Operating machinery

Abstract

The operating machinery includes: a working device; a posture detection device for detecting the posture information of the working device; a hydraulic actuator for driving the working device; and a control device that generates motion plan information based on task information required for automatic control obtained from an external system, and executes automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on the motion plan information and the detection results of the posture detection device. The control device outputs motion plan information to the external system. Automatic control is not executed if no approval signal indicating approval of the motion plan information is input from the external system; automatic control is executed if an approval signal is input from the external system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to work machinery. Background Technology

[0002] The operation involves excavating sand and soil using machinery such as hydraulic excavators, and loading the excavated sand and soil onto transport vehicles such as dump trucks. Technology for performing this excavation and loading operation via automatic control is known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a control system that automatically plans and executes tasks associated with excavation and loading operations based on terrain data measured using a sensor system mounted on a hydraulic excavator. Before and after the completion of excavation and loading operations, the control system uses two scanning sensors to measure necessary locations in the excavation area, movement path, and loading area, and automatically plans and executes tasks based on the measured data.

[0004] Patent document 2 discloses a working machine having a controller that determines a rotation path connecting the current position of the working machine to the digging start position based on measured terrain data, and moves the working machine to the digging start position according to the rotation path.

[0005] Existing technical documents

[0006] Patent documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-136549

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-020153 Summary of the Invention

[0009] In the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the controller automatically executes tasks ranging from planning the actions of the operating machinery to controlling the actions of the operating machinery based on the plan. Therefore, there is a concern that actions not intended by the manager may be performed by the operating machinery.

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide a work machine capable of properly performing actions intended by the manager.

[0011] One aspect of the present invention provides a working machine comprising: a working device; a posture detection device for detecting posture information of the working device; a hydraulic actuator for driving the working device; and a control device that generates motion plan information based on task information required for automatic control obtained from an external system, and executes automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on the motion plan information and the detection result of the posture detection device. The control device is configured to: output the motion plan information to the external system; not execute the automatic control if no approval signal indicating approval of the motion plan information is input from the external system; and execute the automatic control if the approval signal is input from the external system.

[0012] Invention Effects

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a work machine that can properly perform actions intended by the manager. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the hydraulic excavator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 A diagram showing the hydraulic drive system of a hydraulic excavator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of the controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the predetermined movement path during excavation operations and the working device that moves the bucket claw along the predetermined movement path.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a flowchart of automatic operation control executed by the controller, which shows the process from obtaining and processing task information to processing the output of control current.

[0019] Figure 6 It is a flowchart of automatic operation control executed by the controller, which shows the process from position and posture information calculation and processing to the end signal output processing.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a functional block diagram of the controller according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the predetermined movement path when performing excavation operations, and the working device that moves the bucket claw along the predetermined movement path. It shows the reference predetermined movement path as the predetermined movement path and the modified predetermined movement path. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Hereinafter, the working machine according to embodiments of the present invention will be described using the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, a hydraulic excavator will be used as an example to describe the working machine, which has a bucket 10 as a working tool (accessory) at the front end of the working device.

[0023] In addition, in this specification, when there are multiple components, Roman letters are sometimes added at the end of the reference numerals, but sometimes the Roman letters are omitted to collectively represent the multiple components. For example, when there are two electromagnetic proportional valves 54a and 54b, they are sometimes collectively represented as electromagnetic proportional valve 54.

[0024] <First Embodiment>

[0025] - The overall structure of a hydraulic excavator -

[0026] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the hydraulic excavator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the hydraulic excavator 1 has a body (frame) 1B and a multi-joint type front working device (hereinafter referred to as working device) 1A mounted on the body 1B. The body 1B has a lower traveling body 11 that travels via left and right traveling hydraulic motors 3a and 3b, and an upper rotating body 12 that is mounted on the lower traveling body 11 and rotated by a rotary hydraulic motor 4.

[0027] The working device 1A has multiple driven components (boom 8, stick 9, and bucket 10) and multiple hydraulic actuators for driving the driven components. The multiple driven components are connected in series. The base end of the boom 8 is rotatably supported on the front of the upper rotating body 12 via a boom pin. The stick 9 is rotatably connected to the front end of the boom 8 via a stick pin. The bucket 10, serving as a working tool, is rotatably connected to the front end of the stick 9 via a bucket pin. The boom 8 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder (hereinafter also referred to as the boom hydraulic cylinder) 5, which acts as a hydraulic actuator. The stick 9 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder (hereinafter also referred to as the stick hydraulic cylinder) 6, which acts as a hydraulic actuator. The bucket 10 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder (hereinafter also referred to as the bucket hydraulic cylinder) 7, which acts as a hydraulic actuator.

[0028] A boom angle sensor 30 is installed on the boom 8, a stick angle sensor 31 is installed on the stick 9, and a bucket angle sensor 32 is installed on the bucket link 13, all capable of measuring the rotation angles of the boom 8, stick 9, and bucket 10. A vehicle tilt angle sensor 33 is installed on the upper rotating body 12 to detect the tilt angle of the upper rotating body 12 (vehicle body 1B) relative to a reference plane (e.g., a horizontal plane).

[0029] The upper rotating body 12 is equipped with an engine 18 as a prime mover and hydraulic equipment such as a hydraulic pump driven by the engine 18. Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the hydraulic drive system of hydraulic excavator 1. (Example) Figure 2 As shown, the hydraulic drive system includes an engine 18, a main pump 2, a pilot pump 48, multiple flow control valves D1 to D6, and multiple electromagnetic proportional valves 54a to 59b. The engine 18 drives the main pump 2 and the pilot pump 48. The pilot pump 48 is a fixed-capacity hydraulic pump.

[0030] The main pump 2 is a variable-capacity hydraulic pump whose capacity is controlled by the regulator 2a. It discharges hydraulic oil that drives multiple hydraulic actuators (boom hydraulic cylinder 5, stick hydraulic cylinder 6, bucket hydraulic cylinder 7, etc.). The regulator 2a is driven by control commands from the controller 40 mounted on the upper rotating body 12, controlling the discharge flow rate of the main pump 2.

[0031] Hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 2 is supplied to the boom hydraulic cylinder 5 through flow control valve D1, to the stick hydraulic cylinder 6 through flow control valve D2, to the bucket hydraulic cylinder 7 through flow control valve D3, to the rotary hydraulic motor 4 through flow control valve D4, to the travel hydraulic motor 3a through flow control valve D5, and to the travel hydraulic motor 3b through flow control valve D6. The supplied hydraulic oil causes the boom hydraulic cylinder 5, stick hydraulic cylinder 6, and bucket hydraulic cylinder 7 to extend and retract, thereby rotating the boom 8, stick 9, and bucket 10, changing the posture of the working device 1A and the position of the bucket 10. The supplied hydraulic oil also causes the rotary hydraulic motor 4 to rotate, thereby rotating the upper rotating body 12 relative to the lower traveling body 11. Finally, the supplied hydraulic oil rotates the travel hydraulic motors 3a and 3b, causing the lower traveling body 11 to travel.

[0032] A locking valve 39 is provided on the discharge piping of the pilot pump 48, i.e., the pilot pump line 170. Downstream branches of the locking valve 39 in the pilot pump line 170 are multiple pilot lines C1 to C12, which are connected to electromagnetic proportional valves 54a to 59b. In this embodiment, the locking valve 39 is an electromagnetic switching valve, whose solenoid is connected to the driver's cab 16 (see reference 16) located on the upper rotating body 12. Figure 1 Door lock rod 24 (refer to) Figure 1 The position sensor of the door lock lever 24 is electrically connected. The position of the door lock lever 24 is detected by its position sensor, which inputs a signal corresponding to the position of the door lock lever 24 to the locking valve 39. If the door lock lever 24 is in the locked position, the locking valve 39 is closed, cutting off the supply of working oil from the pilot pump 48 to the solenoid proportional valves 54a to 59b. If the door lock lever 24 is in the unlocked position, the locking valve 39 is opened, allowing working oil to be supplied from the pilot pump 48 to the solenoid proportional valves 54a to 59b. That is, when the pilot pump line 170 is cut off by the locking valve 39, the operation of each hydraulic actuator (3 to 7) is prohibited.

[0033] Flow control valves D1 to D6 control the flow of hydraulic oil supplied from the main pump 2 to the boom hydraulic cylinder 5, stick hydraulic cylinder 6, bucket hydraulic cylinder 7, rotary hydraulic motor 4, and travel hydraulic motors 3a and 3b.

[0034] Flow control valve D1 is driven by pilot pressure input to pressure chambers E1 and E2 via pilot lines C1 and C2 equipped with electromagnetic proportional valves 54a and 54b. Flow control valve D1 controls the supply direction and flow rate of hydraulic oil from main pump 2 and drives boom hydraulic cylinder 5. Flow control valve D2 is driven by pilot pressure input to pressure chambers E3 and E4 via pilot lines C3 and C4 equipped with electromagnetic proportional valves 55a and 55b. Flow control valve D2 controls the supply direction and flow rate of hydraulic oil from main pump 2 and drives stick hydraulic cylinder 6. Flow control valve D3 is driven by pilot pressure input to pressure chambers E5 and E6 via pilot lines C5 and C6 equipped with electromagnetic proportional valves 56a and 56b. Flow control valve D3 controls the supply direction and flow rate of hydraulic oil from main pump 2 and drives bucket hydraulic cylinder 7. Flow control valve D4 is driven by pilot pressure input to pressure chambers E7 and E8 via pilot lines C7 and C8 equipped with electromagnetic proportional valves 57a and 57b. Flow control valve D4 controls the supply direction and flow rate of hydraulic oil from main pump 2 and drives rotary hydraulic motor 4. Flow control valve D5 is driven by pilot pressure input to pressure chambers E9 and E10 via pilot lines C9 and C10 equipped with electromagnetic proportional valves 58a and 58b. Flow control valve D5 controls the supply direction and flow rate of hydraulic oil from main pump 2 and drives travel hydraulic motor 3a. Flow control valve D6 is driven by pilot pressure input to pressure chambers E11 and E12 via pilot lines C11 and C12 equipped with electromagnetic proportional valves 59a and 59b. Flow control valve D6 controls the supply direction and flow rate of hydraulic oil from main pump 2 and drives travel hydraulic motor 3b.

[0035] Electromagnetic proportional valves 54a to 59b are controlled by control commands from controller 40. Electromagnetic proportional valves 54a to 59b are pressure-reducing valves that generate pilot pressure by reducing the primary pressure supplied from pilot pump 48 to a secondary pressure corresponding to the control command (control current) from controller 40. Electromagnetic proportional valves 54a to 59b output the generated pilot pressure to the pressure chambers (E1 to E12) of flow control valves D1 to D6.

[0036] The controller 40 is connected to a posture detection device 50, a vehicle body position detection device 36, and a communication device 51. The posture detection device 50 has a boom angle sensor 30 mounted on the boom 8 (see reference). Figure 1 ), and the stick angle sensor 31 installed on the stick 9 (refer to Figure 1 Bucket angle sensor 32 installed on bucket 10 (refer to) Figure 1 ) and the vehicle tilt angle sensor 33 installed on the vehicle body 1B (see reference) Figure 1 These angle sensors (30, 31, 32, 33) acquire angle information as posture information of the working device 1A and output signals corresponding to that information. In other words, the angle sensors (30, 31, 32, 33) function as posture sensors for detecting the posture information of the working device 1A. The posture detection device 50, for example, includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that acquires angular velocities and accelerations along three orthogonal axes, and an angle calculation device that calculates the boom angle, stick angle, bucket angle, and vehicle tilt angle based on the information acquired by the IMU. Furthermore, the angle sensors (30, 31, 32) can also be potentiometers.

[0037] The vehicle body position detection device 36 is mounted on the upper rotating body 12 to detect the position and orientation information of the upper rotating body 12 (vehicle body 1B). For example, the vehicle body position detection device 36 has multiple GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antennas (hereinafter referred to as GNSS antennas) 36a (see reference). Figure 1 The device is a positioning calculation device that calculates the position coordinates (position information) of the upper rotating body 12 in the geographic coordinate system (Earth coordinate system) and the angle from the reference azimuth (azimuth information) based on satellite signals (GNSS radio waves) received by the GNSS antenna 36a from multiple positioning satellites.

[0038] The communication device 51 is used to communicate with the management system 180. The controller 40 sends information to the management system 180 via the communication device 51 and receives information from the management system 180 via the communication device 51. The communication device 51 is a wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with the communication loop 20, which is a wide area network, and has a communication interface including a communication antenna with a defined frequency band as its sensing band. The communication loop 20 includes mobile phone communication networks (mobile communication networks), the Internet, etc., established by mobile phone operators. Furthermore, the communication device 51 can also use communication methods such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and Bluetooth to directly or indirectly exchange information with the management system 180.

[0039] The management system 180 is an external system for remotely managing (monitoring) the status of the hydraulic excavator 1, and is located in a facility far from the hydraulic excavator 1. The management system 180 includes a management server 181, a display device 184, and an input device 185. The management server 181 includes a communication device 183 for communicating with the hydraulic excavator 1 via a communication loop 20, and a storage device 182 such as a hard disk drive for storing information received from the hydraulic excavator 1. The management server 181 sends information to the controller 40 via the communication device 183 and receives information from the controller 40 via the communication device 183. The management server 181 displays the information stored in the storage device 182 on the display device 184, such as a liquid crystal display. The administrator operates the management server 181 via the input device 185, such as a keyboard or mouse, to display specified information about the hydraulic excavator 1 on the display device 184, thereby enabling them to monitor the status of the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0040] The administrator operates the input device 185 to input task information required for the automatic control executed by the controller 40 of the hydraulic excavator 1. The task information includes the type of automatic control and the parameters used to execute the automatic control. Examples of automatic control types include excavation operations, loading operations, vehicle movement, excavation-loading operations, and moving excavation-loading operations. An example of the parameters used to execute the automatic control is provided. As a parameter for executing the automatic control of an excavation operation, the parameters include the position coordinates on a geographic coordinate system of the eight vertices used to divide the excavation area into a cube shape. As a parameter for executing the automatic control of a loading operation, the parameters include the position coordinates on a geographic coordinate system of the unloading point.

[0041] If an input operation based on task information from input device 185 is performed, management server 181 generates task information and sends it to hydraulic excavator 1 via communication device 183. For example, if the manager wants hydraulic excavator 1 to perform digging and loading operations, they select digging and loading as the type of automatic control and input the position coordinates of the eight vertices of the digging area and the position coordinates of the unloading point. As a result, management server 181 generates and outputs task information for automatic control of a series of operations from digging to loading (unloading) based on hydraulic excavator 1.

[0042] After receiving task information from the management system 180, the controller 40 of the hydraulic excavator 1 generates motion plan information based on the task information and sends the motion plan information to the management system 180 via the communication device 51. Furthermore, the content of the motion plan information generation process performed by the controller 40 of the hydraulic excavator 1 will be described in detail below.

[0043] The management system 180 receives motion plan information generated by the controller 40. The management server 181 displays the input motion plan information on the display device 184. When the administrator sees the motion plan information displayed on the display device 184 and approves the execution of automatic control based on that motion plan information, they perform an approval operation via the input device 185. After the approval operation based on the input device 185 is performed, the management server 181 generates an approval signal indicating that the motion plan information has been approved and sends the approval signal to the hydraulic excavator 1 via the communication device 183. If the administrator sees the motion plan information displayed on the display device 184 but does not approve the execution of automatic control based on that motion plan information, they perform a non-approval operation via the input device 185. After the non-approval operation based on the input device 185 is performed, the management server 181 generates a non-approval signal indicating that the motion plan information has not been approved and sends the non-approval signal to the hydraulic excavator 1 via the communication device 183. In other words, the management system 180 outputs approval or non-approval signals corresponding to the operation of the input device 185.

[0044] When an approval signal is received from the management system 180, the controller 40 of the hydraulic excavator 1 executes automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on motion plan information and the detection results of the posture detection device 50. Furthermore, the controller 40 does not execute automatic control if no approval signal is received from the management system 180. When the automatic control completes normally, the controller 40 generates a normal termination signal and sends it to the management system 180 via the communication device 51.

[0045] When the management server 181 receives a normal termination signal, it displays a message indicating the normal termination of automatic control on the display screen of the display device 184. After confirming that the automatic control has ended normally, the manager performs the task information input operation again. Thus, in this embodiment, (1) the task information input operation performed by the manager, (2) the generation of motion plan information performed by the controller 40 of the hydraulic excavator 1, (3) the approval operation of the motion plan information performed by the manager, and (4) the automatic control performed by the controller 40 of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the motion plan information are repeatedly executed, thereby promoting the operation based on the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0046] When the management server 181 receives information from the hydraulic excavator 1 indicating that it is under automatic control, it displays the message indicating that it is under automatic control on the display screen of the display device 184. If the manager wants to temporarily stop the automatic control, they can submit a temporary stop request operation via the input device 185. After the temporary stop request operation is performed via the input device 185, the management server 181 generates a temporary stop request signal and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1 via the communication device 183. If the manager wants to resume automatic control after temporarily stopping it, they can submit a resumption request operation via the input device 185. After the resumption request operation is performed via the input device 185, the management server 181 generates a resumption request signal and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1 via the communication device 183. If the manager wants to terminate the automatic control midway after temporarily stopping it, they can submit a midway termination request operation via the input device 185. When a stop-the-way request is made via input device 185, management server 181 generates a stop-the-way request signal and sends it to hydraulic excavator 1 via communication device 183.

[0047] The following details the structure, function, and automatic operation control process of the controller 40 used to achieve automatic control.

[0048] - Controller Hardware Configuration -

[0049] The controller 40 is a control device that executes automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on motion plan information. The controller 40 consists of a computer having a processor 40a (such as a CPU, MPU, or DSP), non-volatile memory 40b (such as ROM, flash memory, or hard disk drive), volatile memory 40c (such as RAM), an input interface 40d, an output interface 40e, and other peripheral circuits. Furthermore, the controller 40 can be composed of a single computer or multiple computers.

[0050] The non-volatile memory 40b stores programs capable of performing various operations. In other words, the non-volatile memory 40b is a storage medium capable of reading programs that implement the functions of this embodiment. The processor 40a is a processing device that expands and executes the program stored in the non-volatile memory 40b in the volatile memory 40c, performing prescribed operations on the program relative to data obtained from the input interface 40d, the non-volatile memory 40b, and the volatile memory 40c.

[0051] The input interface 40d converts signals input from devices such as the posture detection device 50, the vehicle position detection device 36, and the communication device 51 into data that can be processed by the processor 40a. The output interface 40e generates an output signal corresponding to the processing result of the processor 40a and outputs the signal to devices such as the electromagnetic proportional valves 54a-59b and the communication device 51.

[0052] - Controller Functions -

[0053] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of the controller 40. The controller 40 includes a position and posture calculation unit 43, an electromagnetic proportional valve control unit 44, an actuator control unit 81, an action planning unit 90, an automatic action control unit 91, a track departure judgment unit 92, a time departure judgment unit 93, a first input unit 100, a second input unit 101, a third input unit 102, a first output unit 110, and a second output unit 111. Furthermore, Figure 3 In this text, the illustration of the communication device 51 is omitted, and the act of the controller 40 sending information to the management system 180 via the communication device 51 is described only as output to the management system 180. Similarly, the act of the controller 40 receiving information from the management system 180 via the communication device 51 is described only as input from the management system 180.

[0054] The first input unit 100 receives task information from the management system 180. The second input unit 101 receives an approval signal or a non-approval signal from the management system 180. The third input unit 102 receives a temporary stop request signal, a resumption request signal, or an intermediate termination request signal from the management system 180.

[0055] The position and posture calculation unit 43 calculates the position and azimuth of the upper rotating body 12 in the geographic coordinate system based on the detection results of the vehicle position detection device 36, and calculates the position and posture of the working device 1A in the geographic coordinate system based on the calculation results and the detection results of the posture detection device 50.

[0056] The motion planning unit 90 generates motion planning information based on the task information obtained from the first input unit 100. The motion planning information includes the trajectory of a specific point of the working device 1A in the geographic coordinate system (i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory), the timing information of the predetermined position of the specific point of the working device 1A in the geographic coordinate system, the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B in the geographic coordinate system. In this embodiment, the specific point of the working device 1A is the center point in the left-right width direction of the claw tip of the bucket 10. The timing information of the predetermined position of the specific point of the working device 1A is the predetermined position coordinates of the specific point of the working device 1A at each predetermined moment within a predetermined time interval from the start to the end of the task. The timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A is the boom angle, stick angle, and bucket angle at each predetermined moment within a predetermined time interval from the start to the end of the task. The timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B is the predetermined position coordinates of the reference point of the vehicle body 1B at each predetermined moment within a predetermined time interval from the start to the end of the task. Any point can be used as the reference point of the vehicle body 1B of the hydraulic excavator 1. In this embodiment, the reference point of the vehicle body 1B is the intersection of the lower surface of the lower traveling body 11 and the rotation center axis. Furthermore, the predetermined motion trajectory of the working device 1A can be composed of multiple position coordinates or functions.

[0057] The first output unit 110 outputs the motion plan information generated by the motion planning unit 90 to the management system 180.

[0058] The automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether an approval signal has been input to the second input unit 101. If the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that an approval signal has been input to the second input unit 101, it calculates the target value (hereinafter referred to as the target speed) of the speed of each hydraulic actuator based on the motion plan information generated by the motion planning unit 90 and the position and posture of the hydraulic excavator 1 (the position and posture of the working device 1A, the upper rotating body 12, and the lower traveling body 11) calculated by the position and posture calculation unit 43.

[0059] For example, when driving the working device 1A, the automatic motion control unit 91 calculates the target speed of the hydraulic cylinders (5, 6, 7) driving the working device 1A based on the motion plan information and the position and posture of the working device 1A. When driving the upper rotating body 12, the automatic motion control unit 91 calculates the target speed of the rotary hydraulic motor 4 driving the upper rotating body 12 based on the motion plan information and the position and posture of the upper rotating body 12. When driving the lower traveling body 11, the automatic motion control unit 91 calculates the target speed of the traveling hydraulic motors 3a and 3b driving the lower traveling body 11 based on the motion plan information and the position and posture of the lower traveling body 11.

[0060] The actuator control unit 81 calculates the target value (hereinafter referred to as the target pilot pressure) of the pilot pressure acting on the pressure chambers E1 to E12 of the flow control valves D1 to D6, corresponding to the direction of operation of each hydraulic actuator (3 to 7) based on the target speed of each hydraulic actuator (3 to 7) calculated by the automatic motion control unit 91. The electromagnetic proportional valve control unit 44 calculates the control current value supplied to the solenoid of each electromagnetic proportional valve 54a to 59b based on the target pilot pressure calculated by the actuator control unit 81, and supplies the control current corresponding to the calculation result to the solenoid of each electromagnetic proportional valve 54a to 59b.

[0061] Figure 4 This is a diagram of a working device 1A that relates to a predetermined movement path during excavation operations and how the claw tip of the bucket 10 moves along that predetermined movement path. (See diagram below.) Figure 4 As shown, by outputting control current (control command) from the controller 40 to each electromagnetic proportional valve 54a-59b, each hydraulic actuator actuates, and the working device 1A moves along a predetermined motion path. However, depending on factors such as the soil type being excavated, the claw tip of the bucket 10 may sometimes deviate from the predetermined motion path or the movement speed of the claw tip of the bucket 10 may slow down. In this embodiment, by... Figure 3 The track departure judgment unit 92 and the time departure judgment unit 93 shown monitor whether the actual operation of the working device 1A deviates from the operation plan information.

[0062] The track departure determination unit 92 determines, at least during the execution of automatic control, whether a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined movement track. The track departure determination unit 92 determines whether a specific point of the bucket 10 has deviated from the predetermined movement track based on the movement plan information generated by the movement planning unit 90 and the calculation results obtained by the position and posture calculation unit 43. That is, the track departure determination unit 92 determines whether the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 has deviated from the movement plan information in terms of position.

[0063] Specifically, such as Figure 4As shown in the enlarged view, the track departure determination unit 92 calculates the shortest distance Dmin from the current position of the claw tip (specific point) P0 of the bucket 10 of the working device 1A calculated by the position and posture calculation unit 43 to the predetermined motion trajectory calculated by the motion planning unit 90. The track departure determination unit 92 determines whether the shortest distance Dmin is below the distance threshold D0. If the shortest distance Dmin is below the distance threshold D0, the track departure determination unit 92 determines that the specific point P0 of the bucket 10 has not departed from the predetermined motion trajectory. If the shortest distance Dmin is greater than the distance threshold D0, the track departure determination unit 92 determines that the specific point P0 of the bucket 10 has departed from the predetermined motion trajectory. The distance threshold D0 is, for example, a predetermined value ranging from tens to hundreds of millimeters, and is stored in the non-volatile memory 40b. Furthermore, the distance threshold D0 can also be determined according to the type of automatic control.

[0064] Figure 3 The time-delay judgment unit 93, as shown, determines whether the actual operating time of the working device 1A deviates from the predetermined operating time, at least during the execution of automatic control. Based on the motion plan information generated by the motion planning unit 90 and the calculation results obtained by the position and posture calculation unit 43, the time-delay judgment unit 93 determines whether the actual operating time of the hydraulic excavator 1 deviates from the predetermined operating time. In other words, the time-delay judgment unit 93 determines whether the actual operation of the hydraulic excavator 1 deviates from the motion plan information in time.

[0065] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown in the enlarged view, the time departure determination unit 93 shows the position on the specific predetermined action track closest to the position of the claw tip (specific point) P0 of the bucket 10 of the working device 1A calculated by the position and posture calculation unit 43. Hereinafter, the specific position is recorded as the specific position P1. The time departure determination unit 93 calculates the absolute value of the difference between the current time tc and the predetermined time te stored in association with the specific position P1 contained in the action plan information, and uses it as the difference time td (td = |tc - te|). In addition, the current time tc is calculated by the timer function of the controller 40. The time departure determination unit 93 determines whether the difference time td is below the time threshold t0. If the difference time td is below the time threshold t0, the time departure determination unit 93 determines that the actual action time of the hydraulic excavator 1 has not deviated from the predetermined action time. If the difference time td is greater than the time threshold t0, the time departure determination unit 93 determines that the actual action time of the hydraulic excavator 1 has deviated from the predetermined action time. The time threshold t0, for example, is preset to a value ranging from tens of seconds to several minutes and is stored in non-volatile memory 40b.

[0066] Reference Figure 3This describes the handling of situations where the actual movement of the work device 1A deviates from the motion plan information. During automatic control execution, if the track departure judgment unit 92 determines that a specific point of the work device 1A has deviated from the predetermined motion track, the automatic motion control unit 91 terminates the automatic control. Furthermore, the automatic motion control unit 91 generates a first abnormal termination signal indicating that the automatic control has terminated due to the specific point of the work device 1A deviating from the predetermined motion track. The second output unit 111 outputs the first abnormal termination signal generated by the automatic motion control unit 91 to the management system 180.

[0067] During the execution of automatic control, if the time-out judgment unit 93 determines that the actual operating time of the work device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operating time, the automatic motion control unit 91 terminates the automatic control. Furthermore, the automatic motion control unit 91 generates a second abnormal termination signal indicating that the automatic control has terminated due to the actual operating time of the work device 1A deviating from the predetermined operating time. The second output unit 111 outputs the second abnormal termination signal generated by the automatic motion control unit 91 to the management system 180.

[0068] The automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether the distance between the position coordinates of the end of the predetermined motion track (that is, the position coordinates of a specific point at the predetermined end time of the task) and the position coordinates of the current specific point of the working device 1A calculated by the position and posture calculation unit 43 is below the end judgment threshold. If the distance between the position coordinates of the end of the predetermined motion track and the position coordinates of the specific point of the working device 1A calculated by the position and posture calculation unit 43 is below the end judgment threshold, the automatic motion control unit 91 terminates automatic control as the task completion condition is met.

[0069] Furthermore, the automatic motion control unit 91 generates a normal end signal indicating the normal termination of automatic control. That is, the automatic motion control unit 91 generates a normal end signal when the track departure judgment unit 92 determines that the work device 1A has deviated from the predetermined motion track at a specific point, and the time departure judgment unit 93 determines that the actual operation time of the work device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operation time, thus ending the automatic control. The second output unit 111 outputs the normal end signal generated by the automatic motion control unit 91 to the management system 180.

[0070] During the execution of automatic control, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether a temporary stop request signal has been input from the management system 180 to the third input unit 102. If the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that a temporary stop request signal has been input from the management system 180 to the third input unit 102 during the execution of automatic control, it temporarily stops the automatic control. Furthermore, the automatic motion control unit 91 generates a temporary stop signal indicating that the automatic control has been temporarily stopped. The second output unit 111 outputs the temporary stop signal generated by the automatic motion control unit 91 to the management system 180.

[0071] During a temporary stop of automatic control, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether a recovery request signal has been input from the management system 180 to the third input unit 102. If the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that a recovery request signal has been input from the management system 180 to the third input unit 102 during the temporary stop of automatic control, it resumes automatic control.

[0072] During a temporary stop of automatic control, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether an interruption request signal has been input from the management system 180 to the third input unit 102. If the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that an interruption request signal has been input from the management system 180 to the third input unit 102 during the temporary stop of automatic control, it terminates the automatic control. Furthermore, the automatic motion control unit 91 generates an interruption signal indicating that the automatic control has ended midway. The second output unit 111 outputs the interruption signal generated by the automatic motion control unit 91 to the management system 180.

[0073] -Automatic operation control process-

[0074] Reference Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 This illustrates an example of automatic operation control performed by controller 40. Figure 5 The flowchart illustrates the process in automatic operation control, from acquiring and processing task information to processing the output of control current. Figure 6 The flowchart illustrates the process in automatic operation control, from the calculation and processing of position and posture information to the processing of the end signal output.

[0075] like Figure 5 As shown, in step S110, the first input unit 100 obtains task information from the management system 180 and proceeds to step S120. In step S120, the motion planning unit 90 generates motion planning information based on the task information obtained in step S110 and proceeds to step S130. In step S130, the first output unit 110 outputs the motion planning information generated in step S120 to the management system 180 and proceeds to step S140.

[0076] In step S140, the second input unit 101 receives a signal (hereinafter also referred to as the second input unit signal) from the management system 180 and proceeds to step S150. In step S150, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether the second input unit signal obtained in step S140 is an approval signal. In step S150, if the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that the second input unit signal is an approval signal, it proceeds to step S160; if it determines that the second input unit signal is not an approval signal (that is, it determines that the second input unit signal is a non-approval signal), it returns to step S110.

[0077] If a negative judgment is made in step S150, automatic control based on controller 40 is not executed (processing after step S160). If a positive judgment is made in step S150, automatic control based on controller 40 is executed (processing after step S160).

[0078] In step S160, the automatic motion control unit 91 calculates the target speed of each hydraulic actuator based on the calculation result of the position and posture calculation unit 43, namely the current position and posture information of the hydraulic excavator 1 (the current position and posture of the hydraulic excavator 1), and the motion plan information, and proceeds to step S165. Furthermore, the current position and posture information of the hydraulic excavator 1, calculated in step S180 (described later), is stored in the non-volatile memory 40b. In step S165, the actuator control unit 81 calculates the target pilot pressure of each flow control valve D1 to D6 based on the target speed calculated in step S160, and proceeds to step S170.

[0079] In step S170, the electromagnetic proportional valve control unit 44 calculates the control current value supplied to the solenoids of each electromagnetic proportional valve 54a-59b based on the target pilot pressure calculated in step S170, and proceeds to step S175. In step S175, the electromagnetic proportional valve control unit 44 supplies the control current corresponding to the calculation result in step S170 to the solenoids of electromagnetic proportional valves 54a-59b, and proceeds to step S180 (refer to step S175). Figure 6 )go ahead.

[0080] like Figure 6As shown, in step S180, the position and posture calculation unit 43 calculates the current position of the vehicle body 1B in the geographic coordinate system and the azimuth angle of the upper rotating body 12 based on the detection results of the vehicle body position detection device 36. Additionally, in step S180, the position and posture calculation unit 43 calculates the position and posture information of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the current position of the vehicle body 1B in the geographic coordinate system, the azimuth angle of the upper rotating body 12, the detection results of the posture detection device 50, and the dimensional information of each part of the hydraulic excavator 1 stored in the non-volatile memory 40b, and proceeds to step S190. The position and posture information of the hydraulic excavator 1 includes the position and posture of the working device 1A, the position and posture of the upper rotating body 12, and the position and posture of the lower traveling body 11.

[0081] In step S190, the track departure determination unit 92 performs track departure determination processing. In this processing, the track departure determination unit 92 calculates the shortest distance Dmin between the position of a specific point of the working device 1A (as determined in step S180) and the predetermined motion track (as defined in the motion plan information generated in step S120). Furthermore, the track departure determination unit 92 determines whether the shortest distance Dmin is below a distance threshold D0. If, in step S190, the track departure determination unit 92 determines that the shortest distance Dmin is below the distance threshold D0, then the specific point of the working device 1A has not departed from the predetermined motion track, and the process proceeds to step S200. If, in step S190, the track departure determination unit 92 determines that the shortest distance Dmin is greater than the distance threshold D0, then the specific point of the working device 1A has departed from the predetermined motion track, and the process proceeds to step S250.

[0082] In step S200, the time departure determination unit 93 performs time departure determination processing. During this processing, the time departure determination unit 93 determines the position on the predetermined movement track closest to the specific point of the working device 1A included in the calculation result of step S180. The time departure determination unit 93 calculates the absolute value of the difference between the current time tc and the predetermined time te stored associated with the specific position in the movement plan information, and uses this as the difference time td. Furthermore, the time departure determination unit 93 determines whether the difference time td is below the time threshold t0. If, in step S200, the time departure determination unit 93 determines that the difference time td is below the time threshold t0, then the actual movement time of the hydraulic excavator 1 has not departed from the predetermined movement time, and proceeds to step S210. If, in step S200, the time departure determination unit 93 determines that the difference time td is greater than the time threshold t0, then the actual movement time of the hydraulic excavator 1 has departed from the predetermined movement time, and proceeds to step S250.

[0083] In step S210, the third input unit 102 receives a signal (hereinafter also referred to as the third input unit signal) from the management system 180 and proceeds to step S220. In step S220, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether the third input unit signal obtained in step S210 is a temporary stop request signal. In step S220, if the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that the third input unit signal is a temporary stop request signal, it proceeds to step S260; if it determines that the third input unit signal is not a temporary stop request signal, it proceeds to step S230.

[0084] In step S230, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether the task completion condition is met. If the task completion condition is met in step S230, the process proceeds to step S240; otherwise, it proceeds to step S160 (see reference). Figure 5 )go ahead.

[0085] In step S240, the second output unit 111 outputs a normal termination signal to the management system 180 and terminates the automatic operation control. In step S250, the second output unit 111 outputs an abnormal termination signal to the management system 180 and terminates the automatic operation control. Furthermore, in step S250, if a negative judgment is made in step S190, the second output unit 111 outputs a first abnormal termination signal to the management system 180; if a negative judgment is made in step S200, it outputs a second abnormal termination signal to the management system 180.

[0086] In step S260, the second output unit 111 outputs a temporary stop signal to the management system 180 and proceeds to step S270. In step S270, the third input unit 102 receives a signal (third input unit signal) from the management system 180 and proceeds to step S280.

[0087] In step S280, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether the third input signal obtained in step S270 is a recovery request signal. In step S280, if the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that the third input signal is a recovery request signal, it proceeds to step S230; if it determines that the third input signal is not a recovery request signal, it proceeds to step S290.

[0088] In step S290, the automatic motion control unit 91 determines whether the third input signal obtained in step S270 is an interruption request signal. In step S290, if the automatic motion control unit 91 determines that the third input signal is an interruption request signal, it proceeds to step S300; if it determines that the third input signal is not an interruption request signal, it returns to step S270.

[0089] In step S300, the second output unit 111 outputs an intermediate end signal to the management system 180 and ends the automatic operation control.

[0090] -action-

[0091] The main operations of the hydraulic excavator 1 in this embodiment will be explained. Hereinafter, the main operations of the hydraulic excavator 1 will be explained using the case where the automatic control type is excavation operation as an example.

[0092] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, when the hydraulic excavator 1 is in a stopped state S1, the claw tip of the bucket 10 is located at the start point of the digging operation. In the stopped state S1, if the manager inputs task information via the input device 185, the management server 181 generates task information and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1. The controller 40 of the hydraulic excavator 1 generates motion plan information based on the input task information. Figure 5 (S110→S120). Controller 40 sends the generated motion plan information to management system 180. Figure 5 (S130).

[0093] The management server 181 displays the input motion plan information on the display device 184. The motion plan information output from the controller 40 to the management system 180 includes the trajectory of a specific point of the working device 1A, i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory, the timing information of the predetermined position of the working device 1A, the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B. Therefore, before executing automatic control based on the hydraulic excavator 1, the manager can confirm the motion plan information and determine whether to execute automatic control based on that motion plan information.

[0094] For example, when a predetermined action trajectory is input, the management server 181 generates a composite image by overlaying an image of the line representing the predetermined action trajectory with a terrain image, and outputs it to the display device 184. Thus, the composite image of the line representing the predetermined action trajectory and the terrain image is displayed on the screen of the display device 184. By visually observing the composite image displayed on the screen of the display device 184, the manager can confirm the action plan information before the automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 1 is executed. If the manager determines that they do not want to execute an action based on the action plan information, they can perform an unauthorized operation via the input device 185. If an unauthorized operation based on the input device 185 is executed, the management server 181 generates an unauthorized signal and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1. In this way, the manager can confirm the action plan information in advance, thus preventing the hydraulic excavator 1 from performing actions not intended by the manager.

[0095] The display format of the motion plan information is not limited to displaying a composite image of an image representing a line indicating a predetermined motion trajectory and a terrain image on the display screen of the display device 184; various display formats are possible. For example, the management server 181 can display the timing information of the predetermined position of the work device 1A included in the motion plan information on the display screen of the display device 184 in tabular or graphical form. Furthermore, the management server 181 can also display an animation of the hydraulic excavator 1 on the display screen of the display device 184 based on the timing information of the predetermined posture of the work device 1A included in the motion plan information, using known keyframe methods or the like. Moreover, in cases where automatic control includes vehicle movement, the management server 181 can display a composite image of an image representing a predetermined movement trajectory of the vehicle body 1B and a terrain image on the display screen of the display device 184 based on the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B.

[0096] When an administrator performs an unauthorized operation, they input new task information. As a result, controller 40 generates new action plan information based on the new task information and outputs it to management system 180. Figure 5 If S140→S150 is incorrect → S110→S120→S130), then the new action plan information is displayed on the display screen of display device 184. If the administrator determines that the action plan information is correct, they approve it via input device 185. If the approval operation based on input device 185 is executed, the management server 181 generates an approval signal and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0097] If an approval signal is input, the controller 40 executes automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the motion plan information. Figure 5 S140→S150 is →S160→…→ Figure 6 (S180→S190 are yes→S200 are yes→S210→S220 are no→S230 are no). When the automatic control type is excavation operation, the controller 40 performs automatic control of each hydraulic actuator (5, 6, 7) in a manner that moves the claw tip of the bucket 10 along a predetermined action track.

[0098] like Figure 4 As shown, in the state where automatic control is executed (hereinafter also referred to as automatic control state) S2, the controller 40 monitors whether the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 deviates from the movement plan information. Figure 4 The shaded area is the region enclosed by the upper boundary that causes the predetermined motion trajectory to shift upward by a distance threshold D0 and the lower boundary that causes the predetermined motion trajectory to shift downward by a distance threshold D0 (hereinafter also referred to as the allowed area).

[0099] If, during automatic control state S2, the soil quality of the excavated object causes a specific point of the bucket 10 (i.e., the claw tip) to move from within the allowable area to outside the allowable area, that is, if the distance between the specific point of the bucket 10 and the predetermined action trajectory is greater than the distance threshold D0, then automatic control stops. Figure 6 (S190 is no → S250 → END). Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent actions not approved by the execution manager.

[0100] Furthermore, when the automatic control stops, an abnormal termination signal is output from the controller 40 to the management system 180. Figure 6 (S250). The result is that the display screen of the display device 184 shows an image indicating that the automatic control has stopped because the claw tip of the bucket 10 has disengaged from the predetermined action track. Therefore, the manager can know that the automatic control has stopped and the reason for it, which helps in the preparation of subsequent task information.

[0101] If, during automatic control state S2, the difference between the actual action time and the predetermined action time of the bucket 10 exceeds the time threshold t0 due to factors such as the soil quality of the excavated object, then automatic control is stopped. Figure 6 (If S200 is no → S250 → END). Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent actions not approved by the execution manager.

[0102] Furthermore, when the automatic control stops, an abnormal termination signal is output from the controller 40 to the management system 180. Figure 6 (S250). The result is that an image is displayed on the display screen of the display device 184 indicating that automatic control has stopped because the actual operating time of the work device 1A deviated from the predetermined operating time. Therefore, the manager can know that automatic control has stopped and the reason for it, which helps in the preparation of subsequent task information. For example, it can prevent the repeated execution of delayed tasks, thus preventing delays in tasks based on automatic control.

[0103] When in automatic control state S2, if the administrator wants to temporarily stop the automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 1 for some reason, they can submit a temporary stop request via input device 185. If the temporary stop request is executed via input device 185, the management server 181 generates a temporary stop request signal and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1. If the controller 40 receives the temporary stop request signal, it will stop the automatic control. Figure 6 (S210→S220 is yes → S260→S270→S280 is no → S290 is no).

[0104] Furthermore, when the automatic control is temporarily stopped, the controller 40 outputs a temporary stop signal to the management system 180. Figure 6 (S260). The result is that an image indicating that automatic control has been temporarily stopped is displayed on the display screen of the display device 184. Therefore, the administrator can confirm that automatic control has been temporarily stopped.

[0105] When automatic control is to be restored during a temporary shutdown, the administrator requests a restoration via input device 185. If a restoration request is executed via input device 185, the management server 181 generates a restoration request signal and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1. If the controller 40 receives a restoration request signal, it restores automatic control. Figure 6 S270→S280 is yes→S230 is no→ Figure 5 S160→…).

[0106] When the system is temporarily stopped and the administrator wishes to terminate the automatic control, they can do so via input device 185. If the termination request is executed via input device 185, the management server 181 generates a termination request signal and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1. If the controller 40 receives the termination request signal, it terminates the automatic control. Figure 6 S270→S280 is no→S290 is yes→S300→END).

[0107] Furthermore, when the automatic control is terminated midway, the controller 40 sends a midway termination signal to the management system 180. Figure 6 (S300). The result is that an image indicating that automatic control has ended midway is displayed on the display screen of the display device 184. Therefore, the administrator can confirm that automatic control has ended midway.

[0108] If it is determined that the specific point of the working device 1A has not disengaged from the predetermined action track, and it is determined that the actual action time of the working device 1A has not deviated from the predetermined action time, and the automatic control ends, then the controller 40 outputs a normal termination signal to the management system 180, and the hydraulic excavator 1 enters the stopped state S3. Figure 6 S230 is → S240 → END).

[0109] According to the above implementation method, the following effects are achieved.

[0110] (1) The hydraulic excavator (operating machinery) 1 of this embodiment includes: an operating device 1A; a posture detection device 50 for detecting posture information of the operating device 1A; hydraulic actuators (3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7) for driving the operating device 1A; and a controller (control device) 40 that generates motion plan information based on task information required for automatic control obtained from a management system (external system) 180 and performs automatic control of the hydraulic actuators based on the motion plan information and the detection results of the posture detection device 50. The controller 40 outputs motion plan information to the management system 180. The controller 40 does not perform automatic control if no approval signal indicating that the motion plan information has been approved is input from the management system 180, and performs automatic control if an approval signal is input from the management system 180.

[0111] In this configuration, the controller 40 provides the management system 180 with the motion plan information of the hydraulic excavator 1, and performs automatic control according to the motion plan information upon receiving an approval signal from the management system 180. Conversely, the controller 40 does not perform automatic control according to the motion plan information if it does not receive an approval signal from the management system 180. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the execution of automatic control that is not intended by the manager. That is, according to this embodiment, a hydraulic excavator 1 capable of properly executing actions intended by the manager can be provided.

[0112] (2) The motion plan information includes the trajectory of a specific point of the working device 1A, i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory. During the execution of automatic control, the controller 40 determines whether the specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined motion trajectory. If the controller 40 determines that the specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined motion trajectory during the execution of automatic control, it stops automatic control and outputs an abnormal termination signal to the management system 180.

[0113] In this configuration, if the working device 1A deviates from its predetermined movement path at a specific point, the automatic control stops, thus preventing the hydraulic excavator 1 from performing actions unintended by the manager. Furthermore, the controller 40 can alert the management system 180 to the abnormal termination of automatic control. Therefore, the manager can recognize the abnormal termination of automatic control.

[0114] (3) During the execution of automatic control, the controller 40 determines whether the actual operating time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operating time. If the controller 40 determines that the actual operating time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operating time during the execution of automatic control, the automatic control is terminated and an abnormal termination signal is output to the management system 180.

[0115] In this configuration, if the actual operating time of the working device 1A deviates from the predetermined operating time, the automatic control stops, thus preventing the hydraulic excavator 1 from performing actions contrary to the manager's intention. For example, it can prevent the operating time from becoming longer than the operating time intended by the manager. Furthermore, the controller 40 can alert the management system 180 to the abnormal termination of automatic control. Therefore, the manager can recognize the abnormal termination of automatic control.

[0116] (4) If the controller 40 does not determine that the working device 1A has disengaged from the predetermined action track at a specific point, and does not determine that the actual action time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined action time, thus ending the automatic control, the controller 40 outputs a normal termination signal to the management system 180. Therefore, the controller 40 can indicate to the management system 180 that the automatic control has ended normally. Thus, the manager can recognize that the system is in a state where inputting information for the next task is possible.

[0117] (5) If the controller 40 receives a temporary stop request signal from the management system 180 during the execution of automatic control, it temporarily stops the automatic control and outputs a temporary stop signal to the management system 180. Thus, if the manager wants to temporarily stop the automatic control for some reason, they can do so by outputting a temporary stop request signal from the management system 180. Furthermore, the controller 40 can notify the management system 180 that the automatic control has been temporarily stopped. Therefore, the manager can recognize that the automatic control is in a temporarily stopped state.

[0118] (6) If the controller 40 receives a recovery request signal from the management system 180 during a temporary stop of automatic control, it resumes automatic control. If the controller 40 receives an intermediate termination request signal from the management system 180 during a temporary stop of automatic control, it terminates automatic control and outputs an intermediate termination signal to the management system 180. Thus, after temporarily stopping automatic control, the administrator can resume automatic control by outputting a recovery request signal from the management system 180. Furthermore, if the administrator wants to terminate automatic control intermediately, they can do so by outputting an intermediate termination request signal from the management system 180. Moreover, the controller 40 can notify the management system 180 of the intermediate termination of automatic control. Therefore, the administrator can recognize that automatic control has been terminated intermediately.

[0119] (7) The controller 40 calculates the position of the vehicle body 1B based on the detection results of the vehicle body position detection device 36, and calculates the position and posture of the work device 1A based on the calculation results and the detection results of the posture detection device 50. According to this configuration, for example, the position and posture of the work device 1A in the geographic coordinate system can be calculated, making automatic control based on motion plan information of the geographic coordinate system possible. Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example of the controller 40 calculating both the position and posture of the work device 1A has been described, but calculating at least one of the position and posture of the work device 1A is sufficient. The controller 40 can perform automatic control based on at least one of the position and posture of the work device 1A and the motion plan information.

[0120] (8) The motion plan information output from the controller 40 to the management system 180 includes the trajectory of a specific point of the working device 1A, i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory, the timing information of the predetermined position of the working device 1A, the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B. Therefore, the management system 180 can display the predetermined motion trajectory, the timing information of the predetermined position of the working device 1A, the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B on the display device 184.

[0121] <Second Implementation>

[0122] Reference Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 The following describes the hydraulic excavator 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, in the figures, parts that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are labeled with the same reference numerals, and the main differences are explained. Figure 7 Is with Figure 3 The same figure is a functional block diagram of the controller 240 in the second embodiment. Figure 8 Is with Figure 4 The same figure shows the predetermined movement path when performing excavation operations, and the working device 1A that moves the claw tip of the bucket 10 along the predetermined movement path. Figure 8 The text indicates the baseline predetermined motion trajectory and the modified predetermined motion trajectory, which serve as the predetermined motion trajectory.

[0123] - Controller Functions -

[0124] like Figure 7 As shown, the motion planning unit 290 generates baseline motion plan information and revised motion plan information based on task information. The baseline motion plan information is equivalent to the motion plan information described in the first embodiment. The revised motion plan information is information that has been modified from the baseline motion plan information and is different from the baseline motion plan information.

[0125] The baseline motion plan information includes the trajectory of a specific point of the working device 1A, i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory (hereinafter also referred to as the baseline predetermined motion trajectory), the timing information of the predetermined position of the working device 1A, the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B. The corrected motion plan information includes the trajectory of a specific point of the working device 1A, i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory (hereinafter also referred to as the corrected predetermined motion trajectory), the timing information of the predetermined position of the working device 1A, the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B. Furthermore, the corrected predetermined motion trajectory is a trajectory different from the baseline predetermined motion trajectory, and as described later, it is also used to indicate a range that has the possibility of correcting the predetermined motion trajectory during the execution of automatic control.

[0126] During the execution of automatic control, the automatic motion control unit 291 determines whether the correction conditions are met. If the correction conditions are not met, the automatic motion control unit 291 performs baseline automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on the baseline motion plan information and the detection results of the posture detection device 50. If the correction conditions are met, the automatic motion control unit 291 performs correction automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on the correction motion plan information and the detection results of the posture detection device 50.

[0127] The correction condition can be preset to occur when the soil at the excavation site is harder than the expected soil. Alternatively, the correction condition can be set as follows: the condition is established when the pressure of any one of the hydraulic cylinders (5, 6, 7) exceeds a pressure threshold for a specified period of time.

[0128] This describes an example of a judgment process used in the automatic control of excavation operations to determine whether a correction condition is met. The controller 240 has a fourth input unit 203, to which the detection results from the pressure detection device 60 are input. The pressure detection device 60 has multiple pressure sensors that detect the pressure in the cylinder bottom side oil chamber and the pressure in the piston rod side oil chamber of the hydraulic cylinders (5, 6, 7).

[0129] If the automatic motion control unit 291 determines that the correction condition is met when the pressure in either the bottom oil chamber or the piston rod oil chamber of the hydraulic cylinders (5, 6, 7) exceeds a pressure threshold for a specified time or longer, then the correction condition is not met.

[0130] The track departure determination unit 292 determines, at least during the execution of the baseline automatic control, whether a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the baseline predetermined operating track. Furthermore, the track departure determination unit 292 determines, at least during the execution of the correction automatic control, whether a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the correction predetermined operating track.

[0131] The time departure determination unit 293 determines, at least during the execution of the baseline automatic control and during the execution of the correction automatic control, whether the actual operating time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operating time.

[0132] During the execution of the reference automatic control, when the track departure judgment unit 292 determines that a specific point of the working device 1A has detached from the reference predetermined action track, the automatic action control unit 291 terminates the reference automatic control and generates a first abnormal termination signal. Furthermore, the second output unit 111 outputs the first abnormal termination signal to the management system 180.

[0133] During the execution of the automatic correction control, when the track departure judgment unit 292 determines that a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined correction action track, the automatic action control unit 291 terminates the automatic correction control and generates a first abnormality termination signal. Furthermore, the second output unit 111 outputs the first abnormality termination signal to the management system 180.

[0134] During the execution of the reference automatic control, when the time departure judgment unit 293 determines that the actual operating time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operating time, the automatic motion control unit 291 terminates the reference automatic control and generates a second abnormal termination signal. Furthermore, the second output unit 111 outputs the second abnormal termination signal to the management system 180.

[0135] During the execution of the corrective automatic control, when the time departure judgment unit 293 determines that the actual operating time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operating time, the automatic motion control unit 291 terminates the corrective automatic control and generates a second abnormality termination signal. Furthermore, the second output unit 111 outputs the second abnormality termination signal to the management system 180.

[0136] If the automatic motion control unit 291 does not terminate the reference automatic control because the track departure judgment unit 292 determines that the work device 1A has departed from the reference predetermined motion track at a specific point, and the time departure judgment unit 293 determines that the actual motion time of the work device 1A has departed from the predetermined motion time, the automatic motion control unit 291 generates a normal termination signal. Furthermore, the second output unit 111 outputs the normal termination signal to the management system 180.

[0137] The automatic motion control unit 291 generates a normal end signal when the track departure judgment unit 292 determines that the work device 1A has deviated from the predetermined correction motion track at a specific point, and the time departure judgment unit 293 determines that the actual operation time of the work device 1A has deviated from the predetermined operation time and ends the correction automatic control. Furthermore, the second output unit 111 outputs the normal end signal to the management system 180.

[0138] -action-

[0139] The main operations of the hydraulic excavator 1 in this embodiment will be explained. Hereinafter, the main operations of the hydraulic excavator 1 will be explained using the case where the automatic control type is excavation operation as an example.

[0140] like Figure 8 As shown, in the stopped state S4, the claw tip of the bucket 10 is located at the starting point of the digging operation. In the stopped state S4, if the manager inputs task information via the input device 185, the management server 181 generates task information and sends it to the hydraulic excavator 1. The controller 240 of the hydraulic excavator 1 generates motion plan information based on the input task information. The controller 240 sends the generated motion plan information to the management system 180.

[0141] The management server 181 displays the input motion plan information on the display device 184. In this second embodiment, the motion plan information includes baseline motion plan information generated based on task information and modified motion plan information after modifying the baseline motion plan information. The management server 181 displays a range that has the possibility of correcting the predetermined motion trajectory during the execution of automatic control on the display screen of the display device 184. The range that has the possibility of correcting the predetermined motion trajectory during the execution of automatic control refers to, for example, the range enclosed by the baseline predetermined motion trajectory and the modified predetermined motion trajectory. Furthermore, when multiple modified predetermined motion trajectories are calculated, the range enclosed by the predetermined motion trajectory and the modified predetermined motion trajectory that is furthest from the predetermined motion trajectory becomes the range that has the possibility of correcting the predetermined motion trajectory during the execution of automatic control. Thus, the manager can confirm the motion plan information including the modified motion plan information and determine whether to execute automatic control based on the motion plan information before executing automatic control based on the hydraulic excavator 1. If the manager determines that he / she does not want to execute the action based on the motion plan information, he / she performs a non-approval operation through the input device 185. If the manager determines that there is no problem with the motion plan information, he / she performs an approval operation through the input device 185. After the approval operation based on input device 185 is executed, management server 181 generates an approval signal and sends the approval signal to hydraulic excavator 1.

[0142] When an approval signal is input, the controller 240 executes baseline automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on baseline motion plan information. When the automatic control type is excavation operation, the controller 240 executes baseline automatic control of each hydraulic actuator (5, 6, 7) in such a way that the claw tip of the bucket 10 moves along a baseline predetermined motion trajectory.

[0143] In the reference automatic control state (hereinafter also referred to as the reference automatic control state) S5, the controller 240 monitors whether the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 deviates from the reference movement plan information. When the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 deviates from the reference movement plan information during the reference automatic control state S5, the reference automatic control is stopped.

[0144] When the reference automatic control state S5 is in effect, if the correction condition is met, the controller 240 performs correction automatic control on each hydraulic actuator (5, 6, 7) in such a way that the claw tip of the bucket 10 moves along the correction predetermined motion trajectory. If the state transitions from the reference automatic control state S5 to the state of performing correction automatic control (hereinafter also referred to as correction automatic control state) S6, then the allowable area corresponding to the correction predetermined motion trajectory is set.

[0145] In the corrected automatic control state S6, the controller 240 monitors whether the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 deviates from the corrected movement plan information. When the corrected automatic control state S6 is in effect and the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 deviates from the corrected movement plan information, the corrected automatic control is stopped.

[0146] If the automatic control of the correction is terminated when the working device 1A does not deviate from the predetermined correction action track at a specific point and the actual action time of the working device 1A does not deviate from the predetermined correction action time, the controller 240 outputs a normal termination signal to the management system 180, and the hydraulic excavator 1 becomes stopped in state S7.

[0147] According to this second embodiment, the same effect as that described in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0148] The controller 240 in the second embodiment displays motion plan information that includes a range with the possibility of correcting a predetermined motion trajectory, and performs automatic control according to the motion plan information when an approval signal is received from the management system 180. On the other hand, the controller 240 does not perform automatic control according to the motion plan information when no approval signal is received from the management system 180. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the execution of automatic control that is not intended by the manager. That is, according to this second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a hydraulic excavator 1 that can properly execute actions intended by the manager.

[0149] Furthermore, in this second embodiment, the motion trajectory is appropriately modified according to the situation, thereby improving work efficiency. For example, if the soil at the excavation target is harder than the manager anticipated, automatic control is used to execute the excavation operation according to a modified predetermined motion trajectory based on the anticipated hard soil conditions. Therefore, when the soil at the excavation target is hard, compared to automatic control that executes the excavation operation according to a standard predetermined motion trajectory, the accuracy of the excavation operation can be improved, and work efficiency can be improved by preventing rework.

[0150] Furthermore, in this second embodiment, if the controller 240 determines that a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined reference movement trajectory, or that the actual movement time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined movement time, during the execution of the reference automatic control, the controller 240 stops the reference automatic control and outputs an abnormal termination signal to the management system 180. Similarly, if the controller 240 determines that a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined correction movement trajectory, or that the actual movement time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined movement time, during the execution of the corrective automatic control, the controller 240 stops the corrective automatic control and outputs an abnormal termination signal to the management system 180. If the controller 240 does not determine that a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined reference movement trajectory, nor does it determine that the actual movement time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined movement time, and thus ends the reference automatic control, the controller 240 outputs a normal termination signal to the management system 180. Similarly, if the controller 240 does not determine that a specific point of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined correction movement trajectory, nor does it determine that the actual movement time of the working device 1A has deviated from the predetermined movement time, and thus ends the corrective automatic control, the controller 240 outputs a normal termination signal to the management system 180. Therefore, according to this second embodiment, not only when performing baseline automatic control, but also when performing correction automatic control, the same effects as those described in (2) to (4) of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0151] The following variations are also within the scope of the present invention, which can combine the configuration shown in the variations with the configuration described in the above embodiments, or combine the configurations described in the different embodiments above with each other, or combine the configurations described in the different variations below with each other.

[0152] <Variation Example 1>

[0153] The above embodiment illustrates an example where the specific point of the working device 1A is the center point in the left-right width direction of the claw tip of the bucket 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The left and right endpoints of the claw tip of the bucket 10 can also be specific points of the working device 1A. Furthermore, the position of the specific point of the bucket 10 can be changed depending on the type of automatic control. For example, in the case where the operation performed by automatic control is to compact sand and level the ground by moving the boom 9 to move it away from the vehicle body 1B and pressing the back of the bucket 10 against an inclined wall, it is preferable to set the point on the back of the bucket 10 as the specific point of the working device 1A.

[0154] <Variation Example 2>

[0155] The above embodiments illustrate an example where the hydraulic excavator 1 has a vehicle position detection device 36, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The hydraulic excavator 1 may also not have a vehicle position detection device 36. In this case, the motion plan information and the position information of each part of the hydraulic excavator 1 can be defined by the excavator reference coordinate system.

[0156] <Variation Example 3>

[0157] In the above embodiments, an example was described in which the motion plan information output from the controllers 40 and 240 to the management system 180 includes the trajectory of a specific point of the working device 1A (i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory), the timing information of the predetermined position of the working device 1A, the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B. However, it is sufficient that at least any one of these information is included in the motion plan information. For example, when the type of automatic control is a job without accompanying vehicle movement, the motion plan information only needs to include at least one of the trajectory of the specific point of the working device 1A (i.e., the predetermined motion trajectory), the timing information of the predetermined position of the working device 1A, and the timing information of the predetermined posture of the working device 1A. Furthermore, when the type of automatic control is vehicle movement, the motion plan information only needs to include the timing information of the predetermined position of the vehicle body 1B.

[0158] <Variation Example 4>

[0159] The above embodiments illustrate an example where the posture detection device 50 includes angle sensors (30, 31, 32) as posture sensors for detecting posture information of the boom 8, stick 9, and bucket 10; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. The posture detection device 50 may also replace the angle sensors (30, 31, 32) with a stroke sensor that detects the stroke amount of the hydraulic cylinders (5, 6, 7) as posture information. The position and posture calculation unit 43 calculates the boom angle, stick angle, and bucket angle based on the stroke amount of the hydraulic cylinders (5, 6, 7).

[0160] <Variation Example 5>

[0161] The above embodiments illustrate an example where controllers 40 and 240 determine whether the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 is disengaged from the motion plan information in terms of position and time, and stop automatic control if such disengagement occurs. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, controllers 40 and 240 can determine whether the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 is disengaged from the motion plan information in terms of position or time, and stop automatic control if such disengagement occurs. Alternatively, the process for determining whether the actual movement of the hydraulic excavator 1 is disengaged from the motion plan information, and the process for stopping automatic control based on the determination result, can also be omitted.

[0162] <Variation Example 6>

[0163] The above embodiments illustrate an example of a hydraulic excavator 1 with a bucket 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can be applied to working machines with attachments other than a bucket. Furthermore, the working machine is not limited to tracked hydraulic excavators. For example, the present invention can be applied to various working machines such as wheeled hydraulic excavators and wheeled loaders. Additionally, the working machine is not limited to mobile working machines. For example, the present invention can also be applied to working machines that have a rotating body on a fixed body, and a multi-joint type working device on the rotating body.

[0164] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention. However, the above embodiments are merely examples of applicable examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0165] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0166] 1…Hydraulic excavator (operating machinery), 1A…Working device, 1B…Body, 2…Main pump, 3a, 3b…Travel hydraulic motor (hydraulic actuator), 4…Rotary hydraulic motor (hydraulic actuator), 5…Boom hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic actuator), 6…Stick hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic actuator), 7…Bucket hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic actuator), 8…Boom, 9…Stick, 10…Bucket, 11…Lower traveling body, 12…Upper rotating body, 30, 31, 32, 33…Angle sensor (attitude sensor), 36…Body position detection device, 40…Controller (control device), 43…Position and attitude calculation unit, 44…Electromagnetic proportional valve control unit, 50…Attitude detection device, 51…Communication device, 60… …Pressure detection device, 81…Actuator control unit, 90…Motion planning unit, 91…Automatic motion control unit, 92…Track departure judgment unit, 93…Time departure judgment unit, 100…First input unit, 101…Second input unit, 102…Third input unit, 110…First output unit, 111…Second output unit, 180…Management system (external system), 181…Management server, 182…Storage device, 183…Communication device, 184…Display device, 185…Input device, 203…Fourth input unit, 240…Controller (control device), 290…Motion planning unit, 291…Automatic motion control unit, 292…Track departure judgment unit, 293…Time departure judgment unit.

Claims

1. A work machine having: a work device; a posture detection device that detects posture information of the work device; a hydraulic actuator that drives the work device; and a control device that generates action plan information based on task information required for automatic control acquired from an external system, and executes automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on the action plan information and a detection result of the posture detection device, characterized in that the action plan information includes reference action plan information generated based on the task information, and modified action plan information that is modified from the reference action plan information, the reference action plan information includes a reference scheduled action track that is a track of a specific point of the work device, the modified action plan information includes a range surrounded by the reference scheduled action track and a modified scheduled action track that is a track of the specific point of the work device different from the reference scheduled action track, and has a possibility that the reference scheduled action track is modified during execution of the automatic control, the control device is configured to: output the action plan information including the reference action plan information and the modified action plan information to the external system, not execute the automatic control in a case where an approval signal indicating that the action plan information has been approved is not input from the external system, execute the automatic control in a case where the approval signal is input from the external system, determine whether a modification condition is established during execution of the automatic control, execute reference automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on the reference action plan information and the detection result of the posture detection device in a case where the modification condition is not established, and execute modified automatic control of the hydraulic actuator based on the modified action plan information and the detection result of the posture detection device in a case where the modification condition is established.

2. The work machine according to claim 1, characterized in that further having a vehicle body position detection device that detects position information of a vehicle body on which the work device is mounted, and the control device calculates a position of the vehicle body based on a detection result of the vehicle body position detection device, and calculates at least any one of a position and a posture of the work device based on a calculation result and the detection result of the posture detection device.

3. The work machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device is configured to: determine whether the specific point of the work device deviates from the reference scheduled action track or the modified scheduled action track during execution of the reference automatic control or the modified automatic control, and end the reference automatic control or the modified automatic control, and output an abnormal end signal to the external system when it is determined that the specific point of the work device deviates from the reference scheduled action track or the modified scheduled action track during execution of the reference automatic control or the modified automatic control. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ In a case where it is not determined that the specific point of the work implement deviates from the reference scheduled movement track or the corrected scheduled movement track and the reference automatic control or the corrected automatic control ends, a normal end signal is output to the external system.

4. The work machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device is configured to: determine whether the actual movement time of the work implement deviates from the scheduled movement time during execution of the automatic control, when it is determined that the actual movement time of the work implement deviates from the scheduled movement time during execution of the automatic control, end the automatic control, and output an abnormal end signal to the external system, In a case where it is not determined that the actual movement time of the work implement deviates from the scheduled movement time and the automatic control ends, a normal end signal is output to the external system.

5. The work machine according to claim 1, characterized in that when a temporary stop request signal is input from the external system during execution of the automatic control, the control device temporarily stops the automatic control and outputs a temporary stop signal to the external system.

6. The work machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the control device is configured to: when a resumption request signal is input from the external system during temporary stop of the automatic control, resume the automatic control, when an intermediate end request signal is input from the external system during temporary stop of the automatic control, end the automatic control and output an intermediate end signal to the external system.

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