface, and outputs signals from the interface.

[0044] The display input device 26 is, for example, a pointing device such as a touch panel, and is configured to input information display and instructions from an operator using a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a screen.

[0045] Inertial measurement units (IMUs) 27, 28, 29, and 30 as posture information detection devices for detecting posture information as information related to the postures of the upper rotating body 11, the boom 13, the arm 14, and the bucket 15 are respectively arranged. Hereinafter, when it is necessary to distinguish these inertial measurement units, they are respectively referred to as the vehicle body inertial measurement unit 27, the boom inertial measurement unit 28, the arm inertial measurement unit 29, and the bucket inertial measurement unit 30. The relative mounting positions of the components of the inertial measurement units 27, 28, 29, and 30 are obtained using design information, etc. Therefore, the relative rotation angles of the upper rotating body 11, the boom 13, the arm 14, and the bucket 15 can be inferred based on the detection results (angular velocity and acceleration) of the inertial measurement units 27, 28, 29, and 30.

[0046] In addition, two GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antennas 31a and 31b are installed on the upper part of the upper rotating body 11 as position information detection devices for detecting position information. The GNSS antennas 31a and 31b include a position calculation function for calculating position information by calculating signals received from artificial satellites, and can infer the orientation (direction) of the upper rotating body 11 from the difference in position information respectively obtained by the two GNSS antennas 31a and 31b. Hereinafter, the two GNSS antennas 31a and 31b are sometimes collectively referred to as GNSS antennas 31.

[0047] The operating lever 24 disposed in the operator's room 22 is composed of two operating levers 24a and 24b that can be swung forward, backward, left, and right. The operating lever 24 is configured to be able to input a swinging operation amount of a total of four axes in the forward, backward, left, and right directions for each of the two operating levers 24a and 24b. Based on an operation signal generated in accordance with the operation amount by the swinging operation of the operating lever 24, a drive signal is generated in the controller 23, thereby being able to drive the swing hydraulic motor 16, the boom hydraulic cylinder 17, the dipper arm hydraulic cylinder 18, and the bucket hydraulic cylinder 19 respectively in accordance with the operation in the operating lever 24. In addition, operation buttons 25a and 25b (see FIG. 1 ) that can be used to input an operation by the operator when pressed are provided on the operating levers 24a and 24b. Figure 2 ). Hereinafter, the two operation buttons 25a and 25b are sometimes collectively referred to as the operation button 25.

[0048] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an extract of a main part of a hydraulic circuit of a drive mechanism of a hydraulic excavator.

[0049] exist Figure 2In the embodiment, the driving mechanism of the hydraulic excavator 1 is roughly composed of, for example, a hydraulic pump 39 and a pilot pump 40 driven by a prime mover 41 such as a diesel engine; control valves 34, 35, 36, and 37 for controlling the flow rate and direction of the hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 39 to the hydraulic actuators 16, 17, 18, and 19; a working oil tank 42 for supplying working oil to the hydraulic pump 39 and the pilot pump 40 and storing the working oil discharged from the hydraulic actuators 16, 17, 18, and 19; and a discharge unit 43 for discharging a portion of the hydraulic oil ejected from the hydraulic pump 39 to the working oil tank 42.

[0050] The control valves 34, 35, 36, and 37 are driven by the hydraulic pressure (pilot pressure) of the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 40. The hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 40 is guided to the directional control valves 34a, 35a, 36a, and 37a via the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 34b, 34c, 35b, 35c, 36b, 36c, 37b, and 37c of the control valves 34, 35, 36, and 37. The electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 34b, 34c, 35b, 35c, 36b, 36c, 37b, and 37c are controlled based on the current command output from the controller 23, thereby controlling the driving of the directional control valves 34a, 35a, 36a, and 37a. The amount of hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 39 to the directional control valves 34a, 35a, 36a, and 37a and the action of the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 34b, 34c, 35b, 35c, 36b, 36c, 37b, and 37c is adjusted to be distributed to the corresponding hydraulic actuators 16, 17, 18, and 19.

[0051] The hydraulic pump 39 is of a variable capacity type, and the capacity of the hydraulic pump 39 is adjusted by operating a regulating mechanism 39 a based on a current command output from the controller 23 , thereby controlling the discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump 39 .

[0052] The discharge unit 43 is composed of a discharge valve 43a that discharges a part of the hydraulic oil ejected from the hydraulic pump 39 to the working oil tank 42, and a discharge valve electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve 43b that adjusts the amount of discharge by the discharge valve 43a. A part of the hydraulic oil ejected from the hydraulic pump 39 is discharged through the oil path connected to the working oil tank 42 by the discharge valve 43a. The discharge valve 43a is driven by the pilot pressure adjusted by the discharge valve electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve 43b. That is, based on the current command output from the controller 23, the flow rate of the hydraulic oil returned to the working oil tank 42 via the discharge valve 43a is controlled by the pilot pressure adjusted by the discharge valve electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve 43b.

[0053] The controller 23 is connected to the operating lever 24, the operating button 25, the display input device 26, the inertial measurement device 27, 28, 29, 30, and the GNSS antenna 31, and controls the operation of the hydraulic excavator 1 by driving the hydraulic actuators 16, 17, 18, 19, the hydraulic pump 39, and the discharge unit 43 based on the current command signals output from the respective input signals to the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 34b, 34c, 35b, 35c, 36b, 36c, 37b, 37c, 43b and the driving adjustment mechanism 39a.

[0054] Figure 3 : is a functional block diagram showing the functional parts of the controller according to this embodiment.

[0055] In this embodiment, the system inside the controller 23 is executed as a combination of several programs, and is configured to input instruction signals from the operating lever 24, operating button 25, and display input device 26, and detection signals from the inertial measurement devices 27, 28, 29, 30, rotation goniometer 47, and GNSS antenna 31 via an interface, and after processing by the central processing unit (CPU), output drive signals for respectively driving the control valves 34, 35, 36, 37, the hydraulic pump 39, and the relief unit 43 via the interface.

[0056] exist Figure 3In the embodiment, the controller 23 is composed of the following functional units: a working tool position and posture calculation unit 50, which calculates the position and posture of the front working machine 12 (for example, the tooth tip position of the bucket 15 or the angle relative to the horizontal plane, etc.) based on the detection results of the inertial measurement devices 27, 28, 29, 30 and the GNSS antenna 31; a working object setting unit 51, which sets the working object (for example, the target surface or the working area) as information related to the position or shape of the working object of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the instruction content input by the operator to the display input device 26; and a working status judgment unit 54, which is based on the The operating state is determined based on the operating signal output from the operating lever 24, the detection results of the pressure sensors 32 and 33, the calculation results output from the working tool position and posture calculation unit 50, and the setting content of the working object setting unit 51. The working state is the current working state of the hydraulic excavator 1; the working tool action form setting unit 52 sets a plurality of action forms as the content of the action of the bucket 15 (working tool) in the operation correction control (support action) based on the instruction content of the operator input to the display input device 26; the working tool action form storage unit 53 stores the working tool action form settings using the working tool action form settings. The form setting unit 52 sets a plurality of action forms of the bucket 15 (working tool); a working tool action form calling unit 55, which calls a working form from a plurality of action forms stored in the working tool action form storage unit 53 based on the judgment result of the working condition judgment unit 54 (i.e., the judged working condition); and a working tool action correction amount calculation unit 56, which calculates a working form for making the bucket 15 (working tool) a specified action form based on the calculation result of the working tool position and posture calculation unit 50, the working object set by the working object setting unit 51, and the action form determined by the working tool action form calling unit 55. and a work machine control quantity calculation unit 57, which calculates the control quantity of each hydraulic actuator 16, 17, 18, and 19 of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the setting content of the work object setting unit 51, the operation signal output from the operating lever 24 (the operator's operation instruction), the calculation result of the work tool position and posture calculation unit 50, and the calculation result (action correction amount) of the work tool action correction quantity calculation unit 56, and outputs the current instruction (drive signal) to the control valves 34, 35, 36, and 37, the hydraulic pump 39 (adjusting mechanism 39a), and the discharge unit 43.

[0057] Next, the contents of work performed by the hydraulic excavator using operation correction control (support operation) and the like in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with examples.

[0058] Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of work performed by a hydraulic excavator. Figure 4 is a diagram showing a slope shaping operation, Figure 5It is a figure which shows the trench excavation work.

[0059] like Figure 4 As shown, in the slope shaping operation, the hydraulic excavator 1 performs an operation of excavating the target surface 5 to make it flat. Specifically, the hydraulic excavator 1 repeatedly performs the operation of excavating while keeping the tooth tip of the bucket 15 aligned with the target surface 5, and the operation of scooping out the excavated sand and soil with the bucket 15 after excavating to a certain extent and transporting it to the sand pile 4. In addition, in order to further flatten the excavated target surface 5, the operation of scooping out the sand and soil of the sand pile 4 with the bucket 15 and spreading it slightly from the top of the target surface 5 to the entire target surface 5 and further pressing the bottom surface of the bucket 15 is performed.

[0060] In the case of such a slope shaping operation, in the operation correction control (support operation), in the excavation operation on the target surface 5, the tooth tip of the bucket 15 is supported so as not to reach below the target surface 5, in other words, so as to move along the target surface 5. In addition, in the pressing operation on the target surface 5, while the tooth tip of the bucket 15 is moved along the target surface 5, the angle adjustment of the bucket 15 is supported so as to further make the bottom surface of the bucket 15 coincide with the target surface 5. By performing the support operation in this way, the accuracy of the slope shaping operation can be improved.

[0061] In addition, in the action of transporting the sand excavated from the target surface 5 to the sand pile 4, and in the action of transporting the sand scooped up using the sand pile 4 to the target surface 5, the angle adjustment of the bucket 15 is supported by setting the opening surface of the bucket 15 to be horizontal, thereby preventing the sand being transported from leaking from the bucket 15, thereby reducing unnecessary work such as cleaning, and improving work accuracy and work efficiency.

[0062] like Figure 5 As shown, in the trench excavation operation (for example, the burying operation of the material 6), the ground is excavated to form the trench 3, and after the material 6 is placed in the trench, the trench 3 is backfilled. Specifically, the bottom surface of the trench 3 is set as the target surface 5 as the appropriate height for placing the material 6, and the action of digging with the tooth tip of the bucket 15 of the hydraulic excavator 1 aligned with the target surface 5, and the action of scooping up the excavated sand and soil with the bucket 15 after excavation to a certain extent and transporting it to the sand pile 4 is repeated. In addition, in order to backfill the trench 3, the action of digging and scooping up the sand and soil of the sand pile 4 with the bucket 15, and the action of transporting it to the trench 3 and dropping it are repeated.

[0063] In the case of this trench excavation operation, in the operation correction control (support action), during the excavation operation on the target surface 5, the support action is performed in a manner such that the tooth tip of the bucket 15 does not reach below the target surface 5, in other words, in a manner such that the bucket 15 moves along the target surface 5, thereby improving the accuracy of the operation.

[0064] In addition, in the action of transporting the sand excavated in the process of forming the trench 3 to the sand pile 4, and in the action of transporting the sand scooped up by the sand pile 4 to the trench 3, the angle adjustment of the bucket 15 is supported by setting the opening surface of the bucket 15 to be horizontal, thereby preventing the sand being transported from leaking from the bucket 15, thereby reducing unnecessary work such as cleaning and improving work accuracy and work efficiency.

[0065] That is, Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 As shown, in order to improve the work accuracy and work efficiency, it is desirable to change the support operation for correcting the position or posture of the bucket 15 according to the progress of the work and other conditions.

[0066] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing posture calculation of a hydraulic excavator, and schematically showing the entire hydraulic excavator in a side view.

[0067] The working tool position and posture calculation unit 50 uses Figure 6 The variables defined in are used as the posture information of the hydraulic excavator 1 to calculate the front end position (tooth tip position) or posture (angle) of the bucket 15. In the hydraulic excavator 1, the intersection of the rotation axis of the upper rotating body 11 and the plane in contact with the lower side of the lower traveling body 10 is defined as the origin Og of the excavator coordinate system. The position of the origin Og of the excavator coordinate system in the global coordinate system set outside the hydraulic excavator 1 can be obtained based on the position of the GNSS antenna 31 in the global coordinate system detected by the GNSS antenna 31, and the installation height Lg1 and the front-rear installation length Lg2 of the GNSS antenna 31 relative to the origin Og of the excavator coordinate system. In addition, the direction of the excavator coordinate system relative to the global coordinate system can be obtained by making the excavator coordinate system face the direction (azimuth) of the global coordinate system of the hydraulic excavator 1 detected by the GNSS antenna 31 with the axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane as the center. Here, the homogeneous transformation matrix from the global coordinate system to the excavator coordinate system is defined as Tsh.

[0068] The front end position (tooth tip position) Pbk of the bucket 15 relative to the origin Og of the excavator coordinate system can be obtained as follows: using the rotation angle θsw of the upper rotating body 11, the swing angle θbm of the boom 13, the swing angle θam of the arm 14, the swing angle θbk of the bucket 15, the lengths Lf1, Lf2, Lbm, Lam, Lbk of each component, the hydraulic excavator 1 is treated as a link structure consisting of four links and the DH method (Denaviet-Hartenberg representation) is applied, that is, the product of the homogeneous transformation matrices defined for each link is obtained.

[0069] Here, the relationship between the tip position Pbk = (Xbk, Ybk, Zbk) of the bucket 15, the angle (Pitch_bk) formed by the horizontal plane (global coordinate system) and the excavator coordinate system, and the angles (θsw, θbm, θam, θbk) between the components can be expressed by the following vector equations (Equation 1) to (Equation 3). In addition, "^T" in the following (Equation 1) and (Equation 2) indicates inversion.

[0070] r={Xbk, Ybk, Zbk, Pitch_bk}^T (Formula 1)

[0071] q={θsw, θbm, θam, θbk}^T (Formula 2)

[0072] r=F(q) (Formula 3)

[0073] Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a work object, Figure 7 is a diagram showing a work object in a slope shaping work, Figure 8 is a diagram showing an operation object in trench excavation operation. Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 In the description, the target surface 5 and the work area 7 are exemplified as work objects which are information related to the position or shape of the work object.

[0074] like Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, in the operation object setting unit 51, as a slope shaping operation (refer to Figure 4 ) and trenching operations (see Figure 5) is defined by a rectangular plane having four representative points Pt1 to Pt4 as vertices. The normal vector n = {nx, ny, nz}^T of the target plane 5 can be obtained by normalizing the outer product of the vector (Pt3-Pt2) and the vector (Pt1-Pt2). In addition, the working area 7 as one of the working objects is defined as a solid in a three-dimensional space with the target plane 5 as one of the planes, when the representative points Pt1' to Pt4' different from the representative points Pt1 to Pt4 defining the target plane 5 are assumed to be above the target plane 5. That is, in the working object setting unit 51, the target plane 5 as the working object is set based on the instruction content (representative points Pt1 to Pt4) input by the operator to the display input device 26, and the working area 7 as the working object is set based on the instruction content (representative points Pt1 to Pt4, Pt1' to Pt4').

[0075] Fig. 9 as well as Fig.10 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen displayed on a display input device, Fig. 9 2 is a diagram showing a work area setting screen. Fig.10 This is a diagram showing a state where a bucket setting screen is displayed in a work area.

[0076] like Fig. 9 As shown, in the display input device 26, a work object display 90 as an overall image of the work object is displayed from the information of the construction drawing set in advance on the input screen (work area setting screen), and the GUI is constructed in a manner to display the selection status of an arbitrary surface on the work object display 90 set as the target surface 5. In addition, a determination button 95 and a return button 96 are displayed on the screen, and the GUI is constructed in a manner to accept the selection input by the operator of the hydraulic excavator 1. When the determination button 95 is pressed in a state where an arbitrary surface is selected, the target surface 5 that is the object of setting the work area 7 is set. If the target surface 5 is set by pressing the determination button 95, a work area adjustment display 91 for setting the work area 7 is displayed, and the GUI is constructed to accept the size of the work area 7, that is, the size from the target surface 5 to the upper surface of the work area 7 (in the range of 90 to 500 m) from the operator of the hydraulic excavator 1. Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 The distance to the surface defined by the representative points Pt1' to Pt4' is set.

[0077] In addition, in the present embodiment, a case where the size of the working area 7 is set by defining the target surface 5 of the working area 7 in a manner so as to be parallel to the upper surface and using the working area adjustment display 91 to display one of the four representative points constituting the upper surface is illustrated and described, but it is not limited to this. For example, it can also be configured to be able to individually adjust the distance from the target surface 5 of multiple points among the four representative points constituting the upper surface of the working area 7.

[0078] In addition, in the work area setting screen of the display input device 26, when the size of the work area 7 is set by pressing the determination button 95, the work area bucket setting screen 92 is then displayed on the display input device 26. In the work area bucket setting screen 92, the support action content (action form) of the bucket 15 in the work area 7 is set. In the work area bucket setting screen 92, a bucket height adjustment display 93 is displayed to receive the operator's setting of the tooth tip position (distance from the target surface 5) of the bucket 15, and a bucket posture adjustment display 94 is displayed to receive the operator's setting of the posture (angle relative to the horizontal plane) of the bucket 15. In addition, in the work area bucket setting screen 92, the tooth tip position and posture of the bucket 15 are set in a manner corresponding to each of the plurality of action forms.

[0079] As types of action forms of the support action, there are "bucket posture holding mode", "tooth tip position designation mode", and "bucket horizontal holding mode". The "bucket posture holding mode" is an action form in which the angle of the bucket 15 is controlled so that the bottom surface of the bucket 15 is aligned with the target surface 5. In addition, the "tooth tip position designation mode" is an action form in which the position of the bucket 15 is controlled so that the tooth tip of the bucket 15 is aligned with the target surface 5. In addition, the "bucket horizontal holding mode" is an action form in which the angle of the bucket 15 is controlled so that the opening surface of the bucket 15 is kept horizontal.

[0080] In the work tool operation form setting unit 52 , the operation form is set based on the instruction content of the operator input to the display input device 26 , and is stored in the work tool operation form storage unit 53 .

[0081] Next, the working condition judgment processing in the working condition judgment unit 54 is described. In the working condition judgment unit 54, as working condition judgment processing for judging the working condition representing the condition of the working of the hydraulic excavator 1, a working category judgment processing and a working tool state judgment processing are performed. In the working category judgment processing, based on the calculation result of the working tool position and posture calculation unit 50 and the setting content of the working object setting unit 51, the classification representing the state of the working performed by the hydraulic excavator 1, that is, the working category is judged. In addition, in the working tool state judgment processing, based on the detection results of the pressure sensors 32 and 33 and the calculation result of the working tool position and posture calculation unit 50, a working tool state judgment processing is performed to judge the working tool state as the state of the bucket 15. In addition, the working condition judgment processing (working category judgment processing, working tool state judgment processing) in the controller 23 is repeatedly executed every predetermined unit processing time (for example, sampling time).

[0082] In the work type determination process, a work type is set as a classification indicating the state of the work being performed by the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the position and operation direction of the front working device 12 (specifically, the bucket 15 ).

[0083] Fig.11 : is a flowchart showing the contents of the work type determination process.

[0084] like Fig.11 As shown, in the work type determination process, the controller 23 first sets the representative points Pt1 to Pt4 and Pt1' to Pt4' (see Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 ) and the normal vector n are transformed from the global coordinate system to the coordinate system (body coordinate system) of the hydraulic excavator 1 (step S100).

[0085] The transformation from the global coordinate system of the representative points Pt1 to Pt4, Pt1' to Pt4' and the normal vector n to the vehicle body coordinate system can be performed using the homogeneous transformation matrix Tsh as shown in (Formula 4) to (Formula 6) below (where l is a positive integer indicating a number).

[0086] Ptl=(Tsh^-1)×Pt (Formula 4)

[0087] Ptl'=(Tsh^-1)×Pt' (Formula 5)

[0088] nl=(Tsh^-1)×(Pt+n)-Ptl (Formula 6)

[0089] Next, based on the calculation result of the work tool position and posture calculation unit 50 and the setting content of the work object setting unit 51, it is determined whether the tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is located within the work area 7 (step S120).

[0090] Whether the tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is located within the working area 7 can be determined by using the size of the inner product of the normal line of each face of the hexahedron formed by the representative points Pt1 to Pt4 and Pt1' to Pt4' and the vector connecting each representative point and the tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15. For example, Fig.12As shown, when the inner product of the normal vector n1 of the target surface 5 and the vector vptl2 connecting the representative point Pt2 and the tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is greater than 0 (zero), it can be determined that the tooth tip position Pst is on the upper side of the target surface 5, that is, located on the side of the working area 7, and when it is less than 0 (zero), it can be determined that the tooth tip position Pst is on the lower side of the target surface 5, that is, located outside the working area 7. The same process is performed on all the surfaces constituting the working area 7, and when all the inner products are greater than 0 (zero), it can be determined that the tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is located within the working area 7.

[0091] Next, based on the operation signal output from the operating lever 24, the moving destination of the tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 operated by the operator of the hydraulic excavator 1, that is, based on the operator's requested tooth tip position Pest, is predicted, and it is determined whether the predicted result (requested tooth tip position Pest) is located within the working area 7 (step S130).

[0092] The angular velocity target values ​​of the angles θsw, θbm, θam, and θbk of each part obtained by geometrically transforming the speed target values ​​of the rotating hydraulic motor 16, the boom hydraulic cylinder 17, the dipper arm hydraulic cylinder 18, and the bucket hydraulic cylinder 19 which are proportional to the operation amount (operation signal) of the operating lever 24 are set to ωlev, and the required tooth tip position Pest can be calculated using the following (Formula 7) and (Formula 8) using the predetermined inference time Δtest.

[0093]

[0094] Pest=Pst+J(q)×ωlev×Δtest (Equation 8)

[0095] By performing the same calculation as step S120 on the obtained requested tooth tip position Pest, it is possible to determine whether the requested tooth tip position Pest is within the working area 7 .

[0096] Next, based on the calculation result of step S120, it is determined whether the current tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is within the working area 7 (step S140). If the judgment result is yes, it is determined whether the requested tooth tip position Pest is within the working area 7 based on the calculation result of step S130 (step S150).

[0097] When the judgment result in step S150 is yes, that is, when both the tooth tip position Pst and the requested tooth tip position Pest of the bucket 15 are within the working area 7, the working category representing the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1 is set to "working within the target" (step S151) indicating that the working is performed within the working area 7, and the processing is terminated.

[0098] In addition, when the judgment result in step S150 is negative, that is, when the current tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is within the working area 7 but the requested tooth tip position Pest is outside the working area 7, the operation category is set to "target departure operation" indicating leaving the working area 7 from inside the working area 7 to outside the working area 7 (step S152), and the processing is terminated.

[0099] If the determination result in step S140 is negative, that is, if the current tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is outside the working area 7, then it is determined based on the calculation result in step S130 whether the requested tooth tip position Pest is outside the working area 7 (step S160).

[0100] When the judgment result in step S160 is yes, that is, when both the current tooth tip position Pst and the requested tooth tip position Pest of the bucket 15 are outside the working area 7, the working category representing the working state of the hydraulic excavator 1 is set to "out-of-target work" indicating that the work is performed outside the working area 7 (step S161), and the processing is terminated.

[0101] In addition, when the judgment result in step S160 is negative, that is, when the current tooth tip position Pst of the bucket 15 is outside the working area 7 but the requested tooth tip position Pest is inside the working area 7, the operation category is set to "target approach operation" (step S162) indicating that the target surface 5 inside the working area 7 is to be approached from outside the working area 7, and the processing is terminated.

[0102] In the work tool state determination process, a work tool state is set as a classification indicating the state of the bucket 15 (work tool) based on the posture (angle) of the bucket 15 relative to the target plane 5 and the load of the front working implement 12 .

[0103] Fig.13 : is a flowchart showing the content of the working tool state determination process.

[0104] In addition, in the work tool state judgment processing, the work tool state includes the filling state of the bucket 15 (a judgment result indicating whether the bucket 15 is filled with sand) and the consistency state of the bucket 15 (a judgment result indicating whether the bottom surface of the bucket 15 is close to being consistent with the target surface 5), and each state is independently stored. In addition, as the work tool state, the state at the time of the previous processing cycle is continued, but as the initial value, for example, the filling state is set to "sand non-filled state" and the consistency state is set to "posture consistent state".

[0105] like Fig.13As shown, in the working tool state judgment process, the controller 23 first determines whether the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom hydraulic cylinder 18 is smaller than a predetermined threshold value Pth_am based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 33 and the saved content of the working tool state (filling state), and whether the working tool state (filling state) is a "sand non-filling state" (step S200) indicating that there is no sand inside the bucket 15.

[0106] When the judgment result of step S200 is yes, that is, when the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom hydraulic cylinder 18 is greater than the threshold value Pth_am and the working tool state (filling state) is "sand non-filling state", the excavation start flag indicating that the excavation action has started is set to "ON" (step S210).

[0107] Fig.14 1 is a diagram showing an example of the detection result of the pressure sensor, and is a diagram showing the detection result of the cylinder bottom pressure of the arm hydraulic cylinder.

[0108] In the excavation operation based on the hydraulic excavator 1, the boom 14 is driven in the recovery direction, that is, the boom hydraulic cylinder 18 is extended. Fig.14 As shown, during excavation, the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom cylinder 18 increases, and when the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom cylinder 18 is equal to or greater than the excavation start threshold value (Pth_am), it can be determined that the excavation action has started. That is, it can be determined whether the excavation action has started by the determination in step S200.

[0109] Next, when the judgment result of step S200 is no, or when the processing of step S210 is completed, next, based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 33 and the saved content of the working tool status (filling status), it is judged whether the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom hydraulic cylinder 18 is below the predetermined threshold value Pth_am and whether the excavation start flag is "ON" (step S220).

[0110] When the judgment result of step S220 is yes, that is, when the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom hydraulic cylinder 18 is below the threshold value Pth_am and the excavation start flag is "ON", the excavation start flag is set to "OFF" and the excavation end flag indicating the end of the excavation action is set to "ON" (step S230).

[0111] When the excavation operation by the hydraulic excavator 1 is completed, Fig.14As shown in FIG. 2 , the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom hydraulic cylinder 18 decreases. Therefore, after the excavation action is started, that is, when the excavation start flag is "ON", when the cylinder bottom pressure Pam of the boom hydraulic cylinder 18 becomes less than the excavation start threshold value (Pth_am), it can be determined that the excavation action is completed. That is, it can be determined whether the excavation action is completed by the determination of step S220.

[0112] Next, if the result of the determination in step S220 is negative, or if the processing in step S230 is completed, then based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 32, the content of the excavation completion flag, and the calculation result of the working tool position and posture calculation unit 50, it is determined whether the cylinder bottom pressure Pbm of the boom hydraulic cylinder 17 is greater than the predetermined threshold value Pth_bm, and whether the angle θst of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 relative to the horizontal plane is smaller than the predetermined threshold value θth_hr, and whether the excavation completion flag is "ON" (step S240). In addition, the sum of the angles θbm, θam, θbk and the angle between the opening surface of the bucket 15 and the bottom surface can be calculated as the angle θst.

[0113] When the judgment result of step S240 is yes, that is, when the cylinder bottom pressure Pbm of the boom hydraulic cylinder 17 is greater than the threshold value Pth_bm, the angle θst is smaller than the threshold value th_hr, and the excavation end flag is "ON", the excavation end flag is set to "OFF" and the working tool state (filling state) is set to the "sand filling state" indicating that the bucket 15 is filled with sand (step S250).

[0114] Fig.15 is a diagram showing an example of the detection result of the pressure sensor, and is a diagram showing the detection result of the cylinder bottom pressure of the boom hydraulic cylinder. Fig.16 as well as Fig.17 It is a figure explaining the posture of a bucket.

[0115] In the transporting operation after the excavation operation performed by the hydraulic excavator 1, the bucket 15 is filled with sand and soil to increase the weight. Fig.15 As shown in FIG. 1 , the cylinder bottom pressure Pbm of the boom hydraulic cylinder 17 supporting the entire weight of the front working machine 12 including the bucket 15 increases. When the cylinder bottom pressure Pbm of the boom hydraulic cylinder 17 becomes greater than the sand filling judgment threshold value (Pth_bm), it can be judged that the bucket 15 is filled with sand. Fig.17As shown, it is necessary to set the opening surface of the bucket 15 to a state close to horizontal. That is, when the cylinder bottom pressure Pbm of the boom hydraulic cylinder 17 increases, the opening surface of the bucket 15 is close to horizontal and the excavation action is completed (the excavation completion flag is "ON"), it can be determined that the sand and soil transportation action has started. That is, it can be determined by the determination of step S240 whether the transportation action has started.

[0116] Next, when the judgment result of step S240 is no, or when the processing of step S250 is completed, next, based on the calculation result of the working tool position posture calculation unit 50, it is determined whether the angle θst of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 relative to the horizontal plane is greater than the predetermined threshold θth_hr (step S260).

[0117] If the result of determination in step S260 is YES, that is, if the opening surface of the bucket 15 is not horizontal, the working tool state (filling state) is set to a "sand non-filling state" indicating that the bucket 15 is not filled with sand (step S270).

[0118] like Fig.17 As shown, if the opening surface of the bucket 15 is not in a horizontal state, the contents will leak out, so it can be determined that there is no sand inside the bucket 15. That is, it can be determined by the determination of step S260 whether there is no sand inside the bucket 15.

[0119] Next, when the judgment result of step S260 is no, or when the processing of step S270 is completed, next, it is determined whether the angle θst of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 relative to the horizontal plane is smaller than the sum of the angle θtgt formed by the target plane 5 and the horizontal plane and the predetermined threshold θth, and whether the angle θst is larger than the difference (θtgt-θth) between the angle θtgt and the threshold θth (step S280).

[0120] If the result of the judgment in step S280 is yes, the working tool state (consistent state) is set to the "posture consistent state" (step S281) indicating that the bottom surface of the bucket 15 and the target surface 5 are substantially aligned in orientation, and the processing is terminated. If the result of the judgment in step S280 is no, the working tool state (consistent state) is set to the "posture inconsistent state" (step S282) indicating that the angle of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 and the angle of the target surface 5 are inconsistent, and the processing is terminated.

[0121] like Fig.16As shown, when the angle θst of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 relative to the horizontal plane is within the range of the preset threshold value θth compared to the angle θtgt formed by the target plane 5 and the horizontal plane, it can be determined that the orientation of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 is substantially consistent with that of the target plane 5. That is, it can be determined whether the orientation of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 is consistent with that of the target plane 5 through the determination of step S280.

[0122] Next, the action form calling process in the work tool action form calling unit 55 is described. In the work tool action form calling unit 55, based on the processing result of the work status judgment process (work type judgment process, work tool state judgment process) in the work status judgment unit 54, the action form reading process of reading the action form stored in the work tool action form storage unit 53 is performed. In addition, the action form reading process in the controller 23 is repeatedly executed every predetermined unit processing time (for example, sampling time).

[0123] Fig.18 : is a flowchart showing the content of the action form reading process.

[0124] like Fig.18 As shown, in the motion form reading process, the controller 23 first determines whether the type of work determined in the work type determination process of the work status determination unit 54 has changed from the non-target work to the target approach work (step S300). In addition, if the determination result in step S300 is yes, then it is determined whether the type of work determined in the work type determination process of the work status determination unit 54 is the posture consistent state (step 310).

[0125] When the judgment result in step S310 is yes, that is, when the work type changes to the target approach work and the work tool state is in the posture consistency state, the "bucket posture holding mode" is read and set from the work tool action form storage unit 53 as the action form (step S320).

[0126] The state in which the work type changes from the work outside the target to the state close to the target can be considered as the state in which the bucket 15 intends to invade the work area 7, and therefore it can be determined that the operator of the hydraulic excavator 1 is in a work state in which the operator intends to transition to the work near the target. In addition, at this time, when the work tool state is the posture matching state, it can be determined that the work state is in which the bottom surface of the bucket 15 is to be matched with the target surface 5. That is, it can be determined by the determination of steps S300 and S310 whether the appropriate support action for the current work state is the action form of controlling the angle of the bucket 15 so that the bottom surface of the bucket 15 is matched with the target surface 5, that is, the "bucket posture holding mode".

[0127] Next, if the result of the judgment in step S300 or S310 is no, or if the processing in step S320 is completed, it is determined whether the operation type has changed to the target operation (step S330). In addition, if the result of the judgment in step S330 is yes, it is determined whether the state of the working tool is the sand filling state (step S340).

[0128] When the judgment result in step S340 is negative, that is, when the operation category changes to the target operation and the working tool state is not the sand filling state, the action form is read from the working tool action form storage unit 53 and set as the "tooth tip position designation mode" (step S341).

[0129] The state where the work type changes to the work within the target can be considered as the state where the work is performed in the work area 7. In addition, at this time, when the work tool state is not in the sand filling state, it can be determined that the work is in the state of excavation to be performed in the work area. That is, through the judgment of steps S330 and S340, it can be determined whether the appropriate support action relative to the current work state is in the "tooth tip position designation mode" of the action form of controlling the position of the bucket 15 in such a way that the tooth tip of the bucket 15 is consistent with the target surface 5. In addition, in step S340, if the judgment result is yes, that is, when the work tool state is in the sand filling state, it can be inferred that the work is paving or spreading sand in the work area 7, and therefore, the control of making the tooth tip of the bucket 15 consistent with the target surface 5 is not performed.

[0130] Next, if the result of the determination in step S330 is no, or if the result of the determination in step S340 is yes, or if the processing in step S341 is completed, it is determined whether the operation type has changed to the target departure operation (step S350). If the result of the determination in step S350 is yes, the bucket posture holding mode is canceled (step S360), and the tooth tip position designation mode is canceled (step S370).

[0131] The state where the work type changes to the target departure work is the state where the bucket 15 is about to leave the work area 7, and it can be determined that the operator of the hydraulic excavator 1 is in a work state where he wants to transition to a work to be performed at a location away from the target surface 5. That is, through the determination of step S350, it can be determined whether the support action for the work on the target surface 5 is canceled.

[0132] Next, if the result of the judgment in step S350 is no, or if the processing of steps S360 and S370 is completed, it is next determined whether the operation type is one of the out-of-target operation and the in-target operation (step S380). In addition, if the result of the judgment in step S380 is yes, it is next determined whether the state of the working tool has changed to the sand filling state (step S390).

[0133] When the judgment result in step S390 is yes, that is, when the work category is off-target work or on-target work, and the work tool state changes to a sand filling state, the "bucket horizontal holding mode" is read and set from the work tool action form storage unit 53 as the action form (step S400).

[0134] In the case of working outside the target, at a position separated from the target surface 5, or in the case of working inside the target, in the working area, the state of the working tool changing to the sand filling state can be judged as the working state of digging sand and starting to transport it. That is, through the judgment of steps S380 and S390, it can be judged whether it is in the action mode of controlling the angle of the bucket 15 so that the opening surface of the bucket 15 is kept horizontal, that is, the "bucket horizontal holding mode".

[0135] Next, if the judgment result of step S380 or S390 is no, or if the processing of step S400 is completed, it is next determined whether the working tool state is in the sand filling state (step S410). In addition, if the judgment result of step S410 is yes, it is next determined whether the work type has changed to one of the in-target work and the out-target work (step S420).

[0136] If the judgment result in step S420 is yes, that is, if the working tool state is the sand filling state and the working type is the target working or the target working, the bucket leveling mode is released (step S430) and the processing is terminated. In addition, if the judgment result in either step S410 or S420 is no, the processing is terminated.

[0137] The state of the working tool being in the sand filling state and the state of the working type being switched to the in-target working state or the out-target working state can be judged as a position separated from the target surface 5 in the working area 7, or a working state in which sand is transported above the target surface 5 outside the working area 7. That is, through the judgment of steps S410 and S420, it can be judged whether the bucket horizontal holding mode is released in a manner that allows the soil release action to be performed.

[0138] Next, the calculation processing in the working tool action correction amount calculation unit 56 is described. In the working tool action correction amount calculation unit 56, the control amount (action correction amount) for realizing the support action is calculated based on the calculation result of the working tool position and posture calculation unit 50, the setting content of the work object setting unit 51, the work type called by the working tool action form calling unit 55, and the operation state of the operation button 25.

[0139] Fig.19 It is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating the assist operation amount of the bucket, and is a side view showing a relationship with a target surface of the bucket.

[0140] The work tool operation correction amount calculation unit 56 first calculates the closest point Pn of the tip position Pst of the bucket 15 with respect to the target surface 5 using the following (Equation 9).

[0141] Pn=Ptl-n·(Pst-Ptl) / |n|^2×n (Formula 9)

[0142] In addition, "|n|" in the above (Formula 9) represents the criterion of the vector.

[0143] In addition, the difference dθ between the angle θst of the bottom surface of the bucket 15 relative to the horizontal plane and the angle of the target plane 5 or the horizontal angle is calculated. Thus, the movement correction speed vadj of the bucket 15 relative to the tip position Pst is calculated by the following (Equation 10) using the predetermined gains Kadjp and Kadjθ.

[0144] vadj={Kadjp×(Pst-Pn), Kadjθ×dθ}^T (Formula 10)

[0145] Then, the movement correction speed vadj is transformed to calculate each swing angular velocity of the hydraulic excavator 1. In addition, if the Jacobian matrix J corresponding to the relationship of (Formula 1) to (Formula 3) is used, the correction swing angular velocity ωadj of the hydraulic excavator 1 is expressed by the following (Formula 11) and (Formula 12) using the speed vadj of the tip position Pst of the bucket 15.

[0146]

[0147] ωadj=(J(q)^-1)×vadj (Equation 12)

[0148] Then, the work tool action correction amount calculation unit 56 selects an actuator to which ωadj is applied based on the setting of the work tool action form calling unit 55. For example, in the bucket horizontal holding mode or bucket posture holding mode for correcting the posture of the bucket 15, only the component related to the rotation of the bucket 15 of ωadj is extracted. In the case of the tooth tip position designation mode, only the component related to the rotation of the boom 13 and the arm 14 of ωadj is extracted. In addition, when the operation button 25 is pressed, ωadj is set to 0 (zero), and when the hydraulic excavator 1 performs an action different from the operator's intention, the support action is not forcibly performed.

[0149] The working machine control amount calculation unit 57 calculates and outputs the current command (drive signal) for the control valves 34, 35, 36, 37, the hydraulic pump 39, and the drive relief unit 43 based on the operation instruction amount indicated by the operation signal output from the operating lever 24 and the corrected swing angular velocity ωadj output from the working tool action correction amount calculation unit 56. That is, the working machine control amount calculation unit 57 converts the operation amount of the operating lever 24 into the swing angular velocity command value ωope of the hydraulic excavator 1 which is proportional to the operation amount, and uses the corrected swing angular velocity ωadj and a conversion map Kctrl(q) of the swing angular velocity and the current command which is predetermined in advance to calculate the current command Cctrl using the following (Formula 13).

[0150] Cctrl=Kctrl(q)×(ωope+ωadj) (Equation 13)

[0151] Next, a method of displaying the status of the support operation for the operator will be described.

[0152] Fig. 20 Controller 23 displays a bucket state display 97 of bucket 15 as a front view and a side view for indicating the positional relationship between bucket 15 and target surface 5, an excavator state display 98 of hydraulic excavator 1 as a bird's-eye view for indicating the positional relationship between hydraulic excavator 1 and target surface 5 on display input device 26, and displays a support action content display 99, thereby notifying the operator of hydraulic excavator 1 of the estimated result of the working condition and the support action content. In this way, by judging the working condition of hydraulic excavator 1 and changing the support action form to control the support action, it is possible to realize the appropriate action of bucket 15 corresponding to the working content or working object of hydraulic excavator 1, and improve the working accuracy.

[0153] The effects of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0154] In order to realize proper operation support in MC, it is necessary to switch the MC to be effective or ineffective in accordance with the operation content or the operation environment, or it is necessary to set appropriate support content. However, as in the prior art, when the automatic control is switched between effective and ineffective by the operation of the operating member provided on the operating lever, the operator may forget to operate and perform the operation of ineffective automatic control, resulting in excavation beyond the designed surface. In addition, it is conceivable that when the operation content is set by the operator's operation, the operation content or the support content is set incorrectly, so that the operation device does not take the desired posture and over-excavates the construction surface, or spills the sand and soil transported to the construction surface, and fails to obtain sufficient operation accuracy. For example, in the operation of shaping the terrain of the construction object into the desired shape, the following actions are sometimes alternately performed: a shaping action of excavating while matching the position and posture of the bucket so that the bottom surface of the bucket is consistent with the shaped construction surface, and a conveying action of moving excess sand and soil during shaping while making the bucket opening surface horizontal in a manner that does not spill sand and soil on the shaped surface. At this time, when the automatic control for setting the posture of the bucket to a predetermined angle is sometimes implemented, if the operation of the operating member is performed incorrectly and the automatic control of the forming action and the transport action is performed inversely, the bucket will not be in the desired posture, and the construction surface will be over-excavated by mistake, or the sand and soil transported to the construction surface will be spilled, and sufficient work accuracy cannot be obtained. That is, in this case, appropriate MC action cannot be achieved, and there is a concern that the work accuracy may be reduced.

[0155] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the working machine (hydraulic excavator 1) comprises: a lower travelling body 10; an upper rotating body 11 which can rotate relative to the lower travelling body 10; a multi-jointed front working machine 12 which is mounted on the upper rotating body 11 and is composed of a plurality of front members (a boom 13, an arm 14, and a bucket 15) which are rotatably connected to each other; an operating device (operating lever 24) which outputs an operating signal for driving the upper rotating body 11 and the front working machine 12 based on an operation amount of an operator; and a plurality of front members which are driven respectively based on a driving signal generated in accordance with the operating signal output from the operating device. The front working machine actuator (boom hydraulic cylinder 17, dipper arm hydraulic cylinder 18, bucket hydraulic cylinder 19); a rotating actuator (rotating hydraulic motor 16) that rotates and drives the upper rotating body 11 based on the operation signal output from the operating device; a posture information detection device (inertial measurement device 27-30) that checks posture information, which is information related to the posture of the upper rotating body 11 and the front working machine 12; a control device (controller 23) that performs operation correction control based on the operation signal output from the operating device and the posture information detected in the posture information detection device to The control device outputs a drive signal to at least one of the plurality of front working machine actuators in such a manner that the front working machine 12 is brought into a predetermined position or posture on a predetermined target surface 5 and in an area relative to the target surface. The working machine (hydraulic excavator 1) further comprises: a load information detection device (pressure sensors 32, 33) for detecting load information, which is information related to the load of at least one of the plurality of front working machine actuators; and a working area setting device (display input device 26) for setting a working area 7 above the predetermined target surface 5. The control device The structure is configured to judge the working condition representing the current working condition of the working machine based on the operating signal output from the operating device, the posture information detected in the posture information detection device, the load information detected in the load information detection device, and the working area set by the working area setting device, and determine the action form representing the content of the action of the front working machine in the operation correction control from a plurality of pre-set action forms in accordance with the judged working condition, and perform the operation correction control in a manner that causes the front working machine to move in accordance with the action form. Therefore, appropriate support actions can be performed in the machine control, and the working accuracy can be improved.

[0156] <Second embodiment>

[0157] Reference Fig.21 as well as Fig. 22 A second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0158] This embodiment shows a case where a rotary tilt bucket 44 is used instead of the bucket 15 used as the working tool in the first embodiment.

[0159] Fig.21 In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0160] exist Fig.21 In the embodiment, the rotary tilt bucket 44 is rotatably provided at the front end of the arm 14 constituting the front member of the front working machine 12 about the rotation axis A4. In addition, the rotary tilt bucket 44 is configured to be rotatable about two rotation axes perpendicular to the rotation axis A4 relative to the front working machine 12 and perpendicular to each other, namely, a rotation axis A6 and a tilt axis A5. The rotary tilt bucket 44 includes a rotation motor 46 as a rotation actuator for rotationally driving the rotary tilt bucket 44 about the rotation axis A6, and tilt hydraulic cylinders 45a and 45b as a tilt actuator for rotationally driving the rotary tilt bucket 44 about the rotation axis A5. That is, the rotary tilt bucket 44 is constructed to rotate around the rotation axis A4 at the front end of the bucket arm 14 through the bucket hydraulic cylinder 19, and to rotate around the rotation axis A5 orthogonal to the rotation axis A4 through the tilt hydraulic cylinders 45a and 45b in the connecting structure of the rotary tilt bucket 44, and to rotate around the rotation axis A6 orthogonal to the rotation axes A4 and A5 through the rotating motor 46 in the connecting structure of the rotary tilt bucket 44.

[0161] The rotary tilt bucket 44 is equipped with a rotary goniometer 47 as a posture information detection device, which can detect the rotation angle (rotation angle) of the rotary tilt bucket 44 about the rotation axis A6. In addition, the inertial measurement device 30 as the posture information detection device can detect the rotation angle (tilt angle) about the rotation axis A5 in addition to the rotation angle about the rotation axis A4. That is, the direction of the rotary tilt bucket 44 can be calculated based on the detection results of the inertial measurement device 30 and the rotary goniometer 47.

[0162] In this work machine, the position and posture of the rotary tilt bucket can be independently adjusted with three degrees of freedom relative to the body of the hydraulic excavator 1, and complex movements can be realized. In the case of this hydraulic excavator 1, the action form of the work tool in the work tool action form setting unit 52 is not limited to the posture of the bucket 15 and the position of the tooth tip shown in the first embodiment. For example, a plurality of postures around the A5 axis and the A6 axis can be individually set to match the direction of movement of the rotary tilt bucket 44 or the posture of the rotary tilt bucket 44 around the A4 axis.

[0163] Fig. 22This is a schematic diagram showing an example of operation of a hydraulic excavator equipped with a rotary tilt bucket.

[0164] exist Fig. 22 In the example, the paving operation of evenly spreading the sand scooped from the sand pile 4 by the rotary tilting bucket 44 is illustrated. At this time, in order to evenly spread the sand near the vertical wall surface, it is desired to set the target surface 5 at a position with an appropriate distance from the wall surface, and to take the posture of the rotary tilting bucket 44 in a manner facing the target surface 5, while returning the rotary tilting bucket 44 in a direction perpendicular to the direction facing the target surface 5. The action mode of the working tool in the working tool action mode setting unit 52 can also be set in the above manner.

[0165] In addition, the method for judging the working condition based on the working condition judgment unit 54 can be implemented using different methods. For example, the reaction force acting on the rotary tilt bucket 44 can be calculated by using the posture of the front working machine 12 and the thrust of each hydraulic cylinder calculated based on the pressure of the boom hydraulic cylinder 17, the dipper arm hydraulic cylinder 18, and the bucket hydraulic cylinder 19. In addition, of course, the estimated result of the effective load of the sand inside the rotary tilt bucket 44 can also be used.

[0166] In addition, the combination of the working area and the working tool action form set by the working object setting unit 51 and the working tool action form setting unit 52 is not limited to only one as in the first embodiment. Fig. 22 As in the paving work of the hydraulic excavator 1 having the rotary tilt bucket 44 shown in the figure, a working area is set for each retaining wall, and a support operation is performed in different operation forms.

[0167] In addition, a method for calculating the current command Cctrl using the transformation diagram Kctrl(q) of the shaking angular velocity and the current command in the working machine control quantity calculation unit 57 is illustrated, but the calculation method of the current command Cctrl can also be a different method. Of course, a control command can be generated by using a pressure chart of the hydraulic circuit or using control rules such as model predictive control.

[0168] The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0169] Also in the present embodiment configured as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0170] <Appendix>

[0171] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes various modifications or combinations of embodiments within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is not limited to all the structures described in the above-mentioned embodiments, and also includes an embodiment in which a part of the structure is deleted. In addition, the above-mentioned structures, functions, etc. can be implemented by, for example, using integrated circuit design to implement a part or all of these structures. In addition, the above-mentioned structures, functions, etc. can also be implemented in software by interpreting and executing a program that implements the respective functions of the processor.

[0172] Description of Reference Numerals

[0173] 1 hydraulic excavator, 3 trench, 4 sand pile, 5 target surface, 6 material, 7 work area, 10 lower travel body, 11 upper rotating body, 12 front work machine, 13 boom, 14 arm, 15 bucket, 16 rotary hydraulic motor, 17 boom hydraulic cylinder, 18 arm hydraulic cylinder, 19 bucket hydraulic cylinder, 22 operation room, 23 controller, 24 operating lever, 25 operating button, 26 display input device, 27-30 vehicle body inertial measurement unit, 31 GNSS antenna, 32, 33 pressure sensor, 34-37 control valve, 37a directional control valve, 37b electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve, 37c electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve, 39 hydraulic pump, 40 pilot pump, 41 prime mover, 42 working oil tank, 43 discharge unit, 44 rotary tilt shovel Bucket, 45a, 45b tilt hydraulic cylinder, 46 rotation motor, 47 rotation goniometer, 50 work tool position posture calculation unit, 51 work object setting unit, 52 work tool action form setting unit, 53 work tool action form storage unit, 54 work status judgment unit, 55 work tool action form calling unit, 56 work tool action correction amount calculation unit, 57 work machine control amount calculation unit, 90 work object display, 91 work area adjustment display, 92 bucket setting screen in work area, 93 adjustment display, 94 bucket posture adjustment display, 95 decision button, 96 return button, 97 bucket status display, 98 excavator status display, 99 support action content display, A4 rotation axis, A5 tilt rotation axis, A6 rotation rotation axis.

Claims

1. A working machine comprising: Lower running body; an upper rotating body capable of rotating relative to the lower traveling body; A multi-jointed front working machine, which is mounted on the upper rotating body and is composed of a plurality of front members rotatably connected to each other; an operating device that outputs an operating signal for operating the upper rotating body and the front working device in accordance with an operation amount by an operator; a plurality of front working machine actuators that respectively drive the plurality of front members based on drive signals generated in response to the operation signals output from the operation device; a rotary actuator for rotationally driving the upper rotary body based on an operation signal output from the operation device; a posture information detection device for detecting posture information, the posture information being information related to the postures of the upper rotating body and the front working machine; as well as a control device for performing operation correction control in which, based on an operation signal output from the operation device and posture information detected by the posture information detection device, the drive signal is output to at least one of the plurality of front work machine actuators in such a manner that the front work machine is brought into a predetermined position or posture on a predetermined target surface and in an area relative to the target surface, The working machine is characterized in that Also available: a load information detection device that detects load information, the load information being information related to a load of at least one front working machine actuator among the plurality of said front working machine actuators; and An operation area setting device for setting an operation area above a predetermined target surface, The control device determines a working condition indicating a current working condition of the working machine based on an operation signal output from the operating device, posture information detected by the posture information detecting device, load information detected by the load information detecting device, and the working area set by the working area setting device. In accordance with the determined working condition, an action mode indicating the content of the action of the front working machine in the operation correction control is determined from a plurality of action modes set in advance, The operation correction control is executed so as to operate the front working device in accordance with the operation form.

2. The working machine according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The control device determines the working condition based on the working category and the working tool status, wherein the working category is a classification indicating the status of the working machine being performed and is set based on the position, movement direction, and working area of ​​the front working machine, and the working tool status is a classification indicating the status of the working tool provided at the front end of the front working machine as one of the multiple front components and is set based on the posture of the working tool relative to the target surface and the load of the front working machine.

3. The working machine according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The control device predefines, as the operation categories, an out-of-target operation indicating a state in which the front work machine is operating outside the work area, a target approach operation indicating a state in which the front work machine is moving from outside the work area into the work area and approaching the target surface, a target vicinity operation indicating a state in which the front work machine is operating within the work area, and a target departure operation indicating a state in which the front work machine is moving away from the target surface and moving from the work area to outside the work area. The control device determines the type of work based on a positional relationship between the front working device and the target surface, a movement direction of the front working device relative to the target surface, and the working area.

4. The working machine according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The front working machine has a working tool capable of being filled with sand as a front member provided at the front end among the plurality of front members. The control device predefines as the working tool state a working tool sand filling state indicating whether there is sand in the working tool, and a working tool posture state indicating whether the working tool is located within a predetermined relative angle range with respect to the target surface. The control device determines the state of the work tool based on the posture of the work tool relative to the target surface and the load of the front work implement.

5. The working machine according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The front working machine has a working tool capable of being filled with sand as a front member provided at the front end among the plurality of front members. The control device predefines, as modes of the action form, a posture holding mode for maintaining the posture of the working tool relative to the target surface at a current posture, a horizontal holding mode for maintaining the posture of the working tool relative to the target surface at a horizontal level, and a position designation mode for making the position of the working tool consistent with the target surface. The control device performs operation correction control so as to operate the front working machine in accordance with the operation form.

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